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25 SHEVAT 5776 • FEBRUARY 4, 2016 • VOLUME XXXVII, NUMBER 3 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY

Applications for 2016 summer Israel programs available

BY JUDITH L. STANDER Families with teenagers planning trips to Israel this summer can now request application forms for financial assistance from the Jewish Federation of Central New York. Contact Judith Stander at 445-0161, ext. 114, or jstander@jewishfederationcny.org.

The local Israel Experience Grant Program is supported by the estate of the late Helen Millstein. Established to assist students with some of the expenses related to first-time organized travel to Israel, the fund was created with the

help of Sheldon and Mateele Kall.

The Isaiah and Rosalind Wolfson Scholarship Fund commemorates the life of active members of the Syracuse Jewish community. The family continues to help send area youth on trips to Israel through their ongoing support of the Wolfson scholarships, which are administered by the Jewish Federation of Central New York. The application process includes a scheduled interview between the teenager, representatives of the Wolfson family and the Federation.

It functions primarily as a needs-based

fund to help underwrite some of the expenses related to the planned group trip to Israel.

The Federation leadership has said it believes in encouraging teenagers to travel to Israel. Organizers feel that an organized youth group trip can establish “a strong experience base for growth and involvement with one’s own Jewish identity.” The trips are typically sponsored by national or international Jewish youth organizations and must be approved by the Federation.

Students must be current high school

students and have completed at least the 10th grade of a Jewish education program or expect to complete it by this spring. This can be done through the Federation-supported Rabbi Jacob Epstein High School of Jewish Studies or an equivalent program at an area congregation.

The deadline for submission of all paperwork is Monday, April 11, at noon.

To receive an application, contact a congregational rabbi or education director; or contact Stander at 445-0161, ext. 114, or jstander@jewishfederationcny.org.

Iowa caucuses: Your Jewish guide to the presidential candidates

BY RON KAMPEAS WASHINGTON (JTA) – On February 1, Iowans gathered to launch the 2016 presidential election with an arcane ritual – the caucuses.

In living rooms and meeting halls throughout the state, caucus-goers will group themselves into clusters according to which presidential candidate they favor. By the end of the day, two real-life winners will emerge: not a “leader in the polls,” not a “likely front-runner,” but the Democrat and Republican who will have secured Iowa’s delegation to the parties’ respective conventions in the summer.

Iowa’s delegates, which come as a bloc, account for just 1 percent or so of the national total. But their selections will be the first substantive results in what has been a raucous and unpredictable campaign, rife with speculation, especially on the Republican side.

A week and a day later, voters in New Hampshire will cast ballots in a more straightforward process, and by the late hours of February 9, the race will truly be on – with the media in hot pursuit. At JTA, the question is what it has been for nearly a century: What does all this mean for the Jews?

In that spirit, here’s a look at the leading candidates – their Jewish friends, family, advisers and donors, their stances on Israel and their Jewish-related controversies.

THE REPUBLICANS DONALD TRUMP, 68, REAL ESTATE MAGNATE, REALITY TV STAR Jewish cohorts Trump’s daughter, I v an k a, is married to Jared Kushner, the Jewish publisher of the New York Observer and, like her, the child of a real esDonald Trump tate magnate. She (Photo by Tom underwent an Orthodox conversion Pennington/Getty before marrying, Images)

and the couple are raising their children Jewish. Donald Trump, a billionaire with a natural gift for generating free publicity, has yet to tap major donors, but given his New York origins and his professional fields – real estate and show business – it’s not surprising that some of his closest associates are Jewish. One of his leading proxies in the media is Michael Cohen, the Trump Organization’s Jewish executive vice president.

Stance on Israel Trump, who as a negotiator made his name playing his cards close to the chest, declined in December to commit to recognizing all of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, explaining that doing so could pre-empt any bid for Israeli-Palestinian peace. That earned him boos at the Republican Jewish Coalition presidential forum. In January, he said he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Like the other GOP candidates, he does not like the Iran deal, but he is one of several who has refused to say he would scrap it outright. He also wondered at the RJC event whether Israel has the “commitment” to make peace.

Controversy Trump’s Republic Jewish Coalition forum appearance made headlines less for his refusal to embrace right-wing proIsrael doctrine than for his joshing with the audience about how skilled everyone in the room was at making money. He likes compliments, and has retweeted flattery, even when it seemingly comes from white supremacists. He has also slipped a couple Nazi symbols into tweets, before pulling the posts down and claiming oversights.

He has also achieved the neat trick of uniting pretty much the entire Jewish spectrum in condemnation of his proposals to ban Muslim entry into the United States, shut down some mosques and create a Muslim registry.

TED CRUZ, 45, TEXAS SENATOR Jewish cohorts Much has been written in recent days about the four billionaires funding Cruz’s insurgent candidacy; none of them are Jewish. But Sheldon Adelson, the ca-

sino magnate and GOP kingmaker, says he and his wife have yet to settle on a candidate, and while Adelson favors Marco Rubio, Miriam Adelson favors Cruz.

Ted Cruz (Alex Cruz has not Wong/Getty shied from cultiImages) vating Jewish fundraisers. He made headlines last spring when, despite his strongly conservative bona fides, he met with two Jewish and gay hoteliers. The “gay” part is what made headlines, but the hoteliers’ pro-Israel interests is what led to the meeting. Cruz’s point man in the Jewish community is Nick Muzin, a rising young political player and an Orthodox Jew. Stance on Israel Cruz says he would scrap the Iran nuclear deal and move the embassy to Jerusalem as soon as he enters office.

He says he also would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend his first State of the Union address. Cruz has cultivated the pro-Israel right, appearing at Zionist Organization of American events and organizing an anti-Iran rally on Capitol Hill last summer.

Controversy Cruz has taken to bashing neoconservatives, blaming them for overseas interventions – including the Iraq War – that he says have weakened America.

He also has insistently disparaged “New York values.” Some see his references to both groups – neoconservatives and New Yorkers – as coded attacks on the Jews.

His supporters cry nonsense, saying his issue is with policy and values.

MARCO RUBIO, 44, FLORIDA SENATOR Jewish cohorts Norman Braman, a South Florida car retailer, has been Rubio’s principal backer since his days in the Florida Legislature and employs Rubio’s wife, Marco Rubio Jeanette Rubio, at his family’s chari- (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty table foundation.

Sheldon Adelson is Images) said to favor Rubio, although he has yet to commit, and late last year, Rubio secured the backing of Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire who is deeply involved in pro-Israel funding.

As far as those neocons Cruz is running away from, Rubio says bring them on and seeks their advice. He has consulted with Jewish thinkers and Republican administration veterans Elliott Abrams, Robert Kagan and Eric Edelman. He also has met with Henry Kissinger, President Richard Nixon’s secretary of state.

Stance on Israel Rubio says he would move the embassy to Jerusalem and scrap the Iran deal. His campaign website has an Israel page and it faithfully reflects right-wing pro-Israel talking points.

Controversy Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Jewish chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, slammed Rubio for attending a fund-raiser at the home of Harlan Crow, who collects Nazi art.

Rubio fired back with outrage of his own and by most accounts came out on top in the exchange.

See “Candidates” on page 8

C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A February 5................5:04 pm.................................................. Parasha-Mishpatim February 12..............5:13 pm......................................................Parasha-Terumah February 19..............5:22 pm...................................................... Parasha-Tetzaveh

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Praying at the Wall

Super Sunday

In a Paris suburb...

Israel’s gov’t OKs a compromise to More than 100 volunteers helped High crime rates and antisemitic expand the non-Orthodox Jewish raise more than $75,000 at attacks have caused many Jews Federation’s Super Sunday. prayer section of the Kotel. to flee a Paris suburb.

Story on page 6 Story on page 5 Story on page 12

PLUS Simcha & Party Planning..... 9 Calendar Highlights............. 10 B’nai Mitzvah......................... 10 Obituaries................................11

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776

Alan Gross opens up about surviving Cuban prison, selfies

BY SUZANNE POLLAK (Washington Jewish Week via JTA) – Since being imprisoned in Cuba six years ago, Alan Gross says his life has been “surreal.”

He feels disassociated from the causes of his five-year incarceration and from the resulting fame. He was locked up largely because of U.S.-Cuba relations, he says, and he is a public figure thanks to the people who followed his story in the news or advocated on his behalf.

“It never was about me,” Gross said in an interview in his Washington, DC, condominium. “My life became surreal the night I became detained, and it still is today. I don’t quite understand the celebrity function.”

That doesn’t mean he isn’t grateful to the people who signed petitions or gave media interviews demanding his release.

Gross credits them with bringing him back to the United States, via Andrews Air Force Base, on December 17, 2014.

When he was arrested in 2009, Gross was working as a U.S. government subcontractor setting up Internet access for Cuban Jews. “It is illegal to distribute anything in Cuba that is funded in full or in part by the U.S. government. That’s why they detained me initially,” he said, insisting that his Jewish background or work had nothing to do with it.

Gross says once the Cuban government realized he could be used as a bargaining chip in its diplomacy with the U.S., he was stuck. While he wasn’t physically tortured, he suffered in other ways. “They threatened to hang me, pull out my fingernails,” he said. “They told me I would never see the light of day.”

Gross stayed busy by walking around

the cell he was locked in 23 hours a day, drawing pictures and creating word puzzles. During his incarceration, he said, he often recalled a scene from the television show “M*A*S*H” in which one character taunts another, who was confined to his tent as a punishment, by stepping in and out of the tent. “I thought about that almost every day, the ability to step in and out,” Gross said. “The freedom, that’s what I missed every day. Freedom is an incredible thing to lose.”

For the first several months, Gross wasn’t allowed reading materials. Later, visitors brought newspapers and his family sent books and the Economist magazine.

He rarely saw fresh fruits and vegetables, eating a lot of chicken and rice – as well as potatoes, yucca and malanga. Due to poor nutrition, he lost several front teeth, which he keeps in a small container in his

office. “I think I lost about 70 pounds the first year, and the next three years, another 40 pounds,” Gross said.

He had limited contact with his family.

His wife visited about every seven months.

One daughter, who lives in Oregon, came about six months before his release. His other daughter, who lives in Jerusalem, he never saw.

For the first three and a half years in jail, he didn’t know people were working for his release. He was amazed to learn of the Washington Jewish community’s weekly vigils for him during a visit from his wife and attorney.

When he was finally given access to a phone, Gross called Ron Halber, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.

They didn’t know each other, but Gross See “Gross” on page 7

A MATTER OF OPINION Frustration with Israel is growing here at home

BY GARY ROSENBLATT Reprinted with permission from The New York Jewish Week Even as Israel endures daily “lone wolf” attacks from young Palestinians prepared to die for the cause of spilling Jewish blood, American Jewish leaders confide that generating support for the Jewish state is becoming increasingly difficult these days – even within the Jewish community, and especially among younger people.

In contrast to the widespread emotional identification shown for Parisians and others around the world who have been attacked by Islamic militants, it is hard to find much empathy out there for Israelis seeking to go on with their lives amidst the prospect of violence they face each day.

In a series of private conversations in recent days with a variety of professionals who make their living advocating for Israel and Jewish causes, I was struck by a consistent theme I heard: deep concern about Israel’s future and its relationship with Diaspora Jewry. There was a feeling that the political and diplomatic situation is getting worse as Israel is increasingly isolated on the international scene – even spied on by the U.S., we learned recently.

Closer to home, efforts by the last Knesset to liberalize positions on personal religious status – on such issues as conversion, marriage, divorce and women’s prayer at the Kotel – have been reversed by the current coalition in Jerusalem. That is one more signal to the great majority of American Jews, who are not Orthodox, that they are seen as second-class Jews in the eyes of the state of Israel they are urged to support.

I share these worries about a weakening of our identification with Israel. The hard fact is that Israel’s leadership is moving in a direction at odds with the next generation of Americans, including many Jews, who want to see greater efforts to resolve the Palestinian conflict and who put the onus for the impasse on Jerusalem. It is not only President Obama who feels that way. The fastest growing segments of American society – women, young people, blacks and Latinos – are less supportive of Israel than the previous generation, according to polls.

A young professional with extensive experience in countering the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel at colleges tells me, “It’s

just not cool to be Jewish on campus today,” especially if that means identifying with Israel at a time when the Mideast’s only democratic state is cast as a pariah, accused of apartheid. Liberal students quick to respond to discrimination against blacks and other minorities somehow fail to identify with the only Mideast society that proudly supports rather than punishes gays and lesbians. That leaves little room for progressive Jewish students who back Israel’s right to exist. While some of their elders scorn them for criticizing Israel’s policies regarding Palestinians and the occupation of the West Bank, their classmates shun them for identifying with Israel at all.

Federation executives worry privately that when the generation of major funders who vividly remember Israel’s struggle for statehood and the anguish of the 1967 and 1973 wars passes from the scene, raising substantial dollars for the Jewish state will be that much harder.

“It’s very complicated” making Israel’s case, the execs say, and they’re right. In part that’s because Israelis are no longer seen as our poor cousins, asking for a handout. Indeed, their economy is booming, even though the huge gap between the “haves” and “have nots” is worrisome, especially given the ongoing and rapid growth of the Israeli Arab and haredi communities, lowest on the income scale.

In part, it’s because Israel’s Chief Rabbinate seeks to set religious standards ever higher rather than show compassion for the hundreds of thousands of Russianspeaking Israeli citizens who would seek conversion. The situation is creating a substantial threat to Israeli cohesiveness and damages the longstanding image of Israel as a compassionate society that mirrors our own Western values and Jewish ideals.

Of course, these perceptions of Israel today are not the full picture. They do not credit a vibrant Israeli democracy functioning in a region that has become increasingly chaotic, lawless, violent and threatening since the woefully misnamed Arab Spring. These critical views do not account for: courageous young men and women who serve their remarkable IDF with skill and commitment; a society whose Arab and Israeli citizens, overall, coexist day-to-day with civility and respect; and a nation whose accomplishments in the areas of technology, medicine,

CORRECTION In the December 10 and January 21 issues of the Jewish Observer, the ad for Dr. Joseph Catania Orthodontics had an incorrect address listed. The correct address is 7000 E. Genesee St., Bldg C, Lyndon Office Park, Fayetteville, NY 13066. The JO apologizes for the error and any confusion it may have caused.

science and water are the envy of the rest of the world.

But while many of us take pride in Israel as a “Start-Up Nation,” we cannot ignore that it is also known at home for its “Lock-Up Leadership” – soon to have a former prime minister joining a former president behind bars as a result of differing forms of corruption at the highest levels of government.

Israel is not a perfect society, and those of us who seek to make its case err when we try to portray the Arab-Israeli conflict in black-and-white terms. The more we recognize and acknowledge the complexity of the clash, and the fact that Israelis themselves are divided on how to resolve it, the more credibility we will have in putting forth Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state.

Whether or not it is fair, the strong perception today is that the Israeli government is moving further right, and intransigent, at a time when the rest of the world is fed up with the Israel-Palestinian impasse, seeing no hope for a resolution in the foreseeable future. (And bear in mind that there are no term limits in Israel, and there is

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no political figure left of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen as capable of besting him at the polls.)

Jewish leaders here are expressing deep, if so far private, frustration over the lack of action on Jerusalem’s part to improve its image, if not its strategic position. One national leader told me he’d like to fly to Israel with a group of his top colleagues to try to convince Netanyahu in dramatic fashion of the need for “a plan, any plan” to break the impasse.

But that is not likely to happen, and, of course, the views of American Jewish leaders have long been known to the prime minister. Netanyahu and his government will continue to make decisions based on their own narrow and immediate political interests, and we can only hope they will coincide with national interests as well.

Our job remains to show support for Israel, if not all its policies, and to emphasize its remarkable achievements and importance in a chaotic, hostile region.

But our job is getting harder with each passing day.

Gary Rosenblatt is editor and publisher of The New York Jewish Week.

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AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK JCC of Syracuse to hold February break vacation camp February 15-19

BY WILLIAM WALLAK Children will have an opportunity to attend the upcoming February break vacation camp for school-age children, from kindergarten-sixth grade, at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. The camp will be offered from Monday-Friday, February 15-19, from 9 am-4 pm, at the JCC, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt. Early and late care will extend each day

from 7 am-6 pm, and half-day programs will be offered most days.

Children may attend just one day or all five. Fullday campers are asked to bring a non-meat lunch. An afternoon snack will be provided.

Erin Hart, the JCC’s assistant director of Children and Teen Services, said, “We have so many fun and entertaining activities lined up for the kids. Each day

PJ Library

The PJ Library will hold a tikkun olam mitzvah day on Sunday, February 7, from 1-3 pm. Participants will focus on “healing the world” and helping the people around them. Participants have been asked to bring toiletries to donate to Operation Soap Dish, as there will be a special guest at the event. The program is designed for all ages, including babies to children 8-years-old and older.

The PJ Library Central New York chapter is a program of the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of ®

Syracuse and is supported by the Pomeranz, Shankman and Martin Charitable Foundation, Jewish Federation of Central New York, Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse, Syracuse Hebrew Day School, Temple Adath Yeshurun and Temple Concord. The PJ Library in Central New York serves children from 6-months-8-years-old in Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. For more information and to sign up, visit www.pjlibrary.org or e-mail Carolyn Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org.

The Cuddlefish win 2016 JCC Battle of the Bands

BY WILLIAM WALLAK Eight bands performed for four hours at the 14th annual Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse high school Battle of the Bands, held on January 16 at the JCC. The young musicians in this year’s concert played a variety of sounds and musical styles before a crowd of 350 in the Neulander Family Sports and Fitness Center’s Schayes Family Gymnasium. In the end, the Cuddlefish, an alternative ska band from Onondaga High School, was declared the winner.

“We put on another great Battle of the Bands show,” said Mick Hagan, JCC’s director of children and teen services. “More bands this year meant more music to the delight of the audience. We had such an awesome group of young artists play again this year. Many thanks go out to the bands, judges, event sponsors and everyone who came out for a rocking good time.”

In addition to bragging rights, The Cuddlefish received a $200 cash prize, a prize pack from Gorham Brothers Music, eight hours of studio time at More Sound Recording Studio and the opportunity to play in an upcoming JCC 2016 spring showcase concert.

The Cuddlefish is a mostly alternative ska band that blends different musical styles, including punk rock, jazz and pop. They came in second place in last year’s Battle of the Bands, which was their first gig together.

This year they returned with the same lineup and were dressed in bright, colorful dress shirts and ties. The fivepiece band was credited as having sounded “tighter and more polished” this year. They played original pieces and covered songs from other bands during their winning set, closing with “Come and Get It” by Selena Gomez. They attribute this year’s success to experience.

Bassist and lead vocalist Garrit Peck said, “This year, we got some more originals and that really helped us out a lot.

We practice all the time. We’ve been playing out at places.

We’ve grown as musicians, all of us individually... Being able to gel as a band, that’s helped us more than anything.”

will be jam-packed with a variety of age-appropriate arts and crafts, games, sports and more. We’ll also be taking a field trip to the Skaneateles Community Center to go swimming.”

The camp will feature various indoor and outdoor activities, along with special theme days, such as “Wild, Wild West,” “bounce-a-palooza” and “theater day.” All campers should bring winter clothing for daily outdoor activities, weather permitting, including waterproof pants, coats, hats and gloves. Sneakers are required to play in the gym.

The camp’s half-day options, when available, will run from 9 am-noon and 1-4 pm. Early registration pricing and a discount for siblings are available through February 8.

Membership or JCC program enrollment is not necessary for children to attend the February Break vacation camp.

Registration is discounted for JCC members.

For more information and to obtain a registration form, call 445-2360 or visit www.jccsyr.org.

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Wednesday, February 3............... February 18 Wednesday, February 17................... March 3 Wednesday, March 2....................... March 17 Wednesday, March 16..................... March 31

THE JCC, CONG. BETH SHOLOM & TEMPLE CONCORD, GLADLY ACCEPT DONATED VEHICLES THRU C*A*R*S (a locally owned Manlius company) “giving to your own”

(it’s what you do best)

L-r: Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse Director of Children and Teen Services Mick Hagan posed with 2016 Battle of the Bands winning band, The Cuddlefish, which includes members Ryan Cass, Max Marcy, Joe Russo, Noah Dardaris and Garrit Peck.

MIKE LESSEN 256-6167 donatecars@twcny.rr.com Charitable Auto Resource Service In our 12th year of enriching the religious sector

The Cuddlefish’s other band members are Ryan Cass on keyboard and vocals; Noah Dardaris on drums; Max Marcy on lead guitar; and Joe Russo on trombone. Marcy, Dardaris and Peck have been playing together for four to five years. All five bandmates are best friends and have known each other since they were little children.

“Thanks to all the other bands that played – they’re phenomenal,” said Peck. “We met some great people tonight and I got to see some cool people that I haven’t seen in a while that I actually knew from the other bands.

And thanks to the JCC and the judges. You guys hold this thing every year and that takes a lot.”

The other bands that participated this year were Sun, from Baldwinsville; Posted, from Marcellus; Decent, from Lafayette; Cosmic Pineapple, from Christian Brothers Academy and Jamesville-DeWitt; 5 Head, from Henninger, Cazenovia and Jamesville-DeWitt; and Vivid See “Bands” on page 5

Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu FEBRUARY 8-12 Monday – cheese quiche Tuesday – hot corned beef sandwich Wednesday – Hawaiian chicken Thursday – shepherd’s pie Friday – salmon with dill sauce FEBRUARY 15-19 Monday – vegetable lasagna Tuesday – chicken marsala Wednesday – imitation crab cakes Thursday – stuffed cabbage Friday – roast turkey The Bobbi Epstein Lewis JCC Senior Adult Dining

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Program at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center offers Va’ad Ha’ir-supervised kosher lunches served Monday-Friday at noon. Lunch reservations are required by noon of the previous business day.

There is a suggested contribution per meal. The menu is subject to change. The program is funded by a grant from the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth and the New York State Office for the Aging, with additional funds provided by the JCC. To attend, one need not be Jewish or a member of the JCC. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Cindy Stein at 445-2360, ext. 104, or cstein@jccsyr.org.

Visit the JO online at jewishfederationcny.org and click on Jewish Observer

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776

CONGREGATIONAL NOTES Temple Concord TEMPLE CONCORD TO HOST MUSICAL TRIO

BY LESLIE BROCKSMITH Temple Concord’s Regina F. Goldenberg Cultural Series will host a musical trio – violinist Peter Rovit, violist Arvilla Rovit, both of Symphoria, and Syracuse University professor and pianist Ida Trebicka – on Tuesday, February 16, at 7 pm. The event will include duets and trios for violin, viola and piano.

Arvilla earned bachelor’s and master’s of music from the Juilliard School of Music. Upon graduating, she was awarded the Norman Roland and Marilyn Pearl Special Achievement Award. Her husband, Peter, also studied at the Juilliard School, and was one of the last students of Josef Gingold at Indiana University. Trebicka has won numerous awards for piano.

Admission will be free and open to the public, and donations will be welcome. For more information, contact the TC office at 475-9952 or office@templeconcord.org.

FEBRUARY EVENTS A PJ Havdalah will be held on Saturday, February 6, from 6-7 pm. Two

events will be held on Sunday, February 7, at 9:30 am: a Sisterhood-sponsored tour of the TC art and antiquities, narrated by guest docent Betty Lamb, and a scholar series event at the same time with Syracuse Hebrew Day School Head of School Lori Tenenbaum, who will talk about SHDS and Jewish elementary education. Both events will be free and open to the public.

SAVE THE DATE: WINTER CANTORIAL CONCERT Temple Concord Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash, along with Cantor Lisa Doob, of Boston, MA; Cantor Brad Hyman, of Plainview; and Cantor Seth Warner, of St. Louis, MO; will perform a free winter cantorial concert on Sunday, February 28, at 7 pm.

Called “Our Favorite Things: Songs we Love to Sing,” the concert will be free and open to the public. Pianist Mary Sugar and Joe Eglash, a guitarist and bassist, will accompany the vocalists. Songs performed will be from numerous styles, including secular, spiritual, traditional, Broadway and more.

Temple Adath Yeshurun

Rabbi Paul Drazen read “The Mitten String” to families attending the Havdalah Happening on January 16 at Temple Adath Yeshurun.

L-r: On January 8, Temple Adath Yeshurun members Lisa Joseph, Carol Lipson, Alison Bronstein and JoAnn Grower helped prepare food for a Shabbat dinner hosted by the Women of Temple Adath Yeshurun. Approximately 100 people attended the dinner, which featured a BYOB kosher wine option.

Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas “THE QUESTION IS THE ANSWER! LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING TORAH” A lunch and learn will be held on Saturday, February 6, following Shabbat services at approximately 12:15 pm, at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas. Bob Tornberg will lead participants through a program intended to “help unravel the mystery of understanding Torah” and finding meaning “without necessarily coming up with the answer.”

The lunch and learn will be especially geared toward those who do not have much experience with the serious study of Torah, but it is also expected to be interesting for those who do.

Shabbat services begin at 9:30 am. Members of the community are welcome to attend services, the lunch and learn or both.

For more information, contact the CBS-CS office at 446-9570 or office@ cbscs.org.

WORLD WIDE WRAP AT THE SYRACUSE CONSERVATIVE DAILY SERVICE The Syracuse Conservative daily service at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas on Sunday, February 7, at 9 am, will feature participation in the annual World Wide Wrap, a morning where everyone is encouraged to learn more about the mitzvah of tefillin – the small, black leather boxes with straps that are traditionally worn during morning services – and how to put them on.

The program will begin with some information about tefillin, including what they are; how they are made and assembled; and what is some of their meaning. Veteran tefillin wearers will be present to help anyone who wants to try on tefillin, whether it is for the first time or if they have worn them before.

The 9:30 am service will focus on parts of the service that mention and involve tefillin. Following the morning service, CBS-CS Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone and some CBS-CS members will visit the CBS-CS classrooms to demonstrate tefillin and talk about them with CBS-CS Religious School students.

Prior to this event, on January 31, the 2017 CBS-CS b’nai mitzvah family program focused on tefillin, learning about its significance and participating in the Federation of Men’s Clubs’ “Build-a-Pair” program, where students made and decorated their own set of wooden tefillin.

The Syracuse Conservative daily service is held at Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450

Kimber Rd., Syracuse, on Monday-Friday at 7:30 am; Monday-Thursday at 5:30 pm; and Sunday at 9 am at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas. Members of the community are welcome at all services.

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION AND CHOLENT COOK-OFF Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas will hold its annual volunteer recognition service on Saturday, February 13. The service will be followed by a cholent cook-off, an event last held four years ago.

The first CBS-CS cook-off featured cholent, a traditional Jewish slow-simmered stew, served hot for Shabbat lunch.

This year, CBS-CS is holding the cook-off as part of its annual volunteer recognition Shabbat on February 13.

Volunteers are considered the “lifeblood of CBS-CS” and each year the synagogue seeks to acknowledge “the dedication and the different skills and talents its volunteers bring to the community.” The volunteer recognition Shabbat morning service is held every year on Shabbat Terumah, which recalls the gifts brought by the Israelites in the desert for the building of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary built after the Exodus from Egypt.

For centuries, Jewish families would pull out their cholent pot on Friday morning and prepare a mixture of beans, potatoes, whole grain and, if they could afford it, meat and bones. They would seal the pot, walk to the town bakery, and place it in the oven to slowly cook for 24 hours. After shul, someone would retrieve the cholent pot and bring it home for lunch.

SCIENCE AND JUDAISM Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Hazak will present Peter Saulson in a discussion on “The nature of time in physics and in Judaism: a dialog between Albert Einstein and Abraham Joshua Heschel” on Sunday, February 14, at 2 pm. Community members have been invited to learn about how “two of the greatest Jewish thinkers of the 20th century grappled with the enigmatic subject of time.” The program will aim to demonstrate how Einstein’s physics and Heschel’s philosophy of Judaism complement each other. The program will feature a mixture of text study and open discussion. No previous knowledge of Einstein’s or Heschel’s work will be required. Refreshments will be served.

See “CBS-CS” on page 5

L-r: Emma Kobasa, Aviyah Pepperstone, Lilly Sorbello, Sammy Kuss and Corinne Dushay practiced Havdalah during CBS-CS Religious School.

Members of the Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas ACHLA United Synagogue Youth chapter, their friends and advisor Sara Goldfarb posed in the kitchen of the Ronald MacDonald House after making meals for residents on January 10.

FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776 ■

JEWISH OBSERVER

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DO YOU KNOW? Your Federation dollars at work – JCC Senior kosher meals the meals to foster socialization

BY JACKIE MIRON and camaraderie.

The Allocations Committee The Sam Pomeranz Jewof the Jewish Federation of ish Community Center of Central New York awards Syracuse’s Bobbi Epstein community Program Fund Lewis Senior Adult Dining Grants annually during the fall.

Program offers seniors, ages The grants are available to all 60 and older, a nutritious and Jewish organizations, agencies well-balanced kosher lunch on and synagogues in the Central weekdays at noon for a nominal New York community. The Jackie Miron suggested contribution. It’s the funds come from Federation’s Annual Campaign and are given out in only senior nutrition program available amounts of $10,000, $5,000 or $2,500. The outside of New York City serving kosher Allocations Committee reviews the grant meals five days per week. During the sumrequests and makes recommendations mer, there is a dinner on Monday night and to the board, which then votes on the four lunches the remainder of the week, totaling 7,000 meals each year. Jewish recommendations.

The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community and national holidays are celebrated, Center has been awarded a $10,000 grant providing some senior citizens the only to help the Senior Kosher Meal Program opportunity to be with others. The setting continue to offer nutritious and delicious provides nutrition, socialization, camarakosher meals to seniors. Appropriate derie, as well as information, education Judaic programming is included during and entertainment.

Jewish and non-Jewish seniors are welcome, and participants range from all neighborhoods and synagogues. The program is funded in part by the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth and the New York State Office for the Aging and Administration for Community Living. Seniors are asked for a suggested contribution, which covers only part of the meal: but with the increasing cost of food and overhead, as well as the inherently higher cost of kosher food, the program runs at a large deficit.

In order to continue to meet the demands to provide such a valuable service and resource to the senior community, the Jewish Federation of Central New York is giving a one-time grant to defray a portion of the program’s cost for 2016. Feedback from the program has been extremely positive. Seniors describe the warmth of the atmosphere, the tastiness of the food and the wonderful friends and neighbors they

see while attending. Senior meal programs make it easier for people to stay in their homes as they age.

Comments from regular attendees include, “best meal in town,” “my favorite place to eat” and “fabulous food, fun and friendship.” Local news outlets covered the recent luncheon on New Year’s Eve Day on local television and in newspapers.

The mission of the JCC is to provide quality services and programming for all ages, and the JCC administration feels running the program at a deficit is its way of giving back and taking care of a generation many regard as “so important to the character of the community.” Keeping seniors engaged and connected, as well as happy and well-nourished, is considered vital to the community as a whole.

Your Federation dollars are helping and pleasing seniors, and we hope the program continues to be an asset to our community.

Western Wall prayer fight ends with historic compromise

BY BEN SALES TELAVIV (JTA) – Israel’s government on January 31 approved a compromise to expand the non-Orthodox Jewish prayer section of the Western Wall, putting to rest the decades-long fight between Women of the Wall and Israel’s haredi Orthodox religious establishment.

The deal achieves what had been an elusive goal: an interdenominational consensus on Judaism’s holiest site with official recognition. The non-Orthodox prayer section at the wall will become much larger and more accessible. But haredi control of the Orthodox section will also be solidified, though non-Orthodox leaders have long protested that monopoly.

The deal, a copy of which JTA obtained ahead of the Cabinet vote, still contains a few unknowns. It is unclear how long construction will take. It does not say whether clear signage will direct visitors to the non-Orthodox section. Nor does it say exactly when Women of the Wall, an embattled women’s prayer group, will move its monthly services from the

Bands

The Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on a rainy October 25, 2015. (Photo

by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images) Orthodox Jewish main prayer section to the non-Orthodox one.

Still, the Conservative and Reform movements can declare victory. The size of the non-Orthodox section of the Western Wall will double to nearly 10,000 square feet – half the size of the Orthodox main section just to its north. A committee of non-Orthodox leaders and government officials will manage the non-Orthodox section. And a single

Continued from page 3

Recall, from Christian Brothers Academy, Faith Heritage and Liverpool. Cosmic Pineapple came in second place, with Posted and Vivid Recall tied for third.

The judges for this year’s Battle of the Bands were Ryan Gorham, of Gorham Brothers Music, Syracuse; Katrina Tulloch, life and culture reporter for The Post-Standard; Bob Staffa (B.O.B), a 95X radio personality; and Sean King and Erica Ylitalo from last year’s winning

band, Casual Plaid. Staffa was also the event’s emcee again this year. For every high school student admission, the JCC donated $1 to his or her school district’s music department.

Battle of the Bands sponsors were Pepsi, More Sound Recording Studio of Syracuse and Gorham Brothers Music.

For more information about the Battle of the Bands, contact Erin Hart at 4452040, ext. 133, or ehart@jccsyr.org.

entrance will lead to both sections.

The Western Wall’s haredi Orthodox management, called the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, also safeguarded its interests. Non-Orthodox leaders had

CBS-CS

Saulson will also present a lunch and learn program on “Wonder in science and in the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel” on Saturday, February 27, following 9:30 am services, at approximately 12:15 pm. “Wonder” is considered to be the signature concept in the theology of Abraham Joshua Heschel. It is also the motivation for the work of many scientists. In this program, participants will examine what “wonder” is and the roles it plays in modern thought. The program will feature text study and open discussion, and no previous knowledge of science or of Heschel’s work will be required.

Participants can attend the lunch and learn even if they do not attend services.

Anyone is welcome to attend either or

campaigned for a share of control of the Orthodox section of the wall, but the Heritage Foundation will retain full authority over it and the larger plaza behind the prayer sections. And when the plan is implemented, Women of the Wall will move to the nonOrthodox section, one of the Heritage Foundation’s long-standing demands.

“They all came to the conclusion that they must make serious compromises because they want it to remain one Kotel for one people,” Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Natan Sharansky told JTA, using the Hebrew term for the site. “lt’s the place that must unite us more than anything else, and it turned into the most ugly war.”

Plans for the non-Orthodox section’s expansion, spearheaded by Sharansky, began in December 2012. In October of that year, police had arrested the Women See “Wall” on page 10

Continued from page 4

both of the two programs, as the topics are related but distinct.

Saulson is the Martin A. Pomerantz ‘37 Professor of Physics at Syracuse University. After earning his degrees at Harvard and Princeton and working at MIT, he came to Syracuse, where he has served on the faculty for 25 years. For almost 35 years, he has been engaged in the search for gravitational waves, a “cosmic messenger” that is expected to allow humans to find black holes and study their properties in unprecedented ways. He served two terms as leader of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, the main group searching for gravitational waves.

For more information about either of the programs, contact the CBS-CS office at 446-9570 or office@cbscs.org.

To advertise in our upcoming Senior Living special ad section, please contact Bonnie Rozen at 800-779-7896, ext. 244 or bonnie@thereportergroup.org.

Issue Date: March 3 Ad Deadline: February 24 The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse’s 2016 Battle of the Bands winner, The Cuddlefish, performed on January 16 in the JCC’s Schayes Family Gymnasium. L-r: Ryan Cass, keyboard; Garrit Peck, bass guitar; Joe Russo, trombone; Noah Dardaris, drums; and Max Marcy, lead guitar.

Ê

Visit the JO online at jewishfederationcny.org and click on Jewish Observer

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776

Super Sunday called a “Super Success”

Organizers hailed Super Sunday a “super success!” More than 100 volunteers helped raise more than $75,000 to help nurture and support the Jewish community locally, nationally and overseas.

Super Sunday and Annual Campaign Committee members agreed that they could not have surpassed their goal “without the support of a generous community.”

L-r: Volunteer Sondra Goldberg, Super Sunday Committee members Orit Antosh and Mara Charlamb, and volunteer Robin Ciciarelli.

In front: Jewish Federation of Central New York Annual Campaign Chair Mark Wladis (on left) with Campaign Cabinet member Mark Charlamb at the Super Sunday Phone-a-thon on January 24. (Photo by Len Levy)

Super Sunday Committee member Joel Friedman and past committee member Myrna Koldin were in charge of the pledge cards given to the volunteers.

(Photo by Len Levy)

L-r: Super Sunday Teen Committee members Rachel and Sophie Scheer with Elise Beckman. They periodically updated the “ice cream sundae” thermometer.

L-r: Cantor Paula Pepperstone, Rabbis Andrew Pepperstone and Daniel Fellman, and Sam Young.

Hillel at Syracuse University Rabbi Leah Fein also volunteered on Super Sunday, held at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse.

Michael and Jacki Goldberg (at front table) worked the phones. (Photo by Len Levy)

L-r: Jessica Lemons, Kathie Piirak, Mimi Weiner and Logan Woodard worked on mailings. (Photo by Len Levy)

Super Sunday Teen Committee member Ian Beckman made calls.

Super Sunday volunteers were seen throughout the auditorium at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse.

L-r: Super Sunday Committee members attended training before making calls to community members.

Israeli date palm sprouts from 2,000-year-old seed

was desperate and Halber was willing to help. Gross let it be known that he was in failing health, emotionally despondent and unwilling to see anyone but his wife.

He went on a nine-day hunger strike in April 2014, which he said alarmed the Cubans. But it was a ploy, he reveals. “I wanted to turn the heat up. I was never despondent. I never wanted to take my life,” he said.

Soon after his release, Gross met supporters at a homecoming party at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, MD. He described the evening as “very confusing.” When a young man came up and asked to take a selfie with him, Gross had no idea what he was talking about. He has since had selfies explained to him.

Now that the celebrations have dwindled, Gross says he does a lot of “walking, thanking people and smoking Cuban cigars.” No longer confined to a cell, he walks for miles, often around his neighborhood near the National Zoo. He also likes to play his collection of 10 mandolins and is excitedly awaiting the birth of his first grandchild.

Gross misses his work on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which took him around the globe, including to Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. He’s happy to tell the stories behind the colorful weavings, tribal masks and other world art covering the walls of his home, but he’s afraid to leave America again.

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for the study of ancient, extinct and endangered seeds. “We want to make sure that endangered plant species don’t disappear from Israel’s landscape,” said Lehrer.

“We are looking for good uses for native plants which are under threat,” he added, emphasizing the plants’ medicinal qualities.

It is fitting to highlight Methuselah’s rebirth in light of the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat, Israel’s New Year of the trees, which was celebrated on January 25. Beyond the fact that dates are one of the “seven species” that are customarily consumed on this holiday, the story of the modern-day Methuselah provides an opportunity to reconnect with nature in a thoughtful and creative way.

“In some ways, nature is under threat,” Lehrer said. “It’s important that human beings remember that our role in this world is to continue to nurture nature and to ‘take care of the garden.’ The Bible tells us that if we ruin it, there won’t be anyone to come after us and fix it.”

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–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Alan Gross displayed his Cuban cigars at his apartment in Washington, DC, on December 23. (Photo by Suzanne Pollak/Washington Jewish Week) Despite his ordeal in the Communist island nation, Gross still has special affection for the Cuban people, including the Jews he tried to serve, whose numbers he says have dwindled to about 1,000. Recalling the largest synagogue, in Vedado, a Havana suburb, Gross said, “It’s just like many Jewish community centers around the world.” He says Shabbat dinners are well-attended, partly because the meals supplement the little food people have.

Gross is working on a book about his experience in Cuban prison. The working title: “It was never about me.”

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BY MEGAN E. TURNER JNS.org Methuselah is considered to have been the oldest living man in the Hebrew Bible, reaching the esteemed age of 969.

It is only appropriate, then, that a date palm that sprouted from a 2,000-year-old seed at southern Israel’s Arava Institute for Environmental Studies carries the same name.

Dr. Elaine Solowey, director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture at AIES and an expert in crops appropriate for arid lands, was very skeptical about the possibility of taking ancient seeds and producing something viable from them. With only six seeds, recovered by the Louis L. Borick Natural Medicine Research Center of the Hadassah Medical Organization from excavations at the Masada fortification in the 1960s, she set out to cultivate a Judean date palm. While native to Israel and the area surrounding it, the Judean date palm is a species that had not been seen there for more than a millennium.

Seven years ago, a male date palm sprouted from one of those ancient seeds, leaving many in awe of what was thought to be a botanically impossible feat. “It has become a major attraction here at the institute,” AIES Executive Director David Lehrer said regarding the now-mature Methuselah at its home on Kibbutz Ketura.

Lehrer explained that AIES’s dream is to reintroduce the Judean date palm to the state of Israel as a valuable crop and for its unique medicinal properties.

This initiative and other AIES agricultural projects are made possible by the institute’s partnership with Jewish National Fund. Together, JNF and AIES are turning the world’s attention to the knowledge and research coming out of the Negev desert, with a focus on the fields of hyper-arid nature conservation and water management.

Methuselah is actually part of a larger project organized by Solowey and, with this success, she plans to create a center

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776

Candidates

JEB BUSH, 62, FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR Jewish cohorts More than any other candidate, Bush has garnered the support of the Jewish Republicans who backed his brother President George W. Bush. Among donors, these include Fred Zeidman, a Texas businessman, and Mel Sembler, a Florida real estate magnate.

Jeb Bush’s advisers include some of the most senior Jewish veterans Jeb Bush (Photo of the second Bush administration, by Andrew Burton/ including former Homeland SecuGetty Images) rity Secretary Michael Chertoff and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Stance on Israel Bush also has said he will move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but like several candidates who strongly oppose the Iran nuclear deal, he says it would likely be too late to scrap it by the time the next president assumes office.

Controversy Bush raised conservative pro-Israel hackles when he named his father’s Secretary of State James Baker as an adviser. Baker has clashed with Israel and the Jewish community. It didn’t help when within a month of coming on board with Jeb Bush, Baker addressed J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, and extolled the virtues of pressuring Israel. Bush has said that while he values Baker’s deep reservoirs of experience – overall, the George H. W. Bush presidency is considered a foreign policy success story – he does not look to him for Israel advice.

BEN CARSON, 64, RETIRED NEUROSURGEON, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR Jewish cohorts Among Carson’s foreign policy advisers is George Birnbaum, who served as chief of staff for Netanyahu during his first term, from 1996-99, and has been a partner to Arthur Finkelstein, the GOP public relations guru and political wizard who also has advised Netanyahu.

In speaking of anyone advising Ben Carson (Photo Carson, especially on foreign

by Alex Wong/ policy, there is an enormous caveat: Getty Images) He does not like taking advice and some of his advisers have, on the record, called him out on it – extraordinary, if not unprecedented, during a presidential campaign.

Stance on Israel Carson has said he will abandon the Iran deal and has accused the Obama administration of abandoning Israel.

But in real time, he seems less than familiar with the country and the challenges it faces. At the Republican Jewish Coalition forum, he mangled the pronunciation of “Hamas,” making it sound like “hummus.” More substantively, the speech he delivered – awkwardly, from notes – appeared to suggest that if only Fatah and Hamas learned to get along, peace would be achievable.

Controversy Carson earned rebukes from much of the Jewish establishment last year when he suggested that gun control was in part responsible for the Holocaust. He refused to stand down.

JOHN KASICH, 63, OHIO GOVERNOR Jewish cohorts Kasich has friends of longstanding in Ohio’s Jewish community, including Brad Kastan, a financial advisor; Albert Ratner, the scion of a family of Ohio real estate magnates; Gary Heiman, a textile industry executive; and Jay Schottenstein, whose family is listed as the 100th John Kasich most wealthy by Forbes for its fashion business. The state’s governor (Photo by Darren delivered an emotional eulogy at McCollester/Getty the 2014 funeral of Gordon Zacks, Images) heir to a footwear fortune and a pro-Israel advocate who hosted Kasich on an Israel tour.

A congressman from 1983-2001, Kasich is friendly with Natan Sharansky, the former Soviet dissident and now the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, and frequently drops his name. Kasich pushed for the building of a Holocaust memorial in Columbus, the state capital.

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Continued from page 1

Stance on Israel Kasich, like the other Republicans in the race, has blamed the Obama administration for the tensions between the governments; unlike many of the others, he has not committed to moving the embassy to Jerusalem, and has said that scrapping the Iran nuclear plan would be foolish, however misbegotten it is.

Controversy Kasich, addressing the Republican Jewish Coalition forum, delivered an encomium to Jewish friendship that may have seemed in place among his many Jewish friends in Ohio, but that raised eyebrows as trading in stereotypes – however flattering – in a national setting. “My mother told me one time, I was a very young man, she said, ‘Johnny if you want to look for a very good friend, get somebody who’s Jewish,’” he said. He has also proposed creating a “Department of Judeo-Christian Values,” while struggling to explain what that means, and has taken to berating Jewish reporters about their shul attendance.

CHRIS CHRISTIE, 53, NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR Jewish cohorts C’mon – he’s from Jersey! Seriously, Christie’s best-known Jewish connection is also notorious for being the wealthiest Jewish Wall Streeter who does not give to Jewish causes: Hedge Fund billionaire Steven A. Cohen, who is one of Christie’s national finance chairmen. Other national finance chairChris Christie men include Jeff Fox of St. Louis, (Photo by Alex whose father, Sam Fox, was a major Wong/Getty George W. Bush backer and a past Images) chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition; and Bill Kilberg of the Washington suburbs in northern Virginia, a major donor to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Stance on Israel Christie, like every other GOP candidate, says Obama has poisoned the relationship, and in January promised that one of his first acts as president would be to squirrel Netanyahu away for a weekend and let him vent about the previous eight years. He has said he would also ask his aides how best to get out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Controversy Christie, speaking in Las Vegas in 2014 to the Republican Jewish Coalition, used the term “occupied territories.” Mort Klein, the Zionist Organization of America president, upbraided him for the heresy on the spot and later the same day, Christie apologized to Adelson, whose Venetian resort hotel was the venue for the event.

THE DEMOCRATS BERNIE SANDERS, 74, VERMONT SENATOR Jewish cohorts Sanders is Jewish and spent time on a kibbutz with his first (Jewish) wife, although which kibbutz no one has been able to determine, despite arduous efforts by Jewish journalists. Not long after his Israel sojourn, Sanders moved to Vermont, where he became best friends with two Jewish guys Bernie Sanders – philosopher Richard Sugarman (David McNew/ and Huck Gutman, a professor Getty Images) of literature at the University of Vermont with a fondness for Yehuda Amichai.

Stance on Israel Since his days as mayor of Burlington in the 1980s, Sanders has been unstinting both in his criticism of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians and his support of Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. He backed the Iran nuclear deal.

Controversy Sanders’ older brother, Larry, based in Oxford, England, last year tweeted “yes” to whether he supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or BDS, against Israel and favors dismantling Israel’s weapons of mass destruction. Bernie Sanders’ campaign won’t comment, but, brothers, right? Embarrassing presidential siblings is something of an American tradition (Billy Carter, Neil Bush, Hugh Rodham, etc., etc.) and presidents will always stand by them while not necessarily agreeing with them.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, FORMER SENATOR FROM NEW YORK, FORMER FIRST LADY Jewish cohorts Like Trump, Clinton has a Jewish son-in-law, Marc Mezvinsky, an investment banker whose mother, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, then a Democratic congresswoman from Pennsylvania, provided the critical vote in 1993 that passed President Bill Clinton’s first budget.

In Clinton’s world, with its layers of loyalties, this is as tight as it gets.

Bill and Hillary Clinton were accruing Jewish fans even before they moved to Arkansas as a couple. Bill Clinton had a Jewish fan base as the state’s governor and attracted Jewish supporters when he ran for president in 1992, many who remain loyal to Hillary Clinton. She also has cornered Hillary Clinton the party’s Jewish fund-raisers, (Photo by Brendan and her rival for Jewish loyalty in Hoffman/Getty 2009, Barack Obama, has given his blessing to his Jewish supporters Images) to back Clinton this election.

Her most prominent backer may be Haim Saban, the Israeli-American entertainment magnate. One of her closest and most loyal advisers is Martin Indyk, whom she met during her husband’s presidential campaign when Indyk headed the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank he had spun off from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Indyk, a veteran of the failed Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts of both the Clinton and Obama administrations, is now vice president at the Brookings Institution.

Stance on Israel Clinton has ties with Israel dating back to her days as first lady of Arkansas, when she adopted an Israeli early education program for the state. Since quitting as Obama’s first secretary of state, she has broadly embraced his quest for Israeli-Palestinian peace as well as his Iran policy – indeed, she now credits herself as one of the architects of both policies – but she has also emphasized subtle differences. Clinton has suggested she was not comfortable with making settlements a key point of contention between the Obama and Netanyahu governments, and she says she would closely monitor Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal.

Controversy Despite her closeness to Israel, Clinton’s decades in the spotlight mean every inflection has come under microscopic examination. Paul Fray, who managed her husband’s failed 1974 congressional race, says she called him a “f–ing Jew bastard” on election night, although he also acknowledges the Clintons did not know at the time that he was one-eighth Jewish. The Clintons deny any such exchange.

Clinton was the first official in her husband’s government to speak openly about the prospect of a Palestinian state. As first lady, Clinton embraced Suha Arafat, the wife of the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, after Suha Arafat delivered a speech accusing Israel of poisoning children. Clinton, who was listening to a simultaneous translation, claims she missed that passage.

When last year, Clinton’s private e-mails were dumped as part of an investigation into her privacy practices while she was secretary of state, it was revealed that one of her Jewish advisers, Sidney Blumenthal, to whom she remains fiercely loyal, kept sending her anti-Israel screeds by his son, Max. Clinton occasionally complimented Max Blumenthal’s writing to Sidney – but there is no evidence she took any of his son’s advice.

THE UNLIKELYS RICK SANTORUM FormerRepublican Senator for Pennsylvania, talked Iran sanctions way before it was fashionable, but on Muslims, is even more prone than Trump to sweeping generalizations.

CARLY FIORINA The former Hewlett Packard CEO, and a Republican, at times sounds like she has Netanyahu on speed dial, but has also been in the sticky position of defending HP sales to Iran.

MIKE HUCKABEE The former Republican Arkansas governor is perhaps the candidate who has most frequently visited Israel, leading tours there for evangelical Christians. He is also probably the most pronouncedly opposed candidate to a two-state solution, and is unafraid of Holocaust metaphors to attack his opponents.

JIM GILMORE The former Virginia governor, a Republican, answered the kishkes question and also took a crash course on Holocaust films.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY) Began his congressional career calling for cuts in defense assistance to Israel, but then got himself some Talmud study.

MARTIN O’MALLEY The former Democratic governor of Maryland signed bills sanctioning Iran and conditioning business with a French rail company on its accounting for its Nazi-era collaboration. He is backed by Howard Friedman, a past American Israel Public Affairs Committee president.

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JEWISH OBSERVER

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Books on how to create a great b’nai mitzvah

BY REPORTER STAFF Need help preparing for your child’s bar or bat mitzah? Here are some books that can help create the perfect event.

“Mitzvah Chic: How to Host a Meaningful, Fun, and Drop Dead Gorgeous Bar or Bat Mitzvah” by Gail Anthony Greenberg This guide offers information on how to create both a meaningful b’nai mitzvah ceremony and a great celebration. It includes a discussion of the Torah portions, ideas for themed parties, a timeline for preparation, budget information and thoughts for how to include non-Jewish family and friends.

“Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah: The Ceremony, the Party, and How the Day Came to Be” by Bert Metter Want your children to better understand how the b’nai mitzvah ceremony came into being? This book puts the event into historical perspective and explains its spiritual importance. Another chapter features information about the b’nai mitzvahs of actors and sports figures. The book is aimed at children, but is also directed at anyone unfamiliar with the ceremony.

“Putting God On the Guest List: How to Reclaim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Child’s Bar or Bat Mitzah” by Jeffrey K. Salkin Jeffrey K. Salkin focuses on the spiritual meaning of the b’nai mitzvah. His book includes information on how to help children prepare for the event, including those with special needs; how to create a more meaningful ser vice; ways to plan a part y that is in keeping with the spiritualit y of the day; and issues related specifically to divorced or interfaith families.

“For Kids – Putting God on Your Guest List: How to Claim the Spiritual Meaning of Your Bar or Bat Mitzvah” by Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin Aimed at children preparing for their b’nai mitzvah, this book explains the meaning behind the event and helps children better understand the spiritual aspects of Judaism. An additional section gives advice on ways to perform tzedakah in honor of their coming of age.

“The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planner: Everything You Need to Organize and Plan a Meaningful Ceremony and a Joyous Celebration” by Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer This notebook-style work focuses on the different aspects of the event with information about everything from setting the date and budget to the speeches and toasts at the party. Also included is information about the ceremony itself.

“Reclaiming Bar/Bat Mizvah: as a Spiritual Rite of Passage” by Rabbi Goldie Milgram Rabbi Goldie Milgram writes about how to not only make the b’nai mitzvah into a more spiritual event, but to help children live a mitzvah-center life. The book includes trues stories and a guide to help student feel “touched

by Torah.”

“Bar/Bat Mitzvah Basics: A Practical Family Guide to Coming of Age Together” by Helen Leneman This work seeks to not only help children navigate the b’nai mitzvah experience, but to show how the whole family can grow during the process. It includes information about the experience in general and also deals with the difficult issues faced by divorced and interfaith families. Also offered

is information on how to design a creative service and to offer a party in keeping with the spirituality of the event.

“Bar/Bat Mitzvah Planner” by Emily Haft Bloom Emily Haft Bloom focuses on the spiritual and practical aspects of the day, in addition to hints on how to organize for the event. The work contains tabbed sections for easier usage and a pocket for business cards and swatches. There is also information on ever ything from stationer y to entertainment.

“Bar Mitzvah – A Guide to Spiritual Growth” by Marc-Alain Ouaknin and Francoise-Anne Menager This work serves as a more general look at the bar mitzvah experience. It seeks to help children and their parents understand the experience.

“Secrets of a Bar Mitzvah Mom” by Nancy Berk Nancy Berk has written a self-help guide to help Jewish – and non-Jewish – family and friends understand the ritual. The book addresses everything from the educational experience to party planning.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776

Calendar Highlights

To see a full calendar of community events, visit the Federation's community calendar online at www.jewishfederationcny.org. Please notify

jstander@jewishfederationcny.org of any calendar changes.

Saturday, February 6 Temple Concord Pajama Havdalah at 5:30 pm Sunday, February 7 TC tour of art and antiques in the building at 9:30 am PJ Library® mitzvah program at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse at 1 pm Monday, February 8 TC Board of Trustees meeting at 7 pm Tuesday, February 9 Rabbi Epstein High School of Jewish Studies Board of Directors meeting at TC at 6:30 pm Epstein School at TC at 6:30 pm Wednesday, February 10 Syracuse Hebrew School at Temple Adath Yeshurun at 4 pm Thursday, February 11 Epstein School at Wegmans Café at 7 pm Sunday, February 14 Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Hazak lecture program at 2 pm Tuesday, February 16 TC hosts musical trio in Goldenberg series program at 7 pm Wednesday, February 17 Deadline for the March 3 issue of the Jewish Observer CBS-CS Board of Trustees meeting at 7:15 pm Sunday, February 21 TC Brotherhood meeting at 9:30 am Lecture on Jewish cooking history by Rabbi Daniel Fellman at TC at 10:30 am

B’NAI MITZVAH Benjamin Alexander Wells

Benjamin Alexander Wells, son of Allison and Joshua Wells, of Manlius, became bar mitzvah at Temple Adath Yeshurun on January 23. He is the grandson of Richard Wells and Valerie Crabtree, of Cazenovia; the late Portia Wells, of Fayetteville; and Marjorie and Louis Guth, of Jupiter, FL. He is a student at Eagle Hill Benjamin Middle School and attends the Alexander Wells TAY Religious School. He enjoys skiing, swimming, participating in the Science Olympiad, waterskiing and cooking.

D’VAR TORAH

It must be clear as day

BY RABBI PAUL DRAZEN In the Torah portion Mishpatim, two verses address the issue of how a homeowner is allowed to confront someone breaking into a home. “If the thief is seized while tunneling, and he is beaten to death, there is no bloodguilt in his case. If the sun has risen on him, there is bloodguilt in that case – he must make restitution; if he lacks the means, he shall be sold for his theft.”(Exodus 22:1-2).

Some people think that the Torah is a book we read exclusively for history or specific religious dictates.

As I read those verses, it struck me how the Torah has, for generations, faced contemporary issues that find their way into our everyday life. Is it possible that those lawmakers who wrote the “Stand Your Ground” self-defense laws had these verses in mind? At first reading, the verses do seem to permit use of lethal force against a person caught in the act of breaking in – well, at least when the thief is tunneling into the home at night – or so it would seem.

Yet, when facing the certainty of the real world, the rabbis of the Talmud sensed that the situation was likely not so obvious. They focused on a phrase in the second verse, “If the sun has risen on him.” They could have assumed that the phrase was simply ad-

Wall

of the Wall’s chairwoman, Anat Hoffman, for wearing a tallit during the group’s monthly service – an act that at the time was illegal at the site.

Talks on a plan to expand the non-Orthodox section of the wall, located in an archaeological park known as Robinson’s Arch, began in April 2013. Sharansky and outgoing Israeli Cabinet secretary Avichai Mandelblit led the negotiations, which included representatives of the Reform and Conservative movements, the Heritage Foundation and Women of the Wall.

Nearly three years later, the deal enacted on January 31 calls for the creation of an “official and respected,” 9,700-square foot prayer space in the non-Orthodox section of the Western Wall, running along a 31-foot segment of the wall, that Sharansky said will fit approximately 1,200 people. It will have a government-funded staff, Torah scrolls and other ritual objects, and be open to all forms of Jewish prayer. Sharansky estimated its construction could take up to two years.

Even after it is completed, the non-Orthodox section will remain smaller than its Orthodox counterpart. The Orthodox section measures some 21,500 square feet, adjacent to a nearly 200-foot segment of the wall, and has some 27,000 visitors on an average day.

The area is divided into two sections: a larger one for men and a smaller one for women. The rules prohibit women

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

Haifa babies born with smaller heads likely due to pollution

Data from a study commissioned by the Haifa Municipal Association shows that Israeli babies born in or near Haifa are being exposed to higher levels of pollution, and are born with lower than average weight and head circumference measurements. Such babies’ measurements are 20 to 30 percent lower than those of babies born elsewhere in Israel. The Haifa Bay area houses several oil refineries, power plants and other chemical plants along the port, all

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of which are known to cause pollution in the city.

The study also showed that several towns on the outskirts of Haifa – Kiryat Haim, Kiryat Bialik and southeast Kiryat Tivon – as well as the side of the Carmel Mountain facing the city’s industrial zone, show lung cancer and lymphoma frequency rates of up to five times Israel’s national average. The findings were determined by looking at wind direction and determining how volatile organic compounds carried from the city’s factories might be causing the high morbidity rate. “Even in the short term, low birth weight is a risk factor for death soon after birth and prenatal complications and even until old age, with diabetes and hypertension. There are also respiratory problems like asthma and cognitive problems such as decreased IQ,” said Dr. Hagai Levin, head of the health and environment discipline at the School of Public Health at the Hebrew University, Yediot Achronot reported. This study is not the first to show similar findings. Data collected last year showed that 30 to 60 percent of cancer cases among Haifa children up to the age of 14 were caused by air pollution. Mayor of Haifa Yona Yahav said he was surprised Israeli government officials have voted in favor of expanding Haifa’s oil refineries and that Israeli courts have ordered to reopen those refineries he had personally closed. “We are fighting 24 hours a day,” he said, the Times of Israel reported. However, the Haifa Region Association of Towns called the report “inaccurate. ...When there are full and corrected results, we will be happy to bring them to the public’s attention,” a spokesman from the association said.

dressing the time of day, instead they noted the unusual language of the verse. The Hebrew is in the singular and they recognized that it would be very unlikely that the sun would shine on the thief alone. As a result, they looked for another, deeper meaning in the words. They suggest that the penalty, or lack thereof, depends on a review of the full situation. That review must include all the details of the circumstances: the robbery, time and place, as well as any relationship between the robber and the homeowner. All this is required to be sure that every detail of the robbery is “as clear as daylight.”

The Torah’s rule gives great latitude to the homeowner; the rabbinic adjustment forces all sides to consider the larger picture. Situations that involve human life need significant review and study to be sure that the actions chosen are appropriate, and that the rights of all are protected. Just because something is legal does not make it ethically correct. Our responsibility is to assure that we take the time needed to consider all sides of a situation before making a decision.

Rabbi Paul Drazen is the rabbi at Temple Adath Yeshurun. He previously had pulpits in Minneapolis and Omaha and worked for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Continued from page 5

from reading from Torah scrolls in the Orthodox section.

A committee composed of two Reform leaders, two Conservative leaders, two non-Orthodox women representatives, the Jewish Agency chairman and six government officials will run the non-Orthodox section.

The Orthodox and non-Orthodox sections of the Western Wall will share an entrance near the Old City of Jerusalem’s Dung Gate, one story above the Western Wall plaza’s current entrance. Currently, the path to the non-Orthodox section is long, narrow and accessible only through a gateway tucked in a back corner of the plaza.

The deal will create a wide and visible walkway to the section. The deal does not specify, however, whether there will be signs at the entrance informing visitors of the non-Orthodox section or anything else notifying visitors of its existence.

“The vision of the new section of the Kotel is a physical and conceptual space open to all forms of Jewish prayer,” a statement from Women of the Wall read. “Instead of splitting up the existing pie into ever more divided, smaller pieces, we are making the pie much larger and sharing the new space.”

The Western Wall’s haredi management, headed by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, has long pushed for Women of the Wall to leave the site. Under the deal, the women’s group has agreed to move to the non-Orthodox section only once the deal is implemented. And a faction of Women of the Wall has vowed not to budge from the Orthodox section – regardless of what the deal says.

The Western Wall’s religious status has been under contention for decades. Women of the Wall was founded in 1988 to advance women’s prayer at the site, which is prohibited under haredi Orthodox Jewish law. Until 2013, much of the group’s activity contravened the Heritage Foundation’s regulations and thus was illegal. Police regularly detained members of the group.

Non-Orthodox groups also suffered persecution at the site. In 1997, an egalitarian Conservative Shavuot celebration behind the prayer section was attacked by protesters throwing bottles, diapers and refuse at the worshippers.

The incident led to the establishment of the non-Orthodox prayer section at Robinson’s Arch in 2000.

Following an international backlash to Hoffman’s 2012 arrest, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tasked Sharansky with forging a compromise solution to the dispute. An outline Sharansky proposed in April 2013 called for the non-Orthodox section to be equal in size and elevation to the Orthodox section, but it proved unworkable due to objections from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Waqf, the Islamic body that governs the Temple Mount.

In August 2013, Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett tried for an interim solution by building a 4,800 square-foot platform that created more space in the non-Orthodox section. Women of the Wall rejected the platform, calling it a “sundeck.” Now the architects of the compromise hope that all sides of the debate will be able to put their differences behind them for the sake of the Western Wall’s symbolism.

“This contains the hope that the Western Wall will no longer be an arena for disputes, and will regain the uniting character that befits its special place for the entire Jewish people,” the agreement reads. “May this also bring peace among us.”

FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776 ■

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

NASA astronauts arrive for Israeli Space Week

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) – The annual Israeli Space Week honoring Israel’s first astronaut, the late Col. Ilan Ramon, kicked off on Jan. 31 with much fanfare. The events, which will run through Feb. 6, are organized by the Science Ministry and the Israel Space Agency. Participants were to have more than 25 different activities to choose from, all free of charge, including space-related experiments and lectures and discussions with several astronauts: NASA’s Shannon Walker and Joseph Acaba, South Korea’s Soyeon Yi, and Italian-born Samantha Cristoforetti, from the European Space Agency.

Former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman was to join them. Ramon and six other crew members were killed when the Space Shuttle Columbia burned up on Feb. 1, 2003, as it re-entered the atmosphere on a trip back from space. “The goal is to get as many young people as possible exposed to space research and develop their sense of curiosity in the sciences,” Israeli Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis said on Jan. 31.

Netflix buys Israeli TV show for teens

The online streaming service Netflix, which recently opened operations in Israel, purchased its first Israeli television show. Netflix acquired the adolescent-geared show “The Greenhouse” (“HaKhamama” in Hebrew), created by Giora Chamizer, from Nickelodeon and Yes, the Israeli business publication Globes reported. Nutz Productions, the subsidiary of Israeli company Ananey Communications, which broadcasts Nickelodeon in Israel, will produce the U.S. version of the show. The Israeli series takes place on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The American version, which will be filmed in Israel, is set near the Pacific Ocean in southern California. The title of the American show will remain “The Greenhouse” and will stream on Netflix in 2017. Israel’s version of the show has been running for three seasons and has won the Israeli Academy of Film and Television’s award for Best Kids’ and Youth Drama.

Poll: 25 percent of Israeli Jews fear another Holocaust

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) – More than half (59 percent) of Israelis are afraid to travel outside the country, with 25 percent saying they are usually afraid to do so and 34 percent saying they have become more afraid this past year, a new poll commissioned by the World Zionist Organization shows. According to the poll, which was conducted by the Midgam Consultants and Research Institute, more women than men say they are afraid to travel abroad (62 percent compared to 55 percent). Sixty-five percent of respondents say their concerns prompt them to play down signs of Israeli or Jewish identity while abroad, a group among whom 36 percent say they do so regularly and 29 percent say they have changed their habits and have recently started hiding their Jewish/Israeli identities. Additionally, 25 percent of the Israelis polled say they believe there is reason to fear that another Holocaust will be perpetrated against the Jewish people, and 24 percent believe there is a chance that the state of Israel will cease to exist. More than two-thirds (67 percent) are worried about the safety of Jewish communities outside of Israel.

Israel unveils armored vehicle equipped with anti-missile system

Israel’s Defense Ministry on Jan. 28 unveiled the first of its Namer armored troop carriers that will be equipped with the Trophy anti-missile system. The Namer vehicles themselves have been in service since 2008. “At the end of a series of tests that are taking place in these days, we will begin serial installation of the system on additional vehicles. As such, we will implement MoD (Ministry of Defense) policy of equipping every Namer that leaves the production line with the only operational active defense system in the world,” said Brig. Gen. Baruch Matzliah, director of the ministry’s Tank Production Office. “Namer with Trophy will provide the highest level of protection to war fighters of the Israel Defense Forces, and will grant them security and a significant edge on the field of battle,” Matzliah added. The Trophy system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, was already installed on the less-expensive Merkava MK 4 battle tanks to protect infantry soldiers against Palestinian attacks during the 2014 Gaza war. The anti-missile system is designed with a 360-degree protection against multiple launchings, while maintaining “a pre-defined safety zone for friendly dismounted troops,” the Defense Ministry said.

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JEWISH OBSERVER

11

OBITUARIES PEARL FRANKEL CRYSTAL

Pearl F. Crystal, 89, of the Town of DeWitt and Sarasota, FL, died on January 11 at the Springs At Lake Pointe Woods nursing home in Sarasota.

Born in Syracuse, she graduated from Nottingham High School and Syracuse University. Her bachelor’s degree was from the SU College of Business Administration (later the Whitman School of Management).

She lived in Syracuse almost all of her life, except for five years after college, when she worked in New York City, and where she met her husband, Milton, who was finishing law school. They returned to Syracuse, married and settled down there.

She underwent spinal surgery in 2006, which became infected and put her in a wheelchair and various nursing homes, where she spent the remainder of her life. In 2012, she was moved to Sarasota to avoid the Syracuse winters.

She had been very active in the Temple Adath Yeshurun Sisterhood, where she held several vice president positions and was also financial secretary.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Milton; a daughter, Robin (Larry) Kaufman, of West Bloomfield, MI; and her grandchildren, Mitchell and Dori Kaufman.

Burial was at the National Cemetery at Sarasota.

Hebrew Memorial Funeral Services, Sarasota, FL, had arrangements.

Contributions can be made to Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224. 

ELLIOTT GILELS

Elliott Gilels, 84, died on January 16 in Wellington, FL. He was a life resident of Syracuse. When he was 18, his parents were killed in a car accident, and he and his older brother, Victor, took over the family business, Onondaga Optical. They ran the business for many years until retiring. He was a member of Temple Beth El, Temple Adath Yeshurun and LaFayette Country Club, where he enjoyed golfing. He and his wife spent the winter months in Florida.

He was predeceased by his brother, Victor.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joan; his children, Andrea (Jeff) Hoffman, Marc (Mary) Gilels, of Syracuse, and Robyn (Danny) Aiello, of Fayetteville; five grandchildren; his brothers, Lionel (Jackie) and Jerome; his sisters, Laberta (Daniel) Forman and Georgeanne (Arthur) Burke; his sister-in-law, Harlean Gilels, and his brother-in-law, Stan (Lori) Regent.

Burial was in Adath Yeshurun Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224; or a charity of choice. 

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MURIEL KARP MANHEIM

Muriel Karp Manheim, 99, of Pompano Beach, FL, died on January 13 at her home in Pompano Beach.

Born in Syracuse, she attended Nottingham High School and Syracuse University, and lived in Syracuse most of her life. She had been a member of the Temple Society of Concord and its Sisterhood, as well as Hadassah and other organizations. She was an avid reader, writer and sports enthusiast, and she loved spending time with her family and friends.

She was predeceased by her husband, Harold A. Manheim.

She is survived by her son, Michael Manheim (Barbara), of Lake Worth, FL; three grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Burial was in South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth, FL. Beth Israel Memorial Chapel had arrangements.

Contributions can be made to Temple Concord’s Harold A. and Muriel K. Manheim Leadership Fund, 910 Madison Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210; Hospice by the Sea Inc., 1531 W. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton, FL 33486; or the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Rd., Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256. 

LORRAINE BERNER SHER

Lorraine Berner Sher of Fayetteville died on January 8.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, David; children Robin Sher (Michael) Perlman, Michael Bern (Beth Lovett) Sher and Roger Berner (Laura) Sher; and five grandchildren.

Burial was in Sharon Memorial Park in Sharon, MA. Levine Chapels, Brookline, MA, had arrangements. A local service will follow at a later date.

Contributions can be made to the Lorraine Sher Religious School Enhancement Fund, c/o Temple Concord, 910 Madison St., Syracuse, NY 13210. 

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ FEBRUARY 4, 2016/25 SHEVAT 5776

In poor Paris suburb, crime and extremism spur internal Jewish exodus

BY CNAAN LIPHSHIZ LA COURNEUVE, France (JTA) – At this Paris suburb’s only Jewish facility, Rabbi Prosper Abenaim serves sweet tea to his synagogue’s most frequent and reliable guests: machine gun-toting troops of the French Legion. Six soldiers, posted here to defend Jews in this heavily Muslim and crime-stricken municipality bordering the capital, are the first new faces in years in this dwindling community, which has lost thousands of congregants over the past two decades to Israel and safer areas of Paris. On some mornings, the troops outnumber worshippers.

That wasn’t the case when Abenaim first arrived at La Courneuve’s Ahavat Chalom synagogue in 1992. There were more than 4,000 Jews in the neighborhood then and it was a struggle to fit them all into the synagogue on Yom Kippur. “The shul overflowed onto the street,” Abenaim recalled.

Since then, improved economic fortunes and repeated antisemitic attacks have driven out all but 100 Jewish families from the neighborhood, where drug dealers operate openly on streets that residents say police are too afraid to patrol. The remaining Jews are mostly a graying bunch, stuck here for financial reasons. “We have two big problems, extremism and criminality, and they often mix,” said Abenaim, who lives in Paris’ affluent and heavily Jewish 17th arrondisement and has encouraged his congregants to leave for Israel. “I understand why people don’t want to raise children here.

I’m here myself only because of my duties. Otherwise,

An anti-Israel demonstration at the Aubervilliers-La Courneuve market east of Paris on January 18, 2015.

(Photo courtesy of Alliance France)

I’d be in Israel.”

La Courneuve’s reputation for criminality is well established and reflected in the security measures at Ahavat Chalom, which resembles a fortress with its heavy metal doors, multitude of security cameras and three armed soldiers in military camouflage at the entrance.

For years, the city has ranked among the most violent in France, with 19 assaults per 1,000 residents recorded in 2013. On street corners near the city center, gangs of young men openly exchange drugs for cash. By noon, prostitutes are soliciting clients on Pasteur Boulevard, a main traffic artery.

Near the synagogue, a group of men wearing colorful sports clothes stand around smoking cigarettes and marijuana on a Monday morning. One of them, a native of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin who identified himself only as Degree, said he felt safe “to do whatever here” because “police won’t come here, they’re too scared. If they come, we just kill them.”

Religious extremism is more difficult to measure, but its effects are nonetheless evident.In December, La Courneuve became the final resting place of Samy Amimour, one of the suicide bombers who killed 130 people in multiple coordinated attacks in Paris in November and whose family lives nearby.

Security around the synagogue was beefed up following those attacks, but the soldiers were already in place.

Their presence is part of Operation Sentinel, launched in response to the January 2015 murder of four Jews at a kosher supermarket in Paris. Ahavat Chalom, which in 2002 survived a fire sparked by four firebombs, is considered especially at risk.

Over the past 15 years, such attacks have spurred many Jews to leave poor Parisian suburbs like La Courneuve in favor of safer neighborhoods, according to Bernard Edinger, a Paris-based former senior correspondent for Reuters. “Tens of thousands changed neighborhoods, pushed by the hostility of their Arab neighbors or drawn elsewhere through social mobility,” Edinger wrote in December in The Jerusalem Post.

Aubervilliers, a municipality adjacent to La Courneuve, once had three synagogues and many kosher shops. Today there is one synagogue and kosher food is available on one shelf at a regular supermarket, according to the Tribune Juive weekly.

Sammy Ghozlan, founder of the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, a nongovernmental watchdog group, said that while immigration from France to Israel has reached record levels, it only accounts for about 15,000 people over the past decade. Many more

French police conducted an operation in La Courneuve, near Paris on August 27, 2015. (Photo by Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images) French Jews have been internally displaced, Ghozlan said, moving farther from Paris or into the city’s wealthier neighborhoods.

Abenaim said he has seen this happening before his eyes. Congregants from La Courneuve have left the area and settled near Abenaim’s home in the 17th arrondissement, which had no synagogues 30 years ago and now boasts no fewer than eight.

Meanwhile, La Courneuve has seen a proliferation of Islamic schools and apartment-size mosques located deep in the maze of drab public housing projects. One of the mosques was a synagogue in the 1960s, when the first Jews arrived here as refugees fleeing the war in Algeria. The 1962 arrival of 4,000 French Jews gave the name to one of La Courneuve’s main projects, now known as the City of 4,000.

Alain Felous, a French Jewish photographer, moved to La Courneuve in 1996 for the low rent and proximity to his workplace and children, who live with their mother in Paris. To protect himself, he has adopted a tough attitude and taken to wearing bulky coats in all weather to signal that he might be armed. “Of course I’d rather live in the 17th, or someplace nicer,” Felous said. “I’m not here to make a point. Living here as a Jew isn’t for everyone.”

On a trip to the supermarket, Felous paid for the apples of a fellow shopper, an elderly Arab woman with whom he cracked a few jokes. But he was also on guard, kicking the shopping cart of a fellow shopper who had cut him in line while delivering a juicy curse. “You have to respond immediately here,” Felous said, “or they will eat you alive.”

NEWS DIGEST From JTA

U.S. and U.K. have spied on Israeli army for 18 years

U.S. and British intelligence services have reportedly spied on Israel for 18 years after cracking its army’s encryption for communication among fighter jets, drones and army bases. The information was reported on Jan. 29

by The Intercept and the German newspaper Der Spiegel based on documents that came into the possession of Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who worked for U.S. intelligence before publishing classified material and fleeing to Russia. Britain and the United States reportedly

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have used this access to monitor Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip, watch for a potential strike on Iran and keep tabs on the drone technology that Israel exports. Israel said later on Jan. 29 it was disappointed but not surprised by the revelations. “This is an earthquake,” an anonymous senior security source told Ynet. “It means that they have forcibly stripped us and, no less important, that probably none of our encrypted systems are safe from them. This is the worst leak in the history of Israeli intelligence.” According to the reports, the breaking of the drone encryption allowed Britain and the United States to view images and videos broadcast to IDF commands during drone operations in Gaza, the West Bank and near the Jewish state’s northern border. The tracking has been done from a Royal Air Force installation in the Troodos Mountains, near Mount Olympus, the highest point on the island of Cyprus. The IDF encryption code was cracked as part of a major intelligence operation conducted by the U.S. National Security Agency, or NSA, and its British counterpart, the GCHQ, since 1998, according to Ynet. In the photos leaked by Snowden, shots from video recordings taken by Israeli aircraft can been seen in detail, as well as slides prepared by members of the U.S. and British intelligence organizations explaining the significance of the findings. “This access is indispensable for maintaining an understanding of Israeli military training and operations and thus an insight to possible future developments in the region,” The Intercept quoted a GCHQ report from 2008 as stating. “In times of crisis this access is critical and one of the only avenues to provide up to the minute information and support to U.S. and Allied operations in the area.” That year, NSA analysts had “collected video for the first time from the cockpit of an Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jet,” which “showed a target on the ground being tracked,” The Intercept reported. Although Israeli drone strikes have been widely reported, officially the government refuses to confirm the use of armed drones.

Palestinian envoy pushes for new U.N. efforts, “collective approach”

Palestinian officials said they want to “keep the hope alive and keep the two-state solution alive” through new efforts at the United Nations. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the U.N., said on Jan. 29, “We will not accept that the year 2016 is a year when we cannot do anything,” Agence France Press reported. Mansour said the Iran nuclear deal and progress on the Syrian peace track point to a need for a “collective approach” to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, words similar to a statement earlier in the day by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Mansour predicted that violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories will probably worsen in the absence of diplomatic efforts. The Palestinian envoy said he may push for a resolution condemning Israel’s expansion of Israeli settlements, but said a broader plan is necessary, such as sending international observers to the region or convening an international peace conference, AFP reported.

Israel forms alliance with Greece, Cyprus

The leaders of Israel, Cyprus and Greece entered a trilateral partnership that they said was not meant to exclude other parties – in a possible reference to Turkey. The announcement about the trilateral agreement came on Jan. 28 during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the island of Cyprus, whose northern half is under Turkish occupation. The three leaders – Netanyahu, his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras and Cyprus President Nikos Anastasiades – “agreed to strengthen the cooperation between [the] three countries in order to promote a trilateral partnership in different fields of common interest and to work together toward promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Mediterranean and the wider region,” they wrote in a joint statement. The partnership comes amid sustained tensions among Greece, Cyprus and Turkey over the occupation, and a crisis in relations between Turkey and Israel over various issues.