Syr0426 by Jewish Federation of CNY

20 NISAN 5776 • APRIL 28, 2016 • VOLUME XXXVII, NUMBER 9 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY

Campaign reaches $1 million BY MARIANNE BAZYDLO The 2016 Annual Campaign has reached a milestone at its earliest period in a long time: The Campaign has reached $1 million in pledges earlier than ever before, but that does not mean the Campaign is over. Federation’s President/CEO Linda Alexander said, “As far as we can tell in anyone’s memory, we reached $1 million more quickly this year than ever before, but we have not reached our goal of $1.2 million. In order to provide full allocations to our beneficiary agencies, and provide support throughout the entire Jewish community through Community Program Fund grants, we are still striving for $1.2 million.” Campaign Chair Mark Wladis added, “We ran this Campaign differently than has ever been done in the past. No longer can we simply try to raise money; but now the local Federation Campaign has to be one that includes people and provides them with a sense of community. From day one, this Campaign has tried to do that. Whether it was Ambassador Dennis Ross speaking to the community, the Meet at the MOST event for families

to get together, the Friendship Gathering at Benjamin’s on Franklin or any of the other events the Federation has been involved with, it has been about forging a strong sense of community.” Many people have seen these efforts by the Federation and applauded them, according to Wladis. To date, approximately 35 percent of people giving to the Campaign have increased their pledge. The Campaign also has more than 100 new families donating to it. “You can see not only by the events, but by the financial giving of so many that the local Jewish community is strong and is working to continue to do more. Another important goal is 100 percent participation from our Jewish community members. The Campaign is not there yet, but we are gaining on it,” said Alexander. It is not too late to make a pledge and be included in the Jewish Federation of Central New York Honor Roll of Donors. For more information, contact Marianne Bazydlo at 445-2040, ext. 102, or mbazydlo@jewishfederationcny.org. To make a secure credit card payment, visit www.jewishfederationcny.org and click on the tzedakah box.

Stanlee Stahl to speak at Yom Hashoah commemoration She established Extra Helping, BY JUDITH L. STANDER New Jersey’s first prepared food The main speaker at this transfer program. Not only did year’s Yom Hashoah comshe focus on feeding that state’s memoration of the Jewish hungry, but she opened a kosher Federation of Central New component that was the only York will be Stanlee J. Stahl, one in the United States. executive vice president of Stahl is a 20-year veteran of the Jewish Foundation for the the U.S. Department of Health Righteous. She will speak in and Human Services. She is the Temple Concord sanctuary, considered an expert speaker on 910 Madison St., Syracuse. This year’s Yom Hashoah memorial Stanlee J. Stahl fund-raising and proposal writing, observance will be held on Sunday, May and she consults with non-profit organizations and teaches a grant-writing course. She lived 1, from 3-4:30 pm. The program will begin promptly with in Israel and worked for Magen DavidAdom, the reading of the names inscribed in the Israel’s Red Cross Society. She holds graduate Federation’s Book of Remembrance. degrees from George Washington University Expected participants include Rabbis and New York University. JFR was founded in 1986 by Rabbi Irvin Beigel, Paul Drazen, Leah Fein, Harold Schulweis to fulfill the traditional Daniel Fellman, Daniel Jezer, Andrew Jewish commitment to recognize goodPepperstone and Evan Shore. The mission of the Jewish Foundation ness. Many of the people the organization for the Righteous is “to identify, honor helps are aging and living in poverty. and help support” Christians and Muslims Through its Rescuer Support Program, who risked their lives, as well as the lives JFR provides monthly financial support of their families, to save Jews from death to more than 450 rescuers in 20 countries. Each of these individuals has been in Europe during the Holocaust. Stahl has led the foundation for many recognized as a Righteous Gentile by Yad years and has a professional history of Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the providing leadership by example and victims of the Holocaust. See “Stahl” on page 3 also bringing her experience with her.

Yom Ha’atzmaut 2016 community celebration BY DOUG HORNBACKER Syracuse will c e l e b r a t e Yo m Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, with a free event on Thursday, May 12, from 6-8 pm, at Temple Adath Yeshurun. Nurit Nussbaum, Linda Chait Davis L-r: Music director Joe Eglash, Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash, and Orit Antosh, Cantor Paula Pepperstone, Cantor Marvin Moskowitz, Ba’alat co-chairwomen of Tefilah Esa Jaffe, Cantor Robert Leiberman and Cantor the Yom Ha’atzmaut Francine Berg. (Photo by Sonali Y. Wijesuriya) planning committee, have organized the celebration to honor used in synagogue services and Jewish Israel’s 68th birthday. The event will also events around the world. offer information about Israel’s contriIn addition to the musical perforbutions toward addressing the world’s mance, there will be a free Israeli dinner. water crisis. There will also be children’s activities, The event is underwritten by a Yom Israeli wine tasting, information on Israeli Ha’atzmaut grant from the Jewish Fed- water technology, an Israeli shuk and eration of Central New York and the the Syracuse Hebrew Day School sixth Pomeranz, Shankman and Martin Chari- grade students will give a presentation table Foundation, and is being presented on Israeli inventions. by the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Reservations have been requested and Center of Syracuse, with the support of can be made by contacting the JCC, local local area synagogues. synagogues, the Syracuse Hebrew Day The event will start with a com- School or directly to the Yom Ha’atzmaut memoration to Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s committee at yh68syr@gmail.com. Memorial Day, followed by a Cantors’ Concert, a communitywide adult and youth choir, a cantors and cantorial soloists ensemble and a small pit band. The ensemble will include Cantor Francine Berg, conducting the youth and adult choirs, and vocalists Temple Concord Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash, Temple Adath Yeshurun Ba’alat Tefilah Goal: $1,200,000 Esa Jaffe, Cantor Robert Lieberman, Cantor Marvin Moskowitz and Cantor Paula Pepperstone, director of the Rabbi $ Jacob Epstein School of Jewish Studies. Modern Israeli songs will be performed as of April 25, 2016 alongside classic sing-along titles. This year the event will welcome a new musical director, Joe Eglash. Eglash and his wife, Siegel Eglash, came to Syracuse when she became part of Temple Concord’s new clergy team in 2014. He is a professional musician and Jewish music publisher and editor. Along with his music firm, Eglash Creative, he is director of Transcontinental Music To make a pledge, contact Publications, which is owned by the Marianne Bazydlo at 445-2040 ext. 102 American Conference of Cantors and is or mbazydlo@jewishfederationcny.org. the world’s largest and oldest publisher of Jewish music. He edits, develops and publishes new Jewish music, which is

2016 Federation Annual Campaign

1,014,181

C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A April 28.....................7:45 pm.....................................................................Passover April 29.....................7:46 pm.......................................... Parasha-Passover-Yizkor May 6........................7:54 pm............................................... Parasha-Acharai Mot May 13......................8:02 pm.................................................... Parasha-Kedoshim

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Congregational notes

PJ Our Way

More than just books

Local synagogues announce The PJ Library program is now The new National Library of Israel children’s events, a scholar’s offering PJ Our Way for children is intended to create community ages 9-11. lecture and a concert. and embrace technology. Storiy on page 5 Stories on page 4 Story on page 10

PLUS Wedding and Prom Guide...6-7 Calendar Highlights............. 10 Mazel Tov................................ 10 Obituaries................................11

JEWISH OBSERVER ■ APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776

Congress holds hearing on Islamic extremism’s threat to European Jews

BY JNS STAFF JNS.org U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) chaired a Congressional hearing on April 19 that explored the threat Islamic extremism poses to European Jewish communities. The hearing examined how European governments can do more to protect those communities by using policing models pioneered in America. “There can be no European security without Jewish security. As we have seen so many times in so many places, violence against Jewish communities often foreshadows violence against other religious, ethnic and national communities. ISIS (the Islamic State terror group) especially hates the Jewish people and has instructed its followers to prioritize killing them,” said

governments need to do more Smith, who chairs the body to confront antisemitism. that held the April 19 hear“One of the problems we ing, the U.S. Commission for have faced and we continue Security and Cooperation in to face is that governments Europe, also known as the are slow to recognize the very U.S. Helsinki Commission. problem itself, let alone to “[Islamic State’s] cronies marshal the necessary resolve targeted the Jewish Museum of and expertise to confront it,” Belgium in May 2014, the Paris Baker testified. kosher supermarket in January Rutgers University Pro2015 and the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen in February fessor John Farmer, who has 2015, and murdered people in U.S. Rep. Chris led an initiative at Rutgers Smith (Photo all of them,” Smith added. designed to identify the best courtesy U.S. Rabbi Andrew Baker, direcways to protect vulnerable Congress) communities in light of the tor of international Jewish affairs for the American Jewish Committee, evolving threat of Islamic extremism, thanked Smith for his “pioneering work” said he has “worked with U.S. commuin identifying and addressing antisemitism nities to develop what FBI officials have in Europe. Baker said that European called an ‘off-ramp’ to radicalization.

“This is a time of particular peril for the Jewish future in Europe, and it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to assure that future,” Farmer said. “The collaboration with law enforcement agencies has to be based on trust and confidence, in respect of international laws and rules protecting individual freedom, civil liberties and privacy,” Jonathan Biermann, a Brussels-based attorney and an elected city councilman there, said during his testimony on April 19. Paul Goldenberg, a senior adviser to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said he has observed from a number of his trips to European cities in recent years that more work “needs to be accomplished to move closer to a medium and standard of safety and security” for European Jewish communities.

First person

Israeli wanderlust BY ELIANA RUDEE JNS.org On the first day of ulpan (Hebrew-language immersion school), I met Naomi in a get-to-know-you game. “Where are you from?” I asked her. She said the answer was complicated – it was basically everywhere in Canada (where she was born and raised) as well as the Czech Republic, where her parents were from and where she took care of her sick grandmother a few years back. I immediately connected to Naomi, realizing her caring nature and uniqueness of taking time off from university, dropping everything and moving to another country in your mid-20s to take care of your grandmother. I knew she would become my friend. When we placed in the same ulpan class, we got to know each other well and learned a lot about one another’s families. Naomi’s grandmother passed away during the second month of ulpan, and Naomi went to the Czech Republic for the burial. I comforted her and took notes for her in class. After this, I often heard Naomi speaking on the phone in fluent Czech and,

after her calls, she would tell me about her friends in the Czech Republic. She spoke about the Czech Republic often, and after hearing about the people, food and cheap prices, I told her I’d love to go there someday, to which she replied that next time she goes, I would be invited. Many travel-oriented promises between friends tend to go unfulfilled, but a month ago, when Naomi told me that she would be going for her friend’s birthday, she suggested we go together. So we booked a ticket for a week in the Czech Republic and, two weeks later, we were there! For the first four days of our trip, we went to the village where her grandmother had lived, Jablonné, just a 10-minute drive from Germany. Naomi’s friends in the Czech Republic are mostly middle-aged women who were friends and informal caretakers of her grandmother. Although much older than Naomi and I, they are very fun and we had a great time together. We stayed in an Airbnb-type place, which made our clothes smell like cigarettes for the rest of the week. We worked remotely in the mornings (which wasn’t a huge loss because the weather was overcast and

A MATTER OF OPINION How a “No” became a “Yes” BY BETTY LAMB In August 2014, I was sitting on my front porch when the phone rang. The president of Women Transcending Boundaries had to resign her position due to health issues and the vice president was not able to move up to the presidency. The co-founders of WTB asked me to be the interim president. I had already planned my winter schedule and there was no way I could possibly do it. I was not one of the original members of Women Transcending Boundaries in 2001, but I have been involved since 2005 and I have also been on either the council or advisory board for many years. Commitment won out over time management and I said yes to the dedicated women who had turned 9/11 into a blessing. After 9/11, Betsy Wiggins, a Christian, sought out Danya Wellman, a Muslim, to defeat fear. They met again and again, bringing more friends each time, and in the continuing dialogue, WTB was born. Ruth Colvin helped organize a constitution and by-laws. This is WTB’s 15th anniversary. The organization has partnered with many other cultures and faith communities, a feat that is reflected in the many years of its outstanding programming: five international dinners; two years of “acts

of kindness” weekends; Journey to the Tent of Abraham in 2007 and 2013; and six years of partnering with InterFaith Works for World Interfaith Harmony Assembly. WTB has collaborated with many faith communities and organizations since its creation. Experiencing the work of the co-founders, past presidents and everyone else involved with WTB was very humbling. We have tried to continue to be involved in the community. Our “Schmai,” an informal gathering of our members, is held at a different restaurant monthly. The WTB book club also meets once a month. The monthly programs are lively and interesting, from a Japanese tea ceremony to information on human trafficking. Our New American sewing classes are wonderful. We also support events at the Everson Museum, WCNY-TV, Temple Concord Sisterhood and Syracuse Federation of Women’s Clubs. This Syracuse community of ours is amazing. My hope for WTB is to continue to experience and share in the diversity of cultures and religions that make Syracuse such a unique city. For our future, I hope we can continue to educate and serve, which is part of our mission statement, and to continue to keep alive the Golden Rule, which we all share.

Eliana Rudee at the Lennon Wall in Prague. (Photo courtesy of Eliana Rudee) sometimes rainy for most of the trip), but met with Naomi’s friends in the afternoon. The friends were amazing! They were curious about our lives in Israel, incredibly hospitable (every time we walked into their homes, they were cooking something new for us) and simply kind. The food in the village was amazing and cheap – a meal at a restaurant, plus a beer, cost around $8. The most popular dishes: chléb (bread), gulás (gulash), knedlo (bread-like dumplings), smazák

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(fried cheese), klobása sausage, bread and pastries. Did I mention bread? There was a lot of bread in every single meal. The village was scenic, to put it mildly. The houses were small, but reminded me of what it would be like if I were to go back in time. There were green fields aplenty, a castle just a short walk away and a beautiful church. In the village, nobody spoke English. Naomi translated everything for me and did a great job, so I could truly get to know her friends. I did end up learning some important words in Czech, although the language proved very difficult to learn, let alone pronounce. Whenever I told people that I was living in Israel, they thought it was very cool. Unlike many places Israelis travel to, there was no hesitation to say that one is Israeli and/or Jewish. The Czech people seemed interested in the Jewish faith and in Israel. In fact, the two countries have great bilateral relations. And yet, there were many cultural differences. Everyone was on time (including the tram system, which was great)! See “Israeli” on page 4

All articles, announcements and photographs must be received by noon Wednesday, 15 days prior to publication date. Articles must be typed, double spaced and include the name of a contact person and a daytime telephone number. E-mail submissions are encouraged and may be sent to JewishObserverCNY@gmail.com. The Jewish Observer reserves the right to edit any copy. Signed letters to the editor are welcomed: they should not exceed 250 words. Names will be withheld at the discretion of the editor. All material in this newspaper has been copyrighted and is exclusive property of the Jewish Observer and cannot be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. Views and opinions expressed by our writers, columnists, advertisers and by our readers do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s and editors’ points of view, nor that of the Jewish Federation of Central New York. The newspaper reserves the right to cancel any advertisements at any time. This newspaper is not liable for the content of any errors appearing in the advertisements beyond the cost of the space occupied. The advertiser assumes responsibility for errors in telephone orders. The Jewish Observer does not assume responsibility for the kashrut of any product or service advertised in this paper. THE JEWISH OBSERVER OF CENTRAL NEW YORK (USPS 000939) (ISSN 1079-9842) Publications Periodical postage paid at Syracuse, NY and other offices. Published 24 times per year by the Jewish Federation of Central New York Inc., a non-profit corporation, 5655 Thompson Road, DeWitt, NY 13214. Subscriptions: $36/year; student $10/ year. POST MASTER: Send address change to JEWISH OBSERVER OF CENTRAL NEW YORK, 5655 Thompson Road, DeWitt, NY 13214.

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JEWISH OBSERVER

AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK JCC Baby Boot Camp class at the JCC starting May 2 New mothers looking to exercise and spend time with their baby can attend the Baby Boot Camp class coming to the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. The JCC’s Neulander Family Sports and Fitness Center

will host a Baby Boot Camp Strollfit class beginning on Monday, May 2. It will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9:20-10:20 am, on the outdoor tennis court behind the JCC. In case of rain or bad weather, the class will meet inside the JCC Sports and Fitness Center.

Eat at Tully’s fund-raiser May 16 to benefit the JCC

People who eat at Tully’s restaurant at 2943 Erie Blvd. East, Syracuse, on Monday, May 16, will have 10 percent of their bill donated to the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse’s Neulander Family Sports and Fitness Center. The fund-raiser will be held all day long for dine in or take out.

In order for the JCC to receive credit for the fund-raiser, participants will need a specific printed coupon, which is available from the JCC’s fitness desk, other JCC entrances and online at the JCC’s website, www.jccsyr.org. The coupon must be presented when paying the bill. For more information, call the JCC fitness desk at 234-4522 or visit www.jccsyr.org.

Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu MAY 2-6 Monday – turkey chili Tuesday – broccoli cheese quiche Wednesday – meatloaf Thursday – hot corned beef sandwich Friday – Mothers’ Day luncheon – salmon with dill MAY 9-13 Monday – vegetable lasagna Tuesday – chicken fried rice Wednesday – stuffed cabbage Thursday – imitation crab cakes Friday – roast turkey 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. 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.

Jerusalem bus bombing shatters relative silence on Israel’s terrorism front BY EFRAT FORSHER, YORI YALON, LILACH SHOVAL AND DANIEL SIRYOTI Israel Hayom/JNS.org The smoke billowing from a burning bus. The sirens of the first responders. The smell of explosives. All of those came back to haunt Jerusalem on April 18 when a bomb detonated on Egged Bus 12 as it made its way from the Talpiot neighborhood to the city center. Twenty-one people were injured in the blast, which shattered what had been relative silence on Israel’s terrorism front during the months of March and April. As of April 19, two of the wounded individuals were in serious condition, another five were in moderate condition and the others were described as lightly hurt. Two children, ages 10 and 13, were among the wounded. The bus driver was unharmed.

Stahl

According to the Israeli security establishment, there were 171 “substantial” terror attacks in the country in August 2015, rising to 223 that September and 620 in October. Then the monthly number of attacks began decreasing, from 326 in November to 246 in December, 169 in January, 154 in February, 20 in March and only three during the first week of April. But the April 18 bus bombing provided a rude awakening. The blast took place at 5:50 pm on Moshe Baram Street, a major artery in southern Jerusalem. The street was jam-packed with cars during that evening’s rush hour. Flames engulfed the bus as a result of the explosion and an empty bus nearby also caught fire. The billows of smoke could be seen from miles away.

The first Strollfit class will be free to try with no obligation when signing up at the Baby Boot Camp website, www.babybootcamp.com/ny-syracuse.aspx. Discounted class rates are available when purchasing an eight-class pack, 16-class pack or JCC 2016 Summer Camp special package. There is also a one-time enrollment fee, which is discounted for JCC members and includes all of the equipment needed for the classes. Baby Boot Camp is a “stroller-fitness” program intended to help mothers and expectant mothers of all fitness levels regain or enhance pre-pregnancy fitness levels and meet the physical challenges of parenting. It also allows new mothers to get in shape while with their baby. The class emphasizes cardio drills, strength training and stretching in a “supportive environment.” Every class will end with a core strengthening routine, resulting in a full body workout. Modifications will be made for prenatal clients, new mothers six weeks’ post-partum and active mothers. The program is taught by nationally certified fitness professionals. For more information or to register for Baby Boot Camp, call 607-227-5573 or visit www.babybootcamp. com/ny-syracuse.aspx.

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Wedneday, April 27.............................May 12 Wednesday, May 11............................May 26 Wednesday, May 25..............................June 9 Wednesday, June 8..............................June 23

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(it’s what you do best)

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See “Bus” on page 8

Continued from page 1

JFR supports the national Holocaust education program “Teaching the Holocaust: History Perspectives and Choices,” which is designed to educate Alfred Lerner fellows, teachers at the middle and high school levels who teach about the Holocaust so they can educate their students. Following each annual summer institute, the teachers are eligible to apply to attend the JFR advanced seminar and European study program in Germany and Poland, where they can expand on their knowledge of the Holocaust. The teachers visit former concentration and death camps, as well as former shtetls, and learn advanced teaching techniques. They meet with survivors, rescuers, local historians and teachers in Poland and Germany, eventually ending their program at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where, among other activities, they spend four days reviewing archives. There will be a light reception immediately following the program. On display in the social hall will be the winning essays and art projects from the Federation’s Yom Hashoah essay contest and art competition. In addition, an eight-panel JFR poster set on “Rescue: Traits that Transcend” will also be on display. For more information, contact Judith Stander at 4450161, ext. 114, or jstander@jewishfederationcny.org.

The scene of the bus bombing on Moshe Baram Street in Jerusalem on April 18. (Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90)

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

JEWISH OBSERVER ■ APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776

CONGREGATIONAL NOTES Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas CBS-CS SECOND GRADE SIDDUR CEREMONY AND FACULTY APPRECIATION All second grade students will receive a siddur signifying the beginning of their more formal Jewish studies on Friday, May 8, prior to the 6 pm service, at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas. Immediately prior to the service, the children’s parents will have an opportunity to write a message to their child on a bookplate to be placed in their child’s siddur. During the service, the teachers of the CBS-CS religious school will be recognized and thanked for their efforts this year. The program will conclude with an oneg Shabbat in honor of the faculty and the second grades students. CBS-CS HAZAK PRESENTS “ON THE WAY TO THE CHUPPAH” Sue Jacobs and the Seneca String Quartet will present a program on Sunday, May 15, at 3 pm, at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas. It will feature love songs and ceremonial and celebration music, as they recreate the path to the wedding canopy through the music. The playlist will include traditional and non-traditional songs, as well as classical selections, ceremonial standards and freylekhs (circle dances). A graduate of Manhattan School of Music, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s in music and a master’s in music education, Jacobs continued her graduate studies at the Juilliard School of Music and Columbia University. She

studied in Sienna, Italy, with Franco Gulli and later pursued chamber music studies with the members of the Hungarian and Guarneri Quartets. More recently, Jacobs earned dual certification as an English as a second language teacher upon completion of programs at Syracuse University and Lemoyne College. Jacobs was a member of the former Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and the Syracuse Symphony String Quartet since 1969. She is currently a member of the first violin section of Symphoria, and is the newest member of the Seneca String Quartet. She continues to contribute to the Central New York music community as an educator, chamber musician and frequent performer with the Syracuse Wellness Program at University Hospital’s Cancer Center as well as at Hematology Oncology Associates of Central New York, performing for cancer patients. She has been involved in the Syracuse Jewish community, co-chairing the communitywide Yom Hashoah Committee, serving as ritual vice president at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas and offering various courses and liturgy to more than 100 Syracuse-area high school students and adults. She has also lectured for the InterReligious Council, now known as InterFaith Works. She serves on numerous committees, including the musician’s committee of Symphoria, the CBS-CS ritual committee and the Yom Hashoah Planning Committee.

Temple Adath Yeshurun At right: Temple Adath Yeshurun third grade religious school students Nathan Snell (left) and Andrew Wladis (right) made afikomen bags in p re p a r a t i o n f o r Passover.

At left, l-r: The Finkelstein family, Andree, Nathanael (being held), Eric and Danielle, joined 12 other families at Temple Adath Yeshurun’s Tot Shabbat and dinner, a monthly program for families with young children. The last Tot Shabbat and dinner of the school year will be held on Friday, May 20, from 5:30-7 pm, in the Muriel and Avron Spector Library at the synagogue. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Alicia Gross at alicia@adath.org or 445-0002.

Temple Concord TC SCHOLAR SERIES PRESENTS RABBI LANCE SUSSMAN BY LESLIE BROCKSMITH Rabbi Lance Sussman, Ph.D., will speak at the next Temple Concord Scholar Series lecture on Sunday, May 15, at 11 am. He introduced “Visual Tefillot” and illustrated sermons to worship in his 167-year-old synagogue, Reform Con-

Israeli

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After we left the village, we traveled by bus to Prague. We noticed security and policemen everywhere. Although we were used to this in Israel, we didn’t expect it in the Czech Republic. Apparently, security has been quite high since March’s Brussels bombings. In Prague, we did all of the touristy things: the Prague Castle, a Sandeman tour, the Lennon Wall, Café Louvre, drinking beer, shopping, the Charles bridge and the Jewish Museum. At the Jewish Museum, our tour guide was an 88-year-old non-Jewish man named Jaroslav Safránek. He noted that his wife has a Jewish father. Right before Jews were deported from Prague during World War II, a priest baptized her and changed her last name. Her father was deported to the Terezin concentration camp. Jaroslav said that working at the Jewish Museum – now for 26 years! – was his way to learn about his wife’s religion and history. One part of the tour that stood out was the synagogue. The walls were inscribed with names of Jews from Prague who perished in the Holocaust. The names covered too many walls to count. In one room, there were drawings that children made in Terezin. One section featured pictures made by children expressing their hopes to immigrate to Israel. As someone who made aliyah myself, leaving behind a stable home and family members who love me, this was a good reminder of my privilege as an American Jew (and now an American-Israeli Jew) in the 21st century. It was also a good reminder

gregation Keneseth Israel, in Elkins Park, PA. He has taught at Princeton and Temple universities, as well as Hunter College, and his research was featured on the PBS series “God in America.” The event will be free and open to the public. Donations will be welcome. For more information, contact Temple Concord at 475-9952 or office@templeconcord.org. Continued from page 2

of the eternal nature of Jewish hope to return to our historical homeland. In the Prague shopping malls, Israelis were everywhere. At nearly every store we entered, we heard Hebrew. We saw many Israeli families who came for a week-long trip. One very cute 8-year-old Israeli girl came up to me, telling me that our shoes matched and that this was her first time on a plane. Israelis love to travel and shop. But I digress. I’m under the impression that shopping was not the only thing that brought Israelis to Prague. Indeed, it was just a $300 round-trip ticket and a quick three-and-a-half-hour plane ride. But I think the reason why there were so many Israelis there is simply because Israelis love to travel. Israelis are disproportionately represented in terms of their overseas travel. In fact, the first thing many Israelis do after they get out of the army and work to save money is travel abroad. Traveling to a new country outside of Israel was a great experience. I felt very much at home with so many Israelis by my side. Now, as I write this column on my way back to Israel, the plane is full of Israelis, and the Czech workers seem very overwhelmed with the pushing going on here. Just as I was getting used to politeness… Eliana Rudee is a fellow with the Haym Salomon Center and the author of the “Aliyah Annotated” column for JNS. org. She is a graduate of Scripps College, where she studied international relations and Jewish studies. Her bylines have been featured in USA Today, Forbes and The Hill. Follow her column on JNS.org.

APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776 ■

Shababa comes to the community BY WILLIAM WALLAK The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse welcomed Shabbat with songs and stories on March 25 for the children at the JCC and Syracuse Hebrew Day School. PJ Library® in Central New York Coordinator Carolyn Weinberg and Toddlers’ Tango founder Tamar Frieden led program, which was the first Central New York Shababa celebration. The program also featured a puppet sloth called Todah.

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Shababa was started by the 92nd Street Y in New York City as a way for children and families to “come together and welcome Shabbat in a friendly, community atmosphere.” The JCC is said to be “excited” to bring Shababa to the Central New York community. It will announce future Shababa dates and times as they are scheduled. For more information about Shababa, contact Weinberg at pjcny@ jccsyr.org.

Thou Shalt Ride – a Jewish Motorcycle Alliance affiliate

L-r: Carolyn Weinberg, PJ Library in Central New York coordinator, held the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse’s puppet, Todah, while Tamar Frieden, of Toddlers’ Tango, encouraged the crowd of children to sing during the JCC’s first Shababa celebration on March 25.

Welcome to PJ Our Way

Members of Thou Shalt Ride, a Jewish Motorcycle Alliance affiliate, enjoyed a ride along lakes Owasco and Skaneateles. L-r: Beth and Peter Caplan and Walter Kuncio. Not pictured: Joel Stein. New riders are always welcome. For more information, contact Stein at airmail13220@gmail.com.

PJ Our Way is the 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 choices and creative outlets. Every month, children can visit the website to choose one book with Jewish themes from a selection of four. The books are then mailed to children’s homes. In addition, participants create book trailers, videos, quizzes, author interviews and use other media to communicate with their peers about the books on the website, www.pjourway.org. Children ages 9-11 can now go online at www.pjourway.org and create their accounts. Every month, from the first to the 10th, children can go online and select

one of four books to receive. In addition to their selection, everyone receives a welcome book, “Jordan and the Dreadful Golem,” and then receives their selected book about four-six weeks after that. PJ Our Way subscribers across the country can apply in October each year to be part of a national design team that has early access to the books, allowing them to create videos and reviews, interview authors and participate in workshops to lead conversations among their peers. There will also be a parents’ blog on the site, which will include summaries, discussion points and content warnings for the books. For more information, contact Carolyn Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org.

DO YOU KNOW? Your Federation dollars at work – Syracuse Community Hebrew School year of operation, and received BY JACKIE MIRON a grant for $1,000 to sponsor the The Allocations Committee end of the year dinner celebratof the Jewish Federation of ing its success. The SCHS has Central New York awards appeared in previous articles. In community Program Fund case you missed it, the Jewish Grants each year in addition to Federation of Central New the annual allocations made in York, along with the Pomeranz, the spring. Based on the success Shankman, Martin Foundation of the 2015 Annual Campaign, and the Reisman Foundation community program grants Jackie Miron have given substantial donations are available to all Jewish to fund the start-up and operation of the organizations, agencies and synagogues in the Central New York community. The school. There are 102 students enrolled funds are given out in amounts of $10,000, from Temple Adath Yeshurun, Temple $5,000 or $2,500. The Allocations Concord and Congregation Beth ShaCommittee reviews the grant requests lom-Chevra Shas. The curriculum includes and makes recommendations to the board, Hebrew and prayer for third-seventh grade, and meets Wednesdays from 4-6 pm. which votes on the recommendations. To continue to foster a sense of Jewish The Syracuse Community Hebrew community throughout the greater SyrSchool has nearly completed its first full

acuse area, it was decided that an endof-year dinner would be a good way to promote community and celebrate the end of the first year of the school’s existence. Students from all of the synagogues have begun to build friendships and connections, and have benefitted from the level of instruction. The end-of-year dinner is scheduled for the last day of school, Wednesday, May 18, from 6-7:30 pm. During the dinner, each grade will have the opportunity to showcase what they learned this year through a project or performance. The grant money will help

with food costs, meal preparation, clean up and programming. Parents and teachers alike feel that Education Director Shannon Small has done an “outstanding job integrating the needs and desires of all the students, including those with special needs.” Next year’s student enrollment is expected to be comparable to this year’s. Feedback from parents and students has been very positive, and all feel that the end-of-year dinner is just one more way to cement the success of a program able to foster deeper bonds for all involved.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776

Throughout this school year, the Rabbi Jacob Epstein School of Jewish Studies has offered different electives to its students. The most recent had a class called “Jewish Art Questions,” which explored what Jewish art is and what makes art Jewish. The class offered a multimedia concept that combined the work of several Central New York Jewish community members. Maria Carson focused on Yiddish literature; Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash led prayer modes and music; Sam Gruber presented a global exploration of Jewish architecture; Ryan Howlett showed examples of Holocaust literature; Cantor Robert Lieberman focused on Jewish music and new seder songs; Beth MacCrindle guided students in the creation of personally-designed yadim (pointers) for use when reading Torah; and Sarah Saulson presented Jewish textile arts, helping students create “Echad,” a woven and stitched wall hanging to display at the Epstein School’s end of year celebratory siyyum. The most recent Epstein School sessions were with Saulson, who teaches weaving at the School of Design at

Epstein School’s Jewish arts

L-r: Natalie Eisenson and Colby Porter used a weaving loom to learn during a class on Jewish textile arts taught by Sarah Saulson at the Rabbi Jacob Epstein School of Jewish Studies.

Alethea Shirilan-Howlett made a yad, a pointer for reading the Torah, during Beth MacCrindle’s class.

Syracuse University. She began weaving in Ann Arbor, MI, in her youth and went to Wellesley College. She then worked with weavers in Ghana, Guatemala and India. She has developed an interest in “the universal nature of

ish prayer shawls. For more information, visit www.sarahsaulson.com. For more information about the Epstein School of Jewish Studies, contact the school’s executive director, Cantor Paula Pepperstone, at epsteincny@gmail.com.

cloth and human experience.” She maintains a dyeing and weaving studio; teaches adult weavers in guilds and at conferences; and works with children through artist residencies. Currently, she focuses on weaving heirloom-quality Jew-

Prom night safety tips: advice for parents and teens BY TEACHERS’ INSURANCE PLAN Prom night is probably the most anticipated night of the year for teens and the most dreaded for their parents. Most teens heading off to their prom will tell their parents that they know everything about drinking and driving – and their parents’

other concerns. However, according to safety experts, it will take more than talk to ensure a safe evening. “No matter how strong the family relationship, many parents are still unaware of the choices that teens face every day,” said Ray Palermo, director of public information

for national car insurer Teachers’ Insurance Plan. “For parents to successfully reach their kids, they’ll have to approach safety issues in new, often more direct, ways.” Palermo offers several tips that go beyond “don’t drink and drive.” FOR PARENTS: Get involved in planning your teen’s prom night. Talk to your teen in advance about how important it is not to ruin a great evening. Despite what they may say, teens want parents involved in their safety. Talk about what they should say or do in certain high-risk situations. Consider having a “contract” for the night, laying out the rules everyone agrees on. Set out rules regarding post-prom parties or other activities – with whom they will be, where, for how long and what they will be doing. Get a complete itinerary for the evening, including the names of other prom-goers they will be with and the phone numbers of their parents. Set a curfew based on past behavior, but be reasonable. This s a special night. Have your teen call if there is a delay. Send your teen a text message during the night telling them to have fun, but reminding them not to ruin a great time.

Limit the number of passengers – at most one other couple in the car. Be on call for a ride home or other emergency. Have a “no questions asked” (at least not that night) policy on getting home safely. Join with other parents and rent a limo for them. Be the chauffeur for the night, but don’t meddle. Rent a vintage car to make it more special. FOR TEENS: Make an agreement with parents to not drink and drive, and not to ride with anyone else who is drinking. Resist high-risk activities of all types. To avoid tampering, do not leave your beverage unattended. As a surprise, check in with your parents during the night. It will reassure them about how you are doing. Always buckle up. In short, follow your parent’s rules. Teachers’ Insurance Plan regularly provides to the public news and information regarding driver safety, car insurance and education issues. Teachers’ Insurance Plan is underwritten by members of the Response Insurance Group of Companies.

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Can bridal fashionista Berta Balilti turn Israel into the dress-up nation? anything we have here for granted.” BY KAREN MCDONOUGH When her first major retailer, L’Fay Bridal, JNS.org placed its initial order, Balilti was on the road It’s already known as the “start-up nation.” to industry respect. “The very first time I But can bridal fashionista Berta Balilti turn saw one of her dresses, it was style #12-32 Israel into the dress-up nation? with long sleeves, [with a deep V-cut] and Balilti, owner of Berta Bridal, presides over a sparkling top and I knew it was going to an internationally successful business, creating be a big seller,” said L’Fay’s Kukielka, who’s luxurious and glamorous wedding gowns spent 15 years in the bridal business. “The sold worldwide. From her fashion house in first dress we ordered, the bride put it on and the southern Israeli port city of Ashdod, she that’s all she wanted and she started crying.” exports detailed gowns to boutiques and Things took off when her dresses were stores in more than 20 countries. You can featured in top fashion magazines, including feel the love on the company’s social media Vogue and Elle and the bridal magazines Marsites from more than 1.2 million followers – tha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormonde Wedmost of them (875,000) on Instagram – who ding Style, and Brides, as well as on popular routinely gush over brides from around the blogs. These days, Berta Bridal is approaching globe pictured in her dresses. 900,000 followers on Instagram. “Everything This isn’t your mother’s wedding dress. happened really fast in the international scene,” Balilti is known for her shapely modern she said. “We were constantly getting inquiries designs with signature daring bare backs, from brides and many retailers all over the dramatic trains and intricate lace and tulle. A Berta Bridal dress (Photo courtesy of Berta Bridal via Facebook) world who wanted to carry my line.” She has certainly found her place in the Today, her gowns are sold at more than 60 retailers in multi-billion dollar wedding industry – $60 billion a year in of about 25 people working for her. From the beginning, the U.S. alone. And with the worldwide appeal of her de- her business has been closely held, with family members close to two-dozen countries, including in the U.S. department store giants Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. signs, Balilti’s spot as a high-end wedding gown designer has helping out. Her daughter is one of her models. helped place Israel at the top of bridal haute couture fashion. Less than a decade later, in 2004, Balilti expanded – Though she has made her dream come true, Balilti isn’t “There’s nothing like Berta’s dresses,” said Renata Kukiel- moving her operation into a larger space, turning her complacent. “I still chase my dreams,” she said. “I’m grateful ka, the buyer for L’Fay Bridal in New York City. “She has boutique into a full-fledged fashion house, and taking on for all I have achieved so far, but there’s much more ahead, brought something unique to this market, classic and sexy the name Berta Bridal. “We had reached a point in which and I have no plans of taking a break.” designs. Brides try her dresses on and most are in disbelief, I felt like the place became too small for my needs, in they feel so gorgeous they don’t want to take them off.” terms of production and the level of service I expect my Balilti’s success may have seemed unimaginable just a team to grant my brides,” Balilti told JNS.org. “Then we generation ago. Born in Cairo, Egypt, she emigrated at age decided to move to our new place.” 3 with her parents to Israel just prior to 1967’s Six-Day War, By 2005, the company had 15 retailers, and a year which had devastating consequences for Egyptian Jews. Years later more than 30 stores were carrying the Israeli-made earlier, some of her family migrated to Paris with the help of gowns. A few years later in 2012, when her son-in-law the Jewish organization HIAS before coming to America. Nir Moscovich joined the team, he took the company Though Balilti’s large Jewish family lived there for many international, overseeing its global operations. generations, Jews weren’t accepted citizens of Egypt, but On her journey to success were encouraging parents who rather were considered a people without a country. Her inspired her to never quit pursuing her goals. Their example maternal grandfather, Mordachai Elgazzar, had owned a of persevering even in the toughest circumstances set a lasting jewelry store in Cairo, but life wasn’t easy for Jews. Her foundation for her to build upon. “My parents raised me to family experienced antisemitism, bombings, threats and believe I can be anything I want, so I just went ahead and chased devastating repercussions from the 1948 war once Israel my dream,” Balilti said. “I didn’t let go until I found my way. My became a country. With the fall of King Farouk in 1952, family’s history [in Egypt] wasn’t very positive at the end. But Jewish families lost everything. Under Egyptian President I grew up in a family that always cherished the positive things Gamel Abdel Nasser, in 1956, the country declared all they had there. I am obviously a proud Israeli, and do not take Jews enemies of the state, ordering thousands to leave. Each person was permitted to take only one suitcase and a sum equivalent to $25, as the government confiscated Jews’ property. When the 1967 war broke out, Egyptian Jewish men were rounded up and sent to prison camps. Once Balilti’s family settled in Israel, her father, after suffering an injury while working on a boat, could no longer work. Every hardship and triumph her parents experienced later played a role in their daughter’s success. Growing up in Israel offered Balilti a far different childhood than that of her parents. She found her flair for fashion and dreamed of designing the ultimate dress for a woman’s most important day. After graduating from Ramat Gan’s Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, she worked during the day as a seamstress, and later, as a junior designer at a ready-to-wear company in Tel Aviv. At night, she sketched and sewed wedding gowns at home, determined to make her dream come true. In 1995, she opened her first bridal salon, La Belle, a small shop where she was the sole designer and had a staff

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

JEWISH OBSERVER ■ APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776

Laurence Segal collects cans Bus and bottles to raise money for cancer research

Since 2012, Laurence Segal, of DeWitt, has returned 400,000 cans and bottles, generating a total of $20,000 for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of Central New York. Destiny USA and Delta Sonic Car Wash now donate all cans and bottles to Segal’s drive. His mother, Laurie Segal, underwent a double mastectomy in 1987 Laurence Segal

and his grandmother, Marilyn Lipsy, is also a breast cancer survivor. His great-grandmother and aunt had double mastectomies. To help Segal reach his million bottle goal, bring bottles and cans to Bodow Recycling, 1925 Park St. #2, Syracuse; to Bottle’s End Bottle and Can Return Center, 101 Montrose Ave., Solvay; or contact him at 530-7674 or TVanchor1@aol.com.

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

Israeli doctors harness cord blood to fight cerebral palsy

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) – A day after she was born, Noa had a stroke and began convulsing. Now, two years later, a promising new treatment at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, outside of Tel Aviv, could help her battle cerebral palsy. Noa, whose real name is being withheld at the request of her family, is the first patient to undergo the treatment at an Israeli hospital. It involves a cord-blood transfusion from siblings or a suitable match, and it is performed only on children and babies. It was approved specifically for use on Noa due to the “unique circumstances” of her case, in what is often referred to as “compassionate use.” “Studies have shown that cord blood, and the stem cells it may contain, can help to treat brain injuries,” said Omer Bar-Yosef, a pediatric neurologist and at the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital at the Sheba Medical Center. “It was tested on animal models where the offspring was hurt at birth and consequently suffered from CP, be it because of compromised blood flow to the brain or for other reasons. In those cases, transfusions of umbilical cord blood during the first hours or days after their birth had a positive effect on the brain tissue and on performance. Now this method is being tested on humans,” he said. The trial is run jointly with Taburit, a company that preserves umbilical cord blood. Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, a professor of pediatrics at the Duke University School of Medicine who is considered the world’s leading expert in this field and directs the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, one of the largest cord blood banks in the world, also found in one of her clinical trials that children who received cord blood transfusion improved their motor skills by 30 percent when compared to the control group. According to Bar-Yosef, those born with CP currently have no available treatment, and only rehabilitative care such as physiotherapy and speech and language therapy, but this new method “appears to yield positive results.” “She still has CP, so this is not a 180-degree turnaround, but we have begun to see her cognitive skills develop and she uses many more words,” said Noa’s mother, Tamar.

Israel provides intel to Jordan, Egypt to fight Islamic State

Israel is providing intelligence assistance to Jordan and Egypt in the fight against the Islamic State terror group, a senior Israeli military officer said on April 20. “Egypt fights the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula. Jordan is terrified by the presence of the Islamic State in Jordan’s cities and towns. And we try to work with them in order to contribute something to their security,” Israel Defense Forces Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan, deputy commander of the IDF, told reporters from Israel’s Foreign Press Association. Golan added that he wouldn’t describe cooperating with Egypt and Jordan “as some sort of reconciliation between the people [of those countries and Israel]. But it is a good starting point and I’m quite optimistic concerning that.” Intelligence information, he said, is “the most important element in the whole system” of fighting off insurgency. Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab countries that have peace treaties with the government of Israel, but as Golan mentioned, those nations’ general populations still harbor hostility toward the Jewish state.

Israel invests in multi-layered Gaza terror tunnel barrier

The Israeli defense establishment is expected to finish installing a sophisticated anti-tunnel barrier along the Israel-Gaza border within two years, Israel Hayom reported onApril 20. The project, dubbed “Hourglass,” is estimated to cost billions of shekels. The barrier’s blueprints are the product of cross-platform development involving officers from the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Directorate, the IDF Engineering Corps and the Shin Bet security agency; civilian engineering and infrastructure contractors; and tunnel-construction experts. The project’s premise follows a pessimistic security scenario, suggesting that a recently discovered terror tunnel running under the Gaza border into Israel was just one tunnel among an extensive grid of underground passageways. The planned barrier has been described as a “multi-tiered” defense striving to meet a wide variety of threats, above and underground. It incorporates innovative measures, including sensor-technology to detect underground excavation and unique engineering technology. The barrier will also feature a state-of-theart fence, complete with sensors, observation balloons, see-shoot systems and intelligence gathering measures, as well as an underground wall. The Sentry-Tech “see-shoot” system, produced by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, is a remote-controlled sensors and weapons system that is already deployed along the Israel-Egypt border. Defense sources told Israel Hayom that should other terror tunnels be discovered, the Hamas terror group may scramble to maximally use such tunnels before they are rendered ineffective. Nevertheless, a top defense official stressed that Hamas is unlikely to provoke a war with Israel at this time.

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“I got on the bus with my daughter; we heard a loud explosion and the entire bus was filled with smoke,” said Rachel Dadon, who sustained minor wounds. “The glass windows shattered. I looked for my daughter and I saw her burnt. I pray that she makes it through.” Dadon’s daughter, 15-year-old Eden, was rushed to the intensive care unit in a city hospital. The bus driver, Moshe Levi, told Israel Hayom that there was nothing out of the ordinary in the minutes before the explosion. “Everything was fine,” he said. “I was in a traffic jam on Moshe Baram Street and then suddenly a large explosion rocked the back of the bus. I opened the doors and shouted at everyone to run away.” Levi was admitted to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center and treated for shock before being discharged. Six firefighting crews arrived at the scene shortly after the explosion. “Despite the immense heat and the fear that there would be more explosions inside the bus, they charged ahead into the bus to find trapped passengers and began extinguishing the fire and contain it,” said Maj. Roni Sonino, who was in charge of the Israeli firefighters at the scene. Meanwhile, medics arrived and began evacuating the wounded. Initially, Israeli police were not sure whether the explosion was deliberate or a result of a technical glitch. But an hour later, authorities were certain that an explosive device had detonated, and Jerusalem District Police Commander Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevy said there is “no doubt that this is a terror attack.” One of the seriously wounded individuals carried no identification, but it is still unclear whether he perpetrated the attack. Israeli police sources said that they were investigating all available leads to determine who was behind the bombing. In addition, Jerusalem will be reinforced with more police as a result of the incident. Halevy said that law enforcement had received no concrete warning of an impending attack. He added that Jerusalem police forces had already taken steps to prepare for the Passover holiday. “We are ready for the possibility that someone may try to perpetrate an attack in Jerusalem at any given moment,” he said. Avraham Rivkind, the head of the Shock Trauma Unit at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center Ein Kerem hospital, said the event took him back to the height of terrorism in the capital in the previous decade. “The X-ray images showed nails and fasteners penetrated the victims’bodies, like in previous attacks in the capital,” he said. Asher Bezalel, whose son Akiva was admitted to Shaare Zedek Medical Center for minor wounds, told Israel Hayom that “Akiva sat at the front and heard a massive explosion. He got scared and saw the driver open the door and people rushing out. He was in shock. I tried to call him, but he didn’t respond. We were worried until we got a phone call from a paramedic, who said he was being evacuated and he was in good condition. Thank God, we had a miracle. Akiva is supposed to celebrate his bar mitzvah in a few months.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished the wounded a speedy recovery and said, “We will hunt down those who prepared this device, we will reach those who dispatched them, and we will reach those who masterminded this; we will settle the score with those terrorists.” Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said the number of terrorist attacks in Israel has dropped during the past couple of months because terrorists have realized that they achieve nothing. “Usually it is the perpetrator who gets killed, not one of us. I believe a counter-terrorism policy that is motivated by rational thinking rather than gut reactions, one that is motivated by good judgment and responsibility, will ultimately prevail,” Ya’alon said. President Reuven Rivlin said that “when we have a day like this – a terror tunnel is exposed in the morning thanks to

Continued from page 3

the work of our dedicated security forces, and then civilians are rushed to hospitals while returning from work – it is clear that our fight against terrorism is not over; we are going to hunt down anyone who seeks to do us harm until peace is guaranteed.” Gilad Bock, the head of the Israel Bar Association’s Health Forum and a paramedic, was the first to arrive at the scene. He took one of the victims who were seriously wounded to the hospital, and then, while standing outside the emergency room, he was asked to assist a woman in labor who was about to give birth in a car. “It was surreal,” he said. “Here I was, with one hand drenched in the blood of from the bus victim, and the other hand was covered with the blood of the placenta. The situation was very uplifting.” According to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, the attack was carried out with a small improvised explosive device. Shin Bet officials said the person who carried out the attack was probably acting on his own and was not part of a larger terrorist cell. The attack is considered unique when compared to other terror methods used during the wave of violence in Israel over the past six months – stabbings, car-rammings and shootings. Explosive devices were very common during the second Palestinian intifada more than a decade ago. That said, terrorist organizations have repeatedly tried to carry out more sophisticated attacks over the past several months. The recent wave of Palestinian attacks did not include bombings until April 18, thanks to the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts of the Shin Bet and the Israel Defense Forces. According to the Shin Bet, some 50 major attacks have been thwarted this year, including six abductions, three suicide attacks, 25 shooting attacks, 12 “sacrifice” attacks (in which the attacker knows he will most likely be killed by first responders or others) and four bombings. In 2015, the Shin Bet thwarted 239 major attacks. Security officials recently stressed that the dwindling number of terror attacks was merely an “unstable and challenging lull.” They stressed that the Passover holiday, followed by the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in June, will serve as a key security test. The fact that Palestinian terrorist organizations – including Hamas and Islamic Jihad – were probably not behind the attack suggests that Israeli security forces’ crackdown on terror networks is still working. But as the last six months have demonstrated, Israeli intelligence agencies’ major challenge comes in the form of lone-wolf terrorists, who decide to carry out attacks without orders from above and do so without giving any indications of their plans. That said, the lone-wolf argument may not be enough to explain the April 18 attack – due to the nature of the attack. The attacker, or multiple attackers, used an explosive device rather than a cold weapon (such as a knife). This will likely set off alarm bells among counter-terrorism officials because the assembly of a bomb, however small, requires significant planning and special means. Hamas and Islamic Jihad both praised the attack on April 18. “This action is a welcome development,” Hamas said. “It was carried out in response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation against the Palestinian people and as a natural response to the occupation’s crimes in Al-Aqsa mosque and its contamination.” Islamic Jihad called the bus attack a “natural response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation.” Update: Israeli authorities have arrested “a number” of Hamas members on suspicion of involvement in the bus bombing, confirming that the Palestinian terror group was likely behind the attack as opposed to a lone-wolf terrorist. A Jerusalem Police statement said Abd al-Hamid Abu Srur, about 19 years old, perpetrated the attack and died of his wounds on April 20.

APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776 ■

JEWISH OBSERVER

Response to antisemitism drives a wedge between British Jews and Labour leader

See “British” on page 10

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wrote in February in a Jewish Chronicle column about alleged antisemitism at the Oxford University Labour Club. Yet with incidents piling up, Corbyn has come under mounting pressure from senior members of his party, who accuse him of doing too little to stop such behavior. Former Labour minster Tom Harris said the party has “a problem with Jews,” while another former minister, Angela Smith, urged Corbyn to do more. So did Sadiq Khan, a London mayoral hopeful and a Muslim. Eric Moonman, a Jewish former politician for Labour, told JTA that “under Corbyn, Labour is no longer my home.”And a Jewish Labour member of Parliament, Louise Elleman, told Sky News on April 6 that while Corbyn has “spoken out clearly” against antisemitism, “there’s got to be some action, and we haven’t seen enough.” Heeding this pressure, Corbyn on April 11 told the BBC that “antisemitism is absolutely abhorrent and wrong” and that anyone making such statements “is auto-excluded from the party. We have suspended, we will suspend, any member that behaves in that way.” But leaders of British Jewry need additional reassurances, Arkush told JTA, in light of what he called Corbyn’s “belittling of the problem.” Arkush was referring to Corbyn’s recent response about a tweet by his brother, Piers, dismissing Elleman’s claim that the Labour leader had not done enough to tackle antisemitism. Piers Corbyn wrote on Twitter: “Absurd. Zionists can’t cope with anyone supporting rights for Palestine.” Asked for a comment by The Sun, Corbyn said: “My brother isn’t wrong.” He also said of Labour’s antisemitism issues: “I wouldn’t call it a crisis, we as a party are taking resolute action.” Earlier the week of April 15, Michael Foster, a British Jew whose family gave Labour more than $570,000 last year, cited that quote in an op-ed explaining that he had stopped donating to Labour’s leadership. Corbyn’s statement “shows only his callousness and contempt for the history of the Jews in Europe,” Foster wrote. The Board of Deputies wants Corbyn to distance himself from his brother’s statement, repudiate his expressions of friendship toward antisemitic entities or people, and continue to take disciplinary action against antisemites,Arkush told JTA. If Corbyn does not meet these three expectations, Arkush said, then “the Jewish community has no choice but to speak loudly and clearly, and [if] this means a problem in the relations with the leader of the party, then so be it.” Spokesmen for Corbyn and Labour did not reply to JTA’s request for comment in time for publication. Still, Kahn-Harris says he is confident that as Corbyn matures as leader of the opposition, he will learn to apply better judgment on how he deals with the Jewish community and the anti-Israel and antisemitic activists giving the party a bad name. “This is a guy who was on the margins of politics for two, three decades, free to do pretty much whatever he wanted,”

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Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke at an anti-nuclear protest in central London on February 27. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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BY CNAAN LIPHSHIZ (JTA) – Even before he was kicked out of Britain’s Labour Party for saying that Israel runs the Islamic State terrorist group, Bob Campbell was a marginal figure within the party. A former forest ranger and first-aid trainer from northern England, Campbell, 49, began his Labour career last year volunteering to help the campaign of Jeremy Corbyn – a veteran socialist who, since being elected Labour chairman in September, has both impressed and alienated many Britons with his views on the redistribution of wealth inside Britain and beyond. One of thousands of voters who became Labour members since September in what British media have termed “the Corbyn effect,” Campbell was elected on March 25 to his first position within Labour, as a regional party outreach officer. But his short-lived career with Labour ended abruptly in March. Amid intense media scrutiny over antisemitic rhetoric by party members, the Labour leadership banned him for a Facebook post claiming that Israel got ISIS to kill 32 people in Brussels to punish Belgium for supporting Palestinians. Corbyn’s detractors say his past support for enemies of Israel is now emboldening Labour activists like Campbell and eroding the Jewish community’s trust in what historically has been a political home for many of its members. Defenders of Corbyn, however, argue that the ejection of Campbell illustrates Corbyn’s determination to fight vitriol and antisemitism. The debate came to a head in March after Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said that under Corbyn, “most people in the Jewish community can’t trust Labour.” In an interview with the Evening Standard, Arkush cited a string of incidents of antisemitic speech by Labour activists. (British media has reported at least five cases since March.) Such criticism by a mainstream and nonpartisan organ of the Jewish community against a specific party and its leader “is something we haven’t seen in many decades,” said Keith Kahn-Harris, a sociologist and fellow of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and a lecturer at Leo Baeck College in London. One case that triggered Arkush’s rebuke involved Vicki Kirby, a party activist who suggested on social media that Adolf Hitler might be a “Zionist god” and that Jews have “big noses.” She was suspended. In another, Aysegul Gurbuz, a London-area politician, was suspended and later resigned after her Twitter account was found to feature praise for Hitler and for Iran’s plans to “wipe Israel off the map.” Corbyn has caught flak in the past for his ties to groups and individuals with similar views. During his campaign for Labour chairman, he was challenged repeatedly for his 2009 invitation to Hamas and Hezbollah activists to attend an event at Britain’s Parliament that he hosted. “It will be my pleasure, my honor, to host” the event, Corbyn said at the time, “where our friends from Hezbollah, obviously, will be speaking and I’ve also invited friends from Hamas.” Corbyn’s Jewish supporters – a minority in Britain, but nonetheless a sizable group, according to Kahn-Harris – defended him, citing his consistent opposition to racism. Jon Lansman, an ex-kibbutznik who is one of Corbyn’s right-hand people, blamed leaders of “right-wing Zionism” for the attacks on his boss. The right-wing Zionists “have other reasons for castigating Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters, and there is no shortage of commentators or politicians who have little interest in combating antisemitism in Britain to lap this up,” he

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776

Calendar Highlights

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

Saturday, April 30 Last day of Passover Sunday, May 1 Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas mitzvah book fair at 9:30 am Community Yom Hashoah commemoration at Temple Concord at 3 pm Monday, May 2 Deadline for articles for the Community Guide, which is published on Thursday, June 9 Tuesday, May 3 InterFaith Works dinner at 5:30 pm Rabbi Jacob Epstein School of Jewish Studies at TC at 6:30 pm Wednesday, May 4 Syracuse Community Hebrew School at Temple Adath Yeshurun at 4 pm Thursday, May 5 Yom Hashoah Epstein School at Wegmans Café at 7 pm Friday, May 6 CBS-CS second grade SIDDUR ceremony and faculty appreciation at 6 pm Saturday, May 7 TAY Pause Button during Shabbat morning services at 9:15 am Sunday, May 8 Temple Concord Brotherhood at 9:30 am Monday, May 9 TC Board of Trustees at 7 pm Tuesday, May 10 TC Seasoned Citizens at 2 pm Rabbi Jacob Epstein School of Jewish Studies at Temple Concord at 6:30 pm Epstein School board meeting at Temple Concord at 6:30 pm TC Cinemagogue Series at 7:30 pm Wednesday, May 11 Yom Hazikaron Deadline for the May 26 issue of the Jewish Observer SCHS at TAY at 4 pm Thursday, May 12 Yom Ha’atzmaut Friday, May 13 CBS-CS SHIRAT Shabbat service with Lisa Levens at 6 pm Saturday, May 14 TAY Israeli Shabbat and casual Shabbat at 9:15 am CBS-CS lunch and learn on environmental Judaism with Jeanette Powell at noon Sunday, May 15 TC Sisterhood high tea at 9:30 am TAY Hazak joins TC Sisterhood for brunch and cabaret at TC at 10 am “Rosh Hodesh, It’s a Girl’s Thing” program at CBS-CS at 12:15 pm CBS-CS Hazak presents Sue Jacobs and the Seneca String Quartet at 3 pm TC Scholar Series at 7 pm Monday, May 16 Jewish Federation of Central New York Board of Directors at 5:30 pm TAY Sisterhood Book Discussion at 7:30 pm

British

Continued from page 9

Kahn-Harris said of Corbyn. “In just a few months, he’s been heavily scrutinized and confronted with unwise choices he’s made in the people with whom he’s made common cause. Hopefully he’ll reconsider his choices.”

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D’VAR TORAH

Acharai Mot – return again BY RABBI LEAH FEIN One of the best parts of my job at Hillel is the privilege of sitting each week with the student giving the Shabbat d’var Torah. We go through the text of the parasha together, pausing for discussion whenever the student notices a surprising, compelling or confusing verse. Throughout the course of a few weeks during these meetings, I repeatedly hear the same question: “Wait, how can this week’s parasha be about the Exodus from Egypt? Isn’t Passover in a few months?” This would lead to a conversation about the cycle of Torah readings and how that works (or doesn’t) with the Jewish calendar. Parasha Acharai Mot is another prime example, describing the elaborate rituals of Yom Kippur, six months after having already observed the holiday or before preparing for it again. Yom Kippur is described as a day to “practice self-denial... For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify all of your sins; you shall be

pure before God.” (Leviticus 16:29-30) Yom Kippur is our opportunity to return, again, to our best selves. We are currently in the period of the omer, counting seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot. According to the Kabbalists, the omer, too, is a time of intentional self-examination. Although the detailed laws about Yom Kippur seem to be out of alignment with where we currently are in the Jewish calendar, the lessons of the beginning of Acharai Mot align rather beautifully and seem to come precisely when we may need them the most. The omer is thus the ideal time to reflect on the essential rituals surrounding sin and the purity of Yom Kippur, reminding us to return to a deliberate and constant practice of introspection. Rabbi Leah Fein is the campus rabbi at Hillel at Syracuse University. She received rabbinic ordination and an M.A. in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2015.

MAZEL TOV Bloodgood named National Association of Jewish Aging Services vice president

Menorah Park of Central New York CEO Mary Ellen Bloodgood has been named vice president of the national board of the National Association of Jewish Aging Services and was a presenter at its annual meeting, held from April 3-6 in St. Petersburg, FL. Bloodgood presented “Bridging Silos in Aging Services” to the assembled professionals. The topic covered the collaboration coordinated by Menorah

Park between the independent “silos” of mental health care, research and academia, social service agencies, long-term care agencies, clinical providers, policy makers and consumers. Her presentation touched on a number of current and upcoming activities where the organizations and the individuals involved have created strategies to “strengthen their roles and improve services” for seniors in their care.

Israel’s national library turns the page with an eye on community, technology BY JUDY LASH BALINT JNS.org The recent groundbreaking ceremony for the new building of the National Library of Israel, a major event in the history of Jerusalem, was “a deeply personal moment” for many of the participants. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin presented the library with a handwritten book that had belonged to his father, which included poems and prose by 17th-century scholar Rabbi Israel Najara. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminisced about the amount of time spent by his father, Prof. Benzion Netanyahu, a historian and editor of the “Encyclopedia Hebraica,” in the library’s reading room. “My father belonged to a group of scholars for whom the National Library was home,” recalled the prime minister, who announced at the event that his family is donating the archives of Benzion Netanyahu to the NLI. For Sandy Gottesman, head of the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Fund as well as one of the major private donors to the library renewal project, the memories invoked were also of family members. In his remarks, he noted the efforts of his great-great-grandfather, David Gottesman, who purchased land in Jerusalem in the 1860s, and his uncle, D. Samuel Gottesman, who funded the 1965 construction of the Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. The NLI, founded in 1892 – well before the establishment of the state of Israel – has been housed since 1960 in a building in the center of the Givat Ram campus of Hebrew University of Jerusalem. With little visibility to the general public and limited accessibility, the library has struggled to take its place as a central cultural focus for residents and visitors. The collections of the NLI are a repository of the cultural history of the Jewish people and encompass five million books, among them many rare and ancient volumes, including the original writings of Maimonides, Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein. By

law, as any Israeli author will tell you, two copies of every book published in Israel – in any language – must be deposited at the NLI. In 2007, the National Library Law was passed by the Israeli Knesset, followed in 2008-10 by a Master Plan for Library Renewal designed to efficiently move the library into the 21st century, as well as to preserve and open access to the cultural and intellectual treasures of the state of Israel and the Jewish people that are safeguarded in its collections. But the new building, to be located between the Israel Museum and the Knesset, is “to be much more than a library,” asserted NLI Director Oren Weinberg. “It’s going to be a cultural institution,” Weinberg noted, explaining that the library will be open to the outside world in every sense of the word. “The cultural, educational and research functions will all operate together in a harmonized way.” Some of the book collections will be visible to the street and the library’s outdoor space will include an amphitheater and sculptures. The new facility will span approximately 45,000 square meters (484,376 square feet), including six above-ground floors and four below-ground floors. The building is designed by the Herzog and de Meuron architects from Switzerland, together with an Israeli firm, Amir Mann – Ami Shinar Architects and Planners Ltd. Partners in the $200 million renewal project include the Israeli government, the Rothschild family under the auspices of the Yad Hanadiv foundation and the David and Ruth Gottesman family of New York. Weinberg said that “creating community” is one goal of the library, and with increasing numbers of people working online, the library hopes to be seen as an open and accessible place that is inviting to all sectors of the population. “People will draw inspiration from what’s been collected here over 120 years,” he said. “We want those who come as visitors to become users.” See “Library” on page 11

At left: A rendering of the inside of the forthcoming new National Library of Israel facility. (Photo courtesy of the National Library of Israel)

APRIL 28, 2016/20 NISAN 5776 ■

OBITUARIES

NEWS IN BRIEF

SABINA BRESLERMAN

Sabina Breslerman, 93, died on April 8 at Menorah Park. Born in Poland, she narrowly escaped the Nazi invasion when her family fled their town for Russia. After the war, she attended medical school in Poland. She met and fell in love with her future husband, Yakov, while in school. She was engaged to another man at the time, but Yakov was her soul mate. They were married just two months after meeting. In 1950, they made aliyah and settled in Haifa, Israel. She practiced as an internist, gave birth to their daughter and enjoyed a good life there. In 1967, the family emigrated to the United States. She changed her specialty to psychiatry and they ultimately settled in New City, NY. She enjoyed reading, needlepoint and traveling. She was predeceased by her husband, Yakov, in 2010. She is survived by their daughter, Ilana, of Manlius; and her nieces and nephews in Israel. Burial was in the Gates of Zion Cemetery in Airmont. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 441 W Kirkpatrick St., Syracuse, NY 13204. 

JOAN GILELS

Joan Gilels, 79, died on April 6 after a brief illness. Born in New York City, she was a graduate of the Calhoun Girls School of Manhattan, and received her bachelor’s degree from the Syracuse University School of Education. She and her husband met at SU; it was love at first sight. They were married during winter break of their senior year. After graduating, she became a substitute teacher in the Syracuse schools before pursuing her lifelong career in real estate. She was a member of Temple Adath Yeshurun. For the past 11 years, she cared for her husband. She was predeceased by her husband, Elliott, in January. She is survived by her children, Andrea (Jeff) Hoffman, Marc (Mary) Gilels and Robyn (Danny) Aiello; five grandchildren; and her brother, Stanley (Lori) Regent. Burial was in Adath Yeshurun Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements. Contributions can be made to the Leukemia Foundation, 4043 Maple Rd., Suite 105, Amherst, NY 14226; or Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224. 

Library

Continued from page 10 At the ceremony, David Blumberg, chairman of NLI’s board, said that world leaders visiting Israel always pay their respects at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and memorial to understand what was done to the Jews in the 20th century. When the new building is completed, he said, “Those leaders will go to Yad Vashem, but they’ll also come to the library to see what the Jewish people have done for the world. The national library of Israel will be the most significant cultural institution in the Jewish world and the state of Israel.” In his remarks, Lord Jacob Rothschild emphasized, “For 2,000 years, the writings of the Jewish people were scattered across the world. Now these writings from the past, books yet to be written and digital materials – together with a wide range of collections – are to have a permanent home and one where it should be – in the heart of Jerusalem. We must be ready to serve the global virtual community, the Jewish community throughout the world, all those who make Israel their home, Jews but also Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bahai, as well as groups and immigrants from many countries and cultures.” As guests left the groundbreaking ceremony, bulldozers could be seen ready to start on the four-year construction project that will fulfill the dream of Dr. Joseph Chazanowicz, who first envisioned an Israeli national library in the 1890s. In 1899, he wrote, “In Jerusalem, a great house shall be built, high and lofty, in which shall be treasured the fruits of the Jewish people’s endeavor from the moment it became a nation… and to this great house shall stream our masters, sages and all the scholars of our nation, and everyone with a heart which understands our literature, and whose spirit years and strives for the Torah and for wisdom and to know of the history of our people and the lives of our ancestors.”

A rendering of the forthcoming new National Library of Israel building. (Photo courtesy of the National Library of Israel)

JEWISH OBSERVER

ALICE PEARLMAN

Alice Pearlman, 92, died on April 10 at Crouse Hospital. Born in Brooklyn, she had been a resident of Syracuse for most of her life. She was a music major at the High School of Music and Art in New York City and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Brooklyn College and Syracuse University, respectively. Before becoming a reading specialist in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District for 16 years and a summer reading clinic teacher at Syracuse University for five years, she was a lab technician in toxicology at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn. She also served as a dental assistant to her husband, Gus Pearlman, when he was establishing his dental practice in North Syracuse. She was a past president and active member of Na’amat USA, Avodah Chapter, and a recipient of its Woman of Valor Award. She served as a member of the Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Board of Trustees and was president of its Sisterhood. She helped organize the placing of a commemorative stone at Fort Ontario in Oswego, marking it as a “Safe Haven” for Jewish and non-Jewish refugees during World War II. After her husband died in 2000, she established the Dr. Gus Pearlman Youth Fund at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas to encourage the study and love of Torah. She was predeceased by her husband, Gus Pearlman, in 2000; and her brother, Irving Schwartz, who was killed in North Africa during World War II. She is survived by her son, Ira Pearlman, of Norfolk, VA; sisters-in-law Marion Likoff and Judith Winard; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Burial was in Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge, NJ. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements. Contributions can be made to Na’amat USA, Avodah Chapter, c/o Nancy Barnett, 103 Claremont Dr., Camillus, NY 13031; or to the Dr. Gus Pearlman Youth Fund, c/o CBS-CS, P.O. Box 271, DeWitt, NY. 

DOROTHY WALTZER

Dorothy Waltzer, 95, died on April 8 at Menorah Park. Born in New York City, she had been a Syracuse resident for almost 70 years. She is survived by her children, Sally (Harvey) Ullman, of East Syracuse, Cyrelle (Paul) Enders and Donald (Debbie Waltzer); her son-in-law, Les Abramovitz, of Rochester; 10 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Melville, in 2000; and their daughter, Ronnie Abramovitz, in 2014. Burial was in Beth El Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements. Contributions can be made to Menorah Park, 4101 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY13214, or Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, P.O. Box 271, DeWitt, NY 13214-0271. 

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From JTA

France to convene summit to restart Israel-Palestinian peace process

The French government announced it will convene a summit of foreign ministers in Paris next month as a start to renewing the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The meeting on May 30 will not include representatives of Israel and the Palestinians, Haaretz reported on April 21. Prior to the meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he would come to Israel, on May 12, Israel Independence Day, to discuss the upcoming summit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Invitations for the May 30 summit were to be sent to dozens of foreign ministers on April 22. The summit is set to be the run up to an international peace conference to be held in Paris this summer. The Palestinians have been supportive of the idea of an international peace conference. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault angered Israel in January for threatening to recognize a Palestinian state if the Paris-hosted conference failed to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Ayrault backtracked on his statements in March, saying the conference would not “automatically spur any action.”

Man who posed as rabbi in Poland disappears, deletes Facebook page

The man who posed as a rabbi in north-central Poland for several years reportedly disappeared from the community he was serving and deleted his Facebook page. The man, who called himself Jacoob Ben Nistell, or Yaakav, admitted two weeks ago during an interview that he is not a rabbi. He has served for several years in Poznan, in west-central Poland. He reportedly had worked as a volunteer and was not paid for his services. Krzysztof Kazmierczak, a reporter for The Voice Of Greater Poland, discovered the man is actually named Jacek Niszczota and comes from Ciechanow, a town in north-central Poland. Niszczota had claimed he was from Haifa; it was unclear if he ever lived in or even visited Israel. Alicja Kobus, head of the Poznan Jewish community and vice president of the Union of Jewish Religious Communities in Poland, reportedly determined after the news of Niszczota’s deception broke that he was a Catholic who had worked as a cook in Ciechanow. Kobus reportedly said Niszczota learned Hebrew and about Jewish prayer by listening to Israel Radio. “I’m surprised. I never checked his identity document,” Kobus told Glos Wielkopolski the week of April 21. “He said he comes from Haifa, his mother still lives there, and he has an Israeli passport and a son in the army. I believed that he is who he says he is because of how he looked and that he was able to pray in Hebrew and knew Jewish customs.” As the community rabbi, Niszczota led activities about Judaism for children and young people. He also participated in ecumenical prayer services with Polish bishops, and held interfaith meetings with priests and imams on behalf of the Ponzan Jewish community. It is not known why he engaged in such an elaborate deception.

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