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SERVING RHODE ISLAND AND SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS
1 Sivan 5773
Preaching to the choir
May 10, 2013
A family of swimmers Sisters take on swimming tradition
NCJW Rhode Island Section, CRC host forum on gun violence
By Nancy Kirsch
nkirsch@shalomri.org PROVIDENCE – “What affects Providence affects us all,” said Providence Mayor Angel
PHOTOS | NANCy KIRSCH
Providence Mayor Angel Taveras
Taveras, in brief remarks, perhaps to deflect attention on the capital city as the locus of much of Rhode Island’s violent crime. He spoke at the May 6 panel discussion, “The Face of Gun Violence in Rhode Island: Causes and Solutions.” Positioning gun violence as a “public health issue,” Dr. Michael Fine, director of Rhode Island’s Department of Health, moderated the program. Taveras asked rhetorically, “How much more basic is a background check?” Recounting a pre-inaugural conversation he had with Teny Gross, director of the Institute
BROKEN | 32
Netanyahu visits China Relations with relevant ‘sleeping giant’ By Alex Traiman JNS.org
As tensions brewed along Israel’s northern border with Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left the country for highly anticipated talks with leaders of one of the world’s superpowers. To the surprise of many who closely
By Kendra Lolio
Special to The Voice & Herald
PROVIDENCE – Meet swimmers Mollie, 15, and Natalie follow Israeli geopolitics, that Westrick, 13, two sisters who superpower is not the United dove into swimming as their hobby. States, but China. Until recently, both girls – the Netanyahu’s five-day trip to daughters of Edward and Judy China, which began Sunday, presents Israel with numerous Westrick of Lincoln – swam economic and diplomatic oppor- with Envious Swimming, a lotunities during a time of grow- cal competitive team that practiced at Bryant University; now, they swim for Kingfish Rhode
SHIFTING | 40
SOME hIghLIghTS INSIDE u.S. SEN. JaCk rEED SPEakS: 8
Mollie in 2010, after she completed the Save Buzzards Bay swim.
TEENS IN TraNSITION: 23-30
Island at Roger Williams University. Mollie, a freshman at Lincoln High School, also swims for her high school team. In February, the team participated in the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Girls’ State Championship meet where she won the state championship in both backstroke and butterfly. In March, Mollie competed in the New England Age Group Championships at MIT, fi nishing third in both the 50-yard
Ed wESTRICK
freestyle and 100-yard backstroke, and reaching the fi nals in several other events. Later, she swam in the National Club Swimming Association Junior National Championship in Orlando, Fla. While Mollie will compete on the Junior Team this summer in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, her mother Judy will be there too – swimming with the Masters Team.
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Surrounded by supporters, Governor Lincoln Chafee signs same-sex marriage legislation into law in a Statehouse ceremony on Thursday, May 2. See related story on page 16. KEN KIRSCH
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Cuba Mission participants raise $15,500 Local philanthropy enables Cuban Jewish youth to participate in Maccabiah Games in Israel
After visiting a cigar factory, Jeanie Charness, left, Susan Froehlich and Linda Miller try Cuban cigars in honor of Jeanie’s birthday.
By Trine Lustig
tlustig@shalomri.org
PHOTOS | CUBA MISSION PARTICIPANTS
Marcia Hirsch, Barbara Lavine, Sharon Gaines, Trine Lustig, Marjorie Yashar and Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow in Cuba
PROVIDENCE – After seeing the inspiring work carried out by the American Joint Distribution Committee (the JDC) in ––, and the enthusiasm of Cuba’s Jewish community, the women who participated in the Rhode Island mission to Cuba sprang into action. (See the April 26 story at jvhri.org by Susan Leach DeBlasio, “On a mission to Cuba, with the JDC,” for more information about the trip.) With 100 percent participation, the group of 19 women
raised $15,500 to send 49 Cuban young adults to the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer with desperately-needed sneakers and other apparel for the opening ceremony. In addition, those funds will be used to purchase nutritional supplements for the participants in the months leading up to the games, so that they will be fit to compete. Unfortunately, healthy food in Cuba is in short supply and, as such, many individuals are under-nourished. The JDC provides staff to
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Cuba mission participants, from left, Jill Goldstein, Trine Lustig, Jeanie Charness, Tina Odessa, Stacy Emanuel, Sharon Gaines, Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow, Marjorie Yashar, Linda Miller, Claire Perlman, Susan Leach DeBlasio, Barbara Lavine, Cindy Feinstein, Robin Engle, Sherry Cohen, Mitzi Berkelhammer, Debbie Strauss-Levine, Susan Froehlich, Jamie Manville and Marcia Hirsch.
RAISING funds for Maccabiah Games in Israel From Page 2 the struggling Cuban Jewish community of appproximately 1,500; all other activities, such as programming, transportation, Sunday school and pharmacy supplies are supported by Jewish missions who travel to Cuba from the United States, Canada and Europe. These services are critical to the health and well-being of the Cuban Jewish community, which is why each mission participant from Rhode Island brought a suitcase full of medicine, vitamins, diapers, syringes and other essential supplies. Mitzi Berkelhammer, who
chaired this mission to Cuba, said, “We were most impressed by the passion that the Jews of Cuba have for their heritage and culture. During Shabbat and havdalah celebrations with the community, we saw young and old side-by-side.” Berkelhammer added, “When we asked how many of the Jewish were involved in Jewish activities, the reply was ‘everyone.’ It was inspiring, but also eye-opening, to see this engagement and realize that in spite of all their shortcomings, the members of the Jewish community in Cuba are ahead of their American counterparts in their
passion and commitment.” It was an amazing experience to sit in a circle of 19 women and raise $15,500, added Berkelhammer. “We are now able to help send Cuban young adults to have an enlightening and inspirational experience at the Maccabiah Games in Israel. Most of them have never traveled abroad, so this will be an experience of a lifetime. What a perfect example of women’s philanthropy at its finest.” TRINE LUSTIG (tlustig@shalomri.org) is senior development officer at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
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Elaine Sandy
Supporters of Amos House gather on April 28 for Mitzvah Day.
PROVIDENCE – More than 300 or so members of Temple BethEl participated in the Reform synagogue’s annual Mitzvah Day. Congregants fanned out across the state to 13 sites to participate in a day of mitzvot, good deeds, on Sunday, April 28. The Providence synagogue’s Social Action Committee organizes this annual day of service as part of its Social Action Shabbat weekend programming.
INDEX
Business ........................................................................................................................................... 34-35 Calendar.............................................................................................................................................10-11 Community.....................................................................................2-3, 5-11, 15-16, 19-21, 31-32, 41 D’var Torah............................................................................................................................................. 37 Obituaries ....................................................................................................................................... 38-39 Opinions..............................................................................................................................................12-14 Seniors ................................................................................................................................................... 36 Shavu’ot | Shavu’ot Food................................................................................................................ 17-18 Simchas | We Are Read................................................................................................................ 42-43 Teens & Graduation ......................................................................................................................23-30 World ........................................................................................................................................ 33, 38, 40
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The British are coming – and we are celebrating
Zemel Choir
By Linda K. Shamoon
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – The British are coming! The British are coming! And this time, the community is invited to a celebration at Temple Emanu-El, Providence. London’s Zemel Choir “lands” at Temple Emanu-El on Wednesday, May 22, and everyone is invited to celebrate. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. with a “Fish, Chips and a Pint” dinner, then the Zemel Choir will hold a concert at 7:30 p.m.; festivities continue with a Do-
nors’ Pub Party. The Zemel Choir – 35 voices strong – is a contemporary choral group with a 58-year history. Zemel performs a wideranging repertoire from all the traditional Jewish cultures, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Yiddish and Israeli, and they are particularly proud to perform new music on Jewish themes by contemporary composers. In fact, at the May 22 concert, the Zemel Choir will perform one of the jazziest, most up-beat cantatas ever written, “Captain Noah and His Float-
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Finding new interpretations of the Torah
London Zemel Choir ‘lands’ at Emanu-El
Zemel Choir at the International Jewish Music Festival, West London Synagogue, in London in 2012.
may 10, 2013
ing Zoo.” This musical version of the Noah story, scored for choir and piano, plus bass, drums, maracas, claves and tambourines, has been hailed by critic Kenneth Dommett in England’s Birmingham Post as “An established concert favorite wherever and however it is performed.” Composer Joseph Horovitz, whose family escaped from Germany to England in 1938, won the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for the score in 1976. The Noah cantata is just one of the high points of Zemel’s concert at Emanu-El. The program starts with songs of faith in Hebrew, Yiddish and Ladino and also includes musical selections based on English folk songs and popular music. Temple Emanu-El’s own adult choir, Shir Emanu-El, will participate in some of these selections, and Cantor Brian J. Mayer is among the featured soloists for the evening. Zemel’s concert is one highlight of the evening. Those who attend all three parts of the May 22 event will spend “A Night in Jewish London,” the evening’s official title. Tickets may be purchased for the concert only, or for dinner and concert. Tickets for the concert with the Pub Party are available with donations to Arts Emanu-El, Temple Emanu-El’s hub for Jewish arts programming. The Fish and Chips dinner includes a pint of beer or a nonalcoholic beverage and dessert. The Pub Party includes desserts and a Scotch-tasting. VISIT teprov.org for ticket purchases and donations (If no Internet access, call 331-1616). LINDA K. SHAMOON (lkshamoon@gmail.com) is chair of the Arts Emanu–El Committee.
Rabbi Andrew Klein encourages women to study – and question – Torah text By Trine Lustig
tlustig@shalomri.org PROVIDENCE – Rabbi Andrew Klein, of Temple Habonim, the Reform synagogue in Barrington, engaged 50 women in the last Women’s Alliance Rosh Hodesh program of the year by discussing the perspective of women commentators on the Torah. Throughout the ages, the Torah has been interpreted solely by male rabbis. It is only recently that books have been written and published with a female lens. This has led to very non-traditional interpretations of text, including discussions about the roles women play, media and body image, definitions of “beauty” and how all of these issues relate to us today, ultimately reinforcing the importance of each of us being the best individual possible. At the April 24 luncheon at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Rabbi Klein urged the group to enjoy the freedom of both studying Torah and questioning what is written, particularly when the content does not seem “politically correct” according to modern-
Adam Mastoon
Rabbi Andrew Klein notions. He emphasized that we can learn from all aspects of the Torah, and in fact, we are encouraged to challenge, dissect and reflect upon the text. Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow, chair of the Women’s Alliance Rosh Hodesh series, reminded those present that the next Rosh Hodesh program will be held in the fall. TRINE LUSTIG (tlustig@shalomri.org) is senior development officer at the Alliance.
Brandeis grad student serves Alliance
PROVIDENCE – The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island welcomes Jason Pressberg, a new financial resource department graduate fellow for 2013-14, effective May 6. Currently a graduate student at Brandeis University in the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, he will work on various projects within the financial resource development arena. Jason comes to the Alliance with professional experience in the Jewish communal world.
Jason Pressberg
Formerly the Birthright Israel Campus Program Coordinator at Harvard and Northeastern universities, Jason was also a head counselor at Camp Micah in Bridgton, Maine.
The J V&H SERVING RHODE ISLAND AND SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS
Executive Editor Nancy Kirsch • nkirsch@shalomri.org 421-4111, ext. 168 DESIGN & LAYOUT Leah Camara • lcamara@shalomri.org Advertising Tricia Stearly • tstearly@shalomri.org 441-1865 or 421-4111, ext. 160 Karen Borger • ksborger@gmail.com 529-5238 COLUMNISTS Dr. Stanley Aronson, Michael Fink, Sam Lehman-Wilzig, Alison Stern Perez and Rabbi James Rosenberg
Editorial Board Toby London, chair; John Landry, vice chair; Susan Leach DeBlasio, (Alliance vice chair); M. Charles Bakst, Brian Evans, Jonathan Friesem, Steve Jacobson, Rabbi Marc Jagolinzer, Eleanor Lewis, Richard Shein, Jonathan Stanzler, Susan Youngwood and Faye Zuckerman Editorial ConsultantS Judith Romney Wegner Arthur C. Norman CALENDAR COORDINATOR Toby London contributing writers Nancy Abeshaus, Arthur C. Norman
The Jewish Voice & Herald (ISSN number 1539-2104, USPS #465-710) is published bi-weekly, except in July, when it does not publish.
Periodicals postage paid at Providence, RI POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Voice & Herald, 401 Elmgrove Ave. Providence, RI 02906 Published by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island Chair Richard A. Licht President/CEO Jeffrey K. Savit 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906 TEL: 401-421-4111 • FAX: 401-331-7961
Copy Deadlines: All news releases, photographs, etc. must be received on the Thursday two weeks prior to publication. Submissions may be sent to: nkirsch@shalomri.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 Jewish Voice & Herald. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of The Jewish Voice & Herald or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
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‘Follow the money’
Alliance Community Campaign allocates funds to local, national and international programs By Nancy Kirsch
nkirsch@shalomri.org PROVIDENCE – Where do your Alliance Community Campaign dollars go? The sidebar, “CDC allocations in a nutshell,” in the April 12 story about the campaign, “Annual Campaign raises $2.58 million for programs,” only briefly outlined the allocations for fiscal year 2014 (July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014). As such, this provides a more detailed, program-specific list identifying where the dollars go for the upcoming fiscal year, July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014. Each entry includes the program being funded, the agency(ies) managing the program, the amount of money allocated and a brief description of the program.
Jewish Life and Learning Subcommittee
• Shabbat and Student Programming (Brown RISD Hillel): $20,000. Fosters longterm connections to Jewish life among 1,500 college students through Shabbat programming, arts, culture and community. • Camp Scholarship Fund (Camp JORI): $35,000, $2,000 of which came from donordesignated gifts. Provides needs-based scholarships for
Jewish overnight campers in grades 2 to 10. • Holiday Programming (Chabad of Barrington): $1,000. Funds holiday programming and Jewish education for all ages. • Jewish Education for All Ages (Chabad of Barrington): $1,000. Offers Jews in the East Bay educational programming; emphasis is on teaching youth. • Camp Gan Israel Scholarships (Chabad of West Bay): $3,500. Offers Jewish summer and winter camp to children aged 3 to 13. • Community Holiday Programming (Chabad of West Bay): $1,500. Supports yearround holiday programming. • Jewish Learning Institute (Chabad of West Bay): $1,000. Offers a series of workshops to Jewish adults in the West Bay. • Outreach Program (Chabad of West Bay): $2,000. Funds Jewish engagement in
the West Bay. • Aquidneck Island Community Outreach (Holocaust Education and Resource Center): $12,000. Funds the expansion of HERC programming that teaches history of the Holocaust while encouraging human dignity and justice to public school students. • Science and Engineering Program (JCDSRI and PHDS): $5,000. Funds Boston Museum of Science learning
An image from an arts & culture event at Alliance.
Jewish Community Day School students study science.
kits to offer a collaborative approach to science and engineering through a real world lens. • Creativity Center (Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island): $60,000. Provides educational consultation and materials for educators, students, and families to support formal
and informal learning. • Arts & Culture (the Alliance): $70,000. Supports programs that link Jewish values
Rabbi Moshe Laufer visits the ECC with a holiday program. and traditions with local, national, and international arts and culture, including film, music, educational programs, gallery shows and classes. • Early Childhood Center (the Alliance): $95,000. Offers a full-service, Jewish-focused, NAEYC-accredited, DCYF-licensed center for more than 100 children. • Educational Services (the Alliance): $85,000. Professional and capacity-building programs supporting 18 schools and 200 educators in greater Rhode Island. • Israel Desk & Advocacy Center (the Alliance): $20,000. Supports students and other community members in connecting with and traveling to Israel. • J-Camp (the Alliance): $3,200. Assistance with schol-
arship support for campers and counselors-in-training. • J-Space (the Alliance): $10,000. Provides after-school and vacation programming for children aged 5 to 14. • March of the Living (the Alliance): $45,000. Supports 20 greater Rhode Island high school students on an educational mission bringing together 10,000 Jewish youth from around the world to spend a week in Poland during Yom Ha-Shoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and a week in Israel during Yom Ha- Atzma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day. • The RING: Engaging the Next Gen (the Alliance): $30,000. Offers diverse community engagement to adults in their 20s and 30s. • Shalom Family/Community Outreach (the Alliance): $115,000. Connects families to events and resources, and offers an array of programs that engage and support Jewish families, including PJ Library, Mothers Circle and Shalom Baby. • Special Education and Inclusion (the Alliance): $58,000. Provides differentiated support to students at Congregation Agudas Achim, Temples Am David, Emanu-El,
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FUNDING benefits programmatic initiatives for Jews in Rhode From Page 6
Island, Israel and around the world
Jacob Dinerman speaks about March of the Living Habonim, Sinai and Torat Yisrael and South County Hebrew School. • Synagogue Outreach Liaison (the Alliance): $40,000. Promotes synagogue affiliation and collaboration while supporting synagogue leadership. Supports year two of initiative. • Teen Engagement (the Alliance): $53,000. Provides academic and experiential youth programs that build community among Jewish teens. Includes Harry Elkin Midrasha Community High School and service learning programs. • Rhode Island Leadership Initiative (the Alliance): $40,000. Develops future volunteer and professional leaders to enrich our community. • Yawgoog Scout Reservation (RI Jewish Committee on Scouting, BSA): $3,000. Supports the Jewish chaplain at Camp Yawgoog. • Student Mentoring and Leadership Training Fellowship (NERC): $6,000. Provides pastoral training and leadership experience for 30 full-time rabbinical students. • Kalla (Greater Rhode Island Board of Rabbis): $1,000. Supports a collegial learning retreat for local clergy. • Student Engagement (URI Hillel): $60,000. Offers social, cultural, community service and educational opportunities on campus. • Vestnik of Rhode Island (Vestnik): $1,500. Supports Russian-language newspaper distributed to 500 subscribers. • Grants-in-Aid (JCDS, PHDS and South County Hebrew School): $163,606. Supports students at Jewish day schools in Providence and the South County Hebrew School. • One Happy Camper (the Alliance/Foundation for Jewish Camp): $23,750. Provides incentives that enable 25 children to attend a Jewish summer camp for the first time.
and home care solutions for individuals in need. • Kosher Nutrition/Mealson-Wheels (JFS for Agewell): $150,000. Fosters a sense of community and provides nutrition to more than 160 people through Meals-on-Wheels and congregate dining. • Kesher (JFS): $ 50,000. Supports on-site social worker at Congregation Agudas Achim, Temple Torat Yisrael and Temple Am David. Includes Congregation Beth Sholom for Fiscal Year ’14 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014). • Chaver College (JFS/ JSA): $1,500. Supports a series of workshops that train volunteers to assist with and understand those in need. Provides education on setting appropriate boundaries, volunteer/client safety, elder abuse and neglect and confidentiality protocol. • Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island (Jewish Seniors Agency, JSA): $45,000. Supports critical outreach and engagement programs for seniors in assisted–living and nursing facilities.
Senior citizens enjoy kosher meals and entertainment. • Full Plate/Kosher Food Pantry (JSA): $20,000. Provides kosher food to those in need. • To Life Center Adult Day Services (JSA): $10,000. Funds kosher food at the Jewish adult day care center. • Community Emergency Assistance Fund (JFS): $30,000. Supports economic assistance for basic needs such as food, utilities and housing.
Jewish Peoplehood
• Ben Yakir Youth Village (Jewish Agency for Israel, JAFI): $56,000. Supports three boys in religiously-oriented residential school for at-risk adolescents.
Caring and Social Responsibilty
• Prison Services Program (Chabad of West Bay): $1,500. Offers rabbinical services and visitation to the men’s prison at the ACI. • Wraparound Services (Jewish Family Service, JFS): $100,000. Funds coordinate case management, counseling,
Ben Yakir Youth Village residents perform music in Israel. • Net@ (JAFI): $27,500. Helps 20 disadvantaged teens acquire job skills, computer training, and English proficiency.
• Summer Camps/Youth Programs Poland )Joint Distribution Committee, JDC): $72,780. Inspires youth to discover and connect with their Jewish heritage and identity. • Yesodot (JAFI): $33,500. Funds math, Hebrew education and first-grade preparation for 10 Ethiopian children in Israel. • Youth Outreach Center in Migdal HaEmek (Ethiopian National Project): $22,500. Funds educational and enrichment activities for approximately 140 Ethiopian-Israeli teens. • Youth Futures Afula (JAFI): $48,000. Provides essential educational and social services for at-risk Israeli youth. • Ethiopians with Special Needs (JAFI): $25,000. Provides diagnosis and treatment for 50 Israeli children requiring special needs intervention. • Smart Classroom Initiative (World ORT): $ 12,615. Funds 50 percent of a technologically-equipped classroom housed in a school in an at-risk Afula neighborhood. A matching grant will provide the other 50 percent of required funding. • Emunah Creative Arts (Emunah Center): $15,000. Supports a therapeutic youth business program for at-risk teens. • IMPACT! Scholarship (Friends of the IDF): $4,000. Supports the education of an Israeli combat veteran who is studying engineering. • Youth Civic Service (JDC): $31,000. Teaches job skills and supports volunteerism for young Israeli adults. • MINYanim Poland (JAFI): $7,500. Supports young leadership programming for Polish Birthright alumni. • Wings (JDC): $3,260. Supports 10 immigrant soldiers in the Israeli army in the transition to civilian life. • TeLeM (Kibbutz Movement): $7,500. Provides 10 atrisk Ethiopians from Afula/Gilboa with housing, educational programming and skills training upon completion of their military service. • Valley Outreach Center (Haifa Rape Crisis Center): $12,500. Provides direct service and professional development in the underserved Jezreel Valley. • Core Programming (JAFI): $185,850. Funds JAFI, providing services to new immigrants and at-risk populations. • Core Funding (JDC): $244,850. Funds the JDC in supporting Jews living in nearly 65 countries. • Limud Keshet Poland (JDC): $45,000. Supports a 3-day Jewish study-festival in Poland that attracts 1,000 people. MORE INFO: Minna Ellison, 421-4111 or mellison@shalomri. org.
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Touro to host Zemel Choir
Senator Jack Reed, Rabbi Marc Mandel and Jackie Mandel
NANCy KIRSCH
Senator Jack Reed speaks to CRC on domestic and foreign matters
By Kendra Lolio
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.) spoke to some 60 members of the Rhode Island Jewish community at a forum sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s Community Relations Council. Reed, who is expected to seek re-election in 2014, was introduced by Richard Glucksman, CRC chair for government relations. At the May 5 program, which included a buffet lunch, Reed, Rhode Island’s senior senator, opened his presentation with comments on the international situation. He detailed the critical concern of the situation with Iran having the capacity to produce and/or use nuclear weaponry. “Nothing is going to be settled within the next several months because they have their next election in June,” he explained. “Even though their society is a lot different than our democracy, it is not altogether predictable as to who might win.” Reed, who serves on the Appropriations, Armed Services and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committees, cited, as an example, Iran’s last election where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became the surprise victor, despite not having much support from Iran’s religious leaders. The senator also gave his opinion on the boycotting of Iranian goods, products and industry, calling the situation a “pleasant surprise. If you told me two years ago that the world community would effectively be boycotting Iranian industry, including the Europeans, I’d
say ‘no way.’ They’re just not going to do that; their economies are too vulnerable,” said Sen. Reed. “But these international sanctions have had an effect; they’re putting pressure on the regime.” Emphasizing the value of boycotts – with support from Europe and beyond – Reed said that boycotts are a useful diplomatic tool to ramp up the pressure. “Without that kind of international cohesion, it’s very difficult for one country to deflect any other country from a path that we don’t particularly approve of,” he said. The confl ict in Syria elicited extensive discussion. Speaking of the enormous amount of violence occurring in the country, Reed explained that new steps must be taken in order to lessen the Syrian civil war’s severity. “We’re working very closely with the Jordanians … and the Turks, but this is a very complicated situation,” Reed stated. “This really is a showdown between the Shia and the Sunni [communities].” Calling the Syrian situation a “multidimensional confl ict,” Reed explained that it’s a confl ict about more than who is going to govern. He also touched upon a hotly debated issue – the recent proposals for appropriate next steps to address the Syrian civil war. The fi rst proposal, Reed explained, is to arm the Syrian opposition, which he believes is appropriate, although he emphasized the need for a cohesive, well-trained and wellorganized group, which takes time. Reed noted that the proposal of “no fly zones” raises multiple issues, including the need to
fi rst take out the Syrian government’s air defense system, which is very sophisticated. He also explained that the majority of Syrian weapons are launched from the ground, rather than from the air. In any case, the situation is too complicated, he said, for any simple answer. He expressed a measure of hope about some proposals offered to resolve the situation. Turning later to current domestic issues, Sen. Reed focused his comments on budget cuts, unemployment, Medicaid and Social Security. “This is a new age. For most people, particularly younger people, their only defi ned benefit would be Social Security,” said Reed. “This is changing.” While past generations could anticipate fi xed pensions from their lifelong employer – a corporation or other entity – this is no longer the norm, he noted. In a question-and-answer session at the conclusion of his prepared remarks, Reed was asked about congressional action to address issues of international violence. “This is a really complicated set of situations. We are … doing our best with minimizing the violence, but understanding that it’s not just going to disappear with the wave of a magic wand.” KENDRA LOLIO (klolio_8996@email.ric.edu), a senior at Rhode Island College, is an intern this year for The Voice & Herald. MARTY COOPER: CRC director, mcooper@shalomri.org or 421-4111, ext. 171.
Obama recognizes Newport synagogue
Benefit for The Full Plate, Newport food pantry
Proclamation: May 2013 is Jewish American History Month
EDITOR’S NOTE: See page 5 story about the Zemel Choir program on Wednesday, May 22, at Temple Emanu-El.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of his presidential proclamation recognizing May 2013 as Jewish American History Month, President Barack Obama wrote about the historic relationship between George Washington and Touro Synagogue. Obama’s proclamation notes Washington’s commitment that the U.S. government would give “to bigotry no sanction [and] to persecution no assistance,” and that all Americans are entitled to “liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship.” Those words, wrote Obama, “ring as true today as they did then, and they speak to a principle as old as America itself: that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what faith you practice, all of us have an equal share in America’s promise.” The immigrant story is still unfolding today, the proclamation continued. “Jewish Americans continue to guide our country’s progress as scientists and teachers, public servants and private citizens, wise leaders and loving parents. We see their accomplishments in every neighborhood, and we see them abroad in our unbreakable bond with Israel that Jewish Americans helped forge. More than 350 years have passed since Jewish refugees fi rst made landfall on American shores. We take this month to celebrate the progress that followed, and the bright future that lies ahead.”
NEWPORT – Congregation Jeshuat Israel at Touro Synagogue will host a benefit concert by the Zemel Choir of London, England, on Saturday, May 25, at 9 p.m. The Zemel Choir, established in 1955, has a repertoire that includes, according to a Touro Synagogue press release, traditional Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Yiddish and Israeli Jewish cultures. The Zemel Choir, which has performed in major venues throughout the United Kingdom and overseas, is known for performing well-known favorites as well as new music, some of which is specially commissioned for them by contemporary composers. Proceeds from the concert’s $10 per person ticket fee will be donated to the Louis and Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry and the Newport Community Meal Program. Congregation Jeshuat Israel sponsors this concert as part of its 250th celebration of the dedication of Touro Synagogue in December 1763 and also to commemorate the Charter of 1663 that established Rhode Island and Providence Plantations as a colony “tolerant of all religions” and to participate in this “lively experiment.” LIMITED SEATING: $10 per person. Mail a check, made payable to Congregation Jeshuat Israel, to Congregation Jeshuat Israel, 85 Touro St., Newport, RI 02840 or contact Susan Woythaler, 846-2125 or susanlark@cox. net. Tickets will be held at the door. VISIT: zemelchoir.org
V I S I T : jew ish her it age month.gov THE FULL PROCLAMATION: http://1.usa.gov/ZRCW8G
V & H issues archived for easy reading PROVIDENCE – Visit our website, jvhri.org, for a searchable and page “turnable” PDF of each of our issues, effective with issues from January 2013. With the searchable PDF and a user-friendly search feature for the website itself, it’s easier than ever to fi nd information in The Voice & Herald. If you wonder what you might have missed by failing to read the paper edition of The Voice & Herald, visit jvhri.org and click on archives. Got questions? We’ve got answers. Contact Nancy Kirsch at 421-4111, ext. 168 or nkirsch@shalomri.org.
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Kirsch is … on the move Editor and former contributing writer earn awards
PROVIDENCE – “Engaging headlines and intros,” wrote the journalist/judge about Nancy Kirsch’s editorial columns, which earned second place for editorial writing in the 2012 Rhode Island Press Association competition. The comments continued: “Writer aims for more feedback from readers in a genuine tone. Interesting and timely topics with a refreshing personal touch … Enjoyed personal stories peppered into the columns!” Sheila Mullowney, Newport Daily News editor, took first place in the same category. Kirsch, The Jewish Voice & Herald’s executive editor, “traveled” to the Quonset ‘O’ Club in North Kingstown for the May 3 RIPA awards banquet. Former contributing writer Phil Eil’s second-place prizewinning story, “A glimpse inside the Board Street Syna-
gogue,” also drew praise from the journalists judging religion and spirituality stories. It had, they wrote, “wonderful attention to detail; the padlocks on the iron gate, garbage strewn about, broken windows. By immediately following it up with the observation that ‘it’s the most exciting building,’ [Eil] really underscores the idea that this is a diamond in the rough.” Eil now serves the Providence Phoenix as its news editor. Providence Journal writers Richard Dujardin and Jennifer Jordan won first and third, respectively, in the religion category. Kirsch was also re-elected treasurer of RIPA. In 2012, Kirsch won third place in RIPA’s religion and spirituality category for “Emanu-El congregants perform highest mitzvot.” In other news, Kirsch will serve as the emcee of the 25th
annual Metcalf Awards for Diversity in the Media, which are presented by the Rhode Island Community & Justice. Kirsch and The Jewish Voice & Herald are past recipients of the Metcalf Awards. The awards breakfast, scheduled for May 14 at the Hotel Providence in downtown Providence, honors print and broadcast journalists who enlighten the public about issues of diversity and challenge us to think more openly and inclusively. Last-minute tickets may still be available for the 8 a.m. breakfast; contact RICJ at 4671717. Finally, Kirsch will travel to Seattle, Wash., in late June for a two-day American Jewish Press Association conference. A generous grant from the Helene and Bertram Bernhardt Foundation will underwrite conference and travel costs.
Alliance welcomes two emissaries from Israel this summer
PROVIDENCE – The Alliance J-Camp welcomes Rotem Bar and Dan Azoulay as sh’lihim (emissaries) to J-Camp this summer, from June 16 through Aug. 25. Families are invited to host Rotem and Dan separately, for two to three weeks at a time this summer.
Offering home hospitality to one of these teens is an opportunity for you and your family to develop or reinforce a personal connection to the land of Israel. Shannon Boucher: 421-4111 or sboucher@ shalomri.org.
Children and an adult at a ‘Giggles in the Garden’ event in the summer of 2011.
Lauri Lee
JCDSRI offers ‘Giggles in the Garden’ Free preschool program available
PROVIDENCE – The Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island hosts a series of programs for preschool children, birth to 4-years-old, with a responsible adult. The sessions are on Thursdays, 10 – 11 a.m., under the shade of a pergola in the school garden, and include stories and songs, garden and playground explorations and a kosher snack. The sessions, free and open to the public, will run on May 23 and May 30, June 6, 13, 20 and 27, at JCDS, 85 Taft Ave., Providence. In case of rain, the program is cancelled. DINA ADELSKY: dadelsky@jcdsri.org or 751-2470, ext. 16.
10 The Jewish Voice & Herald
CALENDAR | COMMUNITY
CALENDAR
Ongoing
Sunday | May 12
Alliance Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch and program provided every Wednesday and Friday. The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Noon – lunch; 12:45 p.m. – program. $3 lunch donation from YOUR individuals 60+ or underCAMPAIGN 60 with disabilities. Neal DOLLARS or Elaine, 861-8800, ext. MAKE A 107. DIFFERENCE
Project Shoresh Family Shavu’ot Party. Alliance, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. 10:30 a.m. – noon. Rabbi Naftali L. Karp, 632- 3165.
Am David Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch and program provided 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, 732-0047.
Continuing through May 28 Prescription in a Paint Tube. Art-making for mental wellness exhibit features works by Jeffrey Sparr and Amy Kinney of PeaceLove Studios. gallery (401), Alliance, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. 421-4111.
Friday | May 10 Yiddish Shmooz. Alliance JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. 421-4111. Arnie Novick Memorial Shabbaton. Scholar-in-residence Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechoffer speaks on “Exploring Hutzpah.” Shabbat dinner by Providence Community Kollel. Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. 7 p.m. 621-9393 or officebethsholom@yahoo. com. Torat Yisrael’s Shalom to Shabbat. Unwind and nosh before Shabbat services. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 7 p.m. – wine and cheese; 7:30 p.m. – service. 885-6600 or toratyisrael.org.
Saturday | May 11 Arnie Novick Memorial Shabbaton Continues. Scholar-in-residence Rabbi Bechoffer speaks during lunch on “Does Reason Serve Faith or Faith Serve Reason?” Shabbat lunch at Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Seudat Shlishit at Shaarei Tefillah, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. 621-9393 or officebethsholom@yahoo.com.
may 10, 2013
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When children make aliyah – parents’ hopes, concerns and expectations
Tuesday | May 14 Erev Shavu’ot Dinner & Study Session. Congregation Agudas Achim, 901 North Main St., Attleboro, Mass. 6 – 8 p.m. 508222-2043.
Wednesday | May 15 Shavu’ot Shavu’ot Torah Study. Learn-a-thon study group and discussion. 1 a.m. – dawn. Chabad House, 360 Hope St., Providence. Night of May 14 – morning of May 15: 1 a.m. - dawn Agudas Achim Shavu’ot Service. With Yizkor service. Congregation Agudas Achim, 901 North Main St., Attleboro, Mass. 10 a.m. 508-222-2043. Chabad Shavu’ot Service. Services – 10:30 a.m.; hear the Ten Commandments at 11:30 a.m. Children’s program, festive holiday lunch with blintzes and ice cream. Chabad House, 360 Hope St., Providence. 273-7238. Ten Commandments & Dairy Dinner. Chabad of West Bay, 3871 Post Road, Warwick. 5:45 – 8:15 p.m. 884-7888 or rabbi@rabbiwarwick.com.
Thursday | May 16 Shavu’ot Shavu’ot Services. Service – 10:30 a.m., Yizkor service – 11:30 a.m., evening service – 8 p.m. Chabad House, 360 Hope St., Providence. 273-7238. Ten Commandments & Dairy Dinner. Yizkor service, followed by a Kiddush dinner. Chabad of West Bay, 3871 Post Road, Warwick. 7 p.m. 884-7888 or rabbi@rabbiwarwick.com.
Saturday | May 18 Block Party. Barbecue, music, games. Congregation Agudas Achim, 901 North Main St., Attleboro. 4 – 8 p.m. $10/adult, $7/child, max of $35/family. office@ agudasma.org or 508-222-2243.
Sunday | May 19 Temple Emanu-El Leisure Club. Hagoop Anmahian: Violinist. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. 2 p.m. Miriam Abrams-Stark, 331-1616 ext. 14 or miriam@teprov.org. CALENDAR | 11
Calendar Submissions Calendar items for our May 24 Jewish Women in Business Issue must be received by May 15. Calendar items for our June 7 Father’s Day Issue are due May 29. Send all calendar items to nkirsch@shalomri.org, subject line: “CALENDAR.”
Nancy Kirsch
Bonnie Ryvicker, left, Nurit Budinsky, Prof. Ezra Stieglitz and Dr. Howard Mintz are panelists at a recent CRC program held at the Alliance. The moderator, Rabbi James Rosenberg, is not pictured.
By David Leach
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – What can a parent expect when his or her adult child makes aliyah (moves to Israel)? That was the question before four adults speaking in a panel discussion, “When Your Children Make Aliyah: Hopes, Concerns and Expectations of the Parents,” that the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island sponsored. CRC member Liz Hollander organized the April 30 program. Four parents – Bonnie Ryvicker (whose daughter,
son-in-law and six grandchildren live in Israel), Nurit Budinsky (an Israeli who lives in Providence and whose U.S.born daughter lives in Israel), Prof. Ezra Stieglitz (whose son, Dani, had been a columnist for The Voice & Herald about life in Israel) and Dr. Howard Mintz (who has two children living in Israel) – shared their personal stories with one another and with an attentive audience. Some members of the audience revealed that they, too, had adult children living or planning to live in Israel. Rabbi James Rosenberg moderated the panel discussion. Most
of the children benefited from using the services of Nefesh B’Nefesh which aids those making aliyah in their transition. Most needed to enroll in ulpan programs to increase their Hebrew fluency, even if they had lived and studied in Israel before making aliyah. One common theme that emerged from the discussion? The children made the first move toward making aliyah before informing their parents about their plans. DAVID LEACH (dhl196@ aol.com) is a member of the CRC.
NEAT students hear from Dr. David Luchins By Miriam Esther Weiner
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – Dr. David Luchins, chair of the political science department at Touro College in New York, spoke to New England Academy of Torah (the high school division of the Providence Hebrew Day School) students about the importance of hakkarat ha-tov, debt of gratitude, that the American Jewish community must have for the unprecedented influence and prestige that it enjoys. Speaking to students on the afternoon of Thursday, April 18, Luchins, who served for 20 years on the staff of U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), emphasized that this influence can be damaged by
Dr. David Luchins hillul Ha-Shem, desecration of God’s name, when Jews act inappropriately or display selfish attitudes that suggest we care only for ourselves. A question-and-answer session, which touched on a wide range of issues relating to
American Jewish political influence and the place of Israel in American politics, followed Luchin’s talk. Noting that Israel enjoys extraordinary bipartisan political support in Washington, D.C., he called it a huge disservice to both Israel and the United States to suggest that support for Israel somehow depends on the results of any particular American election. NEAT’s students left the presentation more politically aware as well as more conscious of how their actions as Jews impact the lives of those around them. MIRIAM ESTHER WEINER (meweiner@phdschool. org) is principal at Providence Hebrew Day School in Providence.
The Jewish Voice & Herald
CALENDARwww.jvhri.org | COMMUNITY
Brown RISD Hillel announces new rabbi Rabbi Michelle Dardashti to succeed Rabbi Mordechai Rackover
PROVIDENCE – A new rabbi is coming to town: Rabbi Michelle Dardashti will be the next associate chaplain of Brown University and rabbi of Brown RISD Hillel, succeeding Rabbi Mordechai Rackover, who announced several months ago his plans to depart at the end of this academic year. Calling her “an inspiring rabbinic leader and teacher with a passion for engaging students in Jewish life,” Brown RISD Hillel’s May 3 press release noted that the rabbi looks forward to making Judaism relevant for students, faculty and alumni of Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design and joining them on their respective Jewish journeys. The daughter of an Iranian hazzan (cantor) and American folk-singer of Eastern-European descent – and married to an Australian Jew – Rabbi Dardashti brings a deep understanding of global Jewry, Jewish music, practice and culture and a commitment to fostering plu-
Rabbi Michelle Dardashti
Rabbi Michelle Dardashti
ralistic communities. Rabbi Dardashti was ordained and received a masters in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). Now director of community engagement at Temple Beth El in Stamford, Conn., she worked specifically to cultivate those at the fringes of community (potentially just entering or just exiting, such as young families,
Brown RISD Hillel holds annual meeting Students recognized, rabbi celebrated
teens and young professionals) through a grassroots model of engagement. Earlier, she served as the Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellow at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in New York City for two years, where she taught, oversaw a conversion program and had the privilege of speaking and leading prayer within one of the country’s most vibrant congregations. While living in Uruguay, she taught at a Jewish day school and ran Hillel programs. She also wrote for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, JTA. Trained in Congregation-Based Community Organizing through Jewish Funds for Justice, she had traveled to El Salvador as part of an American Jewish World Service Rabbinical Student Delegation. Rabbi Dardashti, who will start her work with the Hillel before the 2013-14 school year begins, anticipates moving to Providenc this summer with her husband Nathan Sher and their daughters, Eden and Miya. EDITOR’S NOTE: Interviews with both rabbis are planned for future issues of The Jewish Voice & Herald.
may 10, 2013
CALENDAR From Page 10
Monday | May 20 Alliance JCC Golf Tournament. Ledgemont Country Club, 131 Brown Ave., Seekonk, Mass. 11 a.m. – registration, 11:30 a.m. – lunch; 12:45 p.m. – shotgun start; 5:30 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres, dinner & dessert. Carlene Barth, 4214111, ext. 210 or cbarth@shalomri. org.
Tuesday | May 21 “This Is My Story: Mayses – 19381948.” New play created by Kevin Olson with assistance from Amy Olson. The Artists’ Exchange, 50 Rolfe Square, Cranston. 7 p.m. amkevols@ yahoo.com or 615-5710.
Wednesday | May 22 JSA Annual Meeting. Installation of officers and award presentations. Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 3 Shalom Dr., Warwick. 7 p.m. 351-4750. “This Is My Story: Mayses – 19381948.” See May 21 entry. A Night in Jewish London. Zemel Choir and fish and chips dinner. Temple
Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. 6:15 p.m. – dinner; 7:30 p.m. – concert. $10/dinner; $15/concert ($20/ at door). 331-1616. See story on page 5.
Friday | May 24 Yiddish Shmooz. Alliance JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. 9:30 11:30 a.m. 421-4111.
Saturday | May 25 Benefit Concert with Zemel Choir. Fundraiser to benefit The Louis and Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry and a Newport food pantry. 9 p.m., Touro Synagogue, 85 Touro St., Newport. Tickets: $10 per person, limited seating. Contact Susan Woythaler, 846-2125 or susanlark@cox.net. See story on page 8.
Wednesday | May 29 Women’s Association Annual Meeting/ Luncheon. Joanne Summers receives the recognition award from The Miriam Hospital Women’s Association. Ledgemont Country Club, Seekonk, Mass. 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. 793-2520.
VISIT: brownrisdhillel.org
Alisa Grace Photography
Lex Rofes, Brown ‘13, Danny Warshay and Rabbi Mordechai Rackover at the Brown RISD Hillel annual meeting. PROVIDENCE – At Brown RISD Hillel’s annual meeting, student leaders were honored for their service to the Jewish community of College Hill. Book-ended with performances from the Alef Beats, Brown and RISD’s Jewish a capella group, the April 30 event included greetings from Richard Licht, chair of the board of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, and Elise Meyer, president of Brown RISD Hillel’s board of trustees. According to a press release from the organization, the highlight for the audience of students, alumni, parents, faculty and community members was the d’var Torah by Rabbi Mordechai Rackover before he received a tribute for his five
years of service to Brown and RISD’s Jewish community. Paul Wojtal, ’16, received the Robert ’81 and Elana ’08 Goldberg Family Ruach Award; Joanna Kramer, ’16, received the Rabbi Alan C. Flam, Executive Director 1982-2000, Tzedek Award; Ian Callendar, ’15, received the John Blacher Astounding New Initiatives Award for the Northeast Shabbaton; Sarah Forman, ’13, Ariel Pick, ’13 and Neal Poole, ’13, received the Senior Leadership Award; Lex Rofes, ’13, received the Danny Warshay ’87 Outstanding Leadership Award and Joey Resnick, ’13, received the President’s Award. These award-winning students all attend Brown.
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OPINION
12 THE JEWISH VOICE & HERALD
Israel’s gatekeepers
FrOM ThE EXECuTIvE EDITOr
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MAY 10, 2013
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‘Life will break you … ’
am confident that I will never be invited to be a guest speaker at a high school or college graduation commencement. That said, because this issue includes our “Teens & Graduation” section, I will use this column as “my bully pulpit,” offering advice to this year’s crop of high school and college graduates. Memo to you all: There is no memo. Many of you may think that everyone else but you got “the memo,” one that provides explicit advice about how to navigate the messy, painful and ugly morass – one that is also gloriously rich and ripe with opportunities – of life. We all make it up as we go along, and we muddle through, though some of us, even years after graduating from high school, college or even graduate school, still hope to receive the memo as the answer to our unanswered questions. So, in a nutshell, here’s some advice: • Do the right thing. If you wonder what the right EXEcuTivE thing is, listen to your gut. If you’d feel embarrassed or ashamed if EDiTOR your college advisor or your bubbe or someone else important to you NANCy KIrSCH knew what you were planning to do, guess what? It probably isn’t the right thing. Remember what your parents, your rabbis, your teachers taught you. • Take risks. Risk trying something new. Risk embarrassing yourself, risk having your heart – and perhaps some other body part – broken. Risk failure. If you don’t take risks, you’re not fully engaged in life. • Be true to your values. If your best friends are card-carrying members of “Vegans of America” – and I have no idea if such a group exists – and you can’t get through the day without a good 8-ounce burger, that’s OK. Relish your burger while they enjoy their tofu wraps; you don’t have to march in lock step with anyone else. On the other hand, are your good friends passionate about a cause that makes your gut clench because their perspectives, their basic principles, are diametrically opposed to yours? If so, maybe you need to fi nd some new friends. • Be your own best self; forget being a pale imitation of someone else. If your friend has patience and PowerPoint skills – and you don’t – it’s fi ne to ask your friend to help you learn those skills. What’s not so fi ne is if you try to adopt someone else’s life because it looks so much better than your own. • Don’t compare your insides to someone else’s outsides. It’s easy to look at someone else who appears cool, calm, collected and controlled while you feel that you are a roiling mass of anxiety and insecurity! Trust me. That individual may feel as anxious and insecure as you do, but simply hide it well. In closing, I offer Louise Erdrich’s words, from her book, “The Painted Bird”: “Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either for solitude will also break you with its yearnings. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart … to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could.”
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Thriving democracy willing to take a hard look at its flaws
his past January, the National Society of Film Critics here in the United States deemed the Israeli fi lm, “The Gatekeepers,” to be the best nonfiction movie of 2012. About a week later, “The Gatekeepers,” was one of two Israeli fi lms – along with only three others – nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary. Dror Moreh, the movie’s iT SEEMS director, deserves great TO ME credit for managing to interrABBI JIM view on camroSENBErG era all six of Israel’s living former chiefs of the Shin Bet, the nation’s security service: Avraham Shalom (1980-1986), Yaakov Peri (1988-1995), Carmi Gillon (1994-1996), Ami Ayalon (19962000), Avi Dichter (2000-2005) and Yuval Diskin (2005-2011). Try to imagine an American fi lmmaker getting our country’s six former national security advisors to speak candidly on camera – willing to give voice to constructive, but sharp, criticism of our current administration. It is disappointing, therefore, but not surprising, that Israel’s current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that he has no intention of ever seeing “The Gatekeepers.” It is more than a little sobering that all six former Shin Bet chiefs take a harshly critical view of Israel’s policies regarding the Palestinians. They all agree that the past several Israeli governments have pursued short-term tactics at the expense of any long-term strategy; they agree that it is absolutely essential for Israel’s longterm security that the government proceed with due diligence towards achieving a durable twostate solution to their confl ict with the Palestinians. As Ami Ayalon has put it, in responding to a question from J.J. Goldberg of the Jewish Forward: “The six of us reached our opinions from different personal backgrounds and different political outlooks, but we all reached the same conclusion. Many Israelis and American Jews want to deny it, but this is our professional opinion. We’re at the edge of the abyss, and if Israeli-Palestinian peace doesn’t progress, it is the end of Zionism.”
Our MISSION
The mission of The Jewish Voice & Herald 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.
While the six former Shin Bet chiefs are willing to discuss the moral ugliness of ordering assassinations and using – at times – abusive interrogation techniques, they also express their moral obligation to keep Israel safe and secure, to prevent Israeli deaths. Director Moreh reinforces the viewer’s sense of moral confusion by interspersing his interviews with news footage of the carnage wrought by Palestinian terrorists: public buses blown to bits, along with the horrific loss of Israeli life and limb. Such bloody deeds provoke a demand for revenge; but revenge begets revenge in what becomes a whirlpool of destruction. It is in this overheated climate of confrontation that the six gatekeepers of Israel’s security have had to strug-
“NETaNyahu … haS no intention of ever seeing ‘The Gatekeepers.’” gle for the moral high ground. The Avon Cinema on Thayer Street in Providence showcased “The Gatekeepers” during the week of April 8. The Rhode Island Chapter of J Street, which bills itself as “the political home for pro-peace, pro-Israel Americans,” encouraged members of our community to see this important documentary by arranging for discounted tickets for one showing on Tuesday, April 9. I estimate that approximately 100 members of Rhode Island’s Jewish community took advantage of the special offer. Following the movie, about 30 individuals – mostly middle-aged Jewish men and women, but also some college students and a few non-Jews – joined members of J Street at Brown RISD Hillel for a discussion of the fi lm. Among several questions raised
was the issue of whether Moreh, along with his Shin Bet interviewees, was guilty of washing Israel’s dirty
lau ndry in public, thereby playing into the hands of Israel’s enemies. As it turned out, the group at Hillel was, for the most part, of one mind. Everyone who spoke gave “The Gatekeepers” high marks. Many insisted that – far from aiding the enemy – the movie bears testimony to the strength and endurance of Israel’s democracy. Certainly, no other government in Israel’s neighborhood would permit the making of a movie so explicitly critical of the powers that be. While this year, Israel celebrated Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, Independence Day, on April 15, corresponding to the Hebrew date of 5 Iyar, the secular date of Israel’s birth was May 14, 1948; so we can celebrate Israel’s birthday yet again a few days from now. While “The Gatekeepers” does, indeed, expose many of Israel’s warts, it seems to me that the movie also celebrates Israel at its best – Israel, a thriving democracy that is not afraid to take a critical look at itself, a criticism whose purpose is to make Israel’s tomorrow better than Israel’s today. That is to say, “The Gatekeepers” gives us reason to rejoice in the miracle that took place on May 14, 1948. JAMES B. ROSENBERG (rabbi emeritus@habonim.org) is rabbi emeritus of Temple Habonim, the Reform synagogue in Barrington.
COLuMNS | LETTErS POLICy The Jewish Voice & Herald 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 for publication or refuse publication. Letters and columns, whether from our regular contributors or from guest columnists, represent
the views of the authors; they do not represent the views of The Jewish Voice & Herald or the Alliance. Send letters and op-eds to nkirsch@shalomri.org or Nancy Kirsch, The Voice & Herald, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. Include name, city of residence and (not for publication) a contact phone number or email.
The Jewish Voice & Herald
OPINION
may 10, 2013
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13
Paying with checks (and balances) Difficult to discern dysfunction
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srael’s dysfunctional politi- tyranny of the majority (or any cal system is “world class” other kind). (although not yet at the “top That’s what we teach our poof the class” with Italy). Twelve litical science students. But the parties in its legislature; close reality is more complex, and the to three dozen that stand for present situation in both counelection; four or five parties tries offers an object lesson that form that what’s on paper is not the governalways what’s really hapment – each pening. Let’s take the presviewing ent budget negotiations in their ministries as the U.S. and Israel. their own The Democrats and Repolitical publicans are at ideological fiefdoms; loggerheads: one wants to few governtaxes and the other REFLECTIONS raise ments last wants to cut services. With their full OF | IN ISRAEL only two parties vying for tenure of political power in America, four years; they have staked out clear SAM LEHMAN-WILZIG sig ni f icant ideological boundaries – political corruption, increasingly further apart. with several former politicians Worse yet, the one aspect of the sitting in jail at any one period American political system that of time; toothless local govern- has enabled it to survive more ment and the list goes on. than 230 years of ideological The U.S., on the other hand, warfare – checks and balances has only two parties, one presi– now leaves the entire polity dent, very low levels of corrupparalyzed. The two houses of tion (other than rampant sexuCongress are divided and the al peccadilloes), great political president is close to helpless in stability and a built-in system having his way against a recalof checks and balances, almost citrant opposition. Thus, we get eliminating the possibility of
periodic staged apocalypses (refusal to raise the national debt ceiling, the fiscal cliff, sequestration, etc.) – and, as a result, the economy, at best, muddles along. Altogether surprisingly, the picture is quite different in “dysfunctional” Israel. The outgoing government “pumped
“The other ministers shriek, yell and pound the Knesset podium.” the prime” before the election (otherwise known as “make the voting public happy”) and the new government is left holding the bag: a $10 billion budget deficit (equivalent to $400 billion in American population terms). What is it doing about
this? Given that each ministry is a fiefdom – and the Finance Ministry is the “kingdom” controlling all the other “fiefs” – Finance Minister Yair Lapid sits down with Prime Minister Netanyahu, hammers out the budget cuts to be allotted to the various ministries and the Knesset passes the budget. Yes, the other ministers shriek, yell and pound the Knesset podium, but it is all staged for the media: “those cuts are not my fault — blame Finance.” Precisely because Israel’s parliamentary system has little (if any) checks and balances – the legislative and executive branches are basically one and the same – when it comes to “crunch time,” the system works far more smoothly than in, ostensibly, “functional” America. Is this to say that, in the final analysis, the Israeli system is preferable? Not quite, for despite its seeming “hyper-democratic-representation,” when it comes to running the show, there are only two players that count – the prime minister and,
to a lesser extent, the finance minister. Sort of Cinderella and Snow White and the 118 Dwarfs. Moreover, in those issues where economics is not at stake (e.g., religion and state), the fiefdom system enables the party running the respective and relevant ministry to hold sway, notwithstanding the prime minister’s wishes. All this goes a long way to explain Israel’s central political economy paradox: How a country with such a complex and usually dysfunctional political system has managed for 30 years to have a very strong macro-economy. Who knows? Maybe that was the real reason that President Obama came to Israel – to learn how Israel keeps its financial house in order. PROF. SAM LEHMAN-WILZIG (profslw.com) is deputy director of the School of Communications at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. This spring, he is Visiting Professor at the Israel Studies Center, University of Maryland, College Park.
A significant step forward: Free access to online material
LETTERS Remembering our long-deceased fellow Jews In Dr. Stanley Aronson’s Jan. 4 column, “A history of leprosy, which some considered a moral affliction,” he referenced Penokese Island, an island off the coast of Massachusetts that housed people with leprosy until 1921. Thomas Buckley’s book, “Penokese – Island of Hope” describes this barren island and the people with leprosy who were sent there to be forgotten and die. Buckley discovered that two Jewish men from Boston were among those individuals buried on the island. They had no memorial stone on their graves and he could not locate any family members. He asked if the Jewish community of New Bedford, Mass., would erect the matzevot (tombstones) for them. I contacted Rabbi Raphael Kanter, my colleague in New Bedford, and Wil Herrup, then director of the New Bedford Jewish Federation; Tom Rex created the monuments. After some research, I was able to secure the Hebrew names of these two men, who died around 1915, to inscribe on the monument. Rabbi Kanter, Herrup, other members of the Jewish community and I brought the matzevot to the island. We had a very moving and meaningful hakamat matzevot (the erection of headstones) ceremony and gave final respect and honor to these two Jews. What was even more moving was the reaction from representatives from the Historical Society of Cuttyhunk Island, who came to observe the ceremony: Jews do not forget about each other, even many years later and even if we do not know them. That is why the delegation from Cuttyhunk, who were overwhelmed by this truly loving act, hesed shel emet, came to the ceremony on the island. The deceased cannot say “thank you.” Rabbi Barry Hartman New Bedford, Mass. Rabbi Hartman is rabbi at the Orthodox Chavurah Minyan of New Bedford
Correction The April 26 story by Susan Leach DeBlasio, “On a mission to Cuba, with the JDC,” misstated Cuba’s land area. The island’s area is 42,427 square miles (source: country-facts.findthedata.org)
Strangely ignored by the press, one of the most highly anticipated intellectual events of the year was the scheduled launching of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) at the Boston Public Library on April 18. Although postponed because of the Boston bombing, the DPLA site still went live at noon on April 18. In a heyday for readers, writers and scholars, this site will now start making available to the public free access to the holdings of libraries, archives and museums,including Jewish holdings of public and Jewish libraries, museums, historical societies and other archives. Saul Ricklin Bristol
Commenting on anti-Semitism in Budapest
Thank you for Nancy Kirsch’s story, “Anti-Semitic acts in Budapest stun Habonim congregants,” in the April 26 issue. As the article shows, the fall of Communism allowed age-old strains of nationalism to reappear in Eastern Europe that linger even today. I especially liked the comment that “Hungarian Jews differentiate kinds of anti-Semitism the way Eskimos differentiate different kinds of snowfalls.” There is indeed a wide gulf between catcalls from drunks on the street (which, while distasteful, may always be with us) and systematic government oppression. David Logan Tiverton
Thanks for The Day of Decadence
I am writing to thank The Voice & Herald and the judges, Karen Borger, Arthur Norman and Tricia Stearly, for honoring Bonnie A. Sekeres with the Day of Decadence award. The following Shalom staff and friends all had a hand in this surprise: Wendy Andreozzi, Elaine Creem, Penny Fraich, Marjorie Moskol, Ellen Shaw and Martha Wexler. Thank you, everyone, for keeping the nomination a secret and helping to make this special treat a reality. Joan Wallack Warwick
Blake appreciates Barbara Brown’s article What a wonderful article by Barbara Brown in the April 12 issue of The Voice & Herald (“Celebrating WRJ’s centennial year with visit to Israel, Berlin”). I am not alone in my opinion, as you will note that a link to the story was provided in the URJ’s Weekly Bulletin that must be e-mailed to well more than 100,000 Reform Jews and friends. Mel Blake Providence
Reader distressed that homonyms faze editor In the April 15 article (“Remembering Josh Stein”) by David London, concerning the late Professor Joshua Stein, someone goofed in the use of a common word, and undoubtedly you will hear from others. It is a wonderful story, well told, about a remarkable man. I don’t want to quote the whole paragraph, it’s convoluted, but it begins with “likely (to) be convicted and sentenced to death. But that grim prospect hardly ‘phases’ him, because …” The word in single quotation marks, phases, should have been fazes. Phase means a stage, as in life, or as in the stages of the moon. To faze someone is to daunt or challenge a person. I realize the spoken words sound alike, but the meanings are totally different and someone on your newspaper should have caught it. It makes no sense as it appears in your print edition. Jane S. Nelson Providence
OPINION
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The end of my ‘Dark Age of Aliyah’ Blessed to bitch about the Holy Land
This has been an intense month for Israel and her citizens, as we celebrated Yom Ha-Zikaron, Memorial Day, and Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, Independence Day, two weeks ago, and the week before that we commemorated Yom Ha-Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s always an emotional and contemplative period and, as it does
Alison on aliyah REDUX Alison Stern perez every year, it got me thinking. I remember feeling elated upon first arriving in Israel, enthralled by the sights and sounds and fascinated by this people I had never encountered before and couldn’t begin to understand – linguistically, culturally or emotionally. I was excited about the challenge and eagerly dug into the task of learning about my new country and integrating myself as best and as quickly as possible. And I remember the feeling that the honeymoon was over, around the time that I was contemplating my own honeymoon – but I was being thwarted at every
And then #24 hit me like a ton of Israeli-made bricks: “I strangely love that people here complain so much about Israel. For people to complain so much about this country, means that they have forgotten about how great of a miracle it is that we have it. Why do I love the fact
turn in my attempts to prove that I was Jewish “enough” to get married in an Orthodox ceremony in my new homeland. And thus began a rather extended period that I am beginning to view as “the dark years” of my aliyah, in which I have felt disconnected, disenchanted, often discombobulated, and even more often profoundly disturbed by this people who I still barely understand. Yes, my life was going along relatively well, and I have never (yet) regretted making aliyah. But my relationship with my first love, Israel, has taken some punches and become a bit worse for wear, a bit less idealistic. Over the past few years, the more I have come into direct contact and confrontation with Israelis, the more conflicts and clashes I have experienced, and the more I have come to dislike them. These days, as you all may have noticed, I find myself complaining to no end, deeply ensconced in my own egotistical sense of injustice, lack of comprehension and utter frustration. And then, two weeks ago, I came across one of those sappy Yom Ha-Atzma’ut Facebook posts, the ones that used to make me sigh affectionately and wax poetic about my love for Israel and yes, for the past
few years, have only made me snort in derision and comment bitterly, “Just you wait until you’ve been here for longer than a minute!” This post, titled, “65 Things I Love About Israel,” was written by Keren Hajioff, who had immigrated three years ago. At first, I considered not even reading it. I had been cut off not once, but four times that morning on my 10-minute commute to the university campus and I couldn’t even imagine coming up with one thing I loved about Israel, much less 65. But I decided to click on the post anyway, hoping somewhere deep down that I could find something to restore my faith in Israeli humanity. I definitely snorted through the first few items – “#1: I love that there are Israeli flags absolutely everywhere.” Yeah, yeah, so what. Waving a flag doesn’t mean the person is going to be nice to you – but then something in me began to shift. “#7: I love that under a week of knowing someone, he invited me to his wedding.” That’s true, Israelis really are like that. And #6 really is true, and wonderful – we do stop what we’re doing at the sound of the Yom Ha-Zikaron siren, stand stock-still and come together as a people for those two glorious and exquisitely painful minutes.
that people have forgotten how great it is that Israel is ours? Because it means we are used to it. Why are people used to it? Because it has been ours for 65 years. That is something that I am very happy about. So, the more people complain, the more I am reminded that Israel is ours.” And this, I do believe and tentatively declare, heralds the end of my “Dark Age of Aliyah.” Because it is so, so true. Because every bitter and whining complaint, no matter how completely justified or painful,
the ceremony in my backyard with a rent-a-rabbi? Why join a JCC when I can go to a fitness center and easily find a cheaper preschool? Why give to a centralized federation when I can direct my giving to causes that resonate with me?
gagement model upside down. Rather than spending all our time planning events and hoping people show up, let’s begin with the people: Welcome them, hear their stories, identify their talents and passions, care about and for them – and then craft programs that engage them with the Jewish experience. Thankfully, there are organizations on the cutting edge of this relational tipping point. Chabad has grown from a small group to some 4,500 rabbis and their families who reject the dues model of affiliation. They build a relationship with individuals first and only then ask for financial support. Congregation-based community organizing begins with one-on-one conversations designed to tease out common interests that can be the basis for communal action. Hillel is sending well-trained college students into dorms and Greek houses to develop relationships with peers who would never walk into a Hillel. A number of next generation initiatives like Synagogue 3000’s Next Dor and Moishe House are designed to reach young Jewish professionals by building relationships. Social
media are increasingly useful as a way to build virtual communities and encourage faceto-face meetings. The best fundraisers know that relationships are at the heart of raising money; most charitable giving is to people the donor trusts, not simply to support a particular cause. This paradigm shift will not be easy; this is labor-intensive work. It will not require more buildings but a reallocation of time of staff and laity. We will need engagement rabbis, relationship directors, community concierges and sophisticated systems to ensure appropriate follow-up and transitions as individuals traverse life cycle of community engagement. We will not need new institutions, but to transform the institutions we already have from programmatic to relational communities. People may come for programs, but they will stay for relationships. So as we fill out those calendars for next year, let’s embrace a new goal: to engage every member of our institutions and every interested unaffiliated person in a deeper relationship with Judaism, with the Jewish experience and with each other.
“[Living in Israel] is both such a gift and such an amazing accomplishment.”
that seeps out of my mouth really does both totally reflect and totally take for granted one immutable fact: I live in Israel. No, I feel I must say it again: I live in Israel. And I can say, without any hint of sappiness, this is both such a gift and such an amazing accomplishment. Some days I still cannot believe it, and other days I am steeped in gratitude for my decision to make aliyah, my fortitude in pursuing this dream and my persistence in continuing to at least attempt to make my dream match my reality. I live in Israel. How many people in the world can actually say that? And how amazing is it that Israel exists at all? Yes, she may not be perfect, and yes, she may still have some growing (and growing pains) ahead of her, but she is ours – warts and all. And those of us lucky, audacious and irrepressibly resilient enough to live within and love her must never forget how truly blessed we are to be able to bitch and moan every day of our lives here. ALISON STERN PEREZ (alisonsternperez@gmail.com or alisonsterngolub.com), a native of Seattle, is a 2000 Brown University graduate.
Replacing a programmatic model of Jewish affiliation By Ron Wolfson
LOS ANGELES (JTA) – It’s that time of year, when Jewish institutions pull out their 201314 calendars and fill them with events. Many of the programs are very good, with clever names and slick marketing. And yet, after all this wellmeaning effort, membership in synagogues and JCCs is declining, federation campaigns are flat and a generation of young Jewish adults is in no hurry to affiliate. The 20th century model of programmatic engagement is not working. What’s going on? Synagogues, rabbis and Jewish educators once were main access points to serious Jewish learning. JCCs were a comfortable place to put your little ones in preschool, join a health club and participate in cultural activities. Federations were the central address for supporting the various arms of the community. The Internet has changed all that. Hundreds of websites feature rich Jewish content for free. Why pay to join a congregation when I can watch live streaming video of worship services, arrange for a bar or bat mitzvah tutor online and have
“THIS PARADIGM shift will not be easy; this is labor-intensive work.” This begs the ultimate question: What is the value of affiliating with a Jewish institution? In my book, “Relational Judaism” (Jewish Lights Publishing, March 2013), I suggest it is this: a face-to-face community of relationships that offers meaning and purpose, belonging and blessing. To create such a community, we need to turn our en-
Let’s begin by putting people before programs. Let’s learn who they are before we try to figure out what they want. Let’s inspire them to see Judaism as a worldview that can inform the many different levels of relationship in their lives. Let’s work toward a rededication of our people to a relational Judaism. RON WOLFSON, Fingerhut Professor of Education at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, is co-founder of Synagogue 3000/Next Dor.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Share your experiences about engagement with our Jewish community or with other communities across North America. What’s worked for you? What turned you off? Do you have suggestions or recommendations? We want to hear about your experiences – good, bad or indifferent! Contact Nancy Kirsch, nkirsch@shalomri.org or 421-4111, ext. 168: SUBJECT LINE: RELATIONSHIPS.
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Making tzedakah count
may 10, 2013
A dinner dance with Touro Fraternal SWANSEA, Mass. – The Touro Fraternal Association hosts its annual dinner dance at 7 p.m., on Saturday, June 8, at the Venus De Milo. The evening features music by The Music of Big Time Band and dinner includes a choice of prime rib of beef or broiled scrod. Members are $50 per couple; non-members are $100 per
couple. Reservations must be received by Friday, May 24; no cancellations will be honored after June 1. The restaurant is at 55 Grand Army Highway, Swansea, Mass. Send checks and meal preferences to Touro Fraternal Association, P.O. Box 3562, Cranston, RI 02910. Seating is limited.
Temple Sinai
Maggie Lax, with her children, Jacob, left, and Harrison, at the tzedakah study session.
By Toby Koritsky, RJE
Special to The Voice & Herald CRANSTON – Temple Sinai’s Religious School held its second annual Family Tzedakah Fair, on Sunday, May 5. At the beginning of the school year, each class in grades pre-K through 7 selects a charity or nonprofit organization to support, including these: Birthday Angels, the Comprehensive Community Action Program, Jordan River Village and Women of the Wall. In preparation for the fair,
students created booths and presentations that feature information about their selected agencies. On the day of the fair, families came to the Religious School with money to donate. Students made their presentations; families participated in a tzedakah study session and then, at the fair, completed a scavenger hunt. Some 100 congregants visited the booths and donated tzedakah money to their preferred nonprofit organization. Nancy Bassel, grade 4 teacher, said that the fair really generates student work and
creativity, and students think seriously about helping others. Families discover how many different agencies exist, some of which may be unfamiliar to them. More than $1,200 was raised for tzedakah – all those pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars make a difference! TOBY KORITSKY, RJE (tkoritsky@templesiniari.org) is educational director at Temple Sinai, a Reform congregation in Cranston.
EPOCH Senior Living generates $3,200 for One Fund Boston Pasta dinner and raffles result in large turnout
PROVIDENCE – Two EPOCH Senior Living retirement communities in Providence raised $3,200 at a recent pasta dinner organized by Epoch staff and residents to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. All proceeds will benefit the One Fund Boston. More than 200 guests turned out for the dinner, which was organized by staff and residents, to which businesses generously donated raffle items. “We could not be more pleased with the turnout and outpouring of support for people affected by this tragedy,” said Jean Costa, executive director of EPOCH Assisted Living on the East Side, in a press release from the agency.
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Read it often. You’ll be glad you did.
Seniors from 15 EPOCH Senior Living communities throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island, horrified by recent events, wanted to do something to help. Additional fundraiser pasta dinners are being held at many Epoch communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
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The One Fund Boston was formed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino to help those most affected by the tragic events in Boston on April 15. MORE INFO: Jean Costa, 2750682.
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Love and justice will prevail in America Interfaith gathering to celebrate same-sex marriage enactment
By Nancy Kirsch
nkirsch@shalomri.org PROVIDENCE – It was a picture-perfect spring day –an ideal day to be married or to celebrate marriage. “It’s a miracle,” quipped Reverend James Ishmael Ford, senior minister at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, the site of the May 5 interfaith celebration of the recent enactment of same-sex marriage legislation in Rhode Island. The group of diverse clergy, gay and lesbian couples and other supporters laughed in appreciation when he added, “There is a deity and she is love.” While it’s critical, he said, that we allow ourselves a moment of celebration and joy, we’re one of only 10 states that permit samesex marriages. Rhode Island’s legislation, which Governor Lincoln Chafee signed into law on the afternoon of Thursday, May 2, will take effect Aug. 1 of this year. [EDITOR’S NOTE: This reporter briefly worked in fundraising and communicating for Marriage Equality Rhode Island several years before coming to The Jewish Voice & Herald.] Although many in the multigenerational group came casually dressed, rather than in
introduced themselves to one another – “We met on lobby day, remember?” – and hearty hugs and kisses of appreciation and thanks were exchanged. In stark contrast to Statehouse gatherings, where both advocates for and opponents of same-sex marriage often jostled for space and time to testify, this gathering, sponsored by the Rhode Island Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality, the Human Rights Campaign, Rhode Islanders United for Marriage and the Ballou Channing District, Unitarian Universalist Association, was wholly harmonious. Rabbis Sarah Mack, Peter Stein and Andrew Klein and Rev. Eugene Dyszlewski, chair of the Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality in Rhode Island, deftly lifted and held up a huppah, which symbolizes a newly married couple’s home, explained Rabbi Mack, of Temple Beth-El. Thunderous applause greeted her statement: “Rhode Island: Welcome to the huppah as it should be.” Explaining that the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island unanimously supported enactment of same-sex marriage legislation, Rabbi Mack added, “No one pole can stand alone – when we work together, we establish justice.” Acknowledging how remark-
Rabbis Peter Stein, left, Srah Mack and Andrew Klein (partially obscured, right) and Cantor Judy Seplowin (back to camera) erect the huppah. and Chabad rabbis, who are not members of the rabbinical board, publicly stated their opposition to the legislation.) Just as the huppah can’t stand without all four poles, many entities helped make this historic day happen, said Rabbi Stein. “The first pole is dedicated to o u r faith pa r tners, t ho s e clergy and religious communities who joined together to proclaim the holiness in all
“Rhode Island: Welcome to the huppah as it should be.” attire fit for a wedding, feelings of joy, jubilation and excitement permeated the crowd. And, just as many stories told at weddings elicit laughter, applause and the occasional tear, this ceremony, too, evoked emotional reactions from speakers as well as others in attendance. Individuals introduced or re-
able it is for the rabbinical group to do anything unanimously, Rabbi Stein, of Temple Sinai, expressed his pleasure in being able to work on such a significant issue side-by-side with members of his own and other faith communities. (As noted in past issues of The Voice & Herald, a group of Orthodox
Ray Sullivan marriages. The second pole is dedicated to those legislators and civic leaders who acted with courage and wisdom,” he added. “The third is for organizers, activists and advocates who gave so much, and the fourth is for the gay and lesbian couples who will enter under the huppah … go to the chapel, the courthouse, the hotel ballroom or wherever else they choose to marry. This fourth pole, and
this huppah, are dedicated to waiting 10 years for this mothose couples who demonstrat- ment. We chose the high road of tolerance … it’s in our DNA.” ed that it is all about love.” A standing ovation, cheers Cantor Judy Seplowin of Temple Beth-El sang the Shehe- and applause greeted Ray Sullivan, campaign director for heyanu. Lise Iwon said she’s been fighting for civil rights for gay and lesbian individuals for more than 25 years. “The hatefulness [toward gay and lesbian individuals] at the Statehouse has been there for years,” she said. Clergy with their “alphabet soup of initials” after their names who came to testify in their robes, added Cantor Judy Seplowin sings as Rev. Eugene veracity to our Dyszlewski holds one huppah pole. cause, she said. Her voice breakRhode Islanders United for ing with emotion, Iwon said, Marriage, when he stood to “You made this happen.” speak. His voice cracking with And what does same-sex mar- emotion and his eyes full of unriage mean to the children of shed tears, the former General such couples? One 9-year-old Assembly member said, “You boy, the son of Dianna Shaw and made history. Political progDr. Tiffany Hogan, was quoted nosticators and pundits said it as saying, “We don’t have to be couldn’t be done. The spark of orphans.” freedom will ignite a relentless For his mother Tiffany, it of- spirit of equality across the nafers a sense of normalcy. “It’s tion. just another building block. Thanking many individuals It’s not just marriages that are by name, including State Senaequal, but we as human beings tor Josh Miller and Providence are inherently equal.” City Councilman Sam Zurier, Rev. Dyszlewski, leader of he added, “Love and justice will the 150-strong coalition of eventually be the rule, not the faith leaders backing marriage exception, here in America.” equality, said, “We’ve been
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Torah navigation leads to new journeys Traditional and high-tech methods help people find their way
By Edmon J. Rodman
LOS ANGELES (JTA) – On Shavu’ot, we celebrate receiving the Five Books of Moses by opening the gift and reading from the scroll. But first we need to find the place.
Shavu’ot How do we find our place in the Torah? Newbies to the ways of a Torah scroll will soon realize that, unlike the mass-produced technological marvels that bring order and wonder into their lives, this handmade inspiration comes without an operating manual. As I discovered the first time I tried to find my place, the perfect columns of scribed, unvoweled Hebrew can seem like a foreign-language phone book without page numbers. For many, the only time we may have needed to find our place in the Torah was at our bar/bat mitzvah – and even then someone showed us. But what if, as adults, we want to find our way back into the Torah on our own? What if we want to find not only the correct place from which to read but a place to call our own? There’s no app for that – yet. “The scope would be limited,” said Russel Neil, a Jewish educator and technologist who de-
scribed himself as the “coding monkey” behind PocketTorah. The smartphone app has the text of the Torah and haftarah in Hebrew and translated, as well as with commentary. Asked about an app that lets you find your place in the Torah, he said it would “get in the way of the actual thing you want to be doing,” thinking of the tactile experience of confronting the text and grabbing hold of the etz chaim, the wooden rollers. But is the absence of an app the only thing keeping us from being able to navigate the source of our spirituality? Several years ago, at the conclusion of a parade welcoming a new Torah scroll to our small congregation, the Movable Minyan, I began to get my Torah bearings. The plan was to conclude the event with a reading of the Shema from the new scroll. However, just as we entered the room, the one person knowledgeable enough to find the place told us she had an appointment and regretfully had to leave. What now? We didn’t know the place, and the Torah doesn’t come with a bookmark! However, as we discovered that day, and as I was reminded recently by Rabbi Patricia Fenton of American Jewish University, “you take what guideposts you can” to find your place in the scroll. Fenton is the manag-
er of Judaica and public services at her Los Angeles school’s library and a rabbinic studies adviser. According to Fenton (recently named one of America’s most inspiring rabbis by the Jewish Daily Forward), the place can be found by looking for clues such as gaps, familiar words or even sections. “The Ten Commandments and Ha’azinu [the Torah portion featuring the Song of Moses] are written in a special way,” she added. “Whether a person considers the Torah to be God’s words or a foundation text, it’s the source of who we are as Jews, and reading from it is a big responsibility.” Rabbi Fenton suggests starting with a Jewish calendar to find the week’s portion and then going to a tikkun – a guidebook for Torah readers with Hebrew text as it appears in the Torah scroll in one column and with vowels and singing marks in another – to narrow the search. But the Movable Minyan had no tikkun and no experience, since the the task of setting the place in the Torah was typically done by an expert. So how did a group of Torah rookies manage? By navigating with our collective Jewish educations. We knew the Shema was in the Torah’s last book, Deuteronomy – D’evarim, in Hebrew – and from a prayer book we knew it was found in an
early chapter. The current place was somewhere near the middle, and since Hebrew reads from right to left, we would need to roll the right roller more to get to
written on scraps of paper, photocopy enlargements, even Post-its – to find their place. More than an exercise or a game of word search, it became a matter of truly taking ownership of the text. There are times, however, when we open the scroll and someone has forgotten to advance it from the previous Shabbat! In those moments of being lost – and it does feel like being physically lost – and amid the pressure to find one’s way, words become landmarks – even the guideposts of which Rabbi Fenton spoke. On one of those rolling mornings, yad (Torah pointer) in hand, I was looking for the right “va-y’dabber” in Sh’mot, the book of Exodus (many of its verses begin with that word, as in va-y’dabber Elohim, “and God spoke.”) The word began to loom large as I scanned past one occurrence after another. In the moments it took to find the right word in the right place, I felt the Torah was speaking to me as well.
“THIS HANDMADE INSPIRATION comes without an operating manual.” the last book. As we rolled, we noted large gaps in the text upon reaching the end of Leviticus – Va-yikra, then Numbers – B’midbar, until we reached D’varim. Eileh ha-d’varim, “These are the words,” the book begins. After slowly scrolling over several more columns, and finding the oversized letter ayin in the Shema, we had found our place. Since then, I have discovered, like other novice readers, that you can find your place by counting the columns of text in the tikkun from the beginning of a book, or of the portion – the count will be the same in the Torah scroll. Later, as the Hebrew grew more familiar, key words and phrases became my guide. Others in the minyan beginning their Torah journeys have used navigational aids – notes
EDMON J. RODMAN is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles, Calif.
FOOD SHAVU’OT
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Deconstructing Israeli cheeses and wines for Shavu’ot Don’t whine; goat cheeses and wine choices are plentiful
By Anna Harwood
JERUSALEM – Part of the joy of living in Israel – as opposed to visiting – is that it affords one the opportunity to spend weekends discovering Israel’s hidden gems, only unearthed through conversations or chance encounters on a morning hike. As we hiked through the Jerusalem hills, signs adorned with an image of a goat led the way to a delicious goat cheese dairy, nestled in a cavernous hollow close to the Sataf Springs. Owned by artist Shai Seltzer, together with his sons, the dairy has been creating mouthwatering goat cheeses for close to 40 years. A former botanist, Seltzer received his first lesson in cheese making from a local monk and has continued to learn additional techniques. He has become somewhat of a jetsetter, attending international conferences on artisanal food in Europe, Africa and Asia, tasting, smelling and learning as he goes. “It is a way of life; we live within the cheese making process,” he said. Seltzer explained that the process is akin to painting a watercolor. One begins with a wet canvas; slowly but surely, the colors are added to create a masterpiece. Likewise, with artisanal cheese, one begins with milk and then the special enzymes, yeasts and bacteria are added, and slowly but surely, unique cheese is created. “Milk is the ultimate food and the foundation on which life is developed,” said Seltzer. “We then carefully nurture this base to create our cheeses.” Seltzer’s cheeses are made with painstaking love, as he tastes the cheese in every stage of preparation, adjusting and refining the process as he goes. “[Our] cheese is an expression
of the land on which it is created,” he said. “Month to month, year to year, according to the weather, what the goats are eating and the land on which they are grazing, the cheese changes. We can give a name to each type of cheese but it is incomparable to cheeses created elsewhere. Our cheeses are simply an expression of the Judean Mountains.” Alongside the natural limestone cave in which the cheeses are stored to mature and ripen, more than 170 goats graze on the mountainside. These goats have adapted to their lush, mountainous surroundings and produce h ig h- qua l it y milk, rich in fat. The Seltzer family has developed a range of cheeses that they serve to visitors along with specially selected wines that bring out the flavors of the cheeses. “Wine and cheese make a wonderful pairing once you discover the perfect match,” Shai Seltzer’s son, Omri, said.
“Milk is the ultimate food.” Omri Seltzer produces overflowing cheese platters and the wines with which they are served. “Here in Israel, we have
Goat cheeses galore wo n d e r f u l wines, but we chose award-winning wines from the Golan Heights Winery, [for] their depth of flavor and also, in our opinion, because they are the best kosher wines.” Being a kosher dairy has not limited Seltzer, who said that his farm is one of the few places where observant Jews are able to sample handcrafted, artisanal food and high quality, internationally acclaimed wines.
notes are delicious on their own or paired with hard goat cheeses. The Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon, with earthy and oak notes, pairs well with the strongest cheese.
Aged cheeses
Ending the tasting with the special Yarden Heights wine, Seltzer produces the dairy’s masterpiece, a cheese aged for
For visitors travelling the beaten paths of the Jerusalem Hills, the Seltzers’ farm is a highly recommended stop to tantalize the taste buds. For those staying close to home, consider offering an array of carefully paired cheeses and wines to delight your guests at a Shavu’ot meal to elevate this dairy-themed festival to new levels.
Soft cheeses
Seltzer’s soft cheeses are deliciously decadent, creamy cheeses whose flavors coat the tongue as it melts in the mouth. A scrumptious fresh cheese wrapped in vine leaves adds another dimension to the flavor. Omri pairs soft cheeses with the Yarden Gewurztraminer, described as a fruity wine that noticeably enhances the flavors of the cheese. The wine’s fruitiness and tart acidity cut through the creamy cheese, refreshing the palate and allowing the individual flavors in the cheese to be fully enjoyed.
Hard cheeses
Seltzer’s hard cheeses have tough rinds that absorb the earthy aromas of the cave in which they are stored. One such cheese, “Michal,” is a young, hard yellow cheese, which has a robust earthy flavor from its seven months of fermentation in the farm’s cave. Harder cheeses need a fruity, fuller-bodied wine to complement them; Seltzer pairs them with the Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon or the Yarden Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir’s fruity sour cherry and raspberry
An image of the exteror of the winery in the Golan Heights. 4½ years in their cave. This aged cheese, hard like the rind of Parmesan cheese, yet crumbly like shortbread, is a collision of sharp, nutty flavors with gentle, creamy tones. With its subtle sweetness, it pairs well with the Yarden Heights wine, a sweet dessert wine. The Yarden Heights wine is a sweet wine that could easily be served with any cheese platter. Paradoxically, sweeter wines are often paired with sharp, blue- veined cheeses as they break down the cheese’s salinity and sharpness, creating a perfect balance.
MORE INFO: From the Sataf Visitors’ Center, park your car and continue on the rocky path. Follow signs with pictures of a goat until you reach the small farm nestled on the mountainside. ANNA HARWOOD is a writer/ publicist with IMP Media in Israel.
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Kendra Kaplan is ‘Elite Maternity Concierge’ Young company provides useful packages for parents and young families
By Kendra Lolio
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – Meet Kendra Kaplan, owner of Elite Maternity Concierge/Personal Assistant Care.
BUSiness Profile Kaplan, 35, provides “in home education and support to new and expecting parents” throughout Rhode Island. She offers multiple packages that are designed to suit the needs of each individual family who retains her services. Packages include such assistance as planning for the first week(s) of baby’s life, helping select different types of gear and essentials, establishing safe sleep practices, feeding, bathing, developmental play, baby proofing, soothing and helping the family develop good routines and habits. Packages – which may target in-home infant care, baby wellness, toddlers, the moms themselves and customized approaches – range in price from $300 and up; all services are provided in the client’s home. Maternity concierge services are not very common in Rhode Island, and her company, said Kaplan, is the only business of its kind in the state. “Many people do not understand the role/services provided by a maternity concierge,” she said. “I provide hands-on (live-in possibilities) help to support and guide new parents with infants
and to help cope with toddler concerns,” she said. Her services are not limited to infants; she assists families with toddlerrelated issues, as well. Kaplan can assist with eating, sleeping and potty-training troubles. “Parents [who have been clients] are delighted with the changes they see with their little ones,” she said. Kaplan believes clients should understand how nannies and maternity concierges differ. “I do provide nanny services within reasonable hours,” said Kaplan, who added that she generally does not expect to be left alone with children for long periods of time. “I work as a team with families to meet families’ needs,” she says. Her ultimate goal is to help families learn effective methods of child rearing. She also explained that she builds strong relationships with families; in some cases, they stay in touch with her after the business relationship has ended. She explained that parents even send her pictures of the children as they grow up. “Eventually they become an extended family to me,” she said. Often, Kaplan has repeat clients who continue to utilize her services. “Before I know it I am back working with their third or fourth baby,” she said. “I enjoy working with and establishing solid lasting relationships with [these] families.” Kaplan, who earned an undergraduate degree in human
development and family studies/early childhood development from the University of Rhode Island in 2005, has taken graduate-level courses in special education and counseling. She also has many years of nannying experience, as well as experience in early childhood centers and on early intervention teams. Although Kaplan is not yet a mother, she calls herself lucky to be able to help so many families, particularly children. Kaplan has written a self-published cookbook, “Cookbook: cookbook, babies first foods” that address healthy eating for babies and families. The cookbook is available on Amazon. KENDRA KAPLAN or Elite Maternity Concierge/Personal Assistant Care: kenkap@ cox.net or providencerhodeislandonline.com. KENDRA LOLIO (klolio_8996@email.ric.edu), a senior at Rhode Island College, is intern this year with The Jewish Voice & Herald. THIS IS ONE of an occasional series of local businesses, some of which advertise with this paper.
Pillows, PJs and pages to peruse: What could be better? Third and fourth graders at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island participated in a daylong reada-thon. PJ-clad students came to school with sleeping bags, pillows, stuffed animals, snacks and plenty of books. The May 3 read-a-thon included a tzedakah project: students read 4,775 pages and earned more than $1,000 for the Pajama Program Project. From left, top row, Simcha, Eli, Jodd, teacher Jill Davis, Jordan and Tomer; from left, bottom row, Eliora, Jonah, Tamar and Abby.
karolyn white
Kendra Kaplan
Kendra Kaplan
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Shaw’s Supermarket donates 2,000 pounds of kosher foods The Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry is beneficiary of grocery’s excess food
kit haspel
Rabbis Richard Perlman and Elyse Wechterman speak at a Mothers Circle presentation for non-Jewish women raising Jewish children.
Rabbis talk, women listen … and ask questions
Steven Adler, left, Rabbi Moshe Laufer, Ken Schneider, Joshua Adler and Nick Buonfiglo unload kosher foodstuffs in late April.
By Susan Adler
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – The Louis & Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry is the beneficiary of a generous donation: More than 2,000 pounds of kosher food was donated by Shaw’s Supermarket to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank on April 25. It only took one call from the Rhode Island Community Food
Bank to The Full Plate before a team of our volunteers picked up the food; now, members of the Jewish community will be able to enjoy these kosher foods. The Full Plate is open every Tuesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you want to donate food or money or volunteer at The Full Plate, contact me at 621-5374 or sadler-jeri@jsari.org.
Susan Adler
SUSAN ADLER is coordinator of The Louis and Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry. YOUR CAMPAIGN DOLLARS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Volunteer drivers needed PROVIDENCE – The Holocaust Education and Resource Center seeks volunteers to drive Holocaust survivors to and from schools throughout Rhode Island. Many survivors, who visit schools to educate middle and high school stu-
dents about their experiences, no longer drive. PAULA OLIVIERI at the Holocaust Education and Resource Center: 453-7860 or polivieri@hercri.org.
PROVIDENCE – Women from the fifth Mothers Circle group sat with several area rabbis – Rabbis Andrew Klein (of Temple Habonim in Barrington) Richard Perlman (of Temple Am David in Warwick) and Elyse Wechterman (Congregation Agudas Achim in Attleboro, Mass.) – for a question-and-answer session. In their April 25 evening session, the rabbis fielded questions ranging from the differences among Judaism’s movements to the best way to instill a strong Jewish identity in one’s children. KIT HASPEL: 421-4111 or khaspel@shalomri.org.
Hebrew classes offered again this summer
Monday through PROVIDENCE – Thursday, from 9:45 Want to speak Hea.m. – noon and two brew like an Israeli? different intermediThe Jewish Alliance ate level classes will of Greater Rhode be offered, Monday Island is offering through Thursday, ulpan-style Hebrew from 2 – 4:15 p.m. No languages classes classes are held on for two weeks this Fridays. summer, July 22 – Aug. 1. The 8-session Simcha Pe’er and The Hebrew alphabet classes are $50 per Rachel Ziv will person; for teachers travel from Israel in Alliance-affiliated to Providence, as they have in schools, the cost is $25. years past, to teach 8-session classes. LARRY KATZ: 421-4111, ext. A beginner class and an ad- 179 or lkatz@shalomri.org. vanced class will be offered,
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Dads Jim Shuster, left and Dan Jaffee, are surrounded by family friend Ella Maher Santarpia, left, Evan Shuster, Hana Shuster and twins Lev and Ezekial Jaffee, at the Sunday, April 28 Lag Ba’Omer celebration. The holiday of Lag Ba’Omer celebrates the counting of the Omer, a verbal counting of each of the 49 days between Pesach and Shavu’ot.
Nitza Attali, left, and Michla Laufer at the Lag Ba’Omer celebration outside the Alliance JCC building on Sunday, April 28. A man on stilts appears behind them. The event was hosted by Chabad of Rhode Island and Congregation Beth Sholom.
From Abba to Zayde …
Thank these important men on Father’s Day PROVIDENCE – Father’s Day is Sunday, June 16. Our upcoming issues of May 24 and June 7 are perfect opportunities to “share the love” you have for your abba (father) and zayde (grandfather). For a mere $18, you can tell all the readers of The Jewish Voice & Herald why you love your abba and/or your zayde, in no more than 18 words! We’ll put your words in an appealing and eye-catching format. Have more to say? We’ll do an announcement of 36 words or fewer for $36. Even if you don’t struggle with finding the perfect gift for
the man who taught you to ride a bike, decipher the Hebrew alef-bet or change a flat tire, putting your thanks into words is a priceless gift. We welcome these “thank yous” for every abba and zayde, living or deceased. TRICIA STEARLY: tstearly@shalomri.org or 421-4111, ext. 160 or KAREN BORGER: ksborger@gmail.com or 5292538 by May 12 for the May 24 issue or May 28 for the June 7 issue.
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Foundation for Jewish Camp issues report on children with special needs Group to be convened this fall for further study NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) issued a press statement announcing key fi ndings from a survey and in-depth interviews mapping current, potential and desired services available to children with emotional, intellectual and physical disabilities at nonprofit Jewish overnight camps across North America: Jewish Camp for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs. The research reports that the majority of those involved in camp – including staff, campers, and parents – care about this issue and want more options for this group. While the field is making progress in the types and amounts of services offered, there is still more to be done. Laszlo Strategies conducted the research – the fi rst of its kind in the Jewish community. The survey garnered results from 828 respondents including parents, campers, camp directors and staff associated with 124 camps. The vast majority of people involved in camp agreed, the report noted, that every Jewish child, regardless of a disability or special need, should be able to attend a Jewish camp, with most preferring an inclusion model. Some believe that not every camp is able to serve every need and that, in certain cases, a separate program might be preferable. According to the survey, the field of Jewish camp is currently serving roughly 2,500 children with special needs and physical disabilities. While the numbers are encouraging and larger than earlier estimated, few camps are equipped to serve children with very involved disabilities or physical restrictions. Many more camps are serving children in this population than are advertising to the public through their websites and marketing materials. In fact, 36 percent of camps offer unique programs for children with special needs and/or physical disabilities and 55 percent of camps have a designated staff member (parttime or full-time) to oversee these campers. [As The Voice & Herald has reported in past issues, Camp JORI in Rhode Island, has a program, Reaching UP, which supports campers with special needs, JORI Executive Director Ronni Guttin said. “We have a staff member who
will visit families and assess the needs of [the] child,” she wrote in an email. “Most of the kids have ADHD, high functioning autism or a cognitive disability. They are supported with extra staffing and other accommodations.” Approximately eight to 12 campers participate in Reaching UP during each camp session, she wrote.] The study showed that an overwhelming number of parents of campers with disabilities or special needs who attend Jewish camp are satisfied or extremely satisfied with their overall experience. “We are encouraged to see that families thus far are very happy with their Jewish camp experiences,” said Jeremy J. Fingerman, FJC’s chief executive officer. “Now we can concentrate on creating more opportunities for more children to experience a joyful, transformative experience at Jewish camp.” Camp staff and directors cited a lack of training and knowledge as the biggest barriers to serving more children with disabilities or special needs, not attitudes or facilities. FJC is currently creating a plan of action to advance the field of Jewish camp in this arena, including convening a meeting of experts in the field of camping and special needs, scheduled to occur this fall. A plan will be revealed in the winter of 2014. Parents reported wanting a camp for their kids that offers “good supports and accommodations for children with a disability like mine” and that “is a Jewish camp where my child can connect to our heritage and community.” The research began with 13 in-depth interviews of directors and inclusion specialists from a variety of camps under the FJC umbrella. These included camps that have wellestablished programs to serve children with special needs and physical disabilities as well as those which do not. A group discussion with directors and leaders of camp movements was also held to further explore the issues camps face in this arena. The poll was fielded online from late February through late March. MORE INFO ON STUDY: jewishcamp.org/research
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Drew Frank turns dyslexia diagnosis into a win-win Student with learning differences raises money, awareness for program that helped him
HARlEy ANd dONNA fRANK
Jennifer Dougherty, regional project director, Northeast region, Learning Ally, presents an award to Drew Frank on April 26. EDITOR’S NOTE: Drew Frank, a son of Harley and Donna Frank of Providence, earned an award from Learning Ally, an audiobooks program (LearningAlley.org). Drew was recognized on Friday, April 26, for his work in promoting the benefits of and fundraising for the nonprofit organization. He raised more than $400 to donate to learningally.org. Although he gave an acceptance speech when he earned his award, we have chosen to reprint his bar mitzvah speech of Saturday, Nov. 24, 2012, below.
By Drew Frank
Shalom, my parashah is Va-Yishlah. It talks about the very different twins Jacob and Esau. Jacob is a smart boy going to school. He is more “book smart.” On the other hand, Esau is an outdoorsman, working in the fields, farming. Because of their differences, Jacob convinces his father that he is more worthy of leading the family. Esau got mad so they go their separate ways. Just like with Jacob and Esau, each person in a family today has strengths and weaknesses. Instead of using those strengths against each other like Jacob did at fi rst, or like I do when I … annoy my sister Adrienne … it is better to use
them to help each other. Jacob and Esau had a lot of differences that led them to not speak to each other for the majority of their life. I know we all have days that we don’t want to talk to [my brother] Ross for at least a little, but I just can’t imagine not speaking to him for a majority of my life. That’s just too long! In the end, they overcame their differences. By the end of Va-Yishlah, Jacob and Esau have a Disney-like ending – riding into the sunset together as brothers should. Jacob and Esau’s differences were by choice. But that’s enough about their differences. I would like to talk to you about something that makes me different, but not by choice. As some of you may know, I have dyslexia. I didn’t choose to be born this way. It’s who I am and it’s a difference that I will always have to overcome. Unlike Jacob and Esau, I didn’t choose when it started and I can’t choose when it stops. For my mitzvah project, I promoted Learning Ally, a program that records books on
tape to help people with learning differences and visual impairments improve their reading comprehension and fluency. I have used this program with
novels and textbooks so I know how much it helps me. This program helped me so much that I decided to help other people learn about this fantastic program. Since some of the Learning Ally programs are hard to learn to use, my project is also to tutor people one-on-one to learn to use it. This is a winwin situation. Others got introduced to software that can make their life more enjoyable and I proudly was the one to introduce it to them. Like Jacob and Esau, I’m going to overcome my differences. I, too, will be riding off into the sunset some day. It will be a challenge to get through; like them, I know that in the end, I will always have my family to support me. MORE INFO: learningally.org
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Harry Elkin Midrasha celebrates new class of graduates, recognizes teen accomplishments A young generation to carry on Jewish studies
By Kendra Lolio
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – Congratulations to this year’s Harry Elkin Midrasha graduates. With their families and friends, graduates gathered in a festive celebration at Temple EmanuEl in Providence to recognize their achievements. This year’s graduates are Nuriya Coke, Peter Garber, Daniel Katz, Rachel Kaufman, Benjamin Sack, Sarah Schneider, Alex Stone, Gabrielle Warshay and Hannah Zurier. Jana Brenman, director of teen engagement and educa-
tion for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, accompanied by Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Savit, welcomed the group and gave opening statements for the evening Rabbi Wayne Franklin of Emanu-El delivered a d’var Torah, emphasizing students’ individual, special qualities that make them who they are. He encouraged them to continue their Jewish studies and to remain strong in the face of future challenges they will face. Hannah Zurier, the Resnick Scholar, gave the address. “My teachers at Midrasha gave me
Front row, Gabrielle Warshay, Rachel Kaufman, Hannah Zurier, Sarah Schneider and Nuriya Coke; back row, Benjamin Sack, Peter Garber, Alexander Stone and Daniel Katz context and purpose in all aspects of my Jewish education,” she said, as she thanked her fellow students and teachers for assisting her in her journey. Brenman recognized each student for his or her accomplishments and contributions to Jewish studies; each walked across YOUR the bimah to reCAMPAIGN ceive a graduation DOLLARS certificate. MAKE A Brenman and DIFFERENCE Rabbi Joshua Elkin, distributed the certificates to the seniors. Elkin’s late father, Harry Elkin, was the second founding director of the Bureau of Jewish Education (now merged into and part of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island) and the namesake for our Midrasha Community High School. In delivering the Midrasha Faculty Recognition, Benjamin Sack highlighted two departing teachers, Jayme Mallindine, who has completed her post-
college Americorps assignment with Rhode Island for Community & Justice, and Joey Resnick, who is graduating from Brown. Sack joked about Mallindine’s
to the choir as its teen leader. Four graduating seniors received the Nathan Resnick Memorial Awards, which are awarded for their academic accomplishments and community involvement. Larry Katz, director of education at the Alliance presented the awards to Blima Haldorsen, Bennett Schiff, Hannah Glickman Tondreau and Hannah Zurier. Alexander Stone received the Al and Tina Simons Award, which is given for excellence in rabbinics; Daniel Katz received the Eliezer Ben Yehuda Award for excellence in the study of Hebrew language. The Harry and Esther Elkin Memorial Award – for a graduate who demonstrates his or her love and commitment to the State of Israel – was awarded to Gabrielle Warshay. The Rabbi and Mrs. Israel S.
“My teachers at Midrasha gave purpose in … my Jewish education.” profound impact on his Jewish education, noting, “It really, really takes a special teacher to make a student be here at 8:30 a.m. on a Sunday.” Presenting the teachers with parting gifts, Brenman also offered them appreciative and heartfelt hugs. The Kol Kesem HaZamir Teen Choir sang three songs in Hebrew under Cantor Brian J. Mayer’s direction. Cantor Mayer, of Temple Emanu-El, presented Rachel Kaufman with a special gift for her commitment
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Birthright Israel’s success comes at a price Teen travel shrinks, young adult trips surge
By Gil Shefler
NEW YORK (JTA) – With the summer travel season fast approaching, providers of Israel programs for teenagers are bracing for what several say could be a season of historically low travel in a year unaffected by major security concerns. Over the past decade, Israel travel among those aged 13 to 18 has seen a dramatic falloff. Though exact figures are difficult to come by, leaders of several leading North American teen programs say they have seen drops of 30 percent to 50 percent in participation in their Israel trips since 2000 and two recent studies suggest a 40 percent drop. “I think every year [the overall number of high schoolers going to Israel] is getting smaller and smaller,” said Avi Green, executive director of BBYO Passport, a provider of travel programs for teens. “And there’s no reason to believe this year won’t be the smallest.” Though leaders of teen programs acknowledge the role of Middle East violence during the second intifada and the 2007 financial crisis in depressing participation, they unanimously point to one central cause of the decline: Taglit-Birthright Israel, a program created to provide free Israel trips for Jews aged 18 to 26. Founded in 2000 to coun-
ter the decline in Israel attachment and Jewish identity among North American Jews, the program has brought hundreds of thousands of Jewish young adults to Israel on the 10-day trips, including a projected 20,500 North Americans this year alone – a record. Yet the promise of a free Israel trip seems to have had a flip side: thousands of parents of Jewish
“Birthright … [has] made it difficult for … high school trips to get traction.” high schoolers deferring Israel travel until their children are eligible for Birthright. According to an internal survey conducted in 2008 by BBYO Passport, 30 percent of
parents whose children were BBYO members said they preferred sending their kids on Birthright. Another 28 percent said they preferred high school trips, while 40 percent were un-
decided. “Birthright is an extraordinary experience,” said Paul Reichenbach, director of Union for Reform Judaism’s Camping and Israel Programs. “We’re a big supporter of it. Yet, at the same time, it’s made it difficult for sponsors of high school trips to get traction.” According to a 2010 report, the overall number of 13- to 18 year-olds traveling to Israel from around the world dropped from a record 20,000 in 2000, the year of Birthright’s founding, to 12,000 in 2009. Elan Ezrachi, a fellow at the Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education and the study’s author, said approximately half of those participants are North Americans. Ramie Arian, who conducted a separate 2011 study focusing specifically on teen travel from North America, came to a similar conclusion: the number of high schoolers going to Israel has dropped 40 percent since 2000, though the numbers have since stabilized. Meanwhile, Birthright participation has surged, with the program struggling to keep up with demand. Len Saxe, a Brandeis University professor who has done
extensive research on Birthright, acknowledged that some programs have taken a hit, but claimed the overall numbers of teens traveling to Israel may
have risen – particularly if one includes the Poland-Israel March of the Living trip, which the two studies did not. “Based on the available data, I believe what’s happened is that there has been a shift,” Saxe said. “The shift is toward shorter programs that engage younger people – middle school trips, in particular, have grown and there are other short-term programs, including March of the Living. Instead of the normative programs [being] six weeks during the summer late in high school, there are more two-week trips.” With no central body tracking data, it’s hard to evaluate such claims. But several academics said the move away from longer term high-school travel is both clear and detrimental. Experiencing Israel as an adolescent rather than as a young adult, Ezrachi said, is more impactful. And teenagers have more follow-up opportunities through synagogue youth groups or Jewish day schools than those who return to college campuses, a drawback Birthright has
belatedly sought to address. “It’s not enough for the Birthright people to say this is not my problem,” said Jack Wertheimer, a history professor and former provost at the Jewish Theological Seminary. “The question is whether they are willing to invest their resources to maintain these teen trips. The summer teen trips are much longer, much more impactful and may end up bringing teens to Israel to study and work there. Something ought to be done.” Proponents of teen travel have offered a number of ways to level the playing field, including distributing philanthropic dollars more equally between trips for adolescents and young adults, or creating an Israel voucher that could be used for any number of travel options. Gideon Shavit, head of Lapid, a coalition representing 30 providers of teen programs to Israel, said the Israeli government should be supporting teen travel as it supports Birthright – to the tune of $40 million in 2013. But sending kids on a costly, multi-week Israel summer trip in high school is a tough sell when there’s a free trip in the offing a year or two down the road. “Given the choice of spending $7,000 or $8,000 on a two-week trip or nothing on a 10-day trip,” Reichenbach said, “it’s a no-brainer.”
Strategies for college applications and admissions Avoid being the ‘stealth applicant’
By Joan Martin Roth, Ph.D.
Special to The Voice & Herald PROVIDENCE – The college admissions season is just beginning for rising high school seniors. Most students are now thinking about touring colleges and writing essays for the Common Application and Supplement Questions.
BUSiness Profile Sponsored by the College Board, the Common Application is one application that is sent to all colleges to which the student applies. Supplement Questions vary by college and are submitted with the Common Application. Apart from writing applications, there is a key strategy that most students overlook, that is how a student enthusiastically presents him/herself to the college by creating a bond with the geographic represen-
tative or a professor.
What not to do
Traveling incognito, the student who applies to colleges without making these contacts has a new name: stealth applicant. The Common Application and the Internet have fostered the phenomenon of these faceless applicants, and admissions offices are bombarded with their applications. Admissions officers continually face the question: “Should we accept the stealth applicant with the high SAT/ GPA or the applicant who has demonstrated unusual enthusiasm through visits, interviews and continued contact with a local representative?” As a rule, if two students with similar SAT/GPA, extracurricular activities and strong essays are competing for the same spot, the one with the strong connection to the campus will
always win out even if the academic index is a bit lower.
What to do: Create a strong connection
Be proactive: Research each college on the website prior to any contact so that you can determine your fit with that college. Fit is defined as find-
ing specific programs, departments, courses, professors and their research that fulfill your academic and intellectual pursuits. If you can make a connection here, you are on your way to outdistancing any stealth applicant. Even if you do not know what you are going to major in,
just find something that piques your interest. Make your connections: Take the information you learned and start making your connections. Email a professor about your interest in his/her courses and research. Ask if you could see a reading list and if there are any links to his/ her research. If the professor emails back, continue the correspondence with the professor by asking more detailed questions and ask if you could meet him/her when you visit the campus. It is a good bet that the professor will copy your correspondence to the Admissions Office. Now, email the geographic representative for your area and describe your interaction with the professor. Or, if there has been no interaction, describe in detail your connection
to the college, based on the information you have gathered.
Recap
The purpose of this article is to show how you, a prospective student, can stand out against other students. Applying to college is a strategy; make connections with both professors and geographic representatives. If you can create a bond with anyone on campus, you will stand out against other applicants. JOAN MARTIN ROTH, PH.D. (500-5005) or JoanMartin@CollegeStartOnline.com) founded CommonStartOnline.com, a college admissions consulting company. THIS IS ONE of an occasional series of business profiles about local businesses, some of which advertise with The Jewish Voice & Herald.
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JCC Maccabi team RI to travel to California Fifteen area teens join Jewish youth in worldwide sports competition, arts showcases
Shannon Boucher
Ten of the 15 2013 JCC Maccabi Games and ArtsFest participants, as well as other community members, participate in the Walk the Land event for Israel@SixtyFive in mid-April.
By Shannon Boucher sboucher@shalomri.org
PROVIDENCE – This has been a very busy year for our 2013 JCC Maccabi team RI. In an effort to raise enough money to send the 15 teens who want to participate in the JCC Maccabi Games and ArtsFest in Orange County, Calif., this August, we have had monthly fundraisers, meetings and events throughout the year. YOUR The JCC Maccabi CAMPAIGN Games, which beDOLLARS gan in 1982, bring MAKE A Jewish youth toDIFFERENCE gether in a weeklong opportunity to participate with other Jewish youth from around the world in recreational and competitive athletic activities; JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, which began in 2006, offers Jewish teens creative opportunities in dance, music, theater and more. Almost every Jewish Alliance
of Greater Rhode Island event – including the Israeli film series, the Hanukkah dinner and Israel@Sixty-Five programs – as well as outside programs held here at the Alliance, have included representation from our JCC Maccabi team. The team also hosted its own events, including a cookiemaking contest and a paintball activity. Through fundraisers, the team has raised more than $4,000 (less expenses) and has received a few generous donations, including sponsorships from VR Dental Studio, Anchor Medical Associates, Southern Middlesex Industries, Temple Beth-El and Rene Turner. We hope to receive more sponsorships before we leave for California. Each teen must contribute $1,245 toward travel and program costs to participate in the JCC 2013 Maccabi experience. CONTACT Shannon Boucher, director of children’s programs, 421-41111, ext. 147.
Who’s doing what? Elias Eberman, Providence, baseball Jacob Hammarstrom, Providence, baseball Jackson Mayer, Providence, baseball Gabe Mernoff, Providence, baseball Julia Keizler, Providence, dance * Hannah Rossheim, Providence, lacrosse Julia Birnbaum, Providence, musical theater Noah Turner, Providence, soccer Sandy Gamm, Providence, swimming Lyndsay Goldstein, Providence, swimming Sela Lutterbeck, Providence, swimming * Daniel Rabin, Paxton, Mass., swimming * Nathan Reed, Providence, swimming Natalie Westrick, Lincoln, swimming Sonia Richter, Providence, track and field * Past participant in JCC Maccabi Games/ArtsFest
Toby Sproch
Natalie after completing Swim Across America 2011. Swim Across America is a nonprofit organization that hosts open water and pool swim events to raise money for cancer research and treatment.
COMPETITIVE athletes eat, study and sleep around their swimming schedules From Page 1 Natalie, a student at Lincoln Middle School, began competing for the Highridge Hammerheads, Lincoln’s Highridge Swim & Tennis Club team, at age 5. Natalie, who swam for the Penguins in the Rhode Island/ Massachusetts Aquatic League (RIMA League) for several years, was recognized as an All Star at many banquets and won several medals. At the New England Regionals in February 2013, she achieved some personal best times in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle competitions, 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley. This summer, while Mollie and Judy focus on competitions in Israel, Natalie will participate in the JCC Maccabi Games in Orange County, Calif. She and other athletes are part of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island JCC delegation, which Alliance staff member Shannon Boucher will lead (see story at left). Both girls began swimming as preschoolers at the JCC pool. “We sort of grew up around water,” said Natalie. Extremely goal-oriented, both girls attribute their overall success to the hard work and dedication they devote to swimming. “Swimming taught me a lot about setting goals,” Mollie said, “and working hard [in order] to get a reward for it.” The teens manage to find time in their busy schedules to balance lengthy and frequent swim practice sessions with homework and downtime. “Many athletes think [participating in] after-school
sports is good for time management,” said Natalie. The girls explained the challenge of sometimes needing to complete homework amid large crowds, but said that they were willing to do so because they so enjoy swimming. Just how time-consuming is this hobby? The Voice & Herald wanted to know, so we wrote to the parents in an email. “Swim practice does take a toll on family life, particularly now that we are commuting to Bristol six days a week,” wrote Ed. “The girls leave for practice right after school and don’t get home for dinner until after 8 p.m. Then comes homework. Sometimes they nap, study, and/or eat in the car. Natalie spends around 10 hours and Mollie around 15 hours each week in the pool and dry land training.” The girls appreciate the valuable friendships they have made throughout their years of swimming. “I met my best friends through swimming,” Mollie said. “Being with people is a bonding kind of thing.” The bonds that develop with teammates, said Natalie, lead to very close relationships, which involve inside jokes and meaningful companionship. Although Judy swam in both high school and college, the sole man in the family – Ed – has come late to the sport, as he has just recently taken it up as a hobby. Natalie hopes to follow in her mother’s footsteps by, perhaps, attending and swimming for Amherst College, Judy’s alma mater. Mollie is thinking about Boston-area colleges with Division I swim teams. Has Olympic swimmer Eliza-
beth Beisel of Rhode Island inspired the girls to consider Olympic competition? “The girls have been fans of Elizabeth for several years, having watched her swim in high school and in the Olympics,” wrote Ed. “They got her autograph after a swim meet. Although inspired by her outstanding career, neither girl expects to be an Olympian. Mollie is thinking about Olympic Trials in 2016 or 2020 but does not expect to qualify for the Games.” Although all the Westrick women have typically participated in the annual Buzzards Bay Swim – a fundraiser to benefit the cleanup of Buzzards Bay in New Bedford, Mass., this year the girls will be otherwise engaged – by training for or swimming in JCC Maccabi or Maccabiah competitions. Judy and Ed, along with a few other Temple Emanu-El members, will swim the 1.2 mile course in Buzzards Bay this July 13. They welcome other members of the Jewish community to join their team, the Whitefish. MORE INFO about supporting the Maccabiah Games in Israel: Judy Westrick (jbwestrick@ gmail.com). MORE INFO about being a Whitefish swimmer, kayaker or donor: Ed Westrick (westrick. edward@gmail.com). KENDRA LOLIO (klolio_8996@email.ric.edu), a Rhode Island College senior, is an intern with The Voice & Herald this year.
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Young Jewish adults contributed mightily to Israel’s independence Operatives clandestinely produced more than 2 million 9-mm bullets
By Larry Hershoff
Special to The Voice & Herald SUNSET BEACH, N.C. – Most of us know that, within hours of declaring statehood, Israel faced enemies on all sides, all bent on destroying the nascent nation. What is less well-known, however, are the contributions of one group of young men and
alliance mission to israel women – many barely out of their teens – whose cunning and bravery helped bring Israel’s statehood to reality. Their story is told at the Ayalon Institute Museum, near Rehovot, Israel, precisely where the action took place. Return to 1945, after the end of World War II but before Israel’s statehood is declared. The Jewish-Arab conflict is in full force, although the British Mandate for Palestine is doing its best to prevent any disasters. The British, however, are rapidly losing patience as they attempt to keep both groups from smuggling in weapons and ammunition. The Haganah, an underground military organization
in pre-statehood Israel, and others developed a plan that was so brash, so bold, so inconceivable that it might work. Sworn to secrecy for a highly covert operation, a few dozen young Jewish pioneers are brought to an area called Kibbutz Hill – where the Ayalon Institute is located today and where young pioneers were sent for training in kibbutz life. The pioneers built an ammunition plant, literally under the noses of British soldiers, who were based nearby. The large facility was many feet below ground, and had walls that were nearly two feet thick. Construction was completed in 22 days! To conceal the facility, the pioneers also built housing, a dining hall, workshops, a laundry and a bakery – all to fool the British into believing the Ayalon Institute was nothing more or less than a typical kibbutz. Both the laundry and the bakery were fully functional, so much so that some British officers brought their uniforms for laundering. Both the laundry and bakery provided great service and products to all who needed them; in an effort to deter nosy visitors, the “kibbutzniks” – really secret operatives – offered to pick up and deliver laundry to the British.
One of the images of a young Zionist working in the laundry near the underground bullet factory.
PHOTOS | Nancy Kirsch
An image from the Ayalon Institute Museum depicting an underground bullet factory worker. The secret operatives began smuggling in pieces of farm equipment to disassemble and reassemble as weapons. Meanwhile, the Haganah had obtained 12 machines – which British inspectors at the ports believed were knitting machines – to cut, stamp and assemble metal. Thanks to bribes made to the British, the secret operatives were able to convey the machines, one-by-one, into the underground ammunition plant through holes in the bunker roof. The machines, which rested on sliding platforms, were obscured by the commercial laundry and bakery above them. Posing as a lipstick case manufacturer, one young Jew approached the British officer in charge with prototypes of a new brass lipstick case and gave him a few for his wife. Surely, he asked, the officer would allow him to import the thin brass sheets he needs to make these new lipstick cases. Delivery people, also part of the secret cabal, supplied the brass sheets and hauled out discarded materials, sequestered in the ingoing/outgoing flour, laundry and bread, along with the secret end product. Meanwhile, every morning, 45 workers descended a narrow, hidden circular stairway below the commercial laundry equipment to punch out metal discs and form them into long cylinders, smoothing them through tubing and preparing them for eventual use. The secret end product? No, not clean laundry or loaves of challah but 9-mm bullets to use with the hastily assembled guns! Yes, the pioneers had estab-
lished a fully functioning bullet factory right under the eyes, ears and feet of the British officers. As a giraffe’s neck is so long that it can’t see anything under its own feet, the secret operatives called out “Giraffe, giraffe,” whenever they feared
“Call first and we’ll put a beer on ice for you.” detection by the British. That a nearby zoo actually had a giraffe was a great asset. The noisy commercial laundry machines drowned out
the constant pounding of the stamping machines; the bakery and laundry operations cleverly concealed electricity usage and exhaust gases. With lead smuggled in, the next challenge was finding gunpowder for the bullets. When the Haganah learned of an approaching train carrying munitions, they set charges near the track to disable the convoy, but not to blow up the delivery. Bullet factory workers donned white medic coats and assisted with the rescue effort (to avoid suspicion that the train terrorists were at the kibbutz) while Haganah members spirited away the munitions. Unfortunately, their stolen goods were unsuitable mortars, with thick discs of compressed powder in the shells. The indomi-
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28 The Jewish Voice & Herald
The College Corner Beyond the admission moment
By Marc P. Lipps
Special to The Voice & Herald CUMBERLAND – Most college-bound high school seniors can readily reel off their own admission credentialing statistics – grade point average (GPA), class rank, most recent SAT/ACT scores and number of completed Advanced Placement (AP) courses. They are quite capable of naming every school where they filed applications and their admission status at each.
BUSiness Profile But ask them about their college study plans – and the usual response is a blank stare. All too often overlooked in the race to the much anticipated “admission moment” – the day when decision notices arrive in the mailbox or online – is the far more important matter of planning how to use the vast resources available at a college or university to further explore career priorities and other future goals. This common lapse is responsible for many students graduating without any more vocational focus than they had at the time they began their studies. It represents an enormous opportunity cost to students and is a poor return on their families’ financial investment. College-bound students can minimize these pitfalls by carefully developing an academic strategy for pursuit of their undergraduate education well before they begin shopping for best-fit schools. Accordingly, here are several basic college and career planning tips for high school students:
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• Sophomores should begin to investigate various vocational possibilities and select high school electives that will help in the exploration process. Students will then have two summers to pursue activities that offer exposure to career areas of potential interest. • Research career options during high school – not with the goal of committing to one career path but with the intent of discovering several viable options that may be explored in college. Schools whose academic offerings best accommodate their specific college game plan can then be aptly targeted. • Visit college campuses. Visits that include conferences with faculty in relevant academic disciplines are the best ways to assess college suitability, as well as to demonstrate students’ interest in the school to admission officials. Indeed, at Marc Lipps Associates, Inc., we practice what we preach: Our staff regularly meets with university administrators, faculty and current students to evaluate programs and facilities and has visited more than 200 campuses nationwide. Thoughtful college and career planning, when matched with the curricular strengths and other resources of postsecondary institutions, is likely to yield the optimal college education value – and frequently proves to be the most effective admission strategy of all. MARC LIPPS (mplipps@aol. com) is principal at Marc Lipps Associates, Inc., an independent educational consulting firm, with offices in Cumberland: 305-6705 or MarcLippsAssociates.com.
New study offers tips on engaging Jewish teens Meeting teens on their turf requires some finesse
By Gil Shefler
NEW YORK (JTA) –Trying to interest teenagers in activities is difficult, parents and teachers know well, especially given what technology has done to the attention spans of young people. So how to get them to partake in “doing Jewish” over other pursuits? T h e Jim Jos e p h F o u n dation c om m i s sioned two consulting firms to carry out a two-year study to figure it out. BTW Informing Change and Rosov Advisors mined data from 21 organizations geared toward Jewish and non-Jewish teens. Their conclusions: Hire good staff, be flexible on attendance and target teens through social media. As a teen might say, “Duh!” “People who know the teen space well will not be shocked by the findings, but they are important realizations for anyone involved in the field,” said Josh Miller, senior program manager at the Jim Joseph Foundation, which has invested $270 million to promote Jewish education since 2006. The $200,000 study, which cost $40,000 to print and disseminate, according to a spokesperson, comes at a time when the majority of young American Jews are not enrolled in Jewish schools.
According to a 2008 paper commissioned by the Avi Chai Foundation, an estimated 460,000 American Jews – about
45 percent of the school-age demographic – are enrolled in either Jewish day schools or Jewish supplementary education. Participation in Jewish activities outside school hours was lower. The Jim Joseph Foundation’s study offers 10 “implications for strategy development” aimed at boosting t ho s e n u m b e r s . Among them: Accept teens as they are. Don’t punish kids who show up irregularly for events. Create a recognizable brand. And, perhaps most importantly, find good staff to mentor teens.
“Most youth don’t care whether the group is affiliated with Chabad, Reform, Conservative … they want to be with their friends.” “You might call them Pied Pipers, people who can create a relationship with others,” said Jerry Somers, a board member at the Jim Joseph Foundation. “This is very essential to establishment of strong engagement.” The paper notes that younger staffers tend to be better at forging such ties with adolescents, but cautions that employees in their early 20s have a higher
turnover rate than those in their late 20s and early 30s. It also recommends using digital tools such as Facebook and text messaging to reach teens, citing the success of DoSomething.org, a website that motivates youths to partake in social activism and has pioneered the use of texts to stay in touch with its user base. Creating partnerships also is important. Joe Reimer, an expert on Jewish education at Brandeis University and a member of the research advisory group for the report, lamented the lack of cooperation in the world of Jewish organizations working with teens. “Each synagogue has its group, then a BBYO, then you have people working in the public schools and Zionist movements and they’re all doing their own thing,” he said. Somers said it was possible to cultivate closer relations, noting the success of the North Shore Youth Initiative, a group in the northern Boston suburbs that the Jim Joseph Foundation helped start in 2008. “It’s a collaboration of youth groups, any group that deals with Jewish teens,” he said. “It’s a matter of enhancing opportunities. “In terms of streams of Judaism, most youth don’t care whether the group is affiliated with Chabad, Reform, Conservative or whatever. They want to be with their friends, their peers and do things that are worthwhile.” The Jim Joseph Foundation said it planned to use the report’s findings in future investment strategies. READ MORE: http:// ji mjo s eph fou nd at ion .or g / evaluations/effective-strategies-for-educating-and-engaging-jewish-teens/
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bbyo
Lindsay Goodman, of Cranston and East Greenwich residents Julie Harlam, Jason Harlam, Andrea Wollin and Rachel Fried participate in the March of the Living. The BBYO teens traveled in April to Poland and Israel.
Some of the equipment in the underground bullet factory
Larry Hershoff
YOUTHFUL Zionists contributed mightly to statehood From Page 27 table workers used a delicatessen food slicer to very carefully shave the mortar charges into gun powder. Then, the formed metal cylinder’s tip needed to be carefully trimmed to allow a hole big enough, but not too big, for the lead to emerge. Fortunately, Jews have experience with delicate operations like this; one
the kibbutz nursery, mothers – fully understanding the horrific consequences of assembly errors – were chosen as the footpress operators to construct more than 2 million 9-mm bullets that eventually reached Israel’s freedom fighters. During the height of operations, some 40,000 bullets were produced each day. Not only did they manage this production free of significant
At the museum, Pat Blake, center, Marc Adler and Janice Adler; pictures from the early days adorn the wall next to Blake. person was trained as the “mohel” to make the critical cut. Finally, assembling the shell, the lead, the cap and the gunpowder into the bullet is a highly dangerous operation. Ensuring the bullet’s functionality while preventing it from exploding during assembly was a challenging job, one assigned to young mothers in the group. As the bullet factory was near
errors, but the entire scheme was kept secret for 28 years after Israel’s statehood in 1948! Just how did this band of intrepid workers keep the British officers, who often made surprise inspections of locations under their jurisdiction, from discovering the bullet factory? After the British officer in charge was served a very hot beer that had been boiled on
a very warm day – he ungraciously requested that he be served cold beer in the future. Happy to oblige, the factory workers mentioned the difficulty of keeping things cold in such a hot climate. Call first and we’ll put a beer on ice, they told him. Many years later, when that same officer in charge was told of the underground bullet factory and the many deceptions needed to maintain its operations, he was reputed to have uttered a series of expletives that aren’t printable in any newspaper! The Ayalon Institute’s tour guide shared these stories with those of us who participated in the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s mission to Israel in late January. While this writer doesn’t have children, I find it hard to hard to imagine any group of young American adults having the brains, brawn, discretion and moxie that these young Jewish pioneers had. They pulled off an amazing three-yearlong feat – without anyone shooting off their mouths or stray bullets! GOOGLE AYALON INSTITUTE: Many websites have information about Ayalon Institute. Advance reservations are required for the tour! LARRY HERSHOFF (Larrysh@atmc.net), a resident of Sunset Beach, N.C. and assistant treasurer of the Alliance, participated in the January 2013 mission to Israel.
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ANNUAL celebration of our Jewish teens From Page 24
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dorsen received the Lillian and
Rubenstein Memorial Award Sidney Ross Scholarship. Shannon Boucher, director of for excellence in contemporary children’s programs at the AlJewish studies was awarded to liance, introduced the Alliance Benjamin Sack. Larry Katz also acknowl- JCC Maccabi delegation, which will travel to Orange edged seniors AshCounty, Calif., this ley Adessi of Temple summer to compete: Sinai and Dodi KadJulia Birnbaum, mon of Temple EmaElias Eberman, nu-El as Alliance Sandy Gamm, LyndSpecial Education say Goldstein, JaProgram Aides. cob Hammarstrom, Marvin Stark and Julia Keizler, Sela Mark Ross recogLutterback, Jackson nized teen travelMayer, Gabe Merers to Israel. Jesse noff, Daniel Rabin, Brenman, Yeshaya Nathan Reed, Sonia Forstadt, Peter GarRichter, Hannah Benjamin Sack ber, Caleb Gladstone, Rossheim, Noah Lindsay Goodman, Arielle Greengart, Tziporah Turner and Natalie Westrick. Boucher also presented the Haldorsen, Jason Harlam, JuAlliance JCC Isadore and Celie Harlam, Matthew Kalhofer, cile Low Award for outstanding Daniel Katz, Akiva Mandel, Noah Prizant, Ben Rabinowitz, contributions to the Alliance Maxine Rasnick, Avi Schechter, JCC staff and the Jewish comSidney Somberg, May Stern, munity to Nathan Reed for the Gabrielle Warshay and Rachel second consecutive year. The evening of celebration Wasser received the Leonard I. concluded with Rabbi Elan BabSalmanson Endowment Fund chuck, of Temple Emanu-El, travel grants. delivering the benediction. All Caleb Gladstone received the Rabbi Joel H. Zaiman Scholar- joined in singing “Hatikvah,” ship, and Arielle Greengart Israel’s national anthem and received the Graubart/Irving enjoyed an ice cream reception. Scholarship. May Stern reLOLIO (kloceived funds from the Maroch- KENDRA lio_8996@mail.ric.edu), a nack Zionist Memorial Fund. Rhode Island College senior, is Rachel Wasser received monies from the Ruth and Lawrence an intern for The Voice & HerPage Family Fund, and Yesha- ald this year. ya Forstadt and Tziporah Hal-
A Q-and-A with a new Midrasha student Stephanie Siegel finds a new home at Midrasha
By Nancy Kirsch
nkirsch@shalomri.org Q: When did you first get involved in Midrasha, and what was your motivation to do so? A: I first got involved with Midrasha at the beginning of this past school year. My motivation to join Midrasha was to broaden my Jewish education and meet more kids who are Jewish as well. Q: Were you already involved in other Jewish organizations or programs? Did you become a bat mitzvah? A: I did, I had my bat mitzvah; I recently joined USY. Q: I understand you went on the trip to Philadelphia to do community service. What was most meaningful? Most unexpected? What did you like most? Least? A: The Philly trip was a very inspirational trip and broadened my knowledge of charity work. The most meaningful part of the trip was standing outside a men’s shelter and handing out sandwiches and clothing to those waiting in line. The most unexpected part of the trip was how up close and personal it was. Since this trip I have began to realize the difference between doing community service and putting money in a tzedakah box. Both good deeds,
Jana Brenman
Rachel Wasser, left, and Stephanie Siegel on the teens’ community service to Philadelphia, Pa., earlier this year. but doing more hands-on charity work makes you feel like you actually made a difference. My least favorite part of the trip was the long drive … to and from Philadelpha. Q: Were you enrolled in Midrasha classes? Which ones? What impact or influence did they have on you? A: I am enrolled in the community service class, Scandalous and HaZamir. The community service class helps me make a difference and do good deeds, Scandalous helps me get a better understand of the stories in the Torah
and HaZamir allows me to sing while embracing my religion. Q: Why, if at all, would you recommend Midrasha to someone else? A: I would recommend people go to Midrasha to get a good Jewish education and to meet more kids. Many people stereotype Hebrew school as something they might dread, but Midrasha designs classes so that each student can choose the class they find most interesting and intriguing. Stephanie Siegel, lives in Swansea, Mass.
15,
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Beth-El Sisterhood turns 100
PROVIDENCE – The Sisterhood of Temple Beth-El, the Reform synagogue in Providence, is turning 100. In a May 22 event, the Sisterhood will install its new officers and board members as well as honoring the organization’s past presidents, many of whom are expected to attend. The event, which will be held at the synagogue, will be held from 6:30 – 9 p.m., at Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Attendance is limited to Sisterhood members; membership rates begin at $36 per year. Sisterhood membership is open to non-members of Temple Beth-El. TEMPLE BETH-EL: 331-6070; RSVPs by May 15.
Nancy Kirsch
Martha Wexler, left, Joan Wallack, Elaine Creem, Roberta Ragge, Bonnie Sekeres, Deborah West (partially obscured), Susan Bazar and Susan Adler pose for a picture on April 25 after Sekeres learned that she was The Jewish Voice & Herald’s Day of Decadence winner.
A Torah finds a new home
Fall River synagogue generously donates a Torah to a synagogue in need
PROVIDENCE – As The Jewish Voice & Herald reported in its April 12 issue, Congregation Adas Israel in Fall River, Mass., donated a Torah to Or Hadash, a Reconstructionist synagogue in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, Pa. Representatives from Or Hadash came to Fall River on Sunday, April 7, to pick up the Torah. The congregation held a celebration to welcome the new Torah on Sunday, May 5.
Or Hadash
Jeff Chabot, an Or Hadash congregant, holds a Torah that Congregation Adas Israel in Fall River, Mass., donated to Or Hadash.
Seeking unsung heroes
PROVIDENCE – There are so many “unsung heroes” – Jewish individuals of all ages – who perform acts of mitzvot without seeking fame, glory or acclaim. We’d like to feature these individuals and their acts of loving kindness in occasional stories in The Jewish Voice & Herald. If you know of a Jewish individual who deserves some measure of recognition for their good work in the Jewish community or beyond, let us know! Or, if you know of someone who’s not Jewish who is doing work with, or for, the Jewish community,
let us hear about him or her, as well. Please provide a brief description about why you think the person should be recognized as well as contact information (not for publication) for the nominator and the nominee. We are seeking to briefly profile people who have not already been featured in our paper. CONTACT NANCY KIRSCH: nkirsch@shalomri.org: UNSUNG HEROES, 421-4111, ext. 168 or mail to The Jewish Voice & Herald, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.
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BROKEN system needs fixing From Page 1 for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, he asked, “What can I do?” Gross’ response was, the mayor said, “Jobs. Jobs for young people.” Mayor Taveras and the panelists – Cleora Francis-O’Connor, whose 16-year-old son, a bystander, was killed by gunfire;
ued, her voice broke with emotion. “I have lived a parent’s worst nightmare,” she said to a rapt audience, silent but for sounds of soft weeping. Gross, whose pragmatism was apparent, said that the NRA often represents a minority perspective. “About 90 percent of Americans want background checks, but the minority is imposing its will on
“We’re wasting [money]. We’re paying for failure.” Gross; Steven M. Paré, Providence commissioner of public safety; Roberta Richman, retired assistant director of rehabilitative services at the R.I. Department of Corrections and State Rep. Teresa Tanzi (D-34, Narragansett and South Kingstown) – all called on audience members to get and stay involved. “This can’t be a one-day event, but it must be a start,”
the majority,” Gross said. Adding that he’s “not a whiner,” he said, “If my team can’t [deliver], it’s on us.” Noting the recent enactment of marriage equality legislation – after 17 years of work – in one of the nation’s most Catholic states, Gross recommended their playbook: “[Marriage equality advocates] reached across the aisle. We need to do that.” Francis-O’Connor’s wrench-
Cleora Francis-O’Connor, left, talks with Maxine Richman after the panel discussion. said the mayor. The National Council of Jewish Women Rhode Island Section and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s Community Relations Council sponsored the program, held at the Providence Marriott. The Melvin and Patty Alperin Fund underwrote the program. Elly Elbaum and Nan Levine, NCJW Section co-presidents, were acknowledged; Marilyn Shealey and Vivian Weisman, who co-chaired the event, also spoke. Francis-O’Connor, an Institute board member, was calm and poised as she began to recount – in heartbreaking detail – the discovery that her son had been fatally shot. As she contin-
ing story is too frequent, Paré and Gross acknowledged. Gross, whose organization comes to the bedside of every shooting or stabbing victim taken to Rhode Island Hospital, said, “I hear Cleora’s story [of a shooting or stabbing, though not necessarily fatal] 120 times a year. We have to work together; we need to engage [with NRA members]. Democracy is a compromise [but] we can’t ignore the pain of 30,000 mothers [across the country] per year.” Richman, an Institute board member and volunteer, said, “When [the police] arrest someone and put them in prison, the problem isn’t solved. We incarcerate more people for longer periods of time and we are not a
safer nation.” State Rep. Tanzi, working with a legislative task force to evaluate current state gun laws, said that she repeatedly hears, “Don’t punish responsible gun owners.” Although she reported receiving far more calls from people opposing gun restrictions than from those seeking controls, Rep. Tanzi said, “I have been heartened by the middle ground [in conversations].” “This is not,” Paré said, “about taking guns from lawful citizens.” Gun owners must keep guns secure and society must address the problem of black market gun sales; some 125 guns are confiscated every year in Providence, he added. Ticking off statistics, Fine reported that 146 people died by violence in Rhode Island in 2011 and 95 in 2012; some 60 to 70 percent of those deaths were gun-related. In contrast, in 2012, colon cancer and prescription drug overdoses, respectively, caused approximately 200 and 150 deaths in Rhode Island; last year, 49 people in Rhode Island died due to car accidents. Gun violence imposes a significant economic hit on society and taxpayers. A “bullet to the stomach” can cost $300,000, said Gross. Incarcerating an adult at the state prison has a $45,000 price tag; incarcerating one youth at the Training School costs $100,000 to $200,000 a year. “We’re wasting [money],” Gross fumed. “We’re paying for failure.” Given no opposing viewpoint on the panel, this reporter asked Shealey about that in a follow-up phone call. The NCJW state chapter, she explained, follows the national organization’s policies, which support firearm restrictions and regulations. Too, she said, the program was designed to address what community leaders are seeing with gun violence, not to debate legislative proposals. “Whether you’re an NRA member or Teny Gross, stopping gun violence in the streets is the point,” said State Rep. Doreen Costa (R-Dist. 31, Exeter and North Kingstown), in a May 7 phone interview. Describing the
Program Co-Chairs Vivian Weisman and Marilyn Shealey panel as lacking balance, Costa would have liked to have participated, she said. Poorly written bills won’t save one child, she said, nor will task forces and study commissions. “The focus should be on saving children.” No questions from the floor were permitted; audience members were asked to submit written questions for consideration for the lengthy question-andanswer session. Responding to a question about what individuals might do, panelists offered closing thoughts. “Continue the conversation [about the impact of guns] with kids,” said Francis-O’Connor. Although no solution is perfect, acknowledged Richman, “if we take one gun away from one person who meant to do
harm, we’ve succeeded incrementally.” We need to get data, understand it and share it, said Rep. Tanzi. Calling Joe Nocera’s blog – http://nocera.blogs.nytimes. com/category/gun-report/ – “compelling,” she described the number of our nation’s gun deaths as “staggering.” Look into “Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America” (momsdemandaction.org), a nonprofit organization established after the shootings in Newtown, Conn., she suggested. SEE NCJW POSITIONS: http://www.ncjw.org/media/ PDFs/NC J W Resolut ionsBro2011.pdf
Judy andArthur Robbins
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Syria attacks suggest Israel can act with impunity Civil war may preclude Bashar Al Assad and Hezbollah from responding
By Ben Sales
TEL AVIV (JTA) – Twice in three days, Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace and fired on suspected weapons caches bound for Hezbollah – and nothing has happened in response. Some experts are predicting that will continue to be the case following airstrikes near Damascus on Friday, May 3, and Sunday, May 5, that are widely believed to be the work of the Israel Defense Forces. According to reports, the strikes targeted shipments of long-range, Iranian-made Fateh-110 missiles capable of striking deep into Israel.
Hillel Frisch Israel, is considered too preoccupied propping up its Syrian patron to respond. “Today Israel can act with impunity in Syria,” said Hillel
thing will happen. Everybody is taking precautions.” Shlomo Brom, a senior research associate at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, said the attack sent a message that Israel will act unilaterally if deemed necessary – in this case, the transfer of long-range weaponry to Hezbollah. “There needs to be a reason for these attacks,” Brom said. “There was an attack because they crossed our red lines. If they stop crossing our red lines, we won’t hit every weapons transfer.” Brom added that Hezbollah may avenge the weekend’s attacks several years from now, noting that its deadly bus bombing last year in Bulgaria may have been a response to Israel’s alleged assassination of a senior Hezbollah officer, Imad Mughniyah, in 2008.
“Don’t play with your luck. There might be a response .... Everybody is taking precautions.” Israel hasn’t commented on the strikes, but the IDF has moved two Iron Dome missile defense batteries to its northern border and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delayed his departure to China for sev-
Eyal Zisser eral hours to convene his security cabinet. Meanwhile, Syria’s foreign minister told CNN on Sunday that the strikes amounted to a “declaration of war.” But such gestures, analysts say, are merely symbolic. Torn by a civil war now in its third year, the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad is too beleaguered to fight back. And Hezbollah, the Lebanese party considered a terrorist organization by the United States and
Frisch, an expert on Arab politics at Bar-Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. “The [Syrian] air force isn’t functioning and there’s no defense system. It’s very exposed and weak.” Syria’s civil war augurs a major strategic shift for Israel. The two countries technically have been in a state of war since the Yom Kippur War ended in 1973. And though the border since then has been largely quiet, Syria was Israel’s only neighbor to pose a threat of conventional attack. But the weakening of the Syrian regime has raised the frightening prospect that its stocks of chemical weapons may fall into the hands of Hezbollah. Israeli officials have said for months that they would take action should Syria transport unconventional weapons to Hezbollah. In January, Israel bombed a Syrian weapons convoy near the Syria-Lebanon border. In 2007, Israel allegedly bombed a Syrian nuclear reactor. Syria and Hezbollah didn’t respond to those attacks, either. But Hezbollah expert Eyal Zisser said Israel still needs to remain cautious. “Don’t play with your luck,” said Zisser, also from the Begin-Sadat Center. “There might be a response. Eventually some-
Israel reportedly did not notify the United States before the strikes. On Saturday, President Obama said that Israel has the
Bashar Al Assad right to defend itself and that he will “let the Israeli government confirm or deny whatever strikes that they’ve taken.” “What I have said in the past
and I continue to believe is that the Israelis justifiably have to guard against the transfer of advanced weaponry to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah,” he told the Spanish-language network Telemundo. “We coordinate closely with the Israelis, recognizing they are very close to Syria, they are very close to Lebanon.” The attacks, according to Frisch, also showed Iran that Israel could bomb the Islamic Republic’s suspected nuclear weapons program – a possibility Netanyahu frequently raises. But Brom called an attack on Iran “a totally different story – a lot harder and a lot more complicated.” Whatever the attack’s longterm implications, Zisser said Israel’s Syrian border is likely to remain quiet during the coming days. “We are making too much of this,” he said. “We need to be patient.”
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A pugilistic path out of poverty N
Boxing delivers an irreversible one-two punch
o ethnic group migrat- entertainment for the masses. ing to America arrives The Mediterranean cultures fully prepared to meet tamed it somewhat, converting the exigencies of American it gradually to a spectator enlife. Most often, there is a new terprise with slaves fighting to language to learn, jobs to find the death within and homes to a small painted establish; then circle. Although comes the science & boxing arenas long journey, society are now squarestruggling shaped, they are up the social ladder to get still referred to as stanley established ring.” aronson, m.d. “aPugilism in the robust was middle class. abolished by The Italians, the Irish, the Rome in 393 C.E. Boxing, howJews and the African-Amer- ever, was revived in 18th cenicans – each of these groups tury England when Hanovestruggled to achieve social and rian King George I showed a economic acceptance and equi- particular interest in the sport. librium in this nation. Some, Toward the end of that century, such as the African-Americans, a Sephardic Jew named Daniel had to endure eight or more Mendoza (1764-1836) became generations of remorseless British national champion, slavery. This ascending path- holding that title for four years. way to a stable, middle-class ethos, of course, was filled with sundry kinds of volatile occupations that would now bring terror to the minds of most Jewish grandmothers. And yet, there are many still alive today who remember when competitive prize-fighting was a common occupation for young male Jews. Remember Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Benny Leonard, Barney Ross, Slapsie-Maxie Rosenbloom? Too, bootlegging, larceny and even contract murder – remember “Murder Incorporated”? – The Marquis of Queensberry were not unknown occupations rules in the 19th century confor many of the descendants of verted the activity to a regulatJacob. A job, then, was a job, ed sport, with specified criteria and the rent had to be paid. (such as the mandatory use of Prize-fighting was an insepa- boxing gloves) now called the rable element of ancient conflict Queensberry Rules. The Marand later a common form of
“Competitive prize-fighting was a common occupation for young male Jews.”
Max Baer, a Jewish pugilist quis – Lord Douglas – was as well known for his public accusations against Oscar Wilde as for the Queensberry Rules. Lord Douglas’ accusations against Wilde stemmed from Douglas’ son falling in love with Wilde. Boxing continued, even prospered, as a major spectator sport, representing a pathway to success that particularly appealed to ethnic minorities. Professional boxing, now ostensibly regulated, entered the mainstream of socially acceptable athletic ventures. There were boxing injuries, of course, but there were no concerted outcries. Boxing was said to be no more injury-prone than other contact sports such as football or ice hockey. Then, in 1928, a forensic pa-
thologist in New Jersey, Dr. Harrison Martland, published a lengthy study on the medical implications for professional prize-fighters. The study concentrated on an aberrant behavior of some older boxers, a behavior sometimes called “punch-drunk” or “slugnutty.” These impaired individuals exhibited gait imbalance, slurred speech, short attention spans, paranoid ideation and grossly deficient memories. Martland’s data conclusively showed that the incidence of this syndrome was directly proportional to the number of bouts undertaken by the victim. And a new diagnostic term was now born: dementia pugilistica. Repetitive head injury, an inevitable component of contact sports, and particularly box-
ing, is now recognized as a major risk factor for this Alzheimer’s form of organic dementia. Many veterans of the wars in the Middle East, those who sustained head injuries in the line of duty, are equally vulnerable. Those who still defend professional boxing as a means of escaping the ghetto, or for the development of the manly art of self-defense, are advised to devote some time in the company of impaired veterans, whether they be civilian or military, who are victims of this progressive, and irreversible, form of dementia. STANLEY M. ARONSON, M.D. (smamd@cox.net) is a retired dean of medicine at Brown University medical school.
Cranston Senior Guild to visit Foxwoods
use the GUIDE to jewish living BEFORE GOOGLing!
PROVIDENCE – The Cranston Senior Guild is planning a trip to Foxwoods in Leydard, Conn. on Wednesday, June 12. The price of $21 per person includes a $10 food coupon and a $15 Keno coupon. Nonmembers are also welcome. For reservations and more information, contact Sunny Weintraub at 785-0748. Deadline for reservations is June 2.
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MAY 10, 2013
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There is more to creating community than counting and numbering We have an opportunity to march forward with renewed vigor
NUMBERS 1:1 – 4:20
PARASHAT B’MIDBAR SINAI
By Rabbi Andrea M. GouZe
Special to The Voice & Herald
1
,2,3,4,5,6 … “I am this many years old.” “I am inviting 150 people to my wedding.” “More than 300 people attended the event.” Throughout our lives, we count. We count the years; each month, we number and date the days. We take note of how many people are in attendance, or are missing; we number our friends. By so doing, we are helping to bring structure, order and meaning into our lives. We gain control over our environment, from a spatial perspective as well as a temporal one. When we number and count the days in a year and structure them into months and weeks, we impose a structure upon our life rhythms so that we have a context within which we can work. Such numbering imposes order on our lives and creates a structure of time that allows us to accomplish tasks. Without ordering and organizing our lives, there would be chaos, and we would not have a shared paradigm within which to manage our daily tasks.
The need for order in organizing a multitude of people was very much in evidence for the Israelites traveling through the wilderness. Without order, without a blueprint for how the people should march, their ability to progress across the wilderness would be severely hampered. Thus, this week’s parashah, B’midbar Sinai (usually shortened to B’midbar, which opens the Book of Numbers), includes a listing and counting of the various tribes. This census was necessary to gain a better understanding of how many Israelites were old enough to fight and defend the Israelites as they traveled through the wilderness, facing opposition from the various tribes and peoples that populated the untamed land. The numbering of the Israelites is based on the tribes and
AS wE gROw OlDER tEMA GoUSE Tema, a former social worker, has decided to “retire” from her second career – that of writing, fi rst for The Federation Voice
which people believe that it is not their personal identity that matters but only their physical presence, one might inadvertently send the wrong message about their worth and value as unique human beings. Too often, a community event or activity is judged by the number of attendees rather than by the quality of the event’s content. We fall into a very dangerous trap when we allow numbers to drive our decisions and make conclusions that effect and defi ne who we are. Population studies and census-taking are important tools to gain a deeper understanding of demographic trends. But if we reduce our community to mere numbers and figures, we risk making a grave mistake of overlooking the vitality and vibrancy that exists within those numbers. We use numbers to help prove a point or to provide legitimacy: “150 people participated in the event, which made it successful.” “I have more than 500 Facebook friends.” (Yet, what is the true quality of those “friends”? ) The Jewish community is always in transition. In many ways, we all face our own journeys through the wilderness. Existing institutions are not resonating with many Jews
“IF WE rEDuCE our community to mere numbers … we risk making a grave mistake.” clans from which they hailed; this helped leaders determine the order and alignment of the tribes when they marched. Juxtaposing the book’s two names actually symbolizes this. The English name “Num-
Tema Gouse retires from writing PROVIDENCE – Tema Gouse’s column “As We Grow Older,” which has appeared in the pages of this newspaper every month since October 1994, will run no longer.
bers” suggests the role that counting and numbers bring to bear in achieving order – in contrast with the Hebrew name “B’midbar Sinai,” which means “in the wilderness of Sinai.” The word “wilderness” suggests chaos and abandonment; there is no structure or order in a wilderness or a desert. Thus, for the people to traverse the wilderness and survive, someone had to impose structure and create order; the way to accomplish that is through numbering the marchers and developing a rigid configuration of the marching order. At the same time, there is a danger inherent in numbering and counting. There is a traditional Jewish understanding that counting people and assigning them a number reduces their humanity. This perspective underlies the custom of us-
and now for The Jewish Voice & Herald. Her columns, appreciated and anticipated by a wide array of readers, addressed Tema’s joy of reading, love of family, justifiable frustration with medical woes and her perspective on the plusses and minuses of aging. Many of Tema’s recent columns can be found online at The Voice & Herald website, jvhri.org, The Jewish Voice & Herald staff and readers all wish her well in her second retirement; we will miss her wit and wisdom.
Candle Lighting Times Greater R.I. area
May 10 ......................7:35 May 17 ......................7:42 May 24 ......................7:49 May 31 ......................7:55
ing a Torah verse composed of 10 words in order to determine if there are sufficient numbers of people for a prayer minyan: By linking each person to a word in the verse, one avoids numbering the individuals. If one creates an atmosphere in
(especially younger Jews); for many of us, the communal structure of Jewish life does not provide a meaningful paradigm for creating positive Jewish identity. For those of us who are invested in the continuity of the Jewish community, we often just look at the numbers and bemoan what they reveal. But by focusing on numbers, we can become paralyzed and fail to effectively analyze and critique the reasons behind those numbers. Instead of turning the spotlight on the whole, we limit ourselves to statistics and figures, which does not always present the full picture. We can get lost in a wilderness of data that prevents us from discerning order and design. So, if we want to fi nd our way out of our wilderness, we must look beyond the numbers and instead create new configurations of community that will allow us to march forward with renewed strength and vitality. We need to face the wilderness and fi nd ways to tame it beyond reducing it to a numbers game. RABBI ANDREA M. GOUZE (ravamg@cox.net), a member of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island, is a rabbi with Temple Shaare Tefi lah and director of pastoral care at New England Sinai Hospital.
| WORLD OBITUARIES
38 The Jewish Voice & Herald
may 10, 2013
www.jvhri.org
American labor unions raising millions for Rabin Center Rabin’s philosophy meshes with core values
By Ben Sales
TEL AVIV (JTA) – The museum dedicated to the memory of Yitzhak Rabin raises nearly half its money from labor leaders.
the slain Labor Party prime minister who signed the 1993 Oslo Accords and promotes dialogue among Israel’s cultural groups, meshes with their core values. Rabin’s “commitment to
“They have the ability to strike. We’ve got to get some worldwide solidarity with the union movement.” It’s just not the labor you think. Members of U.S. labor unions raised $1.4 million for the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv last year, 45 percent of the center’s total 2012 fundraising. Since 2005, American unions have raised $12 million for the center. Labor leaders say programs at the center, which celebrates
Commons.wikimedia.org
Yitzhak Rabin in 1986
peace in not just Israel but the world is amazing,” said J. David Cox, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). “He was criticized for his willingness to make compromises, but life is full of compromises. That’s how you arrive at a solution.” American unions have supported Jewish statehood since before Israel’s establishment in 1948. At the time, Jews were heavily represented in the American labor movement and Israel, with its socialist roots and collectivist spirit, was seen as a natural ally. Today, organized labor, particularly in Europe, has overwhelmingly shifted its sympathies to the Palestinians, routinely voting in favor of boycotting Israeli goods or divesting from Israeli companies. But American union leaders say they remain committed to Israel, supportive of what they see as a perseverant Western country with an ethic of social justice.
“There wasn’t a nation here,” said John Coli, head of Chicago’s Teamsters Local 727, who was in Israel in April as part of a delegation hosted by the Rabin Center. “Now it’s totally different. [Tel Aviv] is a modern city. People have access to health care, to education. That’s what we want to build everywhere.” Union support for the Rabin Center began in 2005 when Jeannie Gerzon, a former State of Israel Bonds employee who dealt with unions, began fundraising for the Rabin Center. American unions had long been buyers of Israel Bonds, the government securities that help fund Israeli infrastructure development. Gerzon told JTA that the center has raised millions from unions by honoring national labor leaders in the United States. The leaders then call in favors from politicians and encourage businesses to open their checkbooks. The vast majority of contributions may come from these outside businesses. A dinner last year honoring Coli raised $700,000 for the center, only $25,000 of which came from the union itself. In a typical year, Local 727 donates about $2,000 to the center out of $100,000 the local gives annually to a range of charitable causes. Coli and Cox say that, for them, part of Israel’s appeal stems from its strong labor union culture. According to Cox, Israel’s general union, the ∆10 ∆, has more power than his
Beatrice “Bea” (Weiss) Cooper, 89 WARWICK – Beatrice Cooper died April 24. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., and worked as a legal secretary and stenographer. She later married Bernard Cooper in 1950 and lived in Rome, N.Y., for 35 years, and then moved to Davie, Fla. She moved to Rhode Island in 2009 and lived at Greenwich Farms at Warwick.
An image of the interior of the Yitzhak Rabin Center AFGE. “They get to bargain wages and benefits,” he said. “They have the ability to strike. We’ve got to get some worldwide soli-
darity with the union movement.” Two American labor delegations were in Israel in April for meetings with Israeli union leaders and legislators from the Labor Party, in addition to visits to cultural and religious sites. Cox called Stav Shaffir, the 27-year-old freshman Labor parliamentarian, “dynamite and just fantastic.” Shaffir led Israel’s 2011 social justice protests.
OBITUARIES
She is survived by her sons Joel Cooper and his wife Cynthia of Exeter and Jonathan Cooper of Syracuse, N.Y.; grandchildren Rachael Cooper and her husband James Belding of Cambridge, Mass., Dr. Joshua Cooper of Columbia, S.C. and Adam Cooper and his wife Danielle of San Francisco, Calif. and great-grandchildren Jacob and Yael. Very active and social, she communicated with her distant family through email technology and produced her own birthday and holiday cards. She loved to read books and newspa-
FriendsofRabin.org
Stuart Davidson, chairman of the American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center, said the visiting delegations hear from “the left and the right,” but movement leaders met with no members of the current centerright government. And despite Rabin’s legacy as a peacemaker, neither delegation spent significant time learning about the conflict or speaking with Palestinians. Cox’s group met with ArabIsraeli union members, but did not meet with Palestinians despite visiting religious sites in Bethlehem, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. Coli’s delegation did not have any meetings with Palestinians or Arab-Israelis. Davidson said he wants to expand contacts with Palestinian workers. The ongoing conflict, he said, could endanger future U.S. union support for Israel. “The failure to make progress toward a peaceful resolution is problematic to all of us,” Davidson said. “It’s troubling to us. The inability to address those issues will make it harder.” VISIT: friendsofrabin.org.
pers, and play cards and mahjong and dine with her friends. She was a member of several synagogues, Hadassah and social clubs in areas where she lived. She volunteered with public schools and the senior center in Rome, N.Y., and enjoyed time with her family. Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701 or RI Chapter of Hadassah, 2845 Post Road, Suite 307, Warwick, RI 02886.
OBITUARIES | 39
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From Page 38
his wife Barbara J. Riley of Washington, D.C., and her sisWarren Foster, 87 ter Marilyn Sokoll of Somerset, CRANSTON – Warren Foster, Mass. She was the sister of the of 602 Scituate Ave., died May late Mervin Bachman. 8. He was the husband of GeralContributions may be made to dine (Segal) Foster for 63 years. the charity of one’s choice. Born in Fall River, Mass., a son of the late Abraham and Ida Esther Lansberg, 84 (Greenberg) Foster, he had lived NORTH KINGSTOWN – Esin Cranston, previously living ther Lansberg died May 3. She in Providence. was the wife of the late Richard He was the owner of QualF. Lansberg. ity Fruitland in Born in Cairo, Egypt, a Seekonk, Mass. He daughter of the late Abraham was a World War II and Sonia (Cohen) Hakim, she Army veteran, servhad lived in Maryland for 27 ing in Europe. years, before moving to North A 1950 graduate of Boston Kingstown 24 years ago. University College of Business She was a teacher in Cairo Administration, he was a memand a substitute teacher in the ber of Temple Beth-El, the RI United States. Jewish Historical Association She was a past president and and Phi Epsilon Pi. He was an life member of the Charles Rivavid bowler, golfer and tennis er Chapter of Hadassah, where player and played clarinet and she was “Woman of the Year” saxophone. in 1979. She was an avid knitHe was the father of Judith ter, calligrapher, needlepointer, Foster and her husband Mark embroiderer and painter. Andres of Brooklyn, N.Y., VivShe was the mother of Alberian Drolet and her husband tina “Tina” Warren and her Rudy of Cranston, Libby Agai husband Jerald of East Greenand her husband Miko of Jeruwich, Sonia Lansberg of Fulsalem, Israel and Harold Foster lerton, Calif., and Helene Ruand his wife Sara-Ann of Bardowsky of Hampton Falls, N.H. rington. She was the grandmother of RaHe was the grandfather of chel and Robbie. Beryl, Abby, Avi, David, SaContributions may be made to sha, Adam, Dov and Chaya Hadassah. Deana and great-grandfather of Brooke Chaya, Levi and Ezra. Abraham Schwartz, 93 Contributions may be made CHERRY HILL, N.J. – Abrato Na’Amat, 505 8th Ave., Suite 2302, New York, NY 10018, RI ham Schwartz, formerly of Providence, died Jewish Historical Association, April 20. 130 Sessions St., Providence, Born in ProviRI 02906 or Temple Beth-El, 70 dence, he graduOrchard Ave., Providence, RI ated from Brown 02906. University in 1941. Shiva will be observed at his He was a caplate residence, Thursday, May tain in the Signal 9, 7-9 p.m.; Friday, May 10, 2 – 4 Corps of the U.S. Air p.m.; and Saturday, May 11, 8 – Force during World 10 p.m. War II. He graduated from the HarDoris F. (Bachman) Graubart, 91 vard School of Dental Medicine PROVIDENCE – Doris Grauin 1951, and was a member of bart died April 27. She was the their faculty until 1967. wife of the late Irwin A. GrauHe practiced dentistry on bart. Gano Street until his retireBorn in Fall River, Mass., she ment in 1995, and was president was a daughter of the late Louis of the Providence District Denand Sylvia (Dondis) Bachman. tal Society from 1964 to 1965. She is survived by her sons He was a Mason of the RedRonald M. Graubart of Cranswood Lodge #35 AF & AM, and ton and Julian I. Graubart and served as a Master in 1966. A
V&H to accept memorial tributes, with modest fee PROVIDENCE – As a service to the Jewish community, The Jewish Voice & Herald continues to publish people’s obituaries and photos at no cost whatsoever. This commitment stands in stark contrast to other newspapers that assess very high fees to publish obituaries and/or photos. However, The Voice & Herald now will accept paid memorial tributes and photos, should people wish to publish such tributes. The costs for such tributes is as follows: $18 for a tribute of 18 or fewer words, $36 for a tribute of 19 to 36 words and an additional $18 for a headshot photo. TO PLACE A TRIBUTE: Tricia Stearly at 421-4111, ext. 160 or tstearly@shalomri.org.
board member of Temple BethEl and Meeting Street School, he was a member of the Rotary Club, American Legion and University Club. He moved to New Jersey in 1998 and spent winters in Boca Raton, Fla. He enjoyed golf, chess and, later in life, the ceramic arts. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Dorothy Schwartz, his son David (and Debby) Schwartz of Voorhees, N.J., his daughter Jane (and Jeff) Kramer of Cherry Hill and his grandchildren Rachel, Allison, Jennifer, Diana and Evan. He was a sibling of Morris P. Schwartz of Greenville, the late Blanche Revkin of Pawtucket and the late Roslyn Applebaum of Providence. Contributions may be made to Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice, 175 Madison Avenue in Mt. Holly, NJ, 08060.
Dr. Maurice A. Siegel, 90 CRANSTON – Maurice Siegel died May 4. He was the husband of Jean (Peirce) Siegel for 62 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late Harry and Sophie (Trutt) Siegel, he had lived in Cranston for 53 years. He was a dentist in private practice in Providence for 53 years, retiring in 1999. A World War II Army veteran, he served stateside as a 1st Lieutenant in the Dental Corps. He was a graduate of Providence College and St. Louis University, Class of ’46, where he received his DDS degree. He was a member of the American and Rhode Island dental associations, Temple Sinai, Redwood Lodge #35 AF & AM and Touro Fraternal Association. He was the father of Harlan Siegel and his wife Risé of Farmington Hills, Mich., Abbie
Ganin and her husband Steven of Jericho, N.Y., Bonnie Brout and her husband Douglas of Scarsdale, N.Y. and Melissa Siegel-Daley and her husband Brian of Onancock, Va. The brother of the late Louis and Saul Siegel, he was also the grandfather of Ashley, Danielle, Corey, Kaley, Dillon and Dustin. Contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
Irwin Sparr, 77 PROVIDENCE – Irwin Sparr died April 25. He was the husband of Gloria (Levy) Sparr. Born in New York City, N.Y., he was a son of the late Harry and Rae (Allen) Spirofsky.
The co-owner of Elizabeth Webbing Mills in Central Falls for 35 years, he was most recently chairman of Textiles 2. He was an active member of Temple Emanu-El and a generous contributor to many charities. He was deeply committed to his family. Besides his wife, he is survived by his sons Jeffrey Sparr and his wife Jennifer of Pawtucket and Glenn Sparr and his wife Cynthia of Seekonk, Mass.; his sister Thelma Siegel and her husband Irwin and his grandchildren Harrison, Charlee, Grayson and Lauren. Contributions may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
WORLD www.jvhri.org
40 The Jewish Voice & Herald
From Page 1 ing global and regional instability. “Well it’s, I think, really obvious to any observer of what is going on in the world, these past decades, that China’s importance in the world is growing from year to year. And I think it’s probably correct to say at this stage that there are two superpowers: the United States and China,” Moshe Arens, former Israeli Defense Minister and Foreign Minister told JNS. org. Netanyahu may have considered delaying the trip, just days after Israel reportedly twice-bombed Syrian targets, allegedly storing sophisticated Iranian weaponry on its way to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon. Choosing to continue with the pre-scheduled visit may signal that tensions are not expected to escalate further with Syria in the near-term. But more importantly, the trip signals that Netanyahu did not wish to insult the Chinese, after twice canceling trips to a country that is growing increasingly important to Israel. “It is important for us to have good, very good relations with China, better relations than what we have today,” Arens said. “I think considering China’s status in the world today, it is appropriate and I would say probably natural for China to play a bigger role in Middle Eastern affairs than it has in the past.” “China has been a sleeping giant for a long time, but in the last 20 years, as its economy began to grow, its relevance started to become more and more important,” Carice Witte, executive director of SIGNAL (Sino-Israel Global Network and Academic Leadership), an institute working to advance Israel-China relations, told JNS.org. The economic decline of Europe and the U.S., and changing
may 10, 2013
SHIFTING global perspectives to include China balances of diplomatic and military power, have necessitated that Israel develop additional allies. “In 2008 when the sub-prime debacle happened, Israeli business people began to realize they need to spread their interests and investment and their outreach beyond the U.S. and EU,” Witte said. Netanyahu, on Monday, in Shanghai said, “I came to open doors for Israeli companies. We’re interested in a small piece of a giant market.” But economics are only one piece of the China-Israel equation. “Among several reasons, China is very significant to Israel because it has a vote in the Security Council,” Witte told JNS. org. And China has taken a growing interest in the Middle East, a region critical to China’s economic stability. China has grown tremendously as a manufacturing power over the past several decades. And one of the fuels powering that growth is oil. “The two nations providing most of China’s oil are Saudi Arabia and Iran. So the area of the Middle East is core for China’s domestic policy, for China’s domestic economy. Stability in the region is essential,” Witte said. Disturbances in the flow of oil, or rises in prices could have a significant impact on China’s economy. According to Witte, China has watched its investments in Libya and now Syria decline due to the events of the “Arab Spring.” While China wants tensions between Israel and Iran to cool, the Chinese see Israel as one of the most stable and forwardthinking countries in the region. The Chinese have been particularly impressed with Israel’s rapid growth in an oftenhostile environment. In the past two decades – with both countries experiencing significant economic growth – Israel and China have begun
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits a technology exhibition in Shanghai, China, on Monday, May 6, during his five-day visit to the country. to recognize that perhaps they share more common interests than they did in the past. Yet it has been historically difficult for the two countries to develop strong bilateral relations. According to Arens, Israel’s relationship with the U.S. may have impacted China-Israel relations, particularly during the Cold War. “The United States was seen as a backer of Israel, as a very close ally of Israel, and almost naturally then, I think in those days China would take a position that would back the Palestinians, or back Arab nations,” Arens said. “China has a strong 60-year relationship with all the Arab nations and Iran. And they have been learning about the Middle East and Israel only through them for all that period of time. They’re limited to what the Arabs are telling them,” Witte added. At the same time, China has virtually no history of antiSemitism, meaning that the Chinese are open to the Israeli
point of view. According to Witte, Israel has a unique opportunity and even an imperative to change the way the Chinese look at the Middle East – in a way that is more favorable to Israel’s position. Doing so would have mutual benefits. But strengthening the relationship has not always been simple. “There’s an enormous cultural gap,” Witte said. “The Jews have lived in and amongst the European cultures for 2,000 years. There is no common religion in China. There’s no Judeo-Christian history. There’s no AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) of China, there’s no real Jewish community. So they don’t have any point of reference for many of the issues that we’re dealing with in Israel and in our region.” Netanyahu’s trip to China will focus primarily on strengthening economic trade. Currently, the two countries exchange approximately $8 billion in goods
Avi Ohayon
per year, the majority of which are Chinese exports to Israel. In addition to seeking an increase in trade as well as greater balance between imports and exports, Netanyahu is likely to try and reach understandings regarding Iran, and its illicit nuclear program. The good news is that shifting China’s perspectives may not be as difficult in China as in other countries around the world. “I’m always asked, ‘How do you make an impact on a country of 1.4 billion people?’” Witte told JNS.org. “[You] can make a difference if you understand China, and if you know how to target your resources. You can make an enormous difference because China works top-down. You don’t need to reach the whole country.” For Netanyahu, developing better relations with China’s leaders could create tremendous benefits for Israel’s future.
Six Degrees (No Bacon) Jewish celebrity roundup
Ashton Kutcher heading to Israel, Adam Yauch memorialized By Six Degrees (No Bacon) Staff
NEW YORK (JTA) – Israel next week will welcome its first big-name American visitor since Barack Obama. OK, so this time it’s the star of “Two And A Half Men” and not the ruler of the free world, but Ashton Kutcher equals pretty exciting stuff. The Kabbalah-practicing actor will bring his Jewish girlfriend, actress Mila Kunis,
a/k/a the Sexiest Woman in the World (see item below), according to the Times of Israel. Kutcher has visited the Holy Land before, the last time in 2010 with then-wife and fellow Kabbalah devotee Demi Moore.
Park named for Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch
New York City honored the late rapper Adam Yauch, MCA of the Beastie Boys, by bestowing his name on a Brooklyn playground. The park, formerly
called Palmetto Playground, is just a couple of blocks from where the musician grew up. At the dedication ceremony last week, speakers included bandmate Adam Horovitz (a/k/a Ad-Rock); Yauch’s parents, Frances and Noel, and Borough President Marty Markowitz, who rapped his own version of the Beastie Boys’ “Open Letter to NYC,” according to USA Today.
Mila Kunis, world’s sexiest woman FHM magazine put Mila Kunis at the top of its annual 100 Sexiest Women in the World list. The super classy publication (tagline: “It’s great to be a man”) praises her work on “That ’70s Show,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and Black Swan,” in which, we are reminded, Kunis “played tonsilhockey” with Natalie Portman.
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Discarded goods kept from Rhode Island landfill AT LEFT, Kara Marziali, director of communications for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, and David Leach compare notes during the eco-waste dropoff at the Alliance on Sunday, May 5. BELOW, Dan Hamel, controller, left, and Dave McShane, facility manager, stand in front of a tractor trailer packed with discarded electronic cast-offs. It will be several weeks before the Alliance knows how many pounds of waste were kept from the landfill, but people dropped off their discards, Marziali told The Voice & Herald.
PHOTOS | david leach
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SIMCHAS
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Ian Barnacle AWARD – Residential Properties Ltd. Sales Manager, Ian Barnacle, has been named a member of REALTOR® Magazine’s “30 under 30” Class of 2013. Barnacle will be featured in the upcoming May/June 2013 issue of the magazine, as well as the “30 Under 30” program page found at http://realtormag. realtor.org/30-under-30.
Julian Hillel Sock
Joelie Mirae Linder BIRTH – Dr. Frederick and Lois Lury of East Greenwich announce the birth of their first granddaughter, Joelie Mirae Linder, on Aug. 23, 2012. Her parents are Seth and Beth (Lury) Linder of Atlanta, Ga., and her paternal grandparents are Reva Schweitzer of Atlanta, and Harve and Gail Linder, also of Atlanta. Joelie is named for her mother’s grandfather, Dr. John Lury, and her father’s cousin, Morrie Hecht. Joelie’s Hebrew name, Yashira Raisa, is for her great-grandfather, Dr. John Lury, and her greatgrandmother, Rose Linder.
BIRTH – Julian Hillel Sock was born Nov. 14, 2012. The son of Monique and Joshua Sock of Manhattan, he was welcomed by his big brother, William (Billy) Itai Sock, his paternal grandparents, Philip and Gayle Sock of Narragansett, and his maternal grandparents, Howard and Fran Morris of Manhattan. He is the great-grandson of Leila and Sheldon Sock of Cranston and the late Eva and Reuben Myers.
Sylvia Weber AWARD – Sylvia Weber, a clinical nurse specialist in the psychiatric gerontology program at The Miriam Hospital, received the Nursing Hall of Fame Award at the Rhode Island State Nurses Association April 5 gala. Called “a pioneer in integrating holistic health and complimentary healing modalities in Rhode Island,” Weber also was lauded by Donna Policastro, executive director of the association, as the “sage of nursing in Rhode Island.”
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SIMCHAS |www.jvhri.org WE ARE READ
State Senator Josh Miller
AWARD – State Senator Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston and Providence) was presented with the 2013 “Bell of Hope” award from the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island at a May 1 Statehouse ceremony to launch the “May is Mental Health Month” campaign. The award was presented to acknowledge Senator Miller’s longstanding and continuing efforts in the General Assembly to work for legislation to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders in need of mental health services, including sponsoring legislation to create a pilot program to divert patients with pressing behavioral health problems from emergency rooms and into more appropriate settings.
Steven Adler, Kevin Dwares, Michael Frank and Aaron Rosen CAMPING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE – During a weekend in March, we decided to take in our annual winter hike to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Officially the calender stated that it was spring but we were hiking in pure winter conditions throughout the weekend. This picture was taken just prior to arriving at the summit of Mt. Jackson (one of many 4000 footers) where we encountered wind gusts of 75 – 90 miles per hour and wind chills of 25 degrees below 0.
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RECOGNITION – Rabbi Marc Jagolinzer, of Temple Shalom in Middletown, was one of 20 individuals recognized by Newport Life Magazine. Recognized for his practice of giving rather than receiving, Rabbi Jagoliner has served, the magazine noted, not only his synagogue but has also “provided our community with an interfaith and communal leadership.” Rabbi Jagolinzer’s involvement in Newport County has led to numerous awards and recognitions, including being the first rabbi in 1976 to preach from the high pulpit of Trinity Church, the magazine noted.
With Great-Grandma Eva Sheer are, from left, Cassidy and Andrew Hatch, Philip and Penelope Sheer, Jodd and Ram Sheer, Stephen and Jessica Zenack, and Samuel and Sophie Winn. Great-grandchildren Nathan and Evangeline Sheer are not pictured. CENTENNIAL BIRTHDAY – Eva Sheer of Providence, who turned 100 on April 1l, was the guest of honor at an April 7 birthday celebratory luncheon. More than 50 people from Florida, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island attended the event. Family members included her three sons, six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; April 7 was also great-granddaughter Jessica’s 10th birthday.
may 10, 2013
Rabbi Marc S. Jagolinzer
44 The Jewish Voice & Herald
www.jvhri.org
may 10, 2013