HAKOL - October 2014

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community

OCTOBER 2014 | TISHREI/CHESHVAN 5775

Annual Campaign answers urgent needs

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing Let’s face it, it’s been a challenging summer. As rockets rained down in Israel, we turned to the community for help raising immediate emergency funds, and you more than answered the call, contributing nearly a quarter of a million dollars to this effort.

Now here we are, not even two months later, asking for your help again. Here’s why: Without the Annual Campaign

YAD FAMILIES gather for fun and food.

See page 3.

Annual Campaign Continues on page 3

MAKE YOUR PLEDGE BY THANKSGIVING TO THE 2015 CAMPAIGN FOR JEWISH NEEDS

and receive a special gift from the Federation

Your support is so crucial, now more than ever.

Visit www.jewishlehigvalley.org to learn more.

UNMASKING Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions. See pages 16 - 18.

SUKKOT IN THE VALLEY:

shared meaning, family traditions

By Sarah Chimino JFLV Marketing Intern

PJ LIBRARY EVENT engages and delights.

See page 27.

No. 369 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 20-21 Jewish Day School

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Community Calendar

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As the leaves begin to change and the harvest season is in full swing, it is time to build the sukkah. Sukkot is the Jewish holiday known as the feast of tabernacles. In honor of the ancestors, the Torah instructs every Jew to dwell in a temporary shelter, the sukkah. Traditionally, this is accomplished by eating, sleeping or having gatherings in the sukkah.

The Wilson family of Allentown uses a sukkah kit that is typically assembled by their son, Ben, 14, and his teenage friends. Daughter Rebecca, who is 10 years old and very “crafty,” spearheads the decorating of the sukkah, said her mother Carol.

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702 North 22nd Street Allentown, PA 18104

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The Tamarkins, the Wilsons and many other families are set to enjoy Sukkot in the Valley. Sukkot begins the evening of October 8.

Many of the decorations used for the sukkah are the artwork that the Wilson children have created over the years.

Sukkot is a time to bring together family, friends and neighbors, whether or not they are Jewish. Carol recalled a time when Rebecca came home from school one day and said, “I have a new friend from Washington, D.C., who loves Jewish holidays, loves going to the Passover seder, and has never been to a sukkah.

Can she come to ours?” Of course the family was delighted to welcome her.

The Wilsons also celebrate the holiday and showing their hospitality, inviting 25 or more people to their sukkah, even though it supposedly holds only 12. Carol said that, for her, Sukkot “is a holiday that connects us with friends – we have no family in Allentown – that have become family who come to our

house through the ‘revolving door.’”

She added, “The holiday connects us to the land and the harvest and gets us thinking about where our food comes from.”

The Tamarkin family builds a wooden sukkah with bamboo window shades and birch tree trimmings on the top. They like to build their sukkah with family and friends because, as Tama Tamarkin said, “It’s not a oneman job.”

The Tamarkin family also has a tradition of “Soup in the Sukkah,” for which they invite friends to enjoy four or five types of warm fall soups that Tama herself cooks. When asked what the holiday means to her, Tama replied, “For me, it is about the tradition of putting up the sukkah, the kids getting to have friends eat in the sukkah and being together with family and friends.”

175 years at Temple Covenant of Peace

By Eleanor Bobrow Temple Covenant of Peace This year marks the 175th anniversary of the founding of Temple Covenant of Peace in Easton.

In 1752, 11 Jewish families left the ghetto life in Germany and travelled to a place called Easton with the hope of making a place to live, work, worship and be free. By 1839, the Reform congregation Temple Covenant of Peace was established.

The Temple is honored to have Elaine (nee Malkin) Berk as the one member of the congregation who was born into and named in the congregation, attended religious school, was bat mitzvahed, and attended confirmation and postconfirmation classes. She was also married by Rabbi Joshua Trachtenberg, of blessed memory.

One day while being driven by Rabbi Jerald Bobrow, of blessed memory, to Philadelphia to visit her sick mother, the rabbi suggested that Elaine consider reading from the Torah on Yom Kippur. She accepted the idea and read so beautifully that he sent her a thank you note inviting her to consider making this an annual event and to this day, Elaine reads from Leviticus at the afternoon Torah service on Yom Kippur. We are indeed blessed to have her as a loyal member of Temple Covenant of Peace as we celebrate our 175th anniversary.

Temple Covenant of Peace has traveled a long way to become the congregation it is today – where all are welcomed whether they are members of the congregation or visitors from Phillipsburg, Bethlehem, Brooklyn or India. If you attend services at Covenant of Peace and are new to the community or are visiting family or friends, you are welcomed as “a member of the family,” for indeed, once you enter the walls of Covenant of Peace, we are all God’s children and welcomed as family. After the lighting of the Shabbat candles, Rabbi Melody Davis invites all in attendance to “get up out of their seats and find a face that they do not know and introduce yourself and wish them Shabbat Shalom.” There is a sense of joy and shalom as we participate in services, singing and sometimes dancing.

This sense of joy and commitment is also experienced by the children of the religious school who have formed a junior choir from grades one through high school replete

Temple Covenant of Peace Continues on page 29

com.UNITY Is everything an emergency?

FROM THE DESK OF MARK L. GOLDSTEIN

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

Growing up I remember an electronics store that had a going out of business sale. We went and bought something feeling great that we got a nice deal. Then months went by and they were still having the going out of business sale.

Then it seemed like every six months they had a going out of business sale. Or there was the furniture store that every week advertised the best sale in the store’s history. A few weeks later they declared that prices have never been this low. Fast forward a few weeks, months and years and every sale is proclaimed to be the greatest and lowest with prices never again as low.

Not everything can be an emergency. In our Jewish community business we are very careful when we declare something an emergency or a crisis. We don’t want to be viewed as a less than honest broker having an emergencyof-the-month.

But let’s be honest. The times we are living in are unprecedented, complex, concerning. The war with Hamas. The continuing and real threat from Iran. The new concerns of the hyperradical and hyper-brutal ISIS. The civil war in Syria. The open and brazen support of terrorists by U.S. allies Qatar and Turkey. The rapid unveiling of anti-Semitism

worldwide, but particularly in Europe.

With all that’s going on we may have forgotten another hotspot that has morphed into a Jewish emergency: Ukraine.

Over the past few weeks we have received several alarming briefings on the situation in Ukraine, including an emergency call for funds. In an area of a once-thriving Jewish community, tens of thousands of Jews are imperiled by the ongoing fighting between Ukrainians and pro-Russian rebels.

Over 1 million people have fled the area, with estimates as high as 300,000 internally displaced persons. Eastern Ukraine once held 27,000 Jews. Today in Donetsk and Lugansk, which have both declared themselves as independent republics, there are about 2,000 Jewish welfare clients in constant need of lifesustaining aid. Another 1,500, mostly elderly and infirmed, reside in the periphery. JDC workers discuss random shootings, numerous checkpoints and rampant looting as the economy is stalled by the fighting – even during ceasefires.

On homecare visits inside the bombed-out, besieged cities, JDC workers often ride their bikes to a client’s apartment to check in and deliver food and medicine.

Once there they must draw fresh water from the nearest source – usually a fire pump or from a patrolling fire engine. They schlep the water to the client and then repeat the routine with 4-5 clients each day. For clients forced to evacuate, they are without income as their pension checks do not follow them during their displacement.

Logistically, service delivery is a nightmare as clients are spread across the region, homes are difficult to access and roads are blocked by destroyed tank trucks and personnel carriers. In certain areas public transportation is inoperable, grocery stores are open for a few hours a day and pharmacies do not open as their shelves are empty.

Until the conflict began, Ukraine served as an important staging area for JDC’s relief efforts throughout Eastern Europe. Warehouses were filled with goods that were strategically shipped to over 150 relief centers. Today those warehouses are nearly empty. Previous supplies came from the west. The controlling rebels won’t allow those shipments and instead require relief agencies as well as commercial stores to resupply with goods from the east (e.g.

Russia). But the supply chain is not in place, or is disrupted by violence and pirating. And,

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Something is happening from time to time to individuals scattered across the country and around the world because they are Jewish.

With anti-Israel sentiment high following the Gaza conflict, the line between criticizing Israel’s policies and questioning Israel’s legitimacy, and even verbally or physically attacking individuals because they are Jewish, is too often readily crossed. As a result, there have been numerous accounts of harassment

of Jewish college students by other students and of obviously Jewish customers, including children, being turned away by European shopkeepers who say they are acting from a place of solidarity with the Palestinian people. But this kind of behavior pre-dates the Gaza conflict by months, years and centuries.

In this month’s special pullout center section, we show you how all of these incidents are linked. I invite you to join me as we explore this topic now and in the coming months.

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.

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.

Phone: (610) 821-5500 Fax: (610) 821-8946 E-mail: hakol@jflv.org

enable us to cover the cash we just transmitted. The pledge now is sufficient; payment is not due until December 2015. We are in the midst of a 60-day challenge to raise the bulk of funds for our 2015 Campaign. The challenge is made all the more urgent due to the needs in Ukraine.

This is not another sale of the year. This is not the emergency-of-the-month. This is real.

HAKOL STAFF Jennifer Lader Editor

Allison Meyers

Graphic Designer

Diane McKee

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

JFLV EXECUTIVE STAFF Mark L. Goldstein Executive Director

Judy Diamondstein

Assistant Executive Director

Temple Coldren

Director of Finance & Administration

Stephanie Smartschan Director of Marketing

Jim Mueth

Director of Planned Giving & Endowments

Aaron Gorodzinsky

Director of Outreach & Community Relations

Taffi Ney

Donor Development Officer

Mark H. Scoblionko President, JFLV

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

Shalom, Jennifer Lader

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 MEMORY ZELDA DUBIN (Grandmother of Brian August) Neil and Linda Dicker ARLENE NAGEL (Wife of Roger Nagel) Roberto and Eileen Fischmann

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

2 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

HAKOL

Mail, fax, or e-mail to: JFLV ATTN: HAKOL 702 N. 22nd St. Allentown, PA 18104

JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY IN HONOR EILEEN FISCHMANN In honor of receiving the Kipnis-Wilson/ Friedland Award Roberto Fischmann and Children Lisa and Barnet Fraenkel Mike and Cooky Notis Vicki and Stan Wax

CONSUL GENERAL YARON SIDEMAN Birth of a son Barry and Carol Halper

almost overnight, the economy was forced to change currency from Ukrainian or western currency to Russian rubles.

Our network has created a private distribution system to move goods from Russia to areas of greater need.

All of this costs money and represents an unbudgeted crisis. In the last few days our Federation received an emergency call imploring us to immediately send cash to support the crisis. We have immediately responded and sent our “fair share” of the cash, joining over 130 other Jewish federations, UIACanada and Keren Hayesod.

These emergency needs will be met by our 2015 Campaign for Jewish Needs.

Increased pledges made now to the 2015 Campaign will

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

YAD families enjoy summer food and fun It was a beautiful late summer afternoon for a barbecue.

Members of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s Young Adult Division gathered at the home of Ben Grossman on Sept. 7 for hamburgers, hotdogs games and fun. While the kids played backyard hockey and blew bubbles, the adults enjoyed each other’s company.

The Young Adult Division represents the next generation of Jewish leadership, ages 22 to 45, through networking, educational opportunities and social action.

Coming up this fall, the Young Adult Division will embark on a tikkun olam project to address a pressing need in the community. From Oct. 20 through Nov. 16, YAD will collect food and toiletry items badly needed by the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry. On Nov. 23, members will gather to prepare baskets to deliver to families in need in time for Thanksgiving. The event will also feature PJ Library stories and activities for children. Visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org to learn more.

Young Adult Division members gather at the home of Ben Grossman for a late summer barbecue – kids included!

Young Adult Division Co-Chair Justin Corsa, barbecue host Ben Grossman and The Schlossbergs and the Peleds enjoy a fun-filled afternoon for the whole JFLV Director of Outreach and Community Relations Aaron Gorodzinsky. family at the YAD barbecue.

Zach Lappen, Joel Krinsky and Melissa Navon.

Campaign Chairperson Iris Epstein, visiting speaker David Saginaw and Men’s Division Co-Chairperson Dr. Israel Zighelboim prepare volunteer materials for the Campaign Launch event on Sept. 17.

Annual Campaign Continues from page 1

for Jewish Needs, there would be no partners on the ground in Israel.

There would be no one to answer the call when the sirens sound, no matter how much money is funneled in. Because of the Annual Campaign, when Jewish people here at home, in Israel and around the world need us, we are there.

In Israel this summer, that meant moving tens of thousands of children out of harm’s way for respite in camps, making immediate emergency grants to victims’ families, offering trauma counseling for the elderly and disabled, and refurbishing bomb shelters.

In Ukraine, where violence once again rages and thousands of Jews are being displaced, it means helping those who want to leave to do so and ensuring continued home delivery of food, medicine, heating and cooking fuel and sustained life-saving care for the elderly who cannot.

It means fighting back against rising instances of anti-Semitism around the world, but particularly in Europe, and helping our college students to combat hate and anti-Israel rhetoric on campus.

Here at home, it means making sure that our own growing senior population is well cared for through transportation services and social programs. It means providing a quality Jewish education to all who desire one and instilling Jewish values at home through family programs.

But in the end, we are only there because you are there. Thank you for supporting the 2015 Campaign for Jewish Needs.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 3

MAIMONIDES SOCIETY OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY

Ashkenazi Jews and cancer … not necessarily oy vey!

By Israel Zighelboim, MD, FACOG, FACS Special to HAKOL For centuries, patients and physicians alike have wondered why cancer happens and how it can be prevented. Is cancer in our genes? We now clearly understand that “cancer” is not a single disease but rather a group of maladies. All of them have as common denominator one or more genetic derangements in the tumor cells capable of turning off the mechanisms that keep those cells from growing in an uncontrollable and disorganized fashion. So in essence, yes … all cancers are indeed genetic.

However, only 5 to 10 percent of all cancers are currently thought to be hereditary.

In families carrying a cancer susceptibility syndrome, such as the “BRCA1/BRCA2,” Lynch, and Li Fraumeni syndromes among others, a single gene abnormality called a germline mutation is present from the time of birth in all cells throughout the body. Such mutations predispose individuals of those affected families to develop certain cancerous tumors.

Are we the “chosen people” when it comes to higher frequen-

cy of certain gene mutations?

Well, we are not alone. Ashkenazi Jews as well as other ethnic groups (for example French Canadians, Scandinavians and Eskimos) have a remarkable high prevalence of recurrent mutations. The more ancient the ethnic group, the higher the chance of increasing the number of individuals affected by a given mutation. And you guessed right … It looks like we got here first!

The detection of genetic cancer susceptibility syndromes is now widely available and a relatively simple process. Furthermore, diagnoses for many of these syndromes are even more accurate, cheaper and easier than ever before to confirm in Ashkenazi Jews. Importantly, recognizing those risks prevents cancers by as much as 96 percent in affected individuals and unquestionably saves lives.

The pendulum swings, while physicians (including many oncologists!) still fail to identify and test more than 65 percent of individuals with concerning familial cancer history. Some experts strongly believe and propose that testing everyone as part of routine clinical practice is the best way to prevent cancers and save lives. Unfortunately, we

Israeli physician to visit Valley

By Judy Diamondstein JFLV Assistant Executive Director Bringing intimate knowledge of life in Israel, the practice of urology and of Western Galilee Hospital, Dr. Dov Engelstein will visit the Lehigh Valley from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6 as part of the Maimonides Society Visiting Physician Exchange Program. The community is invited to attend a special brunch at 10:15 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, at which Engelstein will share insights into his medical practice as well as his perspective as an Israeli.

Engelstein served in the Air Force of the Israeli Defense Forces from 1970-73 and as a reserve officer until 1998. He earned his medical degree from the University of Bologna, Italy, in 1979 and completed his internship and general surgery rotations at Western Galilee Hospital before completing his residency in 1987 in urology at

are not there yet.

What could you do? If you have concerns about your personal risk or your family cancer history, you must discuss it with a genetic counselor and/ or a physician with expertise and interest in cancer genetics.

Don’t let any doctor disregard your concerns without thorough evaluation!

Israel Zighelboim, MD, FACOG, FACS, is a gynecologic oncologist with St. Luke’s University Hospital.

Join us for this free event to learn more about this important topic

Cancer Genetics and the Jewish Family: What We All MUST Know TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2014 7:00 p.m., Temple Beth El 1305 Springhouse Rd., Allentown With DR. ISRAEL ZIGHELBOIM, Gynecologic Oncologist at St. Luke’s Cancer Care Associates And DR. MARK GITTLEMAN, Breast Surgeon at Breast Care Specialists

the Beilinson Medical Center in Petach Tikvah.

The Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley originated with the collegial exchange between physicians at what was then Nahariya Hospital and the then-Allentown Hospital almost 30 years ago. The relationships, exchange of ideas and encounters have strengthened the bond between communities and created many lifelong friendships.

Maimonides Society members will engage with Engelstein on a professional and academic basis. Members of the general community are encouraged to invite him for an evening meal or a weekend excursion.

To learn about how you can get involved, contact Judy Diamondstein at 610-821-5500 or judy@ jflv.org.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2

10:15 to 11:45 a.m. at the JCC of Allentown Featuring visiting physician Dr. Dov Englestein, a urologist from Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel

Sponsored by Myriad Genetics, Temple Beth El and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Maimonides Society

Free for Maimonides members and spouses, $10 for community members.

Visit jewishlehighvalley.org to learn more or contact Judy Diamondstein at 610-821-5500 or judy@jflv.org.

election2014 THE BALANCE OF POWER TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28 7:30 p.m.

CONGREGATION BRITH SHOLOM 1190 W. Macada Road | Bethlehem, PA 18017 610.866.8009

Tuesday, October 21, 2014 |

Get insight into the upcoming gubernatorial contest and what issues will have the greatest impact and learn how gerrymandering has affected the election system.

7:00 p.m.

Temple Beth El, 305 Springhouse Rd., Allentown, PA New research indicates that all Ashkenazi women should be tested for the BRCA gene. Join our panel discussion with: DR. ISRAEL ZIGHELBOIM Gynecologic Oncologist, St. Luke's Cancer Care Associates DR. MARK GITTLEMAN Breast Surgeon, Breast Care Specialists Free and open to the public Sponsored by Myriad Genetics, Temple Beth El and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Maimonides Society

You can make a difference

VOTE NOVEMBER 4 Sponsored by: BRITH SHOLOM ADULT EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Congregation Brith Sholom’s Adult Education Committee and the JFLV Community Relations Council are pleased to host a conversation on the upcoming elections with:

DR. CHRIS BORICK

Director of the Institute of Public Opinion, Muhlenberg College

DR. GORDON GOLDBERG

Professor Emeritus of History, Kutztown University

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 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

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

Taking ‘pride’ in a conference of Lions

By Judy Diamondstein JFLV Assistant Executive Director In 1998, I attended my first International Lion of Judah Conference. I was a young professional and had never been in the company of so many generous women philanthropists before. I will never forget my first conference – not because of the amazing and powerful keynote speakers which included First Lady Hillary Clinton and Emory professor and Holocaust expert Deborah Lipstadt, but because I accompanied Wendy Born, who made me feel like I belonged in the company of these women, many of them giants, even though my donation at that time was only a dollar a day.

There are so many vignettes to share that contributed to the power of this year’s International Lion of Judah Conference conference in New York City. Some of the stories are full of Lehigh Valley pride and others remind us of the palpable connections we all feel as a part of the Jewish people.

As Rabbi Sharon Brous explained, when one of us suffers we all suffer and when one of us succeeds, like a Jewish Nobel prize winner, we all kvell.

So it was with great excitement that the Lehigh Valley pride of Lions, four strong including Wendy Born, Iris Epstein, Eileen Fischmann and myself, arrived early to the session titled "If You Can Make It Here ..." to stake out the front row and hold two seats for our friends Aliette and Marc Abo who arrived to see daughter Jessica moderate a discussion.

Aliette had become a new Pomegranate in the weeks before

the conference and didn't want much fanfare. So very quietly before the program, Campaign Chairperson Iris Epstein presented Aliette with her pin. We had hugs and pictures and the program commenced. The presentations were fabulous and fascinating, all in the spirit of philanthropy and Federation. But without a doubt, the moment that stole the show for everyone was when Jessica spoke about her special parents, what role models they were for her and how they were teaching and modeling to this day because Aliette was becoming a Lion of Judah that morning at the Lion of Judah conference surrounded by a very prideful group of Lions.

Wow. Just wow!

Later in the conference, after viewing an incredibly moving video retrospective of the summer’s events in Israel focusing on the loss of the three teens, a young couple stepped to the podium.

Offir and Bat Galim Sh’aar spoke of their son Gilad, one of the teens lost, sharing stories from the everyday to the extraordinary. And they remarked that they could not have gotten through this tragic time without the support of the worldwide Jewish community.

Gilad is not just their son, but all of our sons, they said.

Without a doubt, issues confront the Jewish community on many fronts and there were many sessions that focused on Ukraine, Israel, terrorism and BDS. Molly Rosen, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, shared her story of her time in student government. She had thought she would participate in meetings where discussions

focused on ways to make campus life better or improve the quality of food in the dining hall. Instead, she confronted anti-Semitism on a weekly, sometimes daily basis.

Student government open forum time was co-opted by anti-Israel groups who brought hate into the hall. She said that she was told that if she believed in human rights, she should not support Israel and that Jews are racists. In the fall of 2013, over 1,000 Jewish students received mock eviction notices under their doors, and the campus was disrupted and terrorized as a group tried to pass a resolution that the university divest from companies tied to Israel. But enduring these attacks spurred Molly to educate herself about the facts, to band with others and to respond with nonviolence in every way possible.

And yet, as difficult, sad and even scary as some of these stories were to hear, we were brought back into the light by our scholars in residence, Rabbi Sharon Brous and Rabbi Shira Stutman, who each in their own way, reminded us that as Jews we will always hope. We use our hope so that we can engage in the world and make it a better place. We are a people of hope. We believe in the promise of tomorrow and that we will always find hope from despair. There is no sin greater than the sin of despair and we will always carry the torch of hope through the dessert so that it can become the torch of possibility.

As I look back, I am honored to have had the privilege of attending so many Lion conferences. The last few as a very proud

Lehigh Valley Lions Eileen Fischmann, Iris Epstein, Judy Diamondstein and Wendy Born with new Lion Aliette Abo (front center), her husband Marc and daughter Jessica, a presenter at the International Lion of Judah Conference in New York City in September.

Lion of Judah, a goal I had set for myself which I hope will continue throughout my lifetime. And even though sometimes I think that I've heard it all, the story of our people continues to unfold, challenges continue to arise and the amazing

collective that I am so honored to serve both with my professional work and my philanthropy responds with urgency, responsibility and creativity and acts with cavanah (intention) on behalf of the Jewish people.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 Imagining Jews Presents Jewish Feminism: Religious and Secular 7 p.m., Muhlenberg College Hillel Jewish studies professors Dr. Vanessa Ochs and Dr. Laura Levitt will take on the topic of Jewish feminism from both the religious and secular perspectives at an upcoming panel discussion, part of a series about the portrayal of Jews in different medium.

The event is sponsored by the Philip and Muriel Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Lehigh University, the Jewish Studies program at Muhlenberg College, the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College and the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

Program is free and open to the public thanks to a generous grant from the Legacy Heritage Jewish Studies Project.

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HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 5

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“Once the capital of American steel, this burgeoning art community shows its grit with a photography festival to compete with the big cities.”

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An exciting weekend of

EXHIBITIONS, PRESENTATIONS AND PARTIES November 7-9 | Bethlehem, PA | invisionphotofestival.org FEATURING:

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Gallery at the JCC showcases exceptional local talent

Above, The sheer power of weather plays a vital role in artist Janet Dean's work, as do the seasons.

Right, “I turn and carve each piece to accent its natural beauty,” says Wilhem Schmidt of his wooden creations.

By Sydney Krassen Special to HAKOL On Sept. 18, The Gallery at the JCC hosted its opening reception of “Earth and Sky,” the gallery’s most recent exhibition, featuring the work of artists Janet Dean and Wilhelm Schmidt.

The current exhibition features pieces that capture the essence of nature in a variety of media.

Dean is an award-winning painter who creates inspirational images in oil on canvas and pastels on paper. In addition to her works on display, she owns a painting and photography studio where she exhibits and

sells her art.

Schmidt is a sculptor who searches the woodlands and pathways to find organic objects which he then transforms into expressive shapes.

He works primarily in found wood.

Both artists draw on their natural surroundings for inspiration, creating serene and calming works of art. The exhibition runs through Oct. 30 and is open to the public during gallery hours.

The Gallery at the JCC’s next exhibit will feature the work of Susan Biebuyck and will run Nov. 6 to Dec. 22.

Please join The Gallery at the JCC for an opening reception on Nov. 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

There will be live music, drinks, hors d'oeuvres and a chance to meet the artist and discuss her work. Pieces in the exhibit will be offered for sale and a portion of the proceeds supports the JCC. For more information, contact the JCC at 610-435-3571.

‘Imagining Jews’ kicks off second semester

By Jessica Cooperman Muhlenberg College The Jewish studies program of Muhlenberg College is pleased to announce new upcoming talks as part of the final semester in the series of public lectures and events on the theme of “Imagining Jews: From the Ancient World to the American Present.”

The Imagining Jews series, funded by a grant from the Legacy Heritage Jewish Studies Project and directed by the Association for Jewish Studies, explores how Jews have chosen to represent themselves, and been represented by others, in different and diverse historical and geographical settings.

Last semester’s talks introduced images of Jewish rebels from ancient Rome to the 19th century Roman ghetto, and examined the nuances of being a Middle Eastern Jew in America today and contemporary Jewish American culture’s love for “tchotchkes” and Yiddish kitsch.

On Wednesday, Oct. 29, Laura Levitt from Temple University and Vanessa Ochs from the University of Virginia will speak on “Jewish Feminism: Religious and Secular.”

On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Mark Stein of the History Department at Muhlenberg College

will speak on "Imagining a Nation, Imagining an Empire: Ottoman Jews and Zionism.”

Both talks will be held at the Muhlenberg College Hillel located at 2400 Chew St. in Allentown.

Later in November, Sharon Albert from the Religion Studies Department at Muhlenberg will re-visit the Middle Ages with her discussion of "Jews Imagining: Medieval Jewish Folktales,” to be held at Congregation Brith Sholom, on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Charlie Richter, of the Theater and Dance Department, will transport listeners back to the radio and TV shows of the mid-20th century for “An Evening with the Goldbergs,” at Congregation Keneseth Israel on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Jessica Carr of Lafayette College will speak about her research on the “Jewish Day” at the 1933 World’s Fair in a talk on Thursday, Dec. 4, at the JCC. Carr joined the religious studies department at Lafayette this fall.

The Imagining Jews series is made possible in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding and the Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Lehigh University.

All talks in the series are free and open to the public.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 7

In landmark ruling, Arab Bank held liable for supporting Hamas

By Batya Ungar-Sargon Jewish Telegraphic Agency Following a five-week landmark civil trial and two days of deliberation, a Brooklyn jury found Arab Bank liable of knowingly supporting terrorism in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

According to the U.S. District Court ruling on Sept. 22, the Jordan-based bank provided material support to Hamas -- backing that helped facilitate 24 terror attacks between 2001 and 2004.

The case was brought by nearly 300 U.S. citizens who had been injured or lost family members in the attacks, which took place during the second intifada.

It was the first civil case against a bank to be tried under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1991, which allows victims of foreign terror attacks to sue for damages in the United States. The case had been tied up in litigation for a decade before finally going to trial in August.

The plaintiffs’ team of lawyers, led by Gary Osen, argued that Arab Bank knowingly pro-

cessed large payments to Hamas leaders from a Saudi charity, as well as “martyr payments” – payouts of $5,300 – to the families of suicide bombers.

Shand Stephens, a lawyer for the defense, contended that the bank had followed all the guidelines set forth by the United States and other governments in determining which payments to allow and which to block. Stephens said that Arab Bank used software designed to flag the names of terrorists designated by the U.S. government.

The defense insisted that the financial institution should not be held liable for transactions that passed muster with the U.S. government.

Among the plaintiffs in the case was Sarri Singer, who was injured in a 2003 suicide bombing.

“I started crying when the email came in,” Singer, the daughter of New Jersey state Sen. Robert Singer, told JTA shortly after the verdict was announced.

Singer was on the No. 14 bus in Jerusalem on June 11, 2003, when the suicide bomber – stand-

8 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

ing a few feet from her – blew himself up. Sixteen people on the bus were killed and 100 others were injured. Singer broke her clavicle and she still has shrapnel lodged in her mouth.

“I feel very validated and acknowledged as a victim of terror,” Singer said. “The jury has given us a sense that there is someone responsible for what happened to us.”

A separate phase of the trial will determine how much the bank must pay the 297 terror victims and their families.

In a statement following the verdict, Arab Bank vowed to appeal and said the court proceedings amounted to a “show trial.”

Specifically, the bank said that due to foreign privacy laws, it could not turn over the documents requested by the plaintiffs’ lawyers in the lawsuit’s pretrial phase. As a result, sanctions were imposed and the bank was not allowed to refer to those documents, precluding much of their defense, according to the statement.

“Today’s decision, if it stands, exposes the banking industry to enormous liability for nothing other than the processing of routine transactions and the provision of conventional account services even if all governmental requirements are followed and the parties receiving services were in good standing with these governments,” the bank wrote in its statement.

This precedent, the bank wrote, would “create vast uncertainty and risk in the international finance system,” thus limiting access to financial services in parts of the world. Other terrorfinancing trials are pending.

The case is significant in that financial institutions can be held responsible for the actions of their clients.

IN MEMORY RUTH GREY (Mother of Bob Grey) Wendy and Ross Born Barry and Carol Halper JEFF KLEIN (Son of Mark and Patty Klein) Shirley and Bob Malenovsky ERIC BOE OUTWATER (Husband of Myra Outwater) Roberta and Jeff Epstein MIRIAM STEIN (Sister of Marvin Sandler) Adam and Penny Roth Barbara and Fred Sussman IN HONOR MARC AND ALIETTE ABO Birth of their granddaughter Vicki and Stan Wax JEANETTE AND EDUARDO EICHENWALD Birth of their granddaughter, Miriam Hazel Sam and Sylvia Bub and Family Roberta and Robert Kritzer Suzanne Lapiduss and Family Sheila and Peter Sokalsky EILEEN FISCHMANN In honor of receiving the Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award Sandra and Harold Goldfarb IRENE GOLDFARB Happy 100th Birthday Harold and Sandra Goldfarb LINDA AND STEVE HURWITZ Birth of their grandson Ross and Wendy Born BETH AND WESLEY KOZINN Birth of their grandson Sam and Sylvia Bub and Family Suzanne Lapiduss and Family NORMAN AND ROBERTA MARCUS Marriage of their son Carol and Stewart Furmansky BOB AND LOTA POST Grandson Zev’s Bar Mitzvah Roberta and Jeff Epstein JARROD AND NICOLE ROSENTHAL Mazel tov on their new home Vicki and Stan Wax PAUL AND ELLYN SACHER In honor of their marriage

Jason and Roz Birnbaum ISRAEL EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN IN MEMORY ERIC BOE OUTWATER (Husband of Myra Outwater) Virginia Gliedman Andrew, Stephanie, Caroline, and Lucy Goldfarb Read and Jemma Harvey HELEN & SOL KRAWITZ HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL FUND IN MEMORY MIRIAM STEIN (Sister of Marvin Sandler) Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg IN HONOR SONDRA KLINE Speedy Recovery Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg MURRAY AND MARLENE SALTZMAN Birth of great-granddaughter, Mia Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg FRED AND BARBARA SUSSMAN In honor of all their wonderful simchas Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg AGUDAS ACHIM CEMETERY FUND IN HONOR DONALD SENDEROWITZ Jewel Baringoldz Richard and Nancy Cooperman 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.

LV woman the subject of Holocaust documentary Fate linked Michele Willner Levy's parents together from the day they were born to Jewish families in Nuremberg, Germany.

Frieda Kort and Charles Willner shared a birthday: Dec. 18, 1907.

Soon they would share a life together.

She had dreams of becoming a singer. He was adept at art, design and sewing. But they were coming of age as a dark cloud began to spread across Europe. Charles saw the writing on the wall and fled to Paris in 1933, as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party rose to prominence.

Frieda soon followed, but her parents and brother stayed behind in Germany.

“I don’t think she ever saw her mother or brother again,” Levy said.

The Willners rejoiced in Michele's birth in 1938, just weeks after Kristallnacht. But soon there would be very little to celebrate.

As reported by HAKOL in July, Charles was separated from the family; Frieda and Michele

escaped Paris just as the city fell into the clutches of the Nazis. In the years that followed, there was sickness, hardship, hunger, fear, and then, finally, news of her family that would break Frieda’s heart.

“The whole family was dispersed,” recalled Levy. “Nothing was ever the same.”

Now Michele Willner Levy is the keeper of her family’s history. She has a treasure trove of artifacts from that time: pictures, passports and handwritten letters that mask an unspeakable horror, and tie her to a past she never knew. Initially among the Holocaust’s youngest survivors, Levy is now among its last; the number of those directly impacted by Hitler's atrocities decades ago dwindles every day. But, like all survivors, Levy is a voice for all those who were lost, and the Julian Farris Films teams says it’s honored to be entrusted with her unique and powerful story.

“The most important thing of the whole film is that this is the last generation,” said Jaccii Farris, president of Julian Farris Films. “These are the last generations to hear first-hand about the account of pain and

torture and devastation. There needs to be a record because pretty soon the living record will be gone.”

“Letters to Frieda” is currently being filmed with a premiere date set for Jan. 27, 2015, on WFMZ TV. The date

Election forum examines balance of power Are you excited about the current gubernatorial election and the struggle for control of the United States Senate? Do you want to know more about the impact of the Tea Party? Is this election a referendum on President Obama? If so, please plan to attend an election forum to be held on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Brith Sholom in Bethlehem.

Dr. Chris Borick, director of the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College and a political scientist and leading pollster, will share his insights on the heated gubernatorial race and the national political scene.

In addition, Dr. Gordon Goldberg, a professor

emeritus of history at Kutztown University and the author of a biography about Meyer London, the Russian Jewish socialist from New York’s Lower East Side, will discuss the “gerrymander” phenomenon and conduct a poll of the audience. Similar polls in previous years proved to be very accurate in predicting the results. So please join us and bring your friends.

The event is sponsored by Congregation Brith Sholom and the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley

was chosen because it is the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Completion of the film and its accompanying educational materials will require community support. Julian Farris Films has partnered with Haydenfilms Institute to raise the funds that are necessary to cover production costs. All contributions to the project are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law through Haydenfilms Institute. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Holocaust Resource Center of the Jewish Federation of the

Lehigh Valley.

A special preview of the film and an introduction to its potential use as a Holocaust education resource in Pennsylvania schools will be the subject of a gathering at the Jewish Community Center of Allentown on Sunday, Oct. 19, from 5 to 7p.m. All members of the community are invited to meet Levy and members of the Julian Farris Films team, and help in ensuring that such an important story is preserved for all generations to come.

Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Schlossberg and other local officials will be in attendance.

For more information call the Congregation Brith Sholom office at 610-866-8009.

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Temple Beth El member Michele Willner Levy is the primary subject of a new documentary by Lehigh Valley filmmakers Julian Farris Films.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 9

Simchat Torah: Great answers to life’s little problems

By Alice Level Special to Hakol Last year, my sister, who lives in France with her family, came to visit me. After a few days of reminiscence and intensive shopping sprees (it seems that, compared to France, going shopping in Pennsylvania is like going to paradise), we began to talk about our projects and dreams. As I was telling her how I am now in the process of interviewing people for a series of articles for HAKOL about recipes and the story behind them, she got really excited and asked if I could interview her too.

“If you were interviewed, I said, what recipe would you want to talk about?”

“I know exactly what recipe I want to talk about, she said. I would talk about the ‘hen with golden egg’ recipe,” she said.

It seemed surprising that she would want to talk about this particular recipe amongst all the recipes we learned from our mother and grandmother.

The recipe, which we prepare for Simchat Torah only, is in reality a chicken and chick pea soup with poached eggs. It is delicious, but it wouldn’t be the first recipe that would come to my mind if I had to tell a story about a family recipe.

“First of all,” my sister said, “I always loved the name. As a child, I used to really think that a special hen with golden eggs had been used to prepare the dish, and that made it special.

Later, of course, I knew it wasn’t the case, but I still kept a fondness for the recipe.

“But I also love the dish because it always reminds

10 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Onion and chick pea soup with poached eggs. “We eat this dish once a year, for Simchat Torah,” cookbook author Alice Level says of her family.

“It was once a traditional recipe of the Holiday of “Seyon,” only celebrated in Algeria by families once converted to Judaïsm. Nobody knows anymore when this holiday should have been celebrated, but since it was in the fall, my maternal grandmother started to make this dish for Simchat Torah. me of my grandmother [and when] she used to live in the apartment condo above ours.

She was the one who taught me the recipe, and because she knew of my special fondness for it, she sometimes prepared it especially for me, and invited me (and only me!) over to her apartment for the occasion,” my sister revealed. “We would eat it together and we had a great time together.

“It must have been at least 30 years ago,” she continued, “but I still remember how happy it both made us feel. We would talk about anything, we would laugh together and, later, we would both sit in her balcony, where we would secretly share an indecently sweet pastry. [Our grandmother suffered from diabetes and she knew that our Mom wouldn’t have let her have the pastry.] Even today, I always picture my grandmother smiling over some over-creamed pastry (her favorite) every time I prepare the ‘hen with golden eggs.’”

But there was more. My sister also loved the recipe because it revealed something about the family of Mami, which was what we called our grandmother in French. She said the recipe was actually not a Simchat Torah recipe at all but a tradition in Algeria (where our grandmother was born) for all Jews of converted descent to celebrate their conversion. Once a year, these families would prepare the ‘hen with golden egg’ recipe with some kind of pancakes. Family and friends would gather together, for a nice evening filled with food and songs.

Neither my grandmother nor her Dad knew who had converted in his family, but because they knew they had the tradition, they just knew someone had. Later, after her parents passed away, and she had to leave Algeria for France, the tradition was lost and only years later did Mami remember it.

“Mami told me,” my sister said, “that one day Mom was complaining about having no clues about what to prepare for Simchat Torah and asked her for ideas. So my grandmother said: What about preparing ‘the hen with golden eggs?’ So she taught Mom to make it. The

recipe was such a success that we decided to make it a Simchat Torah tradition, and that’s what it has been ever since!”

“You’re right,” I said, ready to write all about it.

“But wait!” my sister said.

“I’m not done! What really makes the recipe special for me is something very personal that I never told anyone.” It’s true that each time I’m preparing the recipe, all these stories from the past I told you about come back to me.

“Each time I look at this delicious soup with chick peas and poached eggs,” she said, “I can’t help but thinking that life is like the soup: It is filled with small problems like chick peas, but from time to time you have the chance to find a golden egg that makes it worthwhile.”

HEN WITH GOLDEN EGGS (Onion and chick pea soup with poached eggs) Serves 6

1 whole chicken 5 large onions chopped (fresh or frozen) 12 oz. dried chick peas, soaked 24 hours in cold water and 1 t. baking soda.

6 eggs (at least) 4 T. oil 1 t. paprika Salt, to taste In a big pot, sauté oil and paprika with chicken on medium heat until chicken is golden on all sides. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Add chopped onions to the pot. Sauté with oil and paprika on medium low heat for at least 5 minutes.

Add chicken, chick peas and 6 c. water to cover chicken. Cook, uncovered, for 50 minutes to 1 hour on medium low heat, then another 10 minutes on low heat.

Gently remove chicken to a platter, covering it immediately with aluminum foil. Add salt to the soup.

Just before serving, increase heat until soup comes to a boil.

Crack eggs one by one over soup, placing hands as close to the soup as possible. As soon as eggs turn white, ladle soup in soup bowls.

The chicken can be served with or after the soup.

WRITINGS FROM THE

CLERGY

RABBI SETH PHILLIPS Congregation Keneseth Israel When told by the editor of HAKOL in August that I had fulfilled my writing assignments for the year, I breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, the joke was on me, because 5775, the New Year, was just around the corner. To make the publication deadline (hmm, a fitting term for an article read around the time when the Books of Life and Death will be opened), I had to leave “summertime and the living is easy” for “Machzortime and the words are many.”

Why is it that Jewish holidays start with complaints? Too early, too late, too warm (at least for the minks of the “fapitzed” days of yore), toooo long, the headaches. The kvetching comes, I think, from a spirit of anxiety that has nothing to do with our relative unfamiliarity with words

On your mark, get set... or music. The holidays come with a thumbs up or down that seems more consequential than report cards or annual performance reviews. After all, we can sue for better grades, fight a traffic ticket, or seek a second opinion for a diagnosis. In a culture in which, borrowing from Garrison Keillor, all the women are strong, all the men good looking and all the children are above average, “who shall live and who shall die” gets our attention. Hence, the anxiety is masked by jokes or defensiveness.

For all of our finger crossing, ptoo-ptoo-ptooing, “kenahoras” and “master of my fate and captain of my soul” bravado, we can only settle into the Days of Awe when we accept our own powerlessness.

No helicopter parents can ultimately bubble wrap our future and no hedge fund “Master of the Universe” can pay for it. No one can speak to individual outcomes in the New Year. The Unetaneh Tokef

Transformation, as anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, is not a matter for the few hours that we spend on the holidays. The formal services and the fixed prayers are but the starting line for the New Year.

And so, the LIFE sentence that Rosh HaShanah ushers in is mostly served at home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up. The atonement that we need on Yom Kippur comes when we acknowledge a desire to be in a relationship with the Life Force and each other. The bounty of life that we seek happens when pride in our McMansions is transformed into a grateful dependence on the shelter of the Sukkah. Finally, when Simchat Torah rolls around and we press rewind, we come face to face with the stories of our earliest, articulate ancestors and can discover ourselves.

Wherever we line up as individuals at the start of 5775, remember the admonition of

Transformation, as anyone who has tried to lose weight knows is not a matter for the few hours that we spend on the holidays. prayer says “Who will live and Who will die,” but not you. What is certain is also from the same prayer: As the beautiful new Conservative machzor puts it “But T’shuvah, T’fillah and Tz’dakah [return to the right path, prayer and righteous giving] have the power to transform the harshness of our destiny.” (Lev Shalem, p.144)

Ecclesiastes, “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, … but time and chance happen to them all.” (Ecc. 9:11) Despite complaints about the course or the rules, your preparations do matter and it is nice to have someone there as you run for your life.

The finish line awaits! G’mar Chatimah Tovah.

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How Jewish reporters in Muslim lands hide their identity

University of Central Florida student Melissa Catalanotto, president of the UCF Society of Professional Journalists, left, attends a candle light vigil held for journalist Stephen Sotloff on Sept. 3 at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency Don’t bring it up. If it comes up, change the subject. If you can’t change the subject, consider an outright denial.

Those are some of the strategies used by Jewish reporters working in the Arab and Muslim Middle East to conceal their religious heritage.

The dangers facing Jewish journalists in the region became evident this week after the beheading of a dual AmericanIsraeli citizen, Steven Sotloff, by

the jihadist group Islamic State, or ISIS. It’s not known whether ISIS was aware that Sotloff was Jewish. Colleagues believe his kidnapping by ISIS-affiliated terrorists in 2013 in Syria was one of opportunity and not a deliberate targeting. James Foley, another journalist kidnapped by ISIS and beheaded by the terror group, was Catholic.

However, Sotloff’s family in South Florida, his friends and colleagues — indeed much of the journalistic community — went to lengths to conceal his family’s

12 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

deep involvement in the Jewish community and his Israeli citizenship in order not to draw his captors’ attention to a factor that may have exacerbated his ordeal.

JTA did not report on his captivity for the same reason.

The captors of Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal correspondent kidnapped and beheaded by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002, made a point of his Jewishness.

In the video showing his execution, they included Pearl saying “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish. I am a Jew” among his final words.

“We send our deepest condolences to the family of Steven Sotloff,” Pearl’s parents, Judea and Ruth, said in a statement emailed to JTA. “We know too well the pain of such horrific loss.

Once again the world has seen the horror of terrorism in action.

We continue to find strength in the belief that united, civilization will triumph and humanity will prevail.”

As ethnic and sectarian origins loom large in every encounter, keeping Sotloff’s Jewish identity under wraps made sense, said Janine Zacharia, who has reported in the region for the Washington Post.

“For me, the first question whenever I met anyone in the Arab world was ‘where are you from,’ and they weren’t asking whether it was the United States or Canada — it was ‘are you a Muslim or a Jew?’ ” said Zacharia, who was based in Jerusalem for the Post from 2009 until 2011 and who now lectures at Stanford

University.

“I would say, ‘I’m from New York or D.C.,’ and if they persisted, I would say ‘My grandfather is from Greece,’ which is true. I didn’t want to say what my religion was,” she said.

Another Jerusalem-based correspondent who asked not to be named because she is still reporting throughout the region said she drew on the experiences of extended family who are Christian to pretend she was as well.

“You hear it in conversation.

‘You’re not a Jew, are you?’ ” said this correspondent, who knew Sotloff. She said it was especially pronounced in Libya during the overthrow of Muammar Gadhafi there in 2011.

“There was so much indoctrination against Jews, but they didn’t know Jews.”

Suspicion of Jews is not straightforward, correspondents said. Often it is wrapped into other issues — for instance, being based in Jerusalem, which hundreds of foreign journalists are.

Many governments in the region tend to ban entry to correspondents, regardless of religious heritage, who are based in Israel.

When they are allowed in, Jerusalem correspondents traveling to Arab countries go to lengths to cover up any Israel ties: ripping tags out of clothes, leaving Israeli cash with trusted friends in transit cities, shutting down social media accounts.

It’s not just an Israel address that can raise mistrust. First impressions in the region often take into account one’s background

and presumed loyalties.

Aaron Schachter, who was based in Lebanon and Jerusalem for the BBC in the last decade, said that in Lebanon, asking one’s background was a natural opening conversational gambit. But when the answer was “Jewish,” he said, there was a patina of suspicion that he called “creepy.”

“In Lebanon it was slightly threatening because everyone pays attention to what you are — Sunni, Shia — and it’s not unusual for someone to call attention to it, but at a point it’s vaguely threatening” for Jews, said Schachter, now an assignment editor for The World, a Public Radio International program.

“I know what you are,” he recalled an interlocutor affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanonbased group that repeatedly waged war with Israel, as saying.

The man drew the conclusion, correctly, that Schachter was Jewish from his first name.

“I know they’re going to try to figure out who you are, whether a Maronite Christian or Orthodox Christian,” Schachter said. “But when you have someone say ‘I know what you are,’ what is the purpose of that in the course of the conversation we’re having?”

One thing journalists quickly learn is that the Jewish “tells” in the West don’t mean much in the Middle East. Jewish names obvious in the West are not at all so in the region, and stereotypical “Jewish looks” among westerners are indistinguishable from the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern features that are common throughout the Middle East.

“My name might have been Miriam Leah Goldbergstein, and I wouldn’t have worried,” said Lisa Goldman, who reported for various outlets in Lebanon and then in Cairo during the Arab Spring in 2011.

Jamie Tarabay, a senior staff writer for Al Jazeera who is not Jewish, said the anti-Jewish hostility alarmed her during her reporting in Baghdad for a number of major U.S. outlets.

“All I know is that people who might have been Jewish in Baghdad, you kept it quiet, you did not talk about it,” she said.

In Israel, Goldberg fellow gets research off ground

By Rivka Cohen Special to HAKOL Editor’s Note: Each year, the Goldberg Family offers a fellowship in memory of Melvin M. Goldberg to enable engineering students to do technical research in Israel. The fund is administered by the Lehigh Valley Jewish Foundation, the community's endowment fund of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. This year’s recipient was Rivka Cohen. Here she reports on her stay and her research in Israel.

Living in Israel this summer was an incomparable experience. Haifa is a particularly beautiful city with an incredibly diverse community. I met many fascinating people, both through my research as well as in other settings. I hope to have the opportunity to spend more time there in the future.

This summer was unfortunately a tense time for the nation; I witnessed the extraordinary unity the nation displayed during times of difficulty. Suddenly all of the cultural and religious differences, which yesterday were so important, no longer mattered and everyone was taking care of each other and helping one another. This was a beautiful phenomenon to witness, unfortunately brought about through tragedy and hardships.

The Technion community itself has such a warm, friendly and accepting atmosphere. My professor placed a great emphasis on self-learning; autonomy was given to every student in their own project, encouraging learning through your own experiments and mistakes. I learned more from this experience than I could have expected to learn staying at home. I would like to thank the Goldberg family and Lehigh Valley community once again for sponsoring this research.

For more information on applying for the fellowship, contact Professor Ken Goldberg at goldberg@berkeley.edu.

Joan Rivers, TV and comedy trailblazer, dies at 81 Jewish Telegraphic Agency Joan Rivers, who broke barriers for women in comedy and on television, has died.

Rivers, 81, died Sept. 4, a week after being rushed to Manhattan’s Mount Sinai Hospital after her heart stopped during throat surgery at a clinic.

Doctors at the hospital put her in an induced coma from which she never awoke.

“My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh,” her daughter, Melissa, said in a statement on the Joan Rivers website. “Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon.”

Rivers, who launched her career in the 1950s, was among a handful of female standup comics – Phyllis Diller was another — whose raunchy and blisteringly honest takes on married life broke barriers in the 1960s.

Her gossipy trademark line “Can we talk?” was an invitation to truth telling about the high and mighty, but also no-holds-barred self-deprecation.

Her scathing remarks on celebrity anticipated the coruscating Internet culture of decades later – one that she embraced.

“I love the Internet,” she told the Boston Globe last year.

She was one of Johnny Carson’s

favored guest hosts on “The Tonight Show” until she launched a failed attempt to compete with him in the 1980s.

The notion that a woman could carry 90 minutes by herself paved the way for others in the television business. Rivers was a pioneer in reality programming, first in red carpet fashion commentary at Hollywood events (joined by her daughter) and then in a reality series about her loving but fraught relationship with her daughter.

She hosted the show “Fashion Police” on the E! network.

In recent months, Rivers drew attention for her robust defenses of Israel during the summer’s Gaza War and her takedowns of celebrities who criticized Israel.

This summer I had the unique opportunity to spend three months working in the Cooperative Autonomous Systems (CASY) laboratory at the Technion under Professor Tal Shima. The CASY laboratory works with a system comprised of remote control vehicles with infrared lights attached to them, infrared cameras, OptiTrack software and C++ and LabVIEW codes. Using this system, several scenarios have been created in which the vehicles operate autonomously to complete various tasks.

My research consisted of two major parts. The first project was to implement and stabilize a new quadrocopter with a new, more sophisticated, controller into the already-existing system. We stabilized the new controller by optimizing the gains both in the controller and in the quadrocopter. We tested various gains by restraining the quadrocopter in all but direction and stabilized it in each degree of freedom separately.

My second project was to create and implement a new algorithm in which a car follows a flying object and a constant line of sight; the flying object will always be in view of a camera mounted rigidly to the top of the car. I came up with and coded an algorithm to solve the problem presented. The code was tested with a camera mounted to the top of the car and proved to successfully solve the problem efficiently.

These results can be very useful in moving all of the previous work done in the CASY laboratory to other environments. Currently, everything relies on the infrared cameras; this project is the first step in creating a scenario in which the vehicle works without receiving outside information.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 13

14 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Unmasking the

WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT & SANCTIONS MOVEMENT

Conflict awakens anti-Semitism

By JFLV Staff

they were Jewish?” “The grocery store chain didn’t want to be attacked.”

Almost.

The takeaway from the Gaza war is that there are elements, currently disparate, some organized yet not achieving their objectives, that warrant attention for two main reasons. First, this stew includes both anti-Israel sentiment and anti-Semitism and the two are running together. It is one thing to disagree with Israel’s policies; it is quite another to physically attack a Jewish institution where people are peacefully attending services. Or to attack someone because he is wearing a yarmulke. For simply being Jewish.

The second reason has to do with the place where the BDS movement is finding a receptive audience: college campuses.

Walking around on college campuses today are the people who tomorrow will fill the halls of Congress and sit in the Oval Office. The ideas and goals that they

CNAAN LIPHSHIZ

The cease fire is holding. The rockets are grounded, the sirens quiet. It’s over.

Except it’s not.

The 50-day war in Gaza revealed something that has been building for much longer than 50 days, longer than 500 days. It didn’t start with the rockets and it didn’t end with the ceasefire.

Anti-Israel sentiment came to the fore during the Gaza war, often under the guise of pro-Palestinian sentiment. Sometimes it wears the seemingly-respectable guise of boycott-divest-sanction (BDS) activities that were so effective with South Africa in the past. In 2005, a pro-Palestinian group started a movement called Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) that uses social media and other means to urge more people to join the movement.

Although the majority of Israel’s exports are business-to-business sales of components that end up in consumer products so any

financial impact is minimal, the BDS movement is finding supporters from diverse places and backgrounds, from anti-Semites to church groups who say they are concerned with social justice.

Occasionally the anti-Israel sentiment rises to the surface via the electoral process, as in the case of right wing, anti-Semitic parties that have gained formal political power in Hungary, Greece and Romania. But some may ask what difference these countries’ policies, when they have so few Jewish citizens, make in the context of the whole world. Or how a boycott that doesn’t affect the GDP of Israel matters.

Even the refusal of a grocery store chain in England to stock products made in the West Bank, or any kosher products, or the refusal to serve obviously Jewish customers in a shop in Belgium; the beating of a rabbi in Florida or a Jewish couple in New York could almost be “written off”: “It happens.” “Was it really because

In the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, pro-Palestinian rioters broke shop windows and set fires, July 20, 2014. find on their college campuses will inform their beliefs, actions and future agendas.

Anti-Israel sentiment matters because sometimes it masks anti-Semitism. Fortunately and unlike in 1939 Europe, there are organizations in place to combat

anti-Semitism. There are places where ordinary people can go to get help in dealing with antiSemitism. There are government powers that, like the Jewish community at large, find anti-Semitism unacceptable and are willing to take a stand.

WHAT IS BDS... AND WHAT IS NOT The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign grew out of the NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) Forum held in parallel to the UN World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in August and September 2001. It was a scene of repeated expressions of naked anti-Semitism. The Forum’s final declaration described Israel as a “racist, apartheid state” that was guilty of “racist crimes including war crimes, acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing.”

For the short term, BDS pursues three objectives: the end of what it terms Israeli occupation of Arab lands from the 1967 war and colonization of Palestinian land, equality for ArabPalestinian citizens of Israel, and the promotion of a right of return for Palestinian refugees who left at the time of Israel’s war for independence.

BDS supporters speak of their ultimate goal with language such as “bringing down” or “decolonizing” the state of Israel and bringing about a one-state solution that fulfills their view that Israel has no right to exist.

Well-known critics of Israeli policy and peace activists oppose BDS campaigns as counterproductive.

As stated on the website stopbds. com, “it is important to be able to distinguish between people who are expressing legitimate concerns about those policies and those whose views cross the line to delegitimization or anti-Semitism.” To that end, Natan Sharansky, head of the Jewish Agency for Israel, has suggested a “3-D” test for differentiating legitimate criticism of Israel from anti-Semitism.

Having applied the 3-D test, StopBDS says the BDS movement advocates the demonization of Israel and her actions and that supporters of BDS are waging a political, economic, cultural and ideological campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel. The website explains that BDS proponents make a false analogy between democratic Israel and Apartheid South Africa so as to isolate and stigmatize Israel.

“Advocates of BDS deny Israel the basic human right of self-defense and blame Israel alone for conflict in the region,” says StopBDS. “[Its] supporters demand self-determination for the Palestinians, but do not acknowledge the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their homeland, Israel.”

THE 3-D TEST 1.

The first “D” is the test of whether Israel or its leaders are being DEMONIZED or their actions blown out of proportion. Equating Israel with Nazi Germany is one example of demonization.

2.

The second “D” is the test of DOUBLE STANDARDS. An example is when Israel is singled out for condemnation at the United Nations for perceived human rights abuses while nations that violate human rights on a massive scale, such as Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia, are not even mentioned.

3.

The third “D” is the test of DELEGITIMIZATION. Questioning Israel’s legitimacy, that is, its right to exist is always anti-Semitic. By Sharansky’s litmus test and and many other measures, BDS is not a legitimate, peaceful or constructive way to bring about change, particularly improvements in the economy, condition or lives of Palestinians.

SOURCE: www.stopbds.com/?s=3-D+Test

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 15

on the front lines After Gaza conflict, preparing for a potentially stormier year for Israel on campus

By Alina Dain Sharon JNS.org This summer’s 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, which has come to a close if a ceasefire reached in August holds, has spurred a sharp rise in both antiIsrael and anti-Semitic incidents around the world. At the same time, the boundary between anti-Zionism and antiSemitism has become increasingly blurred, particularly on American college campuses.

Trouble for Jewish students got underway even before the start of classes. At an orientation event in late August, a pro-Israel student at Temple University in Philadelphia was punched in the face by a member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and called a “baby killer,” “Zionist pig,” and “kike.”

Given this climate, pro-Israel organizations are taking special precautions for the upcoming academic year.

“We are expecting that things can get very ugly this year on many college campuses, including some that were quiet in the past,” Kenneth L. Marcus, president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and former staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, told JNS.org.

Phil Nordlinger, director of the Hillel International branch at Temple University, said the branch has “offered members of the community a safe place to discuss

their Judaism, feelings toward Israel, reactions to the [SJP] incident, or concerns about safety on campus with Hillel professionals and counselors from the university’s counseling center.”

In order to educate both students and staffers about the difference between legitimate criticism of Israel and hate speech, the Brandeis Center has introduced a resource guide called the “Fact Sheet on the Elements of Anti-Semitic Discourse,” which is being distributed to campus officials across the U.S. “We want university administrators to understand that much of the anti-Israel protest activity that we see on college campuses is really not just about politics. In fact, it has roots in ancient and medieval Jew-hatred,” said Marcus.

To that end, the guide builds on the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism, which confirms that “when criticism of Israel involves demonization, double standards, or delegitimization, there’s often something more involved than just politics,” Marcus explained.

The Hillel International umbrella, meanwhile, is working to strengthen its continued mission to help stu-dents develop their Jewish identity and their connection to Israel.

Amid the increased harassment and intimidation of Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus, Hillel is “playing a very active role” in addressing the situation, said Hil-

Members of UCLA's student government listen to supporters and opponents of a divestment resolution targeting Israel in a session that stretched into the early morning hours of Feb. 26, 2014.

lel spokesperson Arielle Poleg. Every campus is different, with some facing more anti-Israel activity than others, but Hillel is generally working to create a secure environment on each campus in the aftermath of the Gaza conflict.

Student government divestment decisions over the years Since the early 2000s, students from universities across the country have brought resolutions related to divestment to their student governments. These organizations are advisory to the university, but in most cases the only outcome is an uncomfortable and sometimes difficult environment for Jewish students.

Graphic reporting by Janey Nguyen, Bruin contributer. Graphic by Stephen Stewart, Bruin senior staff. Reprinted with permission of the UCLA Daily Bruins student newspaper.

16 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

LV students share experiences According to the Jewish Virtual Library, the campus divestment campaign was initiated in 2001 by Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of California, Berkeley, in conjunction with the San Francisco chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. A year later, following the Palestine Solidarity Movement’s first conference, the delegitimization movement began to spread to other universities, including the University of Michigan, Yale, Princeton, Harvard and MIT. The delegitimization movement on campus has to date had no impact on Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. Below, two students from the Lehigh Valley share what has been happening on their campuses.

Workshops at Vassar College

Mock warnings at Tufts University

Rachel Level, a student at Vassar College, describes organizations on her campus that claim to be anti-Israel and what they are doing to advocate their position. Primarily, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which is considered a regular club on campus, has organized speakers, protests and demonstrations against what they call Israel’s “apartheid” in Gaza.

“When Pro-Israel students attempted to ask questions or simply share their opinions at the SJP events, they were booed or jeered at until their words were drowned out,” Level said.

“It got to a point that Vassar had to organize workshops so that students could learn how to talk to each other.”

Zach Zager, a sophomore at Tufts University, described an annual Israel Apartheid Week that takes place at Tufts in March.

During this week, flyers are slipped under dormitory doors as if it were a warning from the IDF asking all to evacuate the building before it will supposedly be destroyed. Then the students in support of this program dress up as IDF soldiers and stand on the “Hill” in an effort to show a sense of superiority to other students on campus, he said.

“I think that the SJP and BDS movements are really bad news, but they should also be a wakeup call. This is a sign that maybe we haven’t been doing the best job at informing people about the overall conflict and we should all be looking more toward peace than immediate security.”

Muhlenberg brings Israeli emissary In the wake of the conflict in Israel, Muhlenberg College this September brought Yael Gertel to campus to serve as an emissary, made possible by the Jewish Federations of North America’s Stop the Sirens/Israel Emergency Campaign.. Gertel, who is from Israel, served as the former Jewish Agency fellow to the University of Maryland Hillel, so she was familiar with American Jewish campus life when recruited for this short-term assignment.

When asked about ways to approach situations such as those aforementioned on college campuses, Gertel said, “If BDS is happening on your campus you should do everything to inform the student government, the administration and bystanders. Explain why BDS isn’t the right tool.”

IJCU course focuses on Israel Institute for Jewish Christian Understanding Israel is a land and a country that holds enormous significance for both Jews and Christians.

This fall, the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College will host a minicourse entitled “Israel Between Jews and Christians.” This course is the result of a partnership between IJCU and the Shalom Hartman Institute.

While both communities look back to biblical Israel as a key reference point for their understanding of Israel and their relationship to it, they often draw vastly different conclusions from that connection.

Moreover, many Jews and even more Christians relate to Israel without a clear and broad understanding of the modern state.

Its peoples, its cultures, its values and its daily functioning are often obscured behind the picture of Israel that serves to make a political or religious point. Within each of the Christian and Jewish communities there can be deep divisions about Israel, and efforts to talk about Israel between Jews and Christians often lead to frustration and a stalemate.

This course will lead participants into study and dialogue about Israel through the lens of three tensions that characterize

its existence. How are secular and religious identities and communities related and expressed? What does it mean for a modern democratic state to also identify as the Jewish state? Is Israel a nation like all other nations or is it called to be a distinctive light to the nations? Through study of both Jewish and Christian text sources, contemporary analyses, video resources, and guided dialogue, these tensions will be explored and the values that Jews and Christians bring to their consideration will be shared.

The course will be led by two experienced educators who each have extensive experience in Israel and with Israel issues. Rabbi Moshe Re’em lived and taught in Israel for a decade and has led Temple Beth El in Allentown since 2002.

He recently taught the Shalom Hartman Institute course iEngage there. Dr. Peter Pettit studied at the Hebrew University and for 30 years has been a leader in the international theology program of the Shalom Hartman Institute. He currently codirects their New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel program for American Christians and has been director of the IJCU since 1999.

What does it mean for a modern democratic state to also identify as the Jewish state?

The class meets on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. starting Oct. 21 and running through Nov. 11.

For more information and registration, visit www.ijcu.org.

The Jewish Federations are committed to ensuring that, as a community, we are counteracting anti-semitism and supporting vibrant Jewish life on campus.

The Israel Action Network, a strategic initiative of The Jewish Federations of North America, in partnership with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, created to counter assaults made on Israel’s legitimacy, continues to actively counter boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) discussions and activities, including within academic and professional associations.

In addition, the Jewish Federations partnered with Hillel International to convene a meeting with Jewish leaders from across North America representing more than a dozen campus-based organizations. Together we are working to enhance social networks and advance a series of initiatives to bolster pro-Israel resources to support students.

Locally, the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley continues to advocate and educate, hosting seminars on fighting BDS and combatting anti-Semitism, acting as a resource to local campuses and promoting Israel through the media.

Resources for speaking up for Israel and for Jews

Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) www.Israelcc.org; (202) 735-2573 ICC supports and empowers campus leaders, facilitates strategic collaboration among national pro-Israel groups, incubates innovative initiatives and conducts cutting edge research to inform campus partners and the national pro-Israel community.

StandWithUs www.standwithus.com; (215) 545-0800 StandWithUs is dedicated to informing the public about Israel and to combating the extremism and anti-Semitism that often distorts the issues. Through print materials, speakers, programs, conferences, missions to Israel, campaigns, social media and internet resources, we ensure that the story of Israel’s achievements and ongoing challenges is told on campuses and in communities around the world.

The David Project www.davidproject.org; (617) 428-0012 The David Project positively shapes campus opinion on Israel by educating, training, and empowering student leaders to be thoughtful, strategic and persuasive advocates.

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) www.adl.org; (212) 885-7700 ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all.

BDS Cookbook www.stopbds.com; (301) 565-3918 Gives people the tools to understand and respond to the coordinated attack on truth, democracy and fairness that is being waged by the global BDS movement.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 17

JNS.org Operation Protective Edge has led to a significant spike in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide, according to an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report published on Sept. 11.

Britain experienced a 400 percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents during July, with 302 incidents reported, compared to 59 incidents in the corresponding period last year. In nearly half the incidents, there was a direct link between the anti-Semitic act and events in the Gaza Strip.

Among the incidents cited in the report: In the Netherlands, popular rapper Rachid El Ghazoui shouted anti-Semitic profanity; in Belgium crowds chanted “Slaughter the Jews!”; and in Madrid, thousands marched with banners read-

Here are just a sampling of anti-Semitic events that have occurred across the world since the start of Operation Protective Edge on July 8.

ing “Israel enough, you are not the chosen people.”

The ADL report found that the majority of anti-Semitic incidents occurred in South America, especially in Venezuela, where Israeli flags were placed next to swastikas. About 25 percent of the anti-Semitic acts reported took place on social media platforms.

“As Israel defends its citizens from Hamas’ rockets, Jews around the world have also come under attack,” the report said.

“Jews have been beaten on the street.

Synagogues have been fire-bombed.

‘Jews to the gas’ has been chanted at anti-Israel demonstrations. Newspapers in the Arab world and in Latin America have published pieces making blatant comparisons between Israel and the Nazis’ perpetration of the Holocaust.”

JULY 25 A rabbi in Germany receives a phone call from a man who threatens to kill 30 Jews in the city if his family in Gaza is harmed.

JULY 15 Anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas, is painted on the front of the Israelite Cultural Center building in Argentina

MILOS BICANSKI /GETTY IMAGES

Report: Operation Protective Edge led to spike in anti-Semitic attacks

Supporters of the Greek ultra-nationalist party Golden Dawn attend a pre-election rally on May 23, 2014 in Athens, Greece.

JULY 27 Chants of “Gas the Jews” and “Death to Jews” can be heard as pro-Palestinian demonstrators attack businesses in the “Little Jerusalem” district of Paris.

JULY 26 A man in Toulouse, France, throws three firebombs at a Jewish community center after a proPalestinian protest

JULY 30 A sign reading “child murderers” is taped the door of a synagogue in the U.K.

AUGUST 2 A Holocaust monument is spray painted with the slogan “Free Gaza” in the Netherlands

AUGUST 6 Sydney - Six underage males board a bus transporting a group of Jewish students aged five to 12 years old, shouting “Heil Hitler” and “Kill the Jews” while threatening the young students with violence in Sydney, Australia

Anti-Semitism simmers in U.K.-Scotland

Glasgow, Scotland, raises a Palestinian flag in a show of solidarity.

Expressions both of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiments are on the rise here and across Europe.

By Rabbi Kate Briggs Special to HAKOL GLASGOW, Scotland – We have been experiencing very unsettling times across Europe since Israel’s Operation Protective Edge. The media coverage in the United Kingdom has been most troubling with many feeling that the BBC and the national press have been biased against Israel. On my recent visit to the U.S., it was so refreshing to hear the news with a more equal coverage of the situation.

Whilst the blame game continued in the U.K. press and the focus of attention of the media rested on the number of deaths of Palestinian children, the number of anti-Semitic incidents hit its highest levels.

The Jewish Community Security Trust (CST) reported that a third of July's incidents involved "language or imagery relating to the Holocaust," also noting that they had recorded about 150 anti-Semitic incidents in August, making it the third-highest monthly total on record -- with more reports still expected. Many of these incidents were abusive letters sent to synagogues, graffiti and damage to cemeteries and other property.

As the new rabbi to Glasgow Reform Synagogue [note that the U.K. Reform is similar to the U.S. Conservative movement], I spent my first week post-ordination liaising with police to have more patrol cars around during services; dealing with the aftermath of receiving a threatening phone message left on the synagogue answering machine claiming to be from the extremist Greek Neo-Nazi party ‘Golden Dawn’ ; and obtaining police intervention when a 18 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

AUGUST 21 A Jewish school has its windows broken and spray painted with slogans reading “no peace in Gaza” and “no peace to you Zionist pigs” in Copenhagen, Denmark.

package was left at the synagogue containing pro-Palestinian books and leaflets.

As if that weren’t enough, my next challenge was being informed that Glasgow City Council had decided to fly the Palestinian flag on Friday, Aug. 8 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was a shocking and terrifying turn of events.

In response, the rabbis and Jewish agencies in Glasgow decided to issue a joint cross-communal statement to the media. Paul Morron, president of the Jewish Representative Council in Scotland said: “Flying the [Palestinian] flag is the worst kind of gesture politics. It does nothing to alleviate the suffering on either side of the conflict, nor does it bring peace closer by one single minute.”

Marron added: “Glasgow has just celebrated the most wonderful and inclusive Commonwealth Games, the essence of which was bringing people together and overcoming division. The City Council as the host of the Games should be emulating their spirit, and bringing people together, not causing offense and division within their community.

“The Jewish Community also deplores the Scottish government’s call for an arms embargo on Israel. This gesture is a complete hypocrisy. The Scottish government has repeatedly acknowledged the right of Israel to self-defense, but now want[s] to deny them the means to do so.”

In my congregation, there are several Holocaust survivors and adult children of Holocaust survivors. These events caused them acute distress, made worse by reading in the local press about a Jewish person who was turned away from a store – simply for being Jewish.

In my first-ever sermon on Israel, I said, “I myself have lived in Israel, as many of you have. I have lived through times of suicide bombings, as many of you have, but this is the first time I find myself living in the U.K. with such a virulent anti-Semitic backlash on my doorstep. Yes, there have been the anti-Semitic incidents when things have flared up in the Middle East, but [not] on this scale ... This is a first for me.”

My French rabbinic colleagues and their communities are suffering more than we are in the U.K. An estimate from the Jewish Agency for Israel was that 1 percent of French Jews will make aliyah in 2014. Anti-Semitism in Europe is not a thing of the past; rather, it has been bubbling under the surface and now broken through in the most virulent attacks that our communities have seen in some time.

Rabbi Kate Briggs is the former chaplain of St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem.

SEPTEMBER 16 A suspected arson attack takes place at a Brussels synagogue

AUGUST 22 An Imam in Spain delivers an anti-Semitic sermon where he classifies the Jewish people as being traitors, assassins and aggressive, and prays for God to “Destroy the looting Jews… until none of them are left.”

Germany’s Angela Merkel calls on public to fight anti-Semitism Jewish Telegraphic Agency Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany called for civic action to fight anti-Semitism following a wave of incidents this summer in her country.

Merkel, speaking Sept. 6 on her weekly podcast on the Internet, urged the public to attend a national rally, held Sept. 14 at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate under the banner of “Stand up! Say no to antiSemitism.” Merkel spoke at the rally, saying that it is the German state’s duty to fight anti-Semitism.

“I will personally do everything I can, as will my entire government, to ensure that antiSemitism doesn’t have a chance in our country,” Merkel said.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany, which organized the rally, said that German Federal President Joachim Gauck would be an honored guest.

Several anti-Semitic incidents, including verbal and physical attacks, were reported this summer in Germany. Most occurred during anti-Israel protests connected with the renewed conflict with Gaza.

In the podcast, Merkel focused on the myriad attacks and said she was extremely concerned that virtually all Jewish institutions in Germany require police protection. Some 240,000 people of Jewish background are living in Germany today, including about 105,000 members of official Jewish communities. In 1933, before the Nazis came to power, there were more than 500,000 Jews in Germany.

Saying she is proud that Germany has a thriving Jewish population 69 years after the end of World War II, Merkel urged rally participants to demonstrate that “everyone who lives here is safe.”

“We also have to pay attention and not ignore signs of anti-Semitism,” Merkel said. “We have to act decisively against it.”

She said because of Germany’s responsibility for crimes against humanity during World War II, the country has a special duty to stand up against hate and for democracy.

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JEWISH DESTINATIONS

PHOTOS BY KERRY GUNTER

Teen experience in Poland commemorates deaths, honors lives

Teen correspondent Josh Goldin traveled with NCSY to this Polish cemetery that highlighted both pre-World War II Jewish culture and alongside the carefully carved headstones, the horrors of the Holocaust.

By Josh Goldin Teen Correspondent Butterflies float toward exquisite flowers. The sun’s warm rays beam down on the 40 American teens standing in a Polish forest. Beneath the towering trees, a sense of calm embraces us. Yet we stand in a cemetery, one that contains a microcosm both of what happened in Poland during the Holocaust and what came before it in the form of Jewish life in pre-World War II Poland.

We had traveled 4,000 miles from Kennedy Airport to the Okopowa

Street Jewish Cemetery in Warsaw, Poland, for an NCSY-sponsored tour of the concentration camps.

Yet this cemetery is now a popular visitor site because the history of the cemetery tells a rich story. Headstones provide clues about Jewish life from the 1800s until the Holocaust. Eighty-three acres of Jewish burial grounds hold 200,000 marked graves that, along with the mass graves of Warsaw ghetto victims that lie incongruously beside them, paint pictures of individuals and their communities.

Sketches on the headstones tell the stories: An etched tree broken in half means the person died at an early age. An anchor carved into the headstone means that the person made a living from the sea. The carefullyworked engravings on thousands of headstones tell each individual’s story in the universal language of pictures. This sets a striking contrast with the anonymous burials in the neighboring mass graves, making the scope and losses of the Holocaust feel even more staggering.

This cemetery also teaches lessons in Jewish burial tradition. Historically, the custom in Jewish cemeteries is that the deceased is laid to rest with the feet in the direction of the exit with the intention that when G-d brings His people back from the dead, all could rise from their graves and walk straight toward the exit.

However, legend has it that when this cemetery was opened in 1806, the first burial was mistakenly placed backwards, with the feet pointing

away from the gate. The rabbi decided that, since this was a community united in life as in death, all future burials would point in the same direction as that of the first. The people simply could not permit others to walk toward the resurrection gate and leave this lone person behind.

Two hundred years later, hearing this story, we were stirred to an emotional connection with this community.

Within 30 minutes after our arrival at the cemetery rain pelts from the sky. Those raindrops that at first dampen and then bead on the headstones before us appear then to turn to flowing tears, as if these headstones have begun to cry, not for themselves but for the dead lying near them in those unmarked mass graves. The rain that polishes the individual monuments and makes their stories glisten alters the mass gravesite, too, making it appear as a sea that swallows, heedless of the death throes.

By the end of that week in Poland, I realized we must focus on the lives of the three million Polish Jews who perished in the Holocaust, not only on their deaths. The NCSY leaders made a concerted effort to immerse us in the lively Polish Jewish history that predated the Holocaust. Besides the cemetery, we visited the Great Synagogue in Tlomackie; several other small, restored shuls; and the Praga mikvah. We walked the streets where many Jews carved out daily livelihoods. In Poland this summer, we discovered a window into the history of our Polish Jewish ancestors.

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If you have a more serious or life-threatening condition, like chest pain, difficulty breathing or a severe injury, call 911 or go to your closest emergency room.

24 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

OLIVIER FITOUSSI

For 'hardcore' Jews displaced by Ukrainian fighting, Israel beckons

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, meeting with Jews who fled eastern Ukraine, July 2014.

By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraphic Agency Editor’s Note: In June, The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Chairman Natan Sharansky announced that global aliyah (immigration to Israel from around the world) is up 55 percent, due largely to dramatic increases in immigration from France and Ukraine. As a result, more than 2,200 French Jews and 1,500 Ukrainian Jews start the New Year as immigrants in the land of Israel. Never before has such a large proportion of a Western Jewish community made aliyah in a single year. Whether the Jewish Agency, a Jewish Federation beneficiary agency, delivers aid or helps Ukrainian Jews immigrate, here is one story of how it comes about.

Each time he dispatches a car into Lugansk, Rabbi Shalom Gopin readies himself for hours of anxious anticipation.

The scene of brutal urban warfare between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian sepa-

ratists, this eastern Ukrainian city now has no regular power supply, running water or cell phone reception. Mortar rounds can fall without warning. Much of the population, once 450,000, has fled.

But despite the risks, Gopin, the city’s exiled chief rabbi, has dispatched over a dozen cars to Lugansk, each one intended to quietly ferry Jews to a camp he runs for the internally displaced in Zhytomyr, near Kiev.

Initially intended to provide temporary shelter for Jews fleeing the fighting in the east, the facility, which functions mainly as a summer camp, is now home to 250 displaced Ukrainians.

Gopin said more than half have no plans to return.

“It’s a sad reality,” Gopin told JTA. “Many people are now realizing the bad situation may remain, so people who never even thought about making aliyah are going ahead with it. The city, my home, is emptying of Jews as it slowly consumes itself

out of existence.”

The Jewish Agency for Israel, the quasi-governmental agency responsible for facilitating immigration to Israel, is expecting more than 3,000 arrivals from Ukraine this year – a 33 percent increase over the 1,982 Jews who immigrated in 2013.

Currently there are 47 urgent cases of Jews in need of rescue, according to Eleonora Groisman, the founder of a nonprofit that maintains a database of Jews seeking rescue. Among them is a woman in her 80s trapped inside her Lugansk apartment.

Getting such people out is a complex and risky operation that requires traversing a circuitous route through Russian territory and greasing the palms of forces encountered along the way. Using his contacts with rebel leaders, Gopin has established an escape route in which a driver picks up the evacuees in Lugansk, crosses the border into Russia and then returns to Ukraine farther north in an area not held by separatists.

“You have to understand, the rebel-held area and its surroundings are totally lawless,” Gopin told JTA. To outsiders – and even to some Ukrainians – the decision by thousands of Jews to remain in a war zone seems incomprehensible. But it’s no mystery to Natan Sharansky, the Jewish Agency's chairman, who was born in Donetsk.

“The Jews that stayed, they are the hardcore,” Sharansky told JTA. “They’ve watched friends and family leave throughout the 1990s and after, choosing every time to stay. But there comes a time when reality trumps even the hardcore."

Congress passes resolution against anti-Semitism H.Res.707 - Condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and rejecting attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval or frustration over political events in the Middle East or elsewhere.

On July 31, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) introduced the bill, House Resolution 707, which passed the House on Sept.

18. Rep. Matt Cartwright (DPennsylvania) and Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pennsylvania) were two of the co-sponsors of the bill. The bill’s language cites: • Anti-Semitic imagery and comparisons of Jews and Israel to Nazis have been on display at demonstrations against Israel's actions in Gaza around the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, • Anti-Semitic acts committed and recorded in 2014 around the world, including countries in the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and North America, include incidents of murder at Jewish sites, violent attacks and death threats against Jews, as well as gun violence, arson, graffiti, anti-Semitic cartoons and other property desecration at Jewish places of worship and communal activity;

• During Israel's July 2014 Operation Protective Edge, aiming to stem the rocket fire and terrorist infiltrations by Hamas, Jews and Jewish institutions and property have been attacked in Europe and elsewhere, including attempts to invade a synagogue in Paris, fire-bombings of synagogues in France and Germany, assaults on Jewish individuals, and swastikas spray-painted in a heavily Jewish area of London and also in Rome's historic Jewish quarter; • A survey by the Anti-Defamation League of attitudes toward Jews in more than 100 countries around the world, released in May 2014, found that over a quarter of the people surveyed (26 percent) hold anti-Semitic views, a stunning indicator of the stubborn resilience of antiSemitic beliefs, even in countries where no Jews reside.

Please take the time to thank Rep. Dent and Rep. Cartwright for supporting this bill. Visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/crc for contact information.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 25

Columbia’s cello ensemble to perform at Hadassah concert Oct. 26

The cello ensemble String Theory will perform at the 2014 Bethlehem-Easton Hadassah benefit concert. The concert will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Banana Factory in South Bethlehem.

Founded at Columbia University in 2011, String Theory fuses several realms of music including jazz, classical, pop and rock. The ensemble performs original arrangements to audiences nationwide. The group has quickly risen as one of Columbia’s most popular performing labels.

At the Hadassah concert, String Theory members Justin Zhao, Maddie Tucker, Steven Bennett and Nathan Chan will perform a unique blend of classical and pop music.

The concert will mark String Theory’s debut performance in Pennsylvania.

“String Theory is different from other musical ensembles

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because it features cellos only, with no other instruments,” Chan said. “The cello features a wide and diverse musical range, which makes it perfect to showcase any and all kinds of music.”

Chan said the group is excited about performing for Hadassah. “We can’t wait to showcase what is possible with our four cellos,” he said.

Featured in the British television documentary, “The World’s Greatest Musical Prodigies,” Chan attends the Columbia University-Juilliard School Exchange program. He made a Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 12 and recorded with legendary singer Roberta Flack when he was 13.

Hadassah was founded on Feb. 24, 1912, when Henrietta Szold and a small group of women met in New York City.

The concert benefits Hadassah and its support of the internationally known Hadassah Medical Organization, a leader in clinical care and research, serving Jews, Christians and Muslims, and providing a beacon of hope. Jewish and Arabic doctors, nurses, technicians and administrators work side-by-side at HMO’s two hospitals in Jerusalem, treating more than 1 million patients per year without regard to race,

religion or nationality. HMO also provides extensive training programs for midwives, paramedics and emergency medicine and trauma physicians and nurses at HMO and its territories.

Tickets purchased through Hadassah will provide admission for two and include a reception with homemade savory treats and desserts.

For ticket information, contact concert co-chair Marna Simon at 610-865-1150. The Banana Factory is at 25 West Third St. in South Bethlehem. Parking is free on site and across the street.

PJ Library author to speak at Bethlehem Area Public Library Celebrate the release of “Chik Chak Shabbat,” the new picture book by critically-acclaimed author Mara Rockliff, at the Bethlehem Area Public Library. The library invites young readers and their families to "Potluck and Pages" with author Mara Rockliff on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 6:30 p.m.

Rockcliff will read the story aloud while listeners enjoy a potluck dinner. Those who attend are invited to bring a dish to share; the library will provide beverages and a vegetarian version of cholent, the traditional Jewish dish Goldie Simcha shares with her multicultural neighbors in “Chik Chak Shabbat.”

The library is located at 11 W. Church Street in Bethlehem. For more information or to register for the event, contact the library at 610-867-3761.

PJ families fly off to the new year On Sept. 21, families gathered for a PJ Library event celebrating the new year. Aladdin (Daniel Zahn) flew in on his magic carpet to take photos with the children and their parents.

Apples and honey were the themes of the day for several craft projects, music and a wonderful breakfast. The families joined Aladdin on the magic carpet when Rabbi Moshe Re’em of Temple Beth El in Allentown blew the shofar and explained Rosh Hashanah to the nearly 25 children and 20 parents attending.

It all culminated in Rabbi Re’em reading this year’s PJ Library book “Apple Days, a Rosh Hashana Story” by Allison Sarnoff.

IJCU leads in helping Christians engage with Israel The Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding (IJCU) at Muhlenberg College is pleased to announce that its partnership with the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel comes to fruition this October as Redeemer Lutheran Church in Allentown offers a six-part course for Christian adults, Images of Israel.

Despite progress in Christian-Jewish relations in recent decades, crisis continues to focus much Christian thinking about Israel. The crisis may be Jewish vulnerability both in Israel and in the diaspora; it may be Palestinian suffering under the administration of territories occupied

by Israel; it may be evangelical end-times expectations of Jewish homecoming as a step toward the Christian-anticipated second coming.

Important to Christians as these topics are, when any of them are at the center of engagement with Israel, it too quickly sets up a stark choice: friend or foe, endorsement or delegitimization. The pressures of the crisis limit the space for nuance, for exploring complexity, for mature mutual critique and for discovering shared values. Crisis rarely grounds an enduring, constructive relationship.

In place of crisis, the Images of Israel course identifies principles of national and communal

identity that are applicable to all peoples, as well as values drawn from the Jewish and Christian religions traditions. It builds on images of Israel that are familiar to Christians: holiness; covenant; rejection; conflict; hope; encounter. Then it complicates each image with the realities of Israel, moving beyond media presentations and simplistic assumptions.

Using the havruta text study methods and video presentations familiar to participants in the iEngage program of the Shalom Hartman Institute, participants explore Israel – land, people, religion and state – and clarify their own commitment as Christians to work for justice and peace.

The IJCU is the American partner with the Hartman Institute in developing Images as part of the New Paths: Christians Engaging Israel project. To date, several hundred Christian leaders have been introduced to Images of Israel in more than 20 states and five foreign countries, and a dozen intensive training workshops for clergy are on deck to extend its reach in coming months.

Pajama Havdallah

Join local author Mara Rockliff at the Bethlehem Area Public Library to celebrate the release of “Chik Chak Shabbat,” which will soon become a PJ Library book. The event is free and co-sponsored by PJ Library. Mara will read the story while families enjoy a potluck dinner. Please bring a dish to share.

For kids along with their parents. Candlelight, music, good-enough-for-dinner snacks, stories and other fun. Free program open to the community. Pajamas welcome.

For more information or to register for the event, contact the library at 610-867-3761.

How could we move them apart?”

For more information about the course, visit www. newpaths.org or contact the IJCU at www.ijcu.org or 484-664-3470.

Potluck and Pages

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 6:30 p.m.

Bethlehem Area Public Library, 11 West Church St., Bethlehem

“Our parents are soul mates.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 5 p.m.

Temple Beth El, 1305 Springhouse Rd., Allentown RSVP to 610-435-3521, shari@bethelallentown.org.

Giving Thanks and Helping Families in Need PJ Library families are invited to participate in the culmination of a monthlong tikkun olam initiative to collect food and other items for the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry prior to Thanksgiving. Children will have the opportunity to bake brownies, build centerpieces, decorate bags and listen to a PJ Library story.

Rob and Sue always marveled at how close their parents were throughout their marriage. So when their father’s early-stage memory loss threatened to separate him from their mother, they feared what it would do to each of them.

They visited us, and we discussed our shared living options, allowing spouses with different care needs to stay together. Now, their parents are still together, and Rob and Sue are still admiring their strong union.

From independent living to specialized memory care, we have a range of advice and solutions to help your family—all on a vibrant campus with activities, social events and individualized services.

Call us to find out how we can help, or learn more at CountryMeadows.com.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23 3:30 p.m.

JCC of Allentown, 702 N. 22nd St., Allentown Contact Abby Trachtman at 610-821-5500 or abbyt@jflv.org to register or learn more.

410 Krocks Road, Allentown (minutes from Routes 22 & I-78) • 610-395-7160 4035 Green Pond Road, Bethlehem (close to Routes 22 & 33) • 610-865-5580

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CBS installs Rabbi Michael Singer Congregation Brith Sholom installed Singer as rabbi on Sept. 7 with a well-attended afternoon ceremony and barbecue buffet. Among those in attendance were the kvelling congregation; Singer’s family, including his grandmother; many of the Valley’s rabbis and Cantor Wartell, head of the clergy group; and Mark L. Goldstein, executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

Am Haskalah welcomes new rabbi Leiah Moser is the new student rabbi at Congregation Am Haskalah. Formerly a student of philosophy, she began to explore Judaism after a year spent reading Jewish books during her off-hours whilst teaching English in Japan. Ever since then she has been working hard to immerse herself ever more deeply in the text and tradition and to share the fruits of that activity with her community. A passionate believer in the power of traditional texts to speak to the needs and concerns of contemporary life, she is always looking for ways to bring the fruits of Talmud and of Jewish mysticism more fully into conversation with the progressive Jewish communities she calls home. Just this summer, she returned home from a year studying at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. She is currently studying at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, with a focus on education and congregational life.

SOI Sisterhood savors ‘challah-day’

By Rabbi Yehoshua Mizrachi Congregation Sons of Israel On Sunday, Sept. 7, 60 women gathered at Congregation Sons of Israel for good food, art, spirituality – and challah.

You might wonder what connects braided egg breads and spirituality. Dr. Rachel Wilensky spoke on that very topic, to the delight of her listeners. Her comments were followed by an artisanal challah braiding demonstration, with several styles of braids to showcase the traditional round challah shape for Rosh Hashanah. Abby Weiner, a longtime educator and resident of Allentown, led everyone in the blessing over the challah dough. After braiding their own challah, guests were provided with various toppings such as “cinnamon sugar” and “brown sugar crumble,” to make an extra sweet challah for a very sweet new year. They left with their very own challah

to bake for Rosh Hashanah.

“We wanted to create an event that would inspire Jewish women across the Lehigh Valley to feel an even deeper appreciation and connection to each other and the special mitzvah of challah – while enjoying a lovely meal and evening,” said Sarah Danna, who with her co-president Alyssa Komarow organized this Sisterhood event.

CHALLAH Neighbors will come knocking when your house smells like this fresh-baked challah.

Ingredients 2¼ t. dry active yeast 1½ t. plus ¼ c. sugar ¾-1 c. warm water ¼ c. vegetable oil 4 eggs, divided 1 egg yolk 1½ t. table salt 4 c. flour (or less)

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Instructions with use of electric mixer 1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add yeast, 1½ t. sugar, and between ¾ to 1 cup of warm water. Mix until dissolved. Let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Mix in vegetable oil, 2 eggs (1 at a time) and egg yolk, with remaining sugar and salt.

3. Slowly add flour, ½ c. at a time.

4. When the dough holds together, switch to the bread hook and knead until smooth.

5. Transfer dough to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour.

6. Punch dough down and leave it to rise again for 2 hours.

7. You can now either make 1 large challah or 2 smaller challahs. To make one large challah, cut dough into six pieces, and roll into approximately 12 inch strands. Pinch the top of the strands together. Take the strand all the way to the right, and move it over to the left by two strands. Take the strand that is second to the left, and move it all the way over to the right. Take the strand that is all the way over to the left, and move it to the right by two strands. Take the strand that is second from the right, and move it all the way to the left.

Repeat this process until the challah is completely braided.

Pinch ends, and tuck them under the loaf. Place braided loaf on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

8. Use one egg to brush an egg wash over the top of the loaf.

9. Let sit for one hour.

10. Use another egg to brush a second coat of egg wash. (At this point, you can sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame seeds or any other seeded topping you want).

11. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Welcoming 5775, deliciously

On a September day that felt more like fall than late summer, Lehigh University students gathered for a pre-Rosh Hashanah celebration with Rabbi Danielle Stillman, director of Jewish student life. Lehigh’s organic garden and apiary, a College of Education initiative located on the Mountaintop Campus, provided a glorious, late afternoon picnic setting. The group feasted on apples, honey and yemarima yewotet dabo, a honey bread from the Jewish Ethiopian tradition, this one “Hillel-baked” from one of Stillman’s favorite recipes. Intellectual treats included a discussion of High Holiday food traditions around the world and a talk by Katie Ballen, an economics major and president of the Lehigh University Beekeeping Club. The Lehigh University Hillel wishes everyone a healthy and sweet new year!

Temple Covenant of Peace with khaki pants and matching tee shirts featuring the Temple Covenant of Peace emblem.

The sense of joy and identity was also expressed by last year’s bar and bat mitzvah class – all 12 students made the decision to attend confirmation classes this year.

As Rabbi Trachtenberg once asked in the dedication of his book, “Consider the Years,” how does one say happy anniversary to a thing of stone and wood, yet a structure which for 175 years has housed the prayers and songs, the sorrow and joys, tears and laughter of dedicated souls as more than stick and stone? It has become the living symbol of the undying faith and hope, the face and image of 175 years of aspirations; therefore, thank you to Temple Covenant of Peace and all the devoted men and women and children who have cherished and sustained Temple Covenant of Peace for 175 years and to Rabbi Melody Davis, Cantor Jill Pakman and the president and board for their inspirational leadership.

There will be many events to celebrate Temple Covenant of Peace’s 175th anniversary.

On Sunday, Nov. 2, we kick off the celebration with an old-fashioned community birthday party. The religious school children will plant 175 bulbs. On Friday, Nov. 7, those who have been members for 25 years or more will be honored.

A gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. and includes a havdalah service, kosher sit-down dinner and dancing.

EDWIN DAVIS

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TEMPLE COVENANT OF PEACE CELEBRATES. These B’nai Mitzvah are only the most recent class to come through Temple Covenant of Peace, which this year celebrates its 175th anniversary. All of this year’s B’nai Mitzvah have made the decision to attend confirmation classes during the current school year.

For more information, contact the Temple at 610-253-2031.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 29

Community Calendar To list an event in the Community Calendar, submit your information on our website, www.jewishlehighvalley.org, under the “Upcoming Events” menu.

All events listed in the Community Calendar are open to the public and free of charge, unless otherwise noted. Programs listed in HAKOL are provided as a service to the community. They do not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. The JFLV reserves the right to accept, reject or modify listings.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 Thirsty Thursday 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., JCC of Allentown Board Room.

Social Hour at the J. Stop by the J at the end of the day.

Join other adults at the JCC, sit back, relax and chat about similar interests, and get to know your fellow members and friends. Share your experiences with others and take away new ideas! Light refreshments will be served.

Call or stop by the JCC Welcome Desk to register and reserve your space, 610-435-3571. $5 per person; FREE for JCC Members. Contact Amy Sams at asams@lvjcc. org to learn more about Adults at the J. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 TBE Healing Service 7 p.m., Temple Beth El. We will be creating a safe space to bring our pain, our questions and our yearning. This one-hour service will be held in the Hammel Family Chapel. The service will include music, silent meditation, traditional prayers and Torah study. The entire community is invited to participate.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 IJCU First Friday Luncheon Discussion 12 p.m., Muhlenberg College, Seegers Union, Rooms 111-112. Genetic testing and its ethical implications with Dena Davis, professor of bioethics at Lehigh University.

Free and open to the public. To learn more, visit www. ijcu.org.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 Gateway to the New Year: A PJ Library Family Neilah Program for Yom Kippur

Honorable MENSCHens

6:45 p.m., Temple Beth El. Let’s go, Jonah! Travel along with Jonah on his journey. Your passport will be your guide from station to station on this Yom Kippur journey. Held concurrently with the main Neilah service, including family activity for adults WITH their children: Interactive for all ages! Procession to main sanctuary for Havdallah with light sticks. RSVP REQUESTED. Additional info or questions?

Contact: Shari Spark, 610-435-3521, shari@bethelallentown.org. Concludes with shofar blowing at 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7 Art Talk & Taste 5:30 to 7 p.m., Hans Moller Art Studio, 2207 Allen St., Allentown. Entrance to studio includes one flight of stairs.

Wine & Cheese; Private tour of the Hans Moller Art Studio with curator Larry Miley; Learn about the German born artist from local patrons through their personal experiences with the Allentown artist. Works of art will be available for purchase. A portion of proceeds from sales of art will be donated to the JCC Art Gallary and Adult Programs.

Call or stop by the JCC Welcome Desk to register and reserve your space, 610-435-3571. $18 per person; $12 per JCC member. Contact Amy Sams at asams@lvjcc. org to learn more about Adults at the J. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12 ‘Oro Macht Frei’ Documentary Film Screening & Panel Discussion 3 p.m., Center for the Arts, Muhlenberg College. We will be screening the new documentary film, “Oro Macht Frei,” about the roundup of the Jews of Rome on a single day in October 1943. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director, producer, researcher/writer, and several scholars. The event is free and open to the entire community.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21 Cancer Genetics and the Jewish Family: What We All MUST Know 7 p.m., Temple Beth El. New research indicates that all Ashkenazi women should be tested for the BRCA gene.

Join our panel discussion on this important topic with Dr. Israel Zighelboim, gynecologic oncologist at St. Luke’s Cancer Care Associates, and Dr. Mark Gittleman, breast surgeon at Breast Care Specialists. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Myriad Genetics, Temple Beth El and the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Maimonides Society.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 Hadassah Book Club 1:30 p.m., Home of Debbie Miller, 1 Nottingham Lane, Easton .Book to be reviewed: “The Hare With the Amber Eyes” by Edmund de Waal. RSVP to Debbie Miller, 610253-8919. Sponsored by Bethlehem Easton Hadassah.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 J Gourmet at Artisan Wine & Cheese Cellars 6 to 8:30 p.m., Artisan Wine & Cheese Cellars, 55 W. Lehigh St., Bethlehem. Inside Bethlehem’s historic freight house at the Main Street Depot complex. Private wine tasting and mingling. Hand-crafted hearty appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. All registered guests in attendance are eligible to win a wine gift basket including a bottle of wine from Artisan Wine & Cheese Cellars. Call or stop by the JCC Welcome Desk to register and reserve your space, 610-435-3571. $46 per person; $34 per JCC member. Contact Amy Sams at asams@lvjcc.org to learn more about Adults at the J. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 The Sunday Brunch Bunch 10 a.m., Bnai Abraham Synagogue. Tentative speaker to be announced. Cost is $6. For more information, please call 610-253-2481.

Carolyn Katwan honored for logo design Congratulations to Carolyn Katwan, JDS marketing and admissions director and former JFLV assistant executive director and editor of HAKOL, who recently had her logo design for the American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) selected as their new national logo.

Katwan freelances as the creative director for AJPA publication Jewish VOICE of the Jewish Federation of Delaware. Her design was selected from a field of entries submitted by more than a dozen different designers. The new logo will appear on mastheads and websites of member publications. AJPA is the professional association for the English-language Jewish press in North America and recognizes excellence in Jewish journalism each year through the Simon Rockower Awards. In June 2012, Katwan was 1st place recipient of a Rockower Award for her re-design of Delaware’s Jewish VOICE.

Want to see your accomplishments in the pages of HAKOL? E-mail them to hakol@jflv.org.

30 OCTOBER 2014 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26 Bethlehem-Easton Hadassah Benefit Concert 3:30 p.m,, The Banana Factory, 25 W. 3rd St., Bethlehem.

Featuring cellist Nathan Chan and his renowned cello ensemble, String Theory. Donations made to Hadassah will provide admission for two and a reception with

FRIDAYS 8 - 9:30 AM WMUH 91.7 Featuring Cantor Wartell muhlenberg.edu/wmuh

homemade savory treats and desserts. For ticket information, contact co-chair Roberta Diamond at 610-8653357.

MONDAYS, OCTOBER 27, NOVEMBER 3 & 10 Canvas & Coffee: Monday Morning Paint Parties 9 to11:30 a.m., JCC of Allentown Auxiliary Auditorium.

Monday morning paint party at the J with art instructor Lauren Rabin. Program includes coffee and snacks (at 9 a.m.), instruction and materials (paint, brushes, aprons, canvas, etc). Painting begins promptly at 9:30 a.m. Session should run until approximately 11:30 a.m. Minimum 8 people per session. Come to one, two or all three sessions! Painters will create a new painting at each session.

Call or stop by the JCC Welcome Desk to register and reserve your space, 610-435-3571. $34 per person, per session; $28 per JCC member, per session. Multi-session price: $30 per person, per session; $24 per JCC member, per session. Contact Amy Sams at asams@lvjcc.org to learn more about Adults at the J. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28 Election Forum: The Balance of Power 7:30 p.m., Congregation Brith Sholom. Get insight into the upcoming gubernatorial contest and what issues will have the greatest impact and learn how gerrymandering has affected the election system. Congregation Brith Sholom’s Adult Education Committee and the JFLV Community Relations Council are pleased to host a conversation on the upcoming elections with Dr. Chris Borick, director of the Institute of Public Opinion, Muhlenberg College, and Dr. Gordon Goldberg, professor emeritus of history, Kutztown University. Free and open to the community.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 Imagining Jews Presents Jewish Feminism: Religious and Secular 7 p.m., Muhlenberg College Hillel. Jewish studies professors Dr. Vanessa Ochs and Dr. Laura Levitt will take on the topic of Jewish feminism from both the religious and secular perspectives at an upcoming panel discussion, part of the “Imagining Jews” series about the portrayal of Jews in different medium. The event is sponsored by the Philip and Muriel Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Lehigh University, the Jewish Studies program at Muhlenberg College, the Institute for Jewish-Christian Understanding at Muhlenberg College and the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. Program is free and open to the public thanks to a generous grant from the Legacy Heritage Jewish Studies Project.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29 ‘What’s So Moral About Making Money’ with Rabbi Daniel Lapin 7:30 p.m., Moravian College, Foy Hall. The Economics & Business Department and Institutional Advancement are sponsoring a lecture by Rabbi Daniel Lapin entitled “What’s So Moral About Making Money.” The event is free and open to the public. Following the program, there will be a book signing and reception with Rabbi Lapin and two of his best-selling and influential books “Thou Shall Prosper” and “Business Secrets from the Bible” at 9:15 p.m. in the art gallery.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31 TBE Shira Chadasha Service 7:30 p.m., Temple Beth El. Temple Beth El invites you to share in our Shira Chadasha Service. Come celebrate a musical Shabbat Service with contemporary American and Israeli music.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 Maimonides Society Brunch 10:15 to 11:45 a.m., JCC of Allentown. Visiting physician Dr. Dov Englestein, a urologist from Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel, will speak about the practice of urology as well as his perspective as an Israeli. Free for Maimonides members and spouses, $10 for non-members. Sponsored by the Maimonides Society of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

Celebrate the beauty of Shabbat

Shabbat & Yom Tov Candlelighting Times Friday, Oct. 3

6:22 pm

Friday, Oct. 24

5:50 pm

Friday, Oct. 10

6:11 pm

Friday, Oct. 31

5:41 pm

Friday, Oct. 17

6:00 pm

Friday, Nov. 7

4:33 pm

Community Calendar Ongoing Events SUNDAY to FRIDAY DAF YOMI 7:30 a.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Are you intrigued by thought-provoking, stimulating and provocative religious discussion? Are you enamored by the depth and scope of the Jewish legal system? Are you curious about Judaism’s perspective on marriage, tort law, Jewish burial, holiday observance, prayer, blessings and, for that matter, nearly any Jewish topic? Then Sons of Israel’s daily “Daf Yomi” class is for you.

Meeting all year long, this class covers the gamut of Talmudic law, studying one page of the talmud each day, and completing the talmud over the course of seven and a half years. Basic Jewish background is recommended.

SUNDAYS JEWISH WAR VETERANS POST 239 2nd Sunday of the month, 10 a.m., JCC of Allentown Veterans and their significant others are invited as the guest of the Ladies Auxiliary. Come and enjoy comradeship; we’ll even listen to your “war stories.” A brunch follows each meeting. Questions? Contact Commander Sheila Berg at 610-2852729 or sh-berg1@hotmail.com.

TEFILLIN CLUB & ADULT HEBREW SCHOOL 9:30 a.m. Tefillin; 10 to 11 a.m. Adult Hebrew, Chabad Tefillin is for Jewish men and boys over the age of Bar Mitzvah, to learn about, and gain appreciation for, the rich and enriching Jewish practice - the mitzvah - of donning Tefillin. Adult Hebrew is an opportunity for you to learn about your heritage and expand your Jewish knowledge so that you can keep up with your child. Contact 610-351-6511.

TSS HEBREW & ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES 10 a.m., JCC of Allentown Interested in learning Hebrew for the first time or brushing up your skills? Marcia Berkow teaches adult Hebrew beginning at 10 a.m., followed at 11 a.m. by David Vaida, who will you take you through the great moments across all 5,774 years of Jewish history. Free and open to all. RSVP at learnwithus@templeshiratshalom.org or 610-820-7666.

TALMUD CLASS FOR BEGINNERS! 10 to 11 a.m., Congregation Beth Avraham of Bethlehem-Easton For information,contact Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod at 610-905-2166.

MONDAYS FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., JCC of Allentown Friendship Circle is a place for people to meet, make new friends and enjoy each other’s company. We welcome all adults over 50. Friendship Circle meets weekly for lively and enjoyable programs and a delicious lunch. Annual dues $25; paid up members are treated to two major programs with a catered luncheon. Regular weekly meetings and lunch - $6. First visit - NO CHARGE. Weather permitting. Contact Betty at 610-395-6282 for reservations.

THE RHYTHM OF JEWISH LIVING 8 to 9 p.m., Temple Beth El Taught by Rabbi Moshe Re’em. This course will examine the ideas, beliefs and practices that define and shape Jewish life through daily, weekly, annual and life-cycle observances. The is designed as a year-long course for those wishing to learn more about the religious observances of Judaism, theology of the holidays and ritual practices. The course is organized around the Jewish calendar, but includes other daily Jewish rituals.

TUESDAYS THE EVOLUTION OF JEWISH PRAYER 10:45 a.m., JCC of Allentown Rabbi Wilensky takes this class through time and space as he traces the development of Tefillah from antiquity to modern times. Sponsored by Congregation Sons of Israel.

YACHAD TORAH STUDY GROUP 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., JCC of Allentown It doesn’t matter how much you know,

it matters how much you want to know.

Bring your curiosity to thet Yachad Torah study group and discover the wonders, adventures and meaning of the Torah.

Each FREE session is taught by one of our dedicated clergy members or a respected Jewish educator. Held in the Teachers’ Learning Center/Holocaust Resource Room (lower level, JCC). Call 610-435-3571 for information about individual sessions.

JFS-LV’S YIDDISH CLUB 1:30 p.m., Jewish Family Service Kibbitz in the mama loshen! You don’t need to be fluent — just come and enjoy! Call 610-821-8722 for more information.

100,000 MILES/YR FOR KOSHER! First Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., Congregation Beth Avraham Open to all. Fascinating vignettes from a mashgiach who drives approximately 100,000 miles/year (yes, per year!) to keep the kosher supply chain intact.

From rural Arkansas to frigid Nova Scotia, winter and summer, the demands are always there. Contact Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod, Kashruth Hotline (24/6), 610-9052166, rabbiyagod1@gmail.com.

LATTE & LEARN 8 to 9 p.m., Starbucks, Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem Grab your favorite Starbucks quaff and jump right in as we relate the weekly Torah portion to world events, western civilization and even our own relationships. No Hebrew is required, but a spirit of inquiry and a sense of humor might come in handy! Contact Rabbi Mizrachi 207-404-0474; opshiloh@gmail.com; www.torahovereasy.blogspot.com.

WEDNESDAYS JEWISH CURRENT EVENTS First Wednesday of the Month, 1:15 p.m., Country Meadows, Bethlehem Rabbi Stein conducts a current events class at Country Meadows. Residents express their opinions and have the opportunity to ask questions. Sponsored

by Bnai Abraham Synagogue. For more information, call 610-258-5343.

HADASSAH STUDY GROUP Every other Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Temple Beth El Allentown Hadassah presents a stimulating series of short story seminars. All are welcome to attend these free sessions in the Temple Beth El library. The group will be reading selections from anthologies available from Amazon.com. For dates and stories, e-mail Lolly Siegel at spscomm@aol.com or call 610-4391851.

BETH AVRAHAM TORAH STUDY 7 p.m., Congregation Beth Avraham Torah: It is the common heritage that binds all Jews together. Explore the ancient healing wisdom of Torah together. All are welcome. Who knows? It might even be fun! RSVP: Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod, 610905-2166, rabbiyagod1@gmail.com.

EXPLORATIONS IN SHOFTIM (JUDGES) 7 p.m., Sons of Israel Facilitated by Mrs. Abby Weiner, this is one of the Allentown’s most popular classes and a continuation of last year’s Explorations in Yehoshua. This class provides in-depth study of the text, and provides critical historical context for the events that follow in Jewish history.

HUSBANDS ANONYMOUS First Wednesday of the month, 7:30 p.m., location provided upon signup Calling all wives! Send your husbands to this class! Rabbi WIlensky guides us on how to become more attentive, caring, sensitive partners, and how to strengthen and deepen our spousal relationships in the context of Torah. Contact Sons of Israel for exact dates and locations.

TORAH STUDIES: A WEEKLY JOURNEY INTO THE SOUL OF TORAH 7:30 p.m., Chabad Torah Studies by JLI presents: Season Four: A 12-part series. Cost is $36 for the complete 12-week series (textbook included). For more information contact 610-351-6511 or Rabbi@chabadlehighvalley.com.

ORTHODOX JEWISH LIVING: WHAT IS IT & HOW? 8 p.m. To learn more, contact Rabbi Yizchok I. Yagod, 610-905-2166 or rabbiyagod1@gmail.com

THURSDAYS ADULT EDUCATION CLASS 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., Bnai Abraham Synagogue No preparation or prior knowledge is required. Rabbi Daniel Stein leads an eager-to-learn group. We examine the Torah, Judaism, the holidays, Hebrew and Yiddish literature, well-known stories and poetry. Cost: $10 each semester. Contact 610-258-5343, office@ bnaiabraham.org.

MOMMY & ME 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., Chabad Led by Morah Devorah Halperin and Mrs. Alli Lipson, Mommy & Me is an innovative program for babies and toddlers to experience Jewish traditions in a stimulating, fun and creative atmosphere. Cost is $10 per class, $40 for full session. For information and to register, morahdevorah@chabadlehighvalley.com.

WHERE CHRISTIANITY & JUDAISM DIFFER 10:45 a.m., JCC of Allentown Have you ever had to explain Judaism to non-Jewish co-workers? With sensitivity and tact, Rabbi Wilensky discusses both the commonalities and divergences between the Jewish and Christian faith systems.

Sponsored by Congregation Sons of Israel.

TORAH ON TILGHMAN 12:15 p.m., Allentown Wegmans Cantor Ellen Sussman of Temple Shirat Shalom leads a lunch and learn on the Torah. Shopping is optional. RSVP to contactus@templeshiratshalom.com or 610-820-7666.

FRIDAYS TCP TOT SHABBAT SERVICE 4th Friday of the month, 5 p.m., Temple Covenant of Peace This wonderful program introduces children to Shabbat ritual and songs with activities designed especially for our youngest congregants and their families. Arts and crafts, stories and prayer round out the children’s activities.

SIMCHA SHABBAT 1st Friday of the month, 6:30 p.m., Bnai Abraham Synagogue Please join us for our musical Simcha Shabbat and stay for a special oneg.

For more information please call Bnai Abraham Synagogue at 610-258-5343.

SHABBAT BEGINNER’S GEMARA 8 a.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Facilitated by Dr. Henry Grossbard, this is an excellent primer for developing the analytical tools necessary for in-depth study of the Talmud. Dr. Grossbard, a dynamic and erudite scholar in his own right, helps students understand the argument-behind-the-argument, using Rashi, Tosafos and commentaries.

JAVA AND JEANS 4th Saturday of the month, 10 a.m., Bnai Abraham Synagogue Join us for our monthly Shabbat service to discuss current topics of interest as they relate to Jewish laws and practices.

For more detailed information, call 610258-5343.

CHAVURAT TORAH STUDY Each Shabbat following kiddush lunch, Temple Beth El No sign-up needed for this class. Taught

by Shari Spark. Enrich your Shabbat experience by studying the parashat hashavua, the weekly Torah portion, with other congregants, each Shabbat in the library at approximately 12:45 p.m. No previous knowledge or long-term commitments are required to participate as we discuss Torah together.

ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY HALACHAH 12 p.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Applying the ancient wisdom of Jewish Law to modern challenges is one of the most fascinating aspects of Jewish life.

Join Rabbi Wilensky as he takes Halachah from the weekly Torah portion and brings it to bear on some of the most pressing issues of our time.

BNEI AKIVA 5:45 p.m., Congregation Sons of Israel An Israel-centered fun program for kids ages eight to 14. This program is free and open to the public. For information and to RSVP, call 610-433-6089.

Congregations BNAI ABRAHAM SYNAGOGUE 1545 Bushkill St., Easton – 610.258.5343 Rabbi Daniel Stein, Conservative MORNING MINYAN services are Thursday mornings at 7:25 a.m., SHABBAT EVENING services are Fridays at 8 p.m., SHABBAT MORNING services are Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes are Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m..

CHABAD OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY 4457 Crackersport Rd., Allentown – 610.336.6603 Rabbi Yaacov Halperin, Chabad Lubavitch SHABBAT EVENING services are held once a month seasonally, SHABBAT MORNING services are held Saturdays at 10 a.m., RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes are held Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.

CONGREGATION AM HASKALAH 1190 W. Macada Rd., Bethlehem – 610.435.3775 Student Rabbi Leiah Moser, Reconstructionist Weekly Shabbat services and a monthly family service with potluck dinner. Religious school meets Sunday mornings. Email am.haskalah.office@gmail.com to learn more.

CONGREGATION BETH AVRAHAM 439 South Nulton Ave., Palmer Township – 610.905.2166 | Rabbi Yitzchok Yagod, Orthodox SHABBAT EVENING starts half an hour after candle lighting. SHABBAT MORNING starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by a hot kiddish.

CONGREGATION BRITH SHOLOM 1190 W. Macada Rd., Bethlehem – 610.866.8009 Rabbi Michael Singer, Conservative MINYAN is at 7:45 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. on Saturdays and holidays. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Brith Sholom and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. at Bnai Abraham Synagogue.

CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL 2227 Chew St., Allentown – 610.435.9074 Rabbi Seth D. Phillips | Cantor Jennifer Duretz Peled, Reform Services begin at 7:30 p.m. every Friday night.

The first Friday of the month is a FAMILY SERVICE and celebration of birthdays and anniversaries.

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes are held Wednesdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m.

CONGREGATION SONS OF ISRAEL 2715 Tilghman St., Allentown – 610.433.6089 Rabbi David Wilensky, Orthodox SHACHARIT: Sundays at 8:30 a.m., Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 a.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:45 a.m. MINCHAH/MAARIV: 20 minutes before sunset. FRIDAY EVENING: 20 minutes before sunset, 7 p.m. in the summer. SHABBAT MORNING: 9 a.m. SHABBAT AFTERNOON: 90 minutes before dark.

TEMPLE BETH EL 1305 Springhouse Rd., Allentown – 610.435.3521 Rabbi Moshe Re’em | Cantor Kevin Wartell Conservative Weekday morning minyan services at 7:45 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. Shabbat evening services at 7:30 p.m. with the last Friday evening of the month featuring our Shira Chadasha Service .

Shabbat morning services at 9 a.m. followed by Kiddush. Religious school classes every Tuesday/ Thursday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Midrasha school classes Monday at 7 p.m. Shalshelet — Temple Beth El’s new innovative high school program — meets bi-monthly on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. Shalshelet (the chain) is open to ALL 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students in the Lehigh Valley. For more information contact Alicia Zahn, religlious school director, at school at bethelallentown.org.

TEMPLE COVENANT OF PEACE 1451 Northampton St., Easton – 610.253.2031 Tcp@rcn.com; tcopeace.org Rabbi Melody Davis | Cantor Jill Pakman Reform TCP holds Shabbat evening services every Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and a Renewal Style Shabbat morning service on the 4th Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. A Family Shabbat Service is held on the second Friday night of each month at 6:30 p.m. Our services reflect a diverse culture of traditional, innovative and musical experiences with a Reform Jewish context. Religious School meets on Sunday mornings from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. We have a Family Game / Movie night on the first Saturday of every month at 6 p.m. For more information about our Temple and activities, see our website at www.tcopeace.org or look us up on Facebook.

TEMPLE SHIRAT SHALOM Cantor Ellen Sussman Friday night SHABBAT WORSHIP SERVICES held at 7 p.m. at The Swain School, 1100 South 24th St., Allentown. For more information, Contact Us at templeshiratshalom.org or 610-820-7666.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | OCTOBER 2014 31

Stop the Sirens: Israel Emergency Campaign

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT $238,616 raised (as of 9/23/14)

Dr. Marc and Aliette Abo Leonard Abrams Linda Adler Richard and Maria Ain Aaron Alkasov Elaine Atlas Dr. Betzalel and Pnina Avitzur Miriam Bandler Tama Lee Barsky Michael and Barbara Bassano Jeremy and Lauren Berger Richard Bergstein Steven Bergstein and Nanci Goldman Bergstein Dr. Marc and Lauren Berson Dr. Joan Bischoff Hon. Alan and Donna Black Robert and Laura Black Dr. Jeffrey and Jill Blinder Dr. Robert and Linda Bloch Leonard and Beverly Bloch Ellis and Lisa Block Rance and Sheryl Block Ross and Wendy Born John and Miriam Harris Botzum Nathan and Marilyn Braunstein Benjamin Breitbart Regina Brenner Ziona Brotleit Evelyn H. Brown Dr. Sam and Sylvia Bub Gail Burger Dr. Ian and Patricia Carlis Allen and Marjorie Carroll Kip and Judith Casper Lawrence Center Peter and Muriel Charon Marilyn Claire Judi Cohen-Roberts Edward and Natalie Coleman Dr. William and Gail Combs Arlene Dabrow Edwin and Rabbi Melody Davis Hon. Maxwell and Barbara Davison Richard and Ruth Derby Dr. George and Roberta Diamond Marc and Judy Diamondstein Marilyn Doluisio Vicki Duerr William and Dr. Tamar Earnest Helen Ebert Wendy Edwards Glenn and Jan Ehrich Eduardo and Jeanette Eichenwald Barbara Einhorn Fred and Gail Eisenberg

Jack and Shirley Engelson Jonathan and Iris Epstein Joan Epstein Joseph Epstein and Sheryl Feinstein Eleanor Extract Dr. Alex and Harriet Feig Samuel and Lynn Feldman Dr. Eric J. and Amy Fels Edward and Brenda Finberg Claudia Fischmann Roberto and Eileen Fischmann Veronica Fischmann Dr. Jay and Fran Fisher Tama Fogelman and Family Brian and Emily Ford Dr. Ari and Mia Forgosh The Fraenkel Family Lauri Franko Dr. Henry and Monica Friess and Family Gary Fromer and Dr. Carol Bub Fromer Louis and Shirley Furmansky Stewart and Carol Furmansky Dr. Todd and Laura Garber Murray and Linda Garber Gail Gelb Ronald and Olga Gelber Dr. Gene and Ann Ginsberg Renee Gittler Dr. Lawrence and Vicki Glaser Leonard and Rhoda Glazier Dr. Joel and Muriel Glickman Neil and Edyth Glickstein Virginia Gliedman Ann Goldberg Dr. Gordon and Rose Lee Goldberg Caroline Goldblat Andrew and Rachael Goldfarb Dr. Harold and Sandra Goldfarb Barry Goldin and Cheri Sterman Mark L. Goldstein and Shari Spark Libby Golomb Allan and Mary Goodman Aaron Gorodzinsky Betty Greenberg Dr. H. William and Ruth Gross Norman and Nina Gruenberg Samuel Guncler Barry and Carol R. Halper Marion Halperin Aaron Hammel Robert and Bonnie Hammel Dr. Bruce Hargreaves and Stephanie Katz Jerome and Florence Hausman Philip Heyman Arthur and Susan Hochhauser Les and Ricky Hochhauser

Carol Hoffman Dr. David and Susan Hyman Nat and Erica Hyman Julius and Rosanna Jacobs Selma Jacowitz Dr. John Jaffe Baron and Marjorie Jasper Stanley Johnson and Anne Morris Rabbi Allen and Toby Juda Dr. Robert and Janice Kaplan Sidney and Helene Kaplan Dr. Binae Karpo Carolyn Katwan Drs. Stephen and Barbara Katz Martin and Susanne Katz Dr. Jay and Phyllis Kaufman Dr. Corey and Lisa Kirshner Rosine Knafo James and Kathleen Koones Lucy Korsky Dr. Wesley and Beth Kozinn Dr. Joshua and Teri Krassen Robert and Roberta Kritzer Ruth Kugelman Ferne Rodale Kushner Dr. Howard and Beth Kushnick Gary and Jennifer Lader Lawrence Lang and Elaine N. Deutch Dr. Paul H. and Elaine Langer Peter and Madeline Langman Dr. Michael and Carole Langsam Dr. Paul and Diane Lemberg and Family Martin and Monica Lemelman Elaine Lerner Joan Lesavoy Olivier and Alice Level Dr. Lawrence and Eva Levitt Dr. Edward and Ursla Levy Leonard and Janice Levy Gilfrid and Michele Levy Joan Lichtenstein Rivki Lindauer and Dr. Lisa Lindauer Dr. Jay and Evelyn Lipschutz Donald and Lois Lipson Morton and Pearl Litwak Anne Lyons Jean Mandel Dr. Eiran and Janet Mandelker Reba Marblestone Dr. Norman and Roberta Marcus Dr. Moshe and Lisa Markowitz Aliza Martin Diane McKee Dr. David and Robyn Meir-Levi Ruth Meislin Dr. Gerald and Ethel Melamut

Robert and Betty Mendelson Betty Mikofsky Edith Miller Dr. Holmes and Jeannie Miller Michael and Linda Miller Norman and Maxine Miller Michael Molovinsky Daniel and Larisa Morgenbesser Gladys Morgenstein Dr. Alan and Judith Morrison Dr. Robert and Amy Morrison Tom and Sarah Morse James and Shelah Mueth Andrew and Judith Murman Henry and Jill Narrow Dr. Douglas and Ruth Nathanson Howard and Jill Nathanson Dexter and Sally Neadle Jay and Bobbi Needle Richard and Paula Nelson Taffi Ney Dr. Mark and Alice Notis Dr. Michael and Ruth Notis Dr. Steven and Nancy Oberlender Diana Fischmann Orenstein and Dr. Noah Orenstein Ellen Osher and Robert Prichard Debbie Ovitz Dr. Gary and Jennifer Oxfeld Lena Packer Leon and Elaine Papir Alan and Roberta Penn Drs. Andrew and Flora Pestcoe Rabbi Seth Phillips and Marge Kramer Edward and Beth Posner Dr. Robert and Lota Post Alex and Nava Raban Yardena Raban Elaine Rappaport-Bass Dr. Richard and Barbara Reisner Ruth Reiter Linda Rich Dr. Chester Ringel Dan and Mary Rockman Harry and Carole Rose Marjorie Rosen Dr. Alex and Robin Rosenau Dr. Joel Rosenfeld Dr. Marvin and Janet Rosenthal Drs. Jarrod and Nicole Rosenthal Dr. Abraham and Nancy Ross and Family Alan and Mary Salinger Leonard and Arlene Samuelson Dr. Charles and Sheila Saunders Mary Lou Scarf Joseph B. and Rita Scheller

Irwin and Ellen Schneider Helaine Schonberger Lewis and Nesha Schor Warren and Rabbi Rebecca Schorr Renee Schwartz Mark and Deena Scoblionko Stanley Shrager Helaine Sigal Dr. Howard and Diane Silverman Rabbi Melissa Simon Rabbi Michael Singer and Alexis Vega-Singer Adam and Stephanie Smartschan Dr.Yehuda and Victoria Smooha Dr. Arthur and Audrey Sosis Bruce and Jill Steigerwald Lisa C. Stein Dr. Phil and Diane Stein Dr. Richard and Arlene Stein Dr. Jay E. and Margery Strauss Dr. Michael F. Stroock Dr. David and Barbara Sussman Dr. Frank and Tama Tamarkin David Teumim Ron Ticho and Pam Lott Richard and Marsha Timmerman Dr. William and Pauline Trachtenberg Dr. Darren and Stefanie Traub Dr. Michael and Eileen Ufberg Michael Ulman Dr. Stephen and Beverly Volk Dr. Arkady and Ilana Voloshin Lynn Waite Dori Wallace Eugene and Alice Ward Dr. Ronald and Beverly Wasserman Martin and Frances Weinberg Jean Weiner Joseph and Kristina Weiner Gary and Marsha Weingartner Arthur and Barbara Weinrach Louise Weinstein Michael Weinstein Dr. Michael and Leslie Weinstock Les and Anita Weintraub Barbara Wiener Steven and Margo Wiener James and Linda Wimmer Norman and Sandra Wruble Gladys Yass Bruce and Alicia Zahn Jerry and Flossie Zales Dr. Israel and Valeska Zighelboim Dr. Zeev and Narda Zimerman Jeffrey and Susan Zimskind Anonymous (22)