The Jewish News - September 2014 by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

FROM THE BOARD AND STAFF OF

Celebrating Jewish Life in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Israel and the World FEDERATION NEWS

Serving our community since 1971!

Published by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee www.jfedsrq.org

September 2014 - Elul 5774/Tishrei 5775 INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Volume 44, Number 9

Federation launches 100 DAYS OF IMPACT

5A Community Focus 14A Jewish Interest Invest, educate, empower, advocate, inspire and lead. 19A Israel & the Jewish World Make a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of others! By Andrea Eiffert 24A Commentary elcome to 100 DAYS OF IMPACT, high“Concrete Protection for Ashkelon Children,” the 27A Focus on Youth lighting ways The Jewish Federation Federation funded $21,000 to co-sponsor a large, of Sarasota-Manatee can strengthen double-portal, 70-ton Lifeshield shelter, capable of 31A Life Cycle our Jewish community and the role you can play in safely protecting more than 60 students and staff dur1B Jewish Happenings making it possible. Each week, from September 22 ing rocket attacks from Gaza. Operation Lifeshield

9A Temple to temple: A story of sharing and support

through the end of the year, we will highlight a states that, “Every donation of every amount different way you and your family can goes to placing strong, steel-reinforced, make a significant impact on the pre-cast concrete fortified shelters EXPERIENCING EDUCATING lives of others through your supin public areas, such as schools, ENGAGING INVESTING port of the Federation. Whethkindergartens, parks and senior er you lead by example, citizen centers.” It’s through PROTECTING EMPOWERING inspire others with your vital programs such as this philanthropy, or invest in one that we can positively the future of our commuaffect – and protect – Jewish LEADING nity, your action will have WAYS YOU & FEDERATION CAN MAKE REMEMBERING people around the world. THE JEWISH COMMUNITY MORE a lasting and meaningful Subsequent 100 DAYS CARING & CONNECTED impact. OF IMPACT weeks will ADVOCATING LEARNING Week one will highhighlight investing, experiWHAT IMPACT light PROTECTING: The encing, educating, engaging, WILL YOU MAKE? mission of The Jewish Fedempowering, remembering, PARTNERING INSPIRING eration of Sarasota-Manatee is advocating, inspiring, feeding, FEEDING ENLIGHTENING to save Jewish lives and enhance enlightening, partnering, learning Jewish life in Sarasota-Manatee, in and leading, and will be underscored Israel and around the world. What better by personal stories from those whose lives way to demonstrate our commitment to that mission have been touched through the work of the Federathan by supporting Operation Lifeshield, an emertion. gency campaign to save innocent lives by providing Please visit our blog at www.federationblog.org Israel’s threatened communities with the protected and check back weekly for stories and ways you can air raid shelters they so desperately need. Earlier help. this year, through an overseas grant for the project, What impact can we make together?

100 DAYS OF

IMPACT

20A 15 things you didn’t know about the Iron Dome

27A JCV students create quilt for IDF soldiers

Family Jeweler A Night of the Solidarity for Israel14276 demonstrates strong community solidarity

Name: ________________________________________________ Invoice Ref #: ________________

proof M By Jessi Sheslow

ore than 350 people gathered on Tuesday, July 15 at J.D. Hamel Park in downtown Sarasota This Proof must be signed and returned for beforeA Night of Solidarity for Israel, an event coordinated by The Jewish FedYouth Groups we can proceed with your order. This is your Proof prior to printing. Please examine all spelleration of Sarasota-Manatee and The Heller Israel open house ing and information carefully.Initiative. RFJD will not be Advocacy set forheld responsible forProudly any unnoticed errors.Israeli Any waving flags, the crowd listened errors 7 found after printing will be customer’s sole September to Dr. Lewis Hanan, co-chair of Federation’s Israel responsibility. Emergency Committee, as he described Israel’s deApproval fensive efforts against Hamas and the events leading Approvedup to it. At the time of the event, more than 1,000

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powerful rockets had been fired on Israeli cities, impacting 75% of Israel’s population. Israel had agreed to a proposed cease-fire, yet the barrage by Hamas continued and intensified. “As a result of the Gaza conflict, we Jews have formed an unbreak-

continued on page 2A

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A Night of Solidarity for Israel...continued from page 1A able bond that has united us, demanding peace and security for our brothers and sisters in Israel,” said Hanan. Amber Ikeman and Jeremy Dictor opened the program in song, and the audience was addressed by Rev. Dr. Tom Pfaff, chair of the Sarasota Ministerial Association; Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Chabad of Sarasota; and Rabbi Michael Werbow, Temple Beth Sholom. Past Federation President Ian Black had returned from Israel the day before. He shared the experience of hearing a siren and having 15 seconds to run to a bomb shelter. Black saw the Iron Dome take down a rocket sent by Hamas. The Bethel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church Gospel Choir closed the program, which was followed by a candlelit march along Sarasota’s

bayfront. “I’m very pleased with the strong show of support from the community,” said Hanan as he watched the marchers and hundreds of cars honking horns in support. “It’s exciting to see such a crosssection of participants, young and old, Jews and non-Jews, stand with us in solidarity supporting Israel during these perilous times. There is only one course of action for concerned Jews and that is to condemn Hamas, condemn terrorism and condemn indiscriminate rocket fire. It is incumbent upon us to contact President Obama and our representatives in Washington and ask them to give Israel their unequivocal support.”

Some of the 350+ attendees at A Night of Solidarity for Israel at J.D. Hamel Park

Annualmeeting

Sunday, November 16, 2014 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Chair: Helen Glaser

Mildred Sainer Pavilion at New College 5313 Bay Shore Rd • Sarasota, FL 34243

RSVP required: www.jfedsrq.org or Jeremy Lisitza at 941.343.2113 or jlisitza@jfedsrq.org The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Rd, Sarasota, FL 34232

941.371.4546 • www.jfedsrq.org

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70 area children received $50K in Jewish overnight camp incentive grants from our Federation

FEDERATION NEWS

Federation Mini-Series: Holocaust awareness By Howard Tevlowitz, Federation Executive Director

elcome to this month’s installment of the Federation Mini-Series. This monthly feature serves to outline the work our Federation does as a result of the support of our generous donors. This month’s installment focuses on the Federation’s role in Holocaust advocacy. FACT: Our Federation is focused on helping those Jews who are most vulnerable or at risk. It is also working to build a stronger Jewish future. Part of this mission is to assist Holocaust survivors in our region, educate future generations on the moral lessons of the Holocaust, and raise awareness locally of the Holocaust. Holocaust survivors: There are 100+ Holocaust survivors living in the Sarasota-Manatee area: Federation hosts holiday meals with programming twice yearly for survivors and their spouses to engage in social activities with other survivors. Each event typically attracts 80 to 100 attendees. Holocaust Survivor Case Management: The Federation provides funds to Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast to hire a full-time case manager who specifically works with Holocaust survivors and their families. Café Europa: Through a partnership between our Federation, JFCS and Jewish Family Services of the Gulf Coast, and the Claims Conference, we facilitate monthly lunch meetings, educational opportunities and entertainment programs for survivors. In addition, survivors receive assistance in identifying resources for home health, financial and emergency services, and other compensatory programs. Programs are held in a variety of local venues, including Kobernick-Anchin-Benderson, the Pines of Sarasota, and the Fountains at Lake Pointe Woods. Holocaust education: The Federation’s Holocaust Speakers Bureau offers teachers and students in the Sarasota-Manatee region the opportunity to meet with survivors in the classroom. In the 2013-2014 school year, survivors and Generations After members spoke at nine public and private schools throughout the two-county area. More than 1,200 students were reached by this program. In addition: With Federation support, Chabad of Sarasota sponsored a communitywide program during the spring of 2014 featuring Eva Schloss, stepsister of Anne Frank. The Federation, in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, the USC Shoah Foundation Institute and Yad Vashem, offered two teachers’ training sessions on the Holocaust. One took place on October 29, 2013, and the other on March 24, 2014. Fifty teachers attended the training sessions. The Federation provides scholar-

ships each spring for students to participate in a heavily subsidized trip to Poland and Israel called The March of the Living. This annual educational program brings together thousands of students from across the globe to study the history of the Holocaust and to examine the roots of prejudice, intolerance and hate. Students participate locally in pre-mission Holocaust education and leadership training. Federation, in partnership with Embracing Our Differenes and the Van Wezel Foundation, sponsored the play My Heart in a Suitcase. More than 3,600 students from Sarasota-Manatee attended the performances. Holocaust events: Each year, the Federation offers free events, open to the entire community, to commemorate the Holocaust, including: • Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, marking an intensification of Nazi anti-Jewish policy that would culminate in the Holocaust • Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day These events feature significant readings and music designed to remember those who perished and to spread the message of “Never Again!” for the next generation. These annual programs attract more than 500 community members. Lecture series: In 2013, the Federation started a Holocaust lecture series in partnership with University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. The premiere event, featuring Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, attracted more than 200 attendees. In 2014, the series featured the movie Killing Kasztner and guest speaker, Holocaust survivor Mrs. Rifka Glatz. There were almost 300 people in attendance. The series will continue in 2015. Jewish film screenings: Film selections include documentaries and narrative films dealing with Jewish life, Israel and the Holocaust. Three films were shown during 2013-2014: No Place on Earth, Defiant Requiem and Deadly Deception at Sobibor. Each film brought close to 400 attendees. Generations After: This is a program for children of Holocaust survivors that meets quarterly, raises awareness of the Holocaust and related issues, and maintains a Speakers Bureau for various topics on the Holocaust. Members of the program identify and participate in appropriate community events and forums, including educational workshops and excursions. They also meet and socialize with other members of other organizations (of descendants of Holocaust survivors) from the Sarasota and Manatee area. If you have any questions about the Federation’s role in Holocaust advocacy, please contact me at 941.343.2110 or at htevlowitz@jfedsrq.org.

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3A September 2014 FEDERATION NEWS

September 2014

Don’t wait for the call! Donate now! Staff Report

he Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee will begin its final annual campaign initiative for 2014 on Sunday, November 2, with the onset of Super Sunday telemarketing. You might be asking yourself what this means and why you should donate to Federation. Your donations directly support such important overseas programs as: the purchase of an ambulance for Israel’s Magen David Adom; dental care for Ethiopian teens; Hand-inHand, a center for JewishArab Education in Israel; food parcels for Holocaust survivors in Israel; and the Yad Ezra V’Shulamit weekly food distribution program. Your donations also support local programs and organizations, including Embracing Our Differences, Florida Studio Theatre, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Mote Marine Laboratory and The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast. These are just some of the ways your Federation helps others. But there’s more. This past year alone, the Federation provided more than 30 students with college scholarships, close to 80

children with grants to attend Jewish overnight camps, and sent scores of teens to Israel, Poland and Washington, DC, for leadership, education and advocacy programs. The Federation touched thousands of people in our own community through such Federationsponsored programs as PJ Library, Jewish Film Festival, the Interfaith Seder, community holiday celebrations, People of the Book speaker Robert Edsel, and Women’s Day speaker Campbell Brown. We also made financial contributions to All Faiths Food Bank, Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast, local synagogues for religious school scholarships, and numerous Holocaust awareness and education programs, to name a few. With so many who need help in the Sarasota-Manatee region, Israel and around the world, and the many ways Federation enriches our own lives through local programming, how can you afford not to make a contribution? Don’t wait for that Super Sunday call on November 2! Make your donation today. It’s as easy as the click of a button … www. TheJewishFederation.org.

Take your business to the next level! Staff Report

he Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee is hosting another of its popular Jewish Business Networking events on Wednesday, September 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Francis, 1289 N. Palm Avenue, Sarasota. Guest speakers include TJ Miller of the marketing firm, Graphic Jam, who will present “Branding with Purpose: Sell Your Authentic Story, Not Your Stuff.” Rich Swier, an area entrepreneur with The HuB, will present “Marketing to Your Target Demographic and Reaching a Niche Audience.” Su Byron, president of Su Byron Enterprises, a Sarasota-based marketing and public relations firm, will present “The Power of Public Relations.” Robin Leonardi, senior account executive of The Jewish News and Connections, will present “Making the Most of Your Advertising Dollars.”

“These events empower small business owners, entrepreneurs and non-profit administrators in the Sarasota-Manatee region,” says event organizer Robin Leonardi. “The workshops offer a crash course in the mechanics of creating a message and delivering it through targeted marketing, public relations and advertising. We’ll learn all of the inside tricks of the trade – presented by some of the area’s most gifted marketing professionals.” Leonardi adds that gift certificates from Nellie’s Deli and Fresh Start Café, donated by Stacey Grad of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, will be raffled at the event. The cost for the event is $10. Space is limited and reservations must be made by September 12. To reserve your space, please visit www.jfedsrq. org, email jnew@jfedsrq.org or call 941.552.6304.

Mensch of the Month: Dr. Lewis Hanan Staff Report

here are very few leadership poCampaign Chairs and Directors Missitions at The Jewish Federasion in 2006 during the conflict with tion of Sarasota-Manatee that Lebanon. The Hanans have instilled a love Dr. Lewis Hanan has not held. Dr. Lew, as he’s affectionately for Judaism and Israel in their chilknown, is a past Federadren and grandchildren, some of whom have participated in tion president and development co-chair. He is programs in Israel and served in the IDF. In July, Dr. Lew led currently an active lifethe Night of Solidarity for Isratime member of the Board of Directors, serves on the el, bringing together more than Executive Committee and 350 people at J.D. Hamel Park is a co-chair of the Israel for an inspiring and informative Dr. Lewis Hanan Emergency Committee. program and candlelight march along Sarasota’s bayfront. A staunch supporter of Israel, Dr. Lew has been there seven times. He Dr. Lew has been the go-to person and the face of Federation for many was in Israel to celebrate the unification of Jerusalem and volunteered duryears. For these reasons and many more, Dr. Lewis Hanan is our Mensch ing Operation Desert Storm, relieving soldiers at a tank base. He and his wife, of the Month! Sandra, participated in the Federation

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September 2014

FEDERATION NEWS

Israel, Hamas: A battle of ideals and wills By Rabbi Howard A. Simon, co-Chair of The Robert and Esther Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative

s I write these words, the headI know of no other country in the world that, prior to attacking a particuline in the daily newspaper is lar area of an adversary, sends warn“Palestinians Told to Clear ings to the populace to vacate the area Out.” When you read these words I in order to save lives. Only Israel does pray the headline you read will be this and its leadership does so in order “Israel and Hamas End Struggle.” Israel finds itself in the to diminish casualties and allow people time midst of the most dangerous to save themselves and and threatening period it has their families. experienced in years. Hamas, Hamas, on the othwith its rockets, hopes to jolt er hand, cares little for Israel out of any comfort its the lives of its own peopeople enjoy, and drastically ple. That is why they change its citizens’ way of place rocket launching life. Israel, with its bombequipment in mosques, ings, hopes to end the rockets emanating from Gaza. Israel in schools, and in areas fights to guarantee the safety where the civilian popRabbi Howard A. Simon ulation is numerous. of its citizens. Hamas fights to destroy Israel and to kill all of its Jews. They do this knowing Israel will attack Two peoples, living only miles apart, these positions and, they hope, the cibut ever so far apart in the manner and vilian death count will rise in numbers so they can say to the world: “See how reasons they wage war.

insensitive Israel is. They kill mothers, fathers and children.” Two opponents doing battle with each other – each with different ideals. Hamas, in its Covenant of Ideals, calls for the “obliteration” of Israel. That is the desired goal of Hamas, and the wish it seeks to realize every day. Israel must not exist, must not survive, and Hamas will do all it can to attain this goal – even using its own people as targets. Israel has an entirely different desire. Israel wants to find a way to live in peace and concord with its neighbors. Israel does not want death, it does not want war, it does not want destruction. Israel wants to live in harmony with those peoples that surround her. Hamas wants none of this, so the battle is waged, and the innocent, on both sides, suffer. It is a tragedy, but it is reality as dictated by the anti-Semites

of the world. Time and time again Israel’s leadership has said: “All we want from our neighbors is that they recognize and accept Israel as a Jewish state.” Do that and, in Israel’s mind, peace can be attained. Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamists and jihadist groups the world over do not accept such a desire. They believe they can destroy the Jewish state. They are wrong. Such will not happen. The people of Israel live today, will live tomorrow and forever. When a hostile world realizes and accepts that reality, peace will come. May such be soon for one and all. For more information about the Heller IAI, visit www.sarasotalovesisrael.com or contact Jessi Sheslow at jsheslow@ jfedsrq.org or 941.343.2109.

Hobby Lobby decision divides Jewish opinion By Allya Yourish, Mimi and Joseph J. Edlin Journalism Intern

n a 5-4 ruling the Supreme Court of the United States recently decided that Hobby Lobby, and other “closely held” corporations, could not be forced to cover certain contraceptives for women through company insurance due to religious freedom. Hobby Lobby, a crafts chain, and Conestoga Wood Allya Yourish Specialties, a cabinet maker, brought a case against the

Affordable Care Act (ACA) concerning its required coverage of contraceptives for employee insurance policies. Of the money that Hobby Lobby puts into a general pool for insurance, some of it might have been used by female employees for birth control. With this decision, closely held corporations can elect to not pay for birth control if it violates their religious beliefs. The decision is based on the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority decision, explaining that the owners of Hobby Lobby have, “sincere

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Christian beliefs that life begins at conception and that it would violate their religion to facilitate access to contraceptive drugs or devices that operate after that point.” The Jewish community’s reaction to the case has been varied. All three Jewish justices on the Court – Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan – voted against Hobby Lobby, and in two amicus (“friend of the court”) briefs, nine different Jewish groups opposed Hobby Lobby’s arguments with one group supporting it. Jewish Women International said, in a public statement, that this decision, paired with the Court’s decision to remove buffer zones around abortion clinics, “sent women’s rights backwards.” Nancy Kaufman, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, similarly disagrees with the ruling. “The problem is that the court has granted closely held corporations (without really defining what that is) religious freedom even when it means that it would take away religious liberty from their individual workers who are ‘people,’” Kaufman said in an interview with the Chicago Jewish News. The Orthodox Union, however, agrees with the decision. “Today the Supreme Court actualized the fundamental purpose of the First Amendment’s guarantee of the ‘free exercise’ of religion,” said Nathan Diament of the Orthodox Union in a public statement. “In essence, the Court’s ruling stands for the proposition that, even when the government seeks to implement valuable policy goals, it must do so without trampling upon the conscientious beliefs of American citizens, especially as is the case here, when there are many other ways to meet the policy goals without infringing on religious liberty.” The majority decision includes the clause that, “This decision concerns only the contraceptive mandate,” indi-

cating that the Court does not want the ruling to set precedent for other similar cases. Justice Alito stressed that this decision cannot be applied to life-saving medical procedures, such as blood transfusions and vaccinations. In her dissent, Justice Ginsburg argues that broadening corporate exemption to federal mandates to include corporate religious beliefs could set a dangerous precedent. While Justice Alito emphasized that the ruling only covers birth control and the precedent cannot be applied elsewhere, Justice Ginsburg’s dissent calls it a “minefield.” “Indeed, approving some religious claims while deeming others unworthy of accommodation could be perceived as favoring one religion over another, the very risk the Establishment Clause was designed to preclude,” Ginsburg wrote in the dissent. In order to follow the Establishment Clause, all religious freedom claims must be weighed equally. Given that this particular issue, brought forth by a devout Christian company, has allowed closely held corporations exemption from federal law, the question is then raised as to how closely held Jewish and other minority religion companies might fare with similar exemptions. As Ginsburg wrote: “Would the exemption extend to employers with religiously grounded objections to blood transfusions (Jehovah’s Witnesses); antidepressants (Scientologists); medications derived from pigs, including anesthesia, intravenous fluids, and pills coated with gelatin (certain Muslims, Jews and Hindus); and vaccinations? Not much help there for the lower courts bound by today’s decision.” While the decision answers the specific issue of birth control, it raises many more questions which will be answered in time (and lawsuits) to come.

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September 2014

5A September 2014 COMMUNITY FOCUS

Sarasota-Manatee Synagogue Council announces Annual Open House And now there are 11 to choose from! Established 1971

PUBLISHER The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Road Sarasota, FL 34232-1959 Phone: 941.371.4546 Fax: 941.378.2947 E-mail: jewishnews@jfedsrq.org Website: www.jfedsrq.org Published Monthly Volume 44, Number 9 September 2014 44 pages USPS Permit No. 167 October 2014 Issue Deadlines: Editorial: August 27, 2014 Advertising: August 28, 2014 PRESIDENT Nancy Swart EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Howard Tevlowitz ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Marty Haberer COMMUNICATIONS CHAIR Linda Lipson MANAGING EDITOR Ted Epstein CREATIVE MANAGER Christopher Alexander ADVERTISING SALES Robin Leonardi

ith the addition of Kehillah of Lakewood Ranch, there are now eleven Jewish congregations under the umbrella of Synagogue Council that invite you to visit them. The Annual Community-Wide Synagogue Open House will take place on Sunday, September 14 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. All eleven of the area congregations from Bradenton to North Port will be welcoming prospective members. This is a wonderful opportunity to tour their facilities and meet the clergy, staff and lay leadership of these synagogues. Representatives will be there to showcase the various offerings, auxiliaries and programs that each temple offers. It is a great way to get a taste of what each congregation is all about. Admission is free, no reservations are required and most, if not all, will offer refreshments. The timing of the Open House is planned so that interested people are able to commit to a temple family prior to the High Holidays. Most congregations are sensitive to the economic times and will make financial arrangements to accommodate a person’s ability to pay. Don’t let monetary concerns keep you from visiting. Join a Congregation; Find a Community. Laurie Lachowitzer, president of

the Synagogue Council said, “Our Sarasota-Manatee community is unique in the way that our congregations work with a spirit of cooperation to coor-

dinate this event. This simultaneous Open House says a lot about the collaboration and goodwill that exists in this part of the world.”

Event Fact Sheet: Community-Wide Synagogue Open House Sunday, September 14, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The eleven congregations listed below (in alphabetical order) will be hosting individual Open Houses for prospective members. Congregation for Humanistic Judaism (Humanistic) c/o Unity, 3023 Proctor Rd., Sarasota 941.929.7771 Congregation Kol HaNeshama (Reconstructionist) 3145 Southgate Circle, Sarasota 941.244.2042 Congregation Ner Tamid (Non-affiliated) The Lodge, 4802 B 26th St., Bradenton 941.755.1231 Jewish Congregation of Venice (Independent) 600 Auburn Road, Venice 941.484.2022 Kehillah of Lakewood Ranch (Conservative) c/o The Windsor, 8220 Natures Way, Lakewood Ranch 941.349.8604

Temple Beth El, Bradenton (Reform) 4200 32nd Street West, Bradenton 941.755.4900 Temple Beth El, North Port (Conservative) 3840 S. Biscayne Dr., North Port 941.423.0300 Temple Beth Israel (Reform) 567 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key 941.383.3428 Temple Beth Sholom (Conservative) 1050 S. Tuttle Ave., Sarasota 941.955.8121 Temple Emanu-El (Reform) 151 McIntosh Road, Sarasota 941.371.2788 Temple Sinai (Reform) 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota 941.924.1802

PROOFREADERS Adeline Silverman, Stacey Edelman, Harold Samtur, Bryna Tevlowitz, Deb Bryan MIMI AND JOSEPH J. EDLIN JOURNALISM INTERNS Allya Yourish, Jackson Cacioppo MISSION STATEMENT: The Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee strives to be the source of news and features of special interest to the Jewish community of Sarasota-Manatee, to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions in the Jewish community, and to communicate the mission, activities and achievements of the Federation and its Jewish community partners. OPINIONS printed in The Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee do not necessarily reflect those of The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee, its Board of Directors or staff. SUBMISSIONS to The Jewish News are subject to editing for space and content, and may be withheld from publication without prior notice. Approval of submissions for publication in either verbal or written form shall always be considered tentative, and does not imply a guarantee of any kind. Submissions must be sent electronically to jewishnews@jfedsrq.org.

ADVERTISING: Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement and may require the words “Paid Advertisement” in any ad. Publication of advertisements does not constitute endorsement of products, services or ideas promoted therein.

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September 2014

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Would we recognize Jeremiah at Five Points Park? Sponsored by

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f you were walking through Five Points Park and the prophet Jeremiah appeared, would you recognize him? I’m not referring to his manner of dress or his grooming but by what his message might be were he standing on a soap box and prophesying about the future. The passer-by might think he was a bissel farklempt. The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva will offer a text-based course this fall: “The Book of Jeremiah.” This prophet lived through a very difficult period of Jewish history. What were Jeremiah’s times like? He began to prophesy in a period of religious reforms when the people were turning back to God. There was a shift in power as the rise of the Babylonian empire came to a head. Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and was victorious. The people of Judaea were carried off to captivity. Never before had empires shifted so powerfully! Never before had the Temple been destroyed! Jewish destiny changed from a people in a Promised Land to a

people away from their homeland. In spite of the times, what sets Jeremiah apart was not when he lived but rather how he lived. Jeremiah was called to prophesy as a teenager (1:6). He didn’t even want to take up the word but he managed to deliver the message in spite of his own desires (20:9). The hometown folks of Anatot condemned his message and threatened death (11:18-23). He gave a sermon in the Temple condemning it (7-9) even though this was the center of hope for most of his people. The result was that most of the prophets and priests also wanted him dead (26:8-11). Jeremiah condemned the ruling Kings (22:1117; 22:18-19; 22:24) and even advised them to submit to the foreign empire. His message was so infuriating that the scroll that it was written on was cut and burned (36:20-25). Jeremiah was accused of being a defector and was thrown in prison (37:11-15). His words were so disturbing that he was finally tossed into a cistern and left to die (38). Few people in leadership applauded;

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most reviled him. The legacy of Jeremiah was that he was ultimately deemed a great prophet in spite of all the mitigating forces that sought to shut him up; he vigorously insisted his message should go forth. It was the life rather than the times that made Jeremiah the faithful prophet that we remember and want to study today. Stoically, he was like Job. The eight-week course will be given on Friday mornings from 10:30 to

Save the date for Keeping the Dream Alive

oin us for the fourth annual Keeping the Dream Alive event on Wednesday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Michael’s On East, 1212 SE Ave., Sarasota. Enjoy an evening featuring the Sarasota Opera performing a variety of musical genres, and a sumptuous dessert buffet. Proceeds benefit the Benevolent Care Program, which helps seniors who qualify to stay in their homes at Kobernick House and Anchin Pavilion when their financial resources have been depleted. The founders of the Jewish Housing Council dreamed of creating a high-quality senior living campus that would provide for all of the social, spiritual and healthcare needs of aging seniors. They understood that providing this high-quality care would extend the lives of those who lived there, and as a result, some residents would eventually outlive their financial resources.

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To provide for this eventuality, the founders’ dream included establishing and maintaining a fund to provide Benevolent Care to those residents who qualified. Sadly, each year the number of applications for this Benevolent Care support increases, however the ability to meet this growing demand is dependent upon available funds. Keeping the Dream Alive is an event designed to carry on the founders’ dream to provide funds to support the neediest and most vulnerable residents of our campus. Tickets start at $125 and sponsorships are available. Thank you to event co-chairs Anne Garlington and Sally Yanowitz. For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Vice President of Development Mary Lee Richey at 941.377.0781 x404 or mrichey@kobernickanchin.org.

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11:45 a.m. starting Friday, September 19, and conducted in the Hecht Music School Building on the Jewish Federation Campus. To enroll or for more information, please contact me at 941.379.5655 or marden.paru@gmail.com. The Sarasota Liberal Yeshiva is subvented by a grant from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.

IN HONOR OF Mimi Edlin Edith Weinberger Howard Tevlowitz Hannah Honeyman IN MEMORY OF Rita Cohen Miriam Mitchell Bruce Mandel Janice and Bob Grossman MAZEL TOV Kim Mullins Hannah Honeyman

BOB MALKIN YOUNG AMBASSADORS IN MEMORY OF Leonard “Lenny” Schwartz Barbara and Gary Ackerman Joanne Adams Denise Cotler and Jon Herz-Midler Ilene and Michael Fox Joan and Brad Hanley Jeremy Lisitza and Michael Shelton Graci and Dennis McGillicuddy Flora and Guillermo Oynick Irene and Marty Ross Nancy Roucher Inna and Gerry Sideman Bunny and Mort Skirboll Lois Stulberg Bryna and Howard Tevlowitz Patti and David Wertheimer William Stover Jeremy Lisitza and Michael Shelton MAZEL TOV Claire Levin – New Home Bryna and Howard Tevlowitz Ros and Len Mazur – New Home Bryna and Howard Tevlowitz

DORIS LOEVNER FUND IN HONOR OF Judy Weinstein – Special Birthday Beverly Austgen and Norman Olshansky Joan Feder Marilyn and Stuart Goldfarb Annette Grishman

ISRAEL PROGRAMS IN HONOR OF Martha and Marc Grinberg Richard Mottino Elizabeth Kenner Inna and Gerry Sideman Barbara Rosen Inna and Gerry Sideman Carol Tolchinsky Inna and Gerry Sideman

SKIP (Send a Kid to Israel) IN HONOR OF Irma Batt – 90th Birthday Irene and Marty Ross Solomon Carson – 100th Birthday Rhoda Solomon and Herb Hoffman IN MEMORY OF Tim Baldwin Saranee Seiler and Cantor Neil Newman Marvin Biberman Saranee Seiler and Cantor Neil Newman Rita Cohen Dale Otterman Ben Nathanson Saranee Seiler and Cantor Neil Newman Steve Shencup Elaine and Burt Herman MAZEL TOV Rabbi Elaine Glickman – In Appreciation Saranee Seiler Newman

NOTE: To be publicly acknowledged in The Jewish News, Honor Cards require a minimum $10 contribution per listing. You can send Honor Cards directly from www.jfedsrq.org. For more information, please call 941.552.6304.

September 2014

7A September 2014 COMMUNITY FOCUS

JFCS’s kosher food pantry

www.grimefightersinc.com Established 1979

By Suzanne Hurwitz, MSW, Coordinator of Jewish Healing Programs s careful with their money as board” are certified kosher, and ours is they may be, people who are the only kosher pantry in town. living paycheck to paycheck JFCS accepts food donations colhave limited resources when faced with lected by area synagogues, local Jewish organizations and members of our an unexpected expenditure. A family community. Food pantry collection and may suddenly find that their car requires fixing, medical needs need to be donation is a meaningful project for a addressed, or they must attend a funerbar or bat mitzvah project. al out of state. With We encourage you to think of JFCS and Horty’s rent, electricity and Cupboard when doing your other monthly bills grocery shopping, especialto pay, these sudden ly with BOGO offers – doand often large expenses greatly affect nate the extra one. Our TOP TEN needed food items the balance of an are: peanut butter, tuna fish, already-tight family canned vegetables, canned budget. Yet, mouths fruits, cereal, snack foods still need to be fed. Through Jewish such as peanut butter crackers, cheese crackers and Family & Children’s Service of the Suntrail mix, nuts, baby food, Horty’s Cupboard coast’s programs, nutritional drinks and nonclients in need may receive a bag of perishable milk. Please, no boxed pasta groceries to help sustain them. In (it needs to be inside a sealed bag) or 2004, Sarasota friends of Hortense L. glass jars. What is generally needed Mintzer, a part-time resident of Longmost is protein. Donations are accepted weekdays boat Key, donated funds to establish a kosher food pantry in honor of her between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the 90th birthday. According to Hortense’s main campus of JFCS, 2688 Fruitville daughter, Joanna, they chose to honor Road, Sarasota. We thank you for your her late mother in this way because assistance in helping those here in our she was a “wonderful cook and a great community who are less fortunate. A hostess.” All items in “Horty’s Cuphappy and healthy 5775 to all!

t is a Temple Emanu-El tradition to hold early Shabbat services during the summer, and for each service to be followed by Shabbat dinner in a local restaurant. This past summer, these weekly dinners benefitted not only Temple Emanu-El members and guests enjoying a festive meal – they also benefitted veterans in need. Under the leadership of Richard Gross and Temple Emanu-El’s Social Action Committee, each dinner raised money for veterans programs operated by Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast. Mr. Gross – a Korean War veteran and an originator of Temple Emanu-El’s annual Veterans Shabbat – selected a different restaurant each week, and negotiated to ensure that at least ten percent of the money brought in by Temple Emanu-El diners would be donated to JFCS efforts to help vets. In addition to raising muchneeded money, Gross raised awareness in the Jewish community and among restaurant proprietors about the importance of supporting those who have served our country. With each dinner enjoying a large, enthusiastic attendance, the program was a tremendous success. “I owe my life to the Marine

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Corps,” Gross stated. “I was on my own at a young age, and the Marine Corps gave me the confidence to believe I could do anything. But what I found out is that for a lot of veterans, when they come back, people don’t respect or give the benefits that are due. This is missing for veterans today, and it was missing thirty years ago. No one is standing out to say, ‘Let me give you a hand.’” Gross hopes his efforts are making a difference, however. “This shows we want to help. We want to help them get started on the right path,” he concluded. “It shows that we care.”

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September 2014

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU presents From My Family’s Kitchen Recipe Contest Home cooks are invited to submit their best recipe

o you think your grandmother’s gefilte fish recipe is good enough to win a prize? How about your homemade pickles? Can your rugelach satisfy any sweet tooth? To celebrate the closing of its wildly popular exhibition, Growers, Grocers & Gefilte Fish, the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU presents a unique Recipe Contest to find the best Homemade Pickles, Gefilte Fish and Rugelach in Florida! Home cooks over the age of 18 with a great, original recipe for homemade pickles, gefilte fish or rugelach

are invited to enter this special contest. A panel of celebrity judges will select the winning recipes on Sunday, September 21 at 3:00 p.m. The panel includes Chef Alan Susser, Danny Serfer from Blue Collar, Josh Marcus from Josh’s Deli, NBC 6 Anchor Adam Kuperstein, Linda Gassenheimer from WLRN and The Miami Herald, and Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally A. Heyman. This special event will be hosted by local filmmaker and foodie Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys and The U). Contestants can view the official rules and download the Recipe Contest Entry Form online at http:// bit.ly/JMOFcontest or by calling the JMOF-FIU Marketing Department at 786.972.3170. Entry forms must be received by 5:00 p.m., Friday, September 12. Contestants must bring 10 samples of their entries to the museum between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 21 prior to the judging at 3:00 p.m. No caterers or professional chefs are permitted to enter. Contest prizes include: 1st Prize: A one-year JMOFFIU Donor Level Membership ($125 Value), gift certificates to local restaurants, signed cookbooks by local chefs, your photo with the winning recipe in TILES (JMOF-FIU’s newsletter), a Winner’s Certificate to proudly display, and of course bragging rights! 2nd Prize: JMOF-FIU Family Lev-

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee invites you to a

YOUNG ADULTS H A P P Y

H O U R

1219 1st St, Sarasota 5:30 – 7:30 pm For more information about the Young Adult Division, please contact Jessi Sheslow: 941.343.2109 or jsheslow@jfedsrq.org

ave the Date Friday, January 9, 2015 Lion of Judah & Pomegranate Luncheon

Andra London

As a seasoned entertainer and speaker, Andra brings her passion to the stage through her uplifting program “My Jewish Story through Song”, filled with traditional and contemporary Hebrew and English songs for audiences of all ages.

To learn more about the Lion of Judah please contact Ilene Fox at 941.343.2111 or ifox@jfedsrq.org.

From the JMOF-FIU Collection: Kitchen in Home of Henri and Rose Levy at 1030 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, c.1927

el Membership ($50 Value), a $36 gift certificate to the JMOF-FIU Museum Store, and your photo in TILES. 3rd Prize: JMOF-FIU Individual Membership ($36 Value), an $18 gift certificate to the JMOF-FIU Museum Store and your photo in TILES. The event is free for JMOF-FIU members; all others are free with museum admission. To RSVP, call 786.972.3175 or email info@jewish museum.com. Growers, Grocers & Gefilte Fish: A Gastronomic Look at Florida Jews in Food is on view through October 5, 2014. For a complete and list of programs, please visit the calendar page at www.jewishmuseum.com.

About JMOF-FIU: The Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU is located at 301 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, and visitor hours are TuesdaySunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It’s the only museum dedicated to telling the story of 250 years of Florida Jewish heritage, arts and culture. The museum is housed in two adjacent, lovingly restored historic buildings that were once synagogues for Miami Beach’s first Jewish congregation. The museum’s permanent exhibition is MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida, 1763 to Present. Its temporary history and art exhibitions change periodically. For more information, call 305.672.5044 or visit www.jewishmuseum.com.

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9A September 2014 COMMUNITY FOCUS

Temple to temple: A story of sharing and support

wenty-three years ago, Temple Sinai received a Torah on loan when it organized as a new congregation in Sarasota. This summer, as the Kehillah of Lakewood Ranch begins its own schedule of Shabbat services and Torah study, Temple Sinai is lending it one of the congregation’s Torahs to help them get started. In a moving ceremony in front of Temple Sinai’s ark, Rabbi Geoff Huntting explained the stories behind each of the temple’s Torahs and, in particular, the one being lent to the Kehillah. “When Jews want to study Torah,” said Huntting, “it is imperative we do everything we can to make that possible. The Temple Sinai board was unanimous in its support of helping a new congregation get started.” The assembled group sang the Shehecheyanu blessing before the Torah was passed on. “For Temple Sinai to so graciously lend us its Torah represents the true meaning of kehillah, community,” re-

marked Brenda Schimmel, president of the Kehillah. Added Anne Schimberg, Kehillah secretary, “This is a true mitzvah for which we are so appreciative.” Though Temple Sinai is affiliated with Judaism’s Reform movement and the Kehillah is a Jewish Conservative congregation, both being in a small Jewish community means that the personal relationships between the clergy and laypeople in the two congregations helped facilitate this exchange. The Kehillah of Lakewood Ranch currently meets at The Windsor (8220 Natures Way), an assisted living facility, on the 2nd and 4th Friday nights of the month and on the 1st and 3rd Saturday mornings of the month. Please email KehillahOfLakewoodRanch@ gmail.com for more information. Temple Sinai is located at 4631 S. Lockwood Ridge Road, off Proctor Road, in Sarasota. For more information, call 941.924.1802.

September 2014

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Sarasota Jewish Chorale begins 16th season By Marcia Polevoi

he Sarasota Jewish Chorale will be revving up for its 16th season with the start of rehearsals on Thursday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. on the Jewish Federation Campus. Members are looking forward to rehearsing Hear Our Voice, a newly created cantata by our own Rivka Chapman and Brenda Lederman. This is a sequel to their cantata, Esther’s Story, written in honor of the SJC’s Bar Mitzvah three years ago and which has been performed many times around town and beyond. The singers will also be challenged to learn additional new music suitable for various venues. The Chorale, always open to new voices, will hold a “Meet and Greet” night for members and newcomers on the 11th. The only prerequisite is a desire to sing and to be a part of an active and vibrant chorus. Being able to read music is helpful. This group loves to perform and, under the direction of

Linda Tucker, enjoys taking part in the various community activities. The Sarasota Jewish Chorale has been a valuable asset to the SarasotaManatee County area music scene for the past 16 years. Its musical talents have grown greatly during that time and it is in demand for performances at temples, churches, interfaith programs, organizations and social events throughout the two counties. The SJC rehearses most Thursday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. from September to April at Hecht School, 580 McIntosh Rd., courtesy of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Singers of all faiths and all voice parts are always welcome. The SJC is currently taking bookings for the forthcoming winter season – January through April. Further information can be obtained by calling Susan Skovronek at 941.355.8011 or by visiting www.sarasotajewishchorale.org.

The Chorale at a performance on the Federation Campus

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Whether the emergency is a rocket attack or a heart attack, the paramedics of Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical response and blood-banking agency, save lives in Israel every day. As we enter the new year hoping for peace, we must continue to prepare for routine and terror-related emergencies, replenishing supplies depleted during Operation Protective Edge. If you’re looking to make a difference for Israel and secure the nation’s health and safety for the coming year, there’s no better way than through a gift to MDA. Please give today. Shanah Tovah.

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10A

September 2014

COMMUNITY FOCUS

JFCS welcomes new Director of Volunteer Services and Community Outreach

heri Weiss recently joined Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast as the Director of Volunteer Services and Community Outreach. She brings to the organization nearly 16 years of professional experience providing assistance to families needing child support services. Sheri began working as a case manager and later became supervisor of the interstate and compliance team of the Child Support Enforcement Department in Manatee County. Her time serving in this capacity has provided a platform for her to make significant

contributions to diverse populations in the Israeli fashion show. She and both locally and internationally. daughter Sydney became members of Sheri was born and Temple Beth El in Bradenton in 2005, where raised in the small town of Saratoga Springs in upstate they immediately felt a New York which had a very strong connection to the small, yet tight-knit Jewcongregation. She has ish community. She recalls served as VP of Education, volunteered on as a child working with her grandmother, mother numerous committees, and other ladies of the Sisand continues to proterhood making dozens of vide support to TBE as well as the entire Jewish hamantashen for Purim Sheri Weiss festivities, bringing food or flowers community in Manatee County. to elder congregants, and modeling “I am grateful to have the opportu-

nity to join staff at JFCS to continue to improve the quality of life for individuals and families, and look forward to working collectively with volunteers, program staff and business partners to make a positive impact within our community,” stated Sheri. JFCS is currently seeking volunteers for our Mentor and Tutor Programs, and Jewish Observance Programs. For information on how you can make a difference, please contact Sheri Weiss at sweiss@JFCS-Cares. org or 941.366.2224 x143.

Jewish Housing Council Foundation names Mary Lee Richey Vice President of Development

he Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Housing Council Foundation is pleased to announce that Mary Lee Richey has joined the team as vice president of development, effective June 30, 2014. Richey was the senior

development officer at Ringling College of Arts and Design from 20072013. Prior to that, Richey served as executive director of Animal Rescue Coalition in Sarasota from 2002-2007. She served as the development officer

and administrative director for the Sarasota Opera from 1999-2002. She also consulted with the New York City Ballet in the development department and worked for J.P. Morgan in New York. “We are excited to welcome Mary Lee Richey to

Mary Lee Richey

our team,” says Chief Executive Officer Heidi Brown, “and we look forward to the sustained growth and success of the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Housing Council Foundation, which supports life-enriching programs and services for our residents and families.”

A Taste of Chanukah 2014: Call for volunteers

Planning for the 2014 edition of A Taste of Chanukah, Sarasota-Manatee’s preeminent community Chanukah celebration, is once again well underway. The event will take place on Sunday, December 21 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds, located at 3000 Ringling Boulevard (just southeast of Fruitville and Tuttle in Sarasota). It will again feature delectable gourmet kosher food prepared and served by some of the region’s top restaurants, spectacular entertainment, and attractions for the whole family. A large number of volunteers are urgently needed to assist with event operations, including set-up, decorating, traffic/parking assistance and more. If you wish to volunteer, please contact Chabad of Sarasota at 941.925.0770 or info@ chabadofsarasota.com.

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Dr. Hal Lewis to lead services at the Kehillah of Lakewood Ranch

11A

High Holy Days 5775 Temple Beth El Bradenton Invites the Jewish Community to Join Us for the Observance of the High Holy Days

Services Conducted by: Rabbi Harold Caminker, Soloist Deborah Suta & Cantor Alan Cohn

ROSH HASHANAH

Wednesday September 24th 7:30 pm Thursday September 25th 10:00 am

Friday Saturday Saturday Saturday

October 3 October 4th October 4th October 4th

Erev Rosh Hashanah Morning Service (Tashlich to follow)

YOM KIPPUR

7:30 pm 10:00 am 4:30 pm 5:30 pm

Kol Nidre Morning Service & Yizkor Healing/Music Service Neilah & Havdallah

ADDITIONAL SERVICES Saturday September 20th

6:00 pm

Friday October 10th Friday October 17th

7:30 pm 7:30 pm

Pot Luck Dairy Dinner followed by Havdalah & Selichot Erev Shabbat & Sukkot Erev Shabbat & Simchat Torah Introducing Temple Beth El’s monthly “SING OUT! SHABBAT”

Donations Greatly Appreciated CONTACT US FOR A HIGH HOLY DAY INFORMATION PACKET A Reform Synagogue, 4200 32nd Street West, Bradenton, FL 34205 941-755-4900 • www.templebethelbradentonfl.com

12A

September 2014

COMMUNITY FOCUS

A commemoration The Jewish Federation and the Generation After Group invite you to commemorate Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. Dr. Allan B. Schwartz will discuss “FDR, the Holocaust and The Jewish Question.” Was FDR aware of the atrocities in Europe before and during World War II? Was there a U.S. Jewish Quota? Was FDR an antiSemite? What did FDR trade with Congress, Willkie, Lindbergh? Discuss FDR’s “Jewish Cabal.” What was the Morgenthau Plan? White House documents will be presented.

The Sarasota Jewish Chorale will be joining us with appropriate songs

How Far can a DoLLar go TowarD making a DiFFerence in THe Lives oF women & cHiLDren? LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. The Women’s Giving Circle, or Ma’agal Nashim, is a group of passionate and caring women in Sarasota-Manatee who are committed to making a difference in the lives of women and children in need or at risk. Ma’agal Nashim is a place for women to explore how we can make a difference, become role models for our families and discover how leadership and philanthropic passions can build a stronger world for women and children.

YOU wILL BE pART Of THE pROCEss. YOUR VOICE wILL BE HEARD.

Questions? Contact Orna Nissan, 941.552.6305 or onissan@jfedsrq.org

Sunday, November 9, 2014 7:30 pm • Federation Campus

Event is FREE – Registration is required.

www.jfedsrq.org

To become a member or for questions: Contact Ilene Fox at 941.343.2111 or ifox@jfedsrq.org

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Rd, Sarasota, FL 34232

941.371.4546 • www.jfedsrq.org

TheJewishFederation.org

The Jewish News is also available online. Visit www.thejewishnews.org and you’ll be just one click away!

Out g n i s s i eM r ’ u Yo On Birthday Pre sents

A POWERFUL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY !

Please confirm your birth date with us and get a chance to win one of our monthly gifts.

Tandoor

Shalom! We are in the process of updating our database. This information allows us to appropriately plan our yearly programs to better serve you. To make this fun we will have monthly drawings thru December. All who confirm will be eligible in the month that confirmation occurs to win a prize!

Congrats to August winner: Sharon Alcock!

3 EASY WAYS TO ENTER

visit: www.jfedsrq.org (under events) email: jnew@jfedsrq.org OR call: 941.552.6304

HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND TOLERANCE EDUCATION

MANY INSPIRING SPEAKERS TO CHOOSE FROM INCLUDING:

The Holocaust Speakers Bureau offers teachers a unique opportunity to expand their students’ classroom experience. We have a large number of Holocaust survivors who reside in this community. They are very motivated to visit school children and give their eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust. Also, available are speakers who were hidden children, those saved through the “Kindertransport”, resistance fighters, refugees, as well as World War II camp liberators.

HILDE MANDEL PAUL MOLNAR RIFKA GLATZ MARK SOLENT HENRY TENENBAUM

All speakers are authentic to their respective experiences and feel a strong commitment to bring an awareness of the consequences that result when evil is allowed to flourish. They feel privileged and grateful to live in this wonderful country where their voices are being heard. For Booking Contact

Anne Stein, Speakers Bureau Coordinator 941.923.6470 • luvhula@gmail.com

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

LIMITED TO ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.

For Questions Contact Orna Nissan, Director, Holocaust Education and Israeli Programs 941.552.6305 • onissan@jfedsrq.org www.TheJewishFederation.org

13A September 2014 COMMUNITY FOCUS

September 2014

13A

TBS Sisterhood begins Bimah Baskets program

he Sisterhood of Temple Beth Sholom has begun a new program that substitutes the traditional flowers on the bimah with Bimah Baskets for Shabbat and holidays. These baskets are collections of non-perishable kosher food that, after Shabbat, will be donated to Jewish Family & Children’s Service of the Suncoast or All Faiths Food Bank. Everyone is invited to experience the mitzvah of feeding the hungry. Once a Shabbat date is chosen, the TBS Sisterhood provides a basket and list of sug-

gested foods for you and your family to purchase. You drop off the purchases to the food bank the following week. Alternately, you may make a donation to Sisterhood of TBS. We will place a beautiful basket filled with mock food items on the bimah, and then, quarterly, a portion of the donations will be sent to the two organizations. If you are interested in participating, please contact the temple office at 941.955.8121 or info@templebethsholomfl.org.

Temple Beth El welcomes talented soloist

emple Beth El of Bradenton Rabbi Harold Caminker and Cantor Alan Cohn, who has graced the bimah with his beautiful operatic voice for the past 11 years, welcome the talented soloist Deborah Suta to their High Holy Day services. Deborah’s musical history includes opera, pops and recital stage. She also brings her talents as a soloist at numerous synagogues. RoseMarie Freni of the New York City Opera has described soprano Suta as “possessing a full rich voice with excellent range and a true talent.” An Illinois native, Deborah graduated with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Education and Music Education. She also participated in the New England Conservatory’s Opera

B”H JOIN CHABAD OF BRADENTON & LAKEWOOD RANCH

FOR THE

High Holidays Rabbi Harold Caminker, Deborah Suta, Cantor Alan Cohn

Institute in Boston. She is completing her Ph.D. dissertation in Music Education at the University of South Florida, and teaches at several universities and privately. For more information about Temple Beth El, call 941.755.4900 or visit www.templebethelbradenton.com.

The Jewish News delivers! Introduce your business to a POWERFUL demographic and reach nearly 20,000 readers for pennies per household! Contact Robin Leonardi for ad rates and deadlines at 941.552.6307 or rleonardi@jfedsrq.org.

No Membership Fees or Tickets Hebrew/English Prayer-Books Warm and Friendly Atmosphere No Background or Affiliation Necessary Traditional and Contemporary Services Special Children's Program Kiddush Buffets after Each Service

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Services September 24 - 26 & October 3 - 4 Lorraine Corner 14405 SR70 East Bradenton, FL. 34211 NO CHARGE for seats, your donation is greatly appreciated. Advance reservations are suggested. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Chabad: 941-752-3030, rabbi@chabadofbradenton.com www.chabadofbradenton.com

Temple Beth Israel is Here for You!

Don’t miss this advertising opportunity!

Volunteer Teachers N E E D E D

olunteer Teachers are needed for our second year of free ESOL classes (English to Speakers of Other Languages) at the Hecht Building on The Jewish Federation campus, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota. Classes will begin Oct. 6th, 2014 and finish in May 2015 with a month break over the holidays. Teachers are needed for all classes. Textbooks will be provided. Classes are in English only.

• Mondays 6–7:45 pm – Basic English class & Advanced English class • Wednesdays 6–7:45 pm – Basic English class & Advanced English class • Thursdays 10–11:30 am – Conversational English

CLASSES START

October 6th 2014 P lease contact Jeremy Lisitza for information at 941.343.2113 or jlisitza@jfedsrq.org

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Rd, Sarasota, FL 34232

941.371.4546 • www.jfedsrq.org

Where Will You Be for the High Holy Days? High Holy Days Service Schedule S’lichot Saturday, September 20, 7:30 pm

Kol Nidre Friday, October 3, 8 pm

Erev Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, September 24, 8 pm

Yom Kippur Saturday, October 4, 10 am Memorial Service 4 pm

Rosh Hashanah Thursday, September 25, 10 am

Sukkot Thursday, October 9, 11 am

Simhat Torah

Friday, October 16, 12 pm

Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz will conduct services with Music Director Dr. Ann Stephenson Moe and Cantorial Soloist Robert Marinoff.

Call the Temple office – 941-383-3428 Ask about affordable trial & seasonal memberships! Temple Beth Israel 567 Bay Isles Rd Longboat Key www.tbi-lbk.org

14A

September 2014

JEWISH INTEREST

TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM September 1939 and the outbreak of WWII Sarasota-Manatee’s Conservative Synagogue Join us at

in september

All Are Welcome! Come Join Us! ONGOING PROGRAMS

Monday, September 1, Labor Day – TBS Office Closed

Daily Morning Minyan Sunday-Friday, 8:00am

Sundays, September 7, 14, 21, 28, Paver Religious School

Minyan Breakfast Wednesdays, 9:00am

Wednesday, September 10, 1:15pm Interesting Lives

SHABBAT SERVICES

Sunday, September 14, 1:00 - 4:00pm, Community Open House

Fridays, 6:30pm Saturdays, 9:00am

Chug Ivri Thursdays, September 4, 11, 18, 10:30am - 12:30pm Modern Jewish Ethics Tuesdays, September 9, 23, 30, 10:30 - 11:30am Yiddish Group Mondays, September 8, 15, 22, 29, 1:30 - 3:30pm Judaica Shop, Hannah Puckhaber Monday-Thursday, 10am-3pm Idelson Adult Library Monday-Thursday, 10am-3pm

Sunday, September 14, 5:00 - 7:00pm, Family Pizza & Ice Cream Social (All ages) – Movie for the kids! Thursday, September 18, 10:00am, Knitting Circle Sunday, September 21, 9:00am, Holiday Learning with Rabbi Werbow, “How to build a Sukkah”

Temple Beth Sholom

941.955.8121 1050 S. Tuttle Ave. Sarasota, FL 34237

Email: info@templebethsholomfl.org Website: www.templebethsholomfl.org Home of Temple Beth Sholom Schools:

• The Martin and Mildred Paver Religious School – 941.552.2780 • Justin L. Wiesner Pre School – 941.954.2027 • Goldie Feldman Academy Grades K-8 – 941.552.2770

2014—5775 High Holiday Schedule Saturday, Sept. 20 Selichot Service, Dessert Reception and Program – 7:00pm Wednesday, Sept. 24 Erev Rosh Hashanah Service ** – 7:30pm

Thursday, Sept. 25 Rosh Hashanah Service **– 10:00am Young Families Service for Rosh Hashanah – 1:30pm Tashlich at Turtle Beach – 5:30pm Friday, Sept. 26 Rosh Hashanah Service – 10:00am

Friday, Oct. 3 Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre ** – 7:30pm

Saturday, Oct. 4 Yom Kippur Service **– 10:00am Young Families Service for Yom Kippur – 1:30pm Conversations with the Clergy – 3:00pm Yom Kippur Afternoon Service, directly followed by the Yizkor Service, N'ila Service and Break Fast – 4:30pm As always, our doors are open to the community. Those services noted with an ** require advance a r ra n ge me nt s fo r no n-m emb e r at te n da nc e. Call or visit our website for additional details.

By Paul R. Bartrop, PhD

n September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, as a consequence of that invasion, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Although the conflict that would become World War II was, at that stage, still localized to those countries (as well as the countries of the British and French Empires), it carried an awful Dr. Paul Bartrop potential to spiral into something much worse. Germany was already allied to Fascist Italy and, a few days before the invasion, Germany had signed an alliance with the Soviet Union. For several years prior to this, smaller countries all over Europe had been coalescing into alliances and groupings for their mutual defense in case of the unthinkable. What did this mean for the Jews of Europe? It is important to realize, I think, that the war that began 75 years ago this month did not coincide with the start of the Holocaust – though it must also be said that Nazi anti-Jewish measures in Poland were not long in coming. Indeed, within a month the first ghettos were established, with Nazi Germany taking advantage of Poland’s conquest in order to begin persecuting the Jews. This, however, was a piecemeal persecution. At the beginning of the war the Nazis did not yet quite know what to do with the millions of Jews they had just seized. After all, the previous six years had not seen a complete eradication of Jews from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, and Jewish numbers in this “Old Reich” were substantially less than they were in the newly-occupied territories. The question of how to deal with the much larger Polish Jewish population was therefore one that made the Nazis pause – though only for a short while. The upshot of Nazi interim measures – which were to remain in place, and would then drive the Final Solution as it developed – was the creation of a system of ghettos throughout Nazi-occupied Poland. When teaching about World War II and the Holocaust, I find that the question often comes up: “Was the Holocaust unique?” My answer is always the same. The Holocaust of the Jews was, quite clearly, a singular event – just as the Armenian Genocide was different from Rwanda, Cambodia was different from Bosnia, and East Timor was different from Darfur. Each has its individual characteristics, distinct from those of others. Despite this, the Holocaust – still yet to be worked out when the war began – was Different (with a capital D),

in scale, in breadth and in its origins. This was the case even as we acknowledge that all historical phenomena are of themselves unique in that they will never again occur in exactly the same way. Every genocidal act of the past century, whether of the Hereros, Armenians or Ukrainians, or taking place in East Timor, Cambodia, Bosnia or Rwanda, has been characterized by specific developments which cannot be transferred from one setting to another. Possibly the best that objective historians can hope to identify in these events are the features that are common or different, and from this ascertain whether some sort of general pattern can be discerned. What, then, should be the key question about the Holocaust? Perhaps what needs to be asked is not “Was the Holocaust unique?” but, rather, turning the issue upside down, “What is unique about the Holocaust as a case of genocide?” – in other words, to assume its uniqueness (as we should do with all others as well), and then move straight away to identifying the feature or features that define its specific character. The main tool the Nazis employed to achieve their murderous aims could be found in the death camps, and it is these institutions, thoroughly unprecedented in purpose and design, that make up the starkest feature of the Holocaust. Nothing, either before or since, approximates the Nazi death camps in design, intention or operation. The outbreak of war in September 1939 did not see the immediate establishment of these camps, though the invasion of Poland generated the circumstances that would allow for them later. Nowhere has any other malevolent regime introduced establishments like the Nazi death camps of LublinMajdanek, Treblinka, Bełzec, Sobibór, Chełmno or Auschwitz-Birkenau. They were, and remain, thoroughly unmatched in human history. As such, they became the most lucid and unequivocal statement German National Socialism made about itself, demonstrating beyond doubt that it was an anti-human ideology in which respect for life counted for nothing. Put together, all these aspects of what the death camps represented added up to a new dimension of genocide. This, of course, could not have been foreseen 75 years ago, when war broke out in September 1939. For all the persecution that had thus far taken place in the Old Reich, the Holocaust, as we have come to understand it, had not yet begun. The “ground zero” of the Final Solution – the extermination camps – was still several years away. Dr. Paul Bartrop is Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. He can be reached at pbartrop@fgcu.edu.

and the declaration of a state of war by Britain and France two days later. The panel will be comprised of interstate speakers Dr. Steven Leonard Jacobs (University of Alabama) and Dr. David Weinberg (Wayne State University), and local scholars from FGCU, including Dr. Paul Bartrop, Dr. Erik Carlson, Dr. Joanna SalapskaGalleri and Dr. Eric Strahorn. Once each speaker has addressed the audience (and after a coffee break), the panel will conduct an open forum (including a Q&A) with the audience. For more information, contact Dr. Paul R. Bartrop at pbartrop@fgcu.edu or 239.590.7239, or visit http://www. fgcu.edu/hc/.

World War II symposium at FGCU

n Tuesday, September 2, the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University will be sponsoring a symposium to recognize the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. The symposium, entitled “War is Declared: September 1939,” will take place in the Cohen Center, room 213, starting at 1:00 p.m. (with a projected finish of about 4:30 p.m.). Attendance is free and open to the public. This unique event will focus on six different countries – Germany, Britain, France, Poland, the United States and India – and their response to the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939,

The Jewish News is a monthly nonprofit newspaper supported by generous readers, committed advertisers and The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.

15A September 2014 JEWISH INTEREST

September 2014

Stars of David

Interested in Your Family’s History?

By Nate Bloom, Contributing Columnist Editor’s note: Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. TV and Related Doings Nichols) in the first season of the NetI hope it works out, in some cosmic flix series Orange is the New Black. sense, for ANDI DORFMAN, 29, the She was promoted to a series regular titular star of the 10th season of The for the second season. Bachelorette. She and contestant Josh Meanwhile, rock musician JACK Murray, 30, announced their engageANTONOFF, 30, the “live-in” boyment during the season finale (July friend of Girls star LENA DUNHAM, 28). As I see it, the couple faces two 28, has had a hot summer. He had a possible big problems: Although his big single (We are Young) and CD hit mother is Jewish, Murray and his sib(Some Nights) with his band “Fun” in lings were raised in their father’s Cath2012 (the single sold 7 million copies; olic faith and Josh Murray is reportedly the CD sold 5.1 million). His solo proja devout Catholic. Also, Dorfman ect, under the band name “Bleachers,” has reportedly given up her job as an is a critical and sales smash (the CD, Atlanta-area assistant district attorney called Strange Desire, was released – in favor of seeing where her celebrity July 2014). Antonoff, who grew up in will take her. This is a risky strategy. New Jersey and attended a Jewish day The producers of The Bachelorette school, recently told the website “Vuldidn’t think she was a very hot TV ratture” that he can pull off “the vaguely ings commodity. She was reportedly Nazi look” that his haircut gives him paid “only” $50,000 for her time on the because his face is “so Jewish.” show. Some past Bachelorette stars reTeyve on Capitol Hill; ceived as much as $200,000. Still, they Shatner in Space are a very good looking and charming It’s rare when a prominent TV journalcouple and I think they have a reasonist casually gives us bits about his/her able shot of landing lucrative TV jobs Jewish background. They tend to be on one or more cable TV channels. buttoned-up about their private life. The upcoming season of the hit But I guess RICK KLEIN, 37, the HBO series Girls will include guest appolitical director of ABC News, was pearances by MAUDE APATOW, 15, in an expansive mood when he reand NATASHA LYONNE, 35. Apacently spoke to “The Hill,” a political tow is the daughter of producer/direcnews website. Klein, a Long Island nator JUDD APATOW, 47, and she got tive, and the father of two young sons, very good reviews for her performance dropped these Jewish nuggets: “I will as PAUL RUDD’s older daughter in never forgive D.C. for its lack of diners her father’s film, This is 40 (2012). and solid Jewish deli options” and “I Lyonne has made a great career and was big into drama club in high school. health comeback from the mental and I played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof drug problems that almost killed her a under the stage name Ricky Klein.” decade ago. Her sobriety led to being Star Trek inspired generations cast in a lot of TV guest shots and she of astronauts and space engineers. hit gold in 2013 as a guest star (Nicky So, when WILLIAM “Capt. Kirk”

15A

Ten years of doing a Jewish celebrities column has turned Nate Bloom (see column at left) into something of an expert on finding basic family history records and articles mentioning a “searched-for” person. During these 10 years, he has put together a small team of “mavens” who aid his research. Most professional family history experts charge at least $1,000 for a full family tree. However, many people just want to get “started” by tracing one particular family branch.

So here’s the deal: Send Nate an email at nteibloom@aol.com, tell him you saw this ad in The Jewish News, and include your phone number (area code, too). Nate will then contact you about doing a “limited” family history for you at a modest cost (no more than $100). No upfront payment. SHATNER tweets NASA and the European Space Agency, they respond quickly and politely. On August 2 he asked NASA how they were doing and they replied that the space station was doing well and wished Shatner a happy weekend. On August 6 he asked the Europeans how they were doing and they responded that their Rosetta space probe was just about to orbit a comet (which it began doing on August 8). Shatner replied that he didn’t know about Rosetta. The European Agency’s amusing reply: “Rosetta has been on a 10-year mission to boldly go where no one has gone before.” Serious Moment: Celebs on Gaza Most celebrities have refrained from saying anything about the fighting in Gaza/Israel. A simple Google News search will reveal which celebs have expressed some opinion and, even, in some cases, withdrawn or tempered prior statements. I will add one headsup: The Hollywood Reporter, which can be read online, has an easily findable section of well-written Gaza-

related articles that both summarizes and analyzes what celebrities and entertainment executives are saying and thinking. If you are really interested in this subject, I would suggest you read its insider coverage. Lauren Bacall LAUREN BACALL, who died on August 12, was born Betty Joan Perske on September 16, 1924, in the Bronx, New York, the only child of Natalie Weinstein-Bacal, a secretary who later legally changed her surname to Bacall, and William Perske, who worked in sales. Both her parents were Jewish. Her mother emigrated from Romania through Ellis Island and her father was born in New Jersey to Polish parents. A two-time Tony winner and an Oscar nominee, Bacall was the first “openly” Jewish film actress to achieve super-stardom (few knew THEDA BARA and HEDY LAMARR were Jewish). She wasn’t, by the way, a “first cousin” of SHIMON PERES, the Israeli president, as many bios say. They are all repeating a factual error.

16A

September 2014

JEWISH INTEREST

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By David Benkof, DavidBenkof@gmail.com Solution on page 26A Across Down 1. American Jewish women Lazarus 1. Subj. in an ulpan for new Americans and Goldman 2. High school at Yeshiva U. 6. Spielberg’s Mossad agent in “Munich” 3. Canadian author Richler (“The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz”) 10. Like some challah 4. Art Buchwald was one in the 14. Crush grapes for wine Marine Corps 15. Month with a Rosh Chodesh on 5. Mississippi location of “In the Heat April 19, 2015 of the Night,” starring Lee Grant 16. Tribe (but not of Israel) 6. Immigrants to Israel who founded 17. Stage in Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” Rishon L’Tzion and Gedera 18. Part of Gilda Radner’s Saturday 7. Yiddish saying about how tough night TV show it is to be Jewish: “S’iz shver tzu 19. Tallit parts zayn ___” 20. Theodor Herzl’s German-language 8. Pupiks book about a Jewish state 9. There ___ Jews in Mecca 23. Location of a 1942 Warsaw uprising 10. Genuine, in Yiddish 25. Canadian actor Jacobi 11. 1978 film in which Olivia Newton26. Sign when the Stephen Sondheim Theater on B’way is packed John sang “Hopelessly Devoted to You” 27. One kind of computer Davka makes software for 12. Yeshiva subject 28. Gazans and others 13. Broadway’s Maury who won 31. Northern Israeli city Beit ___ Best Musical Tonys for “Titanic” 33. Tchelet, essentially and “Nine” 35. Tchelet, essentially 21. Jeremy of musical comedies 36. Word that precedes and follows (“Newsies”) “by” in a song from Stephen 22. Sarah Silverman’s rabbi sister Schwartz’s “Godspell” 23. It competes against anti-Semite 37. Stage name for “Little House Henry Ford’s company (abbr.) on the Prairie” star Eugene 24. Famous first name from the Maurice Orowitz American Revolution 29. Yes from Congresswoman Debbie 42. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) Wasserman Schultz 43. Word before and after “Lady” in 30. Politician Abzug known for her the title of a Bob Dylan song hats 44. Shia LaBeouf vehicle “___ 32. “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. ___” (1913 Stevens” film co-directed by Carl Laemmle) 46. Gur who wrote about detective 34. It sponsors the Jewish Student Michael Ohayon Union (JSU) 49. African city with an Israeli embassy 36. Like some stale bagels 51. Monologuist Ensler 38. Puts a kugel in the oven 52. Agy. many yordim deal with 39. ___ Ba’Omer (day for weddings) 53. The ___ of Steve (2000 film 40. Supervised, as by a mashgiach starring Ayelet Kaznelson) 41. She’arim competitor among 55. Songwriter Tom (“Poisoning Jerusalem women’s seminaries Pigeons in the Park”) 45. ___ Tamid (Synagogue name in 57. Woodrow Wilson appointed him to Camarillo, CA and Cleveland, OH) the U.S. Supreme Court 46. Rachel’s handmaid in Genesis 61. Dance introduced to Palestine in 47. “___ is hidden for him in the 1924 ground” (Job 18:10) 62. ___ O. (Freud’s name for Bertha 48. Trouble, to a Yiddish speaker Pappenheim) 49. Greene and Michaels of TV 63. Drive from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv 50. The ___ (Jewish Daily Forward in less than 45 minutes feature on intermarriage) 66. “One young he-goat for ___ 54. Addis ___ (birthplace of many offering” (verse repeated 12 times Ethiopian Jews) in Numbers 7) 56. Zoo animal and Israeli export 67. Gambles at one of Sheldon 58. Ziering and Kinsler Adelson’s casinos 59. Prefix for Zionism or Semitism 68. British pamphlet “___ into the 60. It sent Judith Resnik into space Synagogue” (abbr.) 69. Philosopher Moses who influenced 64. Reaction to seeing a “Maus” Labor Zionism 65. Bergen-Belsen residents in 1948 70. Israel’s continent (abbr.) 71. Policy ___ (Rahm Emanuel types)

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September 2014

17A September 2014 JEWISH INTEREST

17A

A brilliant mosaic of voices, genres and insights By Philip K. Jason, Special to The Jewish News

these lives touch: Gila also knew Bellen, author of a book called Kid Bethlehem that fashions King David as a twentieth-century gangster. his high-end literary novel is And then we jump back to meet challenging and enthralling. It Gila Konig in Tel Aviv circa 1972 durpoints in many directions, but ing the time of Lansky’s failed appeal its intertwined journeys ultimately for citizenship and asylum in Israel. have a rich closure. A fiction made in The reputed tough guy is “understatpart of purported memoirs, it probes ed” and mannerly. Konig and Lansky the nature of memoir both philosophiare both immigrants to different councally and psytries (Lansky to the U. S.) at different chologically. The times. They are part of the immigrant psychology of imnation that is the still-dispersed Jewish migrant status and people and, somehow, accounts for the identity is another existence of a Jewish mafia – even an concern, here unIsraeli mafia. derstood as havThen we jump back to New York ing a connection at the end of the Roaring Twenties and to the Jewish confind a much younger Lansky, making dition throughout his way in the world of crime and easPhil Jason history. The novel ily available women. also explores the violent edge of JewAnd so it goes, layers of re-imagish experience, using the poles of King ined history and biography with pure David and Meyer Lansky as well as invention artfully blended into the the quandary of an incessantly armed mix, their several voices – all strangely Israel. haunted – wrapped inside of Hannah’s. The novel’s timeline Intriguing secondary begins in 2012 before characters, includshuttling back and forth at ing Hannah’s father, intervals large and small. an Israeli journalist We meet Hannah Groff, named Oded Voss a journalist nearing forty, who serves as Hanwho opens her relationnah’s guide and inship with her readers by terpreter during her telling of a meeting with research on Bellen, her father that underand a piecemeal porscored the distance betrait of King David tween them. She mentions – the primal Jewish her first book, “a memoir gangster. of my brief marriage,” Hannah in parZachary Lazar and then goes on to tell of ticular, but also the her 2009 visit to Israel. Hannah feels other characters in this literary mosaic, compelled to research and investigate is endlessly introspective. the murdered poet-essayist David BelOne of the novel’s major sections len. is Hannah’s memoir of her investigaBut this quest leads to Gila Kotion into Bellen’s death. She describes nig, a Hungarian-born refugee who Bellen’s 2008 collection of poems as once knew Hannah’s father all too well “in many ways a critique of current when Hannah was a child. In fact, Gila Israeli policy in the Occupied Territoworked in the Hebrew school of the ries.” This characterization suggests a temple the Groffs belonged to. As we motive for Bellen’s murder, but there will later discover, Gila knew Meyer are other possibilities. Following BelLansky at least as well. So, yes, all of len’s path allows Lazar, via Hannah, I Pity the Poor Immigrant: a Novel. Zachary Lazar, Little, Brown. 256 pages. Hardcover $25.

to bring the reader through Israel’s political, artistic and physical landscape. It seems as if murder is everywhere. Lazar also creates a voice and technique for Bellen’s own work, which forms another part of the intricate mosaic. When Hannah meets Bellen’s son Eliav, she learns even more about a heavy depression that clouds Israeli life. When she meets Eliav’s ex-wife, still other tones enter the novel. Jewish mafia stories weave in and out of the novel, touching on Lansky’s later doings in Las Vegas, Cuba and Miami. The attraction of I Pity the Poor Immigrant lies in its sheer inventiveness, its surprising juxtaposition of incongruent elements that eventually click into place. Portions of the book are made up of short, polished vignettes that turn around in the reader’s brain like mismatched puzzle pieces until they fit. For example, as part of an extended linking of such short pieces – presented as a stretch of David Bellen’s essay called, of all things – “I Pity

the Poor Immigrant” – Lazar juxtaposes a piece called “Intifada” and another called “Permanent War.” The first piece, set in Israel in 2001, records events of the Second Intifada while at the same presenting Bellen’s worry over his son’s further withdrawal from their relationship. “Permanent War” jumps to the constant conflict between “American’s heartland Protestants” and the threatening immigrant tides. The tides brought those who would become the Italian and Jewish gangsters, sometimes attacking the establishment, sometimes murdering each other. Zachary Lazar spins these two passages in a way that allows them to echo and reflect one another. Eventually, the book becomes a hall of mirrors, its various narrators, tales and techniques forcing the reader to do the work needed to own the important insights that it offers. Making that effort pays off big time. Philip K. Jason is Professor Emeritus of English from the United States Naval Academy. He reviews regularly for Florida Weekly, Jewish Book World, Southern Literary Review, and other publications. Please visit Phil’s website at www.philjason.wordpress.com.

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18A

September 2014

JCPA congratulates Rabbi David Saperstein

David’s entire career has been devoted to speaking up for the least among us. This next chapter will direct his stunning talents to the global stage in every sense of the phrase ‘repairing the world,’” continued Gutow. “We have deeply appreciated his close relationship with the JCPA, his presence at countless JCPA Plenums, his passionate speeches on too many issues to name, and the brilliant way in which he has helped to shape communal policies in our resolutions session, frequently bringing us to consensus stances on issues that seemed to divide us,” said JCPA Chair Susan W. Turnbull. For David’s exemplary life according to the social justice imperatives of Judaism, Jewish history, and the protection of the Bill of Rights, he was awarded the Albert D. Chernin Award, the JCPA’s highest award, in 2003.

he Jewish Council for Public Affairs welcomes with great excitement President Obama’s nomination of Rabbi David Saperstein to serve as the State Department Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. “For decades, David has been not just a treasured colleague – he is family. And so this news is not just a milestone for our community and our country, it is a cause for joy and celebration. We are truly shepping naches,” said JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow. “Every day, the news is filled with troubling stories of religious persecution – anti-Jewish riots in Paris, forced conversion or exile of Christians in Iraq, and anti-Muslim violence in Burma. There could be no better person to lead our nation’s efforts to make this world a safer place for people of faith, particularly religious minorities.

Defiant Requiem nominated for Emmy

The Jewish Federation of Sarahe documentary Defiant Requisota-Manatee proudly screened this em has been nominated for an film during an event in Emmy Award. The docuFebruary, which included mentary tells the little-known an introduction from Stuart story of the Nazi concentration Eizenstat, chair of the Decamp Terezin in Czechoslovafiant Requiem Foundation, kia. Led by imprisoned conducand a post-film discussion tor Rafael Schächter, the Jewish with two survivors of Terinmates, including artists from ezin. all over central Europe, held The Emmy Awards on to their humanity by stag- Defiant Requiem Poster will be announced in New York on ing plays, composing operas, and usTuesday, September 30. The movie is ing paper and ink to record the horrors currently available via Netflix. around them.

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K’zohar Ha-Ivrit Shalom – Peace By Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin

ewish history, from biblical times to the present, is marked by struggle and by the yearning for peace. It is not surprising that shalom is a key word in our language and our tradition. The wish for shalom al Israel, ‘peace upon Israel’ (Ps 125:5), resonates national and individual aspirations for security and tranquility. It is to the word shalom I wish to direct our attention. Shalom apDr. Rachel Dulin pears 237 times in the Bible in various meanings. In most of the references shalom means ‘tranquility,’ ‘security,’ ‘peace’ and ‘wellbeing.’ However, shalom also means ‘health,’ ‘welfare,’ ‘completeness’ and ‘safety.’ Scholars disagree as to the root of the word. Some claim it is related to the Aramaic verb sh’la meaning ‘be quiet,’ ‘be at ease,’ ‘tranquil’ and even ‘thoughtless’ and ‘careless.’ They point to the Hebrew word ash-la-ya meaning ‘deception’ as a concept derived from the same root. Other scholars connect shalom with the verb shalem meaning ‘complete’ or ‘whole.’ It is the same root from which the words tash-lum, ‘payment,’ and shi-lu-mim, ‘reparations,’ are also derived, and allude to the completeness of a transaction. It is interesting to note that although the Hebrew shalom and Arabic salaam have a similar origin, meaning and sound, the Hebrew emphasizes the meaning of wholeness and in Arabic it resonates the word Islam which requires surrender. Many are the Hebrew phrases in

which shalom is at the center. Shalom or shalom alay-chem, ‘peace be upon you,’ and the greeting mah sh’lomcha, ‘how are you’ (for a man), and mah sh’lom-ech (for a woman), are probably the most recognized Hebrew greetings. We should also mention the expression de-ri-shat shalom, a way to send greetings to someone which literally means ‘ask for someone’s welfare’ (Deut 23:7). In the common phrase ha-kol yavo al me-ko-mo be-shalom, meaning ‘all will settle peacefully at the end,’ shalom is used to express optimism, assuring a positive resolution to an issue (Ex 18:23). We should also mention the phrase sh’lom ba-yit, ‘peace in the house,’ referring to a harmonious household (Shabbat 23), and the peaceful greeting Shabbat shalom on Shabbat day. Last but not least, the phrase alav or ale-ha ha-shalom, literally ‘peace upon him (or her),’ is a respectful saying to remember the dead. In closing, our tradition teaches that three principles assure the survival of a civilized society: din - ‘law,’ e-met - ‘truth,’ and shalom - ‘peace’ (Abot 1:18). It is not surprising that the prayer o-seh shalom bim-ro-mav, ‘The One who makes peace in His heights’ (Job 25:2), is repeated time and again in the Jewish liturgy. For it expresses the endless hope that Hu ya-a-seh shalom a-lay-nu ve-al kol Israel, ‘He will bring shalom upon us individually, and shalom to all of Israel, collectively.’ And let us say: Amen. Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin is a professor of biblical literature at Spertus College in Chicago and an adjunct professor of Hebrew and Bible at New College in Sarasota.

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September 2014

19A 2014 ISRAEL & THESeptember JEWISH WORLD

19A

An Israeli cure for Rx errors

Mistakes in prescribing drugs cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries. Israel’s MedAware has devised a system to identify errors in real time. By Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL21c, www.israel21c.org

hen a nine-year-old Israeli boy died because his primary-care physician accidentally prescribed the wrong drug, internist Dr. Gidi Stein resolved to invent a way to prevent prescription errors – a frighteningly common occurrence estimated to cause injuries and deaths of more than 200,000 patients every year in the United States alone. Three years after that tragedy, a live test version of MedAware’s Prescription Analysis and Alert System – as envisioned by Stein, Tuvik Beker and Prof. Eytan Ruppin – is to be installed in Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital, in addition to pilot studies at Boston’s world-renowned Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Using big-data analytics of electronic medical records data, MedAware’s technology learns prescription patterns used by actual physicians, and identifies potential prescription errors in real time. “The ease with which a little boy died because of a mistaken click of a button was horrifying to me as a physician and as a parent,” Stein tells ISRAEL21c. MedAware is born He was unusually qualified to fix the problem. Before going to medical school, Stein was a software engineer and later earned a doctorate in computational biology from Tel Aviv University, where he teaches clinical medicine and molecular imaging. Ruppin, a professor of computer science and medicine and an international authority in biomedical modeling and machine learning, was Stein’s PhD adviser. He agreed to cofound the company in 2012, bringing in machine-

learning and algorithm expert Beker. “We worked for more than a year doing Israeli pilot studies, working in the middle of the night without pay, and had the good fortune last year to be accepted to the MassChallenge accelerator,” says Stein. MassChallenge, the world’s largest early-stage accelerator, recently opened MassChallenge Israel, its first official program outside of Boston. During the four-month accelerator period, selected Israeli startups have access to world-class mentors, a large entrepreneurial community, training, networking events, free office space and cash prizes. “Boston is the mecca of healthcare, so being there for four months was an eye-opener and a door-opener,” says Stein. “Following our success there, we gathered our first round of investments from Israeli angel investors. That round was extended and we almost doubled our initial investment. We are now in the midst of our second round through [Jerusalem-based] OurCrowd.” Existing solutions don’t work MedAware’s system flags errors including prescribing a drug with a name similar to the intended one; prescribing a drug to the wrong patient; and prescribing a drug that is contraindicated by recent laboratory/diagnosis data. Stein says it is unique in the world. “Current solutions are mainly rulebased systems like drug-interaction databases,” Stein explains. “They catch many errors, but there are two problems: First, you can only find what you’ve defined as a rule. There are many random errors that nobody would think of, like a three-year-old boy getting a prescription for a birth-control pill, or a patient without cancer get-

ting a prescription for a chemotherapy drug. These mistakes really happen. “The second problem is that more than seven percent of prescriptions are flagged by current systems, and 90% of those flags are false alarms. That leads to ‘alert fatigue’ and the physician ignores the alert. So in practice, the current solutions don’t work and nobody uses them.” Shimon Kosowitz, a pharmacist at a Rishon LeZion branch of one of Israel’s health maintenance organizations, tells ISRAEL21c that in Israel the thorough checks and balances put in place to prevent mistakes generally work well, but in other countries there is a more acute need for a solution like MedAware is offering. He began his career in Australia, where prescriptions are still written by hand. “If the handwriting isn’t good, you’re guessing at what you’re supposed to be giving,” Kosowitz says. “Much depends on the skill of the pharmacist in not making a mistake.” Pharmacists in Australia hand type

the name of the drug into the computer, hand type user instructions and then take the medication from the shelf and scan the barcode to see if what they typed matches. “If they read the script wrong and filled it accordingly, the barcode will match and they won’t catch the error,” says Kosowitz. “There is absolutely a need for a better system.” In large-scale studies, MedAware’s Prescription Analysis and Alert System identified life-threatening prescription errors that had escaped detection by existing alert systems in more than 1% of the patients. The technology can be fine-tuned according to physicians’ responses and updated data from active patients’ medical records obtained through a partnership with Elad HealthCare Solutions. Abigail Klein Leichman is a writer and associate editor at ISRAEL21c. Prior to moving to Israel in 2007, she was a specialty writer and copy editor at a daily newspaper in New Jersey and has freelanced for a variety of newspapers and periodicals since 1984.

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20A

September 2014

ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

15 things you didn’t know about the Iron Dome Israel’s anti-missile defense system has a 90 percent success rate. Betcha didn’t know there are toy car parts behind its features. By Viva Sarah Press, ISRAEL21c, www.israel21c.org

he Iron Dome anti-missile defense system is without a doubt the champion of Israel’s current conflict with Gaza. Without it, the hundreds of missiles fired by Hamas into Israel day after day would have likely caused many deaths, and severe damage. Regular people and security experts alike all want to know more about this box-like contraption that is helping keep the Israeli population safe from the barrage of rockets. Here are 15 facts you may not know about the Iron Dome system: 1. Iron Dome is the world’s only dual mission system that provides an effective defense solution for countering rockets, artillery and mortars as well as aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and PGMs. It can detect and intercept rockets and artillery shells headed for population centers within a 43.4-mile (70-kilometer) range. 2. A toy car sold by Toys R Us inspired developers in building the Iron Dome. One of the leading developers recently told Hayadan , the TechnionIsrael Institute of Technology’s magazine, that due to schedule and budget constraints, some of the missile components were taken from a toy car he had bought for his son at a local Toys R Us store. 3. The Iron Dome system was designed to be operated easily by an average woman soldier 160 centimeters (63 inches) in height and 48 kilograms (106 pounds) in weight, according to Hayadan. 4. Iron Dome can handle multiple threats simultaneously and efficiently. The system only intercepts an incom-

ing rocket if it is deemed a critical threat. A unique interceptor with a special warhead detonates any target in the air within seconds. 5. The cost of launching a missile from the Iron Dome at a threatening rocket has been reported to cost anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000. The rockets fired by terror groups at Israel are estimated to cost between a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. 6. It took less than four years to develop the Iron Dome system from an idea to the drawing board to combat readiness. In 2007, a year after the Second Lebanon War, then Defense Minister Amir Peretz chose the Iron Dome

An Iron Dome missile battery near Tel Aviv. Photo by Flash90.

to be developed as Israel’s defensive answer. In March 2011, the Iron Dome was declared operational. In April that year, the advanced missile interception system successfully shot down its first Grad rockets fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip at Israel. 7. When the Iron Dome system was chosen to be developed into Israel’s defensive solution against shortrange rockets, many critics predicted it would never work. One of the project leaders said: “We knew that eventually our critics would get our response, which came in April when the first operational deployment destroyed eight

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out of eight rockets aimed at Ashkelon and Beersheba.” Indeed, the strangelooking battery contraption was hailed as the hero of Operation Pillar of Defense. Today, operators of the system report a best-in-the-world 90 percent success rate. 8. Israeli contractor Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israeli company mPrest Systems designed and programmed the core of the Iron Dome management system. 9. Iron Dome operates in all weather conditions, including low clouds, rain, dust storms or fog. 10. Aesthetics were important to the designers and developers of the system. One developer told Hayadan: “I wanted the battery system to look super-modern and threatening, because it was obvious that within an hour of its use it would be featured on the likes of CNN and Al-Jazeera.” 11. During Iron Dome’s deployment, the IDF realized that it is also effective against aircraft up to an altitude of 32,800 feet (10,000 meters), according to a report by the Hebrew-language Flightglobal magazine. 12. Iron Dome is jointly funded by Israel and the U.S. Israel provided initial funding and development, which allowed for the deployment of the first two Iron Dome systems. In 2010, the U.S. government contributed $205 million toward its development. In 2011, Haaretz published a report stating that Israel would invest $1 billion in Iron Dome batteries. In 2012, the American government approved another $70 million package for further R&D. In 2014, the U.S. Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee agreed to provide

A missile from the Iron Dome is fired in response to rocket attack from Gaza. Photo by Flash90.

$351 million for Israel to secure the Iron Dome system. 13. Iron Dome is the first of a planned three-part defense system – Iron Dome, Magic Wand, Arrow – that could be operational by the end of the year, according to Rafael. Magic Wand is designed to intercept projectiles with ranges between 70 kilometers (45 miles) and 300 kilometers (180 miles), like the large arsenal of Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon. The Arrow system is for longer-range threats from Iran. The three components will complete what Israel calls its “multilayer missile defense.” 14. The developers of Iron Dome – from Rafael and the Ministry of Defense Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure – won the prestigious 2012 Israel Defense Prize for their technological breakthroughs in developing the groundbreaking system. 15. Two young Israeli innovators run Facebook and Twitter accounts following the Iron Dome’s successes. Viva Sarah Press is an associate editor and writer at ISRAEL21c. She has extensive experience in reporting/editing in the print, online and broadcast fields. Her work has been published by international media outlets including Israel Television, CNN, Reuters, The Jerusalem Post and Time Out.

Save the Date for the Technion Annual Dinner Sunday evening, February 22, 2015 at the Sarasota Yacht Club Honorees: Sally and Sam Shapiro Featured Speaker: Mr. Gil Tamary, Washington Bureau Chief, Israel’s Channel 10 News Co-Chairs: Alice Berkowitz and Shari Kaplan Paler

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Committee Members: Leanne Boris Karen Bernstein Sunday Evening, February 22, 2015 Lillian Brent Amy Franceschini at the Sarasota Yacht Club Esther Heller Rabbi Geoff Honorees: Huntting Sally and Sam Shapiro Steve Jablo Bob Kramer Speaker: Mr. Gil Tamary, Washington Featured Joan Levenson Bureau Chief, Israel’s Channel 10 News Craig Mallitz Susan Mallitz Co-Chairs: Alice Berkowitz and Shari Kaplan Paler Marilyn Naiditch Milton Richter Esther Rose For more information or to Grace Rosman join the committee, call Betty Schoenbaum Jennifer Singer, Chapter Kim Sheintal Director at 378-1500. Jessi Sheslow Addie Silverman Committee Members: Paula Spitalny Judy Vigder Esther Rose Leanne Boris Naomi Wertheimer Karen Bernstein Grace Rosman Sarah Wertheimer Lillian Brent Barb Sander Hannah Weinberg Amy Franceschini Betty Schoenbaum Norm Weinberg Esther Heller Kim Sheintal Jessi Rabbi Geoff Huntting For more information or to join the committee, callSheslow Jennifer Singer, Steve Jablo Addie Silverman Chapter Director at 378-1500. Bob Kramer Paula Spitalny Joan Levenson Judy Vigder Craig Mallitz Naomi Wertheimer Susan Mallitz Sarah Wertheimer Marilyn Naiditch Hannah Weinberg Milton Richter Norm Weinberg Co-sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

September 2014

21A 2014 ISRAEL & THESeptember JEWISH WORLD

Israeli tennis star Dudi Sela: A champion on and off the courts

21A

Sally PUllman HOTOGRAPHY

By Richard Weber, Global Director of Marketing, Israel Tennis Centers Foundation

earing the roar of an approving crowd after yet another victory is a very familiar sound for tennis professional and Israel Tennis Centers alumnus Dudi Sela. Most recently it was for his win in the semifinals of the BB&T Open in Atlanta this past July. However, growing up in the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona near the boarders of Syria and Lebanon, Sela was accustomed to a different sound – the unmistakable screech and resultant explosion of a Katyusha rocket fired by terrorists at innocent civilians. At the age of 5, Sela’s mother, Anca, a secretary at the local Israel Tennis Centers, started bringing her son with her to work. One day she asked ITC manager Shaul Zohar to play with him and assess his abilities. Zohar was immediately impressed. “We went on the court and I discovered a very talented child,” he says. “We started practicing twice a week for about 10 minutes, and after just a few lessons he could already hit with

me, so the length of our training sessions kept getting longer.” Soon, the Israel Tennis Center in Kiryat Shmona became Sela’s home away from home, a place where he could express himself and grow as a tennis player and as a man. In an area torn apart by war and violence, Sela had found his sanctuary. Sela’s recent string of victories has been one of the few highpoints in a year full of war and heartbreak for the ITC and its children. A week before reaching the finals of the BB&T Open, Sela made news all around the world, even in defeat. After losing in the finals of a recent ATP tournament in Bogotá to 6’10” Ivo Karlovic, Sela, at 5'9", brought a chair to the net so that he could congratulate his opponent face to face. The video became a worldwide viral sensation and was even featured on ESPN – a moment of levity during a time of tragedy. His classy gesture showed the world the kind of person Sela is, underscoring the positive impact that the ITC has had on his life

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and, as a result, the lives of others. Another example occurred during last year’s U.S. Open, when he took time from his busy schedule to travel into New York City to participate in a special inner city youth clinic. Meeting the kids and spending time with their parents is really what Sela is all about; he’s an ambassador for Israel everywhere he goes. When he returns home to Israel, you’ll still find him on the very same ITC courts where he picked up a tennis racquet for the very first time. Not one to forget his roots, Sela serves as a role model for the children playing alongside him. About the Israel Tennis Centers: Since its founding in 1976, the Israel Tennis Centers has served as a second home for thousands of Israeli children from a diversity of backgrounds. With 14 centers around the country, primarily in underprivileged communities, the not-for-profit centers use tennis to promote the social, physical and psychological wellbeing of their students. The Israel Tennis Centers receives support for its at-risk program from The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.

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22A

September 2014

ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

BRIEFS Editor’s note: Since The Jewish News is a monthly publication, the editorial in this issue has been compiled in early to mid-August and proofed on August 18. The issue should arrive in mail boxes on or around August 26. Thus, the editorial about Israel that has been included or edited reflects this timeframe. I understand that the situation in Israel is dynamic. So I’ve included information that I believe will still be relevant by the time you get to read it. Look for commentary and news items covering the Israel-Gaza conflict on pages 22A-25A and 8B-11B.

2,000-YEAR-OLD TROVE OF ANCIENT COINS FOUND IN ISRAEL A 2,000-year-old trove of rare bronze coins from the Second Temple period was discovered in Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced recently. The discovery was made after pottery shards discovered several months ago, during construction to widen the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway, led archaeologists to continue their excavation. “The hoard, which appears to have been buried several months prior to the fall of Jerusalem, provides us with a glimpse into the lives of Jews living on the outskirts of Jerusalem at the end of the rebellion,” said IAA excavation directors Pablo Betzer and Eyal Marco. Inside a buried ceramic box researchers found 114 bronze coins dating to the fourth year of the Great Revolt by

the Jews against the Romans. The discovery was announced on the Ninth of Av, the Hebrew date where Jews commemorate the destruction of the Second Temple. (Fox News)

ISRAEL DEBUTS MICRO ROBOT IN ANTI-TUNNEL CAMPAIGN Israel debuted the Micro Tactical Ground Robot (MTGR) built by Roboteam, a locally-developed micro robot, to explore the labyrinth of tunnels and concealed shafts supporting sub-

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terranean arms depots, command posts and cross-border attacks from Gaza. Several systems are already operating with combat engineering units against dozens of tunnels and multiple access points concealed in homes and civilian structures throughout Gaza. MTGR is tasked for high-risk surveillance, mapping and explosiveordnance-disposal missions. It weighs less than 20 pounds and is built to clear obstacles, climb 8-inch stairs and maneuver in tight, dangerous terrain. Its five onboard cameras, internal microphone and infrared laser points generate intelligence and targeting data 360 degrees around the vehicle. (Barbara Opall-Rome, Defense News)

THE MEDIA’S ROLE IN HAMAS’ WAR STRATEGY The IDF has found a Hamas training manual that advises its combatants to use civilian shields. Hamas’ war strategy works like this: 1. Attack Israel’s civilians to provoke a counter-attack. 2. Hide behind Palestinian civilians while forcing them to stay, guaranteeing that the return fire wounds or kills civilians. 3. Encourage Western news media to play up the civilian suffering. 4. Conjure a firestorm of outrage around the world that eventually pressures Israel into desisting from counteroffensive measures. The Hamas strategy is win-win. If the Israelis abort a strike to avoid civil-

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EREV ROSH HASHANAH Wednesday, September 24, Service, 7:30pm FIRST DAY OF ROSH HASHANAH Thursday, September 25, Morning Service, 8:30am Youth Programming Preschool-7 beginning at 9:00am Community Tashlich & Evening Service at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 4:00pm Schools & Office Closed SECOND DAY ROSH HASHANAH Friday, September 26, Morning Service, 8:30am Youth Programming Preschool-7 beginning at 9:00am Evening Service, 6:30pm Schools & Office Closed KOL NIDRE Friday, October 3, Service, 6:30pm

ian casualties (as they often do), then Hamas is spared the blow. If an Israeli strike causes civilian casualties, Hamas has dead babies to parade before the cameras. (Richard Landes, professor of history at Boston University, American Interest)

EXPERT: IDF FULFILLED ALL ETHICAL REQUIREMENTS IN GAZA

The Israel Defense Forces carried out Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in compliance with ethical requirements, according to Israel Prize laureate Professor Asa Kasher, who helped formulate the IDF Code of Ethics. “Every battalion commander has an officer in charge of locating civilians, and everything is overseen by too many lawyers, who help direct the operation on the ground. The number of casualties is irrelevant – it does not speak of omissions or any wrongdoing on the part of the IDF.” Israel is facing a torrent of aggressive criticism because “there are people whose perspective is very shallow. They are shown photographs of a destroyed house and a doll’s severed leg, photographs that are sometimes even from Syria, and they cry out. They do not understand anything and they feel the need to express a shallow sort of good-heartedness that has them momentarily identifying with the underdog.” (Naama Lansky, Israel Hayom)

A SOLDIER RETURNS FROM GAZA

First Sgt. Max, from Great Neck, New York, joined the IDF through the Machal program – a 14-month service for foreign volunteers. He chose to serve in the Golani Brigade. “We spent a week inside [Gaza],” he said, “and didn’t see a single person.” They heard the air force strikes ahead of them and the artillery all around. They took fire “from every direction” and barreled out of their armored vehicles when they reached tunnel shafts, but they never saw the enemy’s face. His own platoon leader was wounded along with several other soldiers and, in the absence of an officer, he was given command of the platoon. Suddenly, all eyes were on him. He led from the front, like all lowto-mid-level Israeli officers, and realized that “every movement I make, everything I do, will impact them in the most significant way.” A twitch of fear, a moment’s hesitation – all would be picked up on immediately by the troops. He said that despite the intensity of the battle in Shejaiya, the most memorable moments of the war were the reception the soldiers received from the

continued on next page

YOM KIPPUR Saturday, October 4, Morning Service, 8:30am Youth Programming Preschool-7 beginning at 9:00am Community Yizkor, 3:00pm Afternoon Service & Neilah, 6:30pm SUKKOT Thursday, October 9, Service, 9:00am Sukkot Family Celebration – GFA and JLW in Session Friday, October 10, Service, 9:00am Dinner, 5:45pm Shabbat Service, 6:30pm Office Closed Thursday & Friday; Schools closed on Friday SHEMINI ATZERET Thursday, October 16, Morning Yizkor Service, 9:00am 3rd Grade Consecration & Simchat Torah Celebration, 6:00pm Schools & Office Closed SIMCHAT TORAH Friday, October 17, Morning Service, 9:00am Shabbat Service, 6:30pm Schools & Office Closed

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23A 2014 ISRAEL & THESeptember JEWISH WORLD

BRIEFS continued from previous page rural communities of Kfar Maimon and Nir Moshe, near Gaza. People came from everywhere, carrying home-cooked food and insisting on feeding them. Adults took mops from their hands and cleaned the bathrooms for them. “There’s nothing like that anywhere else in the world,” he said. (Mitch Ginsburg, Times of Israel)

THE UN HANDMAIDEN OF HAMAS The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is one of the UN’s most perverse, destructive creations. In Gaza it essentially functions as Hamas’ handmaiden. During the clashes of recent weeks as Israel sought to stop rocket attacks by Hamas and to destroy its terror tunnels, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl publicly condemned Israel, accusing the Israelis of “serious violation of international law.” Hamas controls UNRWA’s staff unions in Gaza, where in 2012 a Hamas-affiliated slate swept 25 of 27 seats. The 30,000 staff on the payroll are almost all Palestinian. With a budget topping $1 billion, the agency’s welfare programs relieve Hamas of many of the costs of servicing the enclave it controls as its launchpad for terror. In 2011 the agency opened an office in Washington run by two former U.S. government insiders: Matthew Reynolds, previously the State Department’s assistant secretary for legislative affairs, and Chris McGrath, previously a media-events director for Sen. Harry Reid. Thus, U.S. tax dollars fund UNRWA officials now lobbying in Washington to obtain yet more money for an agency entwined with the rocket-launching, tunnel-digging rulers of Gaza. (Claudia Rosett, Wall Street Journal)

ing in the U.S. to collect money for Hamas, “One of those fundraisers was Dr. Musa Abu Marzook, the number 2 man in Hamas. At the beginning of the 1990s, he began a fundraising campaign in the U.S. among wealthy Muslims, while at the same time founding several banking enterprises. He himself became a conglomerate of 10 financial enterprises giving loans and making financial investments.” The U.S. arrested Marzook in 1995 and expelled him without trial in 1997. “In 2001, in the investigation of the September 11 events, it turned out that he had extensive financial connections with al-Qaeda, including the transfer of funds to the 21 al-Qaeda operatives accused of the attacks.” Today, “Arab sources estimate his wealth at $2-3 billion,” Elad says. “Estimates around the world are that [Khaled] Mashaal is currently worth $2.6 billion.” “Most of the money that went into the pockets of people in the Gaza Strip was obtained through tunnel deals and the creation of a flour-

September 2014 ishing smuggling market, which it is believed has created several hundred millionaires in the Gaza Strip...The man pulling the strings from Egypt

23A

with the tunnels is none other than the number two man in the Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat el-Shater.” (Ella LevyWeinrib, Globes)

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MEET THE HAMAS BILLIONAIRES How did Hamas leaders, who were born and raised in refugee camps, become so wealthy? Col. (res.) Dr. Moshe Elad, a lecturer in the Middle East Department at Western Galilee Academic College, explained that the money came from “legacies from the deceased, money from charity funds... and donations from various countries. It started with Syria and Saudi Arabia, with Iran added later and becoming one of Hamas’ biggest supporters, and ended with Qatar, which has now taken Iran’s place.” When fundraisers began operat-

Israel has a new 24-hour Internet news channel: www.i24news.tv/en/tv/live Israel has a new 24-hour Internet news channel broadcasting in English (also French and Arabic) from Tel Aviv. It is a 24-hour news feed (from the Israeli perspective) and is intended to rival CNN, Al-Jazeera, BBC, etc. It covers world news but also has a specific Israel news section. The channel’s owner is Patrick Drahi, and the CEO is Frank Melloul, who had previously played a critical role in establishing French 24-hour news channel France24. Melloul has said that one of his goals for the station is to change the international “point of view about Israel.” Although the station would receive no funding from the Israeli government, Melloul said it would battle prejudice against, and ignorance about, Israel with facts and diversity. In South Florida, there are also several broadcast segments of i24news on Comcast Channel 239 (JLTV – Jewish Life TV).

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24A

September 2014

COMMENTARY

Hamas versus Israel: Moral Fog Awards By David Harris, Executive Director, AJC, July 24, 2014 n the current conflict, there are those who refuse to grasp the simple, stark truth. Although the distinction between Israel and Hamas couldn’t be clearer – between a democratic nation and a terrorist organization, between the victim and the aggressor, between a society that protects its civilians and one that uses them as human shields, and between a military that operates by a strict code of conduct and a group governed by no scruples whatsoever – some consider all that irrelevant, unimportant, or beside the point. When moral clarity is needed, they live in a moral fog. Here, among a larger pool of candidates and in no particular order, are my winners for Moral Fog Awards: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said: “We have been witnessing this systematic genocide every Ramadan since 1948. Now, [Israel’s] barbarism has surpassed even Hitler’s.” But, then again, what else would we expect from the recipient of the Muammar Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights (named for the late Libyan strongman), host of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (who is wanted for genocide by the International Criminal Court), and author of the unforgettable statement, “A Muslim could never commit genocide”? African National Congress Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte, who declared: “The African National Congress (ANC) condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric attacks on the defenseless Palestinian people of Gaza.” She continued: “As we move towards the month of August and are reminded of [the] atrocities of Nazi Germany, surely we must ask the people of Israel has the term ‘lest we forget’ lost its meaning. The State of Israel has turned

the occupied territories of Palestine into permanent death camps. The killing of any child irrespective of race, color or creed must be condemned.” Maybe a visit to “the defenseless Palestinian people of Gaza” would educate Ms. Duarte about a small strip of land with an arsenal of more than 10,000 rockets and an elaborate underground network of terror tunnels, or perhaps a journey to Gaza’s border with Egypt to see that Cairo has sealed it. And then, perhaps a visit to several Nazi extermination factories, from Auschwitz to Belzec, would show Ms. Duarte what real death camps were like. The Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), purporting to speak on behalf of 120 member countries, announced: “[Operation Protective Edge] has once again reminded the world of the sad tragedy of the Palestinian nation and flagrant breach of rules and principles of international law by the Zionists.” The statement added that Israel is “employing the most lethal weapons against the defenseless inhabitants.” But then again, in another telling reminder of the state of the world, the current chair of this group, comprising well over half the globe’s nations, is Iran – yes, Iran – and the speaker was Iran’s president. What’s astonishing is not his comment about Israel, a country he won’t even cite by name, but rather that some democratic members of NAM allow Tehran to speak in their name. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who asserted that Israel’s latest attacks have “initiated a higher phase of its policy of genocide and extermination with the ground invasion of Palestinian territory, killing innocent men, women, girls and boys.”

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He added: “Venezuela also rejects the cynical campaigns trying to condemn both parties equally, when it is clear you cannot morally compare occupied and massacred Palestine with the occupying state, Israel, which also possesses military superiority and acts on the margins of international law.” Coming from the leader of a country that is Iran’s best friend in Latin America, staunch ally of Syrian President – and war criminal – Bashir Assad, home to a Hezbollah branch, and hotbed of state-sponsored antiSemitism, what else would we expect from Maduro? British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament David Ward, who tweeted, “The big question is - if I lived in #Gaza would I fire a rocket? - Probably yes.” He continued, “Ich bin ein #Palestinian - the West must make up its mind - which side is it on?” Ward’s astonishing comment stands in stark contrast to British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has shown an admirable understanding of the stark realities on the ground – and the true nature of Hamas as an enemy of Western values. Italian Philosopher Gianna Vattimo, who said, “I’d like to shoot those bastard Zionists.” When asked on air whether he would like to see more Israelis killed, Vattimo, who described himself as “a non-violent person,” responded: “Of course!” He also said that Israel was “a bit worse than the Nazis.” No wonder Italian Jewish leaders have denounced Vattimo as an outand-out anti-Semite, given his views on Israel and Zionism and his belief that there’s truth to the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion. By the way, he’s not just Italy’s problem. As a professor, he has been a visiting faculty member at several American universities. Students beware! United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) In two separate incidents, UNRWA “discovered” rockets stored inside its own school grounds in Gaza. Instead of confiscating or destroying the weapons, reports indicate that the agency returned the deadly rockets to “local authorities,” meaning Hamas. The only surprise here is that anyone would be surprised, considering UNRWA is a refugee agency created more than 60 years ago not to resettle anyone, but rather to provide welfare to, and stoke the revanchist anger of,

Palestinian refugees and generations of descendants – not to mention its disturbing pattern of looking the other way on incitement and terrorism. Jewish Voice for Peace, which released a statement titled, “Jews across the U.S. Oppose the Assault on Gaza.” The group called “for an end to the devastating assault on Gaza” and claimed that the “violence has a root cause: Israel’s illegal occupation.” From an organization most recently seen in Detroit joining with proBDS supporters at the Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly, it’s not surprising that, once again, it identifies with Israel’s adversaries. Amnesty International, which has now initiated a petition calling on the French government to impose an embargo on arms exports to Israel. When it comes to all things Israel, Amnesty cannot be described as particularly sensitive or sympathetic. But calling for an arms embargo against the only democratic nation in the region while Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and a range of other actors all seek Israel’s destruction takes things to a new level. Indeed, it is tantamount to wishing for Israel’s end. United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which, on Wednesday, voted, 29-1, with 17 abstentions, in favor of a resolution assigning blame for the conflict to Israel and absolving Hamas of any responsibility, and calling for a “commission of inquiry,” reminiscent of the onesided Goldstone Commission created after the Israel-Hamas war in 2008-9 – whose report was eventually repudiated in large part by Judge Richard Goldstone himself. That China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and 11 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference voted in favor came as little surprise, but that such democratic countries as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and the Philippines lent their support to this travesty is disappointing. But, then again, the UN Human Rights Council has obsessively focused on Israel more than any other nation on earth, while ignoring egregious human rights violations that don’t suit the interests of the “automatic majority” on the council – a council, by the way, on which Israel has not been able to sit for decades. For more information, visit www.ajc. org.

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25A COMMENTARYSeptember 2014

25A

Hamas versus Israel: Moral Clarity Awards By David Harris, Executive Director, AJC, August 7, 2014

n an earlier piece I offered ten candidates for the Moral Fog Award. These were countries, institutions and leaders who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, make a clear moral distinction between Israel, a democratic nation seeking nothing more than quiet on its border with Hamas-ruled Gaza, and Hamas, a terrorist regime determined to fulfill its charter calling for Israel’s destruction. Before moving on to my top ten candidates for the Moral Clarity Award, it’s worth noting two must-additions to that first list. One is Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who, mind-bogglingly, condemned Israel for not sharing its Iron Dome system with Gaza’s “governing authority,” i.e., Hamas, and faulted the U.S. for assisting Israel with the defensive shield and not doing the same for Gaza. And the other are the five Latin American nations – Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador and Peru – that recalled their ambassadors from Israel, a step taken by no one else. These countries, to the surprise of many, showed a lack of sensitivity to the danger faced by Israel from Hamas, and to the millions of Israelis forced to rush to shelters at a moment’s notice as rockets and missiles, more than 3,000 in total, were aimed at their country. And now to the Moral Clarity Award winners, noting that, fortunately, there were more worthy candidates than space provides for here. The United States, which remains Israel’s closest friend and most indispensable ally. Never for a moment did the U.S. question Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas-instigated violence. When it came to the 47-member UN Human Rights Council, the U.S. stood totally alone in opposing a pernicious resolution that ignored Hamas’s culpability and called for a new Goldstonelike investigative commission targeted at Israel. And the life-saving Iron Dome system was made possible with the invaluable support of the Obama administration. To be sure, there have been a few testy moments between Washington and Jerusalem during the tension of war, but they shouldn’t be confused, not for a moment, with the strength of this enduring, unique and mutually beneficial relationship. The United States Congress, which doesn’t agree on a whole lot these days, but took two vitally important steps over the past month. The first was to adopt unanimous resolutions in both the Senate and House voicing support for Israel in the face of Hamas rockets, missiles and infiltration tunnels. And the second was to approve additional funding for the Iron Dome system – unanimously in the Senate and with only eight dissenting votes (of 435) in the House. The bill was immediately signed into law by President Obama. What remarkable expressions of bipartisan friendship and understanding! Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a hero to many for his consistent support of Israel and the Jewish people, who stood by Israel’s side

throughout the conflict with Hamas. Here’s a quintessential Harper comment: “Canada is unequivocally behind Israel. We support its right to defend itself, by itself, against these terror attacks, and urge Hamas to immediately cease their indiscriminate attacks on innocent Israeli civilians. Canada reiterates its call for the Palestinian government to disarm Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups operating in Gaza, including the Iranian proxy, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.” Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, another staunch friend of Israel, who said: “We recognize Israel’s right to self-defense, and we deplore the firing of rockets, the constant firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel.” No moral ambiguity or evasiveness from the Australian leader, but rather the straightforward we-say-it-as-we-see-it approach we’ve come to expect from Down Under. Paraguay, which steadfastly refused to join with its Mercosur partners in the South American economic bloc – Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela – in singling out Israel for criticism while ignoring Hamas’s responsibility for initiating the current conflict. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the leader of the country that, in 1943, went to extraordinary lengths to save almost its entire Jewish community from the clutches of the occupying Nazis, who declined to join with fellow Nordic countries in signing a joint statement strongly criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. British Prime Minister David Cameron, who weathered strong criticism from leaders of his coalition partner, the Liberal Democratic Party, the opposition Labor Party, and even a Conservative member of his own Cabinet, to defend Israel’s right to defend itself, and who condemned “Hamas’s refusal to end their rocket attacks despite all efforts to broker a ceasefire.” Egypt, the most populous Arab country and Gaza’s neighbor, which better than many Western countries understood the true nature of Hamas, its organic link to the Muslim Brotherhood, and the threat it posed not only to Israel but also to moderate Arab regimes. In particular, Egypt was most helpful on various fronts. First, it shut down the smuggling tunnels connecting Gaza and Egypt, which were an essential artery for Hamas to bring in weapons and component parts. Second, whether it said so or not, it fully grasped the necessity of Israel responding to Hamastriggered violence. And third, it played an essential role in seeking to broker a ceasefire arrangement, providing a needed alternative to the pro-Hamas Qatar-Turkey track. As Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukri, said at one point: “Had Hamas accepted the Egyptian proposal, it could have saved the lives of at least 40 Palestinians.” (With the benefit of hindsight, the number could have been in the hundreds). Azerbaijan Airlines, British Airways, Czech Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines, and the other airlines which ignored the FAA’s mis-

Opinions and letters printed in The Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee do not necessarily reflect those of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, its Board of Directors or staff, or its advertisers.

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guided decision and continued flying in and out of Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport. They understood the airport was safe and well-protected, and they refused to join in the knee-jerk reaction of too many other airlines. And speaking of the FAA, no such list would be complete without Michael Bloomberg, New York’s threeterm mayor and a pilot himself. As soon as he heard about the FAA’s warning, he booked a ticket on El Al and flew to Israel. In a CNN interview explaining his decision, he

said: “The fact that one rocket falls... a mile away doesn’t mean you should shut down air traffic into a country and paralyze the country... That’s how terrorists win. You can’t do that.” Now, if that’s not moral clarity, what is? The last month has been a test of moral vision. While too many failed the test, happily, there were those that passed with flying colors. We should remember who’s who. For more information, visit www.ajc. org.

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26A

September 2014

COMMENTARY

Coming to terms with ourselves From the Bimah Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz, Temple Beth Israel

oarding a bus during a visit to Israel several years ago, I noticed a young Israeli soldier intently reading a book. In the aisle on the way to my seat I glimpsed the title, Exotic Birds of Eastern Africa. That memory remains etched in my mind. I am sure the soldier would have preferred pursuing his avid interest in birds rather than having to devote three years of his life to the IDF. While

Starting Wednesdays in October visit us at Phillippi Creek Mansion Farmer’s Market Find us Saturdays at the Central Sarasota Farmer’s Market on the SCTI Campus Celebrate the New Year and Break the Fast with our mini knishes. Call to place your order – ready for pick-up on Saturday, October 4

Israelis bravely heed the call to defend their country, they tend to be inclined more to stimulating their minds than preparing for war. How different this reluctant warrior mindset is from those bent on Israel’s destruction. Rather than enjoy a peace that could allow for the flowering of their intellectual, economic and cultural potential, many are more enamored with death than life. Muhammad Deif, Hamas’s shadowy military leader, recently maintained in an audio message to the Israeli public: “We love death for Allah the way that you love life.” This kind of statement is hardly rare in the fundamentalist Muslim world where martyrdom is regarded as offering generous heavenly reward. Judaism also emphasizes the virtue of martyrdom – kiddush haShem (the sanctification of the Divine name) – but from a markedly different standpoint. Jewish martyrdom does not consecrate the active seeking of death in order to claim as many innocent lives as possible. On the contrary, kiddush haShem is associated with, in the absence of no other option, the taking of one’s own life in order not to violate three essential Jewish commandments: committing idolatry, engaging in sexual acts such as incest or adultery, or perpetrating murder. The Jewish reward for kiddush haShem is to be forever regarded as kadosh, “a holy one.” Hamas and others certainly have other options available to them than terror. Yet, they are discountenanced

in favor of constantly demonizing and pursuing Israel’s elimination. The renowned psychologist, Alfred Adler, insightfully noted that, “It is always easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.” In other words, irrational belligerence is a way to release frustration and distract attention from a perceived inability to fulfill certain expectations. Hamas prefers to foment hatred and carry out acts of heinous violence rather than pursue purposeful communal aspiration. Why might this be so? Dr. Adler recognized the key role feelings of inferiority (i.e. “the inferiority complex”) play in human development. When an individual or group possesses a sense of inadequacy, a range of responses can be engendered. A strong, determined effort may be undertaken to overcome it. However, less productively, attempts can be made to place blame for the inadequacy on others, leading to an irrational lashing out against them. As time goes on it often becomes more facile and self-justifying to simply intensify the fight than consider a change of course. This perspective appears to characterize the situation between Israel and the Palestinians, especially in terms of Gaza. Beyond the issue of land claims, the Palestinians, no doubt, feel daunted by the tremendous strides Israel has made in a relatively short time in technology, science, education, medicine and many other fields. This does not mean Israel should shy away from vigorously defending itself and forcefully retaliating in the

For additional commentary, please see pages 8B - 11B.

face of rocket fire. After all, regardless of her achievements and military capability, Israel’s security can never be taken for granted with so many eager to see the nation “pushed from the river to the sea.” Nevertheless, it would be wise for Israel to, when possible, keep these psycho-social aspects of the conflict in mind in future dealings with the Palestinians. We will soon be called to perform cheshbon hanefesh, the age-old “accounting of the soul” that is at the core of our High Holy Day observance. This should be a personal confrontation without dodges, rationalizing or the blaming of others for our own faults and misdeeds. In doing so, we attempt to cut through the falsity, self-delusion and personal contrivances that can prevent us from embracing our true character. Our ultimate aim is not the vanquishment of others but to come to more candid terms with ourselves. We do not seek dominance but the possibility of greater enlightenment and growth through the opportunity, in security and peace, to read books like Exotic Birds of Eastern Africa.

Jerusalem Post Crossword Puzzle Solution to puzzle on page 16A

27A September 2014 FOCUS ON YOUTH

JCV students create quilt for IDF soldiers

srael Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers recently received a quilt that was made for them by religious school students at the Jewish Congregation of Venice. The JCV students also involved other children in making quilts for the IDF at their booth at the Federation’s celebration of Israel event last year. Children drew waterproof designs

on white cotton squares which were then sewn together and quilted by the Crafty Mavens, a JCV adult group who enjoy sewing, knitting, quilting and other textile crafts. JCV’s Rabbi Daniel Krimsky, who lived many years in Israel, sent the quilt to an IDF reservist friend who brought it, along with other supplies, to an IDF unit expecting to be deployed to Gaza.

September 2014

27A

join us

Join us for stor y time, ar ts and craf ts, and yummy fr uits of the ear th under the Sukkah at the Selby Children’s Garden.

All ages welcome! Register at www.jfedsrq.org

Interfaith PJ Library Sukkot Saturday, October 11th • 3-5 pm Questions? Contact Jeremy Dictor at 941.343.2106 or jdictor@jfedsrq.org.

IDF soldiers with the quilt that was made for them by religious school students at the Jewish Congregation of Venice

PJ Library is a program of The Jewish Federation Sarasota-Manatee that is sponsored by the Karp Family Foundation

Shabbat Shaboom at TBS

elissa Werbow, wife of newly installed Rabbi Michael Werbow at Temple Beth Sholom, has created a new weekly family service, Shabbat Shaboom. Shabbat Shaboom takes place on Saturday mornings and runs concurrently with Temple Beth Sholom’s weekly Shabbat services. As a mother of three young children, Melissa’s goal is to create a love of shul for preschool and early elementary-age children. Shabbat Shaboom is geared towards exposing young children and their families to Shabbat services, incorporating equal parts fun and religious observance. There is an open playroom beginning at 10:30 a.m. where children can play and parents can schmooze. Our family service be-

gins at 11:00 a.m. with plenty of participatory singing, and concludes with a story and snack. All children are then invited to join Rabbi Werbow on the bimah to lead the adults in Adon Olam and kiddush. Shabbat Shaboom is open to the community and families are encouraged to invite friends. Ms. Werbow’s education includes a master’s degree in Jewish Education and a master’s degree in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College. Temple Beth Sholom is located at 1050 S. Tuttle Avenue, Sarasota, at the northwest corner of Tuttle Avenue and Bahia Vista Street. If you would like more information, please contact the temple office at 941.955.8121 or info@templebethsholomfl.org.

presents

Sunday,

September 14 3:00 pm Yeladudes is a Jewish educational theater company for children and families. The Yeladudes theater team puts on an amazing show, seamlessly weaving in Hebrew language with an entertaining lesson about kindness and friendship. Three Challahs, is an interactive show for the whole family in Hebrew and English. Cost: $5.00 per child (Adults are free of charge) Location: Zell Room, Federation Campus 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota Questions? Contact Jeremy Dictor at 941.343.2106 or jdictor@jfedsrq.org

SIGNUP:

www.jfedsrq.org Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Rd Sarasota, FL 34232

Rabbi Michael Werbow reads a story to preschool children and Melissa Werbow

PANIM EL PANIM

The Federation will be subsidizing a trip to Washington, D.C for students in 10th, 11th or 12th grade to participate in the Panim el Panim Seminar on March 29-31, 2015.

Let your voice be heard!

During this subsidized trip to Washington D.C you can learn how to make a difference and advocate for the issues most important to you while exploring our nation’s capital. The PANIM Institute of BBYO is creating a movement of young activists ready to take on the challenges facing the Jewish people, America and the world. Application deadline: November 30, 2014. For more information, contact Jeremy Dictor at 941.343.2106 or jdictor@jfedsrq.org

Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232 941.371.4546 • www.jfedsrq.org

COLLEGE NIGHT 2014 FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 9-12 & THEIR PARENTS

Free Workshop! Presented by Jane Robbins Light refreshments will be served along with networking opportunities and Q&A with Jane.

Learn the ins and outs of college affordability, financial “fit,” scholarship and grant eligibility, how to apply for financial aid, PLUS information about Jewish life on campus, college scholarships offered through The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and MORE!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 @ 4PM-6PM Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232 RSVP: www.jfedsrq.org QUESTIONS? Contact Andrea Eiffert at 941.552.6308 or aeiffert@jfedsrq.org

28A

September 2014

FOCUS ON YOUTH

The power to change

Education Corner By Dr. Robin Berenson

s I reflect on the spirit of the New Year and its meaning, many memories of Rosh Hashanah flood my mind. As a young child, I was taught that Rosh Hashanah could be considered the birth of the world or the circle of life, as the book of life is opened on Rosh Hashanah and closed on Yom Kippur. The words, “Atem nitzavim hayom” translate to mean, “You stand this day;” “this day” meaning Rosh Hashanah and “you stand” meaning you will be vindicated.

The meaning of these words have many implications in our daily lives and can impact the way we interact in relationships as well as create avenues for positive change. Rosh Hashanah is that time of year that we reflect and become introspective on the idea of change. In Hebrew, Rosh means head. Our head is used for thinking and reasoning, and controls our bodily functions. Hashanah means altered, changed or transformed. Judaism instills the tenet that we all can change no matter our age or stage of life, providing guidance on how to transform this tenet to our individual lives. In turn, how do we teach our children to continually seek opportunities to grow, repair the world (tikkun olam), and have the power to change self and the world, while having a positive impact? We recite the prayer Unetaneh Tokef, which inscribes our fate for the coming year on Rosh Hashanah and seals it on Yom Kippur. This prayer lets us know that through repentance, prayer and charity (teshuvah, tefil-

Grand openinG!

‫ב”ה‬

Hebrew ScHool of the ArtS InSpIrIng JudAISm tHrougH tHe unIverSAl lAnguAge of tHe ArtS!

Where kids never Want to miss a day! for more info: www.chabadofvenice.com • 941.493.2770 • www.facebook.com/jewishschoolarts

lah and tzedakah), we can change the severity of G-d’s decree and alter our own future. Repentance requires us to examine our relationships and determine if we have done something hurtful or harmful to self and others. It is not enough to say, “I am sorry.” We teach our children from a very young age to reflect on their actions and give them the opportunity to make conscious decisions that affect their lives and to keep prayer as a centerpiece of their faith. Prayer can mean different things to each individual. Prayer can provide comfort, healing and a pathway to focus our attention on priorities in life. The connection with G-d aids us in examining the possibilities, no matter the circumstances, whether good, bad, challenging or otherwise. This connection is the impetus to the power of change. Tzedakah, in turn, is the catalyst to change. Charity is benevolence and generosity, yet it is really more than the meaning of the two words. Charity can be considered an obligation. However,

the greatest gift of charity is anonymity. It reminds us that there is a difference between wanting to do something and doing something because it is the right thing to do. Change can happen all year long, not just between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As parents, we need to instill in our children to continually practice self-examination and reflect on what change they can make in the world to make it a better place. Change does not have to be mammoth. It should start small, and the small wins should be celebrated. As parents, we need to model the way, encouraging our children to grow as human beings. L’shanah tovah tikatevu v’tai-hatemu (May you be inscribed and sealed for a good life). It is the hope that this year will be a good one all around – a year of good health and well-being in all aspects of life. Dr. Robin Berenson is a member of the Jewish Congregation of Venice and Program Chair for the Department of Business at Excelsior College.

Youth Groups open house set for September 7

he Temple Beth Sholom Youth Groups are looking forward to sharing their exciting plans for a new year with you! On Sunday, September 7 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. there will be an open house “Pizza Party” in the Moadon (Youth Lounge) at TBS. Youths in grades 3-12, including nonTBS members, are welcome. This is a free, community event. RSVP by Friday, September 5 to Elaine Tedesco at etedesco@templebethsholomfl.org. Many members of our Youth Groups have been very active this summer. Several spent their vacations at Jewish youth camps where they deepened their love of Judaism and honed their leadership skills, while others traveled extensively, going as far away

as Israel. The board members of USY (high school) and Kadima (middle school) youth groups look forward to using their knowledge to create a fabulous year of fun and enriching youth programing. We are also excited to announce that another one of our USY board members now holds a regional board position. Jordan Phillips has been selected as Communications Counterpart Manager for USY’s HaNegev Regional General Board. Mazel Tov Jordan! Join the TBS Youth Groups SRQUSY, Kadima and Chalutzim on September 7 to meet the new youth director and find out what all the buzz is about!

Temple Beth Sholom Presents

shabbat shaboom!

TBS Youth Groups members at a recent bowling outing

March

OF THE LIVING An unforgettable and life-changing experience!

Join us for an exciting new program happening at Temple Beth Sholom, Shabbat mornings in the TBS Multi Purpose Room. We will have playtime, a snack and an age appropriate service geared toward preschool and early elementary, although everyone is welcome.

Saturday Mornings - 10:30am—12:00pm

open to the public Playtime n Family Service Time n Shabbat Snacks Temple Beth Sholom 1050 S Tuttle Ave, Sarasota, FL 34237 www.templebethsholomfl.org | (941) 955-8121

For 11th & 12th Grade Students Selected teens will spend a week in Poland and march from Auschwitz to Birkenau with thousands of fellow Jews from around the world on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). The particpants will then spend a week in Israel on Yom Hazikaron (Israel Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) seeing the incredible sites and sounds of our homeland. Student cost is $1000, (trip value $5,700). Application deadline is November 30, 2014.

Get complete information under the Teen Section at www.jfedsrq.org Questions? Contact Len Steinberg at 941.552.6301 or lsteinberg@jfedsrq.org

APRIL 12 – 26, 2015

29A September 2014 FOCUS ON YOUTH

Plant Camp teaches kids the benefits of growing

September 2014 Open to the Community!

29A Temple Beth Sholom 1050 South Tuttle Avenue Sarasota, Florida 34237

emple Beth Sholom Schools’ two-week Plant Camp teaches children to plant, grow, harvest and cook the various culinary treats from the school’s 20-bed garden. The 12 children in this camp, which ran from June 16 through June 27, learned social skills, problem solving and how to follow directions. The youngsters ranged from 5 through 8 years of age – kindergarten through 3rd grade. The garden produces everything from kale, collards and cotton to tomatoes, watermelon and black-eyed peas. The plot is also sprinkled with herbs like basil and rosemary.

“The garden allows for a natural and organic evolution of problem solving,” said Shonna Brady, the Plant Camp teacher, who has been at TBS Schools for 16 years. “It’s a fun, real opportunity for the kids to learn outside.” Testing out experiments, trying new things and discussing various topics, like trash vs. compost, fulfills the kids’ curiosity. For example, delicate petunias were wilting under the intense summer heat. The students’ solution was to vertically hang a blanket to shade and protect the flowers. Dove Blumenthal, a soon-to-be 12th grader at Sarasota High School, is a TBS Schools alumni who is getting community volunteer hours by helping in the garden. Ed and Betty Rosenthal, who have three grandchildren at the school, started the gardening program through generous donations and contribute to the garden Ethan Otto, Jake Saltzberg, Owen Otto and Josh Saltzberg with freshly-picked greens and fruit each year.

TEE campers enjoy summer of fun and learning

he young children of Temple Emanu-El Early Learning Center enjoyed a summer of fun and learning at the preschool’s summer camp. With themes ranging from Space Travelers and Safety City to Hawaii and Western Week, campers engaged in crafts, science, cooking, language, and free indoor and outdoor play while learning and making friends. In addition to special projects such as constructing a rocket ship and building a mini-community, campers enjoyed water days, Shabbat, pizza lunches and enrichments. One highlight was a visit by middle school science teacher Jason Sharrock, who introduced the children to topics such as microbiology. He brought a microscope for the students to explore, and to marvel at the invisible-to-thenaked-eye wonders it revealed. “Research has shown that students’ attitudes towards science are formed early. The earlier students are exposed to science as something that is fun and engaging, the more likely that students will show an interest in science and gravitate toward a career in science,” Sharrock stated. “Science and scientific literacy are extremely important to our future,” he added. “We need students who are interested in science to be our future innovators of technology and medicine. “Students learn best whenever they can be actively engaged,” he concluded. “With this program, I tried to take

Jason Sharrock and Temple Emanu-El Early Learning Center campers Wyatt Daniel, Riley Dotson and Viki Cserni

what I do in the middle school classroom and bring it down to a preschool level without sacrificing the content. Exposing children to this content in a fun way will, hopefully, lead them to enjoy science in the future.” Temple Emanu-El Early Learning Center is an accredited, four stars plus, Gold Seal-certified preschool serving students from 15 months through VPK. For more information, please call 941.377.8074.

Family Pizza and Ice Cream Social

Sunday, September 14th 5:00 - 7:00pm “Grown Ups” will mingle or watch a short film while the kids watch their movie Pizza and Ice Cream

Although there will be no charge for this event, a donation would be appreciated. __ $18 __$36 __other Please RSVP by Thursday September 11th to

www.templebethsholomfl.org or call 941-955-8121

NOW REGISTERING STUDENTS FOR 2014-2015 RELIGIOUS & HEBREW SCHOOL

4200 32nd Street West Bradenton, Fl. 34205

Temple Beth El invites all young families in the area with children ready to start Religious school to come and meet our school director, our Rabbi, and our temple board. Find out about the financial benefits that will be available to any new member families. Join and get 1/2 off family membership and no religious school fees for the first year of membership!!!!!

REGISTRATION & OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY SEPT 14, 2014 1 PM to 4 PM

Come and hear about our new monthly Erev Shabbat service

“Sing Out! Shabbat”

GRADES 1 – 7 SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

COME & PICK UP YOUR HIGH HOLY DAY PACKETS

941-755-4900 • www.templebethelbradentonfl.com

HIGH HOLIDAY FAMILY SERVICES OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY! Lively service led by Rabbi Brenner Glickman Rosh Hashanah: September 25 at 1:30 Yom Kippur: October 4 at 1:30

TEMPLE EMANU-EL (Reform) 151 McIntosh Rd., Sarasota (941) 371-2788

30A

September 2014

FOCUS ON YOUTH

Four generations come together for Bar Mitzvah in Israel

fter many months of studying Munich, Bucharest, London and many with Chazzan Cliff Abramson parts of Israel. The service, under the and Rabbi Geoffrey Huntting, leadership of Rabbi Ada Zavidov and Cantor Evan Cohen, was wonderful, Temple Sinai member Max Hajduk bewith Max drawing many a came a Bar Mitzvah on Satlaugh from the crowd with urday, June 7 in Jerusalem at Kehilat har-El, the oldest his d’var torah. The celebraProgressive synagogue in Istion continued with a kiddush luncheon overlooking the rael. Max is the son of Sheryl Old City at the Mount Zion Gofman and Walter Hajduk, Hotel. Chazzan Abramson brother of Sam Hajduk, and said, “…he was called to the grandson of Judith and HerTorah and led the service. bert Gofman, all Temple SiMax Hadjuk And in doing so, he made nai members. his family very proud but he also made Four generations of relatives came us very proud by sharing with my Isfrom all over the world to celebrate, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, raeli colleagues and his Israeli family

140 kosher characters: twitter.com/jfedsrq

S.K.I.P

Temple Sinai members Max Hadjuk, parents Sheryl & Walter, brother Sam and grandparents Judith & Herbert Gofman celebrated Max’s Bar Mitzvah on June 7 in Jerusalem at Kehilat har-El, the oldest Progressive synagogue in Israel. Also pictured are Rabbi Ada Zavidov and Cantor Evan Cohen.

the kind of work and preparation we do here at Temple Sinai…” After a week together in Israel, Max, Sam, Sheryl and Walter traveled to Munich, Salzberg and the German Alps; Judith and Herbert visited Istanbul. Max will be entering the 8th grade

at the Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota. His favorite subjects are Math and Mandarin, and he plays alto saxophone in the Jazz and Pep Bands. Max plays soccer and lacrosse at ODA, he swims for ODA and the Lakewood Ranch Lightning, and he loves marine biology.

MASA ISRAEL TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP The Federation will offer scholarships to applicants who have been accepted to a MASA program! Scholarships are first come, first serve. (Up to $2,000 to cover travel to and from Israel only.) Visit www.TheJewishFederation.org.

F O R M O R E I N F O CO N TAC T: J E R E M Y D I C TO R 941.343.2106 O R J D I C TO R @ J F E D S R Q.O R G

Send-A-Kid-to-Israel Program

Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232 Jeremy Dictor, Youth Engagement Coordinator 941.343.2106 • jdictor@jfedsrq.org

TheJewishFederation.org The SKIP program is funded in large part by the Betty and Herb Schiff Send-a-Kid-to-Israel Fund.

Federation’s 2014

Teen Travel expo Sunday, September 7, 2014 4:00 PM Klingenstein Jewish Center, 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232

“... the trip of a lifetime.”

RSVP Online: www.jfedsrq.org

FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH n

Bob Malkin Young Ambassadors Teen Leadership Program

www.jfedsrq.org

Questions? Contact Jeremy Dictor at 941.343.2106 or jdictor@jfedsrq.org Klingenstein Jewish Center 580 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL 34232

Alexander Muss High School in Israel Sponsored by Bea Friedman

AIPAC Policy Conference

March of the Living

MASA

Panim el Panim

COMPLETE INFORMATION, ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS & APPLICATION:

www.TheJewishFederation.org

The PJ Library program supports families in their Jewish journey by sending Jewishrelated books and music on a monthly basis to children for free.

The Betty & Herbert Schiff Send a Kid to Israel Program (S.K.I.P.)