6 CHESHVAN 5775 • OCTOBER 30, 2014 • VOLUME XXXVIII, NUMBER 21 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY
Community Program Fund grants offered By Linda Alexander The Jewish Federation of Central New York is offering grants to Jewish beneficiary and non-beneficiary agencies, synagogues and organizations in Central New York. The annual Community Program Fund grants are financed from prior years’ Federation
Campaign funds in an effort to encourage new programs, study or pilot projects, or emergency and unanticipated needs by the Jewish organizations in the community. Federation beneficiary agencies and other Jewish organizations may apply individually or as a joint applicant
with other organizations. Collaboration between agencies, synagogues and organizations has been strongly urged, but not required. There will be a minimum of 11 grants available: three at the $10,000 level; four at $5,000 and four at $2,500. The Request for Proposal application is available through
Kathie Piirak at the Federation office at KPiirak@JewishFederationCNY.org. The application deadline is Monday, December 1. The Allocations Committee, headed by Ellen Weinstein and Cheryl Schotz, will review the applications and make recommendations to the Federation board.
Authors Dolph Grundman and Sean Kirst to talk basketball at the JCC By William Wallak Two books published in the past four years have ties to professional basketball in Syracuse. The authors of these books are coming to the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse to share their insights and stories about each of their Hall of Fame subjects during the National Basketball Association’s infancy. Dolph Grundman, author of “Dolph Schayes and the Rise of Professional Basketball” (Syracuse University Press, 2014), and Sean Kirst, co-author of “Moonfixer: The Basketball Journey of Earl Lloyd” (Syracuse University Press, 2010), will speak about their books on Wednesday, November 19, at 7 pm, at the JCC. Also scheduled to be present for the talk is Dolph Schayes. The event will be free and open to the public. Schayes, star of the Syracuse Nationals basketball team during the 1950s and 1960s, is considered to be one of the most recognizable names among Jewish players in basketball history due to his accomplishments. He was named one of the 50 greatest players of all time by the NBA, and at his retirement he held six NBA records, including one for career scoring. Aram Goudsouzian, author of “King of the Court: Bill Russell and the Bas-
ketball Revolution,” has written, “Dolph Schayes is an all-time basketball great, a Syracuse institution and the embodiment of the NBA’s transition from a smalltime, regional league into a modern, international phenomenon. He gets his due in this biography by Dolph Grundman, a historian known for unearthing basketball’s buried roots.” On Halloween in 1950, Earl Lloyd became the NBA’s first African-American player when he stepped on a small gymnasium court in Rochester, NY, for the Washington Capitals against the Rochester Royals. Nicknamed “Moonfixer” in college, Lloyd went on to play six seasons for the Syracuse Nationals and, along with Schayes, helped lead the team to the NBA championship in 1955. “We are extremely delighted and fortunate to be welcoming Dolph Grundman, Sean Kirst and Dolph Schayes for this very unique event, which will be like a flashback to the earliest days of the NBA,” said Marci Erlebacher, JCC executive director. “And to have Dolph Schayes attend will be especially meaningful. He is a part of the JCC family, and the Schayes Family Gymnasium here is a testament to that. How appropriate that we’ll be showcasing Dolph [Schayes] and both authors and
their books, and offering basketball fans of all ages a glimpse of Syracuse basketball and NBA history.” Murry R. Nelson, author of “The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949,” has written, “Grundman skillfully captures the early years of the NBA, an era of excitement and struggle, filling a gap in pro basketball history, a history that encompasses the life of one of the greatest players of all time, Dolph Schayes.” In Grundman’s book, he presents readers with a first-of-its-kind portrait of Schayes. He chronicles Schayes’ life, from his early days as the child of Jewish Romanian immigrants through his basketball career, first at New York University, then as part of the Syracuse Nationals. In writing about Schayes’ career, Grundman also reflects on many of the changes happening in the professional basketball world, changes that affected not only Schayes and his contemporaries, but also the essence of the sport. Kirst co-wrote “Moonfixer: The Basketball Journey of Earl Lloyd” with Lloyd. One of three African-Americans to enter the NBA in 1950, Lloyd played seven games for the Washington Capitals before the team folded. After the Syracuse Nationals, he played for the Detroit Pis-
tons until he retired in 1961. Through a series of conversations with Kirst, Lloyd reveals in the book his determination to succeed; his frustration with the plight of many young, black men; and his desire for the nation to achieve true equality among its citizens. Copies of Grundman’s and Kirst’s books will be available to purchase during the event, and both authors, along with Schayes, will be present to sign their books. The event will also begin a weeklong JCC and Barnes and Noble book fair, during which a portion of the bookstore’s proceeds from select sales will be donated to the Center. Grundman is professor of history at Metropolitan State University of Denver, CO. He is the author of “Jim Pollard: The Kangaroo Kid.” Sean Kirst is a columnist for The Post-Standard in Syracuse and co-author of “The Ashes of Lou Gehrig.” He was awarded the 2008 Ernie Pyle Journalism Award for human interest writing, given by the Scripps Howard Foundation to the one newspaper writer nationwide who most exemplifies the works of Ernie Pyle, a World War II correspondent. For more information on the event and book fair, call the JCC at 445-2360 or visit www.jccsyr.org.
American Studies group receives renewed scrutiny over boycott of Israel By Alina Dain Sharon (JNS.org) – About a year after the American Studies Association’s widely condemned vote to endorse a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, the organization’s policy on Israel is receiving renewed scrutiny over a practical application of that vote. The ASA’s 2014 annual meeting, to be held Thursday-Sunday, November 6-9, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, has garnered criticism for a stated (and subsequently amended) policy of excluding Israeli academics. A resolution passed in December in a vote among the 5,000-member ASA, the oldest and largest association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of American
culture and history, marked the group’s initial foray into an Israel boycott. That vote was publicly criticized by more than 200 university presidents. According to the ASA’s Frequently Asked Questions webpage, the organization’s current boycott of Israel “targets institutions and their representatives, not individual scholars, students or cultural workers who will be able to participate in the ASA conference or give public lectures at campuses, provided they are not expressly serving as representatives or ambassadors of those institutions (such as deans, rectors, presidents, etc.), or of the Israeli government.” Yet, the distinction between a “representative,” “ambassador,” or “scholar
who is affiliated with an Israeli academic institution” is a vague one. In at least one letter, addressed to the administration at the University of California, San Diego, the ASA said that it meant “deans, rectors, presidents and others” in the explanation of its policy, the Times of Israel reported. After the American Center for Law and Justice civil rights group contacted the Westin with a letter informing the hotel that the ASA policy regarding
its conference could violate the state of California’s civil rights laws, the ASA amended its policy with the addition that “in accordance with the ‘yes’ answer immediately above, Israeli academics will be in attendance at the 2014 convention. The ASA will not prohibit anyone from registering or participating in its annual conference.” John Stephens, the ASA’s executive director, responded to the ACLJ that the See “Boycott” on page 11
C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A October 31...............5:40 pm.................................................. Parasha-Lech-Lecha November 7.............4:31 pm..........................................................Parasha-Vayera November 14...........4:24 pm............................................... Parasha-Chaye Sarah
INSIDE THIS ISSUE “Stories” interview
Philanthropist award
Children at the JCC
“Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Sondra Goldberg will receive the The JCC of Syracuse will hold a Community” producer Jay M. Lurie Outstanding Philanthropist Award children’s Veterans Day vacation for her work with Vera House. discusses his documentary. camp and a Kids Night Out. Story on page 5 Story on page 3 Stories on page 8
PLUS Wedding Planning...............6-8 Calendar Highlights............. 10 B’nai Mitzvah......................... 10 Obituaries................................11
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a matter of opinion Beyond “Klinghoffer”: opera’s composer, librettist have broader Jewish problem By Myron Kaplan (JNS.org) – One of the most controversial operas in recent memory, “The Death of Klinghoffer,” debuted on October 20 at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The Met has scheduled seven more performances through November. The first staging did not occur without protest, as about 400 demonstrators – including Jewish communal and nationally recognized leaders – came to Lincoln Center to denounce the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel opera. “Klinghoffer,” the creation of composer John Adams and librettist Alice Goodman, premiered in 1991, with few additional stagings. The opera is based on the 1985 murder of a 69-year-old American Jew, Leon Klinghoffer, on an Italian cruise ship. Klinghoffer, confined to a wheelchair, was shot in the head by PalestinianArab terrorists who had hijacked the ship. They dumped his body into the Mediterranean Sea. The opera repeatedly defames Jews and Israelis as representatives of religious, ethnic or national groups. Nowhere does it similarly criticize Arabs or Muslims as a group. The Met’s intransigent insistence
that “Klinghoffer” must be staged has become an organizational calamity. Adams and Goodman make up an aptly matched pair. Their Jewish problem seems to include an obsession with what they imagine to be Jewish guilt. This should not be surprising on the part of Goodman, perhaps, since during the writing of “Klinghoffer” she rejected her American Jewish heritage and joined the Anglican Church. The church’s leadership has been known in recent years for its hostility toward Israel. Goodman is now a parish priest in England. But is “Klinghoffer” the only Adams and Goodman opera that contains elements of antisemitism, including the stereotypical notion of Jewish guilt? Consider the Adams and Goodman opera “Nixon in China,” which had its world premiere in 1987, and its Met premiere in 2011. It offered relatively humane depictions of President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese leader Mao Zedong – a mass murderer on the scale of Hitler or Stalin – but not a similarly sympathetic picture of U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a Jew. In a 1988 review of the
a matter of opinion Israel’s emerging Muslimmajority ally By David Bernstein (JNS.org) – Beginning in the early 1990s, Turkey became the one Muslimmajority country that maintained a robust strategic relationship with Israel. The two countries developed strong trade ties. Israel helped update the Turkish air force and Turkey allowed the Israeli air force to train in its airspace. There were major plans under way to further upgrade strategic ties. In an unfortunate turn of events, Turkey’s elected prime minister and now president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, decided to take the once highly secular country in a very different direction and re-aligned Turkey’s foreign policy with other interests in the Middle East. Not long into his tenure, Erdogan became a public critic of Israel, driving a wedge between Turkey and Israel in the wake of the 2010 Gaza flotilla crisis. Relations between the two countries remain strained. Israel and its supporters have never fully recovered from the loss of the country’s Muslim ally and the potential it had to transform Israel’s broader relationships in the region. But now, along comes Azerbaijan – the world’s first Muslim-majority democracy, which is fast taking the place of Turkey in becoming a crucial ally of Israel in the Muslim world. It’s no surprise that of all Muslim-majority countries, Azerbaijan would fill the void. Like Turkey before Erdogan, Azerbaijan has proudly and sometimes aggressively reinforced its secular society, banning the hijab (veil) in schools. In a gathering with the Jewish community held in the Washington, DC, area last month, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the United States, Elin Suleymanov, recoiled from the criticism his country received from the U.S. and others for its tough line on maintaining its secularism. “We are criticized because our girls are not forced to wear the hijab, and this is the worst problem in the Middle East?” he said. The U.S. should keep in mind that while suppressing traditional religious practices violates American notions of religious freedom, it’s meant to keep
radical religious forces in check and to prevent Azerbaijan from going down the same path as Turkey. Unfortunately, in that culturally conservative part of the world, Jeffersonian democracy is not yet on the menu, and trying to impose our cultural ideals may make these countries less, not more, free. Let us not forget that France, a well-established liberal democracy, has also banned the hijab. To date, Israel’s relationship with Azerbaijan has taken an almost identical trajectory as its early ties to Turkey. As it had with Ankara, Israel has steadily ratcheted up defense ties with Baku. Last month, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited Azerbaijan, one of a number of such recent defense-oriented visits. As it had with Turkey, Israel has established a vital economic lifeline to Azerbaijan, which provides the Jewish state with 40 percent of its imported oil. As with Israeli-Turkish relations, bilateral ties between the two countries signal Azerbaijan’s desire to strengthen its connections to the U.S. and the West. The country has become an invaluable NATO supply line to Afghanistan and has joined NATO war efforts. When much of the rest of the world interrupted flights to Israel during the conflict with Hamas last summer, Azerbaijan continued flying. According to one recent report, an Israeli spy drone shot down while doing reconnaissance over Iranian nuclear sites originated from an air base inAzerbaijan’s Nakhchivan enclave. If this report is true, it suggests that Israel’s ties to Azerbaijan are much further along than originally understood. Undoubtedly, Israel sees the tremendous potential in its relationship with Azerbaijan, as does Azerbaijan with Israel. American supporters of Israel must do their part to reinforce that relationship in Washington. As was discovered with Turkey, Muslim-majority allies don’t grow on trees. David Bernstein is the former executive director of The David Project and a former senior official at the American Jewish Committee.
opera, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Tim Page wrote that Kissinger is depicted as “a venal, jabbering, opportunistic buffoon.” Others remarked that Kissinger is portrayed as cruel and cunning. A bizarre, memorable scene involving Kissinger occurs in the second act. In a propagandistic ballet staged by Madame Mao for the Nixon entourage, first lady Pat Nixon thinks she sees Kissinger playing an evil landlord savagely whipping a poor village girl. Not seeing Kissinger in the audience or at the Nixon family table, she points to the landlord while whispering to her husband, “Doesn’t that look like you-know-who?” Indeed, the singer who plays the role of Kissinger also plays the role of the evil landlord. Then there is the Adams opera “Doctor Atomic,” which had its world premiere in 2005 and its Met premiere in 2008. Its storyline centers on the Jewish American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, often called the “father of the atomic bomb” for leading the Manhattan Project during World War II. The project developed the nuclear weapons that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 100,000 people and causing Japan to surrender to the U.S., thus ending World War II earlier than would have otherwise been the case. The earlier end potentially saved hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of other lives on both sides. Adams and librettists Alice Goodman and Peter Sellars depicted Oppenheimer as consumed with guilt and torn with remorse over the horrors brought about by the atomic bomb. Did Adams, Goodman, and Sellars exaggerate here? According to a 1967 New York Times report, Oppenheimer was “beset by the moral consequences of the bomb, which, he told fellow physicists, had ‘dramatized so mercilessly the inhumanity and evil of modern war...’ [but] in later years, he seemed to indicate that the ‘sin’ was not to be taken personally. ‘I carry no weight on my conscience,’ he said in 1961 in reference to the atomic bombing
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of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Defenders of the “The Death of Klinghoffer” seem either unaware or unconcerned about any of the several instances of the opera’s anti-Jewish and inflammatory lyrics. Some of these were cited by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America in an open letter to Met General Manager Peter Gelb on May 29. The letter helped spark initial protests against staging “Klinghoffer” and resulted in the cancellation of a November 15 large-screen simulcast of the opera that would have been viewed live by hundreds of thousands of people in theaters in 70 countries. The “Klinghoffer” defenders treat the libretto – the text sung and spoken in the opera – as proving nothing. Instead, they seem to either misunderstand, or misuse as camouflage, the concept of “artistic freedom.” It is possible to defend “Klinghoffer” on artistic grounds, but the art involved is the low variety of the propagandist, not the high art of worthwhile opera. The defenders act as if neither the libretto nor the music matter much. In fact, while the lyrics recycle some of the worst antisemitic canards, the music is mediocre and unremarkable except for the propagandistic way it is used by Adams to underscore words of the Palestinian hijackers. This was pointed out by the eminent American musicologist Richard Taruskin in a December 2001 New York Times article strongly condemning the Adams opera, headlined “Music’s Dangers And The Case For Control.” “The Death of Klinghoffer” is a vehicle for tendentious reiteration of antisemitic and anti-Zionist slurs. But this opera, when considered together with the other two Adams and Goodman opera collaborations mentioned here, represents something more – a prejudicial obsession with Jews. Myron Kaplan is a senior research analyst for the Boston-based, 65,000member Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America. 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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AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK The story behind “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community” – an interview with producer Jay M. Lurie By Robin A. Meltzer The Jewish Federation of Central New York and the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse are sponsoring a free communitywide screening of Jay M. Lurie’s documentary “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community,” on Sunday, November 2, from 2-5 pm, at the JCC. “Stories” is a presentation of the Judaic Heritage Center of Central New York. Lurie has deep roots in the Syracuse Jewish community. His ancestors lived and worked near the banks of the Erie Canal in the 1860s, weathered the immigrant era and Great Depression in Syracuse’s 15th Ward and flourished in the economic boom after World War II. Inspired by generations of family stories, Lurie sought a way to present the history of his community to a larger audience. In April 2012, he began work on the documentary that would become “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community.” Copies of “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community” will be available for purchase at the screening. Copies may also be ordered from the Judaic Heritage Center of Central New York. There is a charge for each DVD and a shipping and handling charge. Mail orders may be sent to Judaic Heritage Center of Central New York, 5730 Commons Park Dr., East Syracuse, NY 13057. Associate Producer Robin Meltzer, co-administrator of the Jewish Community of the 15th Ward, Syracuse, NY Facebook group, recently interviewed Lurie about the making of “Stories.” Q: How did you first become interested in your family’s history? A: I’ve always had an interest because my mother, Irene Freeman Lurie, grew up in the 15th Ward. She had five sisters and a brother, and they lived in this two-story house in the 300 block of Cedar Street, not very far from the YMHA. No one had their own bed. Everything is so luxurious in modern times, I could never imagine that. You just randomly went to sleep wherever you could find
At right: At the May 22 showing of “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community,” Syracuse community members and filmmakers posed in front of the James Madison Building, Library of Congress. L-r: Elaine L. Meltzer, Robin Meltzer, Jay Lurie, Stuart Freeman and Howard Kruth. (Photo by Barrie Miller)
(a place) because there was not a lot of space. My mother’s uncles, the Freeman brothers, came to America and they didn’t know from anything. But they built this little empire in Central New York because of the meat business. One brother had a farm, another was a cattle dealer and the other three brothers were all butchers. It always impressed me when my mother would talk about that. Q: What inspired you to begin work on the documentary? A: My mother’s stories were sort of the kindling, but the 15th Ward Facebook group was the match that ignited everything. Q: Was the community enthusiastic about the documentary from the beginning? A: I haven’t lived in Syracuse since 1984, and I was coming to town and saying I wanted to do a history of all the Jews in Syracuse. I don’t blame people for at first saying, “Who is this guy?” If your family doesn’t go back to the late 1800s or early 1900s, you could have lived here for 50 or 60 years, but it doesn’t count. “Who are you related to?” is always the first question. Federation President Linda Alexander was very helpful. She’s a visionary. When I was able to say that I was working
Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu November 3-7 Monday – lemon chicken Tuesday – spaghetti and meatballs Wednesday – hot corned beef sandwich Thursday – apricot chicken Friday – meat loaf and gravy November 10-14 Monday – roast beef au jus Tuesday – pot roast with carrots, celery, onion and potatoes Wednesday – honey mustard chicken Thursday – lox, spinach and mushroom quiche Friday – Italian roasted chicken The Bobbi Epstein Lewis JCC Senior Adult Dining Program, catered by Tiffany’s Catering Company at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center, offers Va’ad Ha’ir-supervised kosher lunches served Monday-Friday at noon. Reservations are required by noon on the previous business day and there is a suggested contribution per meal. The menu is subject to change. The program is funded by a grant from the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth and the New York State Office for the Aging, with additional funds provided by the JCC
with the Federation on this, that gave me access and acceptance. People really wanted to be involved. It really, really snowballed. People brought other people in to the project. They saw it was worthwhile. There was an awareness that I was doing it, and because I was posting the videos on the 15th Ward Facebook group. Q: In August 2013, you videoed the 15th Ward Facebook group’s live event at The Oaks, the neighborhood reunion and produced “The Road to Yesterday,” a video “sketch” of the documentary in progress. You made some major changes to “Stories” afterward. Why? See “Lurie” on page 12
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and United Way of Central New York. To attend, one need not be Jewish or a member of the JCC. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Leesa Paul at 445-2360, ext. 104, or lpaul@jccsyr.org.
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congregational notes Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Ira Stone By Sarah Saulson Congregation Beth SholomChevra Shas will host Rabbi Ira Stone from FridaySunday, November 7-9. His theme for the weekend will be “It’s Not About Me: Mussar and Relationships.” This will be an opportunity to learn Rabbi Ira Stone more about the centuries-old ethical movement from a rabbi considered to be a “leading figure” in the contemporary renewal of Mussar. He wrote, “Through the practical applications of Mussar, one can learn how to awaken to a spirituality that is compassionate, moral and generous. Mussar is a medium for expanding personal responsibility to positively transform ourselves and our relationships with others.” The events of the weekend will begin during evening services on November 7, when Stone will ask, “Why is it so hard to be good?” During Shabbat morning services, he will deliver the d’var Torah. Following a light lunch, he will lead a text study session from one of the classic volumes of Mussar, “The Path of the Upright” by Rabbi Moshe Hayyim Luzzatto. He will also address the connections between Mussar and Kabbalah, two distinctive Jewish spiritual traditions, on Saturday, November 8, at 7:30 pm. Participants can join Stone for a work-
shop on November 9, from 10 am-noon, that will take participants deeper into Mussar practice through text study, discussion and journaling. A light breakfast will be served, and reservations have been requested and can be made by contacting the CBS-CS office at office@cbscs.org or 446-9570. Stone serves as the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel in Philadelphia. He is the director of Mussar Leadership Programs, and has taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where CBS-CS Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone was his student, as well as at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He is the author of several books. For more information, visit www.mussarleadership.org. All of the events will be free and open to the public, and will be held at the synagogue, 18 Patsy Lane, off Jamesville Road. Stone’s appearance will be made possible through the support of the Leah and Joseph Kalina Scholar-in-Residence Fund. For more information, contact Sarah Saulson at sfsaulson@twcny.rr.com or 449-9423. Rummage sale The Congregation Beth SholomChevra Shas Sisterhood will hold its semi-annual rummage sale on Sunday, November 16, from 10 am-4 pm, with a bag sale from 3-4 pm. Proceeds from the sale help support scholarships for Jewish summer camping, gifts for b’nai mitzvah students and synagogue needs not in the regular budget. Items for sale may be deposited between 9 am-4 pm, Monday-Friday. Among the items accepted will be fall
and winter clothing, household items, electronics, records, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, tools, books, games and toys.
For more information, contact Steffi Bergman at 632-4905, 243-4009 or steffibergman@gmail.com.
Temple Adath Yeshurun Sephardic Shabbat Temple Adath Yeshurun will hold Sephardic Shabbat on Saturday November 8, at 9:15 am. Sephardic Jews came from places such as Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Yemen, and their services have many characteristics that are different from those of the Ashkenazi Jews, who came from Eastern Europe. The service will be held with traditional Sephardic seating, with the reader’s table in the center and the congregation seated around it. Sephardic melodies will be incorporated into the service, performed by the Temple Adath Adult Choir. In addition to different melodies, Sephardic Shabbat will also include the use of Temple Adath’s Sephardic Torah. A Sephardic Torah is enclosed in a hard wooden case, unlike the Ashkenazic fabric covers. The Torah is read standing upright, instead of lying down. The Sephardic Torah is read each year on Yom Kippur at TAY. A Mishpacha Shabbat, which includes junior congregation for religious school students and an age-appropriate service for children from birth-preschool, will also be held that morning. Services will be followed by a kiddush lunch featuring Sephardic foods. The
At right: Temple Adath Yeshurun’s Sephardic Torah is housed in a tik (Torah case) designed by Ina Golub. It is a combination of fine, solid walnut and fabric. The fiber art is appliqué in polychrome pure silk beads and metallic cords. The Hebrew calligraphy represents the first and last words of the Torah, which together form the word lev (heart). community has been invited to join in the service and share in Sephardic culture. For more information, contact the TAY office at 445-0002.
Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation Lori Tenenbaum to speak at STOCS LoriTenenbaum, the Syracuse Hebrew Day School’s head of school, will be the speaker at Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse on Sunday, November 9, at 9:30 am. She will highlight the SHDS Lori Tenenbaum students while also discussing the importance of a day school education in general and for “its impact on Jewish communities.” She will also discuss day school education
around the region and how local public schools compare. Tenenbaum has lived in the Syracuse area for nearly 20 years. She has an extensive background in elementary education. Since 2002, she has been the first grade teacher, the technology specialist and cohead of school at SHDS. She is a recent graduate of the Day School Leadership training Institute at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City. Both of her children are SHDS alumni. Minyan will be held at 8 am, with the breakfast starting around 9 am and the program at 9:30 am. There will be no charge for the breakfast, but reservations have been requested by Friday, November 7, and may be made by contacting the STOCS office at 446-6194.
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Temple Adath Yeshurun religious school students participated in the Jewish community garden initiative for their annual Sukkot program. L-r: Dylan Friedman, Matthew Packard, gardener and educator Tiferet Zimmern-Kahan (in back), Samantha Shapiro, Danielle Alpert, Annabel Wells, Maytal Downie, Olivia Clark, Nathan Snell, teacher Michal Downie (in back), Iris Horowitz and Alex Kruth.
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Temple Concord welcomed new member families at a dinner prior to Simchat Torah services. Both new and not new member children took a break from the program to take a group photo.
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JCC of Syracuse unveils new mission statement and logo By William Wallak At its September board meeting, the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse’s Board of Directors adopted a new organizational mission statement and logo. The new mission statement was designed to “further solidify what the JCC of Syracuse is and stands for,” while the logo intends to present “a more attractive visual brand identity” for the Center. The new mission statement is, “The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community
Center of Syracuse is the nucleus of the Jewish community built on the foundation of Jewish ethics and values. We provide quality services and programs for all ages, serving everyone in the Central New York region.” Steven Sisskind, JCC board president, said, “I’m very pleased with how our board members came together to adopt a new mission statement and logo that better speaks to what we’re all about. Having a more straightforward and suc-
cinct mission helps our entire organization really focus on continuing to serve our members and the local community in the best ways possible.” The JCC’s new mission statement was developed by staff during strategic planning meetings held earlier this year. The Center is in the process of incorporating the new logo into its print and online materials. “Kudos to our staff for their insight and input on our new mission statement
which so clearly states who we are and what we do,” said Marci Erlebacher, JCC executive director. “It’s exciting to have everyone stand behind our new materials, especially our logo, which took a lot of work to get just right and [which] nicely portrays a sense of the JCC’s long traditions in a modern and contemporary look.” The JCC of Syracuse is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, call 445-2360 or visit www.jccsyr.org.
Sondra Goldberg to receive Outstanding Philanthropist Award By Bette Siegel A luncheon will be held to honor those in the community who “make giving back a way of life and inspire others to do the same” on National Philanthropy Day, Friday, November 14, at the Sheraton Inn. Among those receiving an award will be Sondra Goldberg, of Fayetteville, who will receive the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Central New York chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals for her commitment to Vera House. The award is said to honor “an individual or family with a proven record of exceptional generosity who, through time, effort and financial support, demonstrates outstanding civic and charitable responsibilities, and whose generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles on a community, national and/or international level.” Goldberg is a member of the Vera House Foundation Board of Trustees since joining in 2003 and has served on multiple committees, including the Gala Planning Committee, White Ribbon Campaign Steering Committee, Development Committee, Finance Committee and the Major Gifts Committee. She has also served the Board of Trustees as foundation secretary, vice chair and chair. In 2009, she and her husband, Steven, served as honorary chairs of the Vera House Foundation “New Beginnings” gala, breaking fund-raising goals and “forever changing the trajectory of what was possible for the fund-raiser,” as indicated by the Vera House nomination outlining why Goldberg should receive the award. Among her other commitments in the Syracuse Jewish community are the Temple Adath Yeshurun Sisterhood, National Council of Jewish Women, the Syracuse Hebrew Day School and the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. She and Steven are major donors to the Jewish Federation of Central New York Annual Campaign and she is a member of Lion of Judah, a part
years.” The gala is the major of Federation that symbolizes fund-raiser for Vera House. “the strength of Jewish women Vera House Executive Direcin today’s society.” tor Randi Bregman has said, Monica Merante, a member “Sondra is an extraordinarily of the AFP-CNY Board of generous woman, and we are Directors, said, “Sondra was blessed by her steadfast dedicaselected by our Board of Direction to our mission. Literally, tors to be this year’s ‘Outstandphilanthropy means ‘love of ing Philanthropist’ due to her mankind.’ That is truly what commitment to [various comSondra’s philanthropy demonmunity] organizations... She Sondra R. strates, a genuine love for people has demonstrated exceptional Goldberg coupled with a desire to help in generosity through direct financial support and charitable responsibility, any way she can.” An example of Goldberg’s philanand serves as a philanthropic leader in the thropic support and approach to solving Central New York community.” Additional organizations Goldberg problems can be found annually at Vera supports philanthropically are the Make- House during the holiday season. As A-Wish Foundation, Susan G. Komen, the holidays are considered to be a “difSay Yes to Education and United Way of ficult” time for the families in Vera House shelters, the Goldbergs donate many of Central New York. Goldberg said, “This award is not about the corporate gifts they receive around me; it is about all of us who have a pas- the holidays to Vera House – gifts that sion to help nurture positive change for include necessary food items in decorated the good of those around us. For many years, I have felt privileged to be part of the Vera House community, whose unwavering commitment of assisting victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse is unequivocal. Promoting a culture of equality and respect for one another is part of my Jewish philosophy. Helping to repair the world, or tikkun olam, translates to the mission of Vera House. I am proud to be part of a team who helps provide new beginnings from harsh circumstances of life. I credit my Jewish upbringing in helping me lead by example, which ironically is our Vera House mantra.” The nomination from Vera House said, “For more than a decade, Goldberg has given of herself, her time and her personal resources to advance the mission of Vera House. When considering her participation in, and gift support of, Vera House and other nonprofits in the community, she and her family have made a tremendous impact, which resulted in the doubling of the gala proceeds throughout the past 11
baskets. Though Goldberg herself does not mention this publicly, her willingness to share the gifts are thought to “bring a little joy to the recipients at a time when they need it most.” The donations are also thought to “exemplify her true nature, philanthropic spirit and that of her family.” Through her participation on committees and as chair of the Vera House Foundation Board of Trutsees, Goldberg is seen encouraging and motivating others to take on leadership roles in philanthropy as well. She has served as a member of the Vera House Board Development Committee since she became a member of the Foundation Trustee Board and actively participates by offering names, contacting members and securing members to serve on the foundation. This year, her personal nominees to chair the 2014 gala have already driven ticket sales and sponsorships to record numbers.
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ OCTOBER 30, 2014/6 CHESHVAN 5775
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The Syracuse-Area Jewish Educators are sponsoring a teacher in-service training for teachers from Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, Temple Adath Yeshurun, Temple Concord, the Syracuse Hebrew Day School and the Epstein School of Jewish Studies on Sunday, November 2, from 9:30 am-1:30 pm, at Temple Adath Yeshurun. There will be multiple training sessions offered, including teaching Hebrew; Judaism and the environment; lesson planning; inclusive classrooms; how to teach using literature and differentiated teaching; and Jewish texts on education. The program is made possible by a grant from the Community Program Fund of the Jewish Federation of Central New York Instructors include Morrisa Golden-Sieradski, Bob Tornberg, Ph.D., Tiferet Zimmern-Kahn, Andi Koss, Jesse Kerr-Whit and Alice Honig, Ph.D. Teachers will have an opportunity to attend two of the six training sessions and lunch will be provided. In addition, each teacher will have the opportunity to choose a mentor from one of the two sessions they attend and will be in contact with the mentor twice throughout the year. This in-service training is an opportunity for teachers to increase their knowledge and understanding of teaching within a Jewish context and improve teaching skills. Teachers may register for the training at epsteincny@ gmail.com.
“Boomie’s Buggy” Dedicated at Menorah Park
By Andrew Petro Belle “Boomie” Shulman, a well-known Syracuse community figure, transported her friends to and from doctors’ appointments, the grocery store, the airport and even The Oaks at Menorah Park when she lived there. Boomie’s Buggy, the newest addition to Menorah Park’s passenger vehicles, was recently dedicated in her honor. Her sons, Ken and Don Shulman, and their families, were present at the dedication ceremony on September 21 at Menorah Park. The purchase of the vehicle would not have been possible without the donation the Shulmans made toward a matching grant from the Legacy Heritage Fund. The grant will pay for 50 percent of the match. The effort continues to raise the remaining portion of the match. Other contributors include Howard and Barbara Levine, Robin Meltzer, Ellen Wiseman, Alan and Linda Geldin, Daniel and Stacey Goldsamt, Aaron and Marsha Zimmerman, Elaine Lavine, Maria Shapiro, Judy Franklin and Winnie Greenberg. To donate, contact Victoria Kohl, Menorah Park
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L-r: Ken and Don Shulman, sons of the late Belle “Boomie” Shulman, posed with “Boomie’s Buggy,” a new vehicle donated and named in her honor that will help transport residents of Menorah Park. Foundation vice president, at 446-911, ext. 141, or vkohl@menorahparkcny.com.
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❑ Invite attendants ❑ Discuss honeymoon and new home ❑ Select gown and headpiece ❑ Select music for ceremony and reception ❑ Register with bridal gift registry 4 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING ❑ Order invitations and personal stationery ❑ Plan reception ❑ Plan ceremony and reception music ❑ Choose florist ❑ Mothers choose gowns ❑ Men choose attire ❑ Make honeymoon reservations ❑ Begin trousseau shopping ❑ Arrange motel accommodations for out-of-town guests 3 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING ❑ Make an appointment with gynecologist to discuss birth control, etc. See “Checklist” on page 8
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JCC’s senior dining program welcomes Hazak and The Oaks for lunch By William Wallak Nearly 30 members of the Temple Adath Yeshurun chapter of Hazak and
10 residents from The Oaks at Menorah Park joined more 25 other seniors from the community for socializing and a kosher
meal on October 6 at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. The JCC’s Bobbi Epstein Lewis Senior Adult Dining Program welcomed the two groups for lunch and a show afterward by ventriloquist Larry Brennan. JCC Director of Senior Programming Leesa Paul said, “We’re very pleased to
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welcome Hazak here for their very first lunch with our program. And it was great to see familiar faces from The Oaks, who join us for lunch once a month. Having other organizations visit, enjoy a meal with our regular senior diners and socialize is always a treat.” See “Senior” on page 11
JCC offers kosher turkey raffle
Hazak chapter members from Temple Adath Yeshurun and residents from The Oaks at Menorah Park met for lunch at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse on October 6. After lunch, Temple Adath Yeshurun Hazak members were entertained by ventriloquist Larry Brennan. L-r: Murray and Sylvia Gilman, Brennan and Sam Siegel.
The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse will again hold its annual kosher turkey raffle. Tickets may be purchased at the JCC’s front desk or from participants in the JCC’s after school program. Up to three winners will be drawn on Monday, November 24, at 5:45 pm, in the JCC’s
main lobby. Entrants do not have to be present to win. Raffle proceeds will benefit the JCC of Syracuse’s children’s department. For more information, contact the JCC’s Mick Hagan, director of children and teen services, at 445-2040, ext. 129, or mhagan@jccsyr.org.
Tips to build the perfect wedding registry (StatePoint) – A registry is the first step to planning your happily ever after. As you make your way to the “I Do’s,” it’s also a time to plan for your new lives together. From hosting your first holiday dinner to lazy Sundays on the couch, making your house a home starts with building a great registry. “It is your registry, so build it any way you want to. Choose items that are right for you and your soon-to-be. Go through the registry process together and enjoy it,” recommends Audrey Stavish, wedding and gift registry expert at Bed Bath and Beyond. “Whether starting from scratch or blending households together, remember to relax, take your time and have fun.” Here are some additional tips to get you started: Visit a Store: Before you take the trip down the aisle, take a trip down the aisle of the store where you are registered. Missed
something the first time around? No problem. Many stores make the process convenient, allowing you to update the registry at any point, both in-store and online. Be sure to get up close and personal with the items that go on your registry. Touch the towels, hold the cookware – in fact, most brides make multiple visits to a store and the website. Keep it Convenient: Where you register is important. Ask friends, family and coworkers about their registry experiences. Start a wedding registry as soon as you say “yes.” That way, guests have options for engagement gifts and showers. Ask the Experts: It’s easy to get overwhelmed when registering. Need help deciding between ceramic or stainless steel cookware? Don’t forget to ask the store’s registry expert! From the time a couple starts the registry process, until they’ve
walked down the aisle, registry consultants can help you be better informed about your choices, and make the process fun and stress-free. Dream Big, Register Bigger: Register for at least twice as many gifts as the number of guests at the wedding. Friends and family will rely on the registry for special events
leading up to the wedding, including engagement parties, showers and holidays. Guests will appreciate choices in a wide range of price points and categories. Also, don’t shy away from high priced items like a set of cookware – these make great group gifts, as does formal tableware, like fine china, crystal wine glasses and flatware.
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ OCTOBER 30, 2014/6 CHESHVAN 5775
JCC of Syracuse to hold children’s Veterans Day vacation camp
By William Wallak The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse will offer a Veterans Day vacation camp for
school-age children in kindergarten-sixth grade, on Tuesday, November 11, from 9 am-4 pm, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt. Children will have an opportunity to be entertained
JCC to offer Kids Night Out By William Wallak The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse will hold Kids Night Out, an evening of supervised activities for school-age children, from kindergarten-sixth grade, on Saturday, November 15, from 7:30-11 pm. There will be age-appropriate programs and snacks. “Kids, just like adults, occasionally need a night all to their own to go out with friends and have fun,” said Mick Hagan, JCC’s director of children and teen services. “We’re excited to be able to treat kids to an evening of fun and games and, hopefully, the parents can enjoy their
own night out, too.” Some of the fall activities planned include pumpkin decorating, a basketball tournament and a movie on the big screen. Also, the children will be treated to a donut and cider snack. There will be a discount available for registration through Friday, November 7. Current JCC membership or program enrollment is not necessary for a child to attend Kids Night Out. For more information or to obtain a registration form, call 445-2360 or visit www.jccsyr.org.
and also to honor and thank those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The camp will include arts and crafts, sports and other age-appropriate activities. Half-day programs and extended childcare will also be available. “We have some neat patriotic-themed activities for the kids to do this year,” said Mick Hagan, JCC director of children and teen services. “We’re going to play games, be creative, get everyone moving and active and have loads of fun. Plus, we’ll also take some time to remind ourselves of the importance of Veterans Day and those who have bravely served our country.” Among the morning’s activities will be decorating and presenting cards to Jewish war veterans and “boot camp” in the JCC gym. The afternoon will feature red, white and blue crafts, team games and kickball. Full-day campers have been asked to bring a non-meat lunch. An afternoon snack will be provided. See “Camp” on page 11
Checklist
Cont. from page 6
2 MONTHS BEFORE WEDDING ❑ Order wedding cake ❑ Select attendants’ gifts ❑ Plan to keep gift record ❑ Acknowledge gifts as they arrive ❑ Finish invitations – Mail them 6 weeks before wedding ❑ Plan rehearsal dinner ❑ Check on marriage license ❑ Get rings engraved ❑ Plan luncheon for bridesmaids ❑ Select gift for groom ❑ Go over wedding ceremony details ❑ Gown fitting ❑ Bridal portrait sitting ❑ Arrange for limousine service ❑ Make hairdresser appointment 1 MONTH BEFORE WEDDING ❑ Make up reception seating charts ❑ Check wedding party apparel ❑ Final gown fitting ❑ Get blood tests for marriage license 2 WEEKS BEFORE WEDDING ❑ Make final check on bridal-party clothes and catering ❑ Arrange name changes/get marriage license ❑ Arrange transportation from reception to airport or wherever you are leaving from for the honeymoon 1 WEEK BEFORE WEDDING ❑ Wrap attendants’ gifts ❑ Give final count to caterer ❑ Confirm music arrangements and check selections ❑ Arrange to move belongings to new home ❑ Check that your hairstyle complements your headpiece ❑ Final instructions to photographer and videographer ❑ Final instructions to ushers for special seating ❑ Give clergy fee to best man in sealed envelope (He will deliver it.) ❑ Begin packing for honeymoon 1 DAY BEFORE WEDDING ❑ Give ushers guest list ❑ Do something relaxing and pamper yourself!
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The sukkah-building team at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas posed for a group photo.
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At right: Sister and brother Avery and Geoffrey Clark shook the lulav in the sukkah at Temple Adath Yeshurun during the Rothschild Early Childhood Center’s Jewish enrichment class. TAY hosts Storah Time on Tuesdays at 10 am and a Shabbat program on Fridays at 10 am for children up to 5-yearsold. For more information, contact Alicia Gross at alicia@adath.org.
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Temple Concord Religious School students helped decorate the sukkah while learning about the tradition of the lulav and etrog with seventh grade teacher Ora Jezer. Clockwise from front left: Ryan Storie, Adam Basch, third grade student Logan Oppedisano, Jezer and third grade student Judah Spitzer.
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ OCTOBER 30, 2014/6 CHESHVAN 5775
Calendar Highlights
To see a full calendar of community events, visit the Federation's community calendar online at www.jewishfederationcny.org. Please notify jstander@jewishfederationcny.org of any calendar changes.
Sunday, November 2 Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse rummage sale from 9 am-5 pm Syracuse Area Jewish Educators faculty day from 9:30 am-1:30 pm Judaic Heritage Center presents film “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community” at Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center at 2 pm Monday, November 3 “Breath in a Ram’s Horn” concert at Temple Concord at 7 pm Syracuse Hebrew Day School Education Committee meeting at 7 pm STOCS rummage sale from 9 am-2 pm Sunday, November 9 Temple Concord Scholar Series at 11 am Monday, November 10 TC board meeting at 7 pm Wednesday, November 12 Deadline for the November 27 issue of the Jewish Observer Thursday, November 13 Jewish Federation of Central New York board meeting at 5:30 pm Saturday, November 15 Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center fall fun kids’ night out from 7:30-11 pm Sunday, November 16 Temple Adath Yeshurun Hazak paid-up membership at noon Monday, November 17 SHDS board meeting at 7:30 pm
b’nai mitzvah Timothy Berse Skeval
Timothy Berse Skeval, son of Carrie Berse and Chris Skeval, of DeWitt, became bar mitzvah on October 25 at Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas. He is the grandson of Joanne Skeval, of Fabius, NY, and the late Lenora and the late Jack Berse, of New York City and DeWitt. He is a student at the Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School. He graduated from the CBS-CS Religious School and attends the Timothy Berse Rabbi Jacob H. Epstein High Skeval School of Jewish Studies. He enjoys sports – especially soccer, basketball and golf – and playing the piano. He has opened a b’nai mitzvah fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of Central New York.
Senior
Continued from page 7
JoAnn Grower, TAY Hazak president, has worked to get the group’s members involved in the community through monthly programs, social functions, day trips and guest speakers at the temple. She said, “We’re so happy to be here at the JCC and to come together with others in the community. It’s great to get our people out supporting other groups, meeting other people, enjoying the camaraderie and coming together as a Jewish community.” The Oaks has been regular monthly participants at the JCC’s senior dining program for more than a year. “It’s important to keep this relationship with the JCC,” said Patricia McGregor, activities director at the Oaks. “It’s good to have this community involvement and it’s a good time for our residents.” The JCC’s senior dining program, open to seniors age 60 and older, offers kosher lunch on weekdays at noon. It is funded in part by a grant from the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth and the New York State Office for Aging. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Paul at 445-2040, ext. 104, or lpaul@jccsyr.org.
d’var torah
Sarah’s laughter was Avraham’s fault By Rabbi Uri C. Cohen Mandy says there are two sorts of people in the world: those who blame everyone else and those who blame only themselves. I place myself in a third category: among those who know where blame really lies. – “Ella Enchanted” (p. 180). It doesn’t seem fair. When told they would have a son together, both Avraham and Sarah laughed. Yet it looks like Sarah was blamed for it, while Avraham got away with it. Why the difference? As we shall see, the standard approach suggests that they laughed in two different ways, while the out-of-the-box approach rereads the story so that their laughter was similar and it was actually Avraham who was blamed. Let’s briefly review the two stories. The first appears near the end of parasha Lech Lecha: And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah. I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will give rise to nations; rulers of peoples shall issue from her.” Abraham threw himself on his face and laughed (vayitzchak), as he said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old, or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live by Your favor!” God said, “Nevertheless, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac (Yitzchak); and I will maintain My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring to come.” (Bereshit 17:15-19) The second appears soon afterward, near the beginning of parasha Vayera, when three angels in disguise have a conversation with Avraham: They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he replied, “There, in the tent.” Then one said, “I will return to you next year, and your wife Sarah shall have a son!” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. Now Sarah and Abraham were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped having the periods of women. And Sarah laughed (vatitzchak) to herself, saying, “Now that I am withered, am I to have enjoyment – with my husband so old?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?’ Is anything too wondrous for the Lord? I will return to you at the time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was frightened. But He replied, “You did laugh.” (Ibid. 18:9-15) Assuming that God’s question “Why did Sarah laugh?” was a criticism of Sarah’s laughter, was God being unfair? The standard answer in the classic commentaries is that Avraham’s laughter reflected wonder and joy, while Sarah’s laughter reflected incredulousness and scorn (Rashi on Bereshit 17:17). Since the verb in both cases is the same (vayitzchak and vatitzchak), what is the basis of this answer? Presumably it works backwards: since God is fair and just (Tehillim 92:16), His choosing to criticize Sarah, but not Avraham, must mean that there was indeed a difference. The two laughs may have appeared the same on the surface, but God knows our true motivations, whether we ourselves know them or not. Furthermore, Avraham’s laughter was a response to God’s first announcement that Sarah would give birth to Yitzchak (Chap. 17). Assuming that in between the two stories, Avraham came home and told Sarah, this means that the announcement from the three angels was the second time she heard the news. Her laughing response to that must have been an expression of disbelief (abarbanel). The problem with this approach is that it presents God as blaming Sarah not by talking to her directly, but by confronting Avraham. Why would God do that? It’s not as if only Avraham was on a high enough level to speak with God; if anything, the midrash (Shemot Rabba 1:1) says that Sarah was on a higher prophetic level than Avraham! Besides, in the other examples in Sefer Bereshit where God confronts a person with a rhetorical question, it is always addressed to the person directly, because the purpose is to encourage them to confess and take responsibility for their mistake. Accordingly, it would be strange for God to confront Avraham with Sarah’s mistake. God wants to keep married couples together, not drive them apart. This problem is resolved by an out-of-the-box approach that does not appear in the classic commentaries. I came up with it a while ago, and I was happy to see recently that Rabbi Jonathan Mishkin did so as well, formulating it especially well. Here it is in his words: “On the other hand, it is possible that the declaration by the visitors is the first that Sarah hears about her impending pregnancy. Why didn’t Abraham tell her? Maybe the news was so fantastic that he didn’t want to get her hopes up – just in case it really did prove too impossible for
a 90-year-old woman to have a baby. Maybe Abraham feared his wife would react with disbelief and kept the information from her to avoid her scorn. Later, Sarah’s laughter is one of genuine surprise just like Abraham’s was. Then, when ‘the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?’’ God is also asking Abraham why he didn’t tell Sarah the news earlier, so that now she is reacting with shock. Is it, God demands, because you doubted My ability to keep this promise, or did you in fact doubt Sarah’s level of belief? ‘Is anything too wondrous for the Lord?’ This interpretation of the story explains why God attacks Abraham for Sarah’s laughter – if she is really at fault, why not confront her directly? After all, Sarah isn’t saved any embarrassment by God revealing to Abraham what Sarah inwardly thought. Perhaps Sarah’s lie is not in defense of herself but of her husband.” (http://vbm-torah. org/archive/intparsha/bereishit/04-59vayera.doc) In other words, God’s question to Avraham was a criticism of Avraham, not Sarah. When she heard it, “she was frightened” of the consequences for her husband, so she bravely lied in order to protect him. But Avraham soberly replied, “You did laugh” – and I take full responsibility for my mistake in not telling you. (Accordingly, the translation should not be “He replied” but “he replied.”) The apparent lack of fairness in the story has bothered readers of Bereshit since time immemorial. For some, the standard approach solves the problem. For others, the out-of-the-box approach is more satisfying. Rabbi Uri and Dr. Yocheved Engelberg Cohen, the first couple of the Syracuse Kollel, now live in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Uri teaches in a variety of programs, including Midreshet HaRova in Jerusalem and Yesodei HaTorah in Zanoach. Yocheved translates professionally from Hebrew to English.
Around the Town Society for New Music
The Society for New Music will present “Sound Perspectives East and West,” a musical program echoing global sound worlds in contemporary contexts, on Sunday, November 2, at 3 pm, in Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel. In addition to sound, video and projections, the audience will be invited to consider its own perspectives on sound and silence. The program also compares composers early in their careers with composers now considered to be “internationally renowned.” Featured will be three composers from China, one a Pulitzer Prize winner; and two composers from the U.S. The program will be presented in conjunction with Syracuse University Humanities Center and the Syracuse Symposium series on “Perspectives.” There will be a charge to attend, with a family maximum. Syracuse University students and faculty will be admitted free with a valid ID. A reception will follow the concert in the Noble Room. Zhou Tian’s “Morning after the Deluge,” commissioned by the Society for New Music, will be premiered and then repeated, accompanied by responsive artwork by Lorne Covington and Douglas Quin projected on various walls of Hendricks Chapel. The pairing of pieces by Guo Wenjing and Zhou Long is intended to give perspective in terms of “resonances in different spaces” in Hendricks, and on two composers of the same generation from China, one who remained there and one who has spent his adult life in the United States. Guo’s “Drama” (1995) involves three sets of Chinese cymbals and percussionists who also speak and sing. “Drama’’ contrasts with “Pianogongs” (2005), for piano and two Chinese gongs by Long, the 2011 Pulitzer winner for his opera “Madame White Snake” and a U.S. citizen since 1999. Guo has been honored as one of the Top 100 Living Artists of China. Guest composer Daniel Asia composed “Amichai Songs” in 2012 for six performers and voice. The six songs are based on the words of the late Yehuda Amichai, who is considered Israel’s greatest modern poet. He will also present a lecture on “Breath in a Ram’s Horn” the following evening at Temple Concord. Completing the program will be the second performance of an all-American work by Rob Deemer, with video by Courtney Rile, on life and nature in upstate New York. “Cantos” (2012), for 12 musicians with video and conductor, is in three movements (“Hammer,” “Wind” and “String”), and provides perspective on musical sounds and articulations with sounds of nature, such as raindrops and wind. For more information, contact Steve Carpenter at 2451689, 446-5733 or snm@societyfornewmusic.org.
OCTOBER 30, 2014/6 CHESHVAN 5775 ■
Boycott
organization “does not bar Israelis, it does not bar Israeli institutions. Prime Minister Netanyahu can attend [the Los Angeles conference] if he wants to.” The ASA has since issued a formal statement that reports of its exclusion of Israeli academics from the conference are “erroneous.” Upon further examination of the ASA conference program, the gathering’s participants do include at least three Israelis: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Neve Godon and Ahmad Sa’di, both of whom are critical of Israel, and Mohammed Wattad, of Zefat College School of Law, an Arab academic who in the past has spoken out against a boycott against Israel and the classification of Israel as an “apartheid state.” “There will not be discrimination of any sort against anyone [at the conference],” the ASA statement said. “We welcome Israeli academics to attend, and in fact, several are already scheduled to participate in the conference program. Subsequent reports also stated, erroneously, that the ASA had changed our policy regarding support for the academic boycott. We have not. Last year, after careful consideration by its membership, the ASA overwhelmingly endorsed an academic boycott to call attention to the violations of academic freedoms and human rights of Palestinian scholars and students by Israel. This limited action means simply that the ASA on an institutional level will not engage in collaborative projects with Israeli research institutions, and will not speak at Israeli academic institutions.” Yet Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at Northwestern University School of Law, argued in an October 18 article for The Washington Post, “Even the [ASA’s] belated claim to waive the boycott for the annual conference would not pre-empt legal liability.Academic conferences are organized, scheduled and registered months in advance. The discriminatory effects of their policy have already been realized.” Additionally, the fact that the ASA’s boycott policy “was selectively not enforced” for the Los Angeles gathering “does not mean [the policy] was not otherwise enforced,” wrote Kontorovich, who mentioned Wattad’s
Goldberg
Continued from page 1 inclusion in the conference but not that of the two other participating Israeli academics, Godon and Sa’di. “Having adopted their boycott to much public fanfare, they (ASA) want to be able to quietly deny it – when it suits them,” Kontorovich wrote. Pro-Israel groups, meanwhile, have been mobilizing on the ASA conference issue. The Israel Project issued the action alert e-mail, calling on its supporters to tell the Westin that “playing host to bigots is unacceptable. “Otherwise Westin Resorts, in violation of California’s anti-discrimination laws, will rent the rooms while the ASA keeps Israelis out of them,” stated the TIP action alert. “No other country is being subjected to this exclusionary bigotry.” Samantha Rose Mandeles, editor-in-chief of CAMERAonCampus.org for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, told JNS.org that the “recent backtracking and dishonesty by the ASA is not surprising” and represents “another example of the disingenuousness that characterizes Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions efforts as a whole. “As is common for BDS supporters, the ASA did not honor their own boycott policy – they invited several Israelis to participate in the conference, showing that, yet again, Israel BDSers will only abide by their own injunctions when it suits their needs,” she said. “BDS proponents will claim to boycott Israel, but actually only do so half-heartedly, when it is convenient and part of symbolic, theatrical gestures that have no effect on the conflict.” Roz Rothstein, CEO of the Israel education group StandWithUs, said that “clearly the ASA cannot even clarify its own newfound bigotry against Israeli academics and institutions. “Thankfully, the ACLJ has forced the issue into the open and placed ASA in this position where they cannot defend themselves, because there is no defense,” Rothstein said. “Time and again, when held up to practical reality, the boycott movement against Israel has proven to be incapable of sustaining itself. This shows how important it is for groups to align to fight the prejudice that the BDS movement represents.”
JEWISH OBSERVER
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obituaries Irving Lauber
Irving Lauber, 72, of San Antonio, TX, died on October 7. He was the youngest son of Samuel and Eva Balsam Lauber, who emigrated from Vienna, Austria, in 1940 with his sister, Sidi, and brother, Fritz. He was born and raised in Syracuse, where he attended Syracuse public schools and graduated from Central High School in 1958. He received his B.A. in political science and sociology from Syracuse University in 1964. Following his marriage, he served as a lieutenant in the United States Army on active and reserve duties in Ft. Lee, VA; Toul, France; Ft. Bragg, NC; and Syracuse, NY, from 1964-69. While attending graduate school, he was the co-director of Bradley Brook Camp. He received his master’s in social work from Syracuse University in 1969. He joined the United Way system that year, working in Houston, TX; Pittsburg, PA; Cleveland, OH; and ending his career as the president and CPO of theAloha United Way in Honolulu, HI. During his 35 years as a United Way professional, he also taught classes, did consulting work and served on task forces for the United Way of America. He mentored many United Way professionals and served on the United Way Retirees Board of Directors. He and his wife retired to San Antonio in 2005. He was predeceased by his sister, Sidi Lauber Greenfield; and his brother, Fritz Lauber. He is survived by his wife, the former Helenann Stolusky; two sons, David and Joshua, both of San Antonio; three grandsons; a granddaughter; five nephews; and six nieces. Burial was in Beth El Memorial Park in San Antonio, TX. Porter Loring Mortuaries had arrangements. Contributions may be made to the Aloha United Way, 200 N. Vineyard Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96817 or any United Way agency.
PEXTON MEMORIALS (FORMERLY GROSKIN MEMORIALS) MONUMENTS, MARKERS, CEMETERY LETTERING, PLANTINGS ARRANGED
Established 1970
Call for appointment 697-9461
Continued from page 5
At the 2009 Vera House Foundation “New Beginnings” gala, Goldberg and Steven shared their family mission statement: “We have three wonderful daughters who embrace our commitment to family, community and the good will we show towards others. Our philanthropic efforts are a reflection of our attempt to build and maintain a viable community support network for those in need. Fostering positive relationships inside and outside the home is the philosophy we respectfully uphold as a family. Vera House is near and dear to our hearts because they promote a culture of equality and trust. We will continue to empower our children and the community-at-large to be forthright and honest regarding their obligation to support and assist others.”
Camp
Continued from page 8
The camp’s half-day options will be from 9 am-noon and 1-4 pm. Extended childcare will be available starting at 7:30 am and run until 6 pm. Early registration pricing is available through Wednesday, November 5, with a discount offered for siblings. Current JCC membership or program enrollment is not necessary for a child to attend the vacation camp. For more information or to obtain a registration form, call 445-2360 or visit www.jccsyr.org.
Thank you for your trust and loyalty, Since 1934
NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA
Second victim dies of injuries from Jerusalem light rail attack
A woman critically injured in a terror attack in Jerusalem on Oct. 22 has died of her injuries. The 22-yearold tourist from Ecuador died on Oct. 26 at Hadassah Medical Center, four days after a Palestinian man drove his car into a light rail station near Ammunition Hill, in northern Jerusalem, as passengers were disembarking. Her death brings the death toll in the Oct. 22 deadly car attack to two. The first casualty was a 3-month-old American citizen, Chaya Zissel Braun. At least six others were injured in the attack. The driver was shot by police as he attempted to flee the scene and died later in Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The driver, Abdelrahman Al-Shaludi, a Palestinian resident of the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, was scheduled to be buried on Oct. 26, after delays due to Palestinian rioting throughout eastern Jerusalem.
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ OCTOBER 30, 2014/6 CHESHVAN 5775
Lurie
Continued from page 3
A: Initially, I was trying to gather as much information as possible. But when you mentioned that the best history is personal history, that gave me a real focus, a real way to tell the story. That centered me a great deal. “The Road to Yesterday” was a sketch that gave me a way to tell the story. Those two events were very important in shaping the material. Q: You shot at least 60 hours of video during two years of production. During that process, were there moments that you knew would be in the final version of the documentary? A: I knew right away that what Rabbi [Charles] Sherman said at the end about remembrance was going to be in the piece. That was very profound. The whole sequence of Shush [Koldin Martin] and Bucky [Koldin] watching the 1930s Maccabiad, talking about what it was like when they were growing up, and how they were poor and all those beautiful pictures of them as children; Alan Rosenbloom and the story of his grandfather Max Rosenbloom sticking up for African-American people to use Thornden Park, that it should be open to all people; Mel Besdin’s story about asking his grandmother for a quarter to go to the movies; Jane Elkin [talking] about the woman leaning over the balcony on Yom Kippur, and the story about the gossips in her neighborhood. Those were
definitely going to go in. When Irving Wagner was reading his stories, every one of them was a winner. I thought, “How am I ever going to be able to choose?” Shooting the video of Mike Moss and the cemeteries was just wonderful. It was a crisp, beautiful sunny October day, the height of autumn. I met him at Woodlawn, and I mentioned that I wanted to go to the Rosenbloom Cemetery, and he said let’s go over there, and that was a great deal of fun. Also when I went with him and shot the [Solomon] Rosenbloom portraits down in the basement of Concord. In the basement there it is still like 1918. That felt like excavating some historical treasure that had been buried for years and years. Q: Were there images or items that you wanted to include but were not available? A: I was concerned about how to portray the German Jews from the early 1800s because there were no images from that era. When I found Irving Mink [an artist in Buffalo], who had done original paintings, that brought a nice element to it. It also helped to bring in material that wasn’t locally well-known. Q: Was the writing and editing process different for “Stories” than your other productions? A: Normally, I write a little bit and then change something. But in writing and editing this, my creative acuity was really
At the May 22 showing of “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community” at the Library of Congress, Syracuse community members and filmmakers posed in front of the statue of James Madison at the Madison Building. L-r: Jay M. Lurie, Julia Lawitts Wolhandler, Gail Medjuck Loonin, Hedda Silverman, Robin A. Meltzer, Elaine L. Meltzer and Sherine Medjuck Levine. (Photo by Barrie Miller) heightened. I was able to get to the crux of what it was about very quickly. In editing, I was connecting the dots. It seemed like everything was just how it was supposed to be. I felt like all the fates were with me on this. Everyone was represented. All the congregations had their stories told. Talk about timing – to see Ner Tamid packing up, it was just by chance that the shul had just closed. The Judaic Heritage Center material that was at Menorah Park was taken to the Onondaga Historical Association within a week of when I was there. Q: The Library of Congress showed “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community” in Washington, DC, on May 22 as a part of official programming for Jewish American Heritage Month. What was that like for you? A: What an honor! There were people there from Syracuse who really knew the subject. You could see them reacting and their enthusiasm. The other people liked it too. Even though it wasn’t their community, they were really enthusiastic about it. That is a good gauge for interest.
This is an American story. Q: The Oaks and Menorah Park hosted preview screenings in June for those interviewed in “Stories.” What was it like watching people watch themselves? A: It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was humbling and very, very gratifying. I watched Alex Holstein reacting to his grandfather’s story; Carol Rothschild leaning forward in her chair; Jill Metz and her mother [Burnis Metz] reacting to when her father and husband’s picture came up. To see Joe Brown smile like that, that will resonate forever. What really touched me was when I was calling people to tell them there was a screening. Some were so surprised to hear from me. Marion Rifkin said she had been interviewed before, that “people usually come interview us and then they forget about us. We don’t see or hear anything.” This time they are not forgotten. I hope that the legacy of “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community” is that people will remember those who came before them, that they will not be forgotten.
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A photo of the corner of Harrison and South McBride streets was selected by the Library of Congress for use in the publicity materials for the May 22 screening of “Stories from the Syracuse Jewish Community” as part of Jewish American Heritage Month. Front: Francine Miller. Second row (l-r): Elaine Savatsky and Donald “Sonny” Abramsky. Back row. Audrey Miller and Marlene Abramsky. (Photo courtesy of Marlene Holstein)
NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA
Nominations open for NBN Bonei Zion Prize for outstanding immigrants
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Nominations have opened for a prize recognizing Israel’s outstanding immigrants from English-speaking countries. The Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize was established by the aliyah organization to recognize “outstanding Anglo olim – veteran and recent – who embody the spirit of modern-day Zionism by significantly contributing to developing the state of Israel,” according to Nefesh B’Nefesh. A panel of committee members will award $10,000 prizes in six categories: Science and Medicine; Education; Community and Non-Profit; Young Leadership in the IDF and National Service; Entrepreneurship and Technology; and in Arts, Culture and Sports. Nominations for the prize will be accepted through Dec. 15. Winners will be announced on Feb. 25, 2015.