9 ELUL 5774 • SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 • VOLUME XXXVIII, NUMBER 17 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY
William Jacobson to speak on BDS movement at Temple Concord By Judith L. Stander The Jewish Federation of Central New York will present Cornell Law School Professor William A. Jacobson, who will speak on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement on Wednesday, September 17, at 7 pm, in the Temple Concord social hall. This is a change of venue. The talk will be free and open to the community. Jacobson has a national reputation as a leading practitioner in securities arbitration and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, which is made up of more than 450 attorneys interested in protecting public investors. He has argued cases in numerous federal
and state courts, including the many of these misperceptions Courts of Appeal for the First, and argue that the boycott of Fifth and Sixth Circuits, as well Israel not only is not justified, as the Rhode Island Supreme but actually encourages further Court. He pursues alternative conflict, not resolution.” dispute resolution, electronic Jacobson graduated from evidence discovery and the Harvard Law School where he scope of arbitrator power in was senior editor of the Harvard contractual arbitration. International Law Journal and He said, “The movement to director of litigation for the Harboycott Israel has generated a vard Prison Legal Assistance lot of attention throughout the Professor William Project. He is currently a clinical A. Jacobson past several years, yet most professor of law and director of of the arguments in favor of the securities law clinic at the the boycott, particularly any academic Cornell Law School. boycott, ignore or misrepresent the hisFederation’s Community Relations torical, political and legal history of the Committee Chair Michael Balanoff conflict. In this presentation, I address said, “It is important to understand the
misdirection and disinformation being presented by individuals and groups who are working to delegitimize the very existence of the state of Israel. We need to support programs and efforts that promote reconciliation and coexistence, rather than those that attempt to eliminate the Jewish, democratic, multicultural, sovereign state of Israel as the BDS movement does.” Jewish communities have been known for having diverse views on the peace process in the Middle East. The vast majority of organizations within these communities, however, are considered to be seeking peace with Israel’s neighbors and opposed to the approach, methods and goals of the BDS movement.
During combat and after, lone soldiers look to each other for support By Ben Sales TEL AVIV (JTA) – When Shir Kleyman, an infantry instructor for the Israel Defense Forces and a Los Angeles native, found out that someone named Sean had died fighting in Gaza, she knew the army had lost a fellow lone soldier. The official announcement came soon afterward as Kleyman, 19, was sitting in a Tel Aviv café on furlough: The fallen soldier was her friend, Texas native Sean Carmeli. “I asked Sean’s last name and said ‘please don’t be Carmeli, please don’t be Carmeli,’” Kleyman said. “You find this out and don’t know what to do with yourself. I didn’t know how to handle it. You feel it because you know that you’re one of them.” Kleyman, who joined the IDF in January, knew both Carmeli and fellow Californian Max Steinberg, who died alongside each other in Gaza on July 20. Though Steinberg and Kleyman grew up in the same Los Angeles neighborhood, they met only when serving kitchen duty together in the army. At Steinberg’s funeral, Kleyman stood in the honor guard across from Steinberg’s parents. She called the funeral “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life.” About 2,800 soldiers are serving in the Israeli military despite not growing up in the country, according to the Lone Soldiers Program, which provides them with social and other services. Three have died in the current conflict with Hamas: Along with Carmeli and Steinberg, French immigrant Jordan Bensemhoun was killed on July 20. Most native Israelis, for whom army service is both a national obligation and a rite of passage, have networks of family
and friends who served before them to help handle the deaths of comrades in war. But military volunteers whose families remain abroad say their strongest support is each other. “They become your second family,” said Ron Gordon, who joined the IDF in 2012 after stints growing up in Europe, Atlanta and East Asia. “You don’t have anyone else here. You live with your friends.” Because of the shared experience of joining an army while struggling with a new language and culture, lone soldiers say they relate to each other even if they never served or lived together. For those who join the army soon after moving to Israel, fellow lone soldiers are often their first friends in the country. Infantry instructor Tal-Or Cohen joined the IDF five years ago after growing up in Maryland. When she was called to reserve duty during the current conflict, Cohen made sure to befriend and help out younger lone soldiers serving with her. “Culturally, the army is a place we’re not raised to know,” Cohen said. “The different sects and cliques, we don’t know what to do with them. Whom do we trust? When I meet other lone soldiers, there’s an automatic connection because it takes a lot of strength and determination to be here and continue to be here.” Many lone soldiers meet each other through Garin Tzabar, a program that houses groups of lone soldiers together on kibbutzim and provides a framework for guidance and support. Cohen left the program three years ago, but she remains in near-daily contact with her cohort. During her reserve duty in July, she would often check in with fellow lone soldiers by text message. During fighting, Gordon says the dis-
tinction between native Israeli and lone soldier stops mattering because everyone is focused on staying alive. But the divide returns, he said, once soldiers take leave. “The first thing you want is to throw off your uniform, get in the shower and eat mom’s food,” Gordon said. “For lone soldiers at the kibbutz, you don’t have that.” Josh Flaster, who runs the Lone Soldier Center, said the first weeks after returning from the front are critical. His organization, which was founded
in memory of Philadelphia native Michael Levin, who died in combat in 2006, has hosted barbecues in recent weeks to help returning soldiers begin to unpack their experiences. “There’s lots of stigmas in the army and society about therapy and mental health,” said Flaster, a former lone soldier who joined the IDF in 2006. “If you don’t start talking about it and dealing with it, this type of stuff can mess up your life for decades in the future.”
Israel is Under Fire. Please Donate to Help
Stop the Sirens is a community-wide campaign responding to urgent needs in Israel. The fundraising effort is coordinated by the Jewish Federation of CNY in cooperation with the Jewish Federations of North America. We had originally hoped to raise $33,000, but thanks to the generosity of the community, we have received hundreds of gifts totaling over $50,000. Our goal was $33,000
To make your pledge, please contact Marianne at 445-2040 ext. 102 or mbazydlo@jewishfederationCNY.org.
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As of 8/29/14
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C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A September 5.............7:14 pm....................................................... Parasha-Ki Tetze September 12...........7:02 pm........................................................ Parasha-Ki Tavo September 19...........6:49 pm..................................... Parasha-Nitzavim-Vayelech
INSIDE THIS ISSUE JMAC Festival
Congregational notes
Building ties
PLUS
In addition to music, the 15th Lunch and learn; women’s events; Students learn African-American Prep. for Rosh Hashanah...8-9 Jewish Music and Cultural Festival garden harvests; religious school and Jewish history and culture at Calendar Highlights............. 10 and more at area synagogues. will feature kosher foods. St. Louis’ Cultural Leadership. News in Brief.................... 10-11 Stories on page 4 Story on page 3 Story on page 7 Obituaries................................11