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The American Israelite T H E

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 1 TISHREI, 5772 CINCINNATI, OH Candle Lighting Times Shabbat begins Fri. 7:05p Shabbat ends Sat. 8:06p

VOL. 158 • NO. 10 SINGLE ISSUE: $2.00 T H E R E

William Schneider, 8, Rockwern Academy - 2011 Rosh Hashanah Cover Coloring Contest Winner

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

High Holidays at B’nai Tzedek and Beit Chaverim Within the same Kenwood building, both the Conservative B’nai Tzedek congregation and the Reform Beit Chaverim congregation will be holding their separate, parallel Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.

Participants may move between services if they so choose. The continued, creative cooperation between the congregations allow families in which one member prefers a conservative and another a reform approach, to worship in the same building.

B’nai Tzedek’s services, as in the past, will be conducted by members of the congregation expressing the strong egalitarian and participatory ethos of the congregation.

Congregants will lead prayers, read Torah, deliver sermons, sing in a choir and lead the additional readings.

The first day Musaf service has been designed especially to contain participatory and creative elements. The congregation welcomes new members of the community and visitors to worship.

Congregants’ talents are used to support all of B’nai Tzedek activities. The knowledge gained by some is shared broadly with others to help everyone take an active part in congregational life.

Both congregations invite you to join in High Holiday worship.

Additional information about Congregations B’nai Tzedek and Beit Chaverim can be found online. To request free tickets contact the synagogue office.

Though no charge is requested for tickets, we kindly request to obtain them in advance.

Hadassah holds first ‘Coffee Talk’ of the season is a volunteer women’s organization whose members are motivated and inspired to strengthen their partnership with Israel, ensure Jewish continuity, and realize their potential as a dynamic force in American society. Coffee Talk is Cincinnati Chapter’s monthly informal get-together that meets the second Monday of the month, usually in a member’s home, to discuss topics of interest. Light refreshments will be served.

Please join us for this interesting and enlightening evening. There is no charge to attend, but reservations are requested.

Michael Bassin, Cincinnati native and new immigrant to Israel

Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah will hold its first Coffee Talk / Decaf Cafe of the season on Monday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Marianne Mandel-Brown.

Guest speaker Michael Bassin, the 25-year-old son of Hadassah member Gayna Bassin, will talk about his experiences in the Arab world and in the Israeli army. Tobe Snow is Coffee Talk Chair and Programming Vice President.

While in college, Michael studied at the American University in Cairo, the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, and the Hebrew

University in Jerusalem. After graduating from the George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, he immigrated to Israel and served two years in the Israel Defense Forces as a Combat Arabic Translator and Sniper. He has also traveled extensively in South America, Africa and the Far East.

He plans to return to Israel in December. He will share his experiences meeting interesting people, seeing beautiful sites and at times experiencing hostile situations.

Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America,

A tashlich of coming together Please join Golf Manor Synagogue and deliver your sins into the waters as you send greetings for a good year to fellow members of our community.

Come together for an inspirational community gathering of

families for tashlich with sweets for a sweet new year.

The service will be held at the property of Jack and Mary Bob Rubenstein on the first day of Rosh Hashana between 5–6 p.m.

HAPPY NEW YEAR from

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A special Rosh Hashanah for JFS clients Home cooked Rosh Hashanah dinners will make the holiday more special for 100 Jewish Family Service Food Pantry clients thanks to a group of volunteers from Adath Israel Congregation and Temple Sholom.

Pam Barbash generated the project alone in 2009 that has now become a growing community tradition.

“In 2009, while I was cooking for the holiday I realized that people who use Jewish Family Service Food Pantry should enjoy the same meals my family is having,” said Barbash. “So I cooked 72 meals and got the dinners to the people who needed it. I wanted to take a burden off of them.”

The following year she asked for volunteers to help, and the list has grown each year.

This year, Sandy Kaltman helped to coordinate 14 volunteers from Adath Israel Congregation to cook brisket, chicken soup, noodle kugel, mini challah rolls and apple cupcakes. The meals were divided into individual servings and frozen for easy consumption later.

Temple Sholom provided freezer space to store the meals until Jewish Family Service Food Pantry clients were able to get them.

Thirteen congregants from Temple Sholom also added to the meal by baking honey cakes.

The traditional Rosh Hashanah apples and honey were provided with a twist from the heart of a 13year old young man. For his Bar Mitzvah project, Temple Sholom member Ethan Glassman, spent a year learning to raise bees and harvesting honey at Gorman Heritage Farm. The project culminated with Ethan’s donating filled jars of

Ethan Glassman, 13

Kathy Wise, Sandy Kaltman, Jan Burke distribute homecooked meals

honey to Jewish Family Service to share with food pantry clients and to wish them a happy, healthy and sweet New Year.

In addition to Barbash and Kaltman, Adath Israel

Congregation volunteers were Jan Burke, JoAnn Casuto, Amy Diamond, Deb Lempert, Sherri Levitt, Jenna Ruben, Sara Samuels, Gilda Schwartz, Jill Segerman, Jean Tobias, Amy

Whitehead and Kathy Wise.

Joining Glassman as Temple Sholom volunteers were Mary Better, Linda Chambers, Peggy Eckman, Carolyn Fish, Sheila Freeman, Laura Glassman, Tom Glassman, Pam Hudson, Micaele Jordan, Joel Newberg, Julie Rubin, Carol Shore, Tobe Snow and Joyce Yonka.

“We are already starting to collect names for next year’s project,” said Barbash who asked future cooks to contact her directly.

Jewish Family Service Food Pantry is the source for free kosher food, personal and household care items, and fresh produce for individuals in the Greater Cincinnati Jewish community experiencing financial difficulties. Jewish Family Service also provides guidance and support for clients of the pantry to help improve their situation toward self-sufficiency. Jewish Family Service Food Pantry serves individuals living in 36 different zip codes across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Volunteers are also needed year-round to help stock the food pantry or deliver food to clients who have no transportation, money for gas, or physical disabilities to get to the pantry themselves. To volunteer, contact Sandee Golden, Jewish Family Service volunteer coordinator.

Jewish Family Service strengthens lives and the community by providing professional social services to families and individuals in times of need. In addition to its food pantry, the agency offers Adoption, Aging and Caregiver Services, Care Management, Emergency Financial Support, and Family Life Education.

Wolf Center debut at the J draws capacity crowd The kick-off event for the new Wolf Center for Arts and Ideas at the Mayerson JCC drew a capacity crowd of over 600 people on Thursday evening, Sept. 22.

Joshua Foer, a U.S. Memory Champion and best-selling author, captivated the large audience with anecdotes and demonstrations, led a lively question and answer session, and signed copies of his book, “Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.”

The new Wolf Center at the JCC provides innovative worldclass events for the entire community, and is generously funded by Nancy and David Wolf. Joshua Foer’s presentation was co-sponsored by Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and supported by Elaine & Bob Blatt.

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati worked closely with the Wolfs to select and shape their gift to the JCC. “We appreciate the Jewish Federation taking the lead

Steve Shifman, JCC president, with David and Nancy Wolf

in securing this wonderful gift from the Wolfs,” said Steve Shifman, JCC president. “The Wolf Center advances a critical part of Cincinnati 2020’s vision to develop a model Jewish commu-

nity, by creating an environment that encourages new ideas and provides opportunities to broaden the circle of engagement,” added Bret Caller, president of the Jewish Federation.

The stunning sculpture entitled “The Light” at the entrance to the Mayerson JCC was created by renowned artist Albert Paley, and is also a gift from Nancy and David Wolf. The new Wolf Center for Arts and Ideas will now bring “light” to the inside of the JCC building as well.

“After we saw how successful the JCC fitness center was, we realized the JCC had the potential to fulfill the social needs of the community, both Jewish and general,” said Nancy and David Wolf. “Our motivation for the gift was to do something meaningful in our lifetime and influence others to do the same, as well as enrich the lives of the people in our community.”

“With initiatives like the Wolf Center, we are on our way toward transforming the Cincinnati Jewish community for generations to come,” said Shep Englander, CEO of the Jewish Federation.

DEBUT on page 19

AI

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

VOL. 158 • NO. 10 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 1 TISHREI 5772 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 7:05 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 8:06 PM THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE CO., PUBLISHERS 18 WEST NINTH STREET, SUITE 2 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202-2037 Phone: (513) 621-3145 Fax: (513) 621-3744 publisher@americanisraelite.com editor@americanisraelite.com production@americanisraelite.com RABBI ISSAC M. WISE Founder, Editor, Publisher, 1854-1900 LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928 RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930 HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher, 1930-1985 PHYLLIS R. SINGER Editor & General Manager, 1985-1999 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher BARBARA L. MORGENSTERN Senior Writer ELIJAH PLYMESSER NICOLE SIMON Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor SONDRA KATKIN Dining Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists LEV LOKSHIN JANE KARLSBERG Staff Photographers JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager LYNN HILLER MICHAEL MAZER Sales ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager

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

LOCAL • 5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Shalom Family presents: Dream Job-A-Rama

What do your kids want to be when they grow up? Find out at Dream Job-A-Rama

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s probably the most frequently asked question children get from the time they can talk. However, with the exception of a handful of popular occupations, most kids don’t have any idea of the potential opportunities that await them. But now they can discover lots of possibilities all in one place when Shalom Family and Rockwern Academy present

the first ever Dream Job-A-Rama: A Hands-On Career Fair for Kids on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 3-5 p.m. at Rockwern Academy.

This free, hands-on event will give children an opportunity to meet workers and professionals representing more than 40 jobs.

From astronomers to zoologists and everything in between, all of the participants will be dressed in the clothing they wear to work,

and each will bring equipment and other “tools of the trade” for guests to see and touch. In addition to a free giveaway for each child, they will also provide a related interactive project to help illustrate the work they do. A variety of vehicles used on the job, such as a fire truck, police Segway and motorcycle, ambulance, armored truck, limousine and more will also be on display in the parking lot directly outside of the gymnasium where the event will take place.

The event will feature a wide range of interesting and unusual occupations such as a forensic scientist, chef, P&G brand manager, paleontologist, fashion designer, orthopedic surgeon, ballerina from the Cincinnati Ballet, veterinarian, police officer, DJ, dentist, botanist, photo journalist, bee keeper and many, many more. As an extra special treat, visitors will get to meet WLWT TV’s Stephanie Stone, and will have the chance to sit behind a mini anchor desk and get a DVD of themselves anchoring the news. They will also get to meet WCPO TV’s, Valerie Miller and Deb Silverman, and experience what it’s like to be a TV news reporter.

“We’re pulling out all of the stops to make this the biggest event we’ve ever had,” said Julie Robenson, program coordinator for Shalom Family. “From toddlers to preteens, no matter what their age, kids will find lots of fas-

cinating things to see and do. After all, how often do children or adults get a chance like this to meet this many people, representing this many jobs all in one room?”

JOB-A-RAMA on page 19

B’NAI TZEDEK & BEIT CHAVERIM INVITE YOU TO JOIN US FOR HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES Led by the congregants, touching your heart, engaging your mind

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CALL 984-3393 FOR INFORMATION FREE HIGH HOLIDAYS TICKETS

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Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at the JCC, Oct. 30

The CSO will have its first appearance at the JCC next month.

The entire community is invited to attend the Daniel Pearl World Music Day concert at the Mayerson JCC on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. This special event at the JCC is free and will feature family-friendly musical performances by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet and woodwind quintet.

Daniel Pearl World Music Day was created in remembrance of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl, an American who was kidnapped and murdered by extremists in Karachi, Pakistan.

Pearl’s family and friends came together to work toward a more humane world, forming the Daniel Pearl Foundation.

Pearl was also known as a tal-

ented musician who joined musical groups in every community he visited. He had a passion for music and a lifelong mission of uniting people from different cultures through music. Over the past nine years, Daniel Pearl World Music Day has included more than 6,700 performances in 110 countries.

The concert at the JCC is the only Daniel Pearl World Music Day event in Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 30. This is also the first time that the CSO’s ensembles will perform at the J. At this event, the Mayerson JCC uses the power of music to promote cross-cultural understanding and remind people of all cultures and religions that everyone shares a common humanity.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is a dynamic ensemble of some of the world’s finest musicians. The fifth oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and the oldest orchestra in Ohio, the CSO has played a leading role in the cultural life of Greater Cincinnati and the Midwest since its founding in 1895.

“The Mayerson JCC is proud to partner with the CSO and showcase their musical ensembles to a broad audience of all ages and backgrounds,” said Courtney Cummings, Mayerson JCC Cultural Arts coordinator.

This community event is open to the public. For more information, contact Courtney Cummings at the J or visit their website.

Cedar Village honored for unique dementia program For developing programming that helps people with dementia express themselves artistically, Cedar Village Retirement Community has been honored by an Ohio organization that advocates for seniors.

LeadingAge Ohio, which represents nonprofits that serve Ohio’s seniors, presented Cedar Village with its Excellence in Service for Nursing Facilities Award. The award recognizes Cedar Village’s Opening Minds through Art program, which Cedar Village runs in partnership with the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University. The honor is given to an organization displaying outstanding initiative, motivation and leadership in quality skilled nursing services.

Cedar Village’s Opening Minds through Art program is based on the principle that individuals with dementia are capable of expressing themselves creatively. The program relies on strengths-based psychology, capitalizing on what people with dementia can do. The approach was

developed by Dr. Like Lokon, who works at the Scripps center.

The art sessions promote social engagement, autonomy and dignity for people with dementia by providing creative and selfexpressive opportunities. The 12week program allows staff and volunteers to build relationships with people who have dementia, who gain a forum to publicly illustrate their creative capabilities. It culminates in a gallery exhibition of the artists’ accomplishments.

“With an aging population in our state and increasing numbers of residents with dementia, it is crucial that senior service providers continue to find new ways to meet the special needs of these residents,” said Adrienne Walsh of Cincinnati, chair of the LeadingAge Ohio Professional Recognition Committee. “Through programming such as Opening Minds through Art, Cedar Village is leading the way in creatively offering quality services that enhance the lives of their residents

John Alfano, CEO, Leading Age Ohio; Like Lokon, Ph.D., Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University; Marcia Westcott, director of Resident Programming, Cedar Village; Carol Silver Elliott, CEO and president, Cedar Village; Adrienne Walsh, chair of the LeadingAge Ohio Professional Recognition Committee; Marcia Hauer, chair, Leading Age Ohio board.

and their family members.”

Carol Silver Elliott, Cedar Village’s CEO and president, said Cedar Village is privileged to offer

the program, allowing people with dementia to continue to make creative choices.

“Watching the Opening Minds

through Art program take place is like watching magic in action,” she said. “It is transformative for both the participants and the volunteers.”

Hebrew Union College celebrates ‘A Century in Clifton’ The Cincinnati Associates of Hebrew Union College will host the 28th annual tribute dinner on Sunday, Nov. 6—at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Cincinnati—with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The program will commemorate the Centennial of the CollegeInstitute’s move to Clifton in 1911, and also pay tribute to Ralph S. (Mike) Michael, president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati for his years of dedicated leadership and service to the Greater Cincinnati community. Dinner co-chairs are Andrew R. Berger and Karen M. Hoguet. Corporate Council Dinner co-chairs are James A. Miller and Joseph A. Pichler.

In 1911, HUC was operating out of a small building on 6th Street

downtown when the decision was made by then-president Kaufman Kohler to move to Clifton. The cornerstones for the first two buildings were laid in 1911 and the buildings were dedicated in 1912. “The decision to move to Clifton under Kohler was a revolutionary move,” explained Rabbi David Ellenson, president of Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion. “It indicated that the college, founded in 1875 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, had undergone its earliest beginnings and was now prepared to become much more a part of the Cincinnati landscape. The construction of the new campus reflected the position HUC began to earn among world Jewry by 1911.”

Once completed, the new campus

afforded the college ample space to create what has now become one of the finest Judaica/Hebraica libraries in the world (Klau Library). The new college campus and the rapidly expanding library made Cincinnati a prominent, national center of Jewish learning. A dormitory for the college’s student rabbis was built on the campus in 1930 by the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods—a women’s organization formed in 1913 to provide support for the country’s growing Reform Movement.

“The dormitory made the Clifton campus a true campus,” said Dr. Michael Meyer, the Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Jewish History at HUCJIR/Cincinnati. “For the first time, students could live on campus instead of in area boarding houses.”

Throughout the years, the Cincinnati campus of HUC-JIR became well known for its atmosphere of academic freedom. “The college became a model of that,” continued Meyer.

“They never insisted that faculty be members of Reform Movement or hold any specific political views; only that they be great scholars. Students too have always held a wide variety of opinions on key issues of their day.” The American Jewish Archives was established on the campus in 1947, in the building that housed the original library (formerly known as the Bernheim Library).

The AJA was founded by Dr. Jacob Rader Marcus who was one of the first to realize that the Holocaust had changed the demographics of world Jewry and that America was going to

play a larger role in Jewish history than it had in the past. Marcus wanted to establish a documentary basis for the history of American Judaism.

The AJA has become the world’s largest freestanding repository of artifacts and materials pertaining to North American Jewry.

The college created a revolution when, in 1972, it ordained the Reform Movement’s first female rabbi, Sally Priesand. “We have created a world center of Jewish scholarship. It has evolved from a small building in the west end into one of the largest Judaica and Hebraica centers in the entire world,” noted Rabbi Ken Ehrlich, counselor to the president at HUC-JIR. For more information about the gala event celebration call HUC.

NATIONAL • 7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

National Briefs

Kosher BBQ competition is a hit among Jews—and some Muslims, too

By Martin Rosenberg Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Palestinian kids’ artwork goes on display despite cancellation (JTA) — Artwork by Palestinian children illustrating the Gaza War was shown in an outdoor venue after a California children’s museum canceled the display under pressure from the community.

The exhibit “A Child’s View From Gaza,” created by children aged 9 to 11, was displayed recently in a downtown Oakland courtyard. It will be on display for two months in a space a oneminute walk from the Museum of Children’s Art in Oakland, which had scheduled a midSeptember opening for the show before canceling.

The exhibit of pictures showing bombs falling and people being struck by them, as well as tanks firing, was organized by the Middle East Children’s Alliance.

The Alliance told the Oakland Tribune that it was approached by the children’s museum on Sept. 22 about rescheduling the event.

A statement from museum board member Randolph Belle explained that “When we canceled the exhibit ‘A Child’s View from Gaza’ earlier this month, we did so both because we lacked a formal policy for sensitive content and because we were not confident that we had the resources to deal with the numerous concerns we received regarding the exhibit. In response to input from the community and careful consideration by our board of directors and staff, the Museum of Children’s Art has developed a new policy governing the exhibition of items with sensitive content.”

Ten Muslim students found guilty of disrupting Oren speech (JTA) — A California jury found 10 Muslim students guilty of misdemeanors for disrupting a 2010 campus speech by Israel’s ambassador to the United States.

In an incident that drew national attention, 11 Muslim students stood one by one and interrupted a February 2010 speech by Ambassador Michael Oren at the University of California, Irvine. Oren twice walked off the stage as students shouted “Mass murderer!” and “War criminal!” before they were hauled out of the room by campus police. A planned Q&A session after the address was dropped.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (JTA) — If there’s anything that can bring the Jews of Tennessee together, it would be barbecue.

This past weekend, the 23rd annual Kosher BBQ Contest and Festival drew thousands of Jews from Tennessee and around the country.

It attracted a group of Muslims, too. Turns out they’re not bad at cooking kosher brisket: The Memphis Islamic Center’s team, the “Halal Smokers,” won a thirdplace award for their brisket entry.

The commingling of Jews and Muslims among tables heaped with baked beans, hamburgers and ribs provided a counterpoint to anti-Muslim protests in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and death threats aimed recently at mosques elsewhere in this state.

Courtesy of Stuart Lazarov

In addition to the grand prize, the “Pickering Potchkers” won in the ribs competition at the 23rd annual Kosher BBQ Contest and Festival in Memphis, Tenn.

“This is what America is all about,” Adam Itayem, who manned the Halal Smokers’ booth, said during the event. Itayem is also the owner of Tom’s Bar-B-Q in Memphis.

“People from all over the community feel comfortable coming year after year,” observed Rabbi Joel Finkelstein, the rabbi of Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth, the Orthodox synagogue that organizes the annual event and holds it in its parking lot.

Every May, this Mississippi River city hosts the famed World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, held each year on a Saturday. That contest has an overwhelmingly porcine character.

The synagogue cooked up its contest more than two decades ago so that its Shabbat- and kosherobservant members could get in on the barbecue action.

“It is the only event I know that brings the entire Jewish community together,” said Steve Kaplan, a longtime organizer of the event.

He estimated that 3,000 people in all came to the festival.

The kosher barbecue contest has become so popular that attendees from far and wide are trying to copy the Memphis model.

Longtime participant Bruce

Courtesy of Stuart Lazarov

The “Pickering Potchkers” won the grand prize and the ribs competition at the 23rd annual Kosher BBQ Contest and Festival in Memphis, Tenn.

Downs of Birmingham, Ala., said he has helped launch a similar kosher competition back home, sponsored in part by the Piggly Wiggly supermarket chain, whose local branch sells kosher meat.

Warren Binderman, an accountant whose “Grillin Tefillin” teams had baked beans bubbling on the grill in Memphis, said he’s trying to start a similar contest in Atlanta.

Marvin Rembo, of Jericho, N.Y., a chemical wholesaler, was sent by his synagogue to scout out the Memphis competition. His mission, Rembo said, is to launch a Long Island-wide kosher barbecue competition next June that will be

sanctioned by Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth. The winner will get to compete in Memphis — which can make the uncontested claim, at least for now, of hosting what has quickly evolved into North America’s world series of kosher grilling.

“Eisenhower invaded Europe with less preparation than these guys did to get ready,” Rembo said of the organizers of the Memphis barbecue.

For the crowds this weekend, Sunday was an opportunity not just to tantalize the taste buds, but also to pet goats, shoot some hoops and meet up with friends from around town. Some 45 teams participated

in the cooking contest, with each paying a $125 entrance fee in addition to buying all the kosher meat and ingredients they needed. With smoke from the grills hovering over the parking lot, the scene had the air of a Civil War reenactment.

Stuart Lazarov, an anesthesiologist and past president of Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth, said sponsors of the event this year included a medical center, a property-management firm, a bank, a casino, law firms and a frozen yogurt store. In a humorous nod, a group of gastrointestinal specialists sponsored a pickle-eating contest.

The grand prizewinners, and victors of the ribs competition, were the “Pickering Potchkers.”

The best brisket went to “Grills Gone Wild.” The baked beans of the “Cow Towers” took first place in the beans category.

The Memphis Islamic Center’s booth drew a lot of curious Jews who chatted with the cooks about the similarities and differences of the laws governing halal and kosher meat.

Aside from meat, the main draw of the day was a basketball tournament in which 40 teams competed for trophies in three-on-three competition. The power forward for the University of Memphis men’s basketball team, Tariq Black, chatted with fans of his team.

Of the food, Black said, “They have the best salami I have ever tasted.”

8 • NATIONAL

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‘Israeli Idol’ Diana Golbi brings act and message to U.S.

Group urges rabbis to use the civil pulpit

By Dvora Meyers Jewish Telegraphic Agency

By Ben Harris Jewish Telegraphic Agency

NEW YORK (JTA) — For her first visit to New York and the United States, Diana Golbi adopted the unofficial uniform of most city dwellers — head-to-toe black.

Black shirt, black top and tight black jeans. Her long brown hair was straight and hung past her shoulders.

Pointing to her stiletto heels, which added at least four inches to her diminutive stature, she explained, “I’m in New York, so I have to be feminine.” She drew out the “f” sound as though she found the very concept of femininity distasteful. Or perhaps Golbi was merely playing with her English, a third language after her native tongues, Russian and Hebrew.

Golbi, 19, and the winner of the 2010 season of “Kochav Nolad” — the Israeli incarnation of “American Idol” — had just performed a short set of songs at City Winery on behalf of ELEM, a nonprofit organization that assists and rehabilitates “distressed youth” in Israel with programs ranging from counseling and social services to vocation and job training. She herself had benefited

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (JTA) — If the Jewish Council on Public Affairs has its way, it won’t be the presidential election, the ailing economy, social justice or personal ethics that top the list of High Holidays sermon topics this year.

The public policy group is hoping that the study materials and sample sermons it released late last month will inspire rabbis to address the topic of civility — in particular, the lack of it in communal discourse — when they ascend the pulpits later this month.

“Increasingly, conversations are giving way to diatribe,” said JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow in a news release accompanying the materials. “We can do better.”

The new materials come as JCPA continues to push its Year of

Courtesy of ELEM

Diana Golbi performed in New York on behalf of ELEM, a nonprofit Israeli organization that helps “distressed youth” from which she herself benefited in her earlier teens.

from the two-decades-old organization’s services as a teenager wandering the streets late at night in Holon.

Since winning the competition, the Russian-born Golbi has become something of an ambassador for ELEM, which runs programs in 28 cities across Israel.

They include the night vans that she and her friends discovered driving around Holon, a lowincome suburb of Tel Aviv.

Like many immigrants and children of immigrants, Golbi found it difficult to transition into the mainstream of Israeli society.

The alienation and depression were exacerbated following the death of a friend, who died of a drug overdose. It was around this time that Golbi was introduced by some of her friends to ELEM and its night vans.

WASHINGTON (JTA) — American Jews are feeling “grumpy,” according to the American Jewish Committee’s take on its latest public opinion survey.

That’s not good news for President Obama, whose Jewish approval level has dipped below 50 percent. But American Jews don’t seem particularly excited about the Republicans hoping to replace him either.

Jews now approve and disapprove of Obama’s performance in roughly equal numbers, according to the annual poll, released Monday. It shows 45 percent of American Jews approve of Obama as opposed to 48 percent disapproving — the difference falling within with the survey’s margin of error of 3 percentage points. The numbers show a substantial drop for Obama from the 57 percent of Jews who approved of his performance in the 2010 AJC survey.

Asked about various areas of

Obama’s performance, American Jews were the most sour on how he has handled the economy, with 60 percent of respondents disapproving and only 37 percent approving.

“They continue to be grumpy about the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, they’re pessimistic about the prospects of solving the Iran problem,” David Harris, AJC’s executive director, told JTA. “But they’re grumpiest about the economy.”

Jewish Republicans have been attacking Obama on both foreign policy and on the economy lately.

“We’ll be talking about domestic issues like the economy, like we did in 2010 and 2009,” said Matthew Brooks, the Republican Jewish Coalition’s executive director. Republican efforts to win over Jews in 2008 focused almost entirely on the issue of Israel, and Obama captured 78 percent of the Jewish vote.

In AJC’s latest poll, there’s a virtual tie in the president’s approval and disapproval levels on foreign policy, with 47 percent of

PULPIT on page 20

Estee Portnoy wants BBYO to be like Mike

By Suzanne Kurtz Jewish Telegraphic Agency

IDOL on page 20

As Obama’s Jewish numbers plummet, AJC poll shows U.S. Jews ‘grumpy’

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Civility campaign launched in 2010, and after years in which civility has been a focus of communal attention. Back in 2008, Hillel, the Jewish campus group, made civility the theme of its summit in Washington. In 2010, a group of Northern California rabbis launched an initiative to foster civil discourse out of concern for the corrosive impact of the Israel debate.

It’s not only the Jews hopping the civility train. Overheated rhetoric has been blamed routinely for tragedies large and small, including the massacre that nearly claimed the life of a U.S. congresswoman in Arizona, the suicides of victims of Internet bullying and the inability of elected leaders to reach agreement on ways to steer the country out of the economic doldrums.

Jews approving of Obama’s performance versus 48 percent disapproving.

More troubling for Democrats was the drop in perceptions of how Obama handled the U.S.-Israel relationship, with 53 percent disapproving and 40 percent approving this year, as opposed to 45 percent disapproving and 49 percent approving last year.

David A. Harris, the National Jewish Democratic Council’s president — and no relation to the AJC director — noted the difference between Obama’s approval level on Israel policy and Jewish Americans’ sunnier view of the overall U.S.-Israel relationship, with 63 percent characterizing it as either very or somewhat positive.

“It’s like going to a restaurant and saying ‘I love the food, but I don’t like the chef,’” he said. “That places in stark relief a communications and messaging problem.”

Brooks, however, disagreed. “I don’t think they have a messaging problem; they have a policy problem, and that’s what the campaigns are going to be about,” he said.

WASHINGTON (JTA) — It might be hard to imagine what Michael Jordan and BBYO have in common, but Estee Portnoy knows.

Jordan, nearly as famous for his product endorsements — Nike, Gatorade and Hanes, to name a few — as he is for his slam dunks, continues to be one of the most influential figures in both sports and branding. As the longtime business manager and spokeswoman for the basketball legend, Portnoy, 44, understands the importance of a “brand refresh.”

Since becoming chairman of BBYO’s board of directors last year, Portnoy recognized the need for the 88-year-old Jewish teen movement to upgrade its brand while maintaining its heritage.

The refreshed BBYO brand — an updated logo along with the release of the organization’s new five-year strategic plan — was launched this week. The logo’s design, says Portnoy, is meant to convey a “sense of tradition with modernity.” The iconic menorah symbol was maintained, while asymmetrical lengths were added to the branches and heights of the flames to convey individuality through self-exploration.

“We’ve set a bold vision for the organization,” says Matthew Grossman, executive director of BBYO. “We believe that we’ve created fun, meaningful and affordable experiences that can connect Jewish teens for a lifetime to the

Courtesy of Darla Photography

Estee Portnoy, standing in front of a Michael Jordan jersey, understands the importance of a “brand refresh” through her longtime affiliation with the basketball legend.

Jewish people.”

Portnoy’s experiences with BBYO as a young teenager growing up in western Pennsylvania helped lay the groundwork for both her future professional and personal pursuits.

The daughter of a Holocaust survivor father and an Israeli-born mother, she was one of six Jewish students in her high school in tiny New Castle, Pa. BBYO “was all that I had to connect me with the [Jewish] community,” she says.

PORTNOY on page 22

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL • 9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

JNF announces 2012 National Board of Directors Jewish National Fund (JNF) is proud to announce its 2012 National Board of Directors, which will include Stanley Chesley (Cincinnati), president; Edward Paul (Cincinnati), advisor to president/environmental committee chair; Richard Shenk (Cincinnati), advisor to the president; and Jay Schottenstein (Columbus), honorary director.

Stanley M. Chesley is a high profile plaintiff ’s attorney at Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley who has tried and negotiated settlements in many major blockbuster torts litigation. During his tenure, JNF has built the 20,000-square-foot Sderot Indoor Recreation Center and made great progress in the Be’er Sheva River Walk.

Edward Paul served as JNF’s first Midwest Zone president from 2001-2003, as the Cincinnati president from 1999–2001 and has been a national Board Member since 1999. He is Ohio Regional Manager for Industrial Container Services.

Richard L. Shenk is a fine arts photographer and a visiting professor of photography at Israel Arts and Sciences Academy. He is past Campaign Chairman of Aspen Valley United Jewish Appeal and serves on its Board of Directors.

Jay Schottenstein is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Schottenstein Stores Corporation and American Eagle Outfitters. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Columbus Torah Academy and Yeshiva College at Yeshiva University; and Chairman of the Board of the Schottenstein Chabad House at Ohio State University.

“Jewish National Fund is a notfor-profit organization that puts

great value on the relationship between its lay leaders and staff,” said Chesley. “JNF has an extensive board and committee system.

Every member of the National Board of Directors has a specific portfolio—ranging from missions and zones, to campaign, marketing, and education—and works in concert with JNF’s professional staff. Together they set the agenda, the policy, make decisions and implement the vision.”

JNF’s National Board of Directors receives regular briefings on JNF’s Israeli projects and deliberates on all budgeting, fiscal and financial matters and major policy decisions. The board meets every month for a two-and-a-half hour session and has a 98 percent attendance record. Board membership involves an extensive nominations process and numerous personal interviews.

“JNF is fortunate and proud to have thousands of volunteers throughout the United States, all working as one family with one vision,” said Ronald S. Lauder, JNF Chairman of the Board. “It is a true partnership with shared responsibility for our key role: working on behalf of the land and people of Israel. 2011 has been the greatest campaign year in JNF’s history; Stanley, Edward, Richard and Jay will play a vital role in our process to fulfill JNF’s goals for the coming year.”

“We are excited that Ohio will be represented on the JNF National Board by Stanley Chesley, Edward Paul, Richard Shenk, and Jay Schottenstein,” said Rick Kruger, JNF Midwest Zone Director.

“They represent the best of Ohio in both their devotion to the State of Israel and their philanthropic support through JNF.”

Lithuanian Jewish community teams up with other minority groups

By Alex Weisler Jewish Telegraphic Agency VILNIUS, Lithuania (JTA) — Faina Kukliansky entered the theater alone, waved at a few friends and sat down to watch “I Shot My Love,” the Israeli documentary film that kicked off Lithuania’s first gay film festival.

Some other Lithuanian Jews, she said, have told her to avoid such events for fear of being too closely associated with the gay community.

But Kukliansky, the vice president of Lithuania’s Jewish com-

munity, was attending for that very reason: to cement a new partnership between the Jewish community and seven other groups focused on human rights and minority rights.

“Even those who are smart in our community do not want to be involved,” said Kukliansky, a restitution lawyer. “People do not understand, really, that we are not playing with gays, but we are together against attacks on human rights.”

COMMUNITY on page 22

Is Jewish life in Hungary and Poland sustainable?

By Ruth Ellen Gruber Jewish Telegraphic Agency BUDAPEST, Hungary (JTA) — It’s not easy to decipher the complicated trajectory of Jewish life in post-communist Europe.

“There are claims and counterclaims about contemporary European Jewish life,” Jonathan Boyd, the executive director of London’s Institute for Jewish Policy Research, said. “At one end of the spectrum there are reports of a remarkable renaissance of activity; at the other there is a strong narrative of decline.”

Boyd’s institute recently published a pair of reports written by local researchers in Hungary and Poland that offer a more nuanced view. The reports looked at the development of Jewish life in these two countries since the collapse of communism and examined the challenges their Jewish communities face going forward.

The reports, Boyd said, “illustrate that both perspectives are correct: While Jewish life has undoubtedly been reinvigorated since the collapse of communism, considerable investment is required to ensure the long-term sustainability of Jewish life in both places.”

Hungary, with an estimated 100,000 Jews, has the largest Jewish population in post-communist Europe outside the former Soviet Union. In Poland, the European Jewish heartland that was home to more than 3 million Jews before the Holocaust, the Jewish population today is estimated at only 8,000-15,000.

The reports were prepared on the basis of personal interviews with a range of Jewish community activists in each country, followed up by focus-group discussions.

Their results highlight similarities in the post-communist Jewish revival process but also illustrate the differences between various Jewish communities.

They also demonstrate the increasing importance of alternative forms of engagement in nurturing identity among younger Jews. These include Jewish community centers, Jewish studies programs, grassroots educational projects such as Limmud, and even initiatives such as Jewish cafes and culture festivals.

The research in Hungary showed a community reinvigorated over the last 20 years but facing the challenge of low engagement in communal life, with only 10 percent of the Jewish population affiliated with a Jewish organization.

Young people especially appear alienated from established Jewish communal structures, such as the umbrella Federation of

Courtesy of Ruth Ellen Gruber

Krakow Rabbi Boaz Pash presents a talk to visitors in the 16th century Remuh Synagogue in Krakow, June 2011.

Hungarian Jewish Communities —or Mazsihisz, to use its Hungarian acronym.

The JPR Hungary report calls for an urgent overhaul of Mazsihisz and the entire institutional system of organized Hungarian Jewry to ensure that decisions on issues affecting the whole community are made in a democratic and transparent fashion.

It also calls for greater religious pluralism and more cooperation and coordination among the plethora of often competing local Jewish groups and initiatives.

This, it said, could help foster the emergence and training of a new generation of leaders “who recognize that success in any part of the community should be regarded as success for the whole community.”

“One of our purposes was to present conflicting views on every issue we considered,” sociologist Andras Kovacs, an expert on Hungarian Jewish issues who was one of the co-authors of the report, told JTA. “We wanted to provoke debate.”

In Poland, research bore witness to the rebirth of a community that remains tiny but has a disproportionate impact both at home and abroad, in part due to the importance of Polish Jewish history and heritage to world Jewry.

Because of this, the report said, and “because of the remarkably positive reaction of the Polish state and most of civil society to Jewish interests and concerns,” Jewish programs in Poland “have a very high multiplier effect,” with a direct impact “both on the world community of Jews of Polish origin, and on Jewish and non-Jewish Poles alike.”

Therefore, it said, preservation and study of Jewish heritage — from cemeteries, synagogues and Holocaust sites such as death camps, to archival, museum and library collections — “are of great importance.”

Moreover, it said, while Orthodox Jewry remained the primary established religious stream, only a minority of the community identified with Orthodoxy.

The report urged greater investment in programs supporting Jewish cultural initiatives and nonOrthodox alternative forms of Jewish engagement.

“There is a future for the Jewish community in Poland, but the community will remain small,” Konstanty Gebert, a leading Jewish intellectual and writer who co-authored the report, told JTA. “While the Orthodox part will remain a core of it, it represents only a minority,” he said.

“Culture is a main identity factor for young Jews,” he went on.

“The most important things are happening on the interface between the Jewish community and society at large.”

Jonathan Ornstein, the director of the Jewish Community Center in Krakow, said the report gave a good overall picture of Jewish life in Poland today and many of its complexities.

“It accurately portrays Polish Jews as being optimistic and not overly concerned with antiSemitism, which stands in marked contrast to the rest of Europe,” he told JTA. But he added, “I would have liked to see more focus on the somewhat unnatural structure of the community, where official religious life is Orthodox but few of the members are. Polish Jewry coming to terms with that situation, and having its institutions more accurately represent the people is to me the greatest challenge we face moving forward.”

The reports were the first two of a series of JPR investigations into contemporary Jewish life in Eastern and Central Europe funded by the Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe. Future reports will deal with Ukraine and Germany.

10 • INTERNATIONAL / ISRAEL

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

International In Ramallah, West Bank Palestinians Israel divided between celebratory and cynical Briefs Briefs

By Linda Gradstein Jewish Telegraphic Agency Pope’s German trip important, spokesman says ROME (JTA) — Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to his native Germany afforded the opportunity to reflect on the lessons drawn from the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, the chief Vatican spokesman said.

The pope’s four-day trip ended Sunday.

“One cannot pass through Berlin without feeling the weight of the darkest page in the history of Germany and Europe in the last century: the madness for power and murder that marked the Nazi era,” Rev. Federico Lombardo, the director of the Vatican press office, said on Vatican Television.

He said it had been important for the 84-year-old pope, in an address to the German Parliament, to describe the Nazi regime as a “highly organized band of robbers, capable of threatening the whole world and driving it to the edge of the abyss.”

He said it had also been important for the pope to meet with a delegation of German Jews, which had included Holocaust survivors.

“The light of those martyred

by Nazism shines through the darkness of those times and continues to inspire the building of the future,” he said.

This was the pope’s first state visit back to his native country since his election as pope in 2005.

It was marked by a march by thousands of people in Berlin protesting Vatican policy—on clerical celibacy, contraception, homosexuality and the role of women—and carrying signs reading “Pope Go Home.” Seventy German lawmakers boycotted his speech to Parliament.

Ukrainians protest Chasidic pilgrimage to Uman (JTA) — Dozens of Ukrainian nationalists protested the annual pilgrimage of Jews to the grave of a Chasidic rabbi in Uman.

Sunday’s protest, organized by the nationalist Svoboda Party, demanded increased legal controls on the thousands of pilgrims who annually visit the grave of Reb Nachman of Bratslav, the founder and spiritual leader of the Bratslav Chasidic movement, to celebrate the Jewish New Year.

The protest said the pilgrimage presents a security and health risk, and that the pilgrims treat Uman residents disrespectfully.

Protesters shouted slogans such as “Ukraine for Ukrainians,” according to The Associated Press.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (JTA) —A larger-than-life skyblue chair with the word “Palestine” dominates the center of Manara Square in downtown Ramallah.

The Palestinian flag, a national symbol once banned by Israel, flies everywhere. Long banners of flags crisscross the square, huge flags decorate the sides of buildings, and even police cars sport flags. Nationalist music blares from loudspeakers.

The chair, symbolizing Palestinians’ hoped-for acceptance as a state by the United Nations, is empty for now. Public opinion in Ramallah, the de facto Palestinian financial and political capital, is divided over whether the Palestinians’ U.N. bid for statehood will make any difference on the ground.

Some, like Walid Nasser, a manager of 17 radio stations in the West Bank, says that Palestinians are now on the road to an independent state.

“It’s a legal step and it’s very important for our own real state,” Nasser told JTA in Manara Square on Friday, the day Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted the Palestinians’ bid for statehood to the United Nations. “There has never been a U.N. document that registers Palestine as a state. It’s a huge step forward for the Palestinian people.”

Nasser did not seem bothered by the promised American veto of a Security Council resolution calling for the recognition of Palestine.

“We don’t care — let the U.S. be the only one of 130 nations opposing a Palestinian state,” he said. “We deserve a state just like Israel deserves a state. They suffered a lot in the past, but so did we. We want a state that will live in peace with all of its neighbors, including Israel.”

Others say that a Palestinian state would be a chance to right historic wrongs. Qais Adel, 44, a soft-spoken waiter at a downtown Ramallah restaurant, stood outside a grocery store with his wife.

“I was born in Nablus in 1967, and all of my life has been under Israeli occupation,” he said, putting his grocery bags on the ground to rest for a moment. “For years now, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad has been laying the groundwork for a state, and now we are ready. Israel already has a state. Now we want a state within the 1967 borders.”

The 1967 borders would mean an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem;

Courtesy of Isasm Rimawi / Flash90 / JTA

Palestinians in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh, near Ramallah, faced off against Israeli soldiers during their weekly protest on the same day that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted a bid for Palestinian statehood to the United Nations, Sept. 23, 2011.

Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Those are the same borders that President Obama cited earlier this year as the basis for negotiations, with mutually agreed swaps of territory. But in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, there was neither mention of the 1967 lines nor a call to Israel to freeze settlement expansion.

In New York, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said a future Palestinian state cannot have Jewish settlers in it. Some 300,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, not including eastern Jerusalem. Even assuming mutually agreed-upon land swaps that would keep settlement blocs under Israeli control, West Bank settlements that are home to tens of thousands of Israelis would be left in areas allotted to a Palestinian state under almost any conceivable peace deal.

In Ramallah, many Palestinians are doubtful that the U.N. gambit will change anything in their daily lives.

Yahya Eid, 23, sat on a plastic chair next to a small stand selling tea and coffee. He said he works 18 hours a day, either at the stand or at a small restaurant he owns.

He graduated from university last year with a degree in computer science but couldn’t find work in his field.

He smiled cynically as he surveyed the decorated square, which was mostly quiet on Friday, while some flashpoints, like the Kalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, saw clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian protesters. One Palestinian was killed in a clash between Israeli settlers and Palestinians near the Palestinian village of Qusra.

“If Israel and the U.S. don’t

want us to have a state, it’s not going to happen,” Eid said. “And what about President Obama’s speech to the U.N.? All he said was, ‘Get back to negotiating.’”

Asked whether the armed Palestinian police in the streets of Ramallah and the flags don’t already provide a feeling of statehood, Eid said, “Sure, it feels like a state during the day. But at 10 p.m. our police have to get off the streets and Israeli soldiers can come in if they want to arrest anyone. What kind of state is that?”

Despite his perspective, Eid said he believes there eventually will be an independent Palestinian state – he’s just not sure how long it will take.

For a Palestinian named Nick, 60, the celebrations in Ramallah on Friday marking Abbas’s statehood petition were a chance to connect with the homeland he had left many years ago.

Nick, who wouldn’t give his last name, said he has lived in Rocky Point, N.C., for 43 years.

But he felt he needed to be in Ramallah on Friday.

“Abbas will get support for a Palestinian state in the General Assembly,” he said. “It will remind the world that we still live under occupation.”

Nick’s family left the West Bank in 1968 because there were few economic opportunities, he said, yet despite 40 years abroad, the West Bank still feels like home.

He owns a home here and returns frequently to visit. He hopes his children, now young adults, will move back to the West Bank.

Nick says he’s not sure if the United Nations petition will lead to an independent state.

“It’s hard to tell, but we had to do something,” he said. “We negotiated for 20 years and achieved nothing but more settlements. Maybe this will make a difference.”

Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel attacked for sixth time JERUSALEM (JTA) — A pipeline that carries gas from Egypt to Israel was attacked for the sixth time in less than a year.

Three men fired on the pipeline at a pumping station in the northern Sinai on Tuesday morning, according to reports. The pipeline, which also serves Jordan then exploded.

It was not immediately known what affect the explosion would have on gas supplies to Israel and Jordan. Israel has not been receiving gas from Egypt since the pipeline was last attacked in July.

Egypt supplies Israel with more than 40 percent of its natural gas needs to produce electricity; electricity prices have risen by more than 10 percent in Israel since the attacks began.

The first attack on the pipeline came in February during the uprisings against deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In July, machine-gun toting men overtook guards before blowing up a station in the Sinai.

Selling gas to Israel has been unpopular on the Egyptian street since the opening of the pipeline in 2008. Mubarak has been accused of giving Israel a sweetheart deal on the gas, since Egypt lost more than $714 million on the pact.

Turkey IDs Israeli soldiers, commanders in ship’s raid JERUSALEM (JTA) — A list of 174 Israeli soldiers and commanders involved in the May 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara ship as it attempted to break the Gaza blockade was given to Turkish prosecutors.

The list includes the soldiers in the Shayetet 13 commando unit, as well as their commanders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

The list was published Monday in the Turkish daily newspaper Sabah.

It is unclear who drew up the list, which the newspaper said was culled from numerous sources, including Facebook.

Sabah reported that Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization drew up the list at the request of the state prosecutor’s office. But the Turkish news service Zaman reported that the state prosecutor denied asking for the list from national intelligence, saying that it received the names from the Humanitarian Aid Foundation, known as the IHH, which sponsored the ship and has been identified by Israel as a terrorist organization.

SOCIAL LIFE • 11

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

2011 Rosh Hashanah Cover Coloring Contest Honorable Mentions

Shoshi Stern, 8, Rockwern Academy

Olivia Vigran, 8, Rockwern Academy

Abbey Altman, 8, Rockwern Academy

Ellie Torem, 8, Rockwern Academy

Sarah Grove, 7, Rockwern Academy

Elise Kravitz, 8, Rockwern Academy

Lucy Schneider, 8, Rockwern Academy

Madison Weeden, 8, Rockwern Academy

Eve Smiley, 7, Rockwern Academy

Chad Miller, 7, Rockwern Academy

12 • CINCINNATI SOCIAL LIFE

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

2011 Rosh Hashanah Cover Coloring Contest Honorable Mentions

Leah Goldstone, 8, Rockwern Academy

Mady Warm, 8, Rockwern Academy

Fiona Schaffzin, 7, Rockwern Academy

Omie Turner, 8, Rockwern Academy

Bayley Goodman, 10, Rockwern Academy

Chana Mina Toron, 11, CHDS

Alisa Gnaensky, 9, Rockwern Academy

Emma Schneider, 10, Rockwern Academy

Noah Wise, 10, Rockwern Academy

Danielle Jacobson, 10, Rockwern Academy

Naomi Horner, 9, Rockwern Academy

Tiffany Salzberg, 10, Rockwern Academy

Bernard Netanel, 10, Rockwern Academy

Taylor Miller, 10, Rockwern Academy

Adam Firestein, 9, Rockwern Academy

Matthew Youkilis, 10, Rockwern Academy

Nikki Kukielka, 10, Rockwern Academy

Ezra Cohen, 2

Sasha Cohn, 10, Kehilla School

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Zoe Garvin, 7, Rockwern Academy

Elyse Kadish, 8, Rockwern Academy

Arielle Podberesky, 9, Rockwern Academy

Zoe Garvin, 7, Rockwern Academy

CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE • 13

14 • DINING OUT

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InCahoots—wonderful Italian and American classics

By Sondra Katkin Dining Editor Dino DiStasi, co-owner of InCahoots, talks about his restaurant with enthusiasm and warmth, and he doesn’t want anyone to go away hungry. He recalls that his mother loved to cook and “no one left his house hungry. She loved to feed her boys and their friends.” I was the lucky recipient of this tradition as he ordered dish after dish for me to try. The doors from the kitchen were swinging so fast I feared for the servers, but it didn’t deter me from my professional duties. DiStasi told me that his mom’s lasagna recipe is very popular with customers. His wife is also a wonderful cook and her carrot cake is ordered so frequently, it almost always sells out. When some of the rich, thick, nutty icing found its way to my fingertips, DiStasi was quick with a fresh napkin. He also helped me carry at least four different entrees to my car. What a gentleman! What large largesse!

Aside from the food, you can sense the camaraderie and admiration among DiStasi, his co-owner Don Brown and his chef and manager, Chris Singleton. They have known each other many years and came together two years ago to keep InCahoots a thriving, dining destination. They each praised the skills the others brought “to the table.” If “the proof is in the pudding,” then tasting their generous offerings left me convinced that I could heap accolades on their culinary accomplishments. The first treat was the appetizer, asparagus fries, a tempura style preparation, heightened by their “secret” seasoning, served hot with a lemon, herb aioli dip. I loved the crunch (and with tempura, it’s an extended crunch), followed by the sweet, earthy asparagus taste. I gobbled with gusto.

While enjoying my repast, I began noticing the restaurant’s comfortable atmosphere. There was an ease of passage through the sunlit bar and main dining area. The padded booths, chairs and tables surrounded with wood paneling resembled a cozy English tavern.

Diners like me, who wish to eat and chat, an almost impossible challenge in most places, will appreciate DiStasi’s endeavors for sound control — rugs, acoustic tiles, the uncrowded spacing of tables, the availability of round tables to facilitate group conversations and his choice of musicians (jazz and contemporary) for Saturday nights and some weeknights. He said, “While music with food is the ideal, you shouldn’t have to yell. A good musician reads the room and understands how people are reacting.”

Music to my ears.

Continuing with the meal, I dipped my spoon into the tomato bisque which was the creamy, velvety rich tomato experience I’d

(L-R, top-bottom) Inviting patio entrance to InCahoots Restaurant; Innovative Chef, Manager Chris Singleton; “Crunchalicious” asparagus; Uniquely delicious eggplant Parmesan; Creamy tomato basil soup; ; Great Greek spaghetti, grilled salmon and sweet basa; InCahoots owners Dino DiStasi and Don Brown in the spacious banquet room; Chewy chocolate chip cookie sundae; Popular homemade carrot cake.

hoped for. Then DiStasi insisted that I taste his sister Donna’s (this is a family affair) famous chocolate chip cookies served with a vanilla ice cream sundae. Is this any order to eat a meal? Okay, so we broke the laws of good dining, but it was worth it. The chewiness factor of the unusually thick cookies was squared in this round cookie. No surprise that Donna’s Gourmet cookies were voted best in Cincinnati last year.

My opinion of Chef Singleton’s talents was validated when I sampled the generous portion of eggplant Parmesan, enough for two servings. Every lover of this dish knows what the dish should feature — a good crust, tasty sauce, fresh cheese topping and eggplant that is perfectly cooked to reveal its custard like center. All the requirements were met and then exceeded with the addition of goat cheese mixed with kalamata olives, an innovation that made it cross the line into the gourmet realm. Singleton explains, “the kick of the goat cheese and

olives takes it a step above; it’s the hidden surprise. I like to evolve so I’m always testing something new.”

This chef knows how to grow his skills. Another example of his originality is the Greek spaghetti, a Greek salad minus the lettuce. It is served hot and fragrant with herbs, roasted mushrooms, red onions and sweet peppers, then combined with kalamata olives and fresh feta cheese. My mother used to make a dish she called white spaghetti that the family and all her dinner guests loved. She would highly approve of Singleton’s creation.

For dinner, my husband Steve and I shared the other two entrees, fire grilled Norwegian salmon and herb encrusted basa. The salmon was gluten free (his requirement) so he took rapid possession (grrr) and informed me that it was very moist, fresh and grilled with tasty spices.

He’s getting into this. He also liked the accompanying green beans with sauteed onions, and the potatoes prepared with their skins, “more like smashed potatoes,” he said. My

basa, a mild white fish, was moist and flaky, served with jasmine rice which added a slight sweetness, echoing the flavor of the basa. It wasn’t a sacrifice at all and I did get a tiny taste of the salmon, too. Steve isn’t heartless after all.

DiStasi told me that they are known for their Reuben sandwich, served with shredded red cabbage—instead of sauerkraut—giving it a sweeter, crunchier composition and a more attractive look.

Other popular sandwiches are the certified Angus beef burger, the veggie Philly and the grilled, marinated portabella served with Saratoga chips or InCahoots fries, a combination of sweet and white potatoes with their secret herb and spice dusting. A friend told me that she eats there frequently because she loves their salads which can be ordered with chicken or fish. Many items on the menu are vegetarian. Don Brown told me that he’s a vegetarian and wanted the menu to reflect a wide variety of choices even though “we have an awesome hamburger

(and Angus New York strip steak).”

There is a plentiful selection of wine of “exceptional vintage and good value,” according to Singleton. DiStasi added, “We are into the premium beer world and the amazing availability of craft beers. We feature six draft ‘handles’ and of course, your choice of cocktails.” All the menu selections are available for the banquet room, which seats 50 people. Another feature, the outdoor patio, is a plus during what we all hope will be the halcyon weather of fall. The restaurant is located close to the Blue Ash Kroger and has plenty of parking.

Happy Hour is 2 – 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday with reduced prices on drinks and appetizers.

InCahoots is open Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday 4 – 10 p.m.

InCahoots 4110 Hunt Road Blue Ash, OH 45236 513-793-2600

AMERICAN CUISINE WITH AN ITALIAN FLAIR

DINING OUT • 15

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

OPEN LUNCH & DINNER EVERYDAY

RESTAURANT DIRECTORY BEST TURKISH CUISINE IN TOWN!

20 Brix

Izzy’s

Padrino

101 Main St

800 Elm St • 721-4241

111 Main St

Historic Milford

612 Main St • 241-6246

Milford

831-Brix (2749)

5098B Glencrossing Way

965-0100

MONDAY IS ITALIAN NIGHT! LIVE MUSIC EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT!

515 Wyoming Ave • Wyoming, OH 821-6040 • gabbyswyoming.com

347-9699 Ambar India Restaurant

1198 Smiley Ave • 825-3888

Parkers Blue Ash Grill

350 Ludlow Ave

300 Madison Ave

4200 Cooper Rd

Cincinnati

Covington • 859-292-0065

Blue Ash

281-7000

891-8300

Dine-In / Take-Out / Delivery

Johnny Chan 2 Andy’s Mediterranean Grille

11296 Montgomery Rd

Pomodori’s

At Gilbert & Nassau

The Shops at Harper’s Point

121West McMillan • 861-0080

2 blocks North of Eden Park

489-2388 • 489-3616 (fx)

7880 Remington Rd

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16 • OPINION

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L’Shana Tova 5772

Sincerely, Netanel (Ted) Deutsch Publisher

Disappointment with President Obama’s handling of the economy and U.S.-Israel relations has caused a falloff in Jewish support for the administration, a just-completed national survey by AJC, a non-partisan advocacy organization, shows.

For the first time during Obama’s presidency, disapproval among Jewish voters exceeded approval of his performance.

Jewish approval of Obama’s handling of his job as president declined to 45 percent, with another 48 percent disapproving and 7 percent undecided, according to the survey, conducted from September 6 to 21, 2011. In the last annual AJC survey, a year ago, 51 percent approved, and 44 percent disapproved.

“AJC annual surveys seek to provide timely information on the attitudes of Jews across our nation regarding the pressing issues confronting our community and the country,” said AJC Executive David Harris. “Just as in previous years, this year’s survey offers a treasure-trove of data – and, as always, a few surprises.” One of the most striking findings is the divergence of opinion between Orthodox Jews and the views of Conservative and Reform Jews.

2012 Presidential Election Looking ahead to the 2012 presidential race, the AJC survey revealed that if the election was held today, Obama would still hold

a considerable lead over potential Republican challengers among Jewish voters. But the margin differed significantly depending on which candidate the GOP fields.

Mitt Romney would get 32 percent of the Jewish vote, according to the poll, against Obama’s 50 percent. Another 16 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t vote for either of the two candidates, and 2 percent were undecided.

Rick Perry would get 25 percent of the vote against Obama’s 55 percent, with another 18 percent voting for neither, and 2 percent undecided.

Michele Bachmann would receive 19 percent of the vote against Obama’s 59 percent, with 21 percent voting for neither, and 1 percent undecided.

In 2008, Obama garnered 78 percent of the Jewish vote, compared to 22 percent for John McCain.

Obama’s handling of U.S.Israel relations received approval of 40 percent, with another 53 percent disapproving and 7 percent undecided. A year ago, 49 percent of respondents approved and another 45 percent disapproved.

Approval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of Israel-U.S. relations dropped to 54 percent, with another 32 percent disapproving and 13 percent undecided. A year ago, 62 percent of the Jews polled approved of Netanyahu’s handling of the bilateral relationship, while another 27 percent disapproved and 11 percent said they weren’t sure.

In general, 63 percent of American Jews characterize U.S.Israel relations as positive and 36 percent as negative. In 2010, 68 percent were positive and 31 percent negative about U.S.-Israel relations.

Economy, National Security Approval of Obama’s handling of the economy dropped to 37 percent from 45 percent a year ago and 55 percent in the spring of 2010.

Disapproval of the administration’s economic policies rose to 60 percent in the latest poll, up from 51 percent a year ago.

By contrast, on Obama’s handling of national security, 68 percent approve and 28 percent disapprove in 2011, while 62 percent approved and 33 percent disapproved in 2010.

Arab-Israel Peace Perceptions of prospects for a lasting peace between Israel and the Arabs have also taken a downward turn. Less than 3 percent of respondents said they were “more optimistic” about the peace prospects now than they had been one year ago, compared with 8 percent feeling “more optimistic” in last year’s survey. This year, 35 percent of respondents said their outlook has become “less optimistic”, compared to 18 percent last year.

LETTERS on page 22

U.S.-Israel Relations

T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: HA'AZINU (DEVARIM 32:1-52) 1. When Moshe called Hashem name's, what did the Children of Israel do? a.) Stand in Silence b.) Rejoiced c.) Gave greatness to Hashem (bless Hashem) 2. What does the “rock” refer to? a.) Hashem b.) Rock that Moshe hit to get water c.) The mighty nations of Canaan 3. What does Moshe say to remember? a.) Exodus from Egypt 3. B 32:7 By reviewing history, one can see that Hashem punishes for sins. Rashi 4. C 32:17 5. C 32:52

The month of Elul is a month of reflection and for some it can be painful, sometimes too painful. I know for me that I struggle and I ask my friends and family and they also struggle. I will always feel during Elul that I need to do this, fix that, apologize for something I

Dear Editor,

b.) Ancient history c.) Giving of the Torah 4. Who are the “shadim” or demons? a.) Golems b.) Superstitious black magic c.) Beings that the Children of Israel worshiped 5. Where was Kadesh? a.) Sinai Desert b.) Desert of Paran c.) Desert of Zin

Rashbam 2. A 32:4 The description of “Rock”refers to Hashem's justice which is strong like a rock and can not be changed.

If I have angered you in any way, shape or form, please forgive me.

I will try to improve in the upcoming year. If you would like me to personally tell you this I would be more than happy to say it to you in person.

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

Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

ANSWERS 1. C 32:3 When Moshe told of the good that Hashem did for the Children of Israel, the Children of Israel should bless Hashem in turn.

One of the greatest gifts I have is being able to write this column every year and asking for forgiveness. I realize this is a great gift and once again I ask for you all to forgive me for anything I have done to upset you. If I forgot to do something or accomplish something I ask you to forgive me for that as well. I know I am human because I make so many mistakes, and I make them constantly. Getting upset and overreacting when I shouldn’t. Scolding someone over a mistake I have made myself in the past. Forgetting to do something I know I should have done. And I believe the worst mistakes of all are those made out of laziness.

have said or done, make changes as I am written down for a new year.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and give praise to my entire staff. When it gets right down to it they have to tolerate me on a daily basis. They all work very hard to bring you a great paper and website. I know that you all enjoy reading the paper by the record numbers of people who keep renewing their subscription every year. I also know you enjoy reading and using our website because of the increasing numbers of viewers to the website. The paper and website are brought to you by some very dedicated and highly talented individuals. Once again, thank you to the entire staff, and may you all be blessed with a year of happiness, good health and joy.

In the coming year there will be some changes that I am currently working on that will increase and enhance the community’s usage and benefit of both the paper and the website. Both agreements should be completed within the next few weeks and we will announce them as soon as the ink is dry. I hope you will be pleased, and I encourage you to let us know how we are doing. I enjoy and look forward to all the calls I get on ways to improve and expand this community’s usage of the paper and website.

In this new year I plan on making some changes myself and I would appreciate you holding me to them. If I start to slack off please gently remind me of my commitment to this community and that I need to renew my commitment. First, I plan to attend services at more synagogues in the community. Second, I plan to write more editorials on behalf of changes I believe would enhance this community. I also view it as speaking for that small voice in the wilderness that needs to be heard.

To champion the cause of those who need a voice. If you feel I need to bring up a subject that you want an editorial written about, or have a cause that needs attention, please send me an email on the subject this coming year.

If I have angered you in any way, shape or form, please forgive me. I will try to improve in the upcoming year. If you would like me to personally tell you this I would be more than happy to say it to you in person. Please let me know so that we can both begin the New Year with a clean slate.

May you and your family be blessed with a year that is both delightful and prosperous, and may we all be healthy and joyful.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

JEWISH LIFE • 17

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Sedra of the Week

by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel - “And an angel of the Lord called out to him from the heavens and said… Do not stretch out your hand against the lad…” (Genesis 22:12).

Every Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), we ponder the story of the Akedah. How can the G-d of love and compassion tell Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac?

Moreover, while G-d Himself commands the sacrifice; it is only an “angel of the Lord” who tells Abraham to stay his hand. Even accepting the explanation that Abraham misunderstood the true intent of His initial words, why is it not G-d Himself who rescinds His demand? And by what right does Abraham listen to the “Angel of the Lord” and reject the original command of G-d Himself? And why does the text stipulate that the angel’s later retraction came to Abraham “from the heavens” — a phrase missing from G-d’s first command?

In this context, it is interesting to note that in Rembrandt’s famous painting of the Akedah, the angel not only speaks to Abraham, but actually stays his hand. Apparently, the artist did not think the angel’s words alone would have stopped Abraham from obeying the command he had received directly from G-d.

Let us review the awesome story. The G-d of Power and Might who is recognized by the nations commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac.

Father and son set out on a threeday journey; not a word passes between them until they come within sight of the designated place of Divine Service. At that point, Abraham places the sacrificial wood on Isaac’s back, takes the knife and the fire, and father and son walk “together” to the appointed destination.

What must have gone through Isaac’s mind? We can only imagine how fearful his thoughts were from the question he finally manages to ask: “Here are the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for the whole burnt-offering?”

Abraham provides a non-commit-

SHABBAT SHALOM: ROSH HASHANAH

It was these fundamental teachings that caused Abraham to remonstrate with G-d on behalf of any innocent people in Sodom, and these basic principles must have raised agonizing doubts in Abraham’s mind during the journey: Perhaps he hadn’t understood G-d correctly. Perhaps he had given the divine command a Molochian interpretation, perhaps YHVH did not want him to slaughter Isaac after all… tal response which can be understood in a variety of ways: “G-d will provide for Himself the whole burnt offering — my son; and the two of them walked together” (Genesis 22:7, 8).

And what may have gone through Abraham’s mind? Rabbi Joseph Ibn Kaspi suggests that perhaps Abraham was expecting G-d’s command to sacrifice Isaac.

After all, Abraham lived in the idolatrous period of Moloch, when the crowning proof of fealty to one’s idol was to offer it one’s most beloved child.

At the same time, however, Abraham was told by YHVH (the special name for the G-d of Israel), that he was chosen for a covenantal relationship precisely because of his “compassionate righteousness and moral justice” (Gen. 18:17-19), and that it was this unique teaching that would bring blessing to “all the families of the earth.” Moreover, Abraham certainly knew the pillar of the Noahide laws: “If a human sheds the blood of another, his blood shall be shed, for humans were made in the image of G-d” (Gen. 9:5). It was these fundamental teachings that caused Abraham to remonstrate with G-d on behalf of any innocent people in Sodom, and these basic principles must have raised agonizing doubts in Abraham’s mind during the journey: Perhaps he hadn’t understood G-d correctly. Perhaps he had given the divine command a Molochian interpretation, perhaps YHVH did not want him to slaughter Isaac after all…

At the critical moment, Abraham decides to reject his interpretation of G-d’s command and listen to the “angel of YHVH” – to the divine words of “humanity created in G-d’s image” and “compassionate righteousness and moral justice” which he understands to be his covenantal message and mission. These concepts came from heaven, no less (and perhaps more) than the command which he may have misunderstood.

And so it is that after the Akedah the same “angel of YHVH comes a second time from heaven” to bless Abraham as well as the entire world through Abraham’s seed. This blessing is normally attributed to the fact that Abraham did not withhold (hasach) his son.

But the word hasach can also mean “to remove,” so I understand that the blessing came because Abraham did not slaughter his only son, and because “he listened to the voice of the angel.” The angel is confirming that Abraham did right in abiding by fundamental biblical morality.

Today, many rabbis and judges are listening to stringent interpretations rather than remembering that G-d defines Himself as a “Lord of love and compassion” and urges us to love the proselyte and every human being – Jew and Gentile – as we love ourselves, because every human comes from the womb of the One G-d.

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone

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18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

JEWZ

IN THE

By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist NEW FLICKS These films open Friday, Sept.

30: “50/50” stars JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT, 30, as “Adam,” a young man diagnosed with cancer.

His girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard); his best friend (SETH ROGEN, 28); and his mother (Anjelica Huston), deal with the diagnosis and Adam’s treatment in different ways. Meanwhile, Adam bonds with his young therapist (Anna Kendrick). The director is JONATHAN LEVINE, 34, (“The Wackness”).

“Dream House” co-stars RACHEL WEISZ, 41, and Daniel Craig as a married couple who relocate, with their two kids, to a quaint New England town only to find out that their house was the scene of a grisly murder of a mother and her kids. The town believes that the husband, who survived, was their killer. Aided by a neighbor (Naomi Watts), Craig finds out a lot about the murders and comes to realize that he and his family are in danger.

“Margaret” was filmed in 2007, but was tied up in bitter legal fights about the director/screenwriter’s (KENNETH LONERGAN, 48) insistence on his contract right to approve the final version of the film. Lonergan is best known for the Oscar-nominated film, “You Can Count on Me” (2000), which he also wrote and directed. Anna Paquin stars in “Margaret” as Lisa Cohen, a 17-year-old New Yorker who is torn apart by the belief that she inadvertently played a role in a fatal traffic accident. This belief leads her to emotionally brutalize herself and everyone she comes in contact with. Appearing in smallish supporting roles are JEANNIE BERLIN, 61, and MATTHEW BRODERICK, 48. You may best remember Berlin as CHARLES GRODIN’s shrewish wife in the original (1972) “Heartbreak Kid,” which was directed by Berlin’s mother, comic actress ELAINE MAY, 79. Broderick, 49, who co-starred in “Count on Me,” has been best friends with Lonergan since childhood and they’re both the sons of Irish Catholic fathers/Jewish mothers.

“What’s Your Number” stars Anna Faris as a very nice woman who wakes up one day shaken by the realization that she’s just lost her job and that she’s still single.

Meanwhile, her younger sister (ARI GRAYNOR, 28) has just gotten engaged. Faris thinks that

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NEWZ

out of her 20 “ex’s” she might have overlooked “Mr. Right” and, needing a date for her sis’s wedding, she decides to talk to all of them.

Graynor, who is best known for playing goofy, funny, drug-addled supporting characters (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” “Holy Rollers”), recently talked about her “Number” role. She said: “So, for the first time, I’m actually playing a little bit of a straight man to the [lead character’s] crazy one. I don’t drink, I don’t do any drugs in the movie, I have a wedding dress, and I’m not throwing up. That was a score.”

Graynor, who has shown great dramatic ‘acting chops’ in a few TV guest shots, has long been the girlfriend of actor EDDIE KAYE THOMAS, 30 (“Finch” in “American Pie” and “Rosenberg” in the “Harold and Kumar” movies). Thomas currently costars as David “Kappo” Kaplan in the HBO series, “How to Make it in America,” which begins its second season on Sunday, Oct. 2.

NEW YEAR RECIPES Comedian and author CHELSEA HANDLER, whose father is Jewish, recently had her brother, ROY, a chef, on her E! cable talk show, “Chelsea Lately,” and Roy prepared four Rosh Hashanah appropriate dishes. I liked how Roy’s latkes looked; the sangria he made seemed really tasty and refreshing; his salmon with honey glaze was intriguing; and his chocolate-dipped fig dessert was tempting. To check out the recipes, google hautemesscatering recipes (just the first four recipes on this web page are for the holiday; use kosher wine/brandy for the sangria—and notice how the instructions are quite informative).

LATE BREAKING SQUIBS Pro football player IGOR OLSHANSKY, who was cut by the Dallas Cowboys just before the season began, signed (Sept. 20) a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. Also, many have asked me if Neil Schon, a member of Journey, the famous rock band, is Jewish. The answer is that he has a “Jewish sounding name,” but is not Jewish “at all.” Schon, you might have heard, recently left his (5th) wife to begin a romantic affair with Michaele Salahi, who infamously crashed a White House State dinner with Tareq Salahi, her now estranged husband. Tareq, whose father is Palestinian, has hit every media outlet denouncing Schon. At least this spat is not another Jewish/Arab fight.

FROM THE PAGES 100 Y EARS A GO Mrs. Chas Silverman of Savannah, Ga., is visiting her sister, Mrs. Hebert C. Oettinger, 3426 Burnett Avenue, where she will be pleased to see her friends.

Mr. and Mrs. Victor Abrahams have returned from their summer tour including California, Yellowstone Park and the Atlantic Coast and are located at the Alms Hotel.

Dr. and Mrs. Percy Shields of Burnett Avenue, who will leave for Europe, October 3, the doctor to take up the post of graduate course in surgery, were tendered a dinner by their friends at the Gibson House, followed by a theatre party at the Lyric. Unique table decorations, representing a large steamer surrounded by small ships, this being a feature of the affair. Those present were: Dr. and Mrs. Percy Shields, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Shields, Mr. and Mrs. Max Strauss, Mr. and Mrs. Eli Kaufman and Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Goldsmith.

The annual meeting of the Plum Street Temple will be held on Sunday morning, November 5, at 10:30 o’clock at the Reading Road Sabbath School building. The following nominations have been made: president, B. Kahn; vice-president, Felix Kahn; warden, Albert Moch; secretary, Max B. May; treasurer, Wm. Ornstein; trustees for two years, S. Marcus Fechheimer, Alfred Mack, Sidney E. Pritz, Charles Shohl, Samuel Straus and Samuel Wolfstein. Messrs. B Bettman and Frederick Rauh retire from the board after many years of service. — September 28, 1911

75 Y EARS A GO Cincinnatians attending the baseball World Series in New York City, opening Wednesday, Sept. 30th, include Miss Alma Hilb, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Weil, Miss Frances Levy, Messrs. Gus H. Hilb, Ben Heidingsfeld, Ike Libson, Isadore Hodash.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Walter Freiberg, Jr. (Nancy Joseph), 1 Broadview Place, a daughter, Julie, Friday Sept.

25th.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Mack, Jr. (Elaine Joseph), 4004 Beechwood Avenue, a son, Saturday Sept. 26th.

University of Cincinnati sorority and fraternity pledges include the following: Delta Phi Epsilon: Pearl Gitman, Hannah Mansbach and Helen Oscherwitz.

Phi Sigma Sigma: Dorothy Bernstein, Rosalyn Blackman, Aleen Cohen, Bernice Cohen, Genevieve Elbaum, Marion Grossman, Edith Helming, Harriet Kessel, Beverly Lerman, Sarah Pinsky, Caroline Sternberg and Erna Stulberg.

Sigma Delta Tau: Jane Block, Caroline Friedlander, Bernice Goldenberg, Marion Meyers, Genevieve Shore, Ruth Simmons, Shirley Steinberg, and Mildred Stillpass.

Phi Beta Delta: Joe Cusher, Martin Gershman, Frankfort, Ky., Richard Goldstein, Huntington, W. Va., Sol Goldman Aaron Katz, Morton Katz, Stanley Miller, Robert Pope, Bernard Shorr, Albert Simpkin, Harold Gassalofsky, Dayton, Ohio, Bernard Weintraub, Jack Hyman and Russel Levy.

Sigma Alpha Mu: William Frost of Montclair, N. J.; Alvin Roth, Mayer Singerman, Ben Schottenfels, Robert Waldman, Samuel Levinson, Samuel Kessler, Stuart Wolf, Julius Jacobs, David Smickler. — October 1, 1936

50 Y EARS A GO Mrs. David L. Graller is chairman for the 12th annual luncheon of the Cincinnati Chapter, Brandeis University Women’s Committee, Monday, Oct. 30, at 12 noon, at the Netherland Hilton.

Dr. Kenneth Koch, poet and lecturer, will speak. He is a native Cincinnatian and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Koch. His address is on “Art and the Desire for the Impossible.”

Invitations have been designed under chairmanship of Mrs. David Stevens. Mrs. Robert Dunie is chairman of invitation printing and Mrs. Darryl Goldberg mailing chairman.

Other committee chairmen include the Mesdames Naftali Frankel, decorations; Jerome A. Gordon and Leonard Meranus, placement; Jerome Teller, publicity; Helen Marks, reservations; Sidney Weil and Meyer Uhlfelder, seating; Jerome Shapero and Gordon Weil, Jr., secretarial; Maxwell Lott, speakers table; Albert Block, Jr., and Enid Greenberg, hostesses.

Mrs. Edith Mack Guttman, 4084 Reading Road, passed away Monday, Sept. 18.

She is survived by her husband, Louis Guttman; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar J. Mack, Sr., Avondale, and a brother, Edgar J. Mack, Jr., Indian Hill.

Mrs. Guttman was the owner of Ruth Ellison Shop in the Hotel Sinton.

Milton Hirschberg, 1123 W. Galbraith Avenue, Finneytown, passed away Sunday, Sept. 17.

Surviving him are his wife, Mrs. Margaret Berle Hirschberg; his mother, Mrs. Lilly Hirschberg; and sisters, Mrs. Edna Samuels and Mrs. Corinne Uhlfelder. — September 28, 1961

25 Y EARS A GO Howard W. Ullman, a native of Cincinnati and president of the former Red Top Brewing Company, passed away Sept. 24 in Miami. He was 83.

Mr. Ullman’s father, Louis Ullman, founded the Cincinnatibased Red Top Brewery in 1933. It became the largest in Ohio, and at one time the 14th largest in the nation. Mr. Ullman was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a degree in electrical engineering.

Mr. Ullman is survived by his

wife, Helenrose; his son and daughter-in-law, Howard L. and Rita Ullman of Miami; a sister and brother-in-law, Aline and Lawrence Michelson of Miami Beach; a sisterin-law, Charlotte E. Heldman of Cincinnati; and grandchildren, Ilene and Howard Premer, Ilene and Howard Ullman, III, all of Miami; Valerie and Bruce Shirck of San Francisco; and one great-grandson, Blake Steven Premer.

Mr. Ullman was the brother of the late Joseph Ullman.

Tadayuki Sato, a pre-Ph.D. candidate, and Masato Kimura, a Ph.D. candidate, and his wife are researching American Jewish history at the American Jewish Archives on the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

Dr. Abraham Peck, administrative director of the archives noted that they are the first Japanese scholars doing research in American Jewish history at the archives.

He added: “I think it is very indicative of the American Jewish Archives and of the growing interest in American Jewish history abroad that these three researchers came all the distance from Japan to work here.” — October 2, 1986

10 Y EARS A GO Temple Sholom installed its new officers and board of directors, during Sabbath services Sept. 21.

Arthur Shriberg was installed as president. Shriberg is a professor of leadership at Xavier University and is a consultant in leadership and opportunities for diversity. He currently serves as a commissioner and member of the executive committee of the Cincinnati Human Relations commission.

Other officers installed were: Steven Stein, president-elect; Alan Solomon, first vice- president; Mark Rubin, second vice president; Michael Kadetz, tresasuer; Connie Cask, board secretary; Leonard Mark, past president; Mauri Willis, liaison to the Union of American Hebrew Congregations; Gladys Warshauer, William Maxwell, and Robert Rubin, advisors.

“As we prepare for our 50th anniversary in three years, I hope we will continue important traditions while reaching out to a more diversified membership base,” Shriberg said.

Volunteers gathered Sept 13 at the Design Consortium in O’Brienville for the “Hats off to the Jewish Hospital” Gala 2001 Kickoff Thank You Party. Committee chair Teresa Cohen and committee members Michelle Forrest, Dawn Green, Peggy Greenberg, Gwen Heibrun, Barb Pordy, Cathy St. Denny, Besty Schneider, Judy White, Jamie Willis and Katherine Wojtas created an evening of art, music and fine food as a “thank you” to volunteers for their work on behalf of Jewish Hospital.— September 27, 2001

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

CLASSIFIEDS • 19

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

(513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7226 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 754-3100 • cedarvillage.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Cincinnati Community Mikveh 513-351-0609 Fusion Family (513) 703-3343 • www.fusionnati.org Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (513) 221-6728 • hillelcincinnati.org Jewish Community Center (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org Jewish Community Relations Council (513) 985-1501 Jewish Family Service (513) 469-1188 • jfscinti.org Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (513) 985-1500 • shalomcincy.org Jewish Foundation (513) 514-1200 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 Jewish Vocational Service (513) 985-0515 • jvscinti.org Kesher (513) 766-3348 Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund (513) 793-2556 Shalom Family (513) 703-3343 • www.myshalomfamily.org The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education (513) 487-3055 • holocaustandhumanity.org Vaad Hoier (513) 731-4671 Workum Fund (513) 899-1836 • workum.org YPs at the JCC (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org

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

Congregation Ohr Chadash (513) 252-7267 • ohrchadashcincinnati.com Congregation Sha’arei Torah shaareitorahcincy.org Golf Manor Synagogue (513) 531-6654 • golfmanorsynagogue.org Isaac M. Wise Temple (513) 793-2556 • wisetemple.org Kehilas B’nai Israel (513) 761-0769 Northern Hills Synagogue (513) 931-6038 • nhs-cba.org Rockdale Temple (513) 891-9900 • rockdaletemple.org Temple Beth Shalom (513) 422-8313 • tbsohio.org Temple Sholom (513) 791-1330 • templesholom.net The Valley Temple (513) 761-3555 • valleytemple.com

EDUCATION Chai Tots Early Childhood Center (513) 234.0600 • chaitots.com Chabad Blue Ash (513) 793-5200 • chabadba.com Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (513) 351-7777 • chds.shul.net HUC-JIR (513) 221-1875 • huc.edu JCC Early Childhood School (513) 793-2122 • mayersonjcc.org Kehilla - School for Creative Jewish Education (513) 489-3399 • kehilla-cincy.com Mercaz High School (513) 792-5082 x104 • mercazhs.org Kulanu (Reform Jewish High School) 513-262-8849 • kulanucincy.org Regional Institute Torah & Secular Studies (513) 631-0083 Rockwern Academy (513) 984-3770 • rockwernacademy.org

ORGANIZATIONS American Jewish Committee (513) 621-4020 • ajc.org American Friends of Magen David Adom (513) 521-1197 • afmda.org B’nai B’rith (513) 984-1999 Hadassah (513) 821-6157 • cincinnati-hadassah.org Jewish Discovery Center (513) 234.0777 • jdiscovery.com Jewish National Fund (513) 794-1300 • jnf.org Jewish War Veterans (513) 204-5594 • jwv.org NA’AMAT (513) 984-3805 • naamat.org National Council of Jewish Women (513) 891-9583 • ncjw.org State of Israel Bonds (513) 793-4440 • israelbonds.com Women’s American ORT (513) 985-1512 • ortamerica.org.org

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

production@ americanisraelite.com DEBUT from page 4 “We are very grateful to Nancy and David Wolf for their generosity, and we’re thrilled with the tremendous community response to our first Wolf Center event at the J,” said Jeffrey T. Baden, JCC executive director. “There are many more noteworthy Wolf Center events planned for the fall, and we invite the entire community to attend.”

One of the upcoming Wolf Center events is Daniel Pearl World Music Day on Sunday, Oct. 30. The JCC will partner with the renowned

SENIOR SERVICES

• • • • •

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

(513) 531-9600 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for a family-friendly, free concert at the J. Another Wolf Center event, the “Authors Out Loud” JCC speaker series on Nov. 6 – 10 at the J, celebrates Jewish Book Month with nationally-known authors.

Speakers include Jim Axelrod, national correspondent for CBS News and author of “In the Long Run: A Father, a Son, and Unintentional Lessons in Happiness,” and Myla Goldberg, author of “The False Friend” and “Bee Season.”

Bob Blatt; Joshua Foer, U.S. Memory Champion; and Elaine Blatt

JOB-A-RAMA from page 5 The event is expected to draw 500 or more guests, and will feature something for everyone, including lots of live animals. The aquatic biologist from the Newport Aquarium will be bringing sea creatures to touch, the farmer will feature pony rides and animals to pet, the vet will have a dog and other household pets and the zoologist from the Cincinnati Zoo will have some reptiles, small mammals and birds of prey on display.

In addition to all the exhibitors who will be participating in the event, the Dream Job-A-Rama will feature two special Let’s Pretend activities. The Kids’ Cupcake Café will give young guests a chance to try their hand at being a waiter or waitress where they will seat their parents in the cafe, take and fill their orders and decorate unique cupcakes for their “customers.” At the Kids’ Costume Corner, children can dress up in a wide array of career related costumes. Photographers will be on hand to capture the moment, and photos will be available to download off the Shalom Family website at no cost after the event.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage young families in the Jewish community and thought it would be fun to give children a chance to get a sneak peek into the future to learn about and experience the huge range of options that await them when they grow up,” explained Pam Saeks, director of Jewish Giving for The Mayerson Foundation. “And while we expect that many young visitors will come away with some new career aspirations, our goal is just to give kids and parents a chance to have fun and get connected with one another and the Jewish community.”

The event is free and geared for families with children 12 and younger. However, people of all ages are welcome to attend as long as they have advance reservations.

Parking is available in Rockwern’s main parking lot, on the street and in the church parking lot across the street from Rockwern Academy.

For more information or to RSVP to this event please contact Julie Robenson at Shalom Family.

Please consult the Community Directory in this issue for Shalom Family’s contact information.

20 • NEWS IDOL from page 8 “I had a lot of friends who spoke constantly about ELEM, so I came there with my friends and saw how they deal with their problems,” she recalled. “I had my own problems, and I found people who I can trust and talk to.”

“Problems” was about as much as Golbi was willing to divulge.

Asked for the specific nature of her issues, Golbi politely demurred, referring to it as “the past.”

It was an ELEM social worker who spotted her nascent artistic PULPIT from page 8 The JCPA’s latest contribution to the civility effort is a series of study texts, source materials and sermons touting the rich Jewish history of dialogue and debate.

Several invoke the precedent set

by Hillel and Shammai, heads of competing schools of rabbinic thought nearly 2,000 years ago who disagreed endlessly on matters of law but managed to remain friends. Others cite the extensive legal prohibitions on slanderous speech to show how Jewish tradition recognized the immense destructive power of words.

There are multiple references to the teaching that the second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed because of baseless hatred. And thinkers as diverse as the medieval biblical commentator Rashi and the modern-day Reform philosopher Eugene Borowitz are cited in support of the notion that respect for the humanity of all people must always be preserved.

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talent and helped get the young Golbi into a theater program. The rest is (televised) history.

Owing to her experience performing for an audience of thousands on live television week after week, Golbi despite her youth took the stage of her first U.S. show with such aplomb. She played the guitar only on her first song, relying on the backing of her band for the rest.

Golbi let her rasp-tinged rock vocals do all the work, especially on “Little Children” (“Yeladim Ketanim”), which she also performed during the singing compe-

tition. The composition, which is all inspirational power cords, is something of an anthem to children-centered nonprofits with its emphasis on the strength of the young.

Asked who are her favorite musical artists, she at first seemed annoyed.

“I hate that question,” Golbi said, but eventually answered if not with an artist at least with a genre. “Glam rock,” she said, “and old stuff.”

She acknowledged that her music style has shifted as she has gotten older. In high school with

There is much talk about the evils of technology. Rabbi Stephen Pearce of San Francisco, in a sermon titled “Civility in the Age of Immediacy,” faults the BlackBerry, snarky online commentary and the obsession with connectivity, among other evils, for fueling a disregard for kindness. For Rabbi Paula Marcus, of Aptos, Calif., the Genesis story is proof that God wants humanity to remain in relationship with those with whom we disagree.

Rabbi Melanie Aron of Los Gatos, Calif., offers a bit of anatomical rabbinic wisdom to demonstrate Judaism’s intense concern with the power of words.

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue, the Bible teaches, and the rabbis tell wonderful stories about body parts, arms and legs, thighs and shoulders, competing for supremacy, only to be shown up by the power of speech,” Aron writes. “The strongest muscles, literally and figuratively, are not the biceps or the quads, they are the muscles in

the tongue.”

While the JCPA in its news release does not note the specific issue that has aroused its concern over the corrosion of intra-communal discourse, the rabbis are not so reticent. Nearly every sermon on the policy council’s site notes the intensity and often demonizing nature of communal dialogue on Israel.

Some do it in passing. Others, including Rabbi Daniel Pressman of Saratoga, Calif., dive right in, opening with a cinematic description of the Jews fighting among themselves as the Romans burned Jerusalem to the ground. Failing to curb the anger and hatred animating discussion of Israel could see the country lost again.

“The danger of being quick to attack someone as anti-Israel, or assuming that only those who agree with you really love Israel, that unless everyone agrees with you Israel is doomed, is that you force people out of engagement,” Pressman writes.

Perhaps it is to be expected

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her former band, HaRusim (The Russians or The Ruined Ones), “We did metal music and we were screaming all over the place,” she said.

If her City Winery set is any indication, Golbi has veered into a more commercial Top 40 pop/rock sound. That, too, is subject to change.

“I’m 19. When I’m 30 …,” she said, shrugging.

This sort of artistic flux is certainly understandable in one as young as Golbi. After all, if she were an American of the same age she’d be in college, changing her

major for the umpteenth time.

Instead, Golbi is now serving in the Israeli military. In fact, she was on loan for the night; the Israeli army had given her special permission to travel to New York and perform at the gala.

Golbi ended her set with an English song, the endlessly covered “Hallelujah.” The Leonard Cohen song works in nearly any context — an animated feature film (“Shrek”), the “American Idol” stage or a room full of Jews who had just opened their checkbooks to help underserved and underprivileged Israeli youth.

Courstesy of JTA

Rabbi Steve Gutow and Rabbi Melissa Weintraub speaking in New York at an event dubbed “Toward Civility: A Community Conversation,” October 2010.

that a disproportionate number of writers included by the JCPA are non-Orthodox rabbis from Northern California. It is there, in one of the country’s most liberal corners, that the IsraeliPalestinian conflict has had the most corrosive impact.

It was a young Jewish San Franciscan that was allegedly punched when she interrupted a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. In Berkeley, Rabbi Michael Lerner has had his home vandalized several times with graffiti branding him a supporter of terrorism. The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival sparked furor and lost some funding over its decision to put on a program featuring a film about Rachel Corrie, the activist killed by an Israeli army bulldozer in the West Bank, and an appearance by her mother. And just last week, in Oakland, an exhibition of Palestinian children’s art was canceled because the subject proved too controversial.

On the flip side, the region has long been a hotbed of anti-Israel activism — with protesters associated with the University of California, Berkeley disrupting appearances by pro-Israel speakers, including Netanyahu (then between stints as prime minister) and scholar Daniel Pipes. Jewish college students say they have been violently harassed.

The rabbis included in the

JCPA materials are excruciatingly judicious in their handling of the issue, and generally avoid fingering either side, but it’s hard to miss that they mostly emerge from along the liberal end of the spectrum. This could reflect the reality that while conservatives within Jewish communal politics feel besieged on a host of issues, liberals more often are the ones fending off accusations of disloyalty and being threatened with excommunication.

Nor will everyone agree, even with something as innocuous as a civility campaign.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, wrote recently in the Huffington Post that all the civility talk was making him uncomfortable.

Citing several of the same texts that JCPA does, Yoffie nevertheless concludes that civility “has become an end unto itself, distorting norms of democratic debate and distracting us from matters of more fundamental consequence.”

And FailedMessiah blogger Shmarya Rosenberg, writing this month in the Forward, noted that the Hillel and Shammai camps weren’t as friendly as we’re often led to think. Rosenberg cites a story from the Jerusalem Talmud that Shammai’s followers once ambushed students of Hillel, killing some and holding the rest captive until they capitulated to Shammai’s view.

AUTOS • 21

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

The Porsche Cayenne—an SUV with style The Porsche Cayenne, Porsche’s SUV, arrived in North America in 2003 to financial success that secured Porsche’s future.

Now the second-generation version has been introduced and the 2011 Porsche Cayenne is better than ever.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne appears smaller due to its lower nose and raked D-pillar, as this Porsche is fractionally longer, wider and taller. It is also 397 pounds lighter after the removal of its former dual-range transfer case (meant to permit off-roading) and the use of lightweight body panels.

The lightness of the car improves handling, lightens the work for the engines and improves fuel economy.g, lightens the work for the engines and improves fuel economy. Now the base-model Cayenne, with its revised V6, produces 300 horsepower and works with the eight-speed automatic that is now standard for every Cayenne model. Meanwhile the Cayenne S’s V8 (now with 15 hp more) and the Cayenne Turbo’s turbocharged V8 feel more energetic as well.

Also new for 2011 is the Cayenne S Hybrid, a gasolineelectric model that showcases a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and a Porsche-developed hybrid system with battery-powered electric motor. The result is one of the most seamless power deliveries from a hybrid system on the market. Aside from the usual stop/start engine mode (something incorporated by every Cayenne model this year), the hybrid also coasts at speed with the engine shut down.

Porsche estimates the Cayenne Hybrid will produce 20 mpg city and 23 mpg highway.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne is a five-seat midsize SUV available in a number of different trims, which are aligned to engine choice.

The base Cayenne comes standard with 18-inch cast-aluminum wheels, self-leveling automatic headlamps, front and rear foglamps, LED running lights, power tailgate, automatic wipers, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power front seats, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, sliding and reclining 40/20/40-split rear seat, leather upholstery, Bluetooth, a touchscreen interface and a 10-speaker sound system with CD player and auxiliary audio jack. The Cayenne Tiptronic trim adds an automatic transmission.

The Cayenne Turbo adds a turbocharged V8, 19-inch wheels, air suspension, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, front sport seats with adjustable cushion and backrest side bolsters, rear sport seats, heated power-adjustable steering wheel, aluminum interior trim, a navigation system and a 14-speaker Bose surround-sound system with satellite radio and an iPod/USB audio interface.

The options list is extensive,

www.porsche.com/usa

2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo

with such items as embossed Porsche seat logos as well as different wheels, active body control, carbon-ceramic brakes, front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, a blind-spot warning system, panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control, keyless ignition/entry, four-zone climate control, ventilated front seats, voice-activated controls (requires navigation system), rear-seat DVD entertainment system, a six-disc CD/DVD changer and a 16-speaker surround-sound audio system.

All-wheel drive is standard, as is a six-speed manual transmission.

An eight-speed automatic is optional and features automatic start/stop technology to conserve fuel.

Porsche estimates this Cayenne V6 will reach 60 mph from a standstill in 7.1 seconds with the manual transmission and 7.4 seconds with the automatic. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined with the automatic. It’s 1 mpg worse with the manual.

The Cayenne S features a 4.8liter V8 good for 400 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. All-wheel drive is standard, as is an eight-speed automatic transmission. Porsche’s estimated 0-60 time is 5.6 seconds. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined.

The all-wheel-drive Cayenne Turbo gets a turbocharged 4.8liter V8 that produces 500 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. With its standard eight-speed automatic, the Turbo hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds during Edmunds testing, which puts it alongside the BMW X5 M and X6 M as the quickest, fastest SUVs sold. Estimated fuel economy is 15/22/17, which is actually better than the first-generation Cayenne V6.

Well-above-average handling

has long been a hallmark at Porsche, and that hasn’t changed in the Cayenne. The Cayenne comes standard with antilock brakes with enhanced brake assist and readiness, stability and traction control, driver knee airbags, front side airbags and side curtain airbags.

Rear side airbags, parking sensors, a rearview camera and a blind-spot warning system are available. In testing, the Cayenne Turbo came to a stop from 60 mph in 108 feet, which is very good for an SUV.

After the rather subdued, cabin of the original Cayenne, the all-new 2011 model features an aggressive, cockpit-like layout. The center console, adorned in upwards of 50 buttons, rises to meet the dash and large touchscreen display, creating an enveloping driver.s environment. Once you know where everything is, you might argue that this Porsche system is more efficient than the many knob-and-screen systems found in its competitors.

Like other Porsches, the

Cayenne features the finest interior materials put together with excellent craftsmanship. Handsome wood, alloy trim and leather upholstery further add to the luxurious ambience. The front seats are available in three different designs, ranging from simple eight-way power adjustment to the 18-way sport seats, which feature adjustable bolsters, lumbar and seat cushion length. The sculpted rear seats not only recline but slide fore and aft as well — a feature not typically found in five-passenger luxury SUVs. The Cayenne has a maximum luggage capacity of 62.9 cubic feet.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne drives with a laid-back demeanor, especially with the standard V6. The steering deserves note for its linearity, and body roll is well contained and the Cayenne can be hustled along, helped by an all-wheel-drive system that delivers 60 percent of its thrust to the rear wheels under normal conditions. The optional active suspension system provides a supple ride even with the dampers in their most aggressive setting.

Opting for the Cayenne S or Cayenne Turbo both provide for an enjoyable drive. The Cayenne S Hybrid, with its added weight and electric power steering, provides a nice blend of performance and fuel economy.

In the end, for those who can offord it, the Cayenne is hard to beat.

MSRP for the 2011 Porsche Cayenne is $92,935.

22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES EPSTEIN, Carolyn L., died on September 8, 2011; 9 Elul, 5771.

MENDELSOHN, Marjorie Cohen, age 83, died on September 21, 2011; 22 Elul, 5771.

PILDER, Geraldine, age 94, died on September 21, 2011; 22 Elul, 5771.

BERNFELD, Ethel, age 94, died on September 21, 2011; 23 Elul, 5771.

RUDNEY, Bernice, age 87, died on September 22, 2011; 23 Elul, 5771.

DEUTSCH, Howard, age 93, died on September 22, 2011; 24 Elul, 5771.

BONIFACE, William R., age 84, died on September 24, 2011; 26 Elul, 5771.

GERBER, Leah, age 85, died on September 27, 2011; 28 Elul, 5771.

O BITUARIES EPSTEIN, Carolyn L. Carolyn L. Epstein passed away on September 8, 2011. She was the devoted mother of Lauren Scharf, grandmother of Rosalyn Scharf and Cyvia and Jon Star. Services were held at PORTNOY from page 8 By being part of the teen-led movement — even serving as regional president — Portnoy says she gained invaluable leadership skills and business savvy.

“I was giving speeches, planning events and planning convenCOMMUNITY from page 9 Believed to be the first of its kind in the Baltic states, the new collaboration — dubbed simply the Human Rights Coalition — was established officially in late June but has been in the works for more than a year.

It brings together groups with highly specialized agendas — including the official body representing the Jewish community, the Lithuanian Gay League and the Roma Community Centre — and broader human rights-focused LETTERS from page 16 Support for a Palestinian state also declined in the past year. The new survey showed that, in the current situation, 38 percent would favor, and 55 percent would oppose, the establishment of a Palestinian state. A year ago, the AJC survey found 48 percent in favor and 45 percent opposed.

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

Beth Israel Memorial Gardens in Houston Texas on Sunday, September 11, 2011.

Contributions in her memory may be sent to Hadassah, P.O. Box 42396, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 or Hospice of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 633597, Cincinnati, Ohio 45263.

Saul E. Shuller, age 95, passed away on Sunday, September 18, 2011. Born August 21, 1916, in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was the first of two children born to the late Max and Anna Shuller. Mr. Shuller was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Lillian, in 1993.

Mr. Shuller studied piano at the Conservatory of Music, as well as electrical engineering at the University of Cincinnati, before leaving to help his father run Shuller’s Wigwam restaurant in the late 1930s.

Mr. Shuller met his future wife, Lillian, in Miami Beach, Fla., in the summer of 1941, and proposed to her three days later, which resulted in a wonderful 52 year marriage, producing two children, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Soon after his and Lillian’s September 1941 wedding, Mr. Shuller enlisted in the U.S. Army, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He served in the Pacific theater, in the signal corps, utilizing his knowledge of electronics and radio. Once, during a USO show, when Irving Berlin’s piano

player was unavailable, Mr. Shuller sat in for him and accompanied Berlin for the show.

After the war, he helped run Shuller’s Wigwam restaurant, which was started by his father in 1922 and closed in 2000. Mr. Shuller served as president of the Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Association in the 1960s.

He spent much of his time at the JCC and Crest Hills Country Club playing golf. At the age of 80, Mr. Shuller taught himself how to use a computer, and consequently played bridge, online, with people from Australia to Poland.

He even had an iPad at Cedar Village, on which he downloaded classical music, including Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, his favorite composers.

Mr. Shuller was an avid sports fan, and was a huge supporter of UC athletics, especially basketball.

He had season tickets to the Reds, Bengals and his beloved UC Bearcats. Also, he had season’s seats at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Shuller will always be remembered for his renowned story telling, drawing from a vast array of topics. He had a favorite saying, which was, “You are my friend until you prove otherwise,” often stating that to him there are no strangers.

Mr. Shuller kept his legendary sense of humor until right up to the very end, when, on the Sunday shortly before his imminent passing, he stated to his family, “At

least I won’t have to watch the Bengals game.”

Survivors include his children, Barbara (Jack) Hahn and Mel (Joan) Shuller; his brother, Leo (Helen) Shuller; grandchildren, Julie (Peter) Hill, Jeffrey and Gregory (Mandy) Hahn; Meredith (Josh) DeWitt, Kimberly and Michael Shuller; his great- grandchildren, Lily Hill, Zoe, Zachary, and Charlie DeWitt, and Tuesday Hahn.

Services were held at the Weil Funeral Home on Tuesday, September 20, 2011, followed by burial at Adath Israel Cemetery in Price Hill.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Community Center, Adath Israel Synagogue, Hospice of Cincinnati, or to the donor’s choice.

Howard Deutsch passed away September 22, 2011, at his home in Corona Del Mar, Calif. at the age of 93. Born in Cincinnati to Sarah and Sidney Deutsch, he attended Ohio State University before entering Officer’s Training, U.S.R.N. in 1939.

From 1940-1945 he was an artillery officer on the destroyer USS Dallas, seeing action during WWII in battles in the Mediterranean including North Africa, Malta, the Italian campaigns of Palermo and Salerno plus escorting convoys across the North Atlantic. He retired as a Lt.

Commander. Upon discharge he worked in his father’s printing business, Sidney Printing Works, now known as SpringDot—a 107 year old firm in our city. He was CEO until he retired in 1983 and moved to Orange County, Calif.

Mr. Deutsch actively supported City of Hope and the non-profit, non-sectarian Orange County Senior Home and Heritage Pointe.

For many years he financially supported Orphans in Israel.

He was a member of the Isaac M. Wise Temple. In declining health the last several years, he is survived by his wife Grace, two stepchildren, Diane Siegel and Kenneth Hausman, four grandchildren and many devoted nephews and nieces.

Services were held at Weil Funeral Home on Sunday, September 25. Memorial contributions to the City of Hope would be appreciated.

tions … and feeling good about being Jewish,” she says.

Portnoy also made lifelong friends, with whom she remains in touch through Facebook, and met her husband, Elliott, at a BBYO event when she was 13 and he was 15. He’s now an attorney in Washington.

“I loved [Elliott] all through high school,” the mother of three says with a laugh. “And I always tell my kids: You never know who you are going to meet [in BBYO]!”

But her connection to BBYO had been relegated to fond memories in her scrapbooks until a lengthy 2003 profile on “The

Woman Behind Michael” in Washingtonian magazine “outed” her as the “gatekeeper” to Jordan and a BBYO alumna. Soon after, the organization contacted her and she joined the board.

“Estee is the first alumnus of BBYO to be chair of the board,” Grossman says. “She experienced

many of the programs that we are working on, and she has an appreciation for the organization’s history and a personal feel.”

Coupled with her professional insights, Grossman adds, “She brings knowledge and expertise to the table that other nonprofits can only dream of.”

organizations.

Simon Gurevicius, executive director of Lithuania’s Jewish community, said those who told Kukliansky to avoid gay events don’t speak for the Jewish community as a whole.

“Those who spoke expressed their personal opinion — in a community you can find a whole spectrum of thoughts,” he said. “I am sure you could find many who would also oppose these people from our community as well.”

Kukliansky said the fight against homophobia and xenopho-

bia is a universal cause, so joining the coalition was a simple decision.

“This should be an answer to all the homophobes and fascists which are so active in all of Europe,” she said. “Why shouldn't I support it?”

Birute Sabatuskaite, a lawyer with the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights, said the coalition will help allow its member groups to pool their resources in confronting the threats they face.

Lithuania’s approximately 3,500 Jews live in relative securi-

ty, but in recent years they have seen activity by extreme nationalist and neo-fascist groups, as well as instances of anti-Semitic vandalism. International Jewish groups also have strongly criticized the Lithuanian government for what they see as its failures in confronting anti-Semitism and the country’s role in the Holocaust.

Gurevicius said Lithuania is still struggling to overcome the Soviet-era mentality that “being different is bad.”

But minorities should not solely focus on their own interests, he

said, adding that the Human Rights Coalition should make an effort to engage with Lithuanian society at large.

“The key is not only to try to look for a unified voice for minorities. The key is to find a way to be in dialogue with all the groups — without division into bigger or smaller ones,” Gurevicius said. “In a world full of extremism and xenophobia, it is very important to look for allies.”

He added, “Even though we all are different, we can live, share and learn one from another.”

On a related question concerning Palestinian efforts to unilaterally seek recognition of statehood without an agreement with Israel, only 9 percent approved of this strategy, while 88 percent disapproved.

Support for requiring the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state is strong, with 95 percent saying they should be

required to do so in a final peace agreement.

Regarding U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority, 73 percent of American Jews would support, and 21 percent oppose, the U.S. Congress withdrawing assistance if the PA and Hamas form a unity government.

The percentage of Jewish voters who identified themselves as Democrats has also been in gradual decline over the past few years. It dropped to 45 percent this year, down from 48 percent a year ago and 53 percent in the fall of 2009.

While the share of those who considered themselves Republicans remained virtually

unchanged – with 16 percent this year, compared to 17 percent a year before and 16 percent in 2009 – the share of self-identified Independents has expanded to 38 percent this year, up from 34 percent a year ago and 30 percent in 2009.

SHULLER, Saul E.

Party Affiliation

DEUTSCH, Howard

Howard Deutsch

Barbara Glueck Director, AJC Cincinnati

2011 CALENDAR Special Issues & Sections J ANUARY

F EBRUARY

M ARCH

6

3

3

Wonderful Weddings

13

Health & Beauty

10

20

Tu-Be-Shevat

17

17

24

24

27 Mature Living/Senior Lifestyles

Kids/Summer Camps

10 Purim

31

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7

5

2

12

9

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Real Estate / Home & Garden

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Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planning Issue Lag B’Omer

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The Car Issue

16 23

Best of Jewish Cincinnati

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Dentistry Issue/Dental Directory

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11

21

18

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Back to School & Shopping Guide

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Rosh Hashanah Jewish Year in Review

O CTOBER

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Gift Guide

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20 27

Event Planning Guide

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Travel Guide

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Chanukah

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Legal Directory

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Israeli mayor honors Sam and Rachel Boymel The mayor of the Israeli city of Nahariya, Zaki Sebag, recently visited Cincinnati to meet with Mr. Sam Boymel to report on the completion of his latest major project, a new auditorium, named the Rachel and Sam Boymel Auditorium. The hall is in a cultural center that houses the city’s library, the conservatory and the community center. It is used for many community and cultural events like music, theater, lectures, movies and community celebrations. It seats 200 people and it is a wonderful and much needed addition to the city.

“The Boymel’s set a wonderful example of Jewish philanthropy and the Torah ideals of sharing goodness, kindness and tzedakah, with the blessing G-d has given,” said Sebag.

To understand what motivates them, let us backtrack a little.

Sam and Rachel Boymel went through the Holocaust. But they didn’t just survive it: they live it every day. Residents of Cincinnati for the past 60 years, Sam and Rachel haven’t forgotten what it was like to be cold and hungry— the stomach pangs, the hellish agony, the uncertainty. They know what it is like to be a refugee, an unwanted wanderer, with no home, no place of solace and comfort, to be hated by the local populace, to be subjected to unspeakable horrors.

Yet rather than wallow in selfpity or misery, they have used their experiences as a powerful force for goodness and positivity. To them “Never Again” is not just a slogan but a calling, a drive, a mission, to give of themselves, to share with others, and especially with their brethren, the blessing that G-d has given. To make sure that no one should have to suffer as they did.

Their generosity is laudable and exemplary, even enviable.

It is most natural that there is a warm spot in their heart for Israel, the place for us all to call home, where so many Jewish refugees after the war were able to establish themselves, to thrive, to build a safe, secure and welcoming environment in which to raise their children.

During the mayor’s visit, Sam surprised him with an additional $50,000 donation. The donation was given by Sam and Rachel, whose Holocaust memories help them commiserate all too well with the feelings of hunger and destitution, and they feel strongly that no child in Israel should ever have to go hungry. Their past acts of generosity helped meet an overlooked need in Nahariya— the distribution of sandwiches for kids from kindergarten to high school. More than 1,200 sandwiches a day are now distributed to school children whose families can’t afford to send their children with food to school.

(Clockwise) Guests sit in the main hall of the cultural center that was generously supported by Sam and Rachel Boymel; Sam and Rachel Boymel; Mayor of Nahariya, Zaki Sebag, pictured with Sam Boymel.

Sebag, the city’s mayor, had this to say about them: “Sam and Rachel Boymel are true lovers of Israel. They always contribute to Nahariya and see the city as their second home. I wish them health and long life.”

The relationship between the city of Nahariya and the Boymel family goes back many years. It started with the neighborhood improvement program launched in the ‘80s, in which the family donated the tennis courts in the Katzenlson neighborhood in the sum of one million dollars. When Sebag was elected as mayor in 1989, the relationship between the family, Sebag and Nahariya tightened and since then the Boymels contribute every year.

Sam and Rachel have sponsored the Yad LaBanim house in the Ausishkin neighborhood, they have sponsored scholarship funds

for students, call buttons for elderly, cribs for babies from Ethiopian families housed in the Tapuz house, and throughout the years they have contributed coats, blankets and heaters for the elderly and low income families.

The donations are crucial and make a real difference in the lives of so many. The city of Nahariya and its citizens are very grateful to the Boymels.

In addition to their philanthropic endeavors in the U.S., in Israel and around the world, the Boymels are also well-known locally. Recognizing the importance of building and nurturing local community, Sam and Rachel are major sponsors of the near future expansion at Chabad Jewish Center. “The new wing will accommodate expanding educational facilities, as well community and social programming needs,”

said Rabbi Yisroel Mangel, Chabad’s director. “The Boymel’s are longstanding supporters of the Chabad Jewish Center, and this is just one more indication of their deep devotion and commitment to the Jewish education and communal and social responsibility.”

Sam and Rachel Boymel have made a career out of supporting youth- and education-related initiatives that ensure Jewish continuity and which symbolically compensate for the childhood taken from them by the Shoah. These include the Boymel Campus at RITSS Girls High School, the Sam and Rachel Boymel Campus at Cincinnati Hebrew Day School, and the Boymel Chapel at Yavneh Day School. They were also major contributors to the new Cincinnati JCC. The Boymels are also proud supporters of Israel, having

expressed their commitment to the Jewish homeland by endowing the Boymel Orphans Home in Jerusalem, the Beit Midrash/Orot Israel College, the Boymel Yad Lebanim orphanage and community center in Nahariya, the Boymel Mikvah at Yeshivat Nehar Deha, to name a few.

Sam Boymel’s benevolent support of Israel has garnered him numerous honors, including the Gates of Jerusalem Medal, the Heritage Award, the Israel Peace Prize and a citation by the Disabled Veterans of Israel. He has also been inducted into the Prime Minister’s Club and President’s Club, and has received the Israel Appreciation Award for his Holocaust remembrance efforts.

And more recently Sam was honored by Yad Vashem for his roll and support which was recognized by his book “Run, My Child.”