January 28, 2016 edition of The Reporter by Becky Schastey

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VOLUME IX, NUMBER 2

JANUARY 28, 2016

In poor Paris suburb, crime and extremism spur internal Jewish exodus BY CNAAN LIPHSHIZ LA COURNEUVE, France (JTA) – At this Paris suburb’s only Jewish facility, Rabbi Prosper Abenaim serves sweet tea to his synagogue’s most frequent and reliable guests: machine gun-toting troops of the French Legion. Six soldiers, posted here to defend Jews in this heavily Muslim and crime-stricken municipality bordering the capital, are the first new faces in years in this dwindling community, which has lost thousands of congregants over the past two decades to Israel and safer areas of Paris. On some mornings, the troops outnumber worshippers. That wasn’t the case when Abenaim first arrived at La Courneuve’s Ahavat Chalom synagogue in 1992. There were more than 4,000 Jews in the neighborhood then and it was a struggle to fit them all into the synagogue on Yom Kippur. “The shul overflowed onto the street,” Abenaim recalled. Since then, improved economic fortunes and repeated antisemitic attacks have driven out all but 100 Jewish families from the neighborhood, where drug dealers operate openly on streets that residents say police are too afraid to patrol. The remaining Jews are mostly a graying

At left: An anti-Israel demonstration at the Aubervilliers-La Courneuve market east of Paris on January 18, 2015. (Photo courtesy of Alliance France)

bunch, stuck here for financial reasons. “We have two big problems, extremism and criminality, and they often mix,” said Abenaim, who lives in Paris’ affluent and heavily Jewish 17th arrondisement and has encouraged his congregants to leave for Israel. “I understand why people don’t want to raise children here. I’m here myself only because of my duties. Otherwise, I’d be in Israel.” La Courneuve’s reputation for criminality is well established and reflected in the security measures at Ahavat Chalom, which resembles a fortress with its heavy

metal doors, multitude of security cameras and three armed soldiers in military camouflage at the entrance. For years, the city has ranked among the most violent in France, with 19 assaults per 1,000 residents recorded in 2013. On street corners near the city center, gangs of young men openly exchange drugs for cash. By noon, prostitutes are soliciting clients on Pasteur Boulevard, a main traffic artery. Near the synagogue, a group of men wearing colorful sports clothes stand around smoking cigarettes and marijuana

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For teen fleeing war-torn Donetsk, a safe haven in new city Reprinted with permission of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a worldwide humanitarian organization funded by UJA dollars. Before the war came, 14-year-old Elizaveta Pedash was an average Jewish teenager in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Then everything changed. Liza, her infant sister, Sophia, and her parents – her pregnant mother and her father, who was forced to leave behind the small business in Donetsk that was his passion – were driven from their hometown by incessant shelling. They managed to escape to Zaporozhye, about three hours west, but one of Liza’s close friends from school was not so lucky. She was killed by missile fire soon after the Pedash family left town, a tragedy that sunk Liza into a deep depression for months. Upon their arrival in Zaporozhye, JDC took care of the family, providing them with a rented apartment to live in, food subsidies, clothes for Liza and medical care for her parents. When Liza’s mother gave birth to a daughter, Svetlana, JDC gave the family clothes, medicine, diapers and a stroller for the baby.

Elizaveta Pedash “Without the help of JDC, my family – and thousands of other internally displaced people in Ukraine – would not have survived,” Liza’s mother said. Liza’s first connection with her new city’s Jewish community was at a JDC family retreat. Buoyed by her experience with the weekend’s teenage programming, she began becoming an active participant in the city’s Jewish teenage club. This past summer, Liza and some of her new friends from the Zaporozhye Jewish community attended Szarvas, JDC and the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation’s international Jewish summer camp in rural Hungary. Joining with approximately 2,000 peers from dozens of countries

reportedly sparked Liza’s passion for her Jewish identity. “When I came home, I shared my ideas with the teen club coordinator and now, I’m helping with children’s activities in our community,” Liza said. “Next summer, I’m going to become a madricha (counselor) at our Jewish Community Center family retreat.” Inspired by a JDC leadership seminar for Jewish teenagers, Liza also plans to build her own community project – a new program on Jewish art at the JCC. Liza’s life changed when war broke out in Donetsk. But now, due to JDC and the Jewish community of her new city, she’s beginning to imagine a path forward. “The war made me leave my city and lose my friends, home and everything I belonged to, but the Jewish community of Zaporozhye has helped me return to normal life and find new friends. Basically, it’s helped me come alive again,” she said. “I’m so happy to have a chance to give back to the community that welcomed us at the hardest moment of my life.” JDC’s global programs are made possible through UJA gifts.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Will 2016 be...?

Jews in the arts

Sports in Israel

on a Monday morning. One of them, a native of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin who identified himself only as Degree, said he felt safe “to do whatever here” because “police won’t come here, they’re too scared. If they come, we just kill them.” Religious extremism is more difficult to measure, but its effects are nonetheless evident.In December, La Courneuve became the final resting place of Samy Amimour, one of the suicide bombers who killed 130 people in multiple coordinated attacks in Paris in November and whose family lives nearby. Security around the synagogue was beefed up following those attacks, but the soldiers were already in place. Their presence is part of Operation Sentinel, launched in response to the January 2015 murder of four Jews at a kosher supermarket in Paris. Ahavat Chalom, which in 2002 survived a fire sparked by four firebombs, is considered especially at risk. Over the past 15 years, such attacks have spurred many Jews to leave poor Parisian suburbs like La Courneuve in favor See “Paris” on page 6

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A look at some of the issues, from A Chasidic funk band hopes to Ex-baseball players learn and continuing attacks in Israel to transcend labels; actor Tony teach in Israel; an Israeli woman PLUS threats in Europe, in 2016. Roberts looks back at his career. is a world kickboxing champ. Opinion........................................................2 Story on page 3 Stories on pages 4-5 Stories on page 11 D’var Torah..............................................10

THE REPORTER ■ JANUARY 28, 2016

JANUARY 28, 2016 ■ THE REPORTER

A MATTER OF OPINION

Point/counterpoint

NGO law protects Israel from existential threats BY AYELET SHAKED (JTA) – In 1914, Robert Frost published his poem “Mending Wall,” where he coined the maxim, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Those were the days of World War I, and it was perceived at that time that the best way to safeguard international relations and world peace was to clearly demarcate the physical borders between countries. Two decades later, around the time of World War II, the concept of sovereignty had changed to include more than merely defending a country’s territory. The understanding that foreign governments were able to have a serious effect on a country’s internal decision-making led the United States to enact the Foreign Agents Registration Act in 1938, which requires non-diplomats representing foreign interests to register with the U.S. Department of Justice. The act underwent a series of amendments during the 1960s, but the foundations upon which it was based and the justifications that formed its basis have not changed. A strong democracy cannot suffice itself with defending its physical borders alone, since threats to sovereignty are not always confined solely to tanks invading fields and cities. Sometimes the real threat lies in the interference in another country’s internal affairs. This is precisely the sort of interference that the 1945 U.N. Charter sought to confront. A hundred years after Frost published his poem, there are about 2,000 lob-

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OPINIONS The views expressed in editorials and opinion pieces are those of each author and not necessarily the views of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. LETTERS The Reporter welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the Jewish community. All letters must be signed and include a phone number. The editor may withhold the name upon request. ADS The Reporter does not necessarily endorse any advertised products and services. In addition, the paper is not responsible for the kashruth of any advertiser’s product or establishment. DEADLINE Regular deadline is two weeks prior to the publication date. FEDERATION WEBSITE: www.jewishnepa.org HOW TO SUBMIT ARTICLES: Mail: 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510 E-mail: jfnepareporter@jewishnepa.org Fax: (570) 346-6147 Phone: (570) 961-2300 HOW TO REACH THE ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Phone: (800) 779-7896, ext. 244 E-mail: bonnie@thereportergroup.org SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Phone: (570) 961-2300

byists registered in the United States who represent the interests of “foreign political entities” and receive funding from them. The United States understood in time the importance of this identification of the foreign interests on behalf of whom the various organizations operate. The Government Transparency Law that I am currently promoting is as its name says. It seeks to create transparency and clarity in relation to the parties financing Israeli NGOs who receive more than half of their annual budget directly from a foreign government. In no way does it prevent the activity of those NGOs, nor does it impose any restriction on their activities or forms of expression. In fact, the requirements it stipulates are much less stringent than those imposed by the United States upon similar types of activity under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Israel, which has been subject to an unending struggle for survival for almost 70 years, and where the state of emergency has not ceased for a single day since its establishment, deals with threats from near and far via the Israel Defense Forces. The security forces in Israel protect citizens night and day against the threats posed by enemy

countries and the danger of terrorism. However, these dangers are not the only dangers that Israel has to deal with. Currently, Israel is also fighting repeated attempts to undermine its very legitimacy. The BDS movement that is spreading all over the world presents itself as working against Israeli government policy, yet the official anti-Israeli sentiment it presents serves solely as a cover for the classic antisemitism that is only too well known. The same forces that in the Europe of the 1930s and ‘40s cried “Jews – go to Palestine,” are now calling out to Israeli citizens: “Jews – go back to Europe.” To justify the demand to put an end to the Zionist enterprise in the land of Israel, these forces wish to weaken Israel’s hold of the land of Israel. In the opinion of these forces, the way to do this is by tarnishing Israel with charges of war crimes and immoral conduct toward the Arabs. This notwithstanding the fact that the Arab population in Israel enjoys full rights and equality under Israeli law, and that the majority of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, traditional Hebrew names for the West Bank, are under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority. Like the United States, we have dis-

covered in recent years the danger posed by the existence of forces financed by foreign money. We have discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars are sent to NGOs in Israel from countries that seek to decide the existing dispute between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Often, those countries are not at all aware of the fact that the money they are sending is used by the bodies it is sent to for the purpose of weakening Israel’s moral claim and presenting it as a country that is prima facie committing a breach of international law. Israel believes that whoever seeks to influence the policy of its members of parliament in the name of a foreign country’s money is no better and no worse than any other lobbyist working on behalf of the money it receives. Therefore, Israel wishes to create transparency in this area and prescribe a duty of disclosure with regard to the activities of the NGOs operating on behalf of foreign governments. Criticism of the law, which is so exaggerated and absolutely exceeds any relevant claim based upon any pertinent dispute, is part of the same foolish attempt to besmirch Israel’s name. Ayelet Shaked is Israel’s minister of justice.

Proposed Israeli NGO law is hypocritical attack on left BY NAOMI PAISS (JTA) – Yet again the Israeli Knesset is considering legislation to single out and punish progressive nongovernmental organizations, particularly the human rights groups that are such a thorn in the side of those who favor the continued occupation of the West Bank. Carefully constructed to evade the inevitable legal challenges it would face if passed, the legislation recently approved by a Knesset committee would require representatives of organizations receiving foreign government funding to identify themselves as such in every public venue, including the Knesset, the media and in all printed and online materials. Failure to do so would trigger huge fines. That every human rights organization in Israel is already required to make its funding sources public is apparently irrelevant. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and her Likud and Jewish Home allies designed this nakedly political maneuver to further delegitimize progressive organizations, especially those opposing the occupation and its inevitable human rights abuses. The legislation, purportedly for transparency, comes as new reports are surfacing about the millions of foreign dollars flowing to the settlements, the NGOs that defend them and allied institutions on Israel’s ultranationalist right. The new reports make a mockery of the right’s stated objective of transparency, not to mention its self-righteous disdain for foreign funding. In a series of investigative reports for Haaretz, Uri Blau has shown how American donors gave the settlements more than $220 million over the past five years – donations that went through tax-exempt American nonprofit organizations. Despite the longstanding American government view that settlements are impediments to peace, at least 50

organizations from across the United States are involved in raising funds for settlements and settlement activities, according to Haaretz. Blau found that American donations fund everything from air conditioning for settlers to payments to the families of convicted Jewish terrorists. Among the recipients of tax-exempt American donations is Honenu, a right-wing legal aid group that has provided stipends to Yigal Amir, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin. The yeshiva whose rabbis wrote the “The King’s Torah,” a book purporting to demonstrate when it is legitimate to kill non-Jews, also benefits from tax-deductible contributions from the United States. Yet the proposed legislation would exclude these organizations and their funders. Only money from “foreign political entities” are targeted, a formulation designed to ensnare Israel’s human rights community, which receives significant funding from European governments motivated by shared values and an interest in protecting the millions of Palestinians living under military rule. Longtime observers of the growing power of the Israeli right and its links to a network of mostly foreign millionaires are not surprised by this. After all, Israel’s leading newspaper is a freebie to its readers, funded by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson and faithfully parroting the Likud line. Israel permits its politicians to receive foreign funding for their party primaries, and nearly all the money donated to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign in the last election came from overseas, according to government records. And many of the neoconservative and ultranationalist think tanks and political NGOs in both Israel and the United States share donors, staff and volunteer leadership. We at the U.S.-based New Israel Fund, ourselves a partnership of Israe-

lis and Jews worldwide with program and grant recipients in Israel, take no issue with overseas dollars funding Israeli organizations and institutions. But the manipulation of Israel’s political process to single out organizations of the left for obloquy is both wrong and dangerous. Selectively deciding that foreign funding for human rights must be shamed and labeled, while millions of dollars flow unimpeded to neutral and right-wing institutions, is not just a matter of stigma. It tells Israelis that those who criticize the occupation on the grounds of human rights need not, or must not, be heeded. The current governing coalition, the most hard line in Israel’s history, has made it clear that it will do everything possible to stifle dissent. At a time when Israel’s relationships with its most important partners, the United States and the European Union, are already shaky, the signals sent by the government’s arrogant defiance of supposedly shared democratic values also further damages Israel’s international standing. Let’s be clear. B’Tselem, Yesh Din, Rabbis for Human Rights and other beleaguered protectors of human and civil rights will do their jobs even if they have to wear neon deely boppers to visit the Knesset. No amount of harassment will shut down these organizations, short of the sorts of measures used by police states like Russia and China. But the treatment of organizations with unpopular missions and activities is the canary in the coal mine of democracy. We who defend Israel as a liberal democracy must make clear to our counterparts in Jerusalem that we see through the hypocrisy and doubledealing, and take a stand for an honest, free and democratic Israel. Naomi Paiss is the vice president for public affairs at the New Israel Fund.

COMMUNITY NEWS Villa Capri Cruisers support Jewish Family Service food pantry Jewish Family Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania received a check from the Villa Capri Car Cruisers on January 12 for $500 in support of the Mae S. Gelb Kosher Food Pantry. Established in 2001 by Bev Klein and Sondra Myers, Mae Gelb’s daughters, the pantry provides assistance with food and other household items to families and individuals during times of financial stress. This is the second year that the Villa Capri Cruisers have donated money to the food pantry. Established in 1994, the Villa Capri Car Cruisers Club donates money to numerous area nonprofit organizations. Established in 1915, JFS is a human service organization that seeks to “reflect the Jewish tradition of caring and compassion for all people in need.” Through professional counseling, advocacy and educational programming, its services are intended to “enhance and strengthen the quality of individual, family and community life.” This mission is said to drive all services and activities of Jewish Family Service.

At right (l-r): Mike G re e n s t e i n , B u t c h Pagota, Pat Valvano, Lou Mangravito, Mike Macedonia, Frank Valvano and Sheila Nudelman Abdo posed with a donation for Jewish Family Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Will 2016 be the year of....? BY URIEL HEILMAN (JTA) – Forget 2015 – that’s so last year. It’s time to think about the future. What will the new year bring on issues of concern to Jews? Here are a few storylines to keep an eye on in 2016. WILL THE WAVE OF VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL BECOME THE NEW NORMAL? For nearly four months, Israelis have been subjected to a steady stream of Palestinian attacks that so far have killed 27, injured 279 and stoked a climate of tension in Israel not unlike that of the intifada era. A poll in November by the Israel Democracy Institute found that 67 percent of Israelis fear that they or someone close to them will be harmed in the current wave of terrorism. Unlike previous outbreaks of violence, this one has been characterized mainly by lone-wolf attacks: Palestinian assailants, inspired by terrorist leaders, but apparently not guided by them, have perpetrated 99 stabbings, 37 shootings and 22 car rammings since mid-September, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The mostly spontaneous nature of these attacks and the ubiquity of low-tech weapons like knives and cars have frustrated counterterrorism efforts. Simply put, how do you stop a 16-year-old Palestinian who grabs a kitchen knife and takes to the street with lethal intentions? In

most cases, quick-acting armed citizens or police have ended the attacks using their weapons. Despite ebbs and flows, the attacks have persisted. Israeli officials say they are confident it’s just a matter of time before the attacks fizzle. But without an effective strategy to stop them, it’s also possible these attacks will become the new normal, leading to more casualties and worsening relations between Jews and Arabs. And it’s also conceivable that some mass-casualty attack will spark a harsh Israeli response that is followed by deadlier Palestinian attacks and the eruption of a fullblown intifada. WILL 2016 BE THE YEAR OF THE FEMALE ORTHODOX RABBI? Since the first ordination of an American woman as Orthodox clergy in 2009, Orthodox women studying to become clergy and the institutions that ordain them have been lightning rods. Just two months ago, for example, America’s main modern Orthodox rabbinical association, the Rabbinical Council of America, formally voted to ban the hiring of women who carry even a clergy-like title by Orthodox synagogues or schools. The RCA already had condemned the idea of female rabbis twice before. The

See “Year” on page 12

At left: Lila Kagedan is the first woman ordained by Yeshiva Maharat in New York City to say she would be calling herself rabbi. (Photo courtesy of Yeshivat Maharat)

Police at the site of a suspected terror attack by an Arab-Israeli who allegedly drove his car into four Israelis at a Haifa kibbutz on October 11, 2015. (Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images)

haredi Orthodox Agudath Israel of America has taken an ever harsher line, declaring that institutions that train women rabbis “reject the basic tenets of our faith.” But for all the condemnations, Orthodox clergywomen have shied away from direct confrontation with the Orthodox establishment and tread lightly when it came to title. “We recognize that the path toward female leadership is slow and is an evolution,” Sara Hurwitz, the first American Orthodox female ordainee and the dean of Yeshivat Maharat, a New York City-based yeshiva that ordains Orthodox women clergy, told JTA last year. (Hurwitz goes by the title “rabba,” a feminized version of rabbi.) “We’re not trying to upend halachah [Jewish law]. We’re really trying to work within the halachic system of the Orthodox community.” But late last month, Lila Kagedan became the first woman ordained by Yeshivat Maharat to announce that she would be calling herself rabbi rather than “rabba” or “maharat.” Kagedan, who said she has been hired by an American Orthodox synagogue, but did not identify the institution, is following the model of two women

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Chasidic funk band Zusha on a mission to transcend labels BY MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN JNS.org There’s no one label for the deep, spiritual, funky, fun and eclectic tunes of one of the hottest new Chasidic funk bands, Zusha. “What are we? What are you?” asks band member and guitarist Zachary Goldschmiedt, 24, over coffee in Jerusalem with this reporter. Sitting with percussionist Elisha Mlotek, 25, and vocalist Shlomo Gaisin, 24, the latter sipping a berry smoothie with a shot of hot pepper, the members of the New York-based band spoke about music, religion and life. “The only assumption we make about people is that they are all beautiful and they all have something to teach us. Who are we? We are listeners. We are Jewish,” Goldschmiedt tells JNS.org. “Labels make us uncomfortable.” Yes, they’re Jewish and Orthodox, with long beards and soulful eyes, but that’s where the labels stop. Zusha’s music is tough to define. Some call it hipster, others dub it Chasidic soul. It’s probably a combination of both of those genres, with a little Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and Yosef Karduner thrown in for good measure.

The band is in the midst of an international tour, celebrating its latest and second album, “Kavana,” which means “intention” in Hebrew. The album came out on January 6. On the cover is a tzadik (righteous person) eating. “How do you take something as mundane as eating and turn it into a spiritual experience? You can,” says Goldschmiedt. “We find ourselves all over the place – the airport, the subway, taxi cabs – and part of our avodah (work) is to make those moments as meaningful as we can through song. We find ourselves singing a lot.” Zusha, which is an acronym for the band members’ Hebrew names – zayin or Z for Zacharia, shin or S for Shlomo, and alef or A for Elisha, while the vav or U is a connector – put out its first album in October 2014. The members met in 2013 in New York City and started jamming around town, including gigs at and near New York University, where Goldschmiedt studied. After playing just for fun for a while, they decided to make it official. At that point, they had enough of a following that their first album, named for the band, was a success. It led to shows in the U.S. and Israel.

L-r: Elisha Mlotek, Shlomo Gaisin and Zachary Goldschmiedt of the Chasidic funk band Zusha. (Photo by Shimmy Socol)

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Their target audience: anyone with an open heart, says Gaisin. “We’ve encountered some really special people at our shows that want to be part of this spiritual revolution,” says Mlotek. “People are running after meaning, Jews are running back to their roots, searching for a meaningful existence... People are thirsty and hungry for nothing short of the real thing.” Zusha is ready to give it to them. Mlotek says many people, even those who live religiously observant lives, live them almost robotically. “That becomes dangerous,” he says. The band, Mlotek continues, is trying to “wave a flag and bring spirituality and connection back to the forefront.” Even the name Zusha is wrapped in a spiritual cloak. Mlotek explains how the Chasidic master Zusha spread a message of simplicity and joy, and that’s the band’s message, too. Zusha’s shows can take on many forms. In the fall of 2015, Zusha played at the Yellow Submarine venue in Jerusalem to a crowd of hundreds of American yeshiva and seminary students. With lighters in the air and screams of delight, the young adults begged for more as they danced in any available open spaces, which were few and far between. At other times, Zusha puts on quieter, more intimate shows – mostly private appearances. Mlotek says he is not nervous when he performs since he doesn’t view it as a production, but rather as prayer. The band members also enjoy recording their albums. They have a devout Christian producer who adds another layer of spirituality to the music. “It adds another authentic perspective,” says Mlotek. “He bolsters the music with his rich soul.” For Gaisin, recording is about an exercise in free choice. Every addition or subtraction changes the band’s sound, and the end results fascinate him. “Every layer of sound can either block the real us or bring out more of the real us,” Gaisin says. While on the surface the band members look similar to each other, they don’t share many philosophical, religious or political opinions. They say this contributes to their diversity of sound and the dynamism of their music. “We don’t have

Vocalist Shlomo Gaisin sang during a Zusha concert. (Photo by Shimmy Socol) to be the same, yet we are all together,” Gaisin says. How long will it last? Like any young band members, they have high hopes. Yet Goldschmiedt says he is already struggling with his career choice. He says he recognizes the challenges of being a Jewish, let alone Chasidic, band member who wants to form a family. “Unlike rock ‘n’ roll superstars, for us, number one is to have a nice place to call home and to raise a family with children. Then there’s this other goal to change the world through music. The hard thing is how do those things line up?” Goldschmiedt says. “Sometimes it is like wearing two different hats without a lot of role models.” Goldschmiedt mentions that one of his role models is Rabbi Shlomo Katz, who was born into a family of musicians. Katz is best known for singing the songs and giving over the Torah messages of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Gaisin says he’s confident that the band can make the delicate career-life balance work. “Each one of us contains a little bit of a tzadik,” says Gaisin. “So many people are just on Earth or just in heaven. That is not the Jewish way. You need to bridge the spiritual and physical plains. That’s what we’re trying to do. That’s what we’ll keep on doing.”

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Jews in the arts

BY LONNIE FIRESTONE NEW YORK (JTA) – There’s a memorable scene in “Annie Hall” when Woody Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, rants about finding antisemites everywhere he goes. “You know, I was having lunch with some guys from NBC and I said, ‘Did you eat yet?’ and [they] said, ‘No, Jew?’ Not, ‘Did you,’ but ‘Jew eat? Jew?’ Not ‘Did you,’ but ‘Jew eat?’” To which his pal Rob – played by the prolific stage and screen actor Tony Roberts – replies, “Max, you see conspiracies in everything.” It’s an exchange that sums up a quintessential relationship in Allen’s oeuvre: the nervous, insecure schlemiel (played by Allen himself) and his level-headed, self-assured friend. In several of Allen’s films in the 1970s and ‘80s – including “Play It Again, Sam,” “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Stardust Memories” – that role belonged to Roberts. Roberts’ confident onscreen presence – not to mention his tall frame, broad shoulders and brown curly mane – was the perfect foil for Allen’s various neurotic characters, making them more funny and enjoyable to watch. Still handsome at 76, though his curls have long since turned cloud white, Roberts says today that his comedic interplay with Allen was nothing less than serendipitous. “I don’t even know what chemistry we lucked upon,” Roberts tells JTA. “[Woody] said to me, ‘You know, people like our schmoozing.’ “Well, clearly people liked it because he made use of it in six films,” he adds. Those films with Allen have been on Roberts’ mind quite a lot in the past year. The actor has published a new memoir that entertainingly dishes on his decades in film, theater and TV, and explores how he built a successful career while teetering somewhere between fame and anonymity. In “Do You Know Me?,” Roberts writes that he could star in Broadway shows and hit films and receive critical praise – yet people would approach him on the street wondering where they had seen him before. Aside from providing a peek inside his celebrity-filled life – the memoir is filled with anecdotes about working with legends like Sidney Lumet, who directed him in “Serpico” opposite Al Pacino, and Julie Andrews, with whom he co-starred in the Broadway production of “Victor/Victoria”

– Roberts hopes the book will be a guide for young actors. He offers advice on preparing for auditions, inhabiting characters and observing human behavior as a conduit to understanding narrative. And, of course, there’s a lot about Allen. Roberts calls Allen “Max” throughout the book, a nod to the personal nickname that started when the perennially introverted Allen told Roberts not to call out his name in public. In fact, the nickname “Max,” used in “Annie Hall,” is a direct reference to their off-screen joke. Robert’s fame never reached the height of a Robert Redford, whom Roberts replaced in the 1963 Broadway hit “Barefoot in the Park.” And in films, he typically plays the sidekick rather than the lead. But his nearly 60-year career reveals the strengths of a supporting actor who continually brought the main character’s desires and conflicts into greater relief. As comedian Milton Berle once told him, “When I get a laugh, it’s our laugh.” Today, Roberts looks back with a sense of pride, but he’s reluctant to call himself an artist. Sitting in Lexington Candy Shop, the Upper East Side diner he’s frequented since he was 7 years old, Roberts contemplates how to define his work. “I’m like a musician in an orchestra,” he suggests. “An interpreter, not a creator.” Roberts credits his Manhattan upbringing for providing a fascinating spectrum of characters to observe. “It was like the whole world was here,” he says of city life. “There were ethnic collisions between newly arrived immigrants; there were Irish kids who went to school in ties but, after school, would see a weakling Jew and take it out on him. “But on the other hand, I had Irish friends,” he adds. “I learned tolerance.” His parents were secular Jews who raised their son to love culture and uphold a moral code of behavior. In his memoir, Roberts writes that though he was raised without religious observance, he grew curious about his heritage and took a trip to Latvia where his grandfather had lived before immigrating to the United States. Roberts got an early start as a professional actor, landing a part on the soap opera “The Edge of the Night” just after college in 1966. Soon after, he was cast in his first Broadway play and the roles multiplied from there.

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At left (l-r): Woody Allen, Tony Roberts and Diane Keaton in a 1977 publicity shot from “Annie Hall.” (Photo courtesy of Tony Roberts)

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Jews in the arts

JANUARY 28, 2016 ■ THE REPORTER

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THE REPORTER ■ JANUARY 28, 2016

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THE REPORTER ■ JANUARY 28, 2016

JANUARY 28, 2016 ■ THE REPORTER

Spirited Art called “a spirited success”

Despite the cold weather, more than 30 women participated in the Jewish Federation-sponsored Girls Night Out “Spirited Art” event on January 11. Chairwomen Leah Laury and Rebecca Tschampel, along with Dassy Ganz, of the Jewish Federation, set up a wine and cheese buffet, which also included coffee, fruit and dips. The Federation helped defray the cost to the individual

Paris

artists, which is said to have encouraged the large attendance. The organizers chose the painting – Van Gogh’s “Seaside” – from a selection offered by the Spirited Art Studios in Dickson City, which also provided the equipment and instructors. Studio staff guided the participants, from novices to the more experienced, through the process of creating their own painting. (See photo collage on page 7.)

“This event,” said organizers, “was a chance for many new members of our community to mingle with those living here longer and, hopefully, will bring even more into the Federation family.” Organizers added, “As the Jewish Federation continues to reach out to the younger members of Northeastern Pennsylvania, we will continue to present creative events for all ages.”

Continued from page 1

of safer neighborhoods, according to Bernard Edinger, a Paris-based former senior correspondent for Reuters. “Tens of thousands changed neighborhoods, pushed by the hostility of their Arab neighbors or drawn elsewhere through social mobility,” Edinger wrote in December in The Jerusalem Post. Aubervilliers, a municipality adjacent to La Courneuve, once had three synagogues and many kosher shops. Today there is one synagogue and kosher food is available on one shelf at a regular supermarket, according to the Tribune Juive weekly. Sammy Ghozlan, founder of the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism, a nongovernmental watchdog group, said that while immigration from France to Israel has reached record levels, it only accounts for about 15,000 people over the past decade. Many more French Jews have been internally displaced, Ghozlan said, moving farther from Paris or into the city’s wealthier neighborhoods. Abenaim said he has seen this happening before his eyes. Congregants from La Courneuve have left the area and settled near Abenaim’s home in the 17th arrondissement, which had no synagogues 30 years ago and now boasts no fewer than eight. Meanwhile, La Courneuve has seen a proliferation of Islamic schools and apartment-size mosques located deep in the maze of drab public housing projects. One of the mosques was a synagogue in the 1960s, when the first Jews arrived here as refugees fleeing the war in Algeria. The 1962 arrival of 4,000 French Jews gave the name to one of La Courneuve’s main projects, now known as the City of 4,000.

Alain Felous, a French Jewish photographer, moved to La Courneuve in 1996 for the low rent and proximity to his workplace and children, who live with their mother in Paris. To protect himself, he has adopted a tough attitude and taken to wearing bulky coats in all weather to signal that he might be armed. “Of course I’d rather live in the 17th, or someplace nicer,” Felous said. “I’m not here to make a point. Living here as a Jew isn’t for everyone.” On a trip to the supermarket, Felous paid for the apples of a fellow shopper, an elderly Arab woman with whom he cracked a few jokes. But he was also on guard, kicking the shopping cart of a fellow shopper who had cut him in line while delivering a juicy curse. “You have to respond immediately here,” Felous said, “or they will eat you alive.”

Sidekick

He first met Allen backstage when he was starring in “Barefoot in the Park.” It was around the time that Roberts unsuccessfully auditioned – four times – for Allen’s first Broadway play, “Don’t Drink the Water.” Seeing Roberts perform in “Barefoot in the Park” convinced Allen that Roberts was talented and worth casting. According to his memoir, Allen told him, “You were great. How come you’re such a lousy auditioner?” Roberts talks comfortably about all facets of Allen’s work – but on the topic of the director’s romantic and personal scandals, he eschews commentary. In fact, several publishers told him they would only publish the memoir if it included details

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.

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

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Continued from page 5 about Allen’s personal life, Roberts says, so he decided to publish the book independently. There’s no dignity in divulging gossip, he says, and he maintains that the off-camera memories with Allen are more interesting anyway. Today, Roberts and Allen are still good friends. And though they haven’t acted together in some time, Allen still screens his new films for him and seeks his feedback. Thinking back on their most famous film together, “Annie Hall” – which won four Academy Awards in 1978, including best picture – Roberts says, “I don’t think Woody wants ‘Annie Hall’ to be his signature achievement. He would much prefer if it were one of his more obscure, experimental films. Like ‘Zelig’ – that’s the one they should put in the time capsule.” As for Roberts, like all working actors, he’s excited about his next role, whatever it is. “I wrote the book about the things I want to be my legacy – a love of acting and a love of performers,” he says. “The trick is to figure out what you love to do and then get paid to do it.”

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 $36

French police conducted an operation in La Courneuve, near Paris on August 27, 2015. (Photo by Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images)

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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

Tony Roberts with Julie Andrews on Broadway in “Victor/Victoria” in 1995. (Photo by Carol Rosegg)

Girls Night Out a success!

THE REPORTER ■ JANUARY 28, 2016

JANUARY 28, 2016 ■ THE REPORTER

“Legacies for Life” Endowment Program

The following individuals and families had the foresight to provide for the future of our community. If not for their generosity and vision, we would not be able to provide our continuing level of support for our local and regional Jewish organizations, for Israel, and for worldwide Jewish needs. Our role is to continue their legacy as part of our own estate planning. For further information, please call Mark Silverberg, Executive Director at 570-961-2300 (ext. 1) or e-mail him at mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org if you have any questions. For our Community For our Posterity For Israel Forever

The following list of endowed gifts to the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania is published in recognition of the debt owed by the Jewish communities of Northeastern Pennsylvania to those whose legacies continue to sustain our People and our faith here, in Israel, and throughout the world in perpetuity.

Harry & Helen Mack Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment Fund established

Harry and Helen Mack’s estate planning said a lot about them.

Harry Mack (who passed away on December 22nd, 1988) and Helen Schwartz Mack (who passed away on November 8th, 1992) were respected members of Scranton’s Jewish community who had the foresight to understand the importance of sustaining a vibrant Jewish community after their deaths. In their later years, they established a series of Trusts, several of which terminated in October 2015 after the death of Helen’s daughter Esther Schwartz. These Trust Funds benefited many Jewish and non-Jewish charitable organizations locally, regionally and nationally including the Scranton Jewish Community Center, Temple Israel of Scranton (where they endowed Temple Israel’s Religious School building), Congregation Beth Shalom, the Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania, the Scranton Hebrew Day School, United Way, the University of Scranton, Marywood University, Friendship House, and the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which received a generous gift as well. To honor their memory, the Federation will be establishing The Harry and Helen Mack Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment Fund, which will provide income for the Federation’s annual UJA Campaign, forever memorializing their generosity and perpetuating Jewish life in Northeast Pennsylvania. Their gift will sustain the Federation’s many funded educational, social, recreational, cultural and religious agencies, support Israel, and assist our People in fifty-nine countries around the world – wherever Jews are in need or under threat. Our community is eternally grateful to Harry and Helen Mack and Esther Schwartz for their generosity and foresight. We ask every member of our community to assist in preserving our Jewish future by remembering the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania in their estate planning – as did Harry and Helen Mack and Esther Schwartz, and so many others whose legacies have sustained our community throughout the decades, and will do so in perpetuity. For more information, please call Mark Silverberg, Executive Director at 570-961-2300 (ext. 1) or e-mail him at mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org if you have any questions.

The Federation’s 2016 UJA Campaign Honor Roll will appear during the summer of 2016 following conclusion of our current UJA Campaign in June. In addition to our endowment benefactors listed below, our community extends its appreciation to each and every UJA Campaign contributor for their commitment to sustaining Jewish life here in Northeast PA and around the world and each gift will be recognized accordingly in our 2016 UJA Campaign Honor Roll. Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (P.A.C.E.) Funds A.B. & Dora Cohen P.A.C.E. Fund Moe Cohen P.A.C.E. Fund Joseph & Regina Friedman P.A.C.E. Fund Morris Gelb P.A.C.E. Fund Betty Goldsmith P.A.C.E. Fund Jerome E. Giles P.A.C.E. Fund Alan Goldstein P.A.C.E. Fund David & Betty Greenberger P.A.C.E. Fund Irving & Frances Kaufman P.A.C.E. Fund Harry and Helen Mack P.A.C.E. Fund Leon M. Levy P.A.C.E. Fund Paul & Ann Levy P.A.C.E. Fund Nivert Family P.A.C.E. Fund Herb & Sylvia Rosen P.A.C.E. Fund Ida Rosenbluth P.A.C.E. Fund Milton & Lillian Rosenzweig P.A.C.E. Fund Ada & Phillip Schwartz P.A.C.E. Fund Bessie Todres Starr P.A.C.E. Fund TP Corporation gift Dora Troy P.A.C.E. Fund Morris J. & Esther Waldman P.A.C.E. Fund Anne Wertheimer P.A.C.E. Fund Alvin Ziegler P.A.C.E. Fund

Unrestricted Endowment Funds

Naomi & Paul Alamar Century 21 Legacy Fund Irwin & Francine Alperin Century 21 Legacy Fund James Alperin Century 21 Legacy Fund Prof. Anita Appleton Century 21 Legacy Fund Harlene & Eli Arenberg Century 21 Legacy Fund Barbara C. & Robert Ballot Century 21 Legacy Fund Meyer Barnett Endowment Fund Shirley & Herb Barton Century 21 Legacy Fund Marcia & Mark Berger Century 21 Legacy Fund Faye & Richard Bishop Century 21 Legacy Fund Yvette & Albert Brauner Century 21 Legacy Fund Maximilian Bresch Endowment Fund Kathy & Seymour Brotman Century 21 Legacy Fund Janice & Harris Cutler Century 21 Legacy Fund Ignatz Deutsch Century 21 Legacy Fund Gail & David Dickstein Century 21 Legacy Fund Bernard Dubin Century 21 Legacy Fund Lois Dubin Century 21 Legacy Fund

Unrestricted Endowment Funds (con’t)

Aileen & David Epstein Century 21 Legacy Fund Fanny & Irvin L. Epstein Century 21 Legacy Fund Fanny & Irving L. Epstein Trust Fund David Fink Century 21 Legacy Fund Dr. Alan Firestone Century 21 Legacy Fund Dr. Moses Fragin Endowment Fund Jean R. Friedman Endowment Fund Sheldon & Morton Friedman Century 21 Legacy Fund Mae Gelb Century 21 Legacy Fund Norman & Arlene Gevanthor Century 21 Legacy Fund Jerome E. Giles Endowment Fund Alan, Laurel, Steven & Adam Glassman Century 21 Legacy Fund Aaron Glassman Memorial Fund Marion Glassman Century 21 Legacy Happiness Fund Ethel K. Grand Endowment Fund Samuel & Mildred Harris Century 21 Legacy Fund Susan & Scott Herlands Century 21 Legacy Fund Ruth & Joe Hollander Century 21 Legacy Fund Ruth Leeper Endowment Fund Rose & Irving Levy Century 21 Legacy Fund Saul & Sharon Levy Century 21 Legacy Fund James & Marilyn Levy Century 21 Legacy Fund Esther & Scott Margolis Century 21 Legacy Fund Tillie Miller Endowment Fund Millie Myers Century 21 Legacy Fund Sondra & Morey Myers Century 21 Legacy Fund Maude M. Perlin Endowment Fund Charlotte Plottle Century 21 Legacy Fund RCO Endowment Fund Leah Rosenbluth Century 21 Legacy Fund Michael & Judith Roth Century 21 Legacy Fund Julie & Richard Rutta Century 21 Legacy Fund Molly & David Rutta Century 21 Legacy Fund Samuel Samter Endowment Fund Richard, Burt & Robert Schwartz Century 21 Legacy Fund David Myers & Nomi Stolzenberg Century 21 Legacy Fund Savad, Seiff, Glassman, Rubel & Fine Century 21 Legacy Fund Steve Seitchik Century 21 Legacy Fund Gary & Lynnie Siegel Century 21 Legacy Fund The Solfanelli Family Century 21 Legacy Fund David Steinman Century 21 Legacy Fund

Dr. & Mrs. Seymour Steinman Century 21 Legacy Fund Muriel Survis Endowment Fund Irving L. Swartz Endowment Fund Milton & Arlene Swartz Century 21 Legacy Fund William H. Tamres Endowment Fund Marcia & Howard Ufberg Century 21 Legacy Fund Philip Ungar Endowment Fund Edwin & Elaine Utan Century 21 Legacy Fund Howard Wimmer Century 21 Legacy Fund

Philanthropic Funds

Naomi & Paul Alamar Philanthropic Fund Bernard Dubin Philanthropic Fund Arnold & Patricia Cembalest Philanthropic Fund Joseph & Claire Dubin Philanthropic Fund David M. & Aileen E. Epstein Philanthropic Fund Franef (Irwin & Francine Alperin) Philanthropic Fund JDM Philanthropic Fund (Jennie Levy) Leonard & Rosalind Marks Philanthropic Fund Jacob & Mary Levy Philanthropic Fund Sare Family Philanthropic Fund

Restricted Endowment Funds

Myer & Shirley Alperin Providence Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund Deferred Compensation Trust Fund Friedman Family of Taylor Fund for the Poor & Indigent Rabbi Henry Gutterman Fund for Education, JFS & Passover Bea & Jerry Jaffe Endowment Fund Helen & Rubin Rabinowitz Trust Fund for the Poor and Indigent Sam and Olga Rosen Family Holocaust Education Fund Lester & Clementine Abeloff Family Fund Providence Cemetery Fund WR/CC Philanthropic Endowment Fund

THE REPORTER ■ JANUARY 28, 2016

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

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

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

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

CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL Affiliation: Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Elliott Kleinman President: Liza Roos Lucy Contact Person: Cheryl Badner, Congregation Administrator (570)253-2222 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: Irene Stolzenberg P.O. Box 757 Sullivan Rd., Pocono Pines, PA 18350 (located at RT 940 and Pocono Crest Rd at Sullivan Trail) 570-646-0100 • Website: www.bnaiharimpoconos.org Shabbat Morning Services, 10 am – noon; every other Saturday Potluck Shabbat Dinner with blessings and program of varying topics, one Friday every month – call for schedule.

JEWISH FELLOWSHIP OF HEMLOCK FARMS Rabbi Steve Nathan President: David Malinov 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: Moshe Fink 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: Barbara Parker-Bell 1 Knox Street, Scranton, PA 18505, (off Lake Scranton Rd.) 570-344-7201 Friday evening Shabbat, 8 pm; Saturday morning, when Shabbat Scool is in session, at 11 am

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF DUNMORE President: Isadore Steckel Contact person: Jay Schectman 570-954-9354 515 East Drinker St., Dunmore, PA 18512 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: Dr. Sandra Alfonsi Contact person: Dr. Sandra Alfonsi 570-223-7062 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, 7pm; Saturday morning Shabbat, 9 am

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

JANUARY 28, 2016 ■ THE REPORTER

D’VAR TORAH Yitro: Why the dove is the symbol of peace BY RABBI BARUCH BINYAMIN HAKOHEN MELMAN, TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS, STROUDSBURG, PA Yitro, Exodus 18:1-20:23 Everybody knows that the dove with the olive branch is the symbol of peace. It’s even the logo for the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. But why is that exactly? The dove’s return to Noah’s ark with an olive branch symbolized a new era of peace. Granted, after the flood narrative’s depiction of the violent end of life – excepting the ark’s inhabitants – any harbinger of the receding waters deserved an elevated status, for humanity will now be entering a pristine dawn of a new covenantal moral awakening. It is a cultural assumption that such a linkage exists. But this is only derived from an implicit contextual understanding. Can there be yet an even deeper connection? Only in parashat Yitro is there an explicit, yet concealed, connection between the dove and the idea of peace (shalom) per se, where we see hints in the text that reveal a hidden link between Noah and Yitro. The key factor lies in understanding that the first time a word appears in the Torah it is the foundational prism by which to understand all subsequent usages of that word throughout the Torah (espoused by Rabbi Tzadok Hakohen, an early Chasidic Kabbalistic master). The word shalach (sent) is the explicit link. The dove was sent out to bring proof of the receding waters so that Noah and his family could free themselves of the confinement of the ark and begin life anew. Israel, quite dove-like, was thrust out of the confining Egyptian ark (mitzrayim-metzer/confinement), as it were, to seek freedom and to bring a new awareness for humanity that freedom is the birthright of all peoples and that tyranny and despotism are evils that must fail or fall. Here is the shalach, or “sending,” comparison. This is the foundational basis of the link between these two narratives. Moses says to Pharaoh, “Sh’lach et ami!” “Let my people go!” In parashat Beshalach, we saw Israel as the yonah (dove) for humanity. The rising and falling waters of the Yam Suf (Sea of Reeds) drown the violence-prone Egyptians, echoing the drowning of the generation of the flood who were corrupt and violent (hamas). But the linkage goes even deeper in parashat Yitro. Jethro (Yitro), Moses’ father-in-law, meets up with b’nai Yisrael (the children of Israel) once they leave Egypt. He brings with him Moses’ wife, Tzipporah (literally “bird”) who had been sent home earlier. (Achar Shilucheha, Exodus 18:2) So here is the dove parallel. In the flood narrative, the dove returns to the ark with an aleh zayit, an olive branch. Aleh is spelled ayin-lamedhey. In this week’s parasha, Exodus 18:12, Yitro takes an olah uzevachim (burnt offerings and other sacrifices for God) as an expression of praise to God for Israel’s deliverance. Olah and aleh are both spelled with the same letters: ayin-lamed-hey. They are only vowelized differently. And this is the first time olah appears after we see the same word in the context of an aleh (literally “leaf”). And the letter zayin is shared by both the words zayit (olive branch) and zevachim (burnt offerings). The children of Israel, having emerged from the worldwide deluge of the 20th century Holocaust as a burnt offering, want peace more than any other nation on earth. But, the peace of life, as opposed to the peace of the grave – a patch of dry land to call home once the waters have subsided. And thus the olive branch analogy. Finally, Yitro gives his sage advice to Moses to appoint capable, God-fearing leaders (anshei chayil) to administer justice to thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Moses would only see the hardest cases. He concludes, saying, “If you agree to this and God concurs, you will be able to survive. This entire nation will then also be able to attain its goal of peace/shalom.” (Exodus 18:23) And so, finally, the peace connection. Yitro, so deeply associated with the olive branch in all its fruitful symbolism, sees

the ultimate goal as one of peace. Freedom and survival are thus not ends in themselves. Ultimately, the goal is to live within the covenantal relationship of peace. So, finally, we see the explicit linkage between the dove and peace. This linkage traverses time and terrain, and involves the utilization of esoteric hints, and yet is clearly there for those who have the eyes and the inclination to see it. The Torah employs holy Gentiles each time as the heralds of a new covenantal relationship between humanity and God. Noah brings humanity to a new “Rainbow Covenant” expressing ethical monotheism, while Yitro (pre-conversion) appears in the narrative immediately before the theophany of the Ten Commandments, where his kehuna status (priesthood, literally “intermediary servant”) is echoed by the Covenant of Sinai, whereby Israel becomes a nation of priests and a holy people in order to convey a modeling of ethical monotheistic teachings to all humankind. The Torah is truly universal, a blueprint for the transformation of human consciousness, both Jew and Gentile. It is a narrative of successive covenants. Noah’s rainbow covenant symbolized humanity’s embrace of ethical monotheism. Israel’s Sinai covenant symbolized God’s embrace of a nation molded by the imprint of slavery and genetically programmed to aspire to peace and freedom for both themselves and the world-at-large. The dream of peace, love and musical harmony of the Woodstock Nation is mirrored by that of the Hebrew nation’s Shabbos kodesh, Sabbath day. And while the earth is once more filled with hamas, or violence, may both Israel and all humanity finally come to soon see a real and lasting shalom in our day and for all time. And may all the doves yet fly again soon. Amen. Shabbat Shalom. Good Shabbos! Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman is the spiritual leader of Temple Israel of the Poconos, based in Stroudsburg.

Exhibit on Liz and Marilyn

The Jewish Museum in New York City will hold the exhibit “Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn” until February 7. Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, two of Andy Warhol’s muses, converted to Judaism in the 1950s. Warhol used publicity stills and press images to create their celebrated portraits in the 1960s, a period during which there was an acknowledgment of Jewish celebrities. The exhibit features Warhol’s paintings alongside a selection of photographs, film footage, letters and ephemera, which seek to shed light on the celebrities relationships with Judaism and Warhol’s interest in celebrity culture. For more information, visit http://thejewishmuseum. org/ or contact the museum at info@thejm.org or 212423-3200.

Sports in Israel For ex-baseball players, Israel a place to learn and teach BY HILLEL KUTTLER (JTA) – Out of baseball after four years playing in the minor leagues, Brent Powers, a Christian from Texas, took a tour of Israel last year with his wife. He was smitten with the country and considered how to return. The Masa Israel Journey will provide his path. Powers and about a dozen American college players will be part of the group’s five-month, baseball-themed program launching in January. Israel’s baseball czar figures their expertise will do wonders for a sport that is growing in popularity, but remains a niche sport in a country where soccer and basketball reign. Masa provides an internship-like framework that encourages young Jewish professionals from the Diaspora to experience Israel from the inside. Masa now encompasses some 250 professions. Along with Hebrew-language classes and trips, the baseball players, like Masa participants generally, will work in their professions and interact in-depth with their Israeli counterparts: coaching at Israel’s new baseball academy, playing in an adult league and teaching the sport to elementary-school children. Israel Association of Baseball Director Nate Fish believes his organization’s partnership with Masa “can really revolutionize” the level of play in Israel. Now, he says, coaching in Israeli youth and adult leagues is handled by parents and other untrained volunteers. “If you have 10-20 college players coming in, and put two to three on each team, the level of play goes up,” Fish said of the adult league. “And when we send them to the communities to coach once a week, it gives the little kids some real baseball role models. You’ll get better practices. There’s no substitute for that.” The visitors will gain, too, because “it gives them an opportunity to start their coaching careers,” he said. The program is spreading by word of mouth, and Fish says he plans to more

actively recruit future cohorts by appealing to their sense of sports adventure and career aspirations. That’s what reeled in Powers, who had pitched in the minors from 2011-14 for the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays. Three teammates from the Athletics’ team in Burlington, VT, in 2012 played for Israel in that autumn’s World Baseball Classic qualifiers and connected him to Fish, a coach on the club. When Fish tweeted early this year about the Masa launch, Powers said, “Whoa – that’s exactly what I want to do.” In Israel, “I really look forward to working with the kids,” said Powers, who coaches youth in a Houston program. Joshua Scharff, an outfielder and pitcher for Yale University before graduating in 2013, has been in Israel working with the program since September and awaits the arrival of his American colleagues. He had enjoyed the pro-Israel advocacy work he did in Boston, but left for the baseball calling. “My heart is here, so when I found something that combined the two things I love the most – baseball and Israel – I jumped at the opportunity,” Scharrf said from his apartment in Tel Aviv. To add heft to the program, Masa recruited former major league outfielders Art Shamsky and Shawn Green, both of them Jewish, as spokesmen and might bring them to Israel to lead clinics. Masa officials see their initiatives in lacrosse – which launched a year ago – and baseball as providing Israel with a stream of talented athletes from overseas who will inject their experience locally. Accomplished players in such sports as soccer, American football, basketball, swimming and the triathlon could soon find opportunities to ply their trade in Israel. Scholarships and grants scaled to each athlete’s experience and ability help reduce the $9,400 per person fee. The organization also aspires to take the athletic program beyond the field of play See “Baseball” on page 14

The “uprising” of Nili Block, Israel’s female kickboxing world champion BY JOSH HASTEN JNS.org The “cover photo” quote featured on 20-year-old Nili Block’s Facebook page says, “When My Body ‘Shouts’ Stop, My Mind ‘Screams’ Never.” The quote is on the mark. After a decade of blood, sweat and tears, this daughter of immigrants who moved to Israel from Maryland when she was a young child is now a women’s world champion in the rough-and-tough sport of kickboxing. In October 2015, Block was crowned champion in the 60-kilogram (132-pound) senior division (ages 19 and up) after winning four grueling three-round matches at the Kickboxing World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. In recognition of her achievement, the Federation of Non-Olympic Competitive Sports in Israel, known as Ayelet, recently named Block as the Jewish state’s female athlete of the year for 2015. Block, who describes herself as a “traditional” Jew, was introduced to kickboxing at the age of 10. Her mother, then an officer in Israel’s Border Police force, wanted her daughter to learn self-defense. “I always liked sports and would even call myself a ‘tomboy.’ But at first I saw kickboxing just as an after-school activity, as something fun. Then it became more. I developed a daily routine. I would go to school in Beit Shemesh (where the family lives), come home, and then take the bus to Jerusalem to train at the kickboxing academy at Teddy Stadium,” Block tells JNS.org. She has been in training ever since, whether it’s kickboxing or a similar discipline called Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing. Block also excelled at American flag football, playing regularly in a women’s league at Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem, and she has represented Israel at international football competitions on Israel’s Women’s National Team. Yet her path to athletic success didn’t come without challenges. At the age of 17,

Nili Block raised her arms and trophy in victory at the October 2015 Kickboxing World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo courtesy of Nili Block) Block had to make a serious life decision. She says that one of her dreams was to serve in a combat unit in the Israel Defense Forces, but how would she be able to continue her athletic training while also becoming a solider? “It was a real dilemma,” she says. “I had to choose either combat in the army as a soldier, or sports.” Thanks to a special IDF program, Block was able to find a middle ground. After proving her athletic prowess and showcasing her accomplishments to the IDF, including participating and even medaling in competitions in countries such as Thailand, Spain, See “Block” on page 15

“Television Project” exhibit

The Jewish Museum in New York City will hold the exhibit “The Television Project: Picturing a People” through February 14. It is the first in a planned series of six exhibits for “The Television Project” and looks at how how Jews have been portrayed, and have portrayed themselves, on American television from the 1950s to the present. It features clips from programs such as “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “Northern Exposure,” “The Twilight Zone,” “The Goldbergs” and ABC News’ Eichmann Trial coverage, in addition to related works of art, artifacts and ephemera. For more information, visit http://thejewishmuseum. org/ or contact the museum at info@thejm.org or 212-

Nate Fish, director of the Israel Association of Baseball, demonstrated pitching to Israeli children. (Photo by Margo Sugarman/IAB)

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THE REPORTER ■ JANUARY 28, 2016

JANUARY 28, 2016 ■ THE REPORTER

Year

ordained last summer as Orthodox rabbis by the Har’el Beit Midrash in Israel, which describes itself as a “rabbinic studies program for men and women.” (Mount Freedom Jewish Center, in Randolph, NJ, announced in a news release on January 11 that Kagedan is joining its “spiritual leadership team.” The news release did not use the word “rabbi,” instead referring to Kagedan as a “Yeshivat Maharat graduate.” ) So, will this be the year Orthodox clergywomen unabashedly define themselves as rabbis? The strategy carries potential risks and rewards. The risks? It would galvanize opponents and might make it more difficult for the women to find jobs at mainstream Orthodox institutions. But it could also galvanize supporters, as well as make those who oppose female clergywomen appear out of touch with the realities of a modern Orthodox world increasingly inclined to offer women equal opportunities. IRAN DEAL IMPLEMENTATION OR IMPLOSION? The Iran nuclear deal championed by the Obama administration and achieved last summer will face its first real tests this year. Iran already is far along the path of dismantling its nuclear infrastructure, according to U.S. officials, with more than a quarter of its centrifuges dismantled, the heavy water reactor at Arak nearly reconfigured to make it impossible to produce a nuclear weapon, and nearly all of the country’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium shipped overseas. In fact, Iran’s implementation of the agreement’s requirements has taken place faster than expected, meaning that anti-Iran sanctions are likely to be eased in a matter of weeks rather than months. But many questions remain. Will Iran use the billions of dollars set to unfreeze to promote terrorism or advance regional unrest? Will Iranian anger over a new U.S. law that curtails visa-free travel for those who have visited Iran, which Tehran has charged violates the nuclear agreement, prompt the Islamic Republic to renege on its commitments to nuclear disassembly? And will new tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia – the latter just said it was cutting diplomatic ties with Iran following the recent torching of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran by protesters angry over Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shi’ite cleric – erupt into a full-blown crisis America cannot avoid? Still facing strong domestic headwinds, proponents of the deal in both Washington

Continued from page 3

A view of the reactor building at the Russian-built nuclear power plant in Bushehr, in southern Iran. (Photo by Iran International Photo Agency via Getty Images) and Tehran will have to work hard to make sure it doesn’t fall apart in 2016. THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN Jewish issues haven’t been front and center this campaign season. But given the unpredictability of this convention-defying presidential campaign, anything can happen. A flare-up in the Middle East or a comment from Donald Trump could change things in an instant. And once the country’s biggest Republican donor, conservative pro-Israel stalwart Sheldon Adelson, picks a favorite, Israel may become a more prominent campaign issue. Looking ahead to November, the big question is whether Republicans can make a deeper dent in the American Jewish tendency to vote overwhelmingly Democrat. The Republican presidential candidate received 22 percent of the Jewish vote in 2008 and 31 percent in 2012. And that was against a Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, whom the Republicans frequently portrayed as bad for Israel. It will be harder to tar Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, as weak on Israel, making it more likely that the Republicans lose ground with Jewish voters come November. Of course, if Bernie Sanders, the Brooklyn-accented Jewish senator from Vermont – an avowed Democratic socialist – somehow manages to win the Democratic nomination, all bets are off. EUROPE’S THREATS AND CHALLENGES Surely most European Jews would like nothing more than for 2016 to be a fresh start after a year that saw a rash of deadly terrorist attacks and a surge in Muslim

migration to the Middle East. But with Europe still struggling to mount an effective cross-country counterterrorism strategy, and desperate refugees still willing to chance the risks of crossing the choppy waters of the Aegean Sea to escape war and violence in their home countries, Europe’s challenges are likely to stretch into 2016 and beyond. Until now, the consequences for Europe’s Jews have been felt most sharply in France, which experienced two major terror waves in 2015 (one of which targeted a kosher supermarket) and sent a record number of immigrants to Israel. But Jews elsewhere are worried, too. In Germany, which took in a record one million asylum seekers last year, Jews are worried about what a massive influx of Arabs could mean for local Jews and Germany’s relationship with Israel. European countries already are taking steps to make it more difficult for migrants to enter or settle in Europe, and law-enforcement agencies are stepping up their counterterrorism measures. But nobody expects a quick or easy salve to either of these challenges. JEWISH EXTREMISM IN ISRAEL With the new year bringing news of the arrests of two Jewish suspects in the case of the deadly firebombing of a Palestinian home last July in the West Bank village of Duma, it seems the problem of Jewish extremism is no longer being swept under the rug. For years, critics have lamented the lax response by Israeli authorities to Jewish extremism, with fewer than 2 percent of Palestinian complaints submitted to the Israel Police leading to an effective investigation, arrest and conviction, according to the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din. But with these new arrests – the first since 2008 despite at least 15 incidents of Jews firebombing Palestinian homes in the West Bank, according to Israeli media reports – Israel is signaling that it is taking a harsher approach toward Jewish extremists. After the Duma attack, Israel began applying the practice of using administrative detention – a practice that allows the holding of terrorism suspects without charges or trial – toward Jewish suspects, not just Arab ones. It remains to be seen, however, whether the crackdown on Jewish extremists will last or whether it will provoke a backlash that will embolden Israel’s far right.

NEWS IN BRIEF FROM ISRAEL From JTA

Dafna Meir’s husband: Enough hatred, look for what unites us

The husband of Dafna Meir, the mother of six who was killed in her home while fighting off a Palestinian assailant, called on Jews and Palestinians to “look for what unites us.” Natan Meir spoke on Jan. 21 with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who paid a condolence visit to the family home in the West Bank settlement of Otniel, where his wife was stabbed to death on Jan. 17 by a Palestinian teenager who reportedly confessed to the murder. “The message I want to spread and which I have repeated to all those who have come to pay their condolences is to stop sharpening swords and look for what unites us,” Meir told the president, according to a statement released by Rivlin’s office. “We know well the hatred, enough of this. The true solution is love. I talk with my children each night and I have not heard from them one word of hatred.” Rivlin told Meir: “Your words go straight to the heart and reverberate around the whole country. These words should guide us all.” Meir, his four children with his nurse wife – they also had two young foster children – and Rivlin planted a laurel tree, “dafna” in Hebrew, at the entrance to the family’s home. “This is what I wish will be remembered. Dafna saw each and every one as a person, a human being, and learned Arabic in order to better care for her fellow man,” Meir said. “Dafna’s loss is both personal and communal. I hope that her sacrifice will be remembered for her kindness to others. She believed, as we do, that love is so much more powerful than hate.” Dafna Meir was stabbed to death while fighting off her attacker in what is believed to have been an attempt to save three of her children who were at home. Her 17-year-old daughter witnessed the attack. The assailant ran off after he was unable to remove the knife from Dafna Meir’s body and was captured two days later, according to reports.

Slovenia’s largest supermarket chain backs off decision to stop selling Israeli produce

Slovenia’s largest supermarket chain reportedly has backed off a decision to stop selling Israeli produce. The Mercator chain placed a new order for fruit from Israel, including pomelos and avocados, two days after announcing that it would remove Israeli products from its shelves, Ynet reported on Jan. 21. The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned Slovenia’s ambassador over the issue before Mercator reportedly changed its decision. A similar decision was rescinded in 2014. The Slovenian Embassy in Israel said in a statement, according to Ynet: “There is no Slovenian boycott on Israeli products. The agreements between the European Union and Israel are the basis of Israel’s special status in its relations with Slovenia as well. The government of Slovenia has not held stocks in Mercator since 2014. The ties between Israel and Slovenia have always been good and are characterized by vast cooperation, mostly in the fields of economics, science, research, advanced technologies, and tourism.” The largest supermarket chain in Luxembourg in September stopped selling Israeli produce, saying it would reinstate the goods after its suppliers verified that they do not originate from the West Bank.

Four Palestinians accused of terror killings have Israeli residency rights revoked

Israel has revoked the residency rights of four eastern Jerusalem Palestinians who are charged with killing Israelis in terrorist attacks. The men lost their permanent resident status on Jan. 21. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri carried out the process that was initiated by his predecessor, Silvan Shalom, who resigned in December. Three of the men, ages 18-20, were among five indicted in October for throwing rocks at cars on the eve of Rosh Hashanah Eve and causing the death of Alexander Levlovich, 64. The rocks smashing into his car caused Levlovich, who was returning home from a holiday dinner, to lose control of the vehicle and smash into a pole. The teens reportedly then fled the scene. They admitted under questioning to throwing the rocks. The fourth Palestinian, 21, is being held for an Oct. 12 attack on a Jerusalem bus that killed three Israelis, including an American-Israeli citizen, Richard Lakin.

Twenty Jewish settler families move into Palestinian buildings in Hebron

Twenty Jewish families moved into two adjacent buildings in an all-Palestinian section of the already tense West Bank city of Hebron, sparking more clashes. The families said on Jan. 21 they had legally purchased the two homes from Palestinians and that the previous inhabitants had moved out, several media outlets reported. However, Palestinian activists said the settlers had broken into at least one of the buildings and that Palestinians were living in it at the time, Agence France Press reported. Rioting broke out soon after between Jews and Palestinians nearby, outside the Cave of the Patriarchs. The Cave of the Patriarchs is a site holy to both Jews and Muslims. Some 20,000 Palestinians live in Hebron. According to The Jerusalem Post, 1,000 Jews live there; AFP says the Jewish population is approximately 500. According to The Jerusalem Post, the move represents the first time in four years that Hebron’s Jewish community has purchased a building. A spokesman for the families, Shlomo Levinger, told the Post that the families have proof of sale and all the necessary legal permits from the civil administration to inhabit the structures, but still need Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon’s signature. Security sources told the Post that the settlers still need three major approvals from upper diplomatic and defense echelons. Israeli Border Police and soldiers stood outside the two buildings during the move, but did not interfere, Levinger told the Post. Yishai Fleisher, a spokesman for the Hebron Jewish community, told AFP that the families had not informed the Israel Defense Forces about the move beforehand “for fear of leaks and efforts to try to stop it.” Several Likud government ministers, including Absorption Minister Zeev Elkin, publicly praised the settlers’ move, the Post reported. According to the Post, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said that such action “is more important now than ever. I welcome the determined and blessed efforts of the Hebron residents to redeem and build the land. It is the historic right of the Jewish people to do so.”

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JANUARY 28, 2016 ■ THE REPORTER

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

423-3200. January 2016

• Non-Feature Films • *Deli Man - In Houston, Texas, third-generation deli man Ziggy Gruber has built arguably the finest delicatessen restaurant in the U.S. His story augmented by the stories of iconic delis such as Katz s, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate n Al, Carnegie, and the Stage embodies a tradition indelibly linked to its savory, nostalgic foods. Everything is a Present - The Wonder and Grace of Alice Sommer Hertz– This is the uplifting true story of the gifted pianist Alice Sommer Hertz who survived the Theresienstat concentration camp by playing classical piano concerts for Nazi dignitaries. Alice Sommer Hertz lived to the age of 106. Her story is an inspiration. Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story - Yoni Netanyahu was a complex, passionate individual thrust into defending his country in a time of war and violence. The older brother of Benjamin Natanyahu, the current Israel Prime Minister, Yoni led the miraculous raid on Entebbe in 1976. Although almost all of the Entebbe hostages were saved, Yoni was the lone military fatality. Featuring three Israeli Prime Ministers and recently released audio from the Entebbe raid itself. Hava Nagila (The Movie) - A documentary romp through the history, mystery and meaning of the great Jewish standard. Featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Leonard Nimoy and more, the film follows the ubiquitous party song on its fascinating journey from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to the kibbutzim of Palestine to the cul-de-sacs of America. Inside Hana’s Suitcase - The delivery of a battered suitcase to Fumiko Ishioka at the Tokyo Holocaust Museum begins the true-life mystery that became the subject of Karen Levine’s best-selling book Hana’s Suitcase. The film follows Fumiko’s search to discover the details of Hana’s life, which leads to the discovery of her brother George in Toronto. Israel: The Royal Tour - Travel editor Peter Greenberg (CBS News) takes us on magnificent tour of the Jewish homeland, Israel. The tour guide is none other than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The viewer gets a chance to visit the land of Israel from his own home! Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story (narrated by Dustin Hoffman) - This documentary portrays the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. More than a film about sports, this is a story of immigration, assimilation, bigotry, heroism, the passing on of traditions, the shattering of stereotypes and, most of all, the greatest American pastime. *Nicky’s Family - An enthralling documentary that artfully tells the story of how Sir Nicholas Winton, now 104, a British stockbroker, gave up a 1938 skiing holiday to answer a friend’s request for help in Prague and didn’t stop helping until the war’s beginning stopped him. He had saved the lives of 669 children in his own personal Kindertransport. Shanghai Ghetto - One of the most amazing and captivating survival tales of WWII, this documentary recalls the strange-but-true story of thousands of European Jews who were shut out of country after country while trying to escape Nazi persecution. Left without options or entrance visa, a beacon of hope materialized for them on the other side of the world, and in the unlikeliest of places, Japanese-controlled Shanghai. The Case for Israel-Democracy’s Outpost - This documentary presents a vigorous case for Israel- for its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism, and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. The Jewish Cardinal - This is the amazing true story of Jean-Marie Lustiger, the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants, who maintained his cultural identity as a Jew even after converting to Catholicism at a young age, and later joining the priesthood. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - As baseball’s first Jewish star, Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg’s career contains all the makings of a true American success story. Unmasked: Judaophobia - The Threat to Civilization – This documentary exposes the current political assault against the State of Israel fundamentally as a war against the Jewish people and their right to self-determination.

• Feature Films • *Amen - From the acclaimed director of Z and CAPITAL, Costa-Gavras presents a powerful and riveting account of the implementation of the Final Solution and the culpability of the Vatican in the extermination of millions in Nazi Death Camps. Fill the Void - This is the story of an eighteen-year-old, Shira, who is the youngest daughter of her family. Her dreams are about to come true as she is set to be married. Unexpectedly, her sister dies while giving birth to her first child. The drama of the story reaches its peak when the girls’ mother proposes a match between Shira and the young widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart’s wish and her family duty. Footnote - The winner of the Cannes Film Festival (Best Screenplay) is the tale of a great rivalry between a father and son, two eccentric professors, who have both dedicated their lives to work in Talmudic Studies. Each has a need for recognition in his chosen field and the day comes when father and son must look deeply inside themselves for the truth- advancement of his own career or of the others. Hidden in Silence - Przemysl, Poland, WWII. Germany emerges victorious over the Russians and the city comes under Nazi control. The Jews are sent to the ghettos. While some stand silent, Catholic teenager, Stefania Podgorska, choose the role of a savior and sneaks 13 Jews into her attic. *Ida: Poland 1962 - On the eve of her vows, 18-year old Anna meets her estranged aunt Wanda, a cynical Communist judge who shocks the naive Anna with a stunning revelation: Anna is Jewish and her real name is Ida. Tasked with this new identity, Ida and Wanda embark on a revelatory journey to their old family house to discover the fate of Ida’s birth parents and unearth dark secrets dating back to the Nazi occupation. *Music Box - In this intense courtroom thriller, Chicago attorney Ann Talbot (Jessica Lange) agrees to defend her Hungarian immigrant father Mike Laszlo (Armin Mueller-Stahl) against accusations of heinous war crimes committed 50 years earlier. As the trial unfolds, Ann probes for evidence that will not only establish his innocence, but also lay to rest her own agonizing doubts about his past. When a hospitalized witness is suddenly located in Budapest, the trial moves to her father’s homeland. Here crucial testimony plus Ann’s personal investigation lead to astonishing results. Noodle (compatible only on PAL/DVD players - Hebrew with English subtitles) - This film was a beloved entry in the Jewish Federation of NEPA’s Jewish Film Festival. It tells the heartwarming story of an Israeli stewardess, Miri, whose personal life as a war widow leaves her without much joy. Everything changes for Miri when her Oriental housemaid disappears one day leaving her with her young Oriental child! The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Based on the best- selling novel, this movie is unforgettable. Set during WWII, the movie introduces us to Bruno, an innocent eight-year-old, ignores his mother and sets of on an adventure in the woods. Soon he meets a young boy and a surprising friendship develops. The Concert - Andrei Filipov was prodigy- at 20 he was the celebrated conductior for Russia’s renowned Bolshoi Orchestra. Thirty years later, still at the Bolshoi, he works as a janitor. Ousted during the communist era when he refused to fire the Jewish members of the orchestra, a broken Andrei now cleans the auditorium where he once performed in front of thousands. The Debt - In 1966, three Mossad agents were assigned to track down a feared Nazi war criminal hiding in East Berlin, a mission accomplished at great risk and personal cost- or was it? The Other Son - As he is preparing to join the Israeli army for his national service, Joseph discovers he is not his parents’ biological son and that he was inadvertently switched at birth with Yacine, the son of a Palestinian family from the West Bank. This revelation turns the lives of these two families upside-down, forcing them to reassess their respective identities, their values and beliefs. *Woman in Gold - Maria Altman sought to regain a world famous painting of her aunt plundered by the Nazis during World War II. She did so not just to regain what was rightfully hers, but also to obtain some measure of justice for the death, destruction, and massive art theft perpetrated by the Nazis.

*connotes new films To borrow any of these films for home or synagogue use, please contact Dassy at 961-2300 x2 or dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org.

Exhibit on German-Jewish refugees

The exhibit “Crisis and Opportunity: The Cultural Impact of German-Jewish Refugees” will be on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City through February 29. It profiles the experiences, struggles and intellectual achievements of Nazi-era émigrés who came to the U.S. The exhibit will explore the contributions of the refugees in the arts, in government, to social and communal causes, and to the sciences and humanities in the academy and public life. It also offers profiles of individuals whose experiences and archival records provide insights into the émigré experiences in 20th-century America. For more information, visit www.cjh.org/ or call

Baseball

Continued from page 11 to include those working in coaching and sports management – even sports writing. “We always aim to have a large number of opportunities for professionals to come to Israel and enhance their careers,” said Freda Surki, Masa’s director of development and organizer relations. “We realized that sports portfolios didn’t really exist and thought that this would be a great opportunity.” The new baseball track comes as the Israel Association of Baseball is forming a team to compete next September in the WBC’s qualifying round in Brooklyn, NY. “The timing couldn’t be better,” Green said. “The better the [Israeli] team does in the qualifiers, the more that momentum kicks in – to help grow baseball in a country with a contingent of fans. It’s the right way to do it.” Much of the seed money is coming from Andy Bloch, a Northern California resident who says he plans to persuade Jewish owners of Major League Baseball clubs to become involved and contribute financially, too. While the program might “take awhile” to become entrenched and to draw ever-more accomplished players to Israel to play and to coach, Bloch says, the effort will bear fruit as a greater mass of talented homegrown ballplayers develops. “It’s a great opportunity for Israel and for the players,” he said. That’s just how Powers sees it. Like in many Jewish families, Powers had a parental influence pushing him to visit Israel – his father, also a Christian, had been to the country several times for work. By program’s end, Powers said, “I’ll have a phone book full of friends.”

Thank you to Lindsey Leventhal for the dvd donations to the Federation’s Jewish Film Library! Defiant Requiem

The remarkable story of Rafael Schachter, a brilliant Czech opera-choral conductor who was arrested and sent to the Theresientadt (Terezin) in 1941. Under the most brutal of conditions, he taught Verdi’s Requiem to 150 prisoners by rote. They performed it many times, most notably in a forced performance before SS officials and Red Cross representatives in an attempt by the Nazis to show the world that the concentration camp inmates were well treated. The documentary also chronicles how six decades later, conductor Murry Sidlin and a new choir bring Verdi’s Requiem back to Terezin to reawaken this little known story.

Everything is a Present- The Life and Times of Alice Sommer Herz

Hiding and Seeking-This award-winning documentary tell the dramatic and emotional story of a Jewish father who journeys with his sons back to Poland to try to find the Christian farmers who hid their family from the Nazis.

We Want Light

The extended DVD version of Christopher Nupen’s award-winning film about freedom, survival and the extraordinary place of music in the Nazi concentration camps.

For more information, please contact Dassy at 570-961-2300 x2 or dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

British doctors seek to remove Israeli group from World Medical Association

A group of 71 doctors in the United Kingdom are pressuring the World Medical Association to remove the Israeli Medical Association from the global body’s membership, an IMA representative said at the Israeli Knesset the week of Jan. 22. “The professional British journals have adopted the idea of letters to the editor that libel Israeli doctors,” Dr. Ze’ev Feldman, IMA’s chairman, said Jan. 20 during a Knesset Science and Technology Committee meeting, Israel National News reported. “They claim our doctors perform medical torture on Palestinian patients.” Feldman later told The Jerusalem Post that “everyone must understand that there is an organized struggle – a fight against academia, doctors and other Israeli bodies. Our stance is that these accusations are lies, and we are engaged in a dialogue with the World Medical Association and we will bring forth the facts, and I hope that it will be enough to [persuade the association to] reject this request [to exclude the IMA],” he added.

New Israeli app provides step-by-step CPR instructions

EZ CPR, an Israeli smartphone app that was launched the week of Jan. 22, provides instructions on how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) in emergency situa-

Block

Hungary and Ukraine, she was accepted to join the Army with a special designation as “an outstanding athlete.” While unable to join a combat unit, for a year and nine months she was still given the chance to serve her country in some capacity as a soldier, with the Army giving her time to continue her kickboxing training. Football, however, had to take a back seat because the Army would only allow her to focus on her main sport. With Army service under her belt, it was time for last fall’s Kickboxing World Championships. Featuring top athletes from 16 countries in her weight class, Block had her work cut out for her. She started the tournament strong, winning her first two matches by dominating each round on points, which are awarded by four ringside judges. But in the semifinals, Block was pitted against Elana Moratova, the reigning and six-time women’s world kickboxing champion from Belarus. After dropping the first round, Block came back to even the match in the second round and took the third round for a decisive victory to become the new champion. “That was the hardest match I’ve ever had, both physically and mentally,” she says. “I had lost to [Moratova] twice before in other competitions.” Despite her clear semifinal win, the match ended with controversy as world politics reared its head. The in-ring referee was at the tournament as part of a delegation from “Palestine,” and when Block was victorious, he refused to raise her arm as the victor. “I noticed in the match he was a bit off,” says Block, “and I wasn’t sure why. He was issuing me various warnings unnecessarily.” After the match, Block became nervous when a group of competition officials huddled in the ring before proclaiming her the winner. “I didn’t know what was going on,” she says. Following their deliberation, another referee stepped in and was tasked with raising her arm in victory, as the in-ring referee adamantly refused to acknowledge the Israeli competitor’s achievement. Block says that until then she had never personally experienced any antisemitism or anti-Israel sentiments throughout her competitions around the world. Block’s victory in the finals was far less dramatic. She won all three rounds and ascended the podium draped in an Israeli flag, becoming the new kickboxing champion of the world. “It is such a good feeling [being champion],” she says. “I see this as an uprising, and it’s so special to become a symbol in the world as a Jew and as an Israeli. They (observers of the world championships) didn’t expect me to win, coming from such a small country. Who would have expected it?” Someone who did expect it is Block’s longtime coach, Beny Cogan, who serves as Israel’s national kickboxing and Muay Thai coach, and has been turning Israeli athletes into champions for the past 15 years.Cogan has been working with Block

Continued from page 11 since she began her journey a decade ago. “I was not surprised [that Nili won],” Cogan tells JNS.org. “I could see in her a gifted and talented athlete, with a strong mind and one who likes to work hard. She is an excellent worker and a winner. This is what we aim for.” Cogan says he has worked with Israeli kickboxing and Muay Thai fighters over the years who have won a total of six first-place finishes in international tournaments. “For me, [Block] was never the underdog,” he says. With her championship trophy as her carry-on luggage, Block came home to Israel. Without skipping a beat, she swiftly began training to compete in the Muay Thai World Championships. That competition takes place this June in Sweden. Her short reprise? A night off to attend the Ayelet ceremony and receive her award as Israel’s female athlete of the year. When asked what’s more meaningful – being world champion or being named Israel’s top female athlete – she hesitates. On the one hand, she recalls her epic triumph in Belgrade, but on the other hand, she says the local recognition might be even more fulfilling. “It’s a good feeling winning [the Israeli award], I dedicated so much to it. I feel blessed. It also gives me the motivation to come back and train, seeking more,” she says, adding that being on the podium in Israel, in the presence of friends and family, “is even more uplifting.” She also notes the importance of being recognized as a top female athlete, hoping to inspire young girls so that they, too, can succeed in athletics. Block is hopeful that her world championship will help attract potential sponsorship deals that would allow her to travel and compete on a professional level in kickboxing tournaments in the U.S. and elsewhere. One day she hopes to go to college and study sports psychology, but right now it’s all about the training. At the same time, Block is trying not to let the current wave of terror in Israel get in the way of her routine. She is confident that her experience as a multidisciplinary fighter would kick in should she be the victim of an attempted stabbing, with such attacks plaguing Israel regularly over the past few months. In fact, Block is giving back to the community, holding a Krav Maga self-defense course the week of January 11 for the girls in her high school alma mater so that they too can defend themselves. “The main goal of self-defense is to get out alive,” she says. “I’m confident that I would able to neutralize an attacker. The main thing is knowing that you have the tools to do it. It’s all in your head. And I feel that I can, as this is what I do for a living.” A terrorist who starts up with Block on the Israeli street would likely be in for an unpleasant surprise. Indeed, that’s why Block’s mother first enrolled her in self-defense classes a decade ago.

tions. Eli Beer, president of the United Hatzalah emergency response organization, teamed up with the ESC BAZ technology solutions company to create the app. Users are given step-by-step instructions on how to administer first aid to people who lose consciousness, as well as how to use a defibrillator. Additionally, users can press an emergency button that notifies emergency medical service providers of the user’s location. In the coming months, the app – which is currently only available in Hebrew – will roll out English, French, Spanish and Russian versions, and will include an additional feature for instructing users on how to resuscitate babies. The app can be downloaded from the United Hatzalah Facebook page, the www.ez-cpr.com website, Google Play and the iTunes store. Another new Israeli app, called ZCast, enables users to record and stream group conversations with up to 1,000 people listening in. “Our end goal is for anybody who wants to create content to seamlessly connect audio content,” said Hillel Fuld, chief marketing officer for ZCast’s creator, the Zula start-up. Fuld said ZCast is similar to the Google Hangouts platform and that the app is still working on ways to integrate features such as subscribing to receive automatic downloads. For now, users must listen through the Web or the smartphone app, which became available through the iTunes stores on Jan. 21.

Kerry: “some” Iran sanctions relief will likely fund terrorism

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Jan. 21 admitted that “some” of the roughly $150 billion in sanctions relief coming Iran’s way in the newly implemented nuclear deal will likely fund terrorism. “I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the IRGC (Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution) or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists,” Kerry told CNBC television. “You know, to some degree, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that every component of that can be prevented. But I can tell you this, right now, we are not seeing the early delivery of funds going to that kind of endeavor at this point in time.” Kerry also asserted that “if we catch them (the Iranians) funding terrorism, they’re going to have a problem in the U.S. Congress and other people, obviously.” Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, including its funding of the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups.

Netanyahu: Arab nations more realistic on Israeli-Palestinian conflict than EU

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 21 that a number of Arab nations are becoming more realistic about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than many European Union countries. “Saudi Arabia recognizes that Israel is an ally rather than an enemy because of the two principle threats that threaten them, Iran and Daesh (Islamic State),” Netanyahu said during an on-stage interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in Davos, Switzerland. “’Who can help us?’ they ask. Obviously, Israel and the Sunni Arab states are not on opposite sides,” said the prime minister. Netanyahu continued, “I have one request, that the EU policy vis a vis Israel and the Palestinians merely reflect now the prevailing Arab policy to Israel and the Palestinians. There is a great shift taking place... we used to think that if we solved the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it would solve the larger Israeli Arab conflict. The more I look at it, the more I think it may be the other way around. That by nurturing these relationships that are taking place now with the Arab world, that could actually help us resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and we’re actually working toward that end.” Netanyahu’s remarks come as Israel is receiving criticism for declaring 154 hectares (380 acres) in the Jordan Valley as “state lands,” according to the COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) unit of the Israeli Defense Ministry, Reuters reported.

Turkey considers senior diplomat as next ambassador to Israel

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) – Turkey is considering appointing a senior diplomatic official to be the country’s next ambassador to Israel as part of its efforts to restore ties between the countries, the Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported on Jan. 20. According to the report, Ankara has decided to appoint the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s director general for the Middle East, Can Dizdar, to the position. Relations between Israel and Turkey broke down after the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident, in which eight Turkish citizens and one Turkish American were killed in clashes after Israeli naval commandos were attacked upon boarding the vessel, which was trying to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip. In the aftermath of the raid, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime became one of the strongest critics of Israeli policies. After a request by President Barack Obama, Israel in 2013 apologized to Turkey for the flotilla deaths and agreed to compensate the victims’ families. Israel has not, however, agreed to comply with Turkey’s demand to lift the Gaza blockade. Erdogan, whose record of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric is well-documented, has shifted to a tone of appeasement in recent weeks. “Israel needs a country like Turkey in the region,” he said in early January, “and we also need to accept that we need Israel. This is the reality in the region.” Erdogan emphasized that “if steps toward partnership based on honesty are taken, then there will be normalization” in Turkish-Israeli relations.

Turkish shul vandalized after holding first service in 65 years

A Turkish synagogue was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti days after holding its first prayer service in 65 years, the Turkish daily newspaper Today’s Zaman reported. “Terrorist Israel, there is Allah” was painted on the external walls of the Istipol Synagogue, located in the Jewish neighborhood of Balat in Istanbul. “Writing anti-Israel speech on the wall [outside] of a synagogue is an act of antisemitism,” Ivo Molinas, editor-in-chief of Turkish Jewish newspaper Salom, told Today’s Zaman. Molinas said that “widespread antisemitism” in Turkey “gets in the way of celebrating the richness of cultural diversity in this country.”

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THE REPORTER ■ JANUARY 28, 2016