We visited the TriBeCa Synagogue and the Sutton Place Synagogue on Recent Shabboses
Publisher’s Note: New Friends and Shared Priorities in Staten Island
From NYJL Covers to Coverage, Our Best of 2017
DECEMBER 13, 2017 | NEWS THAT MATTERS TO JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN THE NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA | NYJLIFE.COM | FREE
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Publisher’s Note
News that matters to Jewish communities in the New York City metropolitan area
New Friends and Shared Priorities When you meet new friends and sense shared priorities, the conversations become wide ranging and, even in a professional setting, a lot of fun. The time flies, and following up becomes not a chore but something to look forward to. I’m happy to share that this is what happened with me in Staten Island Borough Hall last week, with two new colleagues who are already (affectionately) making fun of me in emails and on calls. In the often difficult business of getting things done in government and politics, these sorts of exchanges make it all worthwhile. Which isn’t to say we were talking about easy stuff, far from it. The conversation felt important. Staten Island is diverse. It’s diverse ethnically and racially, economically, and in terms of housing status. It’s diverse through the lens of educational level attained, language spoken at home, and in profession. This diversity is sometimes subtle, presenting gradually sometimes on the same block of homes, and sometimes it’s revealed starkly between neighborhoods and regions. Staten Island’s diversity, not well understood in other parts of the city, is very real. Add to this diversity the borough’s political heft, as Staten Island Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, whose district also includes parts of Brooklyn, performed strongly against incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio. I was visiting Staten Island last week to meet with two of the Borough President’s education aides, specifically about language programs in new schools, and about school diversity.
Those issues quickly addressed and mostly agreed upon, the discussion took a different turn. One of my hosts turned to me, perhaps she fondly turned on me, to lament the lack of commitment by City Hall and city government to drug education in elementary schools. Albany has made this a mandate, early drug education, but the city isn’t sufficiently making it happen. Staten Island, I’m sure you know, is in the midst of a longtime opioid epidemic that is ripping apart families and killing teens and young adults. From abusing prescriptions pills to then heroin and dangerous fentanyl, this borough has long been grappling with how to effectively manage and curtail drug abuse and fatalities. While law enforcement is a vital tool, my talk last week was about about young children learning to make better decisions, and comparing this crisis with the HIV / AIDS crisis of years before. Staten Island Borough President James Oddo has, with partners in law enforcement and health care, brought consistent early drug education into elementary schools. While middle school lessons are important, some seventh and eighth graders are already experimenting (and more) with controlled substances, their later decision making informed by early experiences. Restraint, responsible decision making, and so called “executive functions” come from repetition of messaging alongside sincere conversations. Middle school years are already too fraught to first introduce the topic. Responsibility comes from layers of interactions, not one lecture.
The real issue in schools is this, was explained to me last week: when drug use, overdoses, and deaths happen to young adults in their 20s, and among those in later teen years, these tragedies aren’t necessarily linked to schools. The comparison to HIV / AIDS education is easy to see. When students were getting sick and dying, the connection with education and schools was obvious. Earlier education in younger grades was implemented with age appropriate curricula. That effort, one of many tools in the toolbox, played a significant role in plummeting infection rates. So why aren’t we doing more of this, consistently in younger grades, for drug prevention? Are we afraid of difficult conversations? Surely talking about the consequences of drug use is easier than planning a funeral. Staten Island is leading the way in early drug education because it has to. Borough President Oddo - and his partners in policy, policing, and prevention - deserve credit for the effort. But credit, I’m sure, isn’t why they’re doing this. It’s a saying so often heard that it’s become a cliche, but they’re doing it for the children.
Michael Tobman, Publisher
PUBLISHER
Michael Tobman SENIOR PUBLICATION ADVISOR
Andrew Holt NYC BUREAU CHIEF
Maxine Dovere
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT NYJLIFE.COM
CHANUKAH: 1 CANDLE: 5:18PM ON TUESDAY, 12 DECEMBER 2017 CHANUKAH: 2 CANDLES: 5:19PM ON WEDNESDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2017 CHANUKAH: 3 CANDLES: 5:19PM ON THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2017 CHANUKAH: 4 CANDLES: 4:11PM ON FRIDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2017 CANDLE LIGHTING: 4:11PM ON FRIDAY, 15 DECEMBER 2017 THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION IS PARASHAT MIKETZ CHANUKAH: 5 CANDLES: 5:20PM ON SATURDAY, 16 DECEMBER 2017
DECEMBER 2017 | NYJLIFE.COM | 3
SCHUMER IN THE NEWS
Sander Levin, Longest-serving Jewish Congressman, Won’t Seek Reelection NEW YORK CITY
Congressman Sander Levin, currently the longest-serving Jewish member of Congress, announced he would not seek reelection after more than three decades in office. Levin, a Democrat from Michigan, made the announcement Saturday that he would not run for a 19th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents Michigan’s 9th Congressional District and has served in the House of Representatives since 1983. “I have been incredibly honored to serve the people of Michigan in Congress and to work on so many issues important to our communities, our state, and our nation. I have tried to live up to the trust
given to me by my constituents by following the values of my parents and family and by acting on what I believe after digging deeply into the facts and consulting broadly,” he said in a statement issued by his office Saturday. Levin, 86, announced he would join the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy when his term expires at the end of next year. “I now want to share these same values in ways other than being an elected official. Working to renew our confidence in promoting positive change, especially among our next generation of leaders, will be a particular interest,” he said. Levin, who has backed Israel throughout his tenure in Congress, voted in favor of the Iran nuclear deal. He served as chairman of the House Ways
and Means Committee during consideration and passage of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare; led efforts to prevent the privatization of Social Security, and co-authored the Drug Free Communities Support Program. His announcement noted that “for the next year, much work remains in Congress, especially as it relates to important tax, trade and health policies.” He is the brother of Michigan Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, who retired following the 2014 elections after serving 36 years.
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SHABBOS SHORTS
sanctuary are from deceased city and federal government workers who once attended the shul, although few public employees attend regularly these days, congregants said. By the 1980s membership had declined and there was even talk of demolition, but the shul reached out to artists who had settled in the neighborhood for decades to join and hold events there.
Wrong Place? Never at the TriBeCa Synagogue BY AARON SHORT
If you didn’t know what the TriBeCa synagogue looks like, you might think you’re in the wrong place. A stroll down White Street puts you at the doorstep of a convex wave set back from the street and wedged between two five-story stone and cast iron lofts. The marble-adorned structure resembles the cross section of a Hershey’s kiss, attracting gawkers for a quick detour inside just to see the building. The credit goes to Pratt Institute architecture professor William Breger, a graduate of nearby Stuyvesant H.S. and Harvard University, who won an American Institute of Architects Honor Award for his 1967 design. Breger for once envisioned a helical grocery store that resembled the Guggenheim Museum but it was never built. The shul remains his legacy following his death two years ago at the age of 92. The shul’s Orthodox congregants still thank Breger for the building’s unusual shape, which is even more spectacular inside. Congregants enter a small door at the base of the shul before ambling up half a floor to the four-story concave sanctuary. Which may have the best acoustics of any house of worship in the entire city. The sound “resonates” by bouncing off the interior walls from the bimah back down to the pews, one congregant told me on a Friday night in November. The prayers recited on a Shabbat evening with only
6 | NYJLIFE.COM | DECEMBER 2017
20 people sounded rich and mellow. Thanks in part to the sanctuary’s curvature. Rabbi Jonathan Glass kicked off the service just after happy hour — a seasonal certainty that occurs in the weeks surrounding the December solstice. He handed out an art scroll siddur and pointed to the
A man carrying an acoustic “ guitar case who bore a passing
resemblance to William H. Macy pulled a bottle of blackberry whiskey and began pouring shots into plastic cups..
”
page number before returning to the bimah. “You only missed the mincha, about twenty minutes,” he said. Glass came to TriBeCa in 1989 in one of the synagogue’s transition periods. Civil servants founded the shul in 1938 and named it Civic Center Synagogue, although the location changed to make way for the Jacob Javits Federal Building. Many of the names on memorial plaques on the walls of the
TriBeCa’s transformation in the 1990s to one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city buoyed the shul which launched a new Hebrew school this year to cater to the area’s growing population of young families. And the shul often host events with charities such as the Jewish Community Project, which held a shabbat dinner for families with preschoolers this month after services. The service itself is warm and spare with little explanation of the prayers or their meanings, which is common among modern Orthodox shuls. There’s usually a partition between men and women but it was removed so not to vex any guests attending the JCP dinner in a basement social hall afterward. An hour later and Glass finished the service, thanking those who came. Two women who sat in the corner of the shul told Glass they were from Israel and wandered in from the street. Glass invited them and the rest of the congregation to the shul’s kitchen for kiddush. A man carrying an acoustic guitar case who bore a passing resemblance to William H. Macy pulled a bottle of blackberry whiskey and began pouring shots into plastic cups. Another congregant handed out cups of the more traditional Jack Daniels. All was well.
SHABBOS SHORTS
attended a Friday night service in December. Rabbi Rachel Ain, a prolific writer and one of the few women leading a Conservative minyan in the city, ran the service which started on time and took only about 50 minutes. Ain, along with a cantor, briskly recited prayers in Hebrew from heavy Siddur Lev Shalems printed in 2016. Once the congregation got to the Mariv, the set of evening prayers marking the second half of the service, she paused to discuss the weekend’s Torah portion on Jacob and his angelic struggles. “Struggle is a good thing,” Ain said. “That means you’re going in the right direction.” Parents appeared to struggle to keep their children’s attention as the service wound down. Three little girls escaped their mother’s intermittent gaze and ambled down a side aisle through the double doors of the sanctuary and into the foyer. Their mother, curious about their mischief, sauntered after them. On the other side of the shul, a tween boy nuzzled his head into his father’s armpit and turned around in his seat facing the back of the sanctuary while he recited a prayer from memory. The rabbi likely noticed his fidgeting.
Sutton Place Synagogue
At the end of the service Ain invited the boy to the pulpit to sing Adon Olam as congregants thinking about the weekend ahead tucked their prayer books into wooden slots in the seats in front of them.
A GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF A DIFFERENT NATURE
BY AARON SHORT
Carved in stone above a maroon awning of the Sutton Place Synagogue on East 51st Street are the words “Jewish Center for the United Nations.” Although it is the synagogue located closest to the United Nations in the affluent Sutton Place enclave of the Midtown East in Manhattan, the name is a misnomer. The shul, a Conservative congregation founded in 1901, does not have an official relationship with the UN, but they boast powerful brethren. When the shul’s leaders announced plans to build a new sanctuary and school on its East 51st block in 1965 they threw a swanky fundraising dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, hosting boldface names such as United Nations Ambassador Arthur Goldberg, New York Senator Jacob K. Javits and Connecticut Senator Abraham A. Ribicoff as honorary chairmen. Then-congressman Ed Koch donated a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol. And United Nations Secretary-General U Thant welcomed the shul as as
a religious institution serving the United Nations, one of three in the neighborhood. Few, if any, diplomats or staffers worship there these days. “If they do they’re coming undercover,” one congregant told me. But the sanctuary unwittingly resembles a UN meeting space, with rows of blonde wooden chairs facing the high ceilinged bimah from three sides and six stained glass panels in campy earth tone colors. The shul is still a welcoming place for the tony neighborhood’s denizens — boasting 475 member families and catering to 1,500 congregants during the high holidays. adjacent six-story school building is bustling with classes and activities. Shabbat evenings are more relaxed. About two dozen congregants, dressed in their business casual winter work attire of sweaters over collared shirts,
DECEMBER 2017 | NYJLIFE.COM | 7
Meeting Mark Levine A Q&A WITH THE UPPER MANHATTAN COUNCILMEMBER
GIVEN HIS STANDING AMONG HIS COLLEAGUES AND RECENT DEVELOPMENTS SURROUNDING OTHER CANDIDATES, COUNCILMEMBER MARK LEVINE IS WELL-POSITIONED TO BECOME THE NEXT (AND FIRST JEWISH) SPEAKER OF THE CITY COUNCIL. WHILE THE PUBLIC DOESN’T VOTE IN THIS ELECTION, NYJL WANTED TO GIVE OUR READERS A BETTER CHANCE TO KNOW MR. LEVINE IN ADVANCE OF HIS POSSIBLE SELECTION AS SPEAKER OF THE CITY COUNCIL. IN THE FOLLOWING Q&A WE DISCUSS HIS ROLE AS CHAIR OF THE CITY COUNCIL’S JEWISH CAUCUS, DONALD TRUMP, HIS FAVORITE BAKERY AND MORE.
NYJL: You represent a City Council district in Upper Manhattan, and have lived in Chicago, Maryland and Sevilla in Spain. What made you choose Manhattan to settle down?
NYJL: You recently won reelection for your seat by a sizable margin against a candidate many view as antiSemitic, or someone who used anti-Semitic rhetoric during the campaign. Did the type of divisive speech from your opponent during the campaign surprise you?
77%, meaning thousands of New Yorkers will escape homelessness next year because of this law. That will save the city tens of millions of dollars in homelessness funding, but it would still be the right thing to do even if it didn’t save us a nickel.
ML: At a time when decent people of all backgrounds need to denounce the hatred emanating from the alt-right, I was proud that my neighbors in the 7th Council District chose my message of unity over a campaign based on division and intolerance. Despite spending nearly $100,000 in campaign finance matching funds, my opponent’s vitriolic propaganda was overwhelmingly rejected by the Upper Manhattan community.
NYJL: You have been referred to as a leading candidate to become the next Speaker of the City Council by the New York Times, Daily News, POLITICO and others. What do you view as the most important role of the Speaker?
NYJL: Do you feel anti-Semitism is on the rise in New York City, and if so, what do you attribute this too?
ML: The city is facing enormous challenges over the next four years. We have a public hospital system standing on a fiscal cliff, a chronically underfunded mass transit system, public housing in physical and financial distress and endless threats from a hostile administration in Washington. The Council is going to have to step up to this challenge, and the Speaker’s job will be to fight for the causes its members and their constituents care most about. Its leader has to be able to build coalitions and achieve consensus in order to get things done.
ML: Once you fall in love with New York you’re hooked for life. I taught math and science at a South Bronx school at a time when violence and poverty were the dominant facts of life there. Afterwards I founded a credit union in Upper Manhattan so people from that community could access capital to start small businesses. I ran for City Council in Upper Manhattan in, and was honored to be awarded a second term by my constituents last month. I hope to spend the rest of my life in this amazing city.
ML: New York has witnessed a major spike in anti-Semitic incidents, and hate crimes in general, since the election of Donald Trump. It’s infuriating to think that the election of our president made many of our citizens less safe because of their religion or color of their skin. But the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville - and Trump’s appalling refusal to condemn it - was a stark demonstration of the situation we find ourselves in and a wake-up call to Jews and people of color. The city’s police department has done a remarkable job containing the problem in this political environment, but we need to stay vigilant. NYJL: What do you say to constituents of yours who support Donald Trump?
BETWEEN JFK AND FDR, WHO WOULD
NYJL: Can you tell our readers a bit about what your responsibilities are as Chair of the City Council Jewish Caucus?
ML: I would remind them that this president is badly dividing this country and inflicting harm to our city in countless ways.
WHAT IS THE LAST MOVIE OR TELEVISION
ML: New York has always been a beacon for members of the Jewish community around the world, second only to Israel. The Jewish community in the five boroughs is wonderfully vibrant and extraordinarily diverse, both economically and culturally. The city spends tens of millions of dollars on nonprofits serving different segments of the community, from Holocaust survivors to the elderly to cultural groups. The caucus seeks to ensure that all corners of the community are provided for. There are also security and safety concerns that are an unfortunate part of life for Jews here and everywhere. We have a responsibility to make sure the city meets those needs, which is why earlier this year I fought for a $50 million hate crimes security grant to protect non-profits from hate crimes.
8 | NYJLIFE.COM | DECEMBER 2017
ON A LIGHTER NOTE... WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BAKERY IN NEW YORK? CARROT TOP PASTRIES ON BROADWAY AND 168TH STREET.
YOU RATHER HAVE A BEER WITH? FDR
SHOW YOU COULDN’T GET ENOUGH OF?
NYJL: Your “Right to Counsel” bill recently passed in the City Council that guarantees within five year tenants will have lawyers representing them in housing court. Many see the bill as a massive victory for tenants — particularly low-income and the most vulnerable in New York City. What was the driver for you to push this type of legislation?
GAME OF THRONES.
ML: Once I became aware of the staggering injustice the city’s tenants face in housing court I knew this was a fight I wanted to wage. Until recently, only about 20 percent of tenants facing eviction have been represented by attorneys, compared to nearly 100 percent of landlords - it was a totally stacked deck. Studies show that having legal representation in housing court reduces the chances of eviction by
METS OR YANKEES? YANKEES.
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU READ WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? CITY & STATE FIRST READ.
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BEST OF 2017
(Almost) A Year of Covers from New York Jewish Life WITH THE FIRST-EVER ISSUE OF NEW YORK JEWISH LIFE PUBLISHING IN EARLY MARCH, THE PUBLICATION HAS EXPERIMENTED WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT STYLES FOR THE COVER OF THE PRINT EDITION. PLEASE ENJOY A SELECTION OF THE VERY BEST COVERS.
10 | NYJLIFE.COM | DECEMBER 2017
BEST OF 2017
Yom Hashoah THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN THE APRIL 19TH EDITION OF NEW YORK JEWISH LIFE.
BY SEN. CHARLES E. SCHUMER
Each year on Yom Hashoah, we are called on to do something that sounds very simple—“remember.” But in fact, it is much more than just a simple task of recollection; it is a moral imperative, as sacred and as holy as a commandment. We must remember the innocent victims of the Holocaust who cannot speak for themselves, whose memory calls down to us through the decades for justice. We must teach our children and the children of the world what happened to the Jews of the Holocaust, so that such evil is never revisited on our people or on any other people. Ever since I was a young boy, I heard stories about my great-grandmother, who lived in the Ukraine— then part of Galicia—when the Nazis invaded in 1941. Shortly after the occupation began, SS stormtroopers ordered my great-grandmother to gather all her children and grandchildren on her porch. The troopers came to the porch and instructed the family to go with them. My great-grandmother refused, saying, “I will not leave.” The troopers proceeded to gun down the 17 souls who stood on that porch, killing them all. Many Jews have stories like this. And though it is painful to remember and talk about, we must continue to do so, because over time the world forgets. In 2013, a survey of more than 53,000 respondents in 101 countries found that only 54 percent of the world’s adults had heard of the Holocaust—and of those, one-third believed it was either a myth or had been greatly exaggerated. Those are dispiriting numbers and they remind us of the job we have to do.
The troopers came to the porch and instructed the family to go with them. My greatgrandmother refused, saying, “I will not leave.” The troopers proceeded to gun down the 17 souls who stood on that porch, killing them all.
12 | NYJLIFE.COM | DECEMBER 2017
“One day soon we will not have Holocaust survivors to help keep the memory alive.” So when my wife and children and I travel to Europe, we make a point of visiting the ghettos. Whether it’s in Venice or Prague, the vast majority of the visitors are Jewish, which gives me great pride that we are still teaching our children the tragic lessons of the Holocaust. And when I visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington and see schoolchildren from across the country and around the world—many of whom are not Jewish—it keeps me hopeful that we are still teaching the children of the world. They are all confronted with that pile of the shoes collected from the camps; that singular image of the inhumanity of the crimes committed against the Jewish people. In recent years, the importance of Holocaust remembrance has been amplified by the fact that we continue to lose so many members of that first generation of survivors. Last July, we lost the incomparable Elie Wiesel, who dedicated his life to giving
voice to those who—unlike him—were not lucky enough to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. He believed that describing the ghastly details of a single night at Treblinka could “shake humanity from its indifference…to make sure the torturer never tortures again.” Today there are fewer than 100,000 Holocaust survivors left in the world, according to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. So the burden is even greater on my generation and my children’s generation to commemorate Yom Hashoah, because one day soon we will not have Holocaust survivors to help keep the memory alive. We will have to speak out even louder and be even more vigilant against any effort to minimize or erase the Holocaust in our history books and our memory. We will have to work even harder to shake the conscience of the world. It is fitting that Yom Hashoah falls so soon after Passover, a holiday whose purpose is to remember and instruct future generations of Jews about the pain of slavery. Like the Jews who first entered the Holy Land after escaping from Egypt and wandering 40 years to forget the pain of slavery, we are now called on to keep the same of memory alive, though we are not witnesses. We are now called on to teach the world the meaning of the Shoah [Holocaust], this year and every year henceforward, so that we are never witnesses to such darkness in the world again. Charles E. Schumer, the senior U.S. senator from New York, is the Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate.
Welcome to New York Jewish Life This publisher’s note appeared in the first edition of New York Jewish Life published on March 7, 2017.
Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley is proud to join New York Jewish Life in wishing everyone a
BY MICHAEL TOBMAN PUBLISHER
Welcome to the inaugural issue of New York Jewish Life. This new weekly print and digital newspaper, distributed throughout the New York City metropolitan area and in Albany, will be unabashedly centrist in its outlook. But what does “centrist” even mean these days? How exactly is that defined in today’s charged political climate? I say “centrist” because we are passionate about our shared civic life; nonpartisan; and hold favorable opinions of some Republicans and some Democrats. We have strong reservations about the direction some parts of the Democratic Party are intent on—despite clear messages sent by the voters concerning the party’s embrace of self-referential and usually condescending rhetoric—and we are very troubled with aspects of the Republican Party’s anti-immigrant agenda. We are conservative on fiscal issues but progressive on social issues. We are internationalist in outlook and open to the world. This paper will feature reporting, news, editorials, investigative pieces, photography and coverage of issues impacting, and about, New York’s diverse Jewish communities, institutions and culture. But it will also have a wide lens, writing on general civic affairs, city and state concerns, and politics. It’s been said that I am, on some issues, so progressive that I seem conservative, while on other issues so conservative that I seem progressive. New York Jewish Life will mirror that. Our cover story this week, sharing the results of an opinion poll in our large distribution area, confirms that sense of things in the wider community. Above all, we believe in small-d democracy, fair process and transparent public institutions locally, nationally and in global affairs. We are passionate about media and news as vehicles for providing information. We are excited about the state of modern news and not cynical about the state of reporting these days. We believe in fairness. We are, without reservation, Zionist and pro-Israel, aghast at continued foreign pressure on Israel to compromise its safety in the name of what others think is appropriate. We celebrate the full diversity, accomplishments and dynamism of New York’s Jewish community, our history, our institutions and our culture. We embrace faith communities and their priorities.I myself come from a Jewish tradition of social and political activism, which will be recognizable to many of you, and which I look forward to sharing as we spend more time together. An attorney by training, I am a proud graduate of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy at the State University of New York at Albany, and then of the City University of New York School of Law. I have served in politics, government and media for nearly 25 years, and have worked for and with some exceptional people and causes. New York Jewish Life is guided by newspaper professionals who, among them, have been turning out high-quality weekly publications for over 60 years. We are grateful for their support. Nothing stays the same, and everything changes. Media and reporting have been in severe flux for two decades now, and though there is no indication that this tumult will slow down, there are encouraging signs that it has settled in to a new workable foundation. We are excited to have New York Jewish Life—in print and online—be a part of today’s news landscape and a new addition to your home.
Happy Hanukkah! Shirley Chisholm State Office Building 55 Hanson Place, Room 328
718-596-0100 mosleyw@nyassembly.gov
Happy Hanukkah Wishing you and your family a joyful holiday season
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DECEMBER 2017 | NYJLIFE.COM | 13
BEST OF 2017
A Personal Reflection on the High Holy Days THIS PIECE ORIGINALLY RAN ON SEPTEMBER 20TH OF 2017, AND WAS FEATURED IN THE SPECIAL ROSH HASHANAH EDITION OF NEW YORK JEWISH LIFE.
BY MAXINE DOVERE
There was a time, still remembered by many, when the gentlemen ushers in their High Holiday bowler hats most decorously guided congregants to designated seats. For almost half a New York block, row upon row faced the temporary bimah (stage) from where the congregation’s clergy led the services. As is true of every anniversary, it was a time of transition—of beginnings known and endings yet unwritten. There was a Rosh Hashanah that I recall as though it were yesterday, though in fact it was a yesterday more than 30 years past. Near the middle of the congregation, in a “seat by the eastern wall,” a man and his soul engaged in prayer that went far, far beyond words. His youngest, an unexpected joy, was a babe in arms, 6 months old, dressed in his first “pinstripes” and bowtie. The brown curls of his oh-so-serious 6-year-old brother, who sat wrapped under his father’s tallit (prayer shawl), peeked out from the silver-collared garment. The first-born, his princess,
14 | NYJLIFE.COM | DECEMBER 2017
hovered like a guardian angel. The image, a last memory of a holiday with family complete—of odds seemingly beaten and future assured—remains forever vibrant in my mind’s eye. A dream unfulfilled. “Who shall live and who shall die?” asks “Unetaneh Tokef ”—the piyut (prayer poem) thought to have originated in the sixth or seventh century—which is a central part of the High Holiday liturgy. “We shall ascribe holiness to this day,” it begins. “…On Rosh Hashanah it is written; on Yom Kippur it is sealed,” the prayer continues, going on to list many possible fates that may befall the congregants. Make no assumptions, it teaches. Destiny is not in one’s own hands; even if the offered path of teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah (penitence, prayer and righteousness) is followed, it may not avert the divine decree. “Who in their time, and who not their time?” A year passed; the baby became a toddler and the then 7-year-old sat in his father’s seat, wearing his daddy’s tie. The tallit was folded away and carefully placed in a bureau drawer. Being the “other adult” should not have been a 16-year-old daughter’s
responsibility. “May his memory be for a blessing,” the traditional greeting to an individual in mourning, becomes congregational during Yizkor (the memorial service). After so many years, its words still evoke a quiet smile or perhaps a tear. The pain of loss loses its hard edges, but never goes away. Our family tradition was to break the fast with a shared extra-large “black and white” cookie that magically appeared as the recitation of “Neilah,” the closing prayer of Yom Kippur, concluded. Its sweetness, we hoped, would be symbolic of the character of the year ahead. Present becomes past; the moment becomes memory. Though the sweetness remains on the tongue, children grow, becoming accomplished adults with children of their own. Their father, my husband, who survived a wartime childhood in Siberia, would have kvelled. The shofar sounds, heralding the New Year. May we, all of us, be written for a year of peace, of heath and of joy. Shanah Tovah!
HAPPY HANUKKAH FROM COJO OF STATEN ISLAND! Wishing you and yours the very best of Hanukkah! COJO BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mendy Mirocznik, President Scott Maurer, CEO/Executive Vice President Charles Greinsky, Vice President Marjorie Steinberg, Vice President Mitchell Lehrer, Vice President Carl Eisenberg, Secretary Oshri Reuven, Treasurer For more information visit www.cojosi.com
HANUKKAH
Hanukkah FAQ FROM PRONUNCIATION TO SCHEDULING, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS MJL STAFF
How do you pronounce Hanukkah?
English speakers generally pronounce it HAH-nuhkuh. However, some people prefer the Israeli pronunciation, which is khah-new-KAH. Is there a correct way to spell Hanukkah?
Hanukkah is a Hebrew word (spelled הכונחin Hebrew), not an English one, and there is no standard transliteration. My Jewish Learning uses “Hanukkah,” but “Chanukah,” “Chanukka” and “Hanukka” are also common spellings. Why does Hanukkah last eight days?
There are two explanations for the eight-day length. One is that Hanukkah commemorates not just the Maccabees’ victory and rededication of the Temple, but the miracle of the oil: one day’s supply of oil for the Temple lamp lasted eight days. Another explanation is that the first Hanukkah celebration was actually a delayed Sukkot celebration, and Sukkot — which, like Passover, is a pilgrimage festival — traditionally lasts eight days. What is Hanukkah about?
Hanukkah celebrates the Maccabees’ rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement by the Syrian Greeks in 164 BCE. According to rabbinic tradition, the holiday also commemorates the miracle of the oil: one day’s supply of oil for the Temple’s lamp lasted eight days. Some people see Hanukkah as a celebration of religious freedom, whereas others see it as a triumph of tradition over assimilation. For many people, it is simply an opportunity for festivity during the darkest time of the year, the winter solstice. Is it OK to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas?
Depends on who you ask. Many Jews strongly disapprove of Jews celebrating Christmas, which is a Christian holiday, and some feel alienated by the ubiquity of Christmas in American culture. However, others see Christmas as more a cultural celebration than religious holiday, and enjoy participating in Christmas celebrations with non-Jewish friends or non-Jewish family members.
Why does Hanukkah fall on a different date each year?
What’s the proper way to greet someone on Hanukkah?
Hanukkah always falls on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually is sometime in December. Because the Jewish calendar is a combination of solar and lunar, the date on the Gregorian calendar fluctuates each year.
Happy Hanukkah, chag sameach (Hebrew for happy holiday) or Hanukkah sameach (Hebrew for Happy Hanukkah). If you are not sure whether the person you are greeting celebrates Hanukkah or not, you can always say “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings.”
Is the candelabra lit on Hanukkah called a menorah or a hanukkiah?
Menorah simply means lamp and can refer to other candelabras. A hanukkiah is a candelabra specifically for use on Hanukkah. However, many people call it a menorah or Hanukkah menorah — you usually can tell from context when a person is referring to a Hanukkah candelabra and not a general lamp. Why do Jews play dreidel on Hanukkah?
There are different explanations for this tradition, but historians believe the dreidel is an adaptation of another top-spinning game that Europeans played at Christmas time. Do Jews traditionally exchange gifts on all eight nights of Hanukkah?
Actually, exchanging gifts on Hanukkah is a relatively new tradition. American Jews used to exchange gifts on Purim, but in the late 19th century there was a shift from Purim to Hanukkah. Christmas, which falls at the same time of year, became a national holiday in America at this time, and the Jewish custom of gifts on Hanukkah shifted as the Christian holiday’s consumerism grew. When it comes to how many gifts to exchange and when, families have different traditions. Many people prefer to limit the gift exchange to just a few nights, in order to de-emphasize the materialistic aspects of the holiday. Why is the first night of Hanukkah one day before the date listed on my calendar?
While dates on the Gregorian calendar begin at midnight, dates on the Hebrew calendar begin at sundown — which means a holiday starts hours before the corresponding date on the Gregorian calendar. This difference is particularly noticeable on Hanukkah, since celebrations tend to take place at night, rather than during the day. So, while your calendar may say Hanukkah starts on December 13, it actually begins the preceding evening.
Do Jews traditionally go to synagogue on Hanukkah?
Jewish law does not require Jews to observe Hanukkah anywhere outside the home. However, some special liturgy and readings are added to the daily and Shabbat prayer services that take place during Hanukkah. I tried to find the story of the Maccabees in the Bible, but couldn’t. Where is it?
The Book of Maccabees, in which the Hanukkah story is detailed, was not included in the Hebrew Bible and is instead in a category of texts called Apocrypha. For centuries, some Jews used to read the story from an Aramaic-language scroll called The Scroll of Antiochus, which detailed the Maccabees’ victories and added numerous legends. Why do Jews eat greasy food on Hanukkah?
It is traditional to eat fried foods, such as latkes and jelly donuts (called sufganiyot in Hebrew) as a way of commemorating the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days. If you’re worried about the health (or waistline) implications, try baking your latkes — or consider celebrating the oil by dipping bread into a variety of gourmet olive oils. Another traditional Hanukkah food — cheese — unfortunately isn’t much better for those concerned about fat. The cheese tradition is in honor of Judith, a woman who helped the Maccabee effort by feeding salty cheese and wine to one of Antiochus’ generals — and then beheading him.
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Here are 8 New Children’s Books for Hanukkah BY PENNY SCHWARTZ
Move over, potato latkes. Make room for dosas. The savory fried Indian lentil and rice pancakes take center stage in “Queen of the Dosas,” a gem of a new Hanukkah book by the award-winning children’s writer Pamela Ehrenberg. It’s among eight new Hanukkah books for kids — one for each night of the holiday — sure to kindle the flames of imagination in young readers. The bounty of this season’s books travel the globe, from city life to wooded forests, with engaging – and many humorous – stories and dazzling illustrations that reflect the diversity in how Jewish families celebrate the popular holiday. Old World traditions mix it up with new rituals taking root in today’s modern American Jewish families. These new reads showcase the many ways Jewish families from all walks of life celebrate the Festival of Lights, which this year begins on the evening of Dec. 12.
01 Way Too Many Latkes: A Hanukkah in Chelm LINDA GLASER; ILLUSTRATED BY ALEKSANDAR ZOLOTIC. KAR-BEN; AGES 3-8
Oy vey! It’s the first night of Hanukkah and Faigel, the best latke maker in the village of Chelm, forgot the recipe for her mouth-watering, sizzling potato pancakes, the traditional fried food eaten during the holiday’s celebrations. Her husband, Shmuel, races over to the village rabbi for advice. But what does the rabbi know about making latkes? This ticklishly fun adventure, set in the fictional Old World town of Chelm — the source of enduring Jewish storytelling — will have kids laughing as they wonder how Faigel and Shmuel solve their problem. Aleksandar Zolotic’s large format, animation-style illustrations are perfectly paired for the lively story, which echoes the classic “Strega Nona” stories by Tomie dePaola about magical pots of pasta.
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02 Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale GLORIA KOSTER; ILLUSTRATED BY SUE EASTLAND ALBERT WHITMAN; AGES 4-8
This uplifting spin on “Little Red Riding Hood” features a spirited young girl named Ruthie setting off on the eve of Hanukkah to visit her bubbe, Yiddish for grandmother, so they can cook up potato latkes for the holiday. In the snowpacked forest Ruthie, bundled up in a bright red hooded parka, meets a not overly menacing-looking wolf. Ruthie summons her courage and smarts as she recalls the brave Maccabee heroes of Hanukkah who fought for religious freedom for the Jews in ancient Israel. But will Ruthie’s clever schemes outsmart the hungry but foolish wolf, who has fun dressing up in bubbe’s colorful clothing? This is a perfect read-aloud for those wintry Hanukkah nights, and Sue Eastland’s bright and humorous illustrations bring the warmhearted story to life.
03 Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas PAMELA EHRENBERG; ILLUSTRATED BY ANJAR SARKAR FARRAR STRAUS GIROUX; AGES 4-7
In this humor-filled tale, an endearing school-age boy in a multicultural Indian-Jewish family can hardly contain his enthusiasm for his family’s special Hanukkah celebration of making dosas, Indian fried pancakes made with lentils, called dal, and rice. But his younger sister, Sadie, who can’t resist her urge to climb on everything, may spoil the fun. Anjar Sarkar’s colorful, cartoon-like illustrations add giggles and put readers in on the action. The end pages are embellished with illustrations of Indian groceries, chutneys and spices that will tempt the family foodies. Recipes for Dosas and Sambar, a vegetable-based filling or dip for the dosas, are included.
04 The Missing Letters: A Dreidel Story RENEE LONDNER; ILLUSTRATED BY IRYNA BODNARUK KAR-BEN; AGES 4-9
Wooden dreidels come to life in this heartwarming page turner. On the eve of Hanukkah, in a dreidel maker’s shop, there are some bad feelings among the Hebrew letters painted on the four-sided spinning toy. The nun, hey and shin are jealous of the gimel, considered the favorite letter in the game of chance, and decide to hide all of them. But later they overhear the dreidel maker explain that all the letters play a special role in celebrating Hanukkah, a holiday of religious freedom. Among Iryna Bodnaruk’s animated illustrations is a double-page spread that is like a puzzle; kids can follow clues to find where the gimels have been hidden.
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05
07
Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus: The Christmukkah Kerfuffle
Grover’s Eight Nights of Light
DAVID MICHAEL SLATER; ILLUSTRATED BY
JODIE SHEPHERD; ILLUSTRATED BY JOE
MICHELLE SIMPSON
MATHIEU
LIBRARY TALES PUBLISHING; AGES 5-8
RANDOM HOUSE FOR YOUNG READERS;
On the first night of Hanukkah, Hanukkah Harvie oils up his steampunk-like machinery to produce all the gifts he needs and climbs aboard his flying Hanukkopter to deliver eight nights of presents to children. Placing one family’s presents next to their Hanukkah menorah, Harvie bumps into a red-suited jolly Santa Claus piling gifts under their Christmas tree. Harvey and Santa go on to discover some other homes with both menorahs and Christmas trees and get into a rollicking present-giving competition, out to prove that their holiday is the best. A young girl who spies them in action puts the quarreling pair to shame, and let’s them in on the joy of celebrating the two holidays happening at about the same time each year — thus the Chrismukkah mashup. Michelle Simpson’s colorful and playful animation-like illustrations match the story’s spirited humor.
Books for toddlers: 06 The Itsy Bitsy Dreidel JEFFREY BURTON AND CHANI TORNOW; ILLUSTRATED BY SANJA RESCEK SIMON AND SCHUSTER; AGES 2-4
A delightful read-aloud board book for the youngest kids who will enjoy the playful rhymes as the lively little dreidel celebrates Hanukkah. This is the latest in the upbeat Itsy Bitsy board book series that includes the “Itsy Bitsy Pilgrim,” the “Itsy Bitsy Snowman,” and others.
AGES 2-5
Young fans of Sesame Street enjoy a Hanukkah party at Grover’s house along with their favorite Sesame Street characters. The book features lighting the menorah, eating latkes and playing dreidel. Stickers, Hanukkah cards and a poster with a Hanukkah party game are included.
And a book for teens: 08 Spies & Scholars YEHUDIS LITVAK JEWISH CHILDREN’S BOOK CLUB; GRADES 7-8
“Spies and Scholars” is the latest entry in the Hanukkah-themed series – the first was “Swords and Scrolls.” The historical fiction adventure is set during the reign of the Greek King Antiochus in ancient Israel where the Maccabees are fighting the Greeks. The 200-page teen read is geared to Orthodox Jewish teen readers and published by Jewish Children’s Book Club in conjunction with Torah Umesorah-National Society for Hebrew Day Schools.
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DIRECTIONS Table Runner/Tablecloth To begin, I started with a blue velvet table runner, followed by the plates, silverware, and napkins tied with ribbon. Using cuttings of pine branches from my yard, I then placed them on top of the runner. I added gelt coins and candles in votives to the table. Then, I added the cake stands down the center of the table.
How to Set the Ultimate Hanukkah Table
DIY Hanukkah Snow Globes First, carefully fill your cake stands with kosher salt. Then, place your desired Chanukah “trinkets” on top of the salt, and cover with a glass cake dome.To match my color theme, I spray painted plastic dreidels silver. This gave the table the elegant and sophisticated look I was going for.
RACHEL KOR
THERE IS MORE TO HANUKKAH THAN JUST LATKES AND SUFGANIYOT–THE HOLIDAY TABLE IS IMPORTANT AS WELL! A BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED TABLE CREATES A MEMORABLE AND MAGICAL AMBIANCE FOR YOUR HOME.
With some creativity and recycling of items you already own, you can create a festive and meaningful Hanukkah gathering. This year, I decided to go with a woodland theme, complete with DIY Hanukkah snow globe centerpieces. Feel free to use your own table linens, dishes and Chanukah trinkets to replicate this table design.
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INGREDIENTS •T able runner/tablecloth • Plates • Silverware •N apkins (does not have to be cloth) •R ibbon (for the “napkin rings”) •T ree trimmings from your yard •G elt coins • Candles •C andle votives/small plates DIY Chanukah Snow Globes:
•C ake stands and domes •K osher salt • Any Chanukah trinkets you might have, i.e., menorah shaped napkin rings, mini holiday wrapped presents, gelt, sequins, beads, small children’s Chanukah crafts etc. • Dreidels •S pray paint, optional Hanging Chanukah Mug Cookies:
•C hanukah cookies • Frosting •B lue and white candy canes •T all mugs
Hanging Hanukkah Mug Cookies Place frosting on the back of your decorated cookies. Stick a candy cane onto it. Spread some more frosting on top of the candy cane stem to ensure they stick (use a generous amount to ensure they stick). Place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Do not freeze for too much longer or the candy cane hook will crack. “Hook” the cookies onto the mugs. To complete your table setting, light the candles.I hope you all take the time to enjoy the splendor of what you’ve created in your homes. Happy Hanukkah!
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Never Make These Classic Mistakes with Latkes
Kichels Recipe: Jewish Bow Tie Cookies
Follow these rules for perfect latkes every time.
An old-world treat of fried dough topped with powdered sugar.
BY SHANNON SARNA
But First, Put On An Apron Your clothes may get splattered, so wear something you don’t mind getting a bit greasy. You may want to invest in a splatter guard like this for easier clean-up of your kitchen and your shirt. A friend of mine even recommends spreading newspaper on the floor below the stove to catch all those little pieces of potato and splatters of oil. Don’t Wring Out All the Liquid I know, I know. Our ancestors have all told us to wring out all the liquid. But several years ago I made latkes with Michelin-star chef Bill Telepan who told me to leave some of that starchy liquid in the mix for the creamiest, crispiest latkes. And he was absolutely right. You should drain off some of the liquid, but if you leave in just enough of that liquid, the difference will astound you. Never Use Olive Oil You want to use an oil with a high smoking point; otherwise your latkes will burn. Olive oil is definitely the wrong choice, but there are many other oils you can use such as safflower or sunflower oil, which are food writer Leah Koenig‘s favorite oils for latke frying. I use good old standard vegetable or canola oil. Make Sure You Test the Oil My friend and colleague Tamar Fox reminded me to use a chopstick to test the oil before you start frying. Just place a chopstick in the hot oil before you begin frying — it should bubble around the chopstick if it’s ready.
BY RONNIE FEIN
Be Plentiful With Your Oil Yeah, yeah, we are all watching our weight and health. But when it comes to frying latkes, it ain’t the time to be stingy with the oil. Make sure the bottom of your pan is generously coated with oil, though you don’t want the latkes swimming in oil either. You also should plan to add some oil in between each batch, since the latkes will absorb oil each time.
Don’t Forget to Season You want to season your latke mixture of course, and don’t forget that potatoes need a lot of salt to really flavor them. But also, as soon as those hot fried latkes come out of the oil, sprinkle with a touch of salt. It really enhances the flavor. Don’t Just Use Potatoes There are so many wonderful vegetables to use in place of potatoes. Not to mention that cheese latkes are even more traditional in the Ashkenazi tradition than potato ones. Personally I love using a combination of beet, sweet potato and potato. But there are cauliflower latkes, plantain latkes, ramen latkes and more. Check out these 9 latkes that don’t use potatoes for something fun and different. Give the Latkes Space Never ever ever stack your latkes on top of one another after they have fried,and don’t sit them on top of paper towel either. Instead, place on top of wire cooling racks placed over a baking sheet to give them space to drain and cool. If latkes sit on one another or paper towel they will get soggy and lose that coveted crisp.
My mother was a first-class baker, and there were always homemade goodies for dessert at our house. So when I went away to college and needed a nosh to remind me of home, I went to a nearby bakery for a little something. It was mostly good. Chinese cookies, hamantaschen, babka. But the kichels? Not so much. Not only were my mother’s kichels word-class and almost impossible for anyone to do better, but what the bakery called kichels wasn’t at all what I was used to. Bakery kichels, as I learned, are thick, bow-tie shaped pastries that are sometimes sprinkled with sugar. They can be crumbly and dry, or hard and dry, depending on the bakery. They are the kind of cookie a kid, especially one who’s homesick, would never choose. Especially a kid whose mother made world-class kichels. Here’s why my mom’s kichels were so amazing: They were soft and crispy at the same time, and they would melt in your mouth before you even had a chance to chew them or even realize they were on your tongue. They were paper thin but developed air bubbles that were fun to pop with my front teeth, especially because a feathery dusting of confectioners’ sugar would fall from the top of the bubble into the crevice and give a faint but definite sweet to all parts. We didn’t need milk to dunk and soften these kichels. They were as light as a helium balloon; fried, but never greasy, sugar-sprinkled but never cloying. The big trick for fabulous kichels is rolling the dough as thin as possible. It takes some time and patience, but the result — crispy, puffy, delightfully light cookies with just a sprinkle of sifted confectioners sugar — is so worth it.
INGREDIENTS • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1/8 tsp salt • 2 large eggs, beaten • 1/4 tsp white vinegar • vegetable oil for deep fat frying • confectioners’ sugar
DIRECTIONS Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the beaten eggs and vinegar and mix thoroughly until a smooth dough has formed (you can use an electric mixer or food processor). Let the dough rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes. Roll out portions of the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is very thin, almost like paper. Cut the dough into squares or rectangles or odd shapes. Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a deep saute pan (or use a deep fryer) over medium-high heat until the oil reaches about 375 degrees (a bread crumb or tiny piece of dough will sizzle quickly when you drop it into the oil). Drop the cutouts, a few at a time into the oil (they will puff up) and cook briefly on both sides until they are crispy and faintly browned. Drain on paper towels. Sift confectioners’ sugar on top.
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It’s Always Hanukkah in this Picture-perfect Italian Town Casale Monferrato, Italy
BY RUTH ELLEN GRUBER
It’s always Hanukkah in this picturesque town in northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Jews have lived in Casale Monferrato for more than 500 years, with the community reaching its peak of 850 members at about the time Jews here were granted civil rights in 1848. The town still boasts one of Italy’s most ornate synagogues, a rococo gem that dates to the 16th century. These days, only two Jewish families live in Casale. The synagogue, which is part of a larger museum complex, is now a major tourist attraction – and not only because of its opulent sanctuary with huge chandeliers, colorfully painted walls and lots of gilding. The former women’s section has been transformed into a Judaica and Jewish history museum. And the synagogue’s basement, formerly a matzah bakery, is now home to the Museum of Lights. Hanukkah here is commemorated nonstop with a year-round exhibit featuring dozens of menorahs, or hanukkiyot, created by international contemporary artists. The collection has some 185 menorahs, according to Adriana Ottolenghi, whose husband, Giorgio, has been president of Casale’s Jewish community since the 1950s. There is no other museum in the world quite like it. This is one of the nearly 200 menorahs at the Museum of Lights in Casale Monferrato ( Fo u n d a t i o n for Jewish Art, History, and Culture at Casale Monferrato and in Eastern Piedmont
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– Onlus) “We receive more every year, and each year at Hanukkah there is a public ceremony, where we light menorahs and welcome the new pieces,” she said. Only 30 to 40 can be displayed at a time in the vaulted underground chambers. The only time the collection was shown in its entirety was at Casale’s centuries-old castle, part of an event connected to the 2015 Milan Expo. The Museum of Lights’ hanukkiyot come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes, colors and media. Many resemble traditional menorahs: a straight line of candles or a candelabra with eight branches, with a ninth branch for the “shamash” candle used to kindle them. Some of the menorahs can be lighted and used on the holiday. But other menorahs on display are more fanciful sculptural works created from the likes of metal, ceramic, plexiglass and wood. “Artists were given a completely free rein to create a functional object or a purely evocative one,” curator Maria Luisa Caffarelli wrote in the collection’s
catalog. This menorah is part of the year-round display at the Museum of Lights. (Foundation for Jewish Art, History, and Culture at Casale Monferrato and in Eastern Piedmont – Onlus) Each menorah is what designer Elio Carmi, who co-founded the collection in the mid-1990s with the non-Jewish artist Antonio Recalcati and other artist friends, describes as an “homage to the story of Hanukkah” and its message of the triumph of light over darkness. They conceived the project as a way to highlight Jewish culture as a source of artistic inspiration, promote creativity based in Jewish tradition and underscore the vitality of Jews in contemporary society. “The idea was born to show that Jews, though small in number, are determined,” said Carmi, who is
the vice president of the Casale Jewish community, “and to use interpretations of the Hanukkah menorah to demonstrate, symbolically, the continuity of the community.” Each menorah in the museum is a personal interpretation of the Festival of Lights and its symbolism. The Italian artist Stefano Della Porta, for ex-
conceived the project “asThey a way to highlight Jewish
culture as a source of artistic inspiration, promote creativity based in Jewish tradition and underscore the vitality of Jews in contemporary society.
”
ample, used ceramics and steel to create a menorah that appears to be made from giant burnt matches. American-born artist Robert Carroll created his menorah from olive wood, red Verona granite and brass. It has a sinuous, trunk-like base that supports eight branches that open out like a flower, each supporting a candle. “It was like a chain of artists,” Carmi said. “And well-known artists began to be attracted.” Among those is Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of Italy’s leading sculptors. His menorah, presented in 2013, is a horizontal metal girder that supports the nine candles and is decorated with abstract symbols. “I tried to bring out a series of abstract, imaginary signs to create a story that would connect, on a general level, with the idea of thought, experience and memory; without, however, wanting to enter into the multi-faceted complexities of the symbology of the Jewish world,” Pomodoro describes in the catalog. Ultimately, Carmi said, the Museum of Lights is about “Judaism, art and identity.”
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what has become an annual sfinj party. Illouz expects at least as large a crowd for the third night of this Hanukkah, Dec. 14. To feed the masses that show up throughout the night and spill into the street, Illouz begins preparing at around 7 a.m., 12 hours ahead of time. He estimated that he fries up about 150 of the doughnuts. It’s first come, first serve. Sfinjim are of course at the center of the event, but Illouz also serves sweet couscous and storebought Moroccan cookies and beverages. He puts on Moroccan music to set the mood, and when the sun sets, he and his guests light the menorah candles. Needless to say, sufganiyot, plural for sufganiyah, are not on the menu. “I’m not ideologically opposed to sufganiyot,” he explained, “but I do prefer sfinjim. They’re just simpler, and they’re not quite as unhealthy.”
The sfinj hails from North Africa. (Con Paulos for “Breaking Breads by Uri Scheft/Artisan Books)
This Moroccan Doughnut is Israel’s Hottest Hanukkah Treat BY ANDREW TOBIN
TEL AVIV (JTA) – The sufganiyah is the plump, shining star of Hanukkah in Israel. During the holiday season, the famed jelly doughnut poses in the windows of cafés and bakeries across the country. It sparkles with oil and sugar, and shows just enough filling to keep fans interested. Every year, top chefs compete to give the sufganiyah an edgy new twist, whether its cheesecake filling, mascarpone topping or a chocolate-filled squeeze tube accessory. Israeli TV channels, newspapers and social media are filled with close-up shots and reviews of the most enticing innovations. Meanwhile, in homes across the country, Israelis quietly fry up a humbler Hanukkah doughnut called the sfinj. The confection hails from North Africa, and is a favorite of Jews whose families came to Israel from the region. But even European Jews have adopted the sfinj and helped push it toward the limelight.
Part of the appeal of sfinjim, the plural for sfinj, is that they are easy to make. Simply take a dollop of dough, poke a hole in the middle and deep fry in vegetable oil. The doughnuts can then be dipped in honey and coated in sugar, usually of the powdered variety. Israelis of North African descent prepare sfinjim for holidays and special occasions. Dan Illouz grew up in Montreal, where his family ate the doughnuts during the eight nights of Hanukkah. When he immigrated to Israel eight years ago, he was dismayed that he could only find sufganiyot, so he began making sfinjim in his kitchen to celebrate the holiday. During Hanukkah in 2010, Illouz, a 31-year-old public relations manager in Jerusalem, invited a handful of friends over to enjoy the doughnuts with him. Word spread quickly: Last year, about 400 people showed up at his three-bedroom apartment for
Dan Illouz hosts an annual sfinj party in Jerusalem. (Courtesy of Illouz)
Illouz said his sfinj party is an expression of both Moroccan and Israeli pride, a duality that has become easier to reconcile in recent years. While Mizrahi Jews, or those with roots in North Africa and the Middle East, were long a socioeconomic underclass that faced systemic discrimination in Israel, their culture has lately experienced something of a renaissance. Illouz said the new hipness of Moroccan traditions is probably part of what draws so many people to his sfinj parties.
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PERSPECTIVE
offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five hegoats, and five yearling
Happy Hanukkah! Assemblyman Charles Lavine joins New York Jewish Life in wishing you a Happy Hanukkah! Assemblyman Charles Lavine 13th Assembly District Chair, New York Jewish Legislative Caucus Chair, Standing Committee on Election Law
Hanukkah Torah Reading The eight-day festival of lights does not have any unique synagogue prayers associated with it. The Hallel service added to morning prayers on most holidays is recited all eight days of the holiday. There are special blessings associated with the lighting of Hanukkah candles at night. And a prayer of thanksgiving, Al Hanisim, is added to the daily Amidah prayer and to the Birkat Hamazon, the after-meal prayer, for the duration of the holiday.
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Numbers 7:1-8:4 On the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle, he anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings, as well as the altar and its utensils. When he had anointed and consecrated them, the chieftains of Israel, the heads of ancestral houses, namely, the chieftains of the tribes, those who were in charge of enrollment, drew near and brought their offering before the LORD: six draught carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two chieftains and an ox for each one. When they had brought them before the Tabernacle, the LORD said to Moses: Accept these from them for use in the service of the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the Levites according to their respective services. Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the Gershonites, as required for their service, and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the Merarites, as required for their service—under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. But to the Kohathites he did not give any; since theirs was the service of the [most] sacred objects, their porterage was by shoulder. The chieftains also brought the dedication offering for the altar upon its being anointed. As the chieftains were presenting their offerings before the altar, the LORD said to Moses: Let them present their offerings for the dedication of the altar, one chieftain each day. The one who presented his
lambs. That was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab. On the second day, Nethanel son of Zuar, chieftain of Issachar, made his offering. He presented as his offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar. On
the third day, it was the chieftain of the Zebulunites, Eliab son of Helon. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two
oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Eliab son of Helon. On the fourth day, it was the chieftain of the Reubenites, Elizur son of Shedeur. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering
of Elizur son of Shedeur. On the fifth day, it was the chieftain of the Simeonites, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. On the sixth day, it was the chieftain of the Gadites, Eliasaph son of Deuel. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel. On the seventh day, it was the chieftain of the Ephraimites, Elishama son of Ammihud. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud. On the eighth day, it was the chieftain of the Manassites, Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. On the ninth day, it was the chieftain of the Benjaminites, Abidan son of Gideoni. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni. On the tenth day, it was the chieftain of the Danites, Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five
rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. On the eleventh day, it was the chieftain of the Asherites, Pagiel son of Ochran. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Pagiel son of Ochran. On the twelfth day, it was the chieftain of the Naphtalites, Ahira son of Enan. His offering: one silver bowl weighing 130 shekels and one silver basin of 70 shekels by the sanctuary weight, both filled with choice flour with oil mixed in, for a meal offering; one gold ladle of 10 shekels, filled with incense; one bull of the herd, one ram, and one lamb in its first year, for a burnt offering; one goat for a sin offering; and for his sacrifice of well-being: two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. That was the offering of Ahira son of Enan. This was the dedication offering for the altar from the chieftains of Israel upon its being anointed: silver bowls, 12; silver basins, 12; gold ladles, 12. Silver per bowl, 130; per basin, 70. Total silver of vessels, 2,400 sanctuary shekels. The 12 gold ladles filled with incense—10 sanctuary shekels per ladle—total gold of the ladles, 120. Total of herd animals for burnt offerings, 12 bulls; of rams, 12; of yearling lambs, 12—with their proper meal offerings; of goats for sin offerings, 12. Total of herd animals for sacrifices of well-being, 24 bulls; of rams, 60; of he-goats, 60; of yearling lambs, 60. That was the dedication offering for the altar after its anointing. When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with Him, he would hear the Voice addressing him from above the cover that was on top of the Ark of the Pact between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and say to him, “When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand.” Aaron did so; he mounted the lamps at the front of the lampstand, as the LORD had commanded Moses.— Now this is how the lampstand was made: it was hammered work of gold, hammered from base to petal. According to the pattern that the LORD had shown Moses, so was the lampstand made.
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l u f r e d n o w a e v a H ! h a k k u n a H s u o and joy FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT THE BROOKLYN GOP We are the Brooklyn Republican Party. Chairman Teddy Ghorra — alongside our district leaders, activists and neighbors — wish you and yours a Happy Holiday as we celebrate success in 2017 and beyond.