HAKOL - November 2015

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community

NOVEMBER 2015 | CHESHVAN/KISLEV 5776

Israel reels from new wave of violence

By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency Israelis have become accustomed to dismal news in the past few weeks – mornings and evenings punctuated by stabbings, car attacks and rock throwing.

The cycle of random violence has left dozens of Israelis and Palestinians dead, and many fearing the worst: The start of a third intifada, or armed Palestinian uprising, that could claim hundreds more lives.

But since the second intifada started in 2000, fears of a repeat have proved unfounded. Conditions in Israel and the Palestinian territories have changed since that time, and short bursts of low-level violence are the new normal.

"It's a matter of days until this stops," said Nitzan Nuriel, the former head of the prime minister's Counter-Terrorism Bureau. "This has no goal. It will be forgotten. The reality is we have waves of terror. It doesn't matter what the reason is."

Israelis have been bracing for a third intifada ever since the second one ebbed to a close in 2005. Waves of terror have risen and fallen, along with concerns that the region is on the verge of another conflagration.

Most recently, a string of Palestinian attacks in late 2014, including the murder of four Orthodox Jewish men, including three rabbis, and a Druze police officer at a Jerusalem synagogue, sparked talk of a third intifada. But those clashes died out after several weeks. Another rash of attacks came and went two years ago.

Now, after two weeks of near-daily attacks, some Israelis and Palestinians are already calling this string the third intifada.

But during the past 15 years, Israel has created safeguards to keep Palestinian violence in check.

"Every night we have actions to detain people who are involved in terrorist activi-

MAJOR NATHAN KLINE Shares his story.

See page 3.

UNREST IN ISRAEL The community responds.

See pages 16-17.

Palestinian stone thrower ties," Israel Defense Forces spokesman Peter Lerner said. "We have operational access at any given time to any place."

After hitting a peak in 2002, attacks on Israelis waned the following year when Israel completed the first part of a security barrier near its pre-1967 border with the West Bank.

Part fence and wall, the barrier has proved controversial. Its route cuts into the West Bank at points in what critics call an Israeli land grab. And the restrictions on Palestinian movement imposed by the barrier, as well as the fence around Gaza, have led some to call Gaza an open-air prison.

Still, the barrier coincided with a sharp decrease in Israeli deaths from terrorism.

Terrorists have infiltrated it repeatedly, but successful Palestinian terror attacks dropped

90 percent between 2002 and 2006. Militants attacking Israel from Gaza now shoot missiles over the barrier or dig tunnels under it.

The current wave of violence has mostly involved attacks in the shadow of the security barrier – either in the West Bank or in Jerusalem. Both are Palestinian population centers with easy access to Jewish communities. A handful of stabbings have taken place in central Israel, perpetrated by Palestinians who were able to sneak across the barrier.

The unorganized, "lone wolf" attacks occurring across Israel have created an atmosphere of insecurity and tension, even as the attacks have been relatively small in scale.

Israel violence Continues on page 7

Judy Diamondstein to lead New Haven Federation

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing

PJ LIBRARY goes to the art museum!

See page 22.

No. 381 com.UNITY with Mark Goldstein 2 Women’s Division

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LVJF Tributes

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Jewish Family Service

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Jewish Community Center 18-19 Jewish Day School

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Community Calendar

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First as a volunteer and later as a professional, Judy Diamondstein has spent more than two decades sharing her family and her passion for the Jewish community with the Lehigh Valley.

Her husband, Marc, has been a committed volunteer, most recently serving as a member of the Federation’s Community Relations Council and chairman of its Partnership2Gether Committee. Her children, Noah and Molly, atNon-Profit Organization

702 North 22nd Street Allentown, PA 18104

U.S. POSTAGE PAID Lehigh Valley, PA Permit No. 64

tended pre-school at the Jewish Community Center, Hebrew school at Temple Beth El and were deeply involved in BBYO and USY. For the entire family, Super Sunday was like an annual holiday.

With Noah in rabbinical school in Israel and Molly attending Colgate University, Judy and Marc will be moving on this winter as Judy assumes the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have grown up and grown as both a member of this Jewish community and a professional and feel that my ‘lifetime’ of experience has been invaluable to me,” Judy said. “The very very special people of this Jewish community have impacted me in ways that I can’t possibly quantify, but they will be with me always.”

The Diamondsteins moved to the Lehigh Valley in 1992.

Judy’s early professional activities included Lehigh University Hillel director and director of camp, membership

and program services at the Jewish Community Center of Allentown. As a volunteer, she served the Jewish Federation as a campaign worker, on the Women's Division Board and on the Federation board; at Temple Beth El she was Sisterhood president, a synagogue board member and a member of its Building Committee.

As a Jewish Federation professional, Judy served as campaign director from 1998-2000.

Following a brief hiatus during which she founded Sweetiepies, Inc., a made-to-order dessert business, she returned to the Federation professional staff in 2005, serving in positions of increasing responsibility.

“I am happy for Judy's career advancement, but of course I feel a sense of loss of a good friend and dedicated Jewish communal professional from our community,” said Mark L. Goldstein, Federation executive director. “It has been an honor to work with Judy as a senior member of our Federation staff team these past 10 years; it will be an honor to work with her as a Federation executive peer col-

league in the years to come.”

As assistant executive director and chief development professional, Judy has provided exceptional leadership to the Federation’s Annual Campaign enterprise. During Judy's tenure, the Lehigh Valley was the recipient of a national Federation Sapir Award for Campaign Excellence. She was selected to participate in the inaugural class of Jewish Federation of North America's Fundraising University program and this past year

Judy Diamondstein Continues on page 11

com.UNITY

FROM THE DESK OF MARK L. GOLDSTEIN

Executive Director | Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley markg@jflv.org

Preparing for emergencies, even when we don’t want to I am deeply troubled by what is happening in Israel. I have family and friends there and think about them often. I am incensed that much of the violence appears to be flamed by innuendos and lies about what some are saying are Israel’s intentions to change the “status quo” of the Temple Mount. International media has fallen prey to the idea “if you say something enough times people will begin to believe it is true.”

Fate does not differentiate between people. The present form of terrorism is random-people at bus stops, in bus terminals, walking along the street, children on their bicycle, someone waiting in line at a checkpoint and an IDF soldier helping an elderly woman.

The victims of such terrorism become united in unfortunate and macabre ways.

They are also united in efforts to provide comfort and relief to those who are victims of terrorism. Our Jewish Federation is part of an international system that enables the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Fund for the Victims of Terror. What a shame that we live in a

world where we have to plan for such situations. But we should all be grateful that our system understands emergencies, understands the needs, and understands our collective responsibility to be of assistance.

These are trying times in Israel. It is, to a certain extent, an emergency situation. The nature of the attacks has set many on edge. Israelis are using social media to inform others which stores just received a supply of pepper spray, a necessary commodity in such times. But the tenseness of the situation bares no comparison to those suffering from greater loss; several Israelis have been killed, dozens have been wounded.

They must pick up the pieces emotionally and financially.

The Jewish Agency’s Fund for the Victims of Terror offers vital assistance to victims of terrorist activity. It offers immediate, emergency financial grants, and long term grants helping victims overcome trauma and establish skills for success. It complements the funds and assistance provided by the Israeli government.

We are all aware of the stabbing incident involving a 13-year old in Pisgat Ze’ev who was riding his bike when attacked by a young assailant.

The boy was leaving a candy store. The incident received greater coverage when Palestinian President Abbas inflamed the situation by falsely reporting the young terrorist had been murdered by Israelis and skillfully omitting any reference to the assailant’s stabbing the 13-year old as well as a 24-year old man all the while the terrorist was at an Israeli hospital receiving treatment.

The stabbed Israeli boy was gravely injured and rushed to a hospital. Within 2 days special counselors from the Jewish Agency met with the parents. The father was at the hospital with their injured son and the mother was at home caring for her other children. Routine tasks like preparing lunch, sending her kids to school and helping with homework suddenly were even more important for her other children.

Unaccustomed to receiving help, the mother accepted the assistance from the terror

CAREER OPPORTUNITY:

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Reporting directly to the CEO, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s Director of Development leads the agency’s essential annual campaign efforts.

The position requires creativity, energy, excellent communication skills, and successful experience in donor stewardship and annual campaign management.

The Director of Development will be instrumental in growing our donor base and increasing revenue through a dynamic collaborative strategy integrating annual unrestricted, donor-directed, and corporate, foundation, and planned giving opportunities.

The full job description can be found at www.jewishlehighvalley.org/career-center.

Send cover letter and resume to: Mark L. Goldstein, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, 702 North 22nd Street, Allentown PA 18104 or markg@jflv.org.

victims’ fund. The funds will transition her family until certain government funds begin.

When asked what else she needs, she noted two things.

The first was for the terror victims’ fund’s staff not have any more work to carry out, that the terror would stop and that there would be no more suffering for mothers and children. Her second was for her son’s recovery and that he would celebrate his bar mitzvah, which is set to take place in two months.

The Jewish Agency’s Fund for the Victims of Terror is funded by our Federation’s Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. Because of your past support, the Jewish Agency has the funds to distribute today. Your support of our current Annual Campaign is an

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY HAKOL is published 11 times per year for the Jewish communities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and vicinity by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

assurance the Jewish Agency will be ready for tomorrow.

Please join us in the 60 Day Challenge and make a pledge

by December 1, 2015. All increases and new pledges will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by generous donors.

We don’t want to be ready for such emergencies, but with your help, we will be ready.

HAKOL STAFF Laura Rigge

HAKOL Editor

Stephanie Smartschan

JFLV Director of Marketing

Allison Meyers

Graphic Designer

Diane McKee

Advertising Representative TEL: 610-515-1391 hakolads@jflv.org

COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS Submissions to HAKOL must be of interest to the entire Jewish community. HAKOL reserves all editorial rights including, but not limited to, the decision to print any submitted materials, the editing of submissions to conform to style and length requirements, and the placement of any printed material. Articles should be submitted by e-mail or presented as typed copy; “Community Calendar” listings must be submitted by e-mail to hakol@jflv.org or online at www. jewishlehighvalley.org. Please include your name and a daytime telephone number where you can be contacted in the event questions arise. We cannot guarantee publication or placement of submissions.

Mail, fax, or e-mail to: JFLV ATTN: HAKOL 702 N. 22nd St. Allentown, PA 18104 Phone: (610) 821-5500 Fax: (610) 821-8946 E-mail: hakol@jflv.org

JFLV EXECUTIVE STAFF Mark L. Goldstein Executive Director

Judy Diamondstein

Assistant Executive Director

Temple Coldren

Director of Finance & Administration

Jim Mueth

Director of Planned Giving & Endowments

Aaron Gorodzinsky

Director of Outreach & Community Relations

Mark H. Scoblionko JFLV President

EDITORIAL BOARD

Monica Friess, Acting Chair Barbara Reisner Judith Rodwin Sara Vigneri

Member American Jewish Press Association

All advertising is subject to review and approval by The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (JFLV). JFLV reserves the right to decline, withdraw and/ or edit any ad. The appearance of any advertising in HAKOL does not represent an endorsement or kashrut certification. Paid political advertisements that appear in HAKOL do not represent an endorsement of any candidate by the JFLV.

JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT

JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship by requesting that trees be planted in the Yoav--Lehigh Valley Partnership Park.

IN HONOR MARIELLE MESSING AND WILLIAM MINER Birth of son Samuel Jacob Miner SHALOM BABY STEVE LEVITAN Special Birthday Elaine Lerner ALLISON AND SHAY SHIMON Birth of son Witan SHALOM BABY IN MEMORY ALEX ALBERT (Son of Mark Albert) Nancy and Steve Goldman AVRAHAM BAREKET (Father of Sinai Bareket) Ed and Beth Posner

EDITH MILGROM (Mother of Jill Blinder) Roberto and Eileen Fischmann Barnet and Lisa Fraenkel Evelyn and Jay Lipschutz Partnership2Gether MONRO ROTH (Husband of Mimi Roth) Debi and David Wiener BARRY SCHUTZBANK (Father of Lori Pulver) Debi and David Wiener RABBI PAUL SIEGEL (Father of Debbie Zoller) Barnet and Lisa Fraenkel RUTH WILF (Mother of Eileen Ufberg) Roberto and Eileen Fischmann Barnet and Lisa Fraenkel

TO ORDER TREES, call the JFLV at 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org.

2 NOVEMBER 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

In order to unite, sustain, and enhance the Lehigh Valley Jewish community, and support Jewish communities in Israel and around the world, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is dedicated to the following core values:

• Supporting Jews in need wherever they may be.

• Supporting Israel as a Jewish homeland.

• Supporting and encouraging Jewish education in the Lehigh Valley as a means of strengthening Jewish life for individuals and families.

• Supporting programs and services of organizations whose values and mission meet local Jewish needs.

To accomplish this mission the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is committed to the following operating guidelines: • Raising and distributing funds to support the core values.

• Developing Jewish leaders.

• Building endowments to support implementation of core values.

• Committing to ongoing Jewish community strategic planning.

• Fostering cooperation among organizations and community building.

• Evaluating all decisions with respect to fiscal responsibility.

• Identifying unmet needs and investing in community initiatives to help get them started.

• Coordinating and convening a community response as an issue or need arises.

• Setting priorities for allocation and distribution of funds.

• Acting as a central address for communication about events, programs and services of the Jewish community as a whole.

Approved by the JFLV Board of Directors on November 15, 2000

Major Nathan Kline saves the day

By Laura Rigge HAKOL Editor

Sandy Newman, Jerry Farris, Sheila Berg, Nathan Kline, Judy Diamondstein

Iris Epstein and Rabbi Seth Phillips

Maur Levan and Cynthia Wiener speak with a young audience member.

Major Nathan Kline is no stranger to pressure.

The 89-year old World War II veteran and Allentown native was present for the invasion of Normandy on D-Day and witnessed the Battle of the Bulge from thousands of feet in the air. He joined the Air Force despite his 20/40 vision, stepping up when his country needed him.

Kline once again stepped up to the plate on Oct. 18, when the morning’s speaker Harry Ettlinger suddenly fell ill and was unable to address the crowd of 300 people who had gathered to hear him speak about his time with the Monuments Men, the elite army unit tasked with locating and returning art stolen by the Nazis.

In Ettlinger’s absence, Kline volunteered to speak to the packed auditorium at the JCC about his own wartime service.

Kline joined the armed forces at 18 even though the age of enlistment at the time was 21. He wanted to join the air force, but his poor vision disqualified him from joining. Undeterred, Kline memorized the eye chart and became a bombardier-navigator.

Kline’s most harrowing time

in the Army came during the Battle of the Bulge, when he was shot down twice in one week. The first time, the B-26 carrying Kline and his crewmates was struck by a German anti-aircraft shell.

Miraculously, the shell failed to explode and the pilot managed to land safely in England. Later that week, Kline was struck again in a B-26, which crash landed in a rocky field. When asked if he was scared by a young audience member, Kline said he didn’t have a change to get scared. “I was too busy trying to accomplish my job,” he said.

Although Kline was physically unscathed by his ordeal, he was sent to a rest home in a Scottish Castle for a break. He spoke candidly about his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, and stressed the need to support veterans who come home from war. Kline himself has worked to help other veterans in the Lehigh Valley who suffer from PTSD since his retirement from the Air Force in 1984. “We are able to assemble here today because of what they did and are doing over there today,” he said.

The event was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, the JCC, and the Jewish War Veterans.

SAVE THE DATE

#GIVINGTUESDAY 60 DAY CHALLENGE CELEBRATION tuesday, december 1, 2015 Visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org for more information.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 3

WOMEN’S DIVISION OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY

Major Meital Tzur to speak at Lunch and Learn SPONSORED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY’S WOMEN’S DIVISION

WELCOMING NEW BABIES

to the Lehigh Valley

EITAN

son of Allison and Shay Shimon

LEONARD STENGER

Women’s Division is proud to announce IDF Major Meital Tzur as the featured speaker at our next Lunch and Learn event. The program will take place Nov. 13 at 12 p.m. at Muhlenberg College Hillel, which is co-sponsoring the event.

Tzur is the veteran of numerous operations during her time in the IDF. During Operation Cast Lead in 2009, Meital was in charge of emergency medical supplies, while in Operation Protective Edge in 2014, she served as the Medical Corps spokesperson, despite being on maternity leave with her month-old son.

Tzur can also include a rescue mission to Nepal in her credentials. She knew she wanted to play a role in the IDF rescue mission to Nepal when she first heard of the plan. On the mission, she was in charge of planning and supplying all the medical equipment, from pharmaceuticals to instrumentation. She was the only pharmacist on the mission and

head of the pharmaceutical team.

She cited her greatest satisfaction as having seen the wounded and the ill leave the field hospital, stronger and healthier after just a few days.

A resident of Tel Aviv, she studied pharmacy within the Officer Candidate Academic Studies, an army training course which allows a draft-age person to study at a university while his or her peers serve in the army.

After graduating, they give back to the army by utilizing the skills they have learned in the IDF. Today, Tzur serves as the head of the Medicine and Bandages department in the army.

Tzur sees her experience as indicative of the duty of the Jewish people to help others who have struggled, and her inspiring story is unique from that of any other IDF member.

Admission to the event is $12. To RSVP or to learn more, contact Judy Diamondstein at judy@jflv.org or 610-821-5500.

son of Jane Rosenthal

LILY ISABEL

daughter of Stephanie and Adam Smartschan

If you’re expecting, know someone who is, or have a new baby, PLEASE LET US KNOW! Contact Abby Trachtman, 610-821-5500 | abbyt@jflv.org

LUNCH & LEARN: Meet IDF Major Meital Tzur FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015

12:00 p.m., Muhlenberg College Hillel 2238 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104 IDF Major Meital Tzur served in Operation Cast Lead in 2009, Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and on a recent rescue mission to Nepal.

During Operation Cast Lead, Meital was in charge of emergency medical supplies, while in Operation Protective Edge, she served as the Medical Corps spokesperson, despite being on maternity leave with her month-old son.

The 32-year-old Tel Aviv resident studied pharmacy within the Officer Candidate Academic Studies, an army training course which allows a draft-age person to study at a university while his or her peers serve in the army. After graduating, they give back to the army by utilizing the skills they have learned in the IDF. $12 per person including lunch, men and women welcome.

RSVP to 610-821-5500 or mailbox@jflv.org.

Dream of sending your child to Israel?

Worried it will be too expensive?

A trip to Israel is not only a fun and exciting experience for your child; it is also a unique way to get him or her connected with our Jewish heritage.

Young people who have participated in an Israel experience regard their time in Israel as one of the most positive Jewish moments of their lives.

The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s VISIT program is a saving partnership that helps diffuse the costs of your child’s trip to Israel.

CONTACT ABBY TRACHTMAN Project Coordinator 610.821.5500 | abbyt@jflv.org www.jewishlehighvalley.org/visit

Handmade Afghans

BY EVA LEVITT

All proceeds benefit projects in Israel:

Food Banks in Israel Neve Michael Youth Village

For prices or to place an order, call Eva 610-398-1376.

All payments are made payable to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley

4 NOVEMBER 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Knesset member speaks at Major Gifts Reception January 31, 2015

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AT THE JCC OF ALLENTOWN

Make the call or answer the call VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for morning and evening shifts

Contact Aaron Gorodzinsky, 610-821-5500, aaron@jflv.org

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5 1. Gary Fromer, Jonathan Epstein, Wes Kozinn and Nat Hyman 2. Beth Kozinn and Carol Bub Fromer 3. Ronen Hoffman, Iris Epstein, Eileen Fischmann and Mark Goldstein 4. Nat Hyman, Erica Hyman, and Ronen Hoffman 5. Stuart and Janice Schwartz

The details make the difference.

Susan Bella Jewelry LLC

susanbellajewelry.com | 610.434.8001 1746 West Allen Street, Allentown 6 NOVEMBER 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

On Oct. 11, a group of over 50 Federation donors gathered together to celebrate the start of a new campaign. Nat and Erica Hyman graciously hosted the event at their Allentown home.

The featured speaker of the evening was Dr. Ronen Hoffman, a former Yesh Atid MK in the 19th Knesset. Prior to joining Yesh Atid, he was a lecturer of government, political psychology and persuasive communications at IDC Herzliya, where he advised government officials both in Israel and abroad on anti-terrorism policies.

A champion in the field of foreign policy, Hoffman is fighting Israel’s negative perception around the world.

He is an expert in the field of information and political communication and active in strengthening Israel-Diaspora Relations. He served as the officer of public relations at the Israeli consulate in Atlanta and was a representative of the Jewish Agency to the U.S., Australia and Europe, where he lectured to Jewish communities, taught educational seminars on zionism and lectured to foreign delegations on the topic of Israel’s foreign and security policies.

Hoffman’s foreign policy chops were on full display at the reception, where he discussed the current state of Israeli foreign policy in the wake of the chaos that continues to rule in Syria and the growing violence within Israel itself.

Hoffman pointed to a story from his own childhood when his father left to fight in the Syrian War in 1963. Hoffman recounted that although he was frightened, he looked to the example of his mother, who remained strong and resilient throughout his father’s wartime service.

Hoffman pointed to the reaction to the recent Iran nuclear deal and the turmoil in the Middle East as another example of the strength and resilience of the people of Israel. He also strongly advocated for smart diplomacy in a time of great uncertainty.

After Hoffman’s discussion, Major Gifts Chair Eileen Fischmann called upon the group to consider increasing their gifts, noting that all new gifts and gift increases during the first 60 days of the campaign will be matched dollar for dollar.

Maimonides Society

WHAT’S UP, DOC?

Celebrating 30 years

DR. PAUL LEMBERG COLUMN EDITOR

Superlice – a new super problem

BY MOSHE MARKOWITZ, MD FAAP LVPG Pediatrics I’ve started hearing about “superlice” in the news. What is superlice, and how do I protect my family against them?

Lice, a four letter word that rivals all other four letter words, is feared and reviled by parents for it is extremely difficult to eradicate lice from one’s family and home. As if lice infestations weren’t miserable enough, a new

Israel violence Continues from page 1

There's a feeling, some say, that an attack could happen anywhere at any time.

"No one is in charge to say tomorrow we stop the attacks," said Shimon Grossman, a medic with the ZAKA paramedical organization who is responding to the ongoing violence just as she did in the second intifada.

"Whoever wants to be a shaheed [‘martyr’] takes a knife and stabs people.

"It's very scary for people because they don't know when the end will be, what will stop it. Last time people knew to stay away from buses. Now you don't know who to be afraid of."

Another significant obstacle to a third intifada has been the West Bank Palestinians themselves, who have worked with Israel for eight years to thwart terror attacks. In 2007, Hamas seized full control of the Gaza Strip, violently ousting the moderate Fatah party, which controls the West Bank’s Palestinian Authority.

Since that takeover, the P.A. and Israel have viewed Hamas as a shared enemy and coordinated on security operations aimed at discovering and arresting Hamas terror cells.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas of inciting the ongoing violence. But Abbas has maintained security coordination with Israel through the clashes and has a history of opposing violence. Nuriel said that while Abbas is not to blame for the attacks, he stands to benefit from them.

"He has an interest for the conflict to get headlines," Nuriel said. "He wants to show there's chaos here. He wants to show it's in places that Israel controls."

But a majority of Palestinians are fed up with Abbas and oppose his stance on nonviolence. Rather, Palestinian society as a whole appears to support violence against Israelis. A poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey research found that 57 percent of Palestinians support a return to an armed intifada, an increase of 8 percent from earlier this year. Half believe the P.A. has a mandate to stop security coordination with

player has arrived to make louse removal even more frustrating. The new kid in town has been dubbed “superlice.”

Superlice is a term circulated by the media in the past few months. These are not cape-wearing lice that fly through the air or lice that are able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Superlice is a catchphrase describing the pesky critters that have developed resistance to several conventional modes of treatment. The over-the-

Israel, and two-thirds want Abbas to resign.

"This is an explosion of a whole generation in the face of the occupation," said Shawan Jabareen, director of Al-Haq, a Palestinian civil rights group.

"No one can say when it will stop unless people get hope that things will change. But if they see there's no hope, I don't know which way it will take."

Even if the attacks continue, according to former Israeli National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror, Israel will retain the upper hand. The best course of action, he wrote in a position paper, is to maintain current security operations and be cautious in using force.

"Now we no longer have to prove anything," Amidror wrote in the paper for the Begin Sadat Center for Security Studies. "Israel is a strong, sovereign state, and as such it must use its force prudently, only when its results have proven benefits and only as a last resort."

To read more about the community’s response to recent events in Israel, go to pages 16 and 17.

counter medications we traditionally relied on to religiously treat our kids’ heads and render our homes lice-free may no longer be effective. This issue is similar to what we observed with bacteria and their resistance to commonly used antibiotics.

Organisms becoming resistant to medical treatment is nothing new. The medical community has struggled with bacteria that are multidrug resistant for decades.

However, while bacteria were sensitive to treatment with several different antibiotics in the past, we now routinely deal with bacteria that only respond to one antibiotic.

This problem developed over time, though, in part due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics for infections that didn’t require their usage and due to failure to complete an antibiotic course for the duration of time on the prescription. This, coupled with the development of

antibiotic resistant mutations that occur when bacteria reproduce themselves, resulted in the gradual production of antibioticresistant bacteria. In some geographical areas, these bacteria are the predominant form of that bacterial strain, such as MRSA and Penicillinresistant E. Coli.

In the case of superlice, we are seeing that lice have developed a resistance pattern comparable to that of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Failure to complete treatment regimens appropriately for a given lice infestation has resulted in a strain of lice that developed resistance to commonly used overthe-counter medications for treatment. The result is the development of a new louse strain that is resistant to some of these medications.

So where does this leave us when lice throw our peaceful existence into pestilent upheaval? Fortunately, not

all hope is lost. While these super bugs do exist, they have not taken over the lice population. In fact, the overthe-counter preparations do still work, but if they don’t complete the job, prescription medications exist that may save the day. Another option, wet combing, where a fine toothed comb is run through wet hair prepared with a hair conditioner or other lubricant, is an effective way to mechanically remove lice.

Additionally, while these bugs don’t announce that they are resistant when they knock on your door, regional resistance patterns are generally known within the medical community, which will help your pediatrician determine which treatment option is best.

For more information regarding garden variety lice and their super brethren, please visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website: www.aap.org.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED To pay a friendly visit to Meals on Wheels recipients this Christmas Day

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015 COORDINATED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY

Contact Abby Trachtman at 610-821-5500 or abbyt@jflv.org to learn more

DINER

 FAM ILY R

T N A ESTAUR

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 7

Maimonides Society

Celebrating 30 years

IN MEMORY ISADORE “IZZY” BRODY (Husband of Joan Brody) Roberta and Alan Penn EDITH MILGROM (Mother of Jill Blinder) Ross and Wendy Born ROBY REITZ (Mother of Ann Coldren) Barry and Carol Halper BARRY SCHUTZBANK (Father of Lori Pulver) Tama and Frank Tamarkin RABBI PAUL SIEGEL (Father of Debbie Zoller) Taffi Ney RUTH WILF (Mother of Eileen Ufberg) Leonard Abrams Sybil and Barry Baiman Wendy and Ross Born Beth and Wesley Kozinn Suzanne Lapiduss Elaine and Leon Papir Selma Roth Audrey and Arthur Sosis Carah and Ryan Tenzer

IN HONOR SUSAN AND LARRY BERMAN Marriage of daughter Lindsay to Ari Elaine and Leon Papir Roberta and Alan Penn IZZY BRUCH Happy ‘Special’ Birthday Jerry and Florence Zales PATTY AND IAN CARLIS Birth of grandson, Bodhi Wendy and Ross Born Vicki and Stan Wax Birth of grandson, Eli Vicki and Stan Wax PHYLLIS FORD Birth of granddaughter Lillian Elaine and Leon Papir FRANCINE AND ANTHONY GODFREY Birth of their grandson Vicki and Stan Wax EVA AND MEL HOFFMAN Birth of their grandson David Shirley and Louis Furmansky SUZANNE LAPIDUSS Birth of granddaughter Madison Roberta and Alan Penn DOE LEVAN Happy 90th Birthday Jerome and Gloria Ginsburg

BOB AND JOY MILLER In honor of all of their good news Wendy and Ross Born AUDREY AND RICK NOLTE Birth of grandson, Parker Wendy and Ross Born ROBERTA AND ALAN PENN Best wishes in new home Elaine and Leon Papir PENNY ROTH Happy Birthday Audrey and Jerome Cylinder STEPHANIE AND ADAM SMARTSCHAN Birth of their daughter Lily Isabel Smartschan Stan and Vicki Wax ARLENE AND DICK STEIN Bar Mitzvah of their grandson Jacob Henry and Susan Lehrich MICKEY AND EILEEN UFBERG Marriage of son Matthew to Dana Beth and Wesley Kozinn WAYNE WOODMAN Powerful Voices for Israel Award from American Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Wendy and Ross Born

We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship through recent gifts to the Lehigh Valley Jewish Foundation. The minimum contribution for an Endowment Card is $10.

Call 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org to place your card requests. Thank you for your continued support.

Black Violin November 5 | 8 pm

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• InVision Photo Party with The Fabulous Greaseband • “TRACKS” Film Screening & Artist Talk With Rick Smolan • Aerial Photos & Videos 101 • First Friday: Opening Receptions • Pennsylvania Photographers Juried Competition • Olympus Visionaries and Trailblazers • Exhibitions and more!

November 5-8, 2015 | Bethlehem, PA invisionphotofestival.org

British PM Cameron praises Shabbat project Jewish Telegraphic Agency British Prime Minister David Cameron endorsed a Jewish community initiative encouraging Jews to observe their Sabbath.

Cameron issued a statement Wednesday describing the ShabbatUK project — which aims to have as many Jews as possible to observe one particular Shabbat during the year — as “a wonderful Jewish initiative.”

This year’s Shabbat Project will take place on Friday.

The British ShabbatUK, Cameron said, “brings together tens of thousands across our country to celebrate the unity and sense of community that has been a hallmark of Jewish life for generations.” But, he added, it “also has a wider message that speaks to everyone in Britain, because we can all benefit from taking a moment to appreciate the value of family, friends and community life.”

Camreon concluded his message with the words: “I want to wish everyone taking part Shabbat Shalom.”

ShabbatUK is the British variant of the global Shabbat Project – an international drive that began in 2013 in South Africa when thousands of non-observant Jews from that country decided to observe Shabbat together on a set date advertised on social networks.

The following year, thousands of members of Jewish communities from across the world, and especially in Europe, also participated and added activities such as group challah bakes.

In Britain, some 150,000 Jews are expected to participate this year. Jewish groups organized 600 events for this weekend in Britain, including a massive challah bake that organizers hope will make it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

But the British will have competition, as two other challah bakes with hundreds of women took place on Oct. 22 in the Belgian city of Antwerp, which has a large Hasidic population and approximately 20,000 Jews, and in the Parisian suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt.

Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt speaks at Wallenberg Tribute Lecture On Oct.18, famed Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt spoke at the Wallenberg Tribute Lecture at Muhlenberg College. She spoke about how the ways in which we adjudicate genocide, from the Eichmann Trial to her own court case against Holocaust denier David Irving in the High Court in London. The event was co-sponsored by the Berman Center of Lehigh University, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the Institute for JewishChristian Understanding.

One in Ten People will Develop Kidney Stones The American Kidney Foundation estimates that about 10 percent of Americans will develop a kidney stone in their lifetimes and the percentage is rising. According to a study presented at the American Urological Association meeting in May 2012, the number of Americans with kidney stones has almost doubled since 1994. Researchers speculate that the rising obesity rate is a key factor.

Often people have kidney stones for years without complications. Generally, the severity of symptoms increases with the size of the stone and could include:

Kidney stones are often described as a sharp pain on one side of the back or lower abdomen that spreads to the groin and lower abdomen.

The pain often starts abruptly, then lingers and intensifies over time and is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Patients can usually pass small stones with the help of medications and painkillers. To remove larger stones, however, physicians may perform endoscopy or lithotripsy, treatments that use ultrasound shock waves to break up the crystals into small particles that can easily be passed out of the body.

Stones, which vary greatly from the size of a grain of sand to a golf ball, typically consist of a build up of calcium and oxalate, or calcium and phosphate. Stones develop when stonecomposing chemicals stick together and grow into crystals.

• Foul-smelling or cloudy urine • Blood in the urine • Nausea or vomiting • Fever and chills

To reduce your risk of kidney stones, increase fluids, ingest less salt and moderate dairy intake. Other diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity may increase the risk for kidney stones.

About St. Luke’s Center for Urology St. Luke’s Center for Urology was among the first health practices to adopt the da Vinci surgical robotic systems to treat patients with urological conditions. The experienced physicians can use robotic surgery to perform precise surgical procedures through tiny incisions, allowing the patient to recover quicker and have fewer complications. The Center offers patients individualized treatment plans for both men and women. Patients can be seen at one of six locations throughout St. Luke’s University Health Network.

The newest member of the team Zachariah Goldsmith, MD, PhD sees patients at the St. Luke’s Center for Urology in the Anderson Campus, the Bethlehem office, and the Pocono office.

For more information, please call the St. Luke’s Center for Urology at 484-526-2598 or visit www.sluhn.org.

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HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 9

Obama administration earmarks $12M for Holocaust survivors Jewish Telegraphic Agency The Obama administration has awarded $12 million for assistance to Holocaust survivors.

The allocation from the Department of Health and Human Services to the Jewish Federations of North America, to be disbursed over five years, is part of an initiative launched in late 2013 by Vice President Joe Biden to address the needs of survivors in the United States, a quarter of whom live below the poverty line.

Combined with matching private funds, the approximately $2.5 million per year over the five years “will support $4.1 million in programming annually for organizations that help Holocaust survivors,” JFNA said.

According to JFNA, the funds will be used to advance "innovations in person-centered, trauma-informed supportive services for Holocaust survivors."

“With this award, we will be able to advance our efforts to provide crucial services to vulnerable survivors, including those living in poverty, those in the Orthodox Jewish community and those from the former Soviet Union,” Mark Wilf, the chairman of

In landmark visit, Indian president strengthens alliance with Israel

By Bradley Martin JNS.org

JFNA’s National Holocaust Survivor Initiative, said in a statement.

“These are our mothers and our fathers, our teachers and our mentors,” he said. “They deserve to live their remaining years in dignity, and this award will help make that hope a reality.”

The JFNA statement also thanked congressional sponsors of the funding, including U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Sens.

Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill. After Biden launched the initiative in December 2013, the White House in 2014 named a special envoy to the

10 NOVEMBER 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

community to coordinate volunteer activities to assist the survivors.

Some 130,000 Holocaust survivors are living in the United States, according to U.S. government estimates.

Wilf, a co-owner of the Minnesota Vikings, helped organize the distribution of hearing aids to about 100 people in the New York area -- more than 20 of them Holocaust survivors -- at Yankee Stadium in New York.

The hearing aids, USA Today reported, were provided by the Starkey Hearing Foundation, with backing from JFNA, the Wilf Family Foundations, the NFL's Vikings and the New York Yankees.

In the first-ever official visit by an Indian head of state to Israel, President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Jerusalem in October to discuss a wide range of issues including the negotiation of an extensive free-trade agreement, bilateral cooperation in agricultural and other technologies, and expanded counterterrorism coordination.

“India attaches high importance to its relationship with Israel, a relationship which has taken great strides in the last few years,” said Mukherjee.

Israel President Reuven Rivlin described the visit as deepening “the friendship between our states in the fields of economy, science, medicine and agriculture.”

Relations between India and Israel have recently undergone a major shift. In 1947, India voted against Israel joining the United Nations and did not establish official relations with Israel until 1991. This was mainly out of concern over how this would affect India’s diplomatic relations with Muslim countries, as well as India itself hosting “the world’s second-largest Muslim population in raw numbers,” according to a 2013 report by the Pew Research Center.

Nevertheless, this recent development demonstrates how ties between the two countries have expanded considerably since then. The most recent example of a warming of relations between the countries came when India decided to abstain from the U.N. Human Rights Council vote condemning Israel during the 2014 Gaza conflict. This was

a significant policy change, since India for decades was a leading force for nations that automatically voted against Israel in all international forums.

At the same time, the Press Trust of India recently quoted Mukherjee as saying, “India’s traditional support to the Palestinian cause remains steadfast and unwavering while we pursue strong relations with Israel. Our bilateral relations [with Israel] are independent of our relations with Palestine.”

During Mukherjee’s visit, India and Israel signed a double taxation avoidance pact as well as a number of accords promoting cultural and technological exchange between the two nations. Mukherjee and his delegation reserved 70 rooms in Jerusalem’s King David Hotel and another 30 rooms in the nearby Dan Panorama. Celebrity chef Reena Pushkarna was hired by the King David Hotel to prepare Indian dishes for the delegation and some 300 members of Israel’s Indian community.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shares a very warm relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, referring to him as his friend multiple times when hosting Mukherjee in Israel’s Knesset. The prime ministers earlier this year congratulated one another on their respective electoral victories, with Modi making a point of doing so in Hebrew and Netanyahu expressing his good wishes in Hindi. Mukherjee extended an invitation to Netanyahu to become the second Israeli prime minister to visit India, the first being former prime minister Ariel Sharon, who visited India in 2003.

Further illustrating the growing ties between the two countries, Israel is India’s second-largest arms supplier after Russia. But relations are not limited to military ties and a mutual commitment to fight terrorism. Vijeta Uniyal, founder of Indian Friends of Israel, described how Israel’s commitment to developing the desert “extends to the Thar Desert, Gangetic Plain and Wetlands of Bengal.”

Bilateral trade between Israel and India grew from $200 million in 1992 to $4.39 billion in 2013, with both countries importing and exporting precious stones, metals, machinery, minerals, plastics, chemical products, textiles, agricultural products, and transport equipment.

Ties between the two countries are expected to strengthen considerably as a result of Mukherjee’s visit, signifying the solidification of a strong alliance between India and Israel.

Judy Diamondstein Continues from page 1

provided professional leadership to the national mission of campaign chairpersons and campaign directors.

“Judy will be greatly missed by our community and by me, personally,” said Barnet Fraenkel, who worked closely with Judy to revitalize the Federation’s annual golf tournament. “I respect her diligence and work ethic as well as her enormous passion for the causes supported by the Federation. “ Judy was also instrumental in the renaissance of programming and community organization in Easton through the Federation's Easton Leadership Council. “I feel like she has enabled me to be a part of the Federation in the way that I chose to,” said Nan Ronis, who worked with Judy through the ELC. “I really appreciated a decade or more of tutelage from Judy. I think whatever the organization has benefited from me it’s because I benefited from her.”

Federation President Mark H. Scoblionko said his first “in-depth contact” with Judy occurred several years ago while on a Federation mission to Israel. “There was an instant fondness for her as a friend, which ultimately expanded as my lay involvement with Federation grew,” Scoblionko said. “I have since had the privilege of work-

ing directly with Judy first as campaign chair and now as president. I have always been impressed with her professionalism, attention to detail and overall enthusiasm.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven serves a Jewish community of 22,000 Jews and raises approximately $2.7 million. New Haven is one of a growing trend of “integrated Jewish communities” in which the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Center (and sometimes other agencies) integrate programming, management, administration and/or governance. As CEO, Judy will oversee the entire Federation-JCC operation in New Haven. Her first day will start on Jan. 2.

She should thrive in this role because, as Eileen Fischmann says, her “passion and enthusiasm for Israel and the Jewish community is boundless.”

“I have never seen Judy without a smile on her face, regardless of what is going on in the world. She focuses on what we can do to help, where we need to be at any given time to provide for fellow Jews and non-Jews in need, and how we can raise more money, of which there is never enough, to provide for all these needs,” said Fischmann, past Federation campaign chair. “The community will miss Judy very much and I personally am sad to see her go, but happy for her sake for this advancement.”

Extending the holiday spirit

RABBI SETH PHILLIPS Congregation Keneseth Israel Given the Reform tendency to shorten things, it may come as a surprise to some readers that I was reluctant to call an end to the High Holiday season of Tishrei. For me, the yuntif (holiday) spirit carried beyond the 23rd of Tishrei (Simchat Torah) to continue for me in three events held weeks later on Oct. 11.

I know that typically rabbis write about the high holidays in terms of individual actions, atonement and repentance.

But really, as important as seeing our true selves is, don’t we also come out to see each other? It might not be so much about the fashions anymore as celebrating the sheer act of

survival. Forget my “brilliant” sermons; I was delighted when folks told me that being greeted on the steps was the highlight of their holidays. We go from “Nu?,” the Yiddish greeting as we catch up, to “-nu,” the Hebrew suffix for “us” or “our” as we ask for forgiveness or reach out to a loving Avinu. We then transform the Sukkah from a shanty to spiritual space when we invite guests. And who ever heard of a Simchat Torah hakafa (Torah dance) for one?

KI 's service schedule enabled me to attend Sukkot and Simchat Torah at Sons of Israel, Beth El, Chabad and Brith Shalom where the welcome epitomized Klal Yisrael, the unity of Israel.

The 28th of Tishrei won’t appear on anyone else’s calendar. For me, a PJ Library storytelling, “The Woven Welcome” art exhibit and the Crop Walk against Hunger sanctified the day. Families came to the Allentown Art Museum for a story read by Rabbi Michael Singer, the latest of the Valley’s clergy to be a guest reader. To my mind, PJ Library might even eclipse Birthright as a shaper of Jewish identity. And when our children are involved, how

easily we come together and perhaps boldly go.

“The Woven Welcome” exhibit sponsored by the museum, organizations from around the Valley, including the JCC, contributed woven rugs which were then knotted together and displayed in the Arts Park across from the museum. At the end of the exhibition, you can imagine how many strangers were huddled together as they unkotted their rugs to take home or donate. On the same afternoon, Jews came to St. Timothy’s to make common cause with Christian churches to fight hunger, and the CROP organization made provision for us to channel our money to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

The month following Tishrei is known as Mar-Cheshvan Though linguistically that just means “eighth month,” like many, I prefer to read it as “Bitter (Mar) month” because there are no holidays in it. Though the tradition does not provide a reason to celebrate, perhaps the community spirit seen in Tishrei will prove to be an enduring source of joy and provide an answer to our prayers.

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72nd annual Hadassah concert to feature Klezmer band The Manhattan Klezmer Band is bringing its toe-tapping, Eastern European party music imbued with Jewish tonalities and spirituality to Congregation Brith Sholom in Bethlehem at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8.

The hour-long concert is the 72nd annual sponsored by the Bethlehem-Easton Hadassah Group to benefit Hadassah, the Zionist Relief Organization of America, and the Hadassah Medical Center in Israel that serves all people regardless of race or religion.

“We will be playing traditional Klezmer music: horas, bulgars and freylekhs, and other traditional dances with some doinas thrown in for good measure,” said Pennsylvania native Jay Rattman, who is the band’s clarinetist.

Expect some improvisation, too. “We have a fairly extensive repertoire, and we usually tend to come up with a set list right before we play depending on what we're in the mood to play,” Rattman said.

The band started as a student ensemble at Manhattan School of Music in 2008. It was the school's first Klezmer ensemble and was coached

by the clarinetist, David Krakauer. Every member of the band has since graduated, but it continues to play together around New York City where the members live.

It also plays a few times a year at the Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, where Rattman grew up.

The group includes Sara Sherman on piano, Rebecca Steinberg on trumpet, Joanna

Sternberg on bass, Ben Sutin on violin, and Rattman on clarinet. During a reception afterward, band members will "meet and greet" anyone who wants to say hello.

Tickets for two including the dessert buffet are $60 and are available at the door.

For ticket information, call Carole Maisel at 610-5543788 or email hadassahbe@ gmail.com.

TBE welcomes Rabbi William Greenburg Scholar-in-Residence

By Margerie Strauss Temple Beth El Professor Burton L. Visotzky will serve as the Rabbi William Greenburg Scholar-inResidence Dec. 18 and 19 at Temple Beth El. Visotzky will be speaking about “JewishChristian Relations in the 21st Century, “The Dysfunctional Family – Genesis as a source for moral education,” and “Stories from the Cairo Geniza.”

Visotzky is the Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He also serves as the Louis Stein Director of the Finkelstein Institute for Religious and Social Studies at JTS, charged with programs on public policy. In addition, Visotzky directs the Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue at JTS. Visotzky has been visiting faculty at Oxford, Cambridge and Princeton as well as the Russian State University of the Humanities in Moscow. He served as the Master Visiting Professor of Jewish Studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (where he met Pope Benedict in 2007).

He recently served as Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Pontifical University of St. 12 NOVEMBER 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, where he met Pope Francis.

Visotzky's writing is published worldwide, including the United States, Europe, and Israel. He has been featured on radio, television and in print. Visotzky has been named to “The Forward 50” and repeatedly to the Newsweek/Daily Beast list of “The 50 Most Influential Jews in America.”

Visotzky will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at during services on shabbat morning.

We look forward to the community joining us for any part of the weekend.

Israeli journalist and author Lihi Lapid speaks at Muhlenberg College through Hillel

By Rabbi Melissa Simon Director of Muhlenberg College Hillel Muhlenberg College Hillel welcomed Lihi Lapid to campus on Oct. 15 for a talk entitled “Being an Israeli Woman Today.” Over 80 students, faculty and community members heard from the popular newspaper columnist in Moyer Hall’s Miller Forum.

Muhlenberg College Hillel brought the renowned speaker to campus as part of a program created by Hineinu and the Israel Action Program at Hillel International. This speaker and others throughout the year are being coordinated by Muhlenberg College Hillel’s Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and Hillel International Israel Fellow, Or Adi. Adi's work at Muhlenberg focuses on Israel engagement, Israel education and Israel experiences.

Lapid, who regularly speaks and writes about her experiences as an Israeli woman and mother, as well as the expectations surrounding womanhood today, concluded her talk with the reading of a piece entitled "To Be an Israeli Mom" which has been published around the world and reflects the unique challenges and triumphs of motherhood in Israel.

"To be an Israeli mom is to know that all you want to give your children is security, and to realize that this is the one thing you cannot actually promise them.

And still know for a fact that Israel is the most secure place for your child. (I know this cannot really be explained to anyone who is not an Israeli),” Lapid said.

“To be an Israeli mom is to want peace, but not be willing to give up safety or security. It's to go through the current month in Israel and to know that an Israeli mom deserves to grow her children quietly. It's to also know that one day peace will come. Because peace is the promise of the Israeli mother. And she is not the one to give up."

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 13

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How we stand before God Thoughts from a Lehigh Valley Jew in Jerusalem

By Noah Diamondstein Special to HAKOL Editor’s Note: Noah Diamondstein is a former resident of Allentown currently living in Jerusalem.

I am about to lead Shabbat morning prayers at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reform Jewish seminary at which I am a rabbinic student. I sat just two days ago with a cantor and a rabbi on our faculty discussing the theme of the service I wished to speak on and the kavanot (intentions) I wished to imbue our prayer with that day. The week’s Torah portion is Noach, my namesake portion, and I told them that I wanted our service to be about how we stand before God. The prayers in our liturgy are the same each time we recite them, but we are not the same.

We do not always sit down to pray with the same intentions or emotions, and I wanted to call to our attention the ways in which we represent ourselves in prayer.

This Shabbat, I can imagine no Jerusalemite or Jew who will not come to shul with different emotional baggage than usual.

This Shabbat, many of us will carry in our hearts not hope, but fear; not pride, but pain; not determination, but despair.

We will think of our loved ones

in reciprocal cycles—those of us in Israel will worry for the impact of the events here on American Jewish discourse, those in America about the physical safety of their friends and family. I, myself, have succumbed to these thoughts at times in the past week or two.

In private moments, as I sit in my apartment reading and translating Tanach or writing about the Hasmonean Empire’s effect on Jewish life in the times of the Second Temple, I hear a siren and immediately tense up and pray that they don’t grow louder.

On the day I write this, on Malchei Yisrael Street in Jeru-

salem, near Machane Yehuda Market, a mere 25-30 minute walk from my front door, two Palestinian terrorist assailants boarded the 78 bus and opened fire and began to stab the riders, killing two, wounding a few others. This is a bus that I regularly take to the shuk to go shopping. Never in my life have I lived so close to such constant danger, or felt more powerless to effect positive change. I write thinking about not only the loss of Jewish life, but also the losses on the other side of this violent and often twisted timeline. I

LV Jew in Jerusalem Continues on page 23

Federation donations help terror victims

INTERIOR & EXTERIOR • Painting • Staining • Drywall Repair • Carpentry • Power Washing

Ahava Tomer was waiting for her son, Yonatan, to come home from synagogue one recent day when she heard the ambulances. She tried calling him on the phone but he didn’t answer. She grew more and more frantic, calling him to no avail until a stranger answered the phone, telling her that her son was in the hospital.

It took Ahava several hours to get to the hospital since the roads were all blocked. When she finally got there, she saw the youngest of her 11 children in an ICU bed. He had been stabbed numerous times by a terrorist.

Ahava and her husband are both handicapped. The family doesn’t own a car, so in order to come to the hospital she needs to get rides from neighbors and friends. Among other things, she plans on using an emergency grant from the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Fund for the Victims of Terror to get Yonatan a decent pair of pajamas and slippers to wear while he’s in the hospital.

The fund, which has assisted more than 6,000 Israeli families and distributed more than $30 million since its establishment in 2002, is made possible by donations to the Jewish Federations’ Annual Campaigns.

With emergency grants of approximately $1,200, the fund helps hundreds of Israeli families every year, providing immediate, direct assistance so that they

can start the process of healing – often within 24 hours.

“It is very special that there are people around the world that care about someone like me, may I never need such a gift in the future,” Ahava said. “I want to say not just ‘thank you,’ but ‘a thousand thanks’ – I wish health to all those who gave and that may we never need such gifts in the future!”

When victims of terror attacks need us, we are there.

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Suddenly I heard my children scream

By Erica Chernofsky The Times of Israel Editor’s note: Erica Chernofsky is a former resident of Allentown who currently works as a journalist in Israel.

Today was the scariest day of my life. They tried to murder me, my husband and my children. There is no other way to put it. It is the stuff of nightmares. It happens all the time.

But today it happened to me.

We were driving back from my parents’ house in Efrat. We had brunch there together, outside in their sukka. We had bagels and cream cheese and chocolate milk. The baby took a nap.

And then we drove home to Tekoa, about a 10 minute drive away. Part of the road trails through a Palestinian village, and as we entered we saw dozens and dozens of Palestinian kids walking home from school, wearing their uniforms and backpacks. I warned my husband to drive carefully, g-d forbid he should accidentally hit someone, as they were walking on the edge and straying into the road. He drove slower.

And then suddenly there was a loud boom.

And another, and another, and then another.

And I couldn’t see a thing, and I heard my children screaming, the baby crying, I looked out my window and saw the Palestinian children, and then an Israeli soldier. I fumbled for my cell phone, following the protocol I had been taught but never had to use.

I called for help. I heard my voice shaking as I tried to explain where we were, what had happened, and as I did my car’s windscreen finally came into focus, it was smashed, my legs and arms were covered in glass, my knee was burning where a shard of glass was stuck inside my skin. And then I dropped the phone, suddenly remembering my children, ohmigod my children, the baby! I climbed out of my seat to look behind me as my husband continued driving away as fast as he could.

They were screaming, my 3-year-old was crying hysterically, my 6-year-old was yelling “what happened mommy, what happened!” over and over again. And the baby, was crying, screaming, oh, he’s such a good baby and he never cries, and then I saw he was covered in millions of tiny pieces of glass. The entire back windshield of the car had smashed

in, there was glass everywhere, all over my children, all over my baby. In his hair, on his face, on his little onesie. I gently tried to shake the glass off him as my hands trembled, “drive faster, quickly, quickly, we have to check the baby,” I cried to my husband, who had somehow not lost control of the car during the attack.

And then forever passed, but it was only minutes, and we had reached the entrance to Tekoa, and security surrounded us. I grabbed my kids out of the car and held the baby up, I brushed him off, I analyzed his face, he was okay, thank god he was okay, they were all okay. My son was screaming that I was bleeding, and I saw the glass in my knee and a trail of blood down my leg but felt nothing but relief.

It’s in the news all the time. Rock throwing.

It seems trivial. But it wasn’t rocks. It wasn’t pebbles. It was giant blocks of stone, the rectangular kind that are used to build houses.

And it can kill. Rocks, stones, guns, are all the same. They are weapons. They are violence.

They are tools to commit murder.

They could have killed us today, me, my husband, my three beautiful, innocent children who don’t understand why those kids walking home from school wanted to hurt us. They killed two other parents today. They left four other children orphans. And it accomplishes nothing. The culture of hatred, the education of violence, kids trying to kill other kids, it’s insanity, and it must stop.

It was a miracle that we came out unscathed today. And perhaps it will only be a miracle that can end this crazy conflict.

Muhlenberg College Hillel honors victims of terror in Israel

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On Tuesday, October 13 Muhlenberg College students gathered at Muhlenberg College Hillel to remember those lives lost to terrorism in Israel, to pray for healing for the injured and to show support for Israel. Gili Fleekop, the Israel Affairs chair on the Hillel Board, worked with students and Hillel Israel Fellow Or Adi to plan a brief program including poetry, songs and the lighting of memorial candles. The following week, Adi hosted a program on campus for students to discuss current events in Israel.

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HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 19

JEWISH DAY SCHOOL ANNUAL GALA

3 l dor v dor

SAT, DEC 5, 2015

’

generations

’

Honoring the Notis Family

Your are cordially invited for an evening of Dinner, Dancing, and a Silent Auction to benefit the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley as we honor 3 GENERATIONS of the

Notis Family Saturday Evening December 5, 2015

.

23 Kislev 5776

7:30 p.m. at the Allentown JCC

3

y is Famil the Not f o s n io Generat

optional Kindly respond by November 10, 2015

To make a donation in honor of the JDS or the Notis Family, contact CAROLYN KATWAN at the JDS 610-437-0721 | ckatwan@jdslv.org

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610-437-0721 www.JDSLV.org HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 21

PJ goes to the art museum PJ families gathered at the Allentown Art Museum for an afternoon of learning and fun. Rabbi Michael Singer of Congregation Brith Sholom read "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat" in both English and Hebrew, and Dr. Israel Zighelboim read the story one more time in Spanish. The museum also displayed a special weaving exhibit that featured a tapestry constructed by PJ families earlier this month at the JCC. The tapestry, constructed from scraps of material, tied in nicely with the theme of the afternoon's tale: you can always make something out of nothing!

22 NOVEMBER 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

LV Jew in Jerusalem Continues from page 16

mourn not only the loss of the innocent Jews who have suffered at the hands of terrorism, but also the innocent Palestinian Arabs who have died, either by the hands of Jewish terrorists, or simply by being caught in the crossfire of a conflict that they, like me, have no power over.

As a future Reform rabbi, I am to be one of the moderate visionary leaders of our people one day. Acknowledging this responsibility that I am only now beginning to grow into, I feel an urge to respond. Not, of course, with violence—which history has taught us only breeds further violence—but with words, discourse, nonviolent leadership. It is with that responsibility in mind that I ask this question of my Jewish brethren both here in Israel and in America: How must we stand before God, in the face of Godless violence?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

Pacifism and idealism can often come across as pedantic, or as expressions only of a person’s naïveté with respect to a given topic. There was a time in my life where I would have been the cynic who would have recited just that exact response to such a quote. But I have matured as an adult in a country where mass shootings are responded to by calls for more guns; I am living in a country whose government preaches non-violence and calls for unconditional negotiation to advance the cause of a demilitarized Palestinian state. These paradoxes exist in a world where the cynics are winning

more arguments than the idealists, and where the skeptics are convincing the visionaries that what they imagine for the future is beyond their reach.

How must we stand before God? With not sinat chinam, senseless hatred, but rather with ahavat chinam, senseless love.

Love does not mean lowering your guard, or losing one’s self by not defending one’s self.

Truly senseless love does not require complete or constant agreement, but it does require a willingness to compromise which can allow those partners in love to sleep beside one another at night. While a conservative government which will not take action to advance the cause of pluralism and dismantle structural racism is in power, Israel will not truly be able to exhibit senseless love. While the television set continues to run commercials showing how to stab Jews, and imams call for days of rage, and perpetrators of deadly terrorism are celebrated in the streets, Palestinian leadership will not truly be able to exhibit senseless love.

We must stand before God committed to do what it takes to live lives dedicated to peace, and only peace. We must stand before God committed to exhibit Jewish values of tikkun olam and v’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha.

We must stand before each other: both willing not only to stand against those in our community who would seek to proliferate hate, but also willing to stand in front of them with our back to the violence before all of us, willing to absorb the blow. This is not an easy task, but neither was building a boat out of gopher wood and saving the world. But if that Noach was a good enough leader to pull it off at 600 years old, maybe this Noach can try at 22.

May the one who makes peace in the heavens make peace for all of us, for all of Israel and for all who live on this Earth.

Did Sukkot help shape Thanksgiving?

By Robert Gluck JNS.org Did Sukkot help shape America’s Thanksgiving?

According to one of the foremost experts on American Judaism, Dr. Jonathan Sarna, the biblical holiday did not exactly guide the Puritans’ thinking during colonial times, but they were generally influenced by the idea of thanking God for their bounty.

“The Puritans did not believe in fixed holidays,” said Sarna—the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and chief historian of the Philadelphia-based National Museum of American Jewish Histor. “If it was a good season, they would announce a thanksgiving, but it’s not like the Jewish holiday which occurs on the 15th of the month of Tishrei (Sukkot). They did not believe in that. So in that respect it’s different.”

In terms of thanking God for a bountiful harvest, the Puritans did learn that from the Bible, Sarna said.

“They knew what they called the Old Testament, what we call the Hebrew Bible, they knew it, and they were influenced by it,” he said. “Now they didn’t go out and build huts, obviously. But the notion that one would be thankful for a bountiful harvest was certainly one they would have learned from the Hebrew Bible.”

Thanksgiving did not become a fixed holiday in America until President Abraham Lincoln declared it as such in 1863. The holiday also did not have a firm date until Congress established one—the fourth Thursday of each November—in 1941.

But did the Bible have any influence on the Puritans’ festival of thanks?

Historian Diana Muir Apple-

baum explained that the Puritans separated the laws of the Hebrew Bible into two categories. “Some were deemed moral commandments, these applied to all men, at all times,” she said. “The others were regarded as ceremonial or temporal commandments, which applied only to Jews, or only to the olden days, but not to Christians.”

For Puritans, the Sabbath was an eternal, moral commandment applying to Christians, but they considered Sukkot, Passover, Shavout, kashruth, and other laws to be ceremonial or temporal commandments, not intended by God to apply to the children of the new covenant, Christians.

Puritan theology “supported the proclamation of special days of prayer when unusual events occurred,” Applebaum said.

“In the event, for example, of an epidemic, drought, or famine, it was appropriate to call a special day of prayer and fasting in the hope that if the people repented, God would grant relief,” she said. “In the event that God did grant a special providence, such as the lifting of a drought or famine, a special day of prayer and thanksgiving would be proclaimed.”

After 1676, Massachusetts and Connecticut proclaimed a special day of prayer and thanksgiving every autumn. It was celebrated by families returning home to celebrate, with special dishes (mince pie and plum pudding) eaten at Christmas in old England, and with events like ballgames on the village green that would have been inappropriate violations of a Sabbath day.

But there are those like Rabbi Elias Lieberman who see a stronger biblical influence on Thanksgiving.

“While we cannot be certain about what motivated those Pilgrim settlers to initiate a

feast of thanksgiving, it is likely that they consciously drew on a model well-known to them from the Bible they cherished,” Lieberman said. “Seeing themselves as new Israelites in a new ‘promised land,’ the Pilgrims surely found inspiration in the Bible, in the Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, in which God commands the ancient Israelites to observe the Feast of Booths—in Hebrew, Sukkot, ‘To rejoice before Adonai your God’ at the time of the fall harvest.”

Applebaum said that by the 1700s, Thanksgiving was a holiday throughout New England, and that it spread west with the migration of New Englanders. “Because New England had a precocious public school system, it also disproportionately supplied schoolteachers, ministers, lawyers, journalists, and shopkeepers to the entire country, north, south and west,” Applebaum said.

“This helped spread the popularity of Thanksgiving when these New England-born thought leaders backed the early 19th century campaign led

by Sarah Hale to make Thanksgiving a national holiday,” she said. “Thanksgiving proclamations were issued by state governors.”

Whether or not its formation was actually influenced by Sukkot, the parallels between the holidays serve as meaningful symbolism for individuals like Rabbi Lieberman.

“Both of these splendid holidays encourage us to stop and acknowledge the manifold blessings God bestows upon us each and every day,” Lieberman said. “Whether we accomplish that stock-taking over a slice of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie or beneath the leafy branches of a sukkah roof—or both—we understand and embrace the impulse which inspired our Pilgrim and our Israelite ancestors.”

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HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 23

Shalshelet holds first meeting of the year

By Alicia Zahn Temple Beth El Religious School Director Some entered the room tentatively and some bounded in the room eager to get started.

It was the first meeting of the year for Shalshelet, an enrichment program for Jewish teens. As with all the sessions, the evening began with a meal so that teens from all over the Lehigh Valley could relax and break bread together.

Because the group of over 20 students were from different synagogues and different schools, the teens did not all know each other and coordinator Arnon Gavish knows that feeling safe and trusting each other is important to the growing process. Gavish began by leading the diverse group in some ice-breakers and gettingto know-each-other activities.

These ranged from active silly games to serious exploration of how we define ourselves.

The teens then focused on their personal definition of what it means to be Jewish and then watched a video of how Rabbi Sachs answered this question.

The atmosphere in the room was very accepting; there are

no right or wrong answers to most of the questions that the students will explore this year.

Topics as diverse as BDS, teen sexuality, social justice and women in Islam are just a few of the many subjects open for discussion.

Gavish explained to new participants that Shalshelet is something different, "It is not like a youth group or like Hebrew School. This is something all together different and very personal. What do YOU want to discuss? How do YOU want to connect?" Gavish said. En-

Who says you’re too old

gaging speakers have already been lined up for this year so that a variety of topics can be explored from many perspectives. Because each session is a new topic, teens who have not yet joined are welcome to register at any time.

If you would like to find out more about Shalshelet, contact Arnon Gavish, Shalshelet coordinator, at shalsheletbethal@gmail.com or Alicia Zahn, Temple Beth El religious school director, at 610-435-3521, or visit www.tbeshalshelet.org.

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Israel advocacy goes mobile

By Jacob Kamaras JNS.org Israel news is booming these days, and myriad sources from the mainstream to the niche are serving it up—particularly during times like the current wave of Palestinian terrorism. But which content should a pro-Israel advocate read, trust, and share with others to make an impact?

The recently launched Talk Israel mobile app seeks to give a well-organized and personalized feel to Israel news consumers’ content experience. Calling itself the “first mobile app to bring you pro-Israel digital content from dozens of sources tailored to your personal preferences and interests using machine learning,” Talk Israel culls content from various sources, analyzes it, and crafts a personal news feed (called “My Stream”) for each user based on both their preferences among preselected news categories and the stories they read once they are using the app.

The objective? Getting Israel supporters—through the vehicle of the news and information they read and share—to do more than preach to the choir.

“The challenge that we looked at, and wanted to give a technological solution to in this case, was bringing pro-Israel content beyond the base,” Dr. Amir Give’on, Talk Israel’s co-founder and CEO, tells JNS.org.

The app was launched with the support of the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation and with the Israeli-American Council as its lead partner.

From Give’on’s perspective, a particular circle of individuals might either only talk amongst themselves or encounter those whose arguments they clearly

disagree with. Those two extremes, he says, each represent about 10 percent of the population on any given issue—but Talk Israel’s goal is for pro-Israel content to reach the other 80 percent.

“We wanted to create an app through which proIsrael activists would be able to receive and see content based on their own personal preferences,” says Give’on, a former aerospace engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We believe that if people get things that are more relevant to them personally, they’ll talk about it more and they’ll be able to reach outside their circle.”

So how does it all work?

First, Talk Israel monitors and aggregates Israel content through Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds. Once a piece of relevant content is identified, it moves to the analysis phase, in which Talk Israel breaks the content down into 50 different “DNA” elements, as Give’on calls them. For instance: Is it light or serious?

Is it short or long? Is it a video or text, or text accompanied by a video?

Users downloading the app can customize their content preferences from a menu of topics including medicine, environment/agriculture, human rights, sports, science, arts and entertainment, coexistence, technology, business/ economics, lifestyle/food/ travel, BDS, terrorism, antiSemitism, Hamas, Iran, IDF morality and more.

But the customization doesn’t stop there. Just like each piece of content on Talk Israel has “DNA,” so does each user—not only through their pre-selected topic preferences, but through the ongoing choices they make while using the app. On their personalized content menu, they can swipe left to bypass an article, swipe right to

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save it, or click it to go to the original piece, where they can also share the content via text, email and Facebook.

Throughout the process, Talk Israel builds its users’ DNA based on what type of content they are reading and how they are engaging with the content, and then feeds users future content based on their DNA. As Talk Israel also understands that it doesn’t “know everything” about a user even with his DNA at hand, says Give’on, the app occasionally experiments by sending users a piece of content that they wouldn’t normally select. “Every once in a while, we throw something at them different,” he says, so that users’ DNA can be adjusted. For example, particular users who haven’t selected food or technology stories in the past might be interested in such content if exposed to it.

Besides their personalized news feeds, users can see menus of recent or trending content, or select

articles by topic.

Of particular importance to Talk Israel, says Give’on, is that users share content.

“If I notice you read a lot of technology, but you share human rights, I’ll show you more human rights,” he says of the app’s algorithm.

Media outlets or other content providers, in turn, can submit their work to the app at http://talkisrael.org/ submit-content/.

“Our goal is really to bring in organizations, to bring in content creators, and really see what they want,” Give’on says, explaining that he can offer content producers information such as how far down a Talk Israel user is reading within their article.

Give’on says he believes pro-Israel organizations “all have the same mission” despite approaching it from different angles—which is precisely where the Milstein Foundation comes in. The Los Angeles-based foundation supports a diverse group of more than 60 pro-Israel organizations.

Hadas Sella, the Milstein Family Foundation’s executive director, calls Talk Israel’s leaders—including Give’on, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Gadi Rouache, and Chief Technology Officer Daphna Wegner—a “brilliant team” to work with. She stresses the foundation’s “reputation as connectors” in the proIsrael world as an important benefit for Talk Israel, while Give’on similarly expresses that the app was looking for partners who would “jump in and really be part of this team” rather than hands-off investors.

“We knew we needed a partner with the connections and passion to bring everything to the table…we needed more than just the funding to do this,” he says.

“It’s so refreshing to the non-profit world to have this business-minded, technologyoriented product,” says Sella.

The Talk Israel app can be downloaded in the iTunes App Store or in Google Play.

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GIVE A MITZVAH, DO A MITZVAH

Jada Pinsley

Raising awareness to stop bullying Jada Pinsley is an eighth grade student at Orefield Middle School. She loves to dance, play the flute and has

acted in nine productions at the Jewish Community Center. Jada began a mitzvah project of collecting blankets and sheets for a local animal shelter, but that project, while very worthwhile, just didn’t strike the right cord for her. She delivered the items she’d collected to the animal shelter and planned on continuing when she attended an assembly at school. The assembly was about the effects of bullying on young people and presented by Stand for the Silent.

Stand for the Silent was started in 2010 by a group of students from Oklahoma State University after they heard the story of Kirk and Laura Smalley’s son Ty Field Smalley. At 11 years old, Ty took his own life after being suspended from school for retaliating against a bully who had been bullying him for over two years. Stand

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for the Silent exists as a platform for Laura and Kirk to share their story and offer education and tools that will prevent their tragedy from happening to another child and family. Kirk and Laura’s mission is to continue to change kids’ lives and bring awareness to bullying and the devastation it causes.

“Jada’s not the type to tell me much about her day at school”, Jada’s mom, Nina, said. “But she came home from school that day and just started talking about it.

She was clearly moved by their story and she said I want to change my mitzvah project.” After doing some research and learning the staggering statistics of how many children have taken their own lives due to bullying, Jada made some graphics and shared them online. She posted them to Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat and Instagram. Determined to raise awareness, she asked her friends and family to share her post.

And share they did. Jada was overwhelmed by the response. Some people donated money to Stand for the Silent too. Mark Pinsley, Jada’s dad, wrote a blog for his company about the prevalence of bullying because he was so moved by Jada’s passion.

At her Aug. 29 bat mitzvah at Congregation Keneseth Israel, Jada even made the issue part of her dvar Torah.

Jada continues her mission to raise awareness every day.

She will be sharing what she has learned with her religious school and asking them to share with others as well.

“Jada worked hard, as all b’nai mitzvah students do, to prepare for her bat mitzvah.

She derived meaning from her Torah portion that connected to her mitzvah project. We were truly impressed and proud of her,” Mark said .

SFTS is trying to teach kids about respect, love, hope and aspiration. Above all, the main lesson taught is that “I am somebody” and that “somebody” can

help “other somebodies.”

We don’t need to sit around watching bullying; we can participate in ending it.

In addition to her mitzvah project, Jada has made her first adult gift of tzedakah to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs.

Raising money and thanks for the Israel Defense Forces Theo Shurman is an avid Philadelphia sports fan and an eighth grade student at Springhouse Middle School who also loves and plays all kinds of sports. Theo became a Bar Mitzvah at Temple Beth El on Oct. 17.

In religious school Theo was very interested in the Israeli Defense Forces after learning about them from his teacher, Galit Cohen. “Morah Cohen said she served in the IDF. She told us all about what The Israel Defense Forces are and what they do,” Theo said. “I just thought, I really want to help them out.” Theo and his mom, Rachel Shurman, found Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, an organization that initiates and helps support social, educational, cultural and recreational programs and facilities for the young men and women soldiers of Israel who defend the Jewish homeland. FIDF also provides support for the families of fallen soldiers.

Theo spoke to Alicia Zahn, Temple Beth El religious school director, and together they came up with a plan. Theo will speak to the younger children at religious school this fall and have their classes write thank you cards to Israeli soldiers.

He and his mom will send the cards to the Philadelphia chapter of FIDF. The cards will be distributed to Israeli soldiers who are currently serving. In addition, Theo has set up a fundraising page on the website

Theo Shurman

www.firstgiving.com/ fundraiser/theo-shurman/ TheoShurmansmitzvahproject Through this website he has sent out emails to friends and family asking them to support his mitzvah project by making a donation to FIDF. “The community can participate too,” Theo added.

“You can write a thank you note to a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces and I’ll add it to the ones that are made in religious school and send them all together to Friends of the IDF. Theo can be contacted by email at theosmitzvahproject@ gmail.com. You can also make a donation through the website.”

“My husband, Andy, and I are so proud of Theo. He has taken his responsibility as a Bar Mitzvah very seriously by committing to this Mitzvah project,” Rachel said. FIDF makes it very easy for students to raise money and Theo wants to raise as much as possible for this worthy cause.”

In addition to his mitzvah project, Theo has made his first adult gift of tzedakah to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs.

For help developing your mitzvah project, contact Abby Trachtman, program coordinator, at abbyt@jflv.org or call her at the Federation office at 610-821-5500.

Program teaches parents to raise curious kids – Israeli style

By Suzanne Pollak Jewish Telegraphic Agency Idis Arugeta used to come home from a long day of work and stick her toddler in front of the TV. But she said an Israeli-created home visitation program has changed the way she parents.

Now Arugeta said she sets aside oneon-one time to do things like read with her daughter-- and it has paid off.

Her daughter has become "the best student," Arugeta reported. "She knows everything."

HIPPY, or Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, is designed to help low-income parents prepare their 3- to 5-year-old children to start school. Parents receive a weekly curriculum. They are given books on a schedule — every week or every other week — including a new book that teaches them how to become their child’s first teacher.

The program was started in Israel in 1969 to help immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East prepare for life in their new country. HIPPY, which still operates in its native country, came to the United States in 1980 via the National Council for Jewish Women’s Research Institute for Innovation in Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Today there are 140 HIPPY sites in 23 states and the District of Columbia.

More than 125 parents participate in HIPPY at the Family Place in Washington, D.C. The majority are Spanish speakers with little formal education in their native country, according to Haley Wiggins, executive director of the nonprofit.

“Lots of parents say, ‘I send my child to school to learn,’” Wiggins said.

HIPPY works to change that mindset, she said. Parents are shown how to make their

children lifelong, eager students.

“We really work with the parents. We empower them to be role models,” Wiggins said.

While the curriculum emphasizes reading and math, there is also a week dedicated to germs and why showering and teeth brushing are important.

A typical HIPPY session happens in the parent's home, though libraries and other public places are options as well. The home visitor explains the week’s curriculum and shows the parent what to do. During the hourlong visit, the home visitor also tells the parent about other services available. Many clients, said Wiggins, have no idea how many programs exist on the local and federal level to help people deal with the challenges of poverty.

HIPPY also sponsors monthly meetings for parents to get to know each other while learning. Some topics during recent meetings have included bullying, tax preparation and domestic violence prevention. The program is provided free to the families, with most of the funding coming from the federal government’s Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

Linda Frank, chair of HIPPY USA’s board of trustees, spoke about the program like a proud parent.

“It really has become a passion for me,” she said.

To her, HIPPY is about much more than handing out books. Frank said parents learn the importance of being in contact with teachers, attending back-to-school nights and staying engaged with their child’s education.

Other skills that are taught to parents include how to get children to pay attention, take turns and sit quietly, she said.

Sonia Sorto, a HIPPY home visitor, said the program truly makes a difference. The parents often start out wary, she said, but quickly "most parents become really involved."

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A Multi-Ethnic T hanksgiving

By Sandi Teplitz BORICAN TURKEY

Place a fresh or frozen turkey in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with Adobo and Sazon con pimiento. Leave in refrigerator for two full days. Cook at 325 degrees until done.

ASIAN FRIED RICE

To six cups of cooked white rice, add 3 T. soy sauce and 1/2 t. sugar. Fry one large minced onion with one egg in peanut oil, mixing together as you fry. Add to rice mixture with a package of frozen peas, some turkey pieces, minced and a few chopped pimientos. Adjust seasonings.

Ingredients for crumb topping: 2/3 c. sifted flour 1/3 c. dark brown sugar 1/8 t. salt 5 + 1/3 T salted pareve margarine 1/3 c. chopped walnuts or pecans Technique: Sprinkle ingredients over pears; allow to sit for 10 minutes. Combine crumb ingredients except margarine. add margarine by hand, forming into crumblike texture, Place your favorite recipe for crust into 12 tart shell pans. Add pear mixture.

Top with crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees until done, about 40 minutes. Serve warm, topped with wild berry toffutti “ice cream” if desired.

ITALIAN SPINACH

Cook three packages of fresh spinach. Drain thoroughly. In a sauté pan, place one T olive oil and two garlic cloves; fry until lightly sautéed. Add spinach and heat until warm, adding salt if desired.

HUNGARIAN PEAR STREUSEL TARTS Ingredients: 4. c. fresh pears, peeled and diced 1/8 t. salt 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 t. cinnamon 2 T quick-cooking tapioca dash of cloves 2 T. lemon juice 1/8 t. nutmeg

SIX POINTS KOSHER EVENTS HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 27

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In Putin's policing of Middle East, some see a boon for Israel

By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraphic Agency As a defiant Russia again flexes military muscles in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, Cold War analogies are, perhaps, unavoidable.

The deployment of Russian warplanes in Syria in September laid bare Moscow’s readiness to use force to punish leaders who would challenge its authority — as in Ukraine, from which it annexed Crimea in March 2014 — and to defend its strategic allies, like Syria’s embattled president, Bashar Assad.

During the Cold War, Kremlin intervention generally meant bad news for Jews, who were second-class citizens, of sorts, in the Soviet Union — and for Israel, which the USSR regarded as an extension of its American rival. But observers of Russia’s current bid for greater influence in the Middle East say it may be a boon for Israel, which has strived in recent years to stay on the good side of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The main risk for Israel is not Assad but chaos" amid Syria’s bloody civil war of the past four-plus years, Ksenia Svetlova, a Moscow-born Israeli Labor party lawmaker, told JTA. "If the Russian deployment prevents it, then it can be a positive development."

As Russia began beefing up its presence in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled in September to Moscow in an effort to avoid Russian-Israeli military entanglements in or over Syria, where Israel routinely retaliates for cross-border rocket attacks or goes on the offensive to eliminate certain types of weaponry. (“We are neither for nor against Assad,” The Economist quoted Netanyahu as saying during the Sept. 21 meeting.)

Netanyahu reportedly was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, in which he discussed with Putin ways to avoid clashes with Russian troops during its retaliatory missions in Syria.

Further high-level talks on Syria are scheduled to begin between Israel and Russia in October, Israel's Army Radio reported.

Netanyahu’s visit, and the understanding reached while in Moscow, speaks to his government's broader policy of neutrality on Russia, which has set Israel apart from most Western countries. Last year, the United States, European Union, Canada, Australia and Japan introduced several rounds of trade and other sanctions on Russia.

During the Crimea annexation, and Russia’s subsequent arming of pro-Russian secessionists in Ukraine, Israel remained conspicuously silent.

Roman Bronfman, a former Meretz party lawmaker in Israel and prominent Russia analyst who was born in what today is Ukraine, lamented Netanyahu’s “recognition of Russian dominance by flying to Moscow, naming it the boss in another insult to Israel’s true ally, America."

The Netanyahu trip to Moscow contrasted sharply with the U.S. position on Russia's efforts. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that Russia’s military moves were “pouring gasoline on the fire” because Russian strikes reportedly have targeted U.S.-backed rebels — not the Islamic State terrorists that Moscow had singled out as the target of its operation.

To Bronfman, Russian deployment in Syria also means “opening a corridor for more presence on Israel’s borders by Iran and Hezbollah.” Syria, he explained, is after all a close ally of both the Islamic Republic and the Shiite militia.

The Netanyahu-Putin meeting demonstrated just how far ties between Israel and Russia have progressed since the Cold War, according to Mark Galeotti, a Russia analyst and professor of global affairs at New York University.

For its part, Russia perceives Israel as a rare island of stability, he said.

To be sure Russia, which is the world’s

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. second largest weapons purveyor behind the United States, is still arming Israel’s enemies, Iran included. But now Russia also buys Israeli arms, including drones. It also acts as a mediator for dialogue between Israel and parties with few or no Western contacts, such as the Assad regime and Hamas.

Russia’s intervention in Syria comes as the United States scales back its military presence in the Middle East as part of President Barack Obama’s policy of emphasizing diplomacy over force.

But Putin’s challenge to the West, observers say, lies not so much in its protection of the Assad regime but in his creeping influence with Iran and some American allies in the region, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and even Israel. In recent months, Russia has been wooing Cairo, Riyadh and Tehran — resulting in economic agreements on sharing nuclear energy and know-how with Saudi Arabia, and selling advanced weapons to Iran. Putin also invited Egypt to join the Eurasian Economic Union, Russia’s free-trade zone that now comprises only ex-members of the former Soviet Union.

"What is happening between Russia and Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, is indeed a new development that is meant to occupy the vacuum left by U.S. non-intervention, or the perception of it," said Svetlova, the Israeli lawmaker and a former journalist specializing in the Arab-speaking world.

Netanyahu’s meeting with Putin coincided with Russia's increased influence in some Arab countries with rulers who disapprove of Obama’s support for the Arab Spring revolutions and the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Supporters both of Syria’s Assad regime and Egypt's government led by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in recent months have been displaying posters of Putin in Damascus and Cairo, where many now see him as a hero.

Meanwhile, the Saudi government criticized the U.S.-led nuclear agreement with Iran before ultimately giving its lukewarm consent to the deal.

And el-Sisi has had harsh words for Obama, who supported the revolution that in 2011 toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak, a predecessor of el-Sisi.

“You left the Egyptians, you turned your back on the Egyptians,” el-Sisi said in 2013 of the Obama administration, “and they won’t forget that.”

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2015 29