The Jewish Light Winter 2018

Volume 8, Number 1 Winter 2018

THE

Serving the Local New Orleans, Northshore, and Baton Rouge Jewish Communities

6 Ways to Address Sexual Harassment in the Jewish Community

By Lisa Eisen (JTA) -- #MeToo. #GamAni. The stories are numerous and painful.

They span decades and reach every corner of the Jewish community.

Enough is enough. The time is now for us to finally and fully address sexual harassment in Jewish institutional life.

When it comes to sexual harassment, Jewish teachings are unequivocal: We are obligated to put an end to the behavior for the sake of the victim, the perpetrator and the community as a whole. Despite our moral code, however, sexual misconduct in the Jewish community too often goes unaddressed. As Hollywood, media and government offices grapple with their ethical challenges, it is clear we need a reckoning of our own.

When the Good People Fund surveyed Jewish professionals in 2017, it found that sexual harassment is perceived by respondents to be tolerated in Jewish organizations. Female CEOs, fundraisers and rabbis frequently report problems in their interactions with donors and lay leaders. Female employees report feeling some level of harassment is inevitable, and most believe — and some have left the field as a result — that their organizations are ineffective at preventing or addressing it.

Indeed, the recent Leading Edge study found that only two-thirds of employees of Jewish organizations report that they are aware of their organization's sexual harassment policies, and only about one-third know what to do or where to go if they experience harassment.

The time is now to end this reality. The time is now to move from talk to action. The time is now for us to commit to acting individually and collectively to build safer, more respectful and equitable places to work. We must come together across political, denominational and gender lines to address the power dynamics and structural inequalities that allow harassment

and abuse to take root. We must raise the bar of fairness and equality in our workplaces, institutions and the spaces in between.

To succeed, we need to advance cultural and practical change. We at the Schusterman Foundation are joining with other foundations and organizations to explore how we can help create systemic change in Jewish communal life on both fronts.

Here are five crucial areas in which we can and must act: Ensure accountability To eliminate harassment in our community, all of us — funders, nonprofit professionals and lay leaders — must hold ourselves and our organizations accountable. I envision a pledge, akin to the Child Safety Pledge, committing us to uphold safety and respect in and around the Jewish workplace as an important step forward. A common pledge — backed by tangible resources and collective action — could ensure that organizations walk their talk and actively pursue today’s best practices for preventing and responding to sexual harassment.

Exhibit leadership Committed, engaged organizational and philanthropic leaders are critical to changing the status quo.

Thanks to the outstanding work of Commissioners Chai Feldblum and Victoria Lipnic, who led the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace, we know that “the cornerstone of a successful harassment prevention strategy is the consistent and demonstrated commitment of senior leaders to create and maintain a culture in which harassment is not tolerated.”

Those in leadership positions must start by refraining from and putting an end to adverse behavior.

Jewish leaders need to show they will not stand for or accept sexual harassment and take proactive steps to promote a safe, respectful Jewish

organizational culture. Funders, too, must commit to this work — not just for the organizations we support, but also to help equalize the relationship between donors and Jewish professionals, and to strengthen our own internal cultures.

Refresh policies and procedures In the wake of #MeToo, every Jewish organization must have in place the modern infrastructure of a safe workplace, including transparent policies, consistent training and protected reporting methods. The EEOC recommendations are clear on this front as well. Healthy work environments need “strong and comprehensive harassment policies; trusted and accessible complaint procedures; and regular, interactive training tailored to the audience and the organization.”

In addition to updating our own policies and procedures, those who serve as funders can request antiharassment and discrimination policies in our grant applications, share sample templates and best practices with grantees, and refer them to expert resources.

Train staff and boards Annual, ideally in-person training of staff and boards are vital and can be customized to the fields and organizations they serve. They can transcend the harasser-victim dichotomy and focus on more effective methods, such as empowering bystanders and helping employees understand how they can advocate for one another. For models, we can look to the Respect in the Workplace training currently offered by the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York or to those Keshet provides on tolerance and inclusion Facilitate reporting Every employee in the Jewish sector should know and trust their organization’s reporting structure.

One of the most common refrains is that employees do not know who to turn to if they experience or witness harassment. This is equally true at

Lisa Eisen (Courtesy of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation)

foundations and all other kinds of nonprofits.

It is incumbent upon us as Jews that our reporting structures allow for fair consideration and due process for both the accuser and the accused. To that end, it is worth considering external reporting structures like those suggested by Yehuda Kurtzer and Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, who have called for the creation of a neutral platform for those seeking redress without fear of retribution. We may also consider the use of ombudsmen or new tools like AllVoices, an app-based reporting service under development.

Equal opportunity Beyond these five areas, the most important way to create sustainable change in our community is to ensure that women are treated equitably and have opportunities to advance to top leadership roles.

Starting today, we must help elevate women’s voices in Jewish life.

We must advocate for pay equity for comparable roles. We must include more women on CEO search committees and candidate interview lists. We must mentor and sponsor women in advancing in their careers. We must, as Advancing Women Professionals has taught us, make the choice not to serve on or support panels, committees and initiatives where women are not represented. When we raise up women, we raise up everyone — See HARASSMENT on Page

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Community News

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JEWISH LIGHT

New Orleans Rescinds Human Rights Resolution Celebrated by BDS Activists

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(JTA) — The City of New Orleans rescinded a resolution, celebrated by anti-Israel activists, that would have prohibited investment with human rights violators.

Although the measure passed 5-0 on Jan. 11 did not mention Israel or the Palestinians, it was drafted by the New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee, which cheered its passage. The resolution, authored by Mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell, “encourages the creation of a process to … avoid contracting with or investing in corporations whose practices consistently violate human rights.”

Both pro-Palestinian supporters of the resolution and anti-Israel opponents say the resolution could be used to target Israel as

part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel.

But two weeks after passing the measure, the council unanimously rescinded it, 7-0. The resolution had come under fire from the Anti-Defamation League and the local Jewish federation. City Council members said they were surprised the measure was portrayed as anti-Israel.

“By withdrawing the resolution, it allows the opportunity for a clean slate to begin to engage in meaningful, transparent and inclusive dialogue on how this community advances issues of civil rights and human rights, and how we collectively build a better New Orleans reflective of our commitment to these values,” read a joint statement

Friday, May 11, 2018 at 8:00 PM Join us for Shabbat services led by Rabbi Loewy at 8:00 PM. Enjoy the sounds of Kol Simcha, Gates of Prayer’s choir, as we usher in the Sabbath. Following services, please join us for a wonderful Oneg Shabbat, one you will not want to miss!

Sat., May 12, 2018 at 10:30 AM Our day will begin with Shabbat services, led

by the ADL and New Orleans Jewish federation.

Supporters of the resolution interrupted the council meeting with singing after the vote to rescind.

Tabitha Mustafa, a representative of the Palestinian Solidarity Committee, said the vote to rescind discriminated against Palestinians.

“The Palestine exception demonstrated by the City Council today — that Palestinian rights are not considered human rights — illustrates exactly why Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions to achieve our freedom, justice and equality are necessary,” Mustafa said. “Far from singling out Israel, BDS rectifies the exceptional status enjoyed by Israel.”ì

by Rabbi Loewy.

Sat., May 12, 2018, at 1:00 PM Bring the whole family to a celebratory picnic, organized by Sisterhood and Brotherhood, at shelter #7 in Lafreniere Park from 1:00 PM 3:00 PM. Catch up with Rabbi Loewy and his family, visit with friends from far and wide, and enjoy fun, games and a complimentary lunch of burgers and hotdogs.

Saturday, May 12, 2018, 7:00 PM “Under the Jerusalem Stars” Havdallah, Gala Celebration and Dinner. We invite you to share an evening of memories, music and laughter. Enjoy a delicious seated dinner, along with incredible sounds of Panorama, New Orleans premier Klezmer Band. ì

LimmudFest New Orleans

LimmudFest New Orleans returns March 16 - 18, 2018 FEATURED PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED! Our programming team has been working hard putting together an amazing lineup for LimmudFest 2018 featuring over 90 presentations across 10 learning tracks. Featured presenters already include renowned author Rabbi Dayna Ruttenberg; writer, professor and curator Joel Dinerstein; New Testament scholar Rabbi Michael Cook; and food expert and radio personality Poppy Tooker.

Many, many more to be announced soon!

LIMMUDFEST'S SUNDAY PROGRAMMING IS MOVING TO THE UPTOWN JCC! This year, LimmudFest’s celebration of learning, community, and culture includes a Shabbaton at Congregation Gates of Prayer on Friday and Saturday, with more learning and cultural programs at the newly expanded Uptown JCC on Saturday night and Sunday.

REGISTRATION OPENS SOON! Our mailing address is:LimmudFest New Orleans 6310 Fontainebleau Drive New Orleans, LA 70125 Add us to your address book.

Learn More at limmudnola.org 2

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2018 presenters Rabbi Dayna Ruttenberg, Joel Dinerstein, Rabbi Michael Cook and Poppy Tooker (clockwise from top). More information and the full list of presenters available at limmudnola.org

Copyright © 2017 LimmudFest New Orleans All rights reserved.ì

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Community News

JEWISH LIGHT

JCRS to Honor Executive Director: Ned Goldberg at Jewish Roots of Cabaret Jewish Children’s Regional Service (JCRS) , headquartered in Greater New Orleans , and serving as the oldest Jewish children’s agency in the United States, will honor Ned Goldberg for his thirty years as executive director at the Jewish Roots of Cabaret Gala on Saturday evening , February 24, 2018, at the New Orleans Marriott, located at 555 Canal Street , New Orleans .

This evening will comprise the 7Th Annual JCRS Jewish Roots event , a gala that now serves as one of the largest annual events held by the New Orleans Jewish community.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Goldberg has spent his social work career working with youth and families, or administering programs on their behalf. Prior to his position at JCRS, Goldberg worked in various professional capacities at three Jewish Family Service agencies, or their spin-off projects, in Ohio and Florida, as well serving in Child Welfare roles with public and private organizations. During his tenure at JCRS, the agency grew from annually serving 200 Jewish youth to currently assisting over 1700 .

The youth and families assisted

by JCRS reside across the service region of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

Since converting from a Jewish children’s home in the 1940’s to a social service agency exclusively serving the Jewish community of the Mid-south, the JCRS has provided needs-based” scholarship aid for Jewish overnight camp and undergraduate education, as well as the subsidies for the care and treatment of dependent and special needs Jewish youth. In recent years, the JCRS has expanded its staff and provided “outreach” services to families that are isolated or inactive within the Jewish community. The JCRS has initiated programs that provide outreach over Jewish holidays, including Hanukkah gifts for children from families that are suffering from economic distress, or are victims of natural disasters.

Another, “more recent” outreach THE

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program, the PJ Library, is administered by JCRS and annually serves over 1000 Jewish youth, residing across parts of six states.

Over his thirty years at the helm of JCRS, Goldberg has taken great pride and personal satisfaction from the work and accomplishments of the agency . No greater satisfaction has come to Goldberg than from seeing so many children and youth develop into mature and accomplished adults.

“Every week, JCRS is contacted by current and former clients who express their gratitude to both our donors and our staff, for the professional and financial support they have received, “Goldberg explained. “The JCRS mission is to help youth to become well-adjusted, successful and self-supporting Jewish adults. Hundreds upon hundreds of young adults, from countless professions, publicly credit JCRS support as one reason for their success and their opportunities in life. I’ve been so very , very lucky over these past thirty years to have witnessed the personal growth, education and careers of thousands of young people. “ Entertainment for the gala will feature Leslie Castay, a multitalented actress and singer, equally at home on the Broadway stage, screen, or nightclub stage. She has appeared on Broadway in 42nd Street, 3Penny Opera, Guys and Dolls and Beauty and the Beast. She was a soloist at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops and has stared in numerous National Tours, Off-Broadway and regional productions. The evening will also have a cocktail reception, seated dinner, and silent auction featuring once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunities.

Melinda Mintz and Michael Goldman are the Gala Co-Chairs, along with Honorary Co-chairs Joan and Gerald Berenson and Shirley and Ralph Seelig.

For details on the February 2018 Gala , or information on the unique and far-reaching services of JCRS, call 1-800-729-5277, email info@ jcrs.org, visit www.jcrs.org or write: JCRS, P.O. Box 7368, Metairie LA 70010-7368.ì

Table of Contents Community News

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Community Happenings

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Chai Lights

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Education

7

Alma

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Arts & Culture

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Entertainment

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Financial

14

The Nosher

15

Focus on Issues

17

Judaism

18

Kveller

19

Israel Under Radar

20

Jewniverse (Jewish Culture & History)

21

Community Business Referrals

23

www.thejewishlight.org

Winter 2018

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Community News

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Touro Synagogue

We're Getting Ready for Mardi Gras!

Seder by the Sea

SATURDAY, MARCH 31 - SUNDAY, APRIL 1

Celebrate our Second Night Seder on the beach! Our ancestors sang and danced on the shores of the sea. Come with us as we dine at sunset with creative rituals, songs, and interpretations of the Exodus story. Come alone, or with your partner or family.

Stay tuned for a more detailed schedule of events - to include a seaside sand pyramid contest, beach snacks and a grand scale hangout, welcoming the seder at the shores, creative Pesach dinner conversation, Havdalah and campfire with roasted marshmallows and songs, a sunrise prayer experience, and a general joy-filled festival of freedom! Pack your beach gear and spend the day and night at South Beach Biloxi Hotel and Suites, just 1½ hours and less than 90 miles from Touro Synagogue.

TO JOIN US: Call Our Trained Experts & Experience the Difference

•Monthly Payment Plans • Drywood Termite Fumigation

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1. Book your room at the South Beach Biloxi Hotel and Suites Studio, one and two bedroom suites are available from $139 - $269 per night.

Reserve your room by calling the hotel directly at 228.388.2627 and use the group rate code “TOURO.” Group room rates available until February 28. Cancellations can be made without penalty if cancelled 72 hours in advance.

2. RSVP with us for dinner at www.tourosynagogue.com/sederby-the-sea. Members: $50 / Children (Ages 2-12): $18 / Non-members: $75 3. Stay tuned for packing list and travel details!ì

We are very fortunate to be located right on the parade route - for what we believe to be one of the best spots on St. Charles Avenue.

There is much to do during Carnival and we invite you to join us!

• Touro members have special access to our campus during many of the parades. Bring a picnic and enjoy the parades from the street or in our courtyard - all while knowing that you’ll have access to clean restrooms and a place to store your parade day necessities. You can also bring friends! There is an entrance fee for all our non-member guests.

• Volunteer for one of our VIP KIDS’ Parade Days. Every year we set up a wheelchair accessible platform on the steps of the sanctuary for those with disabilities or special needs to view the parades. Lend your hand with either assembling

the stands or chaperoning during the parade. See page 11 for more details.

• Shabbati Gras - Join us for a casual, relaxing, and abbreviated Shabbat service followed by a casual family dinner in the Bowsky Garden as the parades go by.

• Store your ladder at the synagogue for a small fee so it’s here and ready during any of the times we are open during Carnival.

• Recycle those beads! Each year we collect your leftover beads on behalf of ARC of New Orleans, a non-profit organization serving people from birth through childhood who have intellectual disabilities and delays.

Volunteers make Mardi Gras at Touro possible! If you are interested in helping us this coming season please email info@tourosynagogue. com.ì

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Hours: M-Th 11am-9:45pm F-Sat 11am-10:00pm Sun 12pm-9:30pm www.thejewishlight.org

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JewCCY News Saturday, February 17th 5:30pm - 8:30pm

This will be a home-hosted event. Look for emails from JEWCCY for address and details.

SHAM (Sundaes, Havdallah, and a Movie) JewCCY (9th, 10th, 11th, & 12th) Like movies, ice cream, and Havdallah?!

Come enjoy all three on the evening of Saturday, February 17th.

Cost: FREE - JewCCY Members $5 non-JewCCCY Members.ì Saturday, February 24th 10:00am - 11:00am Woldenberg Retirement Community Services and Bingo at Woldenberg!

Looking for service hours for school or organization?! Come join JEWCCY for Bingo at Woldenberg Retirement Community! It's fun, easy, AND you get to hang out with some pretty great (and often funny) senior citizens!

To get involved contact Charlie Cox via email - jewccy@gmail. com. Cost: Free!ì Sunday, February 25th 2:30pm - 4:30pm Look for emails from JewCCY

Judaic March Madness JUNIOR JEWCCY (6th, 7th, & 8th).

Fill out your bracket with Junior JewCCY as we match Jewish figures to college teams playing in the the NCAA Tournament!

Think Western Michigan will upset Duke in the first round?

Maybe so when Western Michigan is Samson and Duke is Goliath!

1st prize wins a $25 gift card, JewCCY Coture T-shirt, and JewCCY visor.

2nd prize wins a $15 gift card, and JewCCY visor.

3rd prize wins a $10 gift card.

Cost: $1 per bracket (unlimited brackets available) ì Friday, March 2 - Sunday, March 4 Henry S. Jacobs Camp, Utica, MS NFTY-SO 678 Retreat We will be taking a bus there and back! You can sign up through the NFTY Southern webpage by going to southern.nfty.org, and click on “NFTY-SO 678 Retreat” under upcoming events.

Register by Wednesday, February 7th and save on our registration fee!ì THE

Community Happenings

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Community Events February 18, 2018 8:30am - 11:00am Jewish Community Center-Uptown Classic 5k & Family Fun Run The Uptown Classic 5K Race and Family Fun Run sponsored by the JCC is Held at Audubon Park 504-897-0143 x121/leslie@nojcc. org. Contact J Morgan j@nojcc. org.ì Sunday, February 18 10:30am - 11:59pm New Orleans Museum of Art One Collins C. Diboll Circle City Park New Orleans, LA 70124 National Council of Jewish Women-Art Tour NCJW is offering our members an exclusive opportunity to tour some of the exciting installations of Prospect.4* via a curated bus tour led by Prospect.4 Contact: Sandy Decquir 504-861-7788, ncjwgno@gmail. com, www.ncjwneworleans.org Cost: $36.00ì February 20, 2018 5:00pm - 5:45pm Jefferson Parish LibraryEast Bank Regional Chabad-Jewish Story Hour Join us for a Purim story, activity and snack at the Jefferson Parish Library- East Bank Regional.

Contact: Libby Groner, libby@jewishlouisiana.comì February 22, 2018 7:00pm - 9:00pm Jewish Community Center 5342 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70115 Jewish Community Center-Film

Join us at the Jewish Community Center for a showing of the film "The 90 Minute War" sponsored by the Cathy & Morris Bart Cultural Series… After decades of strife and failed peace talks, both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict decide to settle their differences on a soccer field, in this bold satire. A winner-take-all soccer match! Contact: Judy Yaillen judy@nojcc.org.ì

Gala event with outstanding music and food. Contact: Ned Goldberg 828-6334 / ned@jcrs.org / www.jcrs.org.ì February 25, 2018 11:30am - 3:30pm 5342 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70115 Jewish Community CenterAdloyadah: Community Purim Carnival Contact Leslie Fischman 504897-0143 x 121 / leslie@nojcc. org / www.nojcc.org.ì March 5, 2018 7:00pm - 9:00pm Jewish Community Center 5342 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70115 Jewish Community Center Film Join us for the Israeli film "Apples from the Desert", sponsored by the Cathy & Morris Bart Cultural Art Series. The rebellious teenage daughter of ultra-orthodox parents journeys into the secular world in this adaptation of the award-winning Israeli play that poignantly explores themes of love and reconciliation.

Special thanks to the Consulate General of Israel in Houston for their help in procuring this film for New Orleans.

Contact: Judy Yaillen, judy@ nojcc.org.ì March 8, 2018 5:00pm - 7:00pm Longue Vue House and Gardens 7 Bamboo Road New Orleans, LA 70124 Jewish Community Day School-Longue Vue House and Gardens Patron Event Patron reception for 5th grade Family Heritage project in collaboration with NOLA 4 Women's

If your group has an event that you would like for us to include on the Community Calendar please e-mail the information to jewishnews@bellsouth.net. All submissions are subject to acceptance by the Editor. ì I'dor v'dor, Generations of Jewish Women Leading New Orleans exhibit.

Contact Sharon Pollin 504-887-4091, spollin@jcdsnola.org / www.jcdsnola.org.ì

March 11, 2018 10:00am - 11:30am Torah Academy 5210 West Esplanade Ave. Torah Academy & PJ Library- Early Childhood Development Series Hands-on experiences for parents & EC children. Early childhood enrichment professionals will share their secrets. Contact: Lina Warshawski 504-456-6429, lwarshawski@torahacademynola.com, www.torahacademynola.com.ì March 14, 2018 7:00pm - 9:00pm Jewish Community Center 5342 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70115 Jewish Community Center Speaker The Cathy and Morris Bart Jewish Cultural Arts Series are proud to host Chef Alon Shaya for the launching of his debut cookbook: Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel.

The book will be available for purchase. Contact: Judy Yaillen, judy@nojcc.org ì

February 24, 2018 7:00pm - 9:30pm Location Jewish Children's Regional Service-Gala www.thejewishlight.org

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Chai Lights Life CYCLE

(CONDOLENCES)

If you have a condolence that you would like for us to include in Life Cycle please e-mail the information to jewishnews@bellsouth.net. All submissions are subject to acceptance of the Editor. ì

In Memoriam

Gates of Prayer Mark Krane Esther Nowak Isabel Winsberg

Temple Sinai

Rodney Davis, Jr., son of Temple Sinai member Kathleen Zucker, husband of Lisa Linville, and father of Jacqueline B. Davis and Austin L. Davis.

Joseph Hugh Epstein, Jr. husband of Margaret Blum Epstein, father of Katherine Seligman, Nancy Oswald, and Joseph Hugh “Jep” Epstein, III, and grandfather of Elizabeth Oswald, Wilson Oswald, Hugh Seligman, and William Seligman.

Having recently served as interim Councilman, Jack Rizzuto began work on major drainage and sewerage projects for District 4, as well as playground improvements and additions to Lafreniere Park!

Election Day: March 24, 2018 Early Voting: March 10 - March 17, 2018 Paid for by the Jack Rizzuto Campaign Fund

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Winter 2018

Lynne Weinberger Goldman, wife of the late Jerome L. Goldman, mother of Hope Meyer and Anne Brinkley, mother-in-law of Edward Karp, and grandmother of Jeremy and Emma Meyer, Benton, Johnny, and Cassady Brinkley, and Benjamin and Nina Karp. ì Leon Kahn father of Temple Sinai member Morris Kahn.

Dr. Irving Rosen, husband of Carol Lise Rosen, father of Beth Murov and Edie Bender, and grandfather of several grandchildren.

Steven Louis Thompson son of Ann and Kenneth Thompson.

Barbara Zarbach, sister of Betty Heller.

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JEWISH LIGHT

ChaiLights features announcements of births, B'nai Mitzvahs, engagements, weddings, and honors. To request your special event be published in The Jewish Light send your material to United Media Corp., P.O. Box 3270, Covington, LA 70435 or e-mail jewishnews@bellsouth.net. Events are published on a first come, first served basis, as space permits. Photographs are welcom; professional ones preferred. The must be clear and in focus. ì

Beth Israel

Mazel Tov to...

Eddie & Blayne Gothard and Judge Sol & Jackie Gothard on the graduation of their son/ grandson, Benjamin Gothard, from LSU! ì

Chabad

Mazel Tov to...

The Kaufmann Family in honor of the birth of a baby boy to Yosef & Chanie Kaufmann ì

Gates of Prayer

Disaster Artist.

Verdie Richburg on being one of 12 recipients of the Charles E. Dunbar, Jr. Career Service Award.

The award is the highest honor classified state employees can receive.

Rollie Robin for co-chairing the Jewish Children’s Regional Service’s Latkes with a Twist fundraiser. ì

Touro Synagogue

Mazel Tov to...

Tom Oelsner on receiving the Judah Touro Society Award from Touro Infirmary.

Sophia Zaretsky on the birth of her son Alexander Vivian Zaretsky.

Cathy and Charlie Glaser on the birth of their granddaughter Ava Pearl Berkowitz and to aunt Maggie Glaser and uncle Jeffrey Wolfson.

Betty Kohn on the birth of her great grandchildren Ivy Lou and Asher Micah Koch and to great aunt and uncle Millie and Robert Kohn.

Suzette Toledano on the birth of her granddaughter Lily Morgan Becker and to great grandmother Jackie Toledano and great aunt and uncle Jill and Michael Schneider.

Virginia and Michael Castine on the birth of their daughter Vivian Davis Castine and to sister Samantha Castine.

Joy and Andy Braun on the recent marriage of their son Matthew Braun to Brittany Casper on November 18, 2017.ì

Mazel Tov to...

Jennifer & John Ostermann, May their memories be for a Leslie Bragman & Ellen Raye & blessing.

Sidney Miller on the birth of their son, grandson and great grandson, Touro Synagogue Georga Yuspeh Reiss, wife of Oliver Scott Ostermann. ì Leon Reiss.

Esther Barber Rosenberg, Temple Sinai Mazel Tov to... mother of Ricky Rosenberg and Marc Behar for co-chairing the Harry Rosenberg, , grandmother Anti-Defamation League A.I. Botnick of P.J. Rosenberg and Frannie Torch of Liberty Award dinner.

Buchtel, great grandmother of Cassie Giarrusso for being Maia Rosenberg, Jasper named a Louisiana Super Lawyer.

Rosenberg, Audrey Buchtel, and Harvey and Shirley Herstein Clark Buchtel. on the Bat Mitzvah of their Marcelyn Pick, sister-in-law of granddaughter Molly Levitt. Mazel Thaia Pick.

Fran Lieblich Timmins, mother tov as well on their grandson Sam of Cheryl Timmins, grandmother Shapiro’s film Scissor Pass, which he wrote, produced, directed, and of Nola.

Adine Holland, aunt of Charles starred in, being selected to screen at the Garden State Film Festival in Goldberg. ì Asbury Park, NJ this March.

Sam Moses for being named to Gates of Prayer the All District 9-2A Football Team CONDOLENCES for Special Teams.

To Sherri Tarr on the death of Scott Neustadter on his her father, Julius Haberman.

Academy Award nomination for To Barbara Ross & Bob Ross Best Adapted Screenplay for The on the death of her son and his brother, Richard Alan Ross.

24 Hour Pick-uP & Delivery To Judy Steibel on the death of Serving JefferSon PariSh for over 50 YearS commercial cHarge her mother, Jane Mae Daly Cabes accounts Welcome Courteous Drivers...DepenDable metairie’s Metairie Cab Ortis.

First & Finest To Susan Green on the death of her mother, Ruth Hammond.

To Heather Rittenberg on the 835-4242 raDio DispatCheD units death of her mother, Ginger 3625 Airline Drive • MetAirie - All CAbs Air ConDitioneD Pelofsky. ì 50 yrs exCellent serivCe

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Education

JEWISH LIGHT

Why Jewish Day Schools Are Breathing a Little Easier on Tax Bill

By Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Lawmakers finalizing the proposed tax overhaul reportedly have removed a provision that had sent shivers through the graduate student and Jewish day school communities.

The House version of the reform bill, which was drafted by the Republican leadership, had removed the qualified tuition credit. The credit exempts from taxes the free tuition that private schools, including Jewish day schools, often extend to the children of employees.

However, the Senate version maintained the credit.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bloomberg News reported that the proposal in the House of Representatives to remove the credit was dropped from the reconciled version of the House and Senate bills.

Master's and doctoral students who supplement their education by working at their universities are compensated in part by tuition waivers, which have been tax exempt for decades. Removing the exemption, as House Republicans had proposed, would have had students looking at THE

tax increases of four- to seven-fold, according to an estimate.

"Grad Students Are Freaking Out About the GOP Tax Plan" was the headline in Wired in an article that quoted a number of students who indeed seemed staggered by the prospect.

Unnerved, too, were Jewish day schools, according to two umbrella Orthodox groups that lobbied hard to keep the credit. The tax break has been key to attracting top staff to the day schools, according to the Orthodox Union and Agudath Israel of America; staffers get free or reduced tuition for their own children. Taxing that tuition would make it hard to hire qualified teachers, the groups said.

"Many K-12 schools in our community (and others) are only able to attract quality teachers by providing discounts on tuition for their children," said a letter sent Dec. 7 by the Orthodox Union's Washington office to Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, the chairman of the House tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

Of the 1,004 Jewish day schools in the United States listed by J Data, the database run by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University, 731 are Ortho-

JEWISH LIGHT

Send editorial to us via e-mail at jewishnews@bellsouth.net or reach us by phone at (504) 455-8822. Our mailing address is United Media Corp. P.O. Box 3270, Covington, LA 70434 • To place advertising in THE JEWISH LIGHT, call United Media Corp. at: New Orleans (504) 455-8822 Northshore (985) 871-0221 Baton Rouge (225) 925-8774 THE JEWISH LIGHT carries Jewish Community related news about the Louisiana Jewish community and for the Louisiana Jewish community. Its commitment is to be a “True Community” newspaper, reaching out EQUALLY TO ALL Jewish Agencies, Jewish Organizations and Synagogues. THE JEWISH LIGHT is published monthly by United Media Corporation. We are Louisiana owned, Louisiana published, and Louisiana distributed.

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dox. A publicist for the Conservative movement, to which the Solomon Schechter schools are affiliated, did not return a request for comment in time for publication.

Dave Sloan, the president of the Modern Orthodox Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland, said school staffers could have taken hits ranging from "thousands of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars," depending on their number of children.

"It will be incumbent on our institution to true that up," or compensate the teacher, Sloan said in an interview before the news broke that the credit would not be removed. "It's not an extinctionlevel event, but it creates pressure on our budget to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Berman, with 700 students, has tuitions ranging from $16,000 to $23,000, depending on the grade.

Agudath Israel of America raised another flag about the proposal: Compensating the teachers for the tax hike through salary increases

would place them in a higher tax bracket, which could also have deleterious effects.

"Its elimination can result in higher taxable incomes that would make them ineligible for health insurance and other social service benefits — a devastating loss," said the draft of a letter Agudah was set to send to the conference committee, the gathering of lawmakers and staffers that reconcile the House and Senate versions.

The committee reportedly was close to a reconciled bill on Wednesday afternoon.

President Donald Trump has said he wants to sign the bill before the year is out.

It's not clear whether a separate proposal in the Senate version favored by the Orthodox movements had survived the reconciliation. That proposal, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, would have made a portion of 529s, the tax-free savings accounts for college tuition, available for religious day school tuitions.ì

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Alma

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Jews with Anxiety: I’ve Got Some Tips for You

By Sara Shafer I’d had extreme anxiety for so long that the idea of not having anxiety scared the sh-t out of me.

My anxiety manifested on a wide and unpredictable spectrum. There were small things that most anyone can probably relate to, such as taking a comment way too personally and getting defensive for no good reason. On the other end, I might hole up in bed for days trying to avoid consciousness because being awake meant having to confront the storm of dismal thoughts and impulses coursing through my head.

I made very unnecessary scenes on what were supposed to be relaxed, quiet evenings at home. I created drama at holidays. I ruined anniversary celebrations. My anxiety made it impossible for either platonic or romantic relationships to work long-term, mostly because I was the queen of self-sabotage(and of being excruciatingly socially awkward, holding impossibly high

expectations for myself, and of wallowing in despair when I made the mistakes I would inevitably make).

That was the best part: the wallowing. It was familiar, comforting even, and I was able to think about how the whole world was against poor little undeserving me. One time, my partner said to me, as I was lying immobile on a mattress alone while we were visiting their family, ‘‘I don’t want to live like this for the next 50 years.’’ That was a clear message that I had to work on the anxiety that was separating me from the world, or it just wasn’t going to work between us.

That wasn’t the first time someone had said something like that, either.

But I had zero idea of what life was like without anxiety. I didn’t know who I was without the panic, the fear, the irrational thoughts. The anxiety was like a familiar friend; it was actually comforting to be able to fall back on. Sure, I’d been in

JEWISH LIGHT

Alma Is for Ladies with Chutzpah Hey! We’re Alma, a new place for women to talk about working, dating, TV-binging, yummy eating, bat mitzvah reminiscing, quasiadulting, and the world around us. several different types of therapy and taken different types of medication. I read all the self-help articles on controlling anxiety from Women’s Health Magazine. None of that—and this is the experience of a lot of people I’ve talked to with anxiety issues—made much of a sustainable dent in removing the stank of anxiety from my life.

What finally worked was fashioning a hodgepodge of daily rituals for myself. The ritual, I reasoned, would give me a few minutes every day to center myself. I pulled all the rituals from Jewish tradition; being Jewish, it was kind of an obvious place to start. And—let’s be honest—Jewish tradition has lots of ritual-like things to choose from.

While there are many who would argue otherwise, including my rabbi (Hi Jim!), I encounter these rituals as a secularist. I am not a so-called Torah Jew, frum, or whatever other

term you want to use to name a Jew of faith. Whether there is a higher power and what characterizes it are mysteries that I don’t care about solving.

That being said, one of the first actions I took was saying the Modeh Ani prayer when I wake up, which is about giving and getting second chances (for a fun version of this song, go here). The idea is that we are human and probably failed yesterday at being exemplary beings, but, by letting us wake up alive instead of dead, God gives us another chance today to get it right (sounds a little morbid, I know). In my non-religious world, this translates into reminding myself that today, I have another chance to work on getting it right. I give others second, third, fourth chances, so why should I assume that I don’t or shouldn’t have the same opportuniSee ANXIETY on Page

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ANXIETY Continued from Page 8 ties to try again? (p.s. This isn’t about letting myself off the hook. I still have to try again and mean it, but be kind enough to myself to realize that undoing decades of bad habits is going to be a process rather than an immediate success.)

I also learned the blessing for the tallit (prayer shawl) and started using the tallit I got a long time ago.

For me, the tallit doesn’t signal that I am in a religious space. I haven’t ever actually put it on in synagogue, which I attend only a handful of times a year anyway. Rather, the tallit signals to my brain that I’m in a space where I should be especially mindful. In particular, it redirects my thoughts to something aside from myself, mostly because the ritual of putting on the tallit is tedious AF. I effectively put myself in a position where I could grumble to myself the whole time, or practice just being there as I examine each tzitzit (those little fringes on the ends) for flaws. The latter has become more automatic with practice, and has definitely made it easier when I have to do other tedious things like standing in long lines at Kroger or waiting for my partner’s 5-year-old son to decide to put on his underpants.

This practice of emptying my mind has had a huge impact on limiting the effects of unsavory thoughts on my mood: If I’m out biking or running—the two times I’m most likely to ruminate on negative thoughts—I am now able to tell myself not now! and carry on without dwelling on whatever awful thing my brain wants to torture me with for hours.

Reading the weekly Torah portion has probably been the most fun ritual, believe it or not. My motivation for reading Torah, which I’ve actually been doing for a couple years now, is more my appetite for languages than in being Jewish: I use Martin Luther’s original 16th century translation of the Bible so I can indulge myself in his weird, old outdated German (I currently live in Germany, FYI), and supplement that with the original Hebrew so that maybe, just maybe, one day I can skip translations entirely.

Reading the Torah doesn’t mean I’m praying to anything in particular; I am pretty firm in my agnosticism. All of these rituals, although pulled from Jewish traditions, are meant to act as a consistent tool to anchor my day rather than keep me THE

Alma

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in the Covenant.

All of the above strategies are part of what I’d say is one of the most important aspects of Jewish culture: studying. A rabbi from my time living in Louisville, Kentucky once remarked to me, “What segregates you in Judaism isn’t how much you believe. What segregates you is how much you know.” That stuck with me, and studying has certainly been my saving grace many a time, even before my panic attacks decided to say buh-bye. Actually, I like to say that my anxiety attacks went away overnight once I started studying Norwegian—which happened around the same time I began the other rituals mentioned earlier. It was literally overnight, and so I figured Norwegian must have been the solution to the whole thing. How novel! It sounds just quirky enough to be true.

But when I’m more realistic, I have to admit that I don’t know for sure if it’s one single thing, like starting learning Norwegian, or the combination of all these rituals that has been most impactful. It probably also doesn’t matter. The most important part has been rebuilding positive habits over old, unproductive ones.

Drilling Norwegian vocabulary, reading the Torah, or being immersed in research for my academic work all have one thing in common: they are forms of study.

Hell, going through the pain of memorizing the prayers in Hebrew is study time. How can a panic attack creep in when you have the crackly energy of Hebrew on repeat in your head? When I study, I am dead to the world, and anxiety and depression are dead to me.

Jewish stuff isn’t the only item in my mental health toolbox, but it’s been a significant contributor. It would be super convenient to say that I’ve discovered once and for all a universal anti-anxiety kryptonite and that I am free from what Winston Churchill referred to as the Black Dog. I still have some dark moments, but they’re moments instead of days. The end result has been anxiety and depression being slowly crowded out from my general waking thoughts.

And hell if I’m going back.

Sara Shafer, currently working on a second doctorate in Germany, enjoys participating in triathlons and posting pics of her cat on Facebook in her free time.ì

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Arts & Culture

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Why ‘Call Me by Your Name’ Is Such a Jewish Movie

By Josefin Dolsten (JTA) — "Call Me By Your Name" has earned wide praise for its nuanced and lush portrayal of a young man's coming to terms with his sexuality.

In the movie, which is directed by the Italian-Algerian filmmaker Luca Guadagningo, 17-year-old Elio (played by Timothee Chalamet), an American Jew living with his parents in Italy in 1983, deals with his attraction to Oliver (Armie Hammer), a 24-year-old grad student studying with Elio's professor father (Michael Stuhlbarg). The teen and student end up forming a romantic connection and grapple

with the consequences of their attachment as they try to keep their relationship secret.

Though the film, which is based on a book by the same name by André Aciman, did not receive any awards at the Golden Globes on Sunday, many expect it to win big at the Academy Awards.

Jewish themes and resonances abound: It's based on a book by famed Jewish author.

In addition to the themes of sexuality, love and belonging, the film also deals with religion. Elio and Oliver are Jewish and speak about

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what their religious identities mean to them and how they differ from each other. Aciman is the author of the lush 1995 memoir "Out of Egypt," about his childhood as the son of secular French-speaking Jews in Alexandria who were forced out after the rise of Nasser. Aciman has said his Jewish identity was central to the 2007 novel "Call Me By Your Name."

“I would never have been able to write this book without Jewish content,” he said in an interview with The Times of Israel.

In Egypt, Aciman was not open about his identity. At swimming lessons he feared the changing room because he did not want to reveal that he was circumcised.

"I don’t want to undress before the other boys because if I did so, I’d reveal to the Catholics who thought I was Catholic, to the Greek Orthodox who always suspected I was one of theirs, or to the Muslims who assumed I was soon to convert to their religion, since I was the only European boy who attended Islam Class every week, that I was — to them — a sham," he wrote in an essay for The Threepenny Review.

Another time, Aciman was taken aback to see two brothers wearing mezuzah ntecklaces openly on the beach.

It's about Jewish identity as well as sexual awakening.

The influence of Aciman's own experience with Judaism can be seen in the movie, in which Elio grapples with his religious identity. The teen, who rarely meets other Jews, is stunned to discover Oliver wearing a Star of David necklace openly.

“My mother says we are Jews of

Armie Hammer, left, and Timothee Chalamet play two young men who grapple with their attraction to each other in the film "Call Me By Your Name."

(Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

discretion,” he tells Oliver.

Later, Elio follows Oliver's lead and dons a Jewish star necklace, finding a different way to relate to his Judaism than the one chosen by his parents.

Despite the fact that Elio's family, like Aciman's, are "Jews of discretion," they still find ways to celebrate Judaism. For example, a scene at the end of the movie shows the family celebrating Hanukkah and lighting the menorah.

The cast has plenty of members with Jewish roots.

Chalamet, the actor who plays Elio, is the son of an American Jewish mother and a French father. In an interview with the blog Film School Rejects, he said he found the character's Jewishness an integral part of the film.

"It wasn’t something I could verbalize or understand in a conscious domain, but rather there’s something inexplicable about it that is a driving force in the film," Chalamet said.

Hammer, who plays Oliver, has Jewish heritage on his father's side, and his great-great-grandfather was the Russian-Jewish oil tycoon Armand Hammer. But his family did not focus on their Jewish background, Hammer said.

“It was always a big deal in my family that we were Russian, more so than anything else,” Hammer, See JEWISH MOVIE on Page

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Arts & Culture

JEWISH LIGHT

Neil Diamond Gives up Touring After Being Diagnosed with Parkinson’s

Neil Diamond in 2014. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

(JTA) — Jewish singer-songwriter Neil Diamond announced he is giving up touring after recently being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The Australia and New Zealand leg of his 50th Anniversary tour scheduled for March have been canceled, according to the announcement.

“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring,” the artist said in a statement released Monday on his website. “I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years.

“I plan to remain active in writHARASSMENT Continued from Page 1 especially those of diverse, underrepresented backgrounds.

Indeed, we can make an inclusive, safe and respectful environment a key element of great Jewish workplaces. In doing so, we will create spaces free from harassment, gender disparagement and bias; make our offices models of what a modern workplace should be; and usher in a new era of leadership that better reflects and supports the people and communities we serve.

JEWISH MOVIE Continued from Page 10 who has a tattoo of his last name written in Russian on his wrist, told Vulture. “My great-grandfather Armand was Jewish, but he didn’t even get his bar mitzvah. He was gonna be bar mitzvahed, and then he died the month before. That’s case in point of how it all kinda went.”

Meanwhile, Stuhlbarg, who portrays Elio's father, was raised in a Reform Jewish home in Long Beach, California. Stuhlbarg, who portrayed Jewish physics professor Lawrence "Larry" Gopnik in the film "A Serious Man," has said that being Jewish was an important part THE

JEWISH LIGHT

ing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.”

Diamond has had 10 No. 1 singles: “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Longfellow Serenade,” “I’ve Been This Way Before,” “If You Know What I Mean,” “Desiree,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “America,” “Yesterday’s Songs” and “Heartlight.”

He starred in the 1980 remake of “The Jazz Singer,” which garnered him three Top 10 singles: “Love on the Rocks,” “Hello Again” and “America.”

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2011.

Diamond just celebrated his 77th birthday. Four days later The Recording Academy, at its annual Grammy Award ceremony, honored him with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.ì Let’s make 2018 the year we live up to the steadfast ethics of our people and put an end to sexual harassment in the Jewish community once and for all. Let’s join together to create a culture in which nobody ever again has to say #MeToo or #GamAni. (Lisa Eisen is the vice president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, a global organization committed to igniting the passion and unleashing the power in young people to create positive change; www. schusterman.org.)ì

of his childhood.

"I went to Hebrew school, I was bar mitzvahed, I went to confirmation class, and I went to hang out at this Jewish community center, and went to Jewish camp, even. It was a big part of my life," he told The Scorecard Review. "As I got bit by the acting bug, that sort of became the second half of my religion."ì

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Entertainment

weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times published an article with accounts of five women who accused Franco of sexual misconduct. While the best actor category is loaded with talent this year (from Denzel Washington to Gary Oldman), multiple biggest Jewish triumph in this year’s headlines called Franco’s exclusion nomination slate. The film, an adap- a response to the misconduct reports tation of Egyptian-born Jewish nov- — and a snub. elist Andre Aciman’s book of the Israel’s best film didn’t make same name, traces a romance the cut. between two young Jewish men in “Foxtrot,” an Israeli drama about 1980s Italy and is full of Jewish the aftermath of a military tragedy, themes. It garnered nominations for best picture, lead actor (Timothée had been on the shortlist for best forChalamet, who is Jewish), adapted eign language film after winning a screenplay and best original song prestigious prize at last year’s Venice (“Mystery of Love,” written by International Film Festival, stoking hopes for what could have been indie rocker Sufjan Stevens).

Israel’s first Oscar win. “In the Fade,” Was James Franco snubbed a German drama that centers on a after #MeToo backlash? neo-Nazi murder story and won a A few months ago, the Jewish Golden Globe in this category, didn’t actor was considered a shoo-in for make the final Oscar list either. the best actor category. His comeSurprise! Two Jewish industry dic performance in “The Disaster legends are nominated yet again.

Artist” as Tommy Wiseau, the Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis has won eccentric (that word might be generous) director of the real film “The the best actor award three times Room” — considered by some to already — but he announced last be the worst film of all time — was year that he is retiring, so this might almost universally hailed by critics. be our last chance to see the Jewish He won a Golden Globe for the role actor grace us with his presence at earlier this month. But less than two an awards night. The iconic method

Oscar Nominations 2018: 5 Jewish Takeaways

By Gabe Friedman

Timothee Chalamet, the Jewish actor up for best actor this year, shown at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, Jan. 21, 2018. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

(JTA) — If one thing jumps out about the nominations for the 90th annual Academy Awards, it’s the lack of big Jewish headlines to be plucked from them. “The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro’s latest fantasy-tinted film, about an amphibian creature housed in a government laboratory, led the pack with 13 nominations.

Nevertheless, here are the Jewish nominations and storylines from another year of great cinema.

“Call Me By Your Name” gets four nominations.

“Call Me By Your Name” is the

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actor is nominated for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread,” in which he plays a famous dressmaker.

Steven Spielberg’s latest film, “The Post” — a drama about the Pentagon Papers starring perennial Spielberg collaborator Tom Hanks — is up for best picture. That seemed inevitable, but the one relative surprise here is that Spielberg didn’t get another coveted best director nomination. He was passed over for talented newcomers Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele, in addition to del Toro, Anderson and Christopher Nolan (for "Dunkirk").

It was another good year for a pair of Jewish composers.

For the prolific Jewish composer Hans Zimmer, 2017 was business as usual. He wrote or co-wrote scores for three films, including one for “Dunkirk” that earned him an Oscar nod. Benj Pasek, one half of the musical duo behind the score for the Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen” and the lyrics of “La La Land,” added to his rapidly growing legend with a nomination for best original song for “This is Me” from “The Greatest Showman” — a musical about P.T. Barnum.ì

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The 5 Best Jewish Films to Watch This Oscar Season

By Tom Tugend LOS ANGELES (JTA) — With the Academy Awards on the horizon, there is no shortage of highquality films to see in theaters and on the small screen.

Getting a jump on the festivities, here are five of the best Jewishthemed ones to watch this awards season, from Oscar contenders to short gems.

"Foxtrot" Directed by Samuel Maoz and starring Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler, “Foxtrot” is a wrenching film about an array of dark topics: parental grief after the death of a soldier son, the joys and stresses of marriage, and the boredom of army life. But it is also about Israeli control of the West Bank and how, in the filmmaker's view, Israel’s occupation humiliates the occupied and hardens the occupier.

After being named the secondbest film at the Venice International Film Festival and winning best film at Israel’s Ophir Awards, it’s on the shortlist for the Academy Award for best foreign language film.

In a phone interview with JTA, Maoz described his movie as “the dance of a man with his fate." He said "there are many variations to this dance, but they end up at the same starting point.”

In more concrete terms, the film follows an affluent Tel Aviv couple who learn their son has died in the line of duty.

The film has come under fire from Miri Regev, Israel’s controversial minister of culture and sports.

“It is inconceivable,” she declared publicly, “that movies which shame the reputation of the Israel Defense Forces … and that are supported [financially] by the state … are selected to showcase Israel cinema abroad.”

Maoz did not directly address Regev’s criticism, but said, “When my brothers are dying, I have the right to make such a movie.”

“Foxtrot” will open in U.S. theaters on March 2.

"In the Fade" Germany’s “In the Fade” dramatizes the rise of neo-Nazism in the country over the past few years through the murder of a Kurdish man, his German wife and their small son by a neo-Nazi couple.

The neo-Nazi theme is timely in light of the rise of the far right in THE

JEWISH LIGHT

Europe and, as demonstrated by the white supremacist rally last summer in Charlottesville, Virginia Director Fatih Akin, a German native of Turkish descent, attributes Germany’s growing neo-Nazi sentiment largely to hostility to the large number of refugees, mainly from Muslim countries, who have been admitted into Germany.

“The new neo-Nazis are different from those of the 1980s and '90s,” he told JTA. “Then they were outcasts and easily recognizable as skinheads. Today’s neo-Nazis are still criminals, but they look like everybody else.”

“In the Fade,” fresh off a Golden Globe win for best foreign film, is also one of the nine films on the Oscar shortlist for best foreign language film. It’s out now in U.S. theaters in a limited release.

"In the Land of Pomegranates" In Hebrew, the word for pomegranate has a double meaning: It can mean either the fruit that symbolizes rebirth or a hand grenade.

The documentary “In the Land of Pomegranates,” directed by Israeli Hava Kohav Beller, wrestles with these conflicting meanings as it explores the chasm between the ways that young Israelis and Palestinians think about each other.

The film follows young men and women who have been brought together in a scenic German town for a program called “Vacation from War.” They live under the same roof, go on joint excursions in the lovely countryside, take a riverboat cruise and argue earnestly for hours on end.

The program started in 2002 and, as one of the organizers put it, “Our goal is not to make participants love each other. If only five people change their attitudes … that’s progress.”

Even this modest goal seems unreachable in the film, although it inadvertently clarifies why decades of peacemaking efforts have proven largely fruitless. Most of the arguments are on the level of “Hamas is a terrorist organization,” as an Israeli participant charges, to which the Palestinian response is, “We are just trying to get back the land you took from us.”

However, the largely pessimistic See JEWISH FILMS on Page

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FINANCIAL

“Areivim is not a mega group, but the closest there is,” Steinhardt said in an interview. “Areivim is intended to really achieve things that are not being achieved in the Jewish community.”

The name Areivim comes from the Hebrew phrase “Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh” — “all Jews are responsible for one another.”

The group isn’t exactly new.

By Debra Nussbaum Cohen Steinhardt launched Areivim in NEW YORK – Are you an openLed in part by retired hedge fund 2005 with the late Jewish philanminded person who cares about manager Michael Steinhardt, the thropist and Detroit billionaire WilJewish life and has at least $50,000 Areivim Philanthropic Group is liam Davidson with the hope of it a year to spare? open to individual philanthropists becoming a $100 million fund comIf so, a group of elite philanthro- and foundations who each commit prised of 20 philanthropists each pists may want you to join their a minimum of $50,000 per year; investing $5 million.

But it wasn’t easy getting mega quest for the next big Jewish idea. many end up investing significantly Guided by a philosophy that champi- more in projects they believe in. donors to coordinate and comproons collaboration and experimenta- The goal is to leverage the power of mise and work as a team, Steinhardt tion, they are looking to help trans- the collective and make it possible said.

“Affluent philanthropists generform Jewish life in North America for philanthropists to make a bigger by making early-stage investments impact jointly than they can on ally like to work individually,” he said. in promising Jewish endeavors. their own.

So after a few years Areivim changed its approach.

Now the group, which has seven members and is looking for more, focuses on funding earlystage research and Clerk of Civil District Court and development of proEx-Officio Recorder gramming to advance Jewish life.

ONE OFFICE, ONE TEAM, The members are COMMITTED TO PUBLIC SERVICE the Avi Chai Foundation, the David S. and Karen A. Shapira As part of our commitment to improving professional service Foundation, the Paul and operational efficiencies, we are excited to announce E. Singer Foundacontinued enhancements to our E-Filing system! tion, the Julie and Martin Franklin JANUARY 1, 2018 Charitable Foundation, the RecanatiDOMESTIC Kaplan Foundation, the Steinhardt FounCases and Pleadings can be E-Filed dation for Jewish Life and the William E-FILING INFORMATION Davidson Founda Prior to E-Filing activation, new users (either attorneys or their tion. designee) are REQUIRED to attend the Clerk of Court’s Remote “We grow very Access with E-Filing Training, as FILING FEES ARE NONcarefully and slowREFUNDABLE. ly,” said Iryna  The E-Filing Training course qualifies for 2.00 CLE hours for Gubenko, Areivim’s attorneys and paralegals. Contact Lisa Griffin at manager of strategic (504) f407-0042 or lgriffin@orleanscdc.com to schedule for partnerships and sole December 2017 or January 2018. staffer. “They have to be really passionate SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS about the growth of • Users now have the ability to upload cover sheets separately from the Jewish commupleadings and attachments. nity and in investing • Now, users will receive an email with a link to download and in new things. We print the filed-stamped copy upon completion of the Clerk’s don’t fund existing Office review. things It’s all experimental in nature.”

SUBSCRIPTIONS The focus is on Annual: $700.00 • Monthly: $100.00 • 24 Hours: $25.00 • 8 Hours $5.00 Jewish, Hebrew and

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Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, N.Y., is one of several camps that has adopted a Hebrew immersion program called Kayitz Kef. (Courtesy of the Foundation for Jewish Camp)

Israel education. Areivim helped create and promotes Hebrew Public, a network of Hebrew-language public charter schools; started a Hebrew-immersion summer camp program called Kayitz Kef; and launched an English-language version of Israeli Scouts called Israeli Scouts Atid.

Areivim also offers formal endorsements of projects begun by others that meet Areivim’s criteria for best practices, such as OneTable and the Jewish Food Society.

David Shapira, a supermarket mogul from Pittsburgh, was one of Areivim’s early members. When he first started giving big through his family foundation, he realized he had much to learn. Areivim was a good place to do it, he said.

“Seeing other experienced philanthropists at work helped us develop our own philosophy and approach,” said Shapira, now Areivim’s co-chair.

Today the Shapira Foundation’s biggest project is Onward Israel, an internship program for Birthright and other teen trip alumni that aim to impart a long-lasting connection with Israel. The project is officially endorsed by Areivim.

The Areivim group meets every three or four months. The hope is that successful initiatives piloted by Areivim will attract major funding down the line.

Areivim board member Thom Waye, a private equity investor and partner in Dugmah, a Jewish learning company that relies on a personalized, mentor-based approach, said Areivim’s ultimate goal is “to create more portals of access to Jewish life for a broader swath of people.”

Rabbi David Gedzelman, president and CEO of the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, believes that Hebrew fluency, connection to Israel and positive Jewish experiences are excellent ways to achieve that.

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PHILANTHROPISTS Continued from Page 14

said. “To capture that spirit here would be a great plus. Whether it will succeed or not we will see” Another area of Areivim focus is food. The group endorses OneTable, an initiative launched in 2014 – with the help of two Areivim members, the Steinhardt Foundation and the Singer Foundation — that has underwritten thousands of Shabbat meals hosted in locations ranging from Brooklyn to San Francisco. The idea is to support 20-and 30-somethings to engage and host other millennials for Shabbat dinner, coach them when needed and make sure the approach is fun.

The dinners vary wildly, from a Chabad-organized dressy cocktail party for young professionals on Manhattan’s Upper East Side to a Shabbat dinner in Philadelphia themed “Christmukkah.”

A newer Areivim-endorsed program, the Jewish Food Society, founded with help from the Singer Foundtaion and support from several of the Areivim partners, is using events, an online recipe archive and storytelling to revitalize Jewish culinary traditions, including recipes from Tehran to Teaneck.

Culinary events “attract people who are completely unaffiliated and maybe are more interested in cooking,” said Areivim’s Gubenko.

“It’s a very young, hip group.”

Up next for Areivim: how to make a lasting impact on Jewish identity through early childhood education.

“We’ve got to get it to work,” Steinhardt said. “It’s good to get kids when they’re young.”

Five funders — two of them Areivim members — have committed to funding a planning grant to explore the best direction for investment in early childhood education.

“To date, Jewish early childhood education has not attracted largescale philanthropic investment,” Gedzelman said. “But we’re trying to significantly change that.”

(This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life. This article was produced

by JTA’s native content team.)ì

NOSHER

“The vast majority of American Jews don’t see themselves as religious people. Yet we believe that they have an interest in connecting to Jewishness somehow,” GedzelBy Shannon Sarna man said. “How do we create opportunities for Jewish content that don’t necessarily require theological commitment? Learning and internalizing Modern Hebrew language is such an opportunity.”

One of Areivim’s most successful endeavors has been Hebrew Public, formerly known as the Roasted Winter Squash With Tahini Recipe (Shannon Sarna) Hebrew Charter School Center. Led

by Steinhardt’s daughter Sara (The Nosher via JTA) -- I recentBloom, the network manages four ly fell in love with honey squash, a schools in New York City and has new variety of hearty winter squash another six affiliates across the bred specifically to be concentrated country. in flavor and adorable in appearThe publicly funded charter ance. OK, maybe it wasn’t specifischools are prohibited from teachcally grown to be adorable, but the ing religion, but they can teach result nevertheless is the same. about Israel and Hebrew language.

I found honey squash at several On a recent visit to Harlem Hebrew New York- and New Jersey-area in Manhattan, about 25 kindergartfarms and farmers markets, and I ners, including non-Jewish Africanknow that Whole Foods has also American and Hispanic children, been selling them. But even if you comfortably responded in Hebrew cannot find this super sweet squash, to a teacher’s questions. None of you can substitute regular old (delithe children had ever spoken cious) butternut squash, acorn squash or delicata squash.

Hebrew until they started school Drizzling tahini over roasted t just a few months earlier. just adds a richness to the dish and Another Hebrew-focused makes it feel a little extra special, Areivim effort, Kayitz Kef (also especially for a Friday-night dinner known as Hebrew at Camp), brings or Thanksgiving celebration. You the charter schools’ approach to might also add some pomegranate language immersion to Jewish summolasses for sweetness and tang, or mer day camps. Areivim partners some pomegranate seeds have invested over $1.3 million in or chopped fresh herbs Kayitz Kef since 2013. This sumfor color and brightness, mer, Kayitz Kef’s fifth, the proor nothing at all. gram ran at 10 day camps, and its Note: You will want to backers want to expand it further. go easy on the olive oil, Areivim is also taking another so that the squash develsuccessful program, Israeli Scouts ops a nice caramelized (called Tzofim in Hebrew), and texture and isn’t too oily. translating its approach for EnglishIngredients: speaking American Jews.

The United States has 22 Hebrew• 2 honey squash (or 1 medium butternut language chapters of Israeli Scouts, squash) with most of the 3,500 participants the children of Israelis who want • 1 tablespoon olive oil their kids connected to the language • Salt and pepper and culture of their home country.

• 3 tablespoons good Last September, after a year of quality tahini, at room planning and Areivim’s backing, temperature Israeli Scouts opened its first two English-lanBest Wishes to all my friends in the Jewish Community guage chapters, in ManEric Schultis, M.D. hattan and on Long Island.

Obstetrics and Gynecology They are called Tzofim: Israeli Scouts Atid.

504-455-7999 “The Scouts in Israel is 4224 Houma Blvd., Suite 140 • Metairie, LA 70006 a most successful youth Practicing at East Jefferson, Lakeside and Jefferson Ambulatory Surgical Center program,” Steinhardt THE

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(food)

Roasted Winter Squash with Tahini Recipe

www.thejewishlight.org

• Pomegranate molasses, pome-

granate seeds, chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 425 F. 2. Peel the honey squash, cut off the ends and cut into 1/2-inch thick rings.

3. Spread squash out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil, and using your hands, make sure squash is evenly coated.

4. Cook on first side for 10-15 minutes. Turn over the rings and cook another 10-15 minutes, until just caramelized.

5. Drizzle with tahini. Top with additional pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds or fresh herbs if desired. Serves 6.

(Shannon Sarna is the editor of The Nosher.) The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.ì

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The Nosher

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Turkish Coffee Brownies with Cinnamon Caramel

By Chaya Rappoport

Turkish Coffee Brownies with Cinnamon Caramel (Chaya Rappoport)

(The Nosher via JTA) -- I was first introduced to Turkish coffee in Israel. Prepared in the traditional copper cezve, it was served piping hot and in beautiful, delicate cups. I quickly became enamored of its strong flavor and clean, robust taste unmarred by sugar.

In addition to the pure taste of coffee, there was another flavor I couldn’t quite place. When I asked the brewer what it was, he told me it was cardamom. It seemed a strange combination at first, but as I kept drinking I found it was enjoyable — like a stronger, undiluted version of a dirty chai (Indianspiced tea).

Coffee and cardamom have since become one of my favorite flavor pairings. It’s a pairing that has found its true home in these deep, dark, ridiculously fudgy brownies.

Now I know people have fierce opinions when it comes to brownies; fudgy or cakey? Cocoa or chocolate or both? Chemical leavening or just eggs?

But I am a firm brownie purist: All brownies should be fudgy, with crackly tops, edges for those who like them, made with both cocoa and chocolate. You can leave out the coffee and cardamom for a more classic treat, or embrace the Middle Eastern flavors and embellish these already indulgent brownies with a cinnamon-spiced caramel and flaked salt for an over-the-top, just-what-your-January-needs hit of decadence.

Ingredients: For the brownies: • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped • 2 sticks unsalted butter • 2 cups granulated sugar • 1 cup Dutch cocoa powder • 2 teaspoons espresso powder • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom • 4 large eggs • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt • 1 cup all-purpose flour • For the caramel:

1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon flaky salt, for sprinkling (optional) Directions: 1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-by-13 baking pan with parchment paper and grease with a nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a double boiler or a medium heatproof bowl placed over a gently simmering pot of water, melt chocolate, butter, cocoa and sugar together until mostly smooth. Turn off the heat, stir until completely smooth and fully melted.

3. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, espresso powder and cardamom and salt.

4. Stir in flour with a spoon and scrape batter into prepared pan, spreading until even.

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out batter-free.

6. While the brownies bake, make the caramel: Melt the sugar over

• • • • • •

medium to moderately high heat in a 2-quart pot, stirring the sugar as it melts to ensure it heats evenly.

7. Cook the liquefied sugar to a copper color. Add the butter and stir until the butter melts. Lower the heat and slowly drizzle in the heavy cream, whisking the whole time.

8. Remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon and salt. Set aside until needed.

9. Cut the brownies into 16 or 32 squares and serve with cinnamon caramel sauce drizzled over the top. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired.

(Chaya Rappoport is the blogger, baker and picture taker behind retrolillies.wordpress.com Currently a pastry sous chef at a Brooklyn bakery, she's been blogging since 2012 and her work has been featured on The Feed Feed, Delish.com, Food and Wine and Conde Nast Traveler.)

The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.ì

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What We Talk About When We Talk About Jerusalem

By Andrew Silow-Carroll (JTA) -- E.B. White famously wrote that there are "roughly three New Yorks": the one of the native New Yorker, the one of the commuter, and the New York of the "person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something."

To which a resident of Jerusalem might respond, "Only three? Lucky you."

Jerusalem is messy, in the best and worst sense of the word. It's a city of secular intellectuals and insular haredim. It's the seat of Israel's government and flypaper for the dreamers, fanatics, seekers and tourists from three major religion and dozens of cults, sects, denominations and movements.

And of course it's a city of Jews and Arabs, roughly and unmistakably divided into west and east, with the Old City as a sort of (forgive the imagery) bathtub drain into which both sides swirl, mix and boil.

Anyone who likes to talk about Jerusalem as "undivided" is either being delusional or hopelessly optimistic. And that's not just because the city is diverse, or incoherent, or less a typical city than a sprawl of boroughs or villages that somehow share a city hall. You could say the same thing about New York.

"Undivided" is little more than a slogan because no one, least of all the Israelis who run the place, can agree what Jerusalem is. From the 1948-49 War of Independence until the Six-Day War in 1967, Jerusalem was indeed divided: Jordan occupied the Old City and areas to the north and south, and Israel made its capital in the western and southern parts of the city, with a narrow road acting like an umbilical cord between the Israeli side and the Jewish enclave on Mount Scopus.

The wall dividing east and west was torn down after the Six-Day War, and Israel celebrated the city's "reunification" by annexing the Old City and eastern Jerusalem and taking responsibility for the 66,000 or so Arabs living there. The new boundaries added some 40 square miles to the municipality, including familiar Jerusalem neighborhoods like Pisgat Zeev, Gilo and Ramat Alon. Much of the international community considered -- and still considers -- these as illegal settlements, although the Israelis insist THE

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their claims to Jerusalem and its environs are longstanding and you can't "occupy" territory that wasn't under the legitimate sovereignty of any state in the first place.

By 1993, Jerusalem's municipal limits had been expanded to nearly as far south as Bethlehem, west to include majority Arab neighborhoods like Abu Dis and as far north as the Atarot, or Qalandia, airport, now an army base. The Jerusalem municipality, now 77 square miles, has a Palestinian population of 293,000, or 37 percent of the city's total. The vast majority of this population does not vote in municipal and national elections because they never accepted Israeli citizenship.

In October, the Knesset set aside a bill -- reportedly under pressure from the United States -- that would have redrawn the borders to make the Jerusalem municipality ever larger, absorbing the Jewish communities of Maale Adumim, Beitar Illit and Efrat along with the Etzion bloc of settlements.

Declarations that Jerusalem should remain the "undivided capital of Israel," like a unanimous Senate resolution passed earlier this year marking the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, rarely specify what they mean by Jerusalem In his announcement last week recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, President Donald Trump did not use the phrase "undivided Jerusalem," and indeed insisted that the United States is "not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or the resolution of contested borders."

That makes sense because Israel's sovereignty and the borders of any future Palestinians state are what the peace process is supposed to be about.

Arguments for keeping Jerusalem "undivided" are both emotional and practical. The idea of a city cleaved in two is both aesthetically and pragmatically troubling.

"Without fail, divided cities suffer either intense economic stagnation or general atrophy," Nathan Diament, executive director for the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, has written.

Critics of the term "undivided Jerusalem" say it is a slogan that

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hides ugly truths about occupation and disenfranchisement.

"Fifty years on, Jerusalem is more binational, more contested and more divided that at any point since 1967," says attorney Daniel Seidemann, who heads the the Israeli advocacy group Terrestrial Jerusalem. "There are two national collectives in Jerusalem, one endowed with political rights and the other permanently disenfranchised and disempowered."

And certainly some ideologues use it that way, drawing their own lines in the sand (and borders on a map) and daring anyone to cross them.

Is it possible to imagine an "undivided Jerusalem" that also accommodates Palestinian aspirations for a state and capital of their own? It is, but it will take an honest discussion of what "Jerusalem" is and isn't. Like Trump, no Israeli and no Jew elsewhere wants to go back to the pre-1967 reality, when Jordan blocked Jews from the Western Wall and limited Christian and even Muslim access to holy sites.

And no one expects Israel to unilaterally give back all that it won

and consolidated in war and built in peace -- not just the current government, which promotes a Greater Jerusalem and is indulgent of plans to build housing units in areas that Palestinians and their international backers consider disputed, and not any government one could foresee.

That's why credible peace plans have called for a consolidation of surrounding Jewish neighborhoods within Israel, with various land swaps to accommodate the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, as long as the Palestinians insist that no part of Jerusalem is Israeli, peace is impossible.

If the Palestinians are to achieve their own state, they, too, will have to accept the reality of what Jerusalem is and isn't.

But even short of a comprehensive peace plan, it is worth asking what is meant by "Jerusalem." In the biblical and rabbinic imagination, the city has always been as much an idea as a reality -- an earthly Jerusalem (Yerushalayim shel matah) and a heavenly Jerusalem (Yerushalayim shel maalah).

Hopes for peace rest on wise leaders who understand the difference. ĂŹ

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This Organization Has Trained 4,000 Jewish Volunteers to Keep Synagogues Safe

By Josefin Dolsten

CSS volunteers learn techniques to spot suspicious people in order to thwart potential attacks. (Courtesy of CSS)

NEW YORK (JTA) — On a typical Shabbat in Teaneck, New Jersey, streets are blocked off outside of major synagogues. Uniformed off-duty police officers, paid by the synagogues for the morning, stand near a cruiser parked nearby or direct traffic on the main street.

Volunteers, walkie-talkie earpieces disappearing beneath their lapels, stand at strategic points outside the synagogues keeping an eye on foot traffic. A few may have swept through the synagogue before ser-

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vices checking for suspicious objects.

The volunteers are among the over 4,000 volunteers in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and California who have been trained by Community Security Service, or CSS, to keep synagogues, day schools and other Jewish institutions across the country safe.

The group is trying to be the gold standard for synagogue self-defense -- a goal that became even more relevant following Sunday’s massacre at a Texas church that left at least 26 people dead. Police say a 26-year-old man, Devin Patrick Kelley, opened fire with a militarystyle assault weapon before being shot himself by a neighbor and dying of his wounds.

“If the Jewish community is supposed to be an example for the rest of the world, then in the times we are living in, we should show other communities how to organize and how to help law enforcement help us,” Jason Friedman, Community Security Service's executive director, told JTA on Monday.

CSS focuses on training community members to spot suspicious behavior and thus avert potential attacks.

“Our primary focus is to get volunteers from synagogues training in situational awareness and basic security theory, so this would mean how to conduct security at their synagogue, where to stand, what to look for, how to communicate,” Friedman said.

Volunteers take a basic course that lasts a few evenings. Then they can take additional courses in more advanced topics. CSS also provides basic training in self-defense.

CSS was founded in 2007 by David Dabscheck, now CEO of the consulting agency GIANT Innova-

tion, and Adam Sager, an Israeli army veteran who now heads the security company Canary. They recruited Friedman, a U.S. Navy officer who has served in Afghanistan, as their first volunteer. Last year, Friedman became the first executive director of CSS, a nonprofit that runs on donations and foundation support.

Friedman says a “boots-on-theground” approach to security has been underutilized by Jewish organizations.

"I believe that the members of the Jewish community have not been engaged enough when it comes to Jewish security," he said, "and without their participation, security initiatives are not sustainable."

Friedman says Jewish organizations face multiple types of threats, including from far-right nationalists and neo-Nazis, radical Islamists and far-left anti-Israel activists.

Some synagogues have reported shooting incidents, like the synagogue in Evansville, Indiana, that reported a bullet hole in a Hebrew school classroom window in March.

And then there are less spectacular threats, like unwelcome intruders or disruptive guests. Deena Seelenfreund, regional manager for CSS in New Jersey, said CSS-trained volunteers have helped prevent minor security incidents locally.

Events such as the shooting in Texas show the need for CSS volunteers, she said.

“People say we’re out in the middle of nowhere, we’re suburban, nothing is really going to happen, but we do this for the 1 percent chance that something is going to happen,” Seelenfreund said.

At Congregation Keter Torah, the Orthodox synagogue in Teaneck where Seelenfreund is a member,

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team members stand outside to serve as a deterrent against possible attack. Off-duty volunteers are also present inside the sanctuary.

“It’s the fine balance between being hospitable and greeting people and also being careful and discerning,” she said. And it is a positive experience not only for the 55 members who serve on the security team, but the congregation as a whole.

“The entire shul is more alert and [situationally] aware, and we will have non-security team members, just regular congregants, alerting the team to suspicious individuals or vehicles that they see on their way to shul,” Seelenfreund said.

At Ramath Orah, an Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, some members initially were against CSS-style security measures.

“There were people who would push back and say ‘Why is there security out front? This isn’t Israel, this isn’t Europe,’” recalled Samuel Block, a co-manager of the synagogue’s security team. Synagogues in Europe often have armed security, including military personnel.

Block said security team members are there to ensure safety, not keep people out.

“We always tell our volunteers and the people that are coming, we’re not there as bouncers, we’re there to make sure that people are coming for the right reasons, and we ask people not to be offended if someone starts talking to you,” Block said.

Adam Hirsch, head of the security team at Congregation Bnai Yeshurun, another Orthodox synagogue in Teaneck, said volunteers there take a similar approach.

“We’re not checking membership cards, we’re not checking every person. We’re looking at people who look out of line, or don’t belong or are acting suspiciously,” Hirsch said.

Hirsch said his synagogue has benefited from receiving training by a larger organization.

“You’re not coming up with it out of the blue," he said. "It’s actually following methodology that is consistent and is proven effective."ì THE

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What ‘The Sound of Music’ Taught My 3-Year-Old About Nazis

By B.J. Epstein (Kveller via JTA) -- “The Nazis were bad people who didn’t like Jews,” I heard myself saying to my 3-year-old.

I immediately questioned this rather disappointing explanation.

Bad people? What does that mean?

Haven’t my wife and I always told our child that people aren’t “bad” or “good,” even if they do bad or good things? And isn’t “didn’t like Jews” rather an understatement?

But, then, what exactly should you tell such a young child about the Holocaust?

I was in this predicament because of “The Sound of Music.” That’s right; I blame Julie Andrews for this.

We were on vacation, staying in a lovely cottage on a farm in Cornwall. My daughter and I were both ill — so when we saw the collection of DVDs the farm had, we thought we’d watch a film. After all, we don’t have a TV at home, so watching something seemed like a relaxing plan for two sick people and their dedicated caretaker (aka my wife).

Though I hadn’t seen “The Sound of Music” in years, I had fond memories of it. In my mind, it was a lighthearted film — one filled with charming songs — about a novice deciding whether to become a nun or to marry and gain seven children. I knew they escaped from the Nazis at the end, but I thought the war wasn’t the primary focus of the story.

I was wrong. I was surprised, by both the length of the movie — you try getting a 3-year-old to sit still for 174 minutes, no matter how sick she is! — and by how dark the second half was. The songs weren’t nearly as cheerful once the Nazis came to Austria, understandably enough. My daughter noticed the Nazi salutes and the Nazi flag and asked what they meant.

I’m of the view that children have a right to get answers to all their questions, and that there are individualized and age-appropriate ways of broaching any topic. So when she asked about the Nazis, I wanted to offer her an explanation that made sense — but I also didn’t want to unduly frighten her. There is plenty of time in the future for her to learn about the Holocaust THE

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and other tragedies, and to grapple with their meaning (or lack thereof). And that’s what led me to my anodyne and fairly unhelpful remark.

My daughter questioned the “didn’t like Jews” part of my statement. So I paused the film to clarify that there are some people who take against others simply because of their skin color or religion or sexuality or gender or for other silly reasons. I told her that we don’t agree with this, and that all people should have the same rights and should be treated equally. She nodded and we carried on with the film.

Over the next few days, as we gradually recovered, she often sang snatches of “So Long, Farewell” and “My Favorite Things” and “I Have Confidence” She wanted to act out certain (happy) scenes from the movie: “You pretend be a child scared of the rain, and I’ll be Maria,” she told me, before breaking into song and patting me in a comforting way.

I thought that was that. But then, about a week later, when we were back home and I’d nearly forgotten about the film, she asked me, “Will the Nazis come here?” Though her voice was calm, I understood then that, since seeing the movie, she’d been pondering the plot and our brief discussion about what it meant.

I took the opportunity to explain that, although some people still

Kveller thought like the Nazis, the Nazis themselves had lived a number of decades in the past, and that we didn’t need to fear them now in the same way. We discussed racism and antiSemitism a bit more and talked about our society today. I tried to explain how prejudice often stems from fear and ignorance, but this last part, I think, was a little over her head.

After our conversation, she seemed thoughtful, as she was a bit quiet. She said, “I don’t like Nazis.

I don’t want them to come to our house!” I told her that her other mother and I would protect her, and that there were lot of good people who were working for a more just and open world. I added that it was important for us to be a part of this work, too.

Then she asked if we could sing “My Favorite Things” again. I realized then that she truly understood the meaning of the song: We don’t have to deny the things that worry or upset us, but there are things we can do to make ourselves feel better.

As our daughter gets older, my wife and I will help her develop her understanding of World War II and anti-Semitism. For now, though, it seems enough to make her aware of the issues without going into too much detail.

St. Catherine

I never would have guessed that watching a film from our sick bed in the English countryside would have started us on such a deep and important conversation.

And for that I thank Julie Andrews.

(B.J. Epstein is a senior lecturer in literature and public engagement at the University of East Anglia in England. She's also a writer, editor and Swedish-to-English translator.)

Kveller is a thriving community of women and parents, who convene online to share, celebrate and commiserate their experiences of raising kids through a Jewish lens.

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Paretti Mazda Paretti Jaguar Metairie and Baton Rouge Land Rover New Orleans and Baton Rouge www.thejewishlight.org

Winter 2018

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Israel Under Radar

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The Two-State Delusion Is the Greatest Obstacle to Peace

by Jeff Ballabon and Bruce Abramson

A torn Israeli flag seen at the Gevaot settlement near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Arab-Israeli conflict is entering a phase more likely to lead to resolution than any that preceded it. The mindless mantra “there is no alternative to the two-state solution” is giving way to reality. The Palestinian Authority has never been a partner for peace. A 23rd Arab state shoehorned into Israel would solve nothing. And plenty of superior, principled alternatives exist.

The two-state solution is a proven failure. A bad idea, derived from a lie, perpetuating instability and suffering. It is, in fact, a relabeling of the PLO’s 1974 Phased Plan: the PLO announcement that it would

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“liberate” territory piecemeal and wage its genocidal war from each new parcel.

The relabeling was designed to give plausible deniability to those who regret allowing the long-suffering Jews to exercise self-determination. That it sucked in Israelis tired of policing hostile Arab towns and Diaspora Jews chasing approval and acceptance was an added bonus. Tragically, the scheme achieved its primary goal: It recast one of the world’s most tolerant, multi-ethnic, peace-loving, lifeaffirming bastions of human rights as an illegitimate oppressor.

How did this defamatory campaign deceive so many into believing such an obvious absurdity? Particularly when, for decades, no decent person supported a terrorist PLO state? When as late as 1980, even anti-Israel Jimmy Carter said he was "opposed to an independent Palestinian state" because it would be a "destabilizing factor" in the region?

It began in the early 1990s, when elements of the Israeli far left and the PLO — in clear violation of

Israeli law — hatched a “peace” plan: The Arabs would concede the legitimacy of Jewish self-determination in the historic Jewish homeland and, in return, Israel would accept the lie of a distinct “Palestinian” people, partition the homeland (yet again) and create a quasi-governmental Palestinian Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin agreed — with the caveats that Israel would never concede any part of Jerusalem and never accept a new Arab state. Pocketing these enormous concessions, the PLO dug in.

President Bill Clinton injected the U.S. to finalize the Oslo Accord of 1993. Suddenly, terrorist Arafat was a statesman and the terrorist PLO a government. In 1998, with PLO terrorism still active, first lady Hillary Clinton sent shock waves when she implied support for an independent Palestine; the White House’s repudiation was immediate and unequivocal.

In 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak broke the final taboos, offering the PLO a state and parts of Jerusalem. Arafat responded by launching a terror war. Barak and Clinton sweetened the offer. Arafat was clear: He preferred war.

Any rational observer would have seen Arafat’s rejection as the end of the game. But as Arafat foresaw, Oslo’s inversion of oppressed and oppressor hopelessly warped global public opinion. The 21st century has enshrined Arafat’s fabrications while challenging Jewish history. It ignores the character of leadership and culture, bestowing honors upon Arab terror movements while defaming Israel’s liberal democracy. It vilifies those — like George W. Bush and Benjamin Netanyahu — who would condition statehood on evidence of a willingness to coexist. No longer a stratagem for peace, “Palestinian” statehood has become an entitlement.

But 21st-century events have demolished the broader myth system on which “Palestinian” peoplehood rests. Iraq and Syria have followed the Lebanese path. As those multi-ethnic European constructs collapsed, their citizens quickly shed the state-based identities they had been assigned in favor of the ethnic- or faith-based identities that had defined their families for centuries. They fight — and die — as

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Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Alawites, Druze and Christians.

That collapse is hardly coincidental — and it is highly relevant.

There have never been distinct Iraqi, Syrian, Lebanese — or Palestinian — nations. Having all but purged their once-vibrant Christian minority, today’s “Palestinians” are merely Sunni Arabs whose patrilineal ancestors resided west of the Jordan River during the final two years of the Mandate for Palestine. A new state affirming misguided labels that European imperialists imposed upon the indigenous peoples of the Middle East cannot possibly help stabilize the troubled region.

The clear alternative is a return to the pre-Oslo reliance on responsible state actors – i.e., Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel -- to provide citizenship and opportunity to the stateless Arabs. The sooner Israel stops paying lip service to the “two-state” lie, the sooner it can leave behind its self-inflicted wounds. The primary objections to this have always been that a, the world will condemn Israel, and b, those countries won’t comply. Both are absurd. The world condemns Israel freely already, and the United States can ensure those countries are incentivized to comply.

To achieve the stability the region so desperately needs, the Arab states must reintegrate nearly 20 million displaced or stateless Arabs chafing beneath artificial Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese or Palestinian labels. Far from laying this issue at Israel’s feet, any “solution” to the Arab-Israeli conflict must arise within that regional context. The international community should treat Arab refugees like it treats other refugees -- humanely rather than as political pawns and cannon fodder Integrating them into communities with whom they claim ethnic and cultural kinship is the best way to help refugees build new lives.

The myths of “Palestinian peoplehood” and a “two-state solution” have impeded peace, stability, security, development, regional integration and justice. Arab terrorists lauded as martyrs and freedom fighters murder and maim Jews.

Jew-haters treating Arabs as expendable rob millions of educaSee DELUSION on Page THE

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JEWISH FILMS Continued from Page 13 view is brightened by a couple of episodes that bridge the conflicts.

One scene shows Palestinians dancing the dabke and Israelis dancing the hora — and both performances are almost identical.

“In the Land of Pomegranates” will open in U.S. theaters in February and March.

"The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm" How does one teach very young children about the Holocaust? An upcoming HBO short documentary, slated to premiere on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, attempts to provide a model for that daunting task.

In “The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm,” Holocaust survivor Jack Feldman and his American-born great-grandson Elliott bond as the 10-year-old (he’s now 12) prompts his ancestor to speak about his Holocaust experiences.

Feldman emigrated after the war and settled in Rochester, New York, where he opened a fish market. He DELUSION Continued from Page 20 tional and economic opportunities, basic dignity and decent lives. The American Jewish community tears itself apart. College students from Christian and Jewish Zionist homes find themselves supporting an Israel defamed across campus as an oppressor. And in living memory of the Holocaust and of the miraculous return of Jews to their indigenous Jewish homeland, the United Nations – supported by an outgoing American president – denies the Jews’ connection to Judea and demands their ethnic cleansing. All in the service of a lie.

Reality-based plans have languished in the face of Oslo’s persistent myths. All start from two key principles: Israeli sovereignty must continue within secure borders, and the Arab states must assume pri-

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ran the business successfully, though with one quirk. As an African-American customer notes, “Jack has known what hunger is, so he gives free fish to a customer too poor to pay.”

Veteran documentary filmmaker Amy Schatz was attracted to the project because, she said, there is hardly any material on the Holocaust suitable for children and their families. Her goal was to transmit the survivor’s experience “gently and with clarity.” Catch the short on HBO on Jan. 27.

"116 Cameras" “116 Cameras,” which is one of 10 films on the Oscar shortlist for best short documentary, gives a behind-the-scenes look into the filming of a Holocaust survivor’s testimony. It shows how filmmakers preserve the memories of Eva Schloss, Anne Frank’s surviving stepsister, in the form of an interactive, 3-D, holographic image. The project was a product of Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation at the University of Southern California.

You can watch the film now on The New York Times website.ì

mary responsibility for the welfare of Arab refugees. These principles are grounded in history, morality and law, in Jewish security and Arab development, and in the critical goal of regional stability.

What has worked around the world will work in the Middle East if the Arabs allow it to work. The Arabs will allow it only if pushed.

President Donald Trump, for the first time in history, has begun to push in the right direction.

(Jeff Ballabon is CEO of B2 Strategic, a senior fellow at the American Conservative Union's Center for Statesmanship and Diplomacy, and an adviser to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Bruce Abramson is the president of Informationism, Inc., vice president and director of policy at the Iron Dome Alliance, and a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research.)ì

Jewniverse

We Could Not Be Happier About This 1980s Jewish Kitsch Music Album

By Zachary Solomon

Gefilte Joe and the Fish, Oy George, Georgie Girl, The Screaming Faloshes – these aren’t the punchlines of bad Jewish jokes, but the names of four “bands” who recorded Jewish novelty tunes for a 1984 Rhino Records EP called Kosher Club. What’s shocking: the songs are actually hilarious.

Dug out of obscurity in 2007 by the beloved weirdos at New Jersey’s WFMU as part of their 365 Days Project, which aims to unearth “cool and strange and often obscure” audio, Kosher Club pro-

vides listeners with four lampooning earworms of Jewish humor.

“Be True to Your Shul” by Oy George takes on the Beach Boys as a fight-song in honor of a house of prayer: “When some schlemiel tries to put me down and says he has a larger congregation…now listen here, nudnik, have you heard of my shul? It’s number one in the nation!”

Georgie Girl spins off Culture Club’s 80s masterpiece “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” with their own “Yes I Really Want to Hurt You”: “You said we’d be together.

We made a lover’s pact. Then one day I discovered. That feygele stuff…was not an act.”

Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” gets the shtetl treatment with Gefilte Joe’s “[Schlep Down to] Fairfax Avenue,” and The Screaming Faloshes do their best with an original reggae track: for this last one, be sure to listen in private. It’s a little embarrassing.ì

This Raucous Jewish Stand-Up Comedienne Made Fat Jokes Before They Were In Style

By Avishay Artsy

Self-mockery is a staple of standup comedy, and few excelled at it as much as Totie Fields. The raspyvoiced Jewish comedienne is mostly forgotten today, but she made her name on late-night TV and in nightclubs in the 1960s and ‘70s for risque jokes about sex, shopping and being fat.

Born Sophie Feldman, daughter of a shopping center owner in Hartford, Conn., Totie (it was how she pronounced ‘Sophie’) was a child star. She sang on the radio at 4, toured the Borscht Belt at 14, and worked as a tummler (a master of

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ceremonies) in Boston strip clubs before she was 20.

Fields was known for joking about her size. “I’ve been on a diet now for two weeks,” she told Merv Griffin in 1967. “You know what I lost? 14 days.”

In a rowdy exchange with KISS guitarist Gene Simmons in 1974, she joked that it would be funny if Simmons, under the outlandish makeup, turned out to be “just a nice Jewish boy.” Simmons (born Chaim Witz in Israel) responded, “You should only know…” Fields replied, “I DO! You can’t hide the hook!”

A new documentary about female comedians and plastic surgery called Take My Nose…Please! features Fields’ story, including her tragic end.ì Winter 2018

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5,000 YEARS OF CIVILIZATION REBORN

Mahalia Jackson Theater Feb 3–4, 2018

SHEN YUN’S unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, inspiring journey through 5,000 years of civilization. Featuring one of the world’s oldest art forms— classical Chinese dance—along with patented scenographical effects and all-original orchestral works, Shen Yun opens a portal to a civilization of enchanting beauty and enlightening wisdom.

“The greatest of the great! A must see!”

“Absolutely the No. 1 show in the world!”

—Christine Walevska, world-renowned musician

—Kenn Wells, lead dancer of the English National Ballet

“Truly brilliant. There’s nothing like it. Everyone in the audience is going to go home and say, ‘You’ve got to see this show,’ and they’ll be sold out. So get to the ticket office right away…”

“The 8th wonder of the world. People have no idea what they’re missing until they come here and see the show.”

“I have traveled all over the world to 50 countries now, I’ve seen many productions, and I have never seen a production any better than this, anywhere! It’s worth multiple times of the cost of the ticket.

It is priceless! Whether you are 5 years old, or you are 95 years old, this is magnificent! The only way to appreciate this performance is to simply go to see it.”

—Joe Heard, former White House photographer

—Dr. Scott Stansfield, retired naturopathic physician

—Lee Meriwether, actress

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www.thejewishlight.org

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Community Business Referrals

JEWISH LIGHT

Chris' Asphalt Paving Locally owned and operated, Chris’ Asphalt Paving was established in 1997 by Chris Shannon.

Now, with over 20 years’ experience performing driveway overlays, parking lot asphalt resurfacing, seal coating and other jobs, he is an expert paving contractor known for servicing the most demanding commercial customers, surpassing the needs of governmental customers, and bringing relief and smiles to residential customers time and again!

You can see his work all around town, with some very notable jobs under his direction, including the parking lot at Smilie’s original location, and the street resurfacing surrounding Baptist Hospital. Everyone who travels Uptown regularly is familiar with the constant turmoil surrounding the land sinking, the flooding, and the S&WB work on Napoleon, which has caused much of the years of street damage, yet their work still looks as great as the first day!

Whether concrete or asphalt, Chris’ staff has the experience and equipment to do both, and isn’t this exactly what you want in a contractor to fix your driveway? Whether to eliminate tripping hazards, fix potholes, or even to just raise your curb

appeal, Chris’ Asphalt Paving can truly do it all. Visit their website at www.chrispaving. com to view photos and videos of their work, including streets and parking lots, as well as to see testimonials from very satisfied clients! ì

CHRIS PAVING Concrete & Asphalt

Licensed & Insured Locally Owned & Operated Northshore

985-960-2131 Southshore

504-909-2078

FREE ESTIMATES

800-622-3654 www.chrispaving.com

Exhibition l’dor v’dor: From Generation to Generation Jewish Women and their impact on New Orleans” at Longue Vue House and Gardens.

Visit Longue Vue House and Gardens for its first exhibit of the Tricentennial year, highlighting Jewish women and their impact on New Orleans.

The exhibit portrays contributions of Jewish women in the areas of political activism in civil rights, women’s rights and public health, public spaces and recreation, child welfare, education, the arts, and the post-Katrina rebuilding of the city.

Longue Vue and its legacy are due to an amazing Jewish woman, Edith Stern, and provide an excellent backdrop for the first exhibit of Jewish women of New Orleans in modern history. The scope of THE

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the exhibition will cover approximately 110 years, from 1895 to 2005. Community activist Sara Stone, who was born in 1915, inspired the title of the exhibit. Stone emphasized that the constant thread in the history of Jewish women was the mentorship and education of the next generation. l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation, represents successive ways of Jewish women demonstrated leadership and community activism for the betterment of the city of New Orleans.

This exhibit runs through April 29, 2018. The exhibition curators are Rosalind Hinton, Susan Tucker, Bobbie Malone, and Lenora Costa.

Call 504-488-5488 for more details, or visit www. longuevue.com. ì www.thejewishlight.org

Winter 2018

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Community Business Referrals

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JEWISH LIGHT

AL'S PEST CONTROL has been serving the Greater New Orleans area for almost 60 years. We are a family owned and operated company specializing in full pest control services for residential, commercial and maritime properties (crew boats).

We offer “Green” pest and termite control products and are Leed Certified.

If your pest control needs are residential, commercial or maritime related, we have an integrated pest control plan that is right for you. In addition to our pest control services, we also provide termite inspection certificates for real estate transactions. We also offer microbial remediation service certificates.

Because of our experience, we realize that pest problems can be worrisome. Our friendly and professional staff is here to help and answer any questions you may have. Our services are economical, and if you choose one of our maintenance plans you can be assured that our state certified technicians will utilize the appropriate tools and supplies to bring a speedy demise to your pest problem. Our goal is simple: to put your mind at ease knowing that you have taken the proper steps to protect your family, your home or your business by calling Al’s Pest Control.

SERVICES We specialize in pest elimination services that utilize the most modern pest eradication technology and environmentally safe products available. We also offer many other important services that protect people and pets from a host of problems.

A Full Service Pest Elimination Company Residential • Commercial Marine Vehicles Pest Control • Mosquitos Termites Termite Certificates

Termite Baiting Service We specialize in both liquid and baiting termite management systems and provide monthly and annual contracts at very competitive prices.

Tree Protection Services We protect and treat your trees from termite infestation and the Buck Moth caterpillar.

Pre-Construction Termite Treatment Take an added step in battling termites and other pest that invade your home by using our pre-construction wood treatment with patented Borates in conjunction with our newest Green product...Termisto.p.

504-368-5927

www.AlsPestControlNewOrleans.com Protecting Your Property From The Ground Up!

Home Protection Our home pest control service protects your home from common pest such as roaches, mice, rats, ants and other insects found in our area.

Termite Certificates If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, we can help. We provide termite inspection service for real estate transactions.

We are committed to providing excellent pest control management to all of our clients. We pride ourselves on delivering unsurpassed quality control and courteous staff; protecting your investment through excellence.

Browse our web site (www.alspestcontrolneworleans.com) for more information. If you have any questions or would like to speak with a representative regarding our products and services please e-mail us at: NoBugs@alspestcontrol.com or call us (504) 368-5927. ì 24 Winter 2018

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FREE ESTIMATES

Licensed • Bonded • Insured THE

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Community Business Referrals

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Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket When it comes to visiting Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket, it is about more than just groceries, it is an experience of the senses. As you walk along the aisles, you will see choice cuts of meats, and great prices on everyday needs for the table and the pantry. You will hear the smiling voices of the shoppers, and the workers, too. You will feel the freshness of the fruits and vegetables. You will smell the freshbaked deliciousness of the bakery.

But, your taste buds will be in for the greatest treat of all!

The Acquistapace Family has been in the grocery business for 150 years! Owner Steve Acquistapace’s mother actually was born above the family’s corner store in New Orleans, and the business evolved from a “Mom & Pop” operation into a supermarket through the decades, while still maintaining the “family-operated feel” all but forgotten in the modern grocery business.

In the current Downtown Covington location since 1985, Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket proudly serves the people of St. Tammany Parish and beyond with the finest groceries available. As the latest generation of this great family business, brothers Adam and Erik helped to grow the business with a second location in Mandeville, as well as the largest and most diverse inventory of wine and cheese on the Northshore!

Adam Acquistapace has traveled near and far learning about wine and attending wine conferences, and the end result for Acquistapace’s customers is a huge selection, friendly, unpretentious service, and great prices. With such a large selection of wines from around the world at reasonable prices combined with Adam and his friendly, knowledgeable staff, they are ready to help you select your next wine. “We use the spider web approach. Tell us what you like. All wines can be compared and contrasted in some way to each other. We have 6,300 different items to pick through to match you up. We recommend wines based on what YOU are looking for. No commissioned salespersons here.”

From Wisconsin to France, Erik Acquistapace has traveled the world to learn about cheese.

Whether strolling the aisles or THE

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perusing the website, you will learn which wines to pair with which meats and cheeses to truly impress your friends at your next party, or even to enjoy a romantic dinner experience at home (don’t forget, Valentine’s Day will be here shortly!)

When it comes to planning your next event, catering from Acquistapace’s will help make it memorable! The staff and owners are readily available to answer ques-

tions at any time. The website has details and even blogs about wines, cheeses, meats, and cooking. Blogs are available for the past year, so you can plan Spring and Summer events now with important timeless details. Another great feature is the newsletter that is available by email, with a wealth of information, whether planning a weekly menu or a large event; you will always know what seasonal items are freshest today.

Visit Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket at 125 East 21st St., or the Acquistapace’s Mandeville Wine & Cheese location at 631 North Causeway Blvd. Visit 24 hours a day at www.acquistapace. com. You can learn about cheese and wine and spirits, and even ask the staff questions and request products that you may not find elsewhere. While you’re there, be sure to sign-up for the newsletters and view this week’s specials.

Now Open in Mandeville (one mile from the Northshore Jewish Congregation)

Specializing in wine, spirits, beer, and cheese

We have a huge selection of wines, cheeses and properly stored cigars. Select wines from around the world. Come sample beers from countries near and far, and taste the best cheese from the world’s premier cheese producing regions.

We travel the world to bring you hand selected wines and cheeses!

Adam, Steve, & Erik Acquistapace 985-951-2501 • 631 N. Causeway Blvd.

Facing East Causeway Approach Next to Pat Gallagher’s 527 Restaurant www.thejewishlight.org

985-893-0593 • 125 E. 21st Ave In Historic Downtown Covington www.acquistapace.com Winter 2018

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Community Business Referrals

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Are you searching for a compassionate nursing home in New Orleans?

Ferncrest Manor Living Center is a nursing home community with a highly trained staff to provide professional care, comfort and security to seniors in the New Orleans area. They are also equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities and experienced physicians that will custom-tailor a treatment plan for each individual based on their unique needs while monitoring their progress throughout their stay.

Whether your loved one needs shortterm post-operative care or long-term rehabilitative care, Ferncrest Manor Living Center is the place to consider for exceptional senior care.

Ferncrest Manor Living Center Quality Nursing Care · Hospice Care Medicare Skilled Nursing Unit Intermediate and Respite Care Short and Long Term Rehabilitation Ventilator Dependent Unit On-Site Dialysis Positions available for RN · LPN · CNA 14500 Hayne Blvd.

Between Paris Rd. and Bullard Ave.

504-246-1426 www.ferncrest.com

Owned by Wayne J. Landry and managed

by Lexis Landry Nunez, NFA. 26 Winter 2018

But, the best part of living at Ferncrest Manor Living Center is the sense of community shared by all of the residents and caring staff members. From the exquisite grounds and luxurious surroundings to the diverse calendar of activities, the concept of community is the main component of everything they do. Striving for a taste of true New Orleans hospitality and having a sense of community truly adds to the quality of life enjoyed by all the residents of Ferncrest Manor.

Complex Care Unit For residents who require long-term dependence on sophisticated health technology in settings other than the acute care hospital, Ferncrest Manor Living Center offers a skilled level of care, providing highly technical skilled nursing care to meet the intense level of respiratory needs for ventilator-dependent residents. These specialized tasks are performed by a staff of registered nurses, certified respiratory therapists, social workers, and other qualified professionals under the supervision of a qualified physician.

They also provide specialized care for patients with ventilator dependency

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requiring dialysis; Medicaid rehabilitation for closed head injuries; and Tracheostomy.

Medicare Skilled Nursing Unit Ferncrest Manor provides a skilled nursing unit for residents with Medicare insurance. They maintain a high level of healthcare standards and procedures to ensure all residents receive quality treatment. The medical director and staff of physicians make regular visits to residents and are on call for emergency treatment 24 hours a day.

Some of these services include tube feeding, tracheotomy, renal failure requiring dialysis, short and long-term rehabilitation, wound care (including decubitus ulcers), and physical, speech, occupational and respiratory therapies.

Respite Care Respite care is available for individuals requiring a short-term stay. For caregivers going on vacation, the Ferncrest staff can care for their loved ones.

Activities for All Ferncrest Manor Living Center encourages residents to take an active part in their own lives through programs designed with their special needs in mind. Whether it’s strolling in the courtyards, visiting in the gazebo or attending a traditional religious service, they have the activities that will make your loved one feel at home and a part of a truly great community!

Some of the regular activities include: arts & crafts, bingo, bowling games, card games, field trips, ice cream socials, monthly birthday parties, movies & popcorn, music hour, pizza parties, pokeno games, reading time, resident meetings, and wine & cheese socials.ì THE

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Community Business Referrals

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Coordinator, together offer our clients lots of southern hospitality when they visit us. Margie is often out in the community encouraging people to get a baseline hearing assessment.

Crescent City Hearing offers complimentary and very thorough hearing evaluations. It is recommended, like vision and dental checkups, that your hearing should be checked on a regular basis. RouAt Crescent City Hearing Center, formerly Zounds Hearing of Metine monitoring allows the ability tairie, we provide honest, professional advice concerning one’s hearto detect changes in hearing at an ing and offer solutions at everyday low prices. Owners, Dede and early stage, which is important as Charles Redfearn, changed the name of the business to reflect their is the case with all medical condilocal roots in 2017 while also expanding the variety of manufacturers tions. and types of hearing solutions available to clients. We have strong relationships with both Starkey Hearing Technologies and Sonic In- Crescent City Hearing Center novation, which allows us to offer an expanded assortment of hearing offers a full range of hearing healthcare. We have custom made devices that incorporate the most advanced technology. Hearing de- hearing protection including a variety of ear molds made specifically for use when swimming, when vices have become cool and hip; sleeping as well as when exposed some are Bluetooth capable with Routine Hearing Checks HEAR to stay to loud environments. We also throughout life and without rechargeability makelectronic hearing protection ing hearing systems convenient So we can be sure we’re (not fade away) have hearing as expected that is ideally suited for hunters; and very current. they amplify softer sounds and Crescent City Hearing Cenmitigate the damage of louder sounds.

Hearing Technology ter has built a strong team that focuses on providing Outstanding client care is another hallmark of our to maintain our brain’s quality client attention in a warm and comfortable practice. Following the hearing evaluation, Tony environment that is very convenient to access. Tony connection to the world, to people, to opportunity spends time educating people about their audiogram Goyette, hearing specialist, has worn hearing aids for and the implications of the results. If there are sounds over twenty years so he has his personal experience to that fall outside of someone’s current hearing range, then options draw upon in addition to his professional training and knowledge. for treatment are discussed and demonstrated in the office. Often Dede describes his work with cli- people leave our clinic hearing better, able to reconnect with othents as dedicated and committed. ers, and enjoy life more fully within two hours! The Crescent City She adds, “It is beautiful to watch Hearing team wants the educational process and support to continue. as people have their connections Initially, clients are seen every week to ten days to facilitate a smooth with family members and trea- transition into the use of their hearing devices. Thereafter, clients are sured activities restored through seen every three to four months to make sure that the equipment is improved hearing.” functioning optimally and that the maximum benefit from the equipMargie Schwegmann-Brown, ment is achieved.

Outreach and Client Coordina- Call today (504) 252-4880 to schedule your complimentary hearing tor, and Donna Lewis, Client Care evaluation and consultation with the team at Crescent City Hearing.

:

Stay Connected!

Our personal connections with loved ones, friends and the world around us are precious. Crescent City Hearing is proud to offer technology that helps those with hearing loss make and keep those connections.

Rechargeability and Convenience Hearing aids with true rechargeability providing up to 24 hours of use.

CRESCENT CITY HEARING (504) 252-4880 801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite D | Metairie, LA 70005 www.crescentcityhearing.com THE

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www.thejewishlight.org

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Best Wishes from all of us to all of our friends and clients in the local Jewish Community!

CALL Me FIRST to LIST or BUY a Home!

504-330-0901

CAROLYN TALBERT

Barbara Robinson Picou 504-452-2602

Jennifer Lacoste 985-373-4927

Peggy Talbert 985-869-0798

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“I want to sell your home!”

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4 Bedrooms 3 1/2 Baths

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5 Bedrooms 4 1/2 Baths

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4 Bedrooms

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2 1/2 Baths

2 Baths

4636 Meadowdale · $449,900 More listings at www.CarolynTalbert.com

7211 O’Neill · $459,900 More listings at www.CarolynTalbert.com

3 Bedrooms · 2 Baths

4900 Picone · $399,900 More listings at www.CarolynTalbert.com

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3 Bedrooms 2 Baths Pool

6129 Argonne, Lakeview · $439,900 More listings at www.CarolynTalbert.com

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