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World class Ariel Quartet performs at Adath Israel, May 19 p.20
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Celebration of Israel Independence Day, David Broza in concert Sunday, April 21, brings the Israeli Cultural Fest – the community’s commemoration of Israel Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut) – at the Mayerson 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. In the spirit of Israel@65 – which has brought together individuals and organizations from across the community for six months of opportunities to explore, learn about and show support for Israel – this year’s Israel Independence Day celebration will be bigger and better than ever. Guests can peruse handcrafted artwork and Judaica for sale from both local and Israeli artists and then create their own, including joining a communal art project. They can enjoy free activities including playing a game at the Xbox Kinect station or testing out a SodaStream (both technologies developed in Israel); climbing the Masada inflatable climbing wall; or getting a Henna tattoo or a Dead Sea Spa treatment. Authentic Israeli food and wine and kosher foods from local vendors will be available for purchase. The Israeli Cultural Fest, and Israel@65 itself, culminates with multiplatinum singer David Broza in concert at 7 p.m. One of the most dynamic singersongwriter instrumentalists in the world, Israeli icon David Broza has won the hearts of audiences with magnetic performances and soulful lyrics. His virtuosic guitar playing fuses Israeli, Spanish and English musical influences, and his flamenco rhythms blend with intricate rock-and-roll finger picking. “Broza…is a musical multi-linguist. Born in Israel (where he now lives), he spent years in Spain and almost two decades in the U.S. As a result, his music is a fascinating amalgam of cultural and stylistic influences, from Hebrew poetry to folk-rock and flamenco. [Broza’s music] is the product of his direct, lived experience, his curiosity, his love of language and people and his extraordinary musicianship”
David Broza
(Jessica Nicholas, The Age). Admission to the Israeli Cultural Fest is free. Although no more free tickets remain for the Broza concert, some VIP seats are available.
VIP concert tickets, which include premium seating and a “meet and greet” with Broza after the concert, can be purchased in advance. David Broza is presented by the
JCC Wolf Center for Arts & Ideas and sponsored by Nancy and David Wolf, The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati and The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./US Bank Foundation.
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THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Jewish influence on Broadway at Northern Hills HaZaK The Jewish presence in American musical theater was the topic when the HaZaK group of Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham held its monthly program on Wednesday,
April 17. Following a delicious lunch, Doug Iden discussed “The Jewish Influence on Broadway.” From George M. Cohan to Stephen Sondheim, Jews have made major contributions to this distinctly
American art form. Mr. Iden is a retired financial advisor and a longtime devotee of musical theater. He has taught about the subject at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. “HaZaK” is an acronym, with
the letters standing for the Hebrew words “Hakhma” (wisdom), “Ziknah” (maturity) and “Kadima” (forward). The HaZaK programs are for adults 55 and older, and are open to the entire community. In
addition to members of Northern Hills, many attendees have come from the Jewish Community Center, Cedar Village, Brookwood Retirement Community, and throughout Greater Cincinnati.
teachers who provide a safe, loving environment and who foster his development and Jewish identity.” “As we see it, we are building a community of learners,” noted Denise Schnur, JCC Early Childhood School Director. “We were recently awarded 3 stars, the highest Step Up to Quality rating in the state of Ohio. Now having Rabbi Jaffee to coordinate Jewish education and family engagement, and Sheri Zimmer focused on developing our overall curriculum, we are sure to achieve another level
of educational excellence.”
JCC-ECS announces new staff positions The Mayerson JCC is pleased to announce that they are expanding the leadership and support team at the JCC Early Childhood School. Effective immediately, school staff will include Sheri Zimmer, as Director of Curriculum and Education, and Rabbi Shena Jaffee, as Director of Jewish Family Life. Rabbi Jaffee will be based in the JCC Early Childhood School, but will also work with Camp at the J, as well as other JCC programs for children and families. Taylor Siemon, who was recently hired as JCC Inclusion and Special Needs Coordinator, will work with all
departments, including the Early Childhood School and Camp at the J. “Early childhood education is a significant priority for the JCC, and we are always looking for opportunities to strengthen and increase the capacity of our team. Toward that goal, I am happy that these recent staff changes allow us to deliver enhanced service to the children and families in our community. With this increased investment in JCC early childhood staff, we look forward to developing even stronger bonds with our families as together we guide the children toward a lifetime of learn-
ing,” commented Marc Fisher, interim CEO of the JCC. Debbie Brant, JCC president, added, “An important component of the JCC’s mission is to provide programs and services that allow people of all ages to deepen their Jewish cultural connections and extend their learning. This certainly applies to the children, who represent the future of our community. We are thrilled to be able to enhance the leadership at our JCC Early Childhood School.” Jordan Ottenstein, a JCC preschool parent said, “We love sending our son to the JCC Early Childhood School, with dedicated
JCC Adams Golf Classic and Tennis Open, June 6 The 19th annual JCC Adams Golf Classic and Tennis Open will be held on Thursday, June 6, at Losantiville Country Club. This year, the Adams Classic recognizes the JCC Senior Center. As the only nationally accredited senior center in Greater Cincinnati, the Mayerson JCC provides a wide range of programs and services for senior adults, including specialized transportation, many wellness and socialization programs, daily onsite nutritional lunches, as well as Meals on Wheels and ShalomPhone daily assurance calls for homebound seniors. Funds raised from this year’s Adams Classic will help the JCC continue to provide these critical programs and services for Cincinnati seniors. The JCC Adams Classic was created in memory of Steve Adams, by his friends and family. Adams was a dedicated JCC volunteer and former JCC board member, as well as an avid golf player. “My dad and I have participated in the JCC Adams Classic for many years. Steve Adams was a close family friend and we are proud to be a sponsor of this great event that honors Steve’s memory. It is also a fun opportunity to network, play and support the JCC,” said Chase Kohn. Whether you are competitive in golf, tennis or Mah Jongg (a new option this year), the JCC Adams Classic has something for everyone. In addition to a great day of games, there will be a delectable Course of Caterers dinner, providing delicious foods from several outstanding chefs. Golf and tennis registrations include lunch and the Course of Caterers dinner, or participants can choose to attend only the dinner portion of the event. There will be
Jeff Adams and Chase Cohen
prizes for the top finishing teams and top individuals, and there will also be a raffle with many highvalue items. Golfers will have a chance to win a car in a hole-in-one contest. “We have continued our Platinum Sponsorship to the JCC Adams Classic because we recognize the great work the J performs for our community, and want to help provide the resources to allow that work to continue. We also enjoy participating in the event, and the Course of Caterers dinner has been outstanding,” said Bob Brant, partner at Katz, Teller, Brant & Hild, and
a repeating Platinum Sponsor. Betsy Singer-Lefton, JCC Adams Classic coordinator explained, “The JCC Adams Classic is the only annual JCC fundraising event, and it has been an important source of support for many JCC programs and services for 19 years. The JCC Adams Classic has also become a popular venue for bringing people together from all across the community.” The JCC welcomes anyone to participate as a sponsor. Volunteer opportunities are also available. Please contact Betsy Singer-Lefton at the JCC for more information.
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Jewish Young Adults chair Federation’s Super Sunday
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Jewish Federation is our community, and the work we do benefits us as much as the people we donate our time and resources to.” SUPER SUNDAY on page 19
home, we hope you’ll take this opportunity to meet other families just like you; families who are a bit sleep deprived, and who are figuring out how to be the best parents they can be. Wise Temple is a place where you can find others to lean on, others who are going through similar situations, others who care. This YoFI Shabbat service is for all YoFI families, even if your baby isn’t such a baby anymore. We all play a role in welcoming our newest
members to our congregation so we hope all YoFI families will join us. Plus, who doesn’t like to ooh and ahh at a precious new baby? And at the service, we will celebrate every child’s unique wonderfulness! While YoFI is designed for children from birth to age 5, all YoFI programs are geared toward the entire family including older siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Bring everyone along to be a part of this joyous evening.
Seder for young families at Wise Temple Picture this. Kids and adults busting out in a free-for-all dance. The music of Dayenu swelling. Voices raised in song. Smiles on faces and laughter in the air. This was the final scene of the Wise Temple YoFI Seder. This scene was a perfect illustration of the mood and feeling that was present from the minute people walked through the doors at Wise Center. Families were greeted warmly and the community bonded as they celebrated Passover together. The event spanned many generations as kids, parents and grandpar-
ents participated together. Terry and Stuart Susskind attended with their kids and grandkids. Terry said, “It was the perfect combination of holiday celebration, storytelling and activities to keep everyone engaged. I know that in this family, all generations had a fabulous time. I don’t think that a detail was overlooked.” The program details included a Seder plate creation station, a creative plague bag craft, unique decorations, and a high level of family participation in the service. Everyone was out of their seats when all participants played a part
in acting out the parting of the sea. The committee is to thank for such a successful event. Committee members, Debbie Horewitz, Christine Katzman, Elissa Mazer, Arrianna Sacks, Caroline Wells and Susan Zimmerman created this fun and engaging atmosphere. Caroline, committee member and YoFI co-chair agreed that the Dayenu finale will stick in her mind for years to come. “I will remember all of the kids and adults dancing and singing Dayenu most of all. It perfectly recapped the type of event we all worked so hard to foster.”
they enjoyed the activities. We look forward to this year’s Lag B’Omer BBQ with our friends and family,” said Ashlee and Alex Boymel. “Lag B’Omer is a holiday that celebrates Jewish unity, and this cookout is an opportune time for Jewish members of the greater Cincinnati community to come together and celebrate. Every Jew, regardless of age, affiliation or background, is invited to join,” said Rabbi Berel Cohen, Youth and Family Program Director of Chabad Jewish Center. Lag B’Omer commemorates the cessation of a tragic plague that occurred over 2,000 years ago during the weeks following the Jewish holiday of Passover, wiping out 24,000 disciples of the great Talmudic sage
RABBI JONAH B. WISE Editor & Publisher, 1928-1930 HENRY C. SEGAL Editor & Publisher, 1930-1985 PHYLLIS R. SINGER Editor & General Manager, 1985-1999
“My family and I had an amazingly wonderful time. It was easily the best Seder we have ever attended. My 8-year-old enjoyed it just as much as my 3-year-old. We look forward to it again next year!” said Christine Katzman. Wise Temple’s YoFI group addresses the social, spiritual, and religious needs of families with young children. While the events are designed for children from birth to age 5, all of YoFI’s programs are geared toward the entire family including older siblings, parents, grandparents and friends.
Rabbi Akiva. The sages teach that the plague was brought about as a result of the students’ lack of respect toward one another. The plague ceased on Lag B’Omer, so on this day Jews get together and emphasize unconditional love and respect of one another. This day also marks the passing of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is attributed as the author of the Zohar, the foundational book of Kabalah. On the day of his passing, Rabbi Shimon instructed his disciples to mark the date as “the day of my joy.” Each Lag B’Omer Rabbi Shimon’s life is celebrated, and his teachings continue to this day to be an inspiration to the Jewish people. There is a charge to attend.
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
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fied 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 extended cab pickup truck sculptured with a variety of ornaments and other devices installed solely for the creation of making bubbles of all shapes and sizes. Kids can create bubbles by turning the handle of the bubble wheel, sculpt bubbles on the bubble head, and play in the bubbles of the bubble wall. There will also be a wide variety of wands available for people to make all sizes of bubbles of their own. Depending on the weather, it may be possible to make bubbles up to 30 feet or longer! “We had such a wonderful time at the Lag B’Omer BBQ last year. The kids had a blast spending time with their friends on the playground and we loved watching their faces as
LEO WISE Editor & Publisher, 1900-1928
MILLARD H. MACK Publisher Emeritus
Bubble Truck at annual community family BBQ On Sunday, April 28, the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer will be celebrated with a traditional picnic outing, hosted by Chabad Jewish Center. This year’s Lag B’Omer picnic will be held at Bob Meyer Park – Rockwern Academy in Kenwood. The spacious venue provides plenty of outdoor space for both adults and children to enjoy together, as well as an indoor option in the event of rain. The event features a delicious barbecue (vegetarian option available with prior request), plus fun entertainment for all ages including giant inflatables, playground and baseball fields. The highlight of the event this year will be The Bubble Truck! The Bubble Truck is a modi-
RABBI ISAAC M. WISE Founder, Editor, Publisher, 1854-1900
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a new child or grandchild this year, Wise hopes you will attend this short, baby and kid-friendly YoFI Shabbat on April 26 at 6:15 p.m. Before the service, Wise will host a reception for families of newborns so they can meet one another and begin building community. This is the first of many celebrations these families will share together as they participate in the Wise community. If you are a Wise Temple member or are looking for a Temple
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donate as much as we would like,” said Mike Dattner, YAD board member. “Super Sunday is a great way to help our community. Personally, philanthropy and community service are not just a moral responsibility. The
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 8 IYYAR 5773 SHABBAT BEGINS FRIDAY 8:01 PM SHABBAT ENDS SATURDAY 9:02 PM
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much involved today and excited to do our part,” said Ed Kuresman, YAD board president. “As young adults, many just starting our careers and families, we are not always in a place where we can
Wise Temple children are the sweetest fruit of all The holiday of Shavuot is only a short time away. This early summer holiday has been celebrated for over 3,000 years as the festival of the year’s first sweet fruit. Wise Temple believes children, especially babies, are the sweetest fruit of all. So it is at this time that Wise Temple’s Young Family Involvement Group (YoFI) hosts a unique YoFI Shabbat in which Rabbi Kamrass will bless the newborns. If you’ve been blessed with
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The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati needs volunteers for its Super Sunday phone-a-thon, on the morning of Sunday, April 21, at the Mayerson JCC. Funds raised on Super Sunday go directly to the 2013 Community Campaign, which supports programs that change lives in Cincinnati, in Israel and around the world. Super Sunday is chaired this year by the board of the Jewish Federation’s Young Adult Division (YAD). “The YAD board greatly appreciates the opportunity to take a leadership role on a day when the community comes together to raise a significant amount of money. While YAD is often referred to as ‘the next generation of leaders,’ we love to show the community that we are very
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.
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Adath Israel sings in interfaith concert On Sunday, April 28, the Adath Israel High Holy Day choir will be performing in a concert called “Music of the Religions.” Choirs from other faiths will be participating, including a Hindu choir, a Sikh choir, a Mormon choir and a Muslim choir, among others. The concert is presented by WINCS, the Women’s Interfaith Network of Cincinnati Suburbs. The purpose of the program is to present music representative of different faith traditions with the thought that divine music is expressive of religious culture, stories and beliefs. The aim of the event is to share traditions in the hope of
greater understanding and peace. The Adath Israel High Holy Day choir, under the direction of Mitch Cohen, will be performing four pieces, which are part of the High Holy Day services of Selichot and Kol Nidre. Mitch Cohen composed the music for three of the pieces, including “El Melech Yoshev” (Sovereign who sits on a throne of Mercy), “Hodieni” (Tell me G-d, my end – the measure of my days) and “Trust in the Lord” with words from Psalm 27, which is traditionally recited for 40 days during the season of repentance beginning in the month of Elul and continuing
through the High Holy Days. Their final piece, L’chu N’ranena is a traditional melody from an unknown composer sung at Adath Israel for over 50 years. Soloists from the congregation will include Judy Levenson, Mendy Fisher, Marvyn Youkilis and Mitch Cohen. The choir is currently working on a CD project made possible by the Michael M. Levenson Music Program fund. The CD is due to be released by the end of the summer. The concert will take place at 6 p.m. on Sunday April 28 at the Meyer Center in Mason, Ohio. Admission is free.
31 Cincinnati teens will never be the same Why have 31 Jewish teenagers from Cincinnati joined thousands of other teens from around the world to willingly march into Auschwitz? Because they could. For them it’s a choice. For their ancestors… it wasn’t. For them it’s about being able to walk out again… Their ancestors couldn’t. For them it’s about showing the world that those who sought to destroy the Jewish people couldn’t. For them it’s about proclaiming, in a voice 10,000 strong: NEVER AGAIN! Every year the Mayerson JCC heads up a March of the Living delegation, made up of high school seniors who take part in a two-week journey, travelling first to Poland to explore one of the most devastating periods in Jewish history, and then to Israel, to celebrate one of the most joyous. The experience begins in the place where delegates will discover traces of a world that no longer exists, visit the big cities and small shtetls where Jewish life once thrived, and see firsthand the remnants of the worst atrocity to ever happen to the Jewish people. The week in Poland culminated on Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom HaShoah), with a silent march with thousands of other teens, from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex built during World War II, where countless numbers walked on their way to the gas chambers. Immediately afterward, participants boarded planes bound for Israel where they joined with millions of others to observe Israel’s Remembrance Day (Yom Hazikaron) and celebrate Israel Independence Day (Yom Haatzmaut). During this phase of the trip they will visit some of the most holy and iconic sites such as the Western Wall in Jerusalem, climb Mt. Masada, float in the Dead Sea, ride a camel in the desert, shop in ancient marketplaces and even spend a night in a Bedouin tent. “Whether they have been to Israel multiple times in the past, or whether it’s their very first time, arriving in Israel after a very intense week in Poland gives them a whole new perspective and appreciation
This year’s March of the Living participants.
for having a Jewish Homeland and brings new meaning to the infamous words, “Am Yisrael chai, ‘the people of Israel live!’” explains Cincinnati Delegation Head, Matt Steinberg, who is leading the trip for the second year in a row. “The Mayerson JCC is proud to have 31 young people participating in this life-changing trip, more than double the number that took part last year. In fact, ours is the only city in the world that has its own individual delegation. All others combine with cities in their state, region or country,” says Marc Fisher, CEO of the Mayerson JCC “What an incredible testament that is to our Jewish community! My son Jake, who is a member of this year’s delegation, is now the second of my children to participate in the March! I am glad that my children, along with so many others in our community and around the world, have this amazing opportunity to own their history and keep the flame burning for another generation!” In preparation for the March of the Living experience, participants took part in a powerful pre-trip series led by Sarah Weiss, executive director of the Holocaust and Humanity Education Center. “The learning and growth opportunities that this journey affords can’t be found in textbooks,” she explains. “For the last seven years, I have had the great privilege of preparing our Cincinnati Delegation for their journey. After witnessing the incredible transformation that occurs in the
participants once they return, I believe that they will be our future leaders, and am proud to know that they will carry this experience with them into all that they do.” TEENS on page 19
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COMMUNITY NEWS NCUSY receives youth group awards
Best Israeli Culture Program in the Israel Affairs category, both the highest awards in their respective fields. The chapter also received an award for Hachnasat Orchim (hospitality) for hosting the 2013 Senior Retreat Convention at Congregation Ohav Shalom. “The teens deserve this – they worked hard and their passion for youth group and Judaism are simply contagious,” Vidal said, while beaming about the chapter’s accomplishments.
On Sunday, April 14, teenagers from the North Cincinnati United Synagogue Youth (NCUSY) chapter returned home from a regional USY weekend. The teens spent Shabbat with 120 other teenagers in grades 8-12 at the rustic Camp Tamarack in Ortonville, Mich. This convention is the last of the 2012/2013 school year and focuses on acknowledging achievements of the Central Region’s chapters as well as electing and installing new teenagers to the region’s youth board. The teens eat together, pray together and engage in ruach song sessions so energetic that the foundations of nearby buildings shake. NCUSY is different from the average USY chapter in that it is made up of both affiliated and unaffiliated teens. Its members come from Ohav Shalom, Northern Hills and Beth Israel but synagogue allegiance is not a requirement. “We welcome all teens into our chapter and it’s that diversity that creates our hamisha feel and unique character” said the chapter’s Youth Director, Chava Vidal. While the chapter is continually growing it is one of the smallest in the region. But don’t let its size fool you – they are quite mighty. The NCUSY chapter proved that they were contenders by winning three awards this year including: Best Jewish Education Event in the Religious/Education category and
Rabbi Hanoch Teller, scholarin-residence at Congregation Zichron Eliezer Several weeks ago, Congregation Zichron Eliezer was honored to host Rabbi Hanoch Teller as its scholar-in-residence. The weekend was sceduled to begin with an oneg Shabbos at the Soloff residence but there was a good reason to change that. On Monday, two baby boys were born to Yehudah and Chaya Spetner and to Rabbi AD and Shifra Motzen. The oneg became a combination of a double shalom zochor and oneg shabbos at the Spetner residence. Rabbi Teller spoke about attaining true simcha which was especially apropos in light of the double simcha. On Shabbos afternon, Rabbi Teller spoke to an overflowing crowd of women about the life of
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Rabbi Avrohom Weinrib with the honorees Rabbi Yaakov Rabinstein and Yaakov Morton
Sarah Schenirer. He gave over the power of what one woman accomplished and the implicit message of how much every woman can accomplish. The topic of Shalosh Seudos was the founding of Bnei Brak as a city. It was titled “To Dream the Impossible Scheme” and he described the amazing perseverence and dedication of the original settlers. Hearing the mesiar nefesh that went in to building this city, it is no wonder it has become the bastion of Torah that it is. Motzai Shabbos Rabbi Teller was the guest speaker at the shul Melava malka and Sunday was the showing of Rabbi Teller’s documentry “Reb Elimech and the Chassidic Legacy of Brotherhood” which was shown at the Cincinnati Hebrew Day School. Congregation Zichron Eliezer recently had its first annual Rabbi Eliezer Silver Memorial Melava Malka honoring two special couples, Hachover Yaakov and Chava Rabenstein and Drs. Yaakov and Dena Morton. Building on the legacy that Rabbi Eliezer Silver left, the shul in the past few years has built a beautiful new shul and recently brought in its new Rov, Rabbi Avrohom Weinrib. The next step was to come together as a kehillah and express appreciation to some of the people who were instrumental in making it all happen. The guests of honor were Yaakov and Chava Rabenstein. The Rabensteins have been involved in every detail and aspect of the shul. Rabbi Yaakov was born in Cincinnati where he attended the day school founded by Rabbi Eliezer Silver. He went on to Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland and then Yeshivas ner Yisroel in Baltimore. In 1972 he returned to Cincinnati and since then has been involved in leadership roles throughout the city. Currently the president of the shul and day school, he uses his rare combination of wisdom, humility, and a true drive to follow the ratzon hashem to benefit these institutions.
His wife Chava has been involved with the day school and girls high school over the last 25 years. The Inaugural Harav Eliezer Silver Hakaros Hatov award was presented to Yaakov and Dena Morton. The Mortons are an example of a couple whose lives revolve around their desire to grow themselves and impart those values onto their family. Always looking for opportunities to learn, Rabbi Yaakov has a number of chavrusos in the shul over Shabbos to maximize his time spent there. His wife Dena, along with serving as a board member at the day school and the head of the secular education committee, has devoted much time and effort to the shul, particularly the website. Building it from scratch and updating each week has become part of her weekly labor of love for the shul. They are driven to grow and they are determined to see institutions that
foster such growth in our community succeed. Although they are very modest people and are not prone to projecting themselves into the spotlight, they will utilize their energy and skills to see such institutions thrive and succeed. The event was chaired by Rabbi Eli Polsky who put in an enormous amount of time and energy to make the Melava malka a true success. A beautiful ad journal was given out which was spearheaded by Rabbi Issac Kahn and designed by Rabbi Berish Edelman. The beautiful ambiance and delicious food were coordinated by the Nishei of CZE and catered by Rabbi Yosef Ottonsosser and Shneur Freidman. Overall it was a beautiful display of how the shul is not just a group of individuals who daven together but a collective unit where every individual contributes into making the beautiful family that it is.
Rabbi Avrohom Weinrib and Rabbi Meir Minster, Rosh Kollel of the Cininnati Community Kollel
LOCAL • 7
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah welcomes new president Publisher’s Note: This is part of a continuing series of articles highlighting the Jewish Agency Executives of Cincinnati. Look for more profiles in future issues of The American Israelite. Bonnie Juran Ullner never envisioned in her wildest dreams that one day she would be the president of the Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah. As she puts it: “It was just not on my radar screen...not in my 5 year plan. I was a relatively newly married, working mom whose days were filled with making mortgage loans to customers, staying abreast of my girls' activities, making dinner for my family, and playing mah jongg occasionally, among other things.” And then in an instant, her whole life changed. In July 2009, she sent her then 16-year old daughter Jessa Perrin to Israel on a month-long Federation trip, and a week into it Jessa became deathly ill due to a rare, asymptomatic recessive genetic disorder called Wilson’s Disease. One miracle after another took place which amazingly resulted in her life being saved, and the organization at the center of it all was Hadassah. As Bonnie tells it: “Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, with its dedicated and skilled doctors and nurses and high tech equipment and devices, diagnosed her, stabilized her by cleansing her blood of the poisonous copper, achieved the unheralded feat of getting her to the top of the U.S. liver donor list for the New York region even before she left Israel, and made contact with ColumbiaPresbyterian Hospital to do the liver transplantation surgery if Hadassah could get her there alive. And get her there alive they did, just in time for the 10-hour liver transplant.” It is still hard sometimes for Bonnie to fathom how many things had to go just right in order for her daughter to be alive today, but never far from her mind is that Hadassah Hospital was the nucleus around which everything else revolved. So when things settled down with Jessa, and Bonnie finally “got her head above water,” which was about six months later, she decided to volunteer on a small scale with Hadassah to begin, in her own way, to “repay the debt that could never be repaid.” She was asked to join the Donor Committee, which plans the major fundraising events each year, and she agreed. What she says really struck her right away, after attending the first meeting, was that “there was no pecking order or feeling of not being in the inner circle among the women volunteers in
“I guess you could say I got the Jewish bug, and have thrown myself into the Jewish communal world with both feet, and probably both arms as well!” Bonnie Juran Ullner
Bonnie Ullner
Hadassah....everyone was so welcoming and warm and the Donor meetings were actually relaxed and fun.” She says it was an eyeopening experience for her: that volunteer work could allow you to achieve wonderful, philanthropic goals, while at the same time being surrounded by a diverse group of Jewish women who all worked well together, truly liked each other, and were almost like a family. She also increased her involvement in Hadassah by speaking at the National Convention in July 2010 and also to chapters in Cincinnati, Columbus and Canton. Additionally, she also started to get involved with planning and attending the events which the organization holds every time a Hadassah doctor or nurse comes to work at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for an extended period, as a part of the Israel Exchange Program or IEP. As she began to get more and more involved, it still never occurred to her that she would one day become president or even become a member of the board! And then one day after a meeting, two Hadassah board members took her out to lunch and “absolutely shocked her” when they asked if she would consider becoming the next president. And she said yes. Her goals as the new president of the Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah are “to carry on the wonderful traditions and programs that the dedicated and passionate volunteers have already begun..such as Coffee Talk, Movie Mavens, Book Club, and the Donor events. This year our donor events will all be in April,
instead of one in the fall and one in the spring, as the chapter is planning a truly exceptional series of events by bringing the National President of Hadassah, Marcie Natan, to Cincinnati.” There will be three separate events on April 24 and 25, based on the level of donation of the attendees. Bonnie commented that “Marcie Natan has responsibilities commensurate
with leading female CEOs of major companies and yet she does not receive a dime for all her hard work and travel, and it will be fascinating to hear why she has chosen to commit the lion share of her time and energy as the volunteer leader of Hadassah.” Bonnie’s other focus is “on spreading the word about this wonderful organization to the next generation of Jewish women, as we have a dearth of women in their 20s, 30s and 40s who are active in Hadassah, and we need to change that.” To that end, she created a Membership Committee whose ages range from 20s to 50s, and they have already held two very well-attended events that were geared to appeal to women of all ages. The first was at the clothing store Vintage and the second at The Art of Entertaining. The next event will take place in May, and will be a wine tasting in a member's back yard.
Bonnie’s Hadassah involvement also led her to join the Adath Israel Sisterhood Board and the Board of the Jewish Community Relations Council. “I guess you could say I got the Jewish bug, and have thrown myself into the Jewish communal world with both feet, and probably both arms as well! But I love it, and I have finally found a passion for what I am doing that I never felt in my years in banking and as a mortgage broker.” Her advice to others curious about some level of involvement in the Jewish community on a volunteer basis? “Try it..you might like it. And whatever you choose and however much you choose to involve yourself, is just fine. As my dear friend Nina Paul says: It should be ‘Unity of Community’, in that we are all working together in each of our respective organizations to make the Jewish world and the world at large a better place.”
8 • NATIONAL
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‘Running Rabbi’ recounts Remembering Jackie Robinson’s fight with black nationalists over anti-Semitism chaos at Boston Marathon, vows to run in next year’s race
By Ami Eden Jewish Telegraphic Agency NEW YORK – Moviegoers who headed last weekend to the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 for the opening of “42” saw the story of how Jackie Robinson displayed legendary courage, class and talent in the face of immense pressure and racial hatred as he broke down baseball’s color barrier. Less well known is Robinson’s role in a controversy that erupted just a few blocks away, at Harlem’s most famous theater, and underscored his commitment to fighting all bigotry, including prejudice emanating from his own community. It was 1962, a decade-and-a-half after Robinson first took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers and just a few years after he retired. Day after day, an angry crowd marched outside Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater protesting against its Jewish owner, Frank Schiffman, and his plan to open a low-cost restaurant with prices that potentially would threaten the business of a more expensive black-owned eatery. The demonstrators carried antiSemitic posters and hurled racial epithets, reportedly denouncing Schiffman as a Shylock who wanted to extract a pound of flesh from
By By Melissa Jacobs Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Courtesy of Legendary Pictures
Chadwick Boseman playing Jackie Robinson getting ready to take the field in the new film “42.”
the black community. Schiffman turned to several black leaders for help, but despite the increasingly hostile acts of antiSemitism that were taking place, they all remained silent – except for Robinson. “I was ashamed to see community leaders who were afraid to speak out when blacks were guilty of anti-Semitism,” Robinson wrote in his 1972 autobiography, “I Never Had It Made. “How could we stand against anti-black prejudice if we were willing to practice or condone a similar intolerance?” Never one to back down from a cause he believed in, Robinson used his syndicated newspaper column to condemn the protesters’ blatant use of anti-Semitism and
compared their actions to events that had occurred in Nazi Germany, drawing the ire of many black nationalists in the process. The nationalists, who had adopted a separatist agenda, retaliated by protesting in front of a nearby Chock Full O’ Nuts coffee shop – Robinson had worked for the chain after his 1957 retirement from baseball – and outside a dinner honoring Robinson’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In turn, several mainstream black leaders – including Roy Wilkins, the longtime leader of the NAACP – quickly came to the defense of Robinson and Schiffman. REMEMBERING on page 22
ADL downplays controversy over antiIsrael texts in curriculum of Newton, Mass. By Jacob Kamaras JointMedia News Service The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT) are at odds over the presence of anti-Israel materials in the public school system of Newton, Mass. APT – a Boston-based nonprofit “dedicated to promoting peaceful coexistence in an ethnically diverse America by educating the American public about the need for a moderate political leadership that supports tolerance and core American values in communities across the nation” – is calling for reforms in Newton schools to prevent the reappearance of those materials, most notably the Arab World Studies Notebook, which claims that Israeli soldiers murdered hundreds of Palestinian nurses in Israeli prisons. According to the Newton School Superintendent David Fleishman, the Arab World Studies Notebook was removed from Newton’s public school curriculum. Nevertheless, many parents and other citizens have expressed concern about other anti-Israel materials they say remain in distribution. Local ADL leaders, however, are downplaying the uncertainty as to which anti-Israel texts are still
Courtesy of NASA
Neil Armstrong, who according to “A Muslim Primer” converted to Islam and was threatened to be fired by the U.S. government if he did not “keep his new religion to himself.”
being used in Newton classrooms. “There is currently no evidence of ‘Saudi-funded hate education’ in Newton public schools,” Acting Director of ADL’s New England Region Robert Trestan and ADL New England Region Board Chair Jeffrey Robbins wrote in a recent letter to the editor in The Jewish Advocate of Boston. Research by concerned parents and students in Newton has indicated that questions surrounding the
curriculum extend beyond the Arab World Studies Notebook. This research, which was obtained by JNS, reveals the presence of controversial texts in the Newton curriculum that include the following: A Muslim Primer, which claims that astronaut Neil Armstrong converted to Islam, but that the anti-Muslim U.S. government warned him “to keep his new religion to himself or he could be fired from his government job;” Choices for the 21st Century Education Program, which speculates that a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Egypt mistakenly bombed by the Israeli air force during the 1967 Six-Day War had been intentionally targeted by Israel; World History-Human Legacy, which, in its discussion of the Jewish state’s 1948 victory in the War of Independence, omits that Arabs rejected the United Nations partition plan and attacked Israel after independence was declared; and Flashpoints, which claims that “over recent decades, Israel has continuously strengthened its influence over American domestic politics and Middle East policy,” also asserting that Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, is the “capital” of Israel, and that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. ADL on page 22
(Jewish Exponent) – “It was a beautiful day. I was so excited to run and having such a good run. The crowd was unbelievable. The whole experience was amazing. It was almost magical.” That’s how the Boston Marathon began for Rabbi Benjamin David, head rabbi at Adath Emanu-El in Mt. Laurel, N.J. It’s not how it ended. David, 36, had already completed the marathon and was back at his hotel when the twin explosions went off Monday afternoon. The apparent terrorist attack killed at least three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and wounded more than 140, some critically. David was running with Rabbi Scott Weiner, senior rabbi of Temple Israel of New Rochelle in Westchester, N.Y. The two rabbinical school friends are co-founders of the national organization The Running Rabbis, which encourages clergy – Jewish and not – and their congregants to run. They always run for a charity and their race in the Boston Marathon raised money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. David had an additional motivation for running. Although he had run 20 half-marathons and 13 marathons, David had never run the Boston Marathon and he wanted to beat his personal best time of three hours and 23 minutes. After 10 months of training, he did just that, running the 26.2 miles in three hours and 21 minutes. Weiner was one minute ahead of him. From his hotel room – which is
two blocks from the blast site – David explained Monday night what happened next. “Usually at these big races, it takes a while to exit the area because you pick up the medal and your tote bag and shuffle along because you are so tired,” David said. “Getting out of the finish area took us at least a half hour. We went to the hotel, and I was about to put my hand on the door to go into the lobby when I heard a massive explosion. It was an extraordinary sound. You knew instantly that something was wrong.” David knew what kind of wrong that was. He was in Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, blocks away from the World Trade Center at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. “In my mind, I instantly compared it to when I was in New York on 9/11,” he said. “I mean, it was a different sound. But when the first plane hit the tower, it was a sound like a sound you don’t normally hear. That’s what this was today. A sound that you don’t normally hear and your brain says, ‘Is something wrong?’ Then today when we head the second bomb, like when there was the second plane on 9/11. Then we knew for sure that something was very wrong. “People were running toward the scene and away from the scene,” David said. “Police were scrambling. The hardest part is that no one knew what happened so you don’t know what to do. We thought maybe the grandstand had collapsed, or a building. I grabbed someone, and he said that two bombs went off. MARATHON on page 22
In U.S. fight over visa waiver exemption for Israel, both sides cite discrimination By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON – A legislative effort led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to enable Israelis to enter the United States without visas may be stymied by the government – Israel’s government. The hitch is Israel’s inability or unwillingness to fully reciprocate, something required for visafree travel to the United States. Israel, citing security concerns, insists on the right to refuse entry to some U.S. citizens. AIPAC is pushing for an exemption for Israel from this rule. But congressional staffers say Israel is unlikely to get such an exemption, which U.S. lawmakers view as an attempt to bar Arab Americans from freely entering Israel. “It’s stunning that you would give
a green light to another country to violate the civil liberties of Americans traveling abroad,” said a staffer for one leading pro-Israel lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives. The exemption AIPAC is pushing for appears in the Senate version of the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, one of the key issues for which AIPAC urged supporters to lobby after its policy conference last month. The language in that bill, proposed by Sen. Barbara Boxer (DCalif.), requires that the Homeland Security secretary grant Israel visa waiver status after certifying with the secretary of state that Israel “has made every reasonable effort, without jeopardizing the security of the State of Israel, to ensure that reciprocal travel privileges are extended to all United States citizens.” DISCRIMINATION on page 19
INTERNATIONAL • 9
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Plagiarism scandal finally fells France’s celebrity chief rabbi, who resigns By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraphic Agency Toulouse, France – “When Gilles Bernheim speaks, France listens.” That’s how Avraham Weill, the chief rabbi of Toulouse, describes what he believes was the main appeal of his charismatic mentor, who on Thursday resigned as chief rabbi of France after admitting to several instances of plagiarism and falsely using an academic title. The media frenzy that led to Bernheim’s resignation after five years on the job was part and parcel of the 61-year-old’s strong media presence – a presence that may have attracted extra attention to the missteps that ultimately cost Berhneim his title but had allowed
him to become a major voice for French Jewry. Since late March, the French media have been running a finetooth comb through his background as evidence mounted that Bernheim had committed several instances of plagiarism and let others believe he held an academic degree that he never actually earned. The discoveries, to which Bernheim admitted, surprised many, including Weill and Richard Prasquier, president of the CRIF umbrella body of French Jewish communities. Prasquier said he was “troubled” by the revelations and urged Bernheim to “provide explanations.” Those statements came amid open and veiled calls by French Jews and non-Jews for
Courtesy of Franck Prevel/Getty
Gilles Bernheim, the chief rabbi of France, leaving the Elysee Palace in Paris after meeting with then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy, March 21, 2012.
Bernheim to step down. After that, his resignation came as no surprise. “It’s hardly a shock,” said Amnon Cohen of Paris, the spokesman for the local branch of the rightist Jewish Defense League.
“The media adored Bernheim for his left-wing ideas but then turned on him. I don’t like the slander campaign, but I understand why he had to go away: When you’re a rabbi, you have to be careful with what you do. It’s just the way it is.” Like his colleague across the English Channel, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Bernheim was a regular presence in the French media, routinely commenting on contentious issues not immediately connected to the Jewish community, like the ban on mosque minarets in Switzerland and moves to legalize gay marriage in France – both of which he opposed. And so reports on blogs of his plagiarisms were pursued and given prominent placing in the national media, including Le Monde and
Figaro. After initially denying one accusation, Bernheim acknowledged plagiarizing in several of his writings in an interview Tuesday with the Paris-based Radio Shalom. He also admitted his failure to correct biographies that said he possessed an “agregation” – a title earned in a competitive exam that Bernheim never passed. But while conceding he had made “serious mistakes,” Bernheim in the interview rejected the calls for his resignation, including the one made in an unsigned letter said to have been authored and circulated by members of the Consistoire – the organ responsible for religiuous Jewish services. SCANDAL on page 21
International In Iran talks, North Korea parallel goes only so far By Ron Kampeas to reach any accord in talks between For one thing, said Alireza Jewish Telegraphic Agency the major powers and Iran on Nader, a senior Iran analyst at the Briefs Tehran’s suspected nuclear weapons Rand Corp., the impasse in the most Rabbi Michael Broyde booted from religious court after using fake identity NEW YORK (JTA) – Rabbi Michael Broyde, a prominent Orthodox rabbi who admitted to creating a fake alternate identity, was relieved of his duties with the Beth Din of America. Broyde, who admitted last week that he had used a false name to gain access to a rabbinic email list and to write letters to various journals, was placed on “an indefinite leave of absence” from the rabbinic court, Tablet magazine reported. Obama, after meeting UN chief, stresses ‘window of opportunity’ for Mideast peace talks (JNS.org) Israel and the Palestinians have a “window of opportunity to get back to the peace table,” U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the Oval Office. Obama said the two discussed how “the United States, as a strong friend of Israel and a supporter of a Palestinian state, can work with the United Nations and other multilateral bodies to try to move that process forward.” UC Santa Barbara, in marathon hearing, becomes latest school to reject Israel divestment (JNS.org) The student government at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has rejected an Israel divestment resolution in the latest victory for pro-Israel students in the University of California (UC) system.
WASHINGTON – If you have nuclear weapons, all sorts of bad behavior will be tolerated. That’s the lesson some are worried Iran may be learning from North Korea’s increasingly confrontational stance against South Korea and the United States. Pyongyang has stepped up its belligerent rhetoric in recent days, threatening to strike targets in South Korea and America, shuttering the joint North-South industrial park at Kaesong and warning foreigners to leave South Korea to avoid possible nuclear war. The Obama administration has scrambled to tamp down tensions, in part by delaying some planned military exercises.
Courtesy of Creative Commons
Iran watchers are worried that the reckless gamesmanship of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, shown in an Oct. 9, 2010 photo, will provide a model for the Islamic Republic.
Combined with the latest failure
program, some Iran watchers are worried the Islamic Republic is learning that truculence pays off – at least if you have nuclear capabilities. “I would imagine the lessons they’re drawing are not the ones the Western powers would like,” Valerie Lincy, who directs the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, told The New York Times. “That you can weather sanctions and renege on previous agreements, and ultimately if you stand fast, you’ll get what you’re looking for.” But Iran experts caution that there are some fundamental differences between North Korea and Iran that undercut parallels between them.
recent round of negotiations with Iran held in Kazakhstan was the result of political uncertainty in Iran, not the situation in North Korea. Iran is scheduled to hold elections on June 14. Ayatollah Ali Khameini, the country’s supreme leader, is maneuvering to replace outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with someone who is more loyal to the theocracy and less prone to distracting outbursts, Nader said. Nader also said Tehran is much more likely to be influenced by sanctions than Pyongyang because North Korea is totalitarian and Iran, while authoritarian, still is susceptible to public pressures.
10 • INTERNATIONAL / ISRAEL
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International Israeli economy, stable during global crisis, Israel could be disturbed by budget deficit Briefs Briefs By Alex Traiman JointMedia News Service Turkey shuns normalization with Israel despite Gaza flotilla apology (JNS) Despite the Israeli apology for the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, Turkey said it objects to meeting Israeli diplomats at the upcoming Mediterranean Dialogue group, an annual forum between NATO and seven Mediterranean countries in which Israel was supposed to have participated for the first time since 2008. In addition, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey would not send an envoy to Israel as part of a recent move to normalize ties before Israel lifts its naval blockade on the Gaza Strip. Wallenberg to receive honorary Australian citizenship SYDNEY (JTA) – Raoul Wallenberg, who helped save as many as 100,000 Jews during the Holocaust, will be made an honorary Australian citizen, the country’s first such honor. Wallenberg, who was a diplomat in Budapest during the German occupation in 1944, issued Swedish travel documents – known as “Wallenberg passports” – to at least 20,000 Jews and also set up more than 30 safe houses for Jews. Greek Jews protest TV airtime for neo-Nazi lawmakers ATHENS, Greece (JTA) – The Greek Jewish community protested to a leading Greek television channel about a program hosting four lawmakers from the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party. The four appeared on a talk show on SKAI TV on April 7. The program also was condemned by the prominent Union of Athens Daily Press Journalists, and social activists have launched a social media campaign calling for a boycott of the products sold by companies that sponsor shows in which Golden Dawn members appear. Capriles, grandson of Holocaust survivors, calling for recount after losing Venezuelan presidency (JTA) – Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, is calling for a recount after narrowly losing the country’s presidential election. Nicolas Maduro, the acting president and the preferred successor of late President Hugo Chavez, was declared the winner of Sunday’s election with 50.7 vote to 49.1 percent for Capriles, representing a difference of 235,000 ballots.
While the Israeli economy has managed to steadily weather the global financial crisis of recent years, a growing budget deficit now threatens to disturb the relative economic stability of the past several years. Freshman Knesset Member and newly minted Finance Minister Yair Lapid must now attempt to raise government revenues by increasing taxes and slashing expenditures in order to close sizeable gaps in the 2013 budget. The uncomfortable measures, and remaining budget shortfalls, leave many worrying about the state of the economy, just months before economic oracle Stanley Fischer leaves his post as longtime governor of the Bank of Israel. “The state of the economy is good certainly as compared to other advanced economies,” Edward Offenbacher, Director of Monetary/Finance Division of the Bank of Israel’s Research
Department, told JNS. Offenbacher has worked at the bank for more than 30 years, following a stint at the U.S. Federal Reserve. “We’re not growing as fast as we were in the period of 2004 to 2010,” he said. “But we’re doing as well as could be expected based on the circumstances in the world. By and large, our situation is better than in almost all comparable countries.” According to Offenbacher, there are two major components to the Israeli government’s budget deficit. The first is that the amounts of tax revenues the government collected in 2012 were significantly lower than initially forecasted. The second component is that the 2013 budget has significant increases in expenditures, including commitments to increase wages for teachers and doctors. Additional expenditures were made based on the recommendations of the Trachtenberg committee which attempted to ease economic burdens on young working couples,
following the social protests of the summer of 2011. “The government made a lot of commitments for expenditures which were undertaken without considering the overall budget implications. Plus, in the defense ministry there were some overruns. So the expenditures were higher than planned,” Offenbacher said. In order to balance the budget, Lapid has started warning the public to prepare for a number of cuts that will need to be adopted. Several pundits have referred to the cuts as “austerity measures.” Yet according to Offenbacher, the word austerity may be inappropriate as the situation in Israel is not nearly as alarming as the financial crises currently plaguing many countries in Europe. “The magnitude of the measures needed to bring the budget back into proportion are far less than we’ve heard about in European countries, like Ireland or Greece,” Offenbacher said. ECONOMY on page 22
Western Wall compromise raises hopes, but still faces obstacles By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency TEL AVIV – Natan Sharansky has presented what could be a historic proposal to add a space for egalitarian prayer to the Western Wall. Israeli religious pluralism activists, however, fear that the proposal will take years to implement and could face roadblocks that prevent it from coming to fruition. The proposal, first reported by the Forward, would expand the current Western Wall Plaza, currently divided into men’s and women’s sections, to allow a space where men and women can pray together. The plaza would expand to include Robinson’s Arch, an archaeological park adjacent to the Wall but currently divided from the rest of the plaza by a bridge. Egalitarian prayer is allowed at the site. Sharansky presented the plan on Tuesday in New York to the rabbinical Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America. Leaders of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jewry have expressed their willingness to go along with the proposal. Upon his return to Israel this week, Sharansky will present the plan to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, was asked last year by Netanyahu to formulate a plan to change prayer regulations at the Wall. The
Courtesy of Meaghan O'Neill/CC
Women praying at the Western Wall, 2010.
request came after rising calls among Conservative and Reform Jews to allow for non-Orthodox prayer in the plaza and several high-profile arrests of female activists at the Wall. Sharansky’s plan, however, may encounter obstacles from the Israeli government, as well as from the Islamic Waqf, which administers Muslim holy sites on the Temple Mount. “I think it’s very ambitious,” said Lesley Sachs, director of Women of the Wall, which holds monthly women’s prayer services at the Wall. “We haven’t seen the plan, but we’re talking about a very ambitious endeavor that will take a long time to implement.” In order to allow for egalitarian prayer at the Wall, the Israeli government will have to change a
1981 ordinance that prohibits any Jewish practice which deviates from “local custom.” At the Wall, local custom is determined by Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, a haredi Orthodox leader who has opposed any change to the status quo. The current ordinance has led to the arrest and detention of Women of the Wall for singing at the Wall and wearing prayer shawls. Sachs is concerned that until the plan is implemented, her group will continue to face arrests and detentions. Rabinowitz in a statement offered approval for Sharansky’s plan in order to stop the Wall from “becoming a battlefield between one group of extremists and another.” Liberal activists, however, think the battle will continue.
Jordanian Parliament calls for release of 1997 murderer of seven Israeli schoolgirls (JNS) A total of 110 members of Jordan’s Parliament have signed a petition calling for the release of Ahmad Musa Mustafa Daqamseh, a Jordanian soldier who murdered seven Israeli schoolgirls on an “Isle of Peace” field trip to the Israeli border town of Naharayim in 1997. The families and administrators of the AMIT Shachar School in Beit Shemesh, where the seven girls attended, plan to hold a protest outside the Jordanian Embassy. The attack came a few years after peace was signed between Israel and Jordan in 1994. Jordan’s late King Hussein made an unprecedented move to visit each of the family’s homes following the attack. Daqamseh was sentenced to life in prison for the murders by a Jordanian military tribunal. Hamas accused of failing to investigate executions and body dragging (JNS) Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Gaza’s Hamas government failed to fully investigate an incident that occurred during the latest conflict between Israel and Gaza in November 2012, in which seven Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israel were executed and the body of one was dragged through the street by a motorcycle. Although a military court convicted the men, Hamas’s “inability or unwillingness to investigate the brazen murders of seven men makes a mockery of its claims that it’s upholding the rule of law in Gaza,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director of the New York-based HRW, a George Soros-funded group that has often been critical of Israel. Gaza’s Hamas gov’t using UNESCO heritage site for military training JERUSALEM (JTA) – The Hamas-run government in Gaza bulldozed part of a UNESCO heritage site to expand a military training zone. The military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, bulldozed a part of the ancient Anthedon Harbor in northern Gaza along the Mediterranean Sea last month, the Al-Monitor news website reported. The 3,000-year-old seaport discovered in 1997 was named an international heritage site by UNESCO in 2012, and is the oldest harbor in Gaza.
SOCIAL LIFE • 11
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE FREE! M
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WEDDING
Mordechai Willig, Rosh Yeshiva Mazor
the marriage of her granddaughter,
School of Talmudic Studies of Yeshiva
Schwartz on Sunday, March 10, at the Atrium
The American Israelite
Renee is an honors graduate of the honors program at Stern College for
and Betsy (Lucas) Kestenbaum of Fair Lawn
Women/Yeshiva University, and is an
N.J. Moshe is the son of Rabbi Allen and
Editorial Assistant at Thieme Publishing. She
Alisa Schwartz of New York City.
is the granddaughter of the late Dr. Stanley J. Lucas. Moshe is in the Master of Jewish
Senior Rabbi of Ohab Zedek Congregation of
Education program of The Azrieli Graduate
NYC. The Ketubah was read by Rabbi Yona
School at Yeshiva University. The couple
Reiss, Dean of Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
reside in New York City.
Theological Seminary (RIETS). Sheva Brachot were read by Milton Schwartz of Riverdale,
IN MEMORIAM
N.Y., paternal grandfather; Rabbi Leon Kestenbaum of Efrat, Israel, grandfather of
AI
University and Rosh Kollel at RIETS.
in Monsey, N.Y. Renee is the daughter of Phil
Officiating was Rabbi Allen Schwartz,
Place your FREE announcement in The American Israelite newspaper and website by sending an e-mail to articles@americanisraelite.com
N.Y., Uncle of the bride; and Rabbi
rs. Stanley J. Lucas (Judy) announces
Renee L. Kestenbaum, to Moshe M.
BIRTHS • BAT/BAR MITZVAHS ENGAGEMENTS • WEDDINGS BIRTHDAYS • ANNIVERSARIES
Sephardi Minyon Beth Shalom in Cedarhurst,
the bride; Dr. Daniel N. Lucas of Scottsdale, Ariz., uncle of the bride; Rabbi Benjamin
elvin Schneck, born April 21, 1924;
M
died January 8, 2013.
In remembrance of my beloved Melvin on
Yudin of Congregation Shomrei Torah in Fair
his 89th birthday. A mensch, loved and
Lawn, N.J.; Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Rosh
missed by all who knew him.
Yeshiva RIETS; Rabbi Donny Ben Nun of
Nancy Schneck
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CINCINNATI JEWISH LIFE • 13
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
Ben-Gurion Society Freeze-Free Festival of Lights On December 5, approximately 50 adults and almost as many children joined the Ben-Gurion Society to see the lights at the Cincinnati Zoo and stay warm in the Frisch's Theatre. We were joined by an owl, a lizard and a baby armadillo from the Zoo. It was a beautiful night, but COLD, so we were happy to warm up with hot chocolate, coffee, tea and desserts while doing crafts and enjoying story and music time with PJ Library.
Holly Wolfson and daughter observe the Cincinnati Zoo’s owl ambassador.
Cincinnati Zoo’s owl was a big hit!
Ari Cohen and Holly Wolfson
Denis and Diana Joseph and son
So much excitement!
Jonas Allen and son
Randy and Alison Moss and family
14 • DINING OUT
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The Blue Elephant—spring brings new things By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor It took a little while, but we are finally seeing the rebirth of spring. The pleasant side of nature has again come around to offer a fresh new take on our surroundings; a green, enveloping warmth that bridges the all-too-cold winter with the all-too-hot summer. It’s a time of other rebirths, too. My family dog will be getting his haircut soon, going from raggedymop to clean cut prince in a matter of minutes. The windows are now open, fresh air blowing freely through the halls. It’s enough to make a person downright giddy. The Blue Elephant in Hyde Park has taken a similar sort of spring in its step. The restaurant has released a new menu, along with an array of new specials for the taste and good-deal conscious. Saowanit Wongtouwan, the manager and owner of the Blue Elephant first pointed out the restaurant’s new Sunday specials. “You’ve seen the sign outside, we have a new special called the Happy Day Sunday. All-day there is half price domestic beer and half priced appetizers.” The move is a push to bring Sundays back, to avoid the low undertones of the day and spruce up the fun. This is accompanied by the restaurant’s new lunch special offers. “We have now,” explains Wongtouwan, “the half off one special every day, including Saturday and Sunday, from 11 to 3 p.m. Before we served only one special, Monday through Friday.” This is a big move for the restaurant. Now, from day to day, different assortments of the restaurant’s signature entrees will be up to half off. The quality, quantity and authenticity of the dishes will remain the exact same; just at a very attractive price point. Perfect for customers who don’t want to spend much at lunch time, or if they are on a budget. Wongtouwan elaborated on the specially priced dishes. “We have some special offers, like Yaki Udon, they’re a Japanese noodle. This is a new menu item that is fried with chicken and vegetables. And then we have one special, it’s the Saucy Tilapia that is lightly fried and topped with the chef’s special sauce, served with rice. We also have the Basil Salmon with vegetable basil garlic sauce, that’s new.” All of this newness makes obvious the other exciting element at the Blue Elephant: A new menu! Having arrived this past Monday, the new menu features full color pictures and an assortment of delicious items. The restaurant has long since been known for having a truly
Courtesy of Michael Sawan
(Clockwise) An open look at the dining room; A full view of the front of the Blue Elephant; Plants punctuate the understated interior design of the restaurant.
eclectic menu. On the one side is their assorted curry dishes, served with either white or brown rice. The first distinction between the dishes is color. The Red Curry uses a red sauce with coconut milk, served with assorted vegetables, basil, and your choice of tofu, chicken or beef. The Yellow Curry makes use of potatoes, onion, and a tangy Karee sauce, while the Green Curry is, simply put, green instead of red, making use of a different set of spices. Then there are the assorted wok dishes, stir fried meals that feature plenty of standbys: broccoli, snap peas, basil, garlic sauce, and so on, while also featuring some of the items that have come to be staples in the fusion community; pineapple, cashews, and the like. The one that draws my atten-
tion is the Prig Khing, featuring vegetables, lime leaves, all sautéed with a zesty chili sauce. I’d get mine with beef. There are also the assorted fried rices, that almost familial dish that has been with us for who knows how long now. The Blue Elephant makes these staples their own through the use of that same eclectic fusion: the Pineapple Fried Rice features raisins and cashews along with the eponymous pineapple, while the Golden Fried Rice features a touch of curry. And, for those who hem and haw when Asian is all there is, the Blue Elephant features a selection of pasta dishes unlike any others. With plenty of creams, cheeses, chilies and veggies, the restaurant looks to transform itself into a one stop shop for all things enticing.
Wongtouwan is very happy with the new look of the menu. “Before we had a book menu, but now we take a photo of each item. Our old menu had no photos at all. It was boring, but this new one is better. I put the specials under one section and did photos for each one of them. It’s more attractive.” And this isn’t even the end of the changes facing the Blue Elephant. Wongtouwan told me about some other potential changes, though with nothing set in stone, you’ll just have to wait until next time to hear what they may be. Back to the present, the Blue Elephant has embraced the spring fully. “We’ve already opened the patio,” explains Wongtouwan. “One night a little over a week ago
it was fully packed.” And this is no surprise. The quality of the food, the crispness of the atmosphere, and the ease of location keep the Blue Elephant in clear sailing. “We offer authentic food,” adds Wongtouwan. “Our food is not overly sweet, it’s more authentic than that.” And then, to put it simply: “We do the best, every day.” Lunch is served Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Dinner is served Monday – Thursday, 5 – 10 p.m.; Friday, 5 – 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. The Blue Elephant 2912 Wasson Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45209 (513) 351-0123
DINING OUT • 15
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
RESTAURANT DIRECTORY NEW SPRING MENU &
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
LUNCH & DINNER (for 2) SPECIALS
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
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
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2 blocks North of Eden Park
8179 Princeton-Glendale • 942-7800
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Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30-3 Dinner: Mon-Thu 5-9:30 Fri 5-10:30 • Sat 4:30-10:30
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7905 Mall Road • 859-525-2333 Asian Paradise
906 Nassau St • Cincinnati, 45206
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)
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
Dine-In / Take-Out / Delivery ✳EXOTIC DISHES✳ ✳ADJUSTABLE SPICE SCALE✳ ✳FABULOUS DRINKS✳ ✳VEGETARIAN - FRIENDLY✳
4858 Hunt Rd • Blue Ash, 45242 (513) 891-8900 • Fax 834-8012
Bangkok Terrace 4858 Hunt Rd
Kanak India Restaurant
Sukhothai Thai Cuisine
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
891-5542
793-7484
www.BangkokTerrace.com
Blue Elephant
"Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in America"
Ask about our Specials!
Chinese Restaurant News - 2004
Cafe Mediterranean
CINCINNATI ENQUIRER:
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514 W 6th St
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16 • OPINION
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A tribute to Arthur Finkelstein, strategist for U.S. conservatives and Israeli prime ministers By N. Richard Greenfield JointMedia News Service The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC), the world’s largest organization of political and public affairs specialists, recently announced its Hall of Fame inductees for 2013. The award that the industry has dubbed the “Pollies” is the highest honor that members of the political consultant profession can bestow on its colleagues. This year’s honorees include Arthur J. Finkelstein, David Axelrod, David Plouff and Lance Tarrance.
He helped elect Benjamin Netanyahu to his first term as prime minister and then advised Ariel Sharon, who also rose to that office. Throughout his career of 50plus years, Finkelstein has dedicated his efforts – with great success – to getting conservative candidates elected to office. And the candidates Finkelstein worked with were not only conservatives but also strong proponents of the close relationship between the United States and Israel. Finkelstein’s work was also not limited to the U.S. Over his career he has been a consultant and strategist in South America, Eastern Europe and, importantly, in Israel. He helped elect Benjamin Netanyahu to his first term as prime minister and then advised Ariel Sharon, who also rose to that office. A subsequent client, Avigdor Lieberman, rose from the leadership of a narrow splinter party to foreign minister in Netanyahu’s cabinet last term. Finkelstein is still active in Israeli politics and spends much of his time there. Born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in Levittown and Queens, Finkelstein attended Columbia University, where he worked on radio programs for Ayn Rand and began his career by volunteering on the Draft Goldwater committee. His first big win as a pollster/strategist came in 1970, when James Buckley ran on the newly minted
New York Conservative Party line and unexpectedly won a Senate seat in a three-way race. Finkelstein, who was 25 at the time, engineered that effort. In 1972, he worked in the Nixon White House, where he developed the successful strategy to seek out White Urban Ethnics as a swing group – helping to lead the incumbent president to a landslide victory. At the same time, he was instrumental in identifying and electing to the U.S. Senate a North Carolina TV broadcaster by the name of Jesse Helms. From there Finkelstein went on to help elect more candidates to the Senate and House than any other consultant in the business at that time or since. The list includes many recognizable names, like Strom Thurmond, Alfonse D’Amato, Connie Mack III, Don Nickles and Orrin Hatch. At various times he worked with people who helped shape the Republican majority of the early 1980s, such as Gordon Humphrey, John East, Roger Jepson and Bob Smith. He also advised notable candidates like Jack Kemp and Rudy Boschwitz and was critical to the career of George Pataki. Finkelstein was also instrumental in the Reagan campaigns of 1976 and 1980. Finkelstein also identified and developed issues that played a role in a number of other elections. Important to Reagan in his campaigns, for example, was the Panama Canal – which became a topic only after Finkelstein had defined it as a public issue. Finkelstein also pioneered many of the cutting-edge campaign concepts of the time, including the use of primary voter lists and the development of independent expenditures (IEs), which continue to be a major force in political campaigns today. Probably the most important legacy of Finkelstein’s career has been the people he has mentored and developed over the years. Consultants, pollsters and strategists who were trained by Finkelstein now populate many prominent Republican and conservative campaigns, think tanks and organizations throughout the country. While Finkelstein’s career is not over, it is assured a healthy longevity through the continued presence of a creative and talented cadre of strategists who learned their craft during their tenure at his firm, AJF Associates. N. Richard Greenfield is publisher of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger, where this first appeared, and the Western Massachusetts Jewish Ledger.
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Dear Editor, I am writing in response to your review of Marx’s Hot Bagels in last week’s issue. I was saddened to read a review that devoted so much space to bemoaning how annoying it is to keep kosher instead of promoting Marx’s business. I understand Mr. Marx’s frustration. He has to spend extra money to comply with rules that he doesn’t understand. However, even though he has sacrificed monetarily in order to maintain a kosher premise, the vast majority of Jewish Cincinnatians would rather pick up a bagel at a non-kosher bagel place. Even when they do go to Marx’s, many consumers demonstrate that they could care less about the kosher status of the food they eat. I keep kosher because I am interested in having a personal relationship with G-d. Eating non-kosher food creates a blockage in the relationship. I know that many people are not interested in keeping kosher, but it still makes me sad to see how few do. Sincerely, Adina Farber Cincinnati, OH Dear Editor, At the April 8 Amberley Village Council meeting resolution 2013-09, a resolution authorizing the village manager to execute a preliminary development agreement for Amberley Green by the Walnut Group was discussed and favorably voted upon. The only council person who was smart enough to question this item was council-woman Natalie Wolf. One has to wonder what unstated motivation compelled this august council to pass this
resolution. The Walnut Group had no published experience in developing 130+ acres. When the former Rollman farm was salivated over by rapacious developers who wanted to put a planned urban development there, voices were raised and protesters kept the ambiance of Amberley intact and now we have this beautiful addition to our village. Keep up the pressure to focus the attention to the North Site which promises to be a location for development at no harm to any villager. Involve yourself in the village, attend meetings, call your council person, raise your voice there and at the polls! Sincerely, Dan Levine Cincinnati, OH Dear Editor, Someone asked me the other day, “Aaron, why do you always carry a gun? What are you afraid of? Is someone really going to rob you in your secured building?” I have always been a firearms enthusiast and, with the exception of my time served in the army, I have never owned or carried a gun from day to day. I was and am a staunch supporter of the 2nd Amendment, well the entire Bill of Rights and the Constitution. It all started about a year ago —my wife came to visit me at the office to keep me company since everyone had left early. It was about an hour before closing and there was a knock on the door. As I got up from my desk and went to the door I noticed it was a contractor we had just hired, and I figured he was dropping off his invoice. When I opened up the door I noticed our parking lot was blocked off with a few vehicles and the contractor was standing there with his friends blocking off
any exit. He demanded cash. When I explained to him that we are a business that does not carry cash, and that I would give his invoice to our accountant to cut him a check within a few business days, he started to get angry. Here I am on a Friday afternoon barricaded inside my office with my wife by a few angry contractors. Now I know that I could probably have defended myself against the group and gotten out of there, but I was not so sure that I could get my wife out as well – so we were stuck. Mess with me all you want, but don’t endanger my family. The police station was about a mile away, and at 10 minutes to 5 p.m. that was about a three minute response time. If something were to happen, the police would not be there in time to save us. Only to hopefully arrest the perpetrators. Eventually I was able to diffuse the situation and the contractors left. The next day I borrowed a gun from a friend, and shortly afterward purchased my own. Never again will I be in a situation where I cannot defend the love of my life. There are a lot of people who want to change all the rules on firearms – limit the amount of bullets one can have in a magazine, require all transfers to have background checks. These potential laws would have inhibited my ability to defend myself, and more importantly my wife. They would have blocked me from borrowing a firearm until I got my own, they would have limited the amount of bullets I would have had to defend myself against an angry mob. I will always carry my firearm. I will always protect my family. Sincerely, Aaron Binik-Thomas Cincinnati, OH
CBS News needs to come clean about ‘60 Minutes’ Palestinian Christians segment By Dexter Van Zile JointMedia News Service Jeff Fager, chairman of CBS News, has a problem. Either he doesn’t know what he’s talking about or he’s lying about the security fence that Israel built to protect its citizens from suicide bombers coming from the West Bank during the Second Intifada. I came to this troubling conclusion during a talk he gave at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan, Conn., on Sunday, April 7. Invited to speak at the church
by his pastor Rev. Peter Walsh, Fager showed an audience of more than 200 of his fellow parishioners a segment about Palestinian Christians that aired on the CBS “60 Minutes” program in April 2012. During the segment, correspondent Bob Simon stated that the security fence “completely surrounds Bethlehem, turning the ‘little town’ where Christ was born into what its residents call ‘an open air prison.’” The fence does not completely surround Bethlehem, as Simon
reported. The security fence is located to the north and west of Bethlehem and leaves the rest of the city’s perimeter open to the West Bank. The factual misstatement raised some questions about the notion that Bethlehem is an “open air prison.” If conditions in the city are so bad, it shouldn’t be necessary to exaggerate the extent of the security fence, but Palestinian spokespeople do it all the time. And journalists fall for it on a regular basis – even “60 Minutes.” CBS on page 22
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
JEWISH LIFE • 17
Sedra of the Week
SHABBAT SHALOM: PARSHAT ACHRAI MOT- KEDOSHIM • LEVITICUS 16:1 – 20:27
all secular, except for one observant family. That family never complained when people held loud parties on Shabbat. Instead, they were always warm and friendly to everyone. On Friday nights, they kept the door of their apartment open. As the delicious aroma of the food and the sounds of their singing wafted through the building, children started gathering at the open doorway. The family welcomed them in, and soon adults followed and they, too, were warmly welcomed into the apartment. “We were moved to tears when we saw our neighbors bless their sons and heard them singing together around the table,” the wife told me. “So when your advertisement appeared in the newspaper, my husband and I were more than ready to hear about the Sabbath and its observance.” Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Chancellor Ohr Torah Stone Chief Rabbi – Efrat Israel
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T EST Y OUR T ORAH KNOWLEDGE THIS WEEK’S PORTION: ACHREI MOT KEDOSHIM (VAYIKRA 16:1—20:27) 1. Are there mitzvot when harvesting a field? a.) Yes b.) No 2. When is it prohibited to curse? a.) Any person b.) A Torah scholar c.) A deaf person 3. When is it prohibited to place a stumbling block? a.) Before a blind person Rashi 5. B 19:16 Peddlers selling their merchandise would go around telling tales about others. Rashi
scriptural imperative. Maimonides formulates the law “One who sees his friend sinning or following an improper path is commanded to restore him to the proper way of life... Anyone who is able to instruct and does not do so becomes responsible for the sin of his friend” (Laws of Proper Opinions 6, 7). It seems that the haredi man did exactly what he was supposed to do! A closer look at the texts, however, reveals a different reality. The Talmud (B.T. Yebamot 65b) states, “Just as one is commanded to say that which will be obeyed, so is one commanded not to say that which will not be obeyed.” Maimonides teaches: “Should you rebuke someone to the point that his face changes color? The Torah states: ‘You should not bear a sin because of him’” (ibid). Maimonides is teaching us that you must be certain that your manner of reproach will not cause you to sin, by publicly shaming someone and by turning them even farther away from Judaism. Fascinatingly, the Vilna Gaon teaches that if someone declares himself to be a non-observant Jew, it is forbidden to attempt to instruct him because you will most likely alienate him even farther from our tradition (Shulhan Aruch Orah Haim 608, Biyur Halacha). Let me briefly recount an incident that illustrates the proper way to instruct. Soon after my aliya, I conducted a seminar for 25 nonobservant families on the topic of Shabbat. In the aftermath of the seminar, many of the children were switched from secular to religious schools. The success of the seminar was not due to the presenters but rather to two participants, a husband and wife, who were both professors. They were deeply moved by all the learning, and after the seminar, they hosted a weekly class in their home, which the entire group enthusiastically attended. When I met with them to thank them, I asked what had initially caused them to respond to our ad. They told me that they lived in a small apartment building in Ramat Gan whose inhabitants were
b.) On a slick road c.) Before a business deal 4. Is it permitted to reprove a person for doing a sin? a.) Yes b.) No 5. What is the prohibition of “peddling”? a.) Infringing on someone's business territory b.) Spreading tales about others c.) Collecting charity on the streets
3. A 19:14 Blind person also means to hide something from somebody who is unaware of a harmful intention. Rashi 4. A 19:17 One can instruct another,but it is forbidden to embarrass them for their bad deeds.
EFRAT, Israel – “You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely instruct your fellow and do not bear a sin because of him” (Leviticus 19:17). Soon after my aliya, I took a bus through downtown Jerusalem. I didn’t particularly notice a young woman in the back of the bus who sat down next to a pious-looking haredi man. He, in his black hat, black coat and long beard, and she, in her sandals, skirt and sleeveless top were part of a typical Jerusalem scene. When the young woman quietly asked the man to close the window, he turned to her rather matter-offactly with the words, “Would you please lengthen your sleeves?” “Mister,” the woman said, her voice rising to match her indignation, “the open window is bothering me!” “Madam, your bare arms are bothering me,” he responded. Her face was now grim and determined as she shouted, “Are they my arms or your arms?” My stop was approaching and I was running late for a meeting, but I was also desperate to hear the outcome of this confrontation, and almost everyone on the bus, including the driver, voiced their position for or against the woman. No one on the bus argued from a practical perspective – how could she lengthen her sleeves even if she wanted to? I, for one, found the intellectual and emotional exchange exhilarating until I overhead a man behind me cry hysterically to his wife, “I told you we have to leave the country. When they are in control, they will demand total religious conformity from all of us.” By the time I got off the bus, the window had not been closed nor had the sleeves been lengthened. Still, for the first time, I began to sense the passion of secular Jews in Israel who are frightened of the future and view the growing religious trend as a movement toward repression and persecution. This incident wasn’t just another disagreement; it was part of a conflict that threatens to tear apart our nation. The standard liberal position would regard the haredi man in this incident as the villain, but what would be the position of our Jewish tradition? The verse cited above, “You shall surely instruct your fellow and do not bear a sin because of him,” seems to be a
Written by Rabbi Dov Aaron Wise
ANSWERS 1. A 19:9,10 To leave the corner of the field uncut for the poor to take. 2. C 19:14 The Torah says deaf, but the Talmud learns it is forbidden to curse anybody. Rashi
by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
“Mister,” the woman said, her voice rising to match her indignation, “the open window is bothering me!” “Madam, your bare arms are bothering me,” he responded.
18 • JEWZ IN THE NEWZ
JEWZ
IN THE
By Nate Bloom Contributing Columnist BOBO IS BULLIED “Disconnect,” which opens in Cincinnati on Friday, April 19, tells three mostly separate stories which ultimately “connect up.” All the characters’ lives are heavily influenced by the internet. The first story focuses on a teenage boy (JONAH BOBO, 16) who is being cyberbullied. His parents are played by Hope Davis and Jason Bateman. Bobo, who most recently co-starred in the 2011 comedy hit, “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” was raised in an Orthodox home in New York. His “funny” last name is Egyptian/Syrian Jewish. The other stories concern a couple whose identity is stolen and a young man who makes his living by taking his clothes off on-line. Early reviews of this film are quite positive. WOLKMANIA The premiere (April 7) episode of the hit AMC cable show “Mad Men” introduced a new character, Bob Benson, played by the very handsome JAMES WOLK, 28. Here are excerpts from an April 8 Hollywood Reporter piece that explains all: “Benson, a hyperenthusiastic, brown-nosing accounts employee at Sterling Draper Cooper... attempts to get into the good graces of Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the superstar adman he’s always wanted to meet…And there’s something about Wolk – an intelligence and intensity – that makes him more than just a pretty face. The 28year-old actor has racked up a host of TV credits with a leading role on the short-lived Fox series “Lone Star” and recurring parts on Showtime’s “Shameless” and “Happy Endings.”… Besides “Mad Men,” Wolk is part of a buzzy new comedy project also focused on an ad agency. Called “The Crazy Ones” and produced by David E. Kelley, the CBS pilot – which could be greenlit for next season – touts Robin Williams and SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR, 35, as father-anddaughter co-owners of a firm. Seems like Wolk could balance playing [both roles] simultaneously.” By the way, a Buzzfeed website author, who is bonkers for Wolk, has compiled a raft of pics in which the very buff Wolk is shirtless. He maintains that Wolk could give the very hunky Jon Hamm a run for his money. ANOTHER LOVE STORY On April 9, The Jewish Book
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NEWZ
Council named FRANCESCA SEGAL, 33, the winner of the $100,000 2013 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature in fiction for her debut novel, “The Innocents.” The UK paper, “The Guardian,” said in their recent review: “Part ambiguous morality tale, part guidebook on north London Jewish community culture, this is a hugely enjoyable first novel. With a nod to Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence,” it has already won the 2012 Costa First Novel award and the 2012 National Jewish Book award for fiction. It’s another sort of coming of age too: the author is the daughter of ERICH SEGAL [1937-2010], who wrote ‘Love Story.’” Erich Segal, the son of a Brooklyn rabbi, only married once. He met his wife (now his widow), KAREN JAMES, who is British, when they met on a plane returning from Tel Aviv. They married in 1975 and had two daughters (Francesca, and MIRANDA, now 23.) In the late ‘70s, Segal moved to London. His children were born in London and raised in London and in New York. Segal was more than “Love Story”: he was a professor of Latin and Greek literature at Harvard, Yale and Princeton and guest taught at Oxford and in Tel Aviv. He penned the screenplay for the Beatles’ film, “Yellow Submarine.” He was an early and avid marathon runner who did TV color commentary on the event. Francesca recently told the Connecticut Jewish Ledger that: “We had Shabbat dinner every week as a family, and went to shul almost every Friday night – but then also gathered to watch “Friends” on TV after Shabbat dinner was finished; it was part of our family tradition. Judaism and my Jewish identity were a central part of my family life, growing up, and have remained extremely important to me.” Francesca’s novel, which is often a comedy of manners, centers on Rachel, a young British Jewish woman who has three “beaus”: one is a nice Jewish guy who was a childhood sweetheart. He’s already viewed by her family as their son-in-law; another beau is a very handsome cousin whom she has long been very fond of; and then there’s a married American rich businessman with whom she has a furtive relationship. As the “Guardian” puts it: “Rachel oscillates between saint and witch, sometimes coming across as the innocent victim, sometimes the unbearable limpet.”
FROM THE PAGES 150 Y EARS A GO During the past winter the festivals and balls of the different Hebrew societies were well attended and very successful. The Young Men’s Literary Society opened the season with a fine literary, musical and social festival, which was brilliantly successful. This was followed by the annual ball of the Hebrew Benevolent Society, which met with the same success as in past years, and, finally, during Purim, the Ladies’ Hebrew Benevolent Society held their second annual ball which was most liberally patronized. During the recent holidays the city was well filled with our people, and Mr. G. Straus’ favorite hotel crowded with business. This is not at all wonderful, for we question if there is a better kept house in the whole country. The table d’hote is unexceptionable and always supplied with the best the market affords. – April 30, 1863
125 Y EARS A GO Mr. and Mrs. Sig. Steinharter and little daughter, of Muncie, Ind., and Mr. and Mrs. I.A. Popper, of Brookville, Ind., were in the city on Tuesday last to attend the WiseRonsheim wedding. Both ladies are sisters of the groom. At the annual meeting of the Congregation K.K. Ahaveth Achim, Cincinnati, held April 1st, the officers elected were: President, Henry Kahn; VicePresident, Samuel Bauer; Warden, Isaac Faller; Treasurer, Benjamin Klein; Secretary, Charles Miller. The roof of the residence of Mr. A. Bloom, on Locust and Beech Streets, East Walnut Hills, took fire a few days ago and considerable damage resulted. The roof was entirely burned off, and the interior of the house together with the household goods suffered to the extent of nearly one thousand dollars. The annual election of officers of the Standard Club resulted in the choice of the following gentlemen: President, S. S. Wolf; VicePresident, A. W. Sommerfield; Treasurer, Theo. Mack; Recording Secretary, Sam Guggenheim; Entertainment Cmmitttee, M. Koch and H. K. Weil. The closing entertainment and dance will be given at Dexter Hall. – April 20, 1888
100 Y EARS A GO Miss Mannheimer, who has returned from the East, will give a series of drama readings at the Cincinnati School of Expression, in the Greenwood Building, Sixth and Vine streets, beginning April 23 at 4 p.m., with Percey Mackaye’s “To-morrow.”
Mrs. Jennie Simmons, age 57, wife of Jacob Simmons, died Saturday, April 12, at her home, 634 Prospect place, Avondale. The funeral took place on Monday, April 14, from the mortuary chappel of the Lick Run Cemetery, Rabbi Meiziner officiating. Miss Violet Drukker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M.S. Drukker, has returned home after having spent the winter with her relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Alferd A. Deichman and Mr. and Mrs. Julius Baer, where she announced her engagement to Mr. Harry A. Lewinsohn of Lincoln, Neb., formerly of Chicago. – April 17, 1913
75 Y EARS A GO The Parents Association of the Avondale Talmud Torah will meet May 2nd, at 2:30, at the Bureau of Jewish Education. The Nominating Committee will report. Mrs. Louis J. Glasser, program chairman, has obtained the following students of the Garrett Studios: Misses Janet Bryant, Elaine Wagner, Joan Wiederschein, Kay Klayman, Carol Carson, Marilyn Fricke, Francis Kaufman, Lois Gholson, Shirley Swind, Elaine Schweiter. Young Israel is presenting a Sefer Torah in honor of Louis Cohen, to Washington Avenue Synagogue Sunday Afternoon, May 15th. All members and friends of Young Israel are invited. The committee consists of John Moskowitz, chairman; Meyer Simkin, Sam Metz and Emanuel Cohen. “Promenade,” this year’s U.C. musical comedy, is on the boards at Wilson Auditorium this week. Active in the cast are Jack Marks, Jerry Ranohoff, Jay Goldberg and Walter Paul. Promotion and publicity were dished out professionally by Charlie Gillett and Ted Menderson. The musical end is in the hands of Dave Cohen and Herm Kirschner. – April 28, 1938.
50 Y EARS A GO A taped interview between Rabbi Albert A. Goldman of Wise Temple and Leo Krown, Jerusalem director of State of Israel Bonds, will be featured on “Dialogue” Sunday, April 21, at 8:05 a.m., on WKRC. Rabbi Goldman interviewed Mr. Krown during the former’s recent visit to Israel. The topic is “Israel Today and Tomorrow.” On Monday, April 22, Women’s ORT will present an original skit, “Route ORT,” at Wise Center, preceded by a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Participating in the program are the Mesdames Gerald Cohen, Bernard Friedman, Sanford Goltzman, Fred Guttman, Richard
Kuhr and Stanley Statman. Mrs. Nat Lehman is in charge of production; Mrs. David Stevens, director; Mrs. Morris Samuels accompanist. – April 18, 1963
25 Y EARS A GO “The events scheduled for Wednesday, April 20th, and Sunday, April 24th, will unify our community in honoring the State of Israel,” said Dr. Alfred Gottschalk and Barbara H. Rabkin, co-chairmen of Cincinnti’s 40th anniversary celebration. “Israel’s 40th birthday is coming during one of the most difficult times in her short history – we should salute her achievements,” they added. Rabbi Daniel Syme will be the keynote speaker at the April 28th Jewish National Fund tribute dinner honoring Congressman Willis D. Gradison, Jr. Jeff Klepper, of the Jewish folk music group, Kol B’seder, will perform at the 12th annual Cincinnati Jewish Folk Festival, to be held on Sunday, May 15 in the Burnet Woods bandshell, across from the main campus of the University of Cincinnati. Visitors to the festival can enjoy the music of Klepper from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The local musical talent includes a musical performance by some of Cincinnati’s rabbis, a saxaphonist and two “rappers” from UC. “The Pearl Street Market,” a lively portrayal of Cincinnati’s past by composer Bonia Shur, director of liturgical arts at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, will be premiered in a concert by the Byzantine Singers Sunday, May 1, at 4:30 p.m. at the Art Museum. – April 21, 1988.
10 Y EARS A GO Ten area teenagers, ages 17 and 18, will depart Sunday, April 27, on the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s March of the Living 2003 Journey to Poland and Israel. Grants for local participants are being provided by The Fisher Foundation and the Jewish Federation. They are Aaron Binik-Thomas, Seth Gildenblatt, Jessica Greenberg, Jeremy Guttman, Deborah Karmel, Aaron Morris, Julia Nayfield, Tory Roth, Jodi Sadoff and Molly Sternberg. Barbara Miller and Dr. Lenny Singer will chaperone the delegation. For the past eight weeks these Cincinnati high school students have been meeting to study and learn about the Shoah together. The group met separately with local survivors Roma Kaltman, Henry Blumenstein and Carol Herman. – April 24, 2003
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
CLASSIFIEDS • 19
COMMUNITY DIRECTORY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Access (513) 373-0300 • jypaccess.org Big Brothers/Big Sisters Assoc. (513) 761-3200 • bigbrobigsis.org Camp Ashreinu (513) 702-1513 Camp at the J (513) 722-7258 • mayersonjcc.org Camp Chabad (513) 731-5111 • campchabad.org Camp Livingston (513) 793-5554 • camplivingston.com Cedar Village (513) 754-3100 • cedarvillage.org Chevra Kadisha (513) 396-6426 Cincinnati Community Kollel (513) 631-1118 • kollel.shul.net Cincinnati Community Mikveh (513) 351-0609 • cincinnatimikveh.org Eruv Hotline (513) 351-3788 Fusion Family (513) 703-3343 • fusionnati.org Halom House (513) 791-2912 • halomhouse.com Hillel Jewish Student Center (Miami) (513) 523-5190 • muhillel.org Hillel Jewish Student Center (UC) (513) 221-6728 • hillelcincinnati.org Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati 513-961-0178 • jcemcin.org Jewish Community Center (513) 761-7500 • mayersonjcc.org Jewish Community Relations Council (513) 985-1501 Jewish Family Service (513) 469-1188 • jfscinti.org Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (513) 985-1500 • shalomcincy.org Jewish Foundation (513) 214-1200 Jewish Information Network (513) 985-1514 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
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
SUPER SUNDAY from page 4 Both phone callers and clerical workers are needed for two shifts on April 21-8:45 to 10:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Childcare will be available during both shifts. Phone callers only are needed for a follow-up session on April 24, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Marie Krulewitch, a member of the YAD board, explained why she volunteers. “YAD is excited to be chairing Super Sunday this year. We’re hoping our presence will help enliven the environment and provide a boost in energy not only for the volunteers, but for the campaign as a whole! As young professionals, it’s important for us to give TEENS from page 5 From darkness to light, from sadness to celebration, 6 million may have perished but for these 31 teenagers, and the hundreds of thousands of participants who have taken part in the March of the Living program over the years, their memory will never die. And thanks to the incredible commitment of the Cincinnati Jewish community, including the Mayerson JCC, which coordinates the trip, the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education which provides a critical educational component that is not offered by any other delegation, and The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, which generously provides many of the participants with all-expenses-paid grants to participate in this trip, our community has the good fortune to be able to offer this lifeDISCRIMINATION from page 8 House staffers say that lawmakers, pro-Israel leaders among them, have raised objections to the clause, “without jeopardizing the security of the State of Israel,” because it appears to validate what they see as Israel’s tendency to turn away Arab Americans without giving a reason. None of the other 37 countries currently in the visa-free program has such a caveat written into law. Israel’s government has made clear that it likely would not join the visa waiver program without such language in the law, JTA has learned. Israeli officials told JTA that U.S. citizens already are free to travel to Israel, and that there is no need
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(513) 531-9600 back to the community and the programs that have provided so much benefit to us growing up, and we’re glad to be able to help spread this message to our peers with the hope of attracting new and sustaining contributors from Cincinnati’s younger Jewish generation.” The board members of the Jewish Federation’s Young Adult Division are Lilah Bloom, Rachel Callif, Stefanie Clayton, Andy Cohen, Ariella Cohen, Jamie Dalin, Mike Dattner, Brooke Guigui, Marie Krulewitch, Ed Kuresman, Sydney Mattis, Jessica Max, Randy Moss, Marisa Phillips, Michelle Rothzeid, Todd Schild, Jake Warm, Stacy Wolfe and Max Yamson. changing experience to so many students year after year! This year, the JCC has formed a partnership with WCPO TV to post the blogs of Cincinnati’s delegates. Those participating in the 2013 Cincinnati Delegation include chaperones, Matt Steinberg, Rabbi Judy Chessin and Rick Lefton and participants: Daniel Apke, Ali Bisnov, Kali Cohen, Sallie Cohen, Jake Fisher, Zach Fisher, Emily Goldberg, Daniel Gushin, Isabella Guttman, Sam Harkavy, Charles Heldman, Sam Isidor, Benjamin Kriner, Mackenzie Levine, Karen Moss, Austin Post, Dani Reichman, Tessa Rothfeld, Graham Segal, Daniel Seibert, Emma Silverman, Jonathan Stein, Dan Steinberg, Bennett Szames, Arieh Venick, Leah Weil, Sophie Weinstein, Max Wildenhaus, Hannah Wise, Maayan Yarchi, David Zucker. for holders of American passports to obtain a tourist visa before traveling. But there have been numerous reports in recent years that Israel routinely turns away or makes difficult the entry of Americans with Muslim and Arab names, often without explaining why. The State Department, in its Israel travel advisory, warns that “U.S. citizens whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim origin” may be denied “entry or exit without explanation.” James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute, which has lobbied against the Senate language, said passage of such a law would codify discriminatory treatment.
20 • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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World class Ariel Quartet performs at Adath Israel, May 19 Adath Israel presents a rare opportunity to hear the Ariel Quartet, winners of the 2006 Grand Prize in the Fischoff National Chamber Music competition and the 2003 first prize at the Franz Schubert and Music of Modernity Competition in Austria. “Even at this early point in their career the artistic level was very much in evidence,” raved competition jurors. “They played some of the most sublime and difficult repertoire in string literature and they were hands down at the top of the competition.” Critics who have reviewed their concerts agree. “They crank out virtuosity by the bucketful and passion by the yard,” enthused the Washington Post. “They made me jump up and down in my seat,” said The American Record Guide. Other reviewers had equally effusive praise: “their performance left me paralyzed and overwhelmed.” Formed in Jerusalem 10 years ago in their teens, the Ariel Quartet were recipients of the America Israel Cultural Foundation scholar-
ship. Three of the quartet members were students of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. The fourth member, a native of Munich, joined the others two years ago. Characterized by its youthful, brilliant playing and soulful interpretations, the quartet brought a
fresh approach to classical music, and quickly earned a glowing international reputation. They were previously the resident ensemble in the new England Conservatory’s prestigious string quartet training program and the Steans Music Institute at the Ravina Festival. A group of Cincinnati philan-
thropists brought the quartet to the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music where they were named the official string quartet in residence in 2012. These four virtuosos, all under the age of 30, are currently reviving the glory days of the LaSalle Quartet, the last full time quartet at CCM from
1953-1988. “Through their residency the quartet will provide a world-class level of performance for our students and for the Greater Cincinnati community,” said Dean Peter Landgren who predicted “they will transform the school and the city.” “We are thrilled to be hosting these four, young, energetic and vastly talented virtuosos for the pleasure of the entire community,” said Charlotte Hattenbach, president of the American Israel Culture Foundation, who will be honored at the concert for her 35 years of commitment to AICF. Added event chair Peninah Frankel, “Adath Israel Congregation and AICF are delighted to have an opportunity to present this world class quartet.” The quartet, whose first concerts were sellouts at CCM, will perform at 7 p.m. at Adath Israel on Sunday, May 19. A gourmet wine and cheese reception will follow. Reservations due by May 7. There is a fee to attend. For more information, please call Adath Israel Congregation.
‘Anything is possible’ with Nicky’s Family By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor With 5,700 people owing him their lives, Sir Nicholas Winton has received a much deserved documentary. Titled Nicky’s Family, the film follows the actions of Sir Winton, or “Britain’s Schindler,” as Tony Blair called him. Sir Winton was responsible for the rescue of 669 children over a six month period
in 1939, leading an operation called Kinderstransport that led the children out of the Czech Republic and into his English home. These children, now old souls, have taken part in the production of Nicky’s Family, a feature length documentary that outlines Sir Winton’s heroic actions. His work began when he visited refugee camps outside of Prague. Seeing the obvious state of horror around
him, Sir Winton took action. Through his diplomatic prowess and insatiable drive, Sir Winton was able to secure permits for the children to travel to Britain, organized eight trains to transport them, and arranged for foster families to take the children in upon their arrival. The horror of the situation comes clearly into view when one considers the ninth transport that Sir Winton organized. Easily the
largest of the batch, with 250 children, the outbreak of WWII prevented the train from leaving Prague. It is believed that all of those onboard soon met their end at the hands of the Nazis. But the 669 who did survived went on to lead productive lives, with families growing to approximately 5,700 people total. The reviews have already poured in, with Skip Sheffield of Skip Sheffield’s Flix calling the
film “uplifting and downright inspirational.” John Delia, of Aced Magazine, called the film “An outstanding, heartfelt tribute. This man worked miracles.” And then there are the words of the man himself. This is what Sir Winton had to say of his actions: “Anything that is not actually impossible can be done, if one really sets one’s mind to do it and is determined that is shall be done.”
The program will also air later in the year on WORLD, the nation’s premier outlet for public television. President Eisenhower’s granddaughter, Susan Eisenhower, has this to say about the events: “It’s one thing to sit around a card table and talk about a worrisome situation – even a dire situation, It’s quite another to actually take some action, and I think that’s why this is a story for all time.”
Painstakingly researched, finely crafted – and entertaining to boot – Rescue in the Philippines shares a story that has to be seen to be believed. With all of the drama usually reserved for a Hollywood art film, Rescue in the Philippines will inspire you with its heights of human compassion, and horrify you with it’s antithesis: The horrors of war and the destruction of the Nazi menace.
New documentary with a strange history By Michael Sawan Assistant Editor There are events that will restore your faith in humanity. One such story, almost lost to history, is the tale of poker and refugees; cigars and Dwight D. Eisenhower; 1,300 Jews and their new home across the world. Rescue in the Philippines is a new documentary that recounts this
stranger-than-fiction story. Just before WWII in the Filipino coastal town of Manila, then General Eisenhower along with the first Philippine president, Manuel Quezon, and various others met to play poker and smoke cigars. Among their company were five brothers from Cincinnati, the Frieders, who owned a cigar manufacturing facility in Manila. With WWII boiling into a reali-
ty, the group understood that Hitler and Nazi Germany could only cause inhumane horrors for Europe’s Jewish population. So, in 1938, efforts were made to funnel these refugees out of Europe, out of the way of the Nazi death machine, and into the relative safety of Manila. The hour long documentary, narrated by Liev Schreiber, will air across the country’s public television channels beginning in April.
Mandy Patinkin returns to sing with the Cincinnati Pops By Jory Edlin Assistant Editor Mandy Patinkin will be in Cincinnati, singing with the Cincinnati Pops next weekend. You may know him from his portrayal of Jason Gideon in Criminal Minds, Avigdor in Yentl, Inigo Montoya (“You killed my father. Prepare to die.”) in The Princess Bride, countless other feature films, televsion shows and
concert tours. You might even have seen him perform in March 2012 at the JCC. Patinkin was born Mandel Bruce Patinkin in Chicago. He began his singing career in his early teens, singing in synagogue choirs. His acting career began in Hebrew summer camp due to his dislike of academics. They were putting on a play, all in Hebrew, called “Fiddler on the Roof.” He made a deal whereby he would
play Tevye in exchange for not having to attend Hebrew class. The rest, as they say, is history. In a phone interview, Patinkin stressed one of his current most passionate causes: The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. He rode in a 300 mile bicycle ride recently with his son Isaac, from Jerusalem to Eilat. He described it as the “singularly greatest hope for the peace process. They work with
Palestinians, Israelis, Egyptians, Jordanians, Americans, all people who are interested in the environment in one form or another. The long term goal is these students will bond with each other... will become the environmental leaders in their communities and instead of making war, down the road they’ll clean up the water and the air... It’s an extremely beautiful organization.” His other current passions include playing with his “O” gauge
Lionel trains and his hope that his sons, Isaac and Gideon will son provide him with grandchildren, “kids and grandkids trump everything.” He made a special request for me to ask everyone who knows his sons, to email, text and tweet his desire for grandchildren. Patinkin will be performing at Music Hall – Springer Auditorium Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., on April 19, 20 and 21.
FIRST PERSON / AUTOS • 21
THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013
The free retiree Incidentally Iris
by Iris Ruth Pastor It looks like a normal Monday morning – a bright, gentle warm day in April. The traffic is still roaring by on the busy corner upon which my house sits. The neighbor’s dog is still incessantly barking. The kitchen sink still has a coffee cup or two waiting to be put into the dishwasher. And I’ve just hugged my husband goodbye as he heads for work. It looks like a normal day, but it isn’t. At least not for me. For the first time in my adult life, I AM FREE AT LAST! What does that mean? I retired this past Friday. Not only did that day mark my last day of employment, but it also marked an anniversary of sorts. For on that day, 43 years ago, my oldest son was born and I became – at the ripe old age of 21 – solely responsible for another human being – besides myself, that is. Now, with all my children way past the age of legal drinking – and unchained from the constraints of full-time employment – I AM FREE AT LAST! Now this morning, the morning of my first day of retirement, I sit looking out a window in a room that up until a few scant weeks ago held little more than a crib, a tired looking twin bed and some random baskets of toys (enthusiastically delved into when the grandchildren descended from up North). Today, I am reaping the benefits of my preplanning: the room sports a new coat of bright blue paint. Colorful red baskets hold my writing materials, a sprawling table supports my computer and printer and pictures of my loved ones abound. Here in this room – a room my husband affectionately has christened “The Bloom Room” – I begin the next chapter of SCANDAL from page 9 Bernheim changed his mind and took a “leave of absence” after his spokesman, Moche Lewin, quit on Wednesday and Manuel Valls, France’s interior minister, advised Bernheim to “think about his future” – a statement many also took to be an invitation for Bernheim to resign. The chief rabbi eventually did on Thursday in a statement to the Consistoire. The chief rabbi of Paris, Michel Guggenheim, will fill in for
my life. How fitting and how comforting it is that I start the morning off by writing my “Incidentally, Iris” column – an action that has been a constant in my life for the last 25 years. Before this much anticipated day arrived, people were constantly asking me what I would do when retired. I must admit their questioning engendered deep feelings of anxiety within me. Would too much free time catapult me into the depths of depression? Find me excessively raiding the refrigerator? Dwelling on deep-seated demons? Nursing old hurts? To allay my anxiety, I began to devise a weekly routine to adhere to even though I recognized that soon I would truly be only accountable to myself and no longer have to worry about sick time, vacation time or unpaid leaves of absence. Having that framework in place calmed me down. So, Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays are work days – days devoted to the projects I want to do. Thursdays are play days – devoted to being with friends that over the years I have too seldom gotten to see. And Fridays are errands days – devoted to all the nitty-gritty obligatory items haphazardly filling my ever lengthening to-do list. And weekends – glorious weekends – they are for what they have always been set aside for: spending time with loved ones. Time is finite and items on our bucket lists are made to be checked-off, not merely reviewed from time to time. So now that I AM FREE AT LAST, how will I feed my creative juices? My mom and I are planning to publish a sequel to my first book of columns. And I am going into partnership with a dear and longtime friend to put on women’s events. And I’m going to practice yoga. And I’m vowing to go food shopping more often and cook more healthily and I’m... I know with age 66 looming and my retirement here, I should feel like I’m rounding third and heading for home. But somehow I feel like I’m just walking up to the plate to bat for the very first time. Keep Coping, Iris Ruth Pastor Bernheim along with the director of the rabbinical school, Olivier Kaufmann, until a new internal election is held within the Consistoire, according to a statement by an organization spokesman. Weill told JTA that before the affair exploded, “Rabbi Bernheim made us feel that the rabbinate had a voice. He is a deep thinker and someone who knew how to speak, who represented us, and that’s important because it brought people closer to the community.”
2013 Audi A6—even the definitive can be redefined Given that the previous Audi A6 was still winning comparison tests in its final year, its replacement had big shoes to fill. Yet the new model has proven every bit as distinguished, drawing acclaim for its sensuous interior, gratifying driving experience, and efficient drivetrains. For 2013, new available Start/Stop engine technology raises efficiency even further, and the A6 lineup grows more diverse with the expanded availability of quattro allwheel drive to the 2.0T model. The Audi A6 is empirically beautiful. With its sharp lines, short overhangs, and fashion-defining touches like the optional LED headlights and standard LED taillights, the A6 has an undeniable presence. Yet looking beyond its great beauty also reveals great engineering, as the body features a drag coefficient of just 0.26, a wind-cheating figure that lets the A6 more easily slip through the air, paying dividends in quietness, fuel efficiency and performance alike. The richly rewarding cabin of the A6 upholds the Audi tradition of blending style and class. Crisp instrumentation, tastefully contrasting colors and a skillful blend of aluminum and genuine wood create a warm, inviting ambience. Upon startup, the available eightinch MMI screen rises from the dashboard to greet the driver, and the optional Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System fills the cabin with 1,300 watts of soulful
2013 Audi A6
sound quality. Supple leather covers the surface of every seat in the house, and three-zone automatic climate control ensures that rear passengers remain as spoiled as those in the front. The Audi A6 is the result of consistent optimization, proof of how optimizing every part can lead to a greater whole. Its 2.0-liter TFSI engine features turbocharging and Audi FSI direct injection, helping it keep pace with larger-engined competitors while achieving superb mileage. The available 3.0-liter TFSI V6 engine stands ready with a 310-horsepower rush and the Tiptronic automatic transmission features eight speeds, the highest in the luxury segment. Complementing its aerodynamic body is the liberal use of aluminum, giving the A6 one of the lowest
starting curb weights in its class. Top it off with communicative steering, a firm yet comfortable ride, and the wet weather traction of Audi quattro all-wheel drive, the widespread praise of the A6 driving experience should be no surprise. When it comes to passenger protection, Audi leaves no stone unturned. Eight standard airbags, including driver and passenger front knee airbags, help keep occupants protected from the front and sides, while Electronic Stability Control helps keep you on your intended path in slippery situations. In the event of a collision, intelligent sensors automatically unlock the doors, switch on interior and hazard lights, and cut off fuel flow to the engine The Audi A6 is ready for any circumstance. MSRP starts at $42,200
22 • OBITUARIES D EATH N OTICES PECK, Sondra, age 79, died April 11, 2013; 1 Iyar, 5773. KLEINMAN, Rose L., age 92, died, April 11, 2013; 2 Iyar, 5773. LOWENTHAL, Ruth, age 87, died April 14, 2013; 4 Iyar, 5773. ADL from page 8 A source with knowledge of the situation, who asked to remain anonymous, told JNS that according to information provided by Newton parents and students, Choices for the 21st Century Education Program and World History-Human Legacy are “likely to be current” texts in the Newton curriculum, and that portions of A Muslim Primer and Flashpoints were “handouts used in a classroom.” In their letter to the editor, Trestan and Robbins were responding to a March 8 APT advertisement in The Jewish Advocate titled “Open Letter to Mayor Setti Warren on Saudifunded Hate Education in Newton Schools.” The advertisement recounts the 2011 revelation that Newton high schools “used a Saudifunded curriculum that demonized Jews and claimed that Israel murders Arab women in jails.” The advertisement states that Newton Superintendent Fleishman told a school committee meeting that the Arab World Studies Notebook was eventually removed from the curriculum because it was “outdated,” not because “it was hateful, mendacious propaganda meant to defame Jews.” Saying that Newton “deserves better,” the advertisement called for an “oversight committee of parents and scholars to ensure educational integrity on our schools.” Fleishman declined to comment in this story when contacted by JNS. Warren did not return a request for comment.
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REMEMBERING from page 8 “In their fight for equal opportunity, Negroes cannot use the slimy tools of anti-Semitism or indulge in racism, the very tactics against which we cry out,” Wilkins wrote in a telegram to Robinson. “We join you in your straight statement that this is a matter of principle from which there can be no retreat.” Other leaders, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Philadelphia Tribune publisher Dr. E. Washington Rhodes, also offered their support, according to Robinson. Major League Baseball’s first black player also managed to pry a condemnation of antiSemitism from Lewis Micheaux, the owner of Harlem’s National Memorial African Book Store, though Micheaux had sympathized with the marchers and denounced MARATHON from page 8 “I went up to my room and to put on the news,” he said. “Isn’t that strange? Here I am, two blocks from the thing, and my instinct is still to turn on the TV to see what happened. But then, from the window in my room, I could see basically everything. So, the local news was on and there was confusion and speculation and I’m looking out the window and looking right at what is being called a terrorist attack.” Other than using the word “surreal,” David didn’t get into details about what he saw. “You know one weird thing? They stopped the race in progress. I heard on the news that there were supposedly 4,500 people still on the course. I wonder what happened to them. What were they ECONOMY from page 10 Lapid is scheduled to meet with Fischer in the coming days to discuss his plan to balance the budget. It is being reported that in addition to sweeping cuts and planned tax
Robinson’s initial criticisms. Soon after, the protests ceased. Some Jewish communal officials have noted that Robinson’s strong stance during the 1962 Apollo incident stood in stark contrast to the silence from black leaders during the 1995 protests outside Freddy’s clothing store on 125th Street. For months, large crowds gathered in front of the Harlem store to protest the efforts of its Jewish owner, Fred Harari, to expand into an adjacent storefront that was occupied by a black-owned business. The condemnations came only after one protester, Roland Smith Jr., shot and killed seven store employees before burning down the building and taking his own life. Robinson was always quick to criticize anti-Semitism in the black
community, according to Stephen Norwood, a professor at the University of Oklahoma who cowrote a scholarly article on Robinson’s relationship with Jews. In a 1997 interview timed to the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s integration of baseball, Norwood pointed out that Robinson was the first to condemn and call for the removal of a Congress of Racial Equality official in 1966 after he shouted at a group of Jews, “Hitler made a mistake when he didn’t kill enough of you.” While raising funds for the NAACP and bail money for imprisoned civil-rights marchers, Norwood said, Robinson witnessed the valuable contributions that Jews were making to the black community’s struggle. When Robinson took part in the legendary march on Washington and stood by King in
Birmingham, Ala., he saw that some Jews also were placing their bodies on the line for civil-rights causes. According to Norwood, when black nationalism emerged as a powerful force during the 1960s, Robinson rejected its separatist agenda and continued to include Jews in his major efforts to economically empower the black community with the Freedom National Bank and the Jackie Robinson Construction Company. Roger Kahn, whose “Boys of Summer” chronicled Robinson and his teammates’ multi-year road to winning the World Series in 1955, would write later that Robinson’s actions during the Apollo protests should not have come as a surprise. “He hated anti-Semitism just as he hated prejudice against blacks,” Kahn wrote. “Without qualification and from the gut.”
told? What was it like for them, not knowing what was happening?” Luckily, David’s family did know what was happening with him. Like most other marathoners, he had a chip on his clothes that enabled people to track his progress via a secure website. “I knew that he was finished with the race, and I texted him to see how it went and he texted back, ‘Turn on the news,’ “ said his father, Rabbi Jerome David of Cherry Hill’s Temple Emanuel. “I was shaken, even though I knew he was safe. It brought back memories of 9/11 because Ben and his brother John were both very close to the Trade Center that morning and we couldn’t reach either of them. This time, at least I heard from him. But even so, it’s the same feeling. It’s
worrying about your child – and I know very well that he is a grown man – but he is my child. And he was again in the middle of danger. And there was nothing I could do about it right then.” David’s mother, Peggy, got a phone call from a friend. “I was on a break from work and had just turned my phone on when a friend called and said, ‘There was a bombing near the finish line.’ I was sure he was done and I know that he usually goes back to the hotel pretty quickly. But I didn’t know exactly where he was when the bomb went off. Then, his wife sent out a group text saying that he was OK.” David’s wife, Lisa, the mother of their three young children, was tracking her husband’s progress and got an immediate text from
him about his safety. That was a good thing, because within hours she was aboard a plane headed for Israel on a business trip. She is associate director of camping for the Union for Reform Judaism’s Camp and Israel Programs. Dr. Steve Gitler, president of Adath Emanu-El, found out about the bombing via a text from his daughter. “She texted, ‘Is Rabbi alright?’ and I answered, ‘What do you mean?’ and she wrote back, ‘There were explosions in Boston.’ I went to CNN and read what happened. Then I got the text that Rabbi was OK, and I posted a message on our synagogue’s Facebook page, then sent an email to the board and sent an email to the congregation so that everyone knew he was OK.”
increases, Lapid will seek Fischer’s support to loosen the budget constraints placed on the government, by easing a “fiscal rule” that directly links government expenditures and debt to projected economic growth. In other words, Lapid may
attempt to pass a budget with a deficit that is larger than the government has previously agreed upon – a step that may make it even more difficult to close the gap in the years ahead. Carrying a larger debt burden could hurt Israel’s
overall economic standing. Offenbacher explained that this fiscal rule – adopted to curtail government debt relative to the economy – has gained Israel “tremendous credibility and admiration within the investment community.”
CBS from page 16
provided by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations, B’tselem, and even the PLO all indicate that the security fence does not completely surround Bethlehem. People can go to Bethlehem and see for themselves. But instead of telling his fellow parishioners the truth about the fence and that “60 Minutes” made a mistake, Fager of CBS doubled down. Because I was in attendance, I felt obligated to call his bluff. During the question and answer period, I raised my hand, stated I worked for CAMERA, the organization responsible for the ad in question, and then issued a simple and direct challenge: If Jeff Fager could prove that the security fence completely surrounds Bethlehem like he said a few moments before, I would donate $5,000 to a charity of his choosing. His response was a simple “Okay.”
After the event concluded and the people in attendance started to leave for the church’s Sunday services, I gave him my business card. So far, no response. Somebody at CBS News needs to tell Fager something similar to what John Dean told President Nixon during the Watergate Crisis in the early 1970s: There’s a cancer growing on his chairmanship of CBS News and his beloved franchise, “60 Minutes.” This cancer can be excised with a simple on-air admission that the security fence does not completely surround Bethlehem as Simon reported in 2012 and as Fager said again almost year later. Nobody is asking Fager to resign or commit seppuku. He just needs to instruct his people at “60 Minutes” to come clean and move on. And while they’re at it, whoever has Fager’s ear needs to tell him something else: It’s not the error. It’s the stonewalling.
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), pointed out the “60 Minutes” error in an article on its website soon after the segment aired and in a half-page ad that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Aug. 14, 2012. Nevertheless, the CBS show has not issued a correction to this day. After showing his fellow parishioners the “60 Minutes” segment, Fager complained about the angry response the show elicited. In particular, he condemned the Wall Street Journal’s decision to run CAMERA’s ad, which he said was intended to create havoc on the CBS show’s reporting. Fager then told his audience that CAMERA got it wrong about the security fence in its ad and that “Bethlehem is surrounded by a wall.” This is a patent falsehood. Maps
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