Jcn0314

JEWISH FEDERATION OF the desert 69-710 Highway 111 Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 (760) 324-4737 Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit #113 Santa Ana, CA

Happy Purim

Save the dates

Yom HaShoah

Sunday, April 27

Yom Ha’atzmaut

Sunday, May 4

Purim Events ~ See Page 24

On the cover....

Happy Purim

CElia Norian President

Save the dates Yom HaShoah Sunday, April 27

Yom Ha’atzmaut Sunday, May 4

jewish federation BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers and Executive Committee

It’s March, the month of Purim. What memories come to your mind? The reading of the Megillah? The sound of groggers?

Dressing in costumes? The taste of Hamantaschen? The delivery of mishloah manot to friends?

Purim is a celebration of the human potential for transformation.

It is a holiday that recognized a people’s ability to overturn despair

Celia Norian, President Sondi Green & Libby Hoffman, Vice Presidents, Campaign Vernon Kozlen, Treasurer Bernard Reiter, Secretary Lainie Weil, President, Women’s Philanthropy Allan Lehmann & Phil Glass, Allocations Nancy Ditlove, Major Gifts Roberta Nyman, Immediate Past President Howard Levy, Immediate Past President

Board Joseph Bernstein Sandra Borns Elliott Cohen Ellen Glass James Graff-Radford Fran Kaufman

Jason Novack Allan Nyman Dr. Paul Ross Stephanie Ross Elisa Schwartz Sandy Seplow

Bruce Landgarten, Chief Executive Officer

Table of Contents Vol. 39 • No. 8

Calendar 22-23 Federation 2, 3, 20, 27, 32 Major Gifts 16-17 Women's Philanthropy 20-21 Food 31 Jewish Family Service 12 Purim Events 24 Schools 14, 27 Simchas & Classifieds 30 Temples 22 Tolerance Education Center 12 Tributes 18 2 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

and put joy in its place, to move from mourning to feasting.

The story of Purim reminds me that ONE person can make a difference. In the Megillah, it was Esther, a Jewish woman who becomes queen of Persia. Once in the palace, she keeps her religion a secret, at the advice of her uncle, Mordechai. Meanwhile, the evil counselor, Haman, secures the king’s permission for his plot to kill all the Jews of the empire. I’m sure you all recall what happens next. With extraordinary courage and ingenuity, Esther saves the day, bringing about an astonishing turn of events!

Today, we have the same power

and ability to change the world.

Your contributions to the annual campaign of the Federation make the difference in the lives of people both here in the Coachella Valley and around the world. We need ALL of you to join in this process of tikun olam, "repairing the world."

For us to achieve what is needed to take care of the vulnerable, to provide the programs necessary to enhance their lives, and to help children who are victims of “food insecurity,” we need ALL of you.

One person, joining with others, can – and does -- make a difference, but to succeed we need every ‘one.’ Thank you for joining us in this noble task. Happy Purim.

From the CEO

Challenges Bruce Landgarten Jewish Federation Chief Executive Officer

Federation is in the midst of important transitions. We are striving to modernize this organization, reviewing Federation’s relevance and roles, strengthening its competitive advantages and analyzing its internal structure. We see a clear need for

genuine integration of substance and decision making, to enhance our position in our region.

The future of our community and Federation does hold great promise, if we broaden the Federation base, attracting, teaching, training, and organizing. This Federation is seeking answers to questions, trying to enumerate and evaluate them.

Many of you are already engaged in this process and are working to effect change – through your community building, your committee participation, your generosity, your work as Federation and community professional staff, your philanthropic leadership. It is a heart-warming environment, and I am grateful to be

a part of it. But there is much more work to be done.

Our reason for existence, on the most basic level, is to care for our fellow Jews ... the totality of Jewish peoplehood ... KlalYisrael. The reality is that the need continues to be great. So many are living vulnerable existences.

22 percent of our children, according to the community study, are living in a poor household, even more children under the age of 12 dwelling in single parent households. We have to find more efficient and effective ways to reach out to those in need.

I believe that together we have the opportunity to raise the bar of excellence as a community and to have a significant impact on our

Jewish family. It is a chance to think beyond ourselves – to our community, to our next generation of leadership, to the future. And it is a chance to make change that will create a new era in our Jewish world that is built on the rigor and vigor of our rich heritage.

The challenge is to think differently, to define and design us differently, to think strategically, to help answer the questions before us so that we can expand our impact.

The challenges we face this year continue to be great, but we approach them with great optimism. Our vision is clear, our values are powerful, and our mission is compelling.

Milestone Birthdays Celebrated with Establishment of Fund for Jewish Youth When Tzedakah (righteousness) and the commitment to Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) are the guiding principles of a couple’s life, it should be no surprise that special milestones would be celebrated with generosity for those less blessed. But even with that mindset and lifetime of commitment to these principles, Barbara and Bernie Fromm never envisioned the gift from their children and grandchildren in honor of this year of special birthdays.

On behalf of her brothers, Michael and Lou, their daughter Davida set the stage when she told her parents, at a birthday lunch at Tamarisk Country Club two weeks ago, “We know how important it has been to you to pass on your love of Jewish tradition and values. And you did "good." We are all community leaders and synagogue members. We all love getting together to celebrate the holidays. We are all connected to and committed to the State of Israel. And we have you to thank for bringing us up to know that we do these things because it is our

Barbara and Bernie Fromm

responsibility and our privilege to be able to do so.

“You taught us what Judaism teaches, which is that Tzedakah is not a matter of compassion, but of implementing a just vision for the world ... Tzedakah means doing the right thing … And you have lived what Judaism teaches,

Yom HaShoah Keynote Speaker Claire Goldstein Simmons is a noted historian and educator driven by a passion to empower the next generation of Jews to embrace their history and solidify their future. The

child of Holocaust survivors, Claire is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is one of a handful of American guides who has successfully ventured inside Eastern European

which is that Tzedakah begins at home.

Your generosity to us and our children is unparalleled. From there, Tzedakah moves in concentric circles outward -your own community (which includes Israel) and your country. You’ve taken care of every community lucky enough to have you as a resident. And cultures to reveal the layers of the Jewish people’s contributions to western civilization and the brilliance of

according to the Talmud, greater than doing a mitzvah is one who causes others to do a mitzvah. If you really want to be effective, wake others up to the problem and mobilize their efforts.

You've been doing that since I can remember -- with Federation meetings often taking place in our home when I was a young child. These gifts you gave us -- by how you've lived your lives -- are greater than all the material things in the world.

“We wanted to do something significant to honor your lifetime commitment to Jewish philanthropy through Federation. We also wanted to incorporate your work on Jewish education and your work on behalf of children and families.”

Davida then invited Bruce Landgarten, Jewish Federation CEO, to announce the family’s gift in honor of their parents, the establishment and initial endowing of the Barbara and Bernie Fromm Jewish Youth Enrichment Fund at the Jewish Federation of the Desert.

Jewish heritage. She has and written and lectured widely on Jewish civilization, American Jewish memory, the Holocaust, and ‘Klal Israel’ the unity of the Jewish people.

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'Diary of Anne Frank' Vandalized in Libraries Across Tokyo

by AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff

Scores of copies of Anne Frank's "Diary of a Young Girl" kept in public libraries across Tokyo have been vandalized, officials said, sparking alarm amid a rightward shift in Japan's politics. Pages in at least 250 copies of the diary or publications containing biographies on Anne Frank, Nazi persecution of Jews and related materials have been torn, the council of public libraries in the capital said.

More than a dozen books have also been damaged at libraries in two other nearby areas, media reported.

"We have complaints from five of (Tokyo's 23) wards so far but I don't yet know exactly how many libraries are affected," Satomi Murata, the head of the council, told AFP. "We don't know why this happened or who did it." "Each book had 10-20 pages torn out, leaving it unusable," said Kaori Shiba, the archives director at the central library in Shinjuku ward, where 39 books were vandalized at three libraries.

Toshihiro Obayashi, deputy director of the central library in the

Suginami area, said 119 books have been damaged at 11 of its 13 public libraries, adding nothing like this had ever happened before. "Each and every book, which comes up under the index of Anne Frank, has been damaged at our library," Obayashi said.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, the U.S.-based international Jewish rights group, said on its website it was shocked and concerned. "The geographic scope of these incidents strongly suggest an organized effort to denigrate the memory of the most famous of the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered by the Nazis in the World War II Holocaust," Abraham Cooper, the center's associate dean, said in a statement. "Only people imbued with bigotry and hatred would seek to destroy Anne's historic words of courage, hope and love in the face of impending doom," Cooper added.

"We are calling on Japanese authorities to step up efforts to identify and deal with the perpetrators of this hate campaign."

The diary was added to the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Memory of 1945.

Yasumi Iwakami, a freelance journalist who writes on social causes in Japan, tweeted there had been sporadic "delusional" arguments about the existence of a Jewish conspiracy surrounding the Holocaust. "But violence has not presented itself to this extent before," he said, calling the incidents the "advent of crude antiSemitism".

The spree comes amid criticism of a rightwards shift in Japanese politics under nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with a recent volley of provocative comments about Japan's wartime past that have sparked accusations of revisionism by China and South Korea. Largely homogenous Japan does not have a very big Jewish community, with the vast majority of people believing in an admixture of imported Buddhism and indigenous Shintoism.

JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS A Publication of the Jewish Federation of the Desert VOL. 39, No. 8

EDITORIAL Bruce Landgarten, Chief Executive Officer Miriam H. Bent, Editor Bailey & Co., Layout & Design JCN STATEMENT The Jewish Community News seeks to provide news and feature material of special interest to its readership, and to create a heightened sense of Jewish identity through the dissemination of information about people, events and issues at home and abroad. The JCN seeks to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions in the Jewish community.

The JCN is published monthly, ten months a year by the Jewish Federation of the Desert, 69-710 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, 760-324-4737, fax 760-324-3154.

Articles & Advertising, Miriam H. Bent, Editor 760-323-0255, fax 760-320-6085, e-mail-mhbentjcn@earthlink.net ADVERTISING The JCN does not endorse the goods or services advertised in its pages and makes no representation as to the kashrut of food products and services in such advertising.

The publisher shall not be liable for damages if, for any reason whatsoever, it fails to publish an advertisement or for any error in an advertisement. Acceptance of advertisers and of advertising copy is subject to the publisher’s approval.

The JCN is not responsible if ads violate applicable laws and the advertiser will indemnify, hold harmless and defend the JCN from all claims made by government agencies and consumers for any reason based on ads carried in the JCN.

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Star Wars-style Laser Shield Aims to Protect all of Israel from Short-range Rockets

Rafael unveils Iron Beam defense system to intercept drones, rockets and missiles; Will complement Iron Dome

The Times of Israel

An Israeli state-owned arms company developing a laser-based missile shield that evokes “Star Wars” style technology says its deployment over the country is closer to becoming a reality. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said development of the system was advanced enough for the company to be comfortable with publicizing it February 14th at the Singapore Airshow, which is Asia’s largest aerospace and defense exhibition.

The laser technology behind the missile shield called Iron Beam is not that far removed from fiction.

“It’s exactly like what you see in Star Wars,” said company spokesman Amit Zimmer. “You see the lasers go up so quickly like a flash and the target is finished.”

Iron Beam is designed to intercept close-range drones, rockets and mortars which might not remain in the air long enough for Israel’s current Iron Dome missile defense system to intercept.

Iron Dome batteries have shot down hundreds of rockets launched

by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip at Israeli cities. With no peace deal in sight and also threatened by Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel wants to beef up that system and develop further protection.

Avnish Patel, an expert in military sciences at the Royal United Services

Institute, said Iron Beam is potentially an effective addition to Israel’s defenses rather than a drastic change.

“Essentially, its military and tactical utility will be particularly useful in complementing the already proven Iron Dome system in tackling very short range threats such as rockets and mortar fire and in close quarter engagements,” he said.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said test data show Iron Beam lasers are blasting away more than 90 percent of their targets. The new system can also be modified so that multiple lasers can be used to hit a target, according to the company. But officials remain tight lipped as to when and how the Iron Beam will be deployed.

Zimmer, the company spokesman, said it took 15 engineers about five years to work on the technology involving solid-state lasers. It works by shooting laser beams at targets which are heated so rapidly they disintegrate in an instant. “It’s very accurate and will help avoid collateral damage,” Zimmer said at the company’s booth at the airshow exhibition hall. “When you use lasers, you have an unlimited magazine.”

Besides Iron Beam and Iron Dome, Israel is also developing the next phase of its Arrow system which can intercept missiles in space and the upcoming David’s Sling, which shoots down short and mid-range ballistic

missiles.

But some feel Israel, which gets significant funding from key ally the U.S. for missile defense capabilities, is going overboard. Fanar Haddad, a research fellow from the Middle East Institute in Singapore, said Israeli military superiority in the region was so firmly established that Iron Beam was unlikely to change anything in the short or medium term. “The development of another layer says more about Israeli paranoia,” he said.

“The possibility of a conventional attack against Israel is next to nil and there is hardly a need for five layers of missile defense systems.”

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

would not comment on how much Iron Beam would cost or how much has been invested in it so far. “It’s very hard to say. We’re still testing and it can be modified in many different ways,” Zimmer said.

Other nations and private companies may be keen on using the laser based technology to protect against attacks.

Israel has become one of the world’s leading weapons exporters.

Israeli arms companies often point out that they bring with them years of firsthand experience from conflicts with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, jihadi militants in Egypt’s Sinai desert and Hezbollah guerrillas.

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After Soda Stream Factory Visit, Presbyterian Church Leaders Reject Boycotts

by Maayana Miskin, Arutz Sheva & JPost.com

A delegation of 14 leaders from the Presbyterian clergy, a church that in the past supported boycotting Israeli products manufactured in Judea and Samaria, arrived February 14 to visit Israel. The visit was organized by the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL); the delegates' goal was to discover Israel personally and to better understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Representatives from the Presbyterian Church, which has an estimated six million followers, visited the Soda Stream factory which is located in Maaleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem.

They spoke to representatives from the management and several employees.

While some United States-based religious groups, such as Evangelicals and Mormons, are known for their support of Israel, the Presbyterian Church has historically been critical of Israel, and has even supported

boycotts of Israeli products such as “Ahava” and “Dkalim”.

Soda Stream factory, located in Maale Adumim, employs 1300 employees; 500 are Palestinian Arabs from Judea and Samaria, 450 are Israeli Arabs and Jews. The company sees its factory as an oasis of peace.

The company recently found itself the focus of controversy as actress Scarlett Johansson came under fire for signing on to advertise Soda Stream products.

(See article page 24).

The Presbyterian delegates told representatives from Soda Stream that the visit to the factory strengthened their belief that the location of the factory enhances the business as well as the interpersonal relations between the Israelis and Palestinians and that they will express their support of Israel to the church administration and followers.

Ruby Shamir, Executive Director of AIFL Israel, stated, "These days

when there are many voices calling to boycott Israel both in the business and academia regions, it is crucial to bring leaders and influential figures to change these ideas and to help form a In 2012, over 100 mainstream American Jewish organizations accused the Presbyterian Church's Israel Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) of promoting anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist propaganda.

In early 2014, the IPMN released a congregational study guide, titled "Zionism Unsettled," claiming that the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict is fueled by “pathology inherent in Zionism." Jewish groups expressed outrage when the guide was released last month. The president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Rabbi Steve Gutow, called the guide “worthy of a hate group, not a prominent American church.”

Presbyterians involved in Jewish-

positive and supportive opinion about Israel. This is yet another step towards the mission of the AIFL which is to strengthen the relationships between the American and Israeli people."

Christian dialogue expressed dismay over the guide in equally strong terms and say they are pressing the leadership of their church to renounce the study guide.

The controversial guide prompted church leaders to release a statement saying that IPMN "speaks to the church and not for the church."

However, Jewish groups have rejected the church’s efforts to disclaim responsibility for the guide. Ethan Felson, a vice president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, noted that the Israel/ Palestine Mission Network is not a separate tax-exempt group and that the church processes contributions to the network.

Former CIA Head: Release Pollard

by Ari Soffer, Arutz Sheva

Former CIA Director James Woolsey has reiterated his call to release Jonathan Pollard, who is now in his 29th year behind bars in the U.S. on charges of spying for Israel.

Speaking exclusively to Arutz Sheva, Woolsey noted that the time Pollard has served already is unprecedented for the crimes he was convicted of; namely, spying for a U.S. ally. In the shady world of espionage, even friendly nations spy on each other, he pointed out, an argument Israeli leaders have made particularly ardently since revelations late last year that the U.S. was spying on its closest allies, including Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

"The U.S. has had friends and allies spy against it throughout its history," he said. "We have imprisoned South Korean-Americans, Greek-Americans, Filipino-Americans for spying on the U.S.... they stayed in prison for a few 6 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

years... two or three years, in one case close to 10 years - but that's all, not James Woolsey more than a quarter of a century!"

The former CIA chief challenged what he saw as Jonathan Pollard discrimination in the case of Pollard, saying he sees "no reason why Pollard should be treated differently than those spies were. He's long past having served any kind of parallel sentence.

What I tell the people who claim they want him to continue in prison is: why don't you just pretend he's a GreekAmerican and release him?"

David Propis & Friends

From Bimah to Broadway!

Musical Favorites from the Synagogue and the Broadway Stage.

Temple Isaiah presents

Chris Harden Trio

Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro

Hazzan David Propis

Cantorial Soloist Shira Fox

Master of Ceremonies Cantor Herschel Fox

Sunday, March 30, 2014 - 7 pm Temple Isaiah, 332 West Alejo Road, Palm Springs TICKETS

Lower general seating $36 • Upper general seating $54 “Gold” seating $72 • “Patron” seating $125 “Exclusive” seating with meet and greet $225

Assigned seating for every category!

Order your tickets now. Call Ellen Grosser at 760-568-0024 or email ellen@ellengrosser.com

Report: Egypt Creating Buffer Zone on Gaza-Sinai Border, Destroys 10 Tunnels

By JPOST.com Staff

The Egyptian Army destroyed ten tunnels and seven homes on the border with the Gaza Strip in the Sinai Peninsula on February 15th, Palestinian new agency Ma'an reported. The homes destroyed were those that the tunnels were located in, an Egyptian security source told

Ma'an. Egyptian security source says that buffer would extend up to 500 meters in some areas.

The destruction of the tunnels is part of an Egyptian campaign to create a buffer zone along the border with Gaza in the town of Rafah that would extend 300 meters in populated

areas and 500 meters in open areas, according to the security source.

The Egyptian Army also safely detonated three explosive devices placed in military vehicles and armored cars in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, and it raided militant strongholds in the area.

The Egyptian Army and police in the Sinai have been targeted by Islamist rebels persistently since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi last year.

4 Killed as Tourist Bus in Egypt's Sinai Explodes En Route to Israel

By The Times of Israel and Yaakov Lappin, Reuters

An explosion tore through a bus carrying South Korean Christian tourists from the southern Sinai Peninsula to the Israeli border on Sunday, killing four people and injuring around 15.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said three tourists and an Egyptian bus driver lost their lives in the attack, adding that the bus was traveling from St. Catherine's Monastery, a popular tourist destination in the south Sinai,

to nearby Israel when it was attacked by terrorists.

The ministry did not state the cause of

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8 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

the blast. But Reuters cited two Egyptian security sources as saying that an explosive device planted either inside or near the bus was used. The bomb, which went off some 50 meters from Israel, appeared to have been activated minutes before the passengers were due to exit the vehicle and the border on foot, via the Taba terminal.

Residents of Eilat heard the attack, and reported seeing smoke rising from across the border. The Israel Defense Force’s Southern Command and the Magen David Adom(MDA) paramedic organization went on high alert after the bombing. MDA ambulances lined up on the Israeli side of the Taba crossing to receive the wounded and transfer them to Joseftal Hospital in Eilat but Egypt hospitalized all of the wounded in its own facilities. MDA had contacted representatives from the Red Crescent to facilitate any needed assistance.

Some Egyptian media reported that the Sinai-based terror organization, Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis, was behind the incident. Al-Qaida-inspired Islamist militants based in the largely lawless Sinai have stepped up attacks on security forces since army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted elected president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in July. If militants were behind Sunday's attack, that would mark a shift in strategy to targeting tourists and economic targets and not just Egyptian police and soldiers.

Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou said he was "very disappointed" by the attack, which revived memories of an Islamist insurgency in the 1990s. "I hope this will be an isolated incident that will not reoccur, this is my wish.

I'm reassuring that all the rest of the country is safe and secure and what happened can happen anywhere in the world," Zaazou told Reuters.

Peres Sets Guinness Record with Largest Online Class

Israel 21c

Israeli President Shimon Peres delivered an online civics class to over 9,000 high school students across Israel on February 6, 2014 and set a Guinness World Record while doing it. The class was delivered from Cisco Systems headquarters and was broadcast live to classrooms using Telepresence technology.

Guinness World Records Senior Vice President Marco Frigatti acknowledged the record – and added a surprise for Peres.

“We immediately liked this new record idea for three reasons; first because talking about civics and talking about democracy is relevant for everybody in the world and the contribution we make is so important a topic for the young generation. The second important aspect was that we had a special feature, a person who has seen the country from its origins to today and who better to speak to the students. The third part was about the technology, a web based solution that can be used within education to keep

everyone connected and informed.

The number to beat for this record was 5,000 participants . . . which means the president of the State of Israel and all the students are Guinness World Record holders,” Frigatti said.

He added: “I have an interesting surprise because you’re holding two records; not only have you taught a wonderful civics lesson but you’re also the oldest head of state in the world.”

After the record was announced Peres thanked Guinness World Records, Cisco Systems and most importantly the pupils at the Amal Schools across the country. “This record should really be for all the students who participated, they created this record. We have to spread education; this is about encouragement of that goal. The more that can participate in these sorts of lessons the better. What we have to do is invest at least as much in education as we have in entertainment and make it approachable to all pupils,” said Peres.

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2014 Holocaust Essay and Art Contest

The Jewish Federation of the Desert, in partnership w i t h t h e To l e r a n c e Education Center, invites submissions for the 2014 Holocaust Essay and Art Contest.

The United States’ 2014 National Days of Remembrance of the Holocaust are April 27 through May 4, 2014. The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., in accordance with Congressional mandate, has designated Confronting the Holocaust: American Responses as the theme for this year’s Holocaust Days of Remembrance observance and it will be the theme for the Coachella Valley Essay and Art Contest.

The contest is open to all students, grades 8-12 in the Coachella Valley, including home schooled students, or who are high school seniors who may graduate high school any time during the application year, or who are enrolled in a high school equivalency program.

Essays and art projects are due no later than March 28, 2014. Early submissions are encouraged. Winners will be presented with their awards at the annual “Yom HaShoah” (Holocaust Remembrance Day) ceremony on April 27, 2014.

Each student may submit one essay and/or one art entry only. Using the Holocaust as historical backdrop, your essay or art submission should: a. Discuss some of the American responses during the Holocaust and how do they compare to what is happening in the world today. b. What must you as young people learn from these responses? c. Why is it vital that we ask ourselves about the lessons we learn from the consequences of action-and of inaction during the Holocaust? d. Why is it vital that these lessons be passed on to new generations?

The Art Contest can include sculptures, drawings, photographs, paintings, posters, or a collage. There are two divisions for both art and writing categories: Division 1: 8-9th grade; and Division 2: 10-12th grade. First, second and third prizes will be awarded in each division for both writing and art. Prizes are: First place — $300 and a certificate; Second place — $200 and a certificate; Third place — $100 and a certificate.

All entries remain the property of the Jewish Federation of Palm Springs and Desert Area and the Tolerance Education Center and will not be returned. By participating, permission is granted to publish winning entries in brochures, flyers, other publications and exhibitions. Photo reproductions of winning entries may also be made available to the news media. Winning entries will be displayed at the Tolerance Education Center and on its website.

Specific criteria and rules may be obtained by calling Melisse Banwer or Talia Lizemer-Hawley at 760-328-8252 or emailing thawley@ toleranceeducationcenter.org.

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Jewish Family Service of the Desert “Count on us… for life”

801 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 202 Palm Springs, CA 92262 (760) 325-4088 www.jfsdesert.org

We show free movies each week on Wednesdays, at 10:00 am and 1:30 pm.

Call us for the March schedule.

Jewish Family Service of the Desert is pleased to announce our upcoming exciting events:

“Honoring Michael Childers” March 6, 2014 Hard Rock Hotel, Palm Springs

The Tolerance Education Center proudly presents

“One Night Only” April 23, 2014 McCallum Theater

MARCH CABARET SERIES PROGRAM

Contact JFS at 760-325-4088 for more information

PROGRAMS & SERVICES For further information about these services and others, please call the JFS office, 760-325-4088.

COUNSELING & FAMILY SUPPORT: Experienced therapists help individuals, couples, and families address life's challenges.

David McBride

Friday, March 28, 2014 – 4 pm $20. Reservations required.

MUSIC AND THE HOLOCAUST A Lecture-Recital

DESERT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAM: JFS counselors serve elementary school children in Palm Springs Unified School District with on-site counseling and now with a new 5th grade curriculum to teach drug refusal and interpersonal skills to prepare them for success in middle school.

SOLUTIONS FOR SENIORS: Serves older adults to maintain independence and help them enjoy a higher quality of life.

JEWISH BEREAVEMENT GROUP: Free to the local community. This group meets every Wednesday at the JFS Palm Springs office, 3.30-5.00 p.m.

FRIENDLY VISITORS: JFS volunteers visit home bound seniors to provide companionship and support.

Brian Nedvin, DMA

SHABBAT- IN- A- BAG: JFS volunteers provide companionship and celebration during the Shabbat observance to home bound seniors.

Brian Nedvin presents a repertoire of songs that is part of the legacy, the very soul of the Jewish people, and reminds the world that these people lived, suffered, longed for vengeance, loved, dreamed, prayed and, tragically, died.

Sunday, April 13, 2014 – 3 pm $25. Reservations required.

760-328-8252

CAFÉ EUROPA GROUP: Social programming for holocaust survivors. Transportation available, please call Julie Hirsh for dates, times & more information 760-325-4088 X 109

The Desert Holocaust Memorial is located in the Palm Desert Civic Center Park at San Pablo Avenue & Fred Waring Drive.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit this moving memorial, a place of remembrance and monument of hope.

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LUNCH IN & OUT PROGRAM: Bi- monthly activity program for homebound seniors.

Participants take part in social activities; transportation and lunch are provided. Some restrictions apply. Please call Lisa Schmid for further information and to register 760779-9400. X 205.

Aleph Academy: It’s Not Your Parents’ Hebrew School

By Boruch Werdiger

For the past few decades, poll, a f t e r s u r v e y, a f t e r s t u d y, have unfailingly demonstrated the tremendous impact attending a summer camp can have on Jewish identity. Whether it’s attachment to Israel, marrying within the faith, or assuming a community leadership position later on in life, Jewish camps have been proven to be the affiliation kingpin.

The reasons for these camps’ success are fairly easy to understand.

In the words of one Jewish Telegraphic Agency reader who wrote to the news service: “Most of my Jewish day school friends are no longer involved in the Jewish community, but the boards I sit on (e.g. Jewish Federation, JCC, young adult groups) are full of camp kids. Day schools educate the child’s head; overnight camps take hold in their heart.”

The only problem in relying on summer camps as an educational tool, of course, is that, well, they’re only in the summer. Other then months of June, July, and August, it’s all schooldesks, chairs, and blackboards.

Looking to fill the gap in local Jewish schooling options, Shaindy Friedman knew that perpetual blue skies notwithstanding, Jewish children in the Desert would be faced with much the same conundrum.

But to her, the solution was simple:

Why not try and recreate the camp experience all year-round?

After several years of directing the Sunshine Circle, a local teen education and activism initiative, Shaindy, with the assistance of the Jewish Federation of the Desert, created an innovative Hebrew school experience: Aleph Academy.

The Academy operates four times a week after regular school hours, offering a Jewish educational experience for elementary-age students. But instead of the uninspired monotony that is all too often associated with Hebrew school, this program attempts to shake things up a little.

Inspired by the Montessori Method, which creates a more autonomous learning environment for children, the Aleph Academy encourages the student to take the lead in a range of academic and art-based learning activities. Recently, students worked to create and perform a TV show script depicting a story from Jewish History, complete with commercials, and a weather report. Another current lesson works to cultivate ethical decisions by presenting numerous day-to-day challenges which students pair with proper reactions and responses.

Whether it’s challah-baking, weaving, or a lesson on Jewish ethics, the student is empowered to take charge of his or her own learning, and to fully engage with it.

The teaching staff guides each

14 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

student to an activity he or she can properly appreciate, as opposed to lecturing the entire class at once.

Think of it as less demagogue, more pedagogue.

In the eyes of the teachers, music, art, and creative expression are as critical to the program as learning the Hebrew letters and holiday traditions. In all, the result is an organic learning atmosphere, with motivated, stimulated students.

According to Shaindy, this approach is not only more effective, but is also rooted in profound perspective on Jewish education. “The Chabad Chassidic ethos has always spoken of every Jew’s innate bond to their heritage,” she says. “All we hope to do is try and foster the connection that is already there.”

Currently, 22 students are enrolled at the Academy, including the Aleph Scholars, a special middle school class given on Wednesdays. This fall Aleph Academy aims to open the doors of Aleph Preschool, an early childhood program dedicated to fostering the innate curiosity, wonder and joy of the young child in a nurturing Jewish environment.

Aleph Academy speaks to both the head, and the heart: It aims to be a place of learning - like any Hebrew school - but also a place of joy, where Judaism is always exciting and engaging - like any good summer camp.

Shaindy Friedman can be reached at shaindy@sunshinecircle.org or 760413-4425.

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Sandy Norian, Federation President Celia Norian, guest speaker Noam Gershony and Jewish Federation CEO Bruce Landgarten.

Sondi & Bruce Green Michelle Sweetwood, Jamie Kabler, Maddie Redstone Joan Holland, Eli Glassman, Barbara Fremont Milton & Debra Star, Annette & Ted Lerner JFNA President & CEO Jerry Silverman, Jane & Larry Sherman Dinner Co-chair Nancy Ditlove, Dennis Ditlove and Shari Snow Libby & Buddy Hoffman Bruce Landgarten, Noam Gershony, Dinner Co-chair Marjorie Kulp & Stephen Kulp Bob & Alice Abt, Lawrence Wolf, Marilyn Malkin Bobbi Holland Frances Horwitz, Elliott & Judith Cohen Past Federation President Henry Freund & Joyce Freund Edith & Arnold Familian

15 16 17 18 19 20

Jerry Halperin Bernie Plack & Shelli Goodman Bernard & Janet Reiter Noam Gershony, speaker Barbara & Bernie Fromm Past Federation President Howard Levy, Patricia Levy, Audrey & Joseph Bernstein 21 Mort & Sandy Kirshner 22 Sherry & Howard Schor 23 Sig Feiger & Rose Grossinger 24 Harvey Lambert & Jane Effress 25 Ron and Susan Langus 26 Lana & Mendy Landa 27 Larry & Eileen Zoll 28 Carol & Alan Parsow 29 Alan & Marilyn Eager 30 Trena & Stanley Greitzer 31 Jim Mills & Lois Zoller 32 Federation Past Presidents Allan & Roberta Nyman 33 Stephanie & Dr. Paul Ross 34 Nora Kaufman 35 Bill & Joanne Chunowitz 36 Lois and Mitch Johnson 37 Richard & Barbara Rosenfield 38 Bob & Gail Scadron 39 Ed & Sande Fineman

40 Past Federation President Barbara Platt and Stan & Gail Richards 41 Past Federation President Larry Pitts & Cathy Pitts 42 Philip & Ellen Glass 43 Hal & Dianne Gershowitz 44 Leonard Sherman 45 Joni & Donald Maltzman 46 Charles & Isabel Diamond 47 Ruth and Morris Beschloss 48 Gary & Phyllis Schahet, Bob & Wendy Goodfriend 49 Lori & Brad Fritz, Susan & Dr. Robert Diamond 50 Ronnie & Barbara Kahn 51 Fran & Sam Belzberg 52 Bernard Mars 53 Howard & Gail Stone 54 Don and Nora Rado 55 Cookie Miller, Gary & Linda Nathanson, Enid Goldman 56 Carol & Bill Kaplan 57 Adrienne Garland & Carl Levine 58 Helen Varon 59 Bobbie Stern 60 Bob & Rita Phillips 61 Myra & Maurice Paperny 62 Mal & Ruth Kaufman

JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 17

Tribute Card Donations Sending tributes and memorials is a meaningful way to honor loved ones.

Honorarium Tributes –

In Appreciation For:

• Judith and Bob Appelbaum, Thank you for a wonderful evening, from Judith and Elliott Cohen.

• Tom and Lois Davidson, Thank you for a wonderful evening, from Judith and Elliott Cohen.

• Bob Fraiman, Wishing you a wonderful birthday, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg.

• Margot and Jerry Halperin, Thank you for the lovely Super Bowl Party, from Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.

All contributions received by the Jewish Federation for Tribute Cards are placed in our special Tzedakah Fund, which provides direct monetary intervention for needy Jews living in the Coachella Valley.

lovely evening, from Barbara Schrayer.

• Bobbie Stern, Thank you for a wonderful party, from Susie and Bob Diamond.

• Carol and Dick Sukman, Thank you for a wonderful evening, from Rhoda and Ira Brickell.

• Jean Willens, Thank you for a lovely afternoon, from Ellen Glass.

• Jean Willens, Sending you birthday wishes, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg and Lila Rauch.

• Shelly and Steve Zucker, Thank you for the lovely Super Bowl Party, from Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.

• Libby and Buddy Hoffman, In honor of your 62nd wedding anniversary, from Ann Hoffman and Brian Heitsley.

Refuah Shleimah –

• Libby Hoffman, Congratulations on your well-deserved Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award, from Gail and Bob Scadron.

• Ellen Bakst, Wishing you a speedy recovery, from Margot and Jerry Halperin.

• Malvin and Ruth Kaufman, Thank you for a wonderful evening, from Judith and Elliott Cohen.

• Micki Goldner, Hoping you’re doing well after your surgery, from Pat and Howard Levy.

• Nora Kaufman, Thank you for a wonderful evening, from Judith and Elliott Cohen.

• Susan Good, Wishing you a speedy recovery, from Margot and Jerry Halperin, Gail and Bob Scadron.

• Pat & Joan Kerns, Thank you for a lovely evening, from Pat and Howard Levy.

• Mary Levey, Sending you birthday wishes, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg.

• Mr. and Mrs. Lester Morris, Thank you for a beautiful evening, from Ron and Muriel Goldberg. Ruth and Mal Kaufman, Leslie and Barry Usow.

• Butzy Nathanson, In honor of your special birthday, from Susie and Bob Diamond.

Get Well Wishes To:

• Stanley Goodman, Our thoughts and prayers are with you, from Pat and Howard Levy, Barbara Platt and Norman Lewis.

• Myra Halpern, Best wishes for a speedy recovery, from Gail and Bob Scadron.

• Arthur Jacobson, Wishing you a speedy recovery, from Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.

Robert Trainoff, Myra and Hilly Spira, and Barbara Wishner.

• Dusty Bernstein and Family, Our deepest condolences. Bernie will be missed, from Doreen and Harold Fishbein.

• Esther Brown and Family, In memory of your beloved husband Edward, from Ruth and Mal Kaufman.

• Mitch Johnson, In memory of your brother, from Libby and Buddy Hoffman, Pat and Howard Levy.

• Norman Lewis, Deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved son Scott, from Judith and Elliott Cohen, Edith and Arnold Familian, Celia and Sandy Norian, Allan and Roberta Nyman, Barbara Platt, Stephanie and Paul Ross, Jay and Mimi Spencer.

• Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Mandell, Our deepest sympathy on the loss of your beloved brother, from Gail and Bob Scadron.

• Corine Rivkin, In memory of your beloved husband Norman, from Ruth and Mal Kaufman.

• Gladys Rubenstein Family, In memory of Gladys, from Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.

• Ann Schnessel, In memory of your beloved brother, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg.

• Mickey and Debra Star, In memory of your brother, from Judith and Elliott Cohen.

• Claude and Chickie Steinberger, In memory of your mother Alice, from Suzanne and Jeff Feder.

• Trudie and Eddie Schwartz, Thank you for the birthday party for Eddie, from Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.

• Paula Kozlen, Thinking of you and wishing you good health, from Barbara Platt.

• Eddie Schwartz, Happy big birthday, from Judy and Mel Hecktman, Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.

Memoriam Tributes –

• Bernice Strull and Family, Condolences on the loss of your husband, father and grandfather, from Betty and Allan Donen.

• Judy Becker, In memory of your beloved husband Bill, from Eileen Miller and

• Marjorie Verby, Condolences on the passing of your beloved husband Stanley, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg.

• Jane and Larry Sherman, Thank you for a

Condolences Sent To:

Support the 2014 Federation Campaign 18 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

Libby Hoffman to Receive Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award

By Roberta Nyman, Past President of Jewish Federation of the Desert and Women’s Philanthropy, and 2012 Kipnis Wilson Friedland Award Recipient

Women’s Philanthropy proudly announces the selection of Libby Hoffman as its 2014 Kipnis-Wilson/ Friedland Award recipient. She will be honored at the Lion of Judah Conference in New York September 8-10, 2014.

In 2004, National Women’s Philanthropy announced the establishment of the Kipnis-Wilson/ Friedland award in recognition of Norma Kipnis-Wilson and Toby Friedland, founders of the Lion of Judah pin. Introduced in 1972 for the Miami Women’s division campaign, under their leadership, the Lion of Judah pin has firmly established itself as a symbol of commitment to the

worldwide Jewish community. This award recognized extraordinary women who have set a high standard for philanthropy and volunteerism in their communities.

Since its inception, four women from our community have been recipients: Barbara Platt in 2004, Cora Ginsberg in 2008 Celia Norian in 2010, and Roberta Nyman in 2012.

Libby Hoffman was born and reared in Chicago and she and Buddy have a home in Highland Park, Illinois. She has always been active in charitable

work, serving as an officer in her temple and organizing fundraising events for Jewish United Fund in Chicago. However, she has extended her considerable energies to our desert community as well.

She has been active in the Contemporary Art Council of the Palm Springs Art Museum and served as president of the Women’s Committee, now known as the Museum Affiliates Council, for two years.

Within the Jewish community, Libby embodies the spirit and vision of Lion of Judah through her tireless commitment and passionate feelings of responsibility for tzedakah and tikkum olam. She serves on the Women’s Philanthropy

Board, while concurrently serving on the Federation’s Board of Directors, where she has been Major Gifts chair and is now Co-Vice President of Campaign.

She has endowed her Lion of Judah to ensure the continuity of her annual campaign gift, and has, with her husband, contributed to the naming rights campaign in our new building.

Libby will join a group of women who have set an example for their family and all who know them, through their commitment to make a difference in their community and – beyond - to make the world a better place.

Researchers Reveal that Organic Agriculture Can Pollute Groundwater

By Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), using specialized monitoring technology, have determined that intensive organic agriculture in greenhouses in Israel can cause significant pollution from nitrate leaching into groundwater.

Public demand has led to the rapid development of organic farming in recent years to provide healthy food products that are free of chemical additives and to reduce industrial and groundwater pollution worldwide.

But, according to the paper published in Journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, intensive organic matter using composted manure prior to planting resulted in significantly higher groundwater pollution rates compared

with liquid fertilization techniques.

The study usedVadose Zone Monitoring System technology developed at BGU and commercialized by Sensoil Innovations Ltd. to compare the water quality across the entire unsaturated zone under organic and conventional greenhouses in Israel. The system is designed to monitor liquid, gas and soil hydraulic properties and allows real time continuous tracking of water in deep sections of the vadose zone, from land surface to groundwater. It is currently being used in more than 25 commercial and research sites in the United States, Israel, Spain, Namibia, and South Africa.

While groundwater pollution is usually attributed to a large array of

20 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

chemicals, high nitrate concentration in aquifer water is the main cause for drinking-water well shutdowns.

The down leaching of nitrates under intensive organic farming is due to nutrient release from the compost to the soil during the early stages of the growing season. In this stage, nutrient uptake capacity of the young plants is very low and down leaching of nitrates to the deeper parts of the vadose zone and groundwater is unavoidable.

The new study also determined that liquid fertilizing techniques through drip irrigation result in comparatively lower groundwater pollution rates.

The study, funded by the Israel Water Authority, was conducted in commercial greenhouses on the

Southern part of the coastal aquifer in Israel.

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Celia Norian* 5 WP Campaign VP Stephanie Ross & Judith Cohen* 6 Helene Galen, Sheila Sloan, Lola Pawer & Annette Lerner 7 Barbara Fromm & Annette Novack* 8 Libby Hoffman, Dorothy Goldstein & Roberta Nyman* 9 Rose Grossinger, Barbara Fremont, Joan Holland & Lois Johnson 10 Toby Berman & Debra Star 11 Sondi Green & Susan Rothschild

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30 12 Leah Stern & Carol Horwich Luber 13 Harriet Bernstein, Marjorie Kulp, Frances Horwich & Libby Hoffman 14 Edith Familian, Barbara Platt* & Sande Fineman 15 Lori Fritz, Nancy Ditlove, Diane Cohen & Susan Diamond 16 Lana Landa, Beryl Libin & Ann Lehrer 17 Nora Rado & Judy Hecktman 18 Judith Appelbaum & Lois Zoller 19 Fran Kaufman*

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31 20 Gail Scadron, Barbara Kahn, Sherry Schor & Judy Ehrlichman 21 Joni Maltzman & Ruth Kaufman 22 Esther Shepard, Bette Cooper & Joanne Chunowitz 23 Nancy Siwak and Joanne Chunowitz 24 Ellen Glass 25 Marion Cowle & Roberta Nyman* 26 Elaine Blitz, Joyce Freund & Jacqueline Rudman 27 Donna Levitas & Pat Levy

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28 Barbara Cook, Pearle Rae Levey & Helen Greene 29 Carol S. Lewis, Leslie Usow, Leah Stern, Ilene Goldberg & Thelma Schnitzer 30 ElIse Sacks, Nora Spak & Marilyn Malkin 31 Betty Feinberg, Helen Stern & Mildred Conney 32 Bobbie Stern & Dorothy Palay * Women’s Philanthropy Past Presidents

Local Temples

March Shabbat Schedule

BETH SHALOM

(Member, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism) Ken Hailpern, Spiritual Leader 79-733 Country Club Drive Bermuda Dunes bethshalom18@wordpress.com 760-200-3636

Centro Cultural Hebreo de Mexicali

(Conservative) Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico Contact: Ron Cohen www.judiosdemexicali.com 760-960-3392 US (686) 216-7152 Mexico

CHABAD OF PALM SPRINGS & DESERT COMMUNITIES Rabbi Yonason Denebeim 425 Ortega, Palm Springs www.chabadpalmsprings.com 760-325-0774

CHABAD OF PALM DESERT A project of Chabad of Palm Springs & Desert Communities Rabbi Mendy Friedman www.chabadpd.com 760-969-2153 / 760-969-2158

CHABAD OF RANCHO MIRAGE A project of Chabad of Palm Springs & Desert Communities Rabbi Shimon Posner 72295 Via Marta, Rancho Mirage www.chabadrm.com 760-770-7785

Congregation HAR-EL

(Member, Union for Reform Judaism) Rabbi Richard Zionts Har-El Cultural Center 47-535 Hwy 74, Palm Desert harelurj@aol.com 760-779-1691

Congregation Shalom Bayit (Reform) Rabbis Larry and Linda Seidman 1320 Williams Ave., Banning Contact 951-769-3678/769-7514

Beth Shalom

Shabbat Services: 8:00 pm.

Oneg follows.

Friday, March 28: Guest speaker - Dr. Kurt Wegner “Jewish Genetic Diseases” Saturdays: Services 9:30 am, followed by sit down kiddush.

Morning minyan Mondays and Thursdays at 8:30 am, followed by light breakfast.

Chabad of Palm Springs Friday Shabbat services: 20 minutes after candle lighting time.

Saturday services: Morning 9:30 am; Women’s Torah Discussion, led by Sussie Denebeim during Kiddush at noon. Evening: same as evening before.

Chabad of Rancho Mirage

Friday Shabbat services: 5 pm March 7; 6 pm March 14, 21, 28.

Mincha followed by Kabbalat Shabbat: Shabbat morning: 10:00 am followed by sit down Kiddush.

Children’s Program/Service 11:15 am. Daily minyan: Shacharit services Monday-Friday 7:00 am; Sundays 8:00 am

TEMPLE ISAIAH

(Conservative) Rabbi Sally Olins 332 West Alejo Road, Palm Springs www.templeisaiahps.com 760-325-2281

TEMPLE SINAI

(Reform) Rabbi Glenn Ettman 73-251 Hovley Lane West, Palm Desert www.templesinaipd.org 760-568-9699

BIKUR CHOLIM

A project of Chabad of Palm Springs & Desert Communities (Community Outreach) Rabbi Yankel Kreiman www.BikurCholimPS.com 760-325-8076

Desert Hot Springs Jewish Community Shabbat service Friday, March 7 at 7 pm and Havdallah Plus Saturday, March 15 at 7 pm Mission Lakes Country Club, 8484 Clubhouse Drive, DHS, officiated by Rabbi Faith Tessler.

Har-El Congregation Member, Union for Reform Judaism. Kabbalat Shabbat Services Fridays at 5:00 pm followed by a speaker or discussion. March 7 Guests speakers: Kurt Wegner, MD & Anna Berkowitz, PhD “Jewish Hereditary Diseases.” March 28 Sabby Jonathan “Challenges Facing the Coachella Valley 2014-2020 and Beyond: Why Should We Care?”

Shalom Bayit (Banning) Havdallah the first Saturday of each month at 5:30 pm.

Shabbat Services the third Friday of the month at 7:30 pm.

Both held 1320 West Williams Street, Banning.

Temple Isaiah

Friday, March 7 Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 5:45 pm, preceded by challah, cheese and wine at 5:00 pm Friday Shabbat services March 14, 21, 28 - 7:30 pm, followed by an Oneg Shabbat.

Friday, March 7 – Cantor David Propis will be Guest Cantor in Residence.

Saturday mornings: Services 10:00 am. Kiddush following.

Saturday, March 8: Bar Mitzvah of Edward Sogolow.

Morning minyan 8:30 am Mondays and Thursdays.

Temple Sinai

Friday Shabbat services at 7:30 pm Friday, March 21: Shabbat Zimra Service Saturday: 8:45 am: Torah Study, 10:00 am - Shabbat services.

Centro Cultural Hebreo de Mexicali

Weekly Shabbat Services Friday at 7:00 pm, followed by dinner.

Saturday immediately before sunset: Havdallah.

March Community Calendar Tuesdays 5:30-7:30 pm Chabad of Rancho Mirage’s weekly BBQ. Reservations not required, but helpful: 760-770-7785.

Wednesdays 10:00 am and 1:30 pm The Tolerance Education Center offers free movies every Wednesday.

Call for schedule: 760-328-8252.

22 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

Wednesdays 3:30-5:00 pm Jewish Family Service Jewish Bereavement Group. Meets weekly at the JFS Palm Springs Office, 801 East Tahquitz Canyon. Free to local community and reservations not required.

Sunday, March 2 1:30 pm Temple Isaiah Lecture

Series presents Dr. Joshua Landis.

Renowned Expert on Syria. $15.

Tickets available at the door.

Monday, March 3, 10, 17, 24 7:00 pm Chabad of Rancho Mirage Men’s Torah Class with Rabbi Benny Lew. For more information call 760-636-2897 or email rabbibenny@chabadrm.com

March Community Calendar Continued Tuesday, March 4, 11, 18, 25 10 am Temple Sinai Yiddish Club Wednesday, March 5 6:45-8 pm Chabad of Rancho Mirage: Women’s Rosh Chodesh Society “Your Reason for Being.”

Call Chaya Posner, 760-2721923.

Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26 9:30 am Temple Isaiah adult education class Intermediate Hebrew.

Instructor: Rabbi Sally Olins.

Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26 10:00 am Chabad of Rancho Mirage women’s program “Caffeine for the Soul.” Call 760770-7785 for more information.

Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26 12 Noon Temple Sinai adult education course “Rabbi’s Lunch Class” with Rabbi Glenn Ettman.

Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26 1 pm Temple Sinai Bereavement Group Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26 4:00 pm Temple Isaiah adult education class: “The Kings: Saul, David & Solomon.” Instructor: Rabbi Sally Olins.

Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26 4:00-5:30 pm Federation Lecture Series “Making Moral and Ethical Choices” with Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer. See page 20.

Wednesdays, March 5, 12, 19 4:00-5:30 pm. Har-El Galen Trimester Course “The Patriarchs of Israel: Abraham, Jacob and Joseph.” Instructor: Dr. Marvin Sweeney, Claremont College of Theology. Fee. Call 760-779-1691.

Wednesday, March 5, 12, 19, 26 5:30 pm Temple Isaiah adult education class: Introduction

to Judaism. A class for persons considering conversion.

Instructor: Rabbi Sally Olins.

Thursday, March 6 9:00 am Sun City Hadassah.

Speaker: Celia Norian, Jewish Federation President: “Israel – The Negev, Where Dreams Come True.” Couvert $5. Sunset View Clubhouse, Sun City PD. RSVP: 760-772-4610.

Thursday, March 6 4:00 pm Beth Shalom Book Club Discussion “The Book Thief” Thursday, March 6, 13, 20, 27 6:30-7:45 pm Chabad of Rancho Mirage women’s evening option for “Caffeine for the Soul.”

Call 760-770-7785 for more information.

Friday, March 7, 14, 21, 28 9:30-10:30 am Temple Isaiah Torah Study with Rabbi Sally Olins.

Fridays, March 7, 14, 21 10-11:45 am Har-El Galen Trimester Course “End of Life Issues” with Rabbi Richard Zionts and Father Daniel Rondeau of St. Margaret’s Church. No fee. Call to register: 760-779-1691.

Monday, March 9 5:30 pm Tamar Hadassah Continental Breakfast Meeting, Mission Hills CC. Sybil Rubin reviews “Unorthodox, “The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots.” Couvert $13, pre-paid. Contact 760-341-0282.

Tuesday, March 10 10:00 am Temple Isaiah Book Club.

Book: Natasha Solomons’ “The Gallery of Vanished Husbands.”

Everyone welcome.

Tuesday, March 11 10:00 am Rimona Hadassah Light breakfast meeting. Montecito Clubhouse, Shadow Hills

Tuesday, March 11 11:30 am Temple Sinai Women’s Text and Torah Study.

Sunday, March 16 9:00 am JNF Complimentary Breakfast for Israel. Speaker: Larry Greenfield. RSVP by March 10 to Stacey Lewis 760-864-6208, ext. 964.

Sunday, March 16 5:00 pm Temple Sinai “Sinai Derby” See ad page 5.

Monday, March 17 10:30-11:45 am Har-El Galen Book Course: In the Garden of Beasts, Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, by Eric Larson, Reviewed

by Bob Schneeweiss, followed by discussion. New registrants welcome and should first register with the Har-El Office, 760-799-1691.

Monday, March 17 4-6 pm American ORT presents “ORT Saved My Life” The Legacy Continues, a special reception.

Tolerance Education Center.

See ad page 15.

Tuesday, March 18 11:00 am Temple Sinai Sisterhood Book Club.

Tuesday, March 18 5-7 pm StandWithUs Reception.

See ad page 9 for details.

RSVP required by March 14.

Wednesday, March 19, 26 5:30 pm Temple Sinai Happy Hour Judaism with Rabbi Glenn Ettman.

See ad page 6.

Thursday, March 20 11:30 am Na’Amat Golda Meir Chapter Luncheon at the Asian Bistro, 362 South Palm Canyon, Palm Springs. “Tribute to Goldie Member Speak Out.” Couvert: $15. RSVP to 760-408-0532.

Friday, March 21 10:00 am Brandeis National Committee Book, Author & Boutique. Renaissance Esmeralda Resort. $60. For informationcall Linda Seligman, 760-565-6880.

Sunday, March 23 12 Noon Beth Shalom Lunch, Movie & Discussion with Dr. Noam Arzt “The Gatekeepers.”

Reservations required.

Call 760-200-3636.

Sunday, March 23 4 pm Mensch Foundation film & discussion “Once There Was…” UCR Palm Desert Campus Auditorium. $15.

See ad page 10.

Tuesday, March 25 11:30 am Temple Sinai Sisterhood Luncheon. Call 760-568-9699.

Wednesday, March 26, April 2, 9 3-4:30 pm Har-El Galen Trimester Course “A New Look: Our Classic Manual of Religion, Legend and Lore, The Passover Haggadah.”

Instructor: Rabbi Hillel Cohn. Fee. Call 760-779-1691.

Friday, March 28 4:00 pm Tolerance Education Center Cabaret Series: David McBride Concert. $20. Seating limited. See page 12 for details.

Sunday, March 30 7:00 pm Temple Isaiah Cantor David Propis and Friends “From Bimah to Broadway.”

See ad page 7.

Monday, March 31 Women’s Philanthropy Day Trip to Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles “Life and Legacy of Anne Frank” exhibit. $50 includes ticket to exhibit, transportation and boxed lunch.

Space limited.

Call 760-324-4737.

JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 23

“Dump ScarJo over SodaStream,” BDS Movement Told Oxfam; Instead Johansson Dumps Oxfam The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement’s national committee called on Oxfam to end its relationship with actress Scarlett Johansson because of her role as spokesperson for SodaStream.

A statement published on the Alternative Information Center website called on Oxfam to “immediately sever ties with Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson over her vocal support for illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.” It continued, “Johansson’s defense of her

public relations role with occupation profiteer SodaStream undermines Oxfam’s stated opposition to economic relations with illegal Israeli settlements. Oxfam cannot credibly oppose illegal Israeli settlements

PURIM Celebrations in the Desert

Har-El

Saturday, March 15 - 6:15 pm Rabbinic/Cantorial Colloquium. Havdallah Services and Reading of Megillat Esther, followed by Judith Brin Ingber “Jewish Dance in the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Traditions Relating to Purim.” A cocktail reception will follow.

No charge. No reservations required.

Beth Shalom

Saturday, March 15 – 7 pm. Megillah reading and Purim Celebration

Chabad of Palm Springs Call 760-325-0774 for information.

Chabad of Rancho Mirage

Saturday, March 15 – 8 pm. Megillah reading following Maariv services.

Sunday, March 16 – Megillah readings throughout the day. Call for times and locations.

Temple Sinai

Sunday, March 16 – 9:30 am. Purim Family Education Day.

Temple Isaiah

Sunday, March 16 – 10:30 am Megillah reading followed by complimentary brunch (RSVP 760-325-2281)

Chabad’s “Purim in the Palace”

Sunday, March 16. Megillah reading 4:30 pm; dinner 5 pm. Music, dancing, masquerade competition, delicious buffet. Westin Mission Hills Resort, Rancho Mirage. RSVP: PREPAID by March 9: Adults $25, Children (2-12) $15,

Chai Five Kids Club (ages 5-12)

Sunday, March 9 Purim Unmasked. Call 760-272-1923 for more information.

CTeens

Sunday, March 9 4-6 pm Expresso Yourself @ Chabad of Rancho Mirage; and Saturday, March 15 9-10:30 pm Purim Celebration for Teens by Teens.

RSVP cteen@chabadrm.com.

24 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

in the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories), describing them as a root cause for poverty among Palestinians, while maintaining as an ambassador somebody who has deemed it appropriate to describe the establishment of an Israeli settlement factory on land from which Palestinians have been ethnically cleansed as a form of economic cooperation.”

SodaStream, an Israeli firm that manufactures home soda makers and has a factory in the West Bank, signed Johansson to be its first global brand ambassador. The company employs Israeli and Palestinian workers at its factory in the Maale Adumim settlement, located about eight miles from Jerusalem. Just last November, former Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell praised the Soda-Stream factory, calling it a "beacon of co-operation" between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Palestinian workers say they take home "three to four times the common wages in the territories as well as pensions and medical insurance."

Johansson, who is half-Jewish, served Oxfam as a global ambassador

for over 8 years, traveling to India, Sri Lanka and Kenya on behalf of Oxfam.

In India she personally provided three years' funding for an Oxfam school. By all accounts, including Oxfam's, she was a very successful and dedicated ambassador.

Johansson defended SodaStream and her involvement with the company. “I remain a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine,” Johansson wrote.

“SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbors working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights.”

Under pressure from the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, Oxfam voiced their unhappiness at their ambassador becoming involved with an Israeli company, i.e. SodaStream. Refusing to acquiesce to Oxfam’s request that she sever the relationship, Scarlett has given up her role as ambassador for Oxfam.

BDS Movement Calls on Rolling Stones to Cancel Plans to Play in Israel

By JPOST.COM STAFF and Arutz Sheva

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement wasted little time in trying to convince legendary British rockers The Rolling Stones to cancel their plans to perform in Israel for the first time. Just days after The Jerusalem Post broke the story that the Stones were closing in on a June 10 show at Ramat Gan Stadium, the BDS movement opened a Facebook page calling on the band to cancel their plans to play in Israel "due to the state's crimes against humanity."

It went on to say, “Now it is time to bring the Zionist regime to it's knees, be it by stones or with a swift kick to the wallet. Don't bother, Rolling

Stones. Israel will probably not exist come June.”

Previous BDS efforts failed to

stop R&B singer Alicia Keys from performing in Israel last year to a sold out concert in Tel Aviv. The pop duo Pet S h o p B oy s also rejected calls from proArab activists to cancel a Tel Aviv concert and went ahead with a June 23 concert last year. Pet Shop Boys member Neil Tennant said he

did not “agree with comparisons of Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.”

In December, the Stones’ bass player Darryl Jones visited Israel and performed with the Australian- based hard rockers Dead Daisies at a soldout show at the Barby Club in Tel Aviv. Also last year, Eric Burdon of the British band The Animals cancelled his performance in Israel because of political pressure then had a change of heart and arrived in Israel, where he performed with well-known Israeli band Tislam.

Iran’s Rouhani Donates Money to Jewish Hospital

By Elad Benari, Arutz Sheva

The New York Times reported on February 13 that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has donated $170,000 to Iran’s only Jewish hospital.

According to the report, this was Rouhani’s second such gesture since taking office. The official IRNA news agency said the president has given the same amount from government funds as he did last year to the Dr. Sapir charity hospital. The hospital was established in 1942 in the capital

President Hassan Rouhani

Tehran.

The donation is seen as part of Rouhani's pledge to pay more attention to the country's minorities.

It is also in contrast to his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who prompted an international outcry by denying the Holocaust took place while also calling for the destruction of Israel.

Shortly after taking office, Rouhani reached out to the Jewish community by sending it a greeting in honor of Rosh Hashanah.

He later stated in an interview on CNN that the Nazis committed a "reprehensible" crime against the

Jewish people during the Holocaust ... although Iran subsequently claimed that CNN had misrepresented Rouhani’s statements, claiming the network added the words "Holocaust" and "reprehensible" to its translation.

Iran's Jews number about 25,000, making it the largest Jewish community in any country in the Middle East outside of Israel.

Birthright Israel Expands Eligibility For almost 14 years, Birthright Israel has been providing free, educational trips to Israel for young Jewish adults ages 18-26 who have not previously been on a peer group trip. Our Federation provides funds to Birthright as we are firm supporters of their efforts.

Recently, Birthright announced that the organization has expanded the eligibility guidelines for the trip.

Teenagers who went on an educational trip to Israel during high school were previously not eligible for Birthright trips, but can now participate,

providing they were u n d e r 18 when they went.

Those who have taken educational trips to Israel after turning 18 are still not eligible for Birthright.

"For many years we thought about changing eligibility guidelines and everybody wanted to have it, but it was a matter of funding," said Noa Bauer, Birthright’s vice president of

international marketing. The change was prompted by the increased antiIsrael activities on college campuses, and the realization that young people who have the additional exposure to Israel through visiting with Birthright Israel have more confidence to talk about Israel, and geopolitics, and anything pertaining to. Bauer notes, “Birthright Israel is one of the best platforms to do that for college students.”

This change in guidelines will go into effect this summer.

JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 25

Proposed Law to Exert Pressure on Extreme Cases of Recalcitrant Husbands The Jerusalem Post

MK (Member Knesset, Israel’s ‘Congress’) Dov Lipman is drafting a bill to make prison conditions worse for husbands who refuse their wives divorces. Lipman, an ordained rabbi and member of Yesh Atid party, is attempting to solve some of the most egregious cases of men refusing to give their wives a bill of divorce.

According to Jewish law, a man must voluntarily grant his wife a get, or bill of divorce, before she can remarry and have children, while a woman must similarly accept the document before the divorce can be finalized.

However, some use this ability to try and extort favorable conditions in the divorce settlement such as alimony payments, child custody and similar issues resulting from divorce.

The rabbinic courts are empowered to impose various sanctions on so-called recalcitrant husbands, including preventing him from traveling abroad, confiscating his driver’s license, and

such men would no longer be entitled to strictly supervised kosher food, as they are currently, and would also prevent them from being housed in the “religious wings” of prisons, where they have access to a synagogue and are in the company of other religious convicts. In addition they would be denied telephone privileges to anyone apart from their lawyer and rabbinic adviser.

Lipman believes that the MK Dov Lipman current prison conditions available even imprisonment. But there are to recalcitrant husbands are so cases in which a recalcitrant husband comfortable that they can virtually who is imprisoned still refuses to give continue their regular lifestyle of his wife a bill of divorce. According to religious study while incarcerated Lipman, there are as many as 20 such and that this reduces the motivation cases right now where the rabbinic to comply with the rabbinical court’s court has ruled that the husband ruling. He says that legal problems must give the bill of divorce yet he with denying someone a religiouslymandated diet can be overcome by continues to refuse.

In consultation with Chief Rabbi arguing that someone who refuses to David Lau, Lipman has devised a law adhere to the ruling of a rabbinical that would make the terms of their court cannot be defined as religious imprisonment less comfortable and and is therefore not entitled to the could help pressure them into giving strictly supervised food he demands.

“Living in a Jewish state with a Jewish the bill of divorce.

According to the terms of the bill, government we have the ability to

pressure husbands to give their wives a get within the framework of Jewish law,” Lipman told The Jerusalem Post.

“I hope to use my MK hat and my rabbi hat to make sure we free all people who are “chained” to their marriages and prevent future agunah problems.”

Batya Kehana-Dror, the director of the Mavoi Satum women’s rights group, said the law was welcome but said that it would only help a small number of people and would also not help if the husband was not religious.

She said a bigger problem was that not enough men who refuse to give a get once ordered to do so are sentenced to prison by the rabbinical courts. Mavoi Satum is currently working on a bill, together with several MKS, that would require rabbinical courts to hold a hearing about giving a man a prison sentence if after six months he still refuses to give the bill of divorce.

Lipman, together with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, is also working on legislation to deal with the broader issue.

Israel Jumps 17 Spots in 2014 World Press Freedom Index

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL, JPOST.com

Israel’s measure of press freedom climbed 17 slots over last year in a Reporters Without Borders report on February 11, 2014. The NGO’s classification covered 180 countries, with Israel reaching slot 96.

The 2014 World Press Freedom Index listed Israel under the headline “Noteworthy Rises.” However, according to the report, “Israel’s 17-place rise must be offset against its 20-place fall in the 2013 index as a result of Operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012, when two Palestinian journalists were killed, and the many raids it carried out against Palestinian media. Security needs continue to be used as an excuse to limit freedom of information. The Israeli media are able to be outspoken but media located in ‘Israeli territory’ must comply with prior military censorship and gag 26 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

orders. Investigative reporting involving national security is not welcome.”

The report added, “In Israel freedom of information is often sacrificed to purported security requirements.” Israel said the two Palestinians were Hamas terrorists masquerading as reporters. A Hamas website identified both men as “martyrs” and “jihadist fighters.” The US Treasury Department designated Al-Aksa Television, the organization on whose behalf the men worked, as a terrorist organization in 2010.

The IDF said the two Palestinian reporters, “Mahmoud al-Kumi and Hussam Salama were Hamas operatives and cameramen for Hamas’s Al-Aksa television network, which regularly features programming that encourages and praises attacks on Israeli civilians.”

The Freedom Index report

further noted, “Abusive treatment of Palestinian and foreign journalists by the Israel Defense Forces is common, especially during the weekly demonstrations at the separation wall." Many photojournalists were deliberately targeted when leaving the demonstrations in November 2013.

According to the 2014 World Press Freedom Index, its report “spotlights the negative impact of conflicts on freedom of information and its protagonists. The ranking of some countries has also been affected by a tendency to interpret national security needs in an overly broad and abusive manner to the detriment of the right to inform and be informed.”

Finland led the report with the number one spot and Eritrea garnered the worst marking.

Jewish Federation of the Desert TRIBUTE WALL You can become a permanent part of the Jewish Federation’s Legacy and support our mission.

The Tribute wall inside our reception area makes available memorial and tribute plaques that honor family and friends.

remembrance of that person, and is a comforting marker for the family members.

Whether for Jewish holidays, to honor someone’s memory, or to commemorate a special occasion such as a wedding or Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Federation’s variety of opportunities are a great way to honor someone special while making a difference in the community.

Tzedakah Fund TRIBUTE CARDS If you are looking for a meaningful way to extend your sympathy to a mourner, send wishes for recovery from illness or congratulate someone on an important event or milestone -- and also help other Jewish people in need – there is no better way to do so than by purchasing a Tzedakah Fund tribute card.

By making a donation in honor of someone, you show you care while paying special tribute to a loved one by helping someone in need. And, you’ll appreciate knowing that your gift will mean so much for so many.

We do we buy memorial plaques. The Torah talks of Abraham paying for a resting place and marker for his beloved Sara after passed away.

The tradition has continued, and a stone of some kind marks all Jewish graves before the year is up.

An additional making is placement of a memorial plaque. The plaque honors the deceased, as a visual

We hope that this method of memorializing your loved one will appeal to you and your family as it has for Jews for many generations.

For a contribution of $18 or more to the Jewish Federation of the Desert Tzedakah Fund a beautiful tribute card will be sent to your intended recipient.

Proceeds benefit the Tzedakah Fund which enables Federation to repond to the emergency needs of Jews in our community. Nearly $80,000 is assistance is provided each year through the Fund, with the majority of income derived from tributes.

Federation’s SPECIAL FUNDS Naming Fund – Walls Tribute and Memorial Fund –

Plaques/Reception Area Tributes and Honorariums Fund –

Proceeds go to our Tzedakah Fund.

Jewish Federation of the Desert’s Special Tzedakah Fund Jewish Federation of the Desert’s Holocaust Memorial Fund –

to maintain the upkeep at the Holocaust

Memorial at the Park in Palm Desert Kitsis Youth Experience Fund –

To help local youth with either

transportation cost to Israel from

California or subsidize participation in

youth missions in Israel Steven Platt Mission Fund –

Funding for participation in

missions to Israel Bernie and Barbara Fromm Jewish Youth Enrichment Fund LOJE – Lion of Judah Endowment PACE – Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment

For more information and to participate in this mitzvah, contact the Jewish Federation of the Desert at 760-324-4737 or visit www.jfedps.org.

JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 27

Young Israeli Scientist Wins Top Award, $100K Prize

By David Shamah, The Times of Israel

Yossi Kabessa of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was named winner of the just-completed Global Young Scientists Summit, held in Singapore, for his innovative system to detect pollutants in urban water systems. Kabessa, who received the award from Singapore’s President Tony Tan Keng Yam, returned to Israel with the Singapore Challenge gold medallion and a $100,000 cash prize.

The Global Young Scientists Summit is an international gathering that brings together bright young researchers from all over the world to address major global challenges, and how chemistry, physics, biology,

mathematics, computer science and engineering can help solve them.

This year’s event brought together 350 post-doctoral fellows and PhD students from around the world, along Shalom

with internationally eminent science and technology leaders, among them 13 Nobel laureates. Kabessa is the Bryant and Lillian Shiller Fellow at the Hebrew University’s Peter Brojde Center for Innovative Engineering and Computer Science.

This year’s Summit theme was developing methods to deal with urban development and ensure that cities remain healthy places in which to live. Kabessa, a nanotechnology expert, proposed using biosensors, based on genetically engineered bacteria to monitor the presence of pollutants and hazardous materials in municipal water supply systems.

The project was the outgrowth of

Shalom

another one using biosensors, which were used to detect the presence of landmines, a project that was led

by Prof. Aharon Agranat and Prof.

Shimshon Belkin at The Hebrew University.

“The Global Young Scientists Summit provided a great opportunity to exchange ideas with top scientists and Nobel laureates from around the world,” Kabessa said when he returned home from Singapore. “I was proud to present made-in-Israel ideas for ensuring the safety of large populations around the world, and I was especially honored to bring home the gold medallion to the Hebrew University and to Israel.”

Support the 2014 Federation Campaign

28 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

The finest in Jewish Living

“Wheelchairs of Hope” from Israel

Founders Selected to Serve on UNICEF Task Force for Assistive Technologies Virtually every household in Israel has a few Keter brand plastic chairs, so why not use a similar seat as a base for lightweight, inexpensive but sturdy kid-friendly wheelchairs? After 30 years as a Keter executive, Pablo Kaplan decided to do just that. With his life partner and former co-worker, Chava Rotshtein, in 2009 Kaplan founded the nonprofit ‘Wheelchairs of Hope.’

The couple aims to provide colorful, maintenance-free wheelchairs to the estimated five million children in the world who cannot attend school because of mobility handicaps.

Central and South America, Africa, Asia and other Middle East countries are target markets.

“Our wheelchair is specifically designed for children, as we wish to empower education through mobility,” Kaplan and Rotshtein explain. “Mobility from early childhood is a gate to education. By giving access to education we create a new generation with better skills, confidence and hope.”

Last September, the Wheelchairs

of Hope founders presented their idea at the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly and were selected to serve on UNICEF’s task force for assistive technologies. “The task force’s goal is to identify novel technologies to recommend to all member countries,” Kaplan tells ISRAEL21c. “Our product was chosen as one of those innovations.”

The wheelchair, to be available in bright primary colors, weighs 22 pounds and is expected to cost about $50. By contrast, the basic metal wheelchairs currently donated to developing nations by various humanitarian organizations cost at least $150 apiece and weigh 33 to 38 pounds. “The child sitting in it will weigh a maximum of 55 pounds, so the light weight will make a big difference,” predicts Kaplan.

The first prototype, made in June 2013 on a 3D printer, followed more than a year of fine-tuning in consultation with Naomi Geffen, deputy director general of clinical services at ALYN rehabilitation hospital for children in Jerusalem, and

the hospital’s biomedical lab director, Ohad Ga’al-Dor. “We went over every single part of the wheelchair,” Geffen tells ISRAEL21c. “We were very happy with the results. It looks like something fun and not like a medical device you wouldn’t want to use.”

The Ziv-Av Engineering Group, Nekuda Design Management and patent law firm Reinhold Cohn all donated their time and expertise to make the final product a reality.

The engineering challenge was to design a “cool-looking,” low-cost product robust enough for harsh conditions such as bumpy dirt roads, yet lightweight enough for a five- to eight-year-old to maneuver easily.

“We also wanted the ability to add on devices for kids with special needs,

like to stabilize the neck,” says Taff.

“So we had to try to get the maximum out of what plastic can do. We used the minimum amount of material to achieve maximum strength.”

Encouraged by the positive feedback, Kaplan and Rotshtein are seeking seed money to build manufacturing molds and basic infrastructure. Wheelchairs of Hope has the active support of the World Health Organization, and aid agencies including the International Red Cross who are interested in helping to get the chairs where they are needed.

“We do a lot of work with children from Israel and abroad, and this definitely will be a low-cost solution for some of the populations we see,” says ALYN’s Geffen. “This chair is accessible to everyone and is made of durable plastic, which is important in third-world countries.”

“Based on our ability to reach the minimum level of investment, we plan to start a pilot phase involving 2,500 children in four to five different countries by the end of 2014,” says Rotshtein.

Jerusalem to Have its Own “Hyde Park” Chelm-on-the-Med Israel will soon have its own “Hyde Park”!

The amenities of the 40 acre Sachar Park in Jerusalem include two play areas for children, basketball courts, tennis courts, soccer pitches, a skateboarding park, a dog area, a walking/running path, and two tunnels which seem to serve as the communal canvas of Jerusalem's graffiti artist community.

The park is often host to huge concerts during holidays and yearly festivals, and every inch of it is covered by grill-bearing families committed to having fun on Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Independence Day. Jerusalem’s

leadership also see the park as a perfect site for spirited debates, similar to London’s Hyde Park.

But forget about soap boxes; the Israeli Hyde Park debate corner will boast a small amphitheater with benches for an audience of kibitzers.

The forum will boast a moderator who will assure every speaker gets his turn, no one will hog the stage, and everybody can have their say, while ushers will assure exchange of ideas won’t escalate to exchange of blows.

In deference to the Israeli lifestyle, the amphitheater will be augmented by an adjacent café.

JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 29

Simchas Mazel tov mazel tov to Rabbi Glenn Ettman and Nicole Raphael on their recent engagement.

In telling his Temple Sinai Rabbi Glenn Ettman c o n g r e g a n t s , & Nicole Raphael Rabbi Ettman wrote, “Someone once said that love is not about finding the person

Classifieds PASSOVER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE at Temple Sinai Gift Shop. Hours 10-3 Tuesday through Friday. For further information call Pixie Glast 432-413-1011. A wide assortment of home and gift items for your use.

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M a z e l t ov t o Baruch Yosef & Esther Pearl Kreiman Rabbi Yankel and Rochel Kreiman on the January 19 wedding of son Baruch Yosef and Esther Pearl Marks ... Mazel tov to Edward Sogolow, who will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah at Temple Isaiah on Shabbat Vayikra, FOR ALL OF YOUR CLOTHING NEEDS – call Arlene, at Rosenthal of Palm Springs. From casual to couture, for men and women. Can make and or copy anything. Huge variety of fabrics. In your home appointments.

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KRISTINE A. KAUFFMAN - SENIOR CARE SPECIALIST. Driving for appointments, shopping, dining, etc; Errands (groceries, banking, etc); Bill paying and other miscellaneous tasks; Companionship. Dog sitting, walking. References available.

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Hadassah presents INTERACTIVE FIDDLER ONTHE ROOF EXCERPTS

by SongShine Foundation Tuesday March 18, 4:00-6:00 pm at the Tolerance Education Center.

Tickets: $18.00 - $20.00 at the door.

Contact Joan Wine 760-770-7510 or winterdesert@gmail.com.

30 • JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org

Edward Sogolow

Yehuda Hirschfield

March 8 … Joanne Hirschfield is both kvelling and worried, or as she put it “my pride and joy and heartfelt concern.” Grandson Yehuda Hirschfield just completed his first jump, earning his red beret as a paratrooper in the Israel C O N G R E G AT I O N H A R - E L , MEMBER, UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM inaugurates its tenth year with “Constant Contact”, an electronic communication that will keep you up to date on all Congregation Har-El events. To receive this communication, call 760-779-1691 or e-mail harelurj@ gmail.com and give the office your e-mail address. Upcoming events include: “Fortnight of Learning”; Galen Trimester courses; Purim Rabbinical/Cantorial Colloquium with reception and guest presenter Judith Brin Ingber, Jewish Dance Specialist; Symposium: Fridays with a Scholar, Dr. Marvin Sweeney, Claremont School of Theology; as well as regular 5 pm Shabbat Eve Services followed by discussion. Make Har-El part of your adult learning as well as meeting your spiritual needs.

TRAVELING NOTARY PUBLIC for all your Health, Financial and Real Estate Documents. Available 7 Days. Ernest Sussman 760-408-9338.

Defense Forces.

Seeing the photos sent to her from Israel, Joanne was struck by Yehuda’s resemblance to her late husband Seymour when Seymour Hirschfield he was the same age and serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, and she provided us with a picture! ... Share your Simchas with us. Call or email Miriam Bent at 760-323-0255 or mhbentjcn@ earthlink.net.

GLADYS BECKER, MSW, LCSW. Over 35 years experience counseling/ providing therapy for couples, adults, seniors and adolescents. Let me help you with your depression, anxiety, family, marital and relationship issues.

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JFS VOLUNTEERS WELCOME: JFS has rewarding volunteer opportunities available and is now accepting applications for the following positions: Lunch In & Out Driver, Lunch In & Out Program Volunteer, Friendly Visitor, JFS Express Senior Ride Transportation driver, Front Office Assistant. For more information contact Julie Hirsh, 760-3254088, extension 109.

P R I VAT E D U T Y N U R S E LV N available for home health care.

Extensive hospital and doctor’s office experience. Call Joanie 760-776-6752.

Candle Lighting Times Friday, March 7 Shabbat Vayikra Friday, March 14 Shabbat Tzav Friday, March 21 Shabbat Shimini Friday, March 28 Shabbat Tazriah * Daylight savings time begins March 9th

5:04 pm 6:10 pm * 6:15 pm 6:20 pm

We Mourn the Passing of...

Goldie Kretchman, Mary Louise Kurtzberg, Geraldine Needleman, Gladys Rubinstein, Marian Schneider and Joyce Yorba.

Our deepest sympathies to their families and friends. May their memories endure for a blessing.

Laugh out Loud

Have A Nosh With Miriam

...and nosh some hamantashen

SEPARATED BUT EQUAL

By Miriam H. Bent

Purim is March 15/16 this year. As always, the pastry for the hamantashen is my beloved mother-in-law Goldie Rittberg’s recipe because it is, simply, the best. Two of the fillings are middle eastern in flavor and the third is a new recipe with a more “adult” twist, thanks to the addition of a little brandy! Happy Purim! MHB

GOLDIE’S HONEY DOUGH 1/3 cup Crisco ½ cup sugar 1/4 cup honey 2 eggs, beaten 2-1/2 cups flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon lemon juice ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 350̊. Thoroughly cream the Crisco and sugar together. Add honey.

Beat in eggs, lemon juice and lemon rind. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir into the egg mixture and form into a soft dough. Toss lightly on a floured board. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness and cut into circles. Fill with desired filling, pinch into triangles and bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 350̊ F. until golden brown.

FIG WALNUT FILLING (Pareve) 9 ounces dried Mission figs, stems discarded 1/2 cup raisins 3/4 cup honey

1/3 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Finely chop the figs and raisins in a food processor. Add the honey, orange juice, cinnamon, and lemon zest, and pulse just to blend. Scrape the fig mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in the walnuts.

APRICOT, DATE AND PISTACHIO FILLING (Pareve) 1-1/4 cup (about 6 oz) dried pitted ½ teaspoon vanilla extract apricots, diced - pinch salt 2/3 cup pitted dates (preferably Medjools 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or Barhi), diced 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios, lightly 5 Tablespoons packed brown sugar toasted and chopped 2/3 cup apricot nectar or apple juice (more if needed) In a heavy saucepan, combine apricots, dates, sugar, nectar or juice, vanilla and salt. Simmer together over low heat until fruit is soft and liquid is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. If mixture seems too dry, add a little more nectar or juice and cook a little longer. Add lemon juice and cook an additional three minutes. Remove from heat and cool before adding pistachios. Refrigerate until cold before using.

WHITE CHOCOLATE & BRANDIED CHERRY FILLING (Milchig) 1/4 cup dried cherries 2 Tbsp brandy 1 cup white chocolate chips

Stories in the news that bring a smile!

1/4 cup pecans 2 Tbsp. sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Plump the dried cherries in the brandy for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the pecans, sugar and cinnamon into a food processor and process for about 30 seconds, until pecans are finely chopped. Add cherries and white chocolate and pulse a few times to coarsely chop and combine.

Kibbutz Givat Haim Ichud ratified a decision of the Israel Lands Authority that would turn ownership of homes (in essence, the land they were built on) over to the members themselves. The kibbutz appended a list of all those eligible – married couples, and widowed and divorced persons, while a couple who were separated at the time found themselves thrown together without their consent, under the same ‘roof’…at least from a legal standpoint. The pair sued the kibbutz demanding they too should be entitled to two plots, like their divorced neighbors.

A district court ruled that the two continued to be a couple in the eyes of the law even if the (get*less) spouses physically lived apart, granting them solely the ‘right’ to fight over who got the house… But, the Israel Supreme Court overturned the ruling – apparently founded on definition of a common law wife as someone ‘living under the same roof’…only in reverse. * get – Jewish divorce papers, in Hebrew

HOME SWEET HOME?

A homeless Israeli, one of a dozen protesters living in improvised shanties and makeshift tents in a Tel-Aviv park, refused the Tel-Aviv Municipality’s offer of a genuine tent that could keep him and his wife a bit warmer in January temperatures. The squatter sounded off in a TV interview (Yediot Aharonot, Erev Chadash with Rafi Reshef, ITV), charging city hall’s ‘upgraded tent’ was totally inadequate: “The tent’s too small,” complained Alex Rusov. “There isn’t room for our double bed.”

CHALK IT UP TO DNA

Israeli petty thieves have been facing a string of bad luck of late.

First, an offender failed to get away with highway robbery after lab reports proved a half-eaten apple left at the scene of the crime (a taxi that he and an accomplice had hijacked at knife-point) ‘belonged’ to a certain suspect who, by the time lab results came in five months later, was already under arrest, saving the law the bother of having to search for the bad apple.

Not long afterwards, another luckless burglar – a woman - was collared red-handed by a house owner. In the scuffle between the two women, the lady of the house bit the intruder. While the latter got away, unfortunately for her she left a piece of skin (from her finger) between the home owner’s teeth. Several days later the burglar was “fingered” and hauled into custody by police, after the two women bumped into one another on the street.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WELCOMED

The Jewish Community News welcomes letters to the editor Publication will be based on appropriateness of material and available space, at the discretion of the editorial staff. We reserve the right to edit submissions. Submit letters of 250 words or less by e-mail to: mhbentjcn@earthlink.net, fax to 760-320-6085 or mail to the Jewish Federation, 69-710 Hwy. 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, attn: Editor, JCN. JCN • March 2014 • Adar/Nissan 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 31

FEED THE HUNGRY. GIVE HOPE TO THOUSANDS.

SECURE THE FUTURE.

BEFORE YOUR MORNING SHOWER.

It only takes a few minutes to change lives in our community and around the world. Food banks for the needy, care for seniors, Israel experiences for the young – these are just some of the solutions Federation supports with heart, innovation and decades of knowing what works. Seize the moment. Donate. Volunteer. Get involved. Your link to getting started: www.jfedps.org.

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The Power of Community.