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UPFRONT Netanyahu at U.N. will liken Iran to North Korea WASHINGTON ( JTA)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly will liken Iran to North Korea in his U.N. General Assembly speech. The speech is Netanyahu’s bid to emphasize Israeli reservations about any rapprochement with Iran by the United Nations. “Iran must not be allowed to repeat North Korea’s ploy to get nuclear weapons,” an Israeli official told The New York Times in a story posted online describing Netanyahu’s planned Oct. 1 speech to the General Assembly. “Just like North Korea before it, Iran professes to seemingly peaceful intentions,” the Times quoted the official as saying. “It talks the talk of nonproliferation while seeking to ease sanctions and buy more time for its nuclear program.” North Korea suspended its nuclear program in 1994 under a deal brokered by the Clinton administration, but the agreement foundered in the mid-2000s amid tensions between the rogue state and the George W. Bush administration, and North Korea now claims to have nuclear weapons. President Obama has exchanged private letters with the new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, and Obama administration officials have greeted as positive offers by Rouhani to make Iran’s nuclear program more transparent in exchange for an easing of international sanctions. Although Netanyahu has not explicitly opposed Obama’s overtures, the Israeli leader has made it clear that he is opposed

to the reported contours of any deal with Iran. Last week, he said any deal with Iran “requires” an end to enrichment and the removal of all enriched uranium. Western officials reportedly are ready to accommodate a degree of continued Iranian enrichment. Netanyahu also has called Rouhani a “wolf in cheep’s clothing.” “A bad agreement is worse than no agreement at all,” the Israeli official told the Times. U.S. officials have said they will pursue a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue this week during the launch of the General Assembly while continuing to consult closely with Israel. “We coordinate very closely with the Israeli government in terms of our monitoring of the Iranian nuclear program,” Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser, said Friday in a conference call with the media outlining Obama’s U.N. activities this week. Later, he said, “it’s our assessment that there is time to pursue a diplomatic outcome, particularly given the pressure that we’ve put in place.” Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

Jerusalem in new Apple operating system still has no country JERUSALEM (JTA)—Apple’s new iOS 7 operating system, like its predecessor, lists Jerusalem without a country. Jerusalem is one of only three cities

Two Virginia politicians make questionable remarks. . . . . . . . . Gomley Chesed’s ceiling falls . . . . . . . . . It’s a Wrap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What’s Happening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mazel Tov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Who Knew?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Remembering Marcel Reich-Ranicki. . . .

letter In the family I read the article in your paper about the beekeeper who prepares honey for Rosh Hashanah. At my son’s Jewish day school, one of the few non-Jews who works there shares the same last name as the beekeeper, so I told her about the article and gave her a copy. She forwarded it to her Dad, only to find out that indeed the beekeeper and she share a great-grandfather! She was so surprised to think she had been working at a Jewish school for so long and had no idea she had Jews in her own family. There’s no limit to the impact of the Jewish News! Joni Burstein Boston

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contents Up Front. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Torah Thought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Colorado flood relief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Obama’s tough talk and Israel. . . . . . . . . . 7 Interfaith community in the Sukkah. . . . . 8 Campaign Ambassadors learn. . . . . . . . . . 9 Amos Guiora in Tidewater. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Amos Guiora at Maury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Stein family endows Scholarship. . . . . . . 12

to be listed in the World Clock without a country, The Blaze reported this week. The others are Vatican City and Taipei. The Blaze showed a screenshot of the World Clock in a post on Sept. 22. Jerusalem did not appear on the list. However, when typed into the search engine it shows up, still without listing Israel as its country. The iOS6 operating system’s World Clock also listed Jerusalem with no country. Palestinians claim Jerusalem, the Israeli capital, as the capital of their future state. The country listed with Hebron is “Palestinian territories,” as is Gaza.

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his expression of those views at this time places a burden on him to assure Virginians of all faiths that these religious views will not prejudice his performance of the duties of the office he seeks.” —page 13

Friday, October 4/Tishrei 30 Light candles at 6:25 pm Friday, October 11/Cheshvan 14 Light candles at 6:15 pm Friday, October 18/Cheshvan 7 Light candles at 6:05 pm Friday, October 25/Cheshvan 21 Light candles at 5:56 pm Friday, November 1/Cheshvan 28 Light candles at 5:49 pm Friday, November 8/Kislev 5 Light candles at 4:42 pm

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briefs Crack down on Golden Dawn, Greek Jews urge gov’t following rapper’s murder Greek Jews implored the government to crack down on the ultranationalist Golden Dawn party in the wake of the murder of the anti-fascist rapper known as Killah P. A statement from the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece said the Sept. 18 stabbing death of Pavlos Fyssas again showed the need for the government to take tough action against Golden Dawn. The arrest of a suspect with ties to Golden Dawn spurred major protests against the party and clashes in Greece. “Fyssas, a defender of democracy, was murdered by a sworn follower of Nazism,” the statement said. “Our dignity, our freedom, our democracy, our humanism were literally violated. The punishment of the perpetrators is not enough.” Golden Dawn, which Jewish and international groups have condemned as being racist and anti-Semitic, has denied any connection to the killing. Golden Dawn emerged on the political scene last year, winning 7 percent of the vote, or 18 seats in the 300-member Parliament. Recent polls have indicated the party, which runs on a fierce anti-immigrant platform, now has about 12 percent of the population’s support. (JTA) French Muslim leader resigns over invite to pro-Israel Jewish lawmaker The co-founder of a French-Muslim advocacy group was forced to resign for inviting a Jewish, pro-Israel lawmaker to the group’s inaugural event. Farid Belkacemi stepped down as vice president of the League for the Judicial Defense of Muslims over the presence at the Sept. 16 event of Meyer Habib, a member of the National Assembly in France and former vice president of the CRIF umbrella organization of French Jewish communities. Habib’s attendance at the Paris event was “incompatible with the League’s values and provoked heated emotions because of Habib’s capacity as advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his functions at the heart of Likud,” the Sept. 19 statement read.

CRIF released a statement saying that Habib was not representing the Jewish organization but attended the event in his capacity at the National Assembly. The CRIF statement noted that among the founding members of the new Muslim body was Roland Dumas, a former French foreign minister from the Socialist Party who said in July during a television interview that Israel was behind the British government’s readiness to strike in Syria. Dumas also has accused “Israelis” of controlling French intelligence services, the statement said. (JTA)

French town unveils hidden Jewish treasures A town near Strasbourg unveiled dozens of Judaica items hidden before the Holocaust and discovered during the renovation of a former synagogue. The recently discovered items were presented to the public last week. They had been hidden at what is now the new cultural center of Dambach-la-Ville, a town of 2,000 in eastern France, the L’Alsace daily reported. Members of the town’s former Jewish community hid the cache of thousands of items—including old Torah scrolls and texts from the 16th century—in the space of a double ceiling designed especially for concealment, according to the report. Among the findings are 250 mapot, or wimpels—strips of cloth that were wrapped around Jewish babies during their circumcision and then decorated with their names and deposited for safekeeping. The oldest mappah found at Dambach was dated to 1614. The oldest item found at the former synagogue was a ruined Torah scroll dating back to 1592. Jean-Camille Bloch, the vice president of the SHIAL historical society on Jewish presence in the Alsace-Lorraine region, was quoted by L’Alsace as saying some of the items recovered are worth hundreds of dollars. The French government evacuated tens of thousands of Frenchmen from the Alsace-Lorraine region, including 14,000 Jews, when World War II broke out in 1939, according to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. Due to the evacuation, only about 10

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percent of the Alsace-Lorraine Jewish population of 20,000 perished in the Holocaust. (JTA)

Jewish ex-con defeats Putin’s man in local mayoral race A Jewish anti-drugs campaigner defeated the party of Russian President Vladimir Putin with his election to mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city. Yevgeny Roizman, 50, beat the ruling United Russia Party candidate in a mayoral election earlier this month in Yekaterinburg, a city of 1.4 million in the industrial belt of the Ural Mountains and a venue for the 2018 World Cup soccer finals. United Russia won the vast majority of the 7,000 local elections held across the country on Sept. 9, Reuters reported. Roizman won 33.3 percent of the vote to 29.7 percent for Yakov Silin, the United Russia candidate and deputy governor of the region. Yekaterinburg’s new mayor began his involvement in social causes after his release from prison, where a judge sent him during the Soviet era for robbery, extortion and weapons charges that later were voided, according to Reuters. More than a decade ago Roizman founded City Without Drugs, whose vigilante-style raids on alleged peddlers and tough-love rehabilitation centers for addicts turned him into a local celebrity, but also drew criminal investigations. A member of parliament from 2003 to 2007, Roizman led a grassroots mayoral campaign that relied heavily on social media. (JTA) San Diego State instructor labels Israel ‘Palestine’ on class map An Arabic-language instructor at San Diego State University handed out a map of the Middle East that identified Israel as “Palestine.” The map handed out by lecturer Ghassan Zakaria on the second day of classes earlier this month was meant to highlight Arabic-speaking countries, according to the student newspaper The Daily Aztec. Following complaints from students and the local community, Zakaria redistributed the map substituting a handwritten Israel label.

Arabic program director Ghada Osman told The Aztec that no students had dropped the course following the controversy and that Zakaria did not hear complaints directly from any students in his Arabic 101 classes. Zakaria told the newspaper that the map was not meant to be a political statement, but that it was meant to illustrate Arabic speaking countries. Up to 20 percent of Israelis speak Arabic. (JTA)

Jewish security chief named to gov’t advisory panel The top security official for Jewish organizations was named to a consulting body to the Department of Homeland Security. Paul Goldenberg, the director of the Secure Community Network, was appointed to a three-year term on the Homeland Security Advisory Council. The Jewish Federations of North America, a sponsor of the SCN, announced Goldenberg’s appointment on Monday, Sept. 23, which was made by Janet Napolitano before she resigned earlier this month as secretary of Homeland Security. “With Paul at its helm, SCN has played a vital leadership role in educating our community and raising awareness about security, helping protect our community from potential harm,” JFNA President Jerry Silverman said. The panel, with 35 members, is chaired by William Webster, a former chief of the FBI and CIA, and includes William Bratton, a former Los Angeles police chief; Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley; New York police chief Raymond Kelly; Lee Hamilton, a former chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee; and Fran Townsend, a commentator who was a security adviser to President George W. Bush. The Secure Community Network is a joint initiative of JFNA and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Goldenberg, who helped found the SCN in 2005, has developed close working relationships with top Homeland Security officials and advised other faith communities in setting up similar networks. He is a veteran of police forces in New Jersey and Florida. (JTA)

Torah Thought

Lee’s will said a lot about him.

Who showed up at your sukkah?

e have a nice Sukkot holiday tradition in Judaism, the custom of symbolically inviting seven honored guests, one for each night of the holiday. This tradition is known as “ushpizin,” the Aramaic word for “guests.” Today, in creative Jewish circles, we are witnessing some interesting developments of the idea. For example, the women’s group at Temple Israel had a Saturday night havdalah service and invited the “ushpizot,” famous women from our biblical tradition, from Sarah through Esther. I had a good deal of intellectual enjoyment from “inviting” seven guests from our tradition, in the form of bringing to the sukkah books written by Jewish men and women of letters, and reading their words, one for each day. Here was my invite list: The First Day—Bahya ibn Paquda. This sensitive Sepharadi philosopher wrote one of the enduring classics of our tradition, Chovot Ha-Levavot, “The Duties of the Heart.” That is the first work in Jewish literature to categorize the interior, psychological states of being and to describe how God wants us to live within the covenant, both with our limbs and with our feelings. The Second Day—I stayed Sephardic, but switched from philosophy to poetry, reading the moving religious poems anthologized in Raymond Scheindlin’s The Gazelle: Medieval Hebrew Poems on God, Israel and the Soul. My favorite is this gem of a miniature by Judah HaLevi: “To You the stars of morning sing/ Because their lights from Your light springs. Like them the angels on their watches/ Night and day extol their King. Your holy people follows them/ Each dawn their songs from Your house rings.” The poem perfectly fit the hour—reading it with the first light of

dawn. The Third Day—Turning to more modern thought, I refamiliarized myself with Moses Mendelssohn’s Jerusalem. In the midst of the horrible headlines of the day—Shiite and Sunni Muslims bombing each others’ mosques, militants denying basic rights to those who differ from themselves in religion, Egyptian Coptic Christians fleeing their villages because of unchecked violence—Mendelssohn’s plea for religious tolerance seems more urgent than ever. He argued in a way that the framers of our own Constitution would have agreed with: We ask the state to protect our bodies and property, so we give it coercive police powers. But the “church” is meant only to help us achieve our spiritual goals, not our political ones, so churches ought not to have police powers over people. This is where modern Jewish history found its first theoretical expression, and it is still relevant today. The Fourth Day—Turning from Men of the Enlightenment to women, living at nearly the same time, but in a very different society, I delved into the T’khines literature, prayers originally written in Yiddish by Ashkenazic women. My “tour guide” was the contemporary scholar Chava Weissler, whose Voices of the Matriarchs: Listening to the Prayers of Early Modern Jewish Women opens a window into the souls of our fore-mothers. The Fifth Day—What about the American Jewish condition? Today’s guest was Israel Friedlaender, one of the great scholars of the early 20th century, a man whose life was tragically cut short when he was murdered while on an errand of mercy in the Ukraine. His Past and Present: Selected Essays are among the most trenchant observations of Jewish life and thought, from biblical times until very nearly our own. The Sixth Day—Contemporary Authors! The Irrepressible and life-affirming voice of Isaac Bashevis Singer should often be ringing in our ears. So many of his stories and novels celebrate the Yiddish culture of a now-vanished, but so recent world. Today’s companions were the short stories in the collection, The Spinoza of Market Street, a loving, gently critical look

What does your will say about you? Virginia Beach attorney H. Lee Kanter loved the arts and always leaped to his feet to shout “bravo” after cultural performances. Before he died in 2001, Lee arranged for a bequest to the Hampton Roads Community Foundation to provide grants for performing arts in Hampton Roads. Kanter grants have helped Virginia Arts Festival, Todd Rosenlieb Dance and the Virginia Symphony. Thanks to Lee’s generosity he will forever bring great performances to his home region. Connect your passion to the future by ordering a free bequest guide. Learn how easy it is to leave a gift for charity. Call 757-622-7951 or visit leaveabequest.org.

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at the very human society that our grandparents created, where God’s word and all-too human ears were in proximity. The Seventh Day—Looking to tomorrow. One of the most promising of young Jewish authors today is Dara Horn, a former Hebrew High School student of mine at the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Prozdor school. Her 2009 novel, All Other Nights, is a “Slam-Bang! Superb!” telling of a Passover story set in the Civil War, whose 150th anniversary we are now commem-

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orating. What a fine way to connect art, religion and history, and all in the beautiful, autumnal weather of the sukkah. These choices are personal, not prescriptive. Next year, plan your own sukkah reading, and enjoy getting close to our Jewish tradtion, even while you are close to nature. —Rabbi Michael Panitz, Temple Israel

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Colorado flooding wreaks havoc on Yom Kippur observances by Andrea Jacobs

DENVER (IJN)—Before the start of Yom Kippur, a flood of historic proportions swallowed Boulder, Colo., and surrounding areas, displacing families, damaging synagogues and threatening services on the holiest day of the Jewish year—until determination came to the rescue. Orthodox Boulder Aish Kodesh hit the Internet first, sending a mass email to 500 residents announcing that heavy rains and flooding had destroyed the tent it had prepared for the holiday. The email offered alternative locations for services, including hard-hit Chabad centers and Denver synagogues out of harm’s way. Elon Bar-Evan, executive director of Boulder Aish Kodesh, said the tent and parking lot were under water and that many prayer books intended for the services were ruined. Rabbi Marc Soloway, spiritual leader of Conservative Bonai Shalom in Boulder, says that his synagogue had sustained significant flooding. At Har HaShem, Boulder’s major Reform synagogue, the power was out. “The lower level of the main building was under four feet of water,” says communications and membership director Ellen Kowitt, reached at her home in Erie, Colo. Because Kowitt often works from home, she was able to update the website. Before the server collapsed, Rose wrote an email to the congregation: “The Talmud teaches that rain is a sign of blessing. That might sound questionable right now. Whether we can turn this into a blessing remains to be seen…I believe in us.” Chany Scheiner of Chabad of Boulder describes a scene of utter chaos at the synagogue, which is attached to the side of her home. “CU and other places closed on Thursday,” she said. “My husband Rabbi Pesach Scheiner and I thought they might be making a big deal out of nothing.” When three rooms filled with water later that night, they knew it was serious. “There was a flood in front of our house and the backyard was a nice sized swimming pool,” she said. The Scheiners and their children were evacuated. Neighbors convinced them to

Jonathan Lev, executive director of the leave. “We went in their car,” Scheiner says. no food or water.” Bonai Shalom was able to hold ser- Boulder JCC, which also sustained damage, “It was like the parting of the Red Sea.” vices at Naropa University, despite broke away to spend a few hours at Bonai When the Scheiners returned to Our the university’s closing. Several Shalom’s Kol Nidre service. assess the damage, they found a “Although I couldn’t stay long at serBoulder Aish Kodesh members few inches of brown water in the Hebrew attended Bonai Shalom’s services, people were talking to each other, synagogue. The family got on pooling resources and figuring out what vices. their knees to clean the small school is “Our congregation shares was necessary,” Lev says. worship space and then tackgone. The Flooding virtually annihilated the land with Boulder Aish led the house. Kodesh,” says Steve Hill, Chabad Jewish Center of Longmont, locatDays of heavy rain across water is two president of Bonai Shalom. ed about 25 miles northeast of Boulder. Colorado’s Front Range left “Our shul was completely ruined,” Rabbi “We’re very close.” eight people confirmed dead feet deep. R abbi Wilhelm, Yakov Borenstein says. “It looks like an and hundreds more unacHumidity has who rewrote his sermon island. We are right next to a creek here.” counted for. Borenstein managed to save the Torah Thursday night to emphaReconstructionist Beth warped all size the need for volunteers scroll, prayer books and other ritual items Evergreen, located in the “to seize the day,” said that a before he was ordered out of the building foothills just outside Denver, our sacred few hundred people compris- Thursday. At 3 a.m. that night, the rabbi, nearly shut its doors on the books. ing a “very different turnout” his wife and four children were evacuated evening of Yom Kippur due to prayed at CU Chabad over Yom from their home. flooding. “Our Hebrew school is gone,” he says. Kippur. According to Rabbi Jamie Arnold, Kol Nidre “felt like a relief,” he says. “The water is two feet deep. Humidity has the road cutting through Evergreen, in the mountains west of Denver, was closed all “Students were happy to get out of their warped all our sacred books.” Borenstein worried he might not draw a day Friday, Sept. 13 which meant congre- dorms and join us. There was a very speminyan to Yom Kippur services in Longmont, gants coming from Conifer would have to cial energy.” For those who couldn’t make it to syna- but almost 100 people showed up. tackle a circuitous route from the opposite “God has a purpose in everything,” direction. Only about 30 to 40 “hard-core” gogue, some observed the holiday at home. “Yom Kippur is where you are,” says Borenstein says. “I see a tremendous congregants made it to Beth Evergreen for Kol Nidre, Arnold said, and about 300 one man, who asked not to be identified. amount of good in people. Volunteers and attended Yom Kippur services the next day, “We had the machzor, we had the parsha, donations are coming from all over. What a beautiful world we live in.” when the clouds dissipated long enough to so we did it at home.” allow for safe travel. “I didn’t change my sermon substantially,” Arnold says. “I included prayers for healing and read names for those unable he United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is mobilizing to help the victims of the to say kaddish for their loved ones. But my unprecedented flooding across Colorado, which has swept through 15 counties, sermon was about the function of commukilling five and displacing thousands of people. nity; how it provides sanctuary. I think More than 1,500 people are missing in the flooding, which has wiped out roads that said it all.” and bridges, and destroyed or damaged thousands of homes, businesses and instiMeanwhile, Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm of tutions. Chabad at the University of Colorado was The Jewish Federations of North America has opened a mailbox to gather aid receiving a call a minute and a stream of from across the Jewish Federation community for the victims of these devastating emails. floods. Funds raised will support relief efforts of the Colorado Jewish Federation. “We’ve already cleaned up our mess— One hundred percent of your donation to the JFNA effort will go to the Colorado only a few inches in the shul,” Wilhelm Flood Relief Fund. said. “But it’s pretty intense.” Students contacted Wilhelm to find To donate, go to https://secure-fedweb.jewishfederations.org/page/contribute/coloraout where they could attend services in do-flood-relief-fund. Boulder. Some, unable to get home to Denver, also called him. Others trapped in Or mail checks to inaccessible areas requested basic supplies. The Jewish Federations of North America “The saddest part for me is that there Wall Street Station are people who are completely stranded,” PO Box 157 he says. “They can’t even get out of their New York, NY 10268 cars. Another girl in an isolated canyon has

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Colorado Flood Relief

News analysis

Obama’s tough talk is good news for Israel— depending on what it means by Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA)—The good news for Israel in President Obama’s speech at the United Nations was his insistence that any steps Iran might take to solve the standoff over its nuclear program must be transparent and verifiable. The bad news was that Obama wasn’t clear about what those steps should be. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a one-minute video posted online after the Obama speech to the General Assembly, welcomed the parameters outlined by the president and made clear he wanted to know more. But he also reiterated Israeli skepticism that conciliatory gestures by the recently elected president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, reflects anything more than a skillful charm offensive aimed at easing Western pressure while the pursuit of nuclear weapons continues unimpeded. “Like North Korea before it, Iran will try to remove sanctions by offering cosmetic concessions while preserving its ability to rapidly build a nuclear weapon at a time of its choosing,” Netanyahu said. “Israel will welcome a genuine diplomatic solution that truly dismantles Iran’s capacity to develop nuclear weapons, but we will not be fooled by half-measures that merely provide a smokescreen for Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the world will not be fooled either.” As in recent years, the U.S.-Iran diplomatic drama commanded center stage at the annual September gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. In his speech, Obama devoted much time to discussing Iran, expressing his willingness to reach a diplomatic settlement that would permit the Islamic Republic access to peaceful nuclear energy while ensuring that it does not acquire a nuclear weapons capability. “To succeed, conciliatory words will have to be matched by actions that are transparent and verifiable,” Obama said.

Netanyahu’s reference to “half-measures” alludes to a key Israeli concern about any possible deal. Western diplomats reportedly are ready to allow Iran to carry low levels of uranium enrichment. Israel wants the enrichment capacity removed completely. “We insist that the Iranian government meet its responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and U.N. Security Council resolutions,” Obama said in his speech. Neither provision includes a total ban on uranium enrichment, although the Security Council resolutions do call for a suspension of enrichment pending fuller transparency. There were signals in Obama’s speech that he was listening to pleas by Netanyahu for a robust posture ahead of any Iranian deal-making. The president was explicit that the United States was prepared to use military force to secure its interests in the Middle East. He also repeatedly cautioned against the “development” of nuclear weapons, adopting an Israeli rhetorical device implying that action to stop a nuclear weapon could come well before Iran is poised to get one. In the past, Obama has spoken of keeping Iran from “acquiring” a weapon. Still, the administration acknowledged daylight between the Israeli and U.S. perspectives. “They’re skeptical of Iranian intentions—which is understandable, given their history with Iran—but we do see the potential for progress, certainly more so than we have in the last several years, since we had a negotiation with them in 2009,” said a senior administration official in a background briefing, a transcript of which was released by the White House. “And we’re going to test that in the weeks ahead.” Pro-Israel groups have taken up Netanyahu’s demand, made Sept. 17, that any diplomatic deal must include an end to enrichment and the removal of enriched

3.5–5% Western diplomats are ready to accommodate enrichment in Iran

uranium. A memo from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee called for intensifying sanctions unless Iran suspends enrichment and removes its already enriched uranium. In his U.N. speech, Rouhani emphatically embraced the transparency sought by Obama and, just as emphatically, rejected the idea that Iran would suspend all uranium enrichment. “Iran’s nuclear program—and for that matter, that of all other countries—must pursue exclusively peaceful purposes,” Rouhani said. “I declare here, openly and unambiguously, that notwithstanding the positions of others, this has been, and will always be, the objective of the Islamic Republic of Iran. “Nuclear weapon and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in Iran’s security and defense doctrine, and contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions. Our national interests make it imperative that we remove any and all reasonable concerns about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.” Achieving a peaceful nuclear program, Rouhani added immediately, is only possible by accepting Iran’s right to enrichment. “Nuclear knowledge in Iran has been domesticated now and the nuclear technology, inclusive of enrichment, has already reached industrial scale,” he said. “It is, therefore, an illusion, and extremely unrealistic, to presume that the peaceful nature of the nuclear program of Iran could be

ensured through impeding the program via illegitimate pressures.” Western diplomats reportedly are ready to accommodate enrichment at between 3.5 and 5 percent—well short of the 20 percent Iran says it needs for medical research and the 90 percent required for weaponization. Stephen Rademaker, a nuclear negotiator during the President George W. Bush administration and now a lobbyist with the Podesta Group, said that given Iran’s past record of obfuscations, any deal that includes enrichment should be treated with great skepticism. “In theory, if they enrich only to the 3.5 percent level and respect that, it could work,” Rademaker said. “But the fear is that if they accumulate more and more 3.5 percent material and they employ more efficient centrifuges, then their ability to get close to nuclear weapons state increases exponentially.” Israel’s insistence on ending such enrichment is a non-starter, said Alireza Nader, an Iran expert at the Rand Corp., a think tank with close ties to the U.S. defense establishment. But the international community could take steps to limit Iran’s capability to weaponize its nuclear technology, including limiting the number of centrifuges operating in the country, removing stockpiles of enriched uranium from the country and a rigorous inspections regime. “I don’t think the Iranian regime is bent on assembling weapons no matter what the cost,” Nader said. “They will not risk the regime’s existence to do this.” David Makovsky, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank with close ties to both the Obama and Netanyahu governments, says it makes sense to test Rouhani’s rhetoric. “We should see if Iran’s urgency to get out under sanctions matches Israel’s urgency to slow the pace,” he said.

jewishnewsva.org | September 30, 2013 | Jewish News | 7

CRC invited faith community for sweets in the Sukkah by Laine Rutherford

he custom of inviting guests to share a meal in the temporary dwelling known as a sukkah, during the festival of Sukkot, became an opportunity to share Jewish traditions with other faith communities in Tidewater. The Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater hosted Sweets in The Sukkah on Monday, Sept. 23. Beneath the thatched roof and within the four cloth walls of the structure built behind the Sandler Family Campus, a group of interfaith leaders gathered to mingle, learn, build relationships, and enjoy a dessert reception. “The sukkah is a literal experience of God’s grace,” Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz explained before reciting blessings with the guests. “It’s a great way to remember that there are people who don’t have roofs over the their heads… and a great way to think about hunger and poverty that we may not otherwise think about.” More than 50 community and clergy members were present, including rabbis, cantors, pastors, priests, imams and bishops. Some guests traveled from as far away as Williamsburg and Richmond to attend.

The guest speaker for the event, Rabbi Steve Gutow, is president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Council of Public Affairs, the public policy and community relations coordinating agency of the American Jewish community. The CRC is part of the nationwide JCPA network, which works together to heighten community awareness, encourage civic and social involvement, and deliberate key issues of importance to the Jewish community. “Our job of people of faith is to worry about the poor, the widow, the sick, the stranger—we are here to worry about the most vulnerable, and where better than right here?” Gutow said. “This sukkah represents vulnerability—not very stable walls, a roof where you can look up and see the stars—and it is a recognition of our limitations and our dependence on God. If God’s here, it doesn’t matter what church you’re in, or in what mosque, or what synagogue or what house—because God is here.” Gutow quoted passages from the Torah, shared stories, and urged those present to make a difference in the lives of people in Tidewater, in America, and in the world. “Whether we’re Jewish, or Christian or Sikh or Muslim or Hindu or Agnostic—and the list goes on—the creator of all kindness

expects us to learn how to love each other, to understand each others’ hearts, and to build a world that God has called upon us to build. That world,” he added, “is a just world and a kind world.” Beatriz Amberman, a leader of Tidewater’s Hispanic community, said she found the sukkah beautiful, its message relevant and was grateful to receive the CRC’s invitation to attend the interfaith celebration. “I have seen first hand what people go through in difficult times, so I know what Rabbi Gutow means by gathering under the sukkah,” Amberman said. “Working together to help others is a wonderful example set by my brothers and sisters in the Jewish community, and I call them brothers and sisters because they are always there for us when we need them. A lot of the investment that the Jewish community makes is so much more than money—it’s time, it’s heart, and in the Hispanic community, it makes a difference. With the support of the Jewish community, we know we are not alone.”

Melinda Marvin and Miles Leon.

Cantor Wally Schachet-Briskin, Eddie Kramer, and Rabbi Rosalin Mandelberg.

Bishop Fred Hill, Josephina Smigielski, Beatriz and George Amberman, Rabbi Israel Zoberman, and Pastor Veronica Coleman.

8 | Jewish News | September 30, 2013 | jewishnewsva.org

Nicheole Kushner, Meagan Zuckerman, Robin Mancoll, and Marilyn Ashe.

Campaign Ambassadors learn lessons in “Asking” by Amy Zelenka Women’s Campaign Director

“F

ederation doesn’t have a mission problem… it has an image problem!” So began Jonah Halper, CEO of ALTRUICITY and founder of NextGen:Charity and CharityForum. Halper was the guest trainer at a recent United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Campaign Ambassador training workshop, held at the home of Cindy and Ron Kramer. “Everyone loves Federation,” he explained to the crowd of about 40 participants. “They just don’t know it.” The two-hour workshop was designed to give UJFT’s volunteer solicitors the tools to enable them to show their donors the great work that Federation does—to save and improve Jewish lives and Jewish communities. Halper gave several examples of non-profits whose messages have resonated with various audiences. His common-sense approach to relationship-based fundraising was well illustrated as he stood before the audience and essentially delivered his resume: “I’m young, active, healthy, energetic, successful… I’m easy-going, great with kids and pets, not cheap but not a spendthrift...” He then approached a par-

Kirk Levy presents his group’s case study recommendations.

ticipant and asked: “Will you marry me?” Her response was immediate. “No! I don’t even know you.” And that’s the theory behind relationship-based fundraising. An organization cannot simply tell the world how great it is and expect donors to fall in love as a result. The Federation, through its ambassadors, has to get to know its donors and let its donors get to know them. The Federation must learn to “date its donors” (which also happens to be the title of Halper’s next book!). After separating the audience into five break-out groups, Halper distributed donor case studies, asking the groups to discuss how they might approach particular prospects, given their unique characteristics. Lively discussion ensued, especially between the newer and the more seasoned donors—each giving their generational perspectives. In the end, the groups realized that there was no one way to ask for a campaign commitment, but there are great advantages to knowing as much as possible about one’s donor prospect. That knowledge enables the ambassador to illustrate how the Federation provides the products and services about which the donor feels passionate. Whether services for children, Jewish education, care for the elderly, or any other human service, chances are that the Federation funds one or

Harry Graber, UJFT executive vice president, meets guest trainer Jonah Halper.

more of those programs. It becomes the responsibility of the ambassador to know the donor and to know the Federation, to create a meaningful relationship between them. More than 130 volunteers are committed to working on behalf of the UJFT —asking others to invest in the future of the Jewish community. It’s not always easy to make that ask…but with Halper’s training, a bit of practice, and a donor base that truly does love the Federation (even if they just don’t know it yet), the 2014 campaign promises to be a great success.

Ron Spindel, Men’s chair, at the UJFT Ambassador Training workshop.

Jennie Hurwitz and Rebecca Bickford working on their case study.

jewishnewsva.org | September 30, 2013 | Jewish News | 9

Amos Guiora on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Syria, Iran and Russia by Laine M. Rutherford Laine M. Rutherford photos

ppreciation for international security expert Amos Guiora’s experience, insight and intelligence was clear from the size of the crowd that showed up to hear him speak on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Temple Israel. More than 150 community members attended the briefing, discussion and brunch hosted by Temple Israel in partnership with the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. “I think it is fair to say, that in my 21 plus years of serving from this pulpit, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to introduce someone as justifiably famous and important as Amos Guiora,” Rabbi Michael Panitz said in his introduction. Panitz described Guiora as a specialist in criminal law, global perspectives on terrorism, the nexus of religion and terror, and in national security law. An accomplished author who is often called upon to share insights and opinion with governments and organizations worldwide, Guiora is currently a professor of law and director at S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. He served in the Israel Defense Forces JAG Corps for 19 years. Among the topics Guiora discussed during the free, open to the community event, were the geopolitical implications of the war in Syria, the threat posed by Iran, the reemergence of Russia as a world power, and the problems he feels are paramount in the leadership of the United States. A significant portion of his discussion was devoted to historical and current context surrounding the efforts of the United States to spur Israeli-Palestinian peace talks forward. “It is unclear what may happen, because it is unclear that either side knows exactly what they want, and we’re unclear of the role of the United States,” Guiora said. “I’m on record as supporting the two-state solution, but what exactly are the two states?” Guiora said some suggest there are actually three states: Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. And Gaza is troublesome, he added, because of Hamas’ loss of support from the previously powerful Muslim Brotherhood. “If you think in terms of an historical

paradigm, this is a tenuous and dangerous time,” he said. “And on a sunny Sunday morning, to have so many of you come out to have this dialogue shows that we have no alternative, that we must have this larger discussion because we are at an acute intersection—locally, in the broader region, and in the world.” Guiora described a possible alternative to negotiation between the Israelis, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas as a “lowgrade fever,” or status quo. Perhaps, he said, the status quo is the best resolution to something that can’t be resolved. “What we heard today was not layered with media or political correctness,” said Glenda Maynard. “He helped us understand past and current events from an insider’s perspective, and shared things that we’re not privy to normally. He talked about religious extremism, leadership, and leadership vacuums, and, like the last time I heard Amos speak, I was very impacted by what he had to say.” Maynard, along with others in the audience, were introduced to Guiora through his appearance at last season’s CRC Israel Today Forum and discussions at other locales while in town for that event. During his visit last week, Guiora also spoke to area law enforcement and public safety officials, small groups and students at the Global Studies and World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach, Regent University and the Model UN group at Maury High School in Norfolk. (See page 11) Visit www.jewishva.org/crc to find out more about the CRC, its initiatives and upcoming events.

More than 150 people attended the event at Temple Israel.

10 | Jewish News | September 30, 2013 | jewishnewsva.org

Yehonakan Gidhohni, Beryl Adler, Ellie Lipkin,Yehoshua Ben Yisrael and Adoniyah Whitehead.

Amos Guiora and Mark Solberg.

Jonathan and Linda Longman

Doris Friedman, Miriam Seeherman, Helene Rosenfeld.

Amos Guiora visits Maury High School by Elli Friedman

“Intriguingly fascinating,” Annie O’Donnell, a Maury High School junior says about Amos Guiora’s presentation to Maury’s Model U.N. Club on Monday, Sept. 24. An Israeli-American law professor, Guiora shared some of his experiences while working as IDF legal advisor to Gaza. He also shed light on the current situation in Syria. “I learned more about world affairs and conflict resolution and about what he called ‘conflict maintenance’ in that hour than I have throughout the years in many of my history classes,” says Caitlin Harrah, a senior. Turner LaBrie, a senior and Model U.N. president, says, “The insight provided by Mr. Guiora into the complexities of Middle Eastern policies and the purpose of the

U.N. was both insightful and eye opening.” Overall, students appreciated the insider knowledge that Guiora presented that they couldn’t learn from the news or mass media. Guiora’s visit was coordinated by Elli Friedman, a Maury High School senior and a StandWithUs MZ teen intern, and Robin Mancoll, director of the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater in conjunction with Bryan Bennett of Maury High School’s Model U.N. StandWithUS is an Israel advocacy organization that trains high school juniors and seniors to advocate for Israel by organizing programs in their communities. Learn more about Stand With Us at www.standwithus.com and more about the CRC and their local initiatives at www. jewishva.org/crc.

School is in, become a BEAR mentor The Simon Family JCC’s Be a Reader program helps at-risk children in area public schools acquire reading skills. If you have an extra hour or two a week, call 321-2303 and become a volunteer for this rewarding program.

jewishnewsva.org | September 30, 2013 | Jewish News | 11

Stein family endows the Stein Family College Scholarship

he generosity of a few can impact the lives of generations to come. Case in point—the Stein family, which is helping Jewish students from throughout Hampton Roads fulfill their dreams of a quality college education. Five years ago, the family established the Stein Family College Scholarship through the Tidewater Jewish Foundation. The Scholarship was renewed annually, and ensured that each year a deserving college student would receive $10,000 to help offset tuition and other expenses; students could continue to receive the scholarship throughout their college careers by maintaining a level of academic excellence. In August, the Stein family—patriarch Gerald (Jerry) Stein, sons Steve and Craig, daughters Lisa Delevie and Debra Levy, grandchildren, spouses and partners— gathered in a Virginia Beach restaurant to quietly make a big announcement: the family was ready to make the fund permanent, by contributing $1 million to TJF to endow the Stein Family College Scholarship Fund. “The reason we’re doing this is really about the 10 Commandments,” says Craig Stein. “To honor thy father and thy mother.” “The idea for this scholarship originally came from our mother, Arlene Stein (*of blessed memory). Both she and my father went to fine colleges—my mother went to the University of Miami and dad went to the University of Maryland—and both

had to drop out after one year for financial reasons,” says Craig. “My mother felt that helping others get the education she couldn’t was very important—and that this Stein Family Scholarship would mean that students will be able to go to college and enjoy this wonderful time in their lives.” As he signed his name to the oversized $1 million check during lunch, Jerry Stein smiled broadly. “This is what I want, and this is what Arlene wanted,” he says. “I’ve been blessed that all four of my children are college graduates and all of my grandchildren are college graduates.” “Being able to make this contribution is so gratifying. Words can’t express how happy I am that these Stein Scholars will be able to go to school and get an education. It’s an amazing feeling.” Among those gathered at the restaurant were three recipients of the Stein Family Scholarship: Dinar Yusufov, Avi Malkin and Eric Smith. “I am so happy to meet the Stein family, and Jerry, to be able to talk to them and thank them personally,” says Smith, the 2010 Scholarship recipient. “This scholarship helped take the financial burden off of my family and has given me the opportunity to do what I love—which is to learn and attend the University of Virginia.” “I think getting this scholarship really

Philip Rovner and Shelby Tudor from the Tidewater Jewish Foundation graciously accept the Steins’ donation.

12 | Jewish News | September 30, 2013 | jewishnewsva.org

Beloved patriarch, Jerry Stein, center, is surrounded by his children, grandchildren and extended family.

hit home with me, that sticking true to my Jewish roots is important. It shows that people care, that people are willing to help. That they care about the future and are investing in education and this community. To have community leaders, like the Stein family, make that commitment—really means a lot.” To find out more about the Stein Family College Scholarship, visit www.jewishva.org/ tjf-stein. To learn more about Creating a Jewish Legacy for generations to come, visit www.jewishva.org/create-a-jewish-legacy.

Jerry Stein.

Stein Scholarship recipients Eric Smith, Avi Malkin and Dinar Yusufov thank Jerry Stein at the luncheon.

Virginia candidate says nonChristians worship ‘false religions’ WASHINGTON ( JTA)—Jewish groups called on the Republican candidate for Virginia’s lieutenant governor to explain a sermon in which he said non-Christians are engaged in a “false religion.” E.W. Jackson, a pastor, on Sunday, Sept. 22 preached at the Restoration Fellowship Church in Strasburg, Va. “Any time you say there is no other means of salvation but through Jesus Christ, and if you don’t know him and you don’t follow him and you don’t go through him, you are engaged in some sort of false religion, that’s controversial,” Jackson said, according to a recording first reported by the Washington Post. “But it’s the truth.” Ronald Halber, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said Jackson should apologize. “He is trying to assume a mantle of public leadership, and if he feels so negative in relationship to people not of his religion, how can he govern responsibly?” Halber asked. “He owes an apology to the faith groups he has offended and to the people he offended.” The American Jewish Committee’s Washington office called on Jackson to clarify his remarks. “We do not question Mr. Jackson’s right to hold views about the exclusive truth of Christianity,” said Alan Ronkin, the AJC’s

Washington director. “But that said, as a candidate for public office, his expression of those views at this time places a burden on him to assure Virginians of all faiths that these religious views will not prejudice his performance of the duties of the office he seeks.” In a candidates debate Tuesday, Sept. 24, Jackson was asked about the sermon, and said he would not apply his religious beliefs in the public sphere. “I know the difference between what I do there and what I’m required to do here,” he said, according to the Washington Post. It was the second such controversy surrounding a GOP candidate in recent days. The previous week, John Whitbeck, the chairman of the Republican Party in the state’s 10th Congressional District, at an event introducing Ken Cuccinelli, the attorney general who is running for governor, related an anti-Semitic joke that had Jews billing the pope for the Last Supper. Cuccinelli rebuked Whitbeck for the joke and Whitbeck eventually apologized. Rabbi Jack Moline of Agudas Achim, a Conservative movement synagogue in Alexandria Va., called on Cuccinelli to similarly distance himself from Jackson’s remarks. He said Cuccinelli should “declare clearly whether E.W. Jackson represents the values we could expect from the government he proposes to lead.”

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Ellison, Bloomberg among richest Americans on Forbes list Larry Ellison and Michael Bloomberg are among the top 10 richest people in America, according to Forbes. Ellison, CEO of the Oracle Company, is third on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest people in the United States with $41 billion. Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, is 10th with $31 billion. Other Jews in the top 20 are casino mogul and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson, in 11th with $28.5 million; Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, in 14th with $24.4 billion; George Soros, in 19th with $20 billion; and Marc Zuckerberg, co-founder,

chairman and CEO of Facebook, in 20th with $19 billion. Zuckerberg rose to the top 20 from 36th last year. Other Jews appearing on the list, which came out last week, include Ronald Perelman, Leonard Lauder, Elon Musk and Micky Arison. Microsoft’s Bill Gates topped the list for the 20th consecutive year with $72 billion. Only 30 of those on the list are less well off than they were last year. The combined wealth of the top 400 wealthiest Americans is about $2 trillion, more than double a decade ago. (JTA)

jewishnewsva.org | September 30, 2013 | Jewish News | 13

Gomley Chesed’s ceiling falls, Ohef Sholom offers a sanctuary

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sculpture-bronze.com 14 | Jewish News | September 30, 2013 | jewishnewsva.org

his is the story of a bad ceiling and cooperating congregations. On the Wednesday prior to Kol Nidre, part of Gomley Chesed Synagogue’s ceiling caved in. If that wasn’t bad enough, asbestos was found, which meant the property was not habitable and could not be repaired by Yom Kippur. The congregation had no place to worship on the holiest day of the year. Rabbi David Goldstein made a call to Linda Fox-Jarvis, president of Ohef Sholom Temple. He asked about the possibility of using the Temple Sinai Sanctuary for services. When Ohef Sholom merged with Temple Sinai, their land and buildings in Portsmouth became part of Ohef Sholom and they have been vacant and for sale for the past year and a half. “It was with great pleasure that I told Rabbi Goldstein that “of course” they could use the property,” says Fox-Jarvis. At that point, Ohef Sholom’s temple team switched into high gear—Charlie Nusbaum made sure the insurance coverage was modified to allow their occupancy; Bill Nusbaum wrote a legal document to lease the property to Gomley Chesed for the weekend (at no charge) but just to be sure everyone was covered legally; Peter Crockin met Rabbi Goldstein at the property and gave him the keys; Tom and John Bachman went to the property to check on the power and water (and found the air conditioning not working and an electrical problem); Crockin subsequently met the AC and electrical contractors at the temple so they could make the required repairs. Fox-Jarvis and Lisa Cohen took FoxJarvis’ truck to Gomley Chesed and helped them load up and move their ark, torahs, reading table, tallit, yamulkah holder, coffee pots, toilet paper, trashcans, and so forth to Temple Sinai. “We called ourselves Two Women and a Truck,” says Fox-Jarvis. Mike Phillips and Gill, the maintenance crew at OST, went to Temple Sinai and installed light bulbs where missing or burnt out, as well as extra smoke detectors. Ohef Sholom’s office helped serve as central command coordinating all efforts. “There are not enough superlatives to express how we feel about how incredi-

Temple Sinai building.

ble Ohef Sholom was to us,” says Rabbi Goldstein. “At one point while Lisa and Linda were working so hard cleaning, they said to me, ‘Rabbi, get out of here—you have other things to prepare for.’ “We were able to worship in a comfortable and wonderful setting. It was a fantastic experience of cooperation,” says Rabbi Goldstein. “I felt so bad for Rabbi Goldstein and the congregants of Gomley Chesed, but at least they had a place to be for Yom Kippur. And thank goodness, the ceiling did not cave in during their Yom Kippur services when their congregants were present,” says Fox-Jarvis. “I am so proud to be part of Ohef Sholom Temple. It truly does take a village…. So, perhaps there is a reason we have not sold the property just yet—perhaps it needed to remain empty so that it would be there for Gomley Chesed during their crises.” At press time, Gomley Chessed was being cleaned and prepared to return to its own sanctuary, hopefully this week.

it’s a wrap Yiddish Club meeting

indle Crystel Gross, a teacher of conversational Yiddish, graduate of Sholom Aleykhem Yiddish School, and a highly regarded Yiddish translator, was the guest speaker at the Simon Family JCC Yiddish Club’s meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24. She spoke about her many experiences with Yiddish and shared a DVD about the translation of a long forgotten book about the Holocaust. Gross, who has translated Yiddish for movies, books, letters and personal items, is the mother of Sandra Pennecke, a writer for the Virginia Beach Beacon. The Yiddish Club meets monthly and welcomes experienced and beginners in Yiddish, as well as those just looking to learn about the history of the language. For

Sharing and interpreting the message by Eliezer Bar Adon

Guest speaker Mindle Crystel Gross with her husband Marvin Gross, and daughter Sandra Pennecke.

more information, call Sherry Lieberman at 321-2309. The Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

More than a ton of food

ongregants and neighbors attending Kol Nidrei services at Temple Israel this year were treated to a special enhancement. Diana Plager, an American Sign Language Interpreter, joined Rabbi Michael Panitz on the pulpit and signed his sermon, “We are the neighborhood; we are the village.” Before the sermon, the rabbi introduced Plager, who is a native of Colombia, and an American resident since 1998. She is currently studying ASL interpretation at the Miami-Dade College in Florida. The rabbi asked Plager to illustrate the signs for the words that occur most frequently in the sermon: “brother,” “community,” “God,” “holy,” “neighbor,” “sister” and “Torah.” The sign for Torah was especially enjoyed by the congregation—a pantomime of two hands

rolling a scroll of the Law. She also illustrated the signs for “rabbi” and “Orthodox rabbi”—the first is a gesture of adjusting a narrow pulpit tallit, and the second is a gesture of curling one’s sidelocks! While the interpretation was vital for those who are hard of hearing, it proved to be an enhancement of the message that all the congregants enjoyed. The experience of hearing the words, and simultaneously, watching the visual poetry of ASL, allowed people to understand the message in depth. Rabbi Panitz says he invited Plager to sign the sermon because “We try to stand as one community before God, and especially so on the High Holidays. So we ought to do all that we can to include the differently-abled in our worship, so that we will mean what we say, when we pray in the language of Jewish unity.”

hef Sholom Temple’s annual Yom Kippur food drive collected 3,216 pounds of food for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and Jewish Family Service. OSTY, the temple’s youth group, helps organize the collection each year.

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Congregation Beth Chaverim Religious School students at the temple sukkah with Rabbi Israel Zoberman holding the lulav and etrog. PD-ad-JewishNews-QtrBW-070611.indd 1

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jewishnewsva.org | September 30, 2013 | Jewish News | 15

what’s happening New first year class of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning

The Jewish Museum and Cultural Center’s 2013–2014 Lecture Series

American Jewry and the Presidency

Tuesday mornings, beginning October 8

Sundays, 2 pm

For more information, contact Miriam Brunn Ruberg, Simon Family JCC director of Jewish Life and Learning at 321-2328 or mbrunnruberg@simonfamilyj.org.

Sunday, Oct. 20, Rabbi David Dalin will speak about the political views of Jews in America before the Civil War. Rabbi Dalin, professor of history and politics at Ave Maria University in Florida is the writer, co-author and editor of 10 books on American Jewish history and politics. Sunday, Nov. 17, Dr. Gary Zola, executive director of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of American Jewish Archives and professor of the American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College will address the issues of Lincoln’s relationship with the American Jewish community and examine the evolving influence Lincoln had on American Jewry during the 19th and 20th centuries. Sunday, Feb. 16, Dr. Adam Mendelsohn, assistant professor of Jewish Studies at the College of Charleston, will discuss the factors during the Civil War that changed the thinking of most Jews who had voted against Lincoln in the 1860 election, forcing them to reevaluate their thinking. Sunday, March 30, Rabbi Michael Panitz of Temple Israel, Norfolk, will talk about the story of Simon Wolf, a Jew born in Bavaria in 1836 who emigrated to America in 1848. In 1862, he moved to Washington D.C. and began his influential relationships with many U.S. presidents. Rabbi Panitz will base his talk on the book Simon Wolf: Private Conscience, Public Image, written by his mother Esther L. Panitz an independent scholar, lecturere and accomplished author of books and articles on American Jewish History. For information, call 757-391-9266 or visit the website www.jewishmuseumportsmouth.org. The Museum is located at 607 Effingham St. in Portsmouth.

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Tidewater Jewish Foundation and the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s Young Adult Division are co-hosting a food drive for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. During September’s Hunger Action Month, Feeding America, which is a nationwide network of food banks, united to urge individuals to take action in their communities. In Tidewater 166,020 people are counted as “food insecure,” including 41,420 children. Containers for collecting the cans and boxes of food are in the lobby of the Sandler Family Campus.

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40th Anniversary of Yom Kippur War observed at Temple Israel Sunday, Oct. 6, 6 pm

ceremony marking the 40th Anniversary of the Yom Kippur War will take place at Temple Israel to honor those who fought and memorialize those who died defending Israel, and to commemorate the miraculous (yes, in military terms, MIRACULOUS) survival of the Jewish State. Those who don’t know the story, can attend to learn it; those who do know, can attend to give prayers of thanks. The event is free of charge and open to the community. The program will be conducted in Hebrew and English. Light desserts and refreshments will be served following the ceremony. RSVP to the Temple Israel office, 489-4550. Temple Israel is located at 7255 Granby Street in Norfolk.

what’s happening South African novelist Neville Frankel to speak at Book Festival — Sunday, Nov. 10 by Leslie Shroyer

he book took 10 years to write—partially because its author is a top scoring wealth manager in the Boston area and because he is a passionate painter in his spare time. It also took so long because Bloodlines, an engrossing novel about South Africa, the history, the people and their struggles through decades of fighting for justice against the Apartheid system, required intense research and imagination. Neville Frankel, author of Bloodlines, will visit Tidewater as one of the Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival’s presenters at the Simon Family JCC. A relative of Bill and Sharon Nusbaum’s, Frankel’s ties to Tidewater include his wife, Marlene, who was raised in Portsmouth. Born in South Africa, Frankel moved to the United States with his parents at age 14, attended Dartmouth College, and received a doctorate in English literature from the University of Toronto. In the 1980s, he wrote The Third Power, a well-reviewed political thriller about the transformation of Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. He also wrote several smaller works, some that were self-published, and some that were written for enjoyment. Sometime in his 40s, Frankel began to read more and more about the AntiApartheid movement in South Africa, and wondered about others (many of whom were also Jewish), who put themselves at risk. He wondered what life would have been like if he and his family had stayed. “I realized there was a story to be told here,” he says. “I needed to go back, and

my family actually convinced me to make this journey.” For the first time in nearly 40 years, Frankel traveled to South Africa in 2005. “I felt a sense of returning, of completion, but I needed to tell a story about all I left behind,” he says. “And so I created a story in my mind.” A story with many edits, revisions, and rewrites, including some by the Nusbaums, with whom Frankel remains very close. Bloodlines is about a boy who leaves South Africa with his father. The story he is told about his mother and the past is a lie. His mother faced agonizing choices, especially the decision to stay in South Africa as a fugitive, and forfeit her relationship with her son. The truth unfolds during the book, along with deep and emotional family secrets. “It’s about how we get caught up in political and economic events that are bigger than we are, and how they can destroy our lives,” he says. Frankel, who visits this area about once a year, is excited to return and present his book to this community. “It will be a delight to talk to people, to see family and old friends,” he says. “We are grateful to the JCC, the Nusbaums, and our other area friends and relatives for taking this on,” he says. “We already feel very welcomed, and it will be a delight to share this work with readers in Virginia Beach.” The Lee and Bernard Jaffe* Family Jewish Book Festival runs from November 3–17 at the Simon Family JCC. For more information about all the events, visit www. SimonFamilyJCC.org and watch for the Book Festival mailer in the next few weeks. * of blessed memory The Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

Virginia Chorale opens 30th anniversary season with program of signature songs, including Israeli folk songs

Friday, Oct. 4–Sunday, Oct. 6

he 30th anniversary season of the Virginia Chorale opens with Signature Chorale, a celebration of choral masterpieces, folk songs, and motets. Featuring pieces representative of the three decades of group’s repertoire, Signature Chorale represents the breadth of skill and artistic character of the professional ensemble of 21 singers. Compositions by composers such as Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, William Byrd, Eric Whitacre, and Donald McCullough, who founded the chorale organization in 1983, will be performed under the direction of Artistic Director Charles Woodward. The program includes a variety of compositional styles in numerous languages. The Spanish carol, Riu, Riu, Chiu by Mateo Flecha el Viejo, will open the concert; it was also the first piece performed by the group 30 years ago. William Byrd’s Haec Dies and Hans Leo Hassler’s Cantate Domino will represent the Renaissance period of music and the earliest years from the Virginia Chorale’s repertoire. Also in the program, the singers will perform the Israeli folk songs Hava Nageela arranged by Maurice Goldman and Lo Yisa Goy arranged by Stacy Garrop. The second half of the program will highlight 20th Century American composers. Included in this portion of the concert will be Donald McCullough’s When in the Presence of Music, Walk Together, Children by beloved composer Moses Hogan, Jerome Kern’s All the Things You Are arranged by Stephen Kolb, and Carol Barnett’s arrangement of the American folk song, Cindy.

In addition to some of the most notable pieces from the Chorale’s catalogue of songs, they will present two extended works for the first time. Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing was composed by British composer, Herbert Howells in 1963, in memory of President John F. Kennedy. This choral masterwork will be sung to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s death. Eric Whitacre’s The City and the Sea, a setting of poems by E. E. Cummings, will be performed by the Chorale and guest pianist Stephen Coxe. In celebration of their 30th anniversary, the Chorale will present a series of five concerts during the 2013-2014 season in intimate, acoustically ideal venues across Hampton Roads. Tickets for the Signature Chorale concert are $25 for adults and $10 for students. Season subscriptions and group tickets are also available for up to 20% off the individual ticket price. For further information about this concert or the rest of the Chorale season, visit www.vachorale.org or call 757-627.-8375. Friday, Oct. 4, 8pm Williamsburg Presbyterian Church 215 Richmond Road, Williamsburg. Saturday, Oct. 5, 8pm First Presbyterian Church 300 36th Street, Virginia Beach Sunday, Oct. 6, 4pm Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church 6901 Newport Avenue, Norfolk

Family Fall Festival and Open House at the Simon Family JCC Entertainment, shopping, eating and a great membership deal! — Sunday, Oct. 20, 11–3 pm

free fall festival at the Simon Family JCC will highlight much that the Center offers for both current and prospective members. Activities for everyone in the family include a petting zoo, carnival games such as a bean bag toss and a cake walk, inflatables to bounce in and play on, as well as safety tips from the Virginia Beach Police and Fire departments, shopping at the Farmers’ Market, and fitness demonstrations. Snow cones and popsicles will be provided, but bring cash for hotdogs, sodas and more.

Those who join the JCC that day will get membership for the month of November for free. To wrap up the day, a shortened version of Jack and the Beanstalk, performed by Virginia Opera, begins at 2:30 pm. For information, visit SimonFamilyJ.org or call 321-2338. The Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

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Mazel Tov to Achievement Pam Guthrie, administrator of The Terrace at Beth Sholom Village, for being recognized as Virginia’s Assisted Living Administrator of the Year by the Virginia Health Care Association and Virginia Center for Assisted Living ( VCAL/ VHCA) at the VHCA convention and trade show in Roanoke on Sept. 18. This award is given to an administrator who is recognized for outstanding statewide leadership, has been active in the Association at least three years, has current direct supervisory responsibility, has demonstrated outstanding leadership ability, and has contributed significantly to the profession of long term care. Marissa Simon for being chosen as the David Project Fellow for the 2013-2014 school year at the University of Pittsburgh. The David Project, in partnership with Hillel, created this Israel advocacy training program in which participants gain knowledge and tools necessary for creating change on campus. Pitt is one of 19 campuses across the country hosting such fellows.

calendar Marissa applied after her introduction to The David Project at this summer’s Bringing Israel Home event in which the Community Relations Council partnered with The David Project to offer their fourth annual program for Tidewater college students. The program teaches students about Israel advocacy before heading back to school. Marissa was part of the planning committee and between what she learned prior to the event and her engagement during the event, she became more engaged with The David Project and wanted to learn and do more. She is the daughter of Rosanne and Bill Simon and sister of Jordan and Natalie. Marissa is a graduate of the Math and Science Academy at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach and is studying nursing at the University of Pittsburgh. Birth Rabbi Arthur Ruberg and Miriam Brunn Ruberg on the birth of their first grandchild Eli (pronounced eh-lee) Meir on August 12. He is the son of Adina and Ben Kozberg of Chicago, Ill. The proud great-grandfather is Albert J. Brunn of Coconut Creek, Fla. and proud uncle is Rabbi Jeremy Ruberg of New City, N.Y.

Bonnie Brand joins American Friends of Tel Aviv University board

he board of directors of American Friends of Tel Aviv University, a donor group that supports Israel’s largest academic institution, Tel Aviv University, recently elected Bonnie Brand to its board. A Tidewater native and lifelong resident, Brand serves on the board of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and is a member of its Israel and Overseas Committee. She is also a member of the board of directors of Hebrew Academy of Tidewater/ Strelitz Early Childhood Center. “I am honored to have been asked to serve as a board member of American Friends of Tel Aviv University,” says Brand. “Even though I personally never attended TAU, I have deep roots, past and present, to the school. My youngest daughter Genna,

who made Alyiah in November 2011, just graduated from the International Master’s Program in Political Science. My husband, David Brand, was a student at TAU in the early Bonnie Brand 70’s and my father, Leonard R. Strelitz, of blessed memory, served as chairman of AFTAU in the early 80’s. For me to have the opportunity to learn more about why TAU is so respected throughout the world and help boost its reputation is both an honor and a pleasure.” Brand says that one of her duties as a member of the board is to raise awareness of the school and all that offers.

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September 30, October 14 and 28, Mondays An Israel Advocacy Seminar, offered by the Simon Family JCC Jewish Life and Learning department will take place very other week through Oct. 28 Mondays at 7 pm. This seminar will augment what you already know and show you how to organize facts into a cogent, coherent and concise case for Israel. Dr. Sandra Haas-Radin and Mark Solberg will facilitate. $15 for materials. For more information or to register, contact Miriam Brunn Ruberg at MBrunnRuberg@simonfamilyj.org or 321-2328. OCTOBER 6, SUNDAY Brith Sholom meeting will be held at the Beth Sholom Home. Board meeting 10 am, General meeting at 11 am, followed by a delicious brunch at 12 pm. 40th Anniversary of Yom Kippur War observed at Temple Israel. 6 pm. 489-4550. See page 16. October 14, Monday-November 24, Sunday Calling all JCC members! Join in on a six week activity challenge, where you and other JCC Simon Family members will compete against three other JCCs (Miami, Providence and Greater Washington). For six weeks, you will track steps and activities using the BeWell Portal. The goal is to try to reach 10,000 steps or exercise 30 minutes per day. Join in on the Healthy Strides Challenge! Online registration is available at https://mybewell.bepurewellness.com. For more information about BeWell, ask any fitness staff member at the JCC or call Tony Pearsall at 321-2321. OCTOBER 16, WEDNESDAY The JCC Seniors Club at the Simon Family JCC. Board meeting at 10:30 am, lunch at 12 pm; General meeting follows with entertainment by The Daybreak Singers, a choral group comprised of active duty and retired military wives. They will sing a wide variety of music including popular and Broadway songs. October 20, Sunday The Simon Family JCC’s Open House and Fall Festival. Enjoy a family day of fun and activities. 11am to 3 pm. For more information, call 321-2338 or visit simonfamilyj.org. See page 17. Brith Sholom will have a dinner at the Happy Buffet located on S.Lynnhaven Rd. behind Lynnhaven Mall. The entertainment will be the return of Cindy and Billy Mitchell singing and playing music. Dinner is at 5:30 pm. The price for members is $7.50 per person and $15 for guests. Jack and the Beanstalk Opera Performance by Virginia Opera at the JCC, 2:30 pm. Shortened version of this beloved fable and a wonderful introduction to opera. Children $5, Adults $7.50, Families $25. 321-2338 for more information. October 23, Wednesday Nosh and Knowledge at Ohef Sholom. Learn about breast cancer. 12–1:30 pm. Call 625-4295 for details. Send submissions for calendar to news@ujft.org. Be sure to note “calendar” in the subject. Include date, event name, sponsor, address, time, cost and phone.

Free Guest Days at the JCC October 24–27 Simon Family JCC members may bring up to three friends and enjoy all that the Center has to offer.

For more information, call 321-2338.

Who Knew?

Dr. Ruth scores at 9/11 benefit

-listers such as Billy Crystal, Jamie Foxx, Julianne Moore and Jon Hamm attended this year’s Cantor Fitzgerald and BCG Partners 9/11 Charity Day. But it was Dr. Ruth Westheimer who got the biggest laughs. Her arm in a stylish sling due to a broken wrist and shoulder, the Jewish sex maven cracked a sex joke or two at the benefit, according to Page Six, the New York Post’s gossip page. “I tripped,”she said. “I didn’t engage in sex, but I was thinking about it and I fell.” Making calls on the trading floor, Dr. Ruth promised good sex for life to anyone who got on the phone with her to buy or sell for charity. “Can you call my wife?”one trader answered. No news on how it’s going for that guy, but good news for the charity—the event raised $12 million. (JTA)

Natalie Portman wants to be French citizen

atalie Portman is dying to become a citizen of France—or at least that’s how everyone is deconstructing a comment she made in the French magazine Madame Figaro. “I don’t have the French nationality, but I would love to get it. But I don’t know if it’s possible because I already have an American and an Israeli passport,” said the actress and wife of Frenchman Benjamin Millepied. “Perhaps I should add an ‘h’ to my name to make it sound more French [Nathalie]?” The Portman-Millepieds are planning to move to Paris next year. (JTA)

Honors for Sacha Baron Cohen

he British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (got that?) is awarding Sacha Baron Cohen the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy (and that one, too?) at its Los Angeles Britannia Awards on Nov. 9. It’s not the first BAFTA award for Cohen, who is being recognized for his contribution to comedic film. The British-Jewish actor, writer and producer behind the films Borat, Bruno and The Dictator raked in a couple more back in 2000 for Da Ali G Show. You can see SBC receive his CCBAFEIC when the show airs Nov. 10 on BBC America. (JTA)

Sarah Silverman’s cross

arah Silverman revealed in a recent appearance on W. Kamau Bell’s show Totally Biased that she was hurt by the jokes made about her age at the Comedy Central roast of James Franco. It was somewhat surprising—not because the jokes weren’t offensive, but because it isn’t like Silverman hasn’t dished it out herself over the course of her career. But far more shocking than her thin skin was the thing viewers noticed on her skin during the interview: the cross pendant she was wearing on her necklace. Silverman fans (at least those who read Heeb Magazine, which published a pos about her conspicuous cross) were thrown off by the Christian paraphernalia, questioning whether one of the Jewiest female comedians around had jumped ship. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, answers came quickly, with Sarah’s dad and sister posting clarifying comments to the Heeb piece. From her dad, Donald: “I told Sarah that her nana (long passed) wanted to know about the cross. Sarah told me to tell Nana she’s still a Jew. It came from something she wore on a movie set.” And from her sister, Rabbi Susan Silverman: “I’m her rabbi sister and called her and asked WTF? She got it, like our dad said on a recent movie set and she just liked that it pointed to her boobs. Oy.” Phew! Now we can go back to being scandalized by more benign Silverman antics, like songs about doing it with Matt Damon and indecently solicited donations for President Obama. (JTA)

New role for Mayim Bialik: Mentor

s a star on the hit show The Big Bang Theory, an author, blogger and a Ph.D. in neuroscience, Mayim Bialik is certainly a potential role model for young ambitious Jews. Now she’ll be one in an official capacity. As a co-chair of Core 18, an entrepreneurial boot camp for 19- to 25-year-olds, Bialik will help “cultivate the next generation of Jewish leaders by providing executive mentoring, traditional Jewish wisdom and social entrepreneurial skills, with a focus on maximizing each fellow’s unique strengths.” “Core 18 Leaders Lab is a mad scientist’s dream,” Bialik told The Times of Israel. “We bring in emerging Jewish leaders and give them the connections, training and funding they’ll need to experiment with cool new ideas that can change the Jewish landscape.” Co-chairing with the Jewishly observant actress are Tal Ben-Shahar, a former Harvard lecturer, and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom. Those interested in participating should send applications by Oct. 15. The program will launch in January. (JTA)

Andy Samberg marries Joanna Newsom

orry ladies, but the rumors of Andy Samberg’s plans to wed singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom last weekend turned out to be true. After dating for five years, the couple tied the knot Saturday in Big Sur, Calif., Us Weekly reports. While the gossip site boasts its story has “All the Details!,” there are in fact no event-related details. In other words, we can’t tell you how many Saturday Night Live cast members showed up or if the Lonely Island sang a jokey rendition of Hava Nagila. (JTA)

Omri Casspi stands tall in Florida sukkah

ewish NBAer Omri Casspi, recently signed by the Houston Rockets, spent the first night of Sukkot at the Chabad of Pinellas County in Clearwater, Fla. Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA, attended services and shared a meal with Rabbi Levi Hodakov and his family, and even made a “flawless kiddush on his own.” Sources confirmed that the 6-foot-9 Casspi was able to stand up in the sukkah without knocking off the schach.

Book on Jewish sports stars strikes Ryan Braun from cover

Jewish publisher pulled a photo of Ryan Braun from the cover of a children’s book about Jewish sports stars. Braun, the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder suspended in July for the remainder of the season for violating Major League Baseball’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, was removed from the cover of Kar-Ben publisher’s Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes Past and Present by David J. Goldman, which is set to be released next month in its second edition, according to Publisher’s Weekly. Braun, known as the “Hebrew Hammer,” and American gold medal gymnast Aly Raisman had been slated to appear on the cover. “While Ryan Braun is a very talented baseball player and we were originally excited to have a contemporary sports figure of his talent and stature with such a strong identification to his Jewish heritage on the cover, there was no question that, after the steroids scandal surfaced, his image was tarnished and he was no longer appropriate to serve as a role model for Jewish kids,” Kar-Ben publisher Joni Sussman told Publisher’s Weekly. The book had been scheduled for release in August, but the date was pushed to October in order to reprint the cover. Braun will be replaced with Jewish baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax. Braun’s profile remains, since it was too expensive to change the text of the book, but there is a disclaimer on the inside back cover. (JTA)

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obituaries William Abrams Portsmouth—William “Bill” Abrams 101¾ passed away Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013 at Beth Sholom Home in Virginia Beach where he resided during the last four years. Born in Bayonne, N. J. on January 19, 1912, to Rose Leventhal Abrams and Nathan Abrams. Bill went on to live a long and extraordinarily vital life. His magnetic personality, infectious smile, sense of humor, his strength and his zest for life endeared him to all who knew him. At the age of nine, Bill moved to Norfolk with his family, who, in addition to his parents, consisted of his two older brothers Harry and Benjamin, his older sister Sophie, and his younger sister Zelda. At the age of 14, Bill lost his father and two brothers making him the “man of the family.” In addition to saying kaddish every day for two years, he worked several part time jobs, and continued his studies at Maury High School. In his senior year, Bill was finally able to realize his dream of participating in team sports. He played football and baseball for his school and that year was honored as “Batter of the Year” at Maury High. After graduation in 1930, Bill attended the newly established Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary (ODU), where he became a star running back on the School’s first football team. He also played on the college’s first baseball team and went on to play first base and outfield for the Norfolk Tars; the farm team of the New York Yankees. In 1937, after a whirlwind courtship, which included daily rides in Bill’s hupmobile, he and Esther Lipman were married. They settled in Portsmouth where they worked side by side as proprietors of various grocery businesses. They raised three children in a loving home which was the center of all extended family gatherings. They participated in numerous community activities, including those of the Synagogue. Bill was a 32nd Degree Mason and a Shriner. He took great pride in and enjoyed his growing family, by whom he was affectionately known as “Daddy Bill.” Bill loved to travel and after years of hard work, took the opportunity to see the world with Esther. Retirement also pro-

vided the time to serve the Shul, Gomley Chessed, by attending the rabbi’s classes, assisting with Synagogue programs and rarely missing a minyan, Friday night or Saturday Shabbat Service. Bill played an integral role in the services as a Gabbai for many years and as a board member. In his mid-80’s, Bill became an active participant in the Be A Reader (BEAR) program sponsored by the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. In March 2009, at age 97, Bill followed Esther, whose health was declining, into Beth Sholom. They were able to celebrate Esther’s 92nd birthday and their 72nd wedding anniversary together before she passed away that July. A consummate survivor, Bill went on to forge a new life for himself at Beth Sholom where he became one of its most popular and well known residents. Articles celebrating his illustrious sports career and longevity have appeared in four supplements to The Virginian-Pilot; the Compass, the Currents, the Sun, and the Beacon and he is referenced and photographed in two recently published books: Before They Were Monarchs and The Legacy Renewed about the early days of sports at ODU. In May of 2011, Maury High School celebrated its 100th Anniversary. As the school’s oldest known living graduate, Bill was honored by being asked to perform the ribbon cutting at the dedication ceremony along with the Mayor and other dignitaries. Bill was nominated by the BergerGoldrich Home as its resident of the year in a statewide competition, sponsored by the Virginia Health Care Association. Entries were judged on remarkable life stories, the ability to inspire others to meet challenges, and on community impact. Bill won a place in the 2012 Calendar of Who’s Who in Virginia Long Term Care Facilities. In January 2013, Bill was honored as the Blue Yarmulke “Man of the Year” from Gomley Chesed Congregation for his service through the years. In addition to his parents Nathan and Rose Abrams, his siblings Harry and Benjamin Abrams, Sophie Safian and Zelda Asher and his dear wife Esther, Bill was predeceased by his son, Howard Martin (Marty) Abrams who died tragically in 1948 at the age of two, and two infant grandsons Richard and Kevin Alperin.

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Bill is survived by his devoted daughters Paula Alperin of Virginia Beach, Norma Butler of Norfolk, his son Robert Abrams and wife Joan Glick of San Francisco, Calif., grandchildren Karen and Dr. Martin Goldberg of Norfolk, Wendy and Rick Rubin of Charleston, W. Va., Jeffrey and Faith Alperin of Norfolk, Rick and Dru Abrams of Charlotte, N.C., Kimberly Butler of Williamsburg, Va., and Brad Butler of Norfolk; Great grandchildren David and Lauren Goldberg, Ali and Ryan Rubin, Mitch, Tim, Grant (Chip), and Will Abrams, Marissa Gibbons, Meghan Martin, Thomas and Tyler Baird, and Great Great Granddaughter Adalee Collazo. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Blanche Lipman of Portsmouth, and numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins. The family would like to thank the entire staff of Beth Sholom for the tireless dedication and loving care they gave to Bill. A graveside service wase conducted at the Gomley Chesed Cemetery by Rabbi David Goldstein and Cantor Elihu Flax. Memorial donations to Beth Sholom Home or to Gomley Chesed Congregation. Sturtevant Funeral Home. Beverly K. Mauro Norfolk—Beverly K. Mauro, 83, died Thursday, September 19, 2013 in a local hospital. She was a native and lifelong resident of Norfolk and was the daughter of the late Dave and Lillie Kessel. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Henry (Hank) Mauro. She is survived by her devoted family: daughter Susan Kosiek and her son-in-law Ted, of Norfolk, son Lance Mauro and her daughter-in-law Dr. Cynthia Reynolds, of Boynton Beach, Fla., by grandson Marc and his wife Holly and great grandchildren Emilie, Ethan and Juliette, grandson Damon and great grandson Marc, her nephew Jeff Kessel and his wife Randi, niece Robin Coponiti and her husband John, niece Jennifer Griggs and her husband Parnell, great niece Amber and great nephew Phillip, her cousins Harriet, Patsy, and Shelley, and by her cherished children of choice who came to think of her as a second mom: Marc, Stan, Barbara, Whitney, Nancy, Pam, Gayle, MJ, Peggy,

Gail T, Annette, Rob, Alex, Cathy and Bubba. Although she gave birth to only two children, she was a wise and loving mother to many. Graveside Funeral Services were held in Eastern Shore Chapel Cemetery with Rabbi Israel Zoberman officiating. Memorial donations to a charity of the donor’s choice. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apts. Online condolences may be sent to the family at hdoliver.com.

Dutch city unveils memorial for Holocaust diarist Helga Deen (JTA)—The Jewish community of Tilburg in the Netherlands unveiled a statue commemorating Helga Deen, a teenage Jewish diarist who died in a concentration camp 70 years ago. The Liberal Jewish Community of Tilburg unveiled the monument in memory of Deen earlier this month in partnership with a neighborhood association, the Dutch daily Brabants Dagblad reported. The city of Tilburg also has named the square where the statue was erected for Deen, who was killed at 18 in a gas chamber at the Sobibor death camp in 1943. Her German mother, Dutch father and 15-yearold brother, Klaus, also were killed there. Unlike the teen Dutch-Jewish diarist Anne Frank, who wrote about her life in hiding in Amsterdam, Deen’s diary was about her monthlong stay as a prisoner in the Vught camp. From there she was shipped to Westerbork, another Dutch concentration camp, and then to Sobibor in Poland. Frank also was incarcerated at Westerbork; she died at 15 in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Approximately 75 percent of Holland’s Jewish population of 140,000 died in the Holocaust. During her stay in Vught, Deen also wrote to her fiance, Kees van den Berg. Her letters to him were found after van den Berg’s death by his son, who gave them to a local archive along with the diary that Deen sent to van den Berg from the camp. Deen’s writings appeared in a book published in 2007.

Italian cyclist Gino Bartali recognized as righteous gentile Yad Vashem posthumously recognized the Italian cycling champion Gino Bartali as Righteous Among the Nations.

obituaries The Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem said in a statement that during the German occupation of Italy beginning in September 1943, “Bartali, a devout Catholic, was part of a rescue network spearheaded by Rabbi Nathan Cassuto of Florence together with the Archbishop of Florence Cardinal Elia Angelo Dalla Costa,” who has been recognized as a righteous gentile. The Jewish-Christian network, Yad Vashem said, “saved hundreds of local Jews and Jewish refugees from territories which had previously been under Italian control, mostly in France and Yugoslavia.” Bartali, who died in 2000 at 85, had acted as a courier for the network, according to Yad Vashem, “secreting forged documents and papers in his bicycle and transporting them between cities, all under the guise of training.” It added, “Knowingly risking his life to rescue Jews, Bartali transferred falsified documents to various contacts, among them Rabbi Cassuto.” The decision to recognize Bartali was based in part on testimony obtained and published by the Italian Jewish monthly Pagine Ebraica, including from a man, Giorgio Golderberg, who said Bartali had hidden him and his parents in his cellar. The recognition drew an emotional response in Italy. “Gino Bartali was an immense champion, on pedals and in life,” Pagine Ebraiche editor Guido Vitale wrote. “The recognition by Yad Vashem is the just reward for an explemplary human undertaking.” Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi told the Union of Italian Jewish Communities website that it was “the best present to the city

and the most serious way to give meaning to the world cycling championships.” (JTA)

Marcel Reich-Ranicki, German-Jewish author and critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki, a German-Jewish author and literary critic sometimes referred to in Germany as the “pope of literature,” has died. The death of Reich-Ranicki, a Holocaust survivor and a spokesman for reconciliation between Jewish and non-Jewish Germans, was announced on Sept. 18. He was 93. Reich-Ranicki was “a piece of GermanJewish history,” Charlotte Knobloch, former head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and head of the Jewish community of Bavaria and Munich, “The fact that this son of a Jewish German-Polish family, who lost his parents and relatives in the Nazi death camps, found a home in Germany again and gave our country so much is one of the postwar occurrences we can only be grateful for.”

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Living in the Warsaw Ghetto under Nazi occupation, Reich-Ranicki became a translator and writer for the ghetto’s Jewish council and newspaper. He also wrote reviews of concerts under a pseudonym. He and his wife escaped in 1943, a year after marrying, surviving in hiding for 16 months with friends. In 1950, Reich-Ranicki served time in solitary confinement in a Polish prison for so-called “ideological alienation.” In 1958 Reich-Ranicki and his wife immigrated to West Germany with their son, Andrew. In Germany, Reich-Ranicki launched what would become a long and influential career as writer and literary critic, starting with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, where he eventually headed the literature department. Though he was battling cancer, he continued to write regularly until this year for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. (JTA) (See article on page 22.)

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Germany’s Jewish “Pope of Literature”

Remembering Marcel Reich-Ranicki by Frederick A. Lubich

arcel Reich-Ranicki shaped the literary world of the Federal Republic of Germany in the last half century probably like no other public intellectual in German history. An expert of German literature, he became the most articulate critic of the country’s new literary publications. His judgment could make or break authors and influence their careers, be they literary novices or Nobel laureates like Günter Grass. Germany’s preeminent arbiter of literary trends and tastes, known throughout the country as the nation’s “Pope of Literature” died in Frankfurt at the age of 93 on Wednesday, Sept. 18. Marcel Reich-Ranicki was born in Wloclawek in Poland in 1920, the son of German-Polish Jews. In 1929, his family moved to Berlin, where he attended the German Gymnasium, the high school for gifted children of the middle and upper class. After the Nazis came to power, he and his family were forced to return to Poland, where he soon ended up in the Warsaw Ghetto. There, he met and married Teofila Langnas, with whom he shared his entire life. While they managed to escape the Warsaw Ghetto just in time, the rest of Reich-Ranicki’s family was deported and perished. Sheltered by Polish peasants in the countryside, where their hiding places included attics, cellars and dirt holes, the young couple survived the onslaught of the German army. After the war, they returned to Warsaw, Reich-Ranicki joined the Communist party, worked in London in the Polish secret service, and was appointed consul for the Polish government at the young age of 28. However, he soon fell out of favor with the Communist party, and when Jews again became scapegoats in Polish politics, Reich-Ranicki and his wife decided in 1958 to emigrate to West Germany, where they assumed German citizenship. In Germany, he soon rose to prominent positions in the literary sections of the leading newspapers Die Zeit und die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. As the host and moderator of highly popular radio and television programs on literature such as the “Literarische Quartett” (1988-2001),

Reich-Ranicki virtually became a household name. Loved and feared for his acerbic wit and adored for his charming combativeness, he grew into the role of the nation’s most widely celebrated and sometimes criticized Großkritiker; in short, Germany’s one and only Jewish Literaturpapst. In 1999, his memoir, Mein Leben, appeared and became a bestseller in Germany selling more than 1.2 million copies. Although there is also an English rendition of his autobiography called My Life, the following quotes are my own translations from the original German. His memoirs are a moving account of the deeply conflicted identity of a Jew living in post Holocaust Germany. Already as a young Polish boy, excited to travel to Berlin, he has very mixed feelings. However, his initial “fear of the German cane” soon merged with a growing fascination for German culture: “My fear of the German world was mixed with the happiness which I owed to this world.” In Tonio Kröger, Thomas Mann’s celebrated novella of adolescence, and his protagonist’s fear of and longing for life, Reich-Ranicki found the model for his own existence: “This fear and this longing belong to the leitmotifs of my life.” Soon, his diffuse anxieties and excitements about Germany were to take shape in two distinctly opposite personalities: “Germany, that is in my eyes Adolf Hitler and Thomas Mann. Now as then, these two names symbolize the two sides, the two possibilities of Germany.” “Verkehrte Welt,” this literary trope from the imaginary realm of German Romanticism, representing an inverted, if not perverted world, became a gruesome reality in the Warsaw Ghetto. To escape at least temporarily the many degrading experiences of life in the ghetto, Reich-Ranicki, with the help of the Judenrat, organized numerous concerts. Drawing on the rich musical talents and traditions of Eastern European Jewry, the ghetto boasted three string quartets and several gifted pianists, violinists and singers and together they performed with desperate dedication: “Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, Weber and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Schumann and Brahms, in other words, as everywhere in the world, primarily German music.” In retrospect, Reich-Ranicki con-

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fessed: “To this day no other opera fills me with more joy, more happiness, than the Meistersinger. And no other opera moves me deeper and excites me more than Tristan und Isolde.” Thus, it is the signature sound of the Third Reich, its Wagnerian will to power, which also Marcel Reich-Ranicki uplifted its victims and granted them a rapturous reprieve from almost certain perdition. The question why he was allowed to survive the Holocaust would haunt ReichRanicki for the rest of his life. When asked in 1994 to give a speech in a lecture series titled “Speaking about your country,” he answered: “I have no country, no homeland, no fatherland.” When he was a child in Poland, however, his mother described German culture as their promised land, and it was this promise on which the author never gave up. Having spent his youth in a German Gymnasium, he acquired the most important aspect of its culture: “I took with me out of the country which expelled me its language, the German language, and its literature, German literature.” As he returned to a bombed out Berlin right after the war, Reich-Ranicki writes: “Not revenge drove me back to Berlin but a yearning.” It was the longing for German culture. Following in the footsteps of the German-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine, the most prominent exile of 19th century German literature, ReichRanicki also declares German literature his “portative fatherland.” When toward the end of his memoir, Reich-Ranicki looks back on his meteoric rise to become a cultural institution in Germany, he asks himself: “Was it my ambition, to continue the Jewish tradition in the history of German literary criticism in a leading role, and maybe even demonstratively in all publicity? Of course it was.” It is an ironic reversal of fortune that the former refugee of Nazi Germany, hiding from Hitler’s henchmen in the Polish hinterland, should survive to become the

supreme judge of German literature, Germany’s lord and master of books, “Herr der Bücher,“ as the leading German journal Der Spiegel called him in one of its several cover stories on him. The author concludes his memoir with a cherished memory of Willy Brandt, Germany’s chancellor in the early 1970’s, whose genuflection in front of the monument to the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto made headlines around the world. In 1990, Reich-Ranicki met Brandt in Nuremberg, and the former chancellor, already marked by his terminal illness, asked him, how he had survived the Warsaw Ghetto. “When I was finished with my short report, someone had tears in his eyes. Willy Brandt or I? I can’t remember any more. But I do remember very well what I thought. When in 1970 I saw the photo of the kneeling German chancellor, I thought, that my decision to return to Germany in 1958 and to settle in the Federal Republic had not been wrong, that it had been right after all.” Germany was very blessed with ReichRanicki’s return. Today the country honors him not only as a central cultural figure of the Federal Republic of Germany, but also as a major representative of the 200-yearold German-Jewish cultural symbiosis, which began with the friendship of Moses Mendelssohn and Gotthold Efraim Lessing during the Age of Enlightenment. This German-Jewish affinity and cultural productivity reached its creative culmination in the Weimar Republic only to be plunged into the depth by the Holocaust. Thus, Reich-Ranicki stands as a truly GermanJewish Janus figure. He not only looked back to the cultural legacy of GermanJewish history and its catastrophic ending, but also forward to a new beginning of German-Jewish relations, of which he was the most prominent and promising representative. —Dr. Frederick A. Lubich is a professor of German at Old Dominion University.

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HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (JTA)—Some were psyched for the nostalgia of The Goldbergs, a new ABC sitcom about a boisterous, outspoken American family set in the 1980s. But last week’s premiere was a little too loaded with references to that neon-colored, big-haired decade—think REO Speedwagon, Sam Goody, hair crimping and rabbit tail key chains. Such period gags aside, early on it looks in many ways to be just another formulaic sitcom. There’s Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), the clan’s overbearing mom; Murray (Jeff Garlin), her brash on the outside/soft on the inside husband; and their three kids. Erica (Hayley Orrantia) is pretty and she knows it, Barry (Troy Gentile) is highstrung and Adam (Sean Giambrone) is a precocious cutie pie who records the family’s histrionics on his clunky oldschool video camera. In typical family comedy fashion, they find one another incredibly frustrating, but underneath it all there’s lots and lots of love. Folks have been comparing The Goldbergs to The Wonder Years, and with good reason. Both are time capsules containing family stories told from the innocent-yet-knowing perspective of their clans’ youngest members. But even deeper in the archives is another comparison: The first incarnation of “The Goldbergs,” which premiered on the radio in 1929 and moved to television in 1949 for an eight-year run. The modern version is not a remake of the original, which was the brainchild of writer-actress Gertrude Berg. The 2013 show is an autobiographical project from creator Adam Goldberg, who as a kid actu-

ally did videotape his family. And, of course, what it means to be Jewish in America has changed drastically over the past few decades. The new Goldbergs live in the suburbs instead of a Bronx tenement. Mom and dad don’t speak with Eastern European accents or have a hard time reading English. And Pops, the eldest modern Goldberg, with his track suit and swinger talk, is a far cry from suspender-clad, Old World Uncle David. Hollywood has changed, too. The original Goldbergs were among the first Jewish characters on television. Today our new friends are entering a landscape paved by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Ari Gold, Larry David, Kyle from “South Park” and, most recently, Larry Bloom from “Orange Is the New Black.” At their core, though, the shows are quite similar. Neither is overtly Jewish— the title family name notw ithstanding— and both explore the dynamics not of an average Jewish American family but of an average American family that also happens to be Jewish. In this way, The Goldbergs redux is less like The Wonder Years and more like The Cosby Show, which showed much of the TV-watching public that just because a family comes from a different cultural background, they still fight, make up and wear bad sweaters. It’s tempting to say that The Goldbergs is not nearly as groundbreaking or funny as The Cosby Show or The Wonder Years. Nor is it as important as the original. But after one episode, that really isn’t fair. Hopefully as the season progresses, the show will handle its nostalgia impulse with a little more subtlety and the characters lose a lot of their caricature-like elements.

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24 | Jewish News | September 30, 2013 | jewishnewsva.org