March 1, 2018

Volume XXIV, Issue V | www.jvhri.org Serving Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts

SENIORS

15 Adar 5778 | March 2, 2018

Hello from Key West, Florida Calling on southernmost Jews

BY M. CHARLES BAKST

Dorothy Barry flanked by her son Phillip (seated) and her daughter -n-law Roberta

Play, learn and socialize at the Bridge Place

BY LARRY KESSLER If you can’t get enough of bridge, or are curious about the popular card game, then head down to the Bridge Place at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence.

You don’t have to know much about the game, and you’re never too old to learn how to play, according to the Bridge Place’s director and teacher, Barton Buffington, 76.

Buffington is a board member of Rhode Island’s Unit 145 of the American Contract Bridge League, the national governing body, as well as being an ACBLcertified teacher and an enthusiastic bridge advocate.

In an email interview with The Jewish Voice, Buffington touted the game’s universal appeal and its benefits for seniors.

Here are excerpts:

Q. How often does the group meet and how many people regularly attend?

A. Attendance varies. Tuesdays, 25-35 people; Fridays, 15-20. Monday and Wednesday classes [are] not well attended at this time. [There are] two games on Mondays: open and 0-20 master points [new players or ones with fewer than 20 master points].

Q. Is it open to anyone? Where are most folks from?

A. The group is open to all players and students from Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Q. When did the group form and why?

A. [The] origin of the organization [was in] the 1940s.

[The goal was] to establish a duplicate bridge group in Rhode Island.

BRIDGE PLACE | 14

KEY WEST, FLA. - What, you’re surprised there is Jewish life here?

This is the southernmost point in the continental U.S., a city of 27,000, with an artsycraftsy live-and-let-live vibe.

Bars and souvenir shops. Gorgeous sunsets and beaches. Quiet side streets of white wooden homes with graceful fences, porches and balconies. Roosters wander about. Hemingway lived here. Truman vacationed here. A good place to wind down or drop out.

Rabbi Shimon Dudai of Conservative Congregation B’nai Zion says that when he’s away and he tells people where his temple is, they respond, “I didn’t know there were Jews in Key West.”

Well, I recently had a nice visit to B’nai Zion.

And Mam’s Best Food restaurant, certified Kosher by the lo-

Arlo Haskell cal Chabad, was doing a lively business when I stopped in to chat with local resident Arlo Haskell, 40. He is the author of a fascinating new history, “The Jews of Key West: Smugglers, Cigar Makers, and Revolutionaries (1823-1969)” (Sand Piper Press, 2017).

The tiny eatery, with a counter, cloth canopy and a handful of outdoor tables, is owned by an Israeli expatriate. The food – falafel and hummus for me, a mix of chicken and shawarma for Haskell – was outstanding, and the conversation as interesting as the book.

Haskell, often, online, exhaustively researched letters, news stories, records, pictures and so on and spoke to people fi rsthand. He grew up here, but he illuminates a history that was full of discoveries for him and of which the Jewish community, let alone the rest of the population, was only dimly aware.

He might seem an unlikely chronicler. He’s not Jewish. He comes from a secular Catholic family. But his wife, Ashley, is from a secular Jewish family in New Jersey. Their daughter, Aviva, was named at KEY WEST | 11

Parkland students begin to heal at Jewish conference in New York

BY BEN SALES JTA – Seven survivors of the Parkland school shooting were among thousands of Jewish high school students who attended the annual conference of the Chabad movement’s youth group.

Responding to the Feb. 14 shooting became an impromptu theme of the conference, which was hosted in New York City

by CTeen, the teen arm of the Hasidic outreach movement.

CTeen, which has 100,000 members worldwide, has eight chapters in the South Florida area surrounding Parkland.

The shooting, which killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has galvanized a youthled movement for gun reform.

But the students at the conference, each of whom had taken

part in previous local Chabad activities, said they appreciated the opportunity to grieve and be comforted.

“We all have been feeling better because we’ve been with other teens who have been supporting us,” Marc Susskind, 14, told JTA. “They’ve been checking in on us, keeping us company.”

PARKLAND| 3

OSCAR | 6

2 | March 2, 2018

COMMUNITY

The Jewish Voice

INSIDE Arts 12 Business 21-22 Calendar 10-26 Community 2, 4-6, 20, 23, 27 D’Var Torah 7 Food 13

Business

Obituaries 24-25 Opinion 8-9 Seniors 14-19

Wintertime fun

Our Passover issue is March 16. Reserve ad space now, email: cwesterkamp@jewishallianceri.org. Send us your favorite Passopver recipes: editor@jewishallianceri.org

D

ay at the J Feb. 25 drew a crowd to the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence.

Among the many activities were a PJ Library activity (bottom) in the upper lobby with a summer-themed craft. Two workshops by Humans of Tel Aviv photographer Erez Kaganovitz (above) gave community members a chance to meet the photographer. Families also could participate in a tropical pool party.

Another Day at the J is planned for March 25.

THIS ISSUE’S QUOTABLE QUOTE “Moses understood that freedom without laws is no freedom at all.”

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Let’s grow together.

NATION

jvhri.org FROM PAGE 1

PARKLAND On Saturday night [Feb. 24], the conference held a moment of silence in Times Square for the murdered teens, and the next day began a campaign for members of the youth group to fulfill one Jewish commandment, or mitzvah, in the teens’ memory. The group also called for schools to institute a moment of silence at the beginning of the day.

Both the mitzvah campaign and the idea of a moment of silence in public schools – in place of prayer, which is prohibited – are longtime Chabad causes.

The movement often encourages doing Jewish rituals, such as lighting Shabbat candles or laying tefillin, as a response to tragedy.

Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, CTeen’s president, said the group tries to avoid political issues like the gun control campaign, but acknowledged the power of the Parkland students’ activism.

“Teens are the leaders of today, not the leaders of tomorrow,” he said. “Many of them

PHOTO | JTA, ITZIK ROYTMAN/CTEEN

In center, with the red beard, Rabbi Shaya Denburg, co-director of CTeen in Coral Springs, Florida, with Rabbi Moshe Klein on his left; Chayale Denburg, co-director of CTeen in Coral Springs, standing second from right; and some survivors of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. The survivors were in New York this weekend for Chabad’s CTeen conference. are embracing that. The Parkland event is something that brought this onto the national stage. Teens might be getting a

bump in being able to mobilize because a lot of people are looking toward them and seeing what they’re going to do.”

Other Jewish youth groups are explicitly supporting the gun control campaign. According to [an article in] the New

March 2, 2018 |

3

York Jewish Week, the teen arms of the Reform, Conservative and Modern Orthodox movements have all signed onto the effort.

“Never before have students across the country mobilized like this, and never before have the eyes of the nation been so closely trained on us as we fight for change,” Zoe Turner, a member of the Reform movement’s National Federation of Temple Youth in Florida, wrote in an essay last week. “A countrywide call to action roars loudly in all of our ears, and NFTY is heeding the call.”

The students at the CTeen conference, which drew 2,500 attendees, said they would also be engaging in activism, including a march in Washington, D.C., scheduled for March 24. But this weekend, Parkland survivors said, they were just grateful to be among friends who comforted them.

“Everyone knows about the incident and everyone is going to help reconnect,” said Maverick Reynolds, 15, who heard gunshots while hiding in a nearby classroom. “We knew it was real and it was very scary.”

COMMUNITY

4 | March 2, 2018

The Jewish Voice

Scholar to speak at Temple Emanu-El about emergent African Judaism

BY SHAI AFSAI When William Miles, a professor of political science at Northeastern University, fi rst read that there were Nigerians practicing Judaism, he was suspicious.

“I’ve been working on this part of Africa for the better part of 35 years, so I thought I knew the lay of the land very well,” said Miles, a former Stotsky Professor of Jewish Historical and Cultural Studies at Northeastern.

But two years later, in 2008, Miles was asked to review Edith Bruder’s “The Black Jews of Africa,” in which he encountered a description of people practicing Judaism in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. That was a scholarly source the professor could not easily dismiss.

Intrigued, but still doubtful,

he decided to travel to Abuja to fi nd out about its Jews for himself.

“I went to explore with an open, if skeptical, mind,” Miles recalled. “All it took was a few minutes in one of their synagogues in Abuja to realize that they are actually practicing what any Jew in Providence – Orthodox, Conservative or Reform – would recognize as rabbinic Judaism. I was bowled over by the authenticity. It was the real deal. I saw their kavana [intention] in tefilot [prayers].”

The Igbo of Nigeria number some 25 million to 30 million.

Within the Igbo ethnic group, as Miles explains, “there is a self-creating Jewish community of 2,000 to 5,000 people, and it is growing. Many Igbo claim to be descendants of the Israel-

PHOTO | WILLIAM F. MILES

Professor William Miles with fellow celebrant at Bar Mitzvah in Abuja, Nigeria. ite tribe of Gad, but it has only been in the last 25 to 35 years that the claim of Jewishness

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and Israelite descent has been ratcheted up into rabbinic Jewish practice.”

The development of Nigerian Judaism differs from that of Ethiopian or Ugandan Judaism, Miles says.

“This is not like the Jews of Ethiopia, who have an ancient, documented, continuous chain of Jewish practice. Nor is this like the Jews of Uganda, who did not claim Jewish descent at all when they began embracing Judaism in the early part of the 20th century.”

Miles’ fi rst visit to Abuja, during Hanukkah of 2009, inaugurated a relationship between the Jewish community and Providence’s Temple Emanu-El, one that many of the synagogue’s members may not know exists.

Using his discretionary fund, Rabbi Wayne Franklin procured 50 hanukkiot, and Temple Emanu-El’s gift shop supplied 50 boxes of Hanukkah candles, which Miles brought to Nigeria, allowing many in the Abuja community to have a household hanukkiah for the fi rst time.

In 2011, Franklin and Miles received invitations to attend the fi rst Bar Mitzvah celebration in Abuja. Although unable to go himself, Franklin sent the Bar Mitzvah boy, Hezekiah, tefi llin by way of Miles.

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Phone: 401-421-4111 • Fax 401-331-7961

MEMBER of the Rhode Island Press Association and the American Jewish Press Association

“It was the most amazing Bar Mitzvah I’ve experienced, next to that of the Bat Mitzvah of my daughter Arielle, and Bar Mitzvah of my son Sam,” Miles said.

These fi rst two visits to the Abuja community provided the setting for Miles’ “Jews of Nigeria: An Afro-Judaic Odyssey” (Marcus Weiner, 2013).

The book was later chosen as a National Jewish Book Award fi nalist. Its cover shows Hezekiah wearing Miles’ own Bar Mitzvah tallit (which he gave to the boy) and the tefi llin presented to him by Temple Emanu-El. Hearing from Miles about his experiences in Nigeria led me to travel to their country three times myself, in 20132014; to invite two Igbo elders from Abuja to spend 12 days in Rhode Island; and to put together a photo-text exhibit at Brown RISD Hillel about Nigerian Judaism.

Miles’ trips to Nigeria were followed in 2015 by travel to Madagascar to learn about Malagasy Judaism. He has recently returned to the United States from a third visit to those practicing Judaism in Nigeria and a fi rst visit to the Jews of Cameroon, who also began practicing rabbinic Judaism in the past several decades.

Miles’ talk, “‘Who is a Jew?’ Comes to Africa: A Multimedia Presentation,” about emerging Jewish communities from Nigeria to Madagascar striving to acquire the knowledge and skills of modern Judaism, will take place at Providence’s Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., on Wednesday, March 21, 7:30-9 p.m. The talk is free, with a $5 suggested donation.

SHAI AFSAI lives in Providence. His review of Miles’ most recent book (co-edited with Daniel Lis and Tudor Parfitt), “In the Shadow of Moses: New Jewish Movements in Africa and the Diaspora” (Tsehai, 2016), will appear in Reading Religion, a review site published by the American Academy of Religion.

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All submitted content becomes the property of The Voice. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of The Voice or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

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jvhri.org

March 2, 2018 |

5

Bob Kemp, “Gumbo”

Rabbi Lazer Brody

Breslov scholar from Israel to speak at Congregation Beth Sholom

BY SHAI AFSAI Rabbi Lazer Brody, of Israel’s Yeshiva Chut Shel Chesed and Breslev Israel, will speak at Congregation Beth Sholom, in Providence, on March 7 about the power of faith and gratitude – and how to strengthen both.

Brody, who lives in Israel, is the English-language spokesman for Rabbi Shalom Arush, a prominent Moroccan-born Israeli Breslov leader. He has translated a number of Arush’s Hebrew works into English, including “Garden of Emuna” and “Garden of Gratitude,” in addition to writing his own books on Judaism.

Born in Washington, D.C., Brody is a graduate of the University of Maryland. In 1970, he moved to Israel, joining the Israel Defense Forces and serving for 19 years in regular and reserve-army combat service.

Ordained a rabbi in 1992, his post-graduate study included personal and family counseling, and he eventually spent two years as the rabbi and spiritual rehabilitation director of a major Israeli prison.

Brody’s visit to Providence is part of a March tour of the United States, where he will lecture on the need for every Jew to realize his or her own life-changing redemption, enabled by the power of faith and gratitude, as a prelude to the universal redemption of the messianic era.

Under the leadership of Rabbi Barry Dolinger, Congregation Beth Sholom has been pursuing old and new ways to promote meaningful religious and communal spaces, including through the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the 19thcentury founder of Breslov Hasidism.

As part of this effort, Dolinger

offers a weekly Saturday afternoon class on Rebbe Nachman’s teachings about prayer and meditation.

“On a personal level, my practice has become heavily influenced by Rebbe Nachman,” Dolinger said. “His core teachings focus on the holistic spirituality of the body, emotional states and happiness, the vitality (chiyut) of life, and sensing the divine presence in our experiences.”

Breslov’s emphasis on intentional prayer, conversation with God, and meditation are practices that have proven powerful for Dolinger.

“These are in line with the shared spiritual experience of so many [including the Hasidim], and are extremely important in our current world, in my opinion,” says Dolinger.

“Hence our efforts at Congregation Beth Sholom to make intentional prayer a reality on Shabbat through our MeSHuGA – Making Shabbat Great Again – campaign and also the start of Thrive, which emphasizes direct spiritual practice.”

“This is different and exciting for our community,” Dolinger said of Brody’s upcoming visit. “We’re bringing Breslov to Providence!”

Rabbi Brody will speak at Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence, on March 7 at 7:30 p.m. The talk is free and open to all. For more information, contact the synagogue at 401-621-9393.

SHAI AFSAI lives in Providence. His article “Uman: Pilgrimage and Prayer,” about Jewish pilgrimage to the burial place of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, in Ukraine, appears in the summer 2017 issue of the Reform Jewish Quarterly.

Multi-faceted exhibit at Habonim Gallery The March/April show in the Bunny Fain Gallery at Temple Habonim features three very different creative approaches.

The show opens with a wine and cheese reception on Sunday, March 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. and continues through May 3.

With his exceptional eye, photographer Bob Kemp expands our view of the world, capturing a scene, a moment, often bringing us into time past.

Abba Cudney uses color and line to welcome us to a familiar moment. As we enter her work, we know it well, and find ourselves part of the landscape.

Mural 5778 is a creation of the religious school classes of

Abba Cudney, “Old Refrigerator, New Food” Temple Habonim under the guidance of Education Director David Perolman. The students have used Hebrew letters and artistic representation to create what has become an annual masterpiece.

The Bunny Fain Gallery at Temple Habonim is at 165 New

Meadow Road in Barrington.

Gallery hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and by appointment. For information, call 401-245-6536 or email gallery@templehabonim.org.

COMMUNITY

6 | March 2, 2018

The Jewish Voice

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Establishing a Donor Advised Fund with the Jewish Federation Foundation is a wonderful way to build a tradition of family philanthropy.

A Donor Advised Fund, or DAF, is a charitable-giving fund created with an irrevocable gift of $2,500 or more, which can be added to at any time. The fund is invested through the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s endowment, which allows the donor to recommend grants to his or her favorite Jewish and secular nonprofit organizations, or even to pay synagogue dues.

Creating a DAF centralizes a donor’s charitable dollars in one convenient account, providing maximum tax advantages and flexibility in grant-making.

Funds are started with a simple letter of agreement, which can be completed in minutes. The donor may be an individual, a family or a corporation.

Whether looking to minimize taxes, create a charitable family legacy, or honor a loved one, a DAF may be the right fit for you.

Among the advantages: DAFs are an affordable alternative to a priv a t e f a m i l y f o u n d a t i o n .

Donors can make additional contributions at any time.

Donors can recommend distributions to charities using convenient and secure online access.

All administrative responsibilities are handled in-house to make giving easy.

Donors can give other individuals the right to recommend distributions from the fund.

Maximizing tax advantages.

Unlimited grant distribution annually.

But wait – there’s more! With a DAF, you can create a family legacy rich in Jewish tradition.

Grants issued from the fund will carry your family’s name now and for the next generation. DAFs are self-generating and continue to grow. Once established, any authorized individual may make tax-deductible contributions to the fund at any time, in any amount.

You can also establish a DAF to mark a milestone – such as a birth, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, graduation, wedding or anniversary – to create a meaningful memorial tribute. In the process, you are educating others about the importance of tzedakah.

Finally, DAFs are an excellent alternative to the financial and legal requirements of maintaining a private family foundation.

If you already have a foundation, you can terminate it in just a few straightforward steps, transfer the assets to a DAF at the Jewish Federation Foundation, and continue to pursue your charitable objectives through your named fund.

For more information on easy ways to establish a Donor Advised Fund with Jewish Federation Foundation at the Jewish Alliance, contact Trine Lustig, vice president of philanthropy, at tlustig@jewishallienceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 223.

Congressional delegation at Temple Habonim

East Bay’s congressional delegation – Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. David Cicilline – comes to Temple Habonim for a conversation on Sunday, March 4, at 3:30 p.m.

The goal of the afternoon is a public dialogue with elected officials – to be heard and to hear their perspectives on what is happening and not happening currently in Washington, DC, and across the country. During these complex political times, we look to our leaders for honesty, guidance and hope. The doors will open at 2:45 p.m. All are welcome.

Temple Habonim is at 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. For information, office@templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Sen. Jack Reed

Rep. David Cicilline

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March 2, 2018 |

7

Lessons from the golden calf Ki tissa

Imagine the scene: Moses is up on Mount Sinai, listening to God’s words – which somehow end up written on tablets of stone.

Did Moses write those wo r d s? We r e they etched into the stone by the fire of God? Did Moses RABBI and God write ETHAN the words toADLER gether, to create what we later called the Tablets of the Law? We are not sure. But what we do know is that both Moses and God took this event very seriously. Moses understood that freedom without laws is no freedom at all. Leaving Egypt in the great exodus gave the Children of Israel a taste of freedom. Receiving God’s rules and regulations provided them with a whole meal of freedom. This was important stuff.

In the meantime, something else was happening below. Before he left for the Sinai summit, Moses had announced that he would be gone for 40 days. So, on the 40th day, when he did not appear, the Israelites became frightened. Where was their leader? And if he was gone, who would take care of them? Who would lead them to the Promised Land, wherever and whatever that was? Would they have to turn back towards Egypt, to become re-enslaved? And what about this God that Moses had spoken about so often – did he also abandon them?

In other words, they panicked. And, as we know, panicked people can easily become a panicked mob – and this was the prospect faced by Aaron, Moses’ brother, who was desperately trying to maintain peace and calm amid growing discontent, agitation and fear.

What was Aaron to do? Well, at first, he tried to reassure them that Moses would be back soon. But, in the evening, the folks began to revolt – they did not realize that the next day could still be counted as the 40th day because in Judaism, the day begins the previous night.

At any rate, Aaron had to do something, and quickly. He tried to reason with them, but no-go. He reminded them that Moses was with God and would be down, just as sure as they were able to cross the Red Sea. That, too, failed. He told them to have faith in God, that all would be OK, but it still didn’t work.

The Israelites were getting anxious, rambunctious and ready to rumble.

“Make us a new god,” they yelled, “a new god that will replace Moses and give us a sense of ease, comfort and trust.”

There was no turning them down. Aaron may have looked at the mountaintop one last time – alas, nothing.

Wait, he may have thought to himself, maybe there is a way, a plan to hold off this idol thing.

He said to them, bring me your gold, your earrings, bracelets, nose rings, ankle bracelets – all you have, as much as you have – so I can melt it all down and make you your god.

He thought this would be a great stalling tactic. After all, it would take some time to gather all the jewelry – or they might decide that they wanted to keep their gold.

Not so much! In their anxious state, they showed up with all their gold in no time. And still, no Moses.

So Aaron melted the gold and fashioned it into a calf, which was an Egyptian deity, one they were familiar with – and the Israelites broke into party mode.

There was singing and dancing and swaying to the music.

Needless to say, there was also drinking, and frolicking, and other stuff that many of our politicians know all too well.

It was into this scene that Moses finally arrived – tablets in hand, mouth open, head shaking in disbelief, disappointment and anger mounting, perhaps even a tear or two of sadness.

OMG, he might have said to himself, what is going on down here?!

As his anger grew, he smashed the tablets on the ground, sending smithereens hither and thither. How could they do this after leaving Egypt as free people? How could they lose their trust in God after witnessing the plagues, the splitting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven, the victory over the fierce Amalek tribe that had attacked them soon after the exodus? And how could Aaron, his trusted and worthy brother,

Candle Lighting Times Greater Rhode Island March 2 March 9 March 16 March 23

succumb to their wishes?

We can almost understand how Moses was moved to utterly destroy those tablets.

However, this did not sit well with the rabbis. Did Moses so lose control of his emotions that he destroyed tablets with God’s name on them? Tablets perhaps written with God’s own fingers.

Tablets that contained the blueprint for Jewish life for millennia to come. Could the holy man Moses really do this?

The rabbis’ answer was an unequivocal “no way.” But, the fact is, he did do that – the Torah itself says he did.

However, a midrash comes to the rescue – a rabbinic interpretation to ease the severity of Moses’ actions. According to this viewpoint, the fire of God actually burned through the stone to create letters: you could see right through them, from front to back and back to front.

Since most of the stone had been burned away, the tablets were light and it was easy for Moses to carry them, the rabbis explained.

However, the rabbis say, when Moses came upon the golden calf celebration, the letters in the tablets refilled themselves with stone, and the tablets became heavier and heavier. In a short time, they became so heavy that Moses was afraid he would be crushed by their weight. He thus let them go, and quickly moved out of the way –

and they came crashing down.

This way, he did not “throw” the tablets on the ground. Rather, he let them fall in a desperate move to avoid serious injury.

Eventually, Moses returned to the mountaintop and created a second set of tablets.

It is now about 3,500 years after these events. What we know about the story is what we read, and what the interpreters have said, and continue to say.

And we also know that Torah stories, narratives and other components serve to teach us – about ourselves, about others, about life.

So now that we know the story, what does the incident of the golden calf teach us? Some possibilities: • Trust in faith – Moses was just hours away from appearing.

• The lure of gold can corrupt otherwise appropriate thinking.

• We are who we were to some degree – Moses could take the Israelites out of Egypt, but he couldn’t take the Egypt out of the Israelites.

• God and Moses did not give up on the Israelites – and we should not give up on one another or ourselves. We should always look for ways to create our own second tablets.

• When life is stressful, don’t have a cow!

ETHAN ADLER is rabbi of Congregation Beth David, in Narragansett.

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OPINION

8 | March 2, 2018

Olympics fever is but a memory Were you sorry to see the Olympics go? Or were you ready for it to be over?

There seem to be two camps.

First, there’s those who obsessively watched the Olympics coverage.

Ski jumping?

Great! Big air?

Even better!

Figure skating? Couldn’t wait (and stayed up too late)! Curling?

EDITOR Seriously?

(More about FRAN that later.)

OSTENDORF And then there are those who forgot the Olympics were even happening, or just didn’t care.

True confessions: I love the Winter Olympics. I looked forward to the television recap every night. I never went so far as to turn it on during the day.

But each night, there I sat, on the couch, tuned in.

I am not an athlete. I do not ski. I’m afraid of heights. When I lived in the mountains of Utah years ago, the ski lifts terrified me. Cross-country skiing did not work out well for me.

But I love watching a good ski race. And I’m fascinated by the twists and turns of the snowboarding competitions. How do you learn to do those tricks without breaking your neck? I can’t even walk on a sidewalk without breaking my kneecap!

I don’t ice skate either. I couldn’t learn as a child. Obviously, balance is not a strength of mine. But I love and appreciate figure skating – the beauty,

the difficulty, the athleticism.

Did you watch the Israeli team? They did pretty well compared to past performances, and certainly made a good showing.

Airing figure skating on TV almost every night could be looked at as a brilliant marketing move – the sport’s huge fan base tuned in night after night.

But the surprise favorite this Olympics was the men’s curling team. The American curling team won? Wow! A gold medal in a sport that had many people scratching their heads, that saw a bunch of seemingly everyday guys from Minnesota and Wisconsin sweep their way to the podium. Unlike most of the athletes, somehow you can’t imagine them training for hours every day. Or dreaming of curling at the Olympics since they were toddlers. How did they ever get started?

But curling takes teamwork, skill and athleticism, as those of us on our couches in the U.S. have been learning these past few weeks.

Curling originated in 16thcentury Scotland and made its first appearance in the Olympics in 1924. It has an international organization and clubs around the globe.

Maybe curling will catch on across the U.S. The members of the U.S. curling team certainly hope so. And it just might.

It’s great when a new activity comes along that anyone can participate in, even those of us who aren’t particularly athletic. After all, who really knew what pickleball was a couple of years ago? And now the JCC’s league has a waiting list!

Letter Re: Mike Pence’s faith (Feb. 16)

I differ sharply with the opinion of Ron Kampeas in the Feb. 16 issue of the Voice. He quotes a known Jewish liberal Daniel Seidemann who states that what seems to be driving our Mideast foreign policy is the influence of VP Mike Pence and the administration of Christian Evangelists in giving total support to Israel.

What’s wrong with that?

When in the last several thousand years have vast numbers of non-Jews given total support to Jews and their homeland?

Christian Evangelists numbering in the millions, frequently

visit Israel, support Israel monetarily and politically Israeli institutions, advance Israeli causes in our Congress and even serve in the IDF. This is in the face of other Christian denominations that are hostile to Israel by supporting BDS through their churches and academia.

I welcome Evangelical help and look forward toward our working together with the Jewish community for peace and prosperity in the biblical land that we all cherish.

Sy Dill Providence, RI

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

Adam I and Adam II – and why we need both In his introduction to “The Road to Character” (Random House, 2015), New York Times columnist David Brooks acknowledges his indebtedness to Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903-1993). In his 1965 book, “The Lonely Man of Faith,” the rabbi develops a distinction between “Adam I” and “Adam II.” As Brooks puts it, “Soloveitchik noted IT SEEMS that there are two accounts TO ME of creation in Genesis and that these repRABBI JIM resent the two ROSENBERG opposing sides of our nature, which he called Adam I and Adam II.” The tension between Adam I and Adam II appears and reappears as a leitmotif throughout the 10 chapters of Brooks’ book.

The author sees Adam I as a person who embodies what he calls “résumé virtues,” those practical and discernible qualities which an individual lists on a job application: particular talents, a self-confident display of usefulness, the brazenness to push the “Big Me.” In contrast, Adam II represents the “eulogy virtues,” internal strengths that are not so easy to observe from the outside: quiet qualities of character and morality that slowly develop over the course of a lifetime.

Adam II’s profound humility is expressed in a willingness to suppress the needs and desires of the self for the sake of the larger community.

Brooks writes, “While Adam I wants to conquer the world, Adam II wants to obey a calling to serve the world …. While Adam I asks how things work, Adam II asks why things exist, and what ultimately we are here for …. While Adam I’s motto is ‘Success,’ Adam II experiences life as a moral dance.”

The virtues of Adam I and

PASSOVER PREPARATIONS

Adam II are not mutually exclusive; we need both. Most of us need to develop the résumé virtues of Adam I in order to become gainfully employed. As one of my high school English teachers used to say, “‘Man does not live by bread alone,’ but bread helps.” That is to say, we need to earn a living well before we need to earn a favorable eulogy.

Though he is concerned about our society’s excessive emphasis on Adam I, Brooks admits that the cultural shift in the 1950s and 1960s favoring such Adam I virtues as pride and self-esteem “had many positive effects; it helped correct some deep social injustices. Up until those years, many social groups, notably women, minorities, and the poor, had received messages of inferiority and humiliation …. The culture of self-esteem encouraged members of these oppressed groups to believe in themselves, to raise their sights and aspirations.”

Brooks explores this tug of war between the values of Adam I and Adam II in eight chapters that offer succinct and penetrating biographies of eight men and women, all of whom, though deeply flawed, overcame early adversity, conquered their demons – or at least tamed them – and made major contributions to the larger world. By the end of their lives, each of these individuals had achieved a better balance between the values of Adam I and those of Adam II. However, it was the Adam II in each of them that led them out of themselves and into the service of others.

Chapters 2-6 focus on five Americans, all born in the 19th century, who helped strengthen the moral fiber of our country in the 20th century: Frances Perkins (1880-1965), Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of labor throughout his presidency and the first woman to serve in the president’s Cabinet; Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), hero of World War II and our 34th presi-

JAMES B. ROSENBERG is rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeritus@templehabonim.org.

Next Time in The Voice

No matter your level of preparations, there will be some interesting reading in our Passover issue. This one will be a keeper.

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

dent; Dorothy Day (1897-1980), a leading figure in the Catholic Worker movement; George Marshall (1880-1959), chief of staff of the U.S. Army during World War II and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953; A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979), a prominent African-American leader of the civil rights movement.

In Chapters 7-9, Brooks moves back in time and crosses the Atlantic to examine how Adam I and Adam II played out in the lives of three other well-known individuals: George Eliot, born Mary Anne Evans (1819-1880), an English writer especially known for her novels; St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), a major figure in the development of Western Christianity; Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), an Englishman of letters who published “A Dictionary of the English Language” in 1755.

With his characteristic cautious moderation, Brooks writes near the very end of “The Road to Character” that we do not need to replace the values of Adam I with the values of Adam II; rather, our task is to bring the résumé virtues of Adam I and the eulogy virtues of Adam II into healthier balance.

“It is probably necessary to have one foot in the world of achievement but another foot in a counterculture that is in tension with the achievement ethos. It’s probably necessary to reassert a balance between Adam I and Adam II and to understand that if anything, Adam II is more important than Adam I.” It seems to me more than a little ironic that David Brooks, once identified as a conservative voice on the New York Times op-ed page, is now seen by many members of the Republican Party as subverting its cause precisely because he insists on moderation and balance.

If you are looking for some new reading for the children, we have a list of recommendations.

STILL NEED SOME NEW RECIPES? We’ll have a few ideas.

COMMUNICATE WITH US

Have an idea or a comment? Sent it via email to editor@jewishallianceri.org or regular mail: Editor, The Jewish Voice, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

COLUMNS | LETTERS POLICY

The Jewish Voice publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (opeds 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).

OPINION

jvhri.org

March 2, 2018 |

9

Writing retreat in the Negev desert sparks inspiration Most of us search for community in one way or another. One of the communities I’ve sought out in Israel is writers, both while getting a master’s degree in creative writing from Bar Ilan University and while writing about events in and around Jerusalem.

LETTERS HOME DANIEL STIEGLITZ So my interest was piqued when I heard that there would be an overnight writing retreat that would only cost 250 shekels (about $75). My first reaction was, “Yeah, right. Too good to be true.” Fortunately, I was proven wrong.

This past December, about 14 other writers and I met in southern Israel, in the Negev, a desert region. The event was partially subsidized and organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that helps people from North America and the United Kingdom make aliyah (immigrate) to Israel. A few years ago, the group started its southern division of the Go Beyond Department of NBN to encourage olim (immigrants) to go beyond key urban centers, such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, to find out what southern Israel has to offer. The event was organized by Gahl Pratt

Pardes, a writer who lives in the south, and Amanda Gold, who works in Nefesh B’Nefesh’s southern office.

After meeting in Be’er Sheva, the largest city in southern Israel, we boarded a chartered shuttle bus to Kibbutz Sde Boker. This kibbutz is famous because David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, retired there, and was eventually buried there.

After an introductory circle where we all got to know one another, we took a short walk to Ben-Gurion’s grave. There, an American olah (immigrant) spoke to us about Ben-Gurion the writer. We learned things such as how Ben-Gurion told his father back in Europe to save the letters he wrote to him, knowing they might one day be important.

For our first activity, we spread out to do some desert vista writing. As I sat under a tree, ibexes walked past me as frequently as squirrels do in Providence.

We spent most of the afternoon and evening in workshops conducted by fellow participants. During each time slot, we were given the option to attend one of two workshops.

During a playwrighting workshop, we each took a scene from a play we’d never read before and wrote our own scene that would take place later in the same play.

In a self-editing workshop, the moderator gave us a random topic to write about. I took the information she shared with us about “desert hedgehogs,” and gave it my own

creative spin by writing about a young boy who mimicked a desert hedgehog’s characteristics.

Next, I attended a performance poetry workshop. The moderator taught us how to read our work aloud in a way that would captivate the audience.

I was on such a high at each of these workshops that I never hesitated to share what I had written or to give my take on a particular topic.

The next day, we hiked into the Negev Desert. We spread out among the rocks, dirt and sand to do our writing. I chose a spot where I couldn’t see any signs of civilization or other people – it was just me and the desert. Those moments freed me of a writer’s block that had prevented me from continuing a particular story, which happened to be set in the desert.

Another great benefit of the retreat was mingling with the talented writers. One is writing a memoir about the unlikely friendship she forged with a Palestinian woman, who lives on the other side of the separation barrier, after they met at a breast-cancer support group in Jerusalem. Another woman and I realized that we’ve been living just two buildings apart for more than six years!

When I came home, my roommates asked me about the retreat. I replied with as much energy and enthusiasm as one might see from someone who just came back from Disneyworld. It was just the breath of fresh (desert) air that my writing needed, and I’m happy to

PHOTOS | DANIEL STIEGLITZ

The writer with others from the workshop hiking in the Negev.

The American who made aliyah and moved to the Negev tells the group a bit about David Ben Gurion. say that my personal community of fellow writers in Israel has now grown even larger.

DANIEL STIEGLITZ (dstieglitz@gmail.com) is a certified

Life Coach and freelance writer who lives in Jerusalem. His collection of short stories, “Tavern of the Mind,” was recently published and is available for purchase on Amazon.

Why these supporters of a new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem think Sheldon Adelson shouldn’t pay for it

BY RON KAMPEAS

WASHINGTON (JTA) – Sheldon Adelson’s offer to help pay for the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is getting a thumb’s down from a range of observers who support the embassy’s relocation.

The Associated Press had the exclusive on Friday morning [Feb. 23], and JTA confirmed it with sources who have been apprised of the State Department’s deliberations. State Department lawyers are poring over the law books to determine how to pull off America’s first privately funded embassy.

Why would the Trump administration want this? Well, no one’s saying, but cost-cutting seems likely. The move to temporary digs, due in May, is eventually going to cost taxpayers about $60 million. An embassy built from scratch will be much pricier. The newly opened U.S. Embassy in London cost $1 billion.

Presumably, a Jerusalem embassy will come in under $1 bil-

lion (although who can guess).

Adelson is worth an estimated $40 billion, and can afford it.

Adelson’s spokesman declined to comment.

JTA asked various people who have been involved in advocating for the embassy move what they thought of the plan to privatize the embassy. The five who responded thought it was a terrible idea.

The triumph of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem, they tended to agree, is that it came about honestly because recognizing an ally’s capital is the right thing to do. Trump himself said Friday [Feb. 23] in a speech to conservative activists that he came under intense pressure from the international community not to make the move.

The optics of a rich donor paying the U.S. government for the embassy, critics said, makes the move look less like a principled policy than a personal favor.

“Citizens volunteering their resources and energies to ease the government’s burdens is

laudable,” said Jason Isaacson, the American Jewish Committee’s director of government and international affairs. “But an American Embassy represents – and must be seen indisputably as representing – the United States of America, rather than any generous individual or segment of American society. The American Embassy in Jerusalem – as with all American embassies around the world – should serve, and belong to, every American equally.”

Morton Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America, who is close to Adelson, referred to AP’s reporting that Adelson might seek other funders, including among proIsrael Christians.

“This is a U.S. government project and policy, I don’t think it should be ‘the evangelicals, the Jews made this happen.’ It should be crystal clear the U.S. government made this happen,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for any private citizen to pay for the U.S. Embassy to be

moved.”

Daniel Shapiro, the Obama administration’s ambassador to Israel who has, since leaving the position, advocated for a move, said he did not believe that State Department lawyers would sign off on the arrangement. Once Adelson started funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into the U.S. government’s coffers, there would be immediate conflict of interest questions, including, what is the casino magnate and pro-Israel philanthropist getting in return?

“When individuals or corporations are giving something, there’s an expectation they may be getting something in return,” Shapiro said. “That concern about quid pro quo is naturally present in such a proposal.”

Also against the idea was William Brown, the ambassador to Israel under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He wrote memos to both presidents recommending moving the embassy to Jerusalem. “I’ve worked in embassies that could

use some money,” said Brown.

“But not this way.”

If Adelson wants to feel useful, there are some limited options, said Shapiro. “Embassy 4th of July parties can receive both cash (usually a few thousand dollars) and in-kind contributions from U.S. companies operating overseas. They are then listed as sponsors, which is a form of promoting U.S. businesses.”

Abraham Foxman, the emeritus national director of the Anti-Defamation League – who also thought private funding for embassies was a terrible idea – had a different proposal.

“It would be nice if the Adelsons could pay for the art in the embassy,” he said. “There’s never a budget for art.”

The State Department runs an “Art in Embassies” program that solicits private money to help create “vital cross-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding through the visual arts and dynamic artist exchanges.”

10 | March 2, 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.

Through March 8 Plein Air Artists. Bunny Fain Gallery at Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. Wednesday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and by appointment. Annual exhibit of artists from the summer 2017 Lifelong Learning Collaborative Plein Air class. Information, 401-245-6536 or gallery@templehabonim.org.

Friday | March 2 Kehillah Kedoshah Freedom Shabbat.

5:30-8:30 p.m. Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. 5:30 p.m. Tot Shabbat. 6 p.m. Pizza dinner.

Dinner: $5 per person; reservations required (www. templehabonim.org/ kehillah-kedoshah.) 6:45 p.m. Kehillah Kedoshah Freedom Shabbat service.

Grades 4-7 will lead prayers and songs.

Information, Jodi Sullivan at office@ templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Kabbalat Shabbat service followed by an Oneg.

Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.

Saturday | March 3 Children’s Shabbat Program and Jr. Kiddush Club. 9:30-11:15 a.m.

Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Weekly program and Jr. Kiddush Club for children. Activities include prayer, parashah, play time and a special Kiddush. Three age groups: Tots, Pre-K thru 1st grade and 2nd grade and up. Located in Kids Room, Social Hall and Chapel on the lower level. Big kids of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to join prayer services in the main sanctuary. Information, office@bethsholom-ri.org.

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. Shabbat service followed by a light Kiddush. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

CALENDAR Soulful Shabbat. 9 a.m. Herman L. Bennett Chapel, Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. 9 a.m. Light breakfast served. 9:30 a.m. Service.

Led by Rabbi Alan Flam, Bruce Phillips and Judy Kaye, Soulful Shabbat is a unique Saturday morning worship experience that emphasizes quiet melody, meditation and movement along with traditional prayer and Torah study. This contemplative practice offers an opportunity to slow down and rediscover ourselves, and to reconnect with the spirit found in silence, friends, community, nature and the One. Information, Jenn Thomas at 401-331-6070 or jthomas@ temple-beth-el.org.

Sunday | March 4 Torah Sprouts. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Torat Yisrael’s program for preschool families. Children ages 3-5 sing songs, hear stories, create arts and crafts, and enjoy snacks. A parent must attend. Cost: $10 per session. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@ toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

“Infusing Judaism into Your Family’s Life.” 9-10:30 a.m. Temple EmanuEl, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Explore how you can infuse Judaism into your family’s life, enriching your own Jewish experience as well as the experiences of your children as individuals and your family as a whole. Program is designed for anyone who plays an active role in a child’s Jewish life, whether a parent or grandparent, single or partnered, Jewish or not. Babysitting is free of charge, but you must RSVP at teprov. org/form/jewishparenting if you would like babysitting. Information, Rabbi Zerin at 401-331-1616 or rzerin@teprov. org.

Breakfast and Presentation featuring Daniel M. Kimmel. 9:30 a.m. Tifereth Israel Congregation, 145 Brownell Ave., New Bedford, Mass. Breakfast and presentation. Daniel M. Kimmel’s reviews appeared in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette for 25 years and can now be found at Northshoremovies. net. For seven years he was the “Movie Maven” for The Jewish Advocate and later served as its editor. His book on the history of FOX TV, “The Fourth Network,” received the Cable Center Book Award. Some of his other books include a history of DreamWorks, “The Dream Team, I’ll Have What She’s Having; and other observations about science fiction movies.” His first novel, “Shh! It’s a Secret: a novel about Aliens, Hollywood, and the Bartender’s Guide,” was a finalist for the Compton Crook Award. His latest book is “Time on My Hands: My Misadventures in Time Travel.” He has taught at Emerson College and Suffolk University, lectures on film to a variety of groups and served as emcee for the New England Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs. Information or to register, 508-997-3171 or email office@tinewbedford.org.

Purim Carnival. 10 a.m.-noon. Congregation Agudas Achim, 901 N. Main St., Attleboro, Mass. Wear your favorite costume. Games, prizes, face painting, desserts, cookie decorating and a 50/50 raffle to support this free event.

Information, office@agudasma.org or 508-222-2243.

Purim Carnival. 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. Games and events for all ages. Basket and large stuffed animal

The Jewish Voice raffle. Open to the community. Information, Jodi Sullivan at office@templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.

Purim Carnival. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. In the social hall. Information, Dottie at 401942-8350.

Purim Carnival. Noon-1:30 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Games, prizes and balloon guy. $5/child entry, $5/person lunch.

Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.

Hadassah Rhode Island Chai Luncheon.

Noon-3 p.m. Wethersfield Commons, One Williamsburg Dr., Warwick. The annual Chai luncheon supports Hadassah’s work at its hospitals in Israel. This dairy potluck supports Hadassah’s Chai Society by urging members to become a part of the annual giving program. Guest speaker is Dr. Lisa Fishbayn Joffe, director of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. Cost: $36 minimum. Information, Sue Mayes at sue_mayes@cox.net or 401-849-2980.

“Disturbing the Peace” Film Screening.

Noon-2 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of South County, 27 North Road, Peace Dale. A documentary about how former Israeli soldiers and Palestinian terrorists learned to see each other as people instead of enemies and come together for peace.

Followed by a discussion about how they can inspire us to bridge the divide in our own community and nation.

Free. Donations accepted. Information, Barbara Holtzman at barbaraholtzman@ cox.net or 401-783-4170.

A Conversation with Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation. 3:304:30 p.m. Temple Habonim, 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. Join Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. David Cicilline for a discussion of issues facing Rhode Island and America. Free and open to the community. Information, Jodi Sullivan at office@templehabonim.org or 401-2456536.

Tuesday | March 6 Yoga. 6-7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich.

Cost: $30 for 3 sessions paid in advance; $12 per session at the door.

Open to all. Bring a mat. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

Wednesday | March 7 Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman. Noon-1 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence.

Featuring Tslil Reichman, Israeli shlicha (emissary) for greater RI. The program will focus on the Mizrachim (Sephardic Jewry), their history and contemporary vibrancy in Israel. Reichman will share her family’s story including her mother’s emigration from Iraq and the challenges she faced integrating into Israeli life.

Bring your lunch. Coffee and tea served.

Live streaming available. Information or to RSVP, Jenn Thomas at 401-3316070 or jthomas@temple-beth-el.org.

Israel at 70: YemeNite. 7 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

Who are the Yemenite Jews? How have their fascinating aliyot to Israel and the struggles they faced influenced Israeli culture today? Learn about the fascinating history of Yemenite Jews, their immigration to Israel and the difficulties

of assimilation. Discover what makes a Yemenite different from Ashkenazi, Sephardi and other Jewish groups. Listen to music, discuss traditions and enjoy traditional Jewish-Yemenite food including malawach, a fried bread consisting of layers of puff pastry. Information, Tslil Reichman at treichman@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 121.

Table Tennis, Mah Jongg and Canasta.

7-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Come to learn and have fun. All are welcome.

Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.

“Realize the Real Redemption.” 7:308:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Presented

by Rabbi Lazar Brody, renowned Breslove Rav from Israel. Free. Information, office@bethsholom-ri.org.

“Bridging the Gap” with Rabbi Raphie. 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.” All are welcome. Free. Wednesday evenings thru 1/30/19. Information, Rabbi Raphie Shochet at rabbiraphie@ gmail.com or 401-383-2786.

Thursday | March 8 “Such a Time As This.” 7-9 p.m. Potter’s House Church, 77 Reservoir Ave., Providence. A musical video of the Book of Esther followed by a talk by Dr. Tricia Miller, senior analyst for CAMERA, regarding the role of the Christian community in supporting Israel. Sponsored

by RI Coalition for Israel, CAMERA, Christians and Jews United for Israel, and NH4Israel. Donations welcomed.

Information, Dave Talan at ricoalitionforisrael@gmail.com.

Delve Deeper: A Program of Intensive Jewish Study. 7-9 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, Bohnen Vestry, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Thursdays thru 5/10. New adult education initiative brings expert teachers to teach in-depth, universitylevel courses to a diverse group of adult learners. The third semester: “The Rabbis and Their Legacy: An Introduction to Rabbinic Judaism” with Professor Michael Satlow. Registration is required, and space is limited. $200 for the semester. Information, including a link to register, can be found at teprov. org/institute/delvedeeper.

Friday | March 9 K’Tantan. 5:30 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Celebrate Shabbat and holidays with children aged newborn to 5. Gather for singing and community dinner. All are welcome.

Funded by The Frances & David Friedman Family Fund. Information, Temple Beth-El office at 401-331-6070.

Temple Beth-Elders’ “Building Bridges across Religious Difference.” 5:30 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Rabbi Sarah Mack and Aisha Manzoor, secretary/treasurer of RI Committee for Muslim Advancement, share the story of their friendship and how they work as partners to forge ties between RI’s Jewish and Muslim communities through Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom. 5:30 p.m. Wine and cheese with speakers Sarah and Aisha. 6 p.m.

Catered Shabbat dinner. 7 p.m. Shabbat service. 8 p.m. Dessert Oneg. $18 per

person. Additional funding for Shabbat dinner provided by Temple Beth-El and the Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund. Information or RSVP (by 3/2), Temple Beth-El office at 401-331-6070.

Contemplative Shabbat. 6-7:30 p.m.

Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston.

Rabbi Goldwasser leads a contemplative service featuring chanting, silent meditation and movement to observe Shabbat in a differently. Information, Dottie at 401-942-8350.

Friday Night Live with Sports Theme.

6-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Musical Shabbat service followed by dinner.

Adults and children over 12: $20 | 12 & younger: free | Family max.: $60.

Information or to RSVP, Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600.

Saturday | March 10 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. Shabbat service followed by a light Kiddush. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

Children’s Shabbat Program and Jr. Kiddush Club. 9:30-11:15 a.m.

Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Weekly program and Jr. Kiddush Club for children. Activities include prayer, parashah, play time and a special Kiddush. Three age groups: Tots, Pre-K thru 1st grade and 2nd grade and up. Located in Kids Room, Social Hall and Chapel on the lower level. Big kids of all ages are encouraged to join prayer services in the main sanctuary. Information, office@ bethsholom-ri.org.

Kids’ Night Out: Monsters. Ages 5-12: 5-10 p.m. Ages 2-5: 5-8:30 p.m. (extended times available). Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

Children spend the evening with friends in a fun and safe environment. Parents get to have a night out, “kid free.”

Children are entertained with a variety of themed activities, including sports, crafts, swimming and more. A pizza dinner and snacks are served. For ages 2-5, make sure to send your child with PJs as we end each evening with a movie. Price: $35 | Members: $25 | Siblings: $15. Information for ages 2-5, Erin Barry at ebarry@jewishalliance.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 180. Information for ages 5-12, Shannon Kochanek at skochanek@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 147.

Trivia Night and Silent Auction. 7:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Gather your 21+ friends, and come to Beth Sholom’s first ever Trivia Night FUNdraiser. The evening’s proceeds go to Beth Sholom’s building and grounds renovation project.

Hosted by a professional trivia host, the evening includes great snacks, raffles, prizes and an amazing silent auction.

Items for auction include weekend getaways, beautiful jewelry, artwork, salon services, theater and sports tickets, restaurant gift certificates and more. Cash, checks and credit/debit cards accepted.

Open to all. $25 per person. RSVP and information, www.bethsholom-ri.org/ event. Questions, Gaby at beth.sholom. fundraising@gmail.com.

CALENDAR |26

NATION

jvhri.org

FROM PAGE 1

March 2, 2018 |

11

KEY WEST

B’nai Zion and, at 2-and-a-half, attends its Hebrew School for little kids. Sometimes she calls her dad Abba. “I feel very welcome there,” Haskell says, and he is picking up some Judaism by osmosis. “By now, at a Seder, I have a pretty good idea of what’s going to happen.”

Haskell, with red hair, bushy eyebrows, and a mustache and beard, is executive director of the Key West Literary Seminar, an ambitious annual conference, and he owns Sand Piper Press, which has published several other books. But “The Jews of Key West,” he says, is by far the best-seller. Its initial 1,500 copies gone, it’s in a second printing of 3,000.

The idea for the book came from B’nai Zion member Susan Savitch, who’d done some research herself and turned files over to Haskell. It intrigued the historian in him.

“I met my wife 20 years ago at (Bard) college and knew the story of her grandparents and great-grandparents coming over from Russia, and so I was familiar with that story of general Jewish immigration.” But he also was intrigued by Key West history and the chance to look at it through a different lens.

The resulting book is a story of 19th century Jewish entrepreneurs who imported tobacco from Cuba, which is only 90 miles away, and became major players in the cigar industry.

And of Jews whose lingering hatred of Spain, where their ancestors were persecuted, drove them to help support the effort for Cuban independence by sending money and arms to the island. And of Jews who, amid the ugliness of American antiimmigration laws in the 1920s, smuggled Eastern Europeans landsmen into the U.S. through Cuba.

It is also a story of everyday commerce and resourcefulness. Haskell reminded me that there was a large influx of Jews here following a catastrophic 1886 fire. “A lot of existing busi-

ness owners had been wiped out,” he said, and Jewish peddlers flooded in to fill the vacuum. When the town enacted a prohibitively heavy tax on them, they opened stores themselves, and their businesses – dry goods, groceries, and the like – flourished.

But eventually hard times sent Key West into a tailspin and most Jews packing, especially to Miami; only a dozen Jewish families remained in the 1930s. Jewish ranks would not swell again until the Navy buildup In World War II led to a Key West revival.

The disruption helps explain why Jewish history became obscure to latter-day Jewish residents, Haskell said. Much of the communal memory had left.

And those families who had stuck around weren’t eager to broadcast the activities of relatives who’d been involved in the illegal smuggling of refugees.

And, he said, Key West tourism boosters were more interested in promoting sunshine, palm trees and selected lore, and left Jews out of the picture.

Haskell’s book ends in 1969, which is when Congregation B’nai Zion, founded in 1887, the oldest in South Florida, moved into new quarters. For many decades it was located in the building that now houses the tony Sarabeth’s restaurant (where my wife, Elizabeth and I enjoyed yellowtail snapper one night). If you look upward in the main dining area you can see where the women’s balcony was when the congregation was Orthodox.

B’nai Zion currently describes itself as Conservative with a liberal, egalitarian slant, welcoming men and women of any sexual orientation.

Chabad Rabbi Yaakov Zucker estimates there are 1,000 Jews in and around Key West, and Rabbi Dudai of B’nai Zion says he’s probably right. As is the case elsewhere, many are unaffiliated.

Chabad says it has 250 or so members – most of them Israe-

Congregation B’nai Zion, founded in 1887, the oldest in South Florida.

The writer at the southernmost point marker. lis, who own many of the Tshirt and other tourist shops.

But Chabad here was founded in 1995, well after the period covered by Haskell’s book, so I was drawn to B’nai Zion. Rabbi Dudai is vague on figures – he suggests the temple rolls may include, say, 50 families and 50 individuals. The main thing, he says, is that the congregation is “diverse, vibrant, and, after a slow period, growing again.”

The rabbi says Key West Jews, many of whom led accomplished lives elsewhere and retired here, are prominent in the arts and are patrons of theater, music and other causes. With snowbirds on hand, the temple offers a busy schedule of films, lectures and other activities.

About 60 people were at the Saturday morning service I attended, which took note of Tu B’Shevat and welcomed new members. The congregation includes lawyers and doctors. Its

PHOTOS | M. CHARLES BAKST

Mam’s Best Food restaurant, certified Kosher. president, Dr. Frederick Covan, used to be chief psychologist at New York’s Bellevue Hospital.

He practices in Key West and his business card calls him “Southernmost Shrink” and features a drawing of a palm tree, sunglasses and a couch.

But there is a real mixture.

One member is a landscaper.

And “Bounce,” a 68-year-old man, used to be a juggler and unicyclist and now gives lessons.

I spoke with Savitch, who recruited Arlo Haskell to do the book, and who organized the historical photos that grace the social hall.

I was disappointed that two members who helped underwrite the book, Zabar’s co-owner Stanley Zabar and his wife,

Judith, were not on hand.

The prayers were mostly Hebrew, but not the hurried blur I associate with Orthodox or Conservative minyans. Cantor John Kreinces led the singing.

Rebbetzin Nadia Dudai presented a sumptuous lunch on an outdoor terrace surrounded by magnificent mango, avocado and palm trees. Bagels, lox, whitefish, herring, an eggplant dish, salads, dates, figs, pastries...

The service nourished my soul, the food nourished my body, I met some friendly folks, and I felt good.

M. CHARLES BAKST, former Providence Journal political columnist, has been spending the winter in Fort Myers, Florida.

12 | March 2, 2018

ARTS

The Jewish Voice

The ‘otherness’ of ‘Othello’

BY KARA MARZIALI During Shakespeare’s time, there was quite a bit of animosity toward strangers, Jews, Muslims and individuals with dark skin. Most Elizabethans unfurled blind hostility toward anyone who was a perceived threat to Christendom.

More than 400 years later, I’m not sure we, as a society, have remedied the situation. There is still a fear of “otherness.”

Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’ is a prime example of how racism, intolerance and bigotry foster a culture of suspicion, antagonism and violence.

Jude Sandy, who brilliantly plays the title character, summarized his views of the core theme. “In a broad sense, this play…suggests most powerfully how a culture of violence inevitably turns against all humanity…. Because of this violence,…(i)nnocent and guilty alike are brought to ruin.” He adds, “ ‘Othello’ is as a compelling argument as I’ve ever experienced for renouncing violence of every kind in our lives, families, communities and in the world around us.”

Under the direction of Brown/ Trinity Rep MFA alumna Whitney White ’15, the powerful play explores military themes, with a modern U.S. Army setting as its backdrop, as well as the friendships and relationships that form the basis for the legendary story of betrayal and jealousy.

Othello is viewed as a man

Jude Sandy as Othello and Rebecca Gibel as Desdemona of respect in military circles; however, he is portrayed as an outsider from the beginning of the play. First, the color of his skin makes him “different” which was a common bias during that time and for centuries beyond. Second, the first scene invites us to see how Othello is regarded by fellow soldiers.

The antagonist Iago, played by Stephen Thorne, despised him because Othello overlooked the ensign for the position of lieutenant in favor of the inexperienced soldier Michael Cassio, portrayed by Charlie Thurston.

And finally, we discover that Othello, a Moor, has eloped with Desdemona, a fair-skinned, noble Venetian woman, played by

Rebecca Gibel.

The dynamic between the actors is electric, as one would expect from a seasoned repertory ensemble. Nonetheless, this particular combination is especially compelling. The “band of brothers” mindset embodied by the male military characters is evident. But there is something even more undeniable about the “sisterhood” represented by the women within the play.

Angela Brazil plays Emilia, D e s d e m o n a’s h a n d m a i d e n and Iago’s wife, and L’Oreal Lampley is the sassy strumpet Bianca. Despite their brief appearances on stage, these actresses are forces with which to be reckoned. Just when you

Angela Brazil as Emilia comforts Rebecca Gibel as Desdemona during the “Willow song”

PHOTOS | MARK TUREK

Jude Sandy as Othello stirs with jealousy when Stephen Thorne as Iago suggests Desdemona has been unfaithful. think the testosterone has been amped up sufficiently and the audience is dizzy from the bold, blatant machinations of war, along comes one of the three female characters to infuse a tinge of truth, a spirit of loyalty or a hint of humor amid the dark and despairing deceitfulness.

Of particular note is the “Willow Song” scene, where Desdemona recalls a song she learned as a child. With Emelia at Desdemona’s bedside and Bianca isolated in a nook of the theater, the three of them sing a haunting refrain with all the emotional soul of a spiritual.

Even if you are familiar with Shakespeare’s tragic play, Trinity Rep’s tradition of modernizing a play by virtue of its setting, costumes, ad libs and incidental music will have you surprised and stunned until the final scene. For example, Thorne’s mercurial ability to portray one of Shakespeare’s most villainous characters with such charm and sincerity is frightening. He is able to convince and capture the trust of

both the audience and the other characters. One is never sure just how his next malicious intent will manifest. As Thorne aptly expresses it, “[Iago] unleashes a profound amount of evil, but only after a number of failures. And he modifies his reasoning as he goes along – adapting to situations that present themselves.”

While the play is grim (it’s a Shakespearean tragedy, after all!), according to Curt Columbus, the Arthur P. Solomon and Sally E. Lapides Artistic Director, “This ‘Othello’ will be a stirring experience, so lean in and enjoy the ride.”

The play runs approximately two hours and 20 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

“Othello” runs through March 18. Tickets, which start at $25, are on sale now at trinityrep. com, by calling 401-351-4242 or at the theater’s box office at 201 Washington St., Providence.

KARA MARZIALI (kmarziali@jewishallianceri.org) is the director of communications for the Jewish Alliance and a theatre aficionado

FOOD

jvhri.org

March 2, 2018 |

13

Recipes to remember the special people in your life

BY SUSAN ADLER RECIPES BY DEB BLAZER When asked why I enjoy working with the senior population, my answer always takes me back 33 years when my beloved father, Sol Popper of blessed memory, passed away at the age of 53. His untimely passing did not afford me the pleasure of watching him age. Therefore, it truly warms my heart to work for an organization that takes such pride taking care of our mothers and fathers and in honoring them. By doing this, I honor my father.

For 21 years, my father enriched my life and taught me everything I know today about enjoying good food. Growing up in Florida, I was very spoiled by the Kosher delis we would frequent. My father would say, “Let’s start out with an appetizer!” We would always have chopped herring with crack-

Brisket

Ingredients 1 5 pound beef brisket 1 pound yellow onions 8 ounces low-sodium onion soup mix 1 cup ketchup 1/2 cup honey 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 tablespoons mustard Water

Directions

Peel and slice onions, place them on the bottom of roasting pan. Place the brisket on top of the sliced onions.

Put all the ingredients on top of the brisket and massage into

Brisket

Potato Knishes

ers and challah. For the main course we would enjoy brisket with a knish.

At Tamarisk, we have chef specials for both lunch and dinner along with a menu with a wide variety of culinary op-

tions. Our meals call to mind wonderful memories and familiar tastes for our residents and staff. I often fi nd myself thanking Executive Chef Deb Blazer for constantly giving me signs from my father, because on the

special menu board in the dining room, so many traditional favorites are often highlighted.

Deb replies, “That’s because your father was so special to you.”

It is my hope that when you prepare these recipes, they will

the brisket until everything is mixed together.

Cover the brisket with water and seal it with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours.

until golden. Drain potatoes and mash until smooth. Stir in onions, parsley, salt and pepper and eggs.

Cut puff pastry in half, then in thirds so you have 6 squares out of each sheet. Put 4 ounces of fi lling in the middle and pull corners then sides of the pastry to completely cover the fi lling.

Place on baking sheet seam side down. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Chopped Herring

Potato Knishes Ingredients

8 pounds potatoes 1/2 pound margarine Roasted garlic 3 onions diced 1/2 cup chopped parsley 4 eggs, beaten Oil for sautéing onions 4 puff pastry sheets

Directions

Boil potatoes until very tender. Melt margarine and oil together. Add onions and fry

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remind you of a wonderful meal you have shared with someone special.

If you would like to be my guest and share stories and a meal together, please call me at 401-732-0037 or contact me by email Susana@tamariskri.org.

Ingredients

1 quart-size jar of herring in wine sauce 1 apple peeled and cored 1 hard-boiled egg 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Place pieces of herring and onion from the jar in the food processor.

Add the apple, the hard-boiled egg and sugar. Pulse until fi ne but not mushy. Add bread crumbs if needed for texture.

Serve with crackers.

Chopped Herring

14 | March 2, 2018

SENIORS

The Jewish Voice

A good crowd attended a recent Bridge Place session.

FROM PAGE 1

BRIDGE PLACE

Q. What motivates people to play bridge on a regular basis?

A. Competition, keeping sharp mentally, social aspects, fun.

Q. Bridge has been called a game for everyone and all ages.

Why? What’s the age range of the Bridge Place?

A. All ages. A group has been formed recently at the Wheeler School. Age range at the Bridge Place is about 50-100.

In some places, Atlanta specifically, there is an active youth program.

Q. What role do you think bridge plays in keeping people’s minds sharp and feeling young?

A. One thing about bridge is that you don’t have to be an athlete to play. This has been a promotional feature in schools, where many extracurricular activities are sports related.

This caters to a certain element.

Bridge can be played by anyone.

Of course, like anything else, abilities vary.

Studies have shown that playing bridge has a positive effect on mental acuity. In a duplicate

game, constant mental effort is required. [It’s an] excellent workout for that muscle.

Q. Bridge is said to help people develop strategies for competition. It’s also said to have improved math and reasoning abilities among elementary students. Why do you think that is?

A. Bridge requires thinking about probability, counting, choosing from among alternative lines of play, strategies.

In fact, the more you play and learn, the more of these factors become known to you, and the more choices you have to make.

As my students progress, I start to tell them, “every card matters.”

Keeping in mind that one plays at least 24 hands in a session, that’s 312 cards in about 210 minutes. See how playing regularly establishes mental stamina?

Q. Can you talk about the benefits of playing bridge regularly for seniors?

A. I’ve mentioned a number of benefits to seniors. Also, there are players who have

Everyone participated in some intense games. played together for 50-60 years, and have formed relationships outside of bridge. Some of the really devoted players have their dance card fi lled out, playing with (for example): Joan on Monday, Tom on Tuesday, Mary on Wednesday, Sue on Thursday, Richard on Friday, Carolyn on Saturday, off on Sunday.

The really, really devoted have: Joan, Monday afternoon; Sue, Monday night; Sam, Tuesday morning; Linda, Tuesday afternoon, etc. Then, afterward they go to a chosen home for drinks.

How sociable can you get?

Q. Anything else you’d like to add about the game or the Bridge Place?

A. Another thing about bridge is that the weaker players on occasion, beat the best players. In other games, this does not happen. For example, I would never beat Roger Federer in tennis. Maybe not even win a point. I have, however, beaten some very good bridge players, players much better than I.

PHOTOS | LEAH CAMARA

Bridge Place at a glance What is this: A group for bridge players.

Where does it meet: The Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

When: Mondays, noon; Tuesdays, 11 a.m.; Wednesdays, noon; Thursdays, 11:30 p.m.; and Fridays, 11 a.m. Some sessions are geared towards players of specific experience; for details, visit The Jewish Voice website: www.jvhri.org/calendar.

Who can play: Players at all levels are welcome.

Contact: The group is under the direction of Barton Buffington, 401-390-9244 or abarton295@aol.com.

LARRY KESSLER is a freelance writer who can be reached at lkessler1@comcast.net.

Origins of bridge One theory says the game can be traced to an early form of whist, which evolved into biritch, or Russian whist, in the 19th century. But other experts dispute that notion.

Another theory traces the game to British soldiers during the Crimean War; the soldiers crossed the Galata Bridge en route to a coffeehouse where they played cards.

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Special Services for Pesach: Transportation and care for seders, Spring cleaning, kashering the kitchen and KFP grocery shopping

SENIORS

jvhri.org

March 2, 2018 |

15

REMEMBER THE PAST From the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association

The Jewish Orphanage of R.I.: ‘A cherished institution’

BY GERALDINE S. FOSTER On May 20, 1951, with due celebration, the cornerstone was laid at the new home of The Miriam Hospital. The structure on the corner of Summit Avenue and Fifth Street in Providence would replace the old hospital on Parade Street.

Placed in the cornerstone was a document quoted by Dr. Seebert Goldowsky in his article “The Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island” in the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association’s Notes in October 1959.

The opening paragraph of the document is quoted below: “To Whom It May Concern: “This memorandum is but a brief resume of The Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island, organized in the year A.D. 1909, later to be known as the Jewish Children’s Home and Foundation of Rhode Island.”

What follows is a tribute to the founders and their vision, as well as praise for the excellence of the home, its program and staff.

One may ask why this document was placed in the hospital’s cornerstone. No specific reason was given in the article, but both institutions had the support of many of the same people in the community.

The original building on the Summit Avenue property was, for two decades, The Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island. Its sale to The Miriam marked the end of an era and the end of “a cherished institution.”

The story of The Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island began with controversies. The first occurred at a contentious meeting at the South Providence Hebrew Congregation, on Willard Avenue. At one point, Herman Paster, Providence sheriff and political leader, and his faction angrily left the meeting.

Soon after, they founded another synagogue, Machzeka Hadas, incorporated on March 22, 1907. Paster and his followers purchased a property on Willard Avenue, at the corner of Caswell Court, for the synagogue. The back part of the parcel held a house, for which there was no need. Someone suggested it would be ideal for an orphanage. By the time the synagogue was dedicated, two orphans were in residence, under the watchful eye of a matron.

But there was a problem – finances. Paster appealed to the South Providence Ladies’ Aid for support. They agreed to assist. They applied for, and were granted, a charter for the Rhode Island Home for Jewish Children in September 1908.

Site of last orphanage building between 5th and 6th Streets, Summit Ave., now part of the Miriam Hospital.

But support was soon withdrawn over questions about its management and finances.

Paster and his followers in turn incorporated as the Mazekas Hadas Home for Jewish Orphans that November, and announced that the home was now open under new auspices. Just a few months later, the overcrowded house was home to 17 orphans.

The South Providence Ladies’ Aid now had a charter and a mission but no orphanage. To this end, they solicited the aid of the Montefiore Lodge Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Association. With its cash donation, the women were able to open a second Jewish orphanage. Located at 151 Orms St., the facility included a day nursery that was open to all.

Financial problems plagued both orphanages. Dr. Goldowsky wrote, “… both groups were obliged to call for help.

Business leaders of Providence were approached, and following exploratory negotiations, a responsible group agreed to lend a hand. In fact they took over.”

In July 1909, the new Jewish Orphanage of Providence was incorporated. The Orms Street facility was closed and the children were temporarily transferred to the Willard Avenue site.

A large house at 1213 North Main St. was purchased and the children were resettled.

Ironically, as Sonya Michel states in her article in Notes in November 1977, the home was opened at a time when experts in the field of child welfare were turning away from institutional care in favor of family or foster care for dependent children.

It is doubtful the people who started the Jewish orphanage knew of this trend. They were not professionals, as Michel points out, but were members of the community who perceived a need and were determined to fill that need.

Within three years, the Board of Trustees replaced the ma-

trons/house mothers with superintendents who were schooled and experienced in the field of child welfare and understood the importance of deinstitutionalizing the children.

From the outset, in small ways and large, the children were not shut away from the wider community. Their house looked like other houses in the neighborhood. They had a large yard in which to play, and there is evidence that there was some interaction with the neighborhood children. They attended public school and Temple Emanuel. They participated in activities designed to promote a feeling of family.

In 1924, the new building on Summit Avenue was opened. It hardly resembled a home, but it had facilities designed to further widen contacts with the community.

Graduates of the home, who were interviewed by Sonya Michel, described an open and hospitable place. The new gym and playing fields hosted basketball and baseball games with other teams, and neighborhood children were allowed into the outdoor play areas. Music classes and dramatics were held. When a band was organized, the Ladies’ Auxiliary provided money for uniforms. The children were encouraged to invite friends to visit and for sleepovers. Shopping trips for the older children – two or three at a time – were arranged so that they could choose their own clothes. Likewise, residents were taken in small groups to the beaches in summer.

In 1937, land was acquired on Point Judith to build a summer camp for the orphans. But by 1941, the number of residents had declined to the point where a large orphanage was no longer needed, and the home closed. Foster homes and family members now provided care.

The building and surrounding property were sold to The Miriam Hospital and the funds assigned to the JORI [Home for

The Home for Jewish Orphans is gone, yet it still lives on in its legacy of Camp JORI and the JORI Foundation.

Art lessons at Camp JORI

The children’s band.

Jewish Orphans] Foundation.

The Home for Jewish Orphans grew out of controversy to become a positive and cherished institution. It is gone, yet it still lives, in its legacy of Camp JORI and the JORI Foundation.

GERALDINE S. FOSTER is a

PHOTOS | RIJHA

past president of the R.I. Jewish Historical Association. To comment about this or any RIJHA article, contact the RIJHA office at info@rijha.org or 401-3311360.

SENIORS

16 | March 2, 2018

The Jewish Voice

A liberator’s tale: ‘In my nightmares the scenes recur’

BY LEV POPLOW When we hear the name Eli Bohnen, many people in the community fondly recall the long-serving rabbi of Temple Emanu-El. They remember a gentle and compassionate man who was considered a rabbi’s rabbi, and speak of B’nai Mitzvot, weddings, sermons and his service to our community.

During his career at the Providence temple, 1948-73, Bohnen touched the lives of thousands of Rhode Island’s Jewish families.

But there was another side to Rabbi Bohnen, a side that many people may not know about. He, and Rabbi David Eichorn, were the fi rst Jewish chaplains to enter the Dachau concentration camp. They arrived at Dachau, in Germany, on April 30, 1945, the day after the camp was liberated.

As Bohnen’s daughter, Judy Levitt, relates, “Originally from Toronto, my father was serving in another Temple Emanu-El, this one in Buffalo, New York. When the war broke out, he volunteered to go over as a chaplain. About a year after he returned, we moved to Providence so he could become the rabbi at our Temple Emanu-El. “During the war, he wrote beautiful love letters to my mother. He was a real romantic, which people may not realize.

He also wrote beautiful letters to me, even though I was only two years old at the time, some of which I still have.”

Chaplain Bohnen was assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division, known as the Rainbow Division. They landed in Marseilles, France, in December 1944 and pursued the Nazis through France, Germany and Austria before helping to liberate the concentration camp at

Major Eli Bohnen

Rabbi Bohnen with children at the DP Camp in Gad Gastein, near Salzburg, Austria.

Dachau.

Dachau was the fi rst Nazi concentration camp, created in 1933, and was a model for the camps that followed. It was one of the last camps to be liberated.

When the U.S. Army reached Dachau at the end of April 1945, they found more than 30 railroad cars fi lled with the bodies of prisoners who had died of starvation en route.

Upon entering the camp, they found about 32,000 prisoners: Some 1,600 individuals were crammed into each of 20 barracks that had been designed to house 250 people.

“Just like many survivors, he didn’t want to talk about it for a long time,” Levitt says of her father who died in 1992. “My brother remembers a sermon he gave about it, but just when survivors were really beginning to talk more about their experiences, my dad became ill.”

Although he may not have spoken much about what he encountered, Bohnen’s writings detail the horror of Dachau. On May 1, 1945, two days after the liberation, he wrote in a letter

to his wife Eleanor: “Nothing you can put into words would adequately describe what I saw there.

“The human mind refuses to believe what the eyes see. All the stories of Nazi horrors are underestimated rather than exaggerated. We saw freight cars with bodies in them. The people had been transported from one camp to another, and it had taken about a month for the train to make the trip. In all of that time they had not been fed.

They were lying in grotesque positions, just as they had died.

Many were naked, others in thin clothing. But all were horrible to see”.

“We entered the camp and saw the living. The Jews were the worst off. Many of them looked worse than the dead. They cried as they saw us. I spoke to a large group of Jews. I don’t remember what I said, I was under such mental strain, but Heimberg (my assistant) tells me that they cried as I spoke.

“Some of the people were crying all the time we were there. They were emaciated,

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diseased, beaten, miserable caricatures of human beings. I don’t know how they didn’t all go mad. There were thousands and thousands of prisoners in the camp. Some of them didn’t look too bad but most looked terrible. And as I said, the Jews were the worst. Even the other prisoners who suffered miseries themselves couldn’t get over the horrible treatment meted out to the Jews.

“I shall never forget what I saw, and in my nightmares the scenes recur. When I got back I

couldn’t eat and I couldn’t muster enough energy to write you.

“No possible punishment would ever repay the ones who were responsible ....”

According to Levitt, “My dad stayed in Europe for another nine months working in a displaced persons camp in Austria. With a wife and child at home, I think he felt it was his obligation to help these people.”

She added that she worries that, “There are so few survivors left at this point, who is going to be telling this story?”

And, she said, if people don’t remember, it could happen again.

The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, in Providence, has items from this period in Rabbi Bohnen’s life.

Visitors are invited to come to see these artifacts, and to learn more about the Holocaust and Bohnen’s role as a liberator.

Much of the information for this article was provided

by Levitt’s brother, Michael Bohnen, who culled it from a variety of sources.

LEV POPLOW is a communications and development consultant who writes for the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, in Providence. He can be reached at levpoplow@ gmail.com.

LIVING WELL

JERI brings joy to seniors

BY SUSIE ADLER Jewish Eldercare of Rhode Island (JERI) is a program of the Jewish Seniors Agency that brings Jewish traditions, values and Yiddishkeit to our seniors who live in nursing homes and assisted-living residences.

As outreach program coordinator for JERI, I join activity programmer Dori Adler in visiting residents, and conducting Shabbat services and discussion and holiday programs.

This spring, JERI will bring Passover to Jewish seniors by conducting more than 30 seders in nursing homes and assistedliving residences.

Many of these seniors would be isolated if not for JERI. Through these visits and programs, residents begin to feel as if they are JERI “family.”

They welcome and enjoy these special visits – just as JERI staff and volunteers do.

During one recent Hanukkah program, the blessings over the candles were sung and the story of Hanukkah was told.

“Miriam,” who is non-verbal, typically responds during programs with eye contact and smiles. On this visit, she was unresponsive – until I sang the Yiddish song “Hanukkah Oy Hanukkah.” Miriam opened her eyes and turned her head as tears ran down her cheeks.

Susie Adler and Dori Adler.

During Shabbat services, familiar melodies often lead to sing-alongs as remembrances surface of family Shabbats from years gone by.

I also visit The Miriam and Rhode Island hospitals weekly, bringing comfort and support to patients and their families.

And JERI is called on to say special prayers for those nearing the end of life.

JERI’s volunteer outreach program, CHAVER (Caring Helpers and Visitors Empowering Residents), matches friendly volunteers with Jewish seniors.

After initial training, volunteers visit elders at least once a month. One volunteer recently commented that she loves making her monthly visits and never realized the impact it would have on her.

Contact Susie Adler at 401621-5374 if you would like to join the CHAVER team and make a difference for R.I.’s Jewish seniors.

SENIORS

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Seven ways to ‘age up’ I believe in “aging up” – that is, seeing aging as an expanded oppor tunity to explore the things we enjoy and those on our “bucket lists.”

Here are my seven steps to positive aging: Have a purPATRICIA pose: IdentifyRASKIN ing your passion will lead you to your purpose. Ask yourself, “What brings me meaning and joy and why?” When you answer that question, do more of it. In fact, do as much of it as you can.

Nissan Dovid Dubov’s article, “What is Life’s Purpose?,” posted at Chabad.org, states, “The Rabbis teach us that Adam was the prototype and example for each and every individual to follow. ‘For this reason was man created single, in order to teach you that ‘one person is equivalent to an entire world’. This means that every Jew, indeed, every human being, regardless of time and place and personal status, has the fullest capacity (and also the duty) to rise and attain the highest degree of fulfi lment, and accomplish the same for creation as a whole.”

Be engaged: Be “all in”; let your passion shine and be present with others. Passion speaks to living with zest. The key is doing something you love, sharing it and being in the moment.

Explore your options: Find new things you enjoy or try a variation of what you know.

It could range from travel to a sport, game or volunteering, or turning your hobby into a new business.

Find a supportive community: Get support – the right support. Having a network of good people who are positive, active and supportive will greatly improve your mental attitude, which can add years to your life.

Take care of yourself: As we get older, we need to pay more attention to our self-care. The formula is simple: keep moving, eat whole unprocessed foods, get enough sleep and keep your attitude positive.

Be a lifelong learner: Keep your brain healthy by keeping it active. Learn something new, such as a new language or computer skills.

Believe in miracles: Watch for “coincidences” – the phone call from that special person you were just thinking about, the help you got just as you needed it, the fruits of your intuition.

Then acknowledge these miracles with gratitude.

PAT R I C I A R A S K I N , 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.

First-time prom is a first-rate story This is not my story. A woman told me the following story after a recent meeting. When she fi nished, I was taken with the very good side of humanity.

Jeanette was the activities director at a nursing home many years MAY-RONNY ago. Most of ZEIDMAN the residents did not fi nish high school because they were needed to support their families. Jeanette realized that these people had never experienced a prom.

She and her staff set out to see that anyone who was able to and wanted to had the opportunity to attend a prom during his or her lifetime.

Believe it or not, the staff decorated a social room in the building to look like a high school gym. The color theme was blue. On the banquet tables was punch and treats for those attending the event.

Jeanette and her staff made corsages for the ladies and bou-

tonnieres for the gentlemen. Everyone worked quite hard to see that the men and woman were dressed to “the nines.” Barber and hairdresser appointments were made, nails were polished and shoes were shined.

One could feel the excitement throughout the building as the afternoon of the prom drew near. However, one woman approached Jeanette and said, “There are so many more women than men. What are we supposed to do, dance with ourselves?”

Jeanette looked at the woman and smiled saying, “Not to worry, all will be fi ne.”

Jeanette had enlisted male staff members to don suits and boutonnieres. They were to attend the prom and dance with the women. As far as Jeanette was concerned, this was the best “fi rst-time prom” ever.

Isn’t this a great story? It is very nice to know that there are many people out there who care about others.

MAY-RONNY ZEIDMAN is executive director of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.

March 2, 2018 |

17

Why it really bugs me when you misspell my name

BY SHARON G. FORMAN (Kveller via JTA) – Recently, my son’s elementary school hosted its winter band and choral concert. While waiting for the fi fth- and sixth-grade musicians to fi nish tuning their instruments, I scanned the brightly colored program to fi nd my son’s name misspelled.

Instead of Ben Marx, he was now mistakenly dubbed “Ben Tharx.”

After the concert, I reassured my chagrined son that “The Tharx” sounded like a superhero – possibly one who seeks justice for the downtrodden using his “tharxian” powers, whatever they might be (but likely involving a saxophone).

I was empathetic to his irritation about the misprint.

When I was growing up, my last name, Forman, was constantly misspelled with an additional vowel, suggesting that I might be related to a renowned boxer and grilling specialist. And although it might be exciting to be George Foreman’s relative, I trace my roots to a different family tree.

(To this day, when I spell my name aloud, I automatically add, “No ‘e,’” as if warding off nuts offered to someone with food allergies.)

A few days after tucking away the concert program into my son’s box of keepsakes, I received an unexpected package

from my dad. At 82, my father seems to be on a mission to divest himself of worldly goods.

Every time he comes to visit, he produces artifacts from the trunk of his car: photo albums, diplomas, books, and last time, a small statute of a Roman centurion.

In his latest package, I discovered copies of passenger lists from steamships with names like The Patricia and The Lapland, which had transported my great-grandparents to this country. There were also registration forms from the U.S. Army draft during World War I, copies of pages from the 1920 census, applications for American citizenship and even a copy of my grandparents’ 1935 marriage license.

Nearly 105 years ago to the day, my great-grandfather arrived in New York City from an Eastern European region known as Bessarabia.

His town, then called VadulRascov, or even Wodrashchkow, is now a part of Moldova, though it may have belonged to Russia at that moment in February 1913 when he landed on these shores. While other passengers’ nationalities were registered as Slovenian, Lithuanian, Polish or German, my relatives were labeled as “Hebrews.”

After studying these documents, I realized that my g reat-g rand father, Nathan

Forman – who lived as a boarder with a family in Portland, Oregon, for seven years before having enough money to bring his wife and two sons over to this country – did not start off as Nathan Forman without an “e.” Rather he was Nussen Fuhrmann – a 36-year-old man, poor in money but rich in the letters “s” and “n.” By 1929, when he fi led naturalization papers, he was calling himself Natan Forman,”which had morphed from the 1920 census report listing him as Nathan Furman.

Did my great-grandfather care one bit about how his name looked in English? Probably not. He was a full-grown man when he came to the U.S. He was raised speaking and writing Yiddish, and probably had never written many letters in English.

For weeks now, since receiving the package, I’ve been staring at his signature on a 1926 declaration of intention from the Naturalization Service. My great-grandfather was 49 at the time that he applied for permanent residency. Described officially as 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with brown hair and gray eyes, this humble man managed to save his family from almost certain death. In 1941, the Jews of his homeland were murdered by fascists. I keep examining his NAME | 23

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18 | March 2, 2018

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RSVP by April 10 for a chance to be entered into a raffle for $50 off PJ Library is a program of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation a birthday party or week of Summer J-Camp. Must be present to win. www.PJLIBRARY.org • rickrecht.com/pjlibrary • facebook.com/rickrechtworld

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Shifting the paradigm to put your aging loved one at the center of the seder

BY NAOMI FINK COTRONE As Passover approaches, I often get asked how families can best accommodate an aging loved one at the seder table.

I’ve learned to read between the lines; different people mean different things when they ask.

As owner and president of Right at Home of Rhode Island, an inhome senior care agency, I get to see a lot of different family dynamics. In some families, elders are treated like a modern day Moses – revered and honored, even if tongue-tied. Or a Miriam – acknowledged as a well of wisdom and inspiration, even if slightly bitter occasionally. In other families, as grandparents begin to fade, they somehow get unintentionally pushed to the perimeter, becoming an afterthought – or worse – a burden.

During this time, I try to encourage families to shift their thinking to be less about accommodation – and more about building the seder around our elders. The families who succeed at putting aging loved ones at the center in an intentional way – literally, giving them a seat at the table – create more meaningful memories – for everyone involved.

And on this holiday that centers around learning from the past to teach the next generation, it feels like the right time to set an example for where you hope your kids put your chair one day.

All it takes is some planning and a few small tweaks your usual routine.

Here are five tips for ensuring the family elders are at the center of your seder this year: Location, location location: Putting bubbe at the head or center of the table is essential to her inclusion. Also, flank her with the babies and toddlers if you’ve got ‘em. Nothing will give her more nachas than a front row seat to the Four Questions, or to them gobbling down matzoh balls.

Timing is everything: If your observance level allows you to be flexible on seder start time, try to hold the seder when your loved one is still feeling strong and vibrant. Sometimes the elderly begin to fade after sunset. In April, the sun goes down around 7:15, so work backward, calculating inevi-

table guest lateness and going off-script from the Haggadah, as well as travel time home.

Staff: And we’re not talking about the one Moses used to strike that rock. Depending on Zayde’s need level, you might consider hiring a companion or caregiver with a reputable agency to accompany him to the seder. That way, you can enjoy his company rather than worrying about meeting his physical needs. A caregiver can provide transportation to and from the seder, help with tricky stairs or entryways, in and out of cars, and attend to personal care needs that may arise.

Make this booking well in advance. Demand for those two nights is higher than you think.

Ask more than just the four questions: Direct the conversation to her by asking about her lifetime of seders: Who used to be at your seder table when you were little? What did your mother serve? Did you have any special family rituals? What did you do to help your family clean out the chometz? Did you really have a carp in your bathtub?

How did you bathe then?!

Menu plan for nostalgia: Make an old favorite recipe, and if possible, allow time earlier in the week for aging loved ones to help you prepare it. “Food memories are more sensory than other memories in that they involve really all five senses, so when you’re that thoroughly engaged with the stimulus it has a more powerful effect,” explains Susan Whitborne, professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Massachusetts, in a recent Huffington Post article.

As Jews, we put enormous significance on our food, gleaning deep satisfaction from the act of nourishing the next generation.

Observing one’s food legacy will strike a powerful chord.

And with luck, this year’s “accommodation” will turn into next year’s beloved tradition.

NAOMI FINK COTRONE is president Right at Home of Rhode Island, and agency that provides care to elderly and disabled adults throughout Rhode Island. She will be spending the seders with her family, making sure to sit between her adopted grandmother and her matzoh ball-gobbling nieces and nephews.

This program is sponsored by: Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Jewish Community Day

This program is sponsored by: Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Community Day School of Rhode School of Rhode Island, Congregation Beth David,Jewish Congregation Beth Sholom, PJ Library, Temple Island, Congregation Beth David, Congregation Beth Sholom, PJ Temple Library,Habonim, Temple Temple Beth-El,Sinai, Temple Emanu-El, Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El, and Temple ToratTemple Yisrael.

Habonim, Temple Sinai, and Temple Torat Yisrael.

PJ Library is a program of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation

www.PJLIBRARY.org • rickrecht.com/pjlibrary • facebook.com/rickrechtworld

401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 | 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org

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March 2, 2018 |

19

Bringing joy and therapy to hospice patients through Jewish music

BY SARAH SELTZER NEW YORK – It’s a bitterly cold winter morning in Brooklyn, but Brenda, a 101-year-old woman in a Jewish hospice facility suffering from severe short-term memory loss, has a special group of visitors show up in her warm room.

Joelle Missry, a creative arts therapy intern, arrives with her guitar slung over her back and with her licensed music therapy supervisor by her side. She sits beside Brenda’s bed.

For the next 20 minutes, Missry holds Brenda’s hand and sings a combination of old Yiddish songs with help from her team and Brenda’s home health aide, who has learned some of the songs. But Brenda is largely sleepy and unresponsive, despite Joelle’s best efforts. After going through a songbook that ranges from “You are My Sunshine” to the Yiddish favorite “Tumbalalaika,” the group gets up to leave.

Just as they’re about to exit, however, Brenda’s eyes pop open. Suddenly fully alert, she begins to croon the Yiddish standard “Bai Mir Bist Du Shoen,” looking straight at Missry. She goes through the song a few times, tapping her feet and looking very pleased.

This is the kind of moment for which the music therapy program at MJHS Health System, a Jewish health care service provider in New York, was designed.

Hospice care, which is playing an increasingly central role in end-of-life arrangements, isn’t just about administering palliative medical care and making sure loved ones are comfortable.

It’s also about relieving patients’

PHOTO | MJHS HEALTH SYSTEM

Music therapy helps celebrate family connections one note at a time. pain through meaningful interactions and experiences. Proponents of music therapy say singing has medical benefits while also enhancing patients’ social and emotional health.

“Music therapy programs bring human dignity back into the picture,” Missry says.

Music therapy is considered so important that MJHS Hospice now employs five full-time music therapists, as well as interns and part-time workers, all trained in a songbook that covers many of the languages and cultures in New York’s five boroughs.

For aging Jews, that means the Yiddish and Hebrew songs that bring back warm memories. The MJHS songbook ranges from American standards like “What a Wonderful World” to Hebrew songs like “Jerusalem of Gold” and “Hatikvah.”

The therapy itself is considered an “integrative therapeu-

tic intervention” – non-medical treatment that can have therapeutic results. Studies show that

a joyful singing experience can ameliorate pain and a patient’s symptom burden without the use

of drugs. It has an exercise component, encouraging healthy physical movement, such as feettapping and hand-waving. Hospice workers say it also can help relax patients before treatments, like a blood draw or IV infusion, that might cause agitation or anxiety.

A growing body of scientific evidence supports the use of music therapies in various medical settings, from neonatal intensive care units to end-of-life and palliative care situations.

Music is shown to boost immunity and reduce stress and pain by increasing the antibody immunoglobulin A and other immune system-boosting cells while reducing the stress hormone cortisol.

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COMMUNITY

The Jewish Voice

PHOTOS | E. BRESLER

Alumni of the New England Rabbinical College gather for a photo.

NERC marks important milestones Sunday, Feb. 18, marked an important milestone at the New England Rabbinical College (NERC) in Providence. NERC celebrated its 33rd anniversary with its annual dinner celebration at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center.

This was also the celebration of the near completion of a building renovation project, the first to its facility since it was purchased in the 1970s.

At last year’s dinner, plans were presented. In just a year, with an outpouring of support from the community, alumni and friends, the budget for the project was raised, plans were approved, permits were issued and the job was completed.

The companies involved in the project were Cordtsen Design Architecture, Camera/O’Neill Consulting Engineers and Capital Building and Design.

The scope of the project included the expansion and

renovation of the main study hall, which involved complex structural engineering work to support the 100-year-old brick building. In addition, an apartment in the building was reconfigured into a library, classrooms, offices and an ADA bathroom. An accessibility ramp was installed as well.

To celebrate the occasion, NERC invited out-of-town and local alumni to join for a day of learning followed by the dinner. More than 60 people attended the daytime program, including students, alumni, parents and faculty. The energy and enthusiasm was palpable.

Following the Mincha prayer service, dancing erupted in the main study hall. The crowd was awed by the pace and the scope of the project.

In the evening, the dinner was attended by 180 people, including more than 40 from outof-state. Rabbi Yosef and Mrs.

The honorees are (left to right): Mr. Pinchas Englander; Rabbi Yosef Lipson, associate dean; Dr. Gabriel Sosne; Rabbi Yosef Szendro; and Rabbi Eliezer Gibber, dean.

Ruchama Szendro, longtime Providence residents, were honored as the Pillars of Torah.

The ambiance in the Social Hall was lovely, and everyone said they truly enjoyed the event.

FROM PAGE 19

MUSIC dence that musical interventions can play a health care role in settings ranging from operating rooms to family clinics,” Daniel Levitin, author of the recent book “This is Your Brain on Music,” told the American Psychological Association recently. “This is one reason why music is associated with relaxation.”

For Alzheimer’s patients specifically, a program called Music and Memory, featured in the documentary film “Alive Inside,” shows that music therapy can decrease medication usage in patients. The theory is that music can trigger a kind of deep right-brain response, something beyond the reach of linear memory, so that even a patient who can’t string a sentence together might be able to remember or at least respond to lyrics from a song.

Music therapy isn’t just about singing old songs. The therapists are trained to deal with issues like hearing loss or agitation, as well as cultural sensitivities.

For some of the elderly Jewish patients under the hospice care, there’s an extra benefit to the treatment.

“Often with Holocaust survivors there is a reticence on the part of patient and on the part of family members to allow pain medication,” said Toby Weiss, di-

PHOTO | MJHS HEALTH SYSTEM

MJHS Hospice is unlocking memories through music therapy. rector of cultural sensitivity and Jewish programming for MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care. “There is a lack of trust and there is a prior history of trauma when it comes to medical issues and health care interventions. So when a patient is experiencing pain, as an example, if a music therapist starts to play a Yiddish song or a lullaby or something else from the patient’s childhood, the vital signs change,

their affect changes.”

Beyond easing pain, the experience of bringing a patient some music from their early life can be powerful bonding tool, allowing a potentially tense family to come together – part of the core mission of hospice care.

“I’ve done some of the Yiddish songs with the families present, and the family didn’t know the person knew this song,”

Submitted by the New England Rabbinical College.

said Meredith Ferrel, creative arts therapy team leader at MJHS Hospice. “You have that chance to have the family connecting or singing together. It’s an added gift that the loved one is giving the family Yiddish-language songs at the end of life and sharing songs with their grandchildren. There is a celebration of culture.”

Music therapy often offers family members a chance to see a side of the patient that might long have been in retreat. Ferrel recalled how one woman invited all her neighbors into a music therapy session to “meet” her husband with dementia – the music unexpectedly had brought out a glimmer of his former personality.

Charla Burton, a music therapist with MJHS Hospice, said the music sometimes induces primal emotions, catharsis and joy that makes the experience especially meaningful for patients and their families.

“Some people will respond to hearing ‘Hava Nagila’ as if they’re at a Bar mitzvah or wedding!” she said.

EDITORS NOTE: This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with MJHS Health System and UJA-Federation of New York to raise awareness and facilitate conversations about end-oflife care in a Jewish context. This article was produced by JTA’s native content team.

BUSINESS

jvhri.org

March 2, 2018 |

21

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The Jewish Voice

No matter your age, your Social Security Statement matters Fifteen years ago, the Social Security Administration (SSA) launched the Social Security Statement, a tool to help A mericans understand the features and benefits that Social Security offers.

Since then, milBARBARA lions of KENERSON A mericans have reviewed their personalized statements to see a detailed record of their earnings, as well as estimates of retirement, survivor and disability benefits based on those earnings.

Here’s how to get a copy of your statement, and why it deserves more than just a glance, even if you’re years away from retirement.

In September 2014, the SSA began mailing Social Security Statements to most workers every five years. Workers reaching the ages of 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 who are not receiving Social Security benefits and are not registered for an online account will receive a statement in the mail about three months before their birthday.

Workers older than age 60 receive a statement every year.

But why wait? You can view your Social Security Statement online anytime. Go to socialsecurity.gov to sign up for a personal my Social Security account (you must be 18 or older to sign up online). Once you have an account, you can view your Social Security Statement anytime you want, as often as you want.

Your Social Security Statement gives you information about retirement, disability and survivor benefits. It tells you whether you’ve earned enough credits to qualify for these benefits and, if you qualify, how much you can expect to receive.

As each Social Security Statement notes, the amounts listed are only estimates based on your average earnings in the past and a projection of future earnings. Actual benefits you receive may be different if your earnings increase or decrease in the future. Amounts may also be affected by cost-of-living increases (estimates are in today’s dollars) and other income you receive. Estimated benefits

are also based on current law, which could change in the future.

Retirement benef its: Although Social Security was never intended to be the sole source of retirement income, retirement benefits are still very important to many retirees. Your statement shows estimates of how much you can expect to receive if you begin receiving benefits at three different ages: your full retirement age (66 to 67, depending on your birth year), age 62 (your benefit will be lower), or age 70 (your benefit will be higher). When to start claiming Social Security is a big decision that will affect your overall retirement income, so if you’re approaching retirement, this information can be especially useful.

But even if you’re years away from retirement, it’s important to know how much you might receive, so you can take this information into account as you set retirement savings goals.

Disability benefits: Disability can happen suddenly to anyone at any age. Disability benefits from Social Security can be an important source of fi nancial support in the event that you’re unable to work and earn a living. Check your Social Security Statement to fi nd out

what you might receive each month if you become disabled.

Survivor benefits: Survivor protection is a valuable Social Security benefit you may not even realize you have. Upon your death, your survivors, such as your spouse, ex-spouse,

and children, may be eligible to receive benefits based on your earnings record. Review your Social Security Statement to fi nd out whether your survivors can count on this valuable source of income.

Earnings record: In addition to benefit information, your Social Security Statement con-

tains a year-by-year record of your earnings. This record is updated whenever your employer reports your earnings (or if you’re self-employed, when you report your own earnings). Earnings are generally reported annually, so keep in mind that your earnings from last year may not yet be on your statement.

It’s a good idea to make sure that your earnings have been reported correctly, because mistakes do happen. You can do this by comparing your earnings record against past tax returns or W-2s you’ve received. This is an important step to take because your Social Security benefits are based on your average lifetime earnings. If your earnings have been reported incorrectly, you may not receive the benefits to which you’re entitled.

What if you fi nd errors? The SSA advises you to call right away if any earnings are reported incorrectly. The SSA phone number is 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800325-0778).

BARBARA KENERSON is fi rst vice president/Investments at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC and can be reached at BarbaraKenerson.com.

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jvhri.org

FROM PAGE 17

NAME

signature, with the painstaking twirls of the upper and lower case “n.” His capital “F” falls below a line, and the name Fuhrmann ascends with each successive letter.

For him to leave his familiar life behind – to be apart from his young wife and two little boys for almost a decade, to start off fresh in a country without relatives, or a profession, or even a grasp of the language – his existence must have been pretty grim in Bessarabia. My dad told me that his grandmother – left on her own while her husband was in America – used to row the family across the Dniester River to escape from marauding bands of raiders who would regularly antagonize the Jewish villagers. They would hide in the forest across the water until the raids had died down, then row back to their homes.

Therefore, it was worth it for my great-grandfather to make his way to America, to start at zero.

I think my great-grandfather, whom I never met, would have chuckled at the way Forman is frequently misspelled in English today. After all, we were “Hebrews” – and the name, using the Hebrew alphabet, was originally spelled Fey, Vav, Reish, Mem and final Nun. I can imagine his bewilderment over

my keeping the family name – with or without the “e” or “u” or extra “n”s – even after I married. It never occurred to me to change my name, especially as I married in my 30s. Nathan Forman changed his name enough for all of us.

I think he would tell me to treasure this country, and to not let the door close behind us – rather to hold it open for the next guy who needs a safe harbor. It’s a big country. It’s a golden country. There is plenty of space for a family – and a name – to grow.

RABBI SHARON G. FORMAN has published “Honest Answers to Your Child’s Jewish Questions” (URJ Press), a chapter on the connection between Judaism and breastfeeding in Lisa Grushcow’s “The Sacred Encounter” (CCAR Press) and, most recently, “The Baseball Haggadah: A Festival of Freedom and Springtime in 15 Innings.” She has served as the director of education at New York City’s Temple Shaaray Tefila.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was originally published on Kveller is a thriving community of women and parents who convene online to share, celebrate and commiserate their experiences of raising kids through a Jewish lens. Visit Kveller.com.

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March 2, 2018 |

23

Security campaign funds 26 projects at 15 institutions

BY JENNIFER ZWIRN In response to the upsurge in religious and racial acts of hate and violence both nationally and worldwide, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island kicked off a Community Security Campaign last fall, raising $80,000. With an additional $100,000 from the Jewish Federation Foundation and an anonymous donor, the fund total was nearly $265,000.

Already, the security campaign has provided no-cost risk assessments to Jewish institutions, agencies, cemeteries and synagogues within the catchment area, as well as: MIR-3, a security communications system for communitywide use; a security liaison to foster relationships and coordinate communications with local and national law enforcement agencies; a community security consultant to provide training, education and guidance to all agencies; lobbying and attention to federal funding for ongoing maintenance of said security and safety measures; and a grants process to defray the cost of security upgrades.

The grants process was recently completed by the Community Security Committee, which worked thoughtfully to determine which projects would get support from this supplemental campaign. On the recommendation of the committee, the Board of Directors approved $105,617 to

be distributed to 15 institutions for 26 projects.

Those projects include outdoor lighting and fencing upgrades at the Jewish Community Day School; shatterproof window film, key fobs, cameras and security planters at Providence Hebrew Day School; shatterproof window film at the University of Rhode Island Hillel, Temple Sinai, Lincoln Park Cemetery and Temple Habonim; cameras, additional monitors, card access and panic buttons at Temple EmanuEl, The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, and Shalom and Shalom II apartments; proper fencing and upgraded locks at entryways at the Chabad of West Bay; a motion sensor and an upgraded communication system throughout Camp JORI’s facilities; Brown RISD Hillel’s wireless duress system; and cameras and monitors for Congregation Beth David.

“It was important to the committee that we fund these security upgrades. Meeting the community’s immediate needs was crucial,” said Harold Foster, chairman of the Community Security Committee. “We are happy to be able to assist in making our community safer.”

Jewish agencies that apply for grants must participate in a free facility risk assessment; demonstrate an unmet security need; and provide a portion of the project funding. The Request for Proposal (RFP) was released to over

50 institutions in September 2017, with the requirement that it be completed and submitted no later than January 2018.

Guidelines for grant recipients include one year to complete supported projects, regular updates, and an outcome report for evaluation.

To contribute to meeting the security needs of our community, contact Trine Lustig, vice president of philanthropy at the Jewish Alliance of Greater R.I., at tlustig@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 223.

JENNIFER ZWIRN (jzwirn@ jewishallianceri.org) works in allocations and endowment for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. She is also AccessJewishRI vocational services contact.

24 | March 2, 2018

OBITUARIES

The Jewish Voice

Miriam Almagor, 88

ASK THE DIRECTOR

BY MICHAEL D. SMITH F.D./R.E. Shalom Memorial Chapel

Do Jewish people use pallbearers? If so, how many?

H.R., Warwick Dear H.R., Jewish people do use bearers. We have staff that can bear, and if the family chooses, they can use friends or any family who are not immediate (wearing a black K’ria ribbon) to have the honor of escorting a loved one. As for how many, usually up to six people bear. If there are more, then they may form lines behind the casket as an honor guard.

QUESTIONS ARE WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED. Please send questions to: ShalomChapel@aol.com or by mail to Ask the Director, c/o Shalom Memorial Chapel, 1100 New London Ave., Cranston, R.I. 02920.

With 12 years experience we continue to create personalized, meaningful memorials. Wording both in Hebrew and English. Relevant etching can be included.

Ira Jay Fleisher (401) 265-­‐2330 fleishermonumentco@gmail.com

BARRINGTON, R.I. – Miriam (Schwartz) Almagor passed away Feb. 17.

She was the devoted wife of Mayer Almagor for 62 years. Born in Romania, she was the daughter of the late Iosef and Paula (Goldstein) Schwartz. Miriam was the beloved mother of Dalia Harel and her husband, Zeev Harel; doting grandmother of Ephat Russcol and her husband, David, Asaff Harel and his wife, Avital Mendelson, and Maayan Harel; loving great-grandmother of Liora, Aviva, Rina and Ilana Russcol and Ethan Harel.

Miriam was a Holocaust survivor. She spent World War II in Iassi, Romania, under Nazi rule, and in later years often shared reminiscences with her family. After her marriage, she and her husband struggled for many years to be allowed to leave Romania and make aliyah. She lived for most of her life in Israel, with several years spent in the U.S., where her husband was sent for Ph.D. studies, and in Europe, where her husband was sent for work-related purposes by the Israeli government.

In May of 2015, Miriam and her husband reluctantly decided to leave Israel and moved to Barrington to be close to their grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

Miriam was an extraordinarily devoted wife, an exceed-

ingly involved mother, and an amazing grandmother. She forged extremely close relationships with her grandchildren, who will miss her dearly, and adored her great-grandchildren. She cared about relationships, was a devoted daughter, and maintained close contact with family and friends, her aunts, uncles, and cousins, and her childhood friend Ieti and her husband Yossu. She was an observant Jew who nevertheless managed to live harmoniously with her less-observant husband.

Donations in her memory may be made to Temple EmanuEl, 99 Taft Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

Mildred Drucker, 90

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Mildred Drucker, originally of Brooklyn, New York, passed away Feb. 21 with loved ones by her side. Mildred was beloved wife of 66 years to her late husband, Louis; and a loving sister, mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother. She is described by her family as a woman who took great pride in her family and her career as a teacher and mentor. She will also be remembered for her comedic timing, quick wit and ability to send a room full of her grandchildren into nearly uncontrolled fits of laughter.

Mildred had a long career as an elementary schoolteacher, and teacher mentor in Queens, New York. She was a reading specialist, with deep commitment to her students and their families. She was known to go above and beyond in her tutelage of her students and their parents well after the typical classroom hours had ended.

Mildred, along with Louis, instilled the value of a strong education in her daughter, and then her seven grandchildren.

She was very proud of her master’s degree in Histology, and her research work at Brooklyn Hospital before embarking on her teaching career. She played a part in teaching many of her grandchildren to read, bringing them phonetics workbooks

from her classroom in New York on frequent weekend trips to Providence. Living downstairs from her great-grandchildren, she took great joy in seeing their recent reading progress as well.

In their retirement Mildred and Louis continued to be passionate about learning, and often traveled, took in lectures and concerts, and participated in discussion groups on a wide variety of topics. Mildred was a voracious reader, usually with large stacks of library books checked out at a time. She loved a good cookout where she could have a few hotdogs with mustard! She also had a few specialties she liked to cook for her family, friends and neighbors ... her mandel bread cookies will be missed!

She was wife to the late Louis Drucker, mother to the late Marjorie Thompson, and is survived by her son-in-law, Ian Thompson; her brother Bill Yellin; seven grandchildren and their partners, and two greatgrandchildren.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Hope Hospice and Palliative Care of RI, 1085 N. Main St., Providence, RI 02904.

Fruma Dara Efreom, 72

WARWICK, R.I. – Fruma Dara Efreom died Feb. 17 at Kent Hospital. She was the beloved wife of Binyamin I. Efreom for 50 years. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Abraham and Bessie (Hamer) Strauss, she had lived in Warwick for 46 years, previously living in Pawtucket.

She graduated co-valedictorian from the former Pawtucket West High School, Class of ’62, earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, Class of ’67, and achieved a master of public administration from the University of Rhode Island.

Fruma worked in a variety of occupations, including a OBITUARIES | 25

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OBITUARIES

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FROM PAGE 24

OBITUARIES

program and capital budget specialist for the Rhode Island Department of Education, a public schoolteacher and grant writer for Family Services and Child Family Services. She was also a writer for the Grace Ormonde Wedding Magazine and a reporter for the Kent County Times. Fruma was a volunteer and chairwoman for ORT and a member of the Lincoln Park Cemetery board.

She was the devoted mother of Alana A. Roberts and her husband, Luke, of North Smithfield, Yael D. Lieber and her husband, Paul, of Tampa, Florida, and Avi B. Efreom and his wife, Shannon, of Midlothian, Virginia. She was the loving grandmother of Leo, Chloe and Jerome.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Chabad of West Bay, 3871 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886.

Helen Eisenberg, 92

DARTMOUTH, MASS. — Helen (Levow) Eisenberg, 92, passed away Feb. 17. She was the wife of the late Raymond Eisenberg. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she was a daughter of the late Harry and Tillie (Rosenfeld) Levow.

Helen was the loving mother of Mark Eisenberg and his wife, Joyce, Jana Eisenberg, and Todd Eisenberg and his wife, Amy; grandmother of Harris and his wife, Katie, Logan and his wife, Sam, Zach, Jon and Ross Eisenberg; and great-grandmother of Miles Eisenberg; she is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Dolly and Phil Kates, the late Netta and Buzz Sanitsky and Warren and Mitzi Eisenberg.

Helen was the head social worker of the I. H. Schwartz Rehabilitation Center for Children for 40 years and served on various boards and committees of local charities and social service organizations.

Donations may be made in her memory to Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 145 Brownell Ave., New Bedford, Mass.

Charles B. Fink, 85

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Charles B. Fink, Providence architect and Professor Emeritus at the Rhode Island School of Design School of Arch itectu re, passed away on Feb. 25 at the Philip Hulitar Hospice Center. Son of Moe and Betty (Cohen) Fink, known by most

as Chick, he was a resident of Providence and Newport, graduating from Hope High School and attending Brown University where he was named a Francis Wayland Scholar. Chick transferred after freshman year to MIT to attend its fiveyear architecture program, where he won a six-month Skidmore, Owings and Merrill travel fellowship which he used to study and draw the architecture of Europe.

Chick worked full time until age 80, when one of his final projects was designing renovations for Belvoir Properties of several units in Rhode Island Hospital where he became a patient briefly during the design process. Architecture and art were so central to him that as recently as a few days before he died, he sat up and completed a drawing, from memory, of the Rhode Island State Capitol. Beloved by his clients who often became his friends, he was known to design an entire house on a matchbook cover in an hour. Architect of innumerable significant projects, his portfolio included home designs and renovations all over R.I., including homes along Ocean Drive in Newport; commercial buildings, hospitals, banks, public housing – an array of design projects, from renovating kitchens to designing cities.

Each project was as important to him as the other, and each was born out of his respect for natural forms and environmental considerations.

Chick was an avid sailor purely for the aesthetics, pouring himself into restoring and sailing his old wooden ketch and his antique Chris Craft runabout. Rejecting modern boat electronics, he taught himself and others celestial navigation for the R.I. Power Squadron. He had a passion for music. He initiated an introductory survey course at RISD and studied the cello. Chick had served as editor of the MIT Lampoon humor magazine, where he refined the art of caricature in his cartoons. In recent years, Chick became a crossword puzzle aficionado. Of all his projects, he probably most loved his renovations of the Beechbound Carriage House in Newport where he resided for many years, alongside his co-owner clients who became dear friends.

Charles B. Fink is survived by his wife, Judith (Appelbaum) Fink, his daughter, Amy Fink Levine, and his granddaughter, Julia Rachel Levine. He is also survived by his loving brother, Michael Fink and wife, Michael W. Fink, sister-in-law, Ruth D. Fink and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his elder brother, Edward L. Fink. He is also survived by devoted and beloved friends.

Contributions in his memory may be made to The Providence

Preservation Society, The Miriam Hospital, or Hallworth House.

Dennis Sokol, 75

STONEHAM, MASS. – Dennis Martin Sokol passed away peacefully on Feb. 23 after a long battle with prostate cancer, under the tender care of hospice nurses.

He was the husband of Karen (Gold) Sokol; they were married 49 years.

He was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, to attorney Nathan J. and Irene (Tuck) Sokoletsky. He graduated from BMC Durfee High School, served in the Air Force, and received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Suffolk University. Dennis was human resources professional with Raytheon, Gillette, North American Industries, and was a longtime employee at Altron in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

He is survived by his son Jason Sokol; daughter Elizabeth Sokol; sister Samantha (White) Morin; sister-in-law Marcia (Gold) Horowitz and her husband, attorney Edward Horowitz; brother-in-law, Dr. Michael Gold and his wife Jane (Davies) Gold. He was also loved by his nieces and nephews, Gabrielle White, the late Jocelyn White, Catherine (Gold) Weinberg, Sarah Gold, Daniel Gold, Amy (Horowitz) Schweighardt and Aaron Horowitz.

Known for his kindness, winning smile and fantastic sense of humor, Dennis had a joke for every occasion, and he delivered them all with great panache.

He loved golf, fishing, photography, building wooden clocks and, most of all, driving his Topaz Triumph TR6.

He will miss driving the winding back roads of New England with his many car club friends.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the charity of your choice.

Martin Uffer, 88

CRANSTON, R.I. –Martin Uffer died Feb. 16 at home. He was the beloved husband of Adrienne (Backman) Uffer for 57 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late Harry and Jenny (Goldstein) Uffer, he was a longtime resident of Cranston.

He was the controller at Elmwood Sensors for more than 40 years, retiring in 2000.

Martin was a Navy veteran, serving during peacetime. He was a member of Touro Fraternal Association, Temple Beth-El, National Creditors Association, a volunteer for SCORE, and a longtime Junior

Achievement adviser, earning the 50 year “Man of the Year” award.

He was the devoted father of Michelle Snoeren and her husband, Pieter, of Jamestown, and Debra Gold and her husband, Dr. Steven, of Lexington, Massachusetts. He was the dear brother of Alan Uffer of Boca Raton, Florda. He was the loving grandfather of Harris Sullivan, Sage Dauphinee, and Henry and Jennie Gold.

Contributions in his memory may be made to Temple Beth-El Library Fund, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence, RI 02906 or to Beacon Hospice, 1 Catamore Blvd., East Providence, RI 02914.

Estelle Winograd, 88

WARWICK, R.I. –Estelle Winograd died Feb. 20 at Tamarisk Assisted Living. She was the beloved wife of Albert Winograd for 64 years. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Charles and Ida (Mitchell) Bochner, she had lived in Warwick, previously living in Boynton Beach, Florida, for 25 years and Cranston. She worked for the State of Rhode Island for over 20 years. Estelle graduated from the former Vesper George School of Art in Boston. She was a member of Temple Beth David, a former member of Temple Torat Yisrael and its Sisterhood and a life member of Hadassah.

She was the devoted mother of Lauren Gabrilowitz and her husband, Alvin, of Narragansett and Stuart Winograd and his wife, Debbie, of Alamo, California. She was the dear sister of Edward Bochner and his wife, Arlene, of Warwick and the late Bernice Goldstein of Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

March 2, 2018 |

25

She was the loving grandmother of Marcy and her husband, Eugene, Adam and Alexa. She was the cherished great-grandmother of Eliza.

Contributions in her memory may be made to RI Food Bank, 200 Niantic Ave., Providence, RI 02907.

Jacqueline Woolf, 88

WARWICK, R.I. – Jacqueline “Jackie” Sorgman Woolf died Feb. 16 at West View Nursing Home. She was the beloved wife of the late Allen Woolf and the late Herbert Singer. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late John and Clara (Silverman) Sorgman, she was a resident of Warwick. She was a senior companion for the Department of Elderly Affairs at West Bay Community Action for 30 years.

Jackie was a member of the former Temple Am David.

She was the devoted mother of Jan Sylvia of Bristol, Mark Woolf and his wife, Marion, of Cranston, Randall Woolf of Naples, Florida, and the late Jay Woolf. She was the dear sister of the late Beatrice Weinberg, Rhoda Kolb and Maxine Leventhal. She was the cherished grandmother of Ashley, Mitchell, Jason, Adrienne, Kyle and Randy. She was the adored great-grandmother of Christina and Jasmine. She was the loving mother-in-law of Linda Loura and the late Joseph Sylvia. She was the beloved companion of the late Herbert Mandell. She was the dear aunt of several nieces and nephews.

Contributions in her memory may be made to West Bay Community Action, 224 Buttonwoods Ave., Warwick, RI 02886 or charity of your choice.

Owner unveils Albert Einstein letter thanking Chicago man for saving Jews JTA – A letter from Albert Einstein to a Chicago man thanking him for helping Jews to escape Nazi Germany has been made public by his daughter.

Enid Bronstein has kept the letter penned by Einstein in a safe deposit box for the last 50 years, she told Chicago’s WGN TV. The letter was written to David Finck, a New York financier who helped fund the emigration of Jewish refugees from Europe in 1939 before the outbreak of World War II. “May I offer my sincere congratulations to you on the splendid work you have undertaken on behalf of the refugees,” Einstein said in the letter written in June 1939.

It is one of three such letters known to be written by Einstein, himself a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany.

“The power of resistance which has enabled the Jewish people to survive for thousands of years has been based to a large extent on traditions of mutual helpfulness. We have no other means of self-defense than our solidarity and our knowledge that the cause for which we are suffering is a momentous and sacred cause,” the letter also said.

Bronstein said she guarded the letter carefully after he died 50 years go. “I wanted to keep the letter to show it to my children and grandchildren so that they would get the message that every contribution, no matter how small, is important,” she told WGN. She said she will donate it to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC. She could have sold it for thousands of dollars.

CALENDAR

26 | March 2, 2018 FROM PAGE 10

The Jewish Voice

CALENDAR

Sunday | March 11 Adult Ed: Cooking with Val. 9:15-10:30 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. March cooking theme: Bourekas (savory pastries).

Charge is $5 per member and $10 per non-member to cover cost of ingredients. Information or to register, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600.

Temple Sinai Sisterhood Breakfast.

9:30-11:30 a.m. Panera, 4000 Chapel View Blvd., Cranston. Information, Dottie at 401-942-8350.

Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston.

3 p.m. MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, 48 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass.

The Israel Folkdance Festival of Boston presents hundreds of Israeli folk danc-

ers: children and teens, college students and adults together in an afternoon of exuberant dance. Dancers from Boston are joined by visiting performers in traditional and modern Israeli folk dances.

Tickets: $17 in advance | $20 at the door. Choose your seats, order and pay online. Group discounts available in advance. Rush tickets are $5 for college students with ID on the day of the festival, as available. Information and tickets, www.bostonfestival.org.

Kollel and Project Shoresh “Jewish Unity Live.” 7-9:30 p.m. Renaissance Hotel, 4 Avenue of the Arts, Providence.

Annual gala celebration of Jewish identity and learning. Evening of inspiration features Rabbi Moshe Hauer, a leading Jewish thinker and social commentator, and delicious desserts in an amaz-

ing venue. Rabbi Hauer’s topic will be “Fallen Idols – The National Implosion of Character.” $50 for an individual | $80 with a partner. Information or to RSVP, Rabbi Raphie Shochet at 401-3832786.

Monday | March 12 Monday Night Meditation. 7:45-8:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Meditation instruction for all levels. If you are looking for accessible spiritual practices to help transform your life, consider this class. This series focuses on little-known classic and modern Jewish meditation techniques. Open to all.

Future dates: 3/19, 3/26, 4/9, 4/23, 4/30, 5/7, 5/14. Free. Advance registration required. Information, rabbi@ bethsholom-ri.org.

Tuesday | March 13 Temple Torat Yisrael’s Lunch and Learn. Noon-1:30 p.m. Gregg’s Restaurant, 4120 Quaker Lane, North Kingstown. Each participant orders from the menu, and we study Jewish sources addressing current issues. Open to all. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.

Yoga. 6-7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich.

Cost: $30 for 3 sessions paid in advance; $12 per session at the door.

Open to all. Bring a mat. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

A Special Evening of Outstanding Wines from Israel. 5-8 p.m. Bin 312, 312 S. Main St., Providence. Join the Rhode Island Israel Collaborative to meet some of the most influential players and wine representatives in the Israeli wine industry to sample wines from Tabor Winery, Teperberg Winery, Tulip

Winery, Flam Winery. Every vineyard and wine is followed and positively reviewed by premier wine publications.

Free. Information, Avi Nevel at info@ theriic.org or 401-486-1152.

Art Workshop: Decoupage. 7-9 p.m.

Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Decoupage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in a combination of ways using special effects. In this workshop you learn the basic techniques to decoupage. You have the opportunity to choose a project to work on, or bring something of your own to spruce up.

All supplies provided. Ages: 16+. Price: $20 | Members: $15. Information, Michelle Cicchitelli at mcicchitelli@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 178.

Wednesday | March 14 Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman. Noon-1 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence.

Featuring Tslil Reichman, Israeli shlicha (emissary) for greater RI. Bring your own lunch. Coffee and tea served. Live streaming available. Information or to RSVP, Jenn Thomas at 401-331-6070 or jthomas@temple-beth-el.org.

Table Tennis, Mah Jongg and Canasta.

7-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Come learn and have fun. All are welcome.

Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.

“Bridging the Gap” with Rabbi Raphie.

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.” All are welcome for this fundamental and transformative journey. Free. Wednesday evenings thru 1/30/19. Information, Rabbi Raphie Shochet at rabbiraphie@gmail.com or 401-383-2786.

Thursday | March 15

An evening with

CHEF MICHAEL SOLOMONOV

Delve Deeper: A Program of Intensive Jewish Study. 7-9 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, Bohnen Vestry, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Thursdays thru 5/10.

New adult education initiative brings dynamic teachers who are experts in their fields to teach in-depth, universitylevel courses to a diverse group of adult learners. The third semester: “The Rabbis and Their Legacy: An Introduction to Rabbinic Judaism” with Professor Michael Satlow. Registration is required, and space is limited. $200 for the semester. Information, including a link to register, can be found at teprov. org/institute/delvedeeper.

For more information visit jewishallianceri.org/michael-solomonov 401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 | 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org

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 401885-6600.

Joint Reform Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Service includes participation by congregants from Temples Sinai, Beth-El and Habonim as well as music performed by Shireinu. Cantor Ben Steinberg leads the service, which features classical Reform liturgical music he composed. Oneg Shabbat follows the service. Information, Dottie at 401-9428350.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Kabbalat Shabbat service followed by an Oneg.

Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.

Saturday | March 17 Shabbat School. 9 a.m.-noon. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m.: Torah discussion with 6/7 graders and congregants.

9:45 a.m.: Shabbat service followed by a light Kiddush. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.

Children’s Shabbat Program and Jr. Kiddush Club. 9:30-11:15 a.m.

Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Weekly program and Jr. Kiddush Club for children. Activities include prayer, parashah, play time and a special Kiddush. Three age groups: Tots, Pre-K thru 1st grade and 2nd grade & up. Located in Kids Room, Social Hall and Chapel on the lower level. Big kids of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to join prayer services in the main sanctuary. Information, office@bethsholom-ri.org.

Friday | March 16 CIPCO CLEANING SERVICE

2017 James Beard Award: Outstanding Chef 2016 James Beard Award: International Cooking & Book of the Year 2011 James Beard Award: Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 | 7:00pm Dwares JCC | 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence

Shababa Friday/PJ Library Story Time.

10-11 a.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Welcome Shabbat with singing, dancing, jumping and celebrating as a community. Children and their caregivers listen to music, gather for stories, play games, create a craft, eat a snack and make new friends. PJ Library Story Time incorporates more music and movement as Dayna Bailen, Shababa song leader, and Shlomo, the sloth puppet, entertain children ages 5 and under. Guest readers bring PJ Library books, and open art studio time is available. All are welcome. Free.

Information or to RSVP, Dayna Bailen at dbailen@jewishallianceri.org or 401421-4111, ext. 108.

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(401) 726-6702

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COMMUNITY

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March 2, 2018 |

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HAPPY PURIM!

he New England Academy of Torah turned into Candyland during the week of Feb. 26, in honor of the month of Adar. The students did the decorating.

From the staff of The Jewish Voice

Highlights of what we offer: Functional-Style Classes including TRX, Kettlebells, Battle Ropes & Medicine Balls • Lenny Krayzelburg Swim Academy • erti ed Per o al rai er Indoor Heated Pool Group Ex Indoor Cycling Basketball Gymnasium Sports Leagues Pilates Mat Classes Cardio Machines Free-weight Area een itness erti cation Fit Forever Classes for Seniors TigerSharks Swim Club and much more!

J-FITNESS

at the Dwares JCC

To learn more about Personal Training, Specialty Group Training or any of o r tne pro ra contact ori Venditti at 01 1 111 e t 10 or d enditti e i hallianceri or

401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI | jewishallianceri.org

28 | March 2, 2018

The Jewish Voice

ever yONE counts innovator immigrant volunteer mentor donor recipient you

Can we count on you?

Jewish Alliance 2018 Annual Campaign: Donate. Volunteer. Make a difference.

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island is dedicated to building a stronger and more inclusive community here at home, in Israel and around the world. We are fueled by Jewish values and driven by tradition—reimagined for today’s world. Together, with your support, we are committed to strengthening lives and communities everywhere.

With your gift, we continue to bring renewed hope to those who experience hardship, vital assistance to those who have fallen ill, and compassion to those who suffer injustice.

No matter our differences, what brings us together is the reality that everyone counts.

everyONE counts

401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 | 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org