The Jewish Chronicle December 22, 2011

Metro Faded memories Former Hill District synagogue has vestages of Jewish past

Page 2

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE thejewishchronicle.net DECEMBER 22, 2011 KISLEV 26, 5772

Vol. 55, No. 32

Pittsburgh, PA

Obama speaks at Biennial

$1.50

Braunstein to focus on oral history as new director of Holocaust Center

BY TOBY TABACHNICK Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Dale Lazar

Lynn Magid Lazar cradles the Torah of Women of Reform Judaism as she is installed for her second term as president of the affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Jewish Pittsburgh had prominent role at convention

BY LEE CHOTTINER Executive Editor

WASHINGTON — Pittsburghers played a prominent role in the just-completed 71st General Assembly of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Temple Sinai sent a 40-member delegation, making it the 12th largest to attend the biennial convention, which attracted more than 5,000 participants from North America, the United Kingdom, Israel and Australia.

One Temple Sinai member, Lynn Magid Lazar, was installed for her sec-

ond consecutive term as president of the Women of Reform Judaism.

And two Pittsburghers, Lazar and Rabbi James Gibson, were among the few participants who met President Obama Friday following his historic address to the convention.

The convention also marked a milestone transition in the Reform movement. It was the last for Rabbi Eric Yoffie as president of the URJ. He will retire early next year and be succeeded

by Rabbi Richard Jacobs, recently the senior rabbi of the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y.

In a meeting with reporters at the biennial, Jacobs pledged to uphold the URJ’s support for Israel, saying the movement has “a robust Zionist commitment at the core.”

But he also pledged to continue fighting for the movement’s social justice values in the Jewish state, even if they converge with the positions of the Israeli government.

“We live our values in the Reform movement; our values are about Israel as a vital pluralistic, democratic state,” Jacobs said. He added that the URJ Please see Biennial, page 19.

The Holocaust Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has named Joy Braunstein as its new director.

Braunstein, who has already started her new job, plans to focus on finding ways to keep the Holocaust Center relevant for years to come, as the numbers of survivors are dwindling.

Although there are between 120 and 140 survivors living in the greater Pittsburgh area, many are in their 90s, and are unable to share their experiences in a formal way.

“The Holocaust Center relies heavily on first-person accounts,” Braunstein said. “But our speakers’ bureau only has four or five survivors now that can go out and tell their stories. We will need to find another way to get their stories told.”

Braunstein, who has been an environmental blogger for the Chronicle, comes to the Holocaust Center from The Rachel Carson Homestead Association, where she served as its executive director since March. Prior to her work at Rachel Carson, she was the senior manager of planning and fund distribution at the federation from 2006 to 2008.

Although she has no formal training in Holocaust studies, she is working to become educated in the field.

“The Holocaust Center has expertise in Holocaust education, and I intend to avail myself of internal resources,” Braunstein said. She also plans to audit a university class on the Holocaust, as well as participate in a weeklong intensive course off-site, possibly at either Columbia University or Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

This year, the Holocaust Center’s proPlease see Braunstein, page 19.

B USINES S 15/C L AS SIFIED 17/O BITUARIES 18/C OMMUNITY 13 O PINION 6/R EAL E STATE 16/S IMCHAS 12/S TYLE 10

Times To Remember

KINDLE SABBATH CANDLES: 4:39 p.m. EST. SABBATH ENDS: 5:43 p.m. EST.

2 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE

DECEMBER 22, 2011

Metro Kether Torah revisited

Jews see their past at former Hill District synagogue

BY ILANA YERGIN Chronicle Correspondent

About 40 people climbed into a charter bus Sunday waiting outside of New Light Congregation in Squirrel Hill to take a tour of historic Jewish Pittsburgh sites.

Rabbi Jonathan Perelman of New Light organized the event, co-sponsored by the Young People’s Synagogue, while historian Franklin Toker acted as the main tour guide.

But of all the sites Perelman and Toker planned to show his group this day, they knew one in particular would be special.

“I think the most significant part of the tour is to go inside what is now the Mount Zion Baptist Church, which was at one time Kether Torah,” said Perelman. “That was the largest synagogue in the Hill District.”

It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture the Webster Avenue building as a synagogue built in 1920. A Star of David is still visible in the brickwork above the entrance and the current owners of the facility haven’t changed too much inside, either.

The group split in half for the tour, some going with Toker and some with

Chronicle photos by Ilana Yergin

Above: the sanctuary of the old Kether Torah synagogue in the Hill District; front: The interior dome of Kether Torah; its Star of David, which has been digitally enhanced here, can still be seen by visitors.

Ginger Kinsel, Pastor Adam Kinsel’s sanctuary. wife.

Kinsel pointed out that some of the room The tour started in what Zion Hill Full is still the same, including the windows.

Gospel Baptist Church uses as their The consensus seemed to be that the current sanctuary was the same room the men used to use for their daily prayers.

The downstairs portion of the tour included a small social hall, kitchen and mikve (ritual bath). It was a somewhat

surreal moment as people crowded around the mikve and thought about the building’s history and the people who used to pray there.

The upper levels of the building were in much worse condition. The church doesn’t need so much space and the repairs would be costly. Still, people climbed the creaky steps to visit the former sanctuary.

The dome ceiling had to be tarred over to stop the rain and snow leaking through, but a pigeon managed to sneak in. The floor was covered with rubble, presumably from the ceiling, which was missing large chunks. The Star of David painted in the center of the dome was still visible and a few benches remained — although no longer ideal for sitting.

The group appreciated the opportunity to tour the building; many commented that they’re happy it was still being used for prayer, as opposed to having been demolished or turned into a coffee shop.

Kinsel said she appreciated the visit. A native of the Hill District, she said she recognized the importance of such homecomings.

“I think that we need to go back to our heritage,” she said. “I think that we need to open up our doors. We were here at one time and we used to work together. We used to live together.”

Please see Kether Torah, page 5.

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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 3

METRO Briefly The Jewish Healthcare Foundation rounded out its 2011 contributions in the Jewish community with a $900,000 grant to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Previous or ongoing commitments to the Jewish community that JHF funded in 2011 included $1.6 million for the Jewish Association on Aging’s Renaissance Campaign for developing a Alan R. Guttman continuum of care. This grant is part of an overall $35 million commitment to the JAA by JHF. Other JHF funding in the Jewish community this year included grants to: • Hillel Jewish University Center for free genetic disease screenings and its leadership portfolio program; • Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for its Centennial Fund for a Jewish Future and its planning grant to establish a Jewish history center in Pittsburgh; • Community Day School to support two memorials being constructed: World War II Veterans of Southwestern Pennsylvania Memorial and the Holocaust Keeping Tabs Memorial; and • Various Jewish community organizations, agencies and day schools to support their health-related projects.

In all, the board approved grants in 2011 totaling nearly $2.9 million to the Jewish community.

In related news, Alan R. Guttman,

chief executive officer of The Guttman Group, will succeed Patricia L. Siger as chair of the JHF board of trustees.

Guttman, who will serve a three-year term, most recently served as board chair of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative.

The Career Development Center, a division of Jewish Family & Children’s Service, has partnered with Ed2go, an online education company, to offer hundreds of online self-paced tutorials and instructor-led courses.

The CDC’s newest initiative is intended to help job seekers update or augment their current skills and knowledge for increased competitive advantage through the CDC Online Learning Center.

Ed2Go offers 17 different subject areas and hundreds of course selections within each area. Whether individuals are looking to brush up on their skills with a personal development course or widen their base by exploring a different field like business and accounting or computer applications, a wide variety of options are available.

The Online Learning Center users get the benefit of online courses that are convenient and affordable and can be taken virtually anywhere in the world and self-paced tutorials that can be started anytime and completed at the user’s own pace.

Instructor-led courses, led by experts in the respective fields, run for six weeks with new sessions starting every month, which users can sign up for anytime.

Participants will spend two to four hours each week completing two lessons in an interactive learning environment.

A certificate of completion is issued to participants with a passing score upon completion.

Please see Briefly, page 5.

4 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

METRO Schacter: Current generation must show future ones why to choose Judaism

BY BRANDT GELMAN Chronicle Correspondent

People make inconceivable numbers of choices each day, Louis Plung said, from what to eat for breakfast to what to wear to work or which detour might avoid rush hour traffic.

Americans cherish the right to choose how to live their lives, he said, and it is this way of thinking that has many people wondering what the future holds for the Jewish community in Pittsburgh and nationwide.

“I think the question we have to ask is what type of Jewish community will we leave for the next generation,” said Plung, who chairs the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Plung addressed a packed auditorium as part of the Conversations for a Jewish Future Speaker Series before introducing the keynote speaker, Rabbi J.J. Schacter. Schacter’s presentation was focused around one fundamental issue: Will there be a Jewish religion in the future of our community?

“If you would ask me how Jewish life

Rabbi J.J. Schacter

is in Pittsburgh, I would say it’s fine, everything is great,” Schacter said. “I believe there will be a future for our Jewish community that will not only be

around, but it will be vibrant.”

Schacter, a professor of Jewish history and thought at Yeshiva University, cited the concept of choice as a main factor in preserving a thriving Jewish community. In a time where people can be overwhelmed by the amount of variety in daily life, having the ability to follow one’s own path is the only way to maintain the lifestyle of choice.

“The core of our challenge for a greater Pittsburgh and to have Jews engaged in the community is to inspire people to choose to accept Judaism,” Schacter said.

Schacter placed the onus to provide future generations with a compelling argument for keeping the Jewish faith on the current generation. The Harvard graduate explained that if a Jewish child does not practice the religion with the same vigor as Schacter himself, then it is Schacter’s responsibility to show why keeping the faith to the letter of the law is an admirable decision.

One question future generations must be asking, the rabbi said, is why will Jewish religion mean something to them? If children can provide answers to

these questions, then they will be able embrace the religion.

Sitting to the left of Schacter, taking up almost an entire section of the auditorium, were a group of Jewish teenagers who seemed fixated on every word he spoke. Schacter pointed to those teens, citing them as prime examples of individuals embracing their role in preserving the Jewish community.

Using excerpts from Maimonides’ writings, Schacter illustrated God’s promise that the Jewish people will stand the test of time.

“The fact is, Jews have faced crude discrimination and brute physical annihilation,” he said. “Somehow we have survived. It tells me we will continue to survive.”

He reiterated his speech was not to assure people that the Jewish religion itself will continue for generations, but to show how future generations could ensure that Jewish leadership and pride will be present for generations to come.

(Brandt Gelman can be reached bgelman55@gmail.com.)

Concordia expands as Jews continue to call former B’nai B’rith facility home

BY TOBY TABACHNICK Staff Writer

Concordia of the South Hills — formerly, the B’nai B’rith-sponsored Covenant at South Hills — broke ground last week on a 3,000 square feet expansion to its Health Center.

Concordia Lutheran Ministries, the parent company of Concordia of the South Hills, purchased the Mt. Lebanon senior living facility for $15 million in 2009, after the Covenant filed for bankruptcy.

“Our mission is to serve people, and God has blessed us with the opportunity to expand,” said Keith Frndak, president and CEO of Concordia Lutheran Ministries. “We continue to work to serve more and to serve better.”

The expansion will add a therapy gym to enhance the care provided to the skilled nursing patients, according to Concordia of the South Hill’s CEO, Brian Hortert.

“We will have all new equipment,

including flat screens TVs on the walls in the gyms,” Hortert said. “We will also be updating the nurses’ stations, and providing touch screens for the nurses to access the electronic records.”

The two-level therapy gym will allow for improved communication between therapists and nurses, and will provide more convenient access for short-term rehab patients, he said.

New bedroom furniture and other general upgrades for the 46 skilled nursing units are also in the works.

The goal is to have the addition completed by the end of April 2012.

In addition to the skilled nursing component, the facility consists of 126 oneand two-bedroom independent living apartments, 48 personal care and 12 memory-support units. The facility serves about 30 short-term rehab patients per day in its health center.

“The expansion is a great testament to the staff, and the way we’ve been seen in

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

the community,” Hortert said.

In just two years, Concordia Lutheran Ministries has transformed the previously bankrupt facility into a thriving, senior community, with only one vacancy among its independent living units; it was operating at less than 40 percent occupancy in 2009 when it was sponsored by B’nai B’rith.

Hortert believes a change in the facility’s rate structure contributed to its turnaround.

“We did it with a lot of prayer, and a lot of hard work by our staff,” Hortert said.

“We had a lot of open houses, and our rate structure is a little bit different, so we can market to another segment of the population. And we’ve had a lot of support from area churches, and local synagogues and temples.”

Although the facility is no longer sponsored by a Jewish organization, and its Lutheran ownership is marked by a large cross on its sign facing Bower Hill Road, several new Jewish residents have

nonetheless moved in since it was acquired by Concordia, according to Hortert.

“We have been able to demonstrate to the community that we’re able to work together very well,” he said. “That has been a blessing,” While the facility no longer has a kosher kitchen, it “still continues to have meals on the menu that respect the dietary laws,” he said, noting that Concordia ensures there is always something available to residents who do not wish to eat nonkosher meat.

Jewish holidays are still observed at the facility, and Shabbat services are held every Friday night.

“It’s been a great two years,” Hortert said. “Concordia Lutheran Ministries is a 130 year-old company. We’re looking forward to being here for a long time. It’s been a blessing that the whole community has embraced us.”

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

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 5

METRO Briefly Continued from page 3.

Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee’s Christian-Jewish Dialogue has a new home at Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon St., in Eisner Commons. On Thursday, Jan. 5, noon, the group will meet to discuss the topic of “Sexism.”

The Jewish text is Proverbs 31:10-31.

The Christian text is Mark 14:3-9.

The monthly conveners are Rabbi Jamie Gibson, Rev. Cynthia BronsonSweigert, Father Dan Valentine and Rabbi Michael Werbow. This month, Rabbi Sharyn Henry will provide a Jewish perspective and Bronson-Sweigert will provide a Christian perspective. The program is free to the public. Contact the PAJC office at 412-605-0816 or at pajc@pajc.net for more information.

Shoshana Hadassah, Greater Pittsburgh Chapter is celebrating the 100th birthday of Hadassah with the residents of Charles Morris and Wein-

Kether Torah: Continued from page 2.

The group also visited the new Beth Hamedrash Hagadol-Beth Jacob synagogue, Downtown. The Bes Almon Cemetery in Troy Hill and the North Side before returning to New Light.

Some participants praised the tour as a

berg Village Monday, Dec. 26, at 1:30 p.m. Members of Shoshana will visit with the residents, serve a birthday treat, play bingo and pass out gifts to honor the special birthday. Bunny Morris is chairing this event and would welcome volunteers that day. Contact the Hadassah office at 412-421-8919.

NA’AMAT USA, Pittsburgh Council Lunch and Learn program will feature Rabbi Paul Tuchman of Temple B’nai Israel, White Oak, for a storytelling session, Wednesday, Dec. 28, at noon at the Labor Zionist Educational Center, 6328 Forbes Ave. Bring your lunch; drinks and snacks are provided. The program is free and open to the community. Call 412-5215253 for more information.

Chabad Fox Chapel will hold a Jewish FunFest event Sunday, Dec. 25, from 2 to 10 p.m. Included are unlimited bowling, live music, kosher dinner and snack bar.

Contact Nikki at 412-781-1800 or nikki@chabadfc.com for more information. necessary way to keep Jewish Pittsburgh history alive.

“A lot of the history is oral and a lot of it is going to disappear,” said Moshe Marvit, 32, a history student at Carnegie Mellon University. “So attending these things is important to hear what places used to be like and what happened there.”

(Ilana Yergin can be reached at ilana.yergin@gmail.com.)

6 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

The Jewish Chronicle

Opinion

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 Frank David Grubman Carolyn Hess Abraham 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 EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY AND FEATURE SERVICE) 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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An uncomfortable question an Jews be terrorists? Apparently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t think so; at least, not last week when, in response to recent attacks on Israeli soldiers by settlers on the West Bank, he approved a series of measures to crack down on extremists there.

But, according to Israel’s daily Haaretz, he rejected a recommendation

by Israel’s security forces to define the extremists as terrorists.

“Whoever lays a hand on IDF soldiers or Israeli policemen will be harshly punished,” Haaretz quoted Netanyahu as saying. “These people are a small group that does not represent those living in Judea and Samaria — people loyal to the state and its laws and who condemn such behavior.”

We agree. Despite the heinous acts of violence by West Bank extremists, including last week’s infiltration of an IDF base and the assault of a senior army officer at a nearby settlement outpost, we, too, believe that most settlers prefer to settle their differences with the government within the limits of the law.

But what about those who do resort to vi-

C

olence, who do attack military outposts, who assault Israeli soldiers?

Do these Jews deserve to be called terrorists?

Netanyahu just couldn’t go that far, but why?

Maybe it’s because the word “terrorist” is politically charged in the Jewish lexicon, a word that refers exclusively to the enemies of Jews and Israel (and Israel’s friends), the kind of evil doers who take hostages, kill babies in their cribs, fly jets into skyscrapers and detonate themselves on crowded buses.

Yes, those are certainly terrorists, but where is the line drawn between terrorism and extremism? Can’t some violent crimes be less heinous than others, yet their perpetrators still be terrorists?

And can’t a terrorist be a Jew? To answer yes is not a popular thing to do in our community. Still, we know some Jews have done shocking things, like Baruch Goldstein, who opened fire on Muslim worshippers at the Cave of the Patriarchs Feb. 25, 1994, killing 29 and injuring 125 before being killed himself. Baruch Goldstein was a terrorist.

There are American terrorists, too, such as Timothy McVeigh, who detonated a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City April 19, 1995, killing 168 people and injuring more than 800. Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist.

But here’s the point: Baruch Goldstein didn’t represent the Jews or Jewish values, and Timothy McVeigh didn’t represent the Americans or American values.

So we shouldn’t be afraid to use the word terrorism when it fits the crime.

We happen to believe an attack on an IDF base by anyone who is not in the uniform of a declared enemy nation is an act of terrorism. It doesn’t matter if the attackers are of the same people as the IDF defenders.

As Haaretz reported, many of the new measures the prime minister announced to curb these attacks didn’t give the authorities any powers they don’t already have.

And the attacks happened anyway.

Perhaps the threat of being branded a terrorist for raising one’s hand against Israel — be you a Jew or not — is just the deterrent Israel’s defenders need.

Obama’s smart red lines on Iran joel rubin

WASHINGTON — The warmongers are back, and this time they’re training their gun sights on Iran.

Just check out the Republican presidential debates, where almost all of the candidates cavalierly call for war with Iran as a standard talking point. Yet, while the Iranian nuclear program is a major challenge for American interests in the Middle East, not to mention the security of Israel and for global security altogether, we must resist the temptation to seek easy, quick fixes to this problem.

In the Middle East, there are no quick fixes.

Remember, quick fixes by dropping bombs is what the Bush administration told us was the solution to our problems with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

Fortunately, cooler heads are sitting in the White House.

So it’s ironic that as the final American troops leave Iraq, closing a chapter on the most strategically flawed foreign policy decisions in American history, one that cost more than 4,000 American lives and a trillion dollars, the warmongers are back in the news, treated as credible experts.

For example, former Vice President Dick Cheney, the author of the Iraq war who now advocates for military action against Iran, should be ignored at all costs. Just this past week he said that the “right response” to Iran’s capture of an American spy drone would have been to order a “quick airstrike” to prevent the drone’s

capture. Contrast this with former Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, who knows a thing or two about war, and strenuously cautioned against inadvertent military clashes with Iran. I’ll pick Mullen’s military advice over Cheney’s in every instance.

Yet while such hyping of military action to resolve the Iranian challenge continues, the Obama administration has wisely committed itself to maintaining pressure on the Iranian regime through international cooperation on sanctions, and has publicly argued against military action while still not taking this option off the table. By maintaining this policy, the administration is keeping open the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Against this backdrop, two significant actions by the Obama administration this past month in Washington demonstrated that the president has smart red lines on Iran. It’s rare that an administration on the cusp of a re-election battle decides to reveal its position on an issue of paramount importance such as Iran, especially when it knows that it’s going to suffer a political cost at home. Yet that is what Obama, to his credit, has done, when he both opposed Congressional moves to unilaterally impose American sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank and spoke out forcefully about the consequences of military action against Iran.

First, the Treasury Department opposed unilateral, extraterritorial sanctions against Iran’s Central Bank. It did so, arguing that not only would the sanctions undermine the international consensus against Iran’s nuclear efforts, but they would also enrich Tehran by driving up the price of oil. Counterproductive to the core, these sanctions would accelerate the regime’s grip on Iran’s economy, shutting out ordinary Iranians from economic transactions while ensuring that the regime that, unlike its population, has mastered the art of sanctions evasion would increase its power within the country.

And despite a 100-0 Senate vote for

these sanctions, the administration ultimately prevailed and obtained national security waivers for the legislation to ensure that it would impose the sanctions at its discretion — not at the whim of political pressure from Congress.

Second, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta clearly articulated that a war with Iran is not in our national interest and could have dire consequences for the region, including Israel. War would strengthen the regime internally, cause economic chaos, open up Americans to violent attack, and most importantly, not be effective at halting the nuclear program beyond one to three years.

Yet, there are critics like Jeff Goldberg, who will say that the administration’s policy positions are correct, but that making them public is unwise. Others, such as Mitt Romney, say that the administration is wrong on the policy and that its public pronouncements only reinforce that concern.

But to the majority of Americans who want to avoid a repeat of the disastrous Iraq War that is finally over, it should be comforting that the White House is behaving responsibly on what can only be described as a very difficult issue. Instead of political pandering and promoting a reckless policy, Obama is making it clear that while he seeks to resolve the challenge from Iran, he also has policy red lines that should not be crossed.

So let us be thankful that, as this enthralling year of change in the Middle East comes to a close, President Obama has clear red lines on his Iran policy. In a year in which he vanquished Qaddafi, killed binLaden, and oversaw the successful conclusion to the Iraq war, we owe him this much.

(Joel Rubin, director of policy and government affairs at Ploughshares Fund in Washington, D.C., and a Pittsburgh native, can be reached at joelr@thejewishchronicle.net. His views are his own and not necessarily those of Ploughshares Fund.)

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 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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Bombastic attack As I perused my “Jewish” Chronicle, on Dec. 7, a time during which the Jewish community was preparing for Chanuka, I noticed one op-ed in that

Chronicle’s edition. I naturally expected a Jewish cultural piece that would shed some light on the state of the Jewish people and Israel. I even hoped that it would be written on the level of the poetess Rachel or David Grossman.

However, soon I realized that this was a political diatribe by some hawkish politician such as Tzipi Livni or Joe Lieberman. The more I read, the more I understood that this is the campaign season in the United States, and that this was an outright political attack by someone such as a Rick Perry or Rick Santorum. “No,” I said to myself, that cannot be; they are not even Jewish.

Please see Letters, next page.

8 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

OPINION Why should we care about our candidates’ religious views?

Guest Columnist RABBI SHMULY YANKLOWITZ LOS ANGELES — As the Presidential race progresses, once again the role of religion in politics has re-emerged as a common tension that cannot be dismissed.

American Jews have often feared bringing religion into the political discourse out of fear of anti-Semitism, but this concern has hopefully lessened since U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman became

LETTERS

TO THE

EDITOR

Continued from previous page.

Well, I read further and almost reached the conclusion that this was a translation from a speech by Avigdor Lieberman, the ex-security guard cum foreign minister, or Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon, who do not see any peace agreement ever occurring between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

On the other hand, it would not be those two writing something such as that oped. In any case, they never worry about pressure from our president. We also know that high-ranking Israeli military officers have actually praised President Obama for providing the most hardware, and military cooperation with Israel of any American president.

As I continued to read toward the last paragraph of the op-ed, I felt that maybe it was penned for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Oy Vey, Netanyahu who saw in his dreams the fending off the Iranian Revolutionary Guard with his own mighty hand, right after he had ordered an attack on them. This happened in spite of the fact that close to 100 percent of his own military intelligence officers advised him not to begin a war with Iran.

Finally, I realized that this op-ed was

the first Jew on a major party ticket in 2000 (he was Al Gore’s running mate).

In our commitment to build a just society, we have an imperative to ask questions about the religious views of our politicians.

A recent study in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion found that there is no difference between the ethical behavior of religious believers and nonbelievers; rather, the key difference was the type of, and approach to, religious belief.

For example, they found that those who believed in a loving, compassionate god were more likely to cheat than those who believed in an angry, punitive one.

Religious beliefs matter in moral decision-making.

I would propose that we use a positive, rather than a negative, test for analyzing the religious beliefs of our leaders.

Rather than not voting for someone who isn’t a part of our religious sect or who doesn’t hold our particular ideology, we must vote for someone, regardless of their sect, who holds the core values that we cherish most. Religious values should be critically considered just as we consider good judgment and policy experience. By taking an affirmative approach, we can work to remove religion as a source of divisiveness and strive to include it as a source of inspiration, direction and unity.

The full range of Christian-American lives has been represented in this year’s crop of candidates for the Republican

presidential nomination. Michele Bachmann is an Evangelical Lutheran, Rick Perry is a Methodist, Herman Cain and Ron Paul are Baptists, Newt Gingrich is (now) a Catholic and Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are Mormons.

General national acceptance of this diversity is a significant change from the days when people wouldn’t vote for Kennedy, the first Catholic president, because of his religion. Even four years ago, 40 percent of voters said that they would not vote for a Mormon president and now Romney is a serious candidate.

Politicians’ different ideologies do matter. Even our forefathers had very different relationships with God (our prayer liturgy differentiates between

not really a Jewish op-ed, but a bombastic attack by Abby Wisse Schachter on the president. It also never considered the truth that President Obama has called for a two-state solution within secure borders for Israel to be arrived at by direct negotiations. This is what the majority of the American and Israeli populations themselves seek.

I am sure that the Ayatollah Khomeni would not appreciate that type of peace agreement, so be careful President Obama, he just might attack you with his own op-ed in our Jewish Chronicle.

George Santayana wrote, “Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.” Jewish history has been repeating itself for 2,000 years because neither we, nor our children, understand it.

The Romans expelled us from Israel, but everywhere we went, Jews were successful. Some became rich and powerful. The natives became jealous and played the religion card as a cover to steal our wealth. The Spanish expulsion in 1492 was not about religion; it was about stealing Jewish-owned land, timber, cattle, and tin mines — all of which you cannot take with you when you leave Spain. The Nazis used Jewish persecution as a cover for stealing from the Jews, and they used the war to steal from everyone else.

Abandoned synagogues throughout the rust belt and coal country document our history as the backbone of the local economies. I’ll bet the Shapira children know who created Giant Eagle; the Kaufmanns know who created Kaufmann’s department store; the Silvermans know who created American Eagle Outfitters; the Falks know how National Steel, and the Falk Clinic came to be; the Finkelhors know that Point Park University evolved from their Business Training College; the Rauhs know how the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Pittsburgh Playhouse were created; the Choskys know who created the Rosedale Technical Institute.

Why don’t your children know that?

Pride determines your ethnic identity, not assimilation or affiliation. Synagogue membership mushroomed after the Israeli army repeatedly defeated the Arabs in the 1960s. Teach your children their real Jewish heritage, and they will be proud to be Jews. Teach them what we have contributed to civilization.

There are at least 52 people of Jewish descent who were awarded the Nobel Prize, and that ain’t chopped liver.

tive developments, and I praise the president for them, but I take strong issue with her characterization of Mr. Obama having “rescued the economy from the brink of economic ruin.”

President Obama inherited an economic disaster from his incompetent predecessor, but the economy is anything but rescued almost four years into his reign. Rather it can be powerfully argued that it has been made worse. Despite the president perpetrating almost as much deficit spending as all other presidents combined (the national debt having soared to a mind-boggling total of close to $15 trillion), the economy remains lackluster and grim.

His promise that unemployment would be restrained to a figure below 8 percent if his wasteful, poorly executed stimulus bill were passed was proven to be a sham. Congress bought the president’s snake oil and passed his legislation, yet unemployment crashed through 9 percent on its way to a modern-day high, which is where it remains today with economists predicting little hope for improvement on the horizon.

The auto industry was “rescued” from its stupidity and wastefulness, proven to be “too big to fail.” When will the federal government shift away from funneling taxpayer dollars to multinational corporations and begin the rescue of responsible members of the middle class, those who find themselves in jeopardy today despite living below their means and not having purchased more home than they could afford nor having used their home as a cash register to secure home equity loans?

The tightened control of the credit card industry has been a double-edged sword. The provisions put into place, albeit with good intentions but little foresight, have caused the entities to impose higher or new fees where they can, and to reduce or eliminate cardholder perks for responsible customers.

It is not a coincidence that President Obama’s approval rating is poor, and this places him in dangerous territory as he seeks to secure a new term in which it is reasonable to conclude that he would continue to deliver economic malaise. I do not diminish the ability of the GOP to shoot itself in the foot despite a golden opportunity to seize The White House next year, but if the American people vote their pocketbooks as it is said they always do, President Obama is in trouble.

Ivan C. Frank Squirrel Hill

Teach Jewish children their history A new AJL curriculum teaching Pittsburgh Jewish community history (“Homegrown history,” Dec. 15) is a great idea, but it falls short of what we need.

Everyone is concerned about the future of the Jewish community, but the real problem is that Jewish children do not appreciate their heritage because we have never taught it to them. We teach our children that we have been perennial victims, and that is the only Jewish heritage they understand.

Lee Feldman Dormont

Obama in trouble In her Dec. 15 letter, “Column omitted facts,” Mindy S. Fleishman praises President Obama for his efforts on a number of issues. I agree with her that the bold, courageous, and brilliant elimination of Osama Bin Laden, or lesser role in the killing of Moammar Qadafi, and increasing vehicle mileage standards are posi-

Please see Yanklowitz, next page.

Oren Spiegler Upper St. Clair

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 9

OPINION Yanklowitz: Continued from previous page.

Elokei Avraham, Elokei Yitzchak, and Elokei Yaakov), and those relationships produced very different types of ethical personalities.

A few months ago, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry held an allday Christian prayer event where he “called on Jesus to bless and guide the nation’s military and political leaders and those who cannot see the light in the midst of all the darkness.” More recently, he shared a thought: “In every person’s heart, in every person’s soul, there is a hole that could be filled by the Lord Jesus Christ.” In a conversation about his faith, he referred to evolution as “a theory out there.” To what extent should Perry’s public pronouncements of faith over science and the promotion of his own faith legitimately affect our judgment of his fitness as a politician one way or another?

Bachmann, another aspirant for the GOP nomination, was recently asked what she meant when she said that the Bible necessitates that she be submissive to her husband, and the crowd booed the question. For many, probing about the specifics of religious beliefs and practices seems to be strangely taboo. We, as a country, should be able to hold a sophisticated discourse about religion without descending into bigotry.

Ignoring the religious views of our politicians only impoverishes the conversation. Our choices of leadership are made with more nuances if we allow theology a place at the table and it can help ensure more honest and passionate deliberation. When we debate politics, we cannot check our moral and spiritual convictions at the door, nor can we expect politicians to do so.

For my part, I want to know that those leading our country feel humble before the Divine, see God in all people on the planet, value spiritual transcendence over personal materialistic gain, and believe that at the end of their lives they will be held accountable for their actions. I also want to know how their particular beliefs influence their economic and social policies.

Religion, at its best, shapes our community of shared responsibility. The Talmud teaches that one must pray only where there are windows (Berakhot 31a). Our religious lives must connect to the outside world — religion fails when it is reserved merely for the sanctuary. So we must not only publicly advocate for the value of religion but for good religion that furthers love, tolerance and service.

What are some Jewish questions that

we ask of our politicians? When we ignore the religious beliefs, practices and communities of our leaders, we abandon our hope in the possibility of uniting our diverse country while honoring the distinct differences among us and of intertwining the wisdom of our ancestors with the wisdom of our founding fathers.

It matters to me how the president of the United States makes decisions. I want to know how a politician explains theodicy and conceptualizes the problem of evil. I want to know whether they believe God as an activist or pacifist, and what they believe about the source and limits of human freedom and responsibility. I want to know how each candidate interprets and is guided by the Scriptures on issues of reward and punishment.

There are questions we should all be grappling with: Are we a Christian nation? Can an observant Jew or committed Muslim or absolute atheist lead this country? How do particular religious values impact political policy?

Last year, sociologists Paul Froese and Christopher Bader found that 95 percent of Americans believe in God, but the god that is believed in varies greatly. About 28 percent believe in an authoritative god, who is engaged in the world but is judgmental, while about 22 percent believe in an engaged but benevolent god.

About 24 percent believe in a “distant” god that is removed from the day-to-day happenings of the world, while 21 percent believe in a god that keeps close track of every misstep and sin.

A 2010 Gallup Poll showed that the number of Americans who believe that religion “can answer all or most of today’s problems” fell from 82 percent to 58 percent, and that religion “is old-fashioned and out of date” leaped from 7 percent to 28 percent. If this is true, then these people have a lot of fair questions to ask politicians who are guided by different religious values. The various ways that Americans view God can have realworld practical implications, thus, it is important for us to probe into the theology of our candidates since this knowledge may be deeply telling of their likely behavior in office. After all, when religion works, it penetrates the mind, body and soul. These are the very faculties that are employed when a president decides whether our country is going to war, whether welfare should be granted, whether the death penalty should be allowed, and what values are prioritized in our national marketplace of ideas.

(Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz is founder and president of Uri L’Tzedek, an Orthodox social justice organization guided by Torah values and dedicated to combating suffering and oppression.)

10 - THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

Style See, smell, touch JEWISH SEAMSTRESS’ MEMORY PILLOWS SOFTEN THE GRIEVING PROCESS

Memory pillows, such as the one this little boy is holding, can be helpful for children going through a grieving process.

BY TOBY TABACHNICK Staff Writer

Young Connor Scott’s grandmother lived for years with his family. In fact, he had not spent a day of his life without her.

When she died, Connor missed her terribly.

That’s when family friend and Pittsburgh clothing designer Jen Primack stepped in to help.

“We were doing that hard stuff of going through Mom’s things, when Jen asked for some pieces of her clothes, the things she wore all the time,” recalled Connor’s mother, Maria Scott. “The next thing I know, these pillows arrived. Connor found it so comforting.”

Primack had created what she calls “memory pillows” for the Scott family, fashioned in patchwork from the clothing of Connor’s grandmother.

“The pillows even still smelled like Mom,” Maria Scott said. “Connor would go to bed holding this pillow. It really comforted him. It eased his grieving process.”

Primack, who holds a master’s degree

in adult education, began sewing about 10 years ago, having been taught by her husband, who took a sewing course at Community College of Allegheny County.

“I started making gifts for people,” she said. “Then, when my dad passed away about eight years ago, I had a few bins of his clothes. I started making pillows out of it.”

“I made pillows for some family members, and for his best friend,” she continued, adding that she chose the type of garments used for each pillow depending on how the recipient viewed her father.

“For my sister, I made the pillow out of suits and ties, because she saw him as a businessman,” Primack said. “For my mom, I used casual clothes, khaki pants and polo shirts. For his best friend, who he used to watch Steelers games with, I used his Steelers sweatshirts.”

Primack acknowledged that other artists have been creating memory pillows for years, but she says she has put her “own spin” on the concept.

“I make the pillows custom by talking to the person who has commissioned them,” she said. “I talk to them about why different articles of clothing might

be meaningful. Sometimes stains can be the most meaningful part. What might look like a stain can be a memory to them.”

Primack, through her Web-based business Upcyled Designs, also fashions apparel from discarded clothing, including Jewish-holiday themed children’s attire.

Most of her designs are patchwork creations, like her memory pillows.

While a memory pillow may not ease the grieving process for everyone, in general, “it can be very useful,” said Heather Servaty-Seib, associate professor of educational studies at Purdue University, who specializes in thanatology, the scientific study of death and dying. Servaty-Seib runs a bereavement support program with her students, having children within the program draw on pillowcases — angry thoughts and feelings on one side, and good memories on the other.

“The way people grieve is unique to each person, and has personal, emotional, cognitive, behavioral and social components,” Servaty-Seib said. “It’s common for children to want to have something more tangible of people who die.”

That the memory pillows often still smell of the deceased loved one can be very helpful she noted.

“Smell is a very powerful sense,” she said. “It goes directly to the pre-frontal cortex, so there is a direct connection to memory. It makes sense that that is something people may value.”

While years ago the conventional wisdom was that one should work quickly through grief, the field of bereavement has evolved so that mementos such as memory pillows can be very beneficial, Servaty-Seib said.

“It used to be you had to let go and forget,” she said. “But that is not where the field is now. Now it’s about how you integrate the experience into your life, rather than something to get over. Objects like this (the pillows) can help with the transition, so that they (the bereaved) don’t hold onto it as if it were a person, but rather a clear reminder of the person they lost. The love for the person doesn’t die when the person dies.”

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

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 11

MUSIC Ohav Shalom CD — years in the making — was worth the wait CD Review

BY HILARY DANINHIRSCH Chronicle Correspondent

“The Sounds of Ohav Shalom” is the name of the CD recently released by the musical talents of Temple Ohav Shalom’s leadership.

The CD focuses on Shabbat liturgy and includes such familiar tracks as “Oseh Shalom,” “Adon Olam,” “Mi Chamocha,” “Zam’ru,” as well as an original mashup of “Hashkiveinu” and Matisyahu’s “One Day.” Leading the vocals are Nikki Avershal and Amanda Russell, young women well known to Pittsburgh’s Jewish music scene; both have been part of the VoKols, an a capella music group based at the University of Pittsburgh. Before she left for Israel, Avershal was the temple’s music and youth coordinator, a position now held by Russell.

Rabbi Art Donsky, Temple Ohav Shalom’s spiritual leader, accompanies Avershal and Russell on acoustic guitar.

The CD reflects the Allison Parkbased congrgegation’s expansion of, and commitment to, its music program.

“We chose songs that we loved, new and old, sometimes even merging them together,” Avershal said. “One of the goals of the CD is to provide members with portions of the service that they could bring into their own homes, so we tried to pick what we thought were highlights of the service.”

Added Russell, “All the melodies and music on the CD are staples of what we use on a typical Friday night. We wanted it to be as much as a Kabbalat Shabbat CD as possible.”

The CD had been in the works for several years. Initially, Avershal and Donsky recorded six tracks.

“It was serendipitous,” Donsky said of the opportunity to record the CD. At the time, Avershal was performing with a local band called Vindell, and she had access to a recording studio in Turtle Creek.

After Avershal left for Israel, Russell and Donsky recorded seven additional tracks.

While most of the songs are ancient prayers, the tracks themselves are a mixture of traditional and modern melodies.

“Jews have always sung or chanted liturgy for thousands of years,” Donsky said. “When the Temple was destroyed, the use of musical instruments was taken out because people were mourning the destruction.”

It wasn’t until the beginning of the Reform movement in the 1800s, he added, that music was restored to synagogue services.

Ohav Shalom has been incorporating music into its Friday night services for years and became the first area congregation to have a music ensemble. In fact, another group to come out of Ohav Shalom, Kol Hakavanah, released its own CD several years ago.

“I think it’s important that faith be relevant to the time we live in,” Avershal said,

“and I find these songs contemporary and easy to relate to. I take pride in knowing that people can enjoy listening to such important words set to modern melodies.”

Said Russell, “I think we’ve created something really nice for the community that they will be happy with and that we are really happy with.”

While no official CD release party is scheduled, Russell and Donsky will informally introduce the album at an upcoming Ohav Shalom fundraising event,

Sunday, Jan. 29, called “Let Us Entertain You,” where they will sing selections from the disc.

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

CD Review “The Sounds of Ohav Shalom,” 2011, available at Temple Ohav Shalom gift shop.

12 — HE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

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Farkas/Richman: Charlese and Joel Farkas announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Jennifer, to Robert Richman, son of Harriet and Dr. Lawrence Richman of Bath, Ohio.

Emily graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in media communications. She is the senior manager of campaign at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Robert attended American University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is an attorney in private practice.

Emily’s grandparents are Annette K. Liptz, Jeanne Lichter Podolsky, and the late Harold Farkas and Norman Podolsky. Robert’s grandparents are Ruth Ungar and the late Joseph Ungar, and Dorothy Richman and the late Ernest Richman.

William Taylor Zytnick (Vavel), son of Kimberly and Jay Zytnick, will become a bar mitzva Monday, Dec. 26, at Mount Masada, Israel.

Rabbi James Gibson and Cantor Sara Stock Mayo will officiate. Grandparents are Lynne Erlich (Klein) and Ruth and Allan Zytnick, all of Pittsburgh.

Zachary Hunter Zytnick (Josef Aron), son of Kimberly and Jay Zytnick, will become a bar mitzva Monday, Dec. 26, at Mount Masada, Israel. Rabbi James Gibson and Cantor Sara Stock Mayo will officiate.

Grandparents are Lynne Erlich (Klein) and Ruth and Allan Zytnick, all of Pittsburgh.

B’nai Mitzva Brandon Liguori, son of Stephanie Liguori and Robert Liguori of Pembroke Pines, Fla., became a bar mitzva Saturday, Dec. 10, at Temple Beth Emet in Pembroke Pines. Grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Morley Weinberg of Pittsburgh, Sandy Weinberg of North Miami Beach and Mr. and Mrs. Bob Liguori of Pembroke Pines.

Check out the all-new blog atwww.thejew-

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 13

Community A

We all love our latkes

C L O S E R L O O K

Adat Shalom photo

Adat Shalom’s third- and fourth-graders, from left, Macey Balk, Ben RickinMarks, Emma Wecht and Sam Zukerman, line up for the latkes and applesauce they made in religious school, served by their teacher Erica Yablonsky-Gibbons.

Chabad Fox Chapel photo

Chabad Fox Chapel Hebrew School enjoys making latkes for Chanuka. From left are Benny Pizov, Mendy Rosenfeld, Eli Rabin, Alex Pizov, assistant teacher Melanie Silverman and Chaya Rosenfeld.

Jew’colades COMPILED BY ANGELA LEIBOWICZ Community/Web Editor

The US News & World Report’s Best Lawyers in America recently recognized David Kalson in four categories: technology, corporate, venture capital and tax law.

Kalson leads the emerging business group of Cohen & Grigsby where he counsels emerging companies developing new technologies through company formation and finance, technology transfer from universities and research centers and David Kalson strategic partnerships with established industries. The Pittsburgh Business Times also included Kalson in the “Who’s Who in Energy” for his work with early stage technology companies.

Kelly Gable-LaBelle, division director, early childhood services at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill, was honored as winner of the 2011 PACCA Award of Excellence of the Year.

The award from the Pennsylvania Child Care Association honors directors and administrators for outstanding service and accomplishments in the field of administration.

Gable-Labelle received Kelly Gable-LaBelle the award at a luncheon attended by 500 early childhood educators during the Early Childhood

Summit held in State College Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.

Gable-LaBelle has been in her current position for more than three years. Prior to that, she served as director of the Early Childhood Development Center in the JCC-South Hills and as director of children, youth and families at the JCC in Squirrel Hill.

Gable-Labelle and her husband, David LaBelle, live in Mt. Lebanon with their four sons.

Jesse Goleman, a senior at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, will be traveling to Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the end of this month to compete in the 12th Pan American Maccabi Games; he will join the junior men’s team as a goal keeper.

Over 300 athletes representing the United States and some 1,700 athletes from across the globe will compete in these games from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2.

Goleman has been the varsity all city goal keeper on Allderdice’s last two championship teams, and on this season’s historic 20 and 0 record squad, a team that allowed only four goals in the regular season.

Jesse was also a part of the 2010 Jewish Community Center Maccabi team that competed in Baltimore in 2010. He is the only athlete from Pittsburgh competing at the games this year.

Jesse’s parents are Marsha and Ted Goleman of Squirrel Hill.

Don’t forget to visit us on the Web

thejewishchronicle.net

Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, chaplain at Forbes Hospice, received board certification in December from the Pittsburgh chapter of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy.

This marks the end of a three-year journey toward complete chaplaincy certification for Perlman, who began his career with WPAHS one year ago. After many years serving as a rabbi within the Jewish community, he began an Rabbi Jonathan interfaith path in clinical Perlman pastoral education at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, the hospital of his birth, serving medical surgical, renal, neuroscience and the advanced heart failure units. He moved to Pittsburgh, where he was reared as a child, in August 2010 to assume the mantle of spiritual leadership at New Light Congregation in Squirrel Hill.

In order to become board certified by the CPSP, Perlman submitted case studies, essays on his core competencies as a chaplain and an ecumenical endorsement from the Rabbinical Assembly. He faced a four-person board to answer questions about his experiences in spiritual care as well as his personal spiritual journey.

At Forbes Hospice, Rabbi Perlman visits home care patients and patients in the in-patient unit at West Penn Hospital. He supervises spiritual care volunteers and is a field instructor for social work interns through the University of Pittsburgh. His writings on spirituality and medical care have appeared in the Yale Journal for the Humanities in Medicine.

14 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

GLOBE Israel faces troubling future; must reform education system, economist/scholar says

BY RON KAPLAN Chronicle Correspondent

Israel’s economy and identity face major challenges in the coming decades, and its educational system must be radically reformed to these meet challenges.

This is according to Israeli economist and educator Dan Ben-David, executive director of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel as well as a senior faculty mem- Dan Ben-David ber of the Department of Public Policy at Tel Aviv University. He spoke at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, Thursday, Dec. 15, at a program sponsored by the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Current economic and social trends in Israel deeply trouble Ben-David. “The data blew me away. … We’re sitting on a long trajectory [of economic trends] that are simply unsustainable,” he said.

Unlike the United States’ and Western Europe’s, Israel’s economy is robust with an unemployment rate under 7 percent. But Ben-David cautioned that rosy economic statistics belie the fact that Israel’s economy has essentially remained flat over the last 30 years, and that it faces serious economic and demographic challenges.

“We have a whole bunch of people who are not looking for jobs. … The data is masking long-term trends that are very problematic,” Ben-David said.

He noted that many Israelis are distressed by high food and housing prices, low-incomes, deteriorating social services and growing income inequality, conditions that tens of thousands of Israelis protested this past summer in the largest Israeli protests unrelated to Is-

Briefly JointMedia News Service

Israel cautiously watching North Korea after Kim Jong Il’s death North Korea announced on Monday the death of its “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il, and urged its people to rally behind his son and heir-apparent, while the world watched warily for signs of

rael’s national security.

Ben-David noted that Israelis pay significantly more for food, housing and transportation than Western nations do.

“Our kids cannot find affordable housing, he said. “It takes Israelis seven years earning the median income to afford a median-priced house.”

Renowned worldwide for its ingenuity and brainpower, Israel, like other modern economies, is dependent on a welleducated and creative workforce to create a niche economy in advanced technologies. Ben-David fears that Israel’s educational system is broken and unable to educate a workforce capable of producing a prosperous economy that benefits all of its citizens.

“We’re creating a nation that [doesn’t think],” Ben-David said.

He noted that Israeli students fare badly in comparison to that of their counterparts in other developed nations.

On the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam administered to 15-year-old students in industrialized nations, Israeli students scored below all of the 25 nations of the Organization for Economic Corporation.

And while Israelis have a host of reasons to explain this poor showing, however the numbers are spun, Ben-David said, the country’s educational system still needs an overhaul.

The educational system has three major problems, he said: “what to teach, who teaches and what works.”

The crisis in education “is not due to money,” he continued, “it’s due to how we run the system.”

He thinks Israeli teachers need to work longer hours and be trained better.

“Pay teachers more but demand that they work more. … If a kid needs help, you’re there until 5 p.m. [if need be],” Ben-David said.

Noting that Israelis have the right stuff to address the crisis, he said, “We’re not afraid of anything. … If you combine overconfidence with an educational toolbox to back it up, the sky is the limit.”

(Ron Kaplan can be reached at ronkap205@yahoo.com.)

instability in a nation pursuing nuclear weapons, Israel Hayom reported.

Notorious for his paranoia and despotic ways, Kim, who died on Saturday of a heart attack, may be best remembered for turning his isolated country into a nuclear state.

In Jerusalem, the exit of a dictator who refused to acknowledge Israel and regularly supplied its worst enemies with the tools for its destruction was met with caution and a share of confusion. Among Israeli officials, there was guarded optimism on Monday that a tyrant’s exit would pave the way for fresh relations.

An Israeli official, when asked if the appointment of Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s, would signal a shift in diplomatic relations, said, “Not at this point, because he’s the chosen successor and it still remains an extremely closed society.

We have no reason to believe at this point in time that it will change.”

Please see Briefly, page 16.

THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 15

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16 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

GLOBE Briefly JointMedia News Service Continued from page 14.

Emergency Committee for Israel mounts NYT ad in support of Israel The Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), headed by William Kristol and Gary Bauer, ran a New York Times ad last week in which the group accused President Barack Obama of using Israel as a “punching bag.”

The ad asked readers “why does the Obama administration treat Israel like a punching bag?” and then outlined several cases of negative statements toward Israel by representatives of the U.S. government, including the recent remarks by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman.

The ad also reminded readers about the now infamous incident in which Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were overheard on a microphone discussing Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. Sarkozy called Netanyahu a liar and Obama responded “you’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day.”

ECI does have its critics. Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz told Politico, “This is just one more example of the absolute fact that ECI is nothing more than a Republican front organization,” adding that Obama’s support for Israel has been “stellar.”

Kosher eatery closes due to Occupy Wall Street Milk Street Café, a kosher eatery on Wall Street in New York City, closed Dec. 15 after losing business due to police barricades established during the Occupy Wall Street protests, according to reports.

Sales for the restaurant plummeted

by 30 percent since the protests started in September. Even after the protests ended, police took a long time to clear the barricades, which blocked customers from the eatery.

“It’s terribly sad,” Milk Street Cafe owner Marc Epstein told the New York Daily News. “This is now the 12th straight week of the barricades,” he added. Seventy workers also had to be laid off with the decision to close the restaurant.

“Everyone has to understand the consequences of their actions,” Epstein said. “I have 90 plus people who put their faith in me. I feel horrible.”

Politicians, columnists fume over Friedman’s comments U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) called Thomas Friedman’s comments about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent New York Times column a “defamation.”

Friedman wrote in the Dec. 13 column that the standing ovation that Netanyahu received “in Congress this year was not for his politics. That ovation was bought and paid for by the Israel lobby.”

Friedman also said many American Jews are extremely worried about the direction to which Israel is heading.

Rothman responded in a statement that, “Thomas Friedman’s defamation against the vast majority of Americans who support the Jewish State of Israel ... is scurrilous, destructive and harmful to Israel and her advocates in the U.S. Mr. Friedman is not only wrong, but he’s aiding and abetting a dangerous narrative about the U.S.-Israel relationship and its American supporters ...

Mr. Friedman owes us all an apology.”

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin also chastised Friedman, saying that in his eyes, “the entire U.S. Congress is bought and paid for by a cabal of Jews.”

According to Rubin, there is still ample support for Israel from Republican and Democratic congressional members.

She also cited a Democratic Senate aide

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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 17

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I would like to get the bumper sticker that says, “Keep Christ in Christmas,” but I am afraid that people would take it the wrong way.

My reasoning: The more that Christmas becomes secularized, the more that church and state boundaries get confused and the more lawn decorations, Santa, gifts and fruitcakes become center stage.

While the effect on non-Christians is that secularized-Christmas (and sometimes not so secularized) enters our public buildings and school concerts, I will also note that I have had numerous conversations with religious Christians about how they mourn the materialism that is Christmas today.

To be fair, I would also like to create a bumper sticker that says “Keep God in Chanuka.” (I know, it’s not quite as catchy.) When we tell the Chanuka story, the miracle of the oil takes center stage and not the fight for Judaism.

Sometimes, we even forget Mattathias’ cry, “Whoever is for God, follow me!”

Yet, given that the heroes — the

Maccabees — did not remain heroes for long since they themselves became corrupt, the rabbis tell the Chanuka story through a different lens. Both in Al HaNisim, the prayer inserted into the Amida, and through the choice of Torah and Haftara portions specific to Chanuka, God plays the leading role, not the Maccabees.

We need to follow the rabbis’ lead because if Chanuka is primarily about lighting the Chanukia (menora), latkes, sufganiot (jelly doughnuts) and dreidels, we would ironically follow in the Maccabees’ footsteps, having lost our way.

So where does God fit into Chanuka today? In our homes, when we prioritize family time, and gather together to light the Chanukia (even via Skype if your kids live in distant cities); in the gifts that we give that help the recipient grow as a person and as a Jew; in our practice of Judaism, when the blessings over the candles take precedent over oil-laden food; in spinning the dreidel not as a ruse as it had been for the Syrian Greek soldiers, but as a fun game knowing that we truly win when the Torah is at our center.

May you have a happy, meaningful Chanuka.

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

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18 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011

OBITUARY ALT: On Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, Pearl Alt; beloved wife of the late Albert Alt; beloved mother of Peter (Ava) Alt and Ronna (Marc) Taub; sister of Sammy (Gloria) Lightman, the late Edith (Ivan) Weiskopf, Henry Lightman and A. Roy Lightman; sister-in-law of Eleanor Morley, Ben Freedman, the late May (Irv) Croll, Sam (Estelle) Alt, Lester (Jeanette) Alt, Dorothy Freedman, and Vivian (Al) Nadler; grandmother of Heather (Matt) Olsen, Andrew Alt, Emily (Adam) Webb and David (Rasheena) Taub; great-grandmother of Ari and Ella Taub and Violet and Oliver Webb; also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Services were held at Temple Beth El of Boca Raton, Fla. Entombment Temple Beth El Mausoleum. Contributions may be made to Children's Tumor Foundation, 95 Pine St., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10005 or Temple Emanuel of South Hills, 1250 Bower Hill Road, Pittsburgh , PA 15243. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com

BAER: On Friday, Dec. 16, 2011, Helen (Scheimer) Baer, 91, of Mt. Lebanon; beloved wife of the late Henry “Budd” Baer; loving mother of Max (Beth) Baer, Mark (Jill) Baer, Lisa (Curt) Cron; sister of Buz Schiemer; grandmother of Ben, Andy, Bryan (Jenna), Samantha (Greg) McVicker and Adam (Claire), Gregg (Stacey), Chadd (Tracy) and Kalli; great-grandmother of Ella, Grace, Delaney, Carter, Jackson and Jillian. Services were held at William Slater II Funeral Service; contributions may be made to The Allegheny County Music Festival Fund (ACMFF), Dept. of Human Services Attn: Marc Cherna, 1 Smithfield St. 1st Fl., Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Arrangements by William Slater II Funeral Service, 1650 Greentree Road, Scott Township, PA 15220. www.slaterfuneral.com FRIEDLAND: On Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011; Sandra M. Friedland; beloved wife of the Late Aaron J. Friedland; loving mother of Gregory

(Dawn) Friedland of Monroeville and Andrew (Denise) Friedland of Plum Boro; sister of Alvin Gothardt; grandmother of Joshua, Alyssa and Ashley Friedland. Services and interment at Temple Sinai Memorial Park. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com

was also active in building the Shaare Torah shul on Murray Avenue; interment Taos. Contributions may be made to Temple Emanuel of South Hills, 1250 Bower Hill Road, Pittsburgh 15243. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com

GORDON: On Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, Norman Gordon, 94 of Taos, N.M., formerly of Mt. Lebanon and Scottsdale, Ariz.; devoted husband of the late Jean Wald Gordon; beloved father of Robert Gordon of Sydney, Australia, and Betty (Scott) Sanger of Taos; cherished grandfather of Abby (Robert) Gonzalez and Aaron Sanger; beloved brother of Ruth (Jack) London of Pittsburgh; also survived by nieces, nephews, great-nieces and greatnephews. Norman was one of the founding members, a long-time lay leader and the fourth president of Temple Emanuel of South Hills. He

MENDELSON: On Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011, Alan Frank Mendelson; dear friend of George A. Virostek; beloved son of the late Richard and Sylvia Mendelson; brother of Renee (Robert S.) Epstein of Gilbert, Ariz.; uncle of the late Jacob Ross Epstein.

Services and interment at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Pittsburgh Aids Task Force, 5913 Penn Ave., 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Arrangements by Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232. www.schugar.com

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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011 — 19

METRO Braunstein: Continued from page 1. gramming will continue as usual, highlighted by its annual Arts and Writing Seminar for middle and high school students, and its community Yom HaShoa event.

“Nothing will change this year,” Braunstein said. “But next year, we will be evaluating all these programs to find ways to make them relevant to our audiences without having to rely on the resources of first-hand speakers.”

Possible alternatives to first-hand stories may be the accounts of the children and grandchildren of survivors, she said, or the showing of a documentary the Holocaust Center is producing with the help of WQED. “Joy has a lot of energy and desire to move the Holocaust Center forward,” said David Sufrin, chair of the Holocaust Center Commission. “It was important to hire a leader who could generate interest and bring younger people into the Holocaust Center.”

According to Braunstein, it is impera-

Joy Braunstein

tive to keep the work of the Holocaust Center relevant to both the Jewish community and the community at large.

“There are some amazing survivors in the community,” she said. “We have an obligation to make sure we never forget their stories, and the lessons the Holocaust can teach us about what it means to be Jewish in the world today, what it means to be tolerant and to not turn a blind eye, and to not hate. And I think that we celebrate life.”

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

Photo courtesy of Dale Lazar

President Barack Obama addresses the URJ Biennial.

Biennial: Continued from page 1. would work with the government finding common ground while affirming the values of the movement.

In his address, Obama singled out the movement’s history of fighting for social justice, saying the work of Reform Jewish leaders, especially those of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, which is celebrating is 50th anniversary, made his own political career possible.

“You helped draft the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act,” the president said. “You helped to liberate Soviet Jews. You have made a difference on so many of the defining issues of the last half-century,” the president said. “And without these efforts, I probably wouldn’t be standing here today. So thank you. Thank you.”

Obama also defended his own record on Israel, noting U.S. support in developing missile defense systems for the Jewish state and its opposition at the United Nations Security Council to admission of the Palestinian Authority.

“As Ehud [Barak] has said, it is hard to remember a time when the United States has given stronger support to Israel on its security,” the president said.

“In fact, I am proud to say that no U.S. administration has done more in support of Israel’s security than ours. None.

Don’t let anybody else tell you otherwise. It is a fact.”

Indeed, Barak, Israel’s defense minister and most decorated soldier, addressed the convention the previous evening, and said again, as he has numerous times in recent months, that the Obama administration’s support of Israel is strong.

“The unshakable bonds between Israel and America and their respective defense establishments under the guiding hand of President Barack Obama are stronger and deeper than ever, and we are very thankful and appreciative of that,” Barak said.

But House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who also addressed the convention, alluded to controversial statements made by some members of the Obama administration, most recently U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman, for striking differences between traditional anti-Semitism and hatred for Israel among the Arab regimes and streets.

“I say to you, any justification of any form of anti-Semitism must not be tolerated or condoned,” Cantor said.

Domestically, the URJ used the convention to unveil a new movement-wide initiative to bring children, teens and young adults back to Judaism. The Campaign for Youth Engagement, as it’s called, is intended to reverse a dangerous trend in which the movement loses connection with 80 percent of its kids following their b’nai mitzvas.

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

We acknowledge with grateful appreciation contributions from the following: Donor

In MeMory of

ADALYN, BOBBY & MARGIE BARAFF ..................................BOB DILLON WILLIE BERG .......................................MAX L. BERG THE CHARLES BLUESTONE FAMILY...................................................BEN UNGER CHARLOTTE G. BLUESTONE.......................ESTHER MORROW HYLA & SANDOR CAPLAN.....................................ZELDA SADOWSKY ANN CARLYN..........................DOROTHY & ALFRED “KURLIE” MILLER PAUL CHIZECK................SAM & THELMA CHIZECK MR. & MRS. MORTON COHEN....................................................LAWRENCE COHEN JEAN FALCE ...................................LEO BENKOVITZ SHARON & MORRY FELDMAN ........................................MARIAN WEISS ROBIN & ABE FRIEDMAN ..................NATHAN RIPP BONNIE A. FRIEDMAN ................................ERNEST FRIEDMAN LYNNE GABRIEL.........................MILTON SHERMER RHODA & JAY GEFSKY ...............MOLLIE BARNETT LINDA & ED GOLDSTON ........ANNE B. GOLDSTON DOROTHY GOLDSTONE.............ERNESTINE GOLD KLEIN GILBERT A. HARRIS....................ESTHER SHAPIRO MAX HEISLER ....................................ROSE F. BERG CHARLENE B. HERRING ...............................FANNIE GERTRUDE BECKER

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In MeMory of

MR. & MRS. RICHARD B. KANTROWITZ .......................SAMUEL GOLDBLATT SANDRA G. KRAKOFF ..................HELEN R. GUSKY BARRY C. LEMBERSKY ..........GEORGE GOLDBERG HAROLD D. LENCHNER..............BETTY LENCHNER WILLIAM J. LEVY ...............................JOSEPH LEVY EUGENE LIGHT ..........................MARVIN OLENDER RUTH & ROBERT LINTON ................SIMON LINTON DR. PENN LUPOVICH...................RETA NATANSON LUPOVICH HOWARD & SHELLEY MILLER.......................................................SYLVIA S. CRAMER ARLENE MURPHY...........DR. WILLIAM RATOWSKY RONA F. MUSTIN.......................DOROTHY MUSTIN RONA F. MUSTIN ...............................MARY SACHS JUDY L. PALKOVITZ .............LEONARD L. LAUNER DR. LEO M. POMERANTZ..............M. ALAN SLONE ARON REZNICK...........................PAULINE REZNICK ANNE D. ROSENBERG ........EDWARD ROSENBERG ELEANOR & RICHARD ROTHENSTEIN.........................GEORGE J. GOLDEN ELEANOR H. ROZNER ..............SARA HERSKOVITZ BERT SAMUELS........................SYLVIA S. CRAMER KAREN K. SHAPIRO ..........ESTHER LEVY SHAPIRO DANIEL & SUSAN SIMONS...............ANN & HARRY WHISER ESTHER Z. SINIAKIN ..................KENNETH ZAPLER VIOLET SOFFER.................................LENA SOFFER JEFFREY H. SPIEGEL ................DOROTHY SPIEGEL

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25: ABE BROOKNER, THELMA CHIZECK, JOSEPH COHEN, SARA S. COHEN, JULIUS B. EPSTEIN, HERMAN FELDER, ADELE LITTMAN FIERMAN, ALEX FINE, JACOB GOLDBLUM, M.D., DAVID GOODWIN, LAWRENCE LOUIS GREEN, MOLLIE G. KARTUB, LEONARD J. LANDO, SARAH LEVINE, ROSE LEVITH, DAVID AARON LIEBMAN, LEONARD J LONDO, BELLA MARIANS, GOLDIE GOLOMB MARKEY, ABRAHAM MARTIN, PAUL MILLER, LOUIS MINTZER, WALTER HENRY MINZENBERG, HARRY MOSS, DOROTHY MUSTIN, ANNA NATTERSON, REBECCA OPPENHEIM, ANNETTE REIDBORD, LENA ROBBINS, EDWARD DAVID ROSENBERG, ELLA ROSENBERG, ROSE ROSNER, WARREN ROTHSCHILD, ABRAM SCHWARTZ, HOWARD BERNARD SCHWARTZ, SELMA SCHWARTZ, MILTON SHERMER, BARUCH YAAKOV SILBERSTEIN, SAMUEL SILVERSTEIN, ROBERT SKOLSKY, BERTHA TABACHNICK, CHARLES WEIN, HANNAH WEISS, WILLIAM WOLK. MONDAY, DECEMBER 26: SAMUEL AVNER, MEYER BERKMAN, HELEN N. BROIDA, ESTHER F. BUSIS, WILLIAM FEINBERG, MURRAY D. GOLDSTEIN, CLYDE L. KINGSBAKER, MAX LANGER, RALPH D. LAVINE, HERBERT LEVITE, SAMUEL LITMAN, MARY MALYN, LOUIS MARLIN, FAN EISENBERG PEARL, HELEN PLATT, ALEX POLLACK, NATHAN A. POTOSKY, ANNETTE REICHER, BELLA RICHTER, BENJAMIN ROSENBLATT, ROSE ROSENBLOOM, MINNIE ROSENFIELD, JOSEPH SAFIER, HATTIE SHIRE, MAX SHULMAN, WILLIAM SILK, DELLA RUTH STEARNS, LOUIS F. STEIN, REBECCA WAGMAN, MILDRED WEINER, HELEN ZIFF. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27: HENRY ABELSON, CARL ANISH, BESSIE BEERMAN, BARUCH BERENSTEIN, BERT BERGAD, SYDNEY BERTENTHAL, LENA D. GORDON, FREDRIC ALVIN GREEN, DAVID HAUSMAN, EUGENE HIRSCHL, SAMUEL M. HYMAN, PHILIP KATZ, JENNIE KLEVAN, SIDNEY KONIGSBURG, LOUIS LEVENDORF, HARRY LEVINE, HELEN LEVINE, JOSEPH LEVY, MINNIE MAKRAUER, ELLA MARKOWITZ, LOUIS MILLER, GUST H. OPPENHEIM, KATHERINE ELPERN PALM, HINDE PARISER, RALPH PECARSKY, DAVID H. PERELSTINE, LILLIAN ROSENBERG PIVAR, SOL E. PODOLSKY, SAMUEL ROMANOFF, GOLDIE ROSSEN, ABRAHAM W. SHAPIRO, BEN M. SIEGAL, RAE SPECTER, BERNARD H. WEISS, RALPH WEISSMAN, ANN WHISER. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28: HARRY I. ALPERN, LOUIS E. BERMAN, EMMA F. BRODY, ISADORE CAPLAN, CHARLES CHUSSETT, TILLIE COHEN, SAMUEL DAVIS, ETHEL S. FAIRMAN, SAMUEL FINKEL, LOUIS GALLET, GEORGE J. GOLDEN, JOSEPH GOLDHAMER, WILLIAM HELLER, CELIA KADDELL, CHARLES KANSELBAUM, LINA KAPNER, PHILLIP LARRY KATZ, LOUIS KESSLER, SARAH E. KRAMER, ANNA S. KUNTZ, BLANCHE LEVINE, JESSIE LEVINE, HERMAN LEVY, ANNA BERNSTEIN LINKER, ROSE MARCHEL, SAMUEL MENDLOVITZ, LOUIS MONSEIN, REBECCA MYERS, JOSEPH NATHAN, NATHAN PERLMAN, JACOB ROBINSON, SARAH A. ROSCOW, GUS SACHS, MEYER H. SACHS, SHIRLEY B. SAMUELS, DAVID STEIN, SARAH STEIN, JULIUS WEILL, DAVID WEIS, MANIE ZINSHUN, ALBERT ZWEIG. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29: PEARL ALINIKOFF, ETHEL BERRY, BEYNE R. BRICKLIN, IDA BRISKIN, SHELDON A. COHEN, THOMAS COHEN, ABE DARLING, NETTIE EBEL, CHARLES FINESOD, JOHN J. FISCHER, HARRY FRIEDMAN, MINNIE GOLDMAN, MAX GOLDSMITH*, ROSE GOLDSTEIN, MORRIS R. GORDON, ARNOLD KANSELBAUM, GERTRUDE C. KIMBALL, WILLIAM KRAPIN, WILLIAM KRAPIN, DELLA LESHER, ELIZABETH LEVINE, SAMUEL M LEVINSON, SAMUEL FISHEL LONDO, SGT. MAX MARCUS, KALMAN MARKOVITZ, FAGIE MARKS, ESTHER MAZEROV, ALTER MONCHIK, FAY MONCHIK, ISAAC MONCHIK, MEYER MONCHIK, MIRIAM MONCHIK, MORDECAI MONCHIK, NAOMI MONCHIK, JENNIE MOSKOVITZ, MOLLIE RUBIN PRETTER, MARLENE RAPOPORT, JOSEPH RECHT, HARRY RICE, ILONA RICE, HAROLD LEOPOLD ROTHMAN, IDA RUBEN, CHARLOTTE JUNE RUTHRAUFF, ANN H. SABLE, BESSIE R. SABLE, S/SGT. ALBERT SCHAFFRAN, LOUIS SHAKESPEARE, FANNIE SHAPIRO, GERTRUDE SHAPIRO, REBECCA SHOR, AMELIA SOLOMON, RUTH SPIEGELMAN, ERMA R. SPIELBERGER, SAM STEINMAN, DORA STUCH, SYDNEY SWARTZ, MAX TOBENFLIEGEL, LOUIS WILSTEIN, JACOB WISEMAN, BESSIE WOLK. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30: EDNA SARAH BENNETT, MAX L. BERG, LEAH BIRNKRANT, MOSES BLUESTONE, PAUL COOPER, SADIE MERMELSTEIN FEINBERG, CELIA GARBER, JOSEPH GLAZER, HENRIETTA GOLDMAN, PHILLIP GOODMAN, NATHAN GREENBERG, ROSE B. GROSS, ETHEL FARBER HOYT, YETTA KLEIN, DR. MARVIN KURFEERST, MORRIS AARON LEVENTON, CELIA LEVIN, RUBEN MARCUS, FANNIE S. MORRISON, SAMUEL NEUSTEIN, MEYER OLBUM, MIRIAM PAWKER, ISRAEL ROBBINS, BELLE MANDELL RODIN, ETHEL RUBIN, RUTH SACHS, BESSIE SANDS, JOSEPH SCHUGAR, ABRAHAM SCHULMAN, JULIUS SHAPIRO, LOUIS SHAPIRO, RAYMOND WEINBERG, SIMON WEINBERG, JACOB WEINSTEIN, WOLF WEISENTHAL, BELLA ZEMAN. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31: ANNA ARNOWITZ, DORA COLE, ANNA SANES CUKERBAUM, ESTHER DAVIS, CAROLINE FALK, THEODORE GOLD, ABE GOLDSTEIN, JOSEPHINE LEVINE GOTTLIEB, BEN GROSS, ADA HILSENRATH, ANNA HINKES, WILLIAM L. KANN, HARRY KELLMAN, HARRY KLATMAN, JOSIAH DROTMAN LAZAR, MATTIE LEVENSON, HARRY LEVINSON, SAMUEL MANDELBLATT, DAVID MARGOWSKY, JEAN RUBEN MILLER, MOSE MILLER, ROSE MOSKOWITZ, ABE MULLEN, LOUIS A. PONYMAN, SAMUEL SCHNEIDER, CHARLOTTE SCHWARTZ, BERNARD M. SEDLER, SADIE SEGAL, JENNIE SHAFFER, HARRY I. SHERRIN, TILLIE SIMON, MEYER M. SNYDER, JOSEPH SOLOMON, ROGER STERLING, LOUIS B. SUPOWITZ, EDGAR L. YORK, WILLIAM ZEIDENSTEIN, ABRAHAM MICHELE ZION.

20 — THE JEWISH CHRONICLE DECEMBER 22, 2011