The Nation’s Largest JEWISH CLASSIFIEDS (PAGE 45)
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M AY T H E E A RT H H E A R T H E WO R D S O F M Y M O U TH
February, 5 2010 | 21 Shevat 5770
Crime on the Streets Hits Home
Vol. 10, Iss. 52
www.JewishVoiceNY.com
Berlusconi Tells Netanyahu Dreams of Israel Joining EU
The trail for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed who masterminded the attack on the World Trade Center might be moved to a new location.
BY MAXINE DOVERE Is there a crime wave in the 61st? What is going on in neighborhoods around Ocean Parkway? erhaps it’s tough economic times, perhaps visibility of attractive goods, perhaps, simply, perceived opportunity. Whatever the reason - affluent neighborhood seems to be attracting criminals thieves and robbers, con men and boosters of all sorts. What starts as a petty theft can escalate into an incident involving injury, even death. The “bad guys” certainly know where the good stuff can be found. Since mid 2009, the number of burglaries in some Brooklyn precincts- reported and not - has risen, some say, alarmingly. A heightened level of caution is mainly in the affluent areas of the 61st Precinct. Increased security has become common practice. Conversation “on the street” speaks of increased danger. Are the victims, whether out of fear or frustration, failing to report potentially dangerous incidents? Even though officers of the 61st Precinct say the precinct “finished Number 2” in 2009 in crime reduction, isn't what needs to be examined not the reduction in crime, but rather the absolute numbers? Inquiries about recent burglaries made to 61st precinct Community Affairs officers and the New York Police Information Department (DCPI) netted little information. Requests for specific information were met with statements that the “incidents” were in the hands of “the squad,” that investigations were ongoing, and that no further information (specifically, regarding the recent burglaries) was available." Asked about earlier occurrences in the 61st, for example, a mass tire slashing during the 2009 High Holidays, one officer
BY JEWISH VOICE STAFF
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9/11 Terror Trial Moving From NY
The Obama administration is considering moving the trial of the alleged September 11 plotters out of New York City amid mounting opposition to the trial location from local politicians, an official said Friday.
L/R Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at his office in Jerusalem. BY COMBINED NEWS SOURCES During a Jerusalem meeting with his Italian counterpart, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said the glorious past of Italian and Israeli cultures obligates greater cooperation between Jerusalem and Rome. talian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi opened the meeting with Netanyahu by declaring that he is interested in the possibility of Israel joining the European Union. At a reception held in his honor at the Prime Minister's Office, Berlsuconi reiterated comments made to Netanyahu at a prior meeting at Lake Como saying that his biggest dream is to have Israel join the European Union. Berlusconi stated that he hopes that his trip to Israel will lead to close cooperation between the two countries. The Italian premier said that meeting was an important step in strengthening the rela-
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tionship between Italy and Israel. Berlusconi went on to say that Monday's meeting was a start, and that the next meeting would be held in Italy. The Italian head of state said he hoped that from this meeting a mutual commitment to work together would develop. Berlusconi traveled to Israel as the head of an eight-member ministerial delegation. Regarding Israel’s diminished status in the international community, Berlusconi said that he could not help but feel the world's insensitivity, and that he wished for the peace and prosperity of Israel, which even today is existentially threatened. Regarding the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, Berlusconi criticized Jewish growth in Judea and Samaria: "Israel's settlement policy could be an
Continued on page 5
he move would be a major blow to the bid by President Barack Obama's Attorney General to bring the accused plotters to trial in civilian federal court just blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood. It also added to the problems surrounding Obama's plans to shutter the controversial military prison for suspected terrorists at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. No date has yet been set for the trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the selfdescribed chief organizer of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and four co-accused. "Conversations have occurred within the administration to discuss contingency options should the possibility of a trial in Lower Manhattan be foreclosed upon by Congress or locally," the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Among the possible options were other sites in the Southern District of New York, home to some of the most seasoned terror prosecutors in the country.These include the federal courthouse in White Plains, a federal prison in Otisville and Stewart Air National Guard Base. Each site presents concerns over either their security measures, or whether
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The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
BREAKING NEWS
PAGE 3
Schumer Announces Passage of Iran Sanction Legislation Intended to Stop Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons BY JULIE HALPIN U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2009 has unanimously passed the Senate. he Iranian regime has engaged in serious human rights abuses against its own
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citizens, funded terrorist activity throughout the Middle East, and pursued illicit nuclear activities posing a serious threat to the security of the United States, the Middle East Region, and our allies. The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act strengthens sanctions and supports the President as he pursues a dual track of engagement and sanctions. Schumer, in his role as a Banking Committee
member, was instrumental in seeing the bill come to the floor for a vote. The House passed a much narrower sanctions package in December and while the two bills now have to be conferenced, Schumer is vowing to fight to ensure the stronger Senate language prevails. “There should be no lingering doubt that Iran represents an immediate threat to our global security,” Schumer said. “With Iran still in
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hot pursuit of nuclear weapons, we must do everything we can to bring their ambitions to a halt. With this legislation, the United States can strengthen sanctions and increase the President’s power as he tries to gain leverage in nuclear talks. I am proud the Senate passed this legislation so we can finally bring Iran’s nuclear ambitions to an end. By giving the administration the capa-
PUBLISHER
Continued on page 39
Maxine Dovere
60 Year Old Finishes 54th in Israman Negev Ironman Tri-Athlon Contest BY JEWISH VOICE STAFF Almost 100 contestants challenged the desert, the sea, and themselves in the 2010 International Israeli Championship "Ironman" contest held January 29, 2010, in the coastal town of Eilat, Israel. he annual Israman Negev Ironman Tri-Athlon Israman and Half-Israman races are the country’s premier long-distance triathlon races. The multi-sport race features a swim in the crystalclear waters of the Red Sea, a challenging bicycle excursion into the mountains surrounding Eilat, and a marathon style run with a finish line in the city's downtown streets.
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Mild January water temperatures favored the Red sea swimmers as they traversed coral reefs and got to "swim with the fishes." The bicycle race that followed included a steep 15 kilometer (approximately 7.5 miles) climb from Eilat into the Negev mountains, a range going from sea level to 700 meters (approximately 2100 feet) above sea level. The route traveled through the Arava Valley and back to Eilat. The final segment of the competition was a marathon style run that began at the top of a mountain and descended to the southern city's downtown streets. Among those representing the American Jewish community was New Yorker Elie Hirschfeld and his
daughter, Daniella. Hirschfeld, the oldest competitor in the race, successfully completed the course in 15 hours, 13 minutes, finishing 54th in a field of 67 who completed the contest. The Ironman Triathlon course included a 2.4 mile Red Sea swim, a 112 mile bicycle trek through the Negev desert, and a full 26.2 mile marathon run from the Negev mountains to the sea and then around the city of Eilat. The total distance covered in the race was 140.6 miles. As part of the celebration of his sixtieth birthday year, Hirschfeld was joined by his daughter, Daniella, 29, who competed in the Half Ironman. She completed that course in 8 hours, 17 minutes, win-
ing 2nd place in her age group. Father and daughter described their week together in Jerusalem and Eilat as "magical, a unique and wonderful family experience." Hirschfeld has marked other life cycle points with similar competitions. Twenty years ago, he celebrated his 40th birthday year by completing the Ironman World Championship Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii. To prepare for that competition, Hirschfeld, daughter Daniella and eldest son, David, moved to Israel for 6 months. The children attended standard Israeli schools. Training for the Kona Ironman included extensive bicycle rides throughout most of Israel.
Hamas is responsible for the explosives that washed up on the beaches of Ashdod and Ashkelon on Monday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hinted during a joint press conferenc with visiting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Tuesday afternoon.
etanyahu said that Israel would respond to the failed terror attack. During the press conference, the prime minister also responded to remarks made earlier Tuesday by senior Hamas member Mahmoud A-Zahar, claiming that Netanyahu was responsible for the impasse in talks to secure the release of captured IDF soldier St.-Sgt. Gilad
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Schalit. Netanyahu stressed that Israel has two objectives, the first of which is bringing Schalit home safe and sound. The second objective, he said, was ensuring that terrorists released within the framework of a prisoner swap would neither engage in terrorism in Judea and Samaria nor use the area as a base for terror inside Israel.
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Avi Ben-Mordechai
MANAGING EDITOR Paula Pinto
NEWS EDITOR Shmuel Ben Eliezer
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Norma Oropeza
WRITERS Reneé Beyda Leah David Maxine Dovere Rabbi David Etengoff Jack Ezon
Hamas Planted Beach Explosives on Israel’s Beaches BY HERB KEINON
David Ben-Hooren
Rina Friedman
He said that Israel's answer to Hamas's proposal dealt with those two objectives, and that Israel's answer was in the hands of the Islamist organization's leaders. Netanyahu also said that these two goals were combined in the answer offered by Israel to Hamas through the German mediator a number of
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Sylvia Hamowy Howard Hirschhorn Rabbi Chanan Jacobson Ray Kestenbaum Ed Koch Chave Kreger Jerome B. Leshaw Rabbi Daniel Levy Rachel Lubchansky
INDEX
Sharon Lynch
Breaking News ................ pg. 3
Op/Ed ............................ pg. 21
Paula Pinto
Business & Finance......... pg. 17
Holiday ........................... pg. 14 International News.......... pg. 6
Parsha ............................. pg. 35
Shmuel Rothberger
Classifieds ....................... pg. 45
Iranian Threat................. pg. 11
People, Places.................. pg. 37
Lois Weiss
Community .................... pg. 22
Israeli News..................... pg. 4
Politics ............................ pg. 12
Dining Guide.................. pg. 28
Kashrut ........................... pg. 26
Real Estate ...................... pg. 14
Editorial.......................... pg. 20
National.......................... pg. 7
Travel.............................. pg. 42
Florida............................. pg. 31
News in Review............... pg. 25
War on Terror ................. pg. 10
Health............................. pg. 32
New York ........................ pg. 8
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ISRAEL
The Jewish Voice
Rabbi E. Melamed Considering Resignation BY HILLEL FENDEL Ra bbi Eliezer Melamed, Dean of Yeshivat Har Bracha, is considering resigning his position – in order to make sure his students don’t have to sit in jail. efense Minister Ehud Barak removed Yeshivat Har Bracha from the Hesder arrangement [a fiveyear program, consisting of one-third combat army service and two-thirds Torah study] last month, after Rabbi Melamed did not condemn soldiers’ inarmy protests against outpost demolitions. Barak also did not like the rabbi’s Rabbi Eliezer previous calls for refusal of orders to demolish Jewish homes and evict Jewish residents, nor the fact that he did not show up for a “hearing” when summoned at short notice. In addition, some senior commanders were miffed at Rabbi Melamed’s criticism of “senior army brass” as being “career-oriented.” Rabbi Melamed said it was not Barak’s place to “summon” him for a “hearing” as if he were a criminal, simply because he expressed the view of Torah as he understands it. The students of Har Bracha, in Shavei Shomron, were given 60 days, about a month ago, to either leave the yeshiva and join another one (Hesder or other), or enlist for a full three-year service in the army. Rabbi Melamed is apparently wor-
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ried that his students will not choose either option, but will rather remain in the yeshiva – and thus face army prison time. Dozens of the students have stated that this is their intention, and are willing to “pay the price” – namely, prison. It has been reported in the name of a “defense source” that if Rabbi Melamed resigns, Hesder status is likely to be restored to the yeshiva. Court Suit Withdrawn Over 60 students of the yeshiva sued Barak in the Supreme Court last month, claiming that his “personal dispute” with Rabbi Melamed should not be allowed to force them to Melamed. change their yeshiva or army preferences. However, the students withdrew their suit on Wednesday, after Justices Beinish, Rubenstein and Fogelman made it clear that they had no chance of winning. “This does not look like a personal matter,” Chief Justice Dorit Beinisch said. “The rabbi said things, and it’s serious.” Judge Rubenstein said that Rabbi Melamed’s refusal to show up for the hearing was detrimental to his case: “It was strange that he did not show up, and therefore Barak used his own judgment on the matter, because there are no regulations covering such a case.” Rabbi Chanan Porat, a long-time set-
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Renovating Royal Tomb SHACHAR PONI, ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY King David's Tomb complex and Last Supper Room on Mount Zion are important religious, historical sites, which draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Despite this, site was neglected for many years, but has recently been restored. ver since the Six Day War, a number of groups have been active at the site of King David's Tomb in Jerusalem – the Diaspora Yeshiva is in charge of most of the structures around the main building, the Ministry of Religious Services manages the room of Zion – the tomb and the entrance rooms, and the Interior Ministry maintains the Last Supper Room and the adjacent rooms. Smaller bodies such as the Sephardic Yeshiva and private citizens and associations, as well as Christian bodies including Vatican representatives in Israel, also show interest in the site. The complex fell under many different rulers throughout the years, including the Christians, Muslims and Ottomans. The site was captured by the Palmach's Harel Brigade in the War of Independence, and became an important base on the front line that cut the city in two until the Six Day War. Archaeological bodies (now known as the Israel Antiquities Authority) began operating at the site immediately after the establishment of the State of Israel, as a solution to the problem of damage caused to the antiquities.
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Jews praying at King David’s Tomb, on Mt. Zion before the renovations. The authority would mainly carry out specif ic archaeological works for infrastructure purposes, but did not aim to carry out overall renovations or maintenance. In 2007, the authority learned that the Diaspora Yeshiva was performing construction works south of the tomb's courtyard, which could have led to the collapse of the structure's southern wing. Construction was halted, and the yeshiva was ordered to submit blueprints offering a solution to the problem before resuming construction. This move was the f irst step in creating a pattern of planning and coordination to maintain the site together with the Antiquities Authority. The two-story complex contains a series of small rooms arranged around an open courtyard. Works being carried out on the walls of the structures were also halted. Work was only resumed after the property holders submitted the required blue-
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
ISRAEL
PAGE 5
Abbas Sends Mixed Signals Berlusconi Tells Netanyahu Dreams of Israel Joining EU
FROM CONBINED NEWS SERVICES
PA head says peace talks can’t start until Israel stops east Jerusalem construction. alestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in Moscow on last week that the Palestinians will not accept Abu Dis, a town between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim administered by the PA, as the capital of their future state, and will insist on receiving control over east Jerusalem. It was important that it be clear which part of the capital belonged to the Palestinians, and which part to Israel, Abbas said in an interview with an Arabic-language Russian TV channel. A senior source in the Prime Minister’s Off ice said that the government’s position was well known: Jerusalem was, and would remain, the undivided capital of Israel. “In the framework of negotiations the Palestinians can raise whatever issue they want,” the off icial said, “but our position is well known. Regarding Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s demand that the PA recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, Abbas said that this demand appeared only in the 1947 UN partition plan, hinting that Israel would have to implement that plan – which at the time the Jews accepted, while the Arabs rejected – in order to gain recog-
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nition as a Jewish state. Abbas said he would not resume peace talks with Israel without Netanyahu agreeing to a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, lines, and while Israel continued construction in east Jerusalem. What if they say in this meeting that they do not accept the ’67 borders and are not prepared to discuss [the issues of refugees? What would we talk about?” Abbas was quoted as telling the Russian TV channel. “If I engage in negotiations while construction goes on – they will say that it is theirs, since I was willing to resume talks while construction continued.” Israeli off icials point out that the Palestinians have conducted negotiations on-and-off with Israel for more than a decade without conditioning them on a total halt to construction in settlements or in east Jerusalem. Abbas suggested 3-month Jerusalem building freeze to get negotiations going. Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians would be possible in exchange for a three-month settlement freeze which would include Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with the Guardian published Sunday. Abbas told the UK paper that he had reached agreement with former prime minister Ehud Olmert on issues beyond those which had been broached during the time of former PA chairman Yasser
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Continued from Cover obstacle to peace. I would like to say to the people and government of Israel, as a friend, with my hand on my heart, that persisting with this policy is a mistake. I welcomed Prime Minister [Binyami Netanyahu's courage in his announcement of a 10-month [Jewish residential settlement constructio freeze. It will never be possible to convince the Palestinians of Israel's good intentions while Israel continues to build in territories that are to be returned as part of a peace agreement.” Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi hinted in an interview that the Gaza pullout ("Disengagement") was a mistake, noting that it ended in "burned synagogues" and missiles being f ired into Israel. Netanyahu welcomed the Italian premier and declared that it is not every day that Israel has the honor to host one of its best friends. The prime minister went on to say that Berlusconi is a warrior for freedom and peace. The Netanyahu elaborated, saying that in Rome and Jerusalem the foundations of Western civilization were established. Netanyahu went on to say that he could think of few nations that have donated more for the development of Western civilization than Israel and Italy, and as such it is imperative that they stand side-by-side in order to defend their common future and common culture. Berlusconi addressed the Knesset, to
declare that Israel is the state of the Jewish people. The Italian leader is also expected to visit areas under control of the Palestinian Authority, and to meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas. It is the Italian leader’s intent to persuade Abbas to renew negotiatons with Israel, and to then turn to Israel with a request to freeze construction, for a limited time, in east Jerusalem. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman asked Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi Tuesday to use his ties with Russia to strengthen Moscow's current position on sanctioning Tehran. Lieberman also requested Berlusconi, with whom he held talks in Jerusalem, to use his influence with Russia to stop it from selling arms to Tehran, an Israeli foreign ministry communiqué said. Israel regards Iran its its biggest existential threat, because of Tehran's reputed nuclear weapons program, and repeated statements by Iranian leaders that the Jewish state should be wiped off the map. Iran's support for militant groups which do not recognize Israel's right to exist has also angered Jerusalem, and Lieberman asked Italy to play a central role in advancing international legislation which would allow democratic countries to f ight terrorism. According to the Israeli minister, international law is currently suited to regualr armies f ighting each other, but does not allow a democracy to defend itself effectively against terror attacks.
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INTERNATIONAL
The Jewish Voice
Jewish Graves Desecrated in Strasbourg, France Anti-Semites sprayed swastikas on dozens of Jewish tombstones in the Jewish cemetery in Strasbourg as the city held a special ceremony by the General Assembly of the Council of Europe to mark the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. delegation of Knesset members who participated in the ceremony and visited the Jewish cemetery were horrified to find dozens of gravestones smashed with swastikas painted on them and the slogan "Jews out". MKs Shlomo Molla (Kadima) and Amnon Cohen (Shas) discovered that Jewish graves were desecrated at a cemetery in Strasbourg, France. The two MKs, who arrived in the city for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, received a message that the headstones at the graves were broken. "It is an awful sight, and probably a result of the growing anti-Semitism in Europe," Molla said, and added that local police have launched an investigation. French president Nicholas Sarkozy expressed shock at the desecration of headstones in the Strasbourg's Jewish cemetery Wednesday night. Sarkozy said that the incident was "an intolerable expression of crude anti-Semitism." He added that he hoped authorities would quickly round up the culprits,. Some 30 gravestones were vandalized, including 18 painted with swastikas and 13 overturned, in Cronenbourg, a neighborhood in the northeastern French town of Strasbourg, according to the French Jewish
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Remembering a Tragic Past Spurs Jewish Continuity in Europe Today BY CHABAD.ORG
BY SHMUEL BEN ELIEZER
umbrella group CRIF and the Jewish Community Protection Service. The German phrase "Juden Raus," or “Jews, out,” was also written on one tomb. The vandalism was discovered Wednesday, but police have not yet determined when the attack took place. Laurent Schmoll, president of the approximately 1,000-member Jewish community in Strasbourg, told reporters that he believed the cemetery was defiled in connection with International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “These are absolutely inscriptions from the Nazi period," Schmoll said. "At the moment we commemorate the anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps, and I think there has to be a link.” CRIF researcher Marc Knobel said it was too early to tell why the tombs were defiled, but that one reason could have been to “mark the day.” Strasbourg Jewish cemeteries have been vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti in the past. Knobel said it wasn't the first time that the cemetery vandalism and other antiSemitic incidents have occurred on Jan. 27, the day set aside by the United Nations to remember the Holocaust and its victims. He added that it must have taken the vandals time to turn over the tombs, and noted that the cemetery is not equipped with video surveillance cameras.
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
European and Israeli state heads last week met with Jewish leaders and Chabad representatives in Europe as they observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. \ sraeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Chabad representatives in Poland, where he inscribed letters in a Torah scroll. Speaking in Hebrew, the Prime Minister reflected on the fact that a Torah scroll is being written in Warsaw. “It moves my deeply,” he said. Netanyahu also visited Auschwitz, and addressed the main memorial event. Israel’s President Shimon Peres met with Chabad representatives to Germany, and spoke to the German Parliament in Berlin. Originally from Poland, his family moved to Palestine in 1934, but his grandfather remained behind and was later killed by the Nazis. "I remember the last words and the order I heard from his mouth: 'My boy, always remain a Jew'," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his country’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar. They spoke of the Red Army’s liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Among other issues, the two discussed the problem of revisionism of the history of the Second World War, as well as the construction of the Museum of Jewish History. "I am following very closely what is happening in the world, especially the problems associated with the distortion of history and the denial of the Holocaust,” Mr. Putin said.
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“Let me say that, in regard to preserving the memory of the victims of Nazism and in regard to the preservation of information about the genuinely tragic events of World War II, Jewish organizations have always been our staunch ally." The President further noted that "we have seen an attempt to rewrite history during the removal of the [“Bronze soldier”] monument in Tallinn, and we are seeing this in other regions of the world, where similar attempts have been made to revise the truth about the tragedy of the Second World War. On this issue, we absolutely agree with you, and I would like to thank you for that." The Chief Rabbi offered that the Jews will “never forget what the Red Army did for us during World War II. We need to speak about how things were in reality because, unfortunately, what we have been seeing as of recent in Ukraine is frightening. “Nazism is evil not only because the Nazis murdered, but because they tried to justify their actions," he noted. Rabbi Lazar also apprised the Prime Minister Putin about developments on the construction of the Museum of Jewish History and Tolerance. "Despite the world financial crisis, the project that – with your support, is well under way. We have every reason to believe that the museum will open in two years, as originally scheduled," he stated. The Museum of Jewish History and Tolerance will house exhibitions galleries, a library, a research center, and conference rooms dedicated to the history of Jewish civilization. Its stated mission is to cultivate respect and understanding among different cultures and religions.
The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Yiddish Center Saved By $3 Million Gift
he gift from Ross, who worked on television shows such as “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons” and “Three’s Company,” was a surprise and is the largest in the 30-year-old Book Center’s history. “As far as we know, Mickey Ross Afaceto-face,” said Aaron J. Lansky, founder and president of the center, 1021 West St. Nancy L. Sherman, the center’s executive vice president, said center officials had learned several months ago that it had been named in Ross’s will, but it was not until recently they learned the amount of the gift. “Until the check arrived, we didn’t know how large it was going to be,” Sherman said. The center was aware of Ross because he was known as a Jewish philanthropist with an interest in Yiddish language and culture, she said. There aren’t many people like that around,” Sherman said. The gift will go directly to the center’s endowment, providing financial stability and program support as the organization expands its work from book rescue to education. The center’s current endowment was approximately $8 million and it grew to $11 million with the gift, Sherman said. Its annual budget is about $3.5 million. Some of the programs the gift will make possible are the appointment of a full-time Yiddish language instructor who will design and teach intensive Yiddish courses, both
PAGE 7
Washington Air and Space Museum Awaits Israeli Memorabilia
BY JEWISH VOICE STAFF The National Yiddish Book Center has received an unexpected gift of $3 million from comedy writer Mickey Ross, who died in May.
NATIONAL
BY JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
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The National Yiddish Book Center online and on-site in the center’s new Kaplen Family Building, which opened in May. “Our intention is to create a Yiddish university for the hands-on exploration of Jewish language, history and culture. In this way, Mickey Ross’s gift is transformative,” Lansky said. Ross, who died at age 89 of complications from a stroke and a heart attack, last year created the Michael and Irene Ross Program in Jewish Studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, his alma mater, with a $4 million gift to endow a chair in Yiddish language and culture. Ross’s wife, Irene, died in 2000. They had no children. Since its creation, the Yiddish Book Center has rescued a million endangered Yiddish books, strengthened collections at libraries worldwide, digitized and posted online the full texts of 11,000 Yiddish volumes, and offered a range of programs. With most Yiddish books collected and safe, the center is now focusing on education for undergraduate and graduate college students and adults. More information is available at www.yiddishbookcenter.org
Even though Israel is a member of the "exclusive club" of countries that have built space satellites, Washington's US National Air and Space Museum hasn't received any space-related objects from Israel to display there, The Jerusalem Post has learned. he only Israeli mention in the huge museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution and is located opposite Capitol Hill, is a photo of the doomed Columbia space shuttle astronaut team that included the late Israel Air Force Col. Ilan Ramon, who died tragically in the crash seven years ago. So says Dr. Roger Launius, the senior curator of the museum and former chief historian at NASA, who is due to fly to Israel next week to speak at the Fifth Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, organized by Herzliya's Fischer Institute for Strategic Research with help from the Ministry of Science and Technology. In an exclusive phone interview from Washington this week, Launius said he would love to have some Israeli space objects. As Israel develops compact satellites, the Washington Museum could display one that was not used or a model, said the historian, "as satellites are launched and don't come back." Launius, who is making his f irstever visit to Israel to attend the conference, said that the museum is visit-
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Rockets on display at the Washington Air and Space Museum where they are hoping to get artifacts from the Israeli space program. ed by about eight million people per year, including - he presumes - quite a few Israelis. Most of the tens of thousands of items on display deal with aeronautics and space, but the oldest ones are hotair balloons dating back to the late 18th century. The museum, with a $14 million annual budget, does not have the funds to purchase air and space memorabilia, but it receives them as donations from NASA and private collectors, Launius said. Surprisingly, the museum hasn't a single NASA space toilet, but it has one from Russia, as well as plenty of freeze-dried food.
If living in this economic downturn is like walking a tightrope, we’re your safety net. Coping with today’s economic crisis is like a balancing act. If you’ve lost your job, which bills do you pay? How do you keep your home? How is your time best spent in finding a job? Those are the kinds of dilemmas that prompted UJA-Federation and the Jewish community to create Connect to Care.
With one simple phone call or visit to any convenient UJA-Federation Connect to Care center, you can access a broad array of services to get the help you need. We can help with employment and career counseling, financial and debt consulting, legal services, loans, and even Jewish spiritual care and supportive counseling.
UJA-Federation’s Connect to Care offers a coordinated system of services that combines the strengths of our network of beneficiary agencies and area synagogues.
So, if you’ve hit hard times and need a little help to turn it around, we’re here to help.
UJA-Federation Connect to Care Centers INFORMATION & REFERRAL SERVICE
MANHATTAN
QUEENS
SUFFOLK
WESTCHESTER
UJA-Federation of New York 130 East 59th Street New York, NY 10022 1-877-UJA-NYJ11 connect-to-care@ujafedny.org www.ujafedny.org/connect-to-care
Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services 120 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019 1.212.399.2685 ext. 206 connect-to-care@jbfcs.org www.jbfcs.org
Samuel Field Y 58-20 Little Neck Parkway Little Neck, NY 11362 1.718.224.0566 connect-to-care@sfy.org www.sfy.org
Westchester Jewish Community Services 10 New King Street White Plains, NY 10604 1.914.470.5721 connect-to-care@wjcs.com www.wjcs.com
BROOKLYN
NASSAU
STATEN ISLAND
Met Council on Jewish Poverty 80 Maiden Lane, 21st Floor New York, NY 10038 1.718.785.4141 connect-to-care@metcouncil.org www.metcouncil.org
Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center 300 Forest Drive East Hills, NY 11548 1.516.484.1545 ext. 212 connect-to-care@sjjcc.org www.sjjcc.org
Jewish Community Center of Staten Island 1466 Manor Road Staten Island, NY 10314 1.718.475.5228 connect-to-care@sijcc.org www.sijcc.org
F.E.G.S Health and Human Services System in collaboration with The Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center 74 Hauppauge Road Commack, NY 11725 1.631.486.2521 connect-to-care@syjcc.org connect-to-care@fegs.org www.suffolkyjcc.org www.fegs.org
1-877-UJA-NYJ11 11tr
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REGIONWIDE EMPLOYMENT & CAREERTRANSITION SERVICES F.E.G.S Health and Human Services System 80 Vandam Street New York, NY 10013 1.212.524.1790 connect-to-care@fegs.org www.fegs.org
REGIONWIDE LEGAL COUNSELING New York Legal Assistance Group 450 West 33rd Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10011 1.212.613.5005 connect-to-care@nylag.org www.nylag.org
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NEW YORK
The Jewish Voice
9/11 Terror Trial Moving From NY Continued from cover they have the appropriate facilities to try or house the suspects. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg unleashed the latest wave of disputes, when he expressed opposition to the Obama administration's plans, reversing his initial support over concerns about costs and disruption. City officials have estimated that security and logistics for such a trial in Manhattan would cost 200 million dollars. No date has yet been set for the hearings. His about-face reopened sores on an already highly divisive issue: how to bring to justice the men accused of killing nearly 3,000 people in the United States during a sobering day of coordinate attacks. A group of eight New York lawmakers wrote to US Attorney General Eric Holder expressing concern about plans to bring Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants to trial in Manhattan. But a White House spokesman said that Obama still believes holding a civilian criminal trial for Sheikh Mohammed and his accomplices could take place "successfully and securely in the United States," without however specifically mentioning New York. Signatories to the letter included Democratic Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velazquez and the speaker of New York State's assembly, Sheldon Silver. Republicans, and some of Obama's fellow Democrats, in Congress have already sought to halt funding to hold criminal trials for the terror suspects in a bid to have them tried at Guantanamo, where they are still held, or at another US military base. Obama has vowed to close the controversial detention center, but has already missed his self-imposed deadline of January 22 due to a firestorm of opposition at home over transferring the suspects to US soil and scarce support from international allies to take them in.
The narrowly averted Christmas Day attack aboard a US-bound airliner carrying nearly 300 people has also further stoked fears of further attacks on US soil and complicated the plans to hold civilian trials for terror suspects. Opposition Republicans, including leading Senator John McCain, are demanding the suspected terrorists be tried by military commissions at Guantanamo. "Conversations have occurred within the administration to discuss contingency options should the possibility of a trial in Lower Manhattan be foreclosed upon by Congress or locally," the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. It could be years before Khalid Sheikh Mohammed finally goes on trial for the Sept 11, 2001 attacks. But that hasn't stopped Barack Obama from confidently predicting that he will be convicted – and executed. “I don't think it will be offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him,” the U.S. President said. Attorney-General Eric Holder a top justice official, made it clear that Mr. Mohammed won't walk free, even if a New York City jury fails to convict him or a federal court judge tosses out the case. When Mr. Holder trumpeted the decision to pursue justice against high-profile alQaeda detainees in civilian courts on U.S. soil, it was heralded by some as removing some of the tarnish from America's reputation for Bush-era policies. But, in Mr. Holder's testimony and in the President's blunt prediction that Mr. Mohammed will be executed, it has become increasingly clear that that the break with the past may be more symbolic than real. Mr. Obama also conceded that his promise to close the notorious Guantanamo prison by January will not be met, underscoring the struggle to forge a way out of the legacy of the Bush years.
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Henry Menahem Murdered In Madison Avenue Midday Robbery BY MAXINE DOVERE Henry Menahem, a long time resident of Long Branch, New Jersey, was buried Thursday afternoon. The multi -generational Menahem family is said to be “in total shock.’’ An owner of R.S. Durant said Menaham was a loyal employee who left behind a wife, three adult children and several grand children. A family friend described him as a man who would do anything to help someone in need...”a great guy... full of life.” enahem was viciously murdered during what appears to be a single person robbery at R.S. Durant, the Madison Avenue jewelry store at which he worked. Approximately one million dollars worth of jewelry - about 80% of the store’s inventory - was taken, including approximately 20 valuable pieces stripped off store displays. The amount has not been confirmed by the store owner. Madison Avenue in the “70’s”ã is home to fancy boutiques, expensive jewelry shops and cultural institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art According to the NYPD, the killer entered the store during the busy lunch hour, at about 12:25 P.M., Wednesday, and announced the robbery. The perpetrator is described as a light skinned black male wearing a blue overcoat, gray slacks, sunglasses, and a black wool hat. The suspect is about 5-feet10, 160 pounds, and in his middle thirties. He had a scarf tied around his
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Two officers maintained a vigil at the scene of the Madison Avenue murder. face. Menahem and his coworker, whose name is being withheld by the Jewish Voice in respect of his privacy, initially refused to follow the shooter’s orders. The robber is said to have announced he “was robbing the place...You think I’m kidding?”. Brandishing the ejected bullet clip, the murderer placed it back in his pistol, said “You think I’m kidding? This is real.’’ he f ired a single shot, hitting the elderly man in the chest, according to police. The victim was pronounced dead on arrival at Lenox Hill Hospital. According to police, a 9-mm, semi-automatic pistol shell casing was recovered at the scene. NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne said the gunman threatened to shoot the co worker too, unless he handed over the jewelry. He refused to allow the 49year year old co worker to call 911 as the elderly man lay dying . The gunman
Continued on page 38
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
NEW YORK
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Crime on the Streets Hits Home Continued from cover admitted being “aware” of the "incident...The detective squad is investigating– the case is still on going.” Community Relations Off icer Sergeant Michael Doyle, who has spoken at area Town Hall meetings at the Sharei Zion Synagogue, assured those gathered that there are "tight relations" between the local community and the precinct – nobody’s ever out of the loop in the 61 Street precinct at his staff Community assured that there are “always guys on extra patrol and on the street.” Asked whether private security helps or hinders the police, an officer the Jewish Voice was told “I can't comment.” The Jewish Voice was told the police “have no problems with the private security” but “does not take/seek assistance from private security.” And, yes, there was that incident when a sports car was stolen, but quickly abandoned when police gave chase. And, a house, maybe two or three, have recently been burgled. Preceding another burglary, it was rumored that three cars were observed “casing” a house on East 1st Street. The house was subsequently burgled. Images, it is said, have been found on camera. The house was rumored to have been ransacked. Asked about other gossip, one community officer assured “there were no helicopters circling above, rumors of knives are just rumors. You, know, it’s like when kids play telephone. Things get out of hand.” One area resident commented that vandalism is an ongoing problem. Few incidents are reported. Asked "why?" he said the between the time involved – waiting for the police to arrive, filling out reports, etc – and the cost of an insurance increase, many would “rather replace than report. It’s the same with quality of life crimes, bullying and even
armed robbery. Many are not being reported." Conversation in the neighborhood of the 61st speaks of an armed robbery involving two young girls who are said to have been “held up at gunpoint December 30th or 31st. No off icial report appears to have been made. City Investigation, managed by Larry Blasko, is responsible for much of the private security in the area. When called for input to this article, the Jewish Voice was told he was unavailable. He failed to respond to our inquiry. One neighborhood resident who spoke on condition of announominity. The resident believes that in fact, the Shomrim (“Watchers, Guardians”) should “start recruiting people who live in the area. “Having people in the area helps keep crime down.” The Shomrim will tail a perpetrator – even wait for him to be caught in the act.” They are proactive (in crime prevention) instead of reactive. Every member of the Neighborhood Association pays a $1500 annual fee. The Association pays the security company. The Shomrim do not charge for their services. Clearly, the more cops – or patrols personnel - the lower is the likelihood of crime. The Shomrim, by their presence, help– keep crime down tail people – help the police department. Asked about the relationship with the Shomrim, 61st precinct Officer Ahiesha Grant said the police had “No problems with the Shomrim” noting that “they are out while the cop is on the beat.” Others speak of increased crime in the neighboring 62nd Precinct including many quality of life crimes. Despite ongoing and frequent community complaints, little has been done to limit the negative activities that spill over from the 62nd to the 61st. Is there an answer? Setting up better security systems would certainly help. Developing a community wide, coopera-
The 61st precinct has been rapidly responding to crimes that are flooding the area tive surveillance system using working cameras that provide full neighborhood and street surveillance rather than just single home observance would be a useful step. “There should be a shared responsibility” for maintaining a video system. Rabbi Uziel Admoni of B'nai Yosef Congregation says many crimes are simply not reported to the police. Citizens, he says "must be aware that "even thought it's "only" a car window, or a stolen radio, "if people don't report to the police, if they don't communicate with officers, there will be no record, no "mark" on the location(s) of break-ins, and the seriousness can escalate. And, while a police report can help establish crime patterns, it need not evoke an insurance claim. Police usually "mark" the area of every incident and may increase patrols "What I hear from people is that all sorts of things are going on. When I ask 'did you report it?" the answer is often 'No"' If citizens don't "give a hand to the police" no criminal pattern can be established. It seems that only the major crimes - murder, rape, significant robberies, are being reported. This circumstance seems to be true throughout several Brooklyn precincts, including the
60th, the 61st, and the 70th. The Rabbi cautions against arguing with perpetrators. "Property can always be replaced life and health can never come back." A Better Brooklyn Blockwatch provides an unofficial compilation of local police reports.. The group says "We only report information from the NPD, not rumors. Among the incidents reported during the week of January 17, were a robbery committed in the 1900 block of E. 1 St. on January 15, 2010 during which the robbers entered the home through an unlocked door, broke into a closet and removed jewelry and cash. No injuries were reported. On the 300 block of Avenue T, an unknown person ransacked an apartment. An apartment on the 1800 block of Ocean Parkway was ransacked. At the Mirrer Yeshiva, laptop computers and cash were stolen. One individual has been arrested by the detectives of the 61st Precinct. Also a Grand Theft Auto was reported on the 200 block of Avenue W. Similar incidents have been reported throughout the area. The Jewish Voice will continue to cover local crime and the security measures being developed to combat the problems. We invite readers to discuss anti-crime initiatives.
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The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
WAR ON TERROR Israeli drones take over Afghan skies BY YAAKOV KATZ While Israeli soldiers can’t fight in the war in Afghanistan, Israeli drones can. Starting next week, five NATO member countries will be operating unmanned aerial vehicles produced in the Jewish state in antiTaliban operations in the Central Asian country. ext week, off icials from the German military will arrive to take delivery of an undisclosed number of Heron UAVs, made by Israel Aerospace Industries. The Heron is a medium altitude long endurance UAV that can remain airborne for more than 30 hours with a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet, and can carry a payload of 250 kg. It has a wingspan of 16.6 meters, a takeoff weight of 1,200 kg. and an operational range of several hundred kilometers. It can carry a variety of sensors used for surveillance and target identif ication. Germany is the f ifth country to operate Israel Aerospace Industries UAVs in Afghanistan. In
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Israeli drones are increasingly being used in the war on terror over Afghan skies. December, the Royal Australian Air Force took delivery of several Heron systems, joining Spain, France and Canada that already operate the platform. Israel is a recognized world leader in the development of UAVs. In November, the Brazilian government announced that it was prepared to sign a $350 million deal to purchase Heron UAVs to patrol its cities and borders, and to provide security for the 2014 Soccer World
Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. Later this year, Israel Aerospace Industries will hold demonstrations of the Heron for Panamanian security forces in conjunction with the US military’s Southern Command. The demonstration in Panama will focus on counter-drug operations, as well as border security. Last May, the Heron underwent a month-long evaluation by the Southern Command and the Salvadoran military to judge its suitability for counter-drug missions in Latin America and the Pacif ic. It was the f irst time that the drone, designed for intelligence gathering and surveillance, was used in such operations.
Charles J. Hynes Receives Champion For Children Award From Fight Crime Invest In Kids BY JERRY SCHMETTERER Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes was honored by Fight Crime Invest in Kids with their 2010 Champion for Children award, the organization’s highest recognition for service. DA Hynes was presented the award by former District Attorneys Association President and current Saratoga DA James A. Murphy, III at the District Attorneys Association annual Winter Conference, which was attended by most of the state’s 62 District Attorneys. he award recognizes District Attorney Hynes’ commitment to keeping children safe and out of the criminal justice system through various prevention initiatives. It also acknowledges District
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Attorney Hynes’ alternative to incarceration programs as well as his innovative reentry and rehabilitation programs, which help reduce recidivism. District Attorney Hynes said, “Too often a youth gets into trouble just because he or she has no one to show them how to succeed. YCP (Youth and Congregations in Partnership) gives them the helping hand they need to get back on the right path. I believe we need to harness the power of the faith community to reach out in a caring spirit to guide and assist those in need.” Fight Crime Invest in Kids is an anti-crime organization consisting of over 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, attorneys general, other law enforcement leaders and violence survivors, committed to putting dangerous criminals behind bars. District Attorney Hynes has strongly
supported their mission by calling for legislation to support funding for programs aimed at decreasing the risk of child abuse and neglect, and supporting after school and Pre-K programs which provide tutoring and mentoring. YCP was established in 1997 by District Attorney Hynes as a community-based intervention program, promoting rehabilitation and the reduction of recidivism among Brooklyn’s court-involved and at-risk youth. The youth benef it by getting a second chance with the help of volunteer mentors from Brooklyn’s faith-based communities. They receive intense mentorship and comprehensive services including anger management and conflict resolution, career training, mental health and substance abuse counseling, family counseling and educational support.
District Attorney Hynes has strongly supported Fight Crime Invest in kids, an anti crime organization.
The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
IRANIAN THREAT
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The
Iranian Threat US advances Gulf Defense Systems FROM COMBINED NEWS SOURCES The United States has begun beefing up its approach to defending its Persian Gulf allies against potential Iranian missile strikes, officials say. The defenses are being stepped up in advance of possible increased sanctions against Iran. he Obama administration has quietly increased the capability of landbased Patriot defensive missiles in several Gulf Arab nations, and one military official said the Navy is increasing the presence of ships capable of knocking out hostile missiles in flight. The off icials discussed aspects of the defensive strategy Saturday on condition of anonymity because some elements are classif ied. The moves, part of a broader adjustment in the US approach to missile defense, including in Europe and Asia, have been in the works for months. Details have not been publicly announced, in part because of diplomatic sensitivities in Gulf countries, which worry about Iranian military capabilities but are cautious about
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acknowledging US protection. The White House will send a review of ballistic missile strategy to Congress on Monday that frames the larger shifts. Attention to defense of the Persian Gulf region, a focus on diffuse networks of sensors and weapons and cooperation with Russia are major elements of the study, according to documents obtained by The Russia opposed Bush administration plans for a land-based missile defense site in Eastern Europe, and President Barack Obama’s decision to walk away from that plan last year was partly in pursuit of new capabilities that might hold greater promise and partly in deference to Russia. One military off icial said the adjustments in the Gulf should be seen as prudent defensive measures designed to deter Iran from taking aggressive action in the region, more than as a signal that Washington expects Iran to retaliate for any additional sanctions. Gen. David Petraeus, the US Central Command chief who is responsible for US military operations across the Middle East, mentioned in several recent public speeches one element of
Kh-55 land-attack cruise missile the defensive strategy in the Gulf: upgrading Patriot missile systems, which originally were deployed in the region to shoot down aircraft but now can hit missiles in flight. In remarks at Georgetown Law School on January 21, Petraeus said the US now has eight Patriot missile batteries stationed in the Gulf region – two each in four countries. He did not name the countries, but Kuwait has long been known to have Patriots on its territory.
A military off icial said Saturday that the three other countries are the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain – which also hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters – and Qatar, home to a modernized US air operations center that has played a key role in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars In related news, the American political Web site Politico.com reported Saturday that CIA director Leon Panetta traveled to Israel last week.
Iran Aid to be Raised with Berlusconi BY YAAKOV KATZ AND HERB KEINON Italian assistance to Iran’s space program will be one of the issues Israeli officials will focus on during talks with their Italian counterparts, security off icials said on Sunday, on the eve of a visit by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and eight members of his cabinet. he massive Italian delegation is expected to arrive on Monday afternoon, with Israeli officials saying the visit symbolizes a significant upgrade in Israeli-Italian relations. Among those accompanying Berlusconi will be Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa.
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Iran is expected to be one of the key issues during the nearly three days of intensive talks, with Israel increasingly concerned about Italian business ties with the Islamic Republic. One item expected to feature prominently on Israel’s agenda is the cooperation between the Milanbased Carlo Gavazzi Space company and Iran’s Space Agency in the development of the Mesbah 2 communications satellite, which was manufactured by the Italian company. Israel’s concern is that the satel-
lite will be used to carry surveillance equipment. Yiftah Shapir, from the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said the existence of the 65kg. satellite was f irst revealed in 2005, when Iran announced that it would be launched aboard a Russian satellite launch vehicle (SLV) into space. The Carlo Gavazzi Space Company has denied it will be involved in the launch of the Mesbah 2. Last February, Iran succeeded in launching the 20-kg. Omid satellite into space aboard its own domestically manufactured SLV called the Saf ir. Iran is not believed to have SLVs capable of launching a larger 65-kg satellite like the Mesbah 2. “There is not a lot of information that has been published about the project,” Shapir said. “The launch was supposed to be in 2005 and has been repeatedly pushed off.” Last month, though, Teheran announced that in early February it will unveil three new satellites, including the Mesbah 2, which Iranian off icials said was still under construction. In November, Iran announced that it planned to launch the Mesbah, Farsi for lantern, in 2011. Defense off icials said that Berlusconi and La Russa would be briefed on the latest Israeli intelli-
Continued on page 40
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POLITICS
The Jewish Voice
Bernanke wins new term as Fed chief BY OLIVIER KNOX
Obama’s export goals may be hard to achieve BY HUGUES HONORE President Barack Obama‘s aim of doubling US exports within five years is an ambitious goal that will be hard to achieve without a broad effort to bring down trade barriers, analysts say.
Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke won confirmation to a second term as the US central banker, despite sharp attacks on his role before the 2008 financial meltdown and in its aftermath. fter a bitter debate that roiled global stock markets, the US Senate voted 70-30 to approve Bernanke after easily dispatching an effort to block the nomination days before his term was to expire on Sunday. President Barack Obama declared himself “gratif ied” by the vote and said Bernanke was needed because “while the worst of the storm has passed, its devastation remains and we have a lot of work to do to rebuild our economy.” Opposition to Bernanke — who drew a historic number of “no” votes — had led Obama and top aides to work the phones to court wavering Senators gripped by election-year populist pressures over the battered US economy. His supporters said the central banker, 56, had pulled the world’s richest economy back from the brink of a collapse like the Great Depression of the 1930s — though many also noted he had not done enough to prevent the crisis. Bernanke’s “performance in addressing the economic crisis and his current efforts to signif icantly enhance f inancial regulation to help prevent future crises, outweigh his past mistakes,” said Democratic Senator Carl Levin. But some Democrats and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, arguably the chamber’s most left-leaning member, charged that Bernanke had crafted disastrous economic policies under George W. Bush, missed the signs of the coming crisis, and then placed the needs of Wall Street above Main Street.Related article:Bernanke struggled to avert crisis Sanders argued the Senate should not “say to somebody who was asleep at the switch in terms of regulating our f inancial institutions: ‘Congratulations, you failed, there’s a major recession, you’re getting reappointed!’” Republican opponents accused Bernanke of being a key author of a hugely unpopular Wall Street bailout and a supporter of what they viewed as excessive government intervention in the US economy. “From monetary policy to regulation, consumer protection, transparency, and independence, Chairman Bernanke’s time as Fed Chairman has been a failure. The last time I checked, you don’t get rewarded for failure,” said Republican Senator Jim Bunning. While Bernanke easily got the 51 votes needed for conf irmation, he drew far more no votes than any other US Fed chief in history, more than in Paul Volcker‘s 84-16 conf irmation vote in 1983. Bernanke’s troubles grew after a shock election result last week in
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
bama’s initiative announced in his State of the Union speech would require sustained export growth of some 15 percent, which has not been achieved since the period of 1976-81. The United States is the world’s third largest exporter, having lost the number one spot to Germany in the 1990s, with China expected to rank first in 2009. US exports have been falling during the global economic crisis, although a weaker dollar has helped limit the losses. Overall exports for 2009 are likely to have dropped by at least 15 percent, with fullyear data expected in early February. Still, Obama’s effort drew praise from many business leaders. “The president’s proposal to double US exports over the next five years and in turn create two million jobs will in part hinge on whether the United States can open new markets,” said Bill Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council. Reinsch said much will depend on “a successful outcome” to the Doha Round of global trade talks, and ratification of freetrade agreements (FTAs) with Colombia, Panama, South Korea and others. The Doha Round of talks under the World Trade Organization has been stalled for years over differences among key trading blocs, with some blaming Washington for its stance.
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Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke Massachusetts, where little-known Republican Scott Brown harnessed a tide of voter economic anger to seize the Senate seat held for more than 45 years by the late Democratic icon Ted Kennedy. That led a handful of senators facing reelection to come out against Bernanke, and forced the Senate’s top Democrats and Bernanke to launch a charm offensive to allay their concerns and steer the nomination to success. The number two Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin, emerged from a meeting with Bernanke saying that the central banker had agreed to promote “transparency and accountability” at the Fed and to work with lawmakers on new f inancial safeguards to protect consumers. Durbin also said Bernanke backed a new economic stimulus package and acknowledged that “mistakes were made” leading up to the f inancial crisis, though the seeds of the collapse were sown perhaps “a decade or more” earlier. A former Princeton University economics professor, Bernanke took over as Fed chief in February 2006, just before the collapse of the US housing market that triggered a global crisis of epic proportions. Over the course of the debate, some of Bernanke’s foes poked fun at Time magazine‘s decision to anoint him its 2009 “Person of the Year,” noting that past winners included Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. “I congratulate him and hope he at least turns out better than those guys,” said Bunning. Market analysts gave a more measured response to Bernanke’s conf irmation. Ryan Sweet at Moody’s Economy.com said the Senate vote removed “some of the uncertainty about the path of monetary policy,” and limited “the damage to the central bank’s credibility.”
President Barack Obama's aim of doubling US exports within five years is an ambitious goal that will be hard to achieve without a broad effort to bring down trade barriers. Obama said the United States “will strengthen our trade relations in Asia and with key partners like South Korea, Panama, and Colombia” but did not explicitly call for Congress to ratify trade treaties with the three countries. US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Thursday that the president seeks “to bring a close a seven-year effort to bring a new world trade enhancing model — the Doha Round” and supports “a more forwardlooking initiative of ours in shaping and taking advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead with the incredible growth that?s going to come in the Asia Pacific region — the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
Continued on page 40
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
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REAL ESTATE
The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Consolo and Aquino Bring Law Firms Look for Long Term Lease Deals Custom Menswear Atelier To the Heart of Manhattan’s F Corporate Corridor BY BRIAN BAXTER
With the commercial real estate market getting clobbered lately, law firms are looking for deals when it comes to signing new leases.
BY LINDA ALEXANDER
including custom cabinetry, leather bound chairs, the f inest cloths and personal bespoke tailors. It will be a destination that is, without a doubt, a ‘perfect f it’.” Ms. Consolo and Mr. Aquino exclusively represented both the tenant and the landlord, Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation, for the 1,000-square-foot space.
Arriving soon to Manhattan’s famed luxury menswear marketplace will be Joseph’s Custom Clothing for Men. Arranged by the leasing team of Faith Hope Consolo, Chairman, and Joseph Aquino, Executive Vice President of Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group, the deluxe haberdasher has signed a long-term lease for a centrally located store at 805 Third Avenue, Prudential Douglas Elliman’s between 49th and 50th Streets, in the Retail Group is the industry leader in heart of Midtown’s corporate headretail leasing, investment sales and quarters corridor. consulting services on a local, nationoseph’s, which is a renowned bespoke al and international scale. Its scope of men’s boutique with a client base of work is comprehensive and extends to celebrities, sports figures and prominent virtually every facet of retail real businessmen, is also a destination for aficiona- estate and every kind of retail location dos of custom shirts and jeans, European – from urban and suburban streets to footwear and fine accessories. Owner Joseph malls, shopping centers, lifestyles cenWendt often travels coast to coast for his exclu- ters and power centers. Prudential sive clientele, providing them with the latest Douglas Elliman’s retail clients come fashions. It is not unusual for a Joseph’s clients from every segment of the market from to purchase entire wardrobes in a single sitting. luxury fashion to mass merchandising. _____________________________________ It works on behalf of private and pub“Could there be any lic investors, entrepreneurial owners better synchronicity than and real estate developers with significant portfolios or single assets. this stellar location” Offering a strategic platform of _____________________________________ services, the Retail Leasing, Marketing and Sales Division special“Could there be any better synchronicizes in creating customized, highly ity than this stellar location,” posited Ms. focused solutions on a client-by-client Consolo. “Surrounded by a virtual client base of executives from Fortune 500 com- basis, oversees retail operations for panies in the immediate area, Joseph’s the 50 Prudential commercial real will provide them with quality suits on a estate off ices (retail services divipar with Brioni, Kiton and Loro Piana, sions) nationwide, and is part of a prebut with that extra measure of care that eminent real estate organization with truly def ines custom tailoring.” more than 4,000 agents and a network _____________________________________ of national and international affili“The new store will have a ates. Ranked in the top five real estate brokerages nationally, Prudential traditional feeling” _____________________________________ Douglas Elliman Real Estate is an independently owned and operated Added Mr. Aquino, “The new store member of the Prudential Real Estate will have a traditional feeling, too, almost Affiliates and an equal housing opporlike a haberdasher on Jermyn Street, tunity company.
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ollowing a flurry of law firm office rental news in November and December, sibling publication GlobeSt.com reported earlier this month that a thaw in credit markets was responsible for an increase in year-end lease signings. And in another potentially good sign for the ailing commercial market, GlobeSt.com cited a recent survey, co-authored by Bingham McCutchen, which noted that distressed investors were likely to target real estate assets this year as corporate restructuring opportunities diminished. Law firms seeking space in this environment need to keep a few important factors in mind. “If you’ve got the capital to advance tenant improvements [it’s a great market], because many buildings are turning into zombie buildings,” says Baker & McKenzie real estate partner Michael Smith. “That means the buildings are running well but the landlords don’t have the capital to improve them.” Landlords have traditionally advanced tenants funds to improve space being leased with the understanding that the money will be repaid via the rental stream, Smith says. But a landlord that is either in default or has maxed out on their lines of credit cannot make such advances. So while there may be plenty of cheap, available space out there, it’s difficult for many strapped landlords to fill their buildings. “Those buildings might be pretty, but they don’t work well. So unless you want to pay for things yourself, you’re in a much stronger negotiating position,” Smith says. “But do I want to put $10 million into somebody else’s building? Not necessarily, because there could be complications.”
So why don’t firms own their own buildings? For two simple reasons, Smith says. “Owning your own building is a great idea for tax and income purposes, but how do you deal with partners coming in and out of the firm?” Smith says. “It makes a lot of sense in the beginning, but five years down the road you’ve got a whole group of property owners arguing about whether or not to stay in a space. That’ll just create internal conflict.” A second issue for a firm owning its own real estate: making a simple determination about how it should best allocate capital. “If your business is only generating real estate revenue, you ought to go into the real estate business,” Smith adds. For its part, Smith’s firm just signed a lease to relocate its Chicago headquarters from 255,700 square feet of space at One Prudential Plaza to 237,000 square feet of space in the Blue Cross & Blue Shield Building, 111 E. Wacker Dr. The firm will occupy seven floors at the 55-story office tower in the city’s East Loop. The move is scheduled to take place in December 2012. (Smith declined to comment on Baker’s Chicago lease.) Indianapolis firm Barnes & Thornburg and Los Angeles’s Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold have also signed leases for new office space in Chicago this month. The Illinois Real Estate Journal reports that the leases for both firms are at the UBS Tower at 1 N. Wacker Dr. in the city’s West Loop. The leases are slated to begin in 2012, with Sedgwick signing a medium-term lease for 19,346 square feet of space and B&T inking a long-term lease for 83,000 square feet. Mark Rust, managing partner of B&T’s Chicago office, told Crain’s Chicago Business that having office space in the signature property was an asset in recruit-
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
REAL ESTATE
PAGE 15
MASSEY KNAKAL REALTY SERVICES RELEASES THEIR YEAR-END PROPERTY SALES REPORTS BY SHARON KRAUSSE Massey Knakal Realty Services, NYC’s #1 building sales f irm, is pleased to announce the release of their exclusive year-end Property Sales Reports. These unique, industry-leading, reports provides a comprehensive study of the investment sales market by product type in the entire New York City area (Manhattan, Northern Manhattan/Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens). n 2009, the total volume of commercial real estate sales in the New York City marketplace was $6.3 billion, which was down 75% from the $25.3 billion in 2008 and 90% below the 2007’s record of $62.2 billion. There were 1,224 transactions closed which consisted of 1,439 properties, representing 0.87% in turnover. Northern Manhattan had the most turnover with a 1.33% rate, while Brooklyn had the lowest at 0.73%. The average transaction size of a New York City building was $4.4 million in 2009, down from $8 million in 2008 and the $12.4 million peak experienced in 2007. Manhattan clearly had the highest average transaction size at $13 million in 2009, down from a peak in 2007 of $52.5 million. Brooklyn and Queens tied for the lowest average transaction size at $1.7 million. Brooklyn and Queens had previously peaked at $2.0 million in 2007. The most adversely
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affected market in terms of pricing was Northern Manhattan where values on a per square foot basis fell between 39.4% (for elevator apartment buildings) and 55.1% (for walk up apartment buildings) from their peak, while Brooklyn faired best falling only 5.3% (for elevator apartments) to 21.7% for walk up apartments.
The highlights from each report include the following: MANHATTAN (south of 96th St. east of Central Park and south of 110th St. west of Central Park) Transaction volume of $4.2 billion down 79% from 2008 and 92% from peak in 2007 The trend towards smaller transactions continued as evidenced by 85% of transactions were less than $25 million – in fact, only seven transactions were greater than $100 million BROOKLYN Transaction volume of $797 million, down 61% from last year and 79% from 2007 peak 476 properties traded in 2009 representing a turnover of .73%, mixed use buildings accounted for 32% of the
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REAL ESTATE
The Jewish Voice
Massey Knakal Realty Services Releases Their Year-end Property Sales Reports... continued from page 15 turnover Pricing, on a per square foot basis, declined (from peak) 21.7% for walkup apartments, 10.2% for mixed use but only 5.3% for elevatored apartment buildings
for 35% of the turnover Pricing, on a per square foot basis, declined (from peak) 38.4% for walkup apartments and 19.1% for elevatored apartment buildings. __________________________________
QUEENS Transaction volume of $586 million, down 69% from last year and 77% from 2007 peak 345 properties traded in 2009 representing a turnover of .79%, mixed use buildings accounted for 24% of the turnover Pricing, on a per square foot basis, declined (from peak) 21.1% for walkup apartments and 16% for mixed use NORTHERN MANHATTAN Transaction volume of $298 million, down 55% from last year and 80% from 2007 peak 92 properties traded in 2009 representing a turnover of 1.32%, walk up apartment buildings accounted for 28% of the turnover Pricing, on a per square foot basis, declined (from peak) 55.1% for walkup apartments and 39.4% for elevatored apartment buildings THE BRONX Transaction volume of $400 million, down 57% from last year and 82% from 2007 peak 202 properties traded in 2009 representing a turnover of .94%, elevatored apartment buildings accounted
“While there is still upward pressure on capitalization rates, we have seen increases in average prices per square foot in the 2H09� __________________________________ “While there is still upward pressure on capitalization rates, we have seen increases in average prices per square foot in the 2H09 due to higher quality assets coming to the market and a bounce off of, what we assume to be, an overshot to the downside,� said Massey Knakal Chairman and Founding Partner Robert A. Knakal. “While we do not see these increases as a clear indication that we have reached an absolute bottom, we do believe that the market is in the process of “bottoming,� added Knakal. For more information on these reports, please contact Shannon Krause, Public Relations Coordinator, at skrause@masseyknakal.com or 212.696.2500 x7793.
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Cushman Taps Glenn Rufrano as CEO BY PAUL BUBNY Glenn Rufrano is joining Cushman & Wakefield Inc. as president and CEO, the company said Tuesday. He succeeds Bruce Mosler in both capacities; Mosler recently became co-chairman of the board of the global services company. ufrano comes to C&W from Australian-based Centro Properties Group, where he has been CEO since 2008. He starts in his new capacity at C&W on March 22, following the completion of his tenure at Centro, and also is being appointed to C&W’s board of directors. In a statement, Carlo Barel di Sant’Albano, CEO of EXOR S.p.A., C&W’s majority shareholder, says Rufrano’s “extensive real estate experience and management background make him the ideal leader to grow the company and further expand the brand worldwide. We are conf ident that Glenn has the vision to lead Cushman & Wakef ield, creating meaningful value for our clients, employees and other stakeholders.� Prior to joining Centro, Rufrano served as CEO of New Plan Excel Realty Trust Inc. from 2000 to 2007. He was a cofounder of the O’Connor Group and spent 17 years with the
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Glenn Rufrano f irm, now known as O’Connor Capital Partners, which has invested internationally in real estate. He also spent more than f ive years at Landauer Associates Inc. where he was involved in the sale of some of the most prominent off ice properties in the US. Rufrano says in a release that C&W “is one of the most recognized and respected commercial real estate services f irms in the world, and I am looking forward to contributing to its growth.� He serves on the boards of General Growth Properties and New York University’s Real Estate Institute, and was previously a director of Trizec Properties Inc., an off ice REIT, and Criimi Mae Inc., a mortgage REIT.
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
Fixes Being Cranked Out in Massive Toyota Recall FROM COMBINED NEWS SOURCES In a massive recall for defective parts Toyota the world’s largest automobile manufacturer, recalled the following models. The list includes popular models of sedans, suv’s trucks and off road vehicles. The gas pedal system recall includes 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia. eparately, Toyota recalled 1.1 million more vehicles last week because of floor mats that can bend and hold down the gas. Toyota has begun shipping parts to f ix the faulty gas pedals that led to a still-expanding recall and an unprecedented decision to stop selling and building some of its top-selling models, but it still could not say when millions of its drivers would get their cars f ixed. The world's largest automaker, bleeding millions of dollars a day in lost sales, also declined to say where the parts are going — to plants so production can start again or to dealers so they can start f ixing cars sitting in their showrooms or already on the road. Amid the uncertainty, the recall grew wider. Toyota expanded the recall beyond an initial 2.3 million vehicles and said it would recall an untold number in Europe and about 75,000 in China because of bad gas pedals that can become stuck. The recall even spread beyond Toyota. Ford Motor Co. stopped production of some full-sized commercial vehicles built by a Chinese joint venture because they have accelerators built by the same parts supplier as in the Toyota recall. Toyota said the maker of the faulty gas pedal systems, CTS Corp. of Elkhart, Ind., was cranking out replacements at three factories, and that some of them already been shipped to Toyota. At the same time, Toyota engineers are working with CTS to develop ways to repair, rather than replace, the pedal systems in existing cars and trucks, said spokesman Brian Lyons. But there was no estimate for how long it would be until customers can get their cars f ixed. The parts are being made at CTS plants, but Toyota has not said where they're going within its system of plants and dealers. "We're well past the root cause identif ication, and we're well past what needs to be done to change the pedal assembly itself," Lyons said. House lawmakers, meanwhile, said they intend to hold a Feb. 25 hearing to review the complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles. "Like many consumers, I am concerned by the seriousness and scope of Toyota's recent recall announcements," said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. In a statement, Toyota pledged its "full cooperation" with the committee. The episode has tarnished Toyota's once-sterling image of reliability. Experts say the longer it goes on, the more Toyota's competitors will benef it.
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As part of the Toyota recall all sales of certain models have been stopped. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he had no details of how the problems would be f ixed but said he had "no criticism of Toyota on this. They followed the law and they're doing what they're supposed to do." National Highway Traff ic Safety Administration off icials met with Toyota representatives to discuss the f ix on Thursday, but no details were announced. The automaker does not need regulatory approval to make repairs or replacements, but company off icials do not want to proceed with a f ix if the government has concerns, said people familiar with the decisions who requested anonymity because the meeting was private. Asked whether Americans should continue to drive the recalled vehicles, LaHood said he would "encourage them to take their car to the Toyota dealer. That's what we're telling people to do. That's what Toyota is telling people to do. That's the safest thing to do." Safety experts say the best thing to do if the gas pedal sticks is to hit the brake hard and hold it f irmly, then shift into neutral or shut the car off and steer to the curb. They say drivers should not pump the brake. Toyota offered its most detailed description of the problem: Condensation can form in the mechanism that connects the foot pedal to the car's engine, causing friction that prevents the pedal from smoothly springing back when the driver eases up. Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports magazine, said the water probably causes corrosion. The parts produced by CTS include the plastic pedal on which the driver's foot rests and the plastic arm beneath it, which runs through a hole in the floorboard and ultimately into a box in the engine compartment. Inside the box are springs that push the pedal back to its resting position when the driver takes his foot off the gas. "It sounds like the pivot point is not moving freely, so the springs don't have the power to return the pedal to the normal position," Fisher said. CTS has said that the problem is rare — occurring in fewer than a dozen cases — and that no accidents or injuries have been linked to the pedal. The head of CTS, Vinod Khilnani, said his company built the pedal to Toyota's specif ications. A consumer group, Safety Research and Strategies, has said it identif ied 2,274 cases of unintended acceleration in Toyotas leading to at least 275 crashes and 18 deaths since 1999. Toyota would not conf irm those f igures.
BUSINESS
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BUSINESS
The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Ways to Reduce Your Auto Insurance Premium BY ROB PERELMUTER If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a smart way to save money. Sometimes, saving money can come in the most unlikely place - such as your insurance. here are several ways you may be able to cut your auto insurance costs. Higher deductibles can lower your premium as will selecting only the coverage you feel you need. Many insurance companies offer different discounts. When shopping for auto insurance, be sure to ask about the availability of these discounts and whether the insurer offers them. • New business discount: May offer you a discount as a new policyholder if you have been accident-free for a specif ic period of time. • Accident-free: Policyholders who have been accident-free while being insured with the same insurance company for several years may be eligible for reduced premiums. • Discounts for other insurance lines: Premiums may be reduced if you insure your home, life or health with the same company that covers your car. • Multiple cars: Premiums may be reduced if there are two or more private passenger cars in the household insured by the same company. • Air bag/passive restraint: Cars that are 1993 or older and are equipped with
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air bags or automatic seat belts may receive this discount. Certain makes and models of newer vehicles may receive the Vehicle Safety Discount because of the lower medical payments associated with them. The Vehicle Safety Discount is for autos 1994 or newer. Certain makes and models may have a decrease in their premiums because of lower medical payments associated with those specif ic makes/models. • Antitheft devices: Some insurance companies offer discounts on comprehensive coverage premiums when certain antitheft devices are installed or built into a vehicle. • Defensive driving course: Premium discounts sometimes are offered for the voluntary completion of specif ied driver improvement courses. • Good student: Full-time students (high school or higher level) maintaining at least a “B” average may qualify for reduced premiums with many companies. These are just a few of the common discounts offered by insurance companies. For more details contact your insurance company or agent. Above all, drive safely. Rob Perelmuter is a State Farm agent. For more information visit his website at www.RobAgency.com or email him at Rob@RobAgency.com
Obama unveils budget that reflects tough times BY STEPHEN COLLINSON President Barack Obama Monday unveiled a budget projecting a record deficit this year, with billions of dollars to curb unemployment and tax hikes on the rich to tame big fiscal shortfalls. t's a budget that reflects the serious challenges facing the country," Obama said at the White House after sending the mammoth spending plan to Congress. "We're at war, our economy has lost seven million jobs the last two years and our government is deeply in debt after what can only be described as a decade of profligacy." The 3.834 trillion dollar budget includes a freeze on non-security discretionary spending, a 100 billion dollar jobs package and more money for overseas wars, education and homeland security. It makes a grim forecast that unemployment, currently at 10 percent, will average 9.2 percent in 2011, and 8.2 percent in 2012, the year when Obama faces a reelection campaign, carrying a punishing legacy of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The economic forecast, however, predicts solid GDP growth of 2.7 percent in 2010 and 3.8 percent in 2011. The budget, for fiscal year 2011, foresees a record deficit of 1.556 trillion dollars in 2010, falling to 1.267 trillion dollars in 2011, and abandons a bid to send men back to the moon, by ending the Constellation program. The Obama administration said the 2011 budget is aimed at dealing with the aftermath of the financial, fiscal, housing and unemployment crises, and to put the United States on a path to long-term economic security.
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US President Barack Obama unveils a budget projecting a record deficit this year, with billions of dollars to curb unemployment and tax hikes on the rich to tame big fiscal shortfalls. The budget will also set the battle lines for the political debate in the run-up to midterm congressional elections in November, in which Obama's Democrats, paying the price for high unemployment, fear heavy losses. The administration says that the deficit will stand at 1.267 trillion dollars in 2011, which will represent 8.3 percent of Gross Domestic Product, compared to 10.6 percent of GDP in 2010. Republicans and some conservative Democrats have raised the alarm at high government spending, which has swelled the deficit, and the issue has been a source of considerable political pressure for Obama. But some analysts warn it is too early to focus on cutting deficits and fear the tactic risks slowing the spending needed to stimulate the economy and generate jobs. Obama's budget chief Peter Orszag told reporters that the administration thought
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
BUSINESS
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The Jewish Voice
EDITORIAL
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
THE PEOPLE’S VOICE EDITORIAL
The Palestinian Janus Syndrome As the world calls Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate, it blames Israel for lack of progress in peace talks. The world looks to the cities and towns built throughout Judea and Samaria, in the past 43 years as ‘impediments to peace’. ast week Mr. Abbas went to Russia and Great Britain to plead his case for what he envisions a Palestinian State should be. In Moscow, Abbas said, that the Palestinians will not accept Abu Dis, a town between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim administered by the PA, as the capital of their future state, and will insist on receiving control over eastern Jerusalem. In a Russian TV interview he said “It is important that we are clear which part of the capital belonged to the Palestinians, and which part belong to Israel.� The Palestinians are claiming all of eastern Jerusalem including the Old City where the Kotel is situated. Ignoring the fact that the Old City is part of Jewish history settled three thousand years ago. It also had a constant Jewish presence for almost the entire Diaspora and a Jewish majority for over a hundred years. It was only when the Arab countries attacked and conquered the Old City and other eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods that Jews were banned from the Old city and it’s holy sites. In his remarks in Moscow Mr. Abbas said he would not resume peace talks with Israel without Netanyahu f irst agreeing to a Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967, lines, or while Israel continued construction in east Jerusalem. He demanded that the only Israeli state that he would recognize was one based on the 1947 UN partition plan. “Israel would have to implement that plan,� he said. “Which at the time the Jews accepted (while the Arabs rejected), in
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order to gain recognition as a Jewish state. In Britain, he said, that he had reached an agreement with former Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert on issues beyond those which had been broached during the time of former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat and former US President Bill Clinton. It seems that he is now demanding that any negotiations start from the point at which the most extreme left wing Israelis were willing to give away the holiest places in Judaism including Hebron, most of Jerusalem and Shilo. The question arises as to what Israel will get in return. Abbas says to anyone that will listen that he has stopped incitement against Israel. But that statement is just un-true. Just last week as he was traveling around the world, the Palestinian Television authority ran a sermon calling for Muslims to “Kill Jews.â€? ‘You shall f ight the Jews and kill them‌ Thus, this land will be liberated only by means of Jihad...’ was the call that went over the airwaves of the off icial Palestinian TV. The call was to ‘Kill Jews’ not just Israelis. How can Abbas claim to be negotiating for peace when members of his governing body arepublically calling for the death of the people with whom says he wants peace with? Israel has a track record of living up to its obligations regarding the peace process. Israel abandoned the Gaza Strip, major cities in the West Bank including Shechem, Bet Lechem, Ramallah and Hebron. The Arabs have responded with rockets from Gaza and terror attacks, ranging from stoning of vehicles to murder. Abbas needs to stop the rhetoric and nice speeches and reign in the radicals in his government before he makes any new demands on Israel.
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Do you have something on your mind that you would like to share with our readers? Is there something you have read in our newspaper that you would like to comment on? The Jewish Voice welcomes your opinions, suggestions and insight. Please submit your letters to info@jewishvoiceny.com We look forward to hearing from you.
Dear Editor, While I support a lot of the relief efforts that are being offered to Haiti and am in full support of them, I think we should also draw our attention to what is taking place in America and how many people are without anything. When destruction such as this takes place it is normal and the right thing to do to place our attention and donate in any way we can. As a matter of fact I wish there were more that I could do to help the people of Haiti during a time when they are in such great need.
Dear Editor, I find the column on etiquette by Alice Franco to be very enjoyable and beneficial. I not only agree with her major points but I also believe that you need to carry articles in newspapers about civility in this day and age. Ms. Franco does it with finesse and humor.
However, I would also like to emphasize that with the financial turmoil that has hit America there are many of people unemployed, some of them are parents with children to feed and care for, and then there are homeless shelters that are being closed down because there are a lack of funds to keep them operating. Let us look into this as well and not forget those who can also use our help. Anonymous
I hope she continues to write her column. I have made my sixteen year old to read the articles since it useful not only to adults but to and children as well. Sincerely, Sharon Barnard
Dear Editor, I wanted to thank you for such an elaborate real estate section in your newspaper that places so much emphasis on a lot of the new developments that are taking place throughout the country, but among my favorites are those that read about in New York City. Not only does your real estate
section specify new developments but it also it full of advice for those seeking assistance on taking out a mortgage, co-op and condominium advice and many other informative articles. I really look forwarding to reading on a weekly basis! Sincerely, Isaac Stringer
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
OP/ED
PAGE 21
How to Save the Obama Presidency: Bomb Iran BY DANIEL PIPES I do not customarily offer advice to a president whose election I opposed, whose goals I fear, and whose policies I work against. But here is an idea for Barack Obama to salvage his tottering administration by taking a step that protects the United States and its allies. f Obama’s personality, identity, and celebrity captivated a majority of the American electorate in 2008, those qualities proved ruefully deficient in 2009 for governing. He failed to deliver on employment and health care, he failed in foreign policy forays small (e.g., landing the 2016 Olympics) and large (relations with China and Japan). His counterterrorism record barely passes the laugh test. This poor performance has caused an unprecedented collapse in the polls and the loss of three major by-elections, culminating two weeks ago in an astonishing senatorial defeat in Massachusetts. Obama’s attempts to “reset” his presidency will likely fail if he focuses on economics, where he is just one of many players. He needs a dramatic gesture to
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change the public perception of him as a lightweight, bumbling ideologue, preferably in an arena where the stakes are high, where he can take charge, and where he can trump expectations. Such an opportunity does exist: Obama can give orders for the U.S. military to destroy the Iranian nuclear weapon capacity. Circumstances are propitious. First, U.S. intelligence agencies have reversed their preposterous 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, the one that claimed with “high conf idence” that Tehran had “halted its nuclear weapons program,” No one (other than the Iranian rulers and their agents) denies that the regime is rushing headlong to build a large nuclear arsenal. Second, if the apocalyptic-minded leaders in Tehran get the Bomb, they render the Middle East a yet more volatile and dangerous. They might deploy these weapons in the region, leading to massive death and destruction. Eventually, they could launch an electro-magnetic pulse attack on the United States, utterly devastating the country. By eliminating the Iranian nuclear threat, Obama protects the homeland and sends a message to American’s friends and enemies. Third, polling shows longstanding American backing for an attack on the Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg, January 2006: 57 percent of Americans favor military intervention if Tehran pursues a program that could enable it to build nuclear arms. Zogby International, October 2007: 52 percent of likely voters support a U.S. military strike to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon; 29 percent oppose such a step. McLaughlin & Associates, May 2009: asked whether they would support “Using the [U.S.] military to attack and destroy the facilities in Iran which are necessary to produce a nuclear weapon,” 58 percent of 600 likely voters supported the use of force and 30 percent opposed it. Fox News, September 2009: asked “Do you support or oppose the United States taking military action to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons?” 61 percent of 900 registered voters supported military action and 28 opposed it. Pew Research Center, October 2009: asked which is more important, “To prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it means taking military action” or “To avoid a military conflict with Iran, even if it means they may develop nuclear weapons,” 1,500 respondents favored the f irst reply 61 percent and 24 percent the second. Not only does a strong majority – 57,
52, 58, 61, and 61 percent – already favor using force but after a strike Americans will presumably rally around the flag, jumping that number much higher. Fourth, were the U.S. strike limited to taking out the Iranian nuclear facilities, and not aspire to regime change, it would require few “boots on the ground” and entail relatively few casualties, making an attack politically more palatable. Just as 9/11 caused voters to forget George W. Bush’s meandering early months, a strike on Iranian facilities would dispatch Obama’s feckless f irst year down the memory hole and transform the domestic political scene. It would sideline health care, prompt Republicans to work with Democrats, make netroots squeal, independents reconsider, and conservatives swoon. But the chance to do good and do well is fleeting. As the Iranians improve their defenses and approach weaponization, the window of opportunity is closing. The time to act is now or, on Obama’s watch, the world will soon become a much more dangerous place. Mr. Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is director of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. © 2010 by Daniel Pipes. All rights reserved.
Israel, Going Forward BY PROFESSOR ASHER J. MATATHIAS Start-Up Nation, The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, a Council of Foreign Relations Book, is the joint output of Dan Senor and Saul Singer, both steeped in business reportage. Senor is a New Yorker, Singer is now a Jerusalemite, and has served as a U.S. government adviser. They describe Israel’s economic power ascendency catapulting its innovation and entrepreneurial intensity ahead of Japan, China, India, South Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom. nation of 7.1 million has become the hub for start-up companies, and attracts the capital of such billionaires as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett; Israel is “a state of mind;” the informality of dress and address that cuts to the chase in every interaction and transaction, produces the chutzpah, the refreshing directness that unnerves others. A recurrent bit of humor finds an American, a Russian, a Chinese and an Israeli standing on a street corner. A reporter comes up to the group and asks: “Excuse me, what’s your opinion on the meat shortage?” The American says, “What’s a shortage?” The Russian says, “What’s meat?” The Chinese man says, “What’s an opinion?” The Israeli says, “What’s ‘excuse me’?” The country’s frenetic pace is partly explained by examining the constricted space in which it is required to live, even as its neighbors wish its extinction. Other vital components that make Israel thrive are the welcoming openness of its immigration policy, “immigrants are not averse to starting over; they are by def inition risk takers; a nation of immigrants is a nation of entrepreneurs.” The development is the outcome of classic Zionism; for there must exist a state for which Jews need no visas. Israel reserves a unique place for universal military service, harness-
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ing both the manifold talents of a heterogeneous population, while forging the ties that bind in post-service solidarity and in the creation of companies listed on the NASDAQ —- more than those from all Europe, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, China, and India combined! And Jews have come on the wings of prayer and hope: from czarist Russia, escaping pogroms; circumventing a British embargo to enter Mandate Palestine; Operation Magic Carpet and Moses, bringing Yemenites and Ethiopians, respectively; and the exit of myriads of detained Jews from the former Soviet Union (the last, crossing a critical mass to establish political parties as they come home to the land of their ancestors. Oddly, our own paradigmatic USA could reclaim the can-do spirit that exemplif ies Israel, blazing in achievement and resilience. Disputation arising from doubt has been the syndrome of Jewish civilization and guides today’s Israel. Jews are the People of the Book,
founding in Israel eight world-ranked universities and 27 colleges. Their Yozma, a driven initiative, invented drip-irrigation, warm-water f ishing in the desert (pumping 98o water into ponds raising tilapia, barramundi, sea bass, striped bass), and the camera pill that examines intestines and report the results in real time. All is not sanguine, however. Israel’s Founding Father, David Ben-Gurion, granted 400 yeshiva exemptions, as an alternative for the army, to the UltraOrthodox haredi to get their support; today tens of thousands go to Jewish seminaries, excluding themselves from the mainstream of Israeli society, including secular studies that have propelled the nation to the upper echelons of industry, commerce, and academia. Israel has translated adversity into opportunity. The Arab boycott proved counterproductive: Israel drew on national resolve and became selfreliant. When French President Charles DeGaulle denied military assistance,
the country built its own military Research and Development apparatus, solidifying today’s ongoing alliance with the United States. Here are some amazing statistics: there are more than 30 newspapers Hebrew, English, Russian, French, and more. Israelis buy f ive books a year, 35 million are sold annually. There are more scientif ic papers produced per capita than in any nation in the world and they have the highest rates of patents. More than 20% of Israelis hold degrees. Nine Nobel Prizes have been awarded in economics, peace, chemistry, and literature; Cisco, Microsoft, Google, IBM, and Intel have large operations in Israel; the 2009 Forbes list has 13 Israeli f irms among the world’s largest companies; Israeli nanotech patents and publications rank in the top three along with Switzerland and Germany; and, Israel trails only the United States in the number of start-up technology companies and in the allocation of venture capital funds! Not bad, for a 61-year old nation!
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Kings Bay Y Annual Purim Carnival Remodeled IDF Ezer Mizion Station Inaugurated BY HANNAH MILLER IDF Human Resources Director, Maj. Gen. Avi Zamir, IDF Chief Medical Off icer, Brig. Gen. Dr. Nachman Esh, International Chairman of Ezer Mizion, Chananya Chollak, and other IDF converged to inaugurate Ezer Mizion's renovated blood sample collection station at the Tel Hashomer Induction Base. zer Mizion's remodeled collection station that we are inaugurating today presents us with an opportunity to enlarge the registry and help those whose lives depend on stem cell transplants, ‘ said Maj. Gen. Avi Zamir during the ceremony. "Every year thousands of people worldwide are diagnosed with diseases that can only be cured with the help of bone marrow transplants, but only about one third of them find a donor through their family members. Everyone can help by donating bone marrow, and through a simple blood test, the right bone marrow can be found for any patient." In 2005, the IDF and Ezer Mizion entered an agreement, and Ezer Mizion's blood sample collection station was built on the IDF's largest induction base. Every recruit passes through the station as part of the induction process and is given the opportunity to join the registry through a simple blood test. "In my dreams I saw numerous soldiers joining, but I never believed that the station would become such a center of attraction for so many soldiers," said Dr. Bracha Zisser, Director of Ezer Mizion's Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Zisser also pointed out that IDF soldiers are actually found to be suitable donors more frequently than Israeli civilians, because they represent a broad spectrum of the ethnic groups among Jews. In addition, they are young, healthy and f it for donating stem cells. "In addition to being a body that protects the safety of the State of Israel, through its cooperation with
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Ezer Mizion, the IDF has also become a health protection network for the Jews throughout the world," added Dr. Bracha Zisser. "We are satisf ied with the increase of IDF soldiers donating bone marrow," said Maj. Gen. Zamir. In the four years since the establishment of the station, almost 120,000 IDF soldiers have joined Ezer Mizion's Registry. "We train our soldiers to fulf ill their military duties and missions at all times, however complex and sensitive they may be, and still remain human. There is no closer or more important bond between one human being and another, between someone who is in need and someone who is able to give than donating bone marrow, and especially when talking about a donation that saves someone's life," added Maj. Gen. Zamir. Cpl. Roy Shogar, a Field Intelligence Corps combat soldier, joined the Registry on the day of his induction. Last July he was contacted by Ezer Mizion because he was found as a matching stem cell donor. He happily went ahead and donated his stem cells that saved the life of a 30 year old cancer patient. "As they promised, the process of collecting the stem cells didn't hurt at all," he said and added that he is waiting impatiently for next year when he will be able to meet the patient who has recovered. "It is an amazing feeling to know that you have the ability to save someone's life. I recommend that everyone who can should join a stem cell registry and back what is being done to save people's lives."
Children will enjoy rides, sand art, face painting, mask and crown making, carnival games and a costume contest. BY ALINA PLOTKINA The Kings Bay YM-YWHA invites the entire community to our Annual Purim Carnival on Sunday, February 28, 2010 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm to be held in our facility located at 3495 Nostrand Avenue between Avenues U and V. The entire day will be filled with festivities for all ages,as the community celebrate Purim with us. he celebration will feature exciting activities for the entire family. Children will enjoy rides, sand art, face painting, mask and crown making, carnival games and a costume contest. Free hamen-
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tashen cookies and amazing raffle prizes will be awarded. The day will be filled with music and fun for the whole family. The Purim Carnival will be the largest in Sheepshead Bay. We are mailing over 15,000 postcards throughout the community and distributing the information at local businesses. Community members, local businesses, Jewish organizations, and civic groups will participate in the day’s activities. Elected officials are scheduled to address the crowd at 12:15 pm. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Alina at 718-648-7703 ext. 224 or via e-mail at info@kingsbayy.org.
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INTERNATIONAL
The Jewish Voice
Hasbara 2010: Positive Promotion of Israel, Battle Against Anti-Semitism
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
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Israeli Minister of Information discussed the redirection of Israeli efforts at positive promotion at a press conference in New York. BY MAXINE DOVERE Yoel “Yuli” Edelstein, Minister for Diaspora Affairs spent the last week of January visiting people and places throughout the New York area. He participated in several events associated with the United Nations International Holocaust Memorial Day and met with United Nations General Assembly President Ban Kimoon to discuss Israeli’s concern about the atmosphere fostered by the Goldstone Report: Speaking to members of the Jewish media, Edelstein commented that “there is little doubt that the report gives ammunition to anti-Semites and Jew haters.” e cites Internet reports distorting even the extraordinary efforts of the Israeli rescue team actively saving lives in Haiti with allegations of the “blood libel” of organ harvesting. Edelstein also detailed an Inter net report of a Polish bishop who claims the Holocaust “never happened” but rather, was the “creation of rich Jews.” Edelstein, the son of Holocaust survivors, also addressed special session of the General Assembly. The minister noted that he sought to avoid bringing politics into his remarks or allowing the Holocaust to be “equalized” with any other tragic event in human history. Israel’s challenge, he says is to “try to deliver the proper message in terms of today’s attitudes.” Of special concern is the increasingly negative atmosphere on North American college campuses where Jewish students and pro Israeli activists must deal with disinformation about Israel: blood libels, organ theft, negative stories about Israel’s soldiers, even accusations of rape of civilians are rampant. Israel now recognizes the
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need to change the situation and is introducing hasbara projects on - and beyond - the university campus. The Minister held meetings with young Jewish leaders to f ind ways to combat the problem. “I want to make sure (the effort) is hitting the right cords. Part of the plan is to use the potential created by Birthright, Maccabia, and other campus programs, and to learn how efforts should be organized..We must change the picture people have about Israel. People must look to the multiple segments of Israeli society.” Calling the global rise of anti Semitism in 2009 “signif icant” and “very troublesome,” the Minister says that “while the anti Semites are not in position to “hit large numbers of Jews,” there is concern. Promotion of the equation “ Israeli crime = Jewish crime’ is problematic. “This must be a call for aff iliated Jews to go to battle,” he states. “ A tactic of the anti Semites is to attempt to lessen communications with Jews and Israelis and among people within the Jewish community - a powerful achievement, this disenfranchisement of individual Jews... Good old anti Semitism now concentrates on ‘those bad Zionists.’” Edelstein is trying to establish ongoing connections to the worldwide Jewish community using technology, including video conferences, and social media . “The best hasbara is not called hasbara. It is using the potential of those who want to tell the true story of Israel. They are the best allies.” While Israel “gets enough time” on the news media, he says, but needs to make better use of social media, including the development of discrete, cohesive groups who will support the Jewish State. “Hasbara in Hebrew is not conceived of as being “on the defensive, rather, it is proactive communication.”
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NEWS IN REVIEW ISRAEL Explosive-filled barrels found on Israeli beach wo explosive devices in barrels were discovered on beaches in southern Israel. The barrels were discovered Monday in Ashkelon and Ashdod, according to reports, and deactivated by police sappers. Police told the Israeli media that they believe the barrels came from the Gaza Strip, Haaretz reported. The barrels, which were discovered by people walking on the beach, each weighed about 175 pounds. Israeli civilians were barred from the Ashkelon and Ashdod beaches. Meanwhile, a senior Palestinian source told Ynet Monday evening that the explosives were to be used to attack an Israeli oil rig in southern Israel. The source told Ynet that the attacks were a joint operation of several Palestinian terror groups.
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Israel's Bunker-Buster Bird-Scaring Technology srael is putting its scariest military technology on the market, one that can kill a man with sounds waves. Its mild-mannered alter-ego, however, is being used to scare man's feathered friends away from airports. The Jewish State's military industry now plans to market the cutting-edge “bunker buster” weapons technology in the form of a sonic cannon. The science behind the device was introduced years ago for the benign purpose of scaring away birds, by former Soviet researcher Igor Fridman, who made Aliyah in 1991. Similar technologies are used in the U.S. for repelling pesky squirrels. Although the technology itself can be used for a relatively harmless purpose, not so the new sonic cannon, powered by fuel-air explosive technology. It delivers sound rays so powerful that according to a recent report in Defense News, anyone hearing them within 10 meters is instantly killed.
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Hebrew service, Pecker said Peretz can stop the growing phenomenon of refusing orders and displaying signs expressing opposition to military action against Israelis who are loyal to the land. Referring to the army's recent removal of the Har Bracha yeshiva from the Hesder program, which combines military service with Jewish studies, Pecker noted the good track record of the program's participants. He concluded, "Today, when there's so much tension, real leadership is needed. Rabbi Peretz can be a good link in this chain."
Israel 'Poisoned Hamas Leader' hit squad that killed a top Hamas commander in his Dubai hotel room injected him with a drug that induced a heart attack, photographed all the documents in his briefcase and left a "do not disturb" sign on the door. The body of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, 50, was discovered by staff at the luxury Al Bustan Rotana hotel after lunch on January 20. There were no suspicious signs and local doctors diagnosed a heart attack. Nine days later, after blood samples sent to Paris for analysis showed signs of poison; Hamas announced his death and blamed Mossad, the Israeli overseas intelligence service, for the assassination. Al-Mabhouh was one of the founders of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the Islamic organisation that seized control of the Gaza strip in 2007.
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INTERNATIONAL New Threat: Terrorists Surgically Implanting Bombs
ake Kinneret, the Israel’s primary source of drinking water, reportedly rose 108 centimeters (42.5 inches) since the start of the rainy season. The Kinneret measures at -213.35. (It should be pointed out the Kinneret rose 106cm all of last rain season). The measurement furnished by Boaz Dayan, reported in the daily HaMevaser, is unofficial and taken prior to Sunday’s announced return to work by Water Authority employees following a two-month strike. Officials are hopeful that weather forecasts predicting significant rainfall for the duration of the winter will further help in filling the Kinneret. The sea has for the past number of years been below a red line considered to be the marker of how much is needed for use before Israel declares a state of draught. Meteorologists predict rainfall towards week’s end and snowfall in high elevation areas in the north.
ritain and the US face a new al-Qaeda terror threat from so-called suicide body bombers with explosives surgically inserted inside them. An operation by the UK intelligence service MI5 uncovered evidence that alQaeda was planning a new stage in its terror campaign by surgically inserting explosives inside terrorists. The explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate, commonly known as PETN, would be placed in a plastic sachet inside the bomber’s body before the wound was stitched up like a normal operation incision and allowed to heal, experts said. Male bombers would have the explosive implanted near their appendix or in their buttocks; women would have them inside their breasts. It would then be detonated with an injection of triacetone triperoxide, administered with syringes that could be smuggled onto planes disguised as a diabetic’s insulin kit. The move could be an effective way to get incendiary devices past new body scanners at airports, introduced across the globe after Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab smuggled PETN onto a US-bound flight in December, hidden under his clothes. MI5 said it was aware of the new threat after discovering increasingly strong chatter on extremist websites.
New IDF Chief Rabbi Cited for Potential to Unify
Iran executes 2 over election unrest
ormer deputy Air Force commander Ran Pecker said Friday morning that newly-named Chief Rabbi Rafi Peretz is capable of unifying the extreme ends of the people. Interviewed by Arutz Sheva's
ran executed two people on Thursday over widespread street unrest that erupted after the Islamic Republic's disputed presidential election in June, an Iranian news agency reported.
Rain Raises Kenneret Water Level
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The two were among 11 people who had been sentenced to death on charges including moharebeh (waging war against God), efforts to overthrow the Islamic establishment and membership of armed groups, the ISNA students agency said. Iran's judiciary chief said on Monday that he will not give in to political pressure to speed up the execution of opposition activists. Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani said that some in the ruling hard-line establishment are pushing the judiciary to step beyond the law in the crackdown on the opposition. In December, hard-line government supporters attending street rallies called for opposition leaders to be executed. Larijani said political motives should not influence investigations. The opposition accuses authorities of using last week's executions to frighten its supporters from turning out for rallies coinciding with the Feb. 11 anniversary of the 1979 revolution.
Bris Performed on French President’s First Grandchild t happened like all circumcisions, with a rabbi and a mohel," Jean Balkany, the president’s friend, who was present at the brit for Solal, told Jewish radio Radio J. French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s first grandson, Solal, was circumcised according to Jewish tradition. Jessica Sebaoun is "a very observant Sephardic" Jew and the French president "sees no problem with that," said Balkany, a member of the French parliament and mayor of Levallois-Perret, a town northwest of Paris. President Sarkozy did not attend the brit, apparently because of work-related obligations, but Balkany said the president’s entire family was present, including his parents and brother. Solal, the son of Jean Sarkozy and Jessica Sebaoun, was born January 13 in the western Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
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Jews from Libya Demand Compensation from Berlusconi he world organization of Jews from Libya has sent a letter to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, with copies to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres asking that, during the visit of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, they bring up the subject of compensation claims for Jews who suffered during the Fascist regime in the north African country. They want to be given the same consideration Libyan leader Muamar Ghadaffi was given a year ago, when Italy gave the Libyan government five billion dollars in compensation for the Fascist period. Organization Chairman Meir Cachlon wrote in the letter that the Jews of Libya were not taken into consideration in the compensation given to Libya and that Israel should be compensated in accordance with Libya's Jewish population during the Fascist period.
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Canadian Police Seize 900 Liters of Alcohol and Kosher Wine olice seized a large quantity of alcohol from an Outremont synagogue. Officers say they’ve been warning the
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synagogue for years to stop buying alcohol in bulk from Ontario. The alcohol, which is much cheaper in Ontario, is served at religious ceremonies. Police confiscated over 900 liters of alcohol, including Kosher wine. According to Quebec law, such large amounts must be purchased from the SAQ. No charges have been laid so far and the synagogue says it will fight the law if any arrests are made. The synagogue has been, identified as belonging to the Skver Chasidim.
NATIONAL Elections to Fill Felders Seat to be Held on March 23rd ayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced today that a special election will be held in the 44th Council District on Tuesday, March 23rd, to fill the vacancy created yesterday by the resignation of Council Member Simcha Felder. The newly-elected Council Member will serve until December 31, 2010. Pursuant to the City Charter, the nomination of candidates in this election will be by independent nominating petition.
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Swastikas Found On Williamsburg Schoolbus illiamsburg Shomrim (WSPU) received a call to their hotline by someone who noticed the spraypainted swastikas on the bus parked at Harrison Avenue & Wallabout Street, and sent units to investigate. Upon the arrival of WSPU, they requested officers from the nearby 90th Precinct to respond - who in turn requested the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit for an investigation. Detectives are looking for any cameras in the vicinity which may have captured the neo-Nazi who is responsible for the latest hate-crime to hit the Chasidic community in Williamsburg.
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EL AL Returns $50,000 Worth of Jewelry to Grateful Passenger L AL turned one woman’s panic into relief last week after a forgotten backpack containing $50,000 worth of jewelry and irreplaceable business documents was discovered and safely returned by airline employees. Upon arrival, the EL AL passenger accidentally left her backpack at the baggage claim area next to the luggage carousel. The bag contained over $50,000 worth of jewelry, including an 18 carat gold rope necklace, Tahitian black pearls, white pearls and diamond rings, said the airline in a statement. There was also a laptop, her pocketbook with personal items plus the important business papers. It was only upon arrival at her home that the passenger discovered that the backpack was missing. She immediately returned to JFK and, on her way, received a call from the EL AL information desk that the bag was found and all the items were safe.
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KASHRUT
The Jewish Voice
Kosher Consumers Look for “Comfort Foods” to Survive the Recession
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Grass is Greener on the Other Side... of the Farm
BY ELIE APPLESON A business newspaper for the gourmet industry recently reported that the “stressful economy [has driven] a nostalgic flavor trend.” The trendologist expert, Kara Nielsen, speculated that these nostalgic flavors may remind consumers of a “seemingly simpler” time. For your average American this trend can be reflected in baked goods, beverages, and candy such as butterscotch, caramel, licorice, and toffee. For a kosher consumer this may mean a draw towards chicken soup with kneidlach, yerushalmi kugel, peanut chews, and chocolate babka.
The recession has drawn kosher consumers towards chicken soup with kneidlach, yerushalmi kugel, peanut chews, and chocolate babka.
urrently, one of the newest and biggest trends with regard to the food industry is the gluten-free diet. Consumers are discovering that when excluding gluten from their diet they feel better and healthier, but Nielson questions whether the gluten-free lifestyle will stick since it is not only difficult, but expensive, especially for the kosher consumer. It is likely that those who are opting for the gluten-free lifestyle, rather than adopting it as a real health need, will go back to eating gluten in a matter of time. New fads are constantly evolving in the food market and
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some will be longer lasting than others, but we will always be able to find comfort in certain foods and flavors. Associating flavors with certain memories is natural and if a good batch of macaroni and cheese can remind you of being a kid in camp, or a fruit compote can take you back to good times with family, take advantage of these positive associations and enjoy! For kosher food manufacturers, there is a lesson here as well. Sure, new and exciting products help drive sales, but in a down economy many consumers are simply looking for the “blanket,” those good old foods bubbie used to make.
The controversy over nutrient quality is ongoing, but studies are increasingly pointing towards no significant difference. BY BETH WARREN By now, you crossed paths with the term “organic” in some way. From clothes to food the concept has become what coffee is for Starbucks: a naturally grown and readily available ingredient, but slap on the name caramel macchiato and it becomes a reason to charge five dollars extra. Is organic food another marketing ploy or truly more nutritious? rganic foods, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) definition, are produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. The regulation does not set parameters around nutrient composition. The controversy over nutrient quali-
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ty is ongoing, but studies are increasingly pointing towards no signif icant difference. However, there are other reasons why some think it is worth the added expense including better effects on the environment, its signif icantly less nitrogen content, the better treatment of animals on organic farms, and most are delivered a short distance from local farms and therefore, less chemicals are used to enhance its freshness or ripeness at time of arrival. Additionally, some write-off the higher price tag since its attributable mostly to the lack of government subsidies on organic farms and the fact that agrochemicals used in conventionallygrown farms are designed to make the food cheaper to produce. Bottom line: if you buy organic foods because you think they are more nutritious, current evidence suggests you may want to rethink the added expense; however, if you “go green” in other aspects of your life and have the extra money to invest, it can only push you towards “greener pastures.”
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
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Israel Postal Company CEO Awarded UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, 2010 International Holocaust Remembrance Day Stamp The stamp was awarded to the Secretary General at a moving ceremony at his off ices in the United Nations building in New York. his historic occasion was attended by Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Mr. Yoel Yuli Edelstein; Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Ms. Gabriella Shalev; Deputy Ambassador, Mr. Danny Carmon; CEO, Israel Postal Company, Mr. Avi Hochman; Mr. Yaron Razon, Director of the Israel Philatelic Service and artist Karen Gillerman whose photograph is the basis for the design of the stamp.
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New “Yad Vashem” Exhibit to be Displayed at UN Building The Israel Postal Company issued a special stamp marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The stamp will be presented to the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki moon at a gathering held in his off ices and attended by Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Mr. Yuli Edelstein, Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Ms. Gabriella Shalev, Deputy Ambassador, Mr. Danny Carmon, CEO of the Israel Postal Company, Mr. Avi Hochman, Director of the Israel Philatelic Service, Mr. Yaron Razon and artist Ms. Karen Gillerman. Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Mr. Yoel (Yuli)
Edelstein (Likud) will present the keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly in honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Wednesday, 27 January 2010) and present the UN Secretary General with a poster of an enlarged replica of the stamp issued by the Israel Philatelic Service especially in honor of this day. The poster was designed by artist Karen Gillerman, portraying a message of optimism, hope and continuity and photographically documenting the importance of remembering the past (remembering the Holocaust and its victims), the present (the flag of Israel) and the future (the next generation). Another event marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be held in the lobby of the United Nations building on 26 January, where a new exhibit from Yad Vashem – The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, sponsored in collaboration with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy, will be displayed: Architecture of Murder: The Auschwitz Birkenau Blueprints”. The exhibit emphasizes how the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp, symbolizing the destruction of the Jewish people in Europe and its culture, is identif ied with human evil at its most extreme and with the murderous and racist ideology espoused by those who built and operated it – the German
L-R: Israel Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Mr. Yoel Yuli Edelstein,UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon President and CEO Israel Postal Company, Mr. Avi Hochman. Nazis. Copies of the Auschwitz Birkenau blueprints, which were discovered in Germany by the Bild newspaper, are at the heart of the exhibit. The original documents were handed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late August during his visit to Berlin to be passed to Yad Vashem. On 25 January, one day earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu will open a parallel exhibit at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, centered on a number of the original blueprints. Mr. Avi Hochman, CEO of the Israel
Postal Company, said that this stamp is the second in a series of stamps marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, joining the tremendous commemorative effort regarding the most tragic historical event in the history of the Jewish people and of humanity as a whole. Hochman added that the many stamps that will make their way around the world aff ixed to envelopes will carry a message declaring “Remember and Never Forget”.
DINING GUIDE
PAGE 28
The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
MANHATTAN Abigael’s
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The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
BROOKLYN Benny's Glatt Fine Dining
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GLATT KOSHER
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PAGE 30
The Jewish Voice
DINING
DINING
Gu i dE in Florida Pita Plus Moroccan & Spanish Food 2120 N.E. 123rd St. N. Miami, FL 33181 305 891-6336 NewTime
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18758 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura, FL 33180 305-935-0761 Sara’s 2214 NE 123rd St. N. Miami, FL 33181 305-891-7272 Shalom Haifa 18533 W Dixie Hwy N Miami Beach, Fl 305-945-2884 Weber Café At the Waterways Shoppes 3565 NE 207th Street Aventura, FL 305-935-5580
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
FLORIDA
PAGE 31
Chief Rabbi Shelomo Amar joins South Florida Sephardic Community at Hachnasset Sefer Torah at the Safra Synagogue in Turnberry
Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, speaks to the congregation
Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, writing the final letter in the New Sefer Torah.
BY RENE KOHN
On Sunday, January 24, more than 600 members of South Florida’s growing Sephardic community gathered at the Beit Edmond Safra Synagogue at Turnberry in Aventura to enthusiastically welcome Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar at a Hachnasset Sefer Torah celebration.
abbi Shelomo Amar , who was born in Morocco and who emigrated to Israel at age 14 in 1962, has been the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel and the Rishon LeZion since his appointment in 2003. Before being appointed Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Amar had served as the head of the Petach Tikveh Rabbinical Court and as Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv in 2002. Rabbi Amar appeared joyous at the opportunity to participate along with South Florida’s Sephardic community in this most historic and happy occasion at the Safra Synagogue. One of the primary points made by
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Rabbi Amar during his address was “that as Holy as the Torah is, there is something that is even more of a priority…that is the purity of the Jewish nation, specif ically purity of the women.” Rabbi Amar went on to implore the South Florida Sephardic community to build a Mikveh in Turnberry in order to elevate the Kehal with modesty and kedusha. A mikveh is more important than bringing a new Sefer Torah, Rabbi Amar told the community. Rabbi Amar continued to say that it will be his honor, G-d willing, to dedicate a Mikvah for this community. At the end of Rabbi Amar’s speech, the Chief Rabbi again exhorted the community with regard to the importance of building a Mikveh. Rabbi Amar said that he looks forward to receiving regular progress reports
Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, dancing with the new Sefer Torah as he brings it into the Safra Synagogue.
Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, was presented with a plaque memoralizing his visit to the Safra Synagogoue. (l-r) Rabbi Yoseph Galimidi, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, and Rabbi Edward Nahum, and Jack Baider.
from Rabbi Galimidi and board members regarding the mikveh’s progress. In addition to the Chief Sephardic Rabbi, Rabbi Shelomo Amar, this historic event was attended Rabbi Edmund Nahum of Deal synagogue, Rabbi Eli Mansour (who translated Rabbi Amar’s speech into English), Rabbi Itchak Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Venezuela, Rabbi Yosef Uziel who directs the Bay Harbor Island Sephardic Synagogue, Rabbi Eli Abady, Rabbi of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Manhattan and Rabbi Yosef Galimidi. Rabbi Eli Mansour, a Sephardic Rabbi of Syrian descent heads the Congregation Bet Yaakob at Ahaba ve Ahva in Brooklyn. He is an eminent Torah scholar and a renowned and
highly sought after speaker. Rabbi Mansour's congregation in Brooklyn is comprised of Sephardic and Middle Eastern Jews of many backgrounds (Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian, Iraqi, Moroccan, Israeli, Iranian, Turkish, Yemenite, Uzbekistani, Libyan, Algerian, Tunisian). Rabbi Eliyahu Mansour attended Magen David Yeshivah and Shaare Torah High School. He then went to Israel where he studied at Mercaz HaTorah. Upon returning home he continued to learn in various places including Ateret Torah in Brooklyn, and the Bet Midrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ. He then joined the prestigious Keter Sion Kollel and
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The Jewish Voice
HEALTH
NYM Launches Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program BY JODI-ANN BAILEY Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common and debilitating disorder characterized by destruction of the lung and inflammation of the airways. It is often—but not always—associated with smoking. COPD is the fourth most common cause of death in the United States and is quickly becoming the third most common cause of death worldwide. Although shortness of breath, wheezing, and cough are common manifestations of this disorder, exercise intolerance is the most significant limiting factor in an individual’s daily life. ulmonary rehabilitation, a new program offered at New York Methodist Hospital (NYM), is a specific treatment for COPD that addresses exercise intolerance by improving muscle strength and stamina. The primary goal of pulmonary rehabilitation is to improve the efficiency of the musculoskeletal system so that the lungs are less stressed and can function for prolonged periods of time— enabling the patient to walk, exercise and perform regular activities. P u l m o n a r y rehabilitation has been shown to improve three important quality of life aspects in individuals with COPD: 1) exercise capacity, 2) severity of dyspnea (shortness of breath), and 3) health related quality of life. Evidence also shows that rehabilitation reduces frequency of hospitalization, cost of care, anxiety and depression, and cognitive function. Pulmonary rehabilitation is gener-
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ally indicated in individuals with moderately severe disease. Those considered to have mild disease but still complain of significant shortness of breath may also benefit from rehabilitation. Some people with very severe disease may also be eligible. Rehabilitation is generally safe, although screening for cardiovascular disease is necessary due to the increased risk of a cardiac event while exercising. Individuals who are eligible for pulmonary rehabilitation must undergo an evaluation process including cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in order to determine their maximum exercise capacity so that an exercise regimen can be determined. Additional testing during therapy may also be necessary to follow a patient’s progress. For more information on pulmonary rehabilitation, contact the Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine at New York Methodist Hospital, (718) 780-5835. _______________________________________ New York Methodist Hospital, a voluntary, acute-care teaching facility located in Brooklyn’s Park Slope, houses 651 inpatient beds (including bassinets) and provides care for over 35,000 inpatients each year. An additional 350,000 outpatient visits and services are logged annually. The Hospital offers Institutes in the following areas: Asthma and Lung Disease; Cancer Care; Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery; Digestive and Liver Disorders; Diabetes and Other Endocrine Disorders; Vascular Medicine and Surgery; Family Care; Neurosciences; and Orthopedic Medicine and Surgery. The Hospital, founded in 1881, has undergone extensive renovation and modernization over the years. New York Methodist is affiliated with the Weill Cornell Medical College and it is a member of NewYorkPresbyterian Healthcare System.
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Maimonides Medical center Receives Award For Clinical Excellence BY EILEEN TYNION Maimonides Medical Center announced today that it has received the prestigious “2010 Distinguished Hospital Award” from HealthGrades, placing it among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation for low mortality and complication rates. Other hospitals in the region receiving this distinction include New York-Presbyterian and Yale-New Haven Hospital. he welfare of our patients is our primary concern,” said Maimonides Medical Center is approaching Pamela S. Brier, President and its Centennial year, and is among the CEO of Maimonides Medical largest independent teaching hospitals in Center. “So it is especially the nation. gratifying to be recognized at a national level for excellence in patient out- the level of care there is among the very comes. The families we serve deserve no best in the nation.” The study states: “Patients who choose less than our best efforts.” The national study by HealthGrades, the to receive their care at a Distinguished leading independent healthcare ratings Hospital for Clinical Excellence certainly organization, analyzed patient outcomes at will have a lower risk for an adverse clinical each of the nation’s 5,000 nonfederal hospi- outcome relative to all other hospitals.” In addition to this recognition for overall tals over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 and named hospitals in the top five percent as clinical excellence, Maimonides has “HealthGrades Distinguished Hospitals for achieved recognition from HealthGrades Clinical Excellence.” Only 269 hospitals in for several specific areas in 2010, such as: the nation received this distinction. According to the eighth annual • Cardiac Care Excellence Award • Five-Star Rated for Spinal Surgery HealthGrades Hospital Quality and Clinical • Coronary Intervention Excellence Award Excellence study, Maimonides and the • Five-Star Rated for Gastrointestinal (GI) other hospitals in the top five percent Medical Services nationally demonstrated patient outcomes • Critical Care Excellence Award (Ranked that far exceeded those of other hospitals. #1 in New York State for Critical Care) Patients admitted to these hospitals had • Five-Star Rated for Treatment of risk-adjusted mortality rates that were, on Pneumonia average, 29 percent lower than all other hos- • Stroke Care Excellence Award. pitals. Risk-adjusted complication rates Maimonides Medical Center is were, on average, nine percent lower than approaching its Centennial year, and is all other hospitals. “Our data show that only a select few among the largest independent teaching hospitals achieve high-quality patient out- hospitals in the nation – training over 450 comes not just in a few categories of care, medical and surgical residents annually. but across the board and over time,” said Widely recognized for its major achieveRick May, MD, a vice president with ments in advancing medical and informaHealthGrades and an author of the study. tion technology, Maimonides has 705 beds “Patients in communities with a and over 70 subspecialty programs. For Distinguished Hospital for Clinical more information on the nationally recogExcellence should feel proud of the hospi- nized clinical services at Maimonides tal’s accomplishments, and confident that Medical Center, please log-on to www.maimonidesmed.org.
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Ari Levine, PT, MSPT Sara Grossman, DPT 468 Ocean Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11218 Tel: 718.282.0013 Fax: 718.282.1955 ari@ouchpt.com www.ouchpt.com
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
HEALTH
PAGE 33
LEAVING THE NEST: HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? Invariably when our older children leave home, get married and establish lives of their own, windows of opportunities can arise for the mother left behind in the nest. Appreciating new parental ventures can only become apparent after one re-shifts and refocuses their priorities. or some women, an empty nest evokes a sense of purposelessness and a feeling of melancholy. Many mourn the loss of their children’s departure and the daily dependence that the children had on them. Others feel energized by their new sense of freedom and excited at the thought of embarking on a new job or being able, for the first time, to pursue hobbies that interest them. And then there is an increasing number of women who f ind themselves in their own unique category; half a nest. Loosely translated, the older children have left the nest to get married but there are still younger children nesting at home, albeit on a 9 to 5 school schedule. Consequently, these middle aged moms who may be in the throes of a job, be committed to elderly parents, or have new duties as a grandmother suddenly f ind they face more demands and higher expectations than ever before. ___________________________________
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“Consequently, these middle aged moms who may be in the throes of a job, be committed to elderly parents, or have new duties as a grandmother suddenly find they face more demands and higher expectations than ever before” ___________________________________ Their seemingly endless list of obligations result in several problems. Firstly, middle aged moms need to deal with new pressures while simultaneously juggling the time they spend with their younger children. Secondly, and perhaps even more frightening, parents are confronted with the stark reality that some of the child rearing methods once implemented in years gone by no longer
serve in good stead. Parents often reflect on the severe contrasts regarding the ways that we raised our older children compared to our younger children. We wax sentimental about a more innocent era when oneon-one conversation with our children was the standard fare in communication. As younger moms we were able to devote the lion's share of our time to our toddlers. Story time, game playing, long talks, leisurely car rides, and trips to the amusement park all seemed so effortless. The words, "quality time" were not even a part of our vernacular. Ten years down the road, however, it appears that we are left with quite a different parenting scenario. Due to our increased responsibilities and material needs, we f ind ourselves on mental overload and thus, we are riddled with guilt that we can no longer parent with the same degree of attention that we had for the older children. So how does the middle aged mom grapple with these complex issues? How does she assuage her guilt concerning the obligations that she has outside of the home and her paramount function of being the best mother possible to her younger children? Reality stares us in the face. Parenting has taken on new dimensions and differences. Mothers must accept that the new responsibilities in their life are necessities that are borne out of transition and change. Mothers have to acknowledge that as time passes there are new commitments; new pressures and she simply can’t be the same mother of yesteryear. Erikson def ines human development as a product of the interaction between the individual and the demands and expectations of the society. He asserts that as we progress through the stages of development, we eventually move into the nurturing stage of middle adulthood. This stage is referred to as “generativity vs. stagnitivity", where the primary tasks of middle adult hood are managing, caring and fostering others. In this stage, the ego strength is associated with the achievement of care, and the individual is committed to improving the lives of future and earlier generations. It is no wonder that middle aged moms entering into new roles are often overwhelmed with new demands and expectations. Mothers often project guilt concerning the fact that their younger children are not getting the same time and attention that their older children received. This may very well be true but it doesn’t necessarily mean that those younger children are not the recipients of differ-
1 Yr Contrct
BY: RIVKI JUNGREIS MS.ED , LMSW
Mothers must accept that the new responsibilities in their life are necessities that are borne out of transition and change. ent benef its. In conversation with some mothers, it was interesting to note that all were in agreement that their f irst and last child were often raised differently. One claimed, perhaps she no longer had the time to sit and do arts and crafts or play endless games with her daugh-
ter; and as a busy mom she was on the phone quite often but she said, now there were so many others to pitch in and give attention to her youngest; her
Continued on page 38
Rivki Jungreis MS.Ed, LCSW A Psychotherapist specializing in Play Therapy, is EMDR trained and certified from EMDRIA institute. She is trained in Self Relations Psychotherapy and graduated with a MSW from Columbia University and with a masters in Special Education from Bank Street College. Published in CUSSW journal on Family and Children in Crisis and other publications, she attributes her interest in play therapy to her fulfilling work with special children at Churchill and Bank Street College. A noted lecturer at Hineni outreach organization, Rivki is deeply gratified by the positive response of the Organization on so many. In conjunction with her seminars on skills acquisiton and parenting group workshops given all over tri-state area, Rivki maintains a private practice open to adults and children.
RIVKI JUNGREIS MS.Ed , LMSW can be contacted at rjtherapy1@yahoo.com\
The Jewish Voice
PAGE 34
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
PARSHA
PAGE 35
Parshat Yitro - 5770, 2010:
“Most Favored Nation ” BY MORDECHAI KAMENETZKY Dedicated in memory of Esther Hammerman by Shayne and Marty Kessler
Asian, African, or European descent. Thus, the Torah clearly states that those who hearken and observe the covenant are worthy to be a beloved treasure. What needs clarif ication is the f inal statement, “for Mine is the entire world.” What difference does that make in the context of commitment, and Hashem cherishing those who choose His path? An old Jewish Bubba Ma’aseh serves as a wonderful parable. Sadie Finkelstein lived in an apartment on New York’s Lower East Side for about 50 years. Her son, David, had made it big in the corporate world as cosmopolitan businessman, wheeling and dealing, traveling to places as far-flung as the Himalayas and Russia‘s Ural Mountains. Of course, he shopped the f inest Paris boutiques and European stores on his excursions to the more civilized portions of the world. For his mother’s 75th bir thday, David decided to send her a gift of the f inest Russian caviar and France’s most exquisite Champagne. From his
The portion of Yitro contains perhaps the most popular of all Biblical treatises The Ten Commandments. But the portion contains much more than commandments. It also contains Hashem’s elocution def ining his people as the most treasured in the world. What makes Jew chosen? Before giving the Torah to them, Hashem enunciates the prerequisites. nd now, if you hearken well to Me and observe My covenant, you shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples, for Mine is the entire world” (Exodus 19:5). Note: Judaism’s exclusivity is not dependant on birthright alone. It is dependent on commitment to Torah and Mitzvot. It is not a restricted club, limited only to those who are born as Jews, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; it is also enclusive to those who commit to observe, whether, of
“A
hotel suite in Paris he had the items shipped with one-day deliver y, the Champagne and caviar on ice! A few days later, David called his mother up. “Ma,” he asked, “did you received package?” “Sure, I received package,” his mother said. She did not seem impressed. “Well how was it?” David asked in anticipation. All he heard was a sigh. Then a pause. “To tell you truth ,” said Sadie “The ginger ale was a very sour and the blackberry jelly tasted to salty.” What makes a treasured item? What def ines glory? If one is locked in his apartment and sees not the world, his treasures may be relegated to crackers and shmaltz herring. One may say, the Jews think that their culture is Divine, but they live in a myopic world. Hashem says, “No!” “You shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples, for Mine is the entire world” In proclaiming the Jewish people as the most beloved treasure, Hashem adds, “I know every culture, I saw
The above article has been reprinted with the permission of Project Genesis genesis@torah.org Phone: 888-WWW-TORA(H) (410) 602-1350 Mailing Address: Project Genesis 122 Slade Avenue, Suite 250 Baltimore, MD 21208
Summary of the Haftorah:
Yishaya 6 - 7 This week’s Haftorah is from Yishaya 6 and 7. Continuing the theme of Revelation, the Haftorah recounts the famed vision known as Maaseh Hamerkavah - the vision of Hashem as He sits upon His throne surrounded by various angels singing His praises. ishaya prophesied during the reign of Achaz, the King of Yehudah. This vision is repeated in greater detail in Yechezkel, and is usually associated with Yechezkel, rather than Yishaya. However, in this awesome vision, Yishaya is told of the eventual destruction of Yerushalayim. He is sent to relate this prophecy to the new
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King Achaz, who would prove to be an evil and wicked monarch. The concluding prophecy is far more optimistic than the beginning one. Achaz is told not to fear the coming war between Aram and Israel. In the merit of his, yet to be born son, Chizkiyahu, their alliance would fail. Chizkiyahu would eventually be crowned as “The Prince of Peace,” and return the Jewish people to an unprecedented devotion and commitment to Torah scholarship and observance. Unfortunately, the Jewish People would return to their evil ways and Yerushalayim would be destroyed.
Do Not Forget the Neediest
Feed the Hungry Give To The Sephardic Food Fund
every diamond, I own all the gold and all the precious jewels, and yet there will be no greater treasure to me than they who observe my laws and commandments!” In choosing His people, the Almighty explicates, that he has proverbially tasted all the world’s delicacies. He has seen all the world’s glory. He has seen every fascinating custom and gazed at every civilization. His celestial palate has taste for the most Heavenly and Divine delicacies. Then He def ines the Jews as the g reatest treasure in a world that belongs solely to Him! That means we are a treasure among whatever archeologists, historians, sociologists, feel is priceless. We are a treasure amongst treasures! The Almighty who lacks for nothing enjoys nothing more than the joy of His dearest people those who are chosen because they have chosen.
Good Shabbos
The Jewish Voice
PAGE 36
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Israel’s Top Ten Must-Have Gadgets BY JEWISH VOICE STAFF They keep your legs smooth, back up your files, upload your photos from wherever you may be. ISRAEL21c presents 10 top, developed-in-Israel gadgets. sraelis love technology. They are early adapters, and relentless innovators, always looking for ways to improve their lives in every possible area.
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With the country’s talent for development, it’s so surprise that some of the world’s top gadgets were designed and developed in Israel. 1.DISKONKEY Dov Moran, founder of Modu, previously hit the big time with his company M-Systems, which developed the very first DiskOnKey (or DiskOnChip as M-Systems originally dubbed it). The concept is simple enough: Jam up to 64 gigabytes of data onto a tiny gadget no larger than a house key. The latest versions actually look like a key and can hook onto your keychain. DiskOnKeys were part of the “one-two sucker punch” that killed the venerable floppy disk (the other being cheap recordable CD-ROMs and later DVDs). Aside from being a reliable way to transfer data from computer to computer, disk-on-keys are now finding new life, expanding the storage space of the latest portable craze, the NetBook. In 2005, PC World named the DiskOnKey one of the world’s top 10 gadgets in the last 50 years. In 2006, international powerhouse SanDisk purchased M-Systems for $1.6 billion. 2. POWERMAT How many power cables do you have running under your office desk for all your computers, hard drives, modems, routers, etc.? How about those kitchen appliances and their connections to the sockets? Wouldn’t it be great to get rid of the clutter? That’s what Powermat promises to do. The Israeli company’s technology lets you embed a power grid in just about anything from a desk to a kitchen counter. Then, with a wireless receiver hidden inside a device, there’s no need for plugs anymore. Just position the device or appliance near a power “hotspot” and away it goes. In a demo on the company’s website, a salesperson goes so far as to pour water all over a “Powermatted” kitchen counter - with no burn-outs or electrocutions. Other demonstrations show iPods and Blackberries charging when simply placed on a table. The company is a joint venture between Michigan-based HoMedics and Israel’s Powermat. The first products will be available in time for this winter’s shopping season. 3. EPILADY The story of this gadget is fraught with intrigue. We’re talking about a hair removal product invented in Israel that now has copycat versions worldwide. The original Epilady “epilator” was released in 1986. It had a rotating spring that worked by catching hair and pulling it out. It isn’t pleasant but, according to women, it works. Newer versions have more of a tweezer action. Either way, the result is not unlike a waxing treatment, except that you can do it yourself at home, for a fraction of the cost. An Epilady treatment lasts up to four weeks. Epilady was the first but has been surpassed by international brands including Braun and Remington (Epilady sued Remington over patent infringement but lost). Still, the company has sold 28 million units over a 23-year career and now sports 13 different models from the “Traveler” to the youth-marketed “Epigirl.” Ironically, when the first Epilady came out in Israel it was given the “American” sounding name “Nice and Easy” while the company used the “Epilady” moniker overseas. 4. CTERA Israeli company Ctera makes a small gadget that connects to a USB hard drive, transforming it into a cloud-based offsite storage system. It’s a two-step process. First, data is backed up from your main computer to the external drive. Next, it’s sent to servers “in the cloud.” The result is that your computer isn’t constantly sending data to the Internet and slowing down processing speed. With this gadget multiple computers can now be connected to a USB drive that used to be tethered to just a single machine. Ctera’s “Cloud Plug” is small enough to fit in an envelope which can be mailed from an ISP (Internet Service Provider) to its customers. ISPs like the device because it gives them a way to monetize all the online backup traffic they’re losing to third party services. Ctera also sells the gadget direct to the public for $199. Given that it’s not a question of if, but when, your hard disk will die, cloud storage has a rosy future. Ctera aims to be in the thick of it. 5. BOXEE Boxee isn’t exactly a gadget. It’s software that’s intended to be integrated into other companies’ gadgets as their Internet media operating system. If it were just a TV playback system, Boxee wouldn’t be so hot; after all Microsoft and Apple have similar solutions. But Boxee excels at playing all types of video, audio and even image files. YouTube, NetFlix, Flickr and Pandora are all built in. And Boxee also plays well on the Xbox. There are also a bunch of nifty social networking features that allow you to share what you’re watching with friends or tweet in real time (though we wonder how you can actually enjoy an episode of Heroes if you’ve got one hand on a remote controlled keyboard). 6. EYE-FI Here’s an idea that’s so obvious it’s a wonder no one else thought of it. You’re at a family event, your child says his or her first words and you have the good fortune to capture the moment with your digital camera. You want to share it with the world but to do that you’d have to get back to your house, plug the camera into your computer via a USB cord, upload
it, and then post it to Facebook or your blog. With Eye-Fi you can upload those photos wirelessly from anywhere. The company sells a standard SD card (that you need to run your camera, anyway) that has built-in WiFi connectivity. That means that anywhere there’s a hotspot (which these days is just about everywhere) you can upload your photos to one of 25 sites that you specify in advance through the Eye-Fi software. The Eye-Fi works with all the top cameras, from Canon to Kodak. The company was founded in 2005 and two of its four founders, Yuval Koren and Ziv Gillat, are Israeli. But we have to ask: Is there still a market for a wireless SD card? Anyone with an iPhone already has the ability to wirelessly upload pictures - and even video - immediately. The answer: Standalone cameras with higher resolution than a phone-cumcamera haven’t gone the way of the dinosaurs yet, nor is there any reason to think that they will, which means Eye-Fi has plenty of visibility ahead. 7. MODU Modu looks something like a cell phone and something like an MP3 player, but isn’t really like anything you’ve ever seen before. Essentially, Modu is a tiny device with cellular capabilities that can be slipped into any number of “jackets” to give it a specific functionality. One jacket transforms Modu into a full MP3 player, in another it’s a camera. The plan is to create a mini-economy around Modu accessories. Our favorite Modu jackets: Modu Executive (looks like a Blackberry); Modu Love (a stylish cell phone with a big heart); Modu Kids (imagine a cute green Nintendo DS); Modu Boombox (a little phone with big, built-in bass-enhanced speakers); and the Modu Bicycle Mate (that snaps onto your handlebars). The company is facing increasing competition from Apple, Nokia, Palm and others, which may be why, despite raising nearly $130 million since its launch in 2007, Modu recently laid off 80 employees. Still, the news isn’t all bad. Just a week before the layoffs Modu announced the launch of a touch screen jacket using Google’s Android mobile operating system. 8. MOBILEEYE Speaking of visibility, another Israeli high-tech company, MobileEye, combines a tiny digital camera with sophisticated algorithms to help drivers navigate their vehicles more safely. Consider the lane departure warning system. When a driver starts drifting out of a lane or doesn’t use the turn signals, the system rings an alert. The MobileEye application is so sophisticated that it can even sense when a driver is “about” to change lanes inadvertently. Fused with the car’s steering system, MobileEye takes the camera that much further. Other applications include a forward collision warning, traffic sign recognition and pedestrian detection. MobileEye has been around since 1999 and has deals with GM, BMW and Volvo, among others. The company maintains R&D in Jerusalem but is now headquartered in The Netherlands. 9. EASY-2-PICK Airplane travel is stressful. There are the security checks, uncomfortable seats, tasteless meals and then, of course, there’s the fact that you’re hurtling through the air at breakneck speeds in a tin box. But perhaps the worst party of all is waiting for your luggage. You never know when it’s coming up the conveyer belt. You grab a bag only to discover that it belongs to someone else. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just sit back and wait for your luggage to alert you when it’s arrives? That’s the idea behind a simple device from Easy-2-Pick, a small Israeli company founded by two American Express travel agents. The gadget has two components. One piece attaches to the luggage, the other fits in your pocket. The range between the two pieces is only 15 meters, so the alert only sounds (it also lights up and vibrates) when your luggage is close by. The Easy-2-Pick system was red hot when we first wrote about it last year. It seems to have floundered since then as the inventors search for distributors. Still, it’s a wonderful idea and we hope it succeeds. Imagine the same technology being applied to your keys... or your car, when you can’t remember where you parked. 10. MEDICAL IMAGING VIA CELL PHONE In the Western world, we take for granted high-tech tools for physicians and hospitals such as the handheld ultrasound wand that displays the heartbeat of a fetus or detects a tumor. But how would you use that same device in a remote village in Africa where there isn?t even any electricity? Boris Rubinsky, a professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has come up with a novel concept: blend the wand with a cell phone. The phone powers the medical imaging device, then transmits the resulting data to a central processing facility - perhaps even in Israel - where it’s turned into an image which can then be messaged back to the village physician’s phone. The entire process is not unlike the trend in medicine in recent years where X-rays taken in the US are sent to Israeli radiologists for review and then returned via the Internet - saving money and time (it’s daytime in Israel, while it’s still night in the US when radiologists may not be so readily available). Rubinsky’s life saving gadget is still just in the prototype stage but it has a promising future (and Rubinsky has the patents to back it up). Next in line: Rubinsky is working on a gadget that will extract small amounts of electricity from potatoes - just enough to charge a cell phone in those same far flung third world villages.
The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
PEOPLE & PLACES
PAGE 37
People and Places BY PAUL STEINER
The subway linking Brooklyn and Manhattan opened on Jan 8, 1908. Erich Segal who wrote the blockbuster book “Love Story” on which the movie starring Ryan O’Neil and Ali McGraw was based died Jan. 17, but it took the NY Times several days to run its very long and detailed obit. Segal’s novel was more than a year on the NYT’s hardcover bestseller list. here are now so many erros/corections and late reportings in the NYT it would soon take up this whole column to list most of them.
T
House of Zion, Redwood City, Calif offers for sale: Cover Addressed by Albert Einstein to Friend & Classmate “L(ucien) Chavan, Bern, Switzerland,” while a Professor at the German University at Prague (1911-1912), cover bears Austrian stamp tied by Prague datestamp 1911, 4-line typewritten note in German indicating Einstein’s handwriting. Estimated value $200. Austrian Cultural Forum and Elysium between two continents presented “Remember - For the Future” tells of the heroic flight for freedom and resistance to the Nazi-Regime. It speaks of human sacrifice and noble acts of humanity in the midst of blind destruction. World War II was the most devastating catastrophe where almost 60 million people died. Inseparably connected to the war is the Holocaust. In the face of such cataclysmic events, the eternal human questions of life and death, war and peace, loss of country and the quest for sanctuarry continue to resonate. “Remember - For the Future” includes works by composers and writers who were persecuted and silenced by the Nazi Regime. Besides banned artists from Germany and Austria, the program prominently features composers and authors from those countries that were attacked by the Nazis during World War II, such as Poland, France, and Czechoslovakia. The musical styles of those composers are as varied as their destinies, ganging from late romanticism to twelve-tone-music. Paul Ben-Haim, who emigrated to Palestine, experimented with new rhythmic forms which he found in Middle Eastern music traditions. In the compositions of Jerzy Fitelberg and Ziga Hirschler, one clearly hears the folkloristic influences of their Polish and Croatian homelands. The Piece “Reinforcement,” created by the writer and composer Paul
Aron Sandort, deals with the artist’s daily fight against hunger and desperation in the camp and ghetto of Terezin. Elysium commissioned the Salzburg-based composer Stefan David Hummel to set two texts to music: a poem by Stefan Zweig and the farewell letter of Libertas Schulze-Boysen, member of the Nazi-resistance group Red Orchestra. Kimberly Reed’s documentary “Prodigal Sons” follows three siblings and their adopted brother who discovers he’s the grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth; back to their Montana hometown, where a powerful story of an entire family’s transformation unfolds. Universals’s “The Book of Eli” - in the not-to-distant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the wasteland that was once America. Empty cities, broken highways, seared earth, all around him, the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civiliation here, no law. The roads belong to gangs that would murder a man for his shoes, and an ounce of water. But they’re no match for this traveler, a warrior not be choice but necessity, Eli (Denzel Washington) seeks only peace but, if challenged, will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake. It’s not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future; a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years and is determined to realize. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive. Psychological Book “Psychotherapists Les Barbanell presents an important analysis of the lessknown ‘caretake personality disorder,’ characterized as an addiction to helping others. He offers insights gleaned from his unique practice; explains the basic traits of the addiction, and typical masks that hide underlying emotional turmoil; and presents practical suggestions for long-term recovery and stability. Barbanell frankly integrates his own personal experiences as a recovering pleaser. This work provides a foundation to understand better this relatively obscure disorder. A vital work for those in the helping professions and people suffering from this disorder.” Inflation Info Really big money has been made in New York City taxis. The value of a city taxi medallion has jumped 179% this decade, to $760,000 last month, outperforming just about every asset save for gold, which has risen 245%.
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The Jewish Voice
FEBRUARY 5, 2010
Rabbi E. Melamed Considering Resigning... continued from page 4 tlement leader and a former Knesset Member, had criticism both of Barak and of Rabbi Melamed’s rabbinical colleagues. “The attempt to punish students in this way is shameful,” he said. “If a university rector would say something objectionable, would they close the university?!” Regarding the Hesder rabbis, Rabbi Porat said, “I’m disappointed that they did not present a f irm, clear and united front. I told them that they should not let the Defense Minister confuse them,
that they should be tough and should serve as a mouth for the soldiers who don’t want to be ordered to demolish Jewish homes. They f inally did so, but even then it was very weak-kneed; they said, ‘perhaps other soldiers could be taken for these missions.’ This is not the way. They have to say clear things: The IDF should not take part in civilian missions, and getting the IDF involved in these things just destroys the army, as we saw in Gush Katif. There is nothing more legitimate than to say this clearly, and I call upon all Hesder students to
sign a petition to forbid involving the IDF in politics.”dents in this way is shameful,” he said. “If a university rector would say something objectionable, would they close the university?!” Regarding the Hesder rabbis, Rabbi Porat said, “I’m disappointed that they did not present a f irm, clear and united front. I told them that they should not let the Defense Minister confuse them, that they should be tough and should serve as a mouth for the soldiers who don’t want to be ordered to demolish
Jewish homes. They f inally did so, but even then it was very weak-kneed; they said, ‘perhaps other soldiers could be taken for these missions.’ This is not the way. They have to say clear things: The IDF should not take part in civilian missions, and getting the IDF involved in these things just destroys the army, as we saw in Gush Katif. There is nothing more legitimate than to say this clearly, and I call upon all Hesder students to sign a petition to forbid involving the IDF in politics.”
more. Further renovation, which was not included in the original pilot, was done ahead of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI last year, initiated by the Jerusalem Development Authority. These works focused on the large hall east of the main courtyard and the public toilet that was installed near the hall several years ago. Comprehensive work was also carried out on the Last Supper Room ahead of the pope's visit. Due to drainage problems on the roof of the structure, rainwater seeped into the building and the interior plaster began to peal. Lacking proper maintenance, some of the engraved texts on the walls disappeared,
and the pillars in the area were covered with layers of dirt. Therefore, a great chunk of the work was dedicated to sealing off the northwestern part of the structure's roof. The Jerusalem Development Authority also plans to reinstall signposts all over the complex to make getting around easier. After the completion of the pilot works, plans were launched to preserve and restore the rest of the areas in the complex, including the room of Zion, the tomb and the rooms leading up to David's Tomb, the walkway and the room east of the walkway used as a space to light candles in. Plans to renovate the hall toilets and roof are also in motion.
Renovating David’s Tomb... continued from page 4 prints. The works were performed by a contractor with experience in preservation and infrastructure, who renovated and installed toilets in the rooms. The rooms are now used as guest rooms. Following the success of these two projects, the Jerusalem Development Authority decided to merge the development and preservation of the complex with the government's Old City project. This enabled the complex to be viewed as a single unit for the first time, both with regards to the study of the site from a historical and archaeological aspect, and with regards to the physical and practical aspect
of maintaining and preserving the site. Pilot plans were then drawn up for the renovation and preservation of the compound's main courtyard, including the corridor at the northern entrance. Before the project was launched, the 1,290 square foot courtyard was in a dire condition – poor infrastructure under the flooring, lack of an upper drainage system, poor electric and telephone infrastructure, improvised stone benches and more. The site was completely renovated. Reinforcements were placed, the walls were cleaned painted and plastered, banisters were installed, the site was made accessible for the handicapped, stone benches were built, and
Fixes Being Cranked Out in Massive Toyota Recall... continued from page 18 Toyota said the problems occur as the parts wear over time, so drivers should be able to feel more resistance in pressing their gas pedals, and they would return slowly to normal positions. This would occur before the
accelerator might stick, Fisher said. "It's my understanding that the problem doesn't come out of the blue," Fisher said. "With time there becomes more and more friction, and it doesn't operate as smoothly as intended."
In a twist, Toyota's own streamlined production system, which allows the company to control quality by using relatively few parts suppliers around the world, appears to have made for a more extensive recall.
No matter what the f ix, the cost to Toyota will be staggering — probably in the tens of millions, perhaps higher. Jim Gillette, a supplier analyst with consulting company CSM Worldwide, estimated it might cost $25 to $30 per vehicle, plus labor.
LEAVING THE NEST: HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?.. continued from page 32 older marrieds, the older siblings etc. Her daughter reigned as princess of the house and the world revolved around her in many ways. She was the adored youngest; she received more accolades than any of her children and had more self-esteem than anyone. Her daughter was an aunt to many nieces and nephews and she also had the coveted title of Mommy’s baby. One married daughter upon noticing her mother giving a whole popsicle ices (with two sticks) to her youngest sibling, commented, “Mommy, when we were growing up you always gave us a half a popsicle." Her mother turned to her and said quietly, "When you were growing up you had a whole Mommy.” There are differences in raising children today but awareness is always the key to parenting successfully. For example, being aware there are times when communication must be monitored especially for younger children raised with older siblings. They are repeatedly in earshot of adult conversations and often absorb subject matter that is far beyond their emotional grasp.
Whether it be the problems in a marriage, f inancial concerns, details of a pregnancy, worries over the physical condition of a grandparent, the younger child is caught in the middle and naturally queries the parent and demands explanations. As parents we feel an obligation to explain and let them into our adult world and unfortunately we end up adultif iying our younger children. A big mistake! Research indicates that deep down in their souls, children don't want to be treated as adults. They feel more secure and loved when they know that they are children and when they know that their parents are the adults who are in charge. When too much power and control is handed to a child, it frightens him because his parents have seemingly relinquished their role as protectors. Anxiety usually sets in, along with a host of symptoms. It is important for parents to be aware that whatever else is going on, the younger children should be allowed to have their childhood. Mothers must be aware that time brings along change. This too, should
allay the anxieties of the guilt ridden mother. She cannot be the mother she once was but she can still be a role model, She can still attempt to make time spent with her children a top priority, knowing that it acts as a buffer against children developing a sense of alienation. Make a goal for some family dinners during the week. Dinner together with children should be an absolute because it can change their world. So many important details of their daily lives such as their worries, concerns, interests and problems come to the fore in this setting. Whether you eat or just sit with them is irrelevant. It is the communication that is key, and the more often the better. Children can form a sense of belonging to family as opposed to rootless peers who may be rebellious or be acting out. Mothers, can still make sure that her younger children receive the love, connection and security needed in order to become humane, compassionate and successful adults. As we ponder the tremendous responsibilities that we have as parents we must always see the complete picture
in our mind's eye. While parenting helps us to examine our daily actions, we must realize that as individuals we were born to serve Hashem. Although we must be present for our children, work laboriously to build their self-esteem and teach them to behave according to the precepts of our Torah; the complete picture encompasses so much more. It involves all the roles that we take on in life. If we are an employer, we must be scrupulously honest and fair in our business practices. We must be a caring wife to our spouses, a good daughter to our parents, a concerned and loving sister to our siblings and a devoted aunt to our nieces and nephews. During our empty nest or half nest syndrome, it is irrelevant whether we are stay at home moms, moms that work from home or moms who leave the home and go out to work. The goals remain the same. If we recognize that we have to sanctify and glorify Hashem's name each day through all our actions, then surely we will merit His blessings for children that we can be proud of.
Madison Avenue Thief Kills Store Worker in Deadly Robbery... continued from page 8 smashed cases, f illed his bags with diamond necklaces and other jewels, then left the store and disappeared into the busy lunchtime street traff ic. One piece, a Faberge style “egg” was found in a waste basket at Lexington Avenue and
73rd Street. R.S. Durant, a tiny boutique - about 12 x 20 - has been at 962 Madison Avenue, between East 75th and 76th Streets about a year.. Although there is a “buzzer” system in the store, it was not functional at the time of the theft.
The store did not have a video security system. However, Police have released surveillance video taken by area cameras which have captured the killer’s image; a tall man walking in the vicinity of the jewelery store at a time consistent with the event, carrying bags simi-
lar to those described by Menahem’s co worker. Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577TIPS. All calls are confidential.
Hamas Planted Beach Explosives on Israel’s Beaches ... continued from page 3 weeks ago. "If Hamas wants a deal, there will be one. If it doesn't, there won't be. The decision is in their hands," he said.
Berlusconi, who said he has good relations with the Syrian leadership, pledged that he would talk to Syrian President Bashar
Assad about the possibility of renewing talks during his upcoming visit to Damascus. Netanyahu reiterated at the press confer-
ence that he was willing to renew talks with the Syrians immediately and without preconditions.
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
The Jewish Voice
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SCHUMER ANNOUNCES PASSAGE OF IRAN SANCTION... continued from page 3 bility to impose crippling sanctions on Iran, the Senate has put forth a tough and smart plan to address the real threat Iran poses to the U.S. and our allies.” The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2009 includes two Schumer-authored provisions which he fought to be included in the bill. The sensitive technology ban would prohibit U.S. or foreign firms from entering into procurement contracts with the federal government for goods or services if the entity is determined by the President to be exporting to Iran sensitive communications jamming or monitoring technology. Schumer also fought for a Sense of Congress that the U.S. should continue to aggressively target Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah for sanctions and consider new sanctions against Iran’s Central Bank. The bill also includes a Sense of Congress that the President should press the Dear Mr. President, Over the past year, you have consistently and repeatedly made clear your good faith desire to enter into meaningful negotiations with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran about their nuclear activities in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).We deeply regret that rather than seizing your historic offer, the Iranian government has instead chosen to spurn it. At the same time, you have also repeatedly made clear that your patience with Iran is not unlimited. As you said last October, “We’re not interested for the sake of talking. If Iran does not take steps in the near future to live up to its obligations, then the United States will not continue to negotiate indefinitely, and we are prepared to move towards increased pressure.” In May, you indicated that you wanted to see “serious movement” by the Iranians by the end of 2009—a deadline that has since been reiterated on multiple occasions by Secretary of State Clinton and other senior officials of your Administration, and endorsed by our international partners. Now that this deadline has passed, we believe that it is imperative to put into action your pledge of increased, meaningful pressure against the Iranian government—what Secretary Clinton called “crippling sanctions.” We believe that it is extremely important for the world to know that the United States means
Iranian government to respect its citizens’ human rights and religious freedoms, identify Iranian officials responsible for violating these rights, and respond appropriately, including prohibiting their entry into the U.S. and freezing their assets. It also calls for additional funds for the Secretary of State to collect and share information on human rights abuses; prohibits the U.S. government from purchasing goods from companies that are sanctionable under the Iran Sanctions Act; strengthens and codifies into law the Treasury Department’s freeze on assets of Iranian officials and associates who support terrorism and proliferation activities; expands sanctions on foreign companies investing over $20 million in Iran’s oil and gas sector to certain financial institutions, foreign subsidiaries, insurers, export credit agencies, and others; and requires U.S companies be sanctioned for the activities of their subsidiaries established specifically to what it says, and that we in fact do what we say we are going to do. As you rightly stated in your Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, “If we want a lasting peace, then the words of the international community must mean something. Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable. Sanctions must exact a real price.” We understand that your Administration is likely to pursue a fifth sanctions resolution at the United Nations Security Council. We strongly support your Administration’s painstaking diplomacy in support of this goal and hope that it succeeds in securing measures that stand a reasonable chance of changing the behavior of Iran’s government for the better. However, based on previous experience, we are acutely aware of the limits of Security Council action, in particular given the likely resistance to meaningful sanctions by the People’s Republic of China. We note with dismay the recent statement of China’s ambassador to the United Nations that, “This is not the right time or right moment for sanctions, because the diplomatic efforts are still going on.” As you know, China has rapidly become one of Iran’s largest trading partners and one of the largest investors in Iran’s energy sector, in apparent contravention of the Iran Sanctions Act. Indeed, while several European countries have acted responsibly to restrict their commercial dealings with Teheran in response to its illicit nuclear activities, China has opportunis-
circumvent sanctions if they invest over $20 million in Iran’s energy sector. In addition, the bill requires the President sanction companies involved in exporting refined petroleum products to Iran or in developing oil refineries within Iran by restricting their foreign exchange transactions, access to U.S. banks, and acquisition, holding, or transfer of property in the U.S; requires the Administration to report to Congress a list of the companies that are sanctionable under the Iran Sanctions Act and whether or not sanctions will be applied; codifies into law and strengthens the Treasury Department’s ban on trade with Iran, with exceptions for the export of food, medicine, humanitarian aid and the exchange of informational materials; allows the President to waive sanctions if he finds it is in the national interest of the United States, but must report to Congress describing the reasons for the waiver; authorizes
funds for the Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Office (TFI) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) at the Treasury Department; authorizes states, local governments, and mutual funds to divest from firms investing in Iran’s energy sector; and protects private asset managers from lawsuits over fiduciary duties, and finally requires the U.S. assist Iran’s trading partners in preventing the re-export of sensitive dual use technology to Iran via third countries and to subject these countries to significant restrictions on exports if they refuse U.S. assistance. Two weeks ago, Schumer signed onto a letter from Senator Evan Bayh urging President Obama to consider using sanctions on the books.
A full copy of the letter appears below:
tically moved to fill the gap. Shortly after the international community adopted a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency condemning Iran for failing to disclose the existence of its Qom enrichment facility, China announced that several of its state-controlled companies would make multi-billion dollar investments in Iran’s domestic refining capacity. We fear that Beijing’s pursuit of its narrow commercial self-interest in Iran is jeopardizing the chances of reaching a diplomatic solution in the nuclear stand-off and greatly increases the risk of developments that could profoundly destabilize the Persian Gulf and global energy markets. China’s behavior toward Iran also calls into question whether it is interested in being a responsible stakeholder in the international system and does significant damage to its relationship with the United States. Given that China now holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council, it seems highly unlikely that a new sanctions resolution can be adopted prior to February, when France assumes the Council presidency. We are troubled by the prospect of this delay, which could mean that it will be well into 2010 before the Security Council is able to put in place new sanctions, which we hope will be far stronger than those provided for in past resolutions. For this reason, we hope that, as early as this month, your Administration will pursue parallel and complementary measures, outside the Security Council, to increase the pressure
on the Iranian government. As you know, your Administration has ample authority under previous Security Council resolutions, as well as the Iran Sanctions Act, the Iran Freedom Support Act, the Iran-Syria-North Korea NonProliferation Act, and numerous other existing laws and executive orders—some of which have gone largely unenforced—to act now. We are also committed to quickly passing new comprehensive sanctions legislation in Congress that will provide you with additional authorities to pressure Iran, and urge you to make full use of them. We are convinced that 2010 will be the pivotal year in determining whether Iran is allowed to acquire a nuclear weapons capability. Ultimately, it will be our choices that determine whether we are able to avert this tremendous threat to global peace and stability. We abhor the possibility that military action may be necessary to solve this problem. But we have no doubt that a nuclear-armed Iran will be catastrophic for our national security and the rule-based international order. In fact, we believe that at stake is nothing less than the entire global nonproliferation regime; this point is all the more important as we head into the 2010 review of the NPT. We must therefore exhaust every possible non-military means at our disposal to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. We stand ready to work alongside you to do everything that is necessary to stop Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability in the critical months ahead.
During the interview, the Palestinian leader also spoke out in support of Egypt's construction of an underground metal wall to block tunnels whereby weapons are smuggled into the Gaza Strip. “I support the wall ... Legitimate supplies should be brought through legal crossings,” he said. Abbas made the comments after meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in London on Sunday. While Abbas declared that he is willing to start negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian Authority that he leads continues to incite violence against Jews. A sermon calling for the genocide of Jews was broadcast last friday by PA TV, which is under the control of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The speech called the Jews the enemies of God and humanity, and compared Jews to Nazis. In a recent interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Abbas proudly
declared that there is no more incitement in the mosques. "They [Israel] said there is a problem with incitement in speeches in mosques during Friday prayers.” Abbas said in an interview published on Dec. 16, 2009. “Today there is no more incitement at any mosque." The latest tirade against Jews, not only Israelis, by PA run television has been translated by IMRA news service, “the prophet says: 'You shall f ight the Jews and kill them… Thus, this land will be liberated only by means of Jihad..." “Abbas as head of the Palestinian Authority is responsible for what appears on the off icial PA television,” one Middle East analyst explained. “If he wants to get concessions from Israel he needs to reign in the radical elements in his government.”
Abbas Sends Mixed Signals... continued from page 5 Arafat and former US president Bill Clinton. He added that while he did not understand why the US had rescinded its demand that Israel freeze construction in both West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem, he himself would be open to the “proximity talks” suggested by US Middle East envoy George Mitchell. “If there is any substance in the response from the Israeli side – for example, if they accept the framework of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders ... then there will be progress,” Abbas was quoted as saying. The PA president stressed that Israel's expansion of settlements on Palestinian territory constituted an alarming step toward what he termed “the one-state solution, which we reject.” He went on to promise that the
Palestinians would not return to armed resistance under his rule, saying that violence would “destroy our territories and our country.” In a f ierce counterargument against rival Palestinian faction Hamas, Abbas stated that despite answering to “outside” influences, even the government in Gaza was “talking about peace and a truce with Israel.” But even as he promised to work toward quiet in the West Bank and reconciliation between Palestinian leaders, Abbas said that he would carry out his threat of resigning if progress was not made on the Israeli-Palestinian track. “I will have to tell our people there is no hope and no use in my staying in off ice,” he told the Guardian, hinting that violence could erupt in the void created by his absence. Abbas's term was recently extended until elections could be held in the Palestinian territories.
Obama unveils budget that reflects tough times... continued from page 18 it had the balance right, between spurring recovery and making a start of trimming deficits which pose a grave long-term economic threat. "Federal spending is a little like an aircraft carrier, you have to start turning the ship well ahead of time," he said. The 2011 budget contains more than 300 billion dollars in tax cuts for families and businesses over the next 10 years and terminates 120 programs for savings of 20 billion dollars. It will, however, allow tax cuts introduced by former president George W. Bush to expire for people earning more than 250,000 dollars a year.
"One of the key things we are focusing on, is jump-starting job creation," said Orszag, who heads the president's Office of Management and Budget. To that end, there is 100 billion dollars for job-creating investments in small businesses, tax cuts and clean energy, designed to start bringing down the current 10 percent unemployment rate. Related article: Budget to ease strain on military As the administration combines a push for green energy development with deficit cutting, the budget will phase out fossil fuel subsidies for oil, gas and coal companies to raise 40 billion dollars
over 10 years. Following the thwarted bid by an AlQaeda affiliated group in Yemen to bring down a US airliner on Christmas Day, the budget also makes new investments in US security. The Homeland Security Department gets a two percent funding raise to 43.6 billion dollars, which will include money to deploy 1,000 new imaging technology screening machines and explosives detection equipment at airports. The budget will also provide funding for more federal air marshals on international flights in a bid to ward off future attacks, the officials said.
The cost of US military operations overseas, including in Afghanistan and Pakistan, are put at 159.3 billion dollars in 2011 while the administration will make a supplemental request for 2010 of 33 billion dollars to cover war spending. The State Department also gets a funding increase -- up 2.6 percent from the president's funding request in 2010. The budget will be accompanied by Obama's call for a bi-partisan Fiscal Commission to identify deficit cutting policies over the long term and to balance the budget.
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Chief Rabbi Shelomo Amar joins South Florida Sephardic Community... continued from page 31 received semichah in 1998. He continues to learn at the Keter Sion Kollel on a daily and weekly basis. Rabbi Mansour gives daily classes in mishnah, gemara, halacha, torah, neviim, musar and a variety of subjects relevant to the Sephardic and Jewish Orthodox community, some of which are available online. The Beit Edmond J. Safra Synagogue has grown rapidly under the vibrant leadership of Rabbi Yosef Galimidi who before assuming the position of Rabbi of the Safra Synagogue was the spiritual leader of Miami Beach’s Shaare Ezra Synagogue for fourteen years. Rabbi Galimidi is not only extremely knowledgeable but he is also multilingual; fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Yiddish and Arabic. In addition to being a widely respected throughout the South Florida community, Rabbi Galimidi is always eager to warmly, graciously and personally welcome families and visitors from all over the world to the community’s beautiful K’ness. I was fortunate to be able to interview Rabbi Eli Abadie, who was most gracious enough to take his time to speak with me. Rabbi Eli Abadie told me that the Hachnasset Sefer Torah at Safra was "A wonderful event in the presence of Chief Rabbi and that it was unifying for the whole Jewish community . This was a very happy occasion that brought a lot of pride to the people of the South Florida Sephardic community. " Rabbi Abadie also said that he really
enjoys the time spent in South Florida with his family. "There are so many people here from all over the world, it is really wonderful to see people from all over. The Safra Synagogue is really a wonderful place. There are a lot of really nice people here and Rabbi Abadi always enjoys being here. " Rabbi Abadie mentioned that he really enjoys being here in the summer when he is more likely to run into people he knows from South America and that is really nice also. A few years ago when Rabbi Abadie was interviewed for an RCA publication and asked about his favorite aspect of the rabbinate, he said it’s “the opportunity to create bonds with people, individuals and families and nurture these relationships". It was clear from speaking to Rabbi Abadie that it is the people of the South Florida Safra community that he enjoys the most. The feeling is mutual. Our community feels really fortunate whenever Rabbi Elie Abadie joins us. Rabbi Abadie has been coming to Turnberry for the past 6 years and has generously given his time and energy to the community. Rabbi Elie Abadie, M.D., is the founding rabbi of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, in Manhattan with about 450 member families. Additionally, he serves as Director of the Jacob E. Safra Institute of Sephardic Studies of Yeshiva University, where he also teaches at the Isaac Breuer College and Stern College.
Rabbi Abadie comes from a long rabbinical family lineage dating back to 15 – 16th century Spain and Provence.Born in Beirut, Lebanon, he grew up in Mexico City. After yeshiva high school there, he came to the U.S. to attend Yeshiva University from which he graduated in 1983. In 1986, he received Semikha from Yeshiva University, and a Master’s Degree in Jewish Philosophy. Rabbi Abadie chose Jewish Philosophy because he believes that a rabbi should be well versed in Jewish Philosophy to enhance his understanding of Judaism and the statements of our Sages, and to be better enable him to teach his congregants and students. Afterwards, he received a M.D. degree from Downstate Medical Center. He did a residency in Internal Medicine and a sub-specialty in Gastroenterology, both of which he practices. Because the name “Edmond J. Safra” is synonymous with philanthropy and benevolence as Safra, a Lebanese-born Jew who rose to prominence in the banking industry, supported a remarkable diversity of institutions and charities during his lifetime; it was most appropriate that the Sephardic community chose this monumental occasion to honor the work of Hatzalah of South Florida whose members made a moving presentation to the community. Joseph Dahan made the presentation on behalf of Hatzalah to those gathered in honor of Chief Rabbi Amar and the Hachnasset Sefer Torah. Mr. Dahan's fundraising appeal raised $130,000 for
Hatzalah of South Florida. This will allow Hatzalah to purchase much of the equipment that they have hoped to purchase. The South Florida Sephardic community is diverse and comprised of families from all over the world. Programs at the Safra synagogue are regularly conducted in English, Hebrew and Spanish. Many of the attendees also speak French and Arabic. The Mayor of Aventura, Susan Gottlieb and the City Manager Eric M. Soroka were also in attendance at this exciting event. The Safra Synagogue is a proud Sephardic house of worship that demonstrates and projects the beauty and dedication of the Syrian Sephardic community. It reflects the Syrian community’s high standard of devotion to Hashem. Those gathered were treated to the talented voices of the Hazzanim as well as a sumptuous and beautifully presented meal catered by Aroma Kosher Market. Aroma is a full service kosher market with a Mashgiach Temidi on the premises. Aroma offers a wide selection of kosher meats and bakery in addition to catering at South Florida’s most prestigious hotels from the Breakers in Palm Beach to the Ritz Carlton in Naples. Aroma is located at 8819 Stirling Rd in Cooper City, FL. Overall, a wonderful time was had by all as the Beit Edmond Safra Synagogue celebrated along with members of the entire South Florida Sephardic Community.
Iran Aid to be Raised with Berlusconi... continued from page 11 gence on Iran and about the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile development. “The Iranians are in the midst of one of the most advanced missile programs in the Middle East today,” one official explained. “The development of SLVs by the Iranians is another way of testing ballistic missiles that are capable of carrying nuclear warheads while covering them up as SLVs.” Berlusconi and La Russa are also expected to pressure Defense Minister Ehud Barak to purchase the M-346 Master, made in Italy, as a new trainer aircraft for the Israel Air Force. The IAF is considering the M-346 as well as Korea Aerospace Industries’ T-50 in place of the Skyhawks currently used to train
fighter pilots. Defense officials said that the multimillion dollar deal was important for the Italians since a sale to the IAF would likely pave the way for additional international sales. The talks with Berlusconi are also expected to deal with the diplomatic process with the Palestinians, Syria, the situation in Lebanon, where Italy contributes a large part of the UNIFIL forces, and a host of bilateral issues. Berlusconi is scheduled to plant a tree in a JNF forest and visit Yad Vashem shortly after landing on Monday, and then meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, followed by a state dinner in his honor at the King David Hotel.
On Tuesday, Berlusconi will meet with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, opposition head Tzipi Livni, and again with Netanyahu before chairing a joint cabinet meeting with Netanyahu. The following day he will deliver an address to a special session of the Knesset, followed by a lunch with President Shimon Peres before going to Bethlehem and then back to Rome. Berlusconi is bringing with him seven Leonardo da Vinci sketches that will be on display in the Knesset. One senior diplomatic source said the idea behind bringing much of the Italian cabinet for meetings with their Israeli counterparts and a joint cabinet session is to take a
very good and robust political relationship and ratchet it up a level to expanded, tangible cooperation in all fields, from defense to culture and the environment. This is the second time that Israel has hosted this type of delegation from another country for a joint cabinet meeting – the first being last year, when Israel hosted German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a host of her ministers. Netanyahu and a number of his ministers paid a reciprocal visit to German two weeks ago. The expectation is that the Italians will host Israeli ministers for a reciprocal visit next year, and this will become an annual event. Plans for a similar arrangement with the Polish government are being drawn up.
Obama’s export goals may be hard to achieve... continued from page 12 The Business Roundtable, a grouping of chief executives of major US corporations, welcomed what it called Obama’s “proposals for increased international engagement.” “We believe now is the time for Congress to pass the FTAs pending in Congress as a f irst step towards the enhanced international trade and investment that is essential to growing the US economy and creating more and better-
paying jobs,” the group said. But some analysts were skeptical. “There are different ways you can stimulate exports, but what you cannot do is provide the domestic demand growth in your customer country to achieve that goal,” said David Rosenberg, economist at Gluskin Sheff & Associates. “They can do it through tax breaks or subsidies for selected industries, for
Law Firms Look for Lease Deals... continued from page 14 ing lawyers from rival firms. Firms aren’t just looking for new space in the Windy City. The New York Post reported this week that Proskauer Rose was in negotiations to take 400,000 square feet of space at 11 Times Square in New York. While the Post reported that talks are still tentative, it would be a major move for the firm, which has leased space at 1585 Broadway, the Morgan Stanley Building in Midtown Manhattan, for the past 20 years. (Proskauer real estate cochairs David Weinberger and Ronald Sernau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.) Also on the lookout for new leases in New York are Winston & Strawn and Dorsey & Whitney. According to reports this month by the New York Observer—owned by real estate scion Jared Kushner—Winston has hired real estate brokerage Studley to search for 250,000 square feet of space in Manhattan. The firm currently leases 200,000 square feet of space in the iconic MetLife Building at 200 Park Ave., which the Observer notes is more than double the 90,000 square feet of space Winston took when it first signed a
lease there in 1995. (Winston real estate chair Corey Tessler in New York wasn’t immediately available for comment.) Dorsey on the other hand is looking to downsize in Manhattan, reports the Observer, noting the firm let go of 55 staffers last June. The Observer reports Dorsey is looking for 70,000 square feet of space, which would be a significant reduction from the 101,000 square feet it’s currently leasing at 250 Park Ave. According to the Observer, Dorsey subleases about 19,000 feet of that space to another firm. Not to be left out is Washington, DC, where the office market is poised to pass New York as the nation’s most expensive, reports the Wall Street Journal. Troutman Sanders, which completed its merger with DC firm Ross, Dixon & Bell last year, added 36,000 square feet of space to its 16-year lease at 401 9th St. NW to accommodate its new employees. Also taking new space in the nation’s capital was Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, which signed a 15-year lease for 156,676 square feet of space at 700 9th St. earlier this month.
example, but that is protectionism and there are international trading rules that frown upon that sort of intervention.” Rosenberg added that “something tells us that this goal of doubling exports in a f ive-year span is going to include a further depreciation of the US dollar as that will basically allow US producers to de facto cut their prices in the global marketplace and as a result lift their market share.”
Economist Andrew Samwick at Dartmouth College said that Obama “sounded like a good old-fashioned mercantilist” in comments claiming that boosting exports could create two million jobs. “I don’t think that’s a reasonable projection, but it does signal a different way of talking about what’s important in economic policy,” he said.
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Judaism,
JAMAICAN STYLE
The infinity-edged pool at Strawberry Hill offers visitors a relaxing experience. BY LAURIE HEIFETZ Imagine yourself sitting in a striking white synagogue with a cross breeze flowing through open doors and the sun shining in on a sandy floor. You just might be at Congregation Sha'are Shalom in Kingston, Jamaica. Jews have been in Jamaica for what seems to be "forever" -- not long after the arrival of Columbus -- American Jews are relative newcomers. n 2006, the Jewish community in Jamaica celebrated 350 years of freedom to worship. The country's long connection with Judaism was evident at an international conference drawing leading scholars of Jewish history and culture to Jamaica in midJanuary. The conference, in addition, offered tours and Shabbat services, which enhanced the experience. Given this long history, the country has been developing Jewish heritage tourism. Jamaica's national motto is "Out of many, one people." But as Ainsley Henriques, the synagogue director and conference co-chair, is known to say, "Out of many, one culture." Given the number of academics flying in from other countries, such as England, France, the United States and Israel, Mr. Henriques commented, "It's the largest gathering of Sephardic scholars since the Inquisition." Conference co-chair, Jane Gerber, professor of Jewish History at the CUNY Graduate Center, reflecting on the reason the conference was not held in the United States, said, they did not want merely to talk about the Caribbean while in New York --- "not speak about the synagogue, but walk
I
on [its] sandy floor." At the tour of the United Congregation of Israelites, as the synagogue is called in English, Mr. Henriques suggested four reasons for the sand. First, it reflects the fact that sand muffles footsteps of crypto-Jews who would worship in secret, not wishing to make any noise. Second, the sand recalls the desert where the Jews wandered in exile. Third, it allows the children to play. Fourth, the sand represents the Biblical promise that Jews would increase to as many as there are grains of sand. There are a number of unusual aspects to the synagogue. It is unaff iliated and calls itself "Conservative Liberal." Formed by the unif ication of Sephardi and Ashkenazi congregations in 1921, the synagogue has not had a formal rabbi in more than 30 years; Stephen Henriques, a cousin of Ainsley Henriques, leads services. Its mahogany interior beautifully envelops the congregation. When the synagogue roof was damaged by Hur ricane Gilbert in 1988, synagogue members were left to conduct services under umbrellas. The community established a private, non-sectarian school, Hillel Academy, in 1969, which now goes up through high school. At the conference, scholars discussed historical facts about centuries of Jewish life in and around Jamaica. Conversos and crypto-Jews, who fled Spain to Portugal, traveled to Jamaica. As historian Ed Kritzler has made people aware in his book Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean, many were merchants and some were pirates. In a session about Blacks and Jews in the English Caribbean, conference participants learned that the British government wanted to give the Jews
the vote, but the Jamaican parliament said that Jews could not obtain that right until the Coloureds received this privilege. According to York College humanities professor, Diana CooperClark, Coloureds received the right to vote before the Jews because the former had achieved a critical mass, and had growing political power as propertied, monied, half-white inhabitants on the island. According to Ms. Cooper-Clark, whose forthcoming book is "Dreams of Re-Creation: The Jewish Diaspora to Jamaica," said that once Jews gained the right to vote in the 1830s, one can see assimilation beginning. Today, there are approximately 200 Jews aff iliated with the synagogue, including some Israelis. There are many Sephardic names such as Levy, de Cordova, and da Costa in the Jamaican phone book. There were many opportunities to observe the Jewish heritage of Jamaica. Island touches can be seen at the Sha’are Shalom Jamaican Jewish Heritage Center. At the gift shop adjoining the synagogue in Kingston, this reporter purchased a kipah which has a Rastafarian feel, with colors of green, black, yellow and red. It was crocheted by Mr. Henriques's 93-yearold mother, Evelyn Matalon. One day at lunch, a French medievalist from Florida, Caren Halliwell, sang a moving rendition of "Hatikvah" in Ladino. On a visit to the Hunt's Bay Cemetery, the tour saw some Rastafarians, who moved aside out of respect. BennyBwoy, an Orthodox Jewish singer from New York, who calls himself the "Original JEWmaican," sang to the Rastafarians.
One sang back to him. At the cemetery, architect Rachel Frankel told how she dusted flour on the gravestones in order to better read the inscriptions. In one lecture by Matt Goldish of Ohio State University, the audience learned that an Ashkenazi from Jamaica named Benjamin Franks, a middle-age jeweler in the late seventeenth century sailed with pirate Captain Kidd and later became a star witness at Kidd's trial. Joanna Newman spoke about Jewish refugees from Nazism to the Caribbean during World War II. Her doctoral research was turned into a BBC radio segment called "A Caribbean Jerusalem." According to Ben G. Frank, author of "A Travel Guide to the Jewish Caribbean & South America" a camp in Jamaica called "Gibralter" was established to accept refugees from the Southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. "Part of that camp which was set up at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, however," writes Mr. Frank, "housed Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis." At the conference, termed "The Jewish Diaspora of the Caribbean," ethnomusicologist Judah Cohen showed a f ilm clip celebrating the 1996 bicentennial of the St. Thomas Synagogue. It is believed to be "the oldest synagogue in continuous use under the American flag." At the brief screening, the audience learned that the melody of "Shalom Aleichem" used there came from Eisner Camp in Great Bar rington, Massachusetts, where many of the members sent their children to summer camp! An independent scholar, Mordechai Arbel, said that non-Jews with some
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FEBRUARY 5, 2010
"Pirates of the Caribbean" author Ed Kritzler at Memorial Garden on the synagogue grounds. Jewish heritage are eager to research their Jewish roots from the Caribbean. An expression that he used for this is "the blood is calling" ("la sangre llama," in Spanish). One of the conference participants, the doctoral candidate, Angela McNab, a Roman Catholic from Jamaica, is pursuing just such genealogy. Ms. Mcnab, who now lives in Birmingham, England, believes she has Jewish roots. Another attendee, Harold Sijlbing of Suriname, a ecotourism professional, told this newspaper that he is Christian, who has Jewish roots. Around the date of October 12th
Conference co-chair, Jane Gerber, speaking at synagogue tour.
of this year, he announced, there would be a conference and celebration of the 325th anniversary of the consecration of Beraha VeShalom, a synagogue in Suriname, which he sometimes attends. Chris Blackwell, the original founder of Island Records and most recently, Palm Pictures, is well-known in Jamaica and the rest of the world. His father was Catholic and his 97year-old mother, Blanche Lindo Blackwell, is Jewish. She was born in Jamaica, a descendent with a long lineage of Sephardic Jews from Spain. Mr. Blackwell, who produced the famed
Congregation Sha'are Shalom, Kingston, Jamaica.
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Congregation Director Ainsley Henriques with his mother, Evelyn Matalon at conference.
reggae musician Bob Marley, attended Catholic school in his youth. "But I fell out with it, so I left there," he said. The tour visited Strawberry Hill, near Kingston. Asked about the idea of Jewish heritage tourism, Mr. Blackwell told the Jewish Voice, "I think it would be great," adding that there are enough sites to make it a really worthwhile trip. In the 1970s, he bought a property called GoldenEye built by Ian Fleming, the famed spy novelist known for creating James Bond. He is presently developing it as a hotel. Jewish heritage travel is just part of
any visit to Jamaica. On this visit, one could swim in the one-meter lap pool on top of the second floor of the newlybuilt Spanish Court Hotel. Or one may take a plunge in the Olympicsized pool at the Pegasus Hotel, where the conference was held. In addition, one could exercise 3,100 feet above sea level in the beautiful inf inity-edge pool at Strawber ry Hill, in the Blue Mountains overlooking Kingston. It gives the illusion that one is swimming into the breathtaking view below.
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PASSOVER 2010 View of Kingston from the roof of the Pegasus Hotel, site of the conference. Continued from page 43 Hot weather requires quenching of the thirst. This reporter’s beverage of choice in Jamaica was pink fruit punch, and a quest ensued to try it everywhere the tour led. The winning concoction was a blend of fresh watermelon, papaya and cantaloupe juices at the Terra Nova hotel, where synagogue members Eleanor and Percy Hussey greeted guests. On the return trip home, this traveler even jokingly asked the Jet Blue flight attendant if it was on the menu. In visiting Jamaica, one thing to consider is that issues regarding kashrut differ in Jamaica than in the United States. The country has not had
a shochet (ritual slaughterer) since the 1920's. To bring in meat from other countries, one needs a permit, which can be obtained at nominal cost. Also, one is not allowed to bring meat into Jamaica without paying a tax, which can range from 50% to 200%, so that the overall cost can be quite high to import meat, for example, from Miami. With post-conference participants attending synagogue, Mr. Henriques commented that the Shabbat morning services that weekend were the best in 30 years. Speaking about Jewish heritage tourism, Mr. Henriques said there was "not just sun, sea and sand" in Jamaica. Yeah mon, to use a Jamaican expression, He is indeed cor rect. Presents.
HOLLYWOOD, FL (February 2010)—The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, 3555 S. Ocean Dr. Hollywood, Florida, presents South Florida’s premiere Passover Vacation. Ideally located between Ft Lauderdale/Hollywood and Miami International airports, the resort features two unique experiences: Golf and Beach. njoy an array of amenities including three outdoor pools, pool and beach cabanas, an 18-hole championship golf course managed by Troon® Golf, full-service spa and salon along with a 10-clay court tennis center. There is something for everyone: teen programs, a children’s day camp and dining room; daily Ashkenaz and Sephardic
E
Minyanim; scholar and lecture program hosted by Rabbi Sam Biber with Scholar-in-residence Rabbi Dr. R. Kimmelman; nightly entertainment and poolside activities. Ram Caterers along with The Westin’s award winning culinary team will prepare on-site all of the outstanding ORB Glatt Kosher gourmet cuisine. Delight your palette anytime in the 24hour lavish tea room or at the daily poolside barbecues. Three to nine night packages are being offered with a variety of room options, many including balcony views of the Atlantic Ocean or the Intracoastal Waterway. For complete information and reservations, call Diplomat Passover Tours at 888318-7477 or visit on line www.Diplomatpassovertours.com
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