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JEWISH FEDERATION OF the desert 69-710 Highway 111 Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 (760) 324-4737

Happy Chanukah!

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REPORTS FROM THE 2014 JFNA GENERAL ASSEMBLY From the CEO Bruce Landgarten Jewish Federation Chief Executive Officer

Happy OVERVIEW Chanukah! GA In mid-November I had the jewish federation BOARD OF DIRECTORS Celia Norian, Chairman of the Board Sondi Green, Co-chair, Campaign Libby Hoffman, Co-chair, Campaign Vernon Kozlen, Treasurer Bernard Reiter, Secretary Howard Levy, Immediate Past President Roberta Nyman, Immediate Past President

Board Joseph Bernstein William Chunowitz Elliott Cohen Nancy Ditlove Ellen Glass Phil Glass Marjorie Kulp Ron Langus

Allan Lehmann Allan Nyman Dr. Paul Ross Stephanie Ross Elisa Schwartz Sandy Seplow Andrew Teitel Lainie Weil

00 privilege of representing our Jewish Federation, together with Celia Norian, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Margie Kulp, Board member, at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the annual conference of our Jewish Federation's national organization.

The GA is the premier leadership retreat for federation volunteer leaders and professionals engaged in the business of Jewish Philanthropy from across North America and around the world. This year it was held in the Washington, DC area.

On the banks of the Potomac River, Gaylord National Harbor is just 25 minutes from Washington DC.

Bruce Landgarten, Chief Executive Officer

Table of Contents Vol. 40 • No. 4

Community Calendar 16, 17 Federation 2-5, 10, 19, 24 Annual Report 11-13 LGBT Alliance 8 Legacy 14 Women’s Philanthropy 6 Food “Latkes for Chanukah” 23 Jewish Family Service 15 Schools/School Listing 19, 20 Simchas & classifieds 22 Temples Listing 16 Tolerance Education Center 15 Tributes 18

Vice President Joe Biden

000The GA featured a combination of speakers ranging from top political figures such as Vice President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to leading intellectuals such as Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, journalists Chuck Todd and Andrea

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Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Mitchell, as well as philanthropic visionaries.

The three-day meeting was a “ wh i r l w i n d ” o f p l e n a r i e s , workshops, speakers and meetings on a wide-range of issues of importance and concern to the Jewish community.

Topics ranged from Israel and the Middle East to advocacy efforts combatting anti-Israel sentiments on our college campuses; as well as issues such as how to make our Jewish communal institutions more welcoming to those with disabilities; the situation in the Ukraine and its impact on the Jewish community; the recent midterm elections and a series of “TED Talk” style best-practices symposia entitled “Fedovations!”

We were offered new ways of thinking, a testimony to the incredible accomplishments of Federations throughout North America, which provided us with inspiration to bring back to all of our Federation communities.

All Israel is Responsible for One Another

One of the highlights of the GA was the presentation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain. An eloquent and erudite Jewish scholar and leader, Rabbi Sacks addressed the nearly 2,000 delegates and implored our Jewish Federation leaders to “care less about agreeing with one another… and care more about caring for one another.”

Our Federation strives to see “More Jews Doing Jewish.” That vision means different things to different people; and our Jewish Federation is committed to supporting all aspects of Jewish life in the Desert.

We may not have all the answers; and, in fact, we may not agree with everyone’s response to creative Jewish life and living. However, we can … and we must … follow Rabbi Sack’s advice: We must, as Jews, care for one another.

The words to the Talmud ring true, “Kol Areyvim Zeh B’Zeh … all of Israel is responsible for one another.”

Federation CEO Bruce Landgarten (right), Chairman of the Board Celia Norian and Jeremy Ginsberg (left) at a GA plenary session. Jeremy is a fourth year student at UC Santa Barbara where he is President of Students United for Israel and a national CAMERA (Committee for the Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) Fellow.

REPORTS FROM THE 2014 JFNA GENERAL ASSEMBLY colleagues and friends.

GA Impressions/Reflections on the Plane Ride Home My experience, both meeting

000My initial experience of this year’s Annual GA in Washington began when I walked out of the cab going into the hotel and knew I was surrounded by people like me. Wherever my eye wandered, I saw eyes glued to IPhones, IPads, people entangled in serious conversation as well as heartfelt reunions ... I knew I was in a true comfort zone ... I knew that I was among friends. Being there was a combination of common interests and a shared transcontinental captivity … there aren't many places to hide in a hotel with 3000 of your colleagues, friends and peers.

Once settled in the hotel, I met more new and not so new people like me; people with a shared love of K’lal Yisrael (the totality of the Jewish people), but with surprisingly different backgrounds and interests. This was a gathering of a diverse group of Jewish communal interests—CEO's, CFO's, COO’s, major donors, committed long time volunteers, dignitaries and thought leaders from everywhere. As a seasoned conference attendee I still found plenty of interesting people to meet and engaging topics to discuss.

Offering a dizzying breadth of subjects, this year's program featured panels on almost every conceivable topic.

The GA's diversity in people and subject matter is a direct reflection of its size, drawing thousands of leaders and scholars from across the country. Plenaries, breakout sessions and meetings on the periphery were happening in every corner and niche, and people were always mingling in the hallways. Everywhere we went, it was always very crowded, and security (in the form of name-badge checkers and police) was ever-present. Yet, it helps to remember that under its colossal and seemingly complex exterior, the meeting is simply a gathering of people with shared interests. Indeed, the common ground of interest and experience makes conversation with fellow attendees easier. And the

meeting's large, "impersonal" edges are further softened by having good friends to look up.

Large national conferences are great places to "spot" the stars of the profession. This conference was no different. I found myself appreciating some ideas of various leaders but also disagreeing with some of their conclusions. I felt there were important gaps in their presentation of the topic.

I found myself commiserating in an elevator with an attendee who felt similarly. The panels not only expose you to ideas and prominent leaders, but they can also make you think and question. Consequently, the national

CElia Norian Chairman of the Board

I have just returned from the General Assembly of the Jewish Federation of North America in Gaylord National Harbor, MD. The GA is the premier leadership retreat for Federation volunteer leaders and professionals engaged in the business of Jewish philanthropy from across North America and around the world.

Together with Bruce Landgarten, CEO and Margie Kulp, Co-chair of Major Gifts, we were your representatives to the global Jewish community. Our goal was to learn what is happening in the global Jewish community, discuss our concerns about Jewish life today and discover how we can make a difference in the future.

I’ve been asked, “Why did you go?” As the Chairman of the Board of our Federation I felt that it is my responsibility to represent our

conference is more than a glittering parade of "wonderful" panels (although many are), it is an opportunity to question ideas and methodologies frequently when they are in their formative stages and when their proponents are most appreciative of comment and criticism.

In between panels, the meeting offered unique opportunities for attendees.

Going into the exhibit hall ensured that few would need to watch the in-flight movie on the return trip for I was loaded with new literature and materials from exhibitors. There were opportunities to attend receptions hosted by a variety of organizations and to reunite with old

a diverse group of scholars and exchanging banter and ideas with new friends and colleagues in a fascinating place, was enjoyable, productive, and something I would heartily recommend to others. The benefits of dialogue across the various branches of the Jewish communal field are too numerous to mention; the contacts made, methodologies learned and advice received easily justified the journey. And the conference did not end in Washington, but continues as we all return to our communities to reflect and then share with our leadership and implement new ideas for our community.

community at this gathering. I wanted to hear directly from the leaders and directors of our partner organizations, to learn about programs in various parts of the United States and Canada and to gather ideas for “what can we do here in the Coachella Valley” to make all of us feel as one Jewish Tsur Goldin and Yonat Daskal, interviewed by community.

Nina Totenberg Of the many sessions that I stopped him, told that the soldier attended, there was one that really had been found murdered and, told the story of how we impact tragically, the soldier was his brother. lives half a globe away. The Mayor Yonat Daskal, a Magen David Adom of Sderot and a resident of Kibbutz Paramedic told us how she returned to Aza on the Gaza border, shared their Israel early from her vacation in South “Perspective From Southern Israel” America when she heard the news of during the 50 day rocket siege that Operation Protection Edge because they endured this summer. They she had to be with her team. She told us what it's like to live with a had friends fighting for her homeland less than 15 second window to find and she had to be there in their time shelter when the sirens sounded. of need.

They expressed their gratitude for I don’t know of any other group of the support that we gave through our people that cares for each other the dollars and our solidarity missions. way the Jewish people do. Whether Their homes were being attacked, yet you are a Jew in India, Argentina, they felt our concern and compassion France, the United States or Israel – which helped to keep them strong. we are one. We are responsible for We heard very touching stories. one another.

Tzur Goldin, an IDF soldier stationed That is what Federation is all about in Gaza shared his. Returning from – caring for each other. Think about one mission, he heard that a soldier it. Act on it. Give to Federation’s had been kidnapped and prepared to annual campaign. join the search when his commander JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 3

Jewish Federation of the Desert Condemns Terrorist Attack in Jerusalem Responding to media inquiries, Jewish Federation CEO Bruce Landgarten spoke on behalf of the Jewish community: We are shocked by the horrific attack on innocent worshippers that took place in Jerusalem. This despicable and reprehensible act of terrorism took the lives of at least four innocent civilians and injured many others. The victims, four rabbis, wearing tallitot and tefillin, were immersed in

their morning prayers when brutally attacked and killed.

Terrorist attacks anywhere are abominable, but the deliberate targeting of worshipers in a synagogue is beyond barbaric. The recent wave of Palestinian terror attacks and acts of violence in Israel is outrageous and completely unacceptable, but the attack on innocent people praying in a synagogue is incomprehensible. The

senseless brutality of this attack, coming after recent murderous outrages in Jerusalem, and the summer of rocket attacks that deliberately targeted Israeli civilians, make it all the more urgent for the entire global community to condemn this wanton, vicious attack on the innocent immediately and in unequivocal terms.

Israel’s President Rivlin Eulogizes Druse Police Officer Killed in Terror Attack

By Rachel Avraham, Jerusalem Online

Loved ones, neighbors, politicians, religious leaders and thousands of Israelis from across the country made their way to the village of Yanuh in the Galilee to attend the funeral of Zidan Sayif, the Druse policeman who died of a gunshot wound sustained at the scene of the terrorist attack at a Jerusalem synagogue. The funeral was attended by President Reuven Rivlin, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, and National Police Commissioner Insp.- Gen. Yochanan Danino.

In his eulogy, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said, “Yesterday morning, terror struck in Jerusalem, which does not distinguish between people. The terrorists turned a synagogue into a slaughterhouse. Sayif heard what was happening. He didn’t hesitate. He was among the first to face the flames of hatred and hostility. He was among the first guardians of Jerusalem. Zidan stood in front of the terrorists. He fell to save Jerusalem.”

“In these difficult days for the residents, when bitter terrorism raises its head, the Druse community is at the forefront of the war against terrorism,” he stated. “The Druse community holds in one hand a sword of selfdefense and in the other, peace. The murderers lost their lives but cannot hope to continue to direct the lives of the people here together.”

JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS A Publication of the Jewish Federation of the Desert VOL. 40, No. 5

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 e-mail-mhbentjcn@earthlink.net

Funeral of Zidan Sayif (Above) Zidan Sayif with his daughter (Right)

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said in his eulogy that “we are burying a hero of the Israel Police, who laid down his own body to protect the worshipers at the synagogue in Har Nof. Zidan was there first and operated with courage.

Without hesitation he charged inside, in the face of the horrors there. He followed the principles of the Israel Police and did what is expected of a courageous warrior.” The minister added “his heroism cost him his life, but saved the lives of others.”

“Zidan was a hero in life and fell as a hero,” his father-in-law Ahmed Taroudi stated. “He served in the

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police for the sake of the nation and he didn’t know about fear. He only feared for his baby daughter, who he hugged many hours. She was more important to him than anything. All that we heard from the paramedic is that he fell as a hero.” Adnan, Zidan’s younger brother, stated that he intends to follow in his footsteps and hopes to enlist in the Police.

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.

Evangelical Zionism Rising Amidst Anti-Semitism and Threats to Israel Jerusalem Post Online

“Christians of America support Israel right now in a more aggressive mood than at any time in my lifetime," Pastor John Hagee, national chairman of the 1.8-million member Christians United for Israel (CUFI) says.

While anti-Semitism in Europe and anti-Zionism on US college campuses are on the upswing, how is American Christian support for Israel trending? Pastor John Hagee at “A Night to Honor Israel” Stronger than ever, says the founder covering “all the bases in one shot,” of the country’s largest pro-Israel said Hagee, who sought to address organization. Hagee’s assessment of public misconceptions that Hagee the pulse of Christian Zionism came Ministries focuses on political rather one day after 5,000 people attended than humanitarian philanthropy. the 33rd annual “A Night to Honor “There are people who themselves Israel” at Cornerstone Church in have political agendas that they’re San Antonio, Texas. CUFI’s goal is to trying to drive, and they’re trying to do facilitate that same program in every and say anything they can to ridicule major U.S. city. what we do so that they can prove their “We want to send the message to bias is the correct position,” he said. the world and to the Jewish people “But no one can look at the millions that Christians are standing up for the of dollars that we have given to Israel State of Israel and the Jewish people at and call it anything but humanitarian. home and abroad,” Hagee said. “It’s … You look at that list of donors [from not conversation. It’s action.”

Sunday’s event] and it’s hard to say, The event in San Antonio, that ‘That’s not humanitarian.’” action was the distribution of more But while Hagee Ministries than $2.8 million in donations to focuses on faith and philanthropy, Israeli and Jewish charities by John CUFI’s mission is different: education Hagee Ministries. The causes included: and advocacy. Participants of the Afikim Family Enrichment Association, organization’s annual Washington American Jewish Joint Distribution Summit visit their local US Senate and Committee, Avukat Or, Bikur V’Ezras Cholim, Forum for Christian Enlistment, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, Heart of Benjamin, International Council of Young Israel, Israel Help and Education Center at Kiryat Gat, Jewish Agency for Israel, Just One Life, Kefar Tsevi Sitrin, Koby Mandell Foundation, Magen David Adom, Meir Panim, Nahal Haredi, Nefesh B’Nefesh, Netanya Academic College, Ohr Torah Stone, Or L’Doron, Save a Child’s Heart, Shurat Hadin, Western Galilee Hospital, Women’s International Zionist Organization, World ORT, and Yad Vashem.

The Western Galilee Hospital is a Jewish hospital run by an Arab Christian that treats Syrian refugees,

House of Representatives members to urge the support of Israel. Hagee cited those lobbying efforts as an example of Christian pro-Israel advocacy that adds value to what the Jewish community is already bringing to the table, since members of Congress are “not accustomed to gentiles coming in their office, 75 or 80 of them from their district.”

“Whenever those kinds of numbers come from your district and say, ‘We are here to express our support for Israel and we are watching what Congress does with regarding to this specific thing, because this is great concern to us’—when the numbers are enough it becomes of great concern to every person running for election,” Hagee said.

Addressing the rise of the Islamic State terror group—a threat that he said “would pale in comparison” to Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon—Dermer noted the ongoing persecution of ancient Christian communities and other minority groups in the Middle East. “Kurds and Yazidis are hunted down and sold into slavery in the 21st century,” he said.

“Militant Sunni and militant Shi’ite [Muslims] massacre each other and even their own if their subjects don’t

heed their unforgiving creed.” Hagee said that Christian Zionists see the Islamic State threat within the context of the historical persecution of Jews.

“ISIS (Islamic State) murdering Christians and decapitating children is one of the most extreme forms of terror that we have seen in our lifetime, but as far as Christians supporting Israel is concerned, we see it just as a continuum of the terrorist organizations that have been formed over the years that have a covenant to kill every Jewish person on the face of the earth,” he said, citing Hamas and Hezbollah as well as their state funder, Iran.

JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 5

Women's Philanthropy Council Tina Friedman

Director of Development and Women’s Philanthropy I have spent much of my professional Bible, Sarah. At life working for Jewish Federations. I Shabbat services truly believe that what we do is holy on November 15 work. We feed the hungry, teach we read Chayei those who yearn for knowledge, Sarah, literally strengthen Jewish students on college the ‘life of Sarah,’ campuses, support our family in despite the fact Israel, and much, much more. In my that this parasha short time here in the Desert, I have is about Sarah’s had the great good fortune to meet death. We learn some amazing people – dedicated that Sarah was a complicated woman Federation volunteers, generous AND a great woman. But what made Federation donors, and devoted her so great?

We learn that her life was devoted Federation staff members who give of themselves, their time and their to tzedek or the divine justice which financial resources. My heartfelt entitles each living being to receive what it needs in order to fulfill its thanks to all of you.

I am not a religious scholar. purpose on Earth, similar to the work However, I look to the confluence of our volunteers and donors. The of the Jewish and general calendars doors to Sarah’s tent were open to for planning guidance. The Women’s everyone, just as we welcome our Philanthropy Council does the same. community to the warm embrace of Each meeting begins with a d’var this Federation. And a cloud, said to Torah, words of wisdom that guide be the Sheckinah or Divine presence, us as we do this work, shared by one hung over her tent’s entrance, just of our volunteers. Coincidentally, as as our modern-day logo serves as I begin my tenure with our Desert a reminder of our connection to women, we learn more about our shared history and traditions. one of the greatest women in the According to Proverbs, Sarah was

Col. Miri Eisen Speaking at Education Day Women’s Philanthropy Education Chair Judy Cohn reminds the community that there are only a few days left to RSVP for the Monday, December 8 Education Day event with Col. Miri Eisen.

Eisen served in the Israeli Intelligence community as the deputy head of the combat intelligence corps, the personal assistant to the director of Military Intelligence and as the

intelligence officer in combat units and research departments. Since retiring from the Israel Defense Forces she has been one of Israel’s main presenters, speaking on regional geo-politics and security related issues in the media worldwide.

Men are welcome. The program is being held at the UCR Palm Desert Center from 10 am until 12 noon.

Parking is free. Couvert is $25 per person and includes mid-morning refreshments. Payment is due at time of registration. Seating is limited.

Reserve your seat now with Linn Menne, at 760-324-4737.

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generous, giving to the poor, helping the destitute, and providing for those in need, just as our donors, volunteers, and supporters do with each gift they – YOU! - make.

In Sarah’s acts of tzedek we see the realization of the definitions of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and gemilut chasadim (loving kindness).

Inspired and guided by this tradition of tzedek, tikkun olam, and chasadim, Women’s Philanthropy is dedicated to the continuity, connectivity and thriving future of our Jewish communities at home, in Israel and

throughout the world. With thanks to you all, Women’s Philanthropy can – like Sarah – address the needs of those less fortunate, educate those with a desire to learn, and provide spiritual and emotional support to those who seek it.

Together we do extraordinary things! So, thank you for all you do to ensure a strong Jewish future for generations to come. I look forward to meeting and working with more of you over the days, weeks, and months ahead.

JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 7

Israelis Discover Clear Link Between Diabetes and Parkinson’s Disease

By Maya Yarowsky, Israel 21c

For some time, doctors and neuroscientists have suggested that people with diabetes are more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases than non-diabetic individuals, but were unable to prove their hypothesis. Now Israeli scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University in the Negev have found a definite link between Type II diabetes and the propensity for developing Parkinson’s disease.

Over a period of three years, Dr. Yifat Miller and her post-doctoral

student Yoav Atsmon-Raz attempted to explain how Type II diabetes could affect the body in a way that would make it more susceptible

The ‘Clumping’ Connection The key component to discovering the missing link between the diseases was a new observation, made by Miller and Atsmon-Raz, regarding Parkinson’s disease. Examining the atomic structure of the brain protein fragment non-amyloid beta component (NAC), the team discovered for the first time that Parkinson’s disease is triggered when NAC clumps together.

With knowledge that similar clumping

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to developing neurodegenerative disease. While things like stroke, heart attack, blindness and kidney disease are known complications associated with Type II diabetes, it has yet to be confirmed that insulin deficiency scientifically raises the risk of contracting neurodegenerative disease.

Now Miller’s breakthrough discovery may once and for all make sense of the deadly link between diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

action caused by a hormone called amylin triggers Type II diabetes in the pancreas, Miller’s team set out to find the clumping connection.

Basing their research on previous studies that showed amylin is also found in the brain and is related to Alzheimer’s disease when it clumps together, Miller discovered that this same hormone could cause Parkinson’s in patients with diabetes. “Our findings led us to the hypothesis that if amylin is located in the brain it can also interact with other proteins and peptides in the brain.” From here, Miller and her team observed how NAC, which is part of a protein called alpha-synuclein, led to the death of neurons at an atomic level. By mapping the atomic structure of NAC and showing how it aggregates itself throughout the brain, Miller revealed for the first time the clumping mechanism in the brain that leads to Parkinson’s disease. All that was left was for her and her team to show that the presence of amylin in the brain and pancreas, and its clumping habits, could be the explanation for why Type II diabetics are at higher risk of contracting neurodegenerative diseases.

Miller’s findings on the NACamylin interaction were confirmed in experiments, and she hopes that they will be used by other researchers to produce more effective Parkinson’s medication. “Publishing our results will allow other scientists to use this information to learn more about Parkinson’s, its mechanisms and possible drugs to reduce aggregation.

Now one could develop a drug to prevent this interaction so the risk of diabetes will not lead to the risk of Parkinson’s,” says Miller.

Though the research conducted by Miller and her laboratory has yet to be published, it is some of the first to effectively examine the mechanism that causes Parkinson’s disease, a novel endeavor that has won her grants from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme, among other scientific bodies.

Forbes: Hamas Second-Richest Terror Group in World

Gaza Strip’s Islamist rulers have $1 billion stashed away; only the Islamic State with $2 billion has a fatter wallet

By Stuart Winer, The Times of Israel

Hamas is the second richest terror group in the world, with finances of around $1 billion, according to a report published by Forbes Israel, listing the top 10 wealthiest terror groups.

The Palestinian Islamist organization, which rules the Gaza Strip and collects taxes and aid money, is second only to the Islamic State, which has some $2 billion dollars at its disposal.

Third on the list is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army, better known as FARC, with some $600 million, while Lebanonbased Hezbollah came out fourth with $500 million. The Taliban, with an estimated $400 million, rounds out the top five.

The report does not detail where the terror groups get their money from, but Hamas had been able to control imports into the Gaza Strip through a series of smuggling tunnels from Sinai before they were largely destroyed by

Egypt’s army over the last two years.

The organization is also backed by international donors like Qatar who donate money to the Strip.

Palestinians have asked the international community to donate some $4 billion to the Strip to help rehabilitation efforts after the summer war with Israel, though countries have expressed concerns about the money going to the hands of Hamas.

During a one-day donor conference in October, international envoys pledged about $5.4 billion in aid for the Gaza Strip. US Secretary of State John Kerry announced immediate US assistance of $212 million as the conference began.

Hamas’s billion pales in comparison to the Islamic State’s vast wealth. On top of controlling vast oil reserves in Iraq and Syria, IS also managed to take control of Mosul’s main bank earlier this year, looting over $400 million from the institution. The group has

also managed to ransom off hostages for princely sums.

Al-Qaeda, which once counted Islamic State as one of its offshoots, is number 6 on the list with $150 million, according to the report, followed by Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan ($100 million), Harakat al-Shabaab in Somalia ($70 million), the Real Irish Republican Army ($50 million), and the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram ($25 million).

Experts say Islamic State’s huge financial capabilities are a significant problem for anti-terror efforts. “The economic power that an organization like Islamic State has accrued is a threat to Western countries and moderate Arab states,� Giora Eiland, former head of Israel’s National Security Council, is quoted telling Forbes. “However, in order for the financial activities to continue successfully it needs partnership with other states and bodies. IS, with all of the financial

resources that it got its hands on, is dependent on the cooperation of a second party. Its oil, for example, it sells to Turkey, so in the end there is cooperation with it — and that is what is disturbing.�

Eiland called for regulations and legislation against the groups as well as action against countries and bodies that finance and support terror organizations. Eiland called for outlawing such bodies, imposing sanctions, or refraining from doing business with any entity that deals with terror groups. Such action has been taken in the past. In September a New York jury found the Jordanbased multinational Arab Bank liable on 24 counts of supporting terrorism by transferring funds to Hamas.

Around 300 American relatives of the victims of 24 attacks carried out in Israel and the Palestinian territories during the Second Intifada filed the federal lawsuit in 2004.

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Israel Will Manufacture the Wings of the Best Fighter Plane in the World

By Gal Cohen, Jerusalem Online

After an agreement last month between Defense Minister Ya’alon and U.S. Secretary of Defense Hagel that Israel would purchase an additional squadron of F35 aircraft, the aerospace industry launched a new production line for the wings of the most advanced aircraft in the world. The Israeli-American operation will bring in 2.5 billion dollars to the state and will provide 70 new jobs.

The Israeli Aerospace Industries inaugurated the production line for the wings of the F36-the new plane that was purchased for the air force and is considered the world’s best fighter plane. This transaction completes the procurement of two squadrons of the aircraft by the Air

Ya'alon, who participated in the inaugural ceremony of the production line, organized just last week during a visit to Washington, where he agreed with US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel that Israel will purchase an additional squadron of aircraft, in addition to those already decided on by the government two years ago.

Force. The Israel Aerospace Industries will be responsible for manufacturing the wings, made from aluminum alloy and titanium, and will produce 811 pairs of wings.

The project cost is estimated at

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$2.5 billion, that will enter the state.

The F35 plane is defined as the most advanced aircraft in the world and the cooperation with IAI will provide 70 jobs.

Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie)

The First Aircraft Will Arrive in Israel 2017 In the first part of the deal signed between the two countries, Israel will receive 19 “Stealth" planes with $ 2.7 billion dollars in US aid. The name of the aircraft in the IAF is "Adir."

According to producers "Lockheed Martin", in early 2016 the first group of Israeli pilots will train on the plane on the US Air Force base LUCK in Arizona. The first planes are expected to arrive in Israel in 2017 and the squadron will become operational by the end of that year.

The Strength of a People.

The Power of Community.

OF PALM SPRINGS & DESERT AREA

Dear Friends and donors, The Annual Report of the Jewish Federation of the Desert showcases the wide array of programs and beneficiaries of the Annual Campaign and honors our donors who support these efforts. The Jewish Federation funds and supports a comprehensive network of organizations that do two things:

1. Care for people in need here at home, in Israel and around the world.

2. Nurture and sustain our Jewish community today and for future generations.

By working with a broad cross-section of community members to raise and distribute funds, we ensure that the programs, institutions and values that enrich our community remain vibrant and strong. From feeding the hungry to helping the unemployed, from supporting families with special needs to funding Jewish education and Israeli experiences, the Jewish Federation is focused on addressing the most pressing issues facing our community every day.

This year began as we watched as rockets rain down on Southern Israel. We responded as the needs emerged, facilitating recovery, providing aid and showing tangible concern for Israel. Our donors stepped up despite their own hardships, eager to contribute. It is this that makes our community so special and so enduring.

The work on behalf of our community is dynamic. By leveraging partnerships, collaborations, strategic insights and our ability to marshall resources, we can ensure that your support of the Jewish Federation is an investment in Jewish life.

All of these accomplishments were made possible by philanthropic visions of hundreds and hundreds of donors in the Palm Springs and Desert area. Federation remains a vital way to support our obligations to one another and express our highest ideals for a safe and secure world. Federation provides the path to give "To Jews as Jews and as Jews to all", a way of being Jewish and expressing the highest Jewish value of giving wherever the need be. May we continue to build this shelter of security in our community, Israel and wherever there is need.

As we look forward, we are confident that we are creating a Federation that is dynamic, active and bold. Together, we are strategically – and literally – building the Jewish Federation of tomorrow.

Let’s keep the momentum going.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Together, we do the extraordinary.

Shalom,

Celia Norian Chairman of the Board

Bruce Landgarten Chief Executive Officer

69-710 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, 760-324-4737 Board of Directors Celia Norian, Chairman of the Board Sondi Green, Co-chair, Campaign Libby Hoffman, Co-chair, Campaign Vernon Kozlen, Treasurer Bernard Reiter, Secretary Howard Levy, Immediate Past President Roberta Nyman, Immediate Past President

DIRECTORS Joseph Bernstein William Chunowitz Elliott Cohen Nancy Ditlove Ellen Glass Phil Glass Marjorie Kulp Ron Langus Allan Lehmann

Allan Nyman Dr. Paul Ross Stephanie Ross Elisa Schwartz Sandy Seplow Andrew Teitel Lainie Weil Bruce Landgarten, Chief Executive Officer

STAFF Bruce Landgarten, Chief Executive Officer James Trew, Chief Financial Officer Tina Friedman, Director of Development and Women’s Philanthropy Sandy Durham, Executive Assistant Linn Menne, Executive Assistant, Women’s Philanthropy Bebsabe Morrison, Bookkeeper

Highlighting Our Achievements This brief summary of our Jewish Federation’s achievements this past year highlights several of our accomplishments as the center for Jewish Philanthropy and community development for our Desert Jewish community. We remain passionately committed to our vision of seeing “more Jews, doing Jewish” as we continue to build strong collaborative partnerships with our beneficiary agencies and organizations to support and sustain Jewish life at home, around the world and in Israel.

• 2014 Jewish Federation Campaign raised $2.4 million dollars. Thank you to Libby Hoffman and Sondi Green, our Campaign Chairs; Nancy Ditlove and Margie Kulp, Major Gifts Chairs; Stephanie Ross, Women’s Philanthropy Council Campaign Chair; and all who worked so diligently to raise the funds. Thank you to Celia Norian, Chairman of the Federation Board, and Lainie Weil, Chair of Women’s Philanthropy Council for their leadership.

• Underwrote cost of bussing middle school children from our local schools to the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles

• Major Gifts annual dinner with Noam Gershony.

• Supported expanded programs on campus at UCR Riverside through our Hillel Jewish Student Center.

• Facilitated Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)

Israel & Overseas Programming 36%

Caring For the Vulnerable 42%

• Continued our collaborative work with Ramat HaNegev Regional Council in southern Israel.

• Initiated a Solomon Society in our Desert, a fellowship of men who inspire each other through their values and actions.

Responding to Difficult Times These are troublesome times for Jews. The war with Gaza highlighted the external problems we face around the globe. The line between antiZionism and anti-Semitism has become blurred and the world doesn’t seem as safe as it was just a year ago.

Israel was under attack all summer… beginning with the kidnapping and murder of three innocent teens which led to the war with Gaza.

Now we are seeing the dangers along the Syrian border.

We’ve seen outbreaks of ugliness overseas and at home. Violence in Ukraine, synagogues, supermarkets and Jewish-owned businesses attacked in France, assaults on Jews in Germany ... A Berlin imam calling on Allah to “destroy the Zionist Jews … count them and kill them, to the very last one.”

A Jewish student assaulted at Temple University in Philadelphia. An attack on a Jewish couple in New York….. And here at home, on the UC Riverside Campus, the presence of the SJP, Students for Justice in Palestine.

These are demanding times. …they demand our attention.... our commitment..... and our vigilance.

It’s during demanding times like these that our work is more essential than ever. Not only

2014 - 2015 CAMPA

have we raised funds for Jews in Ukraine and in Israel, ensuring they have the basic things they need to live, we’ve been actively addressing the rise of anti-Semitism in the Desert and elsewhere Over 240 families in our community gave more than $117,000 to our “Stop the Sirens” Emergency Campaign. We couldn’t silence the sirens but we helped mitigate their impact on Israelis living under fire..

And it’s during challenging times like these that we must join together as a community – no matter what our differing denominations or political views may be – to stand as one in response to hatred.

On the positive side, our Federation in the Coachella Valley did much more this past year.

Our 2014 annual campaign was able to raise a little more than the year before, allowing us to support more programs and assist more people.

On this page is the breakdown of how your contributions were spent. Please take the time to look at the many programs we support. It is clear that dropping any of them would impact lives. Those allocations – those numbers – are why you are asked to contribute each year. The 2015 campaign is beginning. We need you to join in this righteous endeavor.

Jewish Education & Identity 18%

Community Inclusion & Engagement 4%

Aids Assistance Program $10,000 Angel View Jewish Homes $36,836 Bikur Cholim - Chaagim Metukim $44,325 Bikur Cholim - Community Outreach $11,025 Bikur Cholim - Mission Program $27,135 Bikur Cholim - Shabbat Program $12,915 Desert Aids Project $7,500 FIND - Kids Summer Feeding Program $10,000 Food Now $10,000 Jewish Family Services - Express Transportation Program $7,500 Jewish Family Services - Let’s Do Lunch Program $30,000 Jewish Family Services - Mental Health Program $54,000 Jewish Family Services - Ner Tamid Program $50,000 Jewish Family Services Senior Care Management Program $70,000 K-9 Friendly Visitors $2,500 Local Reserves (Federation) $97,880 Mizell Senior Center - Meals on Wheels $20,000 Special Tzedakah Fund (Federation Program) $66,914 Temple Sinai - Mitzvah Food Program $24,500 Caring for the Vulnerable

42%

$593,030

Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs Youth for Unity Desert Hot Springs (Federation Program) LGBT (Federation Program) Yom Ha’atzmaut (Federation Program) Yom Hashoah (Federation Program

$6,000 $25,000 $5,000 $5,600 $8,100

Community Inclusion & Engagement

$49,700

4%

PAIGN ALLOCATIONS

00 36 25 25 35 15 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

00 00 80 00 14 00

30

00 00 00 00 00

00

Aleph Academy Education Materials Aleph Academy Scholarships Birthright Travel Assistance - (Federation Program) Congregation Beth Shalom - Scholar in Residence Inland and Desert Hillel Council (Special Israel Advocacy Programs) Har-El - Fortnight of Learning Har-El -Stepping Behind the Scenes Middle School Museum of Tolerance Trips (Federation Program) Sunshine Circle - Teen Holocaust Program Temple Isaiah - Cantor Concerts Temple Isaiah - Federation Lecture Series Temple Isaiah - Festival of Films Temple Isaiah - Lecture Series Temple Sinai - L’ Taken Temple Sinai - Madrichim Temple Sinai - Partnership - Ramat Negev Temple Sinai - Rabbi Levine Religious School Temple Sinai - Shabbaton Temple Sinai - Youth Enrichment Tikvah Preschool Music & Movement Enrichment Program Tikvah Preschool - PJ Library Tikvah Preschool - Scholarships Tolerance Education Center Student Learning Experience World of Difference Institute Anti-Bias/Bullying Programs) Jewish Education & Identity

18%

$3,700 $10,000 $5,000 $4,000 $25,000 $10,500 $2,000 $5,000 $10,000 $12,000 $5,000 $3,600 $8,000 $6,000 $6,000 $15,000 $30,000 $7,200 $6,000

Where our Dollars Come From Annual Campaign Tamarisk Contributions and Other Investment Income

2,124,054 156,900 182,657 87,899 2,551,510

Jewish Education & Identity - 9%

Directed Grants - 4% Overhead & Admin - 18%

Community Inclusion & Engagement - 2%

Caring for the Vulnerable - 19% Community Programs & Services Direct - 21%

Israel & Overseas Programming - 20%

$2,000 $8,000 $17,500 $25,000 $30,000 $256,500

Israel Guide Dog Center for the Blind JAFI - La’ad Program for Holocaust Survivors JAFI - Youth Futures Eilat JDC - General Fund JFNA - Birthright Israel JFNA - Fair Share Dues Leket Israel - Meals Rescue Project Meir Panim - Meals for Children Ramat HaNegev Center for Children with Special Needs Ramat HaNegev Day Care Center in Pitchat Nitzana Ramat HaNegev - Youth Exchange Delegation

$2,000 $12,500 $50,000 $150,000 $21,318 $79,376 $5,000 $17,500

Israel, Overseas & World Jewry

$499,694

36%

2014-2015 Jewish Federation of the Desert Allocations and Expenses

$50,000 $100,000 $12,000

Total Allocations $1,398,924

Allocation Reserves - 4%

Depreciation - 2%

Community Relations - 1%

Where our Dollars Go Allocation Reserves - 4% Caring for the Vulnerable - 19% Community Inclusion & Engagement - 2% Community Programs & Services Direct - 21% Community Relations - 1% Depreciation - 2% Directed Grants - 4% Israel & Overseas Programming - 20% Jewish Education & Identity - 9% Overhead & Admin - 18%

97,880 495,150 49,700 537,066 25,000 61,911 93,758 499,694 231,500 459,851

2,551,510

CREATING

a Jewish legacy empowers you to support the Jewish causes you care about. Because all of us, regardless of age, wealth, or affiliation, have the ability to secure our people’s traditions, promote Jewish values, and create a strong future for generations to come.

To learn more about Legacy Giving, contact Bruce Landgarten, Jewish Federation Chief Executive Off icer, at 760-324-4737.

OF PALM SPRINGS & DESERT AREA

69-710 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 760-324-4737

The Strength of a People.

The Power of Community.

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

801 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 202 Palm Springs, CA 92262 73750 Catalina Way, Ste. A, Palm Desert, CA 92260 (760) 325-4088 • www.jfsdesert.org

We show free movies on Wednesdays at 10 am and 1:30 pm

Exciting Upcoming Events:

This month: A mix of classic films and “fun” films from 2014!

The Mitzvah Circle Book & Author Luncheon

December 3 “The Usual Suspects” (1996/106 minutes) R

December 8, 2014 – Big Horn Golf Club

December 10 “The Caine Mutiny” (1953/123 minutes) NR

April 22, 2015 – McCallum Theatre

December 7, 2014 Desert Willow Golf Resort

JFS 12th Annual Patron Party Michael Childers Presents “One Night Only” Contact JFS at 760-325-4088 for more information

December 17 “Network” (1976/121 minutes) R

PROGRAMS & SERVICES

December 24 “The Hundred Food Journey” (2014/122 minutes) PG

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

December 31 “Jersey Boys” (2014/134 minutes) R

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

Thursday, December 11 – 11 am Slide show Exhibit “Bonyhad: Our Forgotten Neighbors” A program of Mensch International. Guest speaker: Csaba Latorcai, Deputy Counsel General of Hungary in Los Angeles. No fee.

DESERT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

Friday, December 19 – 5 pm Cabaret: Tommi Rose Holiday Show. $20. RSVP today!

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.

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

Looking ahead to January: Ken Green “I Believe in Music” returns on Thursday, anuary 29th at 4:00 pm. $20.

FRIENDLYVISITORS: JFS volunteers visit home bound seniors to provide companionship and support. For more information please call 760-779-9400 Ext. 204.

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

For more information please call 760-7799400 Ext. 204.

CAFÉ EUROPA GROUP: Social programming for holocaust survivors. Transportation available, for dates, times & more information please call 760-779-9400 Ext. 204.

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.

LET’S DO LUNCH! PROGRAM: Bimonthly activity program for homebound or isolated 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 760-779-9400 Ext. 205.

JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 15

Shabbat and Weekday Service Information Check the websites or call for times of services.

BETH SHALOM

(Member, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism) Ken Hailpern, Spiritual Leader 79-733 Country Club Drive, Bermuda Dunes, CA 92203

bethshalom18.wordpress.com

760-200-3636 8 pm Friday/9:30 am Saturday Shabbat Services.

8:30 am Monday & Thursday Morning Minyan, followed by light breakfast.

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, CA 92264

www.chabadpalmsprings.com

760-325-0774 Shabbat services Friday/Saturday; daily morning and evening minyan.

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, CA 92270

www.chabadrm.com

760-770-7785 Shabbat services Friday/10 am Saturday; daily morning and evening minyan. Check website for service times.

CONGREGATION HAR-EL

(Member, Union for Reform Judaism) Rabbi Richard Zionts 47-535 Hwy 74, Palm Desert, CA 92260

harelurj@aol.com

760-779-1691 5 pm Friday evening Shabbat Service, followed by speaker or discussion.

CONGREGATION SHALOM BAYIT (Reform) Rabbis Larry and Linda Seidman 1320 Williams Ave., Banning Contact 951-769-3678/769-7514 Shabbat Service 3rd Friday/ Havdallah 1st Saturday evening.

Desert Hot Springs Monthly Friday Shabbat Service with Rabbi Faith Tessler September through May. Contact 760-3244737 for more information.

760-568-9699 7:30 pm Friday/10 am Saturday Shabbat Services Bar Mitzvah Jack Trudeau December 6

BIKUR CHOLIM A project of Chabad of Palm Springs & Desert Communities (Community Outreach) Rabbi Yankel Kreiman

www.BikurCholimPS.com 760-325-8076

TEMPLE ISAIAH (Conservative) Rabbi Sally Olins 332 West Alejo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262

www.templeisaiahps.com 760-325-2281 7:30 pm Friday/10 am Saturday Shabbat Services; morning minyan Mondays & Thursdays - 8:30 am.

TEMPLE SINAI (Reform) Rabbi Andrew Bentley 73-251 Hovley Lane West, Palm Desert

www.templesinaipd.org

December Community Calendar Monday, December 1 10 am Tamar Hadassah Continental Breakfast meeting. Program: Bill Marx on the piano, singing songs of Jewish composers. Chaparral Country Club.

Pre-paid reservations required. $12. Call Phyllis Josephson at 760-321-9941.

Monday, December 1, 8. 15. 22. 29 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.

Tuesdays, December 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 10:00 am Temple Sinai Yiddish Club Tuesdays, December 2, 9, 16, 30 5:00-7:00 pm Chabad Rancho Mirage’s weekly BBQ. Reservations not required, but helpful: 760-770-7785.

Wednesdays, December 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 10:00 am and 1:30 pm Tolerance

16 • JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org

Education Center free movies.

See page 15 for December movie schedule.

Wednesdays, December 3, 10, 17 12 Noon Temple Sinai Lunch and Limud.

Wednesdays, December 3, 10, 17, 24 1:30 pm Temple Sinai Bereavement Group.

Wednesday, December 3, 10, 17 3:30-5:00 pm Har-El Galen Trimester Course “Great Trials of

Jewish History.” Presenter: Steve Moyer, J.D.. See classified ad, page 22, and “The Sage,” page 17 for more information.

Wednesdays, December 3, 10, 17 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.

December Community Calendar Continued Wednesday, December 3, 10, 17 4:00 pm Temple Isaiah Adult Education Class “Ecclesiastes” led by Rabbi Sally Olins.

Call 760-844-7302 for more information.

Wednesday, December 3, 10, 17 5:30 pm Temple Isaiah Beginning Hebrew. Instructor: Rabbi Sally Olins. Call 760-844-7302 for more information.

Wednesdays, December 3, 10, 31 6:30-7:30 pm Chabad of Rancho Mirage Torah and Tea. Explore contemporary issues through a Torah perspective.

Call 760-770-7785.

Thursday, December 4 9:00 am Sun City Hadassah continental breakfast meeting Program: “The Chocolate Man” with Kent Lyon of Guittard Chocolate. Sun City Palm Desert Sunset View Clubhouse. $5.

Big Horn. Minimum donation: $1000. Call 760-325-4088, ext.

118, for more information and reservations.

Tuesday, December 9 10 am Rimona Hadassah continental breakfast meeting.

Speaker: Ana Hitzel, “Put Your Best Space Forward” (home staging). Sun City Shadow Hills/ Montecito Clubhouse. $7.00.

RSVP to Deana Hopip, 760-238-4951.

Tuesday, December 9 10:30 am Temple Isaiah Books and Bagels, led by Kerry Turner.

December’s book: “The Queen’s Fool” by Philippa Gregory.

Everyone welcome.

Thursday, December 11 4:30 pm Beth Shalom Book Club Discussion of “Not Me” by Michael Lavigne. Discussion led

by David Baellow. Call 760200-3636 for more information.

Sunday, December 7 Jewish Family Service Mitzvah Circle Book and Author Luncheon at Desert Willow.

Call 760-325-4088 for more information.

Thursday, December 11 5:30 pm Temple Sinai Brotherhood Dinner and Movie. Call office for film title. Dinner $15 adults, $10 children. RSVP to 760-568-9699.

Monday, December 8 6-8 pm Jewish Family Service Patron Party at private home in

Friday, December 12 11:00 am Mensch Int’l Foundation: Slide Photo Exhibit “Bonyhad

(Hungary),Our Forgotten Neighbors.” Speakers: Steve Geiger “Jewish Community in Hungary” and Dr.Csaba Latorcal, Ass’t Dep. Secretary of State, Hungary. No fee. Held at Tolerance Education Center.

Sunday, December 14 9:00 am Temple Sinai Tikvah/ Barnes & Noble Bookfair at Temple Sinai.

Sunday, December 14 9:30 am-1 pm Temple Sinai Holiday Bazaar. See classified ad, page 22, for more information.

Monday, December 15 5:00 pm Jewish National Fund 8th Annual Love of Israel Dinner honoring Allan and Roberta Nyman and Cantor Alberto Mizrahi. RSVP to jnf.org/psloi or call 760-864-6208, ext. 961.

Tuesday, December 16 11:00 am Temple Sinai Sisterhood Book Club Tuesday, December 16 3:00 pm Tamar Hadassah “Tea Time for New Friends” for women interested in learning more about joining Hadassah.

Call Joan Wine, 760-775-7510 for information and to RSVP.

Friday, December 19 6:00 pm Tolerance Education Center Cabaret Performance: “Tommi Rose Holiday Show.”

Holiday reception follows. $20.

Reservations required.

See page 15 for details.

Saturday, December 20 6:30 pm Beth Shalom Chanukah Dinner and Gift Auction. $25 members/$30 non-members.

Pre-paid reservations required.

Call 760-200-3636 for information.

Sunday, December 21 11 am-3 pm The Shalom Group Chanukah Champagne Brunch.

At Temple Isaiah. $18 on or before December 5; $22 after.

Mail check to Shalom Group c/o B. Amplo, 41254 Lighhall Court, Indio, CA 92203.

Thursday, December 25 Time TBA Jewish Federation LGBT Alliance Movie and Chinese Food. See ad page 8.

Thursday, December 25 6:00 pm Temple Sinai Brotherhood Chinese Dinner and a Movie.

Call 760-568-9699 for more information.

JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 17

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

Honorarium Tributes –

Edith and Arnold Familian, Barbara and Bernie Fromm, Rochelle Gluckstein, Melinda and Stanley Goodman, Margot and Jerry Halperin, Pat and Howard Levy, Marnie Miller and Joe Noren, Myrna Odwak and George Green, Mimi and Harold Paley, Barbara Platt and Norm Lewis, Nora and Don Rado, Renee and Herb Schneider, Barbara Schrayer and Cal Levin, Jane and Larry Sherman, Susan and Burt Sunkin, Leslie and Barry Usow, Arlene and Irwin Volk, Lainie and Tom Weil.

In Appreciation For:

• Mr. and Mrs. Robert Abt, In honor of your anniversary, from Eunice and Jerry Meister.

• Audrey and Joe Bernstein, Thank you from Judith and Elliott Cohen, Nancy and Dennis Ditlove, Edith and Arnold Familian, Barbara and Bernie Fromm, Rochelle Gluckstein, Melinda and Stanley Goodman, Margot and Jerry Halperin, Pat and Howard Levy, Marnie Miller and Joe Noren, Myrna Odwak and George Green, Mimi and Harold Paley, Barbara Platt and Norm Lewis, Nora and Don Rado, Renee and Herb Schneider, Barbara Schrayer and Cal Levin, Jane and Larry Sherman, Susan and Burt Sunkin, Leslie and Barry Usow, Arlene and Irwin Volk, Lainie and Tom Weil.

• Robert Borns, Happy Birthday from Judy and Marty Cohn.

• Joanne and Bill Chunowitz, Thank you from Judith and Elliott Cohen, Nancy and Dennis Ditlove, Barbara and Bernie Fromm, Rochelle Gluckstein, Melinda and Stanley Goodman, Margot and Jerry Halperin, Pat and Howard Levy, Marnie Miller and Joe Noren, Myrna Odwak and George Green, Mimi and Harold Paley, Barbara Platt and Norm Lewis, Nora and Don Rado, Renee and Herb Schneider, Barbara Schrayer and Cal Levin, Jane and Larry Sherman, Susan and Burt Sunkin, Leslie and Barry Usow, Arlene and Irwin Volk, Lainie and Tom Weil.

• Ted Ginsberg, Happy Birthday from Carole and Richard Sukman.

• Harvey Goldstein, Happy 75th birthday, from Bob and Carol Friedman.

• Reva and Don Levy, Thank you from Al Bloch and Fefe Passer.

• Joni and Don Maltzman, , Thank you from Judith and Elliott Cohen, Nancy and Dennis Ditlove,

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.

• Rabbi Faith and Scott Tessler, In your honor, from Robert Rosenberg.

Refuah Shleimah –

Get Well Wishes To:

• Ted Hirsch, Wishing a speedy recovery, from Barbara Platt

• Rabbi and Mrs. Shimon Posner, In honor of Sholom’s Bar Mitzvah, from Barbara Platt.

• Carol Katzman, Hope you’re feeling better, from Susan and Burt Sunkin.

• Sarah Rosen, Mazel tov on this important day in your life, from Ella and Arieh Ohana.

Memoriam Tributes –

• Gail and Bob Scadron, Thank you from Judith and Elliott Cohen, Nancy and Dennis Ditlove, Edith and Arnold Familian, Barbara and Bernie Fromm, Rochelle Gluckstein, Melinda and Stanley Goodman, Margot and Jerry Halperin, Pat and Howard Levy, Marnie Miller and Joe Noren, Myrna Odwak and George Green, Mimi and Harold Paley, Barbara Platt and Norm Lewis, Nora and Don Rado, Renee and Herb Schneider, Barbara Schrayer and Cal Levin, Jane and Larry Sherman, Susan and Burt Sunkin, Leslie and Barry Usow, Arlene and Irwin Volk, Lainie and Tom Weil.

• Myron Shack, Happy 75th birthday, from Bob and Carol Friedman, and Tobye Rubin.

• Debra and Mickey Star, Thank you from Judith and Elliott Cohen, Nancy and Dennis Ditlove, Edith and Arnold Familian, Barbara and Bernie Fromm, Rochelle Gluckstein, Melinda and Stanley Goodman, Margot and Jerry Halperin, Pat and Howard Levy, Marnie Miller and Joe Noren, Myrna Odwak and George Green, Mimi and Harold Paley, Barbara Platt and Norm Lewis, Nora and Don Rado, Renee and Herb Schneider, Barbara Schrayer and Cal Levin, Jane and Larry Sherman, Susan and Burt Sunkin, Leslie and Barry Usow, Arlene and Irwin Volk, Lainie and Tom Weil.

18 • JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org

Condolences Sent To:

• Carol Frankel-Cohen, My thoughts are with you, from Barbara Platt • Sandy Goldman and Family, With deepest sympathy, from Margot and Jerry Halperin, Libby and Buddy Hoffman, and Susan and Burt Sunkin.

• Dr. Conrad Greenwald Family, With sincere sympathy, from Dr. Mark and Fran Kaufman.

• Joan Grill, In memory of your beloved husband Larry from Jim and Donna Levitas, Sheila and Harvey Medvin, Debbie and Forrest Tatel.

• Gene Jamin, My thoughts are with you, from Barbara Platt •

Mrs. Saul Morantz, My thoughts are with you, from Barbara Platt

•

Honoring the memory of Vivian Ruth Rosenberg, from Robert Rosenberg.

• Faye Sarkowsky, Our deepest sympathy, from Libby and Buddy Hoffman.

• Dr. and Mrs. Eric Williams, In loving memory of your daughter, from Barbara Platt

Congressional Appropriators Warn Abbas on Incitement The Times of Israel

“This aid is predicated on the Palestinian A u t h o r i t y ’s commitment to countering terrorism and pursuing a Rep. Rita Lowey Rep. Key Granger Rep. Hal Rogers comprehensive peace with Top congressional appropriators Israel,” said the letter sent November told Palestinian Authority President 20th, signed by Rep. Hal Rogers Mahmoud Abbas that Congress (R-Ky.), the chairman of the US House “remains committed” to conditions of Representatives Appropriations for continued funding of the PA, Committee, Rep. Nita Lowey including controlling incitement.

(D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the committee and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), the chairwoman of its foreign operations subcommittee.

“U.S. law also clearly stipulates that the Palestinian Authority must act to counter the incitement of

violence against Israelis in order to continue receiving US assistance,” the letter said, adding: “We remain resolute in our commitment to these conditions.”

The United States grants the Palestinian Authority about $500 million in assistance annually.

Israeli Teens Visiting our Community

By Leslie Pepper, Director of Education, Temple Sinai

more homes to house the students for the week. Ideally we would like there to be teenagers in the home so that they can participate in the full week of programming. For more information please contact Leslie Pepper, Director of Education at Temple Sinai, 760-5689699 or Lpepper@templesinaipd.org.

Temple Sinai teens at Ramat HaNegev in 2013

Our desert community is looking forward to welcoming a group of 16 Israeli Junior and Senior High School students to our desert from December 20-27th. They are part of an exchange with our Ramat Ha Negev friends whom our teens visited last year, experiencing life in Israel and their warm Israeli hospitality.

The week will begin as Shabbat ends, with a special Havdalah and Chanukah program after the students’ long flight from Israel and reconnecting with our teens whom they met a year ago. We will have the Mayor of their Region in Israel greet our host families and bring greetings to our community from Israel as we welcome them to ours!

We plan to show the teens our beautiful desert plus day trips around southern California. They will also have the opportunity to explore with our teens the profound differences between their lives, living amongst Jews as a majority in Israel, as compared to issues facing our teens living in a society where Xmas is all pervasive, especially the week they are here.

This program has been funded by the Jewish Federation of the Desert and facilitated by Temple Sinai’s staff and families. We are still looking for a few JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 19

Community Schools

Shalom

RELIGIOUS/HEBREW SCHOOLS

Aleph Academy A Project of Jewish Sunshine Circle Director: Shaindy Friedman 73-550 Santa Rosa Way, Palm Desert, Ca. 92260 alephacademy.org • 760-413-4425

Temple Sinai Director: Leslie Pepper 73-251 Hovley Lane West, Palm Desert, CA 92260 www.templesinaipd.org • 760-568-9699

NURSERY SCHOOL

Temple Sinai Tikvah Pre-School Director: Debbie Midcalf • 24 mos - Pre-K 73-251 Hovley Lane West, Palm Desert, CA 92260 760-568-6779

Shalom The finest in Jewish Living

20 • JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org

Israel’s Fate at Security Council May Hinge on Increasingly Critical Europe

If Abbas takes his West Bank withdrawal demand to the UN this year, as promised, his chances aren’t bad. But if he waits till January, when Malaysia and Venezuela join the Council, they’re even better

By Raphael Aaron, The Times of Israel

The Palestinian Authority is threatening to go to the United Nations Security Council with a resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal within two years to the pre-1967 lines. PA President Mahmoud Abbas declared this week that he intends to do so within the month — perhaps on the symbolic date of November 29, on which the UN in 1947 voted on its Partition Plan and in 2012 granted Palestine nonmember state status at the General Assembly.

In the council’s present constellation, it will be difficult — though certainly not impossible — to get the number of yes votes required to pass a resolution or force the US to veto it. However, if Abbas decided to hold off until next year, when five of the non-permanent Security Council members will be replaced, the chances of the Palestinian demarche will increase significantly.

With Malaysia and Venezuela replacing South Korea and Argentina in the new year, two countries openly hostile to Israel will enter the Security Council. Joined by Chad, three countries, or 20 percent of the world’s most important decision-making forum, will not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

For a resolution to pass it needs nine votes from the council’s 15 members.

If that were to occur, one of its five permanent members — the U.S., the UK, China, France and Russia — could veto the resolution.

Of those five, only Washington can be reasonably expected to make use of its right to block the Palestinians’ move, but a U.S. veto is by no means guaranteed. Relations between the White House and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are famously strained, and Barack Obama, now entering the last stretch of his presidency and no longer tied to electoral considerations, could decide to turn his back on Jerusalem.

The U.S. might be reluctant to isolate itself internationally by stymieing a move supported by a large majority of states in the United Nations, including the entire Arab world, especially as Washington seeks allies in its fight against the Islamic State terrorist group.

What about the other Security Council members? …..In the current Security Council, Abbas could rely on five yes votes — from Chad, Chile, China, Jordan and Russia. (While generally friendly to Israel, Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East. Under President Michelle Bachelet, Santiago summoned Israel’s ambassador during this summer’s Operation Protective Edge in protest of what it termed the “collective punishment” of Gazans.) ……The maybes are Argentina, France, Great Britain, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Korea.

Australia and the US are very likely no voters. Lots of imponderables in that mix.

Just a few weeks from now, though, the Palestinians would look at a clearer, brighter picture. In 2015, Chad, Chile, China, Jordan, Malaysia, Russia and Venezuela would be virtually certain to support the Palestinian resolution, almost regardless of its wording. With seven yes votes in their pocket, the Palestinians would need to find only two other countries to pass the resolution or force a veto.

New Zealand (which replaces Australia in January) has generally friendly ties with Jerusalem. But unlike Australia — which is one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in the world, if not the staunchest — Wellington is not considered particularly close, especially since a minor diplomatic row in September, when Jerusalem refused to accredit Jonathan Curr as New Zealand’s new ambassador to Israel because he was also slated to be the ambassador to the PA; the post has not been filled. New Zealand also voted in favor of Palestinian nonmember state status at the UN General Assembly in 2012, while Australia abstained.

Nigeria and Angola (which replaces Rwanda) have close business ties with Israel, but in the end, it might come down to the four European Union member states. France, Britain, Lithuania and Spain (which will replace Luxembourg) will try to formulate a common position ahead of a vote, and it is hard to predict

should therefore not approve such an initiative.”

But does the U.S., Israel’s potential diplomatic savior, buy this argument?

After the midterm elections and the Republican takeover of the Senate earlier this month, Obama is unlikely to get much work done domestically and may Israel’s UN Envoy Ron Prosor want to focus on foreign policy issues that could shape his legacy. Besides a nuclear which way they will lean. The EU, in agreement with Iran, the White House principle, is opposed to unilateral might also want to promote Middle East moves, but has repeatedly threatened peace and pressure Israel through a proto take steps to pressure Israel vis-a-vis Palestinian resolution at the UN. Palestinian statehood.

Some in Jerusalem worry that the Vilnius has excellent relations with Palestinians might use rather soft language Jerusalem and, in isolation, could be in their draft resolution — perhaps even expected on to vote in its favor, but the adopt segments from U.S. Secretary of small Baltic state is a lightweight within State John Kerry’s so-called framework the EU context and will likely follow the agreement, which he devised during the lead of Paris and London. last round of peace talks — which could How would France and Britain render Washington more amenable to vote? The British are heading toward an accepting it. election, on May 7, and its parliament If the Palestinian application to the last month overwhelmingly voted in favor Security Council merely condemns Israeli of a nonbinding resolution calling on the settlement construction and calls for the government to recognize a Palestinian creation of a Palestinian state in general state. terms, without delineating borders, Lawmakers in Madrid and Paris are Washington just might acquiesce to the slated to vote on similar resolutions in initiative, or at least withhold its veto, the coming weeks. Both governments some fear. have deep sympathies for the Palestinian Perhaps ironically, it is therefore in cause. France will “obviously at a certain Israel’s interest that the Palestinians adopt moment recognize the Palestinian state,” maximalist positions and use language Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said last that will be unacceptable to the U.S., the month. “The question is when and how? EU and the other countries still weighing Because this recognition must be useful how to vote on the matter. The more for efforts to break the deadlock and benign the PA’s formulations, the higher contribute to a final resolution of the the chances that their draft resolution conflict,” added Fabius. will be accepted.

All of which diplomatic accounting Likewise, the sooner the Palestinians suggests that the chances that the go to the UN, the better for Israel. As Palestinians could reach the nine required the arithmetic makes clear, if they do so votes in the 2015 Security Council are within the next month — as promised reasonably high, a fact that is not lost by Abbas — or indeed anytime before on Jerusalem. “The Foreign Ministry is December 31, the likelihood of the working day and night on this matter,” Security Council accepting their said Emmanuel Nahshon, the ministry’s resolution is lower than if they wait for spokesman. “We remain in constant 2015. Notwithstanding Abbas’s promise contact with current and future members in mid November, it’s a fair bet that he of the UN Security Council to convey the and his advisers have done their Security message that a unilateral strategy does Council arithmetic. not contribute to a peaceful solution of the conflict, and that the UN Security JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 21

Simchas Mazel tov to Morris Beschloss on being honored as “Outstanding Rancho Mirage Citizen” by the Rancho Mirage City Council on November 6 Morris Beschloss ... Mazel tov to Sholom Posner, son of Rabbi Shimon and Chaya Posner of Chabad of Rancho Mirage, on being called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on November

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Dovid Kreiman Jack & Mitzi Olshansky

Bar Mitzvah at Temple Sinai on December 6th ... We hear about people winning something big, but rarely do we actually know someone who has. So it was such nice news to learn that Temple Sinai’s immediate Jack Trudeau past president, Jack Olshansky, and

his wife Mitzi won a trip to Israel!

The Olshansky’s had purchased two raffle tickets offered at a Hadassah Southern California fundraising event in Los Angeles last April. Although they didn’t attend the event, Mitzi’s name was drawn as the grand prize winner! The prize: two Business Class tickets to Israel and five nights at the King David Hotel. With the help of the travel agency, the trip was reorganized to also include visiting Prague, Vienna and Budapest. They just returned November 5th ... Share your Simchas with us. Call Miriam Bent at 760-323-0255 or email her at mhbentjcn@earthlink.net.

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DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS OF CONGREGATION HAR-EL include worship, study and celebrating community. You’re invited to be part of this mission.

Join the Har-El Galen Trimester Course presented by Steve Moyer, J.D. on the topic of “Great Trials of Jewish History.” The participants will discuss and examine, through video, film and lecture, the trials of Leo Frank (1913), Leopold and Loeb (1924) and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (1951). Dates: Wednesdays, December 3, 10 and 17, 2014 from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. To register, e-mail: harelurl@gmail.com or call: (760) 779-1691. If you’re a previous fan of Har-El courses, ask for your special discount on the fee.

See the cartoon “The Sage”, page 17, in this Jewish Community News.

JFS VOLUNTEERS WELCOME: JFS has rewarding volunteer opportunities available and is now accepting applications for the following positions: Let’s Do Lunch! Program Driver, Let’s Do Lunch! Program Volunteer, Friendly Visitor, JFS Express Senior Ride Transportation driver, Front Office Assistant. For more information contact 760-7799400 Ext. 204.

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22 • JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org

Sima L. Hayutin, Edith (Edi) Jamin, Saul Marantz, Selma J. Rolnick, Herman Sarkowsky and Margery Louise Steiner.

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

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Laugh out Loud Stories in the news that bring a smile!

THE KIBBUTZ … RELOCATED The traditional kibbutz and moshav isn’t dead. It’s just relocated…

AlefBet Planners Ltd. revealed that several years ago they were floored to get a call from a go-between representing the late Venezuelan dictator and Israel basher Hugo Chávez who said Chávez wanted AB Planning – which had 60 years of experience planning new kibbutzim – to build Chávez a kibbutz. Or a moshav.

The $400 M 500-member mega co-op they planned was built on undeveloped land 150 km. (93 miles) from Caracas, a pilot to attract people to leave the city and return to a quality-filled life in the countryside - complete with standardized houses and equal plots of land, a marketing co-op and regional processing plants and slaughterhouse, with school and sports stadium in the middle.

In 2002, even Angola asked AB to plan a series of tribal-based kibbutzim for demobilized soldiers from the country’s civil war to nurture coexistence, revealed Alefbet Planners’s CEO, Kobi Bogin. Ghana and Congo have also established Israeli-style kibbutzim and moshavim. Planning involves adapting kibbutz and moshav models to local culture and conditions on the ground - including some African copies where buildings are made of mud bricks.

The innovative Israeli company, incidentally, has even planned an old-age home for elderly cows in India, including call buttons that beep when they don’t feel well.

ROAD HAZARD

For those who remember the delightful film “The Straight Story” about the adventures of an old geezer from the Midwest who took off to visit his ailing brother in the next state on his aging ride-on lawnmower – reality sometimes beats fiction: An 86 year-old man from Lod decided to set out for Tel-Aviv to fix a flat on the reserve tire of his four-wheel battery-powered mobility cart but ran into a snag: He not only took a wrong turn ending up on the #1 highway that runs from Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv; the motorist ended up taking the left lane fast toll lane to boot!

Shocked drivers notified the police, who rescued the motorist stranded on the narrow shoulder of the metal divider strip after his battery went flat as well. Loading the cart onto a pick-up truck, the police gave the old man a lift back to Lod in a squad car – but not before stopping at a garage to fix the tire and charging up his battery, seeing the wayward motorist all the way safely home with a motorized escort. (Yediot, Mako) DO YOU FEEL THE PAIN? Every physician knows that pain is subjective – and what one person reports as unbearable pain, another considers tolerable – but there’s more to it than meets the eye: A joint American-Israeli study conducted at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, in collaboration with the Technion and Haifa University, found the more gray matter in a certain area of the brain (found in high-functioning individuals), the better the subject deals with pain. In short, smart people suffer less pain.

Have A Nosh With Miriam

By Miriam H. Bent

LATKES FOR CHANUKAH I love celery root and love to combine it with potatoes for a wonderful, earthy latke which I am sharing with you this year. It is a pareve recipe so is good with sour cream at a milchig dinner or plain as a side dish at a meat meal. Another new recipe this year is my pareve Garlic Rosemary Latkes that are really intended as a meat meal’s side dish, going especially well with roasted chicken, brisket or other meat dishes. For purists, I am including a “traditional” latke recipe as well. Have a wonderful, joyful and delicious Chanukah! MHB CELERY ROOT POTATO LATKES 1 to 1½ lb. Celery root, trimmed, peeled to taste and cut into large chunks 1 large garlic clove, minced About 1 lb. Yukon Gold or russet 2 Tablespoon matzah meal or flour potatoes, peeled ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 large egg, beaten ½ teaspoon celery seeds, crushed ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste Olive oil for frying 1/4 teaspoon freshly group pepper, or With a grating disk in the food processor, shred the celery root. You should have about 2 cups. Transfer into a colander. With the same disk shred the potatoes. Put half in with the celery root and press with your hands or wooden spoon to remove most of the liquid. Put the remaining potatoes into a bowl while you switch the grater blade to the steel blade in the processor. Squeeze out some of the liquid as you put that remaining shredded potato back into the processor. Pulse until a rough puree. Put the shredded celery root and potato plus the pureed potato into a large bowl. Add the egg, baking powder, salt, pepper, minced garlic clove, crushed celery seeds and matzah meal (or flour) and mix until well combined.

In a heavy, large skillet heat about 1/4 inch oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Drop 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) batter per latke into the pan and flatten with spatula. Do not crowd latkes. Make 4 or 5 at a time. Lower heat to about medium and fry latkes until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn over and fry second side. Add more oil if needed, but allow the oil to get hot before continuing frying. As they are done, put on a paper towel lined large pan and keep warm in a 250 degree oven.

GARLIC ROSEMARY POTATO LATKES About 1½ lbs. Yukon Gold or 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste russet potatoes, peeled 1/4 teaspoon freshly groud pepper, 2 Tablespoons chopped garlic or to taste 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 large egg, beaten Olive oil for frying 1 Tablespoon matzah meal or flour Coarsely shred the potatoes, using the grating disk in the food processor. Transfer potatoes to a colander and, with your hands or wooden spoon, press our as much liquid as possible. Replace shredder disk with metal blade in the food processor and return about 1/3 of the shredded potatoes to the processor along with the garlic and rosemary, processing until roughly pureed. Combine that mixture with shredded potatoes in a large bowl and add the egg, matzah meal (or flour), salt, pepper and baking powder. Mix until well combined. Refrigerate about 15 minutes.

In a heavy, large skillet heat about 1/4 inch oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Drop 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) batter per latke into the pan and flatten with spatula. Do not crowd latkes. Make 4 or 5 at a time. Lower heat to about medium and fry latkes until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn over and fry second side. As they are done, put on a paper towel lined large pan and keep warm in a 250 degree oven.

6 potatoes, peeled 2 eggs 1 small onion, grated

‘TRADITIONAL’ POTATO LATKES 1 tablespoon matzo meal salt and pepper to taste Oil for frying

Grate potatoes. Let sit a moment, then pour off most of the liquid, taking care not to throw out the potato starch that collects at the bottom. Add grated onion, matzo meal, eggs, salt and pepper. Fry in oil until browned on both sides. Serve with sour cream or applesauce.

JCN • December 2014 • Cheshvan/Kislev 5775 • www.jfedps.org • 23

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