Baltimore Jewish Times_3 by Lindsey Bridwell

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Chanukah Stamp BALTIMORE

JEWISH TIMES

December 9, 2011 Kislev 13 5772

DOES SHE OR DOESNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T SHE? $1.25

Jews and the world of plastic surgery

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74470 19778

A Mitzvah Maven

Lotsa Latkes!

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Cover photo

Contents

December 9, 2011 Vol. 323 No. 6 Candle lighting 4:25 pm 6

In The Beginning e Seen, Your Say ... , Chazerai

Opinion Opening oughts, In My Opinion, From is View

Local News 15

News Briefs

Growth Beyond The Mall Eateries, oﬃce renovations, luxury apartments and a business center are coming to the area.

Justin Tsucalas

Sports For Non-Athletes

How To Lick Chanukah Local artist designs the U.S. Post Oﬃce’s fourth oﬃcial holiday stamp.

Setting Priorities Jewish lobbying agenda set for upcoming General Assembly.

Newt’s Jewish Stars Jewish conservatives debate Gingrich’s surging candidacy.

Features

Does She Or Doesn’t She? Jews and the world of plastic surgery

Write On

Provided

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Chris Ammann

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Long, Strange Trip

Lovin’ Latkes

A Wittness To Tragedy Play recalls anti-Semitic discrimination and the horrors of an African war.

Gatherer Of Good Deeds Author’s ways to help improve the world.

Arts & Life 43

The ‘It’ List

Food Dishing It Out, Appetizers

The Jewish View

Community Beshert, Milestones, Obits

Amazing Marketplace

Justin Tsucalas

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Baltimore Jewish Times (ISSN 0005-450X) is published by Alter Communications, Inc., 1040 Park Ave., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21201. Subscription price is $50 in-state; $57 out-of-state. For subscriptions, renewals, or change of address call 410-752-3504 (Baltimore) or 1-888-257-8558 (toll free). Periodical postage paid at Baltimore MD and additional mailing oﬃces. Postmaster: send address changes to Baltimore Jewish Times, 1040 Park Ave., Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21201. Published 52 times a year.

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Kevan Brooks/AdMedia/Newscom

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Compiled om assorted news and wire services

RWO WENN Photos/Newscom

{Hollywood Hookup}

A Real Class Act

DPA/ZUMApress

The New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire recently announced that he “is interested in opening a Hebrew school, which would focus on teaching the language and Jewish history,” according to the New York Daily News. A source says Stoudemire has “discussed it seriously,” although the concept is currently on the back burner. Amar’e seems pretty gung-ho about all things Jewish these days. Last summer, he visited Israel. In addition, he has a Star of David tattoo and dressed up as King Solomon for Halloween this year.

Amar’e Stoudemire

Your Big Break?

Wanna act with Ben Stiller? The comic actor’s Stiller Foundation is auctioning off a role for the upcoming film “Neighborhood Watch,” which also stars Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill. The film is shooting in the Atlanta area this month, and current bidding is at $23,000. Mind you, it’s a non-speaking role, with the winner serving Ben or Vince a bagel at a faux bistro. And traveling expenses are not Ben included. Still, it’s for a good cause. The Stiller Stiller Foundation provides educational opportunities for children in Haiti through the construction of schools.

“The Talk” ’s co-host and executive producer, Sara Gilbert, who’s best known as Roseanne Barr’s youngest daughter on the TV show “Roseanne,” has come out publicly about her new relationship. On a recent episode of “The Talk,” Gilbert, 36, confirmed the media story of her relationship with musician/producer Linda Perry. “The other day I was just out, and the paparazzi were there,” she said. Perry and Gilbert had been spotted shopping together hand-in-hand.

Nat, who’s a animal rights activist and vegan. “Eating for me is how you proclaim your beliefs three times a day,” Portman says. If you want pretty Portman’s punim gracing your envelopes, visit petacatalog.com/products/Vegetar ian_Celebrity_US_PhotoStamps641-21.html?utm_campaign=1111 Veg Stamps&utm_source=PETA Feature&utm_medium=Promo .

Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS

new campaign features 20 famous vegetarians throughout history, including Leonardo da Vinci, Leo Tolstoy, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, the buoyant Pamela Anderson, Indian leader Mohandas K. Gandhi, hip-hop magnate Russell Simmons, rockers Chrissie Hynde, Bryan Adams, Morrisey and others. e entire set costs $19.99. Among the stamps is one of

“All these articles are out that I’m in a new relationship,” Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles) told the audience, prompting applause. “I go online, and it’s on CNN ... it’s weird. I do want to share [the news] with you ... but I want to do it on my terms, in full hair and makeup.” Last August, Gilbert ended her decade-old relationship with her partner of 10 years, TV producer Allison Adler, with whom she has two children, Levi Hank and Sawyer.

Natalie Portman

A Stamp For Natalie Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman deserves to be put on a postage stamp, right? e folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals obviously think so. PETA, which is well known for recruiting celebs for its cause, recently chose a new vehicle to spread its message — a limitededition release of U.S. postage stamps sponsored by the organization. Its

Sara Gilbert

Gilbert’s Gripe

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Your Say… Openness

Light Shines

We are thrilled and proud of the JT’s decision to publish the marriage announcements of same-sex couples (“Open Doors,” Dec. 2)! Our community can only thrive from inclusivity and openness on all fronts.

On behalf of Ohr Chadash Academy, thank you for the wonderful article written last week by Bernie Hodkin (“A New Light Arises,” Dec. 2). She was able to accurately capture the special environment that the students of OCA experience every day. OCA invites the readers to learn more via our website, www.ocabalti more.org and to attend our open house, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. For more information, call 443-840-6222 or e-mail info@ocabaltimore.org .

Jenna and Debra S. Weinberg Baltimore

Loving God I commend Andrew Buerger and the JEWISH TIMES for deciding to publish wedding announcements by same-sex couples. My wife and I adopted our daughter Erica in China in 1995 We are therefore part of the same multi-cultural, multi-ethnic Jewish community as Mr. Buerger’s family. As members of the adoption community, we have come to count a number of same-sex couples and their families as our good friends. We can personally attest that, without exception, these couples are the most loving, committed, dedicated parents any child would be fortunate to have. I am not particularly religious. But in anticipating the rush of supposedly religiously-based objections to the JT’s decision, I cannot comprehend how a loving God, having created gays, could have the slightest objection to gays forming families on the same basis as His equally loving creation, straights. Sheldon H. Laskin Baltimore

Tragedy It was with some measure of relief that I read of the upcoming nuptials of two women in the JT last week: e Rothmans, although they express their happiness at such a prospect, may at least, when they come to their senses, derive some small comfort from the fact that their “daughter-in-law” to be is a gentile, and not another Jew. Were that to be the case, for them, the two “spouses,” and the Jewish community at large, it would be a double tragedy. Mendel Saull Baltimore

Ari Taragin Vice President, Ohr Chadash Academy

Preserve Death Camps Regarding the Nov. 25 article “In Auschwitz’s Shadow,” as the director of Northern Region East: Baltimore BBYO and a staﬀ member of BBYO’s delegation for the March of the Living (an educational mission for teens to Poland and Israel), I believe it is more important than ever to protect the spaces pertaining to the Holocaust. I have been given the painful, powerful and awe-inspiring opportunity to see concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau. On Nov. 8, I visited Sachsenhausen as part of a Germany Close Up/AJC trip to Berlin. Each visit brings different emotions and thoughts. They are a place of wonder, confusion, agony, anger and forgiveness, but more importantly they are a place to learn. The truth is that more and more teens, Jew and non-Jew alike, see the Holocaust as a story in a book. e intense anger and pain of our fathers and mothers has diminished; le in its wake is confusion, ignorance and apathy. Walking through AuschwitzBirkenau last spring, one of the many survivors accompanying the thousands of teens on this life-affirming journey took a moment to tell her story. After telling her harrowing, painful and ultimately redemptive

tale, she left the teens with one last point: “Now that you have been to this place, you are all survivors as well; it is your responsibility to let the world know.” Mitch Liebeskind Director, NRE-Baltimore BBYO

Bold Step ank you, Andrew Buerger, for having the courage to begin running samesex marriage announcements in the BALTIMORE JEWISH T IMES (“Open Doors,” Dec. 2). While I personally don’t believe certain sectors of the Baltimore Jewish community are quite ready for it, and of course some will never be, it is a bold step in the right direction. Perhaps one day Maryland will recognize my Canadian marriage, but sadly, I don’t believe it will happen in my lifetime. G-d willing I will be proven wrong. Richard Crystal Baltimore

Downtown Jews In last week’s column “American Mosaic,” Michael Olesker wrote about attending a Shabbat service at the B’nai Israel Congregation and meeting a little Chinese girl, Jade Shapiro. I know that happened more than 10 years ago, because Jade is my niece, and last week she celebrated her 17th birthday. B’nai Israel still attracts congregants who are Jewish and Moroccan, Asian, African-American, etc., but in the decade since Mr. Olesker visited, we also have seen an influx of younger members. Most of our newest congregants are Jews in their 20s and 30s who live in nearby neighborhoods hugging the harbor, from Federal Hill to Canton. Fred Shoken Baltimore Longer versions of these letters and additional ones submitted are at jewish times.com. Click “opinion” on the left and then “letters to editor.” Send letters to editor@jewishtimes.com.

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BALTIMORE

JEWISH TIMES

{chazerai}

Light reads for the Jewish soul Baltimore Jewish Times Vol. 323 No. 6 December 9, 2011

Past Publishers

{Weird News}

1919-1947 David Alter 1947-1964 Sadie S. Alter 1964-1972 Geraldine A. Jacobson 1972-1996 Charles A. Buerger

“ ” Speak Easy

“I try not to pat myself too much on the back,but this administration has done more for the security of the State of Israel than any previous administration.”

Umm, Your Parents Are OK {Snapshots} Courtesy of the Jewish Museum of Maryland [JMM 1988.142.23]

Honszylynn Himler Jeannie Campbell were sent to foster care in January 2009 — aren’t happy. “ere’s no legal binding court order. It’s basically a kidnapping, but they use diﬀerent terms,” Heath Campbell said. You may recall that the Campbell family created an uproar in December 2008 when a ShopRite grocery store opted to not decorate a birthday cake with young Adolf ’s name on it for his third birthday. One hopes a legal name change is in the offing, too. — Neil Rubin

Sacred Door Post: A mezuzah hanging ceremony takes place at Ner Israel Rabbinical College. Can you identify anyone in this photo? Contact Jobi Zink, 410-732-6400, ext. 226 or jzink@jewishmuseummd.org . To see more of the Jewish Museum’s extensive collection and find out who has been identified in past photos, visit http://ow.ly/2QOgZ .

wordup

bup• kiss “I’ve slaved away at Steinberg’s department store for nearly 17 years and still they pay me bupkis! What, I don’t deserve a nice little raise or bonus every now and then?!”

Bupkis (noun). Rhymes with “pup hiss.” Literally means “large beans.” Loosely translates as absolutely nothing or something devoid of value, totally worthless; in addition, in some circles it translates as goat droppings. Interesting fact: The word was the title of a classic 1965 episode of the TV program, “The Dick Van Dyke Show.” Co-written by Carl Reiner, the segment features main character Rob Petrie hearing a novelty pop song titled “Bupkis” on the radio that he believes he once penned with an old army buddy.

Andrew A. Buerger

Co-Publisher

Ronnie L. Buerger

General Manager

Linda Yurche

Senior Editor of News

Neil Rubin

Senior Editor of Features Alan H. Feiler

— President Obama, speaking last week at a campaign fundraiser at the New York home of Jack Rosen, chairman of the American Jewish Congress

And now an update from the “your parents really aren’t so bad, are they?” file. Heath and Deborah Campbell just lost custody of their fourth kid — 17 hours after he was born, reports the ABC News blog. Hons Campbell was reportedly taken into custody by the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services after the delivering doctor alerted the authorities. Mom and Dad — whose other kids Adolf Hitler Campbell, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and

Publisher & Editor

Contributing Editor

Joe Sugarman

Community Editor

Phyllis Levin

Staﬀ Reporters

Rochelle C. Eisenberg Simone Ellin Laurie Legum Ashley Tedesco

Editorial Intern

Bernie Hodkin

Director of Design & Production

Erin Clare

Staﬀ Photographer

Justin Tsucalas

Art Director

Lindsey Bridwell

Assistant Art Director

Ebony Brown

Art Department

Nick Cane Andrew Perlin

Web Design Manager

Heidi Traband

Director of Sales & Marketing

Kristen Cooper

Senior Sales Consultant Andrea Medved Sales Consultants

Karen R. Bark Jenifer Harrington Jill Whitty Carri Wist

Classiﬁed Sales Consultant

Ira Gewanter

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Kara Snyder Wasniak

Sales & Circulation Assistant

Lauren Remenyi

Circulation Manager

Adrienne Gieszl

Customer Service

Leigh Woodie

Director of Administration

Amelia Ariella Letaw Levin

Financial Services

Pattie-Ann Lamp

Subscriptions: 1-888-257-8558 Office: 410-752-3504 Display Advertising: 443-451-6024 Classified Advertising: 443-451-0720 Editorial Deadline: All public and social announcements must be received Wednesday, nine days prior to desired date of publication. Please include name, address and phone number. Acknowledgments and unveilings cost $14 for each appearance. Classified Advertising Deadline: Monday, noon Display Advertising Deadline: Tuesday, 3 p.m. ©2011 The Baltimore Jewish Times is published by Alter Communications, Inc. “We inspire communities we serve with media that educate, enlighten and entertain.”

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Opening oughts

In My Opinion

Neil Rubin

Stuart Schoffman Jerusalem

A New Newt? FOR a brief moment, I thought Newt Gingrich was going to have me killed, or at least my career. Back in the spring of 1995, the newly minted and highly controversial speaker of the house was more powerful than the president of the United States. And if you crossed him, you could be excused for believing that your career was kaput. We sat in his office one evening after he had finished speaking across the street at Congregation Etz Chaim in Marietta, Ga. He had given a typically well-orated, intellectual but not-over-the-head talk. I was nervous. I asked why he thought Jews still vote Democrat despite their obvious warm embrace of his speeches. He went into an explanation of the “Jewish communitarian tradition from Europe.” We talked about his faith (“total”), if the U.S. should place troops on the Golan Heights to police an Israeli-Syrian peace treaty (“maybe, if they ask”), and more. Then my tape recorder jammed. What if I missed a nuance, enabling him to publicly lambaste me? Fortunately, I was taking notes, too. The next day, I hurriedly typed them up and faxed them to Newt’s office manager, who had sat in. An hour later, the call came. “Looks right to me.” I would live. Now, the New Newt is center stage again, this time as December’s star of the “Anyone But Mitt Parade.” The core of what I learned by watching Newt in metro Atlanta: He is deeply paradoxical. He has a truly flawed ethical past, close Jewish supporters, fantastic speaking skills, strongly articulates his view of complicated issues and greatly respects Israeli democracy with a

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Likud orientation. Arguing with Newt? Unless you’re an expert, forget it. It’s best to listen, go home and think about it ... a luxury politics rarely allows. He also is ruthless. He was the crusading spiritual leader of the 1990s conservative revolution, but can compromise (when he must). Ideologue, opportunist or politician (the latter shouldn’t not be a dirty word)? I’d say all at once. Personally, I don’t think Newt will overcome his personal past and be the nominee (but who knows?). Everyone is waiting for that infamous temper to runneth over. But what if this time his handlers help him keep it together? Would Jews vote for Newt? Not all, but maybe enough. The numbers explain more: In 2008, 78 percent of the Jews voted for Obama. The 2011 American Jewish Committee survey shows the president’s support with them to have plunged to 50 percent; Mitt Romney was considered the challenger when the survey was taken and had but 32 percent. Party aﬃliation tells more: 45 percent of us are Democrats, 38 percent Independents and only 16 percent Republicans. So Obama will gain a majority of the Jews; how many and in what neighborhoods of Florida and Ohio they live in matters a great deal. If Newt can stay on top, he will seek to convince all Independents that he is not the radical he once was, which will enable conservatives to wink and say, “He’s doing it to win the general election.” And if that works — which in part depends on his running mate — candidate Gingrich will be the historic figure he is convinced he can be. JT

Yin And Yang I

GOT A CUTE EMAIL the other day, with a photo of a hand-lettered sign: “The Chinese Rest. Assoc. of the United States would like to extend our thanks to The Jewish People/we do not completely understand your dietary customs …/ But we are proud and grateful that your GOD insist you eat our food on Christmas.” Followed on the bottom, left to right, by a yin/yang symbol, the words “Happy Holidays!” and a Star of David.

Tons of Christmas decorations are imported to Israel from China and are used … to decorate sukkahs on Sukkot. It’s not clear whether the sign is real or cleverly staged, but it’s certainly worth deconstructing. One gets so many Jewishly relevant emails these days — appeals for money, dire warnings, soothing sermons, angry agendas, sage analysis, newsletters and jokes. Many, perhaps most, inspire prompt deletion, but this one touches the heart of the matter, and also tickles the taste buds, at a critical moment in Jewish history. I know, of course, that We Are One. And yet, there’s nothing quite like Christmas to highlight the profound differences between the Jewish people who dwell in America and the Jewish people who dwell in Zion, the sovereign State of Israel.

When I was a young journalist in Manhattan, I would attend Christmas parties and feel like a stranger. ’Twas the season to be jolly, but I felt blue. It was not ’til I moved to the West Coast that I discovered the antidote to the Christmas doldrums. In L.A., I would spend Christmas going to movies with other Jews, followed by Chinese food. Maybe you, dear reader, do the same, joyously partaking of the fare, vegetarian or otherwise, of Asian folks who, like you, are somehow not quite as all-American as, say, the governor of Texas. Israel is different. Chinese food is less plentiful (and not as good), not least because we don’t have many Chinese people in Israel. We don’t have Christmas here either, not as a nationwide holiday, because Israel is a Jewish country. Here in Israel, you don’t see Christmas trees (except in Nazareth, East Jerusalem, the YMCA and the occasional contrarian boutique in secular Tel Aviv). However, tons of Christmas decorations are imported to Israel from China and are used, even by Orthodox Jews who would never dream of eating Chinese food, to decorate sukkahs on Sukkot. Go figure. The State of Israel was created, among other reasons, so that Jews wouldn’t have to deal with Christmas or any of the other holidays that in Europe made them feel like outsiders, oen unwanted ones. In Israel, in the opinion of quite a few Jews — including too many legislators in the Knesset, in recent days in particular — the Jews as the majority population have the right to use the tools of democracy to make other people feel like outsiders. This, too, is worth pondering, as you tuck into your tofu this season. Happy Chanukah! JT Stuart Schoffman writes monthly for the BALTIMORE J EWISH TIMES from Jerusalem.

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News Briefs

From is View Marc B. Terrill

Superheroes

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Marc B. Terrill is president of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

Parenting Time

Write On “I’ve always been interested in writing and the idea of stories,” Lindsay Luterman said. At fifteen years old, she just published her first novel, “The Escape,” which is centered around a society in which teenagers are taken away from their families and imprisoned by the adults in order to lower the crime rate. “I had the idea that teenagers had to do something in order to save something. I didn’t want to write about adults — only teenagers,” Luterman says. She began writing the novel the summer before she entered ninth grade, and intends to expand it into a series. “I realized that this book, compared to others I had written, had better writing and a better storyline,” Luterman responds when asked why she decided to pursue publication. Her fellow students at the Park School are impressed. “The kids in my grade were surprised,” she says, “But they thought it was cool. My friends have been really supportive.” Some of them have even been asking her to read their own writing so they can successfully publish as well. So what’s next for Lindsay? “I’m publishing the second book and working on the third,” she says. “I can’t imagine myself not writing.” — Bernie Hodkin

Today’s youth face enormous challenges as they attempt to navigate their social and academic lives. Some are similar to what their parents went through — such as social exclusion and peer pressure. Intense challenges stemming from 21st century pressures — including the proliferation of social media — make today’s world somewhat more frightening. On Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m., parenting expert Jeff Leiken will give a free, public talk at the Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School about how parents can guide their youngsters through it all. Leiken, the president and founder of Evolution Mentoring International, says intense academic pressure and technology are game changers. “The message is to get into an elite school, to get into an elite university. There is an inordinate amount of pressure on them that at times borders on intellectual abuse,” he says. Likewise, social pressure has increased since parents were children as today’s youth spend signiﬁcantly more time with peers, he says. Compounding that shi, peer relationships do not end when school is over due to the “constant barrage of messages from social media.” Adults, he says, must help their children transition through the difficulties and be a credible source that their teens can turn to. The payoff ? When kids have meaningful relationships with adults, “it’s easier for them to navigate a chaotic world,” he says. — Rochelle Eisenberg

Provided

celebration of Chanukah, many of us will think about the heroism demonstrated by the Maccabees, a small band of Jews who stood up for their beliefs against the Greeks and the Syrians. Fighting oﬀ an army is an act that most of us will never experience but, as part of this community and our global Jewish family, we nonetheless have the power to perform acts of heroism every day. Thanks to the Associated’s Annual Campaign, a centralized fund that makes possible the vital programs and services offered through our system of local agencies and overseas partners, the vulnerable have heroes to turn to in their hours of need. Those heroes might be the social workers and counselors at Jewish Community Services who help a mother coping with joblessness and mounting bills find work and feed her family. Those heroes might be young adult volunteers serving latkes to adults with special needs at a JCC Chanukah gathering. Those heroes might be the youth counselors working with Israeli students holed up in bomb shelters during rocket fire in our sister city, Ashkelon. Those heroes might be organizational coaches and teachers providing a child with learning differences the tools needed to be successful in the classroom through Shemesh. Those heroes might be the team at Weinberg Village who keep the older adult residents engaged, happy and safe in their homes. ose heroes might be the therapists providing counseling to survivors of domestic violence and trauma through

CHANA and the Shofar Coalition. ose heroes might be the dedicated donors and volunteers whose selfless contributions to our community make this, and much more, possible. In Baltimore, we are blessed to have a system of heroes who work together to ensure that daily needs are met with compassion and speed, and that future generations are nurtured and guided toward a vibrant tomorrow. e beauty of our community is that at any given time, any one of us has the power to be a hero, to be that spark of light in someone else’s life. Ask any one of the thousands of volunteers in the Associated system each year and they will likely tell you that serving that role, fulfilling that mitzvah, fills them with more joy and reward than the effort they put forth. If you have not yet taken the opportunity to be a hero in our community, to be the person whose gi of talent, time and resources touches countless lives, I invite you to get involved today and feel the warmth that comes from making a difference. Make your contribution at associated.org/donatenow or volunteer through Jewish Volunteer Connection, jvcbaltimore.org . (Giving a gi before Dec. 31 will give you a tax benefit for 2011.) And if you are among the heroes in our community — either a professional in our system or a volunteer or donor to the Associated — I thank you for the work you do on behalf of all the people in Baltimore, Israel and in Jewish communities around the globe, who cannot thank you themselves. You are all my heroes and I am so proud that we are part of the same team. Happy Chanukah. JT

Chris Ammann

AS WE NEAR the

Love For Learning Next June 10, Baltimore will join such cities as San Francisco, New York and Atlanta in hosting Limmud, a unique volunteer-led day of learning. Baltimore conference will offer presentations on a range of Jewish topics geared toward a diverse population of participants. “This will be a genuinely communal experience and within the conference’s offerings, there will be something for everyone,” says Leora Pushette, director of learning resources at the Center for Jewish Education and a Limmud Baltimore volunteer.

Conference chairs Ali Yares and Trish Caruana hope to attract volunteers to serve on committees for program- ming, marketing, volunteer coordination, logistics and finance. In addition, they hope to obtain in-kind donations from local organizations and businesses. The next planning event “Breakfast With Limmud,” will be Sunday, Jan. 8, 9:15 a.m. at the Park Heights Jewish Community Center, 5700 Park Heights Avenue. For information visit limmud baltimore.org or Limmud Baltimore on facebook. — Simone Ellin

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News

GROWTH BEYOND THE MALL Eateries, office renovations, luxury apartments and a business center are coming to the area.

By Rochelle Eisenberg

Provided

n recent weeks, there has been much fanfare about major redevelopment efforts in Owings Mills, spearheaded by the office of Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. At the same time, other area development seems to be moving ahead in the Northwest corridor, stretching from Falls Road to Reisterstown Road.

New Neighborhood Restaurant This March, restaurant veteran Mark Hofmann, along with partners Carter Mason, Greg Gunning and John Toomey, will be opening a new neighborhood restaurant and bar, Earth Wood Fire, featuring coal-fire pizzas and gourmet burgers. This 90-seat eatery will be located in the former Daily Grind site on the corner of Falls and Clarkview Roads, directly across from Princeton Sports. According to Hofmann, the New York-style pizza will be cooked in a coal-burning oven fueled by anthracite, a clean-burning coal. In addition, the burgers will be cooked on a josper, a wood-ﬁred oven and broiler in which the burgers are cooked over hardwood charcoal. “ere are only six in the United States and one other on the East Coast,” says Hofmann, who was trained as a chef at the Culinary Institute of America and served as former general manager of Tark’s Grill in Lutherville.

Pikesville Commercial Renovation Further up the road, the Commerce Center in Pikesville is undergoing a $2 million renovation to the office and retail development. Slated to be completed by the summer of 2012,

The first phase of The View at Mill Run, a 375unit luxury apartment complex adjacent to Soldier’s Delight Natural Environment Area

this mixed use project will see a complete cosmetic exterior renovation, including new landscaping, as well as interior upgrades from new office building lobbies to replacement of some mechanicals. “This is a highly visible property for the community and it hasn’t had true upgrades since it was built in the mid-80s,” says Daniel Klein, president of Klein Enterprises and Metropolitan Management. Currently, the 160,000 square foot property is 86 percent leased. Klein, says the developers are currently in negotiation with several tenants and expects the number to jump to more than 90 percent. Klein Enterprises and Metropolitan Management is in partnership with MacKenzie on the project.

Owings Mills Apartments In Owings Mills, the first phase of The View at Mill Run, a 375unit luxury rental apartment home

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

community, has been completed. e $55 million project, which includes luxury one- and two-bedroom apartments in 10 different floor plan configurations ranging from 762 square feet to 1,525 square feet. The community, located off Red Run Boulevard, is adjacent to Soldier’s Delight Natural Environment Area, a 1,900-acre nature reserve. As part of this first phase, a community clubhouse has been completed which includes a state-of-the-art fitness center, yoga and aerobics room, multimedia center billiards room, kitchen and bar, and meeting and conference room. e community also features an outdoor swimming pool. The second phase of the development, expected to be substantially completed next summer, will include a variety of retail establishments, including eating options and services such as cleaners. “We want to offer amenities to make this a nicer place to live so that people can walk and don’t have to drive,” said Sidney Emmer, principal

of Sidney Emmer LLC, developing the project with the e Dolben Company.

Reisterstown Business Center Will McCullough, leasing representative for St. John Properties, says the company is hoping to build a new mixed use retail and office development on the northeast corner of Route 140 and Butler Avenue in Reisterstown. Advance preparatory work has been complete, as well as a rendering for a three building complex for what will be called Reisterstown Crossing. As part of the project, the company is looking at larger, medical users, which could include a free standing urgent care clinic. The company is looking for prospective tenants; and once there is leasing interest, ground may be broken on the project, says McCullough. “We’re looking for a larger medical user, perhaps an urgent care clinic or medical facility,” he says. JT

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News

How To Lick Chanukah Local artist designs the U.S. Post Office’s fourth official holiday stamp.

“There aren’t a lot of national-level projects that are focused on the Jewish community.” Suzanne Kleinwaks

this little snippet of art can bring a smile to someone’s face when they get a letter in the mail, that’s great.” Joy was a big part of the equation

Suzanne Kleinwaks, a graduate of the McDonogh School, says of being a graphic designer: “This is a problem-solving career.”

when it came to designing the stamp under the art direction of a fellow Baltimore native Ethel Kessler. “We wanted it to be more about the traditions of the holiday,” says Kleinwaks, pointing to the movement that reflects joyous dancing and the flickering of candle flames, not to mention the dreidel featured in the second K and the festive, playful colors. Kessler echoed that sentiment. “It’s about wanting to have a spirit of joy and celebration and fun,” she says. Of course, capturing festivity on such a small canvas can be quite a challenge. “The unique thing about working with stamps is that it has to work well as such a small size,” Kleinwaks says. “It’s very interesting to work on a project like this. … It’s a lot of fun.”

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Provided

Few graphic designers get the opportunity to create a design that is universally available for purchase in every single town and city across the country. But Baltimore native Suzanne Kleinwaks, 31, has joined the ranks of the lucky ones. Kleinwaks, a McDonogh School graduate, recently designed the newest release of the U.S. Postal Service’s Chanukah stamp, a one-inch piece of art that could decorate hundreds of thousands of holiday cards this season. Kleinwaks took the project as not only a chance to work on a large-scale, albeit miniature, project, but also to send a message about the holiday and the Jewish community. “There aren’t a lot of national-level projects that are focused on the Jewish community,” she says. “I want people to enjoy the holiday, and if

By Ashley Tedesco

Kessler, who has served as one of five art directors for the USPS for the last 15 years, has worked with numerous artists on more than 300 stamp designs. The Maryland Institute College of Art grad handselected Kleinwaks to design this particular stamp. “I’ve known Suzanne and her design work for a long time, and I thought it would be a fun collaboration,” she says. Though this is her first stamp project, Kleinwaks is not new to design. After a decade of experience in graphic design, she opened her own Falls Church, Va.-based graphic design firm last spring. “In general, most of my projects are focused on nonprofits in the health realm, as well as education and other nonprofit areas,” she says. “That’s

what has driven me, doing design work that matters.” Though Kleinwaks says she has always been creative and involved in the arts, she chose graphic design as a career for the additional intellectual stimulation required. “This is a problem-solving career,” she says. “It’s not a ‘make it pretty’ kind of career. You have to work with your clients so that you reach their goal. You have to ask the right questions to get the right solutions that will help your client. That was very appealing to me. It’s been very fulfilling.” JT To learn more about Suzanne Kleinwaks’ designs, visit her website at suzannekleinwaks.com.

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News

Setting Priorities Budget requests ranging from $1 million to help “actively take steps to eliminate domestic violence” to pushing for more affordable housing laws will be part of the Baltimore Jewish Council 2012 Maryland General Assembly legislative agenda, the group announced at its Government Relations Committee meeting last week. e legislative agenda, unveiled during a lunchtime meeting on Dec. 1 is divided into two areas: specific financial requests in the governor’s budget and policy stands that drive lobbying. e BJC’s board last month agreed to make legislation favoring BOAST — Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers — a major thrust in Annapolis. In the 2011 session, when the bill was defeated, the BJC did not take a position. BOAST gives tax credits — more advantageous than charitable donations — to businesses that make donations to public and private schools through separate organizations. Critics decry it is a covert voucher measure for private schools while advocates see it as desperately needed support for a financially battered system and an effort that does not take away from public school coffers. Other public policy issues the BJC will support include: the Iran Business Certification Act, which forces companies who want to bid on state contracts to show they have no ties to key sectors of the Iranian economy; bills that “actively take 20

steps to eliminate domestic violence”; measures to provide aﬀordable housing; support for Marylanders with developmental disabilities; “aging-inplace” options for seniors; and eﬀorts to support “environmental education, smart growth, energy conversation and green building.” The state already has passed some Iran sanctions, calling for pension divestment from companies with $20 million or more of investments in that country’s energy sectors. “All those easy sanctions have been done,” Steve Aserkoff, a lobbyist for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, told the group in explaining the need for more measures. As for financial requests, the BJC has asked Gov. Martin O’Malley to support these key areas:

“All those easy sanctions have been done.” — Steve Aserkoﬀ

• $1 million for the second consecutive and ﬁnal year for the LifeBridge Health Brain Injury program, which oﬀers the full range of treatment for acquired brain injury; • $300,000 for the Options Network, formerly known as the Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities,

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Kirsten Beckerman

Jewish lobbying agenda set for upcoming General Assembly. By Neil Rubin

Gov. Martin O’Malley

which enables seniors “to take an active role in creating communities that support each other by working with a community liaison and a network of volunteers”; • $139,808 for the Maryland-Israel Development Center, which supports economic development and trade between the states of Israel and Maryland and; • $300,000 for Northwest Hospital Center’s Domestic Violence Prevention program and Sinai Hospital’s Family Violence Prevention program, both of which train medical staff to identify victims of domestic violence who might not otherwise self-identify. “Where there is a hole in the system is identification by people when they show up and don’t reveal that their injuries were caused by domestic violence,” said Joel Simon, chair of the Government Relations Commission. “From the perspective of the staff, whether you gained the injury

from falling down the steps or being pushed down doesn’t matter” because it still needs to be treated. Sinai’s DOVE program, which is championed by Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, is seen as a model and is being replicated across the state, Simon added. The BJC also will seek to maintain last year’s state funding for an array of specific programs run by Jewish Community Services, the Jewish Museum of Maryland, Comprehensive Housing Assistance Inc., the Owings Mills Jewish Community Center and the Gordon Center For Performing Arts. JT

LEGISLATIVE TALK Maryland’s 430th legislative session begins in Annapolis on Jan. 11, 2012, and runs for 90 days. Some 2,300 bills are considered during that period. To read BJC policy resolutions and positions on a wide range of issues, visit http://baltjc.org/ page.aspx?id=210385.

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News

Sports For Non-Athletes By Stacy Karten

hen most people think about sports, they focus on the games themselves, but the important elements of management and marketing so vital to an organization’s success make it all possible. That’s where Jessica Minkove comes into play. As an assistant professor and internship coordinator in the sports management curriculum at Towson University, she helps prepare students for their future non-athletic careers in the sports world. Minkove, 33, lives in Parkville and is in her sixth year at Towson. She is currently teaching 70 students in two classes — introduction to the sports industry and sports marketing. In addition, the Manalapan, N.J., native is responsible for more than 40 interns. When seeking a university teaching position, Minkove interviewed around the country and found everything she desired on the Baltimore County campus. “What drew me to Towson is the opportunity for the students that are around this area,” she says. “ere are professional teams, collegiate athletics, sports marketing agencies, event management firms, recreation and parks programs, intramurals, and health and fitness facilities. I want to provide opportunities for my students to have opportunities.” Describing her classroom style as a combination of lecture and discussion, Minkove says people absorb information differently, but she prefers strong discussions. Helping with that is how

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

the area, rich with professional sports, helps her bring in guest speakers. She particularly pushes internships, which she makes the students find themselves. “They need that experience of going out there and interviewing,” she says. “I provide them with a lot of resources. There are so many aspects of the industry that I don’t want to pigeonhole them.” While high-profile organizations such as the Ravens and Orioles are obvious choices, the campus also provides opportunities. “With the growth of Towson athletics, we have students working in fan development, academic support services, compliance and ticket sales,” Minkove says. While an undergraduate at the University of Florida, she became interested in sports management and marketing — an offshoot of her interest in hotel management and special events. “I took one elective in sports management and that was kind of the starting point for me,” she says, noting “there was more energy associated with sports.” After earning a bachelor’s degree in leisure services management, she stayed on to gain master’s and doctorate degrees in sports management. As an undergraduate she was a summer intern for the Trenton Thunder, the New York Yankees’ Double-A minor league team, and she learned a great deal. “at was a fantastic experience,”

Justin Tsucalas

Jessica Minkove prepares Towson students for careers in sports management and marketing.

Jessica Minkove: “Sports gives some individuals something to root for and believe in .”

she says. “I was involved in ticket sales, consumer service, on-ﬁeld promotions, operations, facility management, sponsorship sales, ticketing systems, dealing with consumers and fans.” Both as a student and teacher, Minkove has published numerous papers and spoken at many conferences. Regarding the craze surrounding sports, she opines, “It’s not just what drives fandom in our country. In general, sports gives some individuals something to root for and believe in. That level of identification tends to get passed down from generation to generation.” During her years at Towson, she also met her future husband, Brian Minkove, who grew up in Randallstown. The couple will soon celebrate their first anniversary; in March they are expecting their first child. The experience, she promises, will

not slow her down. As she says, “I will take maternity leave the second half of the semester, but will still be the internship coordinator.”

Weiner Toruney Set The Beth Tfiloh Dahan High School girls and boys varsity basketball teams are defending their titles at the 25th annual Florence and Joseph Weiner Basketball Tournament, held Dec. 7 to 10 at the school’s Stevenson campus. Visiting schools include the Chicagoland Jewish Academy, Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (Kimel and Wallenberg campuses), the Hebrew Academy of North Carolina, and The Heschel School and Ramaz, both of New York. JT Please send local sports stories to editor@jewishtimes.com.

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Behind e Headlines NATION (JTA) in a 2010 book that the Obama administration poses “as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.” Gingrich’s campaign rolled out the foreign policy team earlier this month, as detailed in an article by Foreign Policy magazine’s Josh Rogin. e team appears to be stacked heavily with pro-Israel hawks, including David Wurmser, a former top adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney; and James Woolsey, a former CIA director.

Newt’s Jewish Stars By Ron Kampeas

Jewish conservatives debate Gingrich’s surging candidacy.

of the U.S. House of Representatives, all but counted out last summer when his frustrated campaign team abandoned him, has come back from the political dead to pull ahead of Mitt Romney in the polls for the GOP presidential nomination. He has been continually assailing the president’s record in foreign policy, speciﬁcally the Middle East. In a June 12 speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition, Gingrich said he would bring foreign policy “moral clarity” that the Obama administration has lacked. “Today the greatest obstacle toward achieving a real and lasting peace is not the strength of the enemy or the unwillingness of Israel to make great sacriﬁces for the sake of peace,” he said. “It is the inability on the part of the Obama administration and certain other world leaders to tell the truth about terrorism, be honest about the publicly stated goals of our common enemies and devise policies appropriate to an honest accounting of reality.” Gingrich’s RJC speech came at the nadir of his campaign, when key campaign staff left him for, among other reasons, his decision to take a long Greek holiday when other candidates were busy stumping. The speech reflected that one of Gingrich’s most stubborn redoubts of support has been among Jewish conservatives, many of whom were still appreciative of the checks he put on the Oslo peace process in the mid1990s when he was House speaker. Chief among the checks was a law

that recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Gingrich has said that his first act as president would be to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While Gingrich says that as president he would bring moral clarity to American foreign policy, critics say he often sends mixed signals on the Middle East. Recently, Gingrich has faced criticism over apparent inconsistencies on Libya. On March 7, he accused Obama of waﬄing, saying that as president he would immediately and unilaterally

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

impose a no-ﬂy zone. When Obama did just that later that month, Gingrich said intervention was a mistake. Commentators attribute Gingrich’s surge to his strong performance in debates. e former history professor and best-selling nonﬁction writer appears to command a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of topics. Other prominent Jewish conservatives, however, are skeptical of Gingrich’s intellectualism. Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer slammed Gingrich for a 2008 television advertisement that

he made alongside then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), calling for action against climate change — an ad for which Gingrich has since expressed regret. Krauthammer raised concerns about Gingrich’s electability and described him and Romney as “two significantly flawed front-runners.” Gingrich’s freewheeling rhetoric has raised eyebrows for many in the Jewish community as well. The American Jewish Committee in May 2010 called on the Republican leadership to condemn Gingrich’s claim

Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are “two significantly flawed front-runners.” — Charles Krauthammer

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was known for strong ties to the proIsrael community during his years in the House of Representatives.

Gage Skidmore via Creative Commons

Newt Gingrich, the former speaker

Leading the team is Herman Pirchner, who leads the American Foreign Policy Council, a Washington think tank on whose board of advisers Gingrich sits. e think tank’s vice president, Ilan Berman, also is on the Gingrich team, Rogin reported. Jim Colbert, policy director at the hawkish Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, said the team would mitigate the damage done by the Obama administration’s policy of making Israeli-Arab peace a centerpiece of its Middle East strategy and its practice of criticizing Israel for actions it deemed counterproductive to that effort. “It’s a team that would move forward with peaceful relations with” other countries in the region, Colbert said, “but the U.S.-Israel relationship would not be dependent on that.” J T

Ron Kampeas writes for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency from Washington, D.C.

Nearly 100 U.S. lawmakers called on the government of Cuba to release imprisoned Jewish U.S. contractor Alan Gross. … Sheldon and Miriam Adelson are contributing an additional $5 million to Birthright Israel, which the organization says will move 2,000 applicants from wait-listed to traveling this winter. … The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against a Michigan bus agency that refused to post an advertisement calling for a boycott of Israel. … Apple reportedly is developing add-ons for the Siri interface that will include support for Hebrew, among other languages.

I SRAEL (JTA) Two Jerusalem hotels — the Inbal Jerusalem and the David Citadel — were among the top 10 Best in the World Middle Eastern hotels, according to the Conde Nast Travelers Readers’ Choice Awards. … Israel said it could strike Iran’s ballistic missile batteries preemptively, if necessary, according to Civil Defense Minister Matan Vilnai. … Gilad Shalit has recovered from the physical ordeal of his Gaza captivity, his grandfather said, adding in a meeting with the prime minister that Gilad “has put on weight. He really is back to normal.” … Israel released withheld tax money to the Palestinian Authority after Germany said it was a condition for purchasing a submarine, according to a German newspaper.

I NTERNATIONAL (JTA) Following negotiations with the Claims Conference, Germany has agreed to loosen the criteria for payment to certain survivors of ghettos. … Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke was arrested as he was about to speak at a neo-Nazi event in Germany. … A pro-Israel lobbying group modeled after AIPAC was launched in South Africa. … Iceland’s parliament voted to recognize an independent state of Palestine. … Kosovo police are investigating the vandalism of dozens of tombstones in a restored Jewish cemetery in the Balkan nation’s capital.

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Cover Story |

DOES SHE OR DOESN’T SHE?

Jews and the world of plastic surgery

By Simone Ellin Photos by Justin Tsucalas

Fifty-five years ago, Shirley Polykoff, a Jewish copywriter from Brooklyn, N.Y., came up with a slogan that would change the beauty industry forever. “Does she or doesn’t she? Only her hairdresser knows for sure.” That catch phrase made such an impact that within 10 years of its introduction, the number of American women who dyed their hair rose from 7 percent to nearly 50 percent. Clairol continued using the slogan in ads through 1975. Nowadays, coloring one’s hair is par for the course among many American women. When people today ask, “Does she or doesn’t she?” they are more likely wondering if “she” has had plastic surgery or Botox injections. While plastic surgery has been around since ancient times, its usage has become far more prevalent in the 21st century — and not just for celebrities and the wealthy. In 2011, consumers can select from a broad menu of treatments and surgical options for all parts of the face and body. The modern age of cosmetic surgery arrived in the late 19th century. According to Emory University professor Sander L. Gilman, author of “Making The Body Beautiful: A Cultural History Of Aesthetic Surgery” (Princeton University Press) as well as other books on the topic, cosmetic surgery became more widely acceptable at that time because of three innovations — the introduction of anesthesia to control pain, antisepsis to prevent infection and the burgeoning sense of the individual’s role in shaping his or her own life. “With pain and infection removed or reduced, aesthetic surgery came into its own,” Dr. Gilman writes in “Making The Body Beautiful.” “Yet anesthesia and antisepsis were necessary but not suﬃcient to mark the beginning of the modern

history of aesthetic surgery. It was the Enlightenment ideology that each individual could remake him- or herself in the pursuit of happiness that provided the basis for the modern culture of aesthetic surgery.” But assimilation — and “passing” for gentile — were also important reasons why Jews sought plastic surgery.

“Some people call plastic surgery ‘surgery of the soul.’ ”

— Dr. Michele Shermak

Dr. Jacques Joseph, a German Jew, is considered the father of the modern rhinoplasty (nose job). His inaugural rhinoplasty was performed on a Jewish patient in 1885. “Jacques Joseph operated from within the nose, so there were no scars,” explains Gilman. Says Dr. Ira D. Papel of Maryland Facial Cosmetic Surgery in Pikesville: “Berlin had lots of Jews who wanted to assimilate, so Joseph started his own hospital. Jews came from all over Europe to have nose jobs.” Later on, after the Nazis took power, looking Aryan became even more crucial. Sadly, says Papel, “The Nazis took away Joseph’s medical license and he just disappeared. He was a ruined man.” Across the Atlantic, nose jobs began to gain popularity with American Jews wanting that “all-American” image. In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, it was commonplace for girls to have nose jobs as gifts for their 16th birthdays. In “Flesh Wounds: The Culture Of Cosmetic Surgery” (University of California Press), Virginia L. Blum writes, “The story of my household is like

that of many Jewish American families whose assimilation is symbolized through physical appearance. Features, body styles — these have meaning.” “They tell stories all by themselves. Certain kinds of noses speak Jewishness. I have heard too many people say that he or she ‘looks’ Jewish on the basis of the size of a nose. Jews assimilating into a largely gentile culture thus strip from our features the traces of our ethnicity. We have other aesthetically assimilating rituals. We straighten curly hair, dye dark hair light. We get very thin to disguise what we often imagine are Jewish-coded thighs and hips.”

Helping Or Harming?

Despite the role that plastic surgery has played in Jewish culture, Jewish attitudes toward the practice have been conﬂicted and ambivalent because of Judaism’s prohibition against self-injury (chavala). Nowadays, the growing prevalence of plastic surgery, even among Orthodox Jews, has made it a topic of discourse by religious authorities from all streams of Judaism. Interestingly, most religious authorities, even the Orthodox, have left a great deal of leeway for Jews desiring plastic surgery. Rabbi Mark Washofsky writes in “Jewish Living: A Guide To Contemporary Reform Practice” (Union Of American Hebrew Congregations), “Generally, Reform Judaism frowns upon plastic surgery unless it is for ‘r’fu’ah,’ for healing, for legitimate medical purposes. The desire to improve one’s physical appearance is, in and of itself, not such a ‘legitimate medical purpose.’ Indeed, it may be viewed as an act of arrogance, a desecration of the human form, and an example of

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Is It Too Dangerous?

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As with any surgery, there are risks to plastic surgical procedures. According to smartplasticsurgery.com , patients who elect to have surgery are at risk for complications from anesthesia and sedation, aspiration, blood loss, blood clots, nerve damage and infection. Sometimes, patients are disappointed with the results of the surgery and require additional surgeries to correct an outcome. Many people believe that plastic surgery, as well as some non-invasive treatments, take away the unique characteristics that make each person special. For example, some Hollywood observers feel that Jennifer Grey of “Dirty Dancing” fame ruined her career when she got a nose job. A group of British actresses recently formed the “British Anti-Cosmetic Surgery League.” Spearheaded by Kate Winslet, the group includes celebrities such as Emma Thompson and Rachel Weisz. Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow also has expressed interest in the cause. Naysayers believe that these actresses may have already had “work done,” or are still too young to see the need for it. Some rabbis are against plastic surgery, unless it is a life-saving procedure. The late Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg, a renowned medical ethicist, categorically forbade all cosmetic surgeries, believing that the doctor’s license to heal applies only to curing an illness and not to altering one’s appearance. — S.E.

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misplaced values.” But later in his opinion, Rabbi Washofsky cites exceptions to this standard. “Reconstructive surgery in the case of physical deformity or the restoration of one’s appearance to its prior state is acceptable,” he writes. “Moreover, for some persons, ‘mere’ cosmetic surgery may serve a useful medical purpose in enhancing a sense of psychological and emotional well-being.” A Conservative spiritual leader, Rabbi Jason Miller writes on Jewishvalues.com , “If an individual is so emotionally distraught because of their appearance, then I would consider this person to be a choleh (sick from depression). They should consult a physician (i.e., psychologist) for therapy and if it is determined that cosmetic surgery would make them feel better about themselves, then I believe that should be the value.” Rabbi Barry Freundel, who is Orthodox, has this to say, also on Jewishvalues.com : “Judaism views the body as sacred and injuring it inappropriately is a serious violation of Jewish law. However, if there is a serious psychological or physical reason that will be helped by cosmetic surgery or reconstructive surgery, then it is permitted and even to be encouraged. Vanity would not be sufficient, but helping with a significant psychological concern is acceptable.” Dr. Michael Cohen of the Cosmetic Surgery Center of Maryland says he has never asked a rabbi if his line of work is in conflict with Jewish ideology. While he believes strongly that “no one can do God’s work better than God,” Cohen does think that plastic surgeons can make very positive impacts on people’s lives. “This week, a woman who had surgery a few years ago told me she thinks of me every day when she looks in the mirror and feels good about the way she looks. She says it has changed her life,” says Cohen. “When I hear things like that, I realize I’m really helping people.

Bottoms Not Up

In the early 21st century, the field of cosmetic surgery has witnessed many changes. First of all, plastic surgery has become safer than ever and, thanks to the

Baltimore Jewish Times

December 9, 2011

Internet, consumers are well-educated about the range of options. More people than ever are seeking surgery, and not just nose jobs. While American Jews are still having rhinoplasties and other facial surgeries, they are less focused on passing for gentile and more interested in looking a bit less Jewish and obtaining the image of beauty portrayed by celebrities and in the media. Interestingly, according to Dr. Papel, the prevalence of rhinoplasty in other countries has increased signiﬁcantly. “Plastic surgery is up amongst African-Americans, Asians, and it is especially popular with Middle Easterners,” he says. “In Iran, people walk around with bandages on their noses, because having a nose job is considered a status symbol.” In Baltimore’s Jewish community, surgeons can’t point to any steadfast trends, but they do notice certain preferences among many of their Jewish patients. Papel finds that there is a division between the types of surgeries sought by Orthodox patients (mostly rhinoplasties) and the more secular Jews who come to him for eyelid lifts, chin implants and Botox treatments. Dr. Adam Basner of Baltimore Plastic Surgery in Lutherville says while it’s hard to generalize, he finds that the Jewish women in his practice seem to prefer a more athletic look than patients of other ethnicities who opt for a more voluptuous profile.

“I was not looking to be a Barbie doll, but I didn’t want to be embarrassed by my appearance either.”

— Jill Silverman

Overall, says Dr. Michele Shermak, also of Baltimore Plastic Surgery, she doesn’t see much difference between the desires of her Jewish patients and others. “If anything, they may be a bit less trendy. For example, right now there’s the Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez trend for big bottoms, and most of my Jewish clients won’t ask for that.” Currently, says Papel, the most common treatments

sought are the non-invasive procedures such as Botox and Dysport (injectable substances made of botulinum toxin), and Restylane and Juvederm (injectable hyaluronic acids). Along with skin treatments like chemical peels and dermabrasion, these procedures are mostly geared toward making people appear younger, an aspiration that seems more pervasive than ever. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 5.4 million Botox procedures were performed in 2010, up 12 percent from the previous year. Papel says that patients, male and female, from age 30 to 90, come to his oﬃce for Botox injections. Debbie (not her real name) decided to try Botox as a gift to herself for her 50th birthday. “I didn’t tell anyone, including my husband, because I knew he’d say no,” she says. “A couple of weeks after the Botox, I noticed my right eyebrow looked more relaxed. It arched differently and it took the edge off feeling less attractive.” Although Botox made Debbie feel better about her appearance, she was surprised that no one else seemed to notice the change. “I didn’t tell anyone about it until two weeks later,” she says. “Finally, I said to my husband, ‘Notice anything different about me?’ ” Like many people who consider plastic surgery or non-surgical cosmetic procedures, Debbie was conflicted prior to having treatment. “On the one hand,” she says, “I feel like having Botox is vain. But on the other hand, it did make me feel better. It was just a little difference. If it had been a big difference, I would never have done it again.”

‘Mommy Makeovers’

In Papel’s practice, the most common facial surgeries are rhinoplasties, double eyelid surgeries and facelifts. Men in his practice, he says, comprise 50 percent of the rhinoplasties he performs and 20 percent of other procedures. In fact, males are fast becoming major consumers of cosmetic procedures. Statistics from the ASPS confirm that between 2009 and 2010, the number of facelifts performed on men increased by 14 percent, ear surgeries by 11 percent, soft tissue fillers by 10 percent and Botox by 9 percent. While the prevalence of rhinoplasties among

Jill Silverman: “I could not get my body back. It’s not my fault; things happen!”

Jews has leveled off, other plastic surgeries have grown in popularity. The most common non-facial plastic surgery nowadays is breast augmentation with 296,000 performed this year — up by 2 percent from last year. The incidence of liposuction and tummy tucks also continues to climb. Some plastic surgeons refer to these procedures (especially when done together) as “mommy makeovers.” Jill Silverman, a 39-year-old mother of three, underwent a breast lift and tummy tuck at the same time and has been very pleased with the results. She says she decided to have surgery after her three pregnancies when she became convinced that no amount of dieting and exercise would bring back her pre-baby physique. “I was not looking to be a Barbie doll, but I didn’t want to be embarrassed by my appearance either,” she says. Silverman is adamant that her decision to have surgery was the right one, and she couldn’t have

been happier with her surgeon, Dr. Shermak. In fact, she is very open about the procedures she has had. “I had three beautiful, healthy 9-pound babies. No matter what I did,” she says, “I could not get my body back. It’s not my fault; things happen!” A Pikesville native, Shermak says her interest in plastic surgery began with a film she watched in a social studies class at Pikesville High School. “The film focused on Paul Tessier, who was the father of facial cranial reconstruction. I was interested in the way his work brought art and science together,” she says. Although Shermak is aware of the negative stereotypes that exist about people who seek to improve their appearances through plastic surgery, she feels that the generalizations are way off the mark. “You can’t possibly understand why people do anything that they do. Everyone has a story. I’ve been very impressed by the stories patients share jewishtimes.com

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Dr Adam Basner finds that the Jewish women in his practice seem to prefer a more athletic look.

Botox For Beginners

with me,” says Shermak. “Some people call plastic surgery ‘surgery of the soul.’ Body image is so important. It’s tied to social interaction, career advancement, success in all facets of life. Some people feel like their physical appearance doesn’t reflect what’s inside of them. We’re trying to restore the whole person, to bring the inner person out.” From a Jewish perspective, Shermak says she feels extremely comfortable with the work she does. “As long as it is to improve functioning, whether physical or social, plastic surgery is a mitzvah,” she says. Emory University’s Dr. Gilman discourages generalizing about people who undergo elective plastic surgeries and other cosmetic procedures. “It’s always tempting to look for pathologies in those who drastically alter their appearance through surgery,” he writes. “But sometimes surgeries and other cosmetic medical procedures are simply pragmatic attempts to deal with disfigurement or stigma.” Gilman points out that not only Jews but people of Irish, African-American and Asian descent have undergone plastic surgeries for the purposes of “passing,” or assimilation, since the 19th century. This practice, he insists, is a function of survival instinct, not pathology. “Some people need to feel that they look good to be happy. We can’t put a value judgment on this — condemning people who do it and praising those who don’t,” says Gilman. Stacy Spumberg BenHayon, 40, says she has struggled with her weight all of her life. Seven years ago, BenHayon had gastric bypass surgery, but after losing 113 pounds, she found her weight creeping up again. “I regained most of the weight because I didn’t focus on exchanging unhealthy habits for healthy habits,” she says. In October 2010, BenHayon began a diet plan called “Take Shape For Life” and lost 75 pounds. The plan, says BenHayon, combined meal replacements and coaching, and helped her not only to lose weight but also to change her lifestyle. When BenHayon found out she would need a partial hysterectomy, she decided that she would have a tummy tuck and lower body lift at the same time. Dr. Craig A. Vander Kolk of Mercy Medical Center performed her surgery. “I’m very active now. I’m a health coach and getting

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Stacy BenHayon: “I regained most of the weight because I didn't focus on exchanging unhealthy habits for healthy habits.”

my spinning certification,” BenHayon says. “My life is drastically different.” Dr. Basner believes the premium most people place on health and fitness nowadays has made plastic surgery more popular than ever. “Even through the recession,” he says, “I haven’t noticed any drop in the numbers of patients wanting cosmetic surgery and procedures. People are healthy, they exercise, and they want their appearance to match how they feel.” Dr. Basner also believes that much of plastic surgery’s stigma is disappearing. Rachel (not her real name), a patient of Dr. Basner’s, is very happy with her recent breast reduction and tummy tuck. The 60-year-old Orthodox woman says she had wanted to have a breast

reduction and tummy tuck for a long while but the time didn’t seem right until now. “It’s my time now. I wanted to be good to myself,” she says. When asked whether she consulted with her rabbi before having surgery, she was aghast. “Are you kidding? It’s my body,” she says. “Now, when I look at myself, I’m so happy!” Rachel believes that plastic surgery is less common in the Orthodox community, especially among women in her age range. “Because of modesty, I don’t think they feel the need and I don’t think it’s a priority,” she says. But the major reason she thinks plastic surgery is less common among observant Jews is because of the cost. “They have lots of kids and have to spend so much money on sending them to the Jewish

schools. Even if both the husband and wife are professionals, they still can’t aﬀord it,” she says. “Also, everything is done for the kids — the moms put themselves last.” Yet, Rachel says this may be changing. “My daughtersin-law and their friends — they dress to kill! Those girls in their 20s and 30s — their appearance is very important to them. I think some of them get their noses done,” she says. Rachel says things were different when she was a young woman. “Nowadays, they want to keep their religion but they want to be up-to-date, too,” she says. According to Elena (not her real name), who is also Orthodox, Rachel’s suspicion that many young Jewish women have rhinoplasties is accurate. Elena’s 17-year-old daughter, Esther (not her real name), a patient of Dr. Papel’s, recently had one. “My grandmother always wanted me to get my nose done,” Elena recalls. “I was going to do it, but then I met my husband and he thought I was crazy. So I put it on hold. en when my daughter was born, my mother looked at her, and she said, ‘Don’t worry, she’ll get her nose ﬁxed.’ ” Although Elena and her mother both felt that Esther should have the nose job, Elena says she never mentioned the possibility to her daughter. “I wanted it to come from her. One day, Esther looked in the mirror and

Full disclosure: Let’s face it (pun intended), getting older (and more wrinkled) is no said, ‘I hate my nose.’ So I told her that she could day at the beach, even if you have used sunscreen with SPF 70 all your life. have her nose fixed if she wanted to.” I haven’t used SPF 70 all my life and I Elena said that although the family is Orthoam not doing well with the “growing old dox, she never considered discussing the decision gracefully” technique. So when Dr. Adam with a rabbi because “so many in the community Basner asked me if I’d like to give Botox a do it. It’s accepted.” Yet Elena is not aware of try, for this article, I had to think about it, but many in the community who have had other only for about a minute! types of plastic surgery. Elena says her daughSoon, I found myself in his office. The doctor looked at my face and determined ter is very happy with the outcome of her that the lines on my forehead were the deepsurgery. “It looks natural. She still looks like est and the ones to target with Botox. But herself, and it doesn’t seem like many people there was one potential problem. Apparently, even notice the change,” she says. I have a lot of skin on my eyelids. Who knew? Asked what makes a “good” plastic surgBecause of that, Dr. Basner warned me that ery patient, doctors are unanimous in their the Botox, especially if injected too low on my outlook. forehead, could cause one of my eyes to look “If there’s something that can be improved a little “droopy.” I considered bagging the whole thing, but I was honestly too excited and the patient has realistic expectations, then about the prospect of a line-free forehead to they may be a good candidate,” says Basner. call it off. Shermak also points out that good candiDr. Basner set about injecting the Botox as dates for surgery are people who are healthy high as possible on my forehead and also on non-smokers and stable in weight. Drs. Basmy “bunny lines,” the ones on the sides of my ner, Cohen, Papel and Shermak also agree nose bridge underneath my eyebrows. that some patients (and some surgeons) can The doctor said that I would see results within a couple of days, and that the Botox overdo plastic surgery. Papel calls this “The would reach its full capacity around two Boca Look.” weeks later. If I chose to repeat the proceSays Cohen: “If people say the result is dure, I would probably need to do so in about natural, that is the highest compliment I four months. can get.” Sure enough, two days later, the lines on Sometimes, regardless of the surgeon’s my forehead and nose were almost comattempts to set expectations, patients expect the pletely gone. There was a feeling of pressure over my right eye, and although it wasn’t impossible. Most disconcerting are patients evident to anyone but me, I could detect a who have severely distorted body images. Aer tiny bit of sagging. you’ve been doing this for a while,” says Papel, One of my eyebrows looked a bit higher “you start to recognize patients who come in than the other, and I was able to lift my eyeasking for surgeries and showing you physical brow on the left side but not the right. But deformities that aren’t there.” magically, about five days later, my eyes ese patients, he says, suﬀer from body dysand eyebrows were even again. morphic disorder, a psychological condition where I loved my smooth forehead, but there was a drawback: Having a young-looking they are preoccupied with a physical defect that forehead made me more conscious of does not really exist, and “the worst thing you can the lines around my mouth and jaw line. do is operate on them. ese people need to see a It’s like buying a new carpet but still therapist, not a plastic surgeon,” Papel says. needing a paint job, or getting the most But Gilman stresses that people who indulge in fabulous shoes but no matching outfit “poly-surgery” are a very small number. “With to go with them. some people, once they start, they can’t stop,” he What’s a girl to do? — S.E. charges. “But some people can’t stop after one

potato chip either.” JT

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Writer Eleanor Lerman believes that people should embrace their spiritual yearnings.

Long, Strange Trip

Novel examines the values and legacy of the hippie era.

nce upon a time during the psychedelic ’60s, a charismatic author/anthropologist-turned-celebrity named Carlos Castaneda showed his young followers a path of transcendence that was fruitful for some but left others disillusioned and adrift. In her new novel “Janet Planet” (Mayapple Press), Eleanor Lerman has created fictional characters based on Castaneda and his disciples. Against the backdrop of their story, she examines the legacies of the Peruvian-born Castaneda and other New Age gurus, while showing how the lessons and ethos of the ’60s can still have relevance. “The real purpose of the book,” says Lerman, “was to rewrite his life. His books meant a lot to me, and I guess many of us felt let down when we realized his ideas wouldn’t lead us

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By Simone Ellin

toward revolution. The story is also about the strength of women’s relationships, how women can help each other find spiritual meaning in life.” Lamda Literary calls the novel “a very good story, moving skillfully between the past and the present. … It gets behind the mass-myth of those wild days of sexual freedom and alternate realities.” In “Janet Planet,” protagonist Janet Harris joins Jorge Castelan and his circle of women, becoming part of their cult and the movement of alternative spirituality. The story moves back and forth between the Age of Aquarius and present times as Janet (now a middle-age harpsichord maker living in Woodstock, N.Y.) is revisited by Castelan, befriended by former rock band groupie Renna, and forced to come to terms with some of the unresolved issues of her past life. Ultimately, Janet finds herself on a See Long, Strange Trip on page 36

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Long, Strange Trip om page 34

new, but no less important, spiritual journey.

First Brush Of Success “Janet Planet,” which borrows its title from the sobriquet of singer Van Morrison’s ex-wife, Janet “Planet” Rigsbee, is the first published novel for Lerman, who is best known for her poetry. In 1973, when she was only 21, Lerman had her ﬁrst book of poetry, “Armed Love,” published to great acclaim and was nominated for a National Book Award. Her second book of poetry, “Come e Sweet By And By,” was published in 1975 and won the inaugural Juniper Prize of the University of Massachusetts Press.

“At my age, it’s an obligation to take what I’ve learned and turn it into my own spirituality.” — Eleanor Lerman

Overwhelmed by overnight success and the intense feelings aroused by her creative process, Lerman retreated from the limelight, putting aside her writing for more than 20 years. When emerging from her long hiatus, Lerman’s poetry and short stories were again embraced by readers, editors and critics. Recently, the Bronx-born Lerman, who now lives in Long Beach, N.Y., was awarded a 2011 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. She has also received the Lenore Marshall Prize and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry. Now almost 60, Lerman spent her 36

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

late teens and early adult years entrenched in the hippie movement. Yet she stresses that “Janet Planet” is based less on her own personal experiences and more on the collective experiences of her generation. “During the ’60s, almost everyone my age was reading Carlos Castaneda,” says Lerman. “Young people were looking for meaning and spirituality, and they were hoping to find it through following a spiritual leader.” Lerman still believes that people should embrace their spiritual yearnings. At the same time, she values many of the ideals she cherished during the hippie era. In fact, she says, as she gets older and faces the reality of mortality, making life meaningful feels more important to her than ever. Lerman now contends that people must find spirituality by following their own paths, not by an imposed structure created by another person or group. “At my age, it’s an obligation to take what I’ve learned and turn it into my own spirituality. I have to do it by myself. I think that’s a very Jewish idea,” she says.

Passing The Torch In fact, Lerman feels strongly that Judaism is central to her identity, writing and sensibility. “Although I am not observant, I have always been very aware of my Judaism,” she says. “I was brought up in the tradition that you could argue with God. You could question God without being punished. That was very freeing.” Lately, the author says she has felt a spark of something reminiscent of the social justice movements of the ’60s. “Just this past month, with the Occupy Wall Street Movement, I’ve been thinking of that protest chant, ‘The people united will never be defeated,’ ” Lerman says. “I think this generation has learned from us. It feels like we are passing the torch.” JT For information about Eleanor Lerman, visit eleanorlerman.com .

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A Witness To Tragedy

Jenni Wolfson: “When I first started writing the play, I had nightmares for the first time.”

Dvora Meyers • New York

At the start of “Rash,” Jenni Wolfson appears onstage in a green peasant skirt and khaki top to the sound of cascading gunfire. Her long brown hair is unceremoniously pulled back with a black scrunchie. From a trunk she pulls out a flak jacket and puts it on. Wolfson then takes center stage and starts speaking about an incident from her years of United Nations service in post-genocide Rwanda. In her Scottish brogue, she talks of being forced from her vehicle by Hutu rebels with her fellow human rights observers, stripped of her identification and threatened with death, of a hand running up her thigh as one of her abductors whispered in her ear, “We’re going to have fun with you.” Rising from her knees, she slips into a story about her time in a Glasgow high school, when a cute boy tossed a half-penny coin in front of her and said, “Pick that up, Jew.” e juxtaposition is not exactly subtle: Her experience of discrimination as a Jew led directly to the human rights work she wound up pursuing aer completing her master’s degree in the field at Essex University. “If I didn’t have that firsthand experience of being discriminated against on the basis of religion, then I may have never ended up going into human rights,” she says over coffee at a cafe near her office at WITNESS, a nonprofit that trains activists to use video to document humanitarian abuses. Wolfson, 43, is the managing director. Onstage during “Rash,” a onewoman show now playing in New York as part of the All For One Festival, tea 38

is Wolfson’s beverage of choice. Born in Scotland, a country of just 5,000 Jews, Wolfson was raised in a traditionally Jewish family, observing holidays and rituals, though not stringently. It was during a Friday night family dinner that Wolfson learned the United Nations had oﬀered her a job as a human rights monitor in Rwanda. “But Jenni-kins, you can type more than 80 words a minute,” her father said, protesting her intention to deploy to the violent central African nation. In Rwanda, it wasn’t her typing prowess but her gift of gab that proved most useful as she collected prisoner testimonies and investigated claims of atrocities. She would spend three years there in prisons filled with Hutus accused of genocidal crimes. Her superiors at the United Nations credit her volubility for influencing the Hutu rebels to release her and her colleagues, she says in the play. Nowadays, she uses the same talent for narrative at WITNESS. Storytelling, it seems, pervades all of Wolfson’s work, on and off the stage. Not that the stage is her natural habitat. She began taking acting classes on a lark when she moved to New York to work for UNICEF after returning from fieldwork in Rwanda and Haiti. She trained UNICEF employees being sent abroad to manage crises, teaching them how to demobilize child soldiers and what to do if they’re taken hostage. “Unbeknownst to UNICEF, the entire training schedule was built around my classes and showcases,” she explains.

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Melbourne Sibblies

Play recalls the pain of anti-Semitic discrimination and the horrors of an African war.

At first, Wolfson brought fictional monologues to class. But one night she decided to tell a short story from her time in Rwanda. “I read it and I looked up and no one was speaking. A few people were crying,” she recalls. “They said, ‘Dump your fiction. We really want to hear about what’s happened in your life.’” Every week aer, Wolfson brought in stories drawn from her experiences in Rwanda. At the end of the class, Nails told Wolfson that she had a onewoman show on her hands. Eventually, Wolfson was persuaded to consolidate her experiences into a play. “When I first started writing the play, I had nightmares for the first time,” she says. Up until that class, Wolfson had rarely spoken about her time in Rwanda. The result of this artistic therapy is “Rash,” so-called for the skin irritation that developed under her eye when she first began working in

Rwanda. The title also speaks to her state of mind and personal decisionmaking style during this time. During the play, she confesses to the foolhardy things she did to visit her boyfriend, a Cameroonian animist and fellow U.N. employee, including driving alone on roads rigged with land mines. Wolfson first performed “Rash” in 2007 and has since traveled the country with the show. She even performed it in her native Scotland with her parents in the audience. But this run in New York, which ends Sunday, marks the first time she has stepped back into her younger self since becoming a mother. “I wanted to see what it was like to perform onstage being a mum because I feel like I’m a very different person,” she says. “I’m much more emotional and I feel more connected to my story.” JT Dvora Meyers writes for JTA Wire Service.

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GATHERER OF GOOD DEEDS

Mitzvah Gatherings

Author suggests little ways to help improve the world. By Laura Laing

“I did not go out to save every starving child in Africa. You don’t want the fact that you’re not doing that to seem like you aren’t doing anything.” — Linda Cohen

“1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts Of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, And Change Your Life” (Seal Press). “My father and I didn’t have the best relationship,” Cohen says, “so after he died, I was like a deer in the headlights.” 40

Her parents were divorced, and Cohen moved in with her father when she was 12. “We didn’t see eye to eye on religion,” she says. “I started to get more and more religious in my teen years. It was tense.” She says that when it came to her father, she felt stuck at 16 years old. Even after she married and had children, she found it hard to bridge the gap between them. But when her father fell ill with lung cancer, Cohen took action. Despite the physical and emotional distance between them — she lived in Portland, Ore., and he lived in Vermont — they reconnected. In fact, Cohen was with her father when he died, on her son’s sixth birthday. Before her father’s death in December 2006, the two talked about mitzvot, planning special ways to memorialize his life and their newly found relationship. They decided to ask friends and family to make donations to “venues that aid people to be the best they can be and help them grow,” she says. His obituary suggested several charities. In the month following his death, Cohen struggled with how to grieve. Knowing that time would help, she took a “spiritual sabbatical,” to heal through meditation and journaling. In mid-January, she woke in the middle of the night with an idea. “As I contemplated how meaningful it was that people had donated in the name of my father … I was inspired to begin a mitzvah project of my own,” she writes in her book.

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Linda Cohen: “My father and I didn’t have the best relationship, so after he died, I was like a deer in the headlights.”

Lost Dogs Cohen decided to perform 1,000 mitzvot. The next morning, her husband helped her create a blog to track her project, and on Jan. 17, 2007, she posted her first entry. Then, she told people about it. She was suddenly accountable, which was a thrilling and nerve-racking prospect. Her first mitzvah set the tone. She gave a favorite book to a friend who was going on a trip to Israel. “I never set out to do anything big,” Cohen says. “I think I got a lot more back than I put out.” By the end of the first year, she had completed 500 mitzvot. “I loved the process, so I was really not rushing,” she says. She focused on little acts, like picking up litter with her son and letting someone in front of her in the grocery store checkout. ese mitzvot were as much about noticing when she did a good deed as actually changing her habits. And then there were the tougher mitzvot. Cohen drove a friend to a doctor’s appointment and volunteered

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INDA C OHEN didn’t set out to save the world. But she was sure of one thing, she says. “When you send stuff out to the universe, you never know what you might get in return.” And so in 2006, when she found herself struggling with the grief of losing her father, Cohen set off on a unique quest: to complete 1,000 mitzvot. This experience led her to places she couldn’t have expected, including a blog and her first book,

at her synagogue. She coordinated a mittens drive and encouraged her son to use his own money to buy a gift for a child in need. In fact, her mitzvah project initiated great discussions at the dinner table with her family. On one occasion, she and her two children set out to rescue a dog they had seen wandering around downtown Portland. In the end, they weren’t able to catch it. “We had this discussion about whether it counted as a mitzvah,” she says. (She says it did, but her children disagreed.) Later that year, she had another chance to return a lost dog to its owner — and that time she was successful. It took Cohen more than two years to complete her 1,000 mitzvot. She ended her spiritual quest with a huge project. “I thought about what was important to my dad,” she says. He loved food and cooking, so Cohen set out to raise 1,000 bags of food for her local food bank. “People sent bags of food with my father’s name on them,” she says.

Even though she’s not counting them any more, Cohen says she’s not done with mitzvots. “I want to create mitzvah gatherings,” she says. She’s hoping to integrate mitzvot with her book signings. In the end, Cohen has shown that doing good deeds — for whatever reason — can become a way of life. “I am a busy mom, wife and writer,” she says. “I was just ﬁtting in little things to do. And now I look for mitzvahs.” She’s also continuing to learn. Aer joining a new synagogue, Cohen volunteered to write sympathy notes on behalf of the congregation. She soon figured out that the task was stressful for her. “It started feeling really heavy and really burdensome,” she admits. “It was never-ending.” But she worried about giving up the job. “I wondered if I was quitting.” Cohen concluded it would best for everyone if she found some other way to contribute. Volunteering should help you stretch, she realized, but it shouldn’t be a burden. “Sometimes you have to move on because it’s not a good fit, and that’s OK,” she says. “1,000 Mitzvahs” shares practical ways to do mitzvot, from sending a thank-you note to donating blood. Cohen organizes suggestions and experiences by topic, including food, travel, volunteering and donating money. “I did not go out to save every starving child in Africa,” she says. “You don’t want the fact that you’re not doing that to seem like you aren’t doing anything.”JT

For information about Linda Cohen and “1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts Of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, And Change Your Life” (Seal Press), visit 1000mitzvahs.org/.

Laura Laing is a local freelance writer.

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{e It List}

Our top picks for this week Check out jewishtimes.com for a full calendar of events.

On Stage (Fri Dec 9) The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will perform favorite holiday tunes to accompany the impossible exploits of talented contortionists, aerialists, strongmen and more, in Holiday Cirque de la Symphonie, beginning this Wednesday at 2 p.m., through Sunday, Dec. 11, at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. In the tradition of a European circus, the concert hall turns into a Big Top as Cirque members of the finest artistic level perform on and above the stage. Tickets range from $17.50 to $88; for tickets and schedule of performances, call 410-783-8000 or BSOmusic.org .

Courtesy of BSO

ART FAMILY (Sat Dec 10) What’s in a name? — Plenty, especially if that name is Rapunzel! Trapped in a tower by her witch mother, Rapunzel and her best friend (her hair) dream of visiting the land below her window. Pumpkin Theatre performs the musical version of this hairy tale on Dec. 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., at St. Timothy’s School, 8400 Greenspring Ave. Tickets are $13 to $15, available at 410-828-1814 or online at pumpkintheatre.com .

(Sun Dec 11) You’ll be drawn to KAL-ender Konversation with KAL on Sunday afternoon from 2-3:30 at the Walters Art Museum. Chat with internationallysyndicated political cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher, look back at his best cartoons from 2011 and get signed copies of his award-winning 2012 Kal-endar. He’ll finish his talk with a fun and lively drawing lesson. Call 410-547-9000 or visit thewalters.org for more information.

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{Good Reads} Amazon.com

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Tracks: A Novel in Stories Eric D. Goodman Atticus Books 2011, $15.95, 316 pages, paperback

“Tracks,” Eric Goodman’s break-out novel, follows a group of eclectic characters on a long train ride from Baltimore to Chicago. The book’s novel-in-stories format could, but doesn’t, lend itself to a disjointed narrative, in which each story functions as a character sketch divorced from the other stories. Instead, Goodman expertly

weaves the characters in and out of each story. In addition to its structural genius, “Tracks” boasts a creative cast of characters, including a young American soldier, a woman mourning her parents, a computergeek-turned-activist and his would-be assassin, an elderly Holocaust survivor, a sleazy traveling salesman, a young woman distracted by a recent breakup, and an adulterous woman with a prominent tattoo. The challenge of setting a novel entirely on a train is that the narrative can become character-centric and lack a strong plot structure. Yet Goodman manages to work plenty of action into the slow-moving train— one passenger dies of a heart attack; another attempts

murder; another seduces a married woman into a steamy affair in the sleeper car. Throughout, Goodman’s voice is observant and authoritative. He draws the reader’s attention to rich details, providing a glimpse into the lives of each character. The novel-in-stories approach, for all its merit, lacks the intensity of a traditional novel centered on one character, but while “Tracks” has limited development and follow-up, it does retain consistency in plot and tone. Baltimore natives will especially love Goodman’s descriptions of local scenery and architecture, but the story can captivate any interested reader. —Gila Heller

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Dishing It Out | Ilene Spector

Lovin’ Latkes Tips & Tricks ✧ Make chocolate latkes special with a topping of vanilla ice cream and warm chocolate sauce.

✧ Make easy homemade treats: Use store bought plain glazed donuts or holes. Press flat with a pannini. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar.

✧ My homemade latkes: Use potato pancake mix according to directions. Add a handful or more of frozen, defrosted shredded potatoes. Fabulous latkes without the labor!

✧ Drain store-bought salsa. Add chopped cucumber Justin Tsucalas

and sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and mint to taste. Add a splash of lemon or lime juice and olive oil.

Everything changes. These days, there’s a lot more to Chanukah than potato latkes or jelly donuts. A click of a computer brings the world into our kitchens. Our nation of immigrants is a nation of global flavors. Italian Jews serve squash fritters for dessert. My Iranian friend in California serves an unusual Persian chicken soup every Chanukah, and believes it is also good for winter colds. She also serves Persian meat latkes. My New Orleans connection makes Chanukah beignets, donuts without yeast. Any foods that use oil will commemorate the lamp oil that burned for a miraculous eight nights. Cookies made with oil in the dough are easy to shape into Jewish stars or menorahs Some things do stay the same: There is nothing better than celebrating Chanukah with the people you love. Here are some of the items making a new appearance on my Chanukah menu this year. JT Ilene Spector is a local freelance food writer.

Persian Meat Latkes (Kotlet) (Meat) About 1 1/2 pounds total: 3 Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, and 2 small sweet potatoes 1 pound ground beef or turkey 1 /2 onion, finely grated 1 egg 1 /2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons salt 1 /2 teaspoon pepper 1 garlic clove, finely minced 1 /2 teaspoon turmeric 1 /2 teaspoon finely ground saffron Canola oil for “frying” 1 cup plain, fine breadcrumbs, for dredging, optional Fresh pita bread pockets

Cover cut up potatoes with water and bring to boil. Simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Combine meat with next 8 ingredients, mixing well. Drain potatoes and mash; add to tmeat mixture, mixing well. Heat about one-half inch canola oil in large saute pan. Shape the latkes to fit into pita pockets. Dredge each in bread crumbs, if desired. Fry, turning once on each side until brown and crisp, about 6 minutes total. Drain before serving. Can be garnished with Greek salsa 8-plus servings.

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Cold Curried Cauliflower With Currants And Pine Nuts (Pareve) Dressing: 1 /4 cup plus 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 /4 teaspoon sea salt freshly ground pepper to taste 1 /2 cup olive oil Cauliflower: 2 pounds fresh cauliflower “crowns” 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 cup toasted pine nuts 1 cup currants 1 /2 cup sunflower seeds 1 small red onion, very finely chopped

Dressing: Combine rice wine vinegar and sugar in a large bowl, mixing until sugar is dissolved. Add and whisk in curry powder, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and taste. Adjust with salt and pepper. Set aside. Cauliflower: Boil cauliflower in covered pot with salt until fork tender. Drain. Add pine nuts, currants, sunflower seeds and onion. Stir. Pour dressing over and mix carefully. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Chocolate Dessert Latkes (Pareve) 4 large eggs 3 cups sweetened coconut 3 1/2 ounces pareve semi-sweet chocolate, chips 6 Tbsp sugar 2 tsp vanilla scant 1/4 teaspoon salt Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place water in pot and bring to low simmer. Set aside 1/3 cup of shredded coconut. Combine remaining ingredients in a stainless steel bowl and set over the simmering water. Carefully stir mixture, until melted and warm. Scoop rounded spoonfuls, depending on how large you want and place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Sprinkle remaining coconut shreds on each cookie and flatten so they resemble latkes, with a few coconut shreds sticking out to resemble “potato shreds.” Bake until cookies feel dry on surface and coconut shreds look brown, about 13 to 15 minutes. Cool thoroughly before removing cookies. Yields about 2 dozen or more depending on size. jewishtimes.com

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Appetizers | Rochelle Eisenberg

Simply Grand The Mom’s Choice Awards named “Feed Me Bubbe: Recipes and Wisdom from America’s Favorite Online Grandmother” (Running Press, 2011) a GOLD award, as one of the best in family-friendly media, products and services. The cookbook includes 100 of Bubbe’s best kosher recipes, from breakfast to desserts, from her popular online cooking show, “Feed Me Bubbe.”

Bagel Wars

On Tap Join Shmaltz Brewing Co. proprietor Jeremy Cowan next weekend in Baltimore as he promotes his new book, “Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah: How It Took 13 Years, Extreme Jewish Brewing, And Circus Sideshow Freaks To Make Shmaltz Brewing Company an International Success” (Small

Press United). Next Friday, Dec. 16, Cowan will be visiting Atomic Books, 3620 Falls Road, from 6 to 8 p.m. for a book reading and beer tasting. Following his appearance at Atomic Books, Cowan will stop by Max’s Taphouse in Fells Point, at 737 S. Broadway, for a holiday tap

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

takeover where he will sign books and share a few pints. The Shmaltz Brewing Co., makers of HE’BREW Beers and Coney Island Craft Lagers, recently was named “Best American Craft Brewer” and won the “Best In Show 2010” by Beverage World Magazine.

The bagel wars continue in Northwest Baltimore. Next up is the newest addition to the bagel scene — The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. Slated to open in early spring in Hooks Village on Hooks Lane in Pikesville, the bagel chain’s claim to fame is that it uses proprietary water treatment technology to re-create the Brooklyn water that makes bagels taste so great. Based in Boca Raton, Fla. (OK, not Brooklyn, N.Y.), the eatery also has locations in the Los Angeles area, including one in Beverly Hills. As for Brooklyn, it will be getting its ﬁrst Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. restaurant soon.

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e Jewish View Rabbi Miriam Cotzin Burg

Parshat Vayetzei

Sweet Surrender MY SON has decided that he is going to be a “candy man” when he grows up. For his fourth birthday, we had a “candy party,” which meant, of course, that he received many candy-themed presents. One of them was a recipe book called “Candy Construction,” which teaches how to build many amazing things out of candy. So one aernoon, when I realized that I had a few precious hours to spend with my children, we embarked on a candy adventure. I bought all of the ingredients to build a candy castle. We followed the instructions exactly. And it was not working. As each wall and turret we tried to build collapsed, my frustration grew. I was about to totally lose it and declare the experiment a complete failure; my 6-year-old piped up, “Ima, we don’t have to build it their way. We can design our own castle.” In this week’s Torah portion, Jacob prepares to face his brother Esau for the first time since stealing his birthright and blessing. Many years have passed and their impending encounter understandably arouses fear in Jacob. e night before they are to meet, “Jacob was le alone. And an ish/man wrestled with him until the break of dawn” (Gen. 32:25). Generations of commentators have debated the identity of this mysterious “man.” In our day, Rabbi Harold Kushner suggests an interesting possibility. J101 In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen. The word Shabbat comes from the root Shin-Beit-Tav, meaning to cease, to end or to rest. Although Jews pray on Shabbat and spend a substantial amount of time in synagogue, prayer is not what distinguishes Shabbat from the rest of the week. Resting is. jewfaq.org

He writes, “… is may be an account of Jacob’s wrestling with his conscience, torn between his human tendency to avoid an unpleasant encounter and the divine impulse in him that urges him to do the difficult but right thing” (Etz Hayim Commentary). Who of us has not experienced this internal conflict? It is oen easier to ignore a problem than to face it, easier to avoid a difficult conversation than to have it. In this moment, in the deep of night, Jacob has a crucial choice: Face his past or avoid it. He makes the mature decision and consequently, as it says just a chapter later, “Jacob arrived shalem/whole in the city of Shechem” (Gen. 33:18). In her exploration of the story, Aviva Zornberg recognizes that this statement of “wholeness” is indeed complicated. He returns “whole” but physically injured from his encounter with the ish/man. He is whole not because he is perfect; he is shalem/whole because he faced his complicated past and his greatest fear and now lives at peace with himself. The initial failure of my family’s candy castle cannot even begin to compare with real human failings. Nevertheless, my tendency was to throw it away. Thanks to my daughter, we didn’t do that. Instead, we threw away the instructions and built something even better. It may not have looked anything like the picture in the book, but we transformed our fallen walls and turrets into something sweeter: an inspiring lesson from my 6-year-old in perfection of a different sort. And it tasted delicious just the same. JT Rabbi Miriam Cotzin Burg is director of educational engagement at the Center for Jewish Education.

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Linda L. Esterson

| Beshert

Kerri and Ryan Pine Wedding date: Oct. 22, 2011 Current residence: Owings Mills First date: Movie and a carwash in 2002 Favorite outing: Trips to Annapolis and New York City

Silber Photography

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One Day RYAN PINE and Kerri Rosenblatt know there was interest long before they started dating. The two Pikesville natives were friends in high school. They hung out often, and it was clear they liked each other. There are notes from high school: “I really like you, but I have a boyfriend.” “I really like you, but I have a girlfriend.” “One day …” The couple met long before high school. They found a photo from preschool and realized they were seated right next to each other. But it wasn’t until just before Ryan’s 19th birthday in 2002 that their friendship took a turn. Ryan asked Kerri to join him and his family for dinner. By then, both were unattached. ey went to a movie the night before, and that moved their relationship forward. They grew serious very quickly. “I knew we were going to marry each other,” says Kerri, a recruiter for Walden University’s online master’s program. “But I knew we weren’t ready.” Many of their friends were marrying, but both still felt “like kids.”

“I wanted to get my life set up,” says Ryan, a wholesale shoe representative for Steve Madden. “I wanted to get a good job and a good hold on things.” They were together all the time. After a year, Ryan jokingly asked Kerri to marry him. “He asked, ‘What would you do if I proposed to you in a year,’ ” Kerri says. “I told him I would run away. I just didn’t know what to say. … We knew we wanted to, but not just then.” Finally, in December 2010, Kerri and another couple met Ryan in New York City, at a shoe show. They spent that Friday shopping, hanging out and eating in the city. e next morning, the group decided to go to Central Park and they bundled up for a walk. Ryan brought his backpack, which wasn’t unusual, although Kerri questioned the need. His response of tissues satisﬁed her, due to the cold. They took a lap around the park, visited the ice rink and sipped hot chocolate. With a gorgeous view of the high-rises behind them, Ryan pointed out a few spots for some nice

photographs. As the girls went to look for a backdrop, Ryan handed the camera to his friend. When Kerri turned back around, he was down on one knee, with ring in hand. She was taken aback, and asked if it was a joke. “No, you’ve waited eight years,” Ryan responded. Barbara and Myles Rosenblatt and Karen and Phil Pine were called and the two couples celebrated over a nice dinner. Kerri and Ryan married Oct. 22, 2011, at the Pikesville Hilton. Temple Emanuel’s Rabbi Rhoda Silverman officiated. About 200 guests shared in the celebration of two best friends who fell in love over the years. “We got to see each other grow up,” says Kerri. “Now we are more mature and are taking care of our lives together.” JT

Linda L. Esterson is a freelance writer in Owings Mills. For “Beshert,” call 410-752-3504 ext. 1251 oremail Linda.Esterson@ verizon.net.

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Engagements

Citrenbaum—Levinson

Provided

Charlie Citrenbaum and Jennifer Golden are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Katelyn Citrenbaum, to Matt Levinson, son of Ira and Debbie Levinson. Katelyn graduated from Goucher College with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. She received a

Surell—Armenti Dr. Jonathan and Susan Surell are delighted to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lisa Jill Surell, to David Hume Armenti, son of Robert and Martha Armenti and the late Deborah Armenti. Lisa graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor of science degree in speech-

master’s degree in reading from Towson University. She is currently teaching at the Learning Ladder at Temple Oheb Shalom. Matt graduated from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is the general manager and ﬁh-generation funeral director at Sol Levinson and Bros. Funeral Home. Katelyn is the granddaughter of Louis Citrenbaum and the late Dorothy Citrenbaum, and the late Rose and Eli Golden. Matt is the grandson of Bettye and Burton Levinson and the late Marjorie Levinson and the late Zena and Louis Ginsberg. An October 2012 wedding is planned.

language pathology and a bachelor of arts degree in communication. She received her master’s of science from Loyola University Maryland in speech-language pathology. She is a speech-language pathologist at Hammonds Lane Rehabilitation Center. David graduated from the University of Maryland with bachelor of arts degrees in history and in American studies. He received his master’s of arts in teaching from Loyola University Maryland. He is a research archivist at the Maryland State Archives. Lisa is the granddaughter of Marjorie Surell, the late Howard Surell, Betty Helfman and the late Dr. Harold Helfman. David is the grandson of Ralph and Elizabeth Toth and the late James and Bernadine Armenti. A March 2012 wedding is planned.

Help Yourself The Baltimore County Self-Help Guide, a resource for women, families and service providers, is available online. It lists services in areas including health, education, employment, as well as crisis hotline phone numbers. The guide can be accessed at baltimorecountyonline.info/agencies/women/resources. Call 410-887-3448 for more information.

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Provided

Phil and Lisa Jacobs are thrilled to announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Tova Jacobs, to Garen Albert Minton, son of MJ Minton. Emily graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism. She is a staﬀ writer at the Washington Jewish Week. Garen graduated from L’Acadamie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg. He is a chef at Graﬃato in Washington, D.C. Emily is the granddaughter of Shirley

Cohen and the late Sam Cohen and Morton and Bernice Jacobs. Garen is the grandson of Cookie and Zion Avissar and Edward Fleischman.

Births & Adoptions

G OOLSBY

Community

Jacobs—Minton

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Engagements

Jennifer (nee Goldberg) and Scott are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Emily Reese, on June 5, 2011. Emily Reese is named in loving memory of her maternal great-aunt and great-uncle, Louis and Renee Small, and paternal great-grandmothers, Emogene ummel and Edna Jones. Her Hebrew name is Rachel Leah. Happy big brother is Jake Dylan. Proud grandparents are Sheila and Ivan Goldberg of Owings Mills, Md. and Donna and Jimmy Goolsby of Pensacola, Fla. Excited great-grandparents are Rena Simon, Edith Goldberg and Ralph ummel. Send submissions on births, engagements, weddings, anniversaries and deaths via e-mail to plevin@jewishtimes.com or mail to Phyllis Levin, BJT, 1040 Park Ave., Suite 200, Baltimore, Md., 21201. Please send a stamped, selfaddressed envelope for returning photos. Items will be selected and edited at the discretion of the editors.

Community

Shabbaton Launches Jewish Adoption A National Family Shabbaton will be held June 29 — July 1, 2012, to officially launch Kochav Yam, the National Jewish Adoption Movement. The event, held at the Pearlstone Conference & Retreat Center in Reisterstown, will mark the first national gathering of Jewish families who have brought beautiful children into their lives through adoption, domestically or internationally. This opportunity to celebrate together, share stories and help plant the seeds for a national movement that will make adoption an integral part of American Jewish life, will be a spirited, campstyle Shabbat weekend with a scholar-in-residence, songleader and plenty of activities. Families considering adoption are encouraged to join as well. To join in the Shabbaton and learn more about Kochav Yam, visit jewishadoption.org or email info@jewishadoption.org.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR Israel ? When it’s 6 p.m. in Baltimore, it’s already tomorrow in Jerusalem. Keep up 24/7 @jewishtimes.com.

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Obituaries DICKMAN — On November 30, 2011, RENA (nee Krieger), beloved wife of the late Edward Dickman, loving mother of Ann and Michael Oidick, Zalka and Zalman Angster, Judi Dickman-Narrow and Sheldon Narrow, beloved sister of Shirley and Harry Scherr and the late Florence and Alex Chiat. Also survived by many loving grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. Interment in Anshe Emunah Aitz Chaim Cemetery. Contributions to Beth Israel Congregation, 3706 Crondall Lane, Owings Mills, Md., 21117. GOODMAN — On December 2, 2011, BERNARD M., beloved husband of the late Goldye Goodman (nee Katzewitz), devoted father of Richard and Amy Goodman, and Randi and Alan Foreman, brother of Robert and Elaine Goodman. Grandfather of Chad and Grant Goodman, and Kevin, Adam, and Alexander Foreman. Interment in Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery. Contributions to the Maryland SPCA, 3300 Falls Road, P.O. Box 23131, Baltimore, Md., 21203 or Thoroughbred Charities of America, P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, Ky., 40591. HAMBURGER — On December 5, 2011, DORIS (nee Abrahams), beloved wife of the late Melvin Hamburger, loving mother of Dennis and Barbara Hamburger, cherished sister of the late Esther Dermer. Interment in Beth Tfiloh Cemetery. HERSHMAN — On December 1, 2011, GEORGE, beloved brother of Sally Reiss Kramer, also survived by friends and family. Interment in Beth El Memorial Park. KLEIN — On December 2, 2011, GERTRUDE (nee Dunn), beloved wife of the late Bernard Klein, devoted mother of Brenda and Henry Belsky and Leonard and Gene Klein, devoted sister of Ann Caplan and the late Al

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

Dunn, Jack Dunn and Sara Malin, dear sister-in-law of Ruth Klein and the late Melba Baker. Loving grandmother of Michael Belsky, Phyllis and Andrew Rabinowitz, David and Katherine Klein, Steven Klein and Matthew Klein, loving great-grandmother of Sidney, Ryder and Hunter Rabinowitz, Maya, Noah and Elliana Klein and the late Rebecca Rabinowitz. Interment in Arlington Cemetery, Chizuk Amuno Congregation. Contributions to Rbaby Foundation, c/o Powered By Professionals, 1375 Broadway 3rd Floor, New York, N.Y., 10018. LANCER — On November 25, 2011, MARC, husband of Kelly Lancer, beloved brother of Laurie and Wayne Sher, loving son of Morris and Paula Lancer and Edith Lancer. Loving grandson of Bronia (nee Ainess) and the late Mayer Lancer, devoted uncle of Madison, Mallory and Riley Sher. Interment in Hebrew Young Men’s Cemetery. LEGERE — On November 29, 2011, JOHN, beloved husband of Sarah L. Legere, devoted father of Michele and Tad Lilly, Tonya and Bill Nix, and Monica Legere and Nelle Hotchkiss, cherished brother of Muriel Ruth, Richard Legere, and Judith McCormack. Also survived by 11 loving grandchildren. Interment in Meadow Ridge Memorial Park, Elkridge, Md. Contributions to Gilchrist Hospice Care, 11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350, Hunt Valley, Md., 21031. LUBCHER — On December 2, 2011, SEENA (nee Katz), beloved wife of the late Herman Lubcher, cherished mother of Judith Lubcher and Dr. Kenneth Margolis, and Ronald Lubcher and Dr. Traci Hartsell. Adored grandmother of Meredith and Gary Goodweather, and Jessie and Thomas Coleman, devoted greatgrandmother of Harrison, Isabelle,

Jacob, and Nathaniel. Interment in Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions to the Johns Hopkins Heart Institute, Dr. Daniel Judge Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine, 100 N. Charles St., Suite 321, Baltimore, Md., 21201. PERLMAN — On December 4, 2011, IDA (nee Randall), beloved wife of the late Louis Perlman, adored mother of Aron and Bobbi Perlman. Cherished grandmother of Lindsy and Herbert Frango, and Ashley and Martin Jenoff, dear greatgrandmother of Alex Frango, and Owen Jenoff, devoted sister of the late “Doc” Nathan Randall, “Bunny” Bernard Randall, and Harry Randall. Interment in Beth El Memorial Park. Contributions to Hadassah, 3723 Old Court Road #205, Baltimore, Md., 21208 or Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, 7401 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore, Md., 21208. ROBERTS — On December 1, 2011, SALLY, of Silver Spring, Md., beloved wife of the late Louis H. Roberts, devoted mother of Harriet (Stephen) Shapiro, Barbara (Richard) Magid and Amy (Robert) Hirsch. Grandmother of seven, also survived by 15 great-grandchildren. Interment in Judean Memorial Gardens Chapel, Olney, Md. Contributions to Juvenile Diabetes Association. SAGEL-FALK — On December 2, 2011, HARRIETT, of Baltimore and Annapolis, beloved wife of Irv Falk and the late Stanley Sagel, loving mother of Marcy Sagel, Lawrence Sagel, Edward and Debbie Sagel and Irv’s daughter Sharon and Richard Friedlander, dear sister of Susan Feldman, Neil and Nancy Cohen and special sister-in-law to Tommy Feldman, lifelong friend of Pauline and Rod Joseph. Adoring grandmother of Erin, Katie, Gracie and Sammy Sagel. Interment in Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery. Contributions to The Association for Frontotemporal

Degeneration, Radnor Station Building 2, Suite 320, 290 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, Pa., 19087. SALOMON — On November 30, 2011, GEORGE FREDERICK, beloved husband of the late Ingeborg Salomon (nee Sternberg), beloved father of James Salomon and Marjorie McInerney, devoted father-in-law of Richard McInerney and the late Debra Salomon. Loving grandfather of Aaron Israel and Joshua Salomon, Carrie and Brian Rinehart, and Katherine McInerney, loving greatgrandfather of Travis Rinehart. SCHNAPER — On December 5, 2011, ELAINE (nee Godel), beloved wife of the late Sheldon Schnaper, cherished mother of Shelley Mazer, Larry Schnaper and Kathy Silverstein, devoted mother-in-law of Keith Silverstein and the late David Mazer, loving sister of Bernice Willen, cherished sister-in-law of Beverly Kronthal, Leonore Schnaper and the late Tolbert Kronthal and Joseph Schnaper. Adored grandmother of Stefanie Mazer, Jonathan Mazer, Scott Silverstein, Tyler Silverstein, Sophia Schnaper and Ethan Schnaper, also survived by loving nieces and nephews. Interment in Tifereth Israel Cemetery. STEINBERG — On December 4, 2011, STANLEY Z., beloved husband of Myrna Steinberg (nee Mahler), cherished father of Steven

Steinberg and Adam Book, and Mark Steinberg, devoted brother of Louis and Arlene Steinberg, loving son of the late Sarah and Joel Steinberg. Interment in Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery. Contributions to University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, 22 South Greene St., Baltimore, Md., 21201. ZABLUDOWSKI — On December 1, 2011, ISAIA CHAIM, beloved husband of the late Evelyn F. Zabludowski (nee Friedman), devoted father of Suzy and Charlie Schuman. Adored grandfather of Simon David and Joshua M. Schuman, brother of Benjamin Zabludowski. Interment in Chevra Ahavas Chesed Cemetery. ZETZER — On November 29, 2011, ROBERT “BOBBY,” beloved husband of the late Lois E. Zetzer (nee Epstein), cherished father of Richard S. Zetzer and Sally Hankin, Jane Z. and Keith Mahler. Devoted grandfather of Aaron, Adam and Andrew Zetzer, Bradford and Seth Mahler. Interment in Arlington Cemetery, Chizuk Amuno Congregation. Contributions to the Maryland Food Bank, 2200 Halethorpe Farms Road, Baltimore, MD., 21227. To help keep you continually informed, the Baltimore Jewish Times is updating obituaries frequently on its website. Please visit jewish times.com/ Milestones/obituary.stm .

Community

It’s A Legal ing Jewish Legal Services, a program of Jewish Community Services, offers legal information, advice and referral services for Jewish individuals with limited income. A walk-in legal clinic is held on the second Monday of each month from 7- 8:30 p.m. at JCS, 5750 Park Heights Ave. Volunteer community lawyers offer advice on a variety of legal issues, including consumer/bankruptcy, landlord-tenant, family and employment questions. The next clinics will be on Dec. 12, and Jan. 9, 2012. Jewish Legal Services is also seeking lawyers to volunteer their expertise at the monthly clinic. For more information, call 410-843-7305 or visit jcsbaltimore.org .

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Notice is given that MARGUERITE M. ALVAREZ, 27 Dunbar Avenue, Catonsville, Maryland 21228, was on November 17, 2011 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Larry Eugene Alvarez who died on November 9, 2011, with a will. Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 17th day of May 2012. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claims will be barred unless the creditor presents the claim within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

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e n c u B r lom o So PLUMBING, HEATING & AIR

10% OFF For New Clients Free Estimates • Bonded & Insured

VISIT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

WWW.S-DCARPETCARE.COM OWNER ON SITE! 443-463-2884

You Name It We Haul It!

Quality Pest Control

10% DISCOUNT !

Environmentally Conscious ·Integrated Pest Management ·Integrated Termite Solution ·Wildlife & Bed Bug Mgmt

• Furniture • Yard Waste • Basements and Attics

• Appliances • Sheds • Light Moving

410-833-2188 Service & Repair Specialists Hot Water Heaters • Disposals Sump Pumps • Sewer & Drain Cleaning • Boilers & more!

www.haulawaymd.com Registered Master Plumber Maryland License No. 6867

Family Owned & Operated Since 1984 M.D.A. License #28177 Residential and Commercial

FURNITURE

ACCREDITED BUSINESS

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

PAINTING

www.BrodyBrothers.com

CA LL 60

YAAKOV'S

410-653-2121

INTERIOR & EXTERIOR SERVICES Wallpaper Removal • Decorative Moldings Painting • Wallpapering

Clean, neat, guaranteed. 35 years experience. FREE ESTIMATES CA LL YA AK O V T O D AY 4 10 -48 4- 83 50

ARISTA CUSTOM

FURNITURE

FINE INTERIOR PAINTING MHIC 26124

Paper Hanging & Removal Graduate of Maryland Institute of Art

Make your Design a Reality! Serving the Baltimore area for over 22 years

Call Gus 410-371-1589 www.aristafurniture.com

443-451-0720

Decorator Colors

FREE ESTIMATES • 410-356-4722 • BERT KATZ

TO P L AC E YO U R A D

STREET CLEANING

COMPUTER SERVICES

410-526-6000

S MITH Co VAC/SWEEPER SERVICE

Superb Exterior Maintenance for Shopping Centers, Construction Sites, & Streets. Small or Large Jobs: Customized Schedules

1-888-915-9996 Licensed, Bonded & Insured.

FOUND YOUR beshert ? Share your good news where all your friends will see it. To advertise in the new JT, call 443-451-0720.

Tri-County Roofing and Sheet Metal Inc.

TRAVEL & LEISURE TOURS SERVICES

11:59 AM

You stand under it, we stand behind it RESIDENTIAL ROOFING EXPERTS Commercial & Industrial Roofing New Roofs • Re-Roofs Shingle & Flat Roofs VEGETATIVE ROOFING NOW AVAILABLE CALL FOR DETAILS.

• 22 Years of Experience • Finest Craftsmanship • Highest Quality Materials • All Work Guaranteed • Spotless Work Area • PAY WITH CREDIT CARD Call Today for your FREE RE-ROOFING ESTIMATE Saving Energy and Money starts at the top of your house! Inquire about our new siding and window division

410-875-9671 1-800-840-6072 www.Tri-CountyRoofing.com

VACATION

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ATLANTIC CITY TAJ - MAHAL SUN-MON 12/25-12/26. INCL. BUS, MEALS & REBATES.

410-486-3888

SHAREWHERE EVEN Bubbe CAN“LIKE”IT T

Word travels fast these days don’t let your unwired loved ones feel left out! T

To advertise, call 443-451-0720. jewishtimes.com

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Family

EMPLOYMENT MEDICAL COORDINATOR

EOE

Highly intelligent, unusually competent individual with a background in science & exceptional communication skills sought by Manhattan family to research & coordinate family medical & healthcare issues. This person will manage a small team of professionals & interface w/physicians, medical researchers, & consultants (in academia & otherwise) to ensure delivery of highest-quality medical care to family members. Considerable weight will be given to unusual academic distinction & other intellectual achievements. Clinical experience is a plus. This is a full-time position with a highly attractive compensation package & significant upside potential. EOE

Please email resume to pmrrecruit@gmail.com

ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S amazing WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR T

Selling? Buyers are flocking to the JTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Amazing Marketplace. To advertise, call 443-451-0720. 62

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

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R E A L E S TAT E F O R R E N T

EHO

A Sixty Acre Rolling Estate Please accept our invitation to view our lovely garden apartments

Bubbe

All apartments feature generous living areas and spacious closets.

CAN “LIKE” IT.

1BR/SOLARIUM

2BR/2BA

$925

STARTING AT

2BR/SOLARIUM

3BR

STARTING AT

$1125

STARTING AT

$1025

Word travels fast these days – don’t let your unwired loved ones feel left out!

$1225

• Heat and hot water included • Full eat-in kitchens •Washer and dryer in each unit •Walk-in closets • Cable/FIOS ready •Trash collection at your door • Large patios & balconies • Summer swimming pool membership

Rental office open 9-6, Monday-Friday & Saturday by appt.

To share your good news in the new JT, call 443-451-0720.

410.484.2040 www.pomona-apartments.com

F LO R I D A R E A L E S TAT E

Boca Lago

StevensonPenthouse Commons Outstanding brand new 2296 sq. ft. 2 BR/2 ½ BA condo. Features walk-in closets, hardwood & ceramic tile floors, & 10 ft. ceilings. Huge kitchen w/all-new SS appliances & wood cabinetry beside spacious family room & separate laundry room. Gated secured community, concierge & underground parking.

$479,000

EHO

Shown by appointment. Call Richard: 443-992-2216 Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

WE share WITH FRIENDS.

EHO

F O R S A L E BY O W N E R

SHARE WHERE EVEN

Condo for Rent Beautifully furnished 55+ 2BR, 2BA. Features golf view, social club and pool. EHO

3 months at $1,750 per month. Call 410-363-3826

Chai. News for people who know we don’t mean spiced tea. Every Friday in the new JT. For home delivery, call 410-752-3504.

Friend us on Facebook for exclusive news, special offers and opportunities to win.

jewishtimes.com

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WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE A twitter ABOUT JEWISH BALTIMORE.

Baltimore Jewish Times December 9, 2011

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