The Jewish News - April 2012 by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Israel and the World FEDERATION NEWS

Serving our community for over 40 Years! Published by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee www.jfedsrq.org

April 2012 - Nisan/Iyar 5772

Happy Passover INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

10A Community Focus 14A Jewish Interest 18A Commentary 22A Focus on Youth 27A Life Cycle 1B Jewish Happenings 10B Israel & the Jewish World 14B Recent Events

6A An evening with Dennis Prager

Volume 42, Number 4

Shapiros endow Federation Teen Engagement Program Staff Report

he Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is pleased to announce that Sam and Sally Shapiro have funded a wonderful legacy gift to our Federation to support our community and Israel in perpetuity. They have created the Sam and Sally Shapiro Teen Engagement Program (STEP) Fund, the most innovative initiative in their long history of support for our Federation and for Israel. The purpose of the STEP fund is to create, maintain and

Sam and Sally Shapiro

grow programs for teens and their families which are focused on Israel, the Holocaust and fighting antiSemitism. When interviewed about their generous gift, Sam said, “We established the Sam and Sally Shapiro Teen Engagement Program Fund at Federation because we believe in very targeted, effective and

Some of the initial STEP programs include:

ÎÎ Young Ambassadors ÎÎ March of the Living Mission ÎÎ Send-a-Kid-to-Israel Program (SKIP) ÎÎ MASA experiences in Israel ÎÎ Subsidies for leadership & Israel advocacy conferences ÎÎ Overnight Jewish Camping Incentive Grants

strategic philanthropy. We want to make certain that Israel and our Jewish people remain safe and vibrant. To that end we want to help move our teens and their families from being bystanders to being “upstanders” for our people. We hope our STEP program will help create “upstanders” in our Jewish community for many years to come.” Sam and Sally want to provide students with a strong Jewish identity to help prepare them to counteract anti-Semitic or anti-Israel rhetoric on campus. “It is a very hostile world out there for our children... we wish to help prepare our kids to face that world with knowledge, dignity and courage,” said Sally. “Our wish is for our friends to join us in this effort, and to also make a legacy gift to Federation to ensure a Jewish future for our children and grandchildren.” For information on how to join Sam and Sally in fulfilling their wonderful vision for the future, please contact Marty Haberer or Rich Bergman at 941.371.4546.

Committee approves $310,000 in overseas grants

26A

Sheldon Low rocks Temple Sinai

Staff Report

14B Recent event photos: Alice Cotman honored

A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232 Annual voluntary subscription: $25

Chaifetz, “I can’t think of a more important Federation volunteer assignment. Spending donor dollars is daunting, and it is a responsibility each of our committee members takes very seriously. We were asked for over $1 million in grant requests and had to make difficult choices in order to spend the $310,000 that was made available to us with as much impact and at the lowest cost possible.” Edie Chaifetz added, “What a pleasure and an honor it has been to co-chair this committee with such a distinguished volunteer as my co-chair Alan Ades. This was really a rewarding experience.” Special thanks to our Overseas Granting Committee participants: Ruth Ades, Renee Crames, Ina Rae Levy, Lori Liner, Sasha Rosin, Martin Ross, Stanley Siegel and Anne Stein. After hours of deliberation and homework, the

continued on page 4A

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he Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee has a clear and concise vision – a vibrant Jewish community. We also have developed a simple and repeatable mission – “To save Jewish lives and enhance Jewish life in Sarasota-Manatee, in Israel and around the world.” A number of years ago, our Federation moved away from a traditional model of allocating funds to agencies not specifically earmarked for particular programs and activities. In its place we developed two committees that handle the suggested disbursements of donor dollars in an effective, transparent and fiduciary manner. There is one committee designed to disburse funds domestically and another committee that handles Israel and overseas disbursements. The results can be downright exciting and invigorating. According to Alan Ades, second-year chair who co-chairs the committee with first-year chair Edie

FEDERATION NEWS

April 2012

What will the Jewish future look like? By Jessica Katz

hat is the question on many minds as people throughout our community work to ensure that Jewish traditions and values are passed on to the next generations. The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee works to instill in our community a strong sense of Jewish identity and a deep connection to our shared Jewish heritage, to Israel and to Jews around the world. Jewish tradition teaches that one of our key duties is to make the world a better place for future generations. The act of creating a legacy empowers you to complete the work of your heart, and to enjoy the peace that it brings. You are assured that your work will continue and the Jewish future will be bright. The impact of this giving is rewarding not only to the giver, but to our community, which benefits from the gift. Your legacy can reflect everything that is most important and meaningful to you. The legacy planning process can begin heartfelt conversations with your family and build bonds with your partners in the community. Over the next few months, we are proud to feature those in our commu-

nity who have already chosen to lay the building blocks for a STRONG JEWISH FUTURE by endowing their gift to The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee. Those being highlighted are: Barbara Ackerman, Donald and Barbara Bernstein, Gershom Cohn, Ellen Fedder, Jacqueline Siegel-Frascella, Bea Friedman, Leonard and Helen Glaser, Herbert and Rita Gold*, Dr. Joshua and Julie Green, Robert and Esther Heller, Lisa Kates, Jerry Lavin*, Robert Michelson, Margaret Nadler, Irene Ross, Faye Sandler, Barbara Saphier, Herbert* and Betty Schiff, Betty Schoenbaum, Samuel and Sally Shapiro, Susan Shimelman, Lois Stulberg, Bruce and Naomi Wertheimer, and Marvin Wolf. * of blessed memory For decades, hundreds of donors and their financial advisors have entrusted The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee to be their partner in their thoughtful planning of Jewish philanthropy and management of charitable assets. Learn more about our commitment to you by contacting Marty Haberer at mhaberer@jfedsrq.org or 941.371.4546 x108.

Donald and Barbara Bernstein Legacy giving is a significant part of our estate plan. We like the idea of a continuing legacy of support long after we are gone, and knowing that we can make a difference now, and in the future. We have always tried to provide a high standard through leadership, and hope others will follow this most gratifying path. Being part of two wonderful communities (Charlotte and Sarasota) has influenced us to participate in both, and to endow in both. Our primary focus is on Jewish organizations like The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, with the belief that Jews are the primary supporters of Jews, and Jewish support is vital to Jewish survival here and abroad. Support of the arts is our secondary focus as we have great admiration for artistic talent, know that the arts enrich all walks of life and they, like all nonprofits, can’t survive without private support.

Leonard and Helen Glaser We are very proud to add our support to further the continuing good works performed by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. This wonderful organization has endeared itself to us from our earliest days here on the Suncoast. Hopefully, our legacy gift will help perpetuate the Federation’s dedication to both the State of Israel and the future needs of our great Southwest Florida community. Although someday we both must leave you, it is very important that our legacy will remain with the Federation. We hope that our gift will be our way of saying “Thank you” to all of the wonderful Federation staff and volunteers who constantly work so diligently doing their mitzvot. And furthermore, we hope that it may stimulate others to appreciate the magnitude of the Federation by encouraging them to keep in mind that charitable institutions can only remain viable with the funding and generosity of other caring donors. We have spent many years trying and succeeding in inculcating the need for tzedakah into the hearts and minds of our children and grandchildren, and we are proud to say, “It worked.” We call them our tikkun olam (repairing the world) kids!!!

Dr. Joshua and Julie Green Josh and I decided to endow a gift to the Jewish Federation for many reasons. First, we feel that as Jews, it is our responsibility to take care of one another. We act on this responsibility by giving an annual gift to the Federation. When our time comes, and we are not here to continue this mitzvah, we feel strongly that through our endowment we will continue to help our community and the Jews worldwide who are in need. We feel blessed that we have the opportunity to help others who are in need, and we feel our endowment is an investment in the future of our children, our community and the State of Israel.

Robert and Esther Heller We are pleased and proud to be the founders of, and to endow The Robert and Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative (IAI) to support our brothers and sisters in Israel. Israel is the home and bedrock of our proud Jewish culture, and we feel it is our duty, and an honor, to help insure her safety and survival. We wish to thank the Federation, Howard Tevlowitz, Rich Bergman, their dedicated staff and the Federation Board for giving us the opportunity to express our support for, and to help build a bond between America and Israel...now and forever. We have chosen to involve our children and grandchildren in our legacy gift by making our daughter and grandson a part of our legacy gift. We strongly encourage others in our community to leave a legacy gift to Federation. We did...and we have never felt more Jewish pride than when we made our commitment.

Jerry Lavin* While Jerry Lavin was always a charitable person, he became an extraordinary visionary for Israel and our Jewish people later in his life. Two very distinct events may have caused this transformation in Jerry. The first was when he and several other members of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee were shelled by Hamas rockets while on a visit to Ashkelon. Jerry said that, “diving into that bomb shelter with Nelle Miller and others gave me a real understanding of the fragility and danger of life in Israel and the responsibility we have for their safety.” The second event, sadly, was when Jerry discovered that he had pancreatic cancer. Facing his incurable disease made Jerry also think deeply about the type of legacy he wanted to leave for his children, his community, and for his beloved Israel. He also wanted to be sure that our children had a chance for a great Jewish education and to live in a vibrant Jewish community. In part, because of those events, Jerry left The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee a generous bequest to help keep Israel alive in the minds and hearts of our children here in Sarasota-Manatee long into the future. Jerry’s memory will always be a blessing and an inspiration.

Herbert* and Betty Schiff My husband Herb and I first went to Israel in 1938 – when it was still Palestine. Since the founding of Israel (which happened to coincide with the birth of our third daughter, Jane!), we have helped many causes related to Israel, including universities and the establishment of a park in Jerusalem. We’ve sent all our grandchildren to Israel and we are delighted that the Jewish Federation’s Send-a-Kidto-Israel Program, which Herb and I founded, will give an opportunity to many other young people to also experience Israel for many years to come.

The 2012 International Lion of Judah Conference New York City, September 10-12 at the Marriott Marquis

Join us in honoring Helen Glaser as a Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award recipient!

reGISTraTIoN: http://www.jewishfederations.org/ilojc.aspx For more information, contact Ilene Fox at 941.371.4546 ext. 110 or ifox@jfedsrq.org The Klingenstein Jewish Center

580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota FL 34232

941.371.4546 • www.jfedsrq.org

The Jewish News is also available online. Visit The Jewish News page at www.jfedsrq.org and you’ll be just one click away!

THE EXTRAORDINARY IMPACT OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF SARASOTA-MANATEE:

Your smart choice for effective and meaningful Jewish giving: Through our community-wide network of partners and our strategic approach to funding, the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee identifies, supports, and addresses the full range of Jewish engagement and Jewish continuity issues, social service issues

and individual/family needs with compassion and foresight, today and into the future. What does The Jewish Federation do? 1) Nurture and sustain the Jewish community today and for future generations; and, 2) Care for Jews in need, regardless of geography. Here is just a small glimpse of our operations:

JEWISH ENgAgEmENT – Through general community partners – bringing Judaism to our community

SOcIAL SERvIcE NEEDS – Assisting those most at risk

• Bikkur Cholim/Jewish Healing • Need-based emergency assistance • Jewish Family and Children’s Service

• Perlman Music Program/Ariel Quartet • Embracing Our Differences: Exhibit Sponsor and Exclusive Sponsor of quotation workshops, art teacher and teacher liaison position (pictured) • Sarasota Film Festival • Selby Gardens – Lights in Bloom

JEWISH ENgAgEmENT – For parents with children • Matisyahu Concert (pictured) • Tribefest • Missions to Israel • At home Jewish learning/ MORE

JEWISH EDUcATION – Active adults

• Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) – Chabad of Sarasota, Bradenton & Venice/Northport • Florence Melton Adult Mini-School • Computers4Seniors (pictured)

JEWISH ENgAgEmENT – For our children • PJ Library • Shalom Baby • Communiteen • Jewish Camping – overnight and local day camps • College Scholarships • Hillel • Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors (pictured)

JEWISH ENgAgEmENT – Jewish community-based cultural, educational and visual arts • Jewish Book Festival / Jewish Film Festival (pictured) • Nashim L’Tova (Women for Good) - Women’s Day, and Women’s Passover Celebration • Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative (IAI)

IN ISRAEL AND AROUND THE WORLD Training and educational programs to break the cycle of poverty, mentoring and enrichment programs and programs to help immigrants integrate successfully • Dror Israel Movement – At Risk Youth • Israel Tennis Center • Kiryat Yom, Israel - Sarasota partnership • Jewish National Fund • Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger

YOuR gIFT MAkES IT pOSSIblE!

www.jfedsrq.org • 941.371.4546 facebook.com/jfedsrq

FEDERATION NEWS

April 2012

Dig deeper, reach higher: Operation Grassroots By Marty Haberer, Associate Executive Director

he Jewish Federation of Sarasota Manatee encompasses a vibrant Jewish community – it does now and will for many years to come. Our mission is to save Jewish lives and enhance Jewish life. We are a functional organization that provides Jewish programming by collaborating with Jewish and non-Jewish organizations in our community that have like goals and objectives. We also collaborate and partner with donors to meet our mission and vision. Often times, when people think of Federation they immediately think of fundraising. In reality though, this Federation is about creating an environment and community that add value to the lives of Jewish people living here, while serving as a good neighbor to the rest of the community as well. The mission and vision cannot be implemented without the financial support of community members. With that in mind, we are thrilled to roll out a new initiative called “Operation Grass-

roots.” We are very fortunate to have a major donor who understands the need to not only grow the amount of money we raise to meet our goals, but to also grow the number of people participating in our campaign. This “angel’ has provided a $50,000 matching grant for these purposes. This friend’s generous gift illustrates something important about Operation Grassroots – it is open to all! No matter where you live or who you are, you are welcome to participate in this vital effort. If you are impressed by the work done by our Federation, then please consider making a new gift or increase of at least $100 to help us access the $50,000 challenge gift. To participate, visit www.jfedsrq. org/grassroots.aspx, call Jessica Katz at 941.371.4546 x123 or our 24/7 Operation Grassroots hotline at 941.371.4546 x151. You can also send a check, payable to JFSM Operation Grassroots, to 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232.

overseas grants...continued from page 1A committee makes its recommendations and sends them before the Federation’s Board of Directors for final approval. This year’s recommendations were voted in at the February Federation Board of Directors meeting. The grants that were approved are listed below. In order to be considered for a grant,

an organization must complete a grant application and fulfill specific qualifications. Moving forward, all grant requests will be made online at www.jfedsrq.org. Visit the site anytime for more information. Please contact Marty Haberer with any questions at 941.371.4546 x108 or mhaberer@jfedsrq.org.

Organization Name/Program Grant Amount American Friends of Rabin Medical Center $10,000 Early breast cancer detection for high-risk Israel population ELI – The Israel Association for Children’s Protection $35,000 • Preventing child abuse, bullying and violence in the schools in Kiryat Yam ($25,000) • Mobile therapy unit ($10,000) Neve Michael Children’s Village $25,000 The Therapy Enrichment Center The American Joint Distribution Committee $25,000 Assistance to impoverished elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union The Daniels Center for Progressive Judaism $25,000 Jewish Soul Overhaul World ORT $35,000 • Pre-aliyah vocational training in Gondar, Ethiopia ($25,000) • Computers for autistic students at the Rimon School ($10,000) Dror Israel Movement $20,000 Dialogical education in Deshanim Vocational High School for at-risk youth Jewish Agency for Israel $40,000 • Kedma Aleph-Kiryat Yam Absorption Center ($20,000) • WINGS – Ramat Gan, Israel – supporting Israel’s Lone Soldiers ($10,000) • Youth Futures – Sderot, Israel ($10,000) Operation Lifeshield $20,000 Mote Marine Laboratories $15,000 Mote-Israel Cooperative Marine Research Program Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education $10,000 Israel program Lead Program $10,000 Youth leadership development in Israel’s periphery Leket Israel $10,000 Nighttime Food Collection Project Haverim Lerefuah – Israel $9,063 Pharmacy project Ben-Shemen Youth Village $14,000 • Winter clothing for the Children’s Home ($8,000) • Scholarship for one student to the Youth Village Boarding School ($6,000) Friends of Western Galilee Hospital – Nahariya $7,000 For the ophthalmology dept. & Israel’s national center for cornea transplantation which was destroyed by Hezbollah terrorist attacks

FEDERATION NEWS 5A April 2012

April 2012

Lions and Pomegranates enjoy luncheon By Ilene Fox

Established 1971

PUBLISHER The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Road Sarasota, FL 34232-1959 Phone: 941.371.4546 Fax: 941.378.2947 E-mail: jewishnews@jfedsrq.org Website: www.jfedsrq.org Published Monthly Volume 42, Number 4 April 2012 44 pages in two sections USPS Permit No. 167 May 2012 Issue Deadlines: Editorial: March 28, 2012 Advertising: April 2, 2012 PRESIDENT Nelle Miller EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Howard Tevlowitz ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Marty Haberer COMMUNICATIONS CO-CHAIRS David Gruber, Linda Lipson MANAGING EDITOR Ted Epstein CREATIVE MANAGER Christopher Alexander ADVERTISING SALES Robin Leonardi PROOFREADERS Adeline Silverman, Stacey Edelman JOSEPH J. EDLIN JOURNALISM INTERN Haven Miller MISSION STATEMENT: The Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee strives to be the source of news and features of special interest to the Jewish community of Sarasota-Manatee, to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions in the Jewish community, and to communicate the mission, activities and achievements of the Federation and its Jewish community partners. OPINIONS printed in the Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee do not necessarily reflect those of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, its Board of Directors or staff. SUBMISSIONS to the Jewish News are subject to editing for space and content, and may be withheld from publication without prior notice. Approval of submissions for publication in either verbal or written form shall always be considered tentative, and does not imply a guarantee of any kind. Submissions must be sent electronically to jewishnews@jfedsrq.org. LETTERS to the editor should not exceed 300 words, must be typed, and include the writer’s name, mailing address and phone number. Letters can be submitted via snail mail or e-mail (jewishnews@jfedsrq.org). Not all letters will be published. Letters may be edited for length and content. ADVERTISING: Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement and may require the words “Paid Advertisement” in any ad. Publication of advertisements does not constitute endorsement of products, services or ideas promoted therein.

Member publication:

he 2012 Lion of Judah and Pomegranate Luncheon, co-chaired by Susan Benson-Steenbarger and Joan Lieberman, was held on February 7. Guests enjoyed a lovely afternoon sponsored by The Community Foundation of Sarasota County. New Lions pinned and recognized by Nashim L’Tova co-Chair Helen Glaser were Linda Lipson, Nadia Ritter, Susan Benson-Steenbarger and Marysue Wechsler. Irene Ross, Nashim L’Tova co-Chair, pinned and recognized new Pomegranates Judy Levinson, Sylvia Samet, Anne Sherr, Janet Tolbert and Hannah Weinberg. Irene also recognized newly endowed Lions Ellen Fedder, Helen Glaser and Sally Shapiro.

Immediate past Federation President Judy Weinstein was honored at the luncheon for her philanthropic and community leadership. Nelle Miller, Federation President, spoke about Judy and remarked, “I cannot think of a greater honor than being able to recognize Judy in a roomful of such empowered and generous women. Judy’s lifelong dedication to activism and humanitarian endeavors, her incredible sense of responsibility and philanthropy, and her innate abilities as a leader are a role model for us all. Judy has always given to our worldwide community selflessly... and always responded to adversities in her own life by further opening herself up to help the rest of us cope and thrive. I am so grateful to Judy for her foresight and devotion in getting our community to where it is today.” Julie Green, a member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet, gave a presentation about The PJ Irene Ross, Judy Weinstein, Joan Lieberman, Helen Glaser Library. Lions and Pome-

Barbara Katz and Susie Steenbarger

granates attending the luncheon raised funds to benefit The PJ Library to be split between Sarasota-Manatee and Kiryat Yam, Israel. Guests enjoyed a performance by Yevgeny Kutik, a Russian-American violinist who shared his story of his family’s decision to abandon their lives in the former Soviet Union and start a new life in the U.S. with the aid of Federation. For more information about Lions of Judah and Pomegranates, please contact Ilene Fox, Director of Women’s Philanthropy at 941.371.4546 x110 or ifox@jfedsrq.org.

Yom HaShoah commemoration to feature local Holocaust survivor By Andrew Polin

aul R. Temmer, only 4 years old in 1940, survived the Holocaust in Budapest, Hungary. In 1944, taken to the Jewish ghetto in Budapest, Temmer and his younger brother survived on just four pieces of corn bread for six weeks before the Russian army liberated Budapest. “We were robbed of our childhood, growing up very quickly,” said Temmer, adding that, “my brother was barely alive at liberation in January 1945, from starvation.” Temmer will be the keynote speaker for this year’s Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) observance on Wednesday, April 18 at Temple Emanu-El. In 1944, Temmer, along with his brother and grandparents were rounded up and marched to the Budapest ghetto. Adolph Eichmann came to Budapest to arrange for the Final Solution in making Europe “Juden Frei.” Over four and a half months, almost a half-million Hungarian Jews were transported to Auschwitz where they were taken directly to the gas chambers. “I never saw a German soldier in Hungary,” Temmer said. “It was our own police who arranged to take us to the transports.” Today, when Temmer speaks about the Holocaust to school children, he relates how the Jews suffered because of prejudice and discrimination. “It is important to get to meet and know your neighbors before you make a judgment on them.” Temple Emanu-El’s Rabbi Brenner Glickman, who is chairing the Yom HaShoah Committee, called this year’s observance a “true collaboration.” “Eleven different Jewish organizations have come together to organize the event. Yom HaShoah matters to all Jews,” Glickman said. “This year we are making a special effort to bring teens to

the events, along with their parents. “For instance, we are assembling a choir of the finest children’s voices from each congregation to sing Eili Eili together,” the rabbi said. “I believe that this is unprecedented in our community. I cannot think of another time when we have had a children’s choir with representatives across the congregations. It is really hopeful for the future.” Glickman said Temmer’s survivor story will be the centerpiece of the observance. “When you speak of sixmillion people dying in the Holocaust, it is hard to fathom. Then, when you hear one story, you realize that each person is unique and special.” The service, Glickman said, is for the survivors. “It is for those who lost

loved ones in the Holocaust. It is for the next generations to remember. It is for all of us.” This year’s Yom HaShoah observance is being co-sponsored by the Rabbinical Association, AJC, ORT America, Sarasota Jewish Chorale, The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee’s Generation After group, Hadassah, survivors, Brandeis National Committee, the Sarasota-Manatee Synagogue Council and NCJW. The service will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. It is free and open to everyone in the community. For more information about the Yom HaShoah observance, contact Orna Nissan at 941.371.4546 x104.

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FEDERATION NEWS

April 2012

An evening with Dennis Prager By Geneve Kallins

he Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative works to fight anti-Semitism and efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel, as well as promote Israel’s image throughout the community. On February 15, the Jewish Federation’s Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative, in conjunction with Lois Stulberg and WLSS 930 AM, presented Mr. Dennis Prager, nationally syndicated radio talk show host and weekly columnist for the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles. It would be an understatement to say the evening was a great success. The event was sold out with an overflow of people in an adjoining room watching Mr. Prager’s lecture on a live feed. The audience was a mix of both Jews and Christians, all eager to hear what Mr. Prager had to say. He brought down the house with his knowledge, humor and provocative wit as he addressed important and pressing issues facing Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish community on a global level. Mr. Prager touched on some very sensitive yet important concerns facing Israel, one being the lack of pro-Israel support from the left of the political

spectrum, even in the Jewish community itself. Other topics included anti-Semitism versus anti-Zionism, American universities, campaign finance, morality and religion. Mr. Prager pointed out the growing anti-Israel rhetoric in American universities ranging from Ivy League schools such as the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, trickling all the way down to community colleges. Many in the audience were alarmed to hear this, considering so many value the education system and donate thousands of dollars to universities to ensure the education they value continues. However, Mr. Prager noted that many of these universities host anti-Israel rallies and Israel Apartheid Week, in which much of the money allocated to these programs aimed at delegitimizing Israel comes right out of our own pockets without us even knowing it. Another interesting point Mr. Prager touched on was that it is indeed healthy and natural to examine and criticize some of Israel’s policies at times, however there is a definite and defined distinction between criticizing a nation’s

policies and criticizing the nation itself. According to Mr. Prager, calling for Israel’s destruction and elimination is antiZionism and it must be called out for what it really is – genocide. He asked the audience to substitute the name of any Dennis Prager (center) with Robert and Esther Heller other nation in the world for destruction and see what the reac- you, and curse him that curses you; and tion might be. In other words, why is it in you shall all families on earth be okay to call for the destruction of Israel, blessed.” Devoted to Israel and possessbut if it were the destruction of America ing a great love for her, he stressed the or France, the thought wouldn’t even be importance for the Jewish community entertained for a moment. to embrace this friendship rather than Perhaps one of the most important shy away from it, building on the compoints Mr. Prager made was on the di- mon thread we both share, our love for vide between the Christian and Jew- Israel and determination for her to exist ish community. Jewish himself and in her own right. well versed in the Torah, Mr. Prager The presentation was followed by noted that the division between the two Mr. Prager signing copies of his book, groups, primarily stemming from the How They Corrupted America and Jewish community is unwise. Israel and What We Can Do about It, and an intithe Jewish community don’t have many mate dinner with special guests. friends, and it’s time we start recognizFor more information about the ing the ones we do have – the Ameri- Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative can Christian community. He said, ask and upcoming events, please contact a Christian how they feel about the Geneve Kallins at 941.371.4546 x105 Holy Land and they will quote Genesis or gkallins@jfedsrq.org. 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless

These we honor ANNUAL CAMPAIGN GET WELL

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SHABBAT SERvIcES Fridays, 6:00pm Saturdays, 9:00am

Shabbat Dinners Fridays, 7:00pm Must RSVP to temple office Rabbi’s Tisch Tuesdays, 8:45am Scholar’s circle Tuesday, 9:50am chug Ivri Hebrew Reading & conversation Thursdays, 11:00am Marty cohn’s class Thursdays, 1:15pm Judaica Shop, Gail Jagoda Monday-Thursday, 10am-3pm Idelson Adult Library Monday-Thursday, 10am-3pm

Friday, April 6, 7:00pm, Community Seder Wednesday, April 11, 5:00pm, Passover BBQ Sunday, April 22, 9:00am, Jewish War Vets

Temple Beth Sholom 1050 S. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota, FL 34237

941.955.8121 Email: info@templebethsholomfl.org Website: www.templebethsholomfl.org Home of Temple Beth Sholom Schools: • The Martin and Mildred Paver Religious School – 941.552.2780 • Justin L. Wiesner Pre School – 941.954.2027 • Goldie Feldman Academy Grades K-8 – 941.552.2770

Irving Shuman – wishing you a speedy recovery Karen & Tom Bernstein

IN HONOR OF Jay Dor – in honor of your birthday Elaine & Burton Herman Roberta & Harold Zimmerman – in honor of your 50th anniversary Harriet Levin Mr. and Mrs. Robert Goldschmidt Diane & Joel Whitten Len Glaser – in honor of your 80th birthday! Bryna & Howard Tevlowitz

IN MEMORY OF Ava Hodous The JFSM Young Adult Div. Comm. Inna & Gerry Sideman Leigh Schwartz Inna & Gerry Sideman Steve Snider Barbara & Stephen London Linda & Arthur Solomon Jake Rich Sally & Sam Shapiro To Mr. and Mrs. Joel Lustgarten – in memory of your father Lee & Arlene Kahn Joe Kushner Mrs. Roddy Samuels Mario Fullone Sandee Grossman Richard Sands Sandee Grossman Stanley Coleman Edwin & Linda Baker Robert Ittelson Edwin & Linda Baker

BOB MALKIN YOUNG AMBASSADORS MAZEL TOV Gisele Pintchuck – Happy Birthday! Rachel Silverman Michaelanne & Caleb Swink Patti & David Wertheimer

DORIS LOEVNER FUND IN HONOR OF Judy Weinstein Fremajane Wolfson Gertrude & Melvin Jacobsen Claire Levin Marilyn Goldfarb Joan Feder Ruth Orne

GET WELL Marie Brown – wishing you a speedy recovery Judy Weinstein

ISRAEL PROGRAMS IN HONOR OF Rabbi Howard Simon Anne & Michael Friedman

Schiff SKIP (Send a Kid to Israel) MAZEL TOV Len Glaser – in honor of your big birthday! Bunny & Mort Skirboll NOTE: To be publicly acknowledged in The Jewish News, Honor Cards require a minimum $10 contribution per listing. You can send Honor Cards directly from www.jfedsrq.org. For more information, call 941.371.4546 x102.

FEDERATION NEWS 7A April 2012

April 2012

Iran – nervous, desperate and worried By Rabbi Howard A. Simon, Chair of The Robert and Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative

yatollah Ali Khomeini recently 2. Last month Iran sought to take stated the following: “The Zi- the lives of Israelis in New Delhi, India onist regime is a cancerous and in the Georgian city of Tbilisi. tumor that shall be removed and will 3. Iran has threatened to close the be removed, God willing.” This comes Strait of Hormuz and disrupt shipping from the supreme leader of in the Persian Gulf. Iran, who obviously makes The reactions to no bones about his hatred these occurrences have of the State of Israel and been most negative for the Jewish people. Iran. Oil purchases have The question is why been cut by a number of make such a statement at countries. The United this time? The answer tells States has made it clear us a great deal about what that our navy is ready is happening in Iran, how and willing to do everyshaky the government is thing necessary to keep and how deep is the abyss all waterways open. Rabbi Howard A. Simon Iran finds itself in when Iran’s response to dealing with the free world. Iran is ner- all of this is if threats do not work then vous. Iran is frustrated. Iran is worried. tell blatant lies to influence the thinkWe need only look at what has ing of the world’s leaders. Thus, a taken place in the past few months re- spokesman from the Foreign Ministry garding Iran and the world. Sanctions, of Iran, Ramin Mehmanparast, stated initiated by the United States and sup- that “Israel has bombed its embassies in ported by the European Union, have New Delhi and Tbilisi to tarnish Iran’s had a dramatic financial impact on Iran friendly ties with the host countries.” and its neighbors. The Iranian currency, How ridiculous is this? Yet it gives us the rial, continues to drop, causing more a clear picture of a country fast moving and more concern. In Iran’s desperate toward panic mode and not sure what to state its leaders have given the green do next or how to react to a world that light to the following: is becoming less and less patient with 1. Last year they tried to sponsor Iran’s wish to become the next nuclear a bombing in a Washington, D.C. res- power. taurant of the Saudi ambassador to the Israel watches the entire scene and United States. realizes it must deal with two realities:

Iran, an anti-Semitic regime, seeking nuclear weapons while calling for the destruction of Israel; and the United States, Israel’s prime benefactor, asking her to do nothing to change the status quo, to let sanctions and other yet-tobe-named methods of dealing with Iran make their influences felt on all that is taking place in that country. The European Union, the Middle East, all Asian countries, Russia and the United States all wait and watch to see what will be the next move by Iran. Israel continues to make it clear that a nuclear Iran cannot and must not happen as she debates what her actions should

be as Iran moves closer and closer to her goal. Israel would like to see Iran back down from its current position in the face of the sanctions applied against her, but there is no sign this will be the case. Thus we wait and we wonder what a frightened, nervous Iran will do tomorrow. To learn about how you can get involved with the Heller IAI, please visit www.helleriai.org or contact Geneve Kallins at gkallins@jfedsrq.org or 941.371.4546 x105.

“Peace, Politics and Plutonium”

il Hoffman, chief political cor- writing often provides a behind-therespondent and analyst for the scenes look at the intrigue and humor in Jerusalem Post, will speak at the Israeli political arena. Temple Beth Israel (567 Bay Isles Road, A magna cum laude graduate of Longboat Key) on TuesNorthwestern University’s day, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. School of Journalism who The title of his presentagrew up in Chicago, Hoffman tion is “Peace, Politics and wrote for the Miami Herald Plutonium: An insider’s and Arizona Republic before look at the quest for secumoving to Israel, where he rity, democracy and peace served as a reserve soldier in in the Middle East.” the IDF’s Spokesman’s Unit. Well-connected to IsHe lives in Jerusalem with raeli and Palestinian leadhis wife, daughter and son. ers, Hoffman has interHoffman’s appearance is viewed every major figure sponsored by the SarasotaGil Hoffman across the Israeli political Manatee Rabbinical Assospectrum. He has also been featured by ciation and The Jewish Federation top media on six continents and appears of Sarasota-Manatee, and made posregularly on CNN, Al-Jazeera and other sible through the generosity of Jules and Sheila Rose. Tickets are $15 and news outlets. An outstanding speaker who has include a reception following the prebeen called “The most optimistic man in sentation. Please call the temple office Israel” by Israel Television, Hoffman’s at 941.383.3428 to reserve a seat.

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LONGBOAT KEY DEMOCRATIC CLUB The Longboat Key Democratic Club monthly luncheon meeting will be held on TUESDAY, APRIL 10 at noon at the Harbourside Dining Room of the Longboat Key Club and Resort.

Speaker: Dr. SUSAN MacMANUS, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA Topic: “ELECTION 2012 - KEY CONSTITUENCIES, ISSUES, UNCERTAINTIES”

Cost is $23 per person.

Please contact Jane Albaum at 941-362-0520 by Thursday, April 5 to RSVP and for additional information and directions.

April 2012

FEDERATION NEWS

Generation After alive and well and now a dot-com A message from Orna Nissan, Jewish Federation Director of Holocaust Education and Israeli Programs

he Holocaust as a subject matter is very hard to comprehend. It is not the most popular subject to learn in school, nor is it a subject that most people would normally choose for their leisure-time reading (or viewing). It stirs up sadness and can cause feelings of discomfort and confusion. There are the inevitable questions: Why didn’t we resist more? Did we go like sheep to the slaughter, as some have said? Why did the rest of the world turn a blind eye when many knew full Orna Nissan well what was happening to our people? When we hear the words Auschwitz or Bergen-Belsen, we are consumed with feelings of pain and despair and we are left to wonder how this almost-successful attempt to wipe out a people could have happened in the modern age. These are complicated questions and the answers equally complex. They can be found, though, in the testimony of the lucky few who survived and are generous and brave enough to share their stories with us, as well as in the vast amount of Holocaust material available, if one chooses to look and listen. But, you ask, “Can’t we let go of memories that haunt us in our darkest dreams? After all, it has been more than 60 years.” The answer is NO! We cannot leave the Holocaust and its devastating consequences alone, and the reason we can’t is simple. The world today is

rampant with the same evil, prejudice, persecution and dehumanization as it was then. And now there is even denial and distortion of this horror. Apparently, mankind has yet to evolve to the point where a holocaust is no longer a possibility, and so we have a moral obligation to remember and to teach future generations its lessons. Our Holocaust survivors speak – actually give testimony – in hopes that someday this will be a world where people can live out their lives without fear of persecution or prejudice, a more humane world. As the child of a survivor, I can tell you that this is not an easy thing for them, dredging up incredibly painful experiences; many kept silent for years. I asked my father once why he never talked about his experiences and, of course, there is more than one answer to this question. Any parent would want to spare their child (and other family and friends) the gruesome details. But I think the answer that is most relevant here is that he felt in the past that people really did not want to hear about it. The good news is that this seems to have changed somewhat in recent years. Interest in Holocaust education is up. People do seem to want to know more. We have quite a sizable group of survivors living in the Sarasota-Manatee area who get together for remembrance and social events a few times a year. We have a Speakers Bureau and some of our local survivors are active speakers in schools, churches and at community events. If one does the math, though, it becomes apparent that they are getting

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April Happenings

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Theme is “India” Food and Film to match 5:00 PM, Call 388-9624 Sock Hop: Dance to real records! Come in ’50s outfits. Saturday, 21st 6:30 PM call 926-2871 Shabbat Service, Friday, 6th 6:00 PM followed by Seder Yizkor Service, Friday 13th 10:00 AM Shabbat Service, Friday, 13th 7:30 PM followed by Oneg Shabbat, Friday, 20th Tot-Families 5:30 PM Wine and Cheese 5:15, 6:00 PM Service Confirmation and Service, 27th 6:00 PM Wine and Cheese at 5:15 Saturday Shabbat Services 10:00 AM weekly Chapel 7th, 14th, 21st Bat Mitzvah of Kayley Holton 28th

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old. Most are not in the best of health. Sadly, some are no longer with us. With this in mind, a group of children of survivors, “second gens” as we call ourselves, have a group in the Sarasota-Manatee area that was created five years ago by the Federation as part of Dr. Helen Fagin’s legacy, the GENERATION AFTER group. We hope to pick up the torch and continue to raise awareness of the Holocaust and related issues. We have created and maintain a Speakers Bureau for various topics on the Holocaust. We identify and participate in appropriate community events and forums, including educational workshops and excursions. We enjoy meeting and socializing with other group members and other organizations (of descendants of Holocaust survivors). We have a website (www.generationafter.com) of which we are very proud, and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the site attracts 1,200+ visitors per month. People from over 20 countries visit the site, including the U.S., Canada, Russia, France, Ukraine, Turkey and the Czech Republic. This

shows that there is an interest, even a hunger for Holocaust information. The site has also facilitated a reconnection between a Generation After member and family members of people who saved his father. The web is indeed a powerful tool and the Holocaust still attracts interest after sixty-seven years. One thing we found rather surprising is there were not too many visits to our site from our own Sarasota-Manatee area. We could only conclude that many folks may not know of our existence. We invite you to take a little time, visit our site and get to know us. Read Dr. Fagin’s legacy and know that we are doing what we can to make it a reality: “From this depth of darkness a new light – one of peace, of tolerance and of understanding, reverence for life and human dignity for all men, women and children of the world.” A tall order. But if not us, who? And if not now, when? For more information about Generation After and the Jewish Federation’s Holocaust Education programs, contact Orna Nissan at 941.371.4546 x104 or onissan@jfedsrq.org.

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FEDERATION NEWS 9A April 2012

April 2012

Humanity Working to End Genocide

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Take a Stand Against Genocide and Mass Atrocities Rally, February 12 By Sue Hargis Spigel, Corresponding Secretary, Humanity Working to End Genocide

“

t’s not enough to simply do something about genocide,” Cameron Hudson, Senior Advisor to the Committee on Conscience of the U.S. Holocaust Museum, told an audience of over 300 at the sixth Take a Stand Against Genocide and Mass Atrocities rally. The event, which took place at Church of the Incarnation on Sunday, February 12, was sponsored by Humanity Working to End Genocide and The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Mr. Hudson, the former Chief of Staff to the Special Envoys for Sudan, Director for African Affairs on the

Rabbi Howard Simon, Chair of The Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative, gave the action call and benediction

National Security Council, and an Africa analyst for the CIA, outlined four strategy areas needed to effectively stop or prevent mass atrocities in their early stages: understanding, resources, shared purpose and political will. Governments around the world need to understand what the early warning signs are that a mass killing is about to occur. When Darfur, Sudan, came to the U.S. government’s attention, officials heard an unfamiliar language, Zaghawa, coming from Darfur instead of Arabic. When translation became available, 10,000 people per month were dying. “By the time we understand the depths of the violence we are already in the height of it,” Mr. Hudson said. The resources strategy has components called “DIME” – diplomacy, intelligence, military and economic. All have potential benefits and drawbacks. Mr. Hudson stated that U.S. intelligence stopped a massacre of 10,000 in Benghazi, Libya, last year, an obvious benefit. Economic pressure against a regime takes several months to have an effect and it affects everyone in that country, including aid groups that bring in needed goods, which are clear drawbacks. Action works best when many countries and the United Nations work together with a shared purpose. But

even the UN would not declare the Dar- He stressed that noise from constituents fur killings a genocide; some countries means more than information coming in the UN reliably vote against this. from policy “wonks” to prod elected Political will is necessary within officials to take action. a country to act to stop mass atrociA contest for genocide-awareness ties outside its borders. Political will plays from middle-school students rein the U.S. has been growing regarding sulted in dramatic performances by Darfur and South Sudan due to citizen Incarnation Catholic School and St. activism. Martha Catholic School. The Westcoast “We remember that every great so- School for Human Development chocial movement has come from rooms rus performed under the direction of like this,” Mr. Hudson noted. Bishop Henry Porter. It is possible to prevent genocide Humanity Working to End Genowithout going to war, he added during cide is a coalition of over 60 organizathe question and answer session. Geno- tions in Sarasota and Manatee counties. cide stems from system failure, not Anyone wishing to learn more about from a single failure, such as economic the coalition can call Bernie Ehrlich at or political. Underlying causes are in- 941.351.8341. grained in the culture, as evidenced in Rwanda and Sudan. Sanctions have pros and cons. Shutting off dollars may stop the flow of weapons but it also cuts off necessities. Mr. Hudson has worked on ways to target reU.S. Holocaust Museum Senior Advisor Cameron Hudson with Humanity gime officials to Working to End Genocide’s honorary chairs: Bishop Frank Dewane, Catholic Diocese of Venice; Nelle Miller, Jewish Federation President; lessen the toll on and Dr. Lawrence Miller, Arcadia City Administrator ordinary citizens.

Passover: The holiday of renewal and hope By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

assover in Israel is a magical for Passover and Shabbat, which, like time of year. The winter rains and this year, fell on the first seder night. chilly air are replaced by a flurry The clanging of pots and dishes resoof activity and sense of renewal that is nated as restaurants and bakeries frantiunequal to any other season. Flaming cally labored to convert their kitchens poppies, black-eyed Susans and Queen for Passover. A symphony of sounds acAnne’s lace fill the fields while birds companied us as we moved through the travel back to the Hula Valstreets. People laughley to build their nests. In ing, babies crying, the north, the Banias River, closet doors banging, swollen with winter rains, horns blasting; the air tempts even the most timid was charged with ennature lover to take off her ergy and purpose. But shoes and socks and feel the the smell was what got springtime mud squish beto me. The dense smell tween her toes. of the last vestiges of But it is not just winter burning bread products waking up to spring that hovered over us like a intrigues me. It is the trancloud, reminding me sition of a country moving of fall in New Jersey Amy Hirshberg Lederman from chametz to matzah, a when we would burn country in the process of cleansing it- big piles of leaves in our driveway. self that makes me marvel at the power Huge cauldrons of boiling water of Jewish tradition and faith. lined Strauss Street enabling people to On the eve of Passover during the kasher their pans and utensils for the year I lived in Israel, I walked with holiday. I thought of our tiny Jerusalem my husband for more than three miles kitchen and how, earlier in the morning, from our apartment in Bakka to Mea my family and I had spent hours soapShearim, Jerusalem’s famous ultra- ing down the counter tops and washing Orthodox neighborhood. The city was out the cabinets. We felt so clean and working double time to get itself ready tidy afterwards, “all spic and span” Amy Hirshberg Lederman (www.amyhirshberglederman.com) is an awardwinning author and syndicated columnist, international speaker, Jewish educator and attorney. Her second book, One God, Many Paths: Finding Meaning and Inspiration in Jewish Teachings, won the 2009 Best Book on Religion and Spirituality from the Arizona Book Publishing Association. Amy will serve in a scholar-in-residence capacity for The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee this year. Stay tuned to The Jewish News for information about Amy’s upcoming programs.

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as my mother would say. There was something deeply gratifying about the process of cleaning up our home, as if we had lined our nest with downy, new feathers. We put our house in order, just as the seder creates an order to the telling of the Passover story. As we walked home along King George Street, we watched the city in its closing moments of cleansing; a community making its way from winter to spring, dark to light, chametz to matzah. The streets were hushed; the smells of burning bread and cake all but gone. I understood for the first time the longing that for centuries has dominated the Jewish heart and spirit. Passover is not just a time to cleanse our kitchen

cabinets of last year’s cookie crumbs, and “Next year in Jerusalem” is not just a physical call to bring people from all over the globe to the most holy city in the world. Passover is meant to inspire all Jews – as diverse and conflicted and divided as we may sometimes seem – to work together to bring a sense of order and renewal, a sense of purpose and hope to our lives, our future and the world. It is a holiday that gives us a chance to renew our commitment – to our faith, tradition and each other – to live a life of dignity and freedom.

For daily news stories related to Israel & the Jewish world, visit the Federation’s website at www.jfedsrq.org.

10A

COMMUNITY FOCUS

April 2012

Reclaiming Shavuot

Education Corner By Jennifer Singer

t’s spring, and that means Passover. Of all the major Jewish holidays, Passover is the one our kids know best, because it’s got so much to offer, both in terms of enjoyment and learning. Model seders. Chocolate seders. Learning the four questions. Making matzah covers. Growing parsley. Baby Moses in the bulrushes and his valiant sister Miriam. It’s a Hebrew school teacher’s

dream holiday, filled with juicy lessons to be learned and fun activities to do. And for many, it’s the last holiday of the school year, and the last Jewish holiday before Rosh Hashanah. But what about Shavuot? Isn’t the giving and receiving of the Torah important enough for us to teach our children? Truth is, Shavuot’s problem isn’t as much the holiday’s significance as its poor timing. Most years, it comes in June and even when it’s earlier – this year it falls on May 27 – everyone’s too busy wrapping up the school year to pay it much attention. In addition, Shavuot just isn’t as exciting as Passover, Simchat Torah, Hanukkah, Purim, or even the High Holidays. Frankly, from a kid’s point of view, it’s a non-holiday. What do the adults do (if they observe it at all)? Stay up all night studying. Eat dairy products. That’s it. I propose that we reclaim Shavuot. First, it’s a good idea to get a handle on what it’s all about. Here’s the quick version: When Moses led the people out of Egypt, they didn’t magically appear at

Local Jewish physician plans for SMART Ride

ocal Jewish physician Dr. Tanya West after having raised $675,000 for Schreibman was among 450 six Florida HIV/AIDS agencies.” participants biking from Miami Dr. Schreibman is currently orgato Key West in last fall’s SMART Ride nizing a Sarasota team to join her in to raise money for Florida AIDS ser- the next SMART Ride, which will be vice organizations – and she is already held in fall 2012. She invites anyone training to do it again. interested in training for and participatDr. Schreibman, a Cornell and Yale ing in the event, or in serving as a team University-trained specialist in infec- sponsor, to contact her at sarasotasmart tious disease who serves as medical di- riders2012@gmail.com. rector for Sarasota’s Community AIDS In addition to her medical work and Network, trained for 10 weeks to pre- charitable pursuits, Dr. Schreibman is pare for 2011’s arduous journey, which an active member of Sarasota-Manashe completed alongside her patient, fit- tee’s Jewish community. A member of ness instructor and motivational speak- Temple Emanu-El, she has served as er Valerie Wojciechowicz. Meeting the a Parent Ambassador for the religious riders at the finish line in Key West were school and participates in the synaDr. Schreibman’s cardiologist husband gogue’s physicians’ group. David and their children, Alana, 10, and Ben, 8. “This was an experience of a lifetime on so many levels for me,” Dr. Schreibman commented after the ride. “It was a true physical challenge but also incredibly beautiful and just filled with fun! We ended the journey at the AIDS Dr. David, Alana, Dr. Tanya and Ben Schreibman gather at the finish line for the 2011 SMART Ride memorial site in Key

Happy Passover

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Mt. Sinai and receive the Torah. It took 49 days to get there. (The part about counting the omer for 49 days is related to Shavuot’s role as an ancient agricultural festival that marked the end of the spring barley harvest.) The revelation at Sinai is directly linked to the Exodus from Egypt; we left slavery, walked in the desert for two months, and got to Sinai and accepted the Torah. In essence, we traded enforced slavery by the Egyptians for willing obedience to God. How can we teach this to our children in a way that engages them as much as our Passover observance does? The tradition of eating dairy products on Shavuot gives me an idea. I suggest starting a daily countdown as soon as Passover ends. No more than one fact per day, with a little time given to understanding Lag B’Omer (check out

myjewishlearning.com or torahtots.org for information). At the end of the countdown, throw yourselves an end-of-the-school-year ice cream party, with 10 kinds of ice cream – for the 10 commandments – and 49 different toppings. (This isn’t as hard as it sounds – my sister and I once celebrated our parents’ 70th birthdays by doing this, and between the different kinds of sprinkles, nuts, M&Ms and other stuff, we got to 70 easily.) I’ll readily admit that this isn’t politically correct, and there are lactose intolerance and nut allergy issues to contend with. But I’ll bet that your kids remember Shavuot next year! Jennifer Singer, MAJE, serves as Education Director at Congregation Kol HaNeshama. She is currently a student rabbi at ALEPH: the Institute for Jewish Renewal.

Got young kids? Teenagers?

Be sure to see the Focus on Youth section on pages 22A-26A.

Kosher food at Publix

he new Publix Supermarket on Bay Street and US301 near Downtown Sarasota has the largest selection of fresh glatt kosher meat products and kosher poultry products of any Publix on the west coast of Florida. In addition to a selection of frozen Empire chicken and turkey products, and a selection of frozen Meal Mart beef products, all of which are more or less available in all of the Publix Supermarkets in our area, the new Publix features an abundance of fresh (refrigerated) glatt kosher meat and kosher poultry options. The glatt kosher meat products come from Meal Mart’s “Steakhouse Quality” line, and are available in ten different cuts. To date, the Publix has carried at various times glatt kosher ground chuck, glatt kosher beef short

ribs, glatt kosher minute steaks, and glatt kosher beef chuck pot roast. The kosher poultry products come from Empire and include many different varieties and sizes of chicken breasts, thighs and quarters, as well as ground turkey and turkey cutlets. The capable and friendly meat department staff, led by Manager Mike and Assistant Manager Lara, is available to help with special orders and any questions or requests you may have. In addition, this new Publix has a larger selection than other stores in our area of kosher dry goods, kosher frozen goods, and kosher luncheon meats and franks. Please support this new endeavor by Publix to offer our community a local option for fresh glatt kosher meat and kosher poultry.

Local temple installs hearing loop system

emple Beth Israel on Longboat Key has a new tool to help the hearing impaired. The temple has installed a hearing loop system in its sanctuary, social hall and large meeting room. The hearing loop allows people with hearing aids or cochlear implants to enjoy temple functions without background noise interference or having to use a special receiver. This system is the same technology already in use at the Van Wezel. A local grant has been secured to provide additional hearing loop systems at Asolo Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Mana-

tee Player’s Theatre, Neel Performing Arts Center, Sarasota Opera, Sarasota Orchestra, The Player’s Theatre, Venice Community Center, Venice Theatre, and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. The hearing loop project at TBI was led by Judith Feldman with technical assistance by Robin Tannenbaum. The cost of this project was underwritten by Shirley Fein Shirley Fein.

See the Jewish Happenings section for 50 community events in April!

COMMUNITY FOCUS 11A April 2012

April 2012

11A

A harvest for the hungry with a little gleaning

ost of us are familiar with gleaning from the Biblical story of Ruth, but the Suncoast Gleaning Project of Transition Sarasota experienced a record turnout January 29 at Jessica’s Organic Farm

The gleaners pose after a job well done

when Kol HaNeshama answered the call of Evie and Fay Baldwin for a harvest for the hungry. Fay and Evie, encouraged by their parents, Tim Baldwin and Eileen Rosenzweig, chose this b’not mitzvah project of gleaning in keeping with their May Torah portion. Don Hall, organizer for Transition Sarasota, said that as well as a record turnout, this gleaning filled 216 bins – a record-breaking 2,420 pounds of produce to be donated to All Faiths Food Bank. This has been the second season for Transition Sarasota’s Suncoast Gleaning Project, and the results surpassed

even their most optimistic expectations for fresh produce that All Faiths Food Bank distributes to its network of over 100 agency partners in Sarasota and DeSoto counties. Transition Sarasota is part of the worldwide Transition Movement, acting as a catalyst for rebuilding local community resilience and self-reliance in the face of peak oil, climate change, and economic crisis. As Don Hall explained, gleaning is a “win” for everyone: for local farmers, for volunteers (who get to take home a small bag of produce when they are finished), for the funders (including Whole Foods Market), for the community, and most especially for those in need of food.

Helping the bereaved at JFCS

The Rosenzweig-Baldwin family leads the gleaning

Accepting new patients

By Andria Keil Bilan, JFCS VP of Development

Same-day acute care appointments available

“

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t’s important that people experiencing grief can turn to someone for support,” Susan Finkelstein, RN, MAS, tells participants of her Bereavement Support Group at Jewish Family & Children’s Service. “Many mourners feel lost and confused when they first come into the group. I tell them this is normal and you are not alone. That gives them the foundation to build the healing process. We provide information as well as a trusting environment that is conducive to sharing and supporting each other.” Based on a Jewish approach to

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mourning and healing the soul, the groups are scheduled for six consecutive weeks throughout the year. Each hour-and-a-half session has its own topic such as the normal process of grief, a roadmap for healing, the role of prayer, how to keep memories alive and finally, healing. The group is offered through the JFCS Jewish Healing Program, funded in part by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Thanks to the support of the Federation, the Bereavement Groups are offered at no charge as a community service by JFCS. The next Bereavement Support Group will meet on Thursdays, April 26 - May 31, from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. at JFCS, 2688 Fruitville Road, Sarasota. For more information or to register for the group, contact Susan FinkelParticipants of the February Bereavement Support Group: (front row) Susan Feinstein, Cary Hodous, Anita Weston, stein at 941.366.2224 x166 or Michael Cheek, (back row) Jewish Healing Coordinator sfinkelstein@jfcs-cares.org. Susan Finkelstein, Kathleen & Thomas Bialecki

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12A

COMMUNITY FOCUS

April 2012

A Jewish connection from Odenwald to Sarasota

arolyn Kaplan, a Temple Beth pil. This valued teacher was none other Sholom newsletter columnist, than Joe Floersheimer’s grandfather. interviewed fellow member Joe Incidentally, the late Harold May, z”l, Floersheimer and began a trip through a long time member of TBS, also was a memory lane. By coincidence, they pupil of Lehrer Kahn. After the 1935 Nazi laws both grew up in the Odenforbade Jewish children to wald region of southern attend public schools, Joe’s Germany. Small numbers grandfather started the Jude of Jewish families lived in these villages. Shule, “The Jew School.” Jewish children from neighboring During pre-Hitler time, a traveling religious school villages were brought in by bus and thus continued their teacher instructed the small number of Jewish children schooling for several years Joe Floersheimer in private homes. A public until violence and threats neschool teacher as well as a rabbi, Her- cessitated the closing of the school. The events of Kristallnacht caused man Kahn came weekly to Carolyn’s home. He had a special gift of igniting the Floersheimer family to leave Gerthe spark of Judaism within each pu- many for New York City, only after

the bribing of German officials for his father’s release from a concentration camp was successful. Thanks to influential relatives, Herman Kahn and his family were brought to the United States soon afterwards. After a short stint as a temporary cantor at Shaare Zedek Congregation in Queens, New York, Joe Floersheimer

worked as an architectural draftsman and electrical contractor. In his retirement, he has reconfigured the sound system at Temple Beth Sholom, taught computer classes, built furniture, played tennis, and practiced as a magician. He has been married to Lee for 55 years, has two married daughters, and four grandchildren.

Lehrer Kahn (back right) and his school. In front, holding the plaque, are Joe Floersheimer (right) and his uncle, Martin Kahn.

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COMMUNITY FOCUS 13A April 2012

April 2012

STARS Program serves developmentally-disabled adults By Andria Keil Bilan, JFCS VP of Development ebruary 2012 was Jewish Disability Awareness Month and communities across the country celebrated the accomplishments of individuals with disabilities. Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Sarasota-Manatee celebrated the first anniversary of its STARS Program. STARS, an acronym for Successful Talented Adults Reaching Skyward, is a unique and innovative program offered to adults with developmental disabilities, 18 years of age and over, to encourage selfesteem and self-respect while learning valuable life and social skills. This program provides individuals the opportunity to make new friends and discover new interests. And equally important, a support group is offered to family members and caregivers. The startup funding for this program was provided by the Eugene & Saralyn Oberdorfer Fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Hearing about the formation of the STARS Program, Cathy Jaffer turned to JFCS last year for help and support with her 19-year-old daughter, Becky, a student at Sarasota High School. “We were the first on the list to join the program. It was important to me that a Jew-

ish agency was there to help us. Becky needed the socialization and life skills training, and I needed the support group so I could talk to other Becky & Cathy Jaffer parents struggling with similar challenges,” stated Cathy. “Becky has gained self-confidence, is more independent and looks forward to the weekly group sessions with friends she enjoys socializing with.” “I have been with STARS since the beginning and Miss Donna has helped me with my emotions so I’m not so anxious or sad. And now I volunteer at JFCS. On Tuesdays I am a Peer Mentor for the STARS group which makes me a group leader,” offered Becky. And when school is out of session, Becky and her mother Cathy also volunteer at JFCS on Fridays to help serve lunch at the Senior Outreach Services Program. “It makes me feel good to help other people,” added Becky. For more information about the STARS Program, please contact Donna McGrath, STARS Program Coordinator, at 941.366.2224.

13A

Human rigHts activist

Simon Deng

An Evening with Simon Deng

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 7:00 pm

Beatrice Friedman Theater, Federation Campus - Tickets: $10 Simon Deng is a human rights activist who was captured into slavery at the age of nine. After escaping, he became the long-distance swimming champion of Sudan and moved to the United States. After years of hiding his past, Simon read an article in The New York Times detailing how slaves could still be bought for $10 and committed himself to telling his story and advocating for justice. Don’T MiSS ThiS excluSive one-nighT evenT in SaraSoTa!

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14A

JEWISH INTEREST

April 2012

From tragedy to triumph: a musical journey By Philip K. Jason, Special to The Jewish News Hiding in the Spotlight, by Greg Dawson. Pegasus Books. 296 pages. $25 hardcover, $15.95 paperback.

hough this book has been out for a couple of years, it deserves a larger readership than it has so far gained. It has all the ingredients of a compelling story: hardship, near catastrophe, ingenuity, perseverance, commitment and good fortune. Its subtitle, “A Musical Prodigy’s Story of Survival, 19411946,” only hints at the amazing Holocaust narrative. The subject of Hiding in the SpotPhil Jason light is Zhanna Arshanskaya Dawson, born in Ukraine in 1927 into an essentially secular Jewish family. The author is her son. Early in their lives, Zhanna and her younger sister, Frina, were discovered by their father Dmitri, himself a musician, to have promising abilities. He managed to obtain for them all of the training available in their small town, then moved the family to the metropolis of Kharkov where the girls excelled at the prestigious Kharkov Conservatory. The prodigious young pianists were

celebrities. Though Ukrainian anti- focus. The two young ladies are Semitism surrounded them, it had no wanderers in a war-torn envipronounced effect on their lives until ronment. Shelter, clothing and further inflamed by the Nazi infection sustenance are their needs, as that would soon emerge. As WWII ex- well as maintaining the secrecy ploded, Hitler’s purge of the Jews in of their new identities. the Ukraine put the family on the run. By chance, a Nazi officer Though Dmitri could not save himself, happens to hear Zhanna playhis parents or his wife, he did manage ing Chopin in the town where an escape for his daughters through his battalion is stationed. Bebribery. fore long, Zhanna and Frina join a troop Now young adolescents, Zhanna of performers charged with entertaining and Frina take new (non-Jewish) identi- Nazi soldiers. Later, they perform at ties as Anna and Marina Morozova and labor camps. They are immensely look to be sheltered in an orphanage. popular, but always fearful. They are, They maintain a simple, but effective, indeed, “Hiding in the Spotlight.” This cover story about their parentage and part of Zhanna’s story goes on, with circumstances. many ups and downs, for five years until In bringing his story to this point, the war’s end. The horrifying details are Greg Dawson skillfully difficult reading, but very sets the narrative of effectively presented. his mother’s memories After the formal resoagainst a tapestry of hislutions of WWII, a major tory, particularly the shifteffort is made to resettle, ing borders and alliances possibly repatriate, refuof Eastern Europe durgees. Involved in these ing the early 20th century. efforts is a man named Larry Dawson, an AmeriOnce Zhanna’s story falls can who saw no combat within the story of Hitler’s but managed to find a confrontation with Russia and its largest sister So- Greg Dawson and mom Zhanna way of helping his country and the war’s victims viet Republic (Ukraine), Mr. Dawson’s balancing act becomes by working with refugees in Europe. more difficult. He keeps the story of It is with Larry Dawson’s over-the-top his mother and aunt in the sharpest commitment to help the sisters find a new footing in life and, especially, to help them resume their piano studies, that their lives take on a new direction. Though Zhanna had dreams of returning to Kharkov, Frina did not. Soon

enough, Zhanna realized that her idealized vision of a life “back home” after the war was impossible. Under Larry’s spell, they allowed themselves to be sent to live with his family in rural Virginia and awaited Larry’s own return from his duties. Upon that return, Larry was quick to act on his obsessional interest in the girls’ careers. His efforts led to them being accepted first at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and then at Juilliard in New York – his ultimate goal. Along the way, a relationship developed between Zhanna and Larry’s younger brother, David Dawson. David was, of all things, a successful professional musician and Juilliard alumnus. In time, Zhanna became his wife. Both sisters had careers as performers and as teachers in university music departments. Though for decades they did not speak of their experiences before and during the war, not even to one another, the time came when Zhanna was ready to open up. Fortunately, she had a professional writer in the family, her son Greg, to whom she could tell the tale. Philip K. Jason is Professor Emeritus of English from the United States Naval Academy. He reviews regularly for the Naples edition of Florida Weekly and for Fort Myers Magazine. Visit Phil’s website at www.philjason.wordpress. com.

Greg Dawson will be the keynote speaker at the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties’ annual Holocaust Memorial Service on Sunday, May 6 at 3:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Shalom, 702 SE 24th Avenue, Cape Coral.

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JEWISH INTEREST 15A April 2012

April 2012

15A

Stars of David: Jewish Celebrity News – Passover highlights By Nate Bloom, Contributing Columnist The Ten Commandments: Some back story Every year, for decades, ABC broadcasts the 1956 movie, The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston as Moses. It usually beats all the competition in the ratings. This year, the showing will be on Saturday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m. In March 2011, a special edition of the film, with a lot of “extras,” was released on Blu-ray disc. The new edition was made with the participation of Fraser Heston, a director and writer who is the son of the late Charlton Heston. He says the new edition is not simply a re-issue. Rather, “it was a painstaking job, a complete shot by shot restoration.” Fraser Heston, by the way, was three months old when he appeared as “Baby Moses” in the 1956 film. Charlton Heston, who played Jewish characters in The Ten Commandments and in the 1959 Oscar-winning film Ben-Hur, was a devout Christian. He was also a big supporter of Jewish and Israeli charities. The filmmakers, as most people know, took a lot of liberties with the Biblical accounts of Moses’ life and the exodus from Egypt. Still, it is not an incredibly distorted version of the Biblical sources, and the film’s special effects were fabulous when the film was made – and are still “pretty cool.” Of course, the film dialogue includes some “howlers” that certainly don’t appear in the Bible, including this gem: “Oh, Moses! Moses! You stubborn, splendid, adorable fool!” (An Egyptian princess in love with Moses says this.) EDWARD G. ROBINSON (as the evil “Dathan”) and OLIVE DEERING (as Moses’ sister, Miriam) were the only Jewish actors with important roles in the film (Yul Brynner, who played the Pharaoh of Egypt, had one Jewish great-grandfather.) Robinson (1893-1973), most famous for his early gangster roles, was born Emanuel Goldenberg in Rumania and came to the States in 1903. Al-

ways proud to be Jewish, he was also a highly cultured man due to a rigorous program of self-education. At one time, he owned one of the best collections of impressionist paintings in the world. Deering (1918-86), born Olive Corn, got good notices for her stage work in the ’50s and ’60s, but had a limited film and TV career. She was married to Jewish actor/director LEO PENN (1921-98), the father of actor SEAN PENN (born 1960), in the early ’50s. (Sean Penn, by the way, was raised secular and remains non-religious.) Deering and Leo Penn had no children and Leo Penn went on to marry (1958) Sean’s mother, (Catholic) actress Eileen Ryan, now 83, after his divorce (1952) from Deering. Deering’s brother, actor ALFRED RYDER (1916-1995), born Alfred Corn, was a top stage actor who also had a slew of TV guest roles through the early ’80s. (He guest starred in the first Star Trek episode). Ryder was married to actress KIM STANLEY (1919-86) from 1958-64. Stanley was one of the most acclaimed Broadway stage actresses of the 1950s and ’60s. She was twice nominated for an Oscar although she only made a handful of films. Almost everyone has heard Stanley’s voice – she was the unseen narrator of the opening and closing scenes of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Stanley converted to Judaism just before marrying Ryder. Their daughter, a practicing Jew, told a recent scholarly biographer of Stanley that her mother continued to observe some Jewish holidays until her death. An amusing sidelight about Olive Deering and the making of The Ten Commandments is found in the 1989 memoir, Which Reminds Me, by the late Jewish actor TONY RANDALL (born Arthur Rosenberg). Randall says that Deering originated a line that many actors – stuck filming a bad movie or stuck filming a movie under terrible conditions – have since used. After many weeks of filming The Ten Commandments in the heat

Editor’s note: I contacted author Nate Bloom after reading his column in the Let My People Grow blog of the Jewish Federation of Tampa. Nate agreed to have his column appear in The Jewish News. Nate writes a weekly column on Jewish celebrities that appears in Jewish papers around the country (Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Northern N.J., San Francisco and Tampa). The column on this page is made up of highlights from past columns about Passover. Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed, by Bloom, to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. You can contact Bloom at middleoftheroad1@aol.com. and dust of California’s Mojave Desert, Deering said, “Who do you have to sleep with to get off this picture?” Pesach, the lighter side For two years running, Pulitzer Prizewinning humorist Dave Barry came up with very funny Passover-related remarks. Barry, who describes himself as an atheist, is the son of a Presbyterian minister. Since 1996, he has been married to Miami Herald sportswriter MICHELLE KAUFMAN. They had a daughter, SOPHIE, in 2000. Sophie is being raised Jewish and Barry sometimes accompanies his wife and child to synagogue services. On April 2, 2011 Barry did a radio interview held before a live (Miami) audience. He was asked if he would ever leave Miami. He replied, “No, because my wife won’t let me… My wife is really rooted here. She’s Cuban Jewish. Juban, they call them. Yes, there are

Jubans in the audience. They didn’t come over on rafts, they parted the Caribbean.” In 2010, Barry told the New York Times, “My wife is Jewish, and when it’s Passover, we’ll have a house full of people eating roofing materials for a week. I keep telling them, ‘Come over to the lapsed-Presbyterian side. We can eat anything.’” Jake Gyllenhaal does Pesach for kids In 2010, actor JAKE GYLLENHAAL, whose mother is Jewish, filmed a Passover segment (“Finding the Afikomen”) for the PBS series Shalom Sesame. It can be viewed on YouTube at http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=V4xwR0VPzbs. By the way, last fall, Jake Gyllenhaal, who was raised secular or “very lightly” Jewish, was spotted attending Yom Kippur services at a Manhattan synagogue. For more on Shalom Sesame, visit www.shalomsesame.org.

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16A

JEWISH INTEREST

April 2012

A visit to Germany (part 1) By Sigmund and Lora Tobias

e returned to Germany in June 2009 with our family to show them our birthplaces and something about our lives there. We visited the Dachau concentration camp, where Sig’s father had been imprisoned in 1938, Berlin, and the synagogue to which the family belonged that had been vandalized during Kristallnacht. We also visited Schriesheim, where Lora’s family has a history dating back more than 350 years before fleeing to America in 1938. Dachau After Kristallnacht in 1938, Sig’s parents wanted to flee from Germany but could not get visas to enter anywhere. Sig’s father crossed into Belgium illegally, was caught by a patrol, and returned to Germany to be imprisoned in Dachau. These events are described in Sig’s memoir, Strange Haven: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Shanghai (University of Illinois Press).

Bob and Susan Salzman Discuss Jewish Life at Kol HaNeshama

Question: Why did you join Congregation Kol HaNeshama? Before we discovered Congregation Kol HaNeshama, we attended a number of area congregations reflecting the full range of liberal contemporary Judaism. None of the other services touched us as deeply as those we experienced at Kol HaNeshama. The services, reflecting Reconstructionist philosophy, are traditional in many ways, filled with joy and ruach. Torah discussions and other educational programs provide much spiritual and intellectual stimulation. Our prayer space, in the Southgate Community Center, is made of glass and looks out on living nature. Services are often punctuated by the sight of flocks of birds flying by. The setting provides a sanctuary that is surrounded by the beauty of nature and allows one to ponder the wonders of creation and the joy of being alive. Our adult education programs run the gamut from Torah study to theology, from book study to living Judaism through mitzvot and life cycle events. We have special celebrations for all the holidays. The congregation is radically welcoming; as soon as we walked in the door we were greeted by friendly people who truly seemed delighted to meet us. Many of these people have become close, dear friends in a very short time. We have never experienced such a group of intelligent, thoughtful, talented, generous, kind and loving people. For all these reasons, we are glad to have our lives enriched by participation in Congregation Kol HaNeshama.

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Now there is a museum in Dachau, visited by large groups of apparently non-Jewish people, ranging in age from their teens to their early 30s. The prison barracks were destroyed by war’s end, and two were rebuilt as exhibits. The stark three-level bunks where prisoners slept without blankets for shelter from long, bitterly cold winter nights bore mute witness to the brutal conditions. Barracks designed for 200 prisoners eventually housed 2,000, and toilet facilities were horribly primitive. Standing in the restored barracks, Sig realized how courageous his father and the other prisoners were to hang on to life despite their helplessness to deal with their captors’ brutality. Sig’s father did not know how long he would be confined in Dachau, nor that his wife was working to get him freed. Release from Dachau was then possible if one could leave Germany. Sig’s mother bought a ship’s passage to Shanghai, China, one of the few places that did not require visas, and his dad was released and left for Shanghai, followed by Sig and his mother six months later. Files of former prisoners were available in the Dachau archives, and a brief search unearthed Sig’s father’s file (figure 1). His name appears as Moses Windstrauch, not Tobias, because Sig’s grandparents’ synagogue wedding was not recognized by the Nazis who

figure 1: Dachau record of Sig’s father

therefore considered Sig’s father to be illegitimate, forcing him to assume his mother’s maiden name. The first row of the record describes the contents of the camp’s ledger columns; the second, difficult to decipher due to faded writing, is a copy of the original line about Sig’s dad. The details are then expanded to show Sig’s father’s name, birth date (4/14/04), place of birth (Podgorze/Poland), “Berlin” where he lived, “Jude” his religion, “handler” that he was a peddler, and “verheirated” that he was married. The bottom two lines show that he was confined for 13 days, and eventually “entlassen” (released). The file proved that Sig’s published recollection of the internment had been incorrect. In his memoir, Sig wrote that

Operation:

Grassroots

his dad was in Dachau for three, rather than two weeks. As a child, Sig had always thought of his father as a giant who could protect him from anything. Sig was shaken by how helpless his father seemed after returning from Dachau, limping warily from frequent beatings. Even 60 years later, when Sig’s memoir was written, the shock was still strong enough to distort his recall of the length of the confinement from 13 days to three weeks. On a prior visit to Dachau we saw an Israeli tourist, wearing a kippah, who had also been imprisoned there. The man confirmed his father’s recollection of daily lineups at dawn in the bitter winter cold. Prisoners dressed in striped, thin pajama-like uniforms were prodded by guards, wearing heavily

Dachau prisoners used to line up here for mandatory exercise at dawn

padded uniforms with rifles cradled in gloved hands, to run around the square for exercise. Weakened from the conditions and sparse food, those who stumbled and fell from exhaustion had to remain prostrated while others were forced to step on them. Prisoners trying to avoid fallen comrades had to prostrate themselves to be trampled. Now a moving sculpture decorated the spot where the lineups had been conducted. The Israeli told of a fellow prisoner, a Catholic priest, who refused to step on fallen inmates and was forced to remain prostrated until he was trampled to death. Even though Dachau was not

continued on next page

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JEWISH INTEREST 17A April 2012 if the synagogue had been set aflame. There now is a circle of grass and flowers in the shul’s courtyard. On the day

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The courtyard of the Rykestrasse Synagogue in 2009

after Kristallnacht, Sig and his parents passed the synagogue to see mounds of smoldering ashes and burned fragments of prayer books littering the courtyard. Sig was horrified to see the charred handles of the Torah scrolls sticking out of the simmering ashes. The synagogue was beautifully restored. We joined 16 non-Jewish visitors who paid a fee for a guided tour

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Interior of Rykestrasse Synagogue in 2009

of the shul. They waived the fee after hearing Sig’s story. A caretaker wanted to prevent Sig from photographing the synagogue’s interior. Sig told him that after 70 years he had returned to take that photograph, and the man left him alone. Part 2 will appear in the May issue. Sigmund Tobias, Eminent Research Professor, Division of Educational Psychology & Methodology, University at Albany, SUNY, has written on a variety of Jewish subjects for the Berkshire Jewish Voice and is a part-time Sarasota resident.

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an extermination camp, about 46,000 people died from the brutal conditions there. A crematorium was built to dispose of the huge number of bodies. The Israeli had a tattooed number on his forearm. He told of being imprisoned in Auschwitz at 14, surviving the death march to Buchenwald at 15, being liberated in Dachau at 16, and fighting for the Haganah in the Israeli battle of independence at 17. We chanted the El Moley Rachamim memorial prayer at Dachau’s Jewish Jewish Memorial at Dachau Memorial for the prisoners killed there, and the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Berlin In Berlin we visited the apartment house on Metzer Strasse where the Tobias family lived before fleeing to Shanghai. Their apartment had been heated by a huge tile stove. Sig’s father’s hands and parts of his body were continually in touch with the warm stove during his few hours at home after being released from Dachau. He did not tell us much about the conditions in Dachau until many years later; he didn’t have to. On Metzer Strasse there are still benches and trees, but the signs “Juden Verboten” (Jews forbidden) were gone. Then, there was one bench Jews were permitted to use; non-Jewish Germans usually occupied it. The Rykestrasse Synagogue We then visited the Rykestrasse Synagogue, where Sig’s parents belonged and where he attended Hebrew school. The Hitler Jugend often waited to taunt the Jewish kids, pelting them with stones or beating them. Sig did not attend that Hebrew school for long. The synagogue was not burned during Kristallnacht because it was connected to adjoining apartment houses, which would also have been consumed

April 2012

18A

COMMENTARY

April 2012

What Moses can teach us

Rabbi Barbara Aiello Congregation Ner Tamid

lthough his name is only once (and sometimes not at all) in our Passover Haggadot, it is Moses who is the main character in our dramatic story of liberation. As the curtain rises we find that the Jews are now slaves. Worse yet, their male babies are thrown into the Nile to drown. Except one. Moses is saved, thanks to his sister’s basketry talents that allowed Pharaoh’s daughter to rescue the infant whom she raised as a proper Egyptian prince. Yet Moses had a sense of his Jewishness. Deep down he felt connected to the Jews, and even though he did not know he was Jewish, Moses could feel he was Jewish. This is not unusual. Even though there had been no synagogues in southern Italy for centuries, many of my own family felt the same way. Just like Moses, deep inside we just knew we

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reactions. One aunt said, “What a shame she’s deaf because she was such a pretty little girl.” “What did that mean?” the mom asked. “That now that Rebecca is deaf she isn’t pretty? Or maybe that only ugly children should lose their hearing?” Another neighbor told Rebecca’s mother, “I was knitting a baby blanket for her, but when I found out that she was handicapped, I just stopped.” “As though,” the mother said to me, “having a disability is a death sentence.” Old attitudes die hard. Maybe that’s what Moses is trying to tell us. And maybe Moses’ experience with his speech difference is a wake-up call for all of us. After all, Moses is considered to be our greatest leader. What might have happened to the Jewish people if God had let him off the hook and said, “Poor Moses, you’re disabled. Can’t expect much from you.” Or if Moses had been an unrelenting victim full of self pity

and said, “Leave me alone, God. Can’t you see I’m disabled, I just can’t.” But that didn’t happen and Moses is our example of what not to do. His behavior asks us to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Moses shows us to keep on, even when the going gets rough and even when we think we can’t do it. Moses shows us the big picture – a picture that’s bigger than a walker, a wheelchair, a scooter or a setback. What’s greater? What’s bigger than all of those things put together? Our attitude. And Moses shows us that a positive attitude is the greatest gift of all. In addition to serving as the Rabbinic Advisor at Congregation Ner Tamid, Rabbi Barbara Aiello divides her time between the Kobernick Campus where she is resident rabbi, and southern Italy where she serves the B’nei Anousim as the rabbi of the first active synagogue in Calabria since Inquisition times. She is host of The Radio Rabbi program, WLSS AM 930 Sarasota, Sunday mornings 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

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were Jewish. Back to Moses. His affinity for the “meshpucha” drove him to kill a slave master and go into hiding. All is going remarkably well until the day when the bush caught fire but didn’t burn to ashes. And then, in what is the longest dialogue in the Bible between God and anybody, God speaks directly to Moses to get him to return to Egypt and free his people. Moses tries to get out of it. He uses all kinds of arguments. Wouldn’t you? This is a big assignment and a dangerous one. If we had the same chance, wouldn’t we want to beg off, too? Moses wants God to send someone else, especially since he’s got a speech disability that makes his words hard to understand. What I’ve learned from what Moses says about himself and his disability is that, apart from everything else, success is a matter of attitude. A disability can have a negative effect on anyone, even a Moses. Or not. It all depends on how we perceive ourselves and how much we allow ourselves or others to define us by our weaknesses, rather than by our strengths. I remember one woman who was the mother of a little girl who was hearing impaired – what we used to call deaf. I asked this mom what it was like when baby Rebecca was born. The mom remembers some interesting

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April 2012

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that Iran is the current major threat to Israel. It is a major stretch to say, as he implies, that Iran could ultimately be a military threat to the United States. This is the kind of reasoning the neocons have traditionally used. It is very questionable to believe that it would be in Iran’s interest to attack Israel. In fact, it would be suicidal for the current regime. It is true that Israel today is in the most hostile environment in its recent history with virtually no alliances left in the region. The likelihood is that the region will be dominated by Islamists, which will be hostile to Israel. Mr. Stephens, in pointing this out, also does not acknowledge the deep division in Islam by the intense hostility between the Sunnis and Shiites. The fact that Iran is the lone Sunni State in the region puts it in an isolated position. Mr. Stephens is correct the United States must maintain itself as the strong leader of the world. The United States has become since the Second World War the equivalent of a modern empire. This position was not as much a matter of choice but one imposed on us by the accidents of history. As with all empires, there is the risk of over-reaching. There are limits to our power. We will need a strong military, but more power will need to come from approaching the world as a chess master rather than the Dr. Strangelove approach of the neocons. We will need to build alliances, exploit rivalries and recognize our limitations. Realistically, I do not think that if President Obama or Governor Romney are elected there will be much change in foreign policy. I believe Jews should vote for the man who they believe to be the best leader for the United States and not for who will do the most for Israel. The best future for Israel is a strong America. — Walter Frank, Bradenton Beach, FL

Fr e

Letter to the Editor n February 15, Brett Stephens, Foreign Affairs columnist for the Wall Street Journal, gave a persuasive presentation at an American Jewish Committee lecture in Sarasota. He argued that the United States is wrong in not backing the Netanyahu government in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. In fact, he feels the United States should be the attacker. It is not important to argue the chances of success or failure of such a mission but to recognize the possible consequences. The probability is that any military action against Iran at this point will in all likelihood drive the price of oil to $300 a barrel or higher. Without any military action there is already a $20 to $40 risk premium in the price of oil. The world today is in the most fragile economic condition since the 1930s. A price spike of any magnitude would plunge the world into the worst depression in modern times. This would unleash the greatest anti-Semitic surge in history. The depression would be blamed on Israel, which would be seen as the instigator. It is interesting to listen to the wellcrafted arguments of Mr. Stephens, who is obviously a bright and well educated individual. The arguments are strongly reminiscent of neo-con points which led us into the Iraq War, maybe characterized by history as the worst blunder by the United States in the 20th century. We leave Iraq after a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars and a failed state. Iraq, prior to our invasion, was the greatest counter-balance to Iran. Only by destroying Iraq has Iran been able to gain its current balance of power. The failure in Iraq resulted in a major drop of prestige and respect in the region. The billions of dollars wasted is part of the cause of the economic problems we now face. Mr. Stephens is correct in saying

19A

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20A

COMMENTARY

April 2012

We Jews are a complicated people, aren’t we?

By David Harris, Executive Director, AJC, February 26, 2012

more than 40,000 missiles in its arsenal and the stated aim of destroying Israel... and as if Hamas, whose charter calls for Israel’s elimination and the murder of Jews, wasn’t acquiring rockets right and left. It is these American Jews I am trying to understand, because, frankly, I find their reaction quite unfathomable – and because I know their mobilization, if only it could be triggered, would be a great boost to those already engaged. At the risk of stating the obvious, we Jews are not a monolithic people. There couldn’t possiI’d say it is high time for some bly be a one-size-fitsJews to get out of the business of all explanation for the thinking of those on making excuses for our avowed the sidelines. That said, adversaries, or of disregarding I’ve noticed a few difthe deadly seriousness of their ferentOnemindsets. group says they think it’s all hype. threats. According to this view, end-of-days-obsessed leaders never anyone who asserts that Iran and its aldeclared their goal of a world without lies pose a danger must be a warmonIsrael (or proclaimed their undying ha- ger, a militarist, a neo-con at heart – and tred for the “Great Satan,” America)... we want nothing to do with them. You as if the International Atomic Energy know, these are the very same drumAgency (IAEA) didn’t reveal that Iran beaters who claimed Iraq was headed was heading towards nuclear-weapons for the bomb, and look where that got capability... as if the U.S. defense sec- us. retary didn’t state last month that Iran A second group says Israel has could have the capacity within a year... no calling on them, evokes no special as if Hezbollah wasn’t known to have connection. We’re about building community here, they assert. What “they” do “there” is their business, as if, by the way, Iran’s ambitions have no bearing on America, either. STUDY SHOWS ISRAEL RANKED SECOND A third group says, yes, there may MOST EDUCATED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD be a problem facing Israel, but if it had a different government and policies, the danger would soon recede. Therefore, until Israel gets its house in order to

don’t sleep well. The prospect of an Iranian bomb keeps me up at night. And when coupled with the missile threat from Iran’s allies, Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as Syria should Assad stay in power (or perhaps even if he doesn’t), the danger to Israel – and the world – only grows, while the sleep diminishes further. I happen to believe that, through tried-and-tested courage, ingenuity and resolve, Israel will prevail over this multi-pronged security threat. After all, it has no choice, since the alternative is annihilation. What puzzles me is what I see in the Jewish community here in the U.S. – or, more precisely, what I don’t see. To be sure, many Jews I meet are acutely aware of the gravity of the situation, also lose sleep over it, and manifest their concern any way they can. They join organizations, travel to Israel to express solidarity, contact elected officials, write to the media about an Iranian bomb as a regional and global game changer, and attend meetings and rallies. They may or may not believe they can affect the final outcome. But, at least, they want to be able to look themselves in the mirror and say that, on their watch, they refused to remain indifferent to what is – let’s call it by

its rightful name – the Iranian regime’s genocidal ambition. But there are quite a few other Jews who act differently. I encounter them just about every day. They appear strikingly unmoved by the situation, both as it affects Israel and beyond. Nothing has changed in their sleep pattern. Nothing has been altered in their daily life. Nothing has shifted in their thought process or emotional equilibrium. Life for them continues as if – well, as if Iran never existed... as if Iran’s

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our particular liking, they proclaim, no support. A fourth group says they express Jewish identity by helping others – in Asia, Africa, Latin America, anywhere, that is, except Israel. One telling illustration is the Jewish campus center I recently saw that boasts exactly one advocacy sign – “Save Darfur.” I assure you space is not the issue should anyone wish to put up a second sign, “Stop Iran.” Clearly, a lack of interest is. This reflects what I call the ABJ mindset – Anyone But Jews. These Jews have a humanistic and compassionate streak, but, oddly, apply it to everyone but fellow Jews. And for the fifth group, it’s just never the right time. They say they understand the situation, but they’re just too busy with other things right now – other obligations, commitments and plans. Maybe in a year or two the calendar will clear up. Check back with us then. I don’t approach Iran as a Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, dove or hawk. I simply approach it as one who takes Iranian leaders at their word when they spell out their goals – and when their clandestine programs are revealed by the IAEA, the Obama administration, Britain, France and Israel. History should have taught us that we ignore such explicit threats at our peril. Or are we condemned to learn history’s basic lessons again and again? Isn’t a threat to a Jew anywhere a threat to Jews everywhere? Can some so easily build mental walls between us and Israelis, or, for that matter, us and Argentina’s Jewish community, which

continued on next page

COMMENTARY 21A April 2012

April 2012

21A

Judging a book by its cover: A nuclear Iran

Staff Report

o you doubt Iran’s intentions? When the leader of Iran states that “Israel will be wiped off the map,” do you doubt for a moment that he means it? The intent is clear – to rid the region of the “Jewish” state of Israel/the “Zionist” regime. To be clear, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the autocratic rulers of Iran mean what they say. Since the overthrowing of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran has shown nothing but contempt for the United States and the West. It has become a leading state sponsor of terrorism; it backs Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist organizations; it is responsible for countless terror attacks around the world; it is the leading Holocaust

denier; it is a hateful anti-Jewish, dangerous cult. So what does this mean for us – the American Jewish community, friends of Israel and friends of the Earth? A nuclear Iran is THE threat to the stability of any peace and hopeful resolutions to the Arab-Israeli conflict; it is a threat to world peace; it is a threat to the entire Western world and our way of life. An Iran with nuclear power in the hands of leaders who promote terrorism and deny Israel’s legitimacy and refer to the United States as the Big Satan can only bring about more chaos and suffering throughout the global community. The time is now. Read the book. Without concrete action now, it will not have a happy ending.

Jewish Heritage Video Collection

David Harris...continued from previous page experienced Iran’s deadly reach in the 1990s? Let’s also be clear about one thing: Iran’s objections to Israel have nothing to do with who is prime minister and which parties have a Knesset majority. Rather, it has to do with the state’s very existence. I’d say it is high time for some Jews to get out of the business of making excuses for our avowed adversaries, or of disregarding the deadly seriousness of their threats. To think otherwise is to fall into the old trap of believing that, if we somehow just behave differently or lie low, our foes will reconsider their irrational hatred.

And it would be nice, wouldn’t it, to believe we can pick the time of our choosing to get involved. If only Iran’s leaders might accommodate our busy schedules, life would be so much simpler. The fate of a nation hangs in the balance, as Israelis must once again face unflinchingly the situation as it is – and as they doubtless will. We might be living thousands of miles away, but surely American Jews should be able to prioritize and stand as one – if I may be allowed to dream – in saying “no” to an Iranian bomb and “yes” to Israel. If not now, when? For more information, visit ajc.org.

The Jewish Heritage Video Collection consists of 203 videos. It is open and available to the entire community as it was at the JCC. It is housed at the Goldie Feldman Academy at the Temple Beth Sholom (TBS) Idelson Adult Library. The videos may be circulated at no charge for up to three weeks and then renewed if necessary. A complete list is available on the TBS website. Visit www.templebethsholomfl.org, click Education, and then Library to see categories and descriptions. Call 941.379.0429 for an appointment or to reserve videos.

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22A

FOCUS ON YOUTH

April 2012

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or over 25 years, The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee has been awarding college scholarships. In 2011, the college scholarship committee awarded over $50,000 to local Jewish teens. Most of our funds come from generous donors who have set up endowment funds to provide college scholarships to students so that they may achieve their goal of a college or technical school education. We offer general scholarships that are based on financial need as well as specific college scholarships that are based on merit, interests or area of study. Specific scholarships and requirements: • The B’nai B’rith Gulf Coast Lodge Number 2004 Scholarship offers three $500 scholarships. • The Judge Marvin and Sondra Silverman Scholarship Fund is available to applicants accepted to or attending Law School. • The Jacqueline Siegel-Frascella College Scholarship Fund offers one

$5,000 award annually. Applicants must be actively involved in sports or dance, maintain at least a C or above achievement, have financial need, and demonstrate involvement in the Jewish community. • The Ned F. Sinder Scholarship Fund (three awards annually of $4,000 each; renewable for a second year upon meeting additional criteria) is available to a home-schooled student or senior, anticipating graduation from a school or program, who may be planning to pursue a degree at an accredited U.S. post-secondary institution. • The Ronald and Geri Yonover College Scholarship Fund is awarded to any student attending an accredited four-year university who demonstrates financial need. • The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee Scholarship Fund has provided over $25,000 in additional awards for the past few years (multiple scholarships awarded). • The Marvin Wolf Vocational Schol-

arship provides a scholarship for any student attending a vocational or technical institution. General scholarship requirements: • Applicant must be an undergraduate student in the next academic year at a university, college or community college. • The applicant and his/her parent(s) must have resided full-time in Sarasota or Manatee counties for the past two years, as of the application deadline. • These scholarships are available only to those of the Jewish faith. The primary consideration for these scholarships will be based on financial need. However, a good academic record and community involvement in Jewish activities are important, as well. • Personal interviews may be required. • Applications must be received prior to deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. • Scholarship recipients are required to write to the family that established the

scholarship and thank them. The Federation is authorized to publicize the names of scholarships recipients and reproduce copies of their thank-you letters. Under the chairmanship of Terry Blumenstein, the College Scholarship Committee’s process is to assess each student based on the family’s financial situation, student’s academic achievements, and community service, both to the Jewish and general communities. It is important for families seeking financial aid to file their income tax forms early because they are required as part of the scholarship application package. The deadline for 2012 college scholarship applications is Monday, April 9, 2012. Applications must be complete and submitted by the deadline to be considered. For more information about any of our college scholarships, contact Jessica Katz at jkatz@jfedsrq.org or 941.371.4546 x123.

Florida Loves Israel Conference a huge success

By Julianne Simson

few weeks ago, the inaugural Florida Loves Israel Conference was held at Florida State University, and a legacy was created. Nearly 130 college students from all over Florida created a unified voice in support of Israel. My story is a little bit different from the other hundred-something participants, as my campus delegation was just a party of one. In fact, my campus is non-existent as I was the only Julianne Simson with the high-school Florida Supports Israel bill student at this conference. However, I, like most of the other participants, fell in love with Israel when I visited, and decided it was my responsibility to keep the Jewish homeland safe and preserved. At this conference, I learned how to take this support to a new level and become an even stronger Israel advocate than before. The conference, which was sponsored by Noles for Israel and FSU Hillel, was scheduled to be jam-packed, fitting in a ridiculous amount of curriculum over the course of four days and three nights. However, the coordinators made sure that there was a perfect balance between work and play so as to not tire out the participants but to still make this experience meaningful. For example, on Friday we advocated at the State Congress and had breakout sessions throughout the day, but on Saturday, we relaxed at the FSU reservation and enjoyed Israeli cultural programs. This equilibrium was probably why I was able to get so much out of the conference. The participants enhanced our advocacy on Friday morning at the State Capitol regarding the Florida Supports

Israel bill. I met with President Gwen Margolis of Dade County to thank her for her support of the bill. President Margolis voted in favor of the bill, as well as took up the leadership position of a co-sponsor. My group met with her legislative assistant – a former Seminole and actually the founder of the pro-Israel advocacy group on campus during his time – for one of the longest advocacy sessions we have ever experienced – almost an hour. It was truly an enriching experience for all of us. I have participated in a plethora of Israel advocacy conferences prior to FLI, but some things that set it apart were the educational and cultural aspects. More than ten pro-Israel organizations sponsored and attended the conference, including StandWithUs, which led an extremely impactful movement on the current-day BDS Movement. The Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions Movement, as I have learned, is an anti-Israel, anti-peace movement that was created

Julianne Simson and other conference participants at the Florida Capital building

to basically destroy Israel and is completely against negotiation. This movement is a rising problem in America and especially on major college campuses. The presentation was not only extremely resourceful, it was very interesting and quite to the point. We learned how to counter the movement’s efforts in a positive way, which is important as college (and high school) leaders. There were also other educational and cultural learning opportunities. The participants were fortunate enough to meet with former Israeli Prime Minister

Ariel Sharon’s Senior Advisor, Raanan Gissin. We were also able to see a major counter-terrorism Israeli movie and hear from its director. Another fun activity at the reservation was learning Krav Maga (Israeli self-defense). This was taught by Noles for Israel Vice President Terry Rydz, and Noles for Israel Krav Maga Instructor Harrison Dubosar.

he history of FLI is probably one of the most interesting aspects. After Noles for Israel President Danny Ackerman and Terry Rydz returned from a Jewish Federation gathering last summer, they really wanted to have a statewide conference on Israel. A lot of people had spoken about it in the past but nobody was actually doing anything about it. In September at the student involvement fair, Danny Ackerman met Ron Krudo, who said he really wanted to get involved with the Noles for Israel group. Only one month before the conference planning started, Ron started attending meetings, was appointed as a board member, and decided that he wanted to take initiative with this conference. “Let’s do it!” From then on, Danny and Terry appointed Ron as the Conference Director, and Noles for Israel took on a conference that would leave a huge mark in Florida pro-Israel history. “You never know what kind of person is going to walk into your life and change your world around. Think big, always, and you never know where you could take your organization when you’re passionate about something and you have a solid group of people working towards that goal. It’s a very exciting journey,” said Danny Ackerman. Ron Krudo said he had “never even attended a conference before this, but I did it anyway because I knew it was for a good cause. I was in charge of logistics, Danny had all the connections, and Terry was the backbone – he knew

the fundamentals of how to be tactful and how to communicate in a mature way. Every person put in all the effort they could because the whole success of this conference was based on our efforts. I couldn’t have done a thing without them.” Ron is also Noles for Israel’s Head of Liaison, in charge of connecting with all other student groups on campus. The FLI team had found a $500 grant for the university that heads FLI next year, as these ambitious students have now created a legacy. The outcome of this conference, according to Ackerman, was solely a representation of their hard work and dedication – all of the hours that the team had put in for months. “We were not lucky, just passionate and hard working. The conference will be even bigger and better than last year. If we made it this great now, it will only be better next year.” And the results of this conference showed that the team’s hard work really did pay off. I’m sure everyone had heard “We’re so excited to be here and come together!” from so many different participants throughout the weekend. Afterwards, Facebook and Twitter had numerous positive statuses about FLI. And there was national and international recognition for the conference, in addition to articles in the FSU newspaper, for weeks on end. “It meant a lot to all of us, and showed that all our work wasn’t for show but to make an impact in not just the community, but all of Florida,” said Krudo. But I believe that there is more than just this. I believe that the group of leaders who put this together not only made an impact for Florida, but for all of America and for pro-Israel students worldwide. They have set the bar in terms of pro-Israel advocacy and leadership, and the future looks even brighter.

FOCUS ON YOUTH 23A April 2012

April 2012

Students learn to lobby in D.C., meet with state officials on education By Brandon Ikeman

n February 19-22, I participated in the Panim el Panim leadership seminar in Washington, D.C. Panim el Panim means “Face-toFace” in Hebrew. The seminar lived up to its name by putting me face-toface with politicians, important issues, and about 135 other Jewish teens from around the United States. I saw different aspects of Washington, D.C. through touring its must-see landmarks such as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, talking

Brandon and Maddy in front of Capitol Hill

23A Sponsored by

By Madeline Black

with some of the area’s homeless residents, and volunteering at local charities. Panim el Panim consistently reinforced the view that politics are “processes through which we can change the world for the better” with Jewish values and advocacy training. Having attended this seminar, I feel empowered to take a stand on local, national and global issues.

ver President’s Day weekend, a small delegation from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, consisting of two teenagers and one chaperone, traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in a meaningful, inspiring and empowering experience. To be specific, we attended B’nai Brith Youth Organization’s Panim el Panim leadership seminar. Panim el Pamin, translated from Hebrew to mean “Faceto-Face,” aims to teach Jewish teenagers how to advocate for important issues. We were introduced to issues surrounding the D.C. area, such as hunger and homelessness. Members of the National Coalition of the Homeless came to lead a program, an experience that I will never forget since it changed Sarasota-Manatee delegation: Brandon Ikeman, Jewish Federation Program my perception of homeless Associate Len Steinberg, Maddy Black people. We heard from speak-

The true definition of “Never Again”

ers about economic issues and took part in simulations of Congress and advocacy. And. of course, we went sightseeing in Washington, D.C., experiencing the monuments and museums. To encourage direct service, we went to service sites all over D.C. I went to So Others Might Eat, which is a foundation that offers free food, clothes and protection to those in need. It was a great organization, and even though we were doing the not so glamorous task of sorting food, we still felt as though we made a world of difference. On the last day, we had a chance to lobby Representative Vern Buchanan’s Legislative Assistant about equalizing educational funding. She was very responsive and sympathetic towards our cause and helped us figure out how we could find a solution upon our return home. All in all, the Panim el Panim seminar opened my eyes to many current issues in our nation and taught me new ways that I can go about to fix them. Sponsored by

By Sarah Tedesco

eventy years ago, eleven million innocent individuals were slaughtered by the hands of the Nazis; six million were Jews. Today, thousands embrace the words “Never Again” in their honor. Although this phrase is widely known and chanted among hundreds of human rights organizations, it is not at all accurate. “Never Again” does not exclusively refer Sarah Tedesco to the extermination of the Jewish people, but the extermination of any race, religion or ethnicity. Since 1945, there have been over 40 genocides, the largest being Sudan, Darfur, Rwanda and the Congo. If thousands chant “Never Again,” then why are so many of our brothers and sisters being murdered in Africa today? On February 12, the Incarnation Church hosted an inspiring seminar on ending genocide that was well attended by members of the Sarasota-Manatee community. Attendees were engaged and eager to hear how they could “Take a Stand Against Genocide and Mass Atrocities,” which was the name of the program. I represented The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and spoke about my experience on the March of the Living – a two-week Holocaust education program that unites Jewish teens and Holocaust survivors to experience the horror of the Third Reich. Every person I spoke to about my experience was awe struck of my ability to walk through several concentration camps such as Auschwitz, Treblinka and Madjanek. The keynote speaker, Cameron Hudson, mainly spoke about Darfur

and how learning about past genocides can help us combat current genocides. The combination of my trip to Poland and Mr. Hudson’s inspirational words has made me understand how important it is to travel abroad and see with my eyes what is happening in Africa. I am a senior in high school at the Manatee School for the Arts. My passion and true talent is writing. I plan to use writing in my future and become an investigative journalist traveling around the world getting the factual, disturbing story pertaining to genocide. School officials all around the country believe that teaching Holocaust education is enough, but I disagree. I am making my life goal to make sure that current-day affairs, such as genocides, are being taught to middle and high-school students around the world. I have seen my 17-year-old classmates’ reactions to the Holocaust. They look at this mass atrocity as a historical event that could never happen again. Little do these uninformed students realize that holocausts are happening right this minute. Today, right across the Atlantic Ocean a child is being starved. Her parents were recently tortured to death in front of this starving child’s young eyes, and her tears are left flowing for no one to notice. This story is one of many. Humanity needs to stand up. Standing up does not just mean writing a check, it means traveling abroad, seeing where your appreciated money is being spent. Making a difference means volunteering, generating ideas to help stop genocide and being there to help aid officials in sustaining peace. Along with my previous experience in genocide awareness, this program instilled my hope to change the world. We all need to put one hand into this initiative. I or any other coming-of-age activist cannot stop genocide alone. Eradicating genocide will be a long

overseas. Put yourself in someone your age’s shoes. To conclude, genocide is a disturbing, destructive act of inhumane maliciousness. It is important that we all attend proMy classmates look at the Holocaust grams such as as a historical event that could never “Take a Stand Genohappen again. Little do they realize Against cide and Mass that holocausts are happening right A t r o c i t i e s ” that educate us this minute. how to recogpast. If you are an adult, talk to your nize signs of genocide. For example, children. Ask them if they know what is children need to be upstanders to hate. currently happening in Darfur; inspire Being a bystander is just as bad if not them to take action. Every step counts. worse than being a murderer. Please If you are a teen like me, become a lead- join me and organizations such as The er in your community and urge others to Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee join you. Start by meeting with friends to eradicate all ignorant acts of genoand peers. Talk about what is happening cide and hate in our world today. process. It will take generations to completely erase, but I believe that if we all work together and instill core values in the world’s children, genocide can be a part of the dark hours in humanity’s

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April 2012

FOCUS ON YOUTH

BBYO International Convention holds large role in shaping local teen’s Jewish identity Sponsored by

By Roxanne Felig, future Bob Malkin Young Ambassador hen I first joined BBYO three years ago, I had no idea that it would have such an immense impact on my life. It simply seemed like a fun way to meet friends, keep myself occupied and, of course, maintain my Judaism. I quickly realized that BBYO was much more than these things. I heard from older members about their summer experiences and the international conventions they went to, and how deeply this affected them. The way that they spoke about this orRoxanne Felig ganization intrigued me, so I decided to really give it a shot. I started attending every event that I possibly could, and I immediately fell in love. After holding two positions on chapter board, and attending multiple regional events, I decided that I wanted to experience BBYO on an international level. I had heard countless times from friends “You HAVE to do an international program!” and “You don’t even understand how amazing they truly are.” So as soon as registration opened for the 2012 International Convention, I signed myself up. Five months later, with financial help from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota Manatee, I was on a plane with four others from Sarasota heading to Atlanta, Georgia. Words could not even begin to explain my excitement, which only grew when we arrived at the airport and it seemed that every single person there was wearing some sort of BBYO apparel. I felt an instant connection to them all. We were escorted to a bus and, by that time, practically everyone had already begun making friends. When we arrived at the hotel, it was like another

when family and friends of the international Grand Aleph Godol (International AZA teen president) and N’siah (International BBG teen president) speak. Afterwards, BBG and AZA separates began. The B’nai Brith Girls (BBG) and Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA), BBYO’s unique membership structure, contributes a sense of sorority and fraternity to the organization, an attribute that kept me coming back. The BBG separates program was extremeThis year, BBYO’s International ly meaningful and reConvention set the world record ally made me think the future goals for the largest Havdalah service, about I wish to achieve, not with more than 1,200 of the only in BBYO, but in aspects of my Jewish community’s BBYO teen other life as well. leaders, philanthropists and The next day was our last full day at IC, volunteers. which was very sad. their Jewish traditions on the other side However, this was the most important of the world. There were also teens day of all, as we were electing our new there from Israel, the United Kingdom, international board. Elections lasted Ireland, Lithuania, Canada, Serbia, Al- from nine in the morning to about five in the evening, which wasn’t too excitbania, Bosnia and Bulgaria. This year, BBYO’s International ing, but at the same time thrilling. Never before had I been able to Convention (IC) set the world record for the largest Havdalah service, with have a part in something so huge that more than 1,200 of would impact me directly. Being able the Jewish commu- to watch the process of choosing who nity’s BBYO teen would direct me for a full year in BBYO leaders, philanthro- was so extremely cool! After the tedious pists and volunteers. process was over, and a new internaIn addition, BBYO tional board was successfully elected, welcomed teens it was time to head to Shuk where we from every Jewish could purchase all sorts of international community in North BBYO apparel and gifts. There was so America and global much to take in, it was a bit overwhelmdelegates from over ing! Roxanne Felig (third from right) and other convention attendees participate in their service project thirteen countries The night concluded with an exthe day sorting through boxes and box- that BBYO engages. It felt so inspir- citing performance by rapper Chiddy es of all sorts of things and categorizing ing to be a part of such a diverse Jewish Bang, a dance, and closing ceremonies. them to make it easier to ship out. It was community. I couldn’t believe that IC was practicalso nice to feel like I was having a direct Following our Day of Learning was ly over when it felt like it had just beeffect on someone else’s life. After the the State of the Order, which is when gun. I had made so many great friends five or so hours spent there, we headed the international board addresses all the over a brief five days, and the thought back to the hotel for a lovely Shabbat progress we have made this year, and of leaving them the next morning made me so sad. International Convention was so much more than I had expected and imagined, and I am so glad I went. The experiences I had are once-in-alifetime opportunities, and the friendships I made are eternal. I’m not sure how many other kids my age can say that they have close friends in foreign countries like I do from this experience. BBYO is helping our Jewish future stay afloat, and I’m proud to say that the local chapter I am involved in, Sarasota BBG of North Florida Region BBYO, is having overwhelming success in the new year. BBYO has impacted my life more than anything else, and International Convention played a large role in shaping my Jewish identity.

world. I was instantly greeted with hugs and smiles from friends old and new. I watched as best friends were reunited after months or more of being apart. It was extremely heartwarming to see, and I already knew that when the fiveday convention was over, I would be leaving with friendships like that. The first day was a bit hectic with kids catching up with each other, meeting our roommates, unpacking and just mingling. It was mostly just a day for us to settle in. At eight that evening we headed to opening ceremonies where the international board spoke to us about this year’s convention. This was followed by a super fun dance. We were up bright and early the next morning, and had a long day ahead of us. Our second day there, Friday, was set aside as a day of service. There were numerous service projects that we got assigned to, all throughout the city of Atlanta with BBYO’s partner organizations. The service project I attended was called MedShare. MedShare is an organization that collects surplus, unused medical equipment from hospitals and sends them to countries that cannot pay for these things themselves. I spent

dinner and services. After services the following morning, the day was spent at different “Day of Learning” electives. There were so many to choose from. I attended a program that focused on equality and the Jewish views surrounding it, and I also learned about Jewish life in Latvia and the Ukraine firsthand from international teens. I was so interested in learning about how these kids my age keep up

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FOCUS ON YOUTH 25A April 2012

TBS students surprise Satchel’s Last Resort with donations!

he kindergarten and first-grade classes at Temple Beth Sholom Schools literally went to the dogs on February 1. Mary Lou Davidson, head of sarasotadog.com, arranged for a special visit from Iris Eastman, Director of Satchel’s Last Resort, along with professional dog trainer Jeanine Brawn. The children were treated to a presentation about ways to safely greet a dog, the important role of animal shelters, and the differences between pet therapy dogs and service dogs. Ms. Brawn brought along her service dogs, Tango and Resin, who delighted the children with tricks, kisses and tail wags! At TBSS, the children are taught the importance of giving back to the

community through doing acts of kindness called mitzvot. The kindergarten and first-grade classes collected wishlist items for Satchel’s Last Resort as their mitzvah project. After the presentations, the students and teachers gave Ms. Eastman cartons and bags full of donated items for the animal shelter. After finding out that the shelter is currently caring for 67 dogs and 47 cats, the TBSS children can proudly say that they helped make a difference.

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Students participate in Social Justice Seminar in D.C. ive Temple Sinai Confirmation students, accompanied by Rabbi Geoff Huntting, recently participated in a Social Justice Seminar in Washington, D.C. The Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’taken Social Justice Seminar is sponsored by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism,

which is celebrating its 50th anniversary of educating and mobilizing the Reform Jewish community on legislative and social concerns. The four-day event educated over 300 students from around the country on a range of issues including extension of unemployment benefits, stem cell re-

search, bullying legislation, reproductive rights and immigration reform. After sightseeing on the Mall and visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the seminar culminated with the students presenting position papers

on an issue of their choice to our representatives on Capitol Hill. Despite a morning ice storm, Congressman Vern Buchanan and his Legislative Assistant, Allison Burzlaff, welcomed and visited with the students and Rabbi Huntting.

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FOCUS ON YOUTH

April 2012

Summer Camp at Temple Emanu-El A Commitment to Education, g A Love q.or Children srof jfed q.org tz a Ka essic atzor ct: J K ta a n 3 Co essic12 ns? r ct: J xt. stio nta 46 e Co5 23 o Que

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TEERS students share rewards with needy children

emple Emanu-El Religious School students have the opportunity every Sunday to earn “shekels” – play money that rewards punctuality, outstanding behavior, helpfulness, mastery of lessons and good effort. The students redeem their shekels for prizes twice a year at the muchanticipated Temple Emanu-El shuk, or marketplace. One sixth-grader realized, however, that the marketplace had become less appealing for some of the older students – and saw an opportunity for community service. “I noticed that a lot of kids as they matured became a bit too old for the stuff offered in the shuk.” Mo Glickman stated. “I thought wow, I need to do something. That was the beginning of Shekel Donations, which turns shekels into donated toys for children less fortunate than ourselves.” When students gathered for reli-

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Temple Emanu-El Religious School seventh-graders Josh Silverman and Jesse Clark were among the most generous givers to the Shekel Donations program

Sheldon Low rocks Temple Sinai!

he joint was jumping (literally!) when Sheldon Low performed to young children and their families at Temple Sinai on February 12. Known nationally as a dynamic performer and teacher, Sheldon Low had children and parents on their feet, dancing and clapping to his cleverly engaging music and guitar-playing. Students from Temple Sinai’s Gan preschool, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades prepared songs in advance and sang with Sheldon as did the teachers and madrichim. The event, offered in partnership with The PJ Library and The Jewish

Rescue Adoption Education Resource Center

gious school on February 26, ready to shop at the shuk, they were invited to participate in Shekel Donations by using

Shekel Donations donor Audrey Lipton and Temple Emanu-El Director of Education Sabrina Silverberg display a recorder, ball and jump rope purchased for children served by the Salvation Army

some of their shekels to procure toys for children served by the Salvation Army. Over 75 percent of the students chose to donate, Glickman reported. “It took the school by storm,” he said, adding that Director of Education Sabrina Silverberg offered to match the number of shekels students contributed to the Shekel Donations program. “Shekel Donations is founded on the idea of tzedakah,” Glickman explained. “In religious school, we collect tzedakah every week.” Shekel Donations resulted in about 40 toys being purchased for the Salvation Army. Further donations of gifts for children will be accepted through May 4. For more information, please email shalomfrommo@gmail.com.

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Sheldon Low with Laura Freedman, Director of Early Childhood Education, and Sue Huntting, Religious School Director

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LIFE 27A CYCLE

April 2012

ANNIVERSARIES 55th Irene & Alvin & Hyman Temple Sinai 55th Morton & Barbara Kallman Temple Beth Sholom 50th Barbara & Marvin Rosen Temple Sinai 50th Barry & Nomi Schneider Temple Emanu-El

45th Dr. Martin & Cecilia Max Temple Emanu-El 25th Carol & Larry Phillips Temple Sinai 20th Harold & June Ackerstein Temple Beth Sholom 15th Samuel Upton & Marlies Gluck-Upton Temple Emanu-El

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IN MEMORIAM Rachel P. Barham, 94, of Sarasota, Feb. 9 Leonard Bases M.D., 99, of Sarasota, formerly of Chappaqua, NY, Jan. 25 Sylvia Hayman Bernstein, 93, of Port Jefferson, NY, formerly of Siesta Key, and Buffalo, NY, Jan. 16 Louise Tarragon “Lulu” Cogan, 95, of Sarasota, formerly of New York, NY, Feb. 10 Dr. Manual A. “Dave” Davidoff, 100, of Siesta Key, formerly of Ft. Wayne, IN, Feb. 1 Seymore Fenichel, 91, of Sarasota, formerly of Florham Park, NJ, Jan. 28 Clara Joel Fleischer, M.D., 99, of Sarasota, Jan. 31 Corky Frensdorf, of Sarasota, formerly of Cleveland, OH, Jan. 27 Melvin Leon Glass, 81, of Venice, Jan. 29 Leonard Kunkin, 87, of Longboat Key, formerly of Philadelphia, PA, Jan. 30 Joseph M. Kushner, 97, of Sarasota, Feb. 5 Nathan “Sonny” Mann, 85, of Sarasota, formerly of Chicago, IL, Feb. 3 Florence Markowitz (nee Kochansky), 83, of Sarasota, and North Bergen, NJ, Feb. 17 Sylvia L. Miller, 88, of Sarasota, formerly of New York, NY, Feb. 20 Dr. Richard H. Sands, 84, of Sarasota, Feb.10 Sarah Shields, 102, of England, February, 24 Stephen Harvey Snider, 73, of Sarasota, Jan. 30 Arthur Yadven, 93, of Sarasota, Feb. 21 Sherman Zimmerman, 87, of Sarasota, formerly of Madison, CT, Feb. 14

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Visit www.jfedsrq.org for more information. Jessica Katz, Director, Development and Community Relations 941.371.4546, ext. 123 / jkatz@jfedsrq.org

Martin W. Haberer, Associate Executive Director 941.371.4546, ext. 108 / mhaberer@jfedsrq.org

Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Israel and the World FEDERATION NEWS

See pages 14B-15B for recent event photos To submit your event, send an e-mail to JewishNews@comcast.net.

April 2012 - Nisan/Iyar 5772

Section B

Volume 42, Number 4

Jewish Happenings sunDAY, april 1

tuesDAY, april 3

Falafel with Yoav

The Rebbe’s Tisch and Scholars Circle

Enjoy a terrific kosher falafel lunch prepared by Yoav Cohen from noon - 1:00 p.m. at Chabad Jewish Center, 5712 Lorraine Road, Lakewood Ranch. Cost is $4 a falafel. Call 941.752.3030 for more information.

Everyone is welcome to join two ongoing Tuesday morning classes at Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota. From 8:45 - 9:45 a.m., Rabbi Joel Mishkin conducts The Rebbe’s Tisch, focusing on “What the Psalmist Said.” Following, from 9:50 - 10:50 a.m., Marden Paru holds the Scholars Circle, discussing “A Study of David Hamelech – King David – Utilizing the Book of Samuel.” Cost for each class for nonmembers is $36. Please contact Temple Beth Sholom at 941.955.8121 for registration, which is required.

Family Bowling Party Families are warmly invited to a fantastic Family Bowling Party sponsored by the Social Committee of Temple Emanu-El Religious School. We’ll enjoy bowling at Sarasota Lanes (2250 Fruitville Road), with separate lanes reserved for adults and kids, as well as snacks, drinks and socializing. Come spend time with other families in a relaxed and fun atmosphere, get a few strikes (or at least knock down a pin or two), and have a great afternoon! The community is welcome to this event, which begins at 12:30 p.m. For more information, email Beth Vandroff at bvandroff@aol.com.

Jazz/klezmer presentation Dr. Henry Ettman will present the jazz/klezmer fusion music of 1980s New York, and the influx of highly influential Israeli musicians of the last ten years. The event begins at 2:00 p.m. at the Jewish Congregation of Venice, 600 N. Auburn Rd. $3 for JCV members; $5 for nonmembers. Contact Baila Miller at bailamiller@aol.com or 941.485.5671 for more information.

CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR

wednesDAY, april 4 “Lunch with the Rabbi” Are you looking for a good lunch date? Welcome to one of the hottest spots in town: Temple Emanu-El’s “Lunch with the Rabbi” with Rabbi Brenner J. Glickman. Every month the tables are filled with friendly, interesting people enjoying casual socializing and stimulating lunchtime discussion on hot topics of Jewish interest. You are warmly invited to join us. You bring your lunch – we’ll provide the delicious homemade dessert and a great afternoon. The event begins at noon at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. For more information, call the temple office at 941.371.2788.

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS

April 2012

Passover begins at sundown on Friday, April 6. Many of the area’s temples will hold first- and secondnight seders open to the community. Contact the temples for more information.

THURSDAY, april 5 Chug Ivri (Hebrew Circle) The Chug Ivri is a study group of individuals who wish to improve their knowledge of Hebrew, both spoken and reading. It is conducted at an advanced intermediate level and consists of reading an Israeli newspaper (for experienced students of Hebrew) and Hebrew conversation. There is no teacher. The members’ knowledge and the use of dictionaries provide the expertise. Our goal is to use Hebrew as much as possible during the meeting. There is no cost. New participants are always welcome. The group meets from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Sholom, Band/ Desenberg Chapel, 1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota. For more information, call Claire Fox at 941.921.3765.

“LIVE” from NY’s 92nd St Y: Eric Kandel with Alan Alda Eric Kandel’s most recent book, The Age of Insight, explores how in 1900 Vienna, five of the best minds – across disciplines from medical science to psychology and painting, from Sigmund Freud to Gustav Klimt – radically reframed our understanding of ourselves and our unconscious mental processes. A Nobel Prize winner, Kandel (pictured above left) is professor of psychiatry, biochemistry and biophysics at Columbia University, and author of many books, including the award-winning In Search of Memory. Kandel will be interviewed by Alan Alda (pictured below left). The event begins at 8:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Free for TBI members; $5 for nonmembers. For more information, contact the TBI office at 941.383.3428.

tuesDAY, april 10 Tuesdays with Rabbi Harold Rabbi Harold Caminker of Temple Beth El Bradenton leads a monthly discussion group centered on various subjects, including Jewish holidays (preparing for and celebrating), Jewish current events, and newsworthy current events. The discussion begins at 2:00 p.m. and is free and open to the community. Temple members are encouraged to come and bring friends interested in a stimulating discussion. Temple Beth El is located at 4200 32nd Street West, on the campus of the Unity Church. For more information, please call the temple office Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon, at 941.755.4900.

Stay informed throughout the month. Sign up for the Federation’s community newsletter at www.jfedsrq.org. THE AMERICAN ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (AIPAC) cordially invites you to the

2012 Sarasota Annual Event “Beyond the Conflict: Israel, Iran & the Arab Spring”

Thursday, March 29

7:00 p.m. Dessert Reception and Briefing Dessert and refreshments will be served. $25 couvert per person.

Hyatt Regency Sarasota 1000 Boulevard of the Arts with Special Guest

“The most important organization affecting America’s relationship with Israel.”

Honorable Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives, Florida’s 21st District Keynote Speaker

Mara Karlin Former Levant Director, Office of the Secretary of Defense

–The New York Times

The pro-Israel community is invited to AIPAC’s 2012 Sarasota Annual Event. There is no minimum gift required to attend. This event is strictly off the record and closed to the press. For security purposes, advanced reservations are required. Please reserve your spot today by contacting Jacki Waksman at AIPAC: (954) 653-9053 or jwaksman@aipac.org.

JEWISH HAPPENINGS 3B April 2012

April 2012

Sarasota’s Reconstructionist Synagogue

Are You Are Looking For A Fun, Musical, Family Friendly Seder?

got matzah? Join Us at Congregation Kol HaNeshama’s

“SECO ND NIT E LIT E ”

April 7, 6:30 PM Promptly Rabbi Goldie Milgram Will Conduct a Musical, Participatory, Joyful Seder. A light, Kosher L’Pesach Supper: Soup, Salads, Gefilte Fish, and Desserts.

Bring Your Friends, Neighbors and Visitors Members $20, Non-members $25, Teens $10, Under 13: No Charge South Gate Community Center 3145 South Gate Circle (Where Tuttle meets Siesta Drive) To reserve, call or E-mail: Regina Rand at Congregation Kol Haneshama arand@att.net | 941-926-3710

congkh.org

wednesDAY, april 11 TBS Annual Kosher Passover BBQ Join us from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. for an evening of socialization and community mixed with ritual and fun while enjoying a Kosher for Passover BBQ. This event is jointly sponsored by the Men’s Club, Sisterhood and Congregational Learning of Temple Beth Sholom. Cost: $20/adult member, $25/adult nonmember, $10/children 13-18, and free for under 13. Reservations after April 4 are an additional $5/person. Please make checks payable to “TBS Men’s Club” and send to Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34237. Reservations required. Please contact Randi Brodsky at 941.924.7682 or mrsmomdoc@verizon.net for more information.

thursDAY, april 12 TBI Men’s Club Movie Night: Left Luggage Free-spirited 20-year-old student Chaja (Laura Fraser) has a long-haired revolutionary lover and sometimes visits her parents (Maximilian Schell, Marianne Sagebrecht), both concentration camp survivors. Evading eviction from her apartment, Chaja finds work as a nanny with the Kalmans, an Orthodox Hassidic family. Initially rebelling against the rigid traditions, she eventually comes to terms with their way of life as she teaches their four-year-old to follow his father’s doctrines. The film begins at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Free for TBI members; $3 for nonmembers. For more information, contact the TBI office at 941.383.3428 or info@tbi-lbk.org www.tbi-lbk.org.

friDAY, april 13 Parenting lecture Following the 7:30 p.m. Shabbat and Passover holiday service at Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road), Miriam Yerushalmi, M.A. Psychology & Family Counseling, B.A. Psychology & Child Development, will present “Compassionate Parenting.” Kosher for Passover desserts will be served and babysitting for children will be provided. The event is open to the entire community free of charge. Advance reservations are required at 941.925.0770.

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For a continuously updated calendar, visit www.jfedsrq.org. saturday, april 14 Lecture on marriage Following the 10:00 a.m. Shabbat and Passover holiday service at Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road), Miriam Yerushalmi, M.A. Psychology & Family Counseling, B.A. Psychology & Child Development, will present “How to Look Into Your Own Tent.” This free lecture, which is open to the entire community, is being offered as a prelude to the forthcoming JLI (Jewish Learning Institute) course entitled “The Art of Marriage,” which begins on Sunday, April 29. Passover desserts will be served. Childcare will be provided. Advance reservations are required at 941.925.0770.

Tot Shabbat at Temple Emanu-El Welcome to Tot Shabbat: a relaxed, welcoming and festive Shabbat celebration for young Jewish and interfaith families that’s open to the entire community. Please join us for playground time, a bagel breakfast, and age-appropriate Shabbat prayers, songs, movement, and story with Rabbi Brenner J. Glickman. Lots of friendly faces and lots of fun! Although Tot Shabbat is designed for families with children ages 1-6, all are invited. Tot Shabbat is free and begins at 10:30 a.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. For more information, call Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman at 941.379.1997.

Temple Beth El Bradenton Casino Night Once again, TBE will host (in sponsorship with the Bradenton Woman’s Club) an exciting night of “Games of Chance.” Play exciting Las Vegasstyle casino games (blackjack, Texas Hold’em, craps, roulette), join in on the 50/50 raffle, or find your treasure at the silent and live auctions. There will be food and drinks available for purchase. Doors open at 7:00 p.m.; the fun starts at 7:30; and the live auction takes place at 10:30. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. You receive $2,500 in chips with every ticket purchased to start off your evening. The event takes place at the Bradenton Woman’s Club, 1705 Manatee Avenue West, Bradenton. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the temple office Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon, at 941.755.4900.

An Evening with Brandeis at the Ballet BNC members invite you to join them at 8:00 p.m. at the Sarasota Ballet (Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave.) for an exhilarating performance of My Way with Twyla Tharp’s nine Sinatra songs. Following the performance, enjoy a dessert buffet at Café Amici on Main Street at 10:00 p.m. The cost is $51 for members and $61 for guests. Dessert buffet only is $10 for members and $15 for guests. RSVP to Janet Tolbert at 941.388.9624 or Ann Friedman at 941.349.6713.

JEWISH HAPPENINGS

April 2012 sunDAY, april 15

monDAY, april 16

JWV meeting

Mah jongg/game day

Sarasota Post 172, Jewish War Veterans of USA, will hold its monthly meeting at Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 South Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. Join us at 9:00 a.m. for our usual lox/bagel breakfast for members and spouses. The meeting and presentation will start at 10:00 a.m. The featured speaker will be Edith Jacobs, who will speak on “Her time spent as a soldier in the youth section of the Irgun.” This was just before the formation of Israel in 1947-48. Edith is a known writer and journalist. All area vets are welcome. For more information, call Stuart Krupkin, commander, at 941.342.3413.

The Greater Venice Chapter of Hadassah invites you to a fun day beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Indies Hall at Bay Indies Resort (off Bay Indies Blvd., 1st clubhouse off Venice Ave.). Cost is $15 and includes coffee/bagels and a delicious homemade lunch. Bring your own game or we can assign you a game. For questions, call Ruth at 941.492.6025 or Ruthie at 941.493.9612. Send your check, payable to Hadassah, to 4220 Tennyson Way, Venice, FL 34293.

Family and Friends of Israelis meeting

Jewish Family & Children’s Service will recognize Volunteers and Donors of the Year; Rich Segall, Board Chair and Rose Chapman, President/ CEO will highlight the agency’s accomplishments during its 26th year of service to the community; Marie Monsky will install newly-elected board members. The event takes place from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. at Michael’s On East, 1212 S. East Avenue, Sarasota. Pre-registration and $18 couvert are required by April 6. Contact Lynne Georgette at 941.366.2224 x181 or lgeorgette@jfcs-cares.org.

Join Family and Friends of Israelis (FAFI, formerly PNAI) for its monthly meeting at 1:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 South Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. The group is a bridge between U.S. families and friends and our Israeli family and friends. FAFI is a non-political group with a common interest and love for Israel. Meetings are always fun and interesting. For more information, contact Harriet Joy Epstein at hjesarasota@yahoo.com or 941.342.1818.

Jewish Genealogical Society presents Bintel Briefs A Bintel Brief (Yiddish for “bundle of letters”) was a Yiddish advice column. Often separated from family and bewildered by life in a new country, thousands of Jewish immigrants wrote to the offices of the Jewish Daily Forward, a Yiddish-language newspaper founded in 1897. The paper’s founder, Abraham Cahan, would answer back with practical and sometimes wise advice. This presentation begins at 1:00 p.m. at Kobernick House, 1951 N. Honore Ave., Sarasota. Attendance is free. Everyone is welcome. For more information about this and future Jewish Genealogical Society of Southwest Florida programs, please contact Kim Sheintal at 941.921.1433 or visit www.jgsswf.org.

JFCS 26th Annual Meeting

tuesday, april 17 Women of Sinai Bus Trip The Women of Sinai’s 3rd Annual Bus Trip leaves the Temple Sinai parking lot, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road off Proctor between Beneva and Swift Roads, at 7:30 a.m. The $45 cost includes a continental breakfast at 7:00 a.m., a boat ride on Lake Osceola at 11:00, a picnic lunch in the park in Winter Park, a tour of the beautiful Tiffany Museum at 1:30 p.m., then on to Ybor City for dinner on your own. For information and reservations, call Maxine Pintchuck at 239.966.2980 or Marcia Weil at 239.927.0170.

Ladies Lunch & Learn

CLO APRI SES L 26

Join Chanie Bukiet from noon - 1:00 p.m. at Chabad Jewish Center, 5712 Lorraine Road, Lakewood Ranch, for a Lunch & Learn. Feast on a delicious lunch and learn Tanya, psychology of the soul, based on the Kabbalah. No cost. Call 941.752.3030 for more information.

Sarasota history presentation Join GulfsidePalm ORT at 1:30 p.m. on the Jewish Federation Campus at 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, for a special presentation. Hope Black, former archivist at the Sarasota County History Center, will provide an overview of Bertha Palmer’s life before and during the Sarasota years. With her sons and brother, Bertha masterminded the transformation of the frontier fishing village of Sarasota into a winter haven for the wealthy and a lucrative wellspring of employment for others. No charge. For more information, contact Kim Sheintal at 941.921.1433 or klapshein@aol.com.

Yentl at the Asolo Join Temple Sinai for an evening with Yentl: The Story of a Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer at the Asolo at 7:30 p.m. with a free after-play discussion. Chazzan Cliff Abramson was a consultant for the production. Cost is $55 for temple members; $60 for guests. Optional dinner (not included) at Two Chefs (1517 Desoto Road) will follow. Performance tickets will be distributed at the theater. For information and reservations, call Janet Tolbert at 941.388.9624.

“LIVE” from NY’s 92nd St Y: George Mitchell with Howard Gardner

25 %

OFF

As one of the most respected and influential leaders of our times, George Mitchell (pictured above left) discusses the many lessons of his extraordinary political and diplomatic career. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1980 and served as Senate majority leader from 1989 to 1995. Howard Gardner (pictured below left), whose notable life and work have led to enormous influence in education, psychology, business and other sectors, asks: What can we learn from what you have achieved? The event (a DVD of the March 13 broadcast) begins at 8:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. Free for TBI members; $5 for nonmembers. For more information, contact the TBI office at 941.383.3428.

Read the current and previous editions of The Jewish News online at www.jfedsrq.org

JEWISH HAPPENINGS

April 2012 wednesDAY, april 18

fri-sat, april 20-21

Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day

Temple Emanu-El Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Joel Hoffman

Sponsored by

Please join us on this most special and important day as we remember those who suffered, those who fought and those who died in the Holocaust. This free event begins at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota. For more information, contact Orna Nissan at 941.371.4546 x104 or onissan@jfedsrq.org.

Temple Emanu-El (151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota) proudly hosts author, translator and professor Dr. Joel Hoffman (pictured) as this year’s Scholar-in-Residence. On Friday at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Hoffman speaks on “Four Exiles and Four Spiritual Revolutions: From the Ancient Prophets to Modernity,” an engaging, uplifting look at North American Judaism as seen in the context of the last 3,000 years. On Saturday, Dr. Hoffman offers a breakfast program intriguingly entitled “The Bible Doesn’t Say That,” focusing on how bad Bible translations have led millions astray. Breakfast at 9:30 a.m.; program at 10:00 a.m. Free and open to all. For more information, please call the temple office at 941.371.2788.

NCJW 12th Annual Scholarship Awards This community-wide National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) meeting showcases tikkun olam: How NCJW makes the world a better place. Join Caroline Zucker, Vice Chair Sarasota County School Board and former Women in Power honoree, as she presents scholarship awards to non-traditional students. Meet the scholarship awardees, their families and our volunteers, and learn how you can become part of this vibrant group. Refreshments will be served. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Zell Room on the Jewish Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. No cost. RSVP required. Call Jan Segal at 941.342.1855 by April 13.

saturDAY, april 21 Sock Hop Join us at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road off Proctor between Beneva and Swift Roads. Dance to the original ’50s and ’60s records of DJ Raoul Weinstein. Light supper, snacks, beer, wine and soda. Prizes for the best outfits and dance contest. You could be chosen Queen of the Hop! Cost: temple members, $25; guests, $28. For information and reservations, call Eve Pokornicky at 941.926.2871 prior to April 13.

friday, april 20 Yom HaShoah observance Congregation Ner Tamid’s annual Yom HaShoah observance begins at 7:00 p.m. as we remember the six million and honor the Righteous Gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews. Yizkor is said. Open to all. Congregation Ner Tamid is located at “The Lodge,” 4802 B 26th St. W., Bradenton. For information, call Elaine at 941.755.1231.

sunDAY, april 22 Chabad Men’s Club Israeli-style brunch

“What’s a Nice Gentile Girl Like You Doing in a Kibbutz?”

The Chabad Men’s Club will host a program at 11:00 a.m. at Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road), featuring an Israeli-style brunch and talks about the Shoah by two Holocaust survivors. This will be a very meaningful program and young adults as well as families are encouraged to attend. Cost is $5 per person. Advance reservations are required at 941.925.0770.

Join the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism at 7:30 p.m. for a presentation by Susan Jones Mannino, who received her B.A. in Dramatic Literature from New College and M.F.A. in Acting from FSU’s Asolo Conservatory. The program is part of CHJ’s celebration of Israel Independence Day. Free and open to the public. CHJ meets at Unity, 3023 Proctor Road, Sarasota. Visit www.chj-sarasota.org for more information.

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Teens (13-18) are invited to Rabbi Mendy & Chanie Bukiet’s home at 7:45 p.m. for a delicious Shabbat meal in a lively atmosphere. There is no charge. Sponsorships are available for $180. RSVP by April 17. Call Rabbi Mendy Bukiet at 941.752.3030. Expo on Clark 4065 Clark Road, Sarasota 941-926-9600

Bagpipe Shabbat Bagpipe Shabbat has become a wonderful tradition at Temple Beth Israel. This year’s rendition, as always, will be a treat as we enjoy Jewish melodies through the pleasingly soulful sounds of bagpipes. The event begins at 8:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. For more information, contact the TBI office at 941.383.3428.

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS 7B April 2012

April 2012

wednesDAY, april 25 SaBra Hadassah monthly chapter meeting Join the SaBra Hadassah chapter at 11:30 a.m. in the Zell Room on the Jewish Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. The guest speaker is Rita Feder, Counseling Psychologist and Parenting and Relationship Advisor. Her topic, relevant to every parent and adult child, is “How to Have a Positive Relationship with Adult Children.” Members, friends and Associates are welcome. A light lunch will be served. RSVP to Nancy Mizrahi at 941.359.0968 or Jackie Gilden at 941.359.9401 by Friday, April 20.

thursDAY, april 26 N’shei Chabad Women’s Rosh Chodesh Society N’shei Chabad Women’s Rosh Chodesh Society meets at 11:00 a.m. at Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road) for a Torah class, lunch and challah making. This month’s class is entitled: “Soul Composition - The Spiritual Woman.” Learn how to harmonize faith, prayer, connection and inspiration to align with the various dimensions of life to form a rhythmic inner symphony. The Rosh Chodesh Society is partially underwritten by Chabad’s First Lady, Anne Stein. Cost is $18. Advance reservations are required at 941.925.0770.

A Play By Samuel Gallu

Harry Truman comes to life. Visit with the President in the Oval Office, on Wake Island with General MacArthur, in Independence Missouri, meetings with Herbert Hoover & FDR, banks and unions in 1948, his famous Whistlestop campaign. Truman and Weizmann make history May 14, 1948. Jack Rabito as Harry S. Truman

ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2012, at 2:00 P.M. COOK THEATRE AT ASOLO REP TICKETS $25 941-359-0099 EXT. 101 or SarasotaBallet.org Produced by Whistlestop Productions 941-276-4177 Lry1999@gmail.com

A Play By Samuel Gallu

friDAY, april 27 TGIS Teen Shabbat Dinner TGIS (Thank G-d It’s Shabbat) is hosted by Chabad of Sarasota and is geared for teens in grades nine through twelve. During the special Shabbat dinner following the 7:30 p.m. service, the teens will convene at the home of Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz where hot button current event issues will be discussed, deliberated and debated. Rabbi Steinmetz will include the Torah perspective along with Jewish views and values. All teens are welcome to join for a wonderful Shabbat experience and dinner. For more information and reservations, call the Chabad office 941.925.0770.

Temple Emanu-El Shabbat Dinner Temple Emanu-El invites you to begin your Shabbat celebration with a friendly and delicious meal. Be a part of the synagogue’s monthly Shabbat dinner, where we gather to greet old and new friends and socialize together over yummy food in a festive atmosphere. You will be warmly and sincerely welcomed. Shabbat worship services conducted by Rabbi Brenner J. Glickman follow at 7:30 p.m. All are invited at 6:15 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Cost: $14 adult, $8 children ages 5-12,free for children under 5. For more information, please contact Ethel Gross at 941.388.7899 or ethrich2009@gmail.com.

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS

April 2012

Advertise in The Jewish News and reach an established and powerful demographic of over 8,500 homes in Sarasota-Manatee. Call Robin Leonardi at 941.371.4546 x114.

saturDAY, april 28 Yom Ha’Atzmaut observance with Dr. Rachel Dulin With over forty years of teaching experience, Dr. Dulin is currently Adjunct Professor of Hebrew and Bible at New College, and Professor of Bible and Hebrew Language at Spertus Institute, Chicago. An exciting and gifted instructor, she has done groundbreaking research in Women’s Studies and in Biblical scholarship. She has lectured across the country and has published books and articles on the Bible, the status of women, aging and politics. Dr. Dulin will speak at Temple Beth Sholom (1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota) during morning services, which begin at 9:00 a.m. For more information, please call the temple office at 941.955.8121.

Israel Independence Day celebration

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Congregation Ner Tamid celebrates Israel Independence Day and honors its new members. A free brunch is provided. The event begins at 10:00 a.m. at Congregation Ner Tamid, located at “The Lodge,” 4802 B 26th St. W., Bradenton. For information and reservations, call Elaine at 941.755.1231.

Yom Ha’Atzmaut - Israel Independence Day celebration Come and celebrate this meaningful event by joining us for a ceremony to remember the fallen Israeli soldiers (Yom HaZikaron). Following the ceremony, we will celebrate Yom Ha’Atzmaut with entertainment provided by the exciting and talented Lawrence Dermer and Third House Rising band. Light refreshments will be served. The event begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Beatrice Friedman Theater on the Federation Campus at 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota. Cost: $5 for adults; free for kids. Register at www.jfedsrq.org/events.aspx. For more information, please contact Orna Nissan at 941.371.4546 x104 or onissan@jfedsrq.org.

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7:30 pm at temple Beth israel Tickets: $15.00 ~ Reception to follow.

Well-connected to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post, Gil Hoffman, (pictured above with Benjamin Netanyahu), will speak in Sarasota next month. Hoffman has interviewed every major figure across the Israeli political spectrum and has been featured by top media on six continents. An outstanding speaker who has been called “The most optimistic man in Israel” by Israel Television, Hoffman’s writing often provides a behind the scenes look at the intrigue and humor in the Israeli political arena.

Call Temple Beth Israel at 941.383.3428 to reserve a seat!

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS 9B April 2012

April 2012

sunday, april 29

Discover Sarasota’s finest Mediterranean Cuisine & Specialty Market!

Bagels and Bios - Jewish icon David Harris Everyone is welcome to join Temple Beth Sholom’s Sunday morning symposium. Enjoy coffee and bagels while Sue Jacobson presents the accomplishments of David Harris, Executive Director of AJC (American Jewish Committee). The event begins at 9:30 a.m. at 1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota. No cost, but donations to defray food costs will be accepted. Please contact the temple office at 941.955.8121 for information or to sponsor the lecture.

New JLI course – “The Art of Marriage” Sponsored by

This six-week course will examine the arenas of love and respect, intimacy and communication, fidelity and domestic harmony. It will provide a practical and spiritual guide to making your marriage more enriched and fulfilling. Led by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, the course is offered at three different times: Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. at Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road), Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. at Chabad of Sarasota, and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. on the Jewish Federation Campus (580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota). Cost for the course is $74 or $139 per couple. To register, call the Chabad office at 941.925.0770.

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Temple Beth El Bradenton invites you to take a trip into the past at MOSI as we tour the “Grand Opening” of the new exhibit, “Mummies and Ancient Relics.” This exhibit will encompass artifacts from all over the world, some close to 6,000 years old. A box lunch follows and then at 3:30 p.m. the group will enter into the IMAX theater to see Secrets of the Pharaohs. Cost for the entire day is $17 for children under 12 (under 2 years of age is free) and $25 per adult, and must be paid for in advance. For those who want to car pool, a group will meet at Temple Beth El, 4200 32nd Street West, at 10:00 a.m. Otherwise, the program starts at MOSI at 11:00 a.m. For reservations and more information, call the temple office Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to noon, at 941.755.4900.

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Dinner and a Movie with the Rabbi Temple Sinai, 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road off Proctor between Beneva and Swift Roads, invites you to dinner at 5:00 p.m., followed at 6:00 with the documentary film and discussion led by Rabbi Geoff Huntting. Cost: $25 for temple members; $35 for guests. The country to be featured in film and cuisine is India. Reservations are required by April 15. No walk-ins. Call Janet Tolbert at 941.388.9624 or Helen Spindler at 941.929.7422.

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A unique Yom HaShoah service involving area students will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Epiphany Cathedral, 350 Tampa Ave. West, Venice. Students from Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota as well as from Catholic schools in Southwest Florida reaching as far south as Naples will participate. Each year, the Sarasota Jewish Chorale presents a singular song that is meaningful to people of the Jewish faith. This year’s song will be S’brent (Our Village is Burning). Composed by Mordecai Gebirtig, known as the troubadour of the Jewish people in 1930s Poland, the song was a response to the 1936 pogrom in the Polish town of Przytyk. This year’s speaker will be Bishop Denis J. Madden of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The public is invited to attend. For more information, please contact Arlene Stolnitz at 941.492.6944 or arlenestolnitz@gmail.com.

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10B

ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

April 2012

Jewish Agency to provide emergency aid to the Jewish community of Greece

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ew York, NY; Feb. 27, 2012 – The Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, comprised of leaders and representatives of Jewish communities around the world and meeting this week in Jerusalem, voted to grant emergency aid to the Jewish community of Greece in order to address immediate needs in the wake of the crippling financial crisis in the country. Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive Natan Sharansky convened an urgent meeting of the organization’s leadership, which decided to provide some $1 million over two years to help the Greek Jewish community weather

one of the worst crises it has faced in living memory. The funds will enable communal institutions to continue their operations, including programs to strengthen the community’s ties with Israel and the development of unique aliyah (immigration) tracks for those members of the community who wish to immigrate to Israel. The aid package will be funded by the Jewish Agency and by its partners, Keren HayesodUnited Israel Appeal (UIA) and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. The Jewish Agency leadership, including the leaders of Keren HayesodUIA and the Jewish Federations of

North America, also announced a special fundraising campaign for the Jews of Greece, and the Jewish Agency decided to dispatch Hebrew teachers to local schools and summer camps in Greece, within the coming months, in order to preserve Hebrew instruction in the community. Some 5,000 Jews live in Greece, of whom some 3,500 reside in Athens and an additional 1,000 in Thessaloniki. The Jewish community operates synagogues, a Jewish school, a museum and a soup kitchen. According to community leaders, the majority of Jewish communal institutions in the country are on the verge of closure due to the

financial crisis gripping the country, which has led to a dramatic decline in donations, the collapse of income from communal assets, and a series of new taxes imposed on the communal institutions themselves. Many members of the Jewish community are now unemployed and falling below the poverty line. Some 70 elderly members of the community require financial support to pay for basic necessities such as food and shelter. Natan Sharansky said, “The Jews of Greece are known for their tremendous generosity toward their needy brethren in Israel and around the Jewish world. They have contributed some $20 million to Keren Hayesod-UIA over the past decade, a huge per capita sum that has helped support the disadvantaged in Israel and elsewhere. Today, this wonderful community needs us, and it would be unthinkable for us not to come to their aid in their time of need.”

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Israel and Cyprus signed an accord recently to lay an underwater electricity cable between them, the first stage in a bid to transfer power between the Jewish state and mainland Europe. The cable, which the sides hope to complete by 2016, will stretch over 287 km. (178 miles) at a depth of 2,000 meters. The “Euro-Asia Interconnect” will have a capacity to transfer 2,000 MW (megawatts). Additional underwater cables are to connect Cyprus and mainland Europe via Greece. “Israel will be able to receive backup (electricity) from Cyprus and Europe, and in the future, we will be able to provide them with energy,” said Energy Minister Uzi Landau. (AFP)

PENTAGON TO REVIEW CASES OF JEWISH SERVICEMEN DENIED HONORS

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A WWI war hero who selflessly pulled his wounded comrades to safety under German machine gun fire may finally be rewarded with the Medal of Honor. William Shemin’s act of bravery was never acknowledged during his lifetime because of discrimination against his Jewish faith, according to his daughter, Elise Shemin-Roth, 82. She mounted a decade-long campaign to have the

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ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD 11B April 2012

April 2012

11B

Briefs...continued from previous page heroic acts of Shemin and others like him recognized by the military. Now, thanks to Shemin-Roth’s efforts, the Pentagon will review several cases of Jewish servicemen denied honors because of their faith. “A wrong has been made right here,” she said. (The Week, www.theweek.com)

new art museums, it succeeds in being at once breathtaking and deferential to the art on display. The building was designed by Preston Scott Cohen. The museum is located at 27 Shaul Hamelech Blvd. For more information, visit www. tamuseum.com. To see several cool images of the building, Google “Herta & Paul Amir Building” and click on images.

NETANYAHU TO AIPAC: WE CAN’T AFFORD TO WAIT ISRAEL’S TOP 20 MUCH LONGER TO STOP GREATEST INVENTIONS A NUCLEAR-ARMED IRAN Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu OF ALL TIME told the AIPAC Policy Conference on Monday, March 5: • “We are determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons; we leave all options on the table; and containment is definitely not an option. The Jewish state will not allow those who seek our destruction to possess the means to achieve that goal. A nuclear armed Iran must be stopped.” • “Some are prepared to accept...a world in which the Ayatollahs have atomic bombs. Sure, they say, Iran is cruel, but it’s not crazy. It’s detestable but it’s deterrable. My friends, responsible leaders should not bet the security of their countries on the belief that the world’s most dangerous regimes won’t use the world’s most dangerous weapons.” • “From the beginning, the Ayatollah regime has broken every international rule and flouted every norm. It has seized embassies, targeted diplomats. It sends its own children through mine fields; it hangs gays and stones women; it supports Assad’s brutal slaughter of the Syrian people; it is the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism.” • “This is how Iran behaves today, without nuclear weapons. Think of how they will behave tomorrow, with nuclear weapons...There’s been plenty of talk recently about the costs of stopping Iran. I think it’s time we started talking about the costs of not stopping Iran.” • “For the last decade, the international community has tried diplomacy. It hasn’t worked. For six years, the international community has applied sanctions. That hasn’t worked either... None of us can afford to wait much longer. As Prime Minister of Israel, I will never let my people live in the shadow of annihilation.” • “Today we have a state of our own. And the purpose of the Jewish state is to defend Jewish lives and to secure the Jewish future. Never again will we not be masters of the fate of our very survival. Never again. That is why Israel must always have the ability to defend itself, by itself, against any threat.” (Prime Minister’s Office)

Indispensable Israeli inventions are being displayed and demonstrated at the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem. Israel’s top inventions highlighted at the exhibition include: Netafim smart drip micro-irrigation, Ormat geothermal power plants, Pythagoras Solar windows, Hazera Genetics slow-ripening cherry tomato, EpiLady electric hair remover, MobileEye safe auto navigation system, Leviathan Energy silent wind turbine,

STUDY SHOWS ISRAEL RANKED SECOND MOST EDUCATED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Education at a Glance 2011 report, 78% of the money invested in education in Israel is taken directly from public funds, while 45% of Israel’s

population has a university or college diploma, ranking it ahead of Japan (44%), the U.S. (41%), and the UK (37%), but behind Canada (50%). Israel also had the largest increase in overall population, approximately 19.02% from 2000 to 2009. The report shows that while education has improved across the board, it has not improved evenly, with some countries enjoying much greater rates of educational attainment than others. According to 24/7 Wall St., which helped compile the data, the countries included in the list have had educated populations for a long time. While they have steadily increased the percentages of their populations with post-secondary educations, the increases are modest compared to developing countries. According to the report, the ten most educated countries in the world are: Canada, Israel, Japan, the U.S., New Zealand, South Korea, Norway, the United Kingdom, Australia and Finland. (Ha’aretz)

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TEL AVIV MUSEUM WINS DESIGN AWARD

The Herta & Paul Amir Building, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, received the T+L 2012 Design Award for Best Museum, as reported in the March 2012 issue of Travel + Leisure magazine. Wedged into a tight, triangular site within the city’s central cultural complex, the piece of architectural origami uses a soaring, twisting, 87-foot-tall atrium, called Lightfall, to link a series of refreshingly uncomplicated galleries. In contrast to many dramatically shaped

BriefCam video-synopsis technology, Better Place electric car network, Intel Israel computer processors, TA Count real-time microbiology detection, Solaris Synergy solar panels that float on water, HydroSpin internal pipe electricity generator, Elbit electro-optic observation system, Turbulence interactive movie, Decell Technologies GPS and phone-based road traffic information monitoring, PrimeSense 3D vision technologies, Takadu water utilities monitoring, EarlySense hospital patient monitoring, Panoramic Power energy monitoring. (Jerusalem Post)

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12B

ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

April 2012

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China learns agri-tech in Israel

his past November, 13 seniorlevel officers from China came to Israel for 13 days to learn all they could from the Israeli experience in water management and agriculture. China is a new global superpower. For decades it’s been the factory of the world, but coming into its own China understands the modern idea of sustainability. Its government and leaders know that a future without a sustainable source of water or food to meet its large population’s needs is not a bright one. A country that grew from a backwater state in the middle of the last century to a global leader in water technologies today, Israel seems like an unusual teacher for vast China. But although in many ways the two countries are very different, China is turning to Israeli expertise in agricultural technologies, or agri-tech, to ensure a future that China’s land and environment can depend on. Israel has about seven million people, compared to China’s 1.3 billion. But there are some basic similarities and curiosities that the two nations share, says Yani Xie, director of cooperation with China at the Galilee International Management Institute in Israel (formerly the Galilee College). Sharing passion and historical challenges “I think both countries share a central passion,” she says. “Israelis like the Chinese very much and the Chinese like Jewish people very much. They both have a long history, which has for both cultures been difficult at times.” Valuing education, excellence, innovation and plain and simple hard work, “the Chinese think the Jewish people are very smart and they want to come to Israel to see how this amazing and smart people have survived in the Middle East. It’s a mystery to them, and they are very curious about Israel,” says Xie, who oversees seven or eight different Chinese delegations to the institute’s training seminars every year. Some of the groups include high-profile VIPs from China. In general, the Chinese visitors come to learn agriculture the Israeli way, but sometimes they also learn manage-

ment skills at kibbutz-based programs on best practices in healthcare for epidemics such as AIDS, says Xie. The most recent delegation, from the China Association for International Exchange of Personnel, brought agronomists, researchers, university professors and business people to Israel to learn new skills under the event banner “The Management Programme for Beijing.” The VIP group included Zhenbo Lin, director of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. According to Xie, this group from a dry western region in China shares similar water security issues as Israel. In Israel, they learn about drip irrigation technologies, desalination and a range of topics that cover facilities management in agriculture and dry-farming agricultural cultivation techniques using greenhouses. Some Israeli companies have already made a mark in China, like the drip irrigation innovator Netafim, and IDE Technologies, the desalination company from Israel that has built China’s largest desalination facility – with green-tech elements to boot. The curious Chinese visitors wanted to see some of these companies in action and to see Israelis in their native environment. Israel would welcome many more Chinese visitors Visiting Israeli farming cooperatives, they also learn all there is to know about modern agricultural technology inside the greenhouse so they can go back and teach farmers how to grow food efficiently in China’s high-altitude and cold areas. During their 13 days in Israel, the Chinese delegation took courses (taught in English) and enjoyed a range of study and recreational tours to see the land of Israel with the help of a Chinese-speaking guide. “They really want to learn how we manage our water,” says Xie. And as far as breaking the ice, the trust is already there. “I know that during World War II, when Jewish people were refugees of the world, the Chinese opened their doors and helped many Jewish people. The older people in

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ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD 13B April 2012

April 2012

13B

continued from previous page China still remember this, so they still have a very special relationship.” Xie says that Joseph (Yossie) Shevel, president of the Galilee Institute, wishes that 1,000 Chinese, rather than only 80, would come to learn in Israel every year. Xie, who is from China, joined the Institute about seven years ago after marrying an Israeli and moving to Israel. She knows from personal experience what the Chinese know and think about Israel. A big highlight for the group in November was the institute’s international evening of socializing and dancing with guests from many different countries. “We are not only catering to Chinese groups but have programs and people from all over the world visit us every month.” Just recently, the Nigeria government, for instance, turned to Israel to help them rehabilitate some 20,000 oilfield rebels who negotiated with the government and agreed to put down their weapons in exchange for land and new skills. Two groups of Nigerians have been to Israel this year – 28 men and women who came to learn about creating businesses from fisheries, farming and livestock. Every month there are people from Africa and sometimes Europe and North and South America at the international evening. Everyone has to bring their traditional clothes and sing a song and dance. “The Chinese, who sang songs about how much they loved their country, enjoyed it very much,” Xie remarks. In all there were about 20 Chinese who joined in the November festivities, including some business people who were in Israel for other reasons. Looking to incubate new ideas So far, the institute has hosted custommade management training seminars for people from 160 different countries,

including people from nations that have no official diplomatic relations to Israel. The seminars are paid for by governmental or non-governmental organizations. The basic idea is to impart the best practices from the Israeli experience. Israel is known the world over as a leader in growing more “crop per drop,” and coaxing all kinds of produce from the desert sand, in a hostile climate – and under difficult political circumstances in the Middle East region. Jack Levy, a partner at Israel Cleantech Ventures, knows how to translate the value of Israeli clean-tech companies to international investors and stakeholders. His firm has invested in a range of Israeli clean-tech pioneers, including Metrolight for energy savings in lighting systems, and Better Place electric cars. Recently he’s put a special eye on scouting out opportunities in Israeli agri-tech. Why is this a good bet for his portfolio? “Israel has always been at the forefront of agri-tech innovation,” Levy says. “The clear and present need to meet growing food demand is most apparent in emerging markets such as China and so it is natural for the Chinese government to acknowledge the value of bilateral cooperation in this sector. As investors in Israeli clean-tech companies, we welcome these efforts to increase bilateral trade and partnerships which can accelerate the adoption of Israeli innovation in this critical market.” What’s next in store for China in Israel? Xie, now on maternity leave, says that the Chinese are very interested in exploring the Israeli model for incubating startup companies. She is putting together some ideas for a possible program. Source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, www.mfa.gov.il

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The Jewish confidant of Pope John Paul II Jerzy Kluger, 1921-2011

n 1989, Pope John Paul II asked his trusted friend Jerzy Kluger to return to their hometown of Wadowice in southern Poland, where they had first met as 5-year-olds, to help dedicate a plaque where the town’s synagogue had stood before World War II. Kluger was initially hesitant; he had not visited the country in the five decades since most of his family was killed in Nazi death camps. He eventually assented, though the trip “was not easy for him,” the pope later wrote. It was one of the many tasks Kluger carried out for his longtime friend, culminating in the pontiff’s trailblazing efforts to heal Catholic-Jewish relations. Growing up as the son of a successful lawyer, Kluger knew the future pontiff by his boyhood nickname, Lolek, said The Washington Post. The young friends played soccer in the streets, helped each other with homework, and were constant presences in each other’s homes. They lost touch during World War II, when Kluger and his father were jailed in a Soviet prison camp. It wasn’t until 1965 that their friendship was

rekindled, said The New York Times. Kluger, then living in Rome with his wife, chanced upon his friend’s name in a news report about the Second Vatican Council. He left a phone message, never expecting a reply. “Lolek called right back.” The two remained close for the next four decades, corresponding regularly and often enjoying long conversations over dinner, said the London Telegraph. When John Paul became pope, in 1978, he granted his first private audience to Kluger and his family. At the pope’s request, Kluger played a key behindthe-scenes role in the 1993 establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Israel. The pope’s other efforts to improve Catholic-Jewish relations – he was the first pontiff to visit a synagogue, the first to visit Auschwitz, and the first to condemn anti-Semitism as a sin – sprang largely from the men’s long friendship, which Kluger said had transformed his life. “I became somebody,” he said. “I was nobody before.” Source: The Week, www.theweek.com

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14B

RECENT EVENTS

April 2012

Recent event photos from the area’s temples, schools & organizations

At Chabad of Venice’s Mezuzhah Workshop, attendees got their Hebrew name written by the “Sofer,” Scribe Rabbi Klein Temple Beth Sholom Men’s Club hosted the 11th annual World Wide Wrap to celebrate the mitzvah of tefillin. Shane Beychok Boyer assisted his dad in learning about tefillin.

Phoebe Winters and the Pre-kindergarten class of the Gan at Temple Sinai with pediatric dentist Doctor McAninch learn about good food choices and good habits

Honoree Alice Cotman, with mother Fannie Nierenberg, was feted at Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood’s elegant, festive Honors Luncheon, held February 5 at Lakewood Ranch Country Club

Rabbi Brenner Glickman and daughter Eden were among the 90 attendees enjoying a sweet and magical evening at Temple Emanu-El’s Daddy-Daughter Dance on February 12

Rhonda Zemil, Michael Lauberblat, Cindy Guttman and Sandy Mehlenbacher at “Club 21” on February 25, celebrating Temple Sinai’s 21 wonderful years

Brandeis’ Book & Author lunch featured author Ben Rose, pictured here with Esther Rose (BNC past president and Ben’s mother), Lynn Harris, Marsha Halpern, BNC President Rookie Shifrin and Corky Schwartz Consul General Eva Alexandra Countess Kendeffy, Sonia Pressman Fuentes, who fled Germany when the Nazis seized control before WWII, and Temple Beth Israel Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz

Temple Beth El Bradenton Sisterhood President Sheila Kovalsky (at left, with Barbara Bensman), arranged for the Sarasota Jewish Chorale (above) to entertain congregants at the end of services on February 17

Ilse Hecht, Dr. Bernd Wollschlager, Bea Einstein and Curtis Hecht. Dr. Wollschlager’s, who converted to Judaism, spoke at Temple Beth Israel about his life as the son of a decorated Nazi officer.

Rhonda and Ken Kaplan at Congregation Ner Tamid’s Tu B’Shevat celebration

RECENT EVENTS 15B April 2012

April 2012

15B

At SaraMana ORT’s Casino Night: Committee members Susan Benson Steenbarger (Chair), Hannah Weinberg, co-President Janet Glazer, Sharyn Nassau, Susi Parelman, Gail Klein and Shelly Goldklang

ORT America held its Inaugural International Major Gifts Gala on February 26 at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. Pictured are Chaim Shacham (Consul General of Israel to Florida), Shelley B. Fagel (Ort America National President), His Excellency Ambassador Ron Prosor (Permanent Representative from Israel to the United Nations), and Meryle & Daniel Verner of Boca Raton (co-Chairs, Major Gifts Gala).

On February 7 a desert party was held at the Lake Club to honor members of SaraMana ORT America whose contributions reached the contributor level

At the Benderson Family Skilled Nursing & Rehab Center at Kobernick Anchin are St. James Methodist Early Learning Academy pupil Kai Lopez, Benderson Director of Resident Activities April Moschini, and resident Evelyn Greenberg

Jewish Family & Children’s Service mentors and tutors commended for service by Lori White, Sarasota County School Superintendent

The Brochins and Marie Barr sponsored Vermont Rabbi Joshua Boettiger (pictured), who presented “Denomination in Contemporary Judaism and the Idea of Chosenness” at Congregation Kol HaNeshama

Music Director Deborah Berioli (center) presented a lecture on Jewish liturgical music with cantors Joel Reznick and Marci Vitkus of Jewish Congregation of Venice during the Venice Interfaith Winter Educational Series

Claire Levin, Carolyn Ratner and Sondra Zemmel at the Sisterhood of Temple Beth Sholom’s Sophisticated Ladies Fashion Show held February 8

At Temple Beth Sholom Schools’ Annual Celebration of Imagination Children’s Art Auction, Cathy Chung holds Solomon, who was put up for adoption by the Animal Rescue Coalition

Charley Leonard (Sailor Circus performer), Kim Sheintal (Sarasota Sister Cities Association Vice City Director for Tel Mond Israel) and Joan Leonard (Program Administrator for the Sailor Circus) at the February SSCA luncheon

Congregation for Humanistic Judaism President Rick Stein and Past President Stanley Pelletz plant a tree on the grounds of Unity Church in observance of Tu B’Shevat

The china was your grandmotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. One day, it will go to your granddaughter. More precious are the stories handed down along with it. Best wishes for a joyous Passover. Life is Hope.