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Rockwern Academy announces two new appointments, Mendelson and Smith Rockwern Academy, Cincinnati’s community Jewish Day School, has announced two new appointments: Nancy Moses Mendelson, Director of Rockwern’s Early Childhood Education Center, and Nancy Smith, Business and Operations Manager. Founded in 1952 as the Yavneh Day School, Rockwern Academy serves students from early childhood through eighth grade. The school’s educational approach supports differences in Jewish values and embraces diversity. Rockwern Academy is a school of excellence, delivering a superior academic experience with innovative secular and Jewish teaching platforms and curricula. On the 2010–2011 Terra Nova standardized test, over 99.5 percent of Rockwern students met or surpassed the proficient level for Reading and Mathematics and every grade in the school achieved a High Mastery designation in Reading and Mathematics. Director of Early Childhood Education Center Nancy Mendelson has most recently worked as a Lead Teacher in the preschool at the Mayerson JCC. For 10 years prior to that she was a Lead Teacher in a PreKindergarten classroom at Cincinnati Country Day School, also serving as a liason between 10 teachers and the Head of the Lower School. In these roles she worked on curriculum and standards, implemented individual portfolios for students to track progress, and collaborated with assistant and student teachers. As the Director of Family Service for the Shriner’s Pediatric Burn Hospital in Cincinnati, she supervised staff members, developed plans for the department, and counseled families of patients. Mendelson earned her MSW from
new families to our wonderful early childhood program.” Mendelson added: “I am most excited to work with the early childhood students and their families. My goal is to continue to foster a sense of community and Jewish identity while creating a challenging, fun and motivating atmosphere for the children to learn and grow. I was very impressed with the teachers, classrooms and the learning activities taking place and I am eager to share what Rockwern Academy can offer the community. I look forward to becoming a team and family member of the Early Childhood Education Center at Rockwern Academy.” Mendelson began on Oct. 3, 2012. Nancy Mendelson
Nancy Smith
Tulane University and her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the University of Cincinnati. She holds an Associate of Science in Childcare
Job and Family Services. Rockwern Head of School Dr. David Finell welcomed Mendelson’s appointment with enthusiasm. “I
“My goal is to continue to foster a sense of community and Jewish identity while creating a challenging, fun and motivating atmosphere for the children to learn and grow.” Nancy Mendelson
Technology from U.C., and has taken many courses in early childhood education from Teaching Strategies, Jewish Family Service, Step up to Quality, and the Ohio Department of
know that Nancy Mendelson, together with our amazing teachers and assistants in the preschool, will lead Rockwern to new heights of excellence and will attract many
Business and Operations Manager In the role of Business and Operations Manager, Nancy Smith is replacing Business Manager Ed Lenz, who is retiring after serving in the position for more than 13 years. Dr. Finell explained, “We thank Ed for his years of dedicated service to our school and for always making sure the institution was run professionally. We wish him well in his retirement and are delighted that Nancy Smith has already begun training to take over his role. She brings over 20 years of finance experience and has held prestigious positions including Director of Business Valuations for The Malibu Group, Financial Analyst for Provident/National City Bank, Senior Financial Analyst for University of Cincinnati Hospital, and Business Valuation Specialist in the Trust Department of PNC Bank. Smith is also a grandmother of one of our students and she understands what Rockwern is all about. I know she will demonstrate keen professionalism and a strong commitment to the school and to our mission.”
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Four Reform congregations worship together with Rabbi David Ellenson On Friday evening, Oct. 19, the members of Isaac M. Wise Temple, Rockdale Temple, Temple Sholom and Valley Temple will all join together in Shabbat worship as the Cincinnati Reform community initiates a weekend of celebration and leadership. The weekend will commence with this combined congregational Shabbat evening service to be held at 6:15 p.m. at Wise Center with a unique worship experience. The rabbis of the four Reform congregations will join together in leading the service, in which members of the volunteer choirs of those congregations will lead the music of the service. The guest speaker for the evening’s worship will be Rabbi David Ellenson, addressing the topic “Reform Judaism — Where have we come from? Where are we now? Where are we going?”
Those attending the service will be enriched by Dr. Ellenson’s reflection on the Reform Movement, our heritage, and our trajectory from the past and into the future. Having served for a decade as the president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Ellenson is one of the most influential and respected leaders of Jewish life. He is a prolific author of scores of books and scholarly articles and is a scholar of great distinction, admired and studied by teachers and students from every arena of Jewish life. He has also demonstrated great talent and devotion in leading the College-Institute and the Reform movement through a great period of change. This evening will provide an opportunity for the entire community to share in Rabbi Ellenson’s
insights and reflections from his unique vantage point of Jewish leadership. All of the congregational rabbis and leadership feel privileged to come together and join in Shabbat evening worship and to enjoy this opportunity as one community. During the weekend that commences with this joint Reform congregational Shabbat worship service, the Cincinnati Board of Overseers, under the leadership of Joan Pines of Chicago, will also be present at the service as they enjoy two days of meetings in Cincinnati, and as Hebrew Union College hosts hundreds of people in its annual Associates Dinner on Saturday evening, Oct. 20. In addition the Hebrew Union College Board of Governors begins its meetings here in Cincinnati on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 21-22.
Wise Temple donates 14,000 lbs. of food to the Freestore Foodbank on Yom Kippur Wise Temple continued its contribution of items to the Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati, bringing over 14,000 lbs. to Wise Temple the morning of Yom Kippur. Wise Temple members have a consistent commitment to this important endeavor and continue to contribute food and personal care items for the needy of our region in record setting amounts. “The High Holy Day Mitzvah Bag Project clearly means something important to Wise Temple congregants and is central to our High Holy Day observance,” observed Amy Katz, Temple president. “Many families go to the grocery store together for the specific purpose of shopping for the Mitzvah bag, providing a model of tzedakah for even the youngest children.” This year, the Freestore Foodbank put a high priority on personal care items, high protein foods, and canned meats, since these are in great demand by its clients. “As Temple members come to Yom Kippur morning services with their Mitzvah bags, they are eager to see the trucks filling up and tangibly recognize the significant difference this can make,” Rabbi Lewis Kamrass remarked, “The image of those big trucks, stacked high with our Mitzvah
Bags, is part of our High Holy Day experience, and touches many people as we begin our worship for the entire day. It is also an important message that while we are fasting, Wise Temple is feeding more than double the number of people who attend our service.”
Through Click the Mitzvah, hundreds of items were delivered to Wise Temple and stacked in the lobby until Yom Kippur morning. The High Holy Day Mitzvah Bag Program is only one of 40 social action opportunities that Wise Temple members participate
Through Click the Mitzvah, hundreds of items were delivered to Wise Temple and stacked in the lobby until Yom Kippur morning. This year was the second year that Wise Temple members had the option of shopping online for the High Holy Day Mitzvah Bags. This option, called “Click the Mitzvah” is for members who find it difficult to shop for the High Holy Day Mitzvah Bag Project or bring in bags of food on Yom Kippur morning. They can have the same experience of shopping for the hungry by choosing from items listed on the Wise Temple “wish list” on Amazon. This year, Wise Temple members placed approximately 150 orders.
in throughout the year. Wise Temple’s WiseUP program continued the work of the Freestore Foodbank on Oct. 13 when Wise Temple members sorted and packed the food for distribution to food pantries and to the poor throughout the region. In addition, the Wise Temple Confirmation Class spent two weekends preparing and serving lunch at the Over-the-Rhine Soup Kitchen to over 600 of the city’s poor. Rabbi Kamrass remarked, “Our teens and adults derive great meaning from these experiences.”
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VOL. 159 • NO. 13 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012 2 CHESHVAN 5773 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 6:35 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 7:36 PM THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE CO., PUBLISHERS 18 WEST NINTH STREET, SUITE 2 CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202-2037 Phone: (513) 621-3145 Fax: (513) 621-3744 publisher@americanisraelite.com editor@americanisraelite.com production@americanisraelite.com RABBI ISAAC M. WISE Founder, Editor, Publisher, 1854-1900 LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928 RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930 HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher, 1930-1985 PHYLLIS R. SINGER Editor & General Manager, 1985-1999 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher YEHOSHUA MIZRACHI MICHAEL SAWAN Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager
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cance of Plum Street Temple at this time. “We are delighted to share the history and the story of Plum Street Temple with the Access community, and to celebrate Shabbat with them in a service in our beautiful sanctuary,” says Rabbi Kamrass. “I look forward to this being the first of many opportunities for us to welcome our young adult community and to giving them access not only to our history, but to the personal meaning of Shabbat and of prayer.”
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in the country for that matter? This event is free with advance reservations and will take place on Friday, Nov. 9. It is open to Jewish young professionals, 21-35 from Cincinnati and around the region. The evening will begin at 6:15 p.m. with a brief and engaging Shabbat service just for Access participants. It will be led by Rabbi Lewis Kamrass, with musical accompaniment from Wise Temple’s own Shir Chadash Band. Guests will also have the chance to learn more about the signifi-
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It’s an all-American celebration with a traditional Jewish twist: Introducing The United States of Shabbat, Access’ newest “Got Shabbat” Dinner series, showcasing the best regional culture and cuisine our country has to offer, from sea to shining sea! Naturally, the first city to be featured will be the Queen City, and where better to hold a CincinnatiStyle Shabbat than the magnificent, historic Plum Street Temple, considered to be one of the most iconic buildings in Cincinnati, and
Following the service, guests will have the chance to mix and mingle with other young professionals from Greater Cincinnati and around the region while enjoying a sit down Shabbat dinner with all the trimmings, including Montgomery Inn’s famous barbecued chicken and brisket (vegetarian options are also available), and desserts from other popular Cincinnati establishments such as Busken Bakery and more. Complimentary beer and wine and other beverages will also be served. Cincinnati-Style Shabbat is the first in the new United States of Shabbat dinner series and will focus on the iconic tastes and traditions of our own country’s many unique cities and regions. Like Access’ past International Got Shabbat dinner series, which included Indian Summer Shabbat, Mexican-Style Shabbat, CelebRussian, Tuscan Summer Shabbat, Mid-East Feast and others, Cincinnati Shabbat will offer the perfect chance for guests to wind down their work week with other Jewish YPs while they enjoy a taste of what makes our own city so unique and interesting. “For the past two years I have attended Yom Kippur services at Plum Street Temple, thanks to Access’ free High Holiday ticket program and the generosity of Wise Temple. The sanctuary is so amazing, and even thought I’m not a very religious person, being there makes me feel more spiritual somehow,” explains Jeremy Fine. “I am really looking forward to participating in a Shabbat service there and appreciate that they are doing all of this just for us!” Space for the Cincinnati-Style Shabbat is limited to the first 200 people and is already filling up quickly. The event is FREE and open to Jewish young professionals, 21-35 from Greater Cincinnati and from around the region. NonJewish significant others are always welcome. Reservations are mandatory and will be given on a first come, first served basis. A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate at a downtown hotel for anyone who is interested in staying overnight. Access is an initiative of The Mayerson Foundation and offers four to six programs a month designed to help Jewish young professionals get connected to one another and to the Jewish community. Most programs are completely FREE or very deeply subsidized. To RSVP, or to learn more about this event, please consult the Community Directory listing in this issue for Access’ contact information.
r in Am ape er sp i
Access dinner to be held at Plum Street Temple
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
NATIONAL • 5
Video shows N.Y. police officers beating man at Chabad center By JTA Staff Jewish Telegraph Agency NEW YORK (JTA) – Two New York police officers were shown on a video beating a man at a Chabad youth center in Brooklyn. Video of the Oct. 8 incident, as captured by surveillance cameras at the center in the Crown Heights section, was posted Sunday to the Lubavitch news site CrownHeights and picked up by the New York Daily News and The Huffington Post. The incident took place over the Shemini Atzeret holiday. The New York Jewish Week reported Monday that New York’s Civilian Complaint Review Board referred the case to the city Police
Department’s Internal Affairs unit, a review board spokesman said Monday. Zlamy Trappler, 24, a volunteer security guard at the ALIYA institute, said he called the police upon discovering the man, who was shirtless and sleeping in the lounge. Trappler thought the man was drunk, the Daily News reported. The man, identified by CrownHeights as Ehud Halevi, is shown exchanging words with a male officer and pushing away the hands of the officer, who had taken out handcuffs. Shortly after, the cop assumes a fighting stance and takes several punches at Halevi, as he and a female officer wrestle Halevi to the couch where
he was found sleeping, according to CrownHeights. During the two-minute incident, the female officer appears to use a truncheon and pepper spray on Halevi, the Daily News reported. Afterward, eight police officers arrive and handcuff Halevi. CrownHeights reported that Halevi is charged with assaulting a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and harassment. Police did not respond to requests for comment Sunday night, according to the Daily News, which added that Sara Feiglin, the wife of Rabbi Moshe Feiglin, who runs the youth center, confirmed the account given by CrownHeights.
Jewish groups worry about effect of sequestration cuts on elderly By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraph Agency WASHINGTON – Jewish groups that care for the elderly are looking forward to the election, and not because they favor a candidate or a party – they want Washington’s fractious establishment to get back to figuring out how best to fund programs the groups say are essential. Between the Nov. 6 election date and Jan. 1, Congress and the Obama administration – whether lame duck or reelected – are set to head off “sequestration,” when massive across-the-board cuts go into effect with the new year. Elderly care groups want to make their voices heard on the matter, given the condensed time that Congress will have to address the issues – but getting through is hard right now. “It’s a little difficult to do serious advocacy. It’s difficult right now to get anyone to focus on anything but the congressional elections,” Joyce Garver Keller, the chief lobbyist for Ohio Jewish Communities, said. “Everyone is focusing on the election. The best I can do, what I try to do is to keep some of our members of Congress aware of the fact that this is something very much on our minds.” The two federal programs that provide the bulk of funding for elderly care, Medicare, which funds care for the elderly, and Medicaid, which provides medical care for the poor, will be relatively unscathed should sequestration kick in, with its acrossthe-board cuts of about 8.5 percent. Medicaid is not designated for cuts; Medicare is designated for 2 percent cuts. Health industry professionals predict that even the 2 percent in cuts for Medicare could prove far reach-
ing. A report by American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association anticipates close to 500,000 jobs lost in the first year, Kaiser Health News reported on Wednesday. Even with Medicare and Medicaid spared, however, ancillary programs coming under other rubrics will sharply affect elderly care, said William Daroff, the director of the Washington office of Jewish Federations of North America. “While Medicaid and Medicare are exempt, we are concerned about the devastating impact sequestration could have on important Jewish communal programs that provide necessary assistance to the most vulnerable among us,” he said. “The specifics of the potential cuts are uncertain at this time, pending a report due shortly from the administration. We remain confident that when the election season is over, Congress and the executive branch will reach agreement that prevents draconian cuts from occurring.” Rachel Goldberg, who directs aging policy for B’nai B’rith International, outlined a number of sources of funding for elderly care that would be subject to the acrossthe-board 8.5 percent cuts. Cuts to housing payments administered by the Housing and Urban Development department, she said, could within a year see homes for the elderly close units. “People could be evicted,” she said. Also affected by the sequestration cuts would be departments that administer programs authorized under the Older Americans Act, including the Departments of Health and Human Services and of Agriculture, Goldberg said. On the ground, this would affect funding for caregiver support, distribution of
meals and subsidized transportation for the elderly. Goldberg noted that it’s not just sequestration. An array of laws that the Republican House and the Democratic Senate have failed to address are set to lapse on Jan. 1, and some of these would affect care for the elderly. Congress periodically votes to delay imposing “sustainable growth rates” on Medicare spending mandated by a 1990s law, for instance. No such delay has been approved this Congress, and should the law kick in, payments to doctors would drop substantively.
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Presidential candidates’ Jewish surrogates debate in Virginia By Suzanne Pollak Jewish Telegraph Agency FAIRFAX, Va. – Prominent Jewish surrogates for President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney tackled domestic issues and foreign affairs during a cordial debate in Northern Virginia. Former Rep. Robert Wexler (DFla.), representing Obama, faced off against Dov Zakheim, an under secretary of defense under President George W. Bush, on issues such as Israel, national security, jobs and women’s issues. The approximately 150 audience members at the Northern Virginia Jewish Community Center Wednesday night appeared evenly divided in their support of the two candidates. At one point, many in the audience broke into applause when Zakheim criticized Obama for not having visited Israel as president.
“Why hasn’t he visited it in three-and-a-quarter years? I just don’t get it,” Zakheim said. Wexler countered that it was rare for U.S. presidents to travel to Israel during their first terms, noting that while George W. Bush visited Israel twice, both trips took place in the last year of his second term. Throughout the evening, Wexler portrayed Obama as a strong supporter of Israel who continually provides that country with weapons and financial assistance and is there when Israel needs help. He specifically noted Obama’s efforts to stop the Palestinian Authority from unilaterally declaring statehood and his call to the Egyptian government when the Israeli Embassy was being stormed by rioters. But Zakheim countered that Israel needed an American president who would chart a different course in the Middle East.
“You’ve got to think of the whole Middle East, not just Israel,” he said, noting that if elected, Romney’s approach would be peace through strength. “You can’t have credibility unless you are strong, and Mr. Romney knows that,” his surrogate said. The two surrogates spelled out the different positions of their candidates on many issues. Romney would arm the Syrian rebels and set the same red line as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Iran’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons, Zakheim said. On social issues, Wexler noted Obama’s support for abortion rights, same-sex marriage and a more liberal approach to immigration. Zakheim replied that Romney would be more focused on creating jobs than dealing with social issues. “I agree the economy is the No. 1 issue on most people’s minds. I am not sure Roe v. Wade is,” Zakheim said. “Roe v. Wade is not going to solve the deficit problem.” Zakheim said that it was time to stop blaming the Bush adminis-
Obama supporter and former congressman Robert Wexler, left, debates Romney backer and former Pentagon official Dov Zakheim , right, at the Northern Virginia Jewish Community Center, Oct. 11, 2012.
tration for the state of the economy and instead to work to stimulate job growth. Wexler defined Obama’s position on budget issues as a balanced approach in which there are “reductions and income enhancements.” The two surrogates differed on the defense budget, with Zakheim
saying, “I don’t think defense should be held hostage to anything.” Wexler countered that cuts were needed to help balance the budget. The event was sponsored by The Israel Project and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington. Virginia is considered a key swing state.
Jewish communities grapple with baby boomer retirement boom By Neil Rubin Jewish Telegraph Agency BALTIMORE – Every Jewish community wants more Raymonde Fiols among its active retirees. The question is whether those communities are prepared to meet the needs she and hundreds of thousands of “younger seniors” and older ones will have in the near future. Now 76, Fiols has resided in Las Vegas for the past 11 years. She belongs to a synagogue, Hadassah and Na’amat USA, a women’s Zionist organization. Her volunteer time largely is spent as president of the Holocaust Survivors Group of Southern Nevada. In spare moments, she and her husband of 56 years, Philip, enjoy the area’s nature parks and attending lectures. “You have a choice of Jewish involvement, and we’re surrounded by Jewish friends,” Fiols said. “People look out for each other because a lot of them don’t have their children here, so you get invited for yontif and your friends become family,” she said, using the Yiddish term for holidays. She and her husband are part of the area’s growing senior population. The Jewish community is thought to have a larger share of people ages 65 and over than America generally, based on statistics from the last National Jewish Population Study and the 2010 U.S. Census. With the baby
Raymonde and Philip Fiol.
boomer generation entering the 65+ age group, experts say Jewish institutions will have to work hard to keep up with what is expected to be a growing need for social services and social offerings among Jewish elderly. Already, Jewish programs ranging from medical assistance initiatives to psychological counseling, adult education and heritage trips are expanding. Three retirement destinations with high concentrations of older Jews – Las Vegas, Palm Beach, Fla., and Phoenix, Ariz. – offer instructive examples of how communities are grappling with the challenges of growing Jewish senior populations. In 2005, the year of Las Vegas’ last Jewish community study, Jews ages 65 and older rose to 67,500, from 55,600 a decade earlier. In greater Phoenix, a 2002 population study found that 20 percent of peo-
ple in households with Jews were in that age range – a sizable increase from the 12 percent mark in the previous study, conducted in 1984. A 2005 study by the federation in western Palm Beach County found that about 57 percent of the community – 78,391 people – were 65 and older. Meanwhile, a study that same year by the federation in southern Palm Beach County found 61 percent of the community was 65 or older. “We have the fastest growing Jewish seniors community population in the country,” said Keith Myers, the president and CEO of MorseLife in West Palm Beach, a nonprofit that provides senior living and health care in the area. “In the next 15 to 20 years, Palm Beach County is going to triple its senior population from 300,000 to 900,000.” RETIREMENT on page 20
NATIONAL • 7
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
In N.J., former congressman’s widow looks to reclaim his seat By Suzanne Pollak Jewish Telegraph Agency WASHINGTON – Before Shelley Adler can reclaim her late husband’s congressional seat, she will have to get by a former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman. Adler, a Democrat, is running in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District against incumbent Rep. Jon Runyan, the former pro football player who unseated her husband, John, during the Republicans’ 2010 midterm election surge. John Adler served a single term in Congress representing the South Jersey district after a long career as a state senator. He died in April 2011 at the age of 51 due to complications from a staph infection following heart surgery. “The impetus to run was my family – myself and my sons. We believe in public service,” said Shelley Adler, 52, who has worked as an attorney and was a member of the Cherry Hill Township Council for five years. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has flagged the race on its red-to-blue list. Political experts, however, characterize the race as leaning toward Runyan, and a recent poll had the congressman leading Adler by 10 points among likely voters. The DCCC and the Republican Congressional Committee recently canceled ad buys in the Philadelphia area, sug-
gesting that local congressional races are not seen as being as competitive as they once were. While Adler makes it clear that she isn’t seeking a sympathy vote, she says her husband’s name often comes up when she is campaigning. “So many people knew him and respected him, both his views and the way he treated them,” she said. The Adlers met during their years at Harvard Law School. He converted to Judaism, and they had four sons who now range in age from 10 to 23. Asked if any of her sons seem destined for a political career, Adler laughs before replying, “I don’t know. It’s way too soon for that.” Due to redistricting, Adler’s heavily Jewish hometown of Cherry Hill is no longer included in the congressional district. The more Republican-leaning Brick Township has been added. The Runyan campaign’s spokesman, Chris Russell, told JTA via email that congressional redistricting was “a big win for Republicans in New Jersey last year.” Noting that Adler no longer lives in the district, Russell says she has “a credibility problem.” “It’s tough to ask someone to vote for you when you can’t even vote for yourself,” Russell said. Adler has argued that removing Cherry Hill from the district was a partisan maneuver by Republican members of the state’s bipartisan redistricting commis-
A World Series warning —about Hitler By Rafael Medoff Jewish Telegraph Agency The 1941 World Series is widely remembered as the first “Subway Series,” when two New York City teams vied for baseball’s championship. It was also the scene of one of the most famous plays in baseball history, when a rare dropped third strike changed the outcome of a game and, ultimately, the series. But that year’s World Series can also be remembered as the series that featured a player, a manager, and an owner who tried to warn the world about the danger of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. The New York Yankees won the opening game, 3-2. The Brooklyn Dodgers took the second by the same score. It was shaping up to be one of the most exciting World Series contests ever. For the third game, the Yankees turned to their young pitching sensation, Marius “Lefty” Russo. In just his second full season as a Yankees starter, the Queens, NY, native had become arguably the best pitcher on the team. Russo won 14 games in
1941, including a one-hitter, and had made the All Star team. As Russo took the mound that afternoon, very few in the Ebbets Field stands realized that he actually was one of the era’s rare two-sport stars. As a student at Long Island University in the 1930s, Russo excelled on the baseball diamond, but he was also a starter for the LIU Blackbirds’ basketball team, a national powerhouse. In the 19351936 season, Russo and his teammates won 33 straight games, by an average margin of 23 points. The 1936 Olympics, scheduled to be held in Nazi Germany, marked the first time basketball would be part of the competition. The Long Islanders stood a strong chance of being chosen to represent the U.S. in Berlin – until the players’ consciences got the better of them. In March 1936, on the eve of the qualifying tournament at Madison Square Garden, university president Tristram Metcalfe shocked the sports world with his announcement that the Blackbirds had decided to boycott Hitler’s Olympics.
Shelley Adler is running for the congressional seat once held by her late husband.
sion to discourage her from running. She has said that she will move into the redrawn district if she wins. David Snyder, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern New Jersey, says Runyan is “supportive of issues important to the Jewish community” and that if Adler is elected, he expects that she also would be supportive. Adler has served on the boards of the Jewish Federation of South Jersey, the Katz JCC and the New Jersey Anti-Defamation League. Both candidates say they are strong supporters of Israel. In Adler’s position paper on Israel, she states that she “has always believed in strengthening the important and critical relation-
ship between Israel and the United States.” She called on the United States to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Runyan backs “a strong relationship between the United States and Israel, as well as the State of Israel’s right to exist and protect itself,” Russell wrote in an email. In his role as member of the House Armed Services Committee, Runyan “has worked to ensure that we stand with Israel in a variety of areas including foreign assistance, and military funding and cooperation,” Russell wrote. The campaign spokesman also said the congressman “sup-
Please join us at Weil Funeral Home for refreshments and help us celebrate a tradition of caring for over 100 Years! Tuesday, October 30, 2012 7:30–9:00 PM Please join us for a lively and compelling discussion about Cremation or Burial: A Jewish View Doron Kornbluth is a renowned speaker, the best-selling author of Raising Kids to Love being Jewish and Why Be Jewish? and appears frequently in Jewish Media around the world. He will speak about this sensitive subject, discuss both sides of the question, and share his conclusions after three years of intensive research into the philosophies and practicalities of end-of-life choices. Doron has developed a very positive way of discussing this controversial issue . His book Cremation or Burial: A Jewish View is now available. He is a wonderful educator and this book is full of thought-provoking insights on this topic . Book signing to follow lecture .
100 Years in Business
WARNING on page 21
U.S. Rep. Jon Runyan, pictured, is facing Shelley Adler, the widow of Rep. John Adler, in a southern New Jersey district.
ports stronger sanctions against Syria and zero tolerance of terrorist organizations that threaten Israel such as Hamas and Hezbollah.” On domestic issues, differences are more readily apparent. Runyan wants to cut taxes, reduce the size of government and repeal President Obama’s health care reforms, calling for its replacement with “common sense health care reforms that actually lower costs for consumers.” His campaign ads attack Adler for voting to increase property taxes when she served on the Cherry Hill Township Council. On her website, Adler refers to Medicare as “a sacred trust that cannot be broken.” She criticizes Runyan for his support of Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare overhaul proposal and the extension of Bush-era tax cuts that include reductions for the wealthy. While Runyan says he is a supporter of abortion rights, Adler has criticized him for voting to sever funding to Planned Parenthood. In their respective congressional scorecards, NARAL Pro-Choice America gave Runyan a score of 0, while National Right to Life gave him 100 percent. Adler says her campaign reflects values that she believes are attractive to Jewish voters. She says she will work on behalf of the middle class, senior citizens, veterans and women. “People need somebody who will be on their side,” she said.
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Gymnast Felix Aronovich: Penn State’s feel-good Jewish sports story By Robert Gluck JointMedia News Service Among those who grabbed headlines related to the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal surrounding Penn State University’s football program was Graham Spanier, the Jewish university president who was forced to resign after it was revealed that he didn’t properly report the abuse to authorities. Penn State student Felix Aronovich, on the other hand, represents a feel-good Jewish story surrounding the school’s athletic program. Aronovich represented Israel as a member of its gymnastics team at the Olympic Games in London this summer. Born in the Ukraine and now a resident of Kiryat Motzkin, the 23year-old gymnast realized a lifelong dream when he officially qualified for the 2012 London games based on his performance at the European Gymnastics Championships in Montpellier, France. “Most aspiring young gymnasts envision themselves on the Olympic stage but few are able to realize this dream,” Randy Jepson, Aronovich’s coach at Penn State, told JNS. “My staff, our team, and myself are thrilled that Felix will be able to use his Olympic experience as a springboard into his senior season when we host the NCAA Championships in
Courtesy of PSU Athletics/Mark Selders
Aronovich in the heat of competition.
Rec Hall here at Penn State in April.” Aronovich is an engineering science major, with a minor in nanotechnology. “He is an academic all American, and a very dedicated student,” Jepson said. “His example and success as a student and as an athlete are the epitome of what it means to be a Penn State student-athlete.” In Israel, Aronovich trained with club team Maccabi Tel Aviv while living with his parents Leonid and Sofia. Upon graduation in 2013, he intends to pursue a master’s degree in the field of renewable energy.
Although he didn’t win any medals in London, the experience alone was the thrill of a lifetime for Aronovich. “Before going to London I was pleased by the accomplishment of getting to compete,” Aronovich told JNS. “That was a prize by itself. Being there was amazing. It’s hard to put into words but it’s like being on top of the world for two weeks.” What earned Aronovich the right to compete was an impressive series of consistent performances in numerous gymnastics competitions. He secured his place in London after finishing 11th overall in the Individual All-Around competition at the European Championships in Montpellier, meeting the Olympic Committee of Israel’s criteria. Before Montpellier, Aronovich earned CGA First Team AllAmerican Scholar Athlete (3.703.799 GPA) and Academic All-Big Ten honors, and he was named National Gymnast of the Week after capturing two first-place finishes (parallel bars and all-around) and a third place (high bar) against Ohio State University. He earned his second career Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor for placing first in the all-around and parallel bars and second in the high bar in a tri-meet with the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa, and he set career highs in five events (floor exercise,
International Briefs
pommel horse, still rings, vault, and parallel bars) and the all-around. Aronovich recorded Penn State’s highest scores of the season in the pommel horse (15.100), parallel bars (15.400), and the all-around (87.150), and was nationally ranked No. 10 (parallel bars), No. 14 (high bar), and No. 16 (still rings) at season’s end. The gymnastics competition at the 2012 London Olympics took place from July 28-Aug. 7 at North Greenwich Arena on the banks of the River Thames. A total of 98 of the world’s top men’s gymnasts competed for team and individual honors at the 30th Games of the Olympiad – Aronovich placed 32nd in the all-around competition and did not qualify for the semifinals. But like his parents taught him, Felix understood competing at the Olympics was more than just about his accomplishments. He understands history and knew about the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches by terrorists in Munich in 1972. “I went to the church where they had a ceremony for the Israeli athletes who died in 1972,” Aronovich recalled. “They had a lot of dignitaries there including family members of the victims, the prime minister of England, the mayor of London and the chairman of the Olympic Committee. The most emotional part was when the wives of the victims were talking.”
After another Malmo attack, a resolve to keep up new Jewish solidarity rallies By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraph Agency Hours after the late-night explosion outside the Jewish community center in Malmo, Sweden, the scent of baking challah already was wafting from the center’s ovens into the chilly morning air, as it does every Friday morning. Later, the Jewish preschool at the site would open as usual. A smashed bulletproof glass window and two police officers standing watch were the only evidence of a Sept. 28 attack in which assailants set off an explosive device and threw bricks at the center’s door, according to Rabbi Rebecca Lillian, who lives in the building. Swedish police arrested and then released two 18-year-old male suspects whom witnesses had placed at the scene; the city’s prosecutor is considering whether to indict them. Some Swedish Jews said the attack was yet another unwelcome reminder that they must bolster their public campaign against antiSemitism, which only recently began to gain steam in the Scandinavian country after years of attacks and intimidation against
Courtesy of Annika Hernroth-Rothstein
Participants at a rally at Stockholm’s Raoul Wallenberg Park in solidarity with the Malmo Jewish community, Oct. 7, 2012.
Jews, often by local Muslims. “The attack on the synagogue may have been an attempt to intimidate us back into submission,” said Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, a 31year-old Jewish woman from a city near Stockholm who has helped organize some of the recent Jewish solidarity rallies in Sweden. “The decision by Swedish Jews to rally against anti-Semitism is per-
ceived by perpetrators as provocation,” she told JTA. “We must go on: It may need to get worse before it gets better.” Fred Kahn, board chairman of Malmo’s Jewish community of approximately 1,000, said he insisted on a business-as-usual approach after the attack “to show our enemies they have no chance of intimidating us.” The rallies against anti-Semitism in Sweden – at least 10 so far – began last December when a few Malmo synagogue-goers decided to keep on their kipahs after services and, in violation of security protocol, marched with them through town. Several more “kipah walks” followed, all organized by members of the community through Facebook. One gathering in August in Stockholm drew about 400 Jews and non-Jews, including government ministers. A similar number showed up for a rally in Stockholm on Sunday, including some leading politicians. Another solidarity march is planned for Oct. 20 in Malmo. “The community here used to keep a low profile, but there’s a feeling that we are lost if we do nothing
now,” Frederik Sieradski, a spokesman for the Malmo Jewish community, told JTA during a recent solidarity trip that Jews from Copenhagen, Denmark, made to his city of 300,000 – the third largest in Sweden. The newly aggressive public actions by Jews against antiSemitism mark a significant shift for Swedish Jews, according to Mikael Tossavainen, a Swedish-born researcher of anti-Semitism in Scandinavia at Tel Aviv University’s Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary Jewry. Tossavainen noted that a “very similar attack” against Malmo’s only Orthodox synagogue in 2010 “attracted far less international attention and response” than the Sept. 28 attack. The emergence of the kipah walks was a major factor in attracting attention to the problem in Malmo, he said. Another factor, Tossavainen said, was the city’s mayor, Ilmar Reepalu, who made international headlines when he advised Jews who want to be safe in Malmo to reject Zionism. MALMO on page 19
South African trade ministry publishes West Bank goods notice, despite negotiations PRETORIA, South Africa (JTA) – The South African Trade Ministry published a second notice concerning the labeling of Israeli products, despite working with the Jewish community on a compromise. Contrary to the more restricted proposal issued in May, the notice published Oct. 12 in the Government Gazette refers to all products originating from the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem as “requiring an importer, producer, retailer or supplier of the Republic of South Africa to label goods that originate from the Israeli Occupied Territory (hereinafter referred to as ‘IOT’) namely: East Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, as goods originating from IOT. Goods originating from IOT must not be labeled as goods originating from Israel.” The new notice defines Israel’s borders as those recognized by the South African government. “The label ‘Made in Israel’ may only be applied to goods that originate from within Israel’s borders of 1948-1967 before they were unilaterally changed by Israel in 1967 Six Day War,” the notice reads. The publication of the new notice came as a surprise to the South African Jewish community. Two weeks ago, Wendy Kahn of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies and Avrom Krengel of the Zionist Federation presented their case before the South African Parliamentary Portfolio Committee handling trade and industry issues. The committee asked them and a representative of the pro-Palestinian Open Shuhada Street Organization to submit written documents to further explain their positions. A representative of the Trade Ministry who participated in the meeting assured all the parties that the ministry would not take any steps to implement the notice until the submissions were made, and until a comprehensive debate with all stakeholders was launched, so that a compromise could be reached. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies was in the process of submitting its document on Oct. 12 when the new notice was published. Kahn in a statement issued Monday condemned the publication of the notice, saying that Trade Minister Rob Davies “has shown his disdain to engage with our community by ignoring our 33 meeting requests.”
INTERNATIONAL • 9
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
20 years on, El Al crash in New Toronto Jewish campus sign Amsterdam still spawns of booming community growth conspiracy theories By Ron Csillag Jewish Telegraph Agency
By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraph Agency AMSTERDAM – Chemical weapons, nuclear debris and Mossad agents in biohazard suits all have played prominent roles in the dozens of conspiracy theories surrounding the crash of an El Al airplane here 20 years ago this month. But Rob Oudkerk, vice chairman of the Dutch parliament’s inquiry into the deadly crash, has studied and dismissed them all. In a recent interview for a Dutch TV documentary, members of Oudkerk’s commission of inquiry reiterated their conclusions: The Israeli cargo plane malfunctioned despite proper maintenance and contained no known poison or weapons when it crashed into an Amsterdam housing project on Oct. 4, 1992, killing 47 people. But two decades on, the conspiracy theories continue. Last week, on the anniversary of the crash, a short film titled “LY 1862,” which appeared on YouTube and two popular film sites, presented a smug and misogynistic El Al pilot who ignored the entreaties of his idealistic son and his son’s girlfriend not to ship “chemical weapons” to Israel because “they use them to kill people every day” and “there are powers trying to prevent the shipments.” In reality, Capt. Yitzhak Fouchs and three other crew members died in what aviation experts later called a “freak accident” caused by defected fuse pins in the wings of their Boeing 747. The pins broke, causing one engine to shear off and knock off a second engine and parts of the wing. Flight LY 1862 crashed into a housing project shortly after takeoff from Schiphol Airport to Israel. “There were so many ghost stories because the plane was Israeli,” Theo Meijer, the commission’s chairman, said in the television documentary program “Andere Tijden,” or “Different Times.” This caused “a growing unrest,” which was the reason for the commission’s creation in 1998, Meijer said. “Because the plane was from Israel, residents thought chemical weapons had rained down on them and made them sick,” Els Borst, a former Dutch health minister, said on the program. Before the commission was appointed, Amsterdam city authorities reviewed hundreds of medical complaints but found no conclusive link with the crash except, “perhaps, in a few individual cases.” Yet the rumors persisted. Oudkerk revealed on the television show that he had come “under political pressure” in his
Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan attending the commemoration ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the El Al plane crash in the Dutch capital, Oct. 4, 2012.
capacity with the commission. He said a minister from his Dutch Labor Party visited his home one night to “pressure” him into “considering the political implications” for the cabinet under then-Prime Minister Wim Kok of Labor. “Politicians never have handled the probe,” said Oudkerk, who did not specify in which way he had been pressured to act or whether he complied. Meijer acknowledged that political intrigue was present around the probe, but nonetheless said its members “peeled off the conspiracy theories one by one.” Yet one of the sessions in 1999 seems to have had the opposite effect. In that session, a lawmaker for the left-leaning D66 party read out, with some dramatic flare, transcriptions of calls made by the El Al office in the Netherlands after the crash. In the calls, it emerged that explosives and poisonous gases were aboard the plane. Omitted from the text was the fact that the military cargo listed had been offloaded from the plane at Schiphol Airport before it took off again to Israel. It created the impression that the dangerous materials exploded on the ground in the crash. “We all knew the explosives had been offloaded, but that session gave the opposite impression,” said Theo van den Doel, a commission member and lawmaker for the center-right VVD Party. His requests that the commission issue a correction were overruled, and within hours Dutch media labeled LY 1862 an arms shipment – an impression that would be corrected only weeks later in the commission’s final report. THEORIES on page 21
TORONTO – Standing in the sprawling new $185 million Jewish community complex just north of Toronto, Taali Lester Tollman sweeps her outstretched arm in a wide arc. “Just a few years ago,” says Tollman, UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s vice president of marketing, “all this was pasture.” Actually it was woodland, but no matter. On the space now stands one of the most ambitious Jewish projects ever undertaken in Canada. Spread across 50 acres, the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Jewish Community Campus is testament to the dramatic growth of Toronto’s Jewish population. The 200,000square-foot complex, which officially opened Sunday, houses social service agencies, conference facilities, a Conservative egalitarian synagogue with afternoon classes, a day care and preschool, a theater and art gallery, a Jewish high school (with an elementary school slated next year), a residence for developmentally challenged adults and a gleaming 10,000-square-foot fitness center with three saltwater pools. There is underground parking for 350 vehicles and plans for an infirmary staffed by 10 doctors. It’s all set on grounds wound with pathways and gardens. “It’s absolutely unique in
Courtesy of Shai Gil Photography
The $185 million Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Jewish Community Campus is one of the most ambitious Jewish projects ever undertaken in Canada.
North America,” David Sadowski, UJA Federation’s man in charge of Jewish community properties, told JTA. “And it came in on budget and on time.” Situated about four miles north of the Toronto city limits in the city of Vaughan, the campus will serve a Jewish community that has surged in numbers in the past decade. Greater Toronto, including several suburban municipalities within York Region north of the city, continues to be the fastest-growing major Jewish population center in Canada. Toronto’s northern suburbs have become a magnet for newcomers from other Canadian cities, notably Montreal and Winnipeg, and for
immigrants from Israel, South Africa, Russia and Argentina. The sprawling northern region is now home to about 80,000 Jews, or 40 percent of the Toronto region’s Jewish population, according to Canadian Jewish demographer Charles Shahar, research coordinator in the community planning and allocations department at Montreal’s Federation CJA. That’s up from 60,000 in 2001 and only 1,500 or so Jews in 1971, when the area was largely rural woodland. In the decades since, the farms and trees have been transformed into suburban subdivisions, many of them heavily Jewish. CAMPUS on page 22
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Eilat shooting raises questions about Drop in venture capital funding puts squeeze on recruitment for Israel programs Israel’s tech sector
By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraph Agency
TEL AVIV – The recent shooting of an Israeli hotel employee by an American Jewish intern is raising questions about how Israel internship programs for Diaspora Jews recruit and screen applicants. The assailant, William Herskowitz, was killed by police following a brief standoff last Friday shortly after the fatal shooting, in which he reportedly used the firearm of a hotel security guard to kill 33-year-old Armando Abed in the dining room of the Leonardo Club Hotel in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat. Herskowitz had been enrolled in Oranim’s Eilat Hotel Experience, an internship program for American Jews interested in the hospitality industry. He had worked in several positions at the hotel and took a course in hotel management. Oranim is a tour provider that offers long- and short-term Israel programs to young adults. According to Oranim, Herskowitz had lost his job a day earlier for lack of discipline. To get into the program, according to current and past Oranim employees, Herskowitz had to fill out an online form, pass a two-part phone interview with Oranim recruiters and send in a medical history form.
Courtesy of Flash90/JTA
Police and medical personnel at the scene where American intern William Hershkovitz opened fire at the Leonardo Club Hotel in Eilat, killing one, Oct. 5, 2012.
Past recruiters at Oranim and other long-term internship programs in Israel noted the difficulty of gauging the personalities of potential participants from across the ocean. “On one hand you can have a phone conversation with someone and they sound fine, handle themselves well,” said a former Oranim recruiter who asked to remain anonymous. “You can have a doctor sign off on this form and not
report certain medical disorders, and how would you know? People can seem completely normal on the phone or Skype, and then things surface once they get to Israel.” Oranim’s spokesman, Yuval Arad, said that Herskowitz had a clean medical record and no criminal history. While Oranim’s online application included a resume, Oranim did not ask Herskowitz for references or a personal essay on why he chose the program – safeguards required by similar programs. A recruiter for the WUJS Intern Tel Aviv program, which like Oranim combines work with Hebrew study and travel, said her program requires a personal essay and a video interview – and references, if deemed necessary – in order to ensure that recruiters know which applicants to watch closely, even after they arrive on the program. “It is possible for people to fall through the cracks, but if you work for a program you know who your red flags are from the first conversation and monitor their behavior closely on the program,” said Amy Gross, the WUJS recruiter. However, she added, sometimes “all the monitoring in the world can’t prevent someone from doing something crazy.”
SHOOTING on page 22
By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraph Agency TEL AVIV – The Facebook page of PlayArt Labs, an Israeli gaming startup, looks more like the homepage of an art museum than the profile of an emerging technology company. It features an article about Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” an animation of Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and a link to a Twitter feed, @FrescoJesus, about a century-old Spanish fresco. The goal of the startup is to integrate art and cultural education into iPad games – to create “some added value from playing,” according to Adir Wanono, who launched PlayArt Labs 10 months ago. But now Wanono, 34, who successfully funded another startup two years ago, has encountered an unfamiliar obstacle. After eight months of working with barely any money, he has had trouble securing necessary funding from investors who like his idea but are hesitant to invest. He has secured $55,000 in investments from family and friends, but with four people working at the company, even that shoestring budget will run out in six months,
Netanyahu expected to win in elections unlikely to change Israel’s left-right balance By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraph Agency TEL AVIV – It wasn’t Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call for early elections that was unusual. After all, only a few governments have served a full term in Israel’s 64-year history. What was unusual was that seemingly everyone on Israel’s political spectrum – from left to right – appeared to agree that there was no real contest about who would be the next prime minister. Barring any major surprises, Netanyahu is expected to win a third term handily when voting is held early next year; elections had been scheduled for October 2013. “Netanyahu looks like an authoritative and experienced statesman, with no present alternative,” Aluf Benn, Haaretz’s editor in chief, noted in an Op-Ed. It’s not that there’s no opposition to Netanyahu in Israel. Shelly Yachimovich, leader of the center-left Labor Party, has called his conservative economic policies a “violent jungle,” according to Maariv. Shaul
Courtesy of Miriam Alster/FLASH90/JTA
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing early elections in Israel at a news conference at his office in Jerusalem, Oct. 9, 2012.
Mofaz, leader of the centrist Kadima Party, criticized Netanyahu’s “lack of judgment” on a potential attack on Iran’s nuclear program. Zahava Gal-On, leader of the leftist Meretz Party, asked in a Facebook post on Tuesday whether voters “want four more years of trampling democracy, damaging human rights, freedom of expression, free assembly and protest?” Even Ehud Barak,
Israel’s defense minister and Netanyahu’s coalition partner, has been sparring with the prime minister over U.S.-Israel relations. But none of these political leaders represents a formidable challenge to Netanyahu. Nor is the current balance of power between right and left, which currently favors the right, expected to change. The seats split between Israel’s center-left and left parties may change configuration, but the right-wing bloc in Netanyahu’s coalition is expected to keep its dominant position. Kadima, the six year old party started by Ariel Sharon that won the most seats in the last election, in February 2009, is likely to cede the most ground. Some polls predict that Kadima, which was part of the Netanyahu government this year for more than two months, will win as few as eight seats. The Labor Party is likely to pick up many of the voters defecting from Kadima. Polls show Yachimovich could lift Labor to as many as 20 seats, up sharply from the eight it now has but significantly down for a party that once
was one of the two main parties in Israel. As a sign of Netanyahu’s strength, both Kadima and Labor are seen as potential coalition partners for Likud, and neither Yachimovich nor Mofaz have ruled that out. The only non-Arab party that has vowed not to join Netanyahu in a coalition is Meretz, which controls just four seats. “It will be entertaining to watch them fight for their place in line,” columnist Yossi Verter wrote in Haaretz. Netanyahu cited his coalition’s failure to pass a budget as the reason for calling the early elections now. As it has for his entire term, the issue of how to stop Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program could dominate the campaign. In addition, the Arab Spring and the regional instability in Egypt and Syria may work to Netanyahu’s advantage, according to Hebrew University political science professor Avraham Diskin. “If people see there’s a threat, people always go to the right,” Diskin told JTA.
Dan Frumkin of the Israeli biomedical startup Nucleix works with DNA in the lab of Rad BioMed, a startup accelerator in Tel Aviv.
Wanono estimates. Wanono says the market in Israel has become tougher since his last startup. “People say, ‘Go to the market, gain traction and we’ll invest,’ but this lowers the chances of most startups to succeed,” he said. “We need money now to maximize our chances to succeed. Without money now, we won’t be able to maximize the benefit from a good launch.” FUNDING on page 22
Israel Briefs Katsav seeks presidential pardon on rape conviction JERUSALEM (JTA) – Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav requested a presidential pardon to appeal his rape conviction. Katsav’s wife, Gila, filed the request with the Justice Ministry. It will be forwarded to President Shimon Peres. Katsav, 65, is serving a seven-year jail sentence for his conviction on two counts of rape and other sexual offenses. He entered prison in December. His petition reportedly asks for a pardon so that he can appeal the conviction and clear his name from outside of prison. It also says that Katsav did not get a fair trial and that having to resign as president was punishment enough. He reportedly has not expressed remorse for his crime, which is necessary for receiving a pardon.
SOCIAL LIFE • 11
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
1st row: (L to R): Olivia Colby, Courtney Dietrich, Molly Locaputo, Samantha Hillman, Jack Silver, David Brownlee, Alex Tasner, Olivia Heinen, Carly Kerstine, Jack Zollett. 2nd row: Brett Woffington, Hayden Zimmerman, Benjamin Immerman, Zachary Hertzman, Molly Schulhoff, Matthew Silverman, Olivia Crawford, Nina Friedman, Jonathan Kaseff, Sammy Shapiro. 3rd row: Sam Ploscowe, Ian Richards, Mari Dagenbach, Jason Hershenson, Adam Goldstein, Tyler Colby, Ariana Silver, Wendy Woffington. 4th row: Rabbi Ilana Baden, Barbara Dragul (Director of Education and Lifelong Learning), Allie Weiner (teacher), Michelle Strapko (teacher), Mary Lee Sirkin (Consecration coordinator), Robin Hartmann (teacher), Linda Arnold (teacher), Rabbi Lewis Kamrass.
Wise Temple consecration 2012 On the eve of Simchat Torah, Sunday, Oct. 7, 28 children of the Isaac M. Wise Temple were welcomed as consecrants into the study of Torah at the Plum Street Temple. This beautiful ceremony was a very exceptional and meaningful milestone in the lives of the children and their families. The service, which was the creation of the late Rabbi Samuel Wohl, began at Wise Temple. Students carried their own small Torahs as they walked down the aisle of Plum Street Temple behind the Temple’s Board of Trustees who led them in. The children sang songs from the Bimah, danced around the sanctuary in celebration of Simchat Torah, received individual blessings from the rabbis and were presented with a certificate of Consecration. The consecration
of a new generation of Jews, as they begin their formal education, coincides with the occasion of Simchat Torah on which our faith celebrates the beginning of a new cycle of Torah reading. Wise Temple’s consecration students begin their Jewish education on Sunday mornings in the “Open Room.” The Open Room, which was recently and beautifully renovated, is a welcoming environment where children explore big ideas of Jewish learning through four activity centers: “Sarah’s Tent” where the main lesson takes place; “Jacob’s Ladder” where they do art related to the theme of the week; “Miriam’s Tambourine” where they sing songs, play games and act out stories; and “Mount Moses” where they engage in creative free play. All four stations
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are built around a detailed week by week curriculum. The children have their snack each week in the “Motzi Café,” and the last rotation of the morning is reserved for a music period for the entire room. The children come to know the Jewish calendar cycle of holidays as well as ceremonies, symbols and reasons for celebration. Other Jewish topics are explored including Jewish values, symbols and selected bible stories. In addition, the Open Room program helps children make Jewish friends and gives them the experience of being a part of a caring Jewish community.
12 • CINCINNATI SOCIAL LIFE
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SHALOM FAMILY presents SHABBAT SHALOM HAY On Friday, July 27th, young families in the Jewish community got down on the farm when Shalom Family, an initiative of The Mayerson Foundation, presented Shabbat Shalom Hay at Grailville Farm in Loveland. About 125 people enjoyed a free Shalom Family-Style Shabbat Dinner featuring plenty of organic fare for kids and parents too, as well as hayrides, pony rides, a chance to pet and play with farm animals, challah braiding, make-your-own bug boxes and an interactive song-session with Marc the Marvelous Toy. Plus, families enjoyed making their own ooey gooey Banana Boats for dessert!
CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE • 13
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
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14 • DINING OUT
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Oriental Wok: Classic Chinese-American classically done By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor I was once told an ancient fable by my mother: way back in the 1970s, when Chinese restaurants first became popular in the U.S., they were something special. They were fancy places, cultural experiences that you would get slightly dressed up for and enjoy as a privilege. The story was a shock to me. Getting dressed up? For a Chinese restaurant? After going to Oriental Wok’s two locations this past week, I understand what the fuss must have been about. I first went to the Cincinnati location and immediately noticed the free valet parking. Upon entering, I was struck by how gilded, crisp and vibrant everything was. By now we all know the experience, most every Chinese restaurant has similar decorations, color patterns and the like. But Oriental Wok did the idea justice, doing things with a vibrancy that felt fresh and new. The northern Kentucky location went a step further, being the “Las Vegas of Chinese restaurants,” as Susanna Wong, the daughter of founder Mike Wong, put it. The only things missing were slot machines and Joan Rivers. It’s this presentation that sets Oriental Wok apart from other restaurants. Everything is done with flair, with the original spirit that must have been present when the Chinese restaurant was still new, still a privilege. I spoke for quite a while with Susanna Wong, the manager of the Cincinnati location. She explained to me that Oriental Wok has even more than this to offer our community. “We are now the second generation,” Susanna said of herself and her sister, Angela. “But mom and dad are still very much involved.” This involvement includes day-to-day operations as well as the business inspiration. Susanna explained that upon the founding of the business her father was involved in the “classic pursuit of the American dream... When [China] wouldn’t give [him] a chance, America did.” It has all meant that the “founders and owners run the restaurant with as much care, not just work, a kind of love” as they always have. And that’s since the restaurant’s founding in 1977. These qualities show up in the restaurant’s food. Susanna explained that “everything is homemade, right down to our desserts.” There was also a generosity permeating the place, with large portions and free treats abound. For instance, when picking up a carry out order customers are offered complimentary beverages. There is a community spirit through it all, even going so far as to offer cooking classes coming up in November.
(Top-bottom, L-R) Las Vegas style dining room, N. Ky; Mike Wong, founder of the Oriental Wok chain; The bar at the Northern Kentucky location; Outdoor view of the N. Ky. location; Chicken Pot Stickers and Spring Rolls; The Hong Kong Chicken; The Steamed Wild Salmon; One of the dining rooms at the Cincinnati Oriental Wok; Waiting area outside of the N. Ky. Oriental Wok; Two statues wearing shirts, N. Ky.
My experience in the restaurant reflected all of this. Susanna was adamant that I should have a beer, and so brought me a Tsing Tao. This was a drink that changed constantly. My initial sip was very bready, probably the most bread like beer I have ever tasted. But as I drank the taste shifted. It was sometimes very hoppy, sometimes citrusy, sometimes like berries, or something. Any attempt I made to pin the thing down proved pleasingly impossible. This shifting factor ended up being the calling card of Oriental Wok. The food was all familiar, yet as I ate, the tastes changed in an exciting way. My meal began with a sampler tray, consisting of spring rolls and chicken pot stickers. The appetizer also came with three types of sauce: hot mustard, sweet and sour and “pot sticker sauce,” something like a slightly spicy, meaty soy sauce. I tried the pot stickers first and was impressed by their depth. By focusing on the outer layer of noodles I had a very pleasing, doughy sort of gooeyness, something like the
warm inner crust of a chicken pot pie. This made the chicken a sort of twist, as though I were eating noodle dough and their had been a chicken bouillon cube added to spice things up. But then I could switch gears entirely and focus on the chicken, which ended up giving the appetizer a sort of chicken sausage taste, with a nice accompanying bit of noodle to pad the flavor out comfortably. Then, as you may imagine, the sauces added a whole new dimension to the game. The spring rolls were similarly complex. But instead of a doughy flavor there was a fine example of a deliciously crisp, light outer shell, while the innards were a good mix of different vegetables. The spring rolls were cooked to a great consistency, with all the veggies on the inside melded together in an almost homogenous texture, though still distinguishable enough to allow each flavor to pop out nicely. Up next were three entrees, all of them popular staples of Oriental Wok: Hoh Fun with Beef, Hong Kong Chicken, and Steamed Wild
Salmon. The Hoh Fun was the sort of thing I tend to order at Chinese restaurants and I was not disappointed. The assorted greens were plentiful and remained crispy throughout my meal (and into the next day for leftovers,) while the beef was tender and juicy, a great consistency. The star of the dish, though, was the Hoh Fun itself, a sort of wide rice noodle prepared inhouse. It was, of course, delicious. I next tried the Hong Kong Chicken, and be forewarned! The chicken, presented on a platter as though it was a whole chicken cut into sections, LOOKS boneless. But it isn’t. Don’t be greedy and just stuff it in your mouth like I did! No one could blame you if you did, of course, it looks great, tastes better, and much like the beef, is cooked perfectly. The Steamed Wild Salmon was absolutely new to me, and I tell you: if there is a perfect way to cook fish, steaming may be the best option. It’s as though the fish were freshly caught. There was no heaviness, nothing added at all,
only the fish and a deliciously tender, smooth texture. To finish off Susanna brought me a small cup of chocolate mousse, whose quality shone through just as easily as in the rest of the meal. Let it stand as a final testament to the character of the restaurant, for both food and hospitality. The Cincinnati Oriental Woks’ hours are: Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. -9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Lunch served before 4 p.m., dinner after. The N. Kentucky Oriental Woks’ hours are: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday buffet, 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Lunch served before 4 p.m., dinner after. Oriental Wok Ft. Mitchell 317 Buttermilk Pike (859) 331-3000 Hyde Park 2444 Madison Road (513) 871-6888
DINING OUT • 15
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
RESTAURANT DIRECTORY 20 Brix 101 Main St Historic Milford 831-Brix (2749)
Gabby’s Cafe 515 Wyoming Ave Wyoming 821-6040
Padrino 111 Main St Milford 965-0100
Ambar India Restaurant 350 Ludlow Ave Cincinnati 281-7000
Incahoots 4110 Hunt Rd Blue Ash 793-2600
Parkers Blue Ash Tavern 4200 Cooper Rd Blue Ash 891-8300
Andy’s Mediterranean Grille At Gilbert & Nassau 2 blocks North of Eden Park 281-9791
Izzy’s 800 Elm St • 721-4241 612 Main St • 241-6246 5098B Glencrossing Way 347-9699 1198 Smiley Ave • 825-3888 300 Madison Ave Covington • 859-292-0065
Pomodori’s 121West McMillan • 861-0080 7880 Remington Rd Montgomery • 794-0080
Asian Paradise 9521 Fields Ertel Rd Loveland 239-8881 Baba India Restaurant 3120 Madison Rd Cincinnati 321-1600 Bangkok Terrace 4858 Hunt Rd Blue Ash 891-8900 • 834-8012 (fx)
K.T.’s Barbecue & Deli 8501 Reading Rd Reading 761-0200 Kanak India Restaurant 10040B Montgomery Rd Montgomery 793-6800
Bella Luna Café 4632 Eastern Ave Cincinnati 871-5862
Marx Hot Bagels 9701 Kenwood Rd Blue Ash 891-5542
Blue Elephant 2912 Wasson Rd Cincinnati 351-0123
Mecklenburg Gardens 302 E. University Ave Clifton 221-5353
Cafe Mediterranean 9525 Kenwood Rd Cincinnati 745-9386
Meritage Restaurant 1140 Congress Ave Glendale 376-8134
Carlo & Johnny 9769 Montgomery Rd Cincinnati 936-8600 Ferrari’s Little Italy & Bakery 7677 Goff Terrace Madeira 272-2220
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Johnny Chan 2 11296 Montgomery Rd The Shops at Harper’s Point 489-2388 • 489-3616 (fx)
Oriental Wok 2444 Madison Rd Hyde Park 871-6888
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16 • OPINION
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A president of values and vision By Rabbis Steven Bob, Sam Gordon, Burt Visotzky JointMedia News Service Jewish voters know the scene well. Politicians show up at our synagogues, community events and Jewish homes for the aging – all talking up “Jewish values,” all trying to speak the language of the Jewish community. This election season, we are seeing more of the same. Yet the trick for our community and congregations is to decipher who really means it. It is to judge our political figures not by how well they can pronounce certain Hebrew terms, but how effectively they act on our shared values. By this standard, there is no contest: President Barack Obama is the candidate who best represents our Jewish values. He is a leader of vision and integrity. His record reflects the embodiment of our deepest obligations: tikkun olam, tzedakah, shalom – to repair the world, to pursue justice, to seek peace. When the president spoke to the Union for Reform Judaism late last year, he offered an unexpected d’var torah on that week’s parsha, delivering a powerful meditation on the term hineini – “Here I am.” As he made clear in those remarks, his words are not meant as hollow promises; they reflect tangible actions. As he has done throughout his first-term in office, on the priorities important to American Jews, President Obama answers: “Here I am.” The president has been there to advance a vision of responsibility and compassion at home, in our neighborhoods, in our cities and in our communities. With health care reform, his efforts have helped us to heal the sick and lift up the weary; to live up to the call that says, “when we save one life, we save the world.” With a focus on higher standards, better teachers and more resources in our schools, his policies put education front and center – a recognition of the rabbinic reminder that children are truly building blocks of our future and that students increase peace in the world. With support for clean energy, higher fuel efficiency, and environmental protection, his actions reflect our duty to protect God’s creation and preserve a cleaner planet from generation to generation, l’dor v’dor. With financial reform, investments in jobs, and assistance to the less fortunate, the President adheres to the words we recently read in the Torah: to “open wide your hand to your brother [and sis-
ter], to the needy and to the poor, in your land.” In all these areas, and more, President Obama’s accomplishments and commitment help us work toward tikkun olam and tzedakah. And on yet another core value, shalom, the president has earned our trust and support – because he knows full well that the pursuit of a lasting peace for Israel is contingent on the safety and security of the Jewish state. His achievements for Israel are second to none. Under this Obama administration, Israel has received record levels of security aid. Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge has been restored and strengthened. Israel’s families in Sderot and Ashkelon and Be’er Sheva are now protected from rocket attacks, thanks to President Obama’s investment in the Iron Dome system. As Iran’s leaders pledge a world without Israel, President Obama has made it his promise plain and clear: We must not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. That’s why he worked with Congress to impose hard-hitting sanctions against Iran that are already dramatically affecting the Iranian economy. That’s why he built a global coalition to enhance our sanctions and isolate the Iranian regime. And that’s why he has promised to take no options off the table to counter the threat of a nuclear Iran – including military action. And as we’ve seen time and again, this president means what he says. When no one would stand for Israel at the United Nations, the President has taken up the cause; he has said, “here I am.” When the Carmel fire threatened to spread and risk even more Israeli lives, the President ensured that Israel got everything it needed to halt the flames; he said, again, “here I am.” And when six Israelis were under siege by a mob at their embassy in Cairo, and no one in Egypt would take Israel’s calls, the President intervened to secure their safe passage home; in Israel’s time of need, he said, once more, “here I am.” This is the character of President Obama – always there, prepared to carry the banner of our values, ready to move forward for peace, for justice, and for a better world. As it is written in the Book of Proverbs, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Luckily for our community and our country, our president is a man of vision and strong character, integrity and faith. His values are Jewish values. They’re American values. We need his values in the White House for four more years.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Do you have something to say? E-mail your letter to editor@americanisraelite.com
Dear Editor, I watched the debates with an open mind willing to give my support to any candidate with solid plans for both this country and Israel. It quickly became obvious that Comrade Barack was lost without his teleprompter and 50 people surrounding him giving him the “correct answers.” Conclusion? He is a pretty face with the ability to read a script and appeal to the nighttime fantasies of many women in this country. Mitt Romney had facts, Comrade Obama had egg on his pretty face! The vice presidential debate was quite lively with Joe Chi Min coming out swinging from the opening bell. He looked terrific and sounded more presidential than Comrade Obama, until the next day. The “Fact Checkers” indicated that Joe Chi Min, was actually Blow Chi Min with lies, misrepresentations, mularky and stuff. Conclusion: Vice Presidential material, clearly
Paul Ryan. Fantasy land and space cadet, Bloviating Joe! Sincerely, Paul Glassman, Cincinnati, OH Dear Editor, I am writing this in response to my friends and fellow members of the Jewish Community who blindly support our current president. Particularly those listed on the full page ad a few issues ago. I am wondering how many people on the list of Barack Hussein Obama supporters claim to support Israel. The two claims are irreconcilable. The truth which you seem to be blind to is, Barack Obama’s policies do not reflect the importance of Israel’s security. When Mr. Netanyahu was in New York to address the U.N. Mr. Obama decided to appear on Letterman and the View instead of meeting with our country’s most important ally in the Middle East. He has not visited
Israel as president. He refuses to recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel. He made the dangerous suggestion that Israel return to the 1967 borders. Iran is very close to having nuclear weaponry pointed right at Israel. The Arab Spring is turning into a terrorist breeding ground in Egypt and Syria. Our Embassies were attacked on 9/11 and a U.S. ambassador was murdered. The administration blamed an obscure YouTube video instead of terrorism. This is further evidence that Barack Hussein Obama is not competent to handle the turmoil in Israel’s part of the world. There are several other examples of Barack Obama’s lack of support of Israel. The bottom line is simple. If you support Barack Hussein Obama you do not support Israel! Sincerely, Andy Mellman Livonia, MI Submitted via facebook
Don’t risk Israel’s security on Obama’s words By Sheldon G. Adelson Jewish Telegraph Agency “Americans who support Israel should take the president at his word,” wrote Haim Saban recently in the New York Times, claiming President Barack Obama is fully committed to the Jewish state. But is that true? Should we take him at his word? No, not when Israel confronts the threat of nuclear annihilation by Iran. Time and again President Obama has signaled a lack of sympathy – or even outright hostility – toward Israel. Not long ago he was caught on an open microphone agreeing with French President Sarkozy’s slurring of the Israeli prime minister. And then there was his public snubbing of the Israeli leader’s request to discuss Iran during a recent U.S. visit, a measure Reuters termed “a highly unusual rebuff to a close ally.” Even more worrying, last month former U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, who attended several of Obama’s meetings with Netanyahu, admitted “there are serious differences between our interests and Israel’s own security interests.” All this certainly raises questions about Obama’s sincerity
when he publicly says he’ll “always have Israel’s back.” Nor are these the only times the president has left American voters wondering where he really stands on foreign relations. Remember, earlier this year, when he was inadvertently recorded asking former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for “space” until his reelection, when he’d have more “flexibility” on missile defense? What did he mean? Obama was clearly not being forthright with the American people. What else hasn’t he told us? Think about Obama’s antiIsrael friends and mentors, radicals like Rashid Khalidi, Frank Marshall Davis, Jeremiah Wright, or the late Edward Said, the virulently anti-Israel professor under whom Obama studied. Has he made anti-Israel promises to them? Is Obama’s campaign rhetoric in support of Israel only creating “space” till after the election? These questions cause genuine worry in Israel. Even some liberals now complain the president has lost so much Israeli trust that, in the words of Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, “there is almost no chance of progress [for peace] if Obama wins re-election.” Given that Obama’s public expressions are not something
Israelis can rely upon, we need to take seriously the question: What are his second term plans when he no longer needs the Jewish vote? Obama’s supporters tell us there’s nothing to worry about. He can be trusted, they say, because of his record of military aid to Israel and his support for sanctions against Iran. But the aid was committed in programs that began decades before his presidency under previous administrations. He cannot rightly take credit for this aid in the sense of initiating it, just as he cannot take credit for merely signing pro-Israel legislation that had bipartisan congressional support. Moreover, Obama’s campaign never mentions that in the past few years his budgets have proposed significant cuts in US-Israel missile defense funds – from $121.7mil to $99.8mil, a substantial slash. And just ask Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak or Poland’s Lech Walesa about Obama’s reliability because of past military aid. Even worse, the Iranian sanctions contain loopholes that, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, “you could drive a warhead through.” All 20 of Iran’s major trading partners enjoy sanction exemptions. They won’t stop Iran’s nuclear program. WORDS on page 19
JEWISH LIFE • 17
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
Efrat, Israel – “The entire earth had one language with uniform words (or policies, or ideas; (Hebrew, devarim ahadim)” (Genesis 11:1). After the Great Flood and the subsequent renewal of the world’s civilization, the Bible records a first attempt at governmental and societal re-constitution with the Tower of Babel. In the wake of a new-found unity (or uniformity) upon which this grandiose scheme was based, “each individual said to the other, ‘Come, let us mold bricks and burn them in fire.’ And the brick served them as stone and the asphalt served them as mortar. And they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top shall reach the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered all over the face of the earth’” (Genesis 11:24). Apparently, these people were striving for unity; they were attempting to prevent dispersion or exile of disparate, separate groups of peoples through the centralization of a single governmental power. But, almost inexplicably, this program is not pleasing in the eyes of God. “The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it He called it Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth” (Ibid 6-9). What is the Lord so upset with them about? Is our God against unity, against centralized and uniform activity? Is He in favor of divisions and dispersions? What about our clarion call of faith, our ringing declaration of unity, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One”?! What about the messianic promise of the prophet Zephaniah, “For then I shall change the nations to speak a pure language (the Radak interprets that they will be dedicated to pure and Godly purposes; the Ibn Ezra maintains that they will all speak
After all, unity is a mighty force; just as unity used for a positive purpose can re-create the world in the Kingship of God, so unity with a negative resolve can destroy the world. Hebrew), for all of them to proclaim in the Name of the Lord, to serve Him with a united resolve” (Zephaniah 3:9). Is this not a call for unity of all the nations, which the God of the prophet Zephaniah identifies with the ultimate redemption? In order to understand the deep chasm which divides Babel from Zephaniah, we must analyze the purpose behind each type of unity. After all, unity is a mighty force; just as unity used for a positive purpose can re-create the world in the Kingship of God, so unity with a negative resolve can destroy the world. Zephaniah desired unity so that all nations will “proclaim the Name of the Lord,” which is Love and Compassion, Loving-kindness and Truth (Exodus 34:5-8). He desired a united resolve of all nations to serve the Lord of the Universe, by performing acts of compassionate righteousness and moral justice (Genesis 18:18,19). Babel, on the other hand, desired unity in order “to make for ourselves a name,” in order to invest with supreme power an oligarchy of bureaucratic despots interested in gigantic buildings for their own self-aggrandizement (Babylonian Ziggurats), devoid of concern for the common welfare or for the triumph of good over evil, right over might. Indeed, the rabbis of the Midrash masterfully read between the lines of the Bible. They suggest that the people of Babel planned that the top of the tower would reach the heavens in order to “murder” the God of love, morality and peace, and that the builders would hardly notice if a human being fell to the ground, but they would mourn if a brick fell to the ground (Bereishit Rabbah, ad loc). Babel is Communist, totalitarian materialism. The other major distinction between Babel and our Bible lies in uniformity versus unity. Our Biblical tradition is profoundly supportive of unity in terms of ethical conduct, even insisting
upon universal ethical absolution regarding the Seven Noahide Laws of Morality and the universal acceptance of a God of Peace (Isaiah 2, Maimonides Laws of Kings 8,10); however, Micah (4:5) proclaims the possibility of religious pluralism; “Let everyone walk in the Name of his God, and we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God forever,” and our Mishnah glories in the fact that God has created different people of widely different physiognomies and ethnic appearances as well as of different outlooks and philosophies (Sanhedrin 4:5). As long as everyone is on the same page in terms of a commitment to a God of peace and morality, the Messiah will not be far behind. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi – Efrat Israel
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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: NOAH (BRAISHITH 6:9—11:30) 1. How many years did Noah live after the flood? a.) Fifty b.) One hundred fifty c.) Three hundred fifty
a.) Yephet b.) Cham c.) Shem
2. Yavan was descended from which son of Noah? a.) Yephet b.) Cham c.) Shem 3. Canaan was descended from which son of Noah? expanse of land per the blessing of Noah.(9:27)Rashi,Ramban 3. B 10:6 Canaan is mentioned because Avrom inherited his land because of the sin of their father Cham. 9:23 4. B 11:31 5. A 11:1-9
by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
SHABBAT SHALOM: NOACH GENESIS 6:9 – 11:32
4. Who lived in Ur Kasdim? a.) Noah b.) Avram c.) Nimrod 5. Did any major events happen between the flood and the end of the Parsha? a.) Yes b.) No ANSWERS 1. C 9:28 I do not understand the significance. However, the flood occurred in the year 1656 from creation. Noah died in the 2006. He lived to experience the Tower of Bavel and lived until Avrom was 58 years old. 2. A 10:2 The descendants of Yephet lived on islands and over a vast
Sedra of the Week
Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
JEWZ
IN THE
By Nate Bloom Contributing Columist ON GREENFIELD AND APPLEBY MAX GREENFIELD, 31, has hit the equivalent of the actor lotto. After a decade as a guest or recurring actor in sit-coms, he landed (fall 2011) the role of Schmidt, a ladies’ man, on “New Girl.” This Fox sit-com, starring Zooey Deschanel, is a huge hit. The Schmidt character has almost clicked as much with the TV audience as Deschanel’s character and Greenfield’s first year performance was Emmy-nominated. Greenfield is now much in demand for interviews and he often mentions his Jewish background in these interviews. He recently told “Vanity Fair” about his SNL-themed bar mitzvah, which included a “Blues Brothers” cake and tables graced by headshots of the show’s cast members. On Oct. 8, he told David Letterman about visiting an animal park when he was a teen and having an encounter with an ostrich that was possibly quite dangerous. Letterman replied to this tale by noting that Greenfield could have been killed by the big bird. Greenfield said that had that happened, the headline would have been, “Jewish kid killed by ostrich.” By the way, Greenfield was a member of the almost all-Jewish cast of “When Do We Eat?,” a 2005 indie cult film about a wild Passover Seder. The other Jewish cast members included LESLEY ANN WARREN, now 66; JACK KLUGMAN, now 90; SHIRI APPLEBY, now 33; and BEN FELDMAN, now 32. Like Greenfield, Feldman found his breakthrough role last TV season (“Michael Ginsberg” on “Mad Men”) and was also Emmy-nominated. Writing this item prompted me to check-up on Appleby. Remember her? She has been acting since childhood and has appeared in tons of TV shows and in some feature films, but is still most associated with her co-starring role on the sci-fi TV series, “Roswell,” which ran from 19992002. More recently, she costarred on the CW TV series, “Life Unexpected” (2010-2011). Born in Los Angeles, Appleby is the daughter of American Jewish businessman father and a Moroccan Jewish mother who teaches Hebrew school. Last April, she became engaged to her boyfriend of two years, chef JON SHOOK, 31, who co-founded and co-owns two very “hot” Los Angeles restaurants that attract a lot of celebs and serious foodies. Currently, Appleby co-stars on
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the hit (in web terms) internetonly series, “Dating Rules from My Future Self.” It can be seen on YouTube and Hulu. FUNNY STUFF NOTES Early this month, the irreverent website Funnyordie posted a 2-minute trailer for a (fictional) new TV series, “Jew Girl.” It’s an obvious Jewish themed parody of “New Girl.” It’s funny, if not hysterical, and of course, plays on stereotypes. Worth a look if some risqué humor doesn’t offend you. “Night of Too Many Stars: America Comes Together for Autism Programs” airs on Comedy Central on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 8PM. The special is hosted by JON STEWART, 49, with the following funny guys set to appear: SETH ROGEN, 30, JERRY SEINFELD, 58, BOB SAGET, 56, MATTHEW BRODERICK, 50, and ROBERT SMIGEL, 52 (as the voice of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog). GOLF CORNER Over the years, people have asked me why there aren’t more Jewish pro golfers. There’s no easy answer and my sociological guesses would go on too long for this column. Suffice it to say, “them’s the breaks.” The three most prominent recent pros are BRUCE FLEISCHER, 63; AMY ALCOTT, 56; and MORGAN PRESSEL, 24. Fleischer, who won the 1968 U.S. Amateur championship, had modest success on the regular pro tour (one victory), but has won 18 Senior PGA tournaments, including the 2001 Senior Open. Alcott, now retired, is simply one of the best woman golfers of all-time, with five major tournament wins and 29 LPGA titles. Pressel started hot, qualifying for the U.S. Amateur championship at age 12. But she’s had only midrange pro success, winning two tournaments since joining the LPGA tour in 2005. A promising future pro is STEVEN FOX, 22, who won the U.S. Amateur Championship last August. Raised in Tennessee, this Univ. of Tennessee student barely made the tournament and his victory was a huge upset. By tradition, he will get invitations, now, to the 2013 Masters and U.S. Open. Fox’s Jewish father, ALAN, a Long Island native, played pro basketball in Israel. His non-Jewish mother, Maureen, was also a college basketball player. Jewish Sports Review contacted the family and learned that Steven, who was raised secular, had no objection to being described as a Jewish athlete in the review.
FROM THE PAGES 150 Y EARS A GO The officers of the Jewish Hospital were all re-elected with the exception of the secretary (Rev. Dr. Lilienthal, declined) in which place E. Bier, Esq., was elected, and as Treasurer, (N. Mendersohn, declined) Julius Freiberg, Esq., was elected, and for Secretary of finance (Max Nathan, Esq., declined) M. Rindskopf, Esq., was elected. Also new Trustees were reelected: Messers. B. Simon, Jos. Trounstein and Max Nathan. In the Hebrew Relief Association all the officers were re-elected. M.J. Mack, Esq., having retired from the secretaryship of K.K. Bene Yeshurun, the board presented to him a set of complementary resolutions and a fine silver tobacco-case, bearing proper inscriptions, as a token of esteem and appreciation of his valuable services rendered to the congregation for the last four years as secretary. Mr. Mack is an active and punctual officer in all societies of which he is a member and an officer. – October 24, 1862
125 Y EARS A GO The Garfield Statue which will soon be placed on Race Street and Garfield Place, if properly lit by electric light, will present a pretty scene in our city, as the view from Vine Street to the Presbyterian Church on Elm Street is charming. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hart will enjoy two happy events within the coming week, namely, the Bar Mitzvah of their only son, Harry, on Saturday, October 15th, and the marriage of their eldest daughter, Miss Emilie, to Mr. Lee E. Hess, on Wednesday, October 19th. The wedding of Mr. Jacob Menderson and Miss Obermayer, of St. Louis, last Wednesday, was a very elegant one. Among the many Cincinnatians present were Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Seasongood, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Frohman, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Menderson, Mr. William Menderson, Mr. and Mrs. Wachtel, Miss Ida Frohman. – October 14, 1887
100 Y EARS A GO A dog hitched to a lawn mower stopped pulling to bark at a passerby. The boy who was guiding the mower said: “Don’t mind the dog; he is just barking for an excuse to stop. It is easier to bark than pull this machine.” It is easier to be critical than correct, easier to bark than to work, easier to hinder than to help, easier to destroy reputation than construct character. Fault finding is as dangerous as it is easy. Anybody can grumble, criticize or censure, but it takes a great soul to go on working faithfully and lovingly and rise to it all.
Mr. and Mrs. N. Goodman, of 1341 Locust street, East Walnut Hills, will be at home Sunday, October 27, 1912, in honor of the engagement of their daughter, Bess, to Mr. Louis L. Felheim. All of Cincinnati, Ohio. – October 17, 1912
75 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Mrs. Philip Krouse, 920 Burton Avenue, will be at home Sunday, Oct. 17th, from 3 until 5 p.m., to their relatives and friends in honor of their golden wedding anniversary. A family dinner in observance of the occasion will be held Tuesday, Oct. 19. Out-of-town guests will include their son and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Fecheimer, of Detroit, visiting Mr. and Mrs. Lee B. Scheuer; and the celebrants’ brother and sister, Mr. and Mrs. Sol Levy, of Columbus, Ohio. In honor of Miss Ruth Marcus, whose marriage to Mr. Samuel L. Chalfie will take place Sunday afternoon, Oct. 17th, Miss Lydia Stevens entertained with a luncheon shower at Haddon Hall Sunday, Oct. 10. Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Spahn, of Glenwood Avenue, were the host and hostess Thursday, Oct. 7, at a dinner in honor of the couple. Mr. and Mrs. Harold M. Baron entertained them at dinner at their home on Ledewood Drive Wednesday, Oct. 13. On Friday, Oct. 15, Mr. and Mrs. Lucien G. Strauss, of Reading Road, are to be host and hostess at dinner. – October 13, 1937
50 Y EARS A GO Cantor Emil Rosen, 65, of 709 Chalfonte Place, passed away Sunday, Oct. 14, at Sheltering Oaks Hospital. Cantor at Adath Israel (Feinberg) Synagogue, he had served the synagogue for 30 years as musical director. He was a graduate of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a student of the late John Hoffmann, widely known Cincinnati voice teacher. Cantor Rosen appeared in many operatic and liturgical performances and served as cantor of the NBC Synagogue of the Air. He also recorded cantorial selections. Surviving are his wife, Mrs. Marie K. Rosen; two daughters, Mrs. Millard Segal and Mrs. Harvey Egherman, both of Cincinnati; two brothers, Philip and Joseph Rosen, both of Columbus; and five grandchildren. Services were held at the Weil Funeral Home Monday, Oct. 15. The Rev. Max Newman officiated. Interment was in Ahavas Sholem Cemetery in Columbus. – October 18, 1962
25 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Mayerson have pledged a gift of $100,000 to the Friends of Plum Street Temple, $50,000 outright and $50,00 when matched by new contributions of $50,000. The Mayersons are well known for their generosity to all variety of institutions, most recently Children’s Hospital Medical Center Bone Marrow Unit, the Cincinnati Music Hall Association and Hebrew Union College. They became aware of the poor conditions of some of the interior parts of Plum Street Temple recently when attending a wedding there and decided they wanted to do something to help alleviate the condition. The Friends of Plum Street Temple was formed in March 1983 for the sole purpose of raising an endowment to permanently maintain the temple. This historic building is listed as a National Historic Landmark on the National Register of the U.S. Department of the Interior. When the Mayerson challenge is met the Friends’ goal of $1.7 million will then be only $150,000 short. Joseph Stern Jr., chairman of the Friends, is asking everyone to make a pledge and contribute now so that the challenge grant will not be lost. – October 22, 1987
10 Y EARS A GO Congratulations to Jeremy Guttman, our Teen of the Month of October! Jeremy is an involved senior at Cincinnati Country Day School. He contributes in the planning of different Diversity Days, which help to raise awareness for different nationalities, races, religions and backgrounds. Every Thanksgiving you can find Jeremy cooking a turkey in a soup kitchen. He serves on the Hamilton County Youth Committee, which puts together a city-wide youth conference every year. He is a member of many different clubs at school, including the Black Cultural Workshop, Asian Awareness, Students Against Drunk Driving, Kids Fighting Cancer and Teens With Ideas Going Someplace. This modest, strong-willed teen is obviously involved in many different cultures, yet his own religion is also very important to him. Jeremy attends Mercaz and hopes to graduate this year. At his synagogue, Adath Israel, he is the executive vice president and head of affairs for their USY chapter. In his free time, Jeremy sings in school plays, talent shows, synagogue services, showers and car rides. – October 17, 2002
CLASSIFIEDS • 19
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Access (513) 373-0300 • jypaccess.org Big Brothers/Big Sisters Assoc. (513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7258 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Chabad (513) 731-5111 • campchabad.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 754-3100 • cedarvillage.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Cincinnati Community Kollel (513) 631-1118 • kollel.shul.net Cincinnati Community Mikveh (513) 351-0609 • cincinnatimikveh.org Eruv Hotline (513) 351-3788 Fusion Family (513) 703-3343 • fusionnati.org Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (Miami) (513) 523-5190 • muhillel.org Hillel Jewish Student Center (UC) (513) 221-6728 • hillelcincinnati.org Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati 513-961-0178 • jcemcin.org Jewish Community Center (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org Jewish Community Relations Council (513) 985-1501 Jewish Family Service (513) 469-1188 • jfscinti.org Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (513) 985-1500 • shalomcincy.org Jewish Foundation (513) 214-1200 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 Jewish Vocational Service (513) 985-0515 • jvscinti.org Kesher (513) 766-3348 Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund (513) 793-2556 Shalom Family (513) 703-3343 • myshalomfamily.org The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education (513) 487-3055 • holocaustandhumanity.org Vaad Hoier (513) 731-4671 Workum Fund (513) 899-1836 • workum.org YPs at the JCC (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org
CONGREGATIONS Adath Israel Congregation (513) 793-1800 • adath-israel.org Beit Chaverim (513) 984-3393 • btzbc.com 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 • btzbc.com
Congregation Ohav Shalom (513) 489-3399 • ohavshalom.org Congregation Ohr Chadash (513) 252-7267 • ohrchadashcincinnati.com Congregation Sha’arei Torah shaareitorahcincy.org Congregation Zichron Eliezer 513-631-4900 • czecincinnati.org Golf Manor Synagogue (513) 531-6654 • golfmanorsynagogue.org Isaac M. Wise Temple (513) 793-2556 • wisetemple.org Kehilas B’nai Israel (513) 761-0769 Northern Hills Synagogue (513) 931-6038 • nhs-cba.org Rockdale Temple (513) 891-9900 • rockdaletemple.org Temple Beth Shalom (513) 422-8313 • tbsohio.org Temple Sholom (513) 791-1330 • templesholom.net The Valley Temple (513) 761-3555 • valleytemple.com
EDUCATION Chai Tots Early Childhood Center (513) 234.0600 • chaitots.com Chabad Blue Ash (513) 793-5200 • chabadba.com Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (513) 351-7777 • chds.shul.net HUC-JIR (513) 221-1875 • huc.edu JCC Early Childhood School (513) 793-2122 • mayersonjcc.org Kehilla - School for Creative Jewish Education (513) 489-3399 • kehilla-cincy.com Mercaz High School (513) 792-5082 x104 • mercazhs.org Kulanu (Reform Jewish High School) 513-262-8849 • kulanucincy.org Regional Institute Torah & Secular Studies (513) 631-0083 Rockwern Academy (513) 984-3770 • rockwernacademy.org Sarah’s Place (513) 531-3151 • sarahsplacecincy.com
ORGANIZATIONS American Jewish Committee (513) 621-4020 • ajc.org American Friends of Magen David Adom (513) 521-1197 • afmda.org B’nai B’rith (513) 984-1999 BBYO (513) 722-7244 Hadassah (513) 821-6157 • cincinnati.hadassah.org Jewish Discovery Center (513) 234.0777 • jdiscovery.com Jewish National Fund (513) 794-1300 • jnf.org Jewish War Veterans (513) 204-5594 • jwv.org NA’AMAT (513) 984-3805 • naamat.org National Council of Jewish Women (513) 891-9583 • ncjw.org State of Israel Bonds (513) 793-4440 • israelbonds.com Women’s American ORT (513) 985-1512 • ortamerica.org.org
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MALMO from page 8 Though he has condemned antiSemitism, Reepalu has called Zionism a form of “extremism” comparable with anti-Semitism and said the Jewish community has been “infiltrated” by anti-Muslim agents. During her visit to the country in June, Hannah Rosenthal, the Obama administration’s special envoy for combating antiSemitism, said Malmo under Reepalu is a prime example of “new anti-Semitism,” where antiIsrael sentiment serves as a thin guise for Jew-hatred. Since her visit, Malmo police have been more willing to follow up on complaints about antiSemitism, according to Rabbi Shneur Kesselman, an envoy of WORDS from page 16 Let’s also not forget, when Obama took office, he admitted his administration sought to put “daylight” between America and Israel. He lectured that the Jewish state needed “to engage in serious self-reflection” about peace – as if tiny Israel has not spent decades pursuing peace with its belligerent neighbors. And unbelievably, in his 2009 address to the Muslim world, he implied a moral equivalence between the Holocaust and Palestinian dislocation. With a second term the president won’t have fears of electoral accountability and will act upon his true feelings toward Israel. This is worrying – especially at a time when the Jewish state as well as Americans sorely need a president whose words and policies they can rely on. Not since 1967 has Israel’s safety been more precarious. Iran is now racing for a nuclear bomb while bragging they only need “24 hours and an excuse” to destroy the Jewish state. Egypt is lost to the Muslim Brotherhood. Hezbollah is armed to the teeth in Lebanon. Turkey’s government is more foe than friend. The Gulf States use enormous petroleum wealth to fund global anti-Israel propaganda. The “Arab Spring” continues to usher extremists into power. And Hamas rules Gaza. All the while, the United Nations never misses a chance to
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(513) 531-9600 the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to Malmo. Data by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention show that in the years 2009-2011, Malmo saw an average of 70 antiSemitic incidents a year. Daisy Balkin Rung, a Jewish woman who grew up in Malmo but left years ago, came to a different conclusion after the attack. In a controversial Op-Ed on the website of Sweden’s TV4 that generated chatter on media outlets throughout the country, Rung called on Jews to leave Malmo. “It’s sad to admit: The kipah walks are a good thing, but they are not changing the situation in Malmo,” Rung told JTA. “I’m afraid Malmo is one battle which the other side has won.” denounce the Jewish state; Western universities support boycotts of Israel; and a sizable portion of the Democratic Party protests the inclusion of Jerusalem in their party platform. The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, can’t even name Israel’s capital. In these times of unrest and violence, it is necessary to elect a commander-in-chief whose words we can trust. Mitt Romney, to my mind, is a much safer choice. Unlike Obama, he not only understands Israel’s predicament, he actually likes the country. To be sure, no one should argue that Jews must support Romney just because he is more reliable on Israel. But neither should they dismiss him because they don’t agree with his every position. When the Jewish homeland is at stake, we must not let ourselves be fooled by Obama’s oration skills. Nor can we afford to ignore his troubling track record on Israel. Those who support Obama are asking the rest of us to trust a president who has yet to recognize Israel’s ancient capital, a promise he made in the last election. So keep in mind Obama’s open microphone comments next time someone says you must take the president at his word. And ask yourself: Should we risk Israel’s security on his campaign rhetoric? For Obama, the issue is only political; for Israel, it’s existential – a matter of survival.
20 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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HUC students sing through Broadway’s political history Rabbinical and graduate students of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion will present a selection of Broadway show tunes as a part of the Cincinnati campus’ Concerts on Clifton series. The selections are drawn from 85 years
of comedic political commentary. “No matter for whom you are voting, our show will be a fun break from all the political ads on Cincinnati TV,” says Rabbi Ken Kanter, who wrote and directed the show. “FDR, Ike and JFK, Herbert
Hoover and James Garfield, Abraham Lincoln, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin and every elected member of Congress have all been targets of great Broadway shows, and we sing them all!” Many Broadway composers and
lyricists, such as George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock, Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe, Irving Berlin, and Stephen Sondheim have considered themselves political commentators.
A selection of their witty, funny and often hard hitting results can be seen Sunday, Nov. 4, at 4 p.m. The concert will take place in the Scheuer Chapel on the Cincinnati campus in Clifton. It is free and open to the public.
Cinti Playhouse in the Park presents ‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’ By Emma F. Caro Guest Writer Hailed as “humorous and poignant... something to celebrate” by Time Magazine, “Brighton Beach Memoirs, a Heartfelt Love Letter” is a delightful coming-ofage story from Neil Simon, one of comedy’s all-time masters. The play runs at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park through Nov. 10. It’s 1937, and 15-year-old Eugene Morris Jerome lives in close quarters with his extended family. While the daily dramas of his parents, brother, cousins and aunt swirl around him, Eugene spends his days dreaming of playing for his beloved Yankees... when he’s not thinking about girls or setting the table for dinner. Neil Simon’s semi-autobiographical play is a heartfelt love letter to his own Jewish childhood and proof that family consonance and dissonance transcend time and place. Playhouse in the Park Artistic Director Blake Robison chose Brighton Beach Memoirs to be part of his first season because he wanted to produce a variety of work. According to Robison, “Neil Simon is an American master, and Brighton Beach Memoirs is his masterpiece.
RETIREMENT from page 6 His nonsectarian agency has a $66 million annual budget – up from about $57 million five years ago. Services provided by the multifaceted operation include shortterm rehabilitation, long-term care, independent and assisted living, home care, geriatric care management, adult day care, meals on wheels, and research and education. More is coming, with a $43.6 million expansion is in the works including a 100,000 sq. ft. shortterm rehabilitation facility, remodeling of a long-term care building, new space for memory- and visionimpaired residents, and expanded independent living residences. “Our clients are living longer and we’re dealing with more considerations than ever,” Myers said. Mirroring the general population, similar expansions are taking place at Jewish retirement homes and centers around the country. Service providers also worry about meeting the needs of elderly people who chose to stay at home, many of them in what’s known as NORCs: naturally occurring
When I learned that Simon had never been done at the Playhouse, I knew this play would be a welcome addition to the season. While some of Simon’s early works are very light, I find great richness and depth in Brighton Beach Memoirs. It’s a moving and sincere play, spiced with the comic wit that we expect from the playwright.” Robison thinks that audience members will see themselves and their own relatives in the Jerome family. “This is a play about family, and we’re all experts on that subject! You’ll laugh and perhaps tear up a bit, too. It’s a funny and heartfelt piece of theatre,” said Robison. Ryan DeLuca, who plays Eugene, thinks that audience members will love the show because it is heartwarming and relevant. “Brighton Beach Memoirs is relatable to any audience member. Whether someone is connecting to a particular character, reliving a pastime or losing themselves in a day in the life of the Jerome family, they are going to love what they experience,” said DeLuca. “The comedy is completely character-driven, which means you fall in love with the idiosyncrasies of the people in this family and how retirement communities. In 2001, the national federation umbrella organization—now known as the Jewish Federations of North America—created a NORC Aging in Place Initiative to seek more federal assistance for NORC supportive services efforts, which often are supported with federal and state funds. At the Las Vegas Senior Lifeline, a nondenominational program run by the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, federation spending on the program’s kosher meals, transportation to doctors and grocery stores, and light housekeeping has risen to $500,000—a substantial increase in the past four years, according to Elliot Karp, president and CEO of the Las Vegas federation. The program also gets government dollars. “No question that’s going to increase in the coming years,” Karp said of the need. “The number is stable at around 400 people served only because of limitation of resources. We could double it if we had the funds.” It’s not just social service needs that are important, but social needs.
they relate to one another under stress,” said Lori Wilner, who plays Kate, the mother of Eugene and Stanley in Brighton Beach Memoirs. She continues, “You recognize yourself and your own family. And Neil Simon is such a brilliant craftsman that you discover all this in the most effortless, delicious way. It’s a great journey, and one that is still so relevant today. The particulars may have changed – the clothes, the current events, the music, etc., but the basic questions of how to live, thrive, love, educate the next generation, have community and pay homage to the generation that came before are just as relevant as ever.” By many calculations, Neil Simon is the most successful playwright in the world. His dozens of plays and major motion pictures have earned him a bevy of accolades, including Tonys, Emmys, a Golden Globe, Writers Guild of America Awards, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Kennedy Center Honor and even the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In a prolific career that has spanned more than 50 years, he has written and produced more Broadway plays than any other American playwright.
Courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas
Las Vegas City Councilman Stavros Anthony serving lunch to senior adults at the Dor L’Dor Senior Adult program sponsored by Temple Beth Sholom and supported by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, March 2012.
With more active, healthy retirees comes increased demand for educational and social programming. At the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School of Jewish Learning, which is geared toward all adults, organizers say they’ve seen a significant increase in seniors. In
From 1950–54, the Simon brothers worked alongside other budding talents on the popular Your Show of Shows, sharing the writers table with such future stars as Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Carl Reiner and Larry Gelbart. By the 1960s, Simon began focusing on writing plays. He had a hit in ’61 with Come Blow Your Horn and followed it with the very successful Barefoot in the Park. These began a string of hits for Simon that included The Odd Couple; Promises, Promises; The Goodbye Girl; Brighton Beach Memoirs; Lost in Yonkers and dozens more, many of which he also adapted into motion pictures. The original stage presentation of Brighton Beach Memoirs premiered on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on March 27, 1983. It starred the American film and stage actor Matthew Broderick, who won a Tony Award for his featured role in the performance. Following the opening of Brighton Beach Memoirs, the Alvin Theatre was renamed the Neil Simon Theatre in honor of his great successes as an American playwright, and in the same year Brighton Beach Memoirs won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award
for Best Play. In 1986 the play was adapted into a movie of the same title directed by Gene Saks. Steven Woolf, Artistic Director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, will direct Brighton Beach Memoirs. According to Woolf, “Its insights into family, into how people get along, bring a reality to his writing that make him a chronicler of how people live.” He continues, “Though Neil Simon wrote Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1983, there are current day resonances all through the play — the economy is tough in 1937, people are losing jobs everywhere, there are war clouds looming and yet, the pulse of life is seen throughout. The Jerome family lives loudly; they embrace the energy of New York and what it takes to survive there. We get to see a special kind of warmth and caring that comes from living in close quarters. Arguments give way to sage advice and humor.” Other members of the creative team include Set Designer Michael Ganio, Costume Designer Elizabeth Covey, Lighting Designer Phil Monat, Sound Designer Rusty Wandall, Stage Manager Becky Merold and Second Stage Manager Jenifer Morrow.
many venues, the majority of participants are retirees. In recent years, that program has expanded to 62 programs in 60 cities, mostly in North America, educating some 5,500 people a week. Synagogues, too, are retooling for seniors, and new ones are opening in places with growing older-adult populations. In the mid-1990s, Temple Beit Knesset Bamidbar (Synagogue of the Desert) opened up in Sun City Summerlin, a gated community in the Las Vegas area for people age 55 and older. Now the shul has a rabbi, a cantor and more than 850 members. On Shabbat, people are congratulated from the pulpit on their anniversaries. “It takes them forever, because they start with 30 years and 40 years and 50 years and 60 years and up,” Karp said with a chuckle. Ellie Schwartzberg, vice president of older adults services and Jewish community services at Phoenix’s Jewish Family & Children’s Services, says she’s worried that Jewish communities remain unprepared to help the babyboomer generation. For example,
the community has not begun to put in place the nursing homes that will be required for the growing cases of Alzheimer’s disease. “I don’t think the community is ready at all for these boomers as they age and need these services,” she said. In Phoenix, the Jewish community has a NORC project, a hospital chaplaincy program and a Jewish senior center that a few years ago moved from a synagogue into an independent-living facility. “For young retirees it’s a wonderful place,” Schwartzberg said of Phoenix. “But we know that a lot of people move back to their family once they become infirm or need more help, or sometimes even the family moves here.” Karp said that in Las Vegas, which is now talking about building its first Jewish retirement home, the dual challenge is clear. “We know that in our community the senior adult population is significant and will continue to grow,” he said. “We know we have to do a better job of providing better services both for the needy elderly and the ‘well elderly.’”
FIRST PERSON • 21
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012
One might assume that after such a heart-breaking loss, Dodgers manager Leo Durocher would have spent the evening strategizing for the next game, or perhaps drowning his sorrows in a local bar. Instead, he and Dodgers owner Larry McPhail headed for a political rally at Madison Square Garden. Along with an array of Hollywood stars and other celebrities, Durocher and McPhail spent the evening at “Fun to Be Free,” a demonstration urging the U.S. to launch a pre-emptive military strike against Adolf Hitler. This was not a popular position to take in the early autumn of 1941, two months before Pearl Harbor. Gallup polls during 1940-41 found only about one-tenth of Americans willing to go to war for any reason other than to fend off an invasion of the U.S. itself. The hardships of the Great Depression had intensified the popular view that domestic concerns required America’s full attention and that none of the nation's resources should be diverted overseas. The America First movement and other isolationist groups flourished. But a minority of Americans vigorously disagreed. They established the Fight for Freedom Committee, which advocated war against Hitler as the only way to preserve world peace. Their “Fun to Be Free” event,
held at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 5, 1941, featured a “Mammoth Revue” of patriotic songs, skits mocking Hitler and Mussolini, and dramatic readings emphasizing the need for quick American military intervention. The pageant, which was attended by an audience of more than 17,000, was authored by two of Hollywood’s most prominent screenwriters, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Hecht would later play a leading role in the Bergson Group, a political action committee that lobbied for U.S. action to rescue Jews from the Holocaust. Of course, had the U.S. taken early action against Hitler, there might never have been a Holocaust at all. “Fun to Be Free” was produced by Oscar Hammerstein, Moss Hart, and George Kaufman, with music and lyrics by, among others, Irving Berlin and Kurt Weill. The opening act featured Bill “Bojangles” Robinson tap-dancing on a coffin labeled “Hitler.” Then Carmen Miranda “sang in her well-known South American style,” as the New York Times put it, after which “Eddie Cantor, in a hoopskirt, and Jack Benny put on an Easter Parade act.” Among the other stars who took part were Tallulah Bankhead, Melvyn Douglas, George Jessel, Ethel Merman, Helen Hayes, and Burgess Meredith. Durocher and McPhail not only attended “Fun to Be Free,” but also participated on stage. After Ella Logan finished singing “Tipperary,” McPhail stepped forward to give her a kiss, and Durocher rose and, according to the Times, “made a little speech to this effect: ‘We don’t want Hitlerism, we want Americanism. And the Yankees are a great ball club. Even if we lose, we’ll be losing in a free country.’” Leo Durocher, Larry McPhail, and Lefty Russo are remembered for their many contributions to baseball. But perhaps they deserve an extra tip of the cap for having the courage to take an unpopular stand, and for trying to warn a disbelieving world about the danger lurking just around the corner, a danger that many Americans ignored – until it was too late.
explained the weird sicknesses that happened here,” she told JTA at the 20th memorial ceremony on Oct. 4 at the site of the crash. “No one called the Dutch government, El Al and Boeing to account for their lies and deceit.” Among the crash’s victims was van Zoest’s close friend, Marcella Sagan-Marin. Van Zoest identified what was left of her friend’s body – a torso – two days after the crash. If other residents of the poor immigrant Bijlmer neighborhood share her bitterness, it did not show at the ceremony, which the Israeli Embassy helped organize and at which an El Al representative placed a wreath on the monument for the victims.
David Buma, a cousin of one of the victims, seemed lost in thought as the Dutch-Israeli singer Iris Tzur performed the melancholic Hebrewlanguage song “Zachiti Le’ehov” (“I was Blessed to have Loved.”) “I’ve heard about 40 conspiracy theories about what happened,” said Buma, who like many of the bereaved was born in the former Dutch colony of Suriname. “I have not seen facts to support these stories.” He said it may be a way for people “to better cope with the loss.” His life was saved because he left his apartment house just minutes before the crash to greet relatives at the nearby subway station. From there he saw the plane slam into the building.
WARNING from page 7 In view of Hitler’s anti-Jewish abuses, Metcalfe explained, the players decided “that the United States should not participate in Olympic Games since they are being held in Germany,” and would “not compete [in the tryouts] because the university would not under any circumstances be represented in the Olympic Games held in Germany.” Such a stance was almost unheard of in the sports world. Even more so in those days than today, athletes seldom spoke their minds on public affairs, much less put their careers on the line to protest events overseas. Sadly, however, few followed their lead. Aside from Russo and the Blackbirds, only a handful of other American athletes boycotted the 1936 games. The U.S. team proceeded to Hitler’s Berlin. Five years later, Lefty Russo found himself on the mound in game three of the World Series, matched against the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Freddie Fitzsimmons. At age 40, Fitzsimmons was nearing the end of his career, but he pitched his heart out that day. He and Russo were locked in a scoreless duel when Russo came to bat with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. Pitchers are usually an easy out, but Russo hit a wicked line drive that broke Fitzsimmons’s kneecap. That forced the Dodgers to bring in a relief pitcher, Hugh Casey – who promptly gave up four hits and two runs, enough for the Yankees to win, 2-1. They now led the series, two games to one. With Casey on the mound again the next day, the Dodgers came battling back. They carried a 4-3 lead into the ninth inning. With two outs, no runners on base, and the Ebbets Field crowd about to explode in joy, Casey threw what would have been the game-winning third strike. The Dodgers would have won the game and tied the series at two games apiece. But in one of the most shocking moments in baseball history, catcher Mickey Owen mishandled the third strike, batter Tommy Henrich reached first base safely, and the Yankees proceeded to mount a rally to win the game. THEORIES from page 9 Freight documents showed the flight was carrying 42 gallons of chemicals that could be used as precursors for making Sarin nerve gas, among other applications. But the commission found these chemicals presented no special health risks in the crash. Nevertheless, their presence was highlighted in Dutch and international media, thus linking the crash to chemical warfare. The commission’s findings failed to convince Sonya van Zoest, 64, who was at home cooking lasagna when the airplane crashed just outside her apartment in Amsterdam’s Bijlmer neighborhood. “No one ever properly
Courtesy of the Press Association
Leo Durocher
Pathetic Marriage? Incidentally Iris
by Iris Ruth Pastor I lost my dad about a month ago. He would have been 90 in October. This column isn’t about him, at least not directly. It’s more about coming to terms with life in the aftermath of my loss, recognizing there is one less person in this world that loves me unconditionally. And about filling that gap. Quite naturally, my thoughts turn to my husband of 35 years. I know I was a devoted daughter. How do I rate on the Devotion Barometer as a wife? I shudder. I fear I have strayed quite far from the “ideal.” Most nights, my husband is home and available. Not me. I’m either at a work function, out with my female friends, or holed up in the living room with an enthralling new book — grumpily repelling any conversational overtures. Or I’m furiously organizing yet another closet. Or I’m anxiously plotting innovative maneuvers designed to maximize closeness to my precious grandchildren, who live 900 miles away. My husband and I rarely eat dinner together and during the day, if we do communicate, it’s by short, terse emails or texts. Okay. So we spend every Saturday together without fail — it’s our day to play, indulge, do whatever we want. It’s a day dedicated to not tackling one single solitary item on our chore list unless we both mutually agree we want to. Okay. So we just instituted Date Night. Every Wednesday, we meet for dinner at a new place. Our only rule is that we can’t talk about any family member. All other topics are fair game. It is remarkable the plethora of subjects we can cover in depth and in one hour when I am not complaining about one family member or another. So maybe my marriage isn’t as pathetic as I originally surmised. At least that was my conclusion after skimming through my newest selfhelp book — The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes To Stay Married, by Iris Krasnow. It’s a compelling topic, especially when she reminds us that with our increasing longevity, most of us will be married longer than most people used to live. Krasnow delves into how to live “happily ever after” amidst the inevitable bumps and roadblocks
and how to keep your vows “without killing someone first.” Krasnow declares that having guts and being capable of surviving the exhausting tedium of child rearing can insure that I too can sail through marital storms and reach a safe harbor. Here’s some essential cargo I need to bring along: A strong sense of an evolving self, apart from the marital relationship A willingness to embrace adventures in uncharted territory Friendships with both sexes Work I am passionate about A dedication to learning new skills
So we just instituted Date Night. Every Wednesday, we meet for dinner at a new place. Our only rule is that we can’t talk about any family member. All other topics are fair game. I take stock of my navigational skills and my station in life: the homework wars have ceased. There are no nightly bottle feedings or disruptive calls from errant teenagers. We have years of shared history behind us. And in spite of the annoyances, irritations and petty squabbles we still frequently experience, I cherish the history we have built together. The map exists. I know the obstacles to avoid and the boundaries not to cross. I know the waves won’t topple us even if we get submerged every once in a while. I know where the lighthouses are to guide us safely home when we have strayed off course and I know where the undertows lurk and how to circumvent them. Even so, Krasnow points out, the happiest marriages take constant work too. Like one of Krasnow’s funniest friends quips, “Marriage is like a hot bath. Once you get into it and get used to it, it’s not so hot anymore.” However, no matter what the temperature of the water, I’ve never found anything more pleasurable than a soaking bath—except of course my long, chaotic, eclectic and ever-evolving marriage. Keep Coping, Iris Ruth Pastor
22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES ZAFREN, Miriam, age 82, died on September 27, 2012; 11 Tishrei, 5773. MENN, Sylvia, age 99, died on October 9, 2012; 23 Tishrei, 5773. BARSEL, Rabbi David, age 101, died on October 9, 2012; 24 Tishrei, 5773. RAUH, Joseph “Jerry”, age 83, died on October 9, 2012; 23 Tishrei, 5773. LIPSKY, Edith, age 94, died on October 11, 2012, 25 Tishrei, 5773. ROSEN, Ronald, age 74, died on October 12, 2012; 26 Tishrei, 5773. PRICE, Eugene, age 80, died on October 12, 2012; 27 Tishrei, 5773. SCHWARTZ, Sheldon S., age 83, died on October 15, 2012; 29 Tishrei, 5773.
O BITUARIES ZAFREN, Miriam The family of Miriam Zafren expresses deep sorrow at her passing on September 27, 2012 at the age of 82. She was born in Philadelphia on April 18, 1930 and moved to Cincinnati in 1951 when she married. Miriam was the wife of the late Herbert Zafren. She is survived by her son Ken Zafren, daughter-in-law Chris, and granddaughter Rachel of Anchorage, Alaska; her daughter Edie Lowe and son-in-law Craig Lowe of Chelmsford, Mass.; her brother David Koenigsberg of Philadelphia. She is also survived by her sister-inlaw Zelda Rivkin of Cincinnati, three devoted nieces and a nephew, many grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and numerous lifelong and recent friends. She will be missed. Donations may be made to Hebrew Union College/Klau Library or The World Wildlife Fund.
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CAMPUS from page 9 Rebecca Soberman, her husband and infant daughter moved from northern Toronto into a neighborhood known as Thornhill Woods, a short drive from the Lebovic campus, in early 2006 amid the dust and mud of an unfinished development. Her street was finished only 18 months ago. “We did it because it’s a young community and we wanted to be around other young people,” said Soberman, now a mother of two. Pushing ever northward from the city in search of affordable homes and open spaces, young Jewish families and newcomers to the country already are treating the new Jewish community campus as a hub, according to Tollman. “They’re no longer looking for cathedral synagogues,” she said. “They want more, and they want it in a one-stop setting. This is how the community is now expressing its Jewishness.” As for the ubiquitous Chabad, fully half of the 20 or so ChabadLubavitch centers in Toronto and its suburbs are less than five years old. There are eight Chabad centers in the York Region alone, including one for former Israelis.The Jewish community purchased the land for the new community campus in 1999, and in 2000 launched a $400 million, decade-long campaign to SHOOTING from page 10 Career Israel, another longterm internship program in Israel, requires applicants to submit a recommendation. Herskowitz also received funding for the program from Masa Israel Journey, an umbrella organization for 200 long-term Israel programs. In order to receive the stipends, which run into the thousands of dollars per FUNDING from page 10 PlayArt Labs is far from alone in encountering this problem. Recently, Israel’s famously booming startup scene has seen funding from large venture capital firms decline. That means there’s less money available than there used to be for startups – a key engine of the Israeli economy – to get off the ground. This drop in funding has come as Israel’s technology sector, which includes startups and larger estab-
THE UNVEILING CEREMONY FOR
Frieda Weisberg Greenberg will be held Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. David, Phillip, and Wayne Greenberg will share the officiating as we publicly celebrate our cherished mother's memory. It will be held at the Adath Israel Cemetery, 1300 Sunset Avenue, Price Hill. Family and friends are welcome.
build or revitalize three JCCs in greater Toronto, including the new campus. To date, $300 million has been raised. The provincial government of Ontario contributed a no-strings grant of $15 million to the new campus, and the federal government kicked in matching funds worth up to $15 million. The Lebovic family donated $20 million to the project, and promised another $500,000 if the street accessing the campus was named for them. It was. A nearby boulevard is named for Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who perished in the 2003 Columbia space shuttle crash. Down the street is Ner Israel Drive, home to the eponymous yeshiva. Dozens of family programs already are on the schedule for the new community campus, including ones in Hebrew and Russian. The gym, which opened in June, already has 4,500 members. While the Jewish population of Canada is growing relatively modestly, Toronto’s Jewish community is booming. National numbers are hard to come by because two years ago the federal government eliminated a long-form census that contained a question about religion, and the results from a voluntary Jewish National Household Survey won’t be known for a few months. Shahar says his projections show 385,200
Jews in Canada as of last year, up from 370,515 in the 2001 Canadian census – a 4 percent increase over a decade. But Shahar says Toronto is projected to have grown 10 percent over the same period, to 196,400 from 179,105 in 2001. The real boom has been in York Region, where two municipalities have seen substantial Jewish growth, according to Shahar: Richmond Hill, to 16,000 from 11,000 a
decade ago, and Vaughan, where the Jewish population has mushroomed to 51,000 from 34,300. Shahar attributes the growth to immigration, migration within Canada and Jews moving from the city of Toronto to the suburbs. At the same time, however, the boom north of Toronto has not translated into dwindling numbers in the city itself. In fact, downtown Toronto has seen a Jewish revival of late. UJA estimates at least 21,000 Jews now live south of midtown; Shahar says about 5,800 Jews live in the downtown area. In recent years, three new congregations have sprung up downtown, and a plethora of Jewish recreational, cultural and educational activities are available there. Jewish community officials credit young Jews – singles and young families – with keeping up the city’s Jewish vitality, as they move to places that their immigrant grandparents first lived when they came here. In downtown’s famed Kensington Market district, for example, three creaky, musty synagogues dating to the early 1900s now draw mostly young worshipers. “There’s definitely been a Jewish renaissance downtown,” said Sharoni Sibony, manager of Jewish life at the inner-city Miles Nadal JCC. “It’s close to work for a lot of people who aren’t ready for the suburbs yet.”
person, participants must be Jewish and aged 18 to 30. Following the shooting, the Jewish Agency for Israel, which governs Masa, said that it would be convening a panel “to examine the processes by which the American participant was accepted to the Oranim program in Eilat,” according to an email. A subsequent statement to JTA called the incident “a truly anomalous event.”
The former Oranim recruiter, as well as the group’s spokesperson, said the phone interview was enough to determine whether an applicant was fit for Oranim’s programs. “You can tell by having a conversation with somebody if they sounded competent, if they sounded strange or if they had a strange reason for coming to Israel,” the former recruiter said, adding that
recruiters sometimes called applicants’ grandparents to get more insight into them. Arad, Oranim’s spokesman, said the organization has to rely on the applicants themselves to provide reliable information. “You don’t ask a person, ‘Are you crazy?’” Arad said. “They need to give medical assurances. What can you learn from the resume of an 18-year-old?”
lished companies, has experienced dramatic layoffs. According to an August article in Haaretz, 16,000 of Israel’s 80,000 tech workers have lost their jobs. Government funding of the tech sector also has dropped 40 percent over the past decade, to $400 million in 2011. While the number of new startups has not declined from previous years, industry investors and entrepreneurs say that venture capital firms have been less willing to take risks on those companies as they seek to expand. “The entire venture capital model is broken,” said Yesha Sivan, president of the Israel Internet Association. “It used to be that a fund would get $100 million, it would invest in 10 companies and it would get two or three big winners that would make 10 times more on their money. Today the return on VCs is relatively lower, so people are looking for other avenues.” Into that void have stepped individual “angel” investors, as
well as several dozen companies called startup accelerators or incubators that provide funding, space, equipment and professional guidance to startups. One such accelerator is Tel Aviv-based Rad BioMed, which focuses on biomedical startups. At the end of its central hallway, above a smooth beige table surrounded by beakers, microscopes and computers, Dan Frumkin holds a test tube in his latex gloves. Frumkin, 40, hopes to improve diagnoses of bladder cancer by analyzing DNA. He is the vice president for biochemistry of Nucleix, a startup focusing on DNA analysis that he co-founded four years ago. Nucleix rents space from Rad BioMed, though it does not receive funding from the lab. “It’s cheaper and easier” to work at Rad BioMed’s offices, Frumkin said. “Instead of creating a laboratory, we entered an existing one. It helps that we have a little in common with other companies.” Incubators and accelerators have less money to invest than
venture capital firms – typically in the hundreds of thousands rather than the millions. But Yoav Chelouche, managing partner of Israel’s Aviv Venture Capital, says “the cost of building a new company is dramatically lower than it’s been” in the past. “You don’t need to buy software and an operating system,” he said. “You can use a lot of open source code,” programs that are available for free on the Internet. According to Chelouche’s research, venture capital firms in Israel provided about $3 billion of funding to startups in Israel from 2008 to 2012, versus $3.6 billion from 2004 to 2008 and $6.5 billion from 1999 to 2004. He also found, however, that Israel is on track to see about 600 new companies created in 2012, a similar number to 1999 and 2000. Chelouche says this could be a positive development for Israel’s tech sector, as it will create “a situation where companies have to do more with less, which is not necessarily a bad thing – being more frugal.”
Courtesy of Jen Arron Photography
Joseph Lebovich attending the opening ceremony of the Joseph and Wolf Lebovich Jewish Community Campus in suburban Toronto.
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