HAKOL - January 2015

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community

JANUARY 2015 | TEVET/SH’VAT 5775

Mitzvah mashup on Super Sunday

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing The Jewish Federation’s annual Super Sunday on Jan. 25 will this year be a community day of service.

In addition to making calls to raise funds for the Jewish community, volunteers will have the opportunity to use their super powers to participate in meaningful mitzvah opportunities.

Beginning at 1 p.m., when the morning calling shift concludes, projects will focus on two of the Federation’s major beneficiary agencies — the Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family Service.

At Camp JCC in Center Valley, volunteers will be able to use their super strength to prepare buildings for next summer. By clearing out space, they will make room for more Israeli programming and also for the Easter Seals program, which will be using the Center Valley grounds.

“Having this day of caring for camp is a great way to get ready for the spring so we can get in there and start getting things done,” said Brenda Finberg, Camp JCC director. “This is phenomenal. I’m very excited.”

Through Jewish Family Service, volunteers will be superheroes to Jewish seniors living in residential facilities. Groups will be assigned to the Bnai Brith House and Country Meadows to bring “bagels and schmear” and some friendly faces.

“Even if it is just for 15 minutes, its letting

LEADERSHIP School for girls focus of Women’s Division. See page 4.

PRIMETIME Senior programs to debut.

See pages 16-17.

Super Sunday Continues on page 3

Helping others for a century – and counting!

EVENTS SECTION Art reflects meaning of special moments.

By Monica Friess Special to HAKOL

No. 372 com.UNITY with Mark Goldstein 2 Women’s Division

4

LVJF Tributes

8

Jewish Family Service Jewish Day School

15 18-19

Jewish Community Center Community Calendar

21 30-31

Henriette Engelson has seen and done a lot in her 100 years. She’s lived through two world wars, earned several degrees, survived the Depression, taught and instituted programs at multiple universities and hospitals, and welcomed and taught English to Russian emigrés. She volunteers

Non-Profit Organization 702 North 22nd Street Allentown, PA 18104

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twice a week at the Jewish Community Center’s Nearly New, is a current JCC board member, was on a housing board for the handicapped as well as a board for autistic children, attends Friendship Circle and was its president three times, and plays mahjong at the JCC. One might think this is enough for someone who was born a few months after World War I began, yet her seemingly boundless energy and youthful spirit make it clear that she will continue to play a vibrant role in the community around her.

Born in Manhattan to Austro-Hungarian parents, Engelson always had a strong work ethic. She received degrees from New York University in speech therapy and dramatic arts, and remembers having the opportunity to go on the road with a traveling show.

But this was during the

Depression, she said in a recent interview, and “my wise mother advised against it, urging me to find work that would pay better.” She accepted a job as a speech therapist and found her true calling.

Engelson established herself as a formidable figure in the field. She married Jay Boxer in 1935. “It was the Depression,” she recalled, “and we had nothing, so

I worked at several jobs.”

They lived in Long Island, and Engelson worked both there and in New York City. She taught speech in elementary schools as well as at C.W. Post College and Hunter College; she worked with the hearing impaired at the New York League for the Hard of Hearing, and with stroke patients at Bellevue Henriette Engelson Continues on page 3

com.UNITY

FROM THE DESK OF MARK L. GOLDSTEIN

Executive Director | Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley markg@jflv.org

A flame that should be extinguished It is coincidental that I am writing this column on the first night of Chanukah and can see the flames from the candles my wife and I just lit. On this night it would be natural to write about oil and flames lasting beyond eight nights. We sing “don’t let the light go out” as we strive to maintain the flame of Jewish life from generation to generation.

But news reports this morning coming out of Israel, which will likely be missed by most, turn my attention to a different “flame.” The Israeli Police Hate Crimes Division (probably the only one in the Middle East!) converged simultaneously on the homes of nine leaders of the Israeli organization Lehava.

They arrested the nine on suspicion of incitement of violent acts based on racist motivations.

The group’s name, Lehava, is actually a Hebrew acronym of “fighting assimilation in the Holy Land.” The letters of the acronym spell out the Hebrew word, Lehava, or “flame.” Lehava has sought to earn public legitimacy by harnessing fear of intermarriage as a pretext for plain racist hate speech.

I first stumbled upon Lehava several years ago while walking with a friend in Israel. We came upon a park where a small rally was taking place. My friend

translated the speeches and the placards. It was clear their message was more than simply fighting assimilation by opposing interfaith and interethnic marriages. One speaker railed against Jews hiring Arabs in their businesses and urged Jewish Israelis to stop frequenting Arab businesses. He encouraged Israelis to report to Lehava the names of Jews who rent or sell apartments to Arabs, so that they can be named and shamed publicly.

Another speaker, mirrored by statements on the protest signs, said that Arab men were prowling for Jewish women, not for romantic reasons, but for trysts to defile and humiliate Jews as part of their struggle and their “nature.” Later we reviewed YouTube videos and articles. The Lehava leader called for citizenarmed militias on Israel’s beaches, town squares and markets to prevent the fraternizing among Jews and Arabs.

This was not a rally to discuss assimilation and the preservation of Judaism.

The tone and tenor of the rally was alarming. Being from the Deep South I was reminded of things I heard in my youth bearing similar racist overtones, such as the calls for social and public segregation and the sexualization of black men.

As a child of a Holocaust

survivor, I easily saw the parallels in the Lehava speeches to anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda.

In recent years there have been an increasing number of attacks in Israel against Arabs, many labeled as hate crimes but unfortunately not thoroughly pursued.

Israel has hate crime laws as well as laws prohibiting incitement against minorities. Earlier this year Anat Hoffman, the director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), noted that enforcement of these laws has not been ideal. While Israeli authorities have a fierce no-tolerance policy (as they should) toward Muslim religious leaders who preach hate, there are Israeli Jews who have been allowed to incite without any legal ramifications.

In the last year the Israeli Police began taking the matter more seriously, largely due to petitions and lawsuits filed by IRAC against the government for its inaction. Authorities have been actively gathering information. Then in November a Jerusalem school for Jewish and Arab children was set afire by arsonists and earlier this week three Lehava members confessed to the crime. And less than 48 hours later the nine Lehava leaders were arrested.

The documented and alleged racist acts and

This month we are delighted to present many stories from … you! I always love to bring many voices into HAKOL and this month is especially bountiful.

Some of the highlights include Judy Aronson’s story of unexpected connections between past and present, Germany and the Lehigh Valley; Alice Level’s story in our events special section of

a ketubbah that came in very handy and Sharon Albert’s story of a specially made tallis.

We also hear from many of the synagogues about their dynamic congregations, in many cases inviting others from the community to come for a visit. And don’t miss the debut of our new regular feature “Jewish Senior Life Connection” for even more program offerings.

I hope to see you out and

LEHIGH VALLEY HAKOL is published 11 times per year for the Jewish communities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and vicinity by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.

in the Middle East, the lack of such humane response should not, and does not, impede Israel doing right.

As I lit my first Chanukah candle, I thought about the arrests in Israel. May Lehava be a flame that is extinguished and replaced by a light that promotes peace, tolerance, coexistence and tolerance.

HAKOL STAFF Jennifer Lader Editor

Stephanie Smartschan

JFLV Director of Marketing

Allison Meyers

Graphic Designer

Diane McKee

Advertising Representative TEL: 610-515-1391 hakolads@jflv.org

COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS Submissions to HAKOL must be of interest to the entire Jewish community. HAKOL reserves all editorial rights including, but not limited to, the decision to print any submitted materials, the editing of submissions to conform to style and length requirements, and the placement of any printed material. Articles should be submitted by e-mail or presented as typed copy; “Community Calendar” listings must be submitted by e-mail to hakol@jflv.org or online at www. jewishlehighvalley.org. Please include your name and a daytime telephone number where you can be contacted in the event questions arise. We cannot guarantee publication or placement of submissions.

Mail, fax, or e-mail to: JFLV ATTN: HAKOL 702 N. 22nd St. Allentown, PA 18104

JFLV EXECUTIVE STAFF Mark L. Goldstein Executive Director

Judy Diamondstein

Assistant Executive Director

Temple Coldren

Director of Finance & Administration

Jim Mueth

Director of Planned Giving & Endowments

Aaron Gorodzinsky

Director of Outreach & Community Relations

Mark H. Scoblionko JFLV President

EDITORIAL BOARD

Monica Friess, Acting Chair Barbara Reisner Judith Rodwin Sara Vigneri

Member American Jewish Press Association

All advertising is subject to review and approval by The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (JFLV). JFLV reserves the right to decline, withdraw and/ or edit any ad. The appearance of any advertising in HAKOL does not represent an endorsement or kashrut certification. Paid political advertisements that appear in HAKOL do not represent an endorsement of any candidate by the JFLV.

JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT In order to unite, sustain, and enhance the Lehigh Valley Jewish community, and support Jewish communities in Israel and around the world, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is dedicated to the following core values:

about in the Valley.

Shalom, Jennifer Lader

JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship by requesting that trees be planted in the Yoav--Lehigh Valley Partnership Park.

IN MEMORY HON. ARNOLD RAPOPORT (Father of Jed Rapoport) (Father of Dana Rapoport) (Brother of Marian Thier) Eileen and Roberto Fischmann

TO ORDER TREES, call the JFLV at 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org.

2 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

HAKOL

Phone: (610) 821-5500 Fax: (610) 821-8946 E-mail: hakol@jflv.org

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers,

incitements by Lehava leaders and followers are numerous.

The killings this summer in Israel of three Jewish yeshiva students, followed by the killing of a young Arab teen, called attention to the power of language to incite hatred and violence. It is reassuring that Israeli society expresses its condemnation of such language, whether directed at Jews or at Muslims. And that Israel has laws that fight against hate crimes and incitement against minorities. And that the authorities are applying these laws. While I would love for the reaction to be the same in other countries

• Supporting Jews in need wherever they may be.

• Supporting Israel as a Jewish homeland.

• Supporting and encouraging Jewish education in the Lehigh Valley as a means of strengthening Jewish life for individuals and families.

• Supporting programs and services of organizations whose values and mission meet local Jewish needs.

To accomplish this mission the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is committed to the following operating guidelines: • Raising and distributing funds to support the core values.

• Developing Jewish leaders.

• Building endowments to support implementation of core values.

• Committing to ongoing Jewish community strategic planning.

• Fostering cooperation among organizations and community building.

• Evaluating all decisions with respect to fiscal responsibility.

• Identifying unmet needs and investing in community initiatives to help get them started.

• Coordinating and convening a community response as an issue or need arises.

• Setting priorities for allocation and distribution of funds.

• Acting as a central address for communication about events, programs and services of the Jewish community as a whole.

Approved by the JFLV Board of Directors on November 15, 2000

Up to the Challenge: Community pledges total $1.27 million after 60 Days

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing With pressing needs in Israel and Ukraine, anti-Semitism on the rise and a plan to care for our own seniors in development, at Rosh Hashanah we issued a challenge.

We urged the community not to wait until the end of the year to pledge to the 2015 Campaign for Jewish Needs, but instead to make those pledges before Thanksgiving. We asked volunteers to hit the ground running and speak to donors as soon as possible.

After 60 days, we are pleased to announce that 625 donors responded to the challenge and we have raised a total of $1,267,601 for the Campaign – a $250,000 increase over this time last year from 200 more donors.

“The annual campaign is our main vehicle for raising funds each year to meet community needs and fuel initiatives locally, in Israel and around the world,” said Iris Epstein, chairperson of the 2015 Campaign.

“We still have a ways to go, but we should all take a moment to celebrate a success.”

The campaign will remain open until June 30, 2015, and we expect to raise at least another $1 million to support Jews here at home, in Israel and around the world. But securing these pledges early will help us better address needs now and plan for next year.

Thank you for taking the 60 Day Challenge. Because of you, we are there.

Henriette Engelson Continues from page 1

and St. Barnabas Hospital “and I always loved what I did,” she said. She felt an enormous and rewarding sense of pride when parents of her students would thank her for helping their kids. “I never had children,” she said, “but I had lots of kids.”

Finding work during the World War II years was challenging; Engelson’s husband accepted a job in 1941 with the health department in Syracuse, New York, but there were no jobs available for her. “I was miserable there,” she said. They returned to New York City two years later, and Engelson entered Columbia University, from which she earned a master’s in speech pathology in 1949.

Sadly, after 20 years of marriage, Engelson’s husband succumbed to cancer.

Not one to sit still, she consoled herself with her work. Friends at the time were worried about her, but “I was happy and kept busy,” she said. “I converted a room in my house and saw clients there, but they told me I needed to get out and socialize.” While on a weekend trip with some friends, she met Sidney Engelson of Allentown, and they were married within a year.

In Allentown, Engelson quickly made her presence known in the field. She worked in the Allentown School District

and persuaded the superintendent to institute continuing education classes for speech therapists. Hired to teach public speaking in the theater department of Kutztown University, she saw an overlap in the two fields of drama and speech, and eventually won permission to form a speech department. She also established the Henriette Engelson Scholarship for seniors who are planning graduate work in speech pathology. Reaching mandatory retirement age after 13 years there, she was compelled to leave, but soon found yet another calling -- teaching English to the area’s recent Jewish Soviet emigrés.

Over her many years of service, Engelson has touched many lives. She said, “I’m so honored when a former student or parent of a student thanks me for the help I gave them. Even many years later they find me.”

When asked how she manages to stay so youthful, Engelson said, “It’s the simple things. Do something that gives you pleasure and keep busy at it. If I didn’t have trouble getting around I’d do so much more.” She admits she has to push herself more now, “but I have my mind and I must use it. So I push.”

So, she will continue to volunteer at the JCC, attend services at Beth El, and enjoy the company of friends in the community.

“I love people,” she said. “I love keeping busy. I won’t let difficulties get me down. I don’t give in.”

Super Sunday Continues from page 1

these community members know that someone else was thinking about them,” said Rebecca Axelrod-Cooper, community impact coordinator for Jewish Family Service. “It’s a true mitzvah.”

An orientation will be held at 1 p.m. at the JCC before volunteers are dispatched.

Super Sunday will, as always, begin and end with a phone-a-thon and community celebration at the JCC. From 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 8 p.m., volunteers will be “making the call,” asking for support of the 2015 Campaign for Jewish Needs. Funds raised help feed the hungry, comfort the elderly and inspire Jewish life and learning in the Lehigh Valley, in Israel and all over the world.

Volunteers can make Super Sunday a family affair. A free superhero-themed PJ Library program will take place at 10:30 a.m. in the auxiliary auditorium. The program will feature special guest reader Rabbi Daniel Stein from Bnai Abraham Synagogue and will include stories, songs, snacks, crafts and more. The first 50 children will receive special Super Sunday T-shirts.

BBYO members and Hillel students will be participating in the phone-a-thon, some making thank you calls to those who have already pledged to this year’s campaign.

There will be refreshments provided for both shifts and a few special guests are expected in the morning. All volunteers will receive an orientation before making calls, and a T-shirt.

To sign up now for a phone-a-thon shift or mitzvah project, visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/supersunday, call 610-821-5500 or e-mail aaron@jflv.org.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 3

WOMEN’S DIVISION OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY

Women’s Division opens special campaign to raise funds for female leadership academy

By Judy Diamondstein JFLV Assistant Executive Director “Be the change you want to see in the world,” said Mahatma Ghandi and so Michal Barkai set out to do just that.

The inequities of future possibilities for young Israelis who reside in the periphery of Israel are stark due largely to the economic challenges facing those who reside outside of the center of Israel. And while there are NGOs funded by both governmental and private sources to provide “gap-year programs” between high school and the army, few target those in the periphery and of those that do, none are for women.

Instead, Israel’s vulnerable young women are all but forgotten and written off, left to be destined for the worst jobs with the least prospects in the army. They fetch coffee, drive trucks and are file clerks, which are dead-end positions that do not lead to officer training programs and jobs like teachers, social workers and acceptance to the best colleges and universities at the end of army service.

By attending gap-year programs, young Israelis get the rare opportunity to advance their standing in the Israel Defense Forces, which provides the gateway to future opportunities.

Barkai saw this first-hand during her army service as she catapulted to the top after benefitting from an upbringing in Tel Aviv where she graduated with honors from high school.

She served as a commander in the army for new recruits in basic training and learned that many of her soldiers came to the army with limited prospects and opportunities.

After finishing her army service and graduating from law school, Barkai set out to be the change. With much hard work and perseverance – and the kindness and investment of the Israeli Lions of Judah and the Jewish Agency for Israel – Barkai founded the Alma Preparatory

School for Female Leadership, which provides pre-army education for young girls from Israel’s socio-economic periphery, to help them advance their maturation , broaden their worldviews and qualify for higher-level units in the IDF. The girls, who come from all over Israel and from vastly different places and mentalities, are empowered to pursue a better future.

While at Alma, the young women study, travel throughout Israel and prepare for the army experience. They interact with strong women leaders in the IDF, learn about various facets of army service and participate in programs designed to enhance leadership. They study history, Judaism, yoga, creative writing, physical education, philosophy, gender studies, coaching sessions of relationships and develop close bonds with advisors, educators and volunteers.

Alma will soon graduate its second cohort. The graduates of the first class have gone on to become officers, teachers, social workers and other occupations within the IDF that will open the doors to bright futures. Alma hopes to open a second school location next year, doubling the number of young women who may participate.

Those who had the good

Above, Lisabeth Lobenthal, director of community and donor relations for the Jewish Agency for Israel, with Women’s Division President Carol Wilson and Rebecca Axelrod-Cooper.

Far left, Michal Barkai, founder of the Alma Preparatory School.

Below, More than 50 women gather for the Lunch & Learn.

fortune of attending the Women’s Division Lunch and Learn program on Dec. 9, 2014, had the opportunity to hear Barkai tell her story. Almost immediately, the Federation was inundated with requests to help.

Women’s Division is honored and proud to announce a special campaign to provide needed

resources for Alma. The funds raised by this effort will be over and above funds raised to benefit the Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. For more information on how you can help, please contact me at 610-821-5500 or judy@jflv.org or visit www.jewishlehighvalley. org/womens-division.

Lion and Pomegranates gather for special holiday brunch Left, Women’s Division leaders Wendy Born, Carol Wilson, Amy Silverman, Vicki Wax and Sandra Goldfarb gather with new Pomegranates Linda Glickman, Patty Carlis and Lisa Markowitz.

Above, Women’s Division leaders with host Lorrie Scherline (right).

Far left, Sandra Goldfarb and Iris Epstein show off their endowed Lions of Judah.

Left, Iris Epstein, Patty Carlis and Roberta Epstein.

Handmade Afghans

BY EVA LEVITT

All proceeds benefit projects in Israel:

Food Banks in Israel Neve Michael Youth Village

For prices or to place an order, call Eva 610-398-1376.

All payments are made payable to the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley 4 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Jewish professionals celebrate Chanukah The “Dizzy Dreidels” were flowing as the Lehigh Valley Jewish Professionals networking group celebrated Chanukah at The Pub by Wegmans on Dec. 11.

Latkes were also in high demand, sending the kitchen scrambling to keep up.

More than 40 people joined the party, boasting a wide range of ages and professions. Meaningful connections were struck, as the group lingered way past “closing time.”

Do you want to connect with other Jewish professionals? Join the group – a division of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley – for its next event on Wednesday, March 18. Follow the Jewish Federation on Facebook or join the Lehigh Valley Jewish Professionals group on LinkedIn to learn more.

Monica Friess helps Bob Wilson sample a “Dizzy Dreidel.”

Offering adolescent gynecological services Kenneth J. Toff, D.O. Laurie A. Cohen, D.O. Anna Linderman, M.D. Rima L. Strassman, M.D.

The Federation’s Young Adult Division is well-represented at the networking event.

1517 Pond Road | Allentown, PA 18104 610-395-4444 | www.childrens-healthcare.com Open 365 days of the year

Laura Taylor with Rebecca Glassman.

Jeff Fleischaker enjoys some Wegmans latkes.

Anat Schor with Lisa Kirshner

Lauren and Shane Davis with Abby Trachtman.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 5

Tour Yoav for taste of what partner region offers

By Naama Miron Asher Partnership2Gether Yoav, the Lehigh Valley’s partner region in Israel, is not only home to 14 rural communities; it is also a place that preserves the secrets of ancient peoples and caves, where history intertwines with the here and now.

Antiquity and hi-tech modernity live side by side in Yoav and culinary gems wait for your discovery. We invite you to get a closer look at two of Yoav’s most famous tourist attractions: Beit-Guvrin and Maresha Mound National Park, and the Open Museum in Kibbutz Negba. The first

reverberates with the ancient history of the Jewish settlement in Roman times and the second invites you to see, touch and feel the struggles of the young Zionists who built the current state of Israel. And while you are in Yoav, come and celebrate, enjoy good cuisine and good company.

From columbarium to amphitheatre – Tel Maresha and Beit-Guvrin National Park Columba means “dove” in Latin, and these creatures were central in ancient ceremonial and dietary uses, and columbarium caves were built as subterranean dovecotes by the Romans who

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conquered Israel. But caves were made for more varied purposes, and the National Park near Kibbutz Beit-Guvrin, just on Yoav’s southern border, focuses on their various uses.

The well preserved caves at the feet of mound Maresha, declared a World Heritage Site

by UNESCO and classified as having outstanding universal value, allow a glimpse into the past. Walking through caves and crevices is a way to touch human history. An added bonus is the cool temperature in the caves even in the hottest of summer days.

From here, continue to the Roman Amphitheatre also in the national park. Sit on the restored upper wooden benches and imagine the roars of lions and fighting cries of gladiators. If you come in August, be sure to ask about the Bible Festival, where the best of Israel’s contemporary musicians perform at the amphitheater under the open summer sky.

Heroic heritage and a musical present: the Open Museum in Negba During the 1948 War of Independence, Negba was the only settlement that stood in the way of the advancing Egyptian Army intent on destroying the recently declared Jewish State.

Some 150 defenders managed to hold off repeated attacks by approximately 1,000 Egyptian soldiers. The heroic story of Negba’s resistance is only one of the stories which are told at the landmarks of the Open Museum. An English speaking tour is available. And does music fit into Negba’s story of bravery and resilience? Ask Meir Mindel, who besides teaching Morse code to children is also a renowned composer, arranger and patron of the Golden Strings string quartet.

Meir will take you to places were history happened.

Wining, dining and having a good time Apart from history there are many exciting gastronomic

gems to explore. Some are open only on weekends while others operate 24/7. Stop at Moshav Sgula to enjoy a delectable meal at Cramim. Situated in the middle of an open field, it offers you a rich and varied menu prepared by Chef Sahar Raphael.

If you’re a meat lover, try not to miss a visit to Mike and Sharon’s Afrikaans bistro at nearby Kibbutz Gal-On where you can taste various South African meat dishes like Zulu soup, Babotie casserole and potjiekos stew.

Food for the soul – rock concerts at Itzo Bar Why not mingle with local residents? A perfect place to meet them is either at the Babchca Bar in Kibbutz Negba or at the Itzo Bar in Kibbutz Gat. Itzo Bar boasts that it has brought the best rock ’n’ roll artists to Yoav, for rock concerts at Gat’s swimming pool in the summer, or in its Old Dining Room during the winter, mostly on Thursday afternoons.

See you there!

Yoav educators visit the Valley Educators from Yoav, Israel, the Lehigh Valley’s partner region, visit with Federation leaders on the first day of their Chanukah visit to Allentown.

The educators also spent time at the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley, toured the Jewish Community Center and visited with public school students at Muhlenberg Elementary.

The trip will serve to strengthen the many student-to-student programs currently underway, including a school twinning program with the Jewish Day School and the “Same Moon” program, which connects religious school families with families in Yoav.

Israeli consulate builds ‘bridges’ to LV

By Barry Halper JFLV Community Relations Council Chairperson With a goal of enhancing the connection between Israel and the Lehigh Valley, representatives of the Jewish Federation, including myself, recently met with Yaron Sideman, the consul general of Israel, and several of his deputies in their Philadelphia office. Attending with me were Executive Director Mark L. Goldstein and Aaron Gorodzinsky, director of outreach and community relations. The consul general truly appreciates the Valley’s proximity to his office and the uniqueness of our area.

Sideman’s office serves the Mid-Atlantic region which consists of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky and southern New Jersey. Since the beginning of his term in August 2012, he has been to the Lehigh Valley and to Federation functions on a number of occasions.

Early in 2013, Sideman came to the Lehigh Valley and in conjunction with Federation representatives, met with Easton Mayor Sal Panto and Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. The meetings focused on how we could collaborate in cultural, economic and other areas of mutual interest, such as safety and security.

A number of months ago, Director of Cultural Affairs Debora Baer Mozes came to spend a day getting acquainted with some of the cultural facilities and performance venues in the Valley. With Ilene Wood as her most able host, Baer Mozes met with the executive directors and key marketing people in each of the facilities they visited. She followed up on the initial contacts and has been talking with key people at the Allentown Art Museum, SteelStacks and Zoellner Arts Center regarding bringing in Israeli artists to exhibit their works or to perform on stage.

Program to explore Israel’s special relationship with Azerbaijan

By Ari Mittleman Special to HAKOL

Last winter, in the midst of a snowstorm, Director of Economic Affairs John Churchill came up from Philadelphia, and our CRC director and I went with him to meet with an energy and environment subgroup of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, then to Air Products to discuss where Air Products and Israeli technology companies could collaborate, and finally to the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. The overall goal is to develop new collaborative economic partnerships between Israel and the U.S. on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity.

At the meeting in the consulate, we talked about developing a Lehigh ValleyIsrael Chamber of Commerce to develop business-to-business interactions. This group would work to identify and understand the business needs of companies in the Lehigh Valley in order to target potential partnerships with business interests/technology development in Israel. The group would also work to identify security and safety needs of municipalities and authorities in our area that could benefit from Israeli technology, as well as facilitate commercial research collaborations between universities and institutions in Israel and complimentary universities and institutions in the Lehigh Valley.

Although the director of academic affairs, Tali Efraty, was not able to be at the meeting, we

discussed the role that she plays as the official liaison between the state of Israel and all institutes of higher education in the MidAtlantic region. The consulate office gets involved in study abroad programs, helping to ensure a quality program for the students and to facilitate any discussions between the student/parents and the college/ university. The department of academic affairs manages the Israeli consulate’s speaker’s bureau, and will work to promote Israel on campus by providing Israeli experts for courses, and campus/community lectures.

Director of Community Affairs Hillel Zaremba spoke about ways in which the consulate can provide direct Israeli engagement with both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities in the Lehigh Valley to enhance Israel and its story.

We discussed reaching out to and having a dialogue with certain faith-based and ethnic groups.

A few weeks ago, he brought representatives of Aguna, the Israel LGBT Community organization, who met with LGBT representatives in the Lehigh Valley.

The Lehigh Valley contingent came away from the meeting buoyed with the prospect of so many great opportunities in working with the Israeli consulate and somber regarding the need for significant resources to get these programs up and operating.

Please contact the Federation office at 610-821-5500 and offer your services if you would like to help get these programs underway.

Although I no longer live in the Lehigh Valley, I am a proud alumnus of the Jewish Day School.

My time at JDS coincided with the breakup of the Soviet Union. These formative years also coincided with growing antiSemitism due in part to the Persian Gulf War and the First Intifada.

It was at the JDS that I learned how to daven three times a day and be intrigued with Jewish communities praying the same prayers thousands of miles away. Through the JDS, I studied the story of Chanukah and the ancient miracle of the oil.

This Chanukah, my father and I traveled to the Former Soviet Union and experienced another “Miracle of Oil.” We visited the Shia Muslim-majority country of Azerbaijan, Israel’s largest energy provider and strategic ally. We davened in the shadows of minarets on the shores of the Caspian Sea. We experienced a Chanukah that I could never have dreamt of while at JDS. Across the United States, the Jewish community watches as anti-Semitic incidents grip the capitals of our closest European allies. After Operation Protective Edge, we see allies and defenders of Israel unfortunately grow fewer by the month.

Azerbaijan is a country smaller than Pennsylvania. It is the only country to border both Iran and Russia. Its capital, Baku, situated less than a six hour drive from Tehran, is also home to a

thriving Jewish community and Israeli Embassy. Just this fall, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon visited the country. Last year, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister visited Jerusalem.

It is easy when you get on a tour bus in Israel to think the entire Muslim world has its biases against our Jewish homeland.

It is also easy to forget that that tour bus needs to fuel up as Israel, unlike other countries in the region, is without domestic oil reserves.

In a given month, tankers docking at the Port of Haifa with Azerbaijani crude oil provide between 40 and 70 percent of Israel’s energy needs. This fuel that powers our beloved “startup nation” is a modern “miracle of oil.”

I would have never imagined while studying at JDS that the tumultuous breakup of the Soviet Union could actually lead to Israel having a true ally and friend in the Muslim world.

I encourage you to attend a very special program on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 10:15 a.m. at Temple Beth El, co-hosted by the Beth El Men’s Club and the Jewish Federation’s Community Relations Council. The program will feature Rep. Charlie Dent and an executive from the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan.

Together, they will explore the geopolitics of Israeli energy security in an increasingly complicated region. They will also explore lessons to be learned from this unique model of Jewish-Muslim relations.

Dr. Gwen S. Greenberg Podiatric Medicine and Surgery

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 7

Federation to interview long-time donors

By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley will undertake a project this spring to interview donors that have contributed to the Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs for 25 years or more.

There are 432 donors on the list, and each should expect to receive a call sometime between January and April from Muhlenberg College senior Alyssa Kevelson, who will be coming

on board as the Federation’s donor development intern for the spring semester.

Kevelson is a double business administration and theatre major and is the membership director for the Phi Mu Fraternity at Muhlenberg. Her home town is Mendham, New Jersey, and her family is active in the Metrowest Jewish community.

“I am very excited to work on this project as I will have the opportunity to get to know many members of the local Jewish community,” Kevelson said. “I am very much looking forward to gaining this professional experience, reaching out to individuals who have made such amazing commitments to the Federation over the years and learning how the organization has played a role in their lives.”

Two other Muhlenberg students will be joining Kevelson on the Federation team this spring. Julie Taffet will work in the Marketing Department and Jenny Oswald will help plan events, including the 4th Annual Mortimer S. Schiff Memorial Golf Tournament on June 15.

IN MEMORY AUNT (of Steve Shedroff) Elaine and Leon Papir FATHER (of Lester Rosen) Michael and Rita Bloom MOTHER (of Rony Ackerman) Barbara and David Sussman MOTHER (of Barbara Ginsburg) Carol and Stewart Furmansky NAOMI HALPERIN (Daughter of Marion Halperin) Leonard Abrams Sandra and Harold Goldfarb Selma Roth LOIS MILLER (Wife of Stanley Miller) Sandra and Harold Goldfarb Selma Roth and Family Fred and Barbara Sussman LISA MISHKIN (Mother of Alex and Philip Mishkin) Nancy and Michael Busch Elliot and Chelsea Busch Emily Busch Jones and Jason Jones Randi and Donald Senderowitz HON. ARNOLD RAPOPORT (Father of Jed Rapoport) Ross and Wendy Born Carol and Stewart Furmansky Sandra and Harold Goldfarb Elaine Lerner Norman Moses Selma Roth and Family Randi and Donald Senderowitz STEPHEN RHODESIDE (Father of Debi Wiener) Jeanette and Eduardo Eichenwald Roberta and Jeff Epstein Audrey and Arthur Sosis ANITA SINGER (Sister of Mark Klein) Ross and Wendy Born Carol and Stewart Furmansky Taffi Ney STEVEN STRAUSS

THE BENEFITS OF A CHARITABLE BEQUEST

(Brother of Jay Strauss) Ross and Wendy Born Phyllis and Jay Kaufman HARRIS WEINSTEIN (Father of David Weinstein) Randi and Donald Senderowitz IN HONOR BEVERLY AND LEONARD BLOCH Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary Selma Roth MIKE AND RITA BLOOM Marriage of their daughter Jill and Hank Narrow JOE BORGESE Happy Holidays Selma Roth SARA-JANE AND DAVID BUB Mazel Tov on New Home Stan and Vicki Wax KAREN AND PETER COOPER Thank You Judy Diamondstein JEANETTE AND EDUARDO EICHENWALD Birth of their granddaughter, Miriam Karen Kuhn HENRIETTE ENGELSON Happy 100th Birthday Ross and Wendy Born SALLY GILBERT Happy Birthday Selma Roth MARK GOLDSTEIN AND SHARI SPARK Marriage of their daughter, Carlyn Jeanette and Eduardo Eichenwald Suzanne Lapiduss Elaine and Leon Papir SUSAN AND ARTHUR HOCHHAUSER Happy ‘Big’ Anniversary Stan and Vicki Wax STEVEN KAUNITZ Happy Holidays Selma Roth BETH AND WESLEY KOZINN Birth of their grandson, Alexander Karen Kuhn CHUCK LEVINE AND HARTMUT HEEP In honor of their marriage Emily, Brian, Alexander,

and Samuel Ford GIL AND MICHELE LEVY Bar Mitzvah of their grandchild Jeanette and Eduardo Eichenwald GERALD AND ETHEL MELAMUT Happy 60th Anniversary Karen Kuhn ELAINE AND LEON PAPIR Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter, Cameron Karen Kuhn and Family Suzanne Lapiduss and Family LARRY ROTH Happy Holidays Selma Roth MARK AND DEENA SCOBLIONKO Bat Mitzvah of their granddaughter Wendy and Ross Born STAN AND VICKI WAX Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary Roberta and Robert Kritzer Suzanne Lapiduss JOEL WEINER Happy Holidays Selma Roth DAVID WIENER Happy Holidays Selma Roth HELEN & SOL KRAWITZ HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL FUND IN HONOR BOB MALENOVSKY Happy ‘Special’ Birthday Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg ELLEN AND IRWIN SCHNEIDER Marriage of their grandson Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg IN MEMORY NAOMI HALPERIN (Daughter of Marion Halperin) Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg LOIS MILLER (Wife of Stanley Miller) Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg HON. ARNOLD RAPOPORT (Companion of Marcia Cohen) Joani Lesavoy and Sid Greenberg We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship through recent gifts to the Lehigh Valley Jewish Foundation. The minimum contribution for an Endowment Card is $10. Call 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org to place your card requests. Thank you for your continued support.

A charitable bequest is an easy way for you to help us in our work and benefit. Here are some of the benefits of bequest giving: 

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To learn more about opportunities for planned giving, contact Jim Mueth at 610-821-5500 or jim@jflv.org or visit www.lvjfgiving.org.

To learn more about bequest giving please contact us. Ask for your FREE Wills Kit!

8 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

Polish treatment of Jewish history uneven, improving

By Noah Diamondstein Special to HAKOL Editor’s Note: January marks 70 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. This is the first in a fourpart series by Noah, who has been studying in Europe and who seeks “to see the world become a place where all can live together in peace.”

From Oct. 23 to Oct. 31, 2014, my program-mates and I traveled around Eastern-Central Europe, beginning our trek in Poland. We went to Krakow, visiting as well Auschwitz and the town of Oswiecim, which is Polish for Auschwitz, but is specifically regarded as a separate entity by its Polish moniker. The experience in Auschwitz, the death camp, was vastly different from our experience in Oswiecim, which is a living, thriving, small Polish town.

This was my second trip through the Auschwitz memorial. The experience was as jarring as my first, if not more so. I was able, though, to keep my composure better than I had my first time through, which had been at the age of 15, and this was important because I was touring the camps with my friend Nathan, who was both not Jewish and who had had an almost non-existent Holocaust education. In supporting him and my other non-Jewish friends through the grounds of the camp, my eyes were opened to some of the gaping holes in the American curriculum with regard to European and Holocaust history.

Later, in the town of Oswiecim, we were given a Jewish tour by a young woman of about my own age who was working in the Jewish museum. She told us of the decimation of a once very important community. The town of Oswiecim used to be the home of a few very important and fairly large synagogues and rabbinical seminaries. There are now no Jews left in the town at all, but the museum, though small, documents their important history there.

We then met with a large class of high school students from a local school. Many of them had never met an American before. We discussed their relationship with stereotypes, and whether we believed stereotypes could ever truly disappear. Most importantly, we discussed their relationship with the concentration camp as citizens of the town in which it is found.

I was shocked to find out that most of the students had never

been to the concentration camp, and would prefer to only learn a cursory history of the atrocities that happened there. Though I can understand their aversion to its history because of its ability to taint their identity as innocent residents of a town, this was a horribly sad thought for me.

“Those who forget their history are doomed to repeat it,” ran through my head over and over.

Although my experiences in Auschwitz were heart-rending, they came on the heels of a surprisingly optimistic experience in Krakow. Ever since my last time in the city, I was taught and led to believe that Judaism in Poland was largely extinguished by the Shoah. My whole Jewish historical education gave me the impression that Poland specifically was essentially a figurative mass-grave -- that national socialism had effectively dismantled and destroyed Polish Jewry forever. Thankfully, I was in many ways mistaken.

My tour through Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter of Krakow, was a massively enlightening experience. Our tour guide, a Catholic Pole in her late 20s, happened to be an expert on the Jewish history of the city and was working on her master’s degree in Jewish studies. She informed us that Jewish studies, since the fall of the Soviet Bloc in Poland, has become a “trendy” field of study pursued by many young people, Jewish and non-Jewish.

With the recent opening of the Warsaw POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Poles are becoming increasingly aware that Polish Jewish history did not begin with Blitzkrieg and end in 1945. In fact, the history of Jews in Poland goes back over 800 years. Since the educational reforms in Poland in the late 1990s, Holocaust education has also grown to be much more comprehensive, dealing with not only the story of Poles in World War II ,but specifically the story of the Holocaust and the attempted extermination of the Jews.

The Polish schools are reviving an awareness of Judaism in Poland, and the Jewish community of Krakow is itself growing and beginning to stand on its own two feet again, so to speak.

A few of my Jewish friends on the program and I attended Kabbalat Shabbat services and Shabbat dinner at the Krakow Jewish Community Center and were blown away by the attendance. The service itself consisted of about 50 people, but when we came downstairs

to say kiddush and have dinner, we were shocked to see over 200 people in the community center coming together to celebrate.

The community’s rabbi, a young-middle-aged Long Islander who commutes back and forth between Israel and Krakow in service of community, explained to us that this story of the death of a Jewry is largely “blown smoke.” The Krakow community, he told us, is alive and growing with a vibrant and dedicated base of congregants of a range of ages. He corroborated the story of Jewish studies we were told by our guide, and shared many happy anecdotes of his time in Krakow. Despite these experiences in Krakow, as we traveled on, we acquired steadily worsening realizations of the anti-Semitic realities in Europe. Though what I learned in our traveling seminar was at times troubling, horrifying stories were yet to come.

Noah Diamondstein is a religious studies major at the University of Pittsburgh with a concentration in Jewish studies. He just completed his fall semester abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, attending the CET Academic Program with focus on Judaic studies and will graduate in April. Noah hopes to pursue a career in the rabbinate. The next in Noah’s series of reports on European Jewry will appear in the February edition of HAKOL.

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HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 9 Hakol_Change is Hard_4x10.indd 1

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MEET THE PRESIDENTS

JCC upgrades security

Scott Brenner, Congregation Sons of Israel

By Monica Friess Special to HAKOL

By Amy Holtz JCC Interim Executive Director The Jewish Community Center is pleased to announce that we have completed the next phase of our facility security upgrades with the installation of new infrared, PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) cameras and equipment that are now installed and in use. This new system enables local law enforcement to look into our building in the event of an emergency and provides day/night function with progressive scanning.

These upgrades were made possible through a $15,000 grant from the Harry C. Trexler Trust and $10,000 in generous donations from this community. We are most fortunate that the Trust and our donors recognized the extreme importance of our security needs and we thank all of our donors for granting us these funds. Many agencies have levied security assessments on their membership. Your JCC chose to launch a voluntary, successful campaign in an effort to raise additional dollars to fund these initiatives.

Security is a long-term process that cannot be efficiently or effectively deployed only when there is a threat. It is important that we regularly review our procedures and always be thinking of and implementing ways to improve security. The Jewish Community Center takes the safety and security of its members, staff and guests as a very

serious matter. As you well know, we live in challenging and changing times and while we know of no specific threat to our agency, we follow the advice of the Secure Community Network – the national homeland security initiative of The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations – which includes reviewing our security measures with particular focus on controlling access to our facility, enhanced situational awareness and procedures for reporting suspicious activity, maintaining close coordination with local law enforcement and maintaining current facility security plans.

We appreciate your anticipated understanding of and cooperation in our efforts to provide a safe environment at the JCC by complying with our thumbprint authorized entry or use of our intercom system to identify yourselves and gain access when coming to the building. Additionally, we have other measures in place to ensure safety to the best of our ability.

The JCC is committed to ongoing evaluations of our operations and building access to provide a safe, comfortable facility for our members, guests, staff and children. A list of donors who generously participated in this campaign can be found on the JCC pages in this edition of HAKOL. Once again, thank you for your support.

As a past president of the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley, a past and current president of the Hebrew Family League, medical director of case management of the Health Network at Lehigh Valley Hospital and vice chair of Inpatient Pediatric Services at LVH, pediatrician Scott Brenner seems highly qualified in his role as president of Congregation Sons of Israel.

Brenner, whose term began this year and will run until 2016, said his overarching goal is to ensure that Sons of Israel is a place people want to be. He looks toward increasing membership as well as making the synagogue more accessible to the broader community.

“I would love to create more interorganizational programming,” he said in a recent interview, “perhaps with Beth El, KI, Chabad and [the Jewish] agencies.” He is already looking toward the shul’s major annual fundraiser – the Purim Gala – as a community-wide event. “This year we will be honoring the Holocaust survivors in the Lehigh Valley, and we foresee donating a portion of our proceeds to the Holocaust Resource Center,” he said.

A frequent challenge for any leader is balancing the myriad and often conflicting concerns of involved parties, but Brenner feels he will be able to rise to the occasion.

“I value and respect everyone’s opinion,” he said, “and I do believe people understand that this should not be a competitive environment.” He said he has a good relationship with the shul’s leader, Rabbi David Wilensky. “We share the common goal of doing what’s best for our congregational family as well as ensuring a financially stable and sustainable future for the synagogue.”

Wilensky calls Brenner a hard-

Congregation Sons of Israel President Scott Brenner, shown with his wife Cheryl FiglinBrenner and their children Ben, Aydele and Sara. working volunteer who is dedicated to the synagogue and the Jewish community. “In a passage in Pirkei Avos,” Wilensky said, “the students of Reb Yochanan ben Zakkai are tasked with determining a person’s most important attribute. In the end, it is deemed to be a good heart, and Scott most certainly exemplifies that.”

Brenner is married to Cheryl FiglinBrenner, who is also active in volunteer projects in the Jewish community and, he said, is a “great sounding board for synagogue issues.” They have three children: Ben, 19, a sophomore at Binghamton University; Aydele, 14, in eighth grade at Barrack Academy, and Sara, 10, in fourth grade at the JDS. Though being president is challenging, Brenner said he greatly enjoys the role.

“I love being able to greet everyone on Shabbos as I walk with the Torah,” he said.

“I feel there’s an atmosphere of collegiality and welcome-ness. It’s a fun place to be.”

Yachad University Spring Semester

TUESDAYS

THURSDAYS

FUTURE TENSE: JEWS, JUDAISM AND ISRAEL IN THE 21ST CENTURY WITH JEANETTE EICHENWALD

FUTURE TENSE: JEWS, JUDAISM AND ISRAEL IN THE 21ST CENTURY WITH JEANETTE EICHENWALD

January 13 - June 2 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

January 15 - June 4 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Discuss modern theological interpretations of Judaism’s original purpose as a partner with G-d and with those of other faiths in the never-ending struggle for freedom and social justice for all. Without compromising our Jewish faith, we will examine how Jews can stand alongside people of all faiths in defense of freedom.

Discuss modern theological interpretations of Judaism’s original purpose as a partner with G-d and with those of other faiths in the never-ending struggle for freedom and social justice for all. Without compromising our Jewish faith, we will examine how Jews can stand alongside people of all faiths in defense of freedom.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE 5 GREATEST CONTROVERSIES IN JEWISH HISTORY WITH RABBI DAVID WILENSKY

AN ANALYSIS OF THE 5 GREATEST CONTROVERSIES IN JEWISH HISTORY WITH RABBI DAVID WILENSKY

January 13 - June 2 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.

January 15 - June 4 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.

“Two Jews, three opinions” goes the saying. As Jews we know all too well that those opinions sometimes burgeon, causing schisms, divisions and controversies that have shaped Jewish history and colored our contemporary Jewish society. This course, which will focus on the most contentious and divisive eras in Jewish history, is sure to catch your attention, as the passion of Jewish “family feuds” take center stage.

“Two Jews, three opinions” goes the saying. As Jews we know all too well that those opinions sometimes burgeon, causing schisms, divisions and controversies that have shaped Jewish history and colored our contemporary Jewish society. This course, which will focus on the most contentious and divisive eras in Jewish history, is sure to catch your attention, as the passion of Jewish “family feuds” take center stage.

ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF ALLENTOWN. $100 PER COURSE.

To register now, call 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/yachad

10 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

WRITINGS FROM THE

CLERGY

RABBI DANIEL STEIN Bnai Abraham Synagogue By now, many of you have read about the Pew Research Forum’s study of Jewish Americans. It showed, among other things, tremendous decline in Conservative communities and, to a lesser extent, growth in Orthodox Judaism. It also showed that many Jews leaving the Conservative movement ultimately affiliate with the Reform movement, while a large group chooses not to affiliate at all. Very few migrate towards Orthodoxy.

Scholars have focused on different causes for this trend: Perhaps we have not sent our young people to camp, or provided them with an adequate Jewish education. Perhaps we do not fund teen experiences, and our society as a whole is too liberal to appreciate the value of religious tradition.

In the year since the

New path for survival open publication of the Pew study, though, I’ve been drawn to a different hypothesis: Perhaps the reason we are not attracting new families to Conservative communities is our pervasive failure to address and wholeheartedly welcome interfaith families into our communities.

Today — at least theoretically — Conservative Judaism is based on a particular approach to halacha (Jewish law). Our “official” belief is that to be a “good” Conservative Jew, one must follow Jewish law as interpreted by the Rabbinical Assembly and its affiliated organizations. Practically, though, Conservative Judaism in America means something else: American Conservative Judaism values a serious and engaged appreciation of aspects of Jewish tradition, if not a complete fidelity to Jewish law. We value Hebrew. We value Shabbat. We value kashrut.

I could think of more, but to my mind, these values are the essential truths of Conservative Judaism. Over the years, we’ve added to them. Today, Conservative Judaism values gender egalitarianism — women and men are considered equals in our communities. Increasingly, we’ve added inclusion of LGBTQ Jews as a central value. If we are to survive the massive shifts in Jewish identity, I believe we have to add another central value: engaged openness to interfaith marriage.

To some extent, this change has been forced upon us: Today, the majority of married Jews are in interfaith marriages. While we could bemoan this reality

— as many Jewish intellectuals continue to do — this only serves to alienate couples while validating their worst feelings toward Judaism. Instead, we must challenge ourselves to celebrate every family that has the potential to foster a Jewish home and support them as they struggle to understand their identity.

While this will necessarily change Judaism, it does not mean that Judaism will be harmed. As we explore Judaism’s transformation, perhaps we will discover a new path for its survival.

A few years ago, I heard a fascinating interview with Sarah Kay, a young poet who identifies as a Jewish–American–Japanese– Episcopalian. Here’s the quote that made my ears perk up: "My mother is JapaneseAmerican, so the Japanese side is pretty far back. I'm third or fourth generation. So more than the Japanese culture, it's more the Japanese-American culture, which is definitely its own thing … My grandmother on my mom's side was interned during World War II, and my father's family is Jewish. I was bat mitzvahed. I was baptized in the Episcopal Church.

I just got back from my family's Passover, Easter, seder dinner, which was wonderful wherein we had matzo ball soup filled with Japanese noodles and all kinds of great Japanese additions."

I don’t know about you, but I find her life and story fascinating.

It is so different from my own, and my Judaism is challenged and enriched by knowing it. I want people like her to feel welcome in our community; perhaps you do as well.

AZERBAIJAN & ISRAEL:

A Unique Partnership in a Strange World

Sunday, January 11, 2015 10:15 a.m., Temple Beth El

Join us for brunch and a conversation with Rauf Mammadov, the U.S. representative of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic, Israel’s largest energy partner and its closest ally in the Muslim world Free and open to everyone. RSVP by January 7 to 610-821-5500 or aaron@jflv.org.

Sponsored by the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and Temple Beth El

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HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 11

‘Traces’ of past bring connections, renewed wonder

From left, the Ebert family's paper factory today; during WWII, the family of a current LV resident was forced to sell at great loss and the building converted into a concentration camp. An interior view under its new use as a Holocaust museum and art gallery. Rachael Schimmoller places one of her works for her art exhibit, "Traces." while witnessing the destruction of the large and vibrant Jewish community in Worms, looked at Miriam, her new Jewish granddaughter, and remembered the insanity of Nazi Germany.

But what about the grandfather? Friedrich Schuch had died in 1950 at the age of 34. Brian knew nothing about his grandfather’s life.

There was a room in the big old house in Worms that the Schimmoller children had never been allowed to explore. When “the Omi” died just six years ago, the room was opened. It turned out to be just an office, but everyone was astonished by what it contained. They found a large stash of documents and letters, some official, and some personal. Mainly they revealed correspondences with two families, the Mayers and the Eberts, and dated from around 1946.

Frederich Schuch, in his early years, had worked as an apprentice in the Mayer family paper business. I have read the translation of some of those letters that went back and forth from Germany to the U.S, and I was struck by the trust and affection between Paul Mayer and the young apprentice Schuch.

The correspondence with the Ebert family was through Arthur Ebert, son of Ludwig Ebert, also in the paper business. The Ebert paper factory was in nearby Osthofen. In the early ‘30s, their building was taken over and used as a concentration camp. During that time,

By Judy Aronson Special to HAKOL A musty office in an old house in Germany. A pile of letters. A young factory apprentice. Such were the elements of a mystery that grew to involve not only my own family but someone else right here in the Lehigh Valley. As a result, this past September my granddaughter, Rachael Schimmoller, had a solo art exhibit entitled “Traces” in Osthofen, Germany, in an old paper factory which was, at the start of the second World War, used as a concentration camp, and is now a Holocaust museum.

It all came about because my daughter and son-inlaw, Miriam and Brian Schimmoller, began their marriage in Germany in 1986. Brian was educated through an ROTC scholarship and was working as a meteorologist in the Air Force. He had already spent many summers in Germany. Brian’s mother was raised in Worms, near where they were stationed, and his grandmother still lived in the old house that Brian had visited many times growing up.

During their year in Germany, Miriam and Brian often visited his grandmother. My husband Rich and I also met “the Omi,” as she was called. She spoke no English so we did not communicate, but we saw how she loved Miriam, whose photo was the only one on her mantelpiece. We believed that this woman, who had been a young mother

homosexuals, Gypsies, political enemies and Jews had been arrested and locked up in the camp. Ludwig Ebert himself had been held in the camp in 1933. Though the business continued in a nearby building, in 1937 they were forced by a sham contract to give up their business for a supposed sum of 50,000 German marks that never materialized.

Arthur and Henry Ebert escaped to the United States; Ludwig Ebert was killed in Auschwitz.

The correspondence revealed by the letters came about because in 1946, Schuch was asked by the local government to take over and reestablish the functioning of the Ebert paper factory. At some point in 1946, he began writing letters to both Paul Meyer, his former boss, and Arthur Ebert. The purpose of the letters was to help both of these Jewish families to get restitution. Ebert and Mayer gave Schuch power of attorney to enable him to file certain paperwork on their behalf.

Schuch continued his attempt to gain restitution for both Meyer and Ebert until his death in 1950. He was just 34 years old.

As my son-in-law Brian delved into the letters and documents, he decided to try to reach members of the Meyer and Ebert families who might be interested in what Traces Continues on page 13

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In Lugansk, an icy Ukraine winter tests a war-torn community

Traces

Continues from page 12 he had found. He and Miriam knew I would be fascinated by what they had learned so far, and they told me the names of the families they were trying to locate.

“Ebert? Why I know a woman by the name of Helen Ebert who recently moved to Bethlehem,” I said. I tried to resist calling her, since the possibility of a connection seemed so remote. But I called anyway. I could tell by the silence on the other end of the line when I asked, “Did anyone in your family own a paper factory?” that the answer was yes.

Yes, her father-in-law was Arthur, the son of Ludwig Ebert of Osthofen, Germany.

In one of his personal letters to Schuch, Arthur Ebert relayed the happy news that his son had become engaged to a beautiful young woman from Frankfurt. And of course, that beautiful young woman was Helen. Imagine!

Arthur Ebert’s happiness in welcoming Helen to his family was so strong that it came all the way to Bethlehem to find her!

A year later, the Schimmollers and the Eberts gathered for a Sunday brunch at our house.

It felt like a family reunion. We talked about the fathers in both the Ebert and the Schuch families who died so young. Rose, Brian’s mother, said she felt as if Helen could have been her sister.

Two years later, our granddaughter Rachael decided to start painting. She grew up in Austin, Texas, and in her childhood, she had never exhibited any artistic talent other than the ability to draw very, very small pictures. But in her second year of high school, she began drawing and painting almost as if possessed. She did not have any formal training until she went to college two years ago, but her painting was mature and deep. For a high school project, she wrote a brief story about finding the Eberts in Bethlehem, and she illustrated the story. She is now an art student at Cornell University.

Two years ago Brian had to go to Germany on business for his company, and his work brought him close to Osthofen. He took the

time to stop in on the museum that was once the Ebert Paper factory, hoping that the director would be interested in making a home for his grandfather’s documents. It turned out that a woman named Angelika in the museum that day, after telling her a brief rendition of his story, said that she knew his cousin who lived in the same town as she. This man, the cousin, was the son of Schuch’s sister. Brian’s mother had not seen this son of her father’s sister in 50 years.

Almost as an after-thought, Brian showed Angelika Rachael’s paintings that he carried in his iPod, the paintings that had been her high school project. The museum always had art exhibits, and Angelika thought Rachael’s work would be a worthy addition to one of their art shows. That summer, Rachael was housed near the museum and began to paint. The title of her work was “Traces.” She would depict the traces of the people who had worked and who had been held captive in the big factory.

The next summer she finished the project. In the end, she had almost 30 paintings, drawings and collages.

There’s a cadence to this story that reminds me of the songs we sing at Passover. It might go like this: Had Frederich Scuch not been a loyal employee and concerned about the Jewish plight, Had “the Omi” not kept the pile of documents for over 50 years, Had Miriam not married Brian, Had Brian not gone to his grandmother’s funeral, Had Brian not opened the office door, Had Brian not wondered about what the documents contained, Had he not told me the names of the paper factory owners, Had I not met Helen Ebert at a Hadassah meeting, Had I not asked Helen the question about the factory, Had Rachael not done a high school project, Had Brian not gone to Germany on business, Had Brian not stopped in on the museum in Osthofen, …

Had any single one of these moments been missed, the story could not have unfolded. I am grateful that life works in such mysterious ways.

CNAAN LIPHSHIZ

Two of Rachael's works, which illustrate stories her family uncovered; the work on the right shows prisoners being given food, though in reality inedible, for show in front of visitors.

Members of the Lugansk Jewish community standing in front of their synagogue's Torah ark, Dec. 11, 2014.

By Cnaan Liphshiz Jewish Telegraphic Agency LUGANSK, Ukraine -- In an unheated synagogue with no running water, a dozen Jews are trying to keep warm as temperatures here veer toward the single digits.

Not moving too much helps keep the warmth under their thick coats, they say, a technique developed as the group gathered at least once a week to maintain a sense of community in a city torn by ongoing conflict between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukrainian army.

“We usually stay for about two hours,” says Igor Leonidovich, the synagogue’s gabbai, or caretaker.

“We pray for peace. In this cold, two hours is enough.”

Half of Lugansk’s population of 425,000 has fled since July, when the fighting that claimed some 4,500 lives erupted in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

Among those who fled were two-thirds of the city’s nurses and doctors, according to the World Health Organization, rendering medical services almost nonexistent.

In early December, a psychiatric institution in the Lugansk suburb of Slavyanoserbsk reported that 50 of its patients died from cold and exhaustion. Like many parts of Lugansk and the surrounding area, the hospital had no electricity, heat or water.

About 2,000 Jews remain -- a

fifth of the Lugansk prewar community -- but even that determined group is struggling now that the winter cold has arrived.

“We stay because it’s our birthplace, our land,” says Leonidovich, who draws encouragement from the fact that fighting in Lugansk proper has largely died down in recent weeks after a truce went into effect in September.

“We don’t want to leave, but it’s getting harder to stay because of winter.”

As they face these hardships, Lugansk Jews have received assistance from international Jewish groups, including food from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, or JDC, and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, or IFCJ.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 13

Brith Sholom culinary adventure to Israel

CHANUKAH

By Rabbi Michael Singer Congregation Brith Sholom

Left, At Congregation Am Haskalah, from left, Elissa Wurf, Wilma Brucker, Rachel Zane, Ignacy Studzienko, Scott Berman, Liz Fear, Peter Foldes.

PHOTO BY YEVETTE HENDLER

Right, In the light of the first night’s candle during a service at Congregation Sons of Israel.

It is often said that, “the path to love leads through the stomach,” so prepare to fall in love with Israel by joining travelers from Congregation Brith Sholom for a unique culinary adventure in Israel from June 14 to 26 because the trip is open to the entire Jewish community of the Lehigh Valley.

From secret family recipes handed down to memories made at our holiday tables, food is both a necessity for survival and at the same time a deeply intimate and spiritual experience. Food reflects not only culture but a partnership between God, the land and human creativity.

On this trip to Israel, we will experience the biblical landscapes park at Neot Kedumim and learn about ancient agricultural society in Israel including this year’s

Shmita (seventh year sabbatical for the land). We will participate in the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony and hands on baking of ethnic breads and pastries. We will make chocolate and create works of art with marzipan, milk cows and goats, and see how cheese is made.

We will give back to Israel through working in a soup kitchen in Jerusalem, and glean for the hungry from Shmita fields.

This visit to Israel will include a trip down the ancient spice trail linking Africa, Asia and Europe; and dining on Kurdish, Moroccan, Argentinian and Yemenite feasts.

We will visit three renowned wineries (Tishbi, Katlav and Golan).

For the bigger picture, we will witness how Israel is at the forefront of environmental conservation and agricultural innovation by visiting Mekorot water company, Shafdan water recovery

plant, the Weizmann Institute and the hi-tech greenhouses of the Salad trail.

We will step back in Jewish history to both the Western Wall and Hezekiah’s water tunnels. We will tour the Israel Museum and then see the newly excavated City of David including King David’s palace.

It is an honor in this year in particular to be able to meet and share a meal with some of the men and women heroes of the IDF. We will elevate our hearts and souls with Shabbat in Jerusalem, read Torah at the Western Wall, and experience diverse communities adding their spiritual wealth to the Jewish religious landscape.

If your mouth is watering and your heart is yearning for Zion then call the Congregation Brith Sholom office at 610-866-8009.

This one-of-a-kind trip is not to be missed.

SOI Shabbaton to focus on inclusion of the disabled Left, Menorah lighting before the Phantoms game, PPL Center, Allentown, with assembled Jewish clergy.

PHOTO BY JUST SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

The agencies and synagogues are invited on an ongoing basis to submit articles of wide interest to the community to HAKOL, as well as articles that keep the community up to date on synagogue news. For additional details and policies, see page 2. For additional congregational news, see pages 28-29 of this issue.

By Rabbi David Wilensky Congregation Sons of Israel Have you ever thought about what it might be like to experience synagogue from a wheelchair?

What must shul be like for a person on the autism spectrum? For the hearing- or sight-impaired?

Yachad, The National Jewish Council for Disabilities, is a thriving global organization dedicated to addressing the needs of all Jewish individuals with disabilities and ensuring their inclusion in every aspect of Jewish life. The inclusive design aims to ensure persons with diverse abilities their rightful place within the Jewish community, while helping to educate and advocate to the Jewish world for a greater understand-

ing, acceptance, outreach and a pro-disability attitude.

On Jan. 16 to 17, Congregation Sons of Israel will host a Yachad Shabbaton. The Yachad participants and advisors will be hosted in homes within Allentown. The Yachad members will be participating in the tefilla (prayer) service by receiving aliyot and giving divrei torah in front of the shul, giving them the opportunity to participate in religious ceremonies with the community members.

One of the hallmark features of the Shabbaton is that meals are eaten together as a community, and Yachad members and community members will get together for socializing. Shabbat meals are typically filled with ruach (spirit), singing, dancing and Yachad tra-

ditions that encourage inclusion and the practice of social skills.

The Yachad Shabbaton will culminate with a communitywide Saturday night activity that allows Yachad members to engage in age-appropriate activities such as a magic show and concert.

Community members will be surprised at how impactful the Yachad Shabbaton experience can be. Also, many of the preconceived notions about individuals living with disabilities are often dispelled.

The Jewish community is invited to join Sons of Israel in embracing the Jews living with disabilities. To RSVP, please contact April Daugherty at the synagogue office by calling 610433-6089.

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HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 15

JEWISH SENIOR

JCC debuts PrimeTime senior programs Valley. PrimeTime will also host a monthly current events group. Yiddish Club will be returning to the JCC for the winter.

Jewish Senior Life Connection is proud to Participants can attend these as single introduce PrimeTime, an exciting new pro- activities, or they they can be grouped gramming division of the JCC of Allentown together to create a day of programming geared towards the 65 plus age group. at the JCC. For example, on Tuesdays one PrimeTime will engage Lehigh Valley can begin the day at 10 a.m. with “A Matresidents in various cultural, recreational, ter of Balance,” followed by a catered lunch social and educational activities both at the at 12 p.m., and then off to Yiddish Club.

JCC and throughout the Lehigh Valley. Di- Wednesdays can include PrimeTime with verse activities will cover a broad range of Clarence, Kosher lunch, and PrimeTime interests and levels of ability to enable this Games with tables for Mah Jongg, canasta, significant segment of our population to poker, or whatever game you desire. participate in the many offerings found in Lunch will be offered on Tuesdays and our community. The full PrimeTime sched- Wednesdays for a nominal fee. ule will begin this month.

Fridays are special for PrimeTime at the J will bring several PrimeTime at the J. Once new and invigorating exercise classes to a month, individuals over the JCC. There will be a walking club and age 65 can participate in the a low-impact exercise class with Clarence. “grandbuddies” program, The sport of pickle ball will also be coming which pairs the JCC’s vito the JCC. Pickle Ball is a craze that has brant Early Childhood Educabeen sweeping through retirement commu- tion students with a grandbuddy nities across the United States. We expect it to share challah, songs and the blessto be a hit here as well. ings of Shabbat and friendship. Select PrimeTime is also hosting an eight-week Fridays will also feature various educlass called “A Matter of Balance” through cational programs including lectures a partnership with the Allentown Health on trending topics and opportunities Bureau. This program will follow a nation- to explore the Gallery at the JCC with ally based curriculum and be taught by resident artists. trained facilitators. Participants will face And PrimeTime will travel. On their fear of falling while learning strateWednesday, March 4, PrimeTime is gogies to prevent falls and exercises to iming to the Philadelphia Flower Show. The prove balance. Educational classes such as bus will leave from Temple Covenant of this promote healthy and safe aging, which Peace, stop at the JCC and travel to the benefits the whole community.

Flower Show. The trip includes round trip PrimeTime will be more than just rectransportation, admission to the Flower reational activities. There are various Show, and kosher wine and snacks on the programs designed to be both social and way home. Seats will go fast, so those ineducational. Mitzvah Knitters will convene terested are encouraged to sign up early. in February to knit or crotchet blankets This is the first of many trips that Primefor distribution to shelters throughout the Time has planned.

By Melissa Hakim JCC Senior Services Coordinator

What is Jewish Senior Life Connection?

Jewish Senior Life Connection is a joint initiative of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley and the Jewish Community Center of Allentown, in partnership with other local Jewish organizations, that strives to meet the needs of a growing senior population in the Jewish Lehigh Valley.

16 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

PrimeTime is thrilled to offer this broad range of programs. We are confident that adults over age 65 will find something to their liking. Register for all PrimeTime events at the JCC Welcome Desk or online through the JCC website, www. allentownjcc.org. Contact Melissa Hakim at mhakim@lvjcc.org or 610-435-3571 to learn more. There is no better time than PrimeTime.

Friendship Circle to include access to PrimeTime at the J Friendship Circle has been popular with active seniors in the Lehigh Valley for decades, and now will become a vital part of Monday programming for adults over age 65 alongside PrimeTime at the J. Friendship Circle members pay an annual fee of $25, which includes two special luncheons. Weekly lunches and programs from September through May are $6 for members or $10 for guests and span the range of interests from table games to musical guests, and current events to fashion

shows.

Members are also eligible to participate in PrimeTime at the J offerings, which will include trips, sports and classes on other days of the week beginning this month.

Member Steecia Kofsky waxed poetic in writing of Friendship Circle: “Wishing you all a Happy New Year from many new friends you’re sure to meet here.” Interested participants should call 610-395-6282 with questions about membership or future programs.

LIFE CONNECTION

Synagogues also offer programs of interest

By Carah Tenzer JFLV Senior Services Planning Consultant January in the Lehigh Valley is a great time to heat things up. When you think about turning up the thermostat at home, or a hot bowl of soup at lunch, think about the following winter programs that kick off in January all around the Valley.

Temple Covenant of Peace hosts a book club, Torah study classes, and is the spiritual home to some of the Valley’s finest knitters. The temple also hosts Duplicate Bridge every Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., with lunch and snacks provided to fuel competitive play.

Congregation Brith Sholom is a beautiful synagogue in Bethlehem with a rich history and a vibrant membership. For years, they have hosted the Simcha Club, a quarterly meeting of friendship, music and a celebrated smorgasbord of kosher cold cuts. The next Simcha Club meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 19, at 12 p.m..

Congregation Am Haskalah shares the space, and

offers a monthly spiritual writing workshop.

Congregation Sons of Israel will screen three episodes of “Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jewish People in the 20th Century” at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays Jan. 7, 14 and 21 for those who enjoy documentary films. For those who would like to participate in a Shabbat morning service but feel a little rusty, Temple Beth El offers a guided prayer service at 10 a.m. on Jan. 10.

Remember that ArtsQuest, Banana Factory, the State Theater, Miller Symphony Hall, the Allentown Art Museum and Lehigh Valley Active Life also host several intriguing programs every month.

If you know someone who would like to heat up their days this winter but lacks transportation to attend a program or event, please contact Rebecca Axelrod-Cooper at Jewish Family Service about The GO Program at 610-821-8722.

JANUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS SUN JEWISH WAR VETERANS

Jan. 11 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

JCC of Allentown

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

WALKING CLUB

A MATTER OF BALANCE

PRIMETIME WITH CLARENCE

BOOK CLUB

AQUA ARTHRITIS

Jan. 5 to Mar. 30 9 to 10 a.m.

JCC of Allentown Free for JCC members, $18 for non-members for full session.

AQUA ARTHRITIS Jan. 5 to Mar. 26 10 to 11 a.m.

JCC of Allentown Free for JCC members, $10 per class for non-members.

FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

JCC of Allentown Annual dues are $25. Weekly meetings and lunch are $6.

JEWISH SENIOR LIFE CONNECTION IS NOW ONLINE. For more, including a full event calendar, visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/seniors.

Jan. 20 to Mar. 10 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

JCC of Allentown Eight-week free course by the Allentown Health Bureau.

BRIDGE CLUB

11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Temple Covenant of Peace Snacks and a light lunch are served. Cost is $7.

KOSHER LUNCH Jan. 6 to Feb. 24 12 to 1 p.m.

JCC of Allentown $5 per person.

YIDDISH CLUB

Jan. 6 to Mar. 31 1:30 to 3 p.m.

JCC of Allentown

Jan. 7 to Apr. 1 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.

JCC of Allentown

KOSHER LUNCH Jan. 7 to Apr. 1 12 to 1:30 p.m. $3 for lunch.

PICKLEBALL

Jan. 7 to Apr. 1 1 to 2 p.m.

JCC of Allentown Free for JCC members, $18 for non-members for full session.

PRIMETIME GAMES

1:30 to 3 p.m.

JCC of Allentown

WINTER FILM SERIES Jan. 7, 14, 21 7 p.m.

Congregation Sons of Israel

Jan. 8 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Temple Covenant of Peace

CURRENT EVENTS

Jan. 15 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

JCC of Allentown

MITZVAH KNITTERS

Feb. 5 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

JCC of Allentown

PICKLEBALL

Jan. 8 to Apr. 2 1 to 2 p.m.

JCC of Allentown Free for JCC members, $18 for non-members for full session.

Jan. 2 to Mar. 30, 10 to 11 a.m.

JCC of Allentown Free for JCC members, $10 per class for non-members.

GRANDBUDDIES AT THE J Jan. 16 10:45 to 1 p.m.

JCC of Allentown Join the JCC Kindergarten for a Shabbat celebration. $5 per person.

LUNCH & LECTURE

Jan. 30 12 to 1:30 p.m.

JCC of Allentown “Oy Vey, I am Never Going to Need Care So Why Should I Plan for It?”

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 17

JDS SCENE

61st Annual JDS Gala

18 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

YOAV - LEHIGH VALLEY

Roots

&wings

JDS

ALUMNI PROFILES

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 19

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By Robert Gluck JNS.org The 75th anniversary of the premiere of “Gone with the Wind” this past Dec. 15 presents an opportunity to examine the Jewish influence on one of the most popular films of all time. That influence starts with the American Civil War epic’s famed producer, David O. Selznick.

Adjusted for inflation, “Gone with the Wind” remains the highest-grossing movie ever made. It earned the 1939 Academy Award for Best Picture, the same honor another Selznick film, “Rebecca,” garnered in 1940. Selznick was born in 1902 to a Jewish family in Pittsburgh.

He worked as an apprentice to his father Lewis, a silent film distributor, until 1923, when Lewis declared bankruptcy.

That event may have had something to do with Selznick’s fear of failure—a fear that propelled him toward success.

David Thomson, author of the 1993 book “Showman: The Life of David O. Selznick,” believes Selznick had the most interesting career path of the legendary movie producers because he began in the studio system, went independent, and experienced both success and failure.

“Dramatically, Selznick was a great story,” Thomson told JNS.org. “His memos showed that he was an extraordinary character. He was smart, egotistical, funny and involved in all aspects of filmmaking.”

According to Thomson, Selznick did not observe Judaism in any obvious ways. Yet Selznick’s Jewish upbringing did influence his sense of storytelling and character development, especially for female characters like “Gone with the Wind” protagonist Scarlett O’Hara. According to Thomson, it started with Selznick being part of the group of Eastern European immigrants and their descendants who came from poor backgrounds, but later became wealthy and successful in the film industry.

“They had been very nervous of there being an anti-Semitic reaction to their success and to the film business,” Thomson said of Jewish film industry giants like Selznick. “In the early days of the movies, there was a lot of talk from other churches, academia and government to the effect that the movies were dragging young people down a dark and wrong path. They were nervous about having it identified as a Jewish operation. Not many of them made a big point of stressing Jewishness and certainly did not like to deal with what you might call Jewish subjects. That said, there is David’s sense of family and of storytelling, which were two great passions in his life.

I don’t think you can separate those from a Jewish upbringing and background.”

Selznick’s father made a

practice of reading to him as a boy, something the producer routinely described as having had a potent influence on his life, according to Thomson.

“He was very conscious of family, and he loved books and writers and the classics,” said Thomson. “With all of that generation, family meant a great deal to them. ‘Gone with the Wind’ is very much about a woman (Scarlett O’Hara) standing up and guarding the home, surviving the war and being an active person. To David, that was something that came from his mother. David was interested in feminine psychology, and I think that comes from his background.”

Adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prizewinning 1936 novel, “Gone with the Wind” is set in the 19th century American South and tells the story of O’Hara, the strong-willed daughter of a Georgia plantation owner, from her romantic pursuit of Ashley Wilkes to her marriage to blockade runner Rhett Butler.

Told from the perspective of white Southerners, the story unfolds against the backdrop of the American Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction era.

The movie premiered on Dec. 15, 1939, in Atlanta.

British actor Leslie Howard, who portrayed Ashley Wilkes in the film, was a Hungarian Jew. Born Leslie Howard Steiner, he is best known as an actor, but he was also active in anti-German propaganda and was supposedly involved with British or Allied intelligence. In 1943, an airliner on which Howard was a passenger was shot down over the Bay of Biscay, sparking conspiracy theories regarding the actor’s death.

“It is always said that the plane [Howard] went down on was attacked because people knew he was on it,” Thomson said. “I’m not sure how true

WWW.DOCTORMACRO.COM

As ‘Gone with the Wind’ turns 75, examining the Jewish influence on an epic film

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in "Gone with the Wind."

that is. Still, he’s an interesting figure.”

Additional Jewish influence on “Gone with the Wind” can be traced to George Cukor, the film’s original director, who was fired and replaced

by Victor Fleming. Although Cukor did not work on the film through its completion, his Jewish upbringing may have impacted the movie in its depiction of strong women. Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to Hungarian Jewish immigrants, Cukor got his big break when Selznick assigned him to direct several major films of the RKO Pictures production company.

“Cukor became famous for his direction of actresses and female parts,” Thomson said.

“He had a special understanding of women. He worked

privately with [‘Gone with the Wind’ actresses] Vivien Leigh and Olivia de Havilland even after he had been replaced by Fleming.”

Though Selznick was known as “an arrogant manipulator, a megalomaniac hooked on Benzedrine, and a brash charmer,” the producer had noble goals, Thomson said.

“Selznick believed he was pursuing perfection as a noble aim neglected by Hollywood,” he said. “He certainly believed the standard and quality of movies needed to be improved.

Hollywood would sometimes buy a book for its title or fame and be casual about what they did with it. [Selznick] believed in trusting the book. This mattered to him a great deal, and he was concerned to have Margaret Mitchell’s approval

[to make ‘Gone with the Wind’ into a movie]. When Mitchell came to the premiere, she told David she liked the film.”

Though some contemporary critics consider Mitchell’s book a bit dated, especially in its treatment of slaves and slave owners, Thomson said “Gone with the Wind” is much more than a story about slavery—at its heart, an unflinching look at the costs of war.

“It’s important to remember that one of the reasons audiences were moved by that film when they saw it in late 1939 was exactly that they knew world war was coming,” Thomson said. “The damage caused by war was a very important message. ‘Gone with the Wind’ had as great an impact on the world as any film has ever had.”

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 23

January Dinner

BY SANDI TEPLITZ

Halibut Soufflé INGREDIENTS: 2 c milk, heated until warm 2 dashes black pepper 2 T unsalted butter, melted 1/2 c Panko bread crumbs 2 T unbleached flour 2 c cooked halibut, flaked 1 t salt 3 yolks, beaten 1 t celery salt 3 whites, beaten until stiff TECHNIQUE: In a sauté pan, add flour to butter and stir until blended.

Add milk; cook until thick. Add seasonings and bread crumbs; cook for two minutes, then remove from heat. Add fish and yolks.

Fold in whites; pour into buttered Pyrex dish. Bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve with sautéed mixed mushrooms on top.

Cucumber Salad INGREDIENTS: 3 cucumbers, peeled and 2 T ice water sliced very thin 1 T sugar (or more to taste) 2 t salt 1 dash pepper 1/2 c apple cider vinegar 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced TECHNIQUE: In a bowl, sprinkle cukes with salt; set aside for 1/2 hour, until they “weep.”

Drain well. Mix in remaining ingredients; chill overnight, covered. Serve cold.

Alan Gross released amid major US-Cuba reforms Jewish Telegraphic Agency The Obama administration announced the release of Alan Gross amidst sweeping changes in Cuba-U.S. ties, including a return to full diplomatic relations.

Gross, a Jewish American contractor, was released Dec. 17 and flew to Washington with his wife, Judy, where he was met by U.S. lawmakers who advocated for his release.

The American Jewish federations, including the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, were active in encouraging elected officials to intervene on Gross’s behalf.

Separately from Gross’s release, the United States and Cuba are exchanging the three members of the “Cuban Five” Floridabased spy ring who were still in prison, and a spy for the United States who had been incarcerated for 20 years and whose identity remains a secret.

Obama administration officials, speaking on background, insisted that Gross was not part

of the exchange; in fact, Gross’s imprisonment held up changes to the U.S.-Cuba relationship Obama had intended on initiating years ago, they said.

“We believe that Alan was wrongfully imprisoned and overjoyed that Alan will be reunited with his family in this holiday season of Hannukah,” a senior administration official said in a conference call with reporters.

The call outlined sweeping changes, including full diplomatic relations at the embassy level and a loosening of trade and travel restrictions. Republicans who have opposed easing the Cuba embargo immediately blasted the deal. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), himself born to Cuban parents, told Fox News Network that President Obama was “the worst negotiator since at least Jimmy Carter, and maybe in the history of this country.”

Many Jewish groups welcomed the deal, however, and noted the political difficulties it must have created for the Obama

administration.

“We know the decision to release the Cuban three was not an easy one,” the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said in a statement. “We appreciate the efforts of President Obama and Vice President Biden in bringing this about.”

Gross was arrested in 2009 after setting up Internet access for the Cuban Jewish community while working as a contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development. He recently marked the completion of his fifth year in prison.

Gross, 65, of Potomac, Maryland., reportedly is in ill health and has lost more than 100 pounds since his incarceration and has suffered from painful arthritis.

The senior administration official who spoke to reporters said the Vatican played a key role in negotiating the deal, in part through Pope Francis’ pleas to Cuba to release Gross as a humanitarian gesture.

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In new Israeli elections, security issues returning to fore

By Ben Sales Jewish Telegraphic Agency During the last election campaign in 2012, Israelis seemed to tire of the existential issues that have plagued the country for decades. Barely anyone talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Long-simmering social tensions over the rising cost of living and the economic burdens of the underemployed haredi Orthodox community were going to finally get their due.

The Knesset’s arrivistes -- former television personality Yair Lapid and technology millionaire Naftali Bennett -- swept into government by championing

24 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

middle-class concerns. As members of the coalition, Bennett's Jewish Home party and Lapid's Yesh Atid worked on a number of social and economic initiatives, including efforts to lower dairy prices and curb growing housing costs.

Though Jewish Home vehemently opposed Palestinian statehood and Yesh Atid supported it, both agreed that haredi Orthodox men should be drafted into the army and integrated into the workforce.

Less than two years later, the partnership has broken up over the very issues that the parties had downplayed. Bickering over peace talks began in the spring and the shouts grew only louder after this summer’s war with Hamas. The recent crisis in American-Israeli relations further fanned the flames.

The rifts came to a head in late November with the Cabinet's adoption of the so-called nation-state law – a measure to enshrine Israel's Jewish character into law. Bennett supported the bill, while Lapid, the finance minister, and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni were opposed.

In announcing on Dec. 2 that the coalition had faltered, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited three areas of disagreement: building in eastern Jerusalem, demanding Palestinian recognition of Israel’s Jewish character and maintaining a strong stance against Iran.

Netanyahu also singled out Lapid and Livni for their criticism of government policy after firing them from their Cabinet posts. The next government, the prime minister vowed, would be like the previous one – a stable coalition of hawkish, conservative parties.

Following the collapse of peace negotiations, the kidnapping and murder of three teenagers in June, the 50-day war in Gaza over the summer and the recent violence in Jerusalem – including the killing of four Jewish worshippers and a Druze policeman at a Jerusalem synagogue in November – politicians are focusing again on the issues that have always preoccupied them.

Elections are now scheduled for

March 17.

"The 2013 campaign was after relatively quiet years," said Tal Schneider, author of the respected political website Plog. "Israel is not used to having such a length of time without any terror attacks. We're back to normal, [but] last time it wasn't on the agenda."

Recent polls predict the elections will be good for parties on the far left and right that have made the Palestinian conflict their principal issue.

Meanwhile, Likud’s historic chief rival, the left-wing Labor party, has returned to its dovish roots, electing as chairman Isaac Herzog, a former corporate lawyer who strongly supports peace talks with the Palestinians.

Herzog replaced Shelly Yachimovich, an assertive former journalist who stayed all but silent on the Palestinian issue in the 2012 elections.

And that shared agenda of integrating haredim into the army and workforce? The realities of parliamentary politics may make that a thing of the past.

If he wins again in March, Netanyahu has vowed to ally again with haredi parties who seek to roll back the law passed earlier this year requiring some haredi men to serve in the army.

Even a left-wing government would likely need haredi support to form a parliamentary majority.

Israelis, of course, still care about housing prices that have soared 80 percent since 2007 and growing income inequality. An as yet unnamed party founded to address those concerns, headed by former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon, is expected to draw plenty of votes.

But Israelis aren’t pitching tents on the street to protest economic policy as they did in 2011.

This year, they have massed to support soldiers fighting in Gaza, pray for the kidnapped teens, oppose the nation-state law and protest the torching of a Jewish-Arab school.

“People vote by security," Schneider said. "They may say in the polls that they're more into the housing crisis, but it's really never about the economy."

Israeli film nominated for Golden Globe

Jewish Telegraphic Agency An Israeli film that scrutinizes Israel’s divorce laws was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best foreign language film.

The selection of “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem,” by the brother and sister team of Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz, was announced on Dec. 11 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The film, which stars Ronit Elkabetz in the title role, follows

an Israeli woman in her five-year quest to obtain a Jewish legal divorce, or get, from her husband through the Israeli rabbinical court system. The husband’s persistent refusal leaves her stranded in legal limbo, since Jewish law dictates that he must consent to release her from the marriage.

The film is the third in a trilogy by the sibling writers and directors following the 2004 film “To Take a Wife” and 2008’s “Shiva,” which focused on the

same protagonists.

According to Variety, the movie’s success has spurred a movement to change the divorce laws depicted in the movie, which can leave women at the mercy of uncooperative husbands.

Variety reported that the administration of rabbinical courts in Israel planned to screen the movie at the annual meeting of the country’s rabbinical judges in February.

“We wrote Vivian’s story based on the very simple fact that still today in Israel a woman must get her husband’s consent if she wants a divorce,” said Ronit Elkabetz in response to the nomination, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I am happy and proud that we have brought Vivian’s voice and struggle for freedom to the world. The film asks that women be allowed to live their lives with dignity and basic human rights.”

Also nominated in the category and getting early critical acclaim is Russia’s “Leviathan,” which draws on the Book of Job to depict a simple Russian worker who struggles against the repression of a corrupt regime.

The two other films nominated are Sweden’s “Force Majeure” and Estonia’s “Tangerines.” The winner will be announced on Jan. 11.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will not announce its nominees until Jan. 15, but it has already released a preliminary list of 10 short films selected from among 141 entries in the category.

Oil spill near Eilat called one of Israel’s worst environmental disasters

Map of Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline Jewish Telegraphic Agency An oil spill from a pipeline into a desert nature reserve near Eilat is being called one of Israel’s worst environmental disasters.

The Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline ruptured during the night of Dec. 3 next to the Evrona reserve on the border with Jordan. The break occurred during maintenance work on the pipeline that runs between the Mediterranean and Red seas, according to reports citing a preliminary investigation.

More than 80 people were treated for respiratory problems due to the spill, mostly over the border in Jordan. Three Israelis were hospitalized for inhaling toxic fumes.

Figures released by Israel’s

Environmental Protection Ministry indicated that 5 million liters of crude oil spilled from a damaged Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company pipeline, the Times of Israel reported. Original estimates from the Environment Protection Agency had set the amount of crude oil spilled at thousands of gallons.

“Rehabilitation will take months, if not years,” Guy Samet, the director of the southern region for the Environmental Protection Ministry, told Israel Radio. “This is one of the State of Israel’s most serious pollution events. We are still having trouble gauging the full extent of the contamination.”

The environmental ministry further expressed concern that heavy rainfall and flooding predicted for later this week will spread the oil pollutants to additional areas in southern Israel and possibly into the Gulf of Eilat, whose protected coral reefs are at risk of major damage.

The spill already has damaged the Evrona nature reserve in the Arava Desert.

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira ordered an immediate investigation into the disaster, and the environmental ministry ordered the pipeline company to stop operating the line until it receives a new permit.

Meanwhile, an Eilat resident filed a class action lawsuit for $95.5 million in the Tel Aviv District Court against the pipeline company, accusing it of environmental damage and negligence.

Highway 90, the main road into the resort town of Eilat, was closed in both directions for about 30 miles as emergency teams worked to stanch the flow of oil.

storytime

Brought to you by PJ Library

Stories Songs Children’s activities Bring the kids to the Jewish Federation’s annual phone-a-thon for a free PJ Library program with Rabbi Daniel Stein.

DATE: Sunday, January 25, 2015 TIME: 10:30 a.m.

LOCATION: JCC of Allentown 702 N. 22nd St., Allentown, PA 18104 To RSVP, e-mail abbyt@jflv.org.

PJ Library is brought to you by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, the Jewish Community Center of Allentown and the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley, in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Parents

To volunteer at Super Sunday, call 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 25

COURTESY OF BELA FARM

‘Jewish Food Movement’ comes of age

Tamar Yunger—acting executive director of Bela Farm, a Jewish farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario, Canada—works at the farm in front of the scaffold for what has become a structure called “Dinah’s Tent.” Sustainable agriculture is gaining increased prominence in the Jewish community thanks to the growth of the Jewish Food Movement.

By Michele Alperin JNS.org In December 2007, leaders of the Hazon nonprofit drafted seven-year goals for what they coined as the “Jewish Food Movement,” which has since been characterized by the in-creased prioritization of healthy eating, sustainable agriculture, and food-related activism in the Jewish community. What do the next seven years hold in store?

“One thing I would like to see happen in the next seven years is [regarding] the issue of sugar, soda, and obesity, [seeing] what would it be like to rally the Jewish community to take on this issue and do something about it,” said Nigel Savage, Hazon’s founder and president. Additionally, Savage predicts that Jewish food festivals “will grow the way Jewish film festivals grew” and a generation from now “will be some of the biggest events

in American Jewish life.”

Savage noted that so far, the Jewish Food Movement has bolstered initiatives and trends including Jewish community supported agriculture (CSA), Jewish educational farms, Jewish food education as a discrete discipline, a Jewish working group on the U.S. Farm Bill, new ethical practices in the kosher meat business, and serious consideration of what observance of the sabbatical (Shmita) year might mean.

“Look at the people [involved]: they are literally kids to 80-somethings, Orthodox rabbis, hippies, and people not involved in Jewish life,” he said. “Food is capable of separating people and also capable of bringing us together.”

Leah Koenig, author of “The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook: Daily Meals for the Con-temporary Jewish Kitchen,” defines the Jewish Food Movement as “the place where Jew-ish values and contemporary food ethics merge.”

“In recent years food has been a rallying focal point where the environmental and justice movements intersect,” she said, adding that because Judaism has a rich agricultural history, “the connections feel exciting to make because they come from a place of authenticity.”

Parlez-vous Français?

During intimate gatherings of local Jewish French speakers, talks range from the light-hearted to more serious concerns for French Jews.

By Alice Level Special to HAKOL If you like France and the French language, you might be interested in joining our new French club. I know what you’re thinking: “Now, this could be fun, I loved speaking French some – years ago, but, I don’t know, I will probably be ridiculous because I haven’t spoken in years and everybody will speak fluent French except me.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Come join us for lunch, and we’ll all do our best to speak French and, just as importantly, discuss what’s happening in France.

Our French club was created about a year ago when some friends realized that in addition to appreciating each other’s company, they all had some French in common. Some are French natives (not too many, don’t worry), some were born in a French-speaking country but have lived in the U.S. since their childhood, some spent some years in Quebec, and some just studied French

in high school … a long time ago. We are all Jewish, but from very different backgrounds and with very different stories.

It doesn’t matter to us. We meet once a month, either at someone’s house or in a restaurant, and we just talk. Mostly we speak French (at least we try), but if someone isn’t feeling comfortable expressing an idea in French, we switch to English as easily. We talk about anything French of course (movies that we could watch together, songs and French artists, travels, politics, etc…), but really we just like to learn from each other and enjoy a nice lunch together.

By now you should feel less intimidated; at least, I hope so. If joining us to meet a few new friends would appeal to you, please contact us to know more about us and our next meeting.

A BIENTÔT For more information about the French Club, contact Alice Level at alice.level@ verizon.net.

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Jewish Telegraphic Agency The French parliament’s lower house passed a nonbinding motion that encourages the government to recognize Palestinian statehood without delay.

In the Dec. 2 vote, 339 National Assembly lawmakers supported the motion submitted last month by lawmakers from the ruling Socialist Party and 151 opposed it, the news website of the Europe1 radio station reported.

The motion “invites the French government to use the recognition of the state of Palestine as an instrument to bring about a definitive resolution of the conflict.” The text calls for Jerusalem to be the Palestinian state’s capital, as well as Israel’s. It further calls on the government to act “urgently” on the matter.

Several hundred protesters, most of them Jewish, demonstrated outside the National Assembly against the motion. It was the third demonstration staged there against the motion; the CRIF Jewish umbrella federation warned that protests risked worsening France’s anti-Semitism problem.

In a statement following the vote, Israel’s embassy in Paris said, “Israel considers the vote to be an error that sends the wrong message to the peoples of the [Middle East] region. Israel underlines the fact that the consistent policy of the French government remains unchanged: Only a negotiated solution

will terminate the conflict.”

European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor said the vote was detrimental to efforts to jump-start peace talks.

“Lawmakers who support Palestinian statehood outside of a negotiated solution between the parties are merely putting wind into the sails of Palestinian rejectionism and extremism, which is leading directly to greater violence against Israelis,” Kantor said in a statement.

The leaders of JCall, the dovish European counterpart of J Street, said they welcomed Palestinian recognition.

Citing the “slow deterioration of the situation and of the announced collapse [of peace talks] which would put an end to the Zionist project,” JCall leaders wrote in a statement that they “decided to support the action taken

by Palestinians to gain the recognition of their state.”

A similar debate in Australia on Dec. 1, timed to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People, was adjourned; no resolution was passed.

The French lawmakers’ move puts them among a growing number of European countries that have passed non-binding resolutions in recognition of Palestine, including Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Britain and Ireland. The European Parliament will vote in the coming weeks on the recognition of a Palestinian state.

CNAAN LIPHSHIZ

French parliament passes symbolic motion recognizing Palestine

In the Paris suburb of Sarcelles, pro-Palestinian rioters broke shop windows and set fires on July 20, 2014.

U.S., France secure $60 million for survivors of rail deportations

By Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States and France have tentatively arrived at a $60 million lump sum agreement to settle claims by survivors deported to Nazi camps via the French rail system.

The agreement, announced Dec. 5 in a conference call with reporters by Stuart Eizenstat, the State Department’s envoy on Holocaust compensation issues, still needs to be ratified by the French legislature.

The SNCF, which is owned by the French government, transported Jews to the death camps during the Holocaust.

The agreement redresses longstanding claims by survivors who were otherwise unable to obtain reparations limited to French nationals through the French pension system.

The agreement will guarantee France “and its instrumentalities” like SNCF “legal peace,” or freedom from legal actions. SNCF has until now used diplomatic immunities to resist lawsuits brought by American survivors.

The French embassy in Washington said in an email to JTA that the agreement reflected the closeness of U.S.-French ties and pledged that those seeking compensation would be unburdened by bureaucracy.

“Both sides will do ev-

erything possible to ensure that compensation is paid as quickly as possible and with as few formalities as possible,” a spokesman said.

The fund, with moneys from France but administered by the U.S. government, will be available to non-French nationals who are citizens of the United States and any other country that does not have a bilateral reparations agreement with France. (Belgium, Poland, Britain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are subject to such agreements.)

Funds will also be available to their surviving spouses, and – in what Eizenstat said was unprecedented in the history of reparations – to the estates of survivors.

A fact sheet estimated that “several thousand” claims will be eligible. It said that survivors will likely be entitled to over $100,000 each, their widowed spouses to amounts in the tens of thousands of dollars and estates would be assessed according to how long the survivor lived after the war; because it is a pension plan, the longer one survived, the more the estate would receive.

Under the agreement, SNCF, separately, will reissue a statement of “sorrow and regret” for its role in the deportations, and will contribute $4 million to Holocaust education and commemoration in the United States and in France and Israel, Eizenstat said.

Additionally, the U.S. government will issue guidelines to people who were orphaned by the deportations to apply for separate compensation available to them under French laws since 2000.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 27

‘Tween outings and Hebrew additions at Shirat Shalom

By Cantor Ellen Sussman Temple Shirat Shalom There is so much happening at Temple Shirat Shalom. We have begun some very exciting programs. We are small yet enthusiastic and, because of our size, we are able to be directly responsive to the needs of our religious school students and congregants.

Anyone who has worked with middle school children understands their need for action; they need to be released from just sitting and to engage in hands-on learning.

For that reason, we have taken them on trips to Jewish sites right here in the Lehigh Valley. They have been to a Jewish cemetery, a funeral home and to the grocery store on a scavenger hunt looking for kosher food. The students were engaged and looked forward to other outings. After the secular New Year we will be taking them to the mikvah, plays and movies. I am happy to report our ‘tweens are attending Sunday school without too many complaints. I find that to be a resounding success.

Also because of our size, we have been able to have a number of school-wide events.

For Sukkot, the children were invited to my home sukkah. We had an experiential event teaching our children about Sukkot and our tradition. When we had a debriefing we were all gratified about how much our y’ladim – children – retained. They learned about Sukkot and our tradition in a fun way. For

Chanukah, we had a school-wide party at the JCC, our Sunday school home. We played games, ran around and ate sufganiyot. All this to teach the beauty and wonder of Judaism and to create life-long Jewish learners.

In the beginning of the school year, we had a parent-teacher meeting to discuss the thoughts of our parents. They were very happy with our school but would like to add modern Hebrew to our curriculum.

I teach Hebrew to our students with the purpose of decoding Hebrew and prayer fluency. My goal is that any one of our students will feel comfortable at any worship service anywhere in the world. The basic structure of our worship service is the same using any prayer book. Therefore if you know the basic prayers and structure of the service, praying with the amcha, the children of Israel, will be warm and inviting. Nevertheless, our parents wanted more, a basic understanding of modern Hebrew, and we cannot achieve all those goals during our two and a half hours of Sunday school.

To be responsive to our congregation and their interests, we will be having an online conversational Hebrew class that all our congregants can sign up for. This should be a very exciting adventure for all of us. Temple Shirat Shalom is thriving and fulfilling the goals we have set for ourselves to try and ensure the continuation of the Jewish people in the future.

Always learning at Am Haskalah

By Scott Berman Congregation Am Haskalah What’s new at Am Haskalah?

In a word, an ancient Jewish value – education. Our mem-

28 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

bers love to learn, and we have been busy finding new ways to learn and teach, both in our synagogue and in our outreach to the community.

We have combined our Adult and Youth Education Committees into one Education Committee that creates educational opportunities across generations. Our religious school is led by two volunteer educators (a college professor and a high school teacher) and focuses on providing small classes with diverse learning opportunities. We have a Hebrew class for adults, and will soon offer a class for aspiring service leaders in support of the congregation’s do-it-yourself approach. Our members also give lectures on topics of interest and expertise, be it Jewish or secular. Someone from another congregation asked what we do on the weekends our rabbi is not in town. Our answer? Hold wonderful layled services.

We teach and learn from each other at every service.

Our smaller, informal services lend themselves to explanations of the meaning of the prayers and rituals.

Our D’var Torah is never just a sermon; it is a short talk followed by open discussion. People are welcome to bring musical instruments to services as they like and we include percussion instruments for those who want to add a beat.

Given our dedication to learning, we recognize the deep importance of contributing to the development of the next generation of Reconstructionist rabbis. Three years ago, we decided to return to our long-standing tradition of having our rabbi be a new student intern from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College joining us each year. They bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm, and we give them hands-on experience in being a pulpit rabbi.

Outside of our home, we have been busy engaging the greater community, and finding partners in outreach. We sang Havdalah in a flashmob at Musikfest, and we had a booth at Pride in the Park. We had “Passover in the Matzah Aisle” at a Weis Market (with help from the Jewish Outreach Institute (joi.org). Our Crash Course in Basic Hebrew is in partnership with the National Jewish Outreach Project (njop.org), and our Interfaith Shabbat was a partnership with InterFaithFamily.com. Our upcoming trip to New York City’s Museum of Jewish Heritage is in conjunction with Jewish Family Service’s Groups on the GO grant, so anyone over 65 can travel free (you do not have to be an Am Haskalah member for this grant).

For more information, contact Congregation Am Haskalah at am.haskalah.offic@gmail.com.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PAUL LANGER

3rd Annual Beth El’s Got Talent! – Great fun, great success

By Lisa Stein Temple Beth El I am happy to report that the third annual Beth El’s Got Talent! on Nov. 15 was a huge success. The performers and audience members had a great time, and we raised more than $3,000 for the beautiful and deserving middle school children in the Allentown School District Ballroom Dance Program.

Because of severe budget cuts, these Allentown School District children have extremely limited arts programs in school, and they sincerely appreciated that we raised money for their after-school dance

program and gave them the opportunity to perform for us at the talent show.

This year’s Beth El’s Got Talent! showcased the talents of Temple Beth El members and friends. In addition, we all were treated to four special dance numbers that the hardworking and talented students in the program performed for us throughout the evening – tango, salsa, merengue and swing – plus a surprise finale which kept everyone smiling.

The show was professionally recorded by Video Theater. DVDs or Blu-Rays of the show are available for $18 or $23, respectively, so that you can see what you missed if you were not at the show or enjoy the performances again and again if you were able to attend the show in person, and all of the money will go to the Ballroom Dance Program.

It’s not too late to give tzedakah and do some gemilut chasadim to help the ASD Ballroom Dance Program. All checks for donations in any amount or for DVDs and Blu-Rays should be made payable to “ASD Foundation” with “Ballroom Dance Program” written on the memo line and sent to the Temple Beth El office at 1305 Springhouse Rd., Allentown, PA 18104.

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Lisa Stein is 15 years of age and a 10th grader at Parkland High School. She sings and plays the cello and has been the producer, director and emcee of Temple Beth El's Got Talent! for three years, and she also performs in the show. This show began in October 2012 as part of Lisa's bat mitzvah project and has evolved into an annual tzedakah and entertainment event at Beth El.

KI opens lecture series – and hearts – to community

By Michele Salomon Congregation Keneseth Israel “Heart and soul” describes the energy and feeling Dr. Ray and Bonnie Singer bring to whatever they do. With the creation of the Dr. Ray and Bonnie Singer Education and Community Lecture Series, they are sharing their hearts and souls with Congregation Keneseth Israel and the Jewish community to create ongoing opportunities for learning, education and community outreach.

Ray, Bonnie and their daughters, Lana and Julia, are long-term, active members of Keneseth Israel where Ray has served as a member of the board of trustees and Bonnie brings her ever-present smile and boundless energy to various Sisterhood events. Ray and Bonnie said that

“giving back to the community that we love and call home is very important to us.“ Establishing this fund is evidence of that belief and of their strong ties and commitment to the Jewish community and, specifically, KI. The inaugural event to benefit this fund is in February, otherwise known as American Heart Month, the perfect time for Ray, a heart surgeon. The featured speaker for the evening will be Dr. John Castaldo, chief of the Division of Neurology at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Along with his co-author, Dr. Lawrence Levitt, Castaldo wrote “Uncommon Wisdom: True Tales of What Our Lives as Doctors Have Taught Us About Love, Faith and Healing,” a book written to remind us that doctors are human, too. In “Uncommon Wisdom,” Castaldo and Levitt

share what they have learned in their many years as doctors, not just from tests and labs, but from years of listening to and learning from their patients.

Ray has called Castaldo “the best speaker I’ve ever heard” and through the development of this lecture series has created this opportunity for KI to share his stories and talents with the broader community. Please come out on Sunday evening, Feb. 8, to open your heart and help support Ray and Bonnie in their efforts to sustain and nourish the Jewish community through ongoing education and learning. Your attendance at and support of this event will help the Lecture Series thrive for many years to come.

Seating is limited; for more information or to RSVP please contact the KI office at 610-435-9074.

The agencies and synagogues are invited on an ongoing basis to submit articles of wide interest to the community to HAKOL, as well as articles that keep the community up to date on synagogue news. For additional details and policies, see page 2.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 29

Community Calendar To list an event in the Community Calendar, submit your information on our website, www.jewishlehighvalley.org, under the “Upcoming Events” menu.

All events listed in the Community Calendar are open to the public and free of charge, unless otherwise noted. Programs listed in HAKOL are provided as a service to the community. They do not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. The JFLV reserves the right to accept, reject or modify listings.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4 JCC Camp Reunion 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., JCC of Allentown. Crafts, Gaga, soft equipment, reunite with friends and counselors.

Dinner is “camp style” with hot dogs, chips, ices and fruit. RSVP at the JCC Welcome Desk or by calling 610435-3571.

WEDNESDAYS, JANUARY 7, 14, 21 Sons of Israel Winter Film Series 7 p.m., Congregations Sons of Israel. A three-week film series “Faith & Fate: The History of the Jewish People in the 20th Century.” Contact Sons of Israel at 610-4336089 to learn more.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8 TBE Healing Service 1 p.m., Temple Beth El. We will be creating a safe space to bring our pain, our questions and our yearning. This one-hour service will be held in the Hammel Family Chapel. The service will include music, silent meditation, traditional prayers and Torah study. The entire community is invited to participate.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9 IJCU First Friday Luncheon Discussion 12 p.m., Muhlenberg College, Moyer Hall, Miller Forum. Western Culture and the Religions of India with Abhishek Ghosh, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor, religion studies, Muhlenberg College. Free and open to the public. To learn more, visit www.ijcu.org.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9 Asian Bistro Shabbat Dinner 6 p.m., Congregation Brtih Sholom. This Kosher Chinese dinner will include meat as well as vegetarian selections. Reservations are required by Jan 5. Plan to join us at 6 p.m. for dinner and services. The price is $15 per adult and $5 per child between the ages of 5 and 13. There is no charge for children under 5 and the maximum charge for a family will not exceed $45. Checks should be made out to “CBS - Shabbat Dinners.” Payment should be made in advance, no payment will be accepted on Shabbat. For reservations or questions, call Tammy at 610-866-8009.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 Azerbaijan and Israel: A Unique Partnership in a Strange World 10:15 a.m., Temple Beth El. Join us for brunch and a conversation with Rauf Mammadov, the U.S. representative of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic, Israel’s largest energy partner and its closest ally in the Muslim world. With special guest Rep. Charlie Dent. Free and open to everyone. RSVP by Jan. 7 to 610-821-5500 or aaron@jflv.org. Sponsored by the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the Temple Beth El Men’s Club.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14 JCC Camp Parent Information Night 7 p.m., JCC of Allentown. Attend and register at the event for a chance to win a free week of camp. Meet the camp teams. Registrations and brochure will be

available. Register for camp by Jan. 30 and SAVE. Contact Brenda Finberg at 610-435-3571 to learn more.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15 Bethlehem Easton Hadassah Film Review 1:30 p.m., 1804 Jenning St., Bethlehem. “Orchestra of Exiles” reveals the dramatic story of Bronislaw Huberman, the celebrated Polish violinist who rescued some of the world’s greatest musicians from Nazi Germany and then created one of the world’s greatest orchestras, the Palestine Philharmonic (which would become the Israeli Philharmonic). Free event. Contact Judy Aronson, 610-867-7624.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 Grandbuddies at the J 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., JCC of Allentown. PrimeTime at the J members are invited to join the JCC Kindergarten class for a Shabbat celebration followed by an activity and lunch. $5 per Shabbat. Brought to you

by PrimeTime at the J, a division of Jewish Senior LIfe Connection.

MONDAY, JANUARY 19 Still Striving for a Dream 7 p.m., Congregation Brith Sholom. Over 51 years after the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, what can we say about racism, sexism, economic inequality and civil rights in our country? Join us for a movie and discussion following a special service remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his dream and our continuing mission to get to the mountain top.

Light refreshments and popcorn will be served. Contact tammy@brithsholom.net for more information.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 Super Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., JCC of Allentown. Join the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley for its annual phonea-thon and community mitzvah day. Volunteers are needed to make calls to donors from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the JCC. There will also be mitzvah projects around town starting at 1 p.m. Visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org/supersunday to learn more or sign up now, or contact Aaron Gorodzinsky at 610821-5500 or aaron@jflv.org.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28 Sons of Israel Book Club/Discussion Group 7 p.m., Congregation Sons of Israel. “Criminal Kabbalah: An Intriguing Anthology of Jewish Mystery & Detective Fiction” by Lawrence W. Raphael. Spend a cold winter’s night warming yourself to a delicious whodunit with a Yiddishe taam, a Jewish spin. We’ll discuss, dissect and analyze the darkest impulses of the human heart while enjoying some hot cocoa and nosh. Open to all. (Available for purchase in hardback, paperback and kindle from Amazon.com.)

Please contact the shul office at 610-433-6089 to let us know you’ve solved the crime!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30 PrimeTime Lunch & Lecture 12 p.m., JCC of Allentown. “Oy Vey, I am Never Going to Need Care So Why Should I Plan for It?” with Matt Sussman and Kimberly Valuntas. $5 for lunch and program. Brought to you by PrimeTime at the J, a division of Jewish Senior Life Connection.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30 TBE Shira Chadasha Service 7:30 p.m., Temple Beth El. Temple Beth El invites you to share in our Shira Chadasha service. Come celebrate a musical Shabbat service with contemporary American and Israeli music.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 KI Brunch and Lecture: The Allentown Renaissance 9:30 a.m., Congregation Keneseth Israel. Congregation Keneseth Israel’s Adult Education Committee invites the community to join them for brunch and a presentation given by three distinguished leaders who played key roles in bringing the redevelopment of downtown Allentown to life. Learn how it came about, why it was important to do and what it means for you, for Allentown and the Greater Lehigh Valley. The morning’s speakers will include Seymour Traub, chairman of the Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority; J. B. Reilly, the real estate developer with a big vision who is the president and founder of the City Center Investment Corporation; and threeterm Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski. They are uniquely qualified to discuss how the redevelopment came about and what we can expect in the future. The brunch is hosted by the KI Brotherhood and will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the presentation to begin at 10:15 a.m. Please RSVP to the KI temple office at 610-4359074 by Monday, Jan. 26. The cost is $5 per person with RSVP or $7.50 at the door.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5 TBE Healing Service 1 p.m., Temple Beth El. We will be creating a safe space to bring our pain, our questions and our yearning. This one-hour service will be held in the Hammel Family Chapel. The service will include music, silent meditation, traditional prayers and Torah study. The entire community is invited to participate.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9 TBE Sisterhood Mah Jongg 6:30 p.m., Temple Beth El. We will begin to play promptly at 6:45 p.m. Please be there by 6:30 p.m. to register. We play for about three hours. If you are a Mah Jongg player, please come and join us for sisterhood, laughter and a great bunch of fun. $10 per player donation to TBE Sisterhood. New faces always welcome to play. For questions or to RSVP, contact Ilene Rubel, 610-776-1577 or IRUBEL@aol.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13 Grandbuddies at the J 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., JCC of Allentown. PrimeTime at the J members are invited to join the JCC Kindergarten class for a Shabbat celebration followed by an activity and lunch. $5 per Shabbat. Brought to you

by PrimeTime at the J, a division of Jewish Senior LIfe Connection.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Bethlehem Easton Hadassah Book Review 1:30 p.m., home of Roberta Diamond. “Outwitting History: Adventures of a Man who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books” by Aaron Lansky. Free event. Contact Roberta Diamond, 610-865-3357.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20 PrimeTime Lunch & Lecture 12 p.m., JCC of Allentown. “Telling Your Story” with Debbie Zoller, executive director of Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley. $5 for lunch and program.

Brought to you by PrimeTime at the J, a division of Jewish Senior Life Connection.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 TBE Shira Chadasha Service 7:30 p.m., Temple Beth El. Temple Beth El invites you to share in our Shira Chadasha service. Come celebrate a musical Shabbat service with contemporary American and Israeli music.

Want to see your joyous news announced here?

Births, weddings, anniversaries, awards, honors and more.

E-mail your accomplishments to HAKOL editor Jennifer Lader at hakol@jflv.org.

Please include a color photo.

30 JANUARY 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY

FRIDAYS 8 - 9:30 AM WMUH 91.7 Featuring Cantor Wartell muhlenberg.edu/wmuh

Celebrate the beauty of Shabbat

Shabbat & Yom Tov Candlelighting Times Friday, Jan. 2

4:28 pm

Friday, Jan. 23

4:51 pm

Friday, Jan. 9

4:35 pm

Friday, Jan. 30

4:59 pm

Friday, Jan. 16

4:43 pm

Friday, Feb. 6

5:08 pm

Community Calendar Ongoing Events SUNDAY to FRIDAY DAF YOMI 7:30 a.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Meeting all year long, this class covers the gamut of Talmudic law, studying one page of the talmud each day, and completing the talmud over the course of seven and a half years. Basic Jewish background is recommended.

SUNDAYS JEWISH WAR VETERANS POST 239 2nd Sunday of the month, 10 a.m., JCC of Allentown Veterans and their significant others are invited as the guest of the Ladies Auxiliary.

Come and enjoy comradeship; we’ll even listen to your “war stories.” A brunch follows each meeting. Questions? Contact Commander Sheila Berg at 610-285-2729 or sh-berg1@hotmail.com.

TEFILLIN CLUB & ADULT HEBREW SCHOOL 9:30 a.m. Tefillin; 10 to 11 a.m. Adult Hebrew, Chabad Tefillin is for Jewish men and boys over the age of Bar Mitzvah, to learn about, and gain appreciation for, the rich and enriching Jewish practice - the mitzvah - of donning Tefillin. Adult Hebrew is an opportunity for you to learn about your heritage and expand your Jewish knowledge so that you can keep up with your child. Contact 610-351-6511.

TSS HEBREW & ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES 10 a.m., JCC of Allentown Interested in learning Hebrew for the first time or brushing up your skills? Marcia Berkow teaches adult Hebrew beginning at 10 a.m., followed at 11 a.m. by David Vaida, who will you take you through the great moments across all 5,774 years of Jewish history. Free and open to all. RSVP at learnwithus@templeshiratshalom. org or 610-820-7666.

TALMUD CLASS FOR BEGINNERS! 10 to 11 a.m., Congregation Beth Avraham of Bethlehem-Easton For information,contact Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod at 610-905-2166.

MONDAYS FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., JCC of Allentown Friendship Circle is a place for people to meet, make new friends and enjoy each other’s company. We welcome all adults over 50. Friendship Circle meets weekly for lively and enjoyable programs and a delicious lunch. Annual dues $25; paid up members are treated to two major programs with a catered luncheon. Regular weekly meetings and lunch - $6. First visit NO CHARGE. Weather permitting. Contact Betty at 610-395-6282 for reservations.

SOUL MATES: JEWISH SECRETS TO MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS Once a month, 7 p.m., Chabad of the Lehigh Valley The Rosh Chodesh Society presents a new, seven-session course for women with instructor Devorah Halperin. This course draws upon millennia of Jewish wisdom, from the mystical to the down-to-earth, allowing women of all ages and walks of life to explore the intricacies of love and marriage from a Jewish perspective. The course will delve into a diverse array of Jewish sources, seamlessly weaving together the philosophical, the spiritual and the practical. $50 for the entire course (textbook included) or $10 per class.

THE RHYTHM OF JEWISH LIVING 8 to 9 p.m., Temple Beth El Taught by Rabbi Moshe Re’em. This course will examine the ideas, beliefs and practices that define and shape Jewish life through daily, weekly, annual and life-cycle observances. The is designed as a year-long course for those wishing to learn more about the religious observances of Judaism, theology of the holidays and ritual practices. The course is organized around the Jewish calendar, but includes other daily Jewish rituals.

TUESDAYS THE EVOLUTION OF JEWISH PRAYER 10:45 a.m., JCC of Allentown Rabbi Wilensky takes this class through time

and space as he traces the development of Tefillah from antiquity to modern times.

Sponsored by Congregation Sons of Israel.

YACHAD TORAH STUDY GROUP 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., JCC of Allentown It doesn’t matter how much you know, it matters how much you want to know. Bring your curiosity to thet Yachad Torah study group and discover the wonders, adventures and meaning of the Torah. Moderated by Rabbi Yehoshua Mizrachi. Held in the Teachers’ Learning Center/Holocaust Resource Room (lower level, JCC). Call 610-435-3571 for information.

JFS-LV’S YIDDISH CLUB 1:30 p.m., Jewish Family Service Kibbitz in the mama loshen! You don’t need to be fluent — just come and enjoy! Call 610-821-8722 for more information.

100,000 MILES/YR FOR KOSHER! First Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., Congregation Beth Avraham Open to all. Fascinating vignettes from a mashgiach who drives approximately 100,000 miles/year (yes, per year!) to keep the kosher supply chain intact. From rural Arkansas to frigid Nova Scotia, winter and summer, the demands are always there.

Contact Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod, Kashruth Hotline (24/6), 610-905-2166, rabbiyagod1@gmail.com.

LATTE & LEARN 8 to 9 p.m., Starbucks, Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem Grab your favorite Starbucks quaff and jump right in as we relate the weekly Torah portion to world events, western civilization and even our own relationships. No Hebrew is required, but a spirit of inquiry and a sense of humor might come in handy!

Contact Rabbi Mizrachi 207-404-0474; opshiloh@gmail.com; www.torahovereasy. blogspot.com.

WEDNESDAYS SUPPORT GROUP FOR ADULT CHILDREN CARING FOR AGING PARENTS 1 to 2:30 p.m., Jewish Family Service, 2004 Allen St., Allentown Please join us in a support group for adult children caring for aging parents. Co-facilitators: Rebecca Axelrod-Cooper and Susan Sklaroff-Van Hook. Pre-registration is required.

Call 610-821-8722 or e-mail racooper@ jfs-lv.org. A contribution of $5 per session would be appreciated, but is not required.

HADASSAH STUDY GROUP Every other Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Temple Beth El Allentown Hadassah presents a stimulating series of short story seminars. All are welcome to attend these free sessions in the Temple Beth El library. The group will be reading selections from anthologies available from Amazon.com. For dates and stories, e-mail Lolly Siegel at spscomm@ aol.com or call 610-439-1851.

BETH AVRAHAM TORAH STUDY 7 p.m., Congregation Beth Avraham Torah: It is the common heritage that binds all Jews together. Explore the ancient healing wisdom of Torah together. All are welcome.

Who knows? It might even be fun! RSVP: Rabbi Yitzchok I. Yagod, 610-905-2166, rabbiyagod1@gmail.com.

HUSBANDS ANONYMOUS First Wednesday of the month, 7:30 p.m., location upon signup Calling all wives! Send your husbands to this class! Rabbi WIlensky guides us on how to become more attentive, caring, sensitive partners, and how to strengthen and deepen our spousal relationships in the context of Torah. Contact Sons of Israel for exact dates and locations.

TORAH STUDIES: A WEEKLY JOURNEY INTO THE SOUL OF TORAH 7:30 p.m., Chabad Torah Studies by JLI presents: Season One: An 11-part series. Cost is $36 for the complete 11-week series (textbook included).

For more information contact 610-3516511 or rabbi@chabadlehighvalley.com.

ORTHODOX JEWISH LIVING: WHAT IS IT & HOW? 8 p.m. To learn more, contact Rabbi Yizchok I. Yagod, 610-905-2166 or rabbiyagod1@ gmail.com

THURSDAYS ADULT EDUCATION CLASS 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., Bnai Abraham Synagogue No preparation or prior knowledge is required. Rabbi Daniel Stein leads an eagerto-learn group. We examine the Torah, Judaism, the holidays, Hebrew and Yiddish literature, well-known stories and poetry. Cost: $10 each semester. Contact 610-258-5343, office@bnaiabraham.org.

MOMMY & ME 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., Chabad Led by Devorah Halperin and Alli Lipson, Mommy & Me is an innovative program for babies and toddlers to experience Jewish traditions in a stimulating, fun and creative atmosphere. Cost is $10 per class, $40 for full session. For information and to register, morahdevorah@chabadlehighvalley.com.

WHERE CHRISTIANITY & JUDAISM DIFFER 10:45 a.m., JCC of Allentown Have you ever had to explain Judaism to non-Jewish co-workers? With sensitivity and tact, Rabbi Wilensky discusses both the commonalities and divergences between the Jewish and Christian faith systems. Sponsored by Congregation Sons of Israel.

TORAH ON TILGHMAN 12:15 p.m., Allentown Wegmans Cantor Ellen Sussman of Temple Shirat Shalom leads a lunch and learn on the Torah.

RSVP to contactus@templeshiratshalom. com or 610-820-7666.

FRIDAYS KINDERLIGHTS 2:45 p.m., Jewish Day School and Congregation Sons of Israel Join the Chesed revolution that is taking Allentown by storm! Have your kids and their friends bring some Erev Shabbat cheer, flowers and songs to elderly members of our community. Friday afternoons after school with Rabbi David Wilensky and Mrs. Eva Levitt. Starts at the Jewish Day School with pickup at Congregations Sons of Israel.

Children of all ages are welcome. Free, but RSVP required. Contact Congregations Sons of Israel at 610-433-6089 to learn more.

SIMCHA SHABBAT 1st Friday of the month, 6:30 p.m., Bnai Abraham Synagogue Please join us for our musical Simcha Shabbat and stay for a special oneg. For more information please call Bnai Abraham Synagogue at 610-258-5343.

SHABBAT BEGINNER’S GEMARA 8 a.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Facilitated by Dr. Henry Grossbard, this is an excellent primer for developing the analytical tools necessary for in-depth study of the Talmud. Dr. Grossbard, a dynamic and erudite scholar in his own right, helps students understand the argument-behindthe-argument, using Rashi, Tosafos and commentaries.

JAVA AND JEANS 4th Saturday of the month, 10 a.m., Bnai Abraham Synagogue Join us for our monthly Shabbat service to discuss current topics of interest as they relate to Jewish laws and practices. For more information, call 610-258-5343.

CHAVURAT TORAH STUDY Each Shabbat following kiddush lunch, Temple Beth El No sign-up needed for this class. Taught by Shari Spark. Enrich your Shabbat experience by studying the parashat hashavua, the weekly Torah portion, with other congregants, each Shabbat in the library at approximately 12:45 p.m. No previous knowledge or long-term commitments are required as we discuss Torah together.

ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY HALACHAH 12 p.m., Congregation Sons of Israel Applying the ancient wisdom of Jewish Law to modern challenges is one of the most fascinating aspects of Jewish life. Join Rabbi Wilensky as he takes Halachah from the weekly Torah portion and brings it to bear on some of the most pressing issues of our time.

BNEI AKIVA 5:45 p.m., Congregation Sons of Israel An Israel-centered fun program for kids ages eight to 14. This program is free and open to the public. For information and to RSVP, call 610-433-6089.

Congregations BNAI ABRAHAM SYNAGOGUE 1545 Bushkill St., Easton – 610.258.5343 Rabbi Daniel Stein, Conservative MORNING MINYAN services are Thursday mornings at 7:25 a.m., SHABBAT EVENING services are Fridays at 8 p.m., SHABBAT MORNING services are Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes are Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m..

CHABAD OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY 4457 Crackersport Rd., Allentown – 610.336.6603 Rabbi Yaacov Halperin, Chabad Lubavitch SHABBAT EVENING services are held once a month seasonally, SHABBAT MORNING services are held Saturdays at 10 a.m., RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes are held Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m.

CONGREGATION AM HASKALAH 1190 W. Macada Rd., Bethlehem – 610.435.3775 Student Rabbi Leiah Moser, Reconstructionist Weekly Shabbat services and a monthly family service with potluck dinner. Religious school meets Sunday mornings. Email am.haskalah.office@gmail.com to learn more.

CONGREGATION BETH AVRAHAM 439 South Nulton Ave., Palmer Township – 610.905.2166 | Rabbi Yitzchok Yagod, Orthodox SHABBAT EVENING starts half an hour after candle lighting. SHABBAT MORNING starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by a hot kiddish.

CONGREGATION BRITH SHOLOM 1190 W. Macada Rd., Bethlehem – 610.866.8009 Rabbi Michael Singer, Conservative MINYAN is at 7:45 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. on Saturdays and holidays. RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes every Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. at Brith Sholom and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. at Bnai Abraham Synagogue.

CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL 2227 Chew St., Allentown – 610.435.9074 Rabbi Seth D. Phillips | Cantor Jennifer Duretz Peled, Reform Services begin at 7:30 p.m. every Friday night.

The first Friday of the month is a FAMILY SERVICE and celebration of birthdays and anniversaries.

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL classes are held Wednesdays at 4 p.m. and Sundays at 9:30 a.m.

CONGREGATION SONS OF ISRAEL 2715 Tilghman St., Allentown – 610.433.6089 Rabbi David Wilensky, Orthodox SHACHARIT: Sundays at 8:30 a.m., Mondays and Thursdays at 6:30 a.m., Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:45 a.m. MINCHAH/MAARIV: 20 minutes before sunset. FRIDAY EVENING: 20 minutes before sunset, 7 p.m. in the summer. SHABBAT MORNING: 9 a.m. SHABBAT AFTERNOON: 90 minutes before dark.

TEMPLE BETH EL 1305 Springhouse Rd., Allentown – 610.435.3521 Rabbi Moshe Re’em | Cantor Kevin Wartell Conservative Weekday morning minyan services at 7:45 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. Shabbat evening services at 7:30 p.m. with the last Friday evening of the month featuring our Shira Chadasha Service .

Shabbat morning services at 9 a.m. followed by Kiddush. Religious school classes every Tuesday/ Thursday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. Midrasha school classes Monday at 7 p.m. Shalshelet — Temple Beth El’s new innovative high school program — meets bi-monthly on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. Shalshelet (the chain) is open to ALL 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students in the Lehigh Valley. For more information contact Alicia Zahn, religlious school director, at school at bethelallentown.org.

TEMPLE COVENANT OF PEACE 1451 Northampton St., Easton – 610.253.2031 Tcp@rcn.com; tcopeace.org Rabbi Melody Davis | Cantor Jill Pakman Reform TCP holds Shabbat evening services every Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and a Renewal Style Shabbat morning service on the 4th Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. A Family Shabbat Service is held on the second Friday night of each month at 6:30 p.m. Our services reflect a diverse culture of traditional, innovative and musical experiences with a Reform Jewish context. Religious School meets on Sunday mornings from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. We have a Family Game / Movie night on the first Saturday of every month at 6 p.m. For more information about our Temple and activities, see our website at www.tcopeace.org or look us up on Facebook.

TEMPLE SHIRAT SHALOM Cantor Ellen Sussman Friday night SHABBAT WORSHIP SERVICES held at 7 p.m. at The Swain School, 1100 South 24th St., Allentown. For more information, Contact Us at templeshiratshalom.org or 610-820-7666.

HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY | JANUARY 2015 31

1.25.15 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM 5:30 - 8:00 PM JCC OF ALLENTOWN 610-821-5500 www.jewishlehighvalley.org