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26 TEVET 5776 • JANUARY 7, 2016 • VOLUME XXXVII, NUMBER 1 • PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID, SYRACUSE, NY

Super Sunday is January 24 – answer the call

BY MARIANNE BAZYDLO The Jewish Federation of Central New York will kick off the 2016 Annual Campaign with Super Sunday on January 24, from 9 am-3 pm, at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt. Volunteers will call approximately 2,000 members of the Jewish community to ask for pledges throughout the day.

This year’s Super Sunday leadership team includes Orit Antosh, Karen Beckman, Mara Charlamb, Rabbi Leah Fein, Joel Friedman, Danielle Masursky, Liza Rochelson and Abby Scheer. This year’s Super Sunday teen leaders are Eric Antosh, Elise Beckman, Ian Beckman, Rachel Beckman, Jake Charlamb, Caleb Jacowitz, Alana Jacowitz, Adena Rochelson, Sophie Scheer and Rachel Scheer.

Mark Wladis, the 2016 Campaign chair, said, “The Campaign is off to a great start.

To help keep that enthusiasm going, we need volunteers to help on Super Sunday.

I hope you will stop by the JCC on Janu-

The 2016 Super Sunday Committee posed for a group photo. Seated (l-r): Sophie Scheer, Rachel Scheer and Elise Beckman. Standing: Alana and Caleb Jacowitz, Danielle Masursky, Abby Kasowitz-Scheer, Eric Antosh, Orit Antosh and Karen Beckman. Not pictured: Ian and Rachel Beckman, Mara and Jake Charlamb, Rabbi Leah Fein, Joel Friedman, and Liza and Adena Rochelson. ary 24 and have breakfast with us… make your pledge, make a few phone calls, stuff a few envelopes, spread the word about the

great things we can accomplish with the Campaign... and stay for lunch. Bring your cell phone to make calls, or if you don’t

have one, we’ll provide a phone for you to use. I really look forward to seeing you and sharing the spirit of the Campaign.”

On Super Sunday, the Federation will collect items for the food pantry at Temple Concord, and the Super Sunday teenagers will accept items for students in the Syracuse school district alternative education program. (See related story on this page.)

Federation President/CEO Linda Alexander added, “Please answer the phone when a volunteer calls to ask for your pledge. If we don’t reach you by phone that day, we will mail your pledge card.”

To make a secure online donation to the 2016 Annual Campaign before Super Sunday, visit www.jewishfederationcny. org and click on the tzedakah box on the homepage.

To volunteer, contact Marianne Bazydlo at 445-2040, ext. 102, mbazydlo@ jewishfederationcny.org, or visit www. jewishfederationcny.org. Training will be provided.

Super Sunday teen mitzvah project for students at McCarthy

BY MARIANNE BAZYDLO The 2016 Super Sunday teen leadership team is organizing a community mitzvah project to support the students at the McCarthy @ Beard program in the Syracuse school district.

The McCarthy program is an alternative school serving 50-70 students in kindergarten-12th grade. The program provides special services for students with social, emotional, behavioral or academic concerns that require resources beyond those of regular schools. At the end of each week, students attend an assembly and choose an item as a reward for achieving goals. Each year, members of the Super Sunday Teen

Committee deliver the items to the school and attend a weekly assembly.

The leadership team has asked the community to bring in items for the students at McCarthy during Super Sunday on January 24 at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center. The Pomeranz, Shankman and Martin Charitable Foundation has made a donation to support the mitzvah project through trustees Sheldon and Mateele Kall.

A 2016 Teen Committee representative said, “It’s great that for the past several years the Super Sunday teen leaders have been able to make a positive difference in the lives of children and other teens

at McCarthy @ Beard, and help them succeed in school. We look forward to helping them again this year.”

This year, the Super Sunday teen committee includes Eric Antosh, Elise Beckman, Ian Beckman, Rachel Beckman, Jake Charlamb, Caleb Jacowitz, Alana Jacowitz, Adena Rochelson, Sophie Scheer and Rachel Scheer.

“We will be there volunteering on Super Sunday and making phone calls, and we plan to raise a lot of money for our Jewish community and all the Jewish agencies and programs that the Federation supports. We invite others to be a part of tzedakah on Super Sunday with us, and help support

Noam Gilboord, IAN director, to address community leadership

BY JUDITH L. STANDER Noam Gilboord, director of community strategy with the Israel Action Network, will meet with local Jewish community leadership from SundayMonday, January 11-12. The Jewish Federation of Central New York has invited him to meet with the Leadership 2016 class and organizational leadership on his trip to Syracuse.

Gilboord is responsible for strengthening the ability of local community professionals to combat the ongoing assault on Israel’s legitimacy. He coordinates activities of Israel advocates throughout North America, leads mobilization programming and builds partnerships with communities considered vulnerable to anti-Israel messaging.

the students at McCarthy as well,” said the committee representative.

See “Teen” on page 6

Certain items have been requested by teachers for their students at McCarthy @ Beard. Items can be brought to the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt, on Super Sunday, January 24, from 9 am-3 pm; or they can be brought to the Federation offices any weekday before Super Sunday. The requested items include: Hair accessories such as scrunchies, headbands or barrettes in bright colors Bottles of body wash or hand sanitizer Shampoo and conditioner gift sets Hand and body lotion Children’s toothbrushes or toothpaste with sports themes or childfriendly characters Hair brushes and combs Coloring books, boxes of crayons and colored pencils Colored chalk Packs of cards and card games Craft kits, such as for friendship bracelets or “loom band” bracelets Board games and puzzles Gift cards and movie tickets Balls of all types and sizes, made of foam or rubber, such as footballs or basketballs T-shirts or sweatshirts in sizes youth large to adult XXL

During his time at IAN, degrees in Near Eastern Gilboord has been involved in and Judaic studies and Jewcombating anti-Israel resoluish professional leadership tions in city councils, investfrom Brandeis University, ment firms, academic associaas well as a bachelor of arts tions, university campuses and in archaeology from the Unichurch movements. versity of Toronto.

Prior to his current role, he Following his trip to Syrawas the coordinator for Israel cuse, he will rejoin the Jewish and international affairs at the Community Relations Council Jewish Community Relations Noam Gilboord as the director of Israel and Council of New York. He was international affairs. considered “instrumental” in defeating the Park Slope Food Co-op’s motion to join the BDS movement and in colC A N D L E L I G H T I N G A N D P A R AS H A lecting more than 107,000 signatures Janaury 8...................4:29 pm............................................................Parasha-Vaera opposing the unilateral declaration of January 15................4:37 pm.................................................................Parasha-Bo a Palestinian state.

January 22................4:45 pm.................................................... Parasha-Beshelach He holds dual master’s of arts

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fund-raising training

South Tel Aviv

The Oscar may go to...

The Federation will host a fund- Some grass-roots organizations Two Holocaust-themed foreign raising training session open to seek to nourish community life films are announced as Oscar in derelict South Tel Aviv. the community. semi-finalists.

Story on page 9 Story on page 3 Story on page 10

PLUS Congregational Notes............ 4 Calendar Highlights............. 10 Obituaries................................11 News in Brief......................... 12

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776

Roman Polanski, 10 other Hollywood Jews open up about surviving Holocaust

BY GABE FRIEDMAN (JTA) – The Hollywood Reporter is commemorating the 70 th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust with a feature on 11 survivors who went on to careers in American entertainment.

The project, released on December 16 online and in print, includes video interviews with the subjects, including director Roman Polanski and sex therapist Ruth Westheimer.

Director Steven Spielberg, the founder of the USC Shoah Foundation, wrote an essay for the feature, including testimony from each subject.

ROLAND POLANSKI, 82, DIRECTOR OF FILMS SUCH AS “ROSEMARY’S BABY,” “CHINATOWN” AND “THE PIANIST” Polanski, whom the U.S. has repeatedly attempted to extradite from Europe on sexual assault charges, is wary of speaking to American reporters, but he spoke to Peter Flax, an editor at The Hollywood Reporter, for an hour about his Holocaust experience.

Polanski tells the story of the first person he saw killed: “Some old woman was crying and wailing in Yiddish – I didn’t quite understand because I did not speak Yiddish,” he says. “And at one moment she was on all fours, and suddenly there was a gun in the hand of that young SS man, and he shot her in the back, and the blood came out, like the little fountain that we have in the offices, you know, a bulb of blood.”

Flax was also allowed to view Polanski’s five-hour testimony to the USC Shoah Foundation, which has never been made public. He describes Polanski’s narration of the video, which filmed him walking through his native Krakow, Poland.

“He points out the spot where he slipped through barbed wire to escape the ghetto, tours the first ghetto apartment his family called home and muses about how opposite sides of a city street could demarcate life and death,” Flax wrote.

BRANKO LUSTIG, 83, ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING PRODUCER OF FILMS SUCH AS “SCHINDLER’S LIST” AND “GLADIATOR” When the British Army liberated Aus-

chwitz, where Lustig was a prisoner at age 12, the sound of their bagpipes made him think that he “had died finally, and that was the angels’ music in heaven.”

Years later, he met Spielberg when the director was developing “Schindler’s List.” “He kissed my number [from the concentration camp, tattooed on Lustig’s arm] and said, ‘You will be my producer.’

He is the man who gave me the possibility to fulfill my obligation,” Lustig said.

MEYER GOTTLIEB, 76, PRESIDENT OF SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS AND PRODUCER OF FILMS LIKE “MASTER AND COMMANDER,” “THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY” AND “TORTILLA SOUP” After leaving Poland as a child in the early 1940s, Gottlieb didn’t visit his native village – where most of his relatives were forced to dig their own graves before being shot by the Germans – until six decades later, in 2008.

“The truth of the matter is that the weapons of massive destruction are not bombs – they’re hatred, intolerance and bigotry,” he told THR. ROBERT CLARY, 89, FILM, TV AND STAGE ACTOR BEST KNOWN FOR HIS ROLE ON THE SITCOM “HOGAN’S HEROES,” SET IN A GERMAN PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMP Clary credited his natural joie de vivre and energy with sustaining him in the Buchenwald concentration camp as a child. He sang and performed with an accordionist for German soldiers every Sunday.

“Singing, entertaining and being in kind of good health at my age, that’s why I survived,” he said. “I was very immature and young and not really fully realizing what situation I was involved with... I don’t know if I would have survived if I really knew that.”

LEON PROCHNIK, 82, SCREENWRITER AND EDITOR, KNOWN FOR ADAPTING THE SCRIPT OF THE PLAY “CHILD’S PLAY” INTO A FILM DIRECTED BY SIDNEY LUMET Prochnik grew up the son of a chocolate factory owner in Krakow.

A MATTER OF OPINION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Is the Syrian refugee situation reminiscent of pre-war Germany?

This letter is in response to a letter that appeared in the December 10 Jewish Observer.

I read with utter amazement “A reminder of pre-war Germany?” in the December 10 issue of the Jewish Observer.

Although the writer does not mention Donald Trump by name, it is clear to whom he is referring.

I find it disturbing that none other than a member of the Jewish community would so flippantly compare Trump to Hitler.

Does the writer believe that anyone who questions whether allowing thousands of Syrian refugees into the U.S. is a Nazi?

It would be impossible to vet many – if not most – of those refugees. Seriously, is this a good idea?

As we recently saw with the horrific attacks on the Bataclan concert hall and cafés in Paris, there are ISIS terrorists posing as refugees who are quite easily gaining access to countries that allow them free passage. Just several weeks ago, a female terrorist was able to dupe our authorities on multiple occasions to carry

out a terrorist attack in San Bernardino.

Multiple government officials, including FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper have admitted that the U.S. would not be able to prevent ISIS terrorists from easily blending in with Syrian refugees trying to gain access to the U.S. Is it xenophobic to question the intentions of some of the people trying to gain access to our country? Or is it realistic and the responsible thing for us to do? We cannot casually put aside our right to safety and security despite the many deserving souls from Syria who are desperately trying to escape the relentless bloodshed. If our screening procedures could guarantee that terrorists could not find safe haven on our shores, then there is a legitimate discussion to be had. Until then, it might be wise for the letter-writer to take caution with his Hitler comparisons. Comparing Trump to Hitler totally dilutes the absolute horror of everything that Hitler did.

Sincerely, Jodi M. Bloom

He nicknamed the tub that filled with melted chocolate “milka” and thought it had magical powers. When he repeatedly visited it to steal chocolate, “great things” would happen: One time, his father connected with diplomat Chiune Sugihara, the “Japanese Schindler” who helped thousands of Jews leave Europe. Another time, a Nazi officer missed a Jewish prayer book in a search of the factory.

RUTH WESTHEIMER, 87, SEX THERAPIST AND TV AND RADIO TALK SHOW HOST By the time the legendary sex guru was 10-years-old, she would never see her deported parents again. By the time she was 17, she had moved to British-controlled Palestine to train as a sniper in the Haganah, a precursor to the Israel Defense Forces, even though she only stood four feet, seven inches tall.

“Looking at my four grandchildren: Hitler lost and I won,” she told the magazine.

CURT LOWENS, 90, FILM AND STAGE ACTOR KNOWN FOR PORTRAYING NAZI CHARACTERS, INCLUDING DR. JOSEF MENGELE IN THE BROADWAY PLAY “THE DEPUTY” After escaping Berlin and taking on a new identity in a small town in Holland, Lowens (née Loewenstein) joined a three-person Dutch resistance cell that saved 123 Jewish children by delivering them to families who hid them. After V-E Day, Lowens received a commendation from then-General Dwight D. Eisenhower for rescuing two fallen American airmen.

BILL HARVEY, 91, COSMETOLOGIST TO THE LIKES OF JUDY GARLAND, MARY MARTIN, ZSA ZSA GABOR AND LIZA MINELLI After being transported from Auschwitz to Buchenwald on a frigid cattle car, Harvey fell unconscious and was left for dead in a pile of corpses stacked by the crematorium. Someone pulled him out days later. He was 21 years old and

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weighed about 72 pounds.

“My humble explanation for all the tragedies and the bad people who want just to kill is that maybe there have to be some bad things in order to appreciate all the good things that this world gives you,” Harvey said.

RUTH POSNER, 82, FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE LONDON CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY, ACTRESS AND FORMER MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY One day, while living in the Warsaw Ghetto, Posner and her aunt casually crossed from the Jewish to the Aryan side of the street. They shed their yellow armbands and assumed new identities.

She escaped and kept her story secret for decades. “Now when I talk about it, it seems like I’m describing my role in a play,” Posner said.

DARIO GABBAI, 93, ACTOR IN THE 1953 WAR FILM “THE GLORY BRIGADE” Gabbai is likely the last living former member of the Sonderkommando, a set of Jews forced to assist the Germans with various morbid tasks in the concentration camps.

“I have inside some stuff I can never tell,” Gabbai said. “I saw so many things.

Even now, I like to cry to get it out of my system. But it doesn’t go out.”

He recalls one time seeing two of his friends from his native Thessaloniki, Greece, in line outside a gas chamber. All he could tell them was the best way to stand inside to minimize their suffering.

CELIA BINIAZ, 84, SUPPORTER OF THE USC SHOAH FOUNDATION, WHOSE TESTIMONY WAS INCLUDED IN THE DVD VERSION OF “SCHINDLER’S LIST” Biniaz was on the list of Jews saved

by Oskar Schindler. When Liam Neeson was first cast for the film, some involved in the production thought that he was too handsome for the role. “I told them that Mr. Schindler was very handsome, so he gets the job,” Biniaz said.

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AROUND CENTRAL NEW YORK An open statement to the Muslim Community of Central NY

The Jewish Federation of Central New York strongly condemns the intolerant, inflammatory and morally reprehensible anti-Muslim rhetoric currently running rampant through American political statements.

Religious freedom is a core principle of our country and respect for individuals of all faiths is a central principle in Judaism. We cannot stay silent while anyone attempts

to violate these core beliefs. These values are particularly important to Jews as we have recently commemorated the holiday of Chanukah, which celebrates our victory over those who tried to prohibit public acknowledgment and practice of Judaism.

There is no place in America – a nation founded on religious freedom – for discrimination on the basis of

JCC launches exercise class for cancer survivors WILLIAM WALLAK The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center’s Neulander Family Sports and Fitness Center started a cancer survivors exercise class on January 6 at the JCC, 5655 Thompson Rd., DeWitt. The class runs on Wednesdays from 11 am-noon, on Fridays from 4:30-5:30 pm and on Saturdays from 9-10 am.

The cancer survivors exercise class is led by Laurie

Kushner, a personal trainer certified by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and a cancer exercise specialist certified through the Cancer Exercise Training Institute. Kushner is also available for one-on-one cancer exercise sessions, as well as standard personal training sessions.

Kushner said, “The class is designed to help individuals See “Excercise” on page 6

Federation fund-raising training The Jewish Federation of Central New York has invited the community to a fund-raising training session, “Making the Ask: From Setting the Appointment to Securing the Pledge.” The program will be for both experienced and less experienced solicitors, and will be presented by Phil Holstein and Steve Jacobs, two “relentless” community fund-raisers. The session will be held on Thursday, January 14, from 7:45 am-9 am, in the lounge at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center, 5655 Thompson Rd., Syracuse.

The session will teach participants that “successful fundraising is not about asking for money.” Holstein and Jacobs will present a different way to view raising money and help remove the anxiety many people feel doing it. The event can be shared with others in Jewish agencies, organizations and congregations who may be interested in attending.

A continental breakfast will be served. Reservations have been requested and can be made by contacting Marianne Bazydlo at mbazydlo@jewishfederationcny. org or 445-2040, ext. 102.

Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center senior dining menu JANUARY 11-15 Monday – baked ziti Tuesday – shepherd’s pie Wednesday – hot corned beef sandwich Thursday – beef stew Friday – salmon with dill sauce JANUARY 18-22 Monday – grilled cheese and tomato soup Tuesday – Hawaiian chicken Wednesday – chef salad Thursday – hamburger on a bun Friday – roast turkey The Bobbi Epstein Lewis JCC Senior Adult Dining

Program at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center offers Va’ad Ha’ir-supervised kosher lunches served Monday-Friday at noon. Lunch reservations are required by noon of the previous business day.

There is a suggested contribution per meal. The menu is subject to change. The program is funded by a grant from the Onondaga County Department of Aging and Youth and the New York State Office for the Aging, with additional funds provided by the JCC. To attend, one need not be Jewish or a member of the JCC. For more information or to make a reservation, contact Cindy Stein at 445-2360, ext. 104, or cstein@jccsyr.org.

Youth Advisor Wanted

THE JCC, CONG. BETH SHOLOM & TEMPLE CONCORD, GLADLY ACCEPT DONATED VEHICLES THRU C*A*R*S (a locally owned Manlius company)

Temple Adath is looking for a creative and energetic advisor to engage youth and create a strong youth program; knowledge of and experience with youth groups preferred. If interested please contact info@adath.org.

Office Manager/Bookkeeper Sha’arei Torah, a synagogue located in DeWi , seeks a part-time office manager/ bookkeeper. Applicants must be proficient in QuickBooks and Excel in order to process member records, prepare checks, make deposits, and generate monthly statements.

They will also respond to member inquiries and requests from the rabbi. Work is to be performed on premises for 12 hours each week. There is some flexibility in establishing a schedule. Compensation is between $15 and $20 per-hour based on experience. E-mail all resumes to npoltenson@cnybj.com.

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religion or any other identifiable characteristic. Today it is Muslims who have been singled out; but in past years, it has been gays, Catholics, Jews, Japanese, Irish and other groups that are all a basic part of the fabric of our unique and diverse American society.

While our nation and the world face a very real threat from radical Islamist terror, we must all speak out as a united voice and act together against such horrific acts.

Our words and actions must always demonstrate that our nation is rooted in the principles of religious freedom.

We must not fall into the trap of blaming and banning an entire religious group for violent acts of terror by radical fringe groups.

We join with the Jewish Federations of North America, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and others who have made it clear that we stand with those Muslim leaders who have spoken out to unequivocally condemn and reject hateful interpretations of Islam that are wholly incompatible with the issues of religious tolerance, mutual respect and human dignity.

Ruth Stein, chair of board, Jewish Federation of Central New York Michael Balanoff, community relations chair, Jewish Federation of Central New York Linda Alexander, president/CEO, Jewish Federation of Central New York

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776

CONGREGATIONAL NOTES Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas LUNCH AND LEARN ABOUT ASHREI Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas will continue its monthly series of Lunch and Learns following 9:30 am Shabbat services on Saturday, January 9. Following kiddush, at approximately 12:30 pm, Joan Burstyn and Gershon Vincow will lead a discussion of Ashrei, considered one of “the most central and celebratory prayers in Jewish liturgy.”

During the Lunch and Learn, participants will look at Ashrei as interpreted in English by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in his book, “Psalms in a Translation for Praying,” and by Norman Fischer in his book, “Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms.”

Burstyn and Vincow are both retired professors, of education and history, and chemistry, respectively.

Community members have been welcomed to participate in this examination of one of Judaism’s “most beloved prayers,” regardless of whether they attend services.

HAFTARAH AND HEBREW CLASSES BEGIN Hanita Blair will teach a haftarah chanting class beginning on Sunday, January 10, at 9:45 am. The 10-session class will cover the basics, but participants will spend most of the time preparing for each class member to read a portion of a haftarah in late March.

Sarah Saulson’s beginning Hebrew class will start on Monday, January 11, at 7 pm, and run for 11 weeks. It will cover the letters and sounds, progressing to simple reading and basic vocabulary.

The classes will be open to the community with a fee for non-CBS-CS members. To enroll, contact the CBS-CS office at 4469570 or office@cbscs.org.

MITZVAH DAY BOOK FAIR CBS-CS will hold its annual Mitzvah Day on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 18, from 12:30-3 pm.

The congregation will be partnering with the InterFaith Works’ Center for New Americans with a book fair at InterFaith Works’ building at 1010 James St. CBS-CS will collect new or gently used children’s books with many pictures, which should be brought to the synagogue by Sun-

Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Hazak hosted a program on ancient mummies on December 20. Radiologist Mark Levinsohn spoke about the history of two Egyptian mummies and how CAT scans were used to assess some of their characteristics. Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone presented a Torah perspective of the subject by citing the preservation of biblical patriarchs, Jacob and Joseph. L-r: Rabbi Pepperstone and Mark Levinsohn. day, January 10. Members of the community can bring books to CBS-CS to be read to and given to “New American” children.

After a short orientation about the people they will meet, participants will read the books to the “New American” children, and perhaps to adults, on January 18 at InterFaith Works. The children will decorate book bags and take the books home. It is hoped that through the interaction, participants will have the opportunity to learn about one another.

At a time when there is increased attention and tension around the welcoming of refugees to the United States, organizers felt it “is especially important for the Jewish community to reach out to our new neighbors and welcome them.”

SISTERHOOD STUDY SESSIONS WITH RABBI PEPPERSTONE TURNS TO THE AFTERLIFE As a follow-up to the very successful Sisterhood symposium co-sponsored by the CBS-CS Sisterhood and the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center, Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone will begin a new topic for his Thursday 10:30

Temple Adath Yeshurun “THE LANGUAGE OF JEWISH LIVING” Rabbi Paul Drazen will continue his class, “The Language of Jewish Living,” with its third session on Sunday, January 10, at 11 am, in the Muriel and Avron Spector Library of Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Rd., Syracuse. The topic will be “Holiday Words: from Akdamut to Yom Yerushalayim.” The fourth session, “Worship and Shabbat words: from Aaron Hakodesh to Zemirot,” will be held on Sunday, February 28, at 11 am, in the library.

The classes are free and open to the community. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required. The classes are intended for those “who want to confirm what they know and for those who want to learn something new.” Registering by contacting info@adath.org is appreciated to ensure enough materials are available.

The classes are an initiative of the adult education chavurah.

“THE TRUE STORY OF HANSEL AND GRETEL” Carol Lipson will lead a book discussion on Sunday, January 17, at 11 am, in the Muriel and Avron Spector Library of Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Rd, Syracuse.

The book, “The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival”

by Louise Murphy is set in the last months of the Nazi occupation of Poland. In the book, a father sends his two children into the dense forest hoping they will escape the Nazis and the advancing Russian troops.

He renames his son and daughter Hansel and Gretel so that their names will sound less Jewish. The book has been described by the Kirkus Review as “lyrical, haunting, and unforgettable.”

The program is an initiative of the Women of Temple Adath: The TAY Sisterhood. The discussion will be open to the community.

TAY HAVDALAH Temple Adath Yeshurun will celebrate the end of Shabbat with Havdalah on Saturday, January 16, at 5:30 pm. Participants will participate in Havdalah, sing songs, make a craft and eat a dairy dinner. There will also be a discussion for adults and older children.

Children of all ages have been invited to attend with their families and tots are welcome to wear pajamas. Mincha and Ma’ariv will start at 4:45 pm, prior to the program.

For more information, contact Alicia Gross at alicia@adath.org or 445-0002.

am study group, “Jewish Views of the Afterlife.” The four-part series will go more in-depth on the topic and explore a variety of other perspectives. The group will meet on January 21 and 28, and February 11 and 25.

CBS-CS HAZAK PRESENTS YIDDISH MOVIE The CBS-CS Hazak chapter will present the Yiddish movie (with subtitles) “Yiddle with his Fiddle” on Sunday, January 17, at 1:30 pm. This is considered the most commercially successful musical in the history of Yiddish cinema. Sid Lipton will present the film in the CBS-CS social hall.

Star Molly Picon seeks to help her aging father and finds few options open to young women in their shtetl. So Molly/ Yiddle disguises herself as a boy to join a band of klezmorim. Their musical travels take them from shtetl to shtetl, eventually leading them to Warsaw’s Yiddish stage,

romantic revelations and Second Avenue, America. Made in Poland in 1936, the movie is 92 minutes long and features music by Abe Ellstein, a major composer of his era in New York City’s Yiddish theater scene.

Lipton is showing this film from his collection of Yiddish movies, yet his background is anything but Yiddish.

He developed his love of Yiddishkeit from attending Yiddish music camps.

The Jewish Music and Cultural Festival was started by Lipton and Mimi Weiner and is now in its 17th year. Lipton is from Georgia and retired from Niagara Mohawk, where he was in the research and development department. He holds degrees from Georgia Tech, the Air Force Institute and Wharton School of Business.

He currently plays banjo in the Keyna Hora Klezmer Band. The program is free and open to the community. Refreshments will be served.

Temple Concord JANUARY PROGRAMMING The Temple Concord Brotherhood will host a presentation by Temple Concord past president Irv Bodofsky on Sunday, January 10, at 9:30 am. He and his wife, Lorraine, recently completed a cruise that took them through Hawaii, the South Pacific and on to New Zealand and Australia. He will discuss his trip and show photos. The program will be open to the community.

GOLDENBERG SERIES PRESENTS THE MANA SAXOPHONE QUARTET Temple Concord will present the Mana Saxophone Quartet on Tuesday, January 12, at 7 pm, at the synagogue. The free concert will be open to the public.

Chamber Music Magazine has called the quartet “Saxophone Ambassadors.”

Since the quartet began in 2007, it has interpreted many 21st-century compositions and introduced many 20th-century

masterworks. They use vintage instruments built to the specifications of the saxophone’s inventor, Adolphe Sax. In 2009, the group became the first saxophone quartet to receive the grand prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition. The group has since taken on various residencies at music festivals and universities. Mana is frequently heard on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today,” and are the resident chamber ensemble at the National Music Festival.

DIASPORA DINNER An event in a continuing series of “diaspora dinners” will be held on Tuesday, January 19, at 6 pm, at China Road, 2204 Brewerton Rd., Mattydale. Reservations are required. To make a reservation or for more information, call the TC office at 475-9952.

At right: The Goldenberg Series will present the Mana Saxophone Quartet – composed of Michael Mortarotti, Michael Hernandez, Diane Hunger and Thomas Giles – on Tuesday, January 12, at 7 pm. The concert will be free and open to the public.

At left: Temple Concord Cantor Kari Siegel Eglash and Joe, her husband and fellow musician, led a dozen “Seasoned Citizens” in a Chanukah sing-along on December 8 at Temple Concord.Thefreegathering is held in the fall and spring, and is free and open to all.

Their next program will be held on Tuesday, April 19, at 2 pm, in the temple’s social hall.

Temple Concord’s Goldenberg Cultural Series featured pianists Steve and Amy Heyman on December 22, who played selections by Bach, Debussy, Dvorak and others.

JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776 ■ JEWISH OBSERVER

A celebration of SHDS... honoring the past and planting seeds for our future

BY MELISSA KLEMPERER The Syracuse Hebrew Day School will hold “A Celebration of SHDS” at Temple Adath Yeshurun on Saturday, March 5, from 7:30-11 pm.

The event will honor the past and raise funds for the school’s scholarship program, which is intended to benefit future SHDS students. A variety of musical acts and entertainment will be available for attendees, as well as a meal that will aim to “give a new take to classic comfort foods.” There will be an opportunity to participate in a silent auction showcasing local businesses in the community and surrounding towns.

SHDS is the only school of its kind in Central New

York, educating children from kindergarten-sixth grade. As a non-profit community school, SHDS enrolls primarily Jewish children in the area, but welcomes students of diverse backgrounds and learning needs. SHDS Head of School Lori Tenenbaum said, “The mission of SHDS is to teach, inspire and nurture future leaders of the local Jewish community through an unparalleled academic experience guided

by Jewish studies and values. Participation in the school’s celebration will allow it to continue to create the leaders of tomorrow.”

For more information about the school, contact SHDS at shds@twncy.rr.org or 446-1900.

Save the date for a Syracusans in Florida event Syracusans in Florida will have the opportunity to attend a picnic event on Sunday, February 21, from 11 am-3 pm, at the South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Rd., Delray Beach, FL 33446.

There will be a modest cost to attend, with all proceeds going to the Syracuse Cemetery Association. The event will be hosted by Chair Ellie Hayman, Co-Chair Shirlee

Ziegler, Wendy Bartos, Carol Wandner, Elaine Birnbaum and Helen Becker.

For more information or to make a paid reservation by Sunday, February 14, contact Ellie Hayman at ebh312@ gmail.com. Make checks out to “Ellie Hayman” and send them to Hayman at 13589 Morocca Lake Ln., Delray Beach, FL 33446.

DO YOU KNOW? Your Federation dollars at work – PJ Library®

Menorah Park

MENORAH PARK NAMES SVENDSEN AS NURSING HOME ADMINISTRATOR

BY STEWART KOENIG Michael E. Svendsen is the new nursing home administrator at Menorah Park of Central New York.

Prior to joining Menorah Park, Svendsen was administrator of the Bethany Gardens Skilled Living Center in Rome. He has almost 30 years of experience in senior care administration. Svendsen earned an M.B.A. after completing an Mike Svendsen executive program in health care administration at the University of Dallas.

Menorah Park CEO Mary Ellen Bloodgood said, “In this professional role, Mike oversees and directs the activities of numerous Menorah Park departments to assure the residents are provided the highest level of health care services. We’re thrilled that he has joined our team.”

MENORAH PARK RECEIVES FUNDING FOR HEALTH CONNECTION PROJECT

BY STEWART KOENIG Menorah Park of Central New York recently received $170,000 in grants from five foundations to fund its Health Connection Project, which intends to assure compliance with New York state standards and bring “a higher level of electronic connectivity” to residents, families and staff.

The grants include $70,000 from the Gerber Family Foundation; $25,000 from the Community Foundation of Central New York; $25,000 from the Green Family Foundation; $25,000 from the Leonard and Erwin Kamp Foundation; and $25,000 from the J.M. McDonald Foundation.

According to CEO Mary Ellen Bloodgood, in addition to meeting state standards, completion of the project will improve the current quality of resident care and increase residents’ and health partners’ satisfaction through the implementation of secure digital connections.

Specifically, the grants will help institute Electronic Medical Record capability, which is mandated for all New York state health care providers.

Bloodgood said, “EMR will allow our medical partners to communicate with our nursing and admissions staff using secure electronic connections.”

Plans for the Health Connection Project also include enhanced wi-fi capabilities for staff, residents and their families, which is expected to improve the residents’ experience, as well as their well-being.

Bloodgood concluded, “We cannot be more grateful for the support of these five foundations in helping Menorah Park adapt to ever-changing technology. These grants directly help our residents’ quality of life.”

time in the program, as well as new memBY JACKIE MIRON bers, have provided much positive feedback.

The Allocations Committee of the Jewish One parent said, “It is an absolute treat for Federation of Central New York awards my child to receive a Jewish-related book community Program Fund Grants annually in the mail.” Another raved about the event during the fall. The grants are available attended by the entire family because “durto all Jewish organizations, agencies, ing our hectic daily lives, taking the time to and synagogues in the Central New York relax, read and be with other kids to read community. The funds come from Federation’s and discuss Jewish themes is so nice.” For Annual Campaign and are given out in amounts some families, PJ Library may be their first of $10,000, $5,000 or $2,500. The Allocations Jackie Miron exposure to Judaism.

Committee reviews the grant requests and Local and national support has existed for the programs makes recommendations to the board, which then votes in the past, and many community members are now on the recommendations.

The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center has familiar with the PJ Library. The Pomeranz, Shankman, been awarded a $10,000 grant to enhance the PJ Li- and Martin Charitable Foundation has given an annual brary® in Central New York program. The award-win- contribution of $10,000 for many years. The Jewish ning program provides free children’s books and music Federation of Central New York is continuing to fund to foster Jewish learning and participation throughout PJ Library in its regular allocation of money raised in Please support our advertisers and tell them North America and Israel. The JCC program brings local Federation’s Annual Campaign.

Your Federation dollars are well used to enhance this Jewish families and their children together to interact you saw their ad already successful program to engage even more children through the core values of Judaism. here in The grant has helped increase family engagement and their families. with new events and programs, collaboration with local libraries and businesses, and member enrollment. The heightened interest in PJ Library has attracted more families to attend PJ events and enroll more children in the program.

ALL THE THINGS YOUR PJ Library connects arts, music and other activities with Jewish themes, and provides snacks and drinks while engaging the children in arts projects related to the subjects. PJ Library is a program of the JCC and CAN DO FOR YOU maintains a monthly presence in the classrooms of the (HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT) JCC’s Jerome and Phyllis Charney Early Childhood Development Program.

Some of the larger events were coordinated with the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, the DeWitt Community Library, Rosamond Gifford INTRODUCTORY RATE, FIRST 12 MONTHS Zoo and Golisano Children’s Hospital. For the recent “LEGO Menorah Making Event,” which incorporated building with LEGOs, there was coordination with the local Bricks 4 Kidz and Olive on Brooklea, which ofLooking to consolidate debt, make a home improvement, go to school or get a little R&R? Give fered an olive oil tasting for the adults. your house a leading role in achieving your dreams with a home equity line of credit from Visions.

Events were planned for later in the day to attract Life is unscripted. Trust Visions at every stage. new age groups with more in-depth, hands-on activities for school-aged children through 8-years-old. Planning Learn the benefits of home equity at www.visionsfcu.org/HomeEquity or visit your neighborhood office. v i si o nsf cu. o rg is also in the works to be a pilot community for a new program, “PJ Our Way,” where children ages 9-11 will have the ability to choose the book they would like to New York | New Jersey | Pennsylvania Federally insured by NCUA. receive each month. *APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Rates and terms are available on new loans only. Refinancing of existing Visions debt is not allowed. Certain relationships are required to receive rate – ask for details. Credit union membership required with a $25 minimum deposit.

Funds received were used for facilities rentals, colLoan rate based on creditworthiness, may vary from the rate shown, and is subject to standard credit criteria. Members may be required to pay closing costs, which can range from $625 to $4,875. Consult your tax advisor regarding interest rate tax deductibility. If you ask, Visions will provide you with an itemization of the fees you will have to pay to third parties. Proof of Property insurance is required. Flood insurance may be required. An Interest-Only HELOC is also available – ask for details. Any-Purpose HELOC: Property laboration with different organizations and businesses, must be owner occupied. Principal and interest payments occur during a 10-year draw period with a repayment term of up to 20 years. Maximum CLTV is 80.01%-100% of appraised value, less any outstanding property mortgage with a maximum loan amount of $250,000. Maximum CLTV is up to 80% of appraised value, less any outstanding property mortgage with a maximum loan amount of $500,000. The rate for the first 12 months will be 1.99% APR with an initial advance of $15,000. After the introductory period, the publicity and supplies to coordinate all of the activities.

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776

JCC Early Childhood graduate gives back

BY WILLIAM WALLAK Noah Jones graduated from the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center’s Jerome and Phyllis Charney Early Childhood Development Program last spring and came back on November 11 for a visit. However, the visit was not a typical social call: The 5-year-old brought with him a donation to the program’s annual food drive to benefit the Temple Concord food pantry.

A total of 10 bags and boxes of food donated by Jones was said to be “an especially selfless act” because they represented birthday presents that he could have received. Instead of telling his friends about the toys he wanted for his birthday party in November, Jones asked his guests to bring non-perishable food items for the ECDP food drive.

His mother, Kristen Lawton, said, “With Noah’s birthday being so close to Thanksgiving, it always seems timely to talk about the things we are grateful for and to think about those who are less fortunate. Since he was small, Noah has wondered about people not having enough food to eat. Asking his friends to bring food donations instead of toys took only a small amount of convincing and was a great teaching moment, not only

Noah Jones, a recent graduate of the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center’s Jerome and Phyllis Charney Early Childhood Development Program, posed with the donated food he received from friends for the ECDP food drive. He chose the food donation in lieu of presents for his birthday party in November.

for Noah, but I believe for his friends, too. Several of his buddies have adopted this practice and, in lieu of gifts at their parties, have asked for donations to their favorite charities, including the SPCA, Vera House, Helping Hounds and Golisano Children’s Hospital.”

Jones’ food donation, along with donations from all of the other ECDP families, is said to have made this year’s ECDP food drive “one of the most successful.”

All of the children who brought in food to donate put their names on the wall and were recognized for their chesed, signifying “kindness and generosity.” Due to everyone’s support, four collection bins overflowing with food were donated to the Temple Concord food pantry, one of Onondaga County’s most utilized pantries.

Jo David, the JCC’s ECDP director, said, “We’re so proud of Noah and of all of our program’s food donors for their generosity. It was great to see Noah come back and help us out because he was one of the first infants to enroll in our program. And now, as a kindergartner, he’s still part of the JCC family as he attends our after school program.”

For more information about the JCC’s Early Childhood Development Program, call 445-2040, ext. 120, or visit www.jccsyr.org.

PJ Library events A Tu B’Shevat playdate will be held on Sunday, January 10, at 10:30 am, at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. To celebrate the birthday of the trees, participants will participate in tree-related crafts, a PJ Library® story and snacks, ending with activities in the JCC family gym. To RSVP,

contact Carolyn Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org.

PJ Library of Central New York celebrated the Global Day of Jewish Learning on November 15 with the love-themed event “Love you to Pieces.”

The children decorated picture frames with puzzle pieces and also colored in a Shabbat placemat where parents could write a blessing for their child. To follow the theme of love, participants read stories that focused on the love people have with their parents; discussing how it is shown in “understanding, accepting, encouraging and helping one another”; and presenting ways people can honor and show love for their parents. The event finished with play time in the JCC family gym.

Participants celebrated the first night of Chanukah on December 6 by making LEGO menorahs at the JCC. PJ Library teamed up with Bricks 4 Kidz, and every child was able to make and take home

their own LEGO menorah. In addition to menorahs, the children made spin-art dreidels, created LEGO mosaics and had free building time. The celebration included snacks as well, and Michelle Watts from Olive on Brooklea held an olive oil tasting for the adults in honor of Chanukah.

The PJ Library Central New York chapter is a program of the JCC and is supported by the Pomeranz, Shankman and Martin Charitable Foundation, Jewish Federation of Central New York, Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas, Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse, Syracuse Hebrew Day School, Temple Adath Yeshurun and Temple Concord. The PJ Library in Central New York serves children from 6months-8-years-old in Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. For more information or to sign up, visit www.pjlibrary.org or e-mail Weinberg at pjcny@jccsyr.org.

Participants celebrated the first night of Chanukah on December 6 making LEGO menorahs at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse.

PJ Library worked with Bricks 4 Kidz and every child was able to make and take home a LEGO menorah.

L-r: Michelle Watts, from Olive on Brooklea; PJ Library in Central New York Coordinator Carolyn Weinberg; and Windy Cardarelli of Bricks4Kidz teamed together for a LEGO menorah-making Chanukah celebration on December 6.

Attendees of the PJ Library® of Central New York November “Love you to Pieces” event sang songs and read stories about love.

Teen

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Campaign Chair Mark Wladis expressed his gratitude to the teenagers involved with the Mitzvah Project and said, “It’s great to see them involved with this type of work at such a young age. This sets in place the foundation for a lifetime of service, and their efforts over time will be integral to sustaining the Jewish community locally.”

Exercise begin a fitness regimen or recover their previous fitness level after cancer treatments. Exercises are focused on improving range of motion, posture and flexibility, as well as strength and cardio training. I’m very excited to be starting this class at the JCC because of the Center’s wonderful reputation and visibility within the community.”

A primary focus of Kushner’s course work with the Cancer Exercise Training Institute was working with breast cancer patients. However, the comprehensive nature of the class is intended to allow her to tailor the exercises for 25 different cancers and their treatments, surgeries and reconstructions. The class’s exercises can be modified to any fitness level and nearly any stage of recovery. A doctor’s release is required for individuals to participate.

JCC Executive Director Marci Erlebacher said, “I am delighted that our Fitness Center is bringing such an innovative program to people who have already had to endure so much. Laurie is an amazing person and personal trainer, and we’re so fortunate that she’s here to offer such a valuable program to the community. It’s

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exciting to have her here as part of the JCC family and one of our personal trainers.”

The new class will be free for JCC Fitness members.

A nominal fee per class will apply for non-fitness members. The first class will be free to try out for non-fitness members. Discounted pricing is available to non-members purchasing a block of classes.

For more information about the cancer survivors exercise class, call the JCC’s Sports and Fitness Center at 234-4522 or visit www.jccsyr.org.

At right: Laurie Kushner, an Aerobics and Fitness Association of America-certified personal trainer and cancer exercise specialist certified through the Cancer Exercise Training Institute, leads the JCC’s new cancer survivors exercise class that started on January 6.

SJFS kicks off “Family Time with the Family Service” laughter and maybe a few tears

BY DEBORAH ELLIS with everyone as we support the Syracuse Jewish Family core Jewish value of a strong Service is introducing a new and resilient family.” series, “Family Time with the There will be a modest Family Service.” The comfee to attend, with a family munity has been invited to its maximum. There will also be program “Jewish Stories of a raffle for Jewish books and Families throughout the Ages” other story-related prizes. In an with special guest Maggid effort to expand the audience, Jim Brulé, Syracuse’s Jewish Maggid Jim Brulé SJFS deliberately set tickets storyteller, on Saturday, Januat a price just high enough to ary 23, at 7 pm, at The Oaks at Menorah Park, 18 Arbor Ln., Syracuse. cover expenses. Anyone who would like The planned series of programs will be to receive recognition as an event sponsor aimed at re-engaging members of the by making a donation over and above the Jewish and non-Jewish communities of ticket price should contact Deborah Ellis, the area with SJFS, the social services SJFS’s outreach and education coordinaarm of the Jewish community charged tor. Sponsors’ names will be listed in the with “implementing programs that seek program for this and future events in the to preserve and strengthen individual and “Family Time” series.

SJFS Director Judith Huober said, family well-being” as outlined in the SJFS “When I came to SJFS almost five years mission statement.

“Jewish Stories” has been designed ago, one of the first things I realized to be a family-friendly event promot- about the agency was how invisible it ing “good fun and inspiration” around seemed to be in the community, or even the theme of family. Adult guests and avoided because we seem to represent children have been encouraged to relax the unfortunate things that can happen to on pillows and in quilts while listening people rather than the wonderful ones. to Brulé tell stories of families in places But what a nice agency we are! Helping and times. Chairs will also be provided, support wellness and restore well-being assured SJFS representatives. The agency is what we are all about. What better is suggesting a “PJ’s and slippers optional” way to show that than to bring people dress code, and will allow “transitional together to enjoy superb stories recounted objects” such as bears and other stuffed by our own mesmerizing maggid? I hope animals. To complete the atmosphere, everyone will come and have a great time snacks such as hot cocoa, cookies and at ‘Family Time!’”

Other “Family Time with the Family more will be served.

Brulé said, “Families and stories about Service” events will include “Family them are at the heart of Judaism. As a Garden Time at Watson’s Greenhouse,” maggid, I tell Jewish stories of spiritual- planned for March, and more. For more ity and transformation – and what better information or to arrange a supporting place to focus on than families? I look donation, contact Ellis at 446-9111, ext. forward to sharing moments of spirit, 256, or EllisD@sjfs.org.

SHDS SOFER (JEWISH SCRIBE) AT SHDS

BY LORI TENENBAUM The children of the Syracuse Hebrew Day School attended an interactive presentation by sofer (Jewish scribe) Rabbi Yehuda Clapman in November made possible through a grant from the Jewish Federation Community Program Fund in conjunction with Chabad House Lubavitch of Central New York.

Rabbi Clapman is a veteran sofer who has practiced the Jewish scribal arts for more than 40 years and has written more than 20 Torahs. Born in Brooklyn, he became fascinated with the Torah scrolls and their letters when his father would take him and his siblings to the front of the synagogue to see the Torah scroll and the words inside. This led him to decide to be a sofer.

Chabad Rabbi Yaakov Rapoport said, “Rabbi Yehuda Clapman studied under one of the most respected scribes, Rabbi Eliezer Zirkind, ob”m, one of the few scribes who made the parchment and ink used for the Sefer Torah, t’fillin and

mezuzah by himself. Rabbi Clapman follows this tradition and shares the whole Torah-making process with his audiences, from curing the parchment, to making the ink and writing the Torah. It is this involvement that makes his presentation so fascinating.”

He and his wife, Tziporah, live in Brooklyn. He is the subject of the book “A Torah Is Written” by Paul and Rachel Cowan.

CREATING TOMORROW’S LEADERS TODAY

BY LORI TENENBAUM Syracuse Hebrew Day School students in fifth and sixth grade are members of Club 56, an initiative in which the older students traditionally take on leadership roles within the confines of the school community. Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders Today is a project that connects the young people with agencies and members of the greater Syracuse community. Made possible by a grant from a local donor, the project allows students in Club 56 to See “SHDS” on page 10

The Syracuse Hebrew Day School fourth grade visited Temple Concord and Rabbi Daniel Fellman on December 16 to learn about the synagogue’s history and its current activities. Rabbi Fellman told the students about the Dorothy Gale Library.

JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776 ■ JEWISH OBSERVER

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776

Chanukah around the community

The children in the Temple Adath Yeshurun Rothschild Early Childhood Center’s Jewish enrichment class, Storah Time, constructed a large chanukiah to celebrate Chanukah. L-r: Saskia Enders, Nathanael Finkelstein, Isaac Duchene, Elijah Grifasi and Jordan Burns.

Members of Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas lit their menorahs at the CBS-CS Chanukah celebration on December 13.

Children and adults participated as Aaron Tornberg entertained with a Chanukah sing-along at the 2015 Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Chanukah celebration.

At the December 6 Chanukah dinner, Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse held special programming for the children, which included face painting and balloons, as well as a pre-event morning gathering where the children decorated cupcakes.

STOCS Rabbi Evan Shore helped oversee the cupcake project.

At left: Members of Temple Adath Yeshurun’s sixth grade religious school make latkes for their Chanukah celebration on December 13. The latkes were then eaten by students and parents.

Children and their parents gathered for Temple Adath Yeshurun’s Torah Tot program, which was held before the congregational Chanukah dinner.

Making Chanukah-themed craft activities were (counterclockwise, from bottom right): Bella Gross (back to camera), Aaron Gross, Danielle Small, Shannon Small holding Ari, Seth Goldberg and Abe and Isabella Weinberg.

Celebrating Chanukah around the JCC

BY WILLIAM WALLAK The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse celebrated Chanukah, the festival of lights, last month with various events, featuring food, singing and menorah lightings.

The JCC’s after school program held weekday outdoor menorah lightings from December 7-11. Rabbi Evan Shore, of Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse, led the lightings with children from the JCC’s after school program and the Jerome and Phyllis Charney Early Childhood Development Program’s preschool. The lightings were also open to the community.

The ECDP preschool classes held a Chanukah performance for family and friends on December 8. The children, dressed in holiday and winter attire, sang songs for the audience. After the performance, each class held a Chanukah party featuring food, games and crafts.

Jo David, the JCC’s Early Childhood

Program director, said, “Celebrating Chanukah is one of the many aspects of our Judaic programming that’s tied into the daily curriculum for all of our program’s students. We also celebrate Shabbat every Friday. Once a month, Rabbi Shore visits our classes and PJ Library® visits monthly as well for story time and to put on an activity for the children. All of this helps to introduce and reinforce Jewish values and traditions among all of our students.”

The JCC’s senior meal program had its own Chanukah celebration on December 9. More than 60 people attended the holiday luncheon, which featured lunch, friends and conversation, as well as music by the Keyna Hora Klezmer Band.

Marci Erlebacher, JCC executive director, said, “It’s delightful to see so much activity and everyone so happy here at the JCC during Chanukah. Keeping this sense of community and enthusiasm alive all year round for everyone is what we’re all about.”

Rabbi Evan Shore led the singing during the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center’s after school program’s menorah lighting on December 7.

At right (l-r): Jerome and Phyllis Charney Early Childhood Development Program students Janadia Robinson and Jackson Thorpe made Chanukah crafts on December 8.

L-r: Early Childhood Program preschool students Natalie Cheung, Jacey Zheng, Ethan Gadarian and Seth Anderson-DeRosa socialized while eating their Chanukah lunch on December 8.

Guests of the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse’s senior meal program sang and danced during the Chanukah luncheon on December 9.

JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776 ■ JEWISH OBSERVER

Gentrification – via gardening – slowly comes to derelict South Tel Aviv

BY DEBRA KAMIN TEL AVIV (JTA) – The teeming blocks around this city’s New Central Bus Station are anything but scenic. Packed with humanity at every hour of the day, they are dizzying monuments to urban blight: equal parts graffiti, chaotic traffic and bustling, black-market commerce.

So on a sunny Friday in November, just across the street from the labyrinth-like station – a hulking seven-story monolith where entire floors lay abandoned – it was a surprise to find the gates of a thriving urban garden thrown open. Bongo drums, organic pastries and children’s art projects were all being shared there among the potted cacti, flowering eucalyptus and verdant vertical gardens built, using upcycled wooden pallets, into the walls of an under passage.

This dilapidated neighborhood of South Tel Aviv has long been known for its grit, not its green spaces. This is where you come to buy a hot bicycle, its lock sliced just hours earlier a few blocks north. It’s the place to find all varieties of Indian and Filipino spices; bands of African migrants strolling five or six abreast and off-duty prostitutes gossiping beneath graffiti-splattered awnings. Unless they’re catching an intercity bus or want to purchase some off-label electronics, most Tel Aviv residents steer clear of this part of town entirely.

South Tel Aviv has become home to the vast majority of Israel’s nearly 50,000 African migrants and refugees. As the Israeli government vacillated on how to handle the influx, the neighborhood’s Jewish residents cried out about a spike

A scene from a recent event from the grass-roots gardening group Onya Collective, one of a crop of community initiatives that seek to revitalize South Tel Aviv. (Photo by Gabi Berger) in crime that has come in tandem with the influx. Today, South Tel Aviv’s shoulderto-shoulder communities of migrants, legal foreign workers and Jewish-Israelis who share this cramped space all accuse the government of abandoning them.

But some grass-roots organizations are seeking to nourish community life in this urban Israeli jungle. City-funded social workers are helping low-income mothers find health services for their children.

Volunteers from the African Refugee Development Center are trading their evenings to offer legal services to asylum seekers. Meanwhile, activist gardeners are wielding strawberry patches and bell peppers amid the concrete, and feminist activists are forcing a dialogue between

the area’s partitioned racial groups. The times – along with the atmosphere – are a-changing here, as they say.

“It’s the most neglected and hardcore area in Tel Aviv,” says Robert Ungar, an architect who heads up the Onya Collective. The organization – whose vision is, according to its website, to “pimp your hood with some o that eco-lovin’” – is behind the area’s new garden. Onya’s weapons of choice are soil and seeds, and it believes in harnessing the power of plants and green space to bring positive change to urban spaces.

“It’s so dense and polluted, and no organization is really taking it on,” Ungar says of the area. “This is our biggest challenge.”

A handful of herbs and flowers may not be enough to turn the tide of a neighborhood, but it’s a start. The garden’s appeal was enough to lure in Dor Zolta, a 28year-old who grew up in nearby Holon. He said that before Onya’s event, he had only ventured to South Tel Aviv to catch a bus or train. “It doesn’t matter so much what they are doing to make the place better, as long as it’s a step in the right direction,” Zolta says, sipping a beer while taking in the funky roots-rock of the band OSOG. “I’ve never been to the neighborhood before to hang out, and this sort of event can make the people who live here feel a responsibility over the neighborhood and maybe take care of it themselves.”

While Tel Aviv’s northern beaches, hotels and restaurants have shot to the top of tourism blogs’ must-visit lists, South Tel Aviv has lagged behind. The dual forces of urban sprawl and geopolitical instability, which pushed businesses out while tens of thousands of African asylum seekers streamed across Israel’s borders, have changed the fabric of this enclave. “[The government of Israel] has preferred to exploit the situation of South Tel Aviv and xenophobia among the general public to serve their own political interests rather than truly help the people there,” says Elliott Glassenberg, a local activist and teacher at the Bina Secular Yeshiva that sits a stone’s throw from the bus station.

Glassenberg is passionate about improving life for Africans who live in the area and also securing the closure of the Holot Detention Center, the isolated open prison complex in the Negev Desert, See “Tel Aviv” on page 12

Join Us on Super Sunday, January 24!

How much impact can we make?

It’s your call. Please volunteer.

Sunday, January 24 • 9 am to 3 pm at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center

Drop by to make a few calls or stuff a few envelopes…

Bagel Breakfast Lunch - Baked Ziti, Salad, Tuna Salad, Rolls, Chocolate Chip Cookies Ice Cream Sundaes for Super Sunday after lunch!

Training offered throughout the day Teens welcome – get your volunteer hours and help the Jewish community!

Super Sunday Mitzvahs: • Donate items for McCarthy @ Beard students.

• Bring a donation for the Food Pantry at Temple Concord.

• Drop your loose change in a Tzedakah Box to support our Jewish community.

• Stop by to pledge in person and join in the Super Sunday fun!!!

Questions or to Volunteer: Contact Marianne at (315) 445-2040, ext. 102 or mbazydlo@jewishfederationcny.org

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776

Calendar Highlights

To see a full calendar of community events, visit the Federation's community calendar online at www.jewishfederationcny.org. Please notify

jstander@jewishfederationcny.org of any calendar changes.

Sunday, January 10 Temple Concord Sisterhood book review at 9:30 am PJ Library® Tu B’Shevat program at 10 am Language of Jewish living discussion in Temple Adath Yeshurun library at 11 am TC Brotherhood vs. Sisterhood bowling party at 3 pm Monday, January 11 Noam Gilbord of the Israel Action Network to speak to Federation 2016 leadership group to discuss anti-Israel issues at 7 pm at a private venue Tuesday, January 12 Noam Gilbord of the Israel Action Network to speak to community leadership on anti-Israel issues at a breakfast at 8 am at a venue to be determined Rabbi Jacob Epstein High School of Jewish Studies board to meet at 6:30 pm at Temple Concord Epstein School at 6:30 at Temple Concord Goldenberg series presents Mana Saxophone4 Quartet at Temple Concord at 7 pm Wednesday, January 13 Syracuse Community Hebrew School at Temple Adath Yeshurun at 4 pm Thursday, January 14 Federation hosts continental breakfast for campaign solicitors and Jewish organization representatives from 7:45-9 am at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. RSVP to Marianne at mbazydlo jewishfederationcny.org or 445 2040 ext. 102.

Epstein School class meets at Wegmans DeWitt Café at 7 pm Saturday, January 16 Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center Battle of the Bands at 7 pm at the JCC Sunday, January 17 Congregation Beth Sholom-Chevra Shas Hazak presents the movie “Yiddle with his Fiddle” at 1:30 pm Tuesday, January 19 Jewish Federation board meeting at 6 pm Wednesday, January 20 Deadline for the February 4 issue of the Jewish Observer CBS-CS board meeting at 7:30 pm Thursday, January 21 TC Sisterhood dinner at Pacific Restaurant in Mattydale at 6 pm Epstein School at Wegmans Café at 7 pm TAY board meeting at 7 pm Sunday, January 24 Super Sunday at JCC from 9 am-3 pm

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

IDF preparing for Islamic State attack in Golan Heights

The Israel Defense Forces is preparing for possible attacks and infiltration by the Islamic State terror group on its northern border in the Golan Heights. Currently, the IDF estimates that 95 percent of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights is controlled by rebel forces. But Russian air strikes in Syria are edging the jihadist group about 25 miles from the Israeli border. Islamic State has advanced weaponry, the IDF warned, but several intelligence and security measures have reportedly been put into place in preparation for an attack.

D’VAR TORAH

Being responsible for all Jews, one unto the other, replaces darkness with light

BY RABBI EVAN SHORE In total, God brought 10 plagues upon the Egyptians.

Plague nine manifested itself in the form of darkness. I found a fascinating idea in the book “Vkarasa Lshaabot Oneg” by Rabbi Yisoel Brunstein. The Torah teaches us, “...And there was a thick darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. A person did not see his brethren.” The famous Chasidic Rav Chenoch points out that the darkness mentioned in the sentences alludes to spiritual obscurity in which we sometimes reside.

When we are in the “dark,” it is as if we are unable to see another person. However, in reality, what is preventing us from seeing the person? Is it the darkness or lack of desire to see another who may be in need? Maybe our ears are shut to the pleas for assistance.

Within Jewish thought there is the concept of the yetzer harah, the negative inclination, or, in other words, the bad or evil conscience. It is this negative influence that blinds the eyes of people. Many are no longer sensitive to the plight of others. We are happy in our bubble, as dark as it may be.

It is for this reason that Rabbi Joseph Karo codifies in the Shulchan Aruch the obligation to give tzedakah prior to beginning daily prayers. How is it possible to ask God for things that we need, while we have shut out of our minds those in dire straits?

To go one step further, we read in the Book of Lamentations by the prophet Yermiyahu, “Her leaders were like deer who found no pasture.” In the years leading to the destruction of the first Holy Temple, the Jewish leaders seemed out of touch with the events on the ground.

The prophet hints that the leaders’ heads were as if they were in the ground, refusing to take notice of the plight of Jewish people.

Let us take note of these examples and make the beautiful quote from the Talmud a reality, “All Jews are responsible for one unto the other. By doing so, we have the power to replace darkness with light.”

Rabbi Evan Shore is the rabbi at Shaarei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse; an instructor at the Syracuse Hebrew Day School and the Rabbi Jacob Epstein School of Jewish Studies; and the chaplain at Menorah Park.

Two Holocaust-themed films make the Oscar cut

BY TOM TUGEND LOS ANGELES (JTA) – Two films about the Holocaust and its aftermath have made the cut to compete for best foreign-language film. They were selected from among entries from 80 countries vying for Oscar honors, according to an announcement on December 17 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Both entries, “Son of Saul” and “Labyrinth of Lies,” are among the critics’ favorites to garner an Academy Award – indicating, once again, that the Shoah retains its grip on the minds and souls of both international filmmakers and the members of the academy who cast their votes.

Last year, the foreign-language Oscar went to the Polish movie “Ida,” which followed the path of a devout young woman raised in a convent and about to take her vows as a nun. Suddenly, she learns that her parents were Jews who perished in the Holocaust and sets out to rediscover her roots.

In Hungary’s “Son of Saul,” winner of the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Saul Auslander is a member of the Sonderkommando at Auschwitz-Birkenau, forced to cremate the bodies of fellow prisoners gassed

SHDS

by the Waffen SS. As he goes about his ghastly task, he thinks he recognizes his son among the bodies, unexpectedly clinging to life for a few extra minutes. With the Sonderkommando men planning a rebellion, Saul vows that he will save the child’s body from the flames and find a rabbi to say Kaddish at a proper burial.

Saul is portrayed by Geza Rohrig, born in Budapest and founder of an underground punk band under Communist rule. Moving to New York, he studied at a Chasidic yeshiva and graduated from the Conservative moment’s Jewish Theological Seminary.

The film is also nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

“Labyrinth of Lies,” submitted by Germany, is set in the post-war 1950s, a time when many Germans preferred to deny or ignore the Holocaust. The film focuses on a young German prosecutor determined to bring the Nazis who ran Auschwitz to trial before a German court. In historical retrospect, the subsequent trial is seen as a turning point in forcing Germans to face the reality of the Holocaust.

See “Films” on page 12

Continued from page 7

travel to sites in the area, bring in speakers and invite students from other Jewish day schools in upstate New York to come to SHDS to discuss the needs of local Jewish communities.

Students will choose a service project within the community to accomplish one or more of the following goals: outreach to engage members of the community, fund-raising for an existing agency or fulfilling a need for community constituents. The projects will be completed on- and off-site, and will culminate in individual and interactive presentations to students, teachers, parents and community members.

Club 56 recently traveled to Hillel at Syracuse University to learn more about the continuity of their Jewish education. Hillel Rabbi Leah Fein said, “The SHDS visit to Hillel was inspiring, not just because it brought two

different communities of students together, but because of the palpable energy in the air when the SHDS and Hillel at SU students interacted with one another. The SHDS and Hillel students learned Mishnah together, shared a delicious meal in SU’s kosher dining hall and laughed and talked as they walked through the quad at the heart of the SU campus. It is easy for students of any age to go through the day and only interact with people in their own age group. This visit reflected the age-old Jewish value of stepping outside of our own little boxes to find joy and wisdom in community. The Hillel students are looking forward to collaborating with the SHDS again in the future.”

CTLT intends to allow Club 56 students to continue “to have meaningful Jewish experiences within the community and beyond.”

Syracuse Hebrew Day School children watched as Rabbi Yehuda Clapman, a Torah sofer (scribe), wrote a Torah.

Children in Club 56 at the Syracuse Hebrew Day School engaged in text study with Rabbi Leah Fein and SU students on November 30.

LARRY METZGER Owner

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6340 Danbury Drive Jamesville, NY 13078-9729 (315) 446-0966 Fax (315) 446-1555 Email:LMPainting@aol.com

JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776 ■ JEWISH OBSERVER

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OBITUARIES WALTER A. CHARLES, M.D.

Walter A. Charles, 93, of West Palm Beach, FL, formerly of DeWitt, died on December 8 at home in Florida.

After graduating from City College of New York, he enlisted in the Army and served in the Pacific during World War II. Upon his return home, he attended the Chicago Medical School, did his internship at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and completed his residency at Syracuse Memorial Hospital and Kings County Hospital. He received his license as a New York Diplomate – American Board of Pediatrics.

During his career, he was a member of the Onondaga County Medical Society,AMA,AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics, Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Lambda Kappa. His teaching appointment was as a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Upstate Medical Center and his hospital affiliations included State University Hospital, Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital and Community General Hospital. He was in private practice from 1954 until his retirement in 1995.

He served in many organizations and held various board positions, including the Jewish Community Center, Syracuse Jewish Federation (now the Jewish Federation of Central New York) and the Anti-Defamation League.

He was the past president of the Pediatric Society of Onondaga County and the B’nai Brith Lodge.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Elaine Ullman Charles; sons Mark and Steven (Julie) Charles; and three grandsons.

Burial was in Boynton Beach, FL. Birnbaum Funeral Service had local arrangements.

Contributions may be made to a charity of choice. 

CAROL HEROLD

Carol Herold, 90, died on December 7 at Menorah Park.

Born in New York City, she was formerly a resident of Scarsdale, where she raised her family. She was group sales director at Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden while living in New York City. She and her late husband, Ben, moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL, in 1976 to start a catering business, Carol’s Custom Kitchen. After a successful 13 years, they moved to Fayetteville to be closer to family. In 2004, they became residents of Boynton Beach, FL, and then returned to Syracuse in summer 2012.

She was predeceased by her husband, Ben, on December 7, 2012.

She is survived by her children, Ron Herold and Bonnie (John) McCabe; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Entombment was in the Temple Concord mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to the Kevin McCabe Scholarship Fund, c/o CNY Community Foundation, 431 E. Fayette St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13202. 

NEWS IN BRIEF From JNS.org

Ancient church and farmhouse unearthed outside Tel Aviv

Israeli archaeologists have unearthed an impressive 1,500-year-old Byzantine Church and a 2,700-year-old farmhouse in the Israeli town of Rosh Ha‘Ayin, which lies just east of Tel Aviv, during construction of a new housing development. “The large farmhouse was preserved to a height of more than two meters (6 and a half feet).

The building is 2,700 years old and included 24 rooms constructed around a central courtyard,” said Amit Shadman, the Israel Antiquities Authority excavation director.

According to the IAA, the farmhouse was eventually abandoned during the Hellenistic period. However, during the fifth century C.E., another settlement wave led by Christians led to new construction in the area, including many churches and monasteries. “A monastery dating to the Byzantine period was exposed on one of the hills in the area and included a church, an oil press, residential quarters and stables equipped with mangers and troughs, etc.,” the IAA said. The church that was built inside of the monastery was made with colorful mosaics that include geometric patterns and other designs. Additionally, the IAA said, a Greek inscription to a priest named Theodosius, which was a common name of that era, was found in one of the mosaics. “This place was built under Theodosius the priest. Peace be with you when you come, peace be with you when you go, Amen,” the inscription said. The monastery was eventually abandoned and later destroyed during the Ottoman period. The IAA said that the ancient remains will be preserved and displayed within communal areas of the new neighborhood.

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NORMAN HAROLD NOSENCHUCK

Norman H. Nosenchuck, 87, of Niskayuna, NY, died on December 15 at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY, after a long illness.

Born in Brooklyn, he grew up in the Catskills, in Mountaindale, where he attended elementary and high school. He received his bachelor of civil engineering degree from Syracuse University in 1950. He served in the Army during the Korean War and was stationed in the Philippines, where he was responsible for surveying and mapping a number of islands. He subsequently returned to the Catskills, where he was a consulting civil engineer and was involved in the planning, design, supervision and project management of a number of realty subdivisions, water and sewage works, and other general construction. He also served 10 years as the chair of the Town of Fallsburg Planning Board in Sullivan County.

In 1966, he began working for New York state in its Pure Waters Program, where he helped organize and implement the state’s multi-billion-dollar construction grants program for municipal wastewater treatment works.

For two years in the mid-1970s, he was on loan from the state to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC, as the advisor to the director of the municipal construction division. He then returned to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, where he became the director of the Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste. Among many other high-level projects, he was fully responsible for the remediation of the Love Canal site. He retired from the NYS DEC in 1998.

He was a member of various professional organizations and committees in state and federal government, and was past president and a long-term director of the Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials.

He was predeceased by his brothers, David and Lionel; and his sister, Lenore.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Ruth, of Schenectady; his son, Daniel (Robin Sue), of Newtown, PA; his brother, Jerome (Delia), of Yuma, AZ; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Burial was in the Chevra Shas Cemetery in Syracuse.

Birnbaum Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Congregation Beth Israel, 2195 Eastern Pkwy., Schenectady, NY 12309. 

NEWS IN BRIEF Jews from Morocco, Iraq and Algeria who were living under the Nazi regime during World War II will receive an annual stipend of NIS 3,600 ($923) from Israel, the Finance Ministry announced on Dec. 28.

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To advertise, please contact Bonnie Rozen at 800-779-7896, ext. 244 or bonnie@ thereportergroup.org

SHEPARD “SEYMOUR” SPEVAK

Shepard “Seymour” Spevak, 102, of Syracuse, died on December 8 at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Born in Pompey, NY, he was a self-employed cattle dealer until his retirement. He also was a member of Temple Adath Yeshurun and Temple Beth El. He was predeceased by his wife, Miriam, in 2009; his son, Stuart; and two sisters, Charlotte Gale and Edith Millstone.

He is survived by his son, Gerald (Estelle) Spevak; one grandson; and two great-granddaughters.

Burial was in Beth El Cemetery. Birnbaum Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Hospice of CNY, 990 7th North St., Liverpool, NY 13088. 

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From JNS.org

Stipends for WWII North African Jews

DOLPH SCHAYES

Dolph Schayes, 87, died on December 10.

He was a Syracuse Nationals legend, NBA star and Central New York icon. Born in the Bronx, he was a graduate of DeWitt Clinton High School and graduated from New York University at the age of 19 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. In 1948, he was drafted by the Nationals. He met his wife, Naomi, and they married soon after. They made Syracuse their home and raised their family there.

He was an integral part of the Jewish community of Syracuse. He was a member of Temple Concord and the Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse, and was a supporter of Maccabi USA. He will always be remembered for his gentle kindness, caring and generosity.

He is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Naomi; their children, Debbie (Lou) Ferri, Carrie (Marty) Goettsch, David (Melissa Arthur) and Danny (Wendy); and nine grandchildren.

Burial was in the Temple Concord section of Woodlawn Cemetery. Sisskind Funeral Service had arrangements.

Contributions may be made to Maccabi USA at www. maccabiusa.com, or the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org. 

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JEWISH OBSERVER ■ JANUARY 7, 2016/26 TEVET 5776

NEWS IN BRIEF From JTA

ADL urges Justice Department to “deepen investigation” of Tamir Rice shooting

The Anti-Defamation League’s Cleveland office called on the U.S. Justice Department to “deepen its investigation” of the Tamir Rice case after a grand jury failed to indict two city police officers involved in the fatal shooting of the 12-year-old AfricanAmerican boy. “Tamir Rice’s death is a tragedy that, along with too many other cases, have shone a spotlight on important issues of bias, police-community relations and the criminal justice system, that we as a civil, just society cannot afford to overlook or ignore,” Anita Gray, the office’s regional director, said in a statement on Dec. 28 after the grand jury’s announcement. The grand jury cleared two Cleveland police officers of the November 2014 shooting after hearing weeks of testimony. The officers said they mistook a toy gun that Tamir was playing with in a local park for an actual weapon. The case has spurred a deep mistrust of police and other officials by the black community in Cleveland. “Public safety – everywhere – requires trust between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect,” Gray said in the statement. “In the wake of the grand jury’s decision not to indict the police officers involved in the shooting, we urge the Department of Justice to continue and deepen its investigation into the case.”

France’s Vichy-era archives made accessible to public

Hundreds of thousands of previously classified or difficult-to-access documents from France’s Vichy government have been made accessible to the public. The newly opened police and legal archives from the Nazi puppet regime that governed France between 1940 and 1944 includes files on Jews, members of the French resistance and communists, the Associated Press reported on Dec. 29. The French government order making the documents available was implemented on Dec. 28 after being signed on Dec. 24. While some of the documents were already available to researchers, many could be obtained only after submitting time-consuming and complex paperwork. Those seeking a document now can get it “within a minute or 15 minutes, just the time needed to go and get it from the shelves,” the chief of Paris police archives, Pascale Etiennette, told AP. French historians had requested the archives be opened. They included Gilles Morin, an expert on World War II. “Many people who were doing research about their father or grandfather who had been deported for example, as we often see, were blocked by these administrative obstacles,” Morin said, according to the AP. “Let’s be clear, there won’t be any revolution in what we already know about World War II. But we’ll finally have the possibility to work, understand several things, the Franco-German relationships, between Vichy and the collaborationists, the people, the elites.” The order does not include archives of the French intelligence service or documents classified as national defense.

Royal Mail announces stamp for “British Schindler”

Britain’s Royal Mail announced it will issue a commemorative stamp featuring Sir Nicholas Winton, known as the “British Schindler,” in March. It will be part of a set of six stamps honoring British humanitarians, the Jewish News website reported.

Winton, who helped rescue 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, died on July 1 at 106. An online petition calling for the stamp set up later that month by the Jewish News garnered nearly 106,000 signatures. Hundreds of recommendations for new stamps are received each year, with the process usually taking around two years, according to the Jewish News, which said it was expedited in Winton’s case due to the

intense public interest. The Royal Mail commissions 12 new stamps each year. Final approval for the stamp must be given by the queen. The baptized son of Jewish parents, Winton was a 29-year-old stockbroker when he arrived in Prague in December 1938.

He was planning to go on a skiing holiday in Switzerland, but changed his plans when he heard about the refugee crisis in Czechoslovakia, which had just been occupied by the Nazis. In the following nine months, he organized eight trains that carried children, the vast majority of them Jewish, from Czechoslovakia to safety in Britain. Winton’s heroism was unremarked until the 1980s, when his wife found evidence of the rescues.

The discovery led to a reunion with some of the children and a documentary. Winton received many honors in his later years, including the knighthood. Last year, the Czech government flew him to Prague in a military plane to receive the country’s highest honor. The “Schindler” reference is to the German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who is credited with saving some 1,200 Jews in the Holocaust. His story was made into an Academy Award-winning film, “Schindler’s List.”

First kosher-certified pot to go on market in January

A New York company is preparing to market what it says is the world’s first koshercertified marijuana. The Orthodox Union has certified Vireo Health of New York’s non-smokable medical marijuana products, Vireo announced in a news release on Dec. 30. Vireo is one of five medical marijuana providers selected to participate in a New York state medical marijuana program that goes into effect in January; none of the others will be certified kosher. “Being certified kosher by the OU will not only help us serve the dietary needs of the largest Jewish community in the United States, but also combat unfortunate stigmas associated with medical cannabis,” Vireo CEO Ari Hoffnung said in a statement. “Today’s announcement sends an important message to New Yorkers of all faiths and backgrounds that using medical cannabis to alleviate pain and suffering does not in any way represent an embrace of ‘pot’ culture.” Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the O.U.’s kashrut department, said in a statement that Vireo’s medical cannabis products “were developed to alleviate pain and suffering in accordance with the New York State Compassionate Care Act.” The statement adds, “Using medical cannabis products recommended by a physician should not be regarded as a ‘CHET,’ a sinful act, but rather as a mitzvah, an imperative, a commandment.” Vireo operates a facility in the upstate town of Perth and will open four retail dispensaries in January, including two in the New York City area.

Report: Duma firebomb suspect to be charged with murder

The primary suspect in the deadly firebombing of a West Bank Palestinian home will be charged with murder, Haaretz reported. The indictment will be filed in Petach Tikvah Magistrate’s Court within the next five days, prosecutors said in a declaration filed with the court on Dec. 30, according to the Israeli daily. An indictment will also be filed against a second suspect, but the charges are not known. The declaration was required under law since the suspects will have been held for 30 days by the end of the week of Dec. 31. Three members of the Dawabshe family – a toddler and his parents – were killed in the July attack on their home in the village of Duma. Meanwhile, Israel’s deputy attorney general said on Dec. 30 that he visited the suspects over the Dec. 27 weekend to look into allegations that they were being tortured. Raz Nazri met with them in private, without guards or representatives of the Shin Bet security agency. “Our impression was that the detainees’ physical and mental state is sound, and that there is a significant gap between complaints coming directly from them to some of the claims made on their behalf in public,” Nazri said, according to Ynet.

Films Both the Israeli submission, “Baba Joon” – a Farsilanguage film – and the Palestinian film “The Wanted 18,” failed to make the Oscar cut, leaving Jordan’s “Theeb,” set during World War I, when the Ottoman Empire ruled the Middle East, as the region’s only entry to place among the final nine.

Israel’s record in making the prestigious short list of the five finalists has been uneven, with bursts of recognition in some decades alternating with long dry spells.

The first entry by the young Israeli film industry in 1965, “Sallah,” was surprisingly among the five finalists, followed by four more Israeli nominees in the 1970s and

Continued from page 10

an additional four between 2007 and 2011. Since then, no Israeli movie has made it to the final short list and none has ever won the coveted Oscar.

Rounding out the list of nine semi-finalists this year are: Belgium: “The Brand New Testament,” an irreverent satire in which everything in the Bible turns out to be wrong Colombia: “Embrace of the Serpent,” in which two scientists and an Amazonian shaman search for a rare sacred plant Denmark: “A War,” about a soldier who serves in Afghanistan and the impact on his family at home

Tel Aviv

where hundreds of migrants are being held for entering the country illegally. Groups like the Onya Collective, he says, bring immense value to the neighborhood by fomenting a sense of community. But there is a risk to their work, as well – a risk that the residents of any city that has seen gentrification transform its streets can tell you about. The residents of South Tel Aviv deserve a safer and cleaner space to live in, activists say. The risk is that as their neighborhood changes, the cost of living there will, too.

“It’s great when you have young, hip artists who want to bring a sense of youth and community into a neighborhood,” Glassenberg says. “But it’s always a little from column A and a little from column B. A lot of times people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are at a loss because they want their quality of life to improve, but when it does, rent and housing costs go up, as well.”

Jaffa and Florentin, two neighborhoods that border the ring of tough streets around the Central Bus Station, have been transforming over the past decade; quaint boutiques, microbreweries and high-rises are now ubiquitous there. And as community initiatives have slowly begun to take root in the grittier South Tel Aviv enclaves of Neve Shaanan, Shapira and Hatikva, developers have started to take note. Handfuls of land plots in the area have already been purchased, and luxury condos are being planned alongside the crumbling slums that dot

Finland:

“The Fencer,” in which a fencing instructor evades the Soviet secret police France: “Mustang,” which explores the alternately joyful and repressed lives of five orphaned sisters growing up in a Turkish village; and Ireland: “Viva” – set in a Havana nightclub, a gay son struggles against his macho father.

The list of the current nine contenders will be winnowed down to five, with the remaining nominees announced on January 14. The award ceremony will be on February 28 and will be televised to more than 225 countries and territories across the globe.

Continued from page 9

The Onya Collective is behind the new garden in South Tel Aviv. (Photo by Gabi Berger) these crowded streets.

Since 2000, the city of Tel Aviv has established its own independent organization, Mesila, to offer aid and educational outreach to migrants and foreign workers.

It has smoothed out some of the area’s most potholed roads; at night, new streetlights and police patrols have cut down drastically on crime. Community initiatives like Hyde Park Levinsky have brought Jewish and foreign residents together at the local Levinsky Park, much in the spirit of the Sunday soapbox orators who have discussed ideas in London’s Hyde Park for a century.

It’s a start, says Ungar. But there are problems he isn’t willing to wait for the government to fix. “There’s been a shift in the city’s attempts to try and solve the problems in South Tel Aviv, yes,” he says. “They’re fixing streets and helping security. These are heavy actions. But no one is talking about the things that aren’t basic. Green space is not basic. Culture and community is not basic.

Very little is being done to create and strengthen community, which is vital.”

The Onya Collective got started last year when a group of its core volunteers took over the Central Bus Station’s derelict roof as part of the global urban art initiative Worldwide Storefront. That project, which brought forth a reading corner, a strawberry patch and a hydroponics station in a forgotten radio studio, brought the all-volunteer collective a fair amount of local press and encouraged them to launch an even bigger project: a soil-less urban garden built by both Israeli and immigrant communities in the heart of the neighborhood.

Most days, the little garden – a festive mishmash of hardy potted plants, strings of lights and hanging paper mache projects – is locked for lack of operational budget. Ungar hopes that will eventually change. “Everyone passes the responsibility for South Tel Aviv onto someone else, and what happens is it allows creative initiatives like us to grow because there are gaps in this city that nobody takes care of,” he says. “We’re growing within these cracks.”