April 24, 2015 by Jewish Rhode Island

Volume XXI, Issue IX | www.thejewishvoice.org Serving Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts

MOTHER’S DAY

5 Iyar 5775 | April 24, 2015

David Kertzer wins Pulitzer BOSTON (JTA) – Historian David Kertzer won a Pulitzer Prize for his biography detailing how Benito Mussolini’s secret relationship with Pope Pius XI influenced the Italian dictator’s persecution of his country’s Jews. Kertzer, a professor of anthropology and Italian studies at Brown University, was recognized in the biography-autobiography category for “The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe.” Also recognized, for fiction, was Anthony Doerr for another book on World War II, “All the Light We Cannot See,” a complexly woven and emotionally powerful novel set in occupied France and Nazi Germany. The prestigious journalism and literature awards were announced April 20. Kertzer based his book on research into papal documents from the inter-war years released by Pope John Paul II and other material. The Pulitzer committee called it “an engrossing dual biography that uses recently opened Vatican archives to shed light on two

David Kertzer men who exercised nearly absolute power over their realms.” Kertzer told The Brown Daily Herald, “The ‘eye-opening’ revelation constitutes a concrete example of Pius XI provoking statesanctioned anti-Semitism in the years leading up to and during World War II.” Kertzer’s 1997 nonfiction book, “The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara,” won the National Jewish Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award. It is being made into a film by Steven Spielberg based on a script by Tony Kushner.

Reps. Mia Ackerman and Aaron Regunberg, far right, pose with, from left, Rabbi Wayne Franklin of Temple Emanu-El, Jewish Alliance of RI Community Relations Director Marty Cooper and Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger at the State House.

Bernd Wollschlaeger brings powerful story to community Holocaust event BY PATRICIA RASKIN Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger was the keynote speaker for the 31st Annual Rhode Island Interfaith Commemoration of the Holocaust on April 15 at Temple Emanu-El. This year’s

commemoration honored the memory of the 6 million Jewish victims and millions of others who perished in the darkness of the Shoah. Now a Jew by choice, Wollschlaeger was born the Christian son of a World War II German

tank commander. Wollschlaeger’s father, a third generation warrior, received Germany’s highest military honor, the Iron Cross, which was pinned on his uniform by Adolf Hitler himself. STORY | 29

When El Al ﬂew to Tehran

BY URIEL HEILMAN JTA – Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, fell on April 23. In honor of the Jewish state’s 67th birthday, we present, in no particular order, 10 little-known aspects of its history.

1. El Al used to ﬂy to Tehran.

Iran and Israel enjoyed mostly good relations until the Islamic

And nine other things you may not know about Israel’s past

revolution that overthrew the shah in 1979. Iran recognized Israel in 1950, becoming the second Muslim-majority country to do so (after Turkey). Iran supplied Israel with oil during the OPEC oil embargo, Israel sold Iran weapons, there was brisk trade between the countries, and El Al flew regular flights between Tel Aviv and Tehran.

All that ended a week after the shah’s ouster, when Iran’s new rulers cut ties with Israel and transferred its embassy in Tehran to the Palestine Liberation Organization. Even after 35 years of hostilities, however, Iranians have less antipathy toward Jews than any other Middle Eastern nation. A 2014 global anti-Semitism survey by the

Anti-Defamation League found that 56 percent of Iranians hold anti-Semitic views – compared to 80 percent of Moroccans and 93 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. For more on Israelis in Iran, check out the 2014 documentary “Before the Revolution.”

2. Israel is home to hundreds of Nazi descendants.

At least 400 descendants of Nazis have converted to Judaism and moved to Israel, according to filmmakers who made a documentary about the phenomenon several years ago. In addition, others converted to Judaism or married Israelis but do not live in the Jewish state – for example ISRAEL’S PAST | 28

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INSIDE Business 24-25 Calendar 10 Classiﬁed 25 Community 2-6, 11, 13-15, 29 D’Var Torah 7 Food 12 Israel 25, 28 Mother’s Day 17-22 Nation 23 Obituaries 27 Opinion 8-9 Seniors 26 Simchas | We Are Read 30 World 7

THIS ISSUE’S QUOTABLE QUOTE

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Spring watercolor ﬂorals, and photography from Nigeria Works by three artists are featured in the May/June show in the gallery at Temple Habonim. Two artists work in watercolors with very individual styles. The third has traveled to Nigeria to photograph the Igbo people. Nancy Godfray gives life to her watercolors with her expert use of brush and color. She captures the sunlight on the rose, yet the well-designed setting discloses so much more. A member of the Providence Art Club where she has had shows, she also works in oils and white line woodblock printing. Toni Petersen brings forth the essence of a floral arrangement or a landscape. Her work is not a reproduction, but rather a view of what is beyond the obvious. She captures energy and transmits that to the viewer. An artist member of the Rhode Island Watercolor Society, she

is the winner of many awards. Shai Afsai traveled to Abuja, Nigeria, three times in 2013 and 2014 to document the Igbo, many of whom consider themselves Jews. He has photographed and written about their adherence to Jewish practices. His talents bring us into their community and acquaint us with their daily life. On May 21 at 7 p.m., there will be a program in the gallery with Rabbi Barry Dolinger and Naomi Baine who also were in Nigeria The exhibit is on view from May 3 through June 25, with an artists’ reception May 3 from 1 to 3 p.m. The Gallery at Temple Habonim is at 165 New Meadow Road in Barrington. Gallery hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

and by appointment. For information, call 401-245-6536 or email gallery@templehabonim. org.

Shai Afsai, “Onyeka Ibeh and her baby, Yishai, outside Tikvat Israel Synagogue”

“We must reconsider what we are sending and receiving through our keyboards, screens and earbuds.” Nancy Godfray, “Sunlit Rose”

Toni Petersen, “Riot of Flowers”

Spend some time this Spring At Laurelmead Cooperative’s

HOME IMPROVEMENT SHOW Wednesday, May 27 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Seniors thinking about downsizing or even selling their homes should attend this home improvement show hosted by Rhode Island’s only resident owned retirement community. Contractors from all aspects of home repair, remodeling and design will be ready to assist you. In addition, experts in home sales and retirement living options will be hosting small discussion groups. Space is limited, so register today. The first 20 registrations will receive a free Next Generation Club membership to Laurelmead good for the rest of 2015, which is your ticket to all of the great events at Laurelmead Cooperative. To register, contact our Sales Counselors at 401-273-9550 or sales@laurelmead.com. Laurelmead Cooperative 355 Blackstone Boulevard Providence, RI 02906 laurelmead.com Be sure to ask about our new ‘short-stay rental’ option…

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April 24, 2015 |

Israel’s National Remembrance Day BY VARDA STIEGLITZ Last year, on Yom Ha’Zikaron, (Israel’s National Remembrance Day), I was in Jerusalem. This day occurs one day before Israel’s Independence Day, or Yom Ha’Atzmaut. Remembrance Day is a very solemn occasion in Israel because it memorializes all those who have fallen in wars to defend the State of Israel. The whole country is in mourning and all radio and television stations continually broadcast biographies and names of fallen heroes, who have lost their lives defending their homeland. Since Israel is a small country, almost every family has been touched by this terrible tragedy such as the loss of a child, father, husband or a friend in battle to protect the land of Israel or in the many terrorist attacks. Therefore the sorrow of the day is felt by everyone. Israel is a place that never forgets its heroes, martyrs and fallen soldiers. During the War of Independence in 1948, many of the soldiers who fought in the fledgling Israeli army were young Holocaust survivors who arrived in the new land as orphans without any family. Sadly, some of them fell in battle protecting their new adopted country. There was no one left to mourn them. The Israeli Government and Israeli Defense Forces never wanted to forget the sacrifice that these young men made toward the establishment of the new state. These organizations decided to seek Israeli families willing to “adopt” the fallen soldiers posthumously as their own sons, so that each one would have someone to say Kaddish, the mourner’s prayer for them. Many people volunteered to accept this task. My friends, Zahava and

Avner Chanoch were one such family. They adopted a young man by the name of Yaakov Goldwasser. He was born in Poland and survived the Holocaust all by himself. Yaakov’s entire family was murdered by the Nazis. He arrived in Israel in 1946. In 1948, when the State of Israel was declared, he joined the IDF. He fell in battle defending Atarot when he was only 23 years old. The Chanoch family adopted him as a son after his death, and they spent a long time researching the details of his life, such as the names of his birth parents. Avner Chanoch observes the anniversary of his death by reciting Kaddish, and the couple visits his grave at the Sanhedriya cemetery in Jerusalem. They also speak about him to their congregation to make sure that he is not forgotten. I went to the cemetery with the Chanoch family last year on Yom Ha’Zikaron and observed the ceremony there conducted by the IDF military chaplain. Before the ceremony, IDF soldiers had arrived and placed lit candles, flowers and Israeli fl ags on each grave. I was told that this was done all over Israel in every military cemetery for every soldier and casualty who fell in battle. The Cantor, “Hazzan” chanted the “El Male Rachamim.” The cemetery was fi lled with relatives and guests who came to give their respects. Each family stood near the graveside of their loved one. The ceremony ended with a gun salute. It is comforting to know that these soldiers, heroes and martyrs such as Yaakov Goldwasser of blessed memory will never be forgotten.

“Israel is a place that never forgets its heroes, martyrs and fallen soldiers.”

VARDA STIEGLITZ is a former Attleboro High School teacher and educational consultant.

More than 75 people attended a Yom Ha’Zikaron event at the Dwares JCC April 21 that included a solemn ceremony and a discussion by a panel of community members who have served in the IDF. Organized by Israeli Shaliach Gilor Meshulam, who served in the IDF, those who attended could take candles with a QR code that would take them to an online message about a fallen Israeli soldier. The evening included song and prayer. PHOTO | FRAN OSTENDORF

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United Brothers Synagogue to celebrate two anniversaries This spring marks two anniversaries in the history of United Brothers Synagogue. Not only will the Bristol landmark be celebrating the 115th anniversary of its original founding (1900), but it will mark the 40th anniversary of its “re-founding.” In the mid1960s, the number of members had dwindled to the point that the location at 205 High St. was no longer used for religious services. The building, however, was not sold and, thanks to the care of the Leviten family, it was never

allowed to fall into disrepair. In February of 1975, after a decade of inactivity, a determined group of nine Bristolians met to explore the possibility of revitalizing the synagogue. Present were Alton and Gloria Brody, Nancy Hillman, William Hillman, Eleanor Radin, Lena and David Leviten, Maynard Shusman and Steven Roth. Alton Brody, Gloria Brody and Nancy Hillman spearheaded the campaign and one month later a larger organizational meeting

Join

Nancy Spielberg (sister of ) for the screening of her film

At the New Bedford Whaling Museum Wednesday, May 6, 2015 7 PM

The film is a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford and is FREE of charge Space is limited RSVP to office@jewishnewbedford.org Check out this film preview: http://aboveandbeyondthemovie.com/trailer

was held which drew about 30 people from surrounding towns. In addition to the original planners, Mr. and Mrs. William Crausman, Arline and Maynard Suzman, Dotty and James Awerman, Fran and Eugene Katzen, Marilyn and Ronald Hantoot, Mickey and Steve Roth and Lois and George Graboys spent hours getting the beautiful old building ready for its first service. St. Mary’s and St. Michael’s helped, donating paint and wood paneling for renovations. St. Matthew’s, an Episcopal church in Jamestown, donated a pipe organ. On April 4, 1975, the first service in almost 10 years was held at 205 High St., led by Cantor Crausman. That first year the synagogue was host to guest speakers, starting in May 1975 with the new Attorney General of Rhode Island Julius Michaelson. Others who participated were Dr. Joshua Stein, Dan Asher, Adam Farkas, Norman Tilles and Robert Reisman. It was a busy year for UBS. In October 1975, the congregation held a celebrity auction with Providence Mayor Vincent

CONTRIBUTING WRITER Irina Missiuro EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS Irina Missiuro | Judith Romney Wegner DESIGN & LAYOUT Leah Camara

Cianci as the guest auctioneer. November saw a joint interfaith service with St. Mary’s. Cantor Crausman led the service, and he was joined by the St. Mary’s Cathedral chorus with Father William O’Connell as guest speaker. Now, 40 years later, United Brothers will hold a service on May 1, celebrating the wonderful people who worked so hard to bring the congregation back

to life. The congregation is fortunate to have Gloria Brody in attendance for this special occasion, and hopes that the word will spread to others. Those who either remember that era or who are descended from those who made this possible are welcome to join the congregation at United Brothers Synagogue on May 1 at 7:30 p.m. for a memorable service and coffee hour to follow.

Temple Beth-El honors Rabbi Gutterman On May 29, Temple Beth-El will kick-off a celebratory weekend, honoring Rabbi Leslie Yale Gutterman’s 45 years of service at Temple Beth-El and his transition to Senior Rabbi Emeritus status in July. The inaugural event will be a 7 p.m. Shabbat service led by Gutterman’s Temple Beth-El clergy colleagues, Rabbi Sarah Mack and Cantor Judy Seplowin, who will be joined on the bimah by his daughters, Rabbi Rebecca Gutterman, currently rabbi at Congregation B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek, California, and Elizabeth Gutterman of Boston. The service will be followed by a festive Oneg Shabbat. Both the service and the Oneg are open to the community. On May 30, Temple Beth-El will be the site for a Temple membersonly concert by six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald. Gutterman came to Temple Beth-El in 1970 as assistant rabbi, serving under then Senior Rabbi William G. Braude. When Braude retired in 1974, Gutterman was selected to replace him. He is the longest serving rabbi in Rhode

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Tricia Stearly tstearly@jewishallianceri.org 401-421-4111, ext. 160 EDITOR Fran Ostendorf

Gloria Brody and William Crausman

Karen Borger ksborger@gmail.com 401-529-2538 VOICE ADVISORY GROUP Elanah Chassen, Melanie Coon, Douglas Emanuel, Stacy Emanuel, Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser, John Landry, Toby London, Mindy Stone COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, Rabbi James Rosenberg and Daniel Stieglitz

Island and has been the recipient of a Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College and holds honorary degrees from the University of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, Johnson & Wales University, Providence College, Rhode Island College and Bryant University and has been honored by many of R.I.’s social service organizations. He was re-

cently named one of the 33 most inspiring rabbis in North America by the Jewish Daily Forward. In July, Gutterman will be succeeded as senior rabbi by Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman, currently serving at Temple B’Nai Tikvah in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. For further information, contact Judy Moseley, executive director, Temple Beth-El, 401-331-6070.

Temple Shalom plans celebration Rabbi Marc S. Jagolinzer has served as spiritual leader of Temple Shalom in Middletown for 40 years. He has touched the lives of hundreds of people throughout the Jewish and general Rhode Island communities. To mark this milestone occasion, Temple Shalom will honor him the weekend of June 5-7, with special Shabbat services and a celebration dinner with entertainment. Services will be held at Temple Shalom on June 5 at 7:30 p.m. and June 6 at 10 a.m. The dinner will be held

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June 7 at 6 p.m. at the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown. The rabbi also will be presented with a testimonial book of personal messages and memories. All are welcome to share in these celebrations. To purchase tickets for the dinner, please contact Gerry and Mickie MacNeill at gerrymick@cox.net. To purchase ad space in the testimonial book, contact Ed Scheff at escheff@cox.net. The deadline for both is May 15.

COPY DEADLINES: All news releases, photographs, etc., must be received on the Wednesday two weeks prior to publication. Submissions may be sent to: editor@jewishallianceri.org. ADVERTISING: We do not accept advertisements for pork or shellfish. We do not attest to the kashrut of any product or the legitimacy of our advertisers’ claims. All submitted content becomes the property of The Voice. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of The Voice or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

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Torat Yisrael children get hands-on Passover lesson BY DORI ADLER Students at Temple Torat Yisrael’s Cohen School had an exciting time on March 29 participating in “Leaving Egypt” Passover program. The program offered an engaging and meaningful approach to fulfilling the commandment to remember and tell the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt from generation to generation. Teachers and parent volunteers facilitated this experiential program during which the students participated in handson activities that engaged all of their senses and allowed them to make a personal connection to the Passover Seder and the story of our exodus from Egypt. The students were able to touch, hear, smell and see the wonderful experiences of the holiday of Passover. Each station was researched and designed as a sensory way to experience the Seder steps with their teachers and student body. The groups, separated by classes, were assigned a tribe of Israel (Benyamin, Naftali, Dan, Judah and Levi) and were provided with a map of the Seder steps. They were then sent on a journey to freedom. At the first station, students drank juice for kiddush, washed their hands for ur’chatz, and dipped their karpas in saltwater. Passover, also called Hag ha’matzot (the holiday of matzah) provided the school with the opportunity to explore some questions that our students have asked. Is it hard to make your own matzah? And does it taste different? In the hope of answering these fantastic questions, the next station, Yachatz, enabled the students to make homemade matzah. The experience was really messy and fun! All of the students measured and mixed, and rolled out the dough, and watched the clock to make sure it was completed in the 18 minutes allowed. It was a success! The students tested the difference in texture and taste between traditional boxed matzah and homemade. And they sure tast-

ed different! Excited, the students moved to the next Passover station, Maggid, and sang the Four Questions with help from Rabbi Philmus and his guitar. Then, encouraged to ask questions, they wrote down four questions about Passover for the rabbi to answer. This assignment yielded many insightful questions by all age groups. Samples included: Why do we recline at the Seder? Why do we eat macaroons? Why do we hide the afikoman? Why do we need to get rid of hametz? Why do we tell the story of Passover? Why do we read from the Haggadah? How do we choose certain foods to represent different parts of the Seder? Why did God choose Moses to free the slaves from Egypt? Are licorice or jelly beans kosher for Passover? Continuing through their Passover journey, the students washed their hands (rachtzah) and joined together as a class to bless the matzah. Next, they visited their favorite table – maror, korech and shulchan orech. There, they assembled their own haroset with apples, cin-

namon, juice and nuts. The students ate Hillel sandwiches and enjoyed other kosher for Passover delicious goodies. They explored their taste buds with spicy horseradish and sweet macaroons.

Finally, they were in the search of tzafun, and explored their classrooms looking for hidden chocolate matzah. Once they ate their dessert, the whole school came together in their tribal camps and sang beautiful

songs with Rabbi Philmus and their friends to complete the Passover journey to freedom. DORI ADLER is education director of Temple Torat Yisrael.

PHOTOS | DORI ADLER

Grades 6-7 at the maror, korech and shulchan orech station with Rabbi Philmus.

Jacob Sousa shows off the completed homemade matzah.

Grades 2-3 pose with their teacher Allie Robbio.

This Yom HaAtzma’ut, celebrate red, white, and blue. Magen David Adom, Israel’s only official emergency medical response agency, has been saving lives since before 1948. And supporters like you provide MDA’s 14,000 paramedics and EMTs — 12,000 of them volunteers — with the training and equipment they need. So as we celebrate Israel’s independence, save a life in Israel with your gift to MDA. Please give today. AFMDA New England PO Box 600714 Newton, MA 02460 Tel 617.916.1827 new-england@afmda.org l

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A Tangled Legacy: 1,000 years of French Jewry in words and music Major concert comes to Temple Emanu-El BY LINDA SHAMOON What do these well-known people from history have in common? Sarah Bernhardt, Leon Blum, Emile Durkheim, Claude LevyStrauss, André Maurois, Marcel Marceau, Pierre Mendes, Marcel Proust, James Mayer de Rothschild, and Rabbi Shlomo Itzhaki (better known as Rashi). They are French Jews, and each one of them contributed significantly to French life and culture in their times. Here is another interesting list of names. What do they have in common? Charles-Valentin Alkan, Fromental Halévy, Jacques Offenbach, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Darius Milhaud, Samuel Naumbourg, Kurt Weill. They are composers and Jews in France whose careers, at crucial times during their lives, were centered in Paris, and who composed music – each one of them – that contributed to French life and culture in their times and to Western musical culture to this day. The music of these Jewish composers, as well as the his-

tory of the Jews of France from the time of Rashi to today, will be featured in a major concert on May 17 at Temple EmanuEl in Providence. The 7 p.m. concert is open to the public. A Tangled Legacy: 1,000 Years of French Jewry in Words and Music features a wide range of musical genres – religious, classical, jazz, cabaret and North African – from almost all French historical eras, starting with examples from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through the centuries to today, performed by outstanding instrumental soloists, guest vocal soloists and choir. Each era will be put in its historical and Jewish context through an original script. Special musical treats as well as set scenes are abundant throughout this program. For example, the program begins with a scene of men and boys huddled around a Talmud volume, chanting in the style of Rashi’s time. The next scene features a trio of young women from the teen choir Kol Kesem Hazamir, portraying Rashi’s daughters – who were said to have studied Torah – singing a traditional medieval version of Adon Olam. Next, a harpsichord and recorder accompany scenes and songs of French Renaissance Jewry. When the

concert narrative reaches the French Revolution, the organ plays La Marseillaise but the choir sings the Hebrew words to Eil Adon and the audience is invited to sing, too. For the Classical, Romantic and modern eras, the music is amazingly varied and familiar: Shabbat service melodies by Samuel Naumberg that we still sing today, Jacques Offenbach’s Can Can, Kurt Weill’s cabaret torch song Je Ne T’Aime Pas, and Darius Milhaud’s jazzy Caramel Mou. As the narrative reaches the decades of North African Jewry’s repatriation to France, the program features the instruments and toe-tapping melodies of their Shabbat service. The lively, varied and authentic music for this concert has been specially selected and arranged by Cantor Joseph Ness, an award-winning composer, arranger and conductor. The original, historically accurate script, written by Cantor Lynn Torgove of Hebrew College Boston and Cantor Dr. Brian J. Mayer of Temple EmanuEl, will be narrated by Dr. Bill Miles. A professor of political science at Northeastern University, Dr. Miles specializes in Jewish historical and cultural studies, including a focus on the Jews of France and franLEGACY | 7

Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island

Save the Date

4th Annual Meeting Wednesday, June 10, 2015 | 7:00pm Dwares JCC 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence

D’VAR TORAH | WORLD

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On earbuds and screens What’s coming forth from your device? BY RABBI CANTOR ANNE HEATH Come, my children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:12-14) April 24 is Shabbat Parashat Tazria-Metzora with the Torah text found in Sefer Vayikra 12:1 to 15:33. One key teaching from this Torah portion concerns tzara’at or the disfiguring affliction on houses, garments and persons as a result of sin. While our portion itself is not specific about what sin causes tzara’at, both Moses and Miriam suffered from tzara’at: Moses, when he disbelieved God’s ability to make the Israelites accept that he was their rightful leader (Exodus 4:6-7), and Miriam, when she spoke slanderously about Moses’ wife (Exodus 12:10). While neither

undertook the exact methods of purification outlined in our Torah portion, our rabbis and sages drew from these examples that the cause of tzara’at is lashon ha-ra – evil language, speech or slander. In addition to these examples, these commentators underscored their teaching with a play on words that took Metzora – the one who is afflicted with tzara’at – and reshaped the word into Motzi-ra – the one who brings out or emits evil. How does one “emit evil”? Through evil speech, they declared. And, thus, a Torah text, which Rashbam declared to be “beyond human knowledge” became a concrete teaching across the centuries. When Rashbam comments on tzara’at, that its understanding is beyond human knowledge (see Nehama Leibowitz on these Torah portions), he is not giving us a “pass” to ignore the Torah, he is commanding us to seek out, and rely upon, our tradition and the teachings of generations of scholars.

For example, in rabbinic literature (as detailed in the “Encyclopedia Judaica”), are these Midrashic and Talmudic citations on punishments and repentances for those engaging in lashon ha-ra. We are no longer in the Torah world of tzara’at and priestly ministrations and sacrifices, but in the rabbinic world – namely, for the sin of lashon ha-ra: • They are immediately chastised by plagues (Avot de Rabbi Natan 19). • Rain is withheld because of them (Ta’an. 7b). • Croup comes to the world on account of slander (Shab. 33a–b). • Whoever makes derogatory remarks about deceased scholars is cast into Gehinnom (destination of the wicked) (Ber. 19a). • Slanderers will not enjoy the Shekhinah (Divine Presence; Sot. 42a). • A bearer of evil tales is considered as denying God (Ar. 15b). • Whoever relates or accepts slander deserves to be cast to

Pope Francis meets with leading European rabbis at Vatican JNS.org – Pope Francis met with a delegation of leading European rabbis at the Vatican April 20 to discuss Jewish-Christian relations and the ongoing surge of European anti-Semitism. The delegation was from the Conference of European Rabbis, which represents more than 700 rabbis from synagogues across Europe. In his remarks to the Jewish leaders, Francis noted this coming October’s 50th anniversary of the landmark Vatican II Nostra Aetate document, which ended centuries of anti-Jewish policies in the Catholic Church and

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ushered in a new era of JewishCatholic relations. Francis said that it is more important than ever to emphasize “the spiritual and religious dimension of life in Europe,” and that Jews and Christians have a duty of “preserving a sense of the sacred and reminding people that our lives are a gift from God,” Vatican Radio reported. The pontiff also addressed the rising anti-Semitism in Europe, saying that the “great tragedy” of the Holocaust should remain a “warning for present and future generations.”

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, told Francis that many European Jews feel “trapped” between the growing anti-Semitism from Muslim immigrants and the secular backlash of many European political leaders. Goldschmidt also raised concern regarding the West’s potential conflict with Russia, saying that there is a “new mounting wall between East and West.” He urged the pontiff to help build new bridges and bring the West back from the brink of war.

LEGACY

cophone countries. The worldrenowned pianist Judith Lynn Stillman, a major recording artist and international piano soloist, will play throughout the program. Other guests include instrumental soloists from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as mezzo-soprano Torgove, soprano Maayan Harel, tenor Cantor Michael McCloskey, tenor Mayer, and baritone Ness. The Shir Emanu-El Choir, Kol Kesem Hazamir, plus singers from the choirs of Temple Beth El, West Hartford, and the Central Congregational Church, Providence, are also on the program. A Tangled Legacy: 1,000 Years of French Jewry in Words and Music is the final event in Arts Emanu-El’s

2014 four-part arts and culture series focused on the Jews of France. Each of these events has larger-than-expected audiences so early ticket purchase is advised. The series began with Yves Jeuland’s authoritative documentary film, “Comme un Juif en France” (Being Jewish in France), followed by a moderated discussion of the Dreyfus Affair as prompted by Robert Harris’s “An Officer and a Spy” and then by a French buffet breakfast and talk by Dean Maud Mandel of Brown University, on Jews and Muslims in France: History of a Conflict. Next season’s Arts Emanu-El events are currently slated to include a film, a solo recital, an art exhibit, plus a concert. The official Arts Emanu-El calen-

dar and brochure with the annual program is published in September. For tickets to A Tangled Legacy: 1,000 Years of French Jewry in Words and Music on May 17 at 7 p.m. go to TEProv.org or send a check to: Temple EmanuEl, 99 Taft Ave., Providence, R.I. 02906. Note: “Tangled Legacy Concert.” Ticket pricing: in advance, $50, $36, $15; at the door, $55, $40, $20. For sponsor tickets with reserved seating and parking, contact Judy Greenblatt, president, at 401-331-1616 (leave a message). LINDA SHAMOON, is cochair, Arts Emanu-El at Temple Emanu-El.

the dogs (Pes. 118a), and stoned (Ar. 15b). The Talmud then delineates the repentance for those wishing to atone for this sin: • Scholars were advised to engage in Torah study, while simple persons were urged to humble themselves (Ar. 15b). • The robe of the high priest and the incense aided in achieving atonement for this sin (Zev. 88b). • Mar, the son of Ravina, on concluding his daily prayer added the following: “My God, keep my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking guile” (Ber. 17a), a formula that has been added at the end of the Amidah. In modern times, Rabbi Israel Meir Ha-Kohen (Chofetz Chayyim – Desirer of Life – from our Psalm 34 citation; 1839-1933) gained wide recognition for his many books and writings, which stressed the gravity of the sin of lashon ha-ra. For all of us, especially for our children and teens, there is much to learn, because lashon ha-ra is a great deal more than just what is conventionally considered gossip or “telling tales” about someone. As Joseph Telushkin teaches in his “Book of Values,” “While libel and slander, which involve the transmission of untrue statements, are universally regarded as immoral and generally illegal, most people regard a negative but true statement made about another as morally permissible. “Jewish law opposes this view. The fact that something is true doesn’t mean it is anybody else’s business. Lashon ha-ra refers to any statement that is

true but that lowers the status of the person about whom it is said.” With these Jewish teachings in mind, we must reconsider what we are sending and receiving through our keyboards, screens and earbuds. Mightn’t a great deal of it be lashon hara? How much of what appears on Facebook or Snapchat or Instagram or Twitter actually “lowers the status of the person about whom it is said”? And, even more: how much of what appears is actually fact? This is a complex topic which is too often taught at the most rudimentary level – “how would you like it if someone said that about you” without going deeper and more fully into traditional Jewish teachings. I commend to you the writings of the Chofetz Chayyim, easily introduced online in the “Ethics of Speech” class at torah.org. When we bring ourselves to Torah and pray for the discernment to have our lives shaped by the truths Torah teaches, let us also pray those truths will bear fruit in our lives and will help heal our relationships and our world. Kein yehi ratzon – thus may it be so. Shalom. RABBI CANTOR ANNE HEATH (rabbi.taunton@verizon.net), spiritual leader of Congregation Agudath Achim and the Jewish Community House, a 105-year old progressive, independent congregation in Taunton, Mass., is a member of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island and the Massachusetts Board of Rabbis.

Candle Lighting Times

Greater Rhode Island

April 24.............................7:15 May 1 ................................7:23 May 8 ................................7:31 May 15..............................7:38

OPINION

8 | April 24, 2015

Help support your little slice of Jewish Rhode Island We are part of a small network of “niche” newspapers in the United States. You might even call us exclusive. We are a Jewish newspaper. It’s in our mission statement, and it’s proudly part of our name. There’s no mistaking the readerEDITOR ship we aim to FRAN serve. This is your OSTENDORF n e w s p a p e r. This is where you can learn about the Rhode Island Jewish community (and that of nearby Massachusetts) and find interesting stories pertaining to national and world Judaism and Israel. Our advertising is aimed at you, and it comes from all over Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts, only limited by matters of taste and kashrut. No one will cover our community the way the Voice does. No one else will bring to Rhode Island a Jewish perspective on local, national and world events. This is Jewish journalism, little Rhody style. But in a world of declining general newspaper readership, we face the same struggles that all newspapers do. And the Jewish press looks to find creative ways to finance itself as do all newspapers. Newspapers everywhere are looking for “new revenue streams.” And so you see the ad for our yearly Patron Campaign on page 16 of this week’s paper. Participating in the Patron Campaign is an important way that you can demonstrate your support for Jewish voices in our area while helping to offer an important piece of funding for The Voice. From the feedback I get, I know you read every issue of The Voice, even if you wait a week or two to do so. And I know you read it cover to cover. One reader tells me that his kids grab the paper first so they can look at the pictures and see if their friends are in the paper this week. Another says that she shares the paper

with friends and family near and far. We’ve recently expanded the space devoted to our community calendar because we receive so many notices from organizations, including those in nearby Massachusetts communities. And we’ve resisted charging for obituaries because we view this as a community service to our loyal readers. Our outof-town friends always seem surprised when I tell them that there is no cost to run an obituary in our newspaper. Rhode Island has a proud history of supporting Jewish newspapers. And we want to keep publishing a quality paper worth you taking the time to read. But we need your help. One way to make this happen is by contributing to the Patron Campaign. Your gift helps The Voice continue to serve as a window into Jewish Rhode Island as it has for many years. We are grateful for the financial support of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and to our advertisers for their support. But our readers play an important role in our survival, too. You can help keep this newspaper going with your gift to the Patron Campaign. And it also helps when you patronize an advertiser. Be sure to tell that business where you saw its ad! As for our small staff, we are always striving to make the paper more of a community voice. We have plans to add more content that appeals to younger readers. We want to be a forum for our readers’ opinions. We are looking for new columnists to bring fresh voices to the paper. And we hope to make improvements to our web presence, too. We take a lot of pride in this paper – and in this community. We hope you do, too. Let us hear from you with your ideas and thoughts. And we hope you will help us keep The Voice going for many years to come through the Patron Campaign. It’s an investment in Rhode Island’s Jewish future.

ERRATA In the April 10 article, “Israel’s extraordinary sculpture garden,” the Storm King Art Center was incorrectly placed on the east bank of the Hudson. It is on the west bank of the Hudson. We apologize for the error.

The Jewish Voice

A psalm of the winter solstice “SHE: What happened to Psalm 88? Why did you skip it? “HE: I don’t think you could take it tonight. I am not sure I could. No: I am sure I could not. “SHE: Please read it, for me ... I need that kind the most.” This dialogue begins the preface to the second edition of Martin Marty’s “A Cry of Absence” (Harper San Francisco, 1 9 9 3), w h i c h appears about 10 years after t he or i g i n a l publication. The HE is IT SEEMS Martin Marty, prolific author TO ME and, until his RABBI JIM retirement in 1998, professor ROSENBERG of the history o f m o d e r n C h r i s t i a n it y at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The SHE is Marty’s first wife, Elsa, whose battle with terminal cancer is the unspoken tragedy that runs through the pages of the first edition of “A Cry of Absence.” Marty’s book is an extended personal commentary on selections from the 150 Biblical psalms. During the course of Elsa’s illness, she needed to take certain medications at the midnight hour, at which time husband and wife took turns reading a psalm: she would read the odd-numbered, he the even-numbered. Marty comments, “The medicines were pain relievers, fighters against nausea, palliatives. Half the psalms were not.” Given the circumstances that gave rise to “A Cry of Absence,” it is no surprise that the author has chosen to focus upon those dark places in our human experience; he subtitles his book “Reflections for the Winter of the Heart.” Drinking deeply from the writings of Karl Rahner, S.J. (1904-1984), a German Jesuit priest and theolog ian, Mar ty  explores his own “wintry” spirituality; his type of religious faith puts him at a marked distance from those who express their “summery” religious postures through their ever-present upbeat smiles and their nonstop Praise-the-Lords. Marty sides with those who eschew the “ig-

norant immortality” of Eden and embrace the “informed mortality” that has to some degree darkened our lives ever since you and I were expelled from the Garden: “The knowledge of death, for all the grimness of realism it introduces to life, is what gives daily and yearly existence meaning. Humans no longer have immortality, but they have history, memory and hope. Remembering is the root of trust, hoping is the center of faith.” Marty considers Psalm 88, the psalm he could not at first bring himself to read to his wife, to be a poem of the winter solstice, that moment when the sun stands still at its farthest distance from our place on this planet Earth. I have recently translated Psalm 88 anew in an attempt to bring out the full intensity of the Hebrew’s imagery: “I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit, / Like a man who has no strength – / Among the dead – released, like corpses lying in the grave, / Whom You remember no more,

the Scriptures a philosophy in which everything turns out right has to begin with tearing out this page. [ie., Psalm 88] of the volume. Its lines suggest a frozen Niagara Falls, a stalactitic maze of frozen drops forming a curtain to defeat the seeker on a spiritual journey.” Marty’s dying wife, in her heroic effort to come to terms with the palpable ebbing of her life, insists that the searing honesty of this psalm is precisely what she needs most. This past March 24, I had the privilege of leading back-toback workshops at a half-day program on “Advanced Care Training for Faith Leaders.” coordinated by the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. My task was to focus upon the “spiritual” dimensions of working with seriously ill and dying individuals, with special emphasis upon our elderly population. The three other workshop leaders approached the subject from ethical, medical and legal perspectives. In each of my two sessions, we spent the majority of our time together in a close reading of Psalm 88. While many of the participants found this poem of the winter solstice profoundly troubling, they were nevertheless moved by its spiritual and emotional honesty; they could see how in certain circumstances Psalm 88 might give “permission” to the seriously ill to voice their darkest feelings. At the conclusion of the second session, my colleague Rabbi Sarah Mack cut off from Your protecting questioned me about Psalm hand. / You have placed me in 88: “Where is the nechemta? the bottomless pit, in the dark- (Where is the consolation, the est of places, in the unfathomed comfort?)” depths. / Your anger weighs me I replied that this poem must down; / With all Your breaking be read within the context of waves You crush me.” (verses the other 149 psalms, which, 5-8) taken as a whole, reflect the With his bitter cry of absence, gamut of human experience – the psalmist accuses God of de- both darkness and light, both liberately estranging him from deepest sorrow and soaring exthe people he loves: “You have ultation. The very last word of kept me from those I know; You Psalm 88 is machshach, which have made me an abomination could be translated as “extreme to them, jailed with no way darkness,” “thickening darkout.” (verse 9) ness,” even “devouring darkThis psalm, more than any ness.” By way of contrast, the other, speaks to that darkness final word of Psalm 150 is Halfaced by those suffering from leluyah, Praise the Lord! life-threatening illness. Despite all the pain packed within the JAMES B. ROSENBERG is 19 verses of Psalm 88, there is, rabbi emeritus at Temple Haas Marty points out, “an intrin- bonim in Barrington. Contact sic value in the act of facing up him at rabbiemeritus@templehonestly to the human condi- habonim.org. tion.... Whoever devises from

COLUMNS | LETTERS POLICY OUR MISSION The mission of The Jewish Voice is to communicate Jewish news, ideas and ideals by connecting and giving voice to the diverse views of the Jewish community in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, while adhering to Jewish values and the professional standards of journalism.

The Jewish Voice publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the editor (250 words, maximum) on issues of interest to our Jewish community. At our discretion, we may edit pieces

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OPINION

thejewishvoice.org

April 24, 2015 |

“Religious Freedom” may bode poorly for Jews BY PETE ZUBOF Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The concept of religious freedom, guaranteed by the First Amendment, has allowed Jews to practice their religion in relative safety and security for hundreds of years in America. Yet recent interpretation of First Amendment rights may also come to represent a threat to American Jewry. In Indiana, a controversial “Religious Freedom” bill was recently signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence. The bill is an amended version of earlier legislation, with added language aimed at protecting citizens from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Opponents (including myself) think that the bill’s very existence opens the door to future cases of legally protected discrimination. Similar bills are in the legislative process in other states. Proponents argue that they are merely echoing the sentiments of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, was drafted in the context of Native Americans who were in danger of losing their jobs based on their use of peyote in religious ceremonies. It was meant to restrict the government’s ability to infringe on individual practices. With Passover now in our rearview mirror, we can see a parallel. Who among us did not have our first sip of wine at a Seder …

long before we turned 21? Today, however, that context has changed. States enacting “religious freedom” legislation are not protecting individuals’ abilities to practice their own religion. Rather, they are extending the moral values of a segment of society and attempting to apply them to all. Specifically, these laws clearly seek to allow businesses to claim religious exemption from equal opportunity laws and regulations. The new laws are broad in context and, experts argue, could be used to allow businesses to refuse services to people whose lifestyles come into conflict with religious beliefs. Currently, the target “disagreeable” audience happens to be the gay and lesbian community, but who is next? To be clear, this piece is not an endorsement (or a criticism) of gay marriage. That subject just happens to be the current arena for a larger battle over Americans’ rights to be free from discrimination. As American Jews, we should be able to see past the specific issue at hand and identify the slippery slope that lies beyond. In his famous speech/poem “First they Came…,” Martin Niemöller highlighted this danger. In case you need a refresher: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

LETTERS I write in appreciation of Yekaterina Ginzburg-Bram’s article, “God Is Not a Man.” Yes, the Hebrew and Christian scriptures are filled with references to the divine feminine, but because we live in a patriarchal world, we don’t see them. And even when biblical material explicitly includes female as well as male references – consider Tanakh’s

individual citizens, and the businesses they own, should be protected by the Constitution if they decline to provide services to a particular group based on religious differences or d i s a g r e ement s. Yet t he Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that while laws “cannot interfere with mere religious belief and opinions, they may with practices.” Put in context, polygamy, once considered legal by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was upheld as illegal by the laws of the United States. The logical extension to our current situation, therefore, suggests that discrimination cannot be legalized based on a religious pretext. Our Founding Fathers believed in a United States free from religious discrimination or prejudice. In the Treaty of Tripoli, President John Adams stated quite clearly that, “the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion.” For dozens of nonChristian minorities, including Jews, this set the stage for their

conscious level, this legitimizes taking women less seriously, paying them less for the same work, devaluing child care, and much more. As a pastor, I use inclusive language for God, balance my metaphors with female as well as male ones, and tell stories that highlight God’s feminine side. As an elementary school

JTA – More than one-quarter of Israeli voters did not decide how they would vote until the final days of the campaign, according to a new survey. By the New Majority, a group that sought to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, found that 15 percent of voters made their decision on the way to the voting site on March 17, while 13 percent decided in the final days of the campaign, Al Monitor reported. By contrast, only 9 percent of American voters in 2012 made their decisions so late in

teacher, Ginzburg-Bram has a similar responsibility for shaping the self-understanding of the girls in her class as well as that of the boys. Whether one is a person of faith or not, biblical mythology lies just under the surface of the American consciousness and justifies our imagination and behavior. Ginzburg-Bram is right: bad

Re: Model community seder (March 27)

Kelman set up and hosted the kiddush for all the children on a weekly basis), attended Bar Mitzvah Brotherhood on Sunday mornings before Sunday school started (which I regularly attended), attended weekday Hebrew school classes, participated and led the USY group and attended Boy Scout meetings (my father Fred Kelman regularly opened the building for our meetings; he was also the TBI Building Chairman). My parents’ involvement and volunteerism in the synagogue help shaped my life.

protection and minority rights in the Republic. While we may feel relatively secure in our status as American Jews, we should be wary of what the future may hold if we allow religious intolerance to extend into public discourse and, ultimately, to law. Today, we see another group under attack. Regardless of our personal feelings toward the particular cause, we should recognize the injustice for what it is and rally against it, lest there be no one left to speak for us. PETE ZUBOF is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland and has a master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island. He’s a pilot in the United States Navy and currently on the staff of the Naval War College. Pete is also the Jewish layleader for Naval Station Newport. Pete blogs regularly for 401j. He resides in Jamestown with his wife, Morgan, their son, Logan and dog Cider.

More than 1 in 4 Israeli voters made decision at last minute

Re: God is not a man (March 27)

Genesis 1:27, “And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created . . . male and female . . . [italics mine] – we miss the point that God is both male and female. This is not a frivolous matter. When half the human race is not reflected in the God-head, society is more likely to see that half as “less than.” On an un-

Seeing Sam Buckler on the cover of The Jewish Voice, March 27 issue in conjunction with the article titled, “Model Community Passover Seder” brought back fond memories of a major part of my life when I was pre-and post-bar mitzvah. As a child, I attended the former Temple Beth Israel, on the corner of Niagara Street and Atlantic Avenue in Providence. The synagogue was a central part of my life. It is where I regularly attended Junior Congregation services on Shabbat (where my mother Libby

As Jews, we have an obligation to heed the lessons of history. If an organization is allowed to refuse service to individuals based on religious objections to their sexual orientation, what comes next? Can a business refuse to serve anyone with whom they hold religious disagreement? That doesn’t end well for us. During my graduate studies at the University of Rhode Island, I took a class that focused entirely on the history, construct, benefits and failures of democracy as a system of government. If it’s been awhile since your last civics class, I’ll provide a quick summary. The United States is not a pure democracy in the traditional sense of the term. That fact is something that we Jews, as a minority group, should be profoundly thankful for. In a pure democracy, rules are constructed to benefit the majority, with little consideration for the desires of the minority. Thankfully, our American Republic provides explicit protections for minority rights. Religious freedom has become such a loaded term, that we often forget what it really guarantees. According to the First Amendment of the Constitution, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The accepted interpretation of these two clauses is that the government cannot favor one religion over another, nor prohibit citizens from believing in any particular faith. Proponents of religious freedom bills have pointed to the First Amendment to justify their aims. It has been argued by some religious groups that

Sam Buckler and his brother Lenny Buckler were instrumental in leading the Bar Mitzvah Brotherhood group at TBI for many years. Nearly every Sunday morning during the school year, 1015 young men (ages 12-16) met in the synagogue chapel to pray. We put on tefillin and davened together. There was a bond that formed among all who attended regularly. After the brief service, we had a full bagel breakfast in the social hall prepared by some of the boys. The bagels were even served warm (heated in

the election. Of Israel’s last-minute decision makers, 62 percent voted for right-wing parties, 16 percent for left-wing parties and 21 percent for centrist parties. The poll of 1,133 voters in the election also found that 66 percent viewed Netanyahu as a strong leader, compared with 24 percent who felt that way about Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog. In addition, 79 percent of voters who ranked security as their top concern voted for right-wing parties.

theology leads to misogyny. Rev. Betsy Aldrich Garland Warwick, R.I. Betsy Aldrich Garland is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, President of the RI State Council of Churches, and co-chair of the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty.

a large brown paper grocery bag in the oven!), and we always ran out of Danish. After breakfast, we played football in the parking lot. I was not a good football player, but it was great fun. The camaraderie kept us attending week after week. Thank you Sam and Lenny for all you did for me and many other young men. You are an inspiration. David Kelman West Hartford, Conn.

10 | April 24, 2015

Ongoing Alliance Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch and program every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Noon lunch; 1 p.m. program. $3 lunch donation from individuals 60+ or under 60 with disabilities. Neal or Elaine, 401421-4111, ext. 107. Am David Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch and program every weekday. Temple Am David, 40 Gardiner St., Warwick. 11:15 a.m. program; Noon lunch. $3 lunch donation from individuals 60+ or under 60 with disabilities. Elaine or Steve 401-732-0047.

Through | April 30

Watercolors and Large Acrylics. Temple Habonim Gallery. Paula Visnoski and Shirley Koller exhibit their works. Visnoski works in watercolor, oil, graphic design and photography. Koller is a sculptor and painter. 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. Hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and by appointment. For information, call 401-245-6536 or email gallery@ templehabonim.org.

Sunday | April 26

Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association Annual Meeting. 2 p.m. Temple Beth-El. Rabbi Josh Breindel will speak on “All the World’s Stage: the Surprising History of Jews and the Theatre.” Congregation Am David Havurah Spring Wonderland Walk. 1:30-3:15 p.m. The warm breezes of spring are calling us outdoors to the Rhode Island Audubon Society’s Maxwell Mays Wildlife Refuge in Coventry. This moderate walk is about 2 miles long, winding past meadows and through the forest to Carr Pond. Bring water. Meet directly at the Refuge at 1:20 p.m. Walk is limited to 15 people; contact Mark Sweberg at 401-248-5010 to register, for more information and last minute cancellation. Sisterhood Book Review. 10 a.m. Join us as we review “The Boston Girl” by Anita Diamant. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich, R.I. More information, 401-885-6600 or toratyisrael.org. Temple Beth-El Mitzvah Day 2015. Sign up at temple-beth-el.org/MitzvahDay. Congregants, young and old, participate in volunteer activities ranging from planting vegetables or making sandwiches for those in need to participating in fundraising walks or creating your own mitzvot. It is an opportunity for families to spend time together doing good deeds, for parents to teach their children about the value of helping others and for Temple Beth-El members to connect with one another in a unique way. Start with coffee and bagels from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. At that time, volunteers will check in with their site leaders in the Meeting Hall at Temple Beth-El. We will meet briefly in

CALENDAR the sanctuary for a send off by Rabbi Mack. Participants will then proceed to their volunteer sites. Donate samplesized bottles or packages of toiletries to be given out at the Crossroads Rhode Island shelter. Jewish Meditation. 9:30 a.m. Judaism has a long tradition of meditation and contemplation. Course is geared for beginners looking to try something new. Sessions are 30 minutes and will consist of education, discussion and 10-15 minutes of sitting as we build our practice together. Beth Sholom downstairs chapel. 275 Camp St., Providence. 401-621-9393. Communitywide Teen Israel Celebration event. Jewish Alliance – 5:307:30 p.m. Share time with friends, enjoy wonderful Israeli food, meet Israeli soldiers and get a chance to win a Kindle Fire. This teen-centered event is going to be amazing; sign up now.

Wednesday | April 29 Old Jews Telling Jokes. Join the Cranston Senior Guild for a matinee show at Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington St., Providence, R.I., 2 p.m. The production consists of five actors in a comedy that pays tribute to and reinvents classic jokes of the past and present. The show also features comic songs. Cranston residency is not required. For additional information, call Sunny at 401-785-0748. Mothers Circle. 7-9 p.m. Dwares JCC. Join the Mothers Circle to learn about Jewish rituals, holidays, ethics and how to create Jewish family life at home. This free course began in Jan. and runs through May 13. No experience necessary! All are welcome, and participants do not have to be affiliated with a Jewish institution. For more information, contact Sara Foster at 401-421-4111, ext. 184 or sfoster@ jewishallianceri.org.

The Jewish Voice

Friday | May 1 Friday Night Live. 6 p.m. A musical celebration of Shabbat honoring Torat Yisrael past president Susan Smoller. Dinner will follow the entertainment. Menu: chicken, potato, vegetable and dessert. The celebration is at Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. For information call 401-885-6600 or toratyisrael. org. Cost: Adults and Children over 12 years of age/$20 per person; children 12 years and younger are free, Family maximum is $60. RSVP to the Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600 by April 28.

Sunday | May 3 Jewish Meditation. 9:30 a.m. Judaism has a long tradition of meditation and contemplation. Course is geared for beginners looking to try something new. Sessions are 30 minutes and will consist of education, discussion and 10-15 minutes of sitting as we build our practice together. Beth Sholom downstairs chapel. 275 Camp St., Providence. 401-621-9393. The Cohen School and Temple Torat Yisrael Celebrates Israeli Independence & Lag B’Omer. 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. On Lag B’Omer Israelis of all ages gather at campfires to sing, cook, eat, dance and play. There will be a BBQ Lunch: $5/person, hot dogs, veggie burgers, salads, shakshuka, pita over the fire, s’mores and more. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. toratyisrael.org. Call the Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401885-6600 to RSVP by April 27.

Thursday | April 30

AIPAC New England Leadership Dinner. 5-9 p.m. Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Join community leaders, members of Congress, state officials and students for AIPAC’s largest gathering of pro-Israel activists in New England! Cost: $250 per person. RSVP to AIPAC New England at 617-399-2562 or nedinner2015@aipac.org.

Israel Story Live. 7 pm. Brown University Salomon 001. Israel Story is a documentary-style radio show and podcast modeled after “This American Life.” The Hebrew version is one of the most popular national shows in Israel. The first English season was a huge success and was featured in the New York Times. Israel Story has put together an hour-long live adaptation of one of their most popular episodes, 48 Herzl Street. This multimedia performance - including live radio, animation, video, music and storytelling like you’ve never experienced before - will give audience members a unique, eclectic taste of the daily lives of Israelis. In this episode, they toured Israel, from Kiryat Shmona in the north all the way to Dimona in the south, and visited every single 48 Herzl St. They knocked on doors, heard stories, and met a fascinating crosssection of Israeli society, all living at the exact same symbolic address.

Congregation Am David Havurah Early Jewish Holdings in the Rhode Island Historical Society Archives. 2-3 p.m. Founded in 1822, the Rhode Island Historical Society is the fourth oldest state historical society in the United States. The Archives has the largest and most important historical collections in existence relating to Rhode Island. Take a private tour of the archives, including a visit to the closed storage area where historical collections are housed and processed. The curator has agreed to showcase items of Jewish interest taken from the holdings of mid-17th century Newport Jewry. Admission is only $7, payable at the door. Tour limit of 15 people. There is a strict registration deadline of April 26. RSVP to Mark Sweberg at 401-248-5010 to register, for more information, and for any lastminute weather cancellation.

Calendar Submissions

MAY 8 issue, SPRING FASHION – must be received by APRIL 29. MAY 22 issue, GRADUATION – must be received by MAY 13. JUNE 5 issue, FATHER’S DAY – must be received by MAY 27.

SEND ALL CALENDAR ITEMS TO: editor@jewishallianceri.org with the subject line “CALENDAR.” Calendar entries may be edited for content, length and relevance. Please submit two weeks prior to issue of publication.

Tuesday | May 5

Blood Drive. Congregation Ohave Sholam. 4-7 p.m. 671 East Ave., Pawtucket. Marrow donors must be 18-44 years old and in good health. Free, sponsored by Michael’s Fund. Give a swab of your cheek cells for marrow typing. Bring your license or another form of identification. 800-823-8385. Ribc.org

Wednesday | May 6 Cranston Senior Guild Meeting. 1 p.m.

at Tamarisk Assisted Living , 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick. The meeting will be followed by a raffle and refreshments. All men and women age 55 years plus are welcome to join. Cranston residency is not required. The Mothers Circle. 7-9 p.m. Dwares JCC. Join the Mothers Circle to learn about Jewish rituals, holidays, ethics and how to create Jewish family life at home. This free course began in Jan. and runs through May 13. No expence necessary! Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Sara Foster at 401-421-4111, ext. 184 or sfoster@jewishallianceri.org. Jewish Culture through Film: “Kaddish for a Friend.” 7 p.m. Dwares JCC. Growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp, 14-year-old Ali learned to hate Jews at an early age. After he and his family escape to Berlin, Ali longs to be accepted by his fellow Arab youths in the public housing project. In a test to prove himself, Ali breaks into the apartment of his neighbor Alexander, an elderly Russian Jewish war veteran. When Alexander unexpectedly returns home, he reports Ali to the police. To avoid being sentenced and deported, Ali is forced to seek out the trust and forgiveness of his enemy. Admission $5; Members $3. For more information, contact Erin Moseley at 401-4214111, ext. 108 or emoseley@jewishallianceri.org.

Thursday | May 7

Lag B’Omer Parade and Community Picnic. 5:30 p.m. Sessions Street Park. Clown show starring The Novelty Guy, stiltwalking, unicycling, balloons, outdoor games and races. Food available. In case of rain, program will be held at Chabad House, 360 Hope St., Providence. Sponsored by Chabad of R.I. and Congregation Beth Sholom. Information, 401-273-7238. Double Chai Society Inaugural Cocktail Reception. 7-9 p.m. Pizzico, 762 Hope St,, Providence. Enjoy a night out to mingle with other members of the Double Chai Society* over hors d’oeuvres and drinks. No cost. (*Minimum gift of $360 to the Jewish Alliance Annual Campaign.) For more information or to RSVP, please contact Hillary Schulman at 401-421-4111, ext. 127 or hschulman@jewishallianceri.org by April 30.

Sunday | May 10

Jewish Meditation. 9:30 a.m. Judaism has a long tradition of meditation and contemplation. Course is geared for beginners looking to try something new. Sessions are 30 minutes and will consist of education, discussion and 10-15 minutes of sitting as we build our practice together. Beth Sholom downstairs chapel. 275 Camp St., Providence. 401-621-9393.

Wednesday | May 13

The Mothers Circle. 7-9 p.m. Dwares JCC. Join the Mothers Circle to learn about Jewish rituals, holidays, ethics and how to create Jewish family life at home. This free course began in Jan. and runs through May 13. No experience necessary! Everyone welcome.

For more information, contact Sara Foster at 401-421-4111, ext. 184 or sfoster@jewishallianceri.org.

Sunday | May 17

Monday | May 18

Jewish Philosophy Reading Group. 7:45-9 p.m. Study important works of Jewish thought. Working much like a book club, participants are asked to prepare short selections of reading in advance to be discussed together. Contact Congregation Beth Sholom for more information. 401-621-9393

Friday | May 22

PJ Library Shavuot Storytime. 10-11 a.m. Dwares JCC. Enjoy a PJ Library story, songs, movement, crafts and a holiday-themed snack. All children ages 5 and under are welcome. To RSVP or for more information, contact Michelle Cicchitelli at 401-421-4111, ext. 178 or mcicchitelli@jewishallianceri.org.

Wednesday | May 27

Fashion for the Jewish Sole featuring Jane Weitzman. 7-9 p.m. Temple BethEl, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island for a dessert reception featuring Jane Weitzman, author of “Art & Sole.” Jane Weitzman was the executive vice president of Stuart Weitzman and the founding vice president of Stuart Weitzman retail. She spearheaded philanthropy for the company by generating funds to support breast and ovarian cancer research and awareness. She serves on the executive committee and boards of Greenwich UJA, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and JTA. She is on the Trust Board of Boston Children’s Hospital and the boards of the Jewish Book Council and the Greenwich JCC. Admission: $18 plus a gift of any amount to the 2015 Jewish Alliance Annual Campaign. For more information or to RSVP, contact Danielle Germanowski at 401-421-4111 ext. 109 or dgermanowski@jewishallianceri.org or visit jewishallianceri.org. RSVP by May 20. Pre-register by May 15 for a chance to win a pair of Stuart Weitzman shoes donated by Mel & Me, Ltd.

Wednesday | June 3

Cranston Senior Guild Annual Spring Installation of officers. West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom St., West Warwick, at noon. The cost of the lunch is $21, which includes soup, salad, pasta, entree, and dessert. All men and women 55 years of age or older are welcome to join the senior guild. Reservations for the lunch must be made by May 13. For information call Natalie at 401-615-9483.

Visit us at

www.jvhri.org

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Spielberg comes to New Bedford Nancy Spielberg, documentary producer and sister of famed director Steven Spielberg, presents her new film, “Above and Beyond,” on May 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Whaling Museum Theater, New Bedford. The film is the remarkable untold true story of a group of Jewish WWII fighter pilots who risked everything to fly for Israel in its War of Independence in 1948. The program includes a screening of the movie and a reception, followed by a Q-andA. Spielberg’s interest in the Israeli Air Force developed by chance. She had read the obituary of Al Schwimmer, an American TWA flight engineer, who had smuggled planes to Israel, recruited volunteer pilots to fly them in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence and was the “Father of the Israeli Air Force.” First, Spielberg was surprised that an American helped to create the Israeli Air Force. Plus, she knew that the smuggling operations that sent planes to Israel were widely unknown. She asked some fundamental questions. Would you risk everything – your future, your citizenship, even your life – to help a brother in need? In 1948, just three years after the liberation of Nazi death camps, a group of Jewish American pilots answered a call for help. In secret and at great personal risk, they smuggled planes out of the U.S., trained behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia

Nancy Spielberg and flew for Israel in its War of Independence. As members of Machal – “volunteers from abroad” – this ragtag band of brothers not only turned the tide of the war, but also embarked on personal journeys of discovery and renewed Jewish pride. “Above and Beyond” is their story. The first major featurelength documentary about the foreign airmen in the ’48 War “Above and Beyond” brings together new interviews with the pilots, as well as stunning aerial footage, to present a fascinating, little-known tale filled with heart, heroism and high-flying chutzpah. The film follows the pilots on their circuitous route from the United States – where they met and trained in secret and struggled to stay two steps ahead of

the FBI – to Panama, Italy and Czechoslovakia, where they flew versions of the very same Nazi planes they had tried to shoot down in World War II. More than a retelling of the ’48 Arab-Israeli War, “Above and Beyond” examines the motivations of the foreign volunteers – both Jews and nonJews. It mines the tensions between the Israelis and Machal soldiers. Would the foreign pilots stay in Israel after the war? Were they Americans first or Jews first? The film recounts the personal stories of the young pilots, whose experiences in Israel were life-altering. And through their stories, “Above and Beyond” reveals how underequipped and isolated the Israelis were, how desperately they needed planes and pilots and how critical the actions of these young American men were for the country’s survival. Filmed in the U.S., Israel and the United Kingdom, “Above and Beyond” is produced by Nancy Spielberg (“Elusive Justice”) and directed by Roberta Grossman (“Blessed Is the Match”), with cinematography by Harris Done (“The Last Days”), special effects by Industrial Light & Magic and an original score from Hans Zimmer’s Studio. Reservations are required for this free event. Contact the office of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford at 508-997-7471 or office@jewishnewbedford.org.

April 24, 2015 |

Rabbi Jagolinzer to receive prestigious award Rabbi Marc S. Jagolinzer, spiritual leader of Temple Shalom of Middletown for the past 40 years, will be recognized by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin at the Diocese of Providence’s Third Annual Lumen Gentium Awards Dinner on May 20. The rabbi will be honored as a Friend of the Diocese. Long a supporter of the local Catholic parishes, he has worked very closely with the Diocesan Office of Social Ministry on a number of events and projects. For the past 13 years, he has actively participated on the Diocesan Advisory Board for the Protection of Children and Young People. From the inception of this advisory board in 2002, Jagolinzer kindly and graciously has been a faithful member. His pastoral sensitivity coupled with his reflective, reasoned approach to challenging situations has resulted in a consistently wise and practical contribution to the work of the board. The Lumen Gentium Award acknowledges with gratitude

Rabbi Marc S. Jagolinzer the Rabbi’s on-going friendship with and service to the Diocese. All are cordially invited to attend this wonderful evening to celebrate with Jagolinzer and the Diocese of Providence. For further information and to make a reservation go to event.com/d/f4q66w or call Andrea Krupp at 401-278-4615.

EMPOWER . ADVOCATE . SUPPORT

Do Your Parents Need Help With: Staying at Home With as Much Independence as Possible? Dr. Appointments; Taking Medications? Assisted Living vs. Nursing Home Care? Accepting Help Without Being Resentful?

Let’s Work Together! Jane E. Korb, M.A., CCM Geriatric Care Manager 401.787.2881 | Jkorb3@gmail.com www.jankorb-geriatrics.com

12 | April 24, 2015

FOOD

The Jewish Voice

Mother’s Day kitchen traditions Family Features – There’s no better place than the kitchen to honor your special bond with a woman who has taught you all you know about cooking and baking. Whether she’s your mom, or a woman who has been like a mom in your life, Mother’s Day is the perfect time to create kitchen traditions you can cherish together year after year. A decadent recipe you can prepare together and enjoy warm out of the oven is an ideal choice. As you wait for the dough to rise in these homemade cinnamon rolls, you’ll have plenty of time to catch up and reminisce over shared memories of your childhood and beyond. Remember, the best results in baking come from top quality ingredients. The secret to the melt-in-your-mouth flavor of these rolls is the vanilla. Wilton Pure Vanilla Extract, made with the world’s finest vanilla from Madagascar, lends unmatched flavor and aroma to enhance cakes, puddings, pie fillings, custards, salad dressings and more. For more tradition-worthy recipes to share with mom, visit www.wilton.com.

3/4 teaspoon salt 4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons bread flour 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/2 cup lightly-packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 teaspoon Wilton Pure Vanilla Extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (about 1/4 pound)

Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Glaze Servings: 1 dozen rolls

Rolls:

1 1/3 cups warm milk (105 degrees) 2 packages (1/4-ounce each)

active dry yeast 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 2 egg yolks 1 teaspoon Wilton Pure Vanilla Extract

For rolls, stir together warm milk, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in large bowl. Let stand 5-10 minutes or until foamy. Add butter, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and salt. Mix with electric mixer using dough hook on medium speed until combined. Gradually add flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix on medium speed until smooth, elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes. Spray large bowl with vegetable pan spray. Form dough into ball, place into bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in

warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. For filling, stir together butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium bowl until well-combined. Prepare 13-by-9-inch pan with vegetable pan spray. Punch dough down and roll out to 18-by-14-inch rectangle on floured surface. Spread filling onto dough and roll up from long end, like a jelly roll. Pinch seam to seal, trim ends and cut into 12 equally-sized pieces. Place rolls into prepared pan; cover with plastic wrap and let rise 25-30 minutes or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from rolls and bake 25-29 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack while preparing glaze. For glaze, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and cream. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture reaches a simmer; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Pour glaze over warm rolls. Serve warm.

Give parties a boost with gourmet cheese StatePoint – There’s more to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese than you may have considered. While delicious grated over pasta, it also can be served on its own or paired with other flavors to help liven up the table at a party. Keep in mind not every cheese labeled “parmesan” is the real deal, as only cheese hailing from one area in northern Italy and aged at least 12 months can bear the name Parmigiano Reggiano. Here are five essential steps from the experts at Whole

Foods Market for entertaining with this intense, complex cheese: • Prepare: Allow the Parmigiano Reggiano to come to room temperature. Cut it into small irregular chunks for nibbling, paper-thin slivers or tiny bite-size cubes. • Serve: Place portions of Parmigiano Reggiano on individual plates with a selection of the suggested pairings below. Add warm, crusty bread for a more substantial course. • Taste: Let the cheese melt on your tongue and savor the

nuances. Enjoy its delightful range of tastes: nutty, sweet, grassy, creamy and fruity. The lovely, subtle crunch is from the protein crystals that form during the aging process. • Pair: Highlight Parmigiano Reggiano’s subtle bite, creaminess and sweetness with pears, balsamic vinegar, honey, walnuts, Chianti, figs or hazelnuts. • Store: Buy pieces that will last you no more than two weeks. Keep wedges tightly wrapped in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Store in the cheese or veggie drawer of your refrigerator (40 degrees F); freezing compromises its subtle nuances. The next time you entertain use this recipe for Parmigiano Reggiano Party Mix, a nice combination of salty and sweet.

Ingredients

1 cup almonds 1 cup hazelnuts 5 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, cut into 1/2inch cubes (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup dried figs, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup prunes, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350

degrees. Spread almonds on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast until crisp and golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, spread hazelnuts on a separate large rimmed baking sheet and toast until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Wrap hazelnuts in a

clean dish towel and rub them together to remove skins. Set nuts aside until cool enough to handle. In a large bowl, combine almonds, hazelnuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, apricots, figs and prunes, and toss. Keep at room temperature in a cool, dark place for up to three days or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks. More cooking tips and recipes can be found at www. WholeFoodsMarket.com. For true cheese lovers, there are few experiences that match the pleasure of savoring a perfectly aged, fresh-cut sliver of Parmigiano Reggiano.

COMMUNITY

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April 24, 2015 |

Soldiers put human face to IDF while on tour BY BRACHA STUART The “Israeli Soldiers Stories Tour” – now in its sixth year – has become one of the most important programs that StandWithUs sponsors. This April, two young IDF reservist soldiers, Elad and Lital, made a brief but inspiring visit to Rhode Island on their tour of the Northeast. Lital is a journalist and anchor for a news website in Israel. She served at checkpoints aimed at thwarting terrorist attacks as a combat soldier in the Border Police Unit, an atypical position for a female soldier. Lital is currently working on a master’s degree in the history of Judaism in the U.S. While in Rhode Island, she enjoyed a trip

to the Touro Synagogue. Elad served as an officer in the COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) unit, which coordinates humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. He fi rst served in the Gaza District, and later in the West Bank city of Hebron. He was directly responsible for overseeing humanitarian goods going into Gaza, and acted as mediator between the IDF and international organizations. The soldiers appeared on the Buddy Cianci Show on WPRO. Cianci expressed his wonder at Israel’s mandatory military service for both men and women. Elad remarked that every mother in Israel would prefer that there be no need to send

Lital and Elad on the Cliff Walk in Newport

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their kids to the army when they turn 18, but Israelis live in a “tough neighborhood” and are often dragged into a circle of violence funded by Iran and Qatar. Despite all this, Israelis crave peace and look forward to a brighter future. The soldiers also appeared on Patricia Raskin’s radio show. They underscored that the reality of the IDF and Israel is often drastically different from the media’s portrayal. Lital noted that, during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the press fo-

cused primarily on casualties in Gaza, downplayed Hamas’ use of human shields and reported little regarding Israel’s six attempts to achieve a ceasefi re, all rejected by Hamas. The thousands of rocket attacks and murder of three Israeli teenagers, which precipitated the operation, also received scant coverage in the news. Elad added, “My task in Operation Protective Edge was to coordinate goods and donations into the Gaza strip. It was sad that many trucks were seized

by Hamas terrorists. Palestinians are not our enemy, but the Hamas are. Palestinians are our neighbors. We want the Palestinians to have a better life. Having their economy be more successful will be better for both sides.” Both radio interviews can be accessed at Facebook.com/ StandWithUsRI BRACHA STUART is the president of StandWithUs Rhode Island.

Breakfast Selections - Brunch Selections - Carving Station - & Much More

$32 Adult | $l6 Child (10 & under) * All Parties Subject to $20 administrative fee. Make Your Reservations Today! HillsideCountryClub.com | 508.252. 9761 | 82 Hillside Ave., Rehoboth, MA

Summer Camp + Mαth = Smart Fun

JCC Summer CanteenReunion Sunday, July 12 – 5:00-9:00 p.m.

Chelo’s Restaurant 2225 Post Road, Warwick, R.I.

LIVE entertainment by:

Experience math like never before!

The Ghost Riders

Let us open your child’s mind and doors to future opportunities!

Featuring: Dave Katz | from Marietta, Georgia Richard Cohen – from Cranston Roy Cohen | from Stoughton, Mass.

The Ghost Riders were formed in 1958 and played the East Side. They came out of retirement for the 2014 reunion and are returning again this year, with their 50’s and 60’s repertoire of music.

FULL WEEK 9am-12pm Ages 5-8 July 20-24 (M-F) Ages 8-11 July 27-31 (M-F)

Dinner buffet and cash bar | $30 per person

REGISTER: please email to mathbound@squaredschool.com or call 401-339-6725 425 Angell St | Providence, RI 02906 | 401-339‐6725 | squaredschool.com

Mail your check BEFORE MAY 15 to “SUMMER CANTEEN REUNION” 1218 Putnem Pike, Chepachet, R.I.

For more information, contact Mark Rechter, Reunion Chair, 401-568-3243 mrech48@cox.net or markrechter@gmail.com On Facebook: East Side (Providence) Jewish Community Center

COMMUNITY

14 | April 24, 2015

The Jewish Voice

Jewish Federation Foundation goes viral and you can, too BY JENNIFER ZWIRN jzwirn@jewishallianceri.org The Jewish Federation Foundation of Greater Rhode Island announces the launch of its online portal known as Renaissance. It is a simple way to access donor advised or permanent endowment funds online, making it even easier to remain committed to serving the needs of the community – with just one mouse click. “We’re excited to announce the launch of the Jewish Federation Foundation online portal because it continues to serve the consumer and

the community. Being able to manage your donor advised fund online makes it an effortless way to give and grant,” said Jay Rosenstein, chair of the Jewish Federation Foundation. With this new service, those who have established funds will now be able to log in at any time to view the status of a fund, receive current account values and a history of contributions made, as well as review grants that have been distributed. Donors may now make changes directly online and enter additional contributions

to the fund, allowing the Jewish Federation Foundation to move donations into the investment account with a more streamlined approach. Contributions to an individual’s fund are still received and handled in-house, so the Jewish Alliance is available to support the process. Online grant entries allow for “straight-through processing” – a more efficient way to get checks to grantees, making it easier to track grants and research charities that other donors contribute to.

The platform also allows donors to access Guidestar™ for information about particular charities prior to determining their grant recommendations. “The Jewish Federation Foundation will continue to offer the same personal and professional attention we’ve always offered, but we’re happy to now also share this online experience. After donors explore what Renaissance can do, we welcome any feedback about the new services available,” said Trine Lustig, vice president of philanthropy.

For information, contact Danielle Germanowski, endowment operations manager, at 401-4214111, ext. 109 or dgermanowski@jewishallianceri.org. For easy ways to establish your own donor advised or permanent endowment fund, contact Trine Lustig, vice president of philanthropy at tlustig@jewishallienceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 223. JENNIFER ZWIRN is in Grants and Philanthropy at the Jewish Alliance.

Classic

30th Annual Dwares JCC

GOLF

Monday, June 8, 2015

Kids’ Tickets $15!

Ages 2-12. Limit of four (4) kids’ tickets with purchase of a full-price adult ticket. Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Subject to availability. Excludes premium seats.

APR. 30 – MAY 3

DUNKIN’ DONUTS CENTER PROVIDENCE GOOD ONLY

Fri. MAY 1 H 7:00 PM Sat. MAY 2 H 7:00 PM Sun. MAY 3 H 7:00 PM

313170

Buy Tickets: Ticketmaster.com • 800-745-3000 Venue Box Office #RinglingBros

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Dwares Learn more at jewishallianceri.org.

Rhode Island

Funds raised from this event will: • help support life-enriching programs and services; • ensure strong Jewish identities for the next generation; • provide education and programs for families with young children; • and make scholarships available for our Early Childhood Center, J-Camp, and J-Space after school programs at the Dwares JCC. For information contact Hillary Schulman at 401.421.4111 ext. 127 or hschulman@jewishallianceri.org.

COMMUNITY

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April 24, 2015 |

NCJW luncheon to honor Nan Levine, Ellie Elbaum Marks transition of the Rhode Island section BY TOBY ROSSNER For 113 years, the volunteer members of the Rhode Island Section of the National Council of Jewish Women have joined forces to turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW’s mission is to strive for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. Now, the Rhode Island Section is closing. On May 20, the Rhode Island Section Board has planned a special luncheon at Laurelmead to honor Ellie Elbaum and Nan Levine, the final co-presidents, who have poured heart and soul into the Council’s mission “forever,” and to reminisce about the highly successful projects that the Rhode Island Section has promoted. Two timely NCJW/RI forums in 2007 and 2014 on human trafficking in Rhode Island were pivotal in the formation and success of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking. Belinda Lasky, national NCJW director of community engagement, will attend. She will help to identify national programs that will enable our members to continue their important advocacy. In Rhode Island, NCJW has done much through the years.

Here is an excerpt from Copresidents Levine and Elbaum, from a report to members published in the Spring 2013 newsletter: “We are writing to you to say ‘thank you’ for your support and for taking part in the many issues NCJW supports. Your voices have been heard.

With your help, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). You made your phone calls, spoke out on the issue, and we got the job done. Passing VAWA was critical to continuing lifesaving programs for all victims of domestic and sexual violence. When President Obama signed

the bill into law, he remarked, “This victory shows that when American people make their voices heard, Washington listens.” Sammie Moshenberg, NCJW’s Director of Washington Operations and Nancy Kaufman, NCJW’s CEO were present at the signing. A major initiative focuses on

changes in gun laws, both state and national. Guns are dangerous and have no place in our schools, on our streets and in our communities. NCJW endorses and resolves to work for laws, policies and programs to restrict and regulate firearms and to prevent gun violence. We support measures to require all gun buyers to pass a criminal background check, to close the private sale loophole, to ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to make gun trafficking a federal crime and to increase public safety. For many Jewish women and their families the immigrant experience is a recent memory. Since its founding in 1893, NCJW has been involved in service and advocacy on behalf of new immigrants. Today NCJW works for comprehensive, humane and equitable immigration and naturalization laws that facilitate and expedite legal status for more individuals. As such, we support comprehensive immigration reform that provides opportunities for hard-working undocumented immigrants to earn legal status and citizenship, expedited family reunification by reducing the waiting periods that keep immigrant families apart, esNCJW | 19

THE HIT NEW YORK COMEDY COMES TO PROVIDENCE!

From the Producers of MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH & I’M IN THERAPY! & MY SON THE WAITER, A JEWISH TRAGEDY! Philip Roger Roy and Dana Matthow present

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April 15-May 10 • 4 Weeks Only! Like rye bread, kosher pickles and bagels, this show is for everyone! You’ll laugh ‘til you plotz. ADULT HUMOR - RECOMMENDED FOR 17+

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TRINITY REP - CHACE THEATER

201 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903 Tickets: 401-351-4242 • Groups (10+): 888-264-1788 Toll Free • www.PlayhouseInfo.com

16 | April 24, 2015

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MOTHER’S DAY

thejewishvoice.org

April 24, 2015 |

Just give me the day off for Mother’s Day BY KARA MARZIALI kmarziali@jewishallianceri.org

more milk, eggs, lettuce and bread anyway.)

I’ve heard it said that a mother’s work is challenging. I’d like to add that a working mother’s work is doubly challenging. My to-do list never shrinks. So while flowers make a lovely Mother’s Day gesture, I have a few other things in mind. Here are some (not so subtle) suggestions:

Pamper me (or at least humor me!)

For a successful Mother’s Day, consider giving me a week-long trip to Canyon Ranch. Whether it’s a pedicure, massage or facial, I always appreciate the opportunity for total relaxation. Additionally, there are many spas right here in Rhode Island that offer gift certificates for particular services, so check out the options and fi nd something just right for me. Heck, I’d settle for a five-minute back rub or a hasty foot massage after I fi nish my breakfast in bed.

Let me sleep

For goodness sake, if you’d like to see my loving, maternal side emerge that Sunday morning, do not wake me from a peaceful slumber. Don’t make noise, don’t set an alarm, don’t lift a shade or draw the curtains. Simply let me lie there. Alone. Trust me: I’ll love the opportunity to relax and enjoy my morning without the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Love me

Breakfast in bed

My mom spent most of Mother’s Day in the kitchen whipping up a three-course meal that included homemade treats for our extended family and then cleaning up the mess from hosting a full house of guests. (What was she thinking?!) Perhaps she found some delight in playing the consummate host-

PHOTO | KARA MARZIALI

Breakfast in bed please. Just measure a healthy serving of my favorite cereal with a cup of yogurt and some fruit. And the ﬂowers make it extra special. ess during the Hallmark holiday that honored her parenthood. I, on the other hand, do

Hillel Annual Meeting

not. Please give me a welcome break from the kitchen. I’d like to start my day with breakfast in bed. Just measure a healthy serving of my favorite cereal with a cup of yogurt and some fruit. I’d also enjoy a good book and hot cup of berry tea. Just saying.

Give me a break

Brown RISD Hillel

To my dear husband: I kindly ask that you refrain from dis-

cussing occupational worries, car repairs, bills, yard work, what’s for dinner or the household checking account. To my darling son: Please do not bother me about homework (Daddy is better at calculus than I am anyway!), lost articles of clothing or the turtle. Instead use your energy to do some laundry, dust the end tables, wash the bathroom, and go to the grocery store. (We always need

Ok, you may not have the budget to truly indulge me, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to create the perfect day for me... just use your imagination. As it turns out, some of the most thoughtful gift ideas are the most economical and easy to plan. This Mother’s Day, show me how much you care by together making memories we can cherish for years to come. Tell me you love me and appreciate me. Give me a hug (and a kiss, while you’re at it). Remind me that I am a great mom by thanking me for a job well done. This truly is all I really need. KARA MARZIALI is the director of communications for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the mother of a really great kid and the wife of an adoring husband.

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18 | April 24, 2015

MOTHER’S DAY

The Jewish Voice

Marking Mother’s Day after Mother is gone BY ESTHER D. KUSTANOWITZ

“82 Ways to Tell Mom You Love Her.” “Don’t Forget about Mom!” “Tell Your Mother You Love Her.” “Make Sure Mom Gets the Message.” This year, the first of about a thousand emails reminding me to call, appreciate and buy stuff for my mother on Mother’s Day arrived on April 7, more than a full month before the holiday itself (May 10). But for those of us who have lost our mothers, this holiday presents an onslaught of media messages that taunt, provoke and wound as they urge us to reach out to someone we can no longer touch. For me, it’s been four years; I’m a junior at Loss University — experienced enough to feel steadier, but there is no graduation day to work toward. Starting with Passover, the calendar is an annual emotional minefield; commemorations of holidays are shaded by other associations, extending through her May 1 birthday, and to Mother’s Day and Israel Independence Day. This time period ensnares with its complex, wildly variant emotional responses; especially last year, when the week that began with Israel’s Day of Remembrance ended with my mother’s yahrtzeit and Mother’s Day in a 48-hour timespan. Without my mother, and not a mother myself, Mother’s Day contributes to this month of emotional intensity. My mother is on my mind a lot — so much so that I could

light a yahrtzeit candle every day from the end of Passover through Lag b’Omer (her Hebrew birthday). But yahrtzeit candle or no yahrtzeit candle, my mother’s memory and intonations echo, and allow me to “visit” with her patient wisdom and sharp-edged humor. In dreams, she appears stronger than her illnesses left her in the last years of her life. She issues reassurances and sometimes lays Jewish mother guilt on me for my choices. In some ways, she’s become part of my subconscious; in other ways, I become aware that she always has been. I feel like her delegate at family affairs, that my presence in the lives of my amazing nephews and nieces is surrogate for hers. My youngest, newest niece – now 16 months old – is named for her. Holding her – at her Simchat Bat in public, and in her home for more quiet moments – has been remarkably powerful. There are other mothers to celebrate, of course. My sistersin-law who are working with my brothers to raise those aforementioned nieces and nephews. My friends who have bravely separated the search for a partner and the road to motherhood, and now have children – biological and ad-

opted – on their own. The dozens of friends whose children are beginning to reach major

“I’ll light a yahrtzeit candle because the light reminds me simultaneously of my mother’s absence and presence – altered, but still real.” milestones: bar and bat mitzvah, high school graduation or — in Israel – army service. And the mothers who struggle with challenges ranging from learning differences to autism, from illness to loss. I honor them as individuals and as mothers who are in my life. But none of that erases the ache of my mother’s absence. During this Hallmark holi-

day, I’m developing my own rituals. I’ll light a yahrtzeit candle (and then again for Shavuot) because the light reminds me si mu lt a ne ou s ly of my mother’s absence and presence – altered, but still real. I’ll clean my closet, which my mother would certainly have considered a Mother’s Day present (and perhaps a minor miracle). I’ll continue to wear her jewelry. And I’ll keep writing, in memory of my mother the writer, who – even as her typing strength waned – wrote a partly autobiographical book that she referred to, in her writing process, as “visiting with my parents.” She gave me that phrase, and in so doing, set up a symbolic context for me to visit with her now that she’s gone. Some of us will try to forget this day, and others will search out new ways to honor and remember our mothers, and perhaps even to celebrate – albeit somewhat more mutedly – their impact on our lives. Whatever

we do to remember – writing, spending time with children, or acknowledging supportive influences around us – continues their act of creation. Their words and energy live beyond their lifetimes when we acknowledge the debts we owe them for decades spent raising us. Even if our relationships with them were sometimes complicated, as we birth our own creativity in any of its forms, we connect to the mothers who brought us into the world (and sustained us, and brought us to this season, to invoke the Shehecheyanu, a blessing of gratitude). American culture reminds us to remember them on Mother’s Day, mostly through celebratory sales and elaborate floral arrangements. But we don’t need the reminders, because we keep them with us, always. EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this piece appeared in the NY Jewish Week. ESTHER D. KUSTANOWITZ, a former Table for One singles columnist for The Jewish Week, is a writer based in Los Angeles. She is currently writing “Nothing Helps (But This Might Help): A Guide to Loss and What Comes After.”

Moms and memories BY BETSY ALPER, LICSW This is my first Mother’s Day without my mom. She died late last summer. “Are you dreading Mother’s Day?” I have been asked many times. “Not at all,” has been my reply. When my family gets together, they love to talk about their favorite Mother’s Day memory. The story goes that my father dug up a dogwood tree in the back of the woods behind our house and planted it as a surprise for my mother. She was delighted. About a week later, he replaced it with a bigger tree that he found in the woods; a week later an even bigger tree. This went on for several weeks, with my family reveling conspiratorially in the delight that my mother showed each time she thought her tree was growing so rapidly. Eventually, she caught on. Because I was not even born when this happened, I have relied on my siblings’ many versions of this story for details. One has a tree as big as the house before my mother even noticed. I don’t know the exact truth, but I do know it’s the favorite Mother’s Day story in my family. And that’s the thing; my Mother’s Day memories are unique to my relationship with my mother and my family. This is true for all of us. Relationships with our mothers can be complicated. Warm feelings, conflicted feelings, complex feelings; each of our experiences is different. Holiday expectations infused with commercialism and media have

little in common for most of us. When my son was 7 years old, the first time he had a friend come over after school, he said to me, “Mom, when we are walking in the door, can you be making cookies and be taking them right out of the oven as we walk in?” I have no idea how, at 7 years old, he had developed that expectation, but it wasn’t something he learned from me. Social media has its own version. “My mother is awesome and perfect with no flaws whatsoever. Click like if yours is too.” For many, Mother’s Day has a way of highlighting the expectations that most of us cannot live up to and leaves many wondering why their Mother’s Day celebrations or memories don’t match up. Will I miss my mom on Mother’s Day? Absolutely. But I miss her every day and will for the rest of my life. This year I will be reflecting on the memories that are meaningful and important to me, free from wondering if my plans to commemorate the day with some version of flowers, candy or brunch are “correct.” I will not be thinking, “did I get the right gift? Is my card funny enough with just the right touch of emotion?” This Mother’s Day I will be imagining and hoping that my mom is with my dad somewhere relaxing under a gigantic dogwood tree. I am sure no one else will be celebrating in this way. And that is how it should be. BETSY ALPER, LICSW, is clinical director at Jewish Family Service.

MOTHER’S DAY

thejewishvoice.org

The birth of Mother’s Day BY STEPHANIE ROSS For more than one hundred years, Americans have been celebrating mothers. According to Hallmark Cards Inc., nearly 85 percent of adult men and women celebrate Mother’s Day. However, Mother’s Day was not always a celebratory occasion.

From Mothers’ Day to Mother’s Day

In the 1850s, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis started holding Mothers’ Day work clubs throughout West Virginia as a way for mourning women to remember fallen soldiers. The groups tended to wounded soldiers from both sides during the Civil War, worked to improve sanitary conditions and fought to lower infant mortality by fi ghting disease and curbing milk contamination. During the summer of 1865, Jarvis organized an annual Mothers’ Friendship Day to bring people of all political beliefs together to promote peace and goodwill. Jarvis’ daughter Anna was responsible for Mother’s Day as we know it today. While she never had children, the death of her mother in 1905 inspired her to establish a nationally recognized Mother’s Day. The fi rst official Mother’s Day ceremonies were held in 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia, and Philadelphia. Largely through her efforts, the observances spread to a number of cities and states. Six years later, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made the second Sunday in May an official national holiday.

The rebellion against commercialism

Soon flower shops and card companies began the commercialization of Mother’s Day, which greatly disturbed Jarvis. Perceiving this as a misuse of the holiday, Jarvis sued to stop a Mother’s Day event in 1923 and was also arrested in the 1930s for protesting the

Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis sale of flowers and Mother’s Day postage stamps. Jarvis’ fi ght to keep the holiday an intimate day was unsuccessful. She passed away in 1948 at the age of 84.

Mother’s Day today

Today, Americans spend billions of dollars on Mother’s Day. The National Restaurant Association reported that Mother’s Day is the year’s most popular holiday for dining out, while the National Retail Federation said Mother’s Day accounts for one-fourth of holiday floral purchases. Although it has its roots in America, mothers are celebrated around the world. Several countries, including the U.S., celebrate on the second Sunday of May. Others, like Thailand, celebrate on different dates. The theme behind Jarvis’ holiday is the same, no matter the date or country. Everywhere in the world, mothers (and maternal fi gures) are honored for their devotion to their families. Without mothers, none of us would be here today. Happy Mother’s Day! STEPHANIE ROSS is a freelance writer and marketing coordinator in Boston.

FROM PAGE 15

April 24, 2015 |

NCJW

tablishment of humane border security policies and policies that ensure immigrant women and families have access to basic human services during the legalization process. NCJW has long endorsed the protection of every woman’s right to reproductive choices, including safe and legal abortion, access to contraception and the elimination of obstacles that limit reproductive freedom. A woman’s ability to access abortion is critical to respecting her moral agency, her religious liberty and to supporting her economic security. NCJW is committed to ending federal rest r ict ions that unjustly withhold coverage of abortion such as the Hyde Amendment. Hyde and similar policies restrict access for women who receive their health coverage through federal programs. NCJW believes that every woman, regardless of income or type of insurance, should have health insurance that covers abortion. Special regulations for abortion services are driven by a desire to eliminate all access. Its propo-

nents make no secret of their intent. State and federal laws have adopted the views of a minority driven on religious grounds to end access to abortion altogether, regardless of its constitutional status. This isn’t a secret or inferred truth – certain groups have made the elimination of abortion a central point of their policy agendas. We cannot allow this to happen. We continue to fight for civil rights and civil liberties with a fair and independent judiciary while promoting religious freedom and strengthening the separation between reli-

gion and state. And, we promote human rights and peace in support of a secure Israel where its founding principles of social justice and quality of life are realized. Help us to work for change with our policymakers. Help us to achieve our goals to improve the quality of life for

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women, children and families and to safeguard individual rights and freedoms. Please sign on to action line (actionline@ncjw.org); you do make a difference.” As the Rhode Island Section of the National Council of Jewish Women closes, both life and annual members will automatically become members of the national organization and will be invoiced from national. The plea to each and every local member remains the same. Continue to support NCJW. Continue to support the important issues. Continue to make your voice heard. Continue to make a di f ference in the lives of women, children and families. For information about the May 20 NCJW luncheon contact Judith Litchman at 401274-2311. TOBY ROSSNER is a National Council of Jewish Women Rhode Island section member. She was the director of media services at the Bureau of Jewish Education from 1978 to 2002.

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MOTHER’S DAY

20 | April 24, 2015

The Jewish Voice

Family in the age of Facebook Social media tsuris BY IRINA MISSIURO imissiuro@jewishallianceri.org Shana Maydel has moved away from the two most important women in her life – her mom and her grandma. The separation took some chutzpah and a lot of convincing. The two simply didn’t want to let her

go. However, the one strong argument Shana used to persuade them was not the perfect job waiting for her in the big city, but the agreement to allow them to see her Facebook page. Luckily for us, in honor of Mother’s Day, she has shared some status updates and her family’s responses to them in

the comments. Enjoy!

Don’t forget about the Jewish penicillin!

Shana Maydel: Ugh. Sick in bed. #NotAgain Mamaleh: Would it kill you to wear a coat when you go out? Bubbe: I’m sure it’s not as bad as the cold I had last week. Bubbe will make you some chicken soup now! Shana Maydel: Thanks, grandma, but I have no appetite. Bubbe: You must force yourself to eat so you can get better. I’m off to defrost the chicken!

Nothing’s worse than wasting money.

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Shana Maydel: Check out the pic of my new car! Mamaleh: What was wrong with the old one? A fine car! Shana Maydel: The transmission died. Mamaleh: I told you not to buy this used dreck three years ago! Bubbe: Your mom’s right this time, bubbeleh. It was a farkakteh purchase.

Don’t make it better. Do as I say.

Shana Maydel: Posting my latest painting. Thoughts, suggestions? Bubbe: What is it? I can’t tell! Shana Maydel: It’s abstract, grandma. Bubbe: We’re mishpachah, so I can tell you – it’s mishmash. Paint a bunch of flowers in-

stead. Mamaleh: Mah, leave her alone. Honey, add some bright color. It’s too dark. Shana Maydel: That’s the point. It’s supposed to be gloomy. Mamaleh: Feh! I’ve already said what you should do.

Are we needy or guilty? Or both?

Shana Maydel: Celebrating my promotion with some colleagues. Mamaleh: Why isn’t there any food in the photos? All I see is alcohol! Bubbe: I would have made you dinner. You haven’t called in two days… Shana Maydel: The two of you could have said “Congratulations!” M a m a l e h : Yo u’ r e r i g h t , sweetie. It’s all my fault. I am to blame. Bubbe: You know I’m happy for you. I don’t have to say it! And why are you at this restaurant? The one near Cousin Robin has two-for-one specials!

It’s always about grandma. Even when it’s about you.

Shana Maydel: Waiting for my train. NYC, here I come! Mamaleh: Don’t forget to live while you wait. And pepper spray! Bubbe: Use the bathroom before you get on the train. You never know! Oy, how will I manage without you for a week?

Let them be the

reason

Shana Maydel: I’ll call you, grandma. Just don’t repeat our conversations to the neighbors anymore.

You want to give money? Do so quietly.

Shana Maydel: Just checked into the Hilton. Mamaleh: Don’t forget to gather up the mini soaps and shampoos. I like to put them in dad’s gym bag. Bubbe: If your mother needs some money to buy soap, all she has to do is ask. Mamaleh: Mah, you should live so long.

The voiceless male.

Shana Maydel: My boyfriend’s meal always looks better than mine. Wish I knew how to order the way he does! Mamaleh: Just switch the plates! He won’t mind if he loves you. Shana Maydel: Actually, he did mind. Bubbe: How do you know? He speaks?!

It’s never about the music.

Shana Maydel: Opera, here we come! Mamaleh: What is that shmatte you are wearing?! He can’t buy you something nice? Shana Maydel: Mom, this is a 300-dollar dress! And I bought it myself. Bubbe: It does look a bit baggy, bubbeleh. Who else will tell you the truth?!

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MOTHER’S DAY

thejewishvoice.org

April 24, 2015 |

REUNITED

Two sisters share a bond that can’t be broken BY SUSAN BAZAR In the 1970s, the popular band Peaches and Herb released a song “Reunited.” If you love the song, as I do, it’s easy to understand why it has become my anthem of choice for two women I love. The story goes like this. After the shocking loss of two sons and cognitive decline over time, it became apparent that at age 85, my dear relative Alice, would benefit from moving into The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, a pristine, state-ofthe-art residence with superlative staff and care. Her sister Rose, 10 years her senior and diagnosed with dementia, had moved there within the year as well. It seemed natural to have the girls together, particularly since they had always lived in close proximity. Raised in a multifamily house in Providence, they were fiercely close. And, though there were other siblings, their bond was coveted. From what I know, Rose was a surrogate “other mother” to Alice and delighted in watching out for and protecting her baby sister. As married couples, they lived in apartments around the corner from each other and when the opportunity to buy homes on the East Side presented itself, they intentionally ended up a few streets apart. There, they

raised families, shared holidays, intermingled friends and quietly shared a closeness envied by most. As years passed, and after the loss of their spouses, they lived in apartments on the same floor at the Regency Plaza downtown. They were each other’s daily touchstone and though they respected their need for personal space, they sweetly and often ate dinner together and reminisced. When Rose moved to Tamarisk, Alice visited often. The separation for Alice was daunting. Rose acclimated easily and relished her sister’s visits. When Alice fi nally moved to Tamarisk months later, she reveled in the luxury of visiting her sister daily without the angst of a “freeway” ride home. Rather, she would step into the elevator, press floor number two and slink into her own room, content that her sister was close by and in good hands. One day, Rose fell and landed in the hospital with a head wound. Petrified to walk and with Department of Health

regulations making a return to Tamarisk questionable, her daughter thought it was time to move Rose to the Boston area where she lived. There, she and her daughter could keep a watchful eye on her and not rely on her sister, staff or me to assess her needs. And, though I confess I was not keen on the move, I was

aware I had neither the legal authority nor the inclination to intervene. Rose was transferred and confused. With her ambulatory skills returning, she was accepted by a Boston suburban residence into their dementia unit. Alice was outraged. How dare her niece unilaterally decide to move her sister. Who authorized

the move, why didn’t she come back and when did this actually take place? This matter loomed large and disturbed Alice, resulting in late-night threatening calls to both her niece and me. Despite my repeated attempts to assure her the move was perhaps in her sister’s best interest, she carried on in disbelief. After a couple of weeks and no doubt sick of hearing me lament about the sisters’ separation, my compassionate husband offered to take Alice to visit her sister. I was not convinced I would be able to handle Alice if I took her myself, particularly the fi rst time. That said, I promised her I would take her to see her Rose every two weeks, hoping that would appease her. Two weeks later, as promised, Alice and I visited Rose. I walked out incensed. The facility, not what I would call a residence, was disgusting. Rose was fi lthy and the unit reeked of urine. I was beside myself and, feeling desperate, called an out of town loving cousin (the sisters’ niece) to

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ask for advice. After our brief conversation, I felt empowered. Why shouldn’t I appeal to Rose’s daughter to return her mother to Tamarisk in Rhode Island and her sister? After all, their presence in each other’s lives sustained them. They were dependent on each other now and had been their whole lives. To Rose’s daughter and granddaughter’s credit, they consented to Rose’s return. I remember that day vividly. Rose kept saying, ”I’m home, I’m home.” Staff was thrilled to have her back, and her sister was elated. As my daughters love to say, it has been about a year that “the band has been back together” and though their mental capacity ebbs and flows, I delight in watching them. Seated side by side, hands clasped, exchanging pleasantries or catnapping, they are peaceful together. In their company, I am keenly aware of their deep abiding love … and have on more than one occasion mouthed the lyrics, “Reunited, and it feels so good.” EDITOR’S NOTE: The names were changed to protect their privacy. SUSAN BAZAR delights in highlighting sandwich generation experiences and caring for family.

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Rhode Island

22 | April 24, 2015

MOTHER’S DAY

The Jewish Voice

‘Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: a Memoir of Food and Longing’ Mother and daughter collaborate on culinary chronicle BY IRINA MISSIURO imissiuro@jewishallianceri.org

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For more information contact Trine Lustig at 401.421.4111 ext. 223 or tlustig@jewishallianceri.org.

Your Only Rhode Island

Jewish Newspaper

At the age of 10, Anya Von Bremzen and her mother, Larisa Frumkin, immigrated to the United States from the former Soviet Union, settling in Philadelphia in 1974. To taste the American dream, they had to make sacrifices and fudge the truth. Frumkin, a staunch anti-Soviet, outsmarted the Russian visa office by forging her father’s signature, implying that the party man and “idealistic Bolshevik” – as Von Bremzen describes him – was not opposed to her leaving the country, and omitting his profession – chief naval spy – by writing “retired” instead. After paying two years’ worth of salary for the opportunity to emigrate, losing their Soviet citizenship and being interrogated by the CIA about Frumkin’s father upon arrival, the motherdaughter team began anew in their adopted homeland. They had to get used to the idea that their Jewishness no longer fell into the ethnicity category. It became their religion, which they could finally practice, lighting Hanukkah candles. Aided by HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) and Jewish Family Service – organizations which provided essentials such as used clothing and stipends – the two adjusted to the lack of sidewalks and the abundance of food in supermarkets. Surprisingly, the preteen girl did not revel in the ability to purchase any provisions at any moment. Anya was used to the food shortages. Of course, a certain class of people – the select few who had connections to the government – ate better than the rest, but everyone else improvised with whatever groceries were available. Because of her grandfather’s stature, Anya attended a prestigious kindergarten along with the offspring of Politburo and nomenklatura members. Knowing how opposed her mother was to the dominant ideology, Anya couldn’t stomach the high-quality foods she was served. Instead of the expected fish oil, the children’s spoons were fi lled with caviar. Discreetly, the girl threw the food behind the radiator, eventually becoming bulimic. The child continued her uneasy relationship with food in

Anya Von Bremzen America. Faced with fare that lacked social prestige and could be obtained without yearning or struggle, Anya lost her appetite. Readily accessible ingredients did not thrill. American strawberries tasted flavorless; untoasted Pop Tarts proved “a massive disappointment,” she shared with the Strand bookstore audience. The preteen no longer equated food with the oppressive regime, as she did in Moscow, or with uncertainty and anxiety, as her mother did while growing up under Stalinism. Now, food was mere sustenance, free of cachet and, therefore, uninteresting. She writes, “Depleted of political pathos, hospitality, that heroic aura of scarcity, food didn’t seem much of anything anymore.” As the years passed, the two women could not shake off the feeling of survivors’ guilt. Here they were, enjoying foie gras and truffles while their compatriots stood in long queues to buy basic ingredients. Even though they couldn’t share their delicacies with friends and family left behind, they frequently hosted parties and dinners, breaking bread with their new acquaintances. Because of her fascination with food, Von Bremzen was not at a loss when she injured her hand at 24 – a misfortune that ended the Juilliard School graduate’s music career. The young woman refocused her attention on translating an Italian cookbook – a job that inspired her to write her own, “Please to the Table,” which was published in 1990, the year before the collapse of the U.S.S.R. In 2013, five cookbooks, numerous magazine and newspaper articles and James Beard awards later, Von Bremzen wrote “Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking,” the book that won Food Book of the Year at the Guild of Food Writers SOVIET | 26

NATION

thejewishvoice.org

April 24, 2015 |

Is Kosher Switch really kosher for Shabbat? BY URIEL HEILMAN NEW YORK (JTA) – It promises a revolutionary innovation that could transform Jewish Shabbat observance. By changing the way a light switch works, the patented Kosher Switch offers a novel – and its backers say, kosher – way to turn light switches (and, perhaps, other electrical appliances) on and off during Shabbat, circumventing one of the Sabbath’s central restrictions: the use of electricity. In just three days, the product’s backers have raised more than $45,000 toward a $50,000 fundraising goal on Indiegogo, the crowdsourced fundraising website, to start manufacturing the device. Menashe Kalati, the device’s inventor, calls it a “long overdue, techno-halachic breakthrough.” (Halachah refers to traditional Jewish law.) But critics say the Kosher Switch isn’t really kosher for Shabbat at all – and that Kalati is misrepresenting rabbinic opinions on the matter to give the false impression that he has their endorsements. At issue is whether the device’s permissibility for Shabbat relies on a Jewish legal loophole that applies only to extraordinary circumstances like medical or security needs. The loophole, known as a “gramma,” allows for indirect activation of electronic devices on Shabbat. How does gramma work? If, for example, a non-life-threatening field fire is burning on Shabbat, jugs full of water may be placed around the fire to indirectly cause its eventual extinguishing. Dowsing the fire directly – a Sabbath prohibition – is permitted only in lifethreatening circumstances. Kalati, 43, says his switch does not rely on the gramma loophole. When the switch is in the off position, a piece of plastic blocks an electronic light pulse that when received turns on the light. Turning the switch on moves the piece of plastic, which is not connected to anything electrical, so that it no longer obstructs the pulse. Because the light pulse is subject to a “random degree of uncertainty” and won’t instantaneously kindle the light when in Sabbath mode, it is kosher for use on Shabbat, according to the video. This “adds several layers of Halachic uncertainty, randomness and delays, such that according to Jewish law, a user’s action is not considered to have caused a given reaction,” the company says on its website. (Kalati’s office did not respond to phone calls or emails from JTA). In the Indiegogo video, Kalati says his team has spent years on research and development, during which “we’ve been privi-

leged to meet with Torah giants who have analyzed, endorsed and blessed our technology and endeavors.” But Yisrael Rosen, head of the Zomet Institute, the leading designer of electronic devices for use on Shabbat, says the Kosher Switch is unfit for Shabbat use. “Today, Israeli media reported the invention of an electric ‘Kosher switch’ for Shabbat, with the approval of various rabbis. This item was recycled from 2010 and already then denials and renunciation by great rabbinic authorities were published regarding everyday use for this product,” Rosen wrote on Zomet’s website. “No Orthodox rabbi, Ashkenazi or Sephardi, has permitted this ‘Gramma’ method for pure convenience.” Rosen appended a letter from Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth, the first rabbi whose endorsement appears in the Kosher Switch video – in a one-second pull quote reading “I, too, humbly agree to the invention” – suggesting that his endorsement was misrepresented. “To allow one a priori to turn on electricity on Shabbat – impossible, and I never considered permitting except for the needs of a sick person or security,” reads the letter, which bears Neuwirth’s signature and letterhead and is addressed to the manager of Kosher Switch. “And please publicize this thing so no [Shabbat] violation will be prompted by me.” The son of another rabbi whose endorsement appears in the video, Rabbi Noach Oelbaum (who says it does not violate the prohibition on Shabbatday labor), told JTA that his father’s position was distorted. “I regret that my father’s position on kosher switch was misrepresented by stating that he endorses it l’maaseh,” the son, Moshe Oelbaum, wrote in a statement, using the Jewish term for “regular use.” Oelbaum said his father’s true position is that while the switch does not involve a technical violation of the Sabbath prohibition against labor (which forbids electricity use), it is a desecration of the Shabbat spirit. Oelbaum advises consumers to consult their own rabbis. Kosher Switch is hardly the first technological innovation devised to ease Shabbat observance. For decades, Shabbatobservant Jews have used electronic timers set before Friday night to control lights and appliances like air conditioners or hot plates. Multistory buildings throughout Israel and some in the United States have Shabbat elevators that can run on autopilot. In 2004, Canadian rabbi and entrepreneur Shmuel Veffer invented a bedside-style lamp called Kosher Lamp that could be “turned off” by twisting a cylinder encasing a lit

bulb so that the bulb was completely concealed. The Zomet Institute, located in the Jerusalem suburb of Gush Etzion, in the West Bank, has invented baby sensors, sump pump gadgets, hot water heater contraptions, and special switches that modify wheelchairs, hospital beds, electronic scooters and staircase elevators for use on Shabbat. However, many of these devices rely on the gramma loophole and are permitted only for medical or security use. Many observant Jews also rely upon non-Jews for help circumventing Shabbat restrictions, though such requests for help are forbidden from being expressed explicitly. The Kosher Switch video parodies this problem of using “Shabbos goys” [non-Jews]. Rabbi Mordechai Hecht, a Chabad rabbi from Queens, New York, who appears in the Kosher Switch video says the controversy surrounding its permissibility isn’t simply a fight over Jewish law. Hecht said he cannot endorse or reject the product because he is not a halachic authority. “Is there one way in halachah? Of course not. That’s why the sages say, ‘Make yourself a rabbi,’” Hecht said. “I think the rabbis need to be brave. A conversation needs to be had, and maybe this is a good place to have it. If there’s really a halachic issue, let’s talk about it. This is an amazing invention. The question is, can it enhance the Shabbos?”

The Dor L'Dor Society celebrates the generosity of donors who have established bequests, planned gifts, or permanent endowment funds to sustain the Jewish community in perpetuity. Martin Greenfield, featured on CNN’s “Remembering Auschwitz, 70 Years Later,” was seized from his Czechoslovakian home at age 13 and sent to Auschwitz, where he was separated forever from his family. Greenfield learned how to sew in the camp and realized that clothes possess power. Now 86, Greenfield’s company is the leading maker of hand-tailored menswear, and has dressed Hollywood’s famous and D.C.’s powerful, including Presidents Eisenhower, Clinton, and Obama. The account of his life inspires hope and renews faith in the resilience of man.

“I did not find the world desolate when I entered it. And as my parents planted for me before I was born, so do I plant for those who will come after me.” —Talmud

Please join us for a special presentation featuring Martin Greenfield, author of Measure of a Man: From Auschwitz Survivor to Presidents’ Tailor Thursday, April 30, 2015 12:00 - 2:00pm At the home of Ronald Markoff & Karen Triedman This program is open to all donors to the 2015 Jewish Alliance Annual Campaign. Members of the Dor L’Dor Society will be recognized for their commitment to nurturing Jewish life for generations to come. Lunch will be served. Space is limited. For more information or to RSVP, contact Danielle Germanowski at 401.421.4111 ext.109 or dgermanowski@jewishallianceri.org. Kindly RSVP by April 16.

24 | April 24, 2015

BUSINESS

The Jewish Voice

BUSINESS | ISRAEL

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Israelis among world’s least religious, poll ﬁnds JTA – Israel may be the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity, but it is also one of the world’s least religious nations, according to a new poll. The WIN/Gallup poll of 63,898 residents in 65 countries found that 65 percent of Israelis described themselves as either not religious or convinced atheists. Meanwhile, 75 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza viewed themselves as religious, with 18 percent not religious.

The poll found that overall, 63 percent of people said they are religious. With 61 percent of its citizens not religious, China was the world’s least religious country, whereas Thailand, with 94 percent of its citizens religious, was the most religious one. Despite Israel’s low rates of religiosity, according to the poll, the Middle East was one of the world’s most religious regions, with more than eight out of 10 people portraying themselves as religious. With 51 percent of its

residents not religious, Western Europe was the least religious region. The Gallup findings on Israel conflict with findings from a 2009 study by the Israeli Democracy Institute, according to The Jerusalem Post. The 2009 study reported that religiosity decreased in the decade after Jews from the former Soviet Union began immigrating to Israel en masse, but has subsequently increased, with 80 percent of respondents saying they believed in God.

In ﬁrst, Women of the Wall read from full-size Torah scroll at Kotel JERUSALEM (JTA) – Women of the Wall for the fi rst time read from a full-size Torah scroll during the group’s monthly prayer service at the Western Wall, contravening regulations there. The Torah scroll, one of 100 available for public use on the men’s side of the Wall, was passed across the barrier between the men’s and women’s sections by male supporters of the 26-year-old organization on April 20 during services for the new month of Iyar. Regulations at the site set by the office of the Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites of Israel, headed by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, have prevented women from using a Torah scroll in their section.

An April 2013 Supreme Court ruling acknowledged women’s right to pray at the Western Wall according to their beliefs, claiming it does not violate what has come to be known as “local custom.” Haredi Orthodox men praying at the Wall physically attacked the men who helped the women with what the group described in a statement as their “carefully planned help” to obtain the scroll, and then broke through the mechitzah barrier and attempted to take the scroll away from the women. Police reportedly removed the men, and the women completed what the organization said in a statement was “a full and deeply moving service.”

In October, the women smuggled a miniature Torah scroll into the women’s section, despite their bags being searched, and held a bat mitzvah using the 200-year-old Torah, which was brought from Britain for the prayer service. Women of the Wall gather at the Western Wall at the start of each Jewish month for the morning prayer service. The group’s members have clashed frequently with staff from Rabinovitch’s office and with police for holding services that violate the rules enforced by that office, including singing, wearing prayer shawls and other customs that are forbidden to women under the office’s interpretation of Orthodox Jewish law.

April 24, 2015 |

The Jewish Voice Classiﬁed

Israeli music education startup raises $5 million in new funding JERUSALEM (JTA) – An Israeli startup company that creates music education technology has raised $5 million in new funding. Tonara raised the funding from Baidu, the maker of China’s leading search engine, and Israel-based Carmel Ventures, a repeat investor. The Israeli company offers two apps: Tonara, which listens and automatically fl ips sheet music pages during rehearsals and performances, and Wolfie, a teaching and evaluation tool for music instructors using an iPad. The company also has partnerships with music publishers. The company, under the guidance of Baidu, plans to launch Wolfie in China, according to TechCrunch, which also reported that Tonara has plans to unveil new products and services designed for music students and teachers in China. “Tonara’s mission is to redefi ne the way music is taught, learned and practiced around the world by bringing music education into the digital age,” Tonara CEO Guy Bauman told Globes. “We are excited by Baidu’s endorsement of Tonara’s vision and potential.

SEEKING JEWISH EDUCATORS

Temple Torat Yisrael, East Greenwich, RI is seeking Jewish educators for the 2015-16 school year for our growing K-7 Religious School. Successful candidates will be warm, vibrant, dynamic, and familiar with the latest teaching methodologies and innovative approaches to Jewish education. Sundays, 8:30 am-noon. Salary commensurate with experience: $25-45/hour. 4-5 hrs/week. Contact: Dori Adler, Education Director at school@toratyisrael.org / 401-487-5780.

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26 | April 24, 2015

SENIORS

The Jewish Voice

A plague on both your houses! It’s from Shakespeare, but I drag it out to describe my dilemma in the voting booth. A plague on both your houses! Along with a feh! The Republicans are right as rain when it comes to issues about Israel.

SKETCHBOOK MIKE FINK

Strangely, the right gets it right: Israel is indeed the home of the brave and the land of the free. It takes courage to live upon the Holy Land (I believe all land is holy, and I mean that literally. The earth, like the sea and the sky, is sacred, if you believe in Bereshit.) And you are free in Israel to use your freedom among many life choices, along numerous and various pathways. My only quarrel with the Republican viewpoint is that their platform doesn’t deal, as I wish it would, with the liberty of the landscape. Not everything must be for human use, personal profit or even private comfort. I hate “fracking,” although I do understand its advantages in the short run: contempt for Eden is nevertheless a vile insult to Creation. The answer, for me and from what I recall from my generation’s ideals, hides in conservation, in plain thrift. If the Republicans could lay claim to the legacy of Abe Lin-

coln, with his proverbial log cabin like Thoreau’s shack at his local, nearby pond … if the Republicans could summon up the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt with his embrace of wilderness and his design of simple stone lodges accessible only by burros … if the Republicans could admire small businessmen and businesswomen instead of giant corporations … their support of Israel would further gain popular appeal. As for the Democratic platform, I would wish their words to be more frank and open. Although we have a person of color in the White House, why does he not recognize that Israel was the only nation upon our planet ever to invite an impoverished and desperate people – the Falasha folk of Ethiopia, with their derivation from the Queen of Sheba and their Queen Judith of a later era, both with their follower tribes of color – to return to Jerusalem, the city of their dreams and memories? Although the probable choice for the next Democratic candidate for the prized presidency will be a woman, nevertheless there is never a word of criticism regarding the plight of women among the nations surrounding Israel. Oh, the tolerance of intolerance! The concession to the ancient tradition of blaming everything upon the Jews, whenever there is unrest and uncertainty at all the four corners of the inhabited carpet of “civilization.” And then, in our culture of confrontation, there is no truly

lively conversation between the Democrats and the Republicans, only evasive brags and boasts, insults and assaults, like some crude duel in a bygone era or an overblown Hollywood epic. Sadly, alas, our national intelligence, like that of the entire world beyond our shores, is in our inventions. They are wretched inventions for death or for further pollution and diminishment of the noble, even biblical, landscape – not for a voting public of sensitivity, knowledge and imagination. Even our entertainment is a diminished thing, the lowering level, the dumbing down, the numbing down. That’s why I say, a plague on both your houses. It was, as some among us may remember, said by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to that most eloquent of labor leaders, John L. Lewis, who answered thus. “Labor, like Israel, has many enemies.” We studied that moment when Lewis then withdrew his support from the Democratic party and joined the Republicans, but only briefly. You can’t stick with one platform. Mix and match and hope for the best. For our Holy Land, Eretz Israel, with its glorious past and its wondrous present. And with an eye out to its future among the nations of the world of tomorrow. And for all its flora and fauna to share. MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol. com) teaches at RISD.

Join Cranston Seniors as they install new officers The Cranston Senior Guild will hold its annual spring installation of officers on June 3 at noon at the West Valley Inn, 4 Blossom St., West Warwick. The cost of the lunch is $21, which includes soup, salad, pasta, entrée and dessert. All men and women 55 years of age or older are welcome. Reservations must be made by May 13. Membership in the Cranston Senior Guild is $12 for the year. Enjoy the many meetings and events. As always, there is no charge for the refreshments that are served. The Cranston Senior Guild FROM PAGE 22 |

was founded in the 1970s, and its mission is social as well as charitable. The group has attended plays, traveled to Foxwoods, held dinners and has a variety of speakers and entertainment at its meetings. Funds raised from raffles have gone to food pantries, summer funds for underprivileged youth and many other charities. Membership is open to all men and women age 55 and over. Cranston residency is not required. For more information, or to make reservations for the spring installation of officers, contact Natalie at 401-615-9483.

SOVIET

Awards in 2014. While the title tips a hat to Julia Child, the volume resists classification. It’s not a cookbook because it contains only 10 recipes. It’s not a memoir because all the personal stories are presented as a backdrop to history. The writing is as deep and layered as a kulebiaka – an elaborate and time-consuming dish in which rice, fish, mushrooms and blini are baked into a yeast pastry. In many interviews, Von Bremzen says that she was inspired by the structure of one of her favorite books – “War and Peace.” The novel interweaves the details of the human lives with the larger historical epic. Similarly, the cooking chronicle of the mother and daughter in Queens illuminates the history of the F.S.U., the two propelling each other. Because Frumkin loves historical meals – she’s a docent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art – they decided to recreate some emblematic dishes, one from each decade of the 20th century. The feasts they hosted provide the foundation for the multidimensional story. The book encompasses the tales of three generations: the idealistic grandparents, who lived by the Soviet system; their rebellious children, who were part of the anti-Soviet intelligentsia; and the cynical grandchildren, who saw the Soviet life as a farce. The reader learns about the rupture of the old order and the following destruction of czarist cooking, caused not only by a shift in ideology, but also by the lack of ingredients. Further down the line, Von Bremzen illuminates Stalin’s revival of pre-revolutionary values and the infamous corn era of President Khrushchev. It was during the ’60s – the decade of crop failures and bread disappearance – that Von Bremzen was born. The Soviet culinary bible, “The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food,” ruled every kitchen, including Frumkin’s, which she shared with 17 other families who lived in their communal apartment. Published in 1939, the state-

sponsored cookbook was a socialist text advertising nonexistent abundance. Years later, the two women made sure to prepare a dish out of it for one of their compatriot feasts to celebrate the anniversary of Stalin’s death. Von Bremzen grew up in a world where roommates relied on padlocks to fasten their pots and neighborhood children unapologetically flaunted blackmarket bananas in front of have-nots. Yet, the poverty and the improvised dinners to feed uninvited guests, who popped in regularly, instilled not only a love of food in the impressionable child, but also a belief in food’s magical properties. Von Bremzen writes about the way her mother would transform every prosaic meal into a special one by inventing fairy tales about the dishes she prepared. Frumkin would assign important-sounding foreign names to the simple fare she cooked with basic ingredients such as bread and eggs. To devise a banquet, all she needed were some canned goods and her imagination. Now that she’s the age her mother was when she was growing up, Von Bremzen has taken over the role of a teacher. Because she travels the world to write about food, she learns a great deal on the subject. Upon her return to New York, the daughter offers her mother lessons. The two engage in a friendly competition, but no matter what is being prepared – borscht or gazpacho – they relish cooking side-by-side, an observation that any reader of “Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking” will make. Von Bremzen was delighted to collaborate with Frumkin, whom she interviewed over two years. “My mom is such a hero to me. It was an absolute joy to come together with her on this project,” she told Melissa Clark, the New York Times cooking writer, at the Strand. IRINA MISSIURO is a writer and editorial consultant for The Jewish Voice.

OBITUARIES

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Robert M. Ball, 85 AIKEN, S.C. – Robert M. Ball died April 11. He was the husband of Elinor (Fielder) Ball; they were married for 45 years. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., a son of the late Harry and Harriet (Feinstein) Ball, he was a longtime resident of Providence and Rehoboth and a resident of Aiken, S. C. He was a former textile manufacturer, numismatist and a real estate developer of The Mills in Pawtucket. He was a former navy and navy reserve lieutenant. Besides his wife, he is survived by his sons Stuart and Daniel Ball and his sisters-inlaw Marie and Renee Ball. He was the brother of the late Marvin and Jerry Ball. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, Mass. 02284.

Jeremy D. Chaika, 50 FLA. – Jeremy D. Chaika died April 12 in Florida. He was the former husband of Ayessa Deleon, Marita Kozinda and Claudia Aguirre. Born in Providence, a son of William Y. and Elaine (Ostrach) Chaika of Providence, he had lived in Florida for more than 15 years. He was a loan officer for Bank of America and was previously in the wholesale produce business in California. Devoted father of Rebecca Chaika of San Francisco, Calif., and Allen Chaika and Sarah Chaika, both of Boca Raton, Fla. Loving brother of Eric Chaika of Warwick and Daniel Chaika of Providence. Contributions in his memory may be made to Humane Society of the United States, 700 Professional Dr., Gaithersburg, Md., 20879 or Providence Animal Rescue League, 34

Elbow 02903.

St.,

Providence,

R.I.

Sheila Duerden, 75 FORT MYERS, FLA. Sheila Ester (Gershman) Levine Duerden, of Fort Myers, died Jan. 18 in Fort Myers. Born in Pawtucket, formerly of Providence and Cranston, she was a resident of Fort Myers for 31 years. Daughter of the late Harry and Miriam (Pomarans) Gershman. Wife of the Phillip Levine and wife for 18 years of the late Edward Francis Duerden of Ft. Myers. Beloved mother of Lisa Levine Genzer of Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. and stepmother of Christopher (Georgia) Duerden and Jamine Duerden all of Florida. Cherished grandmother of Justin Ingram Simmons, Chelsea Duerden and Madeleine Rodriguez. Caring companion of Samuel Frazer of Fort Myers, sister of Phyllis Goldberg of West Palm Beach, Fla. In Rhode Island, Shelia was a past president of Pawtucket Hadassah and a former member of Temple Beth-El and Temple Sinai. A longtime entrepreneur in the retail industry, she owned and operated Sportsmania at Fleamasters for the past 25 years. As an active member of Temple Beth-El in Fort Myers, she has been recognized for her outstanding fundraising efforts on behalf of the temple as a facilitator of the monthly Mah Jongg tournaments. A skilled tournament Mah Jongg player, she also excelled in canasta and bridge. These were some of her spare time passions. Always with a smile, her wit and sense of humor endeared her to a wide circle of friends and her family. Contributions in Sheila’s memory to the Temple Beth-El Religious School Fund, 16225 Winkler Ave., Ft. Myers, Fla. 33908 or to Central Florida Hillel for Taglit-Birthright Israel, 3925 Lockwood Blvd., Orviedo, Fla. 32765.

Sylvia Gitlin, 98

William E. Wolf, 65

DELRAY BEACH, FLA. – Sylvia (Kleger) Gitlin died April 16. She was the wife of the late Milton Gitlin. She was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of the late Benjamin and Alice (Horvitz) Kleger. She will be remembered as “tough and tender.” She was the rock of the family; she always took care of everyone. She is survived by her children Bernard (Brenda) Gitlin, Selda (Harry) Goldberg and Leslea (Robert) Harelick; her grandchildren Scott and David Harelick, Andrew Goldberg, Jocelyn Deutsch and Melissa Jacoby; and nine great-grandchildren. Contributions in her memory may be made to Hospice of Palm Beach County, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, Fla., 33407 or to Tifereth Israel Congregation.

CRANSTON, R.I. – William E. Wolf, beloved husband of Sherri (Gorodetsky) Wolf for 41 years, died surrounded by his loving family on April 17 at Rhode Island Hospital. Devoted father of Danielle (Mark) Fraenza, Ilesha (Edward) Senna and Jessica (David Kolibaba) Wolf. Loving grandfather of Maya and Devon Fraenza and Alexa Senna. Dear brother of Cynthia Feldman. Born in Providence, a loving

Sylvia Shocket, 98 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sylvia Shocket of Epoch on Blackstone Blvd., died April 14 at Epoch. She was the beloved wife of the late James Shocket. Born in Bangor, Maine, a daughter of the late Jacob and Alice Cohen, she had lived in Cranston for 63 years before moving to Warwick and then to Providence. She wrote poetry and enjoyed exercising, and volunteered at the Cranston Senior Center, teaching exercise classes. Devoted mother of Saul Shocket and his wife Alice of East Orleans, Mass., Robin Kulik of Cranston and Suanne Shocket and her husband Noah Nason of Manassas, Va. Dear sister of Eunice Morris of Warwick and the late Nathan Cohen, Ada Silverman, Pauline Cohen and Mae Karas. Loving grandmother of Shayna, Brandon, Joshua, Ari, Mark and John. Great-grandmother of Maya, Sophie, Zack, Noah and Jonah. Contributions in her memory may be made to your favorite charity.

April 24, 2015 |

son of Charlotte and the late Isadore Wolf, he had lived in Cranston for many years. He was an automobile salesman for 30 years, retiring five years ago. He and his wife previously owned Movies and More for four years. He was a former vice president at Temple Torat Yisrael and president of the Under 30s Bowling League. Contributions in his memory may be made to Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation, 10 New King St., White Plains, N.Y. 10604.

Elio Toaff, chief rabbi of Rome for 51 years, dies at 99

ROME (JTA) – Elio Toaff, the chief rabbi of Rome for 51 years, has died, two weeks before his 100th birthday. Toaff, who died April 19, served as chief rabbi from 1951 to 2002 and is considered an important figure in the history of Italy and European Jewry. He welcomed Pope John Paul II on his historic April 1986 visit to the Great Synagogue, the first known visit by a pope to a synagogue in some 2,000 years. During World War II, already a rabbi, Toaff fought Nazi fas-

cism with the Italian partisans and witnessed the crimes committed by the Nazis in the Sant’Anna di Stazzema massacre. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said of Toaff’s death, “We have lost a giant.” Renzo Gattegna, president of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, said Toaff “was a leader and a point of reference. We will never forget him.” Toaff was buried April 20 in the Jewish cemetery in his hometown of Leghorn.

Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, prominent modern Orthodox scholar, dies at 81 JERUSALEM (JTA) – Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, a leader of the national religious movement in Israel and a prominent modern Orthodox scholar, has died. A head of the Har Etzion Yeshiva in the West Bank’s Gush Etzion bloc, he died April 20. He received a doctorate in English literature from Harvard and was awarded the Israel Prize for Jewish Literature in 2014 for his scholarly works.

Lichtenstein was ordained in 1959 in Boston by the modern Orthodox leader Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and became his son-in-law a year later. He was the head of Yeshiva University in New York when he was asked to head the fledgling Har Etzion Yeshiva jointly with the late Rabbi Yehuda Amital, and made aliyah in 1971. Lichtenstein’s son, Mosheh, currently serves as one of the yeshiva’s heads.

ISRAEL

28 | April 24, 2015 FROM PAGE 1

ISRAEL’S PAST

Heinrich Himmler’s great-niece, who married an Israeli Jew and lives overseas. In Israel’s early years, the state was roiled by a debate over whether to accept German reparations for the Holocaust (it did), and Germany remained a controversial subject: From 1956 until 1967, Israel had a ban on all Germanproduced films.

3. Ben-Gurion invented Israeli couscous (sort of).

The tiny pasta balls known as Israeli couscous – called ptitim in Hebrew – were invented in the 1950s at the behest of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who asked the Osem food company to come up with a wheat-based substitute for rice during a period of austerity in Israel. The invention, which Israelis dubbed “BenGurion’s rice,” was an instant hit.

4. Israel had no TV service untill the late ’60s.

The first Israeli TV transmission did not take place until 1966 and at first was intended only for schools for educational use. Regular public broadcasts began on Israeli Independence Day in May 1968. For almost two decades more, Israel had only one channel, and broadcasts were limited to specific hours of the day. A second channel debuted in 1986, and cable was introduced in 1990. Today, Israeli TV is a popular source for Hollywood scriptwriters: “Homeland” (Showtime), “In Treatment” (HBO), “Your Family or Mine” (TBS),

“Allegiance” (NBC), “Deal With It” (TBS), “Tyrant” and “Boom” (Showtime) all are remakes of Israeli shows.

5. Queen Elizabeth II’s motherin-law is buried in Jerusalem.

Prince Philip’s mother, born in 1885 as Princess Alice of Battenberg and congenitally deaf, spent much of her life in Greece after marrying Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. (Yes, he was simultaneously prince of two different European countries.) During the Nazi occupation of Greece, Alice hid a Jewish woman and two of her children from the Nazis, which earned her eventual recognition by Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial as a “Righteous Among the Nations” and by the British government as a “Hero of the Holocaust.” She moved to London in 1967 to live in Buckingham Palace with her son and daughter-inlaw, Queen Elizabeth II. After the princess died two years later, her body was interred in a crypt at Windsor Castle. In 1988, she was transferred to a crypt at the Convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives – honoring a wish she had expressed before her death. The Mount of Olives is home to the world’s oldest continuously used cemetery.

The Jewish Voice dence, Yemen’s Jewish community decided to move en masse to the Jewish homeland. James Wooten, president of Alaska Airlines, was among those moved by their plight. Between June 1949 and September 1950, Alaska Airlines made approximately 430 flights in twin-engine C-46 and DC-4 aircrafts as part of Operation Magic Carpet, the secret mission that transported nearly 50,000 Jews from Yemen to Israel. Pilots had to contend with fuel shortages, sandstorms and enemy fire, and one plane crash-landed after losing an engine, but not a single life was lost aboard the flights.

7. Golda Meir was the world’s third female prime minister.

Meir (nee Myerson), who became Israeli prime minister in 1969, was preceded only by Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka (1960-65) and Indira Ghandi of India (1966-77). Born in Kiev and raised in Milwaukee, Meir moved to an Israeli kibbutz in her early 20s and quickly became active in Labor politics. Though popular with American Jews, Meir remains a subject of some derision in Israel for her perceived failures during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when she opted not to attack preemptively Arab forces massing on Israel’s border with Syria. Though the Agranat Commission that investigated the war cleared Meir

of direct responsibility, she resigned shortly afterward and was succeeded as prime minister by Yitzhak Rabin in 1974 (he served until 1977 and again became prime minister in 1992).

8. Israeli law began requiring solar water heaters in all new homes in 1980.

The law was passed following the energy crisis of the late ’70s and made Israel the world’s leader in the use of solar energy per capita. Today, an estimated 85 percent of Israeli households use solar systems for hot water, amounting to some 3 percent of the nation’s energy consumption. However, today Israel lags behind other countries in implementing other solar energy solutions, and a growing number of new buildings in Israel utilize legal loopholes that provide exemptions to the solar heater law.

9. Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus is not technically part of the West Bank.

Though situated in eastern Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, where Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital have campuses, has been in Israeli hands since the state’s founding. After the conclusion of the War of Independence in 1949, the hilltop was controlled by Jews but surrounded by Jordan-controlled eastern Jerusalem. Israel maintained its Mount Scopus exclave by ferry-

ing in troops and supplies every two weeks under United Nations guard. The convoys were frequently subject to Arab enemy fire, and an attack in 1958 killed four Israelis and one U.N. soldier. Mount Scopus was reunited with the rest of Jewish Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

10. Albert Einstein was oﬀered Israel’s presidency.

The offer came from David Ben-Gurion in November 1952 in the days after the death of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann. “I am anxious for you to feel that the Prime Minister’s question embodies the deepest respect which the Jewish people can repose in any of its sons,” Israeli Ambassador Abba Eban wrote to the famed scientist. Einstein turned down the invitation, citing his advanced age and ineptitude at dealing with people. “I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel, and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it,” Einstein replied, noting, “my relationship to the Jewish people has become my strongest human bond, ever since I became aware of our precarious situation among the nations of the world.” Interestingly, Ben-Gurion initially denied press reports about the invitation. Einstein died less than three years later.

6. Alaska Airlines airlifted thousands of Yemenite Jews to Israel.

When anti-Jewish riots broke out in Yemen after Israel’s victory in the 1948 War of Indepen-

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STORY

Wollschlaeger was born, raised and educated in Germany, converted to Judaism, immigrated to Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces. Now living in Miami, Florida, he is a practicing family physician and author of “A German Life: Against All Odds, Change is Possible.” Wollschlaeger says, “When my children began asking about my parents and my past, I made the decision to tell them the truth about my family and my upbringing. I wanted them to understand what so dramatically changed my life; to give them a sense of knowing their family history in a way that was different than my own experience. “Sharing with them in this way would cause me to explore the relationship between my father and myself and how that relationship was overshadowed by the Holocaust and everything associated with it. “The unresolved confl ict between my father and myself, combined with his complete denial of any wrongdoing, motivated me to search for answers. I found those answers within my newly acquired faith. And I learned that against all odds, lasting change actually is possible.” Wollschlaeger delivered his presentation, “Against All Odds, Change is Possible,” at three events during the day. In the morning, he spoke at Bishop Hendricken High School to a group of Hendricken students along with students from St. Kevin’s High School. The audience was mesmerized, and about 25 students asked him personal and thought-provoking questions afterward. Then it was on to the State House where Wollschlaeger spoke at a reception in the Governor’s Reception Room to government leaders, legislators and interfaith leaders. After this presentation, Wollschlaeger and other members of the Jewish community attended a session on the House and Senate floors for passage of the Holocaust Remembrance Day resolutions where Rep. Aaron Regunberg talked about his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who is a role model for him. In the evening, Wollschlaeger addressed 355 people at Temple Emanu-El. The audience gave him a standing ovation both for his compelling story and for the Never Again award, presented to him by Judith Jamieson, president of the Holocaust Education and Resource Center of R.I. In Cantor Brian Mayer’s words, “The audience heard a capstone piece sung by both Jewish and Christian voices, the Hineh Mah Tov, the very words of which speak to the commemoration’s theme of hope that indeed humankind can dwell in harmony.” After the service, there was a reception and copies of Wollschlae-

ger’s book, “A German Life: Against All Odds, Change is Possible,” sold out. In the words of participants who attended the Yom HaShoah program and heard Wollschlaeger’s presentation: “I was most impressed with Bernd’s closing statements to the students in the afternoon. He spoke of Germany’s accepting responsibility for the Holocaust and their making amends for their cruel behavior, and they teach about the Holocaust in their schools. He said he wished our country would speak of and take responsibility for our treatment of Native Americans, AfroAmericans and the American Japanese during WWII. We have to speak of and teach about our failings if we do not want to repeat this behavior in the future.” – May-Ronny Zeidman, executive director, Holocaust Education and Resource Center of R.I. “I found his entire presentation captivating; I was hanging on his every word. I looked out at the HaZamir teens, and they were sitting on the edge of their seats. The peak moment for me was when he described visiting the Israeli teenage girl that he’d met in Germany. The girl’s father told him, ‘I don’t hate all Germans. I learned after the war that not all Germans are monsters. But tell me, do they teach you about the Shoah in school?’ Bernd answered that he wasn’t sure, so the Israeli father took Bernd to Yad Vashem. That moment gave me chills.” – Cantor Brian J. Mayer, Cantor, Temple Emanu-El. “I was struck by Dr. Wollschlaeger’s profound shame, isolation and guilt as he confronted the unfolding horrific truths of his father’s role and the enormity of the Holocaust. I have tremendous respect for Dr. Wollschlaeger for his conviction to uncover what he could and to face his demons. I was most moved by his acceptance by the Jewish community and the sense of forgiveness and belonging that was extended to him. His story of personal reckoning with the past and decisions to change, to rewrite his own personal history deeply impressed me. He turned deep angst into meaningful action. I was moved when he spoke of his own conversations with his son and the openness and transformation that had occurred within the father-son relationship over just one generation. I found Dr. Wollschlaeger’s presentation to be uplifting and inspirational, and a model for moral courage and conviction.” – Elaine C. Meyer, member of Temple Emanu-El and Providence Monthly Meeting of Friends (Quaker). “The evening was profoundly moving. Dr. Wollschlaeger was the child of a Nazi who had no remorse for what he had done, yet Dr. Wollschlaeger spoke eloquently and from

his heart about his deep regret for the catastrophe that was Nazi Germany. I believe, as he does, that we can all work toward tikkun olam, and it will only happen when brave people understand the wrongs they or their loved ones have committed, and work to bring about understanding and peace.” – Bruce Phillips, member, Temple Emanu-El. The commemoration was sponsored by the R.I. State Council of Churches, The Board of Rabbis of Greater R.I., The Community Relations Council of the Jewish Alliance of Greater R.I. and the Holocaust Education Resource Center of R.I. PATRICIA RASKIN is a member of Temple Emanu-El and host/producer of the Patricia Raskin Positive Living radio show heard on WPRO.

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WE ARE READ – On a recent trip to Puerto Rico are (left to right) twins Joshua and Aliyah Boyle of Tampa, Florida, and grandparents Arlene and Melvin Landesberg of Tiverton, Rhode Island. Aliyah and Joshua are the great-grandchildren of Harriet Landesberg of Warwick, R.I.

WE ARE READ – The Lichts in Trafalgar Square in front of the National Gallery in London.

AWARD – On March 28, Rep. James R. Langevin handed the Barrington Middle School sixthgrader a Certificate of Special Congress ional Recognition and Honorable Mention in the 2015 Rhode Island Federal Junior Duck Stamp Competition. Zachary’s drawing of a Black-Bellied Whistling Duck will go on tour throughout Rhode Island. Barry and Karen Zeltzer, along with their daughter Jessica, are proud parents and sister of Zachary.

Zachary Zeltzer with his duck drawing.

SHARE YOUR JOYFUL EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS

by submitting them for Simchas or We Are Read publication in The Jewish Voice. Email to: editor@jewishallianceri.org or mail to: The Jewish Voice, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, R.I. 02906 WE ARE READ – Editor Fran Ostendorf left behind The Voice during a recent trip to Israel so we put it in her hand. Don't leave your Voice at home on your next trip!

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