The American Israelite, November 29, 2012 by Clermont Sun Publishing Company

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 15 KISLEV, 5773

The J hosts dance club event for high schoolers p.4

CINCINNATI, OH Candle Lighting Times Shabbat begins Fri 4:58p Shabbat ends Sat 5:59p

VOL. 159 • NO. 19

The American Israelite T H E

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67 years later, Holocaust survivor reunites with rescuer

LOCAL

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SINGLE ISSUE: $1.00 J E W I S H

W E E K L Y

A M E R I C A

Naismith? How about Gottlieb? Remembering the Jewish influence...

E S T .

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As the rain of rockets ends, Israeli economic strength rings through

stuffed animal, placed in a pillow-

NATIONAL

and the lives of others. WiseUP

bring greater meaning to their lives projects provide congregants with opportunities to help those who are

As they do four times each year, the Wise Temple Brotherhood will host dinner and conversation with the young men at the Lighthouse Youth Services on Thursday, Dec.

disadvantaged or in need. their sleeves and give the gift of life at the annual Wise Temple Blood

can be delivered to the Temple lobby anytime before Dec. 21. Sisterhood has collected between 100 – 125 bundles each year. These Bedtime Bundles are a welcome gift for children and teens residing

20. Now in its 10th year, Wise Temple Sisterhood’s “Bedtime

Shelter. Wise Temple members will serve Christmas dinner at the St.

drive on Dec. 9. The Hoxworth

Bundles” program will run from

Francis Seraph soup kitchen on

Blood Mobiles will be at the offices

Nov. 30 through Dec. 21. Anyone

Dec. 19. Many of the volunteers

can put together a “Bedtime Bundle

tradition, bringing their college-age

of congregant Dr. Mindy Hastie ready to help with the quick and painless process which allows hundreds of patients to receive the gift

for a girl or boy, infant to teen,

of life. This blood drive is open to

which should include new pajamas,

Amid conflict, Israel’s hospitals treat...

anyone at least 17 years old. For

DINING OUT

time to donate, please contact proj-

more information, or to schedule a

socks, underwear and a book or stuffed animal, placed in a pillow-

ect leaders Dr. Mindy Hastie, Denise

Scheineson

Cherie

Logan.

who participate make it a family children who return to Cincinnati for the holiday break. On Dec. 25, project leaders Stacey Bie and Lew Ebstein will shop for the food and 12 volunteers will help cook and serve about 150 people at the Over-the-Rhine Soup

case and tied with shoe laces.

Kitchen. On that same day, project

These can be delivered to the

leader Sandy Rubin will lead 10

the Wise Temple Brotherhood will

Temple lobby anytime before Dec.

about 150 people at the Drop Inn

host dinner and conversation with

21. Sisterhood has collected

Center. Also, volunteers led by

between 100 – 125 bundles each

serve lunch and entertain needy

As they do four times each year,

Asian Paradise—fusing to find new flavors

case and tied with shoe laces. These

at the YWCA Battered Women’s

Wise Temple members roll up

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IDF band’s European tour takes nasty turn after Gaza operation

participate in a wide range of

tikkun olam, repairing the world, to

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L I G H T ”

socks, underwear and a book or

Muslim leader speaks on the Holocaust

ISRAEL

B E

Wise Temple congregants will

December to fulfill the mission of

As Iran achieves nuclear weapons...

T H E R E

WiseUP’s tikkun olam projects for December WiseUP social action projects this

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the young men at the Lighthouse Youth Services on Thursday, Dec. 20. Now in its 10th year, Wise Temple

Sisterhood’s

“Bedtime

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

Bundles” program will run from

Nov. 30 through Dec. 21. Anyone can put together a “Bedtime Bundle

year. These Bedtime Bundles are a welcome gift for children and teens residing at the YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter.

volunteers as they cook lunch for

Debbie Westheimer will wrap gifts, families at the Mental Health Association of Northern Kentucky. Lastly, Wise Temple will host guests

from

the

Interfaith

Hospitality Network at Wise Center the entire week of Dec. 23 – 30.

for a girl or boy, infant to teen,

Registration for all of these projects

which should include new pajamas,

is online.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Celebrate Hanukkah at the JCC Every year, the Mayerson JCC offers many family-friendly activities to celebrate Hanukkah. At 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, families can come together for a free, fun and meaningful Hanukkah celebration. “Giving, Giggles and Gelt,” presented by One Candle for Tzedakah, features Hanukkah songs, family-friendly classical music, snacks, crafts, story time, tzedakah (charity), a menorah lighting and a musical petting zoo where children can touch and learn about musical instruments. Everyone who attends the JCC “Giving, Giggles and Gelt” event on Dec. 9 is encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys, or gift certificates for less fortunate children and teens. These gifts will be distributed via Jewish Family Service, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Association, ProKids and other local organizations. “The JCC One Candle for Tzedakah toy drive has been a

long-standing partnership between the JCC and Jewish Family Service. The toys collected by the community allow us to provide for many families in need during the holiday season and we truly appreciate this collaboration,” said Beth Schwartz, executive director of Jewish Family Service. Gifts for the JCC holiday toy drive can be dropped off before Dec. 9 at the JCC front lobby, the JCC Early Childhood School, Cedar Village (in Mason), Rockwern Academy or Cincinnati Hebrew Day School. The entire community is encouraged to donate a new, unwrapped toy or gift cards. “The JCC annual toy drive is a tradition of our One Candle for Tzedakah family program, which helps parents educate their children on the importance of Tzedakah-giving to those in need,” said, Rabbi Shena Jaffee, director of Jewish Life and

Learning at the JCC. During the “Giving, Giggles and Gelt” festivities, Rabbi Jaffee will teach children about the meaning and importance of giving. This long-standing annual JCC event is very popular, and advance reservations are requested. To register in advance for “Giving, Giggles and Gelt,” or for more information, contact the Mayerson JCC or go to their website. Additionally, on every night of Hanukkah, the JCC will light the menorah, hand out chocolate “gelt” (candy) and sing Hanukkah songs at 5 p.m. There will be special family-friendly crafts and activities at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 10 – Thursday, Dec. 13, which include making an edible menorah, creating milk carton dreidels, and molding Hanukkah candles. Latkes will be served to all on Wednesday, Dec. 12. All Hanukkah crafts and activities are free and open to the public.

Muslim leader speaks on the Holocaust On Dec. 2 at 10 a.m. at Wise Temple, the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education and Isaac M. Wise Temple welcome Imam Mohamed Magid as the keynote speaker for the Annual Lusia and Stephen Hornstein Program in Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Human Spirit. Imam Magid’s talk, “The Holocaust, Witnessing History and Understanding Suffering” will explore the importance of Holocaust education amongst Muslim communities and share his personal reflections of visiting the sites of the Holocaust, including Auschwitz. Imam Magid is a Sudaneseborn American who came to the United States in 1987. He studied at the Al-Medina Institute where he gained his religious education. Imam Magid currently serves as the Executive Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society. He strives to create and foster dialogue and increase understanding about Islam. Part of Imam Magid’s work with the Buxton Interfaith Initiative included forging a partnership with Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk, then leader of the Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston. Both men were recognized by the Washingtonian as “2009’s Washingtonians of the Year” for building bridges between their faith communities. Imam Magid takes a strong stand against antisemitism and believes it’s important for other Muslim leaders to do so as well. During a recent trip to Auschwitz, Imam Magid encouraged his fellow imams to sign the

BRETT PELCHOVITZ STERN JOINS KELLER WILLIAMS ADVISORS REALTY Brett Pelchovitz Stern, a lifelong Cincinnatian, is pleased to announce her recent move to Keller Williams Advisors Realty. There, she will specialize in residential real estate sales. Before joining Keller Williams Advisors, Brett was a residential real estate associate with Comey and Shepherd Realtors. She is a 1998 graduate of Indiana University (B.A. Jewish Studies and Sociology) and a 2000 graduate of Brandeis University (M.A. Jewish Communal Service and M.A. Non-Profit Management). Brett can be reached at the Keller Williams Advisors office. —PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT—

Imam Mohamed Magid

visitors’ book in Arabic. In 2010, Imam Magid with a group of imams visited Dachau and Auschwitz concentration camps to fight antisemitism and Holocaust denial. The trip was cosponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Center for Interreligious Understanding in New Jersey. In an interview with CNN on the trip, Magid said, “One of the most dangerous things in Islam is to have a false testimony, and when someone denies the Holocaust, they bear false testimony.” The 2012 Lusia and Stephen

Hornstein Program in Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Human Spirit is co-sponsored by the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education and Issac M. Wise Temple. The program was established in memory of Drs. Stephen and Lusia Hornstein, local Holocaust survivors and doctors who served the Cincinnati community for many years. Additional partners include the Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue at Xavier University, the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati Judaic Studies Department.

4 • LOCAL / NATIONAL

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The J hosts dance club event for high schoolers

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

VOL. 159 • NO. 19 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012 15 KISLEV 5773 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 4:58 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 5:59 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 JORY EDLIN MICHAEL SAWAN Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor

The event is for 9-12 graders.

would like to see us do,” explains Matt Steinberg, teen coordinator at the Mayerson JCC. “Of course a Casino/Dance party was tops on the list, as well as other big social events, but they were also very interested in group exercise classes geared just for them, cooking classes, volunteer projects, arts related programs and more,” he adds. “This first event is just the beginning of

what we plan to provide for teens in the Jewish community and beyond in the weeks and months ahead!” This event is open to all high school students in 9-12 grade. Guests do not need to be members of the Mayerson JCC to attend. RSVP preferred. For more information about the High Rollers Club event or JCC513, please contact Matt Steinberg at the Mayerson JCC.

longtime executive director of international relations and a resident of Israel, as the organization’s new CEO. Gill will take over Jan. 31 from interim CEO Darrell Friedman, who stepped in after the abrupt resignation of Steven Schwager in June. The JDC, which has an approximate annual budget of $350 million, is one of the two main overseas aid partners of the Jewish Federations of North America; the other is the

Jewish Agency for Israel. Gill will be moving to New York, where the JDC has its headquarters. The choice to hire an insider followed an extensive global search conducted by the executive search firm DRG, according to the JDC, which said Gill was the unanimous choice of a selection committee comprised of JDC board members. Gill’s focus has been fundraising, helping to build the organization’s donor base as its annual

allocation from Jewish federations has shrunk. The JDC said Gill also has played a leadership role in launching many of JDC’s landmark programs. “We couldn’t be more proud that Alan Gill, whose seasoned leadership and forward-thinking expertise has been so critical to JDC’s impact in recent years, will lead us into our second century,” JDC President Penny Blumenstein said in a statement.

JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager e Oldest Eng Th

JDC appoints Alan Gill as new CEO NEW YORK (JTA) – The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee named Alan Gill, its

Est. 1854 • ca

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will offer other big “blowout” parties throughout the year, as well as smaller, interest-based programs just for teens who are looking for activities related to health and fitness, the arts, sports and recreation, social action and more. “In an effort to enhance our offerings for teens at the J, we conducted a focus group and asked a diverse group of 9th-12th graders what they

MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists

•

Teenagers can take a trip to Las Vegas without ever leaving Cincinnati when JCC513, a brand new program of the Mayerson JCC for 9-12 graders, presents the High Rollers Club, a high stakes Casino Night Dance Party. The event features gaming tables, great prizes— including the brand new iPod Touch with retina display and HD iSight Camera—a popular Club DJ, a free photo booth and more, plus some of the hottest sights and sounds this side of the Vegas Strip, on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 9 p.m. “Teenagers can’t go to a real casino, so it’s awesome that the JCC is creating a casino night club just for us,” says Adam Simha, a junior at Sycamore High School. “I hope to win the new iPod touch, but even if I don’t, it’s going to be an awesome night with the DJ, gaming tables with professional dealers and everything else they’ve got lined up! This is going to be the biggest party of the year for high schoolers in Cincinnati, and I’m stoked to bring all my friends, both Jewish and not, to this high class event!” The first 250 to RSVP will receive a FREE VIP All Access Pass to the event, entitling them to immediate entry into the party and extra tickets to use at the gaming tables. All others will have to pay $10 at the door and will be subject to waiting in line by the Bouncers. Guests will get to try their luck at the Blackjack, Craps and Roulette tables, run by professional dealers from Black Diamond Casino, and could walk away with the brand new iPod Touch, Kenwood Mall gift cards and other prizes. In addition to the free photo booth, DJ Bee, a popular member of DJ Toad’s Crew, will keep the party bumping with a popular playlist sure to keep the dance floor packed all night. Plus, there’ll be FX lighting and participants can text messages from their phones right up on the giant screen for the crowd to see. Couches and lounge-seating will be conveniently located in special areas around the dance floor and near the gaming tables. A selection of specialty frozen slushy (non alcoholic, of course!) drink samples will be served all night as well as other snacks. Guests are encouraged to “dress to impress.” Club attire is preferred. This event marks the kick-off of the Mayerson JCC’s brand new initiative for teenagers, JCC513, which

THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE (USPS 019-320) is published weekly for $44 per year and $1.00 per single copy in Cincinnati and $49 per year and $3.00 per single copy elsewhere in U.S. by The American Israelite Co. 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE, 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037. The views and opinions expressed by the columnists of The American Israelite do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the newspaper.

NATIONAL • 5

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

‘Food Network’ personality embraces tzedakah, grows his brand By Robert Gluck JointMedia News Service

Courtesy of Chavie Lieber

Shoshana Golan, left, a Holocaust survivor who changed her name from Rozia Beiman, reuniting in New York with Wladyslawa Dudziak, a Pole who passed her off as a family member during the Holocaust, November 2012.

67 years later, Holocaust survivor reunites with rescuer By Chavie Lieber Jewish Telegraph Agency NEW YORK – Even though 67 years had passed since they last saw each other, Wladyslawa Dudziak and Rozia Beiman reunited as if they hadn’t missed a moment. Dudziak, 85, was flown to New York last week from Poland to meet with Beiman, whom she had saved from the Nazis more than a half-century before. Dudziak lived in Lublin during World War II and asked her family to look after Beiman when Beiman’s parents went missing – presumably sent to the nearby Majdanek concentration camp. Although extremely poor, the family hid Beiman in its home and pretended she was a niece until the city was liberated in 1944. “I still feel like she’s my sister, even though I haven’t seen her in so long,” Beiman told JTA. “I think about her all the time. I trusted their family wholeheartedly during the war. I knew they wouldn’t give me up because they loved my parents.” On Nov. 21, at Kennedy Airport, Beiman greeted Dudziak and her daughter with flowers. Dudziak, who had never been on a plane before, cried when she saw Beiman. The reunion was arranged by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, a New York organization that provides financial support to hundreds of non-Jews who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Speaking in Polish, Dudziak said though she felt too old to travel, she wanted to see Beiman and give her one last hug. She said it was dangerous to hide Jews during the war, but that her mother

insisted they keep Beiman safe. In 1945, Beiman immigrated to Israel with a group of orphaned children and changed her name to Shoshana Golan after meeting her husband, Micha, in the army. The couple married in 1945 and live on Kibbutz Gal On, in the northern Negev. “When we met in 1953, Shoshana never told me about her past, even though I knew she lost her whole family,” Micha Golan said. “But I remember she used to have nightmares, and only later did she tell me how a Polish family hid her. It’s hard to describe how grateful I am, but I want Wladyslawa to know that our family, our four children, would not be here if it weren’t for them.” Beiman said that even though she was only 6 when she was hidden, she understood the dangers faced by the Dudziak family in keeping her alive. After she moved to Israel, she kept in contact with the family, sending them packages with basic foods such as coffee, sugar and fruit. The easiest way to remember the Dudziak family during their time apart was to go to church, Beiman said, since the family taught her Catholic prayers and regularly attended services. “My mother reminded me to never forget that I was Jewish, and it was difficult to live with that since I was pretending to be Catholic,” Beiman said. “I struggled with understanding God, and still do, but church was a comforting place for me at the time, and still is.” Along with her husband and a son, Beiman will spend 10 days in the United States with Dudziak and her daughter before they again go their separate ways.

The grandchild of Holocaust victims, Duff Goldman became a brand name through hard work, creativity and a blowtorch. Born in Michigan, Goldman was once in the Guinness Book of World Records for baking the world’s largest cupcake. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), he is the executive chef of the Baltimore-based Charm City Cakes, a shop featured in the Food Network reality television show “Ace of Cakes.” Goldman’s bakery shop – which recently added three locations in Los Angeles – is unusual in that blowtorches, as well as power tools such as grinders and drills, help form the underlying supports of the shop’s unique edible creations. According to Goldman’s instructor at CIA, pastry chef/team leader Robert Jorin, Goldman was more enthusiastic about his work than most students. “He knew what he wanted to do when he came here and he always put a lot of effort into it,” Jorin told JNS. “He wrote in his first essay that his goal was to be on the cover of Pastry Art and Design. That set him apart from the rest.” Amid his increasing fame, Goldman consistently gives back through tzedakah. Among his charitable causes are police officers, firefighters, the military, teachers, the Make a Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and the

Courtesy of Duff Goldman

Duff Goldman

Lower East Side Girls’ Club. These causes, he said in an interview, are just the tip of the iceberg. “I’m a cook who won the lottery,” Goldman told JNS. “Seeing the effects this has had on everybody makes us want to give back. Every time we give it makes us want to give more.” Goldman was reluctant to further describe his charitable efforts, citing the tzedakah principle of giving anonymously. Cooking since he was 4 and working professionally since he was 14, Goldman’s unique approach comes, in part, from his artistic Jewish family. His greatgrandmother “Mamo” came to the United States from Ukraine and

became a baker and cook. Her daughter, Duff’s grandmother “Nana,” was a professional artist whose work includes painting, printmaking and silversmithing. Goldman’s mother Jackie is an artist who began in printmaking, created and taught ceramics in her own commercial studio, moved on to stained glass for more than 30 years, and is now working on clay, silver and gold creations. “I was taught growing up that they can take everything away from you, but they can never take away your heart and your education,” Goldman said. “As long as you keep your brain and your heart, you can carry on.” During his younger years in northern Virginia, Goldman studied art at Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C., and was a local graffiti artist. With his culinary degree and growing experience, he baked bread for Todd English’s DC-based Olives Restaurant under executive chef Steve Mannino. Inspired by the chefs he worked for, Goldman’s entrepreneurial sprit took him back to Baltimore in 2000, where he realized his dream and opened Charm City Cakes. Goldman said word-of-mouth, the media, and even the health department all began to take an interest, and he soon found himself in a real bakery of his very own. “It was small, but it got the job done,” Goldman said. TZEDAKAH on page 20

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Jihadist-turned-Zionist, Naismith? How about Gottlieb? Remembering the Jewish influence like book that changed his mind, makes case for Israel on basketball By Robert Gluck JointMedia News Service With the National Basketball Association (NBA) season in full swing, the casual hoops fan likely knows the significance of the name “Naismith,” but might not be as familiar with the name “Gottlieb.” Dr. James Naismith invented basketball at a Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in 1891. Turn the clock forward to 1917, and Eddie Gottlieb founded the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association – SPHAS, pronounced spas – whose basketball team became a national sensation by winning seven American League championships from 1934 to 1945. The modern NBA, then, was founded in 1946. Particularly in New York and Philadelphia, Jewish players, coaches and administrators from teams such as the Philadelphia SPHAS were crucial to the development of college and professional basketball during the first half of the 20th century. As industrialization, immigration, and urbanization drastically transformed America at the turn of the 20th century, many Jewish Americans saw basketball as an ideal sport since it taught teamwork, cooperation, discipline, and obedience. During the Progressive era, the pop-

Courtesy of From the lens of George Kalinsky

Coach Red Holzman, one of the prominent Jewish figures in basketball.

ularization of basketball among Jewish youths in urban areas primarily occurred both in settlement houses and at communal institutions. Jewish youths on New York’s Lower East Side played basketball on playgrounds and at schoolyards. The formation of the Public School Athletic League (PSAL) in the early 1900s allowed players to gain experience in organized, competitive settings. By the middle of the decade, City College of New York (CCNY) established a basketball team full of local Jewish men. Players such as Barney Sedran, Ira Streusand, and

Harry Brill honed their skills at CCNY and upon graduating, and began to play in the various professional leagues in eastern cities. Rivaling New York in basketball influence was Philadelphia. Peter Horvitz, author of The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes, told JNS that the Philadelphia SPHAS grew out of both the public school system and a local Jewish social club. Sometimes called “The Wandering Jews,” the SPHAS players wore Hebrew letters on their jerseys. The team’s uniform tops featured samach, pey, hey, aleph – Hebrew letters spelling SPHAS – and a Jewish star. In case opponents or spectators did not understand, the back of the team’s road uniforms said “Hebrews.” Gottlieb, the SPHAS founder, was a Russian-Jewish immigrant. According to Rich Westcott, author of The Mogul: Eddie Gottlieb, Philadelphia Sports Legend and Pro Basketball Pioneer, the popularity of basketball in the Jewish community extended well into the first half of the 20th century with Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Dolph Schayes, Max Zaslofsky, Arnie Risen, Harry Litwack and others playing dominant roles in the college and professional ranks. GOTTLIEB on page 20

Lusia and Stephen Hornstein Program Remembrance of the Holocaust and the Human Spirit: Imam Mohamed Magid “The Holocaust, Witnessing History, and Understanding Suffering” Sunday, December 2 10:00 AM at Wise Center The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education with Isaac M. Wise Temple presents Imam Mohamed Magid, "2009's Washingtonian of the Year" award winner for building bridges between faith communities. He is a Sudanese-born American who is serving as the Executive Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS). He serves a national role as the President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). Partners include the University of Cincinnati, Judaic Studies Department, the Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue at Xavier University, and the Islamic Center of Cincinnati. Wise Temple’s annual program in honor of Lusia and Stephen Hornstein’s memory was established by Stephen Hornstein and their children. Isaac M. Wise Temple 8329 Ridge Road 793-2556

www.wisetemple.org

By Maxine Dovere JointMedia News Service

NEW YORK – In 2000, as a young teenager on a trip to Pakistan to visit family, Muslim ex-radical Kasim Hafeez saw violence praised and “learned” that America, the Jews and Israel were behind all wars and world difficulties. Back home in Nottingham in the United Kingdom, he found hate was rampant. Material was openly displayed in bookstores and the promotion of violent jihad was a routine part of Muslim student activities. He “rather proudly” considered himself a radical. At university, he campaigned against Israel, promoting – and believing – that “all evils” trace back to Israel and the United States. He planned to return to Pakistan and join Al Qaeda. Alan Dershowitz changed that plan. His book, “The Case for Israel,” changed the young radical’s plans and altered his life. Although he used all means to discredit the book’s ideas, he found that facts overwhelmed the fiction he had learned. “A distance started to emerge,” Hafeez, now 28, tells JNS in an interview from the New York City office of pro-Israel education group StandWithUs, which sponsored his recent U.S. trip. Dershowitz’s text was the first non-jihadist material Hafeez had read about Israel, and it prompted Hafeez to travel to the Jewish state. “I wanted to see the apartheid state,” he said. Instead, Hafeez says he saw “a population as living completely normally – Muslims, Christians and Jews.” All he had been taught suddenly “made no sense.” “For the first time, I had some clarity about Israel,” Hafeez says. He returned to the UK and says he knew he had to speak up. Hafeez says “there is an awful situation, particularly bad on UK campuses.” “Nothing stops the antiSemitism and the anti-Zionists,” he says. “Now, I am proud to support Israel. It’s the right thing, the moral thing to do… I’m in it for the long haul.” Hafeez now regularly speaks with Muslims on campuses and challenges students from similar backgrounds to his to at least “think about it” when it comes to hating Israel. “Israel is a great mobilizing point in the Arab world,” he says. Hafeez says the media in England “is inherently antiSemitic.” “Among Pakistanis much of the anti-Zionist sentiment is based on

Israel’s relationship with India,” Hafeez says. “Kids grow up hating.” The young activist then pauses. “I feel lucky,” he says. “I could have been dead. I don’t want people to go down the path of hatred.” Hafeez and his family typify the immigrant experience. He notes that his grandparents were “simple working people.” His parents, now divorced, are a Pakistani-born factory worker and a Pakistani-Englishborn school administrator. He has one sister, a teacher, who is married to an accountant. He studied political science and is now working at Nottingham University. Most of his family is not politically involved – except his father, an admirer of Hitler. Father and son have not spoken for almost a decade. Revisiting the initial trip to the Jewish state that changed his outlook, Hafeez says, “When I traveled to Israel, I wanted to see for myself. I really went on a negative research effort: it is difficult to give up what you had been willing to die for, and see that people you had believed to be the oppressors are really not.” However, conversations with “shopkeepers, Arabs, people in general” revealed a “normal Israel” to Hafeez, he says. “In the UK, hatred and misinformation creates barriers to peace and understanding,” he says. “While I am not saying to everybody ‘Wave the [Israeli] flag,’ I am saying ‘Let’s look at the situation with more balance and understand both sides.’” JNS asked Hafeez if he feared for his safety, both in England and while traveling. “People who use threats and intimidation are bullies,” he says. “I refuse to deal with a coward like that. There have been some who attempt to threaten, saying ‘Are you that dirty Jew supporter?’ I simply say, ‘I am a Zionist – with a great upper cut.’” What does Hafeez see as the best way to educate? “Conversation, connections on a one-to-one basis – It’s essential to get the facts into the arena,” he says. His message is simple: “Don’t hate. It poisons the individual.” “No child is born to hate,” Hafeez says. “No child is born an anti-Semite or xenophobic. Israel is not just about the conflict. People are interested in what is relevant to them.” Hafeez has brought his message of tolerance and understanding to eight groups in recent months. “People are very surprised,” he says. “It gives people hope. When I speak at campuses with political audiences politically, I recognize the hatred and anger that [they have for] me. The moment the hate goes, anything is possible. Hate is destructive to who you are as a person.”

NATIONAL • 7

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

As Iran achieves nuclear weapons capability, a red line is passed By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraph Agency WASHINGTON – The debate about red lines on Iran appears to be over. With its massive increase of operative centrifuges at a secured uranium enrichment site, Iran appears to have moved beyond the question of whether capability to build a nuclear weapon or actual acquisition of a nuclear weapon is the appropriate red line. Iran already has achieved nuclear weapons capability, according to Michael Adler, an Iran expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Adler studied the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran, which was leaked last week. It said that Iran soon could double the number of operating centrifuges at its under-

Courtesy of Iranian TV

An Iranian military truck carrying a long-range ballistic missile during the annual military parade in Tehran, Iran, Sept. 21, 2012.

ground Fordo nuclear site from 700 to 1,400. In all, the site has nearly 2,800 centrifuges in place, according to the report. Fordo, near the holy city of Qom, is built into a mountainside. Israeli and Western officials say the

site has been fortified against attack. “As always with Iran, as time goes on they increase the facts on the ground,” Adler said. “Let’s see what they do with the facts on the ground. What they do with their capability will determine whether

Freedom Sunday’s 25th anniversary – a reminder of what’s possible By David Harris Jewish Telegraph Agency NEW YORK – Exactly 25 years ago on Dec. 6, more than 250,000 people gathered in Washington to call on the Kremlin to open the gates and let Soviet Jews emigrate. Freedom Sunday, as it came to be known, was the largest Jewish-organized gathering in American history. The timing was not random. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was scheduled to meet with U.S. President Ronald Reagan the next day. It was to be the Soviet leader’s first official visit to the U.S. In 1987, the number of Jews allowed to leave the USSR was pitifully low. Many Soviet Jews continued to languish in the Gulag for their activism, while some refusenik families were living in limbo behind the Iron Curtain for years counted in double digits. I had the privilege of serving as the national coordinator of Freedom Sunday. It was an exhilarating and inspiring experience, but it had its challenges. First, we had barely five weeks’ notice of Gorbachev’s arrival date to plan the event. The myriad details, big and small, made it a 24/7 job for the dedicated team in charge of assembling the pieces. Second, the record attendance for a Jewish rally in Washington was 12,000 to 13,000 people. That was to support Israel in a defining time of war. What would our number look like against that unimpressive backdrop? Could a poor turnout actually damage the Soviet Jewry

cause by signaling to the Kremlin a low level of interest in the issue? And third, despite the impression of a united Soviet Jewry movement, there were deep fissures between the so-called establishment and the activists – in typical Jewish fashion. Would everyone put aside their perceived differences and stand together as one for this single day? Much credit goes to Natan Sharansky, the legendary prisoner of conscience who spent nine years in the Soviet camps and was released in 1986, for setting the organizers’ sights high. He insisted there be a mass rally and set the goal at 250,000 participants. Frankly, no one had a clue how we would attain the number, but Sharansky, given his courageous and principled history, was not easy to dissuade. It was extraordinary to watch those five weeks of preparation unfold. Most striking was to see the response of Jewish communities across the United States, in Canada and in other countries. Reports would trickle in of one bus or planeload from a given city or college campus, then an amended report of two, or three, or four, or five. Anecdotally, organizers also began hearing about those planning to show up who had never attended a protest rally but felt this was history in the making and wanted to be a part of it. It was especially noteworthy to see how many times people referred to the Holocaust, saying that American Jews needed to learn the lessons of history and speak out. In the end, more than 250,000 people participated. The weather

was brisk but sunny. We had no shortage of prominent speakers, including Vice President George H.W. Bush. Media coverage was extensive. Indeed, Voice of America broadcast the rally to Soviet listeners, which we later learned was a huge morale boost for Jewish listeners. And as history has recorded, when Reagan and Gorbachev met in the Oval Office the next day, the American leader cited the rally as an unmistakable expression of public opinion and urged his Soviet counterpart to heed the message. The rest, as they say, is history. The gates began to open ever wider, and more and more Soviet Jews left. Eventually, more than a million Russian-speaking Jews settled in Israel, profoundly transforming the country and revitalizing the Zionist spirit. Unexpectedly, Germany became the fastest-growing Diaspora community in the world, with tens of thousands of new arrivals from the Soviet space. And the U.S. drew hundreds of thousands, to the point where more than 10 percent of the Jewish community hails from the Soviet Union or now, in one of my favorite sets of initials, the FSU. Not only is this history important as a remarkable chapter in the Jewish journey that should be far better known, but also it can serve as a case study in what is possible, against all the odds, if only the Jewish people stand together, persevere and join forces with others of good will. Dec. 6 is a date worth celebrating for what it achieved—and as a telling reminder of what is possible.

they intend to be more threatening or reassuring. They’ve built up capacity – let’s see whether they use it or not,” Adler said. The notion of what constitutes capability to produce a nuclear weapon long has been controversial. Groups that oppose military engagement with Iran charge that the term itself is unclear and the aim of those promoting it as a red line was to encourage a military strike. Others argued that with evidence of uranium enriched to “medium” levels – just a step or two short of weapons grade – Iran already had capability. A Gallup poll published Monday found that Americans cited keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon as among the top three priorities of President Obama’s second term, with 79 percent of respondents ranking the

issue as “extremely” or “very” important. For years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had led calls to set nuclear capability as the red line. Both parties in Congress backed that language, inserting it into a number of laws. The Obama administration resisted, instead seeking through diplomatic and economic pressures to persuade Iran to halt its suspected nuclear weapons program. Netanyahu appeared to back down in September following months of pressure from Obama administration officials seeking to head off an Israeli strike on Iran. In a U.N. speech, Netanyahu set the Israeli red line at the point where Iran has made the decision to manufacture a bomb – essentially the position Obama had staked out. IRAN on page 20

CONGREGATION BETH ADAM’S BOARD OF TRUSTEES, RABBI ROBERT B. BARR, AND RABBI LAURA A. BAUM ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT

OURJEWISHCOMMUNITY.ORG HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR THE 2ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR AS ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS IN NORTH AMERICA OurJewishCommunity.org, an initiative of Congregation Beth Adam, was recognized by Slingshot: A Resource Guide for Jewish Innovation for its groundbreaking use of technology and social media to bring Judaism to people around the world.

10001 Loveland-Madeira Road Loveland, OH 45140 (Just off 275) Visit us at www.BethAdam.org or www.OurJewishCommunity.org

8 • NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

As the rain of rockets ends, Israeli In Poland, Orthodox and Reform clash over economic strength rings through control of a community

By Maxine Dovere JointMedia News Service

On Nov. 20, for the sixth consecutive year, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) recognized the innovative technology and business acumen that characterizes the Jewish state at its “Israel Day.” The event took place in the midst of high tension from ongoing Gaza rockets, but even as Israelis were forced into shelters, the Tel Aviv stock exchange rose 28 points, noted Laurence Leibowitz, chief operating officer of the NYSE Euronext International Listing. The importance of Israel Day could not be greater, said Leibowitz. “In Israel, they do what they do,” he said, stressing the importance of ensuring that investors are not fearful about investing in Israel. Ido Aharoni, the Consul General of Israel in New York, said the Israel-Gaza conflict is not about land, but about Israel’s very right to exist. “One indicator of Israel’s resilience is the behavior of Israel’s stock market,” he said. “Israel is the living proof that it is possible to defend yourself and be successful!” Aharoni added. Bill Thompson, Jr., former New York comptroller and mayoral candidate, expressed gratitude to President Barack Obama for the White House’s support of Israel’s right to “do what you’ve got to

By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraph Agency

Photos courtesy of Maxine Dovere

Ido Aharoni, consul general of Israel in New York, at the New York Stock Exchange’s “Israel Day” Tuesday.

do.” No country, said Thompson, can live with rockets being shot at its population. Thompson, who has led multiple missions to Israel under the sponsorship of the America Israel Friendship League (AIFL), said, “My role is to make converts for Israel… I am a convert to Israel, not just a friend.” At 9:30 a.m., to open the day’s trading, Sami Sagol, Chairman of The Keter Group, lifted NYSE’s oversized mallet and rang its famous bell, to the accompaniment of a rousing “cheer” across the floor. Sagol was also honored Nov. 20 at the AIFL Partners in Democracy Dinner at the Plaza

Hotel in New York. Peretz Lavie, president of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, was unable to be in New York because of the crisis in Israel, but sent remarks via video. He spoke about the TechnionCornell University partnership as “a catalyst for the New York economy which would strengthen the relationship between America and Israel.” Kenneth Bialkin, chairman of the AIFL, offered closing remarks, noting the recognition of Israel’s strength at “a mighty institution like the New York Stock Exchange” brings “some perspective” to events worldwide.

On the surface, it appears to be a historic gain for Reform Jewry in Europe. Ec Chaim, a congregation identified as Progressive – the European term for Conservative or Reform – is set to join the Orthodox-led umbrella organization of Warsaw’s Jewish community. Poland’s chief Orthodox rabbi is hailing the move as a potential model for resolving friction between Orthodox and Reform communities on the continent. But some Reform leaders in Warsaw affiliated with the European Union for Progressive Judaism are dismissing the move as a ploy to restore the Orthodox monopoly over Jewish life in Poland. The Ec Chaim congregation “does not really exist and is not independent,” said Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak, senior rabbi for Beit Polska, a national umbrella organization for Polish Progressive congregations, including Warsaw’s Beit Warszawa synagogue. “It is a Potemkin village.” Personal rivalries, official recognition and money are all behind the fight pitting the Orthodox-led Union of Jewish

Religious Communities in Poland – known locally as Twarda, after the street where it is headquartered – and Beit Polska, the main Progressive organization in the country. For a long time, the Union of Jewish Religious Communities was the only officially recognized Jewish religious association in Poland, which has approximately 6,000 Jews. As in many other countries in Europe, official religious associations are eligible for government money. In 2009, the Polish government recognized Beit Polska as an official Jewish religious association. The Union of Jewish Religious Communities fought the change, going to court in an effort to overturn the decision by arguing that the registration of a second Jewish community in Poland violates commitments given by the government. The union says it is multidenominational, not Orthodox, noting that the Progressive Ec Chaim is under its umbrella. Union officials say their group should be the sole representative of Polish Jewry, distributing any government funding proportionately according to the size of Poland’s Jewish communities. POLAND on page 19

Child sex abuse scandals roil Australia’s Jewish community By Dan Goldberg Jewish Telegraph Agency SYDNEY – Another major Jewish organization in Australia is embroiled in a child sex abuse scandal, adding to the trauma triggered by recent revelations of similar cases involving students at schools in Melbourne run by Chabad-Lubavitch and Adass Israel. The name of the latest organization, alleged sexual abuser and alleged victims cannot be disclosed because of a suppression order issued by an Australian court. The case involves a man facing more than 25 counts of child sex abuse, including indecent acts with a minor and sexual intercourse with a child. The defendant, who is not believed to be Jewish, has entered a not guilty plea in Melbourne Magistrates Court. He is scheduled to return to court in December, with a trial date expected to be set for next year. The alleged sexual abuse is understood to have taken place during an overseas trip about a decade ago.

A representative of the Office of Public Prosecutions confirmed that there are multiple complainants. Not all of them are believed to be Jewish. Manny Waks, who broke his silence last year about the alleged sexual abuse he suffered two decades ago as a student at Chabad’s Yeshivah College, said, “It’s devastating to learn of the additional serious allegations of child sexual abuse and coverup within our community. These new revelations highlight that instances of child sexual abuse are not unique to one segment within our community.” News of the latest scandal came just days after Prime Minister Julia Gillard called for a royal commission of inquiry into the “insidious evil acts” of institutional child sexual abuse across religious denominations in Australia. Royal commissions are established in Australia when the judicial system is deemed to have failed. Although the terms of reference have yet to be finalized, they have powers of subpoena. SCANDALS on page 22

INTERNATIONAL / ISRAEL • 9

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Amid conflict, Israel’s hospitals treat Gazan patients By Judy Siegel JointMedia News Service

Courtesy of Cnaan Liphshiz

Members of the Israel Defense Forces band in Holland waiting moments before the start of their performance, Nov. 20, 2012.

IDF band’s European tour takes nasty turn after Gaza operation By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraph Agency THE HAGUE – As they prepared last week for their annual concert tour of Europe, members of the Israel Defense Forces band probably had little inkling of what was about to hit them. Within hours of their departure, their comrades began striking Gaza in retaliation for months of rocket fire and their country found itself the target of protests across the continent. Palestinian militants responded by upping the barrage, sending rockets deep into Israel and triggering air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for the first time in two decades. Instead of the pleasant week of music and shopping the band was likely expecting, they faced a bomb threat and several protest rallies, angry demonstrators calling them “stinking murderers” and the constant presence of police guards. On Sunday, the band arrived for a concert in Antwerp to find more than a hundred protesters shouting “Hamas, Hamas, all the Jews to the gas” outside the venue, according to the Belgian Jewish journalist Michael Freilich, who was present. A group of neo-Nazis protested as well. Later, as the concert was underway, someone reported to police that a powerful explosive would soon be detonated at the Provinciehuis concert hall. The crowd of 300 was evacuated and the concert brought to an abrupt end. No explosives were found. “First the Israeli ambassador was evacuated, and then the band got out and boarded their bus as the building was emptied,” Freilich said. “I told the officer the

bomb threat was an obvious hoax. He agreed but said the evacuation was protocol.” After Antwerp, the band traveled to The Hague, where a predominantly Arab crowd of a few dozen protesters was waiting for them. “For us, this is the frontline and this is the fire, and as Israeli soldiers, we don’t run when under fire,” an unnamed Israeli musician told the Belgian Jewish magazine Joods Actueel. “I filmed the demonstrators in Antwerp to show family and friends back home that we are also fighting for Israel.” The European tour is a yearly affair for the IDF orchestra. Last year, protesters greeted them as well, but only a fraction of the number. “I heard there might be protests, but I didn’t take it seriously because last year only 18 protesters showed up,” said Leo Schumer, the treasurer of B’nai B’rith Antwerp, who organized the Belgian concert with the local chapter of Christians for Israel, an international organization based in the Netherlands. “I guess they all came because of the operation in Gaza.” Outside the Hague concert, protesters were virulent in their opposition to the Jewish state. “There shouldn’t be a State of Israel or an Israeli army to begin with,” Zeina Khoury, a music student and member of the Palestine Youth Orchestra, told JTA. “The thought of them singing while their army is killing babies in Gaza is too crazy for words.” Another protester, Kemal Keman, told JTA, “If I see a Jewish soldier, I don’t know what I would do to them.” IDF on page 19

Israeli hospitals, amid the ongoing conflict, are treating dozens of patients of all ages who came to Israel from Gaza to get healthcare unavailable there and are making provisions for accompanying persons. “We at Rambam Medical Center are taking care of sick children and adults, and we are not looking at their religion or where they come from. At the moment, we have four – a baby girl in the nephrology department, two children in oncology and an adult in urology,” Rambam directorgeneral Prof. Rafael Beyar said. “Family members accompanied them,” he said. “It’s absurd that we are doing this at the same time Israelis are being attacked, but there is no other way. We are used to it. We are very far from politics.” Working in Haifa, Beyar was “extremely upset” when he learned that Arab students at the University of Haifa last week stood for a “moment of silence” when Ahmed Jabari, the terror chief of Hamas, was killed by the Israel Defense Forces. “I just can’t accept that,” he said. Beyar also said that he had received no reports of any tension among Jewish and Arab personnel in his medical center. “We are used to working together to save lives.” The Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

Kerem said that in the past month, it has hospitalized six Gazan patients. Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer said that it provides medical care to several dozen Palestinians each month, and even now, there is no change. Most are children who are hospitalized for long periods or youngsters who underwent treatment and return periodically for follow-up, Sheba spokesman Amir Marom told The Jerusalem Post. “Just two days ago, a nine-yearold girl from Gaza who was hurt in her palm was brought to Sheba. Her father is an Arab journalist who writes from Gaza for an Israeli newspaper. She was accompanied by her mother. An Israeli boy who was

wounded by a Gazan rocket that fell in Kiryat Malachi last week is in the same room with a Gazan girl whose fingers were amputated due to injury,” Marom said. “We regard our hospital as a bridge to peace.” Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center said 50 patients and their accompanying relatives from Gaza are now hospitalized – both children and adults. Most of them are cancer patients. The relatives live in the hospital’s hotel, and there is a hospital employee who serves as a contact person and helps them. Medical treatment for Gaza residents allowed into Israel is paid for by the Palestinian Authority or by other bodies, including the Peres Center for Peace.

10 • ISRAEL

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Ehud Barak quits politics, leaves door open for comeback By Israel Hayom JointMedia News Service At a dramatic press conference on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced his surprising resignation from politics after nearly 50 years in service of the country. “I have decided to resign from politics and I will not be running in the [upcoming] elections,” Barak told reporters at his office in the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv. “I enlisted to the IDF in 1959 and I served the people of Israel for 47 years as well as I could.” The former prime minister reassured reporters that he would remain in his post until the establishment of the next government, following the Jan. 22 elections, and then “will free up time to focus on my family.” “I have exhausted my contribution to politics, which I was never entirely passionate about, and I feel that I must make way for others to man senior political positions. Turnover in positions of power is a good thing,” Barak said, explaining the decision that took most Israelis by surprise. While he took the time to dispel speculations suggesting that he would join up with other parties, insisting that he would not run in the election, Barak left the door open for a comeback by not saying explicitly that he would not return to politics. He said he was “at peace” with his decision, but

Courtesy of Barak Weizmann/Wikimedia Commons

Ehud Barak

that it did not come “without its misgivings.” “Thus I complete seven and a half years in the Defense Ministry, spanning three governments, one of them under my own leadership,” he said. Barak said he “led a systematic rehabilitation, bolstering the long arm and dealing with the Iranian threat, pushing Iron Dome and the other anti-missile interceptors and ensuring a deep diplomatic and military cooperation with the Americans.” “I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the IDF commanders, both in compulsory service and career soldiers, the people of the Defense Ministry and the members of the intelligence community, who allowed me to fulfill my duties as defense

minister successfully. I am proud to have led such wonderful people. I want to thank the prime minister and my colleagues in the government, as well as my devoted friends in the Independence Party leadership, who gave me a lot of strength for many years and for long hours,” Barak added. The political echelon did not waste a second before issuing responses to Barak’s dramatic announcement, with Labor Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich expressing her sorrow over Barak’s resignation even before the press conference ended. “Barak is the world’s most decorated soldier, and one of the most highly regarded defense figures in the international community. He contributed to the IDF and to the security of the country more than the public will ever know,” Yachimovich said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also voiced his appreciation for the outgoing minister, saying, “I thank him for his cooperation and I very much appreciate his longtime contribution to the security of the state.” But not all the responses were sympathetic. MK Danny Danon (Likud) issued a statement shortly after the announcement, declaring, “Thank God we are rid of this nuisance.” “After Barak realized that he could not secure a seat on the Likud list he understood his irrelevance in the political arena and decided to initiate his resignation,

instead of the people forcing it upon him,” Danon said in a statement. Likud minister Yuli Edelstein echoed his colleague’s sentiments, saying, “Today is a day of independence for Likud.” “Barak will go down in the annals of Israel’s governments as the worst defense minister in the history of the Jewish settlement enterprise. His conduct was rife with egotistical and political considerations, all at the expense of the Jewish settlers,” said Edelstein. “I wouldn’t be surprised if, at the first opportunity, he will find a reason to return to politics and to his evil ways.” The Strong Israel faction, headed by rightists Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari, also issued a celebratory response, adding that “now Netanyahu and [Foreign Minister Avigdor] Lieberman will be able to approve all the construction plans for Judea and Samaria that had gotten bogged down on Barak’s desk. Or, alternately, it may emerge that Barak was only a fig leaf and that it was the prime minister himself who was responsible for the mistreatment of the settlers.” On the other side of the political spectrum, Israel’s Left was no less critical of the resigning minister. “Barak played a dual role in the political system,” said Meretz Chairwoman Zahava Gal-On. “I commended him as the one who normally blocked extreme policies, but sometimes he was the

one who spearheaded extreme moves and pushed them forward.” “There is something symbolic about the fact that Barak, the man who invented the ‘no partner’ spin, the man who disappointed and failed to sign a peace agreement with the Palestinians, who didn’t end the occupation the way we expected him to, is resigning precisely in the same week his ‘partner’ [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas extends a hand to peace with Israel and seeks recognition of the PA as a state. Now Barak is gone, just when he gets a chance to rectify the historic damage he caused,” Gal-On said. Hadash Chairman Dov Khenin said, “Ehud Barak was the pillar that made possible the existence of the most extreme rightist government in Israel’s history. He will never be able to absolve himself of this historic responsibility. Barak’s political maneuvering cannot mask his culpability for the four difficult years of frozen diplomacy, the damage he caused to the possibility of peace with the Palestinians and the general economic and social deterioration.” The news even elicited a response from Gaza. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Barak’s resignation was yet another victory for the Gaza terror organizations, Israel Radio reported. He explained that the resignation was proof that Israel’s recent Gaza Strip offensive, which Barak led, had been a failure.

Dozens wounded in Tel Aviv bus bombing By Israel Hayom JointMedia News Service An explosive device was detonated inside a bus on Tel Aviv’s Shaul Hamelech Street at noon last Wednesday in what Israeli police said was a terror attack. Magen David Adom medical services said at least 20 people were wounded in the attack. The bomb blew out the windows on the vehicle, a 76 line bus belonging to the Dan company, causing extensive damage but no fatalities. Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center officials said one person was seriously wounded, one person moderately wounded, and one person was listed in light-to-moderate condition. The official said that the three people were being operated on for blast, burn and shrapnel injuries, mostly from nuts and bolts lodged in their bodies. All the others were lightly hurt and some were being treated for shock. The attack, in central Tel Aviv, took place near the IDF Kirya military headquarters, Sourasky Medical Center, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The military headquarters was placed on high alert after the attack. Police said that a person had

Courtesy of Tomer Neuberg/Flash90

Israeli police and rescue personnel at the scene of a bombing on a Tel Aviv passenger bus on Wednesday, Nov. 21, that left 20 people wounded.

thrown a bag into the bus on Shaul Hamelech Street and ran away. The bus was not especially full of passengers at the time. Police were conducting searches around the area and ordered people off the streets. Police Commissioner Yochanan Danino confirmed it was a terror attack. “One of the scenarios we have been preparing for is more than just rockets but also terror attacks in our cities. There is high

motivation by the terror groups to hit our cities. We are massively deployed throughout the entire country with a special emphasis on the big cities. We are interviewing eyewitnesses and conducting an investigation in conjunction with the Shin Bet. If there is a terrorist on the loose we are doing everything to put our hands on him,” Danino said. Police were conducting a chase after possible suspects in the area

after the attack, saying that there were possibly two people involved in the attack. Police Special Forces caught a suspect near the Yahalom Theatre in the nearby Ramat Gan Diamond Exchange, but the man was released shortly afterward when it became clear he was not connected to the bus bombing. Police were searching for a female suspect said to be in possession of another explosives device in Tel Aviv, as well as checking other possible avenues for accomplices. The attack came on the eighth day of Operation Pillar of Defense amid intensive ceasefire talks attempting to ward off a massive IDF ground operation in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the Forum of Nine senior ministers shortly after the attack to discuss the emerging ceasefire deal with Hamas and would take the bus bombing into account. “There were no specific warnings of this attack but we knew this was possible during the current round of fighting,” Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said Wednesday. “We are dealing with murderous organizations,” Aharonovitch said.

Hamas said on its Al-Aksa TV station that a woman placed a bomb on the bus and escaped. Israeli eyewitnesses said that a short, pudgy man had placed the bag on the bus and escaped. Eyewitnesses say an individual tossed an object into the Tel Aviv bus and fled before it exploded. Police told Channel 10 that the suspect had waited at the corner of Henrietta Szold and Shaul Hamelech streets under the building of the courthouse at the bus stop. He apparently waited for the bus doors to open and threw a bag in, which then exploded. CNN reporter Ben Wedeman, covering Operation Pillar of Defense from Gaza, reported celebratory gunfire. “Nearby mosque claiming ‘lions of West Bank’ behind Tel Aviv bus bombing, claiming it on behalf of Hamas’s Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam brigade,” Wedeman tweeted. Reuters reported that Hamas lauded the Tel Aviv bombing as a “natural response” to the killing of the Dalou family in Gaza earlier in the week, but stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack. Other media outlets reported wild celebrations in Gaza once news of the bus bombing spread.

GIFT GUIDE • 11

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

GIFT GUIDE 2012 Please visit these fine retailers for all of your Chanukah needs. Appointments

something new as well as the discriminating consumer. With a passion for products and customer

For 19 years, Appointments has been the

service, the staff of Bell’s House of Tobacco is

place to go for fine pens and more. Located in

knowledgeable about current and future trends

the Carew Tower, Appointments is Cincinnati’s

for premium cigars and pipes. Bell’s will take

largest fine pen dealer.

the time to find out exactly what you would like

They specialize in fountain pens and have 20 different lines in stock.

in a cigar or pipe tobacco, and find the best fit for your budget and personal tastes.

Proprietor Doug Kennedy and his associates

Still not sure what you want, Bell’s House of

Labron Miller and Jay Plogman enjoy talking

Tobacco is accommodating for people to sam-

with people about gift needs. Between the three

ple wares. The shop has a smoking lounge, a

of them, they have over 56 years of experience.

private area dedicated for member guests to

Excellent customer service is important to

be able to enjoy fine tobaccos. With comfort-

them. They’ll take time with people to find out

able leather chairs, televisions, and blues or

his or her needs especially with fountain pens.

jazz always playing in the store, it’s hard to

At Appointments, customers can also find

believe that people ever want to leave.

items especially for the men on their holiday gift list with wallets, luggage and luggage tags,

Elegant Treasures

globes, clocks and walking sticks. They also

For people looking for Jewish and Hebrew

carry Rookwood Pottery tiles, bookends and

items, this custom embroidery shop offers ele-

more.

gant Jewish treasures.

True to their name, Appointments also carries an array of stationary, journals and calendars.

Indeed, the heart of Elegant Treasures from the beginning has been to bring Jewish art into homes. Owner Karen Schiffer was motivated to

Bell’s House of Tobacco Bell’s House of Tobacco in Symmes Township offers a unique and personable

create objects for the home and infuse them with beauty after being inspired by a book of Jewish art.

experience for your fine tobacco needs. The

In business since 1999, Schiffer started her

shop carries one of the largest varieties of pre-

operation with home equipment bought at

mium cigars, humidors, lighters and general

Kramer’s Sew and Vac.

cigar accessories in the area.

Elegant Treasures has since expanded into

Since opening in 1999, Bell’s has been

commercial equipment in order to handle the

working hard to provide their guests with supe-

demand for her work that continues to grow,

rior products, knowledge and excellent cus-

even in this troubled economy. Today, they are

tomer service.

capable of subcontracting work and screen-

Bell’s House of Tobacco is an excellent place for customers new to cigars and pipes and also for customers who want to learn

printing, and enhancing designs with rhinestones and rhinestuds. The shop is probably best known for a wide

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THE WINE STORE in Montgomery Square 9905 MONTGOMERY ROAD • (513) 984-9463

12 • GIFT GUIDE

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HAPPY CHANUKAH

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began selling imported lace curtains door-to-

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They have several Hebrew fonts perfect for

and other items grew to encompass bath, bed-

adding names, lettering and monograms to a

ding, sleepwear and lingerie as well as table

variety of items like towels, aprons and wall

linens, soaps, fragrances and gifts. Its reputation is based on assembling an

hangings. Beyond Judaica, Elegant Treasures can

array of fine linens – the finest cotton from

design and produce custom business identifi-

Egypt; intimate apparel by the best designers.

cation and promotional products, school spir-

Popes and presidents have been customers.

itwear, sports teamwear and gifts. Owner Schiffer remembers becoming fasci-

Henrietta and her son, Otto, opened

nated by design around age 10, when she

Gattle’s first storefront in Cincinnati in 1920 on

began designing clothes for her Barbie doll.

West Seventh Street in downtown Cincinnati.

Schiffer came by business honestly. Her

This was one year after Henrietta opened a

mother, Betty (Isaacs) Roth, owned a gifts, sta-

store in Petoskey, Mich. to serve her customers

tionary and collectible shop called “Something

there.

Else,” in Landen, Ohio for 23 years. Her father, the former Dr. Oliver K. Roth, was a family physician for over 30 years in Blue Ash, Ohio. She grew up in Montgomery and attended

In the 1950s they opened stores in Florida and North Carolina. In 1964, the company began to print and distribute catalogues nationally.

local schools. She earned her undergraduate

Third generation owne, Tom Gattle sold the

degree at Ohio State and her master’s degree

Michigan and Cincinnati stores to family

at Miami University in educational disciplines.

friends, the Cheneys, 25 years ago.

physical

Barbara Cheney said, “We have always

education/health teacher and coach before she

strived to make our stores a place where cus-

went on to raise her family in Cincinnati.

tomers’ comfort is never compromised.”

Schiffer

worked

After her children were on their own and that phase of her life was done, Schiffer returned to her first love – design – by starting

Kramer’s Sew and Vac Kramer’s Sew and Vac has been in Cincinnati since 1947.

Elegant Treasures. Now every day holds the potential of giving

At its store on Montgomery Road, in the

her creativity an outlet and the promise of

Kroger anchored shopping center across from

watching the pleasure customers derive from

the Camargo Cadillac, Kramer’s offers a com-

seeing their design in stitches.

prehensive array of products and services for those who love to sew, embroider and quilt. They also carry a complete line of sewing fur-

Gattle’s Located

Cooper

Road

Old

niture.

Montgomery, Gattle’s has been in Cincinnati

Included in their services are classes in all

since German immigrant Henrietta Gattle

sorts of fabric crafts as well as access to

GIFT GUIDE • 13

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

designs. Every month Kramer’s offers a full calendar of classes and events.

Victoria Travel The Victoria Travel staff has a combined total of 250 years of travel experience. Since

In addition to sewing products and services,

1960 they have assisted clients with their trav-

Kramer’s stocks 40 different models and nine

el needs; they can assist you in completing a

brands of vacuums.

well-planned, best value travel experience.

Trade-ins are welcome, and warranty work

Their association with a consortium of inde-

is done in the store. They repair and service

pendent travel agencies allows them to offer

most major brands of sewing machines and

exclusive amenities, not available to other

vacuums, and they are an authorized Bernina

agencies, when you book cruises, tours and

and Brother Sewing Machine repair center.

hotels.

Kramer’s offers a sharpening service for

Vicky Mary, the owner of Victoria Travel has

knives, scissors and pinking shears with a one-

seen hundreds of hotels in cities and villages all

day turnaround as well.

over the world and it is her first-hand knowl-

Pricing is a major focus of Kramer’s – at or below the discount stores.

edge which will assist you in planning a tailored vacation or business trip. She has comprehensive knowledge of hotels, restaurants and

Pizazz Studio Gift Shop. With an eye for style, Pizazz aims to bring the unique and the nontraditional to any decor.

things to see and do. From an island getaway to a tour of Europe, her imagination can transform your vacation or honeymoon into reality.

With a wide selection of arts, crafts, accessories, utensils, jewelry and so much more, Pizazz aims to be your one- stop-shop for all of your holiday gift buying needs.

The Wine Store What’s a festival without wine? At The Wine Store, we have the Cincinnati area’s largest

Pizazz carries a wide range of Hanukkah-

selection of kosher wine. We’ve just added a

themed items, including platters, serving

walk- in beer cave, too, with a total of 300 dif-

pieces and yads. The store makes a point to

ferent types of craft, international, domestic

seek out those vendors who have a particular

and kosher beers. We also are a State licensed

voice, that “it” factor that can be so hard to

liquor store, though unfortunately, none of that

find. Think of Pizazz as a collection of all of

happens to be kosher.

these unique voices in one convenient, Loveland location.

After 26 years The Wine Store has come under new ownership, though customer satis-

Leading up to the first day of Hanukkah will

faction remains our highest priority. We aim to

be an eight day sale. Each day will have a dif-

please with 10 percent off all wine cases, a

ferent special, sometimes specifically on

wine and beer of the month club, gift baskets

Judaica, sometimes being on the entire con-

and gourmet food. This includes fine cheeses

tents of the store. Call for more details!

to accompany whatever wine you happen to

With several Cincinnati Choice Awards

offer your favorite dinner party guests.

under their belt, Pizazz Studio can be trusted

Located conveniently in Montgomery Plaza,

to bring the truly unique to Cincinnati time and

just a few doors down from Kroger, The Wine

time again. Gift wrapping is available.

Store aims to be your favorite little stop of the holiday season.

KENWOOD 7865 Kenwood Rd. Beside Kenwood Theatre (513) 793-3689

14 • DINING OUT

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

Asian Paradise—fusing to find new flavors By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor Forget about whether something is good or bad; it’s the context that controls how you feel about a plate of food. Fast food, my go to whipping boy for this column, looks all the more detestable if you’ve become accustomed to a life of five-star meals. But say you’ve been in the desert for three days, you’ve managed to live on sand and sunlight. All of a sudden that McDonald’s mirage over the dune looks pretty fantastic. Well, why not! You may as well imagine a five-star restaurant. And so it goes that right in the middle of Loveland’s miracle mile, off of I-71, sits Asian Paradise. I couldn’t help but gawk at the place’s interior design, it feels like stepping out of a strip mall and into Upper Manhattan. The place is filled with stark lines, lots of grays and blacks, frosted glass, a fountain, a large tree and Asian artwork, both new and old. They even have a private conference room for use to anyone who wants it, free of charge. You simply do not expect to find such a place while driving down Fields Ertel Road. Let’s take a second to talk about this tree. It is “planted” – not for real, since it is a synthetic tree – in the middle of the restaurant, situated between several tables. It has quite a wide trunk, rising easily to the ceiling of the restaurant, while little bits of foliage dangle down over customers. I asked Ben Wang, the owner of Asian Paradise, about this choice of interior design. “A big tree like this, it’s special in Asian culture. It stands for prosperity. It means the area is very calm.” He then noted that the same thoughts went into the design of the restaurant’s fountain, which sits by the main entrance. Asian Paradise backs up this belief with a thick menu of Asianfusion style meals. The breadth they cover is impressive, with Wang summing it up well: “We consider our menu a combination, so that people have more choices to try signature things from different places. We blend all of these signature items together, so that people always have a chance.” I began my meal with the Veggie Hot and Sour Soup. Featuring big hunks of shiitake mushroom, bamboo shoots, tofu and wood ear mushrooms, this was a surprisingly hearty soup that left a tangy taste. The texture and combination of the mushrooms and shoots are its best features, with its meat-like mushrooms having a stoutness that is brightened up with the crispness of the sprouts. For the hot averse, be forewarned! This dish is on the hot side of hot, though to my hot-tolerant taste it was just right.

(Clockwise) Asian Paradise owner Ben Wang, right, stands with two front staff employees; The Vietnamese Basil Beef in a brown sauce, with mushrooms and vegetables; The Chicken Lettuce wrap, in light soy-based sauce; The Hot and Sour soup, with various mushrooms and veggies; Steamed Chicken with assorted vegetables; Pan Roasted Chilean Sea Bass; The Soho Roll, very characteristic of Asian Paradise’s sushi stylings.

Next was the Vietnamese Salad, featuring napa, jicama, peanut, mango and a light spicy dressing. Though I am unfamiliar with the name “napa,” I think these were very similar to, or even the same as, water chestnuts. Jicama is sort of an Asian potato. As with many Vietnamese dishes, this one leaned on the peanuts hard, even supplying a nice chopped layer of them on top of the dish. What really made it work, though, was the mango. Cut into fine slivers, it mixed extraordinarily well with the peanut sauce, adding a much appreciated sweetness. Think of the combination of peanut butter and jelly, but entirely different and with water chestnuts. This moved very well onto the Chicken Lettuce Wrap, with white meat stir fried chicken, celery and peppers, served in lettuce cups. Though in the appetizer section, this is a dish that I would love to eat

as an entree any day of the week. The sauce in which the chicken is fried is soy-based, with a heavy stroke of umami. It is also slightly sweet and tangy, which mixed very well with the crunchiness of the lettuce. Wang noted, while I ate, that his restaurant has a trick they like to play: through the use of fresh ingredients and health conscious cooking, they make food that is never heavy. This is true for the lettuce wraps. Though stir fried in sauce, the chicken didn’t feel fattening or unhealthy. This approach comes through in the rest of the food, especially with what was left to come. Wang brought me out two types of sushi: The Ohio Autumn and The Mind Eraser, which is “so good you forget everything else,” according to Wang. The latter was a rice-less roll with white tuna, salmon, avocado and sweet sauce. It was absolutely delicious and undeniably fresh, but unfortunately

it also contained lobster salad, and so will be bypassed in this review. The Ohio Autumn Roll, however, was totally kosher and reflected the same level of quality. It contained tuna, smoked salmon and avocado, wrapped with yet more salmon and green tobiko. Wang pointed out to me that the sushi had a huge helping of fish, which was absolutely true. Most sushi, say from a grocery store, tends to go heavy on the rice and skimp on the fish. Not so at Asian Paradise. They order Sushi Grade fish and make sure to use it. It is always made to order, too, so no quality is wasted while the poor things sit around waiting to be eaten. Wang also explained to me the use of wasabi: its heat opens up your taste buds so that the fish’s flavor can shine truly through. This was absolutely the case. My last dish of the night, mercifully, for this was an extremely gen-

erous meal, was the Thai Curried Chicken in a coconut yellow curry sauce. It also contained sugar snap peas and Thai Basil (which is more flavorful than American Basil, Wang informed me). For those who love the nutty, smooth flavor of coconut milk, this is a dish not to be missed. Its use of curry is right on the edge of hot, while the snap peas add a wonderful textural variation that is very nice against the thin, wide cuts of chicken. For those looking to find a new context, a place in and of itself in northern Cincinnati, look no further than Asian Paradise. Their hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Asian Paradise 9521 Fields Ertel Road Cincinnati, OH 45140 (513) 239-8881

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

DINING OUT • 15

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) Bella Luna Café 4632 Eastern Ave Cincinnati 871-5862 Blue Elephant 2912 Wasson Rd Cincinnati 351-0123 Cafe Mediterranean 9525 Kenwood Rd Cincinnati 745-9386 Carlo & Johnny 9769 Montgomery Rd Cincinnati 936-8600 Ferrari’s Little Italy & Bakery 7677 Goff Terrace Madeira 272-2220

The American Israelite can not guarantee the kashrus of any establishment.

Johnny Chan 2 11296 Montgomery Rd The Shops at Harper’s Point 489-2388 • 489-3616 (fx) K.T.’s Barbecue & Deli 8501 Reading Rd Reading 761-0200 Kanak India Restaurant 10040B Montgomery Rd Montgomery 793-6800 Marx Hot Bagels 9701 Kenwood Rd Blue Ash 891-5542 Mecklenburg Gardens 302 E. University Ave Clifton 221-5353 Meritage Restaurant 1140 Congress Ave Glendale 376-8134 Oriental Wok 2444 Madison Rd Hyde Park 871-6888

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16 • OPINION

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Report card: the state of our Jewish schools, part two By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor A family looking for a Jewish education in Cincinnati has two day-schools to choose from: Rockwern Academy and Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (CHDS). The first factor to consider is what denomination of Judaism to direct the child to. CHDS is an Orthodox school, while Rockwern is pluralistic. Both schools have an offering of credentials, with Rockwern’s stretching back to 1958. The 60year-old school touts itself as having a “rigorous and integrated curriculum,” in which “Jewish values, history, literacy, and culture [combine] into a rich general and Judaic curriculum, which encourages and fosters a passion for a lifetime of learning and growth, a strong Jewish identity, and a connection to Israel.” CHDS is older still, having been founded in 1946. This school, too, offers a dual curriculum in Judaic and secular studies in the belief that the end result emphasizes “scholastic achievement, strong moral character and a commitment to Jewish identity and religious observance.” CHDS even took part in a study, conducted in the winter of 2006-2007, that used its data to claim that a Jewish day-school education produces a better student than any other private or public institution: “The findings of this study on academic performance in college strongly suggest that students with a day school history are acquitting themselves well. Their overall confidence in their ability to master the tasks required for success in college courses as well as their GPAs indicate that they are doing as well as or better than their peers from either non-Jewish independent schools or public schools.” Both schools have facilities that cover all of the needs that a Jewish day-school could want, including synagogues, play areas, classrooms and the other assorted places in which children are taught and fed. Rockwern’s website advertises their facilities, noting that the school has two synagogues: “Each week, the students gather in the beautiful Boymel Synagogue to pray, learn and read Torah. Seven stained-glass windows depict the seven days of creation....The Wise Chapel is a smaller, more intimate space, featuring a wonderful stained-glass Aron Kodesh.

Classes use [this] chapel when celebrating a special occasion or event – its quiet beauty creates a spirit of holiness.” Rockwern also emphasizes their library, which is “a large, warm and vibrant place, a beehive of reading and learning activities for all of the students.” As a way of setting it apart, Rockwern also houses the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education. “Volunteer docents and staff educate visitors and students about the Holocaust and encourage them to remember its victims and its lessons.” Both schools also have maintained near perfect averages on standardized tests. CHDS released the following statement written by Rabbi Yuval Kernerman, the principal of CHDS: “In the last three years of testing, our students have consistently scored high in these tests. Specifically, across grades, we have had over 95% of our students test in the combined categories of Proficient, Accelerated and Advanced categories (the three highest categories of grading) in Reading, and over 93% of our students score in the Proficient, Accelerated and Advanced categories for math.” Rockwern – though it uses a different test – has also achieved impressive averages, according to Dr. David Finell, the head of Rockwern Academy: “On average, 99.5% of Rockwern students annually achieve a High Mastery (Excellent) designation for Reading and Mathematics on the TerraNova standardized test, which is the highest designation possible.” Publisher’s Note: In the interest of journalistic fairness we have decided to change our reporting now and in the future. From now on, when we write an investigative piece we will present it in the following fashion: Article one will be positive reporting; article two will be areas of improvement; article three will be a concluding article. We apologize for any misunderstandings or hurt feelings caused before this policy change, but we are human and we do make mistakes from time to time. The article that follows is the first part of reporting that should have gone before our article from Nov. 15, “Report card: the state of our local Jewish schools.” We regret the error. A concluding article will follow. In the future, we will use this format for investigative pieces. Netanel (Ted) Deutsch Publisher, American Israelite

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

Dear Editor, Below is a letter that I sent to The Cincinnati Enquirer the day before the ceasefire. Even after the ceasefire the letter is still relevant. For whatever reason, they did not see fit to print it. I sent them the letter because much of the media, particularly CNN, MSNBC, Reuters, BBC and the news services, distort and/or lie about news relating to Israel. You always read about innocent Arab babies being slaughtered by Israel. You never read about Jewish babies being killed, maimed or orphaned by Hamas or Hezbollah terrorists. I was trying to inform those in the general public, who are not aware of the true situation, what is really going on in the Arab-Israeli conflicts. The Enquirer evidently is not interested in the truth. The popular press is complicit in not informing our non Jewish neighbors of the double standard used against Israel. As for the ceasefire I suspect it was forced on Israel by the White House, since Israel did not achieve its prime objective, which had to have been to remove Gaza as a viable place from which Iran could counterattack Israel if Israel is forced to attack Iran, as well as to stop the daily rocket attacks. What was agreed to by Gaza was a hudna (temporary ceasefire), which they will use to recover, reconsolidate and rearm. The import of weapons to the region has not stopped, nor has produc-

tion, according to Hamas officials. Iran has loaded a ship with new missiles to replace those destroyed by Israel in Operation Pillar of Defense, the London Sunday Times reported. Whether this hudna will last is not in question. If the past is any indication, it may even be broken by the time this letter is published.

eral damage. This is a deliberate choice of the militants. The militants depend on human shields to protect them. For Turkey, or anyone else, to cry about Israeli terrorism is extremely disingenuous.

The Letter: For a few moments suppose you lived in Tucson, Ariz., just north of the Mexican border. Suppose that you had been under constant bombardment for days, weeks, months and years. What would you be demanding of Washington? If you were normal, you would be demanding that your government put a stop to this bombardment by any means required, up to and including the destruction of those causing the shelling. This is exactly the situation faced by those living in Southern Israel. Operation Pillar of Defense is in retaliation for the thousands of rockets, missiles and mortars fired from Gaza into Israel in recent years—over 1,100 in 2012 alone. When Israeli planes strike in Gaza their targets are militants and militant operations, such as munitions dumps, missile sites, etc. When the militants send missiles into Israel, their targets are strictly civilian locations, residential enclaves. Since the militants fire their weapons from school yards, hospitals and mosques, there is bound to be some collat-

Dear Editor,

Sincerely, Jerome Liner Cincinnati, OH

It’s nearly 3 a.m., the ceasefire was announced 30 hours ago, I’ve been home for 7 hours already, but I’m still restless. I cannot sleep. The thoughts and feelings fill my mind. I was called in from my studies to help my brigade prepare for the ground entrance to the Gaza Strip as part of operation Pillar of Defense. I spent a week in the field, since last Friday. Although we didn’t go in, I returned home full of strength. I had the privilege to be out in the field and see true unity amongst Am Yisrael and an army not only strong militarily but strong in spirit. I worked with many soldiers and commanders, all with deep faith that we are doing the right thing. I saw hundreds of soldiers dance hugged in a huge circle, singing “Am Yisrael Chai” and “the nation of eternity isn’t afraid of a long journey.” I saw commanders draw power and faith out of this amazing scene. LETTERS on page 21

Hearing the Hurricane By Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist With the storm they call Sandy four weeks gone (though not its repercussions, unfortunately), the rear-view mirror perspective allows us to reflect anew on a Jewish truth: that “natural” disasters are meant to make us think. Some of the thoughts that have already been contemplated were projected outward, at larger society’s excesses and decadence, seeing the storm as a sign of Divine disapproval of things that the Divine, as taught us by our religious tradition, strongly condemns. Others have regarded the hurricane as a stimulus for collective Jewish repentance, or, turning even more inward, for their own personal self-improvement, in whatever areas they feel need attention. Others still have looked at the tempest through the shining lens of the positive things it begat, the out-

pouring of concern and aid for others that came in its wake. From that perspective, Sandy was an opportunity to recognize the import of our interconnectedness, of the need to feel the pain of others, and to care for their needs. All of those ideas are properly considered; what isn’t, though, is claiming that one knows with certitude the “reason” for the destruction and death – or any destruction or death. Making such assertions is the exclusive province of a prophet, and the Talmud teaches us that what little is left of prophecy in our times has been inherited by children and fools. I don’t wish to strengthen the suspicion of some that I fall into that latter category by offering any personal prophetic declaration about Sandy; I have none. But I would like to share an observation with which a recent Shabbos guest of ours – a refugee, along with his wife, from flooded Far Rockaway

– graced our table. That table regularly hosts not only my wife’s delicious food and observations, and libations of varied sorts and strengths, but also divrei Torah on the parsha and Torah perspectives on current events. We had been talking, after the cholent, about the then-recent elections and how so many religious Jews were fretting over the second term the nation granted the president. My guest, surprisingly (or perhaps not so much, as he had only come to Jewish observance only as a young adult), found the hand-wringing a bit much, as do I. I pointed out that one of the curses in the Tochacha, the horrific description of what exile will include for the Jewish People, is that we Jews “will be chased by the sound of a rustling leaf” (Vayikra 26:36)—i.e. we will be terrified by even insubstantial fears. HURRICANE on page 19

JEWISH LIFE • 17

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Sedra of the Week

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YOUR SYNAGOGUE?

SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT VAYISHLACH • GENESIS 32:4–36:43

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Camps” – Israel and Diaspora, Torah and cultural wisdom, the sword and the scroll. It is the very danger of living within this dialectic which creates the possibility for the most profound creativity. A Midrashic postscript When David, the forerunner of our Messiah was first chosen, the text (1 Samuel 16: 12) reads; “He was sent for and he came and he was ruddy red (Admoni, Edom, Esau), with beautiful eyes and goodly appearance. And God said, “Arise and anoint him, for this is the one.” The Midrash (Genesis Rabbah 63: 8), adds “When Samuel saw David the red; he was frightened lest he would murder innocent people in the same way that Esau did. The Holy One Blessed be He said to him, “He has beautiful eyes” (The Sanhedrin of Torah Scholars are Biblically referred to as the “eyes” of the community of Israel). Esau murdered indiscriminately whereas David will only take a life at the behest of the Sanhedrin and truly for the sake of Heaven. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi – Efrat Israel

T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: VAYISHLACH (BRAISHITH 32:4—36:43) 1. Was Jacob worried Esau still hated him for taking the blessings from him? a.) Yes b.) No 2. Did Esau show remorse for threatening Jacob? a.) Yes b.) No 3. Who went with Esau to meet Jacob? a.) He went alone b.) Took his whole family kissed Jacob when they met. However, it might have been only at that time because of Jacob's extreme humility towards him. Rashi

3. C 32:7 4. B 34:1,2 5. A 34:2 His son Shechem took Dina the daughter of Jacob

instead of Rachel under the nuptial canopy, and later by his son’s deceiving him about Joseph’s death and by Joseph’s deceiving his brothers by dressing up as the Grand Vizier? Moreover, now—after 22 years—Jacob has finally disgorged himself of the garb of Esau. He has shed the external, materialistic trappings which had almost totally muted his inner spiritual voice and the scholarly naïveté which was his natural persona. He is not at all certain that his mother had been correct in her scheme. Perhaps she had overreached, underestimated the damage that the hands of Esau can wreak upon the soul of Jacob. Had he not become more Esau than Esau, more Laban than Laban, in his exile to Labanland?! Providence, however, and Jewish history side with Rebecca. We are complex personalities, entering the world not as disembodied souls but as creatures of both sub-gartelian and supra-gartelian (below and above the belt or gartel) drives and needs. The Jewish birthright—if it is to truly create a more perfect society—requires our dream of compassionate righteousness, moral justice and world peace to be nurtured and protected by the high-tech, internet-savvy, scientifically precise, philosophically astute, and militarily advanced hands of Esau. This is what will enable us not only to survive, but also to prevail; God created a world of both heaven and earth, and wants them to somehow stand together. Undoubtedly, it is simpler to separate the two. It is “safer,” much less “dangerous,” to isolate the voice of Jacob within a Bnei Brak Bet Midrash, leaving political statesmanship and military prowess to a secular and even a gentile world. But then we give up the dream of universal redemption, of preparing a world wherein God dwells in our midst. We forfeit our birthright. This week’s Biblical commentary was introduced by the final verses of last week’s reading as Jacob and Laban part: “Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanayim.” (Genesis 32:2-3). “Mahanayim” means “Twin

CITY

c.) Four hundred men 4. What started the incident with the city of Shechem? a.) Jacob purchased land next to Shechem b.) A prince of the city took Jacob's daughter Dina c.) They disliked Jacob for no reason 5. Who was Chamor? a.) Prince of Shechem b.) Angel of Esau c.) Grandson of Esau taking the blessings. The Midrash says Jacob should have left Esau alone. Ramban 2. A,B 33:4 Esau embraced and

EFRAT, Israel – And he named the place “Twin Camps,” Mahanayim (Genesis 32:3). Jacob has left Laban and Laban-land behind and – after more than two decades of living in exile – returned to his ancestral land of Israel. He retraces his steps to his original point of departure Beth-El, where he had dreamt of the ladder-Temple uniting heaven and earth. There, he prepares to fulfill his vow to dedicate a monument to God. His entire household removes the last vestiges of the idolatry which they took with them from the alien environment of Laban’s home, and they appear purified as they prepare for a homecoming to God’s Promised Land. And then – apropos of nothing and unexpectedly “in media res” – the Bible records the funeral of an unknown person: “Rebecca’s nurse Deborah died and she was buried in the valley of Beth-El under the oak tree; it was named ‘Weeping Oak’ or perhaps ‘The Oak of Double Weeping’” (Allon Bacchuth) (Genesis 35: 8) Who was this Deborah whose name has not previously appeared in the narrative? Rashi records that Mother Rebecca had dispatched her to Jacob to inform that he could finally return home, the “coast was clear” and Esau would not harm him. Rashi further explains that Jacob was now told of a second cause for mourning, that Mother Rebecca had also died, but her death was hidden, because had her funeral been publicized, people attending would curse the womb that bore Esau. But is it not strange that Jacob’s mourning for his mother who loved him so much and had secured for him the birthright—is subsumed under his mourning for his mother’s nanny. Was not Rebecca deserving of a separate burial monument in her own right? Is Rebecca not the great heroine of the life of Jacob, who makes certain that we are the children of Israel and not the children of Esau?! I would suggest that Jacob may have had mixed feelings about his mother and the role she played in securing his father’s blessings for him. Jacob is hounded, even tortured, by having deceived his father. Was he not punished again and again, “measure for measure,” for this egregious sin, by Laban’s deceiving him, by placing Leah

ADDRESS

Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

ANSWERS 1. A 32:4 Jacob sent messengers and gifts to Esau because he was worried that Esau still hated him for

by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin

We are complex personalities, entering the world not as disembodied souls but as creatures of both sub-gartelian and supra-gartelian (below and above the belt or gartel) drives and needs.

18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

JEWZ

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By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist HITCHCOCK, THE KOSHER CONNECTION “Hitchcock,” which tells the love story of the famous director (played by Anthony Hopkins) and Alma, his wife (Helen Mirren), is also the story of the making of Hitchcock’s famous film, “Psycho” (1960). “Hitchcock” was set to open next year, but one advance screening at the American Film Institute resulted in such great reviews that the opening was moved-up so “Hitchcock” could compete for 2012 Oscars. “Hitchcock” opened last Friday, Nov. 23, in a few cities. In most cities, it opens on Friday, Nov. 30. Here’s the 411 on the flick’s Jewish connections: “Psycho” was based on a novel of the same name by ROBERT BLOCH (1917-1994). Hitchcock owed Paramount studio another film, but they didn’t want “Psycho” because of its gory subject matter. As depicted in the film, Paramount head BARNEY BALABAN (1887-1971) finally agreed to distribute “Psycho” if Hitchcock would self-finance it. Balaban and his seven brothers, along with his sister’s husband, built (1910 on) a huge Chicagobased chain of movie palaces. In 1936, he took over as head of the struggling Paramount studio, which he already owned a large share of. He was a big donor to Israel Bonds, among other charities. His nephew is well-known character actor BOB BALABAN, 65. RICHARD PORTNOW, 65, plays Barney Balaban. Portnow is one of those veteran, crack character actors you’ll recognize – but you probably don’t know his name. Among other memorable parts, he played Mel, the sharp Jewish lawyer on the “Sopranos” who kept Tony Soprano’s uncle, Junior, out of jail. As Junior once said of Mel’s huge fees, “Mel, you’re worth every penny.” Greasing Hitchcock’s (reallife) deal with Paramount was Hitchcock’s friend and agent, LEW WASSERMAN (19132002). He’s played in “Hitchcock” by MICHAEL STUHLBARG, 44, the star of the COEN brothers’ film, “A Serious Man.” Oddly enough, film composer BERNARD HERMANN (1911-1975), is not depicted in “Hitchcock.” “Psycho” has one of the most innovative and memorable film scores of all-time. Hitchcock, himself, said that “33 percent of the effect of ‘Psycho’ was due to the music.” Another major “Psycho” contributor, who is depicted in “Hitchcock,” is SAUL BASS (1920-1996). Bass,

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a graphic designer and filmmaker, revolutionized the look of film titles and corporate logos. Not only did he do the “Psycho” titles, he did a shot-by-shot ‘storyboard’ of the famous shower scene that Hitchcock employed as his directorial guide. The shower scene was shot in a way that is different from any other prior Hitchcockdirected scene and film scholars say that the lion’s share of the credit for it belongs to Bass. The “Psycho” cast, depicted in “Hitchcock,” includes (original film) star Janet Leigh and Oscarwinning character actor MARTIN BALSAM (1919-1996). Balsam, who played the police detective murdered by Norman Bates, is played in “Hitchcock” by RICHARD CHASSLER, 40, a stand-up comedian making his big-screen debut. SCARLETT JOHANSSON, 27, has a major part in “Hitchcock,” playing Leigh. HUNKY HEBREWS The annual “People” magazine “Sexiest Man Alive” issue hit the newsstands early last week, featuring actor Channing Tatum on the cover – which means he holds the title for this year. By my count, there are 19 Jewish guys depicted in the issue – but realize there is a hierarchy of “sexiness” based on the size of the guy’s photo. “The best” is a full body shot photo and these guys got that honor: JAKE GYLLENHAAL, 31, PAUL RUDD, 43, MAX GREENFIELD, 32, (“New Girl”), singer MICHAEL BOLTON, 59, and ALEX KARPOVSKY, “30ish.” Karpovsky, a respected indie filmmaker, plays Ray Ploshansky on HBO’s “Girls.” Ray manages a coffee shop and is close friends with Charlie, a lead character. A recurring character in the first season, Ray will be a regular character in the second season, starting in January. Karpovsky is the only child of Russian Jewish immigrants. His father teaches computer science at Boston Univ. I recently came across Gyllenhaal’s name in an amusing New York magazine article about the TV show, “Whitney,” which began its second season on Nov. 14. In the first season, John Cleese, 73, of “Monty Python” fame, guest starred as a therapist. He told the magazine that he has an emu (an ostrich-like bird) named GWYNETH PALTROW on his Santa Barbara ranch. He named the emu after Paltrow because he once went out with actress Blythe Danner, Paltrow’s non-Jewish mother. But, he said, he turned down his adult daughter’s offer to try and set him up with Gyllenhaal’s mother, screenwriter NAOMI FONER, 66, even though Foner “seemed nice.”

FROM THE PAGES 150 Y EARS A GO Wood’s Theater – As already announced, Mr. John E. Owens, Cincinnati’s favorite Comedian, opened an engagement at this Theater last Monday evening. As we anticipated, his engagement thus far has been a perfect success, the audiences having been so large, that standing room could scarcely be found. Mr. Owens’ performances are infinitely comic, as all will attest, who have seen the delighted audiences that nightly assemble to see him. We presume Mr. Owens will remain here another week.– December 5, 1862

125 Y EARS A GO Mr. Frank Francis, for the past fourteen years with the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, has opened a new billiard parlor at 256 Vine Street. He has one of the handsomest places by far in the city. It is very finely fitted up and contains seven of he handsomest tables ever made by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company. Mr. Francis is very popuar with the billiard-loving fraternity, and will keep a respectable place, that no gentleman need fear to enter. He will undoubtedly be successful. The parlors of the Hirschland residence, No. 45 Carlisle Avenue, were brilliantly illuminated on Tuesday evening, and thronged with a happy assemblage of people, who called to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Sam Hirschland on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. Mr. Hirschland has been identified with the business interests of this city for two-score years, though some time ago he retired from active life. Mr. Hirschland is seventy-eight years old, and his estimable wife is one year his junior. Their grandchildren are forty, and great-grandchildren twelve in number. Numerous and costly gifts were sent by relatives and friends. Among those present were Mr. and Mrs. Alex Strauss, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Strauss, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Henry Strauss, Sen., Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hirschland, Mr. and Mrs. J. Rothschild from

Springfield, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Herman, from Geneseo, Ill.; Mr. Simon Strauss, from Uniontown, Ala.; Mrs. B. Nassauer, Mr. Ben Hirschland, Mr. Leo Hirschland, Mr. and Mrs. G. Adler, Miss Carrie Hart, Miss Minnie Strauss and many others. – December 2, 1887

100 Y EARS A GO Amongst the many affairs contemplated when the young folks return home next month from the various colleges and schools is one to be given by Mr. Sigmund Rheinstrom, on the evening of December 25 at the Losantiville Country Club. Prof. Henry Englander of the Hebrew Union College, is delivering a series of four lectures at the Euclid Avenue Temple in Cleveland, Ohio this week. These lectures have been planned by the Sabbath School teachers of all religious organizations of Cleveland. – November 28, 1912

75 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Mrs. Louis Rubenstein of 830 E. Mitchell Avenue announce the bar mitzvah of their son, Edward, Saturday morning, Nov. 27th, at Washington Avenue Synagague. Mr. and Mrs. Rubenstein will welcome relatives and friends at a reception Sunday, Nov. 26th, from 6 to 11 p. m. in honor of their son. No cards. Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Brook, 3121 Borrman Avenue, will be at home Sunday, Nov. 28th, from 7 to 11 p. m., in honor of the bar mitzvah of their son, Marvin, the previous morning at Burnet Avenue Synagogue. Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Frohman, 3970 Lowry Avenue, will be at home informally from 3 to 6 p. m. Sunday, Nov. 28th, in honor of their father, Mr. Jacob Frohman, on his 90th birthday. - November 25, 1937

50 Y EARS A GO Redemption of the first Israel Bonds in May 1963 will be a tribute to the wisdom, foresight, ingenuity, dedication and hard work of

the Israelis, Dr. Joseph J. Schwartz said here Sunday Nov 18. He spoke at a brunch meeting of the Cincinnati Committee, State of Israel Bonds, at the Carrousel Motel. Richard J. Mack was chairman. Dr. Schwartz is vice president of the Israel Bond Organization. The bonds will be redeemed “on time, with no gimmicks, no substitution for other bonds and with no pressure on anyone not to redeem their bonds,” he said. Dr. Schwartz reported $570 million in Israel bonds have been sold “although skeptics told us that we would never sell $200 million.” – November 29, 1962

25 Y EARS A GO Dr. Jakob J. Petuchowski, the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor of Judeo-Christian Studies and Research Professor of Jewish Theology and Liturgy at the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, was invited to inaugurate the first annual Rabbi Jacob B. Agus Memorial Lecture hosted by Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, honoring their late spiritual leader. The lecture, “The God of Israel and his Non-Jewish Children,” was delivered Oct. 25. - December 3, 1987

10 Y EARS A GO “I knew at some point I had to go,” said the Hillel Jewish Center’s Rabbi Abie Ingber of his recent journey to Auschwitz. As a child of Holocaust survivors and a grandson of those who were murdered in the camps, Rabbi Ingber knew that his visit “had to happen.” So when he was asked to accompany six students and three faculty members from Xavier University on a 10-day trip to Poland’s most notorious concentration camp, he eagerly accepted. Along with Dr. William Madges, chairman of Xavier’s theology department, and Dr. Elizabeth Groppe, also of the department, the group toured parts of Poland between Sept. 26 and Oct. 6. November 28, 2002

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS • 19

COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Access (513) 373-0300 • jypaccess.org Big Brothers/Big Sisters Assoc. (513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7258 • mayersonjcc.org Camp 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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POLAND from page 8 Opponents of the Union of Jewish Religious Communities argue that its inclusion of Ec Chaim is little more than a feint and a scheme to hold onto a larger share of government funding. “To persuade the court that Poland does not need a second Jewish community, Twarda has created an implant congregation called Ec Chaim” that is Reform in name only and in fact is controlled by the union’s Orthodox rabbis, IDF from page 9 Inside the hall, the scene couldn’t have been more different. As two guards manned the flanks of the stage and several others kept watch nearby, a crowd of about 500 – many of them draped in Israeli flags – watched the band work through its repertoire, a mix of English and Hebrew songs, including a stirring rendition of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah.” “Part of the reason I am here is because of what happened in Antwerp,” said Kees van der Staaij, a lawmaker of the Reformed Political Party, “to show that the people of Israel have many friends here.” The audience, which had paid

HURRICANE from page 16 To be sure, exile has provided us ample substantial fears, as do current events. Whether the danger is Iran, European antiSemitism, Hamas and Hezbollah, yimach shmom,or any of a number of other looming perils, we have good reason indeed to feel unease in the world today. But fears of the “rustling leaf” variety also plague us, like those about the executive branch’s imagined hostility toward Israel or its “war on religion,” both of which are, at least in the opinion of some of us, phantasms. Are there efforts we need to make in Israel’s behalf, and to protect Americans’ religious rights? Certainly. Does the White House harbor an anti-Israel animus and plan on outlawing religious observance? Uh, no. My Shabbos guest, whom I had just met for the first time less than an hour earlier, thought a moment and said, “Who knows?

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(513) 531-9600 charges Lesley Bergman, president of the European Union for Progressive Judaism. This month, a Warsaw administrative court will rule on whether to annul Beit Polska’s registration. For now, the total amount of money at stake is relatively small. But a much larger prize hovers in the background: the potential windfall for the Jewish community if Poland ever makes good on its pledges to offer Holocaust restitution for real estate and other Jewish assets seized during World War II. $15 for tickets and donated thousands more to aid Israelis under fire from Hamas, showered the players with affection. During a pause in the performance, a YouTube clip by Dr. Elisheva Ronen, a Dutch-born pediatrician who lives in Ashkelon, was projected on a screen. In the clip, which has become a Facebook hit, Ronen filmed rockets falling near her home as sirens wailed in the background. Ronen then took the stage and, choking back emotion, thanked the audience for their prayers. Sara van Oordt of Christians for Israel then asked the audience to donate money for charitable projects in Israel’s South. Within 20 minutes, $15,000 had been collected. Maybe that was the message of the hurricane.” “What was?” I asked, He responded, in essence if not verbatim: “That we shouldn’t busy ourselves indulging fears, imagining enemies and exaggerating maybe legitimate but limited concerns into full-blown existential crises. That we shouldn’t forget that G-d runs the world.” “A truly worthy thought,” I said, and I meant it. Something like a hurricane, which we are powerless to divert from its destined path and can’t even predict more than a few days ahead of time, reminds us that the power we need to ponder isn’t a person or a country or a political party. It’s Hashem. He is in charge, and can dissipate all our fears, the reasonable and unreasonable alike, at any moment He chooses. Certainly not much of a chiddush, or novel thought, that. But sometimes, still, we might need a reminder.

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GOTTLIEB from page 6

eventually became the owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors, which he moved to San Francisco – “had a tremendous impact on the sport.” “He had much to do with the rules of the game and he was in charge of scheduling for the NBA for 30 years,” Horvitz told JNS. Horvitz said Jewish coaches have been especially successful in basketball, including Auerbach (who won nine titles with the Boston Celtics), Brown, Nat Holman, Holzman, and Schayes. “Auerbach was one of the most successful coaches in the history of basketball, but even more important, perhaps, was the part he played in the integration of the sport, not only the introduction of black players, but the introduction of the first black coach,” Horvitz said. Barney Sedran, half of the “Heavenly Twins” with Marty Friedman, was one of the pioneers of professional basketball. At only 5-foot-4, he proved that basketball was a game of intelligence and

skill, not just height and brute force. Before his retirement from playing in 1926, he was the shortest, yet highest-paid player in professional basketball. “The two qualities that Jewish players and coaches brought to basketball that made them successful were passion and intelligence,” Horvitz said. “Those early players played the game hard and with great aggression. They also honed their skills and used strategy to a degree that other players, perhaps, did not.” Holman, known as “Mr. Basketball,” was a member of the original Celtics of New York, one of the greatest teams of all time, from 1920 to 1928. He helped the team capture the national championship in 1927 and is equally remembered for his 41-year career as the coach at CCNY. There are 27 Jewish members of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. One of them is Red Holzman. According to Hall of Fame spokesman Matt Zeysing, Holzman was one of the great

teachers of basketball. “Holzman teams played basketball the way the game was meant to be played – hard, selfless, tough, and with a premium placed on teamwork and trust,” Zeysing told JNS. “He was one of the great minds in basketball and his championship teams helped earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame. The Holzman era of basketball spanned five decades, and during that time Red touched the game at every level and the results were always spectacular.” Other influential players include Tal Brody, who led the 1977 Maccabi Tel Aviv team to Israel’s first European Championship Clubs Cup, and Bunny Levitt, who set the free throw-record of 499 in 1935 (a record that still stands). The 5-foot4 Levitt later appeared with the Harlem Globetrotters. “Two others who should not be forgotten are Red Klotz, a member of the SPHAS who purchased the team and then managed them in their numerous contests against the

Harlem Globetrotters and Max Zaslofsky,” Horvitz said. “When Max retired from the NBA in 1956, he left with 7990 points, the league’s third highest of all-time. Max was famous for his one-handed push shot and he was the sports idol of young Sandy Koufax.” Current NBA commissioner David Stern, another Jew, announced he would be retiring in 2014. Stern grew up in Teaneck, N.J., and went on to change basketball in a big way. He started working for the NBA in 1966, when the league had 10 franchises, and became commissioner in 1984. Under his watch, the league expanded to 30 teams and into Canada. He also helped start the WNBA, a professional women’s league. Still, experts agree Gottlieb remains the central figure when it comes to the Jewish influence on basketball. As fellow Hall of Famer Litwack once said, “Eddie Gottlieb was about as important to the game of basketball as the basketball.”

Heather Hurlburt, a speechwriter during the Clinton administration who now directs the National Security Network, a liberal/realist foreign policy think tank, noted that administration officials did not reject outright the prospect of one-on-one talks. “There’s this interesting dance about one-on-one talks,” she said. “It’s clear both sides are looking forward to having one on one.” Obama, after his decisive election victory this month, has the mandate for such talks, Hurlburt said, partly because his challenger, Mitt Romney, toward the end of the campaign aligned his Iran policy with Obama’s, emphasizing diplomacy as the best way forward. “There are a number of areas where Romney adopted the president’s foreign policy, and Iran was one,” she said, adding that polling shows the public prefers a diplomatic option.

Polling also shows that the public sees Iran as a priority, which could spur forward Obama administration urgency toward securing a deal. Stephen Rademaker, a nuclear arms negotiator for the George W. Bush administration, said Obama deserves breathing space to explore such a deal – but that negotiations should be subject to close scrutiny. “I would never fault the U.S. government for exploring whether Iran is prepared to reach a diplomatic settlement to suspend the enrichment program. Now is a good a time as any to test them on that,” said Rademaker, now a principal at a lobbying outfit, the Podesta Group. “My larger concern about negotiations with Iran is that the Iranians may say yes to what we see is a good deal, but the reverse is also true.” One positive outcome, Rademaker said, would be a verifiable reduction in readily available

enriched uranium, either through export or dedicated use in nonweapon capacities. Michael Makovksy, a Bush administration Pentagon official who focused on Iraq and now directs the Bipartisan Policy Center’s foreign policy projects, said pressure should increase at least until a deal is achieved. “You could increase those chances” of a deal “if you have much tougher sanctions, a much tougher embargo on Iran, but it’s unclear whether other countries will go along with that,” Makovsky said. Another option is to ratchet up pressure by sharing with Israel advanced weapons, including the latest generation of bunker-busting bombs, and increasing the U.S. profile in the Persian Gulf, he said. “The element we need to be focusing on is boosting the credibility of the U.S. military option and of Israel’s,” Makovsky said.

TZEDAKAH from page 5

Westcott said Gottlieb “goes way back before the NBA.” “He had many facets to his personality,” Westcott told JNS. “He was absolutely brilliant and was one of the most interesting characters in sports and one of the founders of the NBA.” Gottlieb was also a born promoter. Going back to the 1920s, he promoted Negro League baseball games, pro wrestling matches, the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, and even entertainers such as Joey Bishop. The SPHAS team, through a series of metamorphoses, survives now as the International Elite, the eternal rivals of the Harlem Globetrotters. “He was a great scheduler and a motivator,” Westcott said of Gottlieb. “He was involved in the Jewish community and he made it clear he was Jewish. He went to synagogue every week. This was a big part of his life.” Horvitz said Gottlieb – who IRAN from page 7 In that speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Netanyahu said that point might come as soon as spring, and Obama appears to agree. Last week, Obama said the window for diplomacy is several months. “I will try to make a push in the coming months to see if we can open up a dialogue between Iran, and not just us but the international community, to see if we can get this thing resolved,” the U.S. leader said. “I can’t promise that Iran will walk through the door that they need to walk through, but that would be very much the preferable option.” Western diplomats have told JTA that such a dynamic likely would culminate in one-on-one talks between the United States and Iran. The New York Times last week reported that the Obama administration was seeking such talks, though the White House denied it.

Goldman kept the health department happy, his press coverage increased, and a growing list of clients helped propel him into an even bigger location: an old church he retrofitted into a modern bakery. As word about his unusual and daring cakes got out, Goldman hired staff with more artistic experience than the typical pastry chef, like painters, architects and sculptors. His team produces cakes that range from “Star Wars” characters and vehicles, to a replica of the Stanley Cup, to a working life-size motorcycle, a Hogwarts Castle for Warner Brothers and their premiere of “Harry Potter,” to thousands of more creations for everyone from the bar across the street to the NFL celebrating the Super Bowl.

FIRST PERSON • 21

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Lainey Paul and Operation Pillar of Defense Live from Israel

by Lainey Paul The past three weeks have been some of the more densely packed, so I’ll just provide a short summary. Unexpectedly, I spent the second week of November in America for my cousin’s wedding. I hadn’t been assigned my army unit at that time, so it was a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with my family in Cincinnati and attend my cousin’s wedding in NYC. The wedding was beautiful and so good to be with all of my family, albeit for such a short time. LETTERS from page 16 Under my command were a few reserve soldiers, all 10 years older than me and more. They were part of tens of thousands that enlisted to their units until the enlistment count stood at 120 percent. Doctors, students, fathers, high-tech engineers, meat sellers – they came from all around to protect our nation and country. I met truck and mobile drivers who drove over 10 hours from north to south, back and forth, again and again, just so we can have our armed vehicles to go in. All they asked for was “Go in, do your job, and let us have some quiet finally.” I met volunteers who supported us with hot soup, drinks and goodies as we waited in the field for the order that never came. I met brave residents of Southern Israel, who taught me what true courage and power is. Can you imagine living under fire for 12 years? A month ago I returned from our honeymoon in India. I told people that within 2 months I saw true unity in Am Yisrael – there, in the Far East, and here, under fire. My question is why can’t we be so united at normal times, on a daily basis? Why can’t we gather around the same values we truly share, even if deep inside? Why can’t we respect and treat each other as brothers unless it’s in the middle of nowhere, or in time of crisis? It starts with each and every one of us. Can we try being nicer to each other? Can we try harder to respect each other’s views and opinions, even if they contradict mine? Can I treat every Jew as my

I returned to some amazing news as well: I got into Field Intelligence!! I was told I would be drafting Nov. 19, however, two days later I discovered that draft date was only for boys, and girls have to wait until March... I was not a happy camper but all aspects considered, I have decided to wait and enjoy my aliyah, work on the kibbutz, and visit friends and family before rushing into any job in the army. Most of my garin has drafted, though. My friend and I have made it our daily ritual to drive with each one to their drafting center and see them off since families usually do that. Eight have gone in so we have 10 to go. Most everyone will be drafted by the first week of January... except me of course. Unfortunately not everyone has been having the greatest experiences with getting the job they want and the drafts they prefer, and I’m kind of disappointed in Garin Tzabar’s lack of help, but everything will hopefully get sorted out soon.

Most of you probably know the situation Israel was in during the past week: Operation Amud Anan (Thunder Cloud). After receiving countless phone calls and Facebook messages inquiring about my safety, I just thought I should share a little of the sentiment that was felt actually living here. Thank G-d I was placed on a kibbutz up north because we honestly didn’t feel a thing. The only way we knew something was going on is if we had the radio turned up and outbursts of the news would interrupt each song, or if we had the news on, or even if we just went on Facebook just for fun yet everyone had a status praying for Israel. However, everyone was talking about it. About the poor inhabitants of the south and even the mercaz (Tel Aviv and Jerusalem). That was the scariest part—knowing rockets were being fired as far as just outside Tel Aviv and into the gush near Jerusalem. Many of my friends were caught in hazakot (the sirens) and had to escape to

bomb shelters, even in the middle of Shabbat. What I personally don’t understand is how Hamas could fire rockets without aim into Jerusalem seeing as it is one of their top three holiest places where a huge Arab community resides. That’s the kind of enemy we’re dealing with; They have no qualms about harming their own people just as long as they murder some Jews as well. Many of my friends who were in the army were also called to the border to prepare in case Israel decided to send in foot soldiers. When we heard about the ceasefire and just a minute later rockets were still being fired continuously across the border I was sure there was going to be war. Thank G-d there wasn’t, but I think the sentiment of most Israelis is that they would have loved to finally take all their training they’ve accumulated and just put an end to the terror. Living in Israel means you deal with the circumstances yet continue with your daily life. Whether that means going to Jerusalem to

spend Shabbat with your family even though you know rockets are hitting, or staying in Tel Aviv after a bus explodes and your bus is forced to change route, or enjoying your time on kibbutz yet still making cards for soldiers and children caught in the fire of the south. “Cacha ze.” That’s how it is to live in Israel. It’s heart-breaking to be living in the country with a population that statistically doesn’t exist, yet takes up probably 80 percent of the news. The fallacy that’s presented on news stations and in newspapers is so incredibly ridiculous it’s funny that there are people who actually believe it. I just wish that if anyone wanted to truly comment on the situation in the Middle East, Israel in particular, they should try living here during a time of war and see how they feel about the country then. Please don’t get caught up in the lies. Spread the truth.

brother, even if he wears black, or doesn’t wear a Kippa/Yarmalka, if he’s dark skinned or if he prays differently than I do? If he has long hair and piercings, or if he has long Peot? Can I try understanding what bothers him, what hurts him, so I can avoid doing so? Can I truly CARE about someone who is from my nation, even if we are different and sometimes it looks like we’re not so connected? The change starts with YOU, with ME, with US, in the small, daily actions and reactions. No politician can make it so, it is only up to us. Thank you for protecting and fighting for us worldwide all around the media, social networks and out on the streets, helping justice win and revealing evil lies. I’m proud to be part of this nation, and part of a unique and moral army. May we be blessed with these unique feelings every day, and not only in times of crisis.

A simple everyday action like taking a shower becomes complicated. If a siren will start to yell while you are naked in the shower, how can you run to the shelter within 15 seconds? Fifteen seconds is what it takes for the missile to hit your house. And when you hear the BOOM some distance away from your house, you know that you are OK, but then you worry if the missile didn’t hit the kindergarten or school where your child is learning. There is no sense in trying to phone your child to check if he is alive. Everybody is trying to do it simultaneously so the cell phone network always fails in such situations. The journalists would have other opinions if not being able to do simple things like listening to music at home or in your car since you may not hear the siren and therefore risk your life. They would have other opinions if, like most people in Israel, they would live in a house without any shelter, so when hearing the siren, there is no place to run to. And with all due respect to technology, sometimes the missile hits first and then the siren is heard. If attacked by Cuba, there is no doubt in my mind that the USA will not take any action against Cuba and will let the missiles fall on Cincinnati for another 12 years. The basic facts are as follows: 1. There is no single Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip. 2. There is no single Israeli settler in the Gaza Strip. 3. The Palestinian missiles are meant to hit civilians, just like bombs in buses.

4. The “siege” on Gaza has only one purpose: to try and stop the import of arms (including missiles from Syria and Iran). 5. All other imports, such as food, is allowed through Ashdod’s port in Israel, where it is checked to avoid arms smuggling. There is no “siege.” 6. The last Israeli attack (as those before) was not aimed to hurt civilians. 7. If civilians are hurt it is mainly because Hamas deliberately locates their plants or launchers in close proximity to civilians. 8. Sometimes, in a war, a civilian can get hurt by mistake. When it is a Palestinian civilian, it is not done on purpose. 9. The Palestinian missiles are meant to kill Israeli civilians. You know my views. You know my “left” political views; you know that I am against Netanyahu, against settlements in the West Bank, and in favor of talking with the Arabs about peace. You also know that I speak Arabic fluently because when I was 17 years old (1967), I studied Arabic as I had felt that being able to talk to them in their own language is the first step for good neighborliness. You may not know that I have many Arab friends that work with me in the Hospital (friends I like because of their personality, no matter what is their race). However: 1. Israel is not the USA. 2. Missiles from Gaza are not aimed to hit Cincinnati. 3. Cuba is quiet and when JFK prevented stationing Russian missiles in Cuba the American press did not object. 4. Israel is not Great Britain

whose capital, London, was the first city to be hit by missiles. The RAF, with help of US Air Force, totally destroyed German cities including civilian neighborhoods (on purpose) with thousands of civilian casualties (Drezden). We don’t. 5. The time has come for Jews to defend themselves since history shows that nobody will do it for them, even when a high cultured nation slaughters them. You probably also remember the voyage of the ship St. Louis with 936 Jewish refugees from Germany who couldn’t get off the ship in Havana because the JOINT could not pay the Cubans fast enough the requested $500 per capita. After St. Louis was turned away from Cuba, America not only refused their entry but even fired a warning shot to keep them away from Florida’s shores. The ship returned to Europe and most of them were murdered later on by the Nazis. So… American Journalists can go on having a safe shower, go on listening to music and go on blaming Israel. In these unfortunate situations, I have no other choice than to recall Ben-Gurion’s phrase in 1955 about UN resolution. He said: “It doesn’t matter what the gentiles will say. What matters is what the Jews will do.” We overcame Pharaoh. We shall also overcome Arab terrorists and international press. You can send my letter to the Jewish press. It will probably be rejected.

Sincerely, Yaakov Selavan Former Cincinnatian Dear Editor, Thank you for your concern. I guess life in Cincinnati is quieter than in Israel now. You wrote that “the Jewish press is almost nill. Almost every article is written from a Palestinian view.” I guess that the Jewish and non-Jewish press would have a different opinion if missiles from Cuba would be launched on a daily basis, for 12 years, on a fancy neighborhood in Cincinnati.

Until next time, Lainey

On behalf of Israel Shapiro, Leah Levine Cincinnati, OH

22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES KOLSTEIN, Marvin N., age 84, died on November 21, 2012; 8 Kislev 5773. GITTELMAN, Theodore “Ted,” age 101, died on November 22, 2012; 8 Kislev 5773. LANOVSKAIA, Maia, age 84, November 23, 2012; 9 Kislev 5773. RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Donald C., Jr., age 65, November 25, 2012; 11 Kislev 5773.

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and Daniel (Kelly) Brown of Chicago, Ill., Eric Shawn of San Francisco, Calif., and Stephanie Shawn of Los Angeles, Calif.; sisters, Miriam Meltzer and Phyllis Scheinbaum, and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. Funeral services and interment were held at Sunland Memorial Park, Sun City, Ariz., on November 8, 2012. The family would appreciate memorial contributions be sent to Hospice of the Valley, 510 E. Flower Street, Phoenix, Ariz., 85014 or Beth Emeth Synagogue, 13702 W. Meeker Boulevard, Sun City West, Ariz., 85375.

Elizabeth (Giorgio Immirzi) Glass of Rome, Italy; and his brothers, Martin (Yaffa) Glass of Leeds, England, and Stephen (Sheila) Glass of Warrington, England. His first grandchild is expected in February. Funeral services were held at Weil Funeral Home, with burial at the United Jewish Cemetery in Clifton. The family would appreciate memorials to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229; (513) 636-4200. Dr. David Neville Glass

O BITUARIES

GLASS, Dr. David Neville

SHAWN, Albert Albert Shawn passed away on November 6, 2012, in Peoria, Ariz. Mr. Shawn was born Abram Chaim Scheinbaum in Biale, Poland on February 6, 1921. Soon after his birth, Mr. Shawn’s father, Israel Scheinbaum, immigrated to the United States. In approximately 1924, Mr. Scheinbaum’s wife, Rebecca, and their three children (Mr. Shawn being the youngest) joined Mr. Scheinbaum in Cincinnati. Mr. Shawn’s mother died in 1931. Mr. Shawn lived in Avondale, graduated from Hughes High School in 1939, enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 1942, and was honorably discharged in December 1943. Mr. Shawn married Bernice Pritz on August 19, 1945. They lived in the Cincinnati area until Mr. Shawn’s retirement from Kitchen ‘N Tile, a kitchen and bath remodeling company owned by Mr. Shawn and Mr. Ben Greenberg. Mr. and Mrs. Shawn were members of Congregation Adath Israel. In 1989, they moved to Westbrook Village in Peoria, Ariz., where they lived in close proximity to Mr. Shawn’s brother, two sisters and their spouses. They became members of Beth Emeth Synagogue where Mr. Shawn was an active member of the Men’s Club. In August 2009, Mr. Shawn was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Bernice. Mr. Shawn is survived by his children, Roberta (Kenneth) Brown of Highland Park, Ill., and Joel (Patti) Shawn of Walnut, Calif.; four grandchildren, David (Nicole) Brown of Chicago, Ill.,

Dr. David Neville Glass, age 70, a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in the division of Rheumatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for 25 years, died at his home in Wyoming, Ohio, on November 18, 2012 after a long illness. Born in 1942 in Birmingham, England, Dr. Glass was the son and nephew of physicians, and grew up on a farm. He received his medical degree at the University of Birmingham and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Charing Cross Hospital and a fellowship in Rheumatology at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, in London. He came to the U.S. on a oneyear research grant at the Robert B. Brigham Hospital at Harvard Medical School, in Boston, Mass., and never left, spending the early part of his career at Harvard Medical School. He met his wife, Dr. Laura Wexler, a cardiologist, in Boston. After Dr. Glass was recruited to Cincinnati in 1987, he began his work in the field of molecular genetics of juvenile arthritis. His research into the genetics behind juvenile rheumatoid arthritis led to numerous clinical trials that greatly improved treatments for the chronic, crippling disease. He was the guiding force behind the Division of Rheumatology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center from 1987 to 2006, as it became the largest and most productive pediatric rheumatology

The unveiling of the headstone for

BERNYCE GOLDEN

will be held Sunday, December 9th, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at Schachnus Cemetery, 1711 Sunset Ave. in Price Hill. Family and friends are welcome.

research center in the world. Following this, he was named Associate Director of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, a position he held until 2011. He was recognized as the leading authority on the immunogenetics of rheumatic disease in children and respected around the world for both his leadership and scientific achievements. Mary Kinsella, who worked with Dr. Glass since 2004, said he was kind, caring and strong. “He was one of those quiet leaders that make you want to walk through fire or water to get things done for him,” Kinsella said. “He was very British. He loved having afternoon tea and taking a five-minute break to enjoy it. He was calm and reserved, but he also could come up with one-liners that would make you laugh out loud.” Thousands of children have Dr. Glass to thank for helping them enjoy better quality lives despite living with a chronic, potentially crippling arthritic disease. “David was a brilliant, perceptive and quietly assertive physician-researcher who had grand visions for kids with rheumatology conditions,” said James Anderson, former CEO of Cincinnati Children’s. “His work helped keep thousands of children out of wheelchairs. He gave kids their childhoods back.” Dr. Glass has been honored in many ways for his contributions, including receiving the American College of Rheumatology Distinguished Investigator Award in 2003. He also was designated a Master of the American College of Rheumatology in 2007 in recognition of his career achievements. In addition to his medical and scientific career, Dr. Glass was strongly committed to his children’s education, both academic and religious. He was active in his support of the Jewish community and a long-time member of Northern Hills Synagogue. Surviving relatives include his wife, Dr. Laura Wexler Glass; his children, Stephanie (Andrew) Glass Wapner of Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Eleanor (Elad Mokadi) Glass, and Benjamin Glass; his sister,

GOLDEN, Bernyce The unveiling of the headstone for the late Bernyce Golden will take place on Sunday, December 9, 2012, at 11 a.m. at Schachnus Cemetery, 1711 Sunset Ave., in Price Hill. Mrs. Golden passed away on December 2, 2011. She was 74 years old. Bernyce was the wife of the late Jack Golden, her loving husband of 38 years. After they were married, Bernyce and Jack moved to New York City where she tried her hand at singing and comedy. Jack was a successful salesman there for a well-known adding machine company. After some time in the Big Apple, they decided to return to Cincinnati where Jack joined the wholesale jewelry business owned by Bernyce’s father. Bernyce was an accomplished pianist but realized that there wasn’t a large demand for classical music except at Music Hall. Being resourceful, she tried a different approach to her career: She studied with jazz and pop pianists and completely changed her playing style. She established herself as a lounge/restaurant pianist and could be seen at many of Greater Cincinnati’s popular places. Included among these were Glenn Schmidt’s, the Vernon Manor, Beverly Hills for private parties, the lounge at the Drake Motel, BB Riverboats, and the Cincinnati Art Museum, to name just a few. Back when there was a hotel at the Greater Cincinnati Airport, Bernyce played the piano in the hotel lounge for four consecutive years. Eventually, many area establishments ceased to offer live piano music to their restaurant and lounge guests. Being resourceful again, she began calling all of the retirement centers in town. She booked herself into many places and entertained hundreds of residents in Cincinnati’s retirement communities. Bernyce also enjoyed ballroom dancing and could be seen at many of Cincinnati’s dance venues “cutting the rug.” She will always be remembered as a spirited, fun-loving person. Surviving relatives include her sister, Marcia, and her cousin, Janice Katz, of Columbus, Ohio.

SCANDALS from page 8 While the Catholic Church has borne the brunt of the media’s spotlight here, news broke in 2008 of sexual abuse in the Jewish community with allegations against Malka Leifer, former principal of the Adass Israel girls’ school. The chief rabbi of Adass Israel, Avraham Zvi Beck, and other officials have been accused of helping Leifer flee Australia for her native Israel as soon as the allegations emerged that year within the tightly knit, nonZionist, Yiddish-speaking community. Leifer denies the charges. Last year, claims also emerged of alleged child sex abuse in the 1980s involving 12 Yeshivah College students, three of whom now reside in the United States. David Cyprys, a former security guard contracted to the college, will stand trial in July on 41 counts of child sex abuse, including child rape. He has pleaded not guilty. Another alleged perpetrator, David Kramer, is a former teacher at Yeshivah College, which is part of the Chabad movement’s Yeshivah Centre. Kramer is awaiting extradition from America, where he was jailed in 2008 for molesting a 12-year-old boy in a St. Louis synagogue. In October, a U.S. judge approved the extradition order to Melbourne, where he is wanted by police investigating claims that he molested four boys attending Yeshivah College between 1989 and 1992. “We understand why Julia Gillard made that decision, but we are nervous for certain people in our community,” said Timmy Rubin, a Lubavitcher who runs a mikvah in Melbourne that some Adass women attend. “Some people are really nervous because 25 years ago, they probably did the wrong thing. With Adass, the problem is that nobody pressed charges, and that’s why she got away with it. People whose daughters were mucked around with were furious, but they were scared to press charges because they didn’t want their girls to be shamed in the community – that’s the real tragedy.” Shlomo Boruch Abelesz, a former secretary of the Adass Israel community, said, “The fact that there don’t seem to have been any abuse claims for a number of years now shows that the Jewish schools have tackled it and cleaned up their act.” In the Yeshivah College case, it is alleged that Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, the Brooklyn-born chief rabbi of Chabad in Melbourne until his death in 2008, helped cover up allegations of child sex abuse and gave alleged perpetrators the option to flee the country or be reported to authorities.

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