April 11th Edition of the Federation Reporter by Becky Schastey

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Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania APRIL 11, 2013

VOLUME XI, NUMBER 8

Symposium to hold 25th anniversary recognition event The 25th anniversary of the Teen Symposium on the Holocaust will be celebrated with a cocktail buffet and dessert on Tuesday, May 21, at 6 pm, at the Jewish Community Center of Scranton. The buffet will precede a program at which individuals involved in the annual event will be honored, and will be followed by a dessert reception that was announced by Co-chairwomen Ann Monsky and Barbara Nivert several weeks ago. Seymour and Kathy Brotman, representing the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Tova Weiss, represent-

ing the Holocaust Education Resource Center, will be recognized for their roles in establishing and developing the program. Marywood University will be honored for its long-term commitment to and support of the symposium. According to educator feedback, the 25-year-old partnership between Marywood and the Jewish Federation has provided “an enormous service” to teaching about the Holocaust in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The event has also allowed tens of thousands of young people to hear first-hand testi-

mony from and to meet with survivors of the Holocaust, as well as World War II veterans who served in the liberating forces of concentration, labor and death camps. In its early years, the materials and resources provided to educators at the symposium helped to build classroom resources and, in the ensuing years, additional materials. The annual gift of a variety of books to each participating educator also enlarged these collections. The purchase of books was made possible at different times by the Chazan family and by Joanne Arohnson Monahan.

New study offers tips on engaging Jewish teens By Gil Shefler NEW YORK (JTA) – Trying to interest teenagers in activities is difficult, parents and teachers know well, especially given what technology has done to the attention spans of young people. So how to get them to partake in doing Jewish over other pursuits? The Jim Joseph Foundation commissioned two consulting firms to carry out a two-year study to figure it out. BTW Informing Change and Rosov Advisors mined data from 21 organizations geared toward Jewish and non-Jewish teens. Their conclusions: Hire good staff, be flexible on attendance and target teens through social media. As a teen might say, “Duh!” “People who know the teen space well will not be shocked by the findings, but they are important realizations for anyone involved in the field,” said Josh Miller, the senior program manager at the Jim Joseph Foundation, which has invested $270 million to promote Jewish education since 2006. The $200,000 study, which cost $40,000 to print and disseminate according to a spokesman, comes at a time when the majority of young American Jews are not enrolled in Jewish schools. According to a 2008 paper commissioned by the Avi Chai Foundation, an estimated 460,000 American Jews – about 45 percent of the school-aged demographic – are enrolled in either Jewish day schools or Jewish

Jewish teenagers enjoyed their time at the Perlman camp in Lake Pomo, PA, in 2012. (Photo courtesy BBYO)

2013 UJA paign Update Cam

A Jewish education expert lamented the lack of cooperation among the Jewish organizations that work with teens, some shown here at the Washington Family RanchCanyon Camp in Antelope, OR, in 2009. (Photo courtesy of Young Life) supplementary education. Participation in Jewish activities outside school hours was lower. The Jim Joseph Foundation’s study offers 10 “implications for strategy development” aimed at boosting those numbers. Among them: Accept teens as they are. Don’t punish kids who show up irregularly for events. Create a recognizable brand. And, perhaps most important, find good staff to mentor teens. “You might call them Pied Pipers, people who can create a relationship with others,” said Jerry Somers, a board member at the Jim Joseph Foundation. “This is very essential to establishment of strong engagement.” The paper notes that younger staffers tend to be better at forging such ties with adolescents, but cautions that employees in their early 20s have a higher turnover rate than those in their late 20s and early 30s. It also recommends using digital tools such as Facebook and text messaging to reach teens, citing the success of DoSomething.org, a website that motivates youths to partake in social activism and has pioneered the use of texts to stay in touch with its user base.

Creating partnerships also is important. Joe Reimer, an expert on Jewish education at Brandeis University and a member of the research advisory group for the report, lamented the lack of cooperation in the world of Jewish organizations working with teens. “Each synagogue has its group, then a BBYO, then you have people working in the public schools and Zionist movements, and they’re all doing their own thing,” he said. “The question is, how can we bring this all together to bring this together?” Somers said it was possible to cultivate closer relations, noting the success of the North Shore Youth Initiative, a group in the northern Boston suburbs that the Jim Joseph Foundation helped start in 2008. “It’s a collaboration of youth groups, any group that deals with Jewish teens,” he said. “It’s a matter of enhancing opportunities. In terms of streams of Judaism, most youths don’t care whether the group is affiliated with Chabad, Reform, Conservative or whatever. They want to be with their friends, their peers, and do things that are worthwhile.” The Jim Joseph Foundation said it planned to use the report’s findings in future investment strategies.

Hezbollah in Europe

Pay it forward & give to the 2013 Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania Annual Campaign!

$800,938 as of April 8, 2013 For information or to make a donation call 570-961-2300 ext. 1 or send your gift to: Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510

Goal:

880,500

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Federation on Facebook

The Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania now has a page on Facebook to let community members know about upcoming events and keep connected.

Candle lighting

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Israeli innovations

Several times, special sessions were held for teachers during the symposium, such as one taught by the late Clara Isaacman, an educator from Gratz College who was a survivor and an author, in addition to being an educator. Sister Anne Munley will accept the award for Marywood University. Several Marywood liaisons who have helped throughout the years will be recognized, as will other individuals who contributed to the program. Jewish Federation Executive Director Mark Silverberg has stated that the event “will recognize a most singular program that has contributed greatly to Holocaust education throughout our region, not just in the quarter century of its existence, but for the future. It is the young people who have been impacted by the symposium who will carry the memory into the future... The program has been a jewel in Federation’s crown, and we are very proud of its contributions.” There will be a $36 cover charge, with checks serving as the reservation. The check can be made out to HERC and mailed to the Jewish Federation of NEPA, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510. For more information, contact Rae Magliocchi at 961-2300, ext. 4.

Holocaust testimony

April 12.............................................7:22 pm April 19.............................................7:30 pm April 26.............................................7:37 pm

At 65, Israel celebrates decades The conviction in Cyprus of a A new project will record Shoah of medical, entreprenurial and Hezbollah operative could inhibit survivors for 3-D, interactive PLUS scientific achievements. the group’s activities in Europe. dialogues with students. Opinion...........................................................2 Story on page 5 Story on page 7 Story on page 8 D’var Torah.................................................10

THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

a matter of opinion Jonathan Pollard: the case for commutation of sentence Reprinted with permission of Israel National News (Arutz Sheva) and Family Security Matters During the course of President Obama’s recent interview with Israel’s Channel 2 on March 21, in response to whether he would consider commuting the life sentence of former civilian U.S. naval intelligence analyst and convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, he remarked: “As president, my first obligation is to observe the law here in the U.S. I need to make sure that every individual is treated fairly and equally.” To do so, perhaps he should begin with a question. Why have former U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Lawrence Korb (who served under Caspar Weinberger), former U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dennis DeConcini, Ronald Reagan’s National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane, former CIA Director James Woolsey, former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, former Deputy Attorney-General Philip Heymann, former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, 39 U.S. congressmen, 18 U.S. ex-senators and even the European Parliament (on September 16, 1993) repeatedly called for Pollard’s sentence to be commuted? The answer, quite simply, is because Pollard’s punishment did not fit his crime. McFarlane went so far as to write that Pollard’s imprisonment was “disgraceful and mean-spirited,” and “well beyond what any court would sentence for the same action

today.” He called Pollard’s life sentence a “great injustice” and disproportionate to the crime he committed. In 1987, Pollard pleaded guilty to one count of providing classified American intelligence information to an ally, Israel, but the agreement was quashed by the judge at

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“ The Reporter” (USPS #482) is published bi-weekly by the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510.

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Opinions The views expressed in editorials and opinion pieces are those of each author and not necessarily the views of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Letters The Reporter welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the Jewish community. All letters must be signed and include a phone number. The editor may withhold the name upon request. ADS The Reporter does not necessarily endorse any advertised products and services. In addition, the paper is not responsible for the kashruth of any advertiser’s product or establishment. Deadline Regular deadline is two weeks prior to the publication date.

Mark silverberG the request of then-U.S. Secretary of State Caspar Weinberger, who submitted a topsecret letter and memorandum that falsely accused Pollard of treason. It would later be disclosed that Aldrich Ames (a senior CIA official) and Robert Hanssen (a senior FBI official) – not Pollard – had sold the names of American agents to the Russian KGB while Pollard, rotting in jail, remained the fall guy. As it happens, Pollard was classified as a GS-12 – an intelligence analyst with no special “blue stripe” clearance (as had Ames and Hanssen) for access to vital secrets, including the names of U.S. foreign intelligence agents in Russia, but that did not deter U.S. intelligence agencies who were desperately seeking some way to control the damage done by Ames and Hanssen and to justify Pollard’s life sentence. In fact, the newly-declassified 1987 “CIA Damage Assessment” indicates that the information Pollard provided to Israeli intelligence related primarily to Tunisian, Syrian, Pakistani, Iraqi, Libyan, Iranian and Soviet nuclear, chemical and biological warfare capabilities, as well as Saudi intelligence assets – vital U.S. intelligence information that Israel was legally entitled to receive in accordance with the December 10, 1982, “Memorandum of Understanding” between the two countries, but which was being withheld as retaliation for Israel’s 1981 pre-emptive strike on Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor and as potential bargaining leverage with Israel. The information Pollard provided also included a signals intelligence manual the Israelis needed to listen in on Soviet advisers in Syria; satellite photos of the PLO headquarters

Correction

In the March 28 issue of The Reporter, the captions for two of the Temple Israel of the Poconos Purim Carnival photos were reversed. They are reprinted correctly below.

Yisraela Melman attended t h e Te m p l e Israel of the Poconos Purim Carnival.

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Tifarah Melman attended t h e Te m p l e Israel of the Poconos Purim Carnival.

in Tunisia; information on Soviet arms shipments to Syria and other Arab states; Tunisian and Libyan air defense systems; information on Egyptian missile systems; and a “blue book” roster that listed the identities of all the Saudi and other Arab intelligence agents (as of 1984), including, coincidently, a Saudi terrorist by the name of Osama bin Laden. With regard to Syria, Pollard provided documents concerning a suspected research and development facility; the Syrian electronics intelligence (ELINT) system; Syrian drones; a national command, control and communications center based in Damascus; and Syrian military units to which Soviet advisors were assigned – information for which he was paid by the Israelis. The common denominator in all of these documents was that they related to the existential threat posed to Israel by these hostile countries. Pollard was never charged with treason, he never had a trial and he was never indicted for harming the United States or for compromising U.S. capabilities, codes, agents or war plans. He was indicted and convicted on only one charge – one count of passing classified information to a foreign power, an ally, without intent to harm the United States. Under the heading “What the Israelis Did Not Ask For,” the “Assessment” remarked that the Israelis “never expressed interest in U.S. military activities, plans, capabilities or equipment.” Moreover, contrary to the extremely damaging “worst spy in history” and “betraying America’s sources and methods” comments expressed by Weinberger, there is no evidence that Pollard’s actions led to the loss of a single American life throughout the years. As former U.S. federal prosecutor John Loftus noted in his detailed research into the intelligence aspects of the case, no less a figure than Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Leeper (who was involved in laying the initial indictment against Pollard) subsequently characterized the damage caused by the release of the information that Pollard actually gave Israel as “minimal” and, in 1994, government sources were quoted as saying that “no one died as a result of the Pollards” (The Washington Post, April 23, 1994). As Loftus wrote in Moment Magazine (June 2003), “Pollard was stealing Soviet secrets for Israel, not

American secrets for the Soviets.” Moreover, a concurrent damage assessment known as the Victim Impact Statement, written by the U.S. Department of Justice and submitted to the sentencing judge in 1987 as an aid in determining Pollard’s sentence, determined that the damage was nothing more than short-term friction between the U.S. and unnamed Arab countries, and a temporary reduction in bargaining leverage held by the U.S. over Israel – not the kind of permanent, irreversible and overwhelming harm to U.S. national security that some have claimed. It is true that Pollard committed a serious crime and his espionage should not be condoned, nor should the gravity of his crime be underestimated, but his 28-year sentence is outrageous, considering that the average sentence for passing classified material to an ally is 10 years, and the median time served for such an offense is between two-four years. Indeed, Woolsey suggested that Pollard’s sentence was unjust in an interview with National Public Radio in March. He noted that America has caught several spies for friendly countries, including spies for Greece and the Philippines, and sentenced them to serve terms ranging from four-seven years. Nor were they alone. In the mid-1990s, Robert Kim, who spied for another U.S. ally, South Korea, was punished with nine years in prison, of which he served seven. Other spies, like Randy Jeffries, a Federal Bureau of Investigations clerk who spied for hostile nations like the Soviet Union, and Sharon Scranage, who spied for Ghana, were sentenced to three and two years respectively. Even agents who committed far more serious crimes on behalf of hostile nations, like the Soviet Union, did not receive such a harsh sentence. In fact, of the more than 50 recently convicted Soviet bloc and Chinese spies (except for Ames and Hanssen, both of whom also received life sentences for espionage activities that caused irreparable damage to U.S. interests and the loss of U.S. intelligence agents in the Soviet Union), two-thirds served less time or were sentenced to less time than Pollard has already served. See “Pollard” on page 4

letters to the editor Unsung heroes To the Editor: Most people don’t understand the duties and responsibilities of a correction officer. Once they enter the prison, there are the prison walls, fences with rolls of concertina wire on top and gates. I would like the readers to recognize that correction officers only carry on their person handcuffs, a radio, their training and the use of common sense, which is paramount for their job. These professional men and women deal with inmates that have drug problems, psychiatric or mental conditions, tuberculosis, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, herpes, MRSA, lice, STDs and all the other contagious diseases. Their job consists of three Cs: care, custody and control. Correction officers are multi-taskers: taking care of medical, nutritional and religious needs; preventing and stopping fights; cell extractions; preventing suicides and, if possible, financial or sexual extortion of inmates; gambling; and cell searches for contraband. They are the first responders that arrive on the scene to assess the medical situation, performing first aid or CPR and, as the situation warrants, contacting medical personnel for further medical evaluation. The correction officer is responsible to make sure the inmates do not escape. This is done by multiple roll call counts, checking the prison for inmates trying to escape, checking the walls and inspecting the bars

and fencing so no escape is possible. This is done on all shifts. The inmates have all day to plan an escape, disrupt the system and, God forbid, plan harm to a staff member or other inmates. Most of the correction officers work in an environment where there are more inmates than staff, which also is dependent upon the activities that are going on. Inmates always outnumber staff. The average shift is eight hours, but can lead to 16, which is mandatory overtime. The prison must be manned 24/7 without question. The prison never closes or shuts down. Correction Officer Eric Williams gave everything he had, including his life, to make sure that our community was safe. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Williams family, friends and coworkers in their time of grief. This is also for all the “unsung heroes” who work very hard behind these prison walls every day across our great country – a “job well done” and a “thank you” for all that you do when you walk through those gates to do your job. There are many duties that you perform that go above and beyond the call of duty that no one ever hears or knows about. Sincerely, Patrick M. O’Malley Former Correctional Officer Current Lackawanna County Commissioner

APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

community news Jane Oppenheim to receive Americanism Award from B’nai B’rith at May 19 dinner of those who came before us” – a favorite quote of hers – B’nai B’rith members feel that this year’s recipient of the Americanism Award personifies the corollary quote, “One also has the obligation to become the shoulders for those who come after us.”

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Amos Lodge No. 136 of B’nai B’rith has anEverhart Museum Board of Directors and on the nounced that Jane E. Oppenheim will receive its city of Scranton’s Human Relations Commis61st annual Americanism Award at a testimonial sion. Oppenheim was among the first SCOLA Volunteers for Literacy participants, and was dinner to be held on Sunday, May 19, at the a catalyst for SCOLA’s early and ongoing Scranton Jewish Community Center. The event fund-raising initiatives. In 2009, Oppenheim will include a cocktail hour at 5 pm and dinner was named the Association of Fund-raising at 6 pm. Tickets cost $75 per person or $675 Professionals’ Outstanding Philanthropist. for a table of 10. Tickets may be purchased, “Oppenheim’s life-long commitment to eduor a congratulatory greeting may be placed in cation, her stalwart belief in civic responsibility the dinner program book, by calling Richard and her dedication to Reform Judaism locally, Bishop at 346-8414 or 905-0177, or Ed Monsky at 343-1197. Jane E. Oppenheim nationally and worldwide reflect the centuries’ old values of B’nai B’rith: defense of human The award winner is selected annually by past winners, as well as representatives of several community rights and staunch anti-discrimination efforts throughout organizations, including the United Way of Lackawanna the world,” said a B’nai B’rith representative. A national board member of the Union for Reform County, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, the Scranton Area Foundation, the Lions Club, Kiwanis and Judaism, Oppenheim shares the public issues and social Amos Lodge. The award is given annually to “an outstanding concerns of the Religious Action Center of the Reform Movement, and served on its Social Action Commission. person” for his or her lifetime of community service. Oppenheim has been called “a most deserving recipient” She is also a member of the North American Board of of the B’nai B’rith Americanism Award for her active life Trustees Executive Committee of the World Union for and diverse community involvements. She has referred Reform Judaism and the National Board of the Women of to having dual allegiances to her native New York and to Reform Judaism. Oppenheim was one of the first women presidents of Scranton, her home for more than six decades, as “A Tale Temple Hesed. She and her family sponsor the Oppenheim of Two Cities.” An alumna of Hunter College, Oppenheim continued Institute, an annual lecture series that encourages interfaith her education at Columbia University, where she earned dialogue; promotes democracy and world peace, and reher master’s degree in English. Oppenheim is a trustee of flects Jewish unity. Oppenheim and her husband, the late Richard Oppenthe Hunter College Foundation and a board member of Hunter Alumni Association. She has received the Hunter heim, have three children and eight grandchildren. Family, College Alumnae Award for Community Service and was she said, is “the major blessing” in her life. Recognizing that “we are standing on the shoulders named to Hunter’s “Hall of Fame” for outstanding community service. Throughout the years, Oppenheim has been involved with and extended her support to numerous organizations, including Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Family Service of Lackawanna County, Community Medical Center and Scranton/Lackawanna Human Development Agency. She is a member of the Scranton Area Foundation Board of Governors and has served the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties in various capacities for years. Oppenheim serves on the Board of Trustees of Keystone College. She was called “instrumental” in establishing the Oppenheim Family Children’s Center, which offers pre-kindergarten programs and resources for Keystone’s early education programs. She is a member of the steering committee for The Gathering, Keystone’s nationally recognized literary conference. In recognition of her humanitarian concern and handson, community involvement, Oppenheim has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Martha Wollerton Award for Greatest Contribution to the Overall Welfare of the Community and the National Philanthropy Day – Lifetime Achievement Award. She received EOTC’s Mighty Oak Award and was the first recipient of the Roseann Alperin Award. The University of Scranton awarded Oppenheim an honorary doctoral degree. There, she chaired the President’s Board of Regents and received the University’s Frank O’Hara Award. Oppenheim is an honorary life board member of Voluntary Action Center, a sustaining member of Junior League of Scranton and a recipient of League’s Award for Volunteer Service and Leadership. She serves on the

2013 Annual Meeting Scranton Jewish Community Center, Linder Room Thursday, June 13th, 2013 at 7:00 PM Welcome & Introductions ....................................................Jeff Rubel, President Invocation..............................................................................Rabbi Moshe Saks, Temple Israel (Scranton) State of the Federation Address............................................Jeff Rubel, President 2012-2013 UJA Campaign Report ...................................Jeff Rubel, Don Douglass, Barbara Nivert Presentation of Campaign Awards......................................Mark Silverberg, Exec. Director Nominating Committee Report ...........................................Michael Greenstein, Chairman Installation of Officers and Trustees ....................................Rabbi Moshe Saks, Temple Israel (Scranton) Closing Remarks Jeff Rubel, President Refreshments

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

25th Annual Holocaust Symposium Sponsorship Packages May 21 & 22 • Marywood University •Sponsorship Packages• Sponsors will receive the following beneﬁts based upon their sponsorship category.

Levels of sponsorship are:

PLATINUM • $3,000+

• Platinum sponsor recognition from the podium during the Cocktail Buffet/ Dessert evening program. Those in attendance will be asked to stand. • 6 free tickets to the sponsoring organization for the Cocktail Buffet/ Dessert evening program at the JCC • Publicity in the local print media • Honor Roll recognition (to be published, by sponsor category, as a Centerfold in the June issue of The Reporter - our regional Jewish newspaper that is delivered to 1,800 Jewish households in Pike, Wayne, Monroe and Lackawanna counties) • Honor Roll poster (to be displayed prominently by category during the Holocaust Symposium and at the Cocktail Buffet/Dessert evening program) • Platinum sponsors will receive 3 courtesy advertisements in The Reporter

GOLD • $1,500 - $2,999

• Gold sponsor recognition from the podium during the Cocktail Buffet/ Dessert evening program. Those in attendance will be asked to stand. • 4 free tickets to the sponsoring organization for the Cocktail Buffet/ Dessert evening program at the JCC • Publicity in the local print media • Honor Roll recognition (to be published, by sponsor category, as a Centerfold in the June issue of The Reporter - our regional Jewish newspaper that is delivered to 1,800 Jewish households in Pike, Wayne, Monroe and Lackawanna counties) • Honor Roll poster (to be displayed prominently by category during the Holocaust Symposium and at the Cocktail Buffet/Dessert evening program) • Gold sponsors will receive 2 courtesy advertisements in The Reporter

Purim at Congregation B’nai Harim

Congregation B’nai Harim celebrated Purim recently with a service that included the reading of the story. Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum and members of the congregation were dressed in a variety of costumes. After the service, the children and adults participated in a feast and an assortment of carnival games. Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from destruction in ancient Persia. In keeping with tradition, rejoicing and the wearing of costumes were part of the celebration, as well as stamping of the feet and the use of noise makers. Congregation B’nai Harim is located at Pocono Crest Road and Sullivan Trail, off of Route 940, in Pocono Pines. For more information, visit www.bnaiharimpoconos.org.

Evan and Cody Monroe enjoyed the Purim celebration at Congregation B’nai Harim.

L-r: Harriet Gelbart, Aaron Kershenbaum, Peter Gelbart a n d R i c h a rd Kelmans attended the Purim celebration at C o n g re g a t i o n B’nai Harim.

SILVER - $1,000 - $1,499

• Silver sponsor recognition from the podium during the Cocktail Buffet/ Dessert evening program. Those in attendance will be asked to stand. • 2 free tickets to the sponsoring organization for the Cocktail Buffet/Dessert evening program at the JCC • Publicity in the local print media • Honor Roll recognition (to be published, by sponsor category, as a Centerfold in the June issue of The Reporter - our regional Jewish newspaper that is delivered to 1,800 Jewish households in Pike, Wayne, Monroe and Lackawanna counties) • Honor Roll poster (to be displayed prominently by category during the Holocaust Symposium and at the Cocktail Buffet/Dessert evening program) • Silver sponsors will receive 1 courtesy advertisement in The Reporter

BRONZE - $500 - $999

• Bronze sponsor recognition from the podium during the Cocktail Buffet/Dessert evening program. Those in attendance will be asked to stand. • 2 free tickets to the sponsoring organization for the evening program at the JCC • Publicity in the local print media • Honor Roll recognition (to be published, by sponsor category, as a Centerfold in the June issue of The Reporter - our regional Jewish newspaper that is delivered to 1,800 Jewish households in Pike, Wayne, Monroe and Lackawanna counties) • Honor Roll poster (to be displayed prominently by category, during the Holocaust Symposium and at the Cocktail Buffet/Dessert evening program)

GENERAL - $75 - $499

• 1 free ticket to the sponsoring organization for the Cocktail Buffet/ Dessert evening program at the JCC • Publicity in the local print media • Honor Roll recognition (to be published, by sponsor category, as a Centerfold in the June issue of The Reporter - our regional Jewish newspaper that is delivered to 1,800 Jewish households in Pike, Wayne, Monroe and Lackawanna counties) • Honor Roll poster (to be displayed prominently by category, during the Holocaust Symposium and at the Cocktail Buffet/Dessert evening program)

The Purim costume group posed together for a photo.

Pollard

Alan Dershowitz, writing in The Washington Post (January 2, 1999, page A19), added even more fuel to the argument supporting a commutation of sentence for Pollard: “In 1995, an American Naval officer named Michael Schwartz (a non-Jew) was arrested and, after confessing, indicted for spying for Saudi Arabia, an American ally. Schwartz’s only punishment was discharge from the Navy with the loss of his rank and pension. He never spent a day in prison. In 1986, Dr. Abdel Kader Helmy was arrested and indicted for passing American ballistic missile secrets and parts to Egypt, which then passed them on to Iraq. Helmy’s treachery led directly to Iraq’s development of the Condor missile. At the insistence of both the State and the Defense Departments, Helmy was indicted not for espionage,

Continued from page 2 but for ‘smuggling’ restricted technology. Helmy was sentenced to four years in prison, and was released after two years. In 1987, Clayton Lonetree was convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, an enemy of the U.S. Among other things, Lonetree passed the floor plans of the U.S. embassies in Moscow and Vienna to the Soviets, jeopardizing the lives of all the Americans employed there. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and, after several sentence reductions, was released after nine years.” The short of it is this: Pollard is the only person in U.S. history to receive a life sentence for spying for a U.S. ally – Israel. He spied in the U.S., but not against the U.S. He has more than paid his debt to society. It is time for justice to be done and to commute his sentence to time served.

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APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

Yom Ha’atzmaut 2013

From Rummikub to the “God Particle”: A timeline of Israeli innovations world’s first color hologram. He goes on By Marcella Rosen to explore 3-D imaging through work that NEW YORK (JTA) – While a great deal of leads to the development of “heads up” international and media focus has been placed displays for pilots, doctors and other virtual on Israel’s military conflicts, the country reality systems. quietly has become an energetic, ambitious Desalination (1967): Sydney Loeb takes a incubator of entrepreneurialism and invenposition at Ben-Gurion University, where he tion. What follows is a timeline chronicling will develop the reverse osmosis desalination some of the most important and interesting process, now the worldwide standard. innovations produced by Israelis during their Advanced cellular research (1970): Ada country’s 65-year existence. Yonath establishes the only protein crystallog Rummikub (1940s): Ephraim Hertzano raphy laboratory in Israel. She begins a course invents the hit board game Rummikub, which of research on the structure and function of goes on to become the best-selling game in the ribosome, the sub-cellular component that the United States in 1977. produces protein, which in turn controls all Uzi machine gun (1948): Major Uzi Gaf chemistry within organisms. Her work lays develops the Uzi submachine gun. Gaf builds in numerous mechanical innovations result- An illustration from the new book “Tiny Dynamo,” which promotes the most important a foundation for the emergence of so-called ing in a shorter, more wieldy automatic. It and interesting innovations to emerge from Israel. (Photo courtesy Megan Flood) “rational drug design,” which produces treatments for several types of leukemia, glaucoma is estimated that more than 10 million have been built; the Uzi has seen action in numerous wars and Engineers recognizes WEIZAC as a milestone achievement and HIV, as well as antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs. Along with two colleagues, Yonath is awarded the 2009 in the fields of computers and electrical engineering. in countries throughout the world. Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Solar energy benchmark (1955): Harry Zvi Tabor de Super cuke (1950s): Esra Galun’s research into hybrid seeds leads to his creation of the world’s first commercial velops a new solar energy system that today powers 95 Blood detoxification (1972): Meir Wilchek demonstrates hybrid cucumber. Its descendants and the techniques Galun percent of Israeli solar water heaters and is the standard that “affinity chromatography” – a method he developed for separating biological or biochemical materials – can pioneered account for the majority of cucumbers cultivated for solar water heating around the world. today. Galun went on to develop early-blooming melons Amniocentesis (1956): Weizmann professor Leo Sachs be used to detoxify human blood. The work leads to the and disease-resistant potatoes. His work continues to inform becomes the first to examine cells drawn from amniotic development of present-day technologies, employed fluid to diagnose potential genetic abnormalities or prenatal around the world, that are used to remove poison from a and influence crop genetics. Cancer screener (1954): Weizmann Institute pioneer infections in developing fetuses. His work becomes known patient’s blood. Ephraim Frei begins groundbreaking research on the effect as amniocentesis, a routine procedure now conducted on Drone aircraft (1973): Israeli fighter jets sustain serious damage during the Yom Kippur War. In response, Israel of magnetism on human tissue. His work will lead directly pregnant women worldwide. to the development of the T-Scan system for the detection Lab-bred blood cells (1963): Sachs becomes the first initiates the development of the first modern Unmanned of breast cancer, which the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- researcher to grow normal human blood cells in a labora- Aerial Vehicles – also known as UAVs or drones. The new tory dish. This breakthrough leads to the development of a Israeli drones are lighter, smaller and cheaper than any of tration described as a “significant breakthrough.” Early computer (1955): The Weizmann Institute’s therapy that increases the production of crucial white blood their predecessors, with capacities such as real-time 360degree video imaging, radar decoy capability and increased WEIZAC computer performs its first calculation. With an cells in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. initial memory of 1,024 words stored on a magnetic drum, Drip irrigation (1965): Founding of Netafim, developer operating ceilings. Drones enable Israel to eliminate Syria’s air defenses at the start of the 1982 war with Lebanon it is one of the first large-scale stored program computers in and distributor of modern drip irrigation. See “Israeli innovations” on page 14 the world. In 2006, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Color hologram (1966): Asher Friesem produces the

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

Artist Siona Benjamin brings Hindu and Muslim motifs to portrayals of biblical outcasts

By Chavie Lieber MONTCLAIR, NJ (JTA) – In the space of a single painting, Siona Benjamin juxtaposes feminism, Indian mythology and Jewish imagery. On a three-foot canvas, she’ll paint a portrait of a blue-skinned figure, usually a character from the Bible, with nods to Persian miniatures, talmudic fables and Vishnu gods. Often there’s a message in Arabic. “I want people to realize there can be a universal message in Jewish art,” Benjamin told JTA. “I didn’t want to just be a Jewish artist, explaining my culture in my paintings, because it’s deeper than that. I’m a Jewish woman of color and a feminist with Islamic and Hindu influences, and they are all a part of me.” Benjamin, 52, was born in Mumbai and her artwork combines the various influences in her life. Her favored subjects are biblical outcasts and she aims to redeem them by presenting an alternative narrative. In her home studio in this northern New Jersey township some 15 miles west of mid-Manhattan, Benjamin is wearing a modern version of a shalwar kameez, the traditional Indian dress of blossomy pants and tunic top. Her shelves are lined with books about Islamic leaders, Asian art and Jewish sacred texts. Doodles of Bollywood pop art and Buddhist statues serve as inspiration. But it has taken Benjamin years to grow comfortable with all the diverse elements of her art. “I’m trying to use my Jewish heritage as a vehicle to create a universal message for their stories,” Benjamin said. “People think they know a full story, just like they see me as an Indian Jew and believe stereotypes. But there is so much more to these characters. If you look at biblical characters, there are

At right: Jewish artist Siona Benjamin paints portraits of women in the Bible, using her Jewish and Indian background as influences. (Photo courtesy of Siona Benjamin)

deeper stories than what meets the eye. And I paint them blue because I’m redeeming myself through them, too.” Benjamin grew up in the suburb of Bandra, the product of a wealthy family who enjoyed a comfortable and privileged life with cooks, servants and chauffeurs. As a child, she was envious of Indian friends who had large, boisterous families. Benjamin was an only child whose family lived mostly in Israel and the United States. A ninth-generation Indian Jew, Benjamin’s parents sent her to Catholic

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What is PreCamp? PreCamp is held for two weeks before the start of JCC Camp Daleville. While it is held at the JCC, we also go on field trips all over Scranton. Some of these have included water parks, local parks, museums, and community service opportunities. It is a fun, safe way for children to reconnect with their camp friends, make new ones, and start their summer right. For more information contact Aaron at 346-6595 ex:116 or aaron@scrantonjcc.org

and Zoroastrian schools. Surrounded by this multireligious influence, Benjamin often found herself wrestling with questions of self-identity. Her mother lit an oil lamp every Friday for Shabbat, but she also believed in the Zoroastrian God Ahura Mazda and practiced Buddhist meditation. At 24, Benjamin left India for America to pursue an education in fine arts, but found herself feeling even more lost and lonely. “At that point, I was ashamed of being so different, of fitting into so many categories,” Benjamin said. “I spent so many years wondering what I was going to paint: Jewish themes of my ancestors or Buddhist ideas from my childhood? Where was home? Was India home to me? Or Israel? Or America? I think the estranged characters in the Bible felt just as confused as I was because I belong nowhere.” Benjamin eventually drew comfort from her embrace of the Bible’s lost characters. She paints characters such as Lilith, the mythological first wife of Adam, or Vashti, the dethroned queen from the Book of Esther. Benjamin often uses their stories to highlight feminist themes. Their faces are presented usually in blue in a nod to Benjamin’s Indian heritage, which typically presents its gods in blue hues. In one painting, Benjamin paints Sarah hugging Abraham’s handmaiden Hagar as a suicide bomb explodes behind them. In another, Benjamin portrays Lilith wearing a prayer shawl and worshiping God as she catches fire.

Benjamin’s artwork has exhibited in museums across the United States, Europe and Asia, but she is most excited about an upcoming project featuring the Indian Jewish community, which she fears is slowly disappearing as its members immigrate to Israel. Following the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai, in which a Chabad rabbi and his wife were among the murdered, Benjamin said many people approached her with questions about the city’s Jews and what they looked like. In the course of several trips, Benjamin took photographs. Her project, a photo collage of Indian Jews titled “Faces: Weaving Indian Jewish Narratives,” will go on display at the Prince Wales Museum in Mumbai in September. “Siona’s work has been recognized as extraordinary in the contemporary art world, in that she combines Judaism with a Persian-Muslim stylistic departure,” said Matthew Baigell, an emeritus art history professor at Rutgers University who has authored several books on American Jewish art. Baigell has written that contemporary Jewish art is experiencing a “golden age,” and he points to Benjamin’s interpretive paintings as one example. “She’s provided one-of-a-kind perspective on female characters from the Bible,” he said, “and is part of a group of artists who are not afraid to expose their Judaism in a creative way.”

Israel Hallelujah in NYC

Hallelujah, Israel’s singing contest, is accepting audition applications for its 2013 season till Tuesday, April 30. Open to those of Jewish heritage from the ages of 18-30, Hallelujah 2013 will unite international contestants in Israel for the semi and final contests this year. Thirty chosen regional winners will travel to Israel to explore their Jewish identity. They will be immersed in Israeli culture and language and meet other young Jews, who are following their musical passions. The 19-day program, sponsored by the government of Israel and organizations such as Birthright Israel, Jewish Rock Radio and The Jerusalem Post, will culminate in a finale broadcast on Israel National Television. The three top finalists receive cash prizes with the grand prize winner recording a song with a well-known Israeli artist. For information on how to submit an application, visit www.facebook.com/ events/630895206936986/?fref=ts.

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Proceeds benefit JCC Early Childhood Programs. For more information, contact Rika at rika@scrantonjcc.org or 570-346-6595, ext. 120

APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

Cyprus verdict could inhibit Hezbollah operations in Europe By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) – The conviction in Cyprus of a Hezbollah operative plotting to attack Israelis could undercut efforts by the terrorist group to carry out additional attacks outside the Middle East. The recent conviction was the second confirmation in recent months that Hezbollah is active on European soil. The first was when Bulgarian authorities identified the Lebanon-based terrorist group as being behind the July 2012 bombing in Burgas that left six people dead, five of them Israelis. Hezbollah also is believed to be behind recent plots against Israelis and Jews in India, Thailand and Azerbaijan. The Cyprus conviction makes Europe likelier to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group and that would bring new restrictions on Hezbollah that would have immediate operational consequences for the group, says Daniel Benjamin, the top counterterrorism official at the State Department in President Barack Obama’s first term. “If Hezbollah has to increase its operational security in Europe, if it can’t use Europe to fund-raise or travel through, it will be challenged to innovate to avoid being caught by European authorities,” Benjamin, now the director of the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, told JTA. The Cyprus court found Hossam Taleb Yaacoub guilty of a plot to attack Israeli tourists in the Mediterranean island nation. Yaacoub, who holds Lebanese and Swedish passports, was trained in the use of weapons and scouted sites in Europe, including a Cypriot airport. Yaacoub acknowledged membership in Hezbollah and staking out areas frequented by Israeli tourists, but said he did not know his work was part of a plot to kill Israelis. The court, which has yet to sentence him, rejected the denial. The evidence that led to Yaacoub’s conviction helps tip the balance toward listing Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, diplomats from two leading European Union member states told JTA. Hezbollah already is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Israel and several other countries. “Our position is that we’ve always said that if we have proof that holds up in court, we can enter the procedure,” said Karl-Matthias Klause, the spokesman for the German Embassy in Washington. “There is a general readiness into

who is

Survivors of the Hezbollah terror attack on the Israeli tour bus in Burgas, Bulgaria, returned to Israel with the help of the Israeli Air Force on July 19. (Photo by Yossi Zeliger/FLASH90/JTA) looking into forbidding the military wing of Hezbollah.” The other diplomat, whose country has been among those resisting such a classification, said the Cyprus conviction would make it harder not to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist group. “Bulgaria and Cyprus changes the equation,” said the diplomat, who insisted on anonymity. “The topic becomes one of European solidarity.” Matthew Levitt, a former counterterrorism analyst at the FBI and a senior terrorism analyst at the Treasury Department in the George W. Bush administration, said he had just returned from meetings in Europe with security and foreign affairs officials. “No one is debating anymore whether they are terrorists,” said Levitt, who is now a senior fellow analyzing counterterrorism at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “Now it’s more, will designating them as a terrorist group undermine security in Lebanon? I can have that conversation; it’s a better one than ‘are they terrorists?’” The timing is propitious, said Levitt: Hezbollah is reactivating outside the Middle East for the first time in more than a decade, partly because of pressures on its two main sponsors, Iran and Syria. Its recent plots have been more hits than misses, which Levitt attributes to Hezbollah being out of practice and because Iran is rushing the group into staging attacks. “Now you see in Cyprus what happens when they go back to tradecraft,” Levitt said, referring to

David?

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Yaacoub’s careful monitoring of the comings and goings of Israeli tourists. U.S. and Israeli officials for months have been pressing Europe to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group. Obama repeated the call recently during his Israel visit. “When I think about Israel’s security, I think about five Israelis who boarded a bus in Bulgaria, who were blown up because of where they came from; robbed of the ability to live, and love, and raise families,” Obama told a convention center in Jerusalem packed with cheering university students. “That’s why every country that values justice should call Hezbollah what it truly is: a terrorist organization.” The diplomat from the country reluctant until recently to list Hezbollah as terrorist said the issue is complicated by the fact that Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government. Cutting off the group would curtail European influence in Lebanon at an especially sensitive time: Lebanon is absorbing refugees from the Syrian civil war and there are concerns that the fighting in Syria may spill over into Lebanon. “We have to keep in mind that Lebanon is very fragile and we have to avoid what could further destabilize it,” the diplomat said. One possible solution touted in Europe would be to designate Hezbollah’s so-called military wing as terrorist while maintaining ties with its political operation in Lebanon. The United States recognizes no such distinction, Levitt said, but if Europe wanted to do so, there likely would be no U.S. objection. “They want to make the distinction for convenience, they want to have leverage, so fine,” he said. One outcome U.S. officials should oppose, Levitt said, would be to designate only individuals with Hezbollah, but not the group as a whole as terrorist. Benjamin said sparing Hezbollah’s political wing would not be a problem as long as the ban on the military wing made it harder to raise money and run agents. “A designation worth anything will include a ban on solicitation and fund-raising in Europe, and provide the legal predicate for terrorism prosecutions,” he said. Should Europe take those steps, it could embolden other countries to do so as well, Benjamin said. “Hezbollah being designated by Europe will embolden other countries to step up cooperation around the world,” he said.

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There’s no lack of media coverage on Israel, the Middle East’s sole democracy with civil rights and a free press. What is lacking is objective coverage. This tiny Jewish nation, the size of New Jersey, with less than eight million people, a quarter of them non-Jewish, generally receives inaccurate, harsh, even hostile coverage from the world’s press.

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

Adding a new dimension to Holocaust testimony

with Gutter. “Can I ask you a few quesBy Edmon J. Rodman tions?” he asks politely and distinctly. LOS ANGELES (JTA) – In a dark “I will answer any questions you glass building here, Holocaust survivor might have for me,” a casual Gutter Pinchas Gutter shows that his memory replies. is crystal clear and his voice is strong. “How did you survive?” Artstein His responses seem a bit delayed – not wonders. that different from other survivors I “It was chance. It was faith. It was... have known who are reluctant to speak it was a combination of 1,000 things,” openly about their experiences – but Gutter answers. he’s doing just fine for a 3-D image. The next question brings Gutter even In the offices of USC’s Institute for more to life. Creative Technologies, Gutter, who as “Can you sing a song for us?” Arta teenager had survived Majdanek, the stein asks. German Nazi concentration camp on Gutter, who was once a partthe outskirts of Lublin, Poland, sounds time cantor, responds by singing and looks very much alive. His holoa Polish lullaby he learned from gram-like image projected on a screen his mother – http://www.youis a prototype for a project of the Unitube.com/watch?feature=player_ versity of Southern California’s Shoah embedded&v=AnF630tCiEk”> Foundation called New Dimensions in Testimony. It’s an initiative to record Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter as he appears on the hologram-like interactive presentation translated here: “The children are and display 3-D, interactive testimonies developed by the USC Shoah Foundation. (Photo by USC Institute for Creative Technology) going, going down the road. / The little sister and her brother they canthat according, to the organization, not contain their wonder / At how “will preserve the dialogue between Holocaust survivors and learners far into the future.” know “things about the human experience – if the sur- beautiful the world is.” Then it’s my turn to put on the headset. I have come Recalling my conversations with survivors, I wonder vivors were successful, hateful, if there was justice.” how a 3-D representation, no matter how well-intentioned, To create a new form of dialogue, Smith is planning on with my own questions that in speaking one-on-one with can match the experience of making live eye contact with asking 10 survivors a battery of 500 questions to build the a survivor would seem too probing and painful to ask. But here it would be like talking to the TV, I thought, so I could someone who is reaching out with the story of his or her means for a conversation. own private hell. For the demo Paul Debevic, the associate director dispense with the social conventions and fire away. Yet in asking a question that would be difficult to ask “We wanted this to be as intimate as possible,” says for graphic research at the USC Institute for Creative even privately, I pause. “Do you believe in God?” I ask Stephen Smith, the executive director of USC’s Shoah Technologies, explains that Gutter was shot on a 26Foundation, a veteran of making survivor testimony foot spherical “light stage” with seven cameras – 50 finally, after pushing a laptop button. “Yes. I believe there is a power higher than human available to the public. “There is very little time,” he will be used on the final – illuminated with more than adds, pointing out that most survivors are now in their 6,000 LED lights, which I could see captured his every beings and I’m not quite sure what it is,” Gutter answers, suddenly sounding and appearing much more present than 80s and 90s. gesture, contour and wrinkle. The plan is to make the interactive testimonies availLater, I try out a smaller set, similarly lit, and im- a projection. “We are looking to get a suspension of disbelief,” says able through 3-D installations installed in Holocaust mediately need sunglasses. museums and schools, allowing students and others to Debevic, along with Ron Artstein and David Traum, Debevec, describing what fiction writers need to achieve have a question-and-answer session with a survivor. who are working on the project’s interactive component, so their work is believable. The overall effect is better than the cloying slickSmith makes it clear, however: “We are not trying to explain that a language program is being created that will ness of Siri and more relatable than the countless create a fantasyland experience.” cross-reference the words of a question with the recorded holographic movie appearances of gauzy futuristic In speaking with students and accessing their needs answers and pick the best possible response. about the Holocaust, Smith says he finds that they aren’t After donning a headset and mike – in the final version presidents or villains. Children will love the interactivity. But deniers will hate that interested in historical detail. Rather, they want to this will not be necessary – Artstein begins the conversation it, as testimony from survivors like Gutter challenges their own projections. As Gutter continues to answer my question about God, the 3-D captures the fullness of his arm motions and earnestness. “You are allowed to stand up and question,” he says. Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles. Contact him at edmojace@ columns that cover everything from food to Dear Friend of The Reporter, gmail.com.

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The spherical design of the LED “light stage” at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies in Los Angeles allows the subject to be lit from many angles. (Photo by Edmon J. Rodman)

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APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

Exhibition looks back on legendary director Kubrick

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Stanley Kubrick inside the space ship Discovery on the set of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” (Photo from Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.) lumbia University taught by writers Lionel Trilling and Mark Van Doren, and attended film programs at the Museum of Modern Art. “Essentially the film is a mythological statement,” reads a quote by Kubrick that is part of the LACMA exhibition. “Its meaning has to be found on a sort of visceral, psychological level rather than in a specific literal explanation.” Gregory said her primary goal is to get people to re-watch Kubrick’s films. “You’ll feel inspired,” she told JNS.org. “For me, from a visual perspective, ‘2001’ would be the film to talk about if I had to pick one. It is visually stunning and breaks genres. Part of Stanley’s legacy is that he is different, and it is inspiring to see how much he pushed himself.” Harlan continues to spread the word about his brother-in-law’s films. He will appear this spring as a guest speaker for a screening of “The Shining” at the From Page To Screen film festival in Bridport, UK. “I am invited often to film festivals and film schools, as a member of the jury, to give lectures on various topics to do with filmmaking or for Q&As after screening a Kubrick film or one of my documentaries,” Harlan said. “Jack Nicholson tells the story about ‘The Shining’ so well. Stanley told him that ‘The Shining’ is a very positive film since it is about ghosts. If there can be ghosts, then something else is happening after we die.” See “Kubrick” on page 10

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By Robert Gluck JNS.org Judaism may not be the first thing that comes to mind when watching “2001: A Space Odyssey,” but Jan Harlan, the brother-in-law of its legendary director Stanley Kubrick, makes that connection. “In ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ Kubrick takes a big bow to the unknowable,” Harlan told JNS.org. “I told him this was a very Jewish film and I explained why I thought so. Judaism is a breakthrough in thinking; it is like the discovery of the fact that the earth is a globe circling the sun. It was the sun, mountains, animals and fantasy figures that represented God before. Now this God had no name, was eternal, the omnipotent creator of everything. What a breakthrough in thinking. Stanley liked my reasoning.” The films of the late Kubrick, who died in 1999 at age 70, have served as an inspiration to other renowned Jewish directors such as Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen. “Stanley Kubrick,” an exhibition running through June 30 at the LosAngeles County Museum of Art, is the first retrospective of the filmmaker. Developed in collaboration with the Kubrick estate, the show is getting its North American premiere in California after previously being seen in Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Brussels, Amsterdam and Melbourne. According to Jarrett Gregory, a LACMA curator and the show’s organizer, the exhibition provides access to Kubrick’s vision and working methods while illuminating the network of influences and conditions that came together to make his films universally regarded as masterpieces. “There’s a lot to learn for everybody from his working methods especially,” Gregory told JNS.org. “For me, that was the most accessible entryway into his work and the validity of it. The focus he had, the research, the meticulous nature with which he went about his projects and his uncompromising vision. He controlled every aspect of his films.” Harlan worked with his brother-in-law and also produced and directed the documentary “Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures.” Narrated by Tom Cruise, Harlan’s film brings Kubrick’s career into sharp focus with footage of his early years as a photographer for Look magazine and commentary from collaborators and family. Kubrick, born in New York to Jewish parents, was very aware of his religion but did not practice, Harlan told JNS.org. “He knew he looked Jewish and his big beard emphasized this, but he was not religious,” Harlan said. The LACMA exhibition illustrates Kubrick’s early fascination with fairy tales, myths, ghost stories, surrealistic and allegorical narratives, and tales of the supernatural. Although he did not attend college, Kubrick audited film classes at Co-

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

d’var torah ABINGTON TORAH CENTER

Rabbi Dovid Saks President: Richard Rutta Jewish Heritage Connection 108 North Abington Rd., Clarks Summit, PA 18411 570-346-1321 • Website: www.jewishheritageconnection.org Sunday morning services at 8:30 am Call for other scheduled services throughout the week.

BETH SHALOM CONGREGATION

Rabbi Yisroel Brotsky 1025 Vine St., Scranton, PA 18510, (corner of Vine & Clay Ave.) 570-346-0502 • fax: 570-346-8800 Weekday – Shacharit: Sun 8 am; Mon, Thurs. & Rosh Chodesh, 6:30 am; Tue, Wed & Fri, 6:45 am; Sat & Holidays, 8:45 am. Mincha during the week is approx. 10 minutes before sunset, followed by Maariv.

BICHOR CHOLEM CONGREGATION/ CHABAD OF THE ABINGTONS Rabbi Benny Rapoport President: Richard I. Schwartz 216 Miller Road, Waverly, PA 18471 570-587-3300 • Website: www.JewishNEPA.com Saturday morning Shabbat Service 9:30 am. Call or visit us online for our bi-weekly schedule

CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF THE POCONOS Rabbi Mendel Bendet 570-420-8655 • Website: www.chabadpoconos.com Please contact us for schedules and locations.

CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL

Affiliation: Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Allan L. Smith President: Henry M. Skier Contact Person: Ben Schnessel, Esq. (570) 222-3020 615 Court Street, Honesdale, PA 18431 570-253-2222 • fax: 570-226-1105

CONGREGATION B’NAI HARIM

Affiliation: Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum President: Phyllis Miller P.O. Box 757 Sullivan Rd., Pocono Pines, PA 18350 (located at RT 940 and Pocono Crest Rd at Sullivan Trail 570-646-0100 • Website: www.bnaiharimpoconos.org Shabbat Morning Services, 10 am – noon; every other Saturday Potluck Shabbat Dinner with blessings and program of varying topics, one Friday every month – call for schedule.

JEWISH FELLOWSHIP OF HEMLOCK FARMS

Rabbi Steve Nathan President: Steve Natt Forest Drive 1516 Hemlock Farms, Lords Valley, PA 18428 570-775-7497 • E-Mail: jfhf@enter.net Friday evening Shabbat service 7:30 pm, Saturday morning Shabbat Service 9:30 am.

MACHZIKEH HADAS SYNAGOGUE Rabbi Mordechai Fine President: Dr. Shaya Barax 600 Monroe Ave., Scranton, PA 18510 570-342-6271

Letting the light shine through us By RABBI MARJORIE BERMAN, SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR, RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE IN PHILADELPHIA Tazria-Metzora, Leviticus 12:1-15:33 Parashat Tazria-Metzora is one of seven designated portions that can be read either singly or as a double portion, depending on how many Sabbaths are available for the regular Torah reading in a given year. In this year, 5773, it falls as a double portion. In addition to other topics, both Tazria and Metzora deal with the subject of skin diseases, describing in somewhat disturbing detail the various symptoms of flaking, discoloration, red streaks, etc. One of the significant differences between skin diseases and other illnesses is that they are often more visible. While cancer or diabetes might be more serious, one often has the option to keep such matters private. But as anyone who suffers from a skin disorder knows, their illness is often very public. In addition to affecting the one with the condition, skin diseases – especially in ancient times – brought out fear in the community, and often subjected the afflicted person to quarantine or exile. The rabbis interpreted tzara’at, a particular skin condition, as a spiritual affliction that manifested itself on the body. It was caused, they believed, by lashon hara, or “the evil tongue,” referring to gossip or slander. How do they arrive at this conclusion? First of all, through word play. They break the word metzora (that is, one who is diseased) down into motzi shem ra, or “bringing out a bad name.” Secondly, they look at the biblical characters who are stricken with tzara’at, like Miriam, who develops the disease soon after criticizing her brothers’ wives and their relationships, or Moses himself, after bad-mouthing the people of Israel to God. Entire books are written on the subject of lashon hara, and the Talmud goes so far as to say that it is even worse than murder, because it simultaneously destroys three people, the one who relates the gossip, the one who listens to it and the one it concerns. The Sfat Emet, Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter, who was also known as the Gerer Rebbe, picks up on the idea that tzara’at is the result of a spiritual disorder. He, too, begins with wordplay, noting that the word for skin (or, spelled with the Hebrew letter ayin) sounds the same as the word for light (or, spelled with the Hebrew letter aleph.) Basing his commentary on a midrash, or rabbinic interpretation, the Sfat Emet describes how we humans used to have skins of light, but after eating from the tree in the Garden of Eden, we became clothed in corporeal skin, like the snake. Since that moment, the Gerer Rebbe continues, everything we do that is sinful, that is, those things that we do that separate us from God and our Godly nature, clogs the pores of this corporeal skin and thickens it. The more we act in ways that separate us from God, the more opaque we become, so that the light within us – our pure souls, which are made in the image of God – cannot shine out. Likewise, the light from God that is outside of us cannot

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Rabbi Mordechai Fine 1432 Mulberry St, Scranton, PA 18510 Contact person: Michael Mellner - 570-343-3183

TEMPLE HESED

Union of Reform Judaism Rabbi Daniel J. Swartz President: Eric Weinberg 1 Knox Street, Scranton, PA 18505, (off Lake Scranton Rd.) 570-344-7201 Friday evening Shabbat, 8 pm; Saturday morning Shabbat, 11:15 am

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Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Rabbi Baruch Melman President: Suzanne Tremper Contact person: Art Glantz 570-424-7876 711 Wallace St., Stroudsburg, PA, 18360 (one block off Rte. 191 (5th Street) at Avenue A) 570-421-8781 • Website: www.templeisraelofthepoconos.org E-Mail: tipoc@ptd.net Friday evening Shabbat, 8pm; Saturday morning Shabbat, 9 am

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF SCRANTON

Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Rabbi Moshe Saks President: Michael Mardo 918 East Gibson St., Scranton, PA, 18510 (located at the corner of Gibson & Monroe Sts.) 570-342-0350 Fax: 570-342-7250 • E-Mail: tiscran@epix.net Sunday, 8 am; Mon & Thurs, 7:15 am; Tue, Wed & Fri, 7:25 am; Rosh Hodesh & Chagim weekdays, 7 am; Shabbat Morning Service, 8:45 am; evening services: Sun – Thurs, 5:45 pm; Friday Shabbat and Saturday Havdalah services, call for times.

Save the Date Celebrate Israel Parade 5th Avenue, NYC June 2, 2013 This year’s theme “Picture Israel” For further information contact Dassy 570-961-2300 x2 Dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

get through our skins to merge with the Godly light that is within us. On the other hand, whenever we purify ourselves, and live in such a way that we can connect with the holy, we become more transparent. When Moses comes down from the mountain after receiving the Torah, for example, his inner radiance is shining so brightly that the people have to hide their faces. However, as interesting as this spiritual diagnosis is, what does this portion say about how to deal with people who are sick, especially those with a visible illness, one that shows itself on the very boundary between the inner and the outer, our skin? In our portion, they are sent outside the camp until they are deemed pure again. From a modern medical point of view, this might make sense in terms of contagion, but what is the model that it sets for us as a community that cares for people who are ill? Rabbi Elisa Goldberg, director of the Joan Grossman Center for Chaplaincy and Healing in Philadelphia, talks about how this portion is descriptive rather than proscriptive. It describes what often happens to those that are ill, especially those with few resources. We separate those with visible afflictions – especially those with mental illnesses – and set them apart. But how can we understand this “setting apart” in a different way, a positive way? Illness, with all its challenges, can also create an opportunity for us. We can take ourselves “outside the camp,” as it were, separating ourselves from daily tasks and business, and the many mundane responsibilities that clamor for our attention. We can take the time to turn inward, to focus on self-care and to listen to the deep truths of our lives. While the biblical understanding of illness as an outward sign of a spiritual problem might appear primitive to us, modern medicine is, in fact, becoming more and more aware of the deep connections between body and mind or spirit. Illness can be an opportunity to learn to listen more intently to our inner realities. My own experience, and that of those that I’ve counseled, is that serious illness can force us to take time apart from our regular hectic lives. While unasked for and generally unwelcome at the outset, such time deepens us, helps us to recognize our true priorities and, interestingly enough, often teaches us to live in gratitude. Ironically, illness, if we are open to it, can be a gift. It is one thing if the community sends us out; it is another if we send ourselves inward. Illness, and being present to our own frailty and impermanence, can teach us how to become more transparent, letting our inner light shine out into the world, and receiving more of the light that always is pouring into the world.

Kubrick

Continued from page 9 Kubrick, who reinvented his visual style with each of his films, was known for his exacting methods. “Yes, he was a perfectionist. He tried to get things right and to his liking,” Harlan told JNS.org. “He was always the last to be satisfied with his work. He did not just want to make another movie – there was no need – enough movies were made. He wanted to do films of substance that might last. I am so glad he succeeded. Some of them take years to be fully recognized, like ‘Eyes Wide Shut.’” Harlan said “Eyes Wide Shut” is his favorite Kubrick film, and that it was also Stanley’s favorite. Based upon Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 novella “Dream Story,” the film was Kubrick’s last; the director died five days after showing Warner Brothers his final cut. The story, set in and around New York City, follows the sexually charged adventures of Dr. Bill Harford, who is shocked when his wife, Alice, reveals that she had contemplated an affair a year earlier. He embarks on a nightlong adventure, during which he infiltrates a massive masked orgy of an unnamed secret society. “He struggled with this difficult story for 30 years after buying the rights to Schnitzler’s ‘Traumnovelle’ (the German title for ‘Dream Story’) in 1970,” Harlan said. “I also lived with this story and Stanley’s struggle to make it into a film.” Harlan recalled that Kubrick, during the 1980s, fell in love with the idea to make “Eyes Wide Shut” with Woody Allen in the lead, playing a Jewish doctor in New York. Kubrick gave up on that goal “since he was not satisfied with his script,” according to Harlan, and he made “The Shining” instead. “Eyes Wide Shut,” eventually released in 1999 with Tom Cruise playing the doctor, took almost three years to make and was “the most difficult film” of Kubrick’s life, Harlan said. Two years after Kubrick’s death, Spielberg came out with “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” which was originally developed by Kubrick, but given over to Spielberg because Kubrick considered him “the better director for it,” Harlan said. Kubrick also never got to make a film about Napoleon based on a script he completed in 1969, but it was reported recently that Spielberg is taking on the project, as well as a television miniseries. “Stanley had become a great scholar on the topic and was most interested in what the French emperor, his strength and weakness, means for us today,” Harlan said. “Nothing has changed.”

APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

Winner of Israel’s top literary prize masters the “craft of asking questions” By Beth Kissileff JNS.org Beyond his use of Latin, Shimon Adaf is a Renaissance man when it comes to the arts, expressing himself in poetry, prose and music. But ultimately, his writing – which recently won him Israel’s top literary prize – boils down to yet another craft, what he calls the “craft of asking questions.” “Someone says this thing, why Shimon Adaf is it? What gives it meaning? (Photo by Eldad Wherever I am, I am just asking Refaeli) questions,” he tells JNS.org about the study of Jewish texts. Adaf in February was announced the winner of Israel’s annual Sapir Prize – which carries an award of 150,000 shekels, or about $35,000 – for “Mox Nox” (Latin for “night is upon us”), the second volume of a trilogy whose other two volumes include both Latin and Hebrew titles (“Kfor/Nuntia,” Hebrew for “frost” and Latin for “messenger,” and “Arim Shel Mata/De Urbibus Inferis,” loosely translated in Hebrew and Latin as “lower/infernal cities”). The inspiration for Adaf’s trilogy came from the “clash between the Jewish world and outer world, defined in Jewish tradition as the kingdom of Rome,” which oppressed the Jews and destroyed the Second Temple, he says, adding that the titles in both languages serve to bridge that conflict between cultures. In addition to the cash reward, the Sapir Prize comes with two translations of the author’s work, into Arabic and a different language of the author’s choosing. Adaf’s literary agent is currently seeking an English translator for “Mox Nox,” in which Adaf tells the parallel tales of a boy confronting his painful childhood on a kibbutz and his coming-of-age as an author. The versatile Adaf, 41, is equally adept at translating into Hebrew the works of American 20 th-century science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (for publication) and of 17 th-century English poet John Milton (for his personal consumption). On the stage, he appears at literary events playing guitar and sharing vocals with the bass player in his three-person band, or reading from one of his three published volumes of poetry or six published novels. In conversation, Adaf discusses the works of Maimonides, the Chasidic Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav, Franz Kafka, Jorge Luis Borges, James Joyce and John Berryman with aplomb and evident erudition. The Sapir Prize has been given out by Israel’s national lottery, Mifal Hapayis, every year since 2000 (except 2009, when it was rescinded due to a conflict of interest by one of the judges who was the uncle of the winner’s editor). The prize is modeled on England’s Booker Prize, with publishing houses submitting up to 10 works apiece by Israeli citizens and a jury winnowing the submissions to a list of five. Neta Gurevitch, the head editor of the Yediot Books publishing house, says, “What’s beautiful about this prize is its continuing power of propelling books into the consensus.” Adaf did not expect to win, joking in his acceptance speech that although he had ironed his shirt, he had not prepared a speech. Adaf is the head of the Literary Writing track at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Be’ersheva, where he also teaches in the department of Hebrew Literature. He tells JNS.org that he was raised in a Moroccan family in Sderot that was “very religious” and expected him to be a rabbi. He learned to read and write at an early age and studied with his father, who entered him in many academic contests. Adaf says his affinity for writing comes out of his “first contact with the world,” which was “studying,” and that for him the process of studying is, “Not to study something but [to] learn how to ask questions.” When he teaches, Adaf says, “I don’t have answers for my students, I give them a key to ask questions

that he does this by writing parts of about their work.” his novels in mishnaic Hebrew, “usOne question Adaf frequently asks ing many parts of Gemara (Talmud) in connection with Israeli literature is, as points of reference.” “What makes you Jewish?” He says in Israel, it is a “question that is rarely When asked about his own work comasked,” but one that he is trying to ask pared with that of his contemporaries in in his fiction. Israel, Adaf says there are “many writ“Is a knowledge of Jewish scriptures ers whose quest is similar, but are not enough to build identity around? Does influenced by each other, and there is keeping mitzvot make you Jewish? Being not influence between them.” He names circumcised?” he asks. some writers who are his peers – Shva Adaf speaks of his admiration for Salhov, Dror Burstein, Ophir Touche those who have grappled with these Gafla, Nir Baram – and adds that he issues in other cultures and contexts, doesn’t think there is any one “form, a such as Maimonides, or German writers style, or a model of representation that and philosophers Walter Benjamin and is predominant in Israeli literature,” but Franz Rosenzweig. He finds inspirarather just “a collection of personal and tion in Maimonides for the way he was individual points of views and means of able to “meet the world” of medieval The cover of Shimon Adaf ’s reflecting on reality.” philosophy. For example, in “The Guide “Mox Nox,” which won Adaf Though he knows Jewish texts, Adaf is to the Perplexed,” Maimonides “takes Israel’s Sapir Prize. (Photo very much influenced by world literature parts of a world that hates you” and from Kinbooks.co.il) as well, naming Roberto Bolano and W.G. converts it for Jewish consumption by Sebald as favorite writers. adding Hebrew. Asked whether the attention that Adaf says that he is interested in “Jewish identity comes with winning the prestigious Sapir Prize will in a post-national world, a reality I think we are head- change him, Adaf demurs. “In a way the winning is an ing toward.” He says, “A traditional way of thinking external event,” he says. “My work is a process that can provide us with a way to define ourselves,” and just goes on.”

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

Exhibit recalls Jewish refugees and Nazi prisoners held together in Canadian prisons

By Arno Rosenfeld VANCOUVER, Canada (JTA) – When Austrian and German Jews escaped Nazism by fleeing to Britain during the 1930s, the last thing they expected was to find themselves prisoners in Canada, interred in camps with some of the same Nazis they had tried to escape back home. But

Photograph of an internee in a camp uniform, taken by internee Marcell Seidler at Camp N in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, circa 1940-1942. Seidler secretly documented camp life using a handmade pinhole camera. (Photo courtesy of Eric Koch/Library and Archives Canada/Photo by Marcell Seidler)

that’s what happened to some 7,000 European Jews and “Category A” prisoners – the most dangerous prisoners of war – who arrived on Canadian shores in 1940. Fearing a German invasion, Britain had asked its colonies to take some German prisoners and enemy spies. But the boats included many refugees, including religious Jews and university students. Though Britain alerted Canada to the mistake, it would take three years for all the refugees to be freed. “It was a period where everybody was closing their doors,” said Paula Draper, a historian who worked on an exhibit about the refugees currently on display at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. “But Canada closed its doors more tightly than almost anybody else.” While greatly overshadowed at the time by the enormity of the Holocaust, the refugee episode illustrates two characteristics of Canadian government policy that are difficult to imagine today: rampant antisemitism and restrictive immigration. The country is one of Israel’s staunchest allies and has a relatively liberal immigration policy. In 2001, more than 18 percent of Canada’s population was immigrant; in 2010, Canada admitted more legal immigrants than it had in 50 years. This wasn’t the case during World War II, when Frederick Charles Blair directed Canada’s immigration branch. Blair believed an international Jewish conspiracy was trying to skirt Canadian immigration policies by sneaking the refugees into the country. Moreover, antisemitic attitudes among Canada’s Protestant elite had hardened in the runup to World War II, according to University of British Columbia historian Richard Menkis. The Protestants believed ethnic minorities lacked Canadian values, a view similar to that of Quebecois nationalists, who believed the province should remain both French and Catholic. Jews faced quotas in universities, were blocked from various professional fields and barred from certain neighborhoods. “There were certain observers who thought that places like Toronto and the establishment there was as antisemitic as anything in North America,” Menkis said. After tiring of Canadian intransigence on the refugee

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Alfred Bader’s internment shirt from Camp I in Ile-auxNoix, Quebec, Canada, circa 1940-1941. Bader arrived in Canada aboard the S.S. Sobieski and was interned for 15 months. (Photo courtesy Alfred Bader/Photo by Jessica Bushey) issue, the British sent a high-ranking diplomat, Alexander Paterson, to assure the Canadians that the Jewish refugees posed no security threat. Paterson ended up spending more than eight months in the country and cleared many of the prisoners individually. By 1943, the last of the refugees had been released. Many went on to make important contributions to Canadian society, including two Nobel Prize winners. But as late as 1948, even after the horrors of the Holocaust had been revealed, a public opinion poll had Jews ranking near the top of a list of groups that Canadians least wanted in their country. “This is how blind Canada was, blinded by racism, to the potential of all the people they might have been able to rescue from the Holocaust,” Draper said. Draper, who has taught in the Canadian Studies Program at the University of Toronto’s University College, began researching the internment of Jewish refugees in the 1970s. At the time, the Jewish community was reluctant to complain about this history given the fate of the Jews of Europe. Even among the survivors themselves, who lamented their lost years of freedom, many were thankful just to have escaped the destiny of their European brethren. “To be overly critical of a government’s policy at the time, about this specific group, in light of the Holocaust,” was hard to justify, Draper said. But if criticizing the Canadian government in the aftermath of the Holocaust was somewhat taboo, today the internment camps have been largely forgotten. Moreover, given how far Canada has come, it can be easy to overlook the antisemitism that led to them. Beginning in the 1960s, much began to change in Canada. Hoping to placate French Canadians who felt shut out of society at large, the government launched a dialogue on biculturalism. “A number of groups – with the Ukrainians in the lead – said, ‘Well, biculturalism isn’t enough,’” Menkis See “Refugees” on page 13

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A scene from internment by Wolfgang Gerson, watercolor on toilet paper, from Camp N in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, circa 1940-1942. Gerson gave lectures to fellow internees while interned in camps in Quebec and Ontario, and painted on whatever he could due to the scarcity of paper. (Photo courtesy the Gerson family/Photo by Jessica Bushey)

APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

African-Israeli personalities hoping to change community’s image By Ben Sales TEL AVIV (JTA) – When Yityish Aynaw immigrated from Ethiopia to Israel at age 12, she was thrust into an Israeli classroom. An orphan lacking Hebrew skills, Aynaw says she relied on other kids and her own sheer ambition to get through. Ten years later, Aynaw, 22, is the first Ethiopian-Israeli to be crowned Miss Israel – a title she hopes to use to showcase Israel’s diversity. “Israel really accepts everybody,” she told JTA. “That I was chosen proves it.” Ethiopian and other African-Israelis have historically struggled with poverty and integration. But recently, several African-Israeli women have made a pop culture splash. Along with Aynaw, Ethiopian-Israeli actress Ester Rada, 28, has just released her first solo rock record to positive reviews. And Ahtaliyah Pierce, a 17-year-old Black Hebrew Israeli, reached the semifinals on Israel’s edition of “The Voice,” a reality show in which emerging singers compete. Though their personal stories diverge, each woman has experienced challenges as an African immigrant and wants to use her fame to help other African immigrants better integrate into Israeli society. “It’s hard for Ethiopians to adapt, but they should be who they are, be the best that they can be,” said Rada, who was born in Jerusalem to Ethiopian parents who spoke Amharic at home. “Don’t let others keep you down or make you feel like we don’t belong.” Rada’s parents stayed close to their Ethiopian roots, eating traditional foods and listening to traditional music. But Rada rebelled. She refused to speak Amharic and failed to understand why she should feel tied to a country she had never seen and did not understand. In recent years, the resistance has softened. Ethiopian culture “is a part of me and I can’t run away from it,” Rada said. “I decided to embrace it. And it’s helped me define who I am, in my culture and in my music.” Aynaw says it’s important for Israelis to see the positive side of the Ethiopian community. She compares the effect of her winning Miss Israel to Barack Obama’s election as president of the United States. The two met at the Israeli

Since she advanced to the semifinals on “The Voice,” Pierce says the slurs have all but stopped. She was voted off the show in March, but, like Rada, she hopes to keep performing after her army service. “I want to be on stage,” Pierce said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m modeling, singing or acting. I have to be on stage.” Aynaw also hopes to model and act, and to support youth arts clubs during her year as Miss Israel. She will represent Israel at the Miss World competition in September in Indonesia. “I feel like a very important person,” Aynaw said. “I don’t usually get up and see myself on all of the TV channels. I’m definitely getting used to it.”

Refugees Yityish Aynaw, shown meeting President Barack Obama during his March visit to Israel, is among several Israeli figures hoping to use their fame to improve the standing of African-Israelis. (Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO/JTA) president’s residence during Obama’s recent trip to the region. “There are wonderful things about the [Ethiopian] community, and it’s important that [Israelis] see it,” she told JTA. “Israel is a multicultural state. We’re diverse and we come from different countries, so we need to show that outwardly.” Rada and Pierce report incidents of racism directed at them because of their skin color. A woman once accused Rada of coming to Israel only for the money. And Pierce says in her hometown of Dimona, she used to be called “kushi,” a Hebrew pejorative used to describe blacks. “There are many stigmas about the community and unfortunate stories,” said Hava Tizazu, an EthiopianIsraeli actress who works with at-risk African youth. “Now there are new personalities who are beautiful and positive. It helps to change the image, but it’s just one step in a longer process.”

Continued from page 12

said. “That opened a whole discussion at the federal level about multiculturalism.” The Jewish refugees were held in eight camps across Canada, at least two of which also housed Nazi prisoners. Because they were not prisoners of war, the Jewish refugees fell outside of the protections of the Geneva Conventions. As a result, they were sometimes treated worse than the Germans. In some camps, the Nazis had access to Christian clergy and enjoyed Christmas trees and decorations, while the Jews struggled to find menorahs or candles, and rabbis were hard to come by. Jewish prisoners organized classes, taught each other English and Torah, published newspapers and made art, pieces of which are on display at the Vancouver center’s exhibit. The exhibit also features video testimony from survivors and artifacts from the camps ranging from homemade board games to personal diaries to luggage brought from Britain. Over time, the treatment of Jews in the camps improved; eventually, they were reclassified from enemy prisoners to refugees. Upon their release, many returned to Britain to support the war effort. “They were the first witnesses to the horrors of Nazism,” Draper said. “They’re the ones who knew more than anyone else what was happening to the people who didn’t get out.”

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

Israeli innovations

without losing a single pilot. Drones descending today from Israeli designs conduct military, civilian, research and surveillance operations around the world. Computer processors (1974): Computer heavyweight Intel sets up an R&D shop in Israel, leading to the development of the globally ubiquitous 8088 processor and Centrino chip. Computer security (1977): Adi Shamir, working with two American colleagues, describes a method of encryption. Now known as RSA, it is the single most important encryption method used worldwide to secure transactions between customers and banks, credit card companies and Internet merchants. Digital age information sharing (1977): Abraham Lempel and Jacob Ziv develop the LZ data compression algorithms. Aside from their trailblazing academic applications, the algorithms become the primary basis of early computer information sharing. Today, LZ algorithms and their derivatives make possible our ability to send many types of photos and images between computers quickly and easily. Farm-scale food storage (1980s): Shlomo Navarro invents a simple yet paradigm-shifting food storage system intended to help farmers in developing food-poor and resource-poor areas to keep their crops from spoiling after harvest. The system evolves into GrainPro Cocoons, waterand air-tight containers used around the world to prevent the damaging effects of spoilage and parasites without the use of pesticides. Leukemia treatment (1981): Elli Canaani joins the Weizmann Institute. His research into the molecular processes leading to chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, will result in the development of Gleevec, a drug now provided to CML patients around the world. The molecular processes discovered by Canaani were subsequently discovered to be at work in other leukemias, as well as certain tumors and lymphomas. Understanding cellular activity (1981): Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover – along with American counterpart Irwin Rose – begin work that will lead to the discovery of ubiquitin, a molecular “label” that governs the destruction of protein in cells. The discovery produces a dramatic improvement in the understanding of cellular function and the processes that bring about ailments such as cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis. In recognition of their work, the team receives the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. A new form of matter (1982): Israeli scientist Daniel Shechtman discovers Quasicrystals, a “new” form of matter that had been considered not only nonexistent but impossible. Shechtman becomes the object of disdain and ridicule, but his discovery eventually is vindicated and earns him the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Applications of Quasicrystals range from the mundane (nonstick cookware) to the arcane (superconductive and superinsulative industrial materials). Computer “language” (1986): Computer scientist David Harel develops Statecharts, a revolutionary computer language used to describe and design complex systems. Statecharts are used worldwide in areas from aviation to chemistry. Harel’s work is also being applied to the analysis of the genetic structures of living creatures with hopes of applying subsequent discoveries to the analysis and treatment of disease, infection and other biological processes. Immunology advancement (1991): Weizmann Institute professor Yair Reisner announces the creation of mice with

fully functioning human immune systems. Described from an immunological perspective as “humans with fur,” the mice provide for the first time a real-world arena in which to study human ailments and represent a major step forward in the search for a cure for AIDS, hepatitis A and B, and other infectious diseases. Baby monitor (1991): Haim Shtalryd develops the BabySense crib monitor, which becomes standard child safety equipment in millions of homes worldwide. Office printer (1993): Rehovot-based Indigo Inc. introduces the E-Print 1000. The device enables small operators to produce printing-press quality documents directly from a computer file, revolutionizing the operations of work environments of all stripes. Computer security (1993): Gil Shwed, 25, and two partners establish the computer security firm Check Point. Within two years, Check Point signs provider agreements with HP and Sun Microsystems. The company experiences phenomenal growth, and in 1996 it becomes the leading provider of firewall and security services – including antivirus, anti-spam and anti-data-loss security components – to businesses of all sizes around the globe. Multiple Sclerosis treatment (1996): Teva Pharmaceuticals introduces Copaxone, the only non-interferon multiple sclerosis treatment. The world’s top-selling MS treatment, Copaxone helps reduce relapses and may moderate the disease’s degenerative progression. Instant messaging (1996): Mirabilis launches ICQ, the first Internetwide instant messaging system. America Online adopts the technology and popularizes the world of online chat. Computer dictionary (1997): Introduction of the Babylon computer dictionary and translation program. Within three years, the system will boast more than four million users. Babylon eventually becomes integrated into most user-level Microsoft programs, allowing for seamless cross-language translation of millions of words at the click of a mouse. “Portable” sleep lab (1997): Itamar Medical Ltd. is founded and soon brings to market its WatchPAT sleep lab, representing a paradigm shift in the treatment of sleep disorders. PillCam (1998): Given Imaging develops the PillCam, now the global standard for imaging of the small bowel. First aid (1998): Bernard Bar-Natan makes the first sale of his Emergency Bandage. A giant leap forward in field dressings, it has become standard equipment in both civilian and military first aid kits worldwide. Nanowire (1998): Researchers Uri Sivan, Erez Braun and Yoav Eichen report that they have used DNA to induce silver particles to assemble themselves into a “nanowire,” a metallic strand 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. In addition to staking out new ground on the frontier of electrical component miniaturization, the wire actually conducts electricity, marking the first time a self-assembling component has been made to function and laying a path to exponential advances in the field of nanotechnology. Vision-based car safety systems (1999): Amnan Shashua and Ziv Aviram found MobilEye, a company that provides advanced optical systems to car manufacturers to increase safety and reduce traffic accidents. Flash drive (2000): M-Systems introduces the flash drive in the United States. Smaller, faster and more reliable than floppy disks or CD-ROMs, they will go on to replace those technologies worldwide. Advanced underwater breathing tech (2001): Alon

Continued from page 5 Bodner founds Like-A-Fish, a manufacturer of revolutionary underwater breathing apparatuses that extract oxygen from water. Groundbreaking spinal surgery system (2001): Mazor Robotics is founded and goes on to introduce its SpineAssist robotic surgical assistant, the most advanced spine surgery robot in use today. Urban air combat/rescue (2002): Rafi Yoeli develops the initial concept for the AirMule urban carrier, combat and rescue vehicle. Terrorist detector (2002): In the wake of renewed terrorist activity against Israel and the United States, Ehud Givon assembles a team of researchers to develop an advanced “terrorist detector,” resulting in the WeCU security system. Micro-computer (2003): Weitzmann scientist Ehud Shapiro develops the world’s smallest DNA computing “machine,” a composition of enzymes and DNA molecules capable of performing mathematical calculations. Breast tumor imaging (2003): The FDA approves 3TP, an advanced MRI procedure, for use in the examination of breast tumors. The brainchild of Hadassa Degani, 3TP distinguishes between benign and malignant breast growths without requiring invasive surgery. Anti-bacterial fabrics (2003): Aharon Gedanken becomes involved in the treatment of fabrics to prevent bacterial growth, which eventually will lead him to develop the technology for treating hospital fabrics with an antibacterial “coating” that will dramatically reduce hospital infection rates. Centrino computer chip (2004): Intel Israel releases the first generation of Centrino microprocessor. Centrino is Intel’s mobile computing cornerstone; it drives millions of laptop computers around the world. Successive generations of Centrino have improved laptops’ function, speed, battery life and wireless communication capabilities. Tumor imaging (2005): Insightec receives FDA approval for the ExAblate® 2000 system, the first to combine MRI imaging with high intensity focused ultrasound to visualize tumors in the body, treat them thermally and monitor a patient’s post-treatment recovery in real time, and noninvasively. Thousands of patients around the world have been treated. Lab-grown human tissue (2005): Dr. Shulamit Levenberg publishes the results of her work in the development of human tissue. Working with mouse stem cells, Levenberg and her partner Robert Langer produce the first lab-generated human tissue that is not rejected by its host. Levenberg goes on to use human stem cells to create live, beating human heart tissue and the circulatory components needed to implant it in a human body. Water from the air (2006): Researcher Etan Bar founds EWA Technologies Ltd. In 2008, he produces a clean, green system that “harvests” water from the humidity in the air. The technology represents a boon not only to residents of water-starved desert areas, but also to farmers and municipalities around the world. Each device has the potential to provide two average American families with their entire year’s supply of water without contributing to global warming or pollution. Parkinson’s treatment (2006): The FDA approves Azilect, a breakthrough treatment for Parkinson’s disease developed by John Finberg and Moussa Youdim. Azilect dramatically slows the progression of Parkinson’s in newly diagnosed patients, increasing the longevity of body and brain function and improving the quality of life for millions worldwide. Bee preservation (2007): Rehovot-based Beeologics is formed. The company is dedicated to the preservation of honeybees, which are under threat from Colony Collapse Disorder and vital to the world’s food supply. See “Innovations” on page 16

Sunday, May 12th at the JCC 4:30pm Reception • Dinner 5:00pm

Guests of Honor - Lou and Barbara Nivert Marbitz Torah Awardees - Rabbi and Mrs. Dovid Freeman Yovel Jubilee Alumnus Awardee - Howard Gans Award of Appreciation - Atty. Jerry Weinberger Also - Founders Award to the Families of: Mr. Jacob Fink, Mr. Harris Harris, Mrs. Benjamin L. Klein, Mr. Fishel Moskowitz, Mr. Morris Schorr and Mr. M.J. Waldman o.b.m. Journal Ad deadline is May 1, 2013

APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

Healthy Mediterranean diet is no secret for Israeli souk’s old-timers By Ben Sales TELAVIV (JTA) – Puffing on a cigarette, Amnon Tubi says he always knew what scientists only recently have proven about staying healthy. “I knew that Mediterranean food is the best,” he said, surrounded by tables overflowing with tomatoes, cucumbers and oranges. “The legumes are healthy. There’s a lot of fiber.” Tubi, 60, has worked in Tel Aviv’s crowded, open-air Carmel Market for four decades, peddling produce and fresh fish. He’s no doctor, but that won’t stop him from recommending a daily diet: fish, vegetables, chicken, legumes and eggs. Subtract the eggs, and what’s left are some of the recommendations from a comprehensive dietary study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine,

which found that a Mediterranean diet can reduce the effects of heart disease by up to 30 percent. Which foods are best? Olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables, cereals, fish and poultry. The study makes the Carmel Market, the one-lane pedestrian bazaar known to locals simply as “the shuk,” seem like a health food store. Along the souk’s narrow, cramped and sometimes smelly corridor, there are at least three natural fruit shake stands, two stores specializing in varieties of olive oil, several fish shops and endless rows of produce. Which stand gets business often depends on which grocer can yell the loudest. And some of the market’s most voluble salesmen are happy to point out what they’ve long known about their product.

Shoppers checked out the dried fruit stand at the Tel Aviv Carmel Market. (Photo by Ben Sales/JTA)

“I always knew it, of course,” said Yossi, who has worked in the souk for 30 years selling potatoes, onions and garlic. “Mediterranean food is spicy. In Israel, it’s healthy. American food is disgusting. It doesn’t have natural ingredients.” Tucked away behind one of the vegetable stands is a small doorway, framed in blue and white, whose sign simply says “Hummus.” The restaurant, which has gained a local reputation, is housed in a former synagogue and the food is prepared in full view of the patrons. Employees glop hummus on a dish from a metal bin, scoop in some beans from a large pot, add a sprinkling of spices and maybe some onion. What comes out is the Israeli staple snack hummus ful, or bean hummus. “It’s made from a natural process without any chemicals,” said Dror Zaidenberg, noting that hummus helps reduce fat and high blood pressure. “Jews and Arabs have been eating it for 5,000 years. Our day-to-day movement is better.” But even hummus is too unnatural for Yossi, who said that his dietary staple is one of hummus’ core supplements, tahini, the sesame paste he calls “the original material, the most natural and the healthiest.” American cuisine has had a growing presence in Israel over the past few decades. At the market’s entrance is a large Burger Ranch, Israel’s answer to McDonald’s. If you prefer the original article, there’s a McDonald’s less than a mile away on Rothschild Boulevard. Greasy pizza is ubiquitous here, too, and French fries are a common add-on to falafel. “Israelis aren’t influenced by American food,” Zaidenberg said, though he admits, “We sin sometimes.”

A woman shopped for fruit at the Tel Aviv Carmel Market in 2009. (Photo by Liron Almog/Flash90/JTA) Other grocers in the souk also claim not to feel threatened by the encroachment of U.S. fare. And they’re not shy about insulting its enthusiasts. “They don’t know how to eat,” Tubi said. “They just have sandwiches and steak.” For Tubi, a Yemenite Jew, Americans are hardly the only poor eaters. Ashkenazi Israelis, he says, are just as bad. “Ashkenazim are spoiled,” he said. “They don’t know how to cook, so they go to restaurants.” Tubi says the superior eating habits of Middle Eastern Jews have far-reaching implications. “Why is Eyal Golan the best singer?” Tubi said of the Israeli pop star of Moroccan and Yemenite descent. “Because he eats healthy food.” Chaim Bitran, who runs one of the souk’s fruit shake stands, concurs with Tubi’s sentiments. “All of the Americans are fat, white and sick,” he said, adding that bottled juice from a grocery store is “a waste of time.” Either drink juice within 20 minutes after it’s squeezed, he said, or don’t drink it at all.

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

book review

Examining text By Rabbi Rachel Esserman Jews are enamored with text. Some of us spend our entire lives studying biblical and rabbinic writings. Others focus on text at particular times of the year, for example, during the holidays or at life cycle events. Written words are the core of Judaism, the bond that held us together even when we were scattered across the world. This continues to be true even in contemporary times: every year, numerous books are published that discuss the Torah and Talmud. Two new works – “Jews and Words” by Amoz Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger, and “Jacob: Unexpected Patriarch” by Yair

Innovations Airport

safety (2007): Boston’s Logan International Airport begins testing of a new runway debris detector developed by XSight Systems. XSight uses video and radar monitors to identify and track runway debris, which has been identified as the cause of several airline accidents, including the 2000 crash of a Concorde jet that killed 113 people. XSight has the potential to save upwards of $14 billion per year and an untold number of lives. Trauma victim stabilizer (2007): Dr. Omri Lubovsky and his sister, mechanical engineer Michal Peleg-Lubovsky, introduce the LuboCollar, a device designed to stabilize trauma victims while maintaining an open airway. The device replaces the standard procedure of intubating trauma patients before transport, saving an average of five critical minutes between the field and the hospital. Historical solar energy projects (2008): Brightsource Energy Inc. begins formalizing agreements with California power companies to develop the world’s two largest solar energy projects. Sepsis monitor (2008): Tel Aviv’s Cheetah Medical introduces the NICOM, a bedside hospital monitor that can detect and determine the treatment for sepsis, which occurs in approximately one in 1,000 U.S. hospital patients annually. Sepsis previously had been treatable only after

Zaovitch (both published by Yale University Press) – focus on these ancient stories and our relationship to the text. In “Jews and Words,” internationally known author and novelist Oz and his daughter, Oz-Salzberger, a writer and history professor at the University of Haifa, suggest that Jewish peoplehood has been kept alive not by Judaism as a religion, but by Jewish writings, for example, the Torah and Talmud. The authors, who make it clear they are secular Israelis, note that “of course, the books were considered holy; but turn this around, and you will see a people who loved the books so much that

an invasive exploratory treatment, which itself could result in sepsis. The device goes into immediate use by hundreds of hospitals around the world. Advanced fish farm (2008): GFAAdvanced Systems Ltd. launches Grow Fish Anywhere, a sustainable, enclosed and self-contained fish farming system that is not dependent on a water source and creates no polluting discharge. A twist on solar energy (2008): Yossi Fisher co-founds Solaris Synergy, a company that creates solar energy panel arrays that float on water. Tough potato (2008): Hebrew University Professor David Levy caps 30 years of research with the development of a strain of potato that can be grown in high heat and irrigated with salt water. He shares his findings – and discussions of where they might lead – with scientists from Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Morocco. Luggage locator (2009): Yossi Naftali founds Naftali Inc. and begins distributing the Easy-To-Pick Luggage Locator, a remote luggage tag that alerts travelers when their luggage has arrived at baggage claim. Artificial hand (2009): Professor Yosi Shacham-Diamand and a team of Tel Aviv University researchers succeed in wiring a European-designed artificial hand to the arm of a human amputee. In addition to conducting complicated

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they consecrated them.” The question is, then, “which came first, sanctity or scroll?” For the authors, sanctity is a later addition. The scrolls first became important after the destruction of the Second Temple because one of the only things Jews could carry with them was their books: “So when you ran for your life from massacre and pogrom, from burning home and burning synagogue, it was children and books you took with you. Children and books.” The books were then passed down through the generations as a portable inheritance. See “Text” on page 18

Continued from page 14 activities, including handwriting, the human subject reports being able to feel his fingers. Achieving sensation represents the culmination of Shacham-Diamand’s work and a breakthrough in the evolution of artificial limbs. Water purification (2010): Greeneng Solutions launches the first of its ozone-based water purification systems. Designed for commercial, industrial and domestic applications, Greeneng’s product line uses ozone-infused water to eliminate germs on kitchen equipment, household surfaces, swimming pools and more. Purifying with ozone is faster and more effective than the global-standard tap water additive chlorine, and ozone produces none of the harmful side effects of chlorine such as asthma and contaminated runoff. Vision loss treatment (2010): VisionCare Opthalmic Technologies debuts the CentraSight device, a telescopic implant that addresses age-related macular degeneration. CentraSight is the first and only treatment for AMD, a retinal condition that is the most common cause of blindness among “first-world” seniors. Miniature video camera (2011): Medigus Ltd. develops the world’s smallest video camera, measuring 0.99mm. The device provides for new diagnoses and treatments of several gastrointestinal disorders. Helping paraplegics walk (2011): The FDA approves clinical use of ReWalk, a bionic exoskeleton developed by Argo Technologies that allows paraplegics to stand, walk and climb stairs. Breast tumor treatment (2011): IceCure Medical launches the IceSense 3, a device that destroys benign breast tumors by infusing them with ice. The procedure is quick, painless, affordable and is conducted on an outpatient basis. Soon after, clinical trials begin to study the efficacy of the treatment on malignant breast tumors. Missile defense (2011): Iron Dome, a short-range missile defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, shoots down a Grad rocket fired at Israel from Gaza. It marks the first time that a short-range missile has been intercepted, opening up new possibilities for military, civil and border defense in the world’s conflict zones. Endangered species stem cells (2012): Israeli scientist Inbar Friedrich Ben-Nun leads a team of researchers in producing the first stem cells from endangered rhinos and primates in captivity. The procedure holds the potential to improve the health of dwindling members of numerous endangered species, as well as staving off extinction. Diabetes treatment (2012): DiaPep277, a vaccine based on the work of Irun Cohen, is shown to significantly improve the condition of Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes in newly diagnosed patients. Helping the blind to “see” sounds (2012): Dr. Amir Amedi and his team at Hebrew University demonstrate that sounds created by a Sensory Substitution Device activate the visual cortex in the brains of congenitally blind people. MRIs of blind people using the device show that it causes the same brain responses of sighted people. This discovery allows the team to adapt the SSD to allow blind individuals to “see” their surroundings by learning to interpret audio signals visually. Futuristic food packaging (2012): Israeli computer engineer Daphna Nissenbaum creates a revolutionary, 100 percent biodegradable food packaging material. Her company, Tiva, produces materials for drink pouches, snack bars, yogurt and other foods – all of which provide a minimum of six months of shelf life, will completely decompose in a landfill, and can be composted industrially and domestically. The “God Particle” (2012): Switzerland’s Large Hadron Collider produces the Holy Grail of physics – the Higgs Boson, or “God Particle,” a subatomic particle that accounts for the existence of matter and diversity in the universe. A team from Israel’s Technion was charged with building and monitoring the collider’s elementary particle detectors, without which the discovery of the Higgs Boson would have been impossible. Marcella Rosen, the president of Untold News, is the author with David Kornhaber of “Tiny Dynamo,” from which this timeline is excerpted.

APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

NEWS IN bRIEF from israel From JTA

Hatred of Jews remains strong, Netanyahu and Peres tell Yom Hashoah rite

The hatred of Jews is still strong more than 70 years after the Holocaust began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres said at the national Yom Hashoah ceremony at Yad Vashem. “The map of Europe still contains local stains of antisemitism,” Peres said at the April 7 nighttime ceremony in Jerusalem, his voice breaking with emotion. “Racism erupted on that land in the last century and dragged it down to its lowest point. Ultimately the murder which came from her, damaged her. Not all the flames have been extinguished. Crises are once again exploited to form Nazi parties, ridiculous but dangerous. Sickening antisemitic cartoons are published allegedly in the name of press freedom.” Netanyahu said in his address to Holocaust survivors and their families, “Hatred of Jews has not disappeared. It has been replaced with a hatred of the Jewish state.” He followed his assertion with quotes of antisemitic statements made by Iranian religious and political leaders. Six Holocaust survivors told their stories in a prerecorded video before they lit the six torches representing the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. The ceremony was broadcast on all Israeli television channels and on several radio stations. On Yom Hashoah in Israel, places of entertainment are closed and Holocaust themed-movies and documentaries are shown on television channels. Memorial ceremonies are held throughout the country. On the morning of April 8, a siren sounded for two minutes to honor the victims of the Holocaust, followed by an official wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem. Also on April 8, the B’nai B’rith World Center in Jerusalem and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael were to hold a joint Holocaust commemoration ceremony dedicated annually to commemorating the heroism of Jews who rescued fellow Jews during the Holocaust. The ceremony was scheduled to be held in the Martyr’s Forest “Scroll of Fire” Plaza. The ceremony was to recall the rescue activities of Otto Komoly, president of the Zionist Federation in Hungary and the chairman of the Hungarian Jewish community’s clandestine Rescue Committee, and later director of the International Red Cross’ “Department A” responsible for rescuing Jewish children. On April 7, Israeli military chief Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz left for Poland with an Israel Defense Forces delegation to the March of the Living in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Gantz was to lead the March of the Living – the first time the march will be led by a current IDF chief of general staff. Some 10,000 people from all over the world were expected to participate in the march. Gantz also planned to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, where a military service was to take place. On the weekend prior to Yom Hashoah, dozens of young Poles who recently discovered their Jewish roots came together in Oscwiecim, the site of the Auschwitz camp, for a weekend educational seminar under the auspices of Shavei Israel.

Israeli websites, Facebook pages hit in “OpIsrael” hacking attacks

No Israeli government and defense sites appear to have been brought down by hackers in the “OpIsrael” attack, but some reportedly were affected for brief periods. On April 6, the international hacking group Anonymous claimed to have hacked some 19,000 Israeli Facebook accounts, and by the next morning some small Israel-based websites were shut down. Haaretz reported that the Defense Ministry site was among the government sites affected. The Education Ministry and Israeli bank websites also were attacked, according to reports. Anonymous had said in March that the attack operation against Israeli websites and Facebook pages would take place on April 7, on the eve of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. The group said it would “wipe Israel off the Internet,” in protest against Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. In a video message posted on April 6, Anonymous repeated its charges of mistreatment of the Palestinians by Israel and, directly addressing the Israeli government, said, “You have not stopped your endless human right violations. You have not stopped illegal settlements. You have not respected the ceasefire. You have shown that you do not respect international law.” The video message adds, “that is why on April 7 elite cyber-squadrons from around the world have decided to unite in solidarity

with the Palestinian people against Israel as one entity to disrupt and erase Israel from cyberspace.” In a Twitter post, Anonymous Germany officially disassociated itself from OpIsrael. An Israeli hacker named EhisR took over the website OpIsrael.com, removing anti-Israel content and posting something he called “A few forgotten facts,” including “Israel became a nation in 1312 BCE, two thousand years before the rise of Islam,” and “Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern state of Israel.” Israeli websites and Internet infrastructure have come under attack several times in recent months by Anonymous and other anti-Israel hacking groups.

Netanyahu, Lapid seek more funding for Holocaust survivors, elderly

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the allocation of about $14 million to benefit Holocaust survivors and other elderly Israelis. Hours before the start of Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, Netanyahu also asked the Knesset to approve nearly $7 million in an additional allocation to pay for medicines to help the elderly population. “We have a deep obligation to the elderly in general and to Holocaust survivors in particular, first of all to their welfare and also to their security,” he said on April 7 at the beginning of the weekly Cabinet meeting. In the last few days, several elderly Israelis, including some Holocaust survivors, have been the victims of high-profile violent attacks. “These people survived the horrors of the Holocaust. They participated in Israel’s wars. They built the state of Israel; they are witnesses to our revival. Our obligation to them is that we will do all that is necessary,” Netanyahu said. “We are giving today and we will add whatever is necessary.” Also on April 7, Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid announced a plan to allocate about $110 million annually through 2017 to social welfare agencies that assist Holocaust survivors.

West Bank mosque vandalized in retaliatory “price tag” attack

A mosque was vandalized in a Palestinian village south of Bethlehem in an apparent “price tag” attack retaliating for the serious injury of an Israeli girl. Graffiti spray-painted on April 7 on the mosque read “revenge for Adele Biton,” “regards from Adele” and “price tag.” The tires of a car parked nearby also were slashed. Adele Biton, 3, has been unconscious and in serious condition in an Israeli hospital for more than three weeks after the car driven by her mother was struck near Ariel by rocks thrown by Palestinian teens. The car struck a truck, injuring the driver, Adele and her two sisters, aged 4 and 5. Five Palestinian teens from the town of Kifl Haris near Kalkilya were arrested in late March for the attack. “Price tag” refers to the strategy that extremist settlers and their supporters have adopted to exact retribution for settlement freezes and demolitions or Palestinian attacks on Jews. Also in the West Bank, Palestinians rioted for a sixth day in the wake of a Palestinian prisoner’s death by cancer. On April 6, Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers in the Gush Etzion area, and threw rocks and firebombs at Jewish settlements. Also, Israeli soldiers prevented Palestinians from igniting agricultural fields near the northern West Bank community of Yitzhar. A day earlier, an Israeli soldier was injured in the hand near the West Bank village of Bayt Liqya, located approximately five miles northwest of Jerusalem, where troops faced dozens of rioters following mosque prayers, Army Radio reported. Similar riots erupted in Hebron and the Al Arub village north of the West Bank city. In the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya, dozens of Palestinians staged a riot amid burning tires. Three men were arrested, the radio station reported. On April 4, thousands attended the funeral in Hebron of Maisara Abu Hamdiyeh, a 64-year-old Hamas terrorist who had died two days earlier from cancer in an Israeli hospital. In the rioting spurred by his death, two Palestinian males, 17 and 19, were killed. Hamdiyeh was serving a life sentence in an Israeli prison for recruiting another terrorist to carry out an attack on a Jerusalem café. The Palestinian Authority has blamed Israel for his death, saying it withheld medical treatment. Israel’s Health Ministry reported that an autopsy revealed the cause of death as complications due to cancer.

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

New Season of

Films!

April 2013 • Non-Feature Films • A Film Unfinished, a harrowing look at the devious art of a propaganda film made by the Third Reich, is a rich and well-researched investigation into the filmic history of the Warsaw Ghetto. As A Film Unfinished aims to set the record straight, it furthers a political resistance that Jews undertook during the war. In other words, this documentary is a tribute, a correction of history to honor those who died, witnessed, or survived atrocities prior to their move to Treblinka, Warsaw’s affiliate death camp. Blessed is the Match - In 1944, 22-year Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi- occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II. Budapest to Gettyburg - The past and present collide as a world-renowned historian confronts a history he has refused to study-his own. Gabor Boritt is an expert on Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. But it took his son’s urging to get him to return to his native Hungary and learn about the Jewish experience there from the time of his childhood until, together with his family, he escaped to the United States. Constantine’s Sword, is a 2007 historical documentary film on the relationship between the Catholic Church and Jews. Directed and produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Oren Jacoby, the film is inspired by former priest James P. Carroll’s 2001 book Constantine’s Sword. Inside Hana’s Suitcase - A real-life Japanese schoolteacher, who appears throughout the film, sparked this entire story by gathering artifacts for a Holocaust educational center she was developing along with a group of girls and boys called The Small Wings. After applying to receive Holocaust artifacts, a large box arrives with a handful of artifacts, including a battered brown suitcase labeled with Hana Brady’s name. The teacher and her students begin searching for the story behind the suitcase. What they discover will surprise you. They wind up unlocking--and showing us in the film--a whole series of deeply moving memories and other related artifacts and photos. Finally, Hana’s surviving brother George travels to Japan to meet the Japanese students. I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal - Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who lost 89 family members, helped track down over 1,100 Nazi war criminals and spent six decades fighting anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story - This excellent documentary, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, portrays the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story was shown at the Opening Event for the 2012 UJA Campaign. The Case for Israel: Democracy’s Outpost - Famed attorney, Alan Dershowitz, presents a vigorous case for Israel- for its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - As baseball’s first Jewish star, Hammering Hank Greenberg’s career contains all the makings of a true American success story. • Feature Films • A Matter of Size - Winner of numerous international awards, this Israeli comedy is a hilarious and heart-warming tale about four overweight guys who learn to love themselves through the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. (not rated) A Woman Called Golda - Ingrid Bergman plays Golda Meir, the Russian born, Wisconsin raised woman who became Israel’s prime minister in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Crossing Delancey - This is a warm comedy taking place in New York City. Isabella Grossman desires to rise above her family’s Lower East Side community but her grandmother has other matchmaking plans. Footnote - The story of a great rivalry between a father and son, both eccentric professors who have both dedicated their lives to work in Talmudic Studies departments of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Though the father shuns overt praise for his work and the son is desperate for it, how will each react when the father is to be awarded the most sought after prize, the Israel prize? This Oscar nominated film will entrance from the start. Frisco Kid - It’s 1850 and new rabbi Avram Belinski sets out from Philadelphia toward San Francisco. Cowpoke bandit Tom Lillard hasn’t seen a rabbi before but he knows when one needs a heap of help. Getting this tenderfoot to Frisco in one piece will cause a heap of trouble- with the law, Native Americans and a bunch of killers. Good - In an attempt to establish its credibility, the new Nazi government is seeking out experts to endorse its policies and they come across Johnnie Halder’s novel of a husband who aids his terminally ill wife in an assisted suicide. Because of this the Nazis flatter Johnnie arranging for high paying and prestigious positions. Never evil, Johnnie Halder is an Everyman who goes along, accepts what he is told without question until he is an unwitting accomplice to the Nazi killing machine. Hidden In Silence - Przemysl, Poland, WWII. Germany emerges victorious over the Russians, and the city comes under Nazi control. The Jewish are sent to the ghettos. While some stand silent, Catholic teenager Stefania Podgorska chooses the role of a savior and sneaks 13 Jews into her attic. Every day, she risks detection--and immediate execution--by smuggling food and water to the silent group living above her. And when two German nurses are assigned to her living quarters, the chances of discovery become dangerously high. This is the true story of a young woman’s selfless commitment and unwavering resolve in the face of war. Noodle (PAL version- can only be played on computer NOT regular DVD players) - At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been deported from Israel. The film is a touching comic-drama in which two human beings- as different from each other as Tel Aviv is from Beijing- accompany each other on a remarkable journey, one that takes them both back to a meaningful life. Nora’s Will - When his ex-wife Nora dies right before Passover, Jose is forced to stay with her body until she can be properly put to rest. He soon realizes that he is part of Nora’s plan to bring her family back together for one last Passover feast, leading Jose to reexamine their relationship. (not rated) Operation Thunderbolt - The true story of the Entebbe hijacking and rescue. “Operation Thunderbolt,” was filmed in Israel with the full cooperation of the Israeli government, and is an exciting re-creation of the events of those tense days. We see the full scope of the story, from the original hijacking to the passengers’ captivity in Uganda to the agonized debates at the highest levels of the Israeli government over a diplomatic vs. a military solution. “Operation Thunderbolt” is the thrilling and true story of how one small country refused to let their people be killed by terrorists and took action to prevent it. People who claim that Israel is a “terrorist state” should see the film and be reminded who the real terrorists are. Orthodox Stance (documentary-2007) - Dimitriy Salita, a Russian immigrant, is making history as a top professional boxer and rigorously observant Jew. While providing an intimate, 3-year long look at the trials and tribulations faced by an up and coming professional boxer, ORTHODOX STANCE is a portrait of seemingly incompatible cultures and characters working together to support Dmitriy’s rare and remarkable devotion to both Orthodox Judaism and the pursuit of a professional boxing title. Playing for Time - An outstanding cast brings life to this Fania Fenelon autobiography about a Jewish cabaret singer and other Jewish prisoners whose lives were spared at Auschwitz in exchange for performing for their captors. Rashevski’s Tango - Just about every dilemma of modern Jewish identity gets an airing in this packed tale of a clan of more or less secularized Belgian Jews thrown into spiritual crisis by the death of the matriarch who has held all doubts and family warfare in check. (not rated) Sarah’s Key - Julia Jarmond, an American journalist is commissioned to write an article about the notorious Vel d’Hiv round up, which took place in Paris, in 1942. She stumbles upon a family secret which will link her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl, Sarah. The Angel Levine - Things couldn’t get worse for Jewish tailor Morris Mishkin (Zero Mostel). His shop has gone up in flames, his daughter has married outside the faith and, worse yet, his wife is slowly dying. But just when he decides to give up on God, a mysterious man (Harry Belafonte) appears, claiming to be his Jewish guardian angel! Doubtful that the stranger is Jewish, never mind an angel, Mishkin must overcome his skepticism if he wants one last chance at redemption. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Set during World War II, this is the story of Bruno, an innocent and naïve eight-year old boy who meets a boy while romping in the woods. A surprising friendship develops. The Couple - Based on the true story of a Jewish Hungarian’s desperate attempts to save his family from the Nazi death camps. Mr. Krauzenberg (Martin Landau) is forced to hand over his vast wealth to the Nazis for the safe passage of his family out of occupied Europe, only to find his two remaining servants are left trapped in a web of deceit and danger. Their only hope for survival relies on the courage of Krauzenberg. The Debt - Academy Award winner Helen Mirren and two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson star in The Debt. In 1966, three Mossad agents were assigned to track down a feared Nazi war criminal hiding in East Berlin, a mission accomplished at great risk and personal cost… or was it? Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story - Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story is an incredibly riveting, Emmy award-winning, fact-based story about a hero who helped over 100,000 Hungarian Jews escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust. Ushpizin - A fable set in the Orthodox Jewish world in Jerusalem, Ushpizin tells the story of a poor childless couple, Moshe and Malli, whose belief in the goodness of the Almighty follows a roller coaster of situations and emotions but leads to the ultimate happiness, the birth of their son.

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Continued from page 16 Oz and Oz-Salzberger also analyze the text through contemporary eyes. For example, they explore the role of women in the Torah, noting that while many people think of biblical women as passive, “the Bible is rife with powerful, active, vocal, verbal, individualized, one-of-a-kind female persons.” This idea will not be new to those who’ve read the writings of Jewish feminists (Tikva Frymer-Kensky is just one of the many who comes to mind), but it will be eye-opening for those whose only experience with biblical women is through ancient rabbinic eyes. The authors also explore the stories of several women who lived in talmudic and later times, all the while encouraging readers to study the original text themselves and decide on their own interpretations. Their discussion of Jews and history notes that “the annals of the Jews contradict the facile assertion that history is written by the winning side,” since the ancient Israelites and their descendants were usually on the losing side. In a debate on the nature of Jews, Judaism and whether or not this grouping is a nation, religion, ethnicity or something too complex to name, Oz and Oz-Salzberger offer their own answer to the question of “who is a Jew”: “Any human being crazy enough to call himself a Jew is a Jew.” They leave the decision of whether or not that person is a good or bad Jew to his/her fellow Jews. Although I don’t agree with many of Oz and OzSalzberger’s ideas, I found them interesting and worth examining. They were also a great deal of fun to read because the authors are being deliberately provocative. One particular section should be noted in the debate about Jewish continuity in the United States: if Jewish texts are our main connection, then what does that mean for American Jews? It’s one thing to be familiar with the text because Hebrew is your native tongue and biblical stories are taught in school; it’s another to study it in a second language. That’s one discussion I would like to see continued. While Oz and Oz-Salzberger discuss many different biblical and rabbinic texts, Zakovitch, a professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focuses on one biblical character: Jacob. He notes that it’s impossible to write a bibliography of Jacob in the modern scholarly sense; instead, his intent is to discover and reconstruct earlier, pre-biblical traditions about Jacob. Using the methodology of literary archeology, Zakovitch believes he can “identify duplicate traditions within the Bible” and, by examining them, uncover what the biblical writers were trying to hide or change. He does this by not only looking at outside sources (books that build on the Bible’s foundation, for example, Jewish Hellenistic literature, the Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.), but by exploring the contradictions found in the text and sections that seem out of place. In one example, he discusses the birth of Jacob and his twin brother, Esau. The biblical text contends that Esau was the first born, the twin who should have received the birthright and blessing from his father. Yet, by looking at the story of another set of biblical twins (Perez and Zerah, the sons of Judah), Zakovitch concludes that in the original version of the tale “Jacob cheated and successfully pushed his way out first.” He believes echoes of this rejected tradition can be found in the words of several prophets, including Hosea and Jeremiah. While his reasoning (which is too complex to explain in a short review) was interesting, in this and other cases I was not completely convinced. However, what did impress me was Zakovitch’s ability to analyze the text in new and unusual ways. Zakovitch’s interpretations are founded on the idea that biblical stories were written to teach about “crime and punishment... The astute reader learns from the experiences of the biblical characters to avoid repeating their mistakes and thus preclude inviting punishment on himor herself.” By comparing the stories of Jacob and his wife, Rachel, to that of Joseph, Jacob and Rachel’s son, Zakovitch suggests the use of a similar phrase – “Am I instead of God?” – in both tales shows how Joseph learned from the mistakes of his father. When Rachel complains to Jacob that she is childless, Jacob uses the phrase callously, ignoring her distress. When Joseph’s brothers seek forgiveness for selling him into slavery, Joseph uses the same words in a soothing, generous manner, while also noting there is nothing to forgive: it was God’s will that he was sent ahead to Egypt in order to save his family from famine. “Jacob: Unexpected Patriarch” works bests as a biblical commentary, rather than a biography. Zakovitch does an excellent job juggling and comparing different parts of the text. He also attempts to show the hidden agendas of those who compiled and revised the Bible, an analysis based on his view of the political machinations of the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Whether or not that account is accurate is best left to scholars; what the author does offer to all readers are new insights into the biblical text.

APRIL 11, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA

Kerry: Full Turkey-Israel reconciliation would help peace bid

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Israel and Turkey to reconcile completely, saying it would help with peacemaking in the Middle East. “With respect to the Israel-Turkey track, it is not for the United States to be setting conditions or terms,” Kerry said on April 7 in Istanbul following a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. “We would like to see this relationship that is important to stability in the Middle East, critical to the peace process itself, we would like to see this relationship get back on track in its full measure.” Turkey and Israel agreed in March to normalize ties after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for Israel’s 2010 raid on the Mavi Marmara ship as it attempted to break a maritime blockade of Gaza. Netanyahu also agreed to compensate the families of nine Turks killed in the ensuing violence when Israeli naval commandos boarded the ship. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Netanyahu also agreed to ease the restriction of goods flowing into Gaza. Erdogan added that the normalization of relations with Israel would take time and would not take place until Israel fulfills the agreement. Erdogan is scheduled to visit the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in April. An Israeli delegation is scheduled to arrive in Turkey the week of April 10 to discuss the Marmara compensation. Kerry called on Israel to fulfill its obligation to compensate the Marmara victims’ families. He also said he hoped that the two counties’ “full relationship be embraced, but it’s not up to us to discuss the timing.” Turkey withdrew its high-level diplomats from Israel and froze deals with Israel’s military in the wake of the Mavi Marmara incident. Davutoglu said on April 7 that Turkey would continue to press Israel to end its blockade of Gaza. Kerry was scheduled to arrive in Israel on April 7 and meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. On April 8, he was to sit down with Israeli and Palestinian officials in Jerusalem. The following day, Kerry was to meet with Netanyahu.

Netanyahu adviser: U.N. troops ignore Hezbollah violations

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser accused U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon of failing to report Hezbollah’s arms buildup. Hezbollah, a militia backed by Syria and Iran, has been building its arsenal despite the 35-year presence of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon in Lebanon’s heartland, Yaacov Amidror said during a speech on April 4 at Tel Aviv University. “Under pressure, a multinational force is like an umbrella that gets folded up on a rainy day,” The Jerusalem Post quoted Amidror as saying. “Has Hezbollah avoided bringing any kind of rocket, missile or other arms into southern Lebanon because UNIFIL is there?” he said. “Under their [UNIFIL] mandate, they cannot stop Hezbollah and confiscate its arms, but they can write a report. There has been no UNIFIL report about any weapon of any Hezbollah person since UNIFIL has existed.” Israel believes Hezbollah has amassed 60,000 rockets, including 5,000 with heavy warheads capable of hitting Tel Aviv. As part of the U.N. cease-fire that ended Israel’s 2006 war with Hezbollah, UNIFIL’s mandate was enhanced to include “assisting” the Lebanese army with keeping guerrilla “personnel, assets and weapons” out of south Lebanon. UNIFIL has approximately 11,000 peacekeepers. Several Western countries, including France, have expressed support for sending peacekeeping troops to the West Bank if Israel agrees to pull its forces from the area. Amidror said peacekeepers would not be enough. “If there aren’t the appropriate security arrangements, it would be better for Israel to go without an accord than to have an accord that will endanger its security and could bring about a situation in which in the next war, Israel will lose,” he said.

Report: Hamas training Syrian rebels in Damascus area

Militiamen from the Hamas military wing are training Syrian rebels, according to a report in the Times of London. The report on April 5 said members of the Izzadin Kassam Brigades are training Free Syrian Army units in rebel-held neighborhoods in the Syrian capital. A Hamas official in Lebanon vehemently denied the reports. “It’s a false thing,” the Times quoted Osaman Hamdan as saying. “There are no members of Izzadin Kassam or any militant members of Hamas in Syria.” He added, “We don’t interfere in the internal problems of Syria.” The Times reported that the military unit of Hamas, which broke ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the wake of the insurgency, began training the rebels in the Damascus neighborhoods of Yalda, Jaramana and Babbila. “The Kassam Brigades have been training units very close to Damascus,” a Western diplomat with contacts in both the Assad regime and the Syrian opposition told the London daily newspaper. “These are specialists. They are really good.” According to the Times, Hamas has assisted in the digging of a tunnel beneath Damascus in preparation for an attack on the city, a skill that Hamas has honed smuggling supplies from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. Khaled Meshal, Hamas’ top political leader, quietly left Damascus in February last year as the Syrian uprising intensified and relocated to Qatar. The same month, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh declared the movement’s support for the Syrian opposition. Syrian state-run media accused Meshal of being “ungrateful and treacherous.”

Iran announces “comprehensive” offer in resumed nuke talks

Iran at resumed talks about its nuclear program said it made a “comprehensive proposal” to “establish a new bedrock for cooperation.” The announcement by Ali Baqeri, deputy head of the Iranian delegation, came on April 5 following the opening session in Kazakhstan of talks between Iran and six world powers. Baqeri, who spoke in Almaty as Iranian officials took a break for lunch and prayers, did not offer any details, The New York Times reported. He suggested that Iran had more than met demands from American and European officials that his country offer a concrete show of willingness to address international concerns about

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its nuclear program. “These steps are referred to as confidence-building measures, but they are part of a comprehensive set of measures,” he said at a news conference at a central Almaty hotel. At the last round of talks in February, the international negotiators – the United States, Britain, France, German, Russia and China – offered a modest easing of international sanctions if Iran takes steps to limit its supply of dangerous enriched uranium. The proposal required Iran to shut its enrichment plant at Fordow. While Iran says its nuclear program is exclusively for civilian purposes, American, Israeli, European and other Western officials suspect that Tehran is seeking the technology for nuclear weapons.

Hamas calls U.N. agency’s protest strike “unjust”

Hamas condemned the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees for stopping food distribution after rioters stormed the organization’s Gaza offices. The decision by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, to suspend food distribution was “overbown and unjust,” Hamas spokesman Sammi abuZuhari was quoted as saying on April 5 by Israel Radio. “Palestinian refugees have a right to stage nonviolent protests.” On April 4, dozens of Gazans broke into UNRWA’s offices, according to Reuters and UNRWA’s own account of the event. The rioters were angry at UNRWA for stopping a monthly cash stipend for poor families. Israel Radio reported the stipends were suspended because of budget cuts. UNRWA announced the suspension of food distribution the same day. “What happened today was completely unacceptable: The situation could very easily have resulted in serious injuries to UNRWA staff and to the demonstrators,” Robert Turner, the head of the agency’s Gaza operations, said in a statement. “This escalation, apparently pre-planned, was unwarranted and unprecedented. All relief and distribution centers will consequently remain closed until guarantees are given by all relevant groups that UNRWA operations can continue unhindered.” Some 800,000 Palestinians receive UNRWA assistance.

Report: Global antisemitism grew by 30 percent in 2012

Global antisemitism increased by 30 percent in 2012 over the previous year, an annual report found. Following two years of decline, there was a “considerable escalation” in the level of violent acts and vandalism against Jews in 2012, according to the global antisemitism report for 2012 presented on April 7 by the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. The report, which was presented on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, showed there were 686 violent acts and vandalism, up from 526 in 2011. They include 273 attacks on people, including 50 with a weapon, 166 direct threats on lives, and the desecration of 190 synagogues, cemeteries and monuments. France had the most attacks with 200, up from the 114 in 2011. Next was the United States with 99; the United Kingdom, 84; Canada, 74; and Australia, 53. The report said the increase was due in part to the terror attack on the Otzar Hatorah school in Toulouse in March, which killed a rabbi and three children and led to a series of copycat incidents against the Jewish community in France. Also, Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza, which led to a short-lived increase in antisemitic acts; and an escalation in the activities of the extreme right wing and the strengthening of parties with a clear antisemitic agenda, notably in Hungary and Greece, as well as in Ukraine. During a news conference on April 7 to release the report’s results, Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, identified Hungary as experiencing the most worrying racist and antisemitic trends in Europe. “There are extremely worrying signs emanating from Hungary at the moment where barely a week passes without an attack on minorities or outrageous comments from far-right politicians,” Kantor said. “Unfortunately, red lines keep being crossed and there needs to be an extremely strong reaction, both from the Hungarian government and the European Union to push back against these phenomena.” Kantor called for “a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ for racism. We are reaching out to the leaders in Hungary and the EU and calling for the initiation of hearings in relevant committees because this situation cannot continue,” he said.

Argentinian Jewish groups file petition against Iran pact

Jewish organizations in Argentina petitioned the country’s federal court to order the government to stop its joint probe with Iran of the 1994 terrorist attack on the Buenos Aires JCC. The Buenos Aires center AMIA and the national Jewish political umbrella group DAIA filed a joint petition on April 4 with the Federal Administrative Court, arguing that Argentina’s Congress acted unconstitutionally in voting for the memorandum of understanding launching the probe. Argentina had signed the pact with Iran in January. Miguel Bronfman, the lawyer representing the institutions, told JTA that two additional motions seeking an injunction were filed to stop the government from further advancing its cooperation with Iran. Also on April 4, DAIA President Julio Schlosser urged state prosecutor Alberto Nisman to release a report that Schlosser said “contains irrefutable evidence against Iran.”

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THE REPORTER ■ april 11, 2013

See why everyone describes this as Unforgetable, the trip of a liftime!

Tel Aviv Caesaria Army Base Tiberias Sea of Galilee Jerusalem Tzfat (Safed) Golan Heights Masada Dead Sea Haifa

We’ll arrive Sunday evening into Israel and stay overnight in Tel Aviv. The next morning we’ll travel up the coast of the Mediterranean to Caesaria, and then travel to the city of Tiberias, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where we’ll stay for two nights. We’ll travel throughout the Galilee, and we’ll visit the mountaintop city of Safed, and there we’ll go up to the Golan Heights. Then it’s off to Jerusalem, a truly magical city. We’ll go through the Old City, go to the Western Wall, and see many other sites throughout the city that are so special and so sacred. One day will take us down to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, and a visit to the mountain fortress of Massada. You will also have the chance to become “Archeologists For a Day”, as we take part in an active archeological dig, which is one of the most productive digs in the country! Near the end of the trip we will go to an IDF Army Base. We’ll have an opportunity to meet and talk with some of the youngsters who are serving in the Army today. We’ll also visit Tel Aviv, where we’ll sit in the actual place where Ben Gurion declared the state, in May, 1948, & then it’s off to the airport for our trip home. The cost of the trip is $3895 or $2965 for the land portion only. To sign up for the trip call Mark Silverberg at 570-961-2300 xt1. Questions? Call Barry Weiss, 570-650-0874 or Jay Weiss, 570-565-9515, or email bjtravel4@ gmail.com.

ISRAEL, 2013 Home to the World’s 3 Great Religions!

This journey will touch you spiritually, no matter who you are. Come and share an experience so unique, it will be like nothing else you’ve ever done!