Aug 29, 2013 edition of The Reporter

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Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania AUGUST 29, 2013

VOLUME XI, NUMBER 17

UJA Campaign 2014

Letter to the Jewish communities of Northeastern Pennsylvania Dear friends, Today, as we find ourselves reeling from a bad global economy, we’re forced to contend with cuts in funding at every turn. Billions of dollars in essential services are being cut from state and federal budgets.

Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, our local and regional Jewish agencies, schools and institutions, are feeling the effects with fewer dollars available to them to provide the vital services upon which our communities rely. And it’s not just here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

In the former Soviet Union, hundreds of thousands of elderly Jews – many of them Holocaust survivors – count on UJA for food, heat and companionship. While the staples are crucial for survival, it’s the comfort and companionship that fuels their will to live. But with a shrinking economy and an aging population, these elderly are getting fewer meals and fewer visits than even a year ago, to say nothing of the thousands of Jews in remote areas of central Russia

who have yet to receive any kind of support due to limited resources.

In Argentina, many Jews have lost their jobs and their life’s savings. More than 35,000 people rely on monthly government food vouchers – a mere $40 for a family of three. Argentinean children can’t even find critical medicines because their healthcare system has collapsed as a result of the political and economic crisis.

And in Israel, one in four Israeli children lives in poverty, while strategically, Israel is surrounded by enemies whose hatred of each other is exceeded only by their common hatred of a Jewish state in their midst.

Internationally, Israel is being delegitimized and defamed as a pariah state by an uncaring world that denies Israel the same rights granted to every other nation on earth – the right to defend itself from missile attacks and suicide bombers who define the slaughter of innocent Israelis as a “holy mission.”

In France, members of the Jewish community have been told not to wear overt

signs of their faith (like kippot) lest they be attacked by roving Muslim gangs (as has already occurred in the suburbs of Paris, Lyon and Marseilles), and the situations in Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Hungary are no different.

The desecration of Jewish cemeteries across Europe is rampant. Synagogues have been firebombed and Jewish schools have been attacked. In Toulouse, France, last year, a terrorist murdered six school children as they were about to enter their Jewish day school. Their “crime” was that they were Jewish.

As a result of these economic and political crises, a Jewish exodus from both Europe and South America to Israel is currently under way, the expenses of which are covered by our UJA dollars in partnership with the government of Israel. Our UJA dollars not only cover the cost of their aliyah, but provide a wide range of health, financial and social benefits designed to absorb and integrate them into Israeli society.

We are fortunate to live in freedom and without fear, but millions of our people are not so fortunate, and it is on their behalf that we are asking for your help.

Your participation in our annual UJA Campaign affects the quality of Jewish life we have built here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, provides a lifeline to Jews

in peril around the world and commits us to Israel’s success and survival.

What we ask of you is nothing more or less than what Jews have asked of each other throughout the millennia. We are here today as a people in large measure because of our tradition of tzedakah, while our historical contemporaries have long since been relegated to the dustbin of history.

Help us reach our goal of $900,000.

Please support our annual UJA Campaign by directing your 2014 UJA Campaign pledge or check to UJA Campaign 2014, Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510.

You can also donate online through the Federation’s website at www.jewishnepa. org, or with the 2014 UJA Campaign pledge card featured in each issue of The Reporter.

However you choose to give, please know that whatever gift you make to our Campaign will be directed toward improving the quality of Jewish life in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Israel and throughout the world.

Thank you for caring enough to give.

With best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year, Don Douglass, 2014 UJA General Campaign chairman Barbara Nivert, 2014 Women’s UJA Campaign chairwoman

Yemeni Jews make aliyah At right: Yemenite children reunited with their parents in Israel after a two-year wait. See page 6 for article and more photos.

(Photo by Moshe Brin/The Jewish Agency for Israel)

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.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE High Holidays

A kosher cheeseburger? Cultivating scientists

A look at what children can teach The world’s f ir st lab-grown Israel’s Technoda science museum adults at Rosh Hashanah; children’s hamburger has been created and offers hands-on science education books; Yom Kippur in the Shoah. it could be considered pareve. to children and teens.

Stories on pages 3, 13, 15 and 16 Story on page 8 Story on page 17

Candle lighting August 30.........................................7:20 pm September 4.................................... 7:12 pm September 5......................... after 8:12 pm September 6....................................7:09 pm September 13..................................6:57 pm September 18..................................6:48 pm September 19.......................after 7:48 pm September 20.................................6:45 pm September 25..................................6:36 pm September 26......................after 7:36 pm September 27..................................6:33 pm

PLUS Opinion...........................................................2 D’var Torah.................................................12 Personal Greetings...................................15 Community Institutions.....................16-17

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 29, 2013

a matter of opinion Polish-Jewish relations: The real victim of the ritual slaughter controversy

By Gosia Szymanska Weiss JNS.org The world of Polish-Jewish relations is confronting a crisis over kosher slaughter of animals. Both kosher and Muslim halal slaughtering rules forbid stunning the animal beforehand. Under Polish law, however, such stunning is mandatory. The Polish Constitutional Court recently struck down an exemption from that law for kosher and halal slaughter on a legal technicality. In July, the Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament, failed to reinstate the exemption.

Jews in the United States and Israel reacted quickly to the Sejm vote. Misinformation about the roots of the legislation, as well as a negative knee-jerk reaction based on certain perceptions – or misperceptions – of Poland’s history, led many to the hasty conclusion that Poland today is no different than it was in the 1930s, when anti-kosherslaughter legislation was part of a broad assault on Jewish rights.

Poles, on the other hand, seemed surprised by the criticism, and their reactions ranged from defensiveness to outright antisemitic rhetoric. The office of Poland’s Chief Rabbi, Michael Schudrich, received an unprecedented number of antisemitic letters, e-mails and phone calls. While antisemitism was not the root cause of the controversy over ritual slaughter, it has reared its ugly head once the Sejm vote became a matter of public debate.

The kosher slaughter issue needs to be settled in favor of religious freedom and reports from Poland suggest that this is likely

“ 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.

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to happen. But a positive resolution may prove no more than a Pyrrhic victory, since the tenor of the discussion has reopened old wounds in Polish-Jewish relations. The bleeding needs to stop before decades of efforts to heal this important relationship unravel. All sides must realize that once this particular controversy is resolved, the relationship between Poles and Jews will continue, and everyone has an interest in strengthening it.

As a Polish Jew living in the United States, I have dedicated my work over the years to creating space between the images of horror associated with Poland’s World War II history and the bright, hope-filled scenes of modern times. I have witnessed the building of remarkable bridges of understanding through my work with the American Jewish Committee’s Polish-Jewish Exchange program – work that AJC had the foresight to launch more than 20 years ago.

We cannot go backward. How we conduct our dialogue now will shape the quality of the relationship moving forward.

An understanding of the facts is key to progress in Polish-Jewish relations. Poland legalized kosher slaughter in 1997 with the passage of a law regulating the relationship between the state and the Jewish community. The Animal Protection Act, also

passed in 1997, rendered slaughter without stunning illegal, but included an exemption for ritual slaughter. In 2002, this exemption was removed, leaving the Animal Protection Act and the kosher slaughter law in conflict. To resolve it, the Polish minister of agriculture, by decree, announced an exemption for ritual slaughter. It remained in effect until 2011, when Poland’s Constitutional Court – in an action brought by the country’s strong animal rights lobby – overturned the minister’s decree, but did not resolve the underlying conflict of laws. Following the court’s ruling, the government sought to protect religious freedom and the interest of farmers who produce kosher and halal meat for export by introducing the bill that would reinstate the ritual slaughter exemption.

The Sejm voted 222-178 against the exemption, as a dissident minority faction of the governing party joined with the opposition party to defeat the government initiative. Antisemitic sentiments were nowhere publicly expressed in the discussions leading up to the vote. The most plausible explanation for the Parliament’s action is the political weakness of Prime Minister Donald Tusk – not antisemitism.

The controversy now rests again with the Polish Constitutional Court, which

eventually will have to reconcile the conflict between the animal rights legislation and the law that regulates Poland’s relationship with the Jewish community.

Meanwhile, both Jews and Poles have work to do. World Jewry must remember that it is 2013: Poland is a free and democratic country, a member of the European Union, with a strong civil society, which engages in lively public discussion. It is a friend of Israel and of the Jewish people.

We must not alienate Poles and harm longterm Jewish interests by insinuating that there is a serious problem of antisemitism in the country.

Similarly, the Polish people need to better appreciate the historical context of Jewish sensitivities to matters affecting religious freedom and must also take the recent antisemitic outbursts as a wake-up call. Polish-Jewish cooperation, the protection of Jewish heritage in Poland and the resurgence of Jewish life in Poland since the collapse of Communism, while impressive, are far from complete.

At stake is not merely ritual slaughter, but the future of Polish-Jewish relations.

Gosia Szymanska Weiss is assistant director, of international relations, in the American Jewish Committee’s Los Angeles Region.

Leaving the Lower East Side, a search for home

By Royal Young (JTA) – “You live in Brooklyn now. Stay there!” my father screamed at me. He slammed the door to my parents’ renovated tenement apartment in my face, exiling me from the Manhattan home and Lower East Side neighborhood in which I had grown up. I was a 20-year-old college dropout, a disgrace to my education-obsessed Jewish family.

My mother had earned her doctorate in neuropsychology and spoke fluent Yiddish, Hebrew, German and Spanish. Her mother, my bubbe, had a doctorate in child psychology. They viewed my depression at my isolated Vermont university campus as a failure. It was a terrible shonda not to get a degree.

After all, our Jewish ancestors had suffered so that I could become a learned scribe.

Marked with chalk as they passed through Ellis Island, labeled like imported produce, they hoped that in this strange new country, future generations could escape the poverty, persecution and death of the Old World; that they could shape American educations into money, security and safety.

The truth was, being raised on the Lower East Side of the early ‘90s, I had felt completely out of place. I was the only Jew in my class until junior high and I spent more time studying Torah in Hebrew school in preparation for my far-off bar mitzvah than on play dates. I had missed the boat, literally: My great-grandparents on both sides had come through Ellis Island on steerage decks of third-class freighters, gazing in awe at the Statue of Liberty, but taking its symbolism with a dose of immigrant cynicism.

The Lower East Side of the ‘30s was an Eastern European shtetl transplant, an unruly Jewish village struggling through the end of the Depression. Its tenements teemed with immigrants who practiced wild customs – matchmaking, interpreting prophesies from dreams – that they had imported with silver menorahs hidden under rags during the ocean passage. Beneath elevated trains hurtling over Allen Street, downtown Manhattan was filled with windowless sweatshops where thousands of laborers worked 14-hour days and klezmer music whined faintly through the streets.

My grandmother was the toughest girl boxer on Houston Street in the 1930s, and my grandparents met and married at the Educational Alliance. At least my bubbe and zayde had a support system, a community of Eastern European immigrants who helped each other through the Depression, sharing hot knishes and commiserating from their pushcarts.

Or at least that’s how my grandparents remembered it 50 years later from their Long Island home, sipping gin and tonics in their backyard swimming pool. They’d been happy to escape the Lower East Side and didn’t quite understand why their daughter wanted to raise her family there with her artist husband. But “zaest frim an alta shtut macht a naya shtut,” my bubbe always said in Yiddish. “From an old city, we build a new one.”

The downtown they remembered now had rents rocketing to thousands of dollars a month. All of a sudden condos and celebrities made the Lower swell with the success I didn’t have. Tatum O’Neal moved into the old Jewish Daily Forvertz newspaper building. My mom bought $12 treif prosciutto at Whole Foods on Houston.

Once more I felt like a stranger on my old Manhattan streets. All I could afford was one pair of ripped jeans, an oversized hoodie and Bushwick.

Mom and Dad refused to help me move to Brooklyn, so I enlisted bubbe’s help.

Though I had kept her nurturing presence out of my life, afraid she’d pinpoint me as a no-goodnik, she seemed pleased to drive my few possessions over the Williamsburg Bridge in defiance of Dad, her irreverent son-in-law.

Since I grew up with more than enough ghetto swagger, I thought I could handle living in my dingy new railroad flat in Bushwick. At $500 a month, it was worth it. At least in the outer boroughs, I felt like I belonged. Then, after only a year, I was robbed in my apartment, waking up to blue flashlights waving around my darkened living room. I hid under my covers until the intruders left, untouched, but shaking under thin sheets.

At 22, I fled farther out, into Ridgewood, Queens. My next apartment started out suc-

cessfully. I had begun a small magazine for which I had big hopes and moved in with my co-founder. But soon she began sending me angry ALL CAPS e-mails about deadlines from the next room on a Sunday. Still, the magazine gained some legitimacy, the pressure ruining any relationship I had left with my co-founder, but strangely fixing the broken bond with my family.

Achievement wasn’t redemption, but for driven Jews who for generations had been pursuing the American dream, it helped. As I neared my mid-20s, I found myself spending more time back on the Lower East Side, craving a stability Brooklyn had never provided.

I began to become more interested in the intelligence legacy my immigrant ancestors had left for me. My parents helped me pay to take more college classes on the way to graduation, clapping loudest at magazine events and readings I organized.

After six years away, I saved my shekels and found an apartment in my old neighborhood. Everything was overpriced, everyone was overdressed and no one cared about the people and landmarks that populated my past. Music snobs stood in endless lines outside the Bowery Ballroom without realizing my elementary school bully Robert was stabbed to death in that phone booth on the corner. I smiled at the celebrity-studded rooftop film screenings at Seward Park High School – not for the flashbulbs, but because my grandmother had graduated from the school.

My new bedroom on Henry Street was down the block from my father’s old gallery space, my grandfather’s first bachelor pad and yeshiva where he studied to become a rabbi, my great-grandfather’s long-gone kosher butcher shop and the wooden planks that used to spread over the East River, a rickety and dangerous boardwalk, always shifting under your feet.

At 27, I was a 10-minute walk from my parents and the scene of my childhood, a place crammed with naive paintings and antique furniture rescued from dumpsters, Israeli folk albums and clay menorahs I had crafted as a child that Mom still lovingly lit every Chanukah.

See “Home” on page 6

AUGUST 29, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

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community news Congregation B’nai Harim’s High Holiday services schedule

By Lee Emerson Havdalah and Selichot – Saturday, August 31, 7 pm Erev Rosh Hashanah – Wednesday, September 4, at 8 pm Rosh Hashanah – Thursday, September 5, at 10:15 am Free Rosh Hashanah community, family service – Friday morning, September 6. All are welcome to learn the

meaning behind the prayers and customs of the Jewish New Year. Reservations will be required and can be made by leaving a message at 646-0100 by Monday, September 2. Organizers will contact those who make a reservation with the times and location.

Erev Yom Kippur – Friday September 13, at 8 pm

Yom Kippur – Saturday, September 14, at 10:15 am Break the Fast Buffet – Saturday, September 14, at 6:30

pm, at Lake Naomi Club, Pocono Pines. For reservations, call 646-0100.

For directions and more information, visit www. bnaiharimpoconos.org.

Pamela Gellar to hold talk at JFHF on Oct. 6 The Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms, the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Golan Hadassah of Northeastern Pennsylvania will present Pamela Geller on Sunday, October 6, at noon, at the Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms, Lords Valley. Reservations will be required. The cost to attend will be $5 per person and will include a buffet lunch. For reservations or more information, contact Carole Weiss at the Jewish Fellowship at 775-7497.

Geller is the founder, editor and publisher of AtlasShrugs. com and executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative and Stop Islamization of America. She is the author of “Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance” (WND Books) and “The PostAmerican Presidency: the Obama Administration’s War on America” (Simon and Schuster) with Robert Spencer, featuring a foreword by Ambassador John Bolton. She is also a regular columnist for World Net Daily, Andrew Breitbart’s Big Government and Big Journalism, the American Thinker and other publications.

Geller received the Annie Taylor Award for Courage in 2010 from the David Horowitz Freedom Center. In October 2011, the United States Marine Corps presented her with

the flag flown on September 11, 2001, over “Jamie Allman In The Morning.” Geller has Camp Leatherneck, “amid the battlefields of been a featured speaker at the David Horowitz Afghanistan during decisive operations against Freedom Center’s Restoration Weekend and at enemy forces in Helmand Province.” numerous Tea Party and “pro-freedom” events She has been the subject of a profile on “60 across the nation.

Minutes” and of a cover story in the Sunday Geller has broken numerous stories, includNew York Times metro section. The Times also ing the illegal foreign sources of some of the published an in-depth interview with her. She financing of officials in the current U.S. adhas made appearances on “NBC Nightly News,” ministration, antisemitic posts on the website ABC, CNN, AP, Reuters, the “Sean Hannity of some U.S. officials, political organizing in Show,” the “Bill O’Reilly Show,” “Red Eye,” public school classrooms and many more, but Pamela Geller “Geraldo,” the “Mike Huckabee Show” and other she is potentially best known for her leadership shows on the Fox News Channel. She has been featured against the “Ground Zero mosque.” in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Geller began her publishing career at the New York Angeles Times, the Daily Mail and The Telegraph.

Daily News and subsequently took over operation of the Geller’s articles and op-eds have been published in The New York Observer as associate publisher.

Guardian, Fox News, The Washington Times, Big Government, Big Journalism, Human Events, the American Thinker, Newsmax, Hudson NY, Pajamas Media, Israel National News, World Net Daily, FrontPage Magazine, New Media Journal and Canada Free Press, among other publications.

She is a frequent guest on talk radio and has regular The following are deadlines for all articles and photos segments on two radio shows, the “Jaz McKay Show” and

S

DEADLINE

As Dutch markets deny boycott, EU pressure on settlements grows

By Cnaan Liphshiz THE HAGUE, Netherlands (JTA) – Several weeks ago, the Dutch public learned of what appeared to be an unprecedented victory for European advocates of boycotting Israeli products. Four major supermarket chains reportedly declared a boycott of products from the West Bank, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. But the “victory,” as some activists in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement called it, was short lived.

DEADLINE

for upcoming Reporter issues.

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Tuesday, August 27, early........... September 12 Tuesday, September 10, early...... September 26 Tuesday, September 24, early...........October 10 Thursday, October 10........................October 24

Days later, the international supermarket chains Aldi and Hema, along with the smaller Hoogvliet and Jumbo chains, distanced themselves from the boycott they were said to be enacting. According to the companies, the reports owed to a corporate error or inaccurate reporting. Yet spokesmen See “Dutch” on page 8

At left and above: A box of dates found in British supermarkets have labels that read grown in or packed in the West Bank (Israeli settlement). (Courtesy of Friends of Al-Aqsa London)

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 29, 2013

Late addition to Maccabiah games returns with gold

By Ellen Futterman Reprinted with permission from the St. Louis Jewish Light. Read the Jewish Light online at www.stljewishlight.com Shelby Hummel is the granddaughter of the late Florence and Maurice Needle, of Olyphant, PA, and the daughter of Lynne Needle Hummel, of St. Louis. She is also the niece of Vivian Friedman, of Cherry Hill, NJ, and Marshall Needle, of Scranton.

Shelby Hummel, 17, who captured four medals in track and field events in this year’s 19th Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, almost wasn’t going to compete at all. Literally at the 11th hour, a day before she and her family were leaving on a Hawaiian vacation, she learned there was a place for her on the United States team after all.

“She competed in the U.S. games a year ago in Memphis, winning 11 medals, nine gold,” explained Shelby’s father, Dennis Hummel. “When [she] won so many medals in Memphis, it was suggested she

said Dennis. submit an application for this Shelby will be a senior at year’s games in Israel. But in Marquette High School, where February we got notice that she runs cross-country and they would not be able to track and field. She represented use her.” her school at the Missouri High So the Hummels went ahead School State Championships and made summer vacation this year in both sports. She has plans for a trip to Maui in also raced on a national level, June. “The day before we left having participated in both for vacation, on June 7, we the AAU and USATF Junior got a letter from the president Olympics in the past four years. of the U.S. Maccabiah Games She is a member of United delegation that there was a place Shelby Hummel Hebrew Congregation. for Shelby. She was a very late Shelby, who has a twin add,” Dennis said. “But we think she may have garnered more medals sister named Morgan, says the experience “was something I could only imagine in my than anyone else on that junior team.”

Shelby was on the U.S.A. Track and Field dreams.” She explained that she spent the first Team (17-and-under age group division) and of three weeks in Israel touring the country won gold medals in the 800-meter, 1,500- with other athletes, and was “especially enammeter and 3,000-meter races, and a bronze ored” with her visit to the Western Wall.

“We got to learn about our history and our medal in the 4X400-meter relay.

“She actually smashed her personal best past and get more connected with Judaism.That, time in the 1,500, shaving off 12 seconds,” in itself, was special and eye-opening for me,”

said Shelby. “As the games started, I felt a real sense of pride for my country, wearing my U.S. jersey, and so proud to be able to compete.

“I would be ecstatic if I got asked to do it again,” she added, explaining that she couldn’t compete in four years in Israel as a junior athlete but could do so in the next age category.

Shelby also said she was “absolutely shocked at her results, and winning three gold medals and a bronze,” because she wasn’t really training for track and field.

“My focus this summer was mainly about training cross country for this fall, and doing well for my school team.”

After returning from Israel late last week, Shelby and her family went out to dinner to celebrate her accomplishments, as well as her brother’s 19th birthday. She was looking less forward to getting her wisdom teeth pulled on Wednesday.

At this year’s games, which are held in Israel every four years, 9,500 athletes represented a total of 77 countries.

Remembering Ossie Schectman, first NBA scorer and last original New York Knick

By Robert Gluck JNS.org On November 1, 1946, Oscar “Ossie” Schectman scored on a fast-break layup in the opening moments of the first game in the history of the BasketballAssociation ofAmerica, as the National Basketball Association was known prior to 1949. But until the 1980s,

Schectman didn’t make much of what would later be considered a historic basket.

“In 1982, the NBA came to me and said ‘Look, you scored the opening basket [in league history]. I said, ‘Great, I never thought about it. I know I had a fairly good night that night.’ From that time on, I’ve gotten some publicity about it and it’s kept

my name alive,” Schectman says in “The First Basket,” a 2008 Jewish basketball documentary whose name was inspired by Schectman’s field goal.

Before he passed away on July 30 at age 94, Schectman was the oldest living New York Knick, a designation now held by 90year old Dick Shrider, the Ohio product who played just four games for the team in 194849. Schectman’s NBA career lasted 54 games over the span of one season, 1946-47, during which he averaged 8.1 points and 2.0 assists per game. In the first game in league history, See “Knick” on page 14

New York Knick Ossie Schectman, the NBA’s first scorer. (Photo courtesy of “The First Basket”)

You are invited to a

Kosher Wine Tasting with columnist, social & political commentator and kosher wine expert, Micha D. Halpern

Sunday, October 6 at 4:30pm

at the home of Don & Carol Dembert, 28 Oakford Glen, Clarks Summit Minimum Gift $1,500 as an individual gift or as a gift from either spouse.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, September 25 and/or call 570-961-2300 (ext. 2) to assist us in making arrangements.

A n UJ Eve 14 ign 0 2 pa m Ca

t

AUGUST 29, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

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UJA Campaign Chai-lights

The Jewish Agency for Israel Compiled from Jewish Agency dispatches

by Mark Silverberg Your 2014 UJA Campaign gift does a world of good: 31 percent, or $279,800, of last year’s $895,814 UJA Campaign was allocated to Israel and overseas Jewish assistance – one of the highest percentages in the nation.

The Jewish Agency for Israel The Jewish Agency for Israel’s role in the development of the state of Israel has become the consummate achievement of 20th century Jewry. The Jewish Agency pursues this mission by: Forging strong connections to Israel through a sequence of Israel experiences for teenagers and young adults, from Birthright’s short visits to Israel, to Masa’s live and learn experiences from five months to a year.

Facilitating aliyah for those who choose to make Israel their home.

Engaging young Jews from Israel and around the world in social activism, infusing them with Jewish purpose and connecting them to one another, while addressing the needs of vulnerable populations in Israel.

Reconnecting Jews from the former Soviet Union to their Jewish roots from which they were forcibly separated for more than 70 years of communist rule.

Rescuing Jews from countries of distress and resettling them in Israel.

Serving as first responder to crises in Israel and around the Jewish world.

In more than 500 Jewish communities around the world since 1929, the Jewish Agency has worked with our partners to create Jewish history. In the 21st century, the Jewish Agency continues to cover: The cost of aliyah from anywhere in the Jewish world where Jews are in peril and vulnerable.

Aid, assistance and support to the victims of terrorism and their families.

Long-term immigrant absorption into Israeli society (especially from Argentina, the former Soviet Union, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Ethiopia), including the provision of subsidized housing, interest-free loan assistance, job hunting, job retraining (if necessary) and

free medical care and financial assistance (for those who come to Israel destitute).

The construction and maintenance of youth aliyah centers for the education, training and absorption into Israeli society of disadvantaged children who come from throughout the Jewish world.

Housing needs for the Jewish poor and elderly.

Financial support of hundreds of educational institutions.

Financial support for the educational institutions, kibbutzim and programs of the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements in Israel.

The establishment of day care centers and regional colleges throughout the country.

The funding of numerous agencies that assist battered women.

Hundreds of Partnership 2000 projects spread across the length and breadth of Israel.

Actual costs A five-month Hebrew language class for a new immigrant – $120.

One month of preschool for an at-risk Ethiopian-Israeli child – $365.

One year of after-school activities for one Israeli child – $850.

One-year college scholarship for an Ethiopian Israeli – $2,750.

A year’s rent and basic expenses for one new immigrant family – $5,000.

One dropout prevention program for 15 at-risk immigrant teenagers – $7,500.

Victims of terrorism The former president of Iran has proclaimed to the world his intention to “wipe Israel off the map” and the current president has referred to Israel as a “wound on the Islamic world that must be removed.” Fully 50 percent of world Jewry now lives in Israel, so unlike the rest of the world, Israel knows this threat to be true and is preparing to act.

Furthermore, a recent Palestinian poll confirms that almost 70 percent of Palestinians will not be satisfied with a separate state on the West Bank and Gaza until Israel becomes Islamic.

So the Palestinian Authority continues to incite hatred of Jews, Israel and Zionism in its media, schools and summer camps. It names tournaments, hosts rallies and builds monuments to Palestinian “martyrs” whose “claim to fame” was their having slaughtered innocent men, women and children at Passover seders, in discotheques, in day cares and nurseries and on buses – in the name of Allah. Such is the currency of their realm. Such is the sword under which Israel lives.

While UJA/Federation funds do not support Israel’s defensive war against such terrorists, a substantial portion of these funds are directed to the surviving victims of terrorism and their families, as well as to integrate and absorb Jews from lands of distress.

These funds are allocated by the Jewish Agency for: Direct aid to victims of terror and their families, including relief for the survivors of terrorist attacks, as well as their physical, psychological, financial and other immediate needs; Upgraded protection for Israeli school children (keeping children safe by providing armored school buses and vans, emergency alert systems, intercoms, security guards, bullet-proof windows, security gates and playground enclosures for kindergartens, preschools, daycare centers, community centers and for regular, after-school and summer programs; Upgraded facilities for medical emergencies resulting from acts of terrorism, such as providing trauma emergency kits, upgrading equipment for existing ambulances, improving trauma capabilities at regional hospital emergency rooms and training new personnel to use new medical equipment; Funding basic social service budgets – healthcare, social services and the resettlement of 5,000 Argentinian immigrants – that have been slashed by billions of dollars as Israeli government funds are diverted to defense.

Upgraded security equipment for volunteers, including bullet-proof vests, gas masks, sealed rooms, loud speaker systems, flash lights and patrol cars for increased numbers of mostly volunteers in the Civil Guard.

See “Agency” on page 6

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 29, 2013

Yemeni Jews secretly airlifted to Israel

By JTA staff (JTA) – Seventeen Yemeni Jews were airlifted to Israel in a covert operation. Four Jews were flown directly from Yemen to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on August 14, and two couples and a young child arrived through an unidentified third country. The rest were taken clandestinely from Buenos Aires after being smuggled to the Argentinian capital by a group of Satmar Chasidim in August 2011 and living in the Satmar community there. The Satmars, who are anti-Zionist, have been involved in smuggling Jews out

New Yemenite immigrants awaited their children’s arrival.

(Photo by Moshe Brin/The Jewish Agency for Israel)

of Yemen for several years, according to Haaretz. Several of the Yemenis reunited with family members in Israel, including parents with their young children.

The operation – a coordinated effort among the Jewish Agency and the Israeli ministries for the interior, foreign affairs and immigration absorption – was prompted by growing concern for the safety of the Jews in Yemen, according to the Jewish Agency. Antisemitic violence has been a growing problem since the 2011 ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The airlift brings to 45 the number of Yemeni Jews who have been brought to Israel this year and 151 since 2009.

“Tonight we had the honor to conduct a rare operation that combines the saving of souls, family reunification and immigration to Israel,” Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky said. “Behind this operation is the dedication and expertise of the Jewish Agency and other organizations who contributed to the success of the operation.” Sharansky added that the Jewish Agency will expedite the aliyah of any of the remaining Jews in Yemen if they express interest in leaving. Fewer than 90 Jews remain in Yemen, with about half of them living in a guarded structure in the capital, Sa’ana, Haaretz reported.

Moshe Nahari, a ritual slaughterer and Hebrew teacher in the town of Raydah in northwestern Yemen, was killed in December 2008 by an Islamist extremist who reportedly had demanded that he convert to Islam. Last May,

Agency

Continued from page 1

Children’s services The Jewish Agency: Enables 260,000 children to attend hundreds of summer camps, keeping them off the streets and out of harm’s way.

Creates an after-school program for 42,000 children in dozens of Israel’s most vulnerable communities, including Jerusalem, Netanya, Hadera and Afula.

Provides hot meals to 27,000 of these children, as growing numbers face poverty at home.

Strengthens Israel’s ability to deal with the widening circle of trauma and stress that afflicts terror victims and their families.

Assisting the vulnerable The Jewish Agency has also helped Israel’s authorities

to respond to other needs of vulnerable populations by providing: Sealed rooms in old age homes and institutions for children and adults with special needs, and customized gas masks for autistic and other Israelis who cannot use standard-issue equipment.

Training of caregivers in such facilities on rapid response systems.

Emergency information tailored for immigrants, the elderly and the disabled.

Together, through your gifts to the 2014 Annual UJA/ Federation Campaign, the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania sends a message to all Israelis: “We are with you in your hour of need. We are one family. You will not be forgotten.”

Friends of The Reporter Dear Friend of The Reporter, Each year at this time the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania calls upon members of our community to assist in defraying the expense of issuing our regional Jewish newspaper, The Reporter.

The newspaper is delivered twice of month (except for December and July which are single issue months) to each and every identifiable Jewish home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

columns that cover everything from food to entertainment.

The Federation assumes the financial responsibility for funding the enterprise at a cost of $26,400 per year and asks only that we undertake a small letter writing mail campaign to our recipients in the hope of raising $10,000 from our readership to alleviate a share of that responsibility.

We would be grateful if you would care enough to take the time to make a donation for our efforts in bringing The Reporter to your door.

As the primary Jewish newspaper of our region, we have tried to produce a quality publication for you that offers our readership something on everythingfrom opinions and columns on controversial issues that affect our people and our times, to publicity for the events of our affiliated agencies and organizations to life cycle events, teen columns, personality profiles, letters to the editor, the Jewish community calendar and other

As always, your comments, opinions and suggestions are always welcome.

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Yemenite children reunited with their parents after a two-year wait. (Photo by Moshe Brin/The Jewish Agency for Israel) Aaron Zindani, a Jewish community leader, was stabbed to death in Sana’a.

The 17 Yemeni Jews will be housed in Jewish Agency immigration absorption centers in southern Israel. Some 49,000 Yemeni Jews were brought to the nascent state of Israel in Operation Magic Carpet in 1949-50.

Hazon Israel Ride

The Arava Institute and Hazon will hold its Israel bike ride from Jerusalem to Eilat from October 29-November 5. The seven-day ride features routes for beginner, intermediate and advanced cyclists. All routes are supported with rest stops, mechanics and lead riders. There is a registration fee and a minimum amount of fund-raising that must be done to participate. The fee does not include the cost the transportation to Israel.

For more information, visit www.hazon.org/programs/ israel-ride.

Home

Continued from page 2 Living with my folks hadn’t worked; neither had living away from them. Close by, we found our perfect center.

Bubbe’s old Yiddish wisdom about how from the old city we build a new one also applied to relationships and family.

In a changing city, their love was constant.

Royal Young’s debut memoir, “Fame Shark,” was just released from Heliotrope Books.

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Has the era of the kosher cheeseburger arrived?

By Talia Levin NEW YORK (JTA) – When the world’s first lab-grown burger was introduced and taste-tested on August 5, the event seemed full of promise for environmentalists, animal lovers and vegetarians. Another group that had good reason to be excited?

Kosher consumers.

The burger was created by harvesting stem cells from a portion of cow shoulder muscle that were multiplied in petri dishes to form tiny strips of muscle fiber. About 20,000 of the strips were needed to create the five-ounce burger, which was financed partially by Google founder Sergey Brin and unveiled by Mark Post of Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

PETA hailed the event as a “first step” toward humanely producing meat products. A University of Amsterdam study shows that lab-grown meat could significantly reduce the environmental impact of beef production.

For kosher-observant Jews, the “cultured” burgers could open the door to radical dietary changes – namely, the birth of the kosher cheeseburger. That’s because meat

Shlomo wrote that the produced through this meat of an animal conprocess could be conjured up in a magical sidered pareve – neither incantation could be meat nor dairy – accordconsidered pareve. It ing to Rabbi Menachem may not be too much of Genack, CEO of the Ora stretch, then, to apply thodox Union’s kosher the same logic to moddivision. Thus, under traern genetic wizardry. ditional Jewish law, the But kosher chefs burger could be paired The world’s first lab-grown burger aren’t heating up the with dairy products. could be pareve and thus paired Several key condi- with dairy products. (Photo by David pareve griddles just yet.

The lab-born burger, tions would have to be Parry/PA Wire) which cost $325,000 and met to create kosher, pareve cultured beef. The tissue samples took two years to make, is still a long way would have to come from an animal that from market viability, kosher or otherwise. had been slaughtered according to kosher If mass produced, it could still cost $30 per rules, not from a biopsy from a live animal, pound, researchers said.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Jeff Genack said.

The principle underlying this theory is much like the status of gelatin in Jewish law: Though it is derived from an animal, it is not meat (the OU certifies some bovinefor the four chains also acknowledged that derived gelatin as pareve).

Genack noted another source for view- their stocks currently include no products ing cultured meat as pareve: a 19th century from Israeli settlements.

That allowed both Israel’s supporters and Vilna-born scholar known as the Heshek its critics to claim victory in a fight that is quickly spreading across the continent, as various European groups have sought to use their economic power as leverage to oppose Israeli settlements they consider illegal.

Sander Becker, a reporter for the Trouw daily, which broke news of the supposed boycott, said the affair may have exposed the existence of a “silent boycott” in which stores keep settlement products from the shelves, but don’t admit to what they are doing. Becker’s report was based on a document published in April by a research agency called Profundo at the request of several Dutch NGOs critical of Israel.

Titled “Dutch economic links with the occupation,” the report said Hoogvliet, Aldi and Jumbo admitted to instructing Israeli suppliers to refrain from sending goods produced in the settlements. Dutch media later reported that Hema made similar requests. A spokesman for Profundo told JTA the report is accurate and that statements were based on answers to its questions. But a spokesman for the Dutch subsidiary of Aldi, a German chain with stores in 18 countries, told JTA the statement on the boycott was “a false representation of reality” caused by “a mistake in the answers provided” to Profundo.

Aldi “has no policy on products from the West Bank and the Golan,” the spokesman said. Hema, a large Dutch supermarket chain with branches in five European countries, also denied a boycott policy. Jumbo and Hoogvliet issued statements saying politics play no role in decisions about what products to stock.

Trade between Israel and the European Union totaled approximately $39 billion in 2011, with Israeli exports accounting for 41 percent of the total. Settlement

Dutch

Nathan, the executive chef at Abigael’s on Broadway, a kosher restaurant in Manhattan. “Until it’s in my hands and I can touch it, smell it and taste it, I don’t believe it.”

Even if cultured beef became commonplace, consumers still might not be interested, said Elie Rosenfeld, a spokesman for Empire Kosher, the nation’s largest kosher poultry producer. “Pareve burgers made of tofu and vegetables have been on the market for years,” Rosenfeld said. “But customers are still looking for the real deal, a product that’s wholesome and genuine.”

Nevertheless, Nathan sounded an enthusiastic note about the potential for pareve meat. “I’m all for experimentation and science,” he said. “Let’s see what it tastes like!”

Continued from page 3 goods constituted only “a small fraction” of the amount, according to the Irish government. The limited availability of settlement products in Europe means that boycotting them would lead to little loss of revenue for Israeli companies. But even if not damaging economically, Jerusalem views the moves against the settlements with alarm, fearing their spread could lead to further isolation.

Yet Israel has been helpless to do much about it. Despite intense protests by senior Israeli officials, the labeling movement is spreading, even in countries that are traditionally sympathetic to Israel.

In March, the Dutch government advised local supermarket chains to label any product from the territories lest customers be “misled.” in July, the European Commission, a body of the European Union, issued new guidelines prohibiting its organs from awarding grants or other incentives to institutions and other parties from settlements.

The EU also is pushing through new rules to ensure products from the settlements are labeled as such. Some goods already are labeled in British, Danish and Swiss supermarkets. EU foreign policy chef Catherine Ashton said the new rules will be released sometime this year.

Boycotts by major retailers, however, are very rare in Europe. One exception – a move last year by Britain’s fifth-largest chain store, the Co-operative Group, to boycott goods produced in the settlements – caused an uproar.

But Pieter van Oordt, an importer of Israeli products to Holland, says the supermarket affair ultimately may benefit Israel.

“I don’t know what made the supermarkets declare a boycott, but I think their retractions are a reaction to a strong sentiment of popular discontent and a lot of angry e-mails,” he said. “I expect they’ll think twice next time around.”

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AUGUST 29, 2013 ■

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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.

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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.

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CONGREGATION B’NAI HARIM

Affiliation: Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum President: Alan S. Wismer 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

OHEV ZEDEK CONGREGATION

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF DUNMORE

President: Isadore Steckel 515 East Drinker St., Dunmore, PA 18512 Saturday morning Shabbat 7:30 am; also services for Yizkor

Standing at the portal

by RABBI BARUCH BINYAMIN HAKOHEN MELMAN, TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS Netzavim/Vayelech, Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30 Nitzavim is always read prior to Rosh Hashanah. It is a plaintive plea, nay warning, by Moses to the Jewish people, that they have before them a choice in life, between life and death, before good and evil, and that they should choose life.

The later Moses, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, aka Moses Maimonides, aka the Rambam, teaches that we should see ourselves, and the world, as hanging equidistant on the scales of justice, as being suspended evenly between the twin poles of evil and righteousness. Just one meritorious deed, or mitzvah, on our part, can mean the difference between personal salvation and world redemption, on the one hand, and personal ignominy and a world swept away in chaos, on the other.

Maimonides discusses repentance: “What constitutes complete repentance? He who is confronted by the identical situation wherein he previously sinned and it lies within his power to commit the sin again, but he nevertheless does not succumb because he wishes to repent, and not because he is too fearful or weak [to repeat the sin]. How so? If he had relations with a woman forbidden to him and he is subsequently alone with her, still in the throes of his passion for her, and his virility is unabated, and [they are] in the same place where they previously sinned; if he abstains and does not sin, this is a true penitent.” (Mishneh Torah, “Laws of Teshuva,” 2:1) Of course, to attain such a degree of mastery of one’s self requires a certain amount of reflection and intense introspection. It requires us to, in a sense, “look back” at the evil we had committed. Looking back and reflecting on our past deeds is part and parcel of the process of teshuvah, and yet, there is an earlier biblical precedent very much related to our parasha that seems to suggest just the opposite!

In Genesis, parashat Vayera, Lot and his family are rescued by the archangel Raphael from the imminent destruction of Sodom and Gemorrah. They are warned specifically not to look back when fleeing from the evil cities (Genesis 19:17). In Genesis 19:26, we are informed that Lot’s wife did indeed look back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt (“vatehi netziv melach”). This hidden reference in the first verse of our parasha to the previous flight from sin is joined by a quite explicit reference to the same story just 13 verses later, in Deuteronomy 19:22, where our fate would be joined to that of the overthrown cities should we not forsake our evil ways.

This usage of the same word, netziv, in Genesis, as well as in the opening verse of this week’s portion (“you are standing here this day”), seems to suggest that as they are collectively standing at the portal to the promised land, they are figuratively looking back at all the evil they had confronted and overcome in their journey up to this point.

Janus-faced, imminent redemption awaits them in the land, even as they are seemingly mired by their dwelling upon the past. The text seems to be suggesting that it will

take a renewal of the Covenant for them to finally point themselves forward, and not be immobilized by wallowing in their past.

This also begs the question, should we therefore not look back at the evil we are trying to leave behind, following the lesson of Lot’s wife? That would seem to contradict Maimonides’ definition of teshuvah, of avoiding the same deeds while in the same conditions, advice that is seemingly only achieved through a process of self-reflection on one’s past misdeeds.

A resolution of this seeming contradiction can perhaps be found in the same Genesis narrative, where Lot exclaims, “...pen tidbakani hara’ah vemati,” “...(and I cannot escape to the mountain), lest evil overtake me and I die.”

(Genesis 19:19) The word in the Hebrew for “overtake me” is tidbakani, literally meaning “stick to me,” as the word devek in Hebrew means “glue.” It is related to the term devekut, which in Chasidic philosophy connotes the idea of clinging or attaching oneself to God. But here the reference alludes to sticking not to God, but, quite oppositely, to evil itself!

Chasidic thought revolutionized Jewish thought by using the very weapons of the forces of evil instead for good.

In other words, the forces of evil cause depression in the soul by causing one to immerse oneself in the mire of one’s old ways. Your evil, sordid past clings to you like mental glue, seemingly preventing any chance of escape, of liberation.

By making the effort to consciously cling to God, we can thus free ourselves from the muck and mire of the evil forces that strive to drag us down into a soul depression.

God is throwing us a life line. “Cling to me instead,” He is saying.

Resolving the seeming contradiction, whether to engage in reflection on one’s past as a necessary step to moving forward to teshuvah, or not to look back, so as to avoid the fate of Lot’s wife, entails this use of devekut. Just as God created Torah as the antidote to evil, so, too, we should cling to God as our “teflon” lifeline, even as evil is trying its utmost to cling to us. But know that with God you will always prevail against evil, as long as you hold on and cleave to Him. We cleave to God through prayer, through Torah study and through the conscious performance of mitzvot.

So the idea is that we should look back, but only just enough to be temporarily and momentarily saddened by the idea that we sinned and went off the right path, so as to effectuate a true teshuvah. But to allow oneself to be mired in sadness over one’s past by dwelling on the past only prevents one from making that connection with God that has the power to lift one up from depression. We are told again and again that the path to God is only through joy, that sadness only blocks one from attaining that bliss that only comes from knowing and feeling close to God. In just last week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, we are warned that our lives will become cursed only because we did not serve God with happiness, “...tachat asher lo avadeta et Hashem elokecha b’simcha.” (Deuteronomy 29:47) See “Portal” on page 13

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TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS

Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Rabbi Baruch Melman President: Dr. Sharon Alfonsi 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 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.

Notice to our Pocono Readers 911 Emergency Management Services has been updating mailing addresses in Monroe County and Lehman Townships in Pike County. Please don't forget to notify the Federation so you will continue to receive The Reporter.

Thanks, Mark Silverberg, Executive Director Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania

AUGUST 29, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

What children can teach us at Rosh Hashanah

By Dasee Berkowitz NEW YORK (JTA) – A deep spiritual life is hard to find. While opportunities abound for spiritual connections (yoga, meditation, retreats and the like), for most of us it doesn’t come easy. The noise, unfinished to-do lists and the distractions of everyday life interfere with quieting our minds, letting go of our egos for a moment and connecting to something far greater than ourselves.

On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we notice just how difficult it is to connect spiritually. As we log in hours of prayer at our neighborhood synagogues, with unfamiliar liturgy and an unfamiliar language, we can easily let the

Portal

Continued from page 12 It seems rather obvious, but sadness leads to sorrow, and sorrow leads to depression, and depression robs a person of the will to live. One becomes one of the walking dead.

As a practical suggestion for moving forward into teshuvah, let us especially not dwell on others’ past mistakes.

Although perhaps well-meaning, it is often counter-productive, and causes feelings of depression that make it even harder for that person to break free of his old patterns, because he then begins to lose hope. In losing hope, he loses joy and thus again falls victim to his old ways.

I always used to chafe at the requirement to rise in the morning prayers upon reciting Psalm 100, beginning with the words, mizmor letodah. After all, it is very short, but a short paragraph in all, and by the time one has stood up one already has to sit back down again! But as short as it is, it is also the most powerful and most deserving of respect, for it carries within the secret to life itself: “Ivdu et Hashem b’simcha,” “Serve the Lord with joy/happiness!”

To paraphrase the sage Hillel, “all the rest is commentary.”

Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!

Shanah tovah! A goot yor!

These words of Torah are written in the merit of my beloved father, Israel J. Melman, Yisrael Yehoshua ben Harav Ya’aqov Hakohen Melman, and in memory of my beloved mother, Esther Melman, Esther bat Baruch.

Rabbi Melman is spiritual leader of Temple Israel of the Poconos in Stroudsburg.

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power that makes for good in the world. longing for spiritual growth morph into And the contemporary poet Ruth Brin a longing for the service to be over. speaks about God as “the source of love But for some, the spiritual life that we springing up in us.” crave comes naturally. This is especially The liturgy on Rosh Hashanah chaltrue for children. Yes, they may be runlenges us to confront the meaning of God ning through the synagogue’s aisles and in our lives and then develop a level of “whispering” too loudly, but this time of intimacy with the Ineffable. While I am year they can become our best teachers. still not sure what God is, I am coming We just need to slow down enough to to appreciate the view that God is what listen to them. inspires us to live our lives in service Cultivating a relationship with God to others. comes easy for children. As an adult, a Children have a natural ability to be relationship with God has never been awestruck. There is so little that they central to my Jewish identity. It might have experienced in life that it must be sound strange because I live an observant life and prayer is important to me. Perhaps Yael Berkowitz-Morris, easy for them to experience wonder. We The weekly holiday cycle punctuates shofar at the ready, can teach her watch their delight as they find out how my family’s calendar and Jewish ethics mom, JTA contributing writer a salad spinner works, or when they find Dasee Berkowitz, a few things at a worm squirming in the dirt, or when frame much of my behavior.

Still, I seldom credit my observance the High Holidays. (Photo by Dasee they observe how flowers change colors as they enter full bloom. to God. Judaism is important to me be- Berkowitz) These are not simply the sweet mocause it adds meaning to my life. And if I start speaking about God, I start to feel self-conscious, ments of childhood. These are ways of being that have too “religious” and slightly fundamentalist. Then I notice deep theological resonance.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel recalls in “Who is Man” how easily my kids speak about God. At 3, my son periodically gave a high five to God and (1965), “Awe is a sense for transcendence, for the reference explained to others what a blessing was. “A bracha,” he everywhere to mystery beyond all things. It enables us... to would say, “is like a group hug.” With his simple young sense in small things the beginning of infinite significance, mind, he experienced both a level of intimacy with God to sense the ultimate in the common and the simple: to feel and recognized that connecting to God helps one develop in the rush of the passing the stillness of the eternal.”

Would that we could develop that sense of awe by first a sense of intimacy with others.

The rabbis call Rosh Hashanah “Coronation Day.” In the simply noticing our surroundings instead of being preocrabbinic mind, the metaphor of crowning God as Ruler and cupied with what comes next.

We can make space this Rosh Hashanah to begin a giving God the right to judge our actions was a powerful way to galvanize Jews to do the hard work of repentance, journey toward wonder, whether you notice the cantor’s or teshuvah. While the image of a King sitting in judg- voice as she reaches a certain note, or hear the crackle ment might motivate some, the rabbis also knew that God of a candy wrapper, or connect to the sound of your own is indescribable. Throughout the liturgy, they struggled to breathing during the standing silent Amidah prayer. Take find other images that might penetrate the hearts of those a walk sometime during the High Holidays and notice the who pray. The famous medieval piyut (liturgical poem) leaves on the trees, the sunlight refracting from a window, “Ki Anu Amekha” portrays God as a parent, a shepherd, a the taste of holiday food at a meal or the voice of a loved one. Notice the small things and consider for that moment creator and lover.

The images continued to proliferate in modern times. that they have ultimate significance.

The theologian Mordechai Kaplan spoke of God as the See “Teach” on page 15

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 29, 2013

Knick

he scored 11 points as the Knicks won on the road against the Toronto Huskies, 68-66. His death severed the last living thread between the Knicks and their inaugural team.

“Ironically, Schectman’s passing came exactly 67 years to the day after he signed his first Knicks contract on July 30, 1946. Few held a place in Knicks history more trea-

The Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania Invites You to the

Featuring a special screening of the newly released documentary documentary: y:

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness Sunday October 13 Buffet Dinner Reception at 5:30 PM Program at 6:15 PM

Temple Israel of the Poconos 711 Wallace Street, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania 18360 Cover charge- $10.00 per person RSVP no later than Wednesday, October 9, 2013 570-961-2300 x2 A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof, f SHOLEM ALEICHEM: LAUGHING IN THE DARKNESS S tells the tale of the rebellious genius who created an entirely new literature. Plumbing the depths of a Jewish world locked in crisis and on the cusp of profound change, he captured that world with brilliant humor. Sholem Aleichem was not just a witness to the creation of a modern Jewish identity, but one of the very men who forged it.

P A C E

Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment

Your gift to the Annual Campaign DOES A WORLD OF GOOD. Endowing your gift allows you to be there for the Jewish community of NEPA forever.

A Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) is a permanent fund that endows your Jewish community Annual Campaign gift as a lasting legacy. A PACE fund will continue to make an annual gift in perpetuity on your behalf.

To determine the amount you need to endow your entire campaign gift, multiply your current annual gift by 20.

You can fund your PACE by adding the JEWISH FEDERATION OF NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA to your will, or by making the Federation a beneficiary of your IRA. All contributions to establish a PACE are tax deductible.

Let your name be remembered as a blessing.

Endowments can be created through a variety of vehicles, some of which do not necessitate funding during your lifetime yet still provide your estate with considerable tax benefits.

They also enable you to perpetuate your commitment to the Annual Campaign in a way that best achieves your own personal financial and estate planning goals.

Examples Of Ways To Fund Your Pace Gift Are:

* outright contribution of cash, appreciated securities or other long-term * capital gain property such as real estate * charitable remainder trust * gift of life insurance * charitable lead trust * gift of IRA or pension plan assets * grant from your foundation * reserved life estate in your residence * bequest

Continued from page 4 sured and more unique. In so many ways, he was the last original [Knick],” Dennis D’Agostino, team historian for the Knicks, told JNS.org.

For many Jews like Schectman, childhood was about little else but basketball – particularly for Jews whose parents came to America from Europe and settled in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Narrated by Peter Riegert, the film named after Schectman’s historic field goal begins with the following statement: “Basketball. Before going global, it rebounded off of a few Jewish neighborhoods. Who knew?”

“Ossie was one of the nicest, most humble guys you could ever meet, and that is my lasting impression [of him],” David Vyorst, executive producer of “The First Basket,” told JNS.org. “He had been in a nursing home for the past several years, he called me when he first checked in and every so often just to let me know how he was doing. It was quite bittersweet.”

Schectman began his playing career at Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn and later played guard and forward at Long Island University. He was a member of LIU’s undefeated 1939 National Invitation Tournament and National Championship team, and in 1941 he was named a Converse first team All-American.

While industrialization, immigration and urbanization drastically transformed America at the turn of the 20th century, many Jewish Americans like Schectman saw basketball as an ideal sport since it taught teamwork, cooperation, discipline and obedience. During the Progressive era, the popularization of basketball among Jewish youths in urban areas primarily occurred both in settlement houses and at communal institutions.

Jews went on to play a significant role in the NBA’s formative years. When Schectman played for the Knicks, the team’s roster sported significant Jewish flavor – his teammates were Sonny Hertzberg, Stan Stutz, Hank Rosenstein, Ralph Kaplowitz, Jake Weber and Leo “Ace” Gottlieb.

“The two qualities that Jewish players and coaches brought to basketball that made them successful were passion and intelligence,” Peter Horvitz, author of the “Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes,” told JNS.org. “Those early players played the game hard and with great aggression.

They also honed their skills and used strategy to a degree that other players, perhaps, did not.”

Besides for the Knicks, Schectman played for the Philadelphia SPHAS (South Philadelphia Hebrew Association) from 1942-46, before the formation of the modern NBA. The SPHAS, founded by Eddie Gottlieb, won seven American League championships from 1934-1945, including two championships while Schectman was part of the team.

“At that time, the American League championship was equivalent to the world championship, as the American League was the highest level of basketball in the U.S., or the world,” Horvitz said.

Over the years, Schectman would become one of basketball’s great ambassadors. In Florida, he anchored the South Florida Basketball Fraternity, a large group of senior citizen hoopsters who met regularly for corned beef and war stories. “His son called down and told [famed longtime NBA referee] Norm Drucker and the word got around to us,” Stan Diamond, a spokesman for the fraternity, told JNS.org. “Ossie was the oldest one in our organization and I saw him at the breakfasts and luncheons. On December 17, we’re having a luncheon at the Polo Club in Boca Raton and we’ll be mentioning Ossie. Ossie was a great guy; you couldn’t find a nicer man. We miss him.”

Schectman’s wife’s passing last year triggered his move from his longtime Florida home to suburban Westchester, NY, in order to be near his son and family, D’Agostino said.

Reached at his Florida home, Drucker said Schectman “was a great ballplayer and a close personal friend.

“He was a year or two older than me. We played ball and then came the war. Then he played for the Knicks,” Drucker told JNS.org.

The very beginning of Schectman’s one-season career for the Knicks would then go on to cement his place in NBA history. “There were no such things as play-by-play sheets back in those days, no formal documentation, so those first two points [in league history] always carried an air of mystery about them,” D’Agostino said. “But the grainy black-andwhite film that survives from that first night in Toronto does seem to bear him out. That’s Ossie, old number 6 in blue and orange, barreling in for two soon after the opening tap.”

Using appreciated property, such as securities or real estate, affords you the opportunity to eliminate the income tax on the long-term capital gain, will in some instances generate a full income tax charitable deduction and will remove those assets from your estate for estate tax purposes.

For more information contact Mark Silverberg at Mark.Silverberg@jewishnepa.org or call 570-961-2300, ext. 1.

Ossie Schectman (left), the first scorer in NBA history, with David Vyorst, executive producer of “The First Basket,” a Jewish basketball documentary named for Schectman’s historic field goal. (Photo courtesy “The First Basket”)

AUGUST 29, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

15

For the New Year, children’s books opening new worlds

By Penny Schwartz BOSTON (JTA) – Shofars, apples and honey, make room for pomegranates, couscous and pumpkins. The new crop of children’s books for the High Holidays opens a world beyond the beloved traditional symbols of the New Year (Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Wednesday, September 4). From ancient times to today, the savory, engaging reads presented here will take families from the kitchen to the bedroom to the sukkah.

“Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook” Tales Retold by Jane Yolen; recipes

by Heidi E.Y. Stemple; illustrated by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin (Crocodile Books/Interlink, $25; ages 5 and older) Master storyteller Jane Yolen and her daughter, Heidi E.Y. Stemple, a cook and children’s writer, serve up a collection of richly detailed retellings of Jewish folk tales from around the world paired with kid-friendly recipes for Jewish foods. Yolen presents a range of tales, from the entertaining and humorous to lesser-known sophisticated tales for older readers that pose life’s challenges. Stemple offers up tempting recipes adapted for today’s families, from the traditional, familiar Eastern European fare to some lesser-known African and Sephardic cuisine. The brightly colored collages and recipe illustrations by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin make the book a pleasure to browse for all ages.

Among the 18 stories and recipes are two Rosh Hashanah entries. “Two Jars of Honey” is set in the days of King Solomon, where a wise beyond his years Solomon resolves a feud between neighbors. All ends well on a note of compassion and forgiveness. A recipe for honey cake, a traditional sweet eaten during the High Holidays, includes a surprising ingredient – a can of cola.

In “The Pomegranate Seed,” a tale that originated in Morocco, a poor man caught stealing uses his wit and a moral challenge to save himself. An appealing recipe for pomegranate couscous is packed with flavor, texture and color from pomegranate seeds, dried apricots, cinnamon, cilantro and fresh mint. An added note explains that pomegranates are associated with Rosh Hashanah because the red, At right: An illustration from “Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook,” which offers recipes along with its collection of Jewish folk tales.

(Photo courtesy of Interlink Publishing Group)

Teach

Continued from page 13

Consider the concept that Rosh Hashanah marks the birth of the world. Act as if nothing existed before this moment. Slow down, focus in, be silent and you may experience awe.

Children forgive easily, grown-ups not so much. The central work of the period of the High Holidays is teshuvah, or return. We return to our better selves and make amends with those whom we have hurt in some way. Every year, I recognize how uncomfortable I am to ask for forgiveness from family members, peers and colleagues. “So much time has passed” or “I’m sure they forgot about that incident” are common rationalizations I offer.

What takes an adult days, weeks or even years to let go of resentment takes children a matter of minutes before they are back to laughing with those with whom they once were angry. While it might be difficult to coax an “I’m sorry” from a child’s lips, they rebound quickly. It is a lesson for us.

Children offer their love freely. I am overwhelmed daily with the unbridled love that my 2½-year-old daughter unleashes toward me as she jumps into my arms, hair flying, at the end of each day. For many adults, the doors of possibility seem to close more and more with every passing year. In contrast, the ecstatic joy and free spirit that children naturally exude is a lesson in being open to the fullness of what life can offer.

This Rosh Hashanah, let the children be our teachers.

As we do teshuvah, let’s return to a simpler time and the more childlike parts of ourselves – when a relationship with God was intimate, when awe came easy, when we didn’t harbor resentments and when the door was open wide to forgive and to love.

Dasee Berkowitz is a contributing writer to JTA.

globe-shaped fruit is said to have 613 seeds that correspond with the Torah’s 613 mitzvot, or commandments.

It would have been easy to fill a cookbook with Jewish tales about challah and chicken, common Jewish foods, Yolen tells JTA, adding that it took plenty of research to find stories that matched the book’s breadth of recipes. “When I found the honey cake story, I was thrilled,” Yolen recalls.

Budding storytellers, folklorists and teachers will appreciate Yolen’s outstanding end notes that credit other storytellers for their earlier versions and provide the origins and cultural history of the stories. In the introduction, Yolen and Stemple write that storytelling and cooking change over time and location. “Be playful,” they encourage, and “let’s eat!”

“What a Way to Start a New Year! A Rosh Hashanah story” by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Judy Stead (Kar-Ben; $16.95 hardcover, $7.95 paperback; ages 3-8) Award-winning author Jacqueline Jules’ “What a Way to Start a New Year!” is a lighthearted and authentic story for Rosh Hashanah that reflects the diversity of today’s Jewish families and the hustle and bustle of daily life. In the opening pages, a perky young girl is eating a slice of pizza in her family’s new home, which is filled with unpacked boxes.

Her family, including two younger brothers, has just moved to a new town. While her dad isn’t Jewish, he loves celebrating the High Holidays. A family moving into a new But how will they neighborhood shares a Rosh Hashanah observe the New meal with some new friends in “What Year, our storyteller a Way to Start a New Year!” (Photo wonders with some courtesy of Kar-Ben Publishing) concern.

When they venture back to their old neighborhood to share a traditional Rosh Hashanah meal with their friends, one plan after another goes awry. “What a way to start a new year!” they each sigh after mishap follows zany mishap.

Things begin to look up when one of dad’s co-workers invites them to synagogue services. While the prayers and songs are familiar, the kids still feel out of place because they don’t recognize anyone. Finally, they are welcomed to share Rosh Hashanah dinner with new friends. “What a wonderful way to start a new year!” the young girl exclaims.

Judy Stead’s brightly colored, cartoon-like illustrations are a lively accompaniment to the story. An author’s note reminds parents that while starting in a new home or school can be difficult, it’s made easier by generous hosts. She explains the mitzvah of “hachnasat orchim,” “welcoming guests.”

“A Watermelon in the Sukkah” by Sylvia A. Rouss and Shannan Rouss, illustrated

by Ann Iosa (Kar-Ben; $17.95 hardcover, $7.95 paper; ages 3-8) Decorating a Jewish school’s sukkah becomes inventive when a young boy, Michael, wants to hang his favorite fruit, a watermelon, from the roof. All the kids’ usual ideas – think

duct tape and string – fall flat. Michael’s creative thinking and teamwork save the day. A brief author’s note explains the holiday. Iosa’s fall-toned illustrations of gold, green and purple convey the children’s excitement and disappointment with lively action that will entertain young kids.

“Sam and Charlie (and Sam Too!)” by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini (Albert Whitman, $13.99, also available on Kindle; ages 6-8) A delightful chapter book that was published earlier this year, “Sam and Charlie (and Sam Too!)” is a story of friendship of young new neighbors. The book is divided into five stories that tell of the daily ups and downs among two Jewish friends and a younger sibling. The format and Kimmelman’s light and endearing touch evokes the classic “George and Martha” series by James Marshall, or the beloved “Frog and Toad” series by Arnold Lobel. The One of the five stories in “Sam and last of the set, titled Charlie (and Sam Too!)” offers “I’m Sorry Day,” a learning experience about the will have the kids meaning of Yom Kippur, the holiday giggling along with of forgiveness. (Photo courtesy of Sam and Charlie Albert Whitman and Company) even as it opens up an easy conversation to the tough subject of apologies and forgiveness. Children of all faiths and backgrounds will have fun with these memorable stories and learn about the meaning of Yom Kippur, the holiday of forgiveness.

“Tikkun Olam Ted” by Vivian Newman, illustrated by Steve Mack (Kar-Ben; $5.95 board book, also available as eBook; ages 1-4) From Sunday to Friday, a young, small boy named Ted spends his days doing some big things to make the world a kinder, better place. On Shabbat he rests, dreaming of tikkun olam, the repair of the world. “Tikkun Olam Ted” is a lively toddler book with colorful il- “Tikkun Olam Ted” is engaging lustrations that will for younger children and could be engage younger inspiring for older kids. (Photo kids. Older ones courtesy of Kar-Ben Publishing) may be inspired by simple, fun ways to help around the house or out in the world.

Happy Rosh Hashanah

Wishing the Community a Happy, Healthy and

May the sound of the shofar bring a year of peace.

Sweet New Year!

Bonnie Rozen Advertising Executive

Linda & Steve Strauchler

Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Mrs. Jack Baine & Family

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for good health, peace, and prosperity.

Bruce & Rho

ÊVisit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on Facebook

16

THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 29, 2013

Observing Yom Kippur in the shadow of death

By Rafael Medoff JNS.org Holocaust memoirs and eyewitness testimony record how Jews living under Nazi rule repeatedly took extraordinary risks to mark Yom Kippur in some way. Despite the grave dangers involved, and even though Jewish law permits eating or performing labor on the Day of Atonement in order to save one’s life, many Jews endured unimaginable suffering in order to commemorate the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

In his diary, Rabbi Shimon Huberband described his experiences in the Polish town of Piotrkow in the aftermath of the September 1939 German invasion. The occupation authorities imposed an astronomical fine on the local Jewish community, with Yom Kippur as the deadline. To demonstrate the punishment to be expected if the money was not paid, the Nazis seized a number of local Jews at random on the eve of Yom Kippur and took them to Gestapo headquarters, where they were “beaten, attacked by dogs, forced to crawl on their stomachs… forced to clean toilets with their bare hands… [and] ordered to collect shattered pieces of glass with their mouths.”

Rabbi Huberband’s diary (published in English under the title “Kiddush Hashem,” edited by Professors Jeffrey Gurock and Robert Hirt) noted that the local Judenrat, the German-appointed Jewish ruling council, “dispatched notices saying that everyone should contribute his designated amount toward the tribute by tomorrow, the last day.” At the same time, because all public observances of Yom Kippur had been outlawed, a debate broke out as to whether or not Jewish shopkeepers should open their stores, lest they be accused by the Germans of closing them in honor of the holiday.

Huberband records the remarkable “honor system” scheme the Jewish shopkeepers devised to avoid doing business on the Day of Atonement while eluding the Nazis’ ire: “Jews’ shops were open. The ‘salesmen’ were all women. Actually, the women didn’t sell anything; people took merchandise, but without paying for it. The women didn’t take any money, but they did on the other hand give

Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy & sweet new year.

The main gate of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, which was among the places where Yom Kippur was observed in the shadow of death by Jews during the Holocaust. (Photo by Angelo Celedon via Wikimedia Commons) away money. They took their tribute payments over to the [Judenrat] office, Yom Kippur being the last day, the deadline for the tribute.”

Prof. Yaffa Eliach’s book “Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust” recounts the horrors endured by a Hungarian Jewish slave-labor battalion attached to a retreating German army unit in 1944. The prisoners were routinely beaten, starved and used as human mine detectors. On the eve of Yom Kippur, the German commanding officer, aware of the approaching Jewish holy day, warned them that anyone who fasted “will be executed by a firing squad.”

On Yom Kippur, it rained heavily along the Polish-Slovakian border region where they were working and the area was covered in deep mud. When the Germans distributed their meager food rations, the Jewish prisoners pretended to consume them, but instead “spilled the coffee into the running muddy gullies and tucked the stale bread into their soaked jackets.” Those who had memorized portions of

Rosh Hashanah Greetings from

Rabbi Mendel & Shterni Bendet Chabad Lubavitch of the Poconos www.jewishpoconos.com

Wishing the entire community a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

Rabbi Dovid and Malky Saks and family Jewish Heritage Connection

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for good health, peace, and prosperity.

Sandy Weissberger & Leon Kaplan Post #165 Jewish War Veterans of America

The Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms wishes The Pocono Jewish Communities and all Northeast Pennsylvania Federation members A Happy, Healthy & Peaceful New Year.

Best Wishes for a Healthy & Happy New Year All welcome – no membership required 711 Wallace Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Phone: 570-421-8781 www.templeisraelofthepoconos.org President: Dr. Sandra Alfonsi

the Yom Kippur prayer service recited them by heart until finally, as night fell, their work ended and they prepared to break the fast.

Just then they were confronted by the German commander, who informed them he was aware that they had fasted and instead of simply executing them, they would have to climb a nearby mountain and slide down it on their stomachs. “Tired, soaked, starved and emaciated,” the Jews did as they were told – 10 times “climbing and sliding from an unknown Polish mountain which on that soggy Yom Kippur night became a symbol of Jewish courage and human dignity.”

Eventually, the Germans tired of this sport and the defiant Jewish prisoners were permitted to break their fast and live – at least for another day.

Isaiah Trunk’s classic “Jewish Responses to Nazi Persecution” cites a remarkable anecdote from an Auschwitz survivor about Yom Kippur in the women’s block there in 1944. Minutes before sundown, the Jewish barracks leader, or blokowa, suddenly “put a white tablecloth over the barrack oven, lit some candles and told all the Jewish women to walk up and pray… The barrack was filled with an unbearable wailing. The women again saw their annihilated homes.”

It happened that “Froh Rohtshtat, the famous violinist from Lodz, was also kept in our barracks,” and the barracks leader “brought in a fiddle and asked Froh Rohtshtat to play Kol Nidre. She refused, saying she couldn’t play because her heart was bursting. The blokowa threatened to beat her… if she didn’t play. When Froh Rohtshtat began playing, the Jewish blokowa suddenly lost control and started pushing us away and clubbing the Jewish women, yelling, ‘Enough! You’ve had enough pleasure!’”

“What was the reason for the Jewish blokowa’s sudden change of mind?” Trunk wondered. “One can only guess that, fearing the inmates would see how she was overcome with emotion by the solemn tones of Kol Nidre, she would thus be seen in a state of weakness and would consequently lose the firm grip she had on them.”

To maintain her position as a barracks head, the blokowa needed to forsake all Jewish connections and feeling – and for a few fleeting moments, the emotional power of Yom Kippur had threatened to touch even her iron heart.

Dr. Rafael Medoff is founding director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. His latest book is “FDR and the Holocaust: A Breach of Faith.”

Book review

Regulating kosher food

By Rabbi Rachel Esserman Recent outbreaks of salmonella and other instances of food contamination and poisoning have left people questioning the safety of our food supply. Critics of the food industry are also concerned about misleading labels, particularly the use of such words as “natural” or “healthy” to describe processed food. Could these problems be solved by stricter governmental regulation? Can private certification prevent fraud or increase food safety? In order to answer these questions, Timothy D. Lytton, the Albert and Angela Farone Distinguished Professor of Law at the Albany Law School, examines the private kosher certification industry in “Kosher: Private Regulation in the Age of Industrial Food” (Harvard University Press).

Lytton notes that his interest is not in Jewish dietary law per se, but rather how certification helps guarantee that a product is kosher: “This book does not argue either for or against eating kosher food. It takes no position on whether or not kosher food is safer or healthier than non-kosher food, or whether kosher certification ought to include standards for animal welfare, environmental sustainability or labor conditions. My claim is that today’s kosher certification industry reliably ensures that food labeled kosher is kosher.”

This wasn’t true in the early years of the United States: between 1850 and 1940, the industry was riddled with fraud and feuds. Consistent standards were lacking, partly due to the many rivalries between rabbis and/or Jewish organizations. Only with the advent of those certification groups now known as the big five – OU, OK, Star-K, Kof-K and CRC – did the industry come into its own.

One important factor in its success was the development of the industrialized food industry. With ingredients imported from across the world and the inclusion of chemicals that might or might not be kosher, a large market opened for those who could certify products. Some form of acceptable certification was not only needed for the final results, but for the individual ingredients purchased from other factories. The increased interest in kosher food also helped: when larger corporations learned they could increase their See “Food” on page 18

AUGUST 29, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

“Start-up nation” scientists cultivated at early ages by Israel’s Technoda

By Maxine Dovere JNS.org On the one hand, Givat Olga is an underprivileged neighborhood in the Israeli city of Hadera with about 12,000 people, primarily immigrants from Ethiopia, North Africa and the former Soviet Union. On the other, the neighborhood is home to the breeding ground for the next generation of science pioneers emerging from the “start-up nation.”

The decision to build Technoda – Israel’s National Museum of Science, Planning and Technology – in the unexpected location of Givat Olga brought educational resources to children who previously had limited access to them. Technoda got off the ground in 1986 with the support of the Rashi Foundation. One of Technoda’s founding fathers, Zion Bash, a senior engineer at Intel, helped develop an educational program with a focal point of enrichment in the sciences.

Twenty students took part in the first iteration of the Technoda program, which now provides more than 30,000 children per year with a hands-on science and general education. Students range from gan (pre-kindergarten) to high school.

“A small room has become a castle,” Dr. Gadi Mador, Technoda’s director, says in an interview with JNS.org.

“One of the basic elements for the future of Israel is to be, first and foremost, strong in science and technology,” he says. “Education is a journey that must start in kindergarten and continue throughout high school.”

Mador emphasizes that Technoda is the only place in Israel where all sectors of the population learn together under same roof – haredim and chilonim (religious and secular), Arabs and kibbutzniks, Christians, Jews, Muslims and Druze. The project’s goals, he says, are “first, to promote science and technology in Israel, and second, to bring together all elements of Israeli society on the common ground of science.”

A day at Technoda begins promptly at 8 am. Three morning programs are run simultaneously, with each geared to a specific age group. In the first section, the preschool class, even fairy tales become a vehicle for understanding science and technology.

“There is a special space for kids,” Mador says. “Technoda materials are integrated into the classroom topics.

Material is provided to start the learning process in the school. Each gan program is two months long. Each of the five units per year culminates with a visit to [the] Technoda [museum].”

Israeli scientists are cultivated at young ages by Technoda, whose educational programming is pictured here. (Photo

by Technoda) Technoda works with the Israeli Education Ministry to identify kids in the third grade who qualify to become part of its Gifted Program. The program continues through high school in an ongoing enrichment experience, both in science and general cultural education. Once a week, throughout the academic year, Technoda students study core scientific knowledge. As part of the high school curriculum, the young scientists visit high-tech companies. “Seeing companies at

The Technoda science museum in the Givat Olga community of Hadera, Israel. The Technoda’s educational program cultivates Israeli scientists at early ages. (Photo

by Sivan Toledo via Wikimedia Commons)

work helps encourage work values,” Mador says.

The Technoda program goes beyond science. As part of their agenda, students have an opportunity to give back to the community. For example, they volunteer to work with children with disabilities. “It’s not easy, but they enjoy working with these kids,” Mador says. “It’s an opportunity to help someone and give back.”

While the formal science and general education programs take place in the morning, afternoons at Technoda take on a more local flavor. The museum portion becomes a “home away from home to 400 children from Givat Olga,” Mador says.

Israeli children often grow up in the same towns as where their parents were raised, a situation that is true for many of the children in Givat Olga, according to Mador. “We take them to another life, providing a hot meal, homework programs and an opportunity to participate in science and technology,” he says.

Technoda “cannot be just a museum – otherwise there is no support of children in Givat Olga,” Mador adds.

A results-oriented initiative, Technoda measures everything “from the point of view of both quantity and quality,” revealing what Mador calls “a real correlation between the rates of success [of Givat Olga children] and having this sort of opportunity.

“There is a special group for potentially gifted children in the local community,” Mador says. “We recognize their potential.”

Mador came to Technoda in 1991 as a graduate student in physics and math. One of his professors asked him to come to Givat Olga to teach and he has never left. His initial years with the project came during the first Palestinian intifada. “It was quite amazing,” Mador recalls. “Outside, buses were blowing up. At the same time, in the classroom, Arab and Jewish students studied together in completely ordinary ways and learned together. Science and technology is the environment for the future: If you give children the opportunity to be together, it’s a great opportunity for them to simply live together.”

Among the first 20 students at Technoda was Israel Defense Forces Capt. Yaron Vivante, a Givat Olga child whose parents immigrated to Israel from Libya. “He was born into technology,” says Mador. “He was very successful in high school. When he joined the IDF, he was accepted to pilot training and graduated as a navigator of F15s (a type of fighter jet). Everyone was extremely proud of Yaron.”

See “Scientists” on page 18

Wishing you Health & Happiness for the New Year

of Northeastern Pennsylvania

wishes good health & happiness to you in the New Year.

17

Congregation B’nai Harim Children of the Mountain

wishes the community a peaceful New Year!

Pocono Pines

646-0100

601 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510 (570) 961-2300

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18

THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 29, 2013

New Season of

Films!

JNF golf trip to Israel

September 2013

• Non-Feature Films •

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. *Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy - This entertaining documentary, narrated by the award winning Joel Grey, examines the unique role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. There are interviews alongside standout performances and archival footage.

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.

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 Jewish National Fund will hold its firstever International Golf Mission to Israel from October 10-15. It will feature the finale of the Herzl Tour – a cross-country tournament taking place now – where the winning teams from four cities across the United States will compete in the El Al Cup to determine the JNF Champions at the Caesarea Golf Club.

All other golf mission participants will have the opportunity to play in their own tournament, alongside those competing for the El Al Cup. In addition to two days of golf at the Caesarea Golf Club, the mission will tour the sights of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as include a hot air balloon ride and winery trip in the Negev.

For more information, contact Michael Feinman at mfeinman@jnf.org or 212-879-9305.ext. 503.

Lilith’s new website

Lilith magazine has a new website that features fully digitized back issues. The site also offers several blogs with information and articles not featured in the hard copy version of the magazine. The website can be found at http://lilith.org.

Scientists

Continued from page 17

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.

In August 1995, four birds crashed into the F15 in which Vivante was flying. The jet crashed, and both he and the pilot were killed. To honor his memory, Technoda has named its major competition for young inventors in his name.

Among the innovations being developed at Technoda, in cooperation with the IDF, is a medical simulator, similar in concept to the computerized aviation trainers used by student pilots. The medical simulator effectively creates a hospital for children – without the children.

Mador explains that before a hands-on program like Technoda, Israeli children “did not understand the need to integrate scientific phenomena and applications.

“Now kids build models – for example, of a car – [and] learn to understand how it accelerates,” he says. “Here, everything is hands-on, not just theoretical. Much is about the discovery that once you learn the basics, you can then reach for the high level.”

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.

Food

Continued from page 16

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 Flat - This gripping autobiographical documentary tells the story of the filmmaker, Arnon Goldfinger who travels to Tel Aviv to clean out the apartment of recent deceased German-born Jewish grandmother. Goldfinger discovers, while going through her belonging, he finds evidence that his grandparents were good friends with Leopold von Mildenstein, a leading official within the Nazi propaganda agency and that they remained friends after World War II. He journeys to find out the details of this disturbing revelation.

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. *Orchestra of Exiles - This riveting documentary tells the story of how Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman, watched Jewish musicians being fired from classical orchestras when Hitler came to power. Huberman decided to build a new orchestra in Palestine encountering many obstacles along the way. He ultimately succeeds and the Palestine Symphony gave its first performance December, 1936. (When Israel gained independence in 1948, the orchestra was renamed the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, which remains to this day a world class orchestra.)

• 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) Avalon- Sam Krichinsky and his extended family arrive in American to find the American dream in a place called Avalon. We watch the Krichinsky family move from poverty to prosperity,facing their changing world with enduring humor and abiding love.

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.

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.

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? *The Other Son - The dramatic tale of two babies switched at birth, The Other Son creates a thoughtful presentation of what could be a soap opera type event. Instead, director Lorraine Levy and a wonderful screenplay takes the viewer down a very different path allowing each to come to his/her own conclusions. *The World of Sholom Aleichem - Three of Sholom Aleichem short stories are adapted for the stage and broadcast on the 1959 television series “The Play of the Week”.

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. *Just added to the Jewish Federation’s Film Lending Library!

market share by certifying a product, their interest grew.

Large factory runs also meant that certification cost very little per item produced.

According to Lytton, the certification system is a success because the agencies work hard to “establish and maintain a good reputation in order to compete for industrial clients” and invest “in management oversight and professional development, which prevent misconduct mistakes that would harm an agency’s reputation and undermine its competitiveness.” Another less definable factor is the “sense of religious mission” felt by many in the industry.

The fact that they eat only kosher-certified food as part of their religious practice means that this isn’t only a business, but a religious undertaking. While some quibble with individual agencies or particular certifications – for example, certifying products that don’t need certification or taking the most stringent approach to a product or ingredient – on the whole, the industry works by making sure food labeled kosher is actually kosher.

In fact, Lytton believes the certification industry should serve as a model for other parts of the food industry since it does a far better job than oversight by governmental agencies, which are hampered not only by budgetary restrictions, but by politics. He does note that one additional aspect is needed for success: the action of food activists. While fewer than 10 percent of those who eat kosher food do so for religious reasons, the religious activists keep careful track of which products are kosher. They also question certifications by contacting companies on the phone or by e-mail. Internet blogs and websites also help keep people up-to-date. This allows the certification industry to quickly resolve any issues either by recalling a product or removing its certification.

Unlike the recent “Kosher Nation: Why More and More of America’s Food Answers to a Higher Authority” by Sue Fishkoff, which takes a journalistic approach, Lytton is more interested in the business aspects of the industry than the personalities or the actual process of certifying food.

(For The Reporter review of Fishkoff’s book, visit www. thereportergroup.org/Article.aspx?aID=1809.) The writing in “Kosher” is dry and factual, although Lytton does keep scholarly jargon to a minimum. His suggestion that private certification could prevent future food disasters is open to debate. However, his proposal makes this book a must read for anyone interested in the politics of food.

AUGUST 29, 2013 ■

THE REPORTER

19

NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA

Israeli requests for gas mask kits soar over Syria fears

Requests by Israeli citizens for gas mask kits have risen fourfold in recent days as concern over events in Syria has increased. Citizens have been visiting post offices throughout the country to pick up their Atomic Biological Chemical protective kits, or ABC kits, over fears of the threat of a chemical weapon attack from Syria or Iran, according to reports in the Israeli media. Some 60 percent of Israelis currently possess gas masks. In order to equip the remaining citizens, a budget allocation of $362 million is necessary for 2014, according to reports. Hundreds of Syrians were killed the week of Aug. 22 in eastern Damascus suburbs by an alleged chemical weapons attack by the government army. The Syrian government denies the claims.

Temporary Western Wall prayer site gets mixed gov’t messages

A temporary platform for non-Orthodox prayer was built at Robinson’s Arch adjacent to the Western Wall plaza, Israeli government minister Naftali Bennett said. According to a statement Sunday from Bennett’s office, the platform is meant “as an interim but primary place of worship for Jewish egalitarian and pluralistic prayer services.” The announcement from Bennett, the minister of Jerusalem and Diaspora affairs, came amid mixed messages from government officials. His statement said the platform was built “in conjunction with the Prime Minister’s Office and Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky,” who was tasked late last year by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formulate a compromise solution about egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall. But while Sharansky endorsed the temporary platform as “a gesture of goodwill,” the Prime Minister’s Office sent a statement saying “there is no new government decision regarding prayer arrangements at the Western Wall.” The platform, which at 4,800 square feet wide can hold 450 people, does not reach the Western Wall itself, though a ramp leads to a smaller area adjacent to the wall. It will include Torah scrolls, prayer books and prayer shawls, and be open free at all hours. Bennett in his statement said he hopes to define the existing Western Wall Plaza as a space restricted to Orthodox prayer. A legal statute to that effect would require the approval of Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who has been at odds with Bennett on the issue. Protests over the high-profile arrests of female worshipers participating in the monthly Rosh Chodesh service of the Women of the Wall prayer group at the holy site led Netanyahu to tap Sharansky to come up with a compromise. Sharansky intends to release the plan in the coming days. Women of the Wall said the platform plan “is the very definition of separate and not nearly close to equal. The stage is in no way equal topographically or geographically to the original plaza, nor does it come close to the Wall itself, as it stands to the back of the Robinson’s Arch area,” said Shira Pruce of Women of the Wall in a statement. Pruce said the platform “provides an out of sight, out of mind solution silencing women at the Western Wall” and the group “demand(s) equal rights for women to pray at the women’s section of the Western Wall.” Reports circulated that Israeli Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit would release a compromise plan for the Western Wall on Aug. 25, but

no plan was released. Under Sharansky’s plan, first reported in April, the existing egalitarian section of the wall at Robinson’s Arch would be expanded and a unified entrance would be built leading to the wall’s traditional and egalitarian sections. The months since Sharansky introduced the plan have seen increased haredi Orthodox protests of Women of the Wall. In addition, a judge determined in April that the group’s activities do not contravene the law.

Since then, none of the women has been arrested during the Rosh Chodesh service.

Abramowitz bid for Better Place fails

Israeli green entrepreneur Yosef Abramowitz failed in his bid to buy the bankrupt electric car company Better Place. Abramowitz’s company, Green EV Operation, on Aug. 25 could not make a monthly payment of $1 million to Better Place’s liquidator. As a result, the Lod District Court approved the sale of Better Place to Tzachi Merkur, CEO of Success Parking, an Israeli parking garage company, according to The Marker, Haaretz’s business publication.

Merkur will pay approximately $3 million for Better Place. In July, Abramowitz, in partnership with the Association for the Advancement of Electric Transport in Israel, won a bid to buy Better Place’s Israeli infrastructure and intellectual property for about $11 million.Abramowitz told JTA that his bid failed because the liquidator did not provide lists of drivers to bill for the company’s battery-swap stations. Also, he said, Israel’s Transportation Ministry would not release 350 Better Place cars held at port unless Abramowitz bought an import license.

Israeli airstrikes near Beirut retaliate for rocket fire from Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes hit a “terrorist target” near Beirut in response to rocket fire, the Israeli military said. Planes bombed the target between the Lebanese capital and Sidon on Aug. 22, the Israel Defense Forces said. According to Lebanon’s Daily Star, the target was a base belonging to the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command. The paper said an Israeli missile hit a valley in Naameh, an area some eight miles south of Beirut. The IDF said it was retaliation for the firing of two rockets earlier that day from Lebanon into Israel. The rockets caused damage to property in two Israeli towns but no one was hurt, according to Army Radio.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television quoted a spokesman for the Palestinian group as saying there were no casualties or material damage from Israel’s strikes. He said retaliation would come “at the right time.” Both Hezbollah and the Palestinian group are avowed supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad in his protracted and bloody war against rebels. The IDF statement said ultimate responsibility for the incident lay with the Lebanese government for failing to prevent rocket fire into Israel. Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said the launching of rockets into Israel was a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, which brought an end to the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and to Lebanon’s sovereignty. Sleiman also asked relevant agencies to apprehend the perpetrators behind the attack and refer them to the judiciary, according to the Daily Star.

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 29, 2013

Grandma’s purse was never full. ̶ But it was never too empty for giving.

There weren’t any credit cards back then. And with grandpa making $12.50 a week, there wasn’t much cash.

But somehow, there was always enough to help another Jew who had less.

And when there were no organized charities to help Jews in need, she and Grandpa worked to organize them - the kind of charities the Jewish Federation helps support today; services to children and families in need; care for our poor and our elderly; and Hebrew schools and educational services and programs for our youth.

Your grandparents may not be here anymore, but the need for help still is. For daycare for kids of single Jewish parents to hot meals and transportation for the elderly.

Yet in spite of some very generous gifts to Federation, the average pledge is barely more than the price of a dinner out for two.

So this year, when the Federation volunteer calls, please open your checkbook the way your grandmother would open her purse.

She can’t do it for you.

Now it’s your turn.

Mark Silverberg, Executive Director Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania 601 Jefferson Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 570-961-2300 570-346-6147 (fax)