The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community
JEWISH
APRIL 2019 | ADAR II / NISAN 5759
JEWISHRHODY.ORG
RHO DE ISL A N D
The Feast of Freedom Sweet memories of Purim
Films featured at local temples
Bob Alper is a rabbi & comedian
GRE AT W INE CAN KOS B HER E PAS SOV FOR ER
FOUR CUPS OF WINE FOR EVERY PERSON (THAT’S OUR KIND OF SEDER) RHODE ISLAND’S LARGEST SELECTION OF KOSHER WINE, BEER & SPIRITS 141 PITMAN ST. PROVIDENCE, RI 02906 401.372.2030 | BOTTLESFINEWINE.COM BOTTLES PROVIDENCE @BOTTLESFINEWINE @BOTTLES_PVD JEWISH VOICE Passover 6.5x4.74.indd 1
3/8/19 1:36 PM
As we gather around the Pesach table to reflect on and celebrate our collective journey to freedom, let us think about all those living in the grips of persecution. As drops of wine fall to our plates, let us remember all those who fall victim to today’s plagues of hatred, bigotry, indifference, violence, and war. And as we leave our doors open to Elijah, let us awaken the true meaning of opening our doors, our hearts, and our minds to all.
On behalf of all of us at the Jewish Alliance, Hag Pesach Sameach,
Mitzi Berkelhammer Chair of the Board
Adam Greenman President & CEO
APRIL 2019 | 3
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
JEWISH
Springtime traditions are in full bloom
RHODE ISL AND
EDITOR Fran Ostendorf DESIGN & LAYOUT Leah Camara ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Chris Westerkamp cwesterkamp@jewishallianceri.org 401-421-4111, ext. 160 Karen Borger ksborger@gmail.com 401-529-2538 CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Benjamin, Larry Kessler, Michael Schemaille COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, Geraldine Foster, Patricia Raskin, Rabbi James Rosenberg, Daniel Stieglitz
IT’S APRIL, the season of showers, flowers, spring, cleaning and Passover! Yes, Passover. It’s not too early to begin thinking about our springtime holiday commemorating our deliverance from slavery. In our house, we cook and clean before the eight-day holiday and then focus on family. This is one of two times each year when everyone gathers at our house, and they all stay a few days. It’s really a lovely time to reconnect with my siblings and continue our family traditions, which we have observed for as long as we can remember. Over the years, spouses, children and significant others have been pulled into the gathering, along with some friends who don’t mind the constant talking and interrupting. This year, we even have a new grandchild in the mix, and everyone is looking forward to the holiday. We hope our parents will join us, but we realize that travel is no longer easy for them. We recently celebrated my mother’s 90th birthday. Here at Jewish Rhode Island, spring also means that we are kicking off our annual Patron Campaign.
VOLUME XXVI, ISSUE IV JEWISH RHODE ISLAND (ISSN number 1539-2104, USPS #465-710) is published monthly. PERIODICALS Postage paid at Providence, R.I. POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Jewish Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. PUBLISHER The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, President/CEO Adam Greenman, Chair Mitzi Berkelhammer, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. 401-421-4111; Fax 401-331-7961
your hands. As you read through this Passover issue, you’ll see a lot of advertising. That’s normal for a holiday paper. We thank each and every advertiser who bought ads in this and every Jewish Rhode Island or on our website. These individuals and businesses support the Jewish community and your newspaper, while the ads help them grow their businesses. We can’t put out a paper without the support of our advertisers. So, dear readers, please support businesses whose ads you see in Jewish Rhode Island and at jewishrhody. org. And make sure you tell them that you saw their ad in our paper. We know they get value from their ad, but when you mention us, they know they get value from their ads. Lastly, we could not publish without a generous grant from the Jewish Federaton Foundation. And we appreciate the support and encouragement of the Jewish Alliance, our publisher. So, this Passover, please remember to be grateful for those around you and to support your community newspaper. Our best wishes for a warm spring and a happy Passover.
Fran Ostendorf, Editor
Jewish Rhode Island stands corrected; In “Adler’s Hardware celebrates its centennial” (March 2019), Marc Adler was reported as attending a yeshiva in Far Rockaway. He did not.
MEMBER of the Rhode Island Press Association and the American Jewish Press Association COPY DEADLINES: All news releases, photographs, etc., must be received on the Wednesday 10 days prior to publication. Submissions may be sent to: editor@jewishallianceri.org. ADVERTISING: We do not accept advertisements for pork or shellfish. We do not attest to the kashrut of any product or the legitimacy of advertisers’ claims.
You’ve probably already noticed the annoying envelope that fell out of the paper when you opened it to read the latest Jewish community news. But, here’s the thing. Your donation to Jewish Rhode Island helps us bring you that news. Our annual Patron Campaign is our only community fundraiser. If you live in Rhode Island or southeastern Massachusetts, you receive Jewish Rhode Island at no cost. You can go online and read the paper on our website, jewishrhody.org, at no cost. You can receive our middle-of-the-month newsletter, Inside Jewish Rhode Island, at no cost. Donations to the annual Patron Campaign help us bring you the paper, and everything that comes with it. We hope you like the new monthly paper and the newsletter. Most readers do; we’ve received a lot of positive feedback. And we hope you will give to our campaign to help sustain us. Advertising is another way we finance the paper that you hold in
In ‘Matriarch of the Meal Site’ (March 2019), Tillie Orleck’s son Ralph was incorrectly identified as Chuck.
BUSINESS 31 | CALENDAR 6-7 | COMMUNITY 24-30 | PASSOVER 20-23 D’VAR TORAH 5 | FOOD 17-18 | OBITUARIES 36-38 | OPINION 8-9 | SIMCHA 39 THE MISSION OF JEWISH RHODE ISLAND is to communicate Jewish news, ideas and ideals by connecting and giving voice to the diverse views of the Jewish community in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, while adhering to Jewish values and the professional standards of journalism. ALL SUBMITTED CONTENT becomes the property of Jewish Rhode Island. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. We reserve the right to refuse publication and edit submitted content.
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4 | APRIL 2019
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
UP FRONT external world. I became a rabbi because I felt a high spiritual need for this in myself and the community.
What’s your favorite part of being a rabbi?
When I was in rabbinical school, I fell in love with Talmud in a way I didn’t expect. I love sharing it with others – the twists and turns, the arguments, the stories. People find it both familiar and foreign, and there’s something about that that opens possibilities about how we think. Doing that with students is deeply exciting.
Why did you choose to work with students? What challenges do you face that a congregational rabbi is unlikely to see? What are some of the greatest rewards of your work?
I think college is a time of massive change in a person’s life. Students start to do Judaism on their own terms, which we call “Jewish adulting.” They begin to decide which parts of Jewish life they want to be connected to. It’s a time of deep thought, of personal and intellectual growth. It’s
PHOTO | GLEN OSMUNDSON
Rabbi Weissman: an advocate for social justice and civil rights BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE
R
abbi Alex Weissman is the senior Jewish educator at Brown RISD Hillel, where he says he has the pleasure of drinking a lot of coffee and learning a lot of Torah with and from his students.
He agreed to answer a few questions as part of Jewish Rhode Island’s ongoing effort to introduce community leaders. Prior to becoming a rabbi, you worked in public health with a focus on LGBTQ issues. What was the path that led to you becoming a rabbi?
After working in public health, I got involved with Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City. As the social
justice coordinator of the world’s largest LGBTQ synagogue, organizing felt deeply spiritual, as did putting our highest values and aspirations into the public. If prayer is where we express our deepest desires, values and wants in an internal way, organizing is how we do that in the
Students start to do Judaism on their own terms, which we call “Jewish adulting.”
never boring. As for challenges, I think that because we’re a pluralistic organization, we have a much wider range of religious practices and politics than a regular congregation. People choose their congregations based on these factors, but on a campus, you’re trying to serve the needs of a community with such wide range and perspective. The rewards come from those moments when I see students come to appreciate each other’s differences, rather than shut down around them. Their perspectives may not change, but there’s a deeper appreciation for the other. Seeing students blur the line between the text and their lives is really rewarding.
What’s it like to celebrate holidays on campus, especially with students who may be far from home? Do you have special plans to celebrate Passover with students at Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design? The gift and challenge of pluralism is doing Judaism that’s grounded in both community and tradition; how do we serve students from a wide range of practices and traditions while meeting the needs of all? For most holidays, we all celebrate together. For Passover, we’re having a variety of seders. There will be a communal seder, while
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
Rabbi Alex Weissman was ordained in 2017 at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Weissman has served in various capacities with communities and organizations that include JOIN for Justice; Avodah; the Brandeis Reconstructionist Organization; Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, in New York City; Temple Shalom, in Newton, Massachusetts; Wissahickon Hospice, in Philadelphia; Hebrew SeniorLife, in Boston; T’ruah; and Philadelphians Organized to Witness, Empower and Rebuild (POWER). Prior to rabbinical school, Weissman was the social justice coordinator at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah and worked as a researcher, educator and counselor on HIV/ AIDS, substance abuse and partner abuse in various LGBTQ public health organizations. Weissman, 35, is a Philadelphia native and a lover of Talmud, the Mussar movement, theology and community organizing. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, reading, trapeze and keeping up with his three brothers in Philadelphia, Boston and Be’er Sheva, Israel. He lives in Providence with his husband, Rabbi Adam Lavitt.
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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
The liberation we desire
D’ VA
THIS TIME OF YEAR I am reminded of my dear friend, Gladys Kapstein z”l, who used to serenade her friends at Hillel board meetings with “I love Pesach with a Passion” to the tune of “I Love Paris in the Springtime.” And I share those same fond sentiments regarding this Holiday of Freedom. Of all the Jewish festivals, Passover holds a special place for me and many of us, with its emphasis on the quest for freedom and the home-centered nature of the seder. The Passover seder invites wonderful participation, including quirky rituals like passing matzot, banging scallions on our neighbor’s head, reclining while we eat and drink. There are the well-known and much beloved melodies of The Four Questions, Dayenu, Hallel, Had Gad Yah and of course sumptuous meals featuring family favorites. But not all parts of the Haggadah (the telling of the Passover story) are joyous and light. For years, I have struggled to RABBI ALAN understand the passage that comes FLAM right before Elijah’s Cup, “Pour out Your anger on the nations that do not know You…for they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation?” What is this vengeful passage doing amid this story of redemption? When we diminish our cups of wine for the Ten Plagues, I often quote the beautiful midrash (Torah interpretation) about the ministering angels bursting into song at the Sea of Reeds and God rebuking them, saying, “My children are dead on the shores of the Sea and you want to sing?” So, how does “pour out your wrath” square with this sentiment? Chaim Raphael, a 20th century Jewish scholar, suggests that the four biblical verses of this section of the seder reflect “the terror which often hovered in the air among the Jews at Passover time because of the monstrous ‘blood libel’ and pogroms.” Opening the door for Elijah broke the spell for a moment of the happy gathering around the seder table, reminding the participants of the fearful world outside. Whatever the reason for their inclusion, I want to suggest that cultivating a spiritual practice might help us better deal with fear that often unleashes challenging thought, violent behavior, and perhaps even this vindictive passage in the middle of the seder. In spiritual practice, we speak about the experience of interconnectedness and how a regular practice of prayer and meditation can help us cultivate greater capacity for forgiveness and compassion. We often see this as a corrective toward judgmentalism, which, while not a uniquely Jewish trait, is certainly honed to an art form in many Jewish circles. Many of us have experienced how painful that judgment can be and strive to be gentler with ourselves and others. We seek a kindness in response to suffering, not vengeance. It is inspiring to read of God’s grieving for the dead Egyptians, even though they were the instigators of our slavery and our oppression. But judgment is also a divine attribute. The balance to chesed, or loving-kindness, is din, judgment. Judgment is necessary for justice to flourish. Cruelty should have consequences, not just for the victim, but for the perpetrator as well. The cry at this point in the seder comes from the heart: “We are still living under oppression! We need justice!” Some of us who know firsthand what it is like to be terrorized by another, understand the righteousness of this plea. It is a paradox. Yet, it seems to me that the spiritually grounded goal is to develop the ability to demand justice
R
TO R A H
Candle lighting times
in Greater Rhode Island
while remaining connected to the essential truth: at our core, we are indeed all children of The Holy One. Even those people we despise, even those we fear, even those we regard with contempt. On some fundamental level, we are not separate from them. It doesn’t mean that we must acquiesce to them. But it means that we might try to see the me’at tov, the little bit of goodness in them that is a reflection of divine goodness. It’s a tall order. But perhaps if we were to catch glimpses of that truth, it might lead to the true liberation we all desire. RABBI ALAN FLAM leads the Soulful Shabbat Project, a Renewal Minyan that utilizes silence, gentle yoga, chanting, davening and Torah study as the backbone of worship. Soulful Shabbat meets in Providence bi-monthly for Shabbat worship, and for High Holy Days at Temple Emanu-El. Rabbi Flam is past president of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless and an active participant in the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty. He is a past president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater RI and has served on the boards of the Dorcas International Institute, Economic Progress Institute and United Way.
April 5
| 6:57
April 12 | 7:04 April 19 Passover | 7:12 April 20 Passover | 8:16 April 25 Passover | 7:19 April 26 Passover | 7:20
Being first. It’s in her blood. Tehila Brezinger First Responder
Tehila is one of our first responders who perform more than 500 resuscitations each month. When a call for help goes out, your support helps power the nextgeneration technology she relies on to arrive in minutes. We’re Israel’s emergency medical services organization, Magen David Adom. As we celebrate our freedom this Passover holiday, please consider a gift that will make Israel stronger too. Please give today.
Saving lives. It’s in our blood – and it’s in yours, too. Save a life in Israel with a gift to support Magen David Adom. Donate on AFMDA.org/give or call 866.632.2763
afmda.org
6 | APRIL 2019
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
UP FRONT | CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG
Ongoing
Alliance Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch, program weekdays except 4/26. Combined Model Seder at Temple Sinai on 4/12. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Noon lunch; 1 p.m. program. Information or RSVP, 401-421-4111, ext. 107. West Bay Kosher Senior Café. Kosher lunch, program Fridays except 4/26. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. 11:15 a.m. program; noon lunch. Information or RSVP, 401-421-4111, ext. 107. Mussar Living. 11 a.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Sundays thru 5/5 except 4/21. Rabbi Gavi Ruit guides group in mindfulness techniques developed by Mussar sages to facilitate the quest for wholeness. TBE members: $100 | Nonmembers: $150. Information or register, 401-331-6070 or jthomas@temple-beth-el.org. Duplicate Bridge. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Mondays noon-2 p.m.: 0-20 masterpoint game for less-experienced players. $5. Tuesdays and Fridays 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.: open stratified game, all levels. $7. Thursdays 1:30-3:30 p.m.: Guided play. $6. Information, abarton295@
aol.com or 401-390-9244. Monday Night Meditation. 8-8:45 p.m. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Meditation instruction for all levels. Thru 5/13. Information, office@bethsholom-ri. org. Game Night: Mah Jongg and Canasta. 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Lessons available for Mah Jongg. Free. Information, Torat Yisrael office at 4 “Bridging the Gap” with Rabbi Raphie. 8-8:45 p.m. Wednesdays. Kollel Center for Jewish Studies, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Explore the development and refinement of personalities through the Mussar movement. Text is “Bridging the Gap.” Free. Information, rabbiraphie@gmail.com or 401-383-2786. Children’s Shabbat Programs and Kiddush. 10-11:30 a.m. Shabbat mornings. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Ages 2 to 12. Free. Information, office@bethsholom-ri.org.
Friday | April 5
Pizza Shabbat. 6 p.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Family event. Informa-
tion, 401-486-0110. Shabbat Chai. 6-7 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Contemporary and traditional melodies led by Cantor Brian Mayer and the Shabbat Chai Band. Shabbat dinner follows. Information, bjmayer@ teprov.org or 401-331-1616. Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.
Saturday | April 6
Shabbat Bracha LeZichronam. 9 a.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Special service in memory of loved ones. Information, eadler3@cox.net or 401-486-0110. Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service and light Kiddush. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600. Family Shabbat Morning Service. 9:15 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Family service for children to age 8 and their families. Childcare provided so parents can participate in the
Celebrating our Rabbi, Wayne Franklin You are invited to our gala on June 2, 2019 honoring Rabbi Wayne Franklin’s retirement and his 38 years of service to Temple Emanu-El. To RSVP or contribute to our Tribute book, please visit our website or call the Temple.
www.teprov.org 401 . 331 . 1 616
EDITOR’S CHOICE
2019 PET ISSUE SEND US YOUR PET PHOTOS Time for Jewish Rhode Island’s annual pet issue where we feature photos of your faithful friends. Send us your dogs, cats, bird and reptiles. Fish are welcome, too. Deadline for photos is April 23 so don’t waste any time. Please remember to include your name, city of residence and your pet’s name. Email to editor@jewishallianceri.org. You can upload the photo at jewishrhody.org under “Submit your photo.”
10 a.m. adult service. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
Sunday | April 7
Men’s Club and Sisterhood Breakfast with Guest Speaker Patricia Raskin. 9-10:30 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Breakfast at 9 a.m. Program at 9:30 a.m. Information or RSVP, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Passover Wine Sale. 9 a.m.-noon. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Sponsored by Temple Torat Yisrael Sisterhood. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600. Torah Sprouts. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Songs, stories, crafts for children ages 3-5
with parent. $10. Information or to register, Torat Yisrael office at 401885-6600. Joanne Forman Film Festival. 2 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. “The Last Suit.” Discussion with Ada Winsten follows. See story page 25. Presented by the Sisterhood of Temple Beth-El. Information, 401-331-6070. SBHEC Book Club. 2 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Discussion of “The Street Sweeper.” Free. Information, mzeidman@HERCRI.org or 401-453-7860. Rabbi Franklin Interfaith Dialogue Recognition Event. 4-6 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Panel discussion and appetizer/ dessert reception to honor Rabbi Wayne Franklin’s work on interfaith dialogue. Free. RSVP (requested),
APRIL 2019 | 7
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
teprov.org/form/interfaith. Information, 401-331-1617. JCDSRI 40th Celebration. 6 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Cocktails, dinner, dancing and more. Catering by Andrew; live music by the Free Downloads. $140 per person. Tickets (put GALA TICKETS in the notes) online at jcdsri.com/support/donate/. Information or RSVP, awalter@jcdsri.com.
Tuesday | April 9
Modern Israeli History. 10-11:30 a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser will discuss 19th century political Zionism, the early 20th century movement to create a Jewish State, the War of Independence and Israel’s early struggles for survival, Jewish immigration to Israel, the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israel’s future. Thru 5/7. Information, Dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350. Temple Torat Yisrael’s Lunch and Learn. Noon-1:30 p.m. T’s Restaurant, 5600 Post Road, East Greenwich. Study Jewish sources addressing current issues with Rabbi Aaron Philmus. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401885-6600.
Wednesday | April 10
People of the Books Lunch and Learn: “A Mystical Haggadah” with Rabbi Eliahu Klein. Noon-1:30 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. “A Mystical Haggadah” takes readers through the Passover ritual with Kabbalistic meditations and affirmations. $12 per person includes deli lunch. Information, rzerin@teprov.org or 401-331-1616. Israel Culture Series: “The Flood.” 7 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. As Yoni’s Bar Mitzvah approaches, his family
continues to disintegrate. His older, autistic brother returns home and challenges the family to reconcile. Followed by discussion. Free. Information or RSVP, ncafri@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 121.
Thursday | April 11
Women’s Alliance Rosh Hodesh “Ruth and Naomi: Two Women with Lessons for Us.” Noon-1:15 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Featuring Rabbi Wayne Franklin, Temple Emanu-El. $10 includes lunch. Information or RSVP, jewishallianceri.org/roshhodesh/ or 401-421-4111, ext. 109. Adolescent Sleep, When Biology Conflicts with Lifestyle. Strategies to Help Your Child. 7-9 p.m. The Miriam Hospital, 164 Summit Ave., Providence. The Miriam Hospital Women’s Association presents strategies to help with sleep disorders in adolescents. Guest speaker Mary Carskadon, Ph.D. Free. Information, vickie.scott@lifespan.org or 401793-2520.
Friday | April 12
Conference on Women and the Holocaust. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Jackson Art Center, Bristol Community College, 777 Elsbree St., Fall River, Mass. Keynote speaker Sheri Sandler, managing director, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village Rwanda and workshop leader from Echoes and Reflection, a resource center for the teaching of the Holocaust. For educators and the public. Free. Information, ron.weisberger@ bristolcc.edu. J-Camp Shabbat Dinner. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Dinner, story time and scavenger hunt. $18 per family. Information or RSVP, aguttin@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 140.
Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600. Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 8 p.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Information, 401-486-0110.
Saturday | April 13
Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service and light Kiddush. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600. Women’s Shabbat Mincha. Afternoon. Congregation Beth Sholom, 275 Camp St., Providence. Women and girls. Free. Information, office@ bethsholom-ri.org or 401-621-9393. Kids’ Night Out: Super Heroes. Ages 5-11: 5-10 p.m. Ages 2-4: 5-8:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Sports, crafts and movie. Pizza and snacks. Older kids swim. $40 | JCC Members: $30 | Siblings: $20. Information and registration, skochanek@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 147.
Sunday | April 14
Joanne Forman Film Festival. 2 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. “Big Sonia.” Discussion with Mike Fink follows. See story page 25. Presented by the Sisterhood of Temple Beth-El. Information, Temple Beth-El office at 401-331-6070.
Tuesday | April 16
Modern Israeli History. 10-11:30
a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Series thru 5/7. Information, Dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350. Concepts & Cocktails: Israeli Scientist Lecture Series. 7-9 p.m. Flatbread Company, 161 Cushing St., Providence. New series sponsored by Jewish Alliance features Israeli engineer Gali Alon Tzezana. Free. RSVP or information, ncafri@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 121.
Wednesday | April 17
Touro Fraternal Open House. 6:16-9 p.m. Touro Fraternal Association Hall, 45 Rolfe Square, Cranston. Guest speaker Ruthie Polinsky from WPRI sports. Learn about this social and community group for Jewish men 18+. Kosher chicken dinner. Free. RSVP, 401-785-0066.
Thursday | April 18
Shalom Baby Get-Together. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Discuss parenting, learn about Jewish community with little ones. For 12 months and under. Free. Information or RSVP, lursillo@jewishallianceri. org or 401-421-4111, ext. 141.
Friday | April 19
Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 5:30 p.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Information, 401-486-0110. Community Seder. 6:30-9 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Catering by Accounting for Taste LLC. Cost: $54 adults | $36 3-12 years | under 3 free. RSVP (space limited) or information,
rzerin@teprov.org or 401-331-1616.
Saturday | April 20
Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service and light Kiddush. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600. Shabbat Service. 9 a.m. Congregation Beth David, 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Service followed by light Kiddush. Information, 401-4860110. Passover Seder. 5:30-10 p.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Kosher-style dinner catered by Cozy Caterers. Cost: $36 for adults | $15 children 6-12 years | $5 children age 5 and younger. Information and RSVP (by 4/12), Dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350. Community Seder. 6-9 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Conducted by Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman and Cantor Judith Seplowin. Seder plate and Kosherstyle dinner proviced. Bring your favorite dessert. Information and RSVP, jthomas@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070. Community Seder. 7-9 p.m. Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Catering by Accounting for Taste LLC. Cost: $54 adults | $36 3-12 years | under 3 free. RSVP or information, rzerin@teprov.org or 401-331-1616.
Tuesday | April 23
Modern Israeli History. 10-11:30 a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Series thru 5/7. CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
8 | APRIL 2019
Sen. Reed’s actions show his friendship for Israel
Mr. Hirsch is a past President of the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, now the Jewish Alliance of RI.
The burden and the blessing “Memory is a passion no less powerful or pervasive than love. It is to live in more than one world, to prevent the past from fading, and to call upon the future to illuminate it.” (Elie Wiesel, “All Rivers Run to the Sea: Memoirs, Volume One, 1928-1969,” Harper Collins, 1996) Anita Landsberger Lobel (19092004) was born in Hamburg, Germany, and spent a comfortable childhood in that city. As a young woman, she ran a kindergarten for young Christian and Jewish children in her neighborhood. In her brief memoir to her nieces and nephews written late in her life, Anita recalls that after the Nazis came to power in 1933, “[s]ince the new law forbid to have any contact with non-Jewish people, I had to terminate my Kindergarten.” So at the age of 24, Anita traveled for the first time to a foreign country, accepting employment as governess for a wealthy family in the magical city of Prague, Czechoslovakia. While far from ideal, her life in Prague did hold many attractions – most particularly, her deep and passionate relationship with a young artist, Franta Vachal, speaker of seven languages. On March 15, 1939, her situation took a dramatic turn for the worse. As Anita writes, “The Germans got busy quickly, and of course it was the Jews they were to make their victims. First we all had to register. An office was established. Here we had to bring all of our valuable possessions: gold, silver, gems, most of our clothes, and told to keep just a few pieces. In return we got the David star to wear at all times on our sleeves. We were forbidden any contact with Aryans. A curfew was called for us by darkness. Only a certain hour we could go shopping with our ration card, giving us little food to buy.” A further descent into the maelstrom: on Feb. 2, 1942, Anita was crammed into a cattle car and carried off to the concentration camp/ghetto of Theresienstadt (Terezin), where, after nearly dying of a kidney infection, she worked as a “room clerk.” Her job was to find space for the ever growing number of people arriving on transports “from all over Austria and Germany and later from Denmark and the Netherlands.” As bad as Terezin was – a place of filth and starvation and disease – it was like the Garden of Eden compared to the hell hole of Auschwitz, the death camp deep in Poland
where Anita was shipped on Dec. 17, 1943. It was at Auschwitz that more than 1,000,000 Jewish men, women and children were murdered – the majority shoved into the gas chambers, their corpses incinerated in industrial ovens, their ashes forced up and out of the chimneys and strewn over the nearby Polish countryside. And it was at Auschwitz that 35-yearold Anita Landsberger met her sister-in-name, 7-year-old Anita LandsRABBI JAMES berger from ROSENBERG Berlin. From the moment the two Anita Landsbergers met, the older watched over the younger, doing whatever she could to bring to the little girl some small measure of comfort until that day of doom, March 7, 1944, when the older Anita watched the young Anita being pushed into the gas chamber. As one of the very few to survive Auschwitz, the adult Anita Landsberger promised herself that she would keep the memory of her sister-in-name alive; and for more than 50 years, as the date of March 7 drew close, the survivor wrote a poem about the young Anita, for Anita, to Anita. I learned of this painful but inspiring story of the two Anita Landsbergers from Barbara Kenas, a niece of Anita Landsberger Lobel; Barbara’s husband, Robert Kenas, was a childhood classmate of my wife, Sandy. In response to my wife’s deep interest, Barbara has sent us numerous materials over the past few months, including a link to a PBS film documenting the determination of her aunt to keep alive the memory of 7-year-old Anita. As Barbara has testified in more than one local newspaper, “My aunt had been beaten, raped and starved, but nothing was worse
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On March 12, Howard Brown, director of the RI Coalition for Israel, wrote a letter to the editor of the Providence Journal asking the question “Is R.I.’s Senator Reed still a friend of Israel.” In not looking “under the hood” of S1, the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019,” Mr. Brown has overlooked the underlying reason for Sen. Reed’s objection to the bill. Sen. Reed’s objection is based upon the wording in the bill, which treats “Israel or Israeli occupied territory” as equivalents – something that flies in the face of United States policy that has always defined Israel as distinct from Gaza and the West Bank. Such equivalence may imply a single state solution in direct contradiction to United States policy of a two state solution, a solution that Sen. Reed has long advocated. He has gone on record as opposing such equivalence language in prior bills, including those in 2015 and 2017, something which the Senate majority leader has ignored. Words Matter. Moreover, by including BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) language as an addition to this bill, Sen. McConnell (without following the normal process of hearings and committee markups in this bill) has introduced political chicanery in the long-standing bipartisan support for the America-Israel relationship. Sen. Reed has unequivocally supported anti-BDS legislation whenever it is on the table. Sen. Reed has ardently supported efforts to increase funding for U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs that have invested over $500 million per year. His opposition to the BDS movement and advocacy for a peace plan to deliver security for Israelis and an end to the regional conflict that threatens Israel has been consistent, steadfast and unequivocal. Both Sen. Reed’s words and actions should assure Mr. Brown that Israel has no greater friend and supporter in congress than Sen. Jack Reed. David M. Hirsch Providence, RI
COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION
IT S E
LETTERS
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Feb. 2, 1942, Anita was crammed into a cattle car and carried off to the concentration camp …
than seeing little Anita go to the gas chamber.” Among the many treasures Barbara has passed on to us are copies of two poems, in her aunt’s own handwriting, bearing witness to little Anita’s murder. Her 1996 offering begins, “The fatal date: March 7 – 1944/and again March 7 will arrive/to remember those who lost their life/never forgot the knock at barrack’s door/too well we knew what this was for./You too, young Anita…/Goodbye, young Anita, my sister-in-name, /only 7 years of age…” Barbara knew her aunt to be a woman of surging vitality; she writes in a March 17, 2010, letter-to-the-editor of a local New Jersey newspaper, New Transcript, that she “was quite beautiful, spoke five languages, was an artist, loved literature, had friends of all ages, and at 85 was still quite flirtatious.” It was not until the summer of 1995, when her aunt took Barbara on a trip to Interlaken, Switzerland, that Anita finally unburdened herself and told her niece the story of the number 73050 tattooed onto her left arm, a story of deepest darkness buried within her outwardly sunny disposition, a darkness revealed in the final couplet of her 1996 poem in remembrance of little Anita: “We survivors wounded forever in anger & pain – no smile./ Oh beautiful world, you are so hideously vile.” With the death of her aunt on Feb. 2, 2004 – the very same date as her transport to Terezin back in 1942 – Barbara has taken up the burden and the blessing of preserving the memories of those two sisters-in-name, the two Anita Landsbergers – her aunt, who survived and flourished till the age of 95, and the little girl who entered the gas chamber at Auschwitz on March 7, 1944. Barbara Kenas is living the truth of Elie Wiesel’s conviction that “[m]emory is a passion no less powerful or pervasive than love.” Can it be mere coincidence that Barbara’s birthday happens to fall on March 7? JAMES B. ROSENBERG is rabbi emeritus of Temple Habonim in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeritus@templehabonim.org.
Jewish Rhode Island publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the editor (300 words, maximum) on issues of interest to our Jewish community. At our discretion, we may edit pieces for publication or refuse publication. Letters and columns, whether from our regular contributors or from guest columnists, represent the views of the authors; they do not represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
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COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION
Brown Divest referendum ‘deeply harmful’ Board elections. BSI President Tess Geri explained that divestment is divisive, misUNFORTUNATELY, ON MARCH 21, 2019, leading and counterproductive, and Brown University students voted to its passing would stifle debate and support a discriminatory divestment isolate different groups. Others stated referendum against Israel. As a that reducing this complex, two-sided proud member of Brown Students for issue to a “yes” or “no” checkbox was Israel (BSI) and a StandWithUs Eman attempt to force Brown students erson Fellow, I stood with my comto take a binary political stance that munity against this deeply harmful does not reflect the reality on the campaign. ground. Moreover, this would not Introduced by Brown Divest, the be a legitimate measure of opinion vote was conducted over a two-day at Brown, as the referendum lanperiod during which we mobilized guage was biased and clearly pushed and educated our peers about the issues and why they should vote “no.” students to vote yes. I argued that it would deepen divisions among The referendum asked students Brown students, legitimize a camif the university should “divest all paign which has fueled incidents of stocks, funds, endowment and other hate at many other universities and monetary instruments” from a nummake pro-Israel students at Brown ber of companies that do business in feel unwelcome, uncomfortable and Israel, claiming they are, “complicit in human rights abuses in Palestine.” unsafe. Unfortunately, UCS approved the It also called for financial transparreferendum and that is exactly what ency and student oversight of the ensued. The vote polarized the stuuniversity’s investments. dent body and induced incidents of To go to a vote, the referendum had hate through online forums. to be approved by the Undergraduate Though a majority voted in favor, Council of Students (UCS). At a UCS Brown President Christina Paxson meeting in early March, BSI argued immediately issued a letter to the against adding it to the upcoming Brown community, opposing this UCS and Undergraduate Finance BY JESSE RAVIV
anti-Israel campaign. She recognized that “Brown’s endowment is not a political instrument to be used to express views on complex social and political issues, especially those over which thoughtful and intelligent people vehemently disagree. As a university, Brown’s mission is to advance knowledge and understanding through research, analysis and debate. Its role is not to take sides on contested geopolitical issues.” This is not the first time Paxson has opposed Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) efforts at Brown, pointing out that “doing so would inhibit the open scholarly exchange that is critical for the advancement of knowledge.” My community and I are deeply grateful for her moral stand on this issue. This was a hollow victory for anti-Israel activists. In fact, BSI made it clear in Facebook posts that “this referendum is a defeat for all students who believe there is a better way to pursue peace between Israelis and Palestinians, who seek intellectually honest discourse about Israel and the conflict, and who prioritize a safe and inclusive community at Brown. Divestment is an empty promise and
Jesse Raviv does nothing to improve the situation in Israel and Palestine.” We will continue our activism and thank all those who stood with us. I feel more motivated than ever to stand with Israel and to continue our efforts to create a campus climate where peace is possible. JESSE RAVIV is a sophomore at Brown University and the 2019-20 StandWithUs Emerson Fellow.
Sen. Reed’s recent vote raises a red flag for Israel supporters BY HOWARD BROWN ON FEB. 5, THE U.S. SENATE passed SB-1, the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019, in a bipartisan vote of 77-23. Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed voted against this bill, while R.I. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse voted with the majority. Reed’s vote came as a surprise to Rhode Island’s pro-Israel community, which, in spite of his ill-advised 2015 vote to support the Iran deal, traditionally sees Reed as a friend of Israel. According to Ted Nesi of WPRI, Reed spokesman Chip Unruh said, “The senator’s vote was not a sign of wavering support for Israel. Senator Reed opposes the BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] movement and any other efforts to isolate Israel.” But Reed’s vote clearly supported the very BDS movement that his spokesman claims Reed opposes. Anti-Israel groups such as the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and lobbying organizations of questionable intent, such as J Street, celebrated the fact that 23 senators voted against SB-1. JVP has declared this “the BDS Congress.” How did Whitehouse and Reed explain their opposing positions on the vote? Whitehouse told Nesi: “Ninety percent of this bill was noncontroversial and there was a bipartisan alternative that was 100 percent noncontroversial. …Leader [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell decided to play a political game in the way he structured this legislation. …I chose to vote aye as an expression of support for our ally, Israel.” Whitehouse’s answer raises these questions:
What was so controversial about the bill, and what was the “political game”? According to Congress. gov, the bill “… authorizes assistance and weapons transfers to Israel, and extends defense cooperation with Jordan. It establishes additional sanctions related to the conflict in Syria, and allows states to divest from entities boycotting Israel.” That “controversial” anti-boycott provision was the problem for Whitehouse and left-leaning “Progressive” Democrats. Pro-Israel Democrats support anti-BDS legislation, since the stated goal of BDS leaders is the destruction of the Jewish state. Progressive Democrats ignore that reality, choosing to mask their general distaste for Israel by suggesting that the bill limits freedom of speech. That disingenuous position is fully refuted by mainstream legal scholars and by existing federal legislation enacted in 1977 against Arab boycotts of Israel. The “political game” referred to by Whitehouse was the decision to include that anti-BDS provision in the overall SB-1, thus reducing the chances that it would go down to defeat if voted on separately. Still, Whitehouse voted “aye.” What could Reed have felt was more important than “[choosing] to vote aye as an expression of support for our ally, Israel”? Since 2016, Rhode Island has had H-7736 on the books, forbidding the state from contracting with companies that participate in boycotts of our allies, including Israel. Why vote to prevent other states from doing the same thing?
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The inescapable conclusion lies in the 2020 Senate elections. Rhode Island’s Progressive Democrats are on the rise, and they staunchly support the BDS movement. Whitehouse, who is not up for reelection for another six years, apparently feels he can generously vote to support SB-1 as long as he gives lip service to opposing “controversial” anti-BDS legislation. In a recent interview on public radio, Senator Reed expressed a desire to remain in the Senate indefinitely. A career politician, Reed is predictable: he does what he thinks he needs to do to stay in office. Reed, already feeling the heat of the Progressives in 2020, would like to avoid a strong primary challenge. Voting against SB-1, in effect opposing anti-BDS legislation, may be understood as a step to appease his potential opponents. Reed’s decision raises a red flag for Israel supporters. As President Harry S. Truman observed, if you want a friend in Washington, buy a dog. On Israel, and on anti-Semitism-related issues coming our way, Jack Reed may no longer be the friend he was in the past. HOWARD BROWN (ricoalitionforisrael@gmail.com) is the executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI). Mary Greene, RICI president, and Dave Talan, RICI vice president, also worked on this opinion piece.
ALL SUBMITTED CONTENT becomes the property of Jewish Rhode Island. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. We reserve the right to refuse publication and edit submitted content.
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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Purim play around town
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PHOTOS | BEN GOLDBERG
ids of all ages participated in Purim activities this
year. The Purim parade organized by the New England Rabbinical College was a communitywide favorite as everyone gathered on Elmgrove Avenue in front of the Dwares JCC to march in the neighborhood. Earlier in the week,
children and parents baked hamentaschen as part of a PJ Library
PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON
activity at the JCC.
PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON
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COMMUNITY VOICES
All of us, in our own time and way, experience an exodus
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JACOB LAWRENCE PAINTED and illustrated the great migration of the African-American population, from south of the Mason-Dixon line northward and eastward, in a noted series currently on exhibit in our nation’s capital. It covers a major chapter of the 20th century, from 1917 all the way to the early 1970s. Half of the canvas pictures are from New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, not far from Harlem, whose renaissance included celebrations of Lawrence’s career. The rest of the pictures were already housed in the Phillips Collection, in Washington, which bills itself as “America’s first museum of modern art.” I was fascinated to discover Lawrence’s work in oil, after some years ago admiring his sketches interpreting the Aesop’s Fables of my boyhood, brought from their source in ancient Athens to my 20th-century childhood bookcases. I also recently found out some intriguing information about the au-
thor of those fables, a slave without a proper name. He was an “Ethiope,” hence the similar-sounding “Aesop.” And because his theme was always about how a lowly servant, or even the palace fool or jester, has things to teach the master, the furious authority figures threw him off a cliff! This shocking history was told to me at a party in Jamestown, by a scholarly South African MIKE FINK lady with a touch of that exotic immigrant accent. Well, today there is a lively community of Ethiopians who made their way to the neighborhood where my daughter and her family dwell, in Silver Spring, Maryland, and where we recently paid a visit to confirm their promise to come to us for Passover. While there, I snapped a few shots of a statue based on the fable
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Temple Beth-El Community Seder Saturday, April 20, 2019 6:00 PM Conducted by Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman & Cantor Judith Seplowin
We provide: seder plate, dinner, and community.
HOMEDECORATING SALE
D E CO R AT I V E H A R DWA R E
about the lion whose life is saved by a mouse – with all its implications about royalty, good will and the nature of friendship, rescue and benevolence. And I picked up a few Ethiopian gift cards on paper made from banana peels. And I treated my son-in-law to a fancy African coffee in a wee ceramic cup. “I’m a miniaturist,” I said, or something to that effect. I guess what I’m reporting is that while “the Exodus” has a particular meaning, “exodus” is a universal phenomenon. Maybe we in Providence, Rhode Island,
You Provide: Your favorite dessert in small portions on a disposable plate, friends, family, and neighbors.
Food is Kosher-style. Please label any dessert containing nuts!
RSVP with payment by Monday, April 15, 2019 adults $36 children 10 or under $18 To RSVP online: https://tinyurl.com/2ndseder2019 70 Orchard Avenue, Providence, RI 02906 401-331-6070 www.temple-beth-el.org f
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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Interfaith Yom ha-Shoah commemoration to feature music, film
This year’s statewide interfaith commemoration of Yom ha-Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, will take place at Temple Emanu-El, in Providence, on May 1 at 7 p.m. The program is multidenominational and all are invited to attend. The evening will begin with a candle-lit procession of Holocaust survivors, including second-generation survivors, accompanied by the recitation of the names of family members lost to the Nazis. Noted harpist Judie Tenenbaum will perform during the procession. Next on the program is a screening of “The Fence Between Us,” which examines the Holocaust through the lens of filmmakers. Two Rhode Island-based survivors, Jorge Gardos and Albert Silverstein, are featured in the 13-minute documentary, which was produced by University of Rhode Island film students. The ceremony will also feature several musical firsts. The Hazamir International Jewish Teen Choir’s Providence Chapter will premiere Judith Lynn Stillman’s new choral arrangement of Ilse Weber’s “Wiegala.” Weber sang this lullaby to the children in her care, including her own son, while they were marched into the gas chambers. Stillman, a professor at Rhode Island College, is a noted pianist and composer who has performed across the globe. A short but historically significant piece of music that was recently unearthed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum will be performed in a new transcription for violin and piano by Stillman. Holocaust survivor Gardos will play violin for the piece, which the Auschwitz men’s prisoner orchestra played to entertain Nazi officers. In addition, Anush Avetisyan will perform songs related to the Armenian genocide. The annual Never Again Award will be present-
ed to the sponsors of the bill – which is now law – that requires Holocaust and genocide education in Rhode Island public schools: Sen. Gayle Goldin, Rep. Katherine Kazarian, Sen. Josh Miller and former Rep. Aaron Regunberg. Yom ha-Shoah commemorates the annihilation of 6 million Jews, along with people from many other nations, as a result of the extreme racist attitudes, policies and actions of Nazi Germany and its collaborators. The day also celebrates Jewish resistance during this period.
“A Cause For Applause” H
Cranston Senior Guild’s next meeting takes place Wednesday, May 1, at 1 p.m. at The Phyllis Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick. A short meeting will be followed by bingo, refreshments and a raffle.
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Sunday, April 28, 2019
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2 pm
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To benefit Brain Cancer Research at Hadassah Hospital H H
Enjoy
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At the URI Fine Arts Center 105 Upper College Road Kingston, Rhode Island
Stephen Sondheim’s dramatic musical celebration of love
Reception following the show
Tickets $40 Tickets are limited. Please call 401-463-3636 or email us at chapri@hadassah.org.
“URI Theatre productions are first rate!”
All men and women age 55 years and older are welcome to join. Membership is $12 a year. Cranston residency is not required. Activities include monthly meetings, speakers and trips.
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In memory of Merry Drench
Submitted by Lev Poplow
Cranston Seniors set May meeting
invites you to H
The annual interfaith commemoration is a collaboration between the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island; the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, in Providence; the R.I. State Council of Churches; the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island; and Temple Emanu-El. The free program will take place on Wednesday, May 1, at 7 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence.
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Purim – how sweet it is! BY GERALDINE S. FOSTER
APRIL IS HERE, which means Pesach is close upon us. In the midst of making out the long to-do lists and to-buy lists and getting everything ready for the sederim, my daughter Vivian asked why I have never written about her favorite holiday, Purim.
My dear friend Eleanor Horvitz has written articles about the Purim balls and parties that were once quite common in March, but not I. If I mentioned Purim at all, it would have been in connection with the appearance of Jaffa oranges and clementines from Israel at this season. But since I have written about all the other Jewish holidays at one time or another, it is
Join Us For an Extraordinary Evening!
New York Times White House Correspondent
Maggie Haberman
May 2, 2019 7:00PM White House correspondent Maggie Haberman joined the NY Times in 2015 and was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team reporting on Donald Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. Prior to that, Ms. Haberman was a reporter for Politico (2010-2015) and previously worked for The New York Post and the New York Daily News. She was a finalist for the Mirror Awards with Glenn Thrush for the 2014 profile “What is Hillary Clinton Afraid Of?” To reserve tickets please call 401-331-6070 or email Jenn Thomas: jthomas@temple-beth-el.org
Event Location: Temple Beth-El 70 Orchard Avenue Providence, Rhode Island
This program is generously funded by the Temple Beth-El Benefactors Fund
only fair for me to pause in the midst of my Pesach planning for a look back at the joys of Purim. Anticipation of the coming holiday and its revelry always began when my mother, Chaya Segal, added two items to her shopping list: dried apricots and prunes. This signaled that she was about to prepare her delicious filling for hamantaschen (we were a Never Poppy Seed family). These prunes were not the ubiquitous, anemic, prepackaged or pitted kind. They were huge, with a flavor all their own, and available only in specialty markets. Packed in wooden boxes, they were carefully doled out by a purveyor with a scoop. My mother did not use a recipe, but added “this and that” to the basic mixture of prunes, apricots and her secret ingredient. A few days before Purim, four pairs of little hands pinched edges together and turned circles of dough into sealed equilateral triangles – more or less. And what would Purim be without costumes? Out of the box at the back of a closet came the long necklaces of “genuine faux” pearls and rubies and diamonds to adorn the would-be Queen Esthers at our house. Party dresses were transformed into royal robes, and cardboard tiaras, covered in satin (cut from old slips or found remnants), sparkled with “gems.” Much less ornate was the costume of the king – but it was still kingly. At temple, we joined all the other queens and kings and Mordecais parading in their
finery. Then there were the carnivals, the handiwork of Jewish youth groups. The Purim spiel added to the fun, as did the energetic spinning of groggers when Haman’s name was mentioned during the reading of the megillah. As a line in the song “Chag Purim” tells us, Purim is a great holiday for young children, and for children of all ages. When I was a child, it was a wonderful antidote to the cold, difficult winters. Much has changed since those days. Super heroes and Disney characters have displaced most of the queens and kings of yore. Hamantaschen have strayed far from the traditional fillings of lekvar, apricots, poppy seeds or cherry jam. One congregation, I am told, has even done away with groggers. Congregants are asked to bring boxes of pasta to the megillah reading and to shake them to blot out Haman’s name. Then, the pasta is donated to a food bank. Each generation puts its own spin on tradition. But a French philosopher long ago noted that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Some things have changed, at least outwardly, in our celebration of Purim, but its core – the fun, the megillah and its lessons – remains constant. GERALDINE S. FOSTER is a past president of the R.I. Jewish Historical Association. To comment about this or any RIJHA article, contact the RIJHA office at info@rijha.org or 401-331-1360.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Rhode Island area schools seek part-time Hebrew and/or Judaica teachers, youth advisors and specialists for the 2019-2020 academic year.
For more information contact Larry Katz at the Jewish Alliance at 401.421.4111 ext. 179 or lkatz@jewishallianceri.org
APRIL 2019 | 15
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island FROM PAGE 4
I’ve come to appreciate how relatively small the Jewish community is here. There’s a sense of interdependence and being in it together. There’s a sense of collegiality that I haven’t felt in cities with larger Jewish communities. I also like the funky feel of Providence – there’s nature, arts and culture events, beaches nearby for the summer, and good food. We love the Gamm Theatre.
You’ve worked with a lot of Jewish organizations whose focus is on social change and human rights. In those areas, what do you think are the most important issues facing the Jewish community today? What about society at large? We’re seeing a rollback of civil liberties and a slide toward fascism. I’m concerned about our democracy, and what’s happening at the bor-
My mother’s matzah ball soup. They’re floaters, not sinkers. She puts seltzer in them; I don’t know if that actually does anything.
Favorite Jewish holiday? Why? I love Shavuot. I’m a night owl by nature, an extrovert and a lover of Jewish learning. Getting to stay up all night with people and study Torah is my dream holiday. Plus, you get to eat cheesecake!
Favorite Hebrew word and why?
I like the word bara. It’s the second word in Torah, and it means “created.” I like it because it’s a word only used for God. There are other words used for the creations of man, and while we try to walk in God’s ways, I think it’s powerful to remember that there are some things reserved only for God. It keeps me humble.
Please share a recent memory/experience that you found impactful.
Best piece of advice ever
received?
I think it came from Rabbi Yael Levy, who was my spiritual director in rabbinical school. She taught me that in the moments when I’m being hard on myself, I should place my hand over my heart and say to myself, “It’s OK, sweetheart.” MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE (mschemaille@ jewishallianceri.org) writes for Jewish Rhode Island and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
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Favorite Yiddish word and why?
How about a phrase? Tuchus affen tisch, which literally means “butt on the table,” but really means “say what you mean and mean what you say.”
If you could have three dinner guests, living or from history, who would they be and why?
Rabbi Yehuda’s maidservant – she shows up in Talmud a number of times. She’s a smart, sassy and learned figure we don’t know a lot about, but she knows a lot about Torah and uses it wisely. Grace Paley. Her fiction and poetry have been meaningful to me. He story “Midrash
Treat the cause. Defeat the symptom.
Happy Passover from Dr. Z and the entire team at AAPRI! Convenient locations throughout RI. Check us out today.
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You came to Rhode Island from Philadelphia. What are some of your favorite things about living in Rhode Island? What are some of the most challenging and/or surprising?
Favorite Jewish food?
My husband and I got married in June, after six years together. Getting to celebrate, both ritually and on the dance floor, with the people who love us and who we love most in the world, was joyous, fun and transformative. Adam’s grandfather was in hospice [care] and died that same day. It was a deep spiritual lesson about holding great joy and deep sadness at the same time. We both wrote Rosh Hashanah sermons about it.
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I don’t actually identify as gay. I think queer would be more accurate. I have experienced some obstacles in hiring – sometimes explicitly during the interview and sometimes I have heard secondhand that there were concerns about what it would mean to hire a gay rabbi. For many communities, even in the liberal Jewish world, that is still a new and sometimes scary thing. But I think that for the most part, LGBT rabbis who’ve come before have done an amazing job of paving the way to make it easy to be a gay rabbi.
on Happiness” is one of my favorite Jewish texts, period. I teach it every chance I get, and she’s been an inspiration to me as an activist, particularly around the women’s peace action at the Pentagon in 1980. I’m also thinking about MLK [Martin Luther King Jr.]. I think I could benefit from his wisdom in this historic moment.
p q p q
What challenges have you experienced as a gay rabbi?
der is terrifying and a moral crisis for our country. We’re seeing a rollback of protections for LBGTQ people and an increase in anti-Semitism. We need to take care of our planet itself. It’s an overwhelming time, politically.
ppp p p q q q q q
smaller groups, such as the Jews in Brown’s band, will also be hosting their own.
The Miriam Hospital wishes you a happy passover. miriamhospital.org
16 | MONTH 201X
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Happy
PASSOVER
Prices valid April 5 through April 19, 2019.
Everything for your Passover table
$ 99
5
/lb.
Empire Fresh Kosher Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast 3596522
Smoked Nova $ 00 Acme Salmon
5 $ 99 3
/ea.
$ 99
3
Fresh Horseradish
/lb.
4 oz. pkg. 3411223
64 �. oz. btl. 3554696
$
3/ 10
Manischewitz Cake Meal or Matzo Meal
Selected Varieties, 4.6 oz. pkg. 3546526
Selected Varieties, 16 oz. cont. 3415600
$
$
2/ 6
Manischewitz Potato Pancake Mix
12 oz. pkg. 3419385
Selected Varieties, 6 oz. box 3412798
Sweet confections
$ 99
$
Lilly’s Passover Assorted Cookies
Elite Chocolate Bars Selected Varieties, 3.5 oz. bar 3375097
32 oz. pkg. 3610414
4/$5
Streit’s Matzo Ball and Matzo Ball Soup Mix Selected Varieties, 4.5 oz. pkg. 3420361
2/ 5
Tabatchnick Chicken Broth
32 �. oz. cont. 3376529
2/$6
Mrs. Adler’s Ge�lte Fish
Selected Varieties, 24 oz. jar 3421622
2/$5
Season Skinless & Boneless Sardines
Selected Varieties, 4.37 oz. pkg. 3421654
Use your Stop & Shop card and save on items on this page. We sell kosher and non-kosher foods. Not all products kosher for Passover. Not all items available in all stores. While supplies last.
12 oz. btl. 3402272
3
/ea. Manischewitz Cake Mixes
Selected Varieties, 11–14.1 oz. pkg. 3375856
$
2/ 4
/ea.
2/ 6
Gunter’s Honey Bear
$ 99
3/ 5
Manischewitz Egg Matzos
7
$
2/ 5
Tuscanini Potato Chips
$
80 oz. pkg. 3556356
Baking needs
$
Grocery
Manischewitz, Streit’s, Yehuda or Aviv 5lb Matzos
Kedem Apple Juice
Selected Varieties, 64 �. oz. btl. 3535578
Try something new!
4
2/ 4
Kedem Grape Juice
3565852
$ 99
$
69¢
Store Brand Seltzer Selected Varieties, 33.8 �. oz. btl. 3595250
2/$4
Season Flat Anchovies
2 oz. pkg. 3421648
2/ 4
Goodman’s Macaroons Selected Varieties, 10 oz. canister 3421493
2/$5
Manischewitz Tam Crackers
Selected Varieties, 8 oz. pkg. 3421557
$ 99
3
Osem Consomme 14 oz. cont. 3411021
APRIL 2019 | 17
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
FOOD & DINING
Beyond tzimmes: a memorable Passover stew BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE PASSOVER HAS ALWAYS BEEN my favorite holiday. Each year, my grandmother was proud to host two well-attended seders – there were never fewer than 18 people at our tables each night. I loved it when the house was filled with the sound of so many friends and family. I loved the way my grandfather led each seder, even though his telling of the story sometimes went so long that some years, we wouldn’t eat until 11 p.m.! That never bothered me, though, because I could always sneak into the kitchen to steal matzah balls (they were sinkers, as dense as plutonium). The food…that’s always been my favorite part of my favorite holiday. Now, I don’t mean those weird, canned macaroons, but rather the festive meal itself. Year after year, Nana’s brisket and haroset were the stars of the show, but I always went for her tzimmes. It had a melt-in-yourmouth texture and its sweetness was tempered by the fatty richness of flanken, of which there was never enough. My cousins and I used to playfully bicker over who would get the big pieces. Nana eventually got too old to make Passover and no one else could get her tzimmes just right, even though she still supervised the kitchen. I thought I would never taste that dish again. Some years later, when Nana was in her final days, I returned to New York to be with family. We went to dinner at a Persian restaurant, where I ordered the fesenjan, stewed chicken with walnuts and pomegranate. The first taste caused a flood of memories. Magically, with no ingredients in common, it tasted exactly like Nana’s tzimmes! In that simple, Proustian moment, in regaining something lost for years, I was acutely aware that we would soon lose Nana. When she died several days later, every member of the family had memories of her that
would last a lifetime. For me, my memories of Nana will always be inextricably linked to my memories of Pesach. The following recipe comes from Persian food expert Najmieh Batmanglij. Fesenjan comes from a tradition other than Ashkenazi and Sephardic; it is not a distinctly Jewish dish, but it is well-known to the Mizrahi Jewish community. For other fesenjan recipes, go to jewishrhody.org. The author would like to thank Ms. Batmanglij for allowing Jewish Rhode Island to reprint her recipe. POMEGRANATE KHORESH WITH CHICKEN Makes 4 servings Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Ingredients 2 pounds (900g) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch/5cm cubes 6 tablespoons oil, butter, or ghee 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 pound (2 cups/225g) shelled walnuts 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 4 cups (960ml) pure pomegranate juice 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon water 2 pounds (900g) chicken legs, cut up 1 teaspoon grape molasses or sugar (if pomegranate juice too sour)
Garnish
Arils of 1 fresh pomegranate 2 tablespoons walnuts
Method 1. To roast the butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). In a sheet pan CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
̱ zissen Pesach ̱ ̱
from your friends at
18 | APRIL 2019
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
FOOD & WINE
Wine: What’s new for Pesach? BY FRAN OSTENDORF FOR SOME PEOPLE, it’s just not a seder without the traditional sweet grape wine in each of the four cups. But, if you are tired of the same old four cups at your seder, and if your family traditions allow for a change, you have many new and exciting wine options for Passover. First, a little background on Kosher wines. There’s a common urban legend that says wine is rendered Kosher when it is blessed by a rabbi – but that is incorrect. According to the Royal Wine Corp., commonly known as Kedem, for a wine to be considered Kosher, strictly supervised purity guidelines must be followed from the moment the grapes enter a winery until the wine is bottled. Sabbath-observant Jews must supervise, and sometimes handle, the entire winemaking process, from the time the grapes are crushed until
bottling. And any ingredients used, including yeasts and fining agents, must be Kosher. “Some Kosher wines are processed as mevushal, which means ‘cooked’ in Hebrew. Some wineries produce their mevushal wines by heating the must [grape juice] prior to fermentation, while others apply that procedure on the final product, prior to bottling,” according to a news release from Kedem. “When Kosher wine is produced, marketed and sold commercially, it will bear Kosher certification granted by a specially-trained rabbi who is responsible for supervision from start to finish.” With that in mind, Kate Miceli, wine manager at Bottles Fine Wine in Providence, offers three suggestions for Kosher, mevushal wines for your seder: “Unorthodox Chenin Blanc ($17.99) is a new Kosher white wine from South Africa that we are totally excited about. It’s dry and has flavors of crisp apples and juicy lemons with a
crisp finish,” Miceli said. “The Butcher’s Daughter Cabernet Sauvignon ($12.99) is a great go-to with brisket and other red meats. This has loads of ripe red fruits, hints of vanilla and a smooth finish. “Terra Vega Carmenere ($9.99) is a new favorite from Chile. Carmenere is a grape that is quite robust. This wine drinks similarly to a Zinfandel or Merlot. We love this one because it has very juicy, jammy notes of raspberries and black cherries but still ends up being quite dry on the finish.” FRAN OSTENDORF ( fostendorf@jewishallianceri. org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 lined with parchment paper, place the butternut squash, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss well and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside. 2. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until very hot, and sauté the onions until golden brown. Add the walnuts and sauté for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, and pulse until grainy. Add 1 cup pomegranate juice, the pomegranate molasses, and saffron-rose water, and mix well to create a creamy paste. 3. In the Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and sauté the chicken until golden brown. Add the walnut paste and half the roasted butternut squash, and the remaining pomegranate juice, stirring gently. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent burning.
5. The khoresh should be sweet and sour and have the consistency of heavy cream. Adjust to taste by adding pomegranate molasses for sourness or grape molasses for sweetness. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with more pomegranate juice. 6. Transfer the khoresh from the Dutch oven to a deep, ovenproof casserole. Cover and place in a warm oven until ready to serve. Just prior to serving, garnish with the remaining roasted butternut squash, and sprinkle with fresh pomegranate arils and walnuts. Serve with saffron-steamed rice. Nush-e Jan!
Variations: Caspian-Style Pomegranate Khoresh with Fish – Eliminate the chicken in step 3 and replace it with 2 pounds/900g of white fish fillets (bones removed), cut into 3-inch/7.5cm lengths and seared in 2 tablespoons oil in a wide skillet over medi-
Best Wishes for a Happy Passover The Executive Committee, Staff, and Parents of the Providence Hebrew Day School New England Academy of Torah Rabbi Peretz Scheinerman Dean
450 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02906
(401) 331-5327 Ext. 21
um- high heat. Add it to the khoresh in step 6.
Pistachio Khoresh-e Fesenjan
In Kerman, walnuts are replaced with raw pistachio kernels to make a pistachio fesenjan. Pomegranate Khoresh with Roasted Duck – Rub a duck, inside and out, with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, and 2 teaspoons turmeric. Stuff it with 4 cloves garlic and 4 spring onions, and roast at 350 degrees for 3 hours. Meanwhile, make the khoresh above without the chicken. Serve the duck with the khoresh.
Vegetarian:
Eliminate the chicken from the ingredients. Everything else remains the same. MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE writes for Jewish Rhode Island and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. Nastaran Sadr, of the David C. Isenberg Early Childhood Center at the Dwares Jewish Community Center, provided invaluable assistance with this article.
If we don’t take care of our future, who will? When you create a Jewish legacy, you take an important step toward strengthening Jewish life for generations to come. Planning your gift now will help ensure your children and grandchildren can enjoy the same rich traditions and closeness of community that have given your life so much meaning and purpose.
The future starts with you.
Jewish Federation Foundation
OF GREATER RHODE ISLAND
NOW IS THE TIME FOR
WISDOM
For more information about legacy giving, please contact Trine Lustig at 401.421.4111 ext. 223 or tlustig@jewishallianceri.org
20 | APRIL 2019
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
PASSOVER
is gaming’s highest honor. Published by Czech Games Edition.
•
QWIRKLE is similar to Scrabble, but it uses colors and shapes instead of letters so it’s much friendlier to family members of all ages. It accommodates 2-4 players and is published by MindWare.
•
WITS & WAGERS FAMILY is a trivia game where players don’t actually need to know the answers. Not confident in your answer? Place your wager on someone else’s response and try to be the first to collect 15 points! Published by NorthStar Games, Wits & Wagers accommodates up to 10 players and involves no actual gambling.
•
Photo | courtesy of Bananagrams, Inc.
Board games bring the family together BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE
OF
all Jewish traditions, the Passover seder is perhaps the most family-oriented. As multiple generations gather around the
table, each plays a special role.
Between telling the story, reciting the Four Questions, hiding the afikoman and opening the door for Elijah, everyone is involved. Such togetherness is wonderful, but rare. When else does a multigenerational family come together to all enjoy the same activity, at the same time? The answer may lie in board games. Rena Nathanson, CEO of Providence-based Banangrams Inc. explains, “Table top games are ideal for family bonding time. They bring everyone together to connect face-to-face, unplug from electronics and make memories.” Modern games are designed to keep everyone playing until the very end, which keeps players engaged and is a pleasant contrast to the “last man standing” aspect of many classic games. Here are some recommendations to help your family spend even more quality time together. These games can be purchased at local toy and game shops, or online, for around $20; many allow for children as young as 6 to play on his or her own or as part of a team. Happy gaming!
•
FORBIDDEN ISLAND requires 1-4 players to recover four lost treasures before the island underneath them sinks into the ocean. The game is cooperative, so the players all win or lose as a team. Published by Gamewright.
•
SUSHI GO PARTY! is a light, clever game for 2-8 players. Each player selects one card from his or her hand, then passes the rest to a neighbor; whoever has the tastiest dinner at the end of three rounds is the winner! You can choose which cards you play with, so no two games ever have to be the same. This game contains several cartoonish depictions of shellfish; we acknowledge that this may not be to everyone’s taste. Published by Gamewright.
•
CODENAMES is a team-based game for any number of players. Each team must find all of its secret agents (represented by words printed on cards) before its opponents can do the same, but the game’s unique clue-giving mechanism keeps things interesting. Codenames was the winner of the 2016 Spiel des Jahres, which
SPOT IT! is a fast and hilarious pattern-recognition game with multiple ways to play. Each card in the deck of 55 shows a variety of symbols, but no two cards share more than a single symbol. Can you find the match before everyone else?
There’s even a “Shalom” version, whose symbols include bagels, dreidels and seder plates. Published by Blue Orange Games, Spot It! accommodates up to 8 players.
•
BANANAGRAMS was designed by the local father/ daughter team of Abe and Rena Nathanson. Its gameplay involves placing tiles in a race to be the first to create an individual “crossword.” The game supports 2-8 players, and since a hand can be played in as little as five minutes, it’s quick and easy to rotate players in and out. Bananagrams is available in Hebrew and English versions, and is recommended for players as young as 7. MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE (mschemaille@jewishallianceri.org) writes for Jewish Rhode Island and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. He has been playing games for as long as he can remember.
When else does a multigenerational family come together to all enjoy the same activity, at the same time?
APRIL 2019 | 21
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
IN THE NEWS
Maxwell House is offering a ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Haggadah
A ‘Sesame Street’ seder and 4 other new children’s books for Passover BY PENNY SCHWARTZ
PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE
BOSTON (JTA) – Four questions. Four cups of wine. Four types of children. At Passover, the number four figures prominently in the rituals of the seder, the ceremonial holiday meal that can be mesmerizing and mystifying. Four new delightful books for young kids will enliven – and help explain – the popular eight-day spring holiday, which this year begins on Friday evening, April 19. One features kids’ favorites from the long-running TV series “Sesame Street.” A fifth new title, set in ancient Jerusalem, is a perfect complement to the seder that ends with a tune sung to the phrase “Next year in Jerusalem.”
A SEDER FOR GROVER Joni Kibort Sussman; illustrated by Tom Leigh Kar-Ben; ages 1-4 In this first of four planned “Sesame Street” board books from Kar-Ben, publisher and children’s author Joni Kibort Sussman teams with longtime “Sesame Street” and Muppet book illustrator Tom Leigh to offer little ones an entertaining introduction to the Passover rituals and traditions. The youngest kids and their grownup readers will want to join Grover, Big Bird and their “Sesame Street” friends at Avigail’s Passover seder to eat matzah, read the Haggadah and ask the Four Questions. Cookie Monster can come along, too – but only if he eats special Passover cookies. Grover tells his friends it’s good to invite guests to the seder. Even Moishe Oofnik the Grouch is included.
Vivian Kirkfield; illustrated by Jill Weber Holiday House; ages 4-8
In this lively, rhyming story, an adorable mouse named Pippa is preparing for the seder. She sets the table and stirs the chicken stew. But where’s the special shiny gold seder plate placed in the center of the table to display the ritual foods eaten at the ceremonial meal? The kids will have fun as they follow Pippa in her search – from inside her house to the garden, fields and ponds outdoors. Along the way, the feisty Pippa asks for help from a cat, a snake and a wise owl, who are big and scary and make Pippa “cringe and quake.” Author Vivian Kirkfield’s playful verse introduces kid to the seder rituals, while award-winning artist Jill Weber (“The Story of Passover”) puts readers in the scene with the cute gray and pink mouse. The last page features Pippa’s Passover plate, which identifies all of the symbolic seder foods. THE BEST FOUR QUESTIONS Rachelle Burk; illustrated by Melanie Florian Kar-Ben; ages 3-8 Marcy is the youngest child in the family who has just learned to read, and it’s her turn to ask the Four Questions at her seder. But Marcy’s older brother, Jake, isn’t so happy to relinquish the ritual that has won him plenty of praise from his relatives. Marcy, a vivacious and inquisitive girl, turns down all offers of help.
Older kids may figure out that Marcy doesn’t realize that she’s expected to read the traditional questions from the Haggadah. She’s come up with her own questions all by herself. Here’s one: How many matzah balls in Grandma’s chicken soup? Read to see how the family and Jake react. Rachelle Burke’s lively and engaging storytelling underscores the tenet of Passover that encourages participants to ask questions. Melanie Florian’s brightly colored animated illustrations capture Marcy’s enthusiasm for the festive holiday. MATZAH BELOWSTAIRS
Susan Lynn Meyer; illustrated by Mette Engell Kar-Ben; ages 4-8
In Susan Lynn Meyer’s humor-filled tale, two families share a home in Apartment 4B, where they are eager to celebrate Passover. Young Eli Winkler is welcoming his human family’s guests to their seder in their “Abovestairs” apartment. Under the Winkler’s floor is the young Miriam Mouse and her mouse family, who live “Belowstairs” and occasionally enter the Winkler apartment through a tiny round mouse hole. This year, the Winklers have stored their matzah in a tightly sealed tin box and Miriam Mouse hasn’t been able to find any stray pieces – not even crumbs – for her family’s holiday. When the determined Miriam crawls through her hole, she spies Eli’s father hiding the afikoman, the piece of matzah needed to conclude CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
JTA – Real life tradition and television nostalgia collide in a collaboration between the venerable Maxwell House Haggadah and the hit Amazon series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The coffee company is offering a limited edition version of its Haggadah featuring illustrations and other shtick based on the show about an aspiring Jewish comedian and her extended family of Jewish relatives in late 1950s New York. The “Maisel” Haggadah is a throwback to an earlier edition of the Haggadah that the company has been offering as a holiday giveaway since 1932. Illustrations of Midge Maisel and other characters are scattered throughout the new version, which also has handwritten notations by Rachel Brosnahan’s character as well as faux wine stains. The limited-run Haggadahs are available to those who order Maxwell House coffee via Amazon. com. Passover begins on the evening of April 19. “There is an organic link between the Maxwell House and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ brands and we quickly aligned on the idea of creating Midge’s Haggadah – a combination of the 1958 classic version and Midge’s amazing personality,” Naor Danieli, brand manager for Maxwell House, said in a statement.
22 | APRIL 2019
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Pesach shortcuts for seniors BY NAOMI FINK COTRONE
B
efore Pesach last year, I wrote about how to best build the seder around an aging loved one. In retrospect, this was perhaps an overly child-centric approach. In my defense, most things for the seder were intentionally designed to be exactly that way –to engage the younger generation in this important story of our tribe. And while I meant to write for everyone, I think I might have unintentionally sidelined the matriarchs and patriarchs of our families. This year, in an attempt to learn from the past, I wrote this piece, geared to the elderly, in the second person: here is how you personally can make Pesach a bit easier on yourself. In other words: less maror, more haroset. Banish hametz the simple way: Many of us treat cleaning for Passover as our own personal penance and the sole path to freedom. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Rabbi Yossi Laufer, of Chabad of West Bay, advocates for simple yet sufficient solutions to kashering your kitchen, like setting the oven to self-clean
with the racks inside. “The manufacturer will tell you to take them out to avoid tarnishing, but they won’t be damaged at all,” Laufer said. He also said that there’s no need to cover all surfaces in your fridge – you can just clean it well, or, for an extra measure, lay down dish towels; a much easier alternative than fighting with contact paper or aluminum foil. Laufer often cites an article at Chabad.org, “Preparing the Kitchen” (bit.ly/2UdzS8V), as his go-to resource for those looking for no-nonsense tips for getting rid of hametz. He also makes house calls for many seniors in the Warwick area to help them kasher. For questions or help, call 401-884-7888. Recline – don’t host: This may seem preposterous if you’ve been hosting seders for most of your life. Some of my clients find it really hard to let go of the proverbial afikoman. Others are relieved to pass the torch. But such is the very core of the Passover story: handing the tradition to the next generation to carry on. If your family or Jewish community isn’t hosting a seder, you have other options. Susan Adler, coordinator of Jewish Elder Care
of Rhode Island, a part of Jewish Collaborative Services, together with her niece, Dori, are hosting over 30 seders at nursing homes and various other facilities around the state. Adler says their goal is “to make sure everyone who wants to be at a seder is, and to ensure that seniors who want a Jewish connection have one.” Adler, who is passionate about her work, reiterated: “As long as we know there is one Jewish resident who needs a seder, we will go there.” Call 401-621-5374 to see if she’s running a seder at a nursing home/assisted living facility near you, or if you know someone who is aging at home who needs a seder invitation. On April 12, all are welcome to join a seder at 11 a.m. at Temple Sinai, in Cranston. RSVP is encouraged; call 401-942-8350. Adler also reminded me that for the non-seder days of Pesach, Kosher Meals on Wheels will be Kosher for Passover, and the Senior Kosher Cafe at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence, will run Monday-Thursday that week. Avoid the plague of constipation: If your body can’t handle regular matzah, Rabbi Laufer notes that there’s actually a special rabbinic
allowance for egg matzah for those with digestive issues. It even says so on the box, with a shout-out to seniors! Laufer also said that wholewheat matzah is gentler on the stomach, but advised to try to find it early since supermarkets often sell out. (Paper) cups: We know you have gorgeous Passover China, but washing it is a slavery all its own. Ever the pragmatist, Rabbi Laufer says to go to Dollar Tree and stock up on paper goods – which definitely cost less than two zuzim. Staff up: And no, we don’t mean the kind Moses used to hit that rock. Hire a cleaning service to scrub away those crumbs, or ask your in-home care provider if help is an add-on option. If you’re hosting and money is a concern, skip the expensive brisket in favor of chicken so you can hire help to serve and/or clean up. Finally, if you have difficulty driving at night, Uber to and from the seders. And if you need more support, ask a service like ours how it can help. Next year in Jerusalem! NAOMI FINK COTRONE runs the Right at Home of Rhode Island agency, which provides care to elderly and disabled adults throughout the state.
WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Whether you have an extra hour, a week, or even just an afternoon every few months, we’ve got you covered. With a user-friendly dashboard and hundreds of opportunities at nonprofits across Rhode Island, our Volunteer Center is a one-stop shop for all your volunteer needs. Visit us at volunteer.uwri.org.
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APRIL 2019 | 23
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The promise of Passover BY LARRY KESSLER “If God had only created the world and not brought us out of Egypt, it would have been enough.” – First verse of “Dayenu” Passover is one of the most joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar, not only because of what we’re celebrating – our freedom as a people – but also because of when it occurs. The fact that it falls in the spring imbues the festival with an extra dash of hope, and that’s why it’s always been my favorite Jewish holiday. Growing up, I’d start looking forward to Passover right after Groundhog Day, because the holiday’s approach, along with the longer days, served as a barometer for the eventual departure of winter. My positive feelings for Passover were enhanced by its proximity to the start of the baseball season, which would give me another reason to be happy. In fact, in years when Passover fell in mid-April, it would coincide with the spring school vacation in Massachusetts, meaning that my father and I could escape to an afternoon Red Sox game at Fenway Park. This was always a treat, even if I couldn’t eat anything at the game due to the holiday’s dietary restrictions. As an adult, I eagerly anticipate Passover because the holiday induces a wave of nostalgia, thanks to the seders, which inevitably transform me into what I call a “Proustian Jew.” The term refers to the French writer Marcel Proust, specifically to his signature novel, “A La Recherche du Temps Perdu,” or “In Search of Lost Time,” which was published in English under the title “Remembrance of Things Past.” In the book, Proust, based on a real-life experience in which he was able to relive a cherished childhood memory after sipping tea and eating a biscuit (a madeleine cake in his novel), explores how smells and sounds can evoke memories. Passover’s wonderfully unique tastes and aromas allow me to understand perfectly what Proust wrote. That’s because the seders act as a powerful time portal, transporting me back to the seders of my youth through smells and memories. For example, eating gefilte fish brings me back to my bubbe’s gefilte fish, which she’d spend all night mak-
“… those whose loved ones are still alive are blessed by being able to gather for the seders with them.
ing from scratch, while eating matzah ball soup brings me back to the seders of the 1950s and early ’60s, when my grandmother would make borscht and my mother would make her signature chicken soup. Such Proustian nostalgia has worked in other ways, too. When my oldest daughter was young, I used to make a habit of hunting for the hametz, which would trigger memories of the days when my dad and I would burn a bag of bread in our backyard on the morning before the first seder. And, while putting the items on the seder plate in recent years, I’m reminded of the days when my mother would painstakingly replace her year-round dinnerware with her Passover dishes and silverware. This year, my seders will be smaller, since my older daughter is teaching abroad and unable to return home, but those meals will nonetheless be a time to rejoice in the arrival of spring, and to be thankful for the freedoms that we still have, even in this turbulent, and at times, frightening, era, when Big Brother’s hold over society exceeds even what George Orwell imagined in his landmark novel “1984.” The seders remain a special time because, despite today’s polarized society and myriad problems, seders remind us of Passover’s promise. Through the seders, we should come to realize that, unlike our ancestors who escaped slavery in Egypt, Americans remain very blessed. Explained in a Passover context, our lives today are a lot like the lyrics of my favorite Pesach song, “Dayenu.” A modern-day version might state that even if we aren’t lucky enough to win Powerball or Megabucks, we’re blessed just by being able to put food on the table, hold down jobs and put our children through college. That updated version might also say that even if we can’t afford vacations, we’re blessed by being able to take an occasional break, spend time with friends, attend the synagogue of our choice and pray as we see fit. We’re also blessed when we make time to help the less fortunate by supporting food pantries, food banks and other charities. Last – but not least – those whose loved ones are still alive are blessed by being able to gather for the seders with them. If you’re in this position, take full advantage of sitting around the table with your grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, because there will come a day when you’ll have to keep their memories alive at Passover by embracing its Proustian smells and tastes. LARRY KESSLER (lkessler1@comcast. net) is a freelance writer based in North Attleboro.
A Kosher & Happy Passover
B’H
2019 Holiday Schedule 5779
Search for Chometz – Thursday night, April 18 Fast or Siyum of first-born – Friday, April 19
Friday, April 19
Providence time only Eating of Chometz: until 10:25 a.m. Burning of Chometz: until 11:30 a.m. Passover begins:
7:11 p.m.
Seder begins:
8:10 p.m.
Passover ends:
Saturday, April 27 8:25 p.m.
Candle lighting times for Passover 2019 Providence time Friday, April 19 ................... 7:11 p.m. Saturday, April 20.............. 8:16 p.m. Thursday, April 25 ............. 7:17 p.m. Friday, April 26 ................... 7:20 p.m.
Blessings
Blessing
April 19: ...... First Eve of Passover ..................... 3 & 2 April 20: ..... Second Eve of Passover ................ 1 & 2
FRIDAY .....YOM TOV, ERUV TAVSHILIN
April 25 ...... Seventh Eve of Passover ............... 1 April 26 ...... Eighth Eve of Passover.................. 3 #1 BO-RUH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU MITZ-VO-TOV VI-TZI-VO-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL YOM-TOV #2 BO-RUCH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU MELECH HO-OLOM SHE-HEH-CHE-YOH-NU VIKIYE-MONU VE-HE GE-O-NU LEZ-MAN HA-ZEH #3 BO-RUCH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU MELECH HO-OLOM A-SHER KI-DE-SHA-NU BEMITZ-VO-TOV VI-TZI-VO-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL SHA-BAT KO-DESH Special instructions for holidays (but not Shabbat). On holidays it is forbidden to create a new fire by striking a match, lighter, etc. However, it is permissible to use a flame already burning continuously since before the inception of the holiday, such as a pilot light, gas or candle flame. Courtesy of Chabad House – Lubavitch 360 Hope St. • Providence, RI 02906 401-273-7238 believeprovidence@gmail.com Please do not destroy or deface this card.
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COMMUNITY
OBITUARIES 36-38 | BUSINESS 31 | SIMCHAS & WE ARE READ 39
Colors pop in Michele Keir’s art BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE FOR YEARS, MICHELE KEIR enjoyed a successful career as a commercial artist and graphic designer. Now retired, she has begun to create art for its own sake. Keir spoke with Jewish Rhode Island about her art, how it relates to her Parkinson’s disease, and her long involvement with Rhode Island’s Jewish community. As I enter Keir’s home, she welcomes me warmly and invites me to take a seat. Almost immediately, and before I can ask my first question, she engages me in a conversation about art. As we talk, I cannot help but notice Keir’s art hanging in the living room and down the hallways. Her work is experimental, three-dimensional, and evocative. There are hints of Matisse and Picasso, and her assemblages recall Rauschenberg. Bright, pop-art colors abound. Keir explains, “I love color; color and creativity…are my middle names.” When asked why so much of her work is three-dimensional, Keir has a simple answer: “because I like it.” Keir identifies two artists in particular as influential to her own work: Klimt, for his use of color and pattern; and Providence native Lee
Bontecou, for her abstract, three-dimensional sculptures. Keir explains that she has been making her own art for less than two years. Before that, she worked in industrial and toy design. Her best-known work is her character designs for the original Weeble toys, those ubiquitous, wobbly, egg-shaped characters that “wobble, but don’t fall down.” “Weebles were my first claim to fame,” Keir says with a smile, “they used to call me the Weeble Lady.” Why, then, has Keir only recently started to create her own art? She explains, “I always had a teacher, a boss, a client, telling me what to do. I don’t have that any more…I have Parkinson’s. I do it for my own therapy.” It seems to be working, because Keir is prolific; she admits to waking up in the middle of the night to experiment with images. Her work is abundant around the house, and some of it will be exhibited in local shows. One piece just won the People’s Choice Award at Providence’s VETS Gallery; that exhibition runs until May 24. Speaking on the volume of her work and its presence in so many shows, Keir said, “I started doing this just to please myself and filled my walls with my own art, replacing what I
The artist with “Snail Mail.” already had. I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to get some of this out of my house, so a lot of it has gone to juried shows.’ ” Keir, who turns 70 this year, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2009. The disease runs in her family, and while it has affected her mobility, it hasn’t negatively affected her art. In fact, Keir believes that Parkinson’s has helped her creativity. “It enhances it,” she says, “research shows it, and it’s therapeutic for people with Parkinson’s
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disease to do creative things.” Keir’s art often references her condition, and some of her work is based on CAT scans of her own nervous system. She explains, “I don’t think [Parkinson’s] has affected my art. I have a tremor, and my handwriting has suffered, but with an art tool in my hand, no problem!” Keir has put her art to good use, as she explains that she “made 300 framed pictures in nine months and raised about $12,000 that went to Parkinson’s research.” Related to those fundraising efforts is Keir’s long involvement in Rhode Island’s Jewish community. She has been involved with Hadassah for nearly 40 years, and was a member of the local board before stepping down due CONTINUED ON PAGE PAGE 27
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Beth-El’s annual film fest features moving documentaries BY FRAN OSTENDORF This year’s Joanne Forman Film Festival highlights resilient people and their remarkable stories. For the past 18 years, the Sisterhood of Temple Beth-El has presented the film festival on three consecutive Sundays. Originally co-chaired by Joanne Forman, the popular festival is now named in her memory. This year, “we picked a festival of films that portray people who have survived and thrived and created wonderful things for themselves,” said current festival chair Ellen Silverman. “These are hopeful films of people who have
overcome adversity.” The festival, which began on March 31, continues on Sunday, April 7, with “The Last Suit.” The film focuses on an 88-year-old tailor who rejects his children’s attempts to move him into a nursing home and instead embarks on a journey to find the man who saved him from the Holocaust. The post-film discussion leader is Rhode Islander Ada Winsten, a clinical social worker who often speaks about her post-Holocaust journey. The final film in this year’s series will be screened on Sunday, April 14. “Big Sonia” is a moving documentary featuring 91-year-old
Sonia, a Holocaust survivor who handles the adversities in her life with dignity, humor and resilience. Mike Fink, a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design and a columnist for Jewish Rhode Island, will lead the post-film discussion. All films screen at 2 p.m. in the Meeting Hall of Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Admission is free and refreshments are included. For more information, call Temple Beth-El at 401-331-6070. FRAN OSTENDORF ( fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is editor of Jewish Rhode Island.
A scene from “The Last Suit.”
New Kollel/Shoresh ‘Event’ focused on Purim experience with the father of a victim of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida; the father was able to find some solace in the
words of a stranger during a post-wedding meal in Jerusalem. Those in attendance agreed the program was uplifting.
The event – simply called The Event – also featured music by Fishel Bresler and a catered meal. Miriam Goldberg
Fishel Bresler and musicians. Harry Rothenberg gave a rousing address about Purim to people from across greater Rhode Island’s Jewish community during a new Kollel/ Shoresh event held on March 10 at the Blackstone Valley
Visitor Center, in Pawtucket. Rothenberg spoke movingly about the mysteries of Purim and how there is always more going on than is within our own understanding. He also spoke touchingly about his
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26 | APRIL 2019
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
PASSOVER
What is freedom? HEA
L
traveled to Rhode Island in December 1949. She said, “This documentary took us into the lives of six incredible women, and each time I watched the film … it was the opening line that brought tears to my eyes. Upon liberation, the soldiers said, ‘You’re free – go home. HOME.’ “ ‘You’re free’ – my parents were never free from the memories, nightmares, PTSD [post-trauma stress disorder] and emotional wounds. First came their physical survival. Then came the difficult journey of looking for family and loved ones. “But rebuilding damaged trust took a lifetime, and searching for closure was virtually impossible. They said: ‘Go home.’ So where was home? The home they knew no longer existed. That life was destroyed. So, where
would they go to rebuild their lives? Where would they find ‘home’ with their 15-monthold child?” When Spitzman-Denerstein’s family landed in New York, they were helped PATRICIA by the United RASKIN Jewish Appeal and settled in Providence. Her parents rebuilt their lives in the city, where they lived for almost 50 years. “My parents lived to see their family rebuilt, beamed with the birth of each grandchild and great-grandchild, and forged an incredible bond with the third generation,”
TH
Y L I VI
NG
PASSOVER IS UPON US and has me thinking about the true meaning of the holiday. Passover, of course, commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. But while our people were freed from enslavement, they spent 40 years wandering in the desert. They had to find a new home. I equate this to the liberation of the surviving Jews after the Holocaust and what they faced after gaining their “freedom.” I recently saw “After Auschwitz,” a post-Holocaust documentary presented by Arts Emanu-El at Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Fran Spitzman-Denerstein, a Rhode Islander whose parents were Holocaust survivors, spoke after the film. Spitzman-Denerstein was born at the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp in Germany. She and her parents
Spitzman-Denerstein said. “Holidays were celebrated, traditional foods were prepared and life had returned. And, my children sat close to their grandparents, listening to their stories, loving them unconditionally and bringing happiness to their home.” In the article “Viktor Frankl, Passover, and the Meaning of Freedom,” posted at Aish.com, Rabbi Yaakov Cohen writes, “Passover. The holiday that celebrates what it means to be truly free. But what is freedom?” Frankl, a prominent Jewish psychologist, was a survivor of two concentration camps. By the time he was liberated, in April 1945, almost everyone in his family had been killed. Based on his experiences in the camps, Frankl wrote the bestselling book “Man’s
“ ‘You’re free’ – my parents were never free from the memories, nightmares, PTSD [post-trauma stress disorder] and emotional wounds.”
Search for Meaning,” in which he describes man’s need for meaning as the key to living: “The Nazis took everything away from him; his clothes, possessions, his family … But there was one thing they could never take: his choice, his response … By realizing he maintained the power to choose, he clung to his humanity and dignity.” Spitzman-Denerstein made a promise never to be silent, and speaks to groups about growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors. She concluded her remarks by saying: “I will always be the daughter of Holocaust survivors, and a witness to their lives, their strength and their courage. My parents were proud people. We are their connection to the past, present and future.” PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is a media host, coach and award-winning radio producer and business owner. She is on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El.
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Michele Keir with her “Sand Kaleidoscope #1.” FROM PAGE 24 to health concerns. Keir also helped the local chapter with newsletters, publicity and graphic design work. Although her involvement has lessened in recent years, she still attends events and donates to the organization; she is even occasionally asked to help with graphic design. Keir has previously written for Jewish Eldercare and The Jewish Voice, and until recently was a member of Shireinu, the Jewish community chorus at Cranston’s Temple Sinai Keir has also been involved with the Jewish Community Center, where she met her husband of 45 years. As a newcomer to Rhode Island, she says, “I was lonely. After a few months I listened to my mother’s advice and joined the ‘In Set’ young singles
group at the JCC, not expecting to make a match but to meet other Jewish singles. There I met the man who I married in 1974, Richard Blackman. Actually, seven couples met and married from that group!” Keir and Blackman live in Warwick, and have two children: Benjamin, 39, is an evolutionary geneticist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Rachael, 36, is an M.D./Ph.D. with a research specialty in schizophrenia; she is finishing her residency at Brown University and will soon start work with the National Institutes of Health.
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MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE (mschemaille@jewishallianceri.org) writes for Jewish Rhode Island and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
YOU CAN FIND MICHELE KEIR’S WORK AROUND RI ONGOING: “Main St. EG” series, Blackman Insurance.
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MARCH 11 – JULY 19: “2019 Spring Art Show,” New Hope
Art Gallery. 1070 Cranston St., Cranston. Opening reception, April 2, 4-7:30 p.m.
MARCH 14 – APRIL 20: “Cut & Paste Exhibition.” Jamestown Arts Center, 18 Valley St., Jamestown. MARCH 20 – MAY 24: “ALRI Member Exhibition.” The VETS Gallery, 1 Ave. of the Arts, Providence.
APRIL 1 – APRIL 30: “Keir Art Exhibit.” Sprout, 489 Main
St., Warren. Opening reception April 6, 1-3.p.m.
APRIL 3 – MAY 19: “Abstracts.” Warwick Center for the
Arts, 3259 Post Road, Warwick. Opening reception April 11, 6-7:30 p.m.
MAY 2 – JUNE 5: “Keir Art Exhibit.” Bank RI, 137 Pit-
man St., Providence.
JUNE 6 – JULY 3: “Keir Art Exhibit.” Bank RI, 1 Turks Head Building, Providence. Opening Reception June 20, 5-8 p.m.
www.teprov.org
28 | APRIL 2019
Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
COMMUNITY
PHOTOS | ELIANNA BRESLER
Dean Judith Jamieson with some of the graduates of the joint New England Rabbinical College – Providence College program.
Groundbreaking PC dean honored at NERC dinner
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PROVIDENCE – More than 180 local and out-of-town guests attended the New England Rabbinical College’s 34th Anniversary Dinner on Feb. 24 at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center. A special part of this year’s celebration was a tribute to Judith Jamieson, the former dean of the Providence College School of Continuing Education who pioneered a joint program between NERC and PC students. Roughly 30 years ago, Dean Jamieson was approached by a NERC student, Ieshula Ishakis, who wanted to continue his rabbinical studies at NERC, but at the same time wanted to pursue a secular degree. Jamieson honored the religious credits that Ishakis and his peers had completed at NERC. Thus began a partnership between the two schools that continues to this day, under the guidance of Dean Madelaine Metzler. Many of the students in this joint program have gone on to become accountants, lawyers and medical professionals. The journal that was printed in honor of the dinner is testament to the appreciation and warm feelings that so many NERC alumni have for Jamieson and PC. Rabbi Alan Kahan, a chaplain in the Air Force who attended PC and NERC, sent an American flag that was
flown from a C-17 Globemaster on an medical combat mission from Ramstein Air Base, in Germany. NERC presented its Parents of the Year Award to Ieshula Ishakis, and his wife Devorah, of Southfield, Michigan. Ishakis, a lawyer, is an alumnus of NERC, and their son David is a first-year student at the Yeshiva. The Alumni Achievement Award was bestowed upon Moshe Schwarz, of Waterbury, Connecticut. Schwarz is a nurse anesthetist as well as a clinical coordinator for nursing students at Yale University. He helped found and continues to volunteer for an emergency ambulance corps that serves the Jewish community in Waterbury. The final award, Pillars of Torah, was presented to Pinny and Elisheva Berlin, who are pillars of the Providence community. In their unpretentious and easy way, the Berlins are ready volunteers and deeply committed to local institutions. Most recently, Berlin has assumed the position of president of the board of the Providence Hebrew Day School. The dinner was a beautiful event that left everyone with a renewed commitment to NERC. Submitted by the New England Rabbinical College.
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Hadassah honors Rhode Islander Karen Asher CANTON, MASS. – On March 3, over 170 members and friends of Hadassah gathered at the Blue Hill Country Club, in Canton, to honor Karen Asher and other “Unsung Heroes” of the Southern New England Region of Hadassah. Asher, of West Kingston, is a past president of Hadassah’s South County chapter and the chairwoman of Hadassah Rhode Island’s “Cause for Applause” theater event. In her remarks, Asher said, “I guess it’s fair to say that I have given a lot to Hadassah over the years, but in truth
Hadassah has also given a lot to me.” The women of Hadassah, she said, put their “best into each task and leave each situation better than [they] found it. That is the very definition of a Hadassah woman.” Certificates were presented by national Hadassah President Ellen Hershkin, who, in addition to praising the honorees, spoke of Hadassah’s newest campaign, 360 Degrees of Healing.
“Despite our century of progress, we must face the realities of today’s challenges. We must help Hadassah to fund our projects, to remember that it is our responsibility to attain the goals. … Our Unsung Heroes enable us to accomplish what we do.” Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, has been committed to women’s health, Israel, and Jewish values and continuity for over 100 years. Submitted by Jane Kondon of Hadassah
Ira and Karen Asher.
PHOTOS | PHDS
PHDS students receive new Siddurim On March 5, first-graders at the Providence Hebrew Day School had a party to celebrate receiving new siddurim. At right, Levi Yehuda Golden, Yaakov Flig, and Lieba Laufer sing about how they look forward to using their new siddurim to daven. The whole class is pictured above.
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Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center Wishes The Jewish Community
Happy PASSOVER
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BUSINESS
4 tips to help you hire the right financial adviser R LA
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the caliber of the individual and their firm, the quality of service they provide, and your own comfort level with that person, meet with him or her face-toface, at their office. Also, you may want to look for a Certified Financial Planner credential. BE JASON E. READY TO SIPERSTEIN DISCUSS MORE THAN FINANCES. Finances on their own are only part of the puzzle. What really matters is how to make the most of your life with the resources you have. Make sure you talk about what matters to you, the kind of life you want to lead and the legacy you want to leave behind. ASCERTAIN WHERE THEIR INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS LIE. A fiduciary is required by law to always put client interests above their own interests and those of their firm. Be sure to ask the adviser if they are a fiduciary, or if they hold themselves to a fiduciary standard. Do they
NS
So you’re shopping for a financial adviser? When it comes time to sit down with a financial professional for an initial meeting, first impressions can go a long way toward determining whether that meeting will lead to a lasting adviser-client relationship. The person sitting across the table from you could be not only your chief financial guide, but also a valuable and trusted sounding board, strategist, coach and problem-solver. In filling these important roles, a financial professional can have a profound impact on a person’s life, now and for decades to come. There’s a lot at stake – from saving for near- and long-term goals to managing investments to ensuring your assets are adequately protected – so hiring a financial professional is not a decision to be taken lightly. You need to be an educated consumer. This is the person you might be trusting with your hardearned money. To get the most out of that initial meeting, keep the following four tips in mind: MEET IN PERSON. To gauge
work on commission, on a fee structure, or a combination of the two? How are those fees/commissions calculated? How much comes out of your pocket, and what value do you get for your money? Do they get incentives to sell any products? You want an adviser who is focused on addressing the financial issues that matter most to you, not on selling a product that matters more to them. DOES HE/SHE ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND COME ACROSS AS A GOOD LISTENER? During a fact-finding, get-to-knowone-another session such as this, it’s the adviser’s responsibility to learn as much as possible about you and your needs. This meeting should be about explaining their process and understanding what types of clients they help. Beware if they make recommendations at this first meeting since they don’t yet have all the information they need to do so. JASON E. SIPERSTEIN, CFA, CFP, is the president-elect of the Financial Planning Association of Rhode Island and president of Eliot Rose Wealth Management. He can be reached at jes@eliotrose. com.
Sheila Katz to head NCJW BY JTA STAFF JTA – Sheila Katz, a vice president of Hillel International, has been named as the new chief executive officer of the National Council of Jewish Women, succeeding Nancy Kaufman. Katz, 35, will join NCJW this summer after 12 years with Hillel, where she launched MitzVote, a non-partisan voter engagement campaign; co-founded “Ask Big Questions,” a national initiative focused on building civil dialogue; and served as a steering committee member for the White House Campus Interfaith Challenge during the Obama Administration. NCJW, with 90,000 members, has a significant Washington presence in promoting reproductive rights, voting
rights and children’s issues. Katz currently serves on the executive team of the Safety Respect Equity Coalition, which is working to address sexual harassment, gender discrimination and the gender pay gap in Jewish workplaces and common spaces, according to NCJW. In March, Katz was among several women interviewed for a New York Times/Pro Publica investigative article concerning sexual harassment allegations against Jewish philanthropist Michael Steinhardt. Katz said that as a young executive at Hillel, Steinhardt repeatedly asked if she wanted to have sex with him when she was sent to solicit a donation for her organization. In an op-ed March 26 for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, she called on Jewish
institutions “to implement systems to deal with harassment and abuse when they occur.” Steinhardt said in a statement that he made such comments “in jest,” and apologized, although his family and foundation say he disputes parts of the article. Kaufman served as NCJW’s CEO for the past eight years. “I am honored and proud to take the helm of NCJW and help write the next chapter in its history,” Katz said in a statement. “There is no other organization in the country like NCJW – one that harnesses the power and voices of Jewish feminists, isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo, and creates positive social change that makes a real difference in the lives of millions of people every day.”
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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Arts Emanu-El to show 1923 German silent movie gem, ‘The Ancient Law’
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ARTS EMANU-EL will present “The Ancient Law,” an important film in German-Jewish cinematic history, on Saturday, April 13, at Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Celebrating its 95th anniversary, “The Ancient Law” contrasts the closed world of an Eastern European shtetl with the liberal mores of 1860s Vienna. The movie served as an inspiration for “The Jazz Singer,” one of Hollywood’s first “talkies.” The backstory to the movie is the increase in the mass migration of East European Jews to Western cities during and after World War I. These migrants were mostly Orthodox Jews, with distinctive dress, beliefs and customs, and they became a visible foreign presence on the streets of Western Europe. Between 1919 and 1924, five concerned German directors created films that were cinematic interventions in an ongoing German debate about “the Jewish question.” One of them was E.A. Dupont, who released “Das Alte Gesetz,” or “The Ancient Law,” during this period of escalating anti-Semitism. These five films address the topic of assimilation through the story of an ethnically mixed couple. “The Ancient Law” seeks to calm anxieties around ethnic differences by offering a conciliatory model that allows both groups to maintain their integrity. Social and cultural integration is acknowledged, as long as there is no compromise to the dominant-class hierarchy or to minority-ethnic identity. Neither the original camera negative nor any copies of the German version of the movie have survived. The Deutsche Kinemathek, along with the Federal Film Archive, created a reconstruction of the German version in 1984. Thanks to the efforts of Prof. Cynthia Walk of the University of California, San Diego, and the financial support of the Sunrise Foundation for
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Donald Sosin Education, Deutsche Kinemathek was able to release a digital restoration of the film in 2017. Along with the screening, the Arts Emanu-El program will include two professional musicians, sponsored by the Sunrise Foundation, performing the film’s score. Alicia Svigals, violinist/ composer and a founder of the Grammy-winning Klezmatics, helped revive the tradition of klezmer fiddling, which had been on the brink of extinction when she recorded her debut album, “Fidl,” in the 1990s.Svigals is also a composer who works in many genres. She has toured with violinist Itzhak Perlman, and
was awarded first prize in performance at the Safed, Israel, international klezmer festival. Donald Sosin has been enthralling audiences in the U.S. and Europe with his silent film music for over 30 years. He is the resident pianist for the Film Society of Lincoln Center, among others. A preview talk about the film will be given by Providence College Prof. Raphael Shargel at Saturday morning services. Shargel, who teachers film and English literature, is an expert on films of this genre. PAMELA HANZEL is chair of Arts Emanu-El at Temple Emanu-El in Providence.
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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
Bob Alper brings stand-up to Temple Sinai BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF This rabbi isn’t just fun, he’s a professional comedian. Providence native Rabbi Bob Alper will bring his “unorthodox’ style of comedy to Temple Sinai in Cranston on April 28 at 7 p.m. Alper, who now lives in Vermont, graduated from Classical High School in 1962, and went on to graduate from Lehigh University and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion where he was ordained as a rabbi in 1972. From 1972-1986, he served congregations in Buffalo, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while earning a Doctor of Ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Since 1988, Alper has performed as a full-time stand-up comic across North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Israel, and can be heard on Sirius/XM radio. While at Classical, Alper was the editor-in-chief of the Classical Review and its first-ever April Fool’s edition. In his senior year, he took a creative writing class, to which he credits the publication of
his three books, writing of countless sermons and the careful crafting of his comedy routine. Bob is married to Sherri, a psychotherapist. In February Steve Lipman of the New Jersey Jewish News, interviewed Alper about his life as a rabbi, motivational speaker and Honorary Comedic Advisory of Pope Francis. The last is a title he received in 2015, beating 4,000 entrants from 47 countries in a digital “Joke with the Pope” contest. Sponsored by the Pontifical Missions Society, according to Lipman’s story, the contest, part of Francis’s increasing use of social media, was designed to reinforce the pope’s joyful approach to life before a visit to the United States. You can read the rest of Lipman’s story at jewishrhody. org. It’s reprinted with his permission. On Monday, April 29, Alper will be honored as one of the 2019 Distinguished Alumni by Classical High School at a dinner at the Providence Mar-
riott. Earlier earlier that day, each of the alumni will speak to students at Classical. DETAILS: Rabbi Bob Alper will appear at Temple Sinai, 30 Hagan Ave., Cranston, on Sunday, April 28 from 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. They are available online through Eventbrite.com or through Temple Sinai.
RIJHA annual meeting features longtime editor At its 68th annual meeting on Sunday afternoon, May 5, the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association will spotlight Dr. George M. Goodwin, who has completed his 15th annual issue of its journal, Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes. His tenure has been exceeded only by the late Dr. Seebert J. Goldowsky, who retired more than 40 years ago. All are welcome to attend the Association’s meeting, which will be held at 2 p.m. in the Victor and Gussie Baxt Social Hall at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center. A festive reception will follow the formal meeting. Prof. Mel A. Topf will be nominated to serve a second
term as the Association’s president, and Harold Foster, Lowell Lisker and Ruth Breindel will remain as officers of the executive committee. Cynthia Benjamin will be nominated to serve as a new board member. Goodwin, a former Association president and a trustee of the Rhode Island Historical Society, will reflect on some of the challenges, dilemmas and successes reflected in the 3,000 pages he has helped create. His guidance has helped shape approximately 200 articles, which have covered an extraordinary range of topics, including, for example: Newport and succeeding waves of immigration, the history and survival of scores of congregations and Jew-
ish organizations, military service since the Civil War, and Jewish involvement in business, the professions, and government as well as sports and recreation. The Association’s journal, one of the oldest and most remarkable of any state Jewish historical organization, has always presented numerous insights, surprises and revelations. For additional information about the annual meeting, please contact the Association’s director, Kate-Lynne Laroche, at 401-331-1360. New members and guests are welcome to attend. Submitted by the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association
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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org FINK – FROM PAGE 11 are especially aware of this due to our magnificent legacy of Roger Williams, of the privacy of liberty, the freedom to find your own faith and your own friendships, rescues and benevolence – on our Benevolent Street or elsewhere. There is a universal poetry about our Five Books of Moses, a facet in all its details. The open doors and windows, the symbolic foods, the fresh dishes and glasses, the extra sterling goblet for Elijah and for any unexpected guests at the table. The welcome for and to strangers, the pillows and the mysterious songs. (My favorite is the pet kid worth two zuzim, and its awful fate until the creator ends death itself !) There is even poetry in the battle to be won by the youngest child in the dining room, with the responsibility and privilege of asking those weird questions in two languages. And there is poetry in the eldest at the table recounting seders from years gone by. Time is also a road in our exodus: We travel from the seder of our grandparents and mother and father onward toward these sacred suppers of our children and grandchildren, and we can identify with all the characters spoken of in the Haggadah – maybe just in our inward thoughts, perhaps even without words spoken or written.
Moses came from the court, or from water, and then had a desert chapter in his personal exodus. He never does see the Promised Land. There was a play, movie and later television version of “Green Pastures,” in which God takes his agent to a high hill from which he can envision the future. In Ethiopia, there is a fable that since everyone must die, Moses is specially prepared for that final act by a merciful ritual: He can lie comfortably in his grave and receive guests to bid them farewell and to make his wishes known. A privilege and honor conferred as a compliment and consolation. So, I guess my theme is, play with all the metaphors in the story of Passover, and come up with your own intimate interpretation of the blessing of springtime and the hope for honor and, yes, victory, for our people and our concept of the Holy Land of Israel. All Americans, in one way or another, have made their journey to this Jerusalem of redemption, whether it’s to the little village of Galilee, Rhode Island, or north of the Mason-Dixon Line, or elsewhere on the continent. Happy Pesach! MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol.com) teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.
PASSOVER BOOKS – FROM PAGE 21 the seder meal. Who will find the hidden matzah first, Eli or Miriam Mouse? Kids will delight when Miriam Mouse finds the perfect solution for both families. Mette Engell’s large and colorful illustrations provide readers the unusual view from the mouse perspective. In a double-page illustration, Eli is kneeling and wide-eyed when he discovers Miriam under a bookcase with the afikoman wrapped in a bright blue napkin embroidered by his grandmother.
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SHIMRI’S BIG IDEA: A STORY OF ANCIENT JERUSALEM
Elka Weber; illustrated by Inbal Gigi Bousidan Apples & Honey Press; ages 4-8 In this gracefully told story, Elka Weber takes kids back in time to ancient Jerusalem, where a curious boy named Shimri is told he’s too young and small to help his older and bigger family members plow the fields and draw water from the faraway well. But His Grandma Eliora reassures him that “Big ideas can come from small mouths,” and urges him to look closely and listen.
Shimri learns that King Hezekiah is looking for ideas on how to bring water inside the city’s walls and wonders if the king will listen to a small boy’s solution to the problem. Weber’s timeless, folk-style tale will strike a chord for young readers who will share Shimri’s frustration. The warm desert tones of Inbal Gigi Bousidan’s illustrations evoke the landscape and lifestyle of ancient Jerusalem. An author’s note explains the fictional story is inspired by Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which was dug during the eighth century.
CALENDAR – FROM PAGE 7
Information, Dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350.
Thursday | April 25
PJ Library Bookstore Tour. 10:3011:30 a.m. Books on the Square, 471 Angell St., Providence. Stories, crafts, activities. Free. Information or RSVP, lursillo@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 141.
Friday | April 26
Family Shabbat Dinner & Service. 6-8 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Pre-K–Grade 3/ Teacher Appreciation. Dinner: Adults $15 | Children $8. Information, jthomas@temple-beth-el.org or 401331-6070. Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 7:30-9 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael.org or 401-885-6600.
Saturday | April 27
Taste of Shabbat. 9-11 a.m. Temple
Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. 9 a.m. Torah discussion; 9:45 a.m. service and light Kiddush. Information, stephanie@toratyisrael. org or 401-885-6600. Temple Torat Yisrael’s Youth Group Event. 6-9 p.m. Rock Spot Climbing, 100 Higginson Ave., Lincoln. For grades 5-12. Information or RSVP, 401-885-6600.
Sunday | April 28
End Hunger RI Food Packaging Event. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Volunteer as part of a food packaging assembly line. Sign up at volunteersignup.org/9MAYJ. Information, jthomas@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070. Hadassah R.I.’s A Cause for Applause: “A Little Night Music.” 2-5 p.m. URI Fine Arts Theatre, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston. Information, karenjoyasher@gmail. com or 401-243-7812.
Sisterhood Meatballs & Mayhem. 4-6:30 p.m. Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael office at 401-885-6600. Rabbi Comedian Bob Alper. 7-8:30pm. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Story page 33. Information, Dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350.
Tuesday | April 30
PJ Library in the Park. 10-11 a.m. Kids Kove Playground, Barrington Town Hall Park, 283 County Road, Barrington. Ages 5 and under. Free. Information or RSVP, lursillo@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 141. Modern Israeli History. 10-11:30 a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Thru 5/7. Information, Dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
JCS set to celebrate marriage of two organizations A WEDDING WITH NO GUESTS is simply an elope-
ment, but a wedding that welcomes the entire community is a “must attend” celebration. This wedding, representing the marriage of Jewish Family Service of RI (JFS) and Jewish Seniors Agency of RI (JSA), is scheduled for Sunday, May 5, at 5:30 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel, One Orms St., Providence. Guests in festive attire will enjoy delicious food stations with Kosher options. Music Express will fill the room with music and capture guests with a photo booth. While a traditional wedding recognizes and honors those who play key roles such as the groom’s and bride’s parents and grandparents, this wedding will honor six individuals who were instrumental in forming JCS as members of the partnership committee. They are all members of the inaugural JCS board of directors: Marisa Garber, Amanda Isenberg, Myrna Levine, Richard Licht, Jeff
Padwa and Mindy Stone. The Maurice Glicksman Leadership Award will go to Vince Mor, and The Ruth and W. Irving Wolf Jr. Award for Multigenerational Philanthropy will go to the Isenberg Family. For decades, JFS and JSA provided essential services to all in need, from infants to elders. With this marriage, JCS will build upon and expand those services that uphold the values that define the JCS mission and continue to support those in need. Rabbi Leslie Y. Gutterman, rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth-El in Providence, will officiate at the ceremony. During his tenure as Temple Beth-El’s senior rabbi, Gutterman officiated at countless marriages, leading to the creation of families that have enriched the Rhode Island community. His wife, Julie Claire Gutterman, of blessed memory, served as director of Professional Services at JFS for several years before her death in 1999. Rabbi Gutterman is past president of the
JFS board of directors. The many community members who made this wedding possible include: Event Committee chair Sharon Sock, and Host committee co-chairs Peri Aptaker and Robert Lieberman and Judy and Arthur Robbins, and their committee members along with JCS Development Committee chair Elisa Heath and JCS Director of Major Gifts Sara Ades Goodwin. The entire community is invited to attend this wedding, which costs $150 per person; reservations and payment must be made by April 24 at event@jfsri.org. Guests who support JCS’s $4 million Past, Present, Future Campaign and commit to sponsorships at designated levels will be recognized in an online tribute book and at the wedding. FOR MORE INFORMATION or to RSVP call Sara Ades Goodwin at 401-331-1244, ext. 362, or email event@jfsri.org. Submitted by Jewish Collaborative Services
Happy Passover!
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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES Mayer Almagor, 89
Gertrude Antin, 93
Ardean Botvin, 85
BARRINGTON, R.I. – Mayer Almagor passed away on March 22. He was the husband of the late Miriam Almagor for 62 years. Born in Romania, he was the son of the late Gedalia and Esther (Schwartzenberg) Caufman. Mayer was the father of Dalia Harel and her husband, Zeev Harel; grandfather of Ephat Russcol and her husband, David, Asaff Harel and his wife, Avital Mendelson, and Maayan Harel; great-grandfather of Liora, Aviva, Rina and Ilana Russcol and Ethan and Benjamin Harel. Mayer was a Holocaust survivor. He spent World War II in Iassi, Romania, under Nazi rule, and, as a teenager, became a staunch Zionist. He struggled for many years to be allowed to make aliyah, as the Romanian communist regime prevented Jews from leaving. He managed to leave at age 33, when he was already married and had a daughter. He lived in Israel for most of his life. In May 2015, Mayer and Miriam moved to Barrington to be close to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Donations may be made to Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence, RI 02906.
CRANSTON, R.I. – Gertrude (Trude) Antin, of Cranston, passed away on March 2. She was the wife of the late Edwin Antin. Born in the Bronx, New York, she was the daughter of the late Esther and Nathan Silver. Trude touched everyone with her special gifts of kindness, sense of humor, wisdom and inclusion. She wrote poetry and enjoyed participating in many recreational sports and activities such as golf, tennis, ceramics and painting. Trude was a member of Temple Torat Yisrael and its sisterhood. She is survived by her sons, Norman (Gail) Antin of Burke, Virginia, Frank (Allyson) Antin, Lewis (JoAnn) Antin, all of Cranston; her daughter, Ellen (Barry) Golden of East Greenwich; a brother, Jack (Barbara) Silver of Florida; and her eight grandchildren, Brian, Douglas, Elizabeth, Ethan, Jonathan and Jacob Antin and Mitchell and Eddye Golden. Trude was the sister of the late Bernard Silver. Contributions may be made to the Edwin and Trude Antin Endowment Fund, Temple Torat Yisrael and to Hope Hospice RI, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904.
PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Ardean Botvin passed away March 3. She was the wife of the late David Botvin. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Louis and Phyllis (Schaffer) Dress. She is survived by her children, Lisa Schreiber and her husband, Michael, and Bruce Botvin and his wife, Amy; grandchildren Eric and Allison Schreiber and Emily and Matthew Botvin. Contributions may be made to the Botvin & Dress Family Scholarship Fund at Temple Beth-El.
Julie Ann Charren, 32 EAST GREENWICH, R.I. – Julie Ann Charren passed away on March 11 after a long battle with breast cancer. She was raised in East Greenwich. She attended Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, before transferring to Roger Williams University in Providence to complete a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Julie was known for her fashion and design sense. She loved shine and glitter, which reflected her radiant personality perfectly. She was fiercely loyal to her husband, Kyle, her friends, and her dog, Romeo. She loved Kyle deeply and having no children of their own, she often referred to her dog as their son. She was giving and kind, even to those she had just met. She attended her friends’ weddings and baby showers even while receiving chemotherapy. Julie is survived by her husband, Kyle, her parents Marc and Terry (Rosenfeld) Charren, her sister, Amy Fields, and many other family and friends. Donations can be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation www.give.bcrf. org.
Jeffrey Feibelman, 70 WESTERLY, R.I. – Jeffrey A. Feibelman died Feb. 27. He was the son of H. Jack Feibelman and the late Hannah Feibelman. A brilliant innovator of jewelry and accessory packaging, Jeff and his father
created and built A&H Manufacturing in Johnston over 50 years. In addition to his wife, Jaine, Jeff is survived by his father, H. Jack Feibelman; two children Andrew (Elaine) and Marcy; their mother Caryl Feibelman; his granddaughter Harlyn Ray Feibelman; his sister Barbara (Kenneth Orenstein); nephew Matthew Orenstein; niece Clare Feiner (Jake); and many cousins, in laws, friends and business associates. Contributions may be made to The Miriam Hospital Foundation, Development Office, Box H, Providence, RI 02901.
Barry Field, 64 NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. – Barry H. Field died Feb. 24 af ter battling Parkinson’s disease and cancer. He was the husband of Kurt Weidman; they were together 29 years before being married two years ago. Born in Providence, a son of the late Paul and Hannah “Joy” (Goldberg) Field, he had lived in Saunderstown for 20 years, previously living in Boston. Barry Field, attorney, started his law career in the entertainment industry, working for Motown and Polygram Records in Los Angeles prior to establishing his own practice in Boston. Most recently, he was a partner with his brothers in two Gold’s Gym franchises in Rhode Island. He was a GLAD Board president for 11 years and a DNC trustee. He was the loving owner of his dogs, Ziggy and Marley. He was the brother of Alan Field and his wife, Lynn, of West Greenwich, and Michael Field and his wife, Sharon, of East Greenwich. He was the uncle of Amanda, Adam, Daniel, Rachel, Laura and several great-nieces and nephews. He was the cousin of Frim, Maureen, Beth and Lisa. He was the former brother-in-law of Sheryl Moran. Contributions may be made to Parkinson’s Foundation at Parkinson.org.
Molly Garber, 94 CRANSTON, R.I. – Molly Garber passed away on March 11. She was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Dr. Martin Garber. Molly was the daughter of the late Sarah and Samuel Levin and the sister of the late Dr. Milton Levin.
She is survived by her brother, Dr. Henry Levin; her son, Kenneth, his wife, Sharon, and their sons Andrew, James and Peter; and her daughter, Patricia, and her partner, James Robbins, and step-grandsons, Jonas and Zachary. Molly is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Rose and Beverly Levin, nephews, nieces and other loving family members. Molly was one of the founding members of Temple Sinai in Cranston. Contributions can be made to Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston, RI 02920 or Smile Train, PO Box 9623, Washington, DC 20090-6231.
Roberta Hamin, 82 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Roberta Hamin passed away March 21. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Samuel and Edythe (Siegal) Hamin. She is survived by her son Samuel Fleet and grandchildren Danielle and Zachary Fleet. She was the sister of the late Irwin Hamin. Contributions may be made to Hope Hospice and Palliative Care of RI, 1085 N. Main St, Providence, RI 02904 or to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, 72 River Park St, Suite 202, Needham, MA 02494.
Mildred Hoffman, 67 CRANSTON, R.I. – Mildred Sullivan Hoffman died March 18 at the Miriam Hospital. She was the beloved wife of William “Bill” Hoffman for 40 years. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late James and Catherine (McCullough) Sullivan, she had lived in Cranston for five years, previously living in Providence. She was a freelance real estate appraiser, then a pharmacy tech at CVS Corporate in Woonsocket, retiring in 2014. Mildred was a graduate of the University of Rhode Island. She was a member of Temple Beth-El. She was the mother of Shayna Hoffman and Joseph Hoffman, both of Cranston. She was the loving owner of her dogs, Katie and Mitzi. Contributions may be made to the Miriam Hospital Foundation, Development Office, P.O. Box H, Providence, RI 02901 or the cancer foundation of your choice.
Patricia Horwitz, 92 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Patricia Horwitz passed away March 25. She was the wife of the late Dr. Alexander Horwitz. Born in Harper, Kansas
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she was a daughter of the late Richard and Juanita (Trosper) Warrior. She is survived by her children Robin Stern and her husband Michael, and Alexander Horwitz; grandchildren Sarah, Lisa, and Julia. She was the sister of the late Marianna Warrior Lavoy and Joseph Warrior. Contributions may be made to The Louis and Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry, jcsri.org/donate/ donate-now.
Irving Levy, 79
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Lester Walter Katz passed away on March 11 with his bride of 69 years Esther Tickton Katz at his side. Lester also is survived by his son Peter (and wife, Donna) along with his daughter Laura as well as his son Michael (Eileen) and their two children Stephanie Grossman (and husband, Matt, and their son Theo Thomas) and Jerome (and wife, Tori Lockhart) and their son James Andrew. Lester lived his entire life in Rhode Island. Lester graduated from Hope High School in 1942 and spent his entire working career at Paramount Sales Company, which he closed down and finally retired from at the age of 83. Donations may be made to Temple Emanu-El in Providence.
WESTMINSTER, COLO. – Irving Joseph Levy, of Westminster (formerly of Indianapolis, Indiana), passed away on March 9. Irv was born in Rochester, New York, on July 14, 1939, and later moved to Indianapolis. He was preceded in death by his parents Sophie and Joseph Levy, immigrants from Monastier, Serbia; sister Dolores Schankerman; and his first wife, Naomi Kraus. Irv graduated from Shortridge High School in 1957 and received his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate from Indiana University. In retirement, Irv and his wife Elaine cooked thousands of meals for Community Dinner program, Family Promise and the Delores Project, and for the Homeless Women’s Initiative at Temple Micah. Irv is survived by his wife, Elaine Cartwright Levy of Westminster; children, Sharon Levy of Westfield, Indiana, Jeff (Rachel) of Providence; grandchildren, Drew, Heather, Adam and Miriam Levy. Contributions may be made to Jewish Collaborative Services of Rhode Island, Jewish Community Day School of RI, or Etz Chaim Sephardic Congregation of Indianapolis.
Lawrence Koffler, 84,
Carolyn Marks, 96
Lester Katz, 95
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – Lawrence Howard Koffler died on Feb. 3 at Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls. Born in Providence, he was the son of the late Irving and Jessie (Seltzer) Koffler. He was predeceased by his younger brother, Stephen (Alexander) Koffler of the Pacific Palisades, California, who died in 2004. He graduated from Hope High School in 1952 and from Boston University in 1956. He was a former senior vice president of the former Carol Cable Company in Pawtucket, and a former member of Ledgemont Country Club in Seekonk, Massachusetts. He was a former member of Congregation Mishkon Tfiloh in Providence. He was married to Beverly (Perry) Koffler of North Granville, New York, and the late Judith (Abramson) Koffler of
lyn Marks died March 27 at Tamarisk. She was the wife of the late Abraham Marks. Born in Kingston, New York, a daughter of the late Louis and Blanche (Jagolinzer) Backerman, she had lived in Warwick for 20 years, previously living in Providence. She was the co-owner of East Side Jewelers. She was the mother of Daniel Marks of Providence, Ronald Marks and his wife, Cheryl, of West Warwick, and Morris Marks and his wife, Beverlie, of Needham, Massachusetts. She was the sister of the late Paula Rice. She was the grandmother of Aaron, Justin, Rashid, Andrew, Ilana, Alisa and Alexander. Contributions may be made to Tamarisk, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick, RI 02886.
Providence. He leaves behind a daughter, Lisa Koffler of Providence.
Erica McKeown, 62 BARRINGTON, R.I. – Erica (Heikoff) McKeown passed away March 21. She was the wife of the late Michael McKeown. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she was a daughter of the late Eugene and Marilyn (Jacobs) Heikoff. She was a beloved math teacher and tutor for 40 years as well as a member of Temple Habonim. She is survived by her children Charles, Rebecca and Eugene McKeown; sisters Laurie and Lisa Heikoff (David Katzer); and three nieces. Contributions can be made Rhode Island SPCA, 186 Amaral St., Riverside, RI 02915.
WARWICK, R.I. – Caro-
Solomon Newman, 87 BARRINGTON, R.I. – Solomon Newman of Barrington passed away March 9. He was born in New York to the late Samuel and Yetta (Palmer) Newman. Sol was preceded in passing by his wife, Ceceil; son, Samuel Newman; and siblings, Irving, Meyer and Herbert Newman. Solomon was a sheet metal worker for Local 28. Solomon is survived by his children, Deborah Greenspan and her husband, Neil, of Barrington. Ira Newman and his wife, Melanie, of Howell, New Jersey, and Wendy Newman of Manalapan, New Jersey; grandchildren, Aaron, Julia, Benjamin, Falynn, Ashlee, Zachary and Brooke. Contributions may be made to Jewish Collaborative Services/Kosher Meal Site.
Carol Ross, 66 LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS – Carol Ross of League City passed away peacefully at her home on March 17. She was born in New Haven, Connecticut on March 16, 1953, and
grew-up in nearby Moosup, Connecticut. Carol received a master’s degree in science education from Eastern Connecticut State University. She moved to League City in 2001 and worked as a GED teacher to disadvantaged students. She was an avid reader, enjoyed traveling, and loved all aspects of science, geology, meteorology and astronomy. She is survived by her daughter, Beth; her grandson, Elijah; her sister Sandra Records and her husband Russell Records; nephews Ryan and Morgan Records and brother-in-law Dr. Jeffry Ross. She is also survived by her friend, Hedy Trahan, who she worked with at Eastconn. Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Sarcoma Foundation.
Frances Sadler, 93 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. – Frances C. Sadler died Feb. 27 at Martha Jefferson Hospital. She was the wife of the late Harold Sadler. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Samuel and Sadie (Godfrey) Pepper, she had lived in Lake Monticello, Virginia, for seven years. Previously, she was a longtime resident CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
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COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES FROM PAGE 37 of Cranston. She was a bookkeeper for Providence Shipyard for five years and for Martin Dittelman for 20 years, retiring in 1994. Frances was a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, class of ’75. She was a founding member of Temple Sinai and past president of its sisterhood. Frances was a past PTA president of Stadium School and past president of Temple BethEl Garden Club. She was a life member of Hadassah, Brandeis, Council of Jewish Women and Rhode Island Jewish Historical Society. Frances was an Ikenobo master teacher. She was the mother of Carl Sadler (Betsy Smith Sadler) of Stuart’s Draft, Virginia, Philip Sadler (Gerri Bernstein) of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Alan Sadler (Colleen Dirsmith) of Chicago, Illinois, and Shirley Stewart (Alan) of Lake Monticello. She was the sister of the late Arnold “Arnie” Pepper and Sanford “Babe” Pepper. She was the
grandmother of Max, Casey, Ozzie, Benjamin, Samuel, Daniel, Cortney, Derek and Morgan. She was the great-grandmother of Noah, Ari, Isaiah, Henry, Eleanor and Sigmund. Contributions may be made to Sadler Family Scholarship Fund, c/o URI Foundation, PO Box 1700, Kingston, RI 02881 or the charity of your choice.
Carol Sholler, 77
BRIDGEPORT, CONN. – Carol D. Sholler passed away March 18. She was the wife of Robert M. Sholler; they were married for 55 years. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was a daughter of the late Harry and Ruth (Kupperstein) Halperin. Carol and Bob lived in Rhode Island for over 50 years. Besides her husband, she
is survived by her sons Daniel and Peter Sholler; sister Eleanor Landa; and grandchildren Rebecca, Harrison, Chloe and Rafe. Contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood of SE New England, 345 Whitney Ave., New Haven, CT 06511.
Mary Suher, 75 SEEKONK, MASS. – Mary Elizabeth Suher, of Seekonk, passed on March 22. She was born in Sauquoit, New York, to the late Alfred and Amelia (Murray) Williams. She was a graduate of St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in Utica, New York, and received a bachelor’s degree at Boston College. She had a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner prior to being a stayat-home mom.
Mary is survived by her husband of 47 years, Steven Suher; her children, Nathan Suher and his wife, Lori, of Seekonk, David Suher of Attleboro, Massachusetts, and Amelia Suher of Pawtucket; and her grandchildren, Chloe and Scarlett Suher. Mary loved reading, cooking, tending to her garden, journaling, attending concerts and live theater and caring for her many pets. Mary was a three-time cancer survivor. Contributions may be made to The Friends of the Seekonk Public Library, and/or The Seekonk Animal Shelter.
Sophie Winoker, 90 WARWICK, R.I. – Sophie Winoker died March 1 at Greenwood Center. She was the wife of the late Myron Winoker. Born in Vienna, Austria, a daughter of the late Leo and Rose (Altschuler) Pepper, she had lived in Warwick since 1961, previously living in Providence.
She worked in sales at Shepard’s, JCPenney and Van’s Figure Beauty for 10 years, before working as a telemarketer for 1 1/2 years. Sophie was a life member of Hadassah and the former Jewish Home for the Aged and was a former Pioneer Woman. She was also a member of the Arthritis Foundation and the Chabad Chai Center of Warwick. She was the mother of Sanford Winoker and his wife, Helen, of Colombia, Maryland, and Merrill Winoker of Warwick. She was the sister of Alfred Pepper of Las Vegas, Nevada, and sister-in-law of James Winoker and his wife, Marilyn, of Cranston. She was the loving grandmother of Chagai and his wife, Allison, and Maya and her husband, Joshua. She was the great-grandmother of Nina, Gabriel, Josephine and Matan. Contributions may be made to Chabad of West Bay Chai Center, 3871 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY! HILDA HANZEL celebrated her 100th birthday on
March 2 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where she now resides. Mrs. Hanzel, wife of the late Leo Hanzel, lived most of her life in Providence and Warwick. She was the guest of honor at a festive brunch to mark the special occasion. There to celebrate this milestone were Mrs. Hanzel’s three daughters, Rhoda Kelly, Roberta Hanzel and Lynda Herman, son-in-law Jeff Herman, four grandchildren, Jillian Marks, Emily Dreyfuss, Jacob Herman and Scott Herman, greatgranddaughter, Sophia Stogner, and many of her nieces and nephews.
Left to right, back: Paige and Megan; front: David, Debra (with Brianna), Hilarie and Morris. MAZAL TOV – DEBRA and DAVID LAMARCHE, of Sharon, Massachusetts, announce
the birth of their first grandchild, Brianna Paige GoldMarche to Rabbi Megan and Paige GoldMarche of Chicago, Illinois, on March 1. Brie is the granddaughter of Doctors Hilarie Lieb and Morris Goldman of Oak Park, Illinois. She is niece to Lee LaMarche and Brendan Goldman. Great-grandparents are Ruth Paige-Levin and the late Julius “Buddy” Levin of Providence and Stella and Joseph LaMarche of Worcester, Massachusetts. Rabbi Megan and Paige were married by Rabbi Alvin Kaunfer on March 20, 2016.
34TH ANNUAL JUNE 3, 2019 DWARES JCC GOLF CLASSIC SAVE THE DATE:
RETURNING TO ALPINE COUNTRY CLUB
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j-camp YOUR SUPPORT provides crucial financial assistance for working parents during summer months.
Summer J-Camp at the Dwares JCC is the place to be for exploration, fun, learning, and enrichment during the summer months. Your support of the Jewish Alliance’s Annual Campaign, provides muchneeded scholarship assistance for camp families. Last summer, J-Camp welcomed more than 160 campers.
At the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island we play many different roles for our diverse community: we nurture, partner, educate, enrich, serve, and convene. Through the generosity of our donors to the Alliance Annual Campaign, we are able to support thousands of people locally and around the world through programs, services, and partnerships. We care for the most at-risk in our community, energize Jewish life, respond to critical needs, and inspire future generations. Together, with your support, we translate Jewish values into wide-reaching impact.
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