9 TEVET 5774 • DECEMBER 12, 2013 • VOLUME XXXVII, NUMBER 24 • 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; aid study or pilot projects; or provide for 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. Collabora-
tion between agencies, synagogues and organizations is “strongly urged,” but not required. There will be 11 grants available for a total of $60,000: 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 Friday, January 10. The Allocations Committee headed by Ellen Weinstein and Cheryl Schotz will review the applications and make recommendations to the Federation board.
Jewish Federations organize emergency response to Typhoon Haiyan The Jewish Federations of North America are mobilizing a communal response to Typhoon Haiyan, which has wrought widespread destruction in the Philippines. JFNA has opened a mailbox for Federations to support relief efforts by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which is raising funds for relief efforts. JDC is consulting with local officials, the Filipino Jewish community and global partners to assess the evolving situation on the ground in the Philippines. More
than 10,000 people are feared dead, with reports of ocean surges as high as trees. The central city of Tacloban on the island of Leyte is among the worst hit on the Pacific nation. The Federation-supported JDC has led relief efforts for previous storms in the Philippines, and helped support the local Jewish community in a nation that sheltered 1,000 European Jews fleeing the Nazis during World War II. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the
Filipino people suffering from this terrible storm’s unimaginable destruction,” said Cheryl Fishbein, chair of JFNA’s Emergency Committee. The JFNA Emergency Committee is coordinating the Federation response with JDC and its global disaster relief partners. Donations can be made on the Jewish Federation of Central New York’s website, www.jewishfederationcny.org, or mailed to JFCNY, 5655 Thompson Rd., Syracuse, NY 13214, with “Typhoon Haiyan Relief
Fund” in the memo line. Jewish Federations have supported the Jewish communal response to disasters around the world and at home, raising tens of millions of dollars for emergency assistance and longer-term aid. Most recently, Federations supported the national response to severe flooding in Colorado. In recent years, Federations responded to tsunamis in Japan and southeast Asia, the Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast.
Syracuse Rabbinic Council After a nearly four-year hiatus, the Syracuse Rabbinic Council met recently to elect new leadership and return to a higher profile in the Syracuse Jewish community. At the meeting, attended by Rabbis Irv Beigel, Daniel Fellman, Daniel Jezer, Andrew Pepperstone and Evan
Shore, all present agreed that the local Jewish community is strengthened when the rabbis join together. After electing Fellman as the new chair, all agreed to continue meeting every other month in the coming year. The rabbis also discussed ways for
the synagogues to work together. One area of need they noted involves Hillel at Syracuse University. The prayer books used by students are old and out-of-date. Most students who attend services do not recognize the prayer books, since their home congregations have adopted newer
versions. Accordingly, the rabbis agreed to begin raising funds to purchase new Orthodox, Conservative and Reform prayer books for Hillel. Anyone who would like to contribute toward this effort should contact Fellman at Temple Concord, at 475-9952.
“Lost” Indian Jews coming to Israel By Ben Sales SDEROT, Israel (JTA) – A Kassam rocket had just landed across the street, but it couldn’t wipe the smile off David Lhundgim’s face as he entered his apartment in this embattled town near the Gaza border. Born in the rural provinces of northeast India, Lhundgim had lived in Sderot since
Jewish immigrants of the Bnei Menashe arrived at Ben Gurion airport in Israel on December 24, 2012. (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
he moved to Israel in 2007, and by at least one measure he seemed to be well-adjusted: Lhundgim didn’t flinch when he heard bombs explode outside. For him, immigration to Israel was the fulfillment of a biblical promise; explosions were but a minor nuisance. “After 2,000 years in exile, we would have lost our community,” Lhundgim said in an interview last year. “All of our lives were about how to move to Israel and keep the commandments.” It’s not hard to understand why Lhundgim sees his life story as one of biblical prophecy fulfilled. Until age 24, he lived in a remote corner of northeast India in a community that believes itself to be descended from the ancient Israelite tribe of Menashe. Ritual similarities to Judaism – such as an animal sacrifice around Passover time – strengthened those beliefs. Today, Lhundgim is among some 2,000 Bnei Menashe that live in Israel; another 7,000 are in the pipeline waiting to immigrate. The Israeli government recently gave approval for 899 more Bnei Menashe to come. The community has been permitted to move en masse despite having once prac-
ticed rituals with only glancing similarity to Judaism and claims of ancient Jewish ancestry that some politicians and experts find dubious. “This is a bluff,” said Avraham Poraz, a former Israeli interior minister who temporarily halted Bnei Menashe immigration a decade ago. “They don’t have any connection to Judaism.” The Bnei Menashe are hardly the first group to make claims of ancient Jewish ancestry in a bid to gain Israeli citizenship. The Falash Mura, Ethiopians who claimed to be descendants of Jews who converted to Christianity more than a century ago, were brought to Israel starting in the early 2000s. But unlike the Falash Mura, whose immigration, absorption and conversion to Judaism was largely organized and funded by the government and the Jewish Agency,
the Bnei Menashe’s immigration has been wholly organized and financed by a private organization – Shavei Israel, a nonprofit that aims to bring groups with Jewish ancestry to Israel and reconnect them to Judaism. Shavei founder Michael Freund, a conservative columnist and former aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is almost singlehandedly responsible for bringing the Bnei Menashe to Israel. His organization has provided them with a Jewish education in India, taught them Orthodox Judaism in preparation for conversion and brought them to Israel – all on Shavei’s dollar. Founded in 2004, Shavei now works with groups of claimed Jewish descent in Europe, South America and China. Permanent Shavei emissaries are stationed in See “Indian” on page 10
C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A December 13............4:12 pm.............................................................. Parasha-Vayichi December 20............4:14 pm.............................................................. Parasha-Shemot December 27............4:18 pm................................................................. Parasha-Vaera January 3..................4:24 pm...................................................................... Parasha-Bo January 10................4:31 pm..........................................................Parasha-Beshalach
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Congregational notes
Holocaust survivors
Gomez Mill House
Joint Shabbat services, trips, Holocaust survivors in Israel The oldest Jewish site in North dinners and classes are being struggle to meet daily needs and America is gearing up for its 300th offered by area congregations. say the gov’t needs to help more. anniversary celebration. Stories on page 4 Story on page 7 Story on page 8
PLUS Health Care................................. 9 Calendar Highlights................10 B’nai Mitzvah............................10 Obituaries.................................. 11