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A Publication of VOL.78 NO. 8 August 2013 25 Av-25 Elul 5773

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August 2013 The Observer

Global Day of Jewish Learning workshops expand on theme of creating together

By MARK FREEDMAN Executive Director Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee

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orkshops for this year’s Global Day of Jewish Learning will cover friendship, art, Torah study and more, all within the theme of the day, “Creating Together: Jewish Approaches to Creativity and Collaboration.”

The event is set for 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, at the Akiva School. The program includes a complimentary lunch. Online registration is required to attend the Global Day. The registration site will be available beginning in late September.

Keynote speaker for this year’s Global Day is Rabbi David Levin-Kruss, director of Special Programs at the

Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. Rabbi Levin-Kruss’s participation is made possible through the generous support of Libby and Moshe Werthan. The Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is organizing the event in cooperation with Nashville congregations and other local Jewish organizations.

In addition, the international convenor of the Global Day, the Aleph Society, has chosen Rabbi Levin-Kruss’s session as one of those that will be livestreamed around the world between 1011 a.m. Central Time.

Participants will be able to choose two of six workshops, to be held from

What do these 11 people have in common?

For the answer see page 6 in article “A Memorable Luncheon in Tel Aviv.”

Nachman Shai

Robert Ilatov

Ayelet Shaked

David Tzur

Ronen Hoffman

Penina Tamanu-Shata

Yehiel Hilik Bar

Dov Lipman

Shimon Solomon

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and from 1:15-2:15 p.m. Here are brief descriptions: Creating Friendship: Acquire for Yourself a Friend: What is the essence of friendship? Can true friendship ever be consistently one-sided? This session explores friendships in the Bible, the Talmud and the ancient world. How do we learn to trust another person? What must we do to earn friendship?

Creating the Amidah: How our Defining Prayer Came into Being: This session begins with stories of the origin of the Amidah (silent standing prayer) and explores the communal and personal significance of prayer. Can a prayer be created by committee or must it be the result of individual expression? Can one person speak for all Jews?

Creating Community: It is Not Good for Man to be Alone: As Adam wanders through the Garden of Eden, God declares that it is not good for man to be alone. This session explores the challenges and benefits of being part of a larger community through excerpts from the Torah, Talmud and modern sources.

Creativity and Torah Study: Does commitment to a tradition curtail indi-

viduality? Do rules and structure inhibit individual expression? This session asks whether religion is the enemy of innovation. Is it ever possible for rules to encourage creativity? What frameworks foster creativity?

Creating Shabbat: Rest as a Creative Act: The Torah tells us that God rests when the six days of creation are completed. Thus, Shabbat is created.

We have the chance to emulate God and shape the world as well, both by being creative and by instituting meaningful rest in our lives and our societies. Is it ever possible to be unplugged?

Bezalel's Creativity: Art as an Expression of the Divine: God chooses Bezalel to build the sanctuary in the desert because he was filled with "the spirit of God." In this session, we will explore God's role as creator and its implications for humankind, as we are created "in the image of God." Can an appreciation for artistic creativity bring us closer to the divine? How can art be used as a medium for spiritual development?

Curriculum also will be designed for PJLibrary parents and their children.

Look for additional information about the Global Day in upcoming issues of the Observer and at the Federation website at www.jewishnashville.org. The Nashville Global Day of Jewish Learning is funded by a grant from the Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. c

Rina Frankel

Stav Shafir

The Observer August 2013

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Preseason starts for Federation's 2014 Annual Campaign

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ust as the Titans come to town each summer for preseason practice, a group of team captains turned out one recent evening to draft donors for the Jewish Federation of Nashville’s 2014 Annual Campaign. Captains are Sara Hanai, Steve Hirsch, Ted Mayden and Tara Lerner, Steven Remer, David Schwartz, Michael Simon and Janet Weismark.

Federation volunteers used the team approach in a successful 2013 Annual Campaign and are following the same playbook for the upcoming campaign, which raises funds that Federation uses to benefit fellow Jews in Nashville, Israel and around the world. Each team’s players personally ask selected donors - the draftees - to pledge their support to Federation for the coming year.

The team that earns the most points through face-to-face meetings and percentage increases wins the opportunity to have $10,000 go to the area of interest they are playing for. Areas of interest include educating ourselves and our children; helping with personal and family needs; helping people across the nation, Israel and worldwide; caring for the elderly; Next Gen engagement and teen leadership opportunities; building a local connection to Israel and overseas; community development and growth.

During every annual campaign, volunteers contact every community member - either in person through the team system or with phone calls on Tzedakah Tzunday - to touch base, tell how their gifts make a difference, seek their support and let them know that Federation is there for them.

Campaign Chair Steve Hirsch talked to team captains about a recent c

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Publisher Mark S. Freedman Editor Kathy Carlson Advertising Manager Carrie Mills Layout and Production Tim Gregory Editorial Board Frank Boehm, Chair; Barbara Dab, Greg Goldberg, Scott Rosenberg, Bill Snyder

trip to Belarus and Israel organized by the Jewish Federations of North America for campaign chairs.

He talked about a family of five with a monthly income of about $375 living in three rooms in Minsk, Belarus. Debit cards furnished through Federation gifts help the family buy extra groceries.

"The great news," he said, is that Belarus - part of the Former Soviet Union and once home to many Jews has a "growing vibrant young Jewish community and these kids are part of the future. They have an opportunity to go to summer camp and will have an opportunity to go to Israel on a Birthright trip." With these opportunities, they'll be able to decide whether to make aliyah in Israel or play an active part in Jewish life in Belarus, he said.

Moments like those spent with the Jewish family in Minsk, he said, "really cause me to come back and redouble my efforts. After being to Minsk and Israel I know that what we are doing really makes a difference for people like this."

"As a both a board member and a campaign committee member I fully understand the importance of raising funds," team captain David Schwartz said in an email. "Without the continued support of our community, the Jewish Federation of Nashville would not be able to support the community locally, in Israel and abroad."

"Personally, I feel privileged to be asked to lead a fundraising team," he said. "I look forward to the opportunity to bridge the gap between the generations within our community by introducing longtime Nashvillians to newer members of our growing community. I also am looking forward to meeting members of the Jewish community that I have not had the pleasure to meet in person."

Team captains will work with younger community members to show them what it takes to run a yearlong fund-raising effort.

"It is important for campaign to connect with Nashville's Jewish community across all age groups and areas of interest," team captain and former Federation president Ted Mayden said in an email. He is serving as a Campaign mentor to Tara Lerner, who

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has been active for the past few years with the Federation's NowGen group for young Jewish professionals.

"Tara and I will be sharing experiences and ideas learned from our peers," Mayden said. With the benefit of these perspectives we will better prepared to

educate our donors and deliver results for the 2014 campaign."

For more information on the campaign or to volunteer, contact Naomi Sedek, campaign manager, at naomi@jewishnashville.org or 3541642. c

West End member chosen as regional head of Sisterhood group

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est End Synagogue’s Ellen Vinocur Potash didn’t plan to become president of the Southern Region of the Women’s League for Conservative Judaism. It was a role she gradually came to embrace after she and her husband, Steve, moved to Nashville from Michigan 17 years ago.

Potash was installed as a regional president in April, leading one of 13 Women’s League regions across the United States, Canada and Mexico. She will serve for two years and is the first regional president from West End Synagogue since Margie Astrin z”l served 40 years ago.

Three WES women currently serve on the regional board: Martha Segal, Torah Fund vice president; Andrea Thaler, conference VP; and Amy Hersch, corresponding secretary. In addition, Helen Crowley is regional Judaica shop chair. West End’s Sisterhood has about 150 members.

The Southern Region includes 27 sisterhoods in Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, part of North Carolina and the Florida Panhandle.

Women’s League provides service to hundreds of synagogue-affiliated women’s groups - sisterhoods - across North America and to thousands of women worldwide, the group’s web site says.

Through the Torah Fund, Women’s League has financially supported the Jewish Theological Seminary, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano.

Potash said her goals as president include traveling to all of the region’s sisterhoods and continuing a program on wellness and spirituality begun by the group’s vice president of education. “I would really like more women all over the region to participate,” she said. “I don’t think they know what they’re missing.”

That might describe her road to Sisterhood as well.

“I’ve been a

Ellen Vinocur Potash

Conservative Jew all my life,” she said in a recent interview. “As an adult, until I came here, I was never associated with a synagogue that had a sisterhood.

"As new members of the (Nashville) Jewish community, association with the women of Sisterhood became a terrific entry point into the Jewish community for my husband and me," she said.

She didn’t become active in the West End Sisterhood immediately, but once she retired nine years ago she joined the group. Almost immediately, she became a vice president.

Participating in a Women’s League leadership conference was a turning point. “It was terrific. That’s what got me involved,” she said. "It energized me and made me want to be able to provide encouragement and leadership to other Jewish women. I also attended regional and international conferences and conventions and it was there that I learned about all that Women’s League had to offer and met so many wonderful, intelligent women from all over the country."

Sisterhood provides friendship, learning and involvement, she said.

There are online courses, a book club, Rosh Chodesh programs, regional programs and conventions.

She wants to concentrate on sisterhoods as president to make them bigger and better. “It’s not about money; it’s about involvement, learning and friendship.” c

From the Campaign Trail

Minsk: Remembrance, relief, renewal

By STEVE HIRSCH Nashville Jewish Federation Campaign Chair

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reetings from Minsk, the most recent stop on the campaign trail.

Nashville Jewish Federation Executive Director Mark Freedman and I have just returned from a Federation mission trip, bringing together professionals and volunteer campaign chairs from dozens of cities around the United States and Canada. Minsk is the capital of Belarus, one of the countries forSteve Hirsch merly part of the Soviet Union. It is a city of 2 million people, representing approximately 20 percent of the population of Belarus.

You should also know that Belarus was once home to 1 million Jewish people and was an important center for Jewish learning and culture. For quite some time, Yiddish was one of the official languages of Belarus. The famous Yeshiva in the town of Volozhin produced dozens of prominent rabbis and scholars during the period between 1803 and 1939. Also, an incredible number of future leaders from the state of Israel came from Belarus, including David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, and Shimon Peres.

Today there are about 45,000 Jews remaining in Belarus. Of an estimated 200 synagogues in the country before the Holocaust, only four remain.

One of the first priorities for the mission was remembrance. We walked through the city of Minsk to see where the town had commemorated the thousands of people who were murdered by the Nazis in the Minsk Ghetto. We walked to the Yama Memorial in the city. Yama means “pit” and this memorial retains the shape of the pit that was the scene of a horrific mass murder of 5,000 men, women and children. A haunting sculpture depicts the scene of these people walking down into the pit to their deaths.

On this evening, our group participated in a ceremony remembering these Jewish martyrs. The leader of the local Jewish community, Leonid Levin, spoke about how we were honoring and connecting with the dead as we all recited the Kaddish. As terrible as these memories may be, it is our responsibility as Jews to make certain that the events that happened here 70 years ago do not fade into oblivion.

The next part of the story of Minsk is one of hope and a frankly miraculous recovery of Jewish life in Belarus. In the years following the war, Belarus became a satellite nation as part of the Soviet Union. The Soviets banned the practice of all religions and as a result, the Jews who survived the war were no longer able to practice their religion. For two generations, the traditions, the prayer and the practice of Jewish life disappeared, as all citizens were deemed only to be “Russians” and nothing else.

In 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union, Belarus once again became an

independent state. Religious restrictions were lifted and people were once again free to practice the religion of their choice.

But how could this be done in an environment where religion was dormant for decades?

The Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), a longtime agency partner of the Jewish Federation, played a crucial role in reintroducing Judaism into the country and continues today as the key agency supporting both relief for Jews in need and renewal of a growing and thriving Jewish community. Let me give a few examples by introducing you to some of the people that we met on our visit to Minsk:

Maya, an accomplished singer has been able to celebrate Jewish life through the Joint Distribution Committee, a Federation-partner agency.

Maya is a survivor of the Minsk Ghetto. Like many of her generation, Maya persevered through the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust and the repression of the Soviet regime. Today, Maya celebrates her Jewish life with the help of the JDC’s Chesed program, which focuses on support of Jewish seniors. A talented singer still, Maya is the lead soloist of the Minsk Jewish choir. At a program for the Federation visitors, Maya’s version of “Yiddishe Mama” (performed in Yiddish) brought tears to all of our eyes.

Irina Prostak is not Jewish, but she joined our group in Minsk for an evening to tell her own story of the Holocaust.

When she was 11 years old, Irina watched as her Jewish neighbors were removed from their homes and placed into the ghetto. Demonstrating incredible courage, Irina crawled through the barbed wire fence surrounding the ghetto and led two boys who were her neighbors, Bertold and Volodya, past the German patrols and back to her house. Irina's mother hid the boys for several days and eventually smuggled them out of the city and into the care of a Jewish partisan group that lived in the nearby forest.

For this and other acts of courage in rescuing Jewish children, Irina’s mother was recognized as one of the Righteous Among the Nations (also known as Righteous Gentiles) in 1997; and in 2001, Irina herself was awarded this same designation. In the same way that the JDC supports the elderly Jewish population in the former Soviet Union, it also provides support to the surviving Righteous Gentiles in these countries as well.

Alina is one of the dozens of young adults that we met on our Minsk trip who are now living a Jewish life thanks to the programs of our partner agency

For 100 Jewish kids in Minsk, Belarus, summer means a chance to attend Jewish summer camp, funded with help from Federation. Many participants go on to become camp counselors.

Alina, standing with Nashville Federation Campaign Chair Steve Hirsch, learned about her Jewish heritage with help from Federations including ours. Also pictured, seated, are Mark Freedman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, and Nadia.

the JDC. Alina “discovered” that she was Jewish at age 12 and a few years later really learned about Judaism through attendance at a 10-day summer camp sponsored by JDC. This experience motivated Alina to become more involved in Jewish activities in Minsk and she went on a birthright trip to Israel at age 19. While some of her peers have since chosen to make Aliyah, Alina decided to stay in Minsk to be an active part of the Jewish renewal in her native country. Alina graduated from university and is currently a quality control engineer with one of the companies in Minsk's technology center.

We met Natalia during our visit to a Jewish summer camp, where we spent the afternoon with more than 100 kids ages 7 to 14. Natalia is one of the counselors, having spent several summers herself at this same place as a camper. In fact, the entire camp staff consisted of Jewish young adults, nearly all of whom had benefited from support from Federation gifts, whether that was a Jewish educational opportunity, a camp experience or the chance to visit Israel

through a birthright or MASA program.

Being with the campers, singing and dancing with them and just observing the joy they felt being at the camp was truly an uplifting experience for all of us.

I could talk about more individuals, but I think you get the idea. Our experience in Minsk brought home for me the tangible impact that our Federation dollars are having on three generations of our Jewish family members in Belarus and in dozens of other countries where Jewish communities strive to carry on our traditions. There is no question in my mind that we have in the past and continue to make a huge difference in the lives of these people, both young and old.

Let’s be clear about this. There is no federal or local government support for any of these programs. They exist only because of agencies like the JDC and because of the financial assistance provided by Jewish Federations like ours.

We tend to overuse the phrase Tikkun Olam sometimes, but there is no doubt in my mind after seeing firsthand what is happening in Belarus, that we truly are helping to heal the world.

As we look ahead to our annual campaign this fall, we will share the pictures and the stories of the people that we met in Belarus. I hope you will think about our Jewish family around the world as well as those here in Nashville as you consider your 2014 campaign gift. c

The Observer August 2013

5

A memorable luncheon in Tel Aviv

By MARK S. FREEDMAN Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee

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ast month I had the privilege of participating on the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) sponsored Campaign Chairs and Directors mission to Minsk and Israel with our Federation’s 2014 Campaign Chair, Steven Hirsch.

For me, the most memorable part of the Israel portion of the mission was our luncheon meeting in Tel Aviv with eleven members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset. So, I will keep you in suspense no longer. The photographs on page 3 are of each of those eleven Knesset members.

You might ask what could be so memorable about sitting around with eleven Israeli politicians of various political persuasions? The answer is not in what political views they represent but simply that it is quite possible that only in Israel could such a diverse assemblage of individuals serve in the same legislative body.

So let’s look at where these eleven souls came from. Nachman Shai, Yehiel Hilil Bar, Stav Shafir, Ayelet Shaked and Ronen Hoffman were born in Israel.

Stav Shafir of the Labor Party is only 28 years old!

Dov Lipman, a member of the Yesh Atid party, was born in Baltimore and only made Aliyah less than ten years ago. A Haredi Jew, living in Bet Shemesh, Lipman has been at the forefront of encouraging efforts to expand

From left, Steven Hirsch with Knesset member Dov Lipman and Mark Freedman

military and national service of Haredi men and he supports the Sharansky Plan to accommodate egalitarian prayer at the Kotel.

Robert Ilatov and Rina Frankel are natives of republics of the Former Soviet Union. David Tzur was born in Turkey.

And finally, and most miraculously, Shimon Solomon and Pnina TamanuShata were born in Ethiopia. Solomon and his family made the treacherous journey across Sudan on foot to arrive in Israel in 1980. Many who accompanied

Solomon across the Saharan desert did not survive.

Pnina Tamanu-Shata arrived in Israel in 1984 at three years of age, and in less than three decades has earned a law degree and now at the age of 32, she serves in the Knesset as a member of the Yesh Atid party, which surprisingly won 19 seats in the last election that brought her party into the governing coalition.

Among these 11 members of the Knesset they speak Hebrew (of course) as well as English, Spanish, German, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Amharic and

Tigrinyan. (A special prize to anyone who can utter “good morning” in Tigrinyan!)

What other country on this planet, including our own, can offer up such a mélange of democratic diversity? It took our country almost 200 years, a brutal and devastating civil war, landmark legislation and court decisions mandating equality before persons of color could attain such high political office in our country. In Israel, Israelis of Ethiopian descent have achieved such status in less than 40 years. While there is much work still to be done to integrate Jews of Ethiopian descent fully into Israeli society, the access they have achieved far outpaces the American story.

Connected to all of this is our vitally essential role in contributing to Israel’s bustling democracy. It was in communities like ours, that decade after decade through support of the Federation Annual Campaign and in several special campaigns, brought Jews out of the Former Soviet Union to Israel.

And it was we who rescued the remnant Jewish population in Ethiopia. The life journey of so many in Israel, who today have reached the pinnacle of service to their country, began when you answered the call on Tzedakah Tzunday, when you visited a friend or colleague and asked them to support the Federation Campaign and when you, along with all of the people of Israel, stood at Sinai and imagined a miracle that we created through the simple act of caring and giving thus assuring the Jewish future that we hold so dear today.

Am Yisrael Chai! c

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August 2013 The Observer

Games, stories, puppets and more draw 130 to PJ Palooza

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ore than 130 children, parents, and grandparents attended the First Annual PJ Palooza on May 19 at the Gordon JCC. Proceeds from the fund-raising event will help provide subscriptions to over 300 local children who receive free books and music once a month through the PJ Library program.

Before the show, children created bookmarks, threw bean bags into holes decorated with PJ Library books, got their faces painted, made fruit rainbows and helped Joseph get a new coat. Then Library Pete began his performance and brought PJ books to life.

He sang the book “Sunrise, Sunset” as Lisa Silver, music director and cantorial soloist at Congregation Micah, played the violin and a sun rose and lighted up.

Joseph the Puppet of “Joseph Had A Little Overcoat” visited from the Cleveland Library and revealed how he cleverly recycled his coat until he made a story out of it.

When Pete read “Five Little Gefiltes,” the children chimed “Oy vey!” with mama. Finally, they heard “Goodnight, Laila Tov.” PJ books, music, playing cards, bags and lunch boxes were raffled off and the First Palooza ended with smiling faces and great reviews. Joanna, mother of Izzy, wrote, “First let me say congratulations on the Palooza! It was so well-attended, don't you think? The activities were good, wellorganized.” “Wow” and “amazing” were some of the briefer comments PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and its local partners: the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, Gordon Jewish Community Center, GJCC Early Childhood Learning Center, Micah Children’s Academy, The Temple Preschool and West End Synagogue.

For more information on this program, which one dad, Josh, likened to “Birthright for Babies,” please contact Coordinator Melissa Sostrin at (615) 752-0639. c

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The Observer August 2013

7

Early Childhood Learning Center offers new tot program

By KARA MEYER GJCC Membership and Marketing Director

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he Early Childhood Learning Center at the Gordon Jewish Community Center is excited to announce the arrival of a new program specifically tailored to 2- and 3-year-old children.

The Little Gimmel program will offer part-time preschool with two of the ECLC’s best teachers, Rebecca Denton and Janet Taeedkashani. Children will not only be introduced to the ECLC’s stellar curriculum but will also be getting ready for what lies ahead as they approach their own school years.

The 2-year-old option will be available on Tuesday and Thursday and the 3-year-old option will be available Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. In its inauguration year, Little Gimmel will be held in two 12-week sessions. The first session will begin September 30 and the second will begin in January 2014.

Classes are held from 8:30 to 11:30 am.

Instructor Rebecca Denton has her teaching certification and a bachelor’s degree in English literature. She taught middle school and high school briefly and then worked as a writer and editor for daily newspapers (including The Tennessean) and publishing companies for 14 years. She returned to teaching in 2010. She and her husband have two sons, ages 7 and 3. Rebecca has been with the ECLC for three years. She has been a lead teacher in the toddler room as well as the 2- and 3-year-old classrooms.

Janet Taeedkashani has been with the Early Childhood Learning Center for three years and has worked in the toddler rooms and 3-year-old classrooms. She attended Queens College in New York. She moved to Nashville eight years ago with her husband and four children. “I’m very excited to be with your children and looking forward to a wonderful year,” she said.

The ECLC is a 3-star preschool located on 52-acres between Bellemeade and Bellevue. All of the ECLC’s classrooms were remodeled this past year and the playgrounds open a world of imagination while encouraging socialization and pretend play. The ECLC also offers care and education for ages 6 weeks through Junior Kindergarten.

For more information on Little Gimmel or to set up a tour of the classroom, please contact Melissa Worthington at (615) 354-1626 or Melissa@nashvillejcc.org. c

Little Gimmel children can play right outside their door on this playground.

Steinitz: ‘Very serious territorial concessions’ ahead (JTA) – Israel is prepared to make “very serious territorial concessions” if the Palestinian Authority recognizes Israel’s Jewish character, senior Israeli minister Yuval Steinitz told a British newspaper.

In an interview published July 25 in The Daily Telegraph, Steinitz, Israel’s international relations minister, told The Daily Telegraph. “We are ready for a two states for two people solution.

“Both sides will have to make very significant concessions and very diffi-

cult concessions. We will probably have to make very serious territorial concessions,” he said in the July 25 interview.

But Steinitz also said that “the Palestinians will have to make also both territorial concessions, because there will be settlement blocks, but more important still they will have to recognize the very existence of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.”

Steinitz added that the Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war also would

have to abandon the “right of return” to their homes.

On Jerusalem, the minister was uncompromising and said the “status quo was the only option.”

Steinitz told The Telegraph that while Israel is “ready” for the two-state solution, it would hold a referendum before ending the conflict, which the Cabinet approved on Sunday. He added that a "demilitarized" Palestinian state was the “only possible solution” to the conflict. c

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August 2013 The Observer

Jewish cyclists talk about life on the road with Bike 4 Friendship

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hey had started their day in Humboldt, Tenn., a town of about 9,200 near Jackson. From there it was 93 miles east to Dickson.

By bicycle.

The nine cyclists - Jewish men ages 18-67 - had started a cross-country journey in mid-June, with the goal of raising $150,000 to help children with special needs through a Chabad-related program called the Friendship Circle.

The cyclists and three other men providing support along the way were at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad on July 15 observe Tisha B’Av. They’d spend the night at the Genesis Campus and resume their journey the next evening. They were part of the Bike 4 Friendship cycling trip that was to travel from San Diego to New York.

Incidentally, the support staff accompanies the bikers in a van and the group drove in from Dickson to Nashville.

The cyclists come from all walks of life and span three generations. The oldest cyclist had to drop out of the project after he was hit by a car and broke his collarbone in Memphis, said cyclist Yaakov Ian Hawk, 18.

Yaakov graduated from high school the day before the trip. Last year he had participated in a teen Bike 4 Friendship trip from New York to Washington, D.C. This year he was determined to make the full trip.

For Yaakov, the trip offers a way to see the country that he couldn’t in any other type of traveling. “Walking is way too long,” he said, and in a car you “miss the little subtleties.”

The Bike 4 Friendship group will sleep at motels, in high school gyms, wherever they find a place, said Dovi Gross, from Crown Heights in Brooklyn.

The men keep kosher, pray three times a day and cook for themselves, stopping at grocery and big-box discount stores along the way. Every week, for Shabbat, they stay at a Chabad house.

From Nashville, the cyclists were heading to Louisville, then on to Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and points north.

Yaakov will be spending the year after high school in Israel before he starts college at Yeshiva University. Since he planned to leave on Aug. 5 for Israel, he said he’d leave the group in Columbus on Aug. 4.

He talked about cycling in the rain, steering clear of unfriendly dogs, crossing the Mississippi river and talking with people who may never have met a Jewish person.

“The presence of Jews in these areas makes a difference,” he said. c

Bike 4 Friendship cyclists pose with Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel at Chabad of Nashville just before Tisha B’Av services begin. PHOTO: RICK MALKIN

Rosh Chodesh service backs Women of Wall

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ashville's Jewish community - men and women - are invited to join in a morning service on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at The Temple in solidarity with of Women of the Wall. The Rosh Chodesh service welcomes the month of Elul and starts at 8:30 a.m. It will be held outdoors, weather permitting.

A light breakfast will be served afterward.

Women of the Wall seeks the right for women to wear prayer shawls, pray and read Torah together and aloud at the

Western Wall in Jerusalem. The group was formed in 1988 and includes men and women.

At the beginning of each Jewish month, Women of the Wall gathers for a women's Rosh Chodesh service at the Kotel. Women have been arrested for wearing prayer shawls because of a law forbidding practices that fall outside the Kotel's "local custom," although in April a judge found the women hadn't broken the law. Haredi Jews have protested against the women's efforts, verbally and some-

times physically.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported on July 28 that Women of the Wall had asked the rabbi of the Western Wall to allow them to use on of the site's Torah scrolls.

Under current regulations, worshipers may not bring a Torah scroll from outside the site. Scrolls for public use are kept in the men's section and aren't available to female worshipers.

This latest development comes as Israeli leaders continue to work to bring egalitarian prayer to the Kotel. c

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www.sprintz.com The Observer August 2013

9

At Western Wall, two women’s groups make their opinions clear

By BEN SALES JERUSALEM (JTA) -- On the morning of July 8, at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Av, the Western Wall plaza was a cacophonous mess.

Women of the Wall, the activist group that holds women’s prayer services each month at the Kotel, loudly sang festive prayers at a spot far from the wall itself. Police had barricaded them there, ostensibly for their own protection. A few feet away, a group of haredi Orthodox boys shouted at them, called them Nazis, blew whistles, waved signs and raised a primal scream. A few threw eggs.

But the biggest group on hand that morning was a crowd of some 5,000 to 7,000 young women standing silently in the women’s prayer area, far from the brouhaha and inaudible and invisible from where Women of the Wall were praying. Filling the women’s section

and spilling out into the wider plaza, the girls each prayed on their own.

When they were done, they left without raising their voices.

“Our goal is to give voice to the hundreds of thousands of women who call the Kotel their spiritual home,” said Leah Aharoni, a founder of the group, called Women for the Wall, which helped organize the Orthodox women’s prayer. “They have a voice. They’re not subjugated, ignorant women.”

Founded less than three months ago, Women for the Wall has emerged as the public face of the traditionalists vying to maintain the status quo at the Western Wall, where rules mandate separation of the sexes and restrict the ability of women to lead public prayer groups.

Women for the Wall was able to bring a critical mass of women to the site that far outnumbered the several hundred people who showed up with Women of the Wall, and the traditionalist group was

able to physically block the renegade group from approaching the Kotel itself.

Women for the Wall performs a tricky balancing act between defending traditionalist values and using the language of women’s empowerment to oppose the objectives of a Jewish feminist group while presenting itself as an advocate for women’s rights.

In a community in which male rabbis often are the primary spokespeople, Aharoni hopes to galvanize Orthodox women to speak for themselves. But the success of the monthly prayer gatherings depends in large part on the endorsement and encouragement of those same rabbis.

The debate between the two women’s groups “is not a discussion between rabbis and women,” Aharoni says. “It is a conversation between women and women.”

Aharoni hardly fits the profile of what one might expect of an activist

West End Synagogue High Holiday ServicesÑOpen To All Join us for Services and meet…

Rabbi Joshua Kullock, our new rabbi from Argentina!

Cantor Beth Weiner, our guest and former cantor from Israel!

Erev Rosh Hashanah, Wednesday, September 4, 2013 Service begins at 6:00 p.m.

.,

First Day of Rosh Hashanah, Thursday, September 5, 2013 Service begins at 8:30 a.m.

Family and Student Services at 11:00 a.m. * Mincha and Tashlich in Centennial Park at 5:30 p.m.

.,

Second Day of Rosh Hashanah, Friday, September 6, 2013 Service begin at 8:30 a.m.

Family and Student Services at 11:00 a.m. *

., Kol Nidre, Friday, September 13, 2013 Service begins at 6:00 p.m.

opposed to the expansion of women’s rights at the Kotel. Formerly a member of the liberal Orthodox Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, a New York congregation led by Rabbi Avi Weiss, Aharoni, a mother of six, has participated in women’s prayer groups and runs a company that fosters female entrepreneurship.

Her issue is not Jewish feminism, but decorum.

“This site has 1,700 years of tradition,” Aharoni said of the Western Wall.

“It’s unthinkable for a small group to upset the tradition against the wishes of the overwhelming majority of worshipers. It doesn’t happen in the Vatican, in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, in Mecca or in Westminster Abbey. And it cannot happen here, either.”

As if to underscore that theirs is the majority view, Women for the Wall have joined in efforts to bring thousands of girls to the wall each Rosh Chodesh, when Women of the Wall gather to hold their service marking the beginning of the Hebrew month.

But Women for the Wall says it is not the primary catalyst for these shows of force. That distinction belongs to the haredi Orthodox leaders who have endorsed the initiative and asked Orthodox girls’ schools to send their students.

In May, thousands of girls filled the women’s section of the plaza and much of its larger back section. In July, they packed the women’s section again.

Numbers were down significantly in June, a decline attributed variously to final exams at the girls’ seminaries and police allegedly blocking women from entering the plaza.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told JTA that the barriers set up in June were meant to ensure only that Women of the Wall exited the space safely, not to block worshippers.

Barring a court ruling or legislative change, the monthly race between the groups is likely to continue each Rosh Chodesh (the next one falls on Aug. 7). And though the two groups do occupy some common ground - both sides reject violence and support women’s activism - both are choosing to continue the fight, with one side singing and the other silent.

“I think they’re trailblazing,” Women of the Wall chairwoman Anat Hoffman said of Women for the Wall.

“They’re women supporting the rabbis, but they’re expressing their opinions in the public square. We have our struggle and they have theirs, and God bless.” c

., Yom Kippur, Saturday, September 14, 2013 Service begins at 9:30 a.m.

Family and Student Services at 11:00 a.m. * Learners’ Service led by Sophie Rapoport Following rabbi’s d’var torah at ~ 11:30 a.m.

We hope to see you all then!

You can find the latest issue, past issues, plus streaming news updates and links to Jewish organizations at

West End Synagogue 3810 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37205 615-269-4592 Oȗce@WestEndSyn.org www.WestEndSyn.org

www.jewishobserver nashville.org

.,

* Separate services for Families With Young Children (preschool–1st grade), for children in grades 2–7, and for teens Please contact West End Synagogue oȗce for more information: 615-269-4592

10

The Observer is online!

August 2013 The Observer

The Observer August 2013

11

WAKE UP TO A SOUND THAT CAN CHANGE LIVES. This New Year, bring hope to people in despair. Nurture and sustain our Jewish community. Your gift to Federation makes it possible, all year long. Donate at www.jewishnashville.org.

Sherith Israel holiday meals

C

ongregation Sherith Israel has announced its annual Rosh Hashanah luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 5, at the conclusion of services. A sumptuous lunch will be prepared by Bobbie Limor.

Children under 4 accompanied by parents are free. For prices of adult meals, contact Janet Harris at the Sherith Israel offices (292-6614 or online at csi3600@comcast.net). An early-bird discount is in effect until Aug. 29.

Following the lunch, anyone interested in a brief Tashlich service is invited to walk together to the creek at the foot of nearby Carden Avenue, where we will “cast our sins in the depths of the sea,” and to ask Hashem to give us an even better year in 5774.

We read it in both English and Hebrew, and then cast some bread on the waters for the hungry fish. Little children sometimes don’t like the new-fangled idea of bread crumbs, so they use what they did in Egypt, Rome, and Babylonia: Cheerios - the good old-fashioned stuff!

A Friday night Shabbat dinner on Sept. 20 after Sukkot services will also be catered by Bobbie Limor. The community is invited. For pricing, please contact Janet Harris at the Sherith Israel offices (292-6614 or online at csi3600@comcast.net). An early-bird discount for this dinner is in effect until Sept. 13.

Children under 4 accompanied by parents eat free. c -- Mosh Koch

Woodlands continues as Kosher restaurant

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August 2013 The Observer

@jewishnashville

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oodlands, an Indian vegetarian restaurant on West End Avenue, will continue as a Kosher restaurant beyond its initial certification. "They intend to continue, so we will certify them until December 2013," Rabbi Saul Strosberg of Congregation Sherith Israel said in an email. The restaurant serves lunches and dinners and is closed on Mondays. c

HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH

New officers at B’nai B’rith Social Unit

B

’nai B’rith Social Unit of Nashville is pleased to announce their new officers for the 2013-2015 term: Larry Goldberg, president; Joyce Fox, vice president membership; Jackie Harrison, vice president programming; Paula Kirwan, secretary; Vickie Brod, treasurer.

Our Unit was founded in 1994 and

serves as a model for other B’nai B’rith social chapters nationwide. Our members are active adults age 50+ who conform to the values of Judaism and promote friendship and fellowship through social gatherings and Jewish education events.

For additional information, please contact Larry Goldberg, lgetal@msn.com or Joyce Fox, jdf3@comcast.net. c

Now Gen event combines business, pleasure

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ake plans to join NowGen Nashville and the Nashville Junior Chamber for an after-work networking session on

Thursday, Aug. 15. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. and takes place at Bar Louie, 314 11th Avenue South, in Nashville.

Bring business cards and a firm handshake! For more information, go to nowgennashville.org. c

HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH

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5774 The Observer August 2013

13

High Holiday Services 2013 . 5774 Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad

3 p.m. Youth service (5th grade – high school) 3:15 p.m. Young family service (birth – 4th grade)

Orthodox 95 Bellevue Road Nashville, TN 37221 Rabbi Yitzchok Tiechtel (615) 646-5750 www.chabadnashville.com

Afternoon services followed by Tashlich service and Birthday Party for the World

First night of Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 4 6:45 p.m. Candle lighting and service 7:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve dinner (Dinner reservations required: please visit www.chabadnashville.com)

Yom Kippur Saturday, Sept. 14 10 a.m. Morning service 1 p.m. Young Family service (birth-4th grade) 1 p.m. Youth Service (5th gradeHigh School) 1 p.m. Study session 2 p.m. Healing service 2 p.m. Study session 3:30 p.m. Afternoon service 5 p.m. Yizkor - memorial service, followed by Neilah - concluding service

First day of Rosh Hashanah Thursday, Sept. 5 9 a.m. Morning service 10:15–11:15 a.m. Children’s service 11:30 a.m. Shofar sounding 12:30 p.m. Mussaf 6 p.m. Tashlich, Percy Warner Park Light candles after 7:50 p.m.

Second day of Rosh Hashanah Friday, Sept. 6 9 a.m. Morning service 10:15–11:15 a.m. Children’s service 11:30 a.m. Shofar sounding 12:30 p.m. Mussaf Yom Kippur Eve Friday, Sept. 13 6:30 a.m. Light Yom Kippur candles 6:45 a.m. Kol Nidrei service Yom Kippur Day Shabbat, Sept. 14 9:30 a.m. Morning service 10:30–11:30 a.m. Children’s service 11:30 a.m. Yizkor memorial service 12 p.m. Mussaf 3:30 p.m. The Inner Circle 5:15 p.m. Mincha 6 p.m. Ne’ilah closing service 7:36 p.m. Havdalah service and “Break the Fast”

Congregation Micah Reform 2001 Old Hickory Blvd.

Brentwood 615/377-9799 Rabbi Laurie Rice Rabbi Flip Rice Erev Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 4 7:30 p.m. Erev Rosh Hashanah service Rosh Hashanah Thursday, Sept. 5 10 a.m. Morning service followed

by Tashlich service

14

Kol Nidrei Friday, Sept. 13 7:30 p.m. Kol Nidrei

Following Yom Kippur services, we will break the fast as a community (contact congregation for more information)

Congregation Sherith Israel Orthodox 3600 West End Ave. Rabbi Saul Strosberg (615) 292-6614 Erev Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 4 6:54 p.m. Candle lighting 7 p.m. Evening services First Day Rosh Hashanah Thursday, Sept. 5 8 a.m. Preliminary services 9:30 a.m. Torah reading 10:15 a.m. Rabbi’s address/ shofar 10:40 a.m. Musaf 12:45 p.m. Lunch (reservations required) 2:30 p.m. Tashlich at Richland Creek 6:45 p.m. Mincha/Maariv 7:50 p.m. Candle lighting Second Day Rosh Hashanah Friday, Sept. 6 8 a.m. Preliminary services 9:30 a.m. Torah reading 10:15 a.m. Rabbi’s address/ shofar 10:40 a.m. Musaf 6:45 p.m. Mincha/Maariv 6:51 p.m. Shabbat candles Kol Nidre Friday, Sept. 13 6:30 a.m. Shacharit 2 p.m. Mincha (6:30 p.m. Late Mincha)

August 2013 The Observer

6:41 p.m. Candle lighting 6:45 p.m. Kol Nidre Yom Kippur Saturday, Sept. 14 8:30 a.m. Shacharit 10:30 a.m. Torah reading 11 a.m. Rabbi’s address 11:20 a.m. Yizkor 11:40 a.m. Musaf 4 p.m. Reading of the Names 4:30 p.m. Mincha 6:15 p.m. Neilah 7:36 p.m. Shofar followed by Break-Fast

The Temple Congregation Ohabai Sholom Reform 5014 Harding Rd. Rabbi Mark Schiftan Rabbi Shana Mackler (615) 352-7620 Erev Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 4 7:30 p.m. Erev Rosh Hashanah service Rosh Hashanah Thursday, Sept. 5 9 a.m. Family service 9 a.m. Tot Yom Tov 10:30 a.m. Morning service 12:30 p.m. President’s Rosh Hashanah reception 12:45 p.m. Tashlich at the Creek Kol Nidre Friday, Sept. 13 7:30 p.m. Kol Nidre service Yom Kippur Saturday, Sept. 14 9 a.m. Family service 9 a.m. Tot Yom Tov 10:30 a.m. Morning service 12:45 p.m. Congregants hour 2 p.m. Afternoon service 3:15 p.m. Study hour 4:15 p.m. Yizkor and concluding service Break-Fast following concluding service (reservations required)

West End Synagogue Conservative 3814 West End Ave. Rabbi Joshua Kullock (615) 269-4592 Erev Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, Sept. 4 6 p.m. Service begins First Day of Rosh Hashanah Friday, Sept. 5 8:30 a.m. Service begins 11 a.m. Family and student services* 5:30 p.m. Mincha and Tashlich in Centennial Park Second Day of Rosh Hashanah Friday, Sept. 6 8:30 a.m. Service begins 11 a.m. Family and student services* Kol Nidre Friday, Sept. 13 6 p.m. Service begins Yom Kippur Saturday, Sept. 14 9:30 a.m. Service begins 11 a.m. Family and student services* 11:30 a.m. Learners service led

by Sophie Rapoport following rabbi’s D’var Torah During the High Holidays, Cantor Beth Weiner will be guest cantor.

She is a former West End cantor now living in Israel. *Separate services for families with young children (preschoolfirst grade), for children in grades 2-7, and for teens. Contact WES Office (615 269 4592) for more information

HAPPY

NEW YEAR

Le-Shanah Tovah Tikkatevu

Rosh Hashanah Greetings

Barbara & Ted Mayden

from the Herzogs, Drew, Risa, Vivian and Tess

"May the New Year offer the good fortune to make choices for healthy living that allows us the memory of the best of the past and gentle fulfillment of future dreams."

Dr. Fred and Martha Goldner May the New Year bring peace, prosperity and a world filled with laughter and love.

May you be inscribed for a sweet and good year!

Your friends at Congregation Beit Tefilah and Chabad of Nashville

A year of peace.

Times for fulfillment.

Moments of bliss.

May we all enjoy a blessed 5774.

Rabbi Joshua, Jessica, Iara, Abigail & Meital Kullock

Rabbi Saul Strosberg and Daniella Pressner & Cantor George Lieberman, extend warmest wishes for the New Year, in the spiritual and material senses, to our entire community, to all Israel and mankind, for a year of blessings - 5774

Wishing my family & friends a year of good health & happiness Betty Kirshner

Shana Tova Umetukah Bobbie & Alex Limor and Family

The Rice Family wishes the entire Nashville Jewish Community a Shanah Tovah! May it be a sweet and good year for all!

Dear Reader, This year may the sound of the Shofar clear your life of trouble, lift you up to great success and connect you to all that you hold dear.

With blessings for a happy, healthy sweet new year, R' Shlomo and Nechama Rothstein, Chabad at Vanderbilt

L’shanah Tovah from Lisa Silver Music Director/Cantorial Soloist at Congregation Micah

HAPPY NEW YEAR Leslie, Howard, Alison, Andrea & Jamie Kirshner

L’Shana TovahTikkatevu Jackie and Howard Tepper

From Our Family To Yours FOR THE 5774th TIME Wishing you a Sweet and Blessed New Year.

Rabbi Yitzchok and Esther, Tzivi, Bassie, Levi, Chana and Sarah Tiechtel

Shana Tova

Gene and Reva Heller

Wishing you a year of blessings and peace.

Shanah Tovah u’Metukah!

Shana & James Mackler Hannah and Sylvie

Rabbi Mark and Harriet Schiftan, and our children Ari, Sarah Rose, and Jacob Schiftan wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy, and peaceful New Year.

L’shana Tova U’metuka!

May your 5774 be filled with sweetness, joy and many blessings.

Cantor Tracy Fishbein

Have a Healthy, Happy New Year!

ROSH HASHANAH GREETINGS

MERYL AND KEITH KRAFT

Jill and Judge Dan Eisenstein The Observer August 2013

15

Shanah Tovah from Hadassah!

Join us in making a difference … in Israel, the USA and the world!

®

Happy Rosh Hashanah The Temple Congregation Ohabai Sholom

For more information, please contact Victoria at 646-7918 or vmeltz@bellsouth.net

Rosh Hashanah Greetings!

Warmest wishes for a healthy New Year!

Sherith Israel West End Synagogue Wishes You A Very Happy New Year

May your name be written in the Book of Life 3810 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37205 615-269-4592 www.westendsyn.org

Leon Tonelson

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Gwen and Frank Gordon and Family

Thank you for such a warm and generous welcome. With wishes for a Healthy and Prosperous New Year for all!

Leslie M. Sax From Our Family to Yours!

L’Shana Tovah Sy, Diane, Michelle and Alyssa Trachtman

HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH Sylvan Park Shell and International Deli Alex Torban

With Gratitude to such a Generous, Spirited, Supportive and Loving Jewish Community.

Thank you to all and wishes for a Very Happy New Year!

Carrie and Garrett Mills

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Kathy Carlson

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August 2013 The Observer

L’Shana Tova to all of our dear friends in Nashville…

We are so proud to call this wonderful Jewish community our home.

May the year of 5774 be a good and healthy one for all of you.

Mark S. Freedman and Leslie J. Klein

Shana Tova U’metukah to the wonderful Jewish community of Nashville and to all in Israel From Hadar Community Shlicha

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Marcia & Lee Stewart

We Wish the Nashville Community a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.

From The Amsels The Hanais The Kogans “May G-d who makes peace in the heavens, grant peace to us and to all our people; and let us say, Amen.”

-Oseh Shalom

The Community Relations Committee (CRC) wishes you a Shanah Tovah Tikkatevu.

Irwin Venick CRC Chair

Abbie Wolf Director of Community Relations

The Observer August 2013

17

On behalf of the Officers, the Board of Directors and the Staff of the Jewish Federation we wish you, your family and friends a happy, healthy and sweet New Year.

Andrew May, President Mark S. Freedman, Executive Director

18

August 2013 The Observer

Something old, something new for Rosh Hashanah tables

By HELEN NASH NEW YORK (JTA) – Nearly 30 years ago, when my first cookbook was published, I wrote that kosher cooking wasn’t just about traditional recipes like gefilte fish and chopped liver, that you could make gourmet meals and international dishes using kosher ingredients.

Since then, many new kosher ingredients have become readily available, making all kinds of fusion cuisine even easier to prepare. Some of these ingredients include vinegars, oils, mustards, Panko bread crumbs and a larger selection of cheeses.

But traditional recipes also have their place, and Rosh Hashanah is a great time to use them. There is something about ushering in the New Year with old family recipes that is very satisfying. I do, however, introduce one or two new dishes to make it more interesting for my friends and family with whom I celebrate every year.

For dinner on Rosh Hashanah, I like to begin my meal with Chopped Chicken Liver. This traditional dish brings me back to my Eastern European roots and my guests love it. The version offered below is incredibly easy to make and actually tastes like a pate.

Another traditional favorite is Honey Cake, moist and light with a touch of sweetness. It freezes well but also can stay fresh in the fridge for many days.

Here’s a new dish for Rosh Hashanah lunch: Chicken Rolls with Orange Sauce. The sauce adds some sweetness to the chicken, which is perfect for the holiday. The dish can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature.

Broccoli with Panko, the flaky Japanese bread crumbs, is a delicious side dish that can be served with the chicken rolls. Panko is lighter and crunchier than ordinary breadcrumbs. When toasted, they transform an ordinary vegetable into something quite special. This dish also can be made in advance and served at room temperature.

These are just a sampling of the many delicious recipes featured in my latest cookbook, “Helen Nash's New Kosher Cuisine” (Overlook Press). I hope they help make your preparations a little easier and your holiday more enjoyable. Shanah Tovah!

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER Makes about 1 1/2 dozen hors d’oeuvres or 8 appetizer servings For an hors d’oeuvre, I like to serve on whole-grain crackers, toasted potato bread, cucumber slices or endive petals.

For an appetizer, I like to place sliced radishes and sliced cucumbers on the plate as accompaniments.

1 pound chicken livers 1/3 cup vegetable oil 4 medium onions, coarsely chopped 4 large eggs, hard-boiled and quartered 2 to 3 tablespoons sherry Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the broiler. Set the rack in the broiler pan and cover it completely with foil.

Remove from the livers any green spots, which are bitter, as well as any

fatty particles.

Make a shallow “basket” with a piece of heavy foil, crimping it at the corners so that the liquids don’t spill out.

(See notes on techniques in “Helen Nash’s New Kosher Cuisine,” page 351.)

Set the basket on the broiler rack and arrange the livers inside. Place the broiler pan in the oven (or broiling unit), as close as possible to the heat source. Broil for about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Cool.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until brown. Cool.

Place half the onions, livers and eggs in a food processor and pulse, adding sherry through the feed tube, until the mixture is moist and almost smooth.

Transfer the first batch to a container and repeat the process. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

and place it on a piece of cling wrap.

Remove the stems from the spinach leaves and flatten the leaves so they will roll easier. Line each breast with 3 spinach leaves and one-fourth of the filling. Starting with the narrowest end, roll the breast up (not too tight!) until it looks like a log. (I use the cling wrap to facilitate the rolling.) When the breast is rolled and completely enclosed in the cling wrap, twist the sides and close them with a metal tie. Refrigerate if not using right away.

To cook the rolls: Bring the chicken rolls back to room temperature, if necessary. Place them in the basket of a

bamboo steamer. Set the basket over a large pot or wok, whose bottom third has been filled with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Cover and steam over high heat for 9 to 10 minutes, turning the rolls once. Cook until the chicken has turned pale pink inside. Turn off the heat and let rest, covered, for 1 minute.

To serve: Remove one of the ties and, holding the other end, slip each roll onto a plate. Pour off the accumulated juices. Cut each roll on the diagonal into 3 pieces. Place the pieces on a dinner plate or serving dish. Reheat the sauce and spoon the hot sauce over the pieces.

Continued on page 20

CHICKEN ROLLS WITH ORANGE SAUCE Makes 4 servings This is similar to Chicken Rolls with Mushrooms but with a more distinct Asian flavor. I serve it as the main course for dinner or as one of several dishes on a buffet table.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each (Ask the butcher to butterfly the chicken breasts and pound them thin.)

12 large spinach leaves Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Filling 1/2 cup raw sushi rice 3/4 cup cold water 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Orange Sauce 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated 3 to 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons honey Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper To make the filling: Place the sushi rice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Season with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix well and cool.

To make the sauce: Bring all the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small enamel-lined saucepan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make the rolls: Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast on both sides

The Observer August 2013

19

Something old, something new for Rosh Hashanah tables Continued from page 19

BROCCOLI WITH PANKO Makes 4 servings 1 small bunch broccoli, about 3 stalks 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Separate the broccoli into florets and set the stems aside for another use.

Steam the florets until they are bright green but still crisp to the bite.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic and saute over low heat for a few seconds. Add the Panko and stir until golden. Add the broccoli and combine well.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

HONEY CAKE Makes 2 loaves, each serving 12 I could not resist sharing this heirloom honey cake recipe. Following tradition, I make it every Rosh Hashanah.

2 tablespoons unsalted margarine, for greasing the pans 2 1/3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting the pans 2 large eggs, room temperature Scant 2/3 cup sugar 1 cup strong brewed tea (made with 3 tea bags), cooled 1/3 cup vegetable oil

20

August 2013 The Observer

1 cup honey 1/2 medium-ripe banana, thoroughly mashed Grated zest of 1 navel orange 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Grease two 5- by 9-inch loaf pans with margarine and dust with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Invert the pans and tap to shake out the excess flour.

Place the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer bowl. Using the balloon whisk attachment, beat them at medium speed, gradually adding the sugar until the mixture is pale and bubbles appear, about 5 minutes. Lower the speed and beat in the tea, oil, honey, banana, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves. Combine thoroughly.

With a rubber spatula, gradually fold in the flour, baking powder and baking soda, combining well after each addition. No traces of flour should be visible.

Pour the batter evenly into the two pans. Bake the pans side by side, without touching, on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes.

Increase the heat to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes on a wire rack. Run a metal spatula around the sides of the pans to loosen the cakes. Invert each pan onto a serving plate.

Note: These cakes freeze well. Wrap them individually in wax paper, then in foil, and place in plastic freezer bags. c

Going to the source of Rosh Hashanah sweetness

By EDMON J. RODMAN LOS ANGELES (JTA) – Here’s the buzz about Rosh Hashanah: Beyond a congregation or family, it takes a hive to have a holiday. You may have your tickets, new dress or suit and High Holidays app, but without the honey in which to dip a slice of apple, where would you be?

We wish each other “Shanah tovah umetuka,” “Have a good and sweet New Year.” To further sweeten the calendar change we eat honey cake – even Martha Stewart has a recipe – and teiglach, little twisted balls of dough boiled in honey syrup.

Little do we realize that to fill a jar or squeeze bottle containing two cups of the sticky, golden stuff, a hive of honeybees must visit 5 million flowers.

For most of us, the honey seems a somehow natural byproduct of the cute, bear-shaped squeeze bottle that we pick up at the store. But for beekeeper Uri Laio, honey is like a gift from heaven.

His motto, “Honey and Beeswax with Intention,” is on his website, chassidicbeekeeper.com.

“Everyone takes honey for granted; I did,” says Laio, who is affiliated with Chabad and attended yeshiva in Jerusalem and Morristown, N.J. Not wanting to take my holiday honey for granted anymore, I suited up along with him in a white cotton bee suit and hood to visit the hives he keeps near the large garden area of the Highland Hall Waldorf School, an 11-acre campus in Northridge, Calif.

It takes a village - of bees After three years of beekeeping – he also leads sessions with the school’s students – Laio has learned to appreciate that “thousands of bees gave their entire lives to fill a jar of honey.” In the summer, that’s five to six weeks for an adult worker; in the winter it’s longer.

It’s been an appreciation gained through experience – the throbbing kind.

“It’s dangerous. I’ve been stung a lot.

It’s part of the learning,” Laio says. “The first summer I thought I was going into anaphylactic shock,” he adds, advising me to stay out of the bees’ flight path to the hive’s entrance.

“It’s dangerous. I’ve been stung a lot. It’s part of the learning. The first summer I thought I was going into anaphylactic shock.”

California beekeeper Uri Laio Drawing on his education, Laio puts a dab of honey on his finger and holds it out. Soon a bee lands and begins to feed.

“Have you ever been stung?” he asks.

“A couple of times,” I answer, as Laio uses a hand-held bee smoker to puff in some white smoke to “calm the hive.”

After waiting a few minutes for the smoke to take effect, and with me watching wide-eyed, he carefully pries off the hive’s wooden lid.

Half expecting to see an angry swarm of bees come flying out like in a horror flick, I step back.

Busy as a…

“They seem calm,” says Laio, bending down to listen to the buzz level coming from the hive. “Some days the humming sounds almost like song.”

The rectangular stack of boxes, called a Langstroth Hive, allows the bee colony – estimated by Laio to be 50,000 – to efficiently build the waxy cells of honeycomb into vertical frames.

As he inspects the frames, each still holding sedated bees, he finds few capped cells of honey. The bees have a way to go if Laio is going to be able to put

Chabad to offer locally baked round challahs, sweet honey cakes

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ore than Jews have kept the Sabbath,” wrote Ahad Ha'am, “the Sabbath has kept the Jews.” And one way the Sabbath meal is elevated is by blessing two loaves of challah. Busy families often can’t bake their own challah, and locally baked kosher challah has not been readily available, but that’s all changing starting this Rosh Hashanah.

Chabad of Nashville announced it has commissioned professional baker Melissa Sostrin to bake her signature delicious round challahs and honey cakes for the High Holidays, and will continue offering challah and other kosher baked goods every Friday, throughout the upcoming Jewish year.

“I loved my Aunt Bernice's banana cake-grandma Eva's recipe- and I wanted to make it for my seventh birthday,” Sostrin said in an email to the Observer.

“I have only missed one year since then.

Baking bread, cakes and sweets for people is therapeutic, artistic, and a way to connect people to the simple indulgences of childhood or sophisticated ones of adulthood.

“I started challah making because of

economics,” she continued. “I used to buy it in New York but it got more and more expensive so I decided to do it myself.”

A preview tasting at a recent TGIS Shabbat dinner garnered rave reviews.

Crystal Gimesh, a regular customer of Melissa, told Chabad, “Melissa’s challah is the best I have ever had, and the foundation by which I can’t help but measure all others. Her custom cakes are not only artistic, they are delicious as well. They have completely spoiled my family, and my kids will not taste the store-bought concoctions.”

Tradition tells us that on Rosh Hashanah we eat round challah bread, to symbolize the circle of the life and the cycle of a new year. According to the Kabbalah, the challah is also in the shape of a crown because we refer to God as royalty several times throughout the holidays. Many Jewish households make honey cakes on Rosh Hashanah as another way to symbolically express their wishes for a Sweet New Year.

A variety of round Challahs and honey cakes are available to order for the High Holidays. For more information, or to place your order, please call (615) 752-0639 or email chabadchallah@gmail.com . c

up a small number of jars for sale, as he did last year for Rosh Hashanah.

According to Laio, hives can be attacked by ants, mites, moths and a disease called bee colony collapse disorder that has been decimating hives increasingly over the last 10 years.

Pesticides contribute to the disorder as well as genetically modified plants, he says.

Underscoring the importance that bees have in our lives beyond the Days of Awe, Laio calculates that “one out of every three bits of food you eat is a result of honeybee pollination.”

Laio practices backwards or treatment-free beekeeping; so called because he relies on observation and natural practices and forgoes pesticides or chemicals in his beekeeping.

The resulting wildflower honey – Laio hands me a jar to try – is sweet, flavorful and thick, tastier than any honey from the store.

calm in stressful situations,” he says.

“People are fascinated with it. I can’t tell you how many Shabbos table meals have been filled with people asking me about bees.”

On the Sabbath, Laio likes to sip on a mint iced tea sweetened with his honey -- his only sweetener, he says.

“In the Talmud, honey is considered to be one-sixtieth of manna,” says Laio, referring to the “bread” that fell from the sky for 40 years while the Israelites wandered in the desert. “The blessing for manna ended with ‘Min hashamayim,’ ‘from the heavens,’ and not ‘min haaretz,’ ‘from the earth.’ ” With the honey-manna connection in mind, especially at the Jewish New Year, Laio finds that “all the sweetness, whatever form it is in, comes straight from God.” c Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles.

Contact him at edmojace@gmail.com.

Not everyone can be a beekeeper He says it takes a certain type of character to be a beekeeper.

“You need to have patience. Be determined. Learn your limitations. Be

Punt the pomegranate: Five seriously new fruits for Rosh Hashanah

By BINYAMIN KAGEDAN JNS.org

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et’s be honest, people—it’s 2013, and with rows of bottled pomegranate juice lining every convenience store refrigerator, the sight of those hundreds of little red stains-to-be on Rosh Hashanah night is just all too humdrum. So when you usher in the Jewish New Year with a new fruit this holiday season, why not treat your family to one of these uber-exotic natural delicacies? That is, if you can find them (and afford them).

Ackee The ackee is native to tropical West Africa, and was imported to Jamaica in 1778, where it now holds the rank of national fruit. A relative of the lychee and similar in taste and consistency, the ackee’s fruit is soft and white and grows around three large, dark seeds. Ackees are generally cooked and canned before being sold, with good reason: Eating an unripe ackee can result in a bout of the very bluntly named Jamaican vomiting sickness.

Kiwano Also known as the horned melon, jelly melon, hedged gourd, blowfish fruit, or my personal favorite, the African horned cucumber. The kiwano is native to Africa but now grows in California, Chile, Africa, and New Zealand. Its flesh is bright green and jelly-like, and tastes like a cucumber with a hint of citrus. The peel can also be eaten and is rich in Vitamin C and fiber. Kiwanos can be eaten raw or cooked, juiced and mixed into lemonade, or even turned into gourmet ice cubes!

Mangosteen If you’re like me, the name of this fruit conjures up the image of a family of stubborn and misinformed GermanJewish farmers. Thankfully, the mangosteen is actually a tasty and widely desired fruit that grows almost exclusively in

Thailand. Mangosteens are renowned for their delectable flavor and fresh fragrance, which prompted one botanist to say, “The mangosteen only has one fault; it is impossible to eat enough of it,” according to Mangosteen.com. Fresh mangosteens can be expensive and hard to find in the U.S., but the canned variety are easier to come by.

Jabuticaba The jabuticaba tree is very striking, its fruit growing in clusters up and down its trunk rather than hanging from branches. It is native to southeastern Brazil, and is somewhat of a cultural icon for peoples of that region. The jabuticaba fruit is usually eaten fresh, but because it starts to ferment only three or four days after being picked, is also widely used in jams, wines, and liqueurs.

Despite being deliciously sweet and chock full of anti-oxidants, the jabuticaba has not gained much popularity outside Brazil, as its very brief shelf life makes it impossible to export efficiently.

In other words, good luck finding a fresh one outside Sao Paolo.

Squared watermelon Not only do these really exist, you can actually grow them in your backyard (see YouTube for the instructional video).

Whether they should count as a new fruit is debatable, however. The secret of squared, or cubic, watermelons is that they are really just regular watermelons grown into square-shaped glass boxes. An enterprising farmer on the Japanese island of Shikoku developed this method about 20 years ago to make the large, cumbersome melons easier to store. Today, the product is fashionable among the elite of Tokyo and Osaka and can be purchased for a mere 10,000 yen (about $83, or 16 round watermelons). c Binyamin Kagedan has an MA in Jewish Thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

The Observer August 2013

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5773 Year in Review: War, peace, values, debate

By URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA) -- In 5773, the religious wars just would not go away.

In Israel, elections that extended Benjamin Netanyahu's tenure as prime minister delivered big wins to two antiOrthodox-establishment upstarts, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett. For the first time in nearly two decades, Israel's coalition government included no haredi Orthodox parties.

The Israel Defense Forces took concrete steps toward ending the draft exemption for haredi men. Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services agreed for the first time to allow non-Orthodox rabbis to serve in communal positions with state-funded salaries.

And the Reform and Conservative movements finally broke through years of apathy to get the Israeli government to consider changes to the Orthodox monopoly over ritual and prayer at the Western Wall, but there has been no movement beyond proposals.

In the United States, Yeshivat Maharat, a New York school for women founded four years ago to train Orthodox female rabbinic authorities, graduated its first class of Orthodox clergy, known as maharats. The Supreme Court granted federal benefits to same-sex couples and struck down a California law banning gay marriage in the state.

While Jewish liberals seemed to have a good year, Orthodox leaders and institutions found themselves on the defensive.

Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Yona Metzger, was arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering.

Yeshiva University, the flagship institution of Modern Orthodoxy, became the subject of a $380 million lawsuit by former students alleging that two rabbis who used to teach at the Y.U. high school for boys in the 1970s and '80s committed hundreds of acts of sex abuse. When Y.U.’s chancellor, Rabbi

Norman Lamm, announced he was stepping down, he apologized for mishandling the allegations when he was university president.

The Satmar hasidic community in New York became embroiled in its own sex scandal when it lined up to support an unlicensed therapist from Brooklyn charged with the repeated sexual assault of a female teenager in his care.

Even after Nechemya Weberman was found guilty and sentenced to 103 years in prison, the community's support did not waver. Rather, Satmar leaders inveighed against the victim and her supporters. A few days after the trial, a hasidic assailant threw bleach in the face of a community rabbi, Nuchem Rosenberg, who advocates for victims of sex abuse.

But to extrapolate a storyline or trend from these disparate events could be folly.

For one thing, the Orthodox sex scandals might be more about the dawning of a new age of reckoning on sex abuse than the prevalence of sexual misdeeds among Orthodox Jews.

More-traditional Jewish communities?

And for all the triumphs that Jewish liberals saw this year, demographic trends suggest that the Jewish communities in the United States and Israel are growing less liberal.

Data released in January from the 2011 Jewish population study of New York showed that two-thirds of the metropolitan region’s Jewish population growth over the last decade occurred in two haredi neighborhoods in Brooklyn. While there hasn’t been a national Jewish population study in more than a decade, the data from America’s largest Jewish community suggest that Orthodox Jews, with their high birthrates, will represent an everlarger proportion of the American Jewish community.

“The traditional population of American Jews has high fertility and the non-Orthodox population as a group is well below replacement level,” New York University sociologist Steven M. Cohen, one of the researchers who conducted the study, told JTA. “So American Jewry, with no other change, will become increasingly traditional in the years to come.”

While fertility rates among nonOrthodox Israelis are not as low as those of American Jews, they lag far behind those of Orthodox Israelis.

The relative size of Israel’s haredi community as a share of Israel’s total population is expected to double by 2020, to 16 percent.

In Israel, the culture wars between haredi and non-haredi have focused on the haredi draft exemption and the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly over marriage.

The haredi establishment has mostly succeeded in protecting the status quo on both those counts, notwithstanding changes in the draft law. And when the 150 or so electors charged with choosing new Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis went to the polls in July, they rejected the reformist favorite David Stav and instead elected two haredim, David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, the sons of former chief rabbis.

Wrestling with values In the American Jewish community, the battle has not been between denominations but over Jewish values.

Is it a Jewish value to support the right of gays to marry or does the practice contravene Jewish ethics? Should Jews be advocating for greater government funding for private religious schools or fighting the use of taxpayer money in non-public schools? Should Jews press Washington to make a concerted push for Israeli-Palestinian peace or is such pressure right now not in Israel’s best interests?

The divisions among American Jews on these issues do not fall neatly along denominational lines.

Meanwhile, the American Jewish political divide appears slowly to be widening. Though Jews as a whole still skew heavily Democratic, in last November’s election President Obama dropped at least 6 points among Jews from 2008, winning an estimated 68 percent of the Jewish vote. The 2012 election also ushered in a Congress with fewer Jewish members than at any time since the 1990s.

The divides over politics and religion stood in sharp contrast to the relative consensus that held up through much of the year on international issues.

Israel's neighborhood There was practical unanimity on concern that Syria’s civil war not spill over the border, that instability in Egypt not turn the Sinai Peninsula into a breeding ground for Islamic militants, that Iran be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons capability, that the European Union enforce its decision to designate Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization.

But external threats did not dominate communal discourse in 5773. There wasn’t the same public urgency on Iran as in past years. The Egyptian coup in July was less concerning for Israel than the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime ally Hosni Mubarak.

The Israeli-Palestinian relationship was marked more by the absence of progress than anything else -- until U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry managed to coax both sides back to the negotiating table in July. There was a mini-war in Gaza in November 2012 that lasted eight days and resulted in the deaths of some 150 Palestinians and six Israelis, but after that Israel’s border with Gaza was mostly quiet.

It was tragedy in the United States that left the community with lasting scars. Late last October, a massive storm surge generated by Hurricane Sandy battered communities, synagogues and Jewish schools up and down the Northeast coast. UJA-Federation of New York convened an emergency meeting to authorize $10 million for rebuilding efforts, many of which continue today.

Elsewhere in the world Outside of the United States and Israel, the big Jewish stories included the banning of Jewish ritual slaughter in Poland and a new German law regulating ritual circumcision; a controversial exhibit at Berlin’s Jewish museum dubbed “Jew in a box” and a new Jewish museum in Warsaw; a much-criticized deal between the Argentinean and Iranian governments to investigate the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing; sex abuse scandals in Australia; concerns about far-right movements in Hungary and Greece, and the appointment of a new chief rabbi in England.

There was some good news here: None of these stories were about major Jewish calamities.

To be sure, the Jewish people suffered tragedies in 5773 – from natural disasters, from Gaza rocket fire. But for a people obsessed with survival and accustomed to attacks, the absence of mass casualty events in 5773 made it a remarkable year as much for what did not happen as for what did. c

Turkey frees bird accused of Mossad ties JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Turkey released a bird it accused of working for Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

The bird was set free in late July following an X-ray examination that determined it was not equipped with a microchip or other bugging device, the Hurriyet Turkish daily newspa-

22

August 2013 The Observer

per reported.

Turkish authorities had detained the bird after residents of the Altınavya village had become suspicious upon finding a metal ring around its leg stamped with the words “24311 Tel Avivunia Israel.”

The tag reportedly was placed on the bird in order to track migration routes. c

Get Connected makes a difference for Israelis, Americans

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his year’s Get Connected events brought together record numbers of Nashville students and their Israeli peers.

Thirty-one rising high school seniors from Nashville toured Israel for over two weeks in June, and the following month, nine Israeli students got to know life in Middle Tennessee, spending 17 days here. They and their chaperone stayed with local families.

Once again, the trip paired teenagers from Nashville with Israeli teens from the Hadera-Eiron region north of Tel Aviv. Hadera and Nashville (along with several other southeastern U.S. cities) participate in the Jewish Agency’s Partnership2Gether program of special exchanges and activities designed to help Diaspora and Israeli Jews build friendships and connections. The Get Connected program is in its sixth year.

For Nashvillian Sam Perlen, seeing

Israel was “everything I expected and more.” An emotional high point was praying at the Western Wall, where “everyone in the world is praying through us at the center of Judaism.” And watching American TV shows with Israeli teens and getting to know their families showed how much they shared in common.

Each of the Hadera students participated in the Damon Rose Leadership Program and were selected to come to a Partnership2Gether city based on how well they did in the program. Out of 80 students who started the leadership program, about 25 were chosen to participate. Initially, the Leadership program met once a week for 3 hours, then as the group was narrowed down, they met more often.

“Everyone’s greatest hope was to go to Nashville,” Edan Yonai said.

The students wanted to visit Music City because there’s lots to do here, they said. Some of the Israeli students had

American and Israeli students visit a Metro Fire Department station with firefighter Jay Cohen, left. He and other Americans firefighters visited Israel earlier this year on a special mission organized by Partnership2Gether.

been to the United States before but not to Nashville. On their to-do lists were laser tag, Dunkin’ Donuts and seeing downtown Nashville.

While in Middle Tennessee, the students worked for a week at Camp Davis, then met Mayor Karl Dean, toured the area and visited the Children’s Holocaust Memorial and Paper Clip

Get Connected teens from Hadera and Nashville decorated their own complimentary kosher cakes during the week the Israelis toured Nashville.

Project in rural Whitwell, Tenn.

Get Connected is highly subsidized through funding from the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, grants from the Mary and Harry Zimmerman Youth Exchange Endowment Fund, and additional donations. The cost to each teen to participate was kept under $1,000 this year. c

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The Observer August 2013

23

Israeli lawmakers agree to release Palestinian prisoners

Ready for the runway Carrie Mills and the girls who participated in her Fashion Camp at the Gordon Jewish Community strike a pose before taking the stage at Akiva School to show off their line of clothing. The girls created their own outfits and learned about showcasing a new look during the weeklong camp. PHOTO: KATHY CARLSON

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Cabinet voted to release 104 Palestinian prisoners as part of the renewed peace process. Peace talks were to resume on July 29, according to later reports, although it wasn't clear whether the talks would be procedural or substantive in nature.

Following late-night phone calls and several hours of debate, the Cabinet in a 13-7 vote backed the release of Palestinians jailed in Israel since before the 1993 Oslo Accords. Limor Livnat and Silvan Shalom of the ruling Likud Party abstained from the vote.

The release is scheduled to take place over nine months, with the first one in the coming weeks.

Initial meetings between Israeli chief negotiator Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erekat are scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Israeli-Arab prisoners included in the list of 104 will be released in the last group of prisoners, according to Haaretz.

A ministerial committee set up to manage the prisoner release is comprised of Livni, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, Science Minister Yaakov Peri and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch.

“This moment is not easy for me,” Netanyahu said before the vote. “It is not easy for the ministers. It is not easy especially for the families, the bereaved families, whose heart I understand. But there are moments in which tough decisions must be made for the good of the country, and this is one of those moments.”

Prior to the vote, hundreds of family members of the Palestinian prisoners’ victims and their supporters protested in front of the Knesset.

“Releasing murderers brings a lot of bereavement and it is a mark of disgrace against Israel,” Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, a member of the coalition government, told the protesters before the vote. “Anyone on the other side [the Palestinians] who today calls for the release of murderers and burners of children and women does not deserve to be called a partner.”

“Terrorists need to be wiped out, not released. We will vote against releasing murderers.”

The start of the meeting was delayed by about an hour as Netanyahu continued to work for support for the measure from his Cabinet ministers. c Editor's note: Go to jewishobserver nashville.org for updates from JTA.

4th Rosh Bash set for Sept. 7

I

t's not too early to plan to attend this year's Rosh Bash, to take place on Saturday, Sept. 7, in the penthouse of the City Club in downtown Nashville. The event - now in its fourth year - is organized by NowGen Nashville, J Mingle and the Vanderbilt Hillel graduate student group.

"It's a great opportunity for people returning to town and in town to get together and celebrate being Jewish and a new year," said Joel Abramson, community engagement associate with the Nashville Jewish Federation. Adi Raz is chairing the event.

The red carpet is back this year and cocktail attire is recommended. There's a charge to attend and it includes a drink. Food will be served. Hops and Crafts is donating beer and RED is donating wine for the party, which is for young Jewish professionals ages 22-40.

For more information, see nowgen nashville.org . c

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August 2013 The Observer

The Observer’s Annual

Travel & Leisure I S S U E

is Coming September 2013!

We will be highlighting travel products and services.

We know that you will want to be included in this issue.

Advertisers who contract a 1/8 page ad or larger can contact us for inclusion in articles pertaining to your business of up to 250 words.

Deadline for ads is August 15, 2013 Contact: Carrie Mills, Advertising Manager 615-354-1699 e-mail: carrie@nashvillejcc.org fax: 615-352-0056

The Observer August 2013

25

GJCC raffle winner Alan Franco gives back

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he winner of this year’s annual raffle at the Gordon Jewish Community Center, Alan Franco, doesn’t live in Nashville but the Nashville Jewish community will experience his generosity.

Franco, the current president of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, had his name pulled in the raffle drawing held during the pool/raffle party at the J on July 18. One thousand raffle tickets are sold each year at $100 each and give the buyer the chance to win a Lexus automobile or $35,000 in cash.

The GJCC said in a statement that it is extremely grateful that Franco has decided to donate a portion of his winnings back to the facility. In communication with new GJCC Executive Director Leslie Sax, Franco had this to

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say about his commitment to Jewish community: “Clearly I am committed to the Jewish world.

I also believe a vibrant J e w i s h Community cannot survive without a vibrant Alan Franco JCC. Growing up in Mobile, Alabama, I witnessed firsthand what happens when a JCC goes out of business: Jews stop moving to your community.

“Because of my personal family roots in Tennessee, and many friends (Raymond and Nancy Jacobs, Fred Zimmerman), it was natural to give back.

But I look at my giving as a joyful exer-

August 2013 The Observer

cise, not based on guilt or obligation.”

Franco purchased his raffle ticket from GJCC board members Raymond and Nancy Jacobs. Franco currently resides in Metairie, La., but has long ties to the Nashville community.

He is an active member on the National Board of AIPAC and a past Board Member of the New Orleans JCC and the National World War II Museum

in New Orleans. He chaired the Jewish Leadership Forum from 2005-2006 and again in 2010.

The GJCC Annual Raffle is a fundamental piece of development the Center engages in yearly. It is with these pieces and thoughtful donations like Franco’s that the Center can continue to grow and be here for Nashville’s Jewish community for years to come. c

Akiva School offers youngsters well-rounded Jewish education

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kiva School is a high performing K-6 academic institution—a leader among Jewish day schools in the South. Akiva’s mission

is to pursue excellence, foster critical inquiry and inspire informed Jewish living. Akiva’s graduates are consistently accepted into the most selective private middle and high schools, as well as the magnet options, and are recognized as leaders in both character and academic achievement.

The rigorous curricula in general and Judaic studies challenge students to analyze, investigate, question, and to take risks. Smaller class sizes are maintained to provide a nurturing atmosphere that meets individual students’ needs.

Classes include but are not limited to: mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, Jewish studies, Hebrew language, music, dance, art, and physical education. Graduates are consistently praised for critical thinking skills, and their ability to articulate their thoughts as well as listen and learn from their peers’ opinions. Most students graduate Akiva fluent in Hebrew and are able to seamlessly analyze and understand highlevel texts in both Hebrew and English.

Akiva students take part in extracurricular activities, in after-school clubs, as well as sports teams. Our crosscountry and swim athletes are consistent high performers in area competitions.

Akiva is also proud to host the annual Math Olympics in Nashville, an event known to be one of the finest Middle School math competitions in the area.

Our goal is that all families, regardless of affiliation, feel welcome at Akiva.

We take pride in the diversity of our student body and respect each family’s decisions regarding religious observance.

We would love to share our school with you. Please call or email Marci Rosenblum to schedule a tour 615-356-1880 or mrosenblum@akivanashville.net. c

Works of four local artists on display in August

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mong the four artists whose works will be shown this month at the Gordon Jewish Community Center are a mother and daughter, a scientist and a counselor. Their works will be on display throughout August and a reception for the artists is set for Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 7-9 p.m. at the GJCC. Gallery and Studio Magazine has described Eva Sochorova's paintings as "gemlike" and "beautifully melded colors and geometric forms in the manner of the Russian Constructivists, albeit with softer, more lyrical paint handling." She received the "Best in Show" prize at the 2011 Temple Arts Festival.

Sochorova was born in Prague, raised in East Germany and received her art degree from Central Washington State University. She has taught art at the Watkins Art Institute and in the Metro Nashville Public Schools. "I paint because I like and need the process of painting - throwing myself into it, losing it all (which takes a lot of courage), finding it again (sometimes)," she says in her artist's statement.

Stephanie Bonovich, Sochorova's daughter, was born in Giessen, Germany.

She grew up in Central Washington state and Nashville, where she attended Watkins School of Art and Design.

While the medium has changed over time—moving from weaving to stained glass and now to watercolor—the focus of her work has always been color. She lives in Knoxville, with her husband, their two children and their two dogs.

Her paintings "often involve the creation of dissonance between unsettling aspects of the narrative and the

harmony of color and form—like waking up on a beautiful spring morning and reading the newspaper or spending an otherwise pleasant afternoon with someone you are not sure you really like," she says in her artist's statement.

Artist D. Michael Hirkala holds a doctorate in chemistry from MIT and came to Vanderbilt University in 1994 as chairman of the chemistry department..

Throughout his scientific studies and professional life he has maintained a strong interest in the manner in which science and mathematics can be expressed in color, he writes in an artist's statement. His abstract works focus on the interaction of form and color and most have a specific scientific/mathematical basis, as noted on the placard beside each one. Some are puzzles, challenging the viewer to come up with a solution. Some show the use of color and form to illustrate abstract thoughts or moods. Others are “serendipitous” and playful use of form and color.

His “retirement” from Vanderbilt affords him more time to pursue his artistic endeavors. He is a member of the Tennessee Art League.

Lori Gilmore has experimented with water color and acrylic paint since college at UC Santa Barbara. In 2004, she began studio art classes with the wellknown artist Charles Brindley. Inspired by the tree studies her teacher was known for, she gravitated toward expressionistic acrylic paintings of the beauty she found in nature. More recently her work has expanded to capturing people children at play, and moods and emotions of teens and adults.

She is a licensed professional counselor. c

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T

he Nashville Jewish Film Festival is teaming with the Belcourt Theatre to co-sponsor a single showing of the film "Hannah Arendt," released this year and directed by Margarethe von Trotta.

The film will be shown at the Belcourt on Monday, Aug. 5, at 6:30.

The biopic uses footage from the

the

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The Observer August 2013

27

lifecycles B’nai Mitzvah Brandon Kyle Coleman will be called to the Torah on Saturday, August 17 at West End Synagogue.

Brandon is the son of Janet Schklar Coleman of Nashville and Jeff Coleman of Texas. He is the grandson of Nadine Schklar Kyle and the late Jonas Brandon Coleman Schklar of Nashville and Ann Coleman of Arkansas and the late Don Coleman of Oklahoma.

For his Bar Mitzvah project, Brandon collected sports equipment for Children are People, Inc. This organization assists at-risk children by developing in them academic and life skills to produce responsible, self-sufficient adults who contribute to their community. He also collected food items for the Second Harvest Food Bank, which provides food for our hungry neighbors here in Middle Tennessee.

A graduate of Akiva School, Brandon now attends Martin Luther King Academic Magnet School.

Brandon enjoys sports, all things electronic and hanging out with family and friends.

He is delighted that his family and friends will be sharing this simcha with him.

Benjamin David Guzman will be called to the Torah at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Congregation Micah.

Benjamin is the son of Laurie Guzman and the big brother of Evan Parker Guzman. He is the grandson to Fred and Eileen Miller of Barnegat, N.J., Judy Benjamin David Guzman Miller, and the late Benjamin and Isabel Guzman.

Benjamin is an eighth-grader at Freedom Middle School in Franklin. He is an all-around great student with a love for science and social studies. His true love is baseball; when not at school, you can find Benjamin playing baseball all year round.

He is a dedicated team player for the Franklin Rec League and will soon play on Freedom Middle School baseball team. He pitches, and plays first and third bases. He also loves to swim and skateboard.

Benjamin is truly a mensch. He serves and unknowingly performs mitzvahs often if not almost daily. He tutors fellow students in math and social studies throughout the year. He participated and raised several hundred dollars in supplies and money in the Backpack Project for less fortunate during religious school at Congregation Micah with Rachel Kenyon’s class; he participated in the JServe program this year.

For his ultimate Mitzvah Project, he has requested that baseballs and nolonger-wanted baseball equipment be brought to his Bar Mitzvah so he can donate them to local charities such as United Way of Williamson County and the Boys and Girls Club. He wants to share the opportunity to experience the blessings, the lessons, great fun, and incredible mentors that baseball has brought to him.

28

Levi Tiechtel celebrates his Bar Mitzvah on Shabbat, Aug. 24, at Congregation Beit Tefilah Chabad. Levi will read from the Torah at 10:30 a.m., and recite a Chassidic discourse at the Shabbat Kiddush luncheon following the Musaf service.

Levi is the son of Levi Tiechtel Rabbi Yitzchok and Esther Tiechtel, from Chabad of Nashville. Along with his parents, he celebrates with his sisters Tzivi, Bassie, Chana and Sarah, and loving grandparents Rabbi Shlomo and Shana Tiechtel of New York, and Rabbi Eli and Rochelle Cohen of Montreal.

Levi looks forward to sharing his special day with his uncles, aunts, cousins, and the Nashville Jewish community.

Levi has recently concluded seventh grade in the Shluchim Online School. In honor of his Bar Mitzvah he has mastered the study of 12 chapters of the Book of Tanya by heart, all in Hebrew.

Levi also excelled in the study of 14 pages of the Talmud in Aramaic.

Levi is an avid juggler, plays the keyboard, is a young chef, loves to swim, and enjoys flying planes on Google Earth in his free time. Levi is also being trained to be a Jr. Rabbi by his father.

For his Chesed project, Levi will be hosting a Shabbat dinner for a group of soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces in the holy city of Chevron, Israel, and will also become a member of the B’nai Tzedek program of the Jewish Foundation of Nashville.

Graduations Congratulations to Second Lieutenant Mia E. Gwirtsman on her graduation on May 29 from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Col. She is the daughter of Harry Gwirtzman of Nashville and Sandra Fox of Murfreesboro, Mia E. and the sister of Gwirtsman Benjamin and Gabriel Gwirtsman. Her grandparents are the late Joseph and Helen Gwirtsman and Fred and Doris Fox. Mia is a 2009 graduate of Blackman High School in Murfreesboro. She majored in military and strategic studies and was named outstanding element leader and outstanding flight commander for basic cadet training. She will begin pilot training next month.

Honors and awards Becky Cohen will receive the Nancy Saturn Award of Inspiration from Gilda's Club Nashville at the organization's 15th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, Aug. 3 at the Hutton Hotel.

The award recognizes her years of support to Gilda's Club Nashville and the many ways in which she inspires others living with cancer. To purchase tickets or for more information, please contact Sandy Towers, Sandy@gildasclubnashville.org or (615) 329-1124.

Lauren Brisky, Hope Stringer and Hedy Weinberg are among seven area women who will be inducted into the YWCA's 2013 Academy for Women of Achievement. They will be honored at the 22nd annual Academy for Women of Achievement celebration and induction

August 2013 The Observer

dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. Brisky, formerly vice chancellor, administration and chief financial officer of Vanderbilt University and Medical Center, currently chairs the board of trustees of Simmons College. Stringer chairs the board of The Conservancy for the Parthenon and Centennial Park. Weinberg is executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee. The event will also honor Dr. Vera Stevens Chatman, professor, Vanderbilt University's Peabody College; Becky Harrell of KraftCPAs PLLC; Tennessee State Rep. and House Speaker Beth Harwell; and Davidson County Clerk Brenda Wynn. Tickets and tables can be purchased before Oct. 11 by calling (615) 983-5110; for more information, visit www.ywcanashville.com.

Synagogue, West End Synagogue Sisterhood, Hadassah, National Council of Jewish Women and the Gordon Jewish Community Center. Her longevity can be attributed to her kindness, her warmth and her ready smile. Her family thanks her longtime caregivers and friend, Annissa Garrison, and her outstanding team of caregivers from Loving Care Home Health Care Services. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the general fund at West End Synagogue or to the American Cancer Society.

Sympathy

... to the family and friends of Maurice Raphael, 93, who died on July 8.

Mr. Raphael was married for 68 years to Phyllis Rose (Phrose) Seligman Raphael, who survives him. Additional survivors include his daughter, Elaine (Gus) Kuhn, Gina Kuhn and David Kuhn. Mr. Raphael was born in 1920 in Arkansas.

His family moved to Bastrop, La., when he was 8, and there he met his future wife. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 1940 and enlisted in the Marines the following year, participating in the original landing at Guadalcanal. After he and Mrs. Raphael married, he joined his father-in-law and brothers-in-law as partners in Seligman's Inc., a Bastrop department store. Over the years, he was an active member of Temple B'Nai Israel, the Henry S. Jacobs Camp and other organizations. Memorials may be made to Temple B'Nai Israel, the Henry S. Jacobs Camp or the charity of your choice.

... to the family and friends of Jay L. Cohen, of Maryland City, Md., brother of West End Synagogue member Mark (Robin) Cohen, who died on July 15 in Washington, D.C. Mr. Cohen is also survived by his niece, Jennifer Cohen. … to the family and friends of Franda Patricia Ervin, who died on Sunday, July 14. She is survived by her son Mark (Laura) Ervin and grandchildren Annabelle, Tucker, and Talon Ervin. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Franda's memory to the American Cancer Society ... to the family and friends of Dr. Samuel J. Simon, who died on July 13 at the age of 87. Dr. Simon, a lifelong resident of Nashville, owned Simon Vision Centers & Visionary Eyeworks. He was a member of The Temple, a 33rd Degree Mason, member of the West Hi Boys and a former president of Woodmont Country Club. Dr. Simon was preceded in death by his parents, Emma and Jacob Simon. He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Sally; beloved daughters, Robin (Mark), Wendy (Steven), Elizabeth (Carl); grandsons, Jason, Adam, Jacob, Eric; and brother, Herbert. The family requests that contributions be made to Alive Hospice or a charity of your choice. ... to the family and friends of Fannye Gordon Davis, who died on July 11 at age 99. Mrs. Davis was the daughter of the late Esther and Ben Gordon. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 58 years, Alvin Davis, and five sisters. She is survived by her sons, Nathan (Paula) Davis of Tampa, Fla., and Bruce (Melissa) Davis, and her cherished grandson, Justin G. Davis. She is also survived by many members and generations of her extended family. Mrs. Davis attended the old Tarbox Elementary School, followed by Peabody Demonstration School. She was a businesswoman and was among the first to conduct private estate sales in Nashville in 1958. She retired in 1985 to care for her husband, Alvin, who had suffered a stroke. She lovingly cared for him until his death 11 years later in 1996. Mrs. Davis was a lifelong member of West End

... to the family and friends of Sara Caplan, of Bedford, N.Y., who died on July 8. She was 105. Ms. Caplan was born on Nov. 23, 1907 in New York City.

Services were held at the West End Synagogue Cemetery in Nashville.

… to the family and friends of Ted Seloff, who died on July 7 in Dallas. Mr. Seloff was preceded in death by his brother, Leonard Seloff. He is survived by his sister, Evelyn Beyer; sister-in-law Charlotte Seloff; nieces Sharon (Moises) Paz and Eileen Rosenblum; and nephew Herb (Diane) Seloff. … to the family and friends of Irene Kenigson, who died on June 21 at her home in Ithaca, N.Y., at age 87. Mrs. Kenigson, the daughter of the late Jack and Ruth Ginsberg Hyman, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and became a longtime resident of Nashville. Irene attended a special trade school to learn Spanish and international law. She later became a licensed bilingual storyteller, which was her passion.

Irene and her therapy dog Hannah visited libraries, hospitals, schools and hospices.

Irene was deeply loved by all who knew her and children everywhere called her Grandma Irene. Survivors include her sister, Harriet; sons Ronald (Terry) Kenigson and Roger (Kathy) Kenigson; daughter Leslie (David) Daniels-Gardner, grandchildren Jonathan, Jessica, Rachel, Matthew, Lisa and Noah; and great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins. In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made to Hospicare, 172 E. King Rd., Ithaca, in Irene’s memory.

To access the Community Calendar, go to www.jewishnashville.org and click on “Calendar.”

Every community event is listed for your convenience.

around the town Atlanta-Nashville reunion party

a one-night Israeli dance workshop on Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Schulman Center for Jewish Life on the Vanderbilt campus. Dany Benshalom and Ruthy Slann will conduct the workshop.

This is a special opportunity to learn great dances, meet people, exercise aerobically and participate in an enjoyable, stress-reducing activity.

The workshop takes place from 7-11 p.m. There's a charge to attend (discount with student ID) and refreshments are included. For directions, parking, home hospitality and other information, please contact Judy Given at (615) 403-8663 or given223@bellsouth.net. The group's web site is www.vanderbilt.edu/israelidance.

A Nashville reunion is being planned for Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 79 p.m. at the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Atlanta. There’s a charge to attend that will cover wine and heavy hors d’oeuvres. To RSVP and to receive an e-vite with full information, contact Jan Wise at (770) 594-1292.

Israeli Folk Dancers hold workshop The Nashville Israeli Folk Dancers and Vanderbilt University Hillel present

Judaic Art program seeks applicants

T

he American Guild of Judaic Art is inviting students to participate in an international program to teach young people to create Judaic art. It’s called “The Judaic Visual Arts On-Line Mentoring Program For Students Grades 7-12” and the deadline to apply to participate is Nov. 1.

AGJA artists volunteer to mentor student artists in an online venue. The program aims to reach young people who express a sincere interest in learning how to create Jewish art.

Membership in the AGJA is not required for admission to the program; it is sponsored and funded by the AGJA at no cost to student artists or their par-

ents. The program embraces special needs students as well.

Student artists will be selected based on the following criteria: • Student artists, grades 7-12, submit a formal application to the program.

• Student artists and their parents agree to adhere to the rules governing the AGJA mentoring program.

• Qualified students are selected on a first-come basis.

Guild mentor/artists serve on the admissions committee, offering input in the selection of students for the program.

To request a formal application, contact Julie Braley, Administrator, American Guild of Judaic Art, office@jewishart.org. Write “student artist application” in the subject line. The AGJA web site is www.jewishart.org. c

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The Observer August 2013

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30

August 2013 The Observer

has been bringing our community the latest Jewish news and features from Nashville and beyond for more than 70 years.

W

ith all the talk about failing newspapers, we want to assure you, once again, that we plan to be appearing in your mailboxes on a regular basis. In addition, we now are online at www.nashvillejewishobserver.org, in an easy-to-read format. But, as with most things, our costs are rising, especially for printing and mailing. We continue to look for ways to reduce our expenditures in whatever way we can.

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP! Now, more than ever, our annual OBSERVER PATRON CAMPAIGN could spell the difference between an 8-page paper or a 12-16-page paper; between only black and white photos or color photos; between no national or international/Israel features or ample coverage of the issues that affect our Jewish community, here and abroad.

The Observer brings you Lifecycles, information about all of our congregations and organizations, about community programs, interesting people and events.

This is not available anywhere else in Middle Tennessee, because it is OUR community newspaper.

PLEASE HELP US KEEP ALL THE NEWS FLOWING TO YOU. In this issue, you will find an envelope with which you can make a tax deductible donation to the Observer Patron Campaign.

There are several categories: Publisher for $150 Editor for $100 Reporter for $50 Actual cost for $25 THANK YOU! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING OUR COMMUNITY FOR MANY MORE YEARS

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31

Have a happy and sweet New Year

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2013.

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August 2013 The Observer