Matters of Taste 2015 Invitation

‫ענין של טעם‬

ONE NIGHT,

JCDS

EIGHTEEN DINNERS, UNFORGETTABLE CONVERSATIONS...

ALL FOR A GREAT CAUSE

of atters M Taste

PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE JCDS ANNUAL FUND

CELEBRATING 18 YEARS!

PLEASE JOIN THE JCDS COMMUNITY AT THE

M Taste

atters of

‫ענין של טעם‬

TO RESERVE YOUR TICKETS TODAY, VISIT

www.mattersoftaste.org

PRE-DINNER RECEPTION

‫קבלת פנים‬

A TASTE OF THE EVERYDAY AT JCDS FEATURING AN EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITION OF STUDENT WORK

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015, 4:00 - 6:00 P.M. AT JCDS, BOSTON’S JEWISH COMMUNITY DAY SCHOOL 57 STANLEY AVENUE, WATERTOWN, MA 02472

FESTIVE ATTIRE Tickets for the pre-dinner reception are included in your dinner ticket or are $18 per person.

INDIVIDUAL DINNERS BEGIN AT 6:30 P.M.

Dear Friends, ‫חברים יקרים‬ We are delighted to invite you to the 16th annual Matters of Taste, the signature fundraising event of JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School, on Sunday evening, March 29, 2015. This will be an exciting evening full of thought-provoking and engaging conversations with local and national leaders in a wide range of fields.

As long-time members of the JCDS community, we are honored to support JCDS and to be a part of this event.

We deeply value the school’s on-going commitment to intentional pluralism, Hebrew and English throughout the day, a joyful Jewish community, academic excellence, and a whole child approach to learning. JCDS plays a vital role in educating and developing today’s Jewish children for tomorrow’s future.

Matters of Taste is a special celebration for members of the JCDS community and our many friends in greater Boston and beyond. By participating in Matters of Taste 2015, you will help us maximize support to families attending our school, support our outstanding academic program, and create an intentionally pluralistic community.

Please be sure to share this wonderful event with others to help ensure its success. We hope you will join us on March 29th for what promises to be a very special evening.

B’vracha and Bon Appetit,

The Gildesgame Family: Catharyn, Mike, Emma ‘02, Jesse ‘05, Sophie ‘06 Co-Chairs,

Matters of Taste 2015

Matters of Taste

Page 1

CATHARYN, MIKE, EMMA, JESSE, AND SOPHIE GILDESGAME Co-Chairs, Matters of Taste 2015 The Gildesgame family joined the JCDS community over 18 years ago, and has been active in helping the school grow and thrive.

Emma ‘02, Jesse ‘05, and Sophie ‘06, are all JCDS alumni, and have graduated respectively from Colby College, Bowdoin College, and Brandeis University. Professionally, Catharyn is the Director of Strategic Implementation at McLean Hospital in Belmont, and Co-chair of CJP’s Commission on Caring and Social Justice. Mike is retired from the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Emma works on wildlife conservation with the Audubon Society and the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco. Jesse is the Strategic Projects Manager at Language International, a start-up in Cambridge, MA. Sophie just completed work as a Field Organizer for the Falchuk for Governor campaign.

‫ענין של טעם‬

PLEASE JOIN US! Matters of Taste is a sparkling and fun evening, as intimate and individualized as our school.

Savor your choice of one of 18 simultaneous dinner parties, each hosted in a private home around the Boston area. At each dinner, you will join many other friends of JCDS and meet a special guest — perhaps a noted author, musician, scientist, or chef. Kick off the event with a pre-dinner reception at JCDS, where you can discover the variety and energy of this joyful institution. All are welcome, please invite your friends and family!

Over the 16 years since its first Matters of Taste, JCDS has been pleased to advise many other Jewish organizations on developing their own similar events. For more information, please contact Terri Grogan, Director of Development, at TerriG@jcdsboston.org or 617-972-1733 x215.

Matters of Taste

Page 2

‫ענין של טעם‬

YOUR MENU ‫אורחים ומארחים‬

Joy Ladin - Polasky/Furgang Home .......................................................4 Adam Braun - Meyers/Berman Home ...................................................5

Avi Steinberg - Hsu/Steinberg Home ......................................................17 Tina Sutton - Simonds/Kolodner Home ..................................................18

Janet Echelman - Schwartz/Sharff, Gann Home ..............................6 Dan Rothstein - Bers Home ......................................................................7

Ian Ayres - Listokin Home ............................................................................19 Joyce Antler - Lawrence Home ..................................................................20

Hankus Netsky - Halpern/Rosenberg Home .......................................8 Orna Berry - Herrera Home ......................................................................9

Jamil Mahuad - Barmazel/Steinberg Home ..........................................21 General Information .....................................................................................22

Gilad Rosenzweig - Borenstein Home .................................................10 Martha Walz - Munkacy Home .............................................................11

Board of Trustees ...........................................................................................23 JCDS Core Values .............................................................................................24

Steven Grossman - Mirvis/Cohen Home ...........................................12 Einat Hurvitz - Armony Home ...............................................................13

Our Mission .....................................................................................................26 Acknowledgements .....................................................................................28

Dimitar Sasselov - Luria/Schwarz Home ...........................................14 Karen Naimer - Berger/Moyn Home ....................................................15

Thank You to Our Supporters ...................................................................29

James Sebenius - Dvir Home ................................................................16

Matters of Taste

Page 3

‫ענין של טעם‬

WHEN IDENTITIES INTERSECT AND COLLIDE

‫מעבר בין המינים‬

JOY LADIN First Openly Transgender Professor at an Orthodox Jewish Institution

HOSTED BY BETH POLASKY & SAM FURGANG SERVING DAIRY IN NEWTON, MA

In 2007, writer and poet, Joy Ladin, became the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution. In the years since her transition from male to female, Professor Ladin published the award-winning memoir Through the Door of Life: A Journey Between Genders, as well as several volumes of poetry. She holds the David and Ruth Gottesman Chair of English at Yeshiva University, and has been honored with numerous awards and fellowships, including a Fulbright Scholarship. She is a frequent speaker around the country on issues of gender identity and Jewish identity and has been featured multiple times on NPR, including the popular Sunday morning show, “On Being.”

Matters of Taste

Page 4

Sam studied law in Sydney, Australia, worked for one year as a lawyer with the Israel Defense Forces, and has been practicing law in Boston for the past 26 years. Beth is a Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor and sings and plays guitar for toddlers at the Watertown Family Network. Sam and Beth met in Israel and, despite different backgrounds (Sydney/Habonim vs. Cincinnati/Young Judaea), they fell in love and moved to Boston, where they have lived for 26 years. Their two children, Hannah and Nadav, attended JCDS and Newton South High School.

They visit Sam’s family in Sydney at least once a year, and wish it were just a bit closer. Sam and Beth are members of the Newton Centre Minyan.

‫ענין של טעם‬

THE PROMISE OF A PENCIL

‫עפרון לכל אחד‬

ADAM BRAUN

HOSTED BY SARAH MEYERS & DAN BERMAN

Founder of Pencils of Promise

SERVING KOSHER FISH/VEGETARIAN OPTION IN NEWTON, MA

Sarah is from a small town in Northern California, and Dan from an even smaller town in Maine. They met -- where else?! -- in Jerusalem at age eighteen on Young Judaea Year Course and attended college together at Columbia and Barnard. After graduate work in music, and teaching math at Gann Academy and Brookline High School for ten years, Sarah returned to school and received her MBA from Sloan, focusing on aligning environmental practices with business strategy. She is now a business consultant for Wellspring Consulting. Dan began his career as a business litigation attorney at Mintz Levin in Boston but left the courtroom to join the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College. He is now the Rabbi at Temple Reyim, a traditional egalitarian synagogue in Newton. Together with their children Elie and Mica, they love hiking, camping, riding bikes, following Boston sports teams, and vacationing back home in California and Maine.

Matters of Taste

Wall Street phenom, Adam Braun, found a new trajectory when he was 21 years old after meeting a young Indian beggar who changed his perspective on life. When Braun asked the boy what he wanted most in the world, he replied, “a pencil.” Four years later, this simple request sparked the founding of the award-winning organization, Pencils of Promise, which builds schools, trains teachers, and funds scholarships in underserved areas around the world. Combining for-profit business acumen and non-profit idealism, Pencils of Promise is a “for-purpose” organization, employing both old-fashioned community engagement and modern technology to nurture educational achievement. Braun has been a featured speaker at The White House, The United Nations, and the Clinton Global Initiative. He has also written a bestselling memoir, The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person can Create Extraordinary Change.

Page 5

‫ענין של טעם‬

BIG ART IN THE BIG CITY

‫אמנות גדולה בעיר הגדולה‬ JANET ECHELMAN

HOSTED BY CAREY SCHWARTZ & DAVID SHARFF,

Sculptor

NICOLE LIEBERMAN GANN & JOSHUA GANN SERVING KOSHER MEAT IN NEWTON, MA

Janet Echelman applied to seven art schools and was rejected by all of them. Undaunted, she set out upon an artistic career path that led to the creation of skyscraper-scale fabric pieces that float over cities and move with the wind.

She started small, learning from Chinese calligraphers, Lithuanian lace makers, and Indian net fishermen. Today, her sculptures require the collaboration of aeronautical engineers, lighting designers, software developers, and landscape architects. The intro to her TED talk (“Taking Imagination Seriously” — over 1.25 million views) calls them “billowing, flowing, building-sized sculpture with a surprisingly geeky edge.” Her work has transformed airport terminals, the Winter Olympics, and entire city blocks. She gets calls like: “Could you represent the 35 nations of the Western Hemisphere and their interconnectedness in a sculpture?” Find out how Janet’s marriage of traditional craft and cutting-edge technology helps shed an entirely new light on the experience of art and urban living.

Matters of Taste

Page 6

Carey and David just celebrated their second wedding anniversary. Carey is an Editor and on the boards of JCDS, Summer Ink, and the Rose Art Museum. David is an Architect who specializes in residential design. They are the proud parents of three daughters in high school and college.

Joshua and Nicole met at Ben Gurion Airport, and came to know one another in Israel while living on the same kibbutz. Nicole is an Attorney, and practiced in her home state of California and in Boston until the birth of their three children, two of whom are students at JCDS. She is a JCDS Trustee, where she serves as development chair, and is also on the boards of the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), and Camp Yavneh. Joshua is a third-generation owner of Joseph Gann Jewelers.

‫ענין של טעם‬

BETTER QUESTIONS, BETTER DECISIONS

?‫מה השאלה‬

HOSTED BY MARINA UMASCHI BERS

DAN ROTHSTEIN

Co-Director of The Right Question Institute

SERVING VEGETARIAN IN ARLINGTON, MA

Marina was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She came to Boston in 1994, and completed her Masters of Science and Ph.D. at the MIT Media Lab. Currently, Marina is a Professor of Child Development and Computer Science at Tufts University, where she directs the interdisciplinary DevTech research lab. Her work focuses on innovative technologies for children 4 to 7 years old to help them explore ideas from computer science and engineering. Marina’s research products are widely available: the ScratchJr programming language is a free app and the KIBO robot kit is being commercialized by KinderLab Robotics, a company she co-founded in 2013. Marina has three children, Tali, a JCDS alumna, and Alan and Nico, who are currently at JCDS. The children are bilingual. When visiting Marina’s home, both English and Spanish are spoken.

Matters of Taste

How can we better teach our students to think for themselves? How can anti-poverty programs teach skills for self-advocacy and self-sufficiency? How can patients partner with health care providers? How can parents support, monitor, and advocate for their children’s education? What’s a long-term strategy for making democracy work better?

Dan Rothstein, Co-director of The Right Question Institute, and Co-author of Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions (one of Harvard Education Press’ all time bestsellers) has been working on these questions for 25 years. And, he actually has an answer. Rothstein is a fluent Hebrew speaker, Fulbright Scholar, National Academy of Education Spencer Fellow, post-doctoral fellow at the Ben Gurion Research Center, and has a B.A. and an Ed.D from Harvard. Rothstein’s best education, however, has come from the people with whom he has worked in low-income communities in the U.S. and Israel.

They’ve also led him to discover original forms of advocacy and citizen participation in the Torah.

Page 7

‫ענין של טעם‬

MUSICAL MASTERMIND

‫כנר על הגג‬

HANKUS NETSKY

HOSTED BY BELLE HALPERN & MITCH ROSENBERG

Composer, Ethnomusicologist

SERVING KOSHER FISH IN NEWTON, MA

Dr. Hankus Netsky’s varied musical career spans klezmer, musical theatre, film, and television. He is the Founder of the world-renowned Klezmer Conservatory Band, and is the Chair of the New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation Department. In addition to performing and composing, Netsky has taught at McGill, Hampshire, Wesleyan, and Hebrew College, and has written essays for a variety of publications. His work with musical luminaries, such as Itzhak Perlman and Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, has been seen live and on PBS. A passionate proponent of preserving and honoring Eastern European roots, Netsky advocates strongly for bringing the connection to those roots into Jewish education.

Matters of Taste

Page 8

Belle and Mitch are both entrepreneurial and artistic. Belle recently founded Inspiring Educators, a non-profit that helps underserved schools inspire students to succeed. Belle is also a professional cabaret singer, who has performed all over the world and regularly in the hills of Umbria, Italy.

Mitch recently cofounded Kinderlab Robotics with fellow JCDS parent Marina Bers, which makes robots educational and fun for kids ages 4-7; the prototype robots were piloted at JCDS. Mitch is also a potter specializing in functional ware.

Their landmark 1890 home, built by Annie Cobb -- America’s first female architect/builder -- and recently renovated in the spirit of her legacy, is filled with ceramics, original artwork and Balinese furniture. They are members of Congregation Beth El in Sudbury where Belle is a lay leader of services and they have been JCDS parents for the last eight years.

‫ענין של טעם‬

INNOVATION IN ISRAEL

‫חדשנות ויזמות בישראל‬ ORNA BERRY

HOSTED BY AMY & JOHN HERRERA

Former Chief Scientist, Israel

SERVING KOSHER MEAT/VEGETARIAN OPTION IN NEWTON, MA

Amy and John have three children: Harry in 5th grade, Ben in 3rd grade, and two-year-old Laila.

They joined the JCDS community in the fall of 2013. Amy is a native of Massachusetts and a graduate of Mount Holyoke College where she majored in Religion and Philosophy. John came to Massachusetts from the West Coast, where he spent much of his youth in the state of Washington. John is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Business. John relocated to Massachusetts 18 years ago, expecting to stay for a few years before moving on. A couple of years into his stint he accepted a position with a local technology company, met Amy, and thus their story began. Both John and Amy have very active volunteer lives with several local nonprofits. They enjoy adventures with their children, traveling as a family as often as they can, and spending time with friends and family.

Matters of Taste

Orna Berry has a long career of distinguished service in the private, government, and volunteer sectors. She co-founded a company that developed scalable and efficient Ethernet switches. The company was bought two years later by Siemens, marking the first time a European conglomerate bought an Israeli start-up. Berry was a Partner at Gemini Israel Venture Funds, and the Chairperson of the Israeli Venture Capital Funds Association.

When Berry was the first and only woman in the role of Chief Scientist in the Israeli government’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the state research and development budget was the highest in Israeli history. As part of that role, she chaired the Israel-USA Bi-national Industrial Research and Development Foundation. Berry is the Chairperson of the AustraliaIsrael Chamber of Commerce and the Board of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Academic College. She served on the board of directors of the Kav Mashve Association, a non-profit organization for promoting employment among Arab academics. She recently received the WITI Hall of Fame award from Women in Technology International. In 2012, she received the “Yakirat Ha’Negev” award from Ben Gurion University. She is now the Corporate Vice President for Growth and Innovation for EMC’s Centers of Excellence in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and the United States.

Page 9

‫ענין של טעם‬

SMARTER IN THE CITY

‫חכם בעיר‬

GILAD ROSENZWEIG

HOSTED BY MARCI AND JORAM BORENSTEIN

Director of Smarter in the City

SERVING KOSHER MEAT IN NEWTON, MA

Urban planning, in the past, has often involved schemes to restructure neighborhoods for the greater good, at the expense of the people who actually lived there. Just ask any Boston old-timer about how Scollay Square became Government Center. Gilad Rosenzweig belongs to a new generation of planners, with a focus on serving the communities that already exist. To that end, Rosenzweig founded Smarter in the City, a startup accelerator in the heart of Roxbury, to serve local entrepreneurs from lower-income or underrepresented communities. Rosenzweig worked for a decade as an architect in Tel Aviv, and has a master’s degree in city planning from MIT. He will discuss how both technology and equality can lead to better plans and policies for improving our cities.

Matters of Taste

Page 10

Marci is responsible for developing new initiatives and overseeing programs for high school students at Brandeis University. She has many years of experience working with educators, youth, and communities in the United States, Israel, and the former Soviet Union. She has a doctorate in education from New York University, where her research focused on diverse immigrant families, urban schools, and parent involvement. Joram is a New England native (originally from Providence), and is currently VP at Actimize, helping banks with their compliance and payments initiatives. He has previously worked for RSA/EMC and Unicorn (acquired by IBM), and is on the Advisory Boards of three technology start-ups. Marci and Joram are the parents of three current JCDS students, and are members of the Newton Centre Minyan.

‫ענין של טעם‬

SEX ED. 2.0

2.0 ‫חינוך מיני גרסה‬ HOSTED BY KAREN & KEN MUNKACY SERVING KOSHER FISH

MARTHA WALZ President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League of MA

IN NEWTON, MA

Karen and Ken, and their son Miles, who is in 7th grade at JCDS, are new to our community. Their daughter, Stephanie, is a fourth-year medical school student. Karen is a doctor, and Ken develops real estate. Ken has coached Newton Little League baseball, Newton and YMCA basketball, and soccer at Schechter. Karen is a board member of Americans for Safe Access and is President of a nonprofit organization, Garden Remedies. Ken enjoys playing guitar, and the entire family loves to watch movies, go skiing, and read. Ken and Miles are big Boston sports fans. Their home, dubbed “Casa Mariposa” by a previous owner, was built in 1917 in a Tudor style, and has a speakeasy in the basement. The house is built into a hill and has eleven different levels.

Matters of Taste

Martha Walz is the President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

Prior to this position, she represented the Eighth Suffolk District as a Massachusetts State Representative, where her legislative achievements include being the sponsor of the law that created a 35-foot buffer zone to protect patients and staff at Planned Parenthood health centers. During her time in the legislature, she authored the state’s anti-bullying law, and championed family planning funding, teen pregnancy prevention programs, comprehensive and age-appropriate health education, and education reform. In addition to her legislative experience, Walz has held leadership positions at non-profit and public organizations, including: Jumpstart for Young Children and Boston Public Schools. Walz holds a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a J.D. from the New York University School of Law.

Page 11

‫ענין של טעם‬

INNOVATION AND ECONOMY

‫על חדשנות וכלכלה‬

STEVEN GROSSMAN

HOSTED BY TOVA MIRVIS & BRUCE COHEN

Massachusetts State Treasurer

SERVING KOSHER MEAT IN NEWTON, MA

Steve Grossman served as Massachusetts State Treasurer from 2011until 2015. During his tenure, he established the Small Business Banking Partnership, which deposited over $350 million of Treasury cash reserve funds in community banks to help grow Massachusetts small businesses and promote job creation. Prior to being elected Treasurer, Grossman spent 35 years as CEO of Grossman Marketing Group in Somerville, a fourth-generation family business. He also served as Chairman of both the Massachusetts and national Democratic parties. He is the past President of the American Israel Pubic Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Grossman chairs the Advisory Board of Cambridge College and serves as an advisory board member of the Women’s Lunch Place. He was a founding board member of Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, a former campaign chair of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and a founding board member of the Lenny Zakim Fund. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.

Matters of Taste

Page 12

Tova is the parent of three children, including a JCDS alumnus, a former JCDS student, and current JCDS student. Bruce is the father of three children, including a Gann alumnus. Bruce is the Vice Chairman of OB/GYN at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and the Chief Executive Officer of Boston Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Tova is the author of three novels, Visible City, The Outside World, and The Ladies Auxiliary, which was a national bestseller.

Her essays have appeared in various anthologies and newspapers including The New York Times, The Boston Globe Magazine, Commentary, Good Housekeeping, and Poets and Writers, and her fiction has been broadcast on National Public Radio. Tova and Bruce recently got married at their home, a 1900s Georgian house that was once used as a monastery. Dinner will be prepared by Tova’s father, a cardiologist turned gourmet chef who spent a week studying cooking in Tuscany.

‫ענין של טעם‬

WOMEN IN THE BACK OF THE BUS

‫על הדרה והאדרת נשים‬

HOSTED BY NONI & IZHAR ARMONY

EINAT HURVITZ

Wexner Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School

SERVING VEGETARIAN IN ARLINGTON, MA

Noni and Izhar are Israelis who have made the Boston area their home for the past 18 years. Their daughter is currently in sixth grade at JCDS, and their two sons are JCDS alumni. Noni is an artist with a master’s degree in molecular biology. Her generosity of time, spirit, and talent has enriched the JCDS community where she teaches the Art Club, Adult Art, and an Art-T’fillah elective. Izhar is a general partner of Charles River Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm based in Cambridge and Menlo Park. For fun, Izhar drives off-road rally cars, and participated in the Dakar Rally, a 6,000 mile, 15 days off-road race through the Atacama Desert in South America.

Matters of Taste

Who defines “Jewish” in the Jewish State? Lawyer and social activist, Einat Hurwitz, sees grave consequences to Orthodox Judaism’s status as Israel’s official state religion, including a diminution of rights for non-Jews, non-Orthodox Jews, gays, lesbians, and others outside mainstream Jewish society. Now a Wexner Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Hurwitz was Director of legal and public policy at the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), the legal advocacy arm of Israel’s Reform Movement. Her successes there included a Supreme Court decision prohibiting gender segregation in public buses, a historic state decision to devote equal funding to rabbis of all denominations, fighting racist incitement by state-funded rabbis, and the groundbreaking case allowing “Women of the Wall” to read from the Torah at the Western Wall. In recognition of her continuous contribution to Israeli democracy, Hutwitz recently received the New Israel Fund’s Gallanter Prize for Emerging Social Justice Leaders.

Page 13

‫ענין של טעם‬

OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

‫גרגר קטן ביקום‬

DIMITAR SASSELOV Professor of Astronomy, Director of Origins of Life Initiative, Senior Advisor in the Sciences for Advanced Study at Harvard University

Are we alone in the universe? That mystery has fascinated humankind for centuries, yet the technology to detect planets revolving around other stars is only fifteen years old. In that time, we have discovered almost twelve hundred planets, many of them earthlike. Research labs here on earth are tackling other questions: How difficult is it for life — self-replicating and evolving — to emerge from chemistry? What are the possible pathways?

Join Professor of Astronomy Dimitar Sasselov, Founding Director of the cross-disciplinary Harvard Origins of Life Initiative, for an evening devoted to understanding our place in the universe. Sasselov and his team have used novel techniques to discover several planets orbiting other stars. His book, The Life of Super-Earths (Basic, 2012) discusses our quest to find life on other planets. Winner of numerous awards, Sasselov has lectured at DLD (DigitalLife Design), TED, and Davos.

Matters of Taste

Page 14

HOSTED BY SARAH LURIA & TOM SCHWARZ SERVING KOSHER MEAT/VEGETARIAN OPTION IN NEWTON, MA

Science, opera, literature, and bicycles are all part of the Schwarz-Luria’s quick-paced household.

Members of the Newton Centre Minyan, Tom is devoted to classical music, while Sarah has a weakness for James Bond movies, and an abiding love for her hometown of Washington, DC. As Associate Professor at the College of the Holy Cross, Sarah shared this love and knowledge in Capital Speculations: Writing and Building Washington, DC. Tom, a neurobiology researcher, is a Professor at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital.

Tom’s involvement at JCDS includes serving on the Board of Trustees and the Head Support and Evaluation Committee. Sarah and Tom are the proud parents of Theo and Martha, both JCDS alumni.

‫ענין של טעם‬

RAPE AS A WEAPON OF WAR

‫אונס ככלי מלחמה‬

HOSTED BY ALISA BERGER & SAMUEL MOYN SERVING VEGETARIAN

KAREN NAIMER

Director of the Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones at Physicians for Human Rights

IN CAMBRIDGE, MA

Alisa and Sam are both recent transplants to the Boston area. Sam is a Professor of law and history at Harvard University. He earned a doctorate in modern European history from the University of California-Berkeley in 2000 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 2001. Alisa Berger is currently the Director of the Lower School at JCDS. She came to JCDS after 19 years in the NYC public school system where she worked at every level of the system focusing on issues of equity, excellence, and innovation. Alisa is the author of How to Innovate: The Essential Guide for Fearless School Leaders. Sam and Alisa, along with their two daughters, are enjoying exploring the Boston area and spend most of their weekends at the DeCordova, Walden Pond, or the Watertown Public Library.

Matters of Taste

Karen Naimer directs the Physicians for Human Rights’ program on sexual violence in conflict zones, working both to bring justice to survivors of sexual violence in East and Central Africa, and to influence policy in this area. Educated at McGill University, University of Toronto, and New York University, Naimer has extensive experience in international criminal law, humanitarian law, human rights, and anti-corruption. Her talk will focus on the problem of rape as a weapon of war. How can we end impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence? What strategies are working on the ground to help rebuild broken legal systems in states torn by conflict? Naimer will share challenges and lessons learned from intensive work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and The Hague, in partnership with inspiring doctors, nurses, police, lawyers, and judges who are now working together –often for the first time –- to address this urgent crisis.

Page 15

‫ענין של טעם‬

NEGOTIATION ROUNDTABLE

‫משולחן המשא ומתן‬

JAMES SEBENIUS

HOSTED BY YAEL & EYAL DVIR

Co-Founder of Negotiation Roundtable

SERVING VEGETARIAN IN WALTHAM, MA

How do negotiators in the world’s most sensitive hot spots achieve results? Harvard Professor James Sebenius analyzes the work of some of the world’s great negotiators, such as Henry Kissinger on China, the Soviets, and the Israeli-Egyptian-Syrian disengagement, George Mitchell on Northern Ireland, James Baker on the reunification of Germany and building the First Gulf War coalition, and Richard Holbrooke on ending the Bosnian war.

Sebenius teaches advanced negotiation at the Harvard Business School and chairs the Great Negotiator Award at Harvard Law’s Program on Negotiation. He co-directs a project to conduct in-depth interviews with former U.S. Secretaries of State about their most challenging negotiations, and he directs the Harvard Negotiation Project, which currently focuses on China-related negotiations and Middle East initiatives. Sebenius is Founder and Principal of Lax Sebenius, a firm dedicated to advising corporations and governments on challenging negotiations.

Matters of Taste

Page 16

Yael and Eyal (whose names are anagrams, but only in English) are Israeli born. They are both graduates of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and came to Boston for graduate studies at Harvard and UMass.

Eyal is an Economist currently embarking on a career in consulting. Yael is a Child Psychiatrist at UMass Medical School and does clinical work, teaching, and research. They are avid fans of the JCDS middle school math team and the Waltham Youth Soccer team, and enjoy hiking and biking in Israel and around New England. They have a collection of original drawings from Israeli artists on display at their home and are creative cooks who enjoy discovering new ways to cook unusual vegetables from the Waltham Community Farm.

They are members of Temple Emunah, and their three sons -- Uri, Ithai, and Asaf -- have been attending JCDS for six years.

‫ענין של טעם‬

JEWISH AUTHOR IN A JEWISH COMMUNITY

‫סופר יהודי בקהילה יהודית‬

AVI STEINBERG

HOSTED BY LINDA HSU & MARC STEINBERG

Author

SERVING DAIRY/VEGETARIAN IN NEWTON, MA

Marc and Linda originally met in Atlanta, and are both from the St. Louis area. They are active members of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in West Newton, where Marc served as President from 2006-2009 and Linda is currently a Board Memberat-Large. Marc attended Wesleyan University and is a software executive, but his true passion is composing, playing, and recording music. Linda studied German literature at Newcomb College of Tulane University, the University of Hamburg, and the University of Virginia, and once worked with special needs children as a Fulbright teaching assistant in Cologne, Germany. They are excited to host Marc’s cousin, Avi, and their guests in their home in West Newton, which Marc has renovated in his spare time. Marc and Linda are grateful to be a part of the JCDS community and are the parents of two current JCDS students, Hannah and Elia.

They have one large, but friendly, dog.

Matters of Taste

Avi Steinberg’s first book, Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian, was a 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year, has been translated into four languages, and has been optioned for a TV adaptation. His second, The Lost Book of Mormon: A Journey Through the Mythic Lands of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Kansas City, Missouri was published in October 2014. Steinberg recently signed a deal for a third book, which will be about romance novel readers and writers as an American subculture, and will be published in 2016. Steinberg is a regular contributor to The New Yorker’s Culture Desk blog, and his essays have appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, Salon, among others. Steinberg will be speaking about the role authors play within their communities, and specifically the role Jewish authors play within Jewish communities, historically, today, and in the future.

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‫ענין של טעם‬

FIRST JEWISH PRIMA BALLERINA

‫בלרינה היהודיה הראשונה‬-‫הפרימה‬ TINA SUTTON Culture, Arts, and Fashion Writer for The Boston Globe

HOSTED BY DEBORAH SIMONDS & STUART KOLODNER SERVING FISH IN NEWTON, MA

Tina Sutton is a longtime style and culture writer for The Boston Globe and presenter of fashion and consumer trends on television and radio programs nationwide. So, why did she write a biography of a ballerina?

The most celebrated classical dancer of her generation, Alicia Markova (1910 – 2004) learned about fashion from Coco Chanel, was a muse to George Balanchine, and rubbed elbows with Picasso and Matisse – all by the age of 14! Even more remarkable, the British-born dancer had to overcome oppressive anti-Semitism, poverty, and sabotage to become the first Jewish prima ballerina assoluta in history, a worldwide sensation, and an independent woman far ahead of her time.

Given unprecedented access to Markova’s personal archives, Sutton will share intimate stories of the dancer’s fascinating life from her biography The Making of Markova: Diaghilev’s Baby Ballerina to Groundbreaking Icon, which is recommended reading by Vogue and The New Yorker.

Matters of Taste

Page 18

Stuart’s career in software development has taken him from small to large companies, focusing on delivering product. He is an active participant in the JCDS men’s Torah study and book club as well as the Newton Centre Minyan. Deborah has her own sourcing company, The Career Group Ltd, recruiting for early stage start-ups and small companies. Their family are the ultimate Red Sox fans, never leaving early to beat the traffic. Deborah and Stuart have three children, two JCDS 8th graders (Nadav & Zohar) and one senior at Newton South (Galya).

All three are graduating this year! They welcome guests to their home in Newton.

‫ענין של טעם‬

INFORMATION ESCROWS

‫מידע חסוי‬

IAN AYRES

HOSTED BY STEPHANIE & YAIR LISTOKIN

Professor at the Yale Law School and at the Yale School of Management

SERVING KOSHER VEGETARIAN IN NEWTON, MA

Stephanie grew up in Clearwater, FL and met Yair at Harvard Hillel during her freshman year. Stephanie loves being outdoors, visiting new places, and connecting with friends. She has lived in many cities including Montreal, Jerusalem, New York City, Chicago, Princeton, Philadelphia, New Haven, Newton, and Cambridge. She formerly practiced law for a dozen years as an estate planning attorney.

Yair grew up in Edison, New Jersey and is a graduate of Jewish day schools, both Rabbi Pesach Raymond Yeshiva and Hillel Yeshiva High School. He regularly races in triathlons, and closely follows all sports, with a particular fondness for baseball. Yair is a Professor at Yale Law School. He uses economics methods to analyze the law, primarily in the fields of tax law, contracts, and corporate law. Stephanie and Yair have two boys, one in 5th grade at JCDS and one in 1st grade at the Ward School in Newton.

Matters of Taste

Sexual assault on college campuses continues to be a major societal problem; the statistics are staggering. One in five women is sexually assaulted in college — and many men are as well, yet less than 10% of students who are sexually assaulted report their assault to the college or police. Professor Ian Ayres, esteemed lawyer and economist at Yale Law School and Yale’s School of Management, will speak about the need for a new reporting system for sexual assault and sexual harassment. In 2011, Ayres wrote Information Escrows, an article for the Michigan Law Review that discusses how information escrows might be used for a variety of claims, including sexual harassment, date rape, adultery, and corporate and public whistle-blowing. Ayres is currently advising a new online reporting system, projectcallisto.org.callisto — designed for survivors by survivors — that provides an empowering, transparent, and confidential reporting experience for college sexual assault survivors. Ayres is well-known for his work on behavioral economics, and has been a columnist for Forbes Magazine, a commentator on public radio’s Marketplace, and a contributor to The New York Times’ Freakonomics blog. Ayres has published 11 books, including The New York Times best-seller, Super Crunchers, and over 100 articles on a wide range of topics, including antitrust policy, corporate finance, civil rights, and discrimination.

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‫ענין של טעם‬

READY TO TURN THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

‫פמיניזם יהודי מוקדם‬

JOYCE ANTLER Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History and Culture

HOSTED BY KATHY & FREDERICK M. LAWRENCE SERVING KOSHER FISH IN WALTHAM, MA

Reconstructing the lost Jewishness of radical feminism, Professor Joyce Antler explains why the honor roll of women’s liberation pioneers includes so many Jewish women -- and the complex identity politics behind their own and others’ -- neglect of this history.

Joyce Antler is the Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History and Culture and Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Brandeis University. She is the author or editor of eleven books, including The Journey Home: How Jewish Women Shaped Modern America, Talking Back: Jewish Women in American Popular Culture, and America and I: Short Stories by American Jewish Women Writers, as well as the prize-winning documentary drama, Year One of the Empire. Her most recent book, You Never Call! You Never Write! A History of the Jewish Mother, won the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Award for best book on women’s issues.

Matters of Taste

Page 20

Frederick M. Lawrence took office as the eighth president of Brandeis University in 2011 and has since made it a major focus to raise funds for a range of scholarships and fellowships to bring Israelis to Brandeis and has supported student innovation including bVIEW (Brandeis Visions for Israel in an Evolving World). An accomplished scholar, teacher, and attorney, he is one of the nation’s leading experts on civil rights, free expression, and bias crimes. Kathy attended Yale University, where she and Fred met at a Friday night Shabbat service at Hillel. Kathy is an academic who specializes in 19thcentury American literature and teaches courses on Emerson, Margaret Fuller, their circle, and Henry James. She recently wrote a book about the darker side of Henry James, and worked as an editor of the 35 volume Cambridge Edition of the Complete Works of Henry James. Kathy and Fred have two adult children, Miriam and Noah.

‫ענין של טעם‬

FORMER PRESIDENT OF ECUADOR

‫עם נשיא אקוודור לשעבר‬

JAMIL MAHUAD

HOSTED BY MICHELLE BARMAZEL & KEVIN STEINBERG

Former President of Ecuador

SERVING KOSHER MEAT IN NEWTON, MA

Michelle and Kevin came to the Boston area by way of Geneva, Switzerland, New York, and California, where they met in graduate school at Stanford University. Michelle recently graduated from Harvard Kennedy School’s mid-career program, and currently serves as Board Chair of PG Retreat, an organization focused on meeting the educational and emotional needs of gifted children. Kevin is the President and Head of Client Services at Purpose, a revolutionary business that builds social movements and advises corporations, non-profits, and foundations on public engagement and social impact. Michelle and Kevin are members of Temple Emanuel in Newton, and for many years have hosted a Shabbat Dinner for dignitaries participating in the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos. They have three children, Zachary, in high school, and Rebecca and Benjamin, proudly at JCDS.

Matters of Taste

Jamil Mahuad served as the President of Ecuador from 1998-2000 and the Mayor of Quito, Ecuador from 1992-1998. He was a 1999 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee in recognition of his negotiating and signing the definitive peace treaty with neighbor country Peru. He is also a recipient of the World Wild Fund’s Gift to the Earth Award. President Mahuad was Codirector of the Project on the Prevention of Global Violence, is a Co-founder and senior adviser of the Harvard International Negotiation Program, a board member of The Abraham Path Initiative, as well as a member of the Global Advisory Council of Mediators Beyond Borders. President Mahuad has lectured at many of the top universities in the world and teaches Leadership and Negotiation at the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Programs.

Page 21

‫ענין של טעם‬

GENERAL INFORMATION

‫מידע כללי‬

For more information about

Matters of Taste

or supporting JCDS, please contact the Development Office:

TERRI GROGAN Director of Development 617-972-1733 x215 TerriG@jcdsboston.org

Matters of Taste

Matters of Taste KASHRUT POLICY For purposes of this event, kosher means that the products used, including cheese and wine, carry a hechsher, a formal certificate of Kashrut other than a plain “K.” Kosher dinners will either be prepared in a kosher home where separate dishes, pots, pans, and utensils are used for meat and dairy, or prepared and served by Va’ad-approved kosher caterers.

EVENT PROCEEDS AND DONATION INFORMATION All proceeds from Matters of Taste will benefit the JCDS Annual Fund. Your presence enables JCDS to continue to maximize support to families attending our school, to provide our outstanding academic program, to create an intentionally pluralistic environment, and to foster a joyful Jewish community.

Donations in excess of $36 per attendee are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Page 22

‫ענין של טעם‬

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

‫חבר הנאמנים‬

Sara Riedner Brown, President

Nicole Lamberg

Noamit Erel Armony

Devra Lasden

Yaniv Bejerano

Stephanie Listokin

Michael Bentley

Adele Newman

Claudia Davidoff

Howie Rodenstein

Fiona Epstein, Clerk

Ellen Rubin

Nicole Lieberman Gann

Alex Sagan

Alex Gurevich

Carey Schwartz

Nathan Hayman, Treasurer

Tom Schwarz

Shoshana Jacobs

Arnee Winshall, Founding Chair

Sari Korman

Matters of Taste

Page 23

‫ענין של טעם‬

JCDS CORE VALUES

‫ערכי היסוד של בית ספרינו‬ INTENTIONAL PLURALISM

‫פלורליזם‬

JCDS fosters curiosity, cherishes varied perspectives, engages students and welcomes every family as a partner.

Intentional Pluralism at JCDS, embraces families from a broad range of Jewish expression, practice, and belief, through our shared traditions, texts, and language.

HEBREW AND ENGLISH THROUGHOUT THE DAY

‫עברית‬

throughout the day in a single, integrated curriculum, which connects our teaching units across disciplines, and between Jewish and General studies.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

‫לימודים‬

The course of study at JCDS is rigorous and intentional, yet flexible and personalized.

Academic Excellence is built on strong skills, citizenship, and Jewish literacy set in a nurturing and relaxed atmosphere.

In the cutting-edge Hebrew instruction program at JCDS, students experience and learn in both Hebrew and English Matters of Taste

Page 24

‫ענין של טעם‬

JCDS CORE VALUES

‫ערכי היסוד של בית ספרינו‬ WHOLE CHILD

JOYFUL JEWISH COMMUNITY

‫קהילה‬

‫נפש בריאה בגוף בריא‬

JCDS is a joyful Jewish community that learns and celebrates together in rich, colorful, and meaningful ways. The creative community spirit and school mission go well beyond the walls of JCDS, for events like life-cycle celebrations, Shabbat meals, and weekend soccer games.

At JCDS, each child is known by the faculty and administration. A culture of caring teachers, parents, and peers support the high aspirations of our hardworking students. This Whole Child approach leads to students who grow to be the best version of themselves.

Matters of Taste

Page 25

‫ענין של טעם‬

OUR MISSION

‫החזון שלנו‬

THE MISSION OF JCDS IS TO PROVIDE A PREMIER EDUCATION THAT: •n urtures each student’s capacity for intellectual discovery and decision-making within a respectful, pluralist, bilingual HebrewEnglish environment;

Matters of Taste

Page 26

‫ענין של טעם‬

OUR MISSION

‫החזון שלנו‬

• gives our graduates the ability to create their futures informed by Jewish values, texts, and culture and to make a difference in their commuities and the world; and • k indles the flame of lifelong learning in all its constituencies, and serves as an inspirational model of innovative, effective and joyful teaching and learning beyond the school.

Matters of Taste

Page 27

‫ענין של טעם‬

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS*

‫תודות‬

Matters of Taste CHAIRS

Matters of Taste DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Sara Riedner Brown, Nicole Lieberman Gann, Terri Grogan, Stephanie Listokin, Alex Sagan, Dr. Susie Tanchel, Jennifer Weinstock, Arnee Winshall, and Judy Zabin

Co-Chairs, Matters of Taste 2015 Catharyn, Mike, Emma, Jesse, and Sophie Gildesgame Host and Special Guest Committee Chair Nancy Vineberg

Matters of Taste PAST CHAIRS

IN-KIND DONATIONS TO THE

Noni and Izhar Armony Sara Riedner Brown and Stephen Brown Daniel Caine Joan and Peter Hoffman Devra and Don Lasden Shira Lion and Michael Rubin Barbara Skydell Safran and Arthur Safran Julie Altman and Alex Sagan Paula and John Sinclair Nancy Smith Arnee Winshall Judy & Al Zabin, Luz Arevalo & Ed Zabin

Catering by Andrew Larry Sandberg, Sandberg Productions

Dr. Susie Tanchel

Host and Special Guest Committee Michelle Barmazel, James Cohen, Amy Herrera, David Karger, Naomi Gurt Lind, and Cheryl Weiner

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE Matters

of Taste INVITATION

Noni Armony, Michelle Boyle, Sara Riedner Brown, Nicole Lieberman Gann, Jennifer Gordon, Seth Gordon, Nicole Lamberg, Naomi Gurt Lind, Tova Mirvis, Emma Sandler, Carey Schwartz, and Joel Segel

Matters of Taste RECEPTION

HEAD OF SCHOOL

*Thank you to all of our volunteers and staff. If we left anyone out inadvertently, you have our sincere apologies!

Matters of Taste

Page 28

‫ענין של טעם‬

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS*

‫תודות לתומכינו‬

MASTER CHEF

Bonnie and Marty Tenenbaum Joseph and Rae Gann Charitable Foundation

RESTAURATEUR

Anonymous Joanne and Paul Egerman

EXECUTIVE CHEF

Gayle and Jerry Klusky

SOUS CHEF

Anonymous (2) AVI CHAI Foundation Joan and Peter Hoffman Claudia Davidoff and Joseph Kahan Lizbeth and George Krupp Ellen and Michael Rubin

SOMMELIER

Betsy Hecker and John J. Barter

MÂITRE D’HOTEL

Anonymous Lois and Milton Cail Shoshana Jacobs and David Charytan Pamela and Robert Cutler Ted Cutler Margot and Jonathan Davis Fran Elovitz Lenie and Richard Fraiman Lillian Freedman Nicole Lieberman Gann and Joshua Gann Catharyn and Mike Gildesgame Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston Elizabeth Waksman and Darren Orbach Sarah Luria and Tom Schwarz Shiri and Ilan Segev Gilda Slifka Michelle Barmazel and Kevin Steinberg Judy and Albert Zabin

CONNOISSEUR

Susan and Aron Ain Jennifer Dupee and Josh Bers Barbara Lapidas-Brown and Larry Brown

Sara Riedner Brown and Stephen Brown Combined Jewish Philanthropies Renee and Steven Finn The Gortler Family Fund Alexander Gurevich Rabbi Susan Harris Devra and Don Lasden Stephanie and Yair Listokin Lisa and Mark Moellman Adele and Andrew Newman Sarah Markovitz and Jacob Pinnolis Fiona Epstein and Jon Pollack Suzanne Priebatsch Robyn and Bruce Shoulson Niki Lamberg and Adam Shyevitch Ruth Weinrib and Paul Weiss

GOURMAND

Dina and Paul Berger Terri and Rich Grogan Carla Naumburg and Josh Herzig-Marx Deborah Simonds and Stuart Kolodner Jennifer Kaplan and Dr. Susan Tanchel Luz Arevalo and Ed Zabin

*Commitments as of December 31, 2014. If you would like to join this list in time for the event, please contact Terri Grogan at TerriG@jcdsboston.org or call 617-972-1733 x215

Matters of Taste

Page 29

‫ענין של טעם‬

57 Stanley Avenue Watertown, MA 02472 617-972-1733 www.jcdsboston.org www.mattersoftaste.org