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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011 5 KISLEV, 5772

AJC’s Community Service Award presented to Michael R. Oestreicher p.11

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

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Justice Paul Pfeifer publicly urges Ohio to get rid of the death penalty

2011-2012 LEAD class features high flyers With the arrival of the fall season, the Young Adult Division (YAD) of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati kicked off its fifth year of the LEAD program. LEAD (Lead, Educate, Act and Develop) was created by the Federation as a way to educate young adults in Cincinnati about all that the community offers, how the Federation itself works, and ultimately prepares each participant to take leadership positions within the Jewish community. In addition, the program is a great way for LEAD members to bond with their class and form lasting relationships.

The 2011-2012 LEAD class features outstanding contributors, some who are brand new in town and all with great leadership potential.

“Being able to work with other motivated young professionals, all of whom I share a common thread with (Judaism), is what interested me in the LEAD program,” explained Cole Imperi, a Cincinnati native who is both the owner of her own company and a yoga instructor.

“This program is important because it forms a group of people who are completely diverse, but will continue to support each other and this city well into the future.”

Erica Efron, a Los Angeles transplant working as an account executive, echoed that sentiment.

“Becoming involved in a program like LEAD allows myself and others to realize the diversity within this community,” Efron commented. “That diversity in experience and interest brings new ideas to the table; this community allows for individuals like me to find their niche and feel like they can (and will) make a difference.”

The LEAD program takes 15-20 young adults each year and over an eight month period includes community leader lectures, social action projects, Shabbat dinners, a retreat at Camp Joy and much more.

“Camp Joy was a great opportunity for our group to get to know each other and work together as a team from day one,” said Jamie Dalin, a St. Louis native.

Daniel Kerbel, a member of this

2011-2012 LEAD class

year’s LEAD class who arrived from Mexico City, sees great potential in Cincinnati’s community. “My biggest take away right now is the

community) it was impressive to learn that Cincinnati’s community is almost as big, as good or better organized, well connected and with

“Camp Joy was a great opportunity for our group to get to know each other and work together as a team from day one.”

Jamie Dalin

size and importance of Cincinnati’s Jewish community,” Kerbel said.

“Coming from Mexico City (allegedly a big, bold, organized

lots of projects for the future.

Thanks to this, we decided to buy a house and stay here for good.”

The rest of the 2011-2012 LEAD

class is filled out by more outstanding young men and women. They are health coaches, venture capitalists, design engineers, marketing gurus, but above all, young Jewish leaders. The 2011-2012 LEAD class also includes Penina Bareket, Lilah Bloom, Natalie Carne, Alex Dal, Michael Dattner, Miriam Kajomovitz, Eric Lamont, Michael Loban, Luba Osadchy, Daniel Phillips, Joel Phillips, Marissa Phillips and Dov Rosenberg.

Upcoming LEAD events include the “Agency Speed Dating” dinner, a Shabbat dinner, Non-Profit 101 at the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education and more. To learn more about the LEAD program, the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, or about leadership opportunities in Cincinnati, visit their website.

Urgent Emergency Appeal Prominent life-long Cincinnati Jewish family is facing financial ruin and will not have the ability to survive they are facing foreclosure and do not even have enough money to purchase basic needs.

Please respond generously to a special fund set up by

The American Israelite Tzedaka Fund 18 West 9th Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Time is of the essence A bank account is being setup at PNC Bank as of this writing.

This space donated by The American Israelite Newspaper.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

92nd Street Y returns to Wise Temple The 92nd Street Y returns to Wise Temple on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. with “Stephen Breyer in Conversation with Linda Greenhouse.” Breyer, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, gives an insider’s perspective on the court as an American Institution today and its shaping of our future.

Breyer talks about what the court must do to maintain public confidence and interpret the Constitution in a way that works in practice, and discusses the relationship between the court and the president, congress, administrative agencies, and the states, along with the role each plays in our democracy.

Breyer was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and he is known for his pragmatic approach to constitutional law. Following a clerkship with Supreme Court Associate Justice Arthur Goldberg in 1964, Breyer became well known as a law professor and lecturer at Harvard Law School starting in 1967. There he specialized in the

area of administrative law, writing a number of influential textbooks that remain in use today. He held other prominent positions before being nominated for the Supreme Court, including special assistant to the United States Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, and assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force in 1973.

In his 2005 book, “Active Liberty,” Breyer made his first attempt to systematically lay out his views on legal theory, arguing that the judiciary should seek to resolve issues to encourage popular participation in governmental decisions.

Linda Greenhouse is the Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph M. Goldstein Senior Fellow at Yale Law School.

She is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter who covered the United States Supreme Court for nearly three decades for The New York Times. Greenhouse began her distinquished career at The New York Times covering state government in the paper’s bureau in Albany. After

completing her Master’s degree on a Ford Foundation fellowship, she returned to the Times and covered 29 sessions of the Supreme Court from 1978 to 2007, with the exception of two years during the mid1980s during which she covered Congress. Since 1981, she has authored over 2,800 articles for The New York Times, and she’s been a regular guest on the PBS program Washington Week.

The 92nd Street Y Live series originates and is broadcast via satellite from New York’s prestigious Jewish cultural center, the 92nd Street Y. The broadcasts are fed into the Wohl Chapel at Wise Center, equipped with a large screen and digital video technology.

Also, the Cincinnati audience at Wise Temple is able to ask questions directly to the guest speakers.

The event is open to the Greater Cincinnati public. There is a small fee and tickets are available at the door at 7 p.m. For further information and to RSVP for this program contact Wise Temple.

Cincinnati campus celebrates ‘A Century in Clifton’ With 400 guests gathered in the ballroom of the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Cincinnati on Nov. 6, the Cincinnati Associates of Hebrew Union College hosted the 28th Annual Tribute Dinner honoring Mike Michael, president of Fifth-Third Bank, Cincinnati. The event marked the formal celebration of the 100th anniversary of the College-Institute’s move to Clifton.

Rabbi Ken Kanter, director of the Rabbinical School and Dr. Nili Fox, director of the Graduate School, welcomed the gathering and introduced a video that recalled pivotal moments in the campus’ 100 year history. The film was followed by moving testimonials from students at Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati who shared how HUC-JIR’s unique collaborations with these institutions have impacted their learning experiences and career paths.

HUC’s faculty teaches courses in Jewish Studies on the XU campus, enabling Xavier to offer a “minor” in Jewish Studies. The program is the most comprehensive Jewish Studies program at any American Catholic university.

The partnership with Xavier also includes courses taught by Xavier faculty in the curriculum of the Rabbinical School and the School of Graduate Studies at Hebrew Union College. The HUC/UC Partnership allows UC students the opportunity to study with faculty and graduate students trained at HUC, and to interact with HUC students. In the coming years, stu-

dents at UC will experience new opportunities as the collaboration in undergraduate and graduate teaching between UC and HUCJIR expands.

HUC’s faculty teaches courses in Jewish Studies on the XU campus, enabling Xavier to offer a “minor” in Jewish Studies.

Dean Jonathan Cohen also announced the establishment of a new academic partnership with the University of Dayton. HUC-JIR will establish a fellowship in its School of Graduate Studies. The fellowship will be named the “Russlander/Friedland Fellowship,” in memory of Rabbi Selwyn Russlander and in honor of Dr. Eric Friedland, two Daytonians who devoted their personal and professional lives to interfaith dialogue and education.

The Russlander/Friedland Fellow will be a Jewish student in the School of Graduate Studies. The Fellow (or another advanced graduate student

from HUC-JIR’s School of Graduate Studies) will offer one course each year at UD; with course topics to be determined by UD’s Department of Theology in conjunction with HUC-JIR’s School of Graduate Studies.

HUC-JIR President David Ellenson also announced the establishment of a newly endowed scholarship in honor of Rabbi Ken Ehrlich, who served as dean of the Cincinnati campus for 33 years.

The Ehrlich scholarship will be awarded annually to a student on the Cincinnati campus. Rabbi Ehrlich now serves as Counselor to the President and is assisting in financial resource development efforts for the Cincinnati campus.

A video highlighting the distinguished record of community service of Mike Michael, the evening’s honoree, was featured. Ellenson presented Michael with a “tzedakah” (charity) box— emblematic of his charitable activities on behalf of the Greater Cincinnati community. Michael is a board member of Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), Xavier University, Cincinnati Red Cross and the Cincinnati Bengals.

He is the 2011 Chair of the ArtsWave campaign and has also chaired the 1995 United Way of Greater Cincinnati campaign, the 2008 capital campaign for the Dan Beard Council, Boy Scouts of America, and in 1994 he chaired the Friends of Scouting campaign.

He is past vice chairman of the Cincinnati Business Committee.

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and the crowd capably and as Lynne Revelos, business manager of a local chocolate company, said, “The I.W. Sisterhood sets the standard for festivals and event planning. In addition to having a great fundraiser, this group is one of the absolute nicest and most helpful at keeping vendors organized.” Volunteers included Sisterhood members, spouses, Wise Temple members and members of the Cincinnati Chapter of 85 Broads Global Women’s Network.

Festival chairs are already planning next year’s Cincinnati Chocolate Festival, which will surely include more vendors, cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs, professional and amateur contests, celebrity judges, raffle items and more.

What youth group at Wise Temple is all about If you have been involved in the Reform Movement or with Wise Temple for any length of time you definitely have heard some of the jargon and acronyms used at one time or another when talking about youth group. But what do they all mean? These letters are perhaps the most important acronyms for our teenagers seeking ways to express their Judaism.

NFTY: National Federation of Temple Youth NFTY was founded in 1939 as the youth arm of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.

It was created at the urging of the National Federation of Sisterhoods to provide an outlet for young people to participate in the life of their synagogues. NFTY’s early membership was comprised of college-age youth, rather than high school, and its

national officers were in their 20s.

At that time, there were only three NFTY regions — Pennsylvania, Chicago and New York. Today there are over 15 regions with Cincinnati being part of NFTY-OV, the Ohio Valley Region.

Growth in the number of TYGs (Temple Youth Groups) and NFTY regions continued at a slow pace until 1948. At that time, NFTY held what would be their last national convention until the 1980s and adopted a new constitution that created major structural changes in the youth organization.

It was at this point when the membership of NFTY dropped to high school and the regions were given a larger share in determining the programs and policies.

Over the course of the last half century, NFTY has grown by leaps and bounds: Regional Institutes

held each summer at the various URJ camps, NFTY trips to Israel and Europe, growth in the number of regions and publications of newsletters, programming materials and of course, a website.

Thousands of young Jews have been the beneficiaries of this strong organization over the years.

More importantly, though, NFTY has instilled the values of social action, leadership, community and Zionism among countless young men and women over the decades. The organization continues to be vital in bringing Jewish meaning and values to our children all over the continent and in our individual congregations. (e)YGOW: (pronounced ee-go) The Excellent Youth Group of Wise Temple is our high school youth group. Whether you are interested in social events, social action

projects or religious and educational events, (e)YGOW has something that will interest you. It is quite incredible to see our young leaders plan and implement programs from the High Holy Day programs and various overnights, to the Purim Carnival and pizza drop-ins. The calendar of events for this year can be found on our eygow website.

If you are interested in getting more involved in any of these programs for high schoolers, NFTY trips to Israel, Summer Institutes, or our local (e)YGOW events please contact our youth group advisor, Matthew Zerwekh.

Don’t let the letters fool you or confuse you. These organizations are incredible ways for our Jewish youth to come together as a community, celebrating who they are and laying the foundation for the committed Jewish adults they will become.

Northern Hills upcoming events half years. She is a certified Master trainer in the Matter of Balance program and is a certified instructor in Tai Chi, Health Rhythms-Group Empowerment Drumming, Active Living Every Day, Chronic Disease and Diabetes Self Management, and Healthy Eating. Bradley has a long-standing interest in teaching movement and balance along with personal well-being to help people live healthier lives.

Healthful refreshments will be provided. Light, comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended.There is no charge for attending.

Northern Hills young adults and kids have a real splash What beats the late autumn blahs better than a pool party?

Come find out when the YAKS group (Young Adults, Kids Sometimes) holds a pool party at

the home of Eli and Renee Roth on Dec 4, from 2 – 4 p.m.

“The YAKS group meets every other month for a social event,” explained Tracy Weisberger, Northern Hills’ director of programming and education.

“Sometimes the occasion also involves our children, such as for a pool party, picnic or zoo outing.

Sometimes the event is adults only, like last month’s Observatory outing. YAKS gives young adults the opportunity to meet other Jewish families and connect in a fun way.”

Northern Hills honors Jews who have served in the U.S. military Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham will honor Jews who have served in the U.S. military at a special Shabbat dinner on Friday, Dec. 9. The dinner will follow Shabbat services,

which begin at 6 p.m.

Jews have served in the U.S. armed forces in all wars in which this country has fought. In recognition of this commitment, the program will feature a panel discussion highlighting the experiences of Jews who served in the military in different eras. The panel will include Mark Dine, who served during the Korean War; Rabbi Robert Reiner, a Vietnam veteran; and Alan Kabakoff, who served two tours in Afghanistan. The discussion will be moderated by Dan Randolph.

Babysitting will be provided, so parents with young children can enjoy the program. The menu will feature chicken, with vegetarian options also available.

For more information on these events please call Northern Hills Synagogue.

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

VOL. 158 • NO. 19 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011 5 KISLEV 5772 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 ISSAC M. WISE Founder, Editor, Publisher, 1854-1900 LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928 RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930 HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher, 1930-1985 PHYLLIS R. SINGER Editor & General Manager, 1985-1999 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher BARBARA L. MORGENSTERN Senior Writer YEHOSHUA MIZRACHI RITA TONGPITUK Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor SONDRA KATKIN Dining Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists LEV LOKSHIN JANE KARLSBERG Staff Photographers JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager MICHAEL MAZER Sales ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager e Oldest Eng Th

ewish N h-J ew lis

Northern Hills and Ohav Shalom Sisterhoods feature Tai Chi The Sisterhoods of Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham and Congregation Ohav Shalom invite the community to get your “Yin” and “Yang” in balance with an introductory Tai Chi lesson led by Susan Bradley.

The invigorating program will take place on Dec. 4 at 11 a.m. in the Zorndorf Social Hall at Northern Hills.

Tai Chi is a Chinese exercise system that uses slow, smooth body movements to achieve a state of relaxation of both body and mind.

This session is designed for all, even those with arthritis or other movement limiting conditions.

Susan Bradley is the Senior Adult Programming Coordinator at the Mayerson JCC, and has worked there for the last six and a

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Susan Melowsky, festival cochair in 2010 and chair in 2011, came up with the idea for a chocolate festival while watching the Food Channel. While the Food Channel has not yet picked up the Cincinnati Chocolate Festival, it’s only a matter of time.

“I have done a few of these food events and I just have to say kudos to your team for pulling it off so seamlessly, especially with amazing attendance in both of your first years. There are many (festivals) that don’t go that well with just 100 people,” commented Megan Ketover, vendor competition judge and demo chef.

Sisterhood volunteer committee co-chairs, Suellen Applebaum and Nancy Selz, managed the volunteers

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when lines began to form around the parking lot. To better accommodate the throngs of people from throughout the region who love their chocolate, the event was moved to Xavier University’s Cintas Center and tickets were pre-sold at participating Kroger stores. Chocolate lovers from all over the region converged to taste the chocolate delights offered by over 40 vendors, and once again, expectations were exceeded.

The Isaac M. Wise Temple Sisterhood launched the event in 2010 to raise money in support of their Cincinnati Region women and children’s fund. Proceeds from the Cincinnati Chocolate Festival are donated to a variety of these charities.

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“After eating chocolate you feel as though you can conquer enemies, lead armies and entice lovers.”

Emily Luchetti, Pastry Chef.

Cincinnati Chocolate Festival organizers must be experiencing some of the same feelings after providing the City of Cincinnati another opportunity to sample multiple forms of chocolate at the second annual Cincinnati Chocolate Festival, held on Oct. 23. Over 5,000 chocolate lovers attended this year’s festival, breaking the 2010 record of nearly 2,500.

Organizers of the first Cincinnati Chocolate Festival, held at the Mayerson JCC last year, had hoped to draw about 1,000 attendees. Committee chairs were overwhelmed and elated

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Second annual Cincinnati Chocolate Festival sees record attendance

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

‘Standing Together’ brings Christians and Jews together to support Israel The second “Standing Together: An Evening of Christian-Jewish Support for Israel” will be held on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Mayerson JCC. This program will focus on the motivation, rationale and nature of Christian support for the Jewish State and explore new possibilities for Christian-Jewish cooperation on Israel’s behalf. Cosponsors for the evening are the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

The keynote speaker for Standing Together is the Honorable Raslan Abu Rukun, Israel’s deputy consul general to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Rukun, a graduate of Haifa University with a degree in Middle Eastern studies and political science, assumed the post after serving at Israel’s embassy in Katmandu, Nepal. He is fluent in Hebrew, Arabic and English. As a Druze Arab—a religious minority that is considered a distinct ethnic community in Israel—Rukun brings a unique perspective and represents the diversi-

Mr. Raslan Abu Rukun

ty of Israel and a part of the Israeli population that even many Jews know little about.

Rukun is the second highest ranking diplomat from Israel for the mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Kentucky, West Virginia and southern New Jersey. In this role, he serves as the voice of Israel for government officials, university leaders and the press, among many other outlets.

Also speaking at the event are the Reverends William Sutter and Robert Johnessee from the Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, a worldwide Christian organization headquartered in Deptford, N.J., and founded in Philadelphia in 1938 by Christians determined to help Europe’s beleaguered Jewish population. Today the Friends of Israel is an important voice in evangelical circles for its support for the State of Israel and opposition to antiJewish doctrine and activities.

“Friends of Israel was founded by conscientious Christians who— at a time when our own country was closing its doors to Jewish refugees—worked to provide aid to them during the Shoah. Their continuing Christian ministry is demonstrating their concern for the survival of the Jewish people by supporting the State of Israel. I am very grateful for their solidarity and friendship,” said Rabbi Eric Slaton of Beth Israel Synagogue.

Rev. Sutter, the executive director of Friends of Israel, teaches about present day threats to Christianity and Judaism and is a strong advocate of the country’s growing Jewish-

“Friends of Israel was founded by conscientious Christians who—at a time when our own country was closing its doors to Jewish refugees—worked to provide aid to them during the Shoah.

Their continuing Christian ministry is demonstrating their concern for the survival of the Jewish people by supporting the State of Israel.”

Rabbi Eric Slaton Christian alliance. Rev. Johnessee is a church ministries representative of the organization. His entire ministry has been devoted to encouraging support and solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people among evangelical Christians.

Jewish and Christian organiza-

tions supporting Standing Together include: American Jewish Committee, Grace Baptist Church in Mason, Hadassah: The Women’s Zionist Organization of American, Heritage Baptist Church in Lebanon, Jewish National Fund, and West Chester Baptist Church.

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Statue in Philadelphia honoring the first Jewish commodore

By Bryan Schwartzman Jewish Exponent PHILADELPHIA (Jewish Exponent) — Uriah P. Levy, the first Jewish commodore of the U.S. Navy, was one for voyages.

His first came in 1802, at the age of 10, when he offered his services to the captain of the USS New Jerusalem, stipulating that he be returned to Philadelphia in time for his bar mitzvah at Congregation Mikveh Israel, then less than a century old.

More than 200 years later Levy, in the form of a 2-meter-high statue weighing more than 1,000 pounds, has arrived back home. The artwork of the man famous for abolishing flogging in the Navy and later purchasing the home of Thomas Jefferson began its journey in a Moscow studio and has landed atop an enormous pedestal outside the same Old City synagogue where Levy once read from the Torah.

The two men responsible for bringing the monument here — both Akiba Hebrew Academy graduates who now live on opposite sides of an ocean — are hoping that its prominent placement across from Independence Mall will prompt generations of children to ask their parents, “Who is that man and what did he do?”

“Great American people need to be permanently remembered by their people,” said Gary “Yuri” Tabach, a recently retired U.S. Navy captain living in Moscow who is planning to travel to Philadelphia for the statue’s official dedication ceremony on Dec. 16.

For financial and logistical help, Tabach recruited his high school classmate Joshua Landes, the son of Beth Sholom Congregation’s emeritus rabbi, Aaron Landes, who also

Courtesy of Jewish Exponent

The bronze statue of Uriah P. Levy stands outside Congregation Mikveh Israel on Independence Mall.

is a retired Navy chaplain and rear admiral.

“I have always been proud of Jewish service,” said Joshua Landes, 49, a wealth manager who lives in Riverdale, N.Y., and sits on the board of the American Jewish Historical Society. “As a lover of America and a lover of the Jewish people and lover of my native Philadelphia, I feel that all the stars aligned for us to get prominent real estate right on Independence Mall.”

Tabach, also 49, was born in the Soviet Union, grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and went on to a long career in the armed forces. Until his retirement in September, Tabach had served as the chief of staff for the NATO Military Liaison Mission in Moscow. Before that he headed up the NATO Center of ExcellenceDefense Against Terrorism.

It’s because of Levy, who confronted rampant anti-Semitism during his career, that Jews have a place in the U.S. military, Tabach said in a phone interview from Moscow.

So Tabach desired to pay homage to Levy the way Levy, who died in 1862, once did for Jefferson — by commissioning a statue.

“Levy was a dedicated Jew”

who accomplished great things, asserted Tabach, who said he is currently volunteering for several Jewish groups in Russia, including Hillel and Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.

Levy is remembered for many things, one being his refusal to bow to anti-Semitism. Between 1845 and 1855, Levy was denied command of his own ship on 16 occasions, and finally kicked out of the Navy on the grounds that he was an inefficient officer. Ultimately he regained his commission and rose to the rank of commodore, which is akin to the title of admiral today.

Then there was his decision to modernize the Navy by abolishing cruel punishment. And lastly there was his fascination with America’s third president, who Levy believed was the founding father most responsible for erecting the barrier between church and state, which allowed a Jew to prosper.

In 1836, Levy, who had also made a fortune in real estate, purchased Monticello, Jefferson’s thendilapidated estate outside Charlottesville, Va. STATUE on page 19

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

Seeking Kin: ISO orphaned former Tel Aviv flatmates “Seeking Kin,” aims to help reunite long-lost friends and relatives.

By Hillel Kuttler Jewish Telegraphic Agency BALTIMORE (JTA) — The Ellbogen children, Edna and Michael, nearly became Mordechai “Moti” Malkin’s adopted siblings in early 1950s Israel.

Six decades later, the 66-year-old Herzliya resident wants to know what’s become of them.

When Paul and Eliza Ellbogen fled Vienna in 1940 and settled in prestate Israel, they lived with Malkin’s parents, Alexander and Evgenia, who had emigrated in 1933 from Riga, Latvia. The couples hadn’t known each other but formed a partnership of financial necessity during austere times.

The two-bedroom apartment that the Malkins already were renting at 4 Pilon St., centrally located near Tel Aviv’s zoo, came to house eight people upon the births of Edna and Michael Ellbogen (in 1942 and 1946, respectively) and Avraham “Avik” and Moti Malkin (in 1935 and 1945, respectively).

In those years, Alexander worked as a truck driver for the Yachin produce conglomerate, and Evgenia was a nurse at Hadassah Hospital on Tel Aviv’s Balfour Street. The Ellbogens owned a

Courtesy of Avishai Teicher

Paul Ellbogen is the first name appearing on this monument to 23 soldiers killed in a battle near Modiin on Sept. 24, 1948 during Israel’s War of Independence. The death of his wife a few years later left their two children as orphans.

bookstore in town. When revenue was down and the Ellbogens couldn’t pay the rent, they invited the Malkins to select several books from their shop.

The couples got along well and enjoyed one another’s company.

Late at night, an adult grabbing a sandwich would be joined at the kitchen table by the other three parents for a shmooze session.

They all “lived like one family” and enjoyed “a very close friendship,” Moti Malkin said.

After six years together, the Ellbogens moved to their own

U.S. tightens sanctions on Iranian economy

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — With new measures tightening sanctions on Iran, the United States moved one step further toward effectively cutting off the Islamic Republic’s economy from the West.

President Obama issued the measures Monday in the form of an executive order.

At a news conference the same day, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that the U.S. government would treat Iran’s banks as a “threat to government institutions.” The step, Geithner said, means that any financial institution has effectively been warned: “You are at risk of supporting Iran’s nuclear activities” as well as its backing for terrorists.

The announcement comes in the wake of a recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency that determined there is

“credible” evidence that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability.

Without explicit penalties for dealings with Iran’s banks, the Obama administration’s action is just shy of actually sanctioning all the banks, including the Central Bank, which is what Congress and pro-Israel groups have been demanding.

It was not clear yet whether the move would satisfy those demands, led in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and in the Senate by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

Such sanctions would effectively force any entity dealing with Iran to choose between continuing such dealings or being cut off from the U.S. and other Western economies. The likely effect would be Iran’s near-total isolation from the economies of the developed world.

SANCTIONS on page 21

apartment in nearby Ramat Gan, but the families stayed in touch. Early in Israel’s War of Independence, Paul Ellbogen, then 39 years old, was drafted into what was dubbed the Old Persons’ Corps. He was killed in a battle near the Maccabees’ graves by what is now the central town of Modiin. A marker there includes his name.

The next year, 1949, Eliza and her children left Israel and moved to New Jersey, where her sister lived. Eliza, by then known as Alice, mailed Moti SEEKING on page 20

8 • NATIONAL

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At ZOA dinner, Glenn Beck dishes out the pro-Israel meat

By Ben Harris Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — The Zionist Organization of America’s annual dinner is a place where conventional thinking about the liberal proclivities of American Jews goes to die. But never quite like Sunday night — when Tea Party darling and Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann served as the opening act and Glenn Beck was swarmed like a rock star.

Beck, who was on hand to receive the ZOA’s Defender of Israel Award, made his way into the VIP reception at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan shortly after 5 p.m. and almost instantly was beset by a crush of admirers. He found himself wedged into a corner as a crowd of well-wishers surged forward to have their photographs taken with him. Bachmann and her fellow Republican congresswoman, Florida’s Ileana RosLehtinen, were there, too — but it was clear who the star was.

“Love, love, love, love, love,” Ros-Lehtinen said, extending her hand to Beck, who responded by clasping hers in both of his. All around her, an expanding mass of people pressed in closer, seeming-

Courtesy of Ben Harris

Glenn Beck, left, and Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann both addressed the Zionist Organization of America’s annual dinner in New York on Nov. 20.

ly eager to express the same sentiment.

“I need everyone to back up please,” a photographer practically yelled as he tried to create a cordon around the VIPs to set up his shot. But despite help from Beck’s two bodyguards, an assistant, and assorted publicists and ZOA personnel, the crowd kept pushing ahead.

Crowd control proved to be a recurring problem at the dinner.

After the appetizer was served, seemingly half the room converged on Beck and his wife, Tania, tying up the traffic flow in the center of the ballroom and rendering the area impassable. A succession of ZOA officials implored the crowd to sit down so servers could get dinner on the table, but with little effect.

Grabbing the microphone, ZOA President Morton Klein, raised his voice — the first of several times he would do that over the course of the

evening — and commanded those standing around to “sit down — NOW!” Even for a crowd that’s been known to get weak in the knees for foreign policy hawks — including Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.,), one-time Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer and leading Bush administration neocon John Bolton — the euphoria surrounding Beck’s appearance stood out. And even for a ZOA dinner, the night was unusually partisan: Of the six members of Congress in attendance, all were Republicans.

Anthony Weiner had been a regular attendee in past years, as were fellow New York Democrats Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel. And though Klein announced that Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he would attend, New York’s senior senator was nowhere in evidence.

Schumer’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Democratic officeholders didn’t seem to be missed. The polls could be right that nearly 80 percent of American Jews voted for Barack Obama and more than half believe Israel should dismantle at least some settlements as part of a final agreement with the Palestinians.

But not in this room.

Bachmann’s cry of “not one inch” brought guests to their feet and prompted screams of “Bachmann for president.” In his remarks, Klein assailed the AntiDefamation League and the American Jewish Committee – “Yes, I name names” — for their opposition to a bill on foreign funding of nongovernmental organizations. The measure has been decried by liberals, centrists and even some conservatives, in Israel and abroad, as a grave threat to Israeli democracy.

And Ros-Lehtinen, in a freewheeling and often sarcastic speech, singled out two women in the audience from the West Bank settlement of Kedumim, sardonically identifying them as the obstacles to peace.

“They look harmless,” RosLehtinen said, “but you never know.”

Bachmann began her talk, which sounded much like a campaign stump speech tailored to Jewish ears — well, certain Jewish ears — by invoking the line in Genesis promising that those who bless Israel will be blessed. It’s precisely that sort of religiously inflected politicking that BECK on page 22

Buy Jewish week—community lines up behind nationwide effort to promote Israeli products

By Dan Klein Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) — Their effort may be coming on the heels of “Black Friday,” but organizers of a new nationwide campaign are hoping that consumers will hold on to some of their shopping dollars to show support for Israel.

Jewish newspapers, pro-Israel

groups, Israeli companies and retailers are joining together to launch the first Buy Israel Week, which runs from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4.

Retailers are offering special offers on Israeli goods and nine Jewish metropolitan papers are publishing special supplements and a Buy Israel Week website — featuring deals, coupons and contests in order to showcase the breadth of

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Israeli products.

“From a consumer perspective, Israel is known as a high-tech place,” said Frances Zelazny, a marketer from New York who conceived and organized the campaign. “We want to show some consumer brands, the coolness of the fashion, the food.”

Buy Israel Week, however, is about more than just encouraging commerce.

Spurred by the debate over Palestinian statehood at the United Nations and an ongoing campaign by pro-Palestinian activists to promote the boycott of Israeli goods, Zelazny, who has been involved in Israel activism, began contacting potential partners and supporters.

“Not everyone can fly to Israel, or march on Congress, or rally at the U.N.,” Zelazny said.

“But people can make a purchasing decision.”

The campaign’s website lists support from businesses such as jdeal, the Israeli national airline El Al and the Dead Sea skin care giant Ahava; Israel trade organizations like the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers Association of Israel and the Israel Export Institute; Jewish organizations such as the Conference of Presidents of Major American

Jewish Organizations; and the nine Jewish newspapers publishing supplements.

“This is a significant movement because of the growing BDS efforts and the pressures on some Israel goods,” said Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chairman of the Presidents Conference, which is pushing the campaign on campuses and through its mailing list. “We felt it’s important to have a positive effort.”

Indeed, some of the participating businesses have been direct targets of the boycott, divestment and sanctions, or BDS, movement. They include Ahava and stores that sell the cosmetics company’s products.

Some retailers, which had been targeted by BDS activists in the past but continue to stock Israeli goods, nonetheless chose not to participate in Buy Israel Week so as not to attract attention, said Jodi Samuels, the co-founder of jdeal, which has partnered with Jewish media outlets to find local retailers to participate in the campaign, as well as providing the online and social media efforts.

“There were some national retailers which had previously been targeted by BDS campaigns, they were nervous about joining the campaign and would rather stay

under the radar,” Samuels said.

According to Zelazny, most of the campaign’s costs have been covered by corporate sponsorships, although she was not able to say the amount raised or the price of the campaign. Other groups are contributing non-monetary services, and Zelazny says she is donating her time.

Although there have been other so-called “buy-cott” campaigns to counter BDS efforts, organizers believe this will be the largest recent effort to promote Israeli goods — and one they hope will be repeated and expanded in years to come.

“The promotion of Israel products isn’t just economical, it’s psychological and political,” Zelazny said. “People see that Israel isn’t isolated; you see the breadth of creativity, the range of products from food to high-tech. People don’t think of Israel in that sense.

There are really some amazing food and consumer items.

“Instead of buying excellent Chilean wine, they can buy wine from Israel. We want people to next time not buy shoes made in Italy, but in Israel.”

She added, “You buy something because you think it’s cool, fresh, on its merits. That it’s made in Israel is an added bonus.”

NATIONAL • 9

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

Faceoff between Jewish candidates seen as bellwether for Dems

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Courtesy of Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield recently spoke at a Jewish Federation of Greater Washington event.

Ben & Jerry’s co-founder explains how to do well by doing good

By Suzanne Kurtz Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) — A scoop of Ben & Jerry’s may taste like heaven, and for company cofounder Jerry Greenfield, the business of making ice cream has a spiritual side as well.

“There is a spiritual aspect to business, just as there is to people,” Greenfield told a crowd of 300 last week at a networking event for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

The ice cream company known for its colorful pint-size containers, funky flavors and creative marketing has implemented smart business practices that have advanced its bottom line as well as its dogood corporate culture.

Raised on suburban New York’s Long Island, Greenfield, 60, and his longtime friend and business partner Ben Cohen met in gym class in junior high school after discovering a shared dislike of running track. They were chubby kids who always enjoyed eating, Greenfield said, and both attended Hebrew school and had their bar mitzvahs at the Reform Congregation of Merrick.

Though a self-described “cultural Jew,” Greenfield said that his religious education helped sensitize him to discrimination, marginalization and the needs of “other people in society and around the world.”

In his mid-20s, after being rejected from some 20 medical schools and not content with working as a lab technician, Greenfield split a $5 Pennsylvania State University correspondence course in ice cream-making with Cohen and embarked on a new business venture.

In 1978, with $12,000 scraped together from loans and savings,

they opened Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. in a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vt. Their single storefront venture would grow eventually into a $300 million global ice cream empire owned by the Unilever Corp.

Neither Greenfield nor Cohen is still active in the day-to-day running of the company. Instead, Greenfield said, his present role with Ben & Jerry’s holds “no responsibility and no authority,” joking that it should be a position that those attending the federation event also strive for in their careers.

But their vision for an ice cream company that would be both profitable and care about the needs of society has left a lasting impact on both employees and customers.

“Simply operating this way had so many benefits for the company,” said Greenfield, as he detailed some of the values-driven business practices that also saw him and Cohen named U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year in 1988.

One oft-cited example of Ben & Jerry’s socially conscience business practices is its purchase of $8 million annually of chocolate brownies baked at the Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, N.Y., a nonprofit that offers job training and hires workers who might have a difficult time finding jobs elsewhere, such as exconvicts, former substance abusers and welfare recipients.

“We came up with this popular flavor [for using the brownies] and the bakery is pretty happy with it, too!” said Greenfield.

In 1984, when the company needed to raise additional capital to grow the business, they let their Vermont neighbors “get a scoop of the action” by holding an in-state public offering.

CO-FOUNDER on page 19

WASHINGTON (JTA) — A suburban Chicago congressional primary featuring two Jewish candidates is being cast by political observers as a test of the Democratic Party’s direction.

The race’s two highest profile candidates are Brad Schneider, who enjoys establishment support and has strong ties to the organized Jewish community, and Ilya Sheyman, a 25-year-old progressive activist who has proven to be a whiz at small-donor fundraising.

In addition to the race’s generational aspect — Schneider, 50, is twice the age of Sheyman — observers see the primary as a bellwether for Democrats as they head into the 2012 elections: Will the party tack left or try to hold closer to the center?

David Catanese, Politico’s campaign blogger, last week cast the choice for Democrats this way: “Go with their heart — the young, idealistic and more progressive Sheyman — or play safer with their head in supporting Schneider, who arguably could attract more independent and unaffiliated support by showcasing his business background.”

Each candidate seems to embrace the templates: Schneider emphasizes his business savvy as an MBA who heads a successful business consultancy. Sheyman touts his career with the nonprofit organization MoveOn, a netroots advocacy group that represents the

Courtesy of Schneider for Congress

Brad Schneider, a candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 10th District, greeting voters at the North Chicago Community Days Parade, Aug. 6, 2011.

Democratic Party’s left flank, and as a community organizer.

Neither candidate is shy about advertising his Jewishness.

Sheyman’s releases routinely describe him as “a Jewish immigrant from the former Soviet Union.”

Schneider’s official biography lists his leadership in four Jewish groups.

In an interview, Schneider recalls his “romantic” first date with his wife: watching a seminal 1988 IsraeliPalestinian debate on “Nightline.”

The candidates also are aggressively “pro” on the two issues that have mattered most to Jewish political organizers in the district: abortion rights and Israel.

Marcia Balonick, the executive director of JACPAC, the 10th District-based Joint Action

Committee for Political Affairs, explains why her group is withholding an endorsement for now.

“We follow a criteria that we put in place 30 years ago,” she said. “If there’s a crowded primary and two candidates give us papers that are good for our issues, we don’t endorse.”

That’s the case with Schneider and Sheyman, said Balonick, whose group gives only to candidates who support abortion rights and are pro-Israel.

Schneider’s campaign website does not elaborate on his Israel views beyond a single sentence: “Leading the pursuit for real security and peace in the Middle East.”

FACEOFF on page 22

10 • INTERNATIONAL / ISRAEL

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

Ghetto survivors eligible for payment

By JTA Staff Writer Jewish Telegraphic Agency BERLIN (JTA) — For the first time, some survivors of Nazi-era ghettos are eligible for a one-time payment from the so-called “ghetto fund” in addition to the pensions they receive from the German government.

Following negotiations with Germany, the Conference of Jewish Material Claims Against Germany announced that those who meet certain criteria will receive a one-time payment of 2,000 euro, or about $2,600. Germany also has canceled the Dec. 31 deadline for submitting applications for ghetto fund payments. In addition, the government is examining 56,000 rejected claims.

The government decided to approve both Social Security payments and the one-time reparations payment for ghetto survivors who

worked as “non-forced” laborers, in effect broadening the eligibility for payments from the ghetto fund.

Julius Berman, president of the Claims Conference, said in a news release that the organization wanted to ensure that every eligible survivor who was in a ghetto could apply for both payments.

“The decision represents recognition of the suffering and hardship experienced by Jews working during Nazi-era under unimaginable conditions,” he said.

Since 2002, survivors who worked in Nazi ghettos during the war have been eligible for the “ghetto pension” even if they received payment for their work in the ghetto. The Claims Conference, which is not involved in the implementation of the payments, nevertheless provides information on its website about eligibility and the application process.

In related news, a judge in the city of Essen who has spent years interviewing rejected claimants in Israel in an effort to help in their appeal has formally claimed he is being bullied as part of efforts to block payment of ghetto pensions.

According to the Bild online newspaper, Social Court Judge JanRobert von Renesse, who reportedly has fought for ghetto pensions for thousands of survivors, says the forms that claimants must fill out are too complicated for many of them; he said thousands of applicants were rejected for “lack of cooperation” for failing to send back the forms.

Renesse also alleged that the court administration regularly destroys documents that could help applicants. Bild confirmed that the president of the Social Court of North-Rhine Westphalia is being investigated for “suppression of documents.”

Now in fifth year, Israeli tackle football league attracts natives, newcomers

By Andrew Gershman Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — It’s a cold Thursday night in Jerusalem and by the looks of it, you’d think there was a meeting of the United Nations under way. Men are carrying on in Hebrew, English, Arabic, Russian and French, but they’re not talking peace. They’re here to settle the score — literally.

The cross-section of Jews, Arabs and Christians are here to play American tackle football as part of the Kraft Family Israel Football League. Entering its fifth year, the IFL has more than doubled since its beginning, in 2007, to 10 teams.

The IFL traces its history back more than two decades, to a group of touch football players — mostly American immigrants and post-high schoolers studying in Israel — who established a football league in 1988.

Six years later the modest effort would grow into American Football in Israel, a nonprofit organization recognized by Israel’s Ministry of Education as the sport’s governing body, which today encompasses dozens of men’s and women’s flag football teams across the country.

With the growth of flag football, a separate group of guys who had been playing tackle football had someplace to call home.

“It was these players who came to our organization, American Football in Israel, to set up a more organized league, which led us down the path to where we are today,” said Uriel Sturm, the IFL’s commissioner.

The league consists of two teams from Jerusalem, the Kings and the Lions; one from Gush Etzion, the defending champion Judean Rebels; and two from Tel

Courtesy of IFL File Photos

Jerusalem Lions take on the Tel Aviv Pioneers in an Israel Football League game at Kraft Family Stadium.

Aviv, the Sabres and the Pioneers.

The Beersheva Black Swarm, Haifa Underdogs, Northern Stars, Petach Tikvah Troopers and the Hatikvah Hammers round out the roster. And while the overwhelming majority of players are Israeli citizens, they hail from countries as far afield as Ukraine, France and Barbados.

“I think the IFL needs to be known in every city, and the way to do so is to expand while keeping a good level of play,” said Roey Ziv, a league veteran who once played for the Haifa Underdogs and now suits up for the expansion Northern Stars.

The level of play has continued to improve over the league’s five year history. Players range in talent from football newbies to Division I college talent. The latter category includes offensive lineman “Big Mike” Gondelman, a former player at Troy University in Alabama. At six foot nine and 402 pounds, Gondelman is an addiction and crisis counselor in Jerusalem who believes football can be therapeutic.

“There are thousands of studies proving that, as well as personal stories I’ve seen through my work

and in the IFL,” Gondelman said.

Jeremy Sable, an offensive lineman/linebacker for the Tel-Aviv/Jaffa Sabres, played a year of football at Cheltenham High School in suburban Philadelphia but had to quit because the games were played on Shabbat. When he moved to Israel following his graduation from the University of Maryland, Sable connected with one of the Sabres players through a fellow Philadelphian.

“When I walked away from high school football, I thought I would never have a chance to play again,” Sable said. “Here in Israel, I am able to fulfill my dream of living in the Jewish state, while once again playing the sport I love.”

Israeli-born Chen Doron, a wide receiver for the Beersheva Black Swarm, had never played football before the IFL. He took up the sport at age 23.

“I was attracted to tackle football because it’s a sport for any given size or speed or weight and so on,” Doron said. “I also like football because of the team play that is required, rather than being a oneman game.”

As an amateur league, one downside of the IFL is the cost to play. Players must buy their own uniforms and equipment, purchase insurance, and cover the costs of travel to and from games. Ziv says it is the league’s biggest problem.

“You can’t ask a guy who has never played football before to spend all that money,” he said.

“Brand-new gear costs approximately 2,000 shekels [about $500], and pants, jerseys, insurance and everything else cost around 1,000 [about $250].”

FOOTBALL on page 22

Courtesy of American Jewish Committee

The American Jewish Committee hosted some 30 lone American soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces far from their families, at its Jerusalem office for a Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 24. This year, the 10th time AJC has hosted the event, there was no longer an empty chair at the table marking the captivity of Gilad Shalit.

Lone soldiers mark Thanksgiving in Israel

By JTA Staff Writer Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM (JTA) — Several organizations in Israel held Thanksgiving dinners for American “lone soldiers.”

The Lone Soldier Center in Memory of Michael Levin on Thursday hosted a Thanksgiving meal and football tournament for more than 300 soldiers who have come to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces and have left their parents, family and friends behind.

The American Jewish Committee celebrated the 10th anniversary of its annual Thanksgiving dinner for lone American soldiers. Some 30 soldiers from across all IDF units attended the dinner at the AJC offices in Jerusalem.

Israel Briefs Netanyahu says he’s considering releasing frozen PA funds JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Knesset committee that he could release frozen Palestinian Authority funds soon.

Netanyahu reportedly told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday that he is reconsidering holding $100 million in Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel since the Palestinians have halted their bid to be accepted into international organizations.

Israel has been withholding the tax payments collected on the Palestinians’ behalf since the

Each year since captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was seized, the AJC Thanksgiving dinner featured an empty seat prepared in his honor.

This year the seat was not present.

Nefesh B’Nefesh hosted 50 lone soldiers and more than 100 young professional olim for its fifth annual Nefesh B’ Nefesh Thanksgiving dinner.

“This was a great opportunity for young professionals and lone soldiers to enjoy a traditional festive meal and express their thanks together with fellow Olim from around the country for their good fortune,” said Rachel Kaufman, events and programs coordinator at Nefesh B’ Nefesh.

The IDF gives leave to all lone soldiers who request to attend Thanksgiving dinner, according to the Lone Soldier Center.

Palestinians were accepted as a full member of UNESCO, the United Nations scientific and cultural agency. It has continued to withhold them over Fatah-Hamas unity talks.

On Sunday, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said that Israel’s suspension of transferring the tax revenue has had a “devastating impact” on the Palestinian economy. He told The Associated Press that he will be unable to pay the salaries of tens of thousands of civil servants.

A Netanyahu aide told the Israeli daily Haaretz that Israel does not want to bring about the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, which is one reason that the prime minister is considering releasing the funds.

Meanwhile, May 4 has been set as the date for general Palestinian elections in the West Bank and Gaza, according to reports. PA President Mahmoud Abbas announced the date Monday during a meeting in Vienna.

SOCIAL LIFE • 11

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

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Anne Heldman and Past AJC President Patti Heldman

Jennifer and John Stein

Seth Schwartz and James A. Miller

Kids, On Your Mark, Get Set...COLOR! 2011 CHANUKAH COVER

COLORING CONTEST MATERIALS: Anything that shows up bold and bright, such as markers, crayons, paint or cut paper. In order to qualify, an entry form must be sent in along with the art work. Please make sure form is legible and all lines are completely filled out.

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CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE • 13

AJC’S COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD presented to Michael R. Oestreicher

Chris and Bari Kraus, Rabbi Matthew Kraus and Rabbi Sigma Coran, Michael Oestreicher, Diane Oestreicher, Marvin Kraus, Terry Oestreicher, Gerry Kraus

Rick Michelman, Board member, Karen Meyer, Melissa Schwartz, board member, Stephen Schwartz and Ted Schwartz

Joanne Grossman and AJC Board members Kurt Grossman, Sonny Saeks, and John Cobey

Abby Schwartz and Diane Oestreicher

14 • DINING OUT

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Exacting standards, expert preparation at Mei

By Sondra Katkin Dining Editor While savoring the tasty tidbits in my bento box at Mei (pronounced May) Japanese Restaurant, my concentration was brusquely broken by a female diner who exclaimed, “Smell that scent in the air. It’s cucumbers! And look at him carving them.” She was referring to chef/owner Han Lin who was deftly wielding his knives to create his sushi and sashimi specialties. I was grateful that she called my attention to his skill. During our interview, he explained that it takes years to learn how to carefully prepare these seemingly simple seafoods and their accompanying garnishes. A real chef always uses the freshest fish which is easily damaged by mishandling; it requires an expert who uses a different knife for each section of the fish, he added. He politely asked if I would like to see his collection of knives. As he lovingly placed them on a soft towel, his passion and pride were clear. “You need a good knife to make good sushi.

Nowadays, they train sushi chefs for four months and use frozen fish and you lose the sweetness and high quality I must have for my customers.”

Sushi and sashimi were a new experience for me. I learned, according to Lin, that they differ only in presentation, with sushi being the fish (cooked or raw) or fish and rice roll combinations and sashimi, the fish with garnishes such as seaweed, pickled vegetables, cooked vegetables, tempura and other enticing accoutrements.

An intriguing assortment was artistically displayed in the bento box, a packed meal in a lacquered wood container with internal dividers.

Lin’s wife, co-owner Jun, the charmingly polite voice you may hear taking phone reservations, described dipping the fish in the different sauces which combine fresh ginger or wasabi or bits or daikon (Japanese radish). It reminded me of cooking mushrooms which absorb the surrounding flavors like a blotter. Some flavors were hot and bracing, others were a bit sweet, none were boring. The vivid colors, the totally tangled curly tendrils of the daikon, the carved fish mimicking the waves of the ocean in their graceful rolling placement created a striking visual splendor. It was fun to look at and offered a unique taste experience. I enjoyed the skillfully sliced, slightly saline tuna and flounder in my tray. The tempura was light and crispy with that extra fluffiness that distinguishes it from regularly fried foods. My favorite fish was the fried mackerel. I had forgotten how dense and sweet it could be. An English veterinarian treated my husband Steve (before he knew gluten was forbidden) and me to his delicious, authentic recipe for fish

(Clockwise) Art of Han Lin’s beautiful collection of serving plates; Chef Han Lin’s skillful carving of cucumbers; Serenity “aplenty” in lovely tatami rooms; Expertly cut seafood sushi and devilishly delightful omelet; The cutting edge: a knife for each part of the fish;

and chips made with mackerel.

Since then it has been hard to find this healthy, “omega 3” laden sea denizen in our area. Lin’s version was outstanding. His fish selections vary with the seasons but he emphasized that they are always fresh. For his sushi, he said, “we prepare it the day we get it and the next day, then no more sushi. It must be firm and sweet and not taste fishy.”

It’s traditional to complete the sushi with slices of omelet. I thought I was pretty familiar with various egg treatments and didn’t expect the “touching the hem of heaven” experience (according to New York Times columnist, Eric Asimov) that was the conclusion of the meal. Perhaps because I had never spent 45 minutes just heating the cooking pan or used the mixture of ingredients that created the silky, light, slightly sweet and smoky slices of this Asian gift (it’s even wrapped in a vegetable ribbon). It

will totally satisfy the hedonistic drive of the inquisitive diner for a divine delight. Lin said that he is one of very few who uses fresh eggs since frozen are more convenient. Everyone requests his well known, “eggceptional” preparation.

One customer recently told Lin that there are three things he really loves — the mackerel, the seafood sauce and the egg. “Eggzactly!”

The popularity of the secluded restaurant in the small enclave of the Montgomery Market Place attests to the high standards and authenticity the chef espouses. He mentioned that many chefs and the staff from area restaurants are regular diners along with families who have been eating there for 12 years.

“They come all the time — whole families — we watch them grow — good customers here. People know sushi in this area,” he attested. In addition, people who have traveled to Japan often request selections not on the menu, and he is happy to

accommodate. One Japanese guest commented that he thought he was still in his own country.

A peacefulness pervades Mei’s quiet, tatami rooms. It is rare to find a modern restaurant with inviting features that can transform the usual busy, crowded ambiance, transporting the diner to a calm sanctuary. These rooms seat six or can be opened to up to 18 guests and are available by reservation with a $100 food order per room.

In the main dining room, there are booths in the back which have a view of a small courtyard with a picturesque pond covered by lotus.

The front faces a small contemplation garden and there is a separate room for hibachi preparation. When it’s not raining, snowing or blowing, guests can be served on the patio with a lush, leafy bamboo fence adding privacy and vertical Asian atmosphere.

The varied menu features daily specials for the bento boxes, miso

soup, 16 hot appetizers including yakitori skewered grilled chicken, entrees which feature fish (fried, grilled or tempura) and chicken and beef teriyaki. Another popular choice is the chef’s table, a selection of the best offerings of the evening, which requires reserving in advance.

A well stocked bar offers wine by the glass or bottle, beers and cocktails and martini specials, such as the green island dream featuring ingredients like melon and banana infused vodka with hints of pineapple. Who needs dessert?

Mei is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, for dinner Tuesday to Thursday from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 5:30 – 10:30 p.m. They are available for catering or carryout.

Mei Japanese Restaurant 8608 Market Place Lane Cincinnati, OH 45242 513-891-6880

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

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16 • OPINION

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‘Running, Racism and Resentment’ Dear Editor,

The problem with the Super Committee was they were all politicians — “like thinkers.”

Perhaps if BO formed an “Idea” Committee made up of persons who are accustomed to thinking outside-the-box it might generate novel solutions. Such a unique committee, made up of fiction writers, architects, engineers and

creative artists, et al. would most likely be very idea-productive.

I don’t expect the Obama administration to take note, so I am tendering my own suggestions in hopes they will stimulate fellow outside-the-boxers: 1) Lottery by the wealthy. All persons with an income exceeding $500K/year shall purchase a daily $10 lottery ticket. The drawing shall be by Social

Security Number, and the winner of this daily drawing must prove their American citizenship.

2) Every new tax, revenueenhancement, user fee, etc., shall not take effect until two old taxes, revenue-enhancements, user fees, etc., have been repealed.

Chuck Klein Georgetown, OH

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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: VAYETZEI (BRAISHITH 28:10—32:3) a.) Yes b.) No

1. What were the angels doing in Jacob's dream? a.) Singing praise to Hashem b.) Flying around Hashem’s throne c.) Going up and down a ladder 2. Which mitzvah did Jacob affirm to keep after his dream? a.) Tithing b.) Honoring his parents c.) To build a Holy Temple to Hashem 3. Did Jacob remove the stone over the well by himself?

4. B 29:23-28 Despite Laban’s trickery Jacob worked for Laban seven more years with the same level of honesty as before. Rashi 5. C 32:-3 The angels of land of Israel

and the angels of the Diaspora joined him. Rashi. Or Jacob was still distant from Israel, but the vision of angels showed he was more secure than Esau who was threatening him. Ramban

Rabbi Shafran is an editor at large and columnist for Ami Magazine

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4. What was Jacob's reaction to Laban tricking him to marry Leah instead of Rachel? a.) Threaten to divorce b.) Accepted the situation c.) Demanded a larger dowry 5. Why did Jacob call a place Machanayim (two camp)? a.) He split his camp into two b.) His camp and Laban’s camp c.) His camp was joined by angels of Hashem 2. A 28:22 The double expression of tithing means that a person can not give more than 20% to tzedakkah.

Or,Jacob would sacrifice to Hashem.

3. A 29:7-10

When I recounted seeing a small group of unusually dressed men in shul last Sunday in Staten Island and realizing that they were trying to catch a minyan before participating in the New York Marathon (which begins in that borough), my daughter asked me if any of them had a chance of winning the race.

“Nah,” I said. “It’ll be a Kenyan.” Four of the New York race’s past 10 men’s race winners, after all, hailed from that African country. Actually, make that five now. (Congratulations, Geoffery Mutai.) A fellow Kenyan came in second.

My daughter’s face, I thought, evidenced some surprise, as if I had espoused some rank racism.

So I explained that Kenyans seem particularly physically endowed for long-distance running.

Kenyans, that is, and Ethiopians (another citizenry with disproportionate wins in marathons) who belong to the lithe and limber Kalenjin tribe.

If believing that different populations have different abilities constitutes racism, I guess I am a racist. But the word’s pejorative meaning is more properly reserved for assigning negative human character traits — like dishonesty, laziness, drunkenness or untrustworthiness — to particular racial or ethnic groups. People have free will, of course, and every individual should be judged on his own merits.

Recognizing that there are differences in aptitudes among different peoples, however, should be no more objectionable than noting physical differences, like the fact that Hutu tribesmen are stocky and relatively short while their Tutsi neighbors are lanky and taller. Or that one doesn’t come across many Ashkenazi (or for that matter Sephardi) fullbacks.

Even excellence in mental attributes, like the commonly perceived abilities of Asians in mathematics, or of Jews in business or science, should not be seen as insulting others. Even if the perceptions are accurate, they are of limited import.

The Torah refers to the Jewish people as “a wise nation” but that doesn’t mean we’re all intellectually gifted. Even Jews who aren’t the brightest candles in the menorah have a Divine mission on earth no less precious than the Rogachover down the block. And Chazal’s honorifics customarily run not to words like “genius” or “brilliant” but to ones like “right-

eous” and “G-d-fearing.” That’s what counts.

It’s plausible, of course, that Chinese or Jewish intellectual accomplishments — or Kalenjin dominance of marathon running — are due to something other than genes; cultural and environmental factors certainly play important roles. What’s more, even fact-supported stereotypes are becoming increasingly irrelevant, as gene pools become more jumbled with each generation.

Still, some population-associated abilities remain, and some people seem to have a hard time with that. They waste precious time feeling bad for themselves and resentful of others, losing sight of a grand life-truth: It doesn’t matter what abilities we possess; what matters is what we do with them.

Similarly, some people of modest means resent the more affluent.

They may suspect (as do some affluent people themselves) that prosperity is the result of superior intelligence. (This, despite the ample and readily available evidence to the contrary.) As believing Jews, though, we should know that economic fortunes are determined wholly by Divine will; they ultimately remain beyond logic and inscrutable to us mortals.

Which thought leads, inevitably, to the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Some among the crowds in lower Manhattan and their counterparts in other cities may well have worthy complaints and clear goals. But what one hears most loudly and most commonly (as even a few minutes at Zuccotti Park were more than enough to demonstrate to me) is simple resentment of the fact that wealthy people… are wealthy. Why, many protesters seem to be saying, and angrily, them and not us?

What a sad way to waste life.

Instead of identifying one’s own blessings and setting oneself to the task — the privilege — of utilizing them as fully as possible for as long as possible, those demonstrators self-immolate in the heat of their anger over not being someone else.

But they are a good spur for the rest of us to remember that what matters in this world is not what we have, physically or monetarily, but what we choose.

Most of us wouldn’t waste a millisecond envying a Kenyan’s speed or stamina. None of us should waste even half that time resenting what someone else has.

Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise

ANSWERS 1. C 28:12 The angels who escorted him in Israel were going to heaven and being replaced by angels of the Diaspora Rashi

Rabbi Avi Shafran Contributing Columnist

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

JEWISH LIFE • 17

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

Sedra of the Week

SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT VAYETZEI GENESIS 28:10- 32:3

When Isaac summons Esau to receive the familial blessing and by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Efrat, Israel — “He said, it was because his name was Jacob that he has outwitted me these two times” (Genesis 27:36).

This week’s portion begins with Jacob leaving his parents’ home in Beersheba and setting out for exile in the home of his uncle, Laban. Our portion will conclude 22 years later, when he begins his journey back. Jacob falls in love with Laban’s daughter, Rachel, and 11 of his children are born there. These are the most crucial years of his development, when he is at the height of his physical strength and laying the foundations for future generations.

Strangely, the Jacob whom we see in Vayetzei is quite different from the Jacob we first got to know in Toldot, which we read last week. Jacob as a young boy was a naïve, whole-hearted, and scholarly dweller in tents; the antithesis of his brother Esau, a wily hunter and devotee of the fields. Jacob is interested in continuing the Abrahamic birthright; Esau is far more moved by material acquisitions. Hence Esau gladly gives up his familial birthright for lentil porridge when he returns, famished, from the hunt.

When Isaac summons Esau to receive the familial blessing and birthright, and Rebekah cajoles Jacob into pretending to be Esau so that he may receive the birthright, a furious and disappointed Esau vows to kill his brother — so Rebekah and Isaac send him to Uncle Laban.

In the beginning of this portion, Jacob dreams the great dream of the Abrahamic covenant; a ladder linking heaven to earth, ascending and descending angels, with the Almighty promising that his descendants will inherit the Land of Israel and will bring blessing to the world. He works seven years for Laban for the hand of Rachel, and after he is deceived under the nuptial canopy, and forced to marry Leah, he agrees to work another seven years for Rachel, with nary a complaint. Indeed, Jacob remains a dweller in (scholarly) tents, rather than an aggressive outdoorsman.

But as the portion of Vayetzei develops, a new Jacob emerges.

birthright, and Rebekah cajoles Jacob into pretending to be Esau so that he may receive the birthright, a furious and disappointed Esau vows to kill his brother — so Rebekah and Isaac send him to Uncle Laban.

He puts his mind to animal husbandry, amassing much livestock for his employer, Laban. When his beloved son Joseph is born, he threatens to leave and return to Israel, only agreeing to remain with Laban for a partnership, or at least a share of the profits.

Laban cuts a deal, but Jacob cleverly succeeds in manipulating the livestock so that he emerges with great wealth. The ultimate expression of Jacob’s transformation comes in another dream, in which instead of ascending and descending angels, Jacob sees ringed, spotted and speckled sheep (Gen. 30:25- 43; 31:10-14). Voila!

Jacob has out-Esaued and outLabaned his brother and his uncle!

How and why does this happen? Did Jacob forget about the birthright, and block out the Abrahamic covenant, in order to secure his own version of lentil soup?

I believe the issue is far more complex, and harks back to Abraham, and the confused legacy he bequeathed to his sons. Our children watch us carefully to perceive our deepest values and desires.

They learn not from what we say so much as from how we act and whom we admire. Abraham was chosen by G-d to be a blessing to the world because he discovered ethical monotheism, and would teach succeeding generations compassionate righteousness and moral justice (Gen. 18:18,19).

This is the familial birthright and Abrahamic covenant.

But Abraham was also a wealthy cattleman, military hero and highly respected leader. He had a first-born son, Ishmael, who was an aggressive conqueror, who feared no man. He also had the religious, righteous and introspective Isaac. Abraham is naturally

drawn to this wild and ebullient firstborn, and when G-d informs him of the impending birth of Isaac – Abraham suggests “Would that Ishmael walk before You.” Gd blesses Ishmael at Beer-lahairoi, and Isaac remains obsessed by this place all his life; he is constantly going back and forth from there (Gen. 24:62). Despite the fact that G-d tells Abraham “through Isaac shall your seed be called,” Isaac lived under the dark suspicion that his father really preferred Ishmael, and hoped that the akeda would completely remove him, Isaac, from the scene.

In a similar fashion, the more passive Isaac was drawn to the more aggressive Esau, which is why he initially summons Esau for the birthright and the blessings.

Jacob desperately yearns for his father’s love – and perhaps for that reason is quick to heed his mother’s advice. After all, the Abrahamic legacy includes material success, military prowess and aggressive leadership. Thus he decides to assume not only the garb but also the inner characteristics of Esau. In the aftermath of his deception, he indeed becomes Esau!

In time, Jacob understands that while the voice of Jacob may require the hands of Esau, the true essence of Jacob/Israel must remain the G-d of compassionate righteousness and moral justice, bringing true blessing to the world. Jacob will yet turn into Israel and reclaim his legacy of the Abrahamic covenant as a whole-hearted man and scholarly dweller in tents, but he will also have learned the art of conquest and mastery.

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

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18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ

JEWZ

IN THE

By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist SO CUTE The annual “People” magazine “sexiest man alive” issue hit the newsstands about 10 days ago. Actor Bradley Cooper won “the title role” this year and “People” has a big article about him with photos. About a dozen other guys are “honored” with an individual bio sketch and pics.

Included in this group are ANTON YELCHIN, 24, and JOSH CHARLES, 40. The magazine’s judgment about “sexiness” is quite influenced by acting success and Yelchin is now in a hit indie movie (“Like Crazy”) and Charles co-stars in a hit TV show (“The Good Wife”).

The category “sexy at any age” only gets the cute guy a head shot.

In this group are rocker ADAM LEVINE, 32, and actors JAKE GYLLENHAAL, 30, and JAMES FRANCO, 33.

Also in this issue is actor Armie Hammer (the Winkelvoss twins in “Social Network” and Clyde Tolson in “J Edgar”). Last September, Hammer, 25, told “W” magazine that his WASP-y good looks (blonde, blue-eyed, six-foot five) has prevented him from getting some roles he’s drawn to and nobody believes him when says he’s “half Jewish.” Hammer, raised Methodist, has only one Jewish paternal great-grandparent: the late ARMAND HAMMER, a famous oil company head. Yes, it’s possible that Armie may have a little Jewish maternal ancestry. But his claim of being “half Jewish” makes no sense.

CELEBRITY HANUKKAH QUOTES I recently received a copy of a book called, “Hanukkah Stories: Thoughts on Family, Celebration, and Joy.” Written by NANCY RIPS, it can be obtained on Amazon or Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc. It includes a number of quotes from famous people about Hanukkah. Here are a few: Magician DAVID COPPERFIELD, 55: “We’re taught in the Jewish tradition the same story over and over, whether it’s the Holocaust or the Maccabees, we have to rise above persecution and do our best, just as the magic is about making people dream, we learned to take things that aren’t supposed to be and turn them into something beautiful.”

Astronaut JEFRREY A. HOFFMAN, now 67, who flew on five space shuttle missions, including the successful mission to repair the Hubble telescope: “When I realized the Hubble mis-

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NEWZ

sion would occur during Hanukkah, I decided to carry along a few appropriate Jewish objects. An Israeli artisan presented me with a miniature menorah and some dreidels. When I had free time toward the end of the mission I decided to try spinning a dreidel. Because of gravity in space, it never stopped spinning.

The top floated magically in the cabin, suspended in mid-air. I was stuck by the juxtaposition of the Jewish tradition, one of humanity’s oldest, with space flight, one of humanity’s newest. Our religion proved to be extremely portable as well as long lasting.”

Poet EMMA LAZARUS (1849-1887), most famous for her poem on the Statue of Liberty, also penned the poem, “Feast of Lights.” Here are the first few lines, which also appear in the book: “Kindle the taper like the steadfast star/Ablaze on evening’s forehead o’er the earth/ And add each night a luster till afar/An eightfold splendor shine above thy hearth.” (Published in 1882, the rest of this poem becomes a call for a Jewish national revival, well before the term Zionism was even coined. Just google the title and the author’s name, and you will easily find the full text on the Internet.)

CRYSTAL STEPS-UP You probably heard that film director BRETT RATNER resigned earlier this month as the producer of the upcoming Academy Awards telecast. His departure was prompted by a very negative reaction to an anti-gay slur that Ratner made (and promptly apologized for).

Ratner’s buddy, Eddie Murphy, who was set to host the show, decided almost immediately to follow Ratner out the door.

Murphy’s departure left the Academy scrambling for a replacement. They turned to “old reliable” BILLY CRYSTAL, 63, universally viewed as “the gold standard” of Oscar hosts. Crystal’s quick acceptance led one of the Academy’s Governors to tell the NY Times: “He’s a mensch.”

Meanwhile, comedian Ricky Gervais, who will host the Golden Globes awards this year, for the third straight time, tweeted: “Just told Billy Crystal he’d better not use any of my holocaust or pedophile material at The Oscars.

He agreed (true).” Gervais is a lot more of an acerbic host than Crystal ever was — poking sharp fun, for example, at Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitism last year. Despite some industry kvetching, the Globes people re-hire Gervais because he keeps things lively and TV ratings high.

FROM THE PAGES 100 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Mrs. Wm. C. Cohen (Malvine Goldsmith), 12 Greenwood Court, Avondale, have as their guest Mrs. Henry Cohen of Milwaukee, and will be pleased to see their friends.

At a meeting held at the Business Men’s Club last Thursday, a new organization was formed to be called the “Child’s Protective League,” whose object is to find, if possible a cure for juvenile delinquency, with the rescuing of the delinquent as part of the work. The officers of the society are: Rev Frank H. Nelson of Christ Episcopal Church, president; vice president, Prof. F. B. Dyer of the public schools; E. L. Hitchens, labor leader; Richard Crane, manufacturer, and Dr. A. H. Freiberg; secretary, Mrs. Elliot Pendleton; treasurer, Clifford B. Wright; executive committee, Dr. Doris Bogen of the United Jewish Charities; Mrs. Martin Fisher, Miss Edith Campbell, Miss Helen Trounstine, R. B. Miles of the Research Bureau, and W. H. Parker.

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Le Montree (Ida Auer) are domiciled at their new home 9 Seville Apartments, Burnet Avenue, Avondale and will be at home to their friends on Sunday, December 3. — November 30, 1911

75 Y EARS A GO Mrs. Max Stern was hostess to 250 Sunday, Nov. 29th, at the Cincinnati Association for the Welfare of the Blind, 1548 Central Avenue, at their 30th annual Thanksgiving party for the blind.

Assisting her were Mesdames Adolph F. Flateau, Julius Baer, Maude Lewis, Herman Semmons, Joseph L. Rauh, Miss Bessie Sinton, Mr. Henry Flynn.

Leopold Wolf, 53, of 1019 Lenox Place, passed away at Jewish Hospital Thursday, Nov. 26th, after an illness of six months.

Mr. Wolf was a partner in the firm of Hilb & Bauer and was nationally known in the steel business.

He was born in Germany and lived his entire life in Cincinnati and Hamilton, O., where he had business interests.

He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Jeanette Mayer Wolf, two daughters, Miss Helen and Miss Betty Wolf, and a brother, Joseph Wolf, of Cincinnati. Services were held at the residence, Dr. David Philipson officiating.

J. H. LeMontree, 51, of 705 E. Mitchell Avenue, passed away at his home Friday, Nov. 27th.

Mr. LeMontree came here from Indianapolis 23 years ago. He founded the LeMontree Company.

He formerly was a director of the Shoe and Leather Club.

Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Ida Auer LeMontree, and his two daughters, Miss Jean LeMontree and Mrs. Herman Godfred.

Services were held Sunday at Weil’s. Dr. Victor E. Reichert officiating. — December 3, 1936

50 Y EARS A GO Mr. Samuel Lissitz, executive director of Sheltering Oaks, has been appointed to the National Rehabilitation Association’s Committee on Aging. It sponsors national legislation and projects for the purpose of rehabilitating the aged and the young who have been deprived of faculties through illness or injury.

Drs. Charles Asher, Giles De Courcy, J. Victor Greensbaum, Charles Hofling, Louis Lurie and Edgar C. Steinharter were honored by the Academy of Medicine Wednesday evening, Nov. 22, for 50 years of service in the profession.

Mrs. Milton Schloss, vice president-director of Ohio Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. has been named first vice chairman of the 1962 convention, which will convene in Cincinnati on Oct. 15-17 of next year, the board of managers announced in Columbus.

During the first nine months of 1961, the U.S. Patent Office issued 51 patents to one man, Dr. Milton B. Frankel, senior chemist at Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park.

A graduate of Walnut Hills High School and the University of Cincinnati, he earned an M.S. degree at Pennsylvania State and a Ph.D. at Stanford — both in organic chemistry.

He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. I. Frankel of the Redding Apts. and a brother of Charles Frankel and Dr. David Frankel of Cincinnati. — November 30, 1961

25 Y EARS A GO Dr. David I. Wolfson of 3533 Amber Acres Drive passed away Dec. 1.

He is survived by his wife, Mickey Wolfson; a son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Barbara Wolfson; a daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and James Marowitz; two brothers, Nathan Wolfson of Las Vegas and Philip Wolfson of Cincinnati; four grandchildren, Joshua, Natasha and Amanda Wolfson and Gabriel Marowitz; and many nieces and nephews.

He was the son of the late Fred and Esther Wolfson and the father of the late Gary and Robert Wolfson.

The shrinking middle class and the impact of the economy on the Jewish Community was the focus of the recent meeting of the advisory committee for employment of the

Jewish Vocational Service.

Placement counselors, Betty Wacksman and Diane Goodman, pointed out that the income gap between the rich and the poor is growing wider with the middle class losing ground yearly. Working women are keeping many families in the middle class and in the future we will see more three income families with the husband holding down a second job.

According to JVS, the economy is not generating enough well-paying positions. There is much competition for the “good” jobs, but companies and businesses who pay minimum wages cannot find enough qualified help. When the Placement Department sends out mass mailings listing available clients, the majority of responses are for clerical and non-professionals. — December 4, 1986

10 Y EARS A GO Sylvan H. Joseph, 103, passed away November 4, 2001. He was engaged for most of his life in the manufacture of millenery at the Joseph Lazuras Co., which his father and uncle founded in 1875.

Mr. Joseph was married to Celeste Simon of Denver, who passed away in 1959. He then married May Pollak Frieberg, who also predeceased him in 1968. His third marriage was to Toby Frank, to whom he was married for 27 years.

Surviving him is his daughter, Mildred J. Selonick (Edward) and stepdaughter June F. Huber, of Louisville, Mr. Joseph was the stepfather of the late Susan Katz.

Other survivors include his two grandchildren, Dr. Stuart E. Selonick of Annapolis, Md. and Carol S. Oaks of Thousand Islands, Calif. He is also survived by five great-grandchildren and seven step-great-grandchildren.

Dr. Israel O. Lehman, 89, passed away November 14, 2001. A distinguished scholar and rabbi Dr. Lehman was, for decades, respected and regarded fondly by rabbinical and graduate students and professors at Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion. Few, however, actually knew who he was or on what he was working.

Dr. Lehman began working at the college library in 1968 as a curator of manuscripts. Although he officially retired after 10 years, he continued working on various research projects of his own in the back of the reference section of the library. Anyone who spent time there, probably saw him working quietly at a small desk by the window, day in and day out. Even when Dr. Lehman wasn’t there, they knew that the desk, piled high with books and papers, was his. — November 29, 2001.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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production@ americanisraelite.com STATUE from page 6 At a time when the concept of historic preservation didn’t exist, Levy spared no expense to restore the home and grounds to their former glory. Though it again fell into disrepair during the Civil War, Levy’s nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy, took over and was most responsible for the full preservation of Jefferson’s architectural masterpiece.

Uriah Levy also had commissioned a statue of Jefferson by French sculptor David d’Angers, and in 1834 presented it as a gift to Congress. Levy is buried in the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue’s cemetery in Brooklyn, N.Y. Levy never achieved the same fame as other Philadelphia Jews from the early days of the republic, such as Revolutionary War financier Haym Salomon. But Levy has received more respect in recent years. In 2005, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., opened a new chapel named for him. The same year, a play about his life called “Levy’s Ghost” was staged in Baltimore and revolved around a dialogue between Levy and the ghost of Thomas Jefferson.

Still, Tabach felt that outside of the Navy, Levy has never really gotten his due.

While stationed in Russia a few years ago, Tabach met Russian sculptor Gregory Pototsky at a party hosted by the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow. After some discussions and negotiations over price, which Tabach and Landes would not disclose — they did say it was tens of thousands of dollars — Pototsky began designing a piece based on a portrait of Levy signing the order to abolish flogging.

Landes financed the construction of a large pedestal for the Levy statue.

So they had their statue and a CO-FOUNDER from page 9 “People of essentially any economic situation could participate,” said Greenfield, and one in every 100 Vermont families became shareholders in the company. “As the business supported the community, the community supported the business.”

In 1985, the company made a public stock offering and also established the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. It began donating 7.5

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(513) 531-9600 pedestal, but where were they going to put it?

Initially they had hoped to display it at Penn’s Landing, the site where Levy boarded his first ship.

But the two said that finding a site on city land proved difficult.

Back in 2009, the piece spent about six months on display at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan. After that it went into storage, its future somewhat uncertain.

Landes then learned that space on the Fifth Street side of Mikveh Israel became available because the 25-foot-tall 1874 monument known as “Religious Liberty,” which had been in place since 1976, was being moved a block southward to the new home of the National Museum of American Jewish History.

But Tabach, who had given a miniature version of the piece to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, was adamant that the art not be affiliated with a religious institution.

Then, just over a year ago, fate intervened. His mother fell and broke her arm. Feeling he needed to be by her side, he flew from Russia to visit her at Jefferson University Hospital. Yom Kippur came around and he didn’t know where to go for shul; Landes suggested he try Mikveh Israel.

That experience changed his perspective, he said. The site, across from Independence Mall and not far from the Liberty Bell, was perfect, he said.

Some Jews might frown on the practice of erecting statues, but there is nothing in Jewish law that forbids the building of monuments, said Rabbi Albert Gabbai, Mikveh Israel’s religious leader.

“Nobody is going to go and worship that statue, it’s just a piece of art,” said Gabbai, a Sephardi Orthodox rabbi. “It’s a tribute not only to the congregation, but to the Jewish community and the whole nation.” percent of pretax profits to nonprofit organizations — the highest percentage of any publicly traded company at the time, he said.

“As you give, you receive,” Greenfield said. “As you help others, you are helped in return.”

He added, “And just because the idea that the good that you do comes back to you is written in the Bible and not in some business textbook doesn’t mean that it is any less valid.”

20 • LEGAL / BUSINESS

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Justice Paul Pfeifer publicly urges Leading Israeli business Ohio to get rid of the death penalty executive brings private Legally Speaking

by Marianna Bettman It all began Jan. 18, 2011 at Justice Paul Pfeifer’s swearing-in ceremony for his current (and now last) term. In his blog, the Ohio Supreme Court Justice calls for an end to the Ohio’s death penalty, which he stated might make everyone in the room uncomfortable. He said that he had concluded, “that it is exceedingly difficult for this statute to be administered in a fair and just way.” He urged the legislature to seriously consider whether Ohio continues to be well-served by having a death penalty statute, and urged the governor to consider commuting all death penalty sentences to life without the possibility of parole. He commented further that the court is seeing far fewer death sentences now that juries have the choice of life without the possibility of parole.

The next day in an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Pfeifer is quoted as saying that safeguards put in place to prevent inequities in death penalty sentencing had not worked, and that the use of capital punishment was a “lottery.”

Pfeifer repeated the remark from his swearing in that he thought the governor should commute all death sentences to life without the possibility of parole, and to do what Illinois has done “and say we don’t need the death penalty in Ohio any longer.”

Finally, on Jan. 26 Pfeifer wrote a letter to the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, in which he wrote that from his perspective, first as a legislator who had helped draft the law, and now as a judge, “I have come to the conclusion that we are not well-served by our ongoing attachment to capital punishment.” He expressed his unease at the unfair application of the death penalty, and ended the letter saying, “I believe the time has come to abolish the death penalty in Ohio.”

On Nov. 19 the Supreme Court of Ohio heard a death penalty appeal in the case of State v.

White. Nothing unusual there — the Ohio high court hears lots of those. What is unusual is the fact that the Ashland County prosecu-

tor (the White case was from Ashland county) filed a motion to remove Justice Pfeifer from the case. She was joined in this position by the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys’ Association as amicus curiae. Under the Court’s rules, an amicus curiae cannot file a recusal request, so the Association filed a memorandum in support of the local prosecutor’s motion. Several county prosecutors approved the Association’s recusal memorandum, including Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.

In 1996, Maxwell White was convicted of the aggravated murder of an Ohio State patrol officer, and the trial court imposed the death penalty upon a jury’s recommendation. But White’s sentence (not his conviction) was vacated in a 2005 habeas corpus appeal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit because a juror was seated in the case who admitted she could not fairly consider the death penalty in the case (her bias was in favor of the death penalty, not against it). When White was resentenced in 2007, White’s lawyer filed a motion to prohibit the state from seeking the death penalty a second time, because under the statute in effect at that time, that was not permissible. But that statute had been amended to allow the death penalty to be reimposed at a resentencing hearing.

So the issue before the Supreme Court of Ohio was whether White could fairly be sentenced to death a second time.

The state’s attempt to remove Justice Pfeifer from this case is based on Pfeifer’s public comments about the death penalty. In an affidavit filed with the motion, the Ashland County prosecuting attorney wrote that “based on Justice Pfeifer’s comments and the similarity of one of his voiced opinions to one of the appellant’s (Smith’s) contentions in this case, the State believes that Justice Pfeifer would arrive at deliberations with a preconceived opinion regarding appellant’s argument.”

In seeking recusal, the state and its amicus cited a number of provisions of the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct. (Unlike U.S. Supreme Court Justices, who are not bound by the Federal Code of Judicial Conduct, Ohio Supreme Court Justices are bound by the state’s code of judical conduct.)

Under Rule 2.11 (A), “a judge shall disqualify himself or herself in any proceeding in which the judge’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned.” Under paragraph 5 of that section, disqualification is required when the judge (or justice) “has made a public statement, other than in a court proceeding, judicial decision, or

opinion, that commits or appears to commit the judge to reach a particular result or rule in a particular way in the proceeding or controversy.”

Under Rule 2.10 (A), “a judge is not to make any public statement that might reasonably be expected to affect the outcome or impair the fairness of a matter pending or impending in any court.” Under Rule 2.10 (B), “a judge shall not, in connection with cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, make pledges, promises, or commitments that are inconsistent with the impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of judicial office.”

When a recusal motion is made in Ohio against a Supreme Court justice, it is up to that justice to decide whether or not to step aside. The procedure for recusal of a justice is relatively new. It’s been in effect since April 1, 2011.

Under the Supreme Court rules of practice, a party seeking the recusal of a justice on a case must file the request in letter form with the Clerk of the Ohio Supreme Court and include an affidavit with the specific basis and facts to support the request. The justice must then respond to the clerk in writing indicating whether the justice will step aside from the case.

In the required filing, Justice Pfeifer found the recusal motion to be without merit, and remained on the case. While he did not say this in his filing, Pfeifer said in the Plain Dealer article that even though he is advocating for a change in the law, he can still vote to uphold the death penalty.

There are twin themes here that are very much debated currently.

One is the right of judges to speak out on issues that may come before the court. Since the 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Republican Party of Minnesota v.

White, judges are allowed to speak out about issues far more than they used to be. Justice Scalia, author of that opinion, does so more than most. The rationale for that ruling was if judges don’t speak out, how can voters decide which judges to vote for? And while recusal standards are being debated at a national and state level, most of those issues revolve around when campaign contributions require a judge to step aside from a case.

And as for Justice Pfeifer — a Republican maverick on a Court far more conservative than he — I confess a great personal affection.

I haven’t the slightest doubt that he can be fair and impartial in this or any case.

Marianna Bettman is a professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

sector expertise to organization

NEW YORK- Israel Tapoohi, widely regarded as one of Israel’s most innovative and successful business executives, became president and CEO of Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds on Oct. 31.

In welcoming Tapoohi, Chairman of the Board Richard Hirsch said, “Mr. Tapoohi’s forward-looking business acumen, together with his heartfelt Zionist ideals, make him exceptionally well-qualified to elevate the Bonds organization to new levels of achievement.”

Born in Israel and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Tapoohi was a Zionist activist in New South Wales and served as chairman of the local aliyah organization. In 1979, he immigrated with his family to Israel.

Tapoohi brings an outstanding level of experience to the Bonds organization. Highly regarded for his private sector expertise and insights, he served as a top executive for many of Israel’s most prominent companies, including chairman of the board of AfricaIsrael Investments and executive chairman of the board of Bezeq, Israel’s telecommunications provider and largest corporation.

A proactive entrepreneur, Tapoohi was founder and CEO of InQSOFT, Ltd., which evaluated early-stage start-ups and provided recommendations to top-level international investors.

As president and CEO of Israel Bonds, Tapoohi said his agenda SEEKING from page 7 a gift for his fifth birthday in March 1950: a View Master and its distinctive, hand-sized cardboard wheels whose slides featured colorful children’s stories. Shortly thereafter, perhaps also in 1950, Moti thinks, Alice died of cancer.

Alexander and Evgenia asked the children’s aunt if they could adopt Edna and Michael. Moti remembers Evgenia telling him that Alexander later quashed the adoption idea because of the financial strain it would cause. He also recalls hearing that the aunt gave up the children to two Christian families for adoption.

Moti, a human resources specialist for teachers employed by ORT Israel, wonders what has become of Edna and Michael. He has no direct memories to go on, though. He was a baby when the Ellbogens moved out and was three years old when they left for America. His parents continued

Israel Tapoohi, new president and CEO of Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds.

will be to “deliver a two-part message: Israel bonds are not only an important means of connecting with Israel, but also excellent additions to investment portfolios.”

Emphasizing this approach, Tapoohi said, “Every day in Israel brings forth new technological breakthroughs with extraordinary implications for the entire world.

When people invest in Israel bonds, they instantly become partners in this ongoing success, while acquiring securities that make good business sense — a powerful and compelling motivation to buy Israel bonds.” living in the Pilon Street apartment until their deaths (Alexander in 1970 and Evgenia in 1980), but they never spoke much about the Ellbogens, and Moti didn’t think to ask.

In the past couple of years, Moti has contacted an association of Austrian immigrants to Israel and a U.S. immigration agency hoping in vain for leads. In early October, he was interviewed by the Israeli radio program “The Bureau for Searching for Relatives,” which attempts to reunite long-lost people.

“You get to a certain age when you wonder what happened to soand-so,” he said. “These kids could have been my sister and brother.”

Please send a message JTA if you can help Moti Malkin locate Edna and Michael Ellbogen, or if you would like our help in searching for your own long-lost friends or family. Please include the principal facts in a brief email (up to one paragraph) and your contact information.

AUTOS • 21

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011

SANCTIONS from page 7

2012 Jaguar XJ—sophistication, meet provocation

A letter sent to Obama last week, authored by Berman and signed by leaders of both parties in the House, urged the president to sanction the Central Bank of Iran, also known as Bank Markazi.

“If a review of the facts confirms that CBI is involved in illicit activities linked to Iran’s nuclear program and terrorist activities, we urge you to quickly designate CBI as a facilitator of Iran’s weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorist activities for the purpose of imposing sanctions on persons that do business with CBI,” the letter said.

Geithner named the Central Bank in his warnings and suggested that the warning — even lacking the formal bite of sanctions — would inhibit Iran’s economy.

“Iran is now cut off from three of the world’s largest financial sectors,” he said, referring to simultaneous actions against Iran announced Monday by Britain and Canada.

France called for outright European Union sanctions on those dealing with the Central Bank and a suspension of all oil purchases from Iran — steps that would go beyond the Obama administration’s warning that dealing with Iran places an individual or an entity “at risk.”

“The idea of freezing the CBI is a huge step and we are aware of that, but we believe it is the appropriate response to such a game change,” a French diplomat told JTA, speaking under his country’s customary rules of anonymity.

European foreign ministers are set to convene in the next two weeks and likely will consider the French call.

The executive order described

by Clinton and Geithner also bans dealings with Iran’s energy sector, tightening rules that had only banned investments.

Sources with pro-Israel groups said that the tighter sanctions announced by Clinton and Geithner were unlikely to stop Congress from moving ahead with legislative efforts to sanction the Central Bank, but were likely to head off for now a battle between Congress and the White House over such legislation.

The principal hesitation in cutting off Iran outright is that doing so would drive up the world’s oil prices. That may soon change, insiders said, with Libya’s pending re-entry into oil markets. Libya’s anticipated 1.5 million barrels a day would go some way to compensate for the anticipated 2.5 million barrels a day that Iran’s exit would cost the world supply.

The Anti-Defamation League praised the new measures, saying in a statement that they “mark a welcome and important new stage in the campaign against Iran’s development of a nuclear weapons capability.”

If you are looking for that perfect balance of sophisticaion and provocation for your car, the 2012 Jaguar XJ is the one. The XJ is an all-aluminum flagship that offers exceptional performance and luxury. Its lightweight construction delivers superior agility and improved efficiency.

The 2012 Jaguar XJ is sleek and stylish — and has enough leg room for a basketball player. Yet it can go from zero to 60 in just 4.5 seconds.

The XJ also weighs less — a positive factor when negotiating a tight, winding road. The ease of steering may make the driver forget that there are almost 10 feet of car behind him or her.

Those who buy the flagship of the Jaguar line will find that the overall experience is a lot more than performance and handling. Its comfort can make the driver forget about his or her bad day, intolerable commute, or tedious errands — it is just that comfortable!

Inside the cabin of the XJ, the driver will experience front seats that come standard with heating, cooling, massaging and 12 ways of adjustment. And drivers of all heights will be able to assure themselves of a comfortable driving position, thanks to the power tiltand-telescoping steering wheel.

There are four new option packages to make any driver not want to leave the car.

The XJ Rear Seat Comfort Pack brings an extra touch of luxury for rear-seat passengers. It includes reclining seats, four-way lumbar adjustment for the lower back, a massage feature, footrests and winged headrests. The right side rear-seat passenger can move the front seat forward at the touch of a button to create more legroom. This comes standard on XJL Supersport..

The XJ Illumination Pack includes Jaguar-branded lighting features that offer extra convenience for driver and passengers, as well as a further touch of distinction for your XJ. The pack includes distinctive illuminated front and rear air vents and illuminated front and rear tread plates and trunk latch finisher. Available on all models, standard on Supersport models.

The XJ Portfolio Pack adds luxury touches to the entry XJ model, bringing it up to the level of interior appointment offered by the XJL Portfolio. Included in the Pack are 20/20-way adjustable front seats which are heated and cooled with active ventilation and massage, and feature contrasting stitching and piping and an embossed Jaguar on the headrest.

Also included is a Jaguar Suedecloth headliner, additional soft grain leather in the interior and chrome “Portfolio” side vent badges on the exterior. Rear seat passengers are treated to four zone climate control and heated and

2012 Jaguar XJ

cooled active ventilated seats.

Available on XJ models.

The XJL Executive Pack adds the classic luxury accents for which Jaguar is renowned to the XJL Portfolio model: rear seat Business Trays, premium thickpile floor mats front and rear with Jaguar badges and contrasting leather edge piping, wood and leather heated steering wheel, chrome side mirror covers and a distinctive Union Jack and Jaguar intaglio badge in the center of the dash. Note the wood and leather steering wheel is only available with gloss wood veneers. Available on XJL Portfolio models.

Other than the beautiful and

abundant presence of leather and wood, the driver will immediately notice the two dominant display screens. The first is a touchscreen from which the driver can control the climate, information and entertainment systems. It is quite large and offers a smart menu display and well defined graphics.

The second screen displays the car’s gauges. The display is excellent, with a non-glare screen that shows off the versatile information.

Entertainment features in the 2012 XJ include: steering wheel mounted audio controls; a CD player; wireless connectivity; and an MP3 decoder.

Exterior features on the 2012

XJ include: power door mirrors; turn signal indicator mirrors; body colored bumpers; a power open and close trunk lid; and auto-dimming door mirrors.

And of course the 2012 Jaguar XJ comes with the most up-todate safety and security features, including: brake assist; overhead airbag; electronic stability; dual front impact airbags; adjustable head restraints; occupant sensing airbag; panic alarm; power adjustable front head restraints; dual front side impact airbags; traction control; ABS 4-wheel disc brakes; and a security system.

The MSRP on the 2012 Jaguar XJ starts at $73,700.

22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES SASKIN, Dr. Gordon A., age 65, died November 22, 2011; 25 Cheshvan, 5772.

HELLMAN, Louis K., age 82, died November 24, 2011; 27 Cheshvan, 5772.

SCHEAR, Melvin R., age 84, died November 26, 2011; 29 Cheshvan, 5772.

PRESSMAN, Harold “Hal,” age 83, died November 26, 2011; 29 Cheshvan, 5772.

HATTENBACH, Eric, age 92, died November 26, 2011; 29 Cheshvan, 5772.

KRAVITZ, Samuel, age 87, died November 28, 2011; 2 Kislev, 5772.

O BITUARIES RINGEL, Marilynn E. Marilynn E. Ringel, formerly of Cincinnati, died November 20, 2011, in Boynton Beach, Fla., after a lengthy illness. She leaves behind her loving husband of 43 years, Gerry Ringel; three children, Wendy, Diane and Greg; three grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren, and her special cousin, Rhea Swillinger.

Marilynn was the only child of the late Meyer and Ruth Goldberg. Marilynn taught in the Cincinnati school system for 31 years. Even after retiring and moving to Florida, she maintained her active charity work in many organizations, including being a board member of Florida’s Westchester Chapter of Hadassah. Services have been held and interment was at Eternal Light Mausoleum, in Boynton Beach, Fla.

WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM

GOLDIN, Maurice

Occasionally Beck has apologized — as he did after he compared Reform rabbis to Islamists — and then gone on to offend again.

It was in the wake of the Soros spat, when several Jewish groups lined up to express their outrage, that the ZOA bucked the trend. In a news release, Klein said that Beck’s comments were “essentially accurate” and that Soros “merits no defense or sympathy from Jewish leaders.”

“Glenn Beck got in touch with me, thanked me for writing this because no one else in the organized Jewish world was defending him, and he asked if we could get together,” Klein told JTA. “We got together, I asked him if he’d be our honoree, he began to almost cry.

Tears welled up in his eyes.”

Asked about the discomfort some feel with Beck’s repeated use of Holocaust analogies, Klein, a child of survivors who was born in a German displaced persons camp, claimed ignorance, saying he didn’t watch Beck’s show often enough to have an opinion.

“I just don’t know,” he said.

That Beck, an unabashed crier, became misty at Klein’s offer is eminently believable.

Beck

appeared to choke back tears at least four times during his hourlong speech — and that was during his less emotional moments.

When he wasn’t battling the urge to cry, he was issuing a battle cry. With arms flailing wildly and face turning the color of the red caviar served in the VIP room, Beck portrayed the challenges facing Israel and the Jewish people in apocalyptic terms — as the ultimate showdown between good and evil. Beck was the only speaker at the dinner whose voice reached a pitch more feverish than Klein’s.

Beck said he came to the ZOA as a brother. “It’s personal,” he said repeatedly.

And clearly he has not been chastened by the urgings of some Jewish groups to tread lightly with the Holocaust analogies. Again and again he invoked them, saying the world stood on a precipice like the one it faced in 1939 — only this time it’s worse, as not only is the world ignoring rising evil, he said, it is actively helping it along.

“America is not a collective,” Beck thundered. “America is built on the individual. I am a man and I demand to be counted so others are not numbered again.”

The crowd went wild.

Even for an experienced player like Gondelman, the financial commitment can take a toll.

“I’ve spent the last seven months rebuilding the Kings, working some months as much as 40 hours a week just to play ball,” he said.

The league also struggles with transitory players. Many players are in Israel for just a year of study. Job offers and military service also get in the way of their consistent attendance. Last year’s Most Valuable Player, Alex Swieca of the Judean Rebels, is a

walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback this fall at the University of Michigan.

But the constant turnover also creates excitement. The Rebels lost six key players from last year’s championship squad but have managed to add some new talent.

“We are embracing the target painted on our back, although that is no different than last year,” said Betzalel Friedman, head coach of the Rebels. “I am interested in seeing how all of the teams improved.”

For some participants, playing football in Israel is about much

more than sports.

“Our team’s success comes from the fact that the majority of us really loves and cares for each other,” Sable said. “We don’t simply block for each other because we want to win, but rather because we won’t allow anyone to hit or hurt our friend and teammate.

“The greatest moments of my IFL career has to be prior to the Israel Bowl, in 2010 and in 2011.

Nothing beats the emotion I felt standing on the field at Kraft [Stadium in Jerusalem] singing the ‘Hatikvah’ with my teammates prior to the championship games.”

ernment, we were able to create a good life,” he said. “This is slipping away for families across our community.”

He also notes his own Jewish organizational connection: The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society assisted his family, which arrived in 1991.

Sheyman’s website articulates his position on Israel in great detail. The only issue on his “issues” page that features a link to a separate PDF statement is the section on Israel.

In the three-page document, titled “Standing Up for Israel,” Sheyman calls for an active U.S. involvement in brokering peace — language that suggests a familiarity with the stances of dovish Israel groups — while insisting that a “final status agreement must come from direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian

Authority,” mirroring Israel’s insistence that Palestinians return to the negotiating table.

Democrats see the 10th District as a likely pickup in 2012, principally because post-census redistricting has made the district — which includes a mix of wealthy suburbs and struggling towns north of Chicago — more Democratic than it was in 2010.

Mark Kirk, a moderate Republican, represented the 10th for a decade, winning close elections in a district with a substantial Jewish population by being a leader on pro-Israel issues while trending more to the center on social issues such as abortion and health care.

Kirk relinquished the seat in 2010 for a successful Senate run and was succeeded by Rep. Robert Dold (R-Ill.), narrowly defeating a Democratic opponent by 2 per-

centage points in last year’s GOP sweep. Dold, however, has disappointed those who had hoped he would maintain Kirk’s tradition of moderation.

Insiders say that although Dold has assiduously courted the Jewish community, the death knell for his prospects of winning broad Jewish support came last month when he voted for the Protect Life Act — a measure that is anathema to abortion rights supporters.

Democrats are feeling good about their prospects in the race even 12 months ahead of the election.

Lauren Beth Gash, chairwoman of the 10th Congressional District Democrats, says she tells voters not to worry too much about which candidate is likeliest to best Dold.

“Whoever wins the primary has a better chance of beating Dold,” she said.

BECK from page 8 Maurice Goldin, age 96, of Mayfield Heights, Ohio, passed away on November 25, 2011—the 28th day of Cheshvan , 5772. He was the beloved husband of the late Alice Goldin; devoted father of Barbara (Gary) Horwitz and Laurel (Dennis) Wendell; adored grandfather of Jonathan (Jeannette) Horwitz, Todd Horwitz, Melissa Horwitz (Marc Dixon), Tara and Miranda Wendell; dearest greatgrandfather of Zachary and Benjamin Horwitz.Mr. Goldin was an army veteran who participated in the landing at Omaha Beach.He was a graduate of Juilliard School of Music and played bass violin in the Indianapolis Symphony. He was truly a Renaissance man in his later years as an acclaimed painter and sculptor. Services have been held. Contributions can be made to the charity of one’s choice.

KLAYMAN, Geraldine Geraldine Klayman, of Aventura, Fla., passed away on November 28, 2011. Born 1919 in Indianapolis, Ind., she lived in Cincinnati for 40 years before moving to South Florida in 1974.

She was predeceased by her husband, Hyman, of 52 years. She is survived by her children: Ann Carol (Raymond) Marin of North Miami Beach, Fla., and Kenneth (Maryann) Klayman of San Diego, Calif.; her loving grandchildren, Arthur (Anne) Marin, Nicole (Gregg) Letts, Keith (Allie) Klayman, Benjamin (Coral) Klayman, and Danielle Klayman; and her great-grandchildren, Kailyn, Noah, Jack, Ethan, Summer and Frances. She was a loving lady who was loved by everyone and will be missed.

Interment was at Beth El Memorial Gardens. Contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society or to Hospice.

FACEOFF from page 9 Schneider, however, has deep roots in the Jewish community. He is involved with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, and is a member of the American Jewish Committee’s Chicago region executive committee.

Schneider, who has lived in Israel, played down foreign policy in an interview, saying the emphasis should be on jobs, education and the social safety net.

We can’t call ourselves a great country if we aren’t taking care of the most vulnerable among us,” he told JTA. Sheyman in an interview has a similar emphasis.

“Through hard work and support from the community and gov-

gives many American Jews the willies. But the ZOA crowd is not one to get much exercised about the confluence of G-d and politics.

A clear majority of men in the room wore yarmulkes and speakers repeatedly invoked G-d’s promise of Israel to the Jews.

After a taped message from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went off with only a minor technical glitch, the emcee quipped, “I think that proves that G-d is on our side because the video actually worked.”

As for Beck, he is arguably the most polarizing media figure in Jewish life. Hundreds of liberal rabbis signed a letter in January asking that he be sanctioned for “completely unacceptable” use of the Holocaust and Nazi imagery.

He has urged his listeners to quit their church or synagogue if “social justice” is part of its mission. And in a two-part series that accused left-wing financier and Jewish Holocaust survivor George Soros of collaborating with the Nazis, Beck flirted with what some critics saw as anti-Semitic conspiracies of Jewish control of media and finance.

FOOTBALL from page 10

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