PresenTense Issue 11: Jewish Heroes

HEROES IN HAITI

POPEYE’S GEM

meet the fellows issue eleven

CONVERSATION FOR A CHANGE power of the great schlep

A NEW RECIPE FOR ISRAELI HEROISM makings of falafel man

summer 2010 $6.95

www.presentense.org

FROM THE EDGE OF THE ABYSS heroes of jewish legend and lore

editor and publisher Ariel Beery managing editor Deborah Fishman associate editors Eric Ackland, Miriam Bader, Marc Bailes, Rachel Berger, Marc Fein, Emily Keeler, David Krantz, Boris Kurbanov, Raeefa Shams, Jill Sulam heroes advisory committee Josh Fialkoff, Alicia Post, Tova Serkin, Ezra Shanken, Aimee Weiss copy editors Eve Asia, Miranda Bogen, Nate Fein, Paula Garshowitz, Devorah Matkowsky, Rachel Krauser, Maya Norton, Raimy Rubin, Sarah Sechan, LynleyShimat Lys translation Karoline Henriques art director Elke Reva Sudin assistant art directors Brian Blumenthal, Jerrin Zumberg photography director Brian Goldfarb

16 For Israel’s Sake abba eban > chaim landau 17 exodus to empowerment avraham nega admasu > dana talmi 18 A NEW RECIPE FOR ISRAELI HEROISM makings of falafel man > dorit maya gur 20 THE PATH OF THE ENTREPRENEUR 21st century hero > lianna wolfson

boston report editor Reni Gertner photographers Rick Barry, Jim Conviser, Brian Goldfarb, Kelly Kollar, Nir Landau, Bridget Samuels, Sasson Tiram, Lina Tuv, Moti Vaknin advertising and circulation director Simi Hinden business team Melissa Meyers, Eden Sagman This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Creative Commons: We think the Creative Commons approach to content is smart because it gives creators flexibility in their licensing choices and it allows for seamless sharing of content. At PresenTense, our exclusive rights to content expire after no more than 120 days. At that time, we encourage our authors and photographers to adopt a CC license for their work.

21 DON’T WORRY, BE BRESLOV signs point young jews to the na-nachs > shifra mincer 22 CONVERSATION FOR A CHANGE power of the great schlep > amy beth schneider

CC WWW.PRESENTENSE.ORG ISSN:1939-249X PresenTense Group Sponsors and Partners: AZM, AMITAI Foundation, AVI CHAI Foundation, The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, The Covenant Foundation, Foundation for Jewish Culture, The Gorlin Family Foundation, iCenter, Immerman Foundation, Israel Venture Association, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, JDC, Jim Joseph Foundation, Jewish Funders Network, The Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation, The Kopelman Foundation, Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation, Madav IX, The Morningstar Foundation, Natan, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, OJCYF, The Rosenbloom Philanthropic Fund, The Salesforce.com Foundation, Slingshot, UJA Federation of New York, Wohl Family Foundation, WZO Kickoff and Special Chair Sponsors: Virginia Bayer and Robert Hirt, Pamela Applebaum, Sharon Ungerleider, Gary Gross Board of Directors: Sandy Cardin, Mark Chess, Sarah Kass, Jacob Ner David PresenTense is an international grassroots effort to inspire and enable socially-minded pioneering amongst the Jewish People, and this Magazine is made possible by a network of volunteers around the world. Special thanks for help on this issue goes to: Benita Lebow, Itzhak Beery and Bleecker and Sullivan Advertising, and the board and steering community of the PresenTense Group.

PresenTense Magazine is an all volunteer effort with 501(c)3 nonprofit status thanks to the fiscal sponsorship of the American Zionist Movement, and supports itself by selling advertising and group subscriptions. If you would like to reach a young Jewish audience through our pages, subscribe to our publication, or purchase a bulk order for your organization or event, please contact Simi Hinden at simihinden@presentense.org.

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Contents presentense.org/magazine

Photo by Moti Vaknin.

Cover: Art by Elke Reva Sudin.

Photo by Nir Landau. issue eleven 2010

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contents PHOTOESSAY 26 IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN honoring heroes of israel > moti vaknin

Special fellowship UPDATE 30 BEHIND THE SCENES presentense fellowships at work 32 MEET THE FELLOWS jerusalem winter fellowship 2010 34 ENGAGING, LEVERAGING, INSPIRING boston update 40 MENTOR TALK advice and vision from leaders in the field > jamie david and andrew becker

Sinai Storm and Mega Mench.

Illustration by William Levin.

3 Letters

MY HERO

4 Contributors

16 FOR ISRAEL’S SAKE abba eban > chaim landau

8 Editorial

HERE & NOW 9 OMRI AT THE GARDEN an israeli star is born > adam chandler

AROUND THE WORLD

17 EXODUS TO EMPOWERMENT avraham nega admasu > dana talmi

18 A NEW RECIPE FOR ISRAELI HEROISM makings of falafel man > dorit maya gur

42 HEROES IN HAITI israelis go global to save lives > maya rozov 43 TANKED lebanon at war > saul sudin 44 KICK TUCHAS real-life superheroes in action > simcha weinstein

FEATURES

45 JUST VENGEANCE? kick-ass motivations > arieh s. rosenblum

20 CONVERSATION FOR A CHANGE power of the great schlep > amy beth schneider

46 FROM THE EDGE OF THE ABYSS heroes of jewish legend and lore > emily keeler

IDEAS

22 DON’T WORRY, BE BRESLOV signs point young jews to the na-nachs > shifra mincer

47 POPEYE’S GEM spinach as culinary hero > melissa meyers

12 RULES OF ENGAGEMENT how heroes show us the way > ezra shanken

23 THE PATH OF THE ENTREPRENEUR 21st century hero > lianna wolfson

ENDPAGE

10 BLAZING SADDLES jewish life in argentina > lina tuv 11 SMILE: WORTHWHILE volunteering in rwanda > mike brand

24 SEEKING SPIRITUAL SHEPHERDS crisis in religious leadership today > adir glick

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48 PRESENTENSE jewish heroes issue > chari pere presentense.org/magazine Contents

letters to the Editor

sual T’filah (you can check it out here: http:// tinyurl.com/Visual-Tfilah-Thesis) and part of what I discuss is the technology of sacred text containers. Even carving into stone tablets was a form of technology at one point. Over time, Judaism embraced newer forms of technology such as the scroll and even the printed book.

(The printing press was an impressive piece of technology back in the day.)

I agree that every technology that we adopt should be done with consideration about helping us to connect with each other and God more easily. And, if we are aware of the downsides of each upgrade, we can work to counteract some of their deleterious effects.

Dan Medwin

“Re-inventing the Synagogue: Towards a New Model”

For our 10th issue, PresenTense Magazine launched the Digital Issue—the first-ever print magazine to be published entirely in Google’s new tool for collaboration, Google Wave. The platform allowed us to pioneer new horizons for journalism by seeking to address a key challenge for journalists today: how to collaborate in a digital age.

It was especially fitting that we set out to explore Google Wave for our Digital Issue, focused on the Digital Age and how it is affecting young Jewish community- and identity-building today. Here is some feedback we received on the issue:

I’m one of the engineers working on Google Wave. I’m stunned that you’d use Wave to publish your magazine, but it seems to work really, really well. Congratulations!

Alan Green

Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Adam Schuck, living in Sydney, and I’m a developer working on Google Wave. I stumbled across your recent use of Wave for your magazine. As far as I can tell, the magazine talks about young Jewish innovators—which I would like to think my role on Google Wave fulfills :). So I thought I would reach out, and say hello! I’d love to hear about your experiences with Wave. Thanks!

real potential for online collaboration. You can read more about PT’s Wave experiences at http://www.presentense.org/blog/googlewave-in-review.

Thanks for writing this article. I live in Israel, where the idea of a community based out of a synagogue is not something that I would ever think about. Plus the idea of having a paid rabbi for a synagogue is something that my synagogue never had.

PresenTense

Ari Wolk

Congrats on the first [Wave] issue! The writing’s high-quality, you chose interesting topics, and the interface is pretty smooth, except I couldn’t use my up and down arrows to scroll.

Even when I expanded the viewing pane, it still looked small—not sure if there’s a Full Screen option I overlooked. It felt like an enewsletter because it was bound in by the Wave viewing pane.

Needing a Wave account in order to view it may be your biggest obstacle to winning new readership. And I’m wondering how much time is really saved by writing and editing in Wave, over creating the mag on a traditional website (that anyone could access).

I was really intrigued by your idea of specialized synagogues, focused on education OR prayer OR social justice, etc. I feel like this idea has great merit, since surely no one synagogue can be good at everything. Yet when I think about myself and the synagogue activities I get involved with, I feel it is often much more about the people I’m with than what it is specifically we are doing. If people have a different synagogue for every Jewish activity, won’t this prevent them from getting to know a particular community in depth and from different perspectives?

My other comment is about relating the fall of the modern synagogue to the fall of the Second Temple. That Judaism lived on is indeed a great lesson, but the event itself was extremely traumatic, and we are perhaps very lucky as things could easily have turned out very differently for the Jewish people following the destruction. Countless Jews died trying to prevent the Temple from falling. Even if what you and Dr. Windmueller are saying is correct, should we not be trying very hard to prevent this second churban rather than accepting it as a foregone conclusion?

Anya Weber

There’s a pretty cool collaboration across languages feature [in Wave], though I haven’t used it yet. That has a huge potential to connect the Israeli demographic into this magazine.

Reuven Solomon

Adam Schuck

Google Wave allowed us to take advantage of the very digital trends and technologies we were discussing, to produce content to act as the starting place for a larger conversation.

We found that, while rough around the edges as a pre-Beta product, Google Wave has some Letters presentense.org/magazine

“Paved Paradise: What Do We Lose from Technological Advances?”

As much as I love technology, I agree that we must be mindful of its blind adoption. I just wrote my rabbinic thesis for HUC on Vi-

Tal Fishman Have feedback about PresenTense?

Email editor@presentense.org.

We want to hear from you! issue eleven 2010

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issue eleven 2010

presentense.org/magazine Here & Now

Cheryl Berkowitz is a Brooklyn-based graphic designer. She specializes in using ethnography to understand and communicate in an audience’s visual language and in materiality, capitalizing on our need to use our vision to feel.

Here & Now presentense.org/magazine

issue eleven 2010

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Meet ROI Innovative.

Dedicated.

Visionary.

ROI is about building a global Jewish community that is exciting, networked, and widelyaccessible. These are some of the entrepreneurs that are both ROI members and PresenTense fellows, who are changing the world by creating more vibrant Jewish communities through cutting-edge local, global and virtual initiatives.

ROI is a global community of young Jewish leaders that offers international gatherings, professional development, and financial support to its membership.

Over the past five years, ROI has become one of the leading vehicles for young Jewish leaders to network with peers, gain skills and get traction toward implementing their visions for the Jewish future.

and PRESENTENS

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❽

❿

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ROI was created by philanthropist Lynn Schusterman as a partnership between the Center for Leadership Initiatives and Taglit-Birthright Israel. Since the first ROI Summit in 2006, the network has grown to over 500 members spanning some forty countries.

Learn more at www.roicommunity.org

SE Entrepreneurial Heroes

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① Chaim Landau is the founder of Perspectives Israel, which offers future Diaspora Jewish leaders studying in Israel the opportunity to learn about the wide variety of Jewish-Israeli viewpoints in an interactive two-day program focusing on the stories and narratives of the people they meet. The first Perspectives trip took place in March 2010 with 14 participants from eight different post-college Israel programs.

⑦ Manuela Zoninsein is the founder of AgriGate, a business intelligence newsletter focused on the agriculture and technology (agtech) market in China. It provides a monthly publication and daily blog filled with information on the key players, policies, and innovations in China’s agtech field.

② Erin Kopelow is admission director and marketing coordinator at ⑧ Chari Pere is the president the Sofaer iMBA at Tel Aviv Univer- and founder of Hey Yiddle Diddle sity’s Recanati School of Business.

Productions. It’s out with the old and in with the renewed as old, outdated ③ Matt Bar is the founder of Jewish jokes, stories, and sources Bible Raps, an innovative education- of creativity get a fresh outlook with al tool that uses rap and hip hop to fun, whimsical cartoons and illustrations in a way that appeals to today’s enliven the core Jewish texts. generation. ④ Elad Kimelman is the founder of CreaTV, an online platform connecting ideas for televised Jewish educational content with the skilled professionals that can bring them to life.

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loaves—raising more than $40,000.

Eli was recently selected as a Joshua Venture fellow.

⑤ Eileen Levinson is the creator of Haggadot.com, an online workspace for Jews of all backgrounds to upload, exchange, and personalize Haggadot.

⑨ Gal Mor is the founder of Indie Travelers, for independent tourists visiting Israel. The group of tourist centers will provide professional resources, events, tours, and opportunities to mingle with locals.

⑩ Todd Schechter is the founder of The Jerusalem Project, a dialogue-based education initiative that helps geographically, culturally, and religiously disparate Jews bet⑥ Eli Winkelman is the found- ter understand each other and themer of Challah for Hunger, which rais- selves. es awareness of and money for hunger and disaster relief through the ⑪ Shai Davis is the founder of production and sale of challah bread. oorim.com, a community website Halfway through 2010, Challah for currently in beta that enables its usHunger’s 30+ active chapters have ers to find and provide answers to already baked more than 10,000 any Jewish question.

OUR HEROES

editorial

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hat does Jewish heroism mean to young Jews in the here & now? How will the actions of our generation’s heroes— and what they stand for—change the future? For this issue of PresenTense, our eleventh in print, we set out to address these questions of where our generation finds its inspiration. We discovered that our heroes include sportsmen and statesmen, community organizers and community builders. With their wisdom, charisma, and clarity of message, each has a compelling case to make as a role model whose impact could not only change the world, but also how we interact with it.

One trend appeared particularly strong—rather than siding with the most famous or popular, many of today’s young Jews tend to champion unique heroes whose message in some way speaks to them personally. In the “My Hero” section (p. 15), PresenTense contributors make the case for some of their personal heroes. Whether it’s a leader in the local community whose personal narrative inspires (“Exodus to Empowerment,” p. 17), a historic global leader who provided a message which resonates today (“For Israel’s Sake,” p. 16), or someone entirely imagined to introduce a new message (“A New Recipe for Israeli Heroism,” p. 18), these personal heroes give us insight into who we are, and who we can be.

Jewish heroes can teach us lessons applicable to our growth as young leaders (“Rules of Engagement,” p. 12). But how does this influence come about? In addition to citing individual instances of heroes, many of us thought it meaningful in contemplating heroism to

examine the mechanism of magnetism and motivation and its effects on society. The Great Schlep (“Conversation for a Change,” p. 22), for the cause of electing Barack Obama to the American presidency, is one such study of leadership effecting change. A different case of the impact of a charismatic figure is found in the Na-nach movement (“Don’t Worry, Be Breslov,” p. 21). Conversely, others argued that a void existing in religious leadership can be detrimental (“Seeking Spiritual Shepherds,” p. 24). For a generation that is all about being proactive, it is perhaps natural for us to observe how the heroic example of one person can in turn cause others to take up the mantle of leadership in becoming activists for the cause.

Adventurous, global, and high-tech, our generation flocks to the example of the entrepreneur, 21st-century hero (“The Path of the Entrepreneur,” p. 20). Here at PresenTense, we believe in not only having important conversations around the meaning of heroism to young Jews, but also in actively working to cultivate the heroes of our generation. In growing the next generation of social entrepreneurs, PresenTense is enabling young pioneers to launch their ideas into successful ventures, and simultaneously working to upgrade the Jewish People’s operating system to incorporate these new visions for the future. If you have an idea that will ignite a new path of Jewish heroism, we want to hear from you!

It goes without saying that all of PresenTense’s contributors are our heroes (“Meet the Heroes of PresenTense,” p. 4)—who are yours? PT

PresenTense 2010 Jerusalem Winter Fellows. Photo by Sasson Tiram.

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presentense.org/magazine Here & Now

Omri at the Garden

>> adam chandler

Omri Casspi takes his best shot.

Photo by Bridget Samuels.

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hen Omri Casspi was introduced at Madison Square Garden on a snowy Tuesday evening in February, a large section of the New York crowd did something unthinkable by local standards: It rose to its feet and cheered for an opposing player. With Israeli flags unfurled and waving, hundreds of New York Knicks faithful chanted “Omri” across the arena, surprising even themselves with their volume.

Omri Casspi, the rookie small forward for the Sacramento Kings, threw out a gesture of recognition from the floor. As the first Israeli player in the NBA, he would now compete in its most hallowed venue, Madison Square Garden, the veritable Kotel of basketball arenas.

“To play in front of 20,000 people... and in front of so many Jewish people, more than any city in Israel, it’s a great feeling,” Casspi said before the game.

Casspi’s presence at the Garden, however, was not just a symbolic gesture for Jewish fans.

As a first-round draft pick, expectations were high.

Here & Now presentense.org/magazine

“We didn’t come to see him dress,” one fan said. “We came to see him play.”

Casspi impressed early, hitting four of his first five shots, including a slashing dunk. By halftime, Casspi led all players on either team with 16 points.

In preparation for Casspi’s arrival, the evening was billed as Jewish Heritage Night.

To the delight of many in the crowd and the confusion of many more, a Jewish a cappella group sang “Hatikvah” before performing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Madison Square Garden even offered a ticket package that allowed fans to meet Casspi before the game.

While the teams warmed up on the court behind him, Casspi took questions from fans on topics ranging from his three-point shooting to his adjustment to life in America. Boys clad in yarmulkes and basketball sneakers begged Casspi repeatedly to dunk the ball for them.

Handwritten signs, posters, and Israeli flags all awaited his autograph. A young girl presented him with a tub of Israeli hummus and a bag of pita while her father related a recent news story about how Casspi had not been able to

find good hummus in the United States.

Moments like these have become standard for Casspi over the course of his first NBA season. Casspi, for his part, embraces the role of ambassador. Though he completed the compulsory three years of army service, he now views his high-profile assignment in the NBA as an additional form of service to his country. Beyond the requisite workload of a pro player, Casspi sees each city where the team travels as a new platform to act as emissary. He meets with representatives from local Jewish communities and grants uncommon access to his fans before and after games.

Athletes, for better or worse, have always been held up to heroic standards. Both their triumphs and misdeeds are diffused across a spectrum, a space indifferent to borders or language. At the same time, sports are also local and Casspi, who represents a small place, is aware of his meaning. One young fan, after receiving an autograph from Casspi, was asked if he counted Casspi among the Jewish heroes.

“Number 18, baby!” the boy cawed, referring to Casspi’s apropos jersey number.

“That says it all!”

A player like Tyreke Evans, one of Casspi’s teammates and the winner of this year’s coveted Rookie of the Year Award, may reflect the hopes that Jewish fans reserve for Casspi.

Yet with his first NBA season in the books, Casspi’s first-year stats suggest that he will be neither a star nor a benchwarmer. In representing Israel, a country that aspires to nothing more than normalcy, a contributor such as Casspi makes a realistic hero.

That fact that Casspi is a Jew, an Israeli, and a viable NBA player all at once isn’t really astonishing enough to fully justify the Omri phenomenon: hundreds of fans in New York willing to buy tickets for a basketball game between two struggling teams—despite a February storm and an economic recession. But as fans at the Garden watched Casspi collect the game’s final rebound and clutch the ball victoriously until the buzzer sounded, he reminded some of a more elusive joy: the joy of belonging. PT

Here & Now

an israeli star is born

Adam Chandler is a writer and editor who lives in Brooklyn, NY. Chandler was a writer-in-residence at the Cat’Art Centre in Sainte Columbe sur l’Hers in France and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College in December 2009. issue eleven 2010

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Blazing saddles jewish life in argentina

>>

lina tuv

Around the World

Exploring the Pampas of Argentina.

Photos by Lina Tuv.

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long time ago, in a far away land, there lived a Jewish gaucho in a settlement called Moisesville. This first Jewish colony in Argentina was comprised of Jewish cowboys. Fleeing pogroms, they arrived from Russia in 1889 and established agricultural settlements in the vast, unpopulated land of Argentina’s Santa Fe province.

In the Pampas—Argentina’s fertile lowlands where gauchos once reined—vast blue skies meet large stretches of flat grasslands speckled by solitary shrubs in the distance.

A man dressed as a cowboy with his facón, a large knife tucked into the rear of the gaucho sash, greets tourists as they descend from the bus. As most of the descendents of the original founders moved to large cities, today the settlements are mostly empty, except for a few that cater to tourists or operate as sanctuaries where locals can unwind in the country air.

Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital, is the largest city where the gauchos settled. Today, its Jewish community numbers 180,000, out of 250,000 Jews total in Argentina. Though Argentina’s Jewish community is the largest in Central and South America, it has shrunk by nearly a third over the last 40 years and continues to decline due to emigration, intermarriage, and assimilation.

Jews began leaving Argentina for Israel and Europe in response to political and civil unrest during the military dictatorship from 1976-1983, when 30,000 people went missing, 2,000 of whom were Jews. In the early ‘90s, the Israeli Embassy and AMIA, the Jewish community center, were blown up, tarnishing the terror-free landscape of Argentina and shaking up the relative calm of the Jewish community. Since the bombings, all major Jewish institutions have been fortified, and visitors may find it easier to locate

The menorah in Mendoza

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issue eleven 2010

a synagogue by looking for cemented columns and booths with guards instead of the address itself. These safety boosters serve as a reminder of the fragility as well as the perseverance of the Jewish people.

The most recent blow to the Jewish community was the economic crisis of 2001 that left many with the title “new poor,” signifying the descent from middle to lower class.

Like the majority of Jews in Argentina, Alvaro Katz, in his late 20s, came from a middle-class family. Katz remembers December 20, 2001, when the masses gathered in the Plaza de Mayo, the main square in downtown Buenos Aires, to protest the economic crisis. “The people took to the streets.

They drummed against the pots and pans they carried out from homes as they marched toward the government headquarters. I remember watching on television the president’s escape from the Casa Rosada by helicopter.

There was chaos on the streets with looting all around.”

Today, most Jews seek a cultural model of Jewish identity, emphasizing knowledge of Hebrew, Jewish history, and solidarity with Israel. They forge social ties with their circle of friends in their Jewish primary and secondary education. Dana Kamelman, who is in her early 20s and works at Hillel in Buenos Aires, said, “I talk to my girlfriends about marriage, and we agree that we’d like to marry within our faith. We feel this way not because we are observant; it has more to do with our being part of the Jewish community on a cultural level.”

Today’s vibrant Jewish cultural and educational life yields snapshots of young Orthodox men purchasing

flowers from street vendors on Shabbat eve; the world’s only kosher McDonald’s outside of Israel; young Jews socializing at a Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration at Hillel; and large posters on Buenos Aires’s main avenues and plazas, announcing everything from Matisyahu’s concert to Passover festivities.

One of those events was YOK, a post-Passover festival with music and food in the capital’s largest park. Kamelman’s sister, Deby, a Buenos Aires-based law and philosophy student, recalls, “There were about 2,000 people enjoying falafel, boios, knishes, shawarma, baklava, and matzah with chocolate as they swayed to the music streaming from the several stages throughout the park. They had everything from wine-tasting booths to a mural depicting Moshe surfing on the Nile, freshly painted by two young guys during the fest.”

The capital is not the only place to house a vivacious Jewish community.

Mendoza, a desert city known for its wine production, has a quiet yet rapidly reviving Jewish community of 4,000. In 2008, Rabbi Uriel Lapidus founded the city’s first and only kosher market and its first Chabad.

On a walk through Mendoza, one might be surprised to find a 10-foot menorah commemorating Israel’s 50th birthday across the city’s main plaza. This gigantic candelabra stands as a testament to the continuing Jewish presence in Argentina, despite the declining numbers.

PT Lina Tuv went to Argentina to study Hebrew and instead took up tango and journalism. When she’s not traveling, she runs a graphic design boutique, www.talinadesign.com.

presentense.org/magazine Around the World

smile: Worthwhile volunteering in rwanda

>> mike brand

Aerial view of Agahozo-Shalom.

Photo provided by Mike Brand

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wanda is covered by a lush green landscape with rolling hills and red earth. In Kigali, the capital, there are large modern buildings, bumper-tobumper traffic, Internet cafés, and electronics stores. But just a few miles outside the city are mudbrick homes, without electricity or running water. The conflicting smells of tropical flowers and burning trash fill the air. It’s possible to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables at the market for less than $1, but a box of Frosted Flakes costs $20.

After an initial experience in Rwanda volunteering for Never Again Rwanda—teaching Rwandan youth how to use human rights to combat genocide ideology—I joined the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Jewish Service Corps, a one-year version of the Peace Corps for Jews. Most placements are in Jewish communities around the world. But the JDC has a nonsectarian project, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, which was created to help address the orphan problem that has been an issue since the 1994 genocide, when approximately 800,000 Rwandans were killed.

Alongside the devastation of the general population, the genocide left many children without parents. According to UNICEF’s 2008 demographic report, 53 percent of Rwanda’s population is 18 or younger; almost a quarter are orphans. The overwhelming number of orphans presents a staggering challenge that has not

Around the World presentense.org/magazine

been substantially addressed since the genocide. And the challenge is growing; children are still losing parents to secondary effects of the genocide: HIV/AIDS, occasional murders and suicide, and abandonment.

Agahozo, which in Kinyarwanda means “a place where tears are dried,” is a youth village which seeks to restore the rhythm of life for each child living there. This is the place nine other volunteers and I will call home for a year.

My previous experience in Rwanda and my penchant for computers landed me the job of teaching ICT (basic to intermediate computer skills) to 125 of the 250 students at Liquidnet Family High School (located at AgahozoShalom). Additionally, I serve as the village’s IT coordinator and mentor to a family of 16 boys.

Teaching computers at the school presents some challenges.

Though classes are taught in English, most of the kids had never used English before arriving at Agahozo-Shalom in December 2009. Many of them had never seen a computer, yet the national curriculum requires they learn Microsoft Word and Excel. Their unfamiliarity with computers makes even the most routine task, such as double-clicking, a challenge for some. Others, however, could navigate Facebook, Gmail, and music sites with ease, but couldn’t change the font size in Word.

Of course, the kids do more than just study computers.

Through sports, art, and music

classes, the children come to life in stark contrast to their traumatic pasts. It’s hard to fathom how the kid smiling ear-to-ear, laughing and having fun, is the same kid who told you the horrible story of his or her life. It is evidence of their resolve and of the effectiveness of the efforts of the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village.

While working with orphans of the Rwandan genocide has been rewarding, volunteering abroad has been tough. You leave life at home to move to a foreign country where the people speak a different language, you stick out everywhere you go, and everyday conveniences such as running water and electricity are a luxury. Daily challenges include bucket-bathing with cold water, cooking with a hot plate on the living room floor, and fending off the onslaught of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. But when you see a child smile, hear a song sung, watch a traditional dance, or see students’ faces light up after successfully completing a task on the computer, it all becomes clearly worthwhile. That’s why I decided to volunteer abroad: It’s the best job I’ve ever had. PT Mike Brand graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2007, majoring in history and political science with a minor in human rights. After his fellowship in Rwanda ends in December 2010, Mike plans to create a nonprofit non-governmental organization focused on promoting human rights education and activism around the world.

The author with his mentees. Photo provided by Mike Brand. issue eleven 2010

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Rules of Engagement ideas

how heroes show us the way

>>

ezra shanken

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” How can we relate to those historical figures who hold a place in our Jewish life, having been braver for five minutes longer?

Are they a tool to be used by our teachers, or reminders of our own ability reach farther, do more, and make a real difference in the world? We turn to three young rabbis from different streams of Judaism for their thoughts.

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Ethan Tucker

Ari Weiss

(Independent)

(Modern Orthodox)

Mitchell Delcau

Rabbi Ethan Tucker is Rosh Yeshiva of Mechon Hadar and Chair in Jewish Law. He was ordained by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and earned a Ph.D in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He was a founder of New York’s Kehilat Hadar.

Rabbi Ari Weiss is Founding Director of Uri L’Tzedek. He received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in June 2007, and is completing a Master’s degree in Jewish Philosophy at Yeshiva University. He is a recipient of the Joshua Venture Group Fellowship for Jewish social entrepreneurs.

Rabbi Delcau is the assistant rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Denver, C.O. He earned a Master of Arts and Hebrew Letters and was ordained at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion. Rabbi Delcau also worked as a hydraulic river engineer and completed a graduate degree in this area.

issue eleven 2010

(Reform)

presentense.org/magazine Ideas

Does Judaism value heroes and why?

Ethan Tucker Not really. The Greeks did, but Jews don’t valorize people that much; we more often expose them as human and flawed. Even Moses is portrayed at times as angry and impatient, and a number of medieval Bible commentators point out ways in which other Biblical characters are flawed. Anyone who reads the Talmud knows that rabbinic figures are often exposed for folly, shame, and other blunders. But those are our heroes: real people like us who nonetheless attain heights of dedication and achievement that we can realistically aim for. Lionizing heroes as perfect turns them into distant exemplars and prevents them from being role models.

Mitchell Delcau I think Judaism does value heroes. We value the concept of ancestry. Our central prayer, the Amidah or Tefillah, teaches us that it was our ancestors who engaged the higher power we call God. They had distinctive qualities which we as Jews, thousands of years later, still study and find ways to integrate into our lives.

Ari Weiss The Prophets challenged the powerful in society and confronted corrupt systems; as a result, they suffered personally, which makes their gestures heroic. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel captured this thought when he wrote that a rabbi’s role “is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted,” even though the confrontation with established power structures and self-interest can lead to hardship and sacrifice. In doing so, they set the vision for the highest Jewish ideal: speaking a moral truth and taking up the cause of the other.

THREE RABBIS, THREE OPINIONS “Jews don’t valorize people that much; we more often expose them as human and flawed.”

“I think Judaism does value heroes. We value the concept of ancestry.”

“The Prophets challenged the powerful in society; as a result, they suffered personally, which makes their gestures heroic.”

Who is your favorite Jewish hero and why?

Ethan Tucker I have always found Abraham to be a powerful figure. He is at once a spiritual itinerant, a military commander, a gentle father, and a shrewd diplomat. He offers the possibility of playing multiple roles in life and pursuing a range of goals. My other heroes are the original Zionist pioneers, people who traveled across the world into trying circumstances in order to pursue a very practical dream that they felt would change the Jewish world. And it did.

Ari Weiss On December 11, 1995, the Malden Mills factory was destroyed in a large fire. Aaron Feuerstein, owner and CEO of Malden Mills and an Orthodox Jew, decided to keep his 3,000 workers on payroll with benefits even though they now had nothing to do, costing over $25 million. Feuerstein explained, “I have a responsibility to the worker, both blue-collar and white-collar. I have an equal responsibility to the community. It would have been unconscionable to put 3,000 people on the streets” (Parade Magazine, 1996). Feuerstein exemplified the heroic gesture in Judaism: Others come before myself.

Mitchell Delcau My favorite Jewish hero is Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi), whose dedication to being a Jewish scholar is so impressive. By day he owned a vineyard, and by night he studied and wrote commentary on both the Torah and the entire Talmud. It is due to his scholarship that we say while studying Gemara, “One finger on the Rashi and one on the Gemara.” He was a pioneer in developing Jewish thought, showing the outside world that it was possible to study and develop a personal thought process on the teachings of our people.

Ideas presentense.org/magazine

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How can we use Jewish heroes to help educate young leaders?

Ethan Tucker I think we best educate young leaders by teaching them that no single hero or messianic figure brings redemption on his or her own. It is our timeless commitment to values and ideals that ultimately defines a Jewish community and which ensures that it will leave its mark. Young leaders should see themselves as putting Jewish values into practice in a consistent and passionate way.

Ari Weiss At its core, leadership is about creating a vision of how we ought to live and providing a plan on how we can arrive there.

To educate the next generation of Jewish leaders, we need to look at our rich tradition and identify who our Jewish heroes are, what their vision of a just and good world was, who was successful in implementing their vision, and who failed.

We need to show them that heroes have always dreamed and give our young leaders the opportunity to create a vision of a vibrant Jewish tomorrow. At the same time, we need to be explicit about the sacrifices that are needed to make their vision a reality.

Mitchell Delcau Many of our young people today find it difficult to invest (not merely money but time and energy) in the Jewish community. Perhaps this is because the core notion of the Jewish people has become somewhat lost. Our goal is to build a relationship with a higher power we call God and to make the world a better place towards this end. When young Jewish leaders find a person, a mentor, a “hero” from the Jewish tradition to look up to, perhaps they can find the strength to continue the work of our people.

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Give an example of a lesson a Jewish hero teaches which our generation should take to heart.

Ethan Tucker The Zionist pioneers teach a critical lesson for our time: You accomplish more by being an anonymous member of a committed group than you do as a famous individual. Those who shape the future are usually those who gather a group of committed peers to their side, rather than those who command a bright spotlight and a large stage. Understanding this is the key to changing the world.

Ari Weiss During the First Temple, a simple herdsman named Amos was called to prophesize against the elites of Israel who lived lives of conspicuous consumption by “oppressing the poor and crushing the needy” (Amos 4:1). When Amos called their moral complacency into question, they would not listen. But he didn’t give up. He imagined a world in which “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24). In our time, we live a life of plenty which is supported on the backs of millions of slaves and on abuse and exploitation worldwide. We need heroes like Amos to name moral and religious hypocrisy and to create ways to live ethical Jewish lives in a globalized era.

Mitchell Delcau I would choose Moses. When confronted with a voice from a bush (which happened to be burning) which asked him to take a lead in the Jewish community, he stated, “Heyn lo ya’aminu li: The people won’t believe in me” (Exodus 4:1). We hear this all the time from the young Jews in the community. Why would anyone listen to what I have to say? No one will find my involvement meaningful. Why would I want to come to a program if all they want is my money and I am not sure what I will get out of the program?

It is impossible to improve the Jewish community if one is not willing to take the leap of faith Moses took when he went to ask an Egyptian Pharaoh to release his entire slave workforce. Sometimes it takes the utmost courage to walk into a Jewish program for the first time. But, hey… what Moses did was easy?

What characteristics of our generation are also exemplified

by Jewish heroes?

Ethan Tucker This generation likes to get its hands dirty and to make a difference. That kind of commitment to practical results in the real world is the great value of all great Jewish leaders. The Jewish discourse of halakhah—often rendered as Jewish law, but in fact better rendered as “the path”—emphasizes that all theoretical commitments must have practical, daily corollaries. Also, to the extent that Jewish heroes of the past have been transparent figures, whose flaws are often there for all to see, this is a generation that very much values honesty and transparency in our communal discussions and decisions.

Ari Weiss Today, Jews donate billions of dollars, travel across the world to perform service for others, and perform actions that create justice around the world. By giving of ourselves for the other, our current generation is living the Jewish paradigm of heroism.

Mitchell Delcau The notion of a strong-willed Jew could not be better exemplified than by our generation. Those who are involved in the Jewish community all have “the” plan for making it better. Those who don’t like the establishments start other programs and nonprofits. Did the rabbis do it? Yes. Did the Zionists do it? Yes. Likewise, we certainly have those who seek to pave the way for the “new” Jewish community. PT Ezra Shanken is the Senior Manager of the Young Adult Department at the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado and a thirdgeneration Jewish communal worker.

presentense.org/magazine Ideas

My HERO Who’s your guiding light who inspires and encourages you to constantly strive toward the example they model? Whether it’s someone known personally, admired from afar, or whose words resonate across space and time, those of us who are lucky

Eternal Light

enough to have such a hero know that it feels like they’re speaking just to you.

Bethl

Here, PresenTense contributors make the case for their personal heroes.

Bubbie Meister

Queen K

Sinai Storm

Dr. Fakakte

Captain Israel

Moses

Judah Giant My Hero presentense.org/magazine

Illustrations by William Levin

Mega Mench

Got a hero who has changed the Jewish world for the better? Pitch your hero to us here at PresenTense and we’ll share him or her with the world. Email us at pitch@presentense.org. issue eleven 2010

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for israel’s sake abba eban

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chaim landau

Eban was unparalleled when it came to defending Israel and set the benchmark for every Israeli diplomat who came after him. In 1967, after the Six Day War, he said, “As righteous as the defense of freedom at Valley Forge, as just as the expulsion of Hitler’s bombers from British skies, as noble as the protection of Stalingrad against the Nazi hordes, so was the defense of Israel’s security and existence against those who sought our nation’s destruction.

Never have freedom, honor, justice, national interest, and international morality been so righteously protected.” During such periods of crisis as after the Suez crisis in 1956, Eban was instrumental in winning Israel friends in the international community while disarming

general history, Zionism, Israel, and liberalism—all topics which I am passionate about to this day. While it was only later on that I fully appreciated Eban’s nuanced and complex analytical abilities, my early exposure to Eban helps explain why I never felt any conflict between strong support for a secure and strong Israel and the promotion of human rights and liberal values.

In 2001, Eban received the Israel Prize for a lifetime of extraordinary achievement. However, his name is seldom heard in contemporary Israeli and Jewish political discourse.

That is surely a loss for a nation struggling to achieve an elusive peace while protecting itself from those determined to destroy it, and for

Belief in the justness of Israel’s cause did not prevent Eban from criticizing some of its policies, or from advocating for peace, promoting compromise, and empathizing with Palestinian victims.

Name: Abba Eban Home: Israel, The World Profession: Israeli diplomat and statesman He’s a hero because: He was a defender of Israel, peace, and human rights.

W

e live in a fast-paced media age of shock culture. Those with extreme, black-and-white viewpoints have no problem having their voices heard in the media, while complex and nuanced opinions struggle to be heard above the din. When it comes to Israel, the lines are even sharper— one has the choice of being branded a fascist, an apartheid practitioner, and a human rights violator, or a traitor, an extreme leftist, and a self-hating Jew. In this polarized culture, the example of Abba Eban, Israel’s most famous diplomat and foremost statesman, is all the more relevant. Eban exemplified the traits of Jewish self-confidence and pride, alongside critical thinking, respect, and empathy for the other. He combined his defense of Israel’s interests with a strong commitment to universal human rights.

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Israel’s critics with his oratory and wit.

However, belief in the justness of Israel’s cause did not prevent Eban from criticizing some of its policies, such as during the 1982 war in Lebanon, or from advocating for peace, promoting compromise, and empathizing with Palestinian victims. He coined the term ‘Auschwitz lines’ when protesting demands that Israel withdraw to the pre-Six Day War lines. Yet he was also among the first to recognize that keeping the territories and its Palestinian inhabitants was incompatible with Israel’s existence as both a Jewish and a democratic state. Israel’s task today, Eban wrote in 1998, “is not only to proclaim its own rights but also to bring those rights into accord with the rights and interests of others.”

In these days of one diplomatic crisis after another for the State of Israel, Eban’s example is a vital lesson for all those engaged in policymaking and diplomacy. His stance reflected one of confidence in the justice of Zionism and the Jewish state, but also willingness to be critical and engage in soul-searching and self reflection. He was one of Israel’s most ardent defenders, tackling its most bitter foes, but that did not stop him from criticizing his own state and empathizing with Palestinians who also suffered greatly from the conflict.

My first exposure to Eban was from watching his documentary Israel: A Nation is Born when I was 10 years old. That was the moment I became interested in Jewish and

Abba Eban Boulevard Photo by Flickr user kdavis879195.

a people straining to make space for alternate and critical voices while maintaining pride in its achievement and faith in its justness. Perhaps the most enduring way to perpetuate his legacy, one that would serve us well in these difficult and confusing times, would be for Israelis and Jews worldwide to reconsider some of the values and ideals that Eban embodied in his long and distinguished career of service to Israel and the Jewish people. PT Chaim Landau is the director of Perspectives Israel, which aims to educate about the complexity of the challenges facing Israel from a wide variety of viewpoints within the IsraeliJewish spectrum. He was a fellow at the 2009 PresenTense Summer Institute and has previously worked as a Legacy Heritage Fellow. presentense.org/magazine My Hero

Exodus to Empowerment avraham nega admasu

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dana talmi

Name: Avraham Nega Admasu Home: Rishon L’Tzion, Israel Profession: Material engineer, father, community leader He’s a hero because: He’s empowering Ethiopian youth

A

38-year-old father of three, material engineer, and community leader, Avraham Nega Admasu empowers Ethiopian youth in Israel to connect to their culture and to integrate into the broader Israeli community. Admasu is part of a gar’in—a Hebrew word that means “seed,” a collaborative community working together for the betterment of society, under the umbrella of the Friends

by Nature. The nonprofit organization works to empower and educate the Ethiopian community in Israel. Committed to planting the seeds for a successful and vibrant Ethiopian community in the town of Rishon L’Tzion, the gar’in is one of 10 such communities dedicated to strengthening the Ethiopian community from within.

Admasu’s path as a community leader is informed by his life story. He grew up among 11 siblings in Kabazit, a small village in northern Ethiopia. During his childhood, he tended livestock with his father and helped the women bring water from the nearby well. In 1984, his family sold their livestock and bribed the necessary local officials, enabling 52 family members to leave the country secretly and make the 12-day trip to the Sudanese border by foot.

“A path led us to a steep mountain,” Admasu recalls, “which we struggled to descend. When we reached a pool at the bottom of the mountain, we regrouped and counted everyone, only to discover that five-year-old Manale, my little niece, was missing. The accompanying armed guide did not allow us to turn back. Nevertheless, several adults stayed behind to look for the girl, but no trace was found and the family was forced to continue, now 50 people, soon shrinking to 49 when another family member disappeared.”

My Hero presentense.org/magazine

Avraham Nega Admasu (left) on a trip with students.

Photo provided by Avraham Nega Admasu.

Many days into the journey, the group reached an area without water. The family found itself in the scorching hot sun with little shade; children and the elderly were starting to collapse from dehydration. In one of many miracles, Admasu’s older brother Efraim accidentally discovered a muddy spring when he saw a group of bees hovering above. Admasu was sent out to collect the water, and the group survived.

Braving harsh conditions, bandits, and a shortage of food and water, they arrived at the border of Sudan, where the Red Cross welcomed them on the other side. The family spent close to a year in various squalid refugee camps in Sudan before they reached Gadarif, where a large concentration of Jews had settled. There, they acquired the necessary documentation, which enabled them to travel to the capital city of Khartoum. The family was then flown to Israel, where, with tears of joy, 12-year-old Admasu, sick and weakened from malaria, stepped off the plane and kissed the ground of Israel.

Admasu went on to graduate high school and joined the IDF as a paratrooper. In 1991, as a young soldier, he was sent back to Ethio-

pia as part of Operation Solomon, to assist in airlifting 15,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel and reuniting thousands of families, including his own.

Today he dedicates his time outside of his occupation as an engineer to working with Ethiopian youth in his neighborhood. Weekly group activities, trips, and leadership building are just some of the many empowerment tools that serve to deepen the sense of identity and pride of the youth.

In his role as coordinator of youth activities, Admasu feels that he is closing a circle.

He anticipates that he can enable young Ethiopian-Israelis to find their inner strengths, as he did through his life experiences. His past helped shaped his present, and he hopes to use both to inspire the future of the Ethiopian youth in Israel. PT Dana Talmi is a Jewish educator with a passion for service learning. She is the director of Yahel - Israel Service Learning, an educational organization that runs service learning and social action programs in Israel. She is happy to be living in Zichron Ya’akov.

Get involved: This fall will see the launch of a new program, the Yahel Social Change Program, a collaboration between Friends by Nature and Yahel - Israel Service Learning. This five-month service learning experience will give 15 young adults the opportunity to live, volunteer, and learn alongside young adults from the local Ethiopian-Israeli community.

To learn more about the Yahel Social Change Program, please visit: www.yahelisrael.com/programs_socialchange.php issue eleven 2010

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A NEW RECIPE FOR ISRAELI HEROISM makings of falafel man

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dorit maya gur

Name: Falafel Man Home: Israel Profession: Protecting the State He’s a hero because: He’s inventive, compassionate, and prepared to make sacrifices in order for justice to prevail.

M

y Israeli hero has red hair and a friendly, smiling face. He’s a chubby fellow who shoots falafel balls and protects the State. As a comic book artist, I created this hero in response to trends in Israeli society today—and in doing so, I realized that I had a winning recipe on my hands.

Superheroes like Superman, Spiderman, the Flash, and WonderWoman have physical powers beyond the ordinary: Some of them can lift a car with one hand, some run as fast as the wind, and others can fly. Superheroes are usually human, but possess almost divine powers. Not to mention that the best ones are beautiful, moral people who fight for justice.

These are, for most of us who grew up with comics, the heroes.

Israeli culture, on the other hand, values heroes who do not have any special powers.

They are mere mortals, only with striking character traits such as pioneership, initiative, vision, and decisive intelligence employed for the protection of Israel. This may stem from the fact that, in Jewish culture, ‘divine’ attributes are forbidden to humans, belonging only to God. One of the first comics debuted in Israel in 1936, when the newspaper Davar for Kids printed a running weekly comic strip featuring main character Uri Muri. This child dressed in a hat and accompanied by a camel was the first Hebrew comic hero. Likewise, all the characters developed after this were of Hebrew children, halutzim (pioneers) who were drafted on behalf of the Yishuv (pre-State settlement) to establish the State of Israel. Later on, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, more mature characters appeared, like secret agents and soldiers fighting for the homeland.

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Falafel Man, new Israeli hero. Illustrations by Dorit Maya Gur.

Most of the wars that the State of Israel has experienced have elevated the status of the Israeli soldier. Especially after Israel’s victory in the 1967 War, the Israeli soldier emerged as the Israeli hero, respected in every home and the most popular costume for Purim.

However, in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the State of Israel had to absorb heavy casualties, and the myth of the strong Israeli soldier was weakened. From that moment until today, attempting to crystallize the character of the Israeli hero has been an ongoing effort at a time when the definitions of Zionism and pioneership—even the meaning of being ‘Israeli’

—are changing.

As Israel develops, there is a growing awareness of the global perception of the ‘Israeli hero’. In many countries, when watching the news and listening to opinions on Israel, the focus is mainly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Most pictures are of Israeli tanks and rifles. The new technological inventions, the many Israelis who won Nobel prizes, the creative literature that has won international awards, the remarkable music, the cinema, the contributions to medicine and science—all this is shoved aside. In the ongoing preoccupation with the conflict, people around the presentense.org/magazine My Hero

Israeli culture values heroes who do not have any special powers. They are mere mortals, only with striking character traits such as pioneership, initiative, vision, and decisive intelligence employed for the protection of Israel.

My Hero presentense.org/magazine

world see the stereotyped Israeli with black stubble on his face, cigarette in the corner of his mouth, dark eyes hidden under a helmet, with a tough facial expression, green uniform, rifle—and of course, he is bloodthirsty.

Understanding the magnitude of responsibility involved in creating a contemporary Israeli hero, I invented my own Israeli hero, found in my comics. I wanted to smash all the existing myths evolving Israeliness. As opposed to the muscular and well-built heroes, I drew a chubby hero with a big potbelly.

My hero has red hair, freckles, and big blue eyes. He has a big smile that reveals his white teeth. Such a person is not intimidating; on the contrary, he invokes the desire to hug or pinch him in the cheek like any good Jewish grandmother might do. I did not want his expression to even vaguely resemble that of the stubborn soldier.

Regarding his superpowers, if he had known how to fly, he would definitely have said, “Nu, what’s new about that? We already have Superman.” And it would not be believable if he could run really fast, because he is fat, and we all know that the heart and lung capacity of the obese is restricted. He is certainly not capable of killing, not even by accident.

I decided that my hero is capable of shooting falafel balls with hot oil each time he waves his hand and aims at a target. Falafel was my weapon of choice because a boiling falafel ball can at the most burn the skin, nothing more. Plus, falafel stands abound in Israel, and it is most certainly my favorite food.

You are probably asking yourself: How can such a hero win over monsters, terrifying robots made of metal, strange kinds of machines, and other villains? The answer: His compassionate heart, his desire to help, and his mind enable him to defeat his enemies because he uses ruses, is inventive, and is prepared to make sacrifices in order for justice to prevail.

He is a figure of values and morals—and for me, this is the makings of a true superhero. PT Dorit Maya Gur is an Israeli comic book artist and illustrator who holds a degree in industrial design and education. She is the creator of the Jewish superhero Falafel Man. Among her clients are Nike Israel, high-tech companies, newspapers, and commercial companies, and she loves her job. issue eleven 2010

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THE PATH OF THE ENTREPRENEUR features

21st century hero

>> lianna wolfson

din chose to be surrounded by a work environment of entrepreneurs rather than join the ranks of academia since, as she explains, “I admire entrepreneurs because they’re inventors.

Because they make something major out of absolutely nothing.”

This act of discovery is central to the identity of the entrepreneurial pioneer. The type of entrepreneur our generation seeks to become engages in social consciousness and recognizes that business is more than just the pursuit of financial rewards.

Manuela Zoninsein, 28, founder and president of AgriGate, came to Israel as a fellow in the PresenTense Global Institute in the summer of 2009 to start up a business intelligence newsletter connecting Israel and China. Its goal is to help China face its food security challenges through connecting the Chinese with Israeli agricultural technology (agtech). This double bottom line drives her venture, and justifies for Zoninsein the risks in not taking a run-of-the-mill corporate job.

Sivan Borowich Yaari shakes hands with Dr. Joseph Ngamila of the Kidigozero Medical Clinic, Tanzania. Jewish Heart for Africa installed its solar energy using Israeli technologies. A roving citizen who spends time in the US, Israel and China, Zoninsein points out, “We Photo provided by Jewish Heart for Africa. are all looking to prove ourselves from the getogging in the park, brunching at a café, Besdin says. “There’s really no other field out go and offer our own innovative paths, so we or sitting in class in 2010 usually en- there right now that isn’t layered in protocol see the [role of the] entrepreneur as accomtails having a smart phone stuffed into a and systems upon systems, nothing new to plishing that goal.” More, unlike our parents’ pouch, resting on a lap, or squished into one’s be learned or innovated on. Technology, at generation, which tended to follow one career back pocket. Our generation of college gradu- the end of the day, is about discovery.” Bes- path, our generation belongs to a world where ates thrives on efficiency. Contrast that with how we’ve grown to see corporations—static, stodgy, old-fashioned—and it is no surprise that our generation is drawn to the calling of entrepreneurship like never before.

Mix that with the heroic successes of the young entrepreneurs behind companies that have shaped our world—such as Google and Facebook—and the draw becomes even stronger. While generations past lionized captains of industry such as Jack Welch and Warren Buffett as heroic company builders and market creators, our generation is drawn instead to young, relatively inexperienced individuals who identify the flaws in the world as it is and seek to improve on them. Better yet, they are inspired to find new, untouched problems and offer solutions.

Abigail Besdin, 24, an NYU Phi Beta Kappa philosophy graduate, recently deferred acceptance to UCLA’s Ph.D philosophy graduate program to take a position in a startup company, Meetup.com, an online platform The Changuruwe water pumping system in Manuela Zoninsein pitches her venture for local community and grassroots organiz- Tanzania, installed by Jewish Heart for Africa. Agrigate at PresenTense Launch Night 2009 ing. “Technology is the elusive ‘new frontier’,” Photo provided by Jewish Heart for Africa.

Photo by PresenTense

J

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presentense.org/magazine Features

While generations past lionized captains of industry as heroic company builders and market creators, our generation is drawn instead to young, relatively inexperienced individuals who identify the flaws in the world as it is and seek to improve on them. everything seems possible, because the reach of our communication is infinite. Our generation is thereby flooded by requests on our time and conscience to do something, to impact the world.

Another entrepreneur pioneering the social space is Sivan Borowich Yaari, 32, founder and president of Jewish Heart for Africa (JHA). Yaari’s organization’s goal is to improve rural African access to water and energy through Israeli solar technologies. Yaari finds roots in her work in the actions of Israel’s first female prime minister. “In 1957 Golda Meir created Mashav, to send Israeli experts to developing countries, specifically in Africa. Israel has been willing to do this almost at the very

beginning of its existence,” Yaari says. She also points out that Theodore Herzl is quoted to say, “Once I have witnessed the redemption of the Jews, my people, I wish also to assist in the redemption of the Africans.” Inherent in the foundations of the Jewish state, then, is the goal to be a hero using Israeli smarts, talent, and creation. In the recent months, JHA has partnered with the Arava Institute to create a pilot program on water purification, and has brought electricity to 100,000 people in Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia.

What unites Besdin, Zoninsein, and Yaari with the other innovators in our generation is that they are unwilling to take a small role in a larger company or nonprofit organiza-

tion making small and cautious movements forward. Direct impact is more highly valued than complex process. Risks are accepted because they are weighed against the potential reward. As Zoninsein concludes, “In the age of the entrepreneur, the hero takes risks and does not fit himself as would a cog in a wheel.” PT Lianna Wolfson is a freelance writer with a BA in English Literature from New York University.

Since graduating, Lianna has worked in marketing and strategic development in startup companies and is now working at Better Place in Israel.

Don’t worry, be Breslov signs point young jews to the na-nachs

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n a post-modern, post-Nietzschian world where God, apparently, has supposedly been dead for decades, many young American Jews have not given up on spirituality or the hope of finding that elusive sense of “meaning,” a connection to something larger

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ties in the street for Rebbe Nachman.’ ” When Gurian returned home, she searched YouTube for videos of the dancing Hasidim. She was enthralled. “I

shifra mincer

vently work to spread knowledge of their sub-sect, most publicly by using the chant developed by Rabbi Odesser, “Na Nach Nachman MeUman,” and plastering it on walls and car bumpers throughout Israel.

“These people, you would love them. They drive around and start dance parties in the street for Rebbe Nachman.” than themselves. In recent decades, increasing numbers of young Jews are finding that sought-after spark in the writings and communities of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. He has acted as a symbol of meaning, driving them to make personal decisions that can change their lives.

Violet Gurian is a former punk rocker with pale skin, bright red lipstick, and jetblack hair, cut straight with bangs. From a secular Jewish background, she first explored her Jewish identity in college at Brown University, where she took a class on Hasidic literature out of pure academic interest. Then she visited friends who had a sticker on their wall of a smiley face with sidelocks and the words, “Don’t worry, be Breslov.”

“I said, ‘What is that?’ ” Gurian recalls.

“They said, ‘These people, you would love them. They drive around and start dance parFeatures presentense.org/magazine

felt this pure light that even thousands of miles away in Providence, R.I., via YouTube—it pulled me.”

Gurian, 25, decided to buy a ticket to Israel, though she had no plans and knew no one in the country. By her second day in Israel, she found the “Na Nachs,” the followers of the teachings of Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser— a 20th-century follower of the namesake of the Breslover Hasidic movement, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who lived in Ukraine in the late 18th century. Unlike other sub-sects of Breslover Nachman Poster.

Hasidim, the Na Nachs fer- Photo by Shifra Mincer. issue eleven 2010

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“I believe in signs in a huge way,” says Gurian. “The world is filled with them. For me, there were neon signs pointing straight for Rebbe Nachman, and the whole time I was there [in Israel] I was just carried through.”

Back home in Providence, Gurian’s room is covered in Na Nach stickers.

“They remind me of that pure unadulterated simcha (happiness),” says Gurian. “That really calls me, the idea and the goal to be happy always.”

She also loves the idea of foregoing her intellectual connection to religion.

“You can intellectually justify anything, but the real truth that I know comes from my soul,” says Gurian. “Intellectually there is no real truth. Intellectually everything is up in the air and flexible and can be manipulated. But there is something more profound than the abilities of the intellect.”

Now religiously observant, Gurian dreams of one day moving to Israel and joining the Na Nachs. Gurian is part of a growing number of young American Jews today who have found their connections to Judaism and Israel through the teachings of Rabbi Odesser about Rabbi Nachman.

Efraim Geltman, 38, was raised in a Reform community in Massachusetts. He spent much of his adult life searching for a spiritual path in Judaism, Chinese Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and then back to Judaism.

“I felt like I was doing all this Jewish stuff and it was a pain in the butt,” says Geltman.

But when he found the Na Nachs, he felt his Jewish practice had been replenished with meaning.

Even the laws of modesty and sexual purity held by the Na Nachs seemed less oppressive and more joyful to Geltman.

“People are very obsessed with sex, and with Rebbe Nachman it’s not negotiable: it’s supposed to be about making babies and connecting with your partner,” says Geltman. “It’s really kind of simple.”

Gurian also was attracted by the sexualpurity laws.

“In the universe of punk rock, nothing is taboo, nothing is sacred. Sex is violence and violence is sexual, and there is no separation between anything,” she says, adding that joining the Na Nachs has helped her reclaim herself as a “sacred object.”

Geltman now lives in Jerusalem. Like most Na Nachs, he wears a large knit yarmulke with the Na Nach Nachman MeUman inscription.

As a doctor of holistic medicine, he seeks to incorporate Rabbi Nachman’s teachings in his practice of healing.

“Rebbe Nachman was big on showing the connections of sexual purity and the evolution of your health and mind,” he says. “Rebbe Nachman is light years beyond all this.”

Simcha Chochbaum, 36, was raised in an Ultra-Orthodox family of rabbis in Toronto.

He came across Rabbi Nachman’s teachings at age 24 while studying in yeshiva in Israel. By the time he was 28, he had fully adopted the Breslov Hasidim ethos, accepted Rabbi Nachman as his personal rabbi, and changed his dress from all black to all white. “[Nachman] is about living a life with complete faith and happiness and not figuring everything out, letting Hashem figure it out for you,” says Chochbaum.

Barya Schachter, 29, reembraced observant Judaism through the Na Nachs during his schooling at Oberlin, where he played football. He says that one can communicate with God alone, but that the experience can be deepened through a tzadik—a righteous person—or, as Schachter describes tzadik in reference to Rabbi Nachman, “the thing that goes through every ingredient of existence and binds it together to be capable of relationship with something greater.”

Today, Schachter lives in Jerusalem, where he plays football with his Na Nach yarmulke and sidelocks tucked into his helmet. PT Shifra Mincer graduated from Harvard College where she wrote for the Harvard Crimson. She loves writing, meditating, and exploring Jewish spirituality.

CONVERSATION FOR A CHANGE power of the great schlep

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amy beth schneider

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n his campaign for the American presidency, Barack Obama inspired his supporters to become vocal as leaders and organizers.

The organized support for Obama within the Jewish community sparked an intergenerational dialogue that revealed the broader possibility for achieving political change through conversation. These conversations also reset the timbre of political dialogue, rediscovering a spirit of debate that is integral to Judaism.

The Great Schlep, a movement organized in the fall of 2008 by Ari Wallach and Mik Moore and publicized with an online video featuring comedian Sarah Silverman, encouraged Jews to convince their elderly relatives in Florida to support Obama. This effort inspired an intergenerational political dialogue within Jewish families, and the Great Schlep website welcomes “24,000 schleppers and counting.”

Obama ultimately captured 78 percent of the

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Meeting in the home of Sylvia Wolfe-Herman, in Delray Beach, South Florida, to address local concerns about Barack Obama as presidential candidate, especially how Obama stands on issues surrounding Israel and the Jewish community.

Photo by Flickr user Un1son. presentense.org/magazine Features

www.thegreatschlep.com

American Jewish vote. Obama’s promises of change—in education, health care, environmental, and foreign policies—inspired his supporters. After being captivated by Obama’s 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention, Daniel Hurwitz, a 36-year-old lawyer from Los Angeles, volunteered extensively to support the candidate.

“He was clear, charismatic, articulate,” Hurwitz said. “I have never heard someone be so specific. To me he really did represent the next generation of leadership, or what could be.”

Yet the decision to support Obama was not an easy one for all. The Great Schlep tar-

“Whether or not people like to admit it, it was an undertone thought,” Manning said.

“The young people muted the issue. We carried Obama 70 percent—without the Schleppers, it may have been 52 to 48.”

The result proves the effectiveness of intergenerational dialogue in accomplishing desired political outcomes. It also demonstrates how young, unaffiliated Jews can engage in the Jewish community through dialogue. The movement asked Jews to have forthright conversations that were personal and potentially disquieting, and that vocalized their concerns about American leadership. Allowing themselves to become vulnerable by expressing their

“If you talk about bravery, what was most interesting and compelling about the movement was its insistence on examining in a forthright way topics that are off the table—race, and race within the Jewish community.” geted a community that was overwhelming Democratic but that had reservations about Obama. Many of these Floridians were faced with doing something they had never done before: voting for an African-American, voting for a Republican, or not voting. Marvin Manning, 84, is the chairman of the Democratic Club in Century Village Boca Raton. Of 3,500 residents in the retirement community, 3,000 are registered Democrats. Yet Manning perceived sensitivity around Obama’s candidacy based on his youth, his lack of experience, and his race.

Features presentense.org/magazine

beliefs required an honesty, as opposed to organizing large crowds, persuading anonymous people, or canvassing.

“What was most interesting and compelling about the movement was its insistence on examining in a forthright way topics that are off the table—race, and race within the Jewish community,” Moore said. A significant number of young Jews cared deeply enough about Obama to take up this challenge. “It meant having a very difficult conversation with parents or grandparents about things you would never discuss,” he said.

“That’s the most important thing we did.”

Moore said racial prejudice is often written off as a flaw of the older generation, and that there had been a silent agreement to maintain the status quo. In broaching this issue through conversation, the spirit of political action emerged in a contemporary context.

Political discourse in the Jewish community had ceased to grapple with differences in perspective, according to Wallach. In that sense, the Great Schlep served to “remind us where we came from,” Wallach said. When

tic, is that wrestling,” Wallach said.

The Great Schlep drew more than 20,000 young Jews who were inspired to take action towards a common goal. But can the movement continue to effect change? Encouraging dialogue between young Jews and their elders could open the door to a more frequent exchange. In turn, this exchange could lead to greater influence on the political and social landscape.

Moore offers the recent health care reform battle as an example in which intergener-

The movement asked Jews to have forthright conversations that were personal and potentially disquieting, and that vocalized their concerns about American leadership.

Wallach received a forwarded e-mail with false claims about Obama’s biography and interests—and saw as many as 250 recipients on the mailing list—he impulsively replied to everyone, rebutting false claims.

“The process that is Judaism is wrestling.

At the center of what Judaism is, is that dialec-

ational dialogue helped effect change. “It’s seniors in general who were uncomfortable with proposed change and young people who have the most to gain from it,” he said. “It’s another occasion where you needed older and younger people to be having some difficult conversations with each other, to hear it and have it be

personalized.”

Obama’s leadership in turn sparked a new generation of leaders who, as Manning would say, “got political.” In this context, this meant representing one’s beliefs openly and in a potentially hard conversation with a family member. Heroes, compared with superheroes, do not simply appear, gifted with preternatural ability and omniscient awareness. Heroes emerge from within our communities and relationships, perceiving possibility, and checking our movement forward while remaining connected to what is behind. PT Amy Beth Schneider is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn and a M.F.A. candidate at Sarah Lawrence College, concentrating in nonfiction writing. She is also a modern dancer, choreographer, and yoga teacher, and enjoys teaching creative movement classes in the New York City public schools.

Seeking Spiritual Shepherds the crisis in religious leadership

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udaism scored the lowest of all the world’s major religions in its members’ satisfaction with their leaders, according to a survey released by the Elijah Interfaith Institute (www.elijah-interfaith.org). Jews also scored lowest in perceiving that their religion has a message relevant to their lives and today’s world, and were twice as likely as members of other faiths to become less religious. As the Jerusalem-based Elijah Institute pointed out in its conclusion to the survey, “Jews seem to have significant difficulties and distrust in relation to their religious leadership.”

For many Jews, this crisis in religious leadership is an unspoken reality. The American Jews I spoke with related the crisis to the new wave of independent minyanim throughout the country. An Israeli Jew said, “Our religious leaders have no vision for the future.”

But many, while tacitly acknowledging the existence of a lack of religious leadership, denied that it constituted a crisis. One observant French Jew in Israel on a Jewish studies yearlong program said this distrust was positive because it showed that Jews are independent and not easily swayed by charismatic leaders. “This

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adir glick

is not a bad thing,” she said, “Jews are skeptical about everything.” Others said that our rabbis are teachers, not spiritual leaders in the mold of Catholic priests or Eastern gurus.

Conceptions of Jewish leadership as fallible rather than divine are born out in what appears to be the response from the religious community to the Elon scandal. Rabbi Mordechai ‘Motti’ Elon was one of the most re-

Institute (www.hartmaninstitute.com). The article argued against the “hysteric mourning” over the Elon affair and said that we should beware of allowing any one person’s greatness to “overshadow the individual responsibility to Torah.” The comment disagreed, saying it was right to “feel shattered and mourn a prince of Torah” and finished with, “Woe to the generation that will look upon its spiritual shepherds and leaders as nothing more than Bible and Talmud professors.”

Religious leaders are more than simply teachers, community organizers, or professors—they are spiritual shepherds. At the 2009 Elijah Interfaith Institute conference on religious leadership, where representatives of the major world religions gathered in Israel, I saw how a Burmese Buddhist monk stayed up late every night to teach Burmese foreign workers, who came from across Israel to sit on the grass and listen. I call this selflessness and dedication religious leadership.

Every religion has figures striving to live

“Jews seem to have significant difficulties and distrust in relation to their religious leadership.” spected leaders in the National Religious – Religious Zionist community in Israel.

Thousands looked to him for guidance and found it. In February 2010, after accusations of sexually abusing some of his Yeshiva students, many voices in the religious community claimed that the problem was that we expected too much from him. “He is human, isn’t he?” was a common refrain.

While researching the Elon affair, I read a talk-back comment on an article entitled “Who is a Rabbi” from the Shalom Hartman

presentense.org/magazine Features

by a higher ideal, toward whom followers look for inspiration and to be shown a better way of life. In Judaism, we call Moses: Moshe Rabbeinu—Moses our rabbi. Moses was not just the imparter of the laws; he led the people in every sense—militarily, morally, spiritually, and socially. These days the State of Israel can protect Jewish national and military needs.

But where can we turn for spiritual and moral

spiritual guidance. Jews in America are at the forefront of Buddhist, Hindu, New Age, and Self Help movements. One-fifth of all American Buddhists are estimated to be Jewish. Postarmy Israelis go to India and Nepal, mostly for leisure, but in many instances also in search of the spiritual inspiration and insight they are not finding within Judaism or Israel.

Those who flocked around Elon did find

Our young will stop looking elsewhere for their spiritual needs when we produce leaders who are both charismatic and also live by high moral, spiritual, and ethical standards. leadership, if not to our rabbis? Religious education is more than an academic pursuit. We learned from the Elon affair and the Elijah Institute survey not that we are putting too much faith in our leadership, but rather that we have stopped producing leaders who embody these high ideals.

Jews by the thousands look elsewhere for

in him what they were seeking in a religious leader. His subsequent fall is one case which has pushed the idea of inspired spiritual leadership further afield.

Yet the discovery of his serious personal issues does not mean that we should dispose of the idea of religious leadership altogether.

Religious leaders well-versed in Jewish law are

needed to teach Gemara, shed light on obscure passages in the Talmud, and elucidate points of custom. But we also need those who can provide answers to life’s major questions from their own insight and experience; who will serve as examples of the viable spiritual life that we would want to lead.

Our young will stop looking elsewhere for their spiritual needs when we produce leaders who are both charismatic and also live by high moral, spiritual, and ethical standards— transforming Judaism from the religion with the least satisfaction in our leaders to a religion with a strong, vibrant vision which reflects the great miracle of our modern rebirth and return from Exile. PT Adir Glick regularly contributes to the magazine and studies at a yeshiva in Jerusalem. He is involved in Jewish meditation work and interfaith dialogue.

Sheep in Armenia.

Photo by Rick Barry Features presentense.org/magazine

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In Memory of the Fallen honoring heroes of israel

>> moti vaknin

The place, and the time: Israel on Yom Hazikaron—Israel’s Memorial Day—held on the fourth of Iyar, the day before Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day).

Fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism are remembered at national memorial services, such as this one for victims of terrorist attacks at the military cemetery in Haifa. The somber mood of the day takes effect with radio and television programs on Israel’s wars, the closing of all venues of entertainment nationwide, and two air raid sirens which sound throughout the country, causing all traffic to stop in commemoration of Israel’s fallen.

Two people sit and read from the Book of Psalms on behalf of a family member who was killed during a war or terror attack that occurred in Israel. Not only soldiers are remembered on this day.

Opposite: Naval soldiers laying wreaths for the memorial. The young woman on the left traveled six hours from Eilat to be with her cousin and pay respect to a family member who was killed.

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presentense.org/magazine Photoessay

The young woman on the right traveled six hours from Eilat to be with her cousin (the soldier on the left), to honor and pay respect to a family member who was killed.

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An army major salutes the flag during the memorial siren in honor of the fallen.

A soldier sits by the grave of a family member.

The memorial flame, which burns for the entire day.

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The memorialwho flame, Moti Vaknin, 25, is a photographer liveswhich in Israel. burns for the entire day. shots.

He loves taking portraits, landscapes, and head presentense.org/magazine Photoessay

Special fellowship Update We at PresenTense believe that social involvement is the key to helping the Jewish community grow stronger and more vibrant.

The Community Entrepreneur Partnership trains local Jewish social entrepreneurs, building a web of individuals in that community who are committed to innovation and the success of the Jewish People.

Highlighted here are the fellows from our CJP/PresenTense Fellowship in Boston and Jerusalem Winter Fellowship 2010.

Fellowship presentense.org/magazine

Above: Jerusalem Fellows Didi Zilberman, Tess Lehrich, and Hava Salzman.

Photo by Sasson Tiram.

Below: The Fellowship includes skillbuilding sessions that teach core entrepreneurial skills and give fellows access to prominent Jewish figures in the local entrepreneurial community. Here, Boston fellows meet with Brad Bloom, Founder of Berkshire Partners and current Chair of CJP’s Board of Directors.

Photo by Nir Landau.

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BEHIND THE SCENES presentense fellowships at work

The Community Entrepreneur Partnership builds ventures that foster a local Jewish community of innovation. The Jerusalem Winter Fellowship trained nine innovative and passionate community leaders who have the qualities necessary to promote changes in Israeli society and the broader Jewish community.

Jerusalem Winter Fellow Tess Lehrich, founder of From Garbage to Garden.

Jerusalem Winter Fellow Mamaro Mandafro speaks about his initiative Fruits of Tomorrow at the Fellowship Boot Camp.

Jerusalem Institute Coordinator Brachie Sprung (left) and Jerusalem Steering Committee Members Nadav Lachman (center) and Flo Low (right) give fellows feedback about their pitches. Photos by Sasson Tiram.

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presentense.org/magazine Fellowship

Boston Fellow Jeff Kasowitz’s venture, Attar, runs a session on Wisdom and Worms: The Torah of Composting.

Boston CJP/PresenTense Fellowship Coordinator Elana Boehm (left) and Boston Fellow Tova Speter (right) discuss the importance of budgets at Richard Dale’s session on Budgeting for Social Ventures.

Photo by Jim Conviser.

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meet the Fellows

Tess Lehrich From Garbage to Garden

Tess is a New Jersey native. She moved to Israel in 2008 and volunteers much of her time supporting environmental projects across the country.

She has organized courses, workshops, and events to spread ecological knowledge and change ecological choices among the Israeli public.

Venture: “From Garbage to Garden” introduces food recycling and composting into mainstream urban society. Through education and community action, the organization will work to redefine garbage as a valuable resource with the potential to make a healthier planet and population.

yochai shavit SHAHAR

Yochai, a Jerusalem native, is currently a psychology student at Hebrew University.

From spending many hours with his ill grandfather, Yochai was exposed to the enormous psychological difficulties that afflict the elderly and was inspired to find ways to make their experiences in the later stages of life more fulfilling.

Venture: “Shahar” will connect social work students with the elderly, benefitting the students professionally and providing the elderly with necessary mental health care.

Mamaro Mandafro FRUITS OF TOMORROW

Mamaro made aliyah from Ethiopia six years ago. He is currently in Yeshiva and a communications and Bible studies student at Michlelet Lifshitz in Beit Shemesh.

Venture: The Beit Shemeshbased “Fruits of Tomorrow” (HaPerot Shel Mahar) will provide a social framework for Ethiopian youth to explore their Israeli identity while preserving tradition and a common language with the older generation.

DANIEL FIDLER OPEN DOORS

Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Daniel made aliyah with his family as a teenager. After recently completing four years of army service, Daniel has been working to launch “Open Doors.“ Venture: “Open Doors” will establish a network of hostels in Israel for volunteers from around the world which will provide information about volunteer opportunities and offer a base for visitors to stay while working.

Didi is a social activist who led a political fight against a major industrial zone in Be’er Sheva and directed the political movement Yerushalmim. She currently works for the nonprofit organization Machshavah Tovah.

Venture: “Eco-Tech – Ecology and Technology for the Community” aims to collect used computers for educational programs focused on helping at-risk youth. The program trains the teenagers to fix the computers, which are then donated for use in the community.

didi zilberman ECO-TECH

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Photos by Sasson Tiram

presentense.org/magazine Fellowship

Jerusalem Winter Fellowship 2010

The PresenTense Winter Fellowship was made possible in cooperation with our partners ROI, Ruach Hadasha, and Hitorrerut.

For more information about the program, visit www.presentensefellowship.org, or e-mail fellowship@ presentense.org.

ariel levinson GAL MOR Hava Salzman & Aliza Gershon GROWING TOGETHER

Hava has a degree in economics from New York University and a degree in literature from Hebrew University. She currently teaches graphic design at Hadassah College in Jerusalem. She also practices yoga.

Married with five children, Aliza is seventh generation Jerusalemite and an avid gardener. She manages the organization Tzav Pius, which advances mutual understanding between different segments of Israeli society.

Venture: “Growing Together” (Litzmoach B’yahad) aims to both improve the environment and create an opportunity to bring the entire Jerusalem community together. This community garden program will focus on strengthening the bond between participants and maintaining the gardens.

Fellowship presentense.org/magazine

INDIE TRAVELERS

Gal is a Jerusalem native who has spent extensive time in England, Canada, and Germany. He served in the Israeli artillery corps mediating between foreign forces stationed in Israel.

He has a degree in International relations and communications from Hebrew University. After three years in the Israeli foreign service, Gal returned to Israel in 2007 to establish a branch of a European travel company as franchise coordinator.

Venture: “Indie Travelers” is for independent tourists visiting Israel. The group of tourist centers will provide professional resources, events, tours, and opportunities to mingle with locals.

SECULAR YESHIVA

Ariel earned his bachelors degree in Hebrew literature and Jewish studies and a Masters in Hebrew studies at Hebrew University. He also founded the student newspaper, Dor Gimmel. Now married with one daughter, Ariel is currently teaching in schools and completing his dissertation for the Department of Hebrew Literature at Hebrew University.

Venture: Jerusalem houses many study centers; however, there is still no real option for young people who are looking for a secular Jewish learning space.

“The Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva” will provide young couples and army and university graduates with an educational framework that includes lodging, classes, and volunteering. issue eleven 2010

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engaging, leveraging, inspiring boston update

The Boston Fellows at Launch Night. Photo by Nir Landau.

One year ago, the CJP/PresenTense Boston Social Entrepreneur Fellowship was just an idea—a short-term program to train the next generation of Jewish leaders and to support and connect their ideas and passions.

Many people questioned whether we could find 12 young Jewish innovators in Boston—innovators who were willing to spend five months developing skills and networking with key community leaders in order to launch ventures that would change the landscape of Jewish Boston.

People also wondered whether we’d be able to identify and mobilize enough community volunteers to steer and implement the program. And many people questioned whether we could raise the money to finance this Fellowship and support the fellows’ ventures in this economic climate.

Today we have built a Fellowship that provides local young innovative leaders with the tools and networks they need to build sustainable ventures that engage the Boston Jewish community—while mobilizing hundreds of members of the community through the 12 ventures and the idea of innovation in the Boston Jewish community.

The inaugural CJP/PresenTense Fellowship features 12 exceptional Jewish young adults, selected from a pool of almost three times that number. The fellows have been championed along by a Steering Committee of 16 stand-out volunteers who have set the strategic direction of the program, and 25 impressive local entrepreneurs, executive directors, venture

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capitalists, and consultants who volunteered their time to mentor the fellows, teaching them important skills to ensure their success. Over the past five months, the fellows, their ventures, and the program at large have galvanized hundreds of people in Boston and beyond towards supporting innovation in the Boston Jewish community and the next generation of Jewish leaders and their ideas.

In the words of one of the most important members of the Boston Jewish community, Justice Louis Brandeis, “Most of the things worth doing in this world had been declared impossible before they were done.”

Our fellows are launching ventures that some may consider impossible.

Now equipped with the practical tools and large network of supporters and advocates they need, our fellows will succeed as change makers in the global Jewish community. I am pleased to present them to you in the next few pages.

I know that you will be impressed by the inaugural members of the CJP/PresenTense Boston Social Entrepreneur Fellowship. Let their passion for the Jewish community, commitment to making the world a better place, and excitement for learning be an inspiration for us all. PT ELANA BOEHM Boston Fellowship Coordinator presentense.org/magazine Fellowship

meet the fellows Young Jewish innovators on the cutting edge of creativity: informal educators and community organizers, nonprofit managers and environmental activists, programmers and artists, biotech visionaries and Israel advocates. These are the 2010 Boston CJP/PresenTense Fellows you will meet in the next few pages. Each brings a vision and a passion to solving social problems and building ventures that engage, leverage, and inspire the Boston Jewish community.

Fellows at a skillbuilding session Photo by Nir Landau

Inspiration to innovate:

Our community is polarized on the issue of Israel and this has turned off large numbers of young adults from getting involved in any kind of meaningful Israel programming. It is a shame because there are many people who truly support Israel but simply want honest answers to important questions. Project YALA will serve as a meeting place for all those who seek out moderate, rational voices that care about productive paths toward a two-state solution.

Most valuable thing learned from the CJP/ PresenTense community:

Photo by Lisa Seidel

Baillie Aaron Entrepreneurship 101 is an introductory class for incarcerated and court-involved youth and adults offering important tools to reduce recidivism and increase employment by teaching students how to start their own successful ventures.

Photo provided by David Cohen

David Cohen Project YALA is a young adult Israel travel experience and networking alliance that brings Americans, Israelis, and Palestinians together to build relationships and find common ground through education, outreach, and community activism.

The innovative spirit really can take flight with some focused momentum, some tools of the trade, and a relentless effort to reach out to other likeminded individuals.

Changes he hopes to see/effect in the next 10 years:

As a result of this work, I would like to see organizations in our community—spurred on by demands from young leaders—become more willing to allow a wide range of discussion around what is possible for Israel and a future Palestinian state.

Inspiration to innovate:

I saw an unmet need with tremendous social impact potential—and recognized that I could apply my skills and resources to fulfill that need in a creative way.

Where project will be in one year:

In one year, I expect that the Entrepreneurship 101 program will be offered to 1,000 courtinvolved youth and adults in Massachusetts and New York. In addition, we will provide youth with mentors and adults with business advisors in order to support our alumni during their transition back into their communities and beyond. We will be in the process of continuing our goal of expansion nationwide.

Fellowship presentense.org/magazine

Two Entrepreneurship 101 students at the South Middlesex Correctional Center talk after class Photo by Caitlin Cunningham www.caitlincunningham.com issue eleven 2010

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Howie Hecht, Ariel Beery, Jess Bloom At a Steering Committee meeting Photo by Jim Conviser

Photo by Lisa Seidel

Jonathon Feinberg

Photo by Jim Conviser

David Dobin WeDoTouch Jewish Education, a project of iDoTouch.com, provides mobile solutions to help members of the Jewish community communicate and learn from each other through apps developed for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

Inspiration to innovate:

My wife, Rachel, and my two sons, Alexander and Abraham, who have convinced me that anything is possible.

Big question he is struggling with right now:

How can I incorporate interesting, unique content and make it profitable for all contributors?

Where project will be in one year:

The WeDoTouch Education App for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch will have hundreds of lessons available for download, constantly fresh content, and a large base of returning users and content providers.

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The Jewish Climate Action Network (JCAN) provides alternative Jewish experiences through environmental action and learning. By engaging disconnected Jewish youth from within an area of their own interest, JCAN aims to create a wave of connected Jewish youth working towards a sustainable future for the Jewish people and the world.

Photo provided by Jacob Fine

Jacob Fine

Inspiration to innovate:

Who he identifies with in Jewish history:

After several years of attending meetings and protests for environmental and social justice issues, I noticed multiple Christian groups were in attendance, but not a single Jewish group was to be found. This upset me, knowing that the Jewish people have deep ties to these causes. Furthermore, young Jews feel increasingly alienated from the mainstream Jewish community, much as I did. I want to show these young people an aspect of Judaism that is often ignored and in doing so strengthen their ties to their heritage and to their planet.

I identify with A.D. Gordon’s conviction that Jews need to “return to nature” in order to fully experience everything Jewish life has to offer. I similarly share his passion for the value of working with our hands and bodies and the importance of not only being intellectual creatures.

People he has met at CJP/PresenTense who have made the biggest impact on his project:

My mentor, Michael Bohnen, has been unbelievably supportive. His thoughts, ideas, and connections have provided me with new directions and insights to help my venture grow.

And none of this would be possible without the dedicated efforts of Elana Boehm and the steering committee.

What he hopes to see change in Boston in the next 10 years:

I hope Boston’s Jews will more meaningfully connect to Jewish life by experiencing Judaism’s agricultural roots. I hope that they become increasingly connected to their local food system, resulting in healthier eating choices in Jewish institutions, at lifecycle celebrations, and at home. I hope that they will understand environmental stewardship, ecological sustainability, and the pursuit of social justice as essential, authentic features of Jewish life, and be inspired to make lasting commitments in these realms.

presentense.org/magazine Fellowship

At the Hebrew Play Kickoff March 21, 71 people came out to celebrate Hebrew with their young children.

Photo by Michael Goldstein

Michael Goldstein Hebrew Play aims to make Hebrew an integral part of the American Jewish identity by inspiring young children and their families to use Hebrew when they play together.

Photo by Lisa Seidel

play games in Hebrew. More than a dozen partners—including preschools, day schools, and vendors—will have a stake in the organization’s continued success.

Where project will be in one year:

Changes he hopes to see/effect in the next 10 years:

The website hebrewplay.org will have 500 members who will connect with each other, share tips, and access great ideas to use Hebrew at home. Parents will form five playgroups throughout Greater Boston, where together they will sing songs, read books, and

My hope is that in 10 years Hebrew learning will become an extracurricular activity of choice among American Jews. Through old-fashioned community organizing and the latest in technological advances, we will get there.

Jenny Gomeringer The Mosaic Art Institute of Natick (MAION) was founded in 2009 to build strong community identity through public mosaic art. Partnering with individuals, towns, schools, local businesses, and large corporations, it creates shared community art that expresses respect, understanding, and pride of environment.

Inspiration to innovate:

Photo by Lisa Seidel

Fellowship presentense.org/magazine

I was inspired by the opportunity to help regenerate connected community at the local level. My vision is that public mosaic art will bring forth the shared community values of respect, understanding, and pride of en-

vironment. I want to exemplify the highest standards of artistic excellence and the Jewish values of pluralism, respect, and tikkun olam.

Changes she hopes to see/effect in the next 10 years:

Art inspires conversation, imagination, and the ability to see things in a new light. By creating large community art projects, we will be teaching fundamental community and philanthropic values such as engagement, problem-solving, giving back, cooperation, group dynamics, and business management, with an emphasis on the importance of working together toward a common goal. issue eleven 2010

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Photo by Jim Conviser

Text learning and composting at Wisdom and Worms: The Torah of Composting, an Attar event April 25.

Photos by Jeff Kasowitz

Alexis Nissenbaum Challenges in the field:

For the Jewish community to model what it means to live sustainably, all of us will have to shift behaviors and routines that have become comfortable. We’ve begun to move in this direction, but we need to accelerate this momentum by providing tools that are connected to our tradition and opportunities to develop hands-on skills that we can bring into our daily lives.

Photo by Jim Conviser

Jeff Kasowitz Attar is a spiritually-grounded, community-based approach to sustainability that engages the Jewish community in reimagining the world we want to live in.

By combining text study, innovative ritual practice, and sustainable living skill development, our programs inspire and give us the skills to shift our behaviors toward more sustainable practices in a way that is hopeful and enduring.

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Most valuable thing learned from the CJP/ PresenTense community:

The fellowship has given me structure and time to refine my ideas as well as connections to people willing to provide feedback and advice on how best to move my venture forward.

Changes he hopes to see/effect in the next 10 years:

The Boston Jewish community will be a model for building and sharing skills of sustainable living through a framework of text-based learning and reimagined ritual.

Yenta Travel will provide the necessary information to Jewish travelers who would like to connect with the Jewish community wherever they are traveling.

Most valuable thing learned from the CJP/ PresenTense community:

I learned how to turn an idea into an actual product. There was a steep learning curve in taking the step from identifying a problem to developing the skills and confidence to actually solve that problem. The effort, assistance, and concrete tools that CJP/PresenTense provided to help us launch our ventures made me aware of the true passion that the leaders in the Boston Jewish community have for supporting new and innovative programs.

Vision for the future of CJP/PresenTense:

I would like to see an alumni portion of the fellowship, where previous fellows could make themselves available for consultation and mentorship. In addition, I think it would be beneficial if the program ran for a longer period of time to allow the fellows to more fully develop their plans before the launch. presentense.org/magazine Fellowship

Brad Bloom At a skillbuilding session with Brad Bloom, Chair of CJP’s Board of Directors, on Teambuilding & Coordination.

Photo by Nir Landau

Photo by Jim Conviser

Tova Speter Photo by Jim Conviser

Shira Shazeer Photo by Jim Conviser

Jonathan Shapira BioIL is a program to connect life-sciences entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers to facilitate the exchange of capital, talent, and technology between Boston and Israel.

People he has met at CJP/PresenTense who have made the biggest impact on his project:

Andrew Becker, my coach, and Scott Yaphe, my mentor, have both been incredibly supportive, and their advice and suggestions are key to the success of BioIL. Where project will be in one year:

BioIL will be organizing regular events and programs to accelerate the exchange of capital, talent, and technology between Boston and Israel.

Changes he hopes to see/effect in the next 10 years:

Bostonians will increasingly think of Israel as a place where cutting-edge technologies are being developed that are of economic and social benefit to Boston and the world.

Fellowship presentense.org/magazine

The Jewish Birth Network aims to connect soon-to-be and new parents with the resources, skills, and community they need to make good choices for their families in the realms of health care, parenting, and Jewish practice.

Most valuable thing she’s learned from the CJP/PresenTense community:

I’ve been learning that I don’t need to wait for perfection in one area to start working on another area or to start talking about what I’m doing. Building relationships has helped me refine some elements of my venture and allowed others to be involved in the venture’s development.

Changes she hopes to see/effect in the next 10 years:

I’d like to see more confident, engaged, and informed young families making choices, including Jewish choices, in ways that work for them. Children will see Judaism as an integral and meaningful part of their lives because it has been there from even before day one, and because their parents have found ways to practice Judaism that feel meaningful and authentic. More women telling their friends and relatives positive, empowering birth stories will change the overall attitude toward birth for the better.

The MEM Project works with Jewish young adults interested in exploring their identity and spirituality through Jewish art workshops. The shared mural experience provides them with an opportunity to connect with and give voice to underserved populations in an innovative model of community partnership.

Challenges in the field:

Unfortunately, our society tends to view art as an “elective” rather than a necessity. People are often intimidated when asked to explore their artistic talents, funds have not been easily accessible, and artistic endeavors are not always recognized as providing value that can change lives. Breaking these stereotypes and inviting people to engage in the creative process and discover hidden talents are challenges I am happy to take on.

Where project will be in one year:

The MEM Project will have reached out to a wide audience of Jewish young adults and engaged them in actively exploring their Jewish identity through art. In turn, these Jewish young adults will have participated in leadership roles to bring more art into their neighborhoods through community mural projects.

Participants from the Jewish community and from under-served communities will have been able to proudly say “I did that” and point to a lasting visual representation of their creative efforts. issue eleven 2010

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MENTOR Talk

advice and vision from leaders in the field

Mentors are a core island of stability in the fellows’ experience, meeting with fellows approximately once a month to serve as role models and provide practical advice and wisdom.

Ronit Ziv-Kreger

Educator and Consultant Tell us about your background.

My academic training is in management sciences from MIT’s Sloan School where I focused on the connection between motivation and identity. While I enjoy the rigorous theoretical modeling, I also love to dance, hike, tell stories, and be creative. Working in education allows me to apply concepts in motivation and identity, be playful and creative with meaningful content, and build bridges between people and among disciplines. One of my favorite projects was working in Israel, serving as founding director of a program in 50 middle schools and high schools that supports religious, secular, Arab, and Jewish students to create their own environmental solutions and present them at an annual professional conference of the Israel Ecological Society.

In Israel, I also graduated from the Pardes Educators’ Program and have been serving as consultant and educator in the Boston area since—working in schools, synagogues, and teaching adults through Ikkarim, Me’ah and at the Isabella Freedman retreat center.

What are you most passionate about? What do you really love doing?

I love weaving content from traditional Jewish texts into contemporary issues for different populations, including parents of young children, young adults, businesspeople, and families. I am passionate about creating a welcoming space for people with different Jewish backgrounds to learn together. I am also passionate about a variety of issues, such as food, leadership, parenting, and interpersonal communication.

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

I am proud of the transcendent moments that

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I help catalyze in my classes—when there is an insight, an “aha” moment, a new connection being made that deeply touches people. Such moments foster a deepening of appreciation for the wisdom of our tradition and its relevance to people’s lives. What I share—and people often perceive—is my ability to connect with their wrestling with our tradition. I show them that they are not alone in that wrestling, and often that there are voices within the tradition that have been dealing with similar difficulties for centuries. I am proud of my successes in making connections for people through bringing the wisdom of the tradition to shed light on important issues they have in their own lives. Many are left surprised to find that ancient texts offer fresh insights.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned along the way that you would like to share with budding social entrepreneurs?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that we should aspire to do work that comes from the heart that is so connected to who one is that it’s hard to distinguish between the dance and the dancer. With that, people sometimes get really

excited about an idea, and start implementing it only based on what resonates for them and their immediate circle of acquaintances. But this can be a liability if entrepreneurs assume that others will think as they do and will have similar needs. Instead, social entrepreneurs today should work to understand different segments of the population, and then design a program or service which both comes from their heart and is based on our community’s needs.

What is your vision or hope for the Boston Jewish community in the future?

My vision is that the different segments of the community—Orthodox, Reform, and so on—will understand that they have wonderful things to learn and teach one another. I wish the community to be a learning community that increasingly accesses the wisdom of the tradition, in diverse ways, with people gaining value that is relevant to their daily lives.

I believe that we each have personal Torah wisdom to teach each other and that much of our work is dependent on our ability to grow an appreciation of klal Israel—the whole of Israel. presentense.org/magazine Fellowship

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jamie david and andrew becker anywhere. Overcoming unexpected obstacles often opens up more opportunities and can lead to something better than you originally planned: a better business, a better job, etc.

This is true in life as much as it is in business.

I try and always ask questions about how we think a new venture will proceed, and then look at the possible obstacles so that we can try to foresee as much as possible. Obviously, you can’t foresee everything. However, taking this approach takes away the emotional part of dealing with changes. You don’t get as upset by them.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Life is random, no matter how much you try to plan. Whatever business plan you write, the venture will likely end up looking different.

This isn’t a problem and it certainly isn’t a weakness. Is that advice I wish I’d given to myself 10 or 20 years ago? Absolutely. The key is not to look backwards but to move on.

What is your vision or hope for Boston and its community of social entrepreneurs in the future?

Budgeting for Social Ventures with Richard Dale. Photo by Jim Conviser.

Scott Yaphe

General Partner, ABS Ventures

involved in helping other social entrepreneurs before, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in a Jewish context.

What are you most passionate about?

Tell us about your background.

I grew up in Montreal and moved to the United States in the 1990s. It’s not totally different, but there are cultural differences from the Frenchspeaking city of Montreal with its European cultural focus. Having this international background has helped me think about things in a more global context. That was one of the things that drew me to PresenTense, with its global origins in Israel. Social needs extend beyond Israel—there are needs around the world, and social entrepreneurship extends beyond anyone’s geographic borders.

What is unique about CJP/PresenTense?

It’s impressive to see people who are doing things outside of the norm of business to build and grow new organizations. There are many resources available for people starting for-profit businesses in the mainstream, but that’s not the case for entrepreneurs in the nonprofit world. I’ve been Fellowship presentense.org/magazine

Most of my career has been spent making investments in small, rapidly growing companies, helping entrepreneurs who have a vision to achieve success. It’s fun to help a group of impressive people with limited resources to build a business that is profitable. From this, it was a short leap to move to working with CJP/ PresenTense to build organizations of value.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned along the way that you would like to share with budding social entrepreneurs?

It never ceases to amaze me that things rarely go as you expect with new ventures. You start off going in one direction, but there are always twists and turns along the way. This can be scary, especially when something unexpected smacks you in the face. But there is an old adage that’s helpful to remember: if you’re on a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead

Boston is in a unique position because it’s filled with smart people, numerous universities, and an active investment community full of businesspeople who are used to investing in risky endeavors. So the DNA is in place to support social entrepreneurs. To me, the social entrepreneur moniker is a bit of a misnomer because it implies that social entrepreneurs are different from other types of entrepreneurs. That’s not really true. While social entrepreneurs don’t have the goal of making a profit, they face the same challenges in growing their organizations as entrepreneurs who are running for-profit ventures. In Boston, there is a ready community of investors, and there is no reason why Boston shouldn’t be a global center for these types of ventures. The CJP/PresenTense program is a great example of what can be achieved. PT Andrew Becker, member of the Boston Fellowship Steering Committee, has been volunteering within the Boston Jewish community for 10 years.

Jamie David was a fellow at PTI ‘08 in Jerusalem and started the nonprofit Shomer Achi. She serves on the Boston Fellowship Steering Committee. issue eleven 2010

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Heroes in Haiti A rts & C u lt u re

israelis go global to save lives

O

n Jan. 12, Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake, measuring above 7.0 on the Richter scale. Not long after, Israel dispatched 250 Israeli doctors, nurses, and rescue workers, who quickly established a fully-equipped mobile hospital in a soccer field and began saving lives.

StandWithUs, the international, nonprofit Israel education organization where I am an executive assistant, sent photojournalist Joe Shalmoni to Port-au-Prince to help and to record their work. The photos appeared on the BBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox, and in the Washington Post, and were exhibited at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

The images depict the Israelis struggling against overwhelming circumstances to save lives. As Shalmoni described it, “The city was in ruins, permeated by suffering and death, noxious diesel fumes, guns, and desperate people. The Israeli team brought a ray of hope to a place in terrible pain.”

He documented the high-quality work of one of the hospitals: the intense rescue efforts, the intricate operations, the births of children, the neo-natal clinic, and the imaging tables.

He photographed Haitian rescue workers

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maya rozov

bringing the injured and ill to the Israeli Defense Forces hospital in trucks and wheelbarrows. Shalmoni also photographed the day the Israeli team built a water cistern at Mais Gate and danced and sang with the villagers, creating balloons from rubber gloves and drawing faces on them for children.

Charlotte Korchak, 22, StandWithUs West Coast coordinator, said, “It’s amazing that a country the size of Israel that has been struggling to maintain its existence since its

The photos tell not just of Jewish heroes, but of Haitian ones as well. One Haitian man lost all five family members to the earthquake yet found the strength to join the Israeli medical team to help it save other lives.

Shalmoni said, “This was a profoundly life-changing event for all those involved.

What happened in the days of January 2010 will remain etched into all of our minds as a testament to the best humanity has to offer in times of extreme crisis. We were given

“The city was in ruins, permeated by suffering and death, noxious diesel fumes, guns, and desperate people. The Israeli team brought a ray of hope to a place in terrible pain.” founding 62 years ago manages to nurture heroes who drop everything at a moment’s notice and fly to unknown places under terrible conditions to help people in trauma. Going through the exhibition, I was awed not only by these selfless individuals but by Israel’s technological prowess to produce a mobile hospital that overnight became the premiere facility in Haiti saving lives.”

the privilege of being there. I often think I received more from the Haitian people than I gave.” PT Maya Rozov, 22, is a StandWithUs executive assistant and graduate of University of California-Irvine.

StandWithUs event exhibiting Joe Shalmoni’s photos at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

Photos provided by StandWithUs.

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presentense.org/magazine Arts & Culture

TANKED lebanon at war

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saul sudin

L

ebanon—the powerful and moving Israeli film that won the Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival—takes place during the opening 24 hours of Israel’s 1982 war with Lebanon. Writer-director Samuel Maoz drew on his own experiences as a veteran of that war, and has challenged audiences with a story which walks a path of good and evil on the ground floor of war. The film opens with a calm blue sky set against countless rows of sunflowers blowing daintily in the wind. The solitary shot lasts a long time, but once it’s gone you need to keep this serenity in mind, as you are dropped inside the cramped, sweaty, and dank Israeli tank for the remainder of the film. Like the submarine film Das Boot, the closed quarters contribute to a sense of overall dread and tension, bringing you to the edge of your seat.

Through the eyes of Shmulik, the inexperienced gunner and one of four men who pilot the tank, we view the outside world only in limited bursts. Acting as the tank’s periscope, the camera is always used in a point-of-view fashion whenever the outside world is seen. Whatever Shmulik witnesses, however the tank bounces and rumbles, the camera is inside looking out. Director Maoz uses this visual trick to bring attention to what we observe, for good or bad. Seeing what was there one minute, cutting away back into the tank, and then looking out again strikes a stark “before and after” that resonates strongly. Images such as a paratrooper bleeding to death, or a woman wandering through the wreckage that was once her home, remain burned into your mind. Director of Photography Giora Bejach does an excellent job of setting two distinct tones, one for the murky world inside the tank, and one of the external chaos that escalates at each turn.

As the mission progresses, the pressures of war begin to penetrate the tank both metaphorically and physically. The film makes you question exactly what is going on and why, because there is no context given for this war beyond the often graphic violence, and in one case, stark nudity. Syrian and Lebanese fighters are seen as ruthless, and the Arab-Christian Soldiers of Fortune who are ostensibly helping the Israelis appear just as twisted. Commanders in the Israeli army are flawed and faceless, barking orders over the radio which send their troops further into harm’s way. Only the Israeli soldiers themselves, the individual men who are swept into circumstances beyond their control, are painted as compassionate and human. Like the recent Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker, the war at large is not as important as the individual soldier, putting the audience in the soldier’s position, through the ringer of anxiety with which they live or die. The tank, a heavily fortified but not impenetrable shell surrounding the soldiers, is a metaphor for Israel itself. But the tank, like Israel, keeps moving forward no matter what happens, hoping to return to moments of clear blue sky and sunflowers.

Lebanon is being released by Sony Pictures Classics in the US on August 6, 2010 and is rated R. PT

The closed quarters contribute to a sense of overall dread and tension, bringing you to the edge of your seat.

Saul Sudin is a filmmaker and critic who resides in Brooklyn, New York.

You can learn more about him at SaulSudin.Weebly.com and PunkJews. com.

Israeli Merkava battle tanks.

Photo by MathKnight, Wikimedia Commons Arts & Culture presentense.org/magazine

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Kick Tuchas

real life superheroes in action

G

iven the chance to choose my own superhero nickname, I’d pick something like “Super Jew,” or simply “The Rabbi.” Imagine “The Thing,” but with a kippah.

“Comic Book Rabbi” is a humble nickname I came by honestly, after writing Up Up and Oy Vey: How Jewish History, Culture and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero. Yet sometimes I fantasize about doing more than just writing and talking about superheroes.

Like millions of ordinary people, I wonder what it would be like to pull on Spandex and hit the mean streets to kick some villainous tuchas.

No wonder the new movie Kick-Ass is getting so much buzz. The film, based on the 2008 graphic novel by Mark Millar, tells the story of teenage dweeb Dave Lizewski, who sets out to become a real-life superhero.

Like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and the other members of the tribe who created “Golden Age” superheroes like Superman, Dave Lizewski is a bit of a nerd, invisible to girls and the “cool” kids. So he creates his own superhero costume, dubs himself “Kick-Ass,” and searches out bad guys to beat up.

He quickly learns that it takes more than just a costume to be a superhero. After failing at his first attempt to fight crime, Dave discovers that, unlike the fights he’s seen in the movies and read about in comic books, real fisticuffs can actually be pretty painful.

But fame is not far off for Dave. After bystanders with cell phones record him in action, Dave/Kick-Ass becomes an Internet phenomenon that inspires a whole legion of copycat costumed crime fighters. Meanwhile, Dave sets up a Kick-Ass website and is soon overwhelmed by requests for help from total strangers.

Before you dismiss Kick-Ass as ridiculous fiction, consider my (real-life) friend, former yeshiva student turned crime-fighter, Chaim Lazaros. A bit like Spiderman’s Peter Parker, Lazaros is a student at Columbia University by day and a superhero by night, going by the name of “Life” (the Hebrew translation of his name). Dressed all in black—complete with an eye patch—Lazaros goes out looking for trouble on the streets of New York. But it’s not what you think: He’s dedicated to helping out the sick and the homeless.

Lazaros is the co-founder of Superheroes Anonymous, men and women dedicated to

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simcha weinstein

Chaim Lazaros as the real-life superhero Life presents at the first Superheroes Anonymous Meeting for the Uninitiated Photo by Kelly Kollar

performing good deeds without self-aggrandizement or remuneration. They take it upon themselves to clean litter off the streets or hand out crime prevention literature.

Believe it or not, Lazaros is just one of a surprising number of people all over the world living out the Kick-Ass fantasy.

The mission statement of another group, Real Life Superheroes (www.RealLifeSuperHeroes.org), declares, “Our main objective is to inspire others. We hope through our actions we can inspire others to go out and do good, help others, and stand up for what they believe in. There is a hero in everyone and we need to bring it out to help make this world a little more super.”

Their group includes a 61-year-old man who calls himself “Thanatos.” In the wee hours of the morning, Thanatos visits the roughest area of the city, tending to the addicts and prostitutes he finds there. “Offering comfort and necessary supplies,” his online biography explains, he leaves each person he serves with a card simply stamped, “FRIEND.” Lazaros, Thanatos, and their partners in crime-fighting feel more empowered to help others when they put on a literal mask. It seems bizarre, but if you think about it, we all wear masks. We hide behind forced smiles, make-up, or even Botox. Sometimes we “try on” a new personality, especially when we’re

young and just learning about ourselves and the world. In fact, the word “personality” comes from “persona,” the Latin word meaning “mask.” We might have one “persona” at work, another around friends, and yet another around members of the opposite sex we’re trying to impress. Sometimes we forsake our real selves in acting out an archetype we think society wants us to portray.

Paradoxically, putting on the literal mask of the superhero lets real-life superheroes throw off the shackles of society’s expectations and pursue more noble, transcendent pursuits.

However, as Spider-Man says in the rueful, resigned tone that suggests he’d rather be an ordinary mortal, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Whether or not we don the mask of a superhero, we all have responsibilities. We can’t hang them up like a cape when we’re too tired to deal with them. The secret is to stop thinking we either have to be a superhero or a nobody. Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is just be ourselves. PT Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known, best-selling author.

He chairs the Religious Affairs Committee at the renowned New York art school, Pratt Institute. His latest book, Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st Century, is out now. presentense.org/magazine Arts & Culture

Just Vengeance? kick-ass motivations

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arieh s. rosenblum

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n the movie Kick-Ass, the eponymous hero’s alter ego, Dave Lizewski, laments the fact that no one is prepared to stand up to injustice. If someone does, of course, he gets his ass kicked. Director Matthew Vaughn crafts the movie in a manner that reveals and explores the stark contrast that exists between characters in their motivations and effectiveness. Dave (Aaron Johnson) channels his outrage at the casual cruelties of petty crime into a crusade against the perpetrators, one of limited success but, thanks to YouTube, of immense popularity. In contrast, father-daughter team Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and HitGirl (Chloe Moretz) are more ruthless, better trained, much better armed, and incredibly motivated crime fighters. The duo’s motivation goes well beyond justice. They are motivated by revenge for a life taken and a childhood lost. When at last their pursuit is fulfilled, the cost begs the question: Was it worth it?

Rooted in fantasy, Kick-Ass nevertheless has compelling parallels to the realities of Jewish history. While our history is replete with instances of powerlessness in the face of violence—from the crusades to the blood libels, from the Inquisition to the Chmielnicki pogroms—Jews have also had occasion to explore the balance between justice and vengeance. For Jews in the waning shadow of the Holocaust, the two became almost

An Israeli soldier.

Photo by Brian Goldfarb.

strated its fealty to justice as well. Yet these pursuits never sat comfortably with the rest of the world. Argentina even sanctioned Israel after Eichmann’s capture, and Nazi hunters never enjoyed much cooperation from postwar governments.

In our generation, saturated with violent imagery on the one hand and the promise of quick solutions in hourlong courtroom dramas on the other, popular culture offers up no easy choice between vengeance and justice.

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds laid out a revenge fantasy of Hollywood proportions. Steven Spielberg’s Munich asked uncomfortable questions about where justice stops and vengeance begins.

It is not only on television and movie screens that our motivations and those of our heroes are questioned. In real life, the soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are accused daily of ignoring justice and perpetrating injustice. There are even some who claim that Israel, and by extension the IDF, is motivated by a revenge fantasy (Haim Baram, New Statesman, January 2009). Terrorist attacks—such as the killing of five members of the Schijveschuurder family in the Sbarro bombing in Jerusalem in August 2001, or the shooting of the pregnant Tali Hatuel and her four daughters

They are motivated by revenge for a life taken and a childhood lost. When at last their pursuit is fulfilled, the cost begs the question: Was it worth it? synonymous. In the post-war era, a quiet few went about vengeance against the Nazis (chronicled in Michael Elkins’ book, Forged in Fury). Others felt the best revenge was to build their strength, their shattered families, and most importantly, a Jewish homeland, one that would be so strong that no threat could overcome it. Echoed in the wilful blindness to injustice Dave Lizewski encounters all around him is the determination of a forgetful world to rebuild after the horrors of World War II: a world which lost its appetite for justice shortly after the Nuremberg trials convicted most of the remaining leadership of Nazi Germany.

Simon Wiesenthal and Beatte Klarsfeld never despaired of their goals; in capturing, trying, and hanging Adolf Eichmann, Israel demonArts & Culture presentense.org/magazine

in May 2004—may cause some to feel anger, even rage. Nevertheless, Israeli soldiers operate under the code of tohar haneshek, or purity of arms, which states, “The soldier shall make use of his weaponry and power only for the fulfillment of the mission and solely to the extent required.”

The Torah teaches “tzedek, tzedek tirdof”—“Justice, righteousness thou shalt pursue.” Even though one may feel like lashing out, we are commanded to perform the difficult task of chasing down justice and righteousness, while leaving vengeance to God. At the end of Kick-Ass, it becomes clear that Hit Girl and Kick-Ass need each other to eliminate the evil criminal mastermind plaguing the city. They work together. Each finds a way to redeem himself or herself, overcome ridiculous odds, and finally put the past to rest. Justice and revenge coexist, albeit uncomfortably.

Justice can sometimes be as grim as vengeance.

In the long run, though, it is far more effective. PT Arieh S. Rosenblum is the COO of a Toronto-based outreach and education organization. He speaks frequently through the Hasbara Fellowships and ICC speakers bureau on contemporary issues including Israel, Zionism, anti-Semitism, and culture. issue eleven 2010

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FROM THE EDGE OF THE ABYSS heroes of jewish legend and lore Howard Schwartz, Leaves from the Garden of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Folktales.

New York: Oxford UP, 2008. 544 pp.

I

n perhaps the finest theatrical catharsis of all time, Quentin Tarantino’s film Inglourious Basterds portrays a cinema packed with Nazi officials which bursts into the flames of a holocaust—killing all, including der Führer himself. As victims clamor at the locked doors, a disembodied voice declares, “My name is Shoshana Dreyfus, and this is the face of Jewish vengeance.”

This scene captures the Jewish spirit of hyperbolizing history, showing how a hero can employ careful calculations and steadfast faith to outfox the enemy. The result is a radical triumph of good over evil, a positive return on faith in God, and the hero’s immortalized name. Tarantino may not have thought of the biblical story of Esther when crafting his film.

Yet like Esther, Shoshana Dreyfus is a quietly powerful woman who reverses a decree against her people. Both stories end with a blood bath in which the Jews slaughter everyone involved in the murder plots. In this upside-down version of reality, the audience experiences a dramatic relief of emotional tension. For a

The result is a radical triumph of good over evil, a positive return on faith in God, and the hero’s immortalized name. moment, one can experience history taking another course.

While Jewish historical existence continually approaches the edge of the abyss, Jewish literature—and more recently, film—responds with legendary figures who heroically pull it back. Characters like Queen Esther and Shoshana Dreyfus fall into a long line of Jewish legendary heroes whose main characteristic is the conscious awareness of Rabbi Hillel’s questions: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” and “If not now, when?” The hero

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emily keeler

Aryeh Rubin, Jewish Sages of Today: Profiles of Extraordinary People.

New York: Devora Publishing, 2009.

264 pp.

usually does not save just one person, but rather steers the entirety of Jewish existence away from destruction.

Heroism in Jewish legend does not discriminate by gender or age, but it frequently employs its archetypical defender of truth and goodness: the rabbi sage. The sage is the transmitter of tradition and is the arbiter between humans and God. When catastrophe seems imminent, notorious sages like Elijah, Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague, and the Ba’al Shem Tov intercede heroically. Their powers include the abilities to teleport, exorcize demons, reverse decrees, acquire critical information from birds, and pronounce God’s secret four-letter name that is typically forbidden to utter. Every story ends with peace for the Jews and often a hyperbolic claim that the Jews will remain safe for ever after.

Cathartic tales of miraculous salvation are accompanied by a suspension of disbelief and consequent emotional relief. One poignant example, told by Howard Schwartz in Leaves from the Garden of Eden, depicts Rabbi Simeon ben Tsemah Duran and his artistic son, Solomon. At the height of the Spanish Inquisition, the rabbi, his son, and a group of faithful Jewish men stay in Spain in order to save as many Jews as possible. The men wind up in prison awaiting execution during Rosh Hashanah. While the men pray fervently, young Solomon draws a true-to-life ship on the cell wall with each prisoner aboard. Just as the guard comes to take them to their deaths, the rabbi pronounces God’s secret name. At that moment, all are magically transported onto Solomon’s ship, sailing toward safety. The reader can momentarily believe that such acts of salvation are possible for Jews in peril.

The hero’s righteousness and devotion to the Jewish people motivate heavenly response.

Schwartz tells a 17th-century Kurdish tale of “Rabbi” Asenath, a rabbi’s daughter who receives advice from her deceased father through

dreams. Following a message, Asenath embarks on a perilous trip to celebrate Rosh Chodesh (the first day of the month) with the women of another town. She directs the women outdoors, despite the danger of attack when observing Jewish rituals outside the synagogue.

Asenath’s inspired decision foils the plans of the ill-wishing locals who set fire to the synagogue that night. She then uses her holy power to conjure angels from on high to extinguish the flames with their wings. Miraculously, not a single letter of the Torah scrolls was burnt and the enemies “dared not harm the hair of a single Jew” again.

The common heroic denominator is not necessarily wisdom or authority, but rather a dedication to the survival of the Jewish people and the call to duty when Jews are in danger.

World Jewry today is arguably better off than the communities that produced these fantastic tales in times past. Yet Judaism continues

Their powers include the ability to teleport, exorcize demons, reverse decrees, acquire critical information from birds, and pronounce God’s secret four-letter name. to desperately need sages and heroes, who are inspired by the real and imagined heroes who stood up to Judaism’s darkest hours. In his 2009 book, Jewish Sages of Today, Aryeh Rubin profiles 27 modern-day “sages,” whom he refers to as heroes, and who follow their callings in order to propagate Judaism and shield the community from the latest danger: apathy.

He writes, “Although they exist, we don’t celebrate our heroes—sages who are accomplishing much that is noteworthy, living exemplary lives, espousing Jewish values, and who are willing to share their wisdom.”

May the heroes—on page, screen, and in real life—continue the dream of keeping Jews safe and prosperous in all lands, under all rulers, so that no enemy dare harm them, forever and ever. PT Emily Keeler holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and has studied and worked with the folklore department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. presentense.org/magazine Arts & Culture

Popeye’s Gem spinach as culinary hero

>> melissa meyers Keftes de espinaca 1 lb (.5 kg) ground meat 1 lb. (.5 kg) frozen whole-leaf spinach, defrosted 1 medium onion, finely diced 2 eggs 1/2 c. bread crumbs (or matzah meal) Salt & pepper to taste Olive Oil for frying

Frying up some Keftes de Espinaca.

Photos by Deborah Fishman.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Once thoroughly mixed, form 3 - 4 inch patties.

Brown patties in olive oil, flipping when crispy on the edges. Lay on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Best served with fresh squeezed lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. For a healthier alternative, bake on a greased cooking sheet at 350ºF/175ºC for 25 min. or until the edges get crispy.

Makes 10 - 12 patties.

E

ver wonder why Popeye had such a passion for spinach? Back in the 1930s, the US government tapped spinach as a lowcost, iron-rich alternative to meat and sought a way to broadcast the concept to the masses.

When approached, Popeye’s creator E.C. Segar agreed to reveal the verdant victor as the secret to Popeye’s muscle-amassing powers. As it turns out, Popeye wasn’t the first hero to sing the leafy green’s praises. Back in the 12th century, the Rambam encouraged the young to drink a broth of spinach, olive oil, and brine as part of a healthy regimen (Sefer HaMadda, Chapter 4).

A long-time lover of spinach, I decided to check out what made these supermen swoon. Spinach is a powerhouse of vitamins A, C, E, and beta carotene. It’s good for your eyes, bones, fighting the aging process, and, of course, muscle-building. In an ironic twist, spinach is not as power-packed as once thought. In 1870, Dr. E. von Wolf misplaced a decimal when calculating the iron content of spinach, publishing that it contained 10 times more iron than it actually does. Oops! The error was discovered in the 1930s, around the time Popeye professed his love for the green, but wasn’t widely known until the 1980s.

Arts & Culture presentense.org/magazine

Whether it’s canned or fresh, there are infinite ways to enjoy spinach. To get the inside scoop, I asked some of PresenTense’s readers their favorite ways to eat the power vegetable. New Yorker Yashi Kraus, 29, isn’t bothered by the century-old blunder. This self-professed spinach fan is known to “eat baby spinach leaves straight from the bag like some people eat potato chips!” Sweet spinach salads with fruits and nuts got votes for the “leafy, fruity, crunchy combination” from recent immigrant to Israel (oleh) Jonathan Maron, 25, and PresenTense staffer Naomi Fein. Fein, 25, has been ringing in Rosh Hashanah with this salad for years, and she’s not alone. According to Sephardi custom, a mini-seder of symbolic foods and accompanying blessings is held at the start of the New Year’s meal. One common bracha blesses the Jewish People with the removal of our enemies (yistalku sonenu), a play on the word selek, meaning beets in modern Hebrew.

But, as Rashi explains in Brachot 38b, water cooked with silka (the Aramaic variant of selek) is akin to water cooked with teredin, or spin-

ach (tered) in modern Hebrew. Because of this word play, some families use spinach to pack the power punch of this blessing.

Next time Bluto is in hot pursuit, I’m going to cook up some keftes des espinaca (spinach burgers) to send him on his way. These

In the 12th century, the Rambam encouraged the young to drink a broth of spinach, olive oil, and brine as part of a healthy regimen. traditional patties are well-known amongst Jews of Turkish and Greek origin. I was first introduced to them in my Nonna’s kitchen (that’s a Ladino savta), and they are another reason that I have such a soft spot in my heart for spinach. With their 50-50 spinach-to-meat ratio, they are a healthier alternative to conventional burgers. Like many Sephardi dishes, they go well with rice cooked in tomato sauce.

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Melissa Meyers loves food and tweeting about it. Her heroes are Paul Farmer, Rambam, and Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef). For more culinary exploits, follow her at melrmeyers. issue eleven 2010

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Chari Pere is a native New Yorker and former MAD Magazine intern who graduated valedictorian from the School of Visual Arts in 2007 with a B.F.A. in cartooning. Winner of the 2008 Jerusalem Post New Cartoonist Contest and featured in The Jewish Week’s 2009 “36 Under 36” list, Chari is a 2008 PresenTense Fellow and is one of the youngest current members of the National Cartoonists Society.

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