August 16th Edition of The Reporter

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State Department report describes “rising tide” of antisemitism

By Ron Kampeas WASHINGTON (JTA) – The U.S. State Department’s report on religious freedom described a “global increase” in antisemitism and said the “rising tide of antisemitism” was among the key trends of last year.

The executive summary of the report for 2011 also detailed the “impact of political and demographic transitions on religious minorities” and “the effects of conflict on religious freedom.”

The increased antisemitism was “manifested in Holocaust denial, glorification, and relativism; conflating opposition to certain policies of Israel with blatant antisemitism; growing nationalistic movements that target ‘the other’; and traditional forms of antisemitism, such as conspiracy theories, acts of desecration and assault, ‘blood libel,’ and cartoons demonizing Jews,” the summary said.

It was not clear from the report how its authors assessed an “increase” in antisemitism. There was no overall quantification of the phenomenon, and individual country reports, while listing instances of official and societal antisemitism, did not compare rates to previous years’ reports.

The emphasis on antisemitism reflects a policy initiated by Hannah Rosenthal, the current special envoy on antisemitism.

Rosenthal has pressed for the incorpora-

tion of antisemitism monitoring into the department’s overall human rights reports, arguing that it increases awareness of the issue among U.S. diplomats.

The George W. Bush administration, which expanded monitoring of antisemitism by creating the post of an envoy to combat antisemitism, kept its reports on the issue separate.

Countries singled out for special notice on antisemitism included: Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez described Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians as “genocide” and called Zionism racism, and an op-ed in a government-owned newspaper that described Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik as a “sabbath goy.”

Ukraine, where there were several instances of vandalism targeting Jewish buildings and cemeteries, as well as incitement by ultranationalist figures.

Hungary, where the rise of an antisemitic political party was noted.

Egypt, where antisemitic cartoons and articles persisted in government-run and opposition media after the revolution in early 2011 that ousted the regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Iran, where the report said that “the government’s antisemitic rhetoric, along with a perception among radical Muslims

A swastika was spray-painted on a window of Temple Beth Israel in Hackensack, NJ, on December 10, 2011. (Photo by ADL) that all Jewish citizens of the country supported Zionism and the state of Israel, continued to create a hostile atmosphere for Jews.” The report also said that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “continued to question regularly the existence and the scope of the Holocaust and publicly called for the destruction of Israel, which created a more hostile environment for the Jewish community.”

The Palestinian areas, where the report noted an instance of a Hamas imam in the Gaza Strip calling for the death of Jews, as well as a documentary on Palestinian Authority TV that characterized Jewish rites as “sin and filth.”

The country report on Israel said that “government policy contributed to the generally free practice of religion, although government discrimination against nonJews and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism continued.” It noted that Christian missionaries were turned away at the airport in some instances and also noted the Interior Ministry’s refusal to recognize some U.S. converts to Judaism as Jews. “A minority of Jews in the country observes the Orthodox tradition, and the majority of Jewish citizens objected to exclusive Orthodox control over fundamental aspects of their personal lives,” the report said. It noted the practice on some public buses of segregating men from women.

Recording instances of societal discrimination, the report listed organized efforts to persuade Jewish businesses not to hire Arabs, as well as attacks by extremist settlers on mosques. It also noted extremist Muslim riots, including several instances in which rioters at the mosques overlooking the Western Wall stoned Jewish worshipers.

Barak calls Sinai attack, border inflitration a “wake-up call” for Egypt

By JTA staff JERUSALEM (JTA) – Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called a terrorist attack in the Sinai that killed at least 15 Egyptian soldiers a “wake-up call” for Egypt. “We hope this will be a fitting wake-up call for the Egyptians to take matters into their own hands on their side more forcefully,” Barak told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on August 6, a day after the attack.

Armed attackers in the Sinai Peninsula killed the soldiers at the Rafah security checkpoint before attempting to infiltrate the Israeli border. The attackers, who Barak identified as members of the Global Jihadi terror group, also kidnapped several Egyptian soldiers on August 5, according to reports.

Two of the vehicles used in the attack then crossed the border into Israel. The first was blown up by the terrorists to breach the fence, and the second was targeted and hit

by Israeli forces, according to the Israeli military. The six terrorists in the vehicle were killed in the blast. Barak said they were all wearing suicide bomber belts. Israeli

intelligence had information on the planned attack, which allowed the military to have helicopters in the area to strike the vehicle, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said on August 6. Israel and Egypt remained in close contact during the attack, Barak said, according to reports.

Barak and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the area of the attack on August 6. Netanyahu met with commanders and soldiers who were involved in the operation, and praised them for their actions.

He also expressed regret over the killing of the Egyptian soldiers. “I think that it is clear that Israel and Egypt have a common interest in maintaining a quiet border,” Netanyahu said. “However, as has been made clear on numerous occasions, when it comes to the security of the citizens of Israel, the state of Israel must and can rely only on itself.

Nobody can fulfill this role other than the IDF and the security services of the state of Israel, and this is how we will continue to act.”

Also on August 6, Israel’s Foreign Ministry denied accusations by the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist party in Egypt that

Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency was behind the attack in an attempt to disrupt the new Islamist government of President Mohamed Morsi. The Muslim Brotherhood statement also reportedly called for a review of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, according to reports.

On August 8, Egyptian attack helicopters and troops reportedly struck and killed at least 20 terrorists in the Sinai. The strikes were in retaliation for the deaths of Egyptian policemen in an attack at the Rafah security checkpoint in Sinai. The strkes also came hours after August 7 clashes between armed terrorists and Egyptian soldiers at several Sinai checkpoints and in Rafah, according to Reuters. Sinai residents helped to locate the terrorists’ hiding places, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said, according to Reuters.

Egypt has not announced the identity of the terrorists, but Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Aug. 6 that the terrorists were members of the Global Jihadi terror group. The Israeli military was not informed of the strikes, Ynet reported.

On August 3, the U.S. Embassy in Israel called on American citizens to “take

INSIDE THIS ISSUE “The First X-Men”

Feet in the desert

“Mein Kampf”

precautions” in traveling to the Sinai. The warning came a day after Israel’s National Security Council Counter-Terrorism Bureau called on “all Israelis in the Sinai to leave the area immediately and return home.” The embassy’s security message pointed out that there have been multiple kidnappings in the Sinai of U.S. citizens over the past four years and that kidnappings of foreign tourists in the Sinai have increased since January 2012. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from traveling to the Sinai, except by air to Sharm el Sheik.

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

Candle lighting August 17.........................................7:40 pm August 24.........................................7:30 pm August 31.........................................7:18 pm

A new comic book series features a A solar power company’s founder Germany plans to use “Mein PLUS young Magneto helping hunt down dreams of having all of Israel’s Kampf ” excerpts in schools in order Opinion...........................................................2 Nazi war criminals. power needs met by the sun. to demystify the book.

Jewish Community Center News............6 Story on page 4 Story on page 7 Story on page 15 D’var Torah...................................................8

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

a matter of opinion

America’s Middle East delusions

Reprinted courtesy of Arutz Sheva (Israel National News) When Samuel Huntington wrote his 1996 book, “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order,” many in the Western political arena considered it unnecessarily provocative – that is, until a beautiful Tuesday morning in New York City on September 11, 2001. The tragedy of 9/11 should have mandated a fundamental re-assessment of Western policies toward the Arab world. Instead, we continue to base our policies on delusions of our own making, rather than on the dangerous evolving realities that confront us in that region.

We in the West know what we desire, so we project that desire onto other nations, even those whose culture, mindset and historical experiences are totally different from our own. To make matters worse, we have developed policies based on these erroneous paradigms. Our weakness is our belief that democracy always results in good, which is why U.S. and European leaders saw the “Arab Spring” as the modern-day equivalent of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt. As a consequence, we have inadvertently facilitated the revitalization of pan-Islamic extremism and its goal of resurrecting its caliphate.

As products of the European Renaissance, we assumed that the vast majority of the Arab world wanted liberal democracy and the many freedoms that derive from it.

The reality, however, is quite different. The problem lies in the long-term dysfunctional

politics of Middle Eastern Islamic nations.

The U.N.’s Arab Human Development Reports, written by Arab intellectuals, have continuously reached damning conclusions about the lack of freedom, education, women’s rights and other factors holding

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Mark silverberG back the Arab world. As military historian and author James Corum wrote recently in The Telegraph, “True reform and democracy require a tolerance for peaceful protest, a free press, the rule of law, economic freedom and respect for the fundamental rights of groups and individuals. Successful democracy also requires constant adjustment and self-criticism by the political leadership.

All these essential elements of democracy took the West centuries to evolve. Unfortunately, not one Islamic nation in the Middle East has the cultural or legal traditions that might allow real democracy to evolve...

No Arab nation has succeeded in creating a political system that allows opposition parties to flourish, or allows for a regular and peaceful turnover of political power.

Such things are anathema to the Egyptian tradition.” Quite simply, you can’t build a democracy without a foundation.

As a result, Western leaders should not have been surprised when the Arab Spring turned out to be an Arab Winter. Elections, for better or for worse, are determined by demographics, and in Egypt the demographics and popular thinking were clear long before its parliamentary and presidential elections.

Either they weren’t listening or they were blind to the foreseeable consequences.

Gallup polls conducted in Egypt back in 2008 and again in 2010 had already determined that 95 percent of Egyptians wanted Islam to have greater influence in politics and 64 percent wanted Islamic sharia law to be the basis for legislation. A Pew Study conducted in 2010 found that 54 percent supported the separation of men and women in public places, 82 percent supported the stoning of adulterers, 84 percent endorsed the death penalty for apostates who leave Islam and 77 percent said thieves should be flogged or have their hands cut off. According to a summer 2009 World Public Opinion poll, 75 percent favored investing a body of “senior religious scholars” with “the power to overturn laws when it believes they are contrary to the Quran.”

It is attitudes such as these that have now delivered Egypt into the arms of Islam, or, more specifically, into the arms of the Sunni jihadist Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists, who, within the space of a few years, will begin introducing sharia into the daily lives of almost 90 million Egyptians. Today, millions of Arabs believe, as a matter of faith, that sharia law, empowered by Arab petro-dollars, blessed by Allah, promoted by jihad and encouraged by the perception of Western weakness – given Western retreats from Afghanistan and Iraq – will lead them back to global respect and prosperity, regional hegemony and their lost, great Caliphate. That is what they believe, and that is why 75 percent of Egyptians voted for the Muslim Brotherhood and its more extremist Salafist allies in the November 2011-January 2012 parliamentary election.

For Islamists like Mohammed Morsi, Islam is not just a religion; it is a comprehensive system that must govern all financial, judicial, social, familial, political, military, educational and even hygienic activity. It is not, as many Western leaders believe, just for prayer and worship. Morsi, however, is pragmatic and politically savvy enough not to overplay his hand at this time, due to Egypt’s need for a massive infusion of foreign currency. But change is coming.1

Although the Muslim Brotherhood’s extremist and violent nature has been toned down, its claims and actions, which, at this moment, appear to adhere to democratic principles, are merely tactical and a way for them to achieve their stealth jihad and, with it, absolute power. The Brotherhood does exactly what the Soviets did so well: It identifies what the target country’s elite want to hear and tailors its message to fit that narrative. In the early days of the revolution, the Muslim Brotherhood vowed that it had no interest in politics or power, and would not be standing for election in the new government. It also promised not to front a presidential candidate, but this was a lie as well, as 12 months later, the Brotherhood and its Islamist allies control the Egyptian parliament. In December 2011, Nicolas Kristof interviewed some Muslim Brothers in Ismailia who stated unequivocally that the Copts and the ancient Coptic Church have no reason to fear the Brotherhood. “Conservative Muslims,” he wrote “insisted that the Muslim Brotherhood is non-discriminatory, and the perfect home for pious Christians – and a terrific partner for the West.” Yet, during the recent presidential elections, Al Ahram reported that “the Muslim Brotherhood blockaded entire streets, prevented Copts at gunpoint from voting and threatened Christian families not to let their children go out and vote” for the secular candidate. A chameleon is still just a lizard that changes color to avoid detection.

In Arabic, Islam means “submission,” and the Muslim Brotherhood fully intends to demand it from its subjects, irrespective of Western delusions to the contrary. If Islam is to be identified with the state, criticism of the state will inevitably be prohibited and no laws will be above sharia laws. In the end, Islam will be a requirement for citizenship and for holding public office; non-Muslims, as second-class citizens, will be required to pay the jizya – a protection tax revived from the medieval period; legal and other social restrictions will be imposed on the rights of non-Muslims (most notably Coptic Christians, who represent 10 percent of the Egyptian population) to worship; women will be consigned to a new Dark Age; and a literal interpretation of mandatory, nonnegotiable sharia law will govern all aspects of Arab society.

This, however, did not stop James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, from telling the House Select Committee on Intelligence on February 10, 2011, that the U.S. had little to fear from the Muslim Brotherhood, as it was essentially “moderate and largely secular.” His address was made the day before then Egyptian president and longtime U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign from office (with U.S. urging), thereby paving the way for the ascendency of the Muslim Brotherhood to power.

In his testimony, Clapper said, “The term ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ is an umbrella term for a variety of movements. In the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, which has eschewed violence and has decriedAl-Qaida as a perversion of Islam. They have pursued social ends, betterment of the political order in Egypt, etc.” In short, we must “partner” with them as we would with any political party. After all, they are docile, liberal and non-violent. Thus, so the reasoning goes, if we accommodate them politically (i.e., accede to their calls for incremental acceptance of sharia), they will work with us in good faith and dissuade their followers from becoming Islamic extremists.

Under this utopian view, the Muslim Brotherhood is not an ideological jihadist enemy to be feared, but a political organization to be negotiated with and accommodated.

Excuse me? Isn’t this the same Muslim Brotherhood whose leaders call for the violent annihilation of Israel and for jihad against the U.S.; the same Muslim Brotherhood that birthed the leaders of Al-Qaida, Hamas, Egyptian Islamic Jihad and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; whose motto has not changed in 84

years: “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. The Koran is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope”; whose founder, Hassan al Banna, said, “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet”; and that has a long, violent history that includes bombings, assassinations and attempts to overthrow governments?

Truth be told, the West has invested heavily in the delusion that Islamic extremists like the Muslim Brotherhood can be moderated.

The Arab Spring, the Palestinian “Peace Process,” and every similar Western bid to transform the region presumed that powerlessness was the cause of Arab violence and that, conversely, empowerment would be the solution – another myth. Empower these Islamists, we are told, and they will be our friends. Give them weapons; control over a country; a ballot box; free and open elections; and billions of dollars, and they’ll be less inclined to blow themselves up while seeking 72 virgins on the Paradise Express.

But dropping this Western delusion appears to be out of the question. So we’ll write bigger checks, open International Monetary Fund doors for them, send advanced weapons to them and continue to pursue our delusions. Predictably, the equation that “Radical Islamists + power + money + weapons = peace” has proven to be a global disaster.

And yet, it’s easier to let denial carry us forward until, five years from now, as Islamic terrorism analyst Daniel Greenfield writes, “We’ll find our State Department explaining why Al-Qaida ruling Libya is actually a good thing for everyone.”

Why has the administration gotten it wrong everywhere? Perhaps because “hope for change” is not a policy, and certainly not a policy that ought to be pursued by the world’s last remaining superpower. There is no logical or historical precedent for empowering and funding Islamic extremists based on the hope of achieving moderation, peace and freedom.

The short of it is this – those who predicted that the Arab uprisings would bring on a new, friendly, multi-cultural, democratic Islam and an age of secularism, freedom and an end to the violence between Islam and the West were wrong. When this administration and the European Union supported “democracy” in the Arab world, what they were really supporting was the transition from secular autocracies to Islamic theocracies – neither of which enacted or will enact the liberal democratic reforms the West naively thought would result from the Arab Spring. One man, one vote, one time will be the most likely result.

Sharia law, as the Egyptians will soon discover, is incapable of resolving the vast economic problems that plague their society.

Today, millions of Egyptians are forced to live in cardboard boxes, trash bins and cemeteries in rundown cities and slums – and most of these impoverished millions voted for Morsi in the expectation that sharia law would solve their enormous economic, social and political problems.

But Egypt’s foreign reserves will be exhausted within a year; it desperately needs International Monetary Fund loans; the tourism industry that produced billions of dollars in annual revenue and hundreds of thousands of jobs is gone, as are its foreign investments and bankers; the country is on the verge of financial collapse; and even flour, which provides sustenance to 90 million Egyptians, is being imported from the West. These are not problems that sharia law is capable of resolving.

So, when you take into account rampant illiteracy; ancient tribal hatreds and rivalries; a lack of truly democratic institutions or processes; a controlled media; the absence of political and religious freedoms; poverty on a scale Westerners can’t imagine; an educational system that instills the idea in See “Delusions” on page 12

AUGUST 16, 2012 ■

THE REPORTER

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community news Temple Israel of Scranton to hold movie screening Temple Israel of Scranton will hold a showing of the Israeli film “A Matter of Size” on Saturday, August 18, following Havdalah in Levy Hall. The event will be free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served following the film.

The picture focuses on four overweight friends discouraged by dieting and their diet club’s failure to help. After losing

his job as a cook, the central protagonist, Herzl, discovers the world of Sumo wrestling while working as a dishwasher in a Japanese restaurant. He learns that their culture is one where large people can find acceptance and honor.

For Temple Israel members, a taxi service is available through the Al Brauner Fund. To arrange transportation, call the temple at 342-0350.

Congregation B’nai Harim Religious School registration open

By Lee Emerson Registration has begun for the Congregation B’nai Harim Religious School, a Reform Jewish congregation located at Pocono Crest Road at Rt. 940 and Sullivan Trail in Pocono Pines. Students ages 8½ and older will learn Hebrew, history and cultural aspects of Judaism in a “relaxed” atmosphere and taught by a certified teacher. The religious school meets twice monthly on the same Saturday as services. Classes meet for three hours, with varied learning modules in a one-room school setting.

There is also a “Little Scholars” program for 5-8-yearolds, as well as a Teen Youth Group for those 13 and older.

The Little Scholars Program and Teen Youth Group have been opened to non-affiliated families. Non-affiliated teenagers will be entitled to a ticket to the High Holidays.

For registration information and application forms, visit www.bnaiharimpoconos.org or call the message center at 646-0100.

Religious school will begin on Saturday, September 8, at 9 am.

With poetry and scholarship, Daf Yomi Talmud study grows beyond Orthodox tunity to showcase the strength of so-called Torah Judaism and its resurgence in America following the Holocaust.

Indeed, the Holocaust was the first subject that the chairman of the event, Elly Kleinman of Agudath Israel of America, talked about in the night”s opening speech, and the Jews’ survival and religious resurrection since the Nazis was a recurrent theme throughout the evening. But the night’s official theme was Jewish unity, something one speaker See “Daf Yomi” on page 14

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Thursday, August 16.......................... August 30 Thursday, Auguat 30.................... September 13 Thursday, September 13............... September 27 Thursday, September 27....................October 11

2012 UJA Campaign Honor Roll correction Alan Goldstein's name was inadvertently omitted from our 2012 UJA Campaign Honor Roll, for which the Federation sincerely apologizes.

On behalf of a grateful community, we thank him together with our many other contributors for his generous gift to our 2012 UJA Campaign.

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By Uriel Heilman EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (JTA) – As a light drizzle tapered off over MetLife Stadium, more than 90,000 Jews packed into the home of the NFL’s Jets and Giants for an event quite unlike any the popular sports and concert venue had ever seen. They came dressed in black and white, but not for any sports team. Instead of a raucous kickoff, there was a hushed Mincha prayer. And in place of hot dogs, cheesesteaks and beer there was babka, danish and mineral water from a company based in Lakewood, NJ, a center of yeshiva study.

But as at the football games and rock concerts, there was exhilaration at the stadium Auugst 1 for the Siyum HaShas – the completion of the 2,711-page Shas, or Talmud, in the page-a-day study cycle known as the Daf Yomi, literally “Daily Page.”

The excitement was evident in the furrowed brows of concentration on congregants” faces during the prayer services, in the impassioned speeches onstage, and during the heady singing and dancing that followed the end of the special Kaddish marking the completion of the Talmud.

For the organizers of the siyum, the event was an oppor-

Shmulik Cohen, Dvir Benedek, Alon Dahan, Togo Igawa and Itzik Cohen star in “A Matter of Size.” (Photo courtesy of Menemsha Films)

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

An X-Man takes aim at Nazi war criminals

By Rafael Medoff JNS.org From the demented geneticist known as Mr. Sinister to the evil giant Juggernaut, the X-Men have battled some pretty wild foes over the years. But in an upcoming five-issue mini-series called “The First X-Men,” one member of the Marvel superhero team will take on some villains seen more in the real world than in the world of comic books: Nazi war criminals.

“The First X-Men,” which will debut in August, marks the return of one of the most famous and beloved artists in the heroes’ 60-year history, Neal Adams.

During his tenure as artist on Marvel’s X-Men comic book in 1969-1970, Adams’ ultra-realistic artistic style and innovative composition stunned the comic book world. Those issues are still widely regarded by comic fans and professionals alike as the high point in the history of the X-Men. The Holocaust unexpectedly appeared in the biography of the X-Men’s arch-nemesis, Magneto, in a five-issue Marvel miniseries in 2008, called “Magneto: Testament.”

The writers showed how Magneto discovered his powers as a result of his experiences as a child prisoner in Auschwitz.

Also included in that “Testament” miniseries was Adams’ graphic depiction of the real-life plight of Dina Babbitt and her family, in their battle for the return of portraits that she painted while a prisoner in Auschwitz, and which are being held by the Auschwitz Museum in Poland.

Babbitt was forced to create the paintings by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele, the “Angel of Death,” under pain of death and to spare her mother’s life. “The return of this artwork is an ongoing campaign for all involved, and worthy of a major media campaign,” Adams tells JNS.org. “The history of the abuse of the state over the individual dies slowly, and is always out there, to again rear its ugly head.”

The Magneto-Nazis theme was also included in the most recent X-Men movie, “X-Men: First Class” (2011).

Now it returns to the comic books in the upcoming Adams miniseries.

The new series, coauthored with Christos Gage, will be a prequel, focusing on the activities of an earlier set of X-Men, led by one very special member of the current X-Men, who team up to undertake an unusual mission. Also reluctantly on the team is the young Magneto, who at that time had not yet emerged as a villain, and was instead devoting himself to hunting down Nazi war criminals.

“The Nazi war criminal angle is not the focus of the story, but it figures into the plot in some interesting ways,” says Adams, careful not to give away too much before the release of the comics.

Adams has more than a passing interest in the Holocaust. Raised on a U.S. military base in postwar Germany, Adams learned about the Nazi genocide close up and at an early age. “In school, they showed us some pretty harrowing stuff – newsreel footage of what the Allied troops found when they liberated the camps, severely emaciated prisoners, huge piles of dead bodies,” he recalls. “It was very hard for a 9-year-old to take. I came home from school and wouldn’t speak to anyone for a full week.”

Coincidentally, Adams’ own mother-in-law, Ruth Susser, was also a Holocaust-era artist who used her artwork to save lives. Susser fled Nazi-occupied Poland in 1940 and eventually made her way to the relative safety of Tangiers, Morocco. While waiting for permission to immigrate to the United States, she helped the Polish Embassy in Tangiers design counterfeit documents to help other Jews escape Poland.

Adams is the artist on a series of animated shorts about Americans who spoke out against the Holocaust, created See “X-Man” on page 6

A panel from “The First X-Men.” (Photo courtesy of Marvel)

AUGUST 16, 2012 ■

NO GIFT TOUCHES MORE LIVES

THE REPORTER

Be A Mensch!

BE A SUPER SUNDAY/SUPER WEEK VOLUNTEER SUPER WEEK OCTOBER 15-16, 2012

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Many volunteers are needed to assist with SUPER SUNDAY and SUPER WEEK. With your help, we can strengthen and preserve Jewish life in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Israel, and more than 59 countries around the world.

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The Jewish Federation is proud to give a helping hand to the businesses, business professionals, and non-profit organizations of NEPA during these difficult economic times by creating the NEPA Jewish Federation Business & Trade Alliance.

It will allow people from Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Wayne and Pike counties 24/7 access to: . Exchange Business Leads . Promote your Business . Develop Critical Business Skills and Solutions

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Sign up for membership at http://JewishNepaBTA.org If you have not yet registered your business on our new Alliance web site, please contact Mark Silverberg at 570-961-2300 (ext. 1) or mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org with your contact person, business name, business phone number, business e-mail address, and regular business postal address to ensure further Business and Trade Alliance communications and event invitations.

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

jewish community center news Social Adult Club news

By Emily Trunzo The Social Adult Club has participated in several programs so far this summer. The seniors visited New York City in April to see the Broadway play “Ghost.” The trip included a stop at Ben’s Kosher Restaurant.

In May, the seniors traveled again, this time to Mt. Airy Lodge for a day of gaming. The seniors had a choice of where to eat at the casino. Most chose the casino buffet as on Wednesdays the seniors can eat at the buffet for a special price. Almost everyone came home a winner.

The Social Adult Club enjoyed a hot dog party at the JCC campsite on July 2.

The lunch included grilled hot dogs, baked beans, potato chips, pickles, watermelon and

Tim Lauffenburger welcomed attendees to the dinner and introduced Ruth Kaye.

cake. After lunch, the musical group Wildfire performed. Attendees played various games, danced and enjoyed the music.

Upcoming activities for summer and fall have been planned for the seniors.

The last program of the movie festival will be held on Monday, August 29.

“The Artist” will be shown. The movie will begin right after lunch and will be

free to SAC members.

The SAC members will travel to the Radisson for trivia, a tour, lunch and a musical play on Thursday, September 13. Reservations are currently being taken.

The seniors have enjoyed two dinner programs this summer. The first was a dinner and bingo. The second was dinner and a show presented by Ruth Kaye.

There will be two more dinners this fall. There will be dinner and bingo on Tuesday, October 16, while the last dinner until spring will be held on Tuesday,

November 13, which will be followed by music by the Poets.

There will be a Mah Jongg tournament on Wednesday, October 24.

In addition to these events, there is exercise on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 10-11 am. Torah discussion with Rabbi Dovid Saks is held on Mondays at 11 am; on Tuesday there is bridge at 1 pm; and Thursday there is Mah Jongg at 10 am and after lunch.

For any questions about the Social Adult Club or to join, contact Tim Lauffenburger at 346-6595, ext. 135.

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Ruth Kaye entertained Social Adult Club members.

Jewish Federation of NEPA

Facebook ® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc

Congregation B’nai Harim is looking for a Religious School teacher for the 2012-2013 school year.

Religious School classes are held two Saturdays a month. Each session is 3 hours in length and includes Hebrew and Judaic studies. We are a one-room school house with children from age 8 1/2 and up and also have a teacher assistant who works with the beginners.

Continued from page 4

with Disney Educational Productions and the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies. The first five episodes of the series are available online at TheySpokeOut.com.

The next five will include an installment about U.S. policy concerning war criminals, both during the Holocaust and in response to the recent Darfur genocide.

The issue of Nazi war criminals has surfaced in comic books on occasion over the years. Adams points to a 1955 comic strip called “Master Race,” drawn by Bernie Krigstein and published by EC Comics, which featured a confrontation between a Holocaust survivor and a Nazi war criminal.

“Both the story and artwork were groundbreaking, and ‘Master Race’ remains one of the most influential comic strips of all time,” Adams says.

He hopes that the upcoming “First XMen” series will help keep the issue of war criminals in the public eye. “Sadly, the problem of war criminals evading justice is a major problem in today’s world,” Adams notes. He says he was heartened by the outpouring of public interest in the recent YouTube video “Kony 2012,” which documents atrocities committed by Joseph Kony, leader of the Ugandan terrorists known as the Lord’s Resistance Army. The video has been viewed more than 91 million times since its release in March.

At the same time, Adams is disappointed by the apparent lack of interest in capturing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2009 for sponsoring the Darfur genocide, yet remains a free man.

“If we had a genocide survivor with powers like Magneto, bringing Kony and Bashir

At right: The cover of “The First X-Men” mini-series, which features a superhero who takes on Nazi war criminals. (Photo courtesy of Marvel) to justice wouldn’t be a problem,” Adams remarks. “But this is the real world, which means we need real people to care and to pressure their governments to take action to capture these mass murderers. Perhaps ‘The First X-Men’ will help get more people to start thinking about that.”

Dr. Rafael Medoff is director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, and coauthor, with Prof. Sonja Schoepf Wentling, of the new book “Herbert Hoover and the Jews: The Origins of the ‘Jewish Vote’ and Bipartisan Support for Israel.”

We are a 35 minute drive from Scranton, located on Sullivan Road, off Rte. 940 in Pocono Pines, PA. For additional information, please contact the temple and leave a message at 570-646-0100 or Barbara Kapitansky, Religious School Director at 570-646-4668.

Planning on leaving town for a few months?

Going on a long vacation? Moving any time soon?

You can help save the Jewish Federation money by informing us of your plans and preventing the U.S. Postal Service from charging us for returned mail and address change notices.

Before you go, call the Federation office or send us an email and let us know if you would like the mail sent temporarily to a different address, at no charge to you, or halted for a certain number of months. Give us a chance to get it right for you on the first mailing.

Contact Dassy at (570)961-2300 or dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

ish Federatio n’s he Jew t n em o u ail o y

lis e t?

Ar We send updated announcements and special

event details weekly to those who wish to receive them.

Send Dassy Ganz an email if you would like to join the list.

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AUGUST 16, 2012 ■

THE REPORTER

Head in the clouds and feet in the desert, Yosef Abramowitz dreams of Israeli solar power

By Ben Sales TEL AVIV (JTA) – Yosef Abramowitz is running out of time. With only minutes to go until he has to speak to a group of donors at the Jewish National Fund, Abramowitz looks like he just finished a workout. He’s wearing sneakers, shorts and a white T-shirt featuring an outline of David Ben-Gurion’s head superimposed on the picture of a sun.

He excuses himself from the table at a Tel Aviv café and jogs to the bathroom to change into his “costume,” which includes slacks and a clean, ironed shirt. Immediately after the donor meeting, he flies to the United States for a few weeks to court more donors.

Abramowitz, 48, is fund-raising for the Arava Power Company, which aims ultimately to provide 10 percent of Israel’s energy needs through solar power. The company now has a 4.9-megawatt field up and running in the Negev Desert, and is building a 40-megawatt field nearby.

It’s an unlikely mission for the Boston-raised Abramowitz: His background is in human rights activism and journalism, not science and technology. “Isn’t that crazy? It’s the craziest thing,” he said. “It’s not like you wake up one day and say, ‘I’m going to move to Israel and do solar.’”

But as he tells it, that’s more or less what happened.

After success as a college student in the 1980s fighting for imprisoned Soviet Jewry activists in Russia and against apartheid in South Africa, Abramowitz served in the Israeli Defense Forces and earned a graduate degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism. Abramowitz, whose activism has rankled the organized Jewish world for years, then spent the 1990s and early 2000s writing for a handful of Jewish publications. His journalism career included writing a 1996 series of articles that called into question JNF’s finances.

In 2006, looking for a quiet lifestyle, he and his wife moved with their children – they have five, including two adopted from Ethiopia – to Kibbutz Ketura, near Israel’s southern tip, where Abramowitz had volunteered following high school. The plan was to spend the year writing, but Abramowitz scrapped that almost immediately upon arriving at the kibbutz. “We got there on August 24 at end of the day, and this hot rush of air just hits you, and you go ‘Oh my God,’ and the sun is setting and it’s burning my skin,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’m sure the whole place works on solar power.’”

It didn’t because no commercial solar power existed in Israel. Hoping to change that, Abramowitz partnered with Ed Hofland, an investor who lived on the kibbutz, and David Rosenblatt, an investor based in New Jersey, to found the Arava company. Since then, Abramowitz laments the “100 regulatory battles” he says he’s had to fight against the Israeli government to build the 4.9-megawatt field, which began running last year, and to launch several other solar energy projects.

Officials from the Public Utilities Authority, which administers Israel’s energy infrastructure, did not respond

to several calls for comment.

For Abramowitz, the process is grating. While he has launched ventures and organized campaigns before, and while he understands budgets and bills, he speaks the language of a social justice organizer, not a businessman. He calls his work “Zionist activism” and likens himself to Don Quixote “slaying dragons and tilting at windmills.”

Abramowitz’s analogy for APC’s success is the story of the Soviet Jewry movement, not the achievements of other solar companies. “My point of view was, I can get a Prisoner of Zion out of solitary in the gulag and we can’t change the laws in our own country?” he said. “It was just clear as day that it was doable.”

To Abramowitz’s employees, his idealistic attitude is both an inspiration and, at times, a hindrance. Engineer Ram Duani calls Abramowitz the dream “of every engineer: He has the vision, he has the money and he wants to invest in something new.”

See “Solar” on page 16

7

Arava Power Company's 4.9-megawatt field sits right outside of Kibbutz Ketura in Israel. (Photo courtesy Arava Power Company)

L-r: Ed Hofland, David Rosenblatt and Yosef Abramowitz, co-founders of the Arava Power Company. (Photo courtesy Arava Power Company)

SAVE THE DATE - MISSION TO HARRISBURG TUESDAY OCTOBER 16, 2012

MEETINGS WITH STATE REPRESENTATIVES TOUR OF THE CAPITAL BUILDING AND MEETING WITH THE NEW ISRAELI CONSULATE-GENERAL

Yaron Sideman, Consul General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region Elad Strohmayer, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region

FOR DETAILS AND TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION CONTACT DASSY at 570-961-2300 x2 or Dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

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

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

d’var torah ABINGTON TORAH CENTER

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

BETH SHALOM CONGREGATION

Rabbi Yisroel Brotsky 1025 Vine St., Scranton, PA 18510, (corner of Vine & Clay Ave.) 570-346-0502 • fax: 570-346-8800 Weekday – Shacharit: Sun 8 am; Mon, Thurs. & Rosh Chodesh, 6:30 am; Tue, Wed & Fri, 6:45 am; Sat & Holidays, 8:45 am.

Mincha during the week is approx. 10 minutes before sunset, followed by Maariv.

BICHOR CHOLEM CONGREGATION/ CHABAD OF THE ABINGTONS Rabbi Benny Rapoport President: Richard I. Schwartz 749 Northern Blvd., Clarks Summit, PA 18411 570-587-3300 • Website: www.JewishNEPA.com Saturday morning Shabbat Service 9:30 am.

Call or visit us online for our bi-weekly schedule

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

CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL Affiliation: Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Allan L. Smith President: Henry M. Skier Contact Person: Len London (570) 698-9651 615 Court Street, Honesdale, PA 18431 570-253-2222 • fax: 570-226-1105

CONGREGATION B’NAI HARIM

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

JEWISH FELLOWSHIP OF HEMLOCK FARMS

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 570-344-3011 Saturday morning Shabbat 7:30 am; also services for Yizkor

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS

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

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF SCRANTON

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

False gods and modern idolatry

by RABBI PEG KERSHENBAUM, CONGREGATION B’NAI HARIM, POCONO PINES Re’eh, Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 I am a pluralist, trained at a pluralist seminary to respect diversity in the Jewish world and in the world at large. So, when I began to write this d’var Torah, I wondered what the following verses come to teach us today: “2. You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshiped their gods, whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree. 3. Tear down their altars, smash their pillars, put their sacred posts to the fire, and cut down the images of their gods, obliterating their name from that site.” (Deuteronomy 12:2-3) I recalled the disapproval I had felt when visiting Turkey with a guide who proudly pointed to where her co-religionists had defaced some magnificent ancient Greek treasures because of similar scriptural teachings from another holy book. It was the same type of seemingly gratuitous contempt that ended up costing the world access to more understanding of different peoples through their art and through their expression of the divine.

Our Torah portion returns repeatedly to the topic of the lure of other gods and other cultures, warning against the physical remains of cultic worship, against false prophets enticing worship of other divinities, even against family members, friends and neighbors who would coerce the faithful into forbidden and abhorrent practices. Of course, we know from the words of the Ten Commandments, reiterated just a few chapters prior to our section, that we are not to worship other gods. It would appear to be the height of ingratitude to consort with divinities with whom we had no ties after the miraculous treatment we had received every step of the way from Mitzrayim to the boarders of the Promised Land because of God’s love for us. But why the dire threats? Why the directives of destruction?

Is idolatry so antithetical to worship of our One God that the first order of business upon entering the land must be to eliminate all traces of its practice?

In short, yes. One of the most essential teachings of Judaism is that all human beings are made in the image of the one God who made the heavens and the earth, who frees the captive, cares for the helpless and commands us to emulate divine action as far as humanly possible. Were we

to divide our time and energy among a pantheon of different divinities, we might forget to see the image of God in our fellow human beings and begin to think that personal pleasure could replace interpersonal responsibility or that loyalty to a god precluded acts of kindness to people or acts of tikkun olam for all creation.

In the many centuries since the words of Re’eh were written, we have learned to live alongside many peoples without rushing to destroy their houses of worship and without denigrating their paths to religious living. The words of the Torah portion are not to be taken literally, but they can give us pause even today, even in our culturally mixed environment, for there are many things present to seduce us from our path.

We are all familiar with how easily distractible people have become. It isn’t necessarily the case that we turn to evil practices, but that we don’t turn from these false gods at all! Some false gods that we follow are those created by our remarkable modern culture. We show our devotion by pursuing material wealth, lusting after personal advancement or relentlessly following fads and fashions. Perhaps our verses challenge us to put aside those practices that keep us from becoming more responsive to what is expected of us as serious Jews and responsible human beings.

Recently, such a challenge was issued as more than 40,000 extremely observant Jewish men gathered in New York’s Citi Field for a rally against what they see as a pervasive threat created by the dominant culture: the Internet. The ostensible theme of the rally was that unfiltered use of what some very pious rabbis see as a trove of temptation and morass of immorality is detrimental to the spiritual wellbeing of the faithful. Much was said to denigrate use of the Internet, and doubtless the influence of the speakers on the behavior of the audience will be noticeable, but it had to be acknowledged that the Internet is needed by thousands of those in attendance to make a living. Indeed, the event was live-streamed to thousands unable to attend!

What price this modern idolatry? While few of us reading this newspaper would wish to destroy the icons of our culture or reject as forbidden the fruits of scientific achievements, if we were totally honest we might acknowledge that our online practices, whether via computers or phones, See “False” on page 16

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.

With best wishes, Mark Silverberg, Executive Director Jewish Federation of NE Pennsylvania 601 Jefferson Avenue Scranton, PA 18510

I WILL SUPPORT CONTINUATION OF OUR EXPANDED FEDERATION REPORTER BY CONTRIBUTING $36

$54

$100

OTHER AMT $

Name (s) (as you wish to appear on our list of “FRIENDS”) _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Address:________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone:_________________________________________________________________________________________ __Check here if you prefer your name not to be published Please write and send tax deductible checks to Jewish Federation, 601 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510

AUGUST 16, 2012 ■

THE REPORTER

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

2013 UJA Jeff Rubel 2013 UJA Campaign Co-Chairman

Don Douglass, Esq. 2013 UJA Campaign Co-Chairman

A Message from our 2013 UJA Campaign Co-Chairmen Dear Friends: Once again, we are embarking on one of the noblest challenges in Jewish life – that of raising the necessary funds to continue actively building and strengthening our Jewish communities.

Hundreds of dedicated volunteers and generous supporters across Northeastern PA will join us this year to make a difference.

Your commitment to Jewish survival and your support during our 2013 UJA Campaign will help insure a quality Jewish life here, in Israel and for Jews in 57 countries throughout the world.

We want to share with you some 2011-2012 Campaign statistics that were provided to us recently from our National Federation office. There are sixty (60) Federations our size in the U.S., and our Campaign is ranked eighth (8th) – no small achievement given our aging population and the state of our economy.

In addition, our "Israel and Overseas allocation" (taken as a percentage of our gross annual Campaign) is one of the highest in the country – 32%.

It's because of our historical generosity to Jewish causes – local, regional, national and international – that we are in a position to offer such a wide variety of social, cultural, educational and recreational programs and services to our communities that simply don't exist in any Federation our size in this country.

The funds raised during our annual UJA Campaign have allowed us, for the first time in a decade, to increase our allocations to our educational, cultural, recreational and social service agencies that serve the Jewish communities of Northeastern PA. For your generosity, we are most grateful, and we hope you will continue to share your good fortune with our "family."

If we've achieved more than other Federations our size, it's because we've always understood our responsibilities to our communities, to our People, and to Israel - none of which could have been done without our Annual UJA Campaign.

Please be part of this noble enterprise and respond generously to our 2013 UJA Campaign solicitors when you are asked to do so this year.

It's not how much you contribute that matters as much as your act of giving and your recognition that you are "part of our Jewish family."

Your commitment will help write the next memorable chapter in Jewish history – a history that has always reflected the caring of one Jew for another.

Thank you, Jeff Rubel, Co-Chairman Don Douglass, Esq., Co-Chairman 2013 UJA Campaign 2013 UJA Campaign

Super Sunday

Make the call! Answer the call!

Federation is committed to securing the future of the Jewish communities of Northeastern Pennsylvania and to rescuing the imperiled, caring for the vulnerable, supporting Israel and world Jewry, and insuring a strong Jewish presence here and around the world for our posterity. This is done through advocacy, education, scholarships, subsidies, grants, allocations, planning and special programs that assist Jews of all ages and affiliations engage in Jewish life.

By your gift, you help children, teens, adults, and the elderly here in Northeastern Pennsylvania and throughout the world.

DO A MITZVAH! VOLUNTEER FOR SUPER SUNDAY! UJA Super Sunday Sunday, October 14, 2012 Nivert Metal Supply (Throop, PA) 8:30 am - 1:30 pm (Breakfast at 8:30 am sharp)

Answer the call

UJA Super Week Monday-Tuesday, October 15-16, 2012 Scranton JCC 6 pm - 9 pm

Please keep the trust.

Answer the call on Super Sunday & Super Week.

Your gift will save lives.

Volunteers are asked to contact the Federation at 570-961-2300 (ext. 4) or e-mail Mark Silverberg at mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org for further details.

Campaign Opening Event Northeastern Pennsylvania Premiere "Unmasked: Judeophobia And The Threat To Civilization"

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Sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania Sunday evening, September 9, 2012 Doors open 6:30 pm | Film begins promptly at 7 pm Scranton Jewish Community Center | 601 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton Post-screening discussion with Special Guest: Film Director Gloria Greenfield ggreenfield@docemetproductions.com There is no admission charge for the program

rom the creators of "The Case for Israel: Democracy's Outpost" (2009) comes a meticulous examination of rising anti-Jewish ideology. The current political assault against the state of Israel is a war against the Jewish people and their right to self-determination. Jews are facing a threat much greater than a military threat in the battlefield or a traditional terror threat in urban centers. They are facing the possible uprooting of the very idea that there should be a nation state of the Jewish people.

Filmmaker Gloria Greenfield travels from Israel to Europe to North America, covering this phenomenon from all angles, including Christian and Islamic polemics against Jews, the proliferation of anti-Israeli bias in academia and cultural institutions, misinformation campaigns and state-sanctioned denials of Israel's right to exist.

The film examines this concerted antisemitic campaign that is catching on in many parts of the world – among academics and intellectuals and in major American and European publications. The growing international assault by mainstream and radical groups is also an assault against democratic values, making this a matter of serious concern for free countries everywhere.

Wide-ranging interviews include such eloquent and respected voices as commentator Alan Dershowitz, Senator Joe Lieberman, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, human rights activist Natan Sharansky, British attorney Anthony Julius, Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon, among many others.

"Unmasked: Judeophobia And The Threat To Civilization" is a call to action and urgent reminder that antisemitism is a menace not only to Jews, but to the human condition itself.

No admission charge – Reservations requested Dessert reception to follow Please join us for our 2013 UJA Campaign Opening Event.

For reservations, please call Rae Magliocchi at 570-961-2300 (ext. 4)

UJA Major Gifts Grand Brunch Stephen Flatow

"The Jewish Experience in Coping with Tragedy" Sunday, September 23, 2012 | 10:30 am | Home of Michael & Kathleen Karnoff 145 Carbondale Rd., Waverly, PA 18471

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RSVP by no later than Wednesday, September 19, 2012

tephen Flatow is an attorney whose 20-year-old daughter Alisa died as a result of injuries sustained during a terrorist attack in Israel in April of 1995. She was a student studying abroad.

Acting under U.S. law, Flatow and his family sued the Islamic Republic of Iran as the sponsor of the terrorist attack which took Alisa's life. In March 1998, he obtained a damage award against the Government of Iran – an award based upon Iran's own budget allocation for funding "resistance" (terrorism) abroad.

A father of five, his message is one of unity of the Jewish people, continuity and Jewish identity. Flatow has been involved in Jewish communal affairs for many years. He is a former member of the Boards of Trustees of the Nanuet Hebrew Center in Nanuet, New York; Congregation Ahawas Achim B'nai Jacob & David in West Orange, New Jersey; and the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in West Caldwell, New Jersey. He is a founder and immediate past president of Congregation Ohr Torah in West Orange and a member of the Board of Trustees of Bat Torah Academy in Suffern, New York.

Flatow and his wife were honored as "Parents of the Year" by the Parents Council of the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in 1994.

We would be honored if you and your family would join us.

Minimum Gift – $1,500 as an individual gift or as a gift from either spouse Under dietary supervision

NOW, IT’S OUR TURN for ourselves, for our c

AUGUST 16, 2012 ■

Campaign Pocono UJA Campaign 2013 Pocono UJA Opening Event Sunday, September 23, 2012 | Temple Israel of the Poconos 711 Wallace St., Stroudsburg, PA

Stephen Flatow

"The Jewish Experience in Coping with Tragedy"

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he Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania cordially invites you to attend our 10th annual Pocono UJA Campaign Opening Event with our special guest Stephen Flatow.

Hors d'oeuvres: 5:30 pm She was a 2006 grant Program: 7 pmrecipient for her anthracite cabaret - ‘Black Diamonds for a Blues Lady’ performed in a workshop at MaryDessert Reception: 8 North pm East Theatre and The Anthracite wood University and The Cover charge: $10 per person Heritage Museum.

Free parking available

A gift to our 2013 UJA Campaign would be appreciated.

RSVP to 570-961-2300 (ext. 4) by no later than Wednesday, September 19, 2012.

All are welcome.

THE REPORTER

2013 UJA Campaign Calendar Campaign Opening Event

"Unmasked Judeophobia: A Threat to Civilization" Sunday, September 9, 2012 Scranton Jewish Community Center 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA Film showing: 7 pm Open to the Jewish community at no charge Dessert Reception to follow

Major Gifts Brunch

($1,500 minimum gift from either spouse) Stephen Flatow "The Jewish Experience in Coping with Tragedy" Sunday, September 23, 2012 10:30 am Home of Michael & Kathleen Karnoff 145 Carbondale Rd., Waverly, PA 18471

10th Annual Pocono UJA Campaign Opening Event Stephen Flatow "The Jewish Experience in Coping with Tragedy" Sunday, September 23, 2012 Temple Israel of the Poconos 711 Wallace St., Stroudsburg, PA Hors d'oeuvres: 5:30 pm Program: 7 pm Dessert Reception: 8 pm Cover charge: $10 per person A gift to our 2013 UJA Campaign would be appreciated RSVP to 570-961-2300 (ext. 4)

Super Sunday

Sunday, October 14, 2012 8:30 am - 1:30 pm Nivert Metal Supply (Throop, PA)

Super Week

Monday, October 15 – Tuesday, October 16, 2012 6 pm - 9 pm Scranton JCC

2013 Women's UJA Campaign Event

Barbara Dexter – harpist Thursday, October 18, 2012 – Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania (Scranton, PA) 7 pm Sunday, October 21, 2012 – Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms (Lords Valley, PA) 2 pm Admission: $5.00

NoN-SolicitatioN dayS 2012 - 2013 JewiSh holy dayS

2013 Women’s Campaign Events Thursday, October 18, 2012 | 7 pm | Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania | 1101 Vine St., Scranton, PA 18510 Sunday, October 21, 2012 | 2 pm | Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms | 1516 Hemlock Farms, Lords Valley, PA 18428

BARBARA DEXTER Renowned Harpist

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renowned harpist, Barbara Dexter has been sharing her musical talents since the age of 7. She has entertained audiences at large social events and participated in numerous choral and musical productions. She has established an ensemble of harpists called Serenity that promotes the healing effects of music at nursing homes, schools and churches.

Currently, she plays at St. Joseph's Center (Scranton) for the severely mentally and physically challenged, and has personally seen the benefits of the healing power of music on these precious souls. Prior to her work at St. Joseph's Center, she was part of Pastoral Services at Scranton's Community Medical Center (CMC) where she played her harp at bedsides in the ICU-CCU, Neonatal ICU, Hospice and the Behavior Unit.

The Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania is proud to have Barbara Dexter entertain our guests at our 2013 Women's UJA Campaign events, at which time she will share not only her harp music but some of her personal experiences on the healing power of its sound.

Admission: $5.00 per person

An RSVP to 570-961-2300 (ext. 4) would be appreciated

N. Let’s make it count….. children, for Israel, forever.

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(The Holy Days end one hour after sundown.)

Rosh hashanah (Jewish New Year. Begins ten (10) days of penitence.)

Sunday, September 16, 2012 – Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown Monday, September 17, 2012 – first day of Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 18, 2012 – second day of Rosh Hashanah yom Kippur (Day of Atonement. The most solemn of the Holy Days devoted to prayer and fasting.)

Tuesday, September 25, 2012 – Yom Kippur starts at sundown Wednesday, September 26, 2012 – Yom Kippur Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles. Jews are commanded to dwell in temporary shelters as their ancestors the Israelites did in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.)

Sunday, September 30, 2012 – Sukkot starts at sundown Monday, October 1, 2012 - first day of Sukkot Tuesday, October 2, 2012 – second day of Sukkot Shemini Atzeret (Conclusion of Sukkot) Sunday, October 7, 2012 – Shemini Atzeret starts at sundown Monday, October 8, 2012 – Shemini Atzeret Simchat Torah (Celebrates the conclusion of the year-long cycle of reading the Torah – the Five Books of Moses – and renewing the cycle) Monday, October 8, 2012 – Simchat Torah starts at sundown Tuesday, October 9, 2012 – Simchat Torah Passover (The Festival of Freedom, recounting the deliverance from slavery.

This is an eight (8) day observance and includes special dietary rules. The first two and last two days are observed as Holy Days.)

Monday, March 25, 2013 – Passover starts at sundown Tuesday, March 26, 2013 – first opening day of Passover Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - second opening day of Passover Monday, April 1, 2013 – first closing day of Passover Tuesday, April 2, 2013 – second closing day of Passover Shavuot (Commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai.)

Tuesday, May 14, 2013 – Shavuot starts at sundown Wednesday, May 15, 2013 – first day of Shavuot Thursday, May 16, 2013 – second day of Shavuot

12

THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

Delusions

its children that their lives are meaningless other than to be used in the cause of killing and dying for Allah; and all-encompassing sharia law, and add to this a history of humiliation and defeats; and a culture of victimhood that blames the West, Israel, Zionists and Jews (who, for all intents and purposes, are treated as a single entity) as the sole source of their misfortune – the prognosis for peace or the evolution of truly democratic institutions in the Arab world are highly unlikely for the foreseeable future.

When these millions of impoverished Arab supporters of the Brotherhood come to realize that they have been betrayed again, it will be the treachery of the West and Western intelligence agencies, and especially the Jews, the Zionists and Israel, not their own incompetence and dysfunctional societies that will be blamed, because Arab society has yet to liberate itself from the fears, conspiracy theories and prejudices that have plagued it for centuries.

This administration fails to understand that the reason its overtures to the Arab/Persian world have failed so miserably throughout the past many years is simply because you can’t moderate regimes such as these. They have lost any respect they may have had for the West and no longer fear any consequences for pursuing their jihad against us, especially since we are currently pursuing a policy that pretends they are really our friends, should be accommodated and can be moderated once in power.

There is no historical precedent in the Arab world for this belief. If anything, the opposite is the case. The Ba’athist regime in Syria remains autocratic and barbaric after a halfcentury in power; Iran, with its Revolutionary Guards Corps and its Hezbollah proxy, has become the world’s largest exporter of global terrorism; Hamas, the Palestinian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, remains a terrorist organization ensconced in Gaza; and although the PLO and Fatah signed

the Oslo Accords after one-third of a century of terrorism, they have failed to fulfill any of their commitments in those accords. While the movement’s tactics have changed, its basic doctrine and long-term strategy have not – the destruction of Israel and the subjugation of its people to sharia.

And as for education, Islamist movements in power tend to educate their children on the virtues of being “martyrs for Allah,” the dishonor inherent in any compromise and the glories of jihad or holy war.

While the U.S. government has been claiming that its “outstretched hand approach” to Hamas, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood will win it new friends in the Middle East, the polls and the Arab Spring suggest otherwise. According to a July 2011 Zogby International Poll that surveyed Arab opinion on U.S. foreign policy for the Middle East in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Washington is now less popular in major Arab countries than it was when George W. Bush was in the White House.

And why is that? Because in the Arab/Persian world, U.S. efforts to seek accommodations and compromises enhance the perception of U.S. weakness, undermine U.S. effectiveness as a global power and draw contempt and derision from those whom the U.S. seeks to accommodate. From the Arab/Persian perspective, compromise is abhorrent. It denotes weakness, projects cowardice, brings dishonor and shame, and undermines their legitimacy to rule.

Case in point: Iran. Western efforts to dissuade the Islamic rulers of Iran from their nuclear quest is not only pointless, but dangerous. Contrary to what U.S. State Department officials say, the Iranian mullahs are not rational actors who will eventually find it in their best economic interests to give up their nuclear program. Nor will the computer viruses, spyware, espionage or the sale of faulty equipment inhibit

JFNEPA

Continued from page 2 it. For the Iranians, security and ideological concerns far and away exceed economic ones.

First, from a security perspective, they know full well that if Saddam Hussein and Muammar Khaddafi had retained their nuclear arsenals, neither country would have been invaded by the Western powers.

Second, from its inception in 1979, the Islamic regime has based its existence on three fundamental principles – spreading Islam through jihad, belief in Islam’s divinelyordained victory and the struggle against U.S. imperialism – each of which is essential for maintaining their power, credibility and their legitimacy to rule, and none of which are subject to compromise. Against this, economic sacrifices mean nothing. If anything, the economic hardships caused by global sanctions will permit the mullahs to justify crushing any Iranian dissent violently, as they did during the Green Revolution in 2009-10.

But the quest to achieve a nuclear weapon and a nuclear umbrella, under which it intends to export its jihad throughout the Middle East and beyond, will go on regardless. This is the same messianic, apocalyptic Islamic regime that sent thousands of Iranian children scurrying through Iraqi minefields in the 1980s with little yellow plastic keys to Paradise wrapped around their necks. Iran is not playing chess, no matter how much the U.S. and the EU might wish it to be so. No matter how intensely the West seeks to impose economic sanctions in the hope of forcing the mullahs to reconsider their nuclear weapons quest, these basic facts will not change. Iran will go nuclear unless its enrichment facilities are destroyed and the mullahs are removed from power.

Conclusions In Tunisia, the Islamist al-Nahda party has already taken the reins of power. Yemen was well on its way to failed statehood and economic collapse before the Arab Spring, and virtually all indicators remain alarmingly negative.

In Jordan, the Muslim Brotherhood is working to undermine King Abdullah, with the ultimate goal of turning the kingdom into an Islamist emirate. In Egypt, although the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has severely curtailed Morsi’s executive prerogatives and will hold out for a time, in the end, it will also succumb, as did the military in Iran under Khomeini and in Turkey under Erdogan.

As things currently stand, we are clueless on how to deal with the Middle East, even as successive Arab regimes crumble and the region cries out for direction. After the Muslim Brotherhood’s victory in the parliamentary elections, the Obama administration waived congressional restrictions in order to transfer $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt.

Perhaps a better policy would be for the Western powers to invest in transparent and accountable political institutions and secular public educational institutions in the region, and condition the billions of dollars in foreign aid and military assistance they are providing on explicit measurable liberal democratic benchmarks and tangible, verifiable reforms to the educational, judicial and political systems of these countries – meaningful reforms that dovetail with our long-term liberal democratic objectives for the region. This would be consistent with the position advocated in the U.N.’s Arab Human Development Reports (2002-05 and 2009) of reinforcing democratic political practices and free market economic changes that lead to prosperity.

The results of the Arab Spring are going to be widespread, long-lasting and difficult, if not impossible, to undo. The U.S. and the Europeans were warned many times that what they were unleashing was not going to go the way of their delusional scenarios, but nevertheless they continued to push for regime changes that have only caused more bloodshed and suffering, and not the quick implementation of reforms and the appearance of liberal democratic governments.

Given the rising tide of resurgent Islamic extremism across the Arab world, the Western powers had best put aside their ideological mirages and recognize what should have been recognized years ago: The more we accommodate these Islamists, the more we appease them without setting down democratic reform markers and benchmarks, the more powerful and dangerous they will become.

Endnote 1. In Morsi’s new Cabinet, Brotherhood members have been given the key ministerial posts of information, higher education, housing, labor and youth. The Information Ministry gives the Brotherhood control over the state media, a powerful tool in influencing public opinion. This is noteworthy given that the media regularly denounced the long-banned Brotherhood which, in turn, denounced the media as being lax in safeguarding against Western cultural inroads. The higher education portfolio gives the Brotherhood control over the country’s universities – a traditional recruitment ground for the fundamentalist group. The youth portfolio gives it an even wider area for recruitment and religious indoctrination. The labor portfolio allows the Brotherhood access to labor unions, traditionally the domain of leftist and liberal groups, in which the group has been seeking to gain a foothold. Housing provides the group with a key service sector that millions of poor Egyptians look to for construction of lower-cost housing.

Mark Silverberg’s editorials and articles have been archived at www.marksilverberg.com.

AUGUST 16, 2012 ■

THE REPORTER

I am pretty sure I left part of my heart in Israel.”

13

14

THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

Daf Yomi

Continued from page 3 weekly Talmud class in his office taught tried to hammer home with a remark by rabbis. “The Talmud belongs to all of about the lure of the Daf Yomi for all us,” Bronfman said. “Studying Talmud, Jews: those with black hats, shtreimels, there’s so much wisdom there, and it also knit yarmulkes and even baseball caps, gives you a chance to argue, and that’s he said. That description, of course, left very Jewish.” out a few slices of the Jewish community, Daf Yomi is not without its critics. even if it covered pretty much everyone Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of the at the celebration (except the few thouUnited Synagogue of Conservative sand women relegated to an upper tier).

Judaism, says the pace of Daf Yomi is Yet despite the challenges of doing overly focused on getting through the the Daf Yomi – moving at a relentless Talmud rather than studying it deeply. pace through thousands of pages of dense “The question is how much depth argumentation covering complex Jewdoes one really get into with a Daf Yomi ish legal matters and odd tales narrated kind of approach,” Wernick said. “It’s without punctuation in an arcane lanbreadth over depth. The Conservative guage – daily Talmud study is spreading approach to Jewish study tends to be beyond the confines of those categorized more depth-oriented.”

by Orthodox headgear. In some cases Instead, his movement encourages it’s happening in very unorthodox ways. learning one Mishnah per day. Though New York native Ilana Kurshan, the Mishnah is the foundational text for who now lives in Jerusalem and works talmudic discourse, it’s much shorter for a small literary agency there, got and simpler: The Mishnah is to the into the Daf Yomi while studying at Jerusalem’s Conservative yeshiva six More than 90,000 people packed MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the Siyum HaShas, Talmud what the Constitution is to years ago. She soon began writing celebrating the completion of the Daf Yomi page-a-day Talmud study cycle, on August 1. (Photo constitutional law.

Koren, the master’s degree student at limericks about each page of Gemarah by Yisroel Golding/Siyumphotos) Tel Aviv University, defended the Daf (a synonym for Talmud) and posting them on her blog, Ktiva.blogspot.com, Aviv University, Daf Yomi study has pro- is gaining some traction outside Orthodoxy Yomi approach against the sort of criticism offered by Wernick. “A lot of the claims in an effort to better retain what she was vided a harbor of stability in a life filled with in a meaningful way,” Kaunfer said. learning. “The Talmud, for someone who constant change. “It’s been the most steady A Conservative synagogue in Newton, against Daf Yomi is that it’s not deep and has a diverse range of interests, is the most thing in my life for the last 10 years,” said MA, Temple Reyim, has had a Daf Yomi it’s not rigorous and you don’t really reincredible text because it has everything Koren, 27, who began while a student at a group for more than seven years, accord- member what you learned,” she said. “But in it,” Kurshan told JTA. “There’s nothing Jerusalem seminary and continued through ing to one of the participants, Carol Stollar. how many different topics do you come as exciting as the next page of Gemarah her national service, college, a year abroad When the group’s six participants completed across that if you learn just classic, regular because it’s so discursive. There could be in Sweden and married life. Sometimes she the Talmud cycle this week, they attended a yeshiva Talmud, you’d never come across?”

Rabbi Daniel Freelander, senior vice a wild tale. For me that’s so exhilarating. learns the daf over breakfast, on the bus or Siyum HaShas celebration at an Orthodox president at the Union for Reform Judaism, Every daf is uncharted territory.” during prayer services. She’s on her second synagogue in nearby Brookline.

“My interest in learning has nothing to Daf Yomi cycle.

Kaunfer says there is growing interest in says Talmud study is not a priority for his do with halachah,” Kurshan said, using Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, who was ordained Talmud study among Jews not steeped in movement, which assigns the same authority the Hebrew term for Jewish law. “For me, by the Conservative movement and co- Torah scholarship because once they have to contemporary Reform rabbis as it does to what’s exciting is that the debates were not founded an independent egalitarian yeshiva the intellectual tools to learn Gemarah, they talmudic sages. “Text study is very important resolved. You have everybody’s opinion, in New York called Mechon Hadar, says are empowered to access one of Judaism’s to us, but we focus on the Ur-text, on Torah they’re all fighting with each other. It’s just Daf Yomi is beginning to catch on in non- most difficult and central texts without the in particular. Talmud, the Oral Law, is not a thrilling intellectual experience.”

Orthodox circles. “Daf Yomi in particular filter of another’s perspective or ideology. our core text,” he said. It “certainly doesn’t For Yedidah Koren, who is working is a real commitment, a daily commitment Edgar Bronfman, a prominent business- rise anywhere to the level of a daily study toward a master’s degree in Talmud at Tel for seven-plus years that I think only now man and Jewish philanthropist, convenes a encouragement for us.”

Style A

Sept. 13 issue Sept. 5 deadline Once again this year, The Scranton Reporter is inviting its readers to extend personal New Year’s greetings to the community by purchasing a New Year’s greeting ad, which will appear in our September 13 issue.

You may choose from the designs, messages and sizes shown here - more are available.

You may also choose your own message, as long as it fits into the space of the greeting you select. (Custom designs available upon request.) The price of the small greeting is $18 (styles E and F), the medium one is $34 (Style A) and the largest one is $68.

To ensure that your greeting is published or for more information on additional styles, sizes and designs, please contact Bonnie Rozen at 1-800-779-7896, ext. 244 or bonnie@ thereportergroup.org. Checks can be made payable to The Reporter Group and sent to: The Reporter, 500 Clubhouse Rd., Vestal, NY 13850.

May this New Year be a time of peace and joy for you and all those you love.

Your Name(s)

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Style C

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

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May the new year be the start of only the sweetest things!

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Happy Rosh Hashanah

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5

Checks can be made payable to The Reporter, 500 Clubhouse Rd., Vestal, NY 13850

A dollop of honey and a dollop of sweetness for the upcoming year!

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AUGUST 16, 2012 â–

THE REPORTER

15

German plans for “Mein Kampf’ excerpts in schools seen as a way to demystify Hitler tome

By Toby Axelrod BERLIN (JTA) – Does “Mein Kampf� belong in German high schools?

With Adolf Hitler’s book due to come out of wraps here in 2015, freed after decades under copyright protection that prevented its publication in Germany, it’s a question that is being debated in classrooms and on German TV talk shows.

The discussion has not eased since the Ministry of Finance in Bavaria, which owns the rights, announced plans earlier this year to prepare annotated excerpts for German schools. Scholars at Munich’s Institute for Contemporary History are working on the official annotated edition of the approximately 900-page book.

Critics say it’s better not to play with fire: Some youth already have an unhealthy fascination with this chapter of history and don’t need further fuel. But most observers agree that excerpts with expert commentary could help demystify the taboo tome.

Germany’s Jewish community has no problem with plans for the new edition. Stephan Kramer, general secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, has said it makes sense to publish the book “to prevent neo-Nazis from profiting from it� and to “remove many of its false, persistent myths.�

The move “is absolutely right and overdue,� said Julian Barlen, co-founder of the anti-Nazi website Endstation Rechts and a Social Democratic legislator in the former East German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Anyone who wants to read the book can download a copy anyway, he noted, and its ban “probably even raises the fascination with Hitler among some teens.�

Actually, it’s “a very boring book and no kid will like to read it,� suggested political scientist Thomas Lutz, who heads the memorial museums department of the Topography of Terror Foundation at the site of the former Gestapo headquarters in Berlin. “A special edition may be helpful as a further possibility to deal with the Nazi period, but I would not overestimate its impact.�

Hitler wrote his rant against Jews and communists while in prison in 1923 following his attempted coup in Munich.

After he came to power in 1933, many editions were published, including one given free to newlywed couples and one to mark Hitler’s 50th birthday in 1939. “The Nazis tried to put the book everywhere,� said historian Christian Hartmann of the Institute for Contemporary History, which is advising the state’s Agency for Civic Education on the educational excerpts.

Following World War II, the Bavarian Finance Ministry inherited the copyright from the publisher, and until now has barred publication in Germany in an effort to limit the spread of Hitler’s ideology. But that does not stop publication elsewhere. “Of course, Hitler is a fascinosum,� an object of fascination, Hartmann said. “Evil is always fascinating and you can’t prevent that.�

Accordingly, the book “is one of the most purchased in the world; more than 12 million copies have been sold.

Here, where it was banned, people have read it secretly.�

Hartmann added that “What we are trying to do is demystify ‘Mein Kampf’ and to make it what it is: an historical source and nothing more.�

Amid Hitler’s inaccurate accounts of personal and world history are hints of what would come, he said. “Such things as the Holocaust, the attack on the Soviet Union, relations with France and Italy, attempts to form a union with Great Britain – these are in the book. It is a kind of master plan for his later deeds.�

Documentary evidence of those deeds can be seen at the House of the Wannsee Conference in Potsdam, just outside Berlin. On a glass-topped display table in a ground-floor room are facsimiles of the minutes of the January 20, 1942,

meeting where the “Final Solution� was mapped out. Adolf Eichmann wrote the protocol.

Students from the St. Ursula High School of Geisenheim, their faces reflected in the glass table, viewed the pages intently, taking cellphone shots of them: “In the course of the practical implementation of the final solution, Europe will be combed through from West to East... Any first-degree Mischling [with one Jewish parent] to be exempted from evacuation will be sterilized in order to prevent any progeny... State Secretary Dr. Buhler.. had only one favor to ask: that the Jewish question in this territory be resolved as fast as possible.�

People “could have known� what was coming if they read “Mein Kampf,� said teacher Annette Zschatzsch, looking at the display with her students. “But people did not read it.� “We talked about it in class,� said Nora, 16. “My grandfather told me he got a copy from his bank, signed by Adolf Hitler. He put it away; he found it too extreme. And then he lent it to a friend who never gave it back. He told me he wished he could have shown it to me.�

As for whether it would be useful for students to read See “German� on page 18

Students from the St. Ursula-Schule, a Catholic high school in Germany, viewed facsimiles of ads for Hitler’s “Mein Kampf� at the House of the Wannsee Conference in Potsdam, site of the planning of the Final Solution.

(Photo byToby Axelrod)

T H S L’S T !

Hesed, Hallah and Honey Continuing a Sisterhood Rosh Hashana f‚ndraising tƒadition star„ed

by Roseann Smith Alperin (O.B.M.), we begin 5773 in her memor™.

Your Choice Only $20

• Proceeds benefit Youth Religious Education •

Choose one of two gifts, your choice—only $20 • A gi bag with a Kosher Challah (plain or raisin), apples, a container of honey, candy, and tÂ&#x;o Yom Tov candles. • A large flowering plant—Mums. Last year the mum were huge and beautif‚l. This is the ideal gi for someone who cannot accept outside food items.

To order: Make checks payable to “Temple Hesed Sisterhood�.

Specif™ plain or raisin Challah or the flowering mum.

Mail to: Carol Leventhal, 125 Welsh Hill Road, Clarks Summit, PA 18411.

For more inforÂśation, call Carol at 570-587-2931 or email jeff@gƒaphicsar„.net.

We are delivering the Šesh Challah gi bags and the beautif‚l mums on Erev Rosh Hashanah: Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012.

DELIVERIES WILL BE MADE TO ANY ADDRESS IN SCRANTON OR THE ABINGTONS

All Orders Must Be In By Sept. 7, 2012 Volunteers Needed!

To assemble gift bags at 10:00 a.m., Friday, Sept. 14, 2012 at the Leventhal residence located at 125 Welsh Hill Road in Clarks Summit.

To make deliveries on Sunday morning, Sept. 16, 2012.

Call Carol or Jeff at 570-587-2931 to volunteer.

Hesed, Hallah and Honey Order Form Last Day to Order is 9/7/2012 To: Name _______________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________ ___________________________ Phone ___________________

Challah Plain Raisin Flowering Mum QTY _____$20 Each

To: Name _______________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________ ___________________________ Phone ___________________

Challah Plain Raisin Flowering Mum QTY _____$20 Each

To: Name _______________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________ ___________________________ Phone ___________________

Challah Plain Raisin Flowering Mum QTY _____$20 Each

Your Information: Name _______________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________ ___________________________ Phone ___________________ Total Order: QTY_____ Dollar Amount _____ (QTY x $20)

Check enclosed, made payable to: Temple Hesed Sisterhood

Mail order to: Carol Leventhal 125 Welch Hill Road Clarks Summit PA 18411

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

16

THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

Solar

Hannah Schafer, APC’s director of communications, notes that Abramowitz’s ambitions don’t always consider the company’s logistical limitations. “There are two opposite ends of the spectrum,” she said. “Yosef is the dreamer.

Yosef likes to run off, and sometimes you have to pull him back in on a leash.”

Despite decades in the Jewish community’s public eye, and as much as he sees himself as a visionary, Abramowitz projects himself as a colorful character as well as an entrepreneur. After he left the Tel Aviv café to address the JNF donors, his publicist sent out two links at his request: One

False

Continued from page 8 border on the idolatrous. To the extent that we interface with machines, we avoid the face of our fellow human beings. Our social skills flag, even as our Facebook skills flourish! Study, which is ideally a give-and-take with others who hone our understanding, is replaced by Googling and accepting “the answer” shot back to us. We may donate to good causes online, but the time we spend alone separates us from our community and its immediate needs. Even if we do not go to the extremes commanded in Re’eh or embrace the tactics touted at Citi Field, we should consider whether the habits we are falling into are destructive of our humanity and take measures to save ourselves from the selfishness of this new idolatry.

was to an article about Abramowitz’s near obsession with Madonna – he has traveled across continents to watch her perform. The other was to “Scissor Sheldon,” a video that urges billionaire Sheldon Adelson to donate his money to President Barack Obama in exchange for a sexual favor from comedian Sarah Silverman – whose sister, Susan, is Abramowitz’s wife.

While his daring personality has pushed him to dream beyond the company’s limits, it also has given him the confidence to start a solar company with no experience in the field. Schafer said that when launching APC, Abramowitz and his partners realized that all they needed to do was “look like we know what we’re talking about.”

So instead of spending years researching solar power, APC’s founders managed to install one solar panel at Ketura, which they would show investors as a model of their larger concept.

If he is a dreamer, Abramowitz is relentlessly focused on one dream. APC’s official goal is to provide a tenth of Israel’s power; Abramowitz dreams of a country run entirely on solar energy. He sees APC as one part social action, one part Zionism, one part Jewish values and one part business. Abramowitz, for example, decided that APC would donate the profits from the solar field’s corner panels to four nonprofits, in accordance with the Jewish commandment of pe’ah, which mandates that farmers leave the corners of their fields for the poor.

He has a grandiose vision for his small company – one

Continued from page 7 that is less about revenues and expenses than about values and ideals. Abramowitz sees solar energy as the key to lowering Israel’s high energy costs, cutting pollution and fulfilling David Ben-Gurion’s vision of making Israel’s desert bloom. “I feel like we’re out of time,” he said.

“That’s why I’m always on three hours’ sleep. I’m in a rush. The whole planet should be in a rush. The Jewish people should be in a rush.”

Exhibit on chosen foods

The exhibit “Chosen Food: Cuisine, Culture and American Jewish Identity” will be at the Jewish Museum of Maryland at the Herbert Bearman Campus until December 30. It examines the diversity of Jewish eating and seeks to uncover the messages in Jewish meals, in addition to examining the origins of different Jewish food. Featured are memorabilia, photos, videos and interactive displays.

For more information, visit www.jewishmuseummd. org or call 410-732-6400.

AUGUST 16, 2012 ■

THE REPORTER

17

Taking to the battlefields with Jewish Civil War re-enactors

By Debra Rubin WASHINGTON (JTA) – Kim Drapkin says she has gunpowder in her blood. She loves to shoot, but you won’t find her on a range with goggles and a pistol, or out in a forest with a hunting rifle and a camouflage vest. A reproduction of an 1861 model Springfield, muzzle-loading rifled musket is more her style. And you can find her on an open field wearing the gray woolen uniform of the Confederate States army.

Drapkin, 50, is one of a minority of Jews among the many thousands of men and women who each year don the blue and gray for Civil War re-enactments. Participants are typically drawn to the re-enactments, which often include weekend campouts and period-style Saturday evening dances, by their love for history and the outdoors, along with the camaraderie of the encampments.

Beginning last year and continuing through 2015, a number of the events will mark the 150th anniversaries of major battles, including a reenactment of the battle at Second Bull Run-Manassas set for August 3-5 in Virginia.

A sesquicentennial re-enactment of the battle at Antietam, the bloodiest day in U.S. history with some 23,000 casualties, is slated for September 14-16 in Maryland.

An estimated 10,000 Jews served during the Civil War, with 3,000 in the Confederacy and 7,000 in the Union, according to Lauren Strauss, an assistant professor of history and Judaic studies at George Washington University. There were about 150,000 Jews in the nation at the outbreak of hostilities in April 1861 and about 25,000 of them lived in the South, according to historians. With the North having a heavy population advantage, the percentage of Jews fighting for the Confederacy was higher than those waving the Union flag.

Southern Jews were well integrated into their new country, Strauss says. “They were quite loyal to their homes and Southern culture,” she says. “They believed in states’ rights and a sense of freedom. It was basically the same rhetoric you’d hear from other Southerners – ‘This is our way of life, our independence.’”

Southern Jewish slave owners existed in approximately the same proportion as in the non-Jewish population, Strauss notes, yet Jews had far fewer slaves in total as they tended to be urban and typically had just two or three house slaves.

By contrast, Northern Jews were more likely to be recent immigrants and thus less likely to be integrated into society.

“It wasn’t their country yet,” Strauss says. “They didn’t care that much and didn’t understand the issues.”

Drapkin, who lives outside of Baltimore, MD, attributes her fascination with re-enactments to several things: a love of American history and the outdoors, a need for a hobby and the discovery that shooting the musket is a great stress reliever. Before deciding whether she wanted to portray a Confederate or a Union soldier, she did some research.

“I had to decide if I was going to portray someone now with my modern life and my modern views or what I would have been had I been born in 1840,” Drapkin says.

“I came to a startling revelation that Baltimore City was primarily Confederate and that the Jews of the Baltimore area primarily were Confederates... It became a matter of which was the worse evil – slavery, which you could legislate away, or government, which is going to take away the rights of the people.”

While Maryland itself stayed in the Union, that’s largely because President Abraham Lincoln sent federal troops into the state to keep it loyal, ensuring that Washington, DC’s northern flank would not be an open route for Southern soldiers. Drapkin also learned that one of her ancestors had been a blockade runner for the South. “Everything pointed to being Confederate, so I went Confederate,” she says.

Jeffrey Cohen, who calls himself a “loyal son of Abraham,” using language of the time period to refer to Jews, typically wears the blue of the North, but now and then dons the gray. “Sometimes you have to be a cross-dresser,” quips Cohen, a Rahway, NJ, resident who plans to participate in the Manassas and Antietam commemorations. A lover of

history, he says re-enactments “honor the soldiers that actually served during the war, and keeps history alive.” Plus, he says, “I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s a lot of fun.”

While in uniform Cohen, 56, says he tries to put himself in the mind-set of a 19th-century soldier. “When a lady walks into a room, I will stand up,” he says. And when he’s met by Christian proselytizers – common in the military camps back then – he says, “I say, ‘Listen, I’m a son ofAbraham.’Usually they leave me alone, but sometimes they leave brochures. I’ll tell them I left Europe to get Civil War re-enactors in the 6th New York Independent Battery Civil War participated away from this.” in a battle. (Photo by Robert Fagan) Now and then, Drapkin says, “antisemitism does come up,” with people using of- goyim,” he says, with a laugh. “We would tease them, and fensive terms and fistfights breaking out. With Christian hold our books upside down. We knew the prayers by heart. chaplains typically on hand for the weekends, which include They would realize they’d been had.” He also recalls being Sunday morning church services, she recalls attending one among a handful of Jews who brought challah and Shabbat morning only to hear the minister “preaching how Jews are candles to a re-enactment at Gettysburg. the cause of all the trouble. I got up and left.”

Drapkin once celebrated Rosh Hashanah on a battleCohen says that when re-enactors have used a field field. “We ended up with a whole bunch of people in our next to the Lubavitch Rabbinical College of America in camp eating apples and honey, and challah,” she says. One Morristown, NJ, one of the rabbis sometimes comes out year, she even made matzah ball soup in the field. “It was on Saturdays to invite the Jewish participants to Shabbat probably the best batch of matzah ball soup I ever made,” services. “Some of them thought we were no better than she says.

2013

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Federation/UJA Campaign 2013 601 Jefferson Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 570-961-2300

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

Jewish Federation of NEPA

Jewish Film Library

The Jewish Film Library Update - Check out new titles in both feature & non-feature films.

Contact Dassy Ganz dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org for information.

Feature Films Currently Available- SEptember 2011 A Stranger Among Us - A New York policewoman enters the Hasidic community to investigate a diamond robbery/murder.

Cast a Giant Shadow - U.S. Colonel David “Mickey” Marcus goes to 1940’s Israel to help re organize its army.

Defiance - The extraordinary true story of the Bielski brothers who turned a group of war refugees into powerful freedom fighters against the Nazi regime 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. And getting this tenderfoot to Frisco in one piece will cause a heap of trouble - with the law, Native Americans and a bunch of killers.

Gentleman’s Agreement - A magazine writer (played by Gregory Peck) posed as a Jew to expose anti-Semitism in 1940’s America.

Good - Featured at the 2009 Jewish Film Festival of NEPA In an attempt to establish its credibility, the new Nazi government is seeking out experts to endorse its policies, and they trip across Johnnie Halder’s (Viggo Mortensen) sensitively written 1920s novel of a husband who aids his terminally ill wife in an assisted suicide. Although Johnnie despises Naziism he is flattered by the attention paid to his novel, and accepts (with misgivings) an honorary commission in the SS. This opens the door to promotions at the University. He becomes Dean of Literature after the former Dean, Herr Mandelbaum “leaves in such a hurry.” He is tapped to inspect facilities for the care of the mentally ill, based on his “humanitarian” writings. Throughout “Good”, Johnnie is “good,” but he becomes increasingly blind to what is happening around him as he travels down the slippery slope that eventually takes him to Auschwitz on an inspecton tour. Never evil, Johnnie Halder is an Everyman who goes along, accepts what he told without question, and is increasingly co-opted by flattery and comfort. In the end, he comes to realize that he is stumbling through a waking nightmare of which he in part created. Not judgmental of its protagonist, GOOD invites us to question just what a “good” man is and does and where the bounds of responsibility lie.

Kazablan*- Israel’s all-time Great Musical, nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. This 1970’s mega-hit is Israel’s answer to the musical West Side Story, with its story of star-crossed lovers, street gangs and cultural differences. With its exhilarating music and choreography, Kazablan is sure to entertain.

Lies My Father Told Me - The heart-warming story of the Jewish immigrant community of 1920’s Montreal. David, the grandson, lives with his parents, his grandfather Zaida and Zaida’s aging horse Ferdeleh.

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.

Schindler’s List*-The Academy Award winning film by Steven Spielberg tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, the man responsible for saving the lives of hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.

School Ties - A young man from the wrong side of the tracks gets a football scholarship to a private school, which will lead to his entrance to Harvard. He is well accepted at the blue blood school until it is revealed that he is Jewish.

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 want ones last chance at redemption.

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz -*A Jewish teenager is determined to “make it” no matter what it takes. On his path to success he faces anti-Semitism, betrays family and friends, and faces the responsibilities of being an adult.

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 Impossible Spy*- Elie Cohen was a family man leading a quiet, normal life, when at the age of 35, he was recruited by Israel’s secret service (Mossad) and assigned a mission that would forever change his life, and the history of Israel. Today he is regarded as a legend and a national hero.

The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob -*In this French comedy, Louis de Funes stars as Victor Pivert, a hopelessly bigoted man. Victor loves people, as long as they’re Caucasian, French, and Catholic. But when it comes to foreigners, Victor draws the line. His ultimate nightmare becomes a reality the day of his daughter’s wedding, when he stumbles across a group of Arab revolutionaries and is forced into hiding as a rabbi. Gerard Oury’s film features an onslaught of hilarious chase sequences.

Ushpizin- A fable set in the orthodox Jewish world in Jerusalem, Ushpizin tells the story of a poor childless couple, Moshe and Malli (played to perfection by award winning actor Shuli Rand and his real-life wife, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand) whose belief in the goodness of the Almighty follows a roller coaster of situations and emotions but leads to the ultimate happiness, the birth of their son.

Non-Feature Films Blessed is the Match*- In 1944, 22-year old 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. Told through Hannah’s letters, diaries and poems, her mother’s memoirs and the recollections of those who knew and loved her, the film traces her life from her childhood in Budapest to her time in British-controlled Palestine, to her daring mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary.

Budapest to Gettysburg*- 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 - Constantine’s Sword is an astonishing exploration of the dark side of Christianity, following acclaimed author and former priest James Carrol on a journey of remembrance and reckoning. Warning of what happens when military power and religious fervor are joined, this new film from Oscar-nominated director Oren Jacoby asks: Is the fanaticism that threatens the world today fueled by our own deeply held beliefs?

I Have Never Forgotten You - The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal*- Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who lost 89 family members, helped track down over 1,00 Nazi war criminals and spent six decades fighting anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people.

Into the Arms of Strangers - A superb documentary that chronicles the Kindertransport, an extraordinary rescue operation to save the youngest victims of Nazi terror.

Making Trouble - A just released documentary telling the story of six of the greatest female Jewish comics entertainers of the last century- Molly Picon, Fanny Brice Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wendy Wasserstein.

Night and Fog - One of first cinematic reflections on the horrors of the Holocaust, Night and Fog, filmmaker Alain Renais investigates the cyclical nature of man’s violence toward man and presents the unsettling suggestion that such horror could come again.

Steal a Pencil for Me*- 1943: Holland is under Total Nazi occupation. After deportation Jack his wife and his new love find themselves living in the same barracks in a concentration camp. This documentary chronicles the secret love letters written by Jack and Ina which gives them the strength to survive the war.

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. Featured commentators include: Ehud Barak, Caroline Glick, Dore Gold, Tzipi Livni and Natan Sharansky.

The Jewish Americans - A Series by David Grubin*- This series traces 350 years of Jewish American history from the arrival of the first Jews in 1654 up to the present day.

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. An extraordinary ball player notorious for his hours of daily practice, Greenberg’s career was an inspiration to all and captured the headlines and the admiration of sportswriters and fans alike. This is the story of how he became an American hero.

With All Your Heart- (Hebrew with English subtitles)The poignant true story of the life of Leut. Roi Klein, who gave up his life to save his battalion during the Lebanon War of 2002.

*Films marked with an * are newly acquired by the Film Library.

Music of America

The Milken Archive of Jewish Music is offering the recording “Jewish Voices in the New World; The Song of Prayer in Colonial and 19th-Century America: Volume 1.” The work offers a brief survey of America’s first Jewish music, from the Colonial era through World War I, looking at two phases in the history of Jewish liturgical music in America: the Western Sephardi tradition of the Colonial era through circa 1830, and the music of Classical Reform as it developed from the mid-19th century through World War I. For more information visit www.milkenarchive.org, or contact the archives at info@milkenarchive.org or 310-570-4746.

Krakauer plays Zorn

Clarinetist David Krakauer has released the album “Pruflas: The Book of Angels Vol. 18” (Tzadik), a collection of tunes selected especially for him by John Zorn.

“The Book of Angels” is the second book of 300 songs for Zorn’s band, Masada, which were composed over a period of a few months in 2004. In this recording, Krakauer interprets these Masada songs with a traditional (and notso-traditional) Klezmer vibe, creating a meeting of old and new. Joining Krakauer on the recording are Sheryl Bailey, guitar; Jerome Harris, bass; Michael Sarin, drums; and KeepAlive, electronics; plus a special guest appearance by Zorn. Krakauer has been associated with Zorn’s Radical Jewish Culture movement since its beginning in the early 1990s.

German

Continued from page 15

the book, “to put it bluntly, no one really needed it up to now,” said her classmate, Eva, 17. “It could be interesting... but I think it is not needed for youth.”

David, 17, said he thought it would be good for students aged 16 and older to have access to explanations and a “watered-down version.”

Zschatzsch, who graduated high school in 1984, noted that she and her classmates also were able to read parts of “Mein Kampf” excerpted in textbooks, “but the degree to which it was used depended on the individual teacher.”

Classrooms are not the only venue for learning about “Mein Kampf.” German cabaret artist Serdar Somuncu boasts that he’s “the only one allowed to read from the text on stage.”

The Turkish-born performer recently told ARD TV talk show host Anne Will that he had read excerpts to 250,000 people, including 1,428 German high school students. “It’s better to understand [the book] than to suppress it,” he said.

It helps one understand “Mein Kampf” “leads directly to this ideology – this fatal, inflammatory ideology.”

In a typical routine, shown on the ARD segment, Somuncu recites on racist theory from Hitler’s text. “Every animal mates only with his kind.” The audience laughs nervously. “The titmouse... seeks out the titmouse.”

“But you will never find a fox”... “those damned foxes,” Somuncu adds – “whose inner character would allow... somewhat... humane impulses... towards geese... More laughter.

“We are not laughing about the victims,” he explained.

“We are laughing about the formulation by the perpetrators.”

Later he said, “Laughter is important as a way to open people, to gain entry, verbal access, especially for young people,” said Somuncu, whose intention is to prompt reflection.

There is no laughter at the House of the Wannsee Conference. Students wander in silence through the rooms where high-ranking Nazis discussed the logistics of genocide. On one wall hangs a 1927 ad in facsimile: “Get to know Hitler by reading his book,” it suggests.

It won’t be long before Germans of all ages have the chance to do so – but this time with the knowledge gained in hindsight.

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 16, 2012 ■

THE REPORTER

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NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA

Israel allows Egypt to use gunships in Sinai

Israel’s Cabinet reportedly has agreed to allow Egypt to use gunships in the Sinai peninsula. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said on Aug. 10 that the Egyptian government had asked Israel for its agreement to introduce attack helicopters to “fight terrorists” who carried out an attack earlier that week that left 16 Egyptian soldiers dead. The attackers attempted an infiltration, apparently targeting a kibbutz in Israel, but were stopped by Israeli air force attacks. The 1979 Camp David peace accords stipulate that Sinai is to remain demilitarized, although in recent years Israel has agreed to exceptions in an effort to prevent terrorist attacks and stop cross-border infiltrations. The London-based pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Aug. 10 that Egypt has demanded that Hamas, the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip, hand over three suspects allegedly connected to the case. The three are leaders of the Salafi terrorist group Army of Islam, according to Reuters report. One of the attackers’ bodies was identified as a member of the Gaza-based group, according to the report.

One of the men Egypt is demanding is of Yemeni origin, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Egyptian security officials told Reuters that Egyptian troops have killed at least 20 people in a series of skirmishes in the Sinai the week of Aug. 6. Hundreds of troops and dozens of military vehicles had reached al-Arish, the main administrative center in North Sinai, Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Aug. 9. Egyptian authorities on Aug. 10 opened the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip for two days to allow Palestinians to return to their homes, Israel Radio reported.

Report: Calls between Lebanon and Burgas increased before attack

Israel reportedly has evidence of many telephone calls between Lebanon and Burgas, Bulgaria, in the two months before the bombing that killed six people. The volume of calls intensified in the three days before the attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists, The New York Times reported on Aug. 9, citing an unnamed senior government official, pointing the finger even more directly – in Israel’s eyes – at the terror group Hezbollah.

“We know the sources in Lebanon,” although not the identity of those on the other end in Bulgaria, the official told the Times. Israel placed the blame for the July 18 attack on Iran and Hezbollah. The United States and Bulgaria reportedly agree with the assessment but have not said so officially. The Bulgarian investigation has “largely stalled,” according to the Times. The attacker and his accomplices have not yet been identified. Bulgarian officials are hesitant to declare Hezbollah responsible without hard evidence, according to the newspaper. An unnamed senior security official in Germany was quoted as saying that the European allies are skeptical that Hezbollah was responsible for the attack, speculating that Iran used “individuals with Hezbollah affiliation.”

Brazil’s defense minister inaugurates Star of David monument

A stylized Star of David sculpture was inaugurated by Brazil’s defense minister, Celso Amorim, at the Monument to the Brazilian soldiers of World War II in Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo Park. The sculpture was unveiled on Aug. 5 with the help of the Jewish Confederation of Brazil and the Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro as a tribute to the Jewish community of Brazilian soldiers in the fight against Nazi fascism. “I remember as a teenager, my confusion to understand that moment in history,” Amorim said at the event, referring to the Holocaust, according to a news release. “Barbarism and violence which even today defy human comprehension.” The Star of David sculpture alludes to Brazil’s entry into World War II in August 1942. The sculpture bears the inscription: “Seventy years ago precious lives were lost in the Brazilian coast, because of the perverse action of an ideology unacceptable to humanity. The sea received and led them to the arms of the Creator, opening the way for brave soldiers fighting for the honor of the fatherland and in defense of human dignity.” Officials attending the event received the book “Soldiers Who Came From Afar,” which tells the story of Brazilian Jews in the military in World War II.

New director leads Polish Jewish museum

Andrew Cudak began work as the new interim director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. He was appointed to the position by Warsaw Mayor Hanna GronkiewiczWaltz. Cudak, whose first day was on Aug. 9, is charged with finishing the construction of the museum, completing the main exhibition and preparing to open the museum. Cudak was previously interim director of the Secretariat of Euro 2012 soccer. For several years, he worked in Polish television. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews is slated to open in 2013 on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. It will present the history of Polish Jews and the rich civilization they created over the course of nearly a millennia. In July, the museum was awarded $7 million grants from the Koret and Taube foundations.

Work on the museum began in 2005. It is a joint project of the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland, the City of Warsaw and the Polish Ministry of Culture.

Israeli military begins drafting haredi Orthodox

The Israeli military has begun drafting haredi Orthodox 18-year-olds without encountering significant protests one week after a new law requiring haredi military service took effect. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on July 31 ordered the Israel Defense Forces to compose guidelines for haredi army service within 30 days, and in the meantime implemented the Military Service Law of 1986 with regard to the haredi Orthodox.

The law requires every Jewish Israeli to serve in the IDF and includes penalties of up to three years in prison for those who do not comply. A military source with knowledge of the issue told JTA that one week after the law’s implementation, the IDF has yet to encounter any significant problems in putting haredi youth through the draft process. The 18-year-olds are undergoing competency tests in math, Hebrew and general knowledge, as would any draftee. Previously, under legislation known as the Tal Law, haredi youth would be able to go to an IDF induction center with a letter from a rabbi exempting them from military service so they could study Jewish texts in a yeshiva. The Israeli Supreme Court invalidated the Tal Law in February. The court mandated the government to pass new legislation by Aug. 1, but no such legislation has been passed.

Muhammad Ali’s daughter visits Hadassah hospital

Rasheda Ali, the daughter of legendary boxing champion Muhammad Ali, visited Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem to learn about its work in treating brain degenerative diseases.

Muhammad Ali, 70, suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Rasheda Ali on Aug. 9 accompanied the managers of BrainStorm, an Israeli biotechnology company developing adult stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative disorders such as Lou Gehrig’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. She serves on BrainStorm’s advisory board and is an internationally known advocate for advancing research in this area. Ali praised Hadassah’s work in the area.

Druse students return to Golan from Damascus

Dozens of Druse students studying in Syria returned to their Golan Heights homes.

The students, who had been studying at a university in Damascus, crossed from Syria into Israel on Aug. 7 through the Kuneitra crossing. They had received permission to return two weeks ago. Their crossing was delayed after concerns by the ruling government of President Bashar Assad that the Druse students would assist the rebels’ cause, The Jerusalem Post reported. Druse lawmaker Ayoub Kara, deputy minister for development of the Negev and Galilee from the Likud Party, assisted in the negotiations to return the students to Israel. Kara’s office told the Post that he is facilitating aid to Syrian refugees and has been in contact with Syrian government officials considering defection.

Lollapalooza music festival coming to Israel

Israel will become the third international location for the Lollapalooza music festival.

Lollapalooza Israel will take place Aug. 20-22, 2013, at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, the music festival’s organizers said over the Aug. 5 weekend. In a video published on the festival’s official website, Perry Farrell, the festival’s creator as well as the lead singer for Jane’s Addiction, said that during a recent visit to Israel, he saw an “international music community that listens to everything we all listen to, but the artists weren’t traveling there so it was an opportunity.” Lollapalooza launched in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction before settling down in Chicago’s Grant Park in 2005. In the last two years, the festival was held in Chicago as a weekend event, and is planning to continue having the Windy City as its U.S. home in addition to its international expansion thus far in Chile and Brazil, and next year in Tel Aviv. “Israel is an incredibly sophisticated music market,” Marc Geiger of Lollapalooza partner WME Entertainment said, Rolling Stone magazine reported. “Consumers have a voracious appetite for entertainment, yet there has never been a major music festival. To me, this combination screams Lollapalooza.”

Jewish Federation Acquires New Film Festival Picks Dassy Ganz, assistant to executive director of the Jewish Federation, announces that thanks to the generosity of the Glassman family of Scranton, the Federation film library has acquired a number of newly released films recently shown at film festivals around the country.

Film Library Continues to Grow Thanks to Your Donations Thanks to the generosity of Ms. Lindsay Leventhal, the film library now owns 5 new films of Jewish interest: A Film Unfinished- Using footage completely unparalleled, A Film Unfinished provides new insight into the Nazi propaganda machine further exposing an agenda already known to be deceitful beyond our greatest beliefs. (non-feature) 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) Blessed is the Match- The life and death of Hannah Senesh (non-feature) Inglorious Basterds- This popular WWII revenge fantasy film follows a Nazi-scalping squad of American soldiers is on a daring mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich (rated R) Komediant-(non-feature) The glory days of the Yiddish stage are brought to life in this funny saga of a legendary theatrical family, the Bursteins. Smoothly incorporating rare archival footage and interviews with Yiddish stage veterans, this tightly edited and briskly paced documentary is as richly bittersweet and the Yiddish theater itself.

Nora’s Will- When his ex-wife Nora dies right before Passover, Jose is forced to stay with her body until she can be properly put to rest. He soon realizes that he is part of Nora’s plan to bring her family back together for one last Passover feast, leading Jose to reexamine their relationship. (not rated) Rashevski’s Tango- Just about every dilemma of modern Jewish identity gets an airing in this packed tale of a clan of more or less secularized Belgian Jews thrown into spiritual crisis by the death of the matriarch who has held all doubts and family warfare in check. (not rated) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas- Based on the best-selling novel, this movie is set during WWII and tells the inspiring story of two boys and the power of the human spirit. (rated PG-13) The Hidden Child- A gripping tale of survival, The Hidden Child tells the story of a six-year-old girl and her sister, separated from their parents, dodging bullets, lying for survival, and relying on the compassion of strangers To Take a Wife- A powerful drama about a woman’s struggle for independence and emotional freedom in the face of family tradition. (not rated) The following are also now available for private and synagogue viewing: 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 2012 UJA Kick-Off in Scranton this past September.

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?

Sarah’s Key- Julia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas), an American journalist married to a Frenchman, is commissioned to write an article about the notorious Vel d’Hiv round up, which took place in Paris, in 1942. She stumbles upon a family secret which will link her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl, Sarah. Julia learns that the apartment she and her husband Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand’s family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and 4-year-old Michel.

Please contact Dassy Ganz at the Federation to borrow these or other films in our library.

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

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THE REPORTER ■ AUGUST 16, 2012

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2012 DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 PM. FILM BEGINS PROMPTLY AT 7:00 PM SCRANTON JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER 601 JEFFERSON AVENUE

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED AT NO CHARGE. POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION WITH FILM DIRECTOR/PRODUCER GLORIA GREENFIELD DESSERT RECEPTION TO FOLLOW For reservations, call Rae Magliocchi at 570-961-2300, ext 4

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