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Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania FEBRUARY 14, 2013
VOLUME XI, NUMBER 4
Documents show Venezuela spying on Jewish community By Gil Shefler NEW YORK (JTA) – Espacio Anna Frank says its goal is to promote tolerance by teaching the life story of the teenage diarist murdered by the Nazis. But is there something sinister lurking behind the Venezuelan organization’s benevolent facade? SEBIN, the Venezuelan intelligence service, seems to believe so. According to a dossier attributed to SEBIN, the Caracas-based group is actually part of an Israeli cloak-and-dagger operation aimed at undermining the leftist government of President Hugo Chavez. “We conclude that [Espacio Anna Frank] operates as a strategic arm of the Israeli intelligence in the country... operating in the field of subversive socio-political influence through representatives of far-right Zionist groups and economic elites,” said the 34page report. The document, which includes surveil-
lance photographs of the group’s offices and personal details of its board members, goes on to suggest that Espacio Anna Frank poses a security threat and should be kept under surveillance through hidden cameras and listening devices. The report is part of a massive cache of material obtained by Analises24, an Argentinian media outlet opposed to Chavez, that includes intelligence reports, clandestinely recorded photos and videos, and even personal information on Chavez’s family. Nicolas Solano, Analises24’s editor, told JTA that the website received the material from “a former high-ranking SEBIN source.” On January 22, the website published 50 documents from the cache that focus on Venezuelan Jews, Israel and the Middle East. Many more documents will be released soon. “This material is absolutely genuine,” Solano told JTA. Venezuelan officials at the country’s em-
This photo of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez riding a horse was found in a cache of leaked documents attributed to SEBIN, the country's secret service, in 2010. (Photo by Analises24)
bassy in Washington would not comment on the documents, forwarding an inquiry to Caracas, which has not responded. But if the documents are indeed authentic, it would confirm what Venezuelan Jews have long suspected: That their own government considers them to be a fifth column and is spying on them. “As part of the security apparatus of the regime, many Venezuelans are under surveillance,” A chart said to belong to SEBIN, Venezuela's secret service, said Sammy Eppel, a implicating Rabbi Pynchas Brener as the Mossad's top spymaster Jewish columnist at in the country. (Photo by Analises24) the Venezuelan daily El Nacional, a leading opposition newspa- not surprised that SEBIN, the Bolivarian per. “The Jewish community is obviously Intelligence Service, has been spying on perceived as some sort of threat that warrants them. State security raided Jewish instituthose actions.” tions twice, in 2004 and 2007, and Chavez Paulina Gamus, one of the directors of has accused Israel of financing the “counEspacio Anna Frank and a former member ter-revolution” in Venezuela. In 2009, a of the Venezuelan parliament, said the al- Caracas synagogue was ransacked by an legations against her and her organization angry mob – including several police ofwere spurious. “They accuse [Espacio Anna ficers – following Operation Cast Lead, Frank] of belonging to the Mossad and the 2009 Israeli military campaign in Gaza. the Israeli secret services only because we Chavez condemned the synagogue attack are an institution that promotes respect of and several suspects were arrested. different religions and cultures and have Combined with a failing economy and a Jewish component, although we are all a surge in violent crime, the hostility from Venezuelans,” she wrote in an e-mail. the Chavez government has led to a JewVenezuelan Jews told JTA they were ish exodus to the United States, Israel and other Latin American countries. Fewer than half the 1999 Jewish population of 22,000 remains.
Temple Israel of Scranton announces hiring of new rabbi Temple Israel of Scranton has announced the hiring of Rabbi Moshe Saks, who will become the seventh rabbi in the temple’s 91 year history. Saks will join Temple Israel on Friday, March 1, after serving at his previous pulpit, Congregation B’nai Israel in Sylvania, OH, for seven years. He previously served 10 years as the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Tzedec in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as well as 10 years as the rabbi at Congregation Tifereth Israel in Bensalem, PA. After his ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1981, Saks’ first pulpit was in Benton Harbor, MI. Regarding his becoming the spiritual leader of Temple Israel, Saks said, “I am very excited to be moving to Scranton, both because I have fond memories of visiting quite often during my 25 summers at Camp Ramah in the Poconos, and my fondness of serving smaller Jewish communities, which, in my experience, are very close knit and ‘hamish.’ During my recent visits to the congregation and the Jewish community, both my wife and I were most
impressed with the dedication of its Ari, is married and is the rabbi of members to the Jewish institutions Congregation Beth Mordechai in and to the community in general. Perth Amboy, NJ. Their second We both look forward to meeting child, Rachel, is married and lives and greeting everyone upon our in Los Angeles. She teaches in arrival, and forging new relationthe Wilshire Blvd. Temple Jewish ships in the years ahead.” Day School. Dani is also a graduSaks was born and raised in ate of JTS, recently married, and Philadelphia, was active in USY lives and works in Silver Springs, and attended Gratz College He- Rabbi Moshe MD. Reena is completing her final brew High School for Jewish semester at Rutgers University Saks Studies. Subsequently, he attended School of Nursing and will be Yeshiva University in New York City and married after her graduation. Eliana is went to the Jewish Theological Seminary’s currently working and plans to join her rabbinical school. Saks’ wife, Meira, is the parents in Scranton while attending the daughter of a rabbi, the late Alexander Sha- University of Scranton. piro, who was president of the Rabbinical Temple Israel welcomes the community Assembly. She also attended the JTS for to celebrate Saks’ first Shabbat as its rabbi undergraduate and graduate school. They on Saturday, March 2, at 9 am, at services have five children, and their oldest son, and the following kiddush.
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Pay it forward & give to the 2013 Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania Annual Campaign!
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Candle lighting
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Purim
See “Venezuela” on page 6
Sandy relief update
Italian Shoah museum
February 15..................................... 5:19 pm February 22.....................................5:27 pm March 1.............................................5:36 pm
A look at the Purim directive to be An update on local efforts to Italy has been planning a Holocaust joyful, and the evolution of laughter provide relief to Superstorm Sandy museum since 2005, but it’s still PLUS as a gesture of shared relief. victims in New York. years away from being built. Opinion...........................................................2 Story on page 5 Story on page 8 Story on page 9 D’var Torah.................................................10
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013
a matter of opinion Have you made your 2013 UJA pledge? The 2013 UJA Campaign, which concludes in May, shows a card-forcard increase as of January 29 of more than $15,261 over last year’s 2012 Campaign thanks to the continuing generosity of our Jewish communities. However, the nationwide economic downturn, together with the deaths of several significant UJA Campaign contributors this year, have combined to effectively cancel out this increase. It is critical that our UJA Campaign closes at $880,500, the amount raised as a result of last year’s 2012 UJA Campaign. As of January 29, our Annual Campaign stood at $767,074 and our records indicate that $119,220 in gifts received last year currently remain outstanding for a projected final Campaign of $886,294. This projection, however, assumes that each and every outstanding UJA gift made last year will close at the identical level this year – something that is highly unlikely to occur for the reasons stated above. Closing these gifts and adding new contributors to our 2013 UJA Campaign while there is still time is critical if we are to avoid the trauma (and con-
sequences) of reducing allocations to our many educational, cultural, social and recreational agencies and institu-
from the desk of the executive director
“ The Reporter” (USPS #482) is published bi-weekly by the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510.
President: Jeff Rubel Executive Director: Mark Silverberg Advisory Board Chair: Margaret Sheldon Executive Editor: Rabbi Rachel Esserman Layout Editor: Diana Sochor Assistant Editor: Michael Nassberg Production Coordinator: Jenn DePersis Graphic Artist: Alaina Cardarelli Advertising Representative: Bonnie Rozen
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
Mark silverberG
tions in Northeastern Pennsylvania that provide our communities with so many important services. A serious budgetary shortfall would result in the elimination of many programs, as well as staff reductions and a scaling-down of allocations to our agencies, Hebrew schools and social welfare institutions across the board. No one institution, no one agency and no one Hebrew school would be exempt from this trauma. Nor will we be in a position to fulfill
our commitments to Israel and world Jewry, as we have always done, and the consequences arising from the so-called “Arab Spring” make our commitment to and fear for at this moment in history even more acute. Our communities were founded by those who believed in the continuity of Jewish life here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in Israel and around the world. It was their generation that contributed to the birth of the modern Jewish state and supported Israel through its many wars against those who continue to seek its destruction. It was their generation that built our educational and social welfare institutions and synagogues, established Hebrew free loan societies to assist newly-arrived European Jewish immigrants in establishing their lives here, sent their children to our Hebrew schools, and understood very well that the seeds they were planting were for generations of Jews they would never live to see.
They are no longer with us. Now, it’s our turn to carry the torch of Jewish survival into the future. As Jews, we are required both by history and tradition to secure our Jewish future in Northeastern Pennsylvania as much as we are required to preserve a strong, dynamic Israel. If there is to be a “next generation” here, it will be because we have willed it to be so – just as our parents and grandparents did for us so long ago. So, if you have not yet made a gift to our Jewish communities’ 2013 UJA Campaign, but are considering doing so, I hope you will do so now. Please direct it to the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510, with “2013 UJA Campaign gift” written on the memo line. Thanks, Mark Silverberg, executive director Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania
The intersection of mental illness and gun violence must be addressed By Lori Weinstein (JTA) – Twenty-six lives were lost in Newtown in a sliver of time, and another community was shattered by violence. These lives of beautiful potential lie like shards of glass on the floor of our national conscience. While we continue to grieve as a nation, it is imperative that we engage in a national discourse about gun control and the need for improved access to mental health services. Gun violence and mental illness intertwine in ways that are dangerous and can be deadly. Few understand that as well as the families, friends and advocates of domestic violence victims, with whom Jewish Women’s International has been working for years. The devastation in Connecticut is not an isolated incident. We see the intersection between domestic violence and gun violence all too often. Every day, three women are murdered by their intimate partners, and guns are the murder weapon in the majority of cases. In 2010 alone, more than 300
women were shot and killed either by their husband or intimate acquaintance during the course of an argument. An abuser’s access to firearms drastically increases the likelihood of homicide. President Barack Obama’s speech about the massacre in Newtown amounted to nothing less than a clarion call to action. We must seize this opportunity to come together as citizens and as a nation to enact meaningful legislation that will outlaw assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, will keep guns out of the hands of those who will use them to commit crimes, and will strengthen and expand background checks for purchasers. This is not a radical ideology, but a commonsense practicality for a country that has sacrificed too many of our loved ones to gun violence. Woven into this call to action is an urgent appeal to address the intersection between mental illness and gun violence. We must support efforts to give families the tools to treat loved ones with a proclivity toward violence. We must
also provide expanded resources for mental health professionals and, most importantly, ensure that appropriate mental health policies are in place and appropriately funded. In the past few years, we have had many opportunities to come together as a nation. But this time is different. This time, we as citizens must lead – using the power of our voices and the strength of our numbers to ensure that legislation is enacted early in the 113 th Congress. Left to its own devices and without our active engagement, there is a strong likelihood that the legislative process will break down once again. Every member of Congress who believes that now is the time to pass life-saving legislation needs our support and our commitment. We must be committed to working alongside Congress and the administration to enact sensible but effective gun control legislation. Lori Weinstein is the executive director of Jewish Women’s International.
letters to the editor Letter of thanks from the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island Dear Mr. Silverberg, On behalf of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island and all the seniors and other needy individuals whom we serve each day, I want to thank you for your recent donation of $500. I also want to apologize, because under normal circumstances we would more quickly acknowledge your generosity. The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, however, has been anything but normal. So it is with especial gratitude that I thank you for your kindness at this extraordinarily challenging time. As you may know, our offices were
completely destroyed by the hurricane on October 29. Six feet of sea water destroyed our office suite and everything in it, but we are wholeheartedly determined to continue helping the people who need our help, as well as determined to rebuild so that we can continue to serve our neighbors as efficiently and effectively as we always have. Your donation has already been put to great use, so it is with hesitation that I ask you to do one thing more: Please let other people know about our current challenges. In spreading the word, it is our hope that more kind individuals like
you will step forward and provide financial assistance to the programs we rely on to help our seniors and many others. If you’re on Facebook, please share our Facebook page or mention our website (www.JCCGCI.org) where anyone can make a donation. You have my word that every contribution – large or small – will be put to immediate good use. With deep gratitude and warmest personal regards, I remain sincerely yours, Rabbi Moshe Wiener, executive director Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island
FEBRUARY 14, 2013 ■
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community news Blood drive to be held in memory of Dr. Henri Deutsch Temple Hesed and the American Red Cross will once again partner to sponsor a blood drive on Sunday, February 24, from 10 am-3 pm, at Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Rd., Scranton. The first blood drive, which Temple Hesed called “very successful,” was held last year. It was originally publicized as being in honor of Henri Deutsch, but was changed to his memory, as he passed away three days before the event
from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This year, one year after his death, his wife, Dr. Marilyn Deutsch, will coordinate the blood drive. She said, “Although Henri never enjoyed being the focus of attention, he would have wanted to do some important community service as a way to remember him and others who needed or are in need of blood.” Henri was an avid supporter of the American Red Cross. He was on the mental health disaster relief team
in the Scranton area. Marilyn noted, “ I suspect he would have been in Connecticut helping the citizens grieve over the loss of their family, friends and coworkers during this time, if he were alive.” To schedule an appointment to donate, call Temple Hesed at 344-7201, contact 800-RED-CROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org. While appointments have been suggested, walk-ins will be welcome.
Lecture on Jewish American popular culture to be held on March 7 at University of Scranton The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute of the African-Americans, Muslims, homosexuals, University of Scranton has announced a lecture women and the disabled. by Matt Seinkiewicz, of Boston College, will be The presentation will put MacFarlane’s held on Thursday, March 7, at 7:30 pm, at the statement into a broader context, probing the University of Scranton in the Brennan Auditorole Jews have played in the identity politics of rium. Seinkiewicz will speak on “Just Strange recent American popular culture. Engaging with Enough: Jews, American Popular Culture and examples ranging from “South Park” to “Veronica the Politics of Identity.” The lecture will be free Mars,” the talk will illustrate the ways in which and open to the public. mainstream entertainment has invoked the inIn a 2012 article in The New Yorker, “Family between minority status of Jewish Americans Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane faced a moment in order to address complex, controversial and Matt Sienkiewicz of critical self-reflection. Confronted with sometimes offensive topics. Using a variety of observations that his comedy strikes many as clips and citations from popular sources, the racist, homophobic and misogynist, he acknowledged presentation demonstrates the Jews’ ability to serve as a that his work can cross lines of taste and respect. How- metaphor for other minority groups, as well as a conduit ever, MacFarlane passed responsibility to his writing for racially-charged humor that would be otherwise deemed staff, noting that it is “in large part Jewish.” There is a unacceptable. Featuring topics as serious as torture and as tradition of American-Jewish self-mockery stretching silly as Erik Cartman’s “Jewpacabra,” the presentation will from Eddie Cantor to Jerry Seinfeld, but MacFarlane provide perspective on the role of Jewish characters on the employed a different logic. Seinkiewicz’ lecture will contemporary American screen. examine how Jews form a bridge between white priviSienkiewicz teaches courses in global media cultures lege and the politically fraught world of humor targeting and media theory. His research focuses on the West’s
Annual Teen Symposium to be held in May
S E N I L D A E D The following are deadlines for all articles and photos for upcoming Reporter issues.
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Thursday, February 14.................... February 28 Thursday, February 28........................ March 14 Thursday, March 14............................ March 28 Thursday, March 28............................. April 11
experiences with one another. After lunch, the day ends with a final session back in the theater building. Established when the university was Marywood College and the Federation was of Scranton-Lackawanna, the symposium began as a single day offering for approximately 250 students. Throughout the years, demand to attend rose as the symposium helped raise awareness of the need to educate about the Holocaust, helped establish and expand Holocaust education, and helped provide materials and resources to educators. The symposium became a two-day event in 1994, allowing more schools to attend on the day of their choice and educating between 600-800 students and teachers on each day. On average, eight-10 schools attend each day, one coming from as far as Sullivan County, NY. Registration forms have been sent out with a deadline of Monday, April 15. Material will soon be released directing educators to the Federation website where forms can also be downloaded. More information about the symposium will be announced at a future date.
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Planning for the upcoming 25 th Annual Teen Symposium on the Holocaust, scheduled for Tuesday-Wednesday, May 21-22, is under way. The event will be held on the Marywood University campus as it has since its inception. The event will mark one of the longest running and committed organizational partnerships in the area: its co-sponsorship by Marywood University and the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The symposium provides a day of focus on the causes, development and effects of the Holocaust. The symposium regularly features small group meetings with survivors of the Holocaust and American soldiers who were liberators of concentration camps. These meetings have been called “the core” of the program, although, today, there is only one local survivor who meets with students. Additional survivors and liberators are brought in from other cities. Each day runs from 9 am-1:50 pm, following registration at 8:30 am. Short introductory sessions are followed by a film screening, and one liberator addresses the entire group of participants. The large group is then divided into small groups. Accompanied by a trained facilitator, each group moves to a classroom for a meeting with a survivor. The smaller groups provide “a more intimate atmosphere and allow for better interaction between the eyewitness speaker and the listeners,” explained a symposium organizer, who also noted that a lot of thought and effort are put into the process of assigning rooms. Teachers and students are divided so that the schools are represented in as many rooms as possible so that, upon returning to their own classrooms, participants can share their various
investment in Middle Eastern broadcasting initiatives, as well as portrayals of race and religion on the American screen. His publications include articles in The International Journal of Cultural Studies, Popular Communication, The Journal of Film and Video, The Velvet Light Trap and The Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication. He is the co-editor of “Saturday Night Live and American Culture,” forthcoming from Indiana University Press in 2013. In addition to his work as a scholar, Sienkiewicz is also an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and screenwriter.
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013
Brooklyn cantorial concert a milestone for new Barclays Center
By Chavie Lieber NEW YORK (JTA) – Who knew the man behind the Brooklyn homecomings of Jay-Z and Barbra Streisand had a thing for heimische melodies? Bruce Ratner, the developer and majority owner of the Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn, which opened last September with a Jay-Z show and hosted borough native Streisand a month later, holds a special place in his heart for cantorial music. “My parents are both from Eastern European descent, so that type of Jewish music is in my blood,” Ratner told JTA. “I grew up going to my Conservative synagogue in Cleveland, where they had an amazing cantor who I absolutely loved to listen to. And as I got older, I was always buying cantor CDs. The music is just so refined.” Ratner, the chairman and chief executive of the real estate development firm Forest City Companies, is taking personal pride in having spearheaded efforts to put on the first Jewish event at the venue: a February 28 concert featuring the renowned Israeliborn violinist Itzhak Perlman sharing the stage with Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot. The Barclays performance comes on the heels of the pair’s recent collaboration, “Eternal Echoes: Songs and Dances for the Soul,” an album of Jewish music released in August. In an age where klezmer music has gained a following in the downtown jazz scene and Yiddish culture has experienced something of a revival, Ratner is optimistic that between Brooklyn’s hipsters and Chasidim, the show will find an audience. “I know not everyone listens to cantorial music today, but if they really listen, they’ll find such a history behind it,” said Ratner, who became acquainted with Perlman 30 years ago when their daughters attended private school together in Manhattan. “Growing up, cantors used to be treated like rock stars, and I think kids today unfamiliar with it will really find this concert enjoyable.” A century ago, it was hardly uncommon for Jewish cantors to perform at
JNF active senior tour to Israel
The Jewish National Fund will hold its second annual Sunshine Mission to Israel from April 21-30. The 10-day trip is geared toward active seniors age 55 and over – both seasoned Israel travelers and first-timers. The trip will follow the trail of Israel’s history and leadership, from the War of Independence through today’s modern Israel. Mission highlights will include a tour of the Golan Heights; insider briefings by top Israeli newsmakers, experts and opinion leaders; and visits to the Old City of Jerusalem and the modern metropolis of Tel Aviv. For more information, contact Matt Bernstein at 212-879-9305, ext. 292, or mbernstein@jnf.org.
At right: Israel-born American violinist Itzhak Perlman, left, will perform with Manhattan's Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on February 28 at the arena's first Jewish event. (Photo by LisaMarie Mazzucco)
Aronson illustrations at HUC venues like Barclays. Cantors such as Yossele Rosenblatt and Zeidel Rovener were mainstream stars, recording popular records and gracing the stages of Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. Only about a third of Barclays’ 19,000 seats are going to be made available for the Perlman-Helfgot show, but it’s still likely to be one of the largest cantorial concerts in the United States in nearly a century. “I can’t think of anything as big as Madison Square Garden after Rosenblatt or Rovner in the ‘20s,” said Neil Levin, the artistic director of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music in Los Angeles. Fans have long been taken with Perlman, who as a boy was crippled by polio, yet became one of the premier classical musicians of his generation, straddling classical and pop in a way that many of his classical peers can only envy. Perlman appeared at the first inauguration of President Barack Obama and on the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning 1993 film “Schindler’s List,” not to mention on “Sesame Street.” Perlman recalls the first time he heard Helfgot’s voice – at a concert in Israel. “I thought, ‘That would sound excellent with
Jewish Federation of NEPA
a violin!’” he told JTA. “I later approached him backstage and said, ‘We must make some music together.’” With less than a month until the show, Perlman said he and Helfgot have not yet decided what they will play, but it probably will include a mix of new material and old favorites – and certainly the classic crowd pleaser “My Yiddishe Mama.” Their show is the first concert being self-promoted by the Barclays Center, but Ratner says he plans to host more Jewish events. “Making more events for the Jewish community is really important to me,” Ratner said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, since the Brooklyn market is so big, and I’m going to treat these events a little more differently.” Barclays will designate certain sections for gender-segregated seating in an effort to draw Orthodox patrons and is bringing in kosher food purveyors. Some of the proceeds will go to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty as well as the Perlman Music Program, a school for gifted musicians in Manhattan. “The whole thing is very exciting,” Perlman said. “I just hope things go well. One time, an audience member got sick during my performance and I couldn’t help, but think he was placed there as a critic.”
The exhibit “Jan Aronson: Illustrations for The Bronfman Haggadah” will be on view at HUC-JIR Museum in New York City from February 19-May 30. The Bronfman Haggadah is a visual reinterpretation of the Passover story. A collaboration between philanthropist and Jewish leader Edgar M. Bronfman and artist Jan Aronson, it tells of the Exodus, the Jews’ dramatic journey from slavery to freedom, in a way that seeks to captivate generations to come. For more information, visit http://huc. edu/museums/ny or contact the museum at hucjirmuseum@huc.edu or 212-824-2298.
Exhibit on eruv
Yeshiva University Museum is holding the exhibit “It’s a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and Beyond” through June 30. “It’s a Thin Line” traces the history of the eruv and its adaptation into New York’s urban environment. With 130 artifacts spanning over five centuries, the exhibit illustrates how an ancient biblical precept has been interpreted and applied – especially in and around New York City. Objects range from some of the first Hebrew books ever printed to century-old images of New York life to contemporary tools and recent eruv artifacts to eruv-themed works by contemporary artists. For more information, visit http:// yumuseum.org or contact the museum at 212-294-8330 or info@yum.cjh.org.
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SAVE the DATE Tuesday, May 21, 2013 6 PM at the Jewish Community Center
A Community Recognition of the SILVER ANNIVERSARY of the
TEEN SYMPOSIUM on the HOLOCAUST
Before you go, call the Federation office or send us an email and let us know if you would like the mail sent temporarily to a different address, at no charge to you, or halted for a certain number of months. Give us a chance to get it right for you on the first mailing. Contact Dassy at (570)961-2300 or dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org
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FEBRUARY 14, 2013 ■
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THE REPORTER
The Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition
State Capitol News PJC Mission Statement: The Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, working individually and collectively with others, represents Pennsylvania’s Jewish communities before state government and with other Pennsylvanians. Jewish values guide the PJC’s focus on issues of importance to these communities, including public social policies and funding and regulation of the delivery of human services. Pennsylvania’s state government budget proposal Governor Tom Corbett presented on February 5 his annual budget address for the fiscal year 2013-14, starting on Monday, July 1. His budget address commences his efforts
to pass a legislative agenda, considered “very aggressive,” by Sunday, June 30. His agenda includes efforts to increase transportation funding for infrastructure and mass transit; to privatize Pennsylvania’s liquor stores and remove the state from the alcohol selling industry; reform Pennsylvania’s pension system to reduce the impact on the state’s general fund; and to pass the 2013-14 Pennsylvania budget without a tax increase. Beginning the effort, Corbett’s fiscal year 201314 Pennsylvania budget proposal includes: Spending $28.4 billion, a 2.4 percent increase over fiscal year 2012-13 $5.4 billion in funding across five years to address infrastructure and mass transit needs
Privatizing Pennsylvania’s liquor stores Auctioning the liquor licenses for the
stores will allocate $1 billion toward education initiatives $17.338 million for food assistance, which means no increase from the state’s current budget $10.37 billion, a 3.4 percent increase, for education funding for the state, along with pension reform Increased investments in early childhood education, including Pre-K Counts, Head Start Assistance and Early Intervention programs $10.9 billion, a three percent increase, for Public Welfare programs $5.7 billion in total funds to provide long-
term care services to seniors and persons with disabilities Expanding the Human Services Block Grant from 20-county pilot to statewide through a voluntary county basis $1.9 billion, a 3.2 percent increase, for Pennsylvania’s correction programs EITC and OSTC funding remains the same as last year, with $100 million for EITC and $50 million for OSTC. The PJC plans to look closer at the budget proposal and work to make sure that the interests of the Jewish communities are being addressed. “Using a baseball phrase, this is the first inning of a nine inning game,” said a PJC representative.
A Purim directive: Laugh it up! By Dasee Berkowitz NEW YORK (JTA) – Little kids will laugh at anything. The simplest knockknock joke or a tickle fest – even the threat of one – can so easily end in hysterics. They laugh because they are surprised by something unexpected in a world they are constantly discovering. If only that kind of laughter came as easily as we got older. While the laughter of childhood is characterized by the element of surprise, the laughter in adulthood becomes a way of managing stress (filmmakers know this well and skillfully employ any element of comic relief during an action thriller to release some of the tension). Laughter becomes a coping mechanism to get us through difficult times. Paradoxically, many of us are so loaded down with responsibility and worry that we don’t indulge often enough in this
emotional and physical release. It’s a good thing Purim is nearly here. Purim is a holiday that isn’t ripe with laws and ritual obligations save for reading the megillah, giving mishloach manot (gift packages) to friends, matanot l’evyonim (gifts to the poor) and having a festive meal. However, there is one directive for observance that is very clear: “They (the Jews) should make [Adar 14 and 15] days of feasting and joy.” (Scroll of Esther 9:22) We each might experience this commandment on a different level. For 5year-olds, putting on funny costumes, enjoying bobbing for candied apples at the synagogue carnival and seeing the rabbi dressed as a superhero evokes one kind of joy. For most grown-ups, joy and laughter may be an expression of a different kind. While we appreciate the dark comedy of the megillah, our laughter also is a collec-
tive sigh of relief in having averted near annihilation unscathed. The storyline of Purim, which this year begins on the evening of February 23, is a dramatic comedy of errors and grand gestures with over-the-top reactions. It is so different in content and style than nearly every other book of the Bible that scholars speculate about the veracity of the story altogether. Drunken parties, political posturing and sexual innuendos weave their way throughout the narrative. The megillah begins with a raucous party hosted by King Achashveros, who demands that his wife, Vashti, appear (only! as commentators point out) in her crown. After refusing to appear naked, she is told to never appear before the king again. After his “wise” counselors offer advice, an edict is sent out across the provinces demanding that all wives respect their husbands’ every
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demand. Not sure what all the wives had to say about that! It is a story about reversals. The megillah has Mordechai, the Jewish hero who refuses to bow down to Haman. The act of disobedience ignites the ire of Haman, the recently promoted chief adviser to the king. Haman, in turn, calls for the destruction of all Jewish people. Esther, who until this point has hidden her identity, then reveals that she also is a member of the doomed people and calls on Achashveros to punish Haman. Achashveros does by bestowing all the raiments and honors that were reserved for Haman on Mordechai. Further, the very gallows that Haman had ordered to be built for the hanging of Mordechai are the ones on which Haman meets his end. Purim is a story of incongruencies. A See “Purim” on page 10
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013
jewish community center news Social Adult Club celebrated Tu B’Shevat
The Social Adult Club of the Scranton JCC celebrated its annual Tu B’Shevat on January 21 with a seder led by Rabbi Dovid Saks. Saks explained why Jews celebrate Tu B’Shevat and why this includes eating the various fruits. Many of the luncheon guests participated in the seder by reading passages from the Tu B’Shevat haggadah. Lunch was served following the conclusion of the seder. Platters of fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, olives, candy and crackers were placed on each table. There were also cloves, mint and pomegranate seeds, as well as white wine for the blessings. Organizers of the seder expressed their appreciation for the effort made by Chairwomen Roz Rutta and Marion Glassman, as well as the volunteers, who prepared the platters and set the tables.
The Social Adult Club will celebrate Purim with a program on Monday, February 25. Dorothy Silverman is planning the event and has invited all seniors to make reservations. The club’s new director, Louise McNabb, is planning several programs and trips for the members and friends of the Social Adult Club. Anyone ages 60 and older is welcome to join and participate in the programs. Ongoing programs include exercise on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, as well as Saks’ round table discussion on the parasha of the week on Monday mornings at 11 am. Paid-up members may use the pool on Wednesday mornings and participate in the exercise programs at no extra charge. Dues for membership in the Social Adult Club cost $85 a year and entitle members to
• OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY •
Purim Fun For Everyone Sunday, February 24th • 1-4 pm at the JCC ADMISSION IS FREE
Ice cream sundaes! Hamantaschen! Basketball Mini-Golf Football Passs Tic Tac Toe
Haman Toss Ring-A-Bottle Shuffleboard Bowling Slapshot
Games, prizes & more - come in costume! Questions? Please call the JCC front desk at 346-6595, ext. 100 or 102.
discount prices on trips and programs. Lunch is served on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at noon. A reservation for lunch must be made the day before by calling 346-6595, ext. 0.
Venezuela
Continued from page 1 Rabbi Pynchas Brener is among those who relocated. A vocal critic of Chavez, Brener is identified in the SEBIN documents as the Mossad’s chief spymaster in Venezuela. One chart places him at the head of an intricate web of informants and cover-up operations that report directly to the Israeli intelligence service and the American and Canadian embassies in Caracas. “I’m not a Mossad agent – you can write that – and I never was one,” Brener told JTA. “Maybe I’ll be one in the future.” Born in Poland, Brener was raised in Peru and led a congregation in Caracas for 44 years before retiring to Florida in 2011. He said he was labeled a spymaster because he was among Venezuela’s more visible Jews. “Venezuela is the most tolerant society that I know,” Brener said. “There’s almost zero antisemitism. But the government has been cultivating it.” The leaks come at a potentially pivotal time for Venezuela. Chavez has not been seen in public in months since undergoing an operation related to an unspecified form of cancer. The government vows that the self-proclaimed revolutionary leader will recover and be sworn in for his fourth successive presidential term. But rumors abound that he is terminally ill. For many members of the Jewish community, the possible departure of Chavez from Venezuelan politics would be a cause for renewed hope. In January, Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress, met in Caracas with Nicolas Maduro, the vice president and temporary fill-in for Chavez. The meeting, which included several Latin American Jewish leaders, seemed to hint at a possible rapprochement. “[Maduro] is not Chavez,” Gamus said. “He does not have his charisma or character, and he is not influenced by the antisemitic ideologies like those that Chavez had.” But one should be careful not to write off Chavez. Like his hero, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who has survived countless assassination attempts and suspected ailments, Chavez has regularly proven rumors of his demise to be greatly exaggerated. On February 4, Venezuelan Defense Minister Diego Molero reported that Chavez was having his “best moment yet” since he underwent surgery.
Notice to our Pocono Readers 911 Emergency Management Services has been updating mailing addresses in Monroe County and Lehman Townships in Pike County. Please don't forget to notify the Federation so you will continue to receive The Reporter. Thanks, Mark Silverberg, Executive Director Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania
FEBRUARY 14, 2013 ■
THE REPORTER
As new chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis faces a fractious British Jewry By Miriam Shaviv LONDON (JTA) – Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has big shoes to fill. Appointed in December as the 11th British chief rabbi, he will succeed Jonathan Sacks, an internationally renowned author and public intellectual who speaks frequently on moral, philosophical and theological affairs. The widespread assumption among British Jews has long been that a Mirvis chief rabbinate would be quite different, that he would focus on internal Jewish community issues rather than trying to emulate Sacks. But Mirvis has different ideas. When he takes up the position in September 2013, he hopes to be an “able and capable representative to the outside world,” he told JTA, and would aim to bring an “ethical voice” to debates of national importance. “A sense of religious identity has never been more relevant, nor more necessary, in our fast-changing world,” Mirvis said. But Mirvis, 56, who is currently rabbi of Finchley United Synagogue, one of London’s flagship Orthodox congregations, does not intend to neglect internal affairs either. His other top two priorities will be promoting education and empowering local rabbis, in order to bolster the shrinking constituency of Britain’s centrist Orthodox synagogues. “I will be seeking to deepen commitment within the Jewish community to Jewish learning, values and ideology,” he said. “I see an enormous thirst for personal spiritual growth.” Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Mirvis has a bachelor’s degree in education and classical Hebrew from the University of South Africa, and studied at two Israeli yeshivas – Kerem BeYavne and Har Etzion – affiliated with Israel’s religious Zionist community. Between 1984 and 1992, he was chief rabbi of Ireland, after which he moved to the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in central London, a position previously held by Sacks. He has been in his current position since 1996. Observers of Anglo-Jewry say that a renewed focus on communal issues would be welcomed, as Sacks, for all his academic brilliance, was generally regarded as weak in that regard. “Mirvis will be looking toward his own constituency,” said Meir Persoff, the author of a forthcoming book about the process of choosing Britain’s chief rabbis.
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ber committee, however, was reportedly hampered “This is exactly what Anglo-Jewry and centrist by an overly broad job description, difficulty in Orthodoxy needs, someone to be its head.” determining exactly what they were looking for According to Persoff, “as a person, rabbi, and no unifying consensus candidate. community man and as a leader who commands When applications for the position closed last the respect and affection of his congregants and March, Mirvis was considered one of the two frontwider community, Mirvis is ideal.” runners, together with Rabbi Harvey Belovski of In succeeding Sacks, Mirvis is stepping into Golders Green United Synagogue in northwest a difficult job. While officially employed by the London. Over the summer, though, reports indiUnited Synagogue, the 140-year-old union of 62 cated that the members of the search committee Orthodox communities, the chief rabbi is perwanted a rabbi with more “star power” to follow ceived as the representative of all British Jewry. Sacks, who opines regularly on the BBC and in Increasingly, the needs and views of these two other national and international forums. While both overlapping groups clash. Sacks discovered this on a number of occa- Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Belovski are considered outstanding sions, like in 1996 when he declined to attend Mirvis will serve community rabbis, they do not have a national the funeral of a prominent Reform rabbi, Hugo as Britain's next profile as public intellectuals or writers. By late November, Mirvis was widely rumored Gryn, and condemned him in a private letter chief rabbi. (Photo to be the last man standing, but the committee still as a “destroyer of the faith.” Many say this es- by John Rifkin) met at least one brand new candidate: Rabbi David sentially ruined his relationship with the liberal movements. It did not go unnoticed that, in the Reform Lapin of LosAngeles. With a decision expected before the close statement welcoming Mirvis’ appointment, he was referred of 2012, pressure began to mount from United Synagogue rabbis and the local Jewish press to meet the deadline. The Jewish to as the “Orthodox chief rabbi.” Mirvis was not eager to discuss the Reform reaction, but he Chronicle newspaper editorialized that the selection process “is did indicate that he intended to speak for all British Jews, not in danger of moving from chaos to farce.” The Jewish News just his particular brand of Orthodoxy. According to Persoff, front page urged the committee, “Hire Him, Already!” The announcement in December was greeted with rewhether this is possible will depend, to some extent, not on him, but on the attitude of both the non-Orthodox and the haredi lief. Mirvis is a popular rabbi in his own synagogue and Orthodox communities to the right of the United Synagogue. beyond, known for his personal warmth, but whether this will translate into national leadership remains to be seen. It also depends on the United Synagogue itself. According to Miri Freud-Kandel, a fellow in modern “I’ve heard discussion within the United Synagogue about whether to face the truth and change the title of the Judaism at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish position to ‘Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue,’” he Studies and an expert on the institution of the chief rabbi, said. “That’s all it is. But the United Synagogue will not there is a “real vibrancy” about Mirvis’ own 1,800-member allow [Mirvis] to face that fact and will carry on with the synagogue, where he established a popular adult education program and allowed other innovations to flourish. The pretense that he is chief rabbi of the whole community.” Several American candidates reportedly entered the fray, question, she says, is whether he can “take the communal including Meir Soloveichik, a congregational rabbi in New successes achieved in his synagogue context and apply York and director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western them within a broader context.” He will only have a relatively short time to make his mark. Thought at Yeshiva University; Atlanta’s Michael Broyde, a judge in the Beth Din of America; and Jonathan Rosenblatt of As he faces retirement in just a decade, the search process the Riverdale Jewish Center in New York City. The six-mem- for his successor might begin again as soon as 2021.
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013
First person
A trip into destruction, desperation and hope By Dr. Sandra Alfonsi At 8 am on February 3, my friend Tony Stefano and I set out for our fourth trip into the devastated areas of the Rockaways. About two inches of fresh snow covered the ground. My driveway was already plowed and salted and since we had left the fully packed minivan at the top of the driveway overnight, we were able to leave without any problem. This was a delivery that had to be made, regardless of the weather, and Tony and I were grateful that driving conditions were “a piece of cake,” to quote his words. Every trip down to the Rockaways has had its own character and left its own impression on me, but this particular trip was very different from the outset since it was the first time that someone from a devastated area had contacted me with a plea for help. I had already planned another trip down before I received the e-mail detailing the overwhelming needs in Breezy Point – a community that I had not, until now, yet visited.
L-r: David Birimbaum and Tony Stefano delivered needed supplies.
At left: Remains of a section of Breezy Point w e re s e e n after the flood and fire.
Before I planned the fourth trip, I contacted the Rockaway Wish Organization to find out what was needed and what we could bring down from our Federation. I had been dealing with the Rockaway Wish Organization since my first trip to the Rockaways. Our first major delivery of cleaning supplies and dry food items had been made to the Belle Harbor Yacht Club, the central collection and distribution point for the whole area. It was there that I saw the “Kosher Corner” – an area of several shelves of kosher food products for any members of the Jewish communities of Rockaway Park and Belle Harbor who came to find cleaning supplies, clothes and food. The Rockaway Wish Organization told me that the Belle Harbor Yacht Club is now closed for its own repairs and that the collection center is now located in Breezy Point. They also gave me the name, phone number and e-mail address of the young woman in charge of the entire project in Breezy Point. I must admit that I did not immediately contact the young woman. I wanted to find out what our “regular” communities still needed and then check our items still safely stored at Temple Israel of the Poconos. Something inside pushed me to finally send an e-mail asking if the woman needed any of the cleaning supplies or clothing that we had available. Her e-mail to me preceded the one that I sent and its content stunned me. Here was a community pleading – not merely asking – for cleaning supplies, like bleach to fight severe mold; basic food supplies, such as hot and cold cereals, microwavable soups and other items; and personal hygiene supplies. Here was a community with people finally coming back to their devastated homes without electricity and heat, where water had finally been pumped out after more than three months, homes filled with mold and debris and dirt. A wave of nausea passed through me as I read her description of “life” in this devastated area. See “Trip” on page 12
Friends of The Reporter Dear Friend of The Reporter, Each year at this time the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania calls upon members of our community to assist in defraying the expense of issuing our regional Jewish newspaper, The Reporter. The newspaper is delivered twice of month (except for December and July which are single issue months) to each and every identifiable Jewish home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
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L-r: Dr. Sandra Alfonsi and Rabbi Levi Osdoba met on her trip.
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L-r: Dr. Sandra Alfonsi met with Kathy Duemig in Breezy Point.
FEBRUARY 14, 2013 ■
THE REPORTER
More than a half-decade on, Italy is still years from opening first Holocaust museum By Ruth Ellen Gruber ROME (JTA) – If all goes according to plan, a starkly modern, $30 million Holocaust museum will soon rise on the site of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s Rome residence. The site, also the location of ancient Jewish catacombs and now a city park, will be home to a museum first proposed in 2005, but held up repeatedly by financial and bureaucratic problems. “I hope construction begins this summer,” Leone Paserman, the president of the Museum of the Shoah Foundation, told JTA. “Of course in Italy, it is always hard to say.” The facility will be the first Holocaust museum in Italy, which despite its wartime alliance with Nazi Germany has a somewhat mixed Holocaust record. The country adopted fiercely antisemitic legislation in 1938, barring Jews from schools, dismissing them from public positions and outlawing intermarriage, among other restrictions. At the same time, the Italian military generally declined to take part in the murder or deportation of the country’s Jews, and territories occupied by Italian forces were considered relatively safe. The first deportations to death camps came only after Nazi Germany occupied parts of Italy in 1943 following the surrender of the fascist government to Allied forces. “There are delicate situations in Rome, including the role of Pope Pius XII and also prewar antisemitism,” Paserman said. “But we have to remember that thousands of Jews in Italy were saved in convents” and other Catholic institutions. Rome’s City Council approved final plans for the museum a year ago, but city funding was later blocked by government-imposed financial restrictions on municipal spending.
The design of Italy’s Holocaust museum in Rome will feature a huge flattened black cube bearing the names of Italian victims. (Photo courtesy Rome City government) The funds were freed up in December. Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said that the final bureaucratic approval from local authorities was expected by the end of January. The city is expected to issue an international tender to construction firms and award a contract in the spring. “It will be very important to inaugurate this museum while there are still some survivors alive,” Alemanno said. The new museum will be built on the grounds of Villa Torlonia, an elegant 19th century mansion that Mussolini used as his residence from 1925-1943. Jewish catacombs dating back to ancient times were discovered by chance beneath the surface of its extensive gardens in 1919. “It is surely one of the ironies of history that for nearly two decades Mussolini
resided on top of a catacomb complex constructed by those whose descendants – being the main victims of his racial policies – were the ones he forcefully tried to eliminate from the very fabric of Italian society,” Leonard Rutgers, a Dutch expert on the catacombs, told JTA. The museum, which will cover 25,000 square feet, was designed by the architects Luca Zevi and Giorgio Tamburini. Zevi, whose mother, Tullia, served for years as head of the Italian Jewish community, has described the design as a “black box” – a huge flattened cube that will bear the names of Italian Holocaust victims. Inside will be a permanent exhibit as well as an archive, library, conference hall and facilities for research and education. Plans for the museum’s exhibition and
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research facilities are being overseen by a committee headed by Marcello Pezzetti, one of Italy’s leading Holocaust scholars and educators, who will also serve as the museum director. Pezzetti has said he wants the museum to “insert the Holocaust in the Italian context into the Holocaust in the European context: By the time that the first Italian Jews were deported from Rome in October 1943, three-quarters of East European Jews had already been killed.” Among the main focus areas, Paserman has said, will be a confrontation with Italy’s “uneasy” history as a fascist ally of Nazi Germany at the onset of World War II, as well as the ambiguous role of the Catholic Church before and during the Shoah. “Almost 70 years have passed since the Shoah, and the survivors – the witnesses – are passing away,” Paserman said. “After 70 years, we are passing from memory to history, and this museum will be a place to learn history, to train teachers, to educate new generations.” Holocaust education is already a fixture of the Italian school system, with classes and courses as well as special events marking International Holocaust Memorial Day, January 27. Each year, hundreds of Italian students are taken to Auschwitz on educational trips. Even with no further delays, Paserman told JTA, the new museum will still not open until 2016 or 2017. Construction alone, he said, would take more than two years. Further complicating matters is the fact that while the city is footing the $30 million bill for the museum’s construction, funds still must be found for the exhibition. “We are all hit by the financial crisis,” Paserman said. “But there is great will to get the museum built on the part of the authorities.”
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013
d’var torah ABINGTON TORAH CENTER
Rabbi Dovid Saks President: Richard Rutta Jewish Heritage Connection 108 North Abington Rd., Clarks Summit, PA 18411 570-346-1321 • Website: www.jewishheritageconnection.org Sunday morning services at 8:30 am Call for other scheduled services throughout the week.
BETH SHALOM CONGREGATION
Rabbi Yisroel Brotsky 1025 Vine St., Scranton, PA 18510, (corner of Vine & Clay Ave.) 570-346-0502 • fax: 570-346-8800 Weekday – Shacharit: Sun 8 am; Mon, Thurs. & Rosh Chodesh, 6:30 am; Tue, Wed & Fri, 6:45 am; Sat & Holidays, 8:45 am. Mincha during the week is approx. 10 minutes before sunset, followed by Maariv.
BICHOR CHOLEM CONGREGATION/ CHABAD OF THE ABINGTONS Rabbi Benny Rapoport President: Richard I. Schwartz 216 Miller Road, Waverly, PA 18471 570-587-3300 • Website: www.JewishNEPA.com Saturday morning Shabbat Service 9:30 am. Call or visit us online for our bi-weekly schedule
CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF THE POCONOS Rabbi Mendel Bendet 570-420-8655 • Website: www.chabadpoconos.com Please contact us for schedules and locations.
CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL
Affiliation: Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Allan L. Smith President: Henry M. Skier Contact Person: Ben Schnessel, Esq. (570) 222-3020 615 Court Street, Honesdale, PA 18431 570-253-2222 • fax: 570-226-1105
CONGREGATION B’NAI HARIM
Affiliation: Union for Reform Judaism Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum President: Phyllis Miller P.O. Box 757 Sullivan Rd., Pocono Pines, PA 18350 (located at RT 940 and Pocono Crest Rd at Sullivan Trail 570-646-0100 • Website: www.bnaiharimpoconos.org Shabbat Morning Services, 10 am – noon; every other Saturday Potluck Shabbat Dinner with blessings and program of varying topics, one Friday every month – call for schedule.
JEWISH FELLOWSHIP OF HEMLOCK FARMS
Rabbi Steve Nathan President: Steve Natt Forest Drive 1516 Hemlock Farms, Lords Valley, PA 18428 570-775-7497 • E-Mail: jfhf@enter.net Friday evening Shabbat service 7:30 pm, Saturday morning Shabbat Service 9:30 am.
MACHZIKEH HADAS SYNAGOGUE Rabbi Mordechai Fine President: Dr. Shaya Barax 600 Monroe Ave., Scranton, PA 18510 570-342-6271
OHEV ZEDEK CONGREGATION
Rabbi Mordechai Fine 1432 Mulberry St, Scranton, PA 18510 Contact person: Michael Mellner - 570-343-3183
TEMPLE HESED
Union of Reform Judaism Rabbi Daniel J. Swartz President: Eric Weinberg 1 Knox Street, Scranton, PA 18505, (off Lake Scranton Rd.) 570-344-7201 Friday evening Shabbat, 8 pm; Saturday morning Shabbat, 11:15 am
TEMPLE ISRAEL OF DUNMORE
President: Isadore Steckel 515 East Drinker St., Dunmore, PA 18512 Saturday morning Shabbat 7:30 am; also services for Yizkor
TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS
Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Rabbi Baruch Melman President: Suzanne Tremper Contact person: Art Glantz 570-424-7876 711 Wallace St., Stroudsburg, PA, 18360 (one block off Rte. 191 (5th Street) at Avenue A) 570-421-8781 • Website: www.templeisraelofthepoconos.org E-Mail: tipoc@ptd.net Friday evening Shabbat, 8pm; Saturday morning Shabbat, 9 am
TEMPLE ISRAEL OF SCRANTON
Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Rabbi Moshe Saks President: Michael Mardo 918 East Gibson St., Scranton, PA, 18510 (located at the corner of Gibson & Monroe Sts.) 570-342-0350 Fax: 570-342-7250 • E-Mail: tiscran@epix.net Sunday, 8 am; Mon & Thurs, 7:15 am; Tue, Wed & Fri, 7:25 am; Rosh Hodesh & Chagim weekdays, 7 am; Shabbat Morning Service, 8:45 am; evening services: Sun – Thurs, 5:45 pm; Friday Shabbat and Saturday Havdalah services, call for times.
Erecting a sanctuary by RABBI MENDEL BENDET, DIRECTOR, CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF THE POCONOS Terumah, Exodus 25:1-27:19 This week’s Torah portion, Terumah, speaks about the traveling tabernacle (Mishkan) and its vessels, which the children of Israel constructed while in the Sinai desert. The portion contains the verse, “They shall make for Me a Mikdash (Sanctuary) and I will dwell in their midst.” Our sages noted, “In their midst, not in its midst, meaning within each and every Jew.” Thus, God assured us that not only would His Presence rest within the material walls of the Sanctuary (and Holy Temple in the future), but within the heart of every Jew. When does the Divine Presence rest within the Jew? When he transforms even the physical aspects of his being into a sanctuary for godliness. When a Jew observes mitzvot (commandments), studies Torah and imbues even his most mundane affairs with holiness, God rests within him. The Holy Temple in Jerusalem, God’s “dwelling place,” was built of physical components and was situated in an actual physical location. When the individual Jew erects a sanctuary to God and causes the Divine Presence to rest within him, even the lowest levels of existence are transformed into a “dwelling place” for godliness. In this manner, the world becomes permeated with holiness and God’s true will is fulfilled. The physical Holy Temple was built of various materials: wood, stone, silver, gold, etc. Yet these physical components were not merely the “vessels” for containing God’s presence; the materials themselves were transformed into holiness. The actual structure of the Holy Temple was sacred. This must also be the case when we construct a spiritual Holy Temple in our hearts. It isn’t enough to bring holiness into the physical aspects of our lives; all of our affairs and concerns, even the most mundane, must be transformed into holiness! With the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people, the connection between the higher and lower worlds, between God and His creations, was established. This connection was continued and strengthened when many of the actual mitzvot were commanded, for the mitzvot are the means through which the Jew connects to God. This week’s portion, Terumah, however, goes even further; it speaks of a connection between the Jew and God that transcends even
the performance of mitzvot, a bond we can achieve in the realm of permissible action. Everything a Jew does, even those actions that are not strictly mitzvot, are a means by which to attach to God and erect a sanctuary. In this way, all his deeds are transformed into holiness and the Divine Presence will rest within.
Purim
Continued from page 5 people once despised and on the verge of destruction are told that they can defend themselves thanks to Esther’s petitions to the king and suddenly become a force with which to be reckoned. For pragmatic reasons, the text indicates that “many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” Averted disaster becomes an unusual catalyst for conversion. While grand gestures, plot reversals and a storyline that doesn’t mesh quite right are elements that are employed by comedy writers and will evoke laughter, our general state of reverie on Purim is born from what the philosopher John Morreall observes about the evolution of laughter. Morreall believes that human laughter became a gesture of shared relief that a dangerous situation had passed. Laughter puts us into a state of relaxation and can build bonds between us. As the cultural anthropologist Mahadev Apte observes further, “Laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter [there is], the more bonding [occurs] within the group.” Jews have always used humor as a coping mechanism for Jewish survival and as a common reference point to connect to other Jews. Jewish comedians know this well. As a people who have been oppressed for so long, we have always appreciated laughing at our situation before others can. So this Purim, hold the childlike laughter of discovering new things (maybe someone you didn’t expect will give you mishloach manot; maybe you will surprise yourself at your generosity when you give a gift to the poor) and appreciate the narrative of the Purim story itself. But most important, experience the joy that comes from release, knowing that the Jewish people not only survives but continues to thrive. As you raise your glass at Purim, toast “l’chaim” – to life – and to a life filled with deep laughter.
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Bais Yaakov presen
Get Ready for Purim!
Order your beautifully arranged and delicious Purim baskets today! All price ranges! Special discounts for bulk orders of ten dollars or more! Free delivery. We ship anywhere in the USA. (Shipping charges apply.) To have your order shipped, please order by Friday, February 15th. For local orders, please order by Monday, Feb. 18. Proceeds to benefit the Bais Yaakov High School of Scranton. Call the Bais Yaakov office, (570) 347-5003 to place orders.
e D h a t e v a S Chayalee andtes! the Chocolate Factory
Bais Yaakov's annual play and melava malka, for ladies and girls: First showing: Saturday evening, March 2nd, at 8:30 PM; second showing: Sunday, March 3rd, at 1:00 PM, Beth Shalom Social Hall at the corner of Clay Avenue and Vine Street, Scranton Come for a fun filled, "sweet" evening and afternoon!
Bais Yaakov Brunch! Sunday, March 4th, 2013, 11:00 AM, at The Jewish Home of Eastern PA Auditorium. Presenting a Mary Kay cosmetic demonstration and sale by Mrs. Adina Harkavy. Beautiful 100% human hair wigs, ranging from $475 and up (none higher then $1200) by Aziza and Zissi. Styling done on the premises by Bassie Halton. 25% discount on new cut. Get a new wig for Pesach! For when you want to be comfortable, and for a casual look, a huge selection of snoods at discounted prices will also be on sale.
Bais Yaakov Annual Dinner Monday, May 27, 2013, Memorial Day, at the Jewish Community Center.
FEBRUARY 14, 2013 ■
THE REPORTER
European producers eager to ride exploding Tel Aviv bicycle scene By Cnaan Liphshiz AMSTERDAM (JTA) – A short ride on a luxury wooden bicycle can take much longer than expected in south Tel Aviv. The roads are fine, Maxime van Gelder says, “but people keep asking you to stop and take their picture with the bike.” Van Gelder, the 22-year-old marketing director for the two-year-old boutique Dutch bicycle maker Bough Bikes, was in Tel Aviv in January to help establish the city as the company’s fourth international market, after New York, London and Berlin. Bough, based in the city of Alkmaar, manufactures the distinctive bikes entirely from sustainably grown French oak and sells them for about $1,600 a pop. Van Gelder ended up leaving three bikes with Caspar Veldkamp, the Dutch ambassador to Israel, whose staff was to try them out before they were formally unveiled at the embassy’s annual Holland Day event on January 28. “I know bikes and I know Tel Aviv and the advances the city has made, so I know it has the potential of being an ideal arena for us,” van Gelder told JTA. Bough isn’t the only European bike maker to notice the growing demand for high-quality, luxury bicycles in Tel Aviv, whose residents are relying increasingly on bike-friendly developments that have reshaped the flat, congested metropolis into a world-class bicycle city. Dozens of miles of bike lanes now wind along the iconic Rothschild and Arlozorov boulevards in central Tel Aviv, along the city’s broad beach promenade and, most recently, along Sheinkin Street, the epicenter
of the city’s vibrant café culture. In 2011, Tel Aviv joined some 100 other cities in launching a municipal bike-sharing service. “We in Israel have always turned for inspiration to Europe’s bicycle culture, and to Holland and Denmark in particular, so it’s very exciting and perfectly logical that they are now looking back,” said Oded Gilad, a spokesman for the nonprofit Israel for Bikes. “There is a real bicycle renaissance in Israel, and especially in Tel Aviv.’” Among the pioneers in Israel’s European-inspired bicycle market is Ari Rozenweig of Copenhagen, who seven years ago opened Israel’s first boutique bicycle factory. “In comparison to Europeans, Israelis really love bling bling,” said Rozenzweig, 41, a former professional dancer who immigrated to Israel shortly before opening his shop. While Danish and Dutch cyclists prefer the reliability and low profile of a good kibbutz bicycle over a snazzy mountain bike, Rozenzweig says, “Israelis will buy anything special or flashy. It’s good for business and I like their openness to novelty, but sometimes they buy crap they don’t need.” In 2010, Israel’s adoption of European standards for electric bicycles attracted other foreign bike makers: Kalkhoff, a high-quality German brand, is now available through the Israeli bicycle supply company Moto Ofan. The Dutch Gazelle brand and the German A2B electric bicycle also are now available in Israel. A 2012 survey by the Heker Rating Marketing Surveys reported that in two
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An Israeli soldier rode her bicycle past a graffiti-painted wall in Tel Aviv last year. (Photo bySerge Attal/FLASH90/JTA) years, the number of cyclists in Tel Aviv has increased by 50 percent, from 12,000 who cycled to work every day in 2010 to 18,000 last year. Meanwhile, the number of drivers has dropped in the same time period by 5 percent. Even as Israeli bike enthusiasm flourishes, the local infrastructure still leaves much to be desired, the recent advances notwithstanding. In the past five years, an average of 15 cyclists were killed on the road annually and another 100 or so sustained moderate to serious injuries in a nation of seven million people and one million bicycles, according to data compiled by the Or Yarok road safety association.
The figures are high compared to the 22 cyclists killed in 2012 in Denmark, a nation of 5.5 million people and 4.4 million bicycles, according to a study by the University of Technology in Sydney. “Drivers are generally unaware of cyclers and bicycle paths, which are not always well defined, and this makes cycling comparatively dangerous in Israel,” Rozenzweig said. Rosenzweig says it will take another 20 to 30 years until Israel matches the bicycle friendliness of countries like Holland and Denmark. “Like everything here, it’s going to take a lot of lobbying,” he said. “But we’ll get there.”
Effective immediately, send all articles and ads to our new E-mail address,
please note!
jfnepareporter@ jewishnepa.org.
Maxime van Gelder of the Bough Bike company in the Netherlands with one of the bike maker’s luxury models in January. (Photo by Cnaan Liphshiz)
Save the Date!
Effective immediately, please send all articles & ads to Theour Scranton School’s new Hebrew E-mailDay address,
65th Anniversary Dinner jfnepareporter@jewishnepa.org. Sunday, May 12, 2013 at the JCC. A special milestone deserves a special commemoration!
Save the date!
March 7 at 7:30pm University of Scranton, Brennan Auditorium The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute of the University of Scranton announces a lecture by Matt Seinkiewicz, Boston College "Just Strange Enough: Jews, American Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity"
Temple Israel Sisterhood will be taking orders for homemade hamantashen… Lekvar (Prune), Apricot, Poppy, or Combo Parve at $6 per dozen Place your orders with Shelly Garber at 347-4042 by February 17 Pick up your orders at Temple Israel February 20
I would like to order: _________ Dozen Lekvar (Prune) ________ Dozen Apricot _________ Dozen Poppy _________ Dozen Combo @ $6 per dozen for a total of $__________ Please make checks payable to Temple Israel Sisterhood.
ÊVisit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on Facebook
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013
Trip
Continued from page 8
How could I not reply that I would come to her with supplies? I immediately sent her e-mail to Mark Silverberg, and within a few minutes I had his answer and I knew that devoted members of our Federation would step up to help. My plans were made within the hour, and my friend Tony and I went out to shop for food and hygiene items and to reserve a mini-van. All of the cleaning items had already been promised by a Federation board member, Douglas Fink, president of Pennsylvania Paper and Supply Company in Scranton. I sent an e-mail listing what we would bring and her answer was, “Wow! All I can say right now is wow! Oh... and thank you! Terrific.” And so Tony and I left on Sunday with our packed van and went to Forest Hills to pick up Elana and her son, David. Interestingly enough, David’s bar mitzvah project is now our relief project. This is his second trip with us and he helps unload and carry items, and bring comfort to those in need. On the way to Forest Hills, Rabbi Tzvi Berkowitz called for our weekly update. I had information about a grant that I had found for the youth program and he had news about some repairs in his shul. Moshe Rudich, the director of the youth program that is one part of the recovery plan, joined the Rockwood Park Jewish Center, as did the four young men who are an integral part of the program. And I told Rabbi Berkowitz that I, too, will join his synagogue so that I can speak to his board as a member and represent it when I seek funding. Our first stop was in Belle Harbor, where we met Rabbi
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Levi Osdoba and delivered cleaning supplies, canned food and Visa gift cards, which he will hand out to members of his devastated community for buying food. Progress has been made where he lives. He has finally moved back into his home. The structure is now safe and although the basement is still under construction, Rabbi Osdoba is once again teaching the children of his Torah Institute – at his dining room table. He was able to tell me for the first time that some of his families have moved back into their houses and that the healing process, as slow as it may be, has begun. When Tony and David finished unloading everything and I had given him the Visa gift cards, Rabbi Osdoba looked in the van and asked me where we were headed with all of the other items. I said very simply that I had received a cry for help from Breezy Point. His smile spoke to me of his blessings for this yet unhealed community and we parted with my promise to return to him when he needed something. Tony, Elana, David and I drove to Breezy Point and, as we entered the community, the same overwhelming nausea that I had when I read the e-mail washed over me. Breezy Point is a 500-acre cooperative. It is nowhere close to being back to normal. Empty foundations stand open on the blocks that burned. Elsewhere, houses remain shifted off their foundations. There is still no electricity, so almost everyone leaves as the sun sets. Breezy Point is the last New York neighborhood left without clean water. There are no functioning street lights and there are police cars and policemen everywhere. We found the address and, after getting police
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permission, entered an alleyway. We stopped in front of Parish Hall, the severely waterdamaged social hall of one of the two standing Catholic churches. A lovely woman named Kathy Duemig came to greet us and unlocked the building. As the four of us unloaded and carried all of the supplies into the social hall and placed them in a special area reserved for us, I understood the full extent of the catastrophe. A man came quietly into the hall holding a box. He made his way to the shelves and carefully picked a few canned food items, two rolls of paper towels and two bottles of water. I looked at him as he passed by me and I saw his pain. All I could say was “hello” and he answered the same. Kathy told him to come back whenever he needed something and that if the door was locked, he should just walk across the street to her house and call her. She said that she would come immediately. Each time that Kathy looked at what we were unloading, she hugged me and, as she started to cry, I kissed her cheek. I had no words to comfort her. All I could do was to tell her that we are now her friends and her family. I really have no idea if that gave her any comfort, but I had no other way to tell what I felt. The young woman who actually runs the collection and distribution center was in Rhode Island. It was her weekend to help take care of her mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with dementia last spring. Her name is Toni D’Antonio, and when she saw my last name, she wrote “An Italian Angel from Pennsylvania. Nice!” I answered, “Forget the angel part. I’m Jewish and Italian by marriage to an Italian Jew.” It took several hours before she answered: “We had maybe six Jewish families living in Breezy. I do not know where they are. Will you still come?” I answered, “It is precisely because we are Jewish that we are coming.” As Tony and I drove back to the Poconos, I told him, “Now you understand why both Rabbi Berkowitz and Rabbi Osdoba gave us their blessings when we said that we were on our way with relief items to Breezy Point. These are human souls in pain and in need, and my Federation understands this.” I am proud to represent my Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania in this tremendous endeavor. Dr. Sandra Alfonsi is the director of the Hurricane Sandy Relief Project of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
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Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment
Your gift to the Annual Campaign DOES A WORLD OF GOOD. Endowing your gift allows you to be there for the Jewish community of NEPA forever. A Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment (PACE) is a permanent fund that endows your Jewish community Annual Campaign gift as a lasting legacy. A PACE fund will continue to make an annual gift in perpetuity on your behalf. To determine the amount you need to endow your entire campaign gift, multiply your current annual gift by 20. You can fund your PACE by adding the JEWISH FEDERATION OF NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA to your will, or by making the Federation a beneficiary of your IRA. All contributions to establish a PACE are tax deductible.
Let your name be remembered as a blessing. Endowments can be created through a variety of vehicles, some of which do not necessitate funding during your lifetime yet still provide your estate with considerable tax benefits. They also enable you to perpetuate your commitment to the Annual Campaign in a way that best achieves your own personal financial and estate planning goals. Examples Of Ways To Fund Your Pace Gift Are:
* outright contribution of cash, appreciated securities or other long-term * capital gain property such as real estate * charitable remainder trust * gift of life insurance * charitable lead trust * gift of IRA or pension plan assets * grant from your foundation * reserved life estate in your residence * bequest Using appreciated property, such as securities or real estate, affords you the opportunity to eliminate the income tax on the long-term capital gain, will in some instances generate a full income tax charitable deduction and will remove those assets from your estate for estate tax purposes. For more information contact Mark Silverberg at Mark.Silverberg@jewishnepa.org or call 570-961-2300.
In Oscar-nominated documentaries, Israel takes a hit on occupation – and helps pays for it By Tom Tugend LOS ANGELES (JTA) – It’s hard to imagine two more divergent perspectives on Israeli-Palestinian relations: that of a Palestinian farmer whose village is resisting the encroachment of a nearby Jewish settlement and of the security service chiefs responsible for maintaining order in the Palestinian territories. Surprisingly, however, these protagonists in two documentaries vying for an Academy Award in the best documentary feature category come to much the same conclusion: that military force alone will neither solve the conflict nor assure the Jewish state’s survival. “The Gatekeepers” presents the perspectives of six men who headed Israel’s Shin Bet security agency over the past three decades – tough men who oversaw such operations as the targeted assassinations of Hamas and other terrorist leaders. In “5 Broken Cameras,” a Palestinian farmer chronicles his village’s resistance to the construction of an Israeli settlement and to the soldiers who try to squelch their protests. The tone of “5 Broken Cameras” is more emotional and “Gatekeepers” more intellectual, but both show that Israelis will accept a level of criticism too daunting for most Americans to stomach or for mainstream Hollywood to depict. And if that weren’t enough, the Israeli government actually helped pay for the production of both films. “We Jews are masters of self-criticism,” Dror Moreh, the director of “Gatekeepers,” said in an interview at a Los Angeles hotel. “It’s in our genes.” The six Shin Bet heads featured in “Gatekeepers” vary as much as the prime ministers who appointed them, but they share a hard-headed intellect and a disdain for most of Israel’s politicians, past and present. Avraham Shalom, who headed the Shin Bet from 1980 to 1986, is the oldest of the six. He helped track down and kidnap the Nazi Adolf Eichmann, and pursued both the Arab perpetrators of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and extremist Jewish West Bank settlers. Dressed
In a scene from the Oscar-nominated documentary “5 Broken Cameras,” co-director Emad Burnat is shown inspecting his cameras. (Photo by Alegria Productions)
Former Shin Bet chief Yaakov Peri speoke in the Oscar-nominated film “The Gatekeepers.” (Photo by Sony Picture Classics) in plaid shirt and red suspenders, the avuncular Shalom sets much of the tone for his successors, who generally agree that despite the rebuffs and failures, Israel must try to negotiate with the Palestinians and take some tentative steps on the path to peace. “Negotiate with anyone?” Moreh asks somewhat incredulously in the film. “Yes, anyone,” Shalom answers, even Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Yaakov Peri, who assumed the post in 1988, was the key figure in battling the Second Intifada, setting up a vast network of Palestinian informers and collaborators, and allegedly authorizing “exceptional practices” during Shin Bet interrogations. Yet Peri reflects in the film on “the memories etched deep inside you – when you retire, you become a bit of a leftist.” Moreh said his most surprising moment came when interviewing Yuval Diskin, who served as Shin Bet head from 2005-2011. Moreh asked for Diskin’s reaction to a quote by Yeshayahu Leibowitz, a left-wing academic who asserted that Israel’s control over the West Bank would lead to the Jewish state’s inexorable moral corruption. To Moreh’s astonishment, Diskin nodded in agreement, saying, “Every word is [written] in stone.” Emad Burnat, the cameraman, narrator and co-director of “5 Broken Cameras,” is a world removed from the well-educated, commanding Shin Bet chiefs of “Gatekeepers.” A Palestinian farmer, his family has cultivated the land of Bil’in, a village of 1,900 just east of where Israel separates from the West Bank. When his fourth son, Gibreel, is born in 2005, he gets a video camera to record the boy’s infancy and childhood, as well as the surrounding village life. At about the same time, the religious settlement of Modi’in Illit is established nearby, protected by a fence that bars the village farmers from much of their land and olive groves. The villagers respond with weekly demonstrations. Israeli soldiers are called in to prevent the villagers from marching on the settlement, escalating the confrontation. See “Oscar” on page 14
FEBRUARY 14, 2013 ■
THE REPORTER
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013
New Season of
Films!
“Yiddish con Salsa” lectures in April
February 2013 • Non-Feature Films • A Film Unfinished, a harrowing look at the devious art of a propaganda film made by the Third Reich, is a rich and well-researched investigation into the filmic history of the Warsaw Ghetto. As A Film Unfinished aims to set the record straight, it furthers a political resistance that Jews undertook during the war. In other words, this documentary is a tribute, a correction of history to honor those who died, witnessed, or survived atrocities prior to their move to Treblinka, Warsaw’s affiliate death camp. Blessed is the Match - In 1944, 22- year Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi- occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II. Budapest to Gettyburg - The past and present collide as a world-renowned historian confronts a history he has refused to study-his own. Gabor Boritt is an expert on Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. But it took his son’s urging to get him to return to his native Hungary and learn about the Jewish experience there from the time of his childhood until, together with his family, he escaped to the United States. Constantine’s Sword, is a 2007 historical documentary film on the relationship between the Catholic Church and Jews. Directed and produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Oren Jacoby, the film is inspired by former priest James P. Carroll’s 2001 book Constantine’s Sword. Inside Hana’s Suitcase - A real-life Japanese schoolteacher, who appears throughout the film, sparked this entire story by gathering artifacts for a Holocaust educational center she was developing along with a group of girls and boys called The Small Wings. After applying to receive Holocaust artifacts, a large box arrives with a handful of artifacts, including a battered brown suitcase labeled with Hana Brady’s name. The teacher and her students begin searching for the story behind the suitcase. What they discover will surprise you. They wind up unlocking--and showing us in the film--a whole series of deeply moving memories and other related artifacts and photos. Finally, Hana’s surviving brother George travels to Japan to meet the Japanese students. I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal - Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor who lost 89 family members, helped track down over 1,100 Nazi war criminals and spent six decades fighting anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story - This excellent documentary, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, portrays the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story was shown at the Opening Event for the 2012 UJA Campaign. The Case for Israel: Democracy’s Outpost - Famed attorney, Alan Dershowitz, presents a vigorous case for Israel- for its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - As baseball’s first Jewish star, Hammering Hank Greenberg’s career contains all the makings of a true American success story. • Feature Films • A Matter of Size - Winner of numerous international awards, this Israeli comedy is a hilarious and heart-warming tale about four overweight guys who learn to love themselves through the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. (not rated) A Woman Called Golda - Ingrid Bergman plays Golda Meir, the Russian born, Wisconsin raised woman who became Israel’s prime minister in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Crossing Delancey - This is a warm comedy taking place in New York City. Isabella Grossman desires to rise above her family’s Lower East Side community but her grandmother has other matchmaking plans. Footnote - The story of a great rivalry between a father and son, both eccentric professors who have both dedicated their lives to work in Talmudic Studies departments of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Though the father shuns overt praise for his work and the son is desperate for it, how will each react when the father is to be awarded the most sought after prize, the Israel prize? This Oscar nominated film will entrance from the start. Frisco Kid - It’s 1850 and new rabbi Avram Belinski sets out from Philadelphia toward San Francisco. Cowpoke bandit Tom Lillard hasn’t seen a rabbi before but he knows when one needs a heap of help. Getting this tenderfoot to Frisco in one piece will cause a heap of trouble- with the law, Native Americans and a bunch of killers. Good - In an attempt to establish its credibility, the new Nazi government is seeking out experts to endorse its policies and they come across Johnnie Halder’s novel of a husband who aids his terminally ill wife in an assisted suicide. Because of this the Nazis flatter Johnnie arranging for high paying and prestigious positions. Never evil, Johnnie Halder is an Everyman who goes along, accepts what he is told without question until he is an unwitting accomplice to the Nazi killing machine. Hidden In Silence - Przemysl, Poland, WWII. Germany emerges victorious over the Russians, and the city comes under Nazi control. The Jewish are sent to the ghettos. While some stand silent, Catholic teenager Stefania Podgorska chooses the role of a savior and sneaks 13 Jews into her attic. Every day, she risks detection--and immediate execution--by smuggling food and water to the silent group living above her. And when two German nurses are assigned to her living quarters, the chances of discovery become dangerously high. This is the true story of a young woman’s selfless commitment and unwavering resolve in the face of war. Noodle (PAL version- can only be played on computer NOT regular DVD players) - At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-widowed, El Al flight attendant. Her well regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been deported from Israel. The film is a touching comic-drama in which two human beings- as different from each other as Tel Aviv is from Beijing- accompany each other on a remarkable journey, one that takes them both back to a meaningful life. Nora’s Will - When his ex-wife Nora dies right before Passover, Jose is forced to stay with her body until she can be properly put to rest. He soon realizes that he is part of Nora’s plan to bring her family back together for one last Passover feast, leading Jose to reexamine their relationship. (not rated) Operation Thunderbolt - The true story of the Entebbe hijacking and rescue. “Operation Thunderbolt,” was filmed in Israel with the full cooperation of the Israeli government, and is an exciting re-creation of the events of those tense days. We see the full scope of the story, from the original hijacking to the passengers’ captivity in Uganda to the agonized debates at the highest levels of the Israeli government over a diplomatic vs. a military solution. “Operation Thunderbolt” is the thrilling and true story of how one small country refused to let their people be killed by terrorists and took action to prevent it. People who claim that Israel is a “terrorist state” should see the film and be reminded who the real terrorists are. Orthodox Stance (documentary-2007) - Dimitriy Salita, a Russian immigrant, is making history as a top professional boxer and rigorously observant Jew. While providing an intimate, 3-year long look at the trials and tribulations faced by an up and coming professional boxer, ORTHODOX STANCE is a portrait of seemingly incompatible cultures and characters working together to support Dmitriy’s rare and remarkable devotion to both Orthodox Judaism and the pursuit of a professional boxing title. Playing for Time - An outstanding cast brings life to this Fania Fenelon autobiography about a Jewish cabaret singer and other Jewish prisoners whose lives were spared at Auschwitz in exchange for performing for their captors. Rashevski’s Tango - Just about every dilemma of modern Jewish identity gets an airing in this packed tale of a clan of more or less secularized Belgian Jews thrown into spiritual crisis by the death of the matriarch who has held all doubts and family warfare in check. (not rated) Sarah’s Key - Julia Jarmond, an American journalist is commissioned to write an article about the notorious Vel d’Hiv round up, which took place in Paris, in 1942. She stumbles upon a family secret which will link her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl, Sarah. The Angel Levine - Things couldn’t get worse for Jewish tailor Morris Mishkin (Zero Mostel). His shop has gone up in flames, his daughter has married outside the faith and, worse yet, his wife is slowly dying. But just when he decides to give up on God, a mysterious man (Harry Belafonte) appears, claiming to be his Jewish guardian angel! Doubtful that the stranger is Jewish, never mind an angel, Mishkin must overcome his skepticism if he wants one last chance at redemption. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - Set during World War II, this is the story of Bruno, an innocent and naïve eight-year old boy who meets a boy while romping in the woods. A surprising friendship develops. The Couple - Based on the true story of a Jewish Hungarian’s desperate attempts to save his family from the Nazi death camps. Mr. Krauzenberg (Martin Landau) is forced to hand over his vast wealth to the Nazis for the safe passage of his family out of occupied Europe, only to find his two remaining servants are left trapped in a web of deceit and danger. Their only hope for survival relies on the courage of Krauzenberg. The Debt - Academy Award winner Helen Mirren and two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson star in The Debt. In 1966, three Mossad agents were assigned to track down a feared Nazi war criminal hiding in East Berlin, a mission accomplished at great risk and personal cost… or was it? Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story - Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story is an incredibly riveting, Emmy award-winning, fact-based story about a hero who helped over 100,000 Hungarian Jews escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust. Ushpizin - A fable set in the Orthodox Jewish world in Jerusalem, Ushpizin tells the story of a poor childless couple, Moshe and Malli, whose belief in the goodness of the Almighty follows a roller coaster of situations and emotions but leads to the ultimate happiness, the birth of their son.
The Yiddish Book Center will present a weekend program led by author and scholar Ilan Stavans (Amherst College) on April 19-21. “Yiddish con Salsa: The Jews of Latin America” will delve into the historical, political, and social contexts of this complex Jewish community with roots in both Eastern Europe and pre-1492 Spain. Informed by his lifelong investigation of language and identity, and his own experiences as a Jew growing up in Mexico City, Stavans will seek to illuminate the cultural landscape in which the Jews of Latin America search for their roots. “Yiddish con Salsa” will include four lectures by Stavans: “Jews and Latinos: Unlikely Partners”; “The Converso as Metaphor: The Legacy of Secrecy”; “Magical Realists with Yarmulkes: The Writer as Activist”; and “Yiddish con Salsa: Adventures of Mame Loshn in the Hispanic World.” The program will also include discussion groups, which will be offered in English, Spanish, or Yiddish; a screening of the award-winning comic film “My Mexican Shiva,” based on a short-story by Stavans; course packet and books for recommended reading (provided in English or Spanish); a reception with Stavans; and three kosher, catered meals, beginning with Shabbat dinner. The weekend lectures will explore Jewish life in the Hispanic world; the impact of the Spanish Inquisition on Jews in both Spain and the Americas; Jewish literature in Latin America through the voices of writers such as Alberto Gerchunoff, Jacobo Timmerman and Moacyr Scliar, highlighting the significant place these writers occupy alongside non-Jews like Jorge Luis Borges, Carlos Fuentes and Mario Vargas Llosa; and the linguistic journey of Jews in Spain and the Americas, starting with Spanish, Portuguese and Ladino, and continuing to Yiddish, Hebrew and English. Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College, was born and raised in Mexico. He attended Yiddish day school with other children of Eastern European immigrants. In the 1980s, he came to the U.S. as a graduate student and is now an internationally known, award-winning cultural critic, linguist, translator, public speaker, editor, short-story writer and TV host. His latest work, “Return to Centro Histórico: A Mexican Jew Looks for His Roots,” makes it possible to understand the intimate role that Jews have played in the development of Hispanic civilization. The cost for the weekend program is $260 for Yiddish Book Center members and $300 for non-members. To learn more and to register visit yiddishbookcenter.org or call 413-256-4900.
Oscar
Continued from page 13 A self-taught photographer, Burnat and his camera capture the events, to the annoyance of the soldiers. Although some blood is spilled later on, the initial casualties are the cameras, which are smashed, replaced and smashed again. Five cameras go down, but the sixth is still doing duty today, Burnat says by phone from Bil’in. Among the Israeli sympathizers who join the Bi’lin protesters is Guy Davidi, a Tel Aviv filmmaker who befriends Burnat and his family. Two years ago, Burnat showed Davidi his huge cache of video footage with the idea of fashioning it into a documentary. Davidi signed on as co-director and producer, raising $334,000, including $50,000 from government-funded Israel Film Council. Though it sounds like an unalloyed success story, the film’s road to Oscar contention became a little bumpy after initial media reports in Israel and the United States trumpeted the unprecedented feat by “two Israeli films.” The claim justifiably angered Burnat, opened him to criticism from his Palestinian compatriots and led to a boycott of the film in Arab countries. “This is a Palestinian film,” Burnat told JTA. “It’s about my village and mine is the major contribution.” Under Academy Awards rules, documentaries are not entered by countries (as is the case for foreign-language feature movies), but by individual filmmakers and their distributors. So “5 Broken Cameras” is officially labeled as a Palestinian-Israeli-French co-production. The film illustrates one other point, too. As in most films by Palestinians, Israeli characters may be depicted as unwelcome interlopers, but they are not made into monsters or Nazis. “Many of the West Bank Palestinians have worked in Israel as construction workers, gardeners and so forth,” Davidi said. “They speak our language and know more about us than we know about them. Even if they hate us, they understand something about the complexity of our society.”
FEBRUARY 14, 2013 ■
THE REPORTER
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NEWS IN bRIEF From JTA
Bloomberg defends Brooklyn College’s right to host BDS event
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the right of the publicly funded Brooklyn College to sponsor an anti-Israel BDS conference. Bloomberg said on Feb. 6 at City Hall that though he “violently” disagrees with the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, a university should be free to sponsor a forum on any topic, The New York Times reported. Thursday’s event at the college will feature Omar Barghouti, the co-founder of the BDS, and Judith Butler, an academic who openly speaks sympathetically about Hamas and Hezbollah. The college’s political science faculty is an official co-sponsor for the event. The primary host is the Brooklyn College Students for Justice in Palestine, a group that says it is aimed at “helping end Israeli apartheid and the illegal occupation of Palestine.” Members of the City Council threatened to withhold funding it provides to the college if the program goes forward, which the mayor rejected.
Antwerp girls school no longer forced to teach Moshe Friedman’s sons
A Belgian court lifted an injunction forcing a haredi Orthodox girls’ school in Antwerp to enroll the two sons of haredi pariah Moshe Friedman. On Feb. 7, the Antwerp Court of Appeals lifted the injunction obtained in January by Friedman, citing child welfare considerations raised by the Benoth Jerusalem elementary school in appealing the earlier ruling, according to the Joods Actueel monthly. The review process may take several years. In the meantime, the boys’ enrollment will be nullified and they will not attend the school, Joods Actueel reported. Unable to enroll his children in the haredi community’s schools, Friedman had petitioned to have his sons, Yosef and Yaacov, attend the publicly funded Benoth Jerusalem. Belgian law does not permit schools to accept only one gender, though separate classes for boys and girls are permissible. Friedman’s lawsuit was the first case in which a haredi parent petitioned the authorities to make a school coed. Friedman, 40, is an anti-Zionist haredi activist excommunicated by the haredi community of Antwerp. In 2006 he attended a conference of Holocaust deniers in Tehran, where he was photographed hugging Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Brooklyn native is married to a Belgian woman.
Antisemitic incidents rise by 5 percent in Britain
Antisemitic incidents in Britain rose 5 percent over the previous year, making 2012 the third worst year on record. The Community Service Trust, British Jewry’s security unit, reported on Feb. 7 that there were 640 reported antisemitic incidents, compared to 608 in 2011. Some 100 of the incidents were reported as part of a new joint program with the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force of the Greater London area. Under the new program, there was a reported 55 percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents in London. Without the police incidents, the report would have shown an 11 percent decrease in total incidents. Sixty of the incidents were classified as “violent antisemitic assaults.” The majority of the incidents, however, included verbal attacks and graffiti. Social media also was a source of many of the incidents. “While these statistics show more is being done to share information, they are a stark reminder of the presence of antisemitism in our society,” said British lawmaker Eric Pickles, secretary of state for Communities and Local Government. “Every one of these incidents is an affront to decency, and we must continue to remain vigilant to these sort of attacks. “It is encouraging that the Jewish community are now more confident in speaking out and reporting antisemitic incidents to the police and the Community Security Trust, as improved reporting of hate crime makes it easier to assess the scale of the problem and determine what further measures are needed.”
Treasury sanctions Iranian information-control sector
The Obama administration imposed new sanctions on Iran targeting its informationcontrol apparatus and its energy sector. The sanctions posted on Feb. 6 on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Assets Control website name Iran’s communications regulator; its “cyber police”; Iran Electronics Industries, which dubs itself “the major producer of electronic systems and products in Iran;” and its broadcasting authority, all believed by U.S. authorities to be instrumental in keeping Iran’s opposition from organizing. Also named in the posting were 37 oil tankers operating under non-Iranian flags but linked by the Treasury Department to Iranian entities. The Treasury Department also updated its guidelines for trading with Iran. Sanctions passed by Congress in recent years have targeted Iran’s energy sector as a means of forcing the regime to make more transparent its nuclear activities. The same laws also include provisions aimed at penalizing Iran for its human rights abuses.
U.N. agency removes anti-Israel tweeter from job
A U.N. agency employee based in Jerusalem who tweeted an incendiary anti-Israel photo nearly a year ago was removed from her position. Khulood Badawi, the information and media coordinator for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Jerusalem, was dismissed on Feb. 6. The OCHA explained Badawi’s removal as a contract non-renewal, according to The Jerusalem Post, which was the first to report the firing. The office had launched an internal investigation into the incident, and Badawi was sent on an extended vacation, according to the HonestReporting monitoring agency. Badawi’s tweet last March 10 showed a dead, blood-covered Palestinian girl in the arms of her father who Badawi said had been killed by an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. It turned out to be a 2006 Reuters photo and the girl had died in a playground or car accident, according to various reports, including information supplied by HonestReporting. In her tweet, Badawi wrote “Palestine is bleeding – another child killed by #Israel – another father carrying his child to a grave in #Gaza.” Badawi neither retracted nor apologized for her inaccurate tweet. The Jerusalem Post could not reach Badawi for comment; Israel’s U.N. mission had no immediate reaction.
Consensus candidate emerges at O.U., averting election
The Orthodox Union board reportedly has opted for a consensus candidate, Martin Nachimson, to avert a showdown over its presidency. Nachimson, a senior vice president at the organization best known for running the largest kosher certifying operation in the world, is expected to be elected when the board meets next month in New York, The New York Jewish Week reported on Feb. 6. News had emerged in January of infighting over the departure of a series of high-ranking officials, including the longtime executive and temporary caretaker of the organization, Rabbi Steven Burg. Incumbent Simcha Katz and challenger Harvey Blitz, a former O.U. president, both threw their hats into the ring, setting the stage for a highly unusual contested election. The Jewish Week quoted a source at the umbrella group as saying the agreement was received with a “sigh of relief” by its members and that it was reached in order “to ensure a united Orthodox Union family.”
Knife-wielding woman arrested outside Toulouse Jewish school
A knife-wielding woman was arrested after threatening a student of the Toulouse Jewish school where an Islamist radical murdered four people nearly a year ago. The 51-year-old woman was arrested on Feb. 5 outside the Ohr Hatorah school (formerly
Ozar Hatorah) after she brandished the knife in a threatening manner in front of a 16year-old boy exiting the institution, according to Le Depeche, a French news site. The teen returned to the school and told authorities about the woman, who was arrested shortly thereafter. According to Direct Matin, a news website and daily newspaper, the woman shouted antisemitic slogans and “appeared mentally unstable.” On March 19, 2012, Mohammed Merah, a 23-year-old jihadist fanatic, gunned down Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, along with his two young sons, Aryeh and Gavriel. He also killed Miriam Monsonego, the 8-year-old daughter of Yaacov Monsonego, the school’s director. Merah was killed two days later by French police while trying to escape a police raid on his home. In late January, French police arrested two of his acquaintances on suspicion that they were involved in the school shooting and Merah’s earlier slaying of three French soldiers, but they were released a few days later.
Sarajevo Haggadah will not be displayed in NYC
The centuries-old Sarajevo Haggadah will stay in Bosnia for the foreseeable future, despite an offer from the Metropolitan Museum in New York to display it on long-term loan. Jakob Finci, the president of the Jewish community in Bosnia, told JTA on Feb. 6 that in a meeting that week, the Bosnian Commission for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage had decided that “now is not the time” to lend the 600-year-old manuscript to the Met. The decision comes despite the fact that Bosnia’s National Museum, which owns the haggadah and where it has been kept, closed down last year for lack of funds. Finci said a delegation from the Metropolitan Museum would be in Sarajevo later in February, but he was “not optimistic” that the cultural heritage commission would change its decision. The Associated Press quoted Ljiljana Sevo of the monuments preservation commission as saying that the Sarajevo Haggadah could not be lent because of the unresolved status of the national museum and financial difficulties. Some in the Bosnian media have speculated that the haggadah might not be returned from New York.
European Parliament chief backs Burgas findings
European Parliament President Martin Schulz said the parties blamed by Bulgaria for a deadly bus bombing in Burgas last year should be “brought to justice.” Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said on Feb. 5 that his country’s investigation into the July 18 terrorist attack found that it was perpetrated by two operatives of Hezbollah’s military wing and Hezbollah financed the operation. Six people were killed, including five Israeli tourists. Schultz went further than previous statements by European Union officials when he wrote Wednesday on Twitter, “Thank Bulgarians for professional investigation into Burgas terrorist attack. Perpetrators as indicated must be brought to justice.” Schulz’s words appear to go further than those by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Feb. 5. “The terrorists who planned and carried out the Burgas attack must be brought to justice,” she wrote, stopping short of committing her office to the findings of the Bulgarian authorities. She said the findings “underlines the need for a reflection” and commended the Bulgarian authorities. Reacting to her noncommittal statement, the two heads of the Brussels-based European Jewish Parliament, Joel Rubinfeld and Vadim Rabinovich, wrote Ashton a letter saying, “What is at stake is nothing less than to allow or not a terrorist attack on EU territory to go unpunished.” The naming of Hezbollah by Bulgaria, which is an EU member, has given impetus to ongoing efforts by Israel and the U.S. to place Hezbollah on the EU’s list of terror organizations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the EU to brand Hezbollah a terrorist group following the Bulgarian minister’s statement, as have European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor and World Jewish Congress President Ron Launder. Netanyahu in a phone call on Feb. 6 to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said the findings of the investigation “are clear and prove that Hezbollah was responsible for the atrocity in Burgas. This is an additional indication that Iran, through its proxies, is conducting a global terrorist campaign that crosses borders and continents. I hope that the Europeans will draw the necessary conclusions regarding the true character of Hezbollah after this criminal attack on European soil against an EU member state.” In 2008, the Netherlands emerged as the only European nation to formally classify Hezbollah as a terrorist entity. The U.K. considers only Hezbollah’s military wing a terrorist entity, a distinction that Israel has disputed. Hezbollah denied it was involved in the terrorist attack. Two days after the Bulgarian government implicated two men with links to Hezbollah to the terrorist attack last July, deputy Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Feb. 7 that Israel is making “allegations and incitements and accusations against Hezbollah” because it has not succeeded in defeating it militarily, Reuters reported. “Israel is leading an international campaign to intimidate people and countries against Hezbollah,” Qassem reportedly told religious students in southern Beirut. “We will not submit to these pressures and we will not change our priorities. Our compass will remain directed toward Israel.”
U.S. judge dismisses Long Island eruv lawsuit
One of three federal lawsuits filed in connection with a proposed eruv enclosure in a suburban New York beach community was dismissed. U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Wexler dismissed a suit on Feb. 4 brought by a group of Jewish residents on Long Island opposed to the construction of the eruv, an enclosure that permits religious Jews to carry items in public on the Sabbath, The New York Times reported. Proponents of the eruv in Westhampton Beach, NY, are affiliated with the Orthodox Hampton Synagogue, which has had repeated run-ins with local residents fearing an influx of Orthodox Jews to the seaside community.
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THE REPORTER ■ febrUARY 14, 2013