Mazel Tov, October 23, 2017

Mazel Tov Supplement to Jewish News October 23, 2017

Mazel Tov

Traveling for memorable experiences Terri Denison

F

our separate studies from Cornell University indicate that the secret to happiness is to spend money on experiences, not things. In fact, according to an article in Forbes, research at San Francisco State University found “people who spent money on experiences rather than material items were happier and felt the money was better spent. The thrill of purchasing things fades quickly, but the

joy and memories of experiences, from epic adventures to minute encounters, can last a lifetime.”

It stands to reason then, that celebrating a milestone with a trip—with family, friends, or as some choose, solo—has been gaining in popularity for years.

Destination weddings, b’nai mitzvah, birthday, and anniversary celebrations are not so unusual anymore.

And, then there are those who travel to immerse themselves in a completely

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14 | Jewish News | Mazel Tov | October 23, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Mazel Tov unfamiliar place. For these curious explorers, Andrew Nusbaum, founder of Nuz Travel, is ready with a trip that will yield incredible lasting memories of oncein-a-lifetime experiences.

Nusbaum’s travel bug began in 2006 when he spent several weeks in Peru volunteering at an orphanage. Then, in 2009, he went to India on an Operation Smile mission. Ultimately, he spent one year there, working with the Tidewater-based non-profit. His affection for the country and its people grew and he found himself returning year after year.

Wanting to share India with his then girlfriend, Nusbaum arranged a trip that focused not only on the country’s sites and culinary delights, but also on “keeping her safe, healthy, and happy,” he says.

The trip was terrific, even though the relationship didn’t last, he notes with a wry smile.

“I got the idea of doing this with others,” says Nusbaum, and so, a business was born.

With less than 10 people per trip, Nuz Travel emphasizes “connecting people through fun and meaningful experiences.”

As such, each trip is tailor-made. “As the group forms, we incorporate the desires and preferences of the participants. The trip, then, becomes more of a visit than a tour,” says Nusbaum. “We have a lot of conversation before someone registers.

Travelers really should have an adventurous mindset.

“Nuz Travel provides a trip that’s completely different because it is experience-based,” says Nusbaum. “For example, we have some dinners in people’s homes,” he says, integrating the travelers into the actual culture of the country, not just at tourist attractions. Of course, trips also hit the more famous highlights, such as the Taj Mahal and Goa (the beach) in India.

“Ultimately, it feels like we’re traveling like a family,” says Nusbaum.

The “we” is because Nusbaum leads each trip. Guides are hired for portions of the journey, and other times some of Nusbaum’s friends in the country of travel serve as hosts.

Currently, Nuz Travel focuses on two destinations: India and Peru—both personal favorites of Nusbaum.

Everything is included in the trip’s fare—air, tours, admissions, meals, gratuities, and accommodations, which tend to be in luxury hotels. A portion of the fee (which varies, but ranges between $6,300 and $6,800, per person) in India goes to support a school, and in Peru, that same amount goes to support an orphanage.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Nuz Travel is committed to charitable contributions. After all, Nusbaum has volunteered on more than 10 Operation

Travelers at Goa, a state in western India within the coastal region, known for beaches, sand, and spirituality.

Smile missions, served on the Simon Family JCC board and currently works with Tallwood High School’s Israel exchange program for the school’s Global Studies Program. A life-long Ohef Sholom Temple member, he helps out there, too.

And, of course, he continues to work at

S. L. Nusbaum where he concentrates on new acquisitions.

“I’m just passionate about getting people to travel the world,” Nusbaum says.

“We make India and Peru stress free,” he says. Everything is vetted, including the food.

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD The Nuz Travel itinerary took the group to Elephanta Island in Mumbai Harbour, east of Mumbai, India.

greens, shrimp, artichoke, mushrooms, radishes, feta, pepperoncini, sardine, white anchovy, beets, tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, egg, fresh herbs, red wine.

jewishnewsva.org | October 23, 2017 | Mazel Tov | Jewish News | 15

Mazel Tov

Talk about memorable proposals…

Stephanie Guld accepts Max Wagner’s proposal after skydiving in Suffolk, Va.

Terri Denison

This is the end of the story Max Wagner popped the big question to Stephanie Guld after popping out of a plane. Yes, after skydiving!

Spoiler alert: She said yes.

Backing up to the BBYO beginning Stephanie grew up in Richmond, Va. where, when she was 15 years old and a member of Cohen BBG, she met a guy, Max, also 15, from Virginia Beach. He was a member of Old Dominion AZA. They were friends, BBYO buddies, who spent some time together at Virginia Council events.

Stephanie concentrated most of her extra hours as a teen on competitive dance teams, however, so they didn’t see each other that often.

The Social Media connection

Eight years later, the two re-connected on social media.

He was back in Virginia Beach; she was working in the

16 | Jewish News | Mazel Tov | October 23, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

fashion industry in New York City. They messaged, then texted, then spoke on the phone, and FaceTimed.

Max decided it was time to meet in person, so he asked Stephanie if he could fly to New York City to take her on a proper date. She agreed. Max booked a flight a month in advance. Two weeks later, he asked if he could come earlier, on February 13. She responded, “Are you making me your Valentine?” Two weeks after that first date, he returned to NYC on the original flight.

The move

For most young professionals, it’s not easy to leave Manhattan. “I love New York with all my heart,” Stephanie admits, but then quickly adds, “But I love Max more.”

Since Max is in his second year of medical school at EVMS and unable to relocate, Stephanie packed up and moved. Fortunately, Stephanie was able to transfer her marketing skills from the fashion world to the position of

director of sales and marketing for Jody’s Popcorn.

“My parents moved from Richmond to Raleigh, Max’s family is here, and this is a better quality of life. Now, I get to spend time with people I love!” she literally exclaims.

The surprise date

“Stephanie would always bring up the idea of skydiving,” says Max. “I, on the other hand, have never been keen to the idea of skydiving.”

Still, he made plans.

On Labor Day weekend, Max, 25, told Stephanie, also 25, they were going on a surprise date, so she dressed for a Sunday bunch. He, however, packed a bag with the outfit he knew she’d need.

“I thought, ‘Go big, or go home’ with the proposal, and I really wanted to catch her off guard, so I took her to Skydive Suffolk,” says Max. Hoping for the best, he purchased the package that included photos and videos.

Mazel Tov “I was so excited that this was what we were doing,” recalls Stephanie, that she suspected nothing more.

“I figured I would get engaged or die trying,” says Max, and so they went up 15,000 feet, two miles above the clouds.

And, then, he jumped.

Once on the ground, he waited for Stephanie to arrive. “That seemed to take forever,” he recalls.

With ring in hand, Max ran to where Stephanie was landing, and as soon as she was on firm ground, he dropped to a knee and asked her, “Do you want to be with me forever?”

Already a family affair In the midst of her acceptance and jubilance, Stephanie asked Max if her mom knew what was happening, as she had tried for years to talk her daughter out of

the idea of jumping out of a plane.

At that point, their four parents, Natalie and Michael Guld and Jody and Alan Wagner, along with three close friends, appeared.

“This was the best day of my life thus far!” Stephanie states with absolute clarity.

Two takes on the jump “I loved it. It was so cool.…an awesome experience. I would do it again!” says Stephanie.

How about Max? “Nope.”

The next beginning of Stephanie and Max’s story The couple plans for a wedding in December 2018. Wagner promises the event will be grounded…with no skydiving skills required.

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Mazel Tov

Planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah?

It’s a perfect time to join the B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy Program the Jewish community locally, in Israel, and around the world and decide where to send their 5% each year. he Tidewater Jewish Foundation has Parents, grandparents, friends, and a special program for teens—parrelatives who know of a young person ticularly for those celebrating their bar or about to become a bar or bat mitzvah bat mitzvah. are requested by TJF to convey the The B’nai Tzedek Teen Philanthropy information about this program to these Program encourages teens to become students. Some b’nai mitzvah students involved in tzedakah by establishing their may even request that donations be made own fund for charitable giving—proto their fund in their honor. This is a viding teens a chance to play a part in great opportunity to help make a special improving the community and the world. occasion even more meaningful.

How it works B’n a i Tzedek The teen donates at least empowers teens to take $250 to the Tidewater ownership of their own Jewish Foundation (TJF) philanthropy, and hopeto establish a fund in his Tidewater Jewish fully encourages them to or her name. TJF will Foundation become philanthropists match that gift with will match for life. another $250 for a starta gift of $250 ing fund balance of at to begin a fund.

For information on how least $500. Each year, to participate in the B’nai fund holders can grant Tzedek Teen Philanthropy 5% of their fund to a Program, contact Barb Gelb Jewish charity of their at 757-965-6105 or bgelb@ choice. Participants can ujft.org. learn about the needs of Barb Gelb

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Mazel Tov BSV nurse wins statewide award

R

obin Gordon has been named the 2017 Director of Nursing of the Year by the Virginia Health Care Association-Virginia Center for Assisted Living (VHCA-VCAL). This award recognizes an individual who demonstrates clinical expertise and leadership in providing quality long-term care in the Commonwealth.

Director of Nursing at The Terrace at Beth Sholom Village, Gordon’s clinical leadership and knowledge of assisted living standards has helped BSV consistently attain above average survey results, including a recent three-year license following a zero deficiency survey in 2015, and only one non-nursing deficiency in 2016. Her approach to training and resident and family engagement endear her to all at The Terrace.

David Abraham, chief executive officer of Beth Sholom Village, says, “We are extremely proud of the award Robin has received.

We already knew she was deserving of this honor because her work reflects it daily. The residents enjoy working with her and family members have come to count on her guiding the nursing staff to provide outstanding care. This award makes it official.”

“Robin demonstrates professionalism and dedication with the staff, residents, and families through her positive attitude,

respect, and kind and caring attitude. No issue or problem is too big for her to handle,” notes Lisa A. Cohen, president of Beth Sholom Terrace board of directors.

Gordon joined Beth Sholom Village in 2008. She takes the Robin Gordon time to get to know residents’ likes, dislikes, and medical needs. They consider her a “go to person” when an issue arises that needs management’s attention.

She also plans regular in-service training events, guided the implementation of a new employee appreciation program, and helps families navigate difficult decisions about using hospice and palliative care when the time is right.

Gordon is active in community organizations including the Alzheimer’s Association. She currently serves VHCA-VCAL as the Tidewater District director and chair of the VCAL committee. She was recognized at the annual VHCA-VCAL Awards Banquet, held this year in Richmond, on September 13.

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Mazel Tov

MAZEL TOV

Israelis are throwing themselves one-of-a kind weddings in nature

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TEL AVIV (JTA)—In this tiny country, there are only so many places to have a wedding. Or so you would think.

But a growing number of Israelis are creating one-of-a-kind outdoor weddings from the ground up. In some cases, they even start with the ground.

“We brought in bulldozers for one couple,” says Ori Fuks, an Israeli wedding producer. “They wanted to get married on an avocado farm, so we built them a parking lot.”

“Nature weddings,” as they are sometimes called, are an increasingly popular option for young Israeli couples seeking unique nuptials. In recent years, an industry has emerged around the bespoke outdoor events, offering an alternative to the traditional wedding hall blowout.

Shani Maaman, a 31-year-old hightech worker from Jerusalem, and her husband-to-be, Ran, were determined to do their wedding themselves. With the help of Israeli wedding blogs and Facebook groups, they spent months planning and preparing a wedding they felt reflected who they are.

Unlike some couples, Maaman and her fiance did not start from zero. Instead they converted a biblical tourism center, called Genesis World, into a bohemian desert getaway with Bedouin-style tents and cushions, billowing macramé decorations and a caravan of camels on hand. A DJ played world music-inspired beats late into the night.

“Nature weddings have become common, but I know that our wedding was very, very special,” Maaman says.

“The nice thing about the place was that because it’s not for weddings, it doesn’t feel commercialized. They don’t charge you for every little extra. If you want another area to chill out, they give it to you no problem.”

Fuks says many young Israelis have become dissatisfied with the “copy and paste” approach of wedding halls, which they see as inauthentic. Having grown up working in two such venues owned

$40,000 average cost of nature wedding.

by his family, in 2009 he started his own company called Bloom, which specializes in nature weddings at sites with little to no infrastructure.

“Young Israelis want their wedding to be their own,” he says. “They want to feel like they’re hosting you in their own home. That’s why we come and say, anything you want, we can create it.”

Fuks lets couples customize nearly every aspect of their wedding, starting with the location. In addition to the avocado farm, he uses forests, deserts, vineyards and fields. Last year he threw a wedding in a pallet factory. He works with suppliers to bring in the desired amenities, like generators for electricity, a kitchen and bar, a sound system, lighting, restrooms, tents, and flowers.

Immediately after the event, everything is dismantled. No infrastructure can stay in place, Fuks says, because he rents the properties from private owners and may or may not have the required permits. Fortunately, he says, he has never had a wedding shut down.

Fuks says business has grown steadily

Mazel Tov over the years to about 30 weddings a year, mostly in the relatively sunny months between March and October. At the same time, he says he has seen his competitors in the nature wedding industry proliferate, from just a couple eight years ago to as many as 10 experienced competitors and countless upstarts today.

A saleswoman at one of Israel’s poshest wedding halls says the growing popularity of nature weddings has not cut into her clientele. But speaking on condition of anonymity to protect her job, she says she expects that to change in the near future. Among her Tel Aviv friends, she says, wedding halls are already out of style.

“People want their wedding to make them feel special,” she says. “But this industry is all about money. You spend money you don’t have, and we make money. In a couple years, everyone will be planning their own weddings.”

However, nature weddings are not necessarily less expensive. Fuks says his average wedding costs about $40,000, which is at the high end of the national average, according to a 2015 survey. Maaman’s $25,000 wedding is at the low end.

Lira Wieman, the owner of LW Events, says nature weddings are nothing new for her clients, who include Israel’s rich and famous. Nearly three-quarters of the weddings she does are in nature, she says.

In May, she produced a high-profile desert wedding for model Shlomit Malka and

actor Yehuda Levy.

“They wanted a Burning Man-style event,” Wieman says, referring to the American countercultural festival. “It was crazy—three days on an isolated ranch with a 24-hour DJ party.”

To some extent, Maaman’s wedding—which was also Burning Man inspired—was countercultural, too. Like a growing number of Israelis, she and her husband eschewed the Chief Rabbinate, the Orthodox authority that controls Jewish marriage in Israel. They opted for a secular humanist rabbi, and because only an Orthodox rabbi can perform a wedding in Israel, they have yet to be officially married.

Maaman says they plan to eventually marry abroad and have the union recognized by Israel’s secular bureaucracy, or to enter a common law marriage—two increasingly popular options.

She says their motivation for not going through the Chief Rabbinate was more personal than principled. They wanted to do the wedding on a date that is forbidden by Jewish law and, more important, to have an egalitarian ceremony. Under the macrame huppah, Maaman joined her husband in the traditional concluding ritual of breaking a glass in memory of the destruction of Jerusalem.

“We’re not like ‘anti’ people,” she says. “What guided us was making it our wedding, fit to us. We did what we needed to do.”

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(Kveller via JTA)—I took a poll of my friends when I was pregnant. We run in an observant crowd in Manhattan, and most of our friends have the kinds of names you’d find multiple times over at your Jewish summer camp: Adams and Davids, Elianas and Yaels.

My husband and I both have normal “American” names, so I asked them, “Did you mind having a ‘Jewy’ name? As a doctor/lawyer/whatever the heck you are now, working in a secular world, do you wish you had changed it?”

Most of them said yes. They minded.

They wished they could change it. Some of them already had. Yaakovs went by Jacob at work, Rivkas had called themselves Becca at school. They were planning to give their kids normal, English names, so their progeny could actually tell their names to the Starbucks baristas without subsequently spelling them out.

But I did it anyway.

My son, Yonatan Chaim, was named for his two paternal great-grandfathers, Yosef and Chaim. Still, we hedged our bets: On his birth certificate, we wrote Jonathan, encouraged by our friends who told us that they were glad to have “American” versions of their names to fall back on.

At the hospital, the postpartum nurse asked us what we were going to name him.

“Well, we can’t really tell you because we’re Jewish, so we aren’t announcing it until the bris.”

“It’s OK,” she replied. “I won’t ruin the surprise, and it’s not like you really know me anyway. So just tell me!”

So we told her (after making her promise to pretend like we hadn’t if our parents asked). She looked at us, confused.

“Interesting. Yoh-nee?”

I cringed.

The cringing continued. I joined a new mom group, where the leader insisted on calling my child “Yawnee” every Tuesday.

My boss said he was going to buy me one

of those cute colorful name stools as a baby gift, and asked what he should write on it. He gave me a weird look when I answered.

I started trying to change my answer based on how I gauged my audience.

The cab driver inquired about the baby’s name? “Jonathan.” The receptionist at the pediatrician when I was checking him in?

“Jonathan.”

But when my friend’s grandma asked me the baby’s name at shul, I proudly answered, “He’s Yoni.” She exclaimed, “That’s my nephew’s name!” When I told my Israeli friend the name we had chosen, she responded, “Great choice! It’s one of my favorite names.” At moments like these, I remembered why we had chosen the name in the first place.

I had asked my husband nine months earlier, why shouldn’t our kid’s name be Jewish if everything else in our lives was? For our family, Judaism is our defining factor. Our friends, our choice of neighborhood, our meals, our weekend activities, even my husband’s profession —they are all deeply intertwined with our Judaism. We are part of a tribe, and our membership is all-encompassing.

Shouldn’t our child be named to match?

We’re into parenthood now. He received more than a few personalized baby gifts with his name spelled incorrectly. And I haven’t come to terms yet with how I feel about the direction we chose for the name. I’m both proud and embarrassed, excited and awkward.

A couple of days ago, a fellow associate at my law firm asked me what I had named my baby.

“We call him Yoni,” I told her. “It’s Jonathan in English, but Yonatan in Hebrew, so Yoni for short.”

“Cool!” she responded.

Progress.

Abbie Pappas is a lawyer, rebbetzin and kid/ dog mom living in Manhattan. You can follow her on Instagram at @Stay_At_Work_Mom.

Mazel Tov

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Maccabi Transatlantic Cup Golf takes Jeff Flax to England

welve Jewish American golfers went to battle with 12 Jewish British golfers using their clubs—their golf clubs, to be clear. These top amateur golfers played in the 22nd Maccabi Transatlantic Cup Golf Matches Sep. 12 through Sep. 15.

Virginia Beach resident, Jeff Flax, was one of 12 golfers from across the United States selected to play on the American team. Held every two years, the matches are sponsored by Maccabi USA and were organized by Jeff Fleishman of Williamsburg and Jay Blumenfeld of New Jersey.

This year, the matches were played at the Dyrham Park Country Club in Elstree, England. The “Ryder Cup Format” consisted of 36 holes on each of the

Players and their wives, with Jeff and Mona Flax of Virginia Beach at left.

first two days, wherein the format was four-ball and alternate shot matches, followed by singles matches in the final day.

While the rivalry was competitive, the Brits were gracious hosts. At dinners in the evenings, the men and their wives enjoyed discussions about golf, cultural differences and similarities, Judaism, and more golf.

The Americans played their best, but the Brits proved to be a bit younger and stronger and took home the coveted trophy earning the mazel tov.

In 2019, the matches will be played on this side of the pond, when the Americans hope to bring the cup home, and receive the mazel tov!

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jewishnewsva.org | October 23, 2017 | Mazel Tov | Jewish News | 23

Mazel Tov Our 91st Season

Easy Apple Pie Cookies Recipe Sheri Silver

(The Nosher via JTA)—I never understood the “double crust” pie.

I mean, even the flakiest, most tender crust is satisfying enough as a single layer, in my humble opinion.

But streusel topping? Now we’re talking.

And streusel topping is as much the star as the filling and crust are in these charming, bite-sized apple pie cookies—perfect for Thanksgiving and all of your fall celebrations. After all, how often do you hear Mazel Tov! not followed by, Let’s eat!?

This is a foolproof and easy recipe, made even simpler with the use of refrigerated pie crust. But feel free to switch things up.

These cookies would be just as delicious with a shortbread, puff pastry, or even crescent roll base—so use whatever you like.

The key is to cut the circles slightly larger (about ¼ inch) than

the base of your muffin tin, so that the edges come up a bit and hold the filling in place.

Unlike a traditional pie, these keep beautifully for a few days, allowing you to get a jump on your baking. Best of all, they’re a no-mess, no-slice, no-utensil dessert that will add a special touch to your table.

And I’m not saying you SHOULD serve these with the tiniest scoops of vanilla ice cream. But I’m not saying you shouldn’t.

Sheri Silver writes the Donuts, Dresses and Dirt blog, http://sherisilver. com, where she shares her passions on baking and cooking, gardening and shopping.)

The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.

Apple Pie Cookies

Nov. 3- Nov.26

Ingredients

Directions

For the streusel

Make the streusel

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the

¾ cup flour

streusel ingredients in a bowl, breaking up any large clumps,

¼ cup light brown sugar

and spread onto your baking sheet. Set aside to dry (can be

¼ cup white sugar

made a day ahead; store covered at room temperature).

½ teaspoon cinnamon pinch of kosher salt

Make the filling Combine the filling ingredients in a saucepan and cook over

For the filling 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced

Cook for 5–10 minutes, until the apples are slightly softened.

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Remove from heat, drain the liquid and cool completely (may

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

be made a day ahead; store in the fridge).

juice from one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 F; grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin or

pinch of kosher salt

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medium heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a simmer.

½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 store-bought refrigerated pie crust, at room temperature

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line with parchment paper cups. Unroll your pie crust and use a glass or cookie cutter to cut circles that are slightly larger— about ¼ inch—than the base of your muffin cups (I used a 2½-inch cutter).

Place the circles in the bottom of each muffin cup, pressing gently along the sides and bottoms. Spoon some apple filling into each crust and top with the streusel.

Bake cookies for 20 minutes, or until streusel is golden brown.

Cool completely in tins on a wire rack. Serve immediately or store, covered, for up to 3 days.

Mazel Tov Conservative movement doubles down on intermarriage ban, but urges communities to welcome couples NEW YORK (JTA)—The Conservative movement will maintain its ban on rabbis performing interfaith marriages while seeking to welcome couples who are already intermarried, according to a new letter signed by the movement’s four leaders.

The letter, published last week and addressed to the centrist movement’s clergy, educators and leaders, follows a summer when a few prominent Conservative rabbis announced that they would begin officiating at intermarriages. It does not represent a change in the movement’s policy or practice of Jewish law.

“We affirm the traditional practice of reserving rabbinic officiation to two Jews,” the letter reads, adding that the movement’s leaders “are equally adamant that our clergy and communities go out of their way to create multiple opportunities for deep and caring relationships between the couple and the rabbi, the couple and the community, all in the context of welcome and love that extends well before the moment of the wedding and well beyond it too.”

The letter was written by Rabbi Bradley Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, and co-signed by Arnold Eisen, the chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary; Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, CEO of the Conservative Rabbinical Seminary; and Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Since 2000, more than 70 percent of non-Orthodox Jews have married non-Jewish partners, according to the Pew Research Center’s 2013 study of American Jewry. The other major Jewish denominations in the United States are split on the issue: the Reform movement allows intermarriage and the Orthodox prohibits it.

Conservative Judaism aims to maintain fealty to traditional Jewish law while remaining relevant to the modern world.

Its rabbis are prohibited from officiating at

or attending intermarriages, but recently the movement has taken steps to welcome intermarried couples both before and after the wedding. This year, the movement’s synagogues voted to allow non-Jews as members.

But several of the movement’s rabbis have begun officiating at intermarriages, arguing that the movement has not gone far enough in embracing the spouses of many young Jews. Last December, Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom of Philadelphia was expelled from the Rabbinical Assembly umbrella group for performing intermarriages. In June, the Conservative-ordained clergy at B’nai Jeshurun, an influential, nondenominational New York synagogue, announced that they would begin performing intermarriages. So did Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, who heads the experimental congregation Lab/Shul in New York.

Conservative leaders responded at the time by reaffirming their opposition to intermarriage while pledging to respect and welcome intermarried couples.

“We believe—and the data confirm— that by far the most effective path toward building a Jewish future is to strengthen Jewish identity, beginning with the Jewish family,” read a June statement from the Jewish Theological Seminary. “This is also the path which Torah and tradition command. JTS will in coming months expand our efforts to welcome all families, including those that are interfaith, to explore Judaism together with us.”

The letter echoes that language.

“We all know that intermarriage is a loving choice people make in an open and accepting society,” Wernick told JTA. “As rabbis and leaders, we also have a commitment to Jewish law and Jewish marriage. How do we create a language that acknowledges both of these realities as well as a commitment to welcome those Jews and families to journey Jewishly on this path?”

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jewishnewsva.org | October 23, 2017 | Mazel Tov | Jewish News | 25

Mazel Tov

Will you marrow me?

Boca Raton, Fla.—What wedding gift do you give the couple that doesn’t need anything? In this case the groom, Bill Begal, chairman of the board of Gift of Life Marrow Registry (www.giftoflife.org), and his bride, Kira Epstein, decided that in lieu of a wedding registry, they would make the marrow registry the centerpiece of their wedding festivities. Their wedding date coincided with International Good Deeds Day, a worldwide day of giving to others. Founded in Israel in 2007, this day of service now attracts 1.5 million participants in 75 countries.

Begal is the founder and president of Begal Enterprises, a national disaster restoration company based in Rockville, Md., and Epstein is a real estate agent at Washington Fine Properties, Washington,

D.C., named by Real Trends in 2016 as one of “America’s Best Real Estate Agents.”

“My fiancé and I never wanted to receive gifts; we always wanted to do something amazing,” says Begal. “There is nothing more amazing than saving someone’s life. Each of us has the power within us to save someone with blood cancer, but the only way you’ll ever get that miraculous chance is by joining the registry so the transplant centers can find you.”

While some of the 330 wedding guests were already on the registry, many others opted to take the opportunity to swab their cheeks and join as well. The couple asked friends, family, and business acquaintances to either join the registry and/or donate money to Gift of Life to

sponsor the $60 cost of lab testing each swab kit. To date they have received nearly $32,000 which will process 530 kits for the non-profit, which receives no government funding.

The bride and groom’s decision even attracted the media, with a Washington,

patients must rely on public registries to find a donor, but just two percent of the population is currently part of the registry. The more donors who register, the more lives can be saved.

Photograph courtesy of Washington Hebrew Congregation.

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26 | Jewish News | Mazel Tov | October 23, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

D.C. TV news crew arriving to cover their wedding at Washington Hebrew Congregation.

Gift of Life was founded when the organization’s CEO and Founder Jay Feinberg needed a donor in the early 1990s to cure leukemia and there was no match for him in the registry. Begal actually flew to Russia to locate the Feinberg family’s ancestral home and test 500 potential donors in the area.

“Bill is very passionate about saving lives, even to the point of going halfway around the world to help me,” says Feinberg. “His wedding day is no exception: he wears his passion for Gift of Life on his sleeve.”

Marrow registries are needed because family members are only a match about 30 percent of the time. Seventy percent of

Will any of the couple’s wedding guests be called upon to save a life?

Through the Begal- Epstein Donor Circle (www.giftoflife.org/begalstein), every donor who is sponsored by the funds collected and every donor who swabbed at the wedding are tracked in real time.

“We’ll get an email if any of our wedding guests or sponsored donors are called to give bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells and save someone with blood cancer,” says Begal.

“For 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, and way after I’m gone, amazing things are going to be done.”

Gift of Life Marrow Registry can be part of any family event. To learn more, call 561982-2900 or visit www.giftoflife.org.

Mazel Tov Kiev’s new JCC celebrates marriage of elderly couple who met there KIEV, Ukraine (JTA)—Less than a year after it opened, this city’s American-style Jewish community center celebrated the first wedding by a couple who met here: a 68-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man who fell in love during dancing class.

Maya Serebryanaya and Valeriy Utvenko registered at City Hall as husband and wife after meeting several months ago at Halom, the community center that opened last year in downtown Kiev with funding from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, or JDC. “When we saw each other in Halom, we understood we’ll be together and we

were waiting for Wednesday and Friday because every week both of us went to Halom for those programs,” Utvenko says.

Both he and Serebryanaya had been married, but their spouses died.

Serebryanaya moved in with Utvenko after he fixed up his Kiev apartment where he had lived alone, according to Anna Bodnar, the director of Halom.

“Their relationship came as a surprise to me, actually,” Bodner says. “I thought they were just friends.”

Although the couple are the first to wed after meeting at Halom, interaction at its spacious offices helped formed at least

one more couple—two septuagenarians who met under similar circumstances.

Kiev, where at least 100,000 Jews live, has several Jewish community centers, but nearly all of them are built around synagogues or Jewish community offices.

Re-creating the success of Odessa’s Beit Grand American-style JCC, which opened in 2008, Halom is the first purely

cultural center for Jews of all ages in Kiev.

“In Halom we love to dance, watch concerts, take part in city tours of Jewish places and of course communicate with our friends here,” says Serebryanaya, adding that she “would not have even dreamed” of getting married before she began frequenting Halom.

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jewishnewsva.org | October 23, 2017 | Mazel Tov | Jewish News | 27

Mazel Tov Marc Zuckerberg posts photo giving century-old kiddush cup to daughter (JTA)—Amid criticism over Facebook allowing advertisers to target users based on anti-Semitic information, Mark Zuckerberg posted a photo on his social network of himself giving his baby daughter a kiddush cup that he said was a century-old family heirloom.

The Jewish Facebook co-founder and CEO posted a photo on his social network last month of himself holding Max while she drank from the cup, which he said belonged to her great-great-grandfather, also named Max. Nearby is a marble kitchen counter topped with two lit Shabbat candles and challah under a white cover.

“For shabbat tonight, we gave Max a kiddush cup that has been in our family for almost 100 years. Her great-great-grandfather Max got it after our family immigrated here and it has been passed down through our family ever since,” Zuckerberg wrote in the post.

ProPublica, an investigative site, reported last month that Facebook’s advertisement algorithms generated categories including “Jew hater,” “How to burn jews,” and

“History of ‘why jews ruin the world.’” The categories let advertisers target search users by what phrases they type into the query field.

Facebook removed the categories after being alerted to their existence and said it would seek to prevent such categories from popping up for potential advertisers.

Last fall, ProPublica reported that advertisers could use Facebook’s targeting to exclude certain races, or what the social network called “ethnic affinities,” from housing and employment ads, a potential violation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Facebook, which assigns the updated term “multicultural affinity” to certain users based on their interests and activities on the site, no longer allows it to be used in ads for housing, employment or

Marc Zuckerberg

credit.

Also, it was reported that both Google and Twitter similarly allowed the sale of ads tied to racist and bigoted keywords. Both companies apologized and said they had taken steps to fix the problem.

Max, whose full name is Maxima, is two years old. Her sister, August, was born in August.

In a Facebook post in December, Zuckerberg said he was once an atheist but now believes that “religion is very important.” The post came after he wished his followers a “Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah” on Dec. 25, 2016. Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan, practices Buddhism.

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28 | Jewish News | Mazel Tov | October 23, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

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