March 3, 2016 jhv

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C. DUKE JHV: MICHAEL

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resident Judy Seven Acres for Purim Bogos made masks 26 with Feb. during a visit students from high school School.

The Emery/Weiner

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Hospitalized children benefit from ‘bottles of smiles’

By MICHAEL C. DUKE | JHV

A teen-led community service organization is bringing smiles to children in the hospital.

Launched by Congregation Emanu El and Emery/Weiner School students Gavin Roth and Ilana Vines, Bottles of Smiles is a nonprofit organization that supplies hospitalized children with gift bottles, containing items to brighten up their day.

Since its creation in September 2014, when Roth and Vines were high school freshmen, the organization has delivered 3,200 bottles to children across the U.S. and in 34 different countries around the world.

“We did research and learned that children in the hospital often become depressed, especially when they are in the hospital for long periods of time,” said Vines.

“Medically, their needs are being met, but they also have social and creative needs.

“We started Bottles of Smiles to meet those additional needs, which are equally important. We chose this project, because we wanted there to be interaction between the child receiving the bottle and the person giving it,” she explained.

Roth added, “We wanted a project that would improve the lives of everyone involved.

“It’s now become part of my life. I work on it at least an hour every day. I can’t imagine not doing it,” he said.

Roth and Vines led a Bottles of Smiles program on Feb. 26. The project was one of several community service projects performed by EWS high school students during See Smiles on Page 11A

Gavin Roth and Ilana Vines co-founded Bottles of Smiles.

Kosher meat and greet

Brew beer, build community

By MICHAEL C. DUKE | JHV

Members of Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism are brewing a spiritual community by learning to make beer.

HCRJ’s new Adult HeBrew class began its journey earlier this month to produce hand-crafted beers.

“It is really about finding spiritual community through the processes of brewing, distilling and enjoying the craft of foods, like cheese, yogurt and pickles,” said HCRJ’s Rabbi Steve Gross.

Members began the process by shopping for ingredients. Together, they selected malt syrup, hops and yeasts, then were taught how to weigh, mill and bag grains.

For its first batch, the class brewed Belgian dubbel and a pale ale.

“We met in the [synagogue’s] courtyard and enjoyed perfect weather, good music and fantastic brotherhood/ sisterhood,” Rabbi Gross said, following the class on Feb. 14.

“While we brewed, we sampled about a dozen different beers. Some were Chabad Uptown took first-place honors in the annual Kosher Chili Cookoff. Celebrating on stage are Larry Ellard, Houston Council member Ellen Cohen, Josh Neuman, Jonathan Litvin, Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff and Chanie Lazaroff. (inset photo for JHV by Kathy Zieben) Shimon N. Hirsch, 3, was going from booth to booth sampling all the chili.

Chili Cookoff: the perfect recipe for ingathering the community

By VICKI SAMUELS LEVY | JHV

Beautiful Houston weather and the wafting aroma of Jewishly made chili brought more than 4,000 hungry Texans to the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC for the sixth-annual Houston Kosher Chili

Cookoff on Sunday, Feb. 28.

The big winners of the day were Chabad Uptown, first place; Houston Jewish Funerals – “6 Meat Under,” second place; and Congregation Emanu El Brotherhood, third place. Chabad of Sugar Land earned Showmanship Award,

and Levy Funeral Directors received the People’s Choice Award.

Each of 35 teams cooked 30 pounds of kosher beef, beginning at 7 a.m. that morning. While most used a variety

See Beer on Page 13A

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Young artists ‘wow’ at TDS

By MICHAEL C. DUKE | JHV

Preschool students wowed parents and teachers, alike, by creating works of art, inspired by famous contemporary artists and masters from art history.

Torah Day School transformed its assembly room into an exhibition space Feb. 25, inviting families to view paintings, drawings, collage and sculpture, made by students from TDS’ early childhood program.

In addition to individual works, the EC Great Masters Art Show included class projects that were auctioned off, with proceeds benefitting the school.

Chava Fishman was among the nearly 50 students, ages 2-5, who contributed art

to the exhibition. Paintings of a flower, inspired by Georgia O’Keefe, and a blue dog, influenced by George Rodrigue, were her favorite pieces to create, she told the JHV. “This show is incredible,” said Chava’s mother, Perl-Leah Fishman. “She’s been excited about it for weeks – all she’s talked about is her art show.”

Children grabbed parents’ hands, running them around the room and excitedly pointing out individual works they made.

The art show was the largest of its kind in school history, involving all four classes in TDS’ EC program. The students JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

See Artists on Page 4A

Torah Day School EC student Menachem Trusch perched on the shoulders of his sister, Batsheva, as their father, Matt, photographed Menachem in front of artwork his class created.

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PAGE 2A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

Birthday Celebration will honor memory of Evelyn Bell, provide fun for years to come The family of Evelyn Bell (of blessed memory) is planning its first Evelyn Bell Birthday Bash, to be held on Wednesday, March 9, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center.

The party is being coordinated by Jewish Family Service.

“Evelyn loved birthdays more than most anything!” said Marian Bell, Evelyn’s sister. “And, in her honor each year for her birthday, the family and friends of Evelyn want to host a ‘Birthday Bash’ to remember her.

“The party is being planned with all the special elements Evelyn loved, such as the color pink for the decorations

and birthday cake, as well as dancing!”

Marian continued. “Therefore, our family is establishing the Evelyn Bell Memorial Birthday Celebration Fund at Jewish Family Service, where, for more than two decades, Evelyn spent each Thursday at Project Shalom with friends, having lunch and participating in craft-making and entertaining programs.

Marian and her mother, Henrietta Bell, have established the fund.

Evelyn’s friends and family are supporting this “Yours, Mine and Ours” Birthday Bash on March 9. Invitations to the party – which includes dancing, cake and prizes – are being extended to JFS

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Project Shalom, Celebration Company and Nite Owls participants at the J, as well as the Chabad Friendship Circle, all of which have many participants who were Evelyn’s friends.

“It was with Evelyn in mind, that my mother, Henrietta, helped create the JCC Nite Owls program. We want everyone to join in the celebration for this festive annual remembrance of my ‘spirited’ sister, Evelyn,” stated Marian.

Donations to the fund will be used for this annual Birthday Bash and, equally important, to provide transportation to future events for members of these groups who need rides to community programs, particularly when family members or caregivers no longer have the ability to bring them.

Donations in Evelyn’s memory can be made to JFS, 4131 S. Braeswood Blvd., Houston TX 77025 or online at jfshouston. org/giveonline.php.

Program participants of Celebration Company, Project Shalom, Nite Owls and Friendship Circle can RSVP to jweiner@ jfshouston.org or call 713-667-3222 and ask for Jamie Weiner.

“We welcome your support for this festive, annual remembrance of our dear Evelyn,” said Marian.

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TABLE Arts ...................... 14A Community Calendar.. 15A Community ........... 12A Editorial .............. 10A Food and Dining .... 16A

OF

CONTENTS

In other words ....... 11A MarketPlace ......... 17A Obituaries ............. 17A Schools ................. 13A Senior Living . Section B

Simchas ................ 13A Sports................... 20A Synagogues ........... 15A Teens .................... 13A Up Close ................ 2A

Up Close

Page 3a Jewish herald -Voice March 3, 2016

Israeli consul looks at changing Middle East politics levels to the relationship.

“We have a very strong relationship with the el-Sisi Things are constantly government. Unfortunately, collapsing in the Middle East. the anti-Israeli rhetoric Sometimes, it’s because of still continues in Egyptian war. And sometimes, it’s society. Last week, for because of the weather. example, Egyptian Member According to media of Parliament Tawfik reports, as of Feb. 28, there Okasha met with Israeli were five incidences where Amb. Haim Koren for dinner, Hamas-constructed tunnels something that was accepted in Gaza leading towards the by the Sisi government.

Israeli border collapsed. On Osaka was not only hit by Sunday, Feb. 28, a tunnel in a shoe in parliament, but a the Zeitoun neighborhood of Daniel Agranov number of Egyptian politiGaza City was the latest to cians requested that Okasha be referred to cave in.

Deputy Consul General of Israel to the an ethics committee or be stripped of his Southwest United States Daniel Agranov membership in the government. Although credits the recent heavy rainfall and “a little we’ve had peace with Egypt since 1979, help from the Upper Level” for the structural the rhetoric in the newspapers and the collapse. The late season storms caused parliament has always been anti-Israel and flooding in southern Israel. The intensity anti-Semitic. And, I think it will continue. So, and amount of rain probably undermined it’s hard to see Egypt as a friend and an ally.

“On the other hand, the Egyptian the stability of the most recent Gaza tunnel.

The tunnels, dug from various points ambassador arrived a couple of weeks ago in Gaza into southern Israel, proved to be to begin his post in Israel. This is the first one of Hamas’ most strategic tools during time in years we’ve had an Egyptian ambasOperation Protective Edge. The fact that sador in Israel. We also have good cooperHamas is still actively constructing these ation with Egypt in fighting the tunnels. tunnels demonstrates the Gaza government And, we are helping the Egyptians with the is keeping options open for a military problems with ISIS in the Sinai.”

Israel’s discovery of the Leviathan campaign against Israel in the immediate natural gas field was initially considered future, said Agranov.

“Hamas invests millions of dollars in a game changer in the Middle East. Some preparing for the next war, in building predicted it would make Israel a major tunnels, in buying new munitions. They natural gas exporter and change Israel’s could invest this money to develop Gaza – to relations with Turkey, Egypt and other be a start-up nation like we were in 1948 – to Middle East nations.

Then, the Israeli High Court of Justice build something good. Until Hamas reduces their call for the destruction of Israel, that Monday agreed to hear four separate is, change their mindset and their goal of the petitions against the framework of the deal. destruction of Israel, I don’t see any change The results thus far: no drilling and no court decision. in the dynamics of the region.”

“I think that’s something Americans can When it comes to the ties between Egypt and Israel, Agranov said there were two understand,” said Agranov. “Like you, we

By AARON HOWARD | JHV

have three branches of government, each one checking the power of the others. I’m not a lawyer so I can’t explain the specific issues that the court accepted to hear. There has not been any decision up to now. This is democracy at work. I think Israel is a vibrant democracy. And, you can see it in the fact that just a few weeks ago, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert went to jail. I think that’s a sign Israel is a real democracy with teeth and real enforcement of the laws.”

Another political shift in the Middle East is the evolving relationship between Israel and Turkey. Last week, bilateral talks were held, aimed at hammering out an agreement that would lead to reconciliation and normalization of relations.

“When President Erdogan took over, he announced a policy of ‘zero problems with neighbors.’ Now, he has problems with 100 percent of his neighbors. Now, Erdogan is trying to reset policy. I think Turkey sees the importance of Israel. We are the beacon of hope in the Middle East and the only place with stability,” said Agranov.

“Our government decided this is the right thing to do. We are trying to make peace and make friends, not only with Turkey, but also with Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Jordan. We can see how a development like Leviathan can bring nations together out of mutual interests.”

Commenting on the recent Iranian elections, Agranov said Israel is taking a “wait and see” attitude.

Agranov described the situation in Syria as “anarchy.”

“The biggest danger for us is if Iran diverts its attention from Syria and starts hostilities with us, trying to draw us into the Syrian problem. We’re not part of this conflict. We don’t support any one of the factions. If Iran finds a way to draw us into Syria, that’s the biggest danger for Israel.

Although there are talks in Geneva, I don’t see anything good coming out of Syria.

When al-Nusra and ISIS are not involved in the talks, how can you believe anything good will come out of negotiations?”

Recently, hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel have been minimal. That’s because Hezbollah is diverting much of its energy and manpower in Syria, said Agranov.

“Ultimately, what Hezbollah does, it’s an Iranian decision. Hezbollah takes their orders from Iran. They are Iran’s proxy in Iraq and Yemen, as well. Unfortunately, with the nuclear agreement and all the billions of dollars that will come to Iran, we’re sure Iranian involvement in the region will increase. They will have more money to buy weapons and people.”

Is it possible to be optimistic about one of Israel’s neighbors – Jordan? Agranov, while emphasizing it’s in the nature of Israelis to be optimistic, points out that currently, every fifth person in Jordan is a Syrian refugee.

“Right now, Jordan is a big refugee camp. These people have nowhere to go. We don’t know how many of Syrian refugees who entered Jordan believe in the ISIS or terrorist ideology. And unfortunately, the monarchy is not so strong. Although we would do everything in our power to help the Jordanians, Israeli involvement (in Arab countries) is not always a bonus. We should hope and pray that the Jordanian monarchy will stay strong “In the Middle East, Israel is the only thing I’m optimistic about. We have a strong economy. Our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is growing. It’s now 305.68 billion (in U.S. dollars). Our connections with China, Japan, India and Korea are growing. We can be proud that in May, we’ll be celebrating our 68th birthday. Our democracy works. And, we can safely say there is nobody in the Middle East who can destroy Israel, short of destroying the entire region.”

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PAGE 4A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

FOR THE JHV: KATHY ZIEBEN

JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

Accepting second-place trophy from Steven Weiss and Ellen Cohen are Houston Jewish Funerals’ Suzy Smock, Jeff Friedman (as Donald Trump), Tammy Friedman (as Hillary Clinton), with A.J. Saper and chief cook Harold Harris.

Scott Vines accepts the third place trophy for Emanu El Brotherhood from Ellen Cohen. “We dedicated this win to our friend, Sam Cohen, who helped start this great event and will always be remembered!” Vines said. At the right is A.J. Sapper.

Cookoff

From Page 1A

of Tex-Mex-type vegetables and spices, others cast aside tradition and went with nontraditional ingredients, such as garbanzo beans and carrots; Beth Yeshurun even served an Asian-inspired chili with water chestnuts and Chinese noodles.

The grounds of the JCC were packed with adults and children of all ages. Jewish War Veterans of Houston presented the colors, to kick off the event. Entertainment included games and facing painting for the kids. Music throughout the afternoon was provided

by The Danny Gavin Band, Lanier Middle School Klezmer Band, Little Jewford, and Joe Buchanan. A Houston Blood Bank bus accepted blood donations, in honor of Elisha Cohen and Mendel Cotlar, both of blessed memory.

Jeff and Tammy Friedman (Houston Jewish Funerals) roamed the grounds dressed as Donald Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton, respectively. Guests

JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

Benzion Pearson and Avrami Fishman hosted a tefillin-laying table at the Kosher Chili Cookoff, sponsored by Zalmen and Miriam Lazaroff.

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voted for the People’s Choice Award by dropping cash into ballot boxes at each of the booths; $2,437.00 was collected, according to Dr. Steven Weiss, and will go to the Berry children’s fund. Proceeds from the event benefit Houston-area Jewish day schools and JCC Meals on Wheels.

The Kosher Chili Cookoff board includes Dr. Steven Weiss, chair; Danny Fishman, co-chair; Judge Mike Engelhart, Barry Brown and Alan Charles (Chuck) Weiner. Committee members are Larry Ellard, Elliot Gorog, Marc Passy, Phil Rivers, A.J. Saper, James (Step) Stepanski, Tim Stewart

Amelia Ohana was among the many Houstonians who donated to a blood drive held during this year’s Kosher Chili Cookoff, Feb. 28, in honor of Elisha Cohen and Mendel Cotlar, both of blessed memory.

and Rabbi Mendy Traxler.

This year, shuttle buses brought the thousands of guests from Congregation Beth Israel’s and Parker Elementary School’s parking lots.

The cookoff provides the perfect recipe for community building, mingling and interweaving members of the Jewish community, regardless of affiliation, as well as Houston-area residents, at large.

The cookoff returns in March 2017.

“Rain or shine, it’s chili time!” exclaimed Weiss.

Kathy Zieben contributed to this article.

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JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

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Artists

From Page 1A

spent several weeks, exploring the art and creative processes of more than a dozen artists, including Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky. The show was the brainchild of TDS teacher, Eileen Kaplan.

“I want the children to understand the world of art,” Kaplan told the JHV. “Looking at the children’s art, you can see the inspiration, but each piece is totally unique,” Kaplan said. “You can see all the children’s personalities in the work they created.”

Donna Mark, another TDS EC teacher, said she received notes from parents,

saying that their children came home from school talking about how art is made.

“I got a text from a mother, who said, ‘My son just told me how Pollock paints.

I can’t believe it; he’s 3 years old,’ ” Mark said.

“Dripping and splattering – the children had the best time,” she added.

When Chiena Lazaroff, TDS’ director and principal of Judaic Studies, saw the school’s art exhibition for the first time, she exclaimed, “Wow!” Lazaroff said teachers at the school use art to inspire creativity and confidence in children, as well as teach them communication and fine motor skills.

PAGE 5A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

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Page 6a Jewish herald -Voice March 3, 2016

American Jews and the American Civil War he’s teaching a course in Jewish and AfricanAmerican relations.

On the eve of the Civil Furman serves as faculty War, the Jewish community adviser to the Rice in the United States Jewish Studies Students numbered about 150,000, Association. mainly new immigrants.

Furman, a Texas native, About 100,000 of the was born in Dallas and Jewish population had raised in San Antonio. His lived here only a decade or Bar Mitzvah photo hangs in so. Both in the North and the permanent collection in the South, the war was of the Institute of Texan an opportunity for Jews to Cultures in San Antonio. prove their patriotism and About 6,000 Jews served their loyalty to their new Joshua Furman in the Northern army. Six homeland.

Jews fought to preserve the Union and Jews were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The number of Jews in to defend the Confederacy.

Military service was a way to be the Confederate army was estimated included in the national culture, said between 2,000 and 3,000. However, Jews Joshua Furman. Serving in the army rose to higher ranks in the Confederate was a way to prove Jews belonged and to army. There were 24 Confederate army show gratitude for the freedoms America officers and 11 Naval officers who were Jewish. offered.

Furman said Jews fought to protect Furman teaches “Trial by Fire: American Jews and the Civil War” at the their new homeland. They were willing Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish to die for the cause of the nation that had Learning. He’s the Stanford and Joan taken them in.

“Many of the Jews had left German Alexander Postdoctoral fellow in Jewish Studies at Rice University. This semester, lands and territories in Central Europe,

By AARON HOWARD | JHV

fleeing periods of mob violence. They had faced restrictions where they could live and limits on making a living. They came to America. And, America gave them the opportunity to freely practice Judaism and to find economic opportunity.

“There was also a stereotype that followed Jews: That they wouldn’t fight and were not loyal to the nations where they lived. The Civil War was an opportunity to prove that canard false. Jews fought out of a sense of loyalty, duty, and to prove they could hold their own on the battlefield as well as anyone.”

In uniform, Jews retained a sense of their identity. There’s an apocryphal story about a group of Union soldiers who were fighting in West Virginia in 1862. The soldiers were given time off to celebrate Passover. Matzah and Haggadot were shipped to the soldiers from Cincinnati.

Unfortunately, the soldiers lacked wine for the four cups. So, they used hard cider instead. They had no maror, so they pulled weeds from the nearby ground to put on their Seder plate. And, lacking the ingredients to make haroset, they replaced the maror with an actual brick. Thus, they celebrated Passover during the war.

Jews were divided on the issue of

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slavery. About 25 percent of Southern Jews owned slaves, said Furman.

“Jews in the South were integrated into Southern culture. And, slavery was very much a part of that culture,” Furman said.

“Rabbi Morris Raphall, who actually lived in New York, published a pamphlet stating that he found nothing in the Bible demonstrating that slavery was immoral or unjust. He did disapprove of the way many Southerners treated their slaves.

“Of course, some rabbis disagreed.

Rabbi David Einhorn, who lived in Maryland, a slave state, wrote that Rabbi Raphall was misrepresenting Judaism.”

Rabbi Einhorn asked, “How could a Jew, a race which daily praises G-d for deliverance from the bondage of Egypt ... undertake to parade slavery as a perfectly sinless institution, sanctioned by G-d?”

Rabbi Einhorn concluded his rebuttal of Rabbi Raphall with the words: “Why should we, in America, keep silence when a Jewish preacher plays such pranks?”

Rabbis on both sides prayed for the cause. Rabbi Max Michelbacher, who served as spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Ahavah in Richmond, Va., composed a “Prayer for the Confederacy” during the war. The prayer asked G-d to protect “the sons of the sunny South, to face the foe, to drive him back, and to defend our natural rights. O L-rd, G-d of Israel, be with me in the hot season of the contending strife; protect and bless me with health and courage to bear cheerfully the hardships of war.”

“Many Jews were conscious of their identity on and off the field. We see the Union soldiers taking time off from battle to celebrate Passover. And, we see a prayer composed for the Confederate soldiers invoking the protection of G-d,” said Furman.

“These stories tell us that Jews fought as Jews. They didn’t check their Jewish identity at the door. They believed G-d was on their side, whether it was the Union or the Confederate cause.

“They experienced the Civil War as Jews. It is an important counterpoint to the prevailing story that it was the Eastern European Jews who brought Judaism to the United States. It helps change how we perceive of the history of Jews in America prior to the great wave of Eastern European immigration.”

‘Son of Saul,’ ‘Amy,’ ‘Spotlight’ win Oscars LOS ANGELES (JTA) – A Hungarian Holocaust drama, a documentary about a sultry Jewish rock star who died too young and a film about an investigation of church sex abuse led by a Jewish newspaper editor won Academy Awards.

“Son of Saul,” the Hungarian Holocaust drama from first-time feature director Laszlo Nemes, won the Oscar on Sunday night, Feb. 28, for Best Foreign Language Film.

“Even in the darkest hours of mankind, there might be a voice within us that allows us to remain human. That’s the hope of this film,” Nemes said in accepting the award at the annual Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles.

Set in Auschwitz in 1944, “Son of Saul” tells the story of Saul Auslander, a Jewish inmate forced to escort his fellow prisoners to the gas chambers and help to dispose of their remains. The title role is played

by Geza Rohrig, a Hungarian poet and observant Jew who now lives in New York.

Other Jewish-themed winners included the documentary feature, “Amy,” a British film about singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, described by her brother as “a little Jewish kid from North London with a big talent.”

Her meteoric career and tortured life were cut short at 27, through drug abuse and alcohol poisoning.

Michael Sugar won the Oscar for Best Picture as co-producer of “Spotlight,” the story of the Boston Globe investigative team led by Jewish editor Marty Baron that exposed sex scandals in the Catholic Church. Baron’s status as the “outsider” of the Globe’s investigation, marked by everything from his quiet demeanor to his non-Christian background, is an underlying theme of the film.

PAGE 7A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

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Page 8a Jewish herald -Voice March 3, 2016

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Therapy to CERDELGA and More Frequently than Imiglucerase (Trial 2)* Adverse Reaction

Limitations of Use: • Patients who are CYP2D6 ultra-rapid metabolizers (URMs) may not achieve adequate concentrations of CERDELGA to achieve a therapeutic effect.

• A specific dosage cannot be recommended for those patients whose CYP2D6 genotype cannot be determined (indeterminate metabolizers).

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Patient Selection: Select patients with Gaucher disease type 1 based on their CYP2D6 metabolizer status. It is recommended patient genotypes be established using an FDA-cleared test for determining CYP2D6 genotype [see Indications and Usage].

Fatigue Headache Nausea Diarrhea Back pain Pain in extremity Upper abdominal pain Dizziness Asthenia Cough Dyspepsia Gastroesophageal reflux disease Constipation Palpitations Rash

CERDELGA (N=106)

Imiglucerase (N=53)

Patients

Patients

n (%)

15 ( 14) 14 ( 13) 13 ( 12) 13 ( 12) 13 ( 12) 12 ( 11) 11 ( 10) 9 ( 8) 9 ( 8) 7 ( 7) 7 ( 7) 7 ( 7) 5 ( 5) 5 ( 5) 5 ( 5)

n (%)

1 ( 2) 1 ( 2) 0 ( 0) 2 ( 4) 3 ( 6) 1 ( 2) 0 ( 0) 0 ( 0) 0 ( 0) 2 ( 4) 1 ( 2) 0 ( 0) 0 ( 0) 0 ( 0) 0 ( 0)

Recommended Adult Dosage: The recommended dosage of CERDELGA is 84 mg twice daily in CYP2D6 EMs and IMs. The recommended dosage in CYP2D6 PMs is 84 mg once daily; appropriate

*Trial 2 was not designed to support comparative claims for CERDELGA for the adverse reactions

adverse event monitoring is recommended [see Adverse Reactions]. The predicted exposures with 84

reported in this table.

mg once daily in patients who are CYP2D6 PMs are expected to be similar to exposures observed with

In an uncontrolled study, with up to 4 years of treatment, in 26 patients, the types and incidences of

84 mg twice daily in CYP2D6 IMs [see Clinical Pharmacology in Full Prescribing Information]. Some

adverse reactions were similar to Trials 1 and 2.

inhibitors of CYP2D6 and CYP3A are contraindicated with CERDELGA depending on the patient’s metabolizer status [see Contraindications]. Co-administration of CERDELGA with other CYP2D6 and

DRUG INTERACTIONS

CYP3A inhibitors may require dosage adjustment depending on the patient’s CYP2D6 metabolizer

Potential for Other Drugs to Affect CERDELGA: Eliglustat is a CYP2D6 and CYP3A substrate.

status to reduce the risk of potentially significant adverse reactions [see Table 3 and Table 4 in Drug

CYP2D6 and CYP3A Inhibitors: Drugs that inhibit CYP2D6 and CYP3A pathways may significantly

Interactions]. Reduce the dosage of CERDELGA to 84 mg once daily for:

increase the exposure to eliglustat and result in prolongation of the PR, QTc, and/or QRS cardiac

• CYP2D6 EMs and IMs taking strong or moderate CYP2D6 inhibitors

interval which could result in cardiac arrhythmias: Some inhibitors of CYP2D6 and CYP3A are

• CYP2D6 EMs taking strong or moderate CYP3A inhibitors

contraindicated with CERDELGA depending on the patient’s CYP2D6 metabolizer status [see Contraindications]. Co-administration of CERDELGA with other CYP2D6 and CYP3A inhibitors may

CONTRAINDICATIONS

require dosage adjustment depending on the patient’s CYP2D6 metabolizer status to reduce the risk

CERDELGA is contraindicated in the following patients due to the risk of significantly increased

of potential significant adverse reactions (see Table 3 and Table 4).

eliglustat plasma concentrations which may result in prolongation of the PR, QTc, and/or QRS cardiac intervals that could result in cardiac arrhythmias: EMs or IMs taking a strong or moderate CYP2D6

Table 3: Established and Other Potentially Significant Drug Interactions: Alteration in CERDELGA

inhibitor concomitantly with a strong or moderate CYP3A inhibitor and IMs or PMs taking a strong

Dosage May Be Recommended Based on Drug Interaction Studies or on Predicted Interaction in EMs

CYP3A inhibitor. See Table 3 and Table 4 for examples of drugs in each of the categories described

and IMs

[see Drug Interactions].

Recommended CERDELGA Dosage, by CYP2D6 Metabolizer Status CYP450 Inhibitors

EM

IM

Strong or Moderate CYP2D6 inhibitors concomitantly with Strong or Moderate CYP3A inhibitors

Contraindicated

Contraindicated

Strong CYP2D6 inhibitors e.g., paroxetine

84 mg once daily

84 mg once daily

Clinical Pharmacology in Full Prescribing Information]. Some drugs that are inhibitors of CYP2D6 and

Moderate CYP2D6 inhibitors e.g., terbinafine

84 mg once daily

84 mg once daily

CYP3A are contraindicated with CERDELGA depending on the patient’s CYP2D6 metabolizer status

Strong CYP3A inhibitors e.g., ketoconazole

84 mg once daily

Contraindicated

[see Contraindications]. See Table 3 and Table 4 for other potentially significant drug interactions [see

Moderate CYP3A inhibitors e.g., fluconazole

84 mg once daily

Not recommended

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Drug-Drug Interactions: Eliglustat is a CYP2D6 and CYP3A substrate. Drugs that inhibit CYP2D6 and CYP3A metabolism pathways may significantly increase the exposure to eliglustat and result in prolongation of the PR, QTc, and/or QRS cardiac intervals that could result in cardiac arrhythmias [see

Drug Interactions].

ECG Changes and Potential for Cardiac Arrhythmias: Use of CERDELGA in patients with preexisting cardiac conditions has not been studied during clinical trials. Because CERDELGA is predicted to cause increases in ECG intervals (PR, QTc, and QRS) at substantially elevated eliglustat plasma concentrations, use of CERDELGA is not recommended in patients with pre-existing cardiac disease (congestive heart failure, recent acute myocardial infarction, bradycardia, heart block, ventricular arrhythmia), long QT syndrome, and in combination with Class IA (e.g., quinidine, procainamide) and Class III (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol) antiarrhythmic medications [see Clinical Pharmacology in Full

Table 4: Established and Other Potentially Significant Drug Interactions: Alteration in CERDELGA Dosage May Be Recommended Based on Predicted Interaction in PMs CYP450 Inhibitors

Recommended CERDELGA Dosage for PMs

Strong CYP3A inhibitors e.g., ketoconazole

Contraindicated

Moderate CYP3A inhibitors e.g., fluconazole

Not recommended

Weak CYP3A inhibitors e.g., ranitidine

Not recommended

Prescribing Information].

CYP3A Inducers: Co-administration of CERDELGA with strong CYP3A inducers significantly decreases ADVERSE REACTIONS

eliglustat exposure. Use of CERDELGA with strong CYP3A inducers (e.g., rifampin, carbamazepine,

Clinical Trials Experience: Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions,

phenobarbital, phenytoin, and St. John’s Wort) is not recommended in EMs, IMs, and PMs.

adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The most common

Potential for CERDELGA to Affect Other Drugs: Eliglustat is an inhibitor of P-gp and CYP2D6.

adverse reactions to CERDELGA (occurring in ≥10% of the 126 GD1 patients treated with CERDELGA

Co-administration of CERDELGA with drugs that are substrates for P-gp or CYP2D6 may result in

across Trials 1 and 2) were fatigue, headache, nausea, diarrhea, back pain, pain in extremities, and

increased concentrations of the concomitant drug as shown in Table 5.

upper abdominal pain. The adverse reaction profile of CERDELGA is based on two controlled studies, Trials 1 and 2. Table 1 presents the profile from the 9-month double-blind, randomized, placebo-

Table 5: Drug Interactions that Result in Increased Concentrations of the Concomitant Drug

controlled trial of 40 treatment-naïve patients (Trial 1). Patients were between the ages of 16 and 63 on

Drug Class or Drug Name

Clinical Recommendations

the date of the first dose of study drug, and included 20 males and 20 females.

Digoxin (P-gp substrate)

Measure serum digoxin concentrations before initiating CERDELGA. Reduce digoxin dose by 30% and continue monitoring.

Table 1: Adverse Reactions Occurring in ≥10% of Treatment-Naïve GD1 Patients and More Frequently than Placebo (Trial 1) CERDELGA (N=20) Adverse Reaction

Placebo (N=20)

Patients n (%)

Patients n (%)

Arthralgia

9 ( 45)

2 ( 10)

Headache

8 ( 40)

6 ( 30)

Migraine

2 ( 10)

0 ( 0)

Flatulence

2 ( 10)

1 ( 5)

Nausea

2 ( 10)

1 ( 5)

Oropharyngeal pain

2 ( 10)

1 ( 5)

Other P-gp substrates (e.g., phenytoin, colchicine, dabigatran etexilate) CYP2D6 substrates Metoprolol; tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., nortriptyline, amitriptyline, imipramine); phenothiazines (e.g.,perphenazine, chloropromazine).

Monitor therapeutic drug concentrations, as indicated, or consider reducing the dosage of the concomitant drug and titrate to clinical effect.

Manufactured by: Genzyme Ireland, Ltd., IDA Industrial Park, Old Kilmeaden Road, Waterford, Ireland.

You may report adverse effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. If you would like more information, talk with your doctor. You may also go to www.cerdelga.com for the Full Prescribing Information, including the Patient Medication Guide, or call Genzyme Corporation at 1-800-745-4447.

Cerdelga is a registered trademark of Genzyme Corporation. ©2016 Genzyme Corporation, a Sanofi company. All rights reserved. GZUS.CERD.15.04.0970(1)

Up Close

Page 9a Jewish herald -Voice March 3, 2016

Plans unveiled for Alice in Wonderland tea party sculpture Evelyn’s Park Conservancy – the nonprofit public-private partnership dedicated to the stewardship and improvement of Evelyn’s Park – is the recipient of the commissioned sculpture, Move One Place On, by local Houston artist, Bridgette Mongeon. As the world celebrates the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” citizens of Bellaire and Houston will have their own sculpture of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party to enjoy for the next 150 years and beyond.

Kids and kids at heart will be able to grab a seat at Alice’s table, enjoy a picnic, gather round and interact with the sculpture that promises to be larger than life.

When the historic Teas Nursery closed in December 2009, The Jerry and Maury

Rubenstein Foundation seized the opportunity to save a piece of Bellaire and Houston history by acquiring the 5-acre site with the vision of maintaining a green space in the heart of the city. The foundation commissioned the sculpture in honor of Rubenstein’s mother, Evelyn. The sculpture will inevitably become a communitygathering place for people of all ages to enjoy and share, just like Evelyn would have wanted. The whimsical picnic table is expected to be complete in late 2016.

“We are thrilled to bring this gorgeous piece of art to Evelyn’s Park and know that the Move One Place On sculpture will become a destination spot for locals, tourists and fans of the endearing story of Alice in Wonderland,” said Patricia

King-Ritter, president of Evelyn’s Park Conservancy. “Just like this classic story appeals to people of all ages, Evelyn’s Park will strive to do the same. The Rubenstein family commissioned this sculpture with the hope that families, friends and neighbors will gather together and grab a seat at Alice’s table – and the best part?

There are no reservations required.”

The characters in Mongeon’s maquettes, which are miniature sculptures, are growing like Alice. Over the next few months, the small digital and clay designs will turn into a 10-foot table with 8-foot bronze characters hosting the fanciful feast. The artist is carefully crafting each character to interact with visitors at the table.

Mongeon also is creating and hiding

150 different elements within the scene. If guests look carefully, they may find a small Humpty Dumpty hiding, and the White Queen tucked into the bronze “bark” legs of the table and benches.

The artist said, “The sculpture will seat six to eight additional guests, allowing families to bring a picnic and join the tea party. The monumental figures of Alice, the March Hare, Cheshire Cat, Dormouse and Mad Hatter are waiting for you and your family to complete the scene!”

To follow the artist’s process, learn more about the treasure hunt, and receive hints about the 150 hidden items in the sculpture, visit Mongeon’s website at creativesculpture.com or follow her process at facebook.com/FindingAliceSculpture.

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Editorial

Page 10a Jewish herald -Voice March 3, 2016

Guest Editorial The ‘S’ in BDS goes global

Operation that killed terrorist confirmed In Touch From Jerusalem

By JON HABER

Emotions must be running high in the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions camp these days, given that their activity has finally triggered sanctions – that is, official government denunciation and punishment of someone or something those governments consider to be repugnant; and, not just in the U.S., but across the globe.

However, the holy “S” of the BDS project is being directed at the BDSers themselves, rather than their hated Zionist enemy.

In the UK, the government recently outlawed local councils from establishing their own foreign policy, which largely amounted to embracing the Israel-equals-apartheid propaganda agenda, while ignoring the suffering of anyone else in the world. In France, where a government that has shown far too much patience as an anti-Semitic cancer metastasized within its borders, has decided to start the fight against anti-Jewish racism by lashing out against the racism of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions “movement.”

While the government in Germany similarly has lashed out against the boycotters, a German bank has shut down the account of an organization pushing BDS. And, this is on top of the increasing momentum we’ve seen in the U.S., where state governments are jumping on the bandwagon to pass anti-BDS sanctions legislation.

Keep in mind that these are the same governments the boycotters have been lobbying for more than a decade to pass anti-Israel sanctions, which could be used to convince the gullible that the campaign to slime the Jewish state has broad public support.

Given that BDS success at even one of these governing bodies would have been accompanied by fireworks over BDS founder Omar Barghouti’s house, coupled with demands that we all accept any win as evidence of the BDSers “unstoppable momentum,” how are they reacting to those same governments denouncing them?

Needless to say, they are not donning hair shirts and crying over their “losses,” any more than they treat the near tripling of the Israeli economy during the BDS decade as a setback for their project. Rather, they are portraying attacks on them by elected bodies as more evidence that their “staggering success” is so staggering that “The Man” is now doing everything in its power to stop them.

The game of politics largely is a game of story creation, and every political candidate and campaign does its best to get a preferred storyline lodged into public consciousness before an opponent’s story gets stuck there first.

In exporting the Arab-Israeli conflict to the rest of the world, the Israelhaters are trying to sell a story involving Israeli demons gleefully torturing pristine Palestinian innocents for the fun of it, one which – for better or for worse – does not compete with a similar pro-Israeli story-formation campaigns designed to smear their foes (or even tell the whole honest truth about them).

The reason why Israel and her friends are not blanketing the planet with anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab or anti-Muslim propaganda is that one doesn’t spend every waking hour condemning those you ultimately want to live in peace with and insisting everyone else join you in declaring your opponents to be the enemy of all mankind.

Fortunately, this hasn’t prevented Israel and its allies from telling the truth about the lying, callous and wholly hypocritical project called BDS, and for others (including the aforementioned national and state governments) from expressing outrage by formally condemning and even sanctioning the “movement.”

So, it is our job to replace the story the BDSers prefer everyone believe – that everything represents victory for them, including defeat – with one that says the sanctions that boycotters have been begging governments to impose on Israel for decades, have finally been imposed on them.

FELICE and MICHAEL FRIEDSON Israel’s longtime policy of neither confirming nor denying its participation in cross-border military strikes and assassinations was compromised when a member of Knesset (parliament) confirmed that the Jewish state was behind the operation that killed Samar Kuntar.

Kuntar perpetrated one of the most heinous terror attacks more than 30 years ago, when he came ashore off the northern city of Nahariya and killed a policeman before entering the home of the Haran family, where terrorists killed the father and one child while the mother hid with another who accidentally was smothered to death, fearing discovery by the terrorists.

Despite years of vows by government leaders that Kuntar would not be released, he nevertheless was set free in the prisoner exchange that brought the bodies of two soldiers back home in 2008. Last December, Kuntar was killed in an air strike that was presumed to have been carried out by Israel, despite its refusal to confirm the operation.

Over the weekend, MK Omer Bar Lev, in responding to a question, confirmed that the terrorist was killed by Israel.

Although he tried to clarify and walk back the admission, his original words stand. Bar Lev was in the military and called to the scene of the Kuntar terror attack as a young soldier. *** In a gesture potentially welcome to Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected Iran’s promise to pay stipends to the families

of Palestinians killed while carrying out acts of terror against Israelis. Actually, it’s not the idea of rewarding terrorists that troubles Abbas, but rather what is being called “illegal interference in internal affairs.” Apparently, it would be OK to make the payments if they are channeled through the PA’s Martyrs and Prisoners Foundation. *** Despite Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s recent reception for visiting Jews and media suggesting that relations between Israel and Egypt are “warming up,” a recent incident underscores the continuing animosity toward the Jewish state found throughout Egyptian society. Case in point: After an Egyptian lawmaker dined with the Israeli ambassador, he was attacked by a colleague in the parliament, who threw a shoe at him while demanding he give up his seat.

Meanwhile, it appears that the stalemate between Israel and Jordan over measures that will be taken to assure the Muslim world that Israel is not “violating the status quo” in the area of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is nearing an understanding. Jordanian technicians are due in Jerusalem to move forward with closed-circuit television cameras, so the custodians of the Islamic holy places in Amman can watch “real-time.” *** Be sure you’re receiving The Media Line’s daily blast, the Mideast Daily News, in its new format. To receive your subscription, go to themedialine. org and fill out the registration on the home page. It’s free, and we’re glad to welcome JH-V readers as daily users.

Next week, we again will be “In Touch from Jerusalem.” ©2016. The Media Line Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Jon Haber writes about anti-Israel propaganda campaigns at DivestThis.com.

Texans were still voting at the polls on Super Tuesday, March 1, when the JHV went to press. See next week’s edition for election coverage.

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IN OTHER WORDS

PAGE 11A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

The art of downplaying terror TEDDY WEINBERGER Notes from the homelaNd

In the last week of January, the violence that some are calling the “Third Intifada” came to the Givat Ze’ev area.

On Monday, Jan. 25, at around 5 p.m., just 2 miles down the road in the small Beit Horon settlement, a 24-year-old woman was mortally wounded, and a 60-year-old woman was moderately wounded. Then, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, at around 11 p.m., a 36-year-old man was stabbed in the back in the shopping strip at one of Givat Ze’ev’s gas stations. This being Givat Ze’ev (which still has the feel of a small town), it’s not surprising that I am friendly with two of the people who were at the scene.

Twenty-seven-year-old Hillel Hagar, who works at a pastry shop a few doors down from the stabbing, was one of the men who wrestled the attacker to the ground. Though Hagar is newly married and might have thought twice before he acted the way he did (Sarah and I and our daughter Rebecca went to his wedding a few months ago), here is what he told the media before he was taken away in an ambulance (he sustained two minor cuts to his leg): “I heard screams, and I started running, without knowing where I’m running or why I’m running.” When someone told Hagar he was a hero, he said: “I’m nothing of the kind.” Also at the scene was my friend Dudi Gur (about whom I wrote the column, “My Israeli Doppelganger”), a volunteer paramedic who happened to be coming home from the theater. For Gur, who does regular rounds in Jerusalem, the incident was fairly routine medically. Like Hagar, he objected to making a big deal about what he did and, though the next day he was bombarded with media requests, he refused to be interviewed and play the hero.

Gur’s home is about half-a-mile from the attack. When I asked him if that gave him pause, he said: “You often have to pay a price for living where you live. In Russia, many people pay the price of frigid cold; here you pay the price of an incident

like this.”

Unlike Hagar or Gur, I was not born in this country and, yet, I also find myself reacting to incidents of terror with relative equanimity. How do I do it, not having been socialized here? The answer is downplaying. I was socialized by my father, Lenny Weinberger, the King of Downplayers. His golden rule: You CAN be too careful.

My father’s immediate reaction to danger is to downplay it. Nothing is as serious as “they” (“they” being the people in charge of your well-being) make it out to be. This approach serves as a healthy antidote to the anxieties of everyday Israeli life. Because, the fact is that there are many tempting ways to be overly careful in Israel.

One can decide never to go to a certain gas station again; one can decide never to ride a bus; one can avoid malls, movie theaters, open-air markets and restaurants; one can avoid traveling certain roads in the territories, and one can avoid traveling to the territories at all (although this is a bit problematic if one lives inside the territories). Clearly, life in Israel challenges the position that “one never can be too careful.” If one tries to live by this motto, one may discover very rapidly that one has ceased to function normally in Israeli society.

It’s all about risk assessment, and about giving up on the hope that one can do things to be 100 percent certain that nothing bad will happen to you. In America, my father saw that the authorities in charge of one’s security and health were so clearly aiming for this mythical “100 percent security” that they had to be counteracted with an “it’s not so serious.” Israel, on the other hand, seems to do a good job in weighing the risks and avoiding unnecessarily inconveniencing the civilian population.

It’s true that I sometimes resented the extremes to which my father’s downplaying could attain. As a kid, for example, all of my illnesses were, of course, downplayed. In order to stay home from school, I had to prove I was sick; said proof had to be with a minimum thermometer temperature of 102 degrees; for accuracy, the thermometer had to be rectal. But Dad, now that I live in Israel, all is forgiven. Your downplaying really comes in handy here.

Copyright 2016, Teddy Weinberger

May Rabbi Radinsky’s memory be for a blessing Jewish Herald-Voice Facebook readers commented and shared the JHV’s coverage on the loss of Rabbi Joseph Radinsky, of blessed memory. Here are a few of their remarks: “We are never prepared to lose good people. We lean on them too much.” – Jan Zollars “Baruch dayan emet.” – many readers “This is such a tremendous loss and my heart is heavy.” – Michelle Silberman “What a huge loss!” – Susie Askanase “… he was a great man and a legacy at that. A huge loss to the community.”

– Mitchell Levy “I was his first Bar Mitzvah at United Orthodox in September 1976. He was always a nice man and a caring person. We need more of him.” – Ted Nelkin “What a terrible loss. He was truly a tsadik.” – Susanne Marshall “Such a wonderful and compassionate person. May he rest in peace.” – Hava Rothman “Rabbi Radinsky married Frank and I in 1977. He helped our daughter go to Morasha Yachad Camp. He was always giving to the community. …” – Arriene Kaplan “A wonderful man and a great scholar. …” – Mark Perman “He was the mensch of mensches and always my idea of how a rabbi should be. …”

– Rene Michaels “He was the pillar of the Houston Jewish community and the finest person, sense of humor, sensitivity, deep. Profound loss for us all. May he rest in peace & his soul elevated!” – Danielle Dweck “A wonderful man for all people … the Houston Jewish community was blessed to have him with us. His legacy is with us, who were fortunate to have been in his presence.” – Ann Reva Jacobson

JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

EWS students Isabel Kramer and Carly Tiras helped assemble bottles for hospital patients during the school’s Tikkun Olam Day.

Smiles

From Page 1A

their annual Tikkun Olam Day. “This is a special project, because it does something specifically for kids,” said Ahava Guefen, an EWS sophomore who helped prepare dozens of bottles that morning.

“There are a lot of organizations dedicated to finding cures for diseases, but few reach out to individual patients and are concerned about their mental state. Bottles of Smiles helps brighten their day,” she said.

Bottles of Smiles works by having volunteers fill bottles with personal, handwritten letters, activity sheets, crayons, toys and wristbands. The bottles then are distributed to local hospitals and through organizations like Ronald McDonald House.

Bottles of Smiles became a registered 501-(c)(3) nonprofit organization this past summer. Shortly thereafter, BBYO adopted it as one of its Stand Up causes, first on the regional level, and now internationally.

“Less than 24 hours after Bottles of Smiles was launched on BBYO’s website, 400 bottles were ordered from chapters in 10 different states,” Roth said. “It was amazing!”

BBYO chapters and other volunteers that want to participate in Bottles of Smiles order the basic materials from the website. The materials are free, excluding shipping and any other customizable items that one chooses to include.

Though hospitals are strict about protecting patient privacy, the organization’s co-founders occasionally hear from children whose lives they touched.

“A girl contacted us on Instagram.

She had thyroid cancer and said she had been hospitalized for 125 days out of the 2014-2015 school year, and she had to travel to another state for medical care,” Roth said. “She said our mission is amazing and she and many others like her are so appreciative of what we’re doing.

“Those stories keep us going,” he said.

V i ne s s a id running t he organization has taught her valuable

leadership skills.

“It’s benefited us just as much as the children receiving the bottles,” she said. “I’ve learned so much by doing this and have grown as a leader and a community member.

“Both Gavin and I were raised by parents who are super into community service. When I was younger, I didn’t understand why that was so important, but now, after starting Bottles of Smiles, I do,” Vines said.

Roth said he has benefited from the experience of running a nonprofit organization.

“I really like the logistics side of the organization,” he said. “It’s fun leading the programs, making the promo videos and maintaining the website.

“I’ve gained entrepreneurial experience. We now have a board of directors and it’s taught me a lot about how to communicate with people,” he said.

As for the merits of the organization, itself, the co-founders of Bottles of Smiles said it’s rewarding to give other teens the opportunity to perform a mitzvah.

“When we’re leading programs, we try to raise awareness of what it’s like for children in the hospital,” Vines said.

“It teaches us to be appreciative of the lives we have.

“We also emphasize that we started Bottles of Smiles when we were freshmen in high school,” she added.

“This is what we accomplished in a year.

There’s no reason why other teens can’t do the same, or more.”

Vines and Roth have recorded a series of TED Talks to inspire teens to engage in community service. The pair aims to extend Bottles of Smiles’ reach by recruiting other youth movements and schools to participate. Their goal is to ensure that the organization continues its work after they graduate from high school.

Vines and Roth also are reaching out to potential donors. Financial donations to the nonprofit organization are tax-deductible.

For more information and to become involved with Bottles of Smiles, visit bottlesofsmiles.org.

Visit jhvonline.com to take part in this week’s poll:

What issue in the presidential campaign are you most passionate about?

Last week’s results In what way did Rabbi Joseph Radinsky, of blessed memory, impact your life?

He officiated at life-cycle events ...............................................33% He reminded us to love Judaism and each other....................30% He made me laugh ...................................................................... 14% Through his tikkun olam .......................................................... 14% I took a class with him .................................................................9%

PAGE 12A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

COMMUNITY

Author, blogger Lisa Barr to speak at Israel Bonds luncheon Lisa Barr, author of the award-winning novel, “Fugitive Colors,” a tale of stolen art, love, deception and revenge on the eve of World War II, will be guest speaker for the Israel Bonds Women’s Division luncheon, noon, Thursday, April 14.

The novel won the IPPY award for “Best Literary Fiction 2014” and first prize at the Lisa Barr Hollywood Film Festival and was named on “HEEB” magazine’s “Top 10 2014” best of “Fugitive Colors.” A minimum bond investment is required to attend. books list.

Israel Bonds Women’s Division Barr is editor and creator of the parenting blog, GIRLilla Warfare: A leadership includes Joy Blog, Sandra Mom’s Guide to Surviving the Suburban Finkelman, Bernice Blum Miller and Jungle. Her blog, “Being Left Out Hurts: Elise Newman (chair). Couvert is not tax Moms, Stop Social Engineering,” went deductible, and bonds under $100 must viral, being viewed more than 2.5 million be purchased online at israelbonds.com.

For information or to register, contact times.

Barr has been featured on the “Today Steve Landis, 713-360-3530, or steve.

Show,” “Good Morning America,” “Fox & landis@israelbonds.com.

Development Corporation for Israel.

Friends,” and on Australia television to This is not an offering, which can discuss “How to Combat Mean Moms.”

The event is hosted by Joy Blog, be made only by prospectus. Member and the cost includes lunch and a copy FINRA

Or Ami Mah-Jongg Tournament Congregation Or Ami’s annual Mah-Jongg Tournament will take place Sunday, March 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Congregation Or Ami, 3443 Wilcrest Dr. Spend time with friends, meet others who enjoy the game, and enjoy lunch and maybe win a prize. Encourage fellow mah-jongg players to join in this friendly tournament.

RSVP and pay online at oramihouston.org, or mail a check payable to Congregation Or Ami with “Mah Jongg Tournament” on the memo line to 3443 Wilcrest Dr., Houston, TX 77042.

For information, contact 713-334-4300 or houstonorami@gmail.com.

Answer Your Phone and Make Your Opinions Count!

Professional callers will soon contact thousands of Houston households so we can learn where Jewish people live and what programs and services they need.

When you see “Count Me Texas” in your caller ID, answer the call. If you need to, you can reschedule and receive a call back.

Make Your Voice Matter, Because Being Jewish Counts!

Questions? Visit HoustonJewish.org/CommunityStudy or call 713-729-7000

Emanu El Chicken Soup Cook-off winners feed more than the record crowd A record crowd attended the 13th Congregation Emanu El Chicken Soup Cook-off held Sunday, Feb. 21, sponsored by the Congregation’s Brotherhood Men’s Club. More than 40 restaurants raised more than $10,000 for the Houston Food Bank and Emergency Aid Coalition.

Mark’s won the Traditional Soup category, with runners-up being Houston City Club and Ruggles Green.

Top spot in the International competition went to Randalls for its Afghaninspired entry, followed by H-Town Treats and Hungry’s. The first place Creative category was Oceanaire, with South

Shore Harbor Resort and The Grove rounding out the top three.

Throughout the day, attendees voted on the People’s Choice award, with firsttime entrant Jonathan’s The Rub winning the crown.

After a day of community and competition, the restaurants donated their remaining soup, picked up by Second Servings of Houston, to feed 400 homeless individuals in the community.

The biennial Chicken Soup Cook-off returns in 2018 with hopes of raising more money for the Houston Food Bank and Emergency Aid Coalition.

JFS boasts newly elected officers New officers of Jewish Family Service, elected at the 103rd annual meeting, are: (front) Debra G. Cohen, Toby Brown and Philip Tenenbaum; and (back) Jonathan Baliff, Mark Brookner, Joy Kaplan and Greg Lewis. (Also serving are Lynne Aronoff and Marla Matz Feldman, DDS).

Business

Bernstein Realty adds sales associate

Bernstein Realty is excited that Lisa Yambra has joined the company as a sales associate. A proud, third-generation Houstonian, Yambra loves this great city for all of its character and diversity.

She is familiar with many areas of Houston, particularly the Braes Heights area where she grew up, the Houston Heights where her family-owned business was located and the Midtown/Montrose area where she currently lives. Yambra enjoys the many benefits Lisa Yambra of being a Houstonian, from the city’s arts and culture, restaurant and night life, to its outdoor recreation and her beloved Houston sports teams, and everything in between.

In 2004, Yambra graduated magna cum laude from St. Edwards University. Upon returning to Houston, she became a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston and has chaired events and served on steering committees for various events throughout the Houston area. Her background has prepared her to serve her clients well, offering each a truly positive, personal and professional Houston real estate experience.

Yambra is described by those with whom she has worked as a hard-working, resultoriented individual with a strong sense of focus and a genuine appreciation for the unique needs and best interests of others. She has established and continues to build a reputation within the community for providing excellent customer service and being diligent, professional, resourceful and caring. She is trustworthy, reliable, loves people and truly strives to make each client’s experience a positive and personal one.

Yambra can be reached at 713-870-8530 or lyambra@bernsteinrealty.com.

SIMCHAS/SCHOOLS/TEENS Introducing

Lonestar teens honored at BBYO International Convention

ELLE LEONA POLLAND Esther and Gary Polland joyfully announce the birth of their granddaughter, Elle Leona Polland, born Aug. 1, 2015, in Los Angeles. Elle, the daughter of Lainie and Jonathan Polland, also is the granddaughter of Judy and David Kaufman of Cleveland. Elle was named in loving memory of her great-grandmothers, Ethel Slipakoff and Leona Rosenbluth.

CONGREGATION EMANU EL BECKER EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Congregation Emanu El Becker’s Kindergarten Bridge students Akhil Patel, Jushin Sidhu and James Miller prepare the gardening beds for vegetable planting. The children participate in gardening activities and, once a crop is ready, they enjoy the vegetables and sell extras to Becker families. The money is donated to the Houston Food Bank.

THE SHLENKER SCHOOL

PreK-4 student Nathan Kruger and his grandmother, Perri Fink, participated in the Early Childhood’s Annual Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day, Friday, Feb. 19. Grandparents and special friends enjoyed breakfast, followed by fun and interactive activities in students’ classrooms and a Kabbalat Shabbat.

Torah Day School musical tells story of the Book of Ruth Torah Day School’s Girls’ Organization will present a musical about the Book of Ruth, Wednesday, March 9, at 6:30 p.m., at the school. The musical tells the biblical story of Ruth as explained through Midrash about Megilat Rut. Although the story is not among the most well-known of biblical stories, the Book of Ruth is rich with lessons that are brought out in this production. These lessons include leadership, loyalty, modesty, faith and kindness to the poor.

A rare aspect of Torah Day School’s Girls’ Organization is it is studentled. Seventh- and eighthgrade students lead the groups, design and paint the scenery and choreograph the dance and choir motions.

The girls are advised by Rivka Fishman and Margo Ellen Gilman. Evita Tierman assists with voice training and costumes.

The free performance is open to women and girls only.

Refreshments will be sold before and after the play.

SWUSY convenes for Austin weekend CLEAR LAKE, Texas – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist Of course, Mead’s wisdom includes young people too, and their actions deserve notice. Such is true of the Jewish youth organization, Southwest United Synagogue Youth.

The organization will have the Kadima (fifth to eighth grades) annual convention Friday through Sunday, April 1-3, in Austin, Texas. It will be a weekend of fun activities, including a Rodeo Relay, games, a swim-up movie

Beer

From Page 1A

home-brews that some of the group had previously made, and some were examples of other styles of beer for the group to start exploring with.”

The following week, the class transferred its creations from primary to

PAGE 13A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

night, Shabbat meals, free time for sports and chilling with friends. Last year, more than 70 students participated and more are expected this year.

SWUSY uses an online registration system through Regpacks, where attendees create an account. All participants must be registered members of USY/Kadima before attending the convention. Chapter advisors will help with registration.

All transportation is organized on the chapter level, and scholarships may be available via chapter advisers.

The convention will take place at Dell’s Jewish Community Center campus, 7300 Hart Ln., in Austin. secondary fermenters and added dry hops and finishing touches to the beer.

The class is planning brewery tours and education for upcoming sessions.

For more information about Adult HeBrew, visit hcrj.org or call 713-7824162.

Sixty-six Lonestar teens joined more than 4,000 teen leaders, educators, professionals and philanthropists from 48 states and 27 countries at the BBYO International Convention in Baltimore from Feb. 11-15.

At the Convention’s opening, BBYO announced the recipient of its 2016 BBG Alumna of the Year Award to be Houstonian Karen Lerner. A native of Tulsa, Okla., Lerner is the former president of BBYO Texoma Region (now Lonestar Region and North Texas/Oklahoma Region).

Over the last eight years, she has played the key role in establishing the Friends and Alumni Network for Lonestar Region.

Her tireless work locally raised hundreds of thousands of dollars during that time span. Lerner’s success led her to take on the chairmanship of the FAN program nationally, where she works with alumni in other regions to support local BBYO programs.

Another plum for Lonestar Region came about when Liam Faigen from The Emery/Weiner School and member of Randy Reisbord AZA was elected grand aleph mazkir (secretary of marketing, communications, globalization and fundraising) of the international AZA and BBG boards. He will be a part of a 10-member teen board that will help chart the organization’s vision for the coming year and provide leadership and support to teen leaders in local communities throughout the BBYO system.

With an attendance growth of 182 percent since 2012, International Convention 2016 served as a dynamic meeting place and real-world classroom, providing today’s teen leaders an invaluable opportunity to join together

Questions Jewish teens ask The other day, none of my classmates or myself understood the skill my teacher was trying to teach us. We all were so frustrated and having such a difficult time. It was so exhausting, as much as a tennis workout. We all were so focused and working problem after problem after problem, but nothing was getting through. I felt so sorry for our teacher, who we all really love.

It seemed like we asked her about a million questions, and the same ones over and over again, yet she stood her ground and told us she would do whatever it took for us to understand, something any great teacher would do.

The questioning was important, though.

It DID finally help us all understand.

Am I Allowed to Ask? is the first chapter of the great book, “Tough Questions Jews Ask – A Young Adult’s Guide to Building a Jewish Life,” authored by Rabbi Edward Feinstein. I received this book from Beth Yeshurun after my Bat Mitzvah. It is a compilation of questions that preteens and teenagers do have and are curious about, which relate to our religion.

Why does G-d let terrible things happen? What is G-d anyway? If I pray for something, will I get it? Why does religion need so many rules? Why be Jewish? These are just a few of the questions that Rabbi Feinstein hopes to answer for the Jewish youth who read this book. He even admits that he does not have all of the answers, but he “encourages young people to make sense of the Jewish tradition by wrestling with what we don’t understand.”

for insights, shared leadership resources and new skills they will use to change the world. This year’s featured speaker was New York Times commentator David Brooks.

“As enormous changes unfold around us and throughout the world, BBYO’s leadership, both teen and adult, realize that the future of the Jewish community is brighter when we all come together,” said Matthew Grossman, BBYO chief executive officer. “This event truly offers a unique opportunity for them to see how the BBYO local experience translates into being part of something bigger than themselves – the global Jewish people.”

Nearly 30 leadership labs addressed advocacy, philanthropy, marketing, social entrepreneurship, political engagement, civic leadership, Israel, education, environmental protection and chapter and program development.

“It was so inspiring to hear from so many amazing speakers,” said The Emery/ Weiner School’s Ahava Guefen, age 15.

“It’s crazy to think just how strong our movement is, and seeing everyone come together to learn about our faith and to participate in programming really moved me. Now, back in Lonestar, I am more inspired than ever to lead the Jewish community into a bright future.”

The teens also took part in the experience of breaking a Guinness World Record by joining together for the largest Shabbat dinner ever.

For more information on BBYO contact lsr@bbyo.org. Follow @LSRBBYO on Twitter and Instagram and BBYO Lonestar Region on Facebook to keep up with all things Lonestar.

HALLE BRAZDA Teen Column

I do really love this book. With honesty and great humor, the rabbi tries to answer some tough questions, questions I do think swirl around in the heads of most all Jewish youth.

Our rabbis want us to ask questions.

That is why attending a religious school after Bat Mitzvah has been so rewarding for me, personally. To be able to ask questions and learn even more about Judaism is essential for me in becoming a Jew of good character and full of knowledge. According to Rabbi Feinstein, “Asking questions is about the most important thing Jewish people do.” He states that “the Talmud teaches that if you are too embarrassed to ask questions, you’ll never learn anything” (Pirkei Avot 2:5).

So, my hope and goal of this column is to tell teens – even if shy, or feeling not-so-comfortable – to reach out and ask questions. If things do not feel right or as they should to you, then questioning is best before it is too late, and something negative occurs, whether that be something minor as to receive a low grade at school or something more major like if one of your peers has been drinking and whether you should ride home with him or her. It is always best to speak up and ask! The rabbi concludes, “As a Jew that is what is expected of you!”

Any questions for me, please feel free to ask at halle.brazda@kinkaid. org.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 14A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

Houston Jewish Film Festival: two reviews

‘Phoenix’ is about betrayal, restitution aaron howard Looks

at

Movies

A good mystery unfolds through its characters, giving just enough clues in each scene to push the story along. In the German feature film, “Phoenix,” director Christian Petzold has fashioned a subtle psychological mystery. The film’s protagonist must cope, or refuse to cope, with betrayal, reality and meaning after the horrors of the Holocaust.

One of the don’t-miss films at the Houston Jewish Film Festival, “Phoenix” screens Monday, March 7, at 5 p.m., at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center.

Set in the rubble of postwar Berlin, the film opens with Nelly (Nina Hoss), whose head is covered in a bloody dressing.

Nelly’s face and her individuality have been shattered. Nelly is accompanied by Lene (Nina Kunzendorf), who is driving her to Berlin for facial reconstructive surgery.

The doctor tells Nelly that with her new face, she’ll be a different person. Shattered as Nelly acts, we have reason to doubt the prognosis. Just as Nelly goes under anesthesia, we are given a flashback of

her wearing striped concentration camp pajamas.

The film revolves around “victims’ money,” German financial restitution to the victims of Nazi persecution. Following a successful surgery, Lene aids Nelly through the bureaucratic restitution process.

“The money comes with obligations,” Lene tells Nelly. What obligations? “To go to Palestine and establish a state where we Jews can live safely.”

However, Nelly is not willing to go to Palestine or to go forward. She is stuck in the past, particularly in the memories of her marriage to Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), a non-Jew who may have sold her out to the Nazis. Nelly seeks her husband in the Berlin ruins. She finds him working in a nightclub called Phoenix. Just prior to finding Johnny, there’s a scene where Nelly tells Lene she’s not going to the apartment Lene has found for them in Haifa. “I’m not Jewish,” says Nelly.

“You are,” Lene answers, “they tried to kill you. And, Johnny betrayed you.”

Of course, Nelly doesn’t want to hear that. When she finds Johnny at Phoenix, he doesn’t recognize Nelly, due to her new face.

Johnny is convinced his wife is dead. And, he’s got a plan: Nelly will pose as his wife, a returning survivor. Together, they will split the restitution money.

After proposing the plan, Johnny decides

the scheme won’t work. But, Nelly urges him to try. Better to cling to the shreds of her past with Johnny than move forward into an uncertain future.

In one scene, Nelly tells Lene she survived the camps because she believed she’d come back to Johnny. Now that she has found him, he has made her Nelly again. She can’t go to Palestine.

Johnny “reconstructs” the old Nelly, teaching her how to dress, wear her hair, apply makeup and walk the way Nelly did.

We see Nelly grow more confident and grow into her “Nelly-ness.” Yet, she is becoming more aware that she’s acting in some kind of script Johnny has fashioned for her.

Lene tells Nelly, “You know what disgusts me? We Jews go through all this and then forgive.” Nelly answers, “I know he loves me.

He didn’t betray me.”

As Nelly prepares to “return” to life, the audience becomes increasingly aware Johnny did betray his wife to the Nazis. The film moves toward its climax. Nelly discovers an official Nazi document of divorce, dated just prior to her arrest.

Without spoiling the climax, let’s say the resolution of the film will leave you talking as you leave the theater. This mystery poses a series of troubling questions. For the characters and the audience, the answers have consequences no one imagined.

EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JCC HOUSTON

Coming Soon at the J Houston Jewish Film Festival Everything is Illuminated

J CAMPS

REGISTER NOW! New camps available

American Ninja Warrior | Jedi Master Lego Camp Junior Rice Baseball Camp

Spring Break Camp March 14–18

Grades K-5 can enjoy tennis, gymnastics or art plus swimming, crafts & more!

AN ORDINARY MAN WHO DID EXTRAORDINARY THINGS Written by & Starring

Directed by

Tom Dugan Wiesenthal

Jenny Sullivan

March 29–April 3

The true story of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal, written by and starring Tom Dugan.

Spring Classes Begin this Month

Art | Fitness & Mind/Body | Tennis | Dance Music | Basketball

Houston Jewish Film Festival

MORE UPCOMING EVENTS: Spring Scholar Series

Jewish Ethics & The Price of Life

April 3–10

MARCH 5-20, 2016

Spring Market at the J

Sunday, April 3 | 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

Shop for one-of-a-kind, Mother’s Day, bridal shower, graduation and birthday gifts.

The best Jewish and Telecharge.com or 212-239-6200

Groups (10+): 212-265-8500 ACORN THEATREIsraeli at

Performances: Tues & Thurs 7pm

films from 410 W 42 around the world Wed & Sat 2pm & 8pm Sun 3pm

nd

St.

WIESENTHALTHEPLAY.COM

L’Dor Vador: Poetry and Dance from Three Generations of a Jewish Family April 9 & 10

Highlights three generations of artists and their journey

28th Annual JCC Golf Tournament

Monday, April 18 | BlackHorse Golf Club

Golf, food and fun with dinner, silent auction, raffle and door prizes Underwritten by Dentons EVELYN RUBENSTEIN JCC HOUSTON 5601 S. Braeswood | Houston, TX 77096

Wedding Doll

Photo by: Gabriel Baharlia

Learn more at erjcchouston.org or call 713.729.3200.

Not another Holocaust film

By AARON HOWARD | JHV

In Tel Aviv, Israel, at the beginning of this millennium, a Marine patrol boat fishes the body of an old man out of the water. He has three stab wounds in his chest, a number tattooed on his arm and nothing else to identify him.

A detective in need of redemption, Amnon (Amnon Wolf), is assigned the case, despite his protests. Thus begins “Fire Birds,” an Israeli detective thriller that plays against the conventions of the Holocaust genre.

The Houston premiere of “Fire Birds” is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m., at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center. The film was nominated for 10 Ophir Awards, the Israeli equivalent of the Academy Awards.

As we slowly learn, the dead man is Romek Stein (Oded Teomi), a con man, who follows the death notices of Holocaust survivors in the newspapers, visiting the widows during shiva to “grift” meals. Like any decent grifter, Romek tells a good story about how the deceased and he were childhood friends.

It’s all pretext. Romek is sizing up his marks. He’s there to borrow a few shekels or steal restitution money from Holocaust survivors.

This is not another Holocaust film.

When one looks at the history of Israeli cinema, most of the previous films portrayed Holocaust characters as deeply broken people.

In contrast, “Fire Birds” director, Amir Wolf, gives us a collection of survivors who, in their later years, have achieved a measure of material success and self-worth. They exhibit a zest for life that includes dance parties sponsored by survivor organizations. And, they have a sense of humor. There’s one outstanding scene where Amnon’s young daughter goes with him to the home of the detective’s parents, both Holocaust survivors. Amnon’s daughter has a school assignment to videotape their family tree.

Just before they begin videotaping, Amnon cautions his mother to go light about Holocaust events.

He says, “I don’t want her thinking about the things I thought about at her age.”

Grandma launches into the narrative of how she met Grandpa. “A year after we met, we ended up in Plasnov, a concentration camp …”

Amnon cautions in a low growl, “Mom …”

His mom continues, “It’s not as bad as you think. There was a forest with marzipan trees and a river made of chocolate. Unicorns freely roamed the streets. And, every day at 4:00, we’d drink tea with Himmler, who would tell us stories.”

The film juggles humor, mystery, great music (kudos to Ady Cohen) within a taut narrative and outstanding performances from a quartet of veteran Israeli actors: Gila Almagor as Olga, Miriam Zohar as Zissy Glick, Devora Kedar as Zissy’s companion, and Oded Teomi in the role of Romek Amikom.

It’s been only recently we’ve seen an increasing number of American film roles written for older actors. I’m uncertain as to whether the demographics of Israeli film audiences are as skewed toward youth as American films are. Actors don’t tend to achieve mastery of their skills until they are in their 30s or 40s, at the very time when they begin to be unemployable for youthful film roles. The veterans in this film project a warmth and kindness that is rare in younger actors. They are a pleasure to watch.

In “Fire Birds,” we meet a deeply defined villain whose need to be accepted as part of the survivor community clashes with his con game. And, we meet three strong female heroes – the antithesis of the survivor as a passive victim. All three women have a motive for murder.

For a murder mystery centered within the community of Holocaust survivors, this is a film full of life. It’s one of my favorites at the Jewish Film Festival.

Calendar Three dimensions

Upcoming Events

Parashat Vayakhel – Shabbat Shekalim Exodus 35:1-38:20 and Exodus 30:11-16 RABBI DR. TZVI HERSH WEINREB Weekly Torah PorTion The three dimensions of our existence are not only part of our physical reality.

Forward and backward, horizontal left and right, and vertical up and down all play a part in our religious experience, as well.

For example, when the Jew shakes the lulav on Sukkot, he moves it from left to right, up and down, and forward and backward.

When the Sh’ma is recited and the Jew declares that the L-rd is one, echad, he is instructed to imagine that G-d’s dominion is over all the three dimensions of existence.

He rules the horizontal plane, the vertical plane and the dimension of inner/outer.

Our tradition knows, too, of an entirely different dimensional triad. Not merely three aspects of space, but three modes of human experience: time, space and person. In Hebrew, this triad is known as olam-shananefesh; literally “world-year-soul.”

Part of our experience is temporal; we live in time. We also live spatially, bound by geographical parameters. And, we have the inner experience of being, of consciousness, of personal awareness. Thus, three dimensions.

These three dimensions play a central role in this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Vayakhel. Three themes are intertwined in the chapters of Exodus 35:1-38:20, which comprise our parashah.

These three themes are the Sabbath, the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and the individuals to whom the words of this parashah are addressed and who contribute, both materially and creatively, to the construction of the Mishkan.

The portion begins as Moses assembles the entire congregation of the Children of Israel. Moses and all the Jewish people constitute one dimension, one nefesh, one person.

He shares with them the message of the Sabbath, of working for six days and resting on the seventh. He enjoins them to kindle no fire in their homes on the Sabbath day.

He, thereby, introduces them to the second dimension, that of time. He initiates the concept of sacred time, of a time which stands separate from the mundane and the ordinary.

The rest of the parashah describes the

SynagogueS

THURSDAY, MARCH 3

construction of what is to become a sacred place. A demarcated space set off from the rest of the spatial environment.

And, throughout Parashat Vayakhel, we read of those whose “hearts are stirred up and whose spirits are willing” (Exodus 35:21) to come forward with the gifts and contributions out of which this space will be constructed. We read of the “wise-hearted women ... whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom” (Ibid. 35:26) and whose hands crafted the beautifully embroidered cloths that decorated this haven in space.

We also read of two individuals, Bezalel and Oholiab, who are “filled with a G-dly spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in all manner of workmanship” (Ibid. 35:31).

These three utterly different dimensions delineate the physical reality of horizontal and vertical space, but even more so accentuate the spiritual reality of man. The human condition is such that space can be sanctified, that time can be hallowed, and that humans have a transcendent spirit that distinguishes them from the rest of the animal world.

The lessons inherent in these three dimensions are about as important as any in our Scripture.

First, there is the lesson of shana, of the year, of time. We have the capability of setting aside special times for celebration, for introspection, for memory. And, this capability has kept the Jewish people in good stead throughout their history.

Then, there is the lesson of olam, of the world around us, of space. There are places in the world which are home, and there are places which are exile. Indeed, “home is where the heart is,” in the psychological sense. But, in the national and religious sense, the Land of Israel is our place, and our synagogues and study halls are our sacred spaces in every corner of the world.

Finally, there is the lesson of nefesh, of the personal soul. It is our spiritual potential that makes us able to sanctify time and place and, thereby, lend meaning and purpose to our existence.

A fourth dimension? Perhaps, there is one. But for me, the three dimensions of olam, shana and nefesh are more than sufficient to provide an agenda for religious life. What a powerful framework!

And, all is encompassed in this week’s Torah portion.

To read more articles and essays by Rabbi Weinreb, go to ou.org/torah/parshaseries/rabbi-weinreb-on-parsha.

Big Tent Judaism – Purim Power: Unmasking the Hero, at V.F.W. Park, 6202 George Bush Dr. in Katy, Texas. To register, visit bit.ly/ PurimPowerKaty2016. (A similar program will take place at the Stella Link Library. See March 7.)

Houston Hebrew Free Loan Assn. informational meeting at the home of Hannah and David Loev, 7:30 p.m. in Bellaire, Texas. Open to the community. To RSVP, call 713-724-8997 or email hebrewfreeloan@hfla.net.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4 For children and their families, Congregation Emanu El will host its annual Rodeo Tot Shabbat, with an optional barbecue dinner in Feld Hall at 5:45 p.m., followed by the service at 6:30 p.m. in the Barish Sanctuary. Mama Doni will team up with Rabbi Pam Silk for the service, in which all attendees are encouraged to dress in their best Rodeo attire. For more information on either program, contact Jason Plotkin at 713-535-6414 or jasonp@emanuelhouston.org.

MARCH 5-20 Houston Jewish Film Festival – the best Jewish and Israeli films from around the world – at the JCC. For information, visit erjcchouston.org, or call 713-729-3200.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5 Congregation Beth El of Missouri City offers A Taste of the Homeland, 7 p.m., when Nitzan Mendelbaum will present five of his most popular wines at this fundraiser. For information or to purchase tickets, contact Bill Asnes, 281-467-0667 or basnes@comcast. net, or Carol Cooper, tasteofhomeland@gmail.com.

FED, a pop-up dinner event, at 7:30 p.m., for young Jewish adults to connect, learn about how the Jewish Federation has affected their lives and join others committed to do good. Young adults ages 21 to 45. Register by Feb. 29 at houstonjewish. org/GetFed. To learn more about YAD, contact Lisa Stanton, 713-729-7000, ext. 319, or lstanton@ houstonjewish.org.

SUNDAY, MARCH 6 Congregation Or Ami’s annual Mah-Jongg Tournament, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Or Ami, 343 Wilcrest Dr. For information, contact 713-334-4300 or houstonorami@gmail.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 7 Congregation Emanu El hosts its fifth-annual Kiddush Cup Classic at Braeburn Country Club, with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. For information about sponsorship opportunities or to register a team or individual, visit EmanuElHouston.org; contact Jason Plotkin, 713-535-6414, or JasonP@ emanuelhouston.org.

Big Tent Judaism – Purim Power: Unmasking the Hero, 6-7 p.m. at the Stella Link Library. To register, visit bit.ly/purimPowerKaty2016.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 Avital Hadassah’s meeting, 1 p.m., at the Oxford Condominium Party Room, 5150 Hidalgo (next to Nordstrom). Gladys Gerzson will talk about “Growing Up Jewish in Syria.” Everyone is invited to hear her fascinating story about how Jews were forced to leave their country.

14133 Memorial Dr., Ste 1, Houston 77079-6800 281-589-7188; WestChabad.org

bellaire Jewish center [o]

congregation beth el [r]

12 Bellaire Triangle Arc, Bellaire 77401 832-971-3781; BJCHouston.org

3900 Raoul Wallenberg Ln., Missouri City 77459 281-499-5066; betheltx.org

1500 Sunset Blvd., Houston 77005-1899 713-529-5771; EmanuElHouston.org

chabad attexas a&M University [o]

congregation beth israel [r]

congregation Jewish coMMUnity north [r]

201 Live Oak St., College Station 77840-1923 979-220-5020; JewishAggies.com

5600 N Braeswood Blvd., Houston 77096-2924 713-771-6221; Beth-Israel.org

chabad hoUse at rice [o]

congregation beth Jacob [c]

chabad of the bay area [o] center for Jewish life & learning 2047 W. Main St., Ste. B7, League City,Texas 77573

chabad of Uptown [o] 4311 Bettis Dr., Houston 77027-4403; 713-419-3960; ChabadUptown.org

chabad bay area center for Jewish life & learning 2047 W. Main St, Suite B7 League City, TX 77573

chabad lUbavitch center [o] 10900 Fondren Rd., Ste. B104, Houston 77096-5525 713-777-2000 chabadtexas.org

SUNDAY, MARCH 13 Seventh-annual Houston Friendship Walk, beginning at 1 p.m., with registration and a fair at Congregation Beth Yeshurun, 4525 Beechnut. The Friendship Circle, a nonprofit organization, brings together teenage volunteers and children with special needs through recreational, social and educational programs.

THURSDAY, MARCH 17 Anne Frank Hadassah’s March meeting, 10:30 a.m., at Gloria Tobor’s home. Rabbi Marcy Greene, of the L’Chaim Center, will discuss the “Mysteries of the Chagall Windows.” Bring a dairy or veggie dish to share. RSVP to Paulette, 713-827-7227 or plevine300@aol.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 24 – PURIM Partnering with Congregation Shma Koleinu’s Adult Purim evening, the Jewish Lone Stars celebrate, 7-9 p.m., at St. Arnold’s Brewery. For information about Big Tent Judaism, contact Elise Passy, epassy@bigtentjudaism.org or 832-779-1564.

LEARNING ABOUT JUDAISM Congregation Shaar Hashalom’s Rabbi Stuart Federow hosts free, open to the public, discussions about Judaism or religion in general, on the second Thursday of each month, Victor’s 1425 NASA Pkwy., Houston 77058 (next to the “space” McDonald’s), at 7 p.m.

Line By Line With the Prophets sessions, guided

by Rabbi Federow, are conducted on Sundays, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at Congregation Shaar Hashalom, 16020 El Camino Real, Houston.

Israeli folk dances are held at Congregation Shaar Hashalom on Mondays, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Sessions will take place on March 7, 14, 21 and 28.

For information about sessions, contact the synagogue office, 281-488-5861, or at csh@ shaarhashalom.org.

The J on the Go ... 60-Plus WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 from 10 to 11:15 a.m.

Broadway’s Jewish Roots, A Look at the Jewish Composers and Lyricists Who Made Broadway Soar. Instructor: Cantor Mark Perman

J RIDE Provides safe, reliable, non-emergency transportation for Jewish adults age 60 plus and special needs adults.

Sign up Now for Art and Mah-Jongg Classes

For more info contact Esther Bethke @ 713.595.8186.

Candle lighting for Sabbath, Friday, March 4, 6:05 p.m. Torah portion: Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1-38:20) and Parashat Shekalim (Exodus 30:11-16) – depicting construction of the ancient Sanctuary; Haftarah: Second Kings 11:17-12:17; – blessing of the New Moon of Adar 2, beginning Thursday and Friday, March 10 and 11; Sabbath ends: Saturday, March 5, 7:19 p.m.

[C=Conservative; O=Orthodox; R=Reform; Rt=Reconstructionist; I=Independent].

chai learning center [o]

4501 Cartwright Rd., Ste. 770, Missouri City 77459 832-758-0685; ChabadSugarLand.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 10 Big Tent Judaism – Children’s Purim Pastry Pairing at Three Brothers Bakery on Washington Avenue, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Torah Day School’s Girls’ Organization presents musical about the Book of Ruth, 6:30 p.m. at the school. The free performance is open to women and girls only.

25823 Budde Rd., Spring 77380-2009 281-865-7242; JewishWoodlands.com

chabad of sUgar land [o]

The family of Evelyn Bell (of blessed memory) holds its first Evelyn Bell Birthday Bash, 7-8:30 p.m., at the JCC. The party is coordinated by Jewish Family Service. RSVP to jweiner@jfshouston.org or call 713-667-3222 and ask for Jamie Weiner.

Daylight saving time begins

bais chabad of the woodlands [o]

1955 University Blvd., Houston 77030-1303 713-522-2004; ChabadAtRice.org

Page 15a Jewish herald -Voice March 3, 2016

PO Box 750, Galveston 77553-0750; 2401 Avenue K, Galveston 77550-4403 409-762-4545; galvestonshul.org

congregation beth raMbaM [o] 11333 Braesridge Dr., Houston 77071-2327 713-723-3030; BethRambam.org

congregation beth shaloM [r] 101 N Coulter Dr., Bryan 77803-4831 979-822-2738; CBS-BCS.org

congregation beth shaloM of the woodlands [r] 5125 Shadow Bend Pl., Spring 77381-4111; 281-362-1100; CBSW.org

congregation beth yeshUrUn [c] 4525 Beechnut St., Houston 77096-1896 713-666-1881; BethYeshurun.org

congregation b’nai israel [r] 3008 Avenue O, Galveston 77550-6898; PO Box 8060, Galveston 77553-8060; 409-765-5796 TBIGalveston.org

congregation brith shaloM [c] 4610 Bellaire Blvd., Bellaire 77401-4299 713-667-9201; BrithShalom.org

congregation eManU el [r]

5400 Fellowship Ln., Spring 77379-8861; 281-376-0016; CJCN.org

congregation K’nesseth israel [--] PO Box 702, Baytown 77522-0702; 100 W Sterling St., Baytown 77520-4043; 281-424-5827; JoanTL@aol.com

congregation or aMi [c]

hillel at texas a&M 800 George Bush Dr., College Station 77840-2951 979-703-1856; TAMUHillel.org

hoUston congregation for reforM JUdaisM [r] 801 Bering Dr., Houston 77057-2105; 713-782-4162; HCRJ.org

hoUston hillel [--] 1700 Bissonnet St., Houston 77005-1710 713-526-4918; KWeiss@HoustonHillel.org; HoustonHillel.org

Jewish coMMUnity of brazosport (Jacob) [r]

3443 Wilcrest St., Houston 77042-4830 713-334-4300; OrAmiHouston.org

PO Box 443, Clute 77531-0443; 88 Flaglake Dr., Clute 77531-5130 JewishCommunityBrazosport@gmail.com

congregation shaar hashaloM [c]

Kol halev [rt]

16020 El Camino Real, Houston 77062-4414 281-488-5861; ShaarHashalom.org

congregation shMa KoleinU [r] P.O. Box 1808, Bellaire, Texas 77402-1808, 713-960-1800. Services at Grace Episcopal Church, 4040 West Bellfort, Houston 77025; shmakoleinu.com

congregation teMple eManUel [r] 1120 Broadway St., Beaumont 77701-2199 409-832-6131; EmanuelBeaumont.org

congregation torah vachesed [o] 5925 S. Braeswood Blvd, Houston 77096-3808 832-335-3639; TorahVachesed.com

PO Box 35634, Houston 77235-5634; 832-378-7545; KolHalevHouston.org; kolhalevhouston@gmail.com

the l’chaiM center [i] PO Box 3321, Bellaire 77402-3321; 5151 Buffalo Speedway, Houston 77005-4270; 713-705-7662; L-ChaimCenter.org

Meyerland Minyan [o] 9606 Chimney Rock Rd., Houston 77096-4102 9002 Chimney Rock Rd., Ste. G, PMB 186 Houston 77096-2509 713-398-1566 MeyerlandMinyan.org

seven acres Jewish senior care services [--] 6200 N Braeswood Blvd. Ofc., Houston 77074-7599 713-778-5700; SueC@SevenAcres.org; SevenAcres.org

shaloM cypress [c] Northwest Houston/Cypress area; ShalomCypress.org

teMple beth tiKvah [r] 12411 Park Shadows Trl., Houston 77058-1215 281-286-1717; TempleBethTikvah.org

teMple beth torah [i] 320 Shallow Dr., Humble 77338-5273; 281-446-5611; TBTHumble.org

teMple b’nai israel [r] 604 N Main St., Victoria 77901-6511 361-576-5667; BnaiIsraelVictoria.com

teMple israel [r] 211 Baumgarten St., Schulenburg 78956-2203 PO Box 602, Schulenburg 78956; TempleIsraelwebs.com

teMple sinai [r] 13875 Brimhurst Dr., Houston 77077-1883 281-496-5950; Temple-Sinai.org

‘the shUl’ of bellaire [--] 4909 Bissonnet St., Ste. 180, Bellaire 77401-4055 713-839-8887; JewishBellaire.com

United orthodox synagogUes [o] 9001 Greenwillow St., Houston 77096-3514 713-723-3850; UOSH.org

yoUng israel of hoUston [o] 7823 Ludington Dr., Houston 77071-2501

PO Box 710447, Houston 77271-0447

PAGE 16A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

B’tayavon

B’Tayavon

TED POWERS Food Editor TED POWERS FOOD EDITOR

‘Billion Dollar Buyer’ set to premiere on CNBC

Tilman Fertitta, chairman, CEO and sole shareholder of Landry’s Inc., will star in CNBC’s new original primetime reality series, “Billion Dollar Buyer,” premiering Tuesday, March 22. The show introduces small businesses from across the nation to one of America’s successful businessmen and hospitality mogul.

Fertitta’s buying power is second to none. He oversees more than 500 properties, and more than 50 restaurant, hotel and entertainment brands, ranging from high-end properties such as Mastro’s and Morton’s The Steakhouse, to mainstream destinations as Rainforest Café, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Saltgrass Steak House, and five Golden Nugget Casinos.

Now, he’s personally scouting the country for the most innovative new products America’s entrepreneurs have to offer – everything from food and drink for his restaurants and casinos to linens and spa products for his hotels.

In each hour-long episode, Fertitta will spend time with two small businesses, sample their goods, get to know their owners, and assess their compatibility with Landry’s Inc. He’ll point out flaws in their product and operations, share his expertise and push for improvements. In the end, he’ll decide whether to place an order with one of the companies, both, or neither. These businesses will come faceto-face with the most powerful customer they’ll ever meet: the Billion Dollar Buyer.

“We know there’s an appetite for high-quality programming that dives into the world of small business and celebrates the American Dream,” said Jim Ackerman, EVP, Primetime Alternative, CNBC. “With the addition of ‘Billion Dollar Buyer’ to our already robust lineup, CNBC continues to be the home for programs that celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit.” I can’t wait to see it.

FOOD Manischewitz partners with Welch’s Grape Juice

America’s No. 1 kosher brand, Manischewitz, announces a partnership with Welch’s, America’s No. 1 grape juice brand. Manischewitz and Welch’s have teamed to offer consumers 100 percent kosher grape juice for Passover and all year round. Together, they bring nearly 275 years of kosher experience. Welch’s Manischewitz Grape Juice is a blend from a selection of the finest, fresh-pressed Concord grapes.

Welch’s Manischewitz 100 percent grape juice is offered in 64-ounce and 96-ounce bottles. This is a nutritious and wholesome option for consumers, with no artificial ingredients, no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no artificial preservatives and is sulfite free. Welch’s and Manischewitz also are offering a nonalcoholic, sparkling grape juice in a 25.4 oz. bottle that has no artificial flavors, no artificial colors and is sulfite free.

“Manischewitz and Welch’s are clearly focused on product quality, and the Welch’s Manischewitz Grape Juice launch reinforces our ability to bring to market a delicious and wholesome drink,” said David Sugarman, president and CEO of The Manischewitz Company. “With Welch’s expertise in grape juice, combined with Manischewitz leadership in kosher, we are thrilled to offer consumers a quality product from two wellrespected brands.”

Steel-cut oatmeal versus other kinds of oatmeal

Traditional oatmeal is referred to as rolled oats because the whole-grain oats are softened by steam and flattened on rollers to form flakes. Steel-cut oats, also known as Irish or Scotch oatmeal, are cut by steel blades into small pieces without being flattened. Quick-cooking (one-minute) and instant oatmeal are steamed, cut and flattened in smaller pieces to cook more quickly.

Steel-cut oats are similar in nutrition to other forms of oatmeal that don’t contain added sugar or sodium. All forms of oatmeal are whole grain, containing the same vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber (including the soluble fiber shown to lower blood cholesterol). All oatmeal is slow to raise blood sugar and, therefore, classified as low in glycemic index, an estimate of how a carbohydrate food affects blood sugar.

Dining Out

with TED POWERS

Kenny & Ziggy’s Catering brings a bit of NY to Bayou City I moved from New York to Houston in 1970 and, have to admit, I still miss the Big Apple, but moving back never has been an option. I love the Bayou City too much to move. One of my favorite restaurants here is Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen Restaurant, and I often go there to get my NYC fix.

A few weeks ago, I had Shabbat dinner at Congregation Beth Israel, catered by Kenny & Ziggy’s. It was fabulous.

The dinner honored Cantor Jacob Mendelson, a renowned cantor and professor of music to Reform and Conservative cantorial students for more than 25 years. Cantor Mendelson recently appeared with K&Z owner Ziggy Gruber in the film, “Deli Man.” At Friday Shabbat services, he and Beth Israel’s Cantor David Mutlu focused on classical hazzanut. On Saturday evening, he performed in a biographical musical show, “The Cantor’s Couch.”

At Shabbat dinner, every table had a bottle of kosher wine and a plate of K&Z’s sour and half-sour pickles. Then came chopped liver, bagel chips and marble rye bread. Ziggy’s chopped liver is made with chicken livers – that is the best. A bowl of chicken soup with a large matzah ball followed. The soup was hot and tasty with little fat. Everything else was served on buffet tables.

The main course was slow-roasted brisket of beef with brown gravy. It was delicious and fork-tender. Also on the buffet was roasted apricot-glazed chicken. The white meat was moist and scrumptious. I loved the glaze. Side dishes included green beans almondine, roasted potatoes with garlic and schmaltz and a carrot soufflé.

Desserts included rugalach,

Kenny and Ziggy’s matzah ball soup

brownies, seven-layer bars, bobka, rainbow cookies, European-style butter cookies dipped in chocolate, sponge cake and marble cake. All the food, including dessert, was made from scratch. Portions were large and many people went back for seconds. I’m certain no one went home hungry.

If you have an event coming up, and you want to honor your guests with the very best, let Kenny & Ziggy’s cater your next affair. They offer an assortment of foods, from bagels to a banquet. There are deli meats, cheeses, salads and dessert trays. Check out the breakfast platters, appetizer molds, smoked fish and herring platters (my mouth is watering writing about it) and lots more.

Kenny & Ziggy’s catering director Jeanne Magenheim supervised the Beth Israel dinner to make sure everything was perfect – and it was. She can be contacted at 713-871-8883, or go to kennyandziggys.com. The restaurant is at 2327 Post Oak Blvd. at Westheimer.

Recipes Marinated Mushrooms (Pareve or Dairy)

¾ cup salad oil ½ cup lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil 2 chopped green onions 2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced 1 tsp. dry mustard 1½ lbs. of fresh mushrooms (use a combination of varieties) quartered 1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. of ginger ½ tsp. pepper 2 medium bay leaves 2 Tbsp. white wine 1 tsp. sugar ½ tsp. garlic powder Parmesan cheese for sprinkling/ topping (optional)

This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix to coat.

2. Cover and chill for five to six hours.

Serves eight to 10.

From Eileen Goltz on OUkosher.org

Fig And Olive Tapenade (Dairy)

This is an easy gourmet appetizer. I often add some chopped green olives to the olive mixture and a little more balsamic. Goat cheese also may be used in place of the cream.

Monday - Saturday • Tea & Scones 9-5 • Lunch 11-5 Afternoon Tea • Party Room • Custom Cakes 5305 Bissonnet 713.218.6300 www.mchughtea.com

1 cup chopped dried figs ½ cup water ⅔ cup chopped Kalamata olives 1 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried rosemary 1 tsp. dried thyme ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper Salt and pepper to taste ⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese

1. Combine figs and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, and liquid has reduced.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme and cayenne.

3. Add olives and garlic and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Cover and refrigerate for four hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Unwrap the cream cheese and place on a serving platter. Spoon the tapenade over the cheese and sprinkle the top with walnuts. Serve with slices of French bread or crackers.

5. To toast walnuts: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and fragrant.

Serves six to eight.

From Eileen Goltz on OUkosher.org

OBITUARIES EFIM BOGOSLAVSKY

PAGE 17A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

MELVIN THOMAS LEWIS

Efim Bogoslavsky, 96, passed away on Monday, Feb. 22, 2016 in Bellevue, Wash.

Born in Orgeyev, Romania (now Moldova), and given the name Chaim (life), he had a zeal for life and a strong and loving nature. Efim was a family man and also an accomplished tailor and menswear designer.

Efim is survived by his wife, Roza of 66 years; daughter, Miriam; grandsons, Roman, Matthew and Daniel; and great-grandchildren, Evan and Lexie. He was predeceased by his son, acclaimed concert pianist, Ariel (z”l).

Graveside services were held at 2 p.m., Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, at Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas, with Rabbi Andrew Paley officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas.

FLORENCE LYNNE LANDIS MAY 15, 1959 TO FEB. 23, 2016

Lynne Landis passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, in Phoenix. She was born in El Paso, Texas, the fourth child of Ruth Isenberg Landis and Gilbert Landis, M.D. Lynne was a talented and gifted neonatal nurse practitioner who dedicated her life to working in critical care nurseries. She had an adventurous spirit and worked in many cities across the U.S. She was passionate about her work and was loved by her family and many friends for her beautiful and giving soul and vivacious personality.

She loved beauty and was creative and brought joy to all who knew her.

Lynne is survived by her sister, Julie Landis, and Julie’s husband, Fred Wolgel; her brothers, Michael Landis and David Landis, and David’s wife, Ellen Neuborne; her stepmother, Irma Landis; her nieces and nephews, Brian Deitch, Allison Wolgel, Henry Landis and Leslie Landis; and many lifelong friends.

Funeral services were held at 11:30 a.m., Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, at Beth Yeshurun Cemetery, 1001 N. Post Oak Rd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

– Houston Jewish Funerals

ALTON LIPKIN Alton Lipkin, 101, died peacefully Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016. He was a special man, whom everyone loved and admired. He was a true gentleman’s gentleman. He proudly served on the Pacific front as a captain and was a decorated war hero who was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star. He married Bernice Gardner (of blessed memory) after the war and moved to Houston shortly thereafter, where he founded Gardner Restaurant Supply. His charismatic personality and wit helped establish the company as the leading purveyor to the top restaurants and clubs in the Houston area.

For 67 years, Al and Bernice enjoyed dancing, traveling and entertaining. They always did this with the ultimate style and grace. They took special joy in their children, Mark Lipkin and Lynn Segal Kogen (Barney Kogen) and, in later life, reveled in their grandchildren, Lauren Lipkin Orton (of blessed memory), Scott Meyers, Allyson Lipkin, Meredith Meyers Sansbury (Norman) and Michael Lipkin (Kelly). Their great-grandchildren – Gavin Sansbury, Olivia Meyers, Riley Sansbury, Lauren Lipkin and Jack Lipkin – were the icing on the cake of life.

Al’s passions were poker, jogging and any sporting event. His Jackie Conway stories were legendary. When asked his secret to longevity, he replied: “Exercise, laughter and Neutrogena Soap.”

A memorial service for Al was held Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, at 4 p.m., at Temple Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd.

Contributions to Temple Emanu El, where he proudly served as congregation president, or a charity of your choice.

– Houston Jewish Funerals

Melvin Thomas Lewis, 85, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Houston in July 1930. Melvin was the youngest of five children born to Aaron and Rose Lewis, who settled in Houston many years earlier from their native homeland of Russia, a heritage that always would hold special meaning to Melvin.

He attended Houston schools, graduating from San Jacinto High School, at the age of 16. He went on to attend The University of Texas at Austin, but was drafted into the Army after his first two years there. Upon returning home from the service, he completed his studies at the University of Houston, where he graduated with a business degree in accounting. His first job out of college was as chief accountant for Foley’s in Downtown Houston. It was the start of what would become a lifelong career in the retail industry.

Soon after beginning work at his first job, he was attending a singles dance when he met the love of his life, Marion. They were married in 1956, and two years later, welcomed their first daughter, Arlene, later followed by second daughter, Brenda. Family life always was extremely important and rewarding to Melvin. He loved celebrating birthdays, family occasions and especially observing the Jewish holidays together with his family; as long as everyone was together, he was happy.

Melvin had many different interests throughout his life. In his younger days, he was quite athletic and enjoyed playing many sports. He was active in tennis, baseball and basketball. Later, he developed a love of golfing and even enjoyed regular participation in a bowling league, both of which activities enabled him to enjoy being with his longtime groups of friends on a regular basis. In between work, family time or golf, Melvin usually would be enjoying another beloved interest, which was listening to music.

Love of music was something that ran deep in the Lewis household. When he was in his youth, he sang for the choir at his synagogue. Later, he developed a love of jazz music.

His daughters grew up in a house that always was filled with the sounds of all the jazz greats and the big band sounds that filled him with joy, and they, in turn, became music lovers themselves.

Later in his life, in his late 40s, he was introduced to the Houston Balalaika Society by a beloved nephew. The HBS was an orchestra that performed various types of Russian and Eastern European folk music, a form of music that he instantly connected with, stemming from his parents’ Russian roots. Having a great ear for music, he taught himself how to play a balalaika, and for the next 20-plus years of his life, derived immense joy from performing for live audiences, and from the hours spent practicing and playing with his orchestra bandmates who had become a second family to him through the years.

One of the biggest highlights for him was actually traveling to Russia with his group to perform on stage in 1993. Other various interests he enjoyed in his full life were the many nights spent with good buddies around the poker table in his weekly games for many years, and lastly, one of his biggest sources of pride came from being a 32nd Degree Mason in the Scottish Rite.

Though he enjoyed many interests, the most important part of Melvin’s life, by far, centered on his family. From being a loving and loved, son and brother, to becoming a devoted husband, father, uncle and grandfather, Melvin always was happiest when surrounded by family members. He especially derived his greatest joy spending time with his two grandsons, who were his biggest source of pride. With his oldest grandson, Sean, he shared his love of music, and with Harold, he shared his love of sports. A particular highlight of his life was when he had a second Bar Mitzvah upon reaching the age of 83, partnered together with Harold, who at 13, was having his first!

Melvin was preceded in death by his parents, Aaron and Rose Lewis; and his siblings and their spouses: Mitchell and Grace Lewis, Robert and Ann Lewis, Sophie and Jerry Bormaster, and Sara Lee and Milton Greenberg. He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Marion Lewis; daughter, Arlene Lewis and John Banks; daughter and son-inlaw, Brenda and Chuck Weiser; grandsons, Sean and Harold Weiser; sisters-in-law, Betty Aronowitz and Estelle Jucker; and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Graveside services were held on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2016, at 11 a.m., at Emanu El Memorial Park.

– Houston Jewish Funerals

IINN M MEMORIAM EMORIAM

IIN NM MEMORIAM EMORIAM

Unveilings FAY FRIEDMAN The unveiling for Fay Friedman will take place on Sunday, March 13, at 10 in the morning at Emanu El Memorial Park, with Rabbi Jack Segal officiating.

Family and friends are welcome to attend.

EVELYN GARFINKEL SCHORR The unveiling honoring the memory of Evelyn Garfinkel Schorr will take place Sunday, March 6, at 10:30 a.m., at Beth Yeshurun Cemetery (3502 Allen Parkway).

Rabbi Jack Segal will officiate.

Friends are cordially invited to join the family.

SERVING FAMILIES FROM OUR HEART

According To Custom…

When death comes to a Jewish family, the SCHLITZBERGER lighting of a lamp, the & Daughters Yartzeit, is observed.

Tradition also includes the erection of a suitable A Family Tradition since 1922 memorial.

6859 Lawndale We have a large selecHouston, TX. 77023 tion of beautiful Jewish monuments and markers Call The Schlitzbergers to choose from at …

Monuments

713-875-4811 www.WaldmanFuneralCare.com Affiliated with Hardin Family Funeral Home

713-926-1785

MARGIE GERSHEN ABRAMS MARGIE GERSHEN ABRAMS

March 4, 1929 - October 14, 2004 March 4, 1929 - October 14, 2004 MARGIE GERSHEN ABRAMS on the MARGIE ABRAMS Celebrating the GERSHEN Anniversary of Her Birthday on the March 4, 1929 --of October 14, 2004 Anniversary herof Birthday Second Anniversary her March 4, 1929 October 14,Death 2004 Margie is lovingly remembered Anniversary of her Death Third Anniversary of her Death every day of the year on the onby the She is missed all herbirthday family Eight years ago, this wonderful lady left us. and especially on her She is missed by all her family The memory of her achievements, humor, graciousness and Anniversary of Death and her many friends and all Death who Third Anniversary of her Anniversary of her her Death Third Anniversary of her Death love isand precious to all who lovedand and all respected her. her many friends who had the privilege of knowing Her liferemembered was and is an inspiration to all of us She isEight today and every day with a smile. years ago, this wonderful lady left us. had the privilege of knowing Eight years ago, this wonderful lady left us. this remarkable woman.

She is by her The of her achievements, graciousness and is missed missed by all allhumor, her family family The memory memoryShe of her achievements, humor, graciousness and this remarkable woman.

– From her Family and Friends – love is precious to all who loved and respected her. and her many friends and all who love isand precious to all who lovedand and all respected her many friends who her.

She today every day She is is remembered remembered today and and of every day with with aa smile. smile. had the privilege knowing

OBITUARIES

PAGE 18A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

HELEN TOPEK ROSEN – 1920-2016 Helen Topek Rosen, age 95, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016. She was born in Houston to Feivel and Sarah Topek. She graduated from San Jacinto High school in 1938, attended The University of Texas and was married to the love of her life, Max Rosen, for 40 years until his untimely death in 1980.

She was very active in the community, especially in B’nai B’rith Women, where she served as president on the local, state and district levels. She also was active in the Harris County Pharmaceutical Auxiliary.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her beloved grandsons, Larry Marc Rosen and David Marcoe. She is survived by her son, Dr. Alan Rosen, and wife Judy; daughter, Judi Rosen Marcoe, and husband, Dr. Malcolm Marcoe; grandchildren, Dr. Gregory Starr and wife, Jennifer; Lisa Starr, Lauri Rosen Sack, Elyse Rosen Eisenstein, Robyn Rosen Goldstein and husband, Brian Goldstein; Daniel Rosen, Jonathan Rosen, Shelly Shelton, Al Shelton and Gary Marcoe.

She also was blessed with 10 great-grandchildren: David Marcoe, Mathew Marcoe, Emma Goldstein, Austin Goldstein, Katherine Starr, Blake Starr, Josh Starr, Ryan Larry Sack, Evan Sack and Max Eisenstein.

Special thank-you to her caregivers Michelle Green, Rita Sambola, Irene Martinez and Sheila Castillo, who gave her loving care in her last years.

Graveside services were held on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, at 1 p.m., at Beth Yeshurun Cemetery on N. Post Oak. Memorial donations may be made to Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services or to a charity of your choice.

– Levy Funeral Directors

Mitzvah opportunities Houston Chevra Kadisha is looking for men and women who are interested in performing taharas and/or finding out about this ritual. For information, contact Lester Sternberg, president of Houston Chevra Kadisha, at 713-776-2438.

Est. 2001

Independently Owned and Family Operated NIVERSAR AN

Y

15 Years A

IVERSAR Y NN

Fifteen Years ago, we were Houston’s newest Jewish Funeral Home. Today, we are Houston’s only Jewish Funeral Home.

Our commitment is to keep serving the community with the same honor and respect that will make us Houston’s preferred choice for the next fifteen years.

- Thank you, The Friedman Family

DR. BENJAMIN OSTROFSKY Dr. Benjamin Ostrofsky was born in Philadelphia in 1925. The son of the late Edith Segal and Eli Ostrofsky (both of blessed memory). Ben has one younger brother, Nathan Ostrofsky. Ben was in the 177th class at Central High School, in Philadelphia, graduating in 1942. He spent his childhood in Philadelphia, then in the military, settling in Los Angeles from 1955-1969, when he and his family moved to Houston. He then attended Drexel University, graduating with a BSME in 1947. He and his wife (of blessed memory), the former Shirley Welcher, were married in Southern California in 1956 and had two children, Keri and Marc.

After his military experience, he went to work in the aerospace industry in Southern California, first at Generator Equipment Company, then Douglas Aircraft Company, Northrop Corporation and TRW systems. In 1962, he completed a master’s of engineering degree, then completed his doctorate in engineering at UCLA in 1968. He then joined the faculty at the University of Houston, where he completed his career as a distinguished professor in both management and engineering.

Ben led a highly decorated life. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 as an aviation cadet and later served in the USAF for the Korean War in 1950. He held various engineering leadership positions in aerospace companies from 1953-1969. He then moved into academia, after receiving a Ford Foundation Fellowship to complete his Ph.D. He rose to the level of full professor first in the College of Business Administration at the University of Houston, then in a joint appointment with the Cullen College of Engineering.

He was a member of numerous scholarship and technical societies, including Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Iota Delta, Alpha Pi Mu, American Association for the Advancement of Science, IEEE and the National Society of Professional Engineers. He’s been recognized in numerous Who’s Who publications. Ben was awarded the Armitage Medal in 1978, the Eccles medal in 1988 and the Founders Medal in 1993 from the Society of Logistics Engineers. He was one of the first members of this distinguished society to receive all three of these awards. More recently, he was honored as a distinguished alumnus and inducted into the Hall of Fame of his high school, Central High.

Ben was a dominant force in influencing logistics knowledge, techniques, engineering and management. His activities in research, development, engineering, management, consulting and education profoundly changed the nature of logistics in government, industry and academia. He was a major contributor to the Dept. of Defense maintainability standards, a pioneer in the area of maintainability for the USAF, a contributor to over 30 mathematical models of logistics predictors, a developer of methods for engineering design optimization, and an author of the text, “Design, Planning and Development Methodology” (Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1977). He consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies and public agencies. He is a leader in the field of logistics, and is a Life member and fellow of the Society of Logistics Engineers. In his autobiography, “Memoirs of an Engineer,” published in 2013 at Amazon.com, Ben told many stories of his life journey.

Perhaps, his incredible lifetime achievements are best summed up in the citation accompanying the Founders Medal he received: Dr. Ostrofsky’s multifaceted career has included highly significant activities as a researcher, engineer, manager and academician, teaching many hundreds of students the nature, content and potential of logistics for enhancing their careers. As a researcher, he identified and clarified the decision process in systems acquisition and developed the first batch processing data system to use field data for predicting logistics requirements during their early test phases. These developments clarified and reinforced the philosophy of integrated logistics. As an engineer, his work changed the manner in which major systems were designed, significantly enhancing their effectiveness. As a manager, he directed several pioneering programs that led to, and greatly influenced, the current maintainability standards in the U.S. As an educator, he played a leading role in developing logistics curricula and in the development of the Society of Logistics Engineers. He was a leader in the development of the certification program for logistics. He revitalized and published the society’s annals. He was one of the founders, and served for many years on the board of governors, of the society’s education foundation.

Ben leaves behind his daughter and her family, Drs. Keri and Yale Pearlson and Hana Pearlson; and his son and his family, Marc and Beverly Ostrofsky, Kelly, Shelly and Tracy Ostrofsky; and his brothers and sisters-in-law, Nathan and Dorothy Ostrofsky of Philadelphia, and Arthur and Diane Welcher of Santa Cruz, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in Ben’s memory to Houston Hospice, Rabbi Roy Walter Discretionary Fund at Congregation Emanu El or the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections.

– Levy Funeral Directors

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Graveside Services, Synagogue and Chapel Services and Pre-Planning The ONLY Jewish Funeral Home in Houston www.HoustonJewishFunerals.com

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OBITUARIES/MARKETPLACE ANDREA J. GREFE

NOV. 19, 1948-FEB. 15, 2016 Andrea J. Grefe passed away Feb. 15, 2016, after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was born in New York and was raised in Houston. She graduated from Northwestern University and received her law degree from U.C. Hastings.

Andrea was a prominent entertainment attorney who represented many major entertainment industry companies and personalities for more than 30 years.

Andrea was extremely well-liked and highly respected by her many clients and peers. She was elected to the board of trustees and served as president of the L.A. Copyright Society. Andrea was a person of great intellect with many diverse interests and an insatiable appetite for learning. Her warm and engaging personality and genuine thoughtfulness of others endeared her to an extraordinarily large number of friends.

Andrea is survived by her daughter, Julia Davis; and her brother, Don Grefe; her sister-in-law, Janice Pierce; and niece, Jessie Grefe. She was predeceased by parents, Robert and Eleanore Grefe.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, March 3, 2016, at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles. Donations in Andrea’s memory may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

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PAGE 19A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

Americans’ support for Israel still strong, poll finds (JTA) – Americans remain overwhelmingly sympathetic to Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a new Gallup poll shows, with those over 50 and Republicans the most supportive.

Some 62 percent of Americans surveyed said they are more sympathetic to the Israelis, while 15 percent favored the Palestinians. Another 23 percent said they are sympathetic to neither, both or no opinion.

The results of the poll were released Monday, Feb. 29.

Those over age 50 were the most sympathetic to Israel, at 72 percent, according to the poll. Some 54 percent of Americans aged 18-29 and 30-49 said their sympathies lie with Israel.

In addition, 79 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of Independents said they were sympathetic to Israel.

While Americans have been consistent in showing more support to Israel over the last 15 years, the numbers have held steady for the past decade.

The survey also asked respondents whether they favor or oppose “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.”

Some 43 percent of respondents said they favor such a state, with 37 opposing it, and 19 percent having no opinion. The numbers have remained similar for the past four years.

Some 58 percent of Democrats back the establishment of a Palestinian state, compared with 26 percent of Republicans, the poll found.

Results of the poll are based on telephone interviews Feb. 3-7 of 1,021 American adults living in all 50 states and Washington with some 60 percent cellphone respondents and 40 percent landline respondents. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.

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PAGE 20A JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

SPORTS

Lacrosse action heats up at Emery

All photos by JHV: MICHAEL C. DUKE

The Emery girls lacrosse team gets fired up during a game against St. Pius on Feb. 18.

Emery’s Jonathan Cohen tries to get past a St. Pius defender at Helfman Field last month.

Emery’s Kyra Goren, Jessica Harry and Nikki Schwartz battle in Lacrosse against St. Pius.

Emery’s Ian Williams takes a shot against St. Pius on Feb. 18 at Helfman Field.

JCC basketball champions

Basketball Champion Team Leva, of the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC Spring 2016 Men’s Open League, includes Alex Silver, Scott Leva, Michael Bender, Andrew Bender, Jared Mendell, Daniel Huvard, Gregg Sheena and Matt Dushkin.

“A Taste of Paradise”

High School sports stars Each week, the JHV highlights local Jewish high school athletes.

Visit jhvonline.com to see all past athletes, nominate an athlete or to purchase an 8x10 glossy color print of any athlete.

Basketball Champions Team Reichek of the Evelyn Rubenstein 2016 Men’s Zagat Survey Spring Houston Press 35+ League: Sawyer Blackburn, Martin Reichek, Jeffery Johnson, Joshua Flowers, George Rated Excellent Best of Houston Joseph, Brad Beinart and Michael Engelhart.

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Seven Acres resident Judy Bogos made masks for Purim during a visit Feb. 26 with high school students from The Emery/Weiner School.

A Jewish guide to later-in-life issues JEWISH HERALD-VOICE

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MARCH 3, 2016

SENIOR LIVING

PAGE 2B JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

Why older people are sometimes grouchy ...

and why they deserve complete understanding ALICE ADAMS Reflections Remember the movie, “Grumpy Old Men”?

I kept waiting for a sequel, “Grumpy Old Women,” but I guess Hollywood didn’t have the courage to upset a bunch of menopausal women with that stereotype.

One of my favorite actors, Robert Duval, is getting into older age. I can tell because he’s getting shorter and his boot heels are getting taller. Ole Bob has made a cottage industry of playing roles of crabby, cantankerous, old codgers, but that’s puzzling since he’s married to a much-his-junior Spanish beauty. Why should he have anything to be grumpy about? Maybe that’s why they call it “acting.”

But, as I edge toward the “old” and grumpy stage of life, I think I get it: Why older people are sometimes grumpy.

We may be grumpier than our grandparents because we’re living longer, and that gives our bodies more time to spring a leak, rust or wear out. I also think, thanks to the Internet, we’re much more medically informed than our grandparents, who knew to complain only about their rheumatism, lumbago or arthritis (which is very closely related to rheumatism).

Today’s seniors can complain, knowledgeably and with accurate medical terminology, about carpal tunnel syndrome, iron deficiency anemia, tennis

s.

Rate p u r Gro u O t Abou Ask

we won’t look six months pregnant.

See anything to be cheerful about yet?

If you think about it, in our winningfocused society, elders are the big losers.

In one lifetime, we lose a lot – our hair, our teeth, our lips, our singing voices and our virginity. We lose our independence when we marry and have kids, go through empty-nesting and then lose our independence again when we need assistance in our older years.

We also lose our parents, siblings, favorite hairdresser, lifelong friends and spouses. The only things we gain are weight, bunions, corns and calluses, and our ears and nose get longer, not to mention those pesky skin growths, requiring removal by the dermatologist.

Pain makes me grumpy, and this often appears before getting out of bed in the morning. I remember Mama used to say, “Musta gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.” When we get older, it’s hard to find the right side, and, for the life of me, I cannot find one method for being in pain graciously.

Sometimes we develop dementia as we get older, and I’ll have to say, my 95-year-old mother gets up in a new world every day. It’s kind of like the reverse of the movie, “Ground Hog Day.” Mother no longer remembers what happened the day before, so she’s happy every day, until one of her nurses makes her do something she doesn’t want to do. But then, an hour later, Mom’s happy again because she can’t remember what – or who – upset her.

Yes, some of us probably do become grumpy old men and women as we age, but in my view, we deserve to complain without being criticized. We’ve learned the cruel lessons of life, along with the good ones, and we know that life’s not always fair.

But, there is a silver lining: My mother – a product of the hard times, called The Great Depression – is probably the happiest, most carefree she’s ever been in her life. It’s only taken her 95 years to get to this point.

Until then, take it from me. We have good reason to complain!

elbow, torn rotator cuff, prolapsed uterus, Love Field, it was 5 cents. Four dollars for gingivitis, plantar fasciitis, lymphedema coffee? That’s ridiculous!”

Same when gas was inching toward $5 and on and on. It’s a matter, as my sainted mother used to say, of “being too smart a gallon. How many of us can remember the gas wars, where gasoline dipped for our own good.” down to 19 cents a Another popular gallon? Even young area of complaint for got grumpy older Americans is Want to see how life people when gas climbed food. If we live in a senior community, we will be when you get back to 50 cents a gal. Remember? complain about seeing older? Stuff cotton in But, back to the the same things on original question, the menu. If we live both ears, smear your why do older people at home, we complain about having to go to readers (glasses) with complain? think one the grocery store. If we Vaseline and borrow big I reason is eat out, we complain about the wait person’s your grandmother’s things have begun changing too snarky attitude, and walker. Then, go to rapidly for us if we eat take-out, we seniors to keep up, gripe about our food the grocery store and when we fall getting cold before we behind electroniget home. and buy a week’s cally, we complain I used to think worth of groceries. to divert attention the only place we from our being so could take my mother ham-handed or and her husband clueless about all without complaint was Starbucks, because what can you the latest gizmos. No, I won’t change my possibly do to make a steaming cup of email to gmail, and no, I don’t want an coffee disagreeable? Until Jim, a World Apple watch. I can barely see the hands War II bomber pilot who got “a cuppa Joe” of my regular watch.

Another reason we complain is for free in the Army Air Corps base ready room in Italy and, back stateside, flew for because we can’t always hear so clearly.

Braniff until he retired, remembers, “I Want to see how life will be when you get never paid more than a nickel for a cup of older? Stuff cotton in both ears, smear your readers (glasses) with Vaseline and coffee in my life!”

You see, when Jim saw the price of borrow your grandmother’s walker. Then, a mocha latte tipping the scales at close go to the grocery store and buy a week’s to $4, he was incredulous. “Back in the worth of groceries. Fun, huh?

Still looking for reasons getting pilot’s lounge, coffee was free, and at a favorite diner, just down the street from older is something to complain about?

Think about this as fact: As we age, our immune system slows at about the same rate as our metabolism. In plain English, this means we are more vulnerable to infection, wounds heal more slowly and, while we’re getting over the infections and the sliced skin we received while shaving that has taken a month to heal, we’ve also put on a not-so-healthy 10 pounds, all in our abdomen, which is why we older folks struggle to sit and stand up straighter, so

Est. 2001

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FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS

15 Years A

Thank you, The Friedman Family

NIVERSAR AN

Y

We are grateful for the trust you have placed in us to serve you over the last 15 years.

4909 Bissonnet, Suite 120 Bellaire, Texas 77401

4234 Ella Boulevard Houston, Texas 77018

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SENIOR LIVING Why can’t politicians behave?

By ALICE ADAMS | JHV

Our grandson Walt is an eighth-grader in middle school. His history project for the semester is researching the Holocaust.

When he told me about this, I absolutely was thrilled, especially since Walt and others his age will probably never know many, if any, survivors. When I thought about it, this is one of the few times he will have an opportunity to grasp not only the horrors of Adolf Hitler’s regime, but the suffering of so many, the inhumanity of the Third Reich and the absolute atrocities humans were/are capable of committing.

As we’ve heard many times before, visiting the camps in Poland and elsewhere, and reading the memoirs of survivors, knowing about how so many people didn’t believe the stories that came from those fortunate enough to escape the camps will prevent anything like the Holocaust from occurring again.

Perhaps Walt and his classmates – once they understand how President Franklin Delano Roosevelt actually refused to allow European refugees to dock in the U.S., how families were scattered across the globe as they fled the Nazis – may be the future generation that will be able to prevent anything like the Holocaust from being repeated.

I suppose I am guilty of smugly believing Americans are good people as a whole, that doing the right thing is a universal goal in our society, and then I’m constantly jolted from my delusion when elected officials disrespect the office of the U.S. President, or how Justice Antonin Scalia’s body was still warm as Sen. Mitch McConnell publicly drew a line in the sand about how Scalia’s place on the bench would be filled on the Supreme Court.

Whatever happened to empathy?

Whatever happened to decorum?

My late father used to regale us with stories about when he and my aunt accompanied their legislator father to the capital after dinner to look on as the legislators played dominoes. My grandfather was a Democrat, and he enjoyed besting fellow Democrats as much as he did beating someone from across the aisle.

There was camaraderie, a collegiality and strong mutual respect among the lawmakers at that time, even though some of those elected to that body were members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Only one time did my father know of his father becoming impatient with a colleague, and that was when he had

asked the man, on several occasions that evening, to avoid using colorful language in front of his family. Finally, my grandfather, a true gentleman, asked the other man to step outside.

Nobody in the family, other than my long-dead grandfather, knows the result.

Were punches thrown? My father didn’t think so, although he remembered his dad removing his coat. Were threats made, expletives used? If so, my grandfather, true to his values, never shared the details.

However, my father does remember the gentleman returning to the domino table and never using colorful language again that evening.

That’s how elected officials used to behave, and I can’t imagine what my grandfather would think of the hijinks playing out during these state-by-state ballots and caucuses we’ve been seeing in the news since January.

No longer is anything sacred. Now, it’s all fair game, and it appears that whatever you do will come out during your campaign, courtesy of your opponent.

Never in our political history – and historians will tell you, there were smear campaigns throughout our electoral history – have there been so much hate, under-the-table deals, back-stabbing, lying, fictional charges and on and on.

I imagine today’s political war rooms are staffed with more researchers than phone banks, and my guess is many people running for president in the primaries have one or more surprises they are ready to pull from their back pockets.

I’d rather remember the days where snarky slogans weren’t used, when candidates actually ran for office rather than try to knock out their opponents with some sordid history or whisper campaign.

I’d like people to vote for candidates who truly deserve to be entrusted with the future decisions and direction of this nation.

I invite all of you to join me in doing your part to vote for candidates who truly care about our city, state and nation, rather than seek office as a get-rich-quick scheme. Let’s vote for the people who will move us ahead, not keep us lagging behind. Let’s vote for the voice of reason, not someone with a plan we all know will never materialize.

Let’s elect people who will lift us all up, make us all better, not legislate just for the benefit of their friends and cronies.

Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I still believe.

PAGE 3B JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

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PAGE 4B JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

Senior Safety Fair to showcase providers of services “Safety and More” is the theme for the area-wide Senior Safety Fair, scheduled Tuesday, April 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Westbury United Methodist Church, 5200 Willowbend Dr. at W. Bellfort Street.

Sponsored by Neighbors4Neighbors Network, a community service program of Jewish Family Service, the fair is dedicated to helping members remain safely in their homes as they age. The fair will be held in the church gym and is free of charge.

“N4NN wants to make the lives of seniors easier and safer,” said Dr. Shelly Liss, a member of the N4NN Founders Committee, who is spearheading the fair.

Providers will include Jewish Family Service, neighborhood centers, volunteer interfaith caregivers/senior rides, the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, AARP and the city of Houston.

Vendors will include Great Call (panic button with GPS), Bisel Hearing Aid Center, Medical Equipment, LivHome, Gerber and Associates (homecare), the Jewish HeraldVoice and others.

The Houston Police Department will conduct an Active Shooter Workshop,

1:30-3 p.m., in the church parlor.

Food trucks will be onsite throughout the event, and free snacks and drawings will be added attractions.

“We hope seniors and their families in the, Southwest area will find the fair a useful one-stop resource to learn about services and products to enhance their lives,” said Dr. Liss. “We invite everyone to attend this free event and bring their friends and neighbors.”

N4NN is a nonsectarian one-stop, one-phone call resource to connect members to volunteers who can help with light house maintenance, technical assistance for electronic devices and safety checks, and information to vetted professional tradespeople who can do the jobs volunteers can’t, and to social and educational events.

Its goal is to enable independent older adults in ZIP code 77096 (and on a caseby-case basis in nearby contiguous areas) to remain safely in their own homes as they age.

For information, visit www.N4NN.org or call 832-998-N4NN (6466)

We are Family... d Vote isted s A t s s e B “ g Livin r e” fo c n de * s Resi r Yea Five

National WW II museum honors Greatest Generation Ranked the No. 1 attraction in New Orleans and the No. 3 museum in the U.S. by TripAdvisor readers, The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world. Guaranteed to move and educate, the museum offers a 4-D cinematic experience, interactive exhibits, soaring aircraft, personal stories and more. New at the museum is Road to Berlin: European Theater Galleries and Battle of the Bulge exhibit Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries in the Campaigns of Courage pavilion.

From faltering first battles in North Africa to the bloody struggle at Germany’s doorstep, the immersive galleries in Road to Berlin re-create actual battle settings and villages.

Crumbling walls, bomb-torn rooftops, icy pathways and a chillingly realistic soundscape act as the evocative backdrop to bring visitors deeper into the story. The result is a richly layered, multimedia experience that invites exploration and connection. Expansive in its scope, exhaustive in its detail and captivating in its innovative design, Road to Berlin is an entirely new way to understand America’s story of the war in Europe, Africa and the Mediterranean.

Most recently, the museum opened its newest permanent exhibit, Richard C. Adkerson & Freeport-McMoRan Foundation’s Road to Tokyo: Pacific Theater Galleries. Retracing the grueling trail that led from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay, Road to Tokyo explores the evolving strategy for fighting relentless Japanese forces in Asia and the Pacific, examining cultural differences, logistical challenges and the staggering range of extreme conditions that confronted American military forces in Asia and the Pacific.

Along with Road to Tokyo, a new exhibit on the U.S. Merchant Marine is now open. LTJG Ralph E. Crump Merchant Marine Gallery is a stand-alone gallery that honors the mariners who risked their lives transporting weapons, men and materiel to distant warfronts. The gallery is situated in the Solomon Victory Theater complex, at the end of the American Spirit Bridge – a new glass-and-metal bridge that, for the first time, connects the museum’s Louisiana Memorial Pavilion with the rest of the 6-acre campus.

Road to Tokyo, Merchant Marine and the American Spirit Bridge offer visitors a more complete story than ever before of the American experience in World War II. After visitors begin their journey in the replica Union Pacific train car (just like new recruits heading to boot camp in the United States), the American Spirit Bridge takes them “overseas” to immersive exhibits that explore how the war was fought and won in Europe (Road to Berlin), and now the Pacific (Road to Tokyo).

Learn more at nationalww2museum.org. Group rates are available.

We are located on a comprehensive campus oF care

The Medallion Jewish Assisted Living Residence is located on the Seven Acres campus providing a bridge that allows seniors to age in place.

• Full personal care services • Access to on-site long term care/skilled care nursing services • A warm, friendly, “boutique” residence in an intimate setting • Fine kosher dining • Wellness Center and heated aqua therapy pool.

• Spacious apartment styles available The Medallion and Seven Acres have 72 years of experience caring for seniors.

Our staff, residents and families make The Medallion a special place to call home. Come join our family.

We invite you to visit us and learn why so many seniors in the community are proud to call The Medallion their home.

Jane Seger

Owner and Administrator

713.621.4040 www.PinOakCaregivers.com

Call 713-778-5777 today.

the medallion JeWish assisted living residence 6262 north Braeswood Blvd., houston, tX 77074 713-778-5777 ~ www.themedallion.org Facility ID # 102491

*Houston Community Newspapers Readers’ Poll

The Pin Oak Difference • Licensed by the Department of Aging and Disability Services • All applicants pre-screened with the CQA Profile • All Caregivers are Bonded and Insured • Local and National Background Checks, Performed Annually • Real-time Monitoring through our Internet Portal • Mandatory, On-going Training for all Staff • Rigorous Selection Process for all Caregivers • Chaplain Services 4635 Southwest Freeway Suite 640 Houston, Texas 77027

SENIOR LIVING

PAGE 5B JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

VITAS Healthcare: Where hospice and tradition meet The diagnosis of a terminal illness often brings with it a host of questions, fears and concerns: “How will my family care for me?” “How can I afford quality end-of-life care?” and “Will hospice respect my religious beliefs and cultural traditions?”

By definition, hospice is intended to help people during the last six months of their lives. It is an end-of-life care option that is personalized to the needs of every patient and family. It includes expert pain management, while providing emotional and spiritual support, an aspect of end-oflife care which most Americans consider important.

Hospice care can be administered at the patient’s home, wherever the patient

calls “home” – be it a private residence, nursing home, assisted living community or residential care facility. Hospice care can also be provided in a hospice inpatient unit or in a hospital. In all cases, hospice care is known to ease the dying process and to make it more meaningful for patients and their loved ones.

VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life services, is committed to providing all patients with care that is clinically relevant and culturally sensitive.

To better serve the end-of-life needs of Jewish patients and their families, VITAS programs throughout the United States, including those in Houston and throughout Texas, have earned accreditation through

Social Security Q&A

By ANDREW HARDWICK Social Security Administration

Q. I prefer reading by audio book. Does Social Security have audio publications?

A. Yes, we have many helpful publications you can listen to. You can find them at socialse curity.gov/pubs. Some of the publications available include: What You Can Do Online, How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies, Apply Online for Social Security Benefits, and Your Social Security Card and Number.

Q. I am receiving Social Security retirement benefits and I recently went back to work. Do I have to pay Social Security (FICA) taxes on my income?

A. Yes. By law, your employer must withhold FICA taxes from your paycheck.

Although you are retired, you do receive credit for those new earnings. Each year Social Security automatically credits the new earnings and, if your new earnings are higher than in any earlier year used to calculate your current benefit, your monthly benefit could increase. For more information, go to socialse curity.gov.

Q. How are my retirement benefits calculated?

A. Your Social Security benefits are based on earnings averaged over your lifetime. Your actual earnings are first adjusted or “indexed” to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received. Then, we calculate your average monthly indexed earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most. We apply a formula to these

earnings and arrive at your basic benefit.

This is the amount you would receive at your full retirement age. You may be able to estimate your benefit by using our Retirement Estimator, which offers estimates based on your Social Security earnings. You can find the Retirement Estimator at socialsecurity.gov/ estimator.

Q. I know that Social Security’s full retirement age is gradually rising to 67. But, does this mean the “early” retirement age also will be going up by two years, from age 62 to 64?

A. No. While it is true that under current law the full retirement age is gradually rising from 65 to 67, the “early” retirement age remains at 62. Keep in mind, however, that taking early retirement reduces your benefit amount. For more information about Social Security benefits, visit socialsecurity.gov.

Q. I’ve heard there is a way for my daughter to get her disability application on the “fast-track.” How does this work?

A. If your daughter has one of the more than 200 impairments on the Compassionate Allowances list at socialsecurity.gov/compas sionateallowances, her application might be “fast-tracked” for a decision. Compassionate Allowances make it possible for applicants to receive a decision on their disability applications within days, instead of months or years, as long as their medical conditions are so severe that they obviously meet Social Security’s definition of disability. Learn more at socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.

Q. Do I automatically get Medicare benefits if I’m eligible for disability

the National Institute for Jewish Hospice.

NIJH provides in-depth, on-site training of employees and volunteers that addresses the unique concerns of Jews about selecting hospice care and Jewish religious rituals at death and during the mourning period.

Through its accreditation with the NIJH, VITAS offers a specialized level of hospice care that better serves Jewish patients and their families. For example, some Jewish patients and their families are concerned that their own beliefs and practices may not be compatible with hospice care. By completing the NIJH program, VITAS’ interdisciplinary hospice care teams have the information and knowledge to address those concerns and

work effectively to meet the specific needs of Jewish patients and their families.

Since its founding in 1978, VITAS Healthcare has been dedicated to providing all patients with care that is clinically relevant and culturally sensitive.

Furthermore, its staff has worked diligently to break down cultural barriers and expand hospice access for all ethnic and diverse populations who can benefit from hospice and palliative care.

For more information about VITAS Healthcare, visit VITAS.com/Texas or call 713-663-4900.

benefits?

A. After you have received Social Security disability benefits for 24 months, we will automatically enroll you in Medicare. We start counting the 24 months from the month you were entitled to receive disability, not the month when you received your first benefit payment. Sometimes, you can get state Medicaid in the meantime. There are exceptions to this rule. People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and chronic renal disease may be able to get Medicare earlier, for example. For more information, visit socialsecurity.gov.

Q. I am expecting a child and will be out of work for six months. Can I qualify for short-term disability?

A. No. Social Security pays only for total disability – conditions that render you unable to work and are expected to last for at least a year or end in death. No benefits are payable for partial disability or short-term disability, including benefits while on maternity leave.

If you think your short-term disability might develop into a long-term one, visit socialse curity.gov/disabilityssi/apply.html for more information.

The Best Gift

you can give

GIVE THE GIFT OF PRE-PLANNING ARRANGEMENTS.

Extraordinary Service. Compassionate Care.

713-875-4811 www.WaldmanFuneralCare.com Affiliated with Hardin Family Funeral Home Chevra Kadisha Of Houston Approved

For more information regarding prepaid funerals and consumer rights and protections under Texas state law, visit www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov.

We’re in your neighborhood!

You don’t have to go far to find the experts in skilled nursing services We are dedicated to helping you achieve the highest level of recovery to successfully return home following a hospital stay. We provide full-time medical services, customized short-term skilled nursing care and rehabilitation including:

bPhysical therapy bOccupational therapy bSpeech therapy bI.V. therapy bOn-site board certified physicians bGeriatric nurse practitioners bPrivate accomodations (as available) bContinuing long-term care, available for those who qualify

Voices of Belmont Village

“The friends that I have made here have turned my life around.”

To many, living at home means freedom and independence.

But it can also be isolating. Belmont Village residents enjoy a lifestyle that keeps them physically active and mentally engaged, delighting in the company of friends old and new. At Belmont Village, you don’t have to live alone to be independent.

It’s not just your home. It’s your community.

Distinctive Residential Settings | Chef-Prepared Dining and Bistro | Pool Premier Health and Wellness Programs | Award-Winning Memory Care Professionally Supervised Therapy and Rehabilitation Services

The Community Built for Life.® belmontvillage.com

Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services

HUNTERS CREEK | 713-781-1505 WEST UNIVERSITY | 713-592-9200

Lou Lewis Skilled Nursing Program

713-778-5700 • www.sevenacres.org 6200 North Braeswood Blvd. • Houston, Texas 77074

Winner of the George Mason University Healthcare Award for the Circle of Friends© memory program for Mild Cognitive Impairment. © 2016 Belmont Village, L.P. | ALF 106016, 030197

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SENIOR LIVING

PAGE 6B JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

Levy Funeral Directors: nearly 8 decades of service In the heart of Bellaire, Texas, at 4525 Bissonnet St., Levy Funeral Directors serves families in Bellaire and the Houston area. The funeral home continues Edward J. Levy’s tradition – since 1936 – of memorial and funeral services that honor the traditions and preferences of the families in his community.

Understanding the needs and concerns of his community, he believed, would be a strong foundation for providing a high level of service and compassionate care.

Levy’s is part of the Dignity Memorial network of more than 2,000 licensed funeral and cemetery providers in North America.

While all Dignity Memorial providers serve families of all faiths and cultures, numerou s providers in the Dignity Memorial network specialize in serving the Jewish community.

As a Jewish funeral provider, Levy’s staff understands the customs

and profound religious significance associated with Jewish funeral tradition.

When individuals and families choose Levy’s, they not only receive access to the many exclusive benefits of the Dignity Memorial network, but also the assurance that they and their family will be served in accordance with the Jewish funeral and burial customs that are important to them.

Whether your need is immediate or you’re prearranging services, Levy’s is here to help families explore their options, always with sensitivity and concern.

As part of the Dignity network, the funeral home offers exclusive benefits, such as its National Transferability of Prearranged Ser vices, the Bereavement Travel Program, the 24-Hour Compassion Helpline and access to an acclaimed griefmanagement library.

For more information, call 713-6606633 or go to levyfuneraldirectors.com.

Center Picture: Steve and Bootsie (see advertorial for more information)

Seven Acres: home for aging and frail elderly Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services, located on the Pauline Sterne Wolff Campus in Southwest Houston, is a not-for-profit, nonsectarian, certified and licensed Medicaid, Medicare and private pay campus for the frail elderly.

With 305 beds, Seven Acres is the largest long-term care facility in Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast.

Together with The Medallion Assisted Living Residence, it creates a seamless continuum of care for those who require monitoring and support, as well as those who need significant long-term clinical intervention.

Seven Acres provides a variety of services for all levels of need and care. Comprehensive services include Alzheimer’s/dementia care, provided in the Alexander-Greenberg Building; intensive long-term care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services, hospice care and assisted living.

The Lou Lewis Skilled Nursing/ Medicare Program offers post-acute services for those transitioning from hospital to home. This outcome-focused specialized care helps shorten the hospital stay and lays the groundwork for a successful discharge.

Trained licensed professionals customize each resident’s care for their specific needs and is delivered around the clock. Because the goal at Seven Acres is for the residents to live as independently as possible, a broad complement of services is provided to residents by a highly trained staff of licensed physical, occupational and speech therapists and assistants.

An on-site Hospice Care program is designed to provide comfort and

support to residents and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.

The goal of hospice care is to enhance the final stages of a resident’s life by offering comfort and dignity.

On-campus medical professionals and services enhance better-coordinated care and allow residents to see specialists, while residing on campus.

Full-time medical services with on-site physicians and geriatric nurse practitioners are available five days a week and on call 24 hours/seven days a week. A full medical suite for dentistry, podiatry and ophthalmology is provided.

Residents stay active and involved by participating in a variety of stimulating activities.

Among the most popular are weekly classes led by art and music therapists, a cooking therapy class and an active Zumba exercise program.

Intergenerational programs with young students from local public and private schools and Scout troops are always enjoyed by the residents. Musical and entertainment programs, such as “Rodeo Day,” Valentine’s Day, a Sukkot party and “Dog Days of Summer” take place in the auditorium, where everyone has fun together.

Seven Acres’ mission is “to honor our fathers and our mothers by providing a wonderful home for your loved ones with the highest levels of care in a warm, nurturing and stimulating environment.”

Seven Acres is located at 6200 N. Braeswood Blvd. Call 713-778-5700 or go to sevenacres.org for more information or to schedule a personal tour.

Life Keeps Moving, So S hould You!

Steve Conaway 713-806-3361 steve@persontopersoncareservices.com www.persontopersoncareservices.com

“It all began when I went to a friend during a hard time in my life and asked him what I could do to feel better about life. He told me to volunteer.”

Reasonable Rates • Homemaking • Personal Care • Companionship • Transportation • Meal Preparation • Respite Care Equipment, Supplies & Rentals

Licensed by the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services Jewish Owned and Operated

We can handle all your medical supply needs • Personalized individual transportation services • Affordable rates for seniors

Hours: M-F 9-5:30 • Sat 10-2

• Shopping needs, errands,

713.636.3834

281.265.3156

doctor appointments

5313B Bellaire Blvd.

Bellaire, TX 77401

15229 Southwest Freeway Sugar Land, TX 77478

• Available 7 days a week

For your convenience we accept Medicare, Medicaid and other private health insurance

SPORTS SENIOR LIVING

PAGE 7B JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

Thank you, by Person To Person Care Services At-home care provided Person To Person Care Services is licensed as a nonmedical caregiver provider by the state of Texas, under the Department of Aging and Disability Services. Based in Houston, the company provides services to clients and client families throughout the metropolitan Houston area.

Person To Person is managed by Steve and Wendy Conaway. Steve has five years of experience in caregiving and management of operations in the nonmedical home care business. He began a career in caregiving by volunteering at Seven Acres. It was there that Steve met Wendy, who had been volunteering along with her mother and father for years. The two married at Seven Acres, officiated by Rabbi Joseph Radinsky (of

Houston.

blessed memory), because if they married elsewhere, most of the residents could not attend.

At home, the couple provides care and assistance on a daily basis for Wendy›s mother, “Bootsie,” who lives with them Person To Person is an in-home/ in-facility, non-medical service provider that assists individuals and families. The company is dedicated to helping its clients lead dignified, independent lifestyles in the comfort and safety of their own home or apartment. The staff carefully assesses and fully understands the clients’ needs, then selectively places a qualified caregiver who will meet those needs. Individual service plans are customized to meet individual

Thank you, Houston.

Earning the community’s trust for nearly 8 decades

Michael Vayner

Maricella Jiron

Emily Caulfield

Sales Manager

Funeral Director

Location Manager

Levy Funeral Directors has been part of the Houston Jewish community for more than 77 years. In that time, we have earned the trust of our community by providing consistent quality, value, respect and compassion.

Our dedication to our families and our Jewish heritage make us the right choice as your funeral provider. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you at one of the most challenging times 4525 Bissonnet | Bellaire, TX 77401 | 713-660-6633 of your life and for enabling us to earn and keep your trust. www.levyfuneraldirectors.com

Call today to www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov learn what we can do for you.

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FUNERAL

needs. Experienced caregivers are carefully matched with clients. In addition, caregivers are insured and undergo background checks through the Department of Public Safety and the Department on Aging and Disability Services, to ensure their trustworthiness.

Person To Person offers a wide range of services, from companionship to personal assistance care services, including transportation, bathing and dressing, meal preparation, feeding or eating assistance, exercising or walking assistance, grooming, medication reminders, hygiene, position transfers, ambulation and household cleaning.

Because seniors often insist on doing for themselves, even when it’s obvious they

can’t, family caregivers should speak to their loved ones about their concerns and fears.

For example, tell Mom you’re lying awake worrying about her and, chances are, she will say, “If this worries you, I will make that change,” whether it’s getting more help at home or agreeing to seek services elsewhere.

Finding someone qualified to care for your loved one can be overwhelming. The care of a family member with multiple and severe physical disabilities is a 24-hour-aday commitment. Providing the loved one with care in the home gives respite to family members.

For more info, call 713-806-3361.

Neighbors4Neighbors Network & Jewish Family Service Invite you to our

Senior Safety Fair

&

MORE

Tuesday, April 5th . 10 a.m.—3 p.m.

Host: Westbury United Methodist Church 5200 Willowbend Dr. Houston, TX 77096

 ADMISSION FREE  HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT ACTIVE SHOOTER PROGRAM (Limited Seating 1:30—3:00) Please register for the Active Shooter Program www.n4nn.org

 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO MAKE AGING IN PLACE SAFER  FREE SNACKS and FOOD TRUCKS (on site for purchase)  DOOR PRIZES

DIRECTORS We want to thank our SPONSORS & our many Table Vendors

4525 Bissonnet | Bellaire, TX 77401 | 713-660-6633

www.levyfuneraldirectors.com www.prepaidfunerals.texas.gov LevyFD_ThankYou.indd 1

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WE’RE HERE TO MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR MOM.

In-Home Care Service

(NOT TO MENTION FOR YOUR CHECKBOOK.)

Save

$3,000 when you move in by March 31.

Call today for details!

713.364.0449

At Comfort Keepers®, we provide in-home care that helps seniors and others live safe, happy, and independent lives in the comfort of their own homes.

Personal Care • Light Housekeeping/meals Transportation • Dementia Care

elmcroft.com

713-974-6920

Most offices independently owned and operated • ©2016 CK Franchising Inc.

Facility # 030414

Comfor tKeepers.com/CentralHouston

SENIOR LIVING

PAGE 8B JEWISH HERALD -VOICE MARCH 3, 2016

The Medallion: where the residents make a unique community “It’s like living with family,” remarked a resident of The Medallion Assisted Living Residence, when asked about her life there. “I moved here when The Medallion first opened in 2006.

We are a small group of 51 residents and most of the staff has been with us from the very beginning. They know the names of all our family members and friends who come to visit. I can’t imagine living anywhere else!”

The residents make The Medallion community unique. They are the mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers – people who are special to their family and have been an integral part of the broader community. The staff’s dedication and commitment to the residents and their families allow The Medallion to offer solutions to their changing needs, while striving to nurture and enhance the human spirit.

This professionally trained staff is dedicated to providing a high quality of life for its residents.

There are many benefits to life at The Medallion, located at 6262 N. Braeswood Blvd. Residents stay busy with a full complement of activities and amenities that includes a full-service and newly redesigned wellness center with spa services and heated aquatherapy pool – all under the direction of a certified therapist. Residents can enjoy a multitude of intellectual, cultural and spiritual activities by participating in classes and lectures and can travel to local senior programs offered off site. Intergenerational programs for art and music frequently take place with visits from Jewish day school students. The Youth Council

on Service/Leading Ladies annual Senior Prom at The Medallion brings local teens together with the residents for an elegant evening of music and entertainment.

Residents always are welcome to attend activities and programs at Seven Acres, many of which are musical and theatrical.

The Medallion stands adjacent to Seven Acre Jewish Senior Care Services, a continuing campus of care. For residents who are in need of rehabilitation, Seven Acres has a skilled nursing program that provides occupational, physical and speech therapies. Medallion residents also may take advantage of services provided in the medical suite at Seven Acres, which includes a geriatric physician, nurse practitioners and specialists such as an ophthalmologist, podiatrist, dentist, dermatologist, psychiatrist and psychologist.

The Medallion is the only Jewish assisted living community in the Greater Gulf Coast region of Texas. All meals served in its elegant dining room are certified kosher. Daily morning services are offered in the Seven Acres chapel while Jewish High Holy Days and Shabbat services are offered in The Medallion Lou Solomon Synagogue.

The Medallion, a not-for-profit, non-sectarian assisted living “boutiquestyle” community, uses an innovative approach to assisted living, combining comfortable housing, around-the-clock personal care, and an extensive choice of programs designed to meet the needs of those who require assistance with activities of daily living.

For more information, call 713-7785777 or go to themedallion.org.

Compassionate end-of-life care is a Jewish value.

Let VITAS® Healthcare help you care for your loved ones in accordance with values you hold dear.

• VITAS is accredited by the National Institute for Jewish Hospice.

• Our staff is specially trained to offer care that is consistent with the varied beliefs and traditions of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular Jews.

• Our chief medical officer, Barry Kinzbrunner, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, is not only an oncologist but an ordained rabbi and co-author of the Jewish Hospice Manual.

National Institute for Jewish Hospice

Serving Houston for 24 years.

For information call 1.800.723.3233 • VITAS.com

Houston Jewish Funerals: a half-century of combined funeral experience Since Houston Jewish Funerals opened in 2001 by Jeff Friedman, it has become the only Jewish funeral home in Houston, according to Friedman, and offers many services to the community, including graveside services, synagogue and chapel services, as well as pre-planning services.

For more than 15 years, the Jewish Funerals staff has had the privilege of providing distinctive funeral care to more than 4,500 families in the Jewish community. May the memories of those served be for a blessing.

The team at Houston Jewish Funerals has more than a half-century of combined funeral experience, standing ready to put their expertise to work for you and your family. As the only independently owned Jewish funeral home in Houston, they work closely with your rabbi to guide you and your family through a proper Jewish funeral built on Halakha.

Friedman began Houston Jewish Funerals to reach out to the community and stay true to tradition. He is one of the most positive,

family-oriented people you’ll ever meet.

Passionate about living life to the fullest, Friedman has embraced the old saying, “Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work again.” He does that every day as a funeral director, helping guide people to, as he often says, “make the most out of every blessed day we are given.”

To Jeff and his team, the most distinctive service they provide to families is not just listening to them, but hearing what isn’t being said. Picking up on subtle needs and concerns of family members allows Houston Jewish Funerals to help families plan the end-of-life services their loved ones deserve.

Friedman invites you to explore their website and learn more about Houston Jewish Funerals’ commitment to giving families the support they need when they need it. Their funeral directors are available each and every day, and at any hour, to answer your needs in funeral care.

For more information, call 713-666-0257 or go to distinctivelife.com.

Multi-Medical: Medical equipment, supplies and rentals are in the neighborhood Multi-Medical Equipment & Supplies specializes in providing multiple aids for mobility and respiratory care, with locations in Sugar Land and Bellaire, Texas. According to president Adam Burck, “Our strongest emphasis is in building relationships with you, based on honesty, transparency and by giving the best one-on-one individualized care to our patients. This combination has already lead us to stand out against others within our market. We are here, because we care for you, and your loved ones.”

Multi-Media offers a full range of mobility and respiratory-care products.

“Our strategic insights will be helpful to

our patients, as we fit them with just the right product to ensure maximum comfort and wellness care,” Burck continued. “We hope to work with you for a long time by being your mobility and respiratory partner, in providing just the right equipment, supplies and rental needs to you. Please do not hesitate to refer your patients to MultiMedical Equipment and Supplies, as well as reach out to us at any time so we can satisfy any Multi-Medical Equipment and Supplies needs.”

For information, call 713-636-3834 (Bellaire), 281-265-3156 (Sugar Land) or go to multimedicaltx.com.