May 22 Edition of The Reporter by Becky Schastey

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Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania MAY 22, 2014

VOLUME XII, NUMBER 11

ADL survey: More than a quarter of the world hates Jews By Uriel Heilman NEW YORK (JTA) – A lot of people around the world hate the Jews. That’s the main finding of the Anti-Defamation League’s largest-ever worldwide survey of antisemitic attitudes. The survey, released on May 13, found that 26 percent of those polled – representing approximately 1.1 billion adults worldwide – harbor deeply antisemitic views. More than 53,000 people were surveyed in 102 countries and territories covering approximately 86 percent of the world’s population.

“Our findings are sobering but, sadly, not surprising,” ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said at a May 13 news conference at ADL’s national headquarters in New York. “The data clearly indicates that classic antisemitic canards defy national, cultural, religious and economic boundaries.” Among the survey’s key findings: Some 70 percent of those considered antisemitic said they had never met a Jew. Overall, 74 percent of respondents said they had never met a Jew.

Thirty-five percent of those surveyed had never heard of the Holocaust. Of those who had, roughly one-third said it is either a myth or greatly exaggerated. The most antisemitic region in the world is the Middle East and North Africa, with 74 percent harboring antisemitic views. Eastern Europe was second at 34 percent. The least antisemitic region was Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) at 14 percent. The three countries outside the Middle East with the highest rates of antisemitic attitudes were Greece, at 69 percent, Malaysia

Mission to Harrisburg called “the best of Pennsylvania’s capital” A delegation of 15 members of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania visited the state capital on April 28. The mission was organized and presented by Hank Butler, executive director of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, Senator John Blake, with a full agenda for senator for Lackthe participants. awanna County, Upon arrival, coffee spoke to visitors. and cakes were served as the group settled in the Democratic caucus room for a series of presentations by state senators and representatives. Butler introduced Senator John Blake, state senator for Lackawanna County, whom participants had met before on other missions. Blake greeted everyone and gave an overview of topics currently under discussion and vote, including a potential mandate for Holocaust education in the Commonwealth public schools. He also took questions and comments from the group. Secretary of Aging Brian Duke spoke next. He discussed the current status of Pennsylvania’s commitment to its aging population, noting that Pennsylvania is the

at 61 percent and Armenia at 58 percent.

About 49 percent of Muslims worldwide

harbor antisemitic views, compared to 24 percent of Christians. The West Bank and Gaza were the most antisemitic places surveyed, with 93 percent of respondents expressing antisemitic views. The Arab country with the lowest level of antisemitic views was Morocco, at 80 percent. Iran ranked as the least antisemitic country in the Middle East, at 56 percent. The least antisemitic country overall was Laos, where 0.2 percent of the population holds antisemitic views. The Philippines, Sweden, the Netherlands and Vietnam all came in at 6 percent or lower. Approximately 9 percent of Americans and 14 percent of Canadians harbor antisemitic attitudes. Thirty-four percent of respondents older than 65 were deemed antisemitic, compared to 25 percent of those younger than 65. Men polled were slightly more antisemitic than women. See “ADL” on page 14

2014 UJA paign Update Cam

Secretary of Aging Brian Duke spoke to the visitors to Harrisburg.

Kyle Mullin, assistant to Senator John Blake, met with visitors.

fifth “grayist” state in the country. He also mentioned a documentary made by a University of Scranton professor, Dr. Herbert Hauser, about the issue of “aging in place.” Jewish Family Service was featured in the film, as well as interviews with some of the JCC Senior Adult Club members. Other visitors included Jewish members of the state legislature, Senators Andrew Dinniman and Judy Schwank and Representative Dan Frankel. Sid Michael Kavulich, from the Northeastern Pennsylvania region, visited to attend the Pennsylvania State Civic Holocaust Remembrance held in the governor’s office.

David Fallk, chairman of Federation’s Community Relations Committee.

Joe Fisch, Federation representative to the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition.

At the memorial, participants reflected on the Holocaust and remarked on the passing of Sam Rosen, who always attended the program. His son, Ray, lit a candle in his memory. Participants then had a boxed lunch before heading out on a tour of the capital building, which one visitor called, “Probably the most beautiful state capital building in the country.” Organizers of the program noted, “All who participated enjoyed the company, appreciated the education and marveled at the tour.” They also expressed their appreciation to the Federation and to Dassy Ganz for organizing the trip.

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Federation on Facebook H a n k B u t l e r, executive director of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, organized the visit to Harrisburg.

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

Members of the Northeastern Pennsylvania delegation posed for a group photo. Back row (l-r): Rachel Laury, Leah Laury, Phyllis Malinov, Dr. David Malinov, David Fallk and Joe Fisch. Front row: Irwin Wolfson, Dahlia Laury, Pauline Wolfson, Dr. Basya Marcus, Joyce Friedman, Steve Natt, Nancy Natt and Jerry Friedman. Not pictured: Dassy Ganz.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Shavuot

Bakashot

Historic connections

Candle lighting May 23...............................................8:04 pm May 30...............................................8:10 pm June 3................................................ 8:13 pm June 4................................................ 9:15 pm June 6................................................ 8:15 pm

Shavuot all-nighter study sessions in The chanting of bakashot, once A look at the connections between PLUS Israel; dairy recipes for celebrating common in Sephardic communities, U.S. history and American Jewish Opinion...........................................................2 the holiday. is making a comeback. history. D’var Torah...................................................8 Stories on pages 4-5 Story on page 6 Story on page 10 Summer Fun........................................Insert

THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

a matter of opinion A new gauge of global antisemitism By Abraham H. Foxman NEW YORK (JTA) – The Anti-Defamation League’s Global 100 Index of Anti-Semitism is the broadest public opinion survey of attitudes toward Jews ever conducted. It is one of the most important efforts we have undertaken in our history as an organization. The survey was conducted in more than 100 countries and territories, and 53,100 people were interviewed, representing four billion adults around the world. Our basic findings were sobering: More than one-quarter of the people surveyed (26 percent) harbor antisemitic attitudes. The stereotypes receiving the most support worldwide were those questioning the loyalty of Jews and those asserting excessive Jewish power and influence. And, despite decades of efforts to promote Holocaust awareness, only 33 percent of those surveyed are aware of the Holocaust and believe that it is accurately described by historians. We approach this project with a sense of pride, but also humility, knowing that it provides direction rather than definitive answers. The survey will form a baseline for further consideration of antisemitism and Holocaust awareness. Most importantly, the survey will, we hope, begin conversations among governments, scholars, NGOs and others around the world on attitudes toward Jews, and lead to new initiatives to counteract these pernicious attitudes. In this regard, a few comments are in order. First, we recognize that polling public opinion, however important a barometer of the state of antisemitism in a particular

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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

country, is only one factor. Other indicators, such as how many antisemitic incidents there are, how secure the Jewish community feels, how antisemitism plays out in politics, culture, entertainment and religion, are all elements in assessing the extent of antisemitism in a particular society. In polling antisemitic attitudes, this survey plays an important role in setting the stage for the broader discussion of antisemitism in varying societies.

as Sweden and the Netherlands. And, in general, English-speaking countries have significantly better attitudes than the world at large toward Jews. These positive findings are important. They show how varied attitudes are and suggest the need for further investigation to determine what common factors bring people in some countries to have more positive attitudes toward Jews. Third, over the years questions have

Indeed, one of the many fascinating aspects of this poll is the positive side of the story, highlighted by countries where antisemitic attitudes are absent or relatively minor. We see that in several Asian countries, like Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines. We see lower numbers in several West European countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands. And, in general, Englishspeaking countries have significantly better attitudes than the world at large toward Jews. Second, as the organization primarily responsible for dealing with antisemitism, ADL frequently encounters comments suggesting we have a vested interest in finding antisemitism. With this global survey, we do not seek to exaggerate how much antisemitism there is in the world; rather, we want to document empirically how things actually are. Indeed, one of the many fascinating aspects of this poll is the positive side of the story, highlighted by countries where antisemitic attitudes are absent or relatively minor. We see that in several Asian countries, like Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines. We see lower numbers in several West European countries such

been raised about ADL’s methodology in assessing attitudes through similar polling. ADL polling is based on an index of antisemitism developed back in the 1960s by academics from the University of California, Berkeley. They looked at 11 classic stereotypes about Jews – statements about Jewish power and influence, Jewish loyalty and personal traits. The index we used in the Global 100 is based on these 11 stereotypes. Our analysis rests on the idea that if an individual agrees with six or more of these stereotypes, he or she is deemed to have antisemitic attitudes. The strength of this methodology is its high bar: It does not rest on agreeing with any one statement. But agreeing to six or more of

these age-old antisemitic assertions makes clear one’s biased attitude toward Jews. Moreover, these 11 statements are not random. These are stereotypes that represent the main anti-Jewish canards through the millennia. Fourth, there is the question of the relationship between attitudes toward Israel and attitudes toward Jews. It is evident that the Middle East conflict matters with regard to antisemitism. However, from our findings in the survey, it is not clear whether the Middle East conflict is the cause, or rather the excuse, for antisemitism. Either way, the high numbers of those who harbor antisemitic attitudes in the Middle East and North Africa are a challenge to the region – and the international community – going forward. When it comes to religious factors affecting antisemitic attitudes, Muslims have significantly higher antisemitic attitudes overall than do members of other religions. If, however, we only look at the countries outside of the Middle East and North Africa, the numbers for antisemitic attitudes for Muslims are still higher than those among Christians, but not significantly so. For the ADL, this survey is an important beginning. The conversations that will ensue, in governments and in civil society, will ultimately be the test of the impact of this worldwide poll. We trust it will provide a better understanding of global antisemitism and its global reach, and will lead to serious efforts to address this worldwide problem. Abraham H. Foxman is national director of the Anti-Defamation League.

A Jewish approach to the “differently abled” By Sid Schwarz (JTA) – Increasing numbers of Jewish institutions are starting to pay attention to the disabled in our midst. As with so many categories of Jewish teaching, the traditional Jewish approach to disability is a mixed bag. Several categories of the disabled, like the cheraysh (deaf-mute) and the shoteh (mentally deficient and/or insane) are neither obligated by the body of mitzvot (Jewish commandments) nor qualified to serve as witnesses in legal proceedings, essentially being placed in the same category as minors. The blind are obligated by the mitzvot, but are not allowed to offer testimony in a trial. In other places in our tradition, a disability or a disease is seen as a punishment from God for bad behavior. Leprosy is the punishment for tale-bearing. Similarly, in the Talmud (Taanit 21a) a story is told of Nahum Ish Gam Zu, who had no hands, no feet and was blind in both eyes. These disabilities were not birth defects, but were rather divine punishment inflicted on Nahum at his own request because he felt guilty for not being quick enough to feed a beggar who ended up dying. A third way that the Jewish tradition discusses disability is essentially used as a theological trump card. It is a way of saying that God’s agency in the world is far more significant than human agency. Thus despite the fact the Moses is said to be “slow of speech,” possibly a person with a speech impediment, he nonetheless offers the most important words in the biblical story. The rabbinic commentators use this to make the point that Moses is simply an agent for God, serving as God’s spokesman in the earthly realm. None of the above three Judaic treat-

ments of disability are particularly sensitive by 21st-century standards. I also fear what a disabled person, one who takes Judaism very seriously, concludes from such treatment in our sacred texts. From a theological perspective, I am far more comfortable with the theology implicit in Rabbi Harold Kushner’s “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” than I am with theological assumptions of the biblical and rabbinic texts. For Kushner, God does not cause disability, orchestrate natural disasters or punish human transgression with disease. Rather, God is the source of comfort to whom we turn when trying to cope with such setbacks. God is a source of healing, not of affliction.

If we take to heart the Jewish teaching about every person made in the image of God and recall that one person is no better or worse than the other, simply “differently abled,” we might be better able to open up our hearts and our institutions to a wider swath of humanity. Many parts of classical Judaism are products of the thinking of earlier generations that may not fully reflect the most enlightened understanding of our time. Yet there is one insight on the issue of disability where Judaism was not only centuries ahead of its time, but where the insight is still well beyond the way most of us behave in the realm of disabilities. The Jewish tradition prescribes a blessing upon meeting different kinds of people: a king, a wise person, a Torah scholar. The

prayer prescribed upon meeting a person who is disabled or who suffers from a deformity is: “Praised are You, Creator of the Universe, who makes people different, one from the other.” Amazing! The insight inherent in this bracha is that no two people are alike, that each of us is “differently abled.” One person can play piano; another might be skilled at computers; another can fix a toilet. A young man who was a member of my first congregation had Down’s Syndrome. Every week when he greeted me at synagogue, he offered me the most wonderful smile and the biggest hug that any person has ever given me. I came to look forward to Ben’s expression of unqualified love that was not the least bit calculated or contrived. It was his gift. I suspect that our discomfort with people with disabilities may have something to do with our fear of being in that situation ourselves one day. One might imagine that it would make us more compassionate. But denial may be an even more powerful emotion that we trigger when confronted with a circumstance that we are not prepared to confront. If we take to heart the Jewish teaching about every person made in the image of God and recall that one person is no better or worse than the other, simply “differently abled,” we might be better able to open up our hearts and our institutions to a wider swath of humanity. We’d all be better for it. Rabbi Sid Schwarz is a senior fellow at Clal and director of the Rene Cassin Fellowship Program for young adults on human rights and Judaism. He is the author of “Jewish Megatrends: Charting the Course of the American Jewish Community” (Jewish Lights, 2013)

MAY 22, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

community news Barbara Jacobson to be remembered

Jewish Home Auxiliary to honor Sara Morris on May 29 The annual Jewish Home Volunteer Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, May 29, will honor Sara Morris for her years of service to the Jewish Home Auxiliary. This newly established award by the Auxiliary will be given annually to members who have “distinguished themselves in service to the residents,” according to the Jewish Home. The award this year will highlight Morris’ service to the overall well-being of the residents by hosting events throughout the course of many years, playing

a role as financial secretary and by fund-raising efforts. Morris was chosen as the first recipient because of “her steadfast commitment to the residents and her many significant achievements,” said an Auxiliary representative. Rabbi Samuel Sandhaus commented, “Sara’s love for the residents and her determination to provide meaningful experiences for them have merited her recognition.” The Jewish Home Auxiliary will also use the occasion to remember Barbara Jacobson for her service as a past

president. During her tenure, she established the Live and Learn Program. The program was conceived and designed “to promote life-long learning” for the residents together with friends living in the community. The involvement of the community-at-large has resulted in residents maintaining connections with “old friends and acquaintances.” In her memory, the program will be named the “Barbara Jacobson Live and Learn Program.” For reservations for the luncheon, call Lynn Klemick at 570-344-6177, ext. 109.

Leader of Reform Jewish movement to speak at Congregation Beth Israel Congregation Beth Israel in Honesdale will host Rabbi David Saperstein at Shabbat services on Friday, June 13, at 7:45 pm. Saperstein represents the Reform Jewish movement to Congress, and he is the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Newsweek has referred to him as “the most influential rabbi in the country.” On The Jerusalem Post’s 2013

“Most Influential Jews in the World” list, he was the highest-ranked rabbi, and in a Washington Post profile he was referred to as the “quintessential religious lobbyist on Capitol Hill.” Following Shabbat services, an oneg will be provided catered by the town of Hawley’s Cocoon Coffee House, along with a 15-minute question-and-answer session

in the social hall. “We are delighted Rabbi Saperstein will be joining us and look forward to a wonderful evening,” said a Congregation Beth Israel representative. For more information and to RSVP, contact Cheryl Badner, Congregation Beth Israel administrator, at 570242-3833 or corpwc@ptd.net.

Congregation B’nai Harim – past and future events By Lee Emerson Congregation B’nai Harim recently celebrated Passover with a model seder held at the Lake Naomi Club in Pocono Pines. A traditional meal was served and the traditional prayers and story were told by Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum, assisted by Cantor Dr. Daniel Schidlow. The congregation is planning a progressive dinner for Saturday, June 7, which will end at the temple for dessert and conversation. The Book Club will discuss “Exceeding Expectations” by Lisa April Smith and “Jo Joe” by member Sally Weiner Grotta on Saturday, June 21, following services. The third annual golf outing will be held on Wednesday, July 2, at Pocono Farm Country Club in Tobyhanna. Dinner and prizes will be held at Lake Naomi Club in Pocono Pines. For more information, call the message center at 570-646-0100.

At right: Rabbi PegKershenbaum and Dan Schidlow said the blessing for the wine during the seder service.

Israel’s marriage blacklist said to break privacy laws By Ben Sales JERUSALEM (JTA) – When she decided to split up from her husband, she went before an Orthodox rabbinical court and, after two perfunctory hearings and little discussion, received a religious writ of divorce. It was only months later that the woman learned that the court had flagged her as an adulteress and placed her on a little-known list that, in accordance with biblical law, prohibited her from remarrying her ex-husband or her alleged paramour. The allegation, which the woman declined to address directly, had never been raised during court proceedings. She only learned of it from a clause in the divorce papers she received in the mail. “They accused me of adultery without any basis for it,” the woman, who asked that her name be withheld, told JTA. “I was in shock. I didn’t know where it came from.”

The woman, who has petitioned the Supreme Court to have her name removed from the list, is one of more than 5,000 Israelis included on a list of people restricted from marrying based on prohibitions in traditional Jewish law. The list includes children of mothers with non-Orthodox conversions and those who fall into the Jewish legal category known as mamzer, defined as the offspring of certain forbidden sexual relationships, including children of married women who conceive extramaritally and their descendants.

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THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

Down with the boring Shavuot cheesecake!

By Mollie Katzen JNS.org Fresh cheese is a staple in classic Shavuot foods, traditionally wrapped in a soft, egg-like blintz that is then fried lightly in butter. Variations on this theme can keep things interesting and expand your kitchen craft. You can try freshening up your blintz package with a cheese upgrade – namely, simple homemade ricotta, which tastes sublime. Cheesecake is another way to expand the joy of this holiday. Small cheesecake bars, topped with early strawberries, are a wonderful way to usher in the transition-to-summer month of June. A Thai tea cheesecake is beautiful and surprising, rounding out your holiday with a sense of orange expansiveness – and it is actually easier than hand-crafting blintzes. Cheesecake Bars If you love cheesecake, but feel guilty after eating it, pursue it in a small way instead. These bars hit that spot perfectly, especially when adorned with a perfect small, ripe strawberry. Yield: About 1½ dozen. ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour ½ tsp. salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1½ cups cottage cheese ½ cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened 1/ cup granulated sugar 3 1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 2 large eggs, beaten A handful or two ripe strawberries (optional) 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (or 325°F if using a glass pan). Have ready a 6-by-9 inch baking pan (ungreased) or the equivalent. 2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and the brown sugar, crumbling the sugar into the flour with your hands until uniformly distributed. Add the melted butter and stir to thoroughly combine. Press this mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan. 3. Combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and eggs in the bowl of a food processor, and buzz until completely smooth. Pour this mixture into the pan, spreading it into place. 4. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top surface is firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely before chilling. Let it

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chill for at least two hours and serve cold, cut into 1½-inch squares. Ideally topped with sliced strawberries.

Cheesecake bars (Photo by Mollie Katzen) Homemade Ricotta Homemade ricotta is not only more soulful than anything you can buy, but also more economical, producing approximately one pound of cheese for the price of a halfgallon of milk. You can determine the thickness of the cheese simply by keeping watch over the project and wrapping it up (in every sense) when the cheese achieves your preferred texture. The longer it stands, the firmer it becomes. Time and gravity – and your taste – are the textural determinants. You also get to decide on the salt content. Try this for dessert or brunch, with some artisan honey warmed and spooned over the top like a syrup, and possibly also some fresh fruit, toasted nuts and scones or little cookies. You can get cheesecloth in most grocery stores. ½ gallon whole milk 1 cup whole milk yogurt ½ cup fresh lemon juice ½ tsp. salt (or to taste) 1. Combine the milk and yogurt in a large saucepan or a kettle, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium heat and warm for about 15 minutes, or until tiny bubbles form along the sides. The top surface may bulge slightly and a little skin might develop, which is normal. 2. Remove the pan from the stove and pour in the lemon juice without mixing. Let the mixture stand at room temperature for an hour to curdle. 3. Prepare a 4-layer cheesecloth net about 16 to 18 inches square. Lay this inside a medium-large fine mesh strainer or colander balanced over a bowl. Long pieces of cheesecloth will drape down the sides. Pour the curdled mixture into the net so the liquid

drips into the bowl, and the solids remain in the cheesecloth. Don’t press it or try to hurry the process along in any way, or you’ll lose some of the cheese. The whey needs to drip at its own pace. 4. After about an hour, lift the side-flaps of cheesecloth and, without actually knotting them, tie them neatly around the cheese. Let it stand, slowly dripping, for another two hours – or even longer, if you like a firmer, drier cheese. 5. Salt the cheese to taste, transfer it to a tightly covered container and refrigerate. It will keep for about 5 days. Thai Tea Cheesecake From “The Heart of the Plate: Vegetarian Recipes for a New Generation” Yield: 8 or more servings Thai iced tea morphs into a dessert (it didn’t have far to go) and all I can say is, this is kind of amazing. No baking required – just a patted-into-place crumb crust and a stovetop-thickened filling. Cool to room temperature, then chill and/or (in my perfect world) freeze. Brew and strain the tea well ahead of time. To get the proper strength for this recipe, steep ½ cup Thai tea in 2½ cups boiling water for 10 minutes, then strain, pressing out and saving as much of the water as you can. Chocolate crumb crust ingredients: 6 to 7 ounces graham crackers (10 or 11 long ones) ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 Tbsp. sugar ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1. Place the graham crackers in a food processor and buzz to fine crumbs. You should have about 2 cups. 2. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, stir in the cocoa and sugar, and pour in the melted butter. Mix to thoroughly combine, and then transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. 3. Spread it out to cover the bottom completely and evenly, letting it begin to climb up the sides of the pan. Pat it into place, gently at first and then firmly – turning the pan as you go – and building a nice edge flush with the rim. Set aside. Filling ingredients: ½ cup sugar 3 Tbsp. cornstarch ¼ tsp. salt 2 large eggs 1½ cups strong-brewed Thai tea, strained and cooled (see note) 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 8 ounces cream cheese 1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together See “Shavuot” on page 7

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MAY 22, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

Sleepless in Israel: Shavuot all-nighter comes to life in the Jewish state By Deborah Fineblum JNS.org Regarding Shavuot – when Jews from around the world celebrate the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai – Rabbi Chayim Vital wrote on behalf of his master Rabbi Isaac Ben Solomon Luria (“Ha’Ari), “Know that one who does not sleep at all on this night, even for one moment, but rather immerses himself in [the waters of] Torah the entire night, can be assured that he will live out his year; no injury will befall him during this year.” That level of protection is certainly a draw, but those who have experienced allnight Shavuot learning in Israel will testify that the experience brings with it other, less tangible, rewards. Less than a week after making aliyah to Ma’ale Adumim, Tanya Gusovsky was handed a list of the local all-night Shavuot learning “ops” by her new landlady, who also offered to act as her guide for the night. Gusovsky says she will never forget the sight she beheld when, coming around the corner from her home, she spied “a river of people flowing in every direction, traveling from one shiur (lecture) to another.” Two years later, despite the late hour, she can still recall the take-away messages of many of the teachers she heard that night. In a way, the ancient tradition of allnight learning on Shavuot is designed to make up for some of our sleepy ancestors. The midrash reports that, more than 3,000 years ago, our Israelite forebears slept in that morning when they were to receive the Torah. So in staying up all night learning Torah, we are trying to demonstrate their descendants’ level of excitement about – and gratitude for – the gift of Torah.

The cheesecake, it seems, came much later. Also known as the Festival of Weeks (See Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10 for the Torah origins), the Festival of Reaping (check out Exodus 23:16), and Day of the First Fruits (as in Numbers 28:26), Shavuot is celebrated for just one day in Israel, as opposed to two in the Diaspora. The holiday numbers among the shalosh regalim, the three pilgrimage festivals when Jews everywhere finish up their seven weeks of omer counting, which begins on the second day of Passover. Tradition also teaches that on Shavuot, the Jews would bring their bikkurim (first fruits of Israel’s seven species: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates) to the Temple in Jerusalem. The custom of all-night Torah study goes back, it appears, to 1533, when Rabbi Joseph Caro, author of the “Shulchan Aruch,” a guidebook to Jewish law, invited many of his kabbalistically minded colleagues to learn with him at a Shavuot all-nighter. Besides Torah, Talmud and Mishnah, many also learn the Tikkun Leil Shavuot (Rectification for Shavuot Night) with its excerpts from the 24 books of Tanach. Legend has it that Rabbi Caro and others living in the Ottoman Empire at the time were able to keep awake thanks to the region’s fine – and potent – Turkish coffee. But although the Torah decreed it and the ancients pioneered its observance, Shavuot has made another mark on the Jewish psyche far more recently than the 16th century. In 1948, one month after the birth of the state of Israel, Jews were still banned from visiting the Kotel (Western Wall) by the Jordanians

Torah study, like what is pictured in this scene at the Kol Torah yeshiva in Jerusalem, is typical of the first night of Shavuot. (Photo by Matanya via Wikimedia Commons)

See “Sleepless” on page 10

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THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

Bringing back bakashot: Young Sephardic Jews embrace an old musical tradition

By Talia Bloch NEW YORK (JTA) – The group of young Jewish professionals had gathered to participate in the revival of a Sephardic tradition hearkening back to the days of their grandparents and great-grandparents. Arriving at an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, they greeted each other in French and settled in around a dining table laid out with snacks and bottles of arak. They had come to listen to the chanting of bakashot, a class of traditional Sephardic liturgical poems praising and petitioning God. The singing of bakashot, which literally means “requests,” was once common practice among Sephardic Jews across the Middle East and North Africa, but it has waned in many communities over the past two generations. Sung to classical Sephardic musical modes, bakashot were traditionally performed in synagogues during the pre-dawn hours before Sabbath morning services in the months between Sukkot and Passover. “Ninety percent of the classic tunes sung in the synagogue are based on bakashot,” said Mony Abergel, who grew up in Casablanca, Morocco. “Every Moroccan, even if he does not know the bakashot, knows the tunes.” Abergel was one of the gathering’s four singers, men in their mid-20s to early 30s from Moroccan Jewish families who meet every week to learn and rehearse bakashot. The men sang in unison, breaking out occasionally into solos. One of them, the group’s founder Sacha Ouazana, also played a drum called a darbouka. The music was of a piece with classic Sephardic liturgical chanting, but with a supplicatory yet insistent quality. Most of those at the March 29 gathering were members of the West Side Sephardic Synagogue. The synagogue is the spiritual home for a growing community of young Jews of North African heritage, many of whom grew up in France and have immigrated to New York over the past decade. Ouazana, for example, grew up outside Paris and now serves as the synagogue’s cantor. Ouazana said he began his cantorial training at the age of 5, but discovered bakashot only when he went to study in the Alsatian city of Strasbourg in his late teens. Before starting the bakashot group in 2011, he spent 10 years gathering and studying materials. “My goal was first to learn the bakashot and then to perpetuate this tradition,

the weekly Torah portion. The communities with the most codified traditions, said Thomas, were in Morocco, Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Jerusalem. On this Saturday evening, the performers sang the bakashot that in the Moroccan tradition would normally be sung on See “Bakashot” on page 7

Blacklist L-r: Singers Joachim Nahmani, Sacha Ouazana, Haim Fedida and Mony Abergel chanted bakashot, a type of Sephardic religious poetry, at an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on March 29. (Photo by Talia Bloch) especially in the U.S.,” Ouazana said. Bakashot draw heavily on Hebrew piyutim – or Jewish liturgical poems – from the Spanish Golden Age. Popular wisdom has it that the bakashot tradition originated then, but many scholars disagree. Ethnomusicologist and musician Samuel Thomas said that the tradition’s real roots lie in the kabbalism of 16th- and 17th-century Safed in Israel. The works of the kabbalistic poet Israel Najara, who figured prominently during that period, are also heavily represented among the bakashot. “It basically comes from the Lurianic kabbalist tradition that looks to inspire a mystical brotherhood and tries to force the hand of God through mystical practice,” said Thomas, a scholar of Sephardic musical traditions who composes new settings for piyutim for his musical ensemble Asefa. “A major theme of the bakashot is asking for redemption. They are indelibly marked by the tragedy of the Spanish expulsion – and by the urgency that ‘this has got to be the time’ of redemption.” The tradition spread throughout the Sephardic world with each community developing its own repertoire over the ensuing centuries. Among Syrian Jews, for example, there is a set group of 66 bakashot that are recited completely or in part each week. In the Moroccan tradition, by contrast, the bakashot change from Sabbath to Sabbath based on

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Continued from page 3 Israel’s religious courts, which regulate the state’s Jewish marriages according to Orthodox legal standards, say the list is necessary to ensure marriages are kosher. But a state comptroller’s report from last year says the courts added names to the list illegally. The court “exceeded the limits of its authority,” the report said, by adding people to the list without first giving them a hearing. The practice, according to the report, contravened Israel’s Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, which provides for a right to privacy and intimacy, as well as what the report called “natural laws of justice.” “The state should not be in the business of blacklisting the children of mamzerim,” said Susan Weiss, the founder of the Center for Women’s Justice, a public interest law group that plans to petition the Supreme Court to eliminate the list. “All this bureaucracy that’s been developed and nurtured around the issue should be eliminated.” The notion of a mamzer – a biblical term often translated as “bastard” – is a controversial one in Jewish law, which allows mamzers to marry only each other. In the past, leading rabbis made efforts to find legal loopholes that would avoid branding someone a mamzer and thereby restrict their marriage options. Enforcing those restrictions in modern Israel makes it exceedingly difficult for someone branded a mamzer by the courts to ever be legally married. Maayan Arviv, a spokeswoman for the religious courts, told JTA in an e-mail that names typically enter the list after rabbinical courts adjudicate personal status questions necessary to reach a verdict in a related case. A higher court then reviews the decision. Even without a formal register, religious courts would decline to allow marriage between a mamzer and another Jew. But without the list, Arviv wrote, “the marriage registrar could not exercise its authority regarding eligibility to marry.” Arviv said the courts understand that mamzer is a taboo in the Orthodox community and that the need for discretion is paramount. The list is not publicized, she said, because “the rabbinical courts aren’t interested in people knowing what happens in other people’s backyards or inner rooms.” Arviv declined to comment on the specifics of the divorced woman’s case because it is under review by the Supreme Court. Batya Kahana Dror, who advocates for Jewish women seeking divorce, said that in an earlier era, rabbis rarely classified people as mamzers because details of a person’s origins were typically conveyed by word of mouth and were harder to confirm. “There have been mamzerim throughout history, but no one knew,” Dror said. “But now, the way we save information leads us to the present situation.” Others say the whole concept of mamzer is damaging and rabbis should find ways to eliminate it. “The issue won’t be solved until the community frees itself from the idea that we must exclude mamzerim,” said Rivkah Lubitch, a litigator in the rabbinical court system and a Center for Women’s Justice board member. “It’s hard to say I’m a religious person and support a society that hurts people like this.” Beyond the headaches of her legal battle to clear her name, the divorced woman said that being on the list hasn’t made her life harder. The courts are prohibiting her from marrying only two people, neither of whom she wants to wed. But she is fighting the decision on principle. “An adulteress in my eyes is not an honest person,” she said. “It’s one of the Ten Commandments. How dare they do that?”

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Bakashot

the Sabbath preceding Purim, although that Sabbath had been several weeks prior. The melodic mode used for this particular group, said Abergel, was one heavily influenced by classical Andalusian tunes. Both Ouazana and Abergel emphasized the difficulty of learning bakashot. “Bakashot are very complex, and if you don’t have someone to teach you, they are very difficult to transmit,” Abergel said. The difficulty of the music is one reason, experts said, the bakashot practice waned. “It’s a tradition that really requires devoted and dedicated people,” said Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, director of the Sephardic Educational Center in Los Angeles. “Like many other aspects of Sephardic life in the U.S., a lot was lost. For a long time the narrative was that we were ‘the other.’ So we assimilated into Ashkenazi Jewry or assimilated out of Judaism altogether.” The general decline in religious observance during the 20th century and the great disruption to Sephardic communities that was brought about when they left homelands in which they had been rooted for centuries were also contributing factors to the decline in the practice. Today, in the United States, “it’s a matter of small pockets here and there that are bringing it back,” Bouskila said. “It’s a slow surge rather than a major revolution.” Bouskila points to several Sephardic synagogues in Los Angeles that have occasional

Thai tea cheesecake (Photo by Mollie Katzen) erate or freeze until serving time. Serve at any temperature from very cold to partially (or even mostly) frozen. With more than six million books in print, Mollie Katzen is listed by The New York Times as one of the best-selling cookbook authors of all time and has been named by Health Magazine as one of “The Five Women Who Changed the Way We Eat.” Her new book, “The Heart of the Plate: Vegetarian Recipes for a New Generation,” was published in September 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Continued from page 6 performances and one that goes through the entire traditional Moroccan cycle of bakashot, but on Monday evenings. Thomas, who for two years has helped organize bakashot classes among Brooklyn’s Moroccan Jews, says that bakashot have also experienced a resurgence in the local Syrian community. The renewed interest in bakashot can in part be attributed to increased religious observance, experts said, but it also takes its impetus from two phenomena spilling over from Israel. The first, said Thomas, is a surge in interest in piyutim across both secular and religious Israeli society. The second is the tremendous reawakening of Sephardic pride and culture in Israel that began in the 1970s and which recent immigrants to the U.S. have brought with them. In Israel, the bakashot tradition has experienced a much more vigorous revival, even reaching into popular music. “We are recapturing our identity,” Bouskila said. “Bakashot is part of the package.” Brigitte Dayan, who hosted the gathering with her husband in their apartment, called the evening “incredibly moving. What I was seeing in front of my eyes in the modern day and in a modern way was the perpetuation of our tradition,” she said. “It is what my husband and I want to transmit to our children.” To see a video bakashot being performed in Toronto, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=-HZQFsUSJbI.

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THE REPORTER

Continued from page 4

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THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

d’var torah ABINGTON TORAH CENTER

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

BETH SHALOM CONGREGATION

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

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

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

CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL

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

CONGREGATION B’NAI HARIM

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

JEWISH FELLOWSHIP OF HEMLOCK FARMS

Rabbi Steve Nathan President: Steve Natt Forest Drive 1516 Hemlock Farms, Lords Valley, PA 18428 570-775-7497 • E-Mail: jfhf@enter.net Friday evening Shabbat service 8:00 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: Ken Miller 1 Knox Street, Scranton, PA 18505, (off Lake Scranton Rd.) 570-344-7201 Friday evening Shabbat, 8 pm; Saturday Morning , when Shabbat School is in session, at 11 am

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF DUNMORE

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

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.

Counting by RABBI STEVEN P. NATHAN, JEWISH FELLOWSHIP OF HEMLOCK FARMS, THE SYNAGOGUE OF PIKE COUNTY Bamidbar, Numbers 1:1-4:20 This Torah commentary is a little different than most, as it is written as free verse, or a non-rhyming, unstructured poem. Whether or not you are a lover of poetry, I hope you will keep an open mind and see what feelings or thoughts you might find arising within you as you read this. If it doesn’t speak to you, don’t worry, next week the “normal” commentary will return. This week’s parasha is Bamidbar. It is also the start of the book of Bamidbar. Though this means “in the wilderness,” the English name is “Numbers” because it begins with the counting of a census of the Israelites. Jewish tradition has long taught that counting can be dangerous, yet we continue it to this day. For years, commentators have been intrigued by the fact that the individual numbers in the census never seem to add up to the total number in the text. In his commentary on the parasha, the 18th century Chasidic commentator, Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, also commented on the fact that the priestly tribe of Levi was counted in its own separate census. The tribe of Levi was designated as holy and special and was meant to oversee the sacrificial rites in the Mishkan/sanctuary in the desert and later in the temple in Jerusalem. Yitzhak wrote that the separate Levite census can also remind us that within each of us we can find both the priestly holiness of the Levites, as well as the ordinary holiness of the other tribes of Israel. This concept resonated with me and motivated me to write this poem about the dangers of counting. counting we are here waiting to be counted, though most of us still do not understand why. the counting it is finished, but it makes no sense. numbers never really add up as we think they will especially with people. as we live our lives each moment, each of us is remembered as each of us is forgotten. still we continue to count each day. should we take a recount or is once enough? after all, people are not simply numbers to be counted, played with, manipulated so we can make them say what we want while pretending they can tell us the truth. in reality, numbers mean nothing. numbers are not alive... they are not the truth. people mean something for we are alive. we are each individuals adding up to the ultimate number one. as we count each person the sum remains the same for there is no me you him her them. there is only one. hearing the result of the census the people cry out in protest. each tribe claiming that there are more. more dan... more simeon... more judah. they don’t realize all of these numbers mean nothing. they are in the wilderness in so many ways. the obsession with numbers only serves to confound, leading the people away from the truth of one. more or less are terms we create from the ego’s need to compare serving only to separate us, to fracture unity. we must remember that the only reality is one. wandering in this desert of numbers, comparisons, counting they can only see what their hearts desire – to believe they are more and that others are less. suddenly the levites cries out... stop! we are being ignored! don’t we count? are we not part of the whole? at the same time the other tribes cry out in protest wondering why they levites are counted as more, why are they special, separate, alone?

all of this counting is foolishness, stupidity, futility. when will they realize that we all count because none of us counts. our egos are deceiving us, drawing us away from the only one that does count. to this day we continue our ancestors’ folly. we continue to count. we obsess about who is in, who is out, who is for, who against, who remains, who is banished, who matters, who does not, who counts... and who does not. this obsession is the root of so much fighting, anger and suffering. all of us want to be counted as levites, the holy, special ones, yet we are israel, the ordinary people. then, bemoaning that we are israel, the ordinary and common, we forget that each of us is also levi, the holy and unique. holy and ordinary, sacred and profane, are our own creations. these are mere words which, like counting, serve only to separate. if we stopped counting and comparing, even for a moment, perhaps the struggle would end. God does not want us to count or compare. for God is the one. God is everything and nothing and so are we. we are all one, for we are one with God. counting leads to the division at the heart of the drive to kill, to conquer, to destroy God’s word and to separate the one. acknowledging that there is only the number one leads to knowing, sensing, caring, believing, acknowledging the connection between us all. in uniting all of creation it leads us to celebrate life and God’s world. God is one. we are one with God. we all belong. one... the number without end... without borders... without separation, leading us away from the wilderness of suffering to our true home. this is a place of love, compassion, and caring. this is the only reality. this is the only truth that really counts. some day – hopefully soon – we will all remember this

Soutine’s work on exhibit

The Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York City is holding an exhibition “Life in Death: Still Lifes and Select Masterworks of Chaim Soutine” through June 14. It focuses on the artist’s still life paintings, which feature images of the slaughtered carcasses of hares and fowl. Critics have said that Soutine’s work “has influenced generations of artists.” Also show are select portraits and landscapes. For more information, visit www.paulkasmingallery. com/exhibitions/2014-04-24_life-in-death or contact the gallery at 212-563-4474 or info@paulkasmingallery. com.

Yiddish Theatre

Information about the National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene can be found at www.nationalyiddishtheatre. org. The site includes listings of upcoming performances and events, along with information about touring productions and how to book an Outreach performance, lecture, or workshop. Those interested can also become a member of the Folksbiene and/or sign up for its free e-mail newsletter.

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MAY 22, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

You are cordially invited to the

ANNUAL MEETING of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania Please join us as we elect Officers and Trustees, celebrate the achievements of the past year and honor several individuals for their leadership contributions to our community and to Israel

Thursday, June 12th, 2014, 7:00 PM Linder Room, Scranton Jewish Community Center, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton Dessert reception will follow the meeting. Dietary laws observed - RSVP to 961-2300 (ext. 4)

Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania

2014 Annual Meeting Program

Welcome & introductions.......................................... Michael Greenstein, President Invocation................................................................. Rabbi Baruch Melman, Temple Israel of the Poconos State of the Federation Address.................................. Michael Greenstein, President Nominating Committee Report................................. Seth Gross, Chairman Installation of Officers and Trustees........................... Rabbi Baruch Melman, Temple Israel of the Poconos Presentation of Campaign Awards............................. Michael Greenstein, President 2014 UJA Campaign Report...................................... Donald Douglass, Esq., Barbara Nivert Closing Remarks Michael Greenstein, President Reception

Proposed Slate of Officers & Trustees 2014 - 2017 Officers*

President................................................................... Michael Greenstein* Administrative Vice-President................................... Douglas Fink* Vice-President........................................................... Dr. David Malinov* Vice-President........................................................... Elliot Schoenberg* Treasurer................................................................... Jerry Weinberger, Esq.* Assistant Treasurer.................................................... Barry Tremper* Assistant Secretary.................................................... Don Douglass, Esq.* *Officers to be elected at the Annual Meeting

Board of Trustees

Term Expiring in June 2017* (3-year term)

Term Expiring in June 2015* (1-year term)

Sandra Alfonsi, Phyllis Barax, Shlomo Fink, Susan Jacobson, Dan Marcus, Ann Monsky, Barbara Nivert, Ben Schnessel, Esq. and Eugene Schneider

*Trustees to be elected at the Annual Meeting

Trustees with terms ending in June 2015

Lynne Fragin, Alex Gans, Larry Milliken, Gail Neldon, Karen Pollack and Irwin Wolfson

• Continuing Terms •

Herb Appel, Phyllis Brandes, Lainey Denis, Richard Fine Esq., Natalie Gelb, Laurel Glassman, Ed Monsky, Esq., Laney Ufberg and Jay Weiss

Trustees with terms ending in June 2016 Jim Ellenbogen, Joseph Fisch, Esq., Leah Laury, Phyllis Malinov, Mel Mogel, Dr. Geordee Pollock, Alma Shaffer, Suzanne Tremper and Eric Weinberg

The Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania expresses its gratitude to those Trustees whose terms of office will expire in June, 2014. It is hoped that each of them will continue to serve the Mission of our Federation through its many important committees, programs and projects. Our sincerest appreciation is extended to Esther Adelman, Jeanne Atlas, Susan Diamond, Alan Goldstein, Jill Linder, Lynn Pearl, Molly Rutta, Paula Wasser and Steve Weinberger.

THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

Each May, Jewish history and American history collide

enced the growth and development” of the country, said By Robert Gluck Zerivitz. “Facing obstacles, primarily antisemitism, JNS.org American Jews became heroes by setting examples Dr. Gary P. Zola sees an inextricable connection of the best a human being can do by working not only between American Jewish history, American history for themselves, but also for the improvement in the and global Jewish history. quality of life for all Americans,” she said. “The study of the Jewish experience in the context A notable example of such an American Jew is inof the American nation sheds light on the story of the ventor of the shopping cart Sylvan Nathan Goldman, nation itself,” Zola, executive director of the Jacob whose photo and story appear on a box of matzah from Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Manischewitz – JAHM’s founding corporate sponsor. told JNS.org. “Jews played an inordinately large role This year, Manischewitz released limited-run packagin shaping the character of American culture and ing on its five different matzah boxes, featuring facts heritage. The opportunities Jews had to contribute to about notable Jewish American inventors, comedians and participate in the American experiment constitute and historical figures. Each of the five boxes offers a unique phenomenon in all of Jewish life in Diaspora. a different set of stories and all of the boxes feature In this way, the study of the American Jewish experi“Passover in America: Historical Perspectives,” a fullence represents a remarkable chapter in the history of color compilation of 18 documents, letters, recipes, world Jewry itself.” May is Jewish American Heritage Month. In 2006, On May 7, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addressed dozens of U.S. newspaper articles and photographs from the collecPresident George W. Bush – following the efforts representatives, U.S. senators and Jewish community leaders who tions of the Cincinnati-based Jacob Rader Marcus of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), gathered to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month in the Center of the American Jewish Archives. The shopping cart was introduced on June 4, 1937, the late U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), the Jewish Lyndon Baines Johnson Room of the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Shmuel in Goldman’s Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Museum of Florida and others in South Florida’s Lenchevsky) Oklahoma City. Originally a self-service grocery retailer, Jewish community – proclaimed the month’s 31 days as an official recognition of more than 350 years of since the inception of the idea. She was the one who origi- Goldman – a native Oklahoman born to a Lithuanian-imJewish American achievements and contributions to the nally spoke to Rep. Wasserman Schultz about getting the migrant father and French-immigrant mother – observed national month officially designated, and in 2003, she helped the shopping habits of his customers and realized he could United States. JAHM’s theme this year is American Jews and tikkun olam secure the recognition of Florida Jewish History Month provide better service and sell more groceries if only he had See “History” on page 12 (repairing the world), and along those lines, its 2014 iteration – marked each January – in Florida’s state legislature. th Zerivitz noted that more than 100 years ago, American honors the 100 anniversary of a humanitarian group – the author Mark Twain, in an essay titled “Concerning the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. “JAHM is pleased to partner in this milestone year with Jews,” suggested that Jews “ought hardly to be heard of” Continued from page 5 JDC, which remains the essential Jewish international because of their minimal numbers. Yet Jews have “always who were in charge of that part of the city. For 19 years, humanitarian organization, putting into action the precept been heard of,” Twain wrote. “[Twain] went on to comment on what Jews have contrib- Jews would gaze across barbed wire fences at the Old that all Jews are responsible for one another and for all humankind,” said Abby Schwartz, national coordinator uted and observed that all the accomplishments were made City and Temple Mount they could not approach. But on for JAHM. “Since JDC’s founding in 1914 at the outset with our hands tied behind us,” Zerivitz told JNS.org. “The Shavuot of 1967 – just six days after the Israelis took back of World War I, the organization’s 10 decades of rescue, history of the Jewish people in America is filled with bold, the Old City in the Six-Day War – the Kotel was officially poverty alleviation, Jewish community development, lead- courageous women and men, creative thinking skills and opened to the Israeli public. For the first time in nearly ership training, social innovation and disaster relief work achievements trumping discrimination. It is the story of a 2,000 years, Jews could visit the Western Wall and walk has benefited millions of people and transformed countless people who brought their history, traditions, language, cul- the ancient streets of the Old City. And some 200,000 of ture and ideas to a new land where they, like all immigrants them poured in that day: religious and secular, Ashkenazi lives in Israel and more than 90 countries.” and Sephardi, all celebrating their newfound freedom to Marcia Jo Zerivitz, founding executive director of the before them and since, acculturated to a new life.” While they settled and became Americans, Jews “influ- worship by those ancient stones. Jewish Museum of Florida, has been involved in JAHM These days, tens of thousands of Jews re-enact that return when they make their way to the Kotel in time for morning prayers, feet barely touching the ground after a full night of Torah learning and no REM sleep. Among them will be the students at Orayta, a yeshiva located just up the steps from the Kotel. “At dawn, we dance down to the Kotel to join upwards of 50,000 Jews for the morning prayers,” says Orayta Rosh Yeshiva (dean) Rabbi Binny Freedman. “The intensity of Jewish unity as Jews of all shapes and sizes put aside their differences and GOLF at Pocono Farms Country Club • DINNER at the Lake Naomi Club come together is simply one of the most beautiful moments Enjoy a great day starting with a noon shotgun start of 18 holes of golf with cart. of the year.” They may not have the Kotel, but other communities The Awards Dinner, complete with additional prizes, raffles and a silent auction will add to the around Israel also share in the tradition of all-night learning. fun at the Lake Naomi Club. Proceeds from this event will be used for community outreach projects. “There is an aura here around that night that’s unlike any 11:00am .................. Registration and warm up other night of the year,” says Gabie Sykora of Ra’anana. “Women and men, teens and older people, religious and 12:00pm ................. Shotgun start secular, everyone out all night learning in groups and 5:00pm .................... Hors d'oeuvres and cash bar at the Lake Naomi Club in Pocono Pines, PA chevrutas (pairs), in synagogues and in homes, like all 6:30pm .................... Dinner Israel is learning Torah together. You know you are part of something bigger than yourself, and something in the air Register to PLAY (Golf + Dinner $115/person): that night tells you that it’s time to take your own spiritual Register your own foursome, or sign up as a single and the golf pro will match you up with other Players. growth up a notch.” Now, Sykora says, she can’t imagine spending Shavuot PLAYER NAME(S) PHONE # E-MAIL ADDRESS anywhere but Israel. “In Israel, where our history took place, 1) __________________________________________________________________________ we are also participating in creating our people’s destiny because we’re still growing and learning. And where else 2) __________________________________________________________________________ in the world could you go to a shul for learning on Shavuot on a street named Har Sinai?” she says, referring to 3) __________________________________________________________________________ the Ra’anana street on which the Kehillat Shivtei Yisrael synagogue is located. 4) __________________________________________________________________________ In the weeks leading up to their first Shavuot in Israel, the Sykoras witnessed a phenomenon: every imaginable Sign up for DINNER ONLY ($45/person): variety of cheesecake blossoming in bakeries and supermarkets around town. Dairy foods, such as cheesecake NAME(S) PHONE # E-MAIL ADDRESS DINNER CHOICE and blintzes among Ashkenazis, and other cheesy treats 1) __________________________________________________________________________ such as kelsonnes (cheese ravioli) among many Sephardis, are an integral part of the celebration – often washed 2) __________________________________________________________________________ down with the coffee in hopes of keeping the all-night learners conscious. Rabbi Avraham Sutton, author of “Spiritual Technol3) __________________________________________________________________________ ogy: On the Transition from Profane Technology to Sacred Technology in Preparation for the Great Shabbat” and many 4) __________________________________________________________________________ other books, says staying focused on the learning and skirtDinner Choices: (Includes salad, dinner rolls, two accompaniments, dessert, beverages) ing any off-topic chats helps keep him awake. 1. Grilled New Zealand Lamb Rack (with a red wine Bordelaise Sauce and red onion raspberry marmalade) Gusovsky’s first Shavuot in Israel two years ago served 2. Slow Roasted Angus Prime Rib of Beef (with a natural au jus & creamy horseradish sauce) as a potent reminder of why she had left the U.S. and made 3. Oven Roasted Filet of Canadian Jail Island Salmon (with grape tomato & melted leek butter sauce) the Jewish state her home. 4. Roasted Half Duck (prepared crispy and served with a fresh currant cassis sauce) “There I was, just days into my life here, and to be treated with this amazing feast of learning… It was such a feeling Please indicate any seating requests on an additional piece of paper and include with payment. to be one of the people who felt strongly about where they Send this form and your check to: Congregation B'nai Harim, PO Box 757, Pocono Pines, PA 18350. belong, and thankful for that sense of unity and utter trust For more information, call Ira Miller at 570-355-5350 or Lew Stolzenberg 570-643-1131. in our mission here,” she says.

Sleepless

CHARITY GOLF OUTING – Wednesday, July 2

MAY 22, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

Get ready for the 50th Annual Celebrate Israel Parade Bus Trip - Sunday June 1! This year’s theme is The Parade’s Golden (50th) Anniversary 50 years of the Parade! Join us on Sunday, June 1, 2014 - rain or shine $15/per person - ask about our family discount. Enjoy the parade and then dining in one of the many kosher restaurants in Teaneck, N.J. Pick-up at the Scranton JCC and at Budget Inn and Suites on Route 80.

Contact Dassy at Dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org or 570-961-2300 x2to make your reservations or for information!

THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

Israeli Lunar XPrize team shoots for the moon

By Ben Sales TEL AVIV (JTA) – One small step by Israelis could become a giant leap for the state of Israel. At a Tel Aviv University laboratory, a team of 20 Israelis is building a spacecraft they believe will make Israel only the fourth country – after the United States, Russia and China – to touch down on the moon. The project, known as SpaceIL, looks like a long shot. The three-legged hexagonal craft appears too puny for interstellar travel, measuring just 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. Of the initiative’s three founders, only one holds an academic degree beyond a bachelor’s. And SpaceIL is competing against 17 other teams to win the $20 million Google Lunar XPrize by being the first private spacecraft to land on the moon. The team hopes to land its craft by the end of next year. Despite the odds, however, the founders exude the confidence of Nobel Prize-winning scientists – and that’s not all that makes the project Israeli. From its origins to its endgame, SpaceIL is a quintessential story of Israel’s upstart high-tech sector. Its founders came together with little preparation and no

money. They overcame a maze of Israeli bureaucracy to qualify for the contest, attracting funding through personal connections to scientists. And they say they will win the competition not by being the biggest or richest team, but by redefining how to send a spacecraft to the moon. “Only superpowers have managed to land on the moon,” co-founder Yariv Bash said. “What China did as a nation of 1.3 billion people, SpaceIL is doing as a nonprofit. It puts things in perspective.” Launched by Google in 2007, the Lunar XPrize has straightforward rules: The first team to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon, move it 500 meters – about the length of five and a half football fields – across the moon’s surface and transmit high-definition photos and video back to Earth wins $20 million. The mission must be complete by the end of 2015. Thirty-three teams registered for the competition and nearly all of the remaining 18 contenders plan to launch tank-like rovers to roll across the moon’s surface, which Bash says is more expensive and will consume more fuel than the SpaceIL craft. SpaceIL expects to spend about $36 million on its mission.

Spring - Summer Series

Grow Yourself...

Growing Herbs, Growing Your Health Learn about herbs and their health benefits! Participate in a demonstration on how to plant and arrange them in a container so they will grow and give you pleasure and health throughout the summer!

Where: The Greenhouse Project, Nay Aug Park - 200 Arthur Ave., Scranton, PA When: Tuesday, May 27 - 6:30-8pm Registration & Pre-Payment required - Fee: JFS Members $10/Non members $15 • Supplies are additional To register - please call 570-344-1186, or e-mail mbushwick@jfsoflackawanna.org Checks can be made payable to: Jewish Family Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania For future programming, check out our website at www.jfsoflackawanna.org

Spring - Summer Series

Grow Yourself...

r demand! Back by popula in offering… We are once aga

Sunset Paddle Kayaking

Environmental Education Specialist, Angela Lambert, will teach you everything required to enjoy a great evening of kayaking. See you on the water! Where: Lackawanna State Park-meet @ South Shore Boat Mooring When:

Wednesday, June 18 • 6-8pm Registration & Pre-Payment required - Fee: JFS Members $10/Non members $15

To register - please call 570-344-1186, or e-mail mbushwick@jfsoﬂackawanna.org Checks can be made payable to: Jewish Family Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania For future programming, check out our website at www.jfsoflackawanna.org

SpaceIL’s craft is the size of a dishwasher and weighs just 300 pounds, two-thirds of which is fuel. Rather than drive across the moon, it will take off again after landing and jump 500 meters. Its navigation system will double as a camera and its steering thrusters will guide its landing. “Instead of taking a bulky radar system, we’re taking cameras with us, so the best thing is to reuse those cameras,” Bash said. “If I can just write more code for my camera, code doesn’t weigh anything.” Bash hadn’t even considered entering the competition until 2010. He pushed through government bureaucracy to register SpaceIL as a nonprofit and entered the race on December 31, 2010 – the last day of registration. Yonatan Winetraub, another of the project’s co-founders, connected with Israel SpaceAgency head Yitzhak Ben Yisrael, who gave the group three minutes on stage at a space technology convention in Tel Aviv. It was enough to convince philanthropists at the convention to give SpaceIL its seed money and lure Ben Yisrael to join the group’s board. SpaceIL has since received support from Rona Ramon, the widow of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who gave $16.4 million. “They’re young people with a lot of vision, with Israeli initiative,” Ben Yisrael said. “If the government sends a craft to space, that’s OK. But when there’s a group of young people that takes on a project that looks like science fiction, to land something on the moon, it’s different. It’s strong.” SpaceIL has avoided the expensive and labor-intensive approach of some of the other teams, but it’s not the only one to go small. The Penn State Lunar Lion Team, an XPrize team housed at Pennsylvania State University, also is building a small craft that will jump the 500 meters. Team director Michael Paul said small projects like theirs could complement large government initiatives and broaden the reach of space exploration. “We’ve created a new model that makes space exploration possible through philanthropy,” Paul said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be a dominant piece [of space exploration], but it will be an incredibly important piece in the decades to come. NASA isn’t going away.” SpaceIL hopes to expand the appeal of space exploration by spreading its message through Israel’s classrooms. The team is investing in a large educational program, lecturing about the program in Israeli classrooms and working with Israel’s Education Ministry to devise a science curriculum based around space travel. Along with reaching the moon, the founders hope to imbue Israel’s next generation with excitement for science and technology. “We let them know they’re capable of building their own spacecraft,” said the third co-founder, Kfir Damari. “We want to use the story to show that science and technology is exciting, that you can have a huge impact on the world if you’re a scientist and engineer.” SpaceIL’s team believes it has a good chance of winning. But even if it doesn’t, Damari said landing an Israeli craft on the moon will be reward enough. “It’s the story of three people who decided one day that they’re landing on the moon,” he said. “Today it’s an Israeli project, but it’s [also] three engineers who wanted to land a spacecraft there and it’s happening.”

History

Continued from page 10 some means of helping them carry more merchandise. From this simple observation, the shopping cart was born. Goldman’s first shopping cart prototype was constructed from a folding chair. It utilized two wire hand baskets to carry merchandise. Goldman founded a company to manufacture his new idea, calling it Folding Carrier Basket Company after the design of the first cart. With only an eighth grade education, Goldman revolutionized supermarkets and retailing in America today. His other inventions include the grocery sacker, the folding inter-office basket carrier, the milk bottle rack and the baggage cart. Zola – who apart from his role at the American Jewish Archives is the professor of the American Jewish experience at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati – described what he believes are the three top American Jewish achievements over time. He told JNS. org that those achievements include U.S. Jewry’s leading role in compelling the nation to fulfill the lofty ideals that are enshrined in its founding documents; American Jews’ enthusiastic participation in cultural affairs and in the betterment of society; and Jewish innovations that have influenced Jewish life in North America and around the world. According to Zola, Jewish innovation was enabled by the openness of American society – namely, the separation of church and state and the Constitution’s guarantees of religious freedom. That openness, Zola explained, fostered a creative and dynamic expression of Judaism in the U.S., and as a result, American Jewish scholarship, organizational creativity and culture spawned Jewish innovations and initiatives that benefited Jewish life worldwide. Zola said he remains guided by the expression of his teacher – the late Jacob Rader Marcus, namesake of the American Jewish Archives center – who advised, “A people that is not cognizant of its past can have little hope for its future.”

MAY 22, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA

Under tight security, Odessa Jews celebrate Lag B’Omer

Hundreds of Odessa Jews celebrated Lag B’Omer under guard in the city’s first large Jewish gathering since deadly riots there two weeks earlier. The participants gathered near the city’s Chabad Jewish school on The evening of May 17 for a bonfire accompanied by song and dances while a dozen guards secured the perimeter, according to Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which provides aid to Jews in the former Soviet Union. “I came to encourage, inspire and sing, and the truth of the matter is, I became inspired by how the Jewish community is managing, gathering for the first time since the riots to give children a sense of normalcy and some fun,” Eckstein told JTA. Community leaders told JTA they had suspended activities that involved congregating for safety reasons following the May 2 riots that broke out in downtown Odessa. Forty-two people were killed following clashes between pro-Russian demonstrators and their opponents, as well as police. Hundreds have died in similar clashes throughout Ukraine during the revolution that ousted President Viktor Yanukovych from power in February. Detractors accused him of corruption and allegiance to Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March. A new round of violence erupted after the annexation between pro-Russian protesters and opponents. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which provides $20 million to $25 million annually in aid to Jews in the former Soviet Union, has pledged an extra $5.5 million this year in emergency funding to Ukrainian communities, Eckstein said, with $3 million of the funding for security.

Israel sends aid to victims of deadly Serbia and Bosnia floods

Israel sent aid to help rescue efforts in flood-ravaged Serbia and Bosnia. Local media reported that Israel sent a first shipment of emergency aid over the May 18 weekend with medicine, food, blankets and rain gear, and will soon send pumps. The aid was delivered by helicopter because submerged cities were cut off by the record floods, which have left more than two dozen dead and thousands homeless. The town of Doboj in Bosnia’s Republic of Serbia region, which has a small Jewish community, was especially hard hit, with the city center totally under water and at least 20 dead, the mayor told local media. Doboj’s Jewish community building, which has a synagogue on an upper floor, is located in the town center. Jasna Ciric, the president of the Jewish community in Nis, Serbia, said she understood that all members of the Doboj Jewish community were safe, but some were trapped in their homes without electricity, water or telephones. Aleksander Nikolic, the assistant chief representative of the Republic of Serbia in Israel, said the Israeli aid was a “very human gesture” and “proof of friendship in a most difficult moment,” according to local media.

Polish lawmaker calls for end to Jewish property restitution

A parliament member in Poland called for shuttering the country’s commission that restores property owned by Holocaust victims to their legal heirs. Slawomir Kopycinski, a candidate for the European Parliament, on May 15 called the Regulatory Commission for Jewish Communities “the fourth partition of Poland,” alluding to previous partitions of the country in the 1700s and again in 1939. The Regulatory Commission was established in 1997 to return Jewish-owned property seized after World War II by Poland’s communist government to its legal heirs. “Based on the whims of several unknown men, the public buildings are returned to Jewish communities,” Kopycinski, of the center-left Europa Plus party, said at a news conference. Piotr Kadlcik, president of the Union of

Jewish Religious Communities in Poland, called Kopycinski’s statement “disgusting. ...All cases are investigated and verified,” Kadlcik said in a statement on May 18. “Returning this property can hardly be called ‘a partition of Poland’ because the Jewish community is not an alien invader, but rather the citizens of the Republic of Poland, who have the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else.”

Palestinians to receive oil from Venezuela

The Palestinian Authority and Venezuela inked a deal in which the South American nation will provide the P.A. with oil and diesel fuel. Under the deal signed on May 16 in Caracas by visiting P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas, the Venezuelan petroleum company PDVSA will send 240,000 barrels of oil and diesel to the P.A. No date was given for the shipment in a deal known as “Petro Palestine.” “We welcome the Palestinian people and the Arabs,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said. “Our people supports your right to a land of prosperity. Today, Petro Palestine has been born.” Abbas, who was on a three-day visit to Latin America, thanked Maduro for providing the Palestinian Authority with a fuel source outside Israel. “Thank you, Venezuela, for supporting Palestine,” Abbas said. “Thank you, Venezuela, for helping to break the monopoly that Israel has over our economy. Thank you, Venezuela, for responding to our needs. Thank you, Venezuela, for being available to continue to lend the Palestinian people more support in their fight.” Abbas has requested that Palestine be granted observer status in three South American organizations: the Union of South American Nations, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

NYC cabbie suspended for swastika armband

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission suspended a driver for a month for wearing a swastika armband. The Anti-Defamation League’s New York regional office, which brought the complaint against the cabbie, praised the suspension. “By openly displaying this hate symbol identified with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party while operating a New York City taxicab, the driver sent a frightening and offensive message to New Yorkers about who might be welcome – and unwelcome – in the taxicab he was driving,” the ADL said on May 16 in a statement. The driver’s name was not made public.

Vassar pro-Palestinian group under review for Nazi cartoon

The Vassar College chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine is being reviewed by administrators after the group posted a Nazi cartoon online. The post on the Vassar SJP Tumblr page, which has since been removed, showed a Nazi propaganda poster depicting a many-armed figure sporting a Jewish loincloth and holding a bag of money and an American flag, among other things. The cartoon is captioned “liberators.” On May 14, Vassar President Catherine Hill announced that SJP’s status as an approved student group is under review. “The college is also investigating the SJP’s online posting as a bias incident under college regulations,” Hill said in a statement. “I also request that the SJP Vassar membership take responsibility for its actions and cease representing itself as an official Vassar group, pending these investigations. Vassar College is committed to free speech and academic freedom, but we condemn racist, hateful speech.” Vassar SJP apologized on May 13 on its Tumblr account for lax social media oversight. “We condemn any and all hate speech including any form of antisemitism and we are deeply sorry several offensive posts were made in SJP Vassar’s name,” the statement said.

Have you made your 2014 Pledge to the The mission of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania is: To rescue the imperiled, to care for the vulnerable, to support Israel and to revitalize and perpetuate the Jewish communities of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

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

THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

ADL

New Season of

Films!

May 2014

• Non-Feature Films •

Blessed is the Match - In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II. Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy - This entertaining documentary, narrated by the award-winning Joel Grey, examines the unique role of Jewish composers and lyricists in the creation of the modern American musical. There are interviews alongside standout performances and archival footage. Constantine’s Sword is a 2007 historical documentary film on the relationship between the Catholic Church and Jews. Directed and produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Oren Jacoby, the film is inspired by former priest James P. Carroll’s 2001 book Constantine’s Sword. *Follow Me - The Yoni Netanyahu Story - featuring three Israeli Prime Ministers, Yoni’s ex-wife (for the first time on film) and recently released audio from the Entebbe operation itself. Follow Me brings a rare portrait of Israel’s elite soldiers and their greatest hero to the big screen. Inside Hana’s Suitcase - A real-life Japanese schoolteacher, who appears throughout the film, sparked this entire story by gathering artifacts for a Holocaust educational center she was developing along with a group of girls and boys called The Small Wings. After applying to receive Holocaust artifacts, a large box arrives with a handful of artifacts, including a battered brown suitcase labeled with Hana Brady’s name. The teacher and her students begin searching for the story behind the suitcase. What they discover will surprise you. They wind up unlocking — and showing us in the film — a whole series of deeply moving memories and other related artifacts and photos. Finally, Hana’s surviving brother George travels to Japan to meet the Japanese students. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story - This excellent documentary, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, portrays the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story was shown at the Opening Event for the 2012 UJA Campaign. The Case for Israel: Democracy’s Outpost - Famed attorney Alan Dershowitz presents a vigorous case for Israel: for its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. *The Flat - This gripping autobiographical documentary tells the story of the filmmaker Arnon Goldfinger, who travels to Tel Aviv to clean out the apartment of his recently deceased German-born Jewish grandmother. Goldfinger discovers, while going through her belongings, evidence that his grandparents were good friends with Leopold von Mildenstein, a leading official within the Nazi propaganda agency, and that they remained friends after World War II. He journeys to find out the details of this disturbing revelation. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - As baseball’s first Jewish star, Hammering Hank Greenberg’s career contains all the makings of a true American success story. *Orchestra of Exiles - This riveting documentary tells the story of how Polish violinist Bronislaw Huberman watched Jewish musicians being fired from classical orchestras when Hitler came to power. Huberman decided to build a new orchestra in Palestine and encountered many obstacles along the way. He ultimately succeeds and the Palestine Symphony gave its first performance December 1936. (When Israel gained independence in 1948, the orchestra was renamed the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, which remains to this day a world-class orchestra.)

• Feature Films •

Crossing Delancey - This is a warm comedy taking place in New York City. Isabella Grossman desires to rise above her family’s Lower East Side community, but her grandmother has other matchmaking plans. *Fill the Void - Fill the Void tells the story of an 18-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 off to a promising young man. Unexpectedly, her sister, Esther, dies while giving birth to her first child. The pain that overwhelms the family postpones Shira’s promised match. Everything changes when an offer is proposed to match Yochay, the late Esther’s husband, to a widow from Belgium. When the girls’ mother finds out that Yochay may leave the country with her only grandchild, she proposes a match between Shira and the widower. Shira will have to choose between her heart’s wish and her family duty. Footnote - The story of a great rivalry between a father and son, both eccentric professors who have both dedicated their lives to work in Talmudic Studies departments of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Though the father shuns overt praise for his work and the son is desperate for it, how will each react when the father is to be awarded the most sought after prize, the Israel Prize? This Oscar nominated film will entrance from the start. Good - In an attempt to establish its credibility, the new Nazi government is seeking out experts to endorse its policies and comes across Johnnie Halder’s novel of a husband who aids his terminally ill wife in an assisted suicide. Because of this, the Nazis flatter Johnnie, arranging for high paying and prestigious positions. Never evil, Johnnie Halder is an Everyman who goes along, accepting what he is told without question until he is an unwitting accomplice to the Nazi killing machine. *Hava Nagila: The Movie - Hava Nagila is instantly recognizable and musical shorthand for anything Jewish. But as audiences will discover in Hava Nagila (The Movie), the song is much more than a tale of Jewish kitsch and bad bar mitzvah fashions. In its own believe-it-or-not way, it encapsulates the Jewish journey over the past 150 years. Featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Leonard Nimoy, Regina Spektor and more. The film follows the song from Eastern Europe to Palestine and all the way to America. 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 chooses the role of a savior and sneaks 13 Jews into her attic. Every day, she risks detection — and immediate execution — by smuggling food and water to the silent group living above her. And when two German nurses are assigned to her living quarters, the chances of discovery become dangerously high. This is the true story of a young woman’s selfless commitment and unwavering resolve in the face of war. Noodle (PAL version- can only be played on computer, NOT regular DVD players) - At 37, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been deported from Israel. The film is a touching comic-drama in which two human beings — as different from each other as Tel Aviv is from Beijing — accompany each other on a remarkable journey, one that takes them both back to a meaningful life. Operation Thunderbolt - The true story of the Entebbe hijacking and rescue. Operation Thunderbolt was filmed in Israel with the full cooperation of the Israeli government, and is an exciting re-creation of the events of those tense days. We see the full scope of the story, from the original hijacking to the passengers’ captivity in Uganda to the agonized debates at the highest levels of the Israeli government over a diplomatic vs. a military solution. Operation Thunderbolt is the thrilling and true story of how one small country refused to let its people be killed by terrorists and took action to prevent it. People who claim that Israel is a “terrorist state” should see the film and be reminded who the real terrorists are. Orthodox Stance (documentary-2007) - Dimitriy Salita, a Russian immigrant, is making history as a top professional boxer and rigorously observant Jew. While providing an intimate, 3-year-long look at the trials and tribulations faced by an up and coming professional boxer, Orthodox Stance is a portrait of seemingly incompatible cultures and characters working together to support Dmitriy’s rare and remarkable devotion to both Orthodox Judaism and the pursuit of a professional boxing title. Playing for Time - An outstanding cast brings life to this Fania Fenelon autobiography about a Jewish cabaret singer and other Jewish prisoners whose lives were spared at Auschwitz in exchange for performing for their captors. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Set during World War II, this is the story of Bruno, an innocent and naïve 8-year-old boy, who meets a boy while romping in the woods. A surprising friendship develops. *The Concert - Thirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov, the renowned conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra, was fired for hiring Jewish musicians. Now a mere cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he learns by accident that the Chatelet Theater in Paris has invited the Bolshoi Orchestra to play there. He decides to gather together his former musicians and perform in Paris in the place of the current Bolshoi Orchestra. He wants a young violinist virtuoso, Anne-Marie Jacquet, to accompany his old Jewish or Gypsy musicians. If they all overcome the hardships ahead, this very special concert will be a triumph.

Continued from page 1 “The ADL’s Global 100 index will serve as a baseline,” Foxman said. “For the first time, we have a real sense of how pervasive and persistent antisemitism is today around the world.” The survey gauged antisemitism by asking whether respondents agreed with an index of 11 statements that the ADL believes suggest anti-Jewish bias: Jews talk too much about what happened to them during the Holocaust; Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the countries they live in; Jews think they are better than other people; Jews have too much power in international financial markets; Jews have too much power in the business world; Jews have too much control over global affairs; people hate Jews because of the way Jews behave; Jews have too much control over the U.S. government; Jews have too much control over global media; Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars; and Jews don’t care about what happens to anyone but their own kind. Respondents who agreed that a majority of the statements are “probably true” were deemed antisemitic. Over the years, the ADL has been criticized for overstating what qualifies as antisemitism, with critics suggesting that some of the statements used to measure bias actually are more indicative of admiration for Jews than anti-Jewish hostility. Foxman addressed such criticism on May 13. “We frequently get accused of seeing antisemitism everywhere and we’re very conscious about the credibility,” he said. “We were cautious, we were conservative, to understate rather than overstate.” The survey was overseen by First International Resources and conducted by Anzalone Liszt Grove Research. It included telephone and in-person surveys conducted in 96 languages between July 2013 and February 2014. At least 500 adults were interviewed in each of the countries surveyed. The margin of error is 4.4 percent in countries with 500 interviews and 3.2 percent in countries with 1,000 interviews. The study was funded by New York philanthropist Leonard Stern; the ADL declined to say how much it cost. The survey also questioned respondents about their attitudes toward Israel. Outside the Middle East, Israel’s favorable rating was 37 percent, compared to 26 percent unfavorable. Within the Middle East, Israel’s unfavorable rating rose to 84 percent. The only other region where Israel’s unfavorable rating outweighed its favorable was Asia: 30 percent unfavorable, compared to 26 percent favorably. Asked how many Jews they believe there are worldwide, more than half of the respondents significantly overestimated the number. Some 30 percent said Jews comprise between one and 10 percent of the world’s population, 18 percent said the figure was larger than 10 percent and 9 percent said more than 20 percent of all people are Jewish. The actual figure is 0.19 percent of the world’s population, according to the ADL. After the Palestinian-populated territories, the most antisemitic places were Iraq, where 92 percent harbor antisemitic views; Yemen at 88 percent; Algeria and Libya at 87 percent; Tunisia at 86 percent; Kuwait at 82 percent; and Bahrain and Jordan at 81 percent. Israel was not included in the survey. “It is very evident that the Middle East conflict matters with regard to antisemitism,” Foxman said. “It just is not clear whether the Middle East conflict is the cause of or the excuse for antisemitism. There is no statistical data at this moment to support causality.” After Laos, antisemitism was lowest in the Philippines at 3 percent; Sweden at 4 percent; the Netherlands at 5 percent; Vietnam at 6 percent; the United Kingdom at 8 percent, the United States and Denmark at 9 percent; Tanzania at 12 percent; and Thailand at 13 percent. In Western Europe, the most antisemitic countries were Greece (69 percent) and France (37 percent). In Eastern Europe, Poland (45 percent) and Bulgaria (44 percent) topped the list, and the Czech Republic was the least antisemitic, at 13 percent. In the Americas, Panama (52 percent) and the Dominican Republic (41 percent) ranked as most antisemitic. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal was the most antisemitic, at 56 percent. The least were Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, all at between 16 and 12 percent. The most commonly held stereotype among the ADL’s list of 11 statements was that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their home country – a view held by 41 percent of respondents. More than one-third agreed with the statements that Jews have too much power in the business world and in international financial markets, that Jews think they are better than other people and that Jews don’t care what happens to anyone but their own kind.

The Debt - Academy Award winner Helen Mirren and two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson star in The Debt. In 1966, three Mossad agents were assigned to track down a feared Nazi war criminal hiding in East Berlin, a mission accomplished at great risk and personal cost… or was it? The Impossible Spy - Young Israeli husband Eli Cohen is recruited by the Mossad in the early 1960s and sent to Syria. Telling his wife he has a new job that requires extensive business travel, he takes up residence in Syria, where he befriends a high-ranking Syrian government official and provides invaluable information to Israel. On a visit home, his wife pleads with him to leave his job so he can be home more, and his handler tells him he has accomplished enough, but he decides to return to Syria one last time. One day, he learns of an attack on a kibbutz scheduled for that night; he abandons normal precautions in order to warn Israel as quickly as possible and is caught. The Other Son - The dramatic tale of two babies switched at birth, The Other Son creates a thoughtful presentation of what could be a soap opera-type event. Instead, director Lorraine Levy and a wonderful screenplay take the viewer down a very different path, allowing each to come to his/her own conclusions. Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story - Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story is an incredibly riveting, Emmy Award-winning, fact-based story about a hero who helped more than 100,000 Hungarian Jews escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust. *Just added to the Jewish Federation’s Film Lending Library!

A swastika was graffitied on a wall in the Volgograd soccer stadium on November 16, 2011, in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Harry Engels/Getty Images)

MAY 22, 2014 ■

THE REPORTER

NEWS IN bRIEF from israel From JTA

Maccabi Tev Aviv upsets its way to Euroleague basketball crown

Maccabi Tel Aviv upset favored Real Madrid to win the Euroleague basketball championship. Maccabi defeated the Spanish squad, 98-86, in overtime on May 18 in Milan in the title game. Tyrese Rice led the Israeli club with 26 points, including 14 in overtime. The game was tied at 73 following regulation. A large contingent of Israelis traveled to Italy for the game – some estimates said at least 10,000. Many of the Maccabi fans dressed in the team’s yellow and waved yellow-and-blue banners and the team’s flag, a yellow-and-blue version of the Israeli flag, with the star of David in the center. Manuel Berti on the Italian Basketinside blog called the victory a “masterpiece” that was “incredible, crazy, surreal.” He added, “It is the triumph of an entire people, who arrived en masse to fill and color the streets of Milan.” Maccabi had reached the finals with another upset victory, over CSKA Moscow, in the semifinals on May 16. The Israeli club rallied from a 15-point deficit to win. President Shimon Peres phoned Coach David Blatt after the finals victory to congratulate him – and said the dramatic game had almost given him a heart attack, The Jerusalem Post reported. It was the sixth Euroleague title for Maccabi Tel Aviv and its first since 2005.

Israel asks U.N. to recognize Yom Kippur

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Ron Prosor requested that the world body’s headquarters recognize Yom Kippur as an official holiday. The United Nations in New York recognizes 10 official holidays, most of them national holidays in the United States. The list also includes the Christian holidays of Christmas and Good Friday, and the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Prosor said the exclusion of Yom Kippur, one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays, amounts to discrimination. “On the one hand, the United Nations advances values of cooperation and engagement among nations, and on the other hand it is prioritizing one religion over the other,” Prosor said, according to the Times of Israel. “There are three monotheistic religions, yet only two are recognized by the U.N. calendar. Such discrimination at the U.N. must end.”

Rabbi retracts statement urging yeshiva students to kill politicians

A haredi Orthodox rabbi who encouraged yeshiva students to assassinate Israeli politicians retracted his remarks. In a recorded speech, Rabbi Nissan Kaplan of Jerusalem’s Mir Yeshiva had equated Israel’s current political leadership to Amalek, the biblical enemy Jewish law traditionally commands Jews to eradicate. The comparison follows passage of a law in March that includes haredi men in Israel’s military draft, from which they were previously exempt. Haredi leaders have vehemently opposed the law and organized a protest that drew hundreds of thousands in March. “We have today Haman and Amalek, all this government, and really the way is to take knives and to kill them,” Kaplan said, attributing the statement to leading haredi Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman. “So why are we not doing it? Because, he said, I don’t know yet who is the general who could run the war. But if I would know who’s the general, we’d go out with knives. This is what Rav Shteinman said.” According to The Jerusalem Post, Kaplan retracted the remarks and said that he and Shteinman hadn’t met for six months. “I am completely against such words,” Kaplan told the Post. “They’re disgusting. I regret what I said and I am deeply sorry for using such examples. I am also sorry for hurting people’s feelings and I hope they can forgive me.”

Israeli journalist escapes Palestinian attack, vows return

An Israeli journalist who escaped an attack in Ramallah wrote that he would return to report in the West Bank. Avi Issacharoff, a Middle East affairs analyst for the Israeli news website Walla and for the Times of Israel, an English-language Israeli news website, was covering a demonstration on May 15 commemorating Palestinian displacement following Israeli independence, which Palestinians refer to as the nakba, or catastrophe. A cameraman, Daniel Book, accompanied him there. In an account in the Times of Israel, Issacharoff wrote that two people began threatening him, telling him and Book to leave the rally. When he refused, Issacharoff said dozens of people surrounded him, waving their fists. A few kicked and punched him in the legs and back, he wrote. The reporter said he was extricated when two older men, whom he later learned were Palestinian Authority security forces, removed him from the rally and drove Book and him to a police

Congregation Beth Israel in Honesdale to Welcome Rabbi David Saperstein

station. Issacharoff described the incident as “an attempt to lynch me. ...Yes, I felt that my life was in danger,” Issacharoff wrote. “Yes, I felt absolutely helpless during those seconds when, from nowhere, a mob descended upon me, bent on doing me harm. That’s a feeling that leaves me particularly angry.” Issacharoff wrote that threats against Israeli journalists in the West Bank have intensified recently in retaliation for Israel’s banning Palestinian journalists from its territory. Despite the experience, he wrote that he will return to covering Palestinian affairs in the West Bank.

Israeli in Egyptian prison pushes Netanyahu to secure his release

An Israeli held for 14 years in an Egyptian prison accused Israel’s prime minister of not doing enough to secure his release. The prisoner, Ouda Tarabin, is a former resident of the Bedouin city of Rahat, in Israel’s Negev Desert. He was arrested in 2000 while visiting Egypt, charged with being an Israeli spy and given a 15-year prison term. In a letter addressed to Benjamin Netanyahu and shared with Israeli media, Tarabin accuses the prime minister of a lackluster effort to secure his freedom because Tarabin is an Arab. “If I were a Jew or a Druze, the government would be fighting for me and my freedom, and I wouldn’t have been sitting in an Egyptian prison for 14 years,” the letter says, according to Ynet News. “Mr. Prime Minister, this is the truth that everyone knows. Mr. Prime Minister, this government is a tragedy for my country, that’s supposed to be a democracy in the Middle East.” Tarabin called on the government “to act immediately to put an end to my suffering and the suffering of my family, to engage the Egyptian government, and act quickly to ensure my release.” There was no immediate response from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Israeli men have world’s fourth-highest life expectancy

Israeli men have the fourth-highest life expectancy of any nationality, according to a new analysis by the World Health Organization. Israeli males born in 2012 can expect, on average, to live slightly longer than 80 years, according to the WHO’s World Health Statistics 2014. That figure ranks behind only Iceland, Switzerland and Australia. Israeli women did not make the World Health Statistics top 10 list, but a separate WHO data set shows Israeli women born in 2012 with a life expectancy of 84, equal to Portugal, which placed 10th on the list. Japanese women placed first, with an average life expectancy of 87. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country on either top 10 list. Most of the countries on both lists were European. The United States did not make either list.

Israel withholds P.A. tax revenue, restricts banking

Israel barred Palestinian banks from making shekel deposits in Israeli banks and will run Palestinian electricity at half-strength for an hour each day. In addition, Israel is withholding $116 million of Palestinian tax revenue. The punitive measures are in response to the reconciliation agreement signed in April between the Palestinian Fatah party, which rules the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza, according to Haaretz. Israel, the United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Israel suspended peace talks with the Palestinian Authority in April and said they would not resume so long as the two Palestinian factions are working together. The reduction in electricity will take effect on West Bank Palestinians daily between 1-1:30 pm and 7-7:30 pm. The Israel Electric Company pointed to a $154 million debt owed by the Palestinian Jerusalem District Electric Company as the reason for the measure. With the restriction on shekel transfers, Palestinian banks now will be unable to exchange shekels for foreign currency, a right established in a 1994 Israeli-Palestinian economic agreement.

Products Fair i l e a r s I SAVE THE DATE!

JERUSALEM’S BEN YEHUDA STREET COMES TO THE POCONOS

Israeli Products Fair Join us for a warm, educational, and enlightening Shabbat Service at 7:45pm on Friday, June 13 with the top leader of the Reform Jewish Movement Rabbi Saperstein represents the Reform Jewish Movement to Congress, and he is the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC). Following our Shabbat Service, a delicious Oneg will be provided, catered by Hawley’s own Cocoon Coffee House - along with a 15-minute question and answer session in the Social Hall. We are delighted that Rabbi Saperstein will be joining us, and look forward to a wonderful evening. For further information and to RSVP, please contact Cheryl Badner, Congregation Beth Israel Administrator at (570) 242-3833 or corpwc@ptd.net

Sunday, July 6 • 10am-6pm Temple Israel of the Poconos

711 Wallace Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 Our vendors will be here from Jerusalem with jewelry, Judaica, crafts and much more Gifts “Made in Israel” for your family, friends and yourself! All revenue goes directly to our merchants. COME AND SPEND THE DAY EAT GLATT KOSHER LUNCH UNDER OUR TENT IN THE COMPANY OF ZOE THE CLOWN RAFFLES AND MORE Entertainment by Israeli Superstar Yoel Sharabi This Fair is sponsored by Temple Israel of the Poconos, The Jewish Federation of NEPA and Golan Hadassah of NEPA For information: Dr. Sandra Alfonsi 570-223-7062

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

THE REPORTER ■ MAY 22, 2014

t o g n i o G e ’r

! 1 r e b m e v o on N This year the Federation and Temple Israel of Scranton are joining together to take our annual visit to Israel. This time we will be offering a very special price for those who haven’t gone on a Federation trip before to Israel.

The land portion of the trip comes down to $2695/per person!

(There will also be special pricing for 2nd timers available.)

To get full information about the trip please join us at one of our Introductory Meetings: Temple Israel, Stroudsburg...... 7:00 PM ......... June 9 711 Wallace St. JCC, Scranton ............................ 7:00 PM ......... June 17 601 Jefferson Ave. Hemlock Farms.......................... 7:00 PM ......... June 18 Lords Valley, PA