DAVID

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Ellamar’s Harvest Chef Roy’s Celebration of Farm Fresh Produce

FILLING THE VOID

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AN OPENING IN THE WALL

HOUSING CHECKUP

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PASSOVER CELEBRATION

Beginning Friday, April 22 at Sundown through Saturday, April 30 at Sundown

In addition to our regular buffet we will feature: Matzo Ball Soup Carved Beef Brisket Herring in Sour Cream Chopped Chicken Liver Noodle Kugle Tzimmes Gefilte Fish Potato Pancakes

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APRIL

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pulse

live

think

grill

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explore The month’s event listings to help plan your day or your stay devour Where to find some of the best eats, drinks and foodie happenings in the Valley

42 Housing Market Checkup Industry leaders take the temperature of the Vegas housing market.

58 Michele Tell-Woodrow CEO Preferred Public Relations & Constellation Catering

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28 speak Corey Levitan chronicles the not-so-super market goings on in one Summerlin neighborhood.

22 discover Places to go, cool things to do, hip people to see in the most exciting city in the world

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taste Chef Roy Ellamar harvests praise with the opening of his new Bellagio dining venue.

46 Ethical Threads Stockholm based H&M focuses on sustainable fashion.

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52 Exodus Redux The Syrian refugee crisis and the Passover table.

A P R I L 2016

20 desire Sin City abounds in world-class shopping ... these are a few of our favorite things

32 sense Women and non-Orthodox Jews fight for the freedom to worship at the Western wall of the Temple mount.

The month’s spotlight on someone to know.

Ellamar’s Harvest Chef Roy’s Celebration of Farm Fresh Produce

on the cover A P R I L 2 016

The Farmer’s Salad at Roy Ellamar’s new Harvest restaurant at the Bellagio.

FILLING THE VOID

AN OPENING IN THE WALL

HOUSING CHECKUP

EXODUS REDUX

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Copyright 2016 by JewishINK LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. DAVID MAGAZINE is protected as a trademark in the United States. Subscribers: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we are under no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited or contributed manuscripts, photographs, artwork or advertisements. Submissions will not be returned unless arranged for in writing. DAVID MAGAZINE is a monthly publication. All information regarding editorial content or property for sale is deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy hereof and is printed subject to errors and omissions.

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“City National’s strength is a big advantage.”

One of the greatest things City National has allowed me to do is grow my business in a recession, both nationally and internationally. Their strength and stability means there’s no hesitation about making loans, and that’s the engine that drives growth.

City National is The way up® for my business.

Steve Abrams CEO, Magnolia Bakery Hear Steve’s complete story at Findyourwayup.com/StrengthLV.

Find your way up.

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©2016 City National Bank ©20

Call (866) 618-5193 or visit cnb.com to find a business banker near you.

City National Business Banking

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CNB MEMBER FDIC

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Nevada’s only Funeral Home and Cemetery combination dedicated exclusively to the Jewish Community

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Publisher/Editor

• Southern Nevada consecrated Jewish cemetery • Proudly serving all Jewish denominations

Associate Publisher

• Elegant 250 seat Allen Brewster Memorial Chapel • Knowledgeable and caring Jewish staff

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Max Friedland

max@davidlv.com editor@davidlv.com

Joanne Friedland joanne@davidlv.com

EDITORIALllllllll

• Special Veterans Pricing Plan

Calendar Editor

• Special Synagogue Pricing Plan • Burials out-of-state and Eretz Yisrael

Endorsed by the entire Rabbinic community, meeting the needs of every denomination with tradition and compassion.

Brianna Soloski

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Copy Editor Pulse Editor Production Assistant

Pat Teague

Contributing Writers

Marisa Finetti

Marisa Finetti Zoë Friedland

Jaq Greenspon Jason Harris Corey Levitan Doug Puppel Lynn Wexler

ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Art Director/ Photographer

Jay Poster Funeral Director, Manager & Founder

Steven Wilson

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ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Advertising Director

Joanne Friedland joanne@davidlv.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS Sheryl Chenin-Webb Family Service Director

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Kacia-Dvorkin Pretty Family Service Director Volume 06 Number 12 www.davidlv.com DAVID Magazine is published 12 times a year.

Copyright 2016 by JewishINK LLC. 1930 Village Center Circle, No. 3-459 Las Vegas, NV 89134 (p) 702-254-2223 (f) 702-664-2633

To advertise in DAVID Magazine, call 702-254-2223 or email ads@davidlv.com To subscribe to DAVID Magazine, call 702.254-2223 or email subscibe@davidlv.com

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DAVID Magazine sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This copy of DAVID Magazine was printed by American Web in Denver, Colo., on paper from well-managed forests which meet EPA guidelines that recommend use of recovered fibers for coated papers. Inks used contain a blend of soy base. Our printer meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards and is a certified member of both the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. When you are done with this issue, please pass it on to a friend or recycle it.

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contributors

Marisa Finetti is a local writer, marketing professional and blogger. The Tokyoborn Finetti has called Las Vegas home since 2005. She has written for such publications as Spirit and Las Vegas and Nevada magazines and has a healthy-living blog at bestbewell. com. When she’s not writing, Finetti enjoys family time with her husband and two boys.

Jason Harris writes for a number of publications and websites. He specializes in food, music, and comedy writing. He has worked in almost every aspect of the entertainment industry. He has sold multiple screenplays, written awards shows and had a tv show on ABC for a minute.

He’s still broke. And he loves his daughter Scarlett the most.

Jaq Greenspon is a journalist, screenwriter and author with credits on The New Adventures of Robin Hood and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

He also is a literary and movie critic, has taught and written about fi lmmaking but is most proud of his role in the fi lm, Lotto Love. A Vegas resident for most of his life, he now resides in Eastern Europe.

Corey Levitan

Lynn Wexler

is a regular contributor to Men’s Health magazine.

He wrote the most popular newspaper humor column in Las Vegas history, “Fear and Loafing,” which ran 176 times in the ReviewJournal from 2006-2011. At home, however, he is referred to as “Mr. Poopyhead” by his four-year-old daughter, and something much less printable by his wife. Follow his latest adventures here and at coreylevitan.com.

has been a feature writer and contributor for magazines and newspapers, locally and nationally, for over 20 years. She writes a monthly online column entitled Manners in the News, which comments on the behavior of politicians, celebrities and others thrust in the public arena. She is the Founder and President of Perfectly Poised, a school of manners that teaches social, personal and business etiquette to young people.

She is a former TV Reporter and News Anchor. Of her many accomplishments, she is most proud of her three outstanding teenaged children.

Doug Puppel has been during 25 hugely interesting years in Las Vegas, a business journalist, magazine editor, and website developer. He has interviewed Sen. Edward Kennedy and Hugh Hefner, but not together.

Today he is a writer and communication consultant based in Summerlin, where he lives with his wife and daughters. You can find him at DougPuppel.com.

10 APRIL 2016 | www.davidlv.com

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Join us for the 21st Annual

Susan G. Komen Southern Nevada Race for the Cure®

Get Involved

We Live Here.

We Race Here.

We Save Lives Here.

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2016 | FREMONT STREET EXPERIENCE Registration now open!

Visit komensouthernnevada.org • 702.822.2324

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from the publisher Since April is “Jazz Appreciation Month,” I write this to a track of Vernon Duke and E. Y. Harburg’s April in Paris, as performed by the legends of smooth, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Mellow, almost too cool for school, I tickle my Mac’s “ivories” in a vain attempt to syncopate with Satchmo’s lyrical horn.

April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom Holiday tables under the trees April in Paris, this is a feeling No one can ever reprise I never knew the charm of spring Never met it face to face I never knew my heart could sing Never missed a warm embrace

Second Night

Passover Seder

Saturday, April 23 - 6:30 pm

Till April in Paris Whom can I run to What have you done to my heart

________________

You and Your Loved Ones Are Invited to This Meaningful Seder Experience

________________

Location: Blasco Event Wing, UNLV Foundation Building SW Corner of Maryland Parkway & Cottage Grove Avenue Complimentary parking available.

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Tickets: Adults $50 Children $25 (under 13) CPT Members Adults $36 Children $18 (under 13) Free for ages 4 and younger.

Uniformed members of the Armed Forces are welcome at no cost.

Reservations (702) 436-4900 pnaitikvahlv.org

This is the month of openings, of windows and doors, flowers and trees. The Romans named the month Aprilis, from the verb aperire, to open up. I connect with April, and not just because I spent a few of them in the City of Lights, but because it is the month in which our children were born.

Another opening that we celebrate this month is that of an Albertsons in the Trails Village, Summerlin. I use the same market as Corey Levitan and understand the passion he brings to Filling the Void (pages 28-31). A lot of lives and livelihoods were disturbed by the corporate shenanigans that resulted in a massive black hole in our local Trails Village Center. By the time this hits the streets, the new market will have opened its doors, putting smiles, I hope, on a lot of faces.

A potential opening in an ancient wall, and open borders for fleeing refugees, form the basis of two other essays. Since the Jewish state took control of the Old City in Jerusalem, the custodians of the Western Wall have come from the ranks of the ultra-Orthodox. In An Opening in the Wall? (pages 32-35), we explore efforts to open up the site to worship by others. In Exodus Redux (pages 52-56), we draw parallels between the biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt (which forms the narrative for the Passover Seder) and the modern day Syrian refugee crisis. It is a mitzvah to consider the less fortunate, especially at holiday times.

Our cover this month features an explosion of spring greens: fresh farm-to-table New American Fare, compliments of chef Roy Ellamar of Harvest in Bellagio, Las Vegas. Jason Harris reviews this new venue. Ellamar’s Harvest (pages 36-40) will get you to the restaurant, or at very least to your local farmers market. In keeping up the sustainability theme, we feature EcoFriendly home furnishings and Marisa Finetti’s piece, Ethical Threads (pages 46-51), on H&M’s Conscious line. The manufacturer has provided for a recycling of used items; I’m not sure how this will work out.

Wishing you a spring fresh with new promises, and a happy and kosher Passover. See you in the racks.

Max Friedland max@davidlv.com

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pulse

explore @ 14 devour @ 18 desire @ 20 discover @ 22 ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER 4.19-20

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eXplore L A S

ADAM LAMBERT: Time TBA, $35. SLS Las Vegas, 2535 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas.

702-761-7000. slslasvegas.com ROD STEWART: Encore April 2 and April 5, 7:30 p.m., $49-$250. Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 866-227-5938. caesarspalace.com

V E G A S

TONY ORLANDO: Through April 3, 7:30 p.m., $45. South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-796-7111. southpointcasino.com

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BAG RAIDERS WITH PLASTIC PLATES: 9 p.m., $15. Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-693-5000. hardrockhotel.com SANTIGOLD: Time TBA, $25. SLS Las Vegas, 2535 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-7617000. slslasvegas.com LIPSHTICK - THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND UP - LONI LOVE: Time and cost TBA. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-4141000. venetian.com LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC - GERSHWIN: Through April 3, times vary, $26. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com

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CONVERSATIONS WITH NORM: 2 p.m., $25. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com JEWEL KOSHER POKER: 2 p.m., $80 buyin/$40 re-buys. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. For more information, visit jewishlasvegas.com.

JCC'S SEEK NOURISH IGNITE WOMEN'S RETREAT WITH JESSICA ABO 9 a.m.-3 p.m., $45 which includes breakfast & lunch. Three Square,4190 N Pecos Rd, Las Vegas. 702-7940090 jccsn.org

YOUSUF KARSH - ICONS OF THE 20TH CENTURY: Through Sept. 5, times vary, costs vary. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 888-987-6667. bellagio.com

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TIZER FEATURING KAREN BRIGGS: Through April 2, 7 p.m., $39. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-7492012. thesmithcenter.com DANA CARVEY: Through April 2, 9 p.m., $54.95. Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-284-7777. orleans.com YOUSUF KARSH - ICONS OF THE 20TH

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CENTURY: Through Sept. 5, times vary, costs vary. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 888-987-6667. bellagio.com KENNY G: 8 p.m., $49.95. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-414-1000. venetian.com TIM ALLEN: 10 p.m., $59.99. Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-791-7111. mirage.com

THE KILLERS: 8 p.m., $35. Las Vegas Arena, 3780 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. http:// www.axs.com/events/302781/the-killerstickets?skin=tmobile LAS VEGAS JAM BAND SOCIETY PRESENTS DEAD WINTER CARPENTERS: 9 p.m., free.

Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas.

702-693-5000. hardrockhotel.com

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MIKE TYSON UNDISPUTED TRUTH: Thursday through Sunday, through June 26. 10 p.m., $54.95. MGM Grand, 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-891-1111. mgmgrand.com

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RED FANG: 7 p.m., $14-$16. Backstage Bar and Billiards, 601 Fremont Street, Las Vegas.

702-382-2227. backstagebarandbilliards.com

DON RICKLES: Through April 10, 8 p.m., $69.95. Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-284-7777. orleans.com

LAS VEGAS STORIES - FISHNETS AND FEATHERS - DONN ARDEN AND THE LAS VEGAS PRODUCTION SHOW: 7 p.m., free.

Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3458. lvccld.org

MOTLEY BREWS-2016 GREAT VEGAS FESTIVAL OF BEER: 3 p.m., $35-$45. For more information, visit http://greatvegasbeer.com/.

JCC 1ST ANNUAL BANQUET HONORING VOLUNTEERS & SUPPORTING YOUTH GROUP SPORTS 6.30 p.m.-9 p.m., $180. Hardwood Suite, The Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas. 702-794-0090 jccsn.org

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THE MAYJAH RAYJAH 2016 LAS VEGAS FEATURING COMMON KINGS, TRIBAL SEEDS, REBEL SOULJAHZ AND MORE: 6 p.m., $44.50.

Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-693-5000. hardrockhotel.com DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Through April 17, times vary, $24. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702749-2012. thesmithcenter.com CLINT HOLMES: Through April 10, times vary, $37. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com LET'S DANCE TOUR, FEATURING SILENTO: 7:30 p.m., $35. Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-942-7777. palms.com 52 FRIDAYS - GRAND FUNK RAILROAD: 8 p.m., $19. Golden Nugget, 129 East Fremont Street, Las Vegas. 702-385-7111. goldennugget.com/lasvegas JERRY SEINFELD: Through April 9, 7:30 p.m., $82.50-$165. Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 866-227-5938. caesarspalace.com

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GENERATION AXE: 8 p.m., $39.95. Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-6935000. hardrockhotel.com A THOUSAND HORSES: 8 p.m., $15-$27.50.

Boulder Station, 4111 Boulder Highway, Las Vegas. 702-432-7777. boulderstation.sclv.com ELLIE GOULDING: Time TBA, $39.50-$59.50.

Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-632-7777. mandalaybay.com BUNNY WAILER: 8 p.m., $25. Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-8622695. brooklynbowl.com/las-vegas THE DESERT WINDS #NOSTRINGSATTACHED 7:30pm. $20 adults, $10 students. The Adelson Educational Campus, 9700 Hillpointe Rd, Las Vegas. thedesertwinds.org.

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THE ANIMAL FOUNDATION'S 13TH ANNUAL BEST IN SHOW: 1 p.m., $12. Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-284-7777. orleans.com JEWEL GOOD DEEDS DAY: 10 a.m., free.

Various locations. For more information, visit jewishlasvegas.com.

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FLOETRY: 8 p.m., $30. Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2695. brooklynbowl.com/las-vegas

Wishing all a Happy and Healthy Passover

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OTEP WITH LACEY STURM, SEPTEMBER MOURNING AND DOLL SKIN: 7:30 p.m., $17.

Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas.

702-693-5000. hardrockhotel.com

UNWRITTEN LAW: 8 p.m., $13-$16.

Backstage Bar and Billiards, 601 Fremont Street, Las Vegas. 702-382-2227. backstagebarandbilliards.com

GIRLS NIGHT - THE MUSICAL: Through April 10, 7:30 p.m., $20. South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-796-7111. southpointcasino.com

THE COMPOSERS SHOWCASE OF LAS VEGAS: 10:30 p.m., $20. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-7492012. thesmithcenter.com

OLATE DOGS: 4 p.m., $25. Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-6935000. hardrockhotel.com LIPSHTICK - THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND UP - LISA LAMPANELLI: Time and cost TBA. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas.

702-414-1000. venetian.com

VIVA LAS VEGAS ROCKABILLY WEEKEND: Through April 17, times vary, costs vary.

Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-284-7777. orleans.com

301 N. Buffalo Drive

702-255-3444 www.thebagelcafelv.com

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VOLBEAT: 8 p.m., $40. Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-693-5000. hardrockhotel.com

WhereTheLocalsEat.com

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ENTER SHIKARI WITH HANDS LIKE HOUSES AND THE WHITE NOISE: 7:30 p.m., $17. Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702693-5000. hardrockhotel.com

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CHVRCHES WITH WOLF ALICE: 9 p.m., $25.

Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2695. brooklynbowl.com/ las-vegas STEVE SOLOMON-MY MOTHER’S ITALIAN, MY FATHER’S JEWISH AND I’M STILL IN THERAPY!: Through April 24, times vary, $35. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com

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ARTURO SANDOVAL: Through April 23, times vary, $42. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com

The Beach Boys 4.30

HIGHLY SUSPECT: 9 p.m., $15. Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-8622695. brooklynbowl.com/las-vegas

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CHRIS STAPLETON: 8 p.m., $50. Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702693-5000. hardrockhotel.com JULIE BUDD - REMEMBERING MR. SINATRA: Through April 16, 7 p.m., $39. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com 52 FRIDAYS - RICHARD MARX: 8 p.m., $19.

Golden Nugget, 129 East Fremont Street, Las Vegas. 702-385-7111. goldennugget.com/ lasvegas GEORGE LOPEZ: Through April 16, 10 p.m., $29.99. Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-791-7111. mirage.com HENRY CHO: Through April 16, 7:30 p.m., $15. South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-796-7111. southpointcasino.com NATIONAL POETRY MONTH - SUPER POETRY SAMPLER: 7:30 p.m., free. West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas.

702-507-3989. lvccld.org WANDA SYKES: 9 p.m., $59.95. Treasure Island, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas.

702-894-7111. treasureisland.com

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M83: 8 p.m., $35. Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las

Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2695. brooklynbowl.com/las-vegas LIPSHTICK - THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND UP - WHITNEY CUMMINGS: Time and cost TBA. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-414-1000. venetian.com LOUIS PRIMA JR. & THE WITNESSES: 10 p.m., $38.50. Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-942-7777. palms.com MIIKE SNOW: 9 p.m., $28. Cosmopolitan, 3708 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-6987000. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

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THE GREEN WITH PROTOJE: 8:30 p.m., $17.

Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2695. brooklynbowl.com/ las-vegas MISS NEVADA UNITED STATES: 6 p.m., $30.

South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-796-7111. southpointcasino.com REDEFINING ROMANCE - ON WRITING AND PUBLISHING SEX, LOVE & EMOTIONS: 2 p.m., free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-507-3458
. lvccld.org

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ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER: Through April 20, 7:30 p.m., $26. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com

52 FRIDAYS - TAYLOR DAYNE: 8 p.m., $19.

Golden Nugget, 129 East Fremont Street, Las Vegas. 702-385-7111. goldennugget.com/lasvegas RITA RUDNER: Through April 23, 8 p.m., $25$35. Red Rock, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-797-7777. redrock.sclv.com GEORGE STRAIT: Through April 23, 8 p.m., $75-$200. Las Vegas Arena, 3780 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. http:// www.axs.com/series/2129/george-straittickets?skin=georgestrait

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THE FRONT BOTTOMS: 8 p.m., $16.50.

Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2695. brooklynbowl.com/ las-vegas VIOLENT J: 7 p.m., $15-$20. Backstage Bar and Billiards, 601 Fremont Street, Las Vegas.

702-382-2227. backstagebarandbilliards.com LIPSHTICK - THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND UP - GARFUNKEL AND OATES: Time and cost TBA. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-414-1000. venetian.com CHICK COREA & BELA FLECK: 7:30 p.m., $29. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com CLINT HOLMES: 7 p.m., $19.99-$29.99. The M Resort, 12300 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Henderson.

702-797-1000. themresort.com PENTATONIX: Time and cost TBA. Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-

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632-7777. mandalaybay.com HOLY HOLY: 8 p.m., $30. Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas. 702-942-7777. palms.com LAS VEGAS FREE TO BREATHE 5K RUN/ WALK AND 1-MILE WALK: Time and cost TBA. Sunset Park, 2601 E. Sunset Road, Las Vegas. For more information, visit www. freetobreathe.org/lasvegas

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FOALS: 8 p.m., $22. Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2695. brooklynbowl.com/las-vegas

PASQUALE ESPOSITO - THE VOICE OF A LEGEND - CELEBRATING ENRICO CARUSO: 7:30 p.m., $65. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-7492012. thesmithcenter.com

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CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD: 8 p.m., $20. Brooklyn Bowl, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-862-2695. brooklynbowl.com/ las-vegas

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LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC - MOZART, POULENC AND BEETHOVEN: 7:30 p.m., $168. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com

Blvd., Las Vegas. 702-698-7000. cosmopolitanlasvegas.com RUPAUL'S BATTLE OF THE SEASONS EXTRAVAGANZA TOUR: 8 p.m., cost TBA. Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas.

702-942-7777. palms.com RIHANNA: Time and cost TBA. Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-6327777. mandalaybay.com JAY MOHR: Through April 30, 7:30 p.m., $30. South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 702-796-7111. southpointcasino.com

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TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS JASON BOLAND & THE STRAGGLERS: 9 p.m., $20. Hard Rock Hotel, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-6935000. hardrockhotel.com LIPSHTICK - THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND UP - NICOLE BYER: Time and cost TBA. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas.

702-414-1000. venetian.com LIPSHTICK - THE PERFECT SHADE OF STAND UP - SARAH COLONNA: Time and cost TBA. Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas.

702-414-1000. venetian.com THE BEACH BOYS: 7:30 p.m., $29. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com BELINDA CARLISLE: 8 p.m., $39.95. Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas. 702284-7777. orleans.com PICNIC BY DESIGN - PARASOLS IN THE PARK: 4:30 p.m., cost TBA. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. For more details, visit thecenterlv.org. thesmithcenter.com BILLY JOEL: Time TBA, $99.99-$225. T-Mobile Arena, 3780 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. http://www.axs.com/events/308081/billyjoel-tickets?skin=tmobile ERIC CHURCH: Through May 1, 8 p.m., $85.

Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas.

702-693-5000. hardrockhotel.com

To submit your event information, email calendar@ davidlv.com by the 15th of the month prior to the month in which the event is being held.

N E VA D A B A L L E T T H E AT R E ’ S

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LIONEL RICHIE: Encore April 30, 8 p.m., $59-$199. Planet Hollywood, 3667 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas. 877-333-9474. planethollywoodresort.com DEVILDRIVER WITH HOLY GRAIL, INCITE AND HEMLOCK: 7 p.m., $18. Hard Rock, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas. 702-693-5000. hardrockhotel.com

Sergei Prokofiev, Composer James Canfield, Choreographer

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UNCORK'D: Through May 1. Details at vegasuncorked.com

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ERICH BERGEN LIVE!: Through April 30, times vary, $39. The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas. 702-749-2012. thesmithcenter.com 52 FRIDAYS - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION: 8 p.m., $19. Golden Nugget, 129 East Fremont Street, Las Vegas. 702-385-7111. goldennugget.com/lasvegas THE BAND PERRY: 8 p.m., $35-$60.

Cosmopolitan, 3708 S. Las Vegas

May 14 at 7:30pm & May 15 at 2:00pm (702) 749-2000 or visit NevadaBallet.org SPONSORED IN PART BY AUDRA AND BOBBY BALDWIN Photo by Virginia Trudeau

NEVADA BALLET THEATRE — DAVID MAGAZINE AD — 5.25” X 4.8125” | APRIL 2016 www.davidlv.com

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devour Uncorking Vegas Vegas Uncork’d by Bon Appétit celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Imagine a multi-course feast, paired with wines and spirits, shared family-style against the iconic backdrop of Las Vegas Boulevard and the city skyline. This and other extravagant soirees take place April 28-May 1. Headliners include Giada De Laurentiis, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Chow, Guy Savoy, Gordon Ramsay, Nobu Matsuhisa and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Now venturing downtown with epicurean revelries, including a Steakhouse Redux at the iconic Golden Steer featuring Michael Mina. This year’s event will also feature a Mystery Dinner hosted by Emeril Lagasse, at a location that has yet to be announced. VegasUncorked.com

Love Unit Mixing sweet and savory ingredients like Stoli Vanilla Vodka, freshly squeezed lime, grapefruit, and bell pepper juice, the Love Unit’s unique blend results in a sleek and slightly spicy libation. It’s garnished with a red bell pepper ring and fresh Thai basil – “spanked” to release the flavor locked in each leaf. All juices are freshly squeezed and extracted on site daily to make this refreshing cocktail perfect for sipping and enjoying with friends. It’s not wonder The Love Unit has found a loyal following. It is currently available at Hyde Bellagio and Hyde Lounge at T-Mobile Arena when it opens on April 6.

Craving Avocado Toast Loved by celebrities and health foodies alike, avocado toast is most certainly the “it” breakfast and brunch food of the season. Whether you prefer the simple version, or one with a bit more flair, it’s a delicious and nutritional powerhouse, loaded with protein, healthy monounsaturated fat and fiber. Andiron Steak & Sea’s Avocado Toast is made from perfectly-ripe avocado, slices of pickled Fresno chili, tomato, and fresh arugula on a grilled wheat bread.

Andiron Steak & Sea, 1720 Festival Plaza Drive. 702-685-8002.

Love Unit recipe: • 1 oz Stoli Vodka • 1 oz Stoli Vanilla Vodka • 3/4 oz freshly squeezed lime • 1/2 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice • 3/4 oz freshly extracted red bell pepper juice • 1/2 oz simple syrup Garnish with red bell pepper ring and fresh “spanked” basil leaf.

18 APRIL 2016 | www.davidlv.com

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Eco-Friendly Home La Siesta hammocks are a vibrant blend of South American tradition and modern innovation. The Flora hammock has an extra-large surface of wonderfully soft organic cotton. The large number of suspension cords ensure optimal weight distribution, incredible comfort, as well as durability—and the cords are handplaited, too, to ensure quality. 149.95. TheGrommet.com

Loom & Hooked eco cotton rugs are made for bare feet. They are hand-woven from freshly spun 100% recycled cotton fiber on specially-designed looms to eliminate the use of unhealthy latex backing. Like with all Hook & Loom Rugs, there are no chemicals or dyes and they come in a variety of natural colors and styles. $48-685, depending on size. HookandLoom.com

Bring nature inside with plant portraits, which contain shelves to grow plants vertically, diagonally or horizontally on a wall. They can also be stacked for a larger display to bring dramatic natural beauty to the indoor space. $287-547. Botanicusgreen.com

Handcrafted from reclaimed retired French oak wine barrels, this oak stave chaise lounge is a wonderful piece of furniture that is designed to easily fold away for transportation, or when not in use. $148.35 Houzz.com

20 APRIL 2016 | www.davidlv.com

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When a barn grows up, it wants to be a bed. Covet the vintage wood, rescued and treated from captivating barns throughout the South— nail holes and knots make its value even more interesting. Reclaim the bedroom with this authentic vintage barnwood piece that tells a story. $1,498. Bambeco.com

This tripod style minimalist table lamp is made with hand-woven bamboo. All-natural materials were used for making the lamp shade and base, including the natural bamboo oil coating and eco-friendly water-based paint. $225. Houzz.com

Rustic Modern Ryan Round Coffee Table 48” merges old worlds and new. Crafted by hand from sustainably harvested and reclaimed woods, this round cocktail table features juxtaposing warm patinas with rough and refined woods, to lend a sense of history to any space, though never appear dated. The artistic use of tone ensures every one-of-a-kind piece is a focal point able to blend beautifully with other living room furniture. $2700. ZinHome.com

Master artisans in Pottery Barn’s Hickory, North Carolina furniture studio use FSC-certified wood, 100% recycled steel, recycled polyethylene, organic cotton and natural latex to create this eco-friendly sofa collection. $2,199-3,299. Potterybarn.com www.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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discover The Mojave Retakes the Strip Nestled between Monte Carlo Resort and Casino and New York-New York Hotel & Casino is The Park, an oasis designed to feel like a microcosm of the surrounding desert landscape that will also serve as the pathway to the new T-Mobile Arena.

Set to open this month, The Park will provide a respite from the hustle and bustle of The Strip, allowing pedestrians to relax and unwind under unique steel shade structures and marvel at the beds of vibrant Mojave vegetation. The Park, in grand style, champions the Strip’s new imperative of capturing the great outdoors.

Un Picnic Trés Chic A pop-up epicurean event and global phenomenon will take over one of Las Vegas’ most beautiful locations on Sunday, April 17. Le Dîner en Blanc is deigned for the city’s refined. Guests will gather at a secret location for the sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends.

“We felt Las Vegas was a prime location for this dazzling event because the city is a mecca for food, culture and entertainment, and has such a beautiful mix of people from all over the world, said Michael Habicht, co-owner of iii designs and co-host of Le Dîner en Blanc – Las Vegas. lasvegas.dinerenblanc.info/

Shakespeare in the Park Celebrate the days when Shakespeare’s plays took center stage in outdoor theatres and when admittance was merely a penny. “A Taste of Shakespeare in Downtown Container Park” pays tribute to William Shakespeare, who was born and died on April 23, with a day-long festival of performances, food, and fun. Highlights include performances from classics, including Othello, Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, Macbeth and Twelfth Night.

Performances will be scheduled throughout the day on April 23 with impromptu scenes and speeches by costumed performers. Tickets are $5.www.shakespeare.vegas.

22 APRIL 2016 | www.davidlv.com

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mingle LAS VEGAS PHILHARMONIC “SINGING IN THE RAIN” 2016 ANNUAL GALA Venue 1

The Smith Center

Date Friday, February 19

Event 300 attendees enjoyed a special presentation by Patricia Ward Kelly from the Gene Kelly Legacy Foundation.

A silent auction and dinner on the 2

3

Reynolds Hall stage was followed by a live auction and paddle raiser. Proceeds benefit the organization’s education outreach programs, which impact over 16,000 Clark County School District students annually.

Photos 1.

(L-R) Jerry Nadal, Diana Bennett, Julie Murray, Marlee Palermo and

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Lindy Schumacher.

2.

Bob and Shelly Dubin.

3.

(L-R) Jeri Crawford, Donato Cabrera and Patricia Ward Kelly.

4.

Dr. Renu Jain and Dr. Ranjit Jain.

5.

(L-R) Charles & Patricia Sprincin, Gabriella and Terry Hoisington.

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6.

Shakeh Ghoukasian & Juliana McRae

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(L-R) Salvador Carias, Alexie Ihde,

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Mikela Lee-Manaois, Derek Noel.

8.

(L-R) Gil, Shirley, and Leor Reginiano

9.

Bud Pattengale and Toni Carpenter

Photos: Cashman Photography www.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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mingle THE 12TH ANNUAL ADELSON EDUCATIONAL CAMPUS “IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE” GALA Venue The Venetian Resort | Hotel | Casino

Date Saturday, February 27

Event This 12th annual gala was held to raise money for the Summerlin Jewish Day School. Keynote speaker and honoree, Rudy Giuliani entertained those in attendance with his insights relating to the current race for the White House and world affairs. Fabulous items were auctioned off and those in attendence danced the night away.

Photos: Marc Frye

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mingle 2016 TOURO GALA Venue Four Seasons Hotel

Date Sunday, March 6 1

Event The event honored Jaldeep Daulat, D.O., Mitchell Forman, D.O., Nevada Energy, and David Steinberg, M.D. while Vice Admiral Vivek H Murthy US Surgeon General gave an inspiring keynote address.

Photos 1.

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(L-R) Devon Kienzle, Christopher Gonzalez, Caitlin Russell, Vice Admiral Vivek H Murthy US Surgeon General, Shelley Berkley CEO and Sr Provost, Keyon Shokraneh Kenari, Nervik Roy and Simran Behniwal.

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(L-R) Michael and Theresa Minden with Dr Jeffrey Cummings of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center.

3.

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Honoree Dr Mitchell Forman Founding Dean and Vice Admiral Vivek H Murthy US Surgeon General.

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Dr John Dougherty Dean of Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine and wife Sara Dougherty.

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(L-R) Marla Letezia, Michelle Dahan, Max Berkley, Renee Aschoff and Jacklyn Rosen

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(L-R Standing) Rabbi Shea Harlig, Joshua & Jessica Pianko, City of Henderson Councilwoman Debra March, Michelle Dahan, Dr. Joey Adashek and Michael Murphy (L-R Seated) David Dahan, Karyn Sporn and Shana Dahan

Photos: Cashman Photography

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mingle JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY 9TH ANNUAL TZEDAKAH JAZZ BRUNCH Venue Temple Beth Sholom

Date

1

Sunday, March 6

Event Individuals who made a significant contribution to the agency’s Holocaust Survivor Program were honored.

Photos 1.

(L-R) Dr. Jennifer Finder and Dr. Charles Finder, family of event

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honoree Esther Finder with honorees Ray Fiol and Doug Unger.

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(L-R) Fran Fine, Barbara Raben, JFSA board president and associate justice of the Nevada Supreme Court, Michael Cherry.

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Harry Kogan and Lucy Jacobs .

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(L-R) Helen Edell Sloan, Myra Berkovits, and Priscilla Schwartz.

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JFSA Board Members and Event Chairs Ercy Rosen and Lisa Bassewitz

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(L-R) Janet Wellish with JFSA board members Judith Berkley and Norma Friedman

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Doug Unger and Rabbi Sanford Akselrad.

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(L-R) Cantor Jessica Hutchings, Marla Letizia, Barbara Raben, JFSA board president and Harmony Letizia.

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(L-R) Richard Frankoff, Kenneth Moskowitz, Ph.D., JFSA executive director, Jeff Metz, JCC executive director and Laura Sussman, JFSA board member.

Photos: Tonya Harvey

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Filling the Void @ 28 An Opening in the Wall? @ 32 Ellamar’s Harvest @ 36

ELLAMAR’S HARVEST pg. 36

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speak

Filling

Void

the 28 APRIL 2016 | www.davidlv.com

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Can Summerlin’s New Albertsons Undo the Haggen Damage?

By Corey Levitan

T

here were so many things to like about our Vons. Not only was Trails Village Center within walking distance of our house, the supermarket was open 24/7 and was actually the prettiest I had ever seen. (Yes, I was raised in the First World.

But the rich wood fixtures, warm lighting and wide aisles of this 56,660-square-foot store made it seem nicer to me than even the Gelson’s I used to frequent in Beverly Hills.)

But there was something else special about that Vons. It made Summerlin into an actual community for me and my wife. I’d walk in and there would be my neighbor, Dan, bitching about my dead lawn while buying charcoal. At the checkout stand, Gina with the flirty brown eyes would ask what my next Review-Journal column was going to be about. And Steve, the brother of our family ENT doc, David, would wave hi as his 70-year-old employee, Christine, filled our prescriptions. (You could only tell she was there by the three or four poofy strands of red bouffant dancing above the counter, since she was 4-foot-7.)

After Gina, my favorite cashier was Tony from New York, who was always good for a conversation about our cherished 1977 Yankees.

One day, I decided that our friendship was Facebook-sufficient. So I added him as a friend and learned that he had advanced melanoma and five kids to support. (Yikes!)

In January 2015, when Vons parent Safeway completed a $9 billion merger with Albertsons, the Federal Trade Commission ordered the companies to sell off 168 stores to stay within anti-monopoly laws.

One of the stores it ordered closed was the Trails Village Center Vons.

“It was one of the two top-performing grocery stores in the whole state,” says Jim Christensen, managing member of Investment Properties, which owns the strip mall. “I was very upset.”

When my Vons friends told me about the impending sale, they told me not to worry because they would all get to keep their jobs.

That was the first of more than 100 lies they were told. “Haggen’s came in and ruined the store,” Christensen says.

The Saturday it changed hands last June, the employees lined up out front to greet the community in their new dark green Haggen aprons. My daughter danced around the floor just inside the automatic doors. This was an event to us. I’d read that Haggen was renown for its environmental consciousness, so we could probably expect more locally sourced organic and vegetarian food than Vons had — and maybe even solar-panel shades in the parking lot!

“Some people care enough about what’s wrong in the world to try and fix it,” I told 4-year-old Skylar.

Indeed, the signage promised “5,000 new health-conscious items.”

A prerecorded PA announcement repeated: “Hello, Haggen, goodbye hassle.” But I couldn’t help noticing something fake about how the employees smiled as they stood there.

As part of the contract with Haggen, I discovered later, all former Vons employees were hired on as new workers. Whatever time they had served with the previous company was erased, and some didn’t www.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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The new Albertsons under construction.

receive anywhere near their previous salaries.

And, after returning every week for two months, the only new item I could ever discern in the store was the sign promising 5,000 new items. Haggen wasn’t even banishing hassle. It was embracing it by jacking most of Vons’ prices and doing away with discount cards and even gift cards.

It turns out, the Bellingham, Wash.-based company was prohibited from selling gift cards because those were the rules of the bankruptcy proceedings it was already firmly embroiled in. By then, 18 of its 30 locations had to be sold off, and private-equity investors were liquidating more of the real estate for quick cash. Its expansion was untenable and Haggen executives knew it.

For the record, Christensen denies that Safeway knew the shenanigans Haggen was up to. “They didn’t want to sell,” he says. “They were forced to sell.”

But I also blame Safeway. The bankruptcy was public knowledge.

And selling 146 stores to these putzes was like handing the car keys to your little brother with three DUIs.

By June, Gina and her brown eyes were gone. By August, I no longer saw Steven or Christine and her hair poofs or New York Tony with the advanced melanoma and five kids to support. The parking lot was almost always empty, and Haggen announced it was closing.

By November, the store was manned by no more than a dozen strange faces, checking out largely expired items all tossed to the right-hand third of a mostly vacant store. The prettiest supermarket I had ever seen in my life was now the ugliest. Was this Summerlin or Soviet-era Moscow?

As my daughter walked around what once were soda aisles, there was no dancing this time, or denying the folly of my original lesson. “Some people don’t care about the world at all,” I told her, “just about themselves.”

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THE 2015-2016 SEASON

have been a Smart & Final, which was circling heavily. (Because if there’s anything Summerlin residents need to rush out for at 11 p.m., it’s 200 red party cups and a four-gallon jug of pickles.)

“Sprouts also wanted it but they only wanted 36,000 feet,” Christensen says. “And the commitment we made to Summerlin was that it would be a full-service supermarket with deli and floral departments.”

After winning the bid, Christensen approached Albertsons himself. By then, the FTC had relaxed its rules, given how undeniably they were decimating communities.

When the Albertsons at Trails Village Center opened on March 23, locals sighed with relief. I mean, it’s a definite step down the fancy ladder from Vons. But at least we can again buy emergency cereal milk without having to brave the three extra miles, or the obstinate seniors who refuse to look before entering the crosswalk in front of the Sun City Smith’s.

And, hopefully, the adjacent stores will see their foot traffic return to pre-Haggen heights.

However, I hope the news is just as welcome to my old friends.

(This issue went to press before the store reopened.) Christensen says that 40 of the original 109 employees are returning. I know that includes Tony, Steve and Christine (a relief because of Tony’s condition and because, the last time I checked, there wasn’t much of a call for 70-year-old pharmacists who can’t see over the counter).

But I hope it also includes Gina and all our other friends. And I hope they’re returning on terms they’re happy with.

Frankly, I was surprised to hear it would be an Albertsons, since there’s already one three miles away at Charleston Boulevard and Town Center Drive. I want to believe that, maybe, there are some people who still care about the world, about communities, and that Albertsons maybe even felt bad for its role in the Haggen evildoing.

I want to believe it, but corporations seldom do anything that does not include the profit motive.

Tickets available at The Smith Center Box Office at 702.749.2000 or at lvphil.org

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Women praying at the Wall

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An Opening

Wall?

in the

Women & Non-Orthodox Jews Demand their Freedom to Pray at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount

By Lynn Wexler

A

s battles for freedom ensue throughout the world, the Jewish festival of Passover seems best suited to shed light on the dark places of oppression and tyranny.

Passover is, after all, the holy and joyous z’man heyruteinu (season of our freedom) for the Jewish people. It commemorates the deliverance of the Hebrews from 400 years of bondage and persecution in Mitzrayim (Hebrew for Egypt). The Jews cried out to G-d and G-d sent Moses to redeem them.

The notion of spiritual and physical redemption is inherent in the word Mitzrayim. Its etymology lies in the root tzra. According to the Jewish mysticism text (the Zohar), tzra means to bind, restrict or constrain. To leave Egypt, metaphorically speaking, one must break out of personal restraints to achieve full potential.

A similar parallel can be drawn between Israel’s Haredi – or ultraOrthodox – and the non-Orthodox and the Women of the Wall advocacy movement.

The Haredi have controlled Israel’s religious status quo since the Jewish State’s formation in 1948, per a written agreement with Israel’s founder and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion.

“Many Israelis, and Jews around the world, have found the Haredi’s religious authority to be oppressive in its denial of religious freedom of expression to those whose Jewish voices veer from the Orthodox view,” says Shimon Shetreet, a Hebrew University law professor and former Israeli politician.

“The chief rabbinate has authority over kosher food laws, Shabbat observance, gender differences, how Jewish burial, marriage, divorce and conversions are religiously conducted, and the question of who is a Jew for the purposes of immigration,” Shetreet says.

“The ultra-Orthodox also receive government assistance to allow them to study Torah rather than work; and they are excused from military service,” he says.

Women of the Wall, or WOW, was begun in the late 1980s to challenge and break free from what its founders viewed as religious oppression and discrimination by Haredi.

Members would pray at the Kotel in a manner equal to men, which is forbidden. Some of the ultra-Orthodox tried to disperse them by hurling chairs or other items, and through verbal abuse.

Founder and Chairwoman Anat Hoffman, along with other WOW members, has been thrown in jail for defying Haredi-imposed reli-

gious laws.

Secular Israeli Jews, who are not religious and don’t observe Jewish law, believe that Israel – as a democratic and modern society – should not force observance upon citizens against their will.

In turn, the Orthodox Israeli Jews believe that state and religious separation eventually will spell the end of Israel’s Jewish identity.

In January, the Israeli government approved an “egalitarian” prayer space, in the spirit of Reform and Conservative Judaism, at a designated section of the Western Wall (Kotel in Hebrew).

For the first time in Israel’s history: non-Orthodox Jewish men and women can pray together at the newly designated site; women can read from the Torah and wear the traditional prayer shawl (tallit in Hebrew) previously exclusive to men; a joint government office now exists, with legally binding authority, government funding and official representation from the Reform and Conservative Movements; and the Reform and Conservative Movements, WOW, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Federations of North America have collectively reached agreement with the government on matters of religion and state in Israel.

The decision drew praise from Jewish leaders across the globe, but opposition from Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Israelis and government members.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the creation of the space a “fair and creative solution” to rising tensions at the Wall.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said the effort “is the result of the extraordinary commitment shown by those in Israel who wouldn’t agree to the second-class status imposed by the ultra-Orthodox religious establishment.”

Hoffman, the WOW founder, said it also represented the Israeli government’s groundbreaking recognition of “religious pluralism and egalitarianism that is critical to a vibrant Judaism. I want, however, to see and be seen,” she said, “and there is still work to be done to accomplish that.”

Rabbi Sanford Akselrad has been the Reform spiritual leader of Congregation Ner Tamid in Las Vegas since 1988. He attributes any dissatisfaction to the recent landmark ruling to the new prayer space’s location.

“It’s south of the iconic Western Wall, in an area known as Robinson’s Arch,” he says. “The space is small, has its own entrance that is for now www.davidlv.com | MARCH 2016

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Rabbi Sandford Akselrad at the new egalitarian site at the Wall.

not marked — you have to know it’s there or else you won’t find it — is bordered by barbed wire and littered with rocks and boulders.

“And the Haredi have no control of that portion of the Wall,” he adds, “so they, in effect, never gave up anything in making this possible. Those who will go there to pray will not be seen by those entering though the main gate and gathering and praying at the main area of the Western Wall.

“It will take several years to enlarge, elevate and improve the space, and connect it to the main Kotel entrance,” Akselrad says. “In the meantime, the first and most important step has been achieved.”

A faction of the Haredi maintains staunch opposition to the decision,

and has threatened to bring down the Netanyahu government. Yisrael Eichler, a Haredi leader and member of Agudat Yisrael (an Orthodox political party), called Reform Jews mentally ill, according to Akselrad.

Akselrad credits Natan Sharansky for brokering the deal between the parties; and Hoffman, “who is truly the Rosa Parks of this issue.” Sharansky, a Soviet-born Israeli politician, human rights activist and author, spent nine years in the former USSR’s prisons for alleged spying.

As a member of the 127th Annual Convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in Israel, Akselrad witnessed the opening of the space. His counterparts in MARAM – the Council of Reform Rabbis in Israel – joined him for the event.

“We stood and prayed at the newly assigned site on February 25, 2016, for the first Reform,” he says, “(the first) mixed-gender prayer service to ever take place at the Western Wall. It was beyond measure.”

Later, the group took a bus trip to the Israeli parliament for a first-time visit by a community of non-Orthodox Rabinit, who appeared and spoke before a small committee of the Knesset.

“Photos were taken to commemorate and record this historic moment that I was privileged to behold and be a part of,” Akselrad says.

Michael J. Broyde is academic director of the Law and Religion Program at Emory University in Atlanta, and a senior fellow at Emory’s Center for the Study of Law and Religion.

“Americans view this struggle to balance religious and secular beliefs as ridiculous … weird even,” he says. “The conversation is just foreign to us.”

“Israel is one of those countries – like Italy and England – that has an established ‘church’ or religion. They follow one established religious identity that has to then be simultaneously reconciled as against the exercise of individual freedoms,” Broyde says. “In

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America there is no such established ‘church’ to interfere with or challenge our freedom of expression.

“How to engage in free exercise is the hardest part of Israeli society,” he adds. “It’s the dilemma of this kind of country. Where the line is drawn at any given point in time is a judgment call. Is this good or bad?

I don’t know, except that free exercise in the end has to be protected.”

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson was known to his worldwide followers as the Rebbe. Russian Empire-born in 1902, the American Orthodox Jewish rabbi was the last of the Lubavitcher Rebbes. When he died in 1994, he was considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century.

In his writings, Schneerson asks: “Are the Jewish people essentially a free people who were once slaves, or are they by nature a tribe of slaves who were once freed?”

“When Gd redeemed [the Jewish people] from Egyptian bondage,” he wrote, “they were imbued with an intrinsic freedom that transcends all conditions and circumstances.”

The story of redemption that Jews recount each year through the reading of the Passover story at the Seder meal reminds Jews that freedom is endowed from within, and is expressed in how we choose to live. Are we defined by constraints or by the freedom to choose worthy actions, thoughts and feelings?

In this Season of Our Freedom, the Women of the Wall chose to exercise their freedom by defying constraints. Notwithstanding their incitement of Kontroversy at the Kotel, and the equally and fervently held beliefs and retaliations of the Haredi, the Jewish State strives to uphold one of the most important and fundamental principles upon which it was founded: freedom, and reverence for the price paid to preserve it.

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jccsn.org www.davidlv.com | MARCH 2016

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Ellamar’s

Harvest Chef Roy’s Celebration of Farm Fresh Organic Produce

By Jason Harris • Photos courtesy of MGM Resorts

R

oy Ellamar is going to be famous. Actually, famous may be the wrong word. In the celebrity chef-driven culture of today, I have no idea if Ellamar will become a TV star or an author or some other type of media-anointed food personality.

What I do know, after eating his food, is that major things lie ahead for the talented chef. Fame or not, in the culinary world Roy Ellamar is going to be important.

I’m not alone in this opinion. The former executive chef of Sensi at The Bellagio could have been looking for a job after the aforementioned restaurant shuttered its doors last year. Instead, the upscale hotel kept Ellamar around and let him curate the menu for the restaurant to replace Sensi, a place now known as Harvest By Roy Ellamar. He might be the first in-house chef to create his own restaurant, and he’s certainly the first culinary artist to navigate the Bellagio ranks and get his name on the marquee.

Harvest, in my opinion, is the best example Las Vegas has to offer in farm-to-table cuisine. Ellamar and crew work almost exclusively with “local” purveyors, sourcing all of their ingredients on the West Coast. The chef’s mission is to create high-end cuisine with the best that our surrounding area has to offer. And it doesn’t hurt that Ellamar is so confident in his skills that he’s willing to try to enfold stunning flavors into nearly every dish.

After they sit down, Harvest diners are greeted by one of the excellent service members pushing around a cart known as the Snack Wagon. It transports a selection of smaller bites ($7 each), with delightful early meal offerings. Hawaiian ahi poke is a must, as the fish from Kona, Hawaii, is a perfect vessel for chef Ellamar to showcase his roots. The Big Island native prepares this version with red chili, cilantro and yuzu, all over white rice. It’s a punch in the mouth in the best possible way. The snack special of the day on my visit was an aggressive tomato gazpacho, with octopus ceviche rounding out the cold soup. While the special changes regularly, this assertive dish deserves a regular rotation spot. Another excellent offering is the eggplant caviar. The creamy and flavorful aubergine has a smooth texture and spreads well on its homemade cracker accompaniment. What makes the entire dish so exquisite are the

oven-dried tomatoes (served atop the eggplant) that supply both another layer of texture and taste. The topping itself foretells the quality of the restaurant’s vegetarian cuisine.

The menu is broken up into sections. The left hand side features the different types of social plates, those for sharing. The right hand portion showcases the more sizable main courses. But with so many scrumptious options from either side, it’s likely that everything will be shared anyway.

Starting on the left hand side, the Garden section features more delicious vegetable offerings, though not all vegetarian.

Charred Brussels sprouts ($13) are blasted with BLiS maple syrup, mustard seed and Bourbon soy. Alone, it reads a little sweet, but accompanied by some pickled onions, an optimum bite is created.

The Brussels sprouts aren’t the only vegetable that gets a nice char. Grilled cauliflower ($13) rests atop a sweet onion puree and contains anchovy breadcrumbs for a counterbalance. The micro greens on top are completely necessary to yield yet another flavor, something that is rarely true about micro greens.

From the Ocean section, the grilled squid ($15) is about as perfect a dish as one can make. The squid is from Monterey, California, and takes nicely to the grill marks. Slow-cooked cannelloni beans give the dish some teeth, while charred greens add the finesse. And Merguez sausage is both meaty and salty. Together, everything works in unity, creating a taste profile that’s both homey and complex. It’s like the dream dish of a Portuguese fisherman.

Working your way down the left hand side of the menu, the Ranch section is next. The Scotch egg ($10) shows off the chef’s playfulness and his ability to execute seemingly simple food at a high level. This British dish is over 300 years old, but Ellamar makes it feel current. A soft fried farm egg is enveloped by sausage, which is crusted in panko, giving soft, chewy and crunchy textures. A punchy romesco sauce raises the entire dish.

Moving to the right side of the menu, we went straight to the Stone Oven entrees. Lamb shank is a nice piece of meat in most places. Here, Ellamar is able to elevate the familiar and make it singular. The shank ($48) from Superior Farms, California, is fallwww.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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off-the-bone tender and sits upon a comfy bed of Anson Mills grits, a nice complement to the lamb. On the meat’s exterior is a grapefruit gremolata coating that probably would make for a nice citrus sorbet base as easily as it does a smart lamb topping.

Perhaps no other dish showcases Ellamar’s abilities more than the vegetarian entrée, farro porridge ($22). The underutilized grain medley takes up residence in a bowl that’s a visual work of art.

Leafy greens, edible flower petals, thick mushrooms, a soft fried egg and a healthy serving of black truffles are all eye appealing. As for taste, this is either the most interesting dinner option or the most decadent breakfast porridge one could concoct. The earthiness of the mushrooms. The comfort of breaking the egg and coating the rest of the ingredients. The extravagance of the black truffles. Farro is not considered a luxury item, but here it is. Finishing the dish with a masterful squirt of lemon juice gives the whole thing a wonderful acidic and sour counterbalance. It is among the most unique dishes I’ve tried.

For sides, we opted for potato gratin ($11), which was creamy and layered with flavor thanks to mustard seeds and crème fraiche. We also had blue lake beans ($10) that quickly become addictive. The beans take on Ellamar’s signature char, and a nice sweetness thanks to soy sauce and honey. The thoughtful addition of nuts adds crunch, and romesco sauce makes the whole thing pop. For a side, it’s quite impressive.

With the savory offerings done, it was time for the Sweet Wagon ($7 for a choice of three). An orange-Grand Marnier chocolate

Happy Passover Albertsons|Vons wishes you happiness, peace and all the joys of Passover.

Visit our newest Albertsons store at 1940 Village Center Circle, Las Vegas for all your Passover needs.

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Help • Hope • Support

Passover Is traditionally a time when families and friends come together around the table to share in a festive meal and the retelling of the Exodus story.

For many in our community, putting food on the table is a challenge and a traditional Passover Seder only a dream.

We ask you to help us provide those in need with Passover Seders to make their holiday celebrations a little brighter.

To give your support, go to… www.jfsalv.org and click on the donation page.

Wishing you happiness, peace, prosperity and all the joys of Passover!

Dr. Kenneth Moskowitz, Executive Director Jewish Family Service Agency

Items from the Snack Waggon.

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The vegetarian Farro Porridge.

lollipop is an adult treat that makes you feel like a kid again. A chocolate hazelnut tart is the perfect accoutrement to a nice cup of coffee. And an almond pear tart bursts with lovely pear flavor, accented by the subtler almond.

But the real sweet stunner comes from the proper dessert menu.

Sticky toffee pudding is found in many restaurants today — it seems to be the artisanal toast of desserts. But if there were a sticky toffee pudding competition my money would be on Ellamar. This gooey take on the dessert has smoky maple bacon laced throughout it, again surprising the diner with just how intricate something so familiar can be. Served with a cool scoop of Tahitian vanilla ice cream, it’s an ideal way to end such a dynamic meal. As I sat there, completely wowed by what I had just eaten, it occurred to me: Harvest By Roy Ellamar has the potential to change the dining landscape on The Strip. Yes, there are many fantastic restaurants laced throughout the major hotels. But perhaps nobody is as focused on presenting the unexpected as Ellamar. He is so locked in on his farm-to-table concept that he has created something new for Las Vegas. It would be easy to rest on these laurels. But that’s not Ellamar’s style. As if I needed any more proof that he is dedicated to pushing the fine dining limits, as I was leaving he let me know that half of his menu would be gone by the end of the month, supplanted by new dishes celebrating the best of what the West Coast has to offer for spring.

I just thought of another word to describe Roy Ellamar and what he is doing at Harvest: exciting. www.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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Housing Market Checkup @ 42 Ethical Threads @ 46 Exodus Redux @ 52 HOUSING MARKET CHECKUP pg. 42

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Housing Market

Checkup Industry Leaders Take the Temperature of the Vegas Housing Market

By Doug Puppel

I

f you’re a hospital patient, you’d rather hear your doctor asking “What’s the temperature?” than “Can you find a pulse?” And if you’re talking about the current state of the Southern Nevada housing market, the first question would be more appropriate to pose these days than the second – the one that many of us were asking just a few years back.

To help us “take the temperature” of today’s residential real estate market, we consulted representatives from the real estate, construction and academic communities and asked this provocative question: Why are buyers not coming back?

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Scott Beaudry

Crisann Conroy

Real estate people always wish there were more buyers. But their puzzling absence from this market has me wondering if the unpleasant memories of our recent past have kept people renting, even if it is in their interest to buy.

I fear today’s inaction could compound yesterday’s setbacks by denying (people) the traditional benefits of homeownership, which our market is providing today. And yesterday’s seesaw economy has left those who start shopping with a ‘waitand-see’ attitude.

Time and good financial behavior have improved the creditworthiness of many of those who lost homes, and lenders have a variety of innovative products available, including some tailored to those working in vital occupations, such as first responders, educators and health care workers.

There are excellent properties on the market, at many price points, all over the valley. But the inventory is lower than one would like. That could be remedied quickly, though, if more people were looking and prices showed some strength. And if the banks and other lending institutions did more than just ‘trickle release’ their inventory of foreclosed or short sale homes into the marketplace (though no one is asking for a flood).

You read a lot about whether ‘investors’ are interested in the market. But, if you think about it, everyone who buys a home is an investor. Homeowners are building equity and making an investment in themselves, their families and our community — and investing is much different than speculating.

What’s to lose by looking? Buyers today have more tools at their disposal to learn about the housing market than ever before.

Working with a Realtor and using today’s technology allows them to explore properties and financing much more efficiently than thumbing through the Sunday paper ever could. They just need to pick up the phone.

My job is to sell houses, so you know where this is going.

But lessons from a lifetime in real estate, financial planning, construction and watching politics led me to recently put my money where my mouth is and buy a new home.

Our current Goldilocks real estate environment — not too hot, not too cold — allowed me to secure a great mortgage rate (not as low as they were, but well below their historic average) while having many choices in a diverse and competitive housing market.

This is a great time to at least be kicking the tires. But disconcerting to me is a sense of complacency among too many potential buyers who act as if nothing can spoil the porridge.

The cheers that greet the anti-Wall Street rhetoric of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump reveal to me distaste in the country for the financial services industry. This sentiment could easily lead to more regulation or taxes or otherwise put downward pressure on stocks. That could dry up investment, which would be bad news all around, or send dollars looking for better returns elsewhere, say in real estate, pushing up prices.

Nobody knows for sure; the best we can do is take a clear-eyed assessment of the present and use that to map our futures.

With rates and the home prices where they are, many people could improve the quality of their lives and give themselves a raise by moving from renting to owning, which provides tax benefits, a chance to build equity, and a sense of pride that a lease cannot provide.

President, Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors Broker/Owner, Universal Realty

Accredited Buyer’s Representative RE/MAX Advantage

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Tom McCormick

Nat Hodgson

From when I was a kid, being a homebuilder was what I wanted to do. It was a passion that fueled a career, until one day the passion remained but the career was put on hold.

Most of our team at Touchstone Living can tell versions of that story, which is why we relish 2016 as our coming out year. The challenging times reminded us of how privileged we are to be in the craft, and today we build the houses we want to build.

We serve a high-end market, from $400,000 and up, and buyers there are as careful with their money as anywhere else. We recognize we are all still a little shell shocked, and to take a leap and buy a home you need to see something you haven’t seen before.

To be successful in today’s market, no matter the price, you need to build houses that appeal to home buyers who would like to be reassured of their investment. They want to be reminded every day that they made the right choice.

Meeting that challenge has lifted the spirits of everyone at Touchstone Living, as we build houses to be proud of. With a kitchen to die for as a nucleus, our 100-foot-wide homes provide a spectacular sense of entry and are engineered for efficiency.

The market has responded, and this spring’s groundbreaking for our spectacular 320-home Hidden Hills development on far west Lone Mountain Road will be almost as much fun as building the homes there.

Homebuilders exist in a highly competitive, yet highly regulated environment, with fixed costs (labor, materials, insurance, permits) that seem to rise as fast as customers’ tastes change.

Efficiency is key, on the jobsites and in the office, which needs to be convenient to a builder’s projects as well as for contractors, vendors and others they do business with. Seeing so many of our membership setting up shop in the southwest valley prompted us to relocate our offices two years ago to near Flamingo and 215. And it is exciting to see the growth close up.

There is great housing product available in every corner of the valley, but the southwest, along the Beltway, is also an emerging business corridor — and we expect more new homes to follow the jobs.

Southern Hills and San Martin hospitals anchor a robust health care presence; industrial development is likely to continue along West Sunset Road, and Interstate 15 construction delays during Project Neon might make a Beltway location even more convenient.

The area is also one of the last frontiers, with larger pieces of developable land available, adding to its desirability.

Founder and president, Touchstone Living Touchstoneliving.com

Executive Director/CEO Southern Nevada Home Builders Association

Ed Coulson, Ph.D.

Director, UNLV Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies After hitting bottom in 2012, home prices rebounded sharply as investors scooped up distressed properties. They developed a successful business model by creating profitable, corporate-scale real estate portfolios of single-family rental units.

Today, the investors seem content to enjoy their cash flow instead of adding to their holdings. And the housing market is being sustained by owner-occupiers. This helped cool price appreciation, but also keeps excesses in check as we continue to work through the hangover from the crash.

The bubble era in Las Vegas was truly unusual. In many cities — think San Francisco, Boston and New York — supply constraints helped push prices up. In Las Vegas and places like Phoenix, the Inland Empire (in Southern California) and South Florida, higher prices prompted new construction — and prices continued to escalate as market momentum fed on itself.

When the music stopped our community was left with an outsized inventory that is still years away from being fully absorbed.

The days of wild speculation by buyers, builders and bankers are, thankfully, a receding memory. But they continue to cast a shadow.

Along with time what will get us to a ‘normal’ housing market is a growing, more diverse economy, which is why Faraday Future, our investment in health care, and other initiatives are so important. www.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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Ethical

Threads Stockholm Based H&M Focuses on Sustainable Fashion

By Marisa Finetti

O

n April 24 each year, Fashion Revolution Day helps raise awareness of the true “costs” of fashion. It’s an annual opportunity to celebrate those dedicated to sustainability, and to show the world that change is possible.

Increasingly, the fashion industry has come under pressure to cut water use and pesticides in cotton farming, and to reduce pollution from textile factories and improve factory conditions for workers.

Stockholm-based H&M (Hennes & Mauritz) is focusing on its own ethical profiles to help drive long-term sales growth and promote consumer loyalty.

H&M stores in Las Vegas, including those in Town Square Las Vegas, Miracle Mile Shops, The Forum Shops at Caesars and soon at Downtown Summerlin, tout the idea of looking good with doing good. H&M Conscious, as its sub-label is known, represents the brand’s promise to offer more fashion choices that are good for people, the planet and a consumer’s wallet.

“At H&M,” says CEO Karl-Johan Persson, “we have set ourselves the challenge of ultimately making fashion sustainable and sustainability fashionable. I’m very excited to see the progress we’ve made so far,” he says, “and how this will help us to make you an even better offer – and create a more sustainable fashion future.”

The company ranks first worldwide in the use of certified organic cotton. More than 20 percent of its cotton is either certified organic, recycled or grown under the Better Cotton Initiative. H&M’s goal is to be all organic by 2020.

It uses many other “conscious” materials, too, such as Tencel, organic hemp and recycled wool. These fibers make up 14 percent of the brand’s total material use.

At any of its stores, H&M shoppers can look for the green Conscious label to identify garments that are part of the sustainability program. From blouses to jackets, shorts and skirts, the Conscious collection offers both fashion- and eco-friendly casual pieces. The company’s Clevercare symbol on garment labels provides care recom-

mendations to reduce climate impact, while promoting the longevity of the clothing. Did you know, for example, that washing clothes at 30 degrees instead of 60 cuts your energy use in half?

If you’re looking for a bit more glamour, Conscious Exclusive (The Forum Shops location only) is H&M’s most elegant collection. Its key pieces are gala dresses and glam jumpsuits. Jessica Chastain, Golden Globe winner for her role in Zero Dark Thirty, wore one of the dresses at the Oscars presentation; and actress-model Olivia Wilde of TV’s House chose the CE brand for her Elle Styles Award appearance.

Inspiration for the collection is found in African, Indian and Japanese cultures; bold, vibrant prints and beautiful beadings are key.

Garments are fabricated from such materials as organic silk, leather, linen and cotton, recycled polyester and lyocell, making CE one of H&M’s greenest collections ever. And, for the first time, even the beads and sequins are recycled.

“Who doesn’t want to be sustainable?” asks H&M creative adviser Ann-Sofie Johansson. “It’s incredibly inspiring to make this collection and challenge our suppliers and designers with these less usual materials. I hope that we can inspire the industry by showing the great possibilities these materials hold.”

Her personal favorite piece? “I love the tuxedo! It’s easy to wear the jacket and pants separately. The sleeves are slit on the underarm, which gives a cape or kimono feeling, which is very effective.

The tuxedo looks good when wearing a T-shirt underneath – or combined with the dress shirt.”

For you, the shopper, it’s easy to get involved with H&M’s movement. Once you’re done wearing any of your clothing including Conscious purchases, you can return them to the company under its garment collection program. H&M will give the clothing new “life,” and it eventually may show up again with a green tag. According to H&M, all but 5 percent of the thousands of tons of textiles thrown away each year could be re-worn or recycled.

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Amour is a crewneck, long-sleeve fitted top with delicate details made of Tencel and nylon. $49.99.

Philo skirt A shapely pannier skirt in textured jacquard fabric with a worn-out, time-consumed patina, made of a mix of organic linen, silk and cotton. $199.

Available at H&M, Forum Shops at Caesars.

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The Carmen coat is a sumptuous jacquard coat inspired by the XVIII century just-au-corps, the elegant men’s jacket with longer back.

Devoid of collar and with outsized patch pockets, it is made of recycled polyester, silk, polyamide and metal fiber. $249. Available at H&M, Forum Shops at Caesars.

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The Nike wedding dress is long, highcollar and fluid off-white wedding dress, with long sleeves, in an intarsia of lace and jacquard fabric. The jacquard fabric is made of organic silk and viscose, while lace is organic cotton and nylon. $499. Available at H&M, Forum Shops at Caesars.

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The Christie wedding dress is a light grey, round neck and sleeveless wedding dress swarming with Decoinspired embellishment. It is made of two layers: the inner one is made of Tencel and nylon, while the outer one, featuring a deeper armhole, is made of organic silk. Embroideries are made of glass beads in recycled and new glass and conscious rhinestones in recycled and new glass. $649. Available at H&M, Forum Shops at Caesars.

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The Moreau dress is a long kaftan with plunging V-neck, long sleeves and side slits, with a slightly longer back. Adorned with an all over placement print culled from Gustave Moreau’s painting Jupiter and Semele, it is made of pure organic silk. $199. Available at H&M, Forum Shops at Caesars.

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ExodusRedux

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The Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Passover Table

By Jaq Greenspon

T

housands of years ago, as the story goes, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. They’d been there for generations, toiling away for the pleasure of the Pharaoh. Then along came Moses, demanding the release of his people. To facilitate this, he had G-d send ten plagues to soften Pharaoh’s heart.

Eventually, Pharaoh relented. After blood and gnats and darkness and boils didn’t work, the Angel of Death swept through and killed the first born male child in every Egyptian household. That worked. The Israelites were told to get out – immediately! They gathered whatever meager belongings they possessed, grabbed the bread before it had time to rise and

made their way to the Red Sea. The Egyptians, who recanted the Israelite’s release, were hot on their trail.

At the shore of the sea, Moses parted the waters so his people could get across. With the Egyptians closing in fast, Moses waited until the last possible moment before freeing the water from its constraints. The water rushed back in, drowning the Egyptian pursuers and leaving the Israelites stranded on the far side with no home, no country and (as we know now) no hope of finding one for the next 40 years or so.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. It seems that part of the world is determined, from time to time, www.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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to disenfranchise its residents and send them into the wilderness to wander for unknown periods of time. Every now and then, history does what it can to repeat itself.

To see how history is treading on familiar ground we need to go back where it all started, to Egypt. Instead of thousands of years, though, we only need to go back to 2011.

Back then, Syria wasn’t a great place to live, but at least the region was relatively stable. Since 2000, the country had been ruled by Bashar al-Assad, second son of the original despot, Hafez al-Assad, who had seized control in a coup back in 1970.

After the elder al-Assad’s death, hope was widespread that the extreme authoritarian policy toward Syrians would subside. Bashar al-Assad did order the release of 600 political prisoners in November 2000, and he even allowed Pope John Paul II to visit in early 2001. By September of that year, though, as extremists attacked U.S. soil, al-Assad was following in his late father’s footsteps by arresting and imprisoning pro-reform activists. It was clear there was trouble when British Prime Minister Tony Blair was in Syria, hoping to broker support for the war on terror, couldn’t get the Syrian leader to agree on the meaning of “terrorism.”

Over the next 10 years, al-Assad inspired fear among his people through a constant cycle of arrests and amnesties, never allowing for balance or true reform. While the government played political games of chicken, talks between representatives of Syria and other nations started and stopped, and attacks occurred against numerous foreign embassies, with a number of possible motives suggested. By 2008, though, diplomatic relations seemed to be headed in the right direction, even if the people in the streets were afraid for their lives if they so much as said a negative word against al-Assad.

Since 1963, in fact, the country had been under “emergency rule,” with a ban on gatherings of more than five people. This edict basically gave security forces free rein to detain and arrest whomever they deemed a threat.

Eventually, for our modern version of events, this lead to the “let my people go” moment, occurring during what is now known as the Arab Spring. Starting in 2010, protesters (primarily young people) throughout the Arab-controlled Middle East demanded an end to dictatorships and human rights violations, decrying the lack of free speech and freedom in general. Here, instead of having one man speak for them as the Israelites, who had ceded their collective voice entirely to Moses, individual Arab Spring demonstrators “spoke” in one voice, that of Twitter, using social media to report to the world on their plight while garnering sympathy, recognition and international support.

In March 2011, nationwide protests began in Syria. Al-Assad’s governmental forces shut them down as quickly as they started.

Demonstrators demanded democratic elections and the release of political prisoners. When these demands weren’t considered immediately, the tone of the crowd changed to one of more violent upheaval, eventually calling for the overthrow of al-Assad’s government – by any means necessary.

This is where our narrative starts to differ a bit. Two primary ideologies began to surface. The first, a “military solution,” offered by former soldiers now calling themselves the Free Syrian Army intent on replacing Assad. This group merged with other opposition organizations to form the Syrian National Council. All of these groups differed in means and methods, causing fractious in-fighting, but all agreed that al-Assad and his government must be replaced.

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The second group of al-Assad opponents also wanted his government gone, but didn’t want to be there during the upheaval itself.

And like their ancient neighbors, the Israelites, they endured a number of “plagues” which didn’t discriminate amongst friend or foe.

Lice or boils or darkness are indifferent to whom they afflict, and the modern day issues are the same.

The plague of ISIS, which swept in to fill the holes the chaos created, brought Islamic fundamentalism along for the ride. Its social media-savvy adherents showed an unrelenting appetite for destruction and beheadings, apparently in fulfillment of Quran teachings.

ISIS now maintains between 35 and 45 percent of Syria, mostly the less populated areas. Some 10-15 percent of the country’s population is considered under ISIS control.

This leaves a smaller proportion of land (20-25 percent) to the Assad government, but that includes the biggest urban areas, most notably Damascus, so the number of people still under the regime is considerably higher than in ISIS-held areas. Then again, when you have a leader who will use a “plague” of gas on his own people, having the government in control is no relief. Several commissions, with members from the United States, France and the U.N., have determined that Assad’s regime has used chemical weapons against its domestic opposition, with no regard for civilian casualties.

Then there’s the civil war itself. At last count, there were five occupiers claiming a piece of Syria. In addition to the Assad government, the opposition and ISIS, there’s a small faction of al-Qaeda forces and Rojava, a coalition of Kurds attempting to establish their own country. All these groups claim sovereign rights to the land they occupy and are determined to do whatever it takes to hold on to their lands. When the uprising started, there were more

than 20 million people living within the country’s 71,500 square miles. Now, according to some reports, an estimated 11 million people have either been killed or forced to flee. These are civilians, the people not directly involved in the fighting, who merely want a place to live peacefully. Instead, it seems the plague of blood is repeating itself wholly.

Add in foreign interlopers, with little knowledge of the area’s history and customs, trying to impose their own rules, and you have the makings for a huge tragedy.

So what’s a people to do? Over the last five years, more than 7 million have taken a page right of the same history book we’ve been talking about and they went wandering in the desert, looking for somewhere to settle.

Naturally, though, times change. The Israelites had Moses to part the waters of the Red Sea, offering the refugees escaping from Pharaoh’s whips a way to cross safely. Today, there is no Moses. Not even close. Today there are people paying hundreds or thousands of dollars for a tiny piece of space on a boat to take them to Greece, into Europe and away from the conflict. You’d think they’d be able to fly, a less expensive and much safer option, but the airlines flying out of Syria simply won’t sell the refugees tickets; the companies are simply unwilling to accept the risk of having to fly the passengers back to the war-torn nation should they be denied entry upon arrival at the foreign airport.

Some families, most families, don’t even risk the water journeys to simply cross the border on foot. But unlike our spiritual ancestors, who wandered a land relatively empty and without the distractions of geopolitical lines, visas and GPS, these modern day refugees don’t know the languages of whichever country they’ve entered, www.davidlv.com | APRIL 2016

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aren’t allowed to work and cannot send their children to school.

They only have what they were able to bring with them, leaving behind homes and possessions, which, if they make it back, will theoretically still be there, waiting for them. That’s assuming these homes and possessions aren’t blown up in an air raid against one of the occupying forces.

And the Syrians would like to change that. They don’t want to leave, but are being forced out by two competing forces, those who are there to try and rule them as well as those who are there to try and save them. Unlike the Jewish refugees of World War II, Syria is becoming a ghost country. In Poland and Germany, homes and possessions were confiscated and reallocated. Those refugees had nowhere to go back to so there had to be a place to take them in.

They had to be absorbed into other cultures or, like their ancient forefathers, create a land of their own.

For Syrians, neither option is viable. Other cultures don’t want them, and the world at large has little willingness to grant citizenship based solely on refugee status. Some of those who have fled may be hoping to find a “better life” in some western country, but if so, this is a really horrible way to go about it. Registered refugees have no say where they will end up. Most countries, including the United States, have strict limits on how many will be accepted. And the process can take anywhere from 18 months to two years to complete, leaving refugees stuck in some makeshift tent city and relying on U.N. largesse or contributions from individual donors worldwide.

The other side of that equation, of course, is they’ve got a land, they just can’t live there at the moment. And most of them

would rather go back home than be relocated. But then, is there a foreseeable future where that option is put back on the table?

Are they meant to live out the next 40 years in resettlement camps until the returning Syrians know a life of nothing but hunger and despondency while their grandparents’ stories of a stable Syria, without bombs, drift away with the mists of time, replaced by religious ceremony?

Maybe the 527,000 men making their way into Europe from Syria could be cobbled into a counterinsurgency force willing to try and take back their country. Maybe. But most of those men left Syria to avoid the unrelenting fighting, the barrel bombs and artillery barrages, the starvation and the unending grief.

Maybe they’re like Hasan Yasien, a 41-year-old Syrian who has been living in the Moscow Sheremetyevo airport since August because the Russian authorities took his passport. To him, according to a report by Tino Deželić (http://goo.gl/zyLEFd), “they all are the same criminals and terrorists: Russia, Turkey, Assad, USA. No difference. They all just playing games. [With] my bare eyes I witnessed how Assad’s warplanes avoid to attack ISIS unprotected troops and turn their way to the civilians, schools, hospitals, bombing them.”

There is no ideal solution, no easy way out of this morass. If only it were a matter of patience, knowing that when the time is right, the heavens will open and a light will guide the refugees back to their homes, then everything would be okay. But today’s world offers no guarantees. It only offers hope.

And my hope, for those Syrians who are feeling abandoned by a world gone mad? “Next year in Damascus.”

56 APRIL 2016 | www.davidlv.com

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grill

Michele Tell-Woodrow Preferred Public Relations & Constellation Catering Michele Tell-Woodrow is extremely proud of her Las Vegas heritage. During her 40plus years in public relations locally, she’s seen plenty of changes in her profession – a number of them instituted by her.

Armed with degrees from Arizona State and UNLV, she jumped into the PR world in Vegas and has been an integral thread in its tapestry ever since. Around the turn of the millennium, she and husband James Woodrow decided to hang out their own shingle and opened Preferred Public Relations. Now, they’re adding a sister company: Constellation Catering.

Michele Tell-Woodrow

Constellation’s Bar

DAVID: What is Constellation Catering?

TELL: We are primarily a premier alcohol catering company. When people hear catering, they’re like “Food, food, food!” Well, we’re the liquor side of that. All business ventures start with a need. We were hiring various catering companies that didn’t have a liquor license.

There are a lot of those, so then we had to find our own liquor company.

DAVID: Is that so hard?

TELL: The harder thing is the liquor. I have both. We have three portable bars. We can do small, we can do large. We can bring our own bars; we can use your existing bars.

We are a licensed liquor company that can bring licensed, TAM (Techniques of Alcohol Management) card bartenders, the beer, the wine, the booze and the bars to any event. And if you want us to outsource the food, I partner with Ricardo’s, Grape Street, Grimaldi’s, Memphis Championship Barbecue.

We’re trying to make life easier. From a need of not having that, we created Constellation Catering.

DAVID: Is that unique?

TELL: We have two twists. Our bar business is just a straight bar business. One of my bars is kosher. So we have one of the only full kosher bars in Las Vegas that comes with a mashgiach to bless it. We have connections to all the Israeli wines (no beer, because beer’s not kosher, it’s got whey, it’s got grains, it’s got things that are not kosher, especially not kosher for Passover).

I want people to know… we have a few kosher restaurants: now, you have a mobile kosher bar.

It can be fully Glatt kosher.

DAVID: And the other twist?

TELL: We bring the Constellation package, where we bring tarot card readers and palm

readers. And everybody gets a coaster that has astrology signs and every time you get a drink you get a ‘message from the stars,’ which is our version of a fortune cookie. It’s always been something I’ve personally been very interested in. No one’s ever partnered it with a bar. “Hey, baby. What’s your sign? is the biggest pick-up line at a bar. Now, we have somebody who can talk to you about your sign.” It became a natural twist with what we do.

DAVID: Was it important for you as owners to have a mixologist license?

TELL: James and myself and Gina Yager, who’s our partner, we wanted to do the business from the ground up, the same way we did Preferred Public Relations. Until you learn from the ground up, you can’t properly service clients. So we all went and got our bartending licenses and our mixology licenses. We’re hands on. So for us to be able to launch this company properly, we wanted to learn every aspect of this company, starting with the bartending. What would their needs be at this special event? What makes it easier for a bartender to provide drinks quickly and efficiently at a special event? We’d have to understand that. It also helped with the creation of our bars.

DAVID: So, can you create specialized drinks?

TELL: Absolutely – if the client wants us to do a tasting to create their own specialty cocktail. We just did that for a wedding, where the bride wanted one that had a vodka base and the groom wanted one that had a bourbon base. We did a tasting with a mixologist and they selected their two particular drinks. We can make kids drinks.

And over-21 drinks. We ran the whole beer and wine gardens for July 4th for Lotus Broadcasting. But we also had a whole kids section that was completely separate.

DAVID: What’s in the stars for Constellation Catering?

TELL: To grow our catering business, to become the premier liquor caterer in Las Vegas. To potentially have a bricks and mortar bar, and to potentially franchise Constellation to out-of-state arenas. So that’s the bigger picture. But right now when you think, ‘I need a liquor catering company,’ I want all of Las Vegas to think of Constellation.

— Jaq Greenspon

58 APRIL 2016 | www.davidlv.com

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