The Jewish News - February 2017 by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! For all related events visit jfedsrq.org/violins-of-hope

VIOLINS

Violins of Hope – Instruments which, by telling their story, preserve the history of the Holocaust and honor the survival of the Jewish people.

HOPE S A R A S O T A

February 1-16 2017

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Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Israel and the World FEDERATION NEWS

Serving our community since 1971!

Published by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee www.jfedsrq.org

February 2017 - Shevat / Adar 5777 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 5 15 26 31 33 36 39

Community Focus Jewish Happenings Jewish Interest Israel & the Jewish World Commentary Focus on Youth Life Cycle

10 Rabbi Michael B. Eisenstat celebrates 50 years in the Rabbinate

11 Stitching History From the Holocaust – Exhibit at JMOF-FIU

Volume 47, Number 2

Jewish Federation helps legacies take root LIFE & LEGACY™ program boosts endowment-building at 11 local organizations By Federation Staﬀ

“

t does not get any better than this!” said Howard Tevlowitz, Executive Director of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, referring to the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s selection of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee to be part of the 2017 LIFE & LEGACY™ program. The Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community joins similar efforts in over 40 communities around the country as part of a 4-year partnership program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and managed by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. “The time is right for our community to work as one,” continued Tevlowitz. “This legacy program is bringing together Jewish organizations, working as a team with our generous Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community. Jewish community members will be able to express their passion, purpose and commitment to their most valued Jewish organizations.” Over 50 representatives from eleven local Jewish organizations joined the kick-off informational session this past November and made the commitment to join the initiative with a formal application

to become a LIFE & LEGACY™ partner. Applications were reviewed by a selection committee and the groups chosen are: The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, The Jewish Housing Council

Gisele Pintchuck

Al Ernst

Foundation, Chabad Lubavitch of Sarasota-Manatee, Chabad of Venice & North Port, Chabad of Bradenton & Lakewood Ranch, Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast, Temple Beth Israel, Temple

continued on page 2

Violins of Hope offers rare opportunity to experience precious artifacts from the Holocaust By Federation Staﬀ

Coming home: Deborah Polkinghorn Šuta embraces Judaism

14 A Taste of Chanukah 2016

A publication of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232 Annual voluntary subscription: $25

n 1996, Israeli master violinmaker Amnon Weinstein began to collect and carefully restore violins that had extraordinary histories of suffering, courage and resiliency. These violins are precious artifacts from one of the greatest human tragedies. Some were played by Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps; others belonged to the klezmer musical culture, which was all but destroyed in the Holocaust. Weinstein has dedicated his life to locating and restoring violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, so that they can give voice to the voiceless – their owners and the millions who perished at the hands of the Nazis. He calls these instruments the “Violins of Hope,” in the belief that, where there was music, there was hope. The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and the Mazur Family Fund are bringing Weinstein and 16 of these violins to the Sarasota-Manatee area, February 1-16. Numerous community events featuring alumni from The Perlman Music Program/SunNON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID MANASOTA FL PERMIT 167

▼

Fine

Amnon Weinstein

coast, members of the Sarasota Orchestra and State College of Florida’s Presidential String Quartet are scheduled during the three-week event. An extensive in-school outreach program for hundreds of students from area schools is also planned. “This is an extraordinary opportunity to hear

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LIFE & LEGACY™...continued from page 1 Beth Sholom, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Sinai and Hershorin Schiff Community Day School. Al Ernst has been selected as the Sarasota-Manatee LIFE & LEGACY™ Chair. “I am honored to be part of a program that brings our Jewish community together to achieve the long-term benefits of legacy giving,” shared Al Ernst. “This program has a 94% success rate nationally and I am proud that our Federation has devoted its considerable resources to bring legacy benefits to our community’s synagogues, schools and Jewish organizations.” To lead this initiative and act as the liaison between the community and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Gisele Pintchuck is serving as the local LIFE & LEGACY ™ Director. Pintchuck is no stranger of the Jewish community or the non-profit world. She has lived in Sarasota for 29 years, and for 22 of those years she has worked in the local non-profit sector. Pintchuck mostly recently served as the Executive Director

of Animal Rescue Coalition and brings a strong and diverse background in fund-development and planned giving. “This program is a game changer,” said Pintchuck. “It has all the elements to make legacy giving achievable by all groups no matter how big or small their development structure is. In addition, it provides the perfect atmosphere for all Jewish organizations to work together toward one common goal: building for the future. That alone is priceless.” Legacy giving starts with a conversation and the results can last a lifetime. Through the program, lay leaders and staff from the synagogues, social service agencies, and day school will receive the appropriate training, support and monetary incentives to start conversations, secure legacy gifts, steward donors, and integrate legacy giving into the philanthropic culture of the Jewish community. For more information about the LIFE & LEGACY™ program, contact Gisele Pintchuck at 941.706.0029 or gpintchuck@jfedsrq.org.

FA S H I O N

at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU! Hot Couture: Florida Jews on the Fashion Scene, 1800s - Today (On view through November 5, 2017)

Sponsored by Perry Ellis International, Robert Arthur Segall Foundation, Elliot Stone & Bonnie Sockel Stone, Kenneth & Barbara Bloom, Marla Schaefer & Family, Olem Shoe Corp., Civie and Earl Pertnoy Family Foundation Merle & Dan Weiss, Abby Schaefer, Varat & Singer Families, Isabel Bernfeld Anderson, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Stitching History From the Holocaust (On view through March 19, 2017)

An original exhibit created by and on loan from Jewish Museum Milwaukee. Sponsored by Funding Arts Network, Robert Arthur Segall Foundation, Elliot Stone & Bonnie Sockel Stone, and Kenneth & Barbara Bloom.

FEDERATION NEWS Violins of Hope...continued from page 1 these violins played and to experience the stories behind them,” says Howard Tevlowitz, Federation’s executive director. “We’re especially pleased that hundreds of area students will have the chance to participate in the program. When young people hear that six million Jewish people were murdered in the Holocaust – that can be an abstract fact to digest. But each violin represents one life, one story; it’s not a cold statistic,” says Tevlowitz. “Music was a source of hope and resistance – a way for the Jews to express themselves and

prevent the Nazis from stripping them of their humanity. These stories are powerful connections to the individual human lives of that time. They also re-B mind us of the indomitable human spirit. We express heartfelt appreciation to Ros Mazur and the Mazur Family Fund for sponsoring this remarkable project.” For tickets and more information, visit https://jfedsrq.org/violins-of-hope or call 866.465.3995. For more information about Violins of Hope, visit www.violinsofhopecle.org.

Violins of Hope: public events

Monday, February 6, 7:00 p.m.: A Conversation with Amnon Weinstein and James Grymes. Amnon Weinstein and James A. Grymes, author of Violins of Hope, will explore the complex role that the Violins of Hope served during the Holocaust. Audiences will have an opportunity to hear a violin played by alumni from the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast. Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota. $12.50 in advance; $15 at door. Tuesday, February 7, 10:30 a.m.: A Conversation with Amnon Weinstein and James Grymes. Amnon Weinstein and James A. Grymes, author of Violins of Hope, will explore the complex role that the Violins of Hope played during the Holocaust. Audiences will have an opportunity to hear a violin played by alumni from the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast. Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key. $12.50 in advance; $15 at door. Thursday, February 9, 7:30 p.m.: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway. The Presidential String Quartet of State College of Florida, with featured soloist Neyce Pierre of the West Coast Black Theatre Troupe, will perform selections from Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen and

others. The Neel Performing Arts Center at State College of Florida, 5840 26th Street West, Bradenton. $10 in advance; $15 at door. Monday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.: Music and the Eternal Spirit. Audiences will have the opportunity to hear the Violins of Hope, featuring the music of Beethoven, Shostakovich and others. Performed by Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni violinists Niv Ashkenazi and Hannah Tarley, accompanied by pianist Matthew Graybil. First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. $12.50 in advance; $15 at door. Thursday, February 16, 7:00 p.m.: Closing Night with a Farewell Dessert Reception. Audiences will have the opportunity to hear the Violins of Hope, featuring the music of Ernest Bloch, Max Bruch and others. Performed by Perlman Music Program/ Suncoast Alumni violinists Niv Ashkenazi and Hannah Tarley, accompanied by pianist Matthew Graybil. Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. $12.50 in advance; $15 at door. For tickets and more information, visit https://jfedsrq.org/violins-of-hope or call 866.465.3995.

A closer look at the stories behind two of the violins

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EVENT DETAILS Tuesday, February 7, 2017, 6:15pm Temple Beth Sholom 1050 S. Tuttle Ave, Sarasota, FL Film screening followed by a panel discussion with with the participation of the film’s producer, the director as well as one of the students who was part of the original program. Coffee reception immediately following program.

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The Moshe Weinstein violin: Made The Erich Weininger violin: Made by Johann Gottlieb Ficker around in the workshop of Schweitzer, Ger1800. many, around 1870. This violin belonged to Moshe WeinErich Weininger was a butcher in Vistein, Amnon Weinstein’s father and enna and also an amateur violinist. the first violinmaker in the Weinstein When the Nazis marched into Austria family. Born in a shtetl in East Europe, in 1938, Erich was arrested and sent little Moishale fell in love with the to Dachau, where he managed to bring sound of the violin. It happened when along his violin. He later was sent to a klezmer troupe arrived in the shtetl to Buchenwald and, though he was not play at a rich man’s wedding. While all allowed to play there, he still kept his the children gathered under the table violin. to steal sweets, Moishale was hypnoMiraculously, Erich was released tized by the sound of music. After a from Buchenwald with the help of the few festive days the troupe left and so Quakers. He then returned to Vienna did Moishale, who followed the troupe only to be one of the very last Jews to out of town. His mother, Ester, looked escape Nazi Europe. He boarded an ilfor the boy to no avail. When he was legal boat to Palestine, but was soon found and dragged back home, he was arrested by British police who did not first punished but later received his first allow Jews to come to the country. violin. Erich, with violin in hand, was This was a turning point in the deported to Mauritius, off the coast of Weinstein family history. Moishale East Africa, where he stayed till the learned to play by himself and later end of World War II. While in Mauristudied in the music academy in Vilna, tius, Erich did not go idle. He started where he met Golda, a pianist, and a band with other deportees, playing both immigrated to Palestine in 1938. classical, jazz and local music in caBefore leaving Europe, Moshe Weinfes. He eventually reached Palestine in stein went to Warsaw to study the re1945. His violin was given to Violins pair of string instruments with Yaacov of Hope by his son, Zeev. Zimermann. Since so many Jews play violins, thought Moshe, they would need a violinmaker in the new land. He first worked in an orchard picking oranges and, a year later, opened up a violin shop in Tel Aviv. Loyal to the tradition of helping young prodigies taking their first steps in music, he supported many young Israeli string players, including Shlomo Mintz, Pinchas ZukeThe Moshe Weinstein violin The Erich Weininger violin rman and Itzhak Perlman.

February 2017

FEDERATION NEWS

Federation-sponsored Chagall exhibit opens at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens February 12 By Federation Staﬀ

arc Chagall, Flowers, and the French Riviera: The Color of Dreams opens Sunday, February 12 at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and will be on view through July 31, 2017. The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of this immersive exhibition, which includes the masterwork painting The Lovers (1937), on loan from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, along with two additional paintings, loaned from a private -collector, that have not been publicly 0exhibited before. These paintings will -be accompanied by the artist’s personal effects – including vases from his pri0vate home – along with a collection . y g i h t -

and the French Riviera: The Color of Dreams by Dr. Carol Ockman: A Russian artist, a French artist, and the quintessential Jewish artist, Chagall was multicultural before the term came into use. Nourished by his relationship to both European avant-gardes and Jewish artists in Paris and New York, Chagall’s art is unthinkable without his formative years (1906-20) in Jewish Russia. His art was steeped in its Jewish mysticism, folk traditions, fairy tales, and modern Yiddish secular literature. Chagall’s fiddlers on the roof might not exist without Sholom Aleichem’s Tevye Stories. In The Lovers (1937), an archetypal Chagall painting, a huge bouquet in the left foreground encircles the airborne figures of Chagall and his first wife and great love, Bella. It arches over the shtetl at bottom right while an angel, hovering in the 0 top right corner, reaches l both arms toward white l blossoms that mirror their movement and lead f our eyes in all directions . toward the flowers spill/ ing across the surface. The artist’s penchant for d richly-hued foregrounds e reflects his tendency to organize his paintings “The Lovers” 1937, courtesy of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem around primary colors , ©2016 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris or their complementaeof archival photographs that chronicle ries. The painting also pays homage to the tricolor of France, where Chagall’s life. the Chagalls were granted citizenMarc Chagall was the most reship that same year, only to have vered and long-lived modernist of the it snatched away in 1941 under Vitwentieth century (1887-1985), as well chy France. as one of its most important colorists. This groundbreaking exhibition Born in Vitebsk in “Jewish” Lithuania, is the first to explore the significant his desire to be an artist and the need role of flowers in Chagall’s work. to flee Russian pogroms and the Holo“My grandfather was in awe of flowcaust led him to Saint Petersburg, Parers, “said Bella Meyer, who is also the is, Berlin, back to Vitebsk, Moscow, founder and artistic director of Fleursagain to Berlin and Paris, Palestine, bella in New York City. “How exciting Vilna, Paris, New York, and finally to to have an exhibition devoted to his the French Riviera. love of flowers at the center of a boFrom Marc Chagall, Flowers,

ajor M Gifts

tanical garden where viewers will be able to be inspired by both his art and the color and light of the natural world around.” “For this artist, flowers were life itself,” said Dr. Carol Ockman, curator at-large for Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and Robert Sterling Clark Professor of Art at Williams College. “They [flowers] are a response to Chagall’s traumatic life experiences, as well as the source of his boundless hope displayed in his artwork.” Visitors to the exhibit will also experience brilliantly colored replicas

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of stained glass designed by Chagall, which will be woven among the living plants from Selby Gardens’ research collection. Chagall once called stained glass “the transparent partition between my heart and the heart of the world,” and the works represented will draw from cycles Chagall made for the Cathedrals of Metz and Sarrebourg (France), St. Stephan’s in Mainz (Germany) and the Abbell Synagogue at the Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem (Israel). For more information about the exhibit, visit www.selby.org.

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February 2017

VIOLINS

HOPE S A R A S O T A

FEBRUARY 1–16, 2017

OPENING NIGHT*

T U O

Violins of Hope – The Len Mazur Memorial Concert Featuring soloist Shlomo Mintz, and live music provided by members of the Sarasota Orchestra Wednesday, February 1, 2017 • 8:00pm R itz -C aRlton , S aRaSota $54.00 | $36.00

LD O S

A Conversation with Amnon Weinstein and James Grymes Opening by Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Monday, February 6, 2017 • 7:00pm R iveRview P eRfoRming a RtS C enteR Sponsored by Jewish National Fund $12.50 in advance or $15.00 day of event Tuesday, February 7, 2017 • 10:30am t emPle B eth i SRael Sponsored by Bob and Judy Vigder $12.50 in advance or $15.00 day of event

Community Outreach Performance Featuring State College of Florida’s Presidential String Quartet Thursday, February 9, 2017 • 7:30pm n eel P eRfoRming a RtS C enteR Sponsored by Bradenton Herald $10.00 in advance or $15.00 day of event

Community Outreach Performance Featuring Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Monday, February 13, 2017 • 7:00pm f iRSt U nited m ethodiSt C hURCh Sponsored by Robert and Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative $12.50 in advance or $15.00 day of event

CLOSING NIGHT

T U O

Community Outreach Performance Featuring Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni Thursday, February 16, 2017 • 7:00pm t emPle B eth S holom Sponsored by The Mazur Family Fund $12.50 in advance or $15.00 day of event

LD O S

For tickets go to JFEDSRQ.ORG/violins-of-hope or call 1.866.465.3995 Violins of Hope Sponsor

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thE obsERvER MEDia gRouP sCEnE MagazinE Sponsored by JCC Association’s Making Music Happen Centennial Grant Initiative, funded by a grant from Marvin J. Pertzik and the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation

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jfedsrq.org

FEDERATION NEWS

Federation scholarships empower student to forge a career in social work By Hannah Tishman

ver the course of my collegiate career, I received educational scholarships from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee that have greatly benefited me. Not only did these scholarships ease the financial burden of my undergraduate tuition, they allowed me to take full advantage of Florida State University’s vast opportunities, including joining the Sigma Delta Tau Sorority, participating in Jewish affairs and other cultural activities and, most importantly, giving me the time to focus solely on my studies. At FSU, I doublemajored in psychology and family and child sciences. I am now a second-year graduate student at Columbia University School of Social Work in New York City, working towards my M.S. I gained experience in the child welfare realm through an internship at Edwin Gould Services

for Children and Families in Brooklyn, New York. I am currently interning at the Institute For Family Health, a community clinic in East Harlem, where I serve as a therapist for people who are medically underserved. My goal is to become a licensed clinician and to open a private practice, possibly working with young adults or families. I am very grateful for the scholarships I have received from The Federation and look forward to the day I am able to give back to other students who, like me, need that extra assistance to launch their college careers. Hannah Tishman was the recipient of education scholarships from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee from 2011 through 2014. To apply for an education scholarship, please visit jfedsrq.org/help/education scholarship.

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February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

HWEG 10th annual Rally Against Genocide

Established 1971

PUBLISHER The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Road Sarasota, FL 34232-1959 Phone: 941.371.4546 Fax: 941.378.2947 E-mail: jewishnews@jfedsrq.org Website: www.jfedsrq.org Published Monthly Volume 47, Number 2 February 2017 40 pages USPS Permit No. 167 March 2017 Issue Deadlines: Editorial: January 27, 2017 Advertising: February 1, 2017 PRESIDENT Patti Wertheimer EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Howard Tevlowitz COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR Linda Lipson CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING OFFICER Kim Mullins MANAGING EDITOR Ted Epstein ADVERTISING SALES Robin Leonardi PROOFREADERS Jack Mansbach, Merry Sanders, Bryna Tevlowitz MIMI AND JOSEPH J. EDLIN JOURNALISM INTERNS Phoenix Berman, Jessica Zelitt MISSION STATEMENT: The Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee strives to be the source of news and features of special interest to the Jewish community of Sarasota-Manatee, to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions in the Jewish community, and to communicate the mission, activities and achievements of the Federation and its Jewish community partners. OPINIONS printed in The Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee do not necessarily reflect those of The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee, its Board of Directors or staff. SUBMISSIONS to The Jewish News are subject to editing for space and content, and may be withheld from publication without prior notice. Approval of submissions for publication in either verbal or written form shall always be considered tentative, and does not imply a guarantee of any kind. Submissions must be sent electronically to jewishnews@jfedsrq.org.

umanity Working to End Genocide (HWEG) welcomes Dr. Ellen Kennedy, Founder and Executive Director of World Without Genocide, to its 10th annual Rally Against Genocide and Mass Atrocities on Sunday, February 26 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Martha Catholic Church, 200 North Orange Avenue, Sarasota. Dr. Kennedy will address the consequences of genocide and the international refugee crisis. She will also speak at local schools and participate in a panel discussion with the Sarasota Ministerial Association on Saturday, February 25 at 1:30 p.m. at the Selby Library.

Dr. Kennedy spoke at the February 2016 HWEG rally about “ultimate factors” – such as food and water shortages, political instability and corruption, and more – that can lead to mass atrocities and the rise of terrorist groups like ISIS. Humanity Working to End Genocide is a local coalition of civic, religious, business and community organizations with the mission to create and maintain a community of conscience calling for action to stop genocide and atrocities throughout the world. World Without Genocide, based at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law

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in St. Paul, Minnesota, has the mission to “work to protect innocent people around the world; prevent genocide by combating racism and prejudice; advocate for the prosecution of perpetrators; and remember those whose lives and cultures have been destroyed by violence.” The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and the Catholic Diocese of Venice in Florida are sponsors of HWEG.

Kirtan Rabbi coming to Sarasota

“

he first time I heard Rabbi Andrew Hahn lead a gathering in Hebrew Kirtan, my heart leapt in joy at the fusion of powerful verses from the Torah and Jewish prayer with magnificent call and response musical motifs from India,” explains Rabbi Goldie Milgram. Rabbi Milgram is president of the Association of Professional Jewish Artists, the group that is bringing the Kirtan Rabbi to Sarasota the weekend of February 10-12. Programs are planned for all ages and are open to the public; some require prior reservations. The weekend is co-sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, Temple Beth Sholom and Congregation Kol HaNeshama, and Ocean of Sound Productions. Weekend events with Rabbi Hahn begin at Temple Beth Sholom with a Tu B’Shevat (Jewish holiday of the trees) service on Friday, February 10, and a Kiddie Kirtan Tu B’Shevat Family Program on Saturday, February 11. Meals by reservation are available for both events. Call the temple office at 941.955.8121. On February 11 from 7:00 to 9:00

Read the current and previous editions of The Jewish News at www.jfedsrq.org.

p.m., Rabbi Hahn is offering a Kirtan Concert at Prana Yoga and Healing Center. Tickets are $30 at the door; discounted advance purchase tickets are $22 and available at oceanofsound.org/ kirtan-rabbi. On Sunday, February 12 from noon to 4:00 p.m., those wishing to

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learn how to take Hebrew Kirtan deeper will gather in a private home for a workshop with Rabbi Hahn. The cost is $50 and prepaid registration is required at klapshein@aol.com.

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LETTERS to the editor should not exceed 300 words, must be typed, and include the writer’s name, mailing address and phone number. Letters can be submitted via snail mail or email (jewishnews@jfedsrq.org). Not all letters will be published. Letters may be edited for length and content. ADVERTISING: Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement and may require the words “Paid Advertisement” in any ad. Publication of advertisements does not constitute endorsement of products, services or ideas promoted therein.

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February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Joshua: From spy to conqueror By Marden Paru, Dean, Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva

oshua, son of Nun, is named as Moses’ successor. His main task is to conquer Canaan and settle the Israelites on the land that God promised to Abraham. It should be said that the monumental task of “setting up shop” was a business as no other in Israelite history. Drawing on his innate leadership skills, and with God at his back, plus a few sprinkled-in miracles, he leads a weary people from 40 years of wandering in the wilderness into the land ﬂowing with milk and honey. What ever happened to the Canaanites? What was the justification for battle and taking control of this geographic area? Our Tanakh (Hebrew Bible/Holy Scriptures) text raises all sorts of humanitarian issues that are worthy of discussion. Did the ends

justify the means? Were the Canaanites slaughtered en masse or were they absorbed and assimilated into early Israelite culture? Simply put: “What happened?” Among the interesting reverse acculturation patterns worthy of study is the influence of Canaanite culture on the ancient Israelites. When cultures meet and clash, there are bound to be residual influences of each on the other. To name one: paganism. Commencing with the Book of Joshua, the tone is thus set for a seemingly never-ending battle against paganism. Nevi’im (the Book of Prophets) is devoted to the constant harangue against idolatry and frequent warnings to the Hebrews that all types of devastation will confront them if they depart

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from both the study and observance of Torah law as well as lack of fealty to El Elyon (God on High). One might, therefore, conclude from the Hebrew narrative, that God hates pagans. Some commentators aver that thought as justification for conquering Canaan, patriarchal promises notwithstanding. Was the land of Canaan a fair inheritance? Let’s debate! Joshua is yet another biblical character whose name changes from Hoshea to Yehoshua to include a prefix representing God in this prophet’s name. He joins the ranks of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob (Israel) and few others, who undergo name changes in the Hebrew Bible. This is to indicate that the Almighty was in Yehoshua’s camp. Starting Monday, February 6, from

4:00 to 5:15 p.m., the Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva will offer an eight-week course: “Joshua: Life and Legacy.” This class will draw upon text from the Hebrew Scriptures as well as popular commentary and midrash. The moral and ethical behavior of the conquest will be fully addressed. To enroll, contact me at 941.379.5655 or marden. paru@gmail.com. The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva is supported through a grant from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Scholarships are available. The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit adult Jewish studies institute now in its seventh year.

STIR IT UP! 60+ Speed Dating and More…

he Friendship Centers and Aviva: A Campus for Senior Life, two established not-for-profit organizations serving older adults in Sarasota, have collaborated to bring the community an exciting event series – STIR IT UP 60+ Speed Dating and More… – featuring craft beer sampling, a round of speed dating, and a rock ‘n’ roll and Motown dance party. The signature event will be held on Wednesday, February 22 in the main dining room at Aviva, 1951 N. Honore Avenue, Sarasota. “Finding and enjoying new relationships doesn’t stop when you reach an older age. We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Aviva on this exciting event series,” says Erin McLeod, President and CEO, Friendship Centers. “In love and in life, studies continue to reveal how vital a strong so-

munity offering the full continuum: cial network is for adults over 60. This Kobernick Independent Living, Anchin event is a great opportunity for older adults to make new connections in one Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Benderson Skilled Nursing & Rehabilof Florida’s fastest-growing regions,” adds Heidi Brown, [former] Aviva CEO. itation. Nestled in The Meadows in the heart of Sarasota, the beautiful, parkTickets are $20. Space is limited like campus was designed for residents and advance registration is required. To RSVP, please call 941.757.8520. of all faiths to be safely at home while enjoying family and friends, fun activiSponsors for the STIR IT UP! series are The Observer Group, The ties, luxury amenities, innovative proRosemary, Oak and Stone, SRQ Media, Wilde Automotive Family, and Life Planning Law Firm. About Aviva: A Campus for Senior Life Founded on traditional Jewish values such as a reverence for life and a belief in its dignity, Aviva is Sarasota’s only Guests at a 2016 STIR IT UP! event enjoy meeting new people during the speed dating session rental senior living com-

grams and on-site healthcare services. Aviva is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization as established in 1993 by the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Housing Council, Inc. For more information, visit AvivaSeniorLife.org. About the Friendship Centers For more than four decades, the Friendship Centers has served persons 55 and older with programs and services which include medical and dental clinics, activity centers, lifelong learning, meals at our centers and delivered to the homebound, caregiver support, adult day services, supportive aging services and volunteer opportunities. More than 1,000 volunteers give time valued at more than $3 million annually. The Friendship Centers serves in Sarasota, Charlotte, DeSoto, Lee and Collier counties. For more information, please visit friendshipcenters.org or call 941.955.2122.

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COMMUNITY FOCUS

JFCS taps Heidi Brown as new CEO

ewish Family and Children’s mer breast cancer survivor, she has a Service of the Suncoast, Inc., unique perspective and will work prothe multi-county premier multiactively on streamlining and increasing services offered to cancer survivors function social service nonprofit, has and their families as part of JFCS’ new selected Heidi Brown as its new CEO. Brown, formerly the CEO of Aviva Cancer Support and Wellness Program. (previously Kobernick-Anchin-BendBrown holds a bachelor’s degree in erson), has a thorough and dedicated psychology from The State University of New York and a master’s degree history in the social and human services fields. Beginning on Wednesday, in social work from the University of February 1, Brown will lead a team Maryland at Baltimore. of 86 full-time and 27 part-time staff “Our main goal was to ensure that members, 25 contractors and 473 volthrough the search committee’s extensive range of perunteers at JFCS. spectives and vision, “We are thrilled that our search comwe secured someone mittee, comprised of with a unique understanding of our past board members and senior community who could also take leaders, secured the us to a higher level strongest and most and move the organization forward in qualified applicant, the future,” said Joe who was already here Mendels, immediate doing important work in the community,” past board chair at JFCS. said Stephen SeidenWhile at Aviva, sticker, chair of the Heidi Brown Brown is credited board of directors at JFCS. “Heidi is the perfect person to with providing strong, visible leaderfill this role with her broad-based comship among staff and throughout the munity support, lifelong dedication to community, building a new executive helping others, and vast experience team and establishing collaborative building engagement in communipartnerships, increasing services and ties. We look forward to collaborating strategically repositioning the orgaclosely with Aviva and Randy Mallitz, nization with a board-approved new Aviva’s board chair, to serve this combranding initiative. munity.” “One of Heidi’s greatest strengths In her new role, Brown will focus is her ability to form deep connections on growing collaborative community with people,” said Mallitz. “The repartnerships, increasing the range of sulting relationships engender producservices offered, and working to raise tive teams and long-term partnerships, the visibility of the organization. A forwhich are key to enhancing the qual-

ity of life for those she serves. We are confident she will bring these essential skills to JFCS and wish her great success as our two organizations collaborate more closely to support seniors and the Jewish and Sarasota-Manatee communities.” In September 2016, the organization announced former CEO Rose Chapman’s transition to CEO emerita, a role specifically created for her. She will continue to work with the JFCS board to ensure the organization’s fiscal sustainability and security moving forward. “I am extremely humbled to have been chosen for this important role, which allows me to continue my life’s work and fulfill my passion for building relationships, helping people, and engaging in vital connections to improve the community,” said Brown. “While I look forward to continuing to work closely with seniors and Aviva, this is a tremendous opportunity to have a greater impact on the entire community, broadening my scope of influence to the continuum of services that JFCS provides. To work with an organization with such an established, impeccable reputation that serves so many people is a dream come true. I also look forward to working with Rose to continue her important legacy.” Over the past two decades, JFCS has grown from a $200,000 agency to an $8.5 million agency, with a staff of 114, 16 office sites and a range of services including over 25 programs that offers assistance to more than 15,000 individuals within the Sarasota and Manatee communities.

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February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Temple Beth El – the Jewish Community Center and S Congregation of Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch – l moves into new home

n exciting new era begins on Wednesday, February 1 for Temple Beth El and the Jewish community of Manatee County. After over 40 years in Bradenton, the congregation will soon be moving into a lovely new facility on State Highway 70, only five miles from Lakewood Ranch, located at the entrance to Peridia Country Club (5150 Peridia Blvd E., Bradenton). The Temple’s sign will be clearly visible to all who drive on SR 70. We will be sharing space with the Braden River Presbyterian Church, whose members and pastor, Rev. Glenn

Buzbee, have been incredibly welcoming and enthusiastic. So we will now be much more conveniently located, particularly to the many families and households in Lakewood Ranch, Parrish and Sarasota. This will be a unique partnership of two congregations. Not only will we share facilities, we will also join together for learning, fellowship and community service, all the while maintaining our distinctly Jewish identity. The sanctuary of BRPC is lovely. It is bright, open and cheerful with floor-toceiling glass walls, providing a view of the natural setting. It is ideal for Jew-

ish worship. Our magnificent Aron HaKodesh (ark) and Ner Tamid (eternal light) will be the focal point of our services, and no other religious symbolism will be visible. The new facility has an excellent kitchen, plenty of room for social activities and meals, and other rooms for the religious school. The building is even blue and white! Beth El is a Reform congregation welcoming Jews of diverse backgrounds, lifestyles, ages and levels of observance. The synagogue offers inspiring and participatory Shabbat services at 7:30 p.m. every Friday night,

and Shabbat morning services with Torah learning. We are truly a house ofc prayer for all people, fully embracingi interfaith families. Our spiritual leadero is Rabbi Michael Sternfield, who con-s ducts all services with cantorial soloistp n Deborah Polkinghorn Šuta. Temple Beth El is proud to continue its rich congregational history while creating a new spirit in a wonderful new space to propel the synagogue into the future for generations to come.

Temple Emanu-El welcomes new Israel Committee

emple Emanu-El is excited to announce the formation of a new and wonderful committee at the synagogue: the Israel Committee. Through educational, cultural, advocacy, and enjoyable and enriching programming, this new committee will highlight the essential place of the State of Israel in the life of Temple Emanu-El and the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community. Recently, the Israel Committee debuted new initiatives including “Hebrew Word of the Month” and “Israel

News of the Month” columns in the Temple Emanu-El bulletin; partnered with community shaliach Oded Israely to oversee Israel-related events for youth and adults; began planning an Israel program especially for Temple Emanu-El teens as well as an Israeli movie night with dinner and discussion for all ages; and joined forces with Temple Emanu-El’s Adult Education Committee and Temple Emanu-El librarian Dr. Eleanor Wachs to infuse the temple’s popular film series, book club and library with expanded

Israeli offerings. Among the most exciting activities were a December 13 briefing for Israel Committee members and “alumni” of Temple Emanu-El’s Israel trips with Rabbi Galia Sadan of the Beit-Daniel Center in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, who shared important news of progressive Judaism in Israel, and Temple Emanu-El’s upcoming first-ever “Israel Shabbat” on Friday, February 10, featuring a

speaker from the Israeli nonprofit, Leket, Israel-themed oneg treats and more. Temple Emanu-El’s Israel Committee welcomes the community to its programming, and serves as a source of Israel-related learning, pride and celebration for all. For more information, please contact Israel Committee chair Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman at elaineglickman@comcast.net. L’hitraot!

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Temple Emanu-El Israel Committee members welcomed Beit-Daniel Rabbi Galia Sadan (center) for a special presentation on December 13

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Florida Holocaust Museum St. Petersburg, FL Guest Speaker: Assi Weinstein, preview of the “Courage and Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers” and lunch.

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Leaving the Federation campus at 9:30 am, returning atpproximately at 3:30 pm $55

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Dali Museum St. Petersburg, FL The Frida Kahlo Exhibit (Includes lunch at Acropolis.)

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Leaving the Federation campus at 9:30 am, returning atpproximately at 3:30 pm $65

TOGETHER, WE DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

The Jewish Federation offers programming for all ages!

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo Tampa, FL Enjoy some time at the zoo and have lunch on your own in the park.

From PJ Library and ShaLom baby through teen leadership missions to women’s events, CLub Fed, and FiFty ShadeS oF J, to senior services — your Federation provides support throughout Sarasota and Manatee.

Learn more at jfedsrq.org/whatwedo

TO PURCHASE TICKETS CALL 941.706.0033

Leaving the Federation campus at 9:30 am, returning atpproximately at 3:30 pm $40

* These outings are all Inclusive: • Transportation • Admission to Museum • Docent Tour (No full refunds two weeks prior to event)

QUESTIONS?

Contact Debbie Sanford at 941.706.0033 or dsanford@jfedsrq.org Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota FL 34232

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February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Sophisticated Ladies Tour London: luncheon, fashion show and auction

he red double-decker bus is ready to depart! Temple Beth Sholom Sisterhood’s Sophisticated Ladies Fashion Show Committee gis ready to collect your ticket for a tour rof London! The sixth annual fashion -show, auction and luncheon will take place on Wednesday, February 15 at noon. y

, d

The Sisterhood will be honoring the memory of Doris Paver, Sisterhood president and active member for many years. Doris moved to Sarasota with her mother in 1936 from Lima, Ohio, and graduated from Sarasota High School. She met Paul Paver when she was a records department manager in Floyd’s Department Store in downtown Sarasota. They were married in 1953 at the newly remodeled Temple Beth Sholom building on Washington Street. Her energy, accomplishments and inspiration are still felt within the temple and its programs today. She was always available to lend a helping hand to those who needed one. She Models Cheryl Gordon, Bethamy Weinberger and Sandra Van Such participated in many

local service organizations from the schools where her daughters attended, as a “gray lady” at the hospital, and other civic organizations. TBS was a focal point in her life with her family. Fashions from Femme Fatale by Ana Molinaro Salon Spa Boutique will be showcased. The brilliant models will show off classy dressy clothes as well as vintage clothing, hats, gloves, purses and jewelry. Molinaro’s salon will be creating a complete look with hair and makeup styling. British-born TBS co-President Emma Joels was “honoured” to be asked to be moderator of the event. The luncheon will be catered by Michael’s On East and, as last year, there will be a silent auction offering a large assortment of restaurant gift certificates, theater tickets, salon services, flowers and more. For your ticket and an enjoyable afternoon in London, please contact Grace M. Goldstein at 941.366.4774.

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ning at 10:00 a.m., Rabbi Grossman abbi Daniel T. Grossman of will explore “Labels in Hebrew and Lawrenceville, New Jersey, a English: Self Images and Communitypioneer in efforts to make JuImposed Images.” A daism accessible to Jews with potluck dairy lunch will disabilities, will be Congregafollow. tion Kol HaNeshama’s ScholarAs part of Havin-Residence the weekend of dalah, he will lead a February 3-4 at Southgate Comdiscussion asking, “How munity Center (3145 Southgate Have We Moved ForCircle off of Tuttle Avenue). ward in Our Interactions In connection with Friday’s with Special Needs In6:00 p.m. services, Rabbi Grossdividuals?” man will focus on “Images and The 2017 ScholResponses to Disabilities in the Rabbi Daniel Grossman ar-in-Residence is sponsored by Ed Torah,” including Isaac’s blindness, Margolius, in honor of Rabbi Jennifer Jacob’s limp and Moses’ stutter. During Saturday services, beginSinger’s recent ordination.

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February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Rabbi Michael B. Eisenstat celebrates 50 years in the Rabbinate

n Friday evening, December 2, Temple Beth Israel of Longboat Key held a Shabbat dinner honoring Rabbi Emeritus, Michael B. Eisenstat, on the 50th anniversary of his Rabbinate. Rabbi Eisenstat has served the Jewish community as an Air Force Chaplain during the Vietnam War, and as a rabbi in Huntsville, Alabama, Coral Gables, Florida, and Longboat Key, Florida. He remains an active and visible member of his Longboat Key congregation. Rabbi Eisenstat was joined by his wife and two grown children for this meaningful celebration, as well as a sold-out crowd of temple members who wanted to wish him well. Rabbi Stephen L. Sniderman, the temple’s current rabbi, spoke about shared ex-

periences in the Rabbinate, and songstress Rebecca Hill surprised everyone by singing a special “ditty” composed for the occasion. After dinner, services were held in the sanctuary (incidentally the name of Rabbi Eisenstat’s sailboat!), with music specially chosen by choir director Dr. Ann Stephenson-Moe. Rabbi Eisenstat gave a moving speech describing his emotional and spiritual journey, emphasizing how much Temple Beth Israel has meant to him. Services were followed by an Oneg, during which a special cake was served, decorated with a photo of – guess who? – the man of the hour, Rabbi Eisenstat. All in all, it was a wonderful evening and a mitzvah for Temple Beth Israel.

Homes for seniors… cats that is

hen you think of cats, most people think of kittens. Kittens are cute and playful. They are also the first to be adopted in animal shelters. Now that cats are living much longer (up to 21 years or more) there are more and more senior cats that need loving homes. There is a rising national issue with senior cats. Some cat owners have medical issues or passed away, while some have just moved and cannot take their cat. Most shelters have age restrictions and they believe that these cats are not very adoptable. So, either the senior cat is left homeless, roaming the street, or worse, euthanized. Cat Depot has started an innovative program called SOS (Save Our Seniors). The program began on No-

vember 16, 2016 with seventeen senior cats. As of today, there are seven cats in the program – all of whom are looking for forever homes. There are many reasons to adopt a senior cat. They are mellow, love to simply be with a family and curl on your lap, their personalities are formed, and they understand how to use litter boxes and scratching posts. As Jews, we practice tikkun olam for people in the world, and our animals. For those interested in adopting a cat, a mitzvah would be adopting one of these senior cats. You may be their last chance. Come visit them at Cat Depot. You will fall in love. For more information on Cat Depot’s Save Our Seniors program, please visit www.catdepot.org.

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Rabbi Michael B. Eisenstat (seated) with family members

JFCS’s STARS program Enriching the lives of differently-abled adults

By Chad Doritan, VP of Marketing, JFCS

FCS may not be able to give finchel. “Each week we practice socialpeople superpowers, but they cerization skills, share stories, play games tainly can EMPOWER individuals and simply have a wonderful time. and families toward self-sufficiency. We also have a lot of educational and Its STARS program, which stands for fun field trips, including visiting the Successful, Talented, Adults zoo, aquariums Reaching Skyward, is yet and going bowlanother example of the iming. Seeing these pactful, inspiring and diverse STARS not only services that JFCS provides. having fun, but The STARS program ofimproving their fers adults with developmental social skills each disabilities a unique opportuweek is incrednity to encourage self-esteem ibly impactful.” and self-respect while learning The STARS valuable life and social skills. STARS participants Brett and Becky program is curThis weekly co-ed program at JFCS’s Giving Challenge event rently being ofoffers a venue where individuals can fered on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:00 make new friends and discover new p.m. at JFCS’s Gloria & Louis Flanzer interests in a safe and fun environment. Campus in downtown Sarasota. For “We call the program STARS, more information, contact Isaac Gurfbut to me, they are SUPERSTARS!” inchel at 941.587.2165 or igurfinchel@ explains Program Director Isaac Gurjfcs-cares.org.

! d e t i v n I e r a u o

2ND ANNUAL HESCHEL/KING BREAKFAST

Tuesday, February 21st

Stephen Breyer at the TAU EPSILON RHO 96th NATIONAL CONVENTION

Saturday, February 11, 2017 11:00 am • reception | 12:00pm • brunch Boathouse at Hyatt Regency 1000 Blvd of the Arts, Sarasota

7:00am–8:30am

LIGHT OF THE WORLD CHURCH 3809 CHAPEL DR, SARASOTA, FL

BREAKFAST AND A SHORT PRESENTATION HONOREES NELLE MILLER AND PASTOR JOHN WALKER P R E S E N T E D BY

The cost for the reception and brunch is $200 per couple ($100 for single) and reservations should be made by sending your check, made payable to: TER LAW SOCIETY Alan M. Tepper, Esquire, National Executive Director, 133 Paisley Place Hainesport, NJ 08036 (609) 864-1838 To pay by credit card, contact tepesq@verizon.net or director@ter-law.org

Please respond by January 27, 2017. — Seating iS Limited —

Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee in honoring Black History month by commemorating the strong friendship between the Black and Jewish communities throughout history and in Sarasota. oin the

I marched “ When in Selma, I felt my legs were praying.

”

–Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

To get tickets call 1.866.465.3995 or visit jfedsrq.org/events $10

per person

[ A Table of 10 is $70 ]

Local inquiries can be directed to David Liner at attorneyd@aol.com SARASOTA BRANCH

February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Stitching History From the Holocaust

An original exhibit created by and on loan from Jewish Museum Milwaukee on display at Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU through March 19

T PRINT DIGITAL MARKETING PARNTER

CONNECTING BUSINESSES WITH OUR COMMUNITY

The Jewish Federation offers unique cross-media advertising packages that connect your business with your community.

he captivating story of the dresses that make up this exhibition began decades ago, with a family divided between two continents and two destinies... In the winter of 1939, Paul Strnad, who was living in Prague, wrote to his cousin Alvin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to obtain an affidavit to help him and his wife Hedwig escape the onslaught of Nazi Germany. Paul sent Alvin sketches of Hedwig’s clothing designs, in the hopes that these examples of her work would provide evidence of their financial independence. Despite Alvin’s best efforts to obtain visas for the couple, Paul and Hedy perished in the Holocaust. Years later, the sketches were discovered by Alvin’s family members and, thanks to the efforts of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Hedy’s drawings were brought to life. Her designs were the height of fashion for 1939, but

the clothing also provides a small, yet telling window into the lives of Jews in Prague on the eve of World War II. They also attest to the dynamism of the Prague fashion industry before the Holocaust, and reflect the styles of designers in the fashion centers of Europe in the 1930s and 40s. These eight dresses, recreated from Hedy’s sketches, serve to recreate Hedy’s life, but they also reveal another significant story. Along with the loss of six million Jewish lives, the Holocaust extinguished an incalculable amount of talent and creativity. As The New York Times’ review of this awardwinning exhibit states, “The fashions are both text and textile, a story of life and death told in fabric.” Local Exhibition Sponsors include: Funding Arts Network, Robert

Arthur Segall Foundation, Elliot Stone and Bonnie Sockel Stone, Kenneth and Barbara Bloom. About JMOF-FIU The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU is the only museum dedicated to telling the story of 250 years of Florida Jewish history, arts and culture. The museum is housed in two adjacent, lovingly restored historic buildings at 301 Washington Avenue on South Beach, that were once synagogues for Miami Beach’s first Jewish congregation. The museum’s permanent exhibition is MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida, 1763 to Present. Its temporary history and art exhibitions change periodically. For more information, please call 305.672.5044, visit www.jewish museum.com or Facebook @Jewish MuseumFL.

Hedwig and Paul Strnad

Join us in Honoring

RABBI JENNIFER SINGER YOU ARE

joyfully INVITED TO JOIN

CONGREGATION KOL HANESHAMA AS WE GATHER TO

honor AND celebrate

THE ORDINATION OF SPIRITUAL LEADER

RABBI JENNIFER SINGER CHAMPAGNE BRUNCH

MICHAEL’S ON EAST 1212 S. EAST AVENUE | SARASOTA, FLORIDA

SUNDAY, THE 19TH OF FEBRUARY, 2017 | 11:00 AM

For tickets or more information, please visit our website: congkh.org or call (941) 244-2042

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Wrongful Death • Personal Injury • Accidents • Auto & Motorcycle Accidents

February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Coming home: Deborah Polkinghorn Šuta embraces Judaism By Sandy Chase

“I am sorry I was born a Jew because it deprived me of the privilege of choosing to be a Jew.” – Albert Einstein everal years ago, Deborah Polkinghorn Šuta availed herself of that privilege, culminating in her recent poignant conversion ceremony officiated by Rabbi Harold Caminker of the Jewish Congregation of Venice (JCV). On December 16, 2016 – 17 Kislev 5777 – congregants and guests joined Deborah as she entered into the covenant with G-d, proudly wearing her tallit, holding the Torah, receiving the rabbi’s blessings, vowing to embrace her faith, and accepting her Hebrew name: Devorah bat Abraham and Sarah. After the ceremony, she enlightened attendees with her “Musical Journey to Judaism.” A professional vocalist and conductor, Deborah has studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Her fervent devotion to music symbolizes her “staff,” which has supported her during this life-changing passage. A

Doctoral Candidate in Music Education, Deborah Polkinghorn Šuta has been teaching courses at the University of South Florida since 2010, and teaches music and religion at the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School. Deborah is also a cantorial soloist at Temple Beth El (Bradenton) and cantor for Sarasota’s St. Wilfred Episcopal Church. Rabbi Michael Sternfield of Temple Beth El endorses Deborah’s sincerity, intention and spirituality: “Deborah davens with a true sense of kavanah. We are grateful for her beautiful and inspiring services.” Although raised a Lutheran, Deborah has joined the Jewish faith of her own free will, promising to be loyal in faith and practice. Interestingly, the name Deborah – given by her Lutheran parents – may have portended her journey. A prominent biblical figure, the prophetess Deborah was also the only female judge. Deborah Polkinghorn Šuta believes that her dedication to Judaism

Deborah Polkinghorn Šuta joins Rabbi Harold Caminker and Cantorial Soloist Marci Vitkus on the bimah. The rabbi is holding Deborah’s tallit, a recent gift from a Temple Beth El congregant.

may have begun as early as her childhood, when her grandmother Wilma Abraham spoke German and Yiddish to her. At least four years ago, Deborah began exploring her road to conversion. Deborah “wrestled” with her decision to convert after having been encouraged by her dentist, Dr. Irving Zamikoff, to serve as a cantorial soloist, assisting Cantor Alan Cohn (Temple Beth El), instead of “schlepping” to Temple Beth Israel in Longboat Key, where she sang in the choir conducted by Drs. Florence Katz and Ann Stephenson-Moe. “It was also an honor to have worked with Rabbis Eisenstat and Katz.” Since joining Temple Beth El, Deborah has performed at several Jewish functions, including the temple’s Hanukkah Lighting Celebration. All agree that Deborah’s renditions evoke passion, inspiration and tears of joy. She also speaks Yiddish with Beth El congregants, proclaiming, “It’s like coming home.”

The ceremonial signing of the “Certiﬁcate of Conversion” witnessed by Dr. Irving Zamikoﬀ and Beverly Safron. Rabbi Caminker and Cantor Vitkus look on.

According to Rabbi Michael Sternfield, Deborah’s decision to formally embrace Judaism was not taken lightly: “She waited until she was certain she was prepared. Although it may have been easier for her to assume the position of cantorial soloist had she already become Jewish, she did not do so. She wanted to feel that her conversion was a personal decision unrelated to her religious position. She didn’t want congregants to feel that she had converted only for professional reasons.” After years of committed study of the Torah and other scriptures under the tutelage of Rabbis Caminker, Sternfield and Howard Simon, Deborah signed her “Certificate of Conversion,” signifying her acceptance of her new faith. After singing Shabbat prayers and other blessings, sometimes with JCV Cantor Marci Vitkus, Deborah presented her musical rendition of her religious journey, exuding her happiness at reaching this stage of her religious passage. According to Rabbi Caminker and confirmed by Rabbi Sternfield, Deborah exemplifies the devoted convert by being involved in the Jewish community, intoning blessings, celebrating holidays, and radiating a true feeling of “I belong.” Although not a requirement for Reform conversion, Deborah will immerse herself in a mikveh next year and yearns to visit Israel. To quote Rabbi Caminker: “Deborah is like the biblical figure Ruth, who declares to Naomi, her Jewish motherin-law, ‘Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people, and your G-d, my G-d.’” We welcome Deborah into Abraham and Sarah’s family. She is now home.

A POWERFUL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY

Holocaust, Genocide and Tolerance Education

he HOLOCAUST SPEAKERS BUREAU offers teachers a unique opportunity to expand their students’ classroom experience. We have a large number of Holocaust survivors who reside in this community. They are very motivated to visit school children and give their eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust. Also available are speakers who were hidden children, those saved through the “Kindertransport,” resistance fighters, refugees, as well as World War II camp liberators.

Many Inspiring Speakers to Choose from Including HILDE MANDEL PAUL MOLNAR RIFKA GLATZ GINETTE HERSH HENRY TENENBAUM

All speakers are authentic to their respective experiences and feel a strong commitment to bring an awareness of the consequences that result when evil is allowed to flourish. They feel privileged and grateful to live in this wonderful country where their voices are being heard.

For Booking Contact

Anne Stein, Speakers Bureau Coordinator 941.923.6470 • luvhula@gmail.com PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

For Questions Contact Orna Nissan, Director, Holocaust Education and Israel Programs 941.552.6305 • onissan@jfedsrq.org

jfedsrq.org

February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Temple Sinai exceeds previous donations to Sarasota community

l emple Sinai believes strongly n in Jewish philanthropy and the concept of tzedakah – the Heybrew word for charity – giving aid, eassistance and money to the poor and eneedy, or to worthwhile causes. We oemphasize that it is everyone’s respon-sibility to give a portion of their perdsonal substance for the common good. t In keeping with our tradition of dtzedakah, Temple Sinai runs a drive

every Yom Kippur for donations to the All Faiths Food Bank, which strives to end hunger in our community. Bags -were distributed after the Rosh Ha,shanah services. Young and old filled f t

their bags and brought them back at Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur, filled with food and paper products. This past year we exceeded all previous quantities of food donated for the Sarasota community by collecting over 4,000 pounds of food and paper products. We are proud of our commitment to give back to the community. All Faiths Food Bank also collaborated with Temple Sinai for the 9th Annual Jewish Food Fest, where even more barrels were filled to the top for donation. We will continue to seek these contributions throughout the year as the collection barrels are always

out for collection. Temple Sinai partners with several other local charities, collecting school supplies, children’s books, teen clothing, baby essentials and so much more.

Call Temple Sinai at 941.924.1802 to find out more about current charity programs.

Kathy Rance, SJC treasurer, busy volunteer By Marcia Polevoi

rom treasurer of the Sarasota Jewish Chorale, to volunteer f choir director at Temple EmanuEl, and crocheter for Knitted Knockers, Kathy Rance keeps an active scheddule. Kathy left Olympia, Washington, -in 2002 for the much better weather tof the Sarasota area, settling with her husband, Donn, in Nokomis. She had gsung in temple choirs for years and fwas looking for someplace in Saratsota to sing again. She met a woman lfrom Temple Sinai who told her about rthe Sarasota Jewish Chorale and she immediately called Arlene Stolnitz, founder of the Chorale. “The rest is ohistory,” as Kathy says. She was the -first president when the group incorporrated, after having been librarian and rthen co-manager of the Chorale. She is currently the Chorale treasurer because -of her background in bookkeeping. Kathy joined Temple Emanu-El w some time after her arrival in Nokomis. She saw that there was a volun-

teer choir that sang for special Shabbat mornings and other occasions, so she promptly joined the group. It didn’t take long for her to become its volunteer conductor. Among her many other talents, Kathy is a prolific sewer and crocheter, having made numerous quilts, blankets and clothes for family and friends. She recently learned, through another knitter, of the national group called Knitted Knockers. This group knits special prosthetics for women who have undergone mastectomies. Many cannot use the traditional prosthetics because they can be sweaty and uncomfortable. Knitted Knockers, on the other hand, are soft, comfortable and beautiful, taking the shape of a real breast. Kathy has crocheted many of these, which are all donated to women who want them. Kathy just picks up her needle whenever she has a spare moment and crochets one in no time at all. Kathy did much of this volunteer-

Kathy Rance

ing while she was still working. She held a number of office jobs, ending with a 10-year stint as secretary and bookkeeper for the Sarasota County School Board. She retired recently, but not until she had earned a BS degree

in Accounting. She has a daughter and grandson in Sarasota, and a stepson who lives in Los Angeles with his family. Her most fun job now is babysitting for her three-yearold grandson. The Sarasota Jewish Chorale rehearses on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9.00 p.m. at the Hecht School on The Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Call Ronnie Riceberg at 508.942.1479 for more information. You can also visit our website at www.sarasotajewishchorale.org or check us out on Facebook.

ConneCt with your Jewish Community facebook.com/jfedsrq

JEWIS H HOUS ING C O U N C I L FO U N DATI O N P R E S E N TS

Eight Over Join us for Brunch

Sunday, February 26, 2017 • 10:30AM Michael’s On East 1212 East Avenue South, Sarasota Celebrate our Eight over 80 honorees for their outstanding community achievements! HONORING Bob Bartner Joelle & Jerry Hamovit Shirley Fein Nancy & Phil Kotler Sydney Goldstein Arnold Schamban* Ron Greenbaum Ed Winnick

+ ENTERTAINMENT source

Isabel Anchin Becker and Hillary Steele, Co-chairs Tickets $125 each Sponsorships available For more information contact Scott Anderson at 941.357.1609 or sanderson@jewishhcf.org

XNLV13564

Your ARTS

PREMIER SPONSORS

PLATINUM SPONSORS

ISABEL ANCHIN BECKER BENDERSON FAMILY FOUNDATION DEBBIE & LARRY HASPEL ERNIE KRETZMER SUSAN & RANDY MALLITZ

GERARD DANIEL

MEDIA PARTNERS

*of blessed memory

GOLD SPONSORS

SHEILA & JERRY BIRNBAUM ELSIE & MARTIN COHN MARGOT & WARREN COVILLE LILA & STEVEN HUSE BETTY & HOWARD ISERMANN JILL & SCOTT LEVINE ARNIE SCHAMBAN* BETTY SCHOENBAUM CAROL & MORT SIEGLER SUSI & JACK STEENBARGER

February 2017

COMMUNITY FOCUS

JFCS’s REAL People, REAL Challenges, REAL Stories Marge’s story: From program participant to advocate

arge met her husband Bob at a swimming pool 57 years ago. “It was love at first sight,” she says. They moved to New Jersey where he set up practice and they raised two sons. Then Bob was diagnosed with dementia and Marge’s life turned upside down. After they moved to Lakewood Ranch six years ago, they turned to JFCS when Bob read about the JFCS Caregiver program in the newspaper. He was still functioning at a “medium” level so the couple was able to attend meetings every week. And they did so religiously for three years. JFCS supported Marge with in-

formation about her husband’s illness and counseling sessions that allowed her to share her feelings with others. JFCS helped her to lessen feelings of guilt about her role as a caregiver and she learned to handle difficult situations from others who had similar experiences. In time, Bob couldn’t function at home and Marge had to place him in a facil-

Marge

ity. “It was the toughest day of my life,” Marge recalls, “but JFCS taught me to advocate for him, and that made the transition easier.” When Bob passed away, Marge began living her life again. “It doesn’t mean I don’t miss him,” she explains, but she realizes that he is at peace and that she did her very best. She attributes her positive attitude to JFCS bereavement sessions that she attended for widows of loved ones. She is proud that now

she can share her experience and help others begin living again after losing their loved one. Today, Marge is less mobile but she is a dedicated JFCS volunteer who makes phone calls to people in the Caregiver program to check on them when they are unable to come to weekly sessions. When Marge speaks about JFCS, she smiles and says, “JFCS is like family to me.” For more information about JFCS’s Senior Services, contact Pamela Baron, Director of Senior Services, at 941.366.2224 x112 or pbaron@jfcscares.org.

A Taste of Chanukah 2016

“

xciting, delicious, warmhearted and fun” were the words shared as participants left the 6th annual A Taste of Chanukah, a community-wide event held on December 26 on The Federation Campus. The event, which featured a New York-style theme and the kindling of a Statue of Liberty menorah, had something for everyone. Both young and old enjoyed the buzzing and bustling celebration. While children enjoyed the rides, crafts, magic show, pretzels and popcorn, the adults enjoyed the klezmer music, food catered by Michael’s On East, and latkes prepared by Munchies 420 Cafe.

SPONSORED BY

For the success of the event, appreciation is extended to 40 volunteers and to the following sponsors: Premier Sponsors – The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, Budweiser, and Family Practice Associates; Sponsors – Midas of Sarasota, PJ Library, Herald-Tribune, SRQ Media, Sunset Chevrolet, Anonymous IHO Lynn Teichman, and Shapiro, Goldman, Walsh & Babboni.

A Taste of Chanukah volunteers Jodi Bloom, Seth Bloom and Elizabeth Weber

A Taste of Chanukah volunteers Stanley Glauser and Dr. Barry Stein

Event Sponsor PJ Library provided a magic show, crafts and story telling for children attending A Taste of Chanukah

SAVE

THE

Anne Frank A HISTORY FOR TODAY This exhibit, which has been shown in more than 40 countries, tells the story of Anne Frank against the background of the Holocaust and World War II. Selby Public Library will host the exhibit. All who visit the exhibit will gain a better understanding of the Holocaust, World War II, and the impact these events have on today’s society.

APRIL 17 – MAY 27, 2017

For more information contact Orna Nissan at onissan@jfedsrq.org or 941.552.6305

Klingenstein Jewish Center • 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL

Participants of the A Taste of Chanukah event enjoy the delicious glatt-kosher food from Michael’s On East and Munchies 420 Cafe

Kids play dreidel at the Hershorin Schiﬀ Community Day School vendor booth

DATE

SELBY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz addresses the crowd prior to kindling the Statue of Liberty Menorah at the New York City-themed A Taste of Chanukah (photos courtesy Images by Summer)

Jacquie Williams adds to the NYC ﬂair, dressed up as a Statue of Liberty

Every Woman Matters Here. The Women’s Giving Circle

“Ma’agal Nashim” is a giving circle that empowers women as funders, decision makers and agents of change. Each member contributes the same amount, and has an equal voice in directing the funds. By becoming a member of the Women’s Giving Circle, you improve the lives of women and children in Israel through the power of collective philanthropy. Since its start in 2014, we have distributed more than $88,000 in grants to nonprofits in Israel that help women and children of all backgrounds live safer, healthier and more meaningful lives. Become a member today, and join a group of women influencers in the Sarasota-Manatee area making a difference in Israel. For more information, contact Ilene Fox at 941.343.2111 or ifox@jfedsrq.org

JEWISH HAPPENINGS

February 2017

Jewish Happenings WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 The Len Mazur Memorial Concert: The Violins of Hope Opening Night Concert Join us for an unforgettable night featuring opening remarks by Henry Winkler, Israeli violin virtuoso Shlomo Mintz, and live music provided by members of the Sarasota Orchestra. The event begins at 8:00 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, 1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive. Tickets are $54 and $36. To register, please call 866.465.3995 or visit www.jfedsrq.org/events. SPONSORED BY

t u o d sol

Temple Emanu-El “Lunch with the Rabbi”

L E A R

T O BO

Are you looking for a great lunch date? Temple Emanu-El welcomes you to our signature monthly program of lunch, socializing, and discussion of current events and subjects of Jewish interest with new and old friends. This promises to be another wonderful “Lunch with the Rabbi” featuring Senior Rabbi Brenner Glickman and Assistant Rabbi Michael Shefrin. All are invited at noon to Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Please bring a brown-bag lunch – homemade desserts and terrific company are provided. For more information, call the temple office at 941.371.2788.

JLI course: “The Dilemma” “Ethical Conundrums: Modern Dilemmas. Talmudic Debates. Your Solutions.” Each lesson presents a case study with a seemingly impossible ethical conundrum, and explores original Talmudic texts for solutions. Students study texts in pairs, arriving at their own conclusions, and utilize electronic polling to communicate their answers. Join us at 1:00 p.m. at 6289 Falcon Lair Dr., North Port. Cost: $79 for the course; first class is free. For more information, contact Rabbi Sholom Schmerling at rabbi@ chabadofvenice.com.

Introduction to Judaism Join Rabbi Churgel, Chazzan Abramson and possible special guests to discuss the fundamentals of Jewish thought and practice. This course is perfect for interfaith couples, those from different backgrounds considering conversion, and Jews looking for an adult-level introduction. This free class begins at 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays, February 1, 15 and 22 at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota (enter off of Proctor only, between Beneva and Swift). Cost: free for Temple Sinai members; $36 for nonmembers. For more information, call the temple office at 941.924.1802.

Y C A C O V AD

Presenter: Benjamin Larrabee

StandWithUs Southern Campus Coordinator. StandWithUs is an international, nonprofit organization that believes education is the road to peace. StandWithUs is dedicated to informing the public about Israel, and combating the extremism and antiSemitism that often distorts the issues.

P M CA

Sunday, March 5, 2017

4-6pm in The Federation Zell Room • Hear Ben’s personal narrative about why, as a non-Jew, he was driven to defend Israel and Jewish students on his college campus. • Learn what the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement is, what it looks like on college campuses and what you can do to fight back. • Get information about how campus climate is changing around the country and what that means for our students.

This STEP Sponsored Event is FREE and open to the public but registration is a must.

Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 MacIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232

For more information contact Andrea Eiffert aeiffert@jfedsrq.org or 941.552.6308

JFEDSRQ.org/Events

February 2017

Trust Your Eye Care

to Our Specialists

Our fellowship-trained physicians can provide a lifetime of care

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 “The 33 Languages of the Jewish People” Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino and Aramaic are the most well-known of the 33 unique languages spoken by the Jewish people over the last 3,500 years. This discussion series will focus on the impact of the dispersion, sociology and anthropology of the Jewish people. Join Marden Paru, dean and cofounder of the Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva, for a lively discussion on Jewish language, culture and survival. This free event takes place at 11:00 a.m. on Thursdays, February 2, 9, 16 and 23 at Aviva, 1951 N. Honore Ave., Sarasota. To RSVP, call 941.757.8520.

Women of Sinai luncheon and program

• Murray Friedberg, M.D. • Pooja Khator, M.D. • Robert Edelman, M.D. • Allison Menezes, M.D. • Scott Silverman, M.D. • Jeffrey Davis, M.D. • Eric Berman, M.D. • Anita Shane, M.D. • Robert Sambursky, M.D.

CoastalEye.com • (941)748-1818 217 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton • 6310 Health Park Way, Ste. 340, Lakewood Ranch 1427 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

Join the Women of Sinai for a wonderful lunch, and learn the techniques of Israeli dance. The event begins at noon at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota (enter off of Proctor only, between Beneva and Swift). Cost: $15 for members; $18 for guests. For more information, call the temple office at 941.924.1802.

Sarasota Jewish Chorale rehearsal schedule The Sarasota Jewish Chorale will be rehearsing every Thursday during the month of February, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Hecht School on The Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. We welcome people of all faiths who love the joy of singing to learn about our Chorale. For more information or to attend a rehearsal, please call Susan Skovronek at 941.355.8011. The Chorale performs widely throughout the area in synagogues, schools, churches and other venues. To arrange for a performance for your organization, please call our booking manager, Phyllis Lipshutz, at 941.924.6717. For more information, visit www.sarasotajewishchorale. org or check us out on Facebook.

Enjoy our Jewish programs in February and March 2017

ONE-TIME LECTURES TUESDAYS, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

February 28

W The Ravensbruck Archive at Lund University Library Richard Ohlsson

March 7

W Daily Life in Biblical Israel Elizabeth-Bloch Smith, Ph.D.

COURSES Wednesdays

The Mystery of Job and Hidden Wisdom from The Kabbalah Ken Hanson, Ph.D. February 1 and February 8 ........... 1:00 PM–2:30 PM Two Thousand Years of Anti-Jewish Enculturation and the Genesis of Nazi Anti-Semitism Andre Krauss, Ph.D. February 15 and February 22 ..... 3:00 PM–4:30 PM

Thursdays

Jewish/Israeli Film Festival Susan Goldfarb & Guest Facilitators February 2 – March 9...................... 2:15 PM–5:00 PM

P E R F O R M I N G A RT S

Showcasing Original, Powerful, One-Woman Shows

Friday, February 17 • 3:00 – 4:30 PM BASHERT — SOME THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE Do you believe in destiny? Enjoy a funny, touching musical.

Lynne Bernfield

Friday, March 24 • 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM GOLDEN ROADS: A Musical About Golda Meir Sharon and David Ohrenstein

For prices and a brochure listing over 175 adult enrichment courses, lectures and special events call 941-383-8811 or visit www.lbkeducationcenter.org

5370 GULF OF MEXICO DRIVE

(IN THE CENTRE SHOPS OF LONGBOAT KEY) THE LONGBOAT KEY EDUCATION CENTER, IS NOT-FOR-PROFIT, 501 (c ) (3) EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION.

www.lbkeducationcenter.org

“Introduction to Judaism” Join Rabbi Michael Sternfield as he continues his series, “Introduction to Judaism,” as part of his 14-week class. This series is open to all and is for people who are interested in learning more about Judaism, or who are contemplating marriage to a Jewish partner or possibly conversion. These free classes, which begin at 7:00 p.m. and will last about one hour, take place every Thursday in February at Temple Beth El Bradenton, 5150 Peridia Blvd. It is not necessary to attend all classes. For more information, please call the temple office at 941.755.4900, Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Temple Emanu-El Adult Hebrew classes begin Temple Emanu-El is delighted to announce new Adult Hebrew classes. Experienced, vibrant instructor Susi Konicov will guide beginners from the aleph-bet through a fluent reading of “Hatikvah,” and intermediate students through new skills, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar and even holiday enrichment words. Susi states, “One of my main goals, besides teaching reading and writing, is that everyone have fun!” This is a special opportunity to learn the language of our people in a supportive, welcoming environment. Classes take place at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. The beginners’ class runs from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. and the intermediate class runs from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Cost: $50 for a 10-week session. Pre-registration is required. Payment may be sent to Temple EmanuEl, attention: Adult Hebrew, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232. For more information, please call Temple Emanu-El Adult Education Co-Chair Harold Zabin at 941.487.8820.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 “Eyewitness to Israeli History” Israel has the longest recorded history of all modern nations, spanning over 4,000 years. This course will examine Israel’s biblical beginnings, its ascendancy under Kings David and Solomon, successive conquests by neighboring empires, the 2,000-year-long exile, the Jewish return under modern Zionism, and the miracle of the modern State of Israel. See original footage of Israel’s major historic events and numerous documents that put the history of the Jewish state into an accurate and comprehensive perspective. Join us at 10:00 a.m. on Fridays, February 3, 10, 17 and 24 at the Al Katz Center, 5710 Cortez Road West, Bradenton. Cost: $7 per adult per class; $3 per student; healthy foods and discussion materials included. To RSVP, call Beverly Newman at 941.313.9239.

Temple Sinai’s Rhythm & Jews Join Rabbi Churgel, Chazzan Abramson, friends and neighbors for a Rhythm & Jews Erev Shabbat Service. Hear the Bruno Family Musicians in an uplifting service with a variety of traditional, Israeli, Sephardic and Chasidic melodies. A welcome reception begins at 5:15 p.m., and the service begins at 6:00 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota (enter off of Proctor only, between Beneva and Swift). For more information, call the temple office at 941.924.1802.

Tot Shabbat and dinner Join Rabbi Churgel, Chazzan Abramson and Laura Freedman for a funfilled Shabbat service with Torah March, dance, song and story time, followed by dinner. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota (enter off of Proctor only, between Beneva and Swift). For more information, call the temple office at 941.924.1802.

Jewish Happenings specifically for families and youths are easily identified with the event descriptions in red type.

Read the current and previous editions of The Jewish News online at www.jfedsrq.org.

JEWISH HAPPENINGS

February 2017

Bridge...

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4

Anyone?

“Evolution, Aliens, and the Fate of the Human Species” The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, which meets at Unity (3023 Proctor Rd., Sarasota), following its Tu B’Shevat & Darwin Day Service at 10:30 a.m., will introduce Jeff Rodgers, Director of the Bishop Planetarium and Director of Education at the South Florida Museum. Rodgers joined the Museum in 2004 after nine years at the American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Join Rodgers for a rollicking talk that tackles the origins of life, celebrates Darwin, looks at how Earth’s tool-using primates changed the natural selection game, wonders why we haven’t met any alien neighbors, and ponders whether there’s hope for humans to someday get off the rock we call Earth. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit chj-sarasota.org or call 941.929.7771

Comedy Night returns to Temple Sinai You don’t want to miss this event, featuring the comedy of Keith Barany, known as “the wittiest comedian working.” Keith has worked with Jon Stewart, Ray Romano, Lewis Black and Joan Rivers, and has written for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Seinfeld. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota (enter off of Proctor only, between Beneva and Swift). Cost: $30 for Sinai Men’s Club members, spouse, significant other; $34 for Temple Sinai members; $38 for outside guests. For more information, call the temple office at 941.924.1802.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5 World Wide Wrap at Temple Beth Sholom Everyone is welcome to participate with Temple Beth Sholom as members join the Jewish community from across the world for the 17th annual World Wide Wrap. This year’s event is part of the TBS Men’s Club Sunday Morning Breakfast and Speakers Program, featuring Rabbi Michael Werbow discussing “The Mitzvah of T’Fillin.” All ages are invited, including parents and children, to participate and stay for a bagels-and-lox breakfast. This free event begins at 9:00 a.m. at Temple Beth Sholom, Band/ Desenberg Chapel, 1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota. For more information, please call the temple office at 941.955.8121.

Babyccino This new exciting program at Chabad ventures out into a place where motherhood and childhood happily intersect, creating and offering ways to engage both parents and children at the same time. Babyccino provides a chic meet for mod moms and their tots, and features centers for creative art and expression, Judaic discovery, music and movement, sensory stimulation, dramatic play, parallel play, and social interaction. Babyccino takes place on Sundays, February 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. at The Chabad House, 5712 Lorraine Road, Bradenton. Cost: $10 per class or $250 annually. For more information, call Rabbi Mendy Bukiet at 941.752.3030.

For more information

The Bridge Group meets Thursday afternoons from 1:00–4:00 pm on the Federation Campus (582 McIntosh Road). Open to intermediate and advanced bridge players. call Bob Satnick at 941.538.3739

Looking to connect with other members of the Jewish community? The Jewish Federation would like to welcome you to the area!

We Welcome You!

We hope you feel at home and become active members of the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish community.

Questions? Contact Ilene Fox at ifox@jfedsrq.org or 941-343-2111

Book of Judges discussions Rarely do we find a surviving ancient narration which reflects political change juxtaposed with religious fervor as vividly as in the Bible. In these stimulating, fascinating discussions with acclaimed teacher Dr. Rachel Dulin, we will focus on the stories of the Book of Judges, where political ideology and religious teachings co-mingle to transform Israel from a tribal society to a unified nation – and explore the relevance of these ancient texts to our own modern times. Join us at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays February 5, 12, 19 and 26 at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Free to Temple Emanu-El members; $10 donation requested for guests. To register or for more information, please contact Temple Emanu-El Adult Education Co-Chair Harold Zabin at hpzabin@aol.com.

11 Annual “Spa for the Soul” th

Celebrate a day of relaxation, depth and beauty for the Jewish woman. Participate in a lovely afternoon featuring intriguing workshops, live music, fun prizes, desserts, hors d’oeuvres and a fabulous keynote speaker. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. at Plantation Golf & Country Club, 500 Rockley Blvd., Venice. Cost: $36. For more information, contact Chaya Rivka Schmerling at 941.493.2770 or rivka@chabadofvenice.com, or visit www. chabadofvenice.com/spa.

CTeen Junior trip to MOSI Teens in grades 7-8 will enjoy a day of fun and great camaraderie, as they enjoy a spectacular trip to the Museum of Science & Industry and enjoy the IMAX theater and zip-line experience. Transportation via carpool will leave Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road) at noon and return at approximately 5:00 p.m. The cost for non-CTeen members is $35. For more information, call the Chabad office at 941.925.0770.

“Jewish Comedy – Standing on One Foot or Two: Your Choice” Star on-stage or chuckle in the audience as performance artist Lynn Hazan provides easy jokes, stories, humor scripts, guidance and practice from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Hecht Music School Building on The Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Open to the public, this Jewish Artists Explore program is co-sponsored by the Association of Professional Jewish Artists and The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Cost: $5 at the door, refreshments included. For more information and reservations, email Kim Sheintal at klapshein@aol.com. SPONSORED BY

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February 2017 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6

JEWISH HAPPENINGS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Violins of Hope: A Conversation with Amnon Weinstein and James Grymes

Amnon Weinstein and James A. Grymes, author of Violins of Hope, will explore the complex role that the Violins of Hope played during the Holocaust. Audiences will have an opportunity to hear a violin played by alumni from the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. at Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota. Cost: $12.50 in advance or $15 the day of the event. To register, please call 866.465.3995 or visit www. jfedsrq.org/events.

Amnon Weinstein and James A. Grymes, author of Violins of Hope, will explore the complex role that the Violins of Hope played during the Holocaust. Audiences will have an opportunity to hear a violin played by alumni from the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Rd., Longboat Key. Cost: $12.50 in advance or $15 the day of the event. To register, please call 866.465.3995 or visit www.jfedsrq. org/events.

NCJW’s Blankee Bee

Taking Israel: Documentary viewing and discussion

The National Council of Jewish Women has an ongoing project called The Blankee Bee that has involved our members in making no-sew fleece blankets. They are distributed to various agencies, such as Manatee Community Action Agency, HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters), the residents of Anchin Pavilion, and patients at the Florida Cancer Center. Join us from 10:00 a.m. to noon on the first Monday of the month on The Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. For more information, please contact Joan Bour at 941.281.2133 or joanbour5@ yahoo.com.

Taking Israel traces the journey of 150 AfricanAmerican students who traveled to Israel between 1998 and 2002 to experience the social, political, economic and cultural conditions of Israel. Following the film, there will be a panel discussion with the film’s producer, director and one of the students who participated in the program. A coffee reception will follow. This free event begins at 6:15 p.m. at Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. For more information, please call the temple office at 941.955.8121.

“613 Mitzvot: Countdown”

Torah & Tea

Learn the wonders of the 613 mitzvot that form the ethical, religious and moral foundations of an active Jewish life. This course will focus on many of the mitzvot that are the most meaningful and sometimes the least understood of the 248 positive Commandments and 365 negative Commandments that comprise the world’s first monotheistic religion. Biblical citations are provided for each mitzvah. This course provides a solid framework for everyone interested in Judaism. Classes meet at 10:30 a.m. on Mondays through March at the Al Katz Center, 5710 Cortez Road West, Bradenton. Cost: $7 per adult; $3 per student; healthy foods and discussion materials included. To RSVP, call Beverly Newman at 941.313.9239.

Join Chanie Bukiet in her home for a weekly dose of delicious tea and refreshments, and learn about Tanya, the mystical psychology of the soul. Gatherings take place from 11:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, February 7, 14, 21 and 28. For more information, call Rabbi Mendy Bukiet at 941.752.3030.

SPONSORED BY

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THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY. The Rabbi Michael B. Eisenstat Miniversity of Judaism 2016-2017 Temple Beth Israel, The Center of Jewish Living on Longboat Key

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“Islam v. Judaism: Core Tenets” In the Bible, G-d promised Abraham that his sons Ishmael and Isaac would each father a great nation. Their descendants practice Islam and Judaism, with differences in religious daily rituals, basic laws, and fundamental perspectives on life. This course examines the striking differences in these two major religions. Join us at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, February 7, 14 and 21 at the Al Katz Center, 5710 Cortez Road West, Bradenton. Cost: $7 per adult per class; $3 per student; healthy foods and discussion materials included. To RSVP, call Beverly Newman at 941.313.9239.

Rosh Chodesh Society course: “Simple Truths” Join the Rosh Chodesh Society for its fourth class of the year with a refreshing look on how to handle everyday simple questions. Women are invited to learn pivotal Jewish insights for a more centered life. “Simple Truths” will help guide participants through life’s many bumps and struggles. The course begins at 7:30 p.m. at The Chabad House, 5712 Lorraine Road, Bradenton. Cost: $75 (textbook included) or $18 per class. Rosh Chodesh Society members receive a $5 discount. For more information, contact Rabbi Mendy Bukiet at 941.752.3030.

JLI course: “The Dilemma” Experience Jewish heritage on Longboat Key through more than sixty stimulating programs and events throughout the year.

All events are $15 at the door and $10 with advance reservations Free admission to Temple Beth Israel members Mondays, February 6, 13, 20 at 2:00 p.m. Rabbi Michael B. Eisenstat “Agamemnon and Abraham” While the Western world has always been grateful for the gift of democracy that emerged in ancient Greece, Jewish historical contact with Greek culture was positively explosive! Were the events in the lives of Agamemnon and Oedipus really so different from those of Abraham and Isaac? Rabbi Michael B. Eisenstat is honored by Temple Beth Israel with the title Rabbi Emeritus. Tue. February 7th and Thu. February 9th at 2:00 p.m. Rabbi Richard L. Klein “Late Twentieth Century Voice on Contemporary Ethical Issues” 1. Leo Jung, Professor of Jewish Ethics at Yeshivah University published an article entitled “The Ethics of Business” in 1976. 2. Israel J. Kazis was Rabbi of Temple Mishkan Tefilah in Newton MA when he published an article in 1959 entitled “Judaism and the Death Penalty.” Rabbi Klein is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, New Hampshire. Tuesday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. Diane Steinbrink “Amy Herzog New Talent of American Theatre” Diane will discuss the family history and work of Amy Herzog, an exciting new and prolific playwright on the American theater scene. A graduate of Adelphi University with a BA in Speech and Drama, Diane G. Steinbrink coordinated “Philadelphia Plays for Living” for 17 years. Thursday, February 23 at 2:00 p.m. JEWISH SPARKS IN LITHUANIA JoAnn Goldwater “Jewish Sparks in Lithuania” Before World II, Lithuania brimmed with Jewish life. The country was not only home to yeshivas renowned for their scholastic heights but to the Haskalah, the Jewish enlightenment movement, as well. A physiotherapist and Montreal resident, JoAnn Goldwater has become an important figure in the field of Jewish genealogy.

Sponsored by: Temple Beth Israel 567 Bay Isles Rd., Longboat Key www.tbi-lbk.org

To register Call the Temple Office: 941-383-3428 Ask about special incentives and introductory memberships.

“Ethical Conundrums: Modern Dilemmas. Talmudic Debates. Your Solutions.” Each lesson presents a case study with a seemingly impossible ethical conundrum, and explores original Talmudic texts for solutions. Students study texts in pairs, arriving at their own conclusions, and utilize electronic polling to communicate their answers. Join us at 7:30 p.m. at Chabad of Venice, 2169 S. Tamiami Trail. Cost: $79 for the course; first class is free. For more information, contact Rabbi Sholom Schmerling at rabbi@chabadofvenice.com.

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

February 2017

Paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues

New 6-week JLI course A new 6-weeek JLI (Jewish Learning Institute) course entitled “The Dilemma: Modern Dilemmas. Talmudic Debates. Your Solutions” will be led by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz. The course will explore what do you do when your gut tells you one thing, and your brain tells you another? Enjoy a mental expedition to mind-wrestle with situations that force us to choose between two reasonable truths. Analyze, discuss and debate Talmudic texts for an authentic taste of original, dynamic Talmud study. Participants have the choice of attending Wednesday mornings from10:15 a.m. to noon at Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road) or Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. on The Federation Campus (580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota). All are welcome regardless of affiliation or background. Cost: $74 per person and $139 per couple. For more information or to register, call the Chabad office at 941.925.0770 or email rabbi@chabadofsarasota.com. SPONSORED BY

Book review and discussion Howard Halpern will review Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephron. An experienced Israeli journalist leads the reader along the trajectory by which a young right-wing extremist was motivated and enabled to assassinate the popular and closely guarded Prime Minister of Israel. It’s a true story that reads like an exciting thriller, although we already know how it ends. This free program is open to the public and begins at 1:15 p.m. in the Band/Desenberg Chapel at Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 South Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. Light refreshments will be served in the Chapel lobby before and after the program. For more information, call Arlene Hamburger at 941.921.2554. It is not necessary to RSVP.

International Film Festival Please join Rabbi Michael Sternfield and the Temple Beth El Bradenton family for the film A Bottle in the Gaza Sea (Israel). A seventeen-year-old from Jerusalem, Tal Levine, comes from a family that always believed peace would come to the Middle East. She cried tears of joy when President Clinton and Yitzhak Rabin shook hands with Yasser Arafat in 1993 – a moment of hope that would stay with her forever. But when a terrorist explosion kills a young woman at a café in Jerusalem, something changes for Tal. One day she writes a letter, puts it in a bottle, and sends it to Gaza, beginning a correspondence with a young Palestinian man that will ultimately open their eyes to each other’s lives and hearts. Come early as our very own resident chef, Rabbi Sternfield, will thrill us with his culinary delights as we enjoy a wonderful meal in keeping with the film we will watch. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Beth El Bradenton, 5150 Peridia Blvd. The cost is $9 for the meal and the film. For more information and to reserve your spot, please call the temple office at 941.755.4900, Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

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Violins of Hope: “Celebration of Jewish Broadway” Join us at 7:30 p.m. at the Neel Performing Arts Center at State College of Florida, 5840 26th Street West, Bradenton. The Presidential String Quartet of State College of Florida with featured soloist Neyce Pierre of the West Coast Black Theatre Troupe will perform selections from Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen and others. Cost: $10 in advance or $15 the day of the event. To register, please call 866.465.3995 or visit www.jfedsrq.org/ events. SPONSORED BY

Rosh Chodesh Society course: “Simple Truths” All women are invited to join Chabad of Sarasota’s Rosh Chodesh Society course entitled “Simple Truths – Pivotal Jewish Insights For Centered Living.” Although “Simple Truths” is a seven-part monthly course, each segment stands alone. This month’s segment, entitled “Overcoming Limitation,” will discuss personal growth personal goals and development through the prism of Jewish thought, and offer insight into the ability to step steadily forward throughout life while avoiding burnout. Following the class, participants will enjoy learning how to make gluten-free desserts with Elizabeth Weber. Refreshments will be served. For assistance with underwriting this course, appreciation is extended to Anne Stein. The course starts 7:15 p.m. at Chabad of Sarasota, 7700 Beneva Road. Cost: free for Rebbetzin Circle members; $10 for Rosh Chodesh Society members; $12 for nonmembers. Anyone joining a N’shei Chabad Women’s Rosh Chodesh Society class for the first time is our guest – no charge. For more information or to RSVP, call Sara Steinmetz at 941.925.0770 or email NCWSarasota@gmail.com.

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February 2017 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

JEWISH HAPPENINGS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11

Club Fed Hits the Road

Benjamin Nathan Cardozo Memorial Award Brunch

Tour the Florida Holocaust Museum and see the exhibit “Courage and Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers” with special guest speaker Assi Weinstein, daughter of the youngest Bielski brother. The bus departs at 9:30 a.m. from The Federation Campus (580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota) and will return to the Campus between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. The cost of $55 includes transportation, docent tour and lunch. To register, contact Debbie Sanford at dsanford@jfedsrq.org or 941.706.0033.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer will be presented with the Benjamin Nathan Cardozo Memorial Award at the Boathouse at Hyatt Regency, 1000 Blvd. of the Arts, Sarasota. The reception begins at 11:00 a.m.; brunch at noon. The cost is $200 per couple; $100 per individual. Presented by Tau Epsilon Rho Law Society and The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee. To RSVP, contact Alan M. Tepper, Esquire at tepesq@verizon. net or 609.864.1838.

Kirtan Shabbat with Rabbi Andrew Hahn

Tu B’Shevat party at Mixon Fruit Farms

In collaboration with The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, Congregation Kol HaNeshama and the Association of Professional Jewish Artists, Temple Beth Sholom welcomes Rabbi Andrew Hahn, “The Kirtan Rabbi,” on Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11. Join with Rabbi Hahn as he leads us in a meaningful, musical and meditative Shabbat experience. Services will begin Friday at 6:00 p.m. with a Family Shabbat Dinner to follow. Rabbi Hahn will engage us in additional Kirtan experiences after dinner. Shabbat morning, Rabbi Hahn will lead Kinder Kirtan for children of all ages and their families at 11:00 a.m. All events take place at Temple Beth Sholom, Band/Desenberg Chapel, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. Reservations required for dinner but not services. Please contact the temple office at 941.955.8121 or info@templebethsholomfl.org.

Young families are invited to celebrate Tu B’Shevat at this fabulous “birthday party for the trees” sponsored by Temple Emanu-El, The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and PJ Library. We’ll enjoy the blessings of nature with a train tour of Mixon’s orange grove and wildlife rescue areas, playtime and games, a bagel breakfast featuring yummy fruits traditionally eaten on Tu B’Shevat, and age-appropriate Shabbat blessings, songs and movement with Rabbi Brenner Glickman and Rabbi Michael Shefrin. Happy birthday, trees! Mixon Fruit Farms is located at 2525 27th Street, Bradenton. The event begins at 11:00 a.m. (check-in at 10:45 a.m.). Limited free spaces are available, and advance registration is required at www.jfedsrq. org/events. For more information, please contact Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman at elaine-glickman@comcast.net or 941.379.1997.

SPONSORED BY

Tu B’Shvat buﬀet dinner Join Chabad for a delicious Tu B’Shvat dinner. Enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner fused with exotic tastes with the seven fruits of Israel. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. at The Chabad House, 5712 Lorraine Road, Bradenton. Cost: $18 for adults and $12 for children. For more information, call Rabbi Mendy Bukiet at 941.752.3030.

Bridge... Anyone?

The Bridge Group meets Thursday Erev Shabbat Live afternoons from 1:00–4:00 pm on the Federation Campus Join the Temple Beth El family as we observe Erev Shabbat with a spe(582 McIntosh Road). cial musical service dedicated to love. Cantorial Soloist Deborah Šuta and to intermediate musicians Albert Rosenstein Open and Robbie Taylor will lead us with prayer and advanced players. and song. The service begins at 7:30 p.m.bridge at Temple Beth El Bradenton, For more information, 5150 Peridia Blvd. For more information, please call the temple office at call BobFriday Satnick 941.755.4900, Tuesday through from 9:30 a.m. to noon. at 941.538.3739

Do youThursdays play??? / 12pm to 4ish

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 Chabad of Sarasota Men’s Club breakfast meeting Enjoy the best kosher breakfast in Sarasota, including scrambled eggs and onions, whitefish salad, bagels, lox and cream cheese, followed by an informative presentation by Dr. Isaac Kalvaria entitled “Your Digestive Tract: What’s New.” Enjoy a lecture that will discuss developments in digestive tract health and treatments. Men and women welcome at 9:00 a.m. at Chabad of Sarasota (7700 Beneva Road). RSVPs appreciated, but walk-ins welcome. Cost: $7 for Club 770 members; $10 for nonmembers. RSVP by calling the Chabad office at 941.925.0770.

Tu B’Shevat picnic and Children’s Day Meet at the Lido Beach Pavilion (400 Benjamin Franklin Drive, Sarasota) from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. to celebrate the joyous holiday of Tu B’Shevat and to honor Israeli Liora Goldberg, Of Blessed Memory, on the Al Katz Center’s annual Children’s Day, a wonderful afternoon of stories, games, crafts, making plantings, and healthy kosher refreshments. The Festival of Trees is one of Judaism’s most aesthetic of holidays, appealing to the senses through “the seven species” of fruits and grains indigenous to Israel. Cost: $7 per adult; children free. To RSVP, call Beverly Newman at 941.313.9239.

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Tu B’Shevat Seder

HAPPY HOUR

Tu B’Shevat celebrates the ethereal divine spark which brings forth new life. Buds that will bring forth fragrant blossoms appear on the trees in Israel at Tu B’Shevat. Join the Kehillah of Lakewood Ranch at 2:30 p.m. as we celebrate Tu B’Shevat with Rabbinical Student Ira Wiesner in the home of Marilyn and Marvin Abrams. No charge; donations appreciated. For address, directions and more information, call 941.281.2587 or email info@kehillahoflakewoodranch.org.

“Romantic Piano Impressions” with Eleonora Lvov Eleonora Lvov, internationally-acclaimed Russian-Israeli concert virtuoso, plays a broad spectrum of music – with the artist’s own personal impressions and historical remarks. Romantic and Impressionistic eras include magnificent works from Chopin and Liszt to the inimitable enchantment of Debussy, Albeniz and Gershwin among others, performed with incomparable elegance, passion and tenderness. Experience romance and poetry with this luminous, boldly emotive pianist with staggering technique who emanates ardent passion and spirituality through music. Enjoy a free concert at 6:00 p.m. at St. Boniface Episcopal Church on Siesta Key, 5615 Midnight Pass Road. For more information, please call 941.358.0235 or visit www.bonifacechurch.org or www.eleonoralvov.com.

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To RSVP please visit jfedsrq.org/events or call 1.866.465.3995 For more info contact Debbie Sanford 941.706.0033 or dsanford@jfedsrq.org

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13

February 2017

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

Violins of Hope: “Music and the Eternal Spirit”

Sophisticated Ladies Tour London

Join us at 7:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota. You will have the opportunity to hear the Violins of Hope featuring the music of Beethoven, Shostakovich and others. Performed by Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni violinists Niv Ashkenazi and Hannah Tarley, accompanied by pianist Matthew Graybil. Cost: $12.50 in advance or $15 the day of the event. To register, please call 866.465.3995 or visit www. jfedsrq.org/events.

The Temple Beth Sholom Sisterhood will present Sophisticated Ladies Tour London, its sixth annual luncheon, auction and fashion show. Femme Fatale by Ana Molinari fashions will be featured. This event raises money for Paver Religious School, Camp Ramah Darom scholarships, and community-wide youth groups. Guests will have the opportunity to bid on an extensive array of items displayed at the auction, including jewelry and gift certificates. The event begins at noon in the Madeline L. Sainer Social Hall, Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota. Tickets are $50. The luncheon is catered by Michael’s On East. An RSVP is required. Please contact Grace M. Goldstein at 941.366.4774 for more information.

SPONSORED BY

NCJW’s Monthly Book Club The National Council of Jewish Women will hold its next Book Club meeting at the Gulf Gate Library from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Citizens of London by Lynne Olson will be reviewed by Jeri Lipov. The group meets the second Monday of every month. For more information, contact Barbara Aferiat at 941.923.8160 or barbara@aferiat.com.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Mitzvah Knitting Group at Temple Emanu-El Are you a knitter or crocheter interested in using your talent to brighten the lives of others while making new friends? If so, please come to the Mitzvah Knitting Group sponsored by Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood. We gather monthly to craft and socialize, and our beautiful handiwork has been donated to local new parents as well as needy families in Sarasota-Manatee and in Israel. Bring your needles or crochet hook and a favorite pattern – we’ll supply the yarn and great company – at 10:00 a.m. to Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. For more information, email Susan Bernstein at susanhope22@comcast.net.

CTeen: “Discover it!”

Join in for CTeen’s sixth get-together of the season. Themed to “Discover it!,” teens will learn the social question of “How does my gender direct my purpose?” with activities and crafts such as I am Leaf, Discover it, The Gender Mystery, Peach Raspberry Swirls and Unearth Your Potential. Teens will also create12:18 toysPM to Page send 1to victims of terror in Israel. The event A-6.16.qxp_Layout 1 6/23/16 begins at 7:00 p.m. at The Chabad House, 5712 Lorraine Road, Bradenton. An annual CTeen membership is $180. For more information, call Rabbi Mendy Bukiet at 941.752.3030.

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ASSISTED LIVING RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

A Wonderful Part of Our Savannah Grand Team Tracy Ann Green We’re proud to acquaint you with a familiar face that is a part of the exceptional staff at Savannah Grand. Our Resident Relations Coordinator has a wealth of experience in senior healthcare spanning two decades and is a trusted friend and associate of many in the Sarasota area. You can count on Tracy Ann’s knowledge and empathy to assist you with quality senior living solutions for you or your loved one. You’ve seen her throughout our community and now you can find her helping seniors and family members with important choices everyday. Stop in and say hello, call to schedule a personal appointment or make time for lunch with Tracy Ann. She’s a great part of our Savannah Grand team!

“If you don’t mind being treated like a king or queen, then this is the place for you!” The team at Savannah Grand has been an integral part of the prestigious South Sarasota community for over two decades. This elegant, yet affordable, assisted living residence offers an exceptional design including a lovely central courtyard and inviting common areas, along with a warm and comfortable atmosphere. With services including restaurant-style dining, scheduled transportation, innovative activities, housekeeping and laundry services and much more, its a lifestyle where you’ll feel like royalty every day. We invite you to find out more about carefree assisted living at Savannah Grand.

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“Aging Backwards” Join the National Council of Jewish Women as we learn about using the body as our pathway to healing. Come hear what Dr. Cynthia Clark has to tell us on how to keep ourselves healthy. Dr. Clark, an Acupuncturist in Sarasota, will speak about Eastern, as well as Western medicine. Join us at 1:00 p.m. on The Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Refreshments will be served. No fee. For more information, please call 941.342.1855.

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IBERAL YESHIVA L a t o s a r sa PRESENTS FEBRUARY COURSES JOSHUA: LIFE AND LEGACY MONDAYS 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM Starting February 6 (Eight Weeks) Joshua, son of Nun, is named as Moses’ successor. His main task is to conquer Canaan and settle the Israelites on the land that God promised to Abraham. The monumental task of “setting up shop” was a business like no other in Israelite history. Drawing on his innate leadership skills, and with God at his back, plus a few miracles, he leads a weary people from 40 years of wandering in the wilderness into the land flowing with milk and honey. What happened to the Canaanites? What was the justification for taking control of this geographic area? his class will draw upon text from the Tanach (Hebrew Scriptures) as well as popular commentary and midrash. The moral and ethical behavior of the conquest will also be addressed. Instructor: Marden Paru; fee $60.

JEWISH ANTHROPOLGY TUESDAYS 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM Starting February 7 (Eight Weeks) Many of our students have inquired about the anthropology of the Jewish People. Who are they? Where did they come from? Where did they locate? Who were the Jews of yesteryear and who are they today? This class will study the unique phenomenon of Jewish existence, survival and contributions to humanity— in the past as well as in the near term. Drawing on print media materials that will be distributed in class, students will have an opportunity to analyze the unique character of the Jewish people in the many venues they have occupied. Belonging to a people is great for identification but studying Jewish civilization will help one better understand just exactly where the Jews stand today. Instructor: Marden Paru; Fee $60.

ISRAEL 2017 FRIDAYS 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM February 3 (Eight weeks) There is not a day that goes by that Israel isn’t in the news: not always on page one, but frequent enough to challenge our sensibilities toward this young nation. Way out of proportion to the world’s population, as well as its relatively small size (i.e. New Jersey), Israel is at the forefront of innovation, military preparedness, and creative politics. Moods and swings change constantly, and it seems hard to keep up with what is going on there. The uptick in visitors’ travel, aliyah by threatened Jews around the globe, and the ongoing security issues Israel face will be included in our class discussions. Internet media resources will be suggested to students whose interest in Israeli current events will allow them to stay tuned in. Instructor: Marden Paru; fee $60.

Inquire about multi-course discounts. Scholarships are also available. Classes are held on the Campus of The Jewish Federation, 580 McIntosh Rd. in Sarasota. To register or seek more information, please contact Marden Paru, Dean and Rosh Yeshiva at 941.379.5655 or marden.paru@gmail.com. Please make checks payable to the Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva and mail to Marden Paru, 5445 Pamela Wood Way #160, Sarasota, FL 34233. NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS: The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs. The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva is a 501(c)3 non-profit agency. It is funded, in part, by a grant from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.

February 2017

JEWISH HAPPENINGS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 Violins of Hope Closing Night Join us at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Sholom (1050 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota) for a Farewell Dessert Reception and “Classic Jewish Melodies.” You will have the opportunity to hear the Violins of Hope featuring the music of Ernest Bloch, Max Bruch and others. Performed by Perlman Music Program/Suncoast Alumni violinists Niv Ashkenazi and Hannah Tarley, accompanied by pianist Matthew Graybil. Cost: $12.50 in advance or $15 the day of the event. To register, please call 866.465.3995 or visit www.jfedsrq.org/events. SPONSORED BY

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Tuesday, March 21, 2017 The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Links on Longboat

JFCS Holocaust Survivors’ Havurah

Featuring chefs from over 25 premier local restaurants, select wines, martini bar, silent auction & live music.

All survivors are invited to attend these monthly gatherings of friendship, camaraderie and support. Enjoy a light nosh and a lively discussion. The group meets from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. at Aviva, 1955 N. Honore Ave., Sarasota. This month’s topic: Faces of Love. Please bring a photograph that brings to your mind thoughts of love. This is a multi-agency event sponsored by JFCS of the Suncoast, Inc., Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. To RSVP or for more information, contact Jan Alston at 941.366.2224 x172 or jalston@JFCS-Cares.org. SPONSORED BY

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Eve & Marc Kanoff GOLF CHALLENGE CHAIR

Lisa Deutsch CHEF CHAIR

Robert Weil, C.E.C. For tickets or to become a sponsor visit www.JFCS-Cares.org or contact Monica Caldwell 941.366.2224 ext.142 mcaldwell@JFCS-Cares.org MEDIA SPONSOR

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17 “The History of Newtown” The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, which meets at Unity (3023 Proctor Rd., Sarasota), will introduce Vickie Oldham after its Black History Service at 7:30 p.m. Oldham made her mark as a reporter and TV host at ABC7 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications at the University of Florida and a master of fine arts at Florida State University’s Conservatory of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts. Her curiosity and propensity for asking questions is the impetus that led to the 2004 development of the Looking for Angola project. LFA connects residents, teachers and students to scholars engaged in archaeological and historical research for a little known 1800s Black Seminole settlement in the Tampa Bay area. Free and open to the public. For more information, please visit chj-sarasota.org or call 941-929-7771.

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Shabbat Alive! at Temple Emanu-El CelebrityChefsSarasota

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Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota

MOVING PICTURES: FILMS ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST This is a riveting, extended and comprehensive two-hour lecture, which will address many discussions and controversies about Holocaust filmography, including the controversial topic: Is comedy an appropriate genre for narrating the Holocaust? Film clips from dozens of documentaries and feature films will be shown as we review the different genres and techniques used intentionally—and perhaps unintentionally—to report, explain, and often manipulate the subject of the Holocaust. Dr. Krauss will discuss how various individual personalities and style preferences of movie directors— such as Claude Lanzmann and Steven Spielberg—had their imprint on Holocaust cinematography, and how political contingencies also governed the production and distribution of movies about the Holocaust.

A research fellow at the Institute of Sociology at the Romanian Academy, Dr. Krauss is a published art historian and media psychologist. He holds doctorates in History of Art from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and Social Psychology from the University of Bucharest, Romania.

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For more information, contact Orna Nissan at onissan@jfedsrq.org or 941.552.6305

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Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, which meets at Unity (3023 Proctor Rd., Sarasota), will screen the film Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (2003, 95 min.) at 4:00 p.m. Sixteen-year-old Shlomi, who cares for everyone in his life except himself, is not doing well in school because of dyslexia, but he is a gifted cook. He tries to make himself invisible, especially at school, until results on a routine math test catch the attention of his teacher, who suspects that there is a unique gift hidden behind the boy’s attempts to remain unnoticed. Cost: free for CHJ members; $5 for nonmembers. Registration is required. Mail to CHJ, 3023 Proctor Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231. For more information, visit chj-sarasota.org or call 941.929.7771.

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580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

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DON’T MISS THIS RIVETING 2-HOUR LECTURE! Presented by Dr. Andre Krauss

Shabbat Alive! is back! Temple Emanu-El members and hundreds of community guests fill the pews for this quarterly all-musical Shabbat celebration – and we hope you will be among them. With upbeat, contemporary and inspiring arrangements of the traditional prayers, led by Rabbi Brenner Glickman, Rabbi Michael Shefrin, and professional and volunteer musicians, Shabbat Alive! is stirring, magnificent, exhilarating, jubilant and altogether unique. Please join us for a very special and spiritual Shabbat experience at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. For more information, call the temple office at 941.371.2788.

JEWISH HAPPENINGS

February 2017

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Yom Disney: USY and Kadima Regional Conference Don’t miss out on Yom Disney – USY and Kadima’s annual trek to Orlando for students in grades 6-12. The full day event takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. To attend this conference at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, you must be a youth group member. Temple Beth Sholom’s youth groups are open for all youths interested in holiday activities, trips, dances, picnics and sporting events, as well as discussion groups and opportunities for community service. The cost is $91 per ticket plus transportation. Personal park passes can be used. TBS is arranging for travel. Contact Kelly Nester at the temple office (941.955.8121 or knester@templebethsholomfl. org) to register for this conference and/or join the youth groups. The RSVP deadline is Wednesday, February 1.

Jewish War Veterans meeting The Jewish War Veterans, Sarasota/Manatee Post 172, will hold its next meeting at 9:45 a.m. in the main dining room of Kobernick House, 1951 N. Honore Avenue, Sarasota. Please note, the entire campus is now called Aviva. Look for the new sign at the entrance. At this meeting we will honor four very special JROTC Cadets. They represent Sarasota, Riverview and Booker High Schools in Sarasota County, and Lakewood Ranch High School in Manatee County. A special brunch will be served. Cost: free to Post 172 members; $7 at the door for nonmembers, spouses, significant others and guests. For further information or directions, please contact Stan Levinson, Commander, at stanlevinson172@gmail.com or 941.907.6720.

BNC book and author event and boutique Join Brandeis National Committee from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Michael’s On East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota. Barry Wolf PhD, Sarasota resident, psychologist and researcher, uses his experience as a white Jewish male attending Howard University in the 1950s as the basis for his novel, Izzy White, a memoir that chronicles Izzy’s search for self-discovery and attempts to integrate at Howard University, “the Harvard of Black Education.” A boutique of jewelry, crafts, books and apparel will be held before lunch is served. Cost: $44 for BNC members; $55 for guests. For more information, call Merle Tayback 248.505.7488.

Champagne Brunch to honor Rabbi Jennifer Singer Congregation Kol HaNeshama will have a gala Champagne Brunch to honor Rabbi Jennifer Singer upon her recent ordination. The community is invited to share in the celebration at 11:00 a.m. at Michael’s On East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota. Cost: $55. RSVP by Friday, February 10 at congkh. org or 941.244.2042.

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“Mapping Family Stories” Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Southwest Florida for “Mapping Family Stories: Using Historical Maps to Illustrate and Better Understand Family Legends” by Mike Schwartz. Demonstrating the use of historical and modern maps to follow the movements of family members and their stories, Mike will track the travels of his grandfather in Galicia and Russia during WWI, and the movement of his grandmother and children across Europe to get to their ship to America. Historical maps of Eastern Europe are now available online. Attendance is free. Everyone is welcome at 1:00 p.m. at Aviva (Kobernick Building), 1951 N. Honore Ave., Sarasota. RSVP to klapshein@aol.com. For more information, contact Kim Sheintal at 941.921.1433 or klapshein@aol.com, or visit http://jgsswf.org/.

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Bay area cantorial concert The Bay Area Cantorial Association invites you to a joyous, inspirational 14th annual concert: Shirat Ha’Am: Jewish Musical Gems presented by cantors and cantorial soloists of Tampa Bay and Sarasota. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota (enter off of Proctor only, between Beneva and Swift). Tickets available at the door for a suggested donation of $18 each. Any donation gratefully accepted. No one turned away. All proceeds benefit scholarships for students of Reform and Conservative Schools of Sacred Cantorial Music. For more information, call the temple office at 941.924.1802.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 Kehillah of Lakewood Ranch Book Review Join us at 1:30 p.m. at the Esplanade Golf & Country Club, Amenity Center (5240 Esplanade Boulevard, Lakewood Ranch), to discuss The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure. Book review and discussion facilitated by Wendy Diamond. Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien Bernard has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly and the immense suffering of Jews becomes incredibly personal, he can no longer deny reality. No charge; donations appreciated. For more information, call 941.281.2587 or email info@kehillahoflakewoodranch.org.

140 kosher characters: twitter.com/jfedsrq Stay informed throughout the month. Sign up for the Jewish Federation’s Enewsletter at www.jfedsrq.org.

February 2017

JEWISH HAPPENINGS

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 2nd Annual Heschel/King Breakfast

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Join us for a light breakfast and a short presentation to honor the relationship between the African American and Jewish communities in Sarasota. The event begins at 7:00 a.m. at Light of the World Church, 3809 Chapel Dr., Sarasota. Cost: $10 per person; $70 for a table of 10. To RSVP, call 866.465.3995 or visit www.jfedsrq.org/events. For more information, please contact Jessi Sheslow at 941.343.2109 or jsheslow@jfedsrq.org. SPONSORED BY

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Club Fed Lecture Series – Jerusalem: 3000 years of Holiness Join us for lecture #3 – Jerusalem of Christianity – at 10:00 a.m. in the Beatrice Friedman Theater on The Federation Campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Cost: $18 for the entire series. Register at 866.465.3995 or online at www.jfedsrq.org/ events. For more information, please contact Debbie Sanford at dsanford@ jfedsrq.org or 941.706.0033. SPONSORED BY

ORT Paid-Up “Bruncheon” GulfsidePalm ORT chapter invites you to the Meadows Country Club (3101 Longmeadow, Sarasota) at 11:30 a.m. The event features Bernadette DiPino, Sarasota Chief of Police. Learn about security issues and local happenings. You need to be a paid-up member of ORT America to attend. Cost: $25. RSVP by Tuesday, February 14 by mailing your check to Alice Cotman, 5820 Fairway Lakes Dr., Sarasota, FL 34243. For details, contact Alice at acotman@juno.com.

Sarasota Jewish Singles dinner meeting The Sarasota Jewish Singles is an outreach program of Temple Beth Israel to give all Jewish singles in the area the opportunity to meet other men and women who are alone. The group meets once a month for dinner, laughter and a time to turn acquaintances into lifelong friends. Join us at 6:00 p.m. at Chianti, 3900 Clark Rd., Sarasota. For more information or to make a reservation, please call or text Rosalyn Fleischer at 941.915.6631 or email rozfleischer@gmail.com.

Sarasota Jewish Chorale at Aviva The Sarasota Jewish Chorale will be giving a performance at Aviva: A Campus for Senior Life at 7:00 p.m., of familiar music, including Yiddish, Israeli and American songs. If you wish to attend, please call the Aviva office at 941.377.0781. Aviva is located at 1951 N. Honore Avenue, Sarasota. For more information about the SJC, please call Ronnie Riceberg at 508.942.1479.

Kosher Cooking Competition Calling all chefs! It’s that time again! Join Chabad for its 3rd annual Kosher Cooking Competition, which will include a kosher presentation by Rabbi Mendy Bukiet, a kosher food tasting, and cooking and competing for fabulous prizes. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at The Chabad House, 5712 Lorraine Road, Bradenton. Admission: $10. Reservations required at www.chabadofbradentom.com or 941.752.3030.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23 Idelson Library Film Matinee Series

GOLF TOURNAMENT to Support the Victims ofandTerror Fund Temple Emanu-El Sunday, March 26, 2017 • 8:30am Palm Aire Country Club 5601 Country Club Way, Sarasota, FL $125pp REGISTER AT:

SarasotaTemple.org/Community/Brotherhood Can’t Play? Sponsor a Hole for only $165! Event sponsored by the following community businesses

Join us for a screening of Raise the Roof (2015, 85 minutes). Inspired by images of the magnificent wooden synagogues of 18th century Poland, artists Rick & Laura Brown set out to reconstruct the elaborate roof and mural-covered ceiling of the Gwozdziec synagogue. By the end of the project, they have done more than reconstruct a lost synagogue; they have recovered a lost world. The screening begins at 1:15 p.m. at Temple Beth Sholom, Madeline L. Sainer Social Hall, 1050 South Tuttle Ave., Sarasota. Refreshments, including popcorn, will be served, sponsored by the Men’s Club. Bethamy Weinberger will lead a Q&A session after the film. The suggested donation is $3 for TBS members and $5 for nonmembers. For more information, please contact the temple office at 941.955.8121.

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JEWISH HAPPENINGS

February 2017

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Step out for a Hillel Shabbat The STEP Program of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and FGCU Hillel are partnering to bring you this Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner, college style, at 5:30 p.m. Open to high school students from Sarasota and Manatee counties. This event is free and bus transportation will be provided to Florida Gulf Coast University. For more information, contact Andrea Eiffert at 941.552.6308 or aeiffert@jfedsrq.org. RSVP online at www. jfedsrq.org/events.

To Life:

The Florida Holocaust Museum’s 25th Anniversary

Mommy & Me with a Jewish twist Calling all moms with infants and toddlers up to 36 months to join for a free monthly Mommy & Me program at 9:30 a.m. at Chabad of Sarasota, 7700 Beneva Road. This free and innovative program explores Jewish themes in a stimulating, fun and creative atmosphere. Make new friends as we explore the child’s world through circle time, music, books, crafts and multi-sensory experiences. This is an exciting morning of bonding and quality time for mom and child! For a complete schedule, to register or for more information, contact Sara Steinmetz at 941.925.0770 or sara@ chabadofsarasota.com.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Join us for a grand celebration of the Past, Present, and Future of The Florida Holocaust Museum!

February 25, 2017 Saturday, 6:00 p.m. The Vinoy Renaissance

Temple Sinai’s Annual FUNdraising Gala

St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club

Set sail for the SS Sinai Gala. Celebrate, eat, drink, dance and enjoy a funfilled evening. Over 20 auction items including a $4,000 gift certificate to Tilden Ross Jewelers will be available. The gala begins at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota (enter off of Proctor only, between Beneva and Swift). Cost: $150 per person. For more information, call the temple office at 941.924.1802.

Featuring: David Eisenhower, Keynote Speaker

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 Eight Over 80 As the only event of its kind in the area, Eight Over 80 is a unique celebration that will recognize eight honorees, all octogenarians or better, for their outstanding community achievements. Guests will enjoy a scrumptious brunch and lively entertainment. The honorees to be recognized at the celebration are Bob Bartner, Shirley Fein, Sydney Goldstein, Ron Greenbaum, Joelle & Jerry Hamovit, Nancy & Philip Kotler, Arnold Schamban (of blessed memory) and Ed Winnick. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. at Michael’s On East, 1212 S. East Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $125. To RSVP, call 941.377.0781 x124.

To be added to the waiting list or for additional ways to be involved with The FHM’s 25th Anniversary, call 727-820-0100 ext. 249 Program proceeds benefit The FHM’s educational programming. Sponsorship opportunities are still available! Please call 727.820.0100 x274 or visit TheFHM.org for additional information.

The FHM 25th Anniversary Media Sponsor 55 Fifth Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727.820.0100 • www.TheFHM.org

“Romantic Piano Impressions” This piano concert performed entirely from memory by world-renowned Russian-Israeli virtuoso and recording artist Eleonora Lvov will inspire and instill in the audience a sense of true awe. At the concert, Eleonora’s nine CDs and DVDs will be autographed for sale, and this extraordinary musician will give enlightening insights into her pieces. Join us at 4:00 p.m. at the Al Katz Center, 5710 Cortez Road West, Bradenton. Donations greatly appreciated. For more information, call Beverly Newman at 941.313.9239.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 “Israel in a Changing Middle East” As the turmoil in the Middle East continues to increase, it gets more confusing to understand who everyone is and what they want. Dr. Mordechai Kedar, an expert on the political discourse of the Middle East, will lay out what each group stand for, what they really want, and the dangers they represent. Join us at 1:00 p.m. at Chabad of Venice, 21560 Angela Lane. Cost: $15. For more information, contact Rabbi Sholom Schmerling at rabbi@ chabadofvenice.com.

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Expert panel on Radical Islam in the West Holocaust survivor and founder of the famed Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, Israel, Dr. Thomas Hecht, and Israeli expert Dr. Mordechai Kedar, who has served in Israeli intelligence for 25 years, bring their expertise in Israeli/Arab relations to the Al Katz Center in an illuminating lecture on radical Islam. Their insights and personal experiences are invaluable resources for anyone interested in the impacts of radical Islam upon today’s western world. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at 5710 Cortez Road West, Bradenton. Cost: $12 per adult; $5 per student; healthy foods and discussion materials included. To RSVP, call Beverly Newman at 941.313.9239.

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February 2017

JEWISH INTEREST

A young martyr in the service of goodness By Paul R. Bartrop, PhD

n February 5, 1942, 75 years ago this month, a German youth was arrested by the Gestapo. He wasn’t Jewish, nor had he been captured for rescuing Jews. Neither was he an armed resister. Moreover, he had only just turned 17. Later that same year, this young man, Helmuth Hübener, was executed – one of the youngest opponents of the Third Reich to be judicially sentenced to death and Dr. Paul Bartrop executed as a result. As the vernacular today might have it, “What’s his story?” Born on January 8, 1925, Helmuth Hübener came from a religious family in Hamburg, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, or “Mormons”). As a boy

he had belonged to the Boy Scouts, but at the age of 10, after the Nazis banned the scouting movement, he joined the Hitler Youth. Three years later, when the Kristallnacht pogrom occurred in November 1938, he broke with the Hitler Youth on the grounds that its violence against Jews was unacceptable. Hübener’s stance went against LDS policy. Earlier, in 1937, the World LDS President from the United States, Heber Grant, visited Germany and counseled members not to oppose the Nazi regime. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht, Grant arranged for all non-German Mormon missionaries to be evacuated from the Third Reich, leaving dissidents like Helmuth Hübener dangerously exposed. The local branch president, Arthur Zander, was an enthusiastic Nazi who, in 1938, posted notices on LDS churches stating “Jews not welcome.” In Hübener’s

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own congregation, Jews were banned from attending services. Some LDS members began seeing Hübener as a young troublemaker. In 1941, Hübener finished middle school. As he learned more about the outside world he was exposed to the BBC through a radio in a friend’s home. That summer he learned that his older brother Gerhard, at that time serving in the German army, had a shortwave radio, which enabled further listening sessions at home. Listening to the BBC, of course, was a crime. Hübener, armed with “new” information, began to write leaflets opposing the government. He drew attention to the regime’s criminal activities regarding human rights – and, in particular, concerning the Jews. He wrote about how the war was destroying Germany and that defeat was inevitable, and distributed copies in his local vicinity. As 1941 unfolded, Hübener drew two of his fellow LDS members – KarlHeinz Schnibbe and Rudi Wobbe – into his project, together with Gerhard Düwer, who he had met at work. The more they learned, the more horrified they became, particularly concerning the situation facing the Jews. Together, they listened to BBC radio and worked on the leaflets. Hübener, Schnibbe and Wobbe then began distributing the 60 or so pieces Hübener had written. On February 5, 1942, less than a month after turning 17, Helmuth Hübener was arrested by the Gestapo. Heinrich Mohn, a Nazi with whom he worked, saw him trying to translate his

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pamphlets into French, and denounced him. Then, on February 15, 1942, acting on orders from the Gestapo, the LDS excommunicated him. Over the next few months he was brutally interrogated and tortured in Gestapo prisons in Hamburg and Berlin, before finally being brought before Judge Otto Georg Thierack of the People’s Court (Volksgerichtshof) in Berlin on August 11, 1942. Hübener’s performance during the trial would have been remarkable for anyone standing in such a situation; for a 17-year-old, it was phenomenal. Tried as an adult despite his age, and having been deprived of his civil rights, he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit high treason and advancing the cause of the enemy. His friends, Schnibbe and Wobbe, were also found guilty, and given sentences of five and ten years at hard labor, respectively. Hübener, as the ringleader of the group, received the death penalty. Witnesses said that after the sentence was read he turned to Judge Thierack and shouted, “You have sentenced me to death for telling the truth. My time is now – but your time will come!” Appeals for clemency proved fruitless, and it was to take only two months from the time of sentencing to execution. When his death appeared imminent, he wrote a number of letters of farewell to family and friends. In one of them, he wrote: “My Father in Heaven knows that I have done nothing wrong.” On another, penned the day of his execution, he stated that: “I know that God lives and He will be the Just Judge in this matter.” On October 27, 1942, the Nazi Ministry of Justice upheld the verdict and sentence. Hübener was told of the Ministry’s decision at 1:05 p.m. on the scheduled day of execution, and at 8:13 p.m., in Berlin’s Plötzensee prison, he was beheaded by guillotine. At the age of 17, he was the youngest person ever to be sentenced by the People’s Court and executed for conspiracy to commit treason against the Nazi regime. In 1946, Hübener was posthumously reinstated in the LDS Church, ordained an elder, and, on January 7, 1948, re-baptized. Since then, he has been honored many times as a hero of the resistance against Hitler, and an exhibit focusing on his resistance, trial and execution is located in the former guillotine chamber at Plötzensee prison. Some have since argued that Helmuth Hübener was a naïve youth who was way out of his league in taking on the Nazi state. Perhaps this was so; but he nonetheless saw a need to try to do something to stop what he saw as a senseless war and brutal destruction. For this, and for the sacrifice he made in its service, he is worth remembering with respect and reverence. Dr. Paul Bartrop is Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. He can be reached at pbartrop@fgcu. edu.

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February 2017

JEWISH INTEREST

An Israeli thriller probes the damaging uncertainties of life undercover

d -Book review by Philip K. Jason, Special to The Jewish News e vestigation conducted by Ehud and his The English Teacher, e associate, Joe. The dialogue between by Yiftach Reicher Atir. them is a rich blend of their personal s Trans. Philip Simpson. Penguin Books and professional lives. For Ehud, his y 272 pages. Trade paperback $16.00. future is at stake. Though the two men have a high degree of trust and shared achel Goldshmitt, Rachel understandings of the spy business, Brooks, Rachel Ravid. Who is , there is a game going on in which Joe she? Knowing that “Rachel” has the upper hand. is a Mossad operative given a dangereous undercover assignment in an Arab Another dimension of the novel follows the interior life of Ehud at capital city only begins to answer the r various times in his life and in his relaquestion. In this tionship with Rachel. And yet another dark, interior tale, g segment, by far the most provocative identity is scrutis though dependent on insights afforded nized from severt by the other characters, follows Raal angles: identity e chel – her challenges, her loneliness, hidden, identity e her search for a way of holding onto a adopted, identity centered self among the variable selves lost. How does s she dons for her country. an operative plays Rachel, whose public and cover ing out her cover d Phil Jason self is as a Canadian citizen raised in story hold on to twhom she really is underneath that England, enters the Arab city (probably dstory? What does she have to sacrifice uto be effective? Is she, herself, the sacgrifice? The English Teacher begins with the disappearance of this seasoned and dexceptionally successful operative. oHer former mentor and handler, Ehud, oalong with another senior Mossad opderative, is assigned to find out what shappened to her. While Ehud cares Yiftach Reicher Atir ndeeply about this woman whom he has left unnamed because of Israeli censorknown and secretly loved for a long ship) and finds work at a school spe-time, it is not his caring alone that mocialized in teaching English. She had etivates him. A stray agent is a danger already developed this skill while livIto Mossad and to Israeli security. She ing in the Israeli town of Rehovot. knows too much. How could this perBreaking every rule, but perhaps son, who as a young woman immigratstill with a spy’s intent, she allows ed to Israel and whose Zionist passion herself an affair with an Arab man tmade her a fairly easy recruit, simply named Rashid. In his company, she edisappear? can visit places at which she might n Much of the novel follows the inotherwise seem out of place. Author d e .

Yiftach Reicher Atir handles the growth of their passionate love within the context of Rachel’s duplicity with astounding skill. Who can a liar trust? The narrator observes that, “You even look at people differently, listen to them in another way, assessing every word and inflection. This is the punishment of the liar – the one who lies habitually can’t trust anyone.” Rachel’s missions include obtaining important information, taking photographs, performing an assassination, and blowing up an enemy facility. Rachel’s terror is the fear of error, the fear of discovery, and the fear of not being able to control herself – to stay fully in her role without ever striking others as role-playing. She becomes a Mossad superstar but, of course, private celebrity affords little satisfaction. No one outside the Mossad higher-ups can know. Reicher Atir, who served in Israeli intelligence, raises important issues in this remarkably revealing novel. At one point he has Ehud say, “There’s something intoxicating in our work; suddenly it’s permissible to lie, you can put on an act, and everything is sanctioned by the state. The operative is licensed to commit crimes. He steals, sometimes he even kills, and instead of going to

prison he gets a commendation.” The justifications for asking people to accept this inverted morality are at hand (saving the lives of others, etc.), but readers are left to wonder about the costs to the operative. Essentially, secret agents are on their own. They have no recourse to justice if captured, no expectation of assistance if things go wrong. They are expendable. Ehud’s search for Rachel is simultaneously a search for himself. The end of the search is a chilling surprise, a fitting resolution to the many questions the novel explores not only about these haunted characters but also about the nations and institutions that train, employ and brutalize such brutal operatives. This review originally appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books and is reprinted by permission. See washingtonindependentreviewofbooks .com. Philip K. Jason is Professor Emeritus of English from the United States Naval Academy. He reviews regularly for Florida Weekly, Jewish Book World, Southern Literary Review, and other publications. Please visit Phil’s website at www.philjason.wordpress.com.

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February 2017

Stars of David

By Nate Bloom, Contributing Columnist

Editor’s note: Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. A Little Oscar News This year, like some years, the Oscar nominations are announced after the date I submit this column for publication. The musical La La Land was the big winner at the Golden Globe awards and I expect it will clean up at the Oscars. The film soundtrack was composed by Globe winner JUSTIN HURWITZ, 31, and the original song lyrics were co-written by BENJ PASEK, also 31. The director and screenwriter, Damien Chazelle, isn’t Jewish, but his parents sent him to Hebrew school for four years (they didn’t like the nearby Christian Sunday school) and he even visited Israel with his school class. I expect Jackie to snare a best actress nomination for NATALIE PORTMAN, 35, and for its screenwriter, NOAH OPPENHEIM, 38. I’ts likely, but not certain, these Golden Globe acting nominees with get Oscar noms, too: ANDREW GARFIELD, 33, Hacksaw Ridge; HAILEE STEINFELD, 20, The Edge of Seventeen; JONAH HILL, 33, War Dogs; and SIMON HELBERG, 36, Florence Foster Jenkins. Meanwhile, a certain Oscar nominee and probable winner is French actress Isabelle Huppert, 63 (Elle). Huppert’s father was Jewish, but she was raised in her mother’s Catholic faith and she doesn’t like to talk about her Jewish background, despite the fact that her husband of 35 years, and the father of her children, is Jewish. Huppert’s father understandably hid his Jewish origin during the Nazi occupation, and Huppert has told the press “it’s a family secret we never talk about.”

Carrie Fisher, One Last Time In a 2008 interview with the San Francisco Jewish newspaper, the late CARRIE FISHER briefly opened up about her then-relationship with Judaism. She said that early memories of her father, the late EDDIE FISHER, singing in synagogue, had a “big effect” on her. She added that she and her then 16-year-old daughter, Billie, often attended Friday night services and Shabbat meals with Orthodox friends. Carrie told the paper: “There’s such a loveliness to lighting candles and saying what you’re grateful for that week. It’s beautiful.” Billie, Carrie said, had “more exposure to Judaism than any other religion.” Certainly, one could not call Carrie a practicing Jew (even in the eyes of Reform Judaism) – but Judaism seemed to call to her more than any other faith, including the Christian faith her mother lightly raised her in. It’s pretty clear to me that her attraction to Judaism was partially based on her longing to be closer to her father. It was not just memories of him singing in synagogue. In the HBO documentary film Bright Lights, released on January 7, Carrie says that she developed her wit at a very early age and it grew out of a frustrated desire for her father to stick around more. But, Eddie, whose biggest hit (ironically) was “Oh, My Papa,” was never a mensch as a man or a father, and he and Carrie never really had a good relationship after her parents divorced. She did, however, visit him during his last years. (By the way, it’s a myth that ELIZABETH TAYLOR

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Write Bloom at nteibloom@aol.com and enclose a phone number. Nate will then contact you about starting a limited search. If that goes well, additional and more extensive searches are possible. The first search fee is no more than $100. No upfront cost. Also, several of this newspaper’s readers have asked Bloom to locate friends and family members from their past, and that’s worked out great for them. So contact him about this as well. converted for Eddie. She did so on her own and, in her own way, remained a Jew until she died – and Taylor meticulously planned her Jewish funeral). I wasn’t surprised that Carrie and her mother didn’t have joint funerals. Debbie Reynolds was a Christian believer and Carrie was not, and so it would have been awkward. Carrie was cremated and her funeral/memorial service was held at her home on January 5, a day before her mother’s funeral. It was a secular celebration with the Jewish flavor provided by the guests and the “theme music.” I estimate about half the 125 guests were Jewish – including RICHARD DREYFUSS, 69, BUCK HENRY, 86, GWYNETH PALTROW, 44, and STEPHEN FRY, 59 (who was one of four persons, including Carrie’s daughter, and Meryl Streep, to deliver a eulogy). Streep, who played Carrie in the

film version of Postcards from the Edge, led the guests in the singing of Carrie’s favorite song, “Happy Days Are Here Again.” Appropriately it was written in 1929 by two Jews, JACK YELLEN and MILTON AGER (the father of the late journalist SHANA ALEXANDER). By the way, like Streep, Carrie had a surprisingly good singing voice. In the Bright Lights documentary, there is a clip of her belting out “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” at age 15, a decade before she would marry its composer, PAUL SIMON. She also does a great imitation of BARBRA STREISAND singing a Funny Girl number. Finally, we will all get to celebrate Carrie again when Star Wars: EpisodeB VIII opens in December 2017. Fisher completed filming her part before her death.

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February 2017

JEWISH INTEREST

Ehud Manor – beloved songwriter and composer By Arlene Stolnitz

adopting a Hebrew name when he became an Israeli radio music editor in the ’60s. Married to actress Ofra Fuchs for 40 years, they had three children, Gali, Libi and Yehuda. In early 2000, Manor was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had recovered but tragically died of cardiac arrest in 2005. A beloved figure in the Israeli music world, his sudden death shocked the country. Manor created a new genre for Israeli music, which previously had related primarily to the land, the people, war and heroism. Now he emphasized a more personal experience focusing on pain, love and joy, without referring to the national saga. His songs represented the feelings of contemporary Israel. Songs such as the popular “Bashana” (sung by the Sarasota Jewish Chorale) reflect the hope for a peaceful future. In the words of Manor, “The song ‘Next Year’ (Bashana) is one of the most personal songs I composed. Every detail in this song is connected to the environment where I grew up. The porch is, in fact, part of my parent’s

house in Binyamina… the people sitting on the porch are my parents and brothers who passed away… who built the porch with their own hands…” Bashana, haba’ah/ Neishev al hamipset/ V’nispor tziporim nod’dot… Next year/ We’ll sit on the porch/ And count migrating birds/ Children on vacation/ Will play tag/ Between the house and the fields. Next year/ We will spread out our hands/ Toward the radiant light./ A white heron / Like a light will spread her wings/ And within them the sun will rise. Chorus: Od tir’eh, od tir’eh/ Kama tov yihyeh/ Bashana bashana haba’ah. You will see; you will see/ How good it will be/ Next year. Several years ago, Abe Zeewy, tenor with the Sarasota Jewish Chorale, visited the boyhood home of Manor. Traveling in Israel, Zeewy visited his cousin in Binyamina and was directed to the home of Manor. In a letter sent to the SJC director, Zeewy wrote: “Next morning, my cousin took me to the house where Ehud grew up (two

L i v e w e l l. B e h a p p y.

K’zohar Ha-Ivrit Yakar – Dear By Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin

he Hebrew language is rich with words describing love, endearment and likeness, varying in subject and intensity. The word a-havah, for example, expresses romantic love as well as parental love and the bond between friends. Words like do-dim or teshu-kah express intimate relationships, whereas Dr. Rachel Dulin chi-bah, re-ut and ye-di-dut refer generally to the loving relationship between friends. It is interesting to note that, in biblical literature, the relationship between God and Israel was described, at times, as a loving spousal relationship (Hosea 2:21; Jeremiah 2:2). There are those who even argue that the entire Song of Songs is an allegory to this love. On the other hand, we find that this loving relationship is expressed also in parental terms. The prophet Jeremiah articulated it succinctly, lamenting ha-ben yakir li Ef-ra-im, “Ephraim is a dear son to Me.” So, as we ponder about words of love and relationships, I wish to direct our attention to the word ya-kar. In Aramaic, yekar means “weighty,” “precious” and “honored.” But in biblical Hebrew, where the root y.k.r appears over 70 times as a noun, adjective and verb, the meaning receives different nuances and meanings. For example, at times it means “important” (Isa 43:4) and at times “honored” (Prov 6:26). For some writers, yakar means “gentle” (Prov 17:24) and “val-

blocks next to my cousin’s house). I took a picture of the house and you can see the porch mentioned in the song. It is still there. The house was built by Ehud’s father at the beginning of the last century. A true pioneer story.” Author’s note: I get many interesting calls related to the articles I write. Recently, I received a call from a woman in Sarasota who is very good friends with Flory Jagoda’s daughter. The caller brought me up to date, informing me that Flory now resides part-time in New Jersey with her daughter. Flory is 90 years old and sings with the choral group in that community! It truly is a “small world!” I appreciate your comments. Email me at arlenestolnitz@gmail.com. Arlene Stolnitz, founder of the Sarasota Jewish Chorale, is a member of the Jewish Congregation of Venice. A retired educator from Rochester, New York, she has sung in choral groups for over 25 years and also sings in Venice’s Chorale (formerly Exsultate!). Her interest in choral music has led to this series of articles on Jewish folk music in the Diaspora.

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ue” (I Kings 10:10), and yet for others it means “reputation” or “rarity” (I Sam 3:1). It becomes clear, then, that in the Bible, yakar is a word that expresses different shades of endearment, honor and value. With time, the meaning of yakar developed even further. For example, in post-biblical Hebrew, the root y.k.r means “to hold dear,” “to enhance the price” or “to be pricy.” Thus, we find that a valuable thing is referred to as ye-kar e-rekh, literally “of precious value.” A person who is sensitive and gentle is called ye-kar ne-fesh, literally “a precious soul.” And someone who is magnanimous and noble is called ye-kar ru-ach, literally “one with a precious spirit.” A very descriptive suggestion was introduced by the prophet Jeremiah, who taught ho-tzi ya-kar mizo-lel, literally “extracted the precious from the worthless,” meaning make the best of a bad situation (Jer 15:19). To end our short discussion of ya-kar, I wish to mention the phrase ya-kar-ta be-e-nai, literally “you are precious in my eyes,” a phrase which demonstrates love, embraced with respect and honor. This lovely expression brings to mind the very endearing and loving words ya-ki-ri (m) and yaki-ra-ti (f), meaning “my precious,” “my dear” or “my beloved.” May every day be ya-kar in our eyes, and may all of us enjoy the gift of being a ya-kir to a person we love. Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin is a professor of biblical literature at Spertus College in Chicago and an adjunct professor of Hebrew and Bible at New College in Sarasota.

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hud Manor z’l, one of Israel’s most respected songwriters and poets, was the recipient of many prestigious awards for his prolific output of music and poetry. He was the winner of the Israel Prize, Israel’s most prestigious award. In 1978, in collaboration with Nurit Hirsh, he wrote “Abanibi,” the controversial winner of the EuArlene Stolnitz rovision contest. (See “Music Makes the World Connect,” A. Stolnitz, The Jewish News, September 2015.) Manor wrote the lyrics to over 1,200 songs including “Bashana” and “Ein Li Eretz Acheret.” He was also the acclaimed translator of many Broadway hits into Hebrew. Shows such as Cabaret, Les Miserables, Hair and Grease were just a few of the many he popularized in Israeli culture. “It was a unique way of learning English,” he later recalled. Born in Binyamina, Ehud Weiner later changed his name to Manor,

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JEWISH INTEREST

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THE NATURE OF JERUSALEM IN ITS PHYSICAL SETTING

JERUSALEM OF JUDAISM

Jerusalem began as the City of Ophel of the Jebusites, was occupied by Rome, invaded by crusaders, and today is the capital of Israel. The Jerusalem of antiquity was home to the ancient Israelites who worshiped at Solomon’s Temple. Explore the city’s long religious legacies, from its historical roots to today’s modern Hekal Shlomo Synagogue. Learn about the setting of the city during the time of Jesus. See how Christian traditions developed in Jerusalem, changed over the centuries, and are observed today. During the 7th century CE, the Caliph Omar ruled Jerusalem, protecting the holy site where it is written that the Prophet Muhammad rose to heaven, came face to face with God, received the teachings of Islam, and brought them home. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque mark that spot today, and Arabs still refer to Jerusalem as Al Kuds, or “The Holy.”

JANUARY 10, 2017

10–11:30am – THE NATURE OF JERUSALEM IN ITS PHYSICAL SETTING

JANUARY 31, 2017

JERUSALEM OF CHRISTIANITY

10–11:30am – JERUSALEM OF JUDAISM

FEBRUARY 21, 2017

10–11:30am – JERUSALEM OF CHRISTIANITY

MARCH 7, 2017

10–11:30am – JERUSALEM OF ISLAM

JERUSALEM OF ISLAM

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Editor: YoniGlatt, koshercrosswords@gmail.com Across 1. Biblical princess killed by Phinehas 6. Tell ___ (works often filled with lashon hara) 10. They’re often taken on Shabbat 14. Mideast rulers: Var. 15. “Do You Love Me?” from “Fiddler...”, e.g. 16. “Zeh hayom ___ Hashem” (Tehillim 118) 17. Where the “opening of hope” for a new nation started 19. Avodah ___ 20. Bana of “Munich” 21. First Reich, for short 22. Outputs from 44-Across 24. Carmel, e.g. 26. Panels on many Israeli roofs 28. Site of an annual March street party 32. Famous mother of twins 36. Dedicated lines by Lazarus 37. Make like Jacob toward Esau 39. It’s wrapped in the morning 40. Bust ___ (really enjoy an Elon Gold set) 42. It’s next to the Kingdom of Jordan and where Jordan was king 44. Shofar, e.g. 45. Davis Cup round Israel reached in 2009 (with “the”) 47. Home of the original Maimonides Synagogue 49. Opposite of Goliath 50. One might be given at the Temple 52. A melting pot for many immigrants 54. Take “Fauda” off the DVR 56. What Richard Simmons targets with a 72-Across 57. Flick with a ship called The Nebuchadnezzar (with “The”) 60. Prepare, for a Seder 62. ___Stream 66. “My brother” 67. Singapore and Sparta...or another title for this puzzle 70. Where Billy Joel’s “Last Play” occurred 71. One logging on to the Jerusalem Post website 72. See 56-Across 73. Rosenthal and Burns 74. Worshipped item in the Bible... and “Game of Thrones” 75. Makes like Haman

Solution on page 35

Down 1. Shuster’s Kal-El wears one 2. Counting time (with “the”) 3. Tubular fare that’s chametz 4. One is said on a rainbow or rainbow trout 5. Man 6. It comes before Hu at a Seder 7. Carrie Fisher’s cinematic twin (and others) 8. Literature’s Asher 9. Home of Zayat’s American Pharoah 10. Place for Cardinals and Cardinals’ fans 11. Men named for the third king of Judah 12. Say “Shalom”, e.g. 13. All of Gemara 18. Make like the State of Israel since its inception 23. Locales for Bohr and Salk 25. Name based on the first lady 27. Make a priest or a rabbi 28. “L’chaim!”, e.g. 29. Jerusalem Botanical Gardens tool 30. Notable name in international lending 31. Angels supposedly have lovely ones 33. Heights with many minyanim 34. “Hero” singer who played in Israel in 2015 35. William Shatner’s sleep woe 38. Real estate gov. body in the Holy Land 41. Where to find a centuries-old Synagogue by the sea 43. Some kids only get them on Shabbat 46. Cruise whose name is a variation of the first matriarch 48. Where some won big betting on American Pharoah, for short 51. Trump might make one (freeing up more tzedakah money, perhaps) 53. Make like Greek general Bacchides against the Maccabees 55. First name in cosmetics 57. Moses wore one 58. Need Nurofen or Optalgin 59. “___ the children of Israel came into the midst of the sea...” (Ex. 15: 22) 61. Jane of note, once played by Charlotte Gainsbourg 63. Director Preminger 64. Book before Josh. 65. Indiana Jones spends some time with them (to his dismay) 68. Air(line) start 69. Meas. for Jamie Geller

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February 2017

ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

15 ways Israel amazed and inspired the world in 2016

How did Israel make a remarkable global impact over the past 12 months? Let us count the ways. By Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL21c, www.israel21c.org, December 19, 2016

srael ranks about 150 on the scale of countries for size, encompassing only about 10,800 square miles (28,000 square kilometers) and a population under 8.6 million. But its achievements over 68 years of modern statehood have drastically dwarfed its actual size. Israel is a recognized world leader in many fields, including water and agricultural technology, high-tech, medical devices and humanitarian aid. ISRAEL21c brings you daily reports of Israeli inventions, innovations, discoveries and altruistic initiatives. Here we’ve chosen 15 of many that made a remarkable impact in the year 2016. IDF ﬁeld hospital ranked world’s best The portable field hospital flown by the IDF Medical Corps to disaster areas around the world was the first field hospital ever to achieve a Type 3 rating, the highest rank on the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) scale. Run by Medical Corps doctors, soldiers and reservists, the field hospital can accommodate more than 200 patients per day and has 12 emergency medicine stations, three operating

Israeli soldiers establishing a ﬁeld hospital in Nepal following the earthquake in April 2015 (photo by IDF Spokesperson/FLASH90)

rooms, a blood bank, advanced laboratories and imaging equipment. Nepal, Haiti, the Syrian border and the Philippines are among the places it has been deployed. Aiding Syrian war victims Syria may officially be an enemy country, but that hasn’t stopped dozens of Israeli individuals, organizations and government bodies – including the Israel Defense Forces – from doing all they can to alleviate human suffering in the country, even though giving this aid is often dangerous. Israeli aid to the country comes in many forms, much of it under the radar. Nonprofit organization Il4Syrians, which was founded by a private Israeli citizen at the start of the civil war in

2011, sends food, medicine, coats and basic supplies to Syrians in a perilous cross-border mission. With the help of transports organized by the IDF, some 2,500 Syrian men, women and children have received care in various Israeli hospitals at the expense of Israeli taxpayers and donors. In addition, Israeli-American serial entrepreneur Moti Kahana bought a bus to transport seriously ill or injured Syrian children to Israeli hospitals through his nonprofit foundation, Amaliah, and the Yitzhak Rabin Foundation. The Israel Trauma Coalition trained clinicians, caregivers and volunteers in Berlin to treat Syrian refugees in that German city. Natan-International Humanitarian Aid, based in Tel Aviv, has provided trauma and post-trauma care to Syrian refugees in Jordan. The nonprofit IsraAID has been rescuing and providing many forms of assistance to Syrian and other Middle East and African refugees pouring into European countries. Revolutionary standing wheelchair UPnRIDE Robotics of Yokneam Illit introduced UPnRIDE 1.0 at the end of September and expects the revolutionary mobility device – which brings unprecedented mobility to paraplegics and quadriplegics – to be on the market in the second half of 2017. UPnRIDE’s jointed braces and harnessing straps provide support when transitioning between sitting and standing positions. Cutting-edge motion technology and real-time computing automatically balance and stabilize UPnRIDE on sloped sidewalks, parking lots, ramps and low stairs. UPnRide was invented by Amit Goffer, a paraplegic who previously invented the ReWalk robotic exoskeleton. Smart, clean waste management It was a great year for Tel Aviv-based Paulee CleanTec. In March, it won $6,000 in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Nutrient Recycling Challenge for its Manure Convertor, which uses chemical processes to turn livestock manure quickly into non-toxic, non-polluting, ash fertilizer. In October, Ohio-based OurPets entered a strategic partnership with Paulee (named after its founder’s pet pug) to develop and commercialize the Israeli company’s sustainable, ecofriendly portable system that turns dog droppings into pathogen- and odor-free

ash fertilizer in seconds. And most recently, Paulee’s technology is being integrated into a whole-building sustainable waste-management system under development by California-based Epic CleanTec. The first installation, coming sometime next year in San Francisco, will serve as a pilot and model for further expansion in the United States, Brazil, India and China. Trailblazing in medical marijuana This was the year that Israel’s lead in the medical marijuana arena really came to worldwide consciousness. In November, Israeli multinational corporation Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Israeli startup Syqe Medical

agreed to market medical cannabis for pain management in Israel with Syqe’s revolutionary selective-dose pharmaceutical-grade medicinal plants inhaler. Israel has long been a world leader in both research and technologies relating to medical cannabis. The country even hosts a startup accelerator, Cann10, where entrepreneurs receive a full range of services to establish businesses offering new technologies in this emerging field. A groundbreaking study released in June by a Ben-Gurion University professor proved that medical marijuana users experience significant pain relief and improved function.

continued on next page

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February 2017

ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

15 ways...continued from previous page In March, investors, researchers and high-tech entrepreneurs from around the world gathered in Tel Aviv at CannaTech 2016 for the first International Summit for Accelerating Cannabis Innovation. Pain-free periods iPulse Medical’s Livia wearable device for relieving the pain of menstrual cramps created a buzz worldwide and garnered $1,411,515 from supporters in a crowdfunding campaign launched with a $50,000 goal. Clearly, the drugfree solution will be in high demand when it debuts in 2017, first in Europe and later in the United States, pending regulatory approvals. Women’s cancer screenings in Kenya On World Cancer Day on February 4, approximately 700 women in Kenya had their first-ever cervical cancer screening thanks to Tel Aviv-based MobileODT’s EVA system. Piloted successfully in the United

States, Haiti, Guatemala, Botswana, Kenya, Nepal and Mexico, EVA’s advanced optical technology captures and securely transmits biomedical images for diagnosis and analysis using only a mobile phone and an Internet connection. This makes cervical cancer screenings possible in places lacking more sophisticated medical infrastructure. A true Israeli wonder Israeli actress Gal Gadot may have starred in several Hollywood films before 2016, but this was the year she really emerged as a fabulous role model for women. Her performance as Wonder Woman was considered by many as the best part of this year’s Batman v Superman movie. In October, the United Nations chose Gadot’s Wonder Woman persona as an honorary ambassador for the empowerment of girls and women. The assignment only lasted two months, but Gadot has taken time from the

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*Reviews are subject to portfolio size minimums. Interest on municipal bonds is generally exempt from federal income tax. However, some bonds may be subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). Typically, state tax-exemption applies if securities are issued within one’s state of residence and if applicable, local tax-exemption typically applies if securities are issued within one’s city of residence. The tax-exempt status of municipal securities may be changed by legislative process, which could affect their value and marketability. The value of fixed income investments The use of the CDFA designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney. The CDFA designation is not intended to imply that either Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors are acting as experts in this field. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. © 2017 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC Member SIPC FIX015 CRC 797054 01/14 CS 7884973 07/14

promotion circuit for her new Wonder Woman film, scheduled for release in June 2017, to propose a positive new role model for children to see females as superheroes rather than helpless princesses. Gadot also lent her star power to a short video celebrating accomplished young Israeli women. 3D-printed dress wows at Paralympics Israeli designer Danit Peleg’s 3D-printed dress caught the world’s attention when U.S. Paralympic snowboarder

Amy Purdy danced in Israeli designer’s 3D-printed dress at Rio Paralympics (photo by Danit Peleg)

Amy Purdy wore it to dance a samba with a robot at the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Paralympics in Rio. Peleg said her design was inspired by Botticelli’s famous painting “The Birth of Venus,” and celebrates the intersection of technology and fashion. 3D-printed human tissue It’s the stuff of science fiction: technology that can print a human organ. Israel’s Nano Dimension, a manufacturer of 3D printers, is collaborating with Israeli biotechnology firm Accellta of Haifa to mix human stem cells into its 3D inkjet printer ink. When expelled through the more than 1,000 tiny nozzles of a Nano Dimension DragonFly 3D printer, the ink can form into human tissue. While the technology is still at the proof-of-concept stage – and going from simple tissue to a full organ is a daunting and uncharted process – the possibilities for saving lives by “printing” a new liver or lung are staggering. Chicken meat made by machine Israeli startup SuperMeat made headlines for its announcement that it is creating the first mass-market device to bring cultured chicken meat to restaurants – and eventually to home kitchens. Cultured meat is grown from stem cells rather than taken from a slaughtered animal. In the past, this was done in a test tube under highly controlled laboratory conditions. SuperMeat proposes to develop and market a small high-tech “oven” that would make non-GMO meat from a serum, powder or capsule containing cell samples. Gauze stops bleeding in seconds Core Scientific Creations’ WoundClot gauze absorbs about 2,500 percent of its own weight in fluids and forms a co-

When your country cherishes life, you’ll do whatever it takes to save one.

WoundClot gauze forms a gel membrane with the blood’s own clotting factors

agulating gel membrane that can stop a person hemorrhaging blood within minutes. The product, which naturally dissolves within 24 hours and is already used by European hospitals and American and Israeli first-responders, fills a large need in situations when compression is not effective or even counterproductive as in the case of stab wounds and certain other kinds of trauma. Breast cancer spread halted in mice An Israeli and American research team published a high-profile study in September showing that combined genetic therapy and chemotherapy proved extremely effective in preventing breast cancer metastasis – the deadly spread of cancerous cells to vital organs – in lab mice with a primary breast tumor. Researcher Noam Shomron of Tel Aviv University says there is a strong correlation between the effect on genes in mouse cells and the effect on genes in human cells. The results point to a major advance in the fight against breast cancer. A tire that can’t go ﬂat SoftWheel, the Israeli company that literally reinvented the wheel by replacing the traditional spoke-and-rim hub with an innovative automatic suspension system, is entering the automotive sector with its Enduro wheel, aiming to bring the same radical improvements to automobiles that it has already brought to wheelchairs and bicycles.

SoftWheel’s Enduro could change the tire industry dramatically

Because Enduro’s rigid tire is not filled with air, it can never go flat. “The best way to revolutionize the world is to revolutionize transportation,” SoftWheel CEO Daniel Barel said upon introducing the concept last March. “No more flat tires, 20% more energy efficiency, better maneuverability, higher safety, lighter – better in every way.” From taxi-hailing to taxi-owning Gett (formerly Get Taxi), the popular Israeli ride-hailing app used in some 50 cities across the globe, amazed the business world with its March acquisition of British black cab company Radio Taxis. Gett now owns a fleet of 11,500 licensed London taxicabs – about half the cabs in the city – in a

Gett gets into London taxis

Living in a Jewish State, founded on Jewish values, there are few things the people of Israel value more than chai, life. Magen David Adom is proud of its role in helping ensure Israel’s health and survival, providing two medevac helicopters, more than 1,000 ambulances, 300 Medicycles, 15,000 CPR-certified Life Guardians, and 15,000 of the most experienced EMTs and paramedics on Earth — most of them volunteers. Save a life in Israel. Support Magen David Adom. AFMDA Southeast Region 3300 PGA Blvd., Suite 970 • Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 561.835.0510 southeast@afmda.org l

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bid to provide its technology to Radio Taxis’ corporate customers. In May, Volkswagen invested $300 million in Gett as part of its shifting focus to new technologies and on-demand personal transport solutions. And in August, Gett began to integrate its ride-hailing app into Google Maps’ automatic navigation options. Abigail Klein Leichman is a writer and associate editor at ISRAEL21c. Prior to moving to Israel in 2007, she was a specialty writer and copy editor at a daily newspaper in New Jersey and has freelanced for a variety of newspapers and periodicals since 1984.

February 2017

COMMENTARY

Dear Secretary Kerry

By David Harris, AJC Chief Executive Oﬃcer, Edward and Sandra Meyer Oﬃce of the CEO, December 28, 2016

listened with rapt attention to your speech today on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I did so as someone who has yearned for an end to this conflict for decades, who grasps that the essential Jewish mission has always been the alltoo-elusive quest for peace, and whose organization, AJC, has advocated for a two-state solution for nearly 25 years. p And I did so as one who undernstands that settlement-building beyond the security barrier is indeed a major -impediment to the prospects for a finalystatus accord. Moreover, I believe in your good awill. I’ve seen it up close. I’ve heard it -from you in private, not only in public. -When you say you want to preserve Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, I know full well that you mean it. When you express anguish over mthe dangers faced by Israeli children -in Israeli border cities like Sderot and cKiryat Shmona, it comes not just from your head, but from the depths of your tsoul. d And I recognize the unprecedented nlevel of bilateral cooperation between Washington and Jerusalem over the lpast eight years in the defense and intelligence spheres, at the UN and its sspecialized agencies, and elsewhere. sYou cited many examples, and each oone rings so true. t How many Israeli lives have indeed been saved because of U.S.-Israeli cooperation in missile defense -systems? How many potentially tragic -situations have been averted by bilatberal intelligence sharing? And how many misguided international efforts erelated to Israel have been stopped in their tracks by American intervention? o And yet, as I processed every tword, every idea, every facial gesture, every gesticulation in your remarks, I felt some unease. I wanted to embrace it all – the hope, the vision, the determination – and yet something was missing for me. You yourself said that a majority of Israelis support the idea of separation and an agreement with the Palestinians. That’s true, of course. But in the tvery same polls they also express fear that the ultimate goal of their neighebors is the elimination of Israel. In -other words, Israelis are schizophrenic, lwhich, given the region in which they tlive, is entirely understandable. e On the one hand, they may reso-nate to the idea of two states for two -peoples, a “non-militarized” (and democratic?) Palestinian state, and an end to the conflict and all claims on both rsides, but in their kishkes do they really believe it’s possible in today’s turebulent Middle East, or do they ascribe the vision to the overly romanticized ynotions of well-intentioned outsiders? t After all, these outsiders haven’t exactly gotten much right in the Middle East of late, many Israelis would argue – not Syria, not Iraq, not Libya, not Iran… the list is getting longer and longer. So why should they place their trust – and their destiny – in the “latest” plan? The big fear, I have heard time and again, is that a Palestinian state is very likely to become a failed state, joining too many others in the region. If Israel miraculously signed an agreement with the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah tomorrow, for instance, who would be -in charge there in a year or five or ten? Abbas has made absolutely no pro-vision for succession, though he is in ehis eighties; a major fight is brewing in the West Bank for eventual control of dthe Palestinian Authority; and Hamas, ralready ruling Gaza, won’t sit idly by in the West Bank, either. And any instabilaity there wouldn’t just affect Israel, of course, but also, if not more so, Jordan. s Moreover, why have Israelis moved to the right on the political

spectrum, weakening once robust leftof-center parties? Some have attributed it to immigration from the FSU and the high birthrate of Orthodox Jews, but the main reason, people on the street might say, is the accumulation of events from 2000 onward – a determined effort by Prime Minister Ehud Barak, joined by President Bill Clinton, to pursue a two-state deal, only to be rebuffed by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, who triggered a second intifada in response; Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, only to see the space occupied by Hezbollah and its state-within-a-state army; Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, with Hamas quickly expelling the PA and seizing the reins of power there; and Abbas himself, often described as a man with whom to make peace, largely AWOL from the negotiating table, while stoking the fires of incitement, martyrdom, and delegitimization of Israel. And that brings me to Friday’s UN Security Council resolution (2334). The real question ought to be whether or not it brings us closer to a resumption of peace talks. For now, it seems pretty clear that its consequence has been negative – emboldening Abbas in his strategy of internationalizing the conflict and trying to corner Israel, while prompting Netanyahu to declare that Israel can’t get a fair hearing from the global community. So why the resolution on Friday, with a U.S. abstention, and why the speech today, just 24 days before the Obama Administration relinquishes power to a new U.S. administration, whose views, as you noted, are quite different from those you voiced? Could it be to set the stage for more action by the UN Security Council in the coming days, and empower the French-initiated conference in Paris in mid-January? Could it be to create facts on the ground that no future administration could easily ignore or sidestep? As I said at the outset, I don’t doubt your commitment to Israel, but I can’t help but wonder what exactly is going on here. Unless we can expect major pronouncements from you between now and January 20 about the unparalleled carnage in Syria, the unraveling of Libya, Iran’s destabilizing role in the Middle East and growing challenge to American forces, and Russia’s continued occupation of Crimea and eastern Ukraine – all of which touch on fundamental American interests and may not be handled in the same way by President Trump and his team, then why this one issue, and with a close ally to boot, on Friday at the UN, today at the State Department, and tomorrow possibly back at the UN – with our without U.S. initiation – or in Paris? Before closing, let me cite just one more theme – in the interests of historical accuracy and justice. One of your six principles was resolution of the Palestinian refugee question. I waited for you to add in that section some reference to the Jewish refugee question, but, alas, there was none. Mr. Secretary, as you know, there were two, not one, refugee populations created by the Arab-Israeli conflict, and they were of roughly equal size. Just because one has been kept alive by UNRWA and the absence of any mandate to resettle refugees (and, I’d add, their descendants in perpetuity), while the other has been dealt with by people who refused to be instrumentalized and chose to move on with their lives, the tragedy – and the claims – of both populations require attention. Finally, like you and the late Shimon Peres, I refuse to give up on the future. I’ve seen enough political miracles in my lifetime to convince me that

historic change is possible – for starters, the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa; Israeli peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan; French-German reconciliation; the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain; democracy restored in Argentina, Brazil and Chile; and the rescue of millions of Jews from the USSR. But coming from a family that experienced directly the scourges of Communism, Nazism and jihadism, I know that we must have the capacity not only to imagine the best, but also to fear the worst. Many Israelis and their support-

ers have similar family backgrounds. When developments warrant, the Israelis act. They have in the past. They will again. Enduring peace is, and always has been, their highest priority. For that to happen, however, they need to believe there are committed leaders on the other side of the bargaining table who are prepared to negotiate in good faith. Alas, sadly, it remains to be seen if that will prove the case anytime soon.

The AJC West Coast Florida oﬃce, located in Sarasota, can be reached at 941.365.4955.

February

SHABBAT SERVICES

Fridays, 6:30 pm Saturdays, 9:00 am Shabbat Shaboom & Youth Havurah (for our children)

Saturdays, 10:30 am– 12:00 pm Shabbat Shmooze

MINYAN

Morning Minyan Sunday-Friday 8:00-9:00 am Men’s Club Minyan Breakfast Wednesday 9:00 am

CONTINUING EDUCATION ◦ A Cup of Joe and the Five Saturdays, approximately 12:45 pm Books of Mo Tuesdays 9:15-10:15 am OFFICE HOURS Chug Ivri Thursdays Mondays, CLOSED 10:30 am—12:00 pm Tuesday-Friday, 9:00 am-3:30 pm ◦ Learn Hebrew-beginners Thursdays 10-11 am PAVER RELIGIOUS SCHOOL ◦ Learn Hebrew-intermediate Thursdays 11 am—12 pm Sundays: 9 am—12:30 pm ◦ Lunch & Learn Thursdays February 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th 12-1:30 pm February 12th will be our Monthly Activity Day– Tu b’Shevat See more details on our website (join us for great discussions after Kiddush)

JUDAICA SHOP HOURS

Monday-Closed Tuesday-Thursday 10 am—3 pm Friday 10 am—12 pm Sunday-by appointment Let us help with your Judaic needs! Please contact Hannah Puckhaber at 552-2785 or tbsjudaicashop@gmail.com

IDELSON LIBRARY

Idelson Library Book Review Wednesday, February 1st 1:15-3:00 pm Harold Halpern will review Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin & the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephron. Free & open to the public Light refreshments served

Men’s Club The Idelson Library & Alcove are World Wide Wrap XVII open anytime the TBS office is open. Sunday, February 5th You can use the self check-out for 9-11 am books & DVDs. Please return your Uniting men, women & children in items to book drop cart in the lobby. prayer through the mitzvah of T’fillan.

GAME DAY

Every Tuesday 1:00-4:00 pm Bring your favorite game, bring your friends! Healthy snacks provided Donation-$2 for TBS Members $3 for non-members

Sisterhood Sophisticated Ladies Tour London Fashion Show Wednesday, February 15th 12:00 pm Luncheon, Fashion Show & Auction Questions-Contact Grace Goldstein 941-366-4774

Service, Brunch & Lecture

Chalutzim Tu b’Shevat Arts & Crafts Party!

Sunday, February 12th 12:30--2:00 pm Don’t miss out on the fun! RSVP to Jessica Zimmerman Jessica.zimmerman12@ncf.edu by February 7th $5-Members, $7-Non-members

Idelson Library Film Matinee Thursday, February 23rd 1:15-3:30 pm Raise the Roof

Kirtan Kabbalat Shabbat Tu b’Shevat with Kirtan Rabbi Andrew Hahn Refreshments, including popcorn, will Services at 6 pm (note earlier time) be provided by the Men’s Club Youth/Family Shabbat Dinner at 7 pm Suggested donation $3/members; Friday, February 10th $5 /non-members See our website for flyer & pricing TBS is participating with the APJA and the Jewish Federation-come join us! Questions/Reservations Contact Kelly Nester 941-955-8121

Kinder Kirtan Saturday, February 11th 11:00 am-12:00 pm

A very special program for all children!

TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM 1050 South Tuttle Avenue Sarasota, FL 34237 8121 (941) 955-8121 Email us at: info@templebethsholomfl.org Visit our website at: www.templebethsholomfl.org

USY & Kadima Youth Groups Have you registered for YOM DISNEY? February 19th 9 am—7 pm You must have your dues paid to TBS to attend. Yom Disney payment must be to Regional office by February 1st!

Serving the Sarasota Jewish Community for 90 Years!

Temple Beth Sholom

February 2017

COMMENTARY

Thanks to the TorahNator, Aviva seniors access Shabbat services

“

Rabbi Barbara Aiello

’m calling it the TorahNator,” said a smiling Dr. Sanford Stone, a resident at the Aviva Jewish retirement campus where he lives in the Benderson unit. “The minute I saw it I knew it was something special.” And special it is. For ten seasons I have had the honor and privilege to serve the seniors who live in the Kobernick, Anchin and Benderson units at our newly-named Aviva campus. Over the years I have created adaptive measures so that more of our fragile residents might participate more fully in our Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Shacharit (morning) services. Residents who use wheelchairs and walkers, residents who are a bit unsteady on their feet, residents who struggle with cognitive deficiencies – many of these residents regularly attend our specially-designed services, chant and sing the prayers, make Kiddush and enjoy challah after a rousing “HaMotzi.” Yet something was missing. That’s where the TorahNator made all the difference.

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in place in its TorahNator, a majority of our residents now participate in the hakafah and bring the Torah scroll to the majority of our residents. In a sermon given by Rabbi Barry H. Block (1996), the rabbi offers an elegant explanation of the Torah procession. Rabbi Block says: “The hakafah, then, imposes a double responsibility, because both rabbis and lay people are included. We rabbis must… help our community to know the tradition that is ours to do. As we carry the scrolls into the congregation, we recommit ourselves to this task. You, our congregants, as you turn to kiss the Torah, brought close to you more often than ever before… (can) receive the hakafah as a symbol that you share in the responsibility to study the Torah and to do the mitzvot.” In Psalm 71 we read these words: “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me…” Thanks to the TorahNator, residents can indeed break through physical isolation and share in the responsibility that Rabbi Block so eloquently describes. As elderly men and women come forward to place their hands on

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the walker’s handles, and then push the TorahNator forward to bring the Torah scrolls to their neighbors and friends, they have the opportunity to reconnect with rituals and practices that were once an important part of their lives. Rabbi Barbara Aiello is resident rabbi of the Aviva campus where she serves residents of Kobernick, Anchin and Benderson facilities. She inventedT the TorahNator to allow more elderlyA residents to participate in Shabbat andA holy day services. For information on the TorahNator or to see it in action, contact Rabbi Barbara at Rabbi@ RabbiBarbara.com.

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Rabbi Barbara Aiello with Anchin resident Else Dreels as she leads the Hakafah (Torah procession) using the TorahNator

‘‘

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Aviva Experience!

It is a privilege to serve as spiritual leader and live among the residents at Aviva. Whether we share a meal, celebrate Shabbat on our beautiful campus, or chat in the Grand Rotunda, I marvel at the depth and breadth of their knowledge, experience, and compassion. – Barbara Aiello, Aviva Resident Rabbi

‘‘

From the Bimah

The Torah reading is the heart of our Shabbat morning service, where one of our residents serving as “Ba’al Kore” chants 5-10 verses. One Aliyah blessing sung by the entire congregation announces the reading and one group makes the concluding blessing. But it’s what happens prior to the reading that has made an enormous difference for our congregants. “I used to carry the Torah,” said a wistful Sidney S., who recalled the days in his home synagogue when he hoisted a large Torah scroll on his shoulder and during the traditional hakafah ceremony carefully carried the scroll to each congregant. “How I’d like to do that again.” And so, the TorahNator was born. As I watched so many of our residents carefully and skillfully maneuver their walkers, it occurred to me that a walker could be retrofitted to carry the Torah scroll. Walkers come in many shapes and sizes, and today they sport a variety of accoutrements, so it wasn’t difficult for me to find a walker that had been replaced with a newer model. With handyman Jose as my guide, we removed the walker’s seat and refitted it with a plywood base. After measuring the spindles of our Torah scroll, we drilled two holes into the plywood so that the Torah with its mantle covering would fit securely into the plywood base. One of our talented residents, Sandy Klein, created a multi-colored velvet covering for the plywood so that the TorahNator would have the dignity it deserved. With the Torah scroll

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February 2017

COMMENTARY

The Middle East and President Trump By Rabbi Howard A. Simon

new government has taken over ment signed months ago be supported the leadership of our country. by the new administration or will this We have a Republican Presibe a matter of dispute causing greater dent, a Republican House of Represenfriction between Iran and the United tatives and a Republican Senate. No States? How will President Trump deal one knows for sure what this with the ongoing strugwill mean regarding the leadgles in Iraq, the threat ership of our nation or foreign of additional problems relations. We will all watch in Lebanon, the reality carefully to see what changes of an arms-laden Hezwill take place relating to the bollah and threats from Middle East, in general, and Hamas? Then comes Israel, in particular. the major concern of The realities facing the our people, the relationship between PresiTrump administration are dent Trump and Prime as follows: The seemingly Rabbi Howard A. Simon Minister Netanyahu. endless war in Syria, which In 2013, when Israel was in the has already killed hundreds of thoumidst of an election, then businesssands of people. President Assad still eleads the country and proclaims his man Donald Trump endorsed Benhforces will win the day. What will be jamin Netanyahu, calling him “a ,the relationship between Iran and the great prime minister” and “a winner.” tUnited States? Will the nuclear agreeUpon Trump’s presidential nominae

COMMENTARY BRIEFS

i s d dTHE U.S. SHOULD FORM yA CLOSER MILITARY dALLIANCE WITH ISRAEL  Our best military partner in the , Middle East, by far, is Israel. The @ U.S. would be well served to more fully develop its partnership with the Israel Defense Forces in several crucial areas as we stand together facing the challenges of the Middle East.  During my time as commander of the U.S. European Command, I had responsibility for developing our shared defensive strategies and tactics, and saw firsthand the quality of Israeli forces. Their military culture and ethos are world-class, honed in the crucible of battle in which they have fought to preserve their nation from many attacks since its creation in 1948.  Perhaps the most important area of potential cooperation is in the world of cybersecurity. Israeli intelligence gathering is superb, and the integration of the Israeli military with the nation’s robust private-sector security firms is nearly seamless.  A second zone of potentially enhanced cooperation is in technology and innovation. Doing more together in advanced avionics (as we did with the F-15), miniaturization (like Israel’s small airborne-warning aircraft), and the production of low-cost battlefield unmanned vehicles (both air and surface) would yield strong results.  Third, we should up our game in terms of intelligence cooperation. The Israeli intelligence services are the best in the Middle East. We need a more open exchange of information between our two countries, especially human intelligence from Israel and overhead sensor data from the U.S.  Finally, having the U.S. Special Operations Command constantly operating with Israeli commandos would be of enormous benefit to both forces. Setting up a joint special-forces training and innovation center for special operations in Israel would be powerful.  The motto of the crack Israeli paratrooper brigade translates to “Follow me.” The saying stems from the custom of Israeli commanders directly leading their troops into battle, even at the most senior levels. For the U.S. in the Middle East, we would be well served to follow the Israeli military’s advice on a range of key issues. (Adm. James Stavridis, a former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, TIME)

UN VOTE ON SETTLEMENTS CAN’T HIDE PALESTINIAN COLLAPSE

The UN vote is certainly a propaganda victory for the Palestinian cause, but it does nothing to help the Palestinians in practical terms. Indeed, the Palestinians have not been this weak, this divided, or this helpless in many decades. Palestinians have been organizing to fight Zionism for well over 100 years; during all that time the fundamental problems of the Palestinians have come from the weakness of Palestinian political leadership and the lack of capacity of Palestinian institutions. The Palestinians continue to fall farther and farther behind the Israelis when it comes to political organization and military power. Not only have the Palestinian territories devolved into two micro-states (Gaza and the West Bank), but both Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank have become increasingly corrupt, ineffective and exhausted. Both depend on foreign paymasters to cover their expenses; neither has shown much ability to build a real state or to solve the problems of the Palestinian people. The incapacity of the UN to do anything concrete in the Middle East has never been more obvious; ask the people of Aleppo. The Sunni Arabs, the most natural allies of the Palestinian cause, are so weak and divided that they look to Israel as a defender of the Sunni world against the Persians and the Shi’a. No vote in the impotent echo chamber of the Security Council can change any of these facts. (Walter Russell Mead, professor of foreign affairs and humanities at Bard College and professor of American foreign policy at Yale University, American Interest)

Opinions and letters printed in The Jewish News do not necessarily reflect those of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, its Board of Directors or staﬀ, or its advertisers.

Jerusalem Post Crossword Puzzle Solution to puzzle on page 30

tion, Prime Minister Netanyahu called Trump “a great friend of Israel.” He also said he looked forward to working with President Trump to advance “security, prosperity and peace” in the region. When one looks at the new administration we see a president who has voiced support for Israel and a vice president who has been a staunch supporter of Israel. During the campaign for the presidency, Trump’s two Israel affairs advisors, David Friedman and Jason Greenblatt, were both strong advocates of the U.S.-Israel Alliance. On the surface, one would hope that this bodes well for a positive, strengthened relationship between Israel and the United States. That is the hope and belief of Prime Minister Netanyahu, but time will tell what the reality will be. Something for us all to watch is what happens in March when the AIPAC Policy Conference convenes

in Washington, D.C. Will Netanyahu come to the conference and speak, or will he deliver his message via satellite? If he comes in person, will an invitation be extended to him to visit the White House and have a face-to-face meeting with President Trump, or will his visit be ignored by Washington? It is a new administration, with new goals and desires. Hopefully, this bodes well for Israel and our country. Hopefully, positive steps can be taken to secure peace throughout our troubled world. We wait and we watch. Rabbi Howard A. Simon is the founding chair of The Robert and Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative. For more information about the Heller IAI, visit www.sarasotalovesisrael.com or contact Jessi Sheslow at 941.343.2109 jsheslow@jfedsrq.org.

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February 2017

FOCUS ON YOUTH

Tu B’shvat gives families an opportunity to honor nature C Education Corner By Sabrina Silverberg

“

f you have a sapling in your hand, and someone should say to you that the messiah has come, stay and complete the planting,” said Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai. On Saturday, February 11, Jews around the world will be celebrating the holiday of Tu B’shvat, the Jewish Arbor Day. What is the nature of this obscure Jewish holiday? What is its origin and how did it evolve and expand over the past few centuries? And most importantly, how can we seize the opportunity of Tu B’shvat to reinforce Jewish values that could benefit the world and possibly generations to come? Let us take a look. Tu B’shvat is the New Year of the Trees. Its name is derived from its date on the Hebrew calendar. In the Hebrew aleph-bet, each letter has a numerical value. This system is called “gematria.” The Hebrew “Tu” is made up of a tet, which has the value of nine, and a vav, which has the value of six. Together the two letters equal 15. Tu B’shvat occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Sh’vat. Tu B’shvat marked the time, determined by the sages, when the trees were nourished by the rains of the new year, as opposed to the rain of the previous year. Another name for Tu B’shvat is Rosh Hashanah L’Ilanot – the New Year of the Trees. Tradition teaches that on Tu B’shvat a heavenly court judges the trees and pronounces their fate – which trees will thrive and

which will wither. In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, taxes were collected on fruit trees. The age of the tree determined this tax, also called a tithe. Tu B’shvat was considered the birthday of the trees, and the age of the tree was reckoned from this date. When the Temple was destroyed, Tu B’shvat lost its purpose, since the laws of tithing and planting did not apply outside the land of Israel. It was the kabbalists, the Jewish mystics of Safed, who created a new observance for Tu B’shvat some 400 years ago. Isaac Luria, a rabbi at that time, established the 15th of Shevat as a day for eating fruits. His intent was to connect humankind to nature. The kabbalists saw Tu B’shvat as a holiday that celebrated two ideas: the revival of nature after the long winter and the revival of the Jewish nation. They created a Tu B’shvat Seder, similar in structure to the Passover Seder. In modern times, the focus of Tu B’shvat has broadened to include the Kabbalistic approach of celebrating the relationship of people with nature. This Tu B’shvat, let us seize the opportunity to honor this relationship and renew our commitment to the environment. The two central values of Tu B’shvat are Ba-Al Tashcheet (avoiding unnecessary destruction) and Shmirat Adama (Guardianship of the Earth). Here are some meaningful ways to practice them with your family:  Visit a botanical garden with your family. It is awe inspiring to see all the beautiful trees, plants and flowers that G-d created for our enjoyment! Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a great place to start.  Plant a tree in Israel by contributing to the Jewish National Fund. You can also plant a tree in your backyard and observe its growth every Tu B’shvat.

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 Host or participate in a Tu B’shvat Seder. There are several Tu B’shvat Haggadot (guides) online that will help guide you with the process.  Discuss environmental issues and their possible solutions with your family.  Adopt some new household habits that will help the environment such as donating used clothes, us-

Sarasota Jewish teens connect with peers around the world

By Skylar Haas, Associate Regional Dir., North Florida Region BBYO

he new year is off to a great start for BBYO in Sarasota. In January, local teens traveled to Lake Placid, Florida, to take part in North Florida Region’s New Member Weekend and Leadership Training Institute. Along with teens from all over Florida, they were joined by the Grand Aleph Godol (President of the International Order of BBYO) and other prestigious guests, creating a unique and new opportunity for so many teens across the region. All the teens left feeling inspired and ready to bring back their gained knowledge to help strengthen our movement in Sarasota. Over Presidents Day weekend, more than 4,000 of the Jewish com-

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munity’s top teen leaders, educators, professionals and philanthropists from across the world will come together in Baltimore for BBYO International Convention (IC) 2017. They will hear from and meet inspiring speakers, deepen leadership skills, immerse themselves in and serve the local community, celebrate Shabbat and learn together, have access to exclusive music performances, and do their part to ensure a stronger Jewish future. If you are interested in finding out more about programming offered for Jewish teens in grades 8-12 in Sarasota, please contact me at shaas@bbyo. org.

See page 15 for information on the free StandWithUs event, “Israel Advocacy Boot Camp,” on Sunday, March 5 from 4-6pm on the Federation Campus.

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ing cloth grocery bags, and making greater efforts to recycle.  Enjoy nature’s bounty by eating fruits, nuts and preparing vegetarians treats. Happy Tu B’shvat! Sabrina Silverberg is the Education Director of Temple Emanu-El Religious School and can be reached at teers@sarasotatemple.org.

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February 2017

FOCUS ON YOUTH

Community Day School bridges the generations with Better TogetherTM program

he Hershorin Schiff Community Day School has been selected to participate in the Better TogetherTM program, a two-year endeavor designed to encourage meaningful interaction between young and old. The focus of the program is to sensitize students to the challenges of the elderly and incorporate Jewish learning and values into their interactions with the elderly. Community Day is partnering with Aviva: A Campus for Senior Life (formerly Kobernick-Anchin-Benderson)

for this program. A total of 34 students in grades 5-8 are participating, with monthly visits to, and interaction with the residents of Aviva. The endeavor will culminate in a documentary project, showcasing the stories and relationships that develop during the program. “One of the core values of Community Day School is acceptance of all people, and the elderly are often one of the most misunderstood, mistreated and undervalued groups of people in our society,” said Community Day School

Jordyn Chessler, Benjamin Ramos and Gianna Artusa with Aviva resident Melva Marmion

Hershorin Schiff Community Day School third-grader Alexander Kaufman shot a oneover-par 37 to win the USKids Sarasota Championship Tournament in December. Al, who won all six of his Sarasota Tour golf tournaments, was named the USKids Sarasota Fall Tour Champion. The talented youth picked up his first plastic golf club at the age of 2, graduating to metal clubs at 3. Al is now qualified to play in the USKids World Tournament in August 2017.

teacher Aaron Goldberg. “I already see ly supported through a Better Together students gaining appreciation. They Grant from a prominent national founare genuinely interested and excited to dation. hear the experiences of our senior friends. Preconceived notions are also being dispelled for many students.” Students have spent time with numerous residents, socializing, doing activities and enjoying music together. They have held interviews in order to learn about the seniors’ childhoods and school experiences, and to solidify relationships between the participants. Throughout the project, the visits to Aviva are also tying in elements of classroom learning – history, narrative writing, storytelling and more. Ella Schaefer with Aviva resident Jerry Osterweil This project is generous-

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F A Q

How do I get items in The Jewish News? Email your articles and photos to jewishnews18@gmail.com. What are The Jewish News deadlines? Items are due the 25th of each month, or earlier if the 25th falls on a weekend or holiday. Where can I get a copy of The Jewish News? Papers are available at several local libraries, synagogues and offices throughout Sarasota-Manatee. Have a location where you would like to see the newspaper? Email bdgraves@jfedsrq.org and let us know. How do I place an ad in The Jewish News? Contact Robin Leonardi, account executive, at 941.552.6307 or rleonardi@jfedsrq.org.

Hillel of Florida Gulf Coast University and The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee STEP Program cordially invite you to

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February 2017

FOCUS ON YOUTH

Temple Emanu-El kids and families celebrate Thanksgiving spirit at All Faiths Food Bank “We are very proud of the strong partnership between Temple Emanu-El and All Faiths Food Bank,” she added. “I have talked to my five-year-old son about the importance of giving back to the community and taking care of others,” commented Temple Ema-

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Temple Emanu-El Early Learning Center preschoolers Helaina Rodarte and Maxwell Link help stamp and check oﬀ boxes

“FOCUS ON YOUTH” PHOTOS OF THE MONTH ited a Wall of Heroes, which featured photos of many likely (and unlikely) heroes in our society and discussed what each one did that made him or her a hero. Armed with new ideas about strength beyond just physical strength, families designed and created family shields that depicted what made their families strong. As with all the temple’s family programs, while students had snacks and went out to the playground, parents met with Religious School Director Sue Huntting to explore the various “truths” we teach children about the meaning and history of Chanukah. Once parents and children reunited, the conversation circled back to Chanukah and how the spiritual strength of the Maccabees helped make them victorious over the Greco-Syrian army. What a great morning for all our aspiring Jewish heroes!

Avery and Sarah Portugal present their family shield

The Collier family poses with its shield

u Yo

ilies fam g n

Each month, women of diverse faith backgrounds from the Women’s Interfaith Network (WIN) and students from Community Day School share lunch and talk about stereotypes – where did they originate, why do they persist and how do we overcome them

Temple Emanu-El kids Arden, Kyle, Alana, Alexandra, Woody, Bella, Sasha, Aaron and Maxwell made candle headbands and became a “human menorah” at Temple Emanu-El’s Hanukkah-themed Tot Shabbat at Crowley Nature Center on December 10

are invited t

o at

te n

STAY CONNECTED d

Tu B Shevat AT MIXON FRUIT FARMS

Advice from a Tree Stand

but it also teaches our children social responsibility, to look beyond what they need and want, and care for others without expectation. “This may have been our first trip to the food bank,” she concluded, “but I can promise it will not be the last!”

Temple Emanu-El Religious School student Seth and Dr. Bill Gross enjoy some father-son time packing boxes of donated food

Jewish heroes unite for families at Sinai hat do Zishe, PJ Library, Chanukah and heroes have to do with each other? Families at Temple Sinai with children in kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades discovered the answer at a recent family program inspired by PJ Library. In the same way PJ Library provides books to engage parents and children around stories with Jewish messages, PJ Goes to School provides books and educational resources to teachers in preschools and religious schools to strengthen the connection between home, school and community. The four elementary school books featured this year all address the theme of heroes. Zishe the Strongman tells the true story of Siegmund Breithbart, aka Zishe, known as the “Iron King” in Europe and America in the early 1900s. He was raised in an observant Polish family, and astounded crowds with his feats of strength, always aware that his behavior, both on and off the stage, would reflect on his family and the Jewish people. On a Sunday morning, families vis-

nu-El Tot Shabbat Leadership Team member Sarah Link, who participated in the event for the first time. “However, simply talking about it isn’t enough. It is vital that we show our children how action is what really makes a difference. Not only does this project help put food in the hands of those in need

tall and proud Go out on a limb Remember your roots Drink plenty of water Be content with your natural beauty Enjoy the view

Saturday, February 11, 2017 2525 27th St. E, Bradenton, FL Celebrate Tu B’Shevat with a tour of the orange grove and wildlife rescue, games and playtime, plus bagel brunch and yummy fruits.

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emple Emanu-El families gathered at All Faiths Food Bank for an annual Thanksgiving season mitzvah project on Sunday, November 20. About 70 volunteers – from preschoolers to parents – learned about hunger, sorted food, and celebrated the Thanksgiving spirit by “giving back” to the needy. The efforts of Temple Emanu-El volunteers ensured that 6,071 Thanksgiving meals would be provided to hungry people. “Temple Emanu-El is grateful for the wonderful work of All Faiths Food Bank,” stated event chair Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman. “We love having the opportunity to support the food bank, and to introduce Temple Emanu-El’s children to the importance of helping others and easing the burden of hunger in our community.

STAY CONNECTED

EVENT IS FREE | LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE | REGISTER EARLY Check-in starts at 10:45 a.m., with tour starting promptly at 11. For more information, contact Rabbi Elaine Glickman at elaine-glickman@comcast.net or 941.379.1997 PLEASE REGISTER AT: JFEDSRQ.org/Events

Presented by the PJ Library of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee in partnership with Temple Emanu-El

Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota, FL 34232

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February 2017

LIFE CYCLE ANNIVERSARIES

50th Marsha & Warren Chernick Temple Emanu-El 25th Jay & Lynn Sacks l Temple Emanu-El

20th Jason & Faith Lipton Temple Emanu-El 15th Marc & Amy Greene Temple Emanu-El

ENGAGEMENT

Brooke Hartka and Reid Lance Rosenthall, great granddaughter p of Ann Hartka WEDDING t Ian Luc Chabal and Chelsea Meredith Bersch Blum exchanged nuptial vows under the chuppah on Lake Winnebago at The Waters in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on August 12, 2016. Chelsea is the daughter of Dr. Marc and Kathleen Blum of Siesta Key.

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During times of neeD for generations Jewish members of sarasota & manatee County Communities have turneD to toale brothers.

B’NAI MITZVAH

Jake Dillion, Son of Steffi Levin, February 18, Temple Sinai Kira Herman, daughter of Dr. Erik & Krista Herman, February 25, Temple Emanu-El

IN MEMORIAM

Louis T. Davis, 86, of Bradenton, formerly of Lincolnwood, IL, November 4 Allyson Galer, 31, of Sarasota, November 6 Stanley Machenberg, 92, of Sarasota, formerly of Stamford, CT, November 10 David Reeve Mills, 78, of Sarasota, formerly of Linville, NC, December 23 Harvey Rothenberg, 91, of Sarasota, November 3 Murray Seitman, 89, of Sarasota, formerly of New York, November 15 Adeline (Addie) Silverman, 96, of Sarasota, November 17 James B. Simmons, 87, of Sarasota, November 14 Howard Robert Snow, 91, of Sarasota, November 13 Howard E. Wolﬀ, 95, of Venice, November 14

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Chevra Kadisha Pre-need Trusts Cremations Free Burial Plots for Veterans/Spouse

24 Hour Information at

2426 Bee Ridge Road Sarasota, FL 34239

(941) 955-1075

Michael, David, Pati and Steven Gross

Hebr e w M e mor i a l S a r as ota . c om

February 2017

MARCH 12-19, 2017

8 TH ANNUAL

TICKE

TS O

FEBR

SPONSORED BY

U A R Y 1, 2017

ALLEGIANT PRIVATE ADVISORS

HIGHLIGHTS

ELEVEN GREAT

NEW FILMS!

OPENING NIGHT F FLORIDA PREMIERE BOGDAN’S JOURNEY

BOGDAN’S JOURNEY

SUNDAY, MARCH 12 , 7pm TH

THE LAST MENTSCH

Ritz-Carlton Sarasota SPECIAL GUESTS: BOGDAN BIALEK and Directors MICHAL JASKULSKI, LAWRENCE LOEWINGER

THE PEOPLE VS. FRITZ BAUER FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK

SPECIAL EVENT FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK

SHALOM ITALIA BABA JOON

TUESDAY, MARCH 14 , 7pm TH

Beatrice Friedman Theater, Jewish Federation Campus A tribute to LEONARD NIMOY; A treat for “Star Trek” fans

DIRTY WOLVES

SUNDAY, MARCH 19TH, 3pm

jfedsrq.org/jff17 or 866.465.3995 The JFF Brochure will be in your mailbox any day!

16-21

2015

IN SEARCH OF ISRAELI CUISINE

Regal Hollywood 20

Tickets available at

FIRE BIRDS MOOS

CLOSING NIGHT IN SEARCH OF ISRAELI CUISINE *FINALE: “TASTE OF ISRAEL” DINNER: Michael’s On East, 5:30pm Middle East, Sephardic, and Ashkenazic food *Separate ticket required

MARCH

THE KIND WORDS

ANNUAL

FEDERATION TORCH SPONSORS EDIE AND DAVID CHAIFETZ | LEON R. AND MARGARET M. ELLIN | ROBERT AND ESTHER HELLER ISRAEL ADVOCACY INITIATIVE THE MAZUR FAMILY FUND | BETTY SCHOENBAUM | LOIS STULBERG OPENING NIGHT SPONSOR THE BROWN FAMILY TRUST SILVER SPONSORS BRONZE SPONSOR MARSHA AND HARRY EISENBERG MEDIA PARTNER

TO BECOME A SPONSOR,

contact Jeremy Lisitza at 941.343.2113

For film descriptions and screening times visit jfedsrq.org/jff17

For tickets call 866.465.3995