Volume XXIV, Issue XIII | www.jvhri.org Serving Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts
29 Av 5778 | August 10, 2018
BACK TO SCHOOL
Jewish Collaborative Services up and running in one building BY FRAN OSTENDORF
The Great Synagogue of Rome
PHOTO | M. CHARLES BAKST
Rome’s Jewish Quarter: Seared by the Holocaust, still much alive BY M. CHARLES BAKST ROME, ITALY – Micol Piazza, our guide on a tour of the historic Jewish quarter here, is full of emotion as she speaks, and I tremble as I listen to her recount the horror of the German roundup of some 1,000 Roman Jews on Oct. 16, 1943. Most of them lived on these few blocks, in what for centuries had been a ghetto. Piazza says of the Nazis, “With the help of the Italian police, they had the names of the Jews. They were right here. It was Shabbat. Sukkot. People were sleeping in their homes.’’ The Nazis swooped in. “They go knocking door by door, catching
The merger of the Jewish Seniors Agency and Jewish Family Service into Jewish Collaborative Services continues as the two agencies moved into one building, at 1165 N. Main St. in Providence, at the end of July. The hope is that putting these services together in one place will help the community get more out of them and make them easier to access. The new building will house staff that formerly worked in offices at 100 Niantic Ave. and 959 N. Main St. Also in the building is the newly relocated Louis & Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry. The three-story structure has been completely remodeled. The food pantry is on the first floor. The second floor is set up for clients from the community, and the third floor houses offices for those who do not see clients and affiliates of Jewish Collaborative Services, such as Lifeline.
Jewish Collaborative Services will still operate the “West Bay Campus,” which includes The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residences and The Shalom Apartments, in Warwick, and the two Kosher meal sites, one in Providence and one in Cranston. “The building is symbolic of the agency coming together,” said Erin Minior, interim CEO of the new agency. “We hope it will help people know where to go and help us to make appropriate referrals,” said Patty Harwood, chief of programs. “This allows for a wider, deeper reach for services,” said Susan Bazar, chief of strategy and administration. “Moving,” Minior added, “is a monumental task.” The staff has been very involved in the building renovations, said Sara Goodwin, director of major gifts. As they chose their new offices, and made decisions on items such COLLABORATIVE| 5
people. They give them a slip of paper... ‘You have to be ready in 20 minutes. Take your food, take your clothes, take your jewels, take your everything, and when you’ll be back, everything is in order.’” Piazza spits out the next word: “LIARS!” The Jews were deported to Auschwitz. Only 16 survived. In the shadow of the Great Synagogue of Rome, the old ghetto, which existed from 1555 to 1870, remains a magnet for Rome’s Jews. Only 400 Jews remain in this increasingly upscale neighborhood, but there are thousands of others in the city, and they still drop ROME | 12 PHOTO | BRACHA STUART
A Shabbat on the Italian coast BY M. CHARLES BAKST FORTE DEI MARMI, ITALY – Shabbat shalom from this gorgeous beach town on the Tuscan coast near Pisa and Carrara. Yes, in this upscale resort in this heavily Catholic country, there is a Sephardic Orthodox summer synagogue. On a Friday evening last month, I was privileged to attend a service, and stay for a delicious buffet supper of groaning proportions. The synagogue is a cluster of open-sided tents or awnings, surrounded by soaring maritime pine trees in the garden of a home owned by retired businessman Charles Metta, who is in his 70s. Well, it’s his, but
really, he tells me, “It belongs to God.” When not in Forte dei Marmi, Metta lives in Milan and Tel Aviv. The synagogue, operating since 1988, is called Beit Nessim (that is, House of Miracles), a name emblazoned in gold on the black yarmulke Metta gave me. To get to Beit Nessim, head away from the Forte dei Marmi beach clubs that line the sea, past the downtown restaurants, cafes, gelato stores, and tony shops like Prada and Gucci, and make your way up Via XX Settembre toward the jagged mountains that seem graced RETREAT | 13
Reuven Goldstein, one of the speakers at the retreat, with earliest examples of printed Hebrew.
National Jewish Retreat comes to Providence BY PATRICIA RASKIN PROVIDENCE – Some 1,200 Jews from all over the U.S. and other nations gathered at the Rhode Island Convention Center July 31-Aug. 5 for the National Jewish Retreat. The retreat is a component of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, which serves learning centers in
over 900 communities, according to the group’s website, www.myjli. com. The institute’s mission is “to make Jewish learning accessible and personally meaningful for every Jew, regardless of background or affiliation.” Rabbi Efraim Mintz, executive director of the institute, said, “The JLI retreat is the continuation of RETREAT | 4
2 | August 10, 2018
COMMUNITY
The Jewish Voice
Shalom from the new community shaliach
INSIDE Arts 22 Back to School 18-20 Business 24-25 Calendar 10 Community 2-5, 11, 14, 16, 20, 23 D’var Torah 7 Food 15 Nation 21 Obituaries 26-28 Opinion 8-9 Seniors 29-30 Simchas | We Are Read 31 World 12-13
THIS ISSUE’S QUOTABLE QUOTE “More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews.”
Institute of Science. In his army service, Nir was a commander for the Hermon Brigade combat engineering unit, which deals with disarming mines, and for a heavy machinery unit, responsible for defensive construction missions, where he was in charge of eight underprivileged soldiers. He took part in the Protective Edge Operation in Gaza in 2014. In his youth Nir took part in the Nitzana youth movement, which is located next to the border with Egypt. The youth movement’s main activities are hiking and volunteering at the local orphanage, home to refugee teenagers from Eritrea. When he has free time, Nir enjoys rock climbing, hiking, jogging and playing guitar.
BY JEWISH VOICE STAFF Nir Cafri will be the new Israeli shaliach (emissary) to the Rhode Island Jewish Community, thanks to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel. Nir, 23, arrives in late August. He was born and raised in Ness Ziona, Israel, right outside of Tel Aviv. Prior to embarking for the states, he was a field coordinator for Passages, an organization which brings Christians on educational journeys to Israel. He also volunteered at Elim, a home for children with disabilities in South Africa while traveling for sevNir Cafri wih teachers from Elim Home for children with disabilities eral months in Nepal, in South Africa. India and Africa on his post-army trip. college students on Young Ju- nity that Nir just stumbled into, We also learned that in addi- daea’s Amirim program. Nir but he had some background tion to working with American would be happy to discuss these for this. Nir served as a private Christians on Passages, Nir programs, as well as many oth- tutor to elementary school chilhelped with some Birthright ers, with anyone who is consid- dren, and he loved serving as a groups, the free trips to Israel ering visiting Israel. professional guide for all ages at for American Jews from 18 to Working with children in the Garden of Science museum 32. He also served as a resident South Africa was an opportu- at the prestigious Weizmann resource person for American
EDITOR’S NOTE: We asked Nir Cafri, the new shaliach, to tell us a little about himself for the first Voice after our break. The information in this story came from him and community sources. Look for another story on Nir when he is settled in the community.
There is something very special about the High Holy Days It’s a time for you to nourish your Jewish identity — to connect to the community and feel welcome. The Jewish Alliance and area synagogues are partnering again this year to open their doors for the High Holy Days. Tickets are now available for the following High Holy Days: Erev Rosh Hashanah, September 9 First day of Rosh Hashanah, September 10 Second day of Rosh Hashanah, September 11 Erev Yom Kippur, September 18 Yom Kippur, September 19 Who is eligible? • New community members • Community members currently unaffiliated with a synagogue who have not yet been affiliated with the synagogue they wish to attend for four or more years • Community members who have never participated in this program
Tickets will be available through August 29 at 3pm. For more information contact Robyn Goldstein at 401.421.4111 ext. 182, or rgoldstein@jewishallianceri.org. Please note: This offer is valid for family members residing at the same address. Individuals age 25 and older must apply for their own tickets.
Participating Congregations: Chabad of West Bay*, Warwick Chabad of Barrington*, Barrington Congregation Agudas Achim, Attleboro Congregation Beth David, Narragansett Congregation Beth Sholom*, Providence Congregation Or Chadash, Cranston Congregation Mishkon Tfiloh, Providence Congregation Sha'arei Tefilla*, Providence Congregation Sons of Jacob, Providence Newport Havurah*, Newport Temple Beth-El, Providence Temple Emanu-El, Providence Temple Habonim**, Barrington Temple Shalom*, Middletown Temple Sinai, Cranston Temple Torat Yisrael, East Greenwich Touro Synagogue, Newport United Brothers*, Bristol *No tickets needed: High Holy Day services are open to everyone. ** Temple Habonim has an open door policy without tickets or prior communication being necessary.
שנה טובה
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My year in Israel: ‘I could feel the history of Judaism seeping from the stones’ BY CHAYA KAPILEVICH I had the privilege to spend this past year in Israel studying advanced topics in Judaism at the Darchei Binah seminary in Jerusalem. As I furthered my knowledge in Judaic studies, I also delved deep into the study of my heritage. As I studied, it dawned on me that so many of the events that occurred to our forefathers happened on the same cobblestones that I walked on daily. Once I realized this, I began to take every opportunity to venture out to different parts of the country. I spent one Shabbat in a yishuv (community) called Ma’alei Chevar, located not far from Chevron. It is protected by a fence because it is surrounded by Arab cities. This yishuv is built on the top of a valley from which you can see almost all the way to the Dead Sea. At night, in the distance, you can see faint flashing lights coming from Jordan. Before Shabbat started, our host took us into his backyard, which overlooks the vast valley. He pointed out landmarks that could possibly have been the exact place where different biblical events occurred, such as the destruction of Sodom and the writing of the Book of Psalms by King David. It was
Chaya Kapilevich incredible to spend a Shabbat in the exact area where my forefathers stood thousands of years earlier.
I also spent time in Kiryat Arba, a settlement on the outskirts of Chevron. I had an opportunity to take a tour of Chev-
ron with an English-speaking tour guide who lives in the settlement. I walked through the Arab village to get to Mearat Hamachpela, the burial place of our forefathers and mothers. As we walked through the village, we met up with IDF soldiers who protect Chevron. We handed out lollypops to show our appreciation to them for protecting us. Our guide showed us around Chevron, highlighting different locations where Jews live surrounded by Arab homes! Before leaving Chevron, we had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit the Arab shuk. We walked through the shuk with IDF soldiers surrounding us. We saw many stores selling many different types of items, from spices to toys to dishes. It was an incredible opportunity to spend Shabbat in a holy city where our forefathers are buried. I also had the great fortune of having my school located in a great area, just a short bus ride from central Jerusalem and the old city. The first time I walked into the old city, I could feel the history of Judaism seeping from the stones. The old city is always hustling and bustling with activity. People from all over the world come to the old city and the
Western Wall because of their history and holiness. The old city and the Western Wall are an integral part of Judaism and the formation and history of Israel. Throughout my education in Jerusalem, I was able to learn about my heritage and the history of the Jewish nation, and watch it leap to life in front of my eyes through its residents and Jewish life. It was an incredible year of learning and traveling in Israel. I am so thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend an entire year in Israel, the land of our people, and to walk on the same paths that our ancestors walked. My experience in Israel has transformed my life. I’m so proud to be part of this incredible nation! I would like to thank the Jewish Alliance and everyone who made this opportunity possible for me. CHAYA KAPILEVICH is a graduate of Providence Hebrew Day School and New England Academy of Torah. She is continuing her studies in Israel for another year. Grants for Israel travel are available to area residents through the age of 26. Contact IsraelDesk@jewishallianceri.org
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Providence Memory Café is an opportunity for both caregivers and individuals living with memory loss to come together for an interactive social gathering. Refreshments are provided.
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4 | August 10, 2018
COMMUNITY
The Jewish Voice
A place on a panel
BY BRACHA STUART
The Life of Shabbat panel, left to right: Nina Plunkett,,Dr. Diana Korzenik, Shainie Weingarten, Susy Adler, Bracha Stuart, Frumeth Hirsh Polasky, Basya Hans. FROM PAGE 1
RETREAT the multi-educational offerings produced by JLI. We now have, around the world, over 1,400 instructors with a wide variety of Jewish-related subjects. The overall goal is to tap into the ancient wisdom of our heritage from the Bible and find the modern-day relevance.” The conference had something for everyone, with events that addressed everything from living an inspired life to Jewish history and art, medical ethics, personal growth, spirituality and relationships. Rabbi Moshe Bryski made a particularly moving and relevant presentation, “Living Inspired in a Cynical World,” presenting a case for seeing light, goodness and hope despite all the strife across the globe. Asked why Providence was chosen as the site of this year’s conference, Rabbi Mintz said, “We like to move the conference around, move the retreat around to different parts of the
country. We searched a number of places; Providence was a very lovely option for us. But I must say, the staff at the convention center, the city, the [visitors] bureau of the city, the hotels, were very accommodating. “They wanted our group to come, and we salute them [for] their warm welcome and embrace. It’s the first time we’ve been to a convention center. Although it is a large convention center, we were able to replicate the warmth and intimate settings we have had at previous retreats.”
Rhode Island was represented in several areas.
Lt. Gov. Dan McKee welcomed the participants, noting that Rhode Island was the first state to declare religious freedom for all. Bracha Stuart, of Warwick, an art director and Israel advocate, was part of a women’s panel on “The Life of Shabbat.” Each panelist, from millennial to baby boomer, shared the meaning and joy of Shabbat in her life. Ambassador Dani Day-
an, consul general of Israel in New York, also welcomed the participants. In an interview, Mintz detailed why he thinks conferences such as this are important. “What makes us Jewish is not what we do, it’s who we are. Once we know who we are, we are encouraged to do the most we can do. Studying or observing Judaism does not make or break our Judaism. We are Jewish by birthright. Once we know that and cherish that, we take steps to celebrate that heritage,” he said. The rabbi added, “When Jews up their engagement, that’s an up for us. Our enemy is indifferent. Every Jew deserves the access. If someone takes part in the JLI course, if someone takes part in the JLI retreat, if someone comes to Israel, and after the course, after the seminar, after the retreat, their engagement with the Jewish heritage, if they up their engagement, that’s an up for us.” PATRICIA RASKIN is a Jewish Voice contributor.
I was honored to be the only layperson from Rhode Island to speak at the 2018 National Jewish Retreat. Having taken many Rohr Jewish Learning Institute courses, as well as participating in its Land & Spirit trip to Israel, I knew there would be meticulous attention to detail and a varied program at the retreat. I was not disappointed! Among the many highlights were programs by such renowned speakers as Rabbi Manis Friedman, Rabbi David Aaron, Prof. Jonathan Sarna and television personality Molly Resnick. Shelly Dembe, of Soulstir, gave a workshop for women on sacred dance inspired by the Kabbalah – movement designed to awaken the soul. Rabbi Reuven Goldstein spoke about how the printing press helped shape Jewish destiny as “People of the Book,“ as well as showing many rare pieces from the 15th century. The panel I participated in was called “The Life of Shabbat.” Seated around a beautifully decorated table, along with six other women with very diverse stories, I discussed my journey toward Shabbat observance. The key point was that instead of framing the day as one where “I can’t do this and can’t do that,” it’s how I get to savor wonderful meals, wear beautiful clothes and connect with family, friends and my Creator. Just like caring for your physical health, anything you
undertake in honor of Shabbat will help your spiritual health. It’s not all or nothing. Observing Shabbat as a family helps tremendously with shalom bayit, peace in the home, blessing not only family relationships but the home itself with peace and serenity. It can be so sad to witness a family at a restaurant as they sit together but they’re all on their separate electronic devices. Proximity is not togetherness. But it’s also important not to push your spouse or kids if they are not ready to become observant as quickly as you since peace in the home is an important Jewish value. Regardless of what type of Jewish “label” you identify with, Shabbat is your heritage and ha-Shem’s gift to us. Another important part of the conference was the Sinai Scholars program, for 150 college students. Also, during the Shabbat service, there were several girls who had a naming ceremony. I was very moved when identical-twin sisters (from my alma mater, Stony Brook University-SUNY), who had lived in Malta until they were 8, received their Hebrew names. Mazel tov to Ariella and Esther! In addition to all the wonderful workshops, panels and demonstrations, a highlight of the JLI retreat was meeting and making many friends from around the world. BRACHA STUART, of Warwick, is an art director and Israel advocate.
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EDITOR Fran Ostendorf DESIGN & LAYOUT Leah Camara ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Chris Westerkamp cwesterkamp@jewishallianceri.org 401-421-4111, ext. 160 Karen Borger ksborger@gmail.com 401-529-2538
Attendees from around the world filled the Rhode Island Convention Center at the 2018 National Jewish Retreat.
CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Benjamin Seth Chitwood Stephanie Ross
PERIODICALS Postage paid at Providence, R.I.
COLUMNISTS Michael Fink Rabbi James Rosenberg Daniel Stieglitz
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A scene from the move.
One of the new offices.
August 10, 2018 |
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PHOTOS | FRAN OSTENDORF
FROM PAGE 1
COLLABORATIVE as tiles, the staff got to know each other better. Bazar and Harwood said the staff is excited and the combined board of directors is supportive. “The board has worked hard to bring this to fruition,” Bazar said. “This bodes well for the future.” The building was purchased by the former Jewish Family Service of Rhode Island with a gift from The Grace K. and Wesley S. Alpert Foundation. At the time of that purchase, earlier this year, Minior said, “Grace and Wesley Alpert have always been so committed to helping us to help our clients, many of whom are Rhode Island’s most vulnerable residents. We miss them deeply, but we know that their legacy of sustained philanthropy will have a lasting impact on all who knew them
and those who have been helped by their generosity.” Minior also acknowledged the support of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. A $4-million campaign is underway to raise funds to grow the agency’s endowment in order to increase programs. Goodwin said a gala on May 5 will celebrate the new agency, the move and the fundraising. That event, whose theme will be tracing the agencies’ history, will be held at the Providence Marriott Downtown. Before that, there will be a ribbon cutting at the building and a rededication of the food pantry.
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S M A R T G R O W TH S A F E NE I G HB O R H O O DS S TR O N G S C H O O L S PROVIDENCE NATIVE MEMBER OF TEMPLE BETH-EL ATTORNEY
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FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of The Jewish Voice.
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6 | August 10, 2018
The Jewish Voice
2018 JewishVoice Patron Honor Roll Debra B. Abeshaus Marsha Addessi Ruth (Jaffa) Albert Cecilia Alkalay Allan & Herma Altman Karen Asher Esta Avedisian in memory of her father, Ben Rabinowitz M. Charles & Elizabeth Bakst Ms. Joyce Ball Esta Barcohana John J. Barry III Dr. Joseph Baruch Jerry & Gloria Baskin Amira & Stephen Baum David & Susan Bazar Jeanne Belovitch Karen Wasser Beraha & Nathan Beraha Francine & Stephen Beranbaum Claire Bercovitz Judy Berg Peter & Hana Berman Barbara Bilder Arnold & Ruth Blasbalg Mrs. Sylvia Blazar Dr. Neil L. Blitz & Roslyn Birke Larry Bonoff Rich Brandt Bart & Elise Bresnik Brier & Brier Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Broman Seymour & Marsha Brooks Rhoda Broomfield Dan & Lisa Brosofsky Ida & Tom Brown Sandra & Fred Brown Susan H. Brown Edward & Maureen Canner Deborah Josephson Catone Philip Charis & Leslie Stern-Charis Judy Chorney Dr. Elie J. (z”l) & Mrs. Marcia Cohen Lenore & Richard Cohen Lois Cohen Marshall Cohen Dr. & Mrs. Martin L. Cohen Bryan Conti & Everett Studley III Franklin Curhan Dr. Robert (z”l) & Mrs. Adele Curhan Arline Cusick, in memory of my grandparents, Lillian & Charles Bresler Barry & Rosanne Dana Jaffa & David Davies David & Karen DeForest Ms. Patricia Del Padre-Myers Ms. Elaine Dickstein Sandra Bresler Dolan Rona & Max Dressler John R. Duhamel Alice Eichenbaum Benjamin & Marilyn Eisenberg Norman (z”l) & Arline Elman Helga Elsner Lynne Ende Bernard Engel Carol Engel Jerry Engel Janet H. Engelhart & Rabbi Leslie Y. Gutterman Adele G. Espo Lois & Burton (z”l) Fain Mark & Joanne Faiola Barbara Feibelman & Kenneth Orenstein Lotte & Ross Feinberg David Feinman Fred Felder Jocelyn & Carl Feldman
Barbara & Edward Feldstein & Family Phyllis Fern Liliana Fijman Gertrude & Morton (z”l) Fine Jonathan & Judith Finkle Bruce Fischer Charles & Billie Fischer Ms. Anne Fishbein Arlene Fishman Arthur I. Fixler Natalie & Melvin Fleischer Dr. Norbert & Jeanne Fleisig Henri Flikier & Ann Miller Herbert & Judith Fogel Joan & George Foley Geraldine Foster Fred J. Franklin Seena Franklin Rabbi Wayne & Dr. Anne Presser Franklin Carl I. Freedman & Beverly Ehrich Dr. Fredric Friedman & Cathy Demain Mann David & Florence Futtersak Mr. & Mrs. Harold Gadon Dr. Alan & Mrs. Sharon Gaines Michele D. Gallagher Kenneth & Sharon Garber Molly Garber Joan & Stephen Garfinkel Marcia Gerstein Norman Getz Lori Gibson Mrs. Alan Gilstein Susan & Lawrence Ginsberg Mr. & Mrs. Seymour Glantz Elaine Glick Esther M. Gold Mr. Sanford Gold Beverly Goldberg David & Robin Goldblatt Robert & Beverly Goldblatt Gloria Golden Maxine Goldin Marian & Bill (z”l) Golditch Arlene Goldstein Merle & Stanley Goldstein Richard & Donna Goldstein Sidney & Alice Goldstein Pearl Gorden Mark Gordon Lenore Gorodetsky The Graboys & Rudner Families: Lois & George (z”l) Graboys Angela & Lewis Rudner Paula & Leonard Granoff Joan Gray Arline Greenberg David & Helen Greene Rhoda Grover Mrs. Harriet Grunberg Louis & Katherine Gumbiner Cybil Henry Dr. Melvin Hershkowitz Lawrence Hershoff & Eleanor Mulford Dr. & Mrs. James K. Herstoff Eleanor & Robert Hoffman Alan Holoff Mrs. Maida Horovitz Donald & Dorothy Horowitz Toby Horowitz Arleen Hough Amanda & Jeremy Isenberg Nina Ivanova Arleen & Marvin Jacobson Betty R. Jaffe Judith Jamieson Dr. Charles B. & Sue Kahn
Evan Kaiser & Karen Tashima Mr. & Mrs. Fredric S. Kamin Lila & Kevin Kane Esther Koffler Kaplan Dr. Sheldon D. Kaplan Sanford & Esta Karp Lawrence & Marilyn Katz Trudy Katz Marion Kaufman Norma & Bob Kaufman Sandra Kaufman Dr. Martin J. Kerzer Alan & Linda Kerzner Dr. Shirley B. Kessler Aron & Sima Khaytin Donna Kimmel Shirley Kirsh Rabbi Andrew Klein & Adam Mastoon Helene Klein Jane Kondon Shirley Konicov Lon Kopit David, Brenda & Philip Korn Beth Kovar James Krasnow Hope R. Krichmar Cantor Karl Kritz (z”l) Bernice & Richard Kumins Dr. Audrey Kupchan & Mr. Sam Havens Seth Kurn & Barbara Harris Greta (z”l) & Bernard Labush Tamara Labush Shirley & Seymour Ladd Dorothy Bennett Lampal Ronald Lang Barbara Lappin Gail Larkin Jerrold L. & Barbara S. Lavine Sheila Lederman Freda Lehrer Dr. David & Peggy Leibowitz Frances & Barry Levin Robert Levin Ruth Paige Levin Herma Levine Shari Levine Dr. Mayer & Judy Levitt Dorothy & Irwin Levy Mrs. Frank Licht Bernard & Barbara Lightman Bess Lindenbaum Jordan & Helene Liner Leonard & Barbara Linsky Sheldon Lipson Michael & Jane Litner Alan & Marianne Litwin Louis & Valerie Long Andrea & Alan Lury Nancy & Steve Lustig Rabbi Sarah Mack & Mr. Jeffrey Isaacs Jerome (z”l) & Frances Magner Alison & David Mandelbaum Sandra Marcowitz Dr. Ronald Margolin Mr. & Mrs. Ronald C. Markoff Eugenia Marks Barry & Carole Marshall Ivy & Daniel Marwil Barbara & Benjamin Mer Howard & Sue Meyerson Sanford & Joyce Miller Philip Mintz, Esq. Ms. Elayne Moe Roberta & Jeffrey Morgenstern Susan Morin Sylvia Morse Vicki Moss & Robert Raphael Dianne & Martin Newman
GRACIAS
THANK TODAH SPASIBO YOU RABBAH
Linda Baer Nieberg C. Nobile & J. Goodman Seth Novick Paula Olivieri Ruth Oppenheim Ronna Orleck Tillie Orleck Tom Padwa Morton Paige Beverly Paris Laura Freedman Pedrick & David Pedrick Rosemarie Pegueros-Lev Marjorie & Robert Pelcovits Andrew Pessin & Gabriella Rothman James & Lezli Pious Miriam & Arthur Plitt Mrs. Juel Plotkin Arlene Pollock Annette Port Dr. Roy M. & June Poses Esther Preiss John Pucher, in honor of his friend Nickalas Warren & Susette Rabinowitz Ried & Mindy Redlich Kenneth & Harriet Resnick Leon A. Resnick in loving memory of Beverly S. Resnick Esther & Sol Resnik Roberta Richman Marcia S. Riesman, in loving memory of Robert A. Riesman Judy & Arthur Robbins Carole Robrish Susan & Michael Rodrigues Peter & Beverly Rosedale Myrna K. & Harris N. Rosen Rabbi James Rosenberg & Sandra Mattison Rosenberg Judy Rosenberg Mindy Rosenbloom, M.D. & Stuart Schwartz, M.D. Fred & Marcia Rosenzweig Frederick Roses & Deidre Brown Eleanor Ross Ruth Ross Dr. Fred & Sally Rotenberg Mark Rotenberg Mr. & Mrs. Edward D. Rotmer Daved & Paula Rubien Hilarie Rubin Sandra L. Rubin Noel & Amy Rubinton Beverly Rudman Frances Sadler Sylvia Safferson Alan & Laurie Salk Richard A. Saltzman Bernice F. Salzberg Alan & Sandra Samdperil Elaine & Robert Sandy Dr. & Mrs. Sanford Schatz Dr. Steven & Mrs. Naomi Schechter Ellen & Harold Schein Barry Schiller Wendy Schiller & Robert Kalunian Mr. Ezra Schneider Kenneth & Roberta Schneider Shirley Schreiber Mark & Helaine Schupack Harold (z”l) & Lillian N. Schwartz Dr. Ronald & Carol Schwartz Bernice & Saul Schweber Fran R. Scribner Paul & Roberta Segal Mr. & Mrs. M. David Seidman & Renee Seidman Petrone Mr. & Mrs. Yehudah Selinger Ronald & Enid Seltzer
A DANKE
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n behalf of the Jewish Voice team, I want to thank every contributor to the annual Patron Campaign. We are grateful for your generosity. The Jewish Voice relies on advertising revenue and an allocation from the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, as well as your support, to stay strong and viable. This year, 514 donors gave $23,815. We hope you like what you are reading. If you do, please tell your friends and relatives. If you have ideas and suggestions, let us know. We cannot produce this paper without you! Again, we THANK YOU for your generous donations. Fran Ostendorf, Editor
Shalom Memorial Chapel Arkadiy Shapiro Dr. Aaron J. Shatkin Myra B. Shays Arthur & Barbara Sheer Richard Shein Ellen & Barry Shepard Anne & Gerald Sherman Stephen Shorr Peter & Jane Shuman Dr. William M. & Susan Sikov A. Harvey & Jane (z”l) Silverman Rabbi Lawrence Silverman & Meredith Hoffman Linda & Richard Silverman Max & Ida Silverman Dora & Gregory Sirota Leon Sloane Rita Slom Marcia Smith Ronda & Robert Smith Sheri Snow Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation Ronald & Marcia Sohn Barbara Sokoloff & Dr. Herbert Rakatansky Phyllis B. Solod Dr. Edward (z”l) & Judith Spindell Selma Stanzler Joyce & Bob Starr Dr. Penney Stein Cliff Stern & Karen Drucker-Stern Dr. Ezra & Varda Stieglitz Justin & Sandra Strauss Marie & Arthur Strauss Sylvia Strauss Daniel & Rose Subotnik David P. Sugarman Mark & Bonnie (z”l) Sweberg Robert & Beatrice Swift Marcia Szymanski & Sharon Friedman David Talan Herchell & Patricia Talan Deborah M. Tate Robert & Anne Teifeld Mrs. Rey Tejada
Jerome Tesler Joyce Schreiber Tesler Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow Joshua & Cindy Teverow Jill & Michael Thaler Tifereth Israel Congregation Jill & James Tobak Rabbi Herb & Suzy Tobin Mel A. Topf Rosa & Victor (z”l) Tulenfeld Leonard & Cynthia Varga Lynn & Bruce Vinacco Ilya & Irena (z”l) Vinarskiy Randy & Jane Vogenberg Joyce & Larry Wacks Lil Waldman Dr. Alan & Carol Wartenberg The Bernard Wasserman Family Eugene Weinberg Ruth & Irving Weinreich Lewis Weinstein (z”l) Mr. David Weisberg Howard & Judy Weiser Amy L. Weiss The Weiss Family: Howard & Elaine Weiss & Jonathan & Aleen Weiss Ms. Robin Weiss Beverly Wexler Phyllis G. & James Williams Jerrold & Rita Winer Henry & Arlene Winkleman Dorothy R. Winn Albert Winograd Carol Yarnel Rhoda Zaidman Etta Zasloff May-Ronny Zeidman Shirley Zier Dr. Steven & Beth Zipin Faye Zuckerman Janet & Melvin Zurier Robert & Carol Zurier Morrisa & Joseph Zwetchkenbaum Anonymous (121) z”l – of blessed memory
Donors whose contributions were received between July 19, 2017, and July 10, 2018, are listed in this acknowledgement. Donors whose contributions were received after July 10, 2018, will be listed in next year‘s Jewish Voice Patron Campaign Honor Roll.
jvhri.org
D’VAR TORAH
August 10, 2018 |
7
The blessings of the tithe include Shabbat Parsha: Re’eh This week, we read portion Re’eh. Within its several chapters, Moses continues to review all the laws, statutes and commandments that every Israelite was bound to follow. More i m p o r t a n t l y, Moses points to the concept of freedom of choice. That is, the people can choose either to follow the path RABBI of the Torah ETHAN or not. NatuADLER rally, they will thus either be rewarded or punished, depending on their choice. The point is, though, that they do and will have a choice, much as we today have a choice. In one section, Moses reminds the people about the laws of tithing, that is, setting aside one-tenth of one’s produce, and bringing that tithe to the Temple in Jerusalem. Interestingly, for those who lived too far from Jerusalem to actually bring a
tithe, there was an option to go to the Temple, buy the food there, then join in the festivities. In the meantime, all of the leftover food, crops and what have you were left for the Levites, who had minimal land to cultivate, and for the stranger, the orphan, the widow – thus everyone benefited from the giving of the tithe. The portion mentions three specific products that are singled out for the tithe: corn (it’s probably more correct to call it grain, and most likely wheat), olive oil and wine. These items were not easy to produce, and a successful harvest represented God’s grace. Today, in order for us to obtain corn, oil and wine, we simply head to the nearest grocery store. Back then, it was understatedly more difficult. These three items are mentioned in the Shema prayer, which reflects their importance. And when you think of it, they play a significant role even in our present-day traditions. Take a look at any Shabbat table and you see challah, represent-
ing the grain; candles, representing the olive oil; and wine, representing itself. And then, when we bid farewell to Shabbat with the havdalah ceremony, we once again notice these three items – wine, candles and, this time, instead of challah, spices, which also represent the earth’s growth. Thus, these three ingredients form the crust of the sandwich, with Shabbat between them. The Shabbat begins and ends with wine, oil and some representation of successful crops. And the lessons in all of this? Well, there are probably dozens, and here is just one of them. The Talmud teaches that when one gives a tithe, he or she will eventually have more, not less. This “more” does not necessarily mean material gain; the simple joy of giving can and often does surpass the actual value of the sacrificed crops that made up the tithe. Now, we don’t need to stretch
too far to imagine that Shabbat, itself, is a tithe of sorts – not 10 percent, but 14 percent. After all, Judaism asks us to give up a roughly 24-hour period of the week, and devote it to God. And God asks us to leave our business, our weekday routine, our hectic lifestyle and give that day to the one above; to rest, to enjoy, to eat, drink, sing and have a grand time – resembling the atmosphere when the ancient Israelites brought their tithes to the Temple. Earlier, I mentioned the Talmudic notion that when one gives up his/her tithe, he/she will receive more than what was given. Can we apply that same idea to the Shabbat? Can we say that the day one gives up for Shabbat is more than made up, several times over? Can we take the view that rather than making the week less than it is, we can make it more than it is by observing Shabbat? Those who observe Shabbat would probably answer with a
resounding yes! The true gift of Shabbat, they would say, is that it makes the six other days so special, thus making Shabbat even more special. Others might see Shabbat as more of a day of hindrance, a nuisance, something you just wait to end – a view that simply dilutes the major message of Shabbat. Religious decisions are private decisions, and that’s the way it should remain. I do hope, though, that we take the time to think about this special tithe we are asked to offer every week and that we discover how we can help Shabbat enrich our lives. Ahad Ha’am, essayist and foremost Zionist thinker, has been quoted as proclaiming: “More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews.” Let it continue to be so … . ETHAN ADLER is the rabbi at Temple Beth David in Narragansett.
Voting is an opportunity BY STEPHANIE HAGUE Rabbi Yitzhak taught that “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted” (Babylonian Talmud Berachot 55a). One of the most essential rights that we have as Americans is our right to vote. It is something we cannot take for granted. For more than 80 years, American Jews voted in overwhelming numbers. Historically, around 90% of all eligible Jews voted in federal and local elections, an action that magnified our role in American political life. When we vote, we are able to declare our values, protect our interests and defend the rights of all Americans. This fall, we will have the opportunity once again to share our voice on important local and state elections. In Rhode Island, the General Elections will be Tuesday, Nov. 6. You must be registered to vote by Oct. 7. Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea passed Automatic Voter Registration in 2017. This means that, if eligible, you will
automatically be registered to vote when you interact with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). If you do not interact with the DMV, you will still need to register to vote online by visiting: https://vote.sos.ri.gov/. If you would like help in registering to vote, please come to the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, on Super Sunday, Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. This year volunteers will offer voter registration help to those who need it. Super Sunday, this year being chaired by Aliza and Will Krieger, is an annual day of coming together as a community to help raise money for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s vital programs and services that help grow and sustain Jewish Rhode Island. . If you have any questions about registering to vote or the upcoming local and state elections, please contact director of community relations Stephanie Hague at shague@jewishallianceri.org.
The Guide to Jewish Living is in the making. Have you reserved your advertising space yet? Contact Karen Borger: ksborger@gmail.com or Chris Westerkamp: cwesterkamp@jewishallianceri.org
Congregation Or Chadash invites you to join us for
High Holiday Services 5779 Officiated by Cantor Jules Becker
All services will be held in the Social Hall at 139 Ocean Ave Cranston, RI 02905 Cost: $150/ticket (children under 13 are free) For the complete High Holiday schedule, please go to our website at www.orchadash-ri.org Please mail checks to: Congregation Or Chadash 510 Algonquin Dr Warwick, RI 02888
8 | August 10, 2018
OPINION
Ode to the sticky note I have a confession to make. I am slightly obsessed with sticky notes. You know, those little pieces of paper that come in a variety of colors and shapes and have a thin strip of adhesive on the back. They stick anywhere and come off easily, never leaving a mark. Many people call them PostEDITOR it notes, which is the brand FRAN for the OSTENDORF name sticky product produced by the 3M Company. They are handy for a variety of tasks. Notes to yourself, reminders, notes to others, more reminders, labels … well, you get the idea. And the rainbow of colors makes them particularly helpful for a busy person: Choose a different color for each task. And the really thin ones are good for bookmarking pages wherever you need that sort of thing. The idea was actually conceived in 1974 by Arthur Fry as a way of holding a place in a book. The adhesive itself was developed in 1968 by Spencer Silver. Both were 3M employees. The company went on to develop the Post-it brand in 1977, and they were on the market nationally in 1980. When my children were younger, they loved to get those large packs of sticky notes in all sizes and colors. They were a practical treat and really not too expensive given their usefulness. As the kids got older, sticky notes came in handy in school. I think each child used them for bookmarking pages and, of course, organizing the studying for important exams. Now, I see them using the notes as reminders at home and at the office. I guess I’ve set
an example. Even my cat likes sticky notes. One of her favorite activities is pulling them off the computer monitor, where I’ve put them to remind myself of this or that. When she was a kitten, she’d chew on them. Now, she just pulls them all off and walks away. Only a cat would find removing all the sticky notes from something a worthwhile activity. I started thinking about all this during July. We were packing for a move, and I found myself using my square yellow stickies for labeling boxes and folders, and jotting down reminders. The reminders went on my computer monitor – until I realized I’d run out of space. It was then that I realized how dependent I’d become on these little items. You might laugh if you saw the monitor. Yes, the computer has a built-in sticky-note function for reminders, but I prefer the old-fashioned Post-it variety. Are you a sticky note user? Feel free to send me a picture of your desk, bookshelf or fridge and tell me how you use them to stay organized. We’ll share this on our website. The Voice has moved again, this time down the hall to a temporary space in the Camp JORI office. Since the folks from Camp JORI are in South County having a great summer, we have taken over their space while our permanent office (along with several others) is being renovated. We hope to be in our upgraded permanent office in the next month or so. Pictures to come. For now, our thoughts are turning to fall, like back to school and the High Holy Days. But we still want to see photos of your summer activities, so feel free to send them our way. And remember – with or without a sticky-note reminder – to enjoy the rest of August!
The editor’s computer.
OUR MISSION The mission of The Jewish Voice is to communicate Jewish news, ideas and ideals by connecting and giving voice to the diverse views of the Jewish community in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, while adhering to Jewish values and the professional standards of journalism.
The Jewish Voice
‘A Horse Walks into a Bar’ David Grossman (b. 1954) is one of Israel’s most highly regarded writers. His most recent novel, “A Horse Walks into a Bar” (Alfred A. Knopf, 2017), won Great Britain’s prestigious Man Booker InterIT SEEMS national Prize in 2017. The TO ME book, which was published RABBI JIM in Hebrew as ROSENBERG “Sus Echad Nichnas L’Bar” in 2014, was translated by Jessica Cohen. The narrative unfolds during the course of a few hours on an August night in a basement dive in a gritty industrial section of Netanya, a medium-size coastal city between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Dov Greenstein, an over-the-hill stand-up comic, who has turned 57 that very day, slowly unravels both psychologically and physically during his performance. What begins as a more or less normal, though caustic, routine, in which Dov badgers and insults his audience to comic effect, disintegrates into a semi-coherent confession of unresolved family conflict and painful recollections of emotional and physical abuse. Dov’s act is increasingly one of demonstrable self-loathing. He has been a failure in his three marriages, and his five children loathe him. He tells his audience, “Even the animals around the neighborhood made fun of me.” As the performance drags on, the audience – that is to say, we readers – becomes ever more repulsed by Dov’s story and at the same time ever more seduced by “the temptation to look into another man’s hell.” One by one, the men and women in the audience, fed up with Dov using them “to work out his hang-ups,” begin to walk out, abandoning him on his shabby stage. “A man’s voice grunts through the silence: ‘Listen, buddy, bottom line – are we going to get any comedy here tonight or not?’” Only two people remain until the bitter end: Avishai Lazar, a retired district judge, and Eurycleia, a midget who sometimes serves as a medium. Both of them knew Dov when he was growing up. Their very presence at his performance
forces him to resurrect deepening levels of pain. Eurycleia remembers Dov as “the boy who walked on his hands …. You were a good boy!” Disturbed that Dov’s routine seems to her “not funny” and “mean,” she challenges him with “Why are you like this?” – a question that brings out in Dov “[t]iny islets of compassion and decency.” By the end of the evening, Dov’s performance forces Avishai to confront his longrepressed memories of witnessing Dov being cruelly bullied at the Gadna training camp but being afraid to come to his friend’s defense. As Avishai gets ready to go home, he finds himself wrestling with his long-ago cowardice and failure of nerve. While Grossman’s novel is universal in its probings of human frailty, the author draws upon the particulars of the Israeli experience to intensify his reader’s sense of place. Thus, Dov’s monologue is saturated with Holocaust references. Words evoking the catastrophe, like indigestible nails, keep appearing in his stand-up routine: Goebels, Eichman, umshlagplatz (collection area where Nazis sent Jews off to the death camps), selekzia (the process by which Nazis selected who would live and who would die). Every Israeli witnessing Dov’s very public self-excoriation has heard air raid sirens at precisely 10 a.m. every April or May on Yom ha-Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and stopped what he or she was doing, then stood silently at attention for two minutes in respectful memory of the Six Million. Barely into his monologue, Dov informs his audience that his mother survived the Holocaust by hiding for six months in a tiny railroad car. He goes on to make them – and the readers – exceedingly uncomfortable by crossing the line of decency and attempting to joke about the Shoah, wondering out loud why his dad showed so little public affection for his mom: “Maybe it was because of her Holocaust, and the fact that he wasn’t in it, not even as an extra? I mean the guy not only didn’t get murdered, he wasn’t even injured in the Holocaust.” In putting these words in the mouth of his main character, Grossman dares to question
the role of the Holocaust in the Israeli psyche. Employing the literary device of Dov recalling his tortured and traumatic few days at Be’er Ora, the Gadna training camp that gives Israeli youth a foretaste of army life, Grossman also dares to question another of his nation’s sacred cows: the military. While the army is often deemed to be the great equalizer in Israel’s democracy, Dov recounts his experience as a 14-year-old at Gadna as hell on earth, a place where his peers bullied him without mercy while the adult army officers looked the other way. “A Horse Walks into a Bar” is not the kind of title that one would expect from a novelist as distinguished and sophisticated as David Grossman. Nevertheless, early on, the author hints at the significance of the title through Dov’s actions and words: “He lifts up his faded T-shirt, and a gasp passes through the room .…‘See this? Skin and bones. Mostly cartilage. I swear to God, if I were a horse, I’d be glue by now.’” Dov is the horse who walks into a bar. Later on, Grossman makes direct reference to his title: “A horse walks into a bar and asks the barman for a Goldstar ….” This time, an Israeli soldier is telling the joke to a 14-year-old Dov, who is being driven from his cut-short Gadna training at Be’er Ora to his mother’s funeral in Jerusalem. In his increasingly rambling and disjointed monologue – without ever getting to the punch line – Dov tells those who have not yet left that “this driver guy is prattling with his thousand and one nights, and all I want to do is get away from him.” The magic of Grossman’s storytelling is that he has created a profoundly flawed character, Dov Greenstein, who, even while driving almost everybody in his audience away with his interminable “prattling,” manages with both pathos and wisdom to pierce the heart of darkness, to uncover myriad meanings of human suffering and vulnerability. JAMES B. ROSENBERG is rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim, in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeritus@templehabonim.org.
COLUMNS | LETTERS POLICY
The Jewish Voice publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the editor (300 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 or the Alliance.
Send letters and op-eds to: The Jewish Voice, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906 or editor@ jewishallianceri.org. Include name, city of residence and a contact phone number or email (not for publication).
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OPINION
August 10, 2018 |
9
11 years after making aliyah, I come full circle as a writer BY DANIEL STIEGLITZ Every year since my aliyah (immigration to Israel) in 2007, there has been at least one event that stands out from all the others. This year’s distinguishing event was the realization of my lifelong dream of publishing a book.
LETTERS HOME DANIEL STIEGLITZ In August 2016, I saw an email in my inbox that I initially thought was spam. A publisher was reaching out to me, offering to publish a collection of my short stories. It seemed too good to be true. I scanned the words looking for “the catch” only to find that there was none. I investigated further and saw that the source of this e-mail, Hadassa Word Press, was a legitimate publishing company. The initial e-mail read, “We would like to cordially invite you to publish with Hadassa Word Press, the Jewish-Interest imprint of an international publishing group OmniScriptum GmbH. We publish literary fiction and creative nonfiction books with a focus on Jewish history, culture and contemporary society. We offer free publishing services for Jewish authors and our quality books [are] available worldwide.” I replied to the e-mail asking how they had found me. The answer was that they came across my column right here in The Jewish Voice! When I pointed out to them that my
genres of choice were fantasy and science fiction, without any kind of Jewish content, they replied, “We really admire your writing style, and your stories can be in the genre of science fiction or fantasy and don’t have to be Jewish themed.” I spent the next few months revising my manuscript; writing new stories, deciding which stories would make the final cut and editing to make sure they all flowed properly. Along the way, I was in touch with Elena Djima, acquisition editor at Hadassa. She was the person who originally reached out to me, and she was always very patient and clear when answering my questions along the way. Then there was a period of seemingly insurmountable writer’s block. So I broke from my routine and decided to spend six weeks back in Providence. My only goal during this hiatus was to finish the manuscript. Back in my childhood home,
The writer with his parents, Varda and Ezra Stieglitz. where my earliest stories first took shape in my imagination, whatever remaining writer’s block I had vanished, and the final draft of my manuscript was completed. Finally, in November 2017, I became a published author when my collection of short stories, “Tavern of the Mind,” was published. Before I had even received a copy of my own book, a literary group here in Jerusalem, known as Jerusalism, asked me to come to an event to read an excerpt from one of my stories. A friend who works at a publishing company asked me, “How many times were you rejected?” (It’s commonly known that even some of the most successful authors received dozens of rejections before being “discovered.”) I proudly answered, “Zero – the publisher found me.
LETTER Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI) was formed by grassroots Jews and Christians in support of the State of Israel, the Jewish people and JudeoChristian values. Because our conservative point of view is under-represented within RI’s “religious leadership” (e.g., the Jewish Alliance, the Board of Rabbis, the RI Council of Churches), this past spring we invited Adam Greenman, Alliance CEO, to meet. Through meeting and written communications with Mr. Greenman, we have explored the meaning of the Alliance’s commitment of “inclusiveness” of diverse opinions. Following the Alliance’s April co-sponsored program with J-Street involving the leftist organization Combat-
‘Hate Spaces’
ants for Peace, we proposed a co-sponsored public showing of the film “Hate Spaces,” a hard-hitting documentary on the dangerous rise of anti-Semitism on American campuses. This widely-acclaimed film, cosponsored/endorsed by at least four Federations, explores the occurrence and roots of vehement anti-Israel/anti-Semitic activities by students and faculty rarely seen in the mainstream media. Our proposal was rejected on the grounds of the film’s “tone and imagery,” criteria that pale before the fact of open discrimination against Jewish college students in America. As RICI is an active and informed voice against the BDS movement in RI, the Alliance ought to follow its own standard
of inclusiveness by openness toward RICI’s point of view. Unfortunately, rather than a jointly planned program, the Alliance has chosen to move ahead with planning a program presumably more palatable to liberal tastes. As an independent organization, RICI will arrange for a public showing of “Hate Spaces” this year. We urge all who are concerned about anti-Semitism and the anti-Israel attitudes being promulgated on America’s campuses to join us when it is scheduled. We remain open to future cooperation with the Alliance and all groups supportive of Israel. Mary Greene President Judi Dill Member, Advisory Board
Not the other way around.” In March, I was able to throw my very own book launch party, which my parents were able to attend. Friends and family came to help me celebrate my achievement and to buy copies of my book. So this article is my story of a writer coming full circle, at least for the time being. I began this column just a few months into my aliyah, back when every day of my new life had an adventure worth writing about. A few years later, I used my aliyah benefits to subsidize my education; I studied for and received a master’s degree in creative writing from Bar Ilan University. And this past year, after my articles in The Jewish Voice caught the attention of just the right people, all of these factors came together and made me a published
author. I’ve used this column for many things: to share my life and experiences, offer my opinions on the state of affairs in Israel as it relates to the greater Jewish world, and above all else, as a way to write letters to my childhood community. It has bookmarked my life in Israel, and now, it has helped me to be discovered by a larger audience. I thank you, all my readers, for it. I look forward to telling more stories, both personal and Israel-related, to all of you. DANIEL STIEGLITZ (dstieglitz@gmail.com) is a certified Life Coach who lives in Jerusalem. His collection of short stories, “Tavern of the Mind,” is available for paperback and Kindle purchase at Amazon. com (www.amzn.to/2Izssrz).
Australian Jewish leaders criticize Sky News for interview with far-right racist SYDNEY (JTA) – The Executive Council of Australian Jewry criticized Sky News Australia for airing an interview with a far-right racist who once advocated for the display of images of Hitler in schools. Blair Cottrell, the former leader of anti-immigration group United Patriots Front, was interviewed by a former chief minister of the Northern territory, Adam Giles. Cottrell was convicted last year of inciting contempt against Muslims after staging a mock beheading to protest the building of a mosque. The interview was widely criticized by the Australian media, including members of
the news team at Sky News. In response, news director Greg Byrnes posted a tweet that said Cottrell’s appearance was “wrong.” He announced the interview was removed from repeat time slots and online platforms. The co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Peter Wertheim, told JTA that “Sky has debased its brand by giving Cottrell its platform to spout his bigotry. Sky’s News Director Greg Byrnes was right to acknowledge that Cottrell should not have appeared on Sky, but Byrnes should have gone on to make a full and unreserved apology.”
10 | August 10, 2018
Ongoing Alliance Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch and program every weekday. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Noon lunch; 1 p.m. program. $3 lunch donation from individuals 60+ or under 60 with disabilities. Neal or Elaine, 401-421-4111, ext. 107. West Bay Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch and program every weekday. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. 11:15 a.m. program; noon lunch. $3 lunch donation from individuals 60+ or under 60 with disabilities. Steve, 401743-0009. Duplicate Bridge. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Mondays noon-2 p.m.: 0-20 masterpoint game. For less-experienced players. $5 per day. Mondays and Wednesdays noon-3 p.m.: Open stratified game for experienced players at all levels. $7 per day. Tuesdays and Fridays 11 a.m.-2 p.m: Open stratified game for players at all levels. $7 per day. Thursdays 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Guided play. Beginners and those seeking to hone skills play under the guidance of nationally known instructor Bart Buffington. $6 per day. Information, Bart Buffington at abarton295@ aol.com or 401-390-9244. “Bridging the Gap” with Rabbi Raphie. Wednesdays 8-8:45 p.m. Kollel Center for Jewish Studies, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Explore the development and refinement of our personalities through the eyes of the Mussar movement. Text is “Bridging the Gap.” Free. Information, rabbiraphie@gmail.com or 401-383-2786.
Friday | August 10 T.G.I.F. Thank G-D It’s Friday. 5:45-7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Shabbat songs and story with Rabbi Aaron Philmus followed by a free kid-friendly Shabbat dinner. Donations welcome. Information or to RSVP, Torat Yisrael Office at 401-885-6600. Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Service followed by Oneg. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.
Saturday | August 11 Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion and 9:45 a.m. service followed by light Kiddush. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.
Sunday | August 12 Providence Krav Maga & EP Martial Arts. 12-1 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Sundays through 9/9. Krav Maga is a form of Israeli self-defense. Information, Bart Axelrod at 401-489-3189. RI International Film Festival: Jewishthemed Films. 2:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. This film festival is a production of the nonprofit Flickers, The Newport Film Society & Arts Collaborative. The following short films will be screened: Robert Schulzmann’s documentary “Home” (Germany | German | 2017 | 35 min.), Justin Olstein’s narrative “The Visitor” (Australia | Polish | 2018 | 10 min.), Matan Rochlitz’s documentary “I Have a Message for You” (Italy | French | 2017 | 13 min.), Katia Lom’s narrative
CALENDAR “Triptych” (United Kingdom | English | 2018 | 8 min.) and Randall Christopher’s documentary “The Driver Is Red” (United States| English | 2017 | 15 min.). Tickets $10 (plus $1.34 service fee). Information, film-festival.org. RI International Film Festival: Jewishthemed Films. 5 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. This film festival is a production of the nonprofit Flickers, The Newport Film Society & Arts Collaborative. The following two documentaries will be screened: Bill Kirstein’s “Oma” (United States| English | 2017 | 15 min.) and Elizabeth Rynecki’s “Chasing Portraits” (United States| English | 2018 | 78 min.). Tickets $10 (plus $1.34 service fee). Information, film-festival.org. A Night Under the Stars with The Reggie Centracchio Quintet. 6-7:30 p.m. The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick. Enjoy outdoor musical entertainment. Bring refreshments, lawn chairs and blankets. Parking available at Wave Federal Credit Union, Girl Scouts of RI and on Shalom Drive. Rain date: 8/19. Information, Susan Adler at susana@ tamariskri.org or 401-732-0037, ext. 104.
The Jewish Voice Screening of film and discussion led by Providence College professors Jennifer Illuzzi (History department) and Arthur Urbano (Theology department). See story below. Information, Dr. Arthur P. Urbano at 401-865-1351.
Jodi Sullivan at office@templehabonim. org or 401-245-6536. Shabbat Under the Stars. 7 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Gather on the Julie Claire Gutterman Biblical Garden patio to greet Shabbat with song and stories. Following the service, celebrate summer birthdays and enjoy special summer treats. Information, Temple Beth-El office at 401-331-6070.
Wednesday | August 22 Game Night: Mah Jongg, Canasta and Table Tennis. 7-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Free. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.
Saturday | August 25
Friday | August 24
Congregation Beth David’s Summer Series: Jonathan Edwards. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Narragansett Community Center, 63 Mumford Road, Narragansett. An award-winning folk/country performer, Jonathan has recorded 17 albums, including his latest, “Tomorrow’s Child.” Cost: $40. Information, Frank Prosnitz at frank.prosnitz@gmail.com or 401935-9890.
Temple Habonim’s Erev Shabbat Service. 6:15-7:30 p.m. Barrington Beach, 87 Bay Road, Barrington. In case of rain, outdoor services will be canceled, and services will be held in the THB Sanctuary. Notice posted on the Temple website, on Facebook and a message on the Temple phone system. Information,
Sunday | August 26 “Mean What You Pray” Workshop: Making Jewish Prayer Meaningful through Theater Techniques. 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Presented and directed by Jason Slavick of JMS Coaching. Third of six workshops, using basic acting exercises. Each workshop is different – join any or all. Participants welcome from all streams of Judaism. Funded by an Innovation Grant from the Jewish Alliance of Greater RI. Information, Alan Krinsky at adkrinksy@netzero.net. Providence Krav Maga & EP Martial Arts. 12-1 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Sundays through 9/9. Krav Maga is a form of Israeli self-defense. Information, Bart Axelrod at 401-489-3189.
Wednesday | August 15 Game Night: Mah Jongg, Canasta and Table Tennis. 7-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Free. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.
Saturday | August 18 Ten Pins Bowl-a-thon Fundraiser for ALYN Hospital. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. AMF Cranston Lanes, 1450 Elmwood Ave., Cranston. Help a child with his or her medical and rehabilitation care at ALYN Hospital/ALYN Woldenberg Family Hospital, Israel’s only pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation facility. Bowling (up to 3 hours), music, raffles, activities and more. “9 no tap” format will add excitement to the day: Bowl a 9, receive a strike. $15 adults | $8 children 12 & under | $45 for a family lane (2 adults max. and up to 4 children, limit of 6 bowlers) | $50 for an adult-only lane (5 max.). Information, Paul Medeiros at MadMoose1211@yahoo.com, 401-2067693 or madmoose1211.wixsite.com/ alyn-ride-2017/10-pins-for-alyn-bowla-thon.
Sunday | August 19 Providence Krav Maga & EP Martial Arts. 12-1 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Sundays through 9/9. Krav Maga is a form of Israeli self-defense. Information, Bart Axelrod at 401-489-3189.
Tuesday | August 21 Alzheimer’s Monthly Support Group. 6-7:30 p.m. Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick. Robert E.P. Elmer III, Master Trainer in Alzheimer’s Care, holds a monthly support group. Each session gives caretakers the opportunity to share and learn about the challenges and successes of dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. Upcoming dates: 10/16, 11/20. Information, Sean Ledford at seanl@ tamariskri.org or 401-732-0037. Documentary “Sons of Providence: The Jewish History of Providence College, 1917-1965.” 7 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.
New film about Jewish students at PC to screen at JCC academically and socially. The documentary “Sons of Providence: The Jewish History of Providence College, 19171965,” features interviews with Jewish alumni, faculty and experts as they reflect on PC’s history and the experiences of Jews at the young, Catholic college. The documentary places this story within the context of the larger historical and religious issues of the era, culminating with the Second Vatican Council in 1965 when the Catholic Church radically redefined
How many people might you recognize in a new documentary, which will be shown at the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence on Aug. 21? In the first half of the 20th century, Providence College was a welcoming haven for Jewish students in Providence and southern New England. Despite the prevailing anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiment of the period, the Irish Dominicans of PC established an atmosphere where Jews could thrive
its relationship with the Jewish people in the wake of the Shoah. The film was produced by Dr. Jennifer Illuzzi (History) and Dr. Arthur Urbano (Theology) of Providence College, who will moderate a discussion following the film. “Sons of Providence” will be screened at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 at the Dwares JCC. For more information, please contact Urbano at aurbano@providence.edu. There is no admission charge, and pre-registration is not required.
Coming up in The Voice Preparing for the High Holy Days
We’ll have recipes for your table and activities for your mind. Find out about new children’s books. Learn how to make beautiful greeting cards. Read about the ways area rabbis prepare for Rosh Hashanah.
As the days of summer wane
We’ll feature more photos from the summer of 2018
Let us hear from you
We always welcome your photos, suggestions and stories: editor@jewishallianceri.org or The Jewish Voice, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.
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COMMUNITY
August 10, 2018 |
11
Jewish encounters in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle BY SHAI AFSAI and DAVID CEDOR The chances of two traditional, Hebrew-speaking Jewish men, one from Rhode Island and the other from Arizona, winding up in West Virginia for the recent National Endowment for the Humanities’ “Voices from the Misty Mountains and the Power of Storytelling” summer institute for teachers is surely quite slim. We were part of a group of 25 teachers from around the country meeting for three weeks in July to explore Appalachian music, literature, theater arts, culture, and folk and musical arts. Based in Shepherdstown, the institute was led by Sylvia Shurbutt, an English professor and head of Shepherd University’s Appalachian Studies Program. While there, we decided to explore Jewish life in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. To many Jews, even those living in West Virginia, the notion of Appalachian Jews seems improbable. One of the first Jews we met was Marjorie Weingold, who invited us to her home and told us about life in Shepherdstown, where she has lived since 1990. “A project on the Jews of Appalachia? My first thought was: ‘Well, that’s going to be skimpy,’” Weingold said after offering us ice-cold seltzer. “I can’t even think of Jewish people in relation to Appalachia. I can’t imagine Jewish people living in Appalachia. I mean, where would they come from? I don’t feel like I’m living in Appalachia.” Before long, Weingold was describing how she and other area Jews are shaping and growing the town’s annual Contemporary American Theater Festival. Shepherdstown’s 180-seat Marinoff Theater is named in recognition of a legacy endowment gift from Stanley Marinoff and in memory of his late wife Shirley, who was active in forming the CATF. A few days later, Shepherdstown storyteller and musician Adam Booth, who founded the town’s monthly “Speak” storytelling series in 2013, offered us a different perspective on Appalachian Jewish identity as we sat sipping Arnold Palmers on a Sunday afternoon. “Central to my work is letting others know about the people of Appalachia and dispelling the notion that Appalachia is all white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. I’m living proof of this. My family is half Jewish,” Booth told us. “It’s central, and a lot draws on me being able to look back on my childhood and draw on my upbringing in Appalachia,” he said, recounting his youth
Shai Afsai, left, and David Cedor. in Huntington, West Virginia. “There was an image that the outside [world] was feeding me, an idea that Appalachia was a homogenous area. And it’s not. I’m a representation of that.” Booth explained how the Speak series began. “In 2013, I rented the Shepherdstown Community Club for seven times over eight months. I called up my friends around here and asked them if they would come out and tell stories. I sold tickets to pay the storytellers. By the end of the first season of the story series, I could tell people were asking if it would happen again. This is our sixth season of the series.” We realized that though the Jewish community of the Eastern Panhandle was not large, it exerted an outsized cultural influence in the area, including in theater and storytelling. This influence was also apparent when we, along with Professor Shurbutt, visited the nearby city of Martinsburg. We were met at the Berkeley County Historical Society by its president, Todd Funkhouser, and its curator, Carol Appenzellar. After some pleasantries, and some joshing about one of us being a northerner, Funkhouser commenced an account of Jewish influence in Martinsburg. “I think the Jewish community was an indicator of the city’s artistic and cultural enhancement. The Martinsburg community’s artistic and cultural enhancement rose and fell with the Jewish community. There were once more than three dozen Jewish businesses in downtown Martinsburg. They brought theater and the library,” Funkhouser said. “The Jewish community invested in the civic institutions and gave their time to the government institutions. They were pillars of the community. They invested back into the community. Not like Walmart. When the synagogue closed,
that was the end of the Jewish community,” he lamented. Funds from the dissolved congregation were donated to parks and libraries in the area. The Berkeley County Historical Society has a Jewish History Room, which houses a permanent exhibit that chronicles Jewish life in Martinsburg and displays artifacts from the closed synagogue. Funkhouser and Appenzellar also took us to the Research and Archives Center next door and showed us some of its many documents related to the Jewish community. After leaving the historical society, we headed to the Martinsburg home of Hannah Geffert, a civil rights activist, historian and retired professor. Over iced tea and homemade cupcakes, she spoke about Jewish life in Martinsburg. “The Jewish families were very integrated into the community. There was a Jewish mayor,” Geffert said, referring to Gene Diamond, who served for three terms, from 1972 to 1978. “One of the biggest social events here was the Purim Ball. Everyone in town would go. It was a big event for the area.” “The downtown had lots of little stores – clothing stores, doctors’ offices,” she continued. “These stores were all Jewish. The rise and fall of downtown Martinsburg was connected to the rise and fall of the Jewish community. When Walmart came in, it shut down downtown.” Geffert also spoke with us about Jewish Appalachian identity. “I’ve lived in Appalachia most of my adult life. You know, there is a question of how much this is Appalachia. But yes, I feel very much like an Appalachian. My home is West Virginia. “I’m a southerner. All my children know how to say ‘yes, ma’am,’ ‘no, ma’am,’ ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ And they all
live in the south, but one. “Jews are different here from those in other parts of the country. Jews growing up here are very involved in the experience of the community, especially if you raise your children here. The attitudes are different, not because we are Jews, but because of the larger community.” Geffert elaborated on this distinctiveness: “Jews here tend to be more pro-gun ownership, to go hunting, to go fishing. I very much believe in self-defense and gun-ownership, after the Holocaust. If I go down, I’m going to go down fighting! I have two boys who served in the military, a daughter whose long-time romance was in the military and a niece who was in the U.S. Marine Corps. One of my boys is a state trooper.” We were in search of a Jew-
ish Appalachia and we believe we found it, as well as a sense of community with the Jews we met. The storytellers we encountered opened their hearts and minds to us, sharing their narratives. They embraced us and thereby enabled us to embrace the region in its diversity and complexity. We thank the National Endowment for the Humanities for sponsoring and funding our participation in the institute and Sylvia Shurbutt for her support and assistance. SHAI AFSAI (ggbi@juno.com) lives in Providence. DAVID CEDOR (davidcedor@ hotmail.com) lives in Avondale, Arizona. His grandfather and uncles were Pennsylvania coal miners who raised their families in Appalachia.
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12 | August 10, 2018
The Jewish Voice
PHOTOS | M. CHARLES BAKST
Micole Piazza
FROM PAGE 1
| ROME
in for the Kosher restaurants and bakeries. Some send their kids to the day school. And of course the synagogue draws crowds on Shabbat and the holidays. “We always find an excuse to come over here,’’ Piazza says. She says Jews don’t call this area the ghetto. They call it “the piazza,’’ or just “Piazza.’’ Her family name stems from that term. Piazza, who is 41 and spent a year studying at Boston University, works for Jewish Roma, a walking tour company. She is personable and informative, with a nice touch, especially with folks from the United States. Here she describes contrasting life styles: “In America, it’s like if you were born in New York, go to study in Minnesota, you work in California and you end up your life in Boca Raton…” She chuckles. “That is the American Jew-
ish story. In Italy, the people are born, live and die in this city. We don’t have this mentality of moving. No. An Italian Jewish mother wants to keep her kids close…I’m sure that your kids live very far away from you…I live between my mother and my mother-in-law.” In the 16th century, Pope Paul IV forced all Jews into the ghetto near a smelly fish market hard by the flood-prone Tiber River. They were surrounded by Catholic churches, and over the centuries were pressed to convert – even forced to go to church and endure the sermons. Still, they persevered, maintaining a complex of five synagogues. You can see artifacts from those old congregations in the Jewish Museum of Rome. It is in the basement of the Great Synagogue, which was completed in 1904, 34 years after the unification of Italy and the end of confinement in the
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Receipts for gold gathered from Jews and non-Jews and on display at the museum. ghetto. The museum includes magnificent torah covers, rimonim, art work and other treasures. I liked a detail Piazza pointed out. One tableau depicts a Shabbat dinner table, replete with a plastic challah. During Passover, she reports, the challah is replaced by plastic matzah. The museum reaches deeply into the history of Rome’s Jews, which stretches back over 2,000 years. What may be the most poignant exhibit is from a much more recent time: the German occupation that began in September 1943. The Nazis soon demanded – in a meeting right in this building – that within 36 hours the Jewish community collect and turn over 110 pounds of gold – such as rings – or else deportations would begin. With the help of gentiles, the goal was met. Here in a display case are receipts given to those who donated. (As if the gold wasn’t enough, the Germans later seized the receipts as well.) The promise of no deportations was, of course, a lie. Indeed, shortly before the Oct. 16 roundup, a Catholic woman who knew Piazza’s father’s family, aware of Nazi brutality in other countries, warned them not to trust the Germans. The family was too poor to have contributed to the gold collection, so they became especially fearful. During our tour last month, Piazza brought us to a 300-yearold building. She stood in front of a set of reinforced wooden doors. A clothing shop now uses the space inside for storage. But in 1943 it was a stable owned by
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the Catholic woman. She told Piazza’s grandmother to grab her kids – including Piazza’s father, Vittorio, not yet 7 – and hide in a basement beneath a trap door in her stable. “This Catholic lady gave them food, water, medicine, clothing – all the things they needed – and she risked her life to save them,” Piazza said. The family hid for more than seven months, until around Rome’s liberation on June 4, 1944. In several spots in the old ghetto you see embedded in the pavement shiny metal markers, or “stumble stones.’’ They also are found elsewhere in the city and in other countries. They mark the places where Nazi victims once lived. They list names, birth year, date of capture, the concentration camp they were sent to, and, often, the date of death. In one spot in the ghetto, we came upon markers for 12 people swept up by the roundup – 10 of them with last name of Sabatello. For Roman Jews, said Piazza, the era is “still burning in our souls.’’ There are all kinds of stories from the occupation, according to Piazza. Her mother was not yet born, but Piazza says her maternal grandmother and family survived by hiding in the countryside. Many youngsters were sheltered in convents – and were baptized. “I know a lot of people who have Jewish last names, but they’re not Jews at all.’’ Most of the buildings that have survived in the old ghetto are from the 18th and 19th centuries. On a wall you can see a
striped imprint where one of the gates stood. Jews, confined to such occupations as pawnbrokers and rag dealers, could circulate beyond the gates during the day but had to be back at night when the gates closed. Visiting the ghetto area afforded my wife, Elizabeth, and me an opportunity to sample some appealing cuisine. We stopped in a bakery that makes “Jewish pizza’’ – a fabulous dense pastry with almonds and candied fruit – and later ate in a restaurant serving the traditional treat of Jewish fried artichokes. The most impressive destination had to be the 1,000-seat Orthodox Great Synagogue with its soaring square dome. Piazza points out its 12 imposing columns representing the 12 tribes, the rainbowed ceiling that promises no more floods, the sand-colored walls reminiscent of the 40 years in the desert, the three balcony sections for women, plus one on ground level for handicapped ladies. In 1986, John Paul II came here, the first recorded visit of a pope to a temple. Subsequent popes have followed. This synagogue has a feature I’d never seen before. In front of the rows of seats are wooden drawers – lockers of sorts. Piazza explained that Rome has no eruv. You pay for one of these drawers, and you don’t have to carry your prayer book and tallit on Shabbat – you can keep them right here. M. CHARLES BAKST is a retired Providence Journal political columnist.
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WORLD
August 10, 2018 |
13
FROM PAGE 1
SHABBAT by snow. Actually it’s marble. Near the soccer stadium, turn right at Number 34, and there you are. A few steps onto the grounds, a small blackboard bears a Hebrew greeting: “Blessed are you who come.” I walked from the nearby hotel where my wife, Elizabeth, and I were staying. Many folks arrived on bicycles, a standard method of transportation in this town of masonry houses, terra cotta roofs and a relaxed pace of life – in our case centered on the sun, sand, surf and pasta entrées at the Bonaccia beach club. At Beit Nessim, about 35 men, dressed neatly but in most cases jacketless and tieless, attended the service. It was hard to count precisely because they often moved around. I roamed a couple of times to check whether anyone had turned up in the women’s section. No one did, but I was assured women do attend on Saturday mornings. The synagogue draws on Jews who happen to be vacationing in Forte dei Marmi or passing through. Metta originally lived in Lebanon, leaving behind the devastating civil strife there years ago. Indeed, most of the worshippers have Lebanese or Syrian backgrounds. I met a man who started out in Egypt, is an anesthesiologist in Florence, and makes it to Beit Nessim several times a summer. A man from Brazil was on hand, and sometimes Russians, an in-
BY ZIBBY OWENS (Kveller via JTA) – I observe Shabbat every Friday night. Well, kind of. I mean, I try to. I’d like to. But with four kids and all the summery stuff we try to pack into three short months, it can get pretty tricky for a busy, modestly observant family like mine. I do a much better job in the winter, when the sky darkens before I can even get in my afternoon coffee fix. Sundown just seems more prominent in the daily schedule in those dark months. During the school year, when it’s Friday evening, out comes the challah, the candlesticks, the wine. With the summer’s late sunsets, Shabbat seems to be less on our radar. Still, I like to keep the tradition alive. So over the years, I’ve developed some tricks and tips to have that Shabbat feeling, stress-free summertime style. Here they are. 1. Pre-order or pre-purchase the challah. If I purchase the challah early enough in the day, the
Alberto Galante creasing presence in Forte dei Marmi, show up. After preliminary prayers, the gabbai, Alberto Galante, 65, a Milan businessman, took charge of the service. In a black suit, broadbrimmed hat and dark tie, he certainly looked the part, or my idea of the part. The prayer book was in Hebrew, with instructions or footnotes in Italian. Most daveners seemed almost to know the prayers by heart. There was no sermon. Except for some announcements in Italian at the end, the service was a rapid-fire blur of Hebrew. Occasionally I would recognize a phrase or word, like Lecha Dodi or Aleinu, but most of the service whizzed by me, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, men often swaying or leaning forward. Occasionally I turned to neighbors to see what page we were on. They were always helpful – and then I’d fall behind again. Someone thoughtfully offered me an English
The summer synagogue in the Tuscan beach town of Forti dei Marmi. siddur, but I still couldn’t keep track of where we were. Still, I absorbed the ambience. I sat in a row just outside the main worship area, which, among other things, afforded me an excellent view of the tallit-like fringe that adorned the awning. At one point in the service, in a moment reminiscent of chanting the blessings over a kiddush cup, Galante, the gabbai, picked up an ornate silver chalice filled with rosemary. He caressed the sprigs, touching them to his face.
Then, a young man circulated with a plastic bottle and offered to squeeze a few drops of cologne into the palms of the congregants. I welcomed it. Galante told me later that these gestures reflect a belief that you receive a second soul on Shabbat and it needs to be nourished and refreshed. When the service ended, host Metta urged me to stay on with some other guests and his family – women and children included – for a magnificent outdoor supper presented by his gracious wife, Paola, including
7 hacks to make Shabbat in the summer easier soft, doughy carbtastic creation will whisper my name from the counter and not let me forget it come dinnertime. There’s a farmstand near our summer rental that bakes its own challah, and I have a standing order. I usually remember to pick it up, though sometimes my babysitter does in the middle of the kids’ dinner. We get two challahs each week: one for Friday night Shabbat dinner, one for Saturday morning French toast. Yum. 2. Put out the candlesticks early. Like, right after breakfast. You won’t have to remember to remember them – they’ll be ready and waiting in your kitchen or dining room all day. Pro tip: The next time you’re dining at a restaurant, snag a few matchbooks, too, which will obviate the need for a last-minute lighter/matches hunt. (But be warned: I recently snagged a few matchbooks only to find out – at the last minute – that they were really tiny scratchpads. Who needs paper that small?!) 3. Sundown, shmundown.
Does the sun ever set in the summer? There have been a few recent nights I’ve had to force myself to stay awake until it does. If we waited until the sun set every Friday, we’d be having a midnight challah feast. So instead of “three stars in the sky” and all that, we welcome Shabbat whenever it works best for us. 4. Come as you are. With four kids and a sun that’s still blazing when it’s time for the little ones to go to bed, I can’t get my act together for a fancy Friday night dinner. So I’ve given up on formalities. Wear your jammies, wear your
bathing suits. Whatever. 5. Ask good questions. There have been a few weeks when I’ve forgotten Shabbat until the very last minute – mostly because I’ve forgotten that it’s even Friday. On those nights, even if we don’t have candles and challah, we maintain our Shabbat tradition of going around the table and answering the question “What are we grateful to God for this week?” The answer can be anything: health, happiness, the new stuffed animal, ice cream. I enjoy witnessing my kids’ emotional development as their answers change from “Mickey
individual challahs and a dizzying array of such dishes as hummus, branzino (Mediterranean sea bass), chicken with eggplant, and brisket with rice. When I finally got up to leave, she told me I would always be welcome to return. “When you need us,” she said, “we’re here.” M. CHARLES BAKST of Providence, a retired Journal political columnist, is a member of Reform Temple Habonim in Barrington.
Mouse” and “my eyeballs” to things like “my family was all together for my birthday.” 6. Better late than never. If you happen to be a day late and realize you’ve forgotten to welcome Shabbat, just do it right then. Light the candles. Say the blessings. Eat the challah. Drink the wine. This is not hardship duty! So even if it happens to be Sunday night, just take a moment to stop and thank God. God will likely understand. And if not, well, there’s still bread and wine. 7. Invite friends. If you invite another family over for Shabbat dinner, you definitely won’t forget. Welcoming Shabbat together is an intimate and a warm experience; it doesn’t have to be formal or perfect. So gather friends together and thank God for them, too. ZIBBY OWENS is a freelance writer and mother of four in New York City. She also co-authored the book “Your Perfect Fit” (McGraw-Hill). Follow her on Instagram @zibbyowens.
14 | August 10, 2018
BY LEV POPLOW Wednesday, July 21, dawned as a beautiful summer morning, the kind of day when most Rhode Islanders would go to the beach if they could. Instead, approximately 125 women went to Ledgemont Country Club, in Seekonk, to support the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center (SBHEC). What brought the women indoors was SBHEC’s Annual Luncheon and Card Party Fund Raiser. As they arrived, it seemed like a reunion of old friends as they caught up with one another while browsing through the jewelry, handbags, scarves and other items at the boutique vendor tables prior to lunch. May-Ronny Zeidman, SBHEC’s executive director, was overjoyed by the turnout and declared, “This is largest one yet! We are so grateful to Sandra Bornstein for hosting and being the driving force behind this event.” After lunch, and before the games began, SBHEC board member Myrna Aronson told the crowd about the mission of the organization that they had come to support. She then introduced SBHEC President Edward Newman, who briefly spoke about the importance of
COMMUNITY
The Jewish Voice
Holocaust center fundraiser is a win-win
PHOTO | LEV POPLOW
At the card table (left to right): Susan Kaplan, Sandra Bornstein, Bonnie Dwares, Patty Alperin and Phyllis Dressler. Holocaust education and how, with rising nationalism around the world, it is more relevant than ever to ensure that Never Again truly means Never Again. Then it was time for bridge, canasta, mahjong and Scrabble.
Throughout the afternoon, raffle prizes were also awarded to the players, who generously purchased hundreds of tickets. As the event wound down, everyone agreed it felt good to raise funds for a serious and important cause while also having
a great time. The Bornstein Center gratefully acknowledges the volunteers who helped throughout the day and thanks the women whose donations made the event a success.
LEV POPLOW is a communications consultant who writes for the Bornstein Holocaust Center. He can be reached at levpoplow@gmail.com.
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June 22, 2018 |
FOOD
15
Everyone will enjoy these creative, delicious recipes BY CYNTHIA BENJAMIN Millennials comprise the largest generation in American history – and, not surprisingly, they have their own way of doing things and thinking. At 80 million strong, it’s also not surprising that they are influencing every aspect of American life, from the media we watch to the way we handle money, live, move and eat. So, it was just a matter of time before millennial thinking arrived in the Kosher world, leading to “Millennial Kosher: Recipes Reinvented for the Modern Palate” (Artscroll/Shaar Press, $34.99). Written by Chanie Apferbaum, the creator of the wildly popular cultural food blog Busy in Brooklyn (www.busyinbrooklyn.com), this handsome volume has glossy full-page photographs and 150 recipes that speak to millennials’ insistence on fresh, seasonal ingredients, a minimum of sugar and processed foods, international flavors and plenty of visual appeal (after all, this is the generation that takes photos of its meals and posts them on social media). Apferbaum grew up in a Kosher home in Brooklyn, New York, and writes in the cookbook that she likes to joke that “all traditional Jewish food is brown. Gefilte fish, golden chicken soup with matzah balls, roast chicken, potato kugel and brisket – all beige and monochrome!” This will not do for Apferbaum, whose entry into the culinary world was through food styling. She notes, “People eat with their eyes first.” In addition to appearance, Apferbaum focuses on lightening up Kosher cooking, which tends to make liberal use of sugar and heavy carbs. “There’s a reason we all want to take a nap after our Shabbos cholent!” she writes. This cookbook will also introduce many older cooks to spices and seasonings that millennials have grown to love in their globalized and diverse world and through the internet. But as knowledgeable as this generation is about international flavors, they, famously, know very little about cooking because they spend so much time in the virtual world – and because of their overscheduled childhoods and indulgent baby boomer parents. To address this, Apferbaum starts her cookbook with sections on tools and equipment, ingredients and tips. This will also prove useful for older cooks, who might not be familiar with gochujang (Korean fermented red chili paste, it is both sweet and spicy) and freekeh grains, or even avocado oil and mirin (rice cooking wine). And, trust me, cooks of all ages will want this remarkable cookbook because the recipes are creative, delicious and, of-
Directions
ten, quite easy. Still, as a baby boomer myself, I had to laugh to find in the first section, labeled “Staples,” recipes for Preserved Lemons, Fire-Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Quick Pickled Onions. Really? These are staples? Well, honestly, once you taste them, they very well might become new staples in your kitchen. But if you’re feeling less adventurous, you’ll also find Tahini Two Ways and One-Bowl Honey Challah. The next section, Breakfast & Brunch, also combines tradition with some of millennials’ favorite things, resulting in recipes such as Ramen Shakshuka and Green, Eggs & Latke. From there, it’s on to appetizers, salad and spreads, soups, fish, poultry, meat, meatless meals, dairy, sides, cakes, pies and tarts, sweets and treats, and savory snacks. In short, there are recipes for everything from soup to nuts – literally, as millennials are fond of saying.
Honey Roasted Za’atar Chicken with Dried Fruit Yield 4-5 servings Freezer friendly When I finally decided to take the cookbook plunge, my biggest challenge was figuring out which “best of the blog” recipes to feature – there are just so many! I’m proud to say that this recipe hooked hundreds of people onto the Middle Eastern spice blend, za’atar. I use it on pita chips, roasted chickpeas, hummus, shakshuka, and garlic confit.
Ingredients
10 ounces dried apricots (scant 2 cups) 10 ounces pitted dried prunes
(scant 2 cups) 3 tablespoons za’atar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 chicken legs, skinon 1 ⁄2 cup dry red wine Kosher salt, to taste 1 ⁄3 cup honey
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread apricots and prunes into a 9×13-inch pan. In a bowl, combine za’atar and olive oil to create a paste. Rub the za’atar paste over chicken; place chicken on dried fruit. Pour wine around the chicken; sprinkle with salt. Cover tightly with foil; bake for 1 hour. Uncover the pan. Drizzle the chicken with honey. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 30-45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the pan juices.
Ramen Shakshuka
Yield: 3 servings Ah, shakshuka, you are my all-time favorite breakfast. I love changing you up with different ingredients, and serving you for brunch, placing the pan right in the middle of the table, family style. I’ve created so many variations of shakshuka on my blog over the years — from garbanzo bean shakshuka to spaghetti squash shakshuka, eggplant shakshuka, and even Mexican quinoa shakshuka. This ramen-based recipe is a super-simplified version, so you can make it with very few ingredients on hand.
Ingredients
2 cups marinara sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha 1 1/2 cups water 2 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles, flavoring packets discarded 6 eggs 2 scallions, sliced 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
In a skillet, bring marinara sauce, sriracha and water to a simmer. Add ramen noodles; cook until noodles start to soften, about 2 minutes. Flip noodles; continue to cook until the block of ramen loosens, another 2 minutes. (Don’t worry if they are not cooked through; they will continue to cook along with the eggs.) With a spoon, make a well in the sauce. Crack an egg into a small bowl; gently slide it into the well. Repeat, one by one, making wells and sliding in remaining eggs. Cover the skillet; cook until egg whites are set, 4-5 minutes. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately. Recipes and photos are reprinted with permission from “Millennial Kosher” by Chanie Apfelbaum CYNTHIA BENJAMIN is an editor, writer and chef. She is a member of Congregation B’nai Israel, in Woonsocket.
16 | August 10, 2018
COMMUNITY
Fun abounds at this summer’s J-Camp
Summer
2018 at J-camp might be winding down, but the camp season has been HOT. J-Camp had the greatest number of campers attend the most weeks of camp ever. We are thankful for the campers, parents and staff who helpted to make this summer so successful. Without the support of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s Annual Campaign, many campers would not have had the scholarship opportunities for an unforgettable summer. These dollars gave the community’s children the gift of a memorable camp experience.
The Jewish Voice
August 10, 2018 |
jvhri.org
f our
ing o l p m a s a
FALL 2018 CLASS GUIDE
Dwares Rhode Island
Get a taste of what we have in store for you this fall at the JCC! Visit jewishallianceri.org/ClassGuide to view the full Class Guide
OM Kids Yoga: Downward Facing Puppies Ages: strong walkers - 3 Session 1 Thursdays, 10:30 - 11:15 September 6 - October 25 8 classes Price: $144 | Members $130 Session 2 Thursdays, 10:30am November 1 - December 20 7 classes No class: November 22 Price: $126 | Members $114 Tiny Tikes Soccer Clinic Ages: 2 - 5 Tuesdays, 1:15 - 2:00pm October 9 - November 13 6 Classes | Minimum enrollment: 6 Price: $125 | Members: $100 Price includes a uniform and ball! Preschool Pottery Ages: 4 - 5 Wednesdays, 2:30 - 3:30pm September 12 - December 19 14 classes | No class: Sept. 19 Price: $237 | Members: $182 ECC students: $128 ID: 2208 Rock-A-Baby Session I Mondays, 4:00pm August 27 - October 15 5 Classes No class: September 3, 10, October 9 Price: $99 | Members: $89 Price with sibling 6 months and up: $149 | Members: $134 Tuesdays, 9:30am, 10:30am August 28 - October 16 7 Classes No class: September 11 Price: $138 | Members: $124 Price with sibling 6 months and up: $207 | Members: $187 Wednesdays, 9:30am, 10:30am, 3:45pm, 4:45pm August 29 - October 17 7 Classes | No class: Sept. 19 Price: $138 | Members: $124 Price with sibling 6 months and up: $207 | Members: $187
Children Grades K - 5
Tweens & Teens
Fitness for Adults
Youth Karate Workshop Grades: 1 - 5 Mondays, 4:00 - 4:45pm October 15 - November 26 6 classes | No class: November 12 Price: $100 | Members: $60
CPR/First Aid Grades: 6+ Saturdays, 8:00 - 11:00am October 20 and 27 (must attend both classes) Price: $115 | Members: $80
Youth Basketball Fundamentals Grades: 2 - 5 Wednesdays, 4:00 - 4:45pm September 12 - October 24 6 classes | No class: Sept. 19 Price: $100 | Members: $60
Tuesdays, 6:00 - 8:00pm October 30, November 6, and November 13 (must attend all three classes) Price: $115 | Members: $80
Men’s Adult Basketball League Ages: 21+ Thursdays, 6:30pm, 7:30pm, & 8:30pm September 13 - December 13 13 weeks | No games: November 22 Minimum enrollment: 6 teams Price: $900 per team
Pottery & Sculpture 1 Grades: K - 2 Wednesdays, 4:00 - 5:00pm September 12 - December 19 14 classes | No class: Sept. 19 Price: $237 | Members: $182 Israeli Music Grades: K - 2 and 3 - 5 Grades: K - 2 Thursdays, 4:15 - 5:00pm September 13 - December 20 14 classes Price: $182 | Members: $140 Grades: 3 - 5 Mondays, 5:00 - 5:45pm September 13 - December 20 14 classes Price: $182 | Members: $140 Om Yoga: Peace Warriors Grades: 1-3 Session 1 Tuesdays, 6:00 - 7:15pm September 4 – October 23 6 classes No class: September 11, 18 Price: $108 | Members: $98
Aquatics Aqua Fit | 18+ Price: $18 | Members: FREE Deep Water Workout | 18+ Price: $18 | Members: FREE Water Walking | 18+ Price: $18 | Members: FREE PLUS: Learn-to-Swim Program Lap Swim Times | All Ages Family Swim | All Ages
More class options, days, and timess avaailable at jewishallianceri.org !
Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers
Teen Basketball Pick-Up Sundays, 10:00 - 11:00am September 16 - December 9 12 classes | No class: November 11 Minimum enrollment: 4 Price: $60 | Members: $30 Pottery & Sculpture 3 Grades: 6+ Wednesdays, 3:30 - 4:15pm September 12 - December 19 14 classes No class: Sept. 19 Price: $237 | Members $182 Teen Leadership & Philanthropy (TLP) Grades 8 - 12 Join us for an Information Session on Super Sunday, September 16 from 10:30am - 1:00pm. Sundays, 1:00 - 3:30pm Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 10, March 10, April 14 & May 19 Price: $175 | Members: $145
Pickleball League Ages: 18+ Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:00pm September 25 - November 27 10 weeks Price: $100 per person Members: $60 per person Drop-in: $5 per person Thursdays, 1:30 - 2:45pm September 27 - November 29 10 weeks | No class: Nov. 22 Price: $50 per person Members: $30 per person Drop-in: $5 per person Women’s Running Club Ages: 16+ Wednesdays, 5:30 - 6:30pm Year round program; rolling admission Sept. 17, 2018 - Sept. 13, 2019 Price $180 | Members: $140 Indoor Rowing Ages: 16+ Mondays & Wednesdays, 9:00am Year round program; rolling admission Price: $100 quarterly Members: $75 quarterly or $200 per year
TigerSharks Swim Club Ages: 6 - 18 (Competitive) Monday - Thursday (as many or as few as you like) October 1, 2018 – March 7, 2019 RIMA FEE: $20
ASK US ABOUT PERSONAL TRAINING!
Level 1: 4:30 - 5:30pm Enrollment Fee: $275 Members : $195 Monthly Price: $85 | Members: $55
Fit Forever | Ages: 65+ Price: $5 per class Punch cards offering 11 classes: $50 Members: Free
Level 2: 4:30 - 6:30pm Enrollment Fee: $300 Members Fee: $220 Monthly Price: $110 | Members: $80
CLASSES INCLUDE: • Movement & Balance • Strength, Stretch, & Range Of Motion • Yoga
Fit Forever for Seniors
Visit jewishallianceri.org for more information including additional classes, days, and times. 401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 | 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org
17
18 | August 10, 2018
BACK TO SCHOOL
The Jewish Voice
Education with impact
Nursery through eighth grade East Providence, RI gordonschool.org
Before your child spends 826,000 minutes in school, spend 60 minutes to make sure it’s the right one. The 1,620 days your child spends from kindergarten through eighth grade could be 826,000 minutes of frustrating drudgery – or of exciting growth and achievement. It depends on which school you choose. Would you like your child to be in classes half the size of the public schools’? To develop enhanced critical thinking, logic, analysis and evaluation skills? To learn morality, kindness, civility, respect and other Jewish values, along with English, math, science and computer skills? Then please visit us. A tour takes as little as an hour – and helps you make sure that every minute of your child’s schooling really counts.
PROVIDENCE
HEBREW DAY SCHOOL 450 Elmgrove Ave. | 401-331-5327 | www.PHDSchool.org Ad made possible through a grant from Torah Umesorah.
Your Only Rhode Island Jewish Newspaper jvhri.org
In the new year, make using time wisely your goal I found a great article at TheJewishWoman.org, “How Can I Use Every Minute Productively?” The author, Rosally Saltsman, was responding to a “Dear Rachel” question asking how to best use time. She answered, “It is true that Judaism puts a lot of stress PATRICIA on using our RASKIN time productively. We see this in the way the Torah describes Abraham and David reaching old age. The verses say that they were ‘coming with their days.’ In other words, they reached old age with a life that was filled with days, each used to the fullest.” Saltsman, aka Rachel, added, “ ‘More than the Jewish people have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish people,’ goes the famous saying. Separate yourself from the demands of the week (and the Internet) for one day a week, and you are setting the tone of the rest of the week. “We use our time best when we live a life of purpose – doing mitzvahs, learning Torah and contributing to tikkun olam (the rectification of this world and our portion in it). However, we also need to make sure that we are recharging our batteries so that we have enough energy to serve God.” Here are my suggestions for staying active, productive and focused: • As the new year begins
and many are back in school, organization and planning will keep you on track. There are too many details to keep in your head, and even with the best memory, things can fall through the cracks. • Take time for self-care. This includes eating well, meditation, prayer, time alone to reflect, and doing something that brings you a sense of peace. • Keep your vision strong. Have an overview of what you want to achieve this year. Look at the intangibles first, the essence qualities. Are they peace, comfort, support, joy, security, freedom, creativity? Then ask yourself: What are the tangibles that will bring me those qualities? In my book “Pathfinding,” I wrote, “If we could slow down enough to catch ourselves, we would sense our eternal connection with the present. We would realize the present moment is the only moment we have. To lose a sense for the present is to lose a sense for the future. “Living fully in the present means changing your sight into insight. And as your insight deepens, you will sense the value of each moment. You can discover the value of the precious present right now.” PATRICIA RASKIN, president of Raskin Resources Productions Inc., is an awardwinning radio producer and Rhode Island business owner. She is the host of “The Patricia Raskin” show, a radio and podcast coach, and a board member of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence.
BACK TO SCHOOL
jvhri.org
August 10, 2018 |
19
Enough memories to fill a school bus BY LARRY KESSLER “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All day long.” – Opening lyrics of the “Wheels on the Bus,” written about 1939 by Verna Hills Sorry to give you an earworm out of this famously annoying children’s song, but if you raised kids over the last 20 years or more, you’ve had the words permanently embedded in your brain. I will gladly spare you any more lyrics, but when it comes to writing about getting ready for my last non-college school year, I know of no other tune that more aptly sums up what parents are likely feeling as their child is about to enter senior year – with college, a job, the military or a gap year in your child’s immediate future – than “Wheels on the Bus.” For so many, including this writer, from kindergarten on, going to school is tied to the bus. Even the picture frames that hold our daughters’ yearly school photos that hang on the living room wall are in the shape of school buses. The 13 spaces (one for each year from kindergarten through grade 12) on my oldest daughter’s frame have been filled since the fall of 2013, when Arianna had her senior photo taken. The final space on my younger daughter
Alana’s frame will be filled this fall, after we receive her senior photos, which she had taken last month. The frames are appropriate symbols because the bus has played an integral role in educating our kids that their “job” was to be up early and be ready to board it. There was a simple explanation for that, we told them: Unless there was some sort of emergency, we wouldn’t be driving them to school because we had our own jobs, where we earned not grades but money to buy them more music, clothes and juice boxes. Of course, until halfway through middle school that also meant that either my wife or I had to get up early to drive or walk our daughters to the bus stop at the end of our street. I worked an early-morning shift and was already at work when our first daughter was going to the bus. But I would wake up after working nights and just a few hours of sleep to take our younger daughter to the bus stop from the time she was in first grade until the sixth grade. After that, she was “too old” to have her father (or grandfather, as she said most of her friends thought due to my gray beard and white-grayish hair) walk her to the bus. So she walked most days but gladly swallowed her pride and let her old man drive her in the winter. During the first two years of high school, my wife usually wound up taking her to the bus stop. But it all changed a couple
PHOTO | LARRY KESSLER
The school bus is a constant theme for students, from kindergarten through high school. Pictured above are bus-shaped photo frames, with 13 photos, one for each grade. The top one is for the columnist’s daughter Arianna Kessler, who graduated from college this year. The bottom is for her sister Alana. The blank space awaits her senior photo. of months into her last school year when one of her friends with a driver’s license started taking her to school. This spring, things really changed when the “wheels on the bus” evolved into “a set of wheels,” which she got after
passing her driver’s test. Now, as daunting as the prospect of seeing your youngest daughter – the person who it only seems like yesterday you used to push in a jogging stroller – driving herself, her parents discovered that it actually
carried untold benefits since it meant that we no longer had to schlep her to and from soccer games and track practice, or arrange for carpooling to those activities. Knowing that Alana will be driving herself to Tri-County Regional High School in Franklin, Massachusetts, and all of her related activities, including her co-op job, for a full year, makes this school year much easier to deal with than many others. Take, for instance, the third grade. That was a low point in our school transportation saga. Every Thursday afternoon, we had to snatch her off the school bus and rush her to Hebrew School, 30-40 minutes away. That she never finished Hebrew School was due in no small part to the painful and impossible logistics that year. And now you know why, if you’re the parent of a member of the Class of 2019, the “Wheels on the Bus” is actually a pretty appropriate earworm. But if you’re really sore about getting reintroduced to that song, I’ll gladly apologize and remind you that it could have been much worse: I could have reminded you about the long hours that your kids spent watching “Barney” – and you would have had nightmares about that positively ferocious purple dinosaur. LARRY KESSLER is a freelance writer who can be reached at lkessler1@comcast.net.
It’s a new school year at Temple Emanu-El Rosh Hashanah is a time to renew and look ahead to the year to come. We began this process last year as we assessed the needs of our religious school community and the needs of potential members of the community. This year, Rosh Hashanah will mark the implementation of some of these ideas. Throughout this process we learned that families need some schedule flexibility, that Shabbat experiences matter to many of our families, that feeling like a part of an intimate community is important, that social action matters and that basic Jewish literacy taught in an experiential environment is important to nearly everyone. After a careful review of the curriculum, including engaging parents as well as teachers and students in the process, Temple Emanu-El is announcing some schedule and content changes that meet the community’s changing needs. Religious School hours are Tuesday afternoons from 3:456:30 (including dinner), and Sunday mornings from 9:30-12:30. There will be Shabbat “school” programming for families on
A religious school class at Temple Emanu-El. the first Saturday morning of each month which will replace the first Sunday class of each
month. Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 will meet from 9:30-11:30 a.m. only. The Tues-
PHOTO | RONNI GUTIN
day schedule includes optional activities (chugim) such as Jewish cooking, Tikkun by Design
(in partnership with The Jewish Community Day School), Jews in Sports, Theater, Art and a Junior Choir. These will run from 3:45-4:45 p.m., and classes will run from 4:45-6:30 p.m., including dinner. Other curricular changes include Hebrew taught by teachers using a web-based program called Shalom Learning, which will allow for greater individualization of material. Social studies and other Judaic subjects will have an experiential component as students live and practice what they learn. The Temple Emanu-El Religious School is open to the community. Membership in the synagogue is not required. School will begin on Sunday, Sept. 16 with an opening breakfast followed by classes for students and an information session for parents. For more information, call the school office at 401-331-1616 or email the school director, Ronni Saltzman Guttin, at ronni@teprov.org. Submitted by Temple Emanu-El
20 | August 10, 2018
BACK TO SCHOOL | COMMUNITY
The Jewish Voice
Fun ways to get the kids ready for school BY JILL DAVIS It’s hard to believe, but school is right around the corner. Will your children return ready to learn? According to the National Summer Learning Association, kids can lose up to two months of learning over the summer break, and the effects can be felt when school starts. The good news is that with just a little thought, you can help them become school-ready with activities that feel so much like play, they won’t even know you are sneaking a little education into their time off. Here are a few tips that I have successfully implemented with my five children: • Literacy: Kids engage with words every moment of the day. They should read cereal boxes, menus, recipes and signs as they go about their summer activities. Reading aloud to kids before bed helps their listening skills. Also, supporting their solitary time with books helps improve reading fluency and enjoyment. Make trips to the library a regular event, and use the five-finger rule to help them chose a book: If a child mispronounces or stumbles over five or more words on a page, it is not an appropriate level for the child.
Start a family blog or scrapbook of summer activities to get the kids writing. In addition, keep a personal journal in the car or a backpack as you go about your day, which can encourage even the most reluctant writers to illustrate and/or write about their experiences. • Family field trips: Whether it is going to a local soccer game, a museum or a park, kids learn when they are engaged. Parents can discuss strategy at the game and talk about their kids’ favorite parts of museum exhibits. A stroll to the park is an opportunity to talk about the neighborhood and its history, using language and analytical skills. • Explore the outdoors: If you have a garden, ask the kids to help with the harvest. Not only will kids learn where flowers and food come from, but they’ll be following your directions. Time with nature is great for children, so go camping, or even pitch a tent in the backyard. Explore the trees, critters and soil on local trails and in parks to enhance their appreciation of our planet. Building tree forts and fairy houses in the woods is not only fun, but it helps children practice many important skills by using their amazing imagination.
• In the kitchen: Cooking allows children to practice math, literacy and science skills. Have them read recipes, measure ingredients, watch the stove timer and create portions. This is an easy and non-intimidating way to reinforce math and reading skills. Here is a great link with more fabulous ideas: https://bit.ly/1ePW8NS. • Games: Flash-card-style games, such as math war and Concentration, help with computation and memory skills. Plan a regular board-game night to enhance strategy and problem-solving skills. A daily craft activity promotes dexterity and language skills. Kids who like comics can create their own, with original text and pictures. The most important thing to remember when considering summer activities for your child is to look for learning opportunities that fit your child’s preferences and interests. Just an hour’s worth of these activities and events daily can help students close learning gaps and begin the new school year at an advantage! JILL DAVIS is director of General Studies and 2nd grade General Studies lead teacher at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island, in Providence.
PHOTOS | RABBI YOSSI LAUFER
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Fun in the West Bay
PHOTOS | RABBI YOSSI LAUFER
Camp Gan Israel of West Bay had a fun-filled week of activities including baking challah, learning about Israel and enjoying the garden at its home at Temple Torat Yisrael in East Greenwich.
jvhri.org
August 10, 2018 |
NATION
21
At 20, Jacob Wohl wants to be the face and voice of young Jewish Trump supporters BY BEN SALES NEW YORK (JTA) – If you scroll down the Twitter feed of Jacob Wohl, former teenage hedge fund manager and current proDonald Trump provocateur, you’ll see a stream of insults directed at Robert Mueller, liberals and a proposed plastic straw ban. And that was just Friday morning. To his 158,000 followers, Wohl, 20, describes himself as “Conservative, Trump Supporter, Zionist.” So he seemed like an interesting person to profile for JTA. And in the 19 minutes before he hung up on me, Wohl said his share of interesting things. He complained about children of immigrants who couldn’t speak English in his second-grade class. He insisted that Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, has a socialist government. He equated the Palestinian Authority with ISIS. “I think that conservatives find that I really have my finger on the pulse of the issues that matter,” Wohl said of his hyperactive Twitter feed, which has gained nearly 100,000 followers in the past year. “I don’t spend a lot of time on things I view as unimportant.” The weekend saw more bombastic tweets. On Sunday, Wohl called Trump “the greatest friend of the Jewish People to ever occupy the White House.” A day earlier he called on Barack Obama to be extradited to Israel for meddling in its 2015 elections. (A former Obama campaign aide, Jeremy Bird, worked for a nonpartisan Israeli NGO that campaigned against Benjamin Netanyahu. American campaign consultants of both parties have a long history of working on Israeli elections.) Later on Sunday, he debated the causes of Puerto Rico’s economic misery with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York congressional nominee and a rising star of progressive Democrats. The way Wohl tells his story, he began his first hedge fund, Wohl Capital Investment Group, with money from high school classmates and their parents. In a Bloomberg profile, he claimed the principal of his high school invested with him. Subsequently he started another investment fund, Montgomery Assets. Both funds are currently inactive. But the young investor, who has been called “The Wohl of Wall Street,” soon ran into trouble and has been investigated by multiple regulatory organizations. He also posted personal ads on Craigslist seeking at-
tractive women while claiming to run a modeling agency, according to the Daily Beast. One woman accused him of posting her photo online, in a bra, as the “Wohl Girl of the Month” without her permission. The domain WohlGirls.com expired last month. Wohl told JTA that he now does due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, though he would not reveal the name of his company or any further details. “I’m not going to tell you because I don’t like journalists meddling in my private business,” he said. “It can only cause problems when journalists start meddling around in my employment situations and what I’m doing businesswise, as I’ve learned.” Wohl was raised and still lives in Orange County, a politically conservative area of Southern California, in a Republican home. His father, David Wohl, is an attorney who has appeared on Fox News as a commentator and describes himself as a campaign surrogate for Trump. Wohl has followed in his father’s footsteps, appearing on Fox Business as early as 2015 to discuss his hedge fund. His political activism ramped up with the start of Trump’s campaign in 2015, and since has skyrocketed. In addition to his Twitter activity, Wohl writes pieces for the right-wing site The Gateway Pundit, runs his own right-wing news site called The Washington Reporter and co-hosts a podcast with the independent journalist Laura Loomer called “2 Live Jew,” which is advertised as the “#1 Podcast for Jewish Trump Supporters.” Episode titles have included “The Caliphate Comes to Toronto” and “Full Commie.” Loomer boasts of “confronting public figures” in the style of Project Veritas, the rightwing gotcha operation where she worked in 2016. Last month she asked a Democrat gubernatorial candidate in Michigan who is Muslim to “reconcile your own personal practice of Islamic law with your Marxist socialist political platform that directly contradicts tenets within Islamic law.” “Laura is on the cutting edge of stopping the Sharia invasion that’s happening in the United States, the Islamification of neighborhoods,” Wohl said on a recent podcast, referring to Islamic religious law. “They want Sharia courts. This is what they’re calling for, this is their vision, is to establish a caliphate in the West.” Wohl said he agrees with Trump “on 90 percent or 95 percent of his positions” – first and foremost immigration. He said that “illegal immigration has
Jacob Wohl describes himself as a conservative, a Zionist and one of President Trump’s most loyal supporters. (Screenshot from YouTube) just devastated communities” in Southern California, something Wohl said he realized when most of his second-grade class could not speak “a lick of English.” He said that hindered his education. “A wall would change a lot about a lot of border states as far as public safety,” he said. “What’s coming across our southern border is in many cases, not in all cases, but in many
cases tremendous crime. “When Trump came down the escalator and said ‘We’re going to build a great, great wall and we’re going to make Mexico pay for that wall,’ he had my vote,” Wohl said, referring to Trump’s campaign launch. One of the issues on which Wohl disagrees with Trump relates to Israel. Wohl would like to see the president, who has been friendly to the Israeli gov-
ernment’s agenda, take an even harder line against the Palestinian Authority, which administers the Palestinian areas of the West Bank. “I would like to see the Palestinian Authority defunded completely by the United States and treated like ISIS or any other terrorist organization because that’s what they are,” he said. Wohl’s political opinions are no less pointed on Twitter, where he focuses his commentary on praising the president and opposing his opponents. Wohl said proudly that Trump has retweeted him three times and replied to one of his tweets, which he said is “a recognition that you’re doing something right.” Other tweeters have enjoyed mocking Wohl for a curious trope he repeats: a contention that he hears “coffee shop hipster liberals” praising the president. He has said so six separate times. I wanted to ask Wohl about this surreptitiously pro-Trump hipster cafe. I also wanted to ask him more about his Judaism, as well as his future plans. But he hung up on me after I asked him a follow-up question about his claim that Puerto Rico is socialist. “You’ve got a terrible attitude,” he said before ending the call.
22 | August 10, 2018
ARTS
The Jewish Voice
A conversation with the director of ‘Moonlight and Magnolias’ Play about two famed Jewish movie-makers coming to Providence BY LARRY KESSLER A play about the relationship between the screenwriter of one of the most acclaimed films ever made and the legendary producer behind the movie remains as relevant today as in 1939, when Ben Hecht was hired by David O. Selznick to rewrite the script for “Gone With the Wind.” “Moonlight and Magnolias,” written in 2004 by Irish playwright Ron Hutchinson, tells the fact-based behind-thescenes story of Hecht’s interactions with Selznick, and delves into a critical aspect of their relationship: the attempt by Hecht, a champion of Jewish causes, to convince Selznick to become more open about being Jewish. All this took place while they were locked in an office for a week, along with director Victor Fleming, frantically working on the screenplay of Margaret Mitchell’s Civil War novel. Director Jeffrey B. Martin, the head of the Department of Performing Arts at Roger Williams University, in Bristol, first staged “Moonlight and Magnolias” in July, at the university’s Barn Summer Theatre, and it is being performed eight more times, Aug. 16-26, at The Wilbury Theater Group, in Providence. Martin, 68, who has directed more than 75 plays, discussed the play’s themes in an email interview. An edited version follows. (For an expanded version, go to www.jvhri.org.) Q. “Moonlight and Magnolias” focuses on Ben Hecht’s struggles to push studio executive and famed producer David O. Selznick to acknowledge his Judaism and to support Jewish refugees. Talk a little about the conflict between Hecht and Selznick, who, like many studio executives of his day, considered himself more American than Jewish. A. Most of the studio executives wanted to live the American dream. This was both personal and professional. They wanted their films to be perceived as American, untainted by Jewish influence or a Jewish perspective. Selznick, like [Irving] Thalberg, was a little different from most of the studio founders in that he was second generation, born and raised in America, as was Hecht. But in a period of rising antiSemitism and xenophobia, [Selznick strived for] the American ideal, the attempt to become American by allegiance and behavior rather than by birth. This was a period where the melting pot was supposed to erase our origins, rather than the current multicultural
thinking, which envisions us as a stew or quilt, bonding together but maintaining our individual backgrounds and heritages. In his attitudes, Hecht was ahead of his time; Selznick was a product of his. Q. The different approaches toward being Jewish displayed by Hecht and Selznick in 1939 have only intensified nearly 80 years later. What does the play say to those American Jews who are dealing with similar pressures, such as those faced by Selznick, “to be a better Jew?”
“He felt that no one would stand up for the Jews except other Jews…” A. I think it’s more nuanced than that. Hecht thought Selznick was in denial about how he was perceived. He thought the idea that one could discard one’s identity was self-deceptive, that the larger society wouldn’t allow it. He also had disdain for what he called selfhating Jews. He felt that no one would stand up for the Jews except other Jews, and in this he was largely correct. Hecht was combative; if someone was going to attack him, he was going to fight back in any way possible. In 1943, he published “A Guide for the Bedeviled,” in which he tried to explain anti-Semitism. In it, he does not try to defend or apologize. It is a full-throated attack on hatred and bigotry. Q. What advice do you have for people struggling to navigate the conflicts between secular and religious Jews in this unforgiving socialmedia age? A. Hecht was not a religious Jew. He was comfortable with being Jewish and cherished his heritage. As he put it at one point: “My tribe is Israel.” As far as I know, he never engaged in secular versus religious issues or conflicts. If you’re asking how he would have reacted to extreme Jewish fundamentalism, I think he would have found much of their lives and practices familiar and nostalgic, but I think he would have been opposed to the imposition of their views on others or their authority to speak for Jews or Judaism. Q. Hecht raised money for the Irgun, the radical arm of the Zionists who blew up the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1946. His involvement led to Hecht’s films being blacklisted in England. How do Hecht’s experiences
In a scene from the play (left to right): Jim Sullivan as screenwriter Ben Hecht; Brien Lang as producer David O. Selznick; Nick Corey as director Victor Fleming and Miranda Coker as Miss Poppenghul. translate in 2018, when many American Jews must deal with charges of being “disloyal Jews” because of their opposition to some Israeli politicians and their policies? A. He would have been right with them. He was outraged at the way the Labor Party in Israel treated the Irgun at the end of the War for Independence, and he had no problem voicing that opposition. He didn’t feel that anyone or any movement was above criticism and wasn’t afraid of airing that criticism. Q. If you could wish for theater-goers to come away from “Moonlight and Magnolias” with one lesson regarding Jewish identity, what would it be? A. As with many plays, the message is mixed because different characters express different points of view. I think the play, through Hecht, says: be who you are. Be proud of your Jewish background, but also remember that it carries with it an obligation to seek justice for others, not merely to defend yourself. On the other hand, ultimately, Selznick produces a piece of popular entertainment which does not embody those ideas, which was an enormous critical, financial and cultural success. Although the racial attitudes and historical perspective it [“Gone With the Wind”] embodies make it difficult to watch today, it remains an enduring cultural icon. LARRY KESSLER is a freelance writer who can be reached at lkessler1@comcast.net.
From left are the actors playing Selznick, Hecht and Fleming.
At a glance
What: “Moonlight and Magnolias” Where: The Wilbury Theatre Group, 40 Sonoma Court, Providence. When: Aug. 16-18, 7:30 p.m.; Aug. 19, 2 p.m.; Aug. 23-25, 7:30 p.m.; Aug. 26, 2 p.m. Tickets: Purchase at www.brownpapertickets.com/ event/3571200 or at the theater before performances. $20; $10, students and seniors. Synopsis: Ron Hutchinson’s 2004 play is based on the true story of the rewriting of the script for “Gone With the Wind,” in 1939. Screenwriter Ben Hecht, producer David O. Selznick and director Victor Fleming were locked in an office for a week to get the job done.
Behind the stage Director Jeffrey B. Martin has been at Roger Williams University since 1988, the last eight years as chairman of the Department of Performing Arts. He has directed more than 75 plays during his career, from tragedies to comedies and musicals. He’s also written a book about one of the subjects of the current play, “Ben Hecht: Hollywood
Screenwriter.” Martin, of Portsmouth, is a past president of Temple Shalom, in Middletown, and for 10 years was the Hillel adviser at RWU. For the last 14 years, he’s been the director of the Aquidneck Island Jewish Film Series. Playwright Ron Hutchinson also writes for radio and film. Originally from Ireland, he now lives in Los Angeles.
jvhri.org
COMMUNITY
August 10, 2018 |
23
A lovely man and his lovely story
PHOTO | JEWISH WAR VETERANS
Jewish War Veterans on parade in Bristol The Jewish War Veterans of the USA, Department of Rhode Island, took part in the 233rd Bristol Fourth of July Parade. From left to right: Michael Smith, Mike Schlesinger, Steven Musen, Steve Bloch, Steve Shapiro, Commander Sanford Gorodetsky and Ira Fleisher.
Temple Offers No Dues for Six Months Temple Sinai in Cranston is seeking new members. To attract them, the congregation is offering a chance for people to get to know the congregation without dues for the rest of 2018. “There is no secret that congregations are finding it more difficult to attract new members, especially young families,” says Susan Oclassen, the Temple’s president. “I understand that many people want a chance to get to know a congregation before making a commitment.” The Temple’s Board of Directors voted at a meeting on June 26 to offer membership in the congregation to new members beginning July 1 without dues for the rest of the secular year. The offer includes tickets to the congregation’s High Holy Days services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. New members would still be required to pay tuition for Religious and Hebrew School for their children from the beginning of the school year. “We are living in a new era,”
says Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser. “Once upon a time, Jews joined synagogues just because it was ‘what you are supposed to do.’ Those days are over. Jewish families and individuals want to know that being a member is going to improve the quality of their lives. They want to experience being part of a real community, engaging in real learning, and attending services that are meaningful and fulfilling.” The congregation is hoping that by making the experience of temple membership available to prospective members without up-front commitment, people will like what they see and stay on as members in 2019 and beyond. For those who want a taste of Temple Sinai’s Shabbat service, there will be an open house service for prospective members on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Check the Temple’s website, www.templesinairi.org, for more details. For more information contact the congregation at 401-942-8350 or dottie@templesinairi.org. Submitted by Temple Sinai
I have often been told that I ask too many questions, particularly of people I have just met. And this is true. I am not nosy; I just like to hear people tell me about themselves. When I think that a person is getting uncomfortable with my quesMAY-RONNY tions, I say, “I ZEIDMAN will use this information as a chapter in my book, ‘Interesting People I Have Met Along the Way.’ ” Let me tell you about a gentleman I spoke to recently, Leon Resnick, of Warwick. This past May, Leon was honored with a surprise 95th birthday party. Since I had written about my early life in the north end of Providence, Leon wanted to share his early life, which also began in the north end. His musings were not much different from my own, although they happened 20 years earlier and some things had changed. Leon’s parents, Morris and Fanny, owned a two-family house at 1 Bulfinch Court, off North Davis Street. He told me he went to cheder (Hebrew school) at Sons of Jacob shul. Sometimes he went to Sons of
Zion, on Orms Street, which was on the land that the Providence Marriott Downtown now occupies. While Leon was talking, I was taken with his smile, his ability to laugh easily and the youthful twinkle in his eyes. At one point, Leon showed me a picture of himself in his Army uniform. Oh my, I found myself staring at this incredibly handsome young man with a twinkle in his eyes that said, “I love life, I love people and I love to have a good time.” Leon’s dad was a fruit peddler in the Pawtucket and Central Falls area. Leon also became a fruit merchant, supplying produce to businesses in Rhode Island and nearby locations. I asked him how he met his wife. Here is what he told me: One Saturday evening, he went to a dance at the Narragansett Hotel, in downtown Providence. He walked over to a young woman he found attractive and asked her name. She said, “Beverly Shirley.” He said, that is not a proper name. Once she was convinced that they shared a common heritage, she revealed that her name was Beverly Rotenberg. That was the beginning of a special courtship. “After many months of dating, we decided to go to a doctor on Smith Street, and had a
blood test. Then we got a marriage license and went to Massachusetts and got married. Later that evening, Beverly went home to her parents’ home and me to mine,” Leon said. He said they told no one about their marriage and continued being married in secret for quite a while. I looked at him, quite confused, and asked why. Well, he said, they were not in a position to set up a home and all that goes with marriage. “The times were quite different from today,” he said. “We were very much in love and we wanted to be intimate with each other. Marriage was the only way.” Leon then smiled and said, “We had a huge formal wedding when the time was right. Beverly and I were married for 57 years.” Leon Resnick is 95 years young. He drives to shul on Shabbat, is a member of the Cranston Seniors Guild, and visits with his daughter and son-in-law, Jerri and Harold, whenever possible. And, oh yes, Leon met a lovely woman at the Senior Guild. They enjoy spending time together, which includes dining out and visiting with family. MAY-RONNY ZEIDMAN is executive director of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, in Providence.
24 | August 10, 2018
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How Holocaust experts want to help Mark Zuckerberg solve Facebook’s denial dilemma JTA – Holocaust experts want to meet with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the social network’s unwillingness to automatically remove antiSemitic and Holocaust denial material. The heads of organizations and experts involved in Holocaust and genocide education offered to meet with Zuckerberg and help raise Holocaust awareness within the Facebook community. In late July, Zuckerberg said in an interview published online that he would not automatically remove Holocaustdenying posts from the social network he founded. “Facebook must not allow complete and utter falsehoods about the Holocaust, and about the Jewish people, to go systematically unchecked,” the letter dated Aug. 7 to Zuckerberg says. “Virulent anti-Semitism is a proven pathway that leads from rhetorical hatred to actions of violence. Freedom of speech laws are not a reason to do nothing – inaction is always the opportunity for evil to flourish. All genocide starts with distortion of the truth and prejudice.” The experts later say: “We offer you tangible, rapidly executable steps toward Facebook becoming part of the solution. We can deliver proven educational resources in multiple languages, ready for digital deployment with Facebook – important as
intend to defend the intent of people who deny that.” Meanwhile, some 6,000 educational institutions, museums and individuals from around the world signed a Change.org petition started by the New York-based Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect along with the Association of Holocaust Organizations, and Holocaust Learning and Education Fund calling on Zuckerberg and Facebook to stop hosting Holocaust denial on the social network.
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of the Imperial War Museum in London. In an interview published on the Recode website, Zuckerberg had told tech journalist Kara Swisher: “I’m Jewish, and there’s a set of people who deny that the Holocaust happened. I find that deeply offensive. But at the end of the day, I don’t believe that our platform should take that down because I think there are things that different people get wrong.” He said “I don’t think that they’re intentionally getting it wrong.” Zuckerberg later clarified his comments, saying “I personally find Holocaust denial deeply offensive, and I absolutely didn’t
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26 | August 10, 2018 Judith B. Barnett, 78
WAKEFIELD, R.I. – Judith B. Barnett, 78, died July 3. She was the wife of Stanley Barnett. Born in New York, New York, a daughter of the late Nathan and Sally (Tanenbaum) Brodkin, she was a longtime resident of Wakefield, previously living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a librarian professor at the University of Rhode Island for more than 47 years and a reference librarian at the Philadelphia Free Library and the Newark Public Library. She graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College with a bachelor’s degree, class of ’59 and Drexel University with a master’s degree in library science, class of ’62. She was a member of the Rhode Island Library Association and American Library Association, IAMSLIC and Congregation Beth David. Judy was a published author of books and articles on marine topics. She was also active in various sports, loved spending time with her granddaughter, and learned to play the flute later in life. She was the mother of Nathaniel Barnett and his wife, Alexandra Henshel, of Kingston. She was the sister of the late Dorothy Israel. She was the grandmother of Cordelia “Coco” Barnett. She was the aunt of two nieces and a nephew on the West Coast. Contributions in her memory may be made to Barnard College, Box AS, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027 or Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett, RI 02882.
Beverly Edith Bazar, 88
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Beverly Edith Bazar died June 27. She was the wife of Banice Bazar; they were married for 66 years. She was born in Providence,
OBITUARIES the daughter of the late Samuel and Henrietta ( Wei nb au m) Wishnevsky. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children and their spouses: Peter and Charlotte Bazar, David and Susan Bazar, Karen and Alan Bergel and Ann Bazar; grandchildren Kerri Brennan, Todd Bazar, Samuel Bazar, Joshua Bazar, Adam Finkelman, Alex Finkelman, Corey Finkelman, Matthew Silva, Meredith Sondler-Bazar, Caroline Aparo and Alexandra Bazar; and great-grandchildren Erin, Dayna, Cecilia, Jameson, Donovan, Oliver, Andre, Rebecca, Emma, Ariella and Max. She was the mother of the late Joseph Bazar and grandmother of the late Dayna Bazar. Beverly received a fellowship to the Rhode Island College of Education where she earned a master’s degree in special education. She found her first job teaching special needs students in elementary school at the Children’s Center in Warwick. Beverly, however, was an entrepreneur at heart. She helped Banice start a business selling to military post-exchanges. While Banice was growing this business, Beverly started her own business ventures. One of the lines Banice sold to the military was Panasonic, an electronics line that made everything from toasters to high-end stereos. Beverly saw the line and decided she could create a store around it that like her, was slightly ahead of our time. She opened Impulse stores at malls across Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
The Jewish Voice Beverly was firmly focused on her family. Everything she did was centered on her family, and this led to her next venture. She decided that the family should learn to ski together in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. In 1973, after a snow drought and an oil shortage, an inn in Waterville Valley went up for SBA auction. While Banice was in Europe on business, Beverly went to watch the auction. When Beverly picked up Banice at Logan Airport, he asked her who bought the inn. She replied, “You did!” Beverly was president of the board of St. Dunstan’s Day School for 10 years. She was also a member of Crestwood Country Club. Beverly’s biggest legacy is her family. She and Banice have taught them how to love and be loved, and for this they are grateful. Contributions in her memory may be made to American Cancer Society, 931 Jefferson Blvd., #3004, Warwick, RI 02886 or to URI Athletics, P.O. Box 1700, Kingston, RI 02881.
ents, Richard and Adeline Randlett; her husband, Bennett Bergman; daughters Hannah Scharphie and Rachel Nachmani, sons-in-law Matan Scharphie and Eliav Nachmani; grandchildren Joseph Schaphie and Nora Scharphie and three sisters: Karen Randlett, Carla Randlett and Erica Habarta. Lisa brought joy to the world, and she is sorely missed.
Fanny E. Bojar, 80
CRANSTON, R.I. – Fanny E. Bojar died July 12 at Cra-Mar Meadows. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Charles and Marguerite (Balischansky) Bojar, she had lived in Providence for 40 years before moving to Warwick. Fanny graduated from Classical High School and Brown University. She worked at New England Telephone Company for more than 30 years. Fanny was an artist and member of the Wickford and East Greenwich Art Clubs, as well as the Brown University Brown Bag Club and Temple Am David. She was the sister of the late Naomi (Bojar) Carr. She was the aunt of nieces and nephews Tracy, Deborah, David, Shellie and Daniel Carr. Contributions in her memory may be made to Continuum Care Hospice RI, 1350 Division Road, Suite 205, West Warwick, RI 02893.
Lisa Bergman, 61
NEW LONDON, CONN. – Lisa Randlett Bergman died on June 26 at Rhode Island Hospital. She was born Sept. 4, 1956, in C on ne c t icut and resided in New London at the time of her death. Lisa was an educator trained at the Bank Street School in New York City. She taught in New York Public Schools, then at Levey Hebrew Day in Portland, Maine, and The Alperin Schechter Day School in Providence. She was a dancer and choreographer. She directed children’s theater and choreographed shows at the Jewish Theater Ensemble in Rhode Island, of which she was one of several founders. Surviving Lisa are her par-
Betty R. Cohen, 91
EAST GREENWICH, R.I. – Betty R. Cohen died July 19 at St. Elizabeth’s Nursing Home after leading a life filled with grace, dignity and love. She was completely devoted to her family, especially in her partnership as the wife of the late Donald H. Cohen. Betty was a daughter of the late Benjamin and Ethel Rosenthal, and spent her adolescent years in upstate New York. In her 20s, Betty moved with Donald to Rhode Island and became a longtime resident of Cranston. It was there that Betty raised her four children who were the center of her life. She
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was a devoted mother to Dean Cohen (Stephanie) of Chuluota, Florida, Cindy Collum (Thomas) of Cranston, Joyce Paquin of Warwick, and the late Susan Richter. Betty was close to her brothers and sisters, despite their physical distance. She will be lovingly remembered by her sisters Elaine Krouner (Robert) of New York, Selma Schultz of Georgia and Sheryl Gitelson (Seymour) of Georgia, as well as her brothers Alvin and the late Donald Rosenthal. Betty was a proud grandmother to Laura and Brian Matteson, Brent and Leah Paquin, Jason Richter, Devin, Zachariah and Kylie Cohen. Her love and support extended its way to a large circle of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Anyone who was an important part of the lives of Betty’s kids and grandkids became her family, without reservation. Betty also made a significant impact in her community. She was the owner of the former Paris Fabric Shops in Warwick for 38 years. Betty was a member of Hadassah and a former member of Temple Torat Yisrael in Cranston. She donated generously to many charitable causes and understood the importance of helping those less fortunate than she was. For that and so many other reasons, her family celebrates the way she lived her life and the blessing it was to have been loved by a great woman. Contributions in her memory may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 245 Waterman St., #306, Providence, RI 02906.
Michael Ehrlich, M.D.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Michael Gary Ehrlich, M.D., a pioneering and beloved orthopedic surgeon, teacher, father and friend passed away peacefully on July 21 at his home in Providence. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, he was a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and of Dartmouth College (at the age of 19), Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude. He attended medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, from which he graduated Alpha Omega Alpha. After starting his career in New York City, he moved to Massachusetts in 1972 where he served as the chief of pediatric orthopedics at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School for 18 years. For the next three decades he served as the Vincent Zecchino Professor and chairman of orthopedics at Brown University and Rhode Island and Miriam Hospitals. OBITUARIES | 27
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He also served as a member of the board of trustees of the Lifespan Health System. Over the course of his long and distinguished career, he was the recipient of countless honors and awards including the Milton W. Hamolsky, M.D. Outstanding Physician of the Year and the President’s Pursuit of Excellence Lifetime Champion Award in 2015. He recently became an Inaugural Fellow of the Orthopedic Research Society. He was known for his tireless work ethic, signature bow ties, wry sense of humor and love of sailing. His legacy will live on through the students he mentored, the medical teaching and research facilities that bear his name and the Michael G. Ehrlich, M.D. Endowed Chair in Orthopedic Research. He will also be remembered by the thousands of patients whose lives he touched as their physician. He was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Nancy Band Ehrlich, who was his partner in achieving his many accomplishments. He leaves behind his two sons, Christopher and Timothy, their wives, Sara and Isabella and five grandchildren, Charlotte, August, Julian, Harrison and June. He will also be dearly missed by Suzanne Gilstein, his significant other. The Michael G. Ehrlich, M.D. Fund for Orthopedic Research has been established to support his lifelong passion and commitment to medicine. Consider a contribution to the fund via the Rhode Island Foundation (www.rifoundation.org).
Rose Epstein, 92
WAKEFIELD, R.I. – Rose Epstein, of Wakefield died May 26. Born in Manhattan, she was the daughter of the late M o r r i s and Jennie ( L e d e r ) Zimmerman. “ P r e t t y Rose” was a crusader for women’s rights long before it was fa sh ion able. She led her life with few regrets, speaking her mind with nary a filter. She was a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a role model, a marine mechanic, a mathematician, a hostess and a sage — always with a point of view. Most importantly, she was a writer, and Rose would like you to know her novel, “Runaway,” is available on Amazon. Rose was preceded in death by her husband Gerald G. Epstein. She is survived by her daughters, Nancy Owen and her husband, Charles, of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Sharon and her husband, Don Rhodes, of N. Providence, and Debra
Hughes and her husband Aaron of Dover, Massachusetts; her son, Matthew Epstein and his wife, Jeanette of Dighton, Massachusetts; her grandchildren, Audrey and Bridget Hughes, Jason, Daniel and Rian Owen and Lindsey and Jessica Epstein; and great-grandchildren, Emma, Lila, William, Henry and Braydon. Contributions in her memory may be made to Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island, 143 Main St., Wakefield, RI 02879.
Esther Geller, 90
WARWICK, R.I. – Esther Geller died July 13 at West View Nursing & Rehabi l itation Center. She was the beloved wife of the late Leonard Geller for 67 years. Born in the Bronx, New York, a daughter of the late Harry and Mary (Leinwand) Friedman, she had lived in Warwick for six years, previously living in Rockville Centre, New York. She was owner of the former Elgen Books with her late husband, retiring six years ago. Esther earned an MLS from Simmons College, Boston, and was an active member of the Beatrix Potter Society. She was the mother of Mark Geller and his wife, Jocelyn, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Joshua Geller and his wife, Anna, of San Miguel De Allende, Mexico, and Naomi Geller Lipsky of West Warwick. She was the sister of the late Max Friedman and Anita Goldberg. She was the grandmother of Aaron, Julia, Hannah, David and Tenzin. Contributions in her memory may be made to your favorite charity.
Joshua M. Gold, 46
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. – Joshua M. Gold died July 3 in Florida. He was the husband of Alessandra (Elias) Gold for 15 years. Born in Providence, a son of David and Marcia (Sherman) Gold, he had lived in Florida for eight years, previously living in Pawtucket. He was general counsel and in-house counsel for How to Manage a Small Law Office and was a real estate lawyer for Marty Taplin, a major real estate developer, in Miami Beach. Joshua was a Mason, a graduate of Moses Brown School, McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and New York Law in Manhattan. He was the father of Kevin and Angelina Gold, both of Miami Beach. He was the brother of Daniel Gold of Pawtucket. He was the uncle of Amelia Gold. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Victor Gold Scholarship Fund, Bryant University, 1150 Douglas Pike,
Smithfield, RI 02917.
Doris Kirshenbaum, 89
FLORIDA – Doris Kirshenbaum died on July 26. She was born in New York City on July 21, 1929 to Samuel and Eleanor (Hammerschlag) Milch. Doris was a 30 year resident of Florida previously living in Cranston, R.I. She had enjoyed a long career as an antique jewelry dealer. She is survived by her sons Joel Kirshenbaum (Eileen) of N. Providence and Merrill Kirshenbaum (Susan) of Glen Allen, Virginia, and her daughter Susan Kirshenbaum of Ashburn, Virginia. In addition she had four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. She is also survived by brothers-inlaw Allen Kirshenbaum (Marsha) and Sanford Kirshenbaum (Sally) both of Cranston. She was predeceased by her husband Selwyn M. Kirshenbaum in 2008. Donations in her name can be made to the SPCA.
Karl S. Kritz, 88
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. – Cantor Karl S. Kritz died on June 25. He was the husband of Harriet A. Kritz. Born in Providence, a son of the late Morris and Minnie (Slavsky) Kritz, he had lived in Miami Beach for 15 years, previously living in Providence and Long Beach, New York. His career as a cantor spanned 68 years, serving Temple Beth Sholom and Temple Beth Israel in Providence; Westchester Jewish Center, Mamaroneck, New York; Temple Israel, Long Beach; and East Meadow Jewish Center, East Meadow, New York. Many Rhode Islanders fondly remember the Yiddish Music Review he hosted in the 1950s on WSAR radio. Appointed by Gov. Frank Licht, he served for many years as chairman of the Veteran’s
Memorial Auditorium commission. An accomplished baritone, he appeared in several operas including “Rigoletto” alongside his friend, tenor Jan Peerce. His greatest joy was performing in concert with Harriet, his wife of 70 years. He is also survived by his three sons, Alan and his wife, Lisa, of Sharon, Massachusetts, Jerry and his wife, Gail, of Nottingham, Pennsylvania, and Neil and his wife, Fran, of Silver Spring, Maryland, along with six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Arnold H. Kritz. Donations in his memory may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 2348 Post Road, #202, Warwick, RI 02886, or your favorite charity.
Carl Lefkowitz, 88
CRANSTON, R.I. – Carl Lefkowitz died July 22 at All American Assisted Living, Warwick. He was the husband of Gloria (Krasnoff) Lefkowitz for 66 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late Myer and Ida (Cooper) Lefkowitz, he had lived in Cranston for 35 years. He was the owner of Ye Colonial Liquor Store, Providence for 10 years, retiring in 2010, previously, the owner of Artic Shoes, West Warwick for 10 years, and the executive secretary of South Providence Hebrew Free Loan Association for 20 years. Carl was a Korean Conflict Marine veteran, serving in Europe. He was a member and past president of Temple Beth Israel, past board member of Temple Torat Yisrael, member of Touro Fraternal Association, and Redwood Lodge. He was the devoted father of Jess Lefkowitz of Warwick and Neil Lefkowitz of North Carolina. He was the dear brother of the late Albert Lefkowitz and Sylvia Saltzman. He was the loving grandfather of Kayla, Michael and Sidney. Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Mem-
August 10, 2018 | phis, TN 38105.
Sara Lowinger, 80
MIAMI, FLA. – Sara “Sarita” Lowinger died on June 18. She was the daughter of the late Adolfo and Regina Werbin; widow of the late Leonardo Lowinger; mother of Daniel (Lori Shulkin) Lowinger and Leslie (Dr. Ruben Moss) Lowinger Moss; grandmother of Nicholas, Hannah and Mia; sister of Dr. Jorge Werbin, Carlos and Roma Werbin; aunt of Mario, Eddie and Jennifer; and friend and companion of Chely Lindner. Sarita was a creative sculptor and music lover, her zest for life was contagious. She will live on in those who knew her and loved her. Donations can be made in her memory to the American Brain Tumor Association, www.abta. org.
Herbert Malin, 90
BARRINGTON, R.I. – Herbert Malin died July 19. He was born in the Bronx, New York, the son of the late Samuel and Bella (Pintel) Malin. He grew up in Far Rockaway and Brooklyn, New York. Herbert and Beverly (Baron) were married in 1950 for 66 years until Beverly’s passing. Together they lived in Evanston, Illinois, Midland, Michigan, and then Barrington from 1957 until 2010. Herbert and Beverly had been living in Tiverton since 2010. He is survived by his children Judith (Michael Marr), David, and Robert (Denise) Malin; his sister Marion Cohen; sister-in-law Susan Baron Garrett; grandchildren Daniel (Katherine Ortega), Bella, and Piper Malin; and great-grandchildren Salvador Espinal and Ximena Malin; nieces, and a nephew and their children. Herbert attended City College of New York, served in OBITUARIES | 28
taking care of each other is what community is all about. For over a century, we’ve proudly served our Jewish community with personal, compassionate care.
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OBITUARIES
| OBITUARIES
the Army from 1946-1947, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1950. He was awarded a teaching fellowship from Northwestern University and received a M.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1951. He worked for Dow Chemical Company from 1951 to 1956. He and Beverly moved to RI in 1956 when he began working for Thompson Chemical Company which became Teknor Apex. He began there as a process engineer, then a plant manager in 1960; a vice president in charge of manufacturing 1965; and executive vice president of Teknor Apex in 1968 and president of Haywood Co. in Tennessee. He loved his work and the people he worked with and with some reluctance finally retired after 50 years at age 79. Herbert served as a trustee of the Miriam Hospital and served on the board of Temple Habonim in Barrington for many years and also served a term as its president. With Beverly he traveled extensively in Europe and the US. He enjoyed sailing, a pastime his son Robert grew up with and continues. Herbert built much of their furniture in the early years of his marriage, treasures his children will share with generations to come. Herbert and Beverly enjoyed classical music concerts, art museums and theater together. He was a man of many interests and could speak knowledgeably about an amazing range of subjects. To his family, it seemed he just knew everything. His smile was treasured to the end.
Donna J. Murray, 58
CRANSTON, R.I. – Donna J. Murray died peacefully on July 4. She is the daughter of Paul Rusnak and the late Miriam (Lett) Rusnak and a longtime resident of Cranston. Donna was an active member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Post #56 in Providence, where she frequently participated in fundraisers and events. She was the mother of Wayne Murray, Terrance Murray, Carl Murray, Thomas Murray and Michelle Gonzales. She was the sister of David Clark. She was the grandmother of Elaine, Thomas Jr., Sophia, Ryan, Calvin and Summer. She was the longtime companion of Daniel Sheehan. Contributions in her memory may be made to Susan G. Komen, Dept. 41831, P.O. Box 650309, Dallas, Texas 75265.
Arnold Pepper, 91
WARWICK, R.I. – Arnold “Arnie” Pepper died June 28, at
The Miriam Hospital. He was the beloved husband of the late Rebecca (Brosofsky) Pepper. Born in Providence, a son of the late Samuel and Sadie (Godfrey) Pepper, he was a longtime resident of Warwick. He was the owner of R & A Vending Machine Company, retiring in 2009. Arnie was a WWII Army veteran, serving stateside. He was a member of Temple Sinai, Touro Fraternal Association and the Masons. Arnie was also very active in the Palestine Shrine and was a drummer in their Oriental Band. He was the devoted father of Paul Pepper of Los Angeles, California, and the late Steven Pepper. He was the dear brother of Frances Sadler of Charlottesville, Virginia, and the late Sanford Pepper. He was a loving uncle to several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and greatnephews. Contributions in his memory may be made to Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114.
Renée S. Rabinowitz, 93
CUMBERLAND, R.I. – Renée S. Rabinowitz died July 15 peacefully at her at home in Cumberland, surrounded by family and friends. She was the wife of the late Sidney Rabinowitz. Born in Toronto, a daughter of the late William and Doris (Thorton) Stephen, she had lived in Rhode Island for nearly 50 years. She graduated from Eastern High School of Commerce in Toronto, and she was an executive secretary of B’nai B’rith in Toronto and New York for more than 10 years, until retiring in 1965. She is survived by her sister Shirley and her nephew Michael, both of Toronto, and several grandnephews. Contributions in her memory may be made to RI SPCA, 186 Amaral St., Riverside, RI 02915.
Sue Rosenfield, 90
WARWICK, R.I. – Sue A. Rosenfield died peacefully at home on July 27. She was the wife of the late Arnold Rosenfield. Born in P r ov id e nc e , a daughter of the late John and Mary (Holman) Antuono, she had lived in Warwick for 51 years, previously living in Providence. Sue did a lot of volunteer work for senior centers in Warwick and Cranston. She was the mother of Sherrie Olivieri of North Providence.
The Jewish Voice She was the sister of the late Mary Perrotti, Lucy Fascielli, Pat Antuono and Tommy Antuono. She was the grandmother of John Charles Olivieri and Jacklyn Leigh Olivieri. The family would also like to acknowledge her caregiver, Maria Almeida, for the excellent care she has given Sue for the past 12 years. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 245 Waterman St., #306, Providence, RI 02906.
Bob Schleifer, 88
WEST WARWICK, R.I. – Robert “Bob” Schleifer died July 15 at Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center. He was the husband of Linda (Abrams) Schleifer for 55 years. Born in Yonkers, New York, a son of the late Irving and Ruth (Katz) Schleifer, he was a longtime resident of West Warwick. He was a graphic artist for Artmold Products for 37 years, retiring in 2006. After retirement, he opened Novel Tees Screen Printing and Embroidery shop. Bob was an Army veteran and played for the Army baseball and football teams during his service. He was a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with a bachelor’s degree in business. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias. He was known for his athletic ability and playing a variety of sports, especially basketball. He was the father of Steven Schleifer of West Warwick and Elissa O’Brien and her husband, Ken, of Coventry. He was the brother of Richard Schleifer of Somers, New York, and Alan Schleifer and his wife, Joan, of Irvington, New York. He was the grandfather of Kamron, Sydni and Konor O’Brien. Contributions in his memory may be made to the charity of your choice.
Judith Zuckerman Schwartz, 66
DENVER, COLO. – Beloved grandmother, mother, wife, aunt and sister, Judith Zuckerman Schwartz died June 11 at home in Denver. With an infectious personality and winning smile, she was adored by anyone who came in contact with her. A published author, she worked as a fashion and style columnist for the Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado Statesman, and formed her own communication firm, JZ Schwartz Public Relations. She proudly donated her time to Jewish charities and her temple. She loved the outdoors, and took bicycling trips throughout Europe and the United States. She attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. It was there that she met her
husband during her sophomore year. Judie is survived by her husband, Jeff Schwartz, a critical care doctor in Denver; her three children David Schwartz and K.T. (Mertes), Washington, D.C., Jonathan Schwartz, Los Angeles, California, and Kayla Schwartz, Greeley, Colorado, and grandson Lincoln James Schwartz; her sister Faye Zuckerman, of Riverside, and brother Larry Zuckerman, New York City. She was the aunt to Seth and Melanie Chitwood of Barrington, and Zach, Ellie and Jessie Zuckerman of New York. Memorial donations may be made in her name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, michaeljfox. org, or Donation Processing, C/O The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014. Also, to: Temple Sinai, 3509 South Glencoe, Denver, CO 80237.
Ronald M. Sorenson, 79 KISSIMMEE, FLA. – Ronald M. Sorenson died July 15 at home. He was the husband of America (Velly) Sorenson. Born in Providence, a son of Jeanne (Benharris) Dilella and the late John Sorenson, he had lived in Kissimmee for 3 1/2 years, previously living in New York. Ronald was a Korean Conflict Marine veteran. He was the father of Rosa Cardenas, Erwin Cardenas and Brainard Cardenas and his wife, Yussra, all of Kissimmee. He was the brother of Jerry Sorenson of New York, Michael Dilella of New Jersey, Diana Dilella of Pennsylvania and the late Dennis Dilella. Contributions in his memory may be made to the charity of your choice. Samuel Weinberg, 90
CRANSTON, R.I. – Samuel Weinberg died July 7 at Rhode Island Hospital. He was the husband of Lillian (Shechtman) Weinberg for 71 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late Max and Celia Weinberg, he had lived in Cranston for 63 years, previously living in Providence. He was the owner of various automotive dealerships, retiring 30 years ago. He was a former member of Temple Sinai. He was the father of Carl
Weinberg and his wife, Lisa, of Cranston and Dr. Marc Weinberg and his wife, Lori, of Bristol. He was the brother of the late Rose Weber, Tillie Klitzner, Ida Rosenberg, Murray Weinberg, and Joseph Weinberg. He was the grandfather of Jill (Billy), Dean (Lizzi), Devin, Evan, Adam (Molly), Justin (Jona) and David. He was the greatgrandfather of Aidan, Phaedra, Zeke, Thea, Hallie and Annie. Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 State St., #200, Providence, RI 02908 or your favorite charity.
Lewis Weinstein, 88 CRANSTON, R.I. – Lewis “Lew” Weinstein died July 17 at Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center. He was the husband of the late Raylah (Reitzas) Weinstein. Born in P r ov id e nc e , a son of the late Harry and Florence (Rubien) Weinstein, he had lived at the Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, previously living in Cranston and Narragansett. He was owner of Rialto Furniture of Federal Hill for over 50 years, retiring in 2000. Lew served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, 1st Marine Division, during the Korean War. He was a member of the Mason Roosevelt Lodge. Lew was the father of Nancy Mills and her husband, David, of Cranston, Steve Weinstein and his wife, Denise, of Cranston, and Bruce Weinstein and his wife, Lynn, of Cranston. He was the brother of Ira Weinstein. Lew was the grandfather of Jamie and her husband, Ken, Allison and her husband, Todd, Daniel and his wife, Sasha, Jonathan and his wife, Bethany, Brian and Jeffrey. He was the great-grandfather of Lillian, Colin, Amelia, Ethan and Sidney. Contributions in his memory may be made to Tamarisk Assisted Living, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick, RI 02886 or Hope Hospice and Palliative Care, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904.
Moshe Mizrahi, only Israeli director of Oscar-winning film, dies at 86 JERUSALEM (JTA) – Israeli filmmaker Moshe Mizrahi, the only Israeli director of an Academy Award-winning film, was buried in Tel Aviv. Mizrahi died Friday in Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv He was 86. He directed the 1977 Oscar winner “Madame Rosa,” which was filmed in France and starred Simone Signoret. The film, which won for best foreign language film on behalf of France, is the story of a former prostitute in Paris who survived Auschwitz. Mizrahi was nominated for
Oscars for two other films he directed in the 1970s, “I Love You Rosa” and “The House on Chelouche Street.” The Egypt native immigrated to prestate Israel in 1946 and studied film in France in the 1950s. He worked for most of his career in France before returning to Israel, where he later taught film studies at Tel Aviv University. In 2001, Mizrahi was awarded a lifetime achievement prize from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television.
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Three very cool documentaries It’s midsumme r and the dog days are upon us. A nice airconditioned cinema showing an excellent documentary can make that heat much more bearable.
SKETCHBOOK MIKE FINK “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” by Morgan Neville, won my heart and mind with its superb and elegant editing and gentle message. It is, of course, an intimate interview with the renowned Mr. Rogers, of television history and acclaim. Fred Rogers had studied for the Episcopal priesthood, but then chose to communicate his messages via the then-new medium of visual broadcasting. I think I met Rogers at
the PBS studio in Cambridge or Boston in the late ’50s, when I was a graduate student teaching “French through Pictures,” but I’m not quite sure about that vague memory. I thought then that he was too sentimental for my taste, but this time I fell head over heels for his beautiful and profound influence and spiritual strength. The images in the film run the gamut from youthful appearances to late-in-life portraits. We watch Rogers swimming in a pool, middle-aged but agile and graceful. He shows us his closet, full of the iconic sweaters he wore on his show to emphasize his casual approach to children – and their faces and words shine with respect, affection, gratitude and understanding. There are lots of jokes, but none of the vulgar hectic tone that’s on commercial TV stations, which dread silence, the enemy of the trade.
Challah or challee? Schmatah or schmatee? BY RUTH BREINDEL How you pronounce Hebrew often tells the listener where you came from, or how old you are. The major pronunciation differences are between Ashkenazi and Sephardi, although in Israel there is also a Yemenite group. Here in America, the differences usually derive from the age of the speaker, with older people using the Ashkenazi pronunciation and younger people the Sephardi forms. Most Ashkenazi speakers came from Eastern Europe, and the Sephardim from around the Mediterranean across to Israel and North Africa. What’s the difference? In terms of the Hebrew alphabet, the tav is pronounced as an s and the kamatz as an o among the Ashkenazi, as opposed to a t and a sound among the Sephardim. There are other variants, too, such as AdonOI versus AdonAI, ShabbOS versus ShabbAT. In common speech, there are many words, some Yiddish or Polish, others in Hebrew, where there is a difference too. In pursuit of understanding how this happens, I conducted a very random poll of people of varying ages. Of the three words I queried people about – challah, pushke and schmatah – only challah is Hebrew, and it is spelled with the ah ending. In terms of its pronunciation, those who grew up in Massachusetts and Rhode Island use the ee ending, if they
use the words at all. One person, who grew up in New York City, said that at home they said challee, but in public, challah. On the internet, the standard pronunciation for the bread is challah. Schmatah comes from Yiddish by way of Polish: szmata, where it means “rag,” as in, “Get a schmatah and clean up that mess!” Note that only one person uses the ee ending. Pushkah, a charity box, also is not Hebrew, but seems to be derived from a Slavic (Polish or Czech) word for box, puszka. Ten of the total 18 respondents follow a pattern, using either the “ee” or the “ah” for all three words. The outlier word is often pushkah, which can also be pronounced pishkee (yes, that is not very polite!). Since all these words end in ah, where did the ee ending come from? One theory is that since Yiddish was written without vowels, people put in the vowels they liked or mostly heard in the area where they lived in America; this would fit in with the Massachusetts/ Rhode Island connection. Another theory is that the ee ending is a diminutive or a more child-like ending, suitable for using in the family or with children, as exemplified by the native New Yorker. Try your own survey with friends and family, and see what results you come up with! RUTH BREINDEL is a past president of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association.
We meet his wife (and later widow), his children and even his foes, who claim his famous phrase “I like you just as you are” did more harm than good, exaggerating self-esteem and thus weakening the drive and ambition that lead to “success.” I loved every minute, each moment, of this remarkable work of art, design and dedication. This thoughtful, provocative movie provides not only a lovely afternoon away from the crowded beach, but also an invitation to rethink the values of the tube: it can be used for diverse voices and viewpoints.
The movie ends, by the way, with the Hebrew phrase “tikkun olam,” and Mr. Rogers translates it into advice and good counsel. “Repair the world!” he challenges his audiences. I also salute “RBG,” with its lively study of the career of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her past, present and future. My favorite scenes were eccentric details, like her push-ups, with the guidance of her guru, the contrast of her face and form now with photographs of her college days, her early life with her husband
and youngsters, and her everchanging beauty of mind and personality. I don’t like totally admiring biographies. Everybody has detractors one way or another. People said Ginsburg was withdrawn, not outgoing, but still capable of friendship. You get to know her in a way and are free to make up your own mind without propaganda and opinions. My third documentary was “Whitney,” about Whitney Houston, a variation on the movie bios that show the rise and fall of great performance artists. It offers fabulous sounds and sights and intriguing glimpses of the era of the black music scene. We watch Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis dancing gracefully while Houston sings patriotic songs that emphasize the value of freedom and the dignity of the flag that represents our shared dreams of liberty and justice. As we left the matinee show, we held open the door for two elderly women, who were saying, “This movie taught me that there are three curses: fame, beauty, and wealth. It’s better to be just ordinary!” I end my praise for the splendid achievements of these documentary filmmakers on that note. MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol. com) teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.
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The Jewish Voice
Community book club turns 10 while still going strong BY KATHERINE WARTELL For 10 years, the book club at Wingate Residences, on the East Side of Providence, has met monthly in the community’s library to discuss nonfiction, classics, modern-day memoirs and everything in-between. Though members have changed, the group is well past 120 books. “The Ghost Map,” by Steven Johnson, which delves into London’s cholera outbreak in 1854, is a recent favorite, while the group has also loved “The Stranger,” by Albert Camus, “The Professor and the Madman,” by Simon Winchester, and “Embers,” by Sándor Márai. A visitor to the community once expressed surprise at their picks, but as Karen Ferranti, the life enrichment director who runs the club, explains it: “We’re not your grandparents’ book club.” She continued, “The thought is that we’re reading fluff because we’re older, but we really read good books.” Ferranti, a reading enthusiast herself, is responsible for the growth of the club since she took it over a decade ago, during its initial stages. For her, there are only a few requirements for book choices: it can’t be too long and it must be available at the library. Beyond that, “there’s no censorship,” said Beth Mc-
PHOTO | WINGATE ASSISTED LIVING
Book club member Jan Howard reads one of the books. Crae, marketing director at the community. That means the reading list has also included “Between the World and Me,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Hillbilly Elegy,” by J.D. Vance, and “Giovanni’s Room,” by James Baldwin. “I don’t protect [members] from reality,” Ferranti said. “[Some of] our members are 100 years old, they’ve seen everything.” Their longest member to date, Ursula Rickenberg, began attending soon after the club started. Her favorite book has been “The Professor and the Madman,” by Simon Winchester,
which explores the founding of the English dictionary.Their second-longest member began attending in 2012, while a new resident even credited the book club for her decision to move to the assisted-living community, McCrae said. Typically, around 15 people attend meetings. But Ferranti wants community members to know it’s not a private club, and that everyone is welcome, including nonresidents. New members are always appreciated because they bring different perspectives, she said. And though members have high standards for the books
they read – “We have a lot of literature and English professors!” McCrae said – the club isn’t into “book-shaming” anyone. “Read the first page [of the book],” Ferranti said. “Read half the book. Read the full book.” Thanks to a partnership with the library, the club receives 15 copies of the chosen book each month. Depending on the number of people who plan to show up, the books sometimes get loaned out multiple times. Ferranti said every new book is chosen with input from the group. “Our current group loves nonfiction, but we still can’t do two nonfiction books in a row,” she said. She even tried a novel with a little romance in it recently, and said it was generally well-received, even by men in the group. Every book isn’t an instant hit, but often during the discussion, Ferranti said, members will come around on unpopular titles after hearing what their peers have to say. “Go Set a Watchman,” by Harper Lee, was one such book. At first members weren’t a fan of how depressing it was, but during the discussion, they realized that the novel isn’t as discouraging as it first appears. Often though, good conversations during the club start with the members’ own lives and
how they relate to the book. The personalities of members run the gamut: some mostly listen while others frequently speak up. The club itself is “unstructured, like poetry,” Ferranti said, allowing members to contribute as they like. Ferranti will help to fill lulls or ask questions to engage members, but otherwise the club basically runs itself. Members Ellen Goodman and Rickenberg said they enjoy the discussions because of their liveliness. Rickenberg added that she appreciates that people are willing to disagree. “[There’s] a positive response to others’ varied opinions,” she said. Both McCrae and Ferranti believe the book club has become so special to the community because it’s focused on its members and the contributions they want to make. “It’s not any one person’s club,” McCrae said. The club meets on the last Monday of the month at 2 p.m., excluding holidays, at Wingate Residences on the East Side, One Butler Ave., Providence. If you’re interested in attending, call 401-275-0682 to reserve your spot and find out the club’s next book choice. KATHERINE WARTELL writes about senior living topics and trends.
LIVING WELL
Make a plan before downsizing OPEN HOUSE You are invited to our Open House Shabbat service, Friday August 31 at 7:30 pm. This is an opportunity for prospective members to experience our congregation, and meet our community. Learn about our innovative approach to Jewish education in our Religious School. Invite your friends and join us for a joyful evening. Following the service, there will be an Oneg in the Social Hall. 30 Hagen Ave, Cranston, RI 02920 (401) 942-8350 www.templesinairi.org
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BY ERIN MINIOR and SUSAN BAZAR Dear Erin and Susan, My mother has lived in her home for more than 40 years. She is finally onboard with downsizing. After years of memory-making and accumulating, she is also finally ready to purge. The task is daunting to my siblings and me. Can you guide us? - Amy S. Dear Amy, We laughed when we read your questions because it could not have been more timely. Since Jewish Family Service and the Jewish Seniors Agency have combined to become Jewish Collaborative Services (JCS), we have recently moved both agencies, merging personnel and equipment into new headquarters. To do so efficiently, we embarked on the task of downsizing in multiple locations. And while a corporate move differs from a residential move, many concepts are similar: • It is never too early to start the process. Identifying what is precious to your mother is critical. What are the non-
negotiables? In other words, are there furnishings, memorabilia, art/photographs she must hang on to? What would a curated version of her life and personal effects look like? What brings her happiness? Taking the time to determine what will be kept, sold, donated or thrown out is essential. But, remember, many of us are accumulators. Do not be hard on your mother for procrastinating. • Define/consider options. Where will your mother live next? Would a smaller house, a condo or an apartment suit her? How about assisted living? Is she isolated socially? Would she like to be part of a residential community? • Make a plan. Once you determine where your mother will live, grab a calendar and create a reasonable schedule to decide what will be kept. Keep in mind the size/storage limitations of her new home. • Bring in a professional. Downsizing experts provide expertise and support for you and/or loved ones through this process. Search online for local experts. Often, they coordinate the entire move: determine
what will fit into the new home, assist with curating “stuff,” and arrange the actual move. • Docu ment- sh redd i ng. The IRS dictates how long financial records must be kept. Before you discard, know the rules. If you do not, ask a trusted adviser. • Take advantage of offers to help from family and friends. Having a trusted inner-circle provide support during the process can be wonderfully helpful. Above all else, try not to let the downsizing process become too daunting. If you have time to navigate the process, take advantage of it. Too often, life gets “in the way,” and the process happens at the last minute, in a frantic, stressful rush. Embrace downsizing as a cathartic exercise. Your brain will be stimulated. Emotions will be stirred. Though challenging, the yield is often positive. Best of luck! ERIN MINIOR is interim CEO and SUSAN BAZAR is chief of strategy and administration at Jewish Collaborative Services, in Providence. This column appears monthly.
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It made Miriam feel young again! WE ARE READ IN ISRAEL – Karen Gerstein and her daughter, Pam Powell, both of Warwick, visited Tel Aviv in May. So did The Voice
It was an exciting day for Miriam Snell when her grandson, Adam Field, picked her up at home in a Polaris Slingshot. They drove from Providence
to Cranston so she could show her family. According to Sheryl Snell Moran, her daughter, Miriam said that she was not afraid at all to be on the highway in
this. She had the time of her life! The day ended with a trip to Federal Hill for ice cream and then a ride back home.
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Thank
YOU for making a difference
תודה רבה todah rabbah
Because of YOU, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island raised $3.1M for the 2018 Annual Campaign and nearly $650,000 in designated giving opportunities* from 2,370 gifts. These funds support 70 local and global partners and 300 organizations and initiatives worldwide. A full donor report will be available at jewishallianceri.org starting August 24, with excerpts published in the next issue of The Jewish Voice. *Designated projects include Dwares JCC Capital Campaign, Living on the Edge initiative, Secure Community Campaign, Emergency Relief Campaigns, and The Jewish Voice Patron Campaign.
For more information about the Alliance Annual Campaign, contact Trine Lustig at 401.421.4111 ext. 223 or tlustig@jewishallianceri.org.
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