online at www.stljewishlight.com
25 Kislev, 5775 / Dec. 17, 2014 / Vol. 67 / No. 52
Will U.S. Jewish groups pivot left if Herzog wins?
Inside & online
NEWS & SCHMOOZE
BY RON KAMPEAS JTA
Reel rabbis Four local rabbis give their opinions about the new movie “Exodus: Gods and King.” See page 2A
FEATURES Last-minute gifts Passionate Palate maven Margi Kahn suggests some books that will brighten any cook’s Festival of Lights. See page 14A
Something to sing about Bob Cohn examines the enduring legacy of American Jewish composers to musical theater in the Newmark pages. See page 18A
ONLINE Celebrating Hanukkah View holiday recipes, features, commentaries and gift ideas on our website: stljewishlight.com/ hanukkah
Index ChaiLights calendar.....30A-31A Classifieds............................35A Features.......................14A-16A Gift Guide ............................25A Healthwatch................19A-21A Jewish Lite...........................28A Obituaries....................34A-35A Opinions......................12A-13A Women in Business........1B-12B
Candlelighting Shabbat starts Friday, Dec. 19, 4:25 p.m. Shabbat ends Saturday, Dec. 20, 5 :27 p.m.
Michael Lyss lights a menorah as Ron Cytron looks on during a Hanukkah celebration at the Missouri Botanical Garden Sunday. Both men are members of the HaShemesh music group, which performed that day. Photos: Mike Sherwin
Happy Hanukkah! RIGHT: Judy Medoff of Shir Ami dances with audience members Olivia (left) and Sylvia Hanes, ages 5 and 7, respectively, during the celebration. For more images, visit stljewishlight.com/multimedia.
WASHINGTON — Come early next year, there might be yet another world capital that opposes Israeli settlement expansion and sees Benjamin Netanyahu as principally responsible for Israel’s isolation: Jerusalem. Isaac Herzog, the Labor Party leader, is faring well in the polls since Netanyahu called for new elections earlier this month and the Knesset dissolved itself. The prospect of a left-leaning government means that U.S. mainstream Jewish groups, which since Netanyahu’s election in 2009 have pushed back against claims that his policies have been detrimental, will have to reassess messaging. It wouldn’t be the first time. A liberal U.S. Jewish community had to contend in 1977 with the election of Menachem Begin, then a Land of Israel maximalist whose prestate career was as a Jewish paramilitary leader who ordered the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel. Fifteen years later, a pro-Israel community made hawkish through years of Likud-led governments suddenly contended with Yitzhak Rabin and his accelerated moves toward peace with the Palestinians. This time around, Jewish community leaders say, it won’t be so difficult: Pro-Israel groups have long-
See JEWISH GROUPS page 4A
JCRC volunteers lend a hand at North City day care center BY DAVID BAUGHER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
As she lays a coat of paint on a wall at God’s Creation Development Center, Cheryl Whatley of Creve Coeur knows she’s volunteering her time, but it is the staff’s time about which she seems most concerned. “They had to take all of the toys and all of the furniture and move it before we ever got here,” the smiling Shir Hadash congregant said. “They’ve already done a day’s work.” Thanks to the Jewish Community Relations Council, Whatley and a handful of other volunteers were able to help the center’s teachers and others from the north St. Louis neighborhood keep the day care center licensed by assisting with physical improvements. On Sunday afternoon, the group helped paint the interior of the brick building near
Kingshighway Boulevard and West Florissant Avenue. The center serves about 54 children from 6 weeks to 12 years of age. “It is a licensed center but, to maintain licensure, it has to be repainted – every wall,” said Renee Marver, chairwoman of the council’s Community Against Poverty (CAP) coalition. The volunteer effort is part of Helping our Community’s Children Flourish, CAP’s project for early childhood development. “We’ve brought together a cadre of volunteers, people interested in seeing that this center reaches its required level,” Marver said. The effort was part of a threeyear partnership with United for Children, a group that identifies high quality, functioning child care operations in need of facility assistance. The next step was collecting donations for paint, some of which was donated by
Benji Rowan (left) and Elizabeth Clemons paint one of the walls at the God’s Creation Development Center, a day care in north St. Louis, on Sunday. JCRC and the Community Against Poverty coalition planned the volunteer service day. A second is planned for Dec. 21. Photo: Mike Sherwin
individuals and groups. The volunteers are also working to raise money for new classroom flooring. The volunteers plan to return next week to do
more work. (See infobox on page 10A for information on volunteering.)
See VOLUNTEERS, page 10A
See special pull-out section, pages 1-12B
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