3 NISAN 5774 • APRIL 3, 2014 • VOLUME XXXVIII, NUMBER 7 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY
Yom Hashoah community observance
Planning Committee have been meeting for several months and include Linda Alexander, Michael Balanoff, Cantor Francine Berg, Hanita Blair, Sara Charney, Linda Cohen, Barbara Davis, Susan DeMari, Marci Erlebacher, Bruce Fein, Vicki Feldman, Joel Friedman, Alan Goldberg, Judith Huober, Susan Jacobs, Victoria Kohl, Myrna Koldin, H. Richard Levy, Ilene Mendel, Coe-Rapoport, Brian Small, Judith Stander, Marcy Waldauer, Cheryl Wolfe and Shalinda Young. A subcommittee made up of Levy, Cohen and Alexander has prepared performance materials for the Kindertransport component of the program. There will be free parking at the TAY lot, 450 Kimber Rd., and the building is handicap accessible. There will be a reception hosted by the synagogue immediately following the program.
Jewish Federation Campaign thank you event April 9
Federation President/CEO Linda Alexander said, “The snowstorm forced us to cancel our event originally scheduled in March, but Rabbi Alper was happy to reschedule. Come out and enjoy some laughter with us on April 9.”
Our goal is 2014 donors in 2014!
To date, we have 1,509 donors. Federation's 2014 Campaign now stands at $709,088.
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By Marianne Bazydlo The Jewish Federation of Central New York will bring stand-up comic Rabbi Robert Alper to Syracuse on Wednesday, April 9, at Temple Concord as a thank you event for donors to the 2014 Annual Campaign. The event Rabbi Robert will begin with a Alper kosher wine tasting at 6 pm, followed by Alper’s performance at 7 pm. The event will be open to all donors who made a minimum gift of $18 to the 2014 Annual Campaign. Due to sponsorship from Berkshire Bank, there will be no fee to attend. Free parking will be available at Temple Concord and in area lots. Alper has appeared at the Hollywood Improv, on Comedy Central, “Good Morning America” and Showtime, and in London theaters. For more information, to reserve seats or to make a Campaign 2014 pledge, contact Marianne Bazydlo at 445-2040, ext. 102, or mbazydlo@jewishfederationcny.org. Reservations will be held at the door.
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Wishing the community a joyous Passover!
light a Holocaust memorial candle before they take their seats. The names inscribed in the Federation’s Book of Remembrance will be read aloud by students from the Rabbi Jacob Epstein High School of Jewish Studies to help assure that those names will be remembered. The students will be under the direction of School Director Cantor Paula Pepperstone. As part of the program, the entire audience will join together to recite the Yom Hashoah Kaddish prayer in remembrance of all who died. The Syracuse Hebrew Day School choir will lead the audience at the beginning of the program in singing “The Star Spangled Banner” and at the closing of the program with the singing of “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem. The members of this year’s Yom Hashoah
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The Safe Haven Emergency Rescue Shelter at Fort Ontario in Oswego officially saved almost 1,000 refugees from Europe during World War II. Fort Ontario is recognized as the only domestic rescue project sanctioned by the American government during World War II. This year, Save Haven will host the 70th reunion, which will coincide with the 2014 Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance “Ride to Remember” event. The JMA is an umbrella organization consisting of 44 clubs worldwide with more than 8,000 members. Each year, a site is chosen by the JMA for its annual Ride to Remember to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and to raise money for organizations that support and promote Holocaust education and awareness. The movie “Safe Haven” will be introduced by Safe Haven Executive Director Judy Coe-Rapoport at 3 pm in the TAY ballroom. At 4 pm, the memorial observance will continue in the sanctuary with a program highlighting the experiences of the children rescued by the Kindertransport. All participants will be encouraged to
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By Judith Stander The Jewish Federation of Central New York will convene this year’s Yom Hashoah community memorial observance on Sunday, April 27, at 3 pm, at Temple Adath Yeshurun. The program will be free and open to the community. April 27 is the date set aside in 2014 by the United States Congress to honor the memory of those killed during the Holocaust of World War II. This includes more than six million Jews, along with five million additional victims, including Poles, Roma (Gypsies), Muslims, Soviet POWs, Afro-Germans, political dissidents, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Slavs and Asians. In keeping with this year’s theme of “Rescue,” the program will recognize the 75 th anniversary of the last of the Kindertransport trips that rescued between 9,000-10,000 Jewish children and delivered them safely to Great Britain. Most of these boys and girls never saw their parents again. A major portion of this year’s program will reflect on this example of people helping others in danger.
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The 2014 Campaign is underway! To make your pledge, contact Marianne at 445-2040 ext. 102 or mbazydlo@jewishfederationCNY.org.
C A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A April 4.......................7:15 pm.............................................................Parasha-Metzora April 11.....................7:24 pm..................................................... Parasha-Acharai-Mot April 14.....................7:27 pm..................................................................Erev Passover April 15.....................after 8:30 pm..................................................................Passover April 18.....................7:32 pm............................................................ Parasha-Passover April 20.....................7:34 pm...........................................................................Passover April 21.....................after 8: 38 pm.................................................................Passover
INSIDE THIS ISSUE TAY honors Molina
Passover
Jewish-Bedouin oasis
Actor and activist Joshua Malina Passover seders and celebrations Wadi Attir in Israel’s Negev is being has been named TAY’s national around town; recipes; the meaning developed through a collaboration citizen of of the year. of Jerusalem; kids’ books; more. of Jews and Bedouins. Story on page 3 Stories on pages 4, 7-9, 12, 18 Story on page 14
PLUS Personal Greetings.................8-9 Pets............................................. 17 Calendar Highlights................18 Obituaries..................................19
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a matter of opinion American Studies Association Council resolution on boycott of Israeli academic institutions Editor’s note: The American Studies Association Council passed a resolution on December 4 to boycott Israeli academic institutions. Recent bills introduced in the New York, Maryland, Illinois, Florida and Kansas state legislatures, as well as in the United States Congress, call for measures to punish academic groups that support the association’s boycott of Israel by threatening the funding of institutions with which they are associated. In response to the ASA Council resolution, Central New York institutions have issued their own response, two of which appear below. In addition to the two resolutions below, other Central New York colleges and universities have ascribed to the same policy. Three of the United States’ highereducation organizations – the American Association of University Professors, the American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities – also denounced the boycott. To read the full ASA resolution, visit www.theasa.net/
american_studies_association_resolution_ on_academic_boycott_of_israel, as well as the http://israelactionnetwork.org/hot/asaacademic-boycott-israel/. LeMoyne College Statement on Israeli-Palestinian Boycott – February 2014 In recent action by the membership of the American Studies Association, a resolution was passed to endorse a Palestinian boycott of Israeli academic institutions. On behalf of Le Moyne College, I join other leaders of American higher education associations and institutions in opposing this boycott. As an institution of higher education dedicated to academic freedom, Le Moyne College’s mission is not only to educate and inform but also to foster the examination of divergent ideas, perspectives and opinions. I respect the right of individual faculty members to follow their beliefs. However, as a Jesuit institution committed to the pursuit of knowledge, peace and justice, we can-
not be supportive of a boycott that is contradictory to the very principles upon which we were founded. Sincerely, Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D. President Syracuse University Statement from Interim Chancellor and Provost Eric F. Spina Regarding Boycotts of Israeli Academic Institutions – January 7, 2014 “In light of the resolution by the American Studies Association and other groups to boycott Israeli academic institutions, I have received numerous communications from members of the SU extended community inquiring about the University’s position on the boycott, despite the fact that we are not an institutional member of the ASA. “I understand from recent on-campus conversations that not all members of our community are in agreement on this matter, and out of respect for the differences that exist, and consistent with the concept of
academic freedom, I support the right of individual faculty members and others to express their thoughts and opinions on both sides of this issue. “At an institutional level, however, Syracuse University does not support the boycott of Israeli academic institutions. I believe that such a boycott is fundamentally counter to the free and open exchange of knowledge, ideas and perspectives, which is the cornerstone upon which, ultimately, common understanding will be reached and peaceful progress will be made in the Middle East. It is clear that scholars and academic institutions on all sides, in all countries and territories, and of all viewpoints are central to this discussion and debate, and we hope that all will be welcomed and encouraged to engage in this dialogue. I encourage continued discussion and debate at Syracuse University around the important and complex issues concerning peace, security and justice for all individuals in the Middle East.”
a matter of opinion A Jewish approach to the “differently abled” By Sid Schwarz (JTA) – Increasing numbers of Jewish institutions are starting to pay attention to the disabled in our midst. As with so many categories of Jewish teaching, the traditional Jewish approach to disability is a mixed bag. Several categories of the disabled, like the cheraysh (deafmute) and the shoteh (mentally deficient and/or insane) are neither obligated by the body of mitzvot (Jewish commandments) nor qualified to serve as witnesses in legal proceedings, essentially being placed in the same category as minors. The blind are obligated by the mitzvot, but are not allowed to offer testimony in a trial. In other places in our tradition, a disability or a disease is seen as a punishment from God for bad behavior. Leprosy is the punishment for tale-bearing. Similarly, in the Talmud (Taanit 21a) a story is told of Nahum Ish Gam Zu, who had no hands, no feet and was blind in both eyes. These disabilities were not birth defects, but were rather divine punishment inflicted on Nahum at his own request because he felt guilty for not being quick enough to feed a beggar who ended up dying. A third way that the Jewish tradition discusses disability is essentially used as a theological trump card. It is a way of saying that God’s agency in the world is far more significant than human agency. Thus despite the fact the Moses is said to be “slow of speech,” possibly a person with a speech impediment,
he nonetheless offers the most important words in the biblical story. The rabbinic commentators use this to make the point that Moses is simply an agent for God, serving as God’s spokesman in the earthly realm. None of the above three Judaic treatments of disability are particularly sensitive by 21st-century standards. I also fear what a disabled person, one who takes Judaism very seriously, concludes from such treatment in our sacred texts. From a theological perspective, I am far more comfortable with the theology implicit in Rabbi Harold Kushner’s “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” than I am with theological assumptions of the biblical and rabbinic texts. For Kushner, God does not cause disability, orchestrate natural disasters or punish human transgression with disease. Rather, God is the source of comfort to whom we turn when trying to cope with such setbacks. God is a source of healing, not of affliction. Many parts of classical Judaism are products of the thinking of earlier generations that may not fully reflect the most enlightened understanding of our time. Yet there is one insight on the issue of disability where Judaism was not only centuries ahead of its time, but where the insight is still well beyond the way most of us behave in the realm of disabilities. The Jewish tradition prescribes a blessing upon meeting different kinds of people: a
letters to the editor Chabad thanked for Purim visits To the Editor: Purim is arguably the most joyous celebration of the Jewish year, but how joyous can it be for someone spending the day as a patient in the hospital, disconnected from synagogue and community? As a Jewish chaplain, I know how important it is to provide opportunities for hospital patients to participate in religious occasions that have been a part of their lives. On behalf of Jewish patients at Crouse Hospital and Upstate University Hos-
correction
pital, I thank Rabbi Yaakov Rapoport, director of Chabad Lubavitch of Central New York, for arranging to have Rabbi Sholom Kopel and Yoel Horowitz accompany me on my Purim rounds at these hospitals. Patients who heard them read the megillah (Scroll of Esther) appreciated their efforts. Rabbi Irvin S. Beigel Rabbi Irvin S. Beigel is the Jewish chaplain at Crouse Hospital and associate chaplain at Upstate University Hospital.
In the article on page 2 in the March 20 Jewish Observer, the AJC Interreligious Affairs Mission to the Vatican, the AJC was misidentified as the American Jewish Congress. It is actually the American Jewish Committee. For more information on the organization, visit www.ajc.org. The Jewish Observer apologizes for the error and any confusion it might have caused.
king, a wise person, a Torah scholar. The prayer prescribed upon meeting a person who is disabled or who suffers from a deformity is: “Praised are You, Creator of the Universe, who makes people different, one from the other.” Amazing! The insight inherent in this bracha is that no two people are alike, that each of us is “differently abled.” One person can play piano; another might be skilled at computers; another can fix a toilet. A young man who was a member of my first congregation had Down’s Syndrome. Every week when he greeted me at synagogue, he offered me the most wonderful smile and the biggest hug that any person has ever given me. I came to look forward to Ben’s expression of unqualified love that was not the least bit calculated or contrived. It was his gift. I suspect that our discomfort with people with disabilities may have something to do
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with our fear of being in that situation ourselves one day. One might imagine that it would make us more compassionate. But denial may be an even more powerful emotion that we trigger when confronted with a circumstance that we are not prepared to confront. If we take to heart the Jewish teaching about every person made in the image of God and recall that one person is no better or worse than the other, simply “differently abled,” we might be better able to open up our hearts and our institutions to a wider swath of humanity. We’d all be better for it. Rabbi Sid Schwarz is a senior fellow at Clal and director of the Rene Cassin Fellowship Program for young adults on human rights and Judaism. He is the author of “Jewish Megatrends: Charting the Course of the American Jewish Community” (Jewish Lights, 2013) 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: local $20/yr.; out-of-town $30/yr.; student $10/yr. 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 Yom Hashoah essay and art competition entries due soon By Judith Stander The Jewish Federation of Central New York is soliciting entries for the 2014 Yom Hashoah essay contest and art competition from middle and high school students, as well as adults. The deadline for entries in both categories is noon on Friday, April 11. Anything submitted after this date cannot be considered. The theme for this year’s Yom Hashoah competition is “Rescue.” This year’s Yom Hashoah Memorial Observance program will recognize the 75th anniversary of the last Kindertransport rescue from Europe and the 70th anniversary of the Safe Haven Project in Fort Ontario in Oswego. Contest entrants should write an essay or short story about the factual or fictional experience of an individual or
family affected by the Holocaust, with a timeline reflecting the period before World War II began, the war years or the years immediately after the war, covering a span from approximately 1937-45. While fiction can be used, participants should try to be as factually accurate as possible. Organizers feel that “remembrance obligates people to not only memorialize those who were killed, but also to reflect on what could have been done to save them.” Those who survived have said that, as many faced death, their last words were, “Remember us. Tell our story.” Survivors have promised that they would remember and that “the world would never again stand silent or look the other way.” Cash prizes of $50 will be awarded to first place winners in each section, and the second place winners in each section
will receive $25. In the art competition, there will be one first place prize of $50 and one second place prize of $25. Sponsors of this year’s awards include the Berg family, Birnbaum Funeral Service, Hillel at Syracuse University and the Jewish War Veterans Post #131. Essays should be no more than 500 words, plus a cover sheet with contact information. Art pieces should be under 10 pounds and generally no bigger than 36 inches by 48 inches. Essays can be sent electronically to Judith Stander at jstander@jewishfederationcny.org or hand-delivered or mailed to Judith Stander, Jewish Federation of Central New York, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt, NY 13214. Art pieces must be hand-delivered. To receive a copy of the guidelines for each contest, contact Stander at 445-0161, ext. 114, or jstander@jewishfederationcny.org.
Temple Adath Yeshurun Citizen of the Year dinner for national honoree Joshua Malina who know him as a mensch.” by Barbara S. Simon Malina is best known for portraying Will Temple Adath Yeshurun will honor Joshua Bailey on the NBC drama “The West Wing,” Malina, American film, stage and television acJeremy Goodwin on “Sports Night” and, most tor and producer, as the national honoree at the recently, David Rosen on the ABC drama “Scan23rd Citizen of the Year dinner on Thursday, dal.” Chaim Jaffe, TAY past president and dinMay 8. The cocktail reception will begin at 5:30 ner committee member, will present the award pm, with the dinner following at 6:30 pm. Local to Malina, who is his childhood schoolmate. honorees include Mary Ellen Bloodgood, CEO Both men graduated from the Westchester Day of Menorah Park; Robert J. Daino, president School, a modern Orthodox yeshiva. Malina and CEO of WCNY-TV/FM; Virginia Donohue, went on to study theater and graduate from Yale Josh Malina executive director of On Point for College; and University with a bachelor’s in theater studies. Carrie Lazarus, award-winning anchor and reHe made his professional acting debut in the Broadway porter for NewsChannel 9, WSYR. Dinner Chair Andrea Knoller said, “The synagogue production of Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men.” His honors individuals from the community and nation who film credits include “The American President,” “In the embody the values of good citizenship and community Line of Fire” and “Bulworth.” He has been active in Jewish affairs for many years. spirit. Our national and local honorees all exemplify how He appeared in the Jewish Federation of North America’s the community is strengthened by their dedication and “Live Generously” campaign, and starred in a video aimed vision. This year we’re particularly fortunate that our national honoree not only brings Hollywood glamour, at Jewish high school students to prepare them for the posbut is a practicing, committed Jew, described by those sibility that they will face an anti-Israel climate on college
JCC Israeli art show By Douglas Hornbacker An Israeli art show will return to the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center on Sunday, May 4, from 10 am-5 pm; Monday, May 5, from 10 am-6 pm; and Tuesday, May 6, from noon-8 pm. A traditional event for the Syracuse Jewish community, this year’s show will be held in conjunction with the communitywide Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration. The Israeli art show will begin this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration and conclude on May 6, the same day as the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration. This year’s art show participants are Moshe Bar Kocva, Kathy Bareket, Michal Downie and Hanna Anbar. Bar Kocva’s creations have been described as “one-ofa-kind designs, ranging from simple and minimal to dramatic,” and are available at different prices. The art show will feature his collection of jewelry and Judaica, crafted of silver, gold and titanium, as well as ancient Roman glass,
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moonstone, opal, amber and mother-of-pearl. He also represents the work of 45 Israelis, including some of Israel’s most prominent artists, featuring original paintings and serigraphs, tallitot, kippot and challah covers, as well as glass, wood, precious metal, iron, stone and clay Judaica pieces. The goal of Bareket, the founder of Sabra Originals, is to introduce the jewelry of young Israeli artists that combines the ancient history of Israel with modern designs. Among the artists she represents are Adaya, Michal Golan and Muchal Negrin. Local artists Downie, a longtime jewelry designer, and Anbar will display their lines of jewelry, stones and beads from Israel. A free Israeli dinner will be served on May 6, from 6-8 pm, during the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration. The program will include children’s activities, a presentation of Israeli innovations, a community adult and teenage chorus and an Israeli wine tasting.
campuses. Malina has been a supporter of such charities as MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and Bet Tzedek, a pro bono law firm in Los Angeles. In the last few years, he has spoken at dozens of Federations and Hillels across the country. When asked what Jewish value he would like to pass on to his children, he responded, “Judaism is a religion of action and deeds. So I think my choice would be tikkun olam – that we are all responsible for healing the world and leaving it a little bit of a better place than we found it.”
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congregational notes Temple Adath Yeshurun USY chocolate seder TheTemple Adath Yeshurun chapter of United Synagogue Youth will hold a chocolate seder on Sunday, April 6, from 2-4 pm. The seder will be geared toward teenagers. Any Jewish teenager has been invited to attend the program. For more information, contact Alicia Gross at alicia@adath.org or Esa Jaffe at ejaffe@ adath.org. Torah Tots Model Seder Temple Adath Yeshurun’s Torah Tots program will prepare for Passover with the annual model seder on Sunday, April 13, from 10:30-11:30 am. The story of Passover will be presented in an interactive, musical seder. Children under the age of 5 are welcome to attend with their parents. For more information, contact Alicia C. Gross at alicia@ adath.org or call 445-0002.
Hazak The Temple Adath Yeshurun chapter of Hazak has planned a trip to Bully Hill Vineyards on Keuka Lake on Wednesday, May 14, leaving TAY at 8:30 am. Participants will have lunch, a winery tour and tastings, and a visit to the museum and gift shop. There will also be a stop along Seneca Lake, returning to Syracuse by early evening. There will be a cost for the trip, with TAY Hazak members receiving a special rate. The Anne and Edward Sherman Jewish Family Life Enrichment Fund will pay for the cost of the bus, as will profits from the sale of SaveAround books, which will be sold again later this summer. Paid reservations are due by Thursday, April 10. New members are always welcome to join. For more information, e-mail hazak@adath.org, call JoAnn Grower at 463-9762 or Joanne Greenhouse at 446-3592.
Joan Siegel gave a “Perk Up Your Passover” demonstration sponsored by the Temple Adath Yeshurun Sisterhood. Participants included (l-r) Jon Borsky, Steve Meltzer, Elaine Meltzer, Ruth Borsky, Norene Lavine, Rena Cantor and Debbie Schulman. Not pictured: Maxine Molloy. (Photo by Carolyn Weinberg)
Syracuse Rabbinic Council
Temple Concord Community seder The community has been invited to the Temple Concord Passover seder on Monday April 14, at 6 pm. Rabbi Daniel Fellman will lead the congregation and guests in a traditional seder that includes some non-traditional elements, including a re-enactment of the Ten Plagues, which will be showered on the gathering from the temple’s social hall balcony. There will be a fee to attend. For more information, or to make a reservation by Monday, April 7, contact the TC office at 475-9952 or office@templeconcord.org. Adult learning Temple Concord will present a workshop on Sunday, April 6, at 10 am, by investigator Randy Andrews, “Social Media and Internet Safety – What Every Parent Needs To Know,” as part of the “Navigating Your 21st Century Family” series. Organizers feel the topic is “very important for parents.” The series of parenting workshops is made possible through a grant from the Jewish Federation of Central New York and collaboration among Temple Concord, Syracuse Hebrew Day School and the Jewish Community Center. Extra parking will be available. Blood drive Temple Concord’s Blood Drive Coordinator Mark Kotzin announced that a spring blood drive has been scheduled for Sunday, April 13, from 9 am-1:45 pm, in the synagogue’s social hall. He said, “The Red Cross was so pleased with the results of our last three drives that they requested we add a spring drive to help meet the increased demand for blood donors. We are happy to do our part to increase the blood supply levels for our community.” The blood drive is open to the community. Donors do not need a specific reason to donate blood. Some of the regular donors give blood because they were asked. Others know of a family member or friend who may need blood, while still others believe it is the right thing to do. Appointments will be available every 15 minutes, from 9 am-1:45 pm. People of all blood types can donate either whole blood or double red cells. Donors should plan on about an hour for the whole donation process, which includes pre-screening and the actual donation time.
To schedule a donation time or for more information, contact Kozin at 288-0773 or concordvampire@verizon.net. Cinemagogue presents “Let My People Go!” By Lasse Loeber Jepsen As part of the Cinemagogue film series, Temple Concord will show the romantic comedy and Jewish family drama “Let My People Go!” on Saturday, April 19, at 7 pm. The prize-winning film follows the daydreams of Reuben, a French-Jewish gay mailman living in Finland with his Nordic boyfriend. Immediately before Passover, the heartbroken Reuben goes back to Paris after a series of mishaps and a lovers’ quarrel. “Let My People Go!” is directed by award-winning Frenchman Michael Buch, and examines Jewish and gay stereotypes. Admission will be free and open to the public, but donations will be welcome. For more details, contact the TC office at 475-9952 or e-mail office@templeconcord. org. Preparing for Passover Temple Concord will offer an “Out of Egypt” family Shabbaton on Saturday, April 12, from 12:15-2:30 pm. Participants will make and taste charoset recipes from around the world. There will also be an opportunity to make decorations for participants’ seder tables. The program will begin with a light lunch following Shabbat morning services, which start at 11 am. The program will be open to family members of all ages. There will be a small fee to help cover the costs. To make a reservation or for more information, call 475-9952 by Wednesday, April 9. The high school youth group TYCon will hold its second annual chocolate seder on Sunday, April 6, at 1 pm. Following the order of a traditional seder, everything is made with chocolate – including the seder plate. Chocolate milk will replace the four glasses of wine, and the dipping will be done with strawberries and chocolate sauce. The event has been considered “an enjoyable way” for participants to practice and learn the 15 steps of the seder. The program will be open to students in eighth-12th grade. To participate, e-mail Stephanie Marshall at dcl@templeconcord.org. See “TC” on page 6
The Syracuse Rabbinic Council has been meeting regularly to discuss issues of interest to the local Jewish community. L-r: Temple Concord Rabbi Daniel Fellman; Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Rabbi Emeritus Daniel Jezer; CBS-CS Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone; Rabbi Irvin Beigel, the Jewish chaplain at Crouse Hospital, Hutchings Psychiatric Center and Loretto; and associate chaplain at Upstate University Hospital and Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse Rabbi Evan Shore. Not pictured: Temple Adath Yeshurun Rabbi Charles Sherman. The council encouraged LeMoyne President Fred Pestello to release a statement opposing the American Studies Association Council resolution for the boycott of Israeli academic institutions. (See page 2.)
Saxophonist Joe Carello played a solo during the Symphoria performance at Temple Concord on March 8 as part of the Regina F. Goldenberg Music and Cultural Series.
Temple Concord will hold an annual congregation seder open to the community on Monday, April 14. For more information, contact the TC office at 475-9952 or office@ templeconcord.org.
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“The Gatekeepers” “The Story of Central New York’s Jews” film screening and special program on April 6 at WCNY discussion
A presentation of the film “The Gatekeepers,” an internationally acclaimed 2013 Academy Award nominee for best documentary, will be held on Thursday, April 10, at 7 pm, at LeMoyne College in the Science Center, room 100. There will be parking on site. “The Gatekeepers” presents an exclusive account of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service, as told by the six surviving former heads of the agency. Mark Field will moderate a discussion following the screening and light refreshments will be served. The event will be sponsored by Le Moyne College, Syracuse Area Middle East Dialogue Group, InterFaith Works of Central New York and the Jewish Federation of Central New York.
By Haley Dubnoff WCNY, Central New York’s public broadcasting company, will present “The Story of Central New York’s Jews” on Sunday, April 6, at 2 pm, at WCNY’s broadcast and education center at 415 W. Fayette St., Syracuse. The event will be in conjunction with the national PBS program “The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama,” which was broadcast on March 25 and April 1 on WCNY. The free program, which will be open to the public, will feature Syracuse residents and authors Barbara Sheklin Davis and Susan B. Rabin, who will discuss the history of Syracuse’s Jewish community. Herbert Alpert will discuss his experiences in Syracuse’s 15th Ward; Judy Coe Rapaport will discuss America’s only World War II refugee camp in Oswego; and Elfi Hendell, an 81-year-old refugee who
escaped the Holocaust, will speak about her experience in the Oswego camp. Copies of Davis and Rabin’s book, “Jewish Community of Syracuse,” and a memory book published by the Safe Haven Museum, will be available for purchase and signing. Debbie Stack, WCNY director of education and community engagement, said, “The history of the Jewish community is an important part of the Central New York landscape. The event is an opportunity to educate, create awareness and share stories, some of them untold, about the roots of the Jewish culture in this region.” To learn more about WCNY and the April 6 program, contact WCNY at 453-2424.
Valentino talk on causes and consequences of genocide Dr. Benjamin Valentino, associate professor of government and coordinator of the war and peace studies program at Dartmouth College, will present “The Causes and Consequences of Genocide,” a workshop for teachers, on Thursday, April 10, from 4-7 pm, at the Winnick Hillel Center for Student Life, 102 Walnut Pl., Syracuse. The workshop is free and open to the public. Valentino’s book, “Final Solutions: Mass Killing in the 20th Century,” received the Edgar S. Furniss Book Award for “exceptional contribution to national and international security.” In addition to his position at Dartmouth, Valentino is a Ganek Fellow at the United States Holocaust Memo-
rial Museum’s Committee on Conscience. As such, he chaired the committee’s 2011 seminar on designing and operating an early warning system for genocide and mass killing. The teacher workshop is part of the School of Education’s continuing education certificate program in Holocaust and genocide studies funded by Marilyn Ziering and the Ziering Family Foundation. Continuing education certificates will be provided for participants. Refreshments will be provided and parking is available in the university’s parking garage. Registration has been requested and can be
Benjamin Valentino
made online at www.teachingtheholocaust.org. Valentino will also speak on “Humble Humanitarianism: The Case for Non-Military Humanitarian Intervention” the same day at noon at Syracuse University. The talk is co-sponsored by the Regional Holocaust and Genocide Initiative, the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration at the Maxwell School, the Political Science Department and Sigma Iota Rho. For additional information, contact the program’s director, Professor Emeritus Alan D. Goldberg, at agoldbe1@twcny.rr.com.
Holocaust programming features Doris Bergen Noted Holocaust historian and educator Doris Bergen will appear in Syracuse on Saturday, April 29, for a university lecture and teacher workshop. Her university lecture, “Holocaust Survivors and Holocaust Scholars: Will there be a Conflict?” will examine the future of Holocaust education without survivors as witnesses. The lecture, which will be held at 11 am, at the Syracuse University Hall of Languages, in
Doris Bergen
room 500, is co-sponsored by the university’s Regional Holocaust and Genocide Initiative and the Department of History. The teacher workshop is part of the SU School of Education’s continuing education certificate in Holocaust and genocide studies, funded by Marilyn Ziering and the Ziering Family Foundation. During the workshop, Bergen will examine “Hierarchies of Suffering: Jews and Other Victims.” The workshop will be held
Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu April 7-11 Monday – pasta with meatballs Tuesday – hot corned beef sandwich Wednesday – short ribs Thursday – roast chicken, farfel stuffing Friday – beef flank steak April 14-18 Monday – closed for Passover Tuesday – closed for Passover Wednesday – closed for Passover Thursday – closed for Passover Friday – closed for Passover The Bobbi Epstein Lewis JCC Senior Adult Dining
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Program, catered by Tiffany’s Catering Company at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center, offers 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 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 or Larry Crinnin at 445-2360, ext. 104, or lpaul@jccsyr.org.
from 4-7 pm at the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life, 102 Walnut Pl. Bergen is the Chancellor Rose and Ray Wolfe Professor of Holocaust Studies in the department of history at the Centre for Jewish studies at the University of Toronto, and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She is the author of numerous articles and several books on the Holocaust, including “War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust,” which is in its second edition. Both the workshop and lecture will be free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided at the workshop and parking is available in the university’s parking garage. Workshop registration has been requested and can be made online at www.teachingtheholocaust.org. For additional information, contact the program’s director, Professor Emeritus Alan D. Goldberg, at agoldbe1@twcny.rr.com.
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Wishing peace, health and happiness to all this Passover The Faculty & Staff of the S.U. Jewish Studies Program
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ april 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774
Chief Russian rabbi slams Ukrainian Jews for criticizing Putin
By JTA staff (JTA) – Berel Lazar, a chief rabbi of Russia, criticized Ukrainian Jewish leaders for condemning Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. “The Jewish community should not be the one sending messages to President Barack Obama about his policy or to President [Vladimir] Putin or to any other leader,” Lazar said on March 24 during a joint interview with JTA and the Jewish Chronicle of London. “I think it’s the wrong attitude.”
Lazar, Chabad’s top figure in Russia, was responding to a question about a March 5 letter to the Russian president from the Association of Jewish Communities and Organizations of Ukraine, or Vaad, following the incursion of Russian troops into the Crimean peninsula. “Your policy of inciting separatism and crude pressure placed on Ukraine threatens us and all Ukrainian people,” the letter said. Lazar criticized the Ukrainians for involving themselves in issues that don’t directly concern the Jewish community. At
Mystery Bus
the same time, Lazar said he was concerned about antisemitism in Ukraine under its interim government, which was one of the reasons Putin gave as justification for the troop mobilization. Many Ukrainian Jews and several Ukrainian Jewish leaders supported the revolution that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych despite the role played in the uprising by leaders of the ultranationalist Svoboda party. Svoboda’s leader and other party figures have a history of making antisemitic statements. Other Ukrainian Jews saw the revolution as dangerous. On March 3, Putin said the revolution was being led by “antisemites and neo-Nazis on a rampage.” Several antisemitic attacks occurred during the unrest, including two stabbings in Kiev, some assaults of religious Jews, an act of vandalism at a Crimean synagogue and the attempted torching of another synagogue. Antisemitic violence typically
is rare in Ukraine. No suspects have been arrested in connection with the attacks, but Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, a chief Ukrainian rabbi, said pro-Russian provocateurs may have staged them. Asked about the possibility of provocations, Lazar told JTA he was uncertain, but added, “In the last 15 years I’ve never seen in Russia anything similar. And sadly, in Ukraine and in certain parts of Ukraine especially, there is a history of antisemitism.” Lazar suggested Ukrainian Jewish leaders did not feel free to decry antisemitic acts there. But Vyacheslav Likhachev, a Vaad spokesman, said it was Lazar who could not speak freely. “When Lazar speaks, it is as a person holding an official position, that of a religious leader in contemporary Russia and as such, it is impossible for him or any other person in his position to express views that do not align with the Kremlin’s official line and propaganda,” Likhachev said.
Center for American Progress partners with Israel group
More than 20 Jewish community middle and high school students participated in a mystery bus scavenger hunt on March 1. The students were picked up at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center. The middle school students rode in a school bus, while the high school students rode in a limousine. A scavenger hunt around Syracuse provided clues to the students’ final surprise destination, Erie Boulevard Bowling Center.
TC Religious school In February, TC religious school students in kindergarten-first grade visited other local synagogues to see different sanctuaries. The students looked at various ritual objects to find similarities and differences. The second grade class went to the Oaks on March 16 to deliver mishloach manot bags they assembled the week before. The fifth grade visited the mikvah on March 23 to learn more about the ritual as they study the Jewish life cycle. Also that day, the sixth grade class walked to University United Methodist Church as part of their unit on comparative religions. The fifth grade students participated in a mock wedding on March 30, and the
Continued from page 4 sixth graders visited the Islamic Center to learn about Islam.
Symphoria Cabaret The Temple Concord social hall hosted a cabaret on March 8, as the Regina F. Goldenberg Music and Cultural Series welcomed 40 musicians from Symphoria for a performance. Two more free concerts remain in the 2013-14 Goldenberg Music Series. The Syracuse University Percussion Ensemble, directed by Michael Bull, will perform on Tuesday, April 29, at 7 pm, and the Silverwood Clarinet Choir will appear on Tuesday, May 20. For more information, call the TC office at 475-9952.
Bby JTA staff WASHINGTON (JTA) – A liberal Washington think tank with ties to the Obama administration is partnering with a progressive Israeli counterpart. The Center for American Progress planned to cosponsor its first Israel event on April 1 with Molad: The Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy. The symposium was to address Israeli and U.S. interests in the Middle East. Speakers were to include Yitzhak Herzog, the Labor Party leader who is the leader of the Israeli opposition, and Stav Shaffir, a Labor member of Knesset who helped launch the movement for affordable housing in Israel in 2011.
Matt Duss, a Center for American Progress policy analyst who helped to organize the event, said Molad “captures a lot of progressive objectives and goals we share on social justice, gender equality, similar views on foreign policy.” The Center for American Progress, or CAP, founded by John Podesta, who is now a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, has launched similar collaborations with liberal groups in Turkey, Germany and France. It has taken positions “sharply critical” of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but has also maintained ties with pro-Israel groups.
Jewish groups resume dialogue with mainline churches By JTA staff WASHINGTON (JTA) – Leaders of national Jewish groups resumed a dialogue with mainline Christian churches ruptured by a call in 2012 by some Christian leaders to consider cutting U.S. assistance to Israel. “We affirm a strong commitment to continue working together on domestic and international issues of common concern,” said the joint statement issued by the groups on March 27 after a meeting in New York. “We will aspire to genuine and ongoing dialogue related to Israeli-Palestinian issues, seeking to identify and discuss, in respect and humility, areas of real or potential disagreement and of real and potential cooperation,” said the statement released through the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the umbrella body for Jewish public policy groups. “As people of faith we enter
the holy season of Easter and Passover to celebrate the gift of our renewed relationship and look to the future to enhance our closeness and our commitment to serve the common good.” Jewish groups suspended the dialogue with the churches in October 2012 after church leaders wrote members of Congress asking them to investigate alleged Israeli human rights abuses and to cut assistance to Israel accordingly. Jewish leaders at the March 27 represented groups including the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the JCPA, B’nai B’rith International, and the Reform and Conservative movements. Mainline Protestant churches represented included the Lutherans, the United Church of Christ, Presbyterians, Methodists, Disciples of Christ and the National Council of Churches.
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JEWISH OBSERVER
SJFS Third Seder Appeal By Barbara Baum According to recent research from Brown University, the more public funds are spent on home-delivered meals, the more likely unnecessary nursing home admission is prevented. The Iota chapter of Alpha Epsilon Phi, the Jewish sorority at Syracuse University, intends to help elderly members of the Jewish community in Onondaga County continue to have this help to ward off food insecurity and remain independent in their homes. The chapter has stepped forward to chair Syracuse Jewish Family Service’s annual Third Seder Appeal in support of Kosher Meals on Wheels and its advocacy work against hunger in older adults. Carly Nevis, a sorority sister, said, “We are excited for the opportunity to support the Kosher Meals on Wheels program of Syracuse Jewish Family Service. This allows us to give back to the Syracuse community, which has given us so much.” Another sister, Jamie Neukrug, added, “Doing philan-
thropic work is something our chapter is so passionate about, and knowing we put a smile on faces of our grandmothers and grandfathers makes it that much more worth it.” The sorority has committed to chair the appeal and work together to deliver meals each week. Along with bringing a prepared hot meal for lunch and a reheatable dinner, the sisters plan to stay for a visit. Sorority President Hannah Friedland said, “A lot of girls helped deliver food to elder people when they were younger, so this is a nice thing to be able to do now in college and as sisters in a sorority.” By lending their name and energy to SJFS, the sorority has become a partner in ensuring food security and preventing institutionalization for the elderly in the community. SJFS Director Judith Huober said, “SJFS is so lucky to have the instinctive, enthusiastic buy-in to our Third Seder Appeal from the members of AEPhi. We are really honored to have the leadership of these passionate, idealistic young people in learning about and
Hillel students hand out matzah ball soup to students camping out for Duke game By Dan Silverman Hillel at Syracuse University members gave out matzah ball soup to Syracuse basketball fans camped out in the cold for the February 1 Syracuse-Duke basketball game. Hillel President Zach Goldberg, class of 2015, said, “We’ve been talking about giving out soup as just an idea for a while.” However, the idea to hand out soup to students camping out came from Hillel Jewish Student Union Board Israel Vice President Jeff Spivack, class of 2017. The February 1 game was considered to be among the
L-r: Hillel at Syracuse University President Zach Goldberg, class of 2015, and David Kimelman, class of 2016, ladled hot soup to 100 students camped outside the Carrier Dome in the cold. The students camped out there to get good seats for the Syracuse University-Duke University basketball game on February 1.
most widely anticipated regular season games in Syracuse basketball history. It set a record for attendance, with more than 35,000 fans crowding the Carrier Dome. Students camped out almost two weeks before the game in “Boeheimburg,” the area nicknamed after coach Jim Boeheim, outside Gate E. During those two weeks, temperatures dipped into the single digits, with wind chills more than 20 degrees below zero. SU alumni ordered pizza to be sent to Boeheimburg, and coach Boeheim and some of his assistant coaches personally delivered coffee and doughnuts. Supplying soup to such a large group of people required a lot of planning. With nearly 100 students to feed, two huge pots of soup were required. The timing of the soup handout also could not conflict with Boeheim’s visit. The Hillel team coordinated with Otto’s Army to make sure that they were not there at the same time. Spivack said, “When I heard about the below-freezing temperatures while the students were camping out, I thought what better way to spread the Hillel word than to support the team and support the students with warm bowls of kosher soup? On a frigid day in the Syracuse tundra, there is nothing quite like a steaming bowl of kosher goodness.” The soup handout was called “as enjoyable an experience for the Hillel volunteers who gave their time to give out soup and as it was for the loyal basketball fans who received it.” Justin Tompkins, class of 2016, said, “The soup was really nice on a cold day. We appreciated it.” The soup handout was called “a success, and a mitzvah.” Dan Silverman is a freshman at Syracuse University from Tenafly, NJ.
combating the scourge of senior hunger.” Members of the Iota chapter were said to be “shocked” to learn that today in America one in nine seniors – five million people – are at risk of hunger, and that hunger among older adults is rising. By 2015, 75 percent more seniors will experience some form of food insecurity and 33 percent more will suffer hunger. Adequate food and nutrition are said to be “vitally important” to older adults for promoting health, decreasing the risk of chronic disease and depression, maintaining functionality and remaining independent at home and in the community, which is why Meals on Wheels works to alleviate this problem. Brown University gerontology researchers Kali Thomas and Vincent Mor wrote in the journal Health Services Research, “There are many nursing home residents who have the functional capacity to live in a less restrictive environment.” Their analysis shows that for every $25 per year per older adult above the national average that states spend on home-delivered meals, they could reduce their percentage of low-care nursing home residents compared to the national average by 1 percentage point. The Jewish sorority sisters connected the facts about senior food insecurity and its consequences and the means to prevent it, to SJFS’s Third Seder Appeal. Nevis said, “Not everyone can put food on the table each day. It is important to always remember that and do what we can to help. It is a good feeling knowing that the work we will do will have a serious impact on the lives of elderly people.” SJFS has been addressing the root causes of hunger and malnutrition for decades through its KMOW program, which is supported by MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and the Jewish Federation of Central New York. Operating under a subsidized contract with the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth, KMOW volunteers deliver food to the client’s kitchen up to four times weekly. The meals are fresh and nutritionally balanced to provide two-thirds of the recommended intake for an older adult. The program also provides social contact by visitors and oversight by a trained social worker, as well as linkage to other SJFS services and the county’s safety network. The Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation will proportionately match donations made to the Third Seder Appeal through Wednesday, April 30. To make a donation, call 446-9111 ext. 230, e-mail info@sjfs.org, or send mail to SJFS, 4101 E. Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13214. Only donations received by Wednesday, April 30, will receive the partial match from the Feinstein Foundation.
Considering “Next year in Jerusalem” By Dasee Berkowitz NEW YORK (JTA) – On a recent trip to Jerusalem, my son decided that his favorite color was gold. Whenever he’s asked why, he replies with a wry smile befitting a 5-year-old. “Jerusalem is the city of gold, of course,” he says. When we told him our family was moving to Israel this summer, he was quite pleased. “Ima, will we live there until I’m a grown-up?” he asked. That’s the idea, we nodded. While I know what my family will mean when we reach the end of the Passover seder this year and say “Next year in Jerusalem,” for those not making the trek to the Holy Land anytime soon, what do these words mean? Are we being disingenuous? Or, as the rabbis encourage with every other part of the haggadah, are we expounding, embellishing, interpreting and reading ourselves into the story of the Exodus from Egypt? The end of the haggadah, with the promise to arrive “Next year in Jerusalem,” is just as ripe for exploration as the beginning. I am always struck when Israelis, especially Jerusalem-
ites, say “Next year in Jerusalem” with the same intention as their Diaspora brethren. Jerusalem surely cannot only represent a physical destination. It must represent more: an ideal, a hope, a possibility. In the language of the haggadah, the land of Israel and Jerusalem represent the final stage of redemption. When we lift the four cups of wine during the seder, we are giving ritual expression to the four stages that the Jewish people move through, with God as their guide, to reach freedom and leave Egyptian slavery in the dust. The Torah explains (Exodus 6:6-8), “I [God] will bring you out from under the burdens of Egypt” (cup 1); “I will deliver you out from their bondage” (cup 2); “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm” (cup 3); and “I will take you to me for a people” (cup 4). But there is a fifth mention of redemption just a few verses later in the narrative: “And I will bring you into the land (of Israel).” Arriving to the land is the final stage of redemption and corresponds to the cup of Elijah, the prophet who is said to be the one who ushers in messianic times. The cup, untouched See “Jerusalem” on page 12
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Passover around the community
Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism affiliated) – 18 Patsy La. off Jamesville Rd., DeWitt, 446-9570. For youth programs, call 701-2685. Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse (Orthodox, affiliated with the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America) – 4313 E. Genesee St., DeWitt, 446-6194. Temple Adath Yeshurun (USCJ affiliated) – 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse, 445-0002. Temple Concord (Reform, affiliated with Union for Reform Judaism) – 910 Madison St., Syracuse, 475-9952. Chabad House at Syracuse University – All services at Chabad House, 825 Ostrom Ave., 424-0363. No information at press time. Hillel – Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life at Syracuse University Campus, 102 Walnut Pl., Syracuse, 422-5082. For information, visit www.suhillel.org or call 422-5082.
Congregation Beth SholomChevra Shas Sunday, April 13 Bedikat chametz (search for chametz) after 7:20 pm Monday, April 14 EREV PESACH Siyyum B’Chorim (Shacharit service) at 7:30 am, followed by siyyum study session and bagel breakfast Monday, April 14 – EREV PESACH Mechirat chametz (sale of chametz) at 10 am Biur chametz (burn chametz) at noon First seder Candle lighting at 7:27 pm Tuesday, April 15 – first day Shacharit services at 9:30 am Second seder Candle lighting after 8:06 pm Wednesday, April 16 – second day Shacharit services at 9:30 am Havdalah at 8:47 pm Monday, April 21 – seventh day Shacharit services at 9:30 am Candle lighting at 7:34 pm Tuesday, April 22 – eighth day Shacharit services at 9:30 am, Yizkor Pesach ends at 8:54 pm
Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse Monday, April 14 – EREV PESACH Eat chametz until 10:46 am Burn chametz until 11:48 am Candle lighting at 7:28 pm Mincha at 7:35 pm Start seder after 8:34 pm Tuesday, April 15 – first day Morning services 9 am Mincha 7:30 pm Candle lighting 8:34 pm Start seder after 8:34 pm Wednesday, April 16 – second day Morning services at 9 am Mincha at 7:30 pm Havdalah at 8:35 pm Thursday, April 17, and Friday, April 18 Chol Hamoed services at 6:30 am Sunday, April 20 – EREV Seventh Day Morning services at 8 am Candle lighting at 7:35pm Mincha at 7:40 pm Monday, April 21 – seventh day Morning services at 9 am Mincha at 7:40 pm Light candles at 8:41 pm Eighth Day, Tuesday, April 22 Morning services at 9 am Yizkor at 11 am Mincha at 7:40 pm Havdalah at 8:42 pm Chametz reverts to one’s possession after 9:15 pm
Temple Adath Yeshurun Monday, April 14 – EREV PESACH Morning service, Fast of First Born at 7:30 am Candle lighting at 7:28 pm Erev Passover evening service at 6 pm Tuesday, April 15 – first day Morning service at 9:15 am Candle lighting at 8:29 pm Evening service at 6 pm Wednesday, April 16 – second day Morning service at 9:15 am Mincha/evening service at 7:45 pm
Ona & Bernie Bregman
Wishing peace, health and happiness to all this Passover
A Joyous Passover To all
Elihu & Iris Cohen
Sydney Tenenbaum & Deidre Zehner Issac, Sadie, Lori & Abe Tenenbaum
Ruth & Joel Stein
Friday, April 19 Morning service at 9:15 am Candle lighting at 7:33 pm Saturday, April 19 Morning service at 9:15 am Evening service at 7:45 pm Sunday, April 20 – EREV seventh day Candle lighting at 7:35 pm Evening service at 7 pm Monday, April 21 – seventh day Morning service at 9:15 am Candle lighting at 8:36 pm Evening service at 7 pm Tuesday, April 22 – eighth day Morning service at 9:15 am Evening service at 7:40 pm
Temple Concord Saturday, April 12 “Out of Egypt” Passover family program (modest fee and reservations required) Monday, April 14 – EREV PESACH Congregational seder at 6 pm – see ad on page 13. There will be a fee and it will be open to the community. For more information or to make reservations, call 475-9952. Tuesday, April 15 Morning service at 11 am Tuesday, April 22 Yizkor at 11 am
Hillel at Syracuse University Monday, April 15 First seder at 7:30 pm at Flanagan Gymnasium Tuesday, April 16 Traditional second seder at 7:30 pm at the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life “On the Wings of Freedom” social justice seder will begin at 8:30 pm at the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life. Students may use a meal swipe if they have a Syracuse University meal plan. There will be a charge for those not on a meal plan. Cash, credit (Visa, Mastercard and American Express), checks and SUpercard will be accepted. Individuals must bring their SU ID and pick up their tickets in person at the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life during business hours. Tickets may be picked up no later than Friday, April 11, at Hillel. No phone, Internet or e-mail reservations will be taken. Each student with a valid student ID may receive only one ticket. All Syracuse/ESF faculty and staff may receive two tickets. As long as there is room, family members may attend. Ticket prices apply to all family, as well. Guest passes can be used as well. Kosher for Passover meals will be served at Hillel all week long. For more information, contact Hillel at 422-5082 or Hillel@ suhillel.org.
Max, Hannah and some frogs: Kids’ books bring new friends
slave living through the By Penny Schwartz Exodus from Egypt. BOSTON (JTA) – FrolThe following is the new icking frogs and magical crop of children’s books for matzah balls are featured Passover: in this season’s crop of “The Story of Passnew Passover books for over” by David A. children that are sure to engage, inform, entertain Adler, illustrated and inspire. by Jill Weber (HoliDavid A. Adler, author day House $15.95); of the popular early reader ages 4-8 “Cam Jansen” series, offers The story that is retold “The Story of Passover.” at the Passover seder beAdler is highly acclaimed gins 3,000 years ago in for his straightforward nar- David A. Adler in “The Story the biblical days of Jacob rative style in non-fiction of Passover” provides little- as he settles in Egypt. books, including dozens on known answers to some Readers learn how the Jewish holidays. He says he intriguing questions. (Photo Israelites become slaves, likes to appeal to readers courtesy Holiday House) and follow Moses as he of any Jewish background, is raised by Pharaoh’s whether from traditional, observant Jew- daughter in the palace and later as he ish families or those who are interested leads the Israelites out of Egypt. Weber’s in learning about Passover. “I like my detailed illustrations evoke the color books to be open and acceptable to all,” palette and landscape of ancient Egypt . Adler tells JTA. She gently conveys the suffering of the With his author’s note on the seder, Egyptians through the plagues and the Adler offers little-known answers to triumph of the Israelites in a fantasy-like questions that can spark the curiosity of drawing as they cross the Red Sea into a broad audience. freedom. Other titles this year include “Frogs “Frogs in the Bed: My Passover in the Bed,” offering an engaging book Seder Activity Book” by Ann D. version of a lively Passover song, and Koffsky, based on the song by “Stone Soup with Matzoh Balls,” which Shirley Cohen Steinberg (Behprovides a delightful spin on a familiar rman House $7.95); ages 4-7 folk tale. Young kids will have fun with the frolPassover, which this year begins on the icking frogs in a book that also includes a evening of Monday, April 14, provides an comic book story and activities for before endless source of inspiration for writers of or during the seder. Koffsky’s colorful, children’s books. Among the dozens that line cartoon-like illustrations animate the song. library shelves, some recount the biblical Cute frogs turn up everywhere Pharaoh Exodus, while others retell Jewish folktales goes. They also pop up out of chandeliers or tales of Elijah the Prophet, who figures and juggle fruit. The book includes the so prominently in the seder. Contemporary Four Questions, as well as mazes and other stories depict families celebrating Passover, seder-related distractions. An easy set of and activity books and children’s haggadahs instructions with shapes to trace lets kids promise to engage kids with puzzles, songs make their own jumping froggy. The sheet and jokes through the long night of the music is included. Passover seder. “The Littlest Levine” by Sandy The winner of the 2014 Sydney Taylor Lanton, illustrated by Claire Book Award for young readers given by Keay (Kar-Ben $7.95); ages 3-8 the Association of Jewish Libraries is Hannah Levine is not happy about being a Passover story, “The Longest Night,” the littlest (and youngest) one in her family, by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Catia with two older siblings who do all the things Chien. The beautifully illustrated book is she isn’t allowed to do yet. Her grandfather, told in poetic rhyme from the perspective who lives with the family, keeps reassuring of a young girl as if she were an Israelite See “Books” on page 12
APRIL 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774 ■
JEWISH OBSERVER
A reminder: Don’t pass over the post-seder meals By Helen Nash NEW YORK (JTA) – Planning Passover meals is always a wonderful challenge. For the seders, most of us focus on traditional family recipes because they are tried and proven, and because everyone likes them (and often asks for these favorites dishes). But what about the remaining six days of meals? They must be considered. Once the big seder meals are done, it’s nice to be able to eat healthy, simple and flavorful meals for the rest of the week. An abundance of vegetables, fruits, poultry, meat, fish and fresh herbs can be incorporated into cooking on Passover. Here are some recipes that I make on Passover because they are easy to prepare and provide flexibility as to when they can be served – not to mention they are quite delicious. Carrot-Ginger Soup Makes 8 servings The apple and the ginger give this creamy soup, which is made without any cream, a bit of a bite. The ingredients are always available, so you can serve it in any season at any temperature – hot, cold or room. I must confess, though, that I love it best when the weather is warm. 2 Tbsp. extra virgin Ginger Carrot Soup, a creamy olive oil 1 m e d i u m o n i o n , soup without using cream, can be served at any room sliced 2 garlic cloves, quar- temperature. (Photo courtesy Helen Nash) tered 1¾ lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced, plus 1 extra carrot for garnish 1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced 5½ cups vegetable broth 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, apple and ginger, and saute for 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook, covered, about 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Cool a little. Puree the soup in a blender, in batches, until smooth. Return it to the saucepan. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. To prepare the garnish: Steam the remaining carrot until just tender and grate. Before serving, sprinkle each bowl with the grated carrot. Halibut Ceviche Makes 4 servings Ceviche is a refreshing appetizer that I make with fresh fish marinated in lime juice. The juice “cooks” the fish in a very short time, allowing it to turn opaque and firm. It can be served on a bed of butter lettuce with slices of avocado. It’s a wonderful alternative to gefilte fish for an
Passover Greetings to you and yours
appetizer, or it makes a nice, light lunch. 1 lb. skinless halibut, cut into ¼ inch cubes 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/ 3 cup lime juice, plus 2 Tbsp. 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, finely chopped 2 scallions, including the green part, thinly sliced ¼ cup loosely packed Halibut Ceviche serves as an cilantro leaves Freshly ground black alternative to gefilte fish for an appetizer or light lunch. pepper (Photo courtesy Helen Nash) Butter lettuce Slices of avocado Place fish in a nonreactive bowl and season with salt. Pour juice over fish and press down so the fish is submerged in the juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until fish is opaque and firm. Drain off and discard the lime juice. Add peppers, scallions and cilantro to the fish. Just before serving add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chicken with Potatoes and Olives Makes 4 servings I am always pleased to come up with a dish that is a meal in itself, one that combines either chicken or meat with vegetables. This is one of my favorites. I bake it in an attractive casserole so it can go directly from the oven to the table. 5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 9 garlic cloves Kosher salt ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice Leaves from 10 thyme sprigs Freshly ground black pepper 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz. each) 5 plum tomatoes 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, quartered ½ cup pitted black olives, quartered Preheat the oven to 450°F. With 1 tablespoon of the oil, grease a glass, ceramic or enamel-lined baking pan that can hold all the vegetables in a single layer. Coarsely chop 4 of the garlic cloves on a cutting board. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and, using a knife, crush them into a paste. Place the paste in a small bowl and combine it with the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil, half of the thyme leaves and pepper to taste. Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with the mixture and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water; bring the water back to a boil and drain. Core the tomatoes and slip off the skin. Cut the tomatoes in half widthwise and squeeze gently to remove the seeds. (Some seeds will remain.) Cut the tomatoes in quarters. Thickly slice the remaining 5 garlic cloves and spread them in the prepared baking pan along with the tomatoes,
May you and your family have a joyous Pesach
potatoes, olives, the rest of the thyme leaves and the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until almost tender. Place the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Turn them over, spoon on some pan juices and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is slightly pink on the inside. Cover with foil for 1 minute. Roasted Cauliflower Makes 4 servings Roasting is an easy and delicious way to transform this reliable standby into a wonderful dish. 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 lbs.) 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with foil. Cut the stalk and leaves off the cauliflower and discard. Cut the head into small florets. Place the garlic in the baking pan. Arrange the florets on top; drizzle with the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, or until tender. Chocolate Meringue Squares Makes 3½ dozen squares These meringue squares are like cookies, but they are light, chocolaty and surprisingly low in calories. They can be presented as cookies or cut into individual squares and served with either sorbet or fresh fruit on the side. 1 Tbsp. unsalted margarine, for greasing the pan ½ lb. blanched almonds 6 oz. good-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces 8 large egg whites (see note below) 1 cup sugar Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with wax paper and grease the paper with the margarine. Chop the almonds in a food processor, in two batches, until medium-fine. Transfer to a bowl. Chop the chocolate in the processor until fine and combine with the almonds. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Using the balloon whisk attachment, beat at high speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the chocolatealmond mixture into the egg whites, making a motion like a figure eight with the spatula. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out almost dry. Cool on a wire rack. Invert onto a cutting board and peel off the paper. Cut into 1½-inch squares. Notes: It is easier to separate the eggs straight from the refrigerator, when they are cold. Make sure the whites have come to room temperature before beating. To freeze the squares, place them side by side in an air-tight plastic container, with wax paper between the layers.
Wishing you and your family peace, health and happiness this Pesach and family
Cantor Francine & Barry Berg Wishing you and your family peace, health and happiness this Pesach
Steven & Linda Alexander
The Cominsky’s
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ april 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774
Community celebrated Purim
Jewish Community Center’s Purim Carnival By Nick Finlayson The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse hosted its annual Purim Carnival on March 16. The event featured a variety of cultural and family-oriented activities, including traditional food, stories, a used book sale, games and megillah readings. More than 800 people of all ages attended. Esther’s Kosher Café in the Anne and Hy Miller Auditorium served Va’ad-supervised food prepared and served by Tiffany’s Catering. The Purim Carnival is the JCC’s community event, and
depends on support from local volunteers. Director of Adult and Senior Programming Leesa Paul, who was responsible for facilitating the recruitment of volunteers for the carnival, said, “The JCC consistently hosts this event every year with 100 percent volunteers. We received a great amount of voluntary support for this event.” She added, “More than 100 volunteers of all ages came to help make this event a success. It was truly a team effort and we couldn’t have made it happen without the generous support of staff and volunteers.” In the Schayes Family Gymnasium, guests played carnival games to win tickets that could be redeemed for prizes. Cotton candy and caricatures were also available. There were “inflatables” in the gym and a bounce house in the dance studio. Local law enforcement was also on hand to provide safe ID tags and car seat safety checks. Director of Children and Teens Mick Hagan said he was pleased with the turnout of his first Purim Carnival and noted, “The Purim Carnival was a great success. It was my first Purim and I really enjoyed myself. Everyone appeared to have a good time, and it’s nice to give something back to everyone in the community when they have given us so much.” See “Purim” on page 14
L-r: Club 56 President Alethea Shirilan-Howlett and Syracuse Hebrew Day School Student Council officers Hannah Goldberg, Rebecca Blumenthal and Shai Jaffe delivered more than 200 pounds of fresh produce to the Temple Concord food pantry for Purim.
Various activities were held at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center Purim Carnival in the Schayes Family Gymnasium.
L-r: Purim seudah entertainers Robert Shrier on the guitar and Cantor Marvin Moskowitz performed at the Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse Purim celebration. Temple Adath Yeshurun and Temple Concord joined to celebrate a “Muppet Purim.” L-r: Mark Levy as Hamantashen Monster, Shannon Small as Haman, Rabbi Daniel Fellman as Kermit/Mordechai and Alicia Cafarchio Gross as Queen Esther.
L-r: Representing three generations, Rachel Elman, Miriam Elman and Hadassah Fendius attended the Purim celebration at Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse.
Chabad Rabbi Mendel Gordon of Melbourne, Australia, read the megillah at the Jewish Community Center Purim carnival.
L-r: Danielle Downey (in front) Joshua Ovadia, Sammy Kuss and Lilly Sorbello made mishloach manot to give to family and friends during Purim activities at CBS-CS.
TAY Religious School teacher Lauren Rosenstein (left) and youth advisor Alicia C. Gross (not pictured) helped Kadima members Arielle Warren (center) and Marc Baum (right) make mishloach manot for Menorah Park.
Temple Adath Yeshurun Religious School fifth grade students sang Purim songs to residents at The Oaks at Menorah Park.
Children redeemed their game tickets in the prize room at the Sam Pomeranz JCC’s Purim Carnival. At left: Congregation Beth SholomChevra Shas Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone told the Purim story during the morning megillah re a d i n g . L - r : Jonah Sahm, Noah Cabrey, Pepperstone, Matan Pepperstone, Mia Cohen and Eli Goldstein.
Temple Adath Yeshurun Religious School fourth grade students made hamantashen with Rebecca Anbar, who was dressed as a cookie/hamantashen monster.
The Syracuse Hebrew Day School Purim Players retold the Purim story through parody and song.
APRIL 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774 ■
JEWISH OBSERVER
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ april 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774
From farm to seder table: Locally grown matzah on the rise
By Talia Lavin NEW YORK (JTA) – In their small farmhouse bakery in Vermont, Doug Freilich and Julie Sperling work round the clock producing matzah in the period preceding Passover – a matzah that feels ancient and modern at once. Using a mix of grain they grow on their own farm and wheat sourced from other local farmers, the couple create hundreds of pieces of the unleavened bread they call Vermatzah. “The idea came because of our initial interest in growing grains, looking at them from the harvest to the baking in a very simple sense, and highlighting grains that have good flavor,” Freilich told JTA. “We celebrate our own Passover each year, we go through the matzah-making ritual for both the spring awakening and remembering the storytelling of this holiday.” Freilich and Sperling, co-owners of the Naga Bakehouse in Middletown Springs, VT, are among American Jewish bakers looking at new ways to create matzah in ways that dovetail with the concerns of an age of foodies and locally sourced groceries. They are joined in the process by their teenaged children, Ticho and Ellis. “Between the four of us, we are working each and every piece by hand: they are handmade with fingerprints and heart and soul,” Freilich said. “Our matzahs are tinted and kissed by the fire of the wood oven.”
At right: Julie Sperling worked the matzah dough at the Naga Bakehouse in Vermont. (Photo courtesy Naga Bakehouse)
At the end of the labor-intensive process, each matzah is wrapped in parchment paper and hand tied before being sent off – with a bonus seed packet of wheatberries from the family’s farm – to prospective customers throughout the country. Vermatzah is primarily available in Vermont, New York and Massachusetts, but Freilich says a huge increase in Web orders means the product is now making it across the United States. Freilich and Sperling have been making Vermatzah for six years. Now others are beginning to embrace matzah’s role in the farm-to-table trend. The Yiddish Farm, an eclectic collective in Goshen, NY, that combines Yiddish language instruction with agriculture, is
producing its own matzah this year baked with grain grown in its fields. The matzah will be whole wheat and shmurah – a ritual designation for matzah that refers to a process of careful supervision that begins when the matzah’s grain is in the field and doesn’t stop until the matzah is baked. The process involves planting, combine-harvesting, reaping, milling and sifting at the Yiddish Farm, according to the Forward. The end result is a locavore’s matzah dream that will travel from Goshen, in upstate New York, to Manhattan and New Jersey prior to Passover. For Anne Kostroski, the owner of Crumb Bakery in Chicago, making her own matzah has less to do with food ideology than more practical matters. “I don’t like eating
Jerusalem
yet filled with wine to the brim, represents the future ahead, filled with possibilities and promises for peace on earth. As the late Rabbi David Hartman writes in “The Leader’s Guide to the Family Participation Haggadah: A Different Night,” “The cup is poured, but not yet drunk. Yet the cup of hope is poured every year. Passover is the night for reckless dreams; for visions about what a human being can be, what society can be, what people can be, what history may become. That is the significance of ‘Le’shanah ha’ba’a B’Yerushalayim’ [Next year in Jerusalem].” Now that we are freed from the bondage in Egypt, we are called to embrace our biggest dreams and our wildest aspirations for ourselves, for Israel and for the world. Or when we say “Next year in Jerusalem,” are we referring to a more modest endeavor? There is a midrash about the etymology of the word Jerusalem or Yerushalayim. The rabbis look at the word “yerusha,” which means inheritance, and “ayim,” which connotes doubling, and understand that there are two Jerusalems – a heavenly one (“Yerushalayim shel ma’alah”) and an earthly one (“Yerushalayim shel ma’ata”). While the heavenly Jerusalem might refer to the possibilities of a world redeemed, an earthly one is rooted in the complexities of politics, economics and daily life. It is a place filled with energy, vibrancy and urgency. In the late poet Yehuda Amichai’s terms, Jerusalem is a place where its inhabitants are longing for God’s presence. Jerusalem, he
store-bought matzah because I think it tastes awful,” she said, laughing. Kostroski, 41, has been making her own signature matzah for nearly 10 years, since her conversion to Judaism in the mid1990s. “The matzah I make is made with honey, locally sourced eggs, black pepper and olive oil,” Kostroski said. “It’s flat and crunchy, but not as dry as the regular store-bought plain matzah. There’s a hint of heat and sweetness that makes matzah more interesting.” For Kostroski, matzah making has been a part of her Jewish journey, even when she hasn’t been able to attend synagogue regularly under the strain of a baker’s life. Matzah creates a feeling of connection with history and tradition, she explains. And her homemade matzah, which she sells at farmer’s markets, her Chicago eatery, the Sauce and Bread Kitchen, and by pre-order – is made “lovingly and painstakingly” by hand. “I make several hundred matzahs a year, mixed, rolled and baked,” she said. “One batch is maybe two dozen and it’s really labor intensive.” Kostroski says demand is increasing, slowly but surely, year by year. “I came across this recipe in 1995 and I started making it, and I’ve been making it ever since,” Kostroski said. “People are not expecting different types of matzah – they expect something flavorless and it doesn’t have to be.” Continued from page 7
In the language of the Passover haggadah, the land of Israel and Jerusalem, seen here, represent the final stage of redemption. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90) writes, is “saturated with prayers and dreams like the air over industrial cities. It’s hard to breathe.” And according to the midrash, the earthly Jerusalem is the place where God will arrive even before reaching the heavenly Jerusalem. As the midrash imagines God saying, “I will not come into the city of Jerusalem that is above until I first come into the city of Jerusalem that is below.” What does it mean to make earthly Jerusalem a place in which God – whatever
Passover Greetings from
God means for us – can enter and reside? Let us create partnerships with Israelis that help let a sense of godliness, justice and love permeate the city. Let us devote more time to learning more about the complexity of life in Israel through travel and research. Let’s partner with Israelis working on the ground to improve society through education, social and economic equality, and religious pluralism. Let’s read more Israeli literature and honor Israeli artists. Or is Jerusalem a state of mind? More than physical places, rabbis have noted that Egypt and Jerusalem represent two inner spiritual states. Egypt, or Mitzrayim, has at its root “tsar,” or narrowness.
Egypt represents the places in which we live in narrow places, where we feel constricted and confined. It is a state in which we are quick to anger, to react, to put our own ego needs before the needs of others. Jerusalem, on the other hand, has at its root “shalem,” or “wholeness.” It is the feeling of expansiveness, when the disparate parts of ourselves weave together into a seamless whole. As the seder winds down and the matzah crumbs are swept off the table, let the question of “next year” continue to echo – with all its hopes, plans and the self-understandings of where Jerusalem resides for each one of us.
APRIL 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774 ■
JEWISH OBSERVER
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Engineering curriculum increasingly infuses Jewish day schools, yeshivot with technology
Engineer Adam Jerozolim worked with CIJE-Tech students at Solomon Schechter High School of Long Island. (Photo provided by CIJE)
Books
By Maayan Jaffe JNS.org Picture a mad science lab with electrical wires, computer chords, ropes and wheels and you have a pretty good picture of one of the country’s more than 20 CIJE-Tech laboratories. CIJE, the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education, is a non-profit organization that provides advanced classroom technology and laboratories, STEM curricula, teacher training and support that fosters academic innovation and excellence in Jewish day schools and yeshivot across North America. Started in 2001 in 15 schools and with 3,000 students, today the program is in 148 institutions, reaching more than 30,000 students in grades one through 12. Earlier this year, a group of close to 40 new and first-year CIJE educators travels to Israel for several days of hands-on training from the scientists, engineers and educators who created the programs CIJE adopted in the U.S. This is the third year such a trip has taken place. According to CIJE Vice
Continued from page 8
her, “Your holiday is comfools who, despite theming, my littlest Levine.” As selves, manage to impart Passover nears, he makes wisdom with a huge dose her feel special, teaching of humor. In this story, her the Four Questions. Linda Glaser gives a Chelm When it’s time for the seder, spin to a tale told in many Hannah is ready to enjoy cultures around the world. the spotlight. This charmOn the eve of Passover, a ing intergenerational story poor ragged stranger arrives will strike a chord for many in the village and asks if kids and may help those anyone will invite him in who are a tad reluctant to to share the holiday. He recite the Four Questions. In “The Littlest Levine,” young quotes from the haggadah, Keay’s brightly colored il- Hannah prepares for her “All who are hungry come lustrations are active, warm moment in the seder spotlight and eat.” He sparks their with her grandfather. (Photo interest by telling them he and upbeat. courtesy Kar-Ben Publishing) can make a pot of matzah “Max Makes a ball soup from only a Cake” by Michelle stone. With clever prodding, he gets the Edwards, illustrated by villagers to create a huge pot of delicious Charles Santoso (Random soup, with light and fluffy matzah balls. House $17.99); ages 3-7 Max is ready for Passover.The endearing Maryam Tabatabaei’s expressive illustrayoung boy knows the Four Questions and tions are a perfect match for the humorous can tell his baby sister why Passover is dif- story, evoking the Old World village with ferent from all other nights. He’s also eager a playful tone. to bake his artist mom a Passover birthday “Seder in the Desert” by rabbi cake. But with the baby in the house, his Jamie Korngold, photos by dad gets a bit distracted. Losing patience Jeff Finkelstein (Kar-Ben $7.95); and with little time to spare, the ingenious ages 3-8 young fellow takes matters into his own This colorful photo essay narrated by a hands. He creates a memorable cake all by young person offers up something new and himself. The recipe for a “Hurry, Hurry, unexpected for the holiday. “Why is this Hurry Cake” is included. Santoso’s bright, seder different from all others?” the book lively illustrations place readers right in asks on its opening page. “Because this year the action. we are celebrating Passover in the desert.” “Stone Soup with Matzoh Readers of all ages will be fascinated as Balls: A Passover Tale in they follow Rabbi Jamie and a large group Chelm” by Linda Glaser, illusof people on a hike through the sands and trated by Maryam Tabatabaei stone arches that fill Israel’s Moab desert (Albert Whitman $16.99); ages landscape. The adventure invites readers to 4-7 imagine what it might have been like for In Jewish folk tradition, Chelm is known ancient Israelites to wander the desert in as a make-believe town filled with naive the Exodus story.
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President Judy Lebowitz, the teachers will take on the role of students and get a taste of how the Israeli school system operates, a system that has churned out many of the innovators and entrepreneurs that make Israel the “start-up nation.” The board of Gruss Life Monument Funds had the idea for CIJE in the late 1990s. Jason Cury, then the president and CEO of Gruss and now the head of CIJE, said the Gruss board was concerned that students educated in Jewish day schools were not being adequately prepared for success in the 21st century. The committee researched different opportunities and, in 2001, launched a computer assisted instruction program in 15 Jewish elementary schools. Soon after, it launched its Excellence 2000 (or E2K) math and science program for middle school students. By 2008, the program had grown so large – and the initiative so focused – that CIJE was established as an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Its newest program, CIJE-Tech, was born in 2011. This, according to Cury, is a discovery-focused, interactive two-year curriculum in scientific and biomedical engineering, which exposes students to a diverse range of science and technical knowledge areas, while helping them develop abstract thinking. The computer-assisted learning program is based on the Pearson Digital Learning Curriculum. E2K was developed in partnership with the Israel Center for Excellence in Education. CIJE-Tech is modeled after Israel’s ORT schools. Cury said schools pay between $3,000 and $6,000 per year, which entitles them to the program and regular teacher mentoring. The program employs curriculum writers and consultants, as well as a handful of engineers. The engineers are each assigned schools with which they meet weekly. “We don’t just give you the hardware and software and leave you,” said Cury. “We want our students to do very well and achieve on a very high level in these areas… We give you appropriate support.” Dr. Danny Aviv, who holds a doctorate in genetics and a master’s degree in Jewish education, is a CIJE-Tech teacher at Solomon Schechter School of Westchester,
outside of New York City. He traveled to Israel with CIJE three years ago, and said CIJE is essential to the future of Jewish day schools. “If we really want our day schools and yeshivot to compete with private schools and really good public schools, we need to have things that are different, inspirational, not under the constraints of the normal frontal teaching model,” said Aviv. “CIJE has made an amazing leap.” For someone with Aviv’s background, teaching under the CIJE methodology of presenting problems and asking students to come up with solutions, of hands-on research and entrepreneurship is not a stretch. But for many teachers this can be a difficult transition. “One of the first things these teachers have to accept is that it is OK to say, ‘I don’t know,’” explained engineer Adam Jerozolim, who works with 11 CIJE schools in the New York area. “It is all about problem solving. There is no right or wrong. There is a problem. There are tools that you have. They don’t need to know everything; they need to know how the tools work. It sometimes takes a year for teachers to get comfortable with that.” The Israel trip assists with this transition. “We are trying to show the teachers how engineering can be used practically and where technology can go. It helps them to see the bigger picture and to bring that enthusiasm back to the students,” said Jerozolim. There are challenges, too. Aviv said Israel tends to be more product directed, while in the U.S. schools are focused on assessments and grades, which are needed to get into top colleges and universities. “Israel can take a more eye on the prize approach,” said Aviv, noting innovation is more celebrated in the Jewish state than in the U.S. “Concerning ourselves with grades, but also maintain the gestalt [form or shape] of being able to figure it out alone is sometimes a contradiction.” Aviv also said the longer day school day at Jewish day schools makes it harder for students to put in the extra hours often needed to delve into an engineering project. “It takes a lot of time, and struggles and failures. Success can be challenging with
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See “Engineering” on page 18
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ april 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774
Wadi Attir: A Negev oasis of sustainability and JewishBedouin collaboration
By Maayan Jaffe JNS.org Ozone depletion, climate change, soil erosion and joblessness. Those are the issues tackled by Dr. Michael Ben-Eli, with Israel’s Negev as his base. “The list of issues is long,” said Ben-Eli, citing “an endemic failure of our social and economic institutions to address these issues effectively and in a timely manner.” Ben-Eli is the initiator of project Wadi Attir, launched jointly by the Sustainability Laboratory, of which he is the
The site plan of Project Wadi Attir. (Photo courtesy of Project Wadi Attir)
founder, and the Hura Municipal Council, the governing body of a local Bedouin township. The lab itself was set up to demonstrate breakthrough approaches to sustainability practices, expanding prospects and producing life-affirming impacts on people and eco-systems in all parts of the world. For now, though, Ben-Eli is focused on the desert. And his partners are a motivated combination of Muslim Bedouin and Israeli scientists. The concept for the project was born in 2007 when Ben-Eli visited Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and its Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research with his colleague Josh Arnow. During that visit, he witnessed breakthrough technologies and world-class research that related to living in arid zones. Simultaneously, he was exposed to the harsh circumstances of the ever-increasing Bedouin community, which was suffering from being a nomadic people living in a land of Western and urban sprawl. The conditions, said Ben-Eli, were untenable. “It did not seem right that full citizens in a country like Israel would live in desperate circumstances when there were such incredible technologies being developed nearby,” Ben-Eli said. Ben-Eli met Dr. Mohammed Alnabari, mayor of Hura, a Bedouin town of 15,000 people. Forward-thinking and originally a chemist by profession, Alnabari immediately bought into Ben-Eli’s vision of developing a model project that would showcase the integration of many development issues in one microcosm. The philanthropic support of Arnow and his father, Robert, allowed Ben-Eli to get started. The Arnow family, which funds the Robert H. Arnow Center for Bedouin Studies and Development, has continued to support the project; the government of Israel has heavily invested in the project, too, as has the Jewish
Purim
Continued from page 10
Sponsors of the entertainment at this year’s Purim Carnival included Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation, Syracuse Hebrew Day School, Temple Adath Yeshurun and Temple Concord. Syracuse Hebrew Day School By Barbara Davis Co-Head of School Lori Tenenbaum said, “Purim was especially festive at the Syracuse Hebrew Day School this year. In addition to the traditional reading of the megillah by our fifth-graders, our teachers and Club 56ers put on a Purim play with lots of puns, silliness and song parodies.” “What was really nice,” said Student Council Secretary Henia Zames, “was that students from Hillel Academy in Binghamton came to SHDS to join in the fun.” The SHDS Student Council and Club 56 also decided to make the fulfillment of the Purim mitzvot “more intentional and meaningful this year,” according to Student Council President Shai Jaffe. “When we visited the food pantry at Temple Concord, we learned that they distribute packaged and canned food to their clients, but do not give out fresh food. So all the kids brought in packages of fresh vegNew Patients Board Welcome Certified
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etables or fruits, such as carrots, potatoes, onions, oranges and apples, and we delivered more than 200 pounds to the Food Pantry.” To celebrate the fourth mitzvah, a festive meal, the students had a salad bar at lunch, after which they participated in a carnival with face painting, sports, fortune telling, an obstacle course, Haman’s House and photos with friends. “It was a truly awesome celebration,” said Tenenbaum. Chabad Lubavitch of Central New York Chabad Lubavitch of Central New York was able to provide the Syracuse Jewish community with more than 20 megillah readings for Purim. Additional readings were held at the Chabad House for those who missed the regular readings, as well as at the Jewish Community Center Purim Carnival, The Oaks and area hospitals and nursing homes. The megillah readings were accompanied by a slide show showing the story of Purim through graphic design. Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse In an ongoing search for new ways to drown out Haman’s name at the megillah reading, Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse introduced one that helps perform other mitzvot as well – shaking closed pasta boxes, instead of twirling groggers. The boxes were sold at a markup to congregants, with the proceeds going to matanot l’evyanim – gifts to the poor. After the reading, the discarded boxes were donated to the Temple Concord food pantry. Located in Fayetteville Square behind Friendly’s Temple Adath Yeshurun 511 East Genesee • Fayetteville Temple Adath YeshurunStreet middle school students in sixth-eighth grades in the Kadima youth group prepared Men’s, Women’s, Children’s mishloach to give toDone residents at Menorah Park for Hemsmanot & Repairs While You Wait Purim. Kadima programs include social action/tikkun olam, • Coats • Suits, Linings religious andZippers social• Formals opportunities. Take-Ins & Takeouts • Dresses, Skirts • Drapes • Repairs The next programDry will be a Wii tournament on Sunday, Cleaning • Leather April 6, from noon-2 pm, at the synagogue. Lunch will be Drop Off On Way To Work, Pick Up On Way provided. ForHome! more information, contact Alicia C. Gross 7:30am-6pm, Sator 8am-12noon 637-5505 atMon-Fri alicia@adath.org 445-0002.
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Dr. Michael Ben-Eli (at right), founder of the Sustainability Laboratory, and Wadi Attir team member Ali Alhawashleh (at left) with earth-moving equipment from Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (Jewish National Fund). (Photo courtesy of Project Wadi Attir) National Fund and other foundations and private donors. The total cost of actually implementing the project is an estimated $6 million. The building process has not been without obstacles, said Alnabari, noting that only now, seven years later, are all of Wadi Attir’s permits secured and the land prepared for building. He said the bureaucracy was challenging on all fronts. There are issues of mistrust between the Bedouin communities and the Israeli government, and there are deep tribal divides among the Negev’s 200,000 Bedouin people. “This is very politically and culturally sensitive,” said Arnow. “The climate in the Negev is extremely tense. But this project is one of its brightest spots.” Why? Nothing like the developing Wadi Attir exists in the world, according to Ben-Eli. While there are “fabulous sustainable projects around the world,” he said, those initiatives tend to focus on one aspect of sustainability. Wadi Attir is systemic and holistic in that it will bring together the Sustainability Lab’s five principles of sustainability related to the material domain, the economic domain, the social domain, the spiritual domain, and the domain of life. Additionally, the village is aimed at building an economic future for the Bedouin. At Wadi Attir, infrastructure is being built to leverage Bedouin traditional values, experience and aspirations. In the farm, Bedouin workers will grow a mixed herd of goats and sheep organically for the production of a range of dairy products, including Bedouin cheeses that don’t require refrigeration. Another area will harness Bedouin medicinal wisdom, by cultivating medicinal plants and herbs and developing a line of health products for sale on the mainstream market. Wadi Attir will reintroduce nutritious, indigenous vegetables and create a hub for eco-tourism, and Ben-Eli also hopes it will offer a graduate level certificate program. Most of the Bedouins could not handle the paperwork to market their products in Israel to people outside their See “Oasis” on page 18
Olive trees planted onsite at Project Wadi Attir, pictured, have taken root and are thriving. (Photo courtesy of Project Wadi Attir)
APRIL 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774 ■
JEWISH OBSERVER
Syracuse reunion in Florida
A Syracuse reunion is held every other February in south Florida, where residents of Florida and winter snowbirds visit with friends and family. The last reunion was held on February 23, with 167 people in attendance and featuring
Bob and Barbara Schulman attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
Richard and Lynn Green attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
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contributions by those unable to attend. Each reunion raises a donation to be made to the Syracuse Jewish Cemeteries Association. Organizers thanked Steven
Sisskind and Bette Siegel, editor of the Jewish Observer, for helping to inform as many people as possible. The next reunion will be held in February 2016.
Co-Chairs Barbara Brautman Naditch and Sandy Diamond spoke at the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
The bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida was held on February 23. L-r: Ellie Hayman, Bernie Weisbond, Carolyn Steinberg Marks and Sue Weisbond.
Ellen and Mark Rothschild attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
Bobbie Slive Rudolph and her sister, Marlene Slive Meyerson, attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
At this Passover season, we remember our loved ones who are no longer with us. As we recite the Yizkor memorial prayers, this is an appropriate time to remember and honor those who have gone before us. Please consider a gift to the Syracuse Jewish Cemetery Association. We will continue fixing or replacing fallen monuments and bring the cemeteries back to the level of dignity our loved ones deserve. Please consider making a gift for our ongoing efforts.
Jeanette Buff and Suzie Sohl Wagman socialized at the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
Marlene Slive Meyerson and Carol Richman Wandner attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
Lynn and Steve Bronstein attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
Marcia Schotz attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
Anonymous $18,101 Wendy Meyerson and Andrew Fox $250 Elaine Abrams $36 Heidi and David Francey $118 Esther Adelson $118 Judith Franklin $360 Mark Adler $360 Paul Franklin Eric Alderman $36 Howard Friedman $118 Richard and Maxine Alderman $50 Pauline Friedman $36 Ellen Andrews $25 Linda Fuhrman $36 Sidney and Shirley Ashkin $54 Rita Geller $36 George and Miriam Barrows $118 David and Deborah Gerber-Ianuzi $118 Peter and Barbara Baum $54 Boris and Yelena Geyfman $36 Helene and Gary Becker $36 Lisa Gilels $54 Stanley Becker $36 Victor and Harlene Gilels $36 William and Phyllis Berinstein $500 Rosalind Gingold $54 Bruce and Gail Berlin $18 Sandra K. Gingold $360 Hollis Berney $36 Seymour and Anne Ginsburg $10 Christopher Skeval and Carrie Berse $36 Victor and Carol Ginsky $118 Shirley Berson $18 Lois Goldberg $360 Ivy Besdin $118 Norma Goldberg $118 Bet Havarim $640.60 Ellen Golden $36 Birnbaum Funeral Service $250 Marvin Goldenberg $500 Martin and Ethel Black $54 Andra Vlosky Goldman $100 Miriam Bladen $35 Harry Goldman $54 Audrey Branse $18 Michael and Wendy Evers Gordon Alan Braverman $40 Dr. David Grass $54 Dr. and Mrs. James Brodsky $118 Asher and Joanne Greenhouse $36 Steven and Lynn Bronstein $118 Lewis and Glenda Greenhouse $118 Suggie Brumberger $54 Hannah Groskin $36 Robert Buck $10 Norma Groskin $54 Jeanette Buff $20 Sylvia Groskin $20 Toby Stove Cannon $36 Steven and Cindy Grossman $36 Gary and Bonnie Carney $360 In memory of David and Irving Hammer $118 Jayne and Larry Charlamb $118 Inez Heal $18 Lynn and Cecile Cohen $36 Victor and Celaine Hershdorfer $300 Jack and Marcia Cohen $118 Carol Davis Hershman $118 Stuart Cohen $300 Yaacov and Sharon Glazier Hochstein $54 Loren Cohn $118 Alex and Chuckie Holstein $360 Judie Rice in memory of the Cynkus Family $54 Nancy Holstein $18 Barbara and Leslie Davis $36 Sanford and Marlene Holstein $36 Gary and Arlene Davis $118 Sherrie Hurwitz-Sicam $36 Arthur Diamond $54 Sara Isgur $18 Dolores Diamond $18 Rene Isserlis $118 Jonathan and Aveeya Dinkin $360 Harriet Jachles $54 Lewis and Elaine Dubroff $250 Jewish Federation of CNY $11,500 Kevin Dushay $200 Rhea and Rabbi Daniel Jezer $100 Amy Eliezer $50 Lee and Lori, and Rose Kalin/Franklin $270 Jane Elkin $18 Sheldon and Mateele Kall $2,000 Lawrence Ellison $100 Leonard and Irwin Kamp Foundation $10,000 Margret Ksander and Richard Ellison $54 Gertrude Kamp $108 Robert Ellison $36 Judith and Phillip Kaplan $54 Mark and Marci Erlebacher $118 Mark and Robin Kasowitz $500 Richard Estrine $54 Elaine and Lawrence Katzman $36 Iris Evans $36 Esther and Edwin Katzman $36 Anita Evers $36 Ronnie Katzowitz $18 Betty Feinberg $36 Ronald Kavanagh $36 Florence Feldman $54 Stephen and Theresa Kline $54 Sarah Feldman $54 Alan and Myrna Koldin Melissa and Rabbi Daniel Fellman $100 Louise Koppelman $36 Mark and Sue Field $54 Tess and Allen Kosoff $118 Marjorie Fink $360 George Kowitt $18 Robert Finkelstein $36 David and Betty Kravetz $18 Harley and Nadzieja Finkelstein $118 Diane and Brett Kupperman $50 Sandra Rappaport Fiske and Jordan Fiske $36 In memory of Paul Kussner $36 Roberta Flatlow $300 Judy Laffer $36 Florida Reunion $514 Bill and Lois Lakehomer $36 Evelyn Fox $18
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Philip Rothschild $54 Mel and Madeline Rubenstein $54 Muriel Rubin $118 Bobbie Rudolph $36 Richard Rudolph $36 Robert Sarason $100 Selma Schlessinger $54 Sharon Schloss $54 Irving and Cheryl Schotz $118 In memory of Elaine Schwartz $118 Sandra and Phillip Schwartz $54 Steven and Laurie Segal $54 Jean Seligman $36 Connie and Larry Semel $360 Bertram C. Serling $36 Seth Shapess $36 Barbara Shapiro $54 Marla and Steve Share $36 Michael and Amy Shaw $36 Leah and Rabbi Charles Sherman $100 Melvyn Shindler $360 Deborah and Rabbi Evan Shore $100 Bette and Don Siegel $36 David and Lisa Silverman $118 Robert and Harriet Silverman $54 Paul Silverstein $136 David and Barbara Simon $54 Shirley Sims $360 Steven and Robin Sisskind $500 Malcolm and Sandra Smith $36 Sally Sokolsky $54 Murray and Carole Solomon $25 Estate of Avron Spector $10,000 Andrew and Helen Spector $200 Seymour Spevak $54 Judith Stander $36 Arthur and Dorothy Steinberg $36 Carol Yaffe and Peter Steinberg $54 Richard and Pamela Strauss $36 Barbara Sutton $36 Jeffrey Swartz $118 Syracuse Jewish Children’s Foundation $1,000 Reva Tankle $118 Sandy and Delia Temes $108 Sydney Tenenbaum $54 Peter and Sandra Townsend $54 David Troeger $54 Sharon and David Turnbull $54 Louis Orbach and Anastasia Urtz $54 Geta Vogel $118 Steve and Fran Volinsky $100 Irving Wagner $54 Larry and Lynn Wallace $118 Mark J. Wallace $36 Ruth Wandner $36 Anita and Howard Weinberger $100 Allan Weinreb $54 Susan Widder $118 Richard Wilkins $36 Roslyn Wilkins $36 Larry and Rosalie Young $36 Linda Vlosky Zack $75 Milton and Shir-Lee Ziegler $54 Sandra Ziegler $100 Marsha and Aaron Zimmerman $100 williamberinstein@hotmail.com
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Libby Cohen Fleischer, Leah and George Peltzmacher and Judy Franklin attended the bi-annual Syracuse reunion in Florida.
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ april 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774
For Stan Fischler, “The Hockey Maven,” it’s all about the game – and Israel, too
By Hillel Kuttler UNIONDALE, NY (JTA) – As the Boston Bruins buzz the Islanders net throughout the opening period of a game at the Nassau Coliseum, Stan Fischler is standing 10 feet behind the Plexiglass to the left of New York goaltender Kevin Poulin. Fischler, a hockey broadcaster for four decades, can feel the rattling boards of forechecking Bruins. There’s no place he’d rather be. Providing New York-area hockey fans with a bird’s-eye view and expert analysis is what Fischler, 81, has done on broadcasts of Islanders, Rangers and Devils games. He’s had a love affair with the sport since he was introduced to it quite by accident as a 7-year-old growing up in Brooklyn. The hockey community in New York has returned the fondness, notably when the younger of his two sons, then a teenager, was critically ill with a heart malady. “The Hockey Maven,” as Fischler has long been known, has a love affair, too, with Israel. He and his wife, Shirley, visit there each summer. And their younger son, Simon, now 35, lives on Kibbutz El Rom in the Golan Heights and blogs on diplomacy while also writing for Fischler’s hockey newsletter. Simon, not surprisingly, taught the sport to his children at the ice rink in nearby Metulla. He recalls his father asking him when he was 8 to find Israel on an atlas. The boy couldn’t, so dad pointed it out. “That was one of my earliest memories: This is our land,” said Simon, who lives on the kibbutz with his wife and three children. “I thank him every day for it because I am extremely proud of my Jewish national heritage. It’s why I live in Israel.” Fischler says his mother, Molly, losing nearly all her relatives in the Holocaust in the former Czechoslovakia helps explain why his support of Jewish causes “revolves around the security of Israel.” It was his mother – “Malka Devorah, I love that name; it’s very lyrical,” he says – who introduced 5-year-old Stan, her only child, to spectator sports, a Brooklyn Dodgers game they attended at Ebbets Field. But two years later it was his father, Benjamin, who would bring Fischler to his first hockey game. They were intending to see “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” but emerging from the subway into torrential rain at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue, where Madison Square Garden then stood, the plans changed. “Forget it,” said Benjamin, a big-time sports fan, in spurning the film, Fischler recalled. “We’ll go to the game.” The Rangers’ minor league team, the Rovers, was taking on the Washington
Stan Fischler is flanked by producer Glenn Petraitis, left, and co-host Peter Ruttgaizer at the Nassau Coliseum set of their pregame and postgame shows. (Photo by Hillel Kuttler) Eagles, and the bawling boy was hooked. After each Rovers game, Fischler would write a recap in his souvenir program. A hockey writer was born. Several years later, at 10, Fischler first saw the real Rangers play. A sign in the Garden’s rotunda touting hockey as “The Fastest Game in the World,” along with the “magical brew” of indoor ice, sticks and skating, “really made an impression on me,” Fischler said. Fischler would handle public relations for the Rangers, then work 20 years as a newspaper reporter before moving into broadcasting, first for the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers and then the New York-area teams in the National Hockey League. The opinionated broadcaster has won multiple Emmy Awards and, in 2007, the NHL’s Lester Patrick Trophy for advancing American hockey. His love and knowledge of the game are apparent in the pregame and postgame shows he co-hosts for the New York area’s NHL teams on the MSG Network. His producer, Glenn Petraitis, says Fischler has retained “the passion of a young person. He obviously lives, eats and sleeps hockey,” Petraitis said. “He’s a passionate sports fan.” Fischler just had his 100th book on the sport published. “We Are the Rangers” is an oral history of the team that tugged at Fischler’s heart as a boy growing up in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Some of the books were co-authored with Shirley, with whom he lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. (Their elder son, Ben, lives in Portland, OR.) His subjects have included Hall of Fame players such as Gordie Howe, Bobby Orr, Stan Mikita and Rod Gilbert. Others have been on coaches, teams, great moments and rivalries. Fischler also has written well-
received books on New York’s transit system and the old trolley lines in Brooklyn. The epilogue of the new book tells of Simon needing a heart transplant in 1993. Fischler writes of the Rangers’ then-coach and goalie, Mike Keenan and Mike Richter, visiting his son – a diehard fan of the Islanders, the Rangers’ bitter rivals. Unwritten was what Gilbert told JTA: He also had come to the hospital, where he and Simon, sitting alone, discussed hockey and prayer. That evening, an emotional Fischler phoned Gilbert, a friend since the player’s debut in 1960, with the news that a donor heart had become available.
“Call it coincidence, call it energy or whatever you want,” Gilbert said. “I was very grateful that he did successfully get a transplant.” Told of Gilbert’s comments, Fischler says the visit came when Simon’s condition was dire. “I did attach something positive to Rod Gilbert’s visit. Rod was basically doing some preaching, some talking about getting through his [own] medical experiences,” Fischler said. “When you’re in a situation like that, you welcome any source of hope.” Another source was praying at the family synagogue on West 110th Street. The crisis wasn’t discussed on-air. Viewers tune in to hear Fischler opine and inform on hockey – the sport he adored alone among his childhood pals in Williamsburg. Fans strolling the Nassau Coliseum concourse during the Islanders-Bruins game stopped by the white picket fence delineating the set where Petraitis, Fischler and the broadcast’s other co-host, Peter Ruttgaizer, ply their trade. They seek out Fischler to banter, ask questions and pose for photographs. “You turn on MSG and there’s Stan,” said Kyle Hall, 25, after taking a picture with Fischler. “I only know things are true if Stan says so. He’s knowledgeable.” Preparing for the pregame show, Fischler says, “It never stops being exciting because you never know what’s going to happen from game to game.”
NEWS IN bRIEF from the U.S. From JTA
U.S. court: Iranian relics can’t be seized as restitution to terror victims
Victims of a 1997 suicide bombing in Jerusalem cannot seize Persian antiquities on display in the United States as restitution, a federal judge ruled. In his decision on March 28, Judge Robert Gettleman of the U.S. District Court in Chicago said the items could not be seized for the victims’ families since it was unclear whether the Iranian government owned the items on loan to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and that the artifacts at the Oriental Institute were loaned for scholarship, not commercial intentions, according to the Associated Press. Iran was ordered to pay $412 million in restitution, AP reported. The Iranian-backed and funded Hamas terror organization claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed five and injured 200. Other U.S. museums watched the ruling closely, fearing that a ruling for the victims would endanger museum collections throughout the country. The victims likely will appeal to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, AP reported.
Joint Chiefs chair meeting with Israeli military officials in Israel
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet with senior Israeli military officials in Israel. Dempsey was scheduled to arrive in Israel on March 30 as the guest of his Israeli counterpart, Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz, the Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Dempsey’s spokesman said in a statement. It is Dempsey’s fifth trip to Israel as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. “The focus of the chairman’s discussions with his counterparts will be on issues of mutual strategic interest, while continuing to build on this important defense relationship,” Dempsey’s spokesman said.
U.S. soldiers getting first new siddur since World War II
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A prayer book developed for use by Jews in the U.S. military was to be released the week of March 26. Reform, Orthodox and Conservative rabbis cooperated in creating the prayer book, which was commissioned by the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council. The prayer book is the first of its type published since World War II. The council, a program of the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America, received permission to reprint Hebrew and English texts from other prayer books in the new siddur. “We had the ability to move freely through their prayer books, allowing us to create a book that each rabbi can use differently,” said retired Rear Adm. Rabbi Harold Robinson, director of the council. “Yet for each soldier, sailor or Marine, it will be the same, no matter where he or she is stationed.” In recent years, Jewish chaplains and lay leaders leading services have used a variety of books, according to their personal preference, which meant that service personnel had to adapt to a new prayer book when moving to a different base.
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APRIL 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774 ■
Reporter’s notebook
JEWISH OBSERVER
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At TED Conference: Kahane assassin’s son, Toscanini’s pants and other Jewish moments By Danny Krifcher VANCOUVER, British Columbia (JTA) – The superhip New York architect launches into a brilliant review of the last 30 years of architecture, keeping a brisk pace pace to make the 18-minute format of the TED Conference. When the architect, Marc Kushner, gets to the requisite biographical slide, the image of his teenage self is wearing a Camp Ramah T-shirt, entirely in Hebrew. A message hidden in plain sight. The annual TED Conference, the original that spawned the viral phenomenon of TED Talks – altogether viewed online more than a billion times – and a global network of locally organized TEDx conferences, turned 30 recently. The occasion was celebrated with a new, custom-designed pop-up theater at this year’s TED Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Though the speaker list changes every year, it’s never a surprise to see folks like Keren Elazari, an Israeli hacker and cyber-security expert; Moshe Safdie, the renowned architect; Larry Page, the CEO of Google; or Mark Ronson, the British DJ and rocker whose family name used to be Aaronson. But like the architect’s T-shirt, it’s the unlikely stories and the underlying messages projecting from the TED stage that often catch me by surprise. “This was my grandfather. He was a cobbler,” says Avi Reichental, a leader in the field of 3-D printing, pointing to an image of elderly man in an Eastern European shtetl projected on a high-resolution screen the size of several billboards. Nearing the end of his 18-minute talk on the disruptive future of his field, Reichental points to his feet and says,
Illustrator Maira Kalman spoke about Arturo Toscanini’s stand against fascism – and his pants, which she was wearing – at the 2014 TED Conference in Vancouver. (Photo by James Duncan Davidson) “Even the shoes I am wearing today were manufactured by a 3-D printer. “I never met my grandfather,” he continues. “He perished in the Holocaust. But standing here today, I know that I am carrying on his work.” The illustrator Maira Kalman tells a riveting personal story of Arturo Toscanini’s stand against Hitler and fascism, and the pants he wore when he conducted the inaugural season of the Palestine Symphony Orchestra in 1936. Her story begins, “My family fled their shtetl in Belarus in 1932 to Tel Aviv,” and ends with her showing off the pants she is wearing on the TED stage, the same pants Toscanini wore
NEWS IN bRIEF from europe From JTA
Britain’s Tate Gallery to return Nazi-looted painting
Britain’s Tate Gallery said it would return a Nazi-looted painting to the heirs of an art collector from Hungary. The gallery announced on March 27 that it would return the 1824 painting “Beaching a Boat, Brighton” by John Constable. The artwork had been loaned to museums in the United States as late as 2006, The New York Times reported. In a report, the British government panel settling claims on alleged Nazi-looted artworks said the painting should be returned to the anonymous heirs of Budapest art collector Baron Ferenc Hatvany. The Spoliation Advisory Panel criticized the museum for not attempting to establish the painting’s provenance. The museum said it would recommend to its trustees at its next meeting in May that the painting be returned, according to The New York Times. Hatvany, a Christian convert from Judaism, had his art stolen while he was in hiding during World War II. A donor gave the painting to the museum in 1986.
Thousands attend Paris aliyah fair amid spate of antisemitic incidents
Thousands of French Jews attended an information fair in Paris about moving to Israel. The March 30 fair, organized by the Jewish Agency for Israel in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption and the World Zionist Organization, offered information from representatives of many Israeli organizations and institutions, including government ministries. The Drancy-based Bureau for National Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, a watchdog group known as BNVCA, has recorded a spate of antisemitic incidents in France in recent weeks, including a violent attack on a Jewish teacher and a knife attack on a Paris rabbi and his son. Immigration to Israel, or aliyah, from France has risen sharply since the beginning of 2014, with 854 new immigrants arriving in January and February compared to 274 during the previous year, according to the Jewish Agency. Some 3,280 immigrants from France arrived in Israel in 2013, compared to 1,917 in the previous year. Earlier in March, the French Jewish community’s watchdog organization, SPCJ, released a report that counted 423 antisemitic incidents in France in 2013 – a 31 percent decrease from the previous year, but still higher by 8 percent than the number of incidents recorded in 2011.
Czech justice minister: Nothing much happened during Nazi occupation
Czech Justice Minister Helena Valkova was under fire for saying nothing much happened during the Nazi occupation of her country. Valkova, whose father is an ethnic German and who grew up in a bilingual home, made the statement in an interview that was published on the news website echo24.cz Asked about her views on the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II, Valkova,
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of the center-right ANO 2011 party, said, “The worst. I understand that it was a reaction to what happened before, but in the protectorate not that much happened,” she said in reference to the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia set up by the Nazi occupation forces following their invasion of Czechoslovakia. Between 1941 and 1945, 46,000 Jews were deported from Prague, mostly to the Theresienstadt concentration camp and from there to Auschwitz. Only 5,000 survived. Valkova claimed the statement was taken out of context, and that she only meant to compare the relative calm within the protectorate to war-torn Poland and Russia. Miroslava Nemcova, a lawmaker for the conservative opposition ODS party, was one of several Czech politicians and intellectuals who criticized Valkova for her statement. “Go to the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague and read the names of Jews murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War,” Nemcova said in parliament on March 25, according to the news site blesk.cz. ODS Deputy Chairman Martin Kupka said Valkova’s statement “denies or at least overlooks the suffering of thousands of Jews who were transferred from the Czech soil and subsequently murdered, this denies the obliteration of entire Czech villages, this denies the suffering of thousands of brave people who were killed.”
on the conductor’s stand in Tel Aviv in December 1936. David Brooks, in a session of prior TED speakers invited back for TED’s 30th anniversary, reflects on Sting’s performance the evening before and then chooses to relate Sting’s personal journey to Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and his seminal work, “The Lonely Man of Faith.” But it is Zak Ebrahim who hits the most powerful chord, speaking just before Bill and Melinda Gates, in the one conference session that is simultaneously live-streamed out to the world. “My father killed the Jewish Rabbi Meir Kahane,” Ebrahim admits. Ebrahim is the son of El Sayyid Nosair, the Islamic extremist who gunned down the firebrand rabbi in New York in 1990 and is serving a life sentence in prison for various terrorist conspiracies. Ebrahim, who is now an anti-violence lecturer, goes on to describe a childhood during which he moved 20 times in 19 years, was taken to shooting ranges and was taught to “judge people based on arbitrary characteristics.” Finally, he reaches the moment when he and his mother broke their ties with his father, his mother saying, “I’m tired of hating.” Ebrahim’s message of reconciliation and empathy moves the crowd to a standing ovation and touches me profoundly. Contrary to TED’s reputation for slick presentations and untethered optimism, there is a groundedness to these stories and a rawness, too: a longing by even the most accomplished individual to place him or herself in a bigger context. The feisty defensiveness of an eternal underdog and the passionate search for human decency play out together, side by side. Israeli Jews and Jews of the Diaspora stake out their roles in our collective future. I squint my eyes and see the latest chapter of the Jewish people playing out on the TED stage, hidden in plain sight. Catching up with Kushner, the hip New York architect, on Thursday evening, we walk past a wall of photos, one for each presenter. At the right moment, Kushner pauses to have his picture taken in front of his head-shot, with one of his friends saying, “We need this picture to send to your mom.” Another Jewish moment at the TED Conference, I think to myself, as we are swallowed up by the crowd. Danny Krifcher, a past board president of JTA, has been attending the TED Conference since 1996.
Rabbi: Danish zoo killings show shechitah ban isn’t about animal welfare
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A Danish zoo’s slaying of healthy animals proves that animal welfare concerns are a false justification for Denmark’s recent ban on ritual slaughter, a European rabbi charged. Citing the need to make room for new animals and prevent inbreeding, the Copenhagen Zoo killed four healthy lions in late March and a healthy giraffe in February. The killings, which prompted an international outcry, make it “more apparent that this [shechitah ban] is less about animal welfare, and much more about the politics of immigration and integration,” Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, said in a statement on March 27. Denmark’s agriculture minister, Dan Jorgensen, issued a new regulation in February making it illegal to slaughter animals without stunning, posing a problem for Jewish and Muslim ritual slaughter. He said the ban owed to animal welfare considerations. Goldschmidt suggested that’s false. “Since there is little or no religious slaughter in Denmark today, we can only assume that the ban represents a fig leaf intended to cover the country’s woeful record on animal welfare,” he said. In February, the Copenhagen Zoo made headlines around the world when it killed an 18-month-old healthy giraffe and then publicly fed his flesh to the lion pack. The affair has refocused attention on the traditional whale hunt performed in Denmark’s Faroe Islands, where each year hunters maneuver hundreds of pilot whales to beach themselves, then butcher them in shallow lagoons. “It seems so clear that this is a country with a great deal of work to do in this area” of animal welfare, Goldschmidt said, “yet all they have succeeded in doing thus far is offending faith communities.”
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ april 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774
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, April 6 TAY Hazak presents program on health care\ wishes at 1 pm Tuesday, April 8 Federation CRC meeting at 4:45 pm TC Scholars series with Rabbi Geoffrey Mitelman at 6 pm Wednesday, April 9 Federation presents Rabbi Bob Alper at Temple Concord at 6 pm Saturday, April 12 Temple Concord “Out of Egypt” program at 12:30 pm TC ALast Night of Ballyhoo@ reading at 7 pm Sunday, April 13 TC bloodmobile at 9 am TC Brotherhood program at 9:30 am TC Women of Reform Judaism program at 10 am Monday, April 14 EARLY Deadline for the May 1 issue of the Jewish Observer Fast of the Firstborn Erev Pesach First night of Passover and the first seder TC Passover seder at 6 pm Tuesday, April 15 Jewish Community Center and Jewish Federation offices closed Second seder Wednesday, April 16 Jewish Community Center and Jewish Federation offices closed Thursday, April 17 Jewish Home Foundation meeting at 5:30 pm Saturday, April 19 TC Cinemagogue at 7pm Sunday, April 20 PJ Library play date at the Jewish Community Center at 10:30 am Monday, April 21 Seventh day of Passover Jewish Community Center and Jewish Federation offices closed Tuesday, April 22 Eighth day of Passover Jewish Community Center and Jewish Federation offices closed Yizkor is recited Wednesday, April 23 Menorah Park board meeting at 6 pm CBS-CS board meeting at 7:30 pm
Oasis
immediate area, to obtain health certificates and, potentially, even kosher certifications. Through Wadi Attir, said Alnabari, all of this will be possible. Additionally, Wadi Attir will serve as a model for Israel-Bedouin collaboration. “It is good for the people,” said Alnabari. “It makes them feel good as citizens. It makes them proud to be part of Israel.” On a recent Tuesday in March, Wadi Attir Director Yunis Nbarey unlocked the gate to the village. The land spreads for 400 dunams (99 acres). Nbarey became involved as a volunteer when the project was in its infancy. He said that at that stage he clocked dozens of hours to rally the community and move the initiative forward. He doesn’t have a high school degree, and before this he had never served in a leadership role. Nbarey said his family became frustrated with the time he was spending working on Wadi Attir in its infancy, but Nbarey persisted. He smiles quietly at the fruits of his labor, at land cultivated, planted and prepared to hold the
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d’var torah
Dayenu
By Rabbi Daniel Fellman Passover seders always remind me of my maternal grandmother, Dina Bloom. Not because I recall seders at her house, and not because I still use some of her recipes, and not because our dining room set comes from her home. Rather, it is one song in the midst of the seder that brings her memory flooding back to me. Part way through the seder, we sing our spectacular song of gratitude, “Dayenu.” The song was written about a thousand years ago, almost modern by Jewish standards. It first appears in Seder Rav Amram, a medieval haggadah. Containing 15 verses, “Dayenu” reminds us of the centrality of gratitude in Passover and in Jewish life. Passover provides so many possibilities for gratitude. We are thankful for the miracle of our Exodus from Egypt. We are thankful for the gift of freedom. We are thankful for gatherings of family and friends. And we are thankful for the renewal of Pesach – the return of spring, the refreshing reminders of our history, the renewal to our covenant with God. So easily we travel through life focused on the challenges of daily life. We worry about our children, stress over our jobs, fret about the minor and major challenges of everyday. All of us need a gratitude reminder from time to time. The celebration of Passover overflows with details, just like regular life. We have to prepare special foods, clean our homes and change our routines. And finally, part way into the seder service, our tradition winks at us and gives
mazel tov Bronstein-Modigliani engagement
Jan and Neil Bronstein, of Fayetteville, have announced the engagement of their son, Ethan, to Amelia Modigliani, daughter of Suzanne and Sergio Modigliani, of Brookline, MA. Ethan is the grandson of Irene Bronstein, of Fayetteville and Florida, and Judith Franklin, of East Syracuse and Florida. He graduated from Fayetteville-Manlius High School in 2003 and George Washington University in 2007. He is Ethan Bronstein and an analyst at LEIDOS in Amelia Modigliani Washington, DC. Amelia graduated from the University of Michigan in 2005. She is a senior director at the Advisory Board Company, working with account management, also in Washington, DC. An October 12 wedding is planned.
us a loving reminder to not sweat the small stuff. Lean back, instead, and sing out in joy, celebrating our liberation from slavery, giving voice to the majesty of miracles, marveling at the magnificent relationship we Jews share with God and honor on Pesach. Each year, when we reach “Dayenu” in the seder, I picture my grandmother singing that song with unparalleled joy. She knew tragedy and sorrow in her life, but also great satisfaction. And for those few moments at Passover, the joy overwhelmed the sadness and her gratitude elevated the seder table and each of us present. In finding that grateful release, my grandmother taught me a lesson I experience anew every year. The freedom of Pesach can best be savored by giving thanks, by recognizing the good in life, by allowing our souls to rise in song and in spite of all that burdens us, to let gratitude overwhelm and engulf us in the renewal and endless possibility that is Passover. Rabbi Daniel J. Fellman is the rabbi at Temple Concord and Hillel campus rabbi and the Jewish chaplain of Syracuse University.
NEWS digest From JTA
Holocaust survivors in Canada target of scam
A scam targeting Jewish Holocaust survivors in Canada claims they are entitled to a share of a $75 million pot and asks for a large fee in return. Letters delivered to survivors in Alberta and Ontario claim they are entitled to funds from the “Holocaust Claims Processing Office” and request personal banking information. The letters promise the funds will be transferred to a “secure numbered account” and ask for 60 percent of the sum as a fee, the National Post newspaper reported. “I have all secret details and necessary contacts for claim of the funds without any hitch,” reads the letter signed by a Larry Dubali, identified as a senior partner of Tenure Consulting in New York. Reached by the Post the week of March 27, Dubali, who seemed to speak with an African accent, hung up without answering questions. The phone number and address on his letters are associated with complaints about telephone frauds, the Post noted. “It’s so clear that this is a scam,” said Sara Saber-Freedman, executive vice president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, which has notified the police, phone company and Internet provider about the scheme. “It’s just vile. This is just odious.” She also called Dubali and noted he seemed to speak with a West African accent. The Canadian Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants organization sent letters to rabbis and community leaders warning about the scam. “This is an obvious attempt to defraud members of the Jewish community and should be ignored,” the letter said. “It’s obscene as far as I’m concerned,” said the organization’s president, Sidney Zoltak. Continued from page 14
soon-to-be physical structures that will open project Wadi Attir. “I saw the influence it could have on the children. They see Wadi Attir and they know that if they have a plan, if they work hard, then they can make their dreams happen,” said Nbarey. “First the idea was just a raindrop,” Alnabari said. “Now it is raining.” Alnabari said the team, which consists of 12 staff and as many as 50 or 60 contract workers, should complete the building phase by the end of 2014. After that, the ecosystem will truly come alive and could reach as many as 70,000 Bedouin in some capacity. “Everyone thought this was a complete pipe dream.
Engineering
our time constraints,” he said. In Israel, students finish school by 2:30 pm and tend to have fewer extracurricular activities than American students. But it seems the U.S. schools want to make it work. Since 2001, CIJE has built 100 computers laboratories and 25 state-of-the-art science laboratories, and donated more than 500 smart boards, all of which are being utilized to maximum capacity through its programs. Lebowitz said every other week a new school contacts her about wanting to get on board. As fund-raising runs the program, CIJE is careful to only open in schools where there are enough students and qualified faculty to maintain the program. Current demand for CIJE is outpacing fund-raising. Schools range from Chasidic to yeshivot to Conserva-
Most people said it would take 10 years to get through the bureaucracy. It took us half that time... Ben-Eli, Dr. Alnabari and the Bedouin community have put in blood, sweat and tears, and we’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us,” said Arnow. “We know there are problems,” Nbarey said. “There will be more challenges. But we aren’t interested in the people who will look at Wadi Attir from the outside and judge us. We don’t care about those who say ‘I am on the government’s side,’ or ‘I side with the Bedouin.’ We want to go beyond the arguments. We simply want to have the tools to fix the community. The tools are in Wadi Attir.”
Continued from page 13
tive and community day schools. They are located as far east as New York, as far west as California, in the South and in the Midwest. Lebowitz said program staff is constantly looking at improvement. Soon CIJE will debut a new course for eighth-graders, which will better prepare them for the demands of the CIJE-Tech high school curriculum. The decision to write that course was based on teacher feedback. “If we want our students to become future leaders, it is important they start thinking like future leaders and innovators… Engineering is a tool we need to bring to our students,” said Jerozolim. “It’s innovation, entrepreneurship and a new wave of thinking.” Maayan Jaffe is a freelance writer in Overland Park, KS.
APRIL 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774 ■
obituaries Neoma (Miller) Berger
Neoma (Miller) Berger, 100, formerly of Syracuse, and a resident of Applewood Retirement Community in Amherst, MA, died at home on March 18. She was a 1935 graduate of Syracuse University, where she majored in liberal arts. She did graduate studies at Smith College in social work and interned in Boston and Rochester. She had a passion for math and found part-time positions with credit unions wherever she and her husband lived. In 1966, she and her husband moved to Amherst, where he became a full professor in the department of public health at the University of Massachusetts and director of the Water Resources Research Center, located on campus. She worked part-time at the Amherst Town Hall, played bridge, participated in book clubs and traveled around the world. She and her husband moved to Applewood in 1997. She was predeceased by her husband of 61 years, Bernie, in 2000. She is survived by her children, Paul, of Alexandria, VA; David, of Baltimore, MD, and Susan Berger (Peter) Atkins, of Sunderland, MA; a grandson; her sisters, Thelma Cohn, of Venice, FL, and Shirley Kay, of Syracuse; and a large number of nieces and nephews. Contributions may be made to the Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main St., Amherst, MA 01002, or Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1165 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002.
David N. Cravetz
David N. Cravetz, 90, of Delray Beach, FL, formerly of Fulton, NY, died on March 11 after a long illness. Born in Syracuse, he moved to Fulton at a very early age. While in Fulton, he was affiliated with the family businesses, Ontario Star Cleaners and B&T Sport Shop. He and his wife, Betty, retired and moved to Florida in 1991. He was a charter member of the Fulton Men’s Chorus and was involved in several musical productions in town. He was a member of the Masons, Hiram Lodge, #144. He was a member of Congregation Adath Israel, Oswego, NY and Temple Emeth, Delray Beach, FL. Survivors include his wife of more than 66 years, Betty, of Delray Beach, FL; two children, Paul “PJ” (Michelle) Cravetz, of Clifton Park, NY, and Amy (Phil) Mrazik, of Waterbury, CT; two granddaughters; and many nieces and nephews. Beth Israel Memorial Chapel, Delray Beach, FL had arrangements. Burial was at the South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth, FL. Contributions may be made to Hospice of Palm Beach County, Gerstenberg Hospice Center, 5300 E. Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407-2387.
JEWISH OBSERVER
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NEWS digest From JTA
account their points of view with the greatest respect.”
Limmud FSU, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews in partnership
German collector of art stash says he’ll return some works
Limmud FSU and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews will partner to expand Limmud FSU activities. The announcement of the partnership came the night of March 29 during the Limmud FSU conference in Parsippany, NJ. Limmud FSU (for former Soviet Union) helps Russian-speaking Jews engage with the Jewish community. Under the three-year agreement, Limmud FSU will hold eight conferences this year, up from six in 2013. The group also will expand to Australia, the West Coast of the United States and Toronto. The fellowship will fund the new activities. Also under the agreement, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, president of the fellowship, will join Limmud FSU’s as dean and member of the Executive Committee.
Uruguay’s Jews concerned by arrival of Gitmo inmates
Uruguay’s Jewish community has reacted with concern to the decision by President Jose Mujica to accept inmates from Guantanamo Bay. Representatives of the Jewish community and B’nai B’rith International reportedly met on March 25 with the U.S. ambassador to Uruguay, Julissa Reynoso, to discuss the issue. The five prisoners selected to receive refugee status in Uruguay include four Syrians and one Palestinian, who cannot return to their home countries due to their political situations, according to the Pan Am Post. The men will remain in the country for at least two years. Eduardo Kohn, B’nai B’rith director of Latin American Affairs, who attended the meeting, told local media that the detainees’relocation to Uruguay “could make Jews and any other minority nervous.” Mujica said he had taken the reaction of Uruguay’s Jewish community into account when he made the decision. “Yes, of course we took it into account,” he said during a radio interview on March 24, according to the Progresso Weekly. “And [the reaction of] the Syrian community and everyone else. And in due course we’ll talk with members of that community with the respect they deserve and the consideration due to all the communities that might be concerned in one way or another. We’ll take into
A Nazi-looted Matisse painting reportedly will be returned to the heirs of a Paris art dealer by the German man who stashed it in his apartment for decades. Through his attorneys, Cornelius Gurlitt said the week of March 27 that he would be returning to heirs all works identified as having been “stolen or robbed” by the Nazis, according to the German magazine Focus. They apparently include “Sitting Woman,” which belonged to the Paris dealer Paul Rosenberg and for a time was in the possession of Hitler’s chief deputy, Hermann Goering. Other restitutions from the more than 1,600 artworks found recently in the Munich and Salzburg homes of Gurlitt, 81, are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, but Gurlitt’s court-appointed attorney Christoph Edel said relatively few works would fall into that category. Gurlitt inherited the collection from his father, Hildebrand, who was hired by the Nazis to buy art for its museums, as well as works that were considered “degenerate” that could be sold for profit. Hildebrand Gurlitt made several trips to Paris in the course of his work. In 2012, customs agents investigating Cornelius Gurlitt for tax evasion confiscated the Munich stash of some 1,400 works in a story broken last fall by Focus. The Salzburg collection was revealed several months later. The German government has formed a task force specifically to examine the provenance of works in the Munich collection; the Salzburg collection is being investigated in Austria. Meanwhile, Gurlitt launched a website where updates are posted and queries from potential heirs are accepted. Several years ago, Gurlitt sold a painting by Max Beckmann at auction, sharing the proceeds with a Jewish family who established it was part of their lost inheritance. The fact that Gurlitt had a trove of valuable works of unclear provenance was not revealed at the time.
PEXTON MEMORIALS ( FORMALLY GROSKIN MEMORIALS) MONUMENTS, MARKERS, CEMETERY LETTERING, PLANTINGS ARRANGED
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Garrison “Gary” Davis
Garrison “Gary” Davis, 90, died on March 5 at home in Charlotte, NC. Born in 1923 in Poland, he immigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1933. He and his brother, Louis, founded G&L Davis Meat Company in Syracuse and were the makers of Gianelli sausage. After his retirement, he lived in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, before moving to Charlotte. He was active in many sports, enjoyed playing bridge, loved music and the arts, and was an active member of many community organizations. He was a former member of the Lafayette Country Club, Drumlins Country Club, Ballenisles Country Club and a member of Raintree Country Club in Charlotte. He was predeceased by his brother, Louis; and his first wife, Betty. He is survived by his wife, Arlene (Wiesner) Davis; their children, Eric (Hannah), Robin (Barry), Alan (Heather), Scott and Melissa (Richard); eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Arrangements were by J.B. Tallent Funeral Service, Charlotte, NC. Contributions may be made to Temple Israel, 4901 Providence Rd., Charlotte NC 28226 or Hospice and Palliative Care of Charlotte, 1420 E. 7th St., Charlotte, NC 28204.
David B. Sherman
David B. Sherman, 88, died on March 22 at the Miami Jewish Home. Born in Bouckville, he and his wife lived in Utica before moving to Syracuse in 1969. He was an independent sales agent throughout his life, including many years with Bankers Life and Casualty Company. He was a passionate bridge player, achieving the level of life master. He was a past member of Temple Adath Yeshurun of Syracuse and Temple Beth El of Utica. He was predeceased by his wife, Elaine. He is survived by his sons, Bruce (Helaine), Peter (Caryn) and Craig (Marla); seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; his brother, William (Helene); and a large extended family. Burial was in Beth El Cemetery, Whitesboro, NY. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements. Contributions may be made to the Miami Jewish Home, 5200 NE 2nd Ave., Miami, FL 33137.
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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ april 3, 2014/3 NISAN 5774
NEWS IN bRIEF from israel From JTA
Netanyahu: Prisoner release must include something for Israel, Cabinet OK
Israel will not release more Palestinian prisoners without getting something in return, and such a deal will be brought to the Cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. Netanyahu made the statements on March 30 at a meeting of his Likud party government ministers ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting. The remarks came a day after Israel missed a deadline for releasing a fourth group of Palestinians from Israeli prisons. Israel had agreed in August to release a total of 104 prisoners, including 14 Israeli-Arabs, in order to jump-start peace negotiations, which are scheduled to end at the close of April. “I suggest that all speculation be avoided until the full picture becomes clear, and this could happen in a matter of a few days,” Netanyahu said. “Either this is going to be settled or it’s going to fall apart. At any rate, there won’t be any deal until it’s clear what the state of Israel is getting in return, and if there is a deal it will be brought to the government for approval.” The Times of Israel and Haaretz reported that Israel had offered to release another 400 Palestinian prisoners if the Palestinians agreed to extend the talks past their nine-month deadline and again agree not to turn to international bodies, including the United Nations, for statehood recognition. Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the Jewish Home party, said he would work to prevent the release of additional prisoners, saying in a March 30 Facebook post that he has received “hundreds of inquiries” about the rumored deal. “Let me be clear: This will not happen,” he said in a Facebook post. Also on March 30, chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat reportedly issued a statement disputing that the prisoner releases had anything to do with continuation or progress in the peace talks. Instead, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported, Erekat said that Israel’s agreement to release the 104 prisoners held since before the 1993 Oslo Accords was in exchange for Palestinian agreement not to turn to international bodies to achieve statehood. He said the Palestinians were still holding “sensitive talks” with the United States and Israel.
Poll: 49 percent of Israelis favor Chief Rabbinate recognition for Reform, Conservative Jews
Nearly half of Israelis surveyed said Israel’s Chief Rabbinate should officially recognize Reform and Conservative Judaism. In the survey of 500 adults, 49 percent “strongly feel that the Chief Rabbinate should officially recognize the Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism,” Walla.com reported, because this “will in turn strengthen the connection with American Jews.” The poll, published on March 27, was commissioned by the Ruderman Family Foundation and conducted by Teleseker polling. It focused on how Israelis perceive the relationship between their countrymen and state institutions and U.S. Jews. Asked about whether the views of American Jews on the peace process should be taken into account, 30 percent of respondents said “to some extent,” 22 percent said “to a great extent” and 18 percent said “not at all.” Thirty-one percent of respondents said that Diaspora Jews should not be represented in the Knesset while 29 percent said Diaspora Jews should be represented “to some extent.” The survey was conducted ahead of a trip to New York and Boston that the Ruderman Family Foundation is organizing for six Knesset members to learn more about U.S. Jewry.
Israel abstains in U.N. Ukraine vote
Israel abstained from the U.S.-led bid to isolate Russia at the United Nations in the wake of its takeover of Crimea. The non-binding resolution, which passed in the General Assembly on March 27 in a 100-11 vote with 58 abstentions, calls on member states “to desist and refrain from actions aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including any attempts to modify Ukraine’s borders through the threat or use of force or other unlawful means.” It also declares a referendum held earlier in March to validate February’s Russian takeover to have “no validity.” Among those approving the resolution were leading U.S. allies, including Canada and Poland. It was not clear why Israel abstained. Israeli diplomats are on strike. Israel has maintained a low profile throughout the crisis.
Pope Francis visit to Israel is on despite diplomats’ strike
Pope Francis is going ahead with his visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority in May, despite a strike by Israeli diplomats. The Vatican on March 27 released the program for the papal trip, scheduled for May 24-26. The pope will have a series of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as well as Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim religious leaders. He also will celebrate religious services and make public speeches. The general strike called on March 23 by employees of Israel’s Foreign Ministry has shut down the country’s 103 embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions around the world. Francis will fly to Amman, Jordan, on May 24, and meet with King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, address Jordanian authorities, celebrate Mass in a stadium and meet with “refugees and young disabled people.” The pope will leave Jordan the next day and fly by helicopter to Bethlehem for a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whom the Vatican statement referred to as “the president of the state of Palestine.” Francis will address Palestinian authorities and celebrate Mass in Manger Square, as well as meet with children in three refugee camps. Francis will then fly by helicopter to Jerusalem, where he will meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople and sign a joint declaration. That evening, in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, a ecumenical meeting will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the meeting in Jerusalem between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in 1964. On May 26, Francis will visit the grand mufti of Jerusalem and give an address. Then he will visit the Western Wall and lay a wreath at Mount Herzl. He also will visit and speak at Yad Vashem before meeting Israel’s two chief rabbis at the Heichal Shlomo Centre next to the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem. Later, the pope will meet separately with Israeli President Simon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will depart for Rome that evening, following other meetings and a Mass with priests and other religious leaders.
Passover Greetings
from
Kerry rushes to peace consultations
Secretary of State John Kerry broke off from a European tour with President Barack Obama to attend to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process days ahead of a critical deadline. Kerry flew to Amman, Jordan, on March 26 for a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He also spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The meetings were extraordinary given the urgency of Obama’s mission in Europe – garnering support for U.S.-led isolation of Russia following its takeover of Crimea, a region of Ukraine. The consultations come just three days before the deadline for Israel to release 26 Palestinian prisoners, the final stage of a prisoner release agreed to by Israel last summer to bring the Palestinians back to the talks. A number of Israeli officials have said they are now opposed to the release because the talks are stalled in part because of Abbas’ refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Abbas has said he will leave the talks if the release does not go through. Kerry in recent months has attempted to solicit from Abbas and other Arab nations recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. The Arab League, meeting in Kuwait on March 26, rebuffed Kerry’s latest bid, according to the Kuwait News Agency, which said the group “expressed full rejection” of such recognition. Abbas has said that such a recognition disenfranchises Arab-Israelis and has not previously been asked of any other country, including Arab countries with which Israel has made peace. He also notes that the Palestine Liberation Organization has recognized Israel multiple times since 1988. Israeli leaders say recognition of Israel as a Jewish state would put to rest any future Palestinian claims to Israel. Separately, Obama administration officials dismissed as groundless reports that the United States would release Jonathan Pollard, a spy for Israel sentenced to life in 1987, as part of a broader prisoner exchange aimed at advancing the process. “There are no plans to release Jonathan Pollard at this time,” State Department spokeswoman Mari Harf said on March 27.
Rambam Hospital drill tests underground facility
Rambam Hospital in Haifa held a major emergency drill in its new underground hospital. The March 25 drill tested the operations and preparedness of the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital, which is scheduled to open in the next couple of months. The 2,000-bed underground hospital is designed to protect patients during time of war. It is the largest underground facility of its kind, Rambam said in a statement. It will serve as a garage during times of quiet. During the drill, hospital staff transferred an entire department and several medical units from the hospital’s main building to the underground facility. Temporary toilets, showers and other equipment necessary to run the facility also were set up. The underground hospital was initiated after the 2006 Second Lebanon War, when the hospital and its patients were under constant threat of missile attack. It will be able to absorb hundreds of patients from other hospitals in the area in case of emergency, and will be capable of receiving and caring for hundreds of wounded, even while under fire.
Al-Quds U. president resigns shortly after campus Hamas rally
Sari Nusseibeh, the president of the Palestinian Al-Quds University, resigned three days after a rally in support of Hamas at its eastern Jerusalem campus. Nusseibeh will step down at the end of the academic year, according to an announcement on the university’s website. The announcement said that Nusseibeh announced his decision on March 26 at a meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees, since he has reached the retirement age of 65. He has served as president of the university for the past 20 years and will remain with its Philosophy Department. During the March 23 two-hour rally involving hundreds of students, masked protesters marched through the campus wearing black ski masks and carrying replicas of rockets, according to photos posted on the website of independent journalist Tom Gross and on the Facebook page of the Islamic Bloc of Al-Quds University student group, which is associated with Hamas. A rally in support of Islamic Jihad on the Al-Quds campus in November led to the suspension of ties between Al-Quds University and Brandeis University. In announcing the suspension of the relationship, Brandeis President Frederick Lawrence said Nusseibeh’s condemnation of the demonstration – Nusseibeh said “Jewish extremists” were using the demonstration to “capitalize on events in ways that misrepresent the university as promoting inhumane, antisemitic, fascist and Nazi ideologies” – was “unacceptable and inflammatory.”
Israel strikes Gaza-bound boats allegedly smuggling arms
Israel’s Navy fired on two boats traveling from Sinai to the Gaza Strip that the Israel Defense Forces said were smuggling arms. In the incident early March 26, secondary explosions were heard after the boats were hit by Israeli fire, indicating that they carried weaponry, the IDF said in a statement. Gunmen on the Gaza coast also fired on the Israeli vessels. The Palestinian Maan news agency reported that the Palestinian vessels were fishing boats and that four fishermen were injured in the attack.
Report: Israel, Turkey could sign compensation deal soon
Israel and Turkey could sign a compensation deal over the Mavi Marmara incident as early as next month, according to Turkey’s deputy prime minister. Bulent Arinc told the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News that Israel delivered the final reconciliation text, with a monetary figure, in February. He added that following March 30 local elections, the Turkish government would re-evaluate the document and turn it into an official agreement to be submitted to the two countries for approval. After the agreement is signed, Israel and Turkey can resume normalized relations, with the countries exchanging diplomats, Arinc told Hurriyet. Turkey downgraded diplomatic ties with Israel and then expelled Israel’s ambassador after the 2010 flotilla incident, in which Israeli troops killed nine Turkish nationals in clashes while trying to stop the Mavi Marmara from breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last March, after which representatives of the countries met for reconciliation talks. Arinc singled out President Barack Obama for helping to bring the two sides together.
Most Jewish Israeli teens identifying as Zionist
Approximately 70 percent of Jewish Israeli youth consider themselves Zionists, according to a survey released by the Zionist Council in Israel. The findings were presented at the 33rd National Youth Zionist Congress the week of March 25 in Gush Etzion, The Jerusalem Post reported. The survey of 501 Hebrew-speaking teens conducted via an Internet questionnaire found that 76 percent intend to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, and 14 percent plan to do national service instead. Eighty-five percent of the youth said they would not agree to divide Jerusalem, even if it meant achieving true peace with the Palestinians. The survey also found that one out of every 10 youth – and one out of every four secular respondents – would like to live abroad. The findings indicated that 92 percent of boys read from the Torah on their bar mitzvahs, 87 percent have Shabbat meals with their families, 67 percent say Kiddush for Shabbat and 60 percent eat or try to eat at kosher restaurants.