Volume XXIII, Issue XVI | www.jvhri.org Serving Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts
2 Tishri 5778 | September 22, 2017
FALL HOME & GARDEN
10 MOMENTS
PHOTO | BRIAN SULLIVAN
Hillary and Aaron Guttin chaired this year’s event.
Campaign kicks off with successful Super Sunday BY STEPHANIE HAGUE The Jewish Alliance kicked off its 2018 Annual Campaign with another successful Super Sunday on Sept. 17. Thanks to the support of volunteers who made phone calls and donors who “answered the call,” the Alliance raised approximately $88,000 to benefit the Jewish community in Rhode Island
JTA | THOMAS COEX/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Jewish women praying at the women’s section of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, May 16, 2017.
The top 10 moments that mattered to Jews in 5777
and around the world. More than 65 volunteers, including representatives from a dozen synagogues and agencies, joined together throughout the day to mobilize in support of the work of the Alliance. The volunteers closed gifts from 219 donors. In addition, the community showed support for those affected by Hur-
BY JOSEFIN DOLSTEN
JTA – This Jewish year was not a quiet one, to say the least. From the tumultuous fi rst eight months of Donald Trump’s presidency, to a wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centers, to a neo-Nazi protest in Charlottesville, to the
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twin weather catastrophes of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Jews, like so many others, found it hard to take their eyes off the news. As the year 5777 comes to a close, JTA looks back at some of the moments that had the most significance for Jews (sorted below by date).
Bob Dylan is awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature.
In an unexpected move, the Swedish Academy bestowed the iconic Jewish American singer – born Robert Zimmerman – with the highly coveted prize in October. Though Bob Dylan’s MOMENTS | 20
Rhode Island, Israeli vets connect on the water BY FRAN OSTENDORF
Altman Israel
The partnership between Rhode Island and Israel took to the water last week when Israeli veterans arrived in the U.S to spend a week sailing with Sail to Prevail, an organization
that helps disabled people heal through sailing. The Israelis are part of YamTov’s leadership program that helps veterans and their family members who suffer with PTSD make changes through competitive sea sports such as sailing.
The veterans in this group will return to their communities to serve as leaders and mentors. Sail to Prevail – The National Disabled Sailing Project – runs programs in Newport for children with disabilities. It also
runs veterans’ programs. But this is the fi rst cross-cultural effort, according to CEO Paul Callahan. The idea for this collaboration had its seeds in the 2012 London Paralympics. Callahan was a SAIL | 2
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INSIDE Business 22-23 Calendar 10 Community 2-5, 11, 23, 26 D’Var Torah 7 Food 13 Holidays 16-17, 19 Home & Garden 14-15, 18 Nation 12 Obituaries 25 Opinion 7-8 Seniors 21-24 Simcha 27 We Are Read 27 World 20
THIS ISSUE’S QUOTABLE QUOTE “The power of words has a very real almost physical presence on Yom Kippur.”
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SAIL
sailor and his chief competitor was an Israeli skipper, he said. The Israeli coach was Altman Israel, a social worker and one of the founders of YamTov. The group of six Americans and eight Israelis visited the Jewish Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center on Sept. 14. They also went to the R.I. State House. “I’m amazed at the feelings Rhode Islanders have for Israelis,” Ariela Alush said. “We have to do more. “It’s interesting meeting the American vets. We can give inspiration to each other,” she said. “You cannot control what nature gives you, but you can control your sails.” Alush, now an Israeli fi lmmaker, was injured in a terrorist attack on a beach in the Sinai Peninsula. She says that the sea is very meaningful to her. She said sailing in the ocean off Newport was a great experience. “In Israel, we sail in the Mediterranean which is very calm like a hot tub.” The American veterans who participated in the program had sailed with Sail to Prevail programs before and agreed that this was truly a unique experience. Although the Americans did not speak Hebrew, the language barriers disappeared after a few hours on the water according to Larry, who said he’d been sailing for at least two dozen years. “This is a treat,” he said.
This billboard on display in Newport welcomed the vets. “We are all suffering from the same injuries,” said Paul Grace another American vet. Both came to the program after being recommended by the Veterans Administration and working through the adaptive sports program there. Altman Israel said of the Israeli group: “We want them to be leaders, to change their life by helping others, by giving back.” Callahan said he hopes the collaboration will be ongoing. “It’s only powerful if you share what you learn,” he said. The Israeli group spent a week in the United States. According to Altman Israel, fundraising for the group is ongoing. This trip was supported by many groups, including Israelis in Rhode Island, El Al Airlines, Discover Newport, Howard
Ariela Alush stopped to chat with children at the JCC. Johnson Hotel in Middletown and Touro Synagogue. The hope is to take a group of American disabled veterans to
Israel next year. FRAN OSTENDORF is the editor of The Jewish Voice
ESTABLISH YOUR LEGACY TODAY.
Invest in our Jewish community tomorrow.
Creating your legacy shows the ones you love most just how important they are to you because you are committing to their future. A legacy gift—such as an endowment—promises that your generosity and vision will have an impact far beyond your lifetime. With a Jewish Foundation Federation legacy, you guarantee that the most vulnerable among us know they are not alone. You support community programs and services that welcome everyone. You show your children and grandchildren how precious they are to you. Through your Jewish Federation Foundation legacy, you have the power to ensure Jewish families will not just survive—they will thrive. And that is timeless.
Your investments should grow with you—and for you. For more information on ways to leave your Jewish legacy, please contact Trine Lustig, Vice President of Philanthropy, at tlustig@jewishallianceri.org or 401.421.4111 ext. 223.
Let’s grow together.
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September 22, 2017 |
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Baseball season extended! BY LARRY KATZ The World Series is scheduled to end on Nov. 1. Since we do not want anyone to suffer baseball withdrawal pains by going cold turkey, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island is extending the baseball season through mid-December!
The front of the Jewish Major Leaguers trading cards set. has already offered several of his cards that depict Jewish ballplayers. Perhaps you have something related to Eddie Wineapple, the 1928 Providence College pitcher who left to play for the Washington Senators. Or maybe you have pictures of a synagogue baseball team or of a relative who played ball for a local high school or in college. You can contact the Alliance by sending an email to ChasingDreams@jewishallianceri.org. You can also participate by coming to view the exhibit. Groups are welcome, too. Please schedule a group by sending an email to ChasingDreams@jewishallianceri.org. Lesson plans are available for school groups. Finally, you can purchase items related to the theme of minorities and baseball. A wellillustrated catalog of the exhibit is available, featuring an array of authors, sportswriters, former players and commentators who offer evocative, compelling and touching essays. It is avail-
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able for $45. A few copies of the 2014 Update Edition of the “Jewish Major Leaguers” trading cards set are also available. This set depicts more recent Jewish ballplayers, from Craig Breslow to Kevin Youkilis, and the cards feature some of the artifacts from the original museum ex-
Boston Bloomer Girls Postcard. Circa 1908. Image provided by Rick Harris, baseball historian and author. hibit in Philadelphia, such as a ticket stub from Sandy Koufax’s perfect game and Shawn Green’s spikes. The decks are $36 each. There are also a limited number of children’s books available for purchase at less than $10. They feature ballplayers such as Roberto Clemente,
ANNUAL CAMPAIGN EVENT
From Nov. 6 to Dec. 15, baseball will be on exhibit at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence. “Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American” is about the central role the national pastime has played in the lives of American minority communities as they sought to understand and express the ideals, culture and behaviors of their homeland – or challenge them. It is the fi rst large-scale exhibit to weave together the history of American sports, leisure and national identity with the history of Jewish integration into American life. As Philip Roth put it: “Baseball was a kind of secular church that reached into every class and region of the nation and bound millions upon millions of us together …. Baseball made me understand what patriotism was about, at its best. (“My Baseball Years,” The New York Times, Opening Day, April 2, 1973) The free traveling exhibit includes several large panels that discuss this theme, a touchscreen to access an interactive baseball card database, and three short original fi lms. Local baseball fans are also providing items from their own collections that illustrate minority participation in baseball. “Chasing Dreams,” created by the National Museum of American Jewish History, in Philadelphia, has been endorsed by Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Allan “Bud” Selig. Rhode Islanders have an opportunity to participate in three ways. First, if you have any baseball memorabilia that has a Jewish angle and that you are willing to lend, please contact the Alliance. For instance, one baseball card collector
Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax and Jackie Robinson. All of these items are currently on sale at the Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. LARRY KATZ (lkatz@jewishallianceri.org) is director of Jewish life and learning at the Jewish Alliance.
Event Co-Chairs SUSAN & MICHAEL EIDES invite you to attend the Jewish Alliance’s 2018 Annual Campaign Event VENING WITH AN E
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4 | September 22, 2017 FROM PAGE 1
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CAMPAIGN
ricanes Harvey and Irma by donating gift cards from national retailers. Children and teens who attended were encouraged to decorate cards that will be sent to Jewish agencies in Texas and Florida for distribution to those affected by the storms. Aaron and Hillary Guttin chaired Super Sunday. Both are Jewish communal professionals, volunteers in the community and also involved with (401)j, the Alliance’s young adult initiative. Hillary is a pre-K teacher at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island (JCDSRI) and Aaron is the assistant director of Camp JORI. Super Sunday volunteers representing many of the agencies and synagogues in Rhode Island participated in an agency and synagogue-wide competition to win a prize for board development, education or training. This year, JCDSRI won the competition with 16 volunteers in attendance; Providence Hebrew Day School was in second place. The other winners of various contests during Super Sunday included Dick Silverman, Shoshana Golden and Adam Roth for making the most calls, leaving the most voicemails and closing the most gifts, respectively. They each won a homemade challah board donated by event cochair Aaron Guttin. Aaron said, “Super Sunday was a great way to kick off the campaign and the school year as our community reconvenes after a great summer. At Camp JORI, I was with the children and grandchildren of numerous Super Sunday volunteers and donors, and it was great to reconnect with everyone.” Hillary added, “It was so wonderful to see everyone come out and support our Jewish community. A special thank you to the all of the agencies and synagogues who invited their professionals, board members, volunteers and families.” As part of the Teen Leadership and Philanthropy (TLP) program, local teens also joined in a special parallel program where they wrote thank
you notes, learned about philanthropy, discussed their values and met with Alliance volunteers to learn why they are involved in community service, volunteerism and other work at the Alliance. TLP is an experiential learning program that incorporates intensive leadership symposiums, group volunteer experiences, social programming and learning philanthropy skills in a fun, eight-month adventure. For more information contact Seth Finkle at sfinkle@jewishallianceri.org Dollars raised for the Annual Campaign help fund more than 300 programs and services that are dedicated to enriching Jewish life in Rhode Island and abroad. The Alliance works to ensure that no one in need goes without - from battered overseas communities lacking food supplies and medicine to impoverished local families in need of access, opportunity, and employment; from young married couples wanting a Jewish life for their families to teens traveling the world to strengthen their Jewish identity. For more information about the 2018 Annual Campaign, the Jewish Alliance or to make a gift by phone, contact Michele Gallagher at mgallagher@ jewishallianceri.org or 401421-4111, ext. 165. You can also make your gift online at jewishallianceri.org. STEPHANIE HAGUE (shague@jewishallianceri.org) is the philanthropy officer at the Jewish Alliance.
PHOTOS | BRIAN SULLIVAN AND FRAN OSTENDORF
Board Chair Mitzi Berkelhammer, President and CEO Adam Greenman and Vice Co-Chair of Philanthropy Susan Froehlich at a mid-morning check-in on progress.
Naomi Baine writes thank you notes.
More than 65 volunteers helped throughout the day.
CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Benjamin Seth Chitwood Stephanie Ross Sam Serby EDITOR Fran Ostendorf DESIGN & LAYOUT Leah Camara ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Chris Westerkamp cwesterkamp@jewishallianceri.org 401-421-4111, ext. 160 Karen Borger ksborger@gmail.com 401-529-2538
COLUMNISTS Michael Fink Rabbi James Rosenberg Daniel Stieglitz
Participants also made Rosh Hashanah cards to send to those affected by recent hurricanes.
Milly A. and Violet W. write thank you cards as part of the Teen Leadership and Philanthropy (TLP) program.
PERIODICALS Postage paid at Providence, R.I. POSTMASTER Send address changes to: The Jewish Voice, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. PUBLISHER The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, President/CEO Adam Greenman Chair Mitzi Berkelhammer, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. Phone: 401-421-4111 • Fax 401-331-7961
THE JEWISH VOICE (ISSN number 1539-2104, USPS #465-710) is published bi-weekly, except in July, when it does not publish. MEMBER of the Rhode Island Press Assn. and the American Jewish Press Assn.
COPY DEADLINES: All news releases, photographs, etc., must be received on the Wednesday 10 days prior to publication. Submissions may be sent to: editor@jewishallianceri.org. ADVERTISING: We do not accept advertisements for pork or shellfish. We do not attest to the kashrut of any product or the legitimacy of our advertisers’ claims. All submitted content becomes the property of The Voice. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of The Voice or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater R.I. We reserve the right to refuse publication.
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Celebrating Vicky Dziok’s 28 years at the Jewish Community Day School of R.I. BY MEREDITH SINEL Welcoming the stranger is a Jewish value that crosses all religious boundaries. That first step of walking into a place one has never been can be scary and intimidating – but not if you are greeted by Vicky Dziok, the longtime administrative assistant and “head greeter” at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island. Dziok, who is retiring at the end of September, recently recalled how it all began 28 years ago, when she responded to an ad in the Pawtucket Times for a position at an unnamed school that required recess duty and light office work. At the time, she was a stay-at-home mom to her three boys, Jonathan, Kenneth and David. Dziok said she was already volunteering for her children’s school and was on the advisory board in the Cumberland school system, and thought “why not get paid” for what she was doing anyway? During the interview, she was warmly greeted by Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer. A few days later, Barbara Feldstein, the office manager, phoned and offered Dziok the job. Over the years, Dziok has worked with numerous heads of school, presidents, board members, families, staff and faculty. She has also seen the school transform from the Alperin Schechter Day School to the Jewish Community Day School of R.I. “I never met a rabbi until I started working here,” Dziok said. “And now, this is my second family. When I hear about the Jewish holidays, they mean something to me in a way that they didn’t before I started working here. And when something happens in Israel, it happens to me too because it feels a part of me.” Dziok remembers her first Passover at the school. “I
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At t o r n e ys at L aw Vicky Dziok smelled boiled eggs throughout the hallways of the school. I didn’t know what the smell was until I went to the seder. It reminded me of my own traditions because my family is Polish, and around the same time as Passover, we celebrate Easter with eggs, parsley, horseradish and kielbasa. “The priest would come around to bless the food and then my family would all be together for supper on Sunday. Maybe somewhere along the line, someone in my family was Jewish.” Now, Dziok said, “I am hoping in my retirement to go to Poland and see my family. I have never been. I am also planning to spend time with my four grandchildren – the time goes by quickly.” Dziok is described by her coworkers as “reliable, consistent and grounded. She is someone you can always count on to be there for the team.” The kindness, love and dedicated professionalism that Dziok demonstrated in her 28 years at the school touched everyone she met. She was a beloved member of the community and her friendly face will be missed. MEREDITH SINEL is the parent of two children at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island.
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6 | September 22, 2017
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D’VAR TORAH | OPINION
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September 22, 2017 |
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To live in hope is the bravest choice The flag of Rhode Island displays our state symbol – an anchor – with the word “Hope” emblazoned below. I have always liked that image, and it took on even more meaning a few weeks ago, when my friend, Emily Jones (who is leaving her job as lead organizer for the RABBI Interfaith CoALAN alition to ReFLAM duce Poverty), shared a beautiful teaching. She talked about the anchor as a symbol of hope in things unseen. The captain of a ship lowers the anchor into the water, unable to see precisely where it will land, and hopes that it will find a secure attachment. The captain has hope in unseen things. I know I am telling you something you already know – we live in a complicated and frightening world. It is a world that challenges us to hope. Over this past year, it seems as if the world is spinning even more and more out of control. It can seem hard to believe, and
certainly cruel to suggest, that “things will turn out well” any time soon. Things have rarely seemed so bad. The threat of nuclear war, random acts of terror, large-scale displacement of people in Syria and Africa, global warming, to name just a few. And right here in Rhode Island, our economy struggles, schools are failing our children, too many families are worried about basic needs like food and shelter, and too many people, young and old, just feel left out. What is hope? What does it mean to be hopeful in this seemingly crazy and often outof-control world? Vaclav Havel, the Czech writer and former dissident who served as the first president of the Czech Republic, said this about hope: “Hope is certainly not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” We are not the first people to think that the world seems irredeemably corrupt, that wringing our hands and feeling despair seem singularly reasonable.
While the threats of nuclear annihilation, biological warfare and terrorism may never have been greater than they are today, those who came before us also faced times of unimaginable cruelty. Throughout history, there were periods when trusted institutions collapsed and violence reigned, when friends disappeared in the night, when civilization itself seemed near its end. The people who found their way through those times did so by the hard work of hope, not by the thin promises of optimism. Many years ago, I had the privilege of spending time with Shu Wan Li, a Chinese dissident and political prisoner who was released from prison after enormous pressure by the global human rights movement. He came to Rhode Island to live because his daughter, an art teacher at Moses Brown School, lived here. Shu was asked to give the baccalaureate address to the graduating class at Brown University. His talk was wise and tender. He began by telling the graduates much of the usual good advice – live passionately, be engaged in the world. He then gave a bit of counsel that I found startling: Don’t despair,
because you can find happiness every day! This philosophy had sustained him during his long imprisonment, which included 12 years in solitary confinement in a cell that did not allow him to stand up. “How could you retain any measure of happiness in those conditions – torture, humiliation, subjugation, isolation,” I asked Shu after the talk. He told me that he was absolutely sure that the course that landed him in prison – democracy and freedom – was the right and just thing to do. And he held hope that he would one day be reunited with his wife and daughter in an environment of freedom – that is what allowed him to feel joy. When, during the darkest days of apartheid in South Africa, Desmond Tutu famously announced that he was a “prisoner of hope,” he was calling on the most enduring truths of his religious tradition. He was also recalling a fundamental distinction made by Judaism and most of the world’s religious traditions. Optimism urges us to have a nice day; hope requires us to work until all days are just. Optimism rests on our indi-
vidual cheer; hope relies on our communal struggle. Optimism imagines a future without trouble; hope slogs through trouble with the certainty that “something will make sense, regardless of how it turns out.” To live in hope is anything but irresponsible escapism; it is the bravest choice. It is the prophetic vision of resistance to despair that has ever-threatened to swallow us whole. Hope is the highest calling. And so, even as our world continues to spin perilously close to destruction, let us, at the beginning of the new Jewish year, continue to hope and work for a world with more harmony, understanding, justice and peace. RABBI ALAN FLAM, recently retired, is on the Steering Committee of the Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty and is the organizer and rabbi for Soulful Shabbat, a Saturday morning service that emphasizes silence, chanting, gentle stretching and meditation along with traditional davening and Torah study. He can be reached at alan.flam@gmail. com.
Yom Kippur is a reminder of the awesome, and awful, power of words BY JOYCE NEWMARK JTA – For nearly 50 years, my father had a best friend named Al. They grew up in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn, and after returning from the service in World War II, they each married and moved to the same Long Island town and opened related businesses. They were closer than brothers. In fact, when my brother and I were growing up, our parents’ wills named Al and his wife, rather than any relatives, as the people who would become our guardians should that become necessary. Even after my parents moved to Nevada, the two couples remained close, speaking on the phone every week or so and visiting back and forth every couple of years. Almost 40 years ago, Al’s daughter was getting married and my parents were planning to travel to New York for the wedding. One day, the two couples were on the phone talking about the wedding. My mother had recently undergone foot surgery and was walking around in ugly post-surgery shoes. “I may have to wear blue jeans and sneakers, but we’ll be there,” she told Al’s wife. The response: “But the wedding is formal!” My mother was hurt. She thought the only proper response to her statement was, “We don’t care what you’re wearing, we just want you to be
there.” Al’s wife was hurt, too. She felt that my mother had to know how stressed she was trying to plan the perfect wedding and shouldn’t have teased her. Neither would apologize. The phone calls became less frequent and my parents began saying that traveling to New York would be expensive and uncomfortable. They decided not to attend the wedding. Nine months later, Al was dead of lung cancer and my father finally flew to New York to be a pallbearer at the funeral. All this hurt resulted because no one involved could take back a few unthinking words spoken in haste. The power of words has a very real, almost physical presence on Yom Kippur. Look at the list of “al chets,” or confessions, that we recite again and again on this day. We confess our sins of using foul language, speaking falsehoods, idle chatter, slander, disrespecting our parents and teachers, and spreading gossip. On and on; perhaps half the sins we confess are sins of speech. Why? Because, despite our communal confessions on Yom Kippur, most of us are not thieves or doers of violence. We are not evil people, but sins of words are easy to commit. We do it every day. That’s why at the end of every Amidah we recite the prayer of Mar, son of Ravina, “My God, keep my
tongue from evil, my lips from lies.” The truth is, you can never take back words, you can’t go back to the time before the words were spoken. There’s a story about a man in a small village in Eastern Europe who didn’t like the rabbi. So, no matter what the rabbi did, this man had something nasty to say about it – often, and to whomever would listen. One year, as the High Holy Days approached, the man realized that his nasty gossip was a terrible sin, so he went to the rabbi’s office to ask for forgiveness. The rabbi said, “Of course I’ll forgive you, but first you must do something for me. Go home, take your fattest pillow up to the roof, open it up, and shake it out.” The man thought this was odd, but he did as he was asked. It was a windy day and the feathers from the pillow were blown in every direction. He returned to the rabbi and asked again for forgiveness. The rabbi replied, “There’s one more thing. First you have to pick up all the feathers.” Like feathers turned loose, words have a life of their own. You can’t take them back and pretend they were never said because words have power. “Taking back” only happens in children’s games. You can’t forget, but you can forgive. The Torah tells us that the
first luhot, the tablets of the Ten Commandments that Moses shattered after the sin of the Golden Calf, were made by God. The second luhot, given after Moses persuaded God not to destroy the Israelites, were made by Moses. God said to Moses, “Carve out two stone tablets like the first ones.” The new ones would not be the same because the people’s sin could not be undone or forgotten, but God could forgive them. Rabbinic tradition holds that the second tablets were given on Yom Kippur as a sign that God forgives and that people must forgive. Forgive doesn’t mean forget, but it is possible to gather the broken pieces and build a new relationship. The rabbis teach that both the second set of tablets and the
broken pieces of the first were placed together in the Holy Ark. Why? To teach us that just as the second tablets could be broken as easily as the first, relationships are fragile, so we must guard our tongues. Moreover, even if a break occurs, the relationship can be repaired. It won’t be exactly the same, but a break should not last forever. The time to do something about broken relationships is now and not next year or someday. Nothing is more precious than love and friendship. Because words have power, not only to hurt but to heal. RABBI JOYCE NEWMARK of Teaneck, New Jersey, is a former religious leader of congregations in Leonia, New Jersey, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Candle Lighting Times Greater Rhode Island September 22 September 29 September 30 October 4 October 5 October 11 October 12 October 13
6:22 Erev Yom Kippur 6:10 Fast Ends 7:11 Erev Sukkot 6:02 Sukkot 7:01 Shemini Atzeret 5:52 Simcha Torah 6:50 5:48
8 | September 22, 2017
OPINION
Nothing is better than the sweet sound of your voice Connectivity is a fact of modern life. We have our televisions, our computers and, most of all, we have our cellphones. Surely you have noticed as you walk down Hope Street or EDITOR Elmgrove Avenue – or FRAN any street, OSTENDORF for that matter – that somebody is staring at a cellphone as he walks. A day at the beach? I guarantee you’ll see people in bathing suits with their thumbs moving rapidly over the tiny keyboard. No place is safe – or quiet. Even in the quiet car on an Amtrak train or in a darkened movie theater, you hear buzzes and beeps from the devices. Perhaps a need to disconnect is one of the appeals of Shabbat to some. While there is certainly an argument to be made for disconnecting, that’s not my point. I will leave that up to your personal habits and lifestyle. But an incident in my own life made me realize how important this connectivity can be and how it has changed our lives in many ways for the better. Recently, I was walking through a local grocery story, attempting to plan meals for the week ahead and Rosh Hashanah when my phone started buzzing. Two texts lit up my screen at once: one from a family member and one from a friend. Both needed information, though neither was an emergency situation. But I felt the need to answer both, and the text conversations began. Juggling two text conversations while shopping was annoying and intrusive at first. But eventually, the situation just made me laugh. And it made me stop and rethink what I was doing. Several minutes into the back-and-forth messages, I actually called one of the people who was texting me. I sent a message to the other person that I’d be in touch later. And, I decided I was thankful that both those people thought enough about me – and my opinion – to be in contact, no
matter the method. Years ago, we all might have lost touch with one another. We live in different cities, and have busy lives with little time to socialize. Our ability to connect via cellphone keeps us in touch in a way that nobody dreamed of before the arrival of the first iPhone 10 years ago. There’s no need to schedule a call or wait for an assigned time for someone to call you. You grab the cellphone and send a text. Or email. Or you post on a social network. Contact made. Americans send more than 32 text messages a day on average, with younger people sending many more than those of us over 65. In fact, Americans text twice as often as they call. If you have widely scattered family like I have, tools like texting are an amazing gift. We check in with one another with a few texts. No need for a long commitment. This ability to connect has redefined “talking” on the phone. My mother often asks if I’ve heard from my sister recently. Of course I have. She texts me when she’s riding the bus to Manhattan – multiple, ongoing messages over the course of at least half an hour. I see photos. I stay up to date. But have I heard her voice recently? Nope. Not in about two months! Still, I feel connected. And therein lies one of the downsides of cellphones. We are connected, but we don’t necessarily talk. Perhaps that’s something to work on. Call me old-fashioned, but ultimately calling and talking is better. The mass methods of posting on a social network or texting really are not a replacement for conversation and hearing a familiar voice. And you do have to be aware of the power of words to be hurtful as they live on to be re-reread in a text. So, when you connect with loved ones this month and wish them a Happy New Year, think about how much our technology has helped keep you in touch and what a gift that has been. We are all staying in touch with many more people more frequently than ever before. But if you haven’t actually talked in a while, maybe you should skip the text or post and wish them shanah tovah in your own voice.
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The making of ‘Menashe’ In his July 28 review at rogerebert.com, Nick Allen writes: “Like all great films that nudge the world toward a slightly more compassionate place, the creation of ‘Menashe’ is an act of empathy.” The film – which I saw at the Avon, in IT SEEMS Providence, during the TO ME Labor Day weekend – RABBI JIM tells the story of Menashe ROSENBERG Lustig, a relatively young, overweight widower in one of the many Hasidic communities in Brooklyn, New York’s Borough Park; we come to know him as he struggles to regain custody of his 10- or 11-year-old son, Rieven. Menashe lives in a world in which it is assumed – indeed, virtually demanded – that a widowed father remarry as quickly as possible in order to provide his children with a mother. As Allen says, what makes the movie “an act of empathy” is its exploration of such unwelcome but all too real “feelings at the bottom of anyone’s gut: guilt, shame, defeat.” The viewer is made to sympathize with Menashe, even though he is a bungling, heart-in-theright-place but often ineffectual schlemiel. When Rieven is temporarily in his charge, all Menashe can manage to offer his son for breakfast is a glass of soda and a left-over piece of cake. And when making deliveries for the grocery store where he works, Menashe loses $1,000 worth of prepared fish because he forgot to secure the back door of his truck. Oh, but he meant well! As Allen points out towards the end of his review, the film is flooded with specific details – and “the specific is universal.” As compelling as I found the
film itself, I found the story of the making of “Menashe” equally compelling. The director and co-writer, Joshua Z. Weinstein, has been making documentaries for more than 10 years. In a July 27 interview with Robert Siegel, host of National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” he revealed that the idea of making “Menashe” came to him when he and a friend were visiting Borough Park several years ago on Purim: “We were in people’s houses, drinking with them, chatting with them. And all of sudden this closed community seemed very, very open and alive and just humanized in a way I’d never seen portrayed before.” Seven years later, this initial inspiration came to the screen as “Menashe.” Menashe Lustig, a talented actor with no acting experience, played himself in the film; he provided the bridge between a documentary of Hasidic life in Brooklyn and a fictionalized story growing out of that life. As Weinstein explained in the NPR interview, Lustig was himself a widower who had lost custody of his son, who wound up living three blocks away. “[W]e used the emotional truth of that aspect of his life and created this fictional story around it,” he said. An amazing aspect of the making of “Menashe” is that none of the actors had previous acting experience; indeed, many – including Lustig – had never set foot in a movie theater. As Weinstein reported, “This is a community of hundreds of thousands of people, but only 60 people showed up for the auditions. So I would do these improv games with them where I wanted to understand who they were, what their quirks were. And the performances were incredible. Each one was really that person.” Just as incredible is that the movie is almost entirely in
Yiddish, with English subtitles. In that same NPR interview, Siegel asked Weinstein, “How do you direct people making a movie in a language that you don’t know?” To which Weinstein responded, “We’d first show up and we would rehearse the scenes in English, would block them so all the actors and me were on the same page.” The director went on to explain that since the cast members were amateurs, they could never redo the scene in precisely the same way. “Non-actors, everything they do is a one-time event. So when they went to Yiddish, it was like a first time for them. And then we had translators who were live translating … and one of the producers was listening just to make sure that the actors didn’t go so much off-book.” Perhaps the most powerful observation Weinstein made about filming in a foreign language is this vital distinction: “… It’s how people say something. It’s not what people say. It’s what their eyes do. It’s how their – it’s how their hands move ….” While many commentators have praised “Menashe” for its emotional sensitivity and careful combining of documentary and fictional story-telling, some have criticized the film for its failure to answer its central question: Does Menashe regain custody of his son? Weinstein concluded his NPR interview by defending the movie’s ambiguous ending: “[Lustig] loves the ending because it feels like his own life. His life hasn’t been decided yet, so why should the film have an ending?” JAMES B. ROSENBERG is rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim, in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeritus@templehabonim.org. EDITOR’S NOTE: For more on “Menashe,” see Mike Fink’s Sketchbook on page 24.
Please note In “Synagogues gear up for the High Holy Days” on page 21 of the Sept. 8 paper, the listing for Congregation Ohawe Shalom in
Pawtucket included an incorrect email address. The contact for the congregation is David Pliskin, president, dgpliskin@
gmail.com or Rahmat Noorparvar , Gabbai, moor98@yahoo.com. The Voice apologizes for the error.
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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).
September 22, 2017 |
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10 | September 22, 2017
Ongoing Alliance Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch and program every weekday. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Noon lunch; 1 p.m. program. $3 lunch donation from individuals 60+ or under 60 with disabilities. Neal or Elaine, 401-3383189. 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.
Through November 2 Artists with Experience. 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. Three artists featured: Mary Snowden and watercolors; James E. Allen and oil paintings; and Roberta Segal and twodimensional mixed media. Information, 401-245-6536 or gallery@ templehabonim.org.
Saturday | September 23 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 light Kiddush. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Children’s Shabbat Program & Kiddush. 9:30-11:15 a.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Weekly program and Jr. Kiddush Club for children. Activities include prayer, parshah, play time and a special Kiddush just for kids. 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 in prayer services in the main sanctuary. Information, officebethsholom-ri.org.
Sunday | September 24 Pilgrimage to the Cemetery. 11 a.m. Congregation Sons of Israel and David, Temple Beth-El Cemetery, 460 Reservoir Ave., Cranston. Memorial address by Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman. Information, Temple Beth-El office at 401-331-6070. (401)j Newish and Jewish Sunday Brunch. 1-3 p.m. Ogie’s Trailer Park, 1155 Westminster St., Providence. New to Rhode Island? Meet the Jewish young adult community, make new friends and learn more about (401)j. Food and drink not included. Ages 21+. Information, Dayna Bailen at dbailen@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4211, ext. 108.
Monday | September 25 Canasta. 7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Learn how to play. Open to members, non-members, co-ed. Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@ toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Monday Night Meditation. 7:45-8:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Meditation instruction for all levels. Open to those who have never meditated or are
CALENDAR regular practitioners. Ten-part series (through 12/11) focuses on little-known classic and modern Jewish meditation techniques. Open to all. Free. Advance registration required; spots limited. Information, rabbi@bethsholom-ri.org.
Tuesday | September 26 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. Tuesday Night Talmud. 7:45-8:45 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Talmud study with Rabbi Barry Dolinger, finishing the fifth and fourth chapters of Berachot. Free. No class 10/3, 11/21, 12/5. In the succah 10/10, weather permitting. 12/12 Hanukkah Mesibah & Siyum. Information, officebethsholom-ri.org.
Wednesday | September 27 Mah Jongg. 7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Open to members and non-members. Bring 2017 Mah Jongg card. Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
Saturday | September 30 Children’s Shabbat Program & Kiddush. 9:30-11:15 a.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Weekly program and Jr. Kiddush Club for children. Activities include prayer, parshah, play time. 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 in prayer services in the main sanctuary. Information, officebethsholom-ri.org. (401)j Yom Kippur Break the Fast. 7:15-10 p.m. Briarwood Meadows, East Greenwich. Break the fast on Yom Kippur with your (401)j family. Hosted by Gabrielle Dworkin. Kosher dairy meal provided. Price: $5. RSVP to jewishallianceri.org/401j-break-fast. Information, Dayna Bailen at dbailen@ jewishallianceri or 401-421-4111, ext. 108.
Sunday | October 1 Sukkah Raising and Decorating. 9 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@ toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.
Monday | October 2 Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation Support Group. 11 a.m.noon. The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick. Drop-in cancer support group. It doesn’t matter if you are in treatment, a survivor, man or woman. If you or a family member have or had cancer, this group welcomes you. Free. Call Susan Adler at 401-732-0037 to sign up. Meet Israeli Chef Avital Sebbag. 6-7:30 p.m. Hope & Main, 691 Main St. Warren. Sponsored by Rhode Island Israel Collaborative and Hope & Main. Sebbag, author of “ Five Seasons in the Kitchen Zen Inspired Vegan Cooking” will offer a vegan cooking demonstration and
The Jewish Voice tasting celebrating autumn. Tickets: $35 includes demo, book and food. Reservations, makefoodyourbusiness. org/cart/ Canasta. 7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Learn how to play. Open to members, non-members, co-ed. Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@ toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Monday Night Meditation. 7:45-8:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Meditation instruction for all levels. Open to those who have never meditated or are regular practitioners. Ten-part series (through 12/11) focuses on little-known classic and modern Jewish meditation techniques. Open to all. Free. Advance registration required; spots limited. Information, rabbi@bethsholom-ri.org.
Tuesday | October 3 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 | October 4 Lunch & Learn. Noon-1 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. David Davies presents “An Introduction to Jewish Family History and DNA Testing.” Four sessions through 10/25. Bring your own lunch. RSVP or for information, Temple Beth-El, 401-3316070. Mah Jongg. 7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Open to members and non-members. Bring 2017 Mah Jongg card. Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
Friday | October 6 Shabbat in the Sukkah and New Member & Family Dinner. 5:45 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. 5:45 p.m.: Shabbat service in the sukkah (weather permitting). 6:30 p.m.: Sangria & appetizers. 6:45 p.m.: Vegetarian dinner in the Silverstein Meeting Hall. New member families: Free. Members: Adults $18 | Children 5-13 $10 | Children under 5 free |Maximum $50 per family. Information, Temple Beth-El, 401-331-6070. Friday Night Live Sukkot Celebration. 6 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. A musical celebration of Shabbat. Menu: Soup, Salad, Roasted Chicken, Rolled Cabbage, Smashed Potatoes and Homemade Dessert. Cost: Adults and children over 12 years $20 | 12 years and younger free | Family max. $60. Information or to RSVP (by Oct. 3), Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
Saturday | October 7 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 & Kiddush. 9:30-11:15 a.m. Congregation Beth
Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Weekly program and Jr. Kiddush Club for children. Activities include prayer, parshah, play time and a special Kiddush just for kids. 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 in prayer services in the main sanctuary. Information, officebethsholom-ri.org.
Sunday | October 8 Lulav Shaking and Taste of Simchat Torah. 11:15 a.m.-noon. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Pizza in the Hut. Noon-1 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. $5 per person with a $20 family max. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. (401)j Cider and Sweets in the Sukkah. 7-9 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Enjoy a relaxing evening with your friends sipping cider, decorating caramel apples, listening to music, and noshing on pies and other fall treats. Ages 18+. Information or to RSVP, Dayna Bailen at dbailen@ jewishallianceri or 401-421-4111, ext. 108.
Monday | October 9 Canasta. 7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Learn how to play. Open to members, non-members, co-ed. Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@ toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Monday Night Meditation. 7:45-8:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Meditation instruction for all levels. Open to those who have never meditated or are regular practitioners. Ten-part series (through 12/11) focuses on little-known classic and modern Jewish meditation techniques. Open to all. Free. Advance registration required; spots limited. Information, rabbi@bethsholom-ri.org.
Tuesday | October 10 Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Aaron Philmus. Noon-1:30 p.m. T’s Restaurant, 5600 Post Road, East Greenwich. Each participant orders from the menu, and the group studies Jewish sources addressing current issues. Open to all. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@ toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Snacks in the Sukkah with PJ Library Author Laya Steinberg. 3:15-4 p.m. Dwares JCC Sukkah, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Laya Steinberg will read her story “The Best Sukkot Pumpkin Ever,” and we’ll explore a pumpkin, enjoy snacks and shake the lulav with the etrog. All children ages 2-5 are welcome to join the David C. Isenberg Family Early Childhood Center children for this event. Information, Michelle Cicchitelli at mcicchitelli@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-321-4111, ext. 178. Snacks in the Sukkah with PJ Library Author Laya Steinberg. 5-5:45 p.m. Dwares JCC Sukkah, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Laya Steinberg
will read her story “The Best Sukkot Pumpkin Ever,” followed by a discussion and game planned around food justice. Everyone will enjoy snacks and shake the lulav with the etrog. All children ages 5 and up are welcome to join the J-Space children for this event. Information, Michelle Cicchitelli at mcicchitelli@jewishallianceri.org or 401-321-4111, ext. 178. 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. Tuesday Night Talmud. 7:45-8:45 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. In the Sukkah, weather permitting. Talmud study with Rabbi Barry Dolinger, finishing the fifth and fourth chapters of Berachot. Free. No class 11/21 or 12/5. 12/12 Hanukkah Mesibah & Siyum. Information, officebethsholom-ri.org.
Wednesday | October 11 Lunch & Learn. Noon-1 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. David Davies presents “An Introduction to Jewish Family History and DNA Testing.” Four sessions through 10/25. Bring your own lunch. RSVP or for information, Temple Beth-El, 401-3316070. Mah Jongg. 7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Open to members and non-members. Bring your 2017 Mah Jongg card. Free. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
Friday | October 13 Temple Torat Yisrael Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Service followed by an Oneg. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
Saturday | October 14 Classic Shabbat Service. 9 a.m.-noon. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Service followed by a Kiddush luncheon. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@ toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Children’s Shabbat Program & Kiddush. 9:30-11:15 a.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Weekly program and Jr. Kiddush Club for children. Activities include prayer, parshah, play time and a special Kiddush just for kids. 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 in prayer services in the main sanctuary. Information, officebethsholom-ri.org. Monte Carlo Night. 7 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Drinks, dinner, merriment. $50 per person (includes $30 worth of gaming chips). Redeem chips for raffle tickets to win prizes. RSVP to the Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600. Information, Stephanie Reinsant at stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
jvhri.org
3 R.I. students named StandWithUs Emerson Fellows BY SAM SERBY Three Rhode Island university students have been selected to educate their campus communities about Israel and to combat anti-Israel rhetoric as part of the StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship program. Andre Wolff, a sophomore at Roger Williams University, Micaela Raviv, a sophomore at Brown University, and Gal Benarush, a senior at Bryant University, are the 2017-18 Emerson Fellows in Rhode Island. Wolff, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, says he did not have a large network of pro-Israel friends when he was growing up. “The main reason I applied to be a SWU Emerson Fellow was to make those connections and use their resources to help educate about Israel,” he said. Wolff is also the treasurer of Roger Williams’ Hillel. Raviv grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and has a special, personal connection to Israel: Her father is Israeli, and she has visited Israel nearly every year of her life. “Whenever the plane touches down in Tel Aviv, I am overwhelmed. I love that when I go to Israel, I am truly returning home. It is the most beautiful, accepting and united country. There is nowhere else where I feel so safe to be a Jew,” said Raviv. “I am the vice president of Brown Students for Israel and I am proud of our club that works daily to fight anti-Israel bias on campus and promote pro-Israel activity.” Along with being an Emerson Fellow, Benarush, of Long Island, New York, is also copresident of Byrant’s Hillel. She said that as an SWU Emerson Fellow, she will work closely with the Hillel organization to create events that promote positive, truthful messaging about Israel. “The most productive way we can stand up against anti-Semitism is by taking pride in our Judaism and not letting people step on that to any degree,” Benarush said. “As Jewish people, we have strength and determination in our blood, and we need to utilize every drop of it.” StandWithUs Rhode Island is proud to be partnering with the Emerson Fellows program again this year. Founded in 2007 by philanthropists Steve and Rita Emerson, the program selects and trains student leaders from universities across the U.S. and Canada to educate others about Israel. After one decade, the program has grown to 82 students from 82 North American universities. The new SWU Emerson Fellows recently attended a training conference in Los Angeles
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Zach Shartiag, SWU Northeast campus coordinator, with Emerson Fellows Gal Benarush of Bryant University and Andre Wolff of Roger Williams University. At the conference, emphasis was placed on countering campus Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaigns and “Israel Apartheid Weeks.” Students practiced their debate skills and learned to connect with and build coalitions with different campus audiences. They also learned about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict and how to differentiate between legitimate criticism of Israel and antiSemitism. Zach Shartiag, the SWU Northeast campus coordinator, oversees all SWU Emerson Fellows’ activities. Shartiag, who lives in Boston, said he became involved with SWU “to help change the conversation around Israel on college campuses.” “Every day is a new challenge, and I enjoy being able to help students fight anti-Israel rhetoric and anti-Semitism on college campuses,” he said. Shartiag said he encourages all SWU Emerson Fellows to “always be open to thinking outside of the box and approaching all challenges with an open mind.” He adds, “We often fall into the trap of repeating the same old ideas without challenging ourselves to do better.” “I think it starts with education and having difficult conversations, with an end-goal focused on mutual understanding,” Shartiag said. “College is a time of exploring and thinking about the position one holds. More important than focusing on the haters is focusing on the majority [of students], who have no interest [in matters relating to Israel], and educating them through unique programs that allow them to connect to Israel.” StandWithUs’ mission is to support Israel around the world through education and fighting anti-Semitism. SAM SERBY is a freelance writer who lives in East Greenwich. He previously worked at the Peres Center for Peace, in Tel Aviv.
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12 | September 22, 2017
NATION
The Jewish Voice
How Houston’s synagogues are handling the High Holy Days after Harvey BY BEN SALES JTA – A few weeks ago, Holly Davies was getting ready to homeschool her kids and preparing the family for the High Holy Days. When Hurricane Harvey hit, she helped evacuate 150 people from her neighborhood by airboat and sheltered nearly 100 people in a local church. Then came the hard part. For the past three weeks, Davies has been leading a force of up to 300 volunteers who have mobilized to repair homes and synagogues in and around the heavily Jewish housing development of Willow Meadows. Davies has spent September coordinating teams who are clearing sheetrock, stripping floors, preventing mold and distributing aid. Her volunteer operation is headquartered in Beit Rambam, a Sephardic synagogue that was spared flooding, and has helped rehabilitate the homes of about 100 families. But Davies is also helping lead the effort to make sure those families have a place to pray when Rosh Hashanah begins. “It’s very important for the community to have their central worship place, to not feel fragmented, not only in their homes but in their community,” she said. “A lot of people are staying with friends or other people in the community.” As the entire Houston area recovers from Harvey, synagogues face the added difficulty of drying out their buildings days before the holiest and busi-
est days of the year. Three large synagogues sustained substantial damage from the flood, forcing them to improvise, relocate or make do with whatever floors, books and ritual objects remained intact. “There was not any part of the synagogue that was immune to the flooding,” said Rabbi Brian Strauss of Beth Yeshurun, a Conservative cong regation. “There was water covering the fi rst seven rows of the sanctuary. You couldn’t see the seats.” Strauss said his synagogue sustained about $3 million worth of damage. Along with cutting out floors, cabinets and sheetrock, and disinfecting the building – the basics of flood recovery – the synagogue will have to bury nearly 1,000 holy books that were ruined in the flood. The synagogue will set up a Harvey memorial at the burial space. United Orthodox Synagogues, another Houston congregation, had up to six feet of flooding in some places and also lost most of its prayer books. Congregation Beth Israel had damage in its sanctuary, mechanical room and offices. No Torah scrolls were damaged at any of the congregations, as they were in high places when the flooding began. United Orthodox isn’t sure if the building can ever be completely repaired, while Strauss is shooting for his building to be back to normal for the High Holy Days – in 2018. In the meantime, the synagogues have found makeshift solutions. United Orthodox’s 300-
PHOTO | JTA, COURTESY OF UNITED ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES
Piles of ruined books from United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston. The congregation lost many of its prayer books and replenished them through donations. some families have been praying, meeting and eating in a large social hall that avoided the worst of the water. The synagogue has also had hundreds of new prayer books donated from publishing companies and synagogues outside Houston, including 400 machzors, or High Holy Days prayer books. Beth Yeshurun has been holding Bar and Bat Mitzvah services in a nearby high school auditorium, and otherwise has joined with Brith Shalom, a nearby Conservative synagogue that was not flooded. For the High Holy Days, Beth Yeshurun will be meeting at Lakewood Church, a Houston megachurch that’s donating its space and support staff. To give the building a Jewish feel, Beth Yeshurun will be projecting photos of its artwork on the church’s walls. “Everyone is being incredibly
On exhibit at the Jewish Alliance’s Dwares JCC from NOVEMBER 6 - DECEMBER 15 Opening Reception: Thursday, November 9 with special guest Robert Cvornyek, Professor of History at Rhode Island College, author, and baseball enthusiast “Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American” is a national traveling exhibit that celebrates the history of baseball. The exhibit depicts the story of how Jewish and other minority players navigated American culture and faced the ongoing challenges of life in the United States. It features historic photographs and memorabilia including local archives and personal collections. Learn more about well-known Jewish heroes such as Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax, iconic baseball players like Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, and Ichiro Suzuki. Discover how our national pastime shaped those in the extended baseball family—vendors, team owners, scouts, broadcasters, journalists, and novelists. And especially fans. Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American is organized by the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia.
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cooperative and patient,” said Rabbi Barry Gelman of United Orthodox Synagogues. “This is an incredibly responsive community. Despite this, we’re really looking forward to a beautiful Rosh Hashanah.” The rabbis have handled their synagogues’ recovery while also dealing with personal crises. Both Gelman and Strauss had flooding in their houses. Gelman, along with a few dozen Jewish families, have moved to an apartment complex near the synagogue that he now calls a “kibbutz.” Other religious families are hosting displaced neighbors who want to stay within walking distance of their synagogues. “There’s a lot of expenses, there’s the physical upheaval, the emotional upheaval,” Gelman said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and stress. The human cost of this is really unimaginable and ongoing.” Houston’s Jewish community has also been buoyed by outside donations. Aside from approximately $9 million raised by the local federation, Israel pledged $1 million in aid, and the Orthodox Union and Chabad also sent money and volunteers. A Kosher barbecue food truck from Dallas drove down and has been making up to 1,000 meals a day. Seasons, a Kosher supermarket chain, and Chas-
dei Lev, a charitable organization in New York, sent trucks of Kosher perishable items and dry goods, including clothes. “Food is getting semi-back to normal,” said Tzivia Weiss, executive director of the Houston Kashruth Association. Weiss said that while donations are plentiful, people are hesitant to take them because they “want to feel like people that can go to stores and buy their own clothes.” The flood has also affected what’s usually troubling rabbis the most ahead of High Holy Days – their sermons. Strauss, who was going to talk about pressures affecting teens and young adults, will instead be discussing his family’s personal experience during Harvey and how to avoid fi xating on material possessions. Gelman will talk about the connection between homelessness and repentance, as well as how to respond to the flood while thinking of the future. “I’ll talk about long-term thinking, and not relying on short-term answers to life’s difficulties,” Gelman said, describing his Rosh Hashanah sermon on the second day. “Rosh Hashanah is the anniversary of the birthday of the world. We see this as an opportunity for our own rebirth.”
FOOD
jvhri.org
September 22, 2017 |
13
Apples-and-honey season in a kugel BY RONNIE FEIN (The Nosher via JTA) – One day many years ago – during the High Holy Days yet – I called my mother early in the morning to yell at her about kugel. Really. In my family kugel meant skinny noodles mixed with eggs, schmaltz, salt and fried onions. I’d heard of the sweet kind from friends who rhapsodized about the ones their grandmas made. But I’d never tasted any of those because my mother told me they were horrible. Years later, when I fi nally did, it was a watershed culinary moment for me. I was at a friend’s break-fast, and she gave me a dishful of what I came to believe was the best noodle kugel I ever tasted. It had bountiful quantities of sugar and cheese, it was rich with dairy sour cream and it had a crunchy, butter-drenched frosted corn flakes crust. “Ma! You were absolutely wrong. What were you thinking!” I yelled into the phone. I brought her a sample and she, no fool, realized how mistaken she’d been (although she still preferred our savory kind, which I still make often). After that I became a sort of a sweet noodle kugel aficionado. I make all kinds: dairy and parve, with fresh fruit or dried, with a plain top or a crispy coat. Although these versions are sweet, I serve most of them with dinner – in the same way I serve applesauce or cranberry sauce with savory foods.
Recently I thought about the fact that kugel, being a kind of pudding, could actually make a nice dessert. Like bread pudding but made with noodles. So with apples-and-honey season in mind, I decided to go all in. This is it – apple streusel pie kugel, lush with roasted fruit, orange-plumped raisins, cheese and a topping of oat-based streusel. We ate it with vanilla ice cream once and another time topped with lightly sweetened heavy cream that had been whipped but still pourable. Don’t even think about the calories. Just enjoy.
Apple Pie Kugel Recipe Ingredients
1 cup raisins 1/4 cup orange or apple juice 2 tablespoons honey 3 medium tart apples, peeled and cut into bite size pieces 6 tablespoons sugar 1 12-ounce package egg noodles 1 8-ounce package cream cheese 1/4 pound unsalted butter 2 cups dairy sour cream 6 large eggs 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with
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parchment paper. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Place the raisins in a bowl. Heat the orange juice and honey in a small saucepan until the honey has melted. Stir to blend the liquids completely and pour over the raisins. Let soak for at least 30 minutes. Place the apples on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and toss to coat all the pieces. Roast for about 15 minutes, tossing the pieces once or twice, or until they are tender. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven heat to 350 degrees. Cook and drain the noodles and put them in a large
bowl. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until thoroughly blended and softened. Beat in the remaining sugar until well blended. Add the sour cream and blend thoroughly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the apples, raisins (including liquid) and cinnamon. Pour the mixture into the noodles and mix to coat them completely. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking pan. In a bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture until it resembles
coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy on top. RONNIE FEIN is a freelance food and lifestyle writer. She is the author of four cookbooks and was a contributing editor to “The New Cook’s Catalogue,” the 25th anniversary edition of the James Beard original. The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at TheNosher.com.
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RSVP required; Register at jewishallianceri.org/challah-bake For women and girls (Grades K and up) only As part of the international Shabbat Project, we will be joining women all around the world, coming together in a global sisterhood to make challah on the very same evening. Discover the rich meaning and Jewish significance of challah, learn amazing braiding tips, and make challah to take home. For more information, contact Michelle Cicchitelli at mcicchitelli@jewishallianceri.org, Elissa Felder at elissafelder@aol.com, or Alison Walter at alison@swipeit.com.
14 | September 22, 2017
HOME & GARDEN
The Jewish Voice
Reflections on autumn at the High Holy Days As I prepared to write my column for the Fall Home and Garden issue, my research on gardens and harvests led me to the spring month of Nisan – and I wondered why it was difficult to fi nd PATRICIA material about RASKIN the harvest, planting and crops in the fall months. I found an explanation in The Jerusalem Post, in the article “Why is Rosh Hashana in the Autumn?” by Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg. Rosenberg writes, “It all came
from our sojourn in Egypt, as did the idea of the New Year celebrated after the harvest, in the autumn …. “At springtime, it may have been normal to celebrate the beginning of fertility and to pray for its extension over the coming year, but it was only in the autumn, at the end of the harvest, that the population knew whether their prayers had been answered, so that was the time to celebrate, to start the New Year, to be grateful and thank God for His blessings. It was a lesson that the Israelites learned from their time in Egypt.” This brought to mind a story in my book “Pathfi nding” about a man and woman stroll-
ing along a crowded sidewalk. Suddenly one of them exclaims, “Did you hear that meow?” They both stop and listen intently. “There it is again. Didn’t you hear it?” asked the one who heard the kitten a second time. “How can you hear that kitten’s meow in this frenzied place?” the other one asks. The fi rst one doesn’t answer, but takes a quarter out of her purse and drops it on the sidewalk, causing a dozen people to look around for the loose change. “We hear,” she says, “what we listen for.” Chani Ozarowski Newman expresses this thought well in her article “Lessons from the Autumn Leaves,”
in the JewishWoman.org part of Chabad.org. Newman contemplates what occurs during the autumn or a sunset: “For a temporary period of time, God gives us a peek into the complexity that goes into His creation. He breaks apart the facade of green trees and white light to show us that He has hidden more under the surface, that there is in fact greater, more beautiful depth to Him and His world than we could ever imagine …. “Maybe the message of autumn is the reminder that there is tremendous beauty God wants us to enjoy in this physical world. But without recognizing that He is the source behind it, without that connec-
tion to Him, the physical world is dead. When we do recognize Him, however, the world can be quite a beautiful place.” In our own transitions from season to season as we busily prepare for change, we don’t often stop to hear or see what’s all around us. The High Holy Days, which fall during autumn, is the perfect time of year to stop, reflect and “hear” the positive messages God has for us. PATRICIA RASKIN, president of Raskin Resources Productions Inc., is an award-winning radio producer and R.I. 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.
Students are guardians of the earth at JCDSRI BY ALISON MORROW At JCDSRI, all our students in Pre-K to fi fth grade participate in our hands-on, award-winning gardening program. Students are able to engage in meaningful outdoor science activities while incorporating the value of shomrei adamah (guardians of the earth) into their learning. Our Judaic Studies curriculum is woven into our work in the garden. For example, we talked about the “Seven Species” of Israel and then studied varying biomes, discovering what kinds of plants
helped to plant a beautiful honeybee and butterfly garden and learned the importance of protecting these vital insects. This year, each grade will be responsible for mastering and taking ownership of a garden bed, practicing vital skills in experiential learning and allowing children of all ages to get outside, dig in the dirt and create something beautiful for the adamah – for the earth!
grow best in various climates Students wondered whether we could successfully grow any of Israel’s native plants here in Rhode Island. We learned that this was challenging due to the vastly different climates and soil composition between New England and Israel. The whole school has worked tirelessly to study and protect our native bee population. After learning that honeybees have recently been placed on the endangered species list due to pesticide use and destruction of habitat, all the students
ALISON MORROW is the kindergarten teacher at JCDSRI
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A JCDSRI student in the garden. PHOTO | JCDSRI
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HOME & GARDEN
jvhri.org
September 22, 2017 |
15
Harvest time at J-Space BY FRAN OSTENDORF There’s nothing like time in the garden. You get to spend time outdoors, play in the dirt and see your hard work grow before your eyes. Sometimes, you even get to eat the fruits (and vegetables) of your labors. The children who attend the Eides Family J-Space After School Program experience some of this in the courtyard outside J-Fitness at the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence. One day recently, The Voice went along as the kindergarten through fifth-graders harvested seeds from the sunflowers in the garden. You may think those sunflowers are ready to chop down when the petals fall off and the centers turn black. But as Shannon Kochanek, director of after school and vacation camps, explained to the group, that’s when it’s time to
dig out the seeds. It takes quite a while and a lot of concentration to pull out those tiny seeds from their honeycomb-like casing. We agreed that it’s probably easier for birds because of their sharp, pointed beaks. The seeds went into a bowl to be roasted later. The young gardeners also got to taste freshly picked cucumbers and tomatoes from the garden, which also has basil. Experiences in the garden are a regular part of the J-Space program, which features a plot in the Sessions Street Community Garden and two greenhouses outside J-Fitness that get use during the cold weather. FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianc- eri.org) is the editor of The Jewish Voice.
PHOTOS | FRAN OSTENDORF
Did you know? •
Sunflowers can grow to be 10 feet tall and the flower head can be 11.8 inches wide.
• There are two types of sun-
flower seeds. Black seeds are used in sunflower oil. Striped seeds are used as snack food.
• The sunflower is the Kansas
• Each sunflower head can
• The Guinness record for the
• The sunflower plant is
state flower and Ukraine’s national flower. tallest sunflower is 25 feet 5 ½ inches.
contain as many as 1,000 to 2,000 seeds. native to North America.
• More than 60 variet
ies of sunflowers are found world wide, and come in a variety of colors.
16 | September 22, 2017
HOLIDAYS
The Jewish Voice
The High Holy Days and the Holocaust BY LEV POPLOW The Holocaust unofficially began with Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) in November 1938 and ended with the liberation of the concentration camps in the spring of 1945. Despite the grave dangers involved, many Jews tried to keep their traditions and practices alive in the ghettos and concentration camps. The following accounts tell of three ways that Jews marked the High Holy Days during these dark times. In the following passage, from Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” the Jews of Auschwitz debated whether or not to fast on Yom Kippur in 1944. It was truly a debate waged in hell. They were, after all, starving, each of them near death. What is most striking about the passage is the faith it communicates: starving men debate as if their life depended on the outcome. In reality, of course, each man’s decision was exactly that, a matter of life or death. “Among the prisoners was a teenager just three days shy of his 16th birthday. He would later write of that debate: The Day of Atonement. Should we fast? The question was hotly debated …. In this place, we were always fasting. It was Yom Kippur year-round. But there were those who said we should fast, precisely because it was dangerous to do so. We needed to show God that even here, locked in hell, we were capable of singing his praises.” Wiesel writes that he did not fast that Yom Kippur. In part, he did not because his father, knowing that his son needed every morsel of food he could get,
Yom Kippur in the Lodz ghetto. forbade him from doing so. But he also did not fast for another reason: It was a protest against God’s silence. It was not an act of denial, but an act of faith. Many Holocaust memoirs and the testimony of eyewitnesses record how Jews living under Nazi rule took extraordinary risks to mark Yom Kippur in some way. Yaffa Eliach’s book “Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust” recounts the horrors endured by a Hungarian Jewish slave-labor battalion in 1944. The prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and used as human mine detectors. On Erev Yom Kippur, they were warned that anyone who fasted “will be executed by a fi ring squad.” On Yom Kippur, it rained heavily and the area was cov-
ered in deep mud. When the Germans distributed their meager food rations, the Jewish prisoners pretended to consume them but instead “spilled the coffee into the running muddy gullies and tucked the stale bread into their soaked jackets.” Those who had memorized portions of the Yom Kippur prayer service recited them by heart until fi nally, as night fell, their work ended and they prepared to break the fast. They were then confronted by the German commander, who told them he was aware that they had fasted, and instead of simply executing them, they would have to climb a nearby mountain and slide down it on their stomachs. “Tired, soaked, starved and emaciated,” the
Jews did as they were told, 10 times “climbing and sliding from an unknown Polish mountain which on that soggy Yom Kippur night became a symbol of Jewish courage and human dignity.” Eventually the Germans tired of this sport and the defiant Jewish prisoners were permitted to break their fast and live – at least for another day. Chassia Gering-Goldberg, in “The Book of Telz,” relates that the Telz Ghetto in Lithuania, was in the worst part of the city. The men had already been deported, and the people who remained, mostly women, lived in cowsheds and stables. When Rosh Hashanah arrived, the women gathered in the old synagogue for the holiday service.
There were hardly any prayer books, nor was there anyone to serve as rabbi or cantor. Suddenly a sweet voice was heard: “Bless the Lord who is blessed,” and the congregation responded, “Blessed be the Lord who is blessed forever and ever.” In front of the Holy Ark stood a young girl who prayed by heart, like a real cantor. The girl also pretended to blow the shofar. She put her hands to her mouth and blew through her fists to make the sounds of the ram’s horn. The girl was Tova Golda Amalan. In the past, she had helped a widower with his shopping and prepared his meals on Shabbat and festival eves. Tova refused to take any money from the man, but he wanted to give her something for all of her work. The old man was a cantor and she asked him to teach her the prayers for festivals. Now, in these hours of grief and fear, she used her sweet voice to sing the beautiful songs to comfort the women in the ghetto. On Dec. 24 and 25, 1941, the Nazis murdered the Telz women, including Tova Amalan. Only 64 women survived. Perhaps the most amazing thing these accounts illustrate is how in the depths of their despair, many of our people saw the High Holy Days as a way to keep hope alive. This is a lesson we can all draw strength from. May we all have a shanah tovah. 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.
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HOLIDAYS
jvhri.org
September 22, 2017 |
17
Figuring out what Shemini Atzeret is. Finally. BY CARLA NAUMBURG (Kveller via JTA) – I know something about most Jewish holidays. I can tell you that Hanukkah is about miracles, Passover is about slavery and freedom, and Shavuot is about cheesecake. (I have no idea why, but when it comes to matters of cheesecake, it is not mine to question.) The one holiday that has baffled me for years is Shemini Atzeret. I can’t remember the fi rst time I became aware of it, and to be honest, I didn’t care much about it until last year when my older daughter started attending Jewish day school. I understood why we needed two days off for Rosh Hashanah and to get out of school early on the day before Yom Kippur. I was even willing to accept the two days off at the beginning and the end of Sukkot and Passover. But Shemini Atzeret? What exactly is this holiday, and why does it merit yet another day off from school, another day in which I have to scramble for child care in hopes of getting a little work done while feeling guilty for not spending the day with my girls? I started asking around, and I heard a variety of fairly uninspiring responses, most of them about Shemini Atzeret being the eighth day of the seven-day holiday of Sukkot. I didn’t buy it. Judaism is all about narratives and meaning and symbolism. I just couldn’t
believe that we would have a holiday that was nothing more than an extra day. A little online research gave me some more information about the holiday, all of which was helpful but not entirely clear. Shemini Atzeret is clearly connected to Sukkot (“shemini” means “eighth” in Hebrew), but according to the Talmud, it is also its own independent holiday. In the Diaspora, a second day is added to all Jewish holidays except Yom Kippur, so Shemini Atzeret coincides with the eighth day of Sukkot everywhere except Israel. In Israel, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah fall on the same day. In the Diaspora, Simchat Torah is celebrated on the day after Shemini Atzeret. You follow? I also learned there are a few ways in which Shemini Atzeret is different from Sukkot, several of which are related to the ancient Temple service and no longer relevant. The other ones have to do with subtle differences in the liturgy, such as saying the Shehechiyanu, reciting the prayer for rain for the fi rst time in the season and saying the Yizkor prayers. Other than that, there are no specific rituals or objects mentioned other than avoiding work. And that’s where it gets interesting. Most Jewish holidays have a fairly clear reason for their existence (commemoration of a historical event, redemption, etc.) and a fairly clear set of activities we’re sup-
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posed to engage in to honor the holiday (eat matzah, light the menorah, etc.). Shemini Atzeret doesn’t have any of these. What it does have is a word – “atzeret” – which many people defi ne as “assembly,” although as Rabbi Paul Steinberg notes, “The inherent problem is that no one really knows exactly what atzeret means.” It is possible it comes from the Hebrew “atzar,” which has been variously translated as to stop, to pause, to hold back or to keep in. The midrash basically says that Shemini Atzeret is like God’s afterparty with the Jewish people. We’ve just been through the World Series of Jewish holidays, and we were seriously busy. We were eating too much, not eating at all, praying our little tushies off, building our sukkahs and then welcoming everyone in town to come dine with us. There are so many messages, so many ideas, so many lessons and learnings that happen through all of this – about gratitude and blessings and the errors of our ways and the joys of redemption and the transitory nature of life and the importance of welcoming neighbors, all the while celebrating the crazy, chaotic, unpredictable beauty of this world we live in. Needless to say, it’s a lot.
Shemini Atzeret is the vacation to recover from the holiday. (If you’ve ever gone on a trip with kids, you know exactly what I’m talking about.) But in this case, we’re not doing laundry and shopping for groceries. We’re just taking it all in. The story is that after we just spent seven days rejoicing in the beauty of nature during Sukkot (after all, what’s more welcoming than building a little house with no door on it?), now God wants one more day with us,
the Jewish people, to just be together. To just chill and take it all in, to stop, pause, hold back and keep in. According to my friend Rabbi Ariel Burger, this is a day of just being, an opportunity to process everything that has happened, to integrate what we have struggled with and learned. I don’t know about you, but that makes my little social work heart soar. It turns out it is just an extra day after all – just the kind of extra day that most of us need.
I’m not sure how, or even if, we’ll honor Shemini Atzeret this year in my house. It’s true that my girls don’t have school, but I’d already planned to take them to visit their great-grandmothers in New York. But I can tell you this: Shemini Atzeret has gone from two words that meant nothing to me to a day that will forever remind me that sometimes I do need to stop doing and just be for awhile. Maybe our family will enjoy one last meal in the sukkah under the changing leaves of fall. That I can definitely do. (And in case you were wondering, you can still eat in sukkah, your but please don’t shake your lulav and etrog, and don’t say the Sukkot blessings. Shemini Atzeret might get jealous.) CARLA NAUMBURG, Ph.D., is a clinical social worker and writer. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post, among many others. She is the author of two books: “Parenting in the Present Moment: How to Stay Focused on What Really Matters” (Parallax, 2014) and “Ready, Set, Breathe: Practicing Mindfulness with Your Children for Fewer Meltdowns and a More Peaceful Family” (New Harbinger, 2015).
18 | September 22, 2017
HOME & GARDEN
The Jewish Voice
Past becomes present and future in Holocaust center’s mezuzah BY ROBIN KAUFFMAN We can only imagine what went through the minds of those forced to leave their homes for the ghetto, and later the concentration camps. What could they have been thinking as they walked through their doorways and out of their homes, as they reached up to touch their mezuzah and then kiss their fingertips? Did they know it would be the last time? Were they thinking that someday they might return? To honor the memory of all who perished during the Holocaust, the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Memorial Education Center adorned its new home with a very special mezuzah during the June 22 dedication ceremony. The mezuzah is a handmade bronze cast of an actual tracing of the remnant marks, holes and nails that once held the mezuzah at apartment Number 7, 18 Brzeska, in Warsaw.
Sarah Mack, president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island, and rabbi at Temple Beth-El, in Providence, officiated at the ceremony, checking to ensure that the parchment (also known as the klaf, or scroll), was correct and properly placed in its bronze encasement. Surrounded by a large crowd eager to set foot in the center’s new home, she recited the appropriate blessing, thereby fulfilling what is considered a mitzvah, or commandment: “You shall write them upon the doorposts of thy house and upon thy gates” (Deuteronomy 6:9). Before the Holocaust, apartment Number 7, situated in a once bustling tenement built in 1914, was the home of Menachem Rothlevi and his family – just one of the many homes inhabited by Poland’s 3.5 million Jews, nearly all of whom perished during World War II. Today there are few physical
traces of Poland’s once thriving Jewish community. All that remains are empty spaces on those door frames, with fading traces of the mezuzot that were once there – just as the Jews who lived in these homes were removed, so were the mezuzot that once blessed them and reminded them of their Jewish values. The mezuzah that is now affixed to the upper right side of the door frame at the entrance to the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center was personally selected and handcrafted by MI POLIN, “The first Polish Judaica brand since World War II.” MI POLIN was founded by artists and archeologists Helena Czernak and Aleksander Prugar, who have journeyed across Poland, town by town, in search of marks of existence – traces of mezuzot on Jewish homes that were either abandoned or destroyed during the Holocaust. They call their project “Mezuzah from This
Home.” By tracing the remnants – some just mere holes or gaps on a door frame – they found that they could re-create the original. Their goal is to research the names of the owners of these homes and unearth the history and stories of the Jewish families that once dwelt there. Many of the mezuzot that they have re-created have been commissioned by relatives of the Polish Jews who once lived in these now derelict buildings. T h e mezuzot are all handcrafted, bron zed and hand polished. If doors could bear witness, they would tell all who enter the Bornstein Holocaust Center that Menachem Rothlevi and his family, who once lived at apartment Number 7, 18 Brzeska, Warsaw, were forcibly
removed from their home to become counted among the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Because of the dedication and hard work of the center’s staff, volunteers and generous donors, memories of the Rothlevi family will not only be a blessing, but will continue to survive. ROBIN KAUFFMAN is a member of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center’s Board of Directors and is the secretary of the Executive Committee.
A deliberate selection of mezuzot at the Dwares JCC BY LARRY KATZ A number of people have asked about the small, thin boxes that have been added to many of the doorposts, beginning with the dedication of the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center in May. These decorative cases and tubes are mezuzot, which have marked the doorposts of Jewish homes since biblical times. Inside each mezuzah (singular
for mezuzot) is a parchment scroll containing the section of the book of Deuteronomy which mentions that Jews should “write these words [the Shema statement that there is but one, unique God] on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates.” When you are in the administrative wing, you may see the mezuzah scrolls themselves, rolled up in plastic tubes that form the cases. These
words are also embossed on the mezuzah case that is at the front entrance to the building. The Hebrew letter shin usually appears on the outside of the decorative case. This is the first letter of the Hebrew word Shaddai, which means Almighty/God. This word is also an acronym for “protector of the doors of Israel.” The case itself has become an object of artistic expression and can be of nearly any material, as you can see when you walk around the Dwares JCC building in Providence. The Jewish Alliance deliberately selected mezuzot that reflect some of our values. For instance, some contain embroidery by members of a workshop for the elderly conducted by Lifeline for the Old/Yad Lakashish in Jerusalem, which renews the sense of purpose and self-worth of the elderly people who find creative work there. The designs are Ethiopian, which recall that many Jews came to Israel from Ethiopia, primarily in 1984 and 1991 after enduring many hardships. Those designs, as well as the designs of the wooden mezuzot with hand-painted acrylic colors, feature the seven species of the Land of Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, dates, figs, olives, and pomegranates). They remind us of our connections to the land of Israel. The shin is stylized at the top of most cases in the lobbies. The rainbow design reminds us of everyone’s common descent from the children of Noah, as told in the Bible, expressing the value that no one has a better
lineage than any other person in the world. Between the lobby and the administrative wing is a pewter mezuzah on which the words of the Shema are etched into the mezuzah cover. This mezuzah was donated to express staff appreciation for Jeffrey K. Savit, the first CEO and president of the Jewish Alliance. The case was designed by a female metalsmith who was inspired by a 2010 Birthright trip to Israel which deepened her connection to Israel and to Judaism.
Of all Jewish rituals, the mezuzah is mainly thought of as a home ritual. Many local synagogues have mezuzot for sale, as well as instructions for affixing them to doorposts. For more information, contact Larry at lkatz@jewishallianceri.org. LARRY KATZ (lkatz@jewishallianceri.org) is director of Jewish life and learning at the Jewish Alliance. This previously appeared at jewishallianceri. org.
HOLIDAYS
jvhri.org
September 22, 2017 |
19
Simchat Torah need not be a ‘men’s holiday’ BY SARAH RUDOLPH (Kveller via JTA) – There seems to be a widespread misconception in the Orthodox world that the upcoming holiday of Simchat Torah is a “men’s holiday.” I can understand the confusion, stemming from what we celebrate and how we celebrate it. Simchat Torah has evolved as a celebration of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings – readings that in Orthodox shuls occur purely on the men’s side of the mehitzah, or divider. And we celebrate it by taking all the Torah scrolls out of the ark – also on the men’s side – and dancing seven circuits, or hakafos, with them. There is much singing, generally in a masculine timbre, and the dancing men take turns holding the heavy scrolls. With so much action naturally taking place on the other side, I can understand – sort of – why things tend to be much less lively on my side of the mehitzah. Depending on the community, the women might dance, but it is rarely as exuberant, as populated or as sustained as the men’s dancing. My childhood memories of the holiday involve a group of women who enjoyed dancing and would try to get things going, while most of the women might join for a few minutes in between their primary activities of chatting, chasing sugared-up children (did I men-
tion excessive candy often plays a role in the celebrations?) and watching the men. From what I have experienced and heard since, my shul was fairly typical, though in many places the women don’t dance at all – or even show up. My husband likes to tell of the girl he once dated who was surprised at the suggestion that she might go to shul on Simchat Torah. “Why would I go?” she asked. “I have no one to watch!” For her, I think, it was accepted as a matter of course that dancing on Simchat Torah is what men do, and she wouldn’t have ever imagined that she could – or should – have a part in it. For others, the questions around women and Simchat Torah are more fraught – and many focus on the Torah scrolls themselves, arguing that if the women can’t dance with a Torah, then they feel excluded – like their dancing is pointless. Indeed, in more recent years, as this sort of discomfort with gender disparities has increased, many rabbis have concluded that there is no real halachic problem with a woman carrying a Torah scroll, and in some shuls a scroll or two will be passed to the women’s side for the dancing. This is the part where I have a
PHOTO | JTA, GERSHON ELINSON/FLASH90
Orthodox standards about women carrying Torah scrolls have complicated their relationship to the holiday. harder time understanding. So often I hear some version of either, “My rabbi lets the women have a Torah, so the women’s dancing is nice,” or “The women in my shul don’t have a Torah, so it’s lame; they just stand around talking and watching the men dance.” It is really easy to blame the men and the rabbis. It is really easy to say, “If only we were granted equal rights and could dance with a Torah scroll, we would dance and celebrate, too.” It is really easy to say, “I’m not going to shul if the women are just going to sit around schmoozing and watching the men. It’s a
men’s holiday; I don’t feel a part of it.” It’s really easy to say those things, but if I may be frank, I think it’s all baloney. We have an equal right to Torah. I’m not talking about holding the scroll; that, to my mind, is secondary. The real point is that we have an equal right to rejoice in our sacred heritage. Nobody is making us chat; ultimately, no one is stopping us from dancing. If it’s a men’s holiday, that is because we let it be. We can unite and take back Simchat Torah. We can choose to dance. And we don’t need a scroll to do it.
What are we dancing for, after all? On Simchat Torah, I dance for the concept of Torah, not the object. I dance for myself and my love of Torah study. I dance for the joy of the completed cycle of reading, and I dance for the joy of beginning all over again. I dance because I will shortly have tears in my eyes, like I do every year, as I listen to the account of Moses’ death in the last few verses of the Torah. I dance because I will shortly be awed, as I am every year, when we begin again and read, “And it was evening, and it was morning, one day.” The very beginning of everything; something, where there had been nothing. I, too, can make something from nothing, in my own little way. I can walk into a women’s section full of schmoozing women and wild kids, grab some hands and create a circle of joy. I can rejoice in Torah, and nothing – no object or lack of it, no mehitzah, no rows of chairs presenting a logistical challenge – will stop me. I only hope, this year, the other women on my side get up and dance, too. SARAH RUDOLPH lives in Cleveland with her family. She has been teaching Jewish text studies for over 10 years to students ranging from elementary school to retirement age.
The comfort of a congregation BY MAY-RONNY ZEIDMAN In junior high, I made friends with Diane Zucker, whose family belonged to the same synagogue for years and years. She would often talk about going to services and about the people who surrounded her family year after year. She would even tell me where different families sat in the synagogue. I found myself becoming quite envious of those ties Diane had to the synagogue and to the congregants. My family seemed to go from Orthodox to Conservative and then to Reform. Not having any true ties to either a synagogue or a particular Jewish movement, I envied the comfort of being in a place with people who became a second family. Years later, when I married, my husband and I moved to Warwick and joined a Conservative temple near our home. We really did not know anyone there, but people welcomed us and were genuinely happy to have us in the congregation. When our son was old enough, we sent him to Hebrew school. By that time, we had met many congregants and considered them our friends. On the High Holy Days, we sat in the same seats year after year. At some point, I became aware that other people were also sitting in the
same seats they sat in last week or last year. Oh the joy: I had the comfort of friends and familiar surroundings away from home that felt so warm and secure. Years passed, and we had two more sons. More Hebrew school, more Friday night services and more social and educational programs. I served on various committees and on the board of directors. I watched as the children of my friends grew up, and I saw new babies born into our temple family. Those early years were so happy. Twenty-one years after joining the temple, my husband died suddenly. The outpouring of love and comfort from the congregation was overwhelming, to say the least. My sons and I were encircled by people who wanted us to know we were not alone. Shortly after my husband’s death, I became aware that people had moved away, died or for some other reason left the temple. It was difficult not to see those people in their seats, but new families joined us. Most of the seats were still occupied by familiar faces, and the new faces soon became familiar faces. I married a man from the congregation, and my family and I moved to where he sat. My second son married, and he and his
wife joined us. When their children were born, they joined us too. My youngest son married a woman whose family were members of the congregation, so they took turns sitting with each family. Their three children soon became part of the temple family. My oldest son and his husband were married in the temple, and my son-in-law joined us. I now had the pleasure of watching longtime friends, their children and their grandchildren join the temple family. Again, some people moved, some died (including my second husband) and some just left. However, I could count on most people being where I expected them to be. But then the temple found itself in financial difficulty and the entire organization fell apart. After 50 years, I found myself without my beloved temple, the home of most of my adult lifecycle experiences. Recently, a person from my former congregation died. As I was sitting waiting for the funeral to begin, I saw many old friends from the temple. It was so good to see them! Being part of a synagogue is about so much more than a building, a rabbi, a board of directors – for me, it is about sharing your life with a community. In fact, I even miss those people
who annoyed me, didn’t agree with me or were always late. Isn’t that just like certain family members? I once read, “People who live in the past have no future.” With that thought in mind, I moved to
a new synagogue – and am working on finding the right seat for me. MAY-RONNY ZEIDMAN is executive director of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.
20 | September 22, 2017 FROM PAGE 1
WORLD
The Jewish Voice
MOMENTS
fame is indisputable – he wrote some of the most well-known and culturally significant songs of the 1960s – the decision raised eyebrows because the prize has traditionally been given to novelists and poets, not songwriters. Dylan did not seem as enthusiastic as some of his fans: he took two weeks to acknowledge the award and said he was unable to travel to Sweden for the official ceremony, though he traveled there at a later date to accept the award and present the required lecture.
U.N. criticizes Israeli settlement, and the U.S. abstains.
In December, the United Nations sharply condemned Israeli actions in a resolution calling settlements “a flagrant violation of international law” that damage the prospect of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian confl ict. Traditionally, the United States has vetoed such resolutions – but in its waning days the Obama administration chose not to follow suit. The move prompted outrage from Israel, centrist and right-leaning Jewish groups and then President-elect Donald Trump, who called the resolution “extremely unfair.” Samantha Power, then the American envoy to the U.N., defended the abstention, saying the resolution was in line with longstanding U.S. opposition to Israeli settlements.
Trump takes office, bringing Ivanka and Jared with him.
Trump took office in January after his unexpected vic-
tory over Hillary Clinton in November, pledging in his inaugural address to put “America fi rst.” The use of the slogan – the name of an isolationist and often anti-Semitic movement leading up to World War II – alarmed some Jews, but Trump said the phrase had no connection to the earlier usage. Trump brought with him a cadre of Jewish advisers, including his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner. The couple, both of whom are observant Jews, would take on critical roles in the administration as senior advisers to the president, with Kushner in charge of a thick portfolio that included brokering a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
JCCs in U.S. and Canada targeted with more than 100 bomb threats.
From January to March, Jewish community centers, Jewish schools and other institutions were hit with more than 100 bomb threats. None of the threats, many of which were called in, turned out to be credible, but they forced evacuations and spread fear among local communities. Several Jewish cemeteries were also vandalized, prompting some to blame the rise of the “alt-right” – some say the movement was legitimized following Trump’s election – for the threats. However, neither of the two men arrested for making the threats turned out to be motivated by far-right beliefs. One of the accused, Juan Thompson, was ar-
American Jews and Israel. Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, also joined critics of the decision, saying it “will make our work to bring Israel and the Jewish world closer together increasingly more difficult.” In August, the Israeli Supreme Court said the government must either reinstate the agreement or provide an explanation as to why it had put a hold on it.
Chicago Dyke March bans three women for carrying flags with Jewish stars.
KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Marchers at the 48th annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in Chicago, June 25, 2017. rested for making bomb threats against eight Jewish institutions in the name of an ex-girlfriend in a revenge plot. The main suspect, however, turned out to be an Israeli-American teenager, Michael Kadar of Ashkelon, who was arrested for making hundreds of threats. Kadar reportedly sold his bomb threat services online and suffers from a brain tumor, according to his lawyer.
Trump shouts down reporters who ask him about a rise in anti-Semitism.
In February, the president shouted at two journalists who asked him about an increase in anti-Jewish sentiments and incidents, and said he “hates” being called an anti-Semite, although neither
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reporter called him one. After asking for a “friendly” reporter, Trump interrupted a question by a haredi Orthodox journalist – he accused him of lying about his intentions – and claimed to be the “least antiSemitic person that you have ever seen in your entire life.” Trump’s response drew criticism from Jewish groups, many of which had already criticized him a month earlier for releasing a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that notably did not mention Jews. His defenders said the president’s critics were politically motivated.
On first overseas trip, Trump visits Israel.
Trump paid a visit to the Jewish state on his fi rst overseas trip as president in May, which also included stops in Italy and Saudi Arabia. The two-day trip included a stop at Yad Vashem and meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, as well as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Trump, accompanied by his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, also stopped at the Western Wall for a private visit, making him the fi rst sitting U.S. president to visit the holy site and earning him high praise across Israel. A few months after the visit, Trump dispatched a team of top aides, including Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and Dina Powell, to visit Israel and other Middle Eastern countries in an attempt to revive peace talks.
Israel freezes pluralistic Western Wall agreement.
A June decision by Netanyahu’s Cabinet to put a hold on the creation of an egalitarian section of the Western Wall, a deal passed in 2016, drew the ire of American Jewish leaders. Some leaders, also angered by the advancement of a bill to give the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate complete control of conversions performed in Israel, warned of a growing schism between
In June, a Chicago lesbian march ejected three women for carrying Gay Pride flags with Jewish stars, saying the march was “anti-Zionist” and “pro-Palestinian.” The decision drew heated debate, and the Jewish reporter who fi rst wrote about the incident for a Chicago LGBTQ newspaper said she was removed from her reporting job as a result of the article. The Dyke March controversy – as well as similar debates about the role of Zionists in the feminist movement and whether demonstrators could bring banners with Jewish stars to a Chicago feminist march – illuminated a growing challenge for Zionist Jews who feel unwelcome in liberal spaces.
Neo-Nazis rally in Charlottesville.
Neo-Nazis and white supremacists gathered in a Virginia park in August to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The far-right protesters chanted anti-Semitic and racist slogans, including “Jews will not replace us,” and brawled with counter-protesters. One counter-protester, Heather Heyer, was killed when a suspected white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd. Trump waffled on condemning the protest, calling out neo-Nazis and white supremacists in one remark, but blaming both sides for the violence at other times, and saying there were “some very fi ne people” in both groups. Jewish groups, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and the president’s top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, criticized Trump for his response, saying he was not doing his part to condemn hate.
Hurricane Harvey floods Houston
Homes were flooded and lives were turned upside down as Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in August, forcing mass evacuations across the state. Over 70 percent of the city’s Jews live in areas that experienced high flooding, and synagogues, schools and other Jewish community buildings sustained significant damage. Recovery from the hurricane is expected to take years, but the disaster also served as a point of coming together for the community, as Jewish groups rallied to distribute donations and local Jewish camps offered housing to those with nowhere to go.
SENIORS
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September 22, 2017 |
21
Legal Notice
REMEMBER THE PAST From the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association
Present: Hon. J. Scott Odorisi, Justice STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF MONROE
Hope Street in days gone by BY GERALDINE S. FOSTER Volumes have been written about the earliest Jewish shopping areas in Providence, one in the North End and the other on Willard Avenue in South Providence. Willard Avenue in particular has been the subject of numerous nostalgic essays since it fell victim to urban renewal in the 1950s. Actually, it was already past its prime after World War II; the fl ight to the suburbs and the East Side had taken its toll. But the few remaining stores still lured shoppers, as few Kosher markets successfully made the move to areas outside Providence. For a while, the North End retained a few stores on its fringes, but eventually they too succumbed to the “revitalization” of the area. At the same time, a six-block area of Hope Street began to take shape as a shopping center for the East Side of Providence. When Warren and I moved into the neighborhood in 1954, the area had become a destination and gathering place, easily accessible to people who wanted to use their cars as well as those who preferred to walk. The wide range of available goods and services made the area interesting and appealed to the diverse population of
the neighborhood. A collection of small shops also offered a friendly alternative to the larger retailers elsewhere. The only chain stores were the small A&P supermarket and the First National, situated at opposite ends of the area. What could you fi nd on Hope Street? Generations of students who attended the Summit Avenue School remember the penny candy counter at Royal’s Variety Store. The choices, the sweet agony of decision, the pleasure their pennies could buy, still resonates in their entries on Facebook. Two chocolatiers catered to more sophisticated tastes for sweets, and an (homemade) ice cream shop tempted all ages. Crammed into that six-block area as well were many other shops and services, including: three gas stations, where the attendants would fi ll the tank, clean the windshield and check the oil; three food markets, a specialty food store and a greengrocer; four eateries; three liquor stores; three cleaners and two laundries; two drug stores (you could pay your gas bill at one of them); three bakeries; two card shops; a 5 and 10 store; two dentists; a barber; and three hairdressers. Refurbishing your house? A
hardware store had a supply of paints and tools. Oriental rugs, drapery fabric and TVs could be purchased right there, near the bank, which offered small kitchen appliances or dishes with many transactions. Children’s needs were not left out either. There were stores selling cribs and strollers, layettes and toddler clothes, as well as shoes (oh, the arguments over who got to sit in the store’s bunny chairs!) For many in the neighborhood, the star attractions were the two delis – Miller’s and Auerbach’s. Miller’s was the larger of the two and carried Kosher meat as well as a greater variety of other Kosher and homemade products. Both were rigorous in separating meat and dairy. Though some of the stores had Jewish owners, this area could hardly be called a Jewish shopping center. It was a far cry from Willard Avenue or the North End. However, one did not need a calendar to know that the High Holy Days were coming. A happy buzz settled over the area as holiday greetings were exchanged. The stores were more crowded as people prepared for the holidays. The dress shop next to the Hope Theatre offered the latest fashions. Floral centerpieces
Application of JOHN G. HUNT and MEREDITH K. HUNT, Petitioners,
streamed out of the flower shop, and customers at the Jewish bakery and the delis were encouraged to order ahead for round challot, raisin or plain. At Miller’s, Leo, one of the owners, appeared in a gas mask to begin grating the horseradish for the condiment to accompany the homemade gefi lte fish. A month before Pesach, cases of Kosher wine fi lled the aisles and back rooms of the liquor store, while boxes of matzot were stacked high enough to cover the front windows of Miller’s, obscuring the hanging salamis on the inside. Hope Street in the 1950s resembled the centers of many small towns of a bygone era, and like them, it is gone, replaced by services, shops and eateries more in tune with modern times. GERALDINE S. FOSTER is a 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.
For a Judgment Pursuant to RPAPL § 1921 Against UNION DEPOSIT LOAN & INVESTMENT BANK Respondent. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE Index No. E2017001313 Upon the annexed petition of John G. Hunt and Meredith K. Hunt, verified July 12, 2017, the affidavit of Anthony C. Lee, Esq. sworn to on July 5, 2017, and the affirmation of G. Michael Miller, affirmed July 12, 2017, Let the Clerk of Monroe County, and Union Deposit Loan & Investment Bank, show cause before this court at the Hall of Justice, Rochester, Monroe County, New York, on October 3, 2017, at 3:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as counsel can be heard, Why an order should not be made by this court: 1) Canceling and discharging the mortgage made by John W. St. Peter, Jr. and Donna St. Peter, husband and wife, to Union Deposit Loan & Investment Bank (“the Bank”), dated July 8, 1989, and recorded in the Monroe County Clerk’s Office on August 2, 1989, in Liber 9624 of Mortgages at page 60, given to secure payment of the sum of $30,576.91; and 2) Directing the Clerk of Monroe County, in whose office the said mortgage has been recorded, to mark the mortgage cancelled and discharged; and 3) Further ordering and directing that the debts or obligations secured by such mortgage be cancelled; and it is further Ordered that service of this order, together with the petition upon which it is based, be made not less than fourteen (14) days before the return date hereof, upon the Clerk of Monroe County by service on the County Attorney, and it is further Ordered that service of this order, together with the petition and affidavits/affirmations upon which it is based, be made on the Union Deposit Loan & Investment Bank be made not less than 30 days before the return date hereof by publication in the Providence Journal for two (2) consecutive weeks and such service upon them shall be deemed good and sufficient service thereof, and it is further ORDERED, that any response is due September 26, 2017. Dated: August 1, 2017, Rochester, New York. Enter, S/J. Scott Odorisi J.S.C. Hon. J. Scott Ordorisi J.S.C.
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US opens first military base on Israeli soil JERUSALEM (JTA) – The United States has opened its first official military base on Israeli soil. The base started operating Sept. 18, following a ceremony at the end of the previous week to inaugurate the facility that included Israeli and American military personnel. It will operate independently from within an Israeli military base in southern Israel that houses an air defense school, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Several dozen American soldiers will be stationed at the base. “For the first time the flag of the United States, our most important ally, will be raised in
an IDF base,” Brigadier Gen. Zvika Haimovich, the IDF’s head of Air Defense, said in a statement. “This expresses more than anything the longstanding partnership and the strategic commitment between the countries and the armies.” The opening of the base comes a week after a new Iron Dome anti-missile battery became operational. “There is no coincidence between the two events,” Haimovich said. “They add another layer to the defense of the State of Israel against the high-trajectory threats that surround us from near and far.” Planning for the U.S. base began two years ago. PHOTO | B. ROSS
Preparing the bags are, left to right, Delia Klingbeil, Rabbi Marc Mandel, David Nathanson, Irene Glasser and Steven Schneller.
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High Holy Day food drive
Members of the Aquidneck Island Jewish community (Newport Havurah, Temple Shalom and Touro Synagogue) recently prepared shopping bags for its annual community High Holiday food drive.
The shopping bags are distributed at each High Holiday service and congregants are asked to return them filled with groceries at the next service. The food that is collected is divided between the Louis and
Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry at the Jewish Seniors Agency and the Feed A Friend Food Pantry at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center in Newport.
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Holocaust Center launches new website BY LEV POPLOW The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center’s new website is now up and running. 2017 has been a big year for SBHEC: a new space, an exciting fundraising event and the creation of a holocaust and genocide curriculum in conjunction with the Rhode Island Department of Education are a few of the highlights. Now, a new website will help communicate its mission to the public. After extensive content development SBHEC’s new website went live on Sept. 1. The new website is visually striking, easy to navigate and has significantly more information than the old site. The site is designed to be a multi-faceted resource for teachers, students and anyone who has an interest in keeping the lessons of the Ho-
locaust alive. You can even support the center’s mission directly through the site. SBHEC invites you to visit and learn more about what they do for the community at www.bornsteinholocaustcenter.org. The new site also allows SBHEC to be a central resource to learn about Holocaust-related events happening in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. SBHEC invites you to send event information to info@bornsteinholocaustcenter.org so it can help you promote your event throughout the community. LEV POPLOW is a communications and development consultant writing for the Bornstein Holocaust Center. He can be reached at levpoplow@ gmail.com.
24 | September 22, 2017
SENIORS
The Jewish Voice
‘Menashe’ is a marvelous movie! It came and it went, after a generous spread of matinee showings at the Avon. And it was
SKETCHBOOK MIKE FINK
mercifully succinct, coming in at just a few minutes under the classic 90-minute tradition of Old Hollywood, its golden years. It was a treat to hear the Yiddish language, and to catch a few glimpses of Hasidic customs and rituals. Despite its small audience and rather lukewarm reviews, “Menashe” is a marvelous movie! Not entirely for the usual crowd-pleasing reasons, but for some moments of what Hitchcock once labeled “that rarest of civilized virtues: irony!” The plot? Well, a clumsy widower with a nice young grieving son consults the reb, the supervising rabbi of the tightly knit community, about what he must do to keep his boy by himself. The lad, the boychik, lives with his uncle, his late mother’s brother, and sometimes with
his solitary father, who can hardly hold onto his job doing errands for a local shopkeeper. Menashe sweeps the floor, delivers groceries – and is always on the brink of being fi red. This anti-hero is a defeated dad, unable to cope but determined to devote his life to his beloved semi-orphaned only child. Does he have any friendly company? Yes, a couple of nonJewish workers, with whom he can confide his true feelings. No, he was not happy with his wife, he confides to them, and admits that he did not care for her with loving concern during her illness. The problem is, a Hasidic child must dwell with two parents, a mother and a father. And so, Menashe has to fi nd, within a fortnight, through the offices of a matchmaker, a new wife/mother, or else he must surrender his son to the brother-in-law – and the in-laws have little respect or regard for each other. What’s good about the fi lm, artistically, is that the acting is superb, subtle and unsentimental, and that there are no conventional villains. Yes, people shout insults at each other and in some sense hurl abuse. But, on the other hand, they also open their doors and restrain
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nashe tells his offspring, his legacy, “Wash yourself, cleanliness outside is also cleanliness inside.” And so, this fi nal scene means that Menashe will overcome his profound sadness and seek a second wife in hopes that his life will improve and he can reenter the world on proper terms. This is precisely what the rabbi had declared and determined. That old man with the unkempt white beard was by no means a harsh judge. We watched him eat the burnt, ruined cake that Menashe served at the memorial meal customary to commemorate a death. The rabbi would not diminish the dignity of his host nor use words that might hurt the soul of the mourner. That is a form of “murder” – to use words to harm a fellow Hasid. And so, the story of Menashe is a gentle tale using the humor, the melancholy, the sympathy of the movement with the ordinary spirits that may, by a kind of miracle, support the human realm – and it surpasses many louder voices and more superficially “exciting” scripts and scenes in its understated sheer basic beauty. And truth.
“Menashe” – the movie. their anger enough to help out as best they can. The boy himself is unsure of his own feelings. He loves his dad and enjoys his life with him, but understands his father’s failings and knows that his uncle would be the better choice for his future. The ending of the movie is what most endeared this remarkable motion picture to me. It even unsettled me! The Hasidim wear layers of cloth-
ing that hold mystical spiritual meaning, and we watch them dressing and undressing. In the end, Menashe removes his undergarments and gets into a tub of hot water. For just a moment, I thought perhaps he was approaching a death by drowning ... for only for a brief hesitant second … and then I got it! He was in his personal mikveh, or ritual bath. The script had prepared us somewhat for this gesture. Me-
MIKE FINK (mfi nk33@aol. com) teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.
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OBITUARIES
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Marvin A. Brill, 89 CRANSTON, R.I. – Marvin A. Brill died Sept. 15 at Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center. He was the beloved husband of Florette (Molot) for 62 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late David and Anna (Scheidman) Brill, he was a lifelong Rhode Island resident. He was an administrator for the Bazar Group for 23 years, retiring in 2014. Marvin was a graduate of Classical High School, class of ’46 and Boston University School of Law, class of ’52. He also attended Rhode Island State College and was past president of the University of Rhode Island Foundation. Marvin was a member and past master of the Mason Redwood Lodge. He was the devoted father of Elissa Winter and her husband, Michael, of White Plains, New York; Kevin Brill of Arlington, Massachusetts; and Carrie Levine and her husband, Marc, of Cranston. He was the dear brother of the late Norman Brill and Bertha Hazen. He was the loving grandfather of Jordan, Malcolm, Travis, Zachary, Griffin and Connor. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Miriam Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box H, Providence, RI 02901 or Hope Hospice & Palliative Care, 1085 N. Main St., Providence, RI 02904.
Sema Davis, 85
WEST WARWICK, R.I. – Sema Davis died Sept. 9 at home surrounded by her family. She was the beloved wife of the late Ira Davis for 55 years. Born in Providence, the daughter of the late Charles and Bessie (Shapiro) Pollack, she had lived in Cranston for many years before moving to West Warwick. Sema was a former employee of Pollack’s Delicatessen, Ross Simons, and a senior sales representative at Judaic Traditions. She was a member of Temple Emanu-El and a former mem-
ber of Temple Torat Yisrael and its Sisterhood. She was an avid Curves member and a Mah Jongg maven. She was the devoted mother of Jeffrey Davis (Cynthia) of West Warwick and Helene Hanna (Cameron) of Warwick. She was the dear sister of David (Linda) Pollack of Plainville, New York and the late Phyllis Grebstein. She was the loving grandmother of Evan (Tara), Melanie, Brooke and Chelsea. She was the cherished greatgrandmother of Aiden. Contributions in her memory may be made to Temple EmanuEl - Shabbat Chai Fund, 99 Taft Ave. Providence, RI 02906 and Hope Hospice and Palliative Care, 1085 North Main St. Providence, RI 02904.
Elaine Kroll, 90 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Elaine Kroll passed away Sept. 18. She was the wife of the late Sanford I. Kroll. She was born in Providence, the daughter of the late Samuel and Ethel (Pokier) Lipson. She graduated from Pembroke College in Brown University in 1948. Elaine was a lifetime member of Hadassah, where she was awarded the Presidential Award; the National Council of Jewish Women; and the RI Jewish Historical Association. She was also on the board of trustees of the Sisterhood of Temple Emanu-El. She is survived by her daughters Joan Shook (Gary) of Waterford, Connecticut, and Carol Kroll Kahn (Robert L. Renck, Jr.) of Providence; brother Malcolm Lipson of Johnston; grandchildren Geoffrey and Joshua Cushner; and greatgrandchildren Noah, Julianna, Eila and Miriam Cushner. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Elaine and Sanford Kroll Fund, at the Jewish Federation Foundation, 401 Elmgrove Ave, Providence, RI 02906 or the Jewish Community
Day School of Rhode Island 85 Taft Ave., Providence, RI 02906.
Andrew Rubinstein OLD TAPPAN, N.J. – Andrew Ilan Rubinstein, of Old Tappan died Sept. 8. Andrew was the beloved husband of Karen Haynoski Rubinstein and the cherished and adored daddy of Benjamin Lael and Aaron Bear. He is survived by his loving parents Dr. Michael and Linda Rubinstein of Providence and his loving mother-in-law, Barbara Haynoski, his dear sisters, Dr. Mahra Rubinstein Shocket and her husband, Jon Shocket, Lilli Rubinstein and her fiance, Jeremy Bilgre, and his niece and nephew, Natalie and Benjamin Shocket. He was the devoted son-in-law to the late, Benjamin Haynoski. Andrew was born in Providence, attended the Wheeler School and St. Dunstan’s High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hartford where he met Karen. Andrew began his career in customer service at Sony, but quickly parlayed his unique interpersonal skills into the nonprofit sector by establishing the Donor Center at UJA of New York. At UJA, he won the Ronald Lauder grant to staff JDC-Lauder International Jewish Youth Camp in Szarvas, Hungary, to promote and model Jewish tradition and values to Jewish children from around the world. He went on to JDRF where he personally raised several thousands of dollars for the annual walk in New York City. He then delved into the nonprofit Arts sector by becoming the Assistant Director of Membership at Carnegie Hall, hosting many special events and rehearsals for donors who believed in the power of the arts to bring people together.
He was then recruited to design and implement the Membership Office at the new 9/11 Memorial and Museum. His tenure was cut short by mounting debilitating medical issues and he left this position in order to battle these medical issues full time. Andrew lived his short life with laughter, gratitude, grace and unwavering courage. Andrew’s family, friends and colleagues will always remember his quick wit, twinkling blue eyes, gentleness, bravery and unyielding tenacity in the crux of devastating illnesses. The world needs more people like him and lost a truly great man. Contributions may be made to Mount Sinai Health System, Office of Development, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1049, New York, NY 10029.
Elia Shammas, 87 WARWICK, R.I. – Elia Shammas, M.D., 87, passed away Sept. 4.
September 22, 2017 |
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He was born in Cairo, Egypt, on June 1, 1930. He graduated from medical school in Cairo and practiced medicine in the Sudan and England. He then settled in Providence where he w o r k e d in private practice as a psychiatrist until 2010. He is survived by his children, Ruth and Ray Shammas, as well as his grandchildren Rebecca, Zachary and Sophia. He will be remembered as a very generous, hard-working, and dedicated man and will be greatly missed. Donations can be made to a charity of your choice in his memory.
ASK THE DIRECTOR BY MICHAEL D. SMITH F.D./R.E. Shalom Memorial Chapel
QUESTION: My mother’s yahrtzeit falls on Yom Kippur. It is also a Saturday this year. Do I light a candle, or do I wait until Shabbat is over? L.C., Providence Dear L.C., This question is timely since we are days away from the holiday. If the yahrtzeit begins Friday evening, then light the yahrtzeit candle before the Shabbat candles. If it falls on Saturday evening, you light the candle after havdalah, just past sunset. If you choose, you can get a three-day candle and light it well ahead of time so that it’s burning during Yom Kippur, Yizkor and Shabbat. 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.
26 | September 22, 2017
COMMUNITY
The Jewish Voice
Renovations begin at NERC As the New Year begins, the New England Rabbinical College (NERC) embarks on a major renovation project. The stately century-old brick building at 262 Blackstone Boulevard in Providence was originally built as a hospital, and subsequently served as a friary. Under the leadership of the late Thomas W. Pearlman, the building was purchased by the Jewish community in the 1970s. Since that time, there have been no serious upgrades or renova-
tions. Funding was secured in June for the first stage of renovations through a $600,000 crowd-funding campaign. The current plan includes opening supporting walls in the main study hall/ sanctuary and creating a new library, classroom and offices. A new ADA-compliant ramp and bathroom will allow easy access to all. While the work is underway, the main study hall has been replaced by a modular unit on the
lawn on the Slater Avenue side of the property. As the students moved the siddurim and holy books, there was feeling of anticipatory excitement in the air. For more information about the project or to take a tour, call Chana Twersky at 401-2741361 or email cftwersky.nerc@ gmail.com. To view more pictures, visit the NERC website at www.yeshivaofprovidence.org . Submitted by New England Rabbinical College
Study hall meets in the modular unit.
This modular unit is parked behind NERC.
Work is underway in front of the school.
PHOTOS | NERC
Moving in.
PHOTOS | PHDS
After this photo was taken, windows were installed in the areas covered by boards.
Phase one of renovations near completion at PHDS
Renovations are underway to the Paul M. and Janet G. Fradin Family Entryway at the Providence Hebrew Day School (PHDS). The scope of the project includes handicapped front access to the building, a policeapproved security vestibule,
new energy-efficient windows and wood panels that accent the front of the school. Work is progressing and the renovations should be completed within the next month, according to information provided by the school. This renovation completes phase one, which also includes
a new school-wide HVAC system installed last summer. Donors have helped raise more than $600,000 to complete this phase of the project. Phase two – necessary to meet fire code requirements and upgrade the aging facility – will involve additional fundraising
of over $1.5 million, school officials said. “We look forward to partnering with all our friends and community members in this process. Providence Hebrew Day School is truly a community asset that serves a large population seven days a week,”
according to a PHDS statement provided to the Jewish Voice. For more information or to schedule an appointment contact Rabbi Peretz Scheinerman, dean, at 401-331-5327, ext. 21, or Frank Halper, fundraising chair, at 401-331-6851. Submitted by PHDS
jvhri.org
SIMCHAS | WE ARE READ
September 22, 2017 |
27
PROUD GRANDPARENTS Sy and Judi Dill of Providence are happy to announce the birth of Ella Jamie on Aug. 31. She is the daughter of Mathias Dill and Jenna Mate-Dill, and sister of Sadie Rose, of East Quogue, New York. Aunt Pnina and Uncle Marc Ardizzone of Barrington and cousins Dahlia and Ezra are thrilled to welcome their new baby cousin, as are Uncle Josh, Aunt Jennifer and cousins Yaakov, Basya and Sarah Leiba of Baltimore, Maryland.
BERNARD “BERNIE” ENGLE recently celebrated his 100th birthday at The Highlands on the East Side with more than 80 guests, family members, residents and staff. He’s pictured here with his son, Jerald, and daughter-in-law, Beverly.
LOUIS YOSINOFF recently celebrated his 99th birthday at the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residences in Warwick.
WE ARE READ IN ALBANY – Summer Schlicha Noam Spector, left, continues her travels. Here she visits with Linda Finkle, right, Marketing director and program coordinator at Albany’s Sidney Alpert JCC in New York, and Seth Finkle, director of Camp Haverim, at Providence’s Dwares JCC.
WE ARE READ IN SOUTH CAROLINA – Dr. Randy Vogenberg on vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina, after Hurricane Irma.
WE ARE READ IN ISRAEL – At the US Ambassador’s house, left to right, Rabbi Steven Jablow, Avi Nevel, US Deputy Ambassador to Israel, Leslie M. Tsou, David Rosenberg and Adi Goldstein.
28 | September 22, 2017
The Jewish Voice
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.
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100 DAYS OF GIVING
Make your donation by December 31, 2017 and you’re helping to better serve our partner agencies—locally and globally— by addressing needs and allocating dollars sooner.
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