AI
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 1 IYYAR, 5773
Silver Whisper: a captivating, diverse itinerary
CINCINNATI, OH Candle Lighting Times Shabbat begins Fri 7:54p Shabbat ends Sat 8:55p
p.20
VOL. 159 • NO. 38
The American Israelite T H E
O L D E S T
04
E N G L I S H
92YLive program about science, religion at Wise
LOCAL
p.5
Events offered at Israel Independence Week
NATIONAL
p.8
Security prep for Memphis Klan rally seen as national...
ISRAEL
p.10
Israel stops to remember victims of Holocaust
DINING OUT
p.14
Izzy’s—taking corned beef to new frontiers
LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
SINGLE ISSUE: $1.00 J E W I S H
08
W E E K L Y
I N
A M E R I C A
Thatcher remembered for her affection for Britain’s Jews
|
09
E S T .
1 8 5 4
|
“ L E T
Eastern European communities overwhelmed by costs of cemetery...
T H E R E
10
B E
L I G H T ”
Natural gas exportation by Israel: The potential economic and...
Rockdale, Valley commemorate Passover at Freedom Center The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center welcomed nearly 300 members of Rockdale Temple and Valley Temple on Sunday, March 17 for a joint educational program entitled Let My People Go: The Ultimate Freedom Festival. The program, sponsored by a grant from the Jewish Community Education Council of the Cincinnati Jewish Federation, and in partnership with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, offered congregants of all ages the opportunity to explore the concepts of the Passover story and the American experience of slavery depicted in the Center through a variety of activities. Rabbis Sissy Coran and Sandford Kopnick, Temple Educators Alexia Kadish, Alison Weikel and Margaret FriedmanVaughan and Rabbinic Interns Meredith Kahan and Carolan Glatstein, planned and led a lively, interactive morning of learning, music, discussion and art projects. The faculties of both schools were instrumental in making certain that the goals and objectives of the morning were achieved in a way that was meaningful to all participants. Children and their parents in preschool through first grade learned about the mitzvah of helping someone in need and doing nice things for others. They read stories about Passover and the Underground Railroad and discussed how both the Israelites and African-American slaves were given help to become free. Students and parents discussed how characters in the stories received help along their journeys
Rebecca Peters, Sydney Kraus, Griffin Ames, Benjamin Kraus, Michael Ames and Rabbinic Intern Meredith Kahan at the event.
toward freedom. The program for second and third grade students began as they were asked to raise their hands to agree with a variety of statements about what it meant to be courageous. This led to the reading of two stories – one about how Nachshon showed courage by being the first of the Israelites to step into the sea before God parted the waters, and one about how AfricanAmerican slaves were courageous in following the stars to head north and escape to freedom. The fourth, fifth and sixth grade students discussed making decisions that create change by looking at Jewish values and tradition. The group became engrossed in the film “Brothers of the Borderland,” a story about two religious abolition-
ists that helped a woman as she escaped slavery and became free. Viewers participated in a discussion on how religion played a part in the abolitionist’s decision to help and how Jewish tradition influences their daily decisions. Students in the seventh and eighth grade groups toured the “Everyday Freedom Heroes” and “From Slavery to Freedom” exhibits in the museum. During the tour participants compared different aspects of the exhibit to Pharaoh, Moses, the 10 plagues and the journey through the desert in the Passover story. Students formed small groups and played a game of bingo in which they created their own boards with different information pertaining to what they had learned. After they discussed the
items they chose for their bingo board, they explained their choices and why they were significant. High school students were invited to participate in a text study considering the reasons we celebrate Passover which was based on various verses in Exodus. Students discussed why we as Jewish people are compelled to have a Passover Seder, why we as Jewish people celebrate Passover. Students and families were encouraged to walk through the “Women Hold Up Half the Sky” and “Invisible Slavery” exhibits. During the walk through the exhibits, discussions were held on how to better show women’s roles in the Passover story during the Seder and how to combat modern day slavery. Adults were given the option to attend programs with their children or to join a program examining the gap between what is sacred and what is real. Through a text study, adults compared the Torah and the United States Constitution. The discussion was based on the parallels between these two documents and then led into how the Exodus story and the African-American slavery in United States history were parallel. At the end of each group’s separate activities, participants were invited to create a Haggadah page to take home for their Passover Seder based on their learning experience. Each congregation also had a banner on which members could recount their experiences of the morning to display in their Temple during Passover. The morning concluded with a display of the banners and singing We Shall Overcome and the Shehecheyanu.
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
LOCAL • 3
April 25 proclaimed Hadassah Day Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld will proclaim April 25 “Hadassah Day” in Cincinnati at the annual Hadassah Donor Luncheon at the Kenwood Country Club. In a special ceremony, he will give the proclamation to Hadassah National President Marcie Natan, who will be in Cincinnati for three unforgettable events on April 24 and 25. Hadassah Donor Campaign supports the two Hadassah Hospitals and many other projects in Israel. Ghita Sarembock is Hadassah Donor Chair, and Bonnie Juran Ullner is Cincinnati Chapter President. These events are part of the community-wide Israel@65 Celebration. While in Cincinnati, Marcie Natan will also meet with Michael Fisher, CEO of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and tour Cincinnati Children’s Hospital so that she can see firsthand the facility that has a collaborative agreement with the Hadassah hospitals in Jerusalem. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Israel Exchange Program (IEP) was established in 2011 to improve clinical care for children, more expertly train scientists and pediatric providers and make research and technological advances that benefit the world. Through the IEP, some of Israel’s best and brightest are moving their families to Cincinnati for one- to threeyear clinical and research training opportunities at Cincinnati Children’s. The IEP also provides for joint patient care in Israel and Cincinnati, as well as research and technological collaborations with Israeli start-ups, universities and medical centers. Ten Israeli fellows from leading Israeli medical centers and universities have currently attained competitive training spots at CCHMC in neurology, nephrology, gastroenterology, colorectal surgery, allergy and immunology, adolescent medicine, bone marrow transplant, rheumatology and neuroimaging research. Upon their return to Israel, they go on to become leaders in their fields and continue to advance clinical and research collaboration with CCHMC colleagues. The newest Hadassah fellow, Gilad Hamandi, will begin a Nephrology fellowship this summer, joining Shelley Ben Harush Negari from Hadassah Hospital, who began an adolescent medicine fellowship last summer. The first Donor event is an intimate Major Gifts Wine and Dessert Reception with Marcie
Natan on Wednesday, April 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the beautiful Hyde Park home of Kim and Larry Juran. It is open to all significant donors to the 2013 Hadassah Donor Campaign. Entertainment will be provided by Claire Lee, pianist, and attendees will have the opportunity to take individual photos with Marcie Natan. The next day, April 25, Marcie will speak at a special Leading Gifts Reception at the Kenwood Country Club from 10 to 11 a.m. This reception is open to those who pledge a significant amount to Hadassah in 2013. Donor Luncheon will follow immediately at 11:30, also at the Kenwood Country Club. The luncheon is open to all who pledge a significant amount to Hadassah’s 2013 Donor Campaign. Guest speakers will include Marcie Natan and Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld. Marcie Natan has served Hadassah with her quiet strength, profound integrity, and generosity of spirit since her early 20s. Marcie first joined, then rose to become President of the Eastern Pennsylvania Region. A former National Vice President, she has also served as Chair of Planned Giving & Estates, Major Gifts, Unit Assessment and Hadassah College. Her positions have included National President’s Training Chair, National Secretary and National Treasurer. Marcie has traveled to Israel more than 50 times, including visits during both intifadas and the 2006 Lebanon War. Her time in Israel has intensified her passion and honed the perspective she has brought to Hadassah’s National Board and Executive Committee, and the Hadassah Foundation Board. Claire Lee is a graduate of UC’s College-Conservatory of Music with a Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying. She is also a Life Member of Hadassah. Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, is the largest women’s volunteer organization in America. Donor funds support projects like healthcare and medical research (Hadassah Medical Association), education (Hadassah College Jerusalem), youth programs (Young Judaea and Youth Aliyah/Children at Risk), and environmental resource development (Jewish National Fund). There is a required donation for the events. Reservations are requested.
4 • LOCAL
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
18 marriages happily reconsecrated
AI
The American Israelite “LET THERE BE LIGHT” THE OLDEST ENGLISH-JEWISH WEEKLY IN AMERICA - EST. JULY 15, 1854 (Back-row) Jann and Jim Greenberg (30 years), Kristi Nelson and Stewart Goldman (30 years), Yolanda and David Klein (25 years), Ralph Bucher and Maxine Berkman (20 years), Ann and Michael Margolis(15 years), Aimee and David Kirzner (15 years), Christine and Josh Katzman (15 years). (Middle) Joanna and Gary Mitro (40 years), Glen and Margie Meyer (35 years), Renee and Lewis Kamrass (30 years), Jay and Cricket Rissover (30 years), Elissa and Mitchell Habib (30 years), Judi and Dan Cohen (30 years). (Front) Stan and Agnes Richter (60 years), Helen and Sandy Zussman (50 years), Donna and Ken Hyams (45 years), Jeanne and Mike Schmerler (40 years), Denny and Caryn Baum (40 years).
92YLive program about science, religion at Wise Jewish cultural center, the 92nd Street Y. The broadcasts are fed into Wise Center and viewed on a large screen. This program begins on Sunday, April 14 at 8:15 p.m. (doors open at 7:45) and is exclusively offered by Wise Temple’s Eitz Chayim adult education program.
LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928
Senior adults invited to Skirball Museum Wise Temple Senior Adults hope you join them for two exciting events on Thursday, April 18. First, hear an interactive presentation with Rabbi Jan Katzew, Ph.D., Director of Service Learning for HUC-JIR, who will speak on “A Stranger and A Resident: Jews Have Always Been Both.” Then experience a fascinating docent-led tour of the Skirball Museum, located on Hebrew Union College’s campus, where participants will see and learn about many intriguing artifacts.
As Director of Service Learning for HUC-JIR, Rabbi Katzew is the leader in developing a service learning curriculum that uses Cincinnati’s Jewish community as a laboratory for the development of students’ clinical and professional skills. Rabbi Katzew has served as a member of the adjunct faculty at HUCJIR, teaching courses in Education, Jewish Thought, and Moral Philosophy since 1999. He served as the Director of Lifelong Jewish Learning at the Union for Reform
lections of Jewish Art and materials from 4,000 years of Jewish life and culture,” says Don Seltz. Don and his wife, Nancy, are co-chairs of this event. Nancy adds, “This interesting museum covers Jewish immigration, worship, customs, community and family life.” The collection of over 1,000 artifacts and works of art form the basis of the museum’s core exhibition, An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience. The presentation begins at 1 p.m. and the tour begins at 1:45.
and rarely have a moment to just rest and reflect on the past week together. Got Shabbat provides families with children in grades one through six with a unique opportunity to cele-
brate the joy of Shabbat and engage with one another in special ways. Each Got Shabbat features a service with grade school participation and then dinner and Shabbat activities. On April 19, Wise Temple will host the final Got Shabbat of the school year, with participation from the first-graders. Following a musically upbeat service in the sanctuary, families will make their way outside for a picnic-style Shabbat dinner with hot dogs for the children and BBQ for the adults. Children will play gaga and other sidewalk games and everyone will reconvene for a campfire, song session and s’mores. If you would like to join in for this final Got Shabbat event, contact the Wise Temple office for reservations. The most recent Got Shabbat was held on March 8. Families began the evening with snacks and drinks and children played in the lobby while parents schmoozed with their friends. Then, everyone made their way into the sanctuary for an abbreviated, interactive, musical service led by Rabbi Ariel Boxman, Barbara Dragul, Director of Lifelong Learning and Cantor Cannizarro and her assistant, Ryan Hodge. During the service families greeted one
another with a special “Got Shabbat Handshake,” sang Shabbat tunes and had engaged with one another on family discussion questions. The second grade students opened and closed the service with musical selections they had been working on and wowed the congregation with their poise and enthusiasm. Following services, families came together for a leisurely Shabbat dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes and cornbread in the social hall. After dinner, children played games, did crafts and made their own ice cream sundaes. Sounds of laughter were heard as children and parents had an opportunity to socialize with old friends and make new ones. The evening concluded with a rousing game of “Name That Tune,” organized and emceed by Lisa Cooper and Beth Hertzman, two members of the Got Shabbat Committee. Clips of songs were played and families had to accurately record both the title of the song and the artist. A special thanks goes out to the Got Shabbat Committee: Tammy Miller-Ploetz, Amanda Rosenberg, Beth Hertzman, Lisa Cooper, Rob Alpern and Claudio Hanna.
RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930 HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher, 1930-1985 PHYLLIS R. SINGER Editor & General Manager, 1985-1999 MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus NETANEL (TED) DEUTSCH Editor & Publisher JORY EDLIN MICHAEL SAWAN Assistant Editors ALEXIA KADISH Copy Editor JANET STEINBERG Travel Editor MARIANNA BETTMAN NATE BLOOM IRIS PASTOR RABBI A. JAMES RUDIN ZELL SCHULMAN RABBI AVI SHAFRAN PHYLLIS R. SINGER Contributing Columnists JOSEPH D. STANGE Production Manager ERIN WYENANDT Office Manager e Oldest Eng Th
ewish N h-J ew lis
Judaism for 15 years. He has participated in significant assemblies of interfaith clergy and served as a scholar-in-residence and presenter at congregations throughout North America and at CAJE, Limmud, NATE, CCAR and URJ Biennial conferences. He has published widely on the subject of Jewish education and Jewish thought. “In addition to hearing a fascinating presentation from Rabbi Katzew, I’m looking forward to the Skirball Museum tour. The museum has col-
Got Shabbat? Why Not? Wise Temple’s ”Got Shabbat” program was created in response to a growing need and desire for meaningful family Shabbat experiences. Young families run around all week
RABBI ISAAC M. WISE Founder, Editor, Publisher, 1854-1900
•
of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law and a New York Times bestselling author. The “Live from New York” series originates and is broadcast live from New York’s prestigious
Est. 1854
of understanding our world. Dr. Reza Aslan, the founder of Aslan Media, is a Wallerstein professor at Drew University’s Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict. Andrew Zolli is the co-author of a new book on the subject. David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and writer at Baylor College
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
• ca
Must science and religion always be opposing and irreconcilable forces? Looking at recent trends in theoretical physics and the response of contemporary theologians to scientific theories, this panel discusses whether science and religion can, in fact, be seen as complementary ways
VOL. 159 • NO. 38 THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 1 IYYAR 5773 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 7:54 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 8:55 PM
r in Am ape er sp i
At the annual Marriage Reconsecration service at Wise Temple on March 29, the following couples celebrated significant anniversaries and reconsecrated their marriage vows. Hosts for the evening were Elissa and Mitchell Habib, Aimee and David Kirzner, and Ann and Michael Margolis. Honorary hosts for the event were Donna and Ken Hyams.
THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE (USPS 019-320) is published weekly for $44 per year and $1.00 per single copy in Cincinnati and $49 per year and $3.00 per single copy elsewhere in U.S. by The American Israelite Co. 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE, 18 West Ninth Street, Suite 2, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2037. The views and opinions expressed by the columnists of The American Israelite do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the newspaper.
LOCAL • 5
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
Events offered at Israel Independence Week Israel@65, the six-month, community-wide celebration of Israel’s 65 years of independence, will finish with a week of events for all ages from April 14-21, including an Israeli Cultural Fest featuring multi-platinum Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza. “Since the kick-off in November, we have seen our community come together to celebrate and stand strong with Israel,” said Nina Paul, who has co-chaired Israel@65 with her husband, Eddie. “This week will be the perfect way to top off Israel@65, offering both celebratory and solemn, educational and entertaining ways for everyone to relate to Israel.” Israel Independence Week will begin on Sunday, April 14, with two events hosted by The Mayerson Foundation at Grand Sands, a private indoor facility in Loveland that features 21,000 square feet of sand. First, young professionals, ages 2135, can attend Access’s “Chai (Sixty)5: A Star and Stripes Celebration” from 12-2 p.m. for live camel rides, a mechanical surf board, authentic Israeli lunch, music and beer. At 4 p.m., families with children ages 12 and younger will take over the desert for Shalom Family’s “Birthday Beach Bash,” which also includes camel rides and the mechanical surf board, as well as a green screen photo station and stories from PJ Library. Both events are
Chaverim Roni Zeller and Danielle Flicker decorate for last year’s Israel Independence Day celebration.
free with RSVP by April 12. Also on April 14, at 6:30 p.m., the entire community is invited to commemorate Yom HaZikaron at an Israel Memorial Day Ceremony at Cedar Village in Mason. Participants will honor the thousands of lives lost in Israel’s wars – the IDF soldiers, intelligence and police forces and victims of terror – followed by a film documentary. Tuesday, April 16, from 6-8 p.m., is an opportunity for teens to celebrate at an Israel Independence Day picnic and party at the JCC, hosted by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. Teens can hang out
with their friends and the Chaverim m’Israel (Friends from Israel), Mor and Tomer, for a “mangal” cookout featuring special Israeli activities, games, music and sports. Parents dropping off teens can stay and schmooze in a parent area. This event is free, and no RSVP is necessary. Israel Independence Week will conclude on Sunday, April 21, with the Israeli Cultural Fest at the JCC. An Israeli art preview begins at 4 p.m., followed by a cultural festival at 5 p.m. and David Broza in concert at 7 p.m. Guests can indulge themselves with authentic Israeli and kosher foods, wines and cheese tastings available for purchase; shop for handcrafted artwork and Judaica; and enjoy free Dead Sea Spa treatments, a rock-climbing wall, Henna tattoo artists, an interactive community art project, an Xbox 360 Kinect play station and a cash bar with Israeli wine and beer. A timeline will show the link between Cincinnati/HUC and Israel. Community Shaliach (Emissary from Israel) Yair Cohen said, “I have the honor of helping Cincinnati celebrate Israel@65, which includes not only the creation and independence of the Jewish State 65 years ago, but also today’s Israel, a country that contributes globally through ideas and EVENTS on page 22
Rockwern Academy students make puppets for South African children For the last eight weeks, Rockwern Academy students from preschool through seventh grade took part in an all-school project, making puppets to donate to young children in South Africa. The puppet-making program is a contribution to a medical mission to South Africa by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital surgeon Dr. Marc Levitt and a team of support staff. The team will travel to Cape Town on April 20, where they will
Paige and Taylor, two Rockwern students who took part in the puppet making.
train doctors and perform surgeries. Dr. Levitt’s daughter, Raquel Levitt, a Rockwern alumna, is travelling with her father on the mission, and will distribute the hand-made puppets to the South African children. Raquel Levitt joined Rockwern students after school to help make the puppets and photographed the students at work. Levitt plans to share the photos with the children in South Africa, photographing them playing with their new toys. When she returns, she will talk to Rockwern students about her experiences and share her photos of the children who received the puppets. School librarian, Julia Weinstein, helped to coordinate the program while Diane Woloshin, Rockwern’s art teacher, led the puppet making activities, using supplies donated by Rockwern families. On March 7, the Rockwern fifth graders led an interactive presentation of the Puppets for Patients program during the Children’s, Inc. Service Learning Symposium at Northern Kentucky University. The students won a Judges’ Choice Award honoring them for the work they had done on the program and their presenta-
tion led by their language arts teacher, Elaine Kaplan.
6 • LOCAL
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Meet Workum’s interns for 2013 We are thrilled to announce the 10 outstanding college students who will spend summer 2013 in our local Jewish agencies, giving back to the community that helped to raise them. Liora Bachrach will be the intern at Jewish Vocational Services. A sophomore at Miami University, studying Communications and minoring in Marketing, she graduated from Sycamore High School and was on her high school dance team and was also very involved in BBYO. She is looking forward to the summer so that she can gain some valuable experience. Alex Burte is a son of Dr. Kerry and Mrs. Bonnie Burte. He graduated from Walnut Hills High School in 2012, and attends University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is double majoring in Journalism and Philosophy. He will intern with the Jewish Foundation. Alex was the president of Cincinnati’s BBYO chapter and is a starter on UNC’s Division 1 Varsity Fencing Team. In the future, Alex hopes to travel the world, possibly as a photojournalist for National Geographic. Jordan Evans is a Sophomore at Indiana University. He is a Marketing student in the Kelley
School of Business. He was a captain of the tennis team at Sycamore High School and participated in DECA, an organization of marketing students, where he competed nationally as a senior. He taught tennis at the Blue Ash Recreation Center and Camargo Racquet Club. At Indiana he has been involved with AEPI serving as the chapter historian and pledge trainer. Also he served as a mentor for freshmen Kelley students during welcome week. He is really excited to work for the Jewish Federation this summer. Ali Faulk attends the University of Cincinnati where she just completed her fourth year. She is majoring in Communications with a Certificate in Deaf Studies. Ali graduated from William Mason High School where she received a foreign language award for American Sign Language in 2009. An active member in NFTY, she was president of her temple youth group YGOTS. She was a Madricha for her temple’s Hebrew class and is now a Sunday School teacher at Temple Sholom for the Kitah-Aleph class. She is an active volunteer at Cedar Village. Ali is really looking forward to the opportunity to intern at Jewish Family Service this summer!
Justin Kirschner, son of Stuart and Janice Kirschner, graduated from Sycamore High School in 2010 and is a junior at Ohio University, majoring in political science and minoring in business administration. Justin is working to attain a certificate in global leadership and public dispute resolution. In high school, he was an office assistant at Wise Temple, volunteered for the Jewish Federation doing website development, worked at Montgomery Inn and also played drums in a band. In college, he continues to drum in a local Athens band as well as for Hillel during Friday night services. He is involved with the AEPI fraternity. Justin enjoys traveling and has had the opportunity to study abroad in Vietnam and is planning on going to Germany and Europe this May before his internship. Upon his return, he is eager to utilize his skills while working with Sarah Weiss at the JCRC. Max Krieger graduated Princeton High School in 2012, where he was the co-captain of the Princeton debate team and a varsity member of the bowling team. Krieger was an active member of the Wise Temple community, as part of the madrichim program and a member of the temple youth
group, (e)YGOW. Krieger has been living in Israel as part of the Young Judea Year Course program in which he has been studying, volunteering and learning about Israeli society. As part of the program he is volunteering with Magen David Adom, the Israeli Red Cross, as an EMT. When he returns to the U.S. Krieger will attend Kent State University, studying public health administration. Krieger is excited to be working with the American Jewish Archives this summer. Molly Loftspring, daughter of Renee and Gene Loftspring, graduated from Sycamore High School with honors. A freshman at the University of Cincinnati, she is pursuing a degree in Operations Management in the Linder College of Business. Molly has joined multiple clubs such as Relay for Life, Colleges against Cancer and badminton. While in high school, Molly worked as a madricha at Wise Temple. Molly is thrilled to be an intern at Cedar Village this summer because she loves to interact with people and design artsy projects. Jaimie Maxwell attends the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP program where she is majoring in Graphic Communication Design. A 2012 graduate of Sycamore High School, she was very involved in
BBYO. At UC, Jaimie is involved with Hillel and is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, where she hopes to become a leader on the local board. Jaimie has done many free-lance graphic design jobs and is excited to use her experiences from her jobs and going to Israel to intern at the Jewish Community Center this summer. Shira Spiegel attends Tulane University. She attended Yavneh Day School and graduated from Sycamore High School. She is double majoring in Early Childhood Education and Jewish Studies. In high school, Shira was a member of BBYO and held numerous board positions, including chapter president. She was also editor-in-chief of her high school yearbook. Shira started a student organization at Tulane, Students For Education Reform, dedicated to advocating for positive change in the education system. She is a member of the Chabad Student Board and Phi Mu sorority. Shira has a passion for Jewish life and culture, and is excited to learn more and share her passion this summer through her internship at the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education. INTERNS on page 22
LOCAL • 7
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
Upcoming events at Rockdale Tot Shabbat at Rockdale This spring Rockdale Temple will be the place for a variety of Adult Education opportunities. Sunday mornings will offer three programs related to the community celebration of Israel at 65. All programs begin at 10:15 a.m. and are open to all interested members of the community. April 14: A Survivor’s Story in Israel, with Dr. Henry Fenichel Join us for an inspirational morning with a survivor from the Speakers’ Bureau of the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education. At the age of six, Henry Fenichel and his mother were sent to the Westerbork Detention Camp. After being moved to Bergen Belsen, they requested relocation to British-mandate Palestine. With the help of a Swiss forger, they were exchanged for German civilians held abroad and escaped to Palestine. As a Professor of Physics at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Fenichel has a unique window into Israel’s technology boom. April 21: What we learned at Nuremberg, with John Dolibois A fascinating speaker, Mr. Dolibois was an interrogator at the Nuremberg trials after WWII. Born in Luxembourg he imigrated to the U.S. prior to WWII with his family, was educated at Miami University and later came back there to work creating their fundraising operation. Mr. Dolibois was also the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg where Miami has its European campus, which is named after him. May 5: Israel Today
Yair Cohen, Israeli Shaliach (Emissary) to Cincinnati will speak about current issues of interest in Israel. Learning continues on Wednesday evenings with a series by fifth year rabbinic students presenting their theses prior to ordination. Three students, David Spinrad, Jim Stoloff, and Meredith Kahan will present three very different topics that they have spent the past year researching and writing about. April 10: What I Learned When... Chocolate Moses David Spinrad will discuss his research concerning a contemporary Jewish response to forced labor, child labor and human trafficking. April 17: Bonia Shur – Improviser Jim Stoloff will offer a picture of the late Bonia Shur, composer and one-time Director of Liturgical Music at Hebrew Union College, in Cincinnati. We will understand Bonia’s impact on contemporary Jewish music and the modern rabbinate. April 24: How the Spirit Moves Rockdale Temple’s Rabbinic Intern, Meredith Kahan, will share research, music and stories about Children’s Spirituality and how what moves us changes, or doesn’t, as we grow older. Please join us for the entire series, What I Learned When…, or just one program. All three will be held at Rockdale Temple at 7 p.m., they are free of charge and the public is welcome.
Rockdale Baby Boomers visit the Dead Sea Scrolls An enthusiastic group of Rockdale Temple Baby Boomers descended on the Cincinnati Museum Center Saturday, March 9 to view the Dead Sea Scrolls under the tutelage and direction of fellow member and guide, Rabbi Matthew Kraus. They gathered in the lobby and were given a brief introduction on how they would proceed through viewing the scrolls and which areas to be particularly attentive around. After the moving introduction, participants were able to spend time refreshing their memories about the historical timeline prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were encouraged to save the bulk of their time for the actual scrolls and the artifacts within the display area. Participants were engrossed in the manner in which the scrolls were displayed, the artifacts that were displayed with them, the emphasis on the history of the time and the differences in the Hebrew script between the time periods. They were also startled by the accompanying videos and explanations on where the scrolls were found, how they were treated, and who had access to them in the early
years – in particular that nobody who was Jewish or Israeli had any contact for nearly 30 years. For example, Joanne Gerson remarked that she was stunned to discover that people had no idea how to protect ancient parchment – they were smoking cigarettes, using scotch tape to secure various fragments together, opening windows with no concern as to the temperature and humidity and examining the scrolls under the harshest of lights. There was general consensus that although this exhibit was created by the Israel Antiquities Authority and sponsored by the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati there was an effort to broaden the appeal to a wider audience with the support of organizations such as Xavier University, University of Cincinnati, Archdiocese of Cincinnati and SC Ministry Foundation. There were also other surprising discoveries about the people of the time period. Doug Sawan commented that he went into the exhibit believing that the Jews of the time were already practicing a type of monotheistic Judaism closely BOOMERS on page 22
You are Invited to join Rockdale Temple and PJ Library for a special PJ Library Tot Shabbat event on Friday, April 12! Parents, grandparents, caregivers, siblings and friends – please join us at Rockdale Temple for Tot Shabbat and PJ Library’s special reading of Gathering Sparks. In this beautifully written and illustrated book, a grandfather offers an ageold Jewish explanation to his granddaughter’s question and, in the
process, teaches her about tikkun olam (repairing the world). This special Tot Shabbat and book reading is followed by a family dinner, hosted by Rockdale Temple. All are invited and welcome. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. An RSVP is requested. Tot Shabbat is a special service at Rockdale Temple geared toward children under 5. It allows families with young children to enjoy a fun, family-filled temple experience,
without worrying about disrupting a more “adult” service. After the 30 minute song-filled service join Rabbi Sigma Faye Coran and Rabbinic Intern Meredith Kahan for a meal or snack, along with a special activity. It is a wonderful way to engage young children in the joy and fun of temple. Please also join us for our May Tot Shabbat on Saturday, May 11, at 10 a.m., followed by a special snack and activity. All are invited and welcome.
Rockdale engages with environmentalism With the upcoming 43rd annual Earth Day on April 22, we reflect upon what this means to us as Jews. It has been written that Judaism teaches us to have a heightened sense of responsibility for the earth: “Do not spoil and destroy my [God’s] world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you” (Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13). What can be more urgent than a future that acknowledges that God’s world is being diminished daily by human activities that increase global warming, also known as climate change? In 2012 we witnessed sweltering temperatures in the spring, a summer of towering wildfires, droughts and floods culminating this fall with the devastation of “super” Hurricane Sandy. Almost daily there are reports about the polar ice sheet melting, causing rising sea levels that threaten heavily populated coastal land; globally, two pounds of carbon pollution is added to the atmosphere every second. In a recent New
Yorker (Jan. 7, 2013) article, Columbia University Professor Eric Klinenberg wrote, “Even if we managed to stop increasing global carbon emissions tomorrow, we would probably experience several centuries of additional warming, rising sea levels, and more frequent dangerous weather events.” All of these extraordinary weather events have been attributed to Global Warming caused by man-made actions. So we ask: What is the Jewish community doing to address the Judaic mandate, “not to spoil or destroy” our world? The Rockdale Temple Environmental Committee has been active in addressing environmental issues starting with “Go Green” challenge pledge cards that almost 50 percent of the congregation has subscribed to. We have promoted recycling in many ways, distributed reusable shopping bags with the Temple’s logo, sponsored “Re Use It” events to recycle household items and toys, and promoted
“Meatless Monday” to reduce the amount of methane gas polluting our air. We have educated our members about how Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) can pollute our air, water and earth and the need for alternative, carbon-free energy sources like solar, wind and water. Following the Judaic mandate “to teach unto our children,” the committee has distributed vegetable plants to Religious School children to teach the value of locally grown, chemical-free organic food; it held an in-school workshop to teach water conservation awareness and ways to conserve water. For Arbor Day 2013 the committee will be passing out young tree saplings to teach how trees can help absorb air pollution. We applaud those in our community who are already working to repair the environment and challenge the rest of the Greater Cincinnati Jewish Community to take up the mantle and develop viable actions for tikkun olam, to repair our world!
8 • NATIONAL
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Security prep for Memphis Klan rally seen as national model By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency MEMPHIS, Tenn. (JTA) – Cantor Ricky Kampf descends from the bimah, adjusts his prayer shawl and strides up the aisle, cutting through the cavernous sanctuary to greet the familiar out-of-towner. “Y’all here for the shindig?” Kampf says at the Baron Hirsch Synagogue here as he grasps the hand of Paul Goldenberg, the burly former cop who runs the Secure Community Network, the security arm of the national Jewish community. The shindig in question is a Ku Klux Klan rally planned for later that day, March 30, in downtown Memphis. For months, Goldenberg has been in constant contact with the Jewish community leadership in this Mississippi River port city, as well as with local and federal law enforcement, in readying for
any possible attack. It’s a security template that SCN, an arm of the Jewish Federations of North America and of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, wants to replicate across the United States. “It’s not just dealing with the immediate challenge, but as we do in Jewish life, we try and prepare for the next situation, how to deal with these things on a regular basis, so they’re prepared for it,” Steve Hoffman, the co-chairman of SCN, tells JTA. “The best security preparation in the Jewish world is vigilance without panic.” A persuasive, kinetic presence, Goldenberg crisscrosses the country meeting with Jewish community leaders and local law enforcement. But training in Memphis is accelerated because of the Klan rally, a protest of the decision to rename parks that until recently
Courtesy of Blake Billings
Klansmen exiting the Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tenn., moments before their rally, March 30, 2013.
commemorated Confederate heroes – notably Nathan Bedford Forrest, a founder of the Klan. Ahead of the rally, leaders from every Memphis Jewish institution receive a crash course in security training, including presentations by the Department of Homeland Security and the Memphis Police Department’s SWAT team:
Develop a communications plan, secure exits and entrances, and above all, be aware. “The Jewish community and any community, faith-based organization, we see them as part of the homeland security enterprise,” Bill Flynn, a deputy assistant secretary of DHS, tells JTA. In the end, the Klan rally is a bust. Barely 60 Klansmen show up on the rain-soaked steps of Shelby County courthouse. A leader uses a megaphone to address klatches of men and women – some robed in white and red, others not – who respond with shouts of “White Power!” It’s over in less than an hour. But law enforcement officials still have reason to be concerned – not with the Klan itself, which makes a point these days of being law abiding – but that an outlier attracted to the rally could break off, drive 20 minutes east and target one of the seven synagogues
in Memphis. “The United States is into a four-year resurgence both of antigovernment and white supremacist groups,” said Mark Pitcavage, the director of fact finding for the Anti-Defamation League. “This resurgence started in early 2009 following the election of Barack Obama and the economic crisis. There has been an upsurge in violent activity as a result of that.” A report published in January by Arie Perliger, the director of terrorism studies at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, showed violent attacks emanating from the far right rising from below 200 per year at the turn of the century to more than 300 by the middle of the decade. Attacks spiked in 2008, Obama’s election year, to more than 550 before dropping to 300 in 2010. In 2011, the number rose again, to more than 350.
Kosher scandals like Doheny are rare, but not unheard of National By Gil Shefler Rabbi Avrohom Union, the rabfor selling thousands of pounds of Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK (JTA) – Less than a day before the start of Passover, the phone rang at the Brooklyn home of Rabbi Yisroel Belsky. On the line were concerned members of the Rabbinical Council of California, a rabbinical association in Los Angeles that provides kosher certification, among other services. The RRC had just discovered that Mike Engelman, the owner of Doheny Glatt Kosher Meats, had smuggled uncertified meat into his store, and the West Coast rabbis needed the guidance of their East Coast colleague. “It was obvious to all of us that we needed an unbiased decision from an expert outside the community, with vast knowledge and experience, to give an authoritative decision that the members of this community would rely upon,”
binic administrator of the RCC, told JTA in an email. Now Belsky, a well-respected arbiter of religious law, had a big decision on his plate. If he determined all the meat was tainted, observant Angelenos may have been forced to toss all the foods they prepared for Passover, which started on the evening of March 25. “People would have been served salad on Passover night,” said Rabbi Meyer May, the RRC president. After weighing the information, Belsky made a ruling: All meat sold prior to March 24, the day news of the alleged transgressions came to light, was kosher – even though a small portion was not properly certified. Passover was saved – barely. Kosher violations like this are rare but not unheard of. News emerges occasionally that a trust-
Courtesy of JTA
Doheny Glatt Kosher Meats will open under new management soon after being shut down because its owner smuggled uncertified meat into the popular Los Angeles market.
ed vendor sold clients food that either intentionally or unintentionally did not comply with the strict dietary stipulations of Jewish law. Police in London in 1928 had to prevent an angry mob from storming a cafe that sold unkosher meat as kosher. In 1986, a court fined Rachleff Kosher Provisions in Brooklyn more than $1 million
non-kosher tongue and brisket. In 2006, in one of the worst violations in recent memory, Shevach Meats, a supermarket in the largely Orthodox community of Monsey, N.Y., was discovered to have intentionally sold non-kosher items to its unsuspecting clientele. Some rabbis in Monsey and nearby Spring Valley – though not all – told followers they had to remake their kitchens as kosher, an arduous process that involves boiling pots and pans and passing utensils over an open flame. Some kitchenware that comes into contact with unkosher food is considered irredeemable and thrown out. “It was extremely shocking because many, many people really viewed this grocery as the most reliable place to get your chicken,” said Rikki Davidson, a 28year-old homemaker from Monsey. “All the caterers purchased chicken from him.”
Thatcher remembered for her affection for Britain’s Jews By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON (JTA) – History will remember former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for relentlessly facing down communism and helping to turn back more than three decades of socialist advance in her country. But it was Thatcher’s embrace of British Jews and insistent promotion of Jews in her Conservative Party that inspired an outpouring of tributes from Jewish and Israeli leaders following her death Monday at 87. Thatcher, who suffered from
dementia in her later years, died peacefully after suffering a stroke, her spokesperson said. Thatcher’s tenure as prime minister, from 1979 to 1990, helped thrust Britain back onto the international stage following its post-World War II years of end-ofempire angst and political turmoil. For the country’s Jews, however, the naming of at least five of their number to Cabinet positions and her determined pushback against anti-Jewish grumbling among the Conservative Party’s backbenchers made what once was laughable imaginable: the possibility of a Jewish prime minister.
“Lady Thatcher was always extremely supportive and admiring of the ethos of the British Jewish community,” Vivian Wineman, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told JTA. Wineman said the mutual admiration was rooted in personal history. In the 1930s, Thatcher’s family took in an Austrian Jewish refugee. In 1959, Thatcher was elected to Parliament representing Finchley, a north London constituency with a large Jewish population. THATCHER on page 21
Briefs
Israel divestment resolution overturned by University of California, Riverside students (JNS) – The University of California, Riverside (UCR) student government overturned a recently passed student senate resolution that urged the University of California (UC) system to implement Israel divestment. When the resolution – titled “Divestment of Companies that Profit from Apartheid” – had passed in early March, opponents of the Israel divestment measure argued that they were not given enough time to prepare for the vote. The divestment resolution at UCR was part of an ongoing global effort by anti-Israel activists on college campuses that hit California state schools particularly hard. Kerry: Full Turkey-Israel reconciliation would help peace bid (JTA) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Israel and Turkey to reconcile completely, saying it would help with peacemaking in the Middle East. “With respect to the IsraelTurkey track, it is not for the United States to be setting conditions or terms,” Kerry said Sunday in Istanbul following a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. “We would like to see this relationship that is important to stability in the Middle East, critical to the peace process itself, we would like to see this relationship get back on track in its full measure.”
INTERNATIONAL • 9
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
Eastern European communities overPoland has one month supply of kosher meat left whelmed by costs of cemetery upkeep By JTA Staff Jewish Telegraphic Agency Poland’s Jewish community has about a one month supply of kosher meat left, following a ban on ritual slaughter that went into effect at the beginning of the year. Piotr Kadlcik, president of the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland, confirmed to JTA on Monday from Warsaw that Poland will run out of kosher meat within a month. The status of ritual slaughter in Poland became unclear in November when a Polish court ruled that the government had acted unconstitutionally with its 2004 regulation exempting Jews and Muslims from stunning animals before slaughtering them, as their faiths require. The Jewish community and some legal experts say kosher slaughter remains protected by another law, the 1997 Act on the Relation of the State to the Jewish Communities in Poland, which states that ritual slaughter may be performed in accordance with the needs of the local Jewish community. Poland’s Agriculture Ministry has said it will work to enshrine ritual slaughter in Polish legisla-
International Briefs Hamas training Syrian rebels in Damascus area (JTA) – Militiamen from the Hamas military wing are training Syrian rebels, according to a report in the Times of London. The report on Friday said members of the Izzadin Kassam Brigades are training Free Syrian Army units in rebel-held neighborhoods in the Syrian capital. A Hamas official in Lebanon vehemently denied the reports. Egyptian government official quotes Sunni text on killing Jews (JTA) – Egypt’s minister of religious endowments quoted an Islamic Sunni verse about killing Jews. The interview with Talaat Mohamed Afifi Salem was aired last month on Sada Al-Balad TV, according to the Washingtonbased Middle East Media Research Institute. Asked by the interviewer whether he would “visit Israel with a Palestinian visa,” Salem said, “This is premature. Let’s wait until it happens. However, we hope that the words of the Prophet Muhammad will be ful-
tion this year that is designed to streamline the way that Polish procedures correspond with European Union Regulation 1099, that went into effect in January. Regulation 1099 requires that animals do not experience “unnecessary suffering.” The E.U. has said individual countries will have discretion on whether to allow or ban ritual slaughter, however. But ritual slaughter currently remains illegal. Polish prosecutors began investigating reports of the March 12 shechitah, or kosher slaughter, of a cow in the northeastern town of Tykocin after hearing about it from a county veterinarian in Bialystok. Poland has about 6,000 Jews and 25,000 Muslims, according to the European Jewish Congress and the U.S. State Department, respectively. The country’s for-export industry of kosher and halal meat was worth approximately $259 million at the end of last year, according to the French news agency AFP, with kosher exports accounting for 20 percent. But meat exports reportedly have declined by 30 percent since the beginning of the year, the Polish Meat Association told Polish Radio, according to the Jerusalem Post. filled: Judgment Day will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Jews will hide behind the rocks and the trees, but the rocks and the trees will say: Oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him – except for the gharqad tree, which is one of the trees of the Jews.” The verse is from Kitab AlFitan wa Ashrat As-Sa’ah – the 41st book of Sahih Muslim, which is one of the major texts of Sunni Islam. Iran announces ‘comprehensive’ offer in resumed nuke talks (JTA) – Iran at resumed talks about its nuclear program said it made a “comprehensive proposal” to “establish a new bedrock for cooperation.” The announcement by Ali Baqeri, deputy head of the Iranian delegation, came Friday following the opening session in Kazakhstan of talks between Iran and six world powers. Baqeri, who spoke in Almaty as Iranian officials took a break for lunch and prayers, did not offer any details, The New York Times reported. He suggested that Iran had more than met demands from American and European officials that his country offer a concrete show of willingness to address international concerns about its nuclear program.
By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraphic Agency Every month or so, a highly emotional email lands in the inbox of Martin Kornfeld, CEO of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Slovakia. The authors invariably are Western tourists appalled by the neglect they witnessed during visits to one of the hundreds of Jewish cemeteries scattered across the country. Often their emails concern the final resting place of their relatives amid overgrown grasses and overturned tombstones. “They want us to fix it,” Kornfeld told JTA. “But ours is a small and not wealthy community that prioritizes the living.” Across Eastern Europe, hundreds of Jewish cemeteries are disintegrating as the small communities entrusted with their care focus their limited resources on reestablishing a living presence after long years of communist suppression and the near annihilation of the Holocaust. Following the fall of communism in the early 1990s, control of cemeteries in several countries of the former Eastern bloc reverted to the Jewish community. In Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and elsewhere, this resulted in communities of a few thousand people suddenly becoming responsible for vast burial
Courtesy of Restoration of Eastern European Jewish Cemeteries Foundation
American college students restoring a Jewish cemetery in Belarus, 2012.
grounds that before the Holocaust had been administered by congregations dozens of times larger. Some 90,000 Jews lived in Slovakia before the war; today the community numbers about 3,000. “Out of 750 Jewish burial grounds in Slovakia, we can afford to take care of only 150 – and even that is a major burden,” Kornfeld said. “The cemeteries can drain tens of thousands of dollars from a budget stretched to cover the senior home, kindergarten, summer camps – the trappings of a living, breathing community.” In neighboring Poland, a Jewish community that once numbered 3.5 million has been reduced to about 40,000. Michael Schudrich, the country’s chief rabbi, says fences are crucial to preventing the country’s 1,400 Jewish cemeteries from turning into trash heaps, but the cost of
erecting one has multiplied. Only about 100 of Poland’s cemeteries are fenced, Schudrich said, and fencing the rest requires $32 million. “It’s a constant drain of money,” said Piotr Kadlcik, president of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland. “Without fences, the area quickly becomes a dumpster. Then the city fines the Jewish community.” Last year, the Council of Europe adopted a nonbinding resolution placing responsibility for the care of Jewish cemeteries on national governments. The resolution was based in part on a report by the special rapporteur for Jewish cemeteries, Piet de Bruyn, who wrote that Jewish cemeteries are “probably” more vulnerable because of the small size of the communities. The report also noted instances of cemeteries in Eastern Europe that have been turned into “residential areas, public gardens, leisure parks, army grounds and storage sites; some have been turned into lakes.” Moshe Kantor, the president of the European Jewish Congress, says governments should cover the costs of preserving Jewish cemeteries as they would other aspects of their cultural heritage. He noted that Lithuania’s Jewish community was declining to reassert control over its cemeteries because it fears the financial burden of upkeep.
10 • ISRAEL
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Israel stops to remember victims of Holocaust By JTA Staff Jewish Telegraphic Agency JERUSALEM – Israel came to a standstill as a siren sounded for two minutes in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Following the siren Monday morning, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry participated in a wreath–laying ceremony in the Yad Vashem Hall of Remembrance as part of Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Kerry then joined Israeli President Shimon Peres for the “Unto Every Person There is a Name” ceremony held each year at the Knesset, where Peres read out the names of his relatives who were victims of the Holocaust. Names of Shoah victims also were read by the chief rabbis, ministers, Knesset members, former Knesset members, members of the Yad Vashem administration, members of youth movements, soldiers,
Courtesy of Flash 90/JTA
Israeli drivers at a standstill at the entrance to Jerusalem as a siren is sounded across Israel marking Yom Hashoah, the national Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 8, 2013.
world association representatives, and delegations from abroad. Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday night at the national Yom Hashoah ceremony at Yad Vashem that the
hatred of Jews is still strong more than 70 years after the Holocaust began. “The map of Europe still contains local stains of antiSemitism,” Peres said at Sunday
night’s ceremony in Jerusalem, his voice breaking with emotion. “Racism erupted on that land in the last century and dragged it down to its lowest point. Ultimately the murder which came from her, damaged her. “Not all the flames have been extinguished. Crises are once again exploited to form Nazi parties, ridiculous but dangerous. Sickening anti-Semitic cartoons are published allegedly in the name of press freedom.” Netanyahu said in his address to Holocaust survivors and their families, “Hatred of Jews has not disappeared. It has been replaced with a hatred of the Jewish state.” He followed his assertion with quotes of anti-Semitic statements made by Iranian religious and political leaders. Six Holocaust survivors told their stories in a prerecorded video before they lit the six torches representing the 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust.
Natural gas exportation by Israel: The potential economic and geopolitical impacts By Alex Traiman JointMedia News Service Israel recently crossed a major energy milestone when the daily supply of natural gas began flowing from the Tamar offshore reserve – gas that is expected to power Israel’s electricity production for the coming decades. But while the domestic use of gas makes Israel less dependent on foreign energy than ever before, it
is the export of natural gas that has the potential to boost Israel’s economy and change Israel’s strategic position in the global marketplace. An even larger natural gas reserve, Leviathan, is expected to begin supplying energy in 2015. According to industry experts, export revenues will provide a boom to Israel’s economy, as well as offset the tremendous costs of developing the infrastructure needed to extract and transport the
THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE’S ARCHIVES ARE NOW ONLINE. THE REST IS JUST HISTORY. It’s time for you to checkout The American Israelite’s Archives Online. The Archives features issues from years past and search tools to help you find that long-lost article that you’ve been searching for!
AI
The American Israelite
These archives are only available at
americanisraelite.com
natural gas from the sea to Israel’s electricity plants. “The infrastructure is financed by consumption agreements,” Delphi Global Analysis founder David Wurmser, who consults for one of the major energy firms invested in the Leviathan basin, told JNS. “Investors will not spend billions of dollars developing an infrastructure for money to be returned in 20 to 30 years,” he said. “The timeframe needs to be much shorter than that.” Currently, Israel is considering exporting natural gas to Western European nations along the Mediterranean Sea, including Spain, France and Italy, which are currently supplied with gas by North Africa. If Europe were suddenly to lose its supply of North African gas due to regional instability, nations may desperately seek to sign an agreement with Israel. If that happens, Israel would then have “great leverage to demand European Union subsidies for creating infrastructure,” Wurmser said. “But right now, while the Europeans understand their vulnerability, their demand is basically satisfied,” he said. But Israel supplying natural gas to Europe may raise a major red flag for Russia, the primary supplier of natural gas in Eastern Europe. “Europe is an integrated gas network. The closer you get to Eastern Europe, the more nervous the Russians get. They have a chicken in this fight – even in Southern Europe,” Wurmser said. Almost a year ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a
Courtesy of Albatross Aerial photography/Nobel Energy/FLASH90
An aeriel view of the Israeli gas rig Tamar, situated about 80 km off the Israeli northern coast. Tamar was the first large-scale hydrocarbon resource discovered in international waters and claimed by Israel. After more than four years of drilling, the flow of natural gas from the Tamar gas field has begun.
historic trip to Israel, and brought a large economic delegation. According to Wurmser, a significant portion of the visit had to do with natural gas. Putin likely expressed his concerns regarding Israeli intentions to export, as well as to examine the possibilities for joint marketing opportunities. “Russia is looking with great sensitivity at everything going down in the Eastern Mediterranean – from Turkey to Greece to Cypress to Lebanon. Russia has defined the Eastern Mediterranean as a significant production zone, and Israel stands at the center of it. So you can count on the fact that the Russians were trying to figure out what piece of this pie they can get from Israel,” Wurmser said. Asia could emerge as a more likely option for Israeli gas exports due to what Wurmser calls “acute natural gas shortages” on that continent.
Israel Briefs Syrian withdrawal from Golan alarms Israel (JNS) The Syrian government has reportedly withdrawn thousands of troops near the buffer zone between Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights, leaving a power vacuum that Israel is concerned could be filled with jihadist forces ready to turn their guns on the Jewish state. Syria has redeployed divisions in the Golan to the area around Damascus to battle antigovernment forces near the Syrian capital, according to a report in the British newspaper The Guardian on Sunday. Netanyahu adviser: U.N. troops ignore Hezbollah violations (JTA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser accused U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon of failing to report Hezbollah’s arms buildup. Hezbollah, a militia backed by Syria and Iran, has been building its arsenal despite the 35-year presence of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in Lebanon’s heartland, Yaacov Amidror said during a speech April 4 at Tel Aviv University. “Under pressure, a multinational force is like an umbrella that gets folded up on a rainy day,” The Jerusalem Post quoted Amidror as saying. Global anti-Semitism grew by 30 percent in 2012, report finds JERUSALEM (JTA) – Global anti-Semitism increased by 30 percent in 2012 over the previous year, an annual report found. Following two years of decline, there was a “considerable escalation” in the level of violent acts and vandalism against Jews in 2012, according to the global anti-Semitism report for 2012 presented Sunday by the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. The report, which was presented on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, showed there were 686 violent acts and vandalism, up from 526 in 2011. They include 273 attacks on people, including 50 with a weapon, 166 direct threats on lives, and the desecration of 190 synagogues, cemeteries and monuments. France had the most attacks with 200, up from the 114 in 2011. Next was the United States with 99; the United Kingdom, 84; Canada, 74; and Australia, 53.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah A 2013 SPECIAL SECTION OF THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE
If your business or organization wants to reach the Greater Cincinnati Jewish Community regarding Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, this is the issue to do it!
AI
The American Israelite
For more information on advertising, contact Ted Deutsch at (513) 621-3145 or publisher@americanisraelite.com
Publishes on Apri l 25 Deadline
is Apri l 19
PUBLISHES THURSDAY, MAY 9
SPECIAL ISSUE
ADVERTISING DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, MAY 3
Israel@65 is an international effort led by the government of the State of Israel to recognize and celebrate the unique and unprecedented achievements of the State of Israel in its first 65 years of existence.
1/16 $132.00
1/8 $264.00
1/4 $536.25
1/2 $1,072.00
Full $2,145.00
4”X2”
4”X4”
6.083”X5.45”
10.25”X6.5”
10.25”X13”
The American Israelite newspaper along with many Jewish community organizations is producing a commemorative keepsake issue for the Jewish and secular communities to acknowledge this historic event.
AI
Show your support for Israel’s 65th birthday by purchasing a personal greeting or an advertisement for your business.
The American Israelite
PLEASE INCLUDE MY PERSONAL OR BUSINESS GREETING IN THE SPECIAL ISSUE. (PLEASE PRINT)
SIZE:
PRICE:
NAME or BUSINESS GREETING (As you want it to appear):
NAME: ADDRESS: CITY: EMAIL:
STATE:
ZIP: PHONE:
THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE, 18 West 9TH Street Ste. 2 Cincinnati, OH 45202 Phone: (513) 621-3145 • Email: publisher@americanisraelite.com
14 • DINING OUT
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Izzy’s—taking corned beef to new frontiers By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor The American Israelite is 159 years old. Maybe we should start a heritage fund with Izzy’s, which currently sits at the still-springchicken age of 110. In all of that time Izzy’s has expanded to eight restaurants, with a ninth slated to open in Fort Wright, Ky. “Hopefully it will be open by the first of July,” says John Geisen, the CEO of Izzy’s. The new location is a reasonable one, having been picked for its proximity to a plethora of developments. “Fort Wright has high traffic and a lot of new development,” explains Geisen. “The new location is at the entrance of Fidelity Insurance Company. I believe they have about 4,000 employees who work there. It’s on the thoroughfare from Independence, Park Hills, Lakeside Park, and Fort Mitchell, so it’s just a busy area. In checking with vendors, other restaurants over there do big numbers.” Izzy’s sees the new location as an opportunity to add several new items to the menu, as well. “At Fort Wright we’ll be experimenting with a new breakfast menu. We have a specialty French toast on it, we’re going to do an egg and salami, egg and corned beef. Plus a few other items. We’re putting together the menu as we speak.” Geisen has presided over all of Izzy’s recent expansions, having been in leadership roles since he began with the restaurant. This by no means makes him aloof. While I was in the restaurant, he deftly helped his short handed staff prepare sandwiches. “After 31 years you learn how to do things,” joked Geisen. “I started by managing a location. In 1989 I became president, built stores, opened stores, made sandwiches at stores, made pancakes at stores; it’s called small business, I think.” It’s this all-encompassing ethic, along with forward progress, that receives emphasis at Izzy’s – always with an eye for improvement. “We always look to improve, to get better,” says Geisen. “With new technology we have online ordering now, which makes it more convenient for the consumer. New cooking equipment that comes out allows us to find ways to cook more efficiently. You know, we’re not going to change the basic recipes, but just maybe find better ways to become more green with our paper products. So we’re always looking to improve, I believe. Get a little bit better.” Geisen is also attempting to increase Izzy’s customer base. “You know, I think that the message to get out is that we have something for everyone. Our product is, in my opinion, great, so the challenge is getting people to come in and try something a little bit differ-
Courtesy of Michael Sawan
(Clockwise) The main ordering area of the Anderson Izzy’s; Izzy’s in Anderson; The prep area of the famous shop’s Anderson location; John Geisen, the CEO of Izzy’s.
ent. I think our niche, our difference is, there’s not everybody out there putting out a great reuben. Or as we look at it, we have eight reubens now. We kind of made it our specialty. The challenge is to get the young fans to come in here who may not have gone to the original Izzy’s or may not have heard of the original Izzy’s. To get them in and try our product. Once in I think we can convince them that we’re unique.” Wait a second, eight reubens? Geisen elaborated. “We take our proteins – roast beef, corned beef, turkey, pastrami – and create different sandwiches with them. You’ll look on the menu and see the Izzy Mex, for instance, which is our corned beef with jalapeno peppers, chipotle sauce, swiss cheese and onion. It’s one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. So just taking our different meats and becoming creative with
sauces and combinations, putting them together.” Geisen and Izzy’s remain true to the original Izzy through it all, with Geisen paying due respect to the founder whenever possible. “By taking what Izzy originated with,” explains Geisen, “we have been able to take that product and develop our different signature sandwiches. We have a Reuben Salad now, we put all of the ingredients on fresh greens, so I think we’ve kind of become more creative with it.” Unsurprisingly, the idea of the reuben remains the nuts and bolts of the Izzy’s business. “It’s probably 27% of our business,” says Geisen. “And talking to [another sandwich shop president], the goal is for 5 or 7% of your sales to come from your signature sandwich. So at 27% we’re off the charts.”
Geisen explained to me that these restaurateurs all interact with one another, sharing information about what works and why. “We all kind of support each other,” explains Geisen. “See what’s working, see what’s not working. Through the International Restaurant Association you just have contact. We find out that breakfast is a big item now in a growing market. I get reports every morning on what the industry is doing. We research it and see if it can make a fit with what we do.” And so we see the explanation, this is why the new Izzy’s in Fort Wright will serve breakfast. It’s this sort of mentality that allows each Izzy’s to be its own special outlet. For instance, the music at each location is different, an attempt to reflect the tastes of the average client. This is balanced, however, with the trademark tried and true
offerings that make Izzy’s unique. “Looking at the market, nobody does what we do,” explains Geisen. “We have a potato pancake that has been handed down through the family that is something different than what you get from anywhere in the United States, from what we understand of people who come in from around the country to try our product. “Nobody has a specialty reuben sandwich as we do, and reubens are a very popular item, you see them on a lot of menus. So what we’ve done is take that item and elevate it to a level of its own. I think that’s what gives us our uniqueness. There’s a lot of sandwich shops, submarines shops, pizza shops, and no one does what we do.” Want the Izzy’s experience? Start walking and you’ll bump into one right away. See their locations on page 15.
DINING OUT • 15
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
RESTAURANT DIRECTORY 20 Brix
Ferrari’s Little Italy & Bakery
Padrino
101 Main St
7677 Goff Terrace
111 Main St
Historic Milford
Madeira
Milford
831-Brix (2749)
272-2220
965-0100
Ambar India Restaurant
Izzy’s
Parkers Blue Ash Tavern
350 Ludlow Ave
800 Elm St • 721-4241
4200 Cooper Rd
Cincinnati
612 Main St • 241-6246
Blue Ash
281-7000
1198 Smiley Ave • 825-3888
891-8300
Sushi • Steaks • Raw Bar Live Music Every Tues thru Sat! (513) 936-8600 9769 MONTGOMERY RD. www.jeffruby.com
H APPY H OUR D AILY / P RIVATE R OOMS
10808 MONTGOMERY ROAD 513.489.1212 for reservations www.eddiemerlots.com
7625 Beechmont Ave • 231-5550 Andy’s Mediterranean Grille
4766 Red Bank Expy • 376-6008
Pomodori’s
At Gilbert & Nassau
5098B Glencrossing Way • 347-9699
121West McMillan • 861-0080
2 blocks North of Eden Park
8179 Princeton-Glendale • 942-7800
7880 Remington Rd
281-9791
300 Madison Ave • 859-292-0065
Montgomery • 794-0080
THAI SUSHI PASTA DINE-IN • CARRY-OUT • DELIVERY * * * * * SUNDAY SPECIAL * * * * *
Half-Price Domestic Beer & Apps 513.351.0123 | ORDER ONLINE! + MENUS, COUPONS & SPECIAL OFFERS
7905 Mall Road • 859-525-2333 Asian Paradise
BlueElephantThaiSushi.com ONLY 2 MINUTES FROM HYDE PARK SQUARE
Slatt’s Pub
9521 Fields Ertel Rd
Johnny Chan 2
4858 Cooper Rd
Loveland
11296 Montgomery Rd
Blue Ash
239-8881
The Shops at Harper’s Point
791-2223 • 791-1381 (fax)
2912 WASSON ROAD • CINCY
489-2388 • 489-3616 (fx) Baba India Restaurant
Stone Creek Dining Co.
3120 Madison Rd
K.T.’s Barbecue & Deli
9386 Montgomery Rd
Cincinnati
8501 Reading Rd
Montgomery • 489-1444
321-1600
Reading
6200 Muhlhauser Rd
761-0200
West Chester • 942-2100
9386 Montgomery Rd Cincinnati, OH 45242
4858 Hunt Rd
Kanak India Restaurant
Sukhothai Thai Cuisine
(513) 489-1444
Blue Ash
10040B Montgomery Rd
8102 Market Place Ln
891-8900 • 834-8012 (fx)
Montgomery
Montgomery
793-6800
794-0057
2912 Wasson Rd
Marx Hot Bagels
Tandoor
Cincinnati
9701 Kenwood Rd
8702 Market Place Ln
351-0123
Blue Ash
Montgomery
Authentic Cuisine
891-5542
793-7484
LOCATED IN THE CROSSINGS OF BLUE ASH
9525 Kenwood Rd
Mecklenburg Gardens
Tony’s
9525 KENWOOD ROAD (513) 745-9386
Cincinnati
302 E. University Ave
12110 Montgomery Rd
745-9386
Clifton
Montgomery
cafe-mediterranean.com
221-5353
677-1993
9769 Montgomery Rd
Meritage Restaurant
Wertheim’s Restaurant
Cincinnati
1140 Congress Ave
514 W 6th St
936-8600
Glendale
Covington, KY
376-8134
(859) 261-1233
Bangkok Terrace
Blue Elephant
Cafe Mediterranean
Carlo & Johnny
Eddie Merlot’s Cincinnati 489-1212
The American Israelite
FRESH, HEALTHY,
PRIVA PRIVATE DINING | CARRY CARRY-OUT LUNCH/DINNER | ITALIAN BAKERY SUN: KIDS EAT FREE TUE & WED: 1/2 PRICE WINE SUN & MON: $5 MARTINIS 7677 GOFF TERRACE | MADEIRA, OH
272.2220 | ferrarilittleitaly.com
GET RESULTS.
Cincinnati's first and only true wine, restaurant and wine retail store. Come in and enjoy an appetizer or entrée paired with one of the 100 wines we pour daily.
Place your restaurant ad here! Your restaurant will also receive featured articles and a spot in the dining out guide.
10808 Montgomery Rd
AI
CAFE MEDITERRANEAN
Call 621-3145 today. AVAILABLE AT THESE FINE LOCATIONS:
bigg’s
Marx Hot Bagels
Ridge & Highland
9701 Kenwood Rd. Blue Ash
101 Main St • Historic Milford
831-Brix • www.20brix.com
AMBAR
BABA
KANAK
350 LUDLOW AVE. CINCINNATI, OH 45220 (513) 281-7000
3120 MADISON RD. CINCINNATI, OH 45209 (513) 321-1600
10040B MONTGOMERY RD. CINCINNATI, OH 45242 (513) 793-6800
Izzy’s 612 Main St. 800 Elm St.
Kroger Hunt Rd. – Blue Ash
Rascals’ Deli 9525 Kenwood Rd. Blue Ash
CINCINNATI’S BEST INDIAN RESTAURANTS
16 • OPINION
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Presbyterian publishing house at it again By Dexter Van Zile JointMedia News Service The publishing house owned by the Presbyterian Church (USA), Westminster John Knox Press, is at it again. In 2006, WJK, produced Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11 by David Ray Griffin. In this book, Griffin asserted that the Bush Administration was complicit in the attacks on September 11, 2001 that killed approximately 3,000 Americans. The Bush Administration’s goal, Griffin reported, was to justify the expansion of an American empire. One of the arguments Griffin put forth was that the WTC buildings collapsed as the result of a “controlled demolition” caused by high explosives that were secretly planted prior to the attack. These and other arguments were roundly and thoroughly discredited by another book published by Popular Mechanics in 2006, Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can’t Stand Up to the Facts. Griffin’s book was so ludicrous that officials from the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s publishing corporation stated that the conspiracy theory presented in the book “is spurious and based on questionable research.” This repudiation hasn’t stopped Westminster John Knox Press from selling the book (which is still listed in the company’s online catalogue), nor has it stopped the publishing of yet another irresponsible text, The Truth About Islam: A Christian Pastor Separates Fact from Fiction by Rev. Ben Daniel, a PC(USA) minister in California. In this text released on March 25, 2013, Rev. Daniel makes his agenda clear. He wants to soothe American fears about Islam. Promoting good interfaith relations is a laudable goal, but Daniel is so committed to his agenda that he willfully ignores some obvious facts that any responsible commentator would address. For example, he offers no mention of the mistreatment Christians and other religious minorities endure in Muslimmajority countries throughout the world. Daniel’s abandonment of his fellow Christians who are suffering in Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan is inexcusable, but not at all a surprise given his denomination’s obsessive focus on Zionism and its silence about the impact of Islamism on human rights. The PC(USA)’s leaders and peace activists regularly condemn Israel while remaining largely silent
about the oppression of Christians in the Middle East. It’s not their thing. Daniel’s treatment of American-born Imam Zaid Shakir, co-founder of Zaytuna College in California is instructive. He writes that “Imam Zaid hopes the institution will help its students prepare for life in modern America by integrating a centuries-old faith into life in the twenty-first century… His articulation of the purpose of an Islamic education actually sounded quite a bit like what I used to hear as a student at Westmont, a Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, California…” Daniel writes. The way Daniel describes Imam Shakir, he seems like a good candidate for interfaith dialogue. There are a few problems, however. Shakir has, according to the Investigative Project on Terrorism, suggested that the attack on the WTC in 1993 was “undertaken by Zionist forces to give proof to their allegations concerning the magnitude of ‘Islamic fundamentalist’ terrorism, and as a pretext to intensify their antiIslamic propaganda campaign in the U.S. media.” Shakir seems to think Israel and its supporters are responsible for the attack. Shakir has also worked to undermine pluralism in the U.S., stating, “As Christians and Jews of this country have rejected the divine law and created their own secular system of a rule, the legal and political system of America is sinful and constitutes open rebellion against Allah. For a Muslim to join with the Jews and Christians in this system is to join them in their rebellion against Allah. Allah explicitly orders against this.” Is this the type of stuff Daniel heard at Westmont? Despite Shakir’s obvious contempt for secular pluralism, Daniel writes that American Muslims who follow him are in “good hands” and are the “face of Muslim America’s future.” He closes the chapter that describes the imam as follows: “With the wisdom of people like Imam Zaid Shakir, both Islam and America will thrive.” Why is a PC(USA) minister lionizing an imam who has promoted an irresponsible (and possibly anti-Semitic) conspiracy theory about the 1993 terrorist attack and who regards secular pluralism as an affront to God? And why is the PC(USA)’s publishing house helping him do this? Dexter Van Zile is Christian Media Analyst for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA).
In Germany, some closure for the son of survivors By Adam Friedman Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK – As a child of Holocaust survivors, I have always managed to avoid visiting Germany. Part of my parents’ legacy was never to visit the country, with its dark past – not even to own any products in our home that were made in Germany. Despite my reluctance to visit Germany, an opportunity arose that I could not forgo. A professional group to which I have belonged for 10 years was holding a meeting in Wiesbaden – the day after Yom Kippur, no less. As the international group of about 40 includes many friends and people with whom I regularly do business, I felt compelled to attend. I also felt that Michael, my German host, would feel slighted if I chose to stay home. After all, Michael is in his 40s and should not be blamed for the sins of his grandparents’ generation. I was pleasantly surprised to find Wiesbaden a most beautiful city with many stately buildings dating from the mid-19th century, when it was a popular spa town for the rich and the royalty of Europe. It was a town that showed no visible scars from World War II, never having been bombed. But in fact, there were less visible scars that tarnished the history of Wiesbaden. At the onset of World War II, the city was home to 1,500 Jews who had built a most inspiring and architecturally noteworthy synagogue that was destroyed on Kristallnacht in 1938. Subsequently, Wiesbaden’s Jews were deported to concentration camps, leaving no survivors. In my research before I arrived, I discovered that the town had built a memorial to those victims on the very spot where the
synagogue was located. I was determined to visit the memorial, so that this trip, which seemed like a betrayal of my parents’ memory, would take on some semblance of deeper meaning. I had no idea when I would have the opportunity, as the meeting left little time for anything else. Michael, who was raised in Wiesbaden, is a sophisticated man who spent his younger years living in the United States and London. As part of the meeting’s program, he had invited a speaker to discuss German history, and the
We need to talk about it so we won’t forget; that’s what I learned today.” speaker began with the reign of Charlemagne. Much to everyone’s astonishment, when he discussed the 20th century, he never mentioned the Nazi period. We were all deeply offended and at the break expressed our disappointment to Michael, whereupon he stood before the group and apologized with tears in his eyes. Suddenly I realized that here was my opportunity. I suggested to Michael that it would be appropriate for him to invite the whole group to visit the memorial to the Jewish victims. Michael eagerly agreed and later that day, most of the group walked to the memorial, not really knowing what to expect. Appropriately, the site is somber with a gray brick wall inscribed with the names of those who perished. I felt that I needed to seize this moment. I asked my colleagues to gather around while I put on my yarmulke and recited the Kaddish,
HAVE SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND? LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD! Send a letter to the editor: editor@americanisraelite.com
AI
The American Israelite
the Jewish mourner’s prayer for the dead. Although the words are in ancient Aramaic, somehow the meaning was felt more than understood. In a spontaneous outpouring of emotion, everyone burst into tears, hugging each other. The group included Jews, Christians, Hindus and Muslims, but at this moment we were simply people bound by our common humanity and the sadness over a terrible tragedy. As we stood there, many of the cars that passed by blew their horns in recognition and sympathy.
Michael then led us to a house in front of which was embedded a brass plaque in the sidewalk with the name of a Jewish occupant who had lived there and was deported. We all crouched down to read the name in an act of homage, each of us mouthing a prayer in our own way. Later that evening, as we walked back to our hotel, Michael turned to me and said, “We learn all about the Nazi period and the Holocaust in school, and we take trips to many sites related to that time, but as Germans we never talk about it. That is a mistake. We need to talk about it so we won’t forget; that’s what I learned today.” The following day as I rode the train to the airport, I reviewed that simple yet profound event. I realized that coming to Germany was an act of closure for my own personal history. Even my parents would have understood.
JEWISH LIFE • 17
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
WHAT’S HAPPENING for the death of another”). Hence, three people incur penalty for such talk: the one who tells it, the one who listens to it and the one who spreads it further. And when the Kohen Gadol (high priest) appears once a year before God in the Holy of Holies with the incense sacrifice, it is for this infraction against slander that he seeks atonement on behalf of the Jewish nation. With this in mind, let us analyze the symbolism of the purification process. In idolatry, the point of offering a sacrifice was to propitiate the gods – idolaters believed that the world was run by the warring gods and humans could only seek to bribe them. In Judaism, by contrast, humans are full partners with God in perfecting this world. Our sacrifices represent the one who brings them, with the sinoffering animal standing in the place of the owner, “telling” him that it is he who deserved to die but for Divine loving-kindness, and the whole burnt offering “telling” him that he ought devote “all of himself” to the service of the Almighty in the perfection of the world. In the case of the metzora, the slanderous, scandalous chattering twitters are symbolized by the two birds; one is slaughtered as gossip is considered akin to taking a life, and the other is sent off to fly away. The best way to explain this symbolism is by means of a remarkable hassidic story told of someone who asked his rebbe how he might gain Divine forgiveness for his sin of slander. The rebbe instructed him to confess his sin and beg forgiveness of those whom he had slandered; then he instructed him to take a feather pillow, bring it to the marketplace late in the afternoon when the wind was strongest, to open the covering, allow the feathers to fly, and then set about collecting all the scattered feathers. The distraught hassid returned to the rebbe that evening, report-
ing that gathering the feathers was a “mission impossible.” “So it is with slander,” replied the rebbe; “You never know how far your evil words have spread, since each person you told may well have told his friends...” Rav Yisrael Salanter explained why the portions Tazria and Metzora follow Shmini, with its laws of kashrut: because what comes out of your mouth is even more significant than what goes into your mouth. Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with saying this: “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.”
AT YOUR SYNAGOGUE?
STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH A SUBSCRIPTION TO THE AMERICAN ISRAELITE NAME ADDRESS CITY
STATE
CHECK TYPE OF SUBSCRIPTION
1 YEAR, IN-TOWN
CHECK TYPE OF PAYMENT
CHECK
ZIP 1 YEAR, OUT-OF-TOWN
VISA
MASTERCARD
LIFETIME
DISCOVER
1-Year Subscription: $44 In-town, $49 Out-of-town Send completed form with payment to: The American Israelite 18 W. 9th St. Ste. 2 • Cincinnati, OH 45202-2037
CHANGE OF ADDRESS? SEND AN EMAIL TO PUBLISHER@AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi – Efrat Israel
AI
The American Israelite
T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: TAZRIA-METZORA (LEVITICUS CHAPTERS 12—15) b.) Buried c.) Burnt
1. Can leather contract tzara’as? a.) Yes b.) No 2. How many days is a garment suspected of having tzara’as quarantined? a.) Three b.) Seven c.) Ten 3. If a garment is condemned, what is done to it? a.) Donated to the poor The Emorites, one of the peoples who populated Canaan before the Jewish conquest, hid their wealth before the Jews entered Israel. That wealth was sometimes recovered when former Emorite houses were demolished after contracting tzara’as.
EFRAT, Israel - “Then he shall sprinkle [the mixture] seven times upon the person being purified from the tzara’at; he shall purify him and set the live bird free upon the open field” (Leviticus 14:7). One of the strangest and most primitive-sounding rituals of the Bible surrounds the purification of the individual afflicted with “tzara’at,” a skin disease that apparently, at least in biblical times, struck those guilty of slanderous gossip (metzora – one who is afflicted with tzara’at derives from motzi-ra, one who spreads evil talk). Because the root cause of the malady was spiritual rather than physiological, it was the priest – the kohen – rather than a doctor who had the responsibility of examining the white spots that appeared on the skin of the individual to determine whether quarantine was necessary, and then – if he was able to declare the person free of the disease – initiating a process of purification. It is with this particular ritual that our portion of Metzora opens. The kohen commands two birds to be taken; the first to be slaughtered in an earthenware vessel, its blood mingled with the living waters of a spring, and the second – kept alive – to be immersed within the mingled blood waters in the earthenware vessel. The waters are sprinkled upon the person cured of the malady, whereupon the live bird is allowed to fly away, leaving the city limits. This ritual act of purification is fraught with symbolism. There are few biblical infractions as serious as speaking slander; three different prohibitions recorded in Scripture proscribe such speech. The first is gossip regarding another, which may in itself be harmless, but which is no one else’s business and can easily lead to evil talk (the prohibition of rechilut – when, for example, one tells another the cost of a neighbor’s new house). The second is lashon hara – downright slander – reporting the negative action of another which may actually be true but ought not be spread. The third and worst of all is motzi shem ra – disseminating a lie about an innocent person. From such unnecessary chatter, reputations can be broken, families can be destroyed and lives can be lost (“with the negative turn of their noses, they can become responsible
The third and worst of all is motzi shem ra – disseminating a lie about an innocent person. From such unnecessary chatter, reputations can be broken, families can be destroyed and lives can be lost (“with the negative turn of their noses, they can become responsible for the death of another”).
4. Who checks for tzara’as in a house? a.) The owner b.) Rabbi c.) Priest (Kohein) 5. If a house is condemned, what must its owner do? a.) Make it into a house of worship b.) Destroy it c.) Sell it and donate the proceeds to the poor
3. C—13:52. Blemishes in clothes are entirely supernatural. They are a sign from G-d that the owner needs to repent. (Ramban) 4. C—14:34 5. B—14:45 Ironically, the discovery of a plague in a house sometimes led to something good.
by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT TAZRIA-METZORA • LEVITICUS 12:1-15:33
Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
Answers 1. A—13:48 Leather can have tzarat if it is a garment or just a material. 2. B—13:50. After seven days the area affected by the tzara’as remains the same size, it was burnt
Sedra of the Week
18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
JEWZ
IN THE
By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist JACKIE ROBINSON: COURAGE; ALLIES AND ENEMIES Opening in theaters on Friday, April 12, is “42.” The title references the player number of the great Jackie Robinson (19191972), the first African-American to play major league ball. The film follows the college-educated Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), as he is selected by Branch Rickey (HARRISON FORD, 70), the Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager, to break the “gentleman’s agreement” that kept owners from signing black players. Robinson agreed to Rickey’s request that no matter how much racist abuse he suffered during his rookie season (1947) he would not react in kind with strong words or by fighting back. Robinson let his talent do his talking for him. The 1947 Rookie-of-the-Year earned the respect of his teammates and millions of fans as he paved the way for other black players. Depicted in the film is one teammate who wouldn’t play with Robinson (Dixie Walker) and players on other teams who directed racial slurs at Robinson or even tried to injure him (Ben Chapman, the Phillies’ player/manager, and St. Louis catcher Joe Garagiola, now 87. Garagiola later re-invented himself as a genial sportscaster). Robinson’s allies included Dodger shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a Southerner; Dodgers’ pitcher Ralph Branca, now 87; and Hallof-Fame first baseman HANK GREENBERG (1911-86). Branca, a devout Catholic who was the Dodgers’ pitching ace during the 1947 season, found out in 2011 that his late mother was born Jewish. He told the reporter who discovered this fact that maybe her Jewish background led his mother to teach him to be tolerant of people of any background. Branca welcomed Robinson on his first day with a hearty handshake. Greenberg, unlike the other players above, is not depicted in “42.” However, the details of his friendship with Robinson are found in many sources, including the really terrific 1998 documentary “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg,” directed by AVIVA KEMPNER. In 1947, Greenberg was the Pirates first baseman (all his prior years were with the Tigers). During a May 1947 game, Greenberg told Robinson, “Stick in there. You’re doing fine. Keep your chin up.” A couple of days later, Robinson told reporters that Greenberg was his “diamond hero” and “Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg.”
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
NEWZ
CHECK OUT TAPPER (WHILE YOU CAN) Last month, JAKE TAPPER, 44, started as the host of a new CNN news program, “The Lead with Jake Tapper.” (Airs 4-5 PM, EDT). Tapper, the winner of many journalism awards, was ABC’s Senior White House Correspondent from 2008-2012. The son of a Jewish father and a mother who converted to Judaism, Tapper attended a Philadelphia Jewish Day School. His wife, too, is a Jew-by-Choice, and his sister, a Conservative rabbi, presided over his wedding. Sadly, Tapper’s early ratings are anemic. “The Lead” is informative. But it is traditional, “middleof-the-road” reporting. Programs with a host with a strong point of view, like those on MSNBC and Fox News, are crushing CNN in the ratings. As Bill Maher just wryly put it: “For the Left, there is MSNBC; for the Right, there is Fox; for airport lounges, there is CNN.” CNN has a pattern of recruiting seasoned, quite competent journalists from another network and then has them do a “down-themiddle” newscast that ultimately fails. This is what happened to Paula Zahn (her ex-husband is Jewish and their children are being raised Jewish) and CAMPBELL BROWN, 44, another Jew-byChoice. Both were heralded when hired as CNN program hosts and then quietly let go for tepid ratings. Tapper appears poised to follow them and that’s a shame. ODD NEWS FOOTNOTE Last week, came the shocking news that the District Attorney of Kaufman County, Texas, and his wife had been murdered in what appeared to be a pro hit. Two months earlier, a County assistant district attorney was shot and killed in front of the county courthouse. Suspected in the killings is a prison-based white supremacist gang. If the gang did do the killings, it’s “weird” that it happened in a county named after a Jew. The county is named for attorney DAVID S. KAUFMAN (181351), a Princeton-educated son of German Jewish immigrants. Kaufman moved to the newlyindependent Republic of Texas in 1837. There he fought (1839) and was seriously wounded in the main battle in a war with the Cherokees. When Texas became a State in 1845, he was elected to Congress and served almost three terms before dying in office. Texas would not send another Jew to Congress until 1979. By the way, natives pronounce Kaufman County’s name this way: “Cough-Man.” I doubt David S. said it that way.
FROM THE PAGES 150 Y EARS A GO The Concert of Mr. Charles Kunkel, on last Friday evening in the Wesleyan College, was a most brilliant affair. The artist, who is the friend of Gottschalk and Moulder, the masters of the piano, delighted the large audience by a series of his own charming compositions. He played his “Bluette,” “The Fifer’s March,” “Thou are so near,” and other pieces; but the best of all, which soon will be repeated in all the large cities of the Union, was his new concert piece on “The Trovatore.” We never heard the great airs and the “Anvil Chorus” of this favorite opera given with more eclat and more intense feeling. The audience was enraptured by the performance of this piece, and the “De Capo” would not cease. We congratulate our townsman on his continued success, and hope that he will find all the encouragement his unabated zeal is so well deserving. His younger brother Jacob, who assisted Mr. Kunkel in the entertainment, will be not only a master on the piano, but also on the guitar. He delighted the hearers with several charming performances on this difficult instrument, and fully deserved the applause he so richly received at the hands of his numerous friends and admirers. – April 24, 1863
125 Y EARS A GO The grand entertainment to be given by the children of the Walnut Hills Sabbath-school, for the benefit of the Society for the Relief of the Sick Poor, takes place at the Walnut Hills Odeon, on Saturday, April 14th, at 8 p.m. An entertainment as meritorious as this one is sure to be, should receive the encouragement of every one. It is to be hoped that the public will cheerfully lend a helping hand to assist this most worthy charity. The play, “Sultan of Sulkeydom,” which was so successfully rendered by the same young people on Purim, proved such a distinct success that there is no doublt as to the outcome of this second rendition. Many people will hail with pleasure this opportunity to not only contribute a little toward charity, but to enjoy as neat, pleasant and agreeable a little play as was ever put upon the boards. – April 13, 1888
100 Y EARS A GO The card carnival held at Hotel Alms on Monday evening, March 29, was a financial success. The committee is grateful to all who assisted in making this affair such a phenomenal success. The receipts were nearly four hundred
dollars and were distributed as follows: Children’s Home, $100; United Jewish Charities, $144.88; Delinquent Girls’ Fund, $25; Newport Jewish Relief, $40; Dayton sufferers, $10; individual families assisted, Hamilton, Cumminsville, Newport and Cincinnati, $65. There remains in the treasury $13. Further information, if desired, will be furnished at the office of D. Jacobs sons Co., Merchants Building. The beautiful Matzo-Tasch which Mrs. B.W. Cohen, of 1822 Hewitt avenue, East Walnut Hills, crocheted and raffled for the benefit of the poor Jews in Turkey was won by Mrs. Ed Rosenthal, of 1504 Ruth avenue, Walnut Hills. The proceeds realized, $11.50, were turned over to Rabbi Jacob Mielziner, of the Reading Road Temple, to be forwarded. At his suggestion the money was applied instead to the relief fund for the Jews who suffered from the recent floods. – April 10, 1913
75 Y EARS A GO Guides explaining the art works on display will conduct tours every evening of the Ninth Annual Exhibit of the Jewish Art Club, April 1st-8th at the Bureau of Jewish Education. Two complete circuits of the show will be made, one at 8 and the other at 9:15 p.m. This service is part of the cultural program of the Jewish Art Club. Bernard Segal, Floyd Berg, Julian Loshin, Louis Kabrin, Hannah Goodman, Erna Bottigheimer and Robert Fabe will serve as guides on the various evenings of the show. Other members of the club will be on hand at all times to explain the paintings. Other attractions will be presented every evening in the form of demonstrations of painting and print techniques. Air brush, oil painting techniques, chalk talks, wood engraving and printing demonstrations will be carried on. These displays will be held between the two tours. Organizations sponsoring evenings will include the Avondale Synagogue Auxiliary, B’nai B’rith, Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, Cincinnati Zionist District, Young Judaea. – April 21, 1938
50 Y EARS A GO Mrs. Alva S. Thomton, new chairman of the Youth Employment Service of the Citizens’ Committee on Youth, announces that Mrs. Robert Westheimer will continue as chairman of the training program for YES. Mrs. Westheimer, representing
the Council of Jewish Women, was responsible for having the Board of Education assist in development of the training program in several of the Cincinnati public high schools. The new courses in Homemaker’s Aid and Houseman are under way now. YES obtains jobs for in-school youth who have financial need so that they can stay in school to complete their education, thus reducing school drop-outs. – April 11, 1963
25 Y EARS A GO Golf Manor Synagogue Sisterhood is having its annual Donor Luncheon on Sunday May 1, to honor Rabbi David Indich’s wife, Risa, for 36 years of devotion to Sisterhood. A cocktail hour at 11:30 will be followed by a luncheon in the Liebowitz auditorium at 6442 Stover Avenue. Professor Henry W. Meyer of the LaSalle Quartet since 1948 and associated with the College Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati since 1953, will be the keynote speaker at the Yom HaShoah memorial service on Sunday April 17, at Ohav Shalom Congregation, 1834 Section Road. The Women’s Community Conference, sponsored by Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, will be held Wednesday, April 27 at Rockdale Temple. The conference, conducted from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., will feature five focus groups: “New Vistas for Women,” led by Diane Goodman, job placement counselor at Jewish Vocational service; and “Push MePull Me Syndrome,” led by Gloria Lipson, a social worker in private practice. – April 14, 1988
10 Y EARS A GO Rabbi David Komerofsky, dean of students and director of the Rabbinical School at HUC-JIR, will present “The Tenets of Judaism,” the annual Levin Lecture at Temple Sholom. With as many belief systems within Judaism and ways to practice Judaism as there are Jews, what, if anything, can be considered normative Jewish belief or practice? The lecutre is free and open to the community. Mark Ludwig, director and founder of the Terezin Chamber Music Foundation and a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, presents the third annual Lusia Hornstein Program in remembrance of the Holocaust and the Human Spirit. He will present “A Search for Meaning Amidst the Holocaust: Music in Terezin” at Wise Temple. – April 17, 2003
FOOD / CLASSIFIEDS • 19
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Access (513) 373-0300 • jypaccess.org Big Brothers/Big Sisters Assoc. (513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7258 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Chabad (513) 731-5111 • campchabad.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 754-3100 • cedarvillage.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Cincinnati Community Kollel (513) 631-1118 • kollel.shul.net Cincinnati Community Mikveh (513) 351-0609 • cincinnatimikveh.org Eruv Hotline (513) 351-3788 Fusion Family (513) 703-3343 • fusionnati.org Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (Miami) (513) 523-5190 • muhillel.org Hillel Jewish Student Center (UC) (513) 221-6728 • hillelcincinnati.org Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati 513-961-0178 • jcemcin.org Jewish Community Center (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org Jewish Community Relations Council (513) 985-1501 Jewish Family Service (513) 469-1188 • jfscinti.org Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (513) 985-1500 • shalomcincy.org Jewish Foundation (513) 214-1200 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 JVS Career Services (513) 985-0515 • jvscinti.org Kesher (513) 766-3348 Plum Street Temple Historic Preservation Fund (513) 793-2556 Shalom Family (513) 703-3343 • myshalomfamily.org The Center for Holocaust & Humanity Education (513) 487-3055 • holocaustandhumanity.org Vaad Hoier (513) 731-4671 Workum Fund (513) 899-1836 • workum.org YPs at the JCC (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org
CONGREGATIONS Adath Israel Congregation (513) 793-1800 • adath-israel.org Beit Chaverim (513) 984-3393 • btzbc.com Beth Israel Congregation (513) 868-2049 • bethisraelcongregation.net Congregation Beth Adam (513) 985-0400 • bethadam.org Congregation B’nai Tzedek (513) 984-3393 • btzbc.com Congregation Ohav Shalom (513) 489-3399 • ohavshalom.org
Congregation Ohr Chadash (513) 252-7267 • ohrchadashcincinnati.com Congregation Sha’arei Torah shaareitorahcincy.org Congregation Zichron Eliezer 513-631-4900 • czecincinnati.org Golf Manor Synagogue (513) 531-6654 • golfmanorsynagogue.org Isaac M. Wise Temple (513) 793-2556 • wisetemple.org Kehilas B’nai Israel (513) 761-0769 Northern Hills Synagogue (513) 931-6038 • nhs-cba.org Rockdale Temple (513) 891-9900 • rockdaletemple.org Temple Beth Shalom (513) 422-8313 • tbsohio.org Temple Sholom (513) 791-1330 • templesholom.net The Valley Temple (513) 761-3555 • valleytemple.com
EDUCATION Chai Tots Early Childhood Center (513) 234.0600 • chaitots.com Chabad Blue Ash (513) 793-5200 • chabadba.com Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (513) 351-7777 • chds.shul.net HUC-JIR (513) 221-1875 • huc.edu JCC Early Childhood School (513) 793-2122 • mayersonjcc.org Kehilla - School for Creative Jewish Education (513) 489-3399 • kehilla-cincy.com Mercaz High School (513) 792-5082 x104 • mercazhs.org Kulanu (Reform Jewish High School) 513-262-8849 • kulanucincy.org Regional Institute Torah & Secular Studies (513) 631-0083 Rockwern Academy (513) 984-3770 • rockwernacademy.org Sarah’s Place (513) 531-3151 • sarahsplacecincy.com Yeshivas Lubavitch High School of Cincinnati 513-631-2452 • ylcincinnati.com
ORGANIZATIONS American Jewish Committee (513) 621-4020 • ajc.org American Friends of Magen David Adom (513) 521-1197 • afmda.org B’nai B’rith (513) 984-1999 BBYO (513) 722-7244 Hadassah (513) 821-6157 • cincinnati.hadassah.org Jewish Discovery Center (513) 234.0777 • jdiscovery.com Jewish National Fund (513) 794-1300 • jnf.org Jewish War Veterans (513) 204-5594 • jwv.org NA’AMAT (513) 984-3805 • naamat.org National Council of Jewish Women (513) 891-9583 • ncjw.org State of Israel Bonds (513) 793-4440 • israelbonds.com Women’s American ORT (513) 985-1512 • ortamerica.org
The Spring has sprung Zell’s Bites
by Zell Schulman
like other recipes from foreign countries, you need to try or you’ll never know if you’ll like the dish or not and you won’t experience the “world of food.” Today, herring bits in wine, chopped herring and a variety of different herrings from many countries are available at your specialty store or supermarket. In the meantime, have an adventure and try making this herring salad. Oh yes, don’t forget the fresh pumpernickel or rye bread to go along with it. HERRING SALAD
When I think of Spring the first thing to come to my mind are daffodils. Of course crocus bloom before these and allow us to begin thinking about the weather getting warmer, and the first spring vegetables can be seen in the produce section of the supermarkets. The first thing I think about is one of my late father’s favorites, Farmer’s Chop Suey. It just looks and tastes like spring. Fresh tasting, it is so good with cut up cucumbers, scallions and radish bits covered in yummy, thick sour cream. My dad would have a big dish of this along with some fresh rye bread and chopped herring. It’s a Russian thing, but one I learned to enjoy and love. I remember going with him to the farmers market to select the perfect schmaltz herring. We would bring it home along with thick farmer’s cheese, fresh sour cream and cottage cheese. What a treat it was for me. I watched carefully as my dad cleaned and prepared the herring for chopping. I helped by peeling the cucumbers, cutting up the radishes and mincing the fresh scallions, called green onions by some of my friends. What a special opportunity for me to learn and appreciate what a great cook my dad, Harry Sharff, was. A lot of the recipes we cooked together are what introduced me to good food. I do believe you need to develop a taste for this type of cooking, but this recipe,
DO YOU WANT TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED? Send an e-mail including what you would like in your classified & your contact information to
business@ americanisraelite.com or call Erin at 621-3145
Ingredients One 8-ounce jar Herring in wine sauce 1 dill pickle, peeled, cut into small pieces 1/4 cup sour cream One 8-ounce can whole red beets 2 large boiled potatoes, cubed 1 hard cooked egg, chopped 1 tart apple, seeded and cubed 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional) Method 1. Drain the brine from the herring jar over a small bowl. Remove the onions from the herring and place into the bowl with the brine. Set aside. Lay the herring tidbits on paper towels to absorb any extra juice and cut them into small cubes. 2. Drain the beets, place on paper towels to absorb any extra juice and cut into small cubes. 3. Place the potatoes, egg, apple and pickle into a large bowl. Add the herring and beets. 4. In a medium bowl, mix the herring brine, onions, sour cream and sugar together. Pour over the herring mixture. Fold in the pecans. Chill overnight. Serve on individual lettuce leaves as an appetizer. Zell’s Tips: Spread a little of this salad between two slices of rye bread, add a little mayo and you’ll have a great sandwich for lunch.
SENIOR SERVICES
• • • • •
Up to 24 hour care Meal Preparation Errands/Shopping Hygiene Assistance Light Housekeeping
(513) 531-9600
20 • TRAVEL
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
Silver Whisper: a captivating, diverse itinerary Wandering Jew
by Janet Steinberg My recent Silversea’s Silver Whisper cruise, from Lisbon, Portugal to Southampton, England, afforded me and 291 passengers from 14 countries a chance to experience one of Europe’s most captivating and diverse itineraries often overlooked by many cruise lines. Returning, once again, to cruise on the all-suite Silver Whisper did not disappoint. It was like returning to a friend’s luxurious yacht, or checking in to a favorite exclusive hotel. All the great amenities I had remembered awaited me in my veranda suite… lavish Bulgari amenities… bedding of my choice... a butler who pampered me and polished my shoes while I was out exploring the world. And of course, that bottomless bottle of champagne (and all other libations), mine for the asking, as I relaxed and watched the sea caress the ship. It was a warm feeling to return to my home upon the sea; a home where I wasn’t nickel-and-dimed for beverages; a home where I could dine when, where, and with whom I desired; and a home where no tipping was expected. Sailing some 1418 nautical miles, Silver Whisper sailed me from Lisbon to Oporto, Portugal; Bilbao, Spain; Bordeaux, SaintMalo, and Honfleur, France, ultimately disembarking in Southampton, England. My first Silver Whisper shore excursion of the cruise, a 30-minute drive from the port at Leixões brought me to
Oporto, Portugal’s second largest city. As the tour bus drove along the Avenida dos Aliados, we viewed some of the city’s most impressive buildings such as the 1915 train station, the 18th century Church of Clerigos, and the austere Se Cathedral, a 12th-century Romanesque building. Following our city orientation, we headed down to the Ribeira quarter to enjoy a boat ride on the Douro River (River of Gold). The water afforded a totally different panorama of Oporto’s skyline. On the opposite bank, we visited Vila Nova de Gaia, home to the port trade and numerous wine lodges. Most of them were established in the 18th century; their brand-name port wines are known worldwide. The tour culminated with a visit to W & J Graham’s Port House with an “oportonity” to learn the process of wine making, and a tasting of their fine Port wines. After an idyllic day at sea, our next Silversea shore excursion took us to Bilbao, Spain to visit the renowned Guggenheim Museum. Enroute from the port, we passed through the industrial outskirts of Bilbao and took in the splendid view from Mount Artxanda. From there, we continued down the city’s main thoroughfare, Gran Via, which reflects Bilbao’s 19th-century mining and industrial prosperity. And then, there it was! Frank Gehry’s masterpiece in flowing titanium and limestone. The tour continued with a drive to the Old Quarter, or “Casco Viejo,” located on the right-bank of the Nervion River. During the walking tour, we saw the 14th-century Gothic Cathedral, Arriaga Theatre, Plaza Nueva and the Bilbao Ria, which separates the old and new cities. Before returning to the port, the tour culminated with tapas (Spanish appetizers) and drinks at the Café Kiosko del Arenal. Our next two days were spent docked in Bordeaux, France. On the first day, we opted for a Silver Whisper shore excursion that offered a panoramic view of Bordeaux and a visit to a winery
Courtesy of Janet Steinberg
Silversea’s Silver Whisper
that included a wine tasting. On day two, Silversea’s shore excursions offered a chance to visit the UNESCO village of St. Emilion or just explore the beautiful city of Bordeaux. But more about Bordeaux in a later article. On the eighth day of our cruise, Silver Whisper anchored at Brittany’s charming French town of Saint-Malo. From there, her passengers could opt for a 45minute drive to the Emerald Coast and the town of Cancale for a crash course in oyster farming. Or they could choose the 1.5hour scenic drive to Mont St. Michel. Mont St. Michel, (“Wonder of the Western World”) perched on a rocky pinnacle in Mont St. Michel Bay, was officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Joined to land by a causeway, this 13th century Gothic Benedictine Abbey is one of the most visited sites in France. In 2011, a-state-of-the-art dam was completed on the Couesnon River as part of a 10-year plan to rid the river channel of sediment and allow the water to once again flow freely around the mount. From the new 2012 Visitors Center near the dam, visitors can walk, shuttle, or ride a horse-drawn car-
riage, to the mount. A climb of 365 steps will take you from the cobbled, convoluted streets to the base of the Abbey. If you wish to visit the interior of the Abbey, prepare to walk up another 197 steps. Not a trip for the faint of heart (or body) but an incredible site for those who take the excursion. In the village, at the base of the Mont, you must partake in its culinary specialty… a light and frothy, overpriced omelet, La Mere Poulard is the most famous, and most expensive eatery, in which you can taste a Mont St. Michel omelet. The cooking of their world-renowned omelets is a big production enacted in the restaurant’s front window. The following day in Normandy, Silver Whisper docked at Honfleur for a shore excursion that enabled us to relive one of the most historic events of World War II. Departing the pier in Honfleur, we drove to the small seaside town of Arromanches via the D-Day landing beaches of Sword, Juno and Gold. In Arromanches, we visited the Invasion Museum, dedicated to the largest landing operation in history… the June 6, 1944 invasion when the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to attack the German lines. During
Courtesy of Janet Steinberg
The American Cemetery in Normandy
our visit, we saw films and models that re-created the entire operation along the D-Day beaches. After a typical French lunch at La Chenevière, a historic chateau located near Omaha Beach, we visited Colleville-sur-Mer, site of the American Cemetery. The majority of the nearly 10,000 American soldiers killed at Omaha Beach are buried in this 170-acre cemetery on land given to the United States by France as a token of her gratitude. Here, 9,386 marble crosses and Stars of David are aligned on a plateau above the beach. A memorial contains the Tablets of the Missing, and a map outlines the battle sites of the Normandy beaches. A Silver Whisper passenger laid a wreath at the base of the memorial, Taps was played over the loud speaker, and hundreds of visitors from all over the world stood with hand over heart as the Americans sang the Star Spangled Banner. At the gravesite of Pvt. Raymond Baumgard, my husband recited the Mourner’s Kaddish to memorialize the sacrifice that this young Ohio soldier (whom he had never met) made for our country. Ah yes… travel truly is the bitter with the sweet.
Courtesy of Janet Steinberg
The American Cemetery in Normandy
FOOD • 21
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013
This Year in Jerusalem This Year in Jerusalem
by Phyllis Singer On Monday, the Jewish world observed Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. In December, my daughter-in-law Judy, wife of Hanan (Howie), traveled to Germany with her brothers to explore their Jewish roots. Her search began almost four years ago on the Internet and ended in the German town of Ruppertshofen, where her family lived. Judy has written two articles about her search. Since we just commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day, I would like to share parts of her articles with you. I have been dabbling in genealogy, researching my family history and trying to find out as much as possible about my roots. In the Internet age, anything is possible. At some point I started looking for documentation of family members killed in the Holocaust and found most of them without too much trouble in the database of the Israeli Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem (completely computerized) and various other places. Jews of German descent have an advantage over others when they search for their roots, as nearly everything is meticulously documented (even sickeningly so), and much has been computerized. However, one of my grandfather’s brothers (as children we called my maternal grandfather and grandmother Opa and Oma, from the German) was proving difficult to find. I knew, from an oral history we got from Oma about 25 years ago, that Opa’s brother had been killed in the Holocaust, along with his wife and two daughters, but aside from his name and an approximate birth year, I had no information, and I couldn’t find them anywhere. I decided to look for this greatuncle in the village where he was THATCHER from page 8 “She counted a number of Jews among her closest advisers and confidants, and at one point nearly a quarter of her Cabinet were of Jewish origins,” Wineman said. Moshe Maor, a Hebrew University political science professor whose expertise is Britain, said Thatcher admired the British Jewish community’s self-reliance,
born – Ruppertshofen, a tiny town in southwest Germany. A Google search led me from one website to the next. After a while I found myself on the website of a Ruppertshofen church, in a section dealing with activities for senior citizens. (Of course this was all in German – a language which I don’t know well, but today there are online translation sites that are quite remarkable.) In addition to all sorts of other activities, one woman did a research project on the relations between Christians and Jews in Ruppertshofen in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since I knew that there had been only a few dozen Jews in the town – including my Opa and his family – I was extremely interested in her project. Fortunately, someone had uploaded the research paper to the Internet, and I started to go over it, utilizing what’s left of my high school German, a dictionary and various other translation tools. It only took two or three minutes before I realized this woman had written a book about my Opa! She had chosen him as an example of a typical Jew in Ruppertshofen and had turned up many stories and details about him and his family and how the neighbors made their lives so difficult when things started deteriorating in the early 1930s. There is a heartbreaking description of my mother at age 3, standing in the doorway of her house crying because the other children were no longer allowed to play with her. There are drawings of the town synagogue, which, it turns out, was built by my great-great-grandfather in 1865. It is hard to describe the emotions that my two brothers and I — who are, as far as we know, the only surviving descendants from Opa’s branch of the family tree — experienced when we made this discovery. Once I had calmed down a bit, I decided that I had to try to contact the woman who did the research. A little more surfing the Internet yielded her phone number; I tried to call her and after a few tries got her on the phone. She was no less excited than I was, but her English was very basic, and we couldn’t really have a serious conversation. She asked me to send her an email, as she had someone who could help her with English reading and writing. Still energized but just slightly disappointed, I sat down to write
the email – and just then the phone rang, a call from Germany, but this time a man’s voice on the phone. Speaking perfect Hebrew. “Shalom. Korim li Michael veani ha-comer mi-Ruppertshofen.” (Shalom, my name is Michael and I am the priest from Ruppertshofen.) The priest who helped write the research paper spent two years in Jerusalem, at the university. A big fan of Hebrew literature and poetry. Loves hummus. So we talked. He was also very moved and excited; he talked about their project and the amazing timing of my phone call because in another two days, they were having the second in a series of lectures at the church about the Jews of Ruppertshofen! And could I send pictures, of Opa and Oma, and mom, and of us with our kids? And how much they had wanted to look for us, but there are millions of Blumenthals in the United States, and they didn’t know where to start. And how what was posted on the website was just a short excerpt from the whole project, which is over 40 pages in all, and includes more stories about Opa, and Oma, and our family. So I sent pictures and a summary of the history of our family in the U.S. and Israel over the last 70 years. We talked several more times, and he sent a description of the lecture at the church and he took pictures of the event and the researcher sent them via email, including dozens of townspeople who for all I know are the children or grandchildren of the neighbors who gave my family up to the Gestapo. I have an overwhelming desire to talk with this priest, with this researcher, to hear what they have to say. In December 2012, Judy and her two brothers traveled to Germany. This is part of her story about the trip. It’s cold in Germany and dark. Full daylight starts only at about 8:30 a.m. in the winter, and by 3 p.m. the sun is already going down. In all the days of our visit we didn’t see a minute of sunshine, only snow, rain and constant, heavy grey clouds. And I thought: it matches my mood. Because even after everything I have found out about my family over the past few years and all the connections I have made, after all the research and the stories,
I still didn’t want to go. I guess that reluctance is part of my mom’s legacy. But I went. Berlin is an interesting city, full of memorials and remorse; we only saw a little of it. At the entrance to many of the subway stations there is a sign that says, “Terrible places that we must never forget: Auschwitz, Treblinka, Dachau…” etc. The sidewalks are full of engraved signs that mark the locations of various atrocities. And I thought: it’s not enough. We walked down streets which were once filled with Jewish stores. And I thought: if I close my eyes I can still hear the sounds of breaking glass from 74 years ago. We got to the official Berlin Holocaust memorial, and I thought: what on earth IS this?! But then we went in and I understood, and I was stunned by the power of the message, by the emotions that it stirred, and by the helplessness that it evoked. We found a kosher bakery and a store that sold some kosher food (mostly Israeli imports), and I thought: I can’t decide if the availability of kosher food here is a victory or more of a surrender. We visited the Jewish museum and I thought: After you’ve been to Yad Vashem there’s no point in going to any other museums. We drove all day to get to the tiny town [Ruppertshofen] where Mom was born. On the way we saw mega-malls in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of wind turbines, and were passed by cars going 250 kph. And I thought: I can still imagine the crowds of refugees walking along the sides of the roads. The town is about as big as a kibbutz. We met the people I have been corresponding with. Among them: Michael the priest, who studied with the same teacher that I had when I was in Israel. He spends much of his time teaching today’s Germans what happened back then. And I thought: there are people who simply have a Jewish soul, no matter what their religion. We met Ellen, the woman who wrote the book about my family which I found by accident on the Internet. She was so excited when we arrived that I feared for her health. Our visit was An Event. There was a reporter and a photographer, and the mayor came to welcome us. We visited the church office, where
they have the town archives, and we saw the official records of our family: births, weddings and funerals from five generations back. And I thought: there is nothing that these Germans don’t write down. We went into the church itself, built 900 (!) years ago. My oldest brother asked if he could play the pipe organ, and I thought: this is definitely the first time that Hanuka songs and Adon Olam have been played here. In the church is a large sign in memory of the soldiers of the town who were killed in WWII. Michael the priest is embarrassed. Afterward we saw the plaque in memory of the town’s soldiers killed in WWI. Out of nine – one was my grandfather’s (Opa’s) brother and one was his cousin. And I thought: back then they still listed the Jews. They took us to the regional Jewish cemetery. A 20-minute drive, partly on dirt roads, then park your car at the edge of the woods and walk 20 minutes into the forest. It was the only place the goyim were willing to give the Jews to bury their dead at the end of the 17th century. There is no way you could find this place unless you are accompanied by someone who knows where it is. And I thought: in another few dozen years, no one will know how to get here, and maybe there won’t be anyone left who will even want to come and visit this place. We found Opa’s parents’ graves, and I thought: thank God they invested in good marble headstones, because most of the other markers were made of sandstone and are no longer readable. We lit candles and said El Maleh Rachamim, and I thought: when is the next time that anyone will pray here, on this frozen, sanctified, cursed ground? We didn’t have much time; I guess I wasn’t prepared to spend too many days there. A lot of the time I wanted to run away, but at the end I kind of wanted to stay. We didn’t have time to go see the memorial plaques in memory of Opa’s brother Edward and his wife and children, the family I traced with the help of Michael the priest and for whom I filled out pages of testimony at Yad Vashem. On our last day I found out that the house where they were hiding before they were discovered and put on the train has been turned into a museum. And I thought: I would like to see that. So maybe one day I’ll go back there. Maybe.
an ethos she embraced as she dedicated herself to weaning Britons off public assistance. “Thatcher admired hard work, and the Jewish community was not dependent on the state,” Maor said. “It was structured in such a way that Jews help others in their community. That was the culture Thatcher tried to advance.” It was one also embraced by Britain’s late chief rabbi, Immanuel Jakobovits, whom
Thatcher elevated to the House of Lords. Frustrated by protests among Christian leaders of the rapid pace of her economic reforms, she increasingly turned for spiritual reinforcement to Jakobovits, who became widely known as “Thatcher’s rabbi.” Thatcher’s rule coincided with social changes among the country’s 350,000 Jews. Once proudly working class, British Jews by the 1980s had become increasingly
middle class, more likely to be self-employed and alarmed at the leftward lurch of the leadership in the Labor Party. “She got on quite well with Jews,” Wineman said. “She said once that she thought she probably had more constituents in Tel Aviv than in Finchley.” Thatcher never hesitated to advance the careers of talented young Jews in her party – among them Leon Brittan, a secretary of
trade; Nigel Lawson, a chancellor of the exchequer; Edwina Currie, a health minister; Malcolm Rifkind, a secretary of state for Scotland; and Michael Howard, a secretary of employment. Rifkind went on to become foreign minister. Howard became home secretary and then opposition leader, burying forever the notion that a British leader had to come from the country’s official faith, Anglicanism.
22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES LERER, Gerald “Jerry,” age 74, died April 5, 2013; 25 Nissan 5773.
O BITUARIES
WWW.AMERICANISRAELITE.COM
supporter of Israel and Jewish causes. He took great pleasure in sitting in his chair drinking his own homemade wine and listening to Atarah play the piano. Leaving behind a wealth of family lore, he is greatly missed by friends and family who love him.
JABLONSKY, Marvin STEINMAN, Evelyn Slava Marvin Jablonsky passed away on February 16, 2013, two days after his 90th birthday. He was a devoted husband to Atarah, his wife of 65 years. Marvin was a rock of support and love to his five children, Karen (Tzvi) Dinur; Andy (Ruth); Eugene (Liz); Elliot (Vicky); and Ben (Dawn). Marvin had 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Born on Valentine’s Day in 1923 to Jennie and Osher Jablonsky in New York City, Marvin, his three sisters, Esther, Annie and Shirley, and brother Max, grew up in the Bronx, and spent summers running a boarding house in Kerhonksen, N.Y. Mr. Jablonsky graduated from City College in New York with a degree in Social Work and Counseling. He was drafted in 1941 in the U.S. Army where he served in the Infantry. Mr. Jablonsky lost his right arm as a result of shrapnel wounds he suffered in Lindern, Germany. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his actions saving a fellow soldier during a fierce ground battle at the Front. Marvin married Atarah in 1947. They moved to Cincinnati in 1958, where Mr. Jablonsky worked as a vocational counselor at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind. He was an accomplished bridge and chess player, loved to walk and swim, read Dickens and Shakespeare. Mr. Jablonsky was a strong
Evelyn Slava Steinman, 84, passed away on April 8, 2013. Born January 27, 1929, to Harry and Sylvia Pollack in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Steinman graduated from a special high school for the visual arts and completed high school level Yiddish. In 1947, she married Robert Steinman, and supported him as he completed college by painting tole trays. When her daughter was born, she became a homemaker and an active volunteer. The family moved to Chicago, where she was active at Beth Tikvah Congregation and served as a Sisterhood president, was active in the Wheeling, Ill., Junior Women’s Club and the PTA, and helped establish the first public library in Wheeling. She also helped improve living conditions and education opportunities for migrant farm workers. When the family moved to New Jersey, Mrs. Steinman was an active member of Temple Beth El and was president of a “Special Kids” support group. In 1978, the Steinmans moved to Cincinnati, where Mrs. Steinman became a leader at Temple Sholom. She served as Sisterhood President, inaugurated the Shalom Bayit Committee, which worked to retain senior members of the congregation and edited the Temple’s newsletter, Voice. When the congregation lost both its administrator and secretary at the same time, she and Robert filled the position as volunteers for three months. In 1984, the Steinmans began their own successful outplacement business, Robert E. Steinman Associates. Mrs.
Steinman served as office manager and customer service liaison. She also did volunteer work for SCORE and the Appalachian Council of Cincinnati, was a volunteer assistant third grade teacher working with inner city and under-motivated children, assisted St. Mary’s Church with grant writing and assisted in training VISTA volunteers to become job search counselors for people on welfare and others considered “unemployable.” The Steinmans moved to Louisville in 2009. They are members of Temple Shalom and the Jewish Community Center. Through the years, Mrs. Steinman was a Cub Scout leader, worked with disabled children, including those with Down Syndrome, and was a life member of Hadassah. Mrs. Steinman was an avid gardener and loved dogs. She bred keeshonds and showed then at AKC events. One of her dogs was a U.S. and Canadian champion. She was also a dog obedience trainer. The Steinmans celebrated their 65th anniversary in December. Mrs. Steinman is remembered as a beautiful person, who was honest and sincere. She was preceded in death by her sons, Michael and Stuart Steinman, and her grandson, Glenn Wallace. Mrs. Steinman is survived by her husband, Robert Steinman; her daughter and son-in-law, Sheila and David Wallace; her daughter-in-law, Bonnie Steinman; her granddaughter, Sara Wallace; her granddaughterin-law, Carla Wallace; and two great-grandchildren, Madeline Scarbrough and Gavin Wallace. A memorial service will be held at Temple Shalom at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. Memorial gifts may be made to Temple Shalom, 4615 Lowe Rd., Louisville, KY 40220; MAZON, 10495 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90025; or ARZA, 633 Third Ave., NY, NY 10017.
EVENTS from page 5 innovation, including agricultural entrepreneurship and medical and technological breakthroughs.” The Israeli Cultural Fest wraps up with David Broza in concert, presented by the JCC Wolf Center for Arts & Ideas. One of the most dynamic singer-songwriter instrumentalists in the world, Broza has won the hearts of audiences everywhere with his magnetic, soulful music that draws from the sounds of Israel, Spain and England. General concert seating is free, but tickets must be reserved. VIP tickets, which include premium seating and a post-concert “meet and greet” with Broza, can be purchased in advance. On April 21, childcare will be INTERNS from page 6 Mia Perlman just finished her freshman year at Washington University in St. Louis. She graduated from Seven Hills in 2011. During high school she worked at Camp at the J and was involved in BBYO and her high school theater program. After graduation, she spent nine months in Israel on USCJ’s gap year program, Nativ. She learned at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, studied Hebrew and volunteered in a youth aliyah village. She also spent the year learning Jewish religious history, the state of Conservative Judaism today and Israel advocacy BOOMERS from page 7 aligned with what we might recognize as Judaism. What he learned was that during the biblical period before the scrolls were written, there was still a lot of mixing of what we would consider idol worship. Many homes had statues of the goddess Astarte, they still dabbled in honoring a variety of gods and goddesses and kept a number of amulets for protection. Judaism as we know it did not appear suddenly on the world scene, but developed gradually. The kind of history provided by this exhibit offered an amazing sense of the history and people who made up the culture of the time. The mixing of cultures became one of the concerns that led to the formation of the Qumran community and the writing of scrolls. This community categorically avoided any connection with Greek and Roman culture, so popular among most Jews of the time. So in a sense, if there hadn’t been this cross-cultural interaction for the Qumranites to reject, the community might never have formed and the scrolls might never have been written. The final chapter in the saga, and one of the most intriguing for Cincinnatians, is the connection with HUC. For those who have not had the opportunity to visit the exhibit, it was really quite stunning
offered for a minimal fee on a firstcome, first-served basis, beginning at 4 p.m. At all Israel Independence Week events, community members will have the opportunity to write messages to be sent – through the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) – to Holocaust survivors in Israel, new immigrants from Ethiopia living in Israel and lone soldiers (overseas Jews or recent immigrants serving in the IDF who do not have any family living in Israel). Publisher’s note: The American Israelite is producing a commemorative keepsake Israel@65 issue on the date closest to the U.N. resolution in the Gregorian calander – May 16, 2013. The date of the issue is May 9, 2013. skills. At Washington University she is on Jewish Student Union’s community service committee and is an active member of Hillel, Chabad and Conservative Minyan. She is excited to intern at the JCC in the Department of Jewish Life. Workum interns are Jewish college students from Cincinnati who are chosen to intern in local Jewish agencies. During their internships, interns gain real world work experience and deepen their ties to the Cincinnati Jewish community. Workum interns are selected by an application process in the fall and interviews take place over winter break. to learn how involved the HUC community was in securing some of the scrolls for Israel Antiquities Authority and that some of them were actually stored at the Klau Library for many years without anyone being aware of their presence. Dr. Nelson Glueck, then president of HUC-JIR, raised money to protect the scrolls and secure them in Cincinnati. He was also instrumental in providing someone to act as an emissary for Israel Antiquities Authority to secretly purchase four scrolls when they became available for purchase in 1947. “I came away with an amazing sense of the history and the people who made the history at that time. The exhibition itself, plus the terrific narrative provided by Rabbi Matthew Kraus, brought the Dead Sea Scrolls to life for me – much more so than just seeing the scrolls as I did when I visited Israel 13 years ago,” commented Barry Gibberman. Baby Boomers, a social group of Rockdale Temple, is open to all members born between 1946 and 1964. Other recent events have been a Chanukah party and an evening at Blue Wisp Jazz Club. Upcoming programs include a trip to the Cincinnati Nature Preserve and cookout, a bike ride on the Miami Rails to Trails and a trip to the Pyramid Sculpture Park in Hamilton, Ohio. All events are planned and hosted by members.
Now it’s easy to jump in feet first with up to $1,800 grants for ALL first time campers* And up to $1,000 grants for ALL second time campers App lic at io
So hurry
n De ad li ne
and take
is M ay 1s t
advantag
e of this R Open to generous all first- a gift NOW nd secon Cincinnati ‌ d-year ca J e w is m h p ers* in th communit R Grants e y. are n scholarsh ot need-based and ip or finan are not co R Additio c ntingent o nal need-b ial aid dollars. n other ased gran Please co ts may be ntact you available r congreg for those ational ra who quali bbi. fy.
a pp ro ve d c am p s f o t s li a d n a s App lic at io n a re av a il a ble at amping /c rg .o ti a n in c jewishcin o u t th e Je w ish b a n io t a m r fo Fo r mo re in o r to subm it m ra g ro P g in p O ve r n igh t C am : yo u r a pp lic at io n rnight r, Jewish Ove ael Wagne e Jewish Contact Mich ator of the th tr is in m d A g Campin cin.org or wagner@jfed m t a n o ti ra e Fed . 513-985-1510
R Up to $1,800 available for three-week sessions or more R Up to $900 available for two-week sessions R Campers who have already applied for 2013 Jewish Overnight Camping incentive grants are eligible for the increased grant amounts.
*Camp must be on the list of approved camps to qualify. Grants funded by
Administered by
R Up to $1,000 available for three-week sessions R Up to $500 available for two-week sessions.