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21 ADAR II 5776 • MARCH 31, 2016 • VOLUME XXXVII, NUMBER 7 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY

Federation friend-raising cocktail party: Meet at Benjamin’s on April 16

BY MARIANNE BAZYDLO The Jewish Federation of Central New York will hold “Meet at Benjamin’s,” a “friend-raising” cocktail party, on Saturday, April 16, from 8:45-10 pm, at Benjamin’s on Franklin, 314 S. Franklin St., Armory Square, downtown Syracuse. The event is for adults only. No reservations are needed.

Mark Wladis, 2016 Campaign chair, said, “Building on our successful family-friendly ‘Meet at the MOST’ event, Federation is holding another gathering in Armory Square, this time for the adult crowd. This is an opportunity for members of the Jewish community to get together socially. No solicitations for the Federation will be made.”

The event will be sponsored by Pastabilities, Mr. Shop and Neil and Robin Goldberg. Wladis said, “This event was the brainchild of Joel Shapiro, and the Campaign Cabinet agreed it was a great way to get people together.”

Federation President/CEO Linda Alexander said, “Come and make new friends and meet some old ones. This

is the perfect time to have an early dinner at one of the Armory Square restaurants and then head over to Benjamin’s, or have a drink with us and grab dinner later.”

For more information, contact Marianne Bazydlo at 445-2040, ext. 102, or mbazydlo@jewishfederationcny. org.

Rhea Jezer among honorees at InterFaith Works dinner

BY BETTE SIEGEL InterFaith Works will celebrate 40 years of service to the Central New York community at its annual Interfaith Leadership Award Dinner on Tuesday, May 3, with a reception at 5:30 pm and dinner at 6:30 pm. It is being held at the SRC Arena and Events Center at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Every year, individuals, groups or organizations are honored for their contributions to the community. This year’s theme will be “Radical Empathy.”

Interfaith Works is one of the beneficiary agencies of the Jewish Federation of Central New York. It receives an allocation each year from Federation’s Campaign. The Federation was one of the founders of the organization 40 years ago, which was then called the InterReligious Council.

Rhea Jezer will be honored for “personifying Radical Empathy in her advocacy for the environment and her service to the Central New York community.” She founded the Symposium on Energy in the 21st Century in 2005 and has been its director and chair for the past 12 years.

She is an associate professor (adjunct) at SUNY School of Environment and Forestry, and was previously a senior lecturer at Cazenovia College.

Jezer has been an environmental educator and policy advisor in New York state and nationally for decades.

She is a consultant to eco-businesses, candidates and environmental groups, as well as an advisor to elected officials for both major parties. She was awarded the Post-Standard Achievement Award “for her contributions to making Central New York a better place”; the Greening USA “Greening our Community Advocacy Award”; the NAACP Humanitarian Award; and a National Organization of Women “Woman of Power” Award. As a Congressional Fellow in Women and Public Policy, she penned legislation to encourage women and under-represented minorities to enter the fields of science and math. She holds a Ph.D. from Syracuse University, a master’s of arts from Columbia University graduate studies and a bachelor’s from Brooklyn College.

on creating interreligious dignity of all people” in Central New She said, “I am honored to reunderstanding, working first York. Working with the different faith ceive an award from InterFaith among Catholics, Protestants communities and the diversity of the Works – particularly because and Jews, and then expand- region’s people, it aims to address it is presented for my work on bringing environmental ing to include Muslim, Sikh, “deeply embedded social divisions.” concerns to the fore in our comBuddhist, Mormon, Baha’i Informed and influenced by the values and other faith groups. The and ethics of the faith traditions, the munity. I hope this recognition need for this work height- organization works with the commumakes people more aware that the future of our community, ened after the 9/11 terrorist nity to try to find common ground on country and world is in our attacks, and continues to its issues. Using the tools of interfaith hands. Embedded in all faith serve as a vehicle to address and cross-cultural dialogue, it intends traditions is that we leave a hate toward those who are to create “life-changing experiences” healthy environment for future considered “different.” that lead to actions for the creation of “a Rhea Jezer generations, and I hope this Throughout the years, the more equitable and loving community.” award encourages others to be Founded in 1976, InterFaith Works’ agency added social service proactive and to take climate change and programs to address the needs of people service and educational programs include global warming seriously.” who are vulnerable, low-income and the Center for New Americans, Ahmad and The other honorees include Charlie targets of oppression. The agency’s Elizabeth El-Hindi Center for Dialogue, and Beth Beach, Tanweer Haq, Clarence Center for New Americans welcomes and Senior Services and Spiritual Care Jordan, Langston McKinney, Dr. Fred- and resettles refugees who have fled Programs. erick and Virginia Parker, and Reverend war, political repression and famine to Bill Redfield. Said Redfield, “For nearly be resettled in the United States through 20 years, Interfaith Works has been my the federal U.S. State Department and second home. Over this time I have the Department of Health and Human worked all the angles – ongoing board Services. The Senior Companion Promembership, former president of the gram seeks to address the needs of the board, ongoing chair of the Round Table frail elderly, providing companionship of Faith Leaders and a four-year stint as to help them continue to live in their Round Table convener.” own homes. InterFaith Works’ Spiritual Goal: $1,200,000 He continued, “Having committed Care Program works to provide for my life to the work and ministry of the the spiritual and emotional needs of Episcopal Church, I have at the very same those in prisons, hospitals and nursing time dedicated my life to openness and an homes. These programs are expected $ acceptance of other faith traditions. I have to continue to be a part of the human as of March 28, 2016 come to believe – speaking just for myself service work. In the coming decade, – that I cannot be the deepest Christian I the agency will seek to focus on “cream called to be unless and until I open my ating dialogue on community issues heart to the truth claims of the other great and promoting the racial and religious faith traditions of the world. This doesn’t diversity of the community.” mean just ‘tolerating’ others – that word According to the organization’s smacks of both entitlement and arrogance. mission statement, InterFaith Works of It means accepting and welcoming the fact Central New York, through education, that they are articulating and living out service and dialogue, intends to affirm vital pieces of the whole picture puzzle “the dignity of each person and every To make a pledge, contact of truth – just as I am.” faith community” and to work to create Marianne Bazydlo at 445-2040 ext. 102 InterFaith Works was founded in relationships and understanding. or mbazydlo@jewishfederationcny.org.

InterFaith Works wishes to “build 1976 to “build bridges of understanding” among people of different reli- bridges of understanding to affirm the gions and across racial divides. In the U.S. climate of concern for interracial C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A understanding during the decades of April 1.......................7:13 pm....................................................... Parasha-Shemini civil rights activity, InterFaith Works April 8.......................7:22 pm........................................................... Parasha-Tazria aligned to fulfill this function. The agency was also ahead of the curve April 15.....................7:30 pm.......................................................Parasha-Metzora

2016 Federation Annual Campaign

847,973

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Survey says...

Touring the Galilee

U.S. Supreme Court

A Pew poll shows Israel is a divided The Treasures of the Galilee group A look at the Jewish background society, and not just between its hopes to jumpstart tourism in of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Israel’s Western Galilee region. Merrick Garland.

Jewish and Arab citizens.

Story on page 10 Stories on page 2 Story on page 11

PLUS Women in Business.........12-13 Calendar Highlights............. 14 B’nai Mitzvah......................... 14 Obituaries..........................14-15

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776

Israelis grapple with Pew finding of support for Arab expulsion

BY BEN SALES TEL AVIV (JTA) – In a survey that spanned politics, religion and interfaith relations, one statistic stood out: nearly half of Israel’s Jews support expelling the country’s Arabs.

The Pew Research Center’s study of Israelis’ attitudes, which had its findings released on March 8, had asked respondents whether they agreed that “Arabs should be expelled or transferred from Israel.” Forty-eight percent of Israeli Jews agreed, while 46 percent did not.

Among self-described right-wing Jews, 72 percent agreed, along with 71 percent of religious Zionists.

The figure was inconsistent with the findings of previous studies and provoked strong reactions in a country that sees its Arab minority as proof of its commitment to democratic values and respect for diversity. It has also shined a spotlight on what has been seen previously as a fringe proposal. No party in the Israeli Knesset advocates mass

population transfer and it has never been seriously discussed as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The idea that the state of Israel could be a democracy only for its Jewish citizens is unconscionable and we must find a way to address this,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said at a meeting with officials of the Washington-based Pew center. “I believe that also our democratic values are born out of our Jewish faith, a love for the stranger and equality before the law.” Rivlin called on the public to engage in “soul-searching and moral reflection.”

But Alan Cooperman, the Pew study’s lead author, says support for expulsion comports with other data points in the survey. Cooperman pointed to survey findings that nearly four out of five Israeli Jews say Israel should give preferential treatment to Jews, 60 percent of Israeli Jews believe God gave the land to them, and that majorities of religious Zionists and haredi Orthodox

also feel Jewish law should be the law of the state.

“You see it really makes sense,” he said.

“Support is strongest among [religious Zionists], very high among settlers.”

Analysts say Jewish animosity toward Israeli Arabs has been exacerbated by the recent wave of Palestinian terror attacks and a government response that some consider inflammatory. Rawnak Natour, the co-director of Sikkuy, a nonprofit that works toward Arab-Jewish coexistence, pointed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech decrying “two nations within Israel” following a January terror attack in Tel Aviv.

“I think there’s a feeling of fear here that’s strengthened by the political echelon,” Natour said. “There’s a lack of familiarity of the other side.”

The Pew finding on expulsion is significantly higher than other recent polls that have sought to measure Israeli attitudes toward coexistence. The 2015 Israel Democracy Index, a survey pub-

lished annually by the Israel Democracy Institute, found 37.5 percent support for the government merely encouraging Arab emigration.

A 2015 poll by Haifa University Professor Sammy Smooha found that six in 10 Israeli Jews felt “it would be good for Arabs and Jews to always live together in Israel.” That survey also found 32 percent of respondents in favor of encouraging Arabs to leave Israel in exchange for compensation.

Israeli pollsters have laid blame on the question itself, calling it vague and misleading. Is the question about Israeli Arabs, West Bank Palestinians or both?

When would this expulsion occur and under what conditions? Would the Arab refugees be compensated?

“It was asked in a very unclear way,” said Tamar Hermann, academic director of IDI’s Guttman Center for Surveys.

“If we didn’t get a majority on a more cautious and less aggressive version [of See “Pew” on page 6

A MATTER OF OPINION Pew findings not surprising, but also not irreversible

BY DANIEL SOKATCH NEW YORK (JTA) – The Pew Research Center poll released on March 8 surveying attitudes among Israeli citizens confirms what many of us who work on Israeli issues already knew: Israel is a deeply divided society, first and foremost between its Jewish and Arab citizens, but also among its Jewish sectors.

Ethnicity, religiosity, family origin and political beliefs have created an Israel of “camps” that don’t much like or have much to do with each other. The Pew research director described these divisions as “jaw-dropping.”

As in-depth as the survey is, however, what it does not tell us is why Israel has become so fractured. Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens have been living together for generations, and its Jews belong to a people that survived millennia of persecution with cohesion and unity. Why, then, is it so difficult for Israelis to share their society and arrive at some concept of Israeli-ness that would downplay sectarian differences? And how can a nation so deeply divided offer a sense of community to all its citizens?

Some factors are familiar to Americans experienced with the red-blue state divide. Many Israelis of all three faiths are profoundly religious. With religious practice frequently comes a more conservative and insular stance on social issues, ranging from the rights of women to the role religion should play in the identity of the state. Most important, the Pew survey found that the four descriptions used for being Jewish in Israel – secular, traditional, religious Zionist and ultra-Orthodox – strongly correlate with views on social and political issues, on questions as basic as the prospects for peace or the importance of democratic values.

And then there is the attitude toward the “other.” There is profound disagreement over the significance of Israel as a Jewish state. Nearly 80 percent of Jews believe that Jews deserve (some unspecified) preferential treatment in Israel. No wonder most Arab respondents do not think Israel can be a Jewish state and a democracy at the same time. The two groups can’t come close to agreement on whether Israeli Arabs face discrimination or the prospects for peace.

The 48 percent of Jewish respondents who actually want to expel their Arab neighbors is a terrible headline, one that

underlines the need to reinforce the value of minority rights within Israeli society.

Commentators warn that this question cannot be taken in isolation, especially because it did not refer to a real policy proposal. But to those of us working against the growing wave of racism and incitement, this response is a red flag that reflects the reality of what we see on the ground.

It must also be said that these deep divisions serve the purposes of many Israeli leaders, who amplify the idea that Israeli society is a zero-sum game in which one sector can only advance at the expense of others. A prime minister who mustered his base on Election Day with the threat that “Arabs are being bused to the polls in droves” and who conditions Arab civil rights on his standard of good behavior is not, to put it mildly, unifying his country.

Ultra-Orthodox leaders who viciously attack not only non-Jews but their Reform and Conservative counterparts do their part in exacerbating intolerance. Separatist Arab leaders who publicly identify with Israel’s enemies don’t help matters, nor do settler politicians whose only public policy is demonizing anyone who opposes the occupation as an obstacle to peace and dangerous to Israeli democracy.

There are no easy remedies for these deep divides. We must also keep in mind, after a day where more Israelis fell victim to terrorists in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, that the Jewish-Arab divide, and for that matter some divisions among Jewish sectors, cannot be separated from the pain and trauma of all sides in Israel’s existential conflicts. But we also must understand that the Pew poll represents a snapshot in time and is not an irreversible prediction of Israel’s future.

From President Reuven Rivlin on down, there are strong voices speaking out against racism and division in Israel. There is a coalition of more than 50 organizations that speaks out at public events against extremist Jewish violence against nonJews, and it is led by religious Zionists.

There is a Coalition Against Racism with an array of participants from Reform Jews to Palestinian grass-roots activists, and local Jewish-Arab coalitions dedicated to building shared spaces in which ordinary people interact in their daily lives.

There are waiting lists for leadership training for shared-society activists and new resources for teachers seeking to

educate children to think civically and communally about being an Israeli. Even in Jerusalem, the epicenter of conflict, there are efforts to break down the walls between the ultra-Orthodox, secular Jewish and Palestinian populations.

These efforts are not about some kumbaya veneer of superficial goodwill.

What Israel needs is the toughest thing of all to build – a truly shared society, with each sector feeling it is a valued and irreplaceable part of the whole. “Tolerance” of minorities or other kinds of Jews is not enough. Israel needs an ethos of sharing its small space among its many different kinds of people because they are all entitled to be there.

From the Tel Aviv entrepreneur drinking coffee on the beach to the student arguing Talmud in Bnei Brak, from the

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Russian artist to the Ethiopian activist to every Palestinian-Israeli whose family is deeply rooted in the land, there is no other place for them to go.

The Pew study validates, once again, those of us who warn of dangerous fissures in a nation that cannot afford the continued breakdown of cohesion and amity.

But we who warn, we who are dedicated to repairing those fissures and building some solid foundations above them, we also know that Israelis are miraculously good at inventing new realities.

Now they need to reinvent their own society – for their own sake, and for all of us who love and support their efforts.

Daniel Sokatch is CEO of the New Israel Fund.

For more about the survey, see the article above on this page.

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AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK Jewish Music and Cultural Festival fund-raiser to feature Ken Frieden and the Wandering Klezmorim

BY VICKI FELDMAN The Jewish Music and Cultural Festival will host a fund-raiser on Sunday, April 17, at 4 pm, at the Jamesville home of Karen Lawitts and Howard Wolhandler. Hors d’oeuvres and desserts will be available to guests while listening to music by Central New York musicians Ken Frieden and the Wandering Klezmorim. There will be a charge to attend and reservations have been requested

by Tuesday, April 12.

Frieden, also known as “Keni Klezmer,” began the Wandering Klezmorim in Atlanta in 1991 before arriving in Syracuse in 1993. Since then, the musicians have regrouped many times and performed at events in Israel and throughout Central New York, playing in concerts and at weddings, and bar and bat mitzvah celebrations.

On April 17, the Wandering Klezmorim will include Frieden on clarinets; Jonathan Dinkin on piano; Sam Young on the euphonium; and Maurice Mengel on percussion.

The Wandering Klezmorim will perform mainly from a traditional klezmer repertoire from Eastern Europe and the Lower East Side, with “special attention” to the clarinet repertoire of Naftule Brandwein. The playlist will range from Israeli and Chasidic dance music – considered to be the most familiar to Americans – to klezmer freylekhs, a Yiddish term used to refer to a “joyful niggun,” or “melody”; terkish, including Miserlou, thought to be a staple of Jewish and Israeli dancing; and bulgars, the American Jewish name for a dance genre.

JMAC will be held on Sunday, September 25, at See “Music” on page 7

The Wandering Klezmorim will perform at the Sunday, April 17, fund-raiser for the Jewish Music and Cultural Festival, which is scheduled to be held on Sunday, September 25. The musicians will include (l-r) Sam Young, Ken Frieden, Jonathan Dinkin and Maurice Mengel.

Syracuse Jewish Family Service presents “A Time to Plant” – a day of “good food, good fun and good health”

BY LESLIE BROCKSMITH Syracuse Jewish Family Service at Menorah Park will host “A Time to Plant” on Sunday, April 10, from 12:30-4 pm, at Watson’s Greenhouse, 2980 Sentinel

Heights Rd., Lafayette. The second event in the “Family Time with the Family Service” series, “A Time to Plant” will highlight the agency’s mission of promoting “well-being for the whole family.”

Jewish High School forum

BY JUDITH L. STANDER Jewish high school juniors and seniors, as well as their parents, have been invited to participate in a forum on how to deal with antisemitism and anti-Israel issues on a college campus. The invitation includes current high school students who are members of any congregation in the area, as well as students who do not belong to a congregation.

The forum will be held on Sunday, April 10, at the Hillel at Syracuse University Winnick Center for Jewish Life, 102 Walnut Pl., Syracuse, and will start at 12:30 pm with a kosher deli lunch for all participants. Presentations

by Anti-Defamation League representatives and Hillel leadership will be held from 1-3 pm.

Information, materials and training activities have been created by ADL to help incoming college freshmen

understand how to assess the political environment on their campus; and how to respond “responsibly” to words and actions from students, faculty or groups that can be identified as antisemitic or anti-Israel.

The forum will provide information and materials to help students “survive the culture shock of college,” as well as help them weigh a variety of options for reacting in “a safe mode” while responding to “potentially frustrating and irritating” moments on and off campus.

Parents have been encouraged to attend and learn how they can best support their children during their first year of college.

Reservations have been requested by Monday, April 4, and can be made by contacting Judith Stander at 4450161, ext. 114, or jstander@jewishfederationcny.org.

Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu APRIL 4-8 Monday – meatloaf Tuesday – spinach cheese quiche Wednesday –imitation crab cake Thursday – spaghetti and meatballs Friday – honey-glazed chicken APRIL 11-15 Monday – baked ziti Tuesday – stuffed cabbage Wednesday – hot corned beef sandwich Thursday – seafood strudel Friday – roast turkey The Bobbi Epstein Lewis JCC Senior Adult Dining Program at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse 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.

Proceeds will benefit SJFS programs.

SJFS Director Judith Huober said, “Everyone will enjoy a fun day of healthy food samples, nutrition tips, a juice bar, planting and craft stations, meditation moments, a gardening question-and-answer session, raffles and more. This is an event for all ages.”

She added, “While learning more about living a healthful lifestyle, guests will enjoy live music by Rob and Kemo from The Billionaires, and kosher catering from The Oaks at Menorah Park.”

Free shuttles will be provided to and from Menorah Park. There will be an admission fee, and food and raffle tickets can be purchased by contacting Deborah Ellis at 446-9111, ext. 256, or EllisD@sjfs.org. To become a sponsor of the event or for more information, contact Ellis.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776

CONGREGATIONAL NOTES Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas CBS-CS PRESENTS TWO PRE-PESACH WORKSHOPS Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone will present two pre-Pesach workshops in April.

The first one will be held on Sunday, April 10, at 10 am, at the synagogue, 18 Patsy Ln., Jamesville, and it will be geared toward helping participants prepare for Pesach. Topics to be addressed will include what Passover means for people this year; the enslavements from which people need liberation; and people who are enslaved; guidance and advice on shopping and kashering for Passover; whether people can and should eat kitniyot (rice, beans, corn and more) during Passover; classic and new Passover resources, both in real life and digital; and looking at Pesach beyond the first two nights at the seder table. There will be time for questions and answers during the session.

The second workshop, “Picking up the Mantle: Leading a Seder for the First Time,” will be held on Wednesday, April 13, at 7:30 pm. It has been designed to help those who have recently been put in charge of their family Passover seder, either because the member of the family who had been leading the seder has died or is no longer able to lead. This transition can be considered an honor, as well as an “overwhelming responsibility.”

The workshop will address the needs of those who are new or relatively new to leading a Passover seder. The points addressed will include people’s family’s seder history; the kind of a seder the new leader wants to have; who will be at the seder table and what kind of seder they want to have; traditions the new leader and participants want to continue or question;

and who will be the seder planning partners.

OYS AND JOYS OF PARENTING GROUP MEETS The Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Oys and Joys parenting group will hold a coffee, conversation, play and planning session on Sunday, April 10, at 1 pm. This group is aimed at the families of children from birth-preschool. It is open to the community. Reservations have been requested and can be made by contacting Arel Moodie at arel@collegesuccessprogram.com.

CBS-CS TORAH FUND DINNER AND PROGRAM The annual Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Sisterhood Torah Fund dinner and program will be held on Tuesday, April 12, at 6:30 pm, at the synagogue. Jeff and Judy Stanton will provide musical entertainment.

The annual event aims to give participants the opportunity to help preserve Conservative/Masorti Judaism by providing money for scholarships to the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City; the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, CA; the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem; and the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires.

There is a minimum donation required to attend the dinner.

Dottie Goldberg is in charge of the event. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting the CBS-CS office at 446-9570 or office@cbscs.org.

CBS-CS HOLDS ANNUAL CHOCOLATE SEDER Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Achla United Synagogue Youth members will lead a “chocolate seder” on Saturday, April 16, following services. A

Temple Adath Yeshurun FIRST SEDER AT TEMPLE ADATH

BY SONALI WIJESURIYA Temple Adath Yeshurun will host a seder on the first night of Passover, Friday, April 22, at 6:30 pm. This will be the first Pesach that Rabbi Paul Drazen will celebrate at the synagogue. He said, “My family and I are looking forward to sharing the message of freedom of Passover with our congregational family.”

The seder will be catered by The Oaks at Menorah Park and there will be a cost to attend, with a reduction for children ages 5-12. It will be free for children ages 4 and younger.

Reservations are required by Friday, April 15, and can be made by visiting www.adath.org, e-mailing info@adath. org or calling the TAY office at 445-0002.

TORAH TOTS MODEL SEDER The Temple Adath Yeshurun Torah Tots program will prepare for Passover with the annual model seder on Sunday, April 17, from 9:30-11 am. The story of Passover

Temple Adath Yeshurun Religious School’s pre-kindergarten and kindergarten class made masks for Purim. L-r: Mia Grabowsky, Lilah Levy, Tyler Wladis and Sam Sevak. will be presented in an interactive, musical seder. Children from birth-6-years-old can attend with a caregiver. For more information, contact Alicia Gross at alicia@ adath.org or 445-0002.

The Temple Adath Yeshurun chapter of Hazak hosted a travel and tourism program on March 13, presented by Sara Greenhouse, of the Travel Store. Participants learned about various destinations, as well as travel tips and suggestions. Among those participating were (l-r) Phillip and Sondra Schwartz, presenter Sara Greenhouse, Lynn Cohen, Joanne Greenhouse and Cecile Cohen.

Golisano Children’s Hospital will have 10 new fleece blankets to give to its patients.

Robin Young, assisted by her daughter, Sarah Young, bought the fabric and organized a blanket-making event for the Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Sisterhood.

Sherry Gordon led Havdalah, after which Nance and Ella Wilson, and Deb and Shaynah Sikora, Rachel Porter, Michal and Sivan Juran, Norma Feldman, Heather and Jonah Engelman and Hannah Bernstein shared desserts and then broke into individual groups to turn the fabric into blankets. Clockwise, from left: Rachael Porter, Michal Juran, Sivan Juran, Shaynah Sikora and Norma Feldman. non-chocolate lunch will be served, and there will be afikomen prizes given to all children. Reservations are requested

for the free event, and can be made by contacting the CBS-CS office at office@ cbscs.org or 446-9570.

Temple Concord TEMPLE CONCORD TO HOST COMMUNITY SEDER ON FRIDAY, APRIL 22 Temple Concord’s first seder will offer an opportunity for people from the community to celebrate the beginning of Passover with the synagogue’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman, Cantor Kari Eglash and members of Temple Concord.

The seder will be held on Friday, April 22, at 6 pm, in the social hall. Table seating will be arranged according to requests with reservations. Families will be seated together and combinations of individuals and families can also be arranged. There will be a charge for adults and for children ages 6 and older. Children 5 and younger will be admitted for free.

Each table will have its own seder plate and the seder itself will be led by Rabbi Fellman and Cantor Eglash, along with volunteer participation by many in attendance. The meal will include traditional foods, as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options available upon request with reservations.

Reservations have been requested no later than noon on Friday, April 15, and can be made by calling 475-9952. Pricing information will be available when making reservations. High chairs will be available on a first-come, first-requested basis.

JEWISH HISTORY THROUGH COOKING - MIDDLE EASTERN JEWISH EXPERIENCES

BY LESLIE BROCKSMITH Temple Concord will present another program in the series “Jewish History Through Cooking” on Sunday, April 3, at 10:30 am. This month’s theme will be Middle Eastern Jewish experiences. Rabbi At right: Former Menorah Park Foundation Vice President Victoria Kohl spoke at the March meeting of the Temple Concord Sisterhood. In front (back to the camera): Lorraine Bodofsky. Directly opposite her was Adrienne LeBlang.

Daniel Fellman and Chef Steve Samuels will be in the TC kitchen and will teach participants a recipe from this era of Jewish history. Space will be limited and there will be a modest fee. Reservations can be made by calling the TC office at 475-9952.

CINEMAGOGUE PRESENTS “THE STURGEON QUEENS”

BY LESLIE BROCKSMITH The Temple Concord’s film series, Cinemagogue, will present “The Sturgeon Queens,” a documentary about the Russ and Daughters food store on the Lower East Side of New York City, on Tuesday, April 5, at 7:30 pm. Hattie Gold and Anne Russ Federman are daughters of Jewish immigrants who started the Russ and Daughters store. Their history is told through anecdotes from some of the store’s customers.

Cinemagogue offers a variety of films featuring Jewish themes, Israeli filmmakers and Jewish-American stars. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome. For more information, contact the synagogue at 475-9952 or office@ templeconcord.org.

GOLDENBERG SERIES PRESENTS THE SYRACUSE CITY BALLET

BY LESLIE BROCKSMITH Temple Concord’s Goldenberg Cultural Series will host the Syracuse City Ballet on Tuesday, April 12, at 7 pm, at the synagogue. Central New York’s professional ballet company will perform classical dances, along with contemporary works, choreographed by Kathleen Rathbun, Rachael Cierniakoski and Stephanie Dattellas.

See “TC” on page 6

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JEWISH OBSERVER

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President/CEO of U.S. Fund for UNICEF to speak at Hillel The Jewish Federation of Central New York and Hillel at Syracuse University will present Caryl Stern, president and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, speaking on “I Believe in Zero: An Inside (and Jewish) Look at the Humanitarian Efforts of UNICEF,” on Wednesday, April 6, from 6:30-8 pm, in

the Lender Auditorium, Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life, 102 Walnut Pl., Syracuse. The event will be free and open to the community.

Kosher wine and appetizers will be served. Free parking will be available next door in the Harrison Street garage.

Stern’s talk will focus on her and her

agency’s humanitarian efforts in Israel and Syria. UNICEF works toward the day when “zero” children will die from preventable causes such as hunger, poverty and disease, and when every child will have a “safe and healthy childhood.”

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s work and other efforts in

support of the world’s children, through fund-raising, advocacy and education in the United States.

Reservations are requested and can be made by contacting Marianne Bazydlo at 445-2040, ext. 102, at mbazydlo@ jewishfederationcny.org or at hillel@ suhillel.org by Monday, April 4.

JCC gymnastics to hold pasta dinner fund-raiser

BY WILLIAM WALLAK The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse will hold its fifth annual pasta dinner on Sunday, April 3, from 3-5:30 pm, in the JCC Neulander Family Sports and Fitness Center’s Schayes Family Gymnasium, at the JCC, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt. The event will be open to the public. Advance sale tickets

are available at the JCC front desk and from gymnastics team members. Tickets also will be available at the door the day of the event. Proceeds will benefit the JCC gymnastics program.

Sherri Lamanna, JCC director of gymnastics, dance and preschool physical education, said, “We’ve had such a wonderful turnout to our pasta dinner

DO YOU KNOW? Your Federation dollars at work – SAJE topics include special learning

BY JACKIE MIRON needs and technology; fosterThe Allocations Committee ing inclusive communities; of the Jewish Federation of class management and positive Central New York awards behavior supports; active encommunity program fund gagement; and common special grants annually in addition to needs and accommodations in the annual allocations made in the religious school classroom. the spring. Based on the success The size of the grant will proof the 2015 annual Campaign, vide workshops and resources community program grants Jackie Miron after the program so participants are available to all Jewish organizations, agencies, and synagogues can continue to provide quality training in in the Central New York community. The the future. It is imperative that teachers can funds are given out in amounts of $10,000, provide the unique learning environment $5,000 or $2,500. The Allocations of the student with special needs. The proCommittee reviews the grant requests gram will help enhance the comfort and and makes recommendations to the board, confidence of the educator to provide the accommodations necessary for students of which votes on the recommendations.

The Syracuse Area Jewish Educators re- varying needs. With additional materials cently received a $10,000 grant to strengthen and resources, the teacher will have an special education in the classroom with a outlet for questions and concerns.

Last year, the Syracuse Hebrew Day teacher-in-training workshop and follow-up School received a grant for enabling materials from the Matan Program.

SAJE includes educators from the inclusion, a topic previously covered in Syracuse Community Hebrew School, the Jewish Observer. The current grant Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, is another example how financial support Temple Adath Yeshurun, Temple Concord, helps the schools provide a more personthe Rabbi Jacob Epstein High School of alized education program for students.

It is through the Jewish Federation of Jewish Studies, the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse Jerome Central New York that our small commuand Phyllis Charney Early Childhood nity is able to provide the highest level of Development Program, PJ Library® and service in educating the next generation.

The grant request from SAJE specifically the Syracuse Hebrew Day School.

The grant will provide funds for Matan, stated they were “sensitive to the sacred a national organization dedicated to the task to ‘educate each child according to education of the special needs Jewish his or her path.’”(Proverbs 22:6)” Your student, to provide a teacher training day Federation dollars are helping to meet to all area educators. Special education the mission.

each year. It’s a great time for families to come together for a delicious meal and get a glimpse of our program in action. As in previous years, the money raised will go toward equipment needs, supplies and gymnastics meets

throughout the year.”

JCC gymnastics students will perform various demonstrations during the event.

For more information, contact Lamanna at 445-2040, ext. 126, or slamanna@ jccsyr.org.

Defensive driving course offered April 10

BY WILLIAM WALLAK The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse will host a defensive driving course on Sunday, April 10, from 9:30 am-4 pm, at the JCC, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt. There will be a cost for the class, which will be open to licensed drivers of all ages. Attendees must bring their driver’s license.

The National Safety Council course will focus on practical defensive driving

knowledge and techniques to help participants avoid collisions and traffic violations.

The interactive class will include learning activities, discussions and videos with real-life driver simulations. The program offers participants a 10 percent discount on the liability portion of their auto insurance for three years, and a reduction of points for recent traffic infractions.

To register for the class, call the JCC at 445-2360 or visit the JCC front desk.

PJ Library in Central New York

BY CAROLYN WEINBERG PJ LIBRARY PRESENTS THE SCIENCE OF PASSOVER APRIL 17 For the second consecutive year, PJ Library® in Central New York will present an opportunity for families with young children to join in a special Passover-themed event. In collaboration with the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, PJ Library will present the science of Passover on Sunday, April 17, from 11 am-noon, for children ages 1-4-years-old and from 1-2 pm for those ages 5 and older, at the MOST in downtown Syracuse. The interactive event will feature stations that will combine the elements of the Passover story with science and art activities.

The event will be free, but advance registration will be required and can be made by e-mailing PJ Library in Central New York Coordinator Carolyn Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org with the name and age of each child and the time slot they will attend. Each session will be limited to a maximum of 25 children. Anyone attending the PJ Library-sponsored event will also have the opportunity to tour the museum afterward at half the group rate.

The PJ Library in 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, See “PJ” on page 7

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776

Syracuse Community Hebrew School holds open house sessions

BY DIANE WLADIS The Syracuse Community Hebrew School’s open house sessions have been inviting parents into the classrooms for the last 20 minutes of the Wednesday school session, rotating through the grades each week.

The fifth-grade class opened its doors to parent participation on March 16, and organizers found the response “enthusiastic” as the classroom of 20 students swelled to maximum capacity with the parents present.

Lead teacher Cantor Paula Pepperstone explained to the parents that, along with Hebrew and prayer studies, the class had a theme of “holiness” that had “woven its way through their lessons all year.” Students had learned about holiness in different situations, such as Shabbat, their relationships and how they can behave in holy ways. To facilitate a better understanding of the concept, Pepperstone had the students engage with their parents in small group discussions about what makes certain people, places and objects “special or holy” to them.

“Remembering that everyone has holiness within them” is said to be a subject of importance to Pepperstone.

She pointed out that “sometimes people’s holiness gets eclipsed by their struggles.” If there are struggles with getting to know and connecting with a class of 26 fifthgrade students for just two hours a week, Pepperstone is said to “rise to the occasion.” A graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminar’s H. J. Miller Cantorial School, she has spent her life in Jewish learning for herself and others. She has been known to offer high fives to the students, saying, “Sweet! You guys are rocking in here!”

She pointed out that there are the “holy” moments, when all the students “get it.” She said, “Every time they get it – either a concept or they make that connection with the lesson – it’s just fantastic!”

SCHS Director Shannon Small said she was “delightfully surprised” by the percentage of parents attending the open houses, and said, “It has really exceeded our expectations – the tremendous response and participation of the parents in these open house sessions.”

Pew

Continued from page 2

the question], what happened here? I would say take it with a grain of salt.”

The statistic is a sign not only of extremism, but also of polarization in Israeli society, says Steven M. Cohen, a sociology professor at New York’s Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion who consulted on the Pew study. Regardless of the exact level of support, he called the figure a “warning sign” for Israeli and Jewish leaders.

“There’s a lot of support for this notion that God gave this land to me – not to them, to me,” Cohen said at a recent panel discussion of the survey in Tel Aviv.

“Is there a context in which it seems the authorities are trying to diminish the place of minorities in this country?

Is that happening? If that’s happening, then this question becomes very critical.”

Ben Sales is JTA’s Israel correspondent.

For more about the survey, see the opinion piece on page 2.

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

Gaps remain between U.S. and Israel in security aid talks

Gaps remain between Israel and the U.S. in negotiations on a new 10-year memorandum of understanding for security assistance. America is offering annual aid of $3.4 billion, up from the current level of $3.1 billion.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has asked U.S. President Barack Obama to raise the amount of annual aid to $5 billion. The current memorandum of understanding is set to expire in 2017. In the past two years, extra assistance – totaling around $1.5 billion annually – has been provided by the U.S. to Israel for the development of ballistic missile defense systems.

Earlier in March, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited Washington, DC, and met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter. Ya’alon requested that funds for missile defense development be included in annual aid for the coming decade, which would bring the amount of annual aid to around $5 billion. The Americans, however, have not been willing to commit to providing missile defense development funds for the next decade, preferring to keep those funds separate from the general security assistance package.

Jennifer Hirsh, parent of a fifth-grade student, said of the participation, “It’s so nice that they are holding these open house sessions near the end of the year. It gives us

a chance to see the great job these wonderful teachers are doing with our kids. We get to touch base and see how far they have come since the beginning of the year!”

SAJE sponsors all-schools event

BY SHANNON SMALL The Syracuse Area Jewish Educators sponsored the annual all-schools event at Temple Concord on March 6.

All Syracuse-area children, from pre-kindergarten-seventh grade, were invited to attend. In addition, the PJ Library® held a program for infants-pre-kindergarten at the event. Facilitators from Syracuse Jewish Family Service led a program for parents of school-age children and parents attending the PJ Library program, “How to get the behaviors we want without behaving in ways we hate.”

The Bible Players, a two-man theater group focused on educating Jewish students in kindergarten through seventh grade through comedic storytelling, performed material related to kavod (respect) and Purim. The students watched a half-hour performance and then had an opportunity to perform their own Purim material through skits and theater games.

The day concluded in the Temple Concord sanctuary with a tefilot (prayer) led by Rabbi Daniel Fellman and Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash.

L-r: Aaron Friedman and Andrew Davies, from the Bible Players, a two-man theater group focused on educating Jewish students, performed for children in pre-kindergarten-seventh grade at the all-schools event at Temple Concord on March 6.

The program was made possible by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Central New York Community Program Fund.

At ight: The Syracuse Area Jewish Educators posed for a picture with the Bible Players. L-r: Aaron Friedman, Carolyn Weinberg, Cantor Paula Pepperstone, Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash, Shannon Small, Julie Tornberg and Andrew Davies.

Upcoming enrichment classes for preschoolers at the JCC

BY WILLIAM WALLAK The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse’s Jerome and Phyllis Charney Early Childhood Development Program will offer two classes for preschool children starting in early April. The weekly classes will run for four weeks and be held at the JCC, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt.

Bricks 4 Kidz, for children age 4-5, will be held on Fridays, starting April 1, from 1:15-2 pm. The program will feature a “Water, Water Everywhere” theme, where children will build with LEGOs representations of an alligator, octopus, jellyfish, snail, whale and sailboat; they will recognize the letters A, J, O, S and W; understand speed, slow and fast; patterning; comparing more and less; and working on fine motor skills.

TC

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

SISTERHOOD LEARNS ABOUT MENORAH PARK FROM VICTORIA KOHL

BY FRAN VOLINSKY The Temple Concord Sisterhood hosted congregant and former Menorah Park Foundation Vice President Victoria Kohl on March 13, who gave an overview of Menorah Park’s levels of care and other services, including the kosher food offerings at The Oaks and home care.

She also told the audience that visitors and vaccinated pets are welcome at Menorah Park, and reminded the group that TC member Cantor Emerita Francine Berg continues her resident chorus, the Forget-Me-Nots, with help from Bonnie Leff. Additionally, Barbara Baum continues to provide arts and crafts activities.

BROTHERHOOD PRESENTED COLUMNIST SEAN KIRST

BY MARK FRANK Award-winning former Syracuse Post-Standard and Syracuse.com columnist Sean Kirst brought his storytelling to a crowded Temple Concord Brotherhood meeting on March 13.

He covered a variety of topics during his appearance, which included a question-and-answer session. He started

The Kids Yoga class for 3-5-year-old children will be held on Wednesdays from 1:15-2 pm starting on April 6.

Kids Yoga is a yoga class designed to be child-friendly and help children build concentration, strength, flexibility, self-control and balance. Organizers hope that they will embark on a “calming journey” and “begin to understand mindfulness and finding contentment in everyday life.”

Registration for these classes is ongoing through the start of each session. Spots will be limited and early registration has been recommended. Children do not need to be enrolled in the JCC’s Early Childhood Program and JCC membership is not required to take the classes.

For more information, call the JCC’s Early Childhood Program at 445-2040, ext. 120, or visit www.jccsyr.org.

Continued from page 4

his talk by paying homage to the late Dolph Schayes, an NBA Hall of Famer, Temple Concord member and active Brotherhood participant, saying, “We all feel better, stronger, when a special person chooses to call your town his home. Dolph, one of the 50 greatest players of all time, was a great member of Brotherhood and a gentle, humble symbol of his deep commitment to SyraFormer Syracuse Post- cuse. His absence is palpable.”

In addition to telling of the Standard columnist Syracuse-based reunion story Sean Kirst was the at the heart of Eric Carle’s speaker at the March “Friends,” Kirst offered his 13 Temple Concord thoughts on the revitalization of Brotherhood meeting. the Hotel Syracuse; the future of I-81; local politics, including consolidation; the state of journalism; and more.

The next Brotherhood meeting will be held on Sunday, April 10, at 9:30 am. The guest speaker will be defense attorney Ed Menkin. The program will be open to the community. For more information, contact the synagogue at 475-9952 or office@templeconcord.org.

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JEWISH OBSERVER

Eugene Kontrovich spoke on law issues in the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict

BY BETTE SIEGEL The Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at Syracuse University presented Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at the Northwestern University School of Law, at a Carol Becker Middle East Security Speaker series event on March 3. He spoke on “Israel’s Borders and Settlements in International Law.” Kontorovich’s research spans the fields of constitutional law, international law and law and economics. He has written a series of papers that extend “transaction cost” analysis from private law to constitutional law. The 50-minute lecture and discussion are available for viewing on INSCT’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ watch?v=wwB7LyPhzr0.

Kontorovich speaks and writes about contemporary law issues in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, including the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, Palestinian statehood and Israel’s borders. He is also an expert on maritime piracy, universal jurisdiction and international criminal law. His scholarship has been utilized in foreign relations cases in the federal courts, and piracy cases in the U.S. and abroad.

Kontorovich is working on a book, “Justice at Sea: Piracy and the Limits of International Criminal Law,” under contract with Harvard University Press.

He later spoke and had lunch at The

Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at the Northwestern University School of Law, spoke on “Israel’s Borders and Settlements in International Law” as part of the Carol Becker Middle East Security Speaker series at Syracuse University on March 3. Attending the lunch at The Oaks were (l-r): Norman Poltenson, Miriam Elman, Linda Alexander, Kontorovich, Amos Kiewe and Michael Balanoff. Not shown: Lynn Koss.

Oaks at Menorah Park, a small event organized by Professor Miriam Elman, of Syracuse University, and co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Central New York. During the lunch, the conversation covered campus and community issues regarding BDS. Founded in 2003, INSCT is a collaboration between the Syracuse University College of Law and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. It is an interdisciplinary community of scholars

and practitioners “exploring and engaging” national and international security and counterterrorism challenges. INSCT faculty affiliate Elman introduced Kontorovich at his lecture and wrote a blog with a synopsis of the talk and its significance. The blog can be accessed at the INSCT website, http://insct.syr.edu/ legal-case-israels-settlements/.

Elman is an associate professor of political science at SU’s Maxwell School and faculty research director of

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international and intra-state conflicts at the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration.

She is also a member of the advisory board and steering committees for the Jewish Studies Program and the Middle Eastern Studies Program at SU. Attending the luncheon were community members involved in challenging the BDS movement, including Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America members Lynn Koss and Norman Poltenson, as well as Jewish Federation of Central New York President/CEO Linda Alexander; Federation’s Community Relations Committee members Alexander, Elman and Michael Balanoff; and SU faculty members Amos Kiewe and Elman. Kiewe and Elman are members of the newly-formed Academic Engagement Network, an organization made up of faculty and university/college administrators said to be committed to “academic freedom, combating BDS, and maintaining an intellectually rigorous and evidence-based presentation of the Middle East on campus.”

CAMERA is a media-monitoring, research and membership organization said to be “devoted to promoting accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East Group.” It aims to “monitor and challenge perceived anti-Israeli news coverage.”

Thou Shalt Ride – a new Jewish Motorcycle Alliance affiliate Thou Shalt Ride is a new Central New York motorcycle club affiliated with the Jewish Motorcycle Alliance.

The club’s patch was designed by Lisa Levens, a member of Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas. The club’s goals included “fellowship, scenic rides and support for Holocaust education.”

The annual Ride to Remember will be

held by the JMA in Birmingham, AL, from Thursday-Sunday, May 19-22. The ride will raise funds for the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center. Organizers pointed out that Birmingham has “a long history” of being a “hotbed” of social activism and the center continues this tradition.

Its stated mission is to “educate the people of Alabama about the history of

At right: Joel Stein (in front) is a member of the new Central New York Jewish motorcycle club, Thou Shalt Ride, part of the Jewish Motorcycle Alliance.

The organization helps raise funds for Holocaust education through rides.

Music

the Holocaust so that new generations will apply the lessons of the Holocaust to the construction of a more just, humane, and tolerant future.” It aims to do this predominantly through teacher and community education programs, focusing on bringing Holocaust survivors to speak with groups to share their experiences and perspectives. With survivors aging, funding is said to be “crucial now” to educate the second and third generations and expand other programming to con-

tinue to the mission.

The JMA’s 10th annual “Ride 2 Remember” event in 2015 benefitted the Safe Haven Museum and Education Center in Oswego, and was said to be helpful in Fort Ontario being listed as a National Historic Landmark and UNESCO World Heritage site.

For more club information, contact Joel Stein at airmail13220@gmail.com.

Registration for the annual JMA ride can be found at www.ride2remember.com.

Continued from page 3

the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. Support for the fund-raiser will help to keep JMAC free for all who attend.

PJ

For more information, festival sponsorship opportunities or to make a reservation, call Judith Stander at 445-2040, ext. 114.

Continued from page 5

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 or to sign up, visit www.pjlibrary.org or e-mail Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org.

PJ OUR WAY FOR 9-11-YEAR-OLDS The Syracuse/Central New York PJ Library chapter has been selected as a pilot community for PJ Our Way, the

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newest chapter of PJ Library for children ages 9-11.

PJ Our Way is different from PJ Library, as it is designed to meet the developmental needs of 9-11-year-olds by offering them a choice of creative outlets. Every month, children may visit the PJ Library website to choose one book from a selection of four titles with Jewish themes. The books are then mailed to the children’s homes. They may also post comments and reviews on the website.

Enrollment for eligible children in PJ Our Way is now available at www.pjourway.org. For more information, contact Carolyn Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org.

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

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776

Chabad to bring a model matzah bakery and Passover experience to Wegmans DeWitt

Chabad Lubavitch of Central New York will bring its model matzah bakery and Passover experience to Wegmans DeWitt, 6789 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville, on Sunday, April 10, from 10:30 am-2:30 pm, with a lunch break from 12-12:30 pm. There will also be a model seder table on display, with many details about the seder. Chabad Rabbi Yaakov Rapoport will be available to answer questions.

The model matzah bakery is modeled after the famous hand shmurah matzah bakeries in Brooklyn and Jerusalem. Children and adults will have a chance to choose

the kernels of wheat, separate them from the chaff, grind the wheat into flour and mix, knead, roll and bake their own matzah.

Shmurah, which means “watched” in Hebrew, is used to describe the round handmade matzah where the wheat is carefully watched and protected from any contact with water from the moment of harvest onward, until the matzah is ready to be kneaded into dough and baked.

The wheat is only harvested on a sunny day. Before it is ground into flour, the millstones are cleaned thoroughly.

Special care is taken during the transportation of the

wheat, and when it gets to the bakery, the flour is kept in a special dry room. The rationale is that any contact with water before the flour is ready to be mixed and made into dough could cause leavening in the wheat and disqualify its use for Passover. In ordinary matzah, the wheat is watched only from the time of milling. Shmurah matzah is baked entirely by hand, and under “intense” scrutiny.

The model matzah bakery is made possible by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Central New York.

For more information, call Rabbi Rapoport at 7270973.

Chef Paula Shoyer’s Passover menu enlivens your seder, maintains tradition

BY JNS.ORG Chef and best-selling author Paula Shoyer returns to JNS.org with recommendations that she guarantees “will match the Passover culinary tradition while simultaneously enlivening your seder.” All of the recipes are courtesy of Shoyer’s book “The New Passover Menu” (Sterling Epicure, February 2015).

SEDER PLATE SALAD This is Paula Shoyer’s version of a French niçoise salad with lamb instead of tuna. It contains the ritual components of the seder plate and table. The dressing is made from kosher sweet wine and maror (the bitter herb, in this case, white horseradish), creating a creamy pink dressing. This salad also makes a nice lunch or light dinner during Chol HaMoed, the non-yom tov intermediate days of Passover.

Servings: 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Advance prep: dressing and lamb may be made two days in advance Equipment: cutting board, knives, measuring cups and spoons, small saucepan, tongs, small bowl, whisk, large serving bowl Ingredients for the salad: 2 pieces of lamb shoulder (about 20 ounces/600g total) 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper 1 large head romaine lettuce, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1 cup (40g) loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped 1 3 / cup (40g) walnut halves, roughly chopped into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces 2 apples (Red Delicious, Fuji or Gala), cored and cut into ¾-inch (2-cm) cubes 3 large eggs, hard-boiled and quartered Ingredients for the dressing: ½ cup (120ml) mayonnaise 4 tsp. jarred white horseradish 1 Tbsp. sugar 2 Tbsp. sweet kosher wine Salt and black pepper 1. Preheat oven to broil or an outdoor grill to medium-high heat.

2. To make the lamb: Rub the lamb shoulder pieces with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Broil or grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare, or until desired doneness. Let cool for 5 minutes and, if serving immediately, slice into thin, 2-inch-long (5-cm) pieces. If making in advance, wait to slice the lamb until after reheating. The lamb may be roasted two days in advance; cover and store in the fridge.

3. To make the salad dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, white horseradish, sugar and wine until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. The dressing may be made two days in advance; cover and store in the fridge.

4. To assemble the salad: Place the romaine pieces in a large bowl. Add the celery and parsley and toss to combine. Sprinkle the walnuts and apples on top and arrange the egg quarters around the perimeter of the bowl.

Scatter the lamb pieces on top. To serve, scoop some of everything onto each plate and drizzle with the dressing.

SEARED TUNA WITH OLIVES AND CAPERS Shoyer’s family consumes a lot of sushi, so everyone is thrilled when she has seared tuna on the menu at her house. It is the quickest main dish to prepare if you, like her children, enjoy fresh tuna pretty raw; it cooks in minutes. The olive and caper relish has strong flavors, so she often serves it on the side. Several companies certify capers for Passover, but if you cannot find them, substitute green olives.

Servings: 4–6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 6–8 minutes Advance prep: may be made 1 day in advance Equipment: measuring cups and spoons, cutting board, knives, large frying pan, silicone spatula 4 tuna steaks (6 ounces/170g each) ½ tsp. dried basil ½ tsp. dried thyme Paula Shoyer’s seared tuna Black pepper 3 Tbsp. (45ml) extra with olives and capers.

(Photo courtesy of “The New virgin olive oil 3 Tbsp. chopped red Passover Menu”) onion, cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) pieces 4 cloves garlic, chopped into ¼-inch (6-mm) pieces 3 Tbsp. capers, drained, or green olives, cut into ¼-inch (6-mm) pieces 1 3 / cup (45g) green or black olives (or a combination), cut into long slivers ½ tsp. sugar 1. Sprinkle both sides of the tuna steaks with the basil, thyme, and pepper to taste. Heat a large frying pan over high heat (do not add any oil). When the pan is hot, add the tuna steaks and cook for 1 to 1½ minutes on each side, just long enough to sear the outside. Leave the center raw, unless you prefer tuna cooked all the way through.

2. Remove the tuna steaks to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium and add the oil. Add the red onion and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the capers, olives, sugar and pepper to taste, and cook for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat.

3. Place the tuna steaks on a cutting board and slice into 1/3- to ½-inch-thick (8- to 12-mm) slices. Place the slices on a platter and sprinkle the caper and olive mixture on top, or serve it alongside in a small bowl.

LINZER TART (GLUTEN-FREE) You can make this dessert with any flavor jam you like. Shoyer suggests spreading red jam on half the crust and apricot jam on the other half. She uses a pastry cutter, a small fluted wheel on a handle, to cut the dough strips to achieve a ridged look, but you can use a knife instead. The Paula Shoyer’s Passovercrust requires 3 cups of friendly Linzer tart. (Photo three different kinds of courtesy of “The New ground nuts; if you do not Passover Menu”) have enough of one type, you can substitute another.

Servings: 8-12 Prep Time: 15 minutes; chill dough 45 minutes; 10 minutes to chill lattice strips Bake Time: 10–15 minutes for crust, 35–40 minutes for tart Advance Prep: may be made four days in advance and stored covered at room temperature Equipment: measuring cups and spoons, large bowl, electric mixer, 8-inch (20-cm) round tart pan (with or without a removable bottom) or pie pan, medium bowl, two cookie sheets, silicone spatula, rolling pin, knife or pastry wheel, long knife or metal spatula, pastry brush or hands to glaze top of dough with egg white ½ cup (1 stick; 113g) margarine 1½ cups (180g) ground almonds

1 cup (120g) ground walnuts ½ cup (55g) ground hazelnuts (with or without skins) ½ cup (80g) potato starch ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, plus 1½ tsp. for sprinkling on top ½ cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting 1 cup (240ml) raspberry, apricot, or your favorite jam 1 large egg white, beaten, for glazing To make the crust: 1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed beat the margarine until soft, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula once or twice.

2. Add the ground almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts along with the potato starch and granulated sugar and mix. Separate a little more than half the dough and put it into your tart or pie pan. Leave the remaining dough in the bowl.

3. Use your hands to press the dough into the bottom of the pan to cover it and create a 1/3-inch-thick (8-mm) crust on the sides. It’s easiest to press the dough with your fingers into the sides and corners of the pan first and then press the palm of your hand into the bottom of the pan to help cover it with dough. Take a little extra dough from the bowl if needed to cover the bottom. Place the pan in the freezer.

4. Add the confectioners’ sugar to the smaller piece of dough in the bowl and mix it in; the easiest way is to use your hands. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it. Do not worry if the dough is crumbly. Wrap the dough in plastic and place it in the freezer for 45 minutes.

To make the tart: 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Remove the tart pan from the freezer and place it on top of a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust just starts to color.

3. Remove the pan from the oven, slide the parchment and tart pan off the cookie sheet, and let it cool for five minutes, or until the dough in the freezer is ready to be rolled out.

4. Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with some confectioners’ sugar. Place the dough on top of the paper, sprinkle with more sugar and cover it with another piece of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll the parchment-covered dough into a 1/3-inch-thick (8-mm) rectangle. Use a knife or pastry wheel to cut the dough into eight 1-inch (2.5-cm) strips. Slide the parchment onto a cookie sheet and freeze the strips for 10 minutes.

5. Use silicone spatula to spread the jam evenly over the bottom of the crust.

6. Remove the dough strips from the freezer and use a long metal spatula or large knife to lift and place the strips across the top of the jam-filled crust to create a lattice. Do not try to bend the strips back to make a perfect over-and-under lattice. Instead, place half the strips in one direction, an inch apart, and then lay the others across them in the other direction. Trim the ends of the dough and press them into the border of the bottom crust.

Brush the strips with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with the remaining 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar.

7. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the jam is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Paula Shoyer, a mother of four, believes that a healthy kosher diet can include desserts if they are homemade.

A former attorney, she graduated from the Ritz Escoffier pastry program in Paris, and now teaches French and Jewish baking classes across the country and around the world. She is the author of”The Kosher Baker: Over 160 Dairy-Free Recipes from Traditional to Trendy,” “The Holiday Kosher Baker” and “The New Passover Menu.”

She is a contributing editor to several kosher websites, such as kosherscoop.com and jewishfoodexperience.com, and magazines, such as Joy of Kosher, Whisk and Hadassah.”She also writes for The Washington Post. She lives in Chevy Chase, MD. To learn more about Shoyer and her ongoing book tour, visit her website at www.thekosherbaker.com.

MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776 ■

9

JEWISH OBSERVER

JCC to hold Passover/spring break vacation camp April 25–28

BY WILLIAM WALLAK Organizers are planning many “fun and thrilling activities” for school-age children in kindergarten-sixth grade during the upcoming Passover/spring break vacation camp at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. The camp will be held on Monday, April 25, and through Thursday, April 28, from 9 am-4 pm, at the JCC, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt. There will be no camp on Friday, April 29, in observance of Passover.

Children can attend only one day, or all four days.

Half-day programs and early and late care are also

available. Full-day campers have been asked to bring a Passover-style, non-meat lunch. An afternoon snack will be provided.

Mick Hagan, the JCC’s director of children and teen services, said, “We have so many cool and fun things lined up for the kids to do each day. In addition to age-appropriate games, arts and crafts and sports, we’ll also be taking field trips to the zoo and WonderWorks at Destiny Mall.”

The camp will feature various indoor and outdoor activities, along with special theme days, such as “rock star day” and “superhero day.” All campers should

bring seasonally-appropriate clothing for daily outdoor activities, weather permitting, as well as sneakers to play in the gym.

When available, the camp’s half-day options are from 9 am-noon and 1-4 pm. Early and late care will be available from 7 am-6 pm. Early registration pricing and a discount for siblings is available through April 18.

Registration is discounted for JCC members; however, membership or JCC program enrollment is not necessary for a child to attend the camp.

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

Final group of Jews from Yemen airlifted to Israel in secret mission

BY JTA STAFF JERUSALEM (JTA) – A group of the last remaining Jews from Yemen arrived in Israel in a secret operation coordinated by the Jewish Agency for Israel. The 19 Jews who arrived on March 20 include 14 from Raydah, including the community’s rabbi, and a family of five from Sanaa, the capital. The rabbi brought with him a 500-600-year-old Torah scroll, the Jewish Agency said in a statement issued on March 21.

The Sanaa family included the son of Aharon Zindani, who was killed in an antisemitic attack in 2012.

Zindani’s widow and several of their children made aliyah shortly after the attack, and his body was brought to Israel for burial.

Some 200 Jews have been secretly brought to Israel from Yemen by the Jewish Agency in recent years, including several dozen in recent months, as attacks against the Jewish community have increased and the country has become embroiled in civil war.

“This is a highly significant moment in the history of Israel and of aliyah,” Natan Sharansky, chair of the executive

of the Jewish Agency for Israel, said in a statement. “From Operation Magic Carpet in 1949 until the present day, The Jewish Agency has helped bring Yemenite Jewry home to Israel. Today we bring that historic mission to a close.

“This chapter in the history of one of the world’s oldest Jewish communities is coming to an end, but Yemenite Jewry’s unique, 2,000-year-old contribution to the Jewish people will continue in the state of Israel.”

More than 51,000 Yemenite Jews have immigrated to Israel since the country’s establishment in 1948. The majority of the community – nearly 50,000 people – was brought to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet in 1949 and 1950.

Attacks against Jews in Yemen have risen sharply since 2008, when Jewish teacher Moshe Yaish Nahari was murdered in Raydah. In 2012, Zindani was murdered in Sanaa and a young Jewish woman was abducted, forced to convert to Islam and forcibly wed to a Muslim man.

Some 50 Jews remain in Yemen by choice, including approximately 40 in Sanaa, where they live in a closed compound adjacent to the U.S. Embassy and are currently under the protection of Yemeni authorities.

P A S S O V E R 2016 Deadline: April 6 (April 14 issue) Passover is traditionally a time for sharing with family, friends and strangers. While your seder table may not be large enough to fit all these people, you can share the warmth of this holiday with the entire local Jewish community by placing a Passover greeting in The Jewish Observer.You may choose from the designs, messages and sizes shown here - more are available. You may also choose your own message, as long as it fits into the space of the greeting you select. (Custom designs available upon request.) The price of the small greeting is $18 (styles C, E & F), the medium one is $36 (styles A, B & D) and the largest one (style G) is $68.

To ensure that your greeting is published, simply fill out the form below and choose a design that you would like to accompany your greeting, or contact Bonnie Rozen at 607-724-2360, ext. 244 or bonnie@thereportergroup.org. Checks can be made payable to The Reporter and sent to: The Reporter, 500 Clubhouse Rd., Vestal, NY 13850.

“The Jewish Agency will continue to assist any Jew who wishes to make Israel his or her home,” the statement concluded.

Yemen reportedly imprisons two for helping smuggle out Torah

(JTA) – The Yemeni government reportedly has imprisoned a Jewish man for allegedly helping smuggle a historic Torah scroll out of the war-torn country and into Israel. The man and a Muslim airport worker were arrested for their suspected roles in moving the more than 500-year-old sefer Torah, of which the government claims ownership, the London Jewish Chronicle reported on March 24. According to the Chronicle, the two are believed to have been arrested after local authorities saw media coverage of the March 20 covert airlift of 19 Yemeni Jews that was carried out with the assistance of the Jewish Agency and the U.S. State Department.

The coverage included photos of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reading the Torah scroll with the rabbi of the newly transplanted community.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776

Enterprising spirit sparks the tourism treasures of Israel’s Western Galilee

BY JUDY LASH BALINT JNS.org Yoney Skiba welcomes guests to the full-size Ethiopian hut in the yard of her home on Kibbutz Evron, near Nahariya, close to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

Skiba, who came to Israel as a child in the 1994 Operation Solomon, offers a brief talk to tourists about her aliyah experience and Ethiopian-Jewish culture; points out various authentic Ethiopian artifacts and artwork in the hut; prepares traditional injera sourdough flatbread; and demonstrates the preparation of Ethiopian coffee.

Ethiopian-Jewish music heightens the experience that she offers to groups, students, Jews and non-Jews interested in learning about the culture of a significant Jewish community and its efforts to integrate into Israeli society.

Skiba’s Mevrahatey (My Light) initiative is just one of hundreds of projects adopted by the Treasures of the Galilee umbrella group, with the goal of jumpstarting tourism in Israel’s Western Galilee region. Some of the most offbeat and creative tourism initiatives in the area are headed by enterprising women like Skiba, who are looking to increase their business.

Founded by philanthropist and Nahariya native Raya Strauss Bendror, Treasures of the Galilee brings together community activists, academics, CEOs, mayors and religious leaders from the Western Galilee to help fund tourism projects like Skiba’s in an effort to create jobs and stimulate the economy of the region.

With cities rich in history like Akko (also called Acre), the natural beauty of the northern coastline, national parks and one of the most diverse populations in the country, the Western Galilee deserves to be a top destination for visitors, Strauss Bendror explains. After scouring the area for the best tourist sites, restaurants, B&Bs, galleries, wineries and craftsmen, Strauss Bendror and her team provided copywriters and photographers for each place so they could beef up their online presence, and all are now included in an app and website that make it easy to pinpoint places of interest and plan a trip.

While it lacks the religious sites of Jerusalem, Akko’s Old City is considered captivating and filled with fascinating sites from hundreds of years of history and different occupiers. One of the tourism initiatives in Akko supported by Treasures of the Galilee is Salima, a basket-weaving workshop and store run by Sima Oren in the restored Knights Hall in the Old City.

As she skillfully weaves slim branches of date palms into a colorful basket, Oren talks about her dream: bringing Arab and Jewish women together via weaving.

The handmade works by women from the Akko area are sold under the “Women Weaving Peace” label, which includes Arab and Jewish women (ranging from secular to religious), new immigrants, Druze and Bedouin.

Oren offers weaving workshops for visitors in Hebrew

Yoney Skiba, one of the Israeli women whose projects were adopted by the Treasures of the Galilee group, in her Ethiopian hut on Kibbutz Evron. (Photo courtesy Treasures of the Galilee) and English, and uses them to invoke her optimistic mission statement. “It’s fantastic that we’re in this beautiful Crusader Hall,” she says, “but the real crusaders are each one of us, who live in a new situation that no one prepared us for. We need to empower each other and we can accomplish that by doing what we love together.”

A short drive from Akko, in a restored building that once housed the kitchen of Kibbutz Shomrat, former furniture marketing executive Yonat Mazan explains how Treasures of the Galilee helped her become the operator of the Alto Dairy Farm. Standing in front of a display case filled with more than 15 types of hard cheese, soft cheese, low-acidity yogurt and a special variety of low-fat goat milk cheese, Mazan describes how her family built a business that now incorporates a kosher café, visitor center and factory store to showcase the kibbutz’s goat milk products. Her husband, Ariel, is the dairyman, and her five grown kids all play a role in the business. For anyone exploring the area, the café is a perfect place to stop for a leisurely brunch, sample

Yonat Mazan explained how the Treasures of the Galilee initiative helped her become the operator of Alto Dairy Farm. (Photo by Judy Lash Balint)

some unusual cheeses or pick up picnic supplies.

Still farther north, a sharp switchback drive through some of Israel’s hill scenery brings visitors to Adamit National Park and the Keshet Cave. But instead of turning around and driving back down the hill after the park experience, Treasures of Galilee is promoting a culinary and cultural adventure to the nearby Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe. Set in what is today a peaceful and rural setting, where sheep amble across the roads and villas dot the hills, this village abuts the border with Lebanon and provides an opportunity to take a look at the fence and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon presiding over the peace.

Muhammad and Sued Mizal run the Sof Ha’Olam Smola (Turn Left at the End of the World) tourism experience from their home in the village, and they attract visitors via the Treasures of Galilee website. After a tour of the village and its bordering area with Muhammad, including an explanation of his experiences during the First and Second Lebanon Wars, the family invites visitors to an authentic homemade Bedouin culinary experience (not kosher) on their terrace overlooking the beautiful rural scenery.

Over the meal, Muhammad talks about the Bedouin in general and the Bedouin of Arab al-Aramshe in particular. He recounts the relations between village residents and Jewish Israelis – relations that began even before the establishment of the state, when a bond was formed with the surrounding kibbutzim. “We helped them before the state was established and they helped us upon the establishment of the state and prevented our deportation,” he says.

Spending time with the Mizals has been called an eye-opening experience that will broaden understanding of Israel’s place amongst its neighbors. Like many Treasures of Galilee projects, it may not be tourism in the traditional sense, but it’s part of the Western Galilee, a destination not to be overlooked.

Sima Oren in her basket-weaving shop, Salima, in the Old City of Akko in Israel’s Western Galilee region.

(Photo by Judy Lash Balint)

Jews built this city on rock and roll (and klezmer) ing platform and face,” he said. “So when

BY CNAAN LIPHSHIZ the Soviet Union collapsed, we already had KAZAN, Russia (JTA) – When the six strong partnerships. Everybody in Kazan members of the Simcha klezmer band hauled knew Simcha.” their instruments into a dilapidated rehearsal Later, the community hired a rabbi for its space, no one suspected they were about to synagogue and built a Jewish school – instihijack a government building in this large, tutions that took over the task of serving as clean city some 450 miles east of Moscow. an axis for Jewish life here. Sonts became the But that’s exactly what happened in 1995 president of Kazan’s Jewish community – a when this ensemble – founded in 1989 by role he maintained until his passing in 2001.

Jewish musicians during the Soviet Union’s After returning the Teacher’s House, autwilight years – entered the Teacher’s House, thorities in Kazan have done more than give a government-controlled building that had the Jews a synagogue: They turned it and once been a synagogue. For three years, city the community into tourist attractions. Since officials had pledged to return the structure to 2012, the city has held an annual Jewish music the Jewish community. festival around Rosh Hashanah. And last year, But the band’s members had had enough the city held a series of Jewish-themed events of empty promises. Determined to hold the outside the synagogue, including Kazan’s first mayor to his word, the players remained barriLimmud FSU Jewish learning conference and caded inside for three days as police prepared to storm in. The standoff ended with the city Eduard Tumansky, third from left, with his fellow Simcha musicians on a gathering by Chabad rabbis from across the former Soviet Union. The events attracted an giving up the synagogue, which it signed over September 3, 2013. (Photo courtesy of Simcha) unlikely mix of secular and religious Jews, to its 8,000-member Jewish community the Violinist Leonid Sonts, who founded Simcha, “used who flooded the red-cobble pedestrian streets of Kazan’s following year.

In this part of Russia, near the Ural Mountains that musical activities as a vehicle for building a Jewish old city, with its mosques and gold-spired Russian Ordivide Europe from Asia, Simcha has been the linchpin community long before open worship became tolerated thodox churches.

Local Jews say they feel safe among the Sunni Muslim of the Jewish community’s growth and strength, and again in Kazan,” said the city’s Chabad rabbi, Yitzhak a symbol of the Jews’ determination to maintain their Gorelick. Sonts, who opened a Jewish cultural center, majority in the Russian state of Tatarstan, of which Kazan religious and cultural identity amid persecution. “Many Menorah, in 1987, “used the band to turn musical events is the capital. “I regularly put my tefillin on while waiting Russian Jewish communities grew to include klezmer into cultural-religious events,” Tumansky recalled. “We for the subway in the morning,” said Gershon Ilianski, bands,” Eduard Tumansky, the band’s current leader, told performed during the holidays. Before [Kazan’s] Jewish 16, a student at the Jewish high school here. “I know they JTA after a performance in September celebrating the people had a synagogue, they got together at Simcha have problems with Muslims in Western Europe, but I never worried anyone would bother me here.” synagogue’s centennial. “But I know of no other klezmer concerts. Simcha became the engine for Jewish life.

“Simcha was the Jewish community’s main lobbySee “Klezmer” on page 11 bands besides ours that grew into a Jewish community.”

MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776 ■

JEWISH OBSERVER

Inside the Jewish life of Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland

Garland was raised in LinGarland and his wife met at colnwood, a Jewish suburb a rehearsal dinner where they of Chicago, and had his bar were seated together. They mitzvah at a Conservative synamarried in 1987 in a Jewish gogue. Garland has credited his ceremony at the Harvard Club parents with instilling in him the in New York presided over desire for public service. by a Reform rabbi, Charles “His Jewish tradition is one Lippman. of service,” Jamie Gorelick, who The couple settled in the went to college with Garland Washington, DC, area and and worked closely with him in there raised two daughters, both the Justice Department, told The J u d g e M e r r i c k now in their 20s. Garland and New York Times. Gorelick was Garland at the his wife live in Bethesda, MS, the U.S. deputy attorney general W h i t e H o u s e and are members of Temple from 1994-97. listened to President Sinai, a 1,100-member Reform At Niles West High School Barack Obama (not congregation in Washington led in Skokie, IL, Garland served pictured) announce by Rabbi Jonathan Roos. Both as student council president, his nomination to the Garland daughters, Rebecca acted in theatrical plays and the Supreme Court and Jessica, reportedly had their was voted “most intelligent” on March 16. (Photo bat mitzvahs there. boy in the class of 1970, the by Mark Wilson/ The Garlands’ Passover Times reported. seders have included guests Getty Images) When Garland started as such as then-U.S. Attorney an undergraduate at Harvard University, General Janet Reno. In 1996, she and where he was on scholarship, he thought he Garland had to step away from the table wanted to be a doctor and initially entered at one point to take a phone call regarding a pre-med track. But he quickly changed the investigation into Ted Kaczynski, the focus and settled on another respectable so-called Unabomber, who was arrestJewish path: lawyer. After graduating ed on Passover eve. Garland oversaw Harvard College, he went on to Harvard Kaczynski’s prosecution.

Law School.

Garland also has hosted Easter egg Garland’s wife, Lynn Rosenman, is hunts – part of an annual potluck breakfast a fellow Jewish Harvard graduate. Her he holds for his former clerks and their grandfather, Samuel Rosenman of New spouses and children, according to The York, was a state Supreme Court justice Washington Post. and a special counsel to two presidents: The judge has worked in a variety of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. roles since moving to Washington in the 1970s. He started as a court clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court before joining the law firm Arnold and Porter. After just a few years, Garland From JTA gravitated toward government work, first Suicide bombing in Pakistan park kills at least 65 working as an assistant U.S. attorney and At least 65 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a suicide bombing later as a deputy assistant attorney genat a park in Lahore, Pakistan. More than 300 were wounded in the attack for which eral in the criminal division of the U.S. the Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting Christians Department of Justice.

President Bill Clinton nominated on Easter Sunday, Reuters reported. The explosion occurred in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park near the children’s swings. The park is a popular spot for the Garland to be a U.S. circuit court judge Lahore Christian community. “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz in 1995, but the Republican-controlled Sharif that we have entered Lahore,” Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokesman Senate dragged its feet on confirming him.

Ehsanullah Ehsan said, according to Reuters. “He can do what he wants, but he won’t After Clinton won re-election in 1996, he renominated Garland and the judge was be able to stop us. Our suicide bombers will continue these attacks.” confirmed in March 1997 by a 76-23 vote in the Senate.

Jay Michaelson, a rabbi and columnist Continued from page 10 for The Daily Beast and The Jewish Daily Thirty years ago, however, when Russia take years to grow in other Russian cities. Forward who clerked for Garland on the was still communist, Jews, Muslims and This head start has meant that Jewish lay Appeals Court in the late 1990s, said Christians all needed a non-religious alibi leaders have been able to have a more Garland’s Jewish identity is typical of to worship. “Simcha performed at Purim hands-on approach to developing their that of many American Jews. “My sense and Chanukah parties while camouflaging community. For example, unlike most is he wasn’t super religious or observant, the religious and communal nature of these other Jewish Russian communities, Kazan but very culturally Jewish – like a lot of events,” Tumansky said. “To the commu- employs its Chabad rabbi, Gorelick, full American Jews,” Michaelson told JTA. “I nity, the concerts were [seen] as a Jewish time. Elsewhere in Russia, rabbis often think the immigrant experience and Jewevent. To authorities, just a musical one.” work independently of the community, ish ethical values would be the two most Even so, such musical gatherings were sometimes competing with its lay leaders not allowed elsewhere in the Soviet Union, for donations from local philanthropists.

Last September, the community celwhere the communist government sought to blur ethnic identities. This policy was ebrated its strength alongside its synaless strictly enforced in Kazan, as its gogue’s centennial by rededicating the population was deeply attached to Islam shul following renovations. Tumansky, and its heritage. “Moscow realized it wearing his trademark black hat, percouldn’t restrict the locals too much on formed with Simcha’s other five musicians religion and tradition, because there’d be before a crowd of several thousand outside too much alienation,” said Chaim Chesler, the synagogue. “It’s true that we are now founder of the Limmud FSU organization. the sideshow of the community we used “The result is an inspiring example of to run,” he said of the band. “But then coexistence.” again, that was exactly what we fought This atmosphere of relative tolerance for: to have a normal community.” in Kazan during the Soviet era attracted The concert was unorthodox; while hundreds of Jews from other parts of the Simcha primarily played klezmer, there Soviet Union. At a time when some uni- were notable electric guitar and country versities nearer to Moscow barred Jews, music influences. After each solo, the they were accepted without problem at Ka- crowd, a mix of Jews and non-Jews, waved zan’s institutions of higher education, the blue and white balloons emblazoned with Ukraine-born Sonts said in an interview a Star of David, enthusiastically reacting he gave to local media before his death. with whistles and yelps. “Tell me,” TumanWhen the Soviet Union collapsed in sky told a reporter after the show. “Have 1991, Kazan already had a functioning you ever seen a Jewish community built Jewish community – something that would on rock and roll?”

BY URIEL HEILMAN (JTA) – Americans have heard a lot about Merrick Garland since President Barack Obama nominated him to fill the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. But there’s a lot we still don’t know. What are his views on abortion? Will the Republican leadership give him a hearing in the Senate? What was his bar mitzvah Torah portion?

Garland may have an extensive judicial record – he has more federal judicial experience (19 years) than any other Supreme Court nominee in history, according to the White House – but far less is known about Garland’s Jewish bona fides.

Here’s what we do know. He is proud of his family’s Jewish immigrant story – enough so to cite it in his speech at the announcement of his March 16 nomination in the White House Rose Garden. “My family deserves much of the credit for the path that led me here,” Garland said.

“My grandparents left the Pale of Settlement at the border of western Russia and Eastern Europe in the early 1900s, fleeing antisemitism and hoping to make a better life for their children in America.”

His father, Cyril Garland, was born in Omaha, NE, but hailed from a Latvian Jewish immigrant family. He ran an advertising business out of the family home and died in 2000. Garland’s mother, Shirley Garland, still lives in the Chicago area and at one point served as director of volunteer services at the Council for Jewish Elderly in Chicago.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Klezmer

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important aspects of his Jewish identity.”

Michaelson remembered talking with the judge about needing to take off four days for Sukkot and Simchat Torah. The two had a joking exchange about it, and Garland of course gave him the days off, Michaelson said. “My experience clerking for him is that he was very methodical, detailed and sharp,” Michaelson said. “He was extremely detail-oriented, determined, nerdy in a good way and quite meticulous.”

The White House released a three-minute biographical video on Garland recently. “I think the rule of law is what distinguishes our country from most other countries,” Garland says in the video. “It’s people’s willingness to trust that they don’t have to take justice into their own hands, that law will treat people fairly and impartially, and without regard to politics or religion or race or anything else.”

The two elements of Garland’s biography that have generated the most attention since Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court have nothing to do with his Jewishness. One is that he’s a relative moderate compared to other potential jurists a Democratic president could have nominated. The other is that he is 63 – relatively old by Supreme Court nominee standards. That makes it less likely he will serve a long term on the court.

Both elements are being seen as concessions to make Obama’s pick more palatable to Senate Republicans – or at least make it harder for them to refuse him a hearing. So far, the Republican leadership has vowed not to bring Garland’s nomination to a vote before the November presidential election.

The fact that Garland is a Jewish, male, white Harvard graduate is tertiary. The court is already stacked with those: Of the eight sitting justices, five are men, six are white, three are Jews and all eight went to law school either at Harvard or Yale University. (Ruth Bader Ginsburg graduated from Columbia University after transferring there from Harvard.)

If confirmed, Garland would be the court’s ninth-ever Jewish judge. “We’re on the one hand super proud that we have a Reform Jew who is being nominated to the Supreme Court. It’s a wonderful affirmation of this jurist,” said Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

Pesner noted that his friends at Temple Sinai are “ecstatic” about one of their own being nominated to the highest court in the land. “On the other hand,” Pesner said, “we believe of course that faith should never be a litmus test for office.”

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12

JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776

NEWS IN BRIEF Canada’s foreign minister urges U.N. to review Printers at Princeton, other college campuses hacked with appointment of anti-Israel law prof Canada’s foreign affairs minister has called on the United Nations to review its antisemitic message From JTA

Printers at a half dozen college campuses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island were hacked with an antisemitic, racist flier in a breach of the schools’ computers that also turned up at several other colleges across the country. The flier reads: “White man, are you sick and tired of the Jews destroying your country through mass immigration and degeneracy?” It also says: “Join us in the struggle for global white supremacy,” which is bookended by two large Nazi swastikas. The source of the hacking, which occurred on March 24, is not yet known, according to Robert Trestan, executive director of the New England Anti-Defamation League. The web address of the Daily Stormer, described by the ADL and the Southern Poverty Law Center as a neo-Nazi website, is included on the bottom of the flier. Copies of the flier were discovered in printers and fax machines at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith College and Mount Holyoke College, all in western Massachusetts, and at Northeastern University in Boston, Clark University in Worcester, and Brown University in Providence, RI. They were also reported at Princeton University, DePaul University in Chicago and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. “It’s concerning because it is so widespread,” Trestan told MassLive.com. He described the hacking as a troubling development because it represents a security component. “This represents a new strategy to anonymously disseminate antisemitism,” he said. Trestan has been in contact with law enforcement and college officials, and reported there is no indication of any public safety threats to Massachusetts students. The FBI would not confirm or deny any investigation, the Boston Globe reported. In an e-mail at UMass Amherst, Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy wrote, “As a campus community, we condemn this cowardly and hateful act,” the Globe reported. The Globe also cited a communication from leaders at Smith College, who rejected the flier’s message as hateful and intended to shock and intimidate. “The contents have no place in our community,” the e-mail said. At Northeastern, where more than 20 printers were involved, the school put up a firewall to prevent further attacks, its spokesman, Michael Armini, told the Globe.

While that mitigates the risk, “it cannot be completely eliminated,” he said.

appointment of a Canadian law professor with a history of anti-Israel bias to a key Middle East post. Stephane Dion is questioning the naming of Michael Lynk of Western University in Ontario as the U.N. Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on human rights in Palestine. On March 25, the day after the council tapped Lynk, Dion tweeted: “We call on UNHRC President to review this appointment & ensure Special Rapporteur has track record that can advance peace in region.” Canada’s opposition Conservative Party also called for Lynk to be disqualified from the position based on his past statements on Israel. Lynk “was not put forward by Canada and does not represent the views of this government,” Dion’s office said in a statement to the Canadian Press, a national news agency. The statement also said Canada’s U.N. ambassador made it clear that the Human Rights Council should appoint a “professional, neutral and credible” candidate, the Canadian Press noted. Jewish advocacy groups in Canada used some of the strongest language in recent memory to denounce Lynk as having a long and public history of anti-Israel bias. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said Lynk “has been significantly involved in anti-Israel advocacy in Canada,” including signing anti-Israel petitions, calling for Israel to be prosecuted for war crimes, accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing, addressing conferences promoting one binational state, and serving as a leader of a group that promotes Israeli Apartheid Week. Similar positions were sounded by B’nai Brith Canada and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center. The Geneva-based group UN Watch said the council’s choice of Lynk was “a travesty of justice.”

Police in Turkey warn of possible attacks against synagogues, churches

Police in Turkey have warned of possible Islamic State attacks against churches and synagogues. A nationwide police alert on March 27 listed the possible targeting of the Jewish and Christian sites, according to Turkish media reports. Consulates and embassies also were told to stay on high alert. The warning comes a week after a suicide bombing at a main shopping center in Istanbul killed three Israelis and one Iranian national.

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MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776 ■

SCIENCE SNIPPETS

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From JNS.org

BJ’s kashering

Israeli firm develops solar tech to replace batteries

An Israeli company says it has developed solar energy technology that is powerful enough to replace batteries. The company, 3G Solar, created an advanced form of dye solar cell (or DSC) technology that uses glass-printed photovoltaic cells to power common household electric items. “[We’ve] invented a device that will be connected or built in new wireless electronics so there will be no need to ever change a battery or to recharge a battery. So when you have thousands of censors for instance in a building, which is going to happen in the next few years, you’ll never have to change a battery again,” said 3G Solar CEO Barry N. Breen. Dye solar cells, also known as Graetzel cells, were originally developed more than 20 years ago by Michael Graetzel, a professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne university in Switzerland. These cells produce power from indirect indoor lighting without the need for semiconductors, similar to how chlorophyll turns sunlight into energy using photosynthesis. “What we offer in our cells, in our light power devices, is a solution that gives three times the power of anything else that exists, and we’re talking indoors, where most the electronics are used. So three times the power to run these new electronics, the new censors, the smart watches, and other wearables. So it’s a way to keep those powered that couldn’t be done before,” Breen said.

BY BETTE SIEGEL Rabbi Moishe Lebovits, rabbinical administrator in charge of new business development for KOF-K Kosher Supervision, kashered BJ’s bakery at 122 Chevy Dr. in East Syracuse on February 22. This is the 48th BJ’s location to have a KOF-K kosher dairy and the first in the Syracuse area. There are already kosher bakeries at BJ’s locations in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca and Rochester.

On the first day of the kosherization, the club’s bakery was fully cleaned, including the regularly-used sheet pans. On the second day, the rabbi kashered the oven, racks and sheet pans in the store’s bakery section, burning away all impurities in the oven. BJ’s team members also received training to explain why the bakery was kashered. Rabbi Evan Shore, the rabbi at Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse, will continue to visit BJ’s bakery to ensure that BJ’s continues to meet the kashrut standards set by the KOF-K, and to see that area is properly cleaned and contains appropriately-labeled items. He will also be able to answer any questions from BJ’s team members and club members.

David Hay, bakery buyer for BJ’s Wholesale Club, said, “We were already working with many vendors to provide pre-packaged kosher pareve bakery products, so partnering with such a reputable organization as KOF-K seemed like the perfect next step. It has been an exciting and rewarding experience as Rabbi Moishe and I continue to receive such positive feedback from the community and even new members.”

Members can now purchase Wellsley Farms prod-

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Continued from page 12

a quarterly survey of more than 850 microbusiness owners that provides insights into their economic and emotional concerns. The survey indicates that women are opening 46 percent of today’s Main Street businesses – from restaurants to daycare centers – far greater than the number of women owned businesses that are more than 20 years old.

“I’ve never worked harder in my life or felt more rewarded,” says Molly Beasley of Fairhope, AL, owner of Give a Dog a Bone, a do-it-yourself dog washing company. “This business is my passion. There’s a lot of satisfaction in knowing you are providing a valuable, affordable service in your community.”

According to the survey, growth in microbusinesses has been driven largely by “high personal sacrifice, yet overall job satisfaction”: More than 60 percent of microbusiness owners have financed their businesses from personal savings and nearly as many (55 percent) say having access to cash reserves is a major issue.

One in three microbusiness owners (31 percent) depend more on second jobs for their personal income than on the business they launched.

Yet 69 percent of microbusiness owners feel they have the ideal job.

Amidst these findings, one question bubbles to the surface – how can entrepreneurs maintain their passion while dealing with long hours and increasing budget demands? Beasley provides some tips: Embrace Perspective: No matter how much you love

Ê

your company, there will be days when balancing the books creates anxiety. Remind yourself what fueled you to launch your business.

Find Balance: Sometimes it might seem impossible to relax, but devoting even 60 minutes weekly to non-business related activities will help you recharge.

Become Resourceful: Find ways to save money, time and energy. Try multitasking, such as purchasing business supplies while waiting for a prescription to be filled, or patronizing retailers with early shopping hours for business owners. Consider streamlining home expenses by eliminating cable or cooking at home.

Make Changes: Stay motivated by experimenting with new methods and tools. Attending trainings or online webinars about your industry can help re-ignite your creativity and even lead to business growth.

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13

ucts – the BJ’s brand – including freshly-baked cakes, cookies, muffins, danishes and croissants. In addition to BJ’s goods, the club also offers a variety of kosher pre-packaged meat, cheese and appetizers. The club is stocked with more than 100 kosher certified items under the Wellsley Farms brand.

“At BJ’s, we are focused on meeting our members’ diverse shopping needs, so we’re excited to be the first bakery in the Syracuse area to achieve the KOF-K kosher dairy certification,” said James Ferns, general manager of the BJ’s Wholesale Club in East Syracuse.

BJ’s team members and Rabbi Moishe Lebovits displayed the KOF-K kosher label and Wellsley Farms baked goods available in-club.

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Visit the JO online at jewishfederationcny.org and click on Jewish Observer 315.214.8122

14

JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 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.

Sunday, April 3 History of Jewish cooking lecture at Temple Concord at 10:30 am Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse gymnastics pasta dinner fund-raiser from 3-5:30 pm in the JCC Neulander Family Sports and Fitness Center’s Schayes Family Gymnasium TC Cinemagogue to present “The Sturgeon Queens” at 7:30 pm Tuesday, April 5 Rabbi Epstein School at TC at 6:30 pm Wednesday, April 6 Syracuse Community Hebrew School at Temple Adath Yeshurun at 4 pm UNICEF Program at Hillel at 6:30 pm Thursday, April 7 Rabbi Epstein School meets at Wegmans Café at 7 pm Saturday, April 9 TC will hold a light lunch followed by a chocolate seder/Shabbaton, “Out of Egypt,” from noon-3 pm TAY Shabbat services start at 9:15 am, then “pause” around 9:45 am for “Pause Button” - a snack, study and singing B and then completion of the service; mispacha Shabbat begins at 10:30 am; Tot Shabbat for birth-5-years-old; junior congregation for first-fifth grade students and main Torah service for sixth-eighth grade students Sunday, April 10 TC Brotherhood meets with guest speaker Scott Bronstein at 9:30 am TC Sisterhood brunch at Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel at 9:45 am TAY Chai Notes at 11 am Syracuse Jewish Family Service presents “Time to Plant” at Watson’s Greenhouse, in Lafayette, from 12:30-4 pm Teens to Campus program at Hillel at Syracuse University for teenagers entering college at 12:30 pm Monday, April 11 TC board meeting at 7 pm Tuesday, April 12 Rabbi Epstein High School Board meeting at TC at 6:30 pm Rabbi Epstein School at Concord at 6:30 pm TC Goldenberg Series presents Syracuse City Ballet at TC at 7 pm Wednesday, April 13 Deadline for the April 28 issue of the Jewish Observer Syracuse Community Hebrew School at TAY at 4 pm Thursday, April 14 Rabbi Epstein School meets at Wegmans Café at 7 pm TAY board meeting at 7 pm Saturday, April 16 Jewish Federation of Central New York presents “friend-raising” cocktail party at Benjamin’s on Franklin in Syracuse at 8:45 pm TC spring blood drive at 9 am Na’amat donor lunch at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas at 10:30 am PJ Library Passover at the MOST at 11 am Jewish Musical and Cultural Festival preview party at 4 pm Sunday, April 17 TC Gan at Temple Concord at 10:30 am

D’VAR TORAH

Holiness, kashrut and the Jewish future

BY RABBI IRVIN BEIGEL Ever since Jews entered the political, social and economic life of the countries in which we live, we have struggled with the question of what we ought to adopt from the world around us and what distinctive features of Judaism need to be guarded against the encroachment of the non-Jewish world. Put most starkly: are we to prove to the world that we are no different than anyone else, or are we to insist on being different and set apart from the world?

Nothing epitomizes this struggle more than our attitude to kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws. Always understood to be a pillar of the Jewish home and Jewish spirituality, and as a practice that strengthens Jewish peoplehood, these laws are today often ignored. They are seen as an obstacle to our being fully a part of society. They are seen as laws only for those who are “religious” and many Jews do not think of themselves as “religious.” As Dennis Prager and Rabbi Joseph Telushkin noted many years ago, Jewish laws, including kashrut, are seen as mere ritual and, therefore, meaningless. Then there are those who erroneously believe that the Torah instituted

B’NAI MITZVAH Abigail Charlamb

Abigail Charlamb, daughter of Jayne and Larry Charlamb, of Fayetteville, became bat mitzvah at Temple Adath Yeshurun on March 26. She is the granddaughter of Elaine Rubenstein and the late Milton J. Rubenstein, of Cazenovia, and Arlene and Stanley Charlamb, of Fayetteville.

She attends the TAY Religious Abigail Charlamb School and is a student at Eagle Hill Middle School.

She has opened a b’nai mitzvah fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Central New York. She enjoys tennis, art and writing.

AROUND THE TOWN GROWING AND AGING: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION “Wisdom as a Lifelong Pursuit,” a program that explores the human experience through literature, will be the theme of a six-week conversation series for adults of all ages, co-facilitated by SUNY Oswego Professor R. Deborah Davis and Syracuse University Professor Joseph Marusa. The readings will include poems, short stories and essays. The first session will be an introduction to the program, the leaders and the other participants. The selected readings will be provided at that time.

The group will meet on Thursdays, from April 7-May 12, from 5-7 pm, in the upstairs community room at the White Branch Library, 763 Butternut St., Syracuse.

Organizers request that participants commit to the full six-week program.

A light vegetarian meal will be provided from 5-5:30 pm, with the program starting promptly at 5:30 pm.

The program will be free and open to the public. However, it is limited to 25 participants and pre-registration is required. Those interested should contact the White Branch Library at 435-3519 or register at http://goo.gl/ forms/LVIrU0ANAx. The program will be co-sponsored by SUNY Oswego’s Metro Center and Active Aging and Community Engagement Center, and the White Branch Library. It is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

High-speed rail between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on track to open in 2018 LARRY METZGER Owner

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The high-speed rail line that is currently being built between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will open for service in 2018, Israel Railways CEO Boaz Tzafrir promised on March 28 to a group of Knesset members who were touring the ongoing construction work. Travel time between Tel Aviv’s Haganah station and Jerusalem’s International Convention Center station will be half an hour. Service frequency will be four trains per hour in each direction.

Trains will make an intermediary stop at Ben-Gurion International Airport. The maximum speed on the new line will be 99 miles per hour. Tzafrir said the total cost of the project will reach $1.82 billion.

these laws for reasons of health; and that those concerns no longer apply.

Parasha Shemini is one of the important biblical sources for the laws of kashrut. A careful reading of the parasha refutes these objections to kashrut.

Nowhere does the Torah suggest health as a rationale for keeping kosher. Prager and Telushkin point out that the health hazards that supposedly are the “reason” for kashrut were unknown until long after the time of the Torah.

The enumeration of forbidden and permitted animals is introduced by the instruction to Moses and Aaron, “Speak to the Israelites...” (Leviticus 11:2). The laws of kashrut are addressed to every Jew. Neither the Torah nor the Talmud reserve these laws for only a segment of the people. The labels that we put on ourselves and on other Jews are divisive and discourage rational thinking and spiritual growth. The section concludes with the imperative, “For I the Lord am your God; sanctify yourselves and be holy for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44) Kashrut is a path to a holy life commanded to every Jew. Both human beings and animals eat. We have the power to assert our humanity by raising the everyday act of eating to the level of holiness.

Kashrut is a reminder to treat the world around us with compassion and respect. These laws teach us respect for all life. The Torah allows us to eat meat, but it limits the animals permitted to us and it does not allow us to cause undue pain. Professor Temple Grandin has shown that shechita (kosher slaughter) is humane slaughter.

We are a holy people bound together by the divine imperative to set ourselves apart by following a higher standard of ethical behavior. We are called upon to teach ethics and morality to the world, not through abstract ideals, but through our conduct in everyday life. Kashrut unites the Jewish people. It draws us closer to each other and it sets us apart from others. Only when we distinguish ourselves from others are we true to the task that God has given to us. Only then do we become holy. Only then can the Jewish people survive as a unique nation among all other nations.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Irvin S. Beigel is a member of Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse and is the Jewish chaplain at Crouse Hospital, Hutchings Psychiatric Center and Loretto, as well as the associate chaplain at Upstate University Hospital.

OBITUARIES RITA GELLER

Rita Geller, 80, died on March 14.

Born in the Bronx, she lived in Syracuse for the past 50 years.

She and her late husband, Harold, owned and operated H. Geller Sales, a wholesale food and meat distribution company, for 25 years. She also worked for the Orange Bookstore on Marshall Street on the Syracuse University Hill.

She was predeceased by her husband, Harold, in 1995.

She is survived by her son, Andrew; her daughter, Karen (Craig) Atlas; and one granddaughter.

Burial was in the Temple Concord section of Woodlawn Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions can be made to Humane CNY, 4915 1/2 W. Taft Rd., Liverpool, NY 13088. 

FRANCES GRABOS

Frances Glazier Grabos, 86, died on March 10, at The Cottages at Garden Grove in Cicero.

Born in Syracuse, she graduated from Central High School. She was professionally active throughout her life, first as a secretary at North Syracuse High School from 1969-83, and then as the managing agent of the Elm Street Apartments from 1983-94, when she retired.

She was an active participant at OASIS and a former member of Temple Concord.

She is survived by her daughters, Eileen (Michael) Perrotto, of Liverpool, and Nancy (Michael) Kondash, of Corolla, NC; two grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; her companion of more than 30 years, Paul Chiodo; and her brother, Jesse (Esther) Glazier.

Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions can be made to the Food Bank of Central New York, 7066 Interstate Island Rd, Syracuse, NY 13209; the Golisano Children’s Hospital, 1 Children’s Cir., Syracuse, NY 13210; or the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum at www.ushmm.org or 100 Raoul Wallenberg Pl., SW, Washington, DC 20024-2126. 

MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776 ■

JEWISH OBSERVER

15

OBITUARIES HERBERT JERRY

Herbert Jerry, 75, died on March 13 at Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing.

Born in Syracuse, he graduated from Nottingham High School and Syracuse University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics and a master of science in accounting. He spent two years in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Albuquerque, NM, in the registrar’s division at the U.S. Army Hospital. He was a member of Temple Adath Yeshurun and a longtime member of Eastwood Rotary Club, where he earned numerous awards for his Rotary service.

He spent the first part of his professional career in the hotel business, working for Sheraton Hotels and Holiday Inns. After leaving the industry in 1970, he returned to college to work toward his master’s degree. After working for many years in the field of public accounting, he became a self-employed accountant specializing in small business and personal accounts.

He was active in the Syracuse community, and served as a board member and financial secretary of Temple Adath Yeshurun. He was also on the board and was treasurer of the Friends of the Burnet Park Zoo. He was a very active Rotarian after joining Eastwood Rotary in 1976, where he spent 12 years on the club’s Board of Directors, was club treasurer for several years and served as president twice, in 1986-87 and from 1992-93. He also served on the board and as treasurer of the Rotary Foundation, a separate entity.

He served District 7150 in numerous capacities, including three years as district treasurer and as a member of the district council. He served on the Audit and Budget Committee and the nominating committee and was a member of the Group Study Exchange and Youth Exchange committees. He was also Rotary International District 7150 governor from 1999-2000. He was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and a foundation benefactor.

He is survived by his sons, Robert (Darcie), of Cicero, and Lee (Pauline), of Spanish Fort, AL; and two granddaughters.

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

Contributions can be made to the Eastwood Rotary Foundation for RYLA (a summer camp scholarship program), P.O. Box 172, Syracuse, NY 13206. 

NATALIE LEVINE

Natalie Berson Levine, 91, died on March 22 at Menorah Park.

Born in Albany, she was raised in Utica. She met her late husband, Myer, in Utica, where they were married in 1945 and raised their family until moving to Plattsburgh.

In the later 1970s, they retired to Florida. In 2014, she moved to Menorah Park to be closer to her family.

She was an active volunteer at Palms West Hospital in Royal Palm Beach for more than 25 years.

She was predeceased by her husband, Myer, in 2003.

She is survived by her daughter, Renee (Russell) Williams; her son, Lawrence (Kristin) Levine; grandchildren Jill Allen, of DeWitt; Amy (John) Malec, of North Syracuse; Evan (Christina) Levine, and Kara Levine; and four great-grandchildren.

Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions can be made to the Foundation at Menorah Park, 4101 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13214; or Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224. 

NEWS IN BRIEF

BURTON LOWITZ

BETTY NAISTADT

Burton Lowitz, 85, died on March 14 at the Syracuse V.A. hospital.

Born in Newark, NJ, he was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and a member of the Jewish War Veterans. He and his late wife, Dorothy, settled in Syracuse. He was a practicing attorney in Syracuse for more than 50 years; a member of the Onondaga County Bar Association; a former supervisor of the town of DeWitt; and a former member of Temple Concord. He was an avid golfer and a member of Drumlins Country Club.

He was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy, in 2001.

He is survived by his children, Susan, Karen (Noah) and Marc (Julie); and three grandchildren. Entombment was in the Temple Concord Mausoleum. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st St., Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131. 

Betty Naistadt, 96, died on March 16 at Menorah Park.

Born in Syracuse, she remained a resident of Syracuse throughout her life. She was a member of Temple Adath Yeshurun and its Sisterhood. She loved to bake and was famous for her chocolate roll and apple pies.

She is survived by her children, Ron (Marlene) Naistadt and Sherry Rappaport; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her former son-in-law, Richard Rappaport.

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

Contributions can be made to Temple Adath Yeshurun for the building or minyan funds, at 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224; or the Foundation of Menorah Park, 4101 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13214. 

PHYLLIS MORRIS

Rosalind Sagar, 98, died on March 12 at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

She was born in Brooklyn and had been a resident of Syracuse since 1956, most recently at The Oaks, of DeWitt.

She was predeceased by her husband, Ian, in 1987.

She is survived by her children, Janine (Michael) Botty, Richard (Mary) Sagar and Michael Sager; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Burial was in the Temple Concord section of Woodlawn Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions can be made to Arc of Onondaga, 600 S Wilbur Ave, Syracuse, NY 13204. 

Phyllis Morris died on March 12.

Born in Brooklyn, she lived in New Jersey from 195480, and she and her husband, Jerry, raised their family there. She was active in synagogue and its Sisterhood.

She was also president of Hadassah.

When her husband retired in 1980, they moved to Palm Coast, FL, with their son Scott. She and her husband traveled all around the world, visiting every continent.

In retirement, she was president of Hadassah at their Florida synagogue. They were members of their local yacht club and enjoyed taking trips on their boat. She spent time visiting Scott at his group home in Daytona Beach, where he lived; and also did volunteer work.

They lived in Florida until her husband died in 2005. In 2006, she moved to Syracuse be closer to her son Eric.

She was predeceased by her husband of 54 years, Jerome “Jerry,” in 2005.

She is survived by her children, Eric (Pam) of Fayetteville, Daniel (Sherri), Howard (Collen) and Scott; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; four siblings, Arlene, Barbara, Barry (Mei) and Pat (Al); a sister-inlaw, Gerri; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Burial was in New Jersey. Sisskind Funeral Service had local arrangements.

Contributions can be made to the group home where Scott lives, WORC Haven Inc., 1090 Jimmy Ann Dr., Daytona Beach, FL 32117. 

ROSALIND SAGAR

LILLIAN SPECTOR

Lillian Maltz Spector, 106, of Syracuse, died at home on March 10.

She was born in New York City. She was a former member of Temple Adath Yeshurun, the TAY Sisterhood, Hadassah, LaFayette Country Club and the Corinthian Club.

She was predeceased by her husband, Sol, in 1978.

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

Contributions can be made to the Jewish Community Foundation of Central New York, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt, NY 13214; or the Health Science Foundation at the State University of New York at Upstate, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY 13210. 

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“After 82 years” Providing unparalleled service to the Jewish community throughout Central New York.

1909 East Fayette St., Syracuse, NY 13210 • 315.472.5291 • 1.800.472.5182 Martin J. Birnbaum* Elaine R. Birnbaum Joel M. Friedman * Also Licensed in Florida

From JTA

Ukraine pledges $1M for Babi Yar memorial

The Ukrainian government pledged to allocate approximately $1 million toward the construction of a Holocaust memorial monument at the BabiYar ravine in Kiev. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced the allocation on March 23, the news site 112.ua reported. The funds would pay for the construction of two memorial paths – one for Jewish victims and one for Ukrainian non-Jews who saved Jews – at the site where 50,000 Jews and some 50,000 to 100,000 other victims, including Roma, Russian prisoners of war and Ukrainian nationalists, were murdered by the Nazis and local collaborators from 1941-43. In 1976, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, a monument was erected at Babi Yar without noting the site was the first massacre of its magnitude during the Holocaust. In 1991, on the 50th anniversary of the first massacre of Jews at Babi Yar, members of Ukraine’s Jewish community placed a 6-foot menorah on the park’s outer edges to commemorate the Jews killed there.

The paths planned in the park, which the government aims to have built in time for the 75th anniversary in September, will connect the center of the park to the monument site.

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email: birnbaumfs@cnymail.com www.birnbaumfuneralserviceinc.com

16

JEWISH OBSERVER ■ MARCH 31, 2016/21 ADAR II 5776

ISRAEL MISSION 2016

OK—SO YOU’VE BEEN TO ISRAEL BEFORE. BUT - - HAVE YOU EVER . . .

Had lunch on top of Mt. Hermon, with three countries laid out before you, as you sit on the highest spot in the country??

Stayed in a magnificent resort located right on the edge of the Ramon Crater, in Mitzpe Ramon, for an incredible view of one of only two such craters in the world??

Had lunch at the Knesset with a member of the Knesset and a chance to talk with him, ask your questions, and hear his opinions on the current state of the State??

Seen the new Friends of Zion Museum, the newest museum in Jerusalem, dedicated to the wonderful non-Jewish friends of Israel, who have supported her so well over the years??

Seen the story of Israel told through the eyes and life of Yitzchak Rabin, at the new Rabin Museum in Tel Aviv??

Sat in the brand new Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem, rebuilt from the shell of the very same one destroyed by the Jordanians when they captured the Old City in 1948??

Toured the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem, a magnificent mix of modern law today and Biblical law??

We are doing an Exclusive Premier tour this September, designed just for those who’ve already done the basic tour of the country.

We’ll be going to a variety of sites, designed to show you places you haven’t seen before.

Join members of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton, PA for this unique tour of Israel leaving on September 4 and returning on September 16.

The cost of the land package is $3975 per person, double occupancy. The cost of the land and air package is only $4975.

We’ll be at 5-star deluxe hotels (where available), and tour with a small group and a superb guide that most of you know as one of the finest tour guides in the country.

Contact Jewish Federation of CNY President/CEO Linda Alexander at 315-445-2040 ext. 130 now to secure a place on a unique and most unusual tour!