the melbourne jewish report - may edition 2019

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VOL. 45 Wednesday, 10 May 2019 / 5 Iyar, 5779

Fostering a closer Jewish community

Free subscription to electronic copy go to www.thejewishreport.com.au

BAR MITZVAH 81 YEARS IN THE PAGE 3 MAKING

MODERN ISRAEL AT A GLANCE

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MACCABI LIFE DEMENTIA WALK

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CELEBRATING YOM HA’ATZMAUT AT THE KING DAVID SCHOOL

8648 Scott Winton - Banner for Melb Jewish report (correct size).indd 1

26/3/18 9:49 am

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community

May 2019

Mameloshn on Mount Dandenong!

YIDDISH WEEKEND AUSTRALIA

Each year, high school students Mia Borowitz and Layla Carmeli-Wolski spend a weekend away speaking only in Yiddish, together with a multi-generational community of Yiddish-speakers from all walks of life.

The weekend away, called Yidish Sof-Vokh Oystralye (Yiddish Weekend Australia), is held annually on Mount Dandenong and the premise of the weekend is simple: a weekend retreat where participants strive to speak only in Yiddish Layla first attended the weekend as an 11 year-old, together with her family. Her father and grandfather are both Yiddishspeakers and she began her Yiddish journey as a student at Sholem Aleichem College. Of that first experience at Yidish Sof-Vokh Oystralye, Layla reflects: “Originally, I was overwhelmed, but I loved it. I could immediately tell how much everyone wanted to be there. I knew I would be back.”

Indeed, Layla, now studying VCE Yiddish, is a regular at the Yiddish weekend. As a Yiddish student, she enjoys the opportunities the weekend presents for her. “It is also a great opportunity for me to improve my Yiddish and confidence,” she says, “…every year I am impressed by the

amount of Yiddish I understand.”

Yidish Sof-Vokh Oystralye is based on the successful Yugntruf Yidish Vokh (Yiddish Week) held annually in New York. Now in its 16th year, Yidish Sof-Vokh Oystralye is engaging Yiddish speakers of all ages, including teenagers like Layla and Mia. And they’re not only attending the weekend, they’re helping to run activities at the weekend too.

Mia, also a VCE Yiddish student and a young footballer, has brought her AFL

expertise to the weekend, running football training sessions in Yiddish. In fact, one of her favourite memories of the weekend is running these sessions and “having to deal with the competitive Yiddishistn”. It is this combination of interesting activities and interesting people that keeps Mia coming back for more each year. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the weekend is that it draws together participants of all ages who all share a love of Yiddish.

Mia explains, “It gives me a chance to be

surrounded by Yiddish speakers, meet new people and engage in enjoyable activities.”

Although Mia did not grow up speaking Yiddish at home, she and her brother Ryan (who also attends the Yiddish weekend) have found a deep connection to Yiddish through their years as students at Sholem Aleichem College and as members of the SKIF youth movement.

“Yiddish plays a profound role in my life,” Mia says. “It is a way that I can express my Jewish identity and engage with my culture.” Layla shares these feelings, adding: “[Yiddish] gives me a strong connection to my family roots... It’s a beautiful, intelligent language that helps shape my Jewish identity.”

This year’s Yidish Sof-Vokh Oystralye, which will fall from the 17th-19th of May, will feature a range of fun and engaging activities and workshops, such as yoga, drama, bush walks, reading circles, singing, and even an election-themed activity. Mia and Layla are excited for what lies ahead. “This year, I am most looking forward to seeing how much my Yiddish has improved since last year and getting more and more involved”, Layla says.

Yidish Sof-Vokh Oystralye will take place from May 17th-19th, 2019. You can enrol today at www.trybooking.com/ BBAVC

A Universe Of Sufficient Size

A ravishing novel of pre-war Hungary and modern Australia inspired by a true story Inspired by the story of Miriam Sved’s grandmother Marta, A Universe of Sufficient Size charts a course through both the light and dark of human relationships: a vivid recreation of Hungary before German occupation, this is a novel about two friends and the selfless power of the human heart, even years and worlds apart.

Budapest, 1938. In a city park, beneath a bleakly looming statue, five Jewish mathematicians gather to share ideas, trade proofs and whisper sedition. Expelled from the university and persecuted by the state’s laws, they lead an uneasy existence, comforted only by each other’s friendship.

Sydney, 2007. Illy has just buried her father, a violent, unpredictable man whose bitterness she never understood. The very next day, Illy’s mother gifts her a curious notebook. Its faded pages are a mix of personal stories and mathematical discovery, all recounted by a young woman seemingly blind to Europe’s oncoming storm. A woman very different to the mother and grandmother everyone thought they knew...

For readers of Anna Funder’s All That I Am, Heather Morris’s The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.

community

May 2019

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A Bar Mitzvah 81 years in the making JEWISH CARE VICTORIA Jewish Care Victoria recently hosted a very special Bar Mitzvah celebration for 94-yearold Israel Olshina at Montefiore Homes.

The youngest of eight children, Mr. Olshina was born in Krakow, Poland, in 1925. His father passed away when he was just 11 years old, leaving his mother to raise her children alone. Life in Poland was precarious just before the war and, like many Holocaust survivors, a Bar Mitzvah ceremony at the age of 13 was out of the question.

When war broke out, Olshina and his 16-year-old sister managed to escape to the former Soviet Union. Three of his older brothers also escaped Poland. The rest of the family, including his mother, sister, two brothers and their families, perished in the Holocaust.

Whilst living in the USSR, Olshina joined the Russian Army by lying about his age and served in the artillery during the Siege of Leningrad, where he was wounded and received medals for extraordinary bravery under fire.

Olshina migrated to Australia after the war with his brother, Alexander, and worked hard to build a life in Australia; marrying his wife, Lily, and having two children, Emil and Anita.

After all these years, having a Bar Mitzvah was a lost dream for Olshina. During a conversation with Jewish Care Support Coordinator, Tali Rotenberg, he commented that he wished he had been able to have a Bar Mitzvah. Rotenberg contacted Rabbi Yisroel Kohn at Jewish Care’s Montefiore

Israel Olshina celebrates his Bar Mitzvah at Montefiore Homes Homes to request assistance in helping Olshina fulfil this important milestone.

On 8 April 2019, Israel Olshina was finally called to the Torah, surrounded by loved ones, Elders from Montefiore Homes, and the Jewish Care community.

He also spoke of his childhood dreams of following in the footsteps of his father, who

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was a chazzan. Joined by Chazzan Braun and his sons, Mr. Olshina and led the crowd in songs sung in Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew and English. Particularly moving was his rendition of ‘My Yiddishe Momma’, which moved many to tears.

Explaining his feelings about finally having a Bar Mitzvah, Mr. Olshina said, ‘Being

here today is the best day of my life here in Australia.’

Jewish Care is privileged to have been able to support Mr. Olshina to have his Bar Mitzvah, which was 81 years in the making, and invites you view a short video of this celebration at https://youtu.be/tdTTv-TA37o

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community

May 2019

Anzac Day in Israel 2019 THE ZIONIST FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA HAYLEY HADASSIN The Embassy of Australia in Israel held the annual commemorative service for Anzac Day at the Commonwealth Military Cemetery, Mt Scopus in Jerusalem on Monday 29th April. This ceremony has become an important occasion not only for Australian and New Zealand diplomats serving in Israel, but also for Australian olim and Australian gap year participants to show respect for those who fell at Gallipoli and in various military actions and service since then.

Each year, the Zionist Federation of Australia organises for Australian gap year participants to attend and actively participate in this ceremony. This year over 120 were present with representation from the Australian Zionist Youth Council, Lone Soldiers, Bnei Akiva, Betar, Netzer, Hineni, Habonim and Israel By Choice (IBC.) Each of these movements and organisations laid wreaths at the ceremony.

Australian Ambassador to Israel, Chris Canaan said: “Remembering ANZAC Day is, of course, not about glorifying war. It is about remembering and honouring, the sacrifice of fellow countrymen and women who put their lives on the line for something larger than themselves - our nations, our interests and our values.

They sacrificed on the rocky shores of

Gallipoli, on the plains of Beersheba, in the rugged hills of Jerusalem, and in so many other corners of the globe, so that we may live.

Today, we remember their contributions, which stand the test of time.”

Nicky Retman from Hineni in Melbourne said: - ”To be in Israel and commemorate ANZAC Day together with fellow Australians and Israeli’s is an experience I will never forget. It was an honour to have been part of the ceremony and represent my youth movement and my country in my Homeland.”

There was a large crowd in attendance of diplomats, ambassadors and representatives from Australia, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Turkey, France, Germany and New Zealand; Zionist youth, Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the Israel Defence Forces, Members of Australian Armed forces serving in the United Nations Truce Observation Forces in the Middle East and the Australian Zionist Federation, along with Australian and New Zealand olim living in Israel.

ZFA Israel Office Director Yigal Sela, laid the wreath on behalf of the ZFA, he said: - “I am very proud to represent the Zionist Federation of Australia and for so many of our Australian gap year participants to be here today. They felt a need and responsibility to be present at such an important ceremony here, in Israel. It symbolises more than anything else, the very close relationship between Israel and Australia, and especially the Jewish community there.”

Lest We Forget.

Sydney Rabbi at Anzac Dawn Service ANZAC DAY Maroubra Synagogue’s Sydney-born Rabbi Yossi Friedman (who holds the rank of Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Air Force) has made a historic participation in the annual North Bondi RSL Sub-Branch’s Bondi Beach Dawn Service on Anzac Day 25 April.

In what is believed to be a first official Jewish participation in an Eastern Suburbs Anzac Dawn Service Commemoration, Rabbi Friedman delivered a message of unity , laid a wreath on behalf of the Royal Australian Air Force and sang the final prayer for peace.

In what has seen growing attendance each year and in front of the estimated presence of some twenty thousand people, David Sims of the North Bondi RSL Subbranch introduced the service and set the theme of inclusion and diversity for the morning. “The Anzacs who lost their lives in battle represented all cultures”, he said.

Rabbi Friedman gave a detailed account of the Jewish participation in WWI until today and singled out Private Greg Sher from the 1st Commando Regiment who was killed in Action in Afghanistan exactly ten years ago. He stressed the importance of not just valuing peace but pursuing peace. “Peace”, he said, “will come about when we learn to accept each other despite our backgrounds, beliefs and differences. Peace will descend upon us when we learn how to live together in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding”.

Rabbi Friedman impressed upon the assembled the importance of a strong and united ADF and also how each and every person could become a “modern-day Anzac”

UIA Hosts White House Correspondent Michael Wilner

UIA CARLI DVASH

by standing up to lies, hate and injustices when they occur.

This theme took on special significance this year given the daubing of swastikas on artworks along the Bondi promenade only a week prior and the increase in hate and religious attacks that have taken place recently around the world.

Rabbi Friedman commented prior to the event that participating in the Anzac Dawn Service meant a great deal to him.

“A significant number of Jewish servicemen fought in WWI and in all wars since. With the additional knowledge that I follow a long line of Jewish Chaplains (there was a Jewish Chaplain at Gallipoli), I feel deeply humbled and honoured to be actively participating in such a significant service, on Australia’s most auspicious day of remembrance.”

Born and raised in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, educated at Sydney Boys’ High and the University of NSW, Rabbi Friedman completed his studies at rabbinical colleges in both Australia and Israel before his ordination in 2008.

Rabbi Friedman became a Chaplain to the Royal Australian Air Force in 2013.

UIA Australia is proud to host guest speaker Michael Wilner - White House Correspondent, McClatchy and Former Washington Bureau Chief & White House Correspondent for the Jerusalem Post at various events in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth this May. Michael will be heading to Melbourne on 14-15 May for a series of events. He covers US foreign policy in the Middle East from the White House, State Department, Pentagon and Congress. He also leads coverage of the Iran nuclear deal, the USIsrael relationship and the rise of Islamic State.

At 23, Wilner joined the White House press corps as its youngest member and the only representative of an Israeli news organisation in its foreign corps. He reported from the field on the 2016 US presidential campaign, Syrian refugee crisis and Gaza war during Operation Protective Edge.

“Michael brings a unique perspective on the US/Israel relationship and the ability to unpack some of the Trump administration’s thinking on the Middle East. His visit continues our efforts to empower and enable our community by granting access to the world’s leading experts,” UIA CEO Yair Miller OAM said.

Below is where you can hear Michael speak in Melbourne: UIA and St Kilda Shule Public Forum Tuesday 14 May 2019, 7.30pm

RSVP and location details: 1300 ISRAEL (1300 477 235), info@uiavic.org YoungUIA Sessions Event (ages 18-40) Wednesday 15 May 2019, 7.15pm RSVP and location details: 1300 ISRAEL (1300 477 235), info@uiavic.org RSVP online at: bit.ly/2DaPPD0

May 2019

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community

UJEB camp - a Jewish adventure that connects the UJEB community UJEB BECCI KRISPIN “I just want to say thank you so much for an amazing camp experience. This was my first UJEB camp and it’s been hands down one of my best Jewish experiences to date”.

Noah Loven, year 11 student and camp participant “UJEB’s Annual camp is the highlight of the UJEB calendar. It brings together Jewish students from all over Melbourne to forge lifelong friendships, learn about their Jewish heritage and have a fantastic school holiday”.

Benji Prawer, UJEB Camp Coordinator More than 70 students from all over Melbourne enjoyed UJEB’s 4-day annual camp in April, at a beautiful campsite in the Dandenong Ranges. It was the perfect combination of fun and education.

Participants learnt about Jewish values and ideals in a vibrant environment, surrounded by nature. They also enjoyed lots of outdoor adventures, group activities, great food and Shabbat celebrations.

UJEB’s camp is inclusive and brings together different age groups. Participants this year included kids from grade 3 to year 12, from a wide range of Jewish backgrounds, as well as kids with special needs. The mix of age groups creates a family environment, which can be challenging at times, but is also fun and unique for the campers.

According to UJEB’s Principal, Itzik Sztokman, “We have an amazing and

interesting camp, where kids are allowed to express themselves and their connection to Judaism in many different ways. From two year 11 boys singing a beautiful chazanut version of Kiddush for Friday night, to a song circle for Kabbalat Shabbat, a talent show, trampolining and outdoor ropes courses … it’s a really interesting space for our kids, a very positive Jewish experience”.

One of the most unique things about camp is the bringing together of UJEB’s extended community, as 90% of participants come from other UJEB programs. This year we had students from our primary Jewish Life program, After-School Centres, Hebrew Immersion Program and secondary school

activities. We also had campers from previous years, kids who were coming to UJEB for the first time and teens from our recent BBYO (B’nai B’rith Youth Organisation) trip to the USA. Camp leaders included past Israel Program participants, university students who are UJEB graduates, and teachers from other UJEB programs. According to Camp Coordinator Benji Prawer, this mix allows campers “to form strong connections with each other and the leaders, finding new friends and role models”.

UJEB’s 2019 annual appeal started in May. We are seeking the support of the entire community to continue our important work, in keeping our kids connected and

For the People of Israel

ensuring the future strength of our Jewish community. There are currently over 4,000 Jewish children at public schools, which equates to 40% of our future community.

Without UJEB, many of these children would not have access to Jewish engagement or education.

UJEB receives no government funding and relies solely on the support of our generous donors. We need your help to continue delivering Jewish education, and running fun and exciting Jewish activities like our Annual camp. Together we can engage our future!

To donate please visit www.ujeb.org.au or call 95236844.

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yom hashoah

May 2019

YOM HASHOAH I’m not Jewish - which is why I had to join the March of the Living WWW.THEJC.COM Lord Shinkwin, Conservative peer, explains why his bond with the surgeon who saved his life compelled him to take part “I don’t understand why you went, to be honest”.

It was a perfectly reasonable response from a concerned family member. I had not long returned from Poland with March of the Living.

In the space of five intensive days spent with that remarkable charity, I had learnt more about the Holocaust than most people would ever choose to know.

What I witnessed left me traumatised by the scale of the tragedy and uplifted by the evident triumph of the human spirit despite it.

So why did I put myself through it? What compelled me to choose to learn more about such an abomination?

After all, unlike many of those who accompanied me on the trip, I am not Jewish. I did not lose any of my family to the Holocaust.

So what has it got to do with me?

In the Commons debate on antisemitism, Luciana Berger told how more than 100 members of her family, aged four to 83, were killed in the gas chambers of Treblinka, Sobibor, Mauthausen, Bergen-Belsen and Auschwitz — and that was just on her mother’s side. She concluded: “The time for action is now.”

I am conscious of the question which her call for action poses to me and to each of us: what action can any of us take — especially those of us who are not Jewish — which will actually make a difference?

And this is the nub, because immediately I am distinguishing myself. I am different from “them”. I am not Jewish. What is happening now with the return of “mainstream” antisemitism may be terrible — but it is happening to them, not me. It is happening to other people.

For, quite apart from the Holocaust’s incomprehensible magnitude and unfathomable depravity, that instinct to separate is perhaps one of the most pervasive legacies of the Nazis’ virulent antisemitism and, indeed, of the Holocaust itself. It happened to the Jews, not to me, not to my family, not even to friends of my family.

Tragic, yes. Relevant, no. Wrong!

I believe the Jewish people’s almost immeasurable loss — when one looks beyond the statistics — was a shared loss: it was humanity’s loss, too. Given its colossal scale, how could it not be?

That is the first lesson I learnt on March of the Living — that the tragedy that befell the victims of the Holocaust directly befell us all indirectly, too. It is relevant to all of us because it is quite simply the greatest single crime ever to have been perpetrated by — and the greatest single tragedy ever to have befallen — humanity.

It was only when I went on March of the Living that I fully appreciated the enduring human cost of almost three-and-a-half million of Poland’s citizens being lost to the Holocaust and, with them, a vibrant Jewish culture and the significant contribution that its Jewish community made to so many aspects of its national life.

Unsurprisingly, the attempted annihilation of Europe’s Jewish population left a gaping wound which affected — and still affects — Europe as a whole.

And yet, incredibly, I learnt that the Nazis

Peopel take part in the annual March of the Living to commemorate the Holocaust (Photo: PA)

planned for it to be worse, to the tune of a further five million deaths. 330,000 of them were to come from what the Nazis described as England (presumably the UK, as its component parts were not listed separately).

As the film, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society reminds us, it did actually happen on British territory; people were removed from the Channel Islands and sent to their deaths for being Jewish.

The second lesson I learnt on March of the Living is that personalising this is crucial to appreciating both the loss and its relevance to all of us.

My own personalisation of that loss and, thus, my decision to accept the invitation to join March of the Living 2018 was due to one man, someone who almost lost his life because he was Jewish and who went on to play a very important part in my life: my doctor.

His story is quite extraordinary. It starts in Nazi-occupied Prague. The teenager’s father, Alfred, had got to Britain first where he found safety for his family by obtaining guarantors for Hanus and his mother, Mary, thereby enabling them to join him here.

Nonetheless, it was still touch and go. They only just made it on to the very last train out of Prague before the Nazis closed the borders.

How different life would have been had they failed to make it, for him — and for me. Not one of his relatives who came to wave them off that day survived the Holocaust.

Hanus Weisl would have simply become another grisly statistic, one of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis. Instead, through finding refuge in this country, he became one of the most important people in my life.

Fast forward to 1971. By the time I was born that June, he had already established himself as a well-respected consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon; I was to be under his expert care for the next 13 years.

My brittle bones meant that I was barely out of hospital for much of my childhood. One year, I managed to be in traction, recovering from yet more fractures, for both Christmas and my June birthday. Throughout, Hanus’s obsession with perfection, his compassion and his respect

for his patients and their families meant that the care I received from him was second to none.

When I was only one year old, he broke with all medical convention and let my mother take me home with my leg still in a splint; he would complete his ward round at our house on his way home.

On one occasion, he had me wheeled back down to theatre for my leg to be reset because he was dissatisfied with the x-rays following surgery performed in his absence the previous day.

As a tearful ten-year old, I did not thank him for his diligence, but I do now. Thanks to Hanus Weisl, I had the best possible medical start in life. He made my legs straight when my bones kept on snapping and insisted I continue weight-bearing (crucial to maintaining bone density), no matter how often I had to learn all over again how to walk after months in bed.

Most importantly, he taught me, by example, never to lower my expectations because I had a disability. He was light years ahead of his time. His progressive attitude and radical partnership-based approach are perhaps best summed up in a Christmas card I treasure.

Written shortly after his retirement in 1992, it reads: “I was most touched by your note of thanks for whatever I tried to do. However, I am convinced that whatever the surgeon does, it is the patient who makes it work (or not).”

Hanus Weisl, the teenage refugee from Prague, whose dedication helped transform the life chances of a non-Jewish boy, a boy who would one day sit in the House of Lords and recall on the floor of that house his old orthopaedic surgeon with heartfelt gratitude.

It could have been so different. He and his mother might still have got the necessary visas only to discover that the last train out before the borders were closed had already left.

The Nazis had already shown their bestial true colours by 1939. Yet no one foretold the Holocaust, and no one would have been believed had they done so.

How could any human being possibly have conceived and then participated in the implementation of such a programme?

And confronted with the evidence and the

tragic legacy of the Final Solution, as I and 11,000 other participants of March of the Living were in Poland, how could we begin to understand how it could have happened in a country only a few hours away by plane?

These were the questions I took with me on what was in many ways a personal pilgrimage, both to honour the memory of my former doctor and the war-time victims of antisemitism and reflect on the lessons of their suffering.

And these were just some of the questions I came home with. For another crucial lesson I learnt during those five intensive days was that the deeper you delve, the less you understand and the more you realise that the clinical, brutal belief system underpinning the Holocaust should never make sense. In fact, it would be disturbing if it did.

Now I am home, I am haunted by guilt at having returned so easily from camps deliberately designed to be places of no return.

But what next?

On the penultimate night, we were encouraged to make a personal pledge of at least one follow-up action. Top of the list was telling people about what we had witnessed.

Processing what I learnt is proving to be the hardest part.

For while a temporary immersion into an alien world of institutionalised, racist sadism, appalling suffering and methodical mass murder is tough, re-entry into our comfortable Western world of respect for human rights and freedom from fear is tougher still.

I found the exposure to such a different, desolate world deeply traumatising. Nothing prepared me for the shocking, tangible realisation of the enormity of the Final Solution.

Auschwitz is not the Holocaust, and the Holocaust is not Auschwitz, but if evil has a physical infrastructure, I saw it there and particularly at Birkenau, where the watchtowers and the many buildings of perhaps the most infamous of concentration and extermination camps stretched as far as the eye could see.

I was horrified to learn that the Nazis had plans to build a sixth crematorium. Even without it, the capacity of the existing crematoria and outdoor cremation pits in the summer of 1944, when 437,000 Hungarians were deported there, was 20,000 a day.

It was a sobering thought that had the Nazis killed all 11,000 of us who converged on Birkenau for a moving ceremony on the closing day of our visit, they would still have been only half-way through their daily quota of death.

I want to keep my pledge to bear witness.

Yet I ask myself, how exactly am I meant to tell family and friends about either the unspeakably sad suffering or the indescribably gratuitous sadism?

How can I tell them what it feels like to know that the dust I carried home on my shoes and clothes was the dust of death, that it is everywhere at Auschwitz and Birkenau because that is all that is left when you burn more than 1,000,000 individuals — their ashes?

The answer for me is that I cannot go into the detail because it would reduce those I love to tears, as it did me on a few occasions and still does.

I reproach myself for weeping: what right do CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

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8

yom hashoah

Dear Mirele: This genuine document is reprinted by courtesy of Rabbi L.D. Sandler and Gila Sandler, Brooklyn, NY

Dear Mirele, I can’t believe I have one night to stuff a lifetime of love into this letter.

Tomorrow morning – if 4a.m. can be called morning, I am giving you up. I am taking you, Mirele, to the back entrance of dear, brave Hermann’s grocery and the child rescuers will be waiting there for you and the thirty-two other children under the age of three. They’ll inject you with a sedative so you won’t cry and then they’ll slip off in the predawn with you – my life, my love, out of this barbaric country to safety.

We pushed it off, Mirele. We didn’t want to believe we would have to give up our child, probably never to see her again. But this is the last child rescue. After this there will be none left to rescue, because tomorrow, our informers tell us, is the last big round up. Tomorrow they come for men, women and children. And I’ve been convinced by these words, spoken by our trusted informer, Hermann, the brave gentile doctor, “Any child they take away either dies immediately or dies on the way to the death camp” The word death three times in one sentence! We were the last ones to be convinced to be give up our child. He said, finally, with the deepest sadness in every exhausted wrinkle in his face, “I cannot force you. But if you keep her with you, she will be dead in a month.

They have no use for babies, she cannot work for them. If you want to give her to us, bring her to the back entrance of my grocery at 4a.m.. No belongings, whatever food you have. Goodbye.”

Mirele, do you see why I have to give you up? He said no belongings, but I will beg, I will plead that this letter be allowed to go, sewn into your undershirt. And then, I will pray to G-d that the letter stays with you until you are old enough to read it.

You must know that we love you. Your

must know why you are alone, without parents. Not because they didn’t love you . . .but because they did!

It’s eerie to think that by the time you read this I will probably be dead. That’s what Hermann says is going on. People either die immediately or on the way or after a week or two of forced labour and no food. But I won’t have lived in vain, Mirele, if I know that I brought you into the world and you will live and survive and grow big and strong and you will be happy. You can be happy, Mirele, because we loved you.

What makes a difference in the lives of adults, its seems, is if they had secure childhoods. Secure, with lots of love and acceptance and needs fulfilled and predictable routine and the like.

You’ve had that up to this minute. You’ll have it up till 4a.m.. But then you won’t.

Who knows who will end up taking care of you? Some family who will take you in for the money Hermann will pay them? They will surely be kinder to their own than to you.

Here is where pain mixes with rage! I rage at the animals who are making it possible for you to cry and I won’t be there to comfort you.

But you will have this letter, and this letter will make you feel secure, if G-d answers my prayers. You have us, Mirele, even though you don’t see us, we’re with you. We’re watching you and praying for you. Every time you have troubles we are pounding on the door to G-d’s very throne room, insisting on an audience and demanding mercy for our Mirele down on earth, alone, without her parents.

And G-d will listen to us. We won’t leave Him alone until he agrees that you deserve health, love and happiness.

Mirele, you’ll wonder what your first two years were like. You’ll wish you could remember. Let me remember for you right now, tenderly, on this piece of paper.

You like hot cereal in the morning, with lots of milk and sugar.

Except that there is no milk and sugar

now, none in the whole city. But I make your cereal anyway and you eat it with big smiles between every bite.

Then you come ready for your nap, so I rock you, after putting the rocker where the sunlight will fail on it. I rock you until you fall asleep and then I put you in my bed. You sleep well there, you like my smell. What will you smell tomorrow night? Surely nobody will rock you tomorrow, not even in the shade. Oh G-d? I cannot do it! I will do it.

For you, Mirele, so you will have at least a hope for life.

Mirele, do me a favour. After you’ve grown, after this dirty, nightmarish war is over…I know there will be those who underplay the tragedies going on here every day. They will say, “A war is a war. It was just a war”.

Mirele, tell them about this agony! Tell them how you felt secure in my arms rocking to sleep in the sunlight.

Tell them how your father ran, one night, a year ago, to get you medicine, past sentries, while breaking the curfew. He risked his life to ease your pain, Mirele. And now the three of us are being torn apart. “Just a war”..?!

Tell them, Mirele, that all wars in the world don’t add up to the agony in my heart right now as I write this.

G-d it’s 2a.m. already. Only two more hours with my love, my baby, my life, my Mirele.

I’m going to hold you now, Mirele, for two hours. Your father and I are going to wake you, feed you and tell you over and over how much we love you.

You’re barely two years old, but maybe, if G-d is good, maybe, you’ll remember it and maybe you’ll keep this letter until you’re old enough to read it.

There will be bad times for you, Mirele, I know. But just think about me holding you, rocking you to sleep in the sunlight. Keep that sunlight in your heart always.

I love you. Your father loves you.

May G-d help us all.

Mama

Prince William Just Gave This Jewish Grandma a Very Special Honor EMILY BURACK Recently at Buckingham Palace, Prince William honored an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor and educator named Vera Schaufeld (née Lowyova) with an MBE for services to Holocaust education. An MBE denotes a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which is a Very Big Deal Indeed.

In May 1939, when she was 9, Vera fled Czechoslovakia on the the Kindertransport, which brought thousands of young Jewish refugees to Great Britain between 1938 and 1940. “My last sight of my parents was as they stood behind the barrier, waving their handkerchiefs, while I looked at them out of the train window,” Vera recounts to the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. Her parents were murdered in Treblinka.

After the war ended, Vera moved to Israel to live on a kibbutz. There, she met a man named Avram Schaufeld, a Polish Jew who survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

Avram and Vera married in 1952; they have

two children and four grandchildren. Avram sadly passed away in 2017.

Regarding her honor, “I couldn’t have been more surprised,” Vera said. “It’s absolutely amazing to get this honor. My husband was ill for two years before he died in 2017. Before that I did a lot of talks in schools and colleges, but when he died I didn’t work for a long time so I didn’t expect anything like this. It really is amazing — I’m most grateful.”

Vera helped establish the National Holocaust Center — the only center dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and education in the United Kingdom — and worked with the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust to share her story.

Britain’s Jewish News reported that “Vera said she was amazed when William told her he would make sure his children would be aware of what had happened and of the Kindertransport.”

“That was really amazing,” Vera said.

“It was really incredible to hear it meant something to him and he knew and he understood.”

May 2019

FROM MIRELE: Miracles do happen – my mother’s letter stayed with me, sewn into my undershirt and now I am getting old myself and have decided to share it with you. After almost fifty years of keeping it private, why did I translate it from the Yiddish and decide to share it with you now? A few reasons…

Firstly, one doesn’t hear much about the Holocaust anymore very much these days. There are even those who claim it was made up, not true, a brilliant Jewish ploy for sympathy. My mother asked me to remind you that it wasn’t “Just a war”. It was a monstrosity.

Secondly, my mother’s faith in G-d, even at that dreadful hour, never ceases to amaze me. Even though she was almost certain that she would soon die, as indeed she did, she believes firmly in G-d to whom she can turn both before and after her earthly life ends.

This strengthens my faith and perhaps it will strengthen yours.

And lastly – I know I’m from a different generation. Nowadays I’m told, all mothers work. But sometimes I look out my window and see little children, just two years old. That’s how old I was when my mother was forced to give me up to strangers. And I look out my window and see these two year olds cry because they want to stay with their mothers, but their mothers are putting them on the bus because they want to be free of them – and something doesn’t seem right.

You mothers who are lucky enough to have babies – raise them too. Don’t throw them out before they’re ready.

Don’t leave them before they’re ready.

Go now. Rock them in the sunlight.

For my mother.

Miriam bas Leiba (In my mother’s letter, she didn’t leave her name, but I always think of her as Leiba – “Love”. I’m lucky. Many of the children rescued with me don’t even know their own names.)

yom hashoah

May 2019

9

I’m not Jewish ...

FROM PAGE 6

I have to cry when no one in my non-Jewish family suffered?

What I learnt was that, while I may not feel I have as much of a right to lament the horrific loss caused by the Holocaust, my position, both as a beneficiary of a Jewish refugee doctor’s dedication and as a member of the Lords, means I most definitely have a duty to confront the poison of antisemitic prejudice which fuelled it.

I may not feel able to share the graphic details of barbarity but I can nevertheless keep my pledge if I bear witness by my actions, by writing this article, by speaking on related issues in the Lords and by supporting a strong and secure Israel.

Each of us owes it to the dwindling number of survivors to ensure no one has to endure what they did.

For me, the first step is to recognise our common humanity, rather than draw on distinctions and to acknowledge that antisemitism, as well as being a poignant reminder of past tragedy, is a racist threat to our inclusive values and our British way of life.

It is perhaps natural for some to ask what there is to be gained by raking over the misery.

What is left after all the pain, the fear and the tears?

The only answer I have is that what remains is what makes us unique as human beings — the ability to decide that we cannot allow such intense hatred to consume us ever again.

The bigger question for me though is whether, as a society, we seek revenge in the conventional sense or exact it through making the choices which deliberately defy the perverse, poisonous values of the Nazis. The fact is that, although Nazism may have been

defeated militarily 73 years ago, the vile vision of antisemitism that the Nazis propagated needs still to be defeated by all of us every day because the roots go so deep.

For Hitler knew, as we do, that his genocidal Final Solution was perpetrated by human beings who were never born to be cruel, debased or inhuman.

And yet their capacity to do the unspeakable sprang from an inherent human flaw — hatred of the other — which he exploited to its fullest.

However sophisticated we believe modern society to be and however unrepeatable we feel the horrors of the Holocaust are, the choice remains the same. History tells us that passivity in the face of evil does not pay, that unimaginably terrible things can and do happen when bystanders shrug and reassure themselves that those awfully sad things are happening to someone else, to someone different, to the other.

We only need to look at how we have become desensitised to the interminable suffering of the Syrian conflict to know how true that is.

It is so easy to feel powerless, and yet there are small, practical steps which I know non-Jews like me can take — in addition to deciding not to distinguish between them and us — so that we instead stand in solidarity and empathy with members of Britain’s Jewish community and MPs like Luciana Berger and Ruth Smeeth.

So that when Iran’s regime threatens Israel with destruction, we remember that the Jewish people know more than anyone what destruction, what annihilation, looks like.

So that before rushing to lay all the blame for the situation in Gaza at Israel’s door, we reflect on the brutal reality of its terrorist Hamas regime, which suppresses all dissent, oppresses women and LGBT people, diverts aid to arms, uses children’s flaming kites to

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Modern

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Thinking

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Judaism

destroy Israeli crops and refuses even to recognise Israel’s right to exist. So that when someone at a dinner party peddles another Jewish conspiracy theory, we politely point out that antisemitism is racism.

Perhaps reading this article will prompt some to find out more about March of the Living and the exciting Jewish Community Centre in Krakow.

I know I am privileged to have been able to do both, prompted by the debt I owe to Hanus Weisl. I also realise that not everyone will share the bond that we did, which ironically is actually far more profound than just that between doctor and patient.

By virtue of the Nazi’s poisonous prejudice, we would both have been classified as Untermenschen and thus both destined for death.

It is highly unlikely that either of us would have survived the Holocaust — he because he was Jewish, I because I am disabled.

Indeed, as a doctor, he must have known that the Nazis first perversely perfected their gassing techniques on disabled children as part of their Aktion T4 programme, which Hitler personally authorised 78 years ago.

Hanus, by complete contrast, had a particular interest in using his medical skills to care for, rather than kill, disabled children.

Despite the, at times, almost suffocating sadness, I have many positive memories of my personal pilgrimage with March of the Living. A particularly poignant one sticks in my mind.

We had just come from seeing the crematorium at Majdanek concentration and extermination camp. Unlike at Birkenau where the SS had blown up the crematoria in a futile attempt to cover their tracks, the Soviet advance had been so rapid that at Majdanek the crematorium today is as it was 74 years ago.

The realisation that everything — the valves, the gas pipes, the oven doors, even

a stretcher to tip bodies into the flames — appeared at first glance in good working order, as if ready for the furnace to be reignited, affected me deeply.

In a state of shock at what I had just seen, I headed for the exit, but as I approached a Soviet-era mausoleum through which one had to walk to get out, it became apparent that wheelchair access was not part of the design.

A call of nature meant that retracing the long route back to the main entrance was not an option. So without further ado, two young Jewish men grabbed my chair and carefully carried me up the steep flight of steps.

The contrast was stark. On the one hand, there was the numbing knowledge that an estimated 50,000 Jews had lost their lives at Majdanek in conditions of indescribable cruelty. On the other, there was the instinctive kindness shown to me, a non-Jew, when two people, whose Jewish faith would only 70 odd years ago have condemned them to death, quite literally carried my life in their hands.

That one moment was hugely significant.

Quite apart from the obvious proof that good is stronger than evil even in a place which still reeks of it, their kindness reminded me of a simple, timeless truth.

All of us have the power to choose whether to love or to hate, to discriminate or to disavow racism.

Moreover, that choice is made in the same place in each of us: our hearts. But it also made me realise something else.

When I set out , the overarching question was how they — the Nazis — could have done this to the Jews.

By the time I left, it was how could we have done this to ourselves. That is the single, most important thing I learnt and that, in retrospect, is why I went.

However painful the experience, I am glad I did.

10

yom ha’atzmaut

May 2019

Modern Israel at a Glance

An overview of the Jewish state and its many accomplishments and challenges.

I

srael is a small country, covering roughly 8,000 square miles and home to 8.65 million people. But it plays a disproportionately large role on the world stage — a function of its longstanding conflict with its Arab neighbors, its vast accomplishments in the high-tech sector and its religious significance for the world’s three monotheistic religions.

And while its population is overwhelmingly Jewish, it is also extremely diverse, representing a wide range of religious and ethnic identities.

Religious Outlook Of Israeli Jews (Self-Identified)

Religious Identity of Israel’s NonJewish Citizens

Traditional: 37 percent

Christian: 9 percent

Religious (Orthodox): 11 percent

Druze: 9 percent

Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox): 9 percent

Other: 4 percent

Secular: 43 percent

Muslim: 82 percent

DEMOGRAPHICS

S

eventy-five percent of Israel’s citizens are Jewish, and 25 percent are nonJews, of which most are Arab. Since its founding, Israel has welcomed millions of Jewish immigrants from all over the world, with large immigration waves from Europe in the late 1940s, from North Africa and the Middle East in the 1950s, from Ethiopia in the 1980s and ’90s and from the former Soviet Union in the ’90s. All Jews who settle in Israel are entitled to citizenship under the Law of Return.

ECONOMY I

DISTINCTIONS

srael has a highly developed industrial economy with a GDP of $311 billion in 2016, the 35th largest in the world.

Its GDP per capita is nearly $35,000, ahead of several European countries. Its dominant sectors include hightechnology, where the “start-up nation” has emerged as one of the world’s most dominant players, attracting many of the largest tech companies to establish research facilities. Israel is also among the world’s largest exporters of military hardware and technology and is a major center for diamond cutting and pharmaceuticals.

• Israel was the third country to elect a female head of state, Golda Meir, who served as prime minister from 1969-1974. (The first two were Ceylon [now Sri Lanka] and India, in 1960 and 1966 respectively.)

• Israel’s largest city, Tel Aviv, is considered an international hub for LGBTQ culture. Its annual gay pride celebration, which draws tens of thousands of Israelis and tourists, lasts a full week , with a parade that attracts more than 150,000 and is the largest such parade in Asia. In 2016, Tel Aviv was pronounced “the gayest city on earth” by the Boston Globe.

Thanks in large part to its rich history and numerous biblical and other archaeological sites, Israel enjoys a vibrant tourism industry. It has welcomed approximately 3 million tourists annually in recent years, although the number fluctuates significantly depending on the political situation and the level of violence and terrorism.

CULTURE

I

srael’s official languages are Hebrew and Arabic. The country boasts several internationally translated writers, and has a diverse array of cultural institutions, such as orchestras, dance troupes, theater companies and museums — the highest number of museums per capita in the world. The country’s film and television industries have gained international attention in recent years, with several TV shows adapted into American programs or broadcast internationally via streaming services like Netflix. Israeli cuisine, with its mix of cultural influences and use of fresh Mediterranean produce, has also become popular in many Western countries. Sports in Israel is dominated by soccer, but basketball, tennis and other sports also enjoy sizable followings.

GOVERNMENT I

srael is a parliamentary democracy in which parties are awarded legislative seats based on the proportion of votes received. Individual parties rarely earn enough votes to form a legislative majority, and coalition politics are the norm. Elections must take place by law at least every four years, though in practice they occur more often. Israel has no formal constitution, relying instead on a series of Basic Laws that govern the essential functions of state institutions. The executive branch is headed by the prime minister and legislative authority is vested in the parliament, known as the Knesset , which has 120 seats. Israel has an independent judiciary whose highest authority is the Supreme Court.

• Israel has more vegans per capita than any other country. A 2014 survey found that 8 percent of Israelis are vegetarian and nearly 5 percent are vegan, meaning they abstain from all animal products. Just .05 percent of the world’s population is vegan.

• Israel has the world’s highest rate of venture capital investment as a percentage of GDP. • Israel ranks 15th globally for overall number of Nobel Prize laureates • Israel is home to both the lowest spot on earth, the Dead Sea, and the world’s lowest freshwater lake, the Sea of Galilee.

• After Canada, Israel was the world’s thirdbest educated country in 2017, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Jewish Population By Country/Region of Birth Native born: 70 percent Former Soviet Union: 12 percent Africa: 6 percent Europe: 5 percent Asia: 3 percent North and South America: 3 percent

May 2019

international

Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, killed in Poway attack, said to have shielded rabbi from bullets JTA GABRIELLE BIRKNER & MARCY OSTER POWAY, California (JTA) — Lori GilbertKaye, who was killed in the attack at a Chabad synagogue near San Diego, is credited with jumping in front of the synagogue’s rabbi to shield him from the gunman’s bullets.

Gilbert-Kaye, 60, of San Diego, is survived by her husband and 22-year-old daughter.

“Lori you were a jewel of our community a true Eshet Chayil, a Woman of Valor,” her friend Audrey Jacobs, a community activist, wrote in a post on Facebook. “You were always running to do a mitzvah (good deed) and gave tzedaka (charity) to everyone.

Your final good deed was taking the bullets for Rabbi (Yisroel) Goldstein to save his life.”

That account, describing Gilbert-Kaye shielding the rabbi, was also reflected in reporting by the San Diego Union-Tribune, which quoted witnesses. However, the Chabad news site said Kaye was not in the sanctuary, but in the lobby, “to check on the children’s group in the playground when the attacker burst into the building and shot her. Kaye, a woman remembered for her kindness, sensitivity, enthusiasm and generosity, spent her last minutes on earth in the lobby of the synagogue and community center she had done so much to see into reality No one was quite so thoughtful as GilbertKaye, said Lisa Busalacchi, her friend since second grade.

“It’s not like she gave a million dollars for a building, but if someone was sick or someone died, she was the first one there with food or asking what she could do,” Busalacchi told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an interview.

Lori Gilbert-Kaye was murdered protecting her rabbi at the Chabad of Poway shooting that occurred on Passover and Shabbat of April 27, 2019 (Facebook) Busalacchi said that Kaye was deeply committed to the congregation, and had recently traveled to New York to attend the wedding of Rabbi Goldstein’s daughter.

“It made sense that she was [at Chabad]; it was her whole life,” she said.

The rabbi was shot in both of his index fingers and required surgery. He reportedly continued speaking even after being shot, and prayed for unity and peace, and talked about remaining strong in the face of adversity and hate, Chabad.org News reported.

The rabbi also serves as a Jewish chaplain at the San Diego Police Department.

“Anti-Semitism is real and is deadly,” Jacobs also wrote. “Hate crimes are real and are deadly. Lori would have wanted all of us to stand up to hate. She was a warrior of love and she will be missed. May Lori’s memory be a blessing.”

Gilbert-Kaye was in synagogue on Saturday morning, the last day of Passover, to remember her late mother during Yizkor, a memorial service held on major Jewish festivals, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Her husband, a physician, was in synagogue with her. When he started to perform CPR on a victim and realized it was his wife, he fainted, according to the report.

“God picked her to die to send a message because she’s such an incredible person,” her friend, Dr. Roneet Lev, told the newspaper. “He took her for a higher purpose to send this message to fight anti-Semitism.”

The rabbi told Lev that Gilbert-Kaye saved his life, according to the report.

Apropos of nothing, Gilbert-Kaye would drop off gifts at her friends’ homes, Busalacchi said. And she didn’t send one card for a birthday or anniversary, she sent three or four.

11

“Literally it was no less than three cards for every occasion,” Busalacchi said.

Rare was the Friday night that the Kayes did not have Shabbat guests — often there were 10 or more people at the table. She would invite friends to the family’s sukkah on Sukkot, and host a break the fast after Yom Kippur. She made her own challah, and recently forwarded a Passover carrot kugel recipe to Busalacchi.

Gilbert-Kaye loved to garden — “we’re talking eight different kinds of lettuce and five different kinds of tomatoes” — and to talk politics, her friend recalled.

“She was a devout Trump supporter,” Busalacchi said. “When he was running for office, she would toast” the president, “and after he won she would toast to that.”

“Lori Gilbert-Kaye z’l [of blessed memory] is a Jewish hero, and will be remembered as a hero in Jewish history,” Naftali Bennett, Israel’s minister of Diaspora Affairs, said in a statement. “She sacrificed her own life, throwing herself in the path of the murderer’s bullets to save the life of the Rabbi. But it is clear that such heroism and good deeds are not only characteristic of dear Lori in death, but this is the way she lived her life — at the heart of her community, constantly doing charity and good deeds for those in need.”

Bennett also called her “a true Hero of Israel.”

Gilbert-Kaye’s Facebook page is filled with posts raising funds for groups and individuals in need. Dozens of people, mostly strangers, left messages of condolence on her latest post raising funds for the Jewish charity Chai Lifeline, where her sister works as West Coast director.

Netanyahu: More similar to Thatcher than Erdogan

BY YOAV J. TENEMBAUM It should be stressed also that Thatcher was never suspected of having been involved in any illegal activity, whereas Netanyahu has three legal cases pending against him.

The results of the elections in Israel highlighted the singular, central role played

by Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli politics. His stunning success in being elected for the fifth time as prime minister, notwithstanding three legal proceedings pending against him, has impressed both his supporters and detractors in Israel and abroad.

In a few months’ time, Netanyahu will beat the record of Israel’s first premier, David BenGurion, by serving for a longer period as prime minister than he did.

Contrary to what some of his critics claim, Netanyahu has not turned into an Israeli version of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Far from it.

Israel is endowed with a stable and vibrant parliamentary democratic system. Its judiciary, notwithstanding the criticism levelled against it by prominent members of the Israeli Right, is independent and well-respected. Elections in Israel are free, and freedom of expression is equal to none in the Middle East. Further, whether one agrees with his policies or not, there is little doubt that in foreign affairs, Netanyahu has secured more friends and created less enemies than Erdogan has.

A more valid comparison would be with Margaret Thatcher, who served as Britain’s prime minister from 1979 to 1990. To be sure, for that comparison to be valid, one would have

to stress not only the similarities between the two, but also the differences.

Thatcher was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. Netanyahu will soon become the longest-serving Israeli PM. Thatcher was a singularly charismatic leader, representing the center-right and right-wing of her country, as Netanyahu is. Indeed, the “Iron Lady” was adored by her supporters and disdained by her critics, as Netanyahu is.

Thatcher was an ideologue, as Netanyahu is, though she could be pragmatic to attain her ideological objectives, as Netanyahu can.

Both are identified with a free-market economic outlook, seeing the virtues of a dynamic economy based on private enterprise and competition.

Thatcher managed to lead her Conservative Party to a singularly impressive three consecutive electoral victories. Netanyahu, for his part, led his Likud Party to a stunning four consecutive electoral victories.

Thatcher adopted a critical attitude towards the traditional socio-political and academic elites in Britain, partly in response to a hostile posture displayed by them toward her. In 1985, for instance, a considerable majority of the governing assembly, the Congregation of Oxford University refused to grant her an honorary doctorate. She was only the second person in the 20th century (at least until then) to be refused such a distinction.

IT WAS a snub that resonated widely in Britain. As a student at Oxford University then, I recall vividly the unprecedented impact of that decision, and the fierce debates that ensued in

its wake.

Netanyahu, for his part, has shown a similar critical attitude toward the elites in Israel, particularly toward the media and intellectual elites.

In this context, a clear difference has to be drawn between the two. Thatcher was never openly critical of the law and order authorities in Britain, whereas Netanyahu has criticized either directly or through other prominent Likud members, the police and even, albeit in a more subtle manner, the attorney-general.

There are central elements in the right-wing in Israel that are critical of the Supreme Court, seeing it as too activist, allowing itself to get involved in political matters beyond its purview.

The line between legitimate criticisms levelled at decisions handed down by the Supreme Court, and a disdainful attitude toward it, are not always preserved. Although Netanyahu has been careful not to engage directly in such verbal assaults, he has not come out against them either.

Another distinction that can be made in this regard relates to the blurring between the private sphere and the public realm. Thatcher made no effort to introduce her family into the political province, nor did her husband or children endeavor to get involved in it. Netanyahu, on the other hand, appears in public more often than not with his wife, who is reported to be directly involved in politically related issues, and his elder son is reported to be engaged in shaping policy, on occasion making his views known in public.

It should be stressed also that Thatcher was

never suspected of having been involved in any illegal activity, whereas Netanyahu has three legal cases pending against him.

Whether he is to be tried or found guilty, his life style, contrary to Thatcher’s, has been the subject of criticism. He and his wife are widely reported to live at the expense of rich friends, asking them for expensive gifts and being reluctant to spend their own money, even though they are financially well off.

Of course, in any comparison of this sort, the different internal and external circumstances within which the two prime ministers operated must be taken into consideration. The renowned British politician Enoch Powell used to say that every political career ends in failure. Thatcher’s certainly did as she was forced to resign by key members of her own Conservative Party. How will Netanyahu’s political career end? The writer is a lecturer at the Diplomacy Studies Program, School of Political Science, International Affairs and Government, Tel Aviv University.

Of course, in any comparison of this sort, the different internal and external circumstances within which the two prime ministers operated must be taken into consideration.

The renowned British politician Enoch Powell used to say that every political career ends in failure. Thatcher’s certainly did as she was forced to resign by key members of her own Conservative Party. How will Netanyahu’s political career end?

The writer is a lecturer at the Diplomacy Studies Program, School of Political Science, International Affairs and Government, Tel Aviv University.

12

international

May 2019

A U.S. demonstration on behalf of the liberation of Soviet Jews (Rick Maiman/Sygma via Getty Images)

The liberation fight for Soviet Jews was a miracle.

Most of us didn’t know about it.

JTA IZABELLA TABAROVSKY (JTA) — In 1989, as the Soviet bloc was falling apart at the seams, the sea parted for our family, and we, along with 2 million other Soviet Jews, walked to freedom.

This modern-day Exodus, which writer Cynthia Ozick described as one of the “great liberation strivings of the twentieth century” along with the civil rights movement in America and the end of apartheid in South Africa, was the culmination of a 25-year struggle by the global Jewish community in which American and Israeli Jewry played a leading role.

But most of us ordinary Soviet Jews knew very little, if anything, about it.

Ensconced behind the Iron Curtain, we had no idea that American Jews had taken concerted political action to put pressure on Soviet leadership to let the Jews emigrate.

The Soviets were terrified of the campaign for Soviet Jewry and made it a taboo for the state-controlled press to report on it.

Unless you were part of a tight-knit circle of refuseniks, had access to “samizdat” literature or regularly listened to foreign broadcasts – dangerous activities that could have dire consequences – you remained in the dark.

In the Soviet Union, casual anti-Semitism was the stuff of daily life. You could be insulted for being a Jew — a judgment passers-by made based on your facial features — anywhere you went. In a country that was the site of nearly half of the Holocaust deaths (2.7 million), memory of the Holocaust was suppressed.

The central principle of Jewish life – the passing of memory, religion and tradition to the next generation – was explicitly subverted. Jewish communal and religious life was absent, and formal religious and

secular Jewish education was prohibited.

The KGB harassed those who came together informally to study Hebrew, and the teaching of Hebrew could land you in jail.

Jewish quotas were instituted throughout universities and various professions, shrinking our educational and professional opportunities. Between 1965 and 1976, the number of Jewish university students declined nearly 30 percent.

My family wanted to leave, but for a long time the doors were closed from the inside.

Applying for emigration was itself dangerous business. Applicants were treated as traitors of the state. If you applied and were rejected, you became a refusenik, lost your job and were pushed to the margins of society.

We had the vague sense that decisions about our emigration were tied to Cold War politics, but most of us knew nothing about American Jewry knocking on every door imaginable to demand that Moscow “let my people go.”

Our family was finally able to leave in October 1989. I was 19 years old. Our journey to the United States ran through the transit stations of Vienna and Rome, where representatives of HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, processed us. In Italy, we had to find a place to stay and wait to be interviewed by U.S. government representatives. No one knew how long the wait would be, nor what would happen if you were rejected. Some people we met had been there for six months.

We had left the USSR with $50 per person (the maximum allowed) and so needed financial assistance throughout the wait period. The supplement came in regular installments, just enough to pay for modest food and housing. Where did that money come from? We didn’t really know.

When we finally did arrive in America, four months after our journey began, the

encounter with those who had fought for us was awkward.

The cultural gap between Soviet and American Jews was enormous. After 70 years of religious prohibition, most of us didn’t rush to fill the synagogues. When we did, it could be a disconcerting experience.

I remember one of my early attempts, a Shabbat service for young professionals.

Being at the service felt foreign, as the Marxist moniker for religion as “the opiate of the masses” suddenly sprang to my mind. The study session that followed was even stranger. I was in a room with American Jews in their mid-20s, and everyone was engrossed in a sheet of paper with paragraphs of small-print text dancing around a larger-print block of text in the middle. The teacher kept repeating the name Rashi, and everyone beside me seemed to know who he was and spoke with great authority about him.

How could I convey my Soviet Jewish experience to this self-assured group of young American Jews? It was so different from theirs.

Our Jewish identity was strong, but it was purely ethnic. We couldn’t see what religion had to do with being Jewish. When it came to our spiritual tradition, we were like the fourth child at the Passover seder, the one who doesn’t know enough to ask a question.

Perhaps because it felt so hard in those early years – or perhaps that is how refugee experiences go – rather than reclaiming our Judaism, we were preoccupied with the basics: What’s a checkbook and how do you use it? How do you pick a brand of milk from a dozen varieties on the supermarket shelf?

What’s the point of saving for retirement when life is so unpredictable?

But I was determined to make this difficult spiritual journey for all those in my family who couldn’t – my grandparents and others

who were persecuted as Jews but in fact knew little about Judaism and Jewish culture and tradition. This Passover, it occurred to me that if I’d found myself at a table where the Haggadah was read only in Hebrew, I’d actually be fine.

It took nearly 20 years before I began to think about what and who specifically had helped shepherd us along with 2 million other stateless refugees across international borders and resettle us in new lands.

When I finally knew what questions to ask, the answers overwhelmed me. All around me – at every Jewish event, at every synagogue – were people who had contributed to the campaign to liberate us: had given money, marched, written letters, and had bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs in honor of the Soviet Jewish children who couldn’t.

I learned how hard American Jews had worked to keep refuseniks’ names in the headlines. I learned about the campaign’s highest point, the Freedom Sunday rally on the Washington Mall in December 1987, when a mind-boggling quarter of a million people came together to demand freedom of emigration for Soviet Jewry.

Only a person who left the unfreedom for freedom can fully appreciate the meaning of that journey. I never take my freedom for granted.

I feel deeply grateful to all who helped us along the way – those who fought for us, led us on our own trek through the desert, taught us how to live in this American life and, when we were ready, patiently and lovingly showed us the way back to our tradition. All those who were God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm on our passage from slavery to freedom.

The campaign for Soviet Jewry was a glorious episode in the history of American and global Jewish history. It’s a story we would do well to remember.

May 2019

Shaping little humans

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schools/shuls

WWW.PARENTINGIDEAS.COM.AU

BY MICHAEL GROSE Ive long had a fascination with the nature versus nurture debate. Is it nature (what kids are born with) or is it nurture (how the human environment shapes kids)?

Some experts go with percentages. Many twins studies (often used to measure the impact of genetics) suggest that it’s approximately 50% nature and 50% nurture. That’s a little too neat for my liking.

Another way to view the debate is to view nature as human potential and nurture as human influence. That is, our biology lays out possible pathways for children along the lines of gender, temperament and intelligence. That is, boys’ and girls’ brains develop differently; children are born with individual temperaments that don’t change very much over time; and children have special gifts and intelligence in different areas (some like to write, some are more verbal, artistic, sporty and the like. It can be argued that biology impacts on kids’ pathways but it only presents possibilities rather than fait accompli.

On the other hand, children within the same family who have obvious biological differences (e.g. highly strung temperament vs easygoing) frequently share many similarities. It’s the similarities between children within an environment that demonstrate the impact of nature. When all children in a family share a trait, characteristic or value (such as tolerance, persistence, independence, kindness) then you can safely attribute this to the impact of

parents or carers. It’s quite clearly upbringing rather than nature that causes the similarities.

How parents shape children If parenting is the art of shaping little humans then it’s useful to consider the tools we have at our disposal to influence children.

Modelling is perhaps the most powerful way to shape little humans. The parent-child relationship is an intimate one. Kids see our quirks and foibles first hand so it’s little wonder many children conduct relationships in similar ways to their parents including how they resolve or avoid conflict. US psychologist Martin Seligman’s research into optimism and pessimism found most children’s explanatory style closely resembles that of the parent they spend most time around. Seligman’s work suggests that adults need to be aware of how

they speak about themselves and the world as the sponge-like nature of kids mean that they will soak up their optimism and/or pessimism.

The messages that parents give through our language and behaviour on a daily basis also shape the humans that we are raising. Tell a child he’s capable; back this up by treating him as if he is capable and you’ll be sending a powerful message a long the lines of: ‘I really believe you can do this’. Actions speak louder than words when it comes to the messages we give to kids.

The traits and characteristics that parents value have a massive impact on children. If, for example, you value persistence then you’ll more than likely foster this in each child but in different ways. You may throw your eyes up in despair when your child fights tooth and nail

It’s all about

your

to stay up longer each night but secretly, you may welcome the fact that you have a child can stay the course when it matters to them.

If you value persistence you’ll push your child to go a little harder at a homework conundrum rather then allow him to give in too easily. Your values will be shown through the things you stand up for and frequently fight over with your kids.

The lifestyle you lead also helps to shape the humans that you are raising. “All work and no fun” is a lifestyle that stressed out parents present to their kids. Your lifestyle impacts on your stress levels and well-being which also impacts on kids. But more importantly, your lifestyle is a template for the life that your kids are likely to lead as adults. Okay, your child won’t lead exactly the same life as you do, but the lifestyle imprint is significant enough to leave residual guilt and lead to potential conflict should your children take a 180 degree opposite lifestyle direction from yours.

Shaping little humans. It’s what parents do every day. It may sound a little spooky, even a little controlling. But it’s not.

It’s the socialisation process that we all experienced on the way to our own adulthood.

In fact, it’s the socialisation process that is at the heart of great parenting. And it truly makes us human.

And it’s the socialisation process – the shaping of little humans – that makes parenting such an important and hopefully, satisfying job.

Individual and relationships counselling and training for: Anxiety Adolescent Issues Couples Therapy Relationships Counselling Depression Disability related issues Dispute Resolution Self-esteem, self development

For the People of Israel

Zipporah Oliver OAM

13 Kurrajong Avenue East St. Kilda 3183 Victoria e people@zoliver.com.au p (03) 9527 3727 m 0438 345 770

facebook.com/ZipporahOliverOAMPsychologist

www.zoliver.com.au

www.cherylthesleepcoach.com.au

Family & Relationship Issues Life/Personal Coaching Rabbinic Liaison Panic Disorder Phobias Psychosomatic Illness Stress, life changes Navigating crises Women’s Issues

Member Australian Psychological Society Registered Psychologist

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schools / shuls

May 2019

Scopus in the City MOUNT SCOPUS The Mount Scopus College Year 9 City Cite program is always a highlight for students.

As part of the Achshav and Community Service programs students spend a week exploring Melbourne city and completing a collaborative research project that compels them to interact with various groups in the city. They also visit key sites, opening their eyes to the rich diversity of Melbourne’s culture and heritage.

The program takes students out of the classroom and allows them to experience the adult world as they interact with different groups and organisations based in the CBD. Through workshops and guest speakers they see and hear about the life of the city and investigate issues of social equity, including inclusion, culture, disadvantage and liveability.

The logistics and expectations of the week long program are explained in advance and for many students the first challenge is making their way into the city on public transport each day. Students need to arrive on time each morning and make their own way home again each afternoon.

Participants are addressed by speakers from the Big Issue magazine, Urban Seed, the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre and Victoria Police, and visit the Melbourne Magistrates Court, and tour the Yarra river to see it through an Aboriginal perspective.

These workshops challenge students to consider various perspectives and think deeply about their city and some of the

problems it faces.

In small groups, they learn to navigate safely around the city and gain much from interactions with members of the public and the specific organisations they visit. They develop independence, time management and a better

Students Perform at Beth Rivkah YESHIVAH - BETH RIVKAH COLLEGES Leadership, responsibility, inclusivity and confidence all shone at Beth Rivkah’s 2019 ‘Song and Dance’ production entitled “If These Walls Could Talk”. With every Beth Rivkah Secondary student in Years 7 to 10 involved in the production, and taking charge of all elements of the show – from script and choreography, to costumes, set-design, backdrops, stage and performance – each student shone in her area of strength.

Performing to two sell-out audiences, this year’s production once again impressed and is testament to the skill, creative talents, hard work and dedication of the students.

Along with dance and vocal elements of the show, several students accompanied the performance with their piano, guitar and flute skills, at various points of the production.

This year’s play followed a Bar Mitzvah boy’s celebration plans at a shule in Israel, and the stories, importance and history of the ancient site – the ground on which his momentous day was to take place.

Captivating story lines (wholly scripted by students) were complemented with

expressive dance and movement scenes, and moving songs (in both Hebrew and English). Talented actors engaged the audience with some amusing and memorable scenes and a touching duet by sisters had the audience transfixed.

Song and Dance plays an important role in promoting cross year-level friendships at the school, especially important for the year 7 students who have only recently begun their high school journey.

With all students coming together to create the production, Song and Dance encourages student unity and confidence – with students being encouraged to hone their skills and talents in both creative and technical fields.

The performance is a credit to the students and the staff who guided them along the way and as Mrs Beruria Tenenbaum (Head of School) commented, “Beth Rivkah is committed to including every student and promoting personal and collaborative growth. This [Song and Dance] is such a unique opportunity, with staff and students giving of themselves to create something magical together.”

understanding of the diverse nature of our city and the people who occupy it.

City Cite offers students inquiry based, experiential learning that is very hands-on, and at times challenging, while at the same time allowing them to experience the hustle

and bustle of the city and learn more about themselves and the city they call home.

The week encourages students to take action to improve themselves, their community and the wider world and aims to develop students as global citizens.

Stirring the Soup at Yavneh YAVNEH COLLEGE SHOSHI VORCHHEIMER DIRECTOR OF TEACHING AND LEARNING What does a little village in La Paz, Bolivia, have in common with a Modern Orthodox, Zionist school in Elsternwick? Well, more than first meets the eye.

When researchers descended upon the village high in the mountains of Bolivia, they were armed with their research techniques to try and solve the problem of malnutrition amongst the children living there. They observed the mothers’ daily routines; watched as they collected water from the same river, as they picked vegetables from the same vegetable patch and cooked meals with the same methodology.

The researchers, however, noticed a distinct difference between those mothers who had children stunted from malnutrition and those who did not suffer this same fate.

All the mothers served the elderly and the workers early in the morning, dipping their ladle into the soup to serve them the thickest and most nutritious part of the soup. They all served their children last, befitting of their place in the hierarchy of the family. However, some mothers skimmed the top layer of the soup for the children, not stirring the soup with the ladle to serve the wholesome, hearty core.

The answer to the researchers’ conundrum lay invisible in plain sight. Whilst the soup every mother served contained the same vegetables and water sourced from the same places, the stirring of the soup with the ladle was the key to the nourishment of the children of the village.

What we have learned from the story of the researchers visiting La Paz Bolivia, is that whilst we may all be offering the same menu in our classrooms, teaching is not just about what we are learning, but about engaging every student in the process of learning.

An exciting culture is developing at Leibler Yavneh College, conversations about learning are happening more often and with great enthusiasm. In a world where critical thinking and habits of mind are becoming more valued, we are setting up our students with a culture of learning that will serve them way beyond the classroom.

Our dedicated teachers are stirring the soup continuously to improve the progress of our students at every opportunity so that they become life-long, independent learners who pursue excellence and strive to achieve their potential.

school/shul

May 2019

Celebrating Pesach with the King David School

Amiut (Jewish Peoplehood) at The King David School

THE KING DAVID SCHOOL LANA BLOCK

In Jewish Studies last term, Year 7 students explored the concept of ‘Amiut’, Jewish Peoplehood, and the various Jewish communities that make up the Jewish world.

Within this unit, students learned about the origins and the various cultures of Ashkenazi (European Jews), Sephardi (Spanish Jews) and Mizrachi Jews (Middle Eastern Jews).

To build on their understandings of these different Jewish ethnicities, the Year 7 cohort had the opportunity to participate in a guided tour of Melbourne’s Sephardi Shule.

Don, a volunteer, shared his incredible knowledge of the origins of the Sephardi community and Eli gave an explanation about the differences between Sephardim and Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation. To

Join us for Open Day at Sholem

Wednesday 22 May 2019 9am - 12pm* * For a personalised tour please contact enrolments@sholem.vic.edu.au Sholem Aleichem College 11 Sinclair Street, Elsternwick

Sholem Aleichem College

‫שלומ עליכמ שול‬

8527 3000 www.sholem.vic.edu.au

15

keep in the spirit for of Pesach, Don shared customs of the Sephardi Pesach Seder and allowed students an opportunity to have a taste of sultana juice and Sephardic matzah.

To further explore this concept of Jewish Peoplehood, the students learnt about the Bene Jews in India, their history, customs and what the community looks like today.

The students were able to hear about the Bene community first hand from a King David family! Esther Daniels shared her story of life growing up Jewish in Mumbai, India. Ken Daniels sang a beautiful song that is traditionally sung at Indian Jewish weddings when the bride is walking down the aisle. Their presentation concluded with Esther cooking a delicious vegetarian Indian curry with turmeric rice to give the students a taste of traditional Indian cooking.

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lifestyle

May 2019

Caulfield Shule’s Millennial Initiative Rabbi Ralph Genende OAM Caulfield Shule recently launched an exciting new initiative called inkr4 Millennials aimed at 23-35 yo: Several weeknight events over the year aimed at addressing millennial anxieties, yearnings and aspirations through inspirational speakers, innovative thinkers, artist entrepreneurs and engaging Rabbis.

This initiative is the brainchild of the Shule’s rabbi, Rabbi Ralph Genende, who said “I got the idea from a couple of superb articles in the NY Times about Millenials in the workplace and after discussing it with a group of millennials we decided to launch this initiative.”

Avi Bart one of the leaders of the steering group, reflected that interest in this grew organically - with many people approaching and asking for their space in our Jewish community, one that concerned itself with the realities of their Modern Jewish lives and one in which they felt comfortable.

“And that” he adds, “is what we intend to create, various access points catering to different people’s interests - religious, social, personal and professional development - all centred around the Melbourne Millennial Jewish experience.”

The program was launched on April 10 with two sensational speakers Andrew Bassat, founder of Seek, and Suji Kanagalingam, a 30-something partner at PWC, being interviewed by Ellie Gurgiel, a young star

of PWC. The two speakers presented their views reflecting on technology and its shaping of the millennial head and soul.

They spoke about the need to switch off and Andrew acknowledged how Shabbat can rescue one from the hustle culture.

They also both emphasised the importance of resilience, perseverance and being true to yourself and how family and firm values anchor one in a relentless world.

One attendee remarked: It was a stimulating and substantive evening and really spoke to the audience as evident by their questions and the overwhelming positive feedback. I really loved your honest, forthright approach and capacity to engage with each other and the audience.

The next event will be held on the first night of Shavuot 8 June and will feature a millennial panel talking about their personal experiences: It’s called Inside/Outside and will feature a young migrant, a young convert, young gay Orthodox person, and a young secular individual talking about their experiences as being both on the inside and outside of the Orthodox community.

For more info contact Avi Bart on avibart94@gmail.com or Rabbi Ralph at Caulfield Shule on rgenende@caulfieldshule.com.au or 9525 992

A Psychological Glimpse into Sefirat HaOmer ZIPPORAH OLIVER O.A.M M.A.P.S Sefirat HaOmer, The Counting of the Omer contains elements which can enhance psychological well being. As a psychologist I am often impressed by the many health promoting elements embedded in Jewish tradition. I invite you to explore with me some possible benefits which may be contained in the observance of Sefirat HaOmer.

Sefirat HaOmer is the verbal counting of the forty nine days from the second day of Pesach until the day before Shavuot.

We know from “The Ten Commandments” that saying a blessing with G-d’s name is a serious matter. Yet the commandment to count each of the forty nine days allows us to say G-d’s name in the blessing for Sefirat HaOmer 49 times, perhaps this is to emphasise the richness and significance of this commandment.

There are so many explanations and wisdoms associated with the commandment of Sefirat HaOmer. For now I will touch on only a few thoughts, looking through a psychological perspective.

Let us begin with a glimpse into the relevance to the approach of “Positive Psychology”. Christopher Peterson defines positive psychology as “the scientific study of what makes life most worth living”. The act of consciously counting each day of the Omer aims to facilitate our awareness of the passage of time. When 24 hours has passed there is a new day, a new number is counted, 3 gives way to 4, and we are tangibly alerted to the reality that we have just lived through a day of life. The Jewish approach of Cheshbon HaNefesh, a personal spiritual reckoning, calls us to reflect and to ask ourselves: “What meaning and value was infused by me into the last 24

hours of my life?”

The Halachic structure of the counting of the Omer has a potent double process of alerting us to the passage of time, because we do not just count the days, but we also count the weeks e.g. “Today is nine days which is one week and two days of the Omer”.

This seemingly simple act of counting is a wake up call to each of us to ask “what have we achieved as the minutes and hours have slipped past?”

The counting is not meant to be a mechanical mindless act. Halacha requires that we are conscious of the meaning of what we are saying when we count. Sefirat HaOmer can be counted in any language, the proviso being that we understand what we are saying.

So how might the above be connected to our wellbeing? In my private practice as a psychologist I often treat patients with symptoms of depression, anxiety, low self esteem, a sense of hopelessness, feelings of overwhelmedness, and powerlessness.

Counting the Sefirah cannot cure these symptoms, but perhaps connecting with

some of the deeper messages of the counting can help an individual to at least minimally face in a more positive and self empowering direction.

Through this commandment of counting G-d has directed us to consciously infuse time with holiness and blessing. Time in fact equals life. Time is transient, time passes and then it is gone. Once a minute has passed it is as irretrievable to us as a minute which occurred thousands of years ago.

What we have is only the present since we don’t know what, if any, future we may have.The wake-up call is to alert us to make the very most that we can of the present opportunity. So counting what has just passed is to motivate us to enhance our life NOW. The counting of the Omer is a daily process which has the potential to awaken us, to create an awareness that right now we have life and so let us maximise this transient opportunity because we can be sure it will pass.

There are many positive therapeutic threads potentially contained within this awareness. In this extremely brief article

there is only time for glimpses which require and deserve further elaboration, at some later date.

So what are some positive therapeutic pathways which might be facilitated by this awareness of the inevitable passage of time? Currently in psychology there is a strong focus on many of the techniques emanating from the plethora of theories of mindfulness. The focus on being in the present discourages undue emphasis on the past and future.

It also seeks to shine the torch more on what we currently have, rather than what we do not have, leading to a greater focus on gratitude as a therapeutic tool. Being more focused in the present, we can more readily develop our sense of self potency rather than being dragged down by victimhood. “I am here right now, how can I change my situation for things to be better? How can a change in my attitudes lift me out of my darkness?

The Zohar explains that time is energy.

Each moment is filled with great power and potential.

The process of counting Sefirat HaOmer can hopefully enhance our awareness of the preciousness of our time/life. Through the lens of psychology the Sefirah process can be seen to fuse well with mindfulness, with a focus on gratitude, and with our seeking to optimise our lives, as encouraged by Positive Psychology.

May we each be successful to personally optimise the rich spiritual and psychological potential available to us through the observance of Sefirat HaOmer.

If you would like to contact Zipporah feel free to call on 0438 345 770 or visit www.zoliver.com.au.

May 2019

lifestyle

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Israeli shows to binge watch now that you’re done with ‘Shtisel’ LIOR ZALTZMAN From Netflix to Amazon, it seems the world is onto the fact that Israel makes some truly incredible TV Kveller via JTA — I love “Shtisel,” you love “Shtisel,” everybody loves “Shtisel”! The Israeli show, about a haredi Orthodox family of the same last name, is taking American audiences by storm. Streaming on Netflix, this show has been covered by The New York Times and even has a Facebook fan group with more than 6,000 fans.

These days, there is a delightful array of Israeli content on all your favorite streaming platforms. So grab your snacks of choice, put those kids to bed (or if they’re older, plop them on the couch by you), and get ready to binge your heart out.

‘THE BEAUTY AND THE BAKER’ (AMAZON PRIME) High production value, a gorgeous cast, lots of DRAMA, and even one cute overbearing Yemeni Jewish mom. What doesn’t this soapy show have?!?

In this star-crossed romance, poor pita baker Amos meets Noa, an international supermodel and actress, and an explosive romance ensues. But Noa’s agent and Amos’s ex band together to try and break the two apart. Will true love conquer all?

Watch and find out!

As Britain’s Channel 4 presenter Walter Izzuliuno says, “If TV is a drug, then this is an addictive, delicious medicine that’s guaranteed to make you feel better.” I concur!

‘FALSE FLAG’ (HULU) “False Flag” is terrific, and a total nailbiter.

In its first season, five Israelis wake up one morning to find that they are implicated in the assassination of an Iranian politician.

They’re teachers, new immigrants, and a bride on her wedding day — not really folks you’d expect to be involved in a complicated

Mossad mission. The news wreaks havoc on their lives and puts them under scrutiny from the media and the police. But are they as innocent as they profess to be? Watch this show to find out. No, seriously: Watch it.

‘WHEN HEROES FLY’ (NETFLIX) This drama features some familiar faces for lovers of Israeli dramas. First off, there’s Michael Aloni who plays Akiva (Kiveh) in “Shtishel,” and Tomer Kapon, who audiences know as Boaz in “Fauda.” They each star as veterans of the Second Lebanon War, dealing with its trauma in different ways.

Along with two other former teammates from the army, they go to search for Yaeli, who is the sister of one of the soldiers and the ex-girlfriend of Kapon’s character. Yaeli was believed to have been killed in a car accident in Colombia but was recently spotted by a photographer there. Based on an incredible book by Amir Gutfreund, the show has been renewed for a second season. Don’t miss it.

‘HASHOTER HATOV’ (NETFLIX) This delightful comedy’s title is Hebrew for “The Good Cop.” It’s been kept in Hebrew because Netflix bought an adaptation for it, “The Good Cop,” starring Josh Groban and Tony Danza, but the Hebrew counterpart is one of my favorite shows in a long, long time.

There’s just something so satisfying about a really good, juicy comedy with wonderful acting and poignant dramatic moments.

It stars comedian Yuval Semo as a rougharound-the-edges cop who comes from a family of petty criminals. This show is not the most politically correct, but the humanity with which it treats its characters is endearing.

‘HOSTAGES’ (NETFLIX) I swear I watched the entire first season of this show in one evening. Ayelet Zurer, who you might know as Elisheva from “Shtishel,” stars as a surgeon about to get the gig of a lifetime: She’s going to operate on the Israeli prime minister!

But alas, her family gets taken hostage,

and in order to secure their release, she must do one thing: ensure the prime minister does not survive the surgery. How’s that for drama?

‘A TOUCH AWAY’ (AMAZON PRIME) I was slightly obsessed with this show as a teen. If you’re a fan of “Shtishel,” this show also explores the life of an observant family — in this case, in the religious city of Bnei Brak. However, it is very, very different.

“A Touch Away” is a Romeo and Juliet love story about the secular son of a Russian immigrant and the daughter of a haredi Orthodox family.

It’s a touching story of forbidden love, but it also has a great portrayal of what it’s like to be a Russian immigrant in Israel and to feel like a second-rate citizen in many ways.

Unlike “Shtishel,” which handles the religious world with sensitivity and nuance, this drama can be a bit heavy-handed, but it’s still an enjoyable viewing experience.

‘PRISONERS OF WAR’ (HULU) If you liked “Homeland,” I think it’s safe to say you’ll enjoy the two seasons of this very different but just as suspenseful show — in fact, “Homeland” is based on “Prisoners of War.” In this show, two captured soldiers are released from Lebanon, to the delight of their family and the country, which embraces them and tries to help them recover from the trauma of 17 years in captivity. But when their stories don’t really match, things get complicated — and make for some really outstanding television.

‘SRUGIM’ (AMAZON PRIME) I like to say “Srugim” is like the religious version of “Friends” — if the show took place in Jerusalem and was actually good (sorry, I’m a “Friends” hater).

This delightful drama, which is three seasons long, explores the dating lives of observant singles, the complexities of wanting both to date and be deliberate about

life, and the pressing need and pressure to get married from your family and you know, the world.

‘MOSSAD 101’ (NETFLIX) This show’s first season is melodramatic and hilarious in the best of ways. Focusing on a group of people training to become Mossad agents, this show features comedian Hana Laszlo — who you may know as Menukha Kenigsberg in “Shtishel” — as an aspiring agent at the prestigious and secretive intelligence agency.

Its second and last season takes itself perhaps too seriously but is still highly worth the watch.

‘MEKIMI’ (AMAZON PRIME) This show is a secret gem. It’s based on an autobiographical story of the same title written by Noa Yaron-Dayan, a former TV and radio personality who joined the Breslov Hasidic sect.

In the series, Alma falls in love with Ben, who, in turn, slowly falls in love with religion.

Is there room for all three in this love triangle?

Watch this short series that really tugs at the heartstrings to find out!

‘FAUDA’ (NETFLIX) Seriously — if you haven’t watched “Fauda” yet, remedy this ASAP. This series has everything going for it. With both Palestinian and Jewish fans, the drama, which has two seasons so far, was created by and stars Lior Raz, and is loosely based on his army experiences in the Duvdevan Unit, known for its covert operations.

It’s about secret agents, targeted killings, suicide bombings and so much more, but it explores these topics with depth and sensitivity.

The Show Must Go On BARNUM THE CIRCUS MUSICAL AT COMEDY THEATRE ALEX FIRST

Phineas Taylor Barnum (5th July, 1810 – 7th April, 1891) was the master of smoke and mirrors, the ultimate flimflam man, the kind of guy who could sell snow to the Eskimos.

Although often down on his luck and short of a quid, he always managed to find a way out.

That had something to do with his vivid imagination and a lot more to do with his grounded, rock-solid wife, Charity.

She stood by his side through thick and thin ... bailed him out and provided guidance when he needed it most.

Barnum The Circus Musical is his story, his life told through dialogue and song, complete with circus artistry.

With music by Cy Coleman, lyrics from Michael Stewart and book by Mark Bramble, it debuted on Broadway in April 1980 and on the West End in June the following year.

It first hit the Australian stage in Sydney in 1982, with Reg Livermore in the lead role.

This new, reimagined Australian production is directed by Tyran Parke and choreographed

by Kelly Aykers.

Parke was interested in what would happen if they all but put Barnum on trial and to that effect we see the impresario returning to an empty circus ring.

Writer Mark Bramble has introduced some

new material and revised aspects of his original script.

On the scale of musicals, Barnum is a small, relatively intimate production with 14 in the cast.

Todd McKenney is perfect for the lead role and doesn’t let us down. Far from it.

He dominates the stage every scene he is in. He totally engages the audience, at times speaking directly to us. He is like the cat that ate the cream or the naughty school boy … and doesn’t he love it.

Several times it appears he is ad libbing and he is so good at it you can’t tell whether he is or whether he just has the patter down so proficiently that he can make it appear like he is.

Rachael Beck is also impressive as his long-suffering wife. Her vocals are strong and rounded, her stagecraft impeccable.

She makes her characterisation work. She is believable as Barnum’s counterpoint – the sensible one of the couple.

With her pure voice, Suzie Mathers is cast as the Swedish opera singer and seductress Jenny Lind who helped revive Barnum’s fortunes.

Kirby Burgess has pep in her step as the buoyant ringmaster, Akina Edmonds is Joice Heth, one of Barnum’s attractions as the oldest woman alive (161, if you don’t mind), while Joshua Reckless is cast as 25 inch tall “General” Tom Thumb.

Around them the circus performers are agile and energetic. Their tricks are more contained that that which we would find in modern circus, but spot on for the times depicted. After all, we are talking about the 19th century.

They clown around, leap, toss and pivot, climb and tumble, juggle and perform feats of strength, do the splits and more.

At one point even Todd McKenney takes to a version of the high-wire … for real (no subterfuge to be found in that scene).

The stage is brilliantly set up by Dann Barber, who is also responsible for the colourful and eclectic costumes.

We are looking into the inside of a somewhat faded Big Top, with a few rows of tiered seating on either side. Two large poles dominate.

Behind a balcony one floor up is the band.

Although Barnum, the man, undoubtedly led a colourful life, I thought the story – or at least the way it is told – was a little thin and there were a few flat patches, which I found particularly noticeable in the longer first act.

Still, the performers – all of them – were excellent. They worked particularly well with the material they had, drawing as much out of it as they could.

It is a show very much about amusement and boyish charm … about riding your luck and then riding it once more.

PT Barnum was not a man known for his restraint, not one to be contained … and I dare say neither is Todd McKenney, for ultimately he is the one who elevates Barnum The Circus Musical in a way few others could.

It is on at Comedy Theatre until 2nd June, 2019.

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lifestyle

May 2019 news

Is Sleep Training Safe?

THE SLEEP COACH CHERYL FINGLESON How much sleep are you getting?

If you’re like most young parents, the answer is very little.

If you are waking night after night to soothe your baby back to sleep, you may be thinking that it’s time to do something about it. You may even be noticing that the lack of sleep is affecting your relationship with your partner and your other children. Yet, it doesn’t take long to read an article or two or three about the dangers of sleep training. So, is sleep training safe, or does it cause undue stress for your baby? The answer may surprise you.

What Is Sleep Training?

Sleep training or sleep coaching is based on the belief that sleep is a learned skill.

Your baby needs to be taught to put herself to sleep without your continued assistance.

Going to sleep on your own is an important life skill, and sleep training gives you the tools to teach your baby.

When Can I Start?

Sleep training can begin when your baby is around four – six months. Keep in mind that all babies are different, and you will want to check with your child’s doctor before making the decision to sleep train.

As long as there are no underlying medical issues, most babies are developmentally ready at four to six months to start sleeping through the night or at worst have one feed, so this is the ideal time to start.

How Can I Sleep Train?

To teach your baby how to fall asleep on her own, you need to start by creating a simple and consistent bedtime routine.

Place the baby in the cot drowsy but awake, and sit next to the cot. If your baby needs reassurance, a gentle word and an occasional touch, provide it, but encourage the baby to go to sleep on her own. Pick her up if she becomes hysterical, but don’t rock her to sleep.

As your baby adjusts to your new routine, start moving farther from the cot every couple of nights as she gains confidence to fall asleep unassisted. Soon you will be outside of the room. Eventually you should find that your baby no longer relies on your presence and support to go to sleep.

This form of gentle sleep training is in contrast to the more intense sleep training methods that involve allowing your baby to cry it out (CIO) or controlled crying which means you go in and out the room for a length different periods and at the end she collapses from exhaustion.

A gentle sleep technique teaches self-

soothing, while also giving you the ability to provide support and love when it’s needed. This is a method most mums are comfortable with as they seek to get back their sleep and teach their babies this important life skill. Once your baby learns to go to sleep without any sleep crutches, you will find that she is able to soothe herself when she wakes in the middle of the night.

Will My Baby Cry? Yes, babies will cry while learning how to self-soothe. This does not mean they are in distress or are suffering. Crying is a baby’s way of telling you that something isn’t what is expected or isn’t what she wants. A little bit of fussing or whimpering, not complete hysteria or distressed, is fine and healthy during this process, and it won’t have a long-term negative affect on your baby.

What is Toxic Stress?

What exactly is toxic stress? Toxic stress results from frequent and prolonged abuse and/or neglect. According to Harvard University’s Centre on the Developing Child, this kind of prolonged activation of the stress response systems can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other organ systems and increase the risk for stress-related disease and cognitive impairment.

Scary, right? This myth is especially cruel because it’s frightening. Fortunately, you can put your mind at ease, because in loving, healthy families, this simply will not happen.

Best Result Your baby learns to self settle, sleep and stay asleep.

You regain your sleep and have the ability to keep your family and your marriage strong.

For further information on my gentle technique don’t hesitate to call Cheryl The Sleep Coach.

We all love sleep!!

Cheryl ZZZ For more sleep tips and advice, please visit www.thesleepcoach.com.au Or why not like our facebook page? www.facebook.com/thesleepcoach

Cheryl Fingleson is a sleep consultant.

As a mother of two, she very well knows the feelings of agony and desperation when you have a child that struggles to settle and sleep. She doesn’t believe in leaving babies or children to cry it out, nor in the practices of controlled crying. Her approach is to empower parents with the right tools and techniques to teach their babies and children to go to sleep calmly, happily and independently.

SHABBAT AND PASSOVER TIMES DATE

LIGHT

END

CANDLES Friday, 10 May 2019

5:06pm

6:04pm

Friday, 17 May 2019

5:00pm

5:59pm

Friday, 24 May 2019

4:55pm

5:55pm

Friday, 31 May 2019

4:52pm

5:52pm

Candle lighting times have been taken from www.chabad.org

T RS ON FI ITI ED FREE

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December

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#Bne Showcaimitzvah Initiati ses Our ve Commun ity 2014 / 13

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lifestyle

May 2019

JEWISHLearning QUESTION OF THE MONTH:

What is the meaning in the Omer?

A time to prepare for receiving the Torah.

LESLI KOPPELMAN ROSS For the Israelites, the holiday of Shavuot was the culmination of the process of transcending innate, animal nature to liberate the human being. As we learn at Passover, the release from physical bondage alone is not freedom. True freedom is knowing what you want to do — what you truly want being what is good for both the body and soul — and having the discipline to achieve it, which means being able The period that connects the two levels of freedom, Sefirat Haomer (counting of the Omer), began with the cutting of the first sheaf of barley that ripened. Barley is animal fodder. An animal is a being whose consciousness consists of the immediate situation. Having no vision of what is beyond the self is the least Jewish of attitudes. As we count the days representing the duration of the barley harvest, we rise toward the start of what was the wheat harvest. Wheat is human food, a symbol of hokhmah, intelligence (based on the rabbis’ dictum that a child does not utter its first word until it has tasted bread).

The offering brought to the Temple at the start of the Omer was meal ground from the barley grain, a raw material representing the first step in the production of leavened bread, which was the offering at the end of the Omer, on Shavuot. The message is that without Torah, which gives us the insights to recognize what we want, and the moral standards and social ethics to guide us to accomplish it, we are like animals who respond to instinct. Raw barley needs to give way to the refined wheat, the grain to meal and bread. Raw natural intelligence needs to be refined to become the wisdom through which potential can be reached.

Once our animal selves, which are always present, are under control, we are ready to learn how to get the most out of life.

That is why counting the Omer continued even after the development of a standard calendar eliminated its initial necessity: to let the majority of people — farmers occupied with field work — know exactly when to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It remained an opportunity to help us move out of enslaving patterns of thought and behavior. For the ancient Israelites, each day was a step away from the defilement

of Egypt and a step toward spiritual purity.

Like the Israelites who began to get ready for their encounter at Mount Sinai as soon as they crossed the Reed [or Red] Sea , we use the seven weeks beginning on Passover to similarly prepare ourselves for the arrival of Shavuot. During this time, we are supposed to evaluate our behavior and work to improve ourselves, particularly by being more faithful to God and dedicated to His ways, more humble, and unified with all other Jews (Exodus 19:2).

The sages devised a construct to help us follow in the Israelites’ footsteps. It is based on seven Divine qualities in the kabbalistic design of the universe, which were represented by the illustrious leaders of Israel (in one variation): love (Abraham), respect (Isaac), compassion (Jacob), efficiency (Moses), beauty (Aaron), loyalty (Joseph), and leadership (David).

These virtues, in their extreme, become vices (lust, fear, indulgence, obsessiveness, vanity, submissiveness, and stubbornness) that we have to strive to avoid. So the sages dedicated each week of the Omer to one of the characteristics and each day of the week to one of them. The unique combination on each of the 49 days (love-love, love-respect, love-compassion… respect-love, respectleadership, and so on) helps us gain insight into our own behavior in relation to them, and focus our efforts on self-improvement, to make each day of the Omer important.

Torah study in general is customary and appropriate. Some people read portions from every book of the Bible, and review of the Ten Commandments is common. Many read Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), a particularly accessible section of Talmud.

Study culminates in the Tikkun Leil Shavuot [all-night studying on the first evening of Shavuot], meant to make up for omissions or deficiencies in our devotion to Torah during the preceding year. It helps us to be particularly receptive to the body of law we will be given the next morning.

Excerpted from Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holiday Handbook. Reprinted with permission from Jason Aronson Inc.

What Is Lag B’Omer?

FRANCINE KLAGSBRUN This minor holiday is known for bonfires, weddings and haircuts.

Lag B’Omer is a minor holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot. A break from the semi-mourning of the Omer, key aspects of Lag B’Omer include holding Jewish weddings (it’s the one day during the Omer when Jewish law permits them), lighting bonfires and getting haircuts.

Why We Celebrate There are a few explanations why we celebrate Lag B’Omer, but none is definitive.

The Omer is a time of semi-mourning, when weddings and other celebrations are forbidden, and as a sign of grief, observant Jews do not cut their hair. Anthropologists say that many peoples have similar periods of restraint in the early spring to symbolize their concerns about the growth of their crops. But the most often cited explanation for the Jewish practice comes from the Talmud, which tells us that during this season a plague killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva‘s students because they did not treat one another respectfully. The mourning behavior is presumably in memory of those students and their severe punishment.

According to a medieval tradition, the plague ceased on Lag Ba’Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer. (The Hebrew letters lamed and gimel which make up the acronym “Lag” have the combined numerical value of 33.) As a result, Lag Ba’Omer became a happy day, interrupting the sadness of the Omer period for 24 hours.

Rabbi Akiva and the Bar Kochba Rebellion The Talmudic explanation makes most sense when put into historical context. The outstanding sage Rabbi Akiva became an ardent supporter of Simeon bar Koseva, known as Bar Kochba, who in 132 C.E. led a ferocious but unsuccessful revolt against Roman rule in Judea. Akiva not only pinned his hopes on a political victory over Rome but believed Bar Kochba to be the long-awaited Messiah.

Many of his students joined him in backing the revolt and were killed along with thousands of Judeans when it failed. The Talmudic rabbis, still suffering under Roman rule and cautious about referring openly to past rebellions, may have been hinting at those deaths when they spoke of a plague among Akiva’s students.

Possibly, also, Lag B’Omer marked a respite from battle, or a momentary victory.

A completely different reason for the holiday concerns one of Rabbi Akiva’s few disciples who survived the Bar Kochba revolt, Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai. He is said to have died on Lag Ba’Omer.

Rabbi Simeon continued to defy the Roman rulers even after Bar Kochba’s defeat, and was forced to flee for his life and spend years in solitary hiding. Legend places him and his son Eleazar in a cave for 12 years, where a miraculous well and carob tree sustained them while they spent their days studying and praying. When they finally emerged, Simeon denigrated all practical occupations, insisting that people engage only in the study of Torah.

For this God confined the two to their cave for another year, accusing Simeon of destroying the world with his rigid asceticism.

But Rabbi Simeon’s otherworldliness resonated with mystics in his own time and later, so much so that tradition ascribes to him the Zohar, the key work of the Kabbalah (although critical scholars attribute it to the 13th-century Spanish kabbalist Moses de Leon). And in Israel, on Lag Ba’Omer, people flock to the site of his tomb in the village of Meron in the Galilee, near Safed, where they light bonfires and sing kabbalistic hymns. Hasidic Jews follow the custom of bringing their 3-year-old sons to Meron to have their hair cut for the first time.

(The custom of not cutting the child’s hair until his third birthday, when it is done in a ceremony called an upsheren, is probably an extension of the law that forbids picking the fruits of a newly planted tree during its first three years.)

Lag B’Omer Customs Unrelated to Rabbi Simeon, the kabbalists also give a mystical interpretation to the Omer period as a time of spiritual cleansing and preparation for receiving the Torah on Shavuot.

The days and weeks of counting, they say, represent various combinations of the sefirot, the divine emanations, whose contemplation ultimately leads to purity of mind and soul.

The somberness of this period reflects the seriousness of its spiritual pursuits.

Finally, on yet another tack, some authorities attribute the joy of Lag Ba’Omer to the belief that the manna that fed the Israelites in the desert first appeared on the 18th of Iyar.

Though its origins are uncertain, Lag Ba’Omer has become a minor holiday. (For Sephardic Jews, the holiday is the day after Lag B’Omer.) Schoolchildren picnic and play outdoors with bows and arrows — a possible reminder of the war battles of Akiva’s students — and in Israel plant trees. It is customary to light bonfires, to symbolize the light Simeon bar Yohai brought into the world. And every year numerous couples wed at this happy time.

Reprinted with permission from Jewish Days: A Book of Jewish Life and Culture (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

20

lifestyle

May 2019

Maccabi LIFE - Dementia Walk a Huge Success MACCABI Over 450 people registered for the Maccabi LIFE Dementia Australia Memory Walk & Jog which was held simultaneously in Melbourne and Sydney last Sunday 28 April.

To date, the event has raised in excess of $20,000, and will be held in Perth on 26 May. Thanks to 2018 Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Racewalker, Jemima Montag, the Melbourne event ambassador, who both officiated the start of the jog/walk and joined in, completing the 3 lap course in her renowned racewalking style.

Despite the drizzly weather in Melbourne, over 200 joggers and walkers and four legged furry friends came down to Caulfield Park to participate – a real community event!

This walk is one of a number of health and wellness events that Maccabi will host each year as we look to engage a broader spectrum of the community in healthy lifestyle activities. We recognise that not everyone is interested in belonging to a club or playing sport – and so we launched the Maccabi LIFE program.

SO WHAT IS MACCABI LIFE? It is a health and wellbeing program that has been designed to increase community participation in a raft of activities including

education seminars, unstructured physical events and social connections.

WHY IS MACCABI EXPANDING ITS OFFER? We value and care about the Community’s health and wellbeing. We have played a role in promoting a healthy outlook through sport for over 90 years – this program is a natural extension and will appeal to a wider spectrum of the community. Our core membership is made up of people who are involved in structured club based sport – we want to engage as much of the community as we can in being active through informal programs.

WHAT BENEFITS CAN WE OFFER Access to health and wellbeing content via the Maccabi LIFE online portal

Maccabi Australia Executive Director, Ryan O’Connor at ryan@maccabi.com.au • Look out for our Health Expos which are being planned for later this year.

• Maccabi LIFE is not only for the benefit of Maccabi members, but also for the entire Jewish community across Australia.

On behalf of Maccabi across Australia and Dementia Australia we would like to thank all who attended and supported this event for your active participation.

“Maccabi LIFE is a visionary and very welcome initiative by a great organisation that touches many individuals and families of nearly everyone in the Australian Jewish community.” ~ Professor Paul Zimmet AO

We proudly provide pre-paid and �ixed priced funeral plans, as well as burial services to the Jewish community from 24 branch locations across Victoria, including Malvern, Cheltenham and Doncaster.

SUPPORT UJEB’S ANNUAL APPEAL www.ujeb.org.au or 9523 6844

Access to education, seminars, workshops and unstructured physical activities for those in the community who want to get healthier and stronger A loyalty program with rewards, discounts on health and wellbeing products and services In time to come, health and wellbeing centres in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? • Go to http://www.maccabi.com.au/ National/Life/Page/4314/Maccabi-Life/ Maccabi-Life.cfm which will take you to the Maccabi LIFE website from which you can join the Maccabi LIFE Loyalty Program for Free • If you would like to volunteer with us on future Maccabi LIFE projects, please contact

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