The Jewish Chronicle January 5, 2012

Style L’chaim!

‘Chosen Beer’ turns 15

Page 10

JANUARY 5, 2012 tevet 10, 5772

Vol. 55, No. 34

Pittsburgh, PA

Coincidence?

$1.50

Israeli dance troupe organizers hope to teach teens a step or two

BY TOBY TABACHNICK Staff Writer

JAFI photo

An open area in the Eshkol Region of Israel. Two phosphorous mortars struck an open field in Eshkol Sunday. There were no injuries or damages, but the head of the Eshkol Regional Council has complained to the United Nations about Palestinian use of a banned substance.

Phosphorous shells from Gaza strike Israel as peace talks resume BY

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Gazan terrorists fired two mortar shells containing white phosphorous at a community in southern Israel Sunday prompting a war crimes complaint against the Palestinian Authority being filed at the United Nations.

Coincidentally, the attack came the same week as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Amman, Jordan, for face-to-face talks on the resumption of the peace process.

There was no indication the attack was related to the talks, which were hosted by Jordan’s King Abdullah II,

though a Hamas spokesman criticized the talks Tuesday as well as the Palestinian Authority’s participation them.

The shells landed in an open field in the Eshkol Region, causing no injuries or damage. Nevertheless, Ynetnews reported that the Negev District Police examined the explosives and confirmed they did contain white phosphorous, “which is banned by international law for use inside dense population concentrations.”

White phosphorous, also known as Willy Pete, is a colorless, white or yellow waxy solid with a garlic-like odor.

Manufactured from phosphate rocks,

it reacts rapidly with oxygen, easily catching fire at temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above room temperature.

The substance can lead to burns, irritation, damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs or bones for those exposed to it — even death, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration.

JTA reported that the head of the Eshkol Regional Council, Chaim Jelin, filed the complaint with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He also said it is the fourth time white phosphorous shells have been fired at Please see Phosphorous, page 19.

Thanks to the efforts of two Pittsburghers with a passion for Israeli culture, Jewish teenagers are invited to join a newly forming Israeli folk dance troupe that will represent the Jewish community at a variety of upcoming events, including the 2012 Pittsburgh International Folk Festival in May. Lee Feldman, who has been running the Israel booth at the Folk Festival since 2006, along with local dance teacher Lynn Berman, hope to create long-term local appreciation for Israeli dance and representation of Israel through the dance troupe.

In addition to performances at the Folk Festival, Feldman and Berman anticipate the troupe dancing at the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations to be held this spring at the Jewish Community Centers in Squirrel Hill and the South Hills.

Berman, who tried unsuccesfully to organize a teen Israeli dance troupe through J-Site this past September, is hoping this new effort will generate more interest.

“Only two kids signed up [for the JSite dance class], which was not enough,” she said. “It’s not clear why there were not more. But this dance troupe is really important to Lee because of his involvement with the Folk Festival. It is his hope to try to find enough kids who are interested.”

The Pittsburgh Folk Festival Inc. is a nonprofit organization that began in 1956, with 17 nationalities represented.

Its purpose is to promote “unity in diversity” by presenting an annual festival of cultures. The festival now highlights the cultural diversity of more than 30 nationalities in the Pittsburgh area.

Please see Dance, page 19.

B USINES S 15/C L AS SIFIED 17/O BITUARIES 18/C OMMUNITY 10 Dining Guide 14/O PINION 6/R EAL E STATE 16/S TYLE 12

Times To Remember

KINDLE SABBATH CANDLES: 4:50 p.m. EST. SABBATH ENDS: 5:54 p.m. EST.

2 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

JANUARY 5, 2012

This week’s issue: March 8, 1962

Hollywood star had prominent spot in first Chronicle (Editor’s Note: Retro News is a new column that will appear every week as part of the celebration of the Chronicle’s 50th anniversary. Each week, Retro News will look at a past issue of the Chronicle, encapsulate the news reported that week and comment on how those items that pertain to today’s Jewish Pittsburgh.)

Front page The cover photo of the Chronicle’s inaugural issue was not of David Ben-Gurion, Israeli soldiers on patrol, not even of local Jewish leaders engaged in some civic activity.

The honor of gracing this paper’s very first front page went to — Burt Lancaster?

That’s right. The lead story of the Chronicle’s first issue included a publicity photo of the famed movie star from a scene in the motion picture, “Judgment at Nuremberg.”

It’s not as unusual as you may think.

In the film, which opened around the same time the Chronicle began publish-

ing, Lancaster starred as a notorious Nazi judge on trial for crimes against humanity. So, for the paper’s first feature story, Michael A. Musmanno, then a justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, who once served as a judge on the Nuremberg tribunals, wrote a first-person account of the film.

Rarely in its 50-year history has the Chronicle published a movie review on page 1, but this was not your average review, nor your average reviewer.

“Every question that Spencer Tracy [who played one of the three judges on the tribunal] puts, every observation he makes, every rule of law he announces, turns another page in my book of memories,” Musmanno wrote, “and I revel in seeing him extract truth from untruth, justice from injustice, legality from illegality.”

Also on page 1 was an editorial — really a tribute — to Samuel Horelick, titled “May His Memory Remain A Blessing.”

Horelick, who died the Friday before at age 75, was an engineer, corporate executive and philanthropist, according to the piece.

“He worked hard at giving away his

Opinion

The March 8, 1962, front page.

earnings, and enjoyed it,” according to the editorial. “Giving charity is a virtue.

Giving and setting an example and a standard for others to give is a higher rung in Jewish virtue. In this, Sam Horelick stood out as a model.”

Chronicle Editor Albert W. Bloom began his long-running column, “People & Issues,” this week. In this piece, Bloom formally introduced the Chronicle to its readers. He noted it was the successor to two long-running, finally defunct, newspapers — The Jewish Criterion and the American Jewish Outlook. And he named the Pittsburgh Jewish Publication and Education Foundation (PJPEF) — an affiliate of the United Jewish Federation — as the publisher, which it still is. Since then, the PJPEF has become independent of the federation, making the Chronicle an independent Jewish newspaper.

“The Jewish Chronicle will be, in every sense of the word, a newspaper,” Bloom wrote. “It will not purport to speak for the Jewish community. But it is the policy of the publisher to make of the newspaper, a mirror of the community in its local, national and international aspects.

“Its columns will be open to all responsible voices and organizations,” he continued. “Everything of importance in Jewish life will be within its purview.”

The Chronicle still strives to live up to those words Bloom wrote 50 years ago.

Please see Retro News, page 16.

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 3

METRO Briefly

Riverview Towers photo

Riverview Towers’’ HSIM certified instructor Gerrie Delaney demonstrates proper posture during class with help from resident Charlie Roth.

Riverview Towers in Squirrel Hill is the first residential senior living facility in Pittsburgh to launch Healthy Steps in Motion (HSIM), a comprehensive fall prevention program designed to improve residents’ fitness levels and balance, while reducing the incidence of 911 emergency calls.

Healthy Steps in Motions, which

launched in December, is an exercise program developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley for adults 50 years of age and older.

Though Riverview is the first area residential facility to offer HSIM, several area community centers already employ it. Riverview also has a certified instructor to work the program.

The program includes exercise routines and education about the benefits of exercise. Participants learn how to reduce risks of falling, do new exercises to build strength, especially in the lower body, and increase flexibility to improve movement to be safer and work toward improved health.

Of the 40 million Americans over 65, about 1 in 3 will fall in a given year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“Although this fairly new program is being taught in some community centers, we are the only senior housing facility to offer HSIM in-house,” Phyllis Cohen, Riverview director of programming, said in a prepared statement.

“We are very fortunate to have Gerrie Delaney, one of the few trained and certified instructors in HSIM, as our fitness instructor. HSIM not only builds participants’ strength and balance, it gives our seniors the self-confidence to be more independent in their day-today activities.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh supports the program through its annual campaign funding.

Please see Briefly, page 5.

4 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012

METRO Reform rabbis hope youth engagement effort will reverse teen drain

BY TOBY TABACHNICK Staff Writer

For approximately 80 percent of children in the Reform movement, celebrating a bar or bat mitzva will be the last connection they will have to their Jewish community throughout the rest of their teen years.

For some, it will be their last connection for the rest of their lives.

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, senior vice president of the Union for Reform Judasim, and other Reform leaders, local and national, are trying to reverse this startling trend.

The centerpiece of their efforts is the URJ’s new Campaign for Youth Engagement, aiming to help congregations throughout North America get teens and young adults to remain involved in Jewish life.

The campaign, which was unveiled at last month’s URJ Biennial convention in Washington, D.C., by URJ Presidentelect Rabbi Richard Jacobs, will be headed by Rabbi Bradley Solmsen.

“The campaign is a mass movement in the Reform movement, and beyond,” said Pesner, who, with a background as a community organizer, is one of the campaign’s principal leaders. He believes that organizations like Hillel on Campus, B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, and local Jewish Federations will all need to partner in order to ensure the next generation of Jews remains tied to its heritage.

The aim of the campaign is an all-encompassing, movementwide effort to engage a majority of Reform Jewish youth by the year 2020.

“There has to be a true revolution of culture, and a real commitment of local people, ” Pesner said. “We will have to show our youth that synagogue life is about deep engagement in living and learning, and not just about preparation for b’nai mitzva. The question is, ‘How do you do that?’”

URJ photo

Teenagers from the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) share the stage of the closing plenary of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Biennial in December. This biennial was chiefly about introducing a new campaign to re-engage youth in Reform Judaism.

One problem congregations face in keeping their youth involved is the competing demands for the kids’ time, said Rabbi Jessica Locketz, associate rabbi and temple educator at Temple Emanuel of South Hills.

“We are feeling the results of the added pressures our teens are facing,” Locketz said. “There is decline in involvement. They are still signing up to be involved in the youth group and in educational programs, but they cannot always make the events. It’s not for the lack of them wanting to; it’s just that they are so incredibly busy. Sometimes, school comes first.”

The Campaign for Youth Engagement will help congregations focus on three spheres that have been proven to help maintain youth involvement, according to Pesner: early integration into synagogue life; attendance at Jewish camp or

other immersion experiences; and, professional training of youth workers.

“We know that families who are integrated through early childhood tend to stay after bar and bat mitzvas,” he said.

“We know that families whose kids go to Jewish summer camp, or other immersion activities [like trips to Israel or social action programs] stay engaged.”

The URJ also will be supporting more professional training of youth workers, and will work with community partners like local federations to professionalize the field.

“There is a heavy turnover with youth workers,” Pesner said. “And kids get engaged in synagogue life because of relationships, not programs. They get connected to the adults who mentor them, and they get connected to robust relationships with their peers. If there is a high turnover, relationships get severed

and kids drop out.”

To reverse the trend of losing kids after their bar or bat mitzva, said Rabbi Ronald BB Symons, director of lifelong learning at Temple Sinai, communities need to “put more boots on the ground in terms of trained youth workers.”

Symons met with 30 URJ leaders about 18 months ago to address the issue of disengaged youth and come up with solutions. He has been working locally with the Agency for Jewish Learning and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to garner funding for a NFTY (North American Federation of Jewish Youth) Pittsburgh coordinator, whose job would be to help and advise all local Reform youth groups, and to organize citywide, multigroup events. Symons has approached the URJ for funding as well.

“We have already made a concerted effort to get the teen leaders [from local Reform congregations] to work together, and to plan events together,” Symons said, citing a recent combined “latke fry-down” Chanuka event that drew 25 kids from all over the city, and an upcoming social action shabbaton in February.

“We are committed to strengthening our own youth groups in our synagogues, while strengthening teens’ connections to each other,” Symons said.

“It’s all about relationships,” he added.

“We love our teens. We want them to know each other, and to know us.”

The URJ has already garnered considerable financial support for its Campaign for Youth Engagement, and has over $1,000,000 in seed money to enhance its youth staff and provide synagogue innovation grants.

Relationship building has worked at Temple Sinai, where the congregation has mixed formal and informal education — religious school and youth group — and typically draws 70 to 80 participants to its Monday night teen programs.

Please see Youth, page 16.

Buy, Sell, Trade in the Classifieds, Call Donna 412-687-1000

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 5

METRO Briefly Continued from page 3.

World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will host a political salon, Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the SPACE Gallery, Downtown. Daniel Byman, professor of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and research director of the Daniel Byman Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, will be the featured speaker.

Byman will focus on Israeli counterterrorism and security, particularly in the face of the Arab Spring, as well as his new book “A High Price: The Triumphs and Failures of Israeli Counterterrorism.”

Attendees will also have the opportunity to view the exhibit “Out of Rubble” beginning at 6 p.m.

Contact the World Affairs Council at 412-281-7970 or visit worldpittsburgh.org to register.

Rabbi Barbara Symons of Temple David, Monroeville, will lead the weekly Current Events Class, Friday, Jan. 13, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. hosted by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s AgeWell’s Adult Department.

The class will be held in Room 156 in the JCC’s Robinson Building, 5738 Darlington Road, Squirrel Hill. There is no fee and the program is open to the community.

Contact Nicole Mezare, 412-5218011, ext. 278, or nmezare@jccpgh.org for more information.

“More Than Just Learning” hosts Shirley and Morris Shratter interview computer wizard Jason Feldstein this month about beginners and senior citizens learning how to use a computer.

The program airs every Tuesday in January on cable TV channel 21 and Verizon 47 at 8 p.m. in Pittsburgh only.

Chabad of the South Hills will have a Soup for the Senior Soul program Wednesday, Jan. 18, noon, at 1701 McFarland Road, Mt. Lebanon.

In addition to hot soup, the program will include games and music. The building is wheelchair accessible.

Contact Barb at 412-278-2658 or barb@chabadsh.com for reservations.

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6 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012

Opinion

The Jewish Chronicle David M. Caoin, CEO EDITORIAL STAFF Lee Chottiner, Executive Editor Angela Leibowicz, Community/ Web Editor Toby Tabachnick, Staff Writer SALES STAFF Susie Mangel, Senior Sales Associate Roberta Letwin, Sales Associate Donna Mink, Classified Sales PRODUCTION STAFF Dawn Wanninger, Production Manager Nancy Bishop Production Artist BUSINESS STAFF Joe Soloski, Comptroller Josh Reisner, Office Manager Marcy Kronzek, Subscriptions BOARD OF TRUSTEES Richard Kitay, President Cindy Goodman-Leib, Vice President Larry Honig, Secretary Andy Schaer, Treasurer Davida Fromm, Past President Carolyn Hess Abraham Brian Balk Daniel Berkowitz Lynn Cullen Milton Eisner Stephen Fienberg Malke Steinfeld-Frank David Grubman Thomas Hollander Evan Indianer David Levine Ari Lightman Mitchell Pakler Amy Platt Benjamin Rosenthal Charles Saul Adam Shear Jonathan Wander Lou Weiss Published every Thursday by the Pittsburgh Jewish Publication and Education Foundation 5915 Beacon St., 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Phone: 412-687-1000 FAX: 412-521-0154 E-Mail: newsdesk@thejewishchronicle.net SUBSCRIPTION: $45 in Pennsylvania $47 East of the Mississippi $49 West of the Mississippi and FL NEWSSTAND PRICE $1.50 PER COPY POSTMASTER: Send address change to THE JEWISH CHRONICLE, 5915 BEACON ST., 3rd Floor PITTSBURGH, PA 15217 (PERIODICAL RATE POSTAGE PAID AT PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA) USPS 582-740 Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to the Jewish Chronicle become the property of this publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such items.

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A good year for energy independence ooking back, 2011 is shaping up to be a good year for energy independence — and consequently a bad year for the enemies of Israel and the United States.

NPR reported last week that for the first time in six decades — we repeat, six decades — the United States is exporting more gasoline and diesel fuel — finished petroleum products — than it imports. That’s a direct result of Americans using less gasoline.

“U.S. dependence on imported oil has dramatically declined since peaking in 2005,” according to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy. “This trend is the result of a variety of factors including a decline in consumption and shifts in supply patterns.”

The DOE report cites other factors as well: the recession, improvements in efficiency, changes in consumer behavior and patterns of economic growth. But it’s hard to get around the fact that Americans, by and large, are driving smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and using less gasoline.

“At the same time,” the report continues, increased use of domestic biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), and strong gains in domestic production of crude oil and natural gas plant liquids expanded domestic supplies and reduced the need for imports.”

L

That’s the real good news. The more we can depend upon ourselves for our energy needs — both fossil and green — the less we’re at the mercy of oil producing states that are anti-Israel, antiAmerica, or both.

Even the military is getting into the act. In Afghanistan, Marines are using biofuels and solar power for everything from communications to heating and air conditioning tents. In fact, the Navy has set a goal for using nonfossil fuels for 50 percent of its power by 2020.

The news isn’t all good. The United States still imports 49 percent of its petroleum — crude and refined — according to DOE. Oil companies, which improved the efficiency of their refineries in the good times, are now faced with closing some of them and are laying off workers.

At the same time, though, the U.S. Interior Department just announced approval for a solar plant in California and a wind farm in Oregon that are expected to create enough power for 112,500 homes and create jobs.

Such is the balancing act America is playing as it strives for energy independence.

Israel appears further along. The country plans to tap into the massive Leviathan gas field, with estimated reserves of 17 trillion cubic feet, off its

Mediterranean coast, despite protests from Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon, and an Israeli company, called Better Place, is in the process of launching an electric car network in the Jewish state that will make it possible to drive anywhere in the country without range limitations. Motorists will be able to pull off at “battery switch” stations and trade in their spent fuel cells for charged ones.

Better Place has already announced the locations for nine of its 40 planned battery switch stations — Hadera, Modiin, Mahanaim, Mitzpeh Ramon, Beer Sheva, Yavne, Beit Shean and Bilu Junction — and has signed 400 agreements with parking lot owners across Israel to deploy thousands of charge spots with the first 200 sites already under construction. Twentyseven municipalities have signed agreements to ensure that Better Place charge spots are deployed in central locations in their cities.

For the auto industry, this will be a game changer.

Neither country can be energy independent through fossil or green fuels alone. Both know they must be energy independent to assure national security.

Israel and the United States made great energy strides toward energy self-sufficiency in 2011. Let’s hope 2012 is even better.

Are Jews better off today than a year ago? gary rosenblatt

NEW YORK — If you’re an optimist and were asked to name three of the most significant Jewish events of the past 12 months, you might cite the release and emotional homecoming of Gilad Shalit after more than five years in captivity; the protest movement that spread across the Arab world, signaling an end or challenge to autocratic rule and a push for democracy; and a Jerusalem-Washington relationship bolstered by new military and strategic advances, and politically by America’s decisive efforts to thwart Palestinian efforts to achieve statehood through the United Nations and to prevent a nuclear Iran through tightened sanctions.

For good measure you might add that American Jewish life is undergoing an exciting renaissance, with a burst of independent minyanim, and an array of social justice and startup groups among young people.

If you’re a pessimist, though, you could point to the same topics as proof that Israel is under increasing threat of physical and political harm from its enemies, and increased diplomatic strain

with Washington. And you could make the case that with fewer young people interested in synagogues or Jewish organizational affiliation, American Jewish life is in deep decline.

Granted that we all view events through the prism of our own hopes and fears, is there an objective take on how Israel and the Jewish world fared in 2011?

Maybe not, but in trying to view what has transpired in the last 12 months with as much impartiality as I can muster, I would have to conclude that we have much to worry about.

Of course that’s nothing new. Jews are known for their pessimism. It used to be said that the quintessential Jewish telegram reads: “Start worrying. Details to follow.” (For those of us old enough to remember telegrams.)

The way I see it, while Israel’s economy continues to amaze, the Jewish state is more isolated in the world and facing a more chaotic and dangerous region than a year ago. Plus, Iran is that much closer to building a nuclear bomb, and no nation other than Israel is seriously considering military action to stop Tehran.

Yes, Gilad Shalit’s release was a moral high for a tiny nation that showed the world how much it values a single life.

But in practical terms, releasing more than 1,000 terrorists underscored the inability of the Israeli military to rescue their man, the renewed clout of Hamas and the sober understanding that more Israeli lives may well be lost as a result of the swap.

Earlier this year, Israeli analysts who

warned of the dire consequences of abandoning Mubarak in Egypt and were less than ecstatic about the Cairo street protesters, were viewed as political Scrooges, out of touch with the call for change charging through the region. But the ensuing months have shown that democracies aren’t formed overnight, and that the case Mubarak made for years in seeking U.S. support — that if he fell, he would be replaced by Islamic fundamentalists — seems to be correct.

When given the freedom to vote, most Egyptians are not choosing young liberals and secularists but leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and even more radical followers of Islam who are antiWestern, anti-women’s rights, anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish.

While bolstering its border with Egypt militarily, Israel also faces a murderous Syrian government in disarray, the growing sense that there will be no peace with the Palestinians anytime soon, an increasingly hostile Turkey and an Iran determined to complete its nuclear mission, the rest of the world be damned.

But when Jerusalem turns to the United States for leadership, it finds an Obama administration focused on the 2012 re-election campaign, and with no love lost between the president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Does their personal relationship really matter in the scheme of foreign policy moves? Yes, in that trust between world leaders can have a huge impact. (Witness George W. Bush and Tony Blair bonding militarily during the lead-up to Please see Rosenblatt, page 9.

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 7

OPINION

Letters to the editor We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 400 words and may be edited for length and clarity; they cannot be returned. Mail, fax or e-mail letters to: via e-mail : letters@thejewishchronicle.net via fax:

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Mailing address:

The Jewish Chronicle 5915 3rd Flr.,Beacon St. Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Food, meds or taxes?

My grandparents lost everything they had to the Nazis, including their home.

Am I going to lose my home to Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh?

I was employed at the Division of Computer Services of Allegheny County for 23 years. As a senior analyst/programmer, I was responsible for the design, implementation and maintenance of all Allegheny County land systems, including the comparable sales search system and the computer-assisted mass assessment system, so I am knowledgeable with respect to property tax systems.

In 1996, I retired due to multiple disabilities. It took me 45 years to realize the American Dream when, in 1987, I purchased my home. I thought I would live there for the rest of my life and be able to leave my home to my children.

The Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh property tax laws are slowly forcing me out, as I am living on a fixed income.

When individuals are faced with necessity of choosing between paying property taxes, supplemental medical insurance and food each month, it is illegal and unconstitutional. Life is definitely threatened if one cannot afford to pay

for medical care or food as a result of a taxation policy that is not based on the individual’s ability to pay, but instead on the value of the home in which they live.

I am blind, but it appears that our state and local representatives have lost sight of the problem. Some believe that increased taxation on property market values should occur every two or three years, but this does nothing for us on fixed incomes; we’ll still be at the same income level three years from now.

Some Pittsburgh representatives believe that reducing the city millage will solve the problem, but this reduction is only applicable to city taxes and not county and school taxes.

Incidentally, it is the school district tax that is the back breaker; it is more than three times greater than the other two.

Keeping in mind our constitutional right to happiness, show me a happy homeowner who has spent his entire life paying his fair share, raising a family, retired, expecting to live out his golden years in his own home only to be forced out because of an unfair, oppressive property tax law.

Jeffrey Lewin Highland Park

Statement corrected The Men’s Club of New Light Congregation is pleased that The Jewish Chronicle covered the Dec.18 bus tour of Historic Jewish Pittsburgh, including a photograph of one of its high points (“Kether Torah revisited,” Dec. 22).

Please see Letters, page 9.

8 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012

OPINION

Israel not isolated despite gloom and doom reports Guest Columnist DANNY BRODE TEL AVIV — Despite incessant claims of Israel’s isolation from the political opposition, media pundits and U.S. officials, the level of the Jewish state’s bilateral relations with crucial players indicates otherwise.

Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of “Israel’s growing isolation” in the region. He suggested Israel act to reverse this troubling trend by engaging with Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. Along with general perceptions of increasing regional isolation, opposition

figures within Israel often proclaim Israel’s state of isolation in the international community. These claims routinely follow public reprimands from European or American leaders. With that being said, judging Israel’s international stance on populist public statements is misleading, because they do not accurately represent the Jewish state’s diplomatic standing.

With respect to the United States, quarrels over settlements and various peace process issues have strained relations on the official level. However, the U.S.-Israel relationship remains secure. Certainly, Israel’s diplomatic relationship with America was tested and mistrust lingers, yet strong bilateral agreements and military exercises continue. Furthermore, beyond the halls of Washington, American public opinion remains favorable toward Israel.

Elsewhere on the continent, Canadian-Israeli ties are stronger than ever, with Ot-

tawa as one of Jerusalem’s chief defenders in the public arena.

Israel’s affiliation with the European Union has never been easy. Recent reports of a possible E.U.-led United Nations Security Council censure of Israeli activity in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) furthered impressions of Israel’s isolation.

Nonetheless, European states did not campaign in favor of the Palestinian Authority’s recent bid for U.N. recognition and many actively discouraged it. Although more criticism originates from western European capitals than praise, bilateral relations, economic agreements and defense contracts remain intact. With much of the attention awarded to statements from Berlin, Paris, Brussels and London, many overlook Israel’s strengthening ties with Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Eastern Europe. Improved Israeli relations with southern European countries,

fostered above all by a more antagonistic Turkey, highlight that machtpolitik and strategic concerns still dictate bilateral relations. These countries see Turkey as a threat to their regional interests, especially in reference to newly discovered Mediterranean oil fields. For southern European states, Israel is a regional and strategic ally that can help protect their interests.

Despite a variety of strong and weak Israeli relationships within the European Union, the organization is relatively weak. E.U. member states independently and collectively lack the political, economic and military strength to have a real impact on Israel’s strategic environment. Europe is important diplomatically, however, in terms of power politics other regions are of greater significance.

Please see Brode, next page.

Buying or Selling THE JEWISH CHRONICLE’S

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Call 412-687-1000 to place your ad.

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Check out the blogs at www.thejewishchronicle.net

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 9

OPINION Rosenblatt: Continued from page 6. the Iraq War.) No, in the sense that the Washington-Jerusalem relationship has endured crises since Israel was founded, and the strategic ties remain strong.

That’s why Obama spoke out firmly at the United Nations this fall against the Palestinian Authority’s attempt at a diplomatic end-around toward statehood, and has stepped up diplomatic measures to pressure Iran.

Closer to home, assimilation, disinterest and a low birthrate continue to present major threats to American Jewish life and its communal structure.

The list of events, and how we choose to interpret them, goes on. Was the huge series of protests this summer in Israel calling for social change an ideal example of a nonviolent movement bringing

LETTERS

TO THE

EDITOR

Continued from page 7.

However, we wish to address an erroneous statement in the article that reports the event was co-sponsored by New Light Congregation and the Young People’s Synagogue. There were no cosponsors. The Men’s Club of New Light Congregation was the sole sponsor.

Members of the Men’s Club prepared and distributed publicity, accepted reservations and payments, and main-

Brode: Continued from previouspage.

Asia is rapidly becoming one of the more powerful regions within the international system. Israel’s relationships with eastern powers China, India, Russia, Japan and South Korea are lucrative and robust. In India, Israel is conducting training for the country’s frontier anti-terror units and increasing sales of weaponry to the Asian power. As the geopolitical balance of power shifts eastward, strong Israeli ties with these countries must not be overlooked. These relationships are not without troubles, most notably with Russia and China over issues such as Iran.

However, Beijing and Moscow’s increasingly autonomous foreign policy is meant to maximize Russian and Chinese influence on specific issues. Their policies act to counter Western, mainly U.S., foreign policy influence. Thus, despite Russian and Chinese objections to Israeli security concerns, their activity does not denote general hostility and greater cooperation on other issues can ensue. Elsewhere, Israel’s relationships with former Soviet Azerbaijan and Georgia are robust with Azerbaijan emerging as an important economic and strategic partner in the region.

In the Middle East, Israel’s relationships with Egypt, Jordan and Turkey are indeed in dire straits. These are dangerous developments, yet they have more to do with domestic and regional ideological and political trends than with Israeli policies vis-à-vis Palestinian Arabs. The chaos and instability gripping the region today is illuminating historical tribal, religious and ethnic disputes in the Middle East.

Due to these transnational disputes, most, if not all regional Arab and Muslim states, find themselves mired in a myriad of conflicts. Moreover, the touted Turkish presi-

about progress, or a fluke outcry against the continuing economic imbalance threatening the fabric of society?

Do we view the scene of Republican presidential candidates outdoing each other in support of Israel a harbinger of a significant shift in Mideast policy in Washington, or a soon-to-be-forgotten memory a year from now?

Amidst the uncertainty and our own conflicting views, what we do share is a common hope and prayer that 2012 will be a year of renewed faith in America and Israel, and the noble ideals we strive to fulfill in our commitment to each.

Happy New Year.

(Gary Rosenblatt, editor and publisher of The New York Jewish Week, can be reached at Gary@jewishweek.org. This column previously appeared in the Week.)

tained a continuously updated list of bus passengers with their contact information. A waiting list had to be added after the number of people interested in the tour exceeded bus capacity. The Men’s Club of New Light Congregation chartered and paid for the bus, as well as for all other expenses related to the tour.

Charles A. Honigsberg Squirrel Hill (The author is treasurer of the Men’s Club of New Light Congregation.)

dent’s “zero problems” foreign policy has collapsed in light of crises with Cyprus, Israel, Iran, Syria, Greece and now France. Elsewhere in the region, the troubling developments in Jordan and Egypt are beyond Israel’s control. Israel’s deteriorating relationships with Jordan and Egypt are dangerous, as both countries have peace deals with Israel. Even so, Israeli meddling in such a fractious environment is unwise. While the Muslim world battles historical disputes, Israel is seemingly left out. However, for the time being, Israel’s seclusion in the Middle East is a convenience.

Examining Israel’s position within a strategic paradigm illustrates that Israel is not isolated. Israel’s burgeoning ties with Asia are crucial. Maintaining its strong relationship with the United States and simultaneously increasing ties with Asian states is a major diplomatic achievement for Israel. More practically, Israeli prowess in hi-tech, defense technology, along with the massive energy discoveries off Haifa, will only increase the Jewish state’s attractiveness in Asia.

The doom and gloom reports of Israeli isolation are unwarranted. Israel’s relationships with all major international players remain intact and secure. Given the international communities’ obsession on this conflict, public criticism of Israel will undoubtedly take place. With that being said, one must look at the criticizing country’s ability to act on it. Israel is not isolated internationally. Additionally, increased Israeli seclusion from regional turmoil is preferred. In the end, being isolated from the myriad of tribulations resulting from the so-called “Arab Spring” is a good thing.

(Danny Brode, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Duquesne University, is a Middle East analyst living in Israel. His blog can be read at thejewishchronicle.net.)

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10 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012

Community A

New members of community

Toys bring happiness to refugee families

Dor Hadash held its annual “Hanukah on Ice” party at the Schenley Ice Rink, and the congregation invited members of the Pittsburgh Bhutanese community to join them. The Dor Hadash Religious School and their social action committee are working this year with the Bhutanese refugees, who are being settled in Pittsburgh by Jewish Family & Children’s Service.

My Little Outback owners Todd and Erin Schachter organized a toy drive to benefit the children of refugee families resettled

by Jewish Family & Children’s Service. When refugees come to America, they typically come with little more than the clothes on their backs and a limited understanding of America’s vast and complex culture. JF&CS meets them at the airport and takes them to the apartments they’ve established for them, and refugee services staff work to help the families successfully resettle in the Pittsburgh community. Pictured, from left, are My Little Outback staff member Walter Drennan with JF&CS refugee caseworkers Ximena Martinez, Dawn Zuckerman and Benedict Killang.

C L O S

Jewish Family & Children’s Service photo

Dor Hadash photo

Jew’colades COMPILED BY ANGELA LEIBOWICZ Community/Web Editor

E (As part the Chronicle’s 50th anniversary celebration, The Chronicle Cooks will take an occasional look at recipes and their stories over the years. To read the full article, visit thejewishchronicle.net and click on archives.

Here is a recipe from the March 22, 1962, edition.)

R

CONNIE’S ROAST CHICKEN (GREEK)

L O O

Don’t forget to visit us on the Web

thejewishchronicle.net

Here is what Mildred Grosberg Bellin, Chronicle-JTA Food Editor, writes about this recipe: “The second dish is Connie’s [Mrs. Donald Matthews] favorite for guests, and is always well liked when she serves it. Once the chicken begins to bake, it requires absolutely no further attention.

In fact, for success, the cook mustn’t even peek to see how it is progressing. When it is finished, the chicken is a rich brown with the flesh soft and juicy. There is just enough gravy to serve with any starch accompaniment desired. Rice, macaroni, potatoes, or noodles, are all good.”

I made this recipe for dinner Tuesday night and have a few comments. Tastes have changed since 1962, and today, this chicken is rather bland. Although extremely easy to make, when done, the chicken seemed more like soup chicken in texture. This may have been a favorite for guests in 1962, but I would not serve it to my guests in 2012. Not a big hit with the family either.

(Angela Leibowicz can be reached at angelal@thejewishchronicle.net.)

✂

K

SallyJoe Guzik presented Daniel Lando and his mother, Dr. Leigh Winston, with Tree Pittsburgh Recognition Awards Dec. 7, 2011. Tree Pittsburgh is an environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the City’s vitality by restoring and protecting City trees. Daniel became the youngest Tree Tender when he decided to take on this tikkun olam project in preparation for his bar mitzva. After completing their training, the mother and son team planted, pruned, mulched and otherwise cared for City trees at numerous community events in 2011. More information on volunteering at Tree Pittsburgh may be found at treepittsburgh.org.

1 large fryer, quartered, salt, pepper and oregano to taste *1 round tablespoon tomato paste ¾ cup warm water ½ cup dry white wine 1 teaspoon vegetable or olive oil Sprinkle the chicken quarters with salt, pepper and oregano to taste and place them, skin side up, in a Dutch oven or earthenware casserole. Combine the tomato paste with the warm water until blended, add the wine and pour over the chicken. Drizzle the oil over the top of the chicken pieces. Cover the pan tightly and roast at 400 degrees for two hours. Do not uncover during the cooking.

This amount serves four. This may be served from the casserole or the chicken quarters may be arranged on a platter and the gravy passed separately. *Whenever a recipe calls for only a part of a can of tomato paste, and the remainder is not to be used within a few days, it may be placed in a small container, covered, and frozen.

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 11

METRO Giant Eagle, others, unveil matching grant for federation’s annual campaign

BY LEE CHOTTINER Executive Editor

In an effort to attract new contributors and bolster existing ones, the Giant Eagle Foundation and a group of private philanthropists have offered a $100,000 matching grant challenge to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

The grant will donate 50 cents for every new and increased dollar, up to $100,000, raised toward the Centennial Year Annual Campaign goal of $13 million.

Campaign Chair Jimmy Wagner said he can’t recall a bigger matching challenge in the campaign’s history, nor one as encompassing as this.

“Unlike past challenges, which have been smaller in nature, this year we decided to make it a communitywide challenge and publicize it.”

He described the grant challenge as a “generous” offer from the Giant Eagle Foundation and philanthropists, whom he said prefer to remain anonymous.

The twofold goal of the challenge — to

attract new donors and encourage current ones to increase their gifts — is meant to push the campaign toward its goal while replacing donors lost through attrition — donors who have died, moved away or fallen on hard times themselves.

He said he’s optimistic the campaign can raise $100,000 in new or increased donations.

“I can tell you the campaign is ahead of last year,” Wagner said.

The Giant Eagle incentive is being offered as a means to celebrate the federation’s centennial.

“This remarkable opportunity allows us to raise the funds to meet the ongoing needs of the community,” federation President and CEO Jeffrey H. Finkelstein said in a prepared statement.

Contact Jessica Brown Smith, director campaign and financial resource development, at 412-992-5248 or jsmith@jfedpgh.org for more information.

(Lee Chottiner can be reached at leec@thejewishchrnicle.net.)

JFilm stages short film contest; competition goes international JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum is sponsoring a competition for filmmakers who make shorts.

The Robinson International Short Film Competition, as it’s called, is named for Sanford N. Robinson. It is intended to further the careers of filmmakers by awarding significant monetary prizes and offering exposure for their work.

The international competition is open to any independent filmmakers, including college and graduate level film students, as well as professionals in the field.

The guidelines for entries are: • The film must be a Pittsburgh premiere (no prior public Pittsburgh screenings or television broadcasts); • Films completed in 2009 or later; • Screening formats: 35mm, Beta SP (NTSC), Digibeta (NTSC), HDCAM, Blu-ray; • Foreign language films must have

English subtitles; and • Film must be 40 minutes or less.

Acceptable genres include narrative, documentary or animated films. Submissions must contain an essence of Jewishness as represented by theme, history or culture.

Up to 10 films will be selected for presentation by JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum at an awards evening in early May. The winning films will be announced immediately following the screening. The first place prize is $10,000; two honorable mentions will each receive $3,000.

Filmmakers will be notified in March of their selection. JFilm: The Pittsburgh Jewish Film Forum and the Robinson family would like all selected filmmakers to make every effort to attend the awards evening. Attendance, however, is not mandatory to receive a prize.

Entries are due Jan. 31. There is a fee to enter.

Visit jfilmpgh.org for entry forms and more information about the competition, including entry guidelines.

12 - THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012

Style THE BREW THAT’S FIT FOR A JEW

s r e e b f o s r a e y 5 1 s k r a m

BY MATT ROBINSON JNS

Manischewitz has its role, but now and then, a Jew needs a good cold beer.

Shmaltz Brewing Co., with headquarters in San Francisco and a brewery in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has been producing beers worthy of the Chosen People for 15 years and counting.

“Completely shocking,” says proprietor Jeremy Cowan, when asked about his brand’s longevity. In fact, Cowan says he is still not sure how it’s even possible that the first 100 cases of Shmaltz — handcrafted as an experiment for Chanuka in 1996 — have grown into the production of over 10,000 barrels a year internationally.

In celebration of the 15th year, a series of new and repackaged brews are being released, including the appropriately named Jewbelation 15 and Genesis 15:15. There is even a new book that chronicles the company’s first 13 years called “Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah,” which includes a list of suggested beers to accompany each chapter.

“When I started Shmaltz, it was really just an experiment,” Cowan says. “I just thought it would be fun and funny to make this country’s first and only Jewish celebration beer.”

With the help of a small brewery in Northern California, the former English major pitched a business idea (despite not knowing a dram from a dreidel), and Shmaltz was born. Hand-brewed, handlabeled and hand-delivered, the first bottles of Shmaltz quickly caught on, even outside the Jewish community.

“Once I got into the project,” Cowan recalls, “I realized this was my opportunity to create my own brand of a Jewish community organization. [It] allowed me to celebrate my culture and to tie it into Jewish text, holidays and traditions in a meaningful contemporary way most relevant to my own sensibility.”

While he is happy with his creation’s cache in the Christian and Catholic worlds, Cowan is especially proud of the impact he has had in Jewish homes.

Most of his beers are certified by the Kosher Supervision of America (KSA), which is accepted by the Orthodox Union (OU) worldwide.

When it comes to kosher dietary law, beer isn’t subject to the same level of rabbinic and talmudic scrutiny as wine is, Cowan notes. However, he says it “was important to get the [Shmaltz]

had become a fan and who wanted Cowan to help celebrate New York’s most famous playground — Coney Island — Cowan decided to kick off a “sideshow” beer line to raise money for the famous fun park.

Today, Shmaltz’s Coney Island line includes such boardwalkinspired flavors as Albino Python, Sword Swallower, Human Blockhead, and Freaktoberfest.

“For over 125 years, Coney Island has been America’s playground,” Cowan suggests. “Shmaltz Brewing is ecstatic to celebrate that flavor and spirit through this exceptional line of unique craft lagers.”

Looking to the future, Shmaltz continues to expand while keeping its roots firmly in mind.

beers kosher certified so the whole community, regardless of their level of observance, would feel confident bringing our products into their homes and into their lives.”

Cowan says the name of Shmaltz’s first offering — He’Brew — was a “fun shtick my pals came up with when we were just slightly underage in Northern California.” Though his product has been the subject of “lots of funny looks and questions,” Cowan emphasizes that the most important judge — his mother — approves.

“She even helped me deliver cases of the first batch,” he says, noting that she is “relieved that the business

Top: a label from Shmaltz’s “Sideshow” beer line to support Coney Island. Above: Shmaltz has extended its beer line over 15 years.

is doing well enough that I don’t need to sleep on her foldout couch nearly as often as I used to.”

Once people get past the name, Cowan suggests, they often find that Shmaltz products are more than just a Jewish joke. “When people read the story and taste … the beer,” he says, “[they] realize

that I was very serious about this fun and delicious project that honestly celebrates Jewish tradition, text and sensibility, [and] they love it.”

For its 10th anniversary, Shmaltz expanded by adding a new line of East Coast-inspired beers. Approached by “a nice Jewish boy from Manhattan” who

“One of my favorite parts of my craft beer business is to play with stereotypes and add unique angles and create additional layers of meaning and flavor,” Cowan says, “to tickle people’s expectations and increase their delight with our offerings.”

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 13

BOOKS

‘Dovekeepers’ a tale of Masada as grim death approaches Book Review

BY HILARY DANINHIRSCH Chronicle Correspondent

One hallmark of a good writer is finding a new way to tell an old story.

Fans of Alice Hoffman will be surprised, and yet pleased, to discover “The Dovekeepers,” a fresh version of the story of Masada in the year 70 C.E., just after the Temple is destroyed. Historical fiction is a total departure for Hoffman’s adult novels, although she does weave familiar themes of magic and mysticism into the story.

In an author’s note, Hoffman notes how profoundly changed and inspired she had become by a visit to Masada in Israel. Masada is an ancient fortress surrounded by steep cliffs that had

Book Review “The Dovekeepers,” by Alice Hoffman Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, 501 pages

been used by Jews to escape the Roman military, the Sacirii.

“The Dovekeepers,” while fiction, is based on years of research.

Hoffman has read the writings of the ancient historian, Josephus (who leaves the only account of the events at Masada) and learns that there are two women and five children out of 900 who survive; two of those women are the focus of the book.

The book is broken up into four parts, each one narrated by a different woman whose lives intertwine at Masada.

There is Yael, the redheaded daughter of an assassin, born to a dead mother; Revka, the baker’s wife who witnesses the brutal murder of her only daughter and is now charged with raising her grandsons; Aziza, born a female but is trained as a warrior; and Shira, Aziza’s mother, known as the Witch of Moab, who is the keeper of many secrets, including

that of a long-ago connection she has to one of the other characters.

Each woman has loved deeply, lost greatly, and has the scars to prove it, both physical and emotional.

When Yael arrives at Masada after a time in t h e desert, the o t h e r w o m e n , sensing that there is something special about her, assign her to work in the dovecote, caring for the doves; their excrement is used as fertilizer, though sometimes they are sacrificed for food.

Yael’s father blames her for the death of her mother in childbirth; her brother, Amram, is a powerful warrior and is in love with Aziza.

Initially wary of each other, the four women gradually become somewhat of a family as they come together at the Masada

fortress; the suspense builds as the Romans surround the mountain.

Though by no means flawless, Hoffman’s female characters are intelligent, independent, kind and strong despite great loss and hard living conditions. In some ways they are like modern women; they are mothers, and they are prepared to sacrifice for their families.

Even if the reader is familiar with the story of Masada and knows what is coming, Hoffman manages to create an atmosphere of suspense and sadness as the inevitable end of days approach.

While it is challenging to find a favorite passage out of 500 pages of luminous prose, this stands out as a testament of the desire for life, spoken by Yael: “We would probably die before long.

Our bones would be white upon the white rocks. We would be clawed at by eagles, taken by jackals. We would rise into the wind and become ashes.

But not now. Not yet. We were still alive.”

“The Dovekeepers” may very well be Hoffman’s masterpiece.

(Hilary Daninhirsch can be reached at hdaninhirsch@gmail.com.)

14 - THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012

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16 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANURY 5, 2012

METRO Youth: Continued from page 4.

Even in smaller congregations the fostering of positive, personal relationships with teens is key to keeping them involved, according to Rabbi Audrey Korotkin, of Temple Beth Israel, in Altoona.

The spiritual leader of the 75-family

Reform congregation says that the teens of Temple Beth Israel do remain engaged in synagogue life through their high school years.

“In a lot of larger congregations, there are problems with post-bar and bat mitzva retention,” she said. “Some rabbis have called their own congregations ‘bar mitzvah mills.’ ” But at Temple Beth Israel, where Korotkin personally tutors and develops a relationship with each b’nai

anonymous in a 75-family congregation. I said, ‘you need to come to places like Altoona and see another model. There are other models you need to take a look at. Personal connections can go a long way.’ ”

mitzva, the teens all go on to confirmation, she said. While at the recent URJ Biennial, she advised Jacobs to take a look at her model.

“I said to Rabbi Jacobs, ‘Please visit Altoona,’ ” she said, “Because we are not a b’nai mitzva mill. All our kids stay through confirmation, and a lot stay through high school. You can’t be

(Toby Tabachnick can be reached at tobyt@thejewishchronicle.net.)

Retro News:

Perrins, Mrs. Rube Schmidt and Mrs. Felix Weil.

Continued from page 2.

Community Also this week, the Chronicle reported that Cantor Mordecai Heiser of B’nai Israel Congregation would join a famed Cleveland cantor and composer, Sholom Secunda, for a recital of Sabbath melodies at B’nai Israel . . . Judge Musmanno, who wrote the “Judgment at Nuremberg” piece, received the Brotherhood Month award at Beth Jacob Synagogue in New Kensington . . . Katharine S. Falk reviewed the book, “Notes from a Dark Street” in her column, The People and the Book, and Bernice Ellman Bluestone, in her society column, Social and Personal, sent back news of Pittsburghers vacationing in Florida and Arizona that winter — that’s right, snowbirds are nothing new — as well as other vacation spots. Among the Pittsburghers she named were Mr. and Mrs. Harry

Misc.

To celebrate the Chronicle’s first edition, the staff published letters of best wishes from President John F. Kennedy, Pennsylvania Gov. David L. Lawrence and Pittsburgh Mayor Joseph M. Barr.

“We hear much today of new frontiers in matters of national and international concern,” Barr wrote. “It appears that the Pittsburgh Jewish Publication and Education Foundation has opened up a new frontier in the field of journalism.”

— Compiled by Lee Chottiner (For a more comprehensive look at the March 8, 1962, Chronicle, visit the jewishchronicle.net and click on “archives” at the top of the page. Back issues of the Chronicle are archived by the Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project.)

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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 17

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Jacob’s ethical will Portion of the Week RABBI ELI SEIDMAN JEWISH ASSOCIATION ON AGING Vayechi, Genesis 47:28-50:26

In my work with Sivitz Jewish Hospice, I often help patients review the events of their lives and pass along wisdom and advice to the next generation.

People discuss the decisions they made, the regrets they have and how they might have done things differently. Sometimes, they attempt to reconcile with estranged family members.

They want to settle matters and to feel at peace before they depart this world.

They also want to leave a spiritual legacy.

One way to do this is to prepare an ethical will.

Just as a will passes along ownership of the person’s property to his (or her) family, an ethical will is a written document in which a parent would summarize what they wanted most for and from their children. The person passes along the life wisdom they had acquired to the next generation.

According to Rabbi Jack Riemer, to write an ethical will one must try to summarize “the essential truths one has learned in a lifetime, face up to one’s failures and consider what are the things that really count.” Common

motifs often include: faith in Hashem, commitment to mitzvot, concern for the family and for Jewish continuity.

The words of Jacob in this week’s Torah portion are seen as an ethical will.

At the end of his life, he called his children and his grandchildren together so that he could give them his final blessing.

He said “O G-d, before whom my ancestors walked, G-d who sustains me. …

May the angel who redeems me from all evil bless these children, and may my name be declared on them, and the names of my forefathers Abraham and Isaac.” (Genesis 48:15-16) Jacob said that his children should always be aware of the great spiritual legacy left to them by his father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham. They should continue to be inspired by their family heritage.

Secondly, he said that his children’s achievements should always be a sanctification of G-d’s Holy Name. When people see the loving-kindness in their deeds, they will praise and bless the Name of Hashem.

We ought to constantly remember the deeds of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

We are all Jacob’s children. We read his last words each year to remind ourselves that they apply to us as well.

Shabbat shalom.

(This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.)

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18 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012

OBITUARY DAVIS: On Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, Margaret Davis, 88, of Highland Park, beloved Ill., formerly of Pittsburgh; wife of the late David Davis; loving mother of Marsha (Rick) Bolnick, Fred (Barbara) Davis, Ron (Elana) Davis and the late Robert Davis; grandmother of Stacy Davis, Lindsey (Corey) Manton, Jamie Davis, Cary and Tracy Bolnick, Josh and Ross Davis; great-grandmother of Derek and Brody Manton; sister of the late Leonard, Victor and Joe Katz, and Rosie Miller. Services and interment were held at Poale Zedeck Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to Manor Care Arcadia Unit, 2773 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park, IL 60035.

Services by D'Alessandro Funeral Home, LTD. www.dalessandroltd.com GREENBERG: On Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011, Ada Greenberg of Aventura, Fla.; daughter of Ben and Laura Block; beloved mother of Richard Greenberg and Ronna Greenberg; grandmother of Maxwell Greenberg and former wife of Philip Greenberg. Services and interment were private. Contributions may be made to Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

HARTSTEIN: On Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, Robert E. Hartstein; beloved husband of the late Sonia L. Hartstein; beloved father of Sharon Heslop, Alan J. (Lynne) Hartstein and Beth (Michael) Cantella; brother of Ray (Rhea) Hartstein, the late Ernie Hartstein and Shirley Strahl; grandfather of Julian (Sarah) Cantella, Justin (Stacey) Heslop and Molly Cantella; greatgrandfather of Logan Heslop. Services and interment were private. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc.,

5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com HOCHHAUSER: On Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, Samuel Hochhauser; beloved husband of the late Miriam Hochhauser; beloved father of Martin L. Hochhauser (Donna L. Wilson), Lynn P. (Gerald) Mendelbaum, Burton A. Hochhauser and the late Sandra L. Hochhauser; brother of the late Alfred, Leon and Jacob Hochhauser, Ruth Smith and Harriet Recht; grandfather of Ashley and Andrew Mendelbaum and Marc Hochhauser. Services and interment were held at B'nai Israel Cemetery. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com ISAACS: On Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, Irving Raphael Isaacs; Irving was born Oct. 19, 1917, in Indianapolis, to Bernard and Belle Isaacs. Irving, one of four children (Annette, Ruben and Emanuel), affectionately known as "Rip" to family and friends, was brought up in Detroit, where Bernard was superintendent of Hebrew Schools. Irving graduated from University of Michigan where he met his wife Martha Lillian Horelick from Pittsburgh. Married in 1941, Irving and Martha moved to Pittsburgh. After working together as commercial photographers, Irving joined Pennsylvania Transformer Company as advertising manager. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp during World War II and served as a 2nd lieutenant. He was a radar observer/bombardier. He left Pennsylvania Transformer in 1962 after winning several national awards for direct mail advertising. During this time Irving became president of Temple Emanuel of South Hills and served as building chairman. He was president of

The Jewish Chronicle from 1969 to 1972 and was involved with numerous charitable causes. Irving continued to work in communications and owned and ran several businesses over the years.

Trained in commercial art, Irving was an outstanding artist with pen and ink, oil and later batik and pottery. His humor was legendary as was his engaging personality and his ability to communicate and relate with family, friends and strangers. Many sought him out for counsel. He loved to fish, particularly for muskie in Wisconsin and Canada and was an avid horseman. Irving is survived by three children and three grandchildren: Marjorie (Isaacs) Newman, husband Martin Newman and son Adam Newman; David G. Isaacs, wife Shannon and son Reid; Jeffrey A. Isaacs, wife Jeanne and son Jonathan; brother Emanuel. Beloved wife Martha passed away in 2007. Rip maintained his sense of humor even in his declining years. He was an outstanding husband, father and friend whose physical presence will be missed but whose enduring memory will be cherished. Graveside services and interment were held at West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom Congregation. The family requests any donations be made to Forbes Hospice, 4800 Friendship Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224 or the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UPMC, 200 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582.

Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com LAMFROM: On Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, Alan N. Lamfrom; beloved husband of the late Shirley Lamfrom; loving father of Steven Lamfrom and Susan Lamfrom Katz; brother of Joan Rubenstein and Sandra Goldstein; grandfather of Brian Lamfrom, Danielle Katz, Chad Lamfrom and Ashley Lamfrom; greatgrandfather of Averi Lamfrom, Caden Alan Lamfrom. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel; interment Shaare Torah Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association (Greater Pittsburgh Chapter), 1100 Liberty Ave., Ste. E-201, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232 www.schugar.com

LOEWENBERG: On Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, Claire (Snyderman) Loewenberg, 97, of Oakland and Boca Raton, Fla.; Claire was the loving wife of the late Wilbur Loewenberg; beloved sisterin law-of Bernard Elinoff; devoted sister of the late Esther Elinoff (Bernard) and the late Ruben Snyderman (the late Barbara); cherished aunt of Edward Elinoff (fiance Debbie Rechtman) and Lynn Snyderman (Lewis Hyman); and adored great aunt of Nicole and Evan Elinoff, Jillian and Jesse Irwin, and Hannah Hyman. An avid world traveler and native of Carnegie, Pa. "Aunt Claire" studied at the University of Pittsburgh and was a graduate of the Slippery Rock Teachers' College.

Loewenberg was an accomplished teacher of many subjects, first in Glendale, Pa., later in Miami Beach, Fla., and finally at the Greenfield School in Pittsburgh. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel; interment New Light Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Levis JCC Special Needs Department, 9801 Donna Klein Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33428. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com KUSHNER: On Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, Allan Joel Kushner; beloved son of the late Saul and Ida Kushner; brother of Richard Jules Kushner and Donna-Rae Kushner. Services and interment were held at Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association (Greater Pittsburgh Chapter), 1100 Liberty Ave., Ste. E-201, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com MUNDT: On Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011, Emanuel "Manny" Mundt; father of David Mundt of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Gina Faye Mundt of Scottsdale, Ariz.; grandfather of Lauren and Ethan Mundt. Services and interment were private. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com

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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012 — 19

METRO Phosphorous: Continued from page 1.

Eshkol, according to Ynetnews.

Palestinians and certain international agencies have claimed Israel used white phosphorous during the 2008-09 Operation Cast Lead. The army initially denied those claims, but later revised its statements, saying they were used legally to provide a smokescreen.

“The Israel Defense Forces, charged with protecting the residents of the State of Israel, are criticized and judged due to their being the military of a U.N. member state,” Jelin wrote in his complaint to Ban. “In contrast,

Hamas, the ‘neighborhood bully,’ is not subject to international laws, and feels free to use illegal weaponry against an innocent civilian population — without being judged or criticized by any international body. I call upon you to put an end to this hypocrisy!”

Some 13,000 people live in the Eshkol Region.

The phosphorous rockets weren’t the only attacks this week on Israeli territory. According to the Sderot Media Center, two Kassam rockets fired from Gaza exploded in the Sha’ar Hanegev farming region in the south on Tuesday evening.

One rocket slammed into a storage house adjacent to a kindergarten in a kibbutz. There were no injuries. A second projectile fell in open territory.

We acknowledge with grateful appreciation contributions from the following:

Dance: Continued from page 1.

Feldman began manning the Israel booth at the festival in 2006 after attending it for many years, and getting “ticked off” that there was no Israeli booth.

“I decided I had to put up or shut up,” he said, and with the help of Carolyn Linder, director of the Agency for Jewish Learning’s Jewish Teacher Resource Center, along with some funding from the AJL, he created a cultural booth at the festival representing Israel. The 2006 booth featured Israeli music, dancing led

by Pittsburgh’s local shlichim, and a craft project allowing people to create bookmarks with their photos superimposed on an image of the Western Wall.

“It’s important to me to have the Jewish community represented at the festival,” Feldman said. “The festival is a grassroots approach to meeting the gentile community. The people who do the festival are very proud of their heritage.

There is a lot of camaraderie there. We all work together.”

The new Israeli dance troupe will be open to both boys and girls, and no previous dancing experience is necessary,

Gotta dance?

Teens interested in joining the dance troupe may contact Lee Feldman at 412-561-0321.

Feldman said.

“The point is, I’m trying to see if there is enough interest,” he said, “as I suspect there is.”

While Berman recognizes that Pittsburgh “does not have a strong culture of kids doing Israeli dance,” she is doing her best to generate interest, and develop that culture.

“I have been teaching Israeli dance at five local Sunday schools on an occasional basis,” she said, “so kids now have exposure to dance. If we can generate interest and excitement about dance, there will be a natural interest to perform at big events. Part of the issue is that kids don’t know what Israeli dance is because we haven’t had it yet.”

Israeli dance is popular in other cities, she said, and once teens become involved with it, they often continue with it in college groups.

“Our short-term goal is getting the group up and going this year,” she said.

“Our long-term goal is creating a community of Israeli dance.”

While Israeli dance classes are currently offered at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills and the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, Berman said those sessions primarily attract adults.

“It’s easier for kids to go to classes with other kids,” she said.

(Toby Tabachnick can be reached at tobyt@thejewishchronicle.net.)

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 8: ANNA BRODIE, HAROLD E. CAPLAN, ABRAHAM COHEN, MOLLY CREA, GERTRUDE ENGELBERG, JACOB HARRY FEINGOLD, DAVID ARI FLAMM, SAMUEL GOLDBLATT, SIMON GREENGARD, FREDA GREENWALD, PHILLIP JACOBSON, SAUL JACOBSON, LOUIS C. KLEIN, YETTA KROVITSKY, LEONARD L. LAUNER, SAMUEL LEVIN, SIDNEY LINZER, MURRAY LITT, HYMAN MALLINGER, MARY MICHAEL MARKS, MARVIN L. OLENDER, JACOB PERER, RELLA WILKOFF RATNER, MARY SAUL, SAMUEL L. SCHNITZER, TILLIE SCHUTTE, ETHEL SCHWARTZ, SOPHIA NERNBERG SEGAL, SEYMOUR N. SELTMAN, BEN SIMON, BELLE SKIRBOLL, JACOB SPEVOCK, DOROTHY STEIN, LENA STEINFELD, ARTHUR J. STERN, SAM WARMSTEIN, EDITH WOLINSKY, ELIZABETH ZENTLER. MONDAY, JANUARY 9: SAMUEL ABRAMS, REV. NATHAN ABROMSON, ABRAHAM AZINSKY, DORA S. BIRNBAUM, HYMAN BLECKMAN, VIOLETMAE CAPLAN, MOSES L. FISHER, KATE FRIEDLANDER, SARAH GERSON, ANNA LEBOVITZ GLICK, JACK GREEN, BENJAMIN HUSHAN, ROSE JOSEPHSON, HELEN KARNOLD, CLARA LABOVITZ, ABRAHAM LEIBOVITZ, SONIA B. 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MORRIS, MORRIS NATHAN, ANNA PEARLE, BENJAMIN RAPHAEL, SAMUEL RUBEN, IRWIN SAUNDERS, BESSIE SCHACHNE, LOUIS SEIGLE, IRWIN SHAPIRO, MELVIN SILBERBLATT, JOSEPH A. SIMON, ESTHER ROSE SINGER, DAN SNIDER, ROY SNYDER, HARRY SOUPOFF, ISADORE TEVELIN, BARNET TURETS, MORRIS VERTMAN, WILLIAM WEIN, RACHEL WEISENTHAL, JOSEPH WEISS, ROSA WIESENTHAL, WILLIAM WOLFE, OSCAR ZASLOV. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11: SIMON ALPERN, NATHAN G. BAGRAN, ROSALIND CAPLAN, JAKE DAVIS, HOWARD JAY DUNHOFF, ROSE EDELSTEIN, JOSEPH ELIAS, ALFRED ENGEL, GEORGE GOLDBERG, LOUIS GORDON, SERA HERSKOVITZ, HAIMAN KOELMAN, YITZCHOK LEIB KOIDANOV, ALBERT L. LANGE, WILLIAM LAVINE, ALBERT LENCHNER, GEORGE A. LEVENSON, CHAI DOBRE LEVINSON, RUTH HIRSCH LINDER, BEATRICE LOEB, ESTHER TEPLITZ LOVE, SAMUEL MALYN, MORRIS MARTIN, BENJAMIN MELET, ELAINE G. MESSER, WILLIAM ROSENBERG, ISRAEL ROSINSKY, BERNARD J SCHILLER, GUSTELLA SCHMIDT, CARRIE SCHWARTZ, MYNA SHUB, LOUIS SILVER, ROSE BERKOWITZ SIMENSKY, RUDOLPH SOLOMON, ESTHER TEPLITZ, SAMUEL WILKOFF, HAROLD I. WOLK, DELLA YAECHEVER, NATHAN ZIFF. THURSDAY, JANUARY 12: CLAYE CLARA BIERMAN, HERMAN GODFREY BIGG, JACOB BLOOM, JOSEPH BRAND, ESTHER BROAD, ISRAEL BUCK, JACOB COHEN, SAMUEL DAVIS, WILLIAM EDGAR EGERMAN, ALBERT EPSTEIN, SAM FAIGEN, MORTIMER M. FRANKSTON, BESSIE GETTLEMAN, MAURICE A. GOLOMB, LILLIAN GRANOFF, ANNA KAUFMAN, FANNIE KEIZLER, SAM KLEE, ELIZABETH KOPELMAN, MARTIN KOVACS, IDA KURFEERST, SAMUEL E. LATTERMAN, DR. FRED LAUFE, IDA LEVINE, KATE LEWIS, SOPHIE LIEBERMAN, SAM LIEBMAN, KATHERINE GREENBERG LINCOFF, BESSIE MARCUS, SAM MELNICK, ROSE HARRIS MILLER, MILTON MOSES, FLORENCE NEFT, BESSIE SILVERSTEIN PERMAN, ROSE POHL, HARRY ROM, ABRAHAM ROSENFELD, ETHEL SACHS, BERNAT SAMUELS, LOUIS SEDER, ANNA G. SERBIN, ELKA SHAPERA, ANNE DEUTCH SHAPIRO, MEYER S. SIKOV, PAULA SILVERSTEIN, JEAN SOLOMON, HERMAN M. SPIEGEL, HERMAN SPIEGELMAN, HELYN R. SPOKANE, IKE TEPPER, HARRY VERK, MOLLIE B. WEISS. FRIDAY, JANUARY 13: ALBERT ACKERMAN, REBECCA BIER, JULIUS CAPLAN, JACOB L. COHEN, JACOB DIZNOFF, ROSE FRIEDBERG, HARRY GERSON, MORRIS GROSS, IRWIN GROSSMAN, MINNIE GUSKY, CELIA HEPPS, GERTRUDE P. KATZ, MARGARET KOPELSON, MEYER LAZEAR, YENTA LEIBER, ROSE LEVINE, FANNIE LEVINSON, HENRY LEWIS, CHARLES LIPSITZ, SYLVIA R. LITMAN, IRWIN LUICK, MAURICE H. MARGOLIS, MILDRED BROIDA MARKOVITZ, BENJAMIN M. MARKOWITZ, ROSE STEINMAN MORRIS, BEN L. MOSES, RAYMOND MOSS, RUTH MOSS, PHILIP H. NEVINS, DR. WILLIAM RATOWSKY, CELIA RATTNER, MEYER REICH, AARON D. REINER, BELLA ROBIN, KENNETH E. ROSENBERG, LOUIS E. ROSENTHALL, BERNARD ROTH, ROSE RUBENSTEIN, SARAH SAMBERG, ETHEL SCHULBERG, MAX SHAPIRO, BEN SIMON, BELLE SOMACH, MINNIE SPERLING, JENNIE SPOKANE, REV. ALEX SPOKANE, NATHAN STALINSKY, SAUL H. TAPER, BERNARD TEPLITZ, FANNIE WINTNER, SAMUEL SIDNEY ZELMANOVITZ. SATURDAY, JANUARY 14: CHARLES BARDIN, SHIRLEY BERGER, BELLA BLIMAN, SAMUEL BRILL, MOLLY BROOKNER, GERTRUDE COHEN, ITHIEL A. COHEN, MIRIAM GUSKY DAJCZMANN, PHILIP B. EATMAN, ANNA KITMAN EPSTEIN, DOV BAER FRIEDLAND, GERSON E. FRIEDLANDER, MARY L. FURMAN, BESSIE GOLDBERG, ISADORE L. HOREWITZ, ERNESTINE GOLD KLEIN, KATIE LEVY, SAMUEL LEVY, BEN LIPSITZ, IDA MAKLER, MILDRED BROIDA MARKOWITZ, SAM MELLON, MARGARET WEINBERG MILLIGRAM, DIANA PARNES, ROSE PITLER, ROSE PITTLER, HERSCHEL PRETTER, SOL RATTNER, NATHAN ROSENTHAL, NATHAN ROTH, YETTA LEWIS SAMUELS, SAMUEL SAPEER, TEREZA SCHLESINGER, REBECCA SCHWARTZ, MOLLIE SEDLER, HERMAN SKIRBLE, SARAH SUGERMAN, HARRY E. TALENFELD, JENNIE VISHIK, MARCUS WAGMAN, CHARLES WASBUTZKY, THERESE WECHSLER, LT. STANLEY WEINER.

20 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE JANUARY 5, 2012