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INSIDE
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Southeastern Virginia | Vol. 52 No. 16 | 5 Iyar 5774 | May 5, 2014
12 HAT’s Pasta dinner
Sunday, May 18 —page 11
13 Maimonides meets about disaster relief
15 Iron Dome Sunday, May 18 In celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, as a part of the Simon Family JCC’s Celebrate Israel series, presents:
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2 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
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upfront
Jewish groups slam racist rant attributed to Donald Sterling
D
onald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, was banned for life by the NBA and fined $2.5 million for making racist comments. Under the punishment laid down Tuesday, April 29 by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Sterling may not associate with the team or the league after it was determined that his was the voice making the racist rant, which included comments about black Jews in Israel. Along with the fine, Sterling will be pressured to sell the team. “I will urge the Board of Governors to exercise its authority to force a sale of the team,” said Silver, who like Sterling is Jewish. Sterling may not attend Clippers games or practices, and cannot enter any Clippers facility, Silver said. He also was barred from making business or player decisions and from NBA Board of Governors meetings or other activities. Silver said the fine was the maximum allowed by the National Basketball Association. The money will be donated to organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and anti-racism. The commissioner, who is just two months into his tenure, said Sterling was interviewed during the investigation. Silver called the remarks “deeply offensive and harmful” and said he was “personally distraught” that the remarks came from someone within the NBA organization. He said they had “no place in the NBA.” TMZ had published a 10-minute recording of the rant on its website, saying the recording was a conversation between
Sterling and his girlfriend. Extended audio from a conversation between a man identified as Sterling and his model girlfriend V. Stiviano was released by the website Deadspin in which Sterling is heard explaining that his views reflect the way the world works. As evidence, he says that black Jews in Israel “are just treated like dogs.” Jewish groups have roundly criticized Sterling for his remarks. Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League’s national director, called the remarks “reprehensible.” “We applaud those within and outside the NBA who have already spoken out on this issue. It is reassuring and affirming to know that such flagrant racism is so widely regarded as out of bounds,” Foxman said. Sterling, the son of Jewish immigrant parents, allegedly tells his girlfriend, who is black and Mexican, not to be seen in public with black people or to post photographs of herself with black people on Instagram. He also tells her not to bring black people, including Magic Johnson, to his team’s basketball games. His girlfriend is heard countering that as a Jew, Sterling should know better than to advocate discrimination, and she cites the Holocaust as an example of where racism can lead. Johnson and others in the NBA community, notably Michael Jordan, the former Chicago Bulls superstar and now an owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, have slammed Sterling’s remarks, as did President Obama in Malaysia over the weekend. Amanda Susskind, ADL’s Pacific
contents
About the cover: Scenes from Israel Fest 2013. Photos by Laine Mednick Rutherford.
Upfront. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2014 Israel Fest!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
It’s a wrap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Torah Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Book Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Passover in Ukraine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Southwest regional director, called on Sterling to reject the statements attributed to him. “In Los Angeles, the most diverse major city in the country, we take as a point of pride that our leaders—in business, in government and in the community—embrace and accept this diversity without bias or bigotry,” Susskind said in a statement. “Both are suggested in the shocking language attributed to Mr. Sterling. We hope he disavows both the language and the sentiment behind it.” The American Jewish Committee condemned the remarks and called on the NBA to take appropriate action against Sterling. “Donald Sterling’s callous remarks regarding African Americans are a painful reminder that, 60 years after the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education, and 50 years after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act, there is still work to be done,” said AJC executive director David Harris. “And that someone so deeply involved in the NBA, which exemplifies the racial tapestry of our country, would think this way is all the more striking.” The Los Angeles chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which had been scheduled to honor Sterling with a lifetime achievement award, said via Twitter that it had rescinded the award. Sterling, a lawyer and real estate owner born Donald Tokowitz, bought the Clippers in 1981. He currently is the longest-tenured owner in the NBA. (JTA)
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more about Israeli innovation
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What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
and culture, and how we
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JDC visits Tidewater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
and the rest of the world
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Jewish groups and paid paternal leave . . . 8
Mazel Tov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
are benefiting from these
Heroines of the Lower East Side . . . . . . . . 9
Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
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technological advances.”
Adults complete Kabbalah course. . . . . . 10
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—page 15
jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 3
briefs Suffolk University defends choice of Foxman as commencement speaker Despite protests from some student groups, Suffolk University affirmed its selection of Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman as the law school’s commencement speaker. Foxman, who will step down from his position in July 2015, also will receive an honorary degree at the May 17 graduation ceremony of the private university in downtown Boston. More than 800 people signed an online petition criticizing Foxman for his opposition of U.S. congressional recognition of the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians on the eve of World War I as genocide. The petition, initiated by the law school’s chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild, states that comments by Foxman on the genocide may make families of students of Armenian descent feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. The petition also cites Foxman’s published comments about racial profiling of Muslims for purposes of national security, and his opposition of the construction of a Muslim community center near the site of the former World Trade Center. In 2007, after coming under fire for not acknowledging the Armenian massacre as genocide, the national ADL organization changed its position, though some in the Armenian community said its language was ambiguous and did not go far enough. Foxman later wrote, “ADL has never denied the tragic and painful events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians, and we have referred to those massacres and atrocities as genocide.” The issue continues to dog Foxman and cause controversy, especially in the Boston area, home to a large Armenian community. In a statement issued to the Boston Globe, the administration of Suffolk University President James McCarthy praised Foxman for contributions to the organization for nearly 50 years. The statement said the administration has examined the concerns raised by students but that “Mr. Foxman’s body of work is well deserving of recognition.” McCarthy also said, “It is our hope that Mr. Foxman’s personal story as a Holocaust 4 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
survivor and attorney who has dedicated his life to public service will inspire our graduates as they embark on their professional careers.” Suffolk has nearly 9,000 full- and parttime students, with 1,500 law students. Matthew Smith, a member of the school’s Jewish Law Students Association, told JTA he is disappointed “that a small group” has “attempted to create a controversy” over the commencement speaker and that he is proud the university is standing by Foxman. Smith, a third-year graduating law student said that many in the Jewish community are alarmed by the rhetoric attacking Foxman. “Some supporters of the petition have attacked Foxman for his support of Israel and…inappropriately referenced Foxman’s Jewish heritage,” he said. “It is difficult to listen to a student inaccurately label a Holocaust survivor and civil rights leader as a ‘racist.’ ” Sammy Nabulsi, president of the Student Bar Association at Suffolk acknowledged that Foxman has done good work in fighting discrimination. Nabulsi, who is Muslim-American, told the Globe he is speaking out on behalf of the student body as a whole. He suggested that Foxman would make a more appropriate guest speaker on campus and not a recipient of an honorary degree. (JTA)
Missouri mayor resigns over support of suspected Kansas killer’s views The mayor of the Missouri hometown of Frazier Glenn Miller resigned after saying he agreed with some views of the suspected Kansas City gunman. Dan Clevenger offered his resignation at a special Board of Aldermen meeting on Monday, April 21; the resignation was effective the next morning. The aldermen had voted 4–1 to start impeachment proceedings against Clevenger. Residents at the meeting had overwhelmingly called for his resignation or impeachment. Clevenger, who was elected earlier last month, said he “kind of agreed with him [Miller] on some things, but I don’t like to express that too much.” Miller has been charged in the fatal
April 13 shootings of a man and his 14-year-old grandson outside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park, Kan., and a woman outside the nearby Village Shalom. About 10 years ago, Clevenger offered a more robust endorsement of Miller in a letter sent to a local newspaper. He told the Springfield News-Ledger that he regrets writing the letter to the Aurora Advertiser. (JTA)
Israel to host ATP men’s tennis tournament The Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour will play this year in Israel. It is the first time that Israel has hosted an ATP tournament since 1996. The tournament, offering $1 million in prize money, will take place at the Israel Tennis Center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat HaSharon, Sept. 15–21. “After 19 memorable years in St. Petersburg, the time has come for us to take the tournament in a new direction,” said Ruslan Linkov, tournament representative. “We are very excited about the opportunities that lie in Tel Aviv and look forward to holding a successful event in September.” The ATP World Tour is the major international tennis tour for men. (JTA) Report: Starbucks to buy 10% stake in SodaStream Starbucks is in advanced talks to buy 10 percent of the Israeli home soda machine company SodaStream. Shares of SodaStream jumped more than 10 percent following the report last month in the Israeli business daily Globes, which said an announcement of the purchase is expected “soon.” The company value is $1.1 billion. Neither company would comment in the media on the report. Starbucks left the Israeli market about a decade ago after Israeli customers indicated their preference for purchasing their coffee from other companies. SodaStream had been in the news in recent months following the signing of actress Scarlett Johansson as a spokeswoman and the ensuing controversy over its factory in the West Bank. Johansson resigned as a global ambassador for Oxfam over her position with the company, which
employs Jewish and Palestinian workers at its West Bank facility. (JTA)
New Holocaust curriculum in Israel to begin in kindergarten Israel will teach the Holocaust in the country’s schools beginning in kindergarten under a planned curriculum released by the Education Ministry. The curriculum, which appears on the ministry’s website, is titled Bishvilai HaZikaron, or In the Paths of Memory. It was released several days before the start of Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Experts from the Education Ministry and the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem designed the program. The curriculum committee included Holocaust experts, educators, psychologists and educational consultants. The curriculum is meant to help children absorb information to which they are exposed during the day, including the two-minute siren, public memorial services and television broadcasts, while preserving their sense of security. “The education system is working to educate children starting from a young age about the legacy of the nation, its history and culture, and about her holidays and memorial days, as an integral part of the educational experience,” the ministry explained. The curriculum advises kindergarten teachers to avoid photos taken during the Holocaust and asks that they talk to parents about how to discuss the Holocaust with their children. (JTA) Spielberg launching center for genocide research Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is establishing a Center for Advanced Genocide Research at the University of Southern California. The formation of the new center was announced in a news conference last moth. Its primary goals will be to investigate the conditions leading to genocides and how to intervene in time to prevent such mass violence and slaughter. Spielberg founded what is now the USC Shoah Foundation 20 years ago following release of his Oscar-winning movie Schindler’s List. (JTA)
Marriage Ending?
Torah Thought
Claiming the Center
Presbyterians USA and the BDS movement
O
f the many things at Ohef Sholom Temple of which we are proud, the greatest of them might be the words of the prophet Isaiah inscribed above the Stockley Gardens entrance to our Sanctuary: Our House shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples. This principal underlies everything about our congregation. We cherish all of our member families and the differing faiths that comprise them; we have wonderful relations with our neighbors, as is evidenced by an 80 plus year history of Thanksgiving services with Freemason Street Baptist Church; our annual partnership with Ghent United Methodist Church in our hosting of the NEST program; and the many times we have hosted Iftar dinners, Muslim break the fasts marking the end of Ramadan. I have even spoken from the pulpit, on the High Holidays no less, of our gratitude to those parents of other faiths who have committed themselves to raising Jewish children. When I say, we love all of our members for who they are, as they are and where they are on their religious journeys, I really mean it. So it is with great sadness that I write about a recent event that occurred in the community of our friends, the Presbyterians. Like most religious denominations, their congregations and clergy attend annual conventions of their governing bodies and most Presbyterian Churches belong to the Presbyterian Church USA and attend its annual General Assembly. Like the U.S. Congress, various pastors are assigned to different committees with the chairs of those committees appointed by the General Assembly moderator. The hot button issue for the last few
years has been the state of Israel—specifically whether or not to boycott, divest or sanction Israel for its ongoing struggle with the leadership of the Palestinian people. As many of you know, BDS, the Boycott, Divest and Sanction Movement, is hardly unique to the Presbyterians USA. It is the latest war on Israel, heavily financed and organized by enemies of the State of Israel, to discredit her in the eyes of the media and the law, governments world-wide as well as in academic institutions and bodies, and even through organized religions. In the Christian community, BDS has been most successful in rallying Presbyterian and Methodist adherents. While it claims to be a campaign, which uses economic and political pressure on Israel for the benefit of the Palestinian people, it is really just anti-Semitism, disguised as anti-Zionism—its ultimate goal to deny Israel’s right to exist and to make the case legally, politically and economically, for its eradication. In response, the Jewish community has been working with our Presbyterian friends, which includes the vast majority of pastors and parishioners, to educate them about the truth of Israel’s reality, it’s failings, but also its circumstances; it’s contributions to all of humanity and its humanitarianism toward the world, including the Palestinian people and many Arab nations. Last year, the Middle East Issues Committee of the General Assembly of Presbyterians USA defeated a motion to divest from Israel by just one vote. This year we were delighted that our friend, and host of our beach services, the Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach, Al Butzer, was named as moderator of this critical committee. Reverend Butzer was found well-qualified and chosen because he has visited and listened to all sides in the Middle East, including Palestinian-led trips to refugee camps in the West Bank; he has established a reputation for fairness on controversial issues and polity expertise that spans his career in Chicago Presbytery, National Capital Presbytery and the Presbytery of Eastern
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Torah Thought Torah Thought — continued from page 5
Virginia; he was nominated to be a committee moderator by numerous Presbytery executives who have worked with him over the years; and because he stands in the center of the church on issues, not in alliance with interest groups lobbying for a particular outcome on issues. Writing just after his appointment, Reverend Butzer wrote in the Presbyterian Outlook, “I began to wonder how to handle my leadership burden. And a real burden it would have been, since the JewishPalestinian struggle has been one of the most contentious and polarizing issues at recent General Assemblies. What could I say to the commissioners assigned to the committee, most of whom would come to Detroit filled with energy and hope, but were not as yet lobbied to death or poisoned by Presbyterian politicking? How could I earn their trust? How could I transform them from strangers brought together by random selection into true friends in Christ, who could listen to one another with the kind of loving respect that the Apostle Paul wrote about to the contentious Corinthians? I began to pray that the Holy Spirit would bless these commissioners with grace and wisdom so that they would stake out some common ground to help the church move forward.” He decided to adopt a strategy first to earn their trust, saying: “So I planned to tell them about myself, my 34 years as a pastor and the numerous times I’ve been asked to mediate controversial situations. I would have told them of my four trips to the Holy Land, the two recent interfaith trips when I got to experience the Middle East through Jewish eyes, as well as two earlier trips when I saw the Middle East through Palestinian eyes. “I would have told them about the day we met Father Elias Chacour, a true blessing, and how he told us the terrible story of the day in the late 1940s when an Israeli tank commander rolled into the little town of Biram in Galilee, arrested Chacour’s father and dragged him away from the land his family had farmed for 500 years. “I would have told the commissioners about my trip to a Palestinian refugee camp in the Kingdom of Jordan where we met children as well as parents who claimed with pride their Palestinian heritage but who had never set foot in Palestine.
6 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
Instead, they were born in Jordan and had lived there for two generations as refugees. “Additionally, I would have told the commissioners about my two trips to Israel with Jewish groups and how those trips helped me better understand Israel’s claim of sovereign statehood and its desire to protect its borders and live in relative peace without the daily threat of suicide bombings on busses or in crowded marketplaces. I would have shared what I had learned—that Israel responds to terrorist force with force of its own, just as we do in the United States. I would have told them about our conversation with a Palestinian Muslim news reporter, a citizen of Israel, who chooses to live in Israel rather than Palestine because Israel, like America, grants him true freedom of the press, while everything he writes for Palestinian publications must pass through the censorship of Hamas. And I would have urged the commissioners to realize that any unilateral demonizing of Israel for human rights violations that ignores ongoing Palestinian terrorist activity, or any denial of Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation, seriously threatens long-standing relationships between Presbyterians and American Jews. “In short, I would have suggested that my varied experiences in the Middle East help me to hear all sides of this complex conflict and then assist others to work for reconciliation and compromise. “Next, I would have turned to the committee members themselves, typically most of whom would be first-time commissioners to a General Assembly, and said this: “We Presbyterians believe that God speaks to the church through discussion and debate and ultimately through majority vote. So you have a sacred responsibility to listen to those on one extreme of this polarizing debate… but you do not need to agree with them. In the same way, you have a sacred responsibility to listen to those on the other extreme…but you do not need to agree with them either. “Then I would have told them about seminary professor Jack Rogers and his important book, Claiming the Center. “When researching his book, Rogers studied the history of American Presbyterian decision-making. He claims that in almost every major issue Presbyterians have considered some 10% of the people at one end of the spectrum and 15% at the other end
monopolize the debate. But in almost every case, the large, mostly silent theological center of the church works for compromise and ultimately decides the issue.…” Reverend Butzer concluded: “This is what I would have worked for with the Committee on Middle East Issues, had the commissioners been so inclined and had my appointment as Moderator not been challenged by those who are filled with fear rather than trust. “For you see, less than a week after his nomination, Rev. Butzer was forced to step aside when the General Assembly’s Moderator Neal Presa and Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons succumbed to the lobbying from the BDS proponents. “He should be disqualified,” they said, “because he and Jewish clergy led two trips to Israel with congregants from Christian and Jewish congregations in Virginia.” Of course, the trips were not political. They had the goal of helping participants discuss the places where Judaism and Christianity are similar and where they are different. As is not unusual in trips in which clergy act as leaders, none of the three clergy paid their own expenses. Clergy expenses were paid by the Jewish Federation of Richmond, Va. He was also attacked by the BDS camp for attending a Virginia interfaith Passover Seder in which not only Jews but Muslims were present; (I can attest to this because, as president of the Board of Rabbis and Cantors of Hampton Roads, I, along with 10 other Jewish clergy, led the wonderful United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Community Relations Council sponsored Seder). As you can imagine, friends of Rev. Butzer were dismayed at the BDS movement’s unfair criticism of his ability to moderate the Committee on Middle East Issues fairly and its failure to mention that he also took two subsidized trips to the Middle East in which most of his time was spent talking with Palestinian leaders, including the aforementioned Archbishop Elias Chacour and visiting Palestinian refugee camps. Regardless of the lies told and injustices perpetrated against him, Reverend Butzer is a mensch and so he agreed to resign to help preserve “the peace, unity and purity of the church,” a promise all church officers make when ordained. However, in his email resignation to the moderator he also stated, “It is a sad day for the Presbyterian
Church when there exists such distrust among brothers and sisters in Christ, especially among those who do not even know me or my commitments to reconciliation and peace.” “To be sure,” he said in his article, “those on the extremes will oppose any moderate strategy, preferring an “I’m right and everyone else is wrong” approach. But that, in my judgment, is the antithesis of the ministry of reconciliation to which the Apostle Paul calls the church.…” Indeed. While not violent in nature, this whole hateful and hurtful episode, reminded me of another one which occurred just a week before in Overland, Kansas, where a former Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan took the lives of three faithful Christians whose only crime was that they were thought to be Jewish. In response, the national bodies of the two churches to which the victims belongs, the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (disciples of Christ) issued a joint statement expressing their solidarity with the Jewish community. It read, “The fact that all three of the victims were Christian, including the son and great grandson of a beloved Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pastor, underlines both the indiscriminant irrationality of such acts of hatred and the deep connection between our Jewish and Christian communities. That which harms either of us, harms both of us. It is our prayer that God will deliver us from the slavery of anti-Semitism and from hatreds of all kinds, that life may triumph over death and we all may know the glorious joy of freedom.” To which we could all say, “amen.” But, we know that anti-Semitism and hatred of all kinds does exist and manifests itself in so many ways in our world and that prayers alone, no matter how sincere, will not end them. Let us pray that the mostly silent majority of the Presbyterian Church USA claims its center, speaking out, working for compromise and ultimately deciding this issue with love rather than fear, for justice, for righteousness and for peace for all God’s children. —Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg serves as senior rabbi of Ohef Sholom Temple, as president of the Board of Rabbis and Cantors of Hampton Roads and as a member of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Community Relations Council.
Passover in Ukraine
J
ews of all ages across Ukraine celebrated Passover last month in spite of escalating challenges. To help make this a reality, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee prov ided nearly 53,000 boxes of matzah and coordinated scores of community Seders throughout the country—at Jewish Community Centers, at “Warm Home” gatherings of elderly Jews, in large cities, in towns and villages. And just as they have been for more than two decades, some of these Seders were led by a cadre of young volunteers, who remind even the most isolated that they are part of one big family. From a spirited Seder featuring a klezmer band in Kharkov…to a Simferopol Seder at the city’s “Old Crimea” restau-
Photograph courtesy of JDC
rant…to a holiday camp for families held in the outskirts of Kiev, JDC ensured that Passover in Ukraine and beyond was as vibrant, robust, and meaningful as ever. At this uncertain time, celebrations of Jewish culture and tradition persevere. JDC spokespeople say it “is committed to caring for Ukraine’s most vulnerable Jews, fostering a continuing connection to yiddishkeit, and providing for needs both tangible and spiritual.”
Distinguished group of JDC representatives visits Tidewater
R
epresent a t i v e s from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee ( JDC) paid a special visit to the Tidewater Jewish Community earlier this spring. The group included Arnon Mantver, director of JDC- Ran Nachum, Arnon Mantver, Sandy Katz, Danny Pins, Eli Bentata, Harry Graber. Israel, Sandy Katz, In addition to meeting with individual executive director of JDC International Initiatives, Danny Pins, chief financial community members, the group also met officer Africa & Asia and special projects with the Israel and Overseas Committee of JDC-Israel, Eli Bentata, JDC-Tevet divi- the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater sion for Young Adults, and a non-JDC to provide updates on Annual Campaign visitor, Israeli Ran Nachum, who is the allocations and to discuss new Tidewater, director/conductor at Kiryat Yam Music JDC, and Israeli partnering opportunities. Conservatory.
jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 7
Happy Mother’s Day
With a nudge from advocates, more Jewish groups embracing paid parental leave for Reform Judaism and Birthright Israel to foundations, local fedNEW YORK (JTA)—The erations and a handful United States is the only of large synagogues— industrialized country groups are on AWP’s have earned a place in the world not to manBetter Work/Better Life list on the AWP’s Better date paid maternity leave, Work/Better Life list. To and only 11 percent of qualify for the list, an private-sector American organization must offer employees have access to it. at least four weeks of But a growing list of Jewish nonprofits are now offering paid maternity leave or have formal flexor expanding paid maternity leave, the ible-scheduling policies to enable caring result of a push by Advancing Women for children. Another 17 groups are “in the Professionals, a communal advocacy pipeline,” according to AWP. Twenty of the groups on the list— group. Persuading scores of Jewish organi- including the Jewish Federations of North zations to add paid benefits during a America and American Jewish Joint recession was no easy feat. Leaders of Distribution Committee—earned AWP’s many organizations debated the matter for “gold standard” by offering at least 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, six weeks years before opting in. “Almost no one said, ‘Let me sign up of paid parental leave (for fathers, partners right away, what a great opportunity,’” and adoptive parents) and prorated parensays Shifra Bronznick, AWP’s founder and tal leave for part-time employees. Organizations aiming to make the president. “They all felt ‘we can’t afford this.’ America has taught us we can’t Better Work/Better Life list must provide their written employment policies to AWP, afford it.” Through its Better Work/Better Life but the group doesn’t police them. “It is kind of an honor code, but it has campaign, launched in 2010, AWP aims to “enlist 100 Jewish organizations as a cat- teeth in it because the Jewish community alyst for making healthy work-life policy is essentially a small world,” Bronznick the norm in our community,” according to says, noting that if an organization were not complying with its own policies, word the group’s website. An AWP survey conducted shortly would get out relatively quickly. Founded in 2001, AWP, through a before the campaign’s launch found that 65 percent of responding Jewish organiza- combination of research, advocacy and tions—a mix of 227 groups that included leadership development and mentoring national and religious institutions, local programs, has worked to get more women federations, JCCs and service agencies— into top professional positions at Jewish offered no paid maternity leave and that organizations and have more women reponly 7 percent provided 12 weeks or more. resented on conference panels. The group announced last fall in an Ten percent did not provide even unpaid maternity leave; the Family Medical Leave eJewishPhilanthropy article co-authored Act requires employers provide 12 weeks by Bronznick and Barbara Dobkin, AWP’s unpaid, but organizations with fewer co-founder and a board member, that it than 50 employees are exempt from the plans to cease being a “formal organization” in 2015 because “we believe that our requirement. So far, 82 groups—ranging from large impact will be more sustained if we give national organizations such as the Union our growing network the responsibility for by Julie Wiener
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carrying the work of gender equity into productivity and the rise in morale, that people feel good working for a progressive the next decade and beyond.” While many large and high-profile organization, you can’t set a dollar value on that. The people who go on leave national Jewish groups are on the AWP and see we’ve invested in them list, it still represents a small fraccome back. There’s an alletion of the Jewish nonprofit giance, and that only adds sector nationally. No Jewish to our retention of talent day school has signed on, and institutional knowlalthough Manhattan’s “When you take edge.” Rodeph Sholom School, Jewish Federations affiliated with the a look at improved of North America, the Reform movement, for Jewish is “in the pipestaff productivity and the umbrella federations, also line,” and RAVSAK, signed on in 2010 which serves as a rise in morale, that people and meets the gold network for 130 standard. It offers North American feel good working for a up to 12 weeks of nondenominational paid maternity leave, Jewish day schools, meets AWP’s “gold progressive organization, depending on length of service, and four standard.” weeks of paid paterniLeaders of severyou can’t set a dollar ty leave. al organizations that “We basically felt have signed onto the value on that. that with the concept of list have shared writJewish continuity and famiten testimonials vouching ly being at the heart of Jewish for its success, and those values, we as an organization interviewed by JTA say they recwanted to walk the talk and set a ommend their expanded policies to others. (Most tie the amount of paid leave bar,” says Jerry Silverman, JFNA’s presito an employee’s length of service—an dent and CEO. “We also felt it could create employee who becomes pregnant only a an even more productive environment.” Before adopting paid parental leave year or two after starting the job may not and flexibility policies, the organization’s be eligible for any paid leave.) Robin Salsberg, the human resources maternity leave policy “had been an area director at the American Jewish Joint of discontent,” says Gloria Nilsen, JFNA’s Distribution Committee, says employees human resources director. JFNA currently is researching all literally applauded when the new worklife policies, which include up to 12 weeks human resources policies at its member of paid leave for new fathers as well as federations and plans to release findings mothers, were announced. Before revising and recommendations in the fall. Nine JFNA employees have taken paid its policies, JDC had offered 12 weeks of unpaid leave, the minimum required leaves (three took multiple leaves), and under the Family Medical Leave Act. JFNA had to hire temporary replacements So far, 16 employees—including seven for only two. The other jobs were covmen—have availed themselves of the paid ered by other employees, many of whom viewed the situation as an opportunity parental leave, Salsberg says. Asked how much it has cost, she says, to learn new skills and advance in their “When you take a look at improved staff careers.
Happy Mother’s Day
The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy and the Henry Street Settlement: Heroines of the Lower East Side Special Mother’s Day Walking Tour — Sunday, May 11, 10:45 am New York, NY—The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, in collaboration with the Henry Street Settlement, will present “Heroines of the Lower East Side,” a two-hour walking tour celebrating the lives of some of New York City’s unsung heroines. Guided by urban historian Justin Ferate, the tour examines the lives of immigrant women who battled to raise their families and make a life in the New World, as well as nine inspiring women who played leading social, political and artistic roles on the Lower East Side in the early 20th century. The tour of the famed Manhattan neighborhood will examine how the nine women lived and how they each came to effect change in New York City and beyond. Participants will also enjoy a rare visit to the historic dining room at Henry Street Settlement, where Lillian D. Wald hosted distinguished guests ranging from President Theodore Roosevelt to W.E.B. Du Bois and delegates of National Negro Conference (after several NYC restaurants refused to accommodate the interracial group). The tour will conclude with a light lunch in the LESJC Kling & Niman Family Visitor Center. • • • The tour examines the lives of women including:
the movements for public health, education and labor reform, improved housing, civil rights and world peace.
The
tour of
the famed
Emma Goldman (1869–1940), anarchist and self-styled revolutionary. Jailed numerous times, she was called “the most dangerous woman in America” and deported to Russia in 1917.
Manhattan
neighborhood will
Rose Pastor Stokes (1879–1933), “The Red Yiddish Cinderella.” She was a cigar maker turned journalist whose marriage to a son of a wealthy uptown family made headlines in the New York press. Together the Socialist power couple traveled around the country speaking at lectures and rallies in support of social justice and economic equality.
examine how the nine women lived and how they each came to effect change in New York City and beyond.
Lillian D. Wald (1867–1940), founder of Henry Street Settlement and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. As a social welfare activist, she was an early leader in
Belle Moskowitz (1877–1933), political strategist and top advisor to New York Governor and presidential candidate Alfred E. Smith. As a young widow and mother, she worked at the Educational Alliance and became involved in liberal causes.
The Lewisohn sisters: Alice (1883–1972) and Irene (1886–1944), theatrical educators and innovators. In 1915, they established the Neighborhood Playhouse on Grand Street, one of the early “little theaters” in the city presenting avant-garde stage productions. Aline Bernstein (1880–1955), costume and set designer. She embarked on her theatrical career at the Neighborhood Playhouse in 1915 as chief designer of costumes, props and scenery. The tour meets at Strauss Square, the small triangle at the intersection of East Broadway, Essex Street and Rutgers Street —across from the Forward Building.
Admission is $22. ($25 if purchased after May 7) Space is limited. Register by 5 pm on May 7 at www.lesjc.org. Justin Ferate has been on the board of directors of the Fine Arts Federation of NYC, the National and Metropolitan chapters of the Victorian Society in America, the LESJC, and the NYC & Company Tour Guide Enhancement Program. Ferate is also active in numerous historic and preservation societies. With a background in Urban and Architectural History, Ferate was awarded fellowships to study 19th Century Architecture and Design in Philadelphia, Newport and London. For more information, visit www.justinsnewyork.com.
Il Giardino opens 12 Noon for Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11 Make reservations now!
Clara Lemlich (1886–1982), union leader. As a youthful shirtwaist maker, she led a strike in 1909 of sweatshop workers known as the “Uprising of the 20,000.” Anzia Yezierska (c. 1880–1970), author. Her novels, short stories and semi-fictional autobiographical writing vividly depict immigrant life on the Lower East Side and the struggles and conflicts of women of her generation assimilating to life in America.
422-6464
910 Atlantic Avenue • Virginia Beach www.ilgiardino.com
jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 9
• Watch the sunset while enjoying award winning seafood. • Fantastic view of the Chesapeake Bay. • Owned and operated by the Kyrus family for thirty six years.
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hether it’s an intimate dinner for two, a business meeting for ten, or a celebration for fifty, join us and discover why we have been voted the Best of the Beach for 17 consecutive years.
Join us on Mother’s Day for our Famous Stuffed Flounder and a Complimentary Carnation for Mom! 2350 Starfish Road Virginia Beach, VA 23451 (757) 481-0003 www.lynnhavenfishhouse.net
Your Table is Waiting! Ruth’s will said a lot about her. What does your will say about you? As a “pink lady” Ruth Goodman accumulated more hours than any other volunteer at the Norfolk hospital where she greeted visitors. Before she died in 1995, Ruth
arranged for a bequest to the Hampton Roads Community Foundation to give good health to the community she and her husband Victor loved. This year 19 students are studying to become physicians, pharmacists and other medical professionals thanks to scholarships generated by Ruth’s generosity. Many more Goodman Scholars will follow every year forever. Write rite your prescription for a better future by ordering a free bequest guide. Learn how easy it is to leave a gift for charity. Call 757-622-7951 or visit leaveabequest.org.
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10 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
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Kabbalah: adults complete course by Marilyn Ashe
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ewish Mysticism and Kabbalah: Secret Knowledge in Judaism, was a new graduate Melton course offered by the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, through the Jewish Life & Learning department of the Simon Family JCC. Open to any adult interested in learning more about this topic, more than 20 intrepid men and women over the age of 40 recently completed this 10-week course. Many of the students say that the study of Kabbalah was one of the most misunderstood and difficult of all courses of Jewish study. The class provided an opportunity to examine a fascinating aspect of Judaism not easily accessible in private study, and was intellectually engaging and stimulating. It is said that the kabbalistic approach can enhance many aspects of life while interpreting new dimensions of Torah, through which are revealed the secret laws of the universe. Rabbi Michael Panitz, the course’s instructor, says, “This overview of mysticism and kabbalah has been one of the
most ambitious courses in the Melton program. The material is both conceptually and textually challenging. I applaud the students for their hard work and enthusiastic participation.” Using the student reader from the Melton Scholars curriculum, with its accompanying kabbalistic texts, Rabbi Panitz carefully guided the class with his keen wisdom and knowledge, poetic metaphors and perspectives to help the class gain a better understanding of this complex aspect of Judaism. This overview of the study of Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah encourages learners to continue their personal course for lifelong Jewish learning. The hallmark of the Melton School is its world class curriculum which continues to inform and inspire adult learners from all knowledge levels and backgrounds. For more information about courses at the Simon Family JCC, contact Miriam Brunn Ruberg at 757-321-2328. The Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
Yom Ha’Atzmaut Israel Independence Day Hungry for Israel Fest? Sunday, May 18, 11am–5pm • Simon Family JCC by Leslie Shroyer
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ith the Simon Family JCC’s annual Israel Fest fast approaching, the kitchens of area temples and Beth Sholom Village are busy preparing for the festival’s largest food component ever. Participation from every synagogue will undoubtedly put this year’s “Fest” on record as the tastiest. At B’nai Israel Congregation, Eve Goldberg is creating a menu of turkey Shawarma and traditional Israeli salad, along with pita, hummus and tahini. Volunteers at the temple will pre-make the meals, cut the vegetables, divide up the portions and condiments and assemble it all again at the JCC on the day of the event. “I heard from the temple president about being a part of this year’s Israel Fest, and knew I had to help lead it,” she says. “I want our synagogue to be represented in the community; we need to be a part of this exciting day.” Over at Ohef Sholom Temple, Matt Mancoll is planning his menu of falafel, which he will fry on site. His sides will include Israeli salad, pita, and fries for kids. “I think it’s nice for everybody to be able to come together and participate in one function on the same day,” he says. “This is what the JCC stands for: the focal point of our Jewish community.” Dan Hahn, executive chef at Beth Sholom Village for 10 years, is preparing a cherry smoked whitefish cake with remoulade sauce, and a side of spicy lentils and mint garnish. Lentils are traditional legumes that Israelis have eaten for thousands of years.
“My goal at Israel Fest is to have an amazing display,” says Hahn. “I will pan sear the smoked whitefish cakes on site, and the display will be interactive so that people can smell and see and be part of the action. I also want to show the community that Beth Sholom Village food and kosher food in general can be flavorful and varied.” Other participating groups include Congregation Beth Chaverim, Congregation Beth El, Kehillat Bet Hamidrash Synagogue, Temple Emanuel, Temple Israel, the Sandler Family Campus, and Congregation Heichal Shlomo, which is preparing some sweet treats for the festival. Maggie Sibony of Congregation Heichal Shlomo has three menu items planned: Milkies, Malabi, and the drink Lemonada. Milkies, she says, are something all Israeli kids grow up having as a treat. It’s a mousse cup with a whipped topping; a parve item for either meat or dairy eaters. Malabi is also traditional and at almost every restaurant in both Israel and around the Mediterranean. The consistency of jello with a cornstarch and rosewater base, it is topped with grenadine with a sprinkle of coconut. The Lemonada is probably the most popular dink in Israel, explains Sibony. “If you were in Israel right now, this is something you would not want to miss. They are super easy to make, refreshing and delicious.” “Being a part of this food extravaganza is terrific,” says Sibony. “It will be a great day for those who want to eat Kosher out.” “As a Jewish people, we should feel more related to each other,” says Eve Goldberg of B’Nai Israel. “We come together on Israel Fest to laugh and celebrate as one.”
Charles Barker Automotive presents
Israel Fest The Simon Family JCC’s biggest party of the year •A food extravaganza: authentic Israeli and Jewish cuisine prepared by area synagogues and Beth Sholom Village. •A ctivities for the entire family: a live Israeli band, camel and carnival rides, crafts, inflatables, and more. •D isplays and samples from Israeli companies whose technologies impact the world. Taste, explore and discover Israel without leaving Hampton Roads. Free and open to the public. Food and some rides require ticket purchase. SimonFamilyJCC.org or 757-321-2338 for more information. The Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 11
it’s a wrap Congregation Beth El Sisterhood Shabbat by Helene Smith and Helene Rosenfeld, Sisterhood co-presidents
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ongregation Beth El’s Sisterhood held its annual Sisterhood Shabbat on Saturday, March 28. The Sisterhood chose to emphasize the Women’s League theme for the year of “Mispachah” (family) as the message of the morning. The event was successfully chaired by Brenda Kozak and Kevin Tabakin and included a service beautifully performed by 35 sisters in the hood, a vibrant group of educated Jewish women who personify a vigorous and vital Judaism. Sisterhood members led each part of the service. Five members took on the mitzvah of chanting the torah – Ina Leiderman, Jill Smith, Sharon Wasserberg, Sharon Goretsky, and Stephanie Peck, while six members were given the honor of an aliyah—Jody Laibstain, Brenda Kozak, Barbara Abraham, Vergie McCall, Carol
Smith, and Leslie Hecht-Leavitt. For the seventh aliyah, women filled the bema as the generous Torah Fund contributors were honored. Debbie Kaufman’s sermon was her interpretation of the Torah portion about the responsibilities of women after the birth of a child. She felt it showed respect and gratitude for the many responsibilities that women must assume in caring and sustaining the family. She made her point succinctly and humorously and her sermon was well received and certainly well appreciated for both its message and its brevity. Following the service, a beautiful Kiddush took place in Barr Hall and everyone enjoyed birthday cake donated by Mark Kozak in honor of his wife Brenda’s birthday. Cantor Gordon Piltch and Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz helped make this a day of special celebration for women.
Eric Kline Business Development Danny Kline Vice President
Andy Kline President
Pasta dinner and bingo at HAT —tradition continues! by Carin Simon, admissions director
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trelitz four-year-olds through Hebrew Academy fifth grade families celebrated good times at the Pasta Dinner and Bingo Night earlier this year. Held in the Sandler Family Campus multi-purpose room, the affair is a social tradition shared by board members, faculty and families who gather in an atmosphere of warmth and pure entertainment. Deb Segaloff, development director, HAT alum and chef extraordinaire, heads up the kitchen each year, assisted by devoted parent, grandparent and board member volunteers. They cooked up a delicious HAT first grader Taegen Leiden. meal of pasta, garlic bread and salad followed by a brownie dessert. Kids enjoyed coloring, eating their favorite foods and playing Bingo. This multi-generational event takes a host of dedicated volunteers to coordinate everything from food prep and serving to set-up and clean-up. Volunteers included Rachel Abrams, Lauren Barkan, Elyssa Brinn, Roz Drucker, Michelle Fenley, Randi Gordon, Brenda Horwitz, Janet Jenkins, Jody Klebanoff, Cindy Kramer, Shawn and Ashley with daughter, Breckin, and son, MJ Lemkes. Zach Krell, Ashley Lemke, Lisa Leon, Paul Peck, Susan Schwartzman, Smith and Benita Watts. Hebrew Academy of Tidewater is a constituent Patti Seeman, Maggie Sibony, Becca Schwartzman, Susan Schwartzman, Rachel agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
Congregation Beth El holds second night seder Payroll, Taxes and W-2s • Web Based Time and Attendance NCS Background Checks • Employee Loans • Pay As You Go Workers Comp Insurance HR Answerlink H.R. Legal Resources • Employee Self Service Online Cobra Administration • VISA Debit Payday Cards Call us today to see how we can help, 757-523-0605 or visit us at www.paydaypayroll.com.
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12 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
7/6/11 11:54 AM
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by Linda Samuels
hat a joyous sight! For the first time in close to 20 years, Beth El filled Myers Hall, its social hall, with more than 250 people excited to share a community seder. With tables of family groups, groups of friends and individuals who wanted to take part, Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz and Cantor Gordon Piltch led a program for all ages. There were different parts to play during the reading of the Hagaddah, as
each table chose participants to be Moses, Pharoah, and of course the youngest members to recite the four questions. Thanks to the excellent catering of Donna Greenfield and her staff, there was an abundance of all the special foods that are expected for this holiday. For all who attended, it was a touching celebration of the Exodus from Egypt and the gaining of freedom as a nation.
The American Theatre
it’s a wrap
Season of Faves • 2013–14
BINA hosts its first Grandparents & Grandfriends Day
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meaningful and unique program to allow students to connect with their Jewish heritage, their community and to strengthen relationships across the generations, BINA High School held its first Grandparents & Grandfriends Day on Monday, March 10. It was also an opportunity to honor grandparents and other seniors who play special roles in their lives. The morning began with a breakfast for students and their guests. Debbie Wilson, event coordinator, welcomed everyone; Shira Rubin, BINA principal, spoke of the importance of the special bond between grandparents and teenagers; and Malka Edery, a ninth grade student, spoke about the festival of Purim and related stories about her grandmother, of blessed memory, who gladly welcomed Jewish travelers visiting Madrid, Spain for Shabbos meals. The grandparents and grandfriends
joined the BINA students for a class taught by Racheli Tessler on the intricacies of the Purim story. After a tour of the school and the impressive display of student artwork, it was time to bake. Students and guests worked together to make and bake delicious hamentaschen. Prior to the event, the guests were asked to prepare a few words about a favorite high school class and to offer some sagely advice. The result was a wealth of instructive and humorous anecdotes, as well as words of wisdom and encouragement. Grandfather to student Miriam Wilson, Dr. Robert Nochimson told the students about his enjoyment of high school history classes. He also advised the students to plan for the future, but to keep their options open, as one never knows where life may lead them. The event concluded with a trip to the
Maimonides showcases global disaster relief Navy faced when they were sent to help with relief efforts in Haiti wo gripping stories after the devastating of disaster and the earthquake hit in 2010. relief efforts that came to Snyder relayed stories of the aid of those affected the difficulties in trying were shared with memto help an overwhelmbers of the Maimonides ing number of people Society on Monday, Mark Lipton and Marty Snyder. who had never received March 31. this level of medical Danny Pins, Joint treatment before in Distribution Committee their lives. executive officer and The Maimonides director of Africa and Society of the United Asia Special Projects Jewish Federation of JDC-Israel, told the story Tidewater is comprised of how the JDC respond- Danny Pins and Michael Gross. of Jewish healthcare ed to help the victims of professionals dedicated Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013. He explained that in to educational, social, and philanthropic addition to focusing on immediate relief, activities. To learn more or to become as well as long-term goals, and partnering a member, visit www.JewishVA.org/ with local organizations and businesses, Maimonides or contact Shayna Horwitz at 965-6124 or shorwitz@ujft.org. the JDC created positive change. Marty Snyder, a U.S. Navy retired captain, discussed the challenges the U.S. by Shayna Horwitz
T
at
The American Theatre
BINA students Elisheva and Adina Mostofsky, Malka and Eliana Edery with their grandfriends, Jon and Susan Becker.
student-made “photo booth” where pictures were taken of the BINA girls and their guests. The grandparents and grandfriends left with a plateful of hamentaschen and a morning filled with memories.
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14 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
Thanks. I Needed That (And Other Stories Of The Spirit) by Robert Alper Read The Spirit Books 2013. 182 pages We can respond indeed to the book’s unusual title—Thanks. I Needed Rabbi Zoberman That—with the same spirited and gracious words to Robert Alper, the gifted author of this inspiring, instructive and humorous collection of 32 real life stories. As we have learned from the latest Pew survey, American Jews embrace the divine gift of laughter disproportionately to other Jewish pursuits, given perhaps their people’s disproportionate historic trying circumstances. Rabbi Alper who hails from Rhode Island and resides with his wife Sherri, a psychotherapist, in Vermont’s countryside (away from people!) has proven that he can also deeply move us through comedy acts. After all, he has garnered quite an arsenal of poignant material from his life’s rich exposure as well as having led large Reform congregations in Buffalo and Philadelphia, “years of experience performing in front of a hostile audience.” He is surely an astute and sensitive observer of the human condition, a prerequisite for being successful both as a rabbi and a stand-up comic (more than 2,000 appearances)…two professions with an essential entertaining imension. Alper creatively utilizes the timeless and timely verses of Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, “To everything there is a season….” To divide his stories according to the various seasons and times in the human drama with the
co-mingling of tears of joy and sorrow. The fortunate reader of these penetrating stories will be renewed with a spirit of appreciation for life’s multi-facets which Rabbi Bob so fully embraces and celebrates, merging the reverent with the irreverent. We witness an encounter with a kind-hearted dentist who reaches out to protect the dignity of Alper’s challenged mother-in-law, and his soulful regret in another story concerning a photographer Alper admonished at a wedding he performed only to learn that he had hearing aids in both ears…. Or the vignette from his days as a student-rabbi of 20 families in Owensboro, Kentucky, and a congregant who missed rubbing the velvet cushions of his childhood Syracuse temple, contending instead with barren wooden pews. The author’s heartfelt commitment to Tikkun Olam’s healing premise is courageously manifested in his partnering with Muslim and Christian colleagues to perform “Laugh in Peace” (How ingenious!) in front of diverse audiences and settings, including college campuses, diffusing divisive tension with uniting laughter and planting seeds of mutual appreciation for a transformed world. Notably, Alper earned a doctorate from the Presbyterian Princeton Theological Seminary and mine is from the sister Presbyterian McCormick Theological Seminary, and we are both trained counselors. Thanks, we needed it, rabbi and comedian (interchangeable) Bob for your overriding humanity, providing us with a perfect gift to uplift all of us who are in need. L’Chaim, to life! —Rabbi Israel Zoberman is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim.
ADVERTISING SALES Jewish News seeks an account executive to sell advertising for the newspaper. Sales experience a must, media sales a plus. Basic computer skills (ability to use email) required. Flexible hours. Call 965-6100 for additional information or email resumes@ujft.org.
what’s happening A game changer for Israelis— how the Iron Dome anti-missile system is saving lives
The Business and Legal Society debates the question: If they build it will we come?
Sunday, May 18, 7 pm
Tuesday, May 27, 5:30 pm
by Laine Mednick Rutherford
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srael has four layers of missile-based interception systems, all of which have been used on a regular basis to try to save Israeli lives from terrorist attacks. Arrow 3 intercepts threats at long ranges in outer space. Arrow 2 intercepts medium and short-range large ballistic missiles. David’s Sling intercepts shortrange ballistic missiles, large artillery rockets, unmanned air vehicles, cruise missiles and regular military aircraft. The fourth layer, and the one that has proven to be a game changer in terms of saving lives, is the Iron Dome, which intercepts short-range rockets, artillery rockets and other threats, launched in multiple and simultaneous large salvos. Gideon Weiss, a retired Lt. Col. in the Israel Defense Forces, and an Israeli who has had family and friends die in missile attacks, will share his personal and emotional experiences of what it’s like to live without, and with, the Iron Dome in place, when he speaks at Regent University Theatre as part of the Simon Family JCC’s Celebrate Israel series. Presented in partnership with the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, discussion and kosher dessert reception follows the free presentation. Weiss is an expert when it comes to the Iron Dome—he works for Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the company that developed and deployed the Iron Dome (and other weapon systems) for the IDF. Shikma Rubin, chair of the CRC’s Israel committee, spoke with Israelis about the Iron Dome when she helped arrange for Weiss’ visit to Virginia Beach. “Although the Iron Dome Missile Defense system is not a guarantee for safety, my family and friends feel it allows Israelis to have a sense of stability and security,” Rubin says. “They also have tremendous pride in advanced Israeli technology. With the many threats facing Israel today, the Iron Dome gives the hope for more technology to ease these security challenges.” Community members who attended the AIPAC Policy Conference earlier this year
learned that the Iron Dome’s effectiveness is close to 90%. The system is affordable and can be quickly deployed, and its effectiveness has proven itself Gideon Weiss in unprecedented ways: civilians can continue functioning during conflicts, damages have been prevented and many lives saved, Israeli leaders have time to think and react without engaging in large scale military operations, meaning not only Israeli lives, but her enemy’s lives have been saved, too. The Iron Dome, experts say, has proven to be a remarkable deterrence. As effective as the Iron Dome is, however, community leader David Brand says the country, and her allies, must remain vigilant. “Threats can evolve fast and Israel’s enemies are determined to adapt,” he says. “This requires Israel to stay alert and continue to develop its national-level strategies, as well as its defensive technologies and capabilities. Of course, defeat of Israel’s enemies is not the goal, what we want—what we strive for is maintained peace and security for the only Jewish state in existence.” Rubin believes Weiss’ presentation is a fitting conclusion to a day that includes an Israel festival at the Simon Family JCC, and is important in gaining a fuller appreciation of Israelis and the Jewish homeland. “Events such as this, help strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship as we understand the challenges and threats that Israel faces and the importance of American support on the international front,” Rubin says. “Further, these events allow us to learn more about Israeli innovation and culture, and how we and the rest of the world are benefiting from these technological advances.” The event is free and open to the community, but reservations are required. RSVP at SimonFamilyJCC.org/IronDome or call 321-2337 by May 15. The Regent University Theatre is located at 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach.
by Shayna Horwitz
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he upcoming “Scoring Big: Bringing the Pros to Hampton Roads” will serve three important purposes: it will tackle a timely subject for Hampton Roads, it will introduce two sports business people at the top of their profession and, finally, it will bring the Jewish community together in a fun and social way. The event, sponsored by the Business and Legal Society of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, begins with a discussion in Hits at the Park at Harbor Park and will include a conversation with sports professionals Ken Young and Jeff Cogen, dinner, a ticket for the game (Norfolk Tides vs Lehigh Valley IronPigs), and a chance to throw out the first pitch of the game. Kirk Levy, co-chair of the Business and Legal Society, says, “I don’t think we could have a more timely discussion on a topic that we read about in the paper on a monthly basis, and that has yet to be debated in public.” Levy says this event is “not only for sports fans, but also for civic minded people—it’s not just about bringing professional basketball here, or building an arena, but everything that goes into it— including the Virginia Beach light rail discussion.” The featured speakers will be able to offer unique insight into whether the Hampton Roads area is ready and able to support another professional sports team. Jeff Cogen, who has more than 30 years of experience in the sports and entertainment industry, is currently the CEO of the Nashville Predators and the Nashville Bridgestone Arena. A Peninsula native and Old Dominion University graduate, Cogen
has also been president of the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers and the COO of the Florida Panthers. Ken Young, too, has a long history of involvement with professional sports. Locally, he has been president of the Norfolk Tides since 1993, the year the team moved to Harbor Park. In 2004, Young and partners purchased the Norfolk Admirals, which are the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. “This event gives us a chance to have fun and increase our knowledge exponentially,” says Levy. “Some of our events have a Jewish or Zionist component, but not all—like the one we held last year at the Norva, or when we learned about how apps are created from a Cape Henry Collegiate school student, or this one. “The Business and Legal Society provides opportunities to broaden your horizons on whatever timely topic we have, and it’s a great way for Jewish business owners, or employees, or Jewish legal professionals to get involved in the community,” says Levy. This event, which costs $10, is open to all Jewish business and legal professionals. For more information and to make a reservation, visit JewishVa.org/scoring-big, call Shayna Horwitz at 965-6124, or email shorwitz@ujft.org.
GAGA for Camp JCC—Sunday, June 1, 1–4 pm Pre-camp open house with pool games in the JCC’s splash park, Putt-Putt and GAGA. Meet new friends and counselors that will be here all summer. Food and beverages will be available. Register for JCC Camp by calling 757-321-2338.
jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 15
what’s happening Exhibit features selections from the annual Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition for Students
May 19–June 6 Opening Reception: Tuesday, May 20, 5–7 pm, ODU Virginia Beach by Laine Mednick Rutherford
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udges for the 12th annual Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition for students say the level of artistry and complexity of thought they found in student entries this year astounded them. Examining and evaluating the hundreds of entries that were submitted to the contest’s presenter, the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, proved challenging. Eventually, the judges—all area artists—chose winners, honorable mentions and additional pieces they felt would make a compelling exhibit in the upcoming show.
Memorial Day Monday, May 26 Continuing Sunny Werth’s work, the local JWV is holding a fundraising program. For a $25 donation the Norfolk JWV Post 158 will maintain a United States Flag at the grave of a Jewish Veteran in the Hampton Roads area. The Post will attach a flag holder and a 12 x 18 inch flag to the grave marker of the veteran and ensure every Memorial Day that the flag is in good repair and still attached. For information, contact Adam Goldberg at amgthe2bar@yahoo.com.
Dozens of pieces will be displayed in the Atrium of the Old Dominion University Virginia Beach campus, 1881 University Dr., Virginia Beach. The reception, and the show, is free and open to the public. There will be special guest parking in Lot 3. For more than 25 years, the Holocaust Commission says it has sponsored invaluable programs that celebrate the power of the human spirit and encourage morality and justice. This competition encourages today’s youth to explore the lessons of the Holocaust through art, and then apply these lessons to the moral decisions they make each day. For more information about the Holocaust Commission, its mission, programs, and educational resources, and to see and read winning entries in both the 2014 Elie Wiesel Visual Arts and Writing Competitions, visit www.holocaustcommission.org.
DANHECHTKOPF
Luxury Real Estate Specialist
Miami Beach, FL SBI Realty DRHrealty@gmail.com
305.323.3247 Please contact me for all your Miami real estate needs 16 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
Forty years a rabbi: Rabbi Israel Zoberman
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Sunday, June 1, 3 pm
he served for five years, abbi Israel Poetica, The Poet’s Domain Zoberman, and Midstream. founding rabbi A member of the of Congregation Beth Virginia Beach Human Chaverim in Virginia Rights commission, Rabbi Beach, will celebrate Zoberman was honored in his 40th ordination 2002 for “his dedication, anniversary at the synand outstanding service in agogue next month. support of human rights Born in 1945 in in our community” he is Chu, Kazakhstan a volunteer police chap(USSR) to Polish lain with the Virginia Holocaust survivors Beach Police Department. who had met in Siberia, Virginia Beach Mayor Rabbi Zoberman spent Meyera Oberndorf prohis early childhood in claimed April 23, 1999, Poland, Austria and as “Rabbi Israel Zoberman from 1947 to 1949 at Proclamation by Virginia Beach Day” in honor of his 25th Germany’s Wetzlar Mayor Will Sessoms. Displaced Persons Camp, American Zone. ordination anniversary. On his 30th anniHe grew up in Haifa, Israel and served in the versary, he was honored by the Senate of Virginia Joint Resolution No. 134. He is IDF in the 1960s. Rabbi Zoberman is the only rabbi the first clergyperson in Hampton Roads to to earn a doctorate in Pastoral Care and offer a prayer in Congress, in the House of Counseling from Chicago’s McCormick Representatives, sponsored by Congressman Theological Seminary, affiliated with the Owen Pickett on May 3, 2000. On July 7, Presbyterian Church U.S.A. He served three 2004, he offered a prayer in the U.S. Senate terms as president of Hampton Roads Board sponsored by Senator George Allen. He has of Rabbis and Cantors and was the first attended White House receptions hosted by rabbi to be president of the Virginia Beach President and Mrs. Obama and by President Clergy Association. Rabbi Zoberman is a and Mrs. Bush. In 1999, his alma mater, Hebrew Union past member of the executive committee and board of the United Jewish Federation College—Jewish Institute of Religion, of Tidewater, a long-standing member of its awarded him the honorary Doctor of Holocaust Commission and Community Divinity Degree. It reads, “Faithful Rabbi Relations Council. He served on the board whose leadership is enduringly reflected of the Simon Family JCC and two terms in his love for his congregants and comon the board of Tidewater Jewish Family munity, who has successfully utilized the Service, chairing the Hospice committee resource of religion for action, and whose and is on the Holocaust Grant Advisory own life’s journey from Kazakhstan, to committee. Rabbi Zoberman is a former displaced persons camp, to Israel, to the member of Virginia’s Holocaust Advisory United States, has inspired his devotion to Committee and was national Interfaith chair the continuity of our people and the vitality of Zion.” In 1999 he received the Rabbinic for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. A frequent contributor to the Award from United Jewish Communities Congressional Record, he is past contrib- and in 2005 the Humanitarian Award uting editor of the Jewish Spectator and from the Virginia Center For Inclusive his book reviews, editorials and poetry Communities. Rabbi Zoberman and his wife Jennifer have been published in Jewish News, The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press, the National have been married for 45 years and are the Jewish Post and Opinion, Martyrdom and proud grandparents of Daniel and Andrew. RSVP to admin@bethchaverim.com or Resistance, the CCAR Journal: A Reform Jewish Quarterly on whose editorial board call 757-463-3226, preferably by May 16.
what’s happening Co-producer and editor of The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers talks about the film
In celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, as a part of the Simon Family JCC’s Celebrate Israel series, presents:
Free Yom Ha’atzmaut film screening—Tuesday, May 6, 7 pm by Laine Mednick Rutherford
I
n observance of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, in partnership with the Simon Family JCC’s Celebrate Israel series, will present the film The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers. This is the first part of a two-part documentary based on the bestselling book by Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Avner. The Prime Ministers brings to life some of the most important events of the 20th and 21st centuries as witnessed by Avner, who was chief aide, note-taker and speechwriter to Prime Ministers Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres. Nimrod Erez is the editor and co-producer of both films. The second part is scheduled for release later this year. Erez works closely with Academy Award winner Richard Trank, The Prime Ministers’ writer, producer and director, in shaping the movie’s narrative and pacing. Additionally, Erez is involved in coordinating research and production, and guiding the overall look of the documentary. The Jewish News recently asked Erez to provide some insight into what it was like working on these insightful and historical films. JN: Did you have the opportunity to meet Ambassador Avner? What are your impressions of him? Yes, I had several chances to meet Yehuda. He was visiting Los Angeles and came to see us here…and [I]met him several more times in Israel while filming interviews, and in New York when promoting the theatrical release of the movie. Yehuda is the quintessential observer and much to our luck, a wonderful story teller. We had many conversations on topics relating to his career and I am very respectful of his history. He was always happy to share his memories, there’s an educator side to him it seems, which I was very appreciative of.
JN: The film features the voices of Sandra Bullock as Golda Meir, Michael Douglas as Yitzhak Rabin, Leonard Nimoy as Levi Eshkol and Christoph Waltz as Menachem Begin. How do these wellknown Hollywood actors help tell the Ambassador’s story? Having the four wonderful actors lend their talents to the film is very helpful in the telling of the story. First and foremost they give a personality, or a rendition of a personality, to the cast of characters and with that bring them to life. The first movie relays the story of Levi Eshkol and Golda Meir, who both presided before Israeli TV existed and when international news coverage was scant, so there’s few recordings that showcase them speaking—there’s only one recording of Eshkol in the film for example, so to boost their presence and the perception of a character we needed actors—and at Moriah we are extremely lucky and honored that we can attract top Hollywood talents to help with that. Beyond fleshing out the characters, there’s also the need to break up Yehuda’s interview with other voices and characters, lest we sink into monotony. Because part two deals with stories occurring in the 1970s and 1980s, there’re many more recordings of the characters available and there’s a lesser reliance on actors, although you’ll feel their presence when you watch the film. They give that added sense of drama which helps the movie. JN: Can you describe some of the footage we’ll see in the documentary? Will we be familiar with all of the images, or are some of them rarely seen? For the viewers who are avid Israeli history buffs some of the footage will be familiar, but even for them we have some material, both photos and film, that will be new. Even though there’s general interest in Israeli history, there are very few offerings, and therefore few opportunities for the ones who are interested to get their “fix,” so in light of that most viewers will find the archival footage and photos in this film new. We have footage of Eshkol speaking at the Knesset in the days leading to the 6-Day War which I think most people have never
seen, there is also some color footage of the Yom Kippur war filmed by an Israeli soldier in the Sinai front that was just recently discovered and is featured in our film. JN: What do you think audiences will “take away” from this film? Is it the history they’ll learn? The emotions they’ll witness? The TUESDAY, MAY 6 • 7:00PM incredible struggles Free & open to the community • Sandler Family Campus • 5000 Corporate Woods Dr., Virginia Beach and resilience of the Featuring the voices of SANDRA BULLOCK • MICHAEL DOUGLAS • LEONARD NIMOY • CHRISTOPHER WALTZ Israelis and their as the Prime Ministers leaders? The Prime Ministers brings to life some of the most important events of the 20 and 21 centuries in the first, and only, insider account of Israeli politics from the founding of the Jewish State to the near-present day. Told through the eyes of Yehuda Avner, chief aide, English note-taker and speechwriter to Prime I can only say Ministers Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachim Begin, and Shimon Peres. what I hope audiences For more information or to RSVP by May 2nd, visit JewishVA.org/PrimeMinisters or call 757-965-6107. will take away with them from this film, C O M M U N I T Y R E L A T I O N S C O U N C I L and my hope is that they gain a new or deeper understanding of the forces and events of mutual understanding that will make peace that shaped history and that they develop an between Israel and the Arabs achievable. • • • emotional relationship and connection to those RSVP to LHenderson@ujft.org, or call 956events. My hope is that viewers who are not neces- 6107. This event is free and open to the sarily big Israel lovers will come to respect this community. For more information about narrative and that it will positively influence this and other upcoming CRC events, visit their perspective and facilitate an atmosphere JewishVA.org/CRC. th
st
motivate. educate. advocate.
presents
MAY 17 & 18 2014 StockleyGardens.com • Hope-House.org
jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 17
what’s happening
calendar
Pink Tea at Temple Emanuel
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Beth Chaverim Temple Youth (BeaChY) brings Jewish teens together for dance
Sunday, May 18, 2 pm
celebration of Women Cancer Survivors, some wonderful speakers and a delicious Tea are brewing for Temple Emanuel’s Pink Tea. The afternoon’s speakers include Martin Freedman, a registered pharmacist, Cindi Willoughby, nurse navigator for Breast Services at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, and Mary Beth Sullivan, director of radiation therapists at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute. All donations (minimum $7.50) will go to the Beach Health Clinic, which provides mammograms and pap smears for women who do not have insurance. Call Temple Emanuel at 428-2591 by May 14 to make reservations.
D IRECTOR
Saturday, May 17, 7 pm
B
eaChY is hosting a dance for all area Jewish teens. Profits from the dance will go to JDRF, an organization that cares for children afflicted by Type I diabetes. This donation will be made in memory of fellow youth group member Joshua Weiner, who tragically passed away this past December as a result of Juvenile Diabetes. This event is for all Tidewater Jewish teens, regardless of their respective youth organizations. For more information, contact Robin Herbol at aynrobin@cox.net.
F ULL -T IME P OSTION AVAIL ABLE :
OF M ARKETING AND C OMMUNIC ATION The Director of Marketing and Communication develops and ensures the successful implementation of agency branding, marketing, advertising, promotion and communication strategies to support the vision, mission and goals of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC. Candidate should have proven leadership skills in directing and/or coordinating progressive marketing policies and programs. This position requires hands on experience in the coordination and use of all creative, visual, graphic and written materials required to meet objectives of marketing and communications to reach target audiences and oversee all public relations, advertising and promotional staff, agencies and activities. Education/Experience:
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications or related field from an accredited college or university; plus a minimum of 7 years of progressive experience including overseeing marketing collateral creation, creative production, writing, and project management OR Master's degree with 5 years of related experience.
Knowledge and Skills:
Ability to manage/supervise employees and workflow; Prioritize responsibilities; Experience with linking marketing efforts to outcomes and establishing metrics for accountability and evaluative purposes; Web site design and content management; Social media and new technologies; Extensive use of computer, proofreading; Teambuilding and collaboration skills; Knowledge of web-based marketing strategies and strong contacts with local media; Willingness to work evenings, weekends and holidays as required; Knowledge of or experience supporting fundraising preferred; Strong knowledge of Jewish heritage, values, traditions and culture.
For a full job description, visit the employment section: www.jewishva.org Submit resumes to: resumes@ujft.org
May 6, Tuesday Screening of the documentary based on the bestselling book, The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers. 7 pm at the Sandler Family Campus. Free and open to the community. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.JewishVA.org/CRC or contact LHenderson@ujft.org or 965-6107. See page 17. MAY 7, WEDNESDAY. Brith Sholom will going to the Maymont Home and Gardens in Richmond, Va. The day will include touring a beautiful and historic home in a scenic section of Richmond. Trip includes motor coach transportation, lunch at the Tobacco Factory, tour of Maymont and the services of a guide for the day. $50 for members and $108 for guests. Call Gail at 461-1150. Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy, a presentation by Dr. Evan Lipson, MD, a melanoma specialist at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore. Dr. Lipson will share the latest innovations in cancer treatments at 7 pm at the Simon Family JCC. This free program is part of the Jewish Family Service’s Week of Healthy Living. For more information, or to register, visit www.jfsrunrollorstroll.org, or call 321-2222. MAY 8, THURSDAY The Art & Science of Healthy Eating, with Kris Kennedy, MD, FACOG, Complete Women’s Care. Dr. Kennedy will help decipher the science and discard the hype regarding food and health, discuss popular diets, and give tips and tricks for sustained weight loss in this free program. 12 pm at the Simon Family JCC. Lunch will be served to those who preregister. For more information, or to preregister, visit www.jfsrunrollorstroll.org, or call 321-2222. Part of the Jewish Family Service’s Week of Healthy Living. May 18, Sunday Charles Barker Automotive presents Israel Fest, the Simon Family JCC’s biggest party of the year; 11 am-5 pm at the Simon Family JCC. SimonFamilyJCC.org. See page 11. A look into the Iron Dome. A discussion and dessert reception with Lieutenant Colonel Gideon Weiss, at the Regent University Theatre in Virginia Beach. Free and open to the public. 7 pm. RSVP required. IDs will be checked. To RSVP, visit www.JewishVA.org/CRC or contact LHenderson@ujft.org or 965-6107. See page 15. Pink Tea at Temple Emanuel to honor women cancer survivors. 2 pm. 428-2591. May 19–June 6 Exhibit features selections from the annual Elie Wiesel Visual Arts Competition for Students. Opening Reception Tuesday, May 20, 5–7 pm, ODU Virginia Beach. www.holocaustcommission.org. See page 16. May 21, Wednesday The JCC Senior Club will meet with guest speaker Inez Loyd from the Social Security Administration. She will speak about Social Security benefits now and what can be expected. Board meeting begins at 10:30 am, lunch at 12 noon, General Meeting follows. For further information, call 338-2676. MAY 22, THURSDAY Elie Wiesel live, via satellite, in a 92nd Street Y program at Congregation Beth El. Dessert reception at 7:30 pm, live program begins promptly at 8:00 pm. $5 for congregants; $10 for non-members. Call 625-7821 to RSVP. May 27, Tuesday Business & Legal Society at Harbor Park. 5:30 pm. $10. For more information and to make reservations, visit JewishVa.org/Scoring-Big, email shorwitz@ujft.org, or call 757-965-6124. See page 15. JUNE 24, TUESDAY 4th Annual Simon Family JCC Presidents’ Cup Golf Tournament at Heron Ridge Golf Tournament. Captain’s Choice with multiple flights. Individual player, $180; Foursome, $720. Registration deadline is Friday, June 6. For sponsorship opportunities and to sign up, call 321-2337. For more information, visit SimonfFamilyJCC.org. Send submissions for calendar to news@ujft.org. Be sure to note “calendar” in the subject. Include date, event name, sponsor, address, time, cost and phone.
18 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
Mazel Tov to Achievement Madeline Budman, who was the 2014 recipient of the Ben Topus “Ruach” Award at NFTY-MAR’s (North America Federation of Temple Youth-Mid Atlantic Region) Spring Kallah, Saturday, April 26. The award is given to the senior who demonstrates leadership while not serving as an officer of the region. It is the highest honor presented by NFTY-MAR. The event took place at Capital Camps in Waynesboro, Pa. Madeline is president of OSTY (Ohef Sholom Temple Youth), a senior at Norfolk Academy and the daughter of Terri and Steve Budman. Deni Budman, who was elected Madeline Budman with Blake Dickler, 2013-2014 Communications Vice President of NFTY- Northern Membership Vice President, NFTY-MAR. MAR (North America Federation of Temple Youth-Mid Atlantic Region) at Spring Kallah on Friday, April 26. The event was held at Capital Camps in Waynesboro, Pa. NFTY-MAR is comprised of Reform Jewish teens from North Carolina, eastern West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware and far-eastern Tennessee. Deni is the communications vice president for OSTY, a sophomore at Norfolk Academy and the daughter of Terri and Steve Budman.
Engagement Dr. Andrew Robert Davis, son of Marc Davis and Sharon Stakofsky-Davis, on his engagement to Neith G. Little, daughter of Brian Little and Maryalice Kaprielyan Little of Painted Post, N. Y. Dr. Jennie Hurwitz and Adam Tabakin on their engagement. Jennie is the daughter of Ms. Sherrill Hurwitz and Adam is the son of Scott and Lori Tabakin. A fall wedding is planned. Mazel Tov submissions should be emailed to news@ujft.org with Mazel Tov in the subject line. Achievements, B’nai Mitzvot, births, engagements and weddings are appropriate simchas to announce. Photos must be at least 300k. Include a daytime phone for questions. There is no fee.
CRC Program Coordinator The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is seeking candidates for the position of Community Relations Council Program Coordinator (CRC). This is part-time position (approximately 20 hours/week). The Program Coordinator is responsible for administrative, event planning and program support for the Community Relations Council (CRC) as the Council fulfills its mandate as the central public policy community relations and government affairs arm of the Federation. Candidates must be proficient in the advanced use of MS Office applications including Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Publisher; Excellent interpersonal, research, written, verbal communication and proofreading skills; Familiarity with social media platforms in order to use these tools to disseminate information and messaging of the CRC. Ability to multi-task, prioritize, must be detail oriented, self-directed; an enthusiast with the ability to foster working relationships with multicultural groups and various faith based audiences. Strong dedication, commitment and knowledge of Jewish culture, values and heritage are essential. A minimum of 2 years of administrative experience, event planning, civic and community engagement, non-profit, public affairs or related fields; Associate’s Degree in Business, Public Administration, or other related and appropriate field. Submit resume with salary requirement to: resumes@ujft.org.
Professional Directory Koren Bakkegard, associate dean in Residential Education, Dustin Fink, Elbert Watson, Norfolk Academy dance teacher and Richard Saller, dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences.
Dustin Fink, for being a recipient of The J. E. Wallace Sterling Award for Scholastic Achievement at Stanford University. One of the school’s most selective academic awards, it is based on overall academic performance and is presented to the top 25 students of each year’s graduating senior class in the School of Humanities and Sciences. A special part of this award is the in-person recognition of the secondary school teacher whom the recipients name as having most influenced their scholastic career. Dustin chose Elbert Watson, his long-time dance instructor at Norfolk Academy as that teacher. Dustin is the son of Kim and Andrew Fink.
jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 19
obituaries Mabel R. Hirschbiel Virginia Beach—Mabel Estelle Rackley Hirschbiel, 98, left peacefully on April 17, 2014. Mabel was born on Feb. 1, 1916 in Norfolk, Va. to William S. and Mabel Warren Rackley. She grew up in Park Place, graduated from Maury High School in 1934 and attended Mrs. Johnson’s Business School for Young Ladies in Norfolk. Prior to marrying Paul Hirschbiel in 1940, Mabel worked as a secretary at the U.S. Federal Court in Norfolk. Mabel and Paul lived and raised their family in Norfolk until they moved to Staunton, Va. in 1969 with United Virginia Bank. Following the passing of her husband in 1991, Mabel continued to reside in Staunton, but returned to Hampton Roads in 2002 to be closer to her family. She spent the final years of her life among friends at Westminster Canterbury on the Bay in Virginia Beach. Mabel, affectionately known as Papoose to close friends, was active in numerous civic and charitable endeavors in both Norfolk and Staunton, including the DePaul Hospital Auxiliary, the Navy League of Hampton Roads and founding member of the Council of the Shenandoah Navy League, the Florence Nightingale Circle of the King’s Daughter’s Hospital in Staunton, and Mary Baldwin College. For all of her many involvements, Mabel was named an Honorary Alumna of Mary Baldwin and received the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award in 1991 for outstanding service to the Mary Baldwin College community. To the end, Mabel was always impeccably dressed and coiffed, and her lively sense of humor, remarkable memory, and zest for life would light up any room and energize any conversation. Her loves included her church, flowers, dancing and UNC Basketball.
Mabel was raised Presbyterian, and she and Paul were the first couple to be married at Knox Presbyterian Church in Norfolk. Later, when they moved to Talbot Park, they joined Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church and were actively involved in all aspects of church life until they moved to Staunton. There Mabel and Paul joined and became active at First Presbyterian Church. Mabel was awarded a Life Membership in the Presbyterian Women of the Church in 1999. Upon Mabel’s return to Hampton Roads, she rejoined Royster Memorial, but was also a regular participant in Sunday morning worship at Westminster Canterbury. Mabel loved flowers and flower arranging. Over many decades, there were few events at her churches, or Navy League, or Mary Baldwin, or charities that she and her husband supported that she did not decorate with magnificent flower arrangements. She won so many silver cups for her talented arrangements in Staunton that the August Garden Club retired a cup in her name. Along with her parents and husband, Mabel was predeceased by her daughter Mrs. Judy Colison. Mabel is survived by her son, Paul Hirschbiel Jr. and his wife Susan of Virginia Beach, and their two grandchildren Matthew and Anna. A memorial service was held at Westminster Canterbury. Memorial contributions to Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church in Norfolk or to the charity on one’s choice. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.hollomon-brown.com.
DAVID KITTNER Jenkintown, PA—David Kittner, 95, of Jenkintown, a lawyer and longtime partner at Blank Rome L.L.P., died Friday, April 18, at his home.
A native of North Carolina, he graduated from Weldon (N.C.) High School in 1934 and went on to earn a business degree from the University of North Carolina in 1939 and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951. Between the two degrees, he was an accountant and served a short time in the Army at the Presidio in San Francisco. Mr. Kittner joined Philadelphia-based Blank Rome in 1956. He developed a knack for corporate tax law and was a trusted adviser during the firm’s formative years. He also served as a mentor to younger lawyers. Though he formally retired in 1989, he often came into the office to advise longtime clients and remained an active member of the bar. “The one description that truly exemplifies who Dave was is ‘Southern gentleman,’” wrote Alan Hoffman, Blank Rome chairman, in a tribute. He had “indisputable charm and keen intelligence.” Mr. Kittner set up a scholarship at UNC in his parents’ memory in 1988. Twenty years later, he endowed a fund to create the UNC Kittner Eye Center and then gave additional funds to establish a distinguished professorship in ophthalmology. He also extended his philanthropy to Settlement Music School and Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia, Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and Temple Sinai in Sarasota, Fla. Mr. Kittner is survived by his wife of 34 years, Constance; daughters Harriett and Susan; a sister, Lucille “Chippy” Frank of Portsmouth, a brother, William “Bill” Kittner of Norfolk, a stepdaughter, Jane; a stepson, Richard. Services were held at Joseph Levine & Sons Memorial Chapel. Burial was private.
Martin L. Rosen Norfolk—Martin Lawrence Rosen passed away after a brief illness in Miami Beach on April 18, 2014. Martin was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on March 14, 1925. He was predeceased by his parents Nathan and Carrie Rosen and his brother Arnold P. Rosen. Martin is survived by his wife of 64 years, Doris Brody Rosen, his three children, Nancy Rosenblatt (Chuck), David Rosen, and Debbie Davidson (Don) and eight granddaughters, Amy, Barbara, Emily, Madeleine, Allison, Abagail, Rachel and Gillian. Martin is also survived by his brother Richard Rosen of Boca Raton, Fla. At the age of 11, Martin and his family moved to Miami. After graduating from Miami High School, he attended Georgia, Tech, where he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. Following service in the U.S. Navy, Martin met his future bride and settled in Norfolk Va. to work with his father-in-law Jacob Brody in the construction industry. For over 50 years he was active in the construction business, having built and developed many neighborhoods in Tidewater. Martin was a past president of the Tidewater Builders Association and a founding member of Temple Israel. He also served on numerous boards including the Jewish Community Center of Tidewater and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. A graveside funeral service was held in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Norfolk. Donations may be made to the Jewish Community Center, Temple Israel, The Martin & Doris Rosen Holocaust Symposium at Appalachian State University or a charity of one’s choice. H. D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Online condolences may be made at www. hdoliver.com.
HANS J. ROSENBACH Chevy Chase, MD—On Saturday, April 19, 2014, Hans John Rosenbach of Chevy Chase, Md., passed away. He was the beloved husband of Joan Kurcias Rosenbach; loving father of Margo (Robert Gottlieb) Rosenbach and Stuart Uri (Guila) Rosenbach; dear brother of Kurt
20 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org
obituaries (Rose) Rosenbach. Cherished grandfather of nine and great grandfather of 13. A funeral service was held at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, D.C. with interment following at Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park, in Clarksburg, Md. Memorial contributions may be made to Washington Hebrew Congregation, Empty Nester Fund or to the charity of the donor’s choice. Torchinsky Hebrew Funeral Home.
Rabbi Aaron Landes, longtime Naval Reserve chaplains chief Rabbi Aaron Landes, a Philadelphia congregational rabbi for decades and the longtime director of U.S. Naval Reserve chaplains, has died. Landes died on April 19 following a battle with leukemia. He was 84. He managed some 700 chaplains as head of the chaplains corps until retiring
in 1989, according to the Jewish Exponent of Philadelphia. Landes served as the senior rabbi of Beth Sholom Congregation in suburban Elkins Park, Pa., for 36 years, retiring in 2000 and becoming rabbi emeritus. He also founded the Forman Hebrew Day School—now the Perelman Jewish Day School—and served on the boards of several religious organizations, the Exponent reported. “He was a very unusual man in that he was highly intelligent and highly creative in his profession, but I don’t know many men who were so successful as he was in two professions,” his daughter Tamar said. Landes was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1955 and then became a Navy chaplain, serving two years of active duty at the 5th Naval District Headquarters in Norfolk, Va. Afterward he served two weeks of reserve duty each year. He also held a master’s degree from JTS. Landes was a graduate of Yeshiva
University, where he served as president of the undergraduate student body. He met his wife of 61 years, Sora, while working the summer after his college graduation as a lifeguard at Camp Massad, a Jewish camp in the Poconos. (JTA)
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Becoming saints Two popes who revolutionized Jewish-Catholic relations
by Ruth Ellen Gruber
(JTA)—Popes John XXIII and John Paul II were declared saints of the Roman Catholic church on Sunday, April 27, the day that was also the eve of Yom Hashoah. It’s a coincidence, but a notable one. These two post-Holocaust pontiffs revolutionized relations between Catholics and Jews, fostering interfaith dialogue and embedding respect for Jews and Judaism in official Catholic dogma. “These two popes transformed not just the church, but made a bigger impact on the outside world—and on us,” says Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor, a vice president of the World Union of Progressive Judaism and longtime participant in Jewish-Catholic dialogue. “As a Jew, my life, and the safety and security of Jews, have been improved by the actions of these two individuals.” Pope Francis, who took office little more than a year ago, presided over the
solemn ceremony at the Vatican, taking place on the day Catholics celebrate as the Second Sunday of Easter. It was Francis who decided to canonize the two former popes in an unprecedented joint ceremony. The event was attended by representatives of the Jewish community including Rome’s chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni; the American Jewish Committee’s international director of interreligious affairs, Rabbi David Rosen; and Francis’ personal friend, Rabbi Abraham Skorka of Argentina. John XXIII, who reigned from 1958 until his death in 1963, initiated policies that changed nearly 2,000 years of church teaching. First, he canceled the words “perfidious Jews” from Good Friday prayers. Then, to reform and update the church, he convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962. This Council in 1965 issued the Nostra Aetate declaration, a landmark document of less than 1,600 words that called for Jewish-
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C a t hol ic d i a log ue and rejected the ancient Christian stigma against Jews as killers John Paul II, Brazil, 1997 of Jesus. More than two decades earlier during World War II, as Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the future pope had worked actively to save Jews, using his position as papal nuncio in Turkey to draw up false papers for Jewish refugees. Pope Francis highlighted these actions while speaking with reporters last year about the canonizations. “How many testimonies of false baptism he did in Turkey in favor of the Jews!” Francis said. “He was a courageous man, a good country priest, with such a great sense of humor—so great, and great holiness.” John Paul II, who reigned from 1978 to 2005, made Catholic-Jewish reconciliation a cornerstone of his papacy. Born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland in 1920, he grew up with Jewish friends and was an eyewitness to both the Holocaust and totalitarian communism. “John Paul II’s papacy built on John XXIII’s legacy in many ways, opening new horizons through a series of public gestures that made impacts across the globe,” says Lisa Palmieri-Billig, the AJC’s representative in Rome and liaison to the Holy See. In 1979, on his first trip back to Poland, he prayed at Auschwitz, and throughout his reign he repeatedly condemned anti-Semitism, commemorated the Holocaust, and met with Jewish leaders and laymen. In 1986, he made history by crossing the Tiber River to Rome’s Great Temple to become the first pope to visit a synagogue. There he embraced Rome’s then chief rabbi, Elio Toaff, and honored Jews as Christianity’s “elder brothers in faith.” Moreover, John Paul oversaw the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel and prayed for forgiveness for Catholic persecutions of Jews in the past. His emotional pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000 left “the indelible picture of his sticking this prayer into a crack in the
Pope John XXIII, 1959
Western Wall,” Palmieri-Billig recounted. Rabbi Toaff of Rome, now 98, recently compared John Paul to one of the 36 righteous people who, according to Jewish mysticism, exist in every generation. John Paul’s visits to the Rome synagogue, Auschwitz and the Western Wall, Toaff says in an interview with the ADNKronos news agency, “were milestones that have marked the path that he, with courage and firmness, wanted to carry out as acts of sincere affection and understanding toward the people of Israel and of reparation for the suffering and wrongs inflicted over the course of history that culminated in the tragedy of the Shoah.” The popes who followed John XXIII and John Paul have built on their legacy. Pope Francis, who had a close relationship with the Jewish community when archbishop of Buenos Aires, has demonstrated attention to Jewish issues since his election in February 2013 and will visit Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories in May. On the whole, says Bretton-Granatoor, “things today are pretty good between Catholics and Jews.” But some sticking points do linger. These include the issue of opening the Vatican’s World War II archives to clarify the wartime role of Pope Pius XII, whom critics accuse of failing to act to save Jews during the Holocaust. The greatest challenge, BrettonGranatoor says, is to ensure that the changes wrought by John and John Paul resonate with coming generations of ordinary Catholics—not just the highest ranks of the Church. “The upper echelons have done hard work,” Bretton-Granatoor says. “But has it percolated down to the pews? To the average priest and parishioner? That is the challenge.”
celebrate yom ha’atzmaut—israel’s independence day with the Simon Family JCC’s biggest party of the year...
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Sunday, May 18 • 11AM AM – 5PM
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Interested in volunteering? Email mgoldberg@simonfamilyjcc.org jewishnewsva.org | May 5, 2014 | Jewish News | 23
24 | Jewish News | May 5, 2014 | jewishnewsva.org