April 16, 2015 Issue of Jewish Observer

27 NISAN 5775 • APRIL 16, 2015 • VOLUME XXXIV, NUMBER 8 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY

Yom Hashoah memorial observance to be held April 19 at CBS-CS

By Judith L. Stander The Jewish Federation of Central New York will hold the 2015 Yom Hashoah community memorial observance on Sunday, April 19, from 3-4:30 pm, at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, 18 Patsy Ln., off Jamesville Rd., DeWitt. The event will be free and open to the public.

This year’s featured speaker will be Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. She has undertaken a mission to share her story of survival with students across the country. She said, “This generation is the very last to hear this first-hand. Someday they’ll have to bear witness.”

Following Kristallnacht, her father was imprisoned, but the family was able to arrange for his release and

long days, with the pebbles filed papers to immigrate to representing her family. She America. While traveling, said, “I would search for four they were trapped by the pebbles. In my mind, if I’d find Germans in the Netherlands those four pebbles, it meant and shipped by cattle cars to that my family would all surBergen-Belsen. The Blumenvive.” Her family did survive thal family included Lazan, Bergen-Belsen but, just six her mother, Ruth, her father, weeks after being liberated by Walter, and her brother, AlAllied troops, her father died. bert. They remained in the Three year later, Lazan, her “family camp,” in which Lamother and her brother arrived zan and her mother were sent in New York City harbor. She to a female barracks and her Marion father and brother were sent Blumenthal Lazan remembers the day when they were finally able “to greet and to a male barracks.

Inspired by her mother’s “inner be greeted by that magnificent symbol strength and positive outlook on life,” of freedom, the freedom that had been Lazan stayed alive. She played a game denied us for so many years.”

This year’s Yom Hashoah Planning that ultimately inspired her award-winning memoir, “Four Perfect Pebbles.” Committee is chaired by Alan Goldberg.

The game became a way to pass the The memorial observance will include the

reading of all the names inscribed in the Federation’s “Book of Remembrance,” the lighting of memorial candles by Holocaust survivors and the communal recitation of “Kaddish for Yom Hashoah,” a traditional prayer that celebrates life. Participants in this year’s program include the Syracuse Hebrew Day School chorus and many of the area’s rabbis and cantors. There will be a presentation of a joint city-county proclamation recognizing Yom Hashoah and the Days of Remembrance. The winners of the Yom Hashoah essay contest and art competition will be announced.

In addition to her presentation, Lazan will be available following the program to answer questions and autograph copies of her book, “Four Perfect Pebbles.”

For more information, contact Judith Stander at 445-0161, ext. 114, or jstander@ jewishfederationcny.org.

Temple Concord to hold second “Mensch of the Year” awards dinner

By Vicki Feldman and Stewart Koenig Following last year’s “Mensch of the Year Awards,” Temple Concord will honor four other “unsung menschen” of the community on Sunday, May 31, at 5:30 pm, at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel, 801 University Ave., Syracuse.

William “Bill” Berinstein, Robert Doucette, Sean Kirst and Wendy Meyerson will be the “menschen.”

Robert Doucette The singular of “menschen” is William Berinstein “mensch,” which means “good person.” CNY Central news anchor Doucette is a co-founder and partMegan Coleman will emcee the event, ner of Paramount Realty Group and and comedian Johnny Lampert will president of Armory Development and provide the entertainment.

Management. With 30 years of real Committee Chair Vicki Feldman estate experience, Doucette has been said, “We’re really excited to cel- called “a pioneer” in Syracuse’s downebrate our second class of menschen town revitalization efforts. His projects who have done so much for our com- include the redevelopment of the Labor munity. This is truly a fun event. Last Temple Building, Hogan Block Buildyear’s entertainer, comedian Joel ing, Center Armory Complex, Loews Chasnoff, had the audience rolling Building and the Dey’s Plaza Building. in the aisles. We expect nothing less Doucette has won several awards for his work in the Armory Square District from Johnny Lampert.”

Berinstein is past president of of Syracuse and he serves on boards of Temple Concord. He has served in several organizations.

Kirst, a metropolitan columnist with leadership positions across the community, including chair of the Temple The Post-Standard, received the Ernie Concord Cemetery Committee. He is Pyle Award for human interest writing currently president of the Syracuse in 2009. The national award is presented Jewish Cemeteries Association. He is a annually by the Scripps-Howard Founmember of the Syracuse Bowling Hall dation to one journalist whose work of Fame (Meritorious Service) and the personifies the ethic and perspective Motion Picture Pioneers Association. of Pyle, a World War II correspondent.

Along with service to the community, Kirst has also been recognized by the he and his family have a tradition of American Association of Sunday and Features Editors for his interactive charitable giving.

Community Center.

To purchase tickets or for more information on sponsoring the Mensch of the Year awards dinner, contact the TC office at 475-9952 or office@ templeconcord.org.

2015 Federation paign Update Cam

Sean Kirst

Wendy Meyerson

involvement with readers through his blog. He is the author of “The Ashes of Lou Gehrig,” a collection of baseball essays. He also worked with Earl Lloyd on Lloyd’s autobiography, “Moonfixer,” which was released in 2009; Lloyd was the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association.

The owner of Natur-Tyme, Meyerson helps educate the community through annual spring health fairs and monthly community events. Additionally, she hosted a local radio show, “Nutritional Insights,” for 13 years. She also established Closets for Charity in 2010 to raise funds for Syracuse-area nonprofits by recycling upscale women’s clothing at her health fair events. She is a board member for Temple Adath Yeshurun and the Sam Pomeranz Jewish

To make your pledge, please contact Marianne at 445-2040 ext. 102 or mbazydlo@jewishfederationCNY.org.

Goal: $1,000,000

We’re almost there!

$978,097

as of April 13, 2015

C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A April 17.....................7:31 pm....................................................... Parasha-Shemini April 24.....................7:39 pm........................................... Parasha-Tazria-Metzora May 1........................7:47 pm............................. Parasha-Acharai Mot-Kedoshim

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Predicting a holocaust?

Yom Ha’atzmaut

A brighter future

S o m e h i s t or i a n s b e l i e v e The Syracuse community will The fledgling natural gas industry genocides usually result from celebrate Israel’s 67th year on April is opening the door for a better 23 at Temple Adath Yeshurun. a combination of causes. future for northern Israelis.

Story on page 3 Story on page 2 Story on page 8

PLUS Women in Business................ 9 Calendar Highlights............. 10 Mazel Tov................................ 10 Obituaries................................11

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ April 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775

Can a holocaust be predicted? Understanding genocide

By Maayan Jaffe JNS.org “There was a straight road to Auschwitz,” said Wendy Lower, John K. Roth Professor of History and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College in California. “When you look back, the Holocaust was inevitable.”

Lower, a historian who spent five years living and researching in Germany, says that while genocides are all a bit different, there are consistent aspects to every mass killing. By leveraging history, she believes, one can almost predict these killings before they start.

Professor Benedict F. Kiernan, the Whitney Griswold Professor of History, professor of international and area studies, and director of the Genocide Studies Program at Yale University, agrees. He told JNS.org that genocides usually proceed from a combination of causes, long-term and immediate.

First, harsh historical or social conditions create the “fertile political ground that is necessary for emerging genocide perpetrators to be able to recruit supporters and gain the positions of power from which they may implement their criminal policies,” explained Kiernan.

He lists warfare, carpet bombing, mass poverty and suppression, catastrophic environmental degradation and political or economic destabilization as among the long-term conditions from which genocidal extremists may profit the most.

“Without such widespread historical conditions, a genocidal minority would often remain politically isolated or impotent,” said Kiernan.

Second, the extremist leaders share certain characteristics, he notes. These include being obsessed with their own ideological preoccupations, which can range from racism or religious hatred, territorial expansion, romantic agrarianism and obsession with recreating or rivaling a distant past.

“Not all of these ideological features are harmful on their own, but on their combination is usually disastrous,” Kiernan said.

“You have to have a combination of hateful people and power,” said Peter Hayes, the Theodore Zev Weiss Holocaust Educational Foundation Professor at Northwestern University. Hayes said almost all modern genocides are state-directed, meaning that even the most evil leaders can not likely carry out a full-blown genocide without their country being behind them.

In Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler had that national support. His genocidal platform can be traced as far back as the 1920s, when in Munich, he laid out National Socialist German Workers’ Party’s 25-point plan.

“Among the points was that no Jews can be members of the German race,” noted Lowry. “They put these points on posters and plastered them all around the city.”

Yet, it was not until the Depression struck in the 1930s that Hitler’s party began to gain steam. Hayes pointed out that in 1928, Hitler’s party only received 2.5 percent of the vote. In 1932, it received 37 percent.

“Hitler was not very successful until there was an intervening factor in the sense of a major economic catastrophe...

All these regimes and genocides begin in a kind of vocabulary of cleaning, a magical thinking that goes into all of them, that they will make their countries great again by stamping out the forces of evil within them,” said Hayes. “It takes an extreme crisis for people to be willing to buy such nonsense.”

The main gate at the former Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz II (Birkenau), and the railroad tracks leading up to it. (Photo by Michel Zacharz via Wikimedia Commons) In Germany, the Jews became the scapegoat. “The old proverb is that antisemitism rises and falls in inverse relationship to the stock market,” Hayes quipped. “No one likes to blame themselves.”

The portents of genocide became increasingly clear in the late 1930s, when the German leadership had a shift in language. In speeches and newspaper articles, Hayes says the Nazis began to use a word they had never used before: annihilation. Before then, the Nazis referred to the “removal” of the Jewish people. “Annihilation” was different. Then, there was Kristallnacht in November 1938.

“This was the first real act of physical violence against the Jews – their property and their bodies,” Lowry said.

Only a few years later, the Germans made a decision to shoot at Jews as their armies moved into the Soviet Union. It started with the shooting of men and boys in July 1941. By August 1941, they were shooting Jewish women and children, too – “any Jews in the path of their armies,” said Hayes.

That same year, the first zykloneb gas chamber was constructed and tested.

“There were key turning points where fire bells should have gone off – and sometimes they did,” says Hayes, but the Jews had little ability to protect themselves or in many cases to leave due to immigration restrictions and simply being outgunned.

The Holocaust might have been the first example of this systematic type of genocide. But it was not – and likely will not – be the last, Hayes believes.

Today, he said, we are obligated to learn from the past.

Moving forward Education is essential, said Hayes, explaining that one should be able to recognize the difference between extremist activity or political parties and the potential for genocide. In France, for example, while there has been a rise in terrorism against Jews, the state is on the side of the people being attacked.

“The majority population is more angered by the Muslim attacks on the Jews than feeling threatened by the Jews,” Hayes said.

In Hungry, the situation is different.

“Hungry is a borderline case that should be watched,” said Hayes. “Hungry, as a state, is not so protective [of its Jews]

and is on the verge of the tipping the other way.”

Hayes also said that Russia has all the combined warning signs for genocide, including national humiliation since 1989, an increasingly difficult economic situation, and extensive antisemitism that “might find another outlet.”

“The greatest defense of recurrence of a holocaust is knowledge of the Holocaust,” Hayes said.

What can prevent a contemporary genocide?

“Once a group of people is recognized as vulnerable to genocidal operations, it has to be a priority to those who have the means to provide a safe haven, to get these people out of harm’s way and prevent that loss of life,” said Lowry. “We failed during the 1930s by not providing enough places of refuge... We have to be more watchful today.”

Hayes said, “The best defense is the defense of liberal principles: the rule of law, treating all people fairly and opposition to theocracy. To stop genocide, these are things one has to defend.”

Timeline to genocide In hindsight, what events were pivotal in the igniting of the Holocaust?

February 24, 1920: National Socialist German Workers’ Party publicly unveils 25-point plan, including language that no Jew can be a member of the German race.

1930s: Increase in antisemitic legislation; antisemitism begins to be realized through powers of the state.

July 1932: German elections show a 34.4 percent increase in popular support of the Nazi party November 1938: German officials shift language from “removal” to “annihila-

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tion” when referring to Jews.

November 9-10, 1938: Kristallnacht, Nazis in Germany torched synagogues; vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses; and killed close to 100 Jews.

Fall 1939: First carbon monoxide gas chamber tested in Belzec extermination camp.

July 1941: German army adopts policy of shooting Jews as it enters new territory in war.

November 1941: Nazis discover use of zyklone-b for use in gassing; experiment in Auschwitz extermination camp.

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AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK April 23 – come celebrate Israel 67

By Doug Hornbacker Syracuse’s annual community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration will be held on Thursday, April 23, from 6-8 pm, at Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse.

The event will be underwritten by the Jewish Federation of Central New York, with a grant from the Pomeranz, Shankman, Martin Charitable Foundation, and will feature the involvement of all of the local synagogues, as well as marketing help from the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center. The celebration will mark the 67th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

Adult and children choruses will perform a community “Cantors’Concert” organized and led by local cantors. There will be a free Israeli dinner, supervised by the Va’ad.

Younger participants can make their own hamsas, blue and white marshmallow pops and Jerusalem stone pets art.

The PJ Library® will present a virtual “Tour of Israel.”

Norman Poltenson has organized an Israeli wine tasting for adults, featuring Cabernet Sauvignon from Tzuba in the Jerusalem hills, a 2009 Metsuda and a 2011 Riesling from Carmel. There will be a selection of books by Israeli authors available for purchase, as well as a variety of Israeli products, including honey, spices and halva.

Moshe and Goldie Monzon, of Israel, will attend the event to sell their handmade wall tapestries, microcalligraphies, giclée lithographs, blessings, ketubahs,

L-r: Yom Ha’atzmaut Co-chairs Linda Chait Davis, Orit Antosh and Nurit Nussbaum, as well as volunteer Rachel Chait, made Israeli salad for the event. mezuzahs, jewelry and additional items. They will also be available on Thursday, April 23, from 10 am-9 pm, at Temple Adath Yeshurun.

Reservations have been requested and can be made by contacting each synagogue’s office – Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas at 446-9570, Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse at 446-6194, TAY at 445-0002 or Temple Concord at 475-9952 – or the Yom Ha’atzmaut committee at Israel67cny@gmail.com.

Menorah Park celebrates 2015 Shining Stars on May 21

By Stewart Koenig The 10th Shining Stars celebration will be held on Thursday, May 21, from 5:30-8 pm, “under the tent” at Menorah Park, 4101 E. Genesee St., DeWitt. The celebration will coincide with Older Americans’ Month.

Steven Sisskind, event co-chair, said, “This celebration recognizes those employees, volunteers and residents that are known to ‘shine brightly’ on the Menorah Park campus. My wife, Robin, and I are honored to announce

Top row, l-r: Rabbi Evan Shore, Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone, Rabbi Daniel Fellman and Rabbi Charles Sherman sat on the bima with the Syracuse Hebrew Day School chorus at Temple Adath Yeshurun during Yom Ha’atzmaut in 2013.

S E N I L D A E D Deadlines for all articles and photos for the Jewish Observer are as follows. No exceptions will be made.

DEADLINE

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Wednesday, April 15......................... April 30 Wednesday, April 29...........................May 14 Wednesday, May 13............................May 28 Wednesday, May 27............................June 11

See “Stars” on page 6

Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu April 20-24 Monday – Swedish meatballs Tuesday – baked ziti Wednesday – pulled barbecue chicken on bun Thursday – kielbasa and sauerkraut Friday – chicken marsala April 27-May 1 Monday – lasagna Tuesday –chicken piccata with linguini Wednesday – stuffed cabbage Thursday – savory beef stew Friday – TBA The Bobbi Epstein Lewis JCC Senior Adult Dining Program at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center offers Va’ad Ha’ir-supervised kosher lunches served Monday-Friday at noon. Reservations are required by noon on the previous business day and there is a suggested contribution per meal. The menu is subject to change.

The program is funded by a grant from the Onondaga

Ê

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 Leesa Paul at 445-2360 ext.

104 or lpaul@jccsyr.org.

Seeking: P/T B’nai Mitzvah Program Coordinator Full job description at www.tikkunvor.org For all inquiries: email president@tikkunvor.org

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ April 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775

congregational notes Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Youth programs The Congregation Beth SholomChevra Shas Kadima youth group for students in fifth-eighth grade and their families have been invited to a free, traditional Shabbat dinner following services on Friday, April 17. Reservations will be required. The intent of the evening is for the families to experience “the joy of Shabbat” and have an opportunity to become better acquainted. Ice-breakers and other “get-to-know” activities will be provided. Kadima-aged students have been invited on Sunday, April 26, at 4 pm, to SkyZone, the new trampoline center on Erie Boulevard. Parental permission slips will be required, as are reservations.

CBS-CS will hold its monthly family Shorashim services for pre-kindergartenfourth grade students on Saturday, April 18, at 10:30 am, in the school wing.

Shorashim means “roots.” Organizers hope these services – which will include singing, stories, Torah study and more – will help children and their families grow roots in family, community and Judaism.

Services will be followed by Shabbat Spot, when a kiddush will give congregants and guests a monthly opportunity to stay at the synagogue longer to socialize, sing, play board games and in general spend Shabbat afternoon together. Shorashim services will also be held one Friday per month at 7:30 pm. The next Friday Shorashim service will be on May 1.

For more information, contact Julie Tornberg, director of youth and education, at director@cbscs.org or 701-2685.

Lunch and learn Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas will hold a Shabbat afternoon lunch and learn on Saturday, April 25, after services, when participants will read and discuss brief excerpts from “Like Dreamers” by Yossi Klein Halevi.

Subtitled “The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation,” “Like Dreamers” follows the lives of the unit that helped liberate Jerusalem in 1967. Their ranks include kibbutzniks who later became Peace Now activists, as well as religious Zionists who helped establish the West Bank settlement movement. Halevi’s portrayals aim to help readers understand who Israelis are as people and as Jews.

The session, facilitated by Peter Saulson, will be open to the community, regardless of whether people have read the book or would like to learn more.

For more information, contact cbscs@ yahoo.com or 446-9570.

Sisterhood holds Torah Fund event The Congregation Beth SholomChevra Shas Sisterhood will hold its an-

nual Torah Fund event on Tuesday, April 28, at 6:30 pm. Judy and Jeff Stanton will provide entertainment with a variety show featuring violin and guitar.

The annual event gives CBS-CS members 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 in Los Angeles and the Schechter School in Jerusalem.

Attendees will get a free dinner with a donation. Dottie Goldberg is chairing the event. Reservations can be made by contacting the synagogue office at 4469570 or office@cbscs.org.

Hazak Sandra Chai will present an illustrated lecture, “Two Major Artists of Jewish Heritage: Early Modernist Sculptor/Painter, Amedeo Modigliani, and Late Modernist Sculptor, Anthony Caro,” on Tuesday, May 5, at 6:30 pm, at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas. The program will be free and open to the community.

Chai taught for more than 25 years in the Department of Fine Arts (now the Department of Art and Music Histories) at Syracuse University, including three semesters at the Syracuse University London Centre. Her published papers include topics on surrealism and post-impressionism.

Her other areas of expertise are modern British art and modern American art. Chai will consider two artists at opposite ends of the Modernist spectrum.

Amedeo Modigliani and Anthony Caro were born into Jewish families, Modigliani in Livorno, Italy, in 1884, and Caro in a London suburb in 1924. Their lives did not overlap, but the two artists were said to be “united by the artistic impulse” known as Modernism, which sought to define art by its own methods and characteristics.

For example, if painting in reality is flat, Modernist painting would exploit and emphasize that flatness, thus realism would thereby be devalued, and abstraction was sometimes a result. Chai will reference Clement Greenberg, a critic of Modernism and a Syracuse University alumnus.

Modigliani was one of several early 20th century Jewish artists belonging to what has been called the “School of Paris,” including Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine, Jacques Lipchitz, Jules Pascin (born Pincus) and others, all of whom were Modernists. It is thought that as the emphasis was usually not on the narrative, that the work of these artists is not clearly Jewish in content, with the exception of Chagall. Modigliani avoided the issue by painting portraits and figures described as “flat, abstracted, but elegant,” rather than scenes that would invite interpretation.

His reclining nudes at the Metropolitan

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Museum and Museum of Modern Art are said to be representative of his work.

His sculptures include carved heads that are said to be “spiritual and iconic.” Although Modigliani died at the age of 35, reportedly from tubercular meningitis, his life of drug and alcohol addiction were considered largely responsible for his early death.

Sir Anthony Caro has been considered “one of the most important and influential” late modernist sculptors. He earned a degree in engineering from Cambridge University, served in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy and then turned to sculpture as a career. He worked as an

assistant to Henry Moore in the early 1950s, when he sculpted figurative works.

He subsequently found his own Modernist direction, which have been said to emphasize “three-dimensionality and abstraction – sometimes open, linear and highly colored, sometimes closed and solid.” His works are represented in virtually every major museum in the world.

He may be best known for designing the Millennium Bridge in London. Chai will discuss information from personal conversations with the artist on several different occasions.

For more information, contact cbscs@ yahoo.com or 446-9570.

Temple Adath Yeshurun Hazak The Temple Adath Yeshurun chapter of Hazak will hold its annual Hazak Shabbat on Saturday, April 18, at 9:15 am. Aliyot and prayers in Hebrew and English will be given to current Hazak members.

Hazak will attend the Syracuse University drama department’s production of “Avenue Q,” on Sunday, May 3, at 2

pm, at Syracuse Stage. Paid reservations are due by Friday, April 17.

Hazak is for those members of the Jewish community who are 55 and older.

Social, educational and religious activities are planned on a monthly basis. New members are always welcome. For more information, e-mail hazak@adath.org or call 463-9762 or 446-3592.

Temple Adath Yeshurun Religious School students learned about Passover at the annual model seder on March 29.

Temple Concord Temple Concord presents cellist, Gregory Wood

By Drew Lovejoy Central New York cellist Gregory Wood will perform on Tuesday, April 21, at 7 pm, as part of Temple Concord’s Regina F. Goldenberg Cultural Series.

A music instructor at Syracuse University, Wood will perform works by Bloch, Schumann, Popper and others. He has previously performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Skaneateles Festival, the Society for New Music and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He will be

joined by SU Professor Ida Trebicka on piano, SU cello students Lydia Parkington and Anouk Lenormand, and Whitesboro High School cellist Brian Gadbow.

Temple Concord’s Regina F. Goldenberg Cultural Series is in its 13th year of bringing music and the performing arts to Syracuse.

The program will be appropriate for all ages. Admission will be free and open to the public. Donations will be welcome.

For more information, contact Temple Concord at 475-9952 or e-mail office@ templeconcord.org.

APRIL 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775 ■

Thank you event – Eric Lichtblau The Jewish Federation of Central New York held its Annual Campaign “Thank You” event for donors on March 25 at Traditions at the Links. Syracuse native and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times Eric Lichtblau spoke about his book, “The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men.”

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At right: More than 170 people attended the Jewish Federation of Central New York’s “Thank You” event on March 25 at Traditions at the Links. Pulitzer-prize winner Eric Lichtblau spoke about his recent book, “The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men.”

Competing views of Iran deal highlight challenges ahead analysis

By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) – Now that the outline for an Iran nuclear agreement has been released – or, more precisely, two outlines, one by Iran, the other by the Obama administration – major gaps have emerged that will need to be resolved ahead of a June 30 deadline for a final deal, including when sanctions on Iran are lifted.

President Barack Obama and Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, issued conflicting statements recently on the sanctions issue, with Obama suggesting sanctions would be relaxed only once Iran begins to implement its obligations and Khamenei demanding that all sanctions be suspended upon signing an agreement. Khamenei also vowed that military sites would not be open to nuclear inspectors, which clashes with the American text, which says inspectors have the right to visit suspicious sites “anywhere in the country.”

The next round of talks is likely to be held within three weeks in New York City, on the sidelines of a meeting of the United Nations

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Disarmament Commission, and both Obama and Khamenei have said that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.

In the coming weeks, both sides will endeavor to sell the deal to its various constituencies: Iran to its domestic hardliners, and the Obama administration to Congress, Jewish groups and skeptical allies, Israel chief among them.

What the Obama administration wants to see In its outline of a framework accord reached earlier this month in Switzerland, and in subsequent statements and interviews, the Obama administration has focused preeminently on the strict limits it is seeking on Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium.

These include limiting Iran’s advanced centrifuges to scientific research and reducing the number of active first-generation centrifuges, from 19,000 to 5,060, for 10 years. Enrichment would be limited to 3.67 percent, the level required for medical research and well short of weaponization levels. Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium would be limited to 300 kilograms See “Iran” on page 12

Eric Lichtblau (seated) signed books after the event. Standing (l-r): Carole Millstein, Victor Hershdorfer, Carolyn Mandel, and Tovah and Rob Rothman waited their turn. Lichtblau is a Syracuse native and is currently an investigative reporter in the Washington bureau of The New York Times. He and James Risen, his partner at the Times, won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for breaking the story of the secret wiretapping program authorized by President George W. Bush weeks after the September 11 attacks.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ April 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775

PJ Library visits the MOST for Passover fun

The PJ Library® of Central New York participated in a Passover-themed event on the science of the plagues on March 22 at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology.

The program combined elements of the Passover story with science and art activities. The children were able to participate in eight different stations.

For “Wonderful Wild Beasts,” children felt antlers, bones, feathers and teeth, and then created a collage with textured animal fabrics. In “Dark as Night,” they had a nighttime experience in the planetarium and learned about constellations. In “Blood,” the children used pumps to demonstrate how the heart circulates blood through the body and then created watercolor paintings. For “Hello Hail,” they watched a live demonstration on how water turns to ice when it is cooled and watched clouds form.

At “Germapalooza,” the children used Germ Glo to see how germs spread and how to wash them away.

They also created a germ model with playdough. In “Fun with Frogs,” they followed water flow as frogs spread into streams and lakes, and the children pretended to be frogs. “Crazy Crickets” had the children looking and listening to crickets, and then creating tissue paper collages like those by artist Eric Carle.

In “Parting of the Seas,” the children pushed sand at the topography table to form mountains, plains, rivers and lakes, and create a dry path through the water for people to walk to safety.

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In preparation for Passover, PJ Library participants felt “the clouds” created as part of the hail demonstration.

Front (l-r): Matan Pepperstone, Sydney Kanter, Marissa Spevak, Gali Gooper. Second row: Jonah Gadarian and Noah Mowers. Third row: Nathan Snell and Asher Hertzberg. Adults in back: Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone, Michael Gadarian and Ronald Siegel.

Organizers considered the event to be “one of the most successful to date,” with 40 children in attendance.

The children participated and walked through the stations at their own pace. The most popular stations were the “Fun with Frogs” water flow table and live hail demonstration, where they were able to “touch” the clouds.

The PJ Library pajama drive was also judged to be “a big success,” as the group collected 116 pairs of pajamas to donate to the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.

There will be a PJ Library session at the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration on Thursday, April 23, at 6 pm, at Temple Adath Yeshurun. Participants will be able to take a pretend trip to Israel with “passports, airline tickets and an itinerary full of some popular Israeli destinations.”

The PJ Library® is a nationally acclaimed literacy

Children and parents played with the frogs and water station at the PJ Library Science of Plagues event held at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology. program started by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that gives free Jewish bedtime stories, CDs and DVDs to families raising Jewish children. The PJ Library Central New York chapter is a program of the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse and supported by Pomeranz, Shankman, Martin Charitable Foundation, Jewish Federation of Central New York, Jewish Community Foundation of Central New York Teen Funders, 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 in Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. For more information and to sign up, visit www.pjlibrary.org or e-mail pjcny@jccsyr.org.

Stars

Continued from page 3 nine very special individuals who bring their vitality, their generosity and their compassion to all of us affiliated with Menorah Park.”

The 2015 honorees are Jack Justo, Menorah Park Health and Rehabilitation – employee/dining services; Brenda Keller, Menorah Park Health and Rehabilitation – employee/unit clerk; Theresa Acey, CNA, Menorah Park Health and Rehabilitation – employee/nursing; Patricia McGregor, The Oaks at Menorah Park – employee/activities coordinator; Carol Hoskins, LPN, The Inn at Menorah Park – employee/nursing; George Nabinger, resident at The Inn at Menorah Park; Helen Sheppard, resident at The Oaks at Menorah Park; and Larry Hoefler, Menorah Park Health and Rehabilitation – volunteer/retired ombudsman.

Tickets for the event include dinner and reservations are required no later than Wednesday, May 13. For more information, contact Kathleen Hallahan at 446-9111, ext.

118, or khallahan@menorahparkofcny.com.

Menorah Park of Central New York is a non-profit organization that offers services in order “enhance residents’ potential for wellness and independence” and provides a variety of senior independent living and caring options in a “relaxed, comfortable” community setting.

Robin and Steven Sisskind will once again be co-chairs for this year’s Shining Stars event on Thursday, May 21, from 5:30-8 pm, at Menorah Park. The program recognizes the staff, volunteers and residents who make Menorah Park “shine.”

By William Wallak More than 75 seniors attended a prePassover seder and luncheon to celebrate the start of the holiday early on March 31 at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. Led by Rabbi Daniel Fellman, of Temple Concord, the seder was followed by the JCC Bobbi Epstein Lewis Senior Adult Dining Program’s holiday meal.

Guests heard a retelling of the story of the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. Fellman was said to have kept everyone “engaged and participating” in the seder with his “thoughtful and colorful delivery” of ritual prayers, stories and singing.

JCC Executive Director Marci Erlebacher said, “The atmosphere and turnout of this year’s seder and lunch was abso-

lutely wonderful. It was great to see so many regular program participants, along with some new faces, come together and share in this seder with Rabbi Fellman this year. Because of family or other circumstances, this is the only seder that some of our seniors are able to take part in.”

The JCC’s Bobbi Epstein Lewis Senior Adult Dining Program offers seniors, age 60 and older, a kosher meal on weekdays at noon for a modest suggested contribution. It is the only senior nutrition program available in upstate New York serving kosher meals five days per week. The program is funded in part by the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth and the New York State Office for the Aging and Administration for Community Living. For more information or to make a reservation for lunch, call 445-2360.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ April 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775

JCC preschoolers make matzah

By William Wallak Chabad House Lubavitch of Central New York brought its model matzah bakery to the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse’s children from March 23-25. Preschool students in the JCC’s Jerome and Phyllis Charney Early Childhood Development Program learned about matzah as they made and baked their own unleavened bread. The annual program is funded by a Community Program Fund Grant from the Jewish Federation of Central New York.

Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse preschool students took turns grinding wheat kernels on the stone hand mill at the Chabad Lubavitch model matzah bakery. The annual model matzah bakery is funded by the Jewish Federation of Central New York.

Pam Ranieri, the JCC’s Early Childhood Program assistant director, said, “The children had a great time rolling their own matzah and then tasting the end result of their work. This is such a wonderful hands-on activity and learning experience for our students each year.

Everyone had lots of fun.”

The model matzah bakery taught about matzah’s significance in the Passover holiday and why it is flat. The ECDP students also learned how the wheat kernels are separated, ground into flour, mixed, kneaded and rolled.

Each child took turns grinding kernels on a stone hand mill before rolling their own matzah.

The model matzah bakery is modeled after the hand

The students rolled out matzah dough with their teachers Brittany St. Laurent (center) and Crystal Ruffin (background, left).

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

“It was a lot of fun teaching the kids about making matzah,” said model matzah bakery volunteer Natan Eisenberg. “They were all very well-behaved.”

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

Model matzah bakery volunteer Natan Eisenberg passed out matzah dough to be rolled.

Israeli-developed cancer drug found to effectively treat autoimmune baldness

(JNS.org) – Researchers from Israel’s Hadassah Medical Center who gave a patient a cancer drug that is being studied as a possible treatment for rheumatoid arthritis discovered that the drug is also effective in treating alopecia areata, the autoimmune disease that causes baldness.

In most cases of alopecia – which is triggered by an inflammatory process around the hair follicle that causes it to fall out – hair loss is concentrated in the scalp, beard and other parts of the body. Dr. Yuval Ramot, an attending physician in the Department of Dermatology and Venereal Diseases at Hadassah, said there are currently “no successful treatments for the disease.”

“There is treatment with steroids, which suppress the immune system and have serious side effects, and can’t be administered continually,” Ramot said, Israel Hayom reported.

The new Israeli-developed alopecia treatment was discovered by chance when a 16-year-old boy, who, in addition to alopecia suffered from a genetic disorder, was given a drug called baricitinib.

“It was like a miracle. His hair started to grow in the bald spots that had resisted treatment for years,” said Ramot.

Subsequent experiments on mice carried out in conjunction with researchers from Columbia University, as well as clinical trials, found the drug is indeed

effective in treating alopecia.

Baricitinib “belongs to a family of medicines... known as JAK inhibitors that are currently used to treat inflammatory diseases or cancer,” Ramot explained.

“Since the mechanism at the root of alopecia areata is a process of inflammation around the hair follicle, the use of inhibitors on that path can be effective against this disease as well,” he said. “There is also evidence from researchers throughout the world that drugs from the same family have been shown effective in treatmentresistant patients.”

The research, which Ramot conducted with Professors Abraham Zlotogorski and Yackov Berkun, was published in the EBioMedicine journal.

Natural gas lights a brighter future for northern Israelis

By Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod JNS.org Jobs are coming to northern Israel in the country’s fledgling natural gas industry and Erez College is opening the door to those new careers.

People have long joked that after 40 years in the desert, Moses still led the Jews to the only place in the Middle East without oil or gas. In 2009, that all changed with the discovery of the Tamar and Leviathan offshore gas fields. But while natural gas offers the prospect of freedom from foreign energy interests, Israel has few qualified practical engineers ready to populate the industry.

Into this gap leapt Sandee Illouz, CEO of Erez College,

a vocational college in the town of Shlomi on Israel’s northern border. “The discovery of natural gas in Israel opens a whole new realm of jobs and job opportunities,” Illouz said at a March 10 ceremony that unveiled the college’s mechanical practical engineer program and new Natural Gas Laboratories.

Illouz, who made aliyah from Iowa in 1975, welcomed leaders and investors from World ORT, the Nefesh B’Nefesh aliyah agency and government representatives, along with American donors from the Jewish National Fund “Go North” initiative, which has supported the new program from the beginning. Go North aims to bring 300,000 new residents to northern Israel, taking the

Coming soon...

2015 Community Guide the largest issue of the year, a keepsake edition with special advertising and community sections!

pressure off the center of the country, but the initiative can only accomplish its objective if high-quality jobs and training exist in the north.

The jobs will be there, said Amit Marom, CEO of the philanthropic Marom Group. Speaking for industry giant Noble Energy, a Texas-based Fortune 1000 oil and gas company, Marom said, “We need 1,500 practical engineers now. We will need another 500 every year.”

With its Israeli partners, Noble Energy has led the way in helping Israel broker deals with neighbors Egypt and Jordan that could build political stability in the region, in addition to building alliances within Israel. Marom said that as a non-profit, Erez College is an important piece of the puzzle. “We should build the [Israeli natural gas] industry through the non-profit world,” he said.

Leviathan is the largest gas field discovered in the 21st century, said Erez College’s pedagogical advisor, Edward Breicher. Approximately 30 times larger than Tamar, Leviathan contains as much as 19 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. “With oil,” Breicher said, “you must use 50 percent of every shekel for development, to take it from the ground, refine it, to complete the whole process. It’s See “Future” on page 12

Issue date: June 11 • Ad Deadline: June 3 To advertise, contact Bonnie Rozen at 800-779-7896, ext. 244 or bonnie@thereportergroup.org Shlomi Mayor Gabriel Naaman (left) and Ken Krupsky, Jewish National Fund’s assistant vice president for the “Go North” initiative. (Photo courtesy of Jewish National Fund)

APRIL 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775 ■

JEWISH OBSERVER

9

Ayelet Tsabari’s award-winning stories reflect Yemenite background, global outlook

By Beth Kissileff (JTA) – Ayelet Tsabari acted as a child and teen, appearing in Habima’s youth performances in Israel, a commercial and some student films. Although Tsabari no longer acts, the author of the Ayelet Tsabari: “I love award-winning “The Best accessing different Place on Earth” feels that the characters to put myself experience of fiction writing in characters that are not is not entirely unlike acting. necessarily me.” (Photo “I love accessing different by Sean Brererton) characters to put myself in characters that are not necessarily me,” she says.

Tsabari, 41, speaks of her fiction as a process of “embodying” her characters, be they a Yemenite grandmother, a Filipina caretaker in Israel, a young woman in the Israeli army or an Indian man who is a British citizen.

She elaborates, “I do believe that we are all human, and I can relate to most people. You have to find that kernel of truth in you.”

Tsabari’s collection of short stories – for which she recently won the Sami Rohr Prize for Fiction – reflects that diversity, with tales set in India and Canada, as well as Israel, and with characters of varied ages and nationalities. Administered by the Jewish Book Council, the $100,000 Rohr Prize is the largest literary prize in the Jewish world and is intended for writers early in their careers who have published one or two books.

The prize alternates between fiction and nonfiction each year and is awarded to “a book of literary merit that

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The cover of Ayelet Tsabari’s awardwinning story collection, “The Best Place on Earth.”

stimulates an interest in themes of Jewish concern.”

Tsabari grew up in Israel, but has lived in Canada for 16 years, having “followed a guy” she met in India when she was in her 20s.

“I never planned to stay as long as I did,” she says.

Tsabari now lives in Toronto with her husband, but is currently in Israel for a project. In an interview via Skype, she says she is “comfortable with multiple identities and languages and places I call home” while at the same time missing Israel. “I still long for Israel all the time,” she adds. “This is why I write about

[it] as much as I do. “ Although “pretty much everything that I write is about Israel,” she says, the “longing for a place, the sense of being away, is a very Jewish theme.”

Tsabari’s family emigrated from Yemen to Israel, and many of her characters are Jews of Mizrahi (from Arab countries) background. As she said in the Sami Rohr prize news release, “By portraying characters of Mizrahi background I was hoping to complicate readers’ perceptions of Israel and Jewishness, and to expand and broaden their ideas of what a Jewish story and Jewish experience can be.”

In one “Best Place on Earth” story, “The Poets in the Kitchen Window,” a Mizrahi boy who loves to write

poetry tells his sister he has stopped. She asks why, and he says, “Name one Mizrahi poet.” His sister takes a drag on her cigarette, and he continues, “See.” Her answer: “Maybe that’s exactly why you should write.

Ever think about that?”

The characters then continue to play a game in which they make poetry together out of the things that surround them. Later the sister brings her brother a volume of poetry by the Baghdad-born Israeli poet Roni Someck.

Tsabari says “The Poets in the Kitchen Window” was a very personal story because her father had always wanted to be a poet, but put it aside to go into a practical career, law, and to support his family of six children. He had been set to start studying poetry again in his early 40s when he passed away suddenly.

In the months since winning the Rohr prize, Tsabari says she often finds herself shaking her head without speaking – her way of expressing that she can’t articulate all the good things that have happened as a result. Random House has agreed to publish her next two books – a memoir and a novel – as well as publish “The Best Place on Earth” in the United States. (Currently, it is published only in Canada, by HarperCollins Canada.)

But even before winning the Rohr, Tsabari was earning recognition. She is in Israel on the Ontario Arts Council’s Chalmers Arts Fellowship, which supports artists in projects to advance their careers and inspire and inform their work. Tsabari’s project: recording the stories and songs of elderly Yemenite women. The project is so exciting, she says, it gives her “goosebumps on a regular basis.”

She isn’t quite sure how she will use the material she is See “Stories” on page 10

Women in the workplace (NAPSI) – If you don’t have a woman boss now, you probably will soon. As 50 percent of the U.S. workforce and more than half of all managers and supervisors, women are reaching leadership positions in record numbers. According to the book “Women Lead” by Apollo Research Institute, women outperform men in key leadership skills. Here are three tips to help women (and men) acquire these skills.

1. Get tech savvy: By 2020, more than 70 percent of jobs will have a technical component. Stay current by upgrading your computer skills or learning new ones. Check job postings to see which skills employers are looking for and take classes that teach those skills.

2. Polish your people skills: Of more than 3,000 managers surveyed for “Women Lead,” nearly half picked communication as the most important skill for today’s leaders. Help your team excel by clearly communicating goals, roles and achievements.

3. Live to learn: Continuing education ranked as the No. 1 most important activity for effective leaders, according to the managers surveyed for “Women Lead.” Enroll in a certification or advanced-degree program to boost your academic credentials.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ April 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775

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Rosh Chodesh Iyar - getting ready for the rest of your life

By Cantor Paula Pepperstone Rosh Chodesh Iyar is an interesting semi-holiday.

There are no holidays requiring hours of preparation happening during this month. With no large-scale holidays this month, we can make this Rosh Chodesh and this month, during the counting of the omer, all it can be.

I think of each Rosh Chodesh as a mini-Rosh Hashanah – an opportunity for joy (as the Torah tells in Numbers 10:10), but also as a chance to focus on the self. Just as Rosh Hashanah is heading toward the culmination of our season of repentance, Rosh Chodesh also gives us the opportunity, if we take it, to look inside ourselves, and in a shorter, more manageable time frame than the annual cycle of the Yamim Noraim/Days of Awe. We can

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.

Thursday, April 16 Yom Hashoah Temple Adath Yeshurun board meeting at 7 pm Saturday, April 18 TAY Hazak Shabbat at 9:15 am Sunday, April 19 Temple Concord blood drive from 9 am-1:45 pm TAY presents the film AAbove and Beyond@ at 10 am Jewish Federation presents community-wide Yom Hashoah event at Congregation Beth Sholom Chevra Shas at 3 pm Monday, April 20 Syracuse Hebrew Day School board meeting at 7:30 pm Tuesday, April 21 Jewish Community Center Executive Committee meeting at 6 pm, followed by board meeting at 7 pm Goldenberg Series Program presents cellist Gregory Wood at Temple Concord at 7 pm Wednesday, April 22 Yom Hazikaron Thursday, April 23 Yom Ha’atzmaut Community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration at TAY from 6-8 pm Friday, April 24 Installation of Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash at Temple Concord at 5 pm Wednesday, April 29 Deadline for the May 14 issue of the Jewish Observer Sunday, May 3 Conversation with Rabbi Charles Sherman at TAY at 10:30 am TAY Hazak at Syracuse Stage at 2 pm Monday, May 5 SHDS Education Committee at 7 pm

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ask ourselves: What do I need to work on this month?

Which aspects of my life have been successful lately?

Where do I need to improve, and what are manageable steps I can take this week, this month?

This year on Rosh Chodesh Iyar, and actually during all of sefirat ha-omer (the counting of the omer), I will be pursuing a more intense path of self-reflection. A parallel to the 40 days leading up to Yom Kippur from Tisha B’Av are the 49 days of sefirat ha-omer, beginning the second night of Pesach and ending at Shavuot. Think of this time period as going from enslavement in Egypt – or of self – to Shavuot and the awe of receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai – or of “gifting” the self guidelines for a more holy, more intentional life. To be ready for this gift, we want to prepare ourselves, even if it’s just with the anticipation of counting up to the big day each night. But what if we took the self-preparation for this encounter with God to the next level?

The Kabbalists focused on seven different aspects of God during the seven weeks of the omer. Then they layered these seven aspects further onto each day of the week as well. In modern times, some have taken these seven qualities as lenses through which to view ourselves and our own behaviors. If that sounds arrogant, that we view ourselves in the same way that we view God, let me explain further. It is seeking to model ourselves after God, and in refraining from taking positive qualities too far, lest they become negative. If you’ve studied Mussar, this probably all sounds familiar. The seven sefirot,

or spheres, that are used are: chesed/loving-kindness, gevurah/structure, tiferet/truth, netzach/endurance, hod/humility, yesod/construction and malchut/presence (translations by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld in “A Book of Life,” where he also points out that these translations don’t fully grasp the broad meanings and interpretations of these qualities).

Since I’ve never incorporated this seven-week practice into my life before, I’m taking it slowly, focusing on the weekly level and not pursuing the daily changes with the second layers of meaning. Resources I’m planning on using include Strassfeld’s book and MyJewishLearning.com’s article “Sefirot.” (Note: the first three of the traditional 10 sefirot are not included for this practice, so start with number four.) I do plan on peeking at the cross-section of the sefirot each day with Rabbi Jill Hammer’s “Omer Calendar of Biblical Women,” which can be viewed at http://ritualwell.org. For those looking for other perspectives on the sefirot and the omer, conduct an online search with those keywords.

By the time you read this article, we’ll be about two weeks into the omer, but don’t let that discourage you from beginning. Rosh Chodesh Iyar, on April 19 and 20, is a perfect time to get ready for the rest of the month, the rest of the omer, Shavuot and the rest of your life.

Cantor Paula Pepperstone is the director of the Rabbi Jacob H. Epstein High School of Jewish Studies, as well as a teacher and frequent chazzan at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas.

mazel tov Karen Docter

Karen J. Docter, recipient of the 2008 Honorable Michael F. Dillon Law Guardian Award, was appointed on January 5 by the town of DeWitt as its newest town counselor. She was sworn in during a special meeting of the board by retired Town Judge Jack Schultz.

She has a master’s degree in child development and in education and family studies. She has Karen J. Docter been an active member of the town of DeWitt Police Commission, the DeWitt Democratic Party and the Onondaga County Democratic Committee. She was the religious school programming coordinator at Temple Concord in Syracuse before embarking on a law school career.

Docter’s practice concentrates on representation of children in support, paternity, custody, visitation and divorce proceedings, as well as juvenile delinquency and persons in need of supervision matters, abuse and neglect proceedings and family offense proceedings.

She also practices mediation and collaborative law to provide alternatives to the traditional court proceedings for families, and is a court evaluator, as well as a guardian ad litem for persons under disability. She is a frequent speaker on family law issues for the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department’s Attorney for the Child Program; the Onondaga County Bar Association; the New York State Bar Association; the National Business Institute; the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts; and at Syracuse University College of Law, where she has also judged numerous law student competitions.

Docter received her associate in arts in humanities with highest honors from Onondaga Community College; her bachelor’s in human development and family studies from Cornell University; her master’s in child development from Syracuse University’s College of Human Development; her master of science in education from Syracuse University’s School of Education; and her juris doctor from the Syracuse University College of Law. She also holds a New York state license to teach law and national religious school teacher certification. She has taught courses in law at SUNY Empire State College, University College at Syracuse University’s paralegal program and the National Academy for Paralegal Studies, and has also presented at the local Children 1st program.

She received the OCC Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001 and represented OCC on a billboard outlining her academic achievements. In 2010, OCC again recognized her, this time as an Onondaga Community College Alumni Faces Honoree. She was awarded the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department Law Guardian Program’s Honorable Michael F. Dillon Law Guardian Award in 2009 for distinguished service to the Law Guardian Program in the Fifth Judicial District for the year 2008. She received the Onondaga CASA

Center for Community Alternatives Light of Hope Award in 2013 in recognition of her work with CSAA and her dedication to the legal rights of children and families in Central New York.

Howie Sneider

Former Syracuse resident Howie Sneider is one of 13 nonprofit executives named 2015 Rhode Island Foundation Fellows as part of a leadership development program led by the Foundation’s Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence. Its goal is “to energize mid-career executives in the state’s nonprofit sector.”

Sneider is the executive director of The Steel Yard, in Providence, RI. During his fellowship, he will Howie Sneider attend training and workshops on creative management styles to develop his local skillbuilding with public speaking and writing coaches.

The fellowship will give him the opportunity to travel throughout North America to meet with leaders in the arts. He hopes that exploring writing and presentation techniques will help him better communicate the needs of the community and celebrate the stories of his organization. He also feels that “outside perspectives will also help [him] contextualize [his] work and lead an inclusive strategic planning process for the Yard.”

The 18-month program will enable the executives to take short-term sabbaticals from their organizations. Fellows design their own curriculum and participate in periodic group meetings to share their challenges, opportunities and progress. Participants receive stipends up to $10,000 to underwrite their activities, and their organizations receive $5,000 grants to compensate them for the time away.

The son of Jeffrey Sneider, of DeWitt, and Jill Sneider, of Manlius, Howie attended Nottingham High School and is a graduate of Manlius Pebble Hill School and the Rhode Island School of Design.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. In 2014, the Foundation awarded $34.8 million in grants to organizations addressing various issues and the needs of communities. Through leadership, fund-raising and grant-making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation intends to help Rhode Island “reach its true potential.”

Stories

Continued from page 9

collecting, but she feels an “urgency” to speak to these women since they are elderly and dying.

Although she is a native Hebrew speaker, Tsabari now writes in English (“The Best Place on Earth” has not yet been translated into Hebrew). She compares writing in a new language to living in a new country, and says it feels like “mirroring the act of migration.” It’s also another way of inhabiting new selves and new roles.

APRIL 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775 ■

JEWISH OBSERVER

11

obituaries Leah G. Felts

Lea Felts, 83, died at home in Dallas, TX, on March 22.

Following her parents’ emigration from Lithuania, she was born in Utica, NY. She graduated as valedictorian from Nottingham High School a semester early. She attended Syracuse University. She loved the arts, was a pianist in her youth and a voracious reader. She taught at the Temple Adath Yeshurun Religious School for 26 years.

Her first husband was Paul Maloff, father of her two children, Bruce Larrie Maloff, Ph.D. and Elisa Maloff Reiter, J.D. Her second husband was Harry Lee Felts, who retired as circulation director at the Syracuse PostStandard. They moved to Dallas, TX, with Elisa in 1973.

She was a member of Temple Emanu-el in Dallas, where she taught. Following Harry’s death in 1985, she returned to work and became a paralegal. When her daughter hung out her own shingle in 1990, she joined her family law practice, where they worked together for 19 years.

She was predeceased by her son, Bruce, in 2005; her brother, Harold; and both husbands.

She is survived by her daughter, Elisa; her son-in-law, Steve Reiter; a step-granddaughter; and a grandson.

Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home and Memorial Park, Dallas, TX, had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Family Compass, 4210 Junius St., Dallas, TX 75246; Temple Emanu-el, 8500 Hillcrest Rd., Dallas, TX 75225; or Genesis, 4411 Lemmon Ave., Unit 201, Dallas, TX 75219-2162. 

Gerda B. Friedeman

Gerda B. Friedeman, 100, died on March 26 at home in Fort Myers, FL. She was born in Muenster, Germany. She escaped the Holocaust by riding a bicycle out of Germany and boarding the last ship out of Holland. She arrived in the United States in 1940 and lived in New York City; Rome, NY, where her husband was rabbi from 1944-48; Fond du Lac, WI; Zanesville, OH; and Cape Coral in 1964.

She actively volunteered her time and talents in many facets of Temple Beth El of Fort Myers, including Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America.

Burial was in the Temple Beth El section of City Cemetery in Fort Myers. Arrangements were by Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home.

Contributions may be made to Temple Beth El, 16225 Winkler Rd., Fort Myers, FL 33908; Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties, 9710 Commerce Center Ct., Fort Myers, FL 33908; the Holocaust and Education Center of Southwest Florida, Sandalwood Square, 4760 Tamiami Trl. N #7, Naples, FL 34103; or the Ft. Myers Community Concert Assoc., 17281 Brenfield Ln., Alva, FL 33920. 

NEWS digest From JTA

Suspect arrested in Berlin murder of Israeli man

An Albanian man was arrested in connection with the murder of an Israeli in Berlin. The suspect was taken into custody late April 10 in the Czech Republic near the German border. Germany will seek to extradite him, the Associated Press reported. The victim, who was identified as Yossi Damari, 22, days after his body was found on April 5 amid the rubble of construction being done at a church, reportedly checked into a hostel the day before he was murdered. Damari’s body, discovered with his passport, was so badly beaten that it was difficult to make a positive identification. Berlin Prosecutor Martin Steltner told the German media that neither robbery nor nationalism appear to be motives in the killing.

Thelma Menter

Thelma Menter died on March 29 in White Plains, NY. She is survived by her husband, Gilbert; their daughter, Carol (Steven) Wershaw, of White Plains; their son, Larry (Ruth) Menter; their daughter, Ruthie (David) Cohen; their daughter, Sandie (Bruce) Biondi; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Burial was in Beth El Cemetery, Syracuse. Sisskind Funeral Service had local Syracuse arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Congregation Kol Ami, 252 Soundview Ave., White Plains, NY 10606 or White Plains Hospital Center, 41 E. Post Rd., White Plains, NY 10601. 

Rae Rohfeld

Rae Rohfeld died on March 22 at home after months of hospital stays.

Born in New York City, she attended Case Western Reserve University, where she received a bachelor’s in psychology, a master’s in history and doctorate in American history. She also studied at Oberlin and UCLA. She taught in Ohio and Syracuse universities before going to Saratoga Springs with Empire State College as a professor in the Center for Distance Learning. She was a mentor in advanced degree preparation. When she retired, she became a leader in the League of Women Voters and a volunteer in case preparation in the ACLU. She and her husband attended the symphony and were longtime members of Syracuse Chamber Music Association. She was interested in and attended the theater in different venues. She and her husband traveled worldwide. They flew high performance kites together and attended kite festivals.

She is survived by her husband, Charles Trabold; her sister, Judy (Ezra) Mendelsohn, of Jerusalem; her two daughters, Sylvia (Michael) Steinheiser, of Dallas, and Sara Rohfeld, of Mentor, OH; two grandchildren; and her husband’s daughters, Lisa and Beth.

Her body was donated to SUNY Upstate Medical University. Edward J. Ryan and Son Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Hospice of Central New York, 990 7th N. St., Liverpool, NY 13088. 

NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA

Sabra recalls classic hummus due to possible contamination

The Sabra Dipping Company recalled 30,000 cases of its classic hummus due to a possible listeria contamination. The hummus tested positive for the food-borne bacteria listeria monocytogenes, which is potentially fatal and can affect the elderly, pregnant women, babies and those with compromised immune systems. Those with questions should call 888-957-2272.

To advertise, please contact Bonnie Rozen at 800-779-7896, ext. 244 or bonnie@ thereportergroup.org

Harold Schwartz

Harold Schwartz, 86, died on March 28 in Chittenango.

Born in Jersey City, NJ, he was a U.S. Army veteran of the 2nd Armored Division. After graduating from Syracuse University, he made his home in Syracuse. He worked for General Electric from 1956-70 in the personnel department. He then worked for the New York State division of human rights as a case manager until retiring.

He was a member of Skaneateles Country Club, where he loved to golf and sail.

He is survived by his friend, Beverly King, of Manlius; her daughter, Robin (John) Wendler; her granddaughter; and several cousins, including Jerrold (Ellen) Schwartz.

Burial was in the Onondaga County Veterans Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements. 

Muriel Shapiro

Muriel Shapiro, 94, died on April 1 at Community General Hospital after a brief illness.

Born in Wilkes-Barre, she lived most of her life in Detroit. She was the executive secretary to the president of American Savings of Detroit until retiring. She was an active volunteer with Hadassah and the Jewish Federation during her working years. She loved to dance, play golf and entertain. She retired to Florida, until moving in 2006 to Syracuse to be closer to her family.

She was predeceased by her sister, Josephine Weiner.

She is survived by her son, Owen (Christine); two grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; her niece, Marilyn (Harvey) Beim; and her nephew, Jack (John Murphy) Rosenberg.

Burial was in Frumah Packard Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to the Syracuse International Film Festival to benefit “Muriel’s Musicals” at www.filminsyracuse.com. 

Boris Shoykhet

Boris Shoykhet, 85, died on March 31 at Crouse Hospital after a brief illness.

Born in Ukraine, he and his family emigrated to the U.S. more than 20 years ago for a better life.

He is survived by his wife, Polya, of Syracuse; their son, Illya (Alla), of Fayetteville; and two grandchildren.

Burial was in Frumah Packard Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements. 

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Arrested Islamist terror cell plotted bombing at Barcelona Jewish bookstore

Seven suspected members of an Islamist terror cell were arrested for plotting to bomb a Jewish bookstore in Barcelona. The cell also was planning attacks on local synagogues, as well as other public buildings in the Catalonia region, according to reports. Eleven people were arrested in total in northeastern Catalonia on April 8, and seven are under formal investigation, Reuters reported. They called themselves Islamic Brotherhood for Jihad Predication. The terror cell is similar to the Islamic State movement.

Palestinian police expand security control

Armed Palestinian police have expanded security control to Palestinian towns bordering Jerusalem. Under a deal with Israel, the patrols began working in Abu Dis, A-Ram and Biddu, Reuters reported. The patrols include 90 officers.

The towns have been under Israeli security control since the peace process began with the Oslo Accords in 1993.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ April 16, 2015/27 NISAN 5775

Iran

for 15 years. The deal would also provide for a regimen of intrusive inspections at all Iranian facilities.

“You have assurances that their stockpile of highly enriched uranium remains in a place where they cannot create a nuclear weapon,” Obama told National Public Radio recently.

According to the administration’s outline, sanctions relief is conditioned on Iran abiding by its commitments.

The sanctions architecture will remain in place so they can be quickly reimposed if Iran defaults.

Additionally, Obama administration officials have emphasized that Iran’s breakout time will be extended from the current two to three months to a year, although how this will be quantified is not yet clear.

What Iran wants to see In contrast with the phased relief outlined in the U.S. document, a “fact sheet” published by the Iranian Foreign Ministry posits an immediate lifting of sanctions after a deal is reached. On April 9, in a speech broadcast live on Iranian television, Khamenei said there would be no point to the negotiations if they did not yield immediate sanctions relief.

“All sanctions should be removed when the deal is signed,” Reuters quoted Khamenei as saying. “If the sanctions removal depends on other processes, then why did we start the negotiations?”

On Twitter, Khamenei went further, accusing the United States of overall bad faith. “Hours after the #talks, Americans offered a fact sheet that most of it was contrary to what was agreed,” said a tweet posted on his feed on April 9. “They always deceive and breach promises.”

On the enrichment question, the Iranian and American outlines are not mutually exclusive.

“None of the nuclear facilities or related activities will be stopped, shut down, or suspended, and Iran’s nuclear activities in all of its facilities including Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Arak will continue,” said the Iranian document, which goes on to name only Natanz as a site for 3.67 percent uranium enrichment, which comports with the U.S. document. The other sites are deemed acceptable for scientific research in the American version, a status

that conceivably comports with “related activities” in the Iranian document.

What Israel wants to see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in the immediate wake of the agreement that the framework deal would threaten Israel’s survival. He counseled “standing firm and increasing the pressure on Iran until a better deal is achieved.”

Netanyahu did not provide details, but in interviews he has said that Israel could tolerate a deal that left “hundreds” of centrifuges in place, as opposed to the 5,060 the U.S. outline anticipates – itself a significant concession for Netanyahu, who had previously said that Israel would tolerate no more than a zero capacity for uranium enrichment.

Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s minister of intelligence, also provided more details of Israel’s desires for a final deal in a briefing for reporters in Jerusalem, demanding a complete end to research and development of advanced centrifuges, the shuttering of the underground Fordo facility, and freedom for inspectors to go “anytime, anywhere.”

In an Op-Ed published on April 8 in The Washington Post, Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli defense minister, called for dismantling much of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

“Intelligence and inspections are simply no substitute for dismantling the parts of Iran’s program that can be used to produce atomic bombs,” Yaalon wrote.

Israel also has an eye on Iran’s destabilizing activities elsewhere in the region. The Obama administration and its five negotiating partners – China, Russia, France, Germany and Great Britain – see the nuclear deal as discrete from other Iranian actions.

“Restrictions imposed on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program will expire in about a decade, regardless of Iran’s campaign of murderous aggression in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere across the Middle East; its arming, funding, training and dispatching of terrorists around the world; and its threats and violent efforts to destroy Israel, the region’s only democracy,” Yaalon wrote.

Netanyahu recently also demanded Iran’s recognition of Israel as a component of a final deal, a requirement

Future

Continued from page 5 that Obama has said is unrealistic.

What Congress wants to see Two bills under consideration in Congress, both backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, could affect the outcome of an Iran deal.

One, sponsored by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), would mandate new sanctions should Iran default on a deal or walk away from the talks. Obama has said such a bill would scuttle the talks and has pledged to veto it. The bill was approved in January by the Senate Banking Committee. Now its fate is in the hands of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the majority leader, who must decide whether it advances to the full body.

McConnell has not shown his hand, but he is unlikely to move it forward unless he can build a veto-proof majority of 67, which would require the support of 13 Democrats. With Menendez sidelined as he faces indictment on corruption charges, that is unlikely.

The other bill, backed by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, would require congressional review of an Iran deal. That bill stands a better chance of passage.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who is in line to become his party’s Senate leader in the next Congress, backs the bill as it is. Other Democrats, including key Obama allies like Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Menendez’s replacement as the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), the top Democrat on its Middle East subcommittee, say they would back the bill if Corker removes non-nuclear related elements, among them requirements that Iran cease backing for terrorism.

The Corker bill was to come up for review by the Foreign Relations Committee on April 14, and Cardin said he hoped to shape it to make it a “process” bill and not one that prescribes the terms of an agreement. “One of my concerns is that the bill carries out its mission – a way for Congress to review and take action,” Cardin told JTA. Obama, who had previously said he would veto the Corker bill, indicated recently that he could work with a modified version.

Continued from page 8

expensive energy. Natural gas, on the other hand, comes to you ready-to-use. Every country is trying to use it.”

Half of Israel’s current power emanates from natural gas and the Jewish state is now working on a major pipeline to carry natural gas across the country. Natural gas remains the cleanest fossil fuel, with far lower emissions than petroleum. It is also easier to access and store. But as is the case with any fossil fuel, it can be dangerous, demanding specially trained professionals to handle it safely. Additionally, the natural gas industry is being held up in the governmental arena. Regulations and anti-trust matters must be dealt with before the gas is made available.

Once the government gives the green light, Erez College graduates should be ready, having trained in Israel’s largest laboratory for the processing and testing of industrial materials, built with JNF’s partnership.

Yaniv Bracha, a student in the Erez College practical engineering program, said, “Natural gas will create an economic revolution, along with new business opportunities for me.” Married with two children, Bracha is currently the northern region manager for Paz Oil, Israel’s largest fuel company.

When Breicher devised the idea of a practical engineering program as an enticing new area of study, he approached two large training schools, but was turned

At left: A delegation from Jewish National FundUSA visited a classroom used for the new practical engineering program at Erez College in northern Israel. (Photo courtesy of Jewish National Fund)

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down. Yet Illouz recognized the potential the natural gas industry could have for Erez College and the town of Shlomi, in terms of educational and employment opportunities, and quickly made Erez’s program a reality.

Illouz founded Erez College 30 years ago, with assistance from the Jewish Agency for Israel, to bring new hope to Shlomi’s nearly 2,000 residents. “Most of them had no high school diploma and would have left if they could for the wealthier central areas of the country,” she said.

Development towns like Shlomi sprouted up all over Israel in the 1950s to house a flood of refugees from Arab countries and to ensure the country’s security in sensitive areas. But even today, funds remain scarce for these residents and many are still among the poorest in Israel.

Shlomi itself, a quiet town nestled in Israel’s woody northern foothills, was the target of the initial rocket volleys that were launched at the Jewish state during the 2006 Lebanon War. While many organizations speak about breaking the cycle of poverty, Erez College has seemingly smashed through every obstacle in its path. Shlomi Mayor Gabriel Naaman is one of 13 children, and only one – his younger sister – managed to study beyond high school, since so few options were available in northern Israel for education and vocational training.

That was the first thing that needed to change, Naaman believed. When he became Shlomi’s mayor in 1999, he demanded 25 million shekels (about $6.3 million) from Israel for the building that now houses Erez College. “I wanted something with a long future,” said Naaman.

“This is what the region needed.”

Along with its new natural gas program, Erez College offers education in mechanical engineering, software design and food preparation, in response to labor-market demands. Shlomi now has more than 7,000 residents and Erez College has become a magnet for the entire Western Galilee.

Since many of Erez’s students have day jobs, the college holds classes in the evenings and on Fridays, when most Israelis don’t need to work. More than 14,000 students have graduated so far, including single mothers, new immigrants, Arabs, Druze and demobilized soldiers.

Eighty percent of Erez graduates are employed.

Today, Naaman’s own children, nieces, nephews and their friends are laying down roots in northern Israel rather than leaving the area. “JNF and Sandee Illouz’s vision is fast becoming a reality,” Naaman said. “Erez College is giving the entire region a huge boost, and now training our workforce for the field of natural gas.”