Jewish Standard: December 20, 2013

JSTANDARD.
COM
2013 83
DECEMBER 20, 2013
VOL. LXXXIII NO. 15 $1.00
LOCAL JEWISH HISTORY AT RIDGEWOOD MUSEUM page 6
MEMORIES OF MEETING MANDELA page 12
JEWISH AND DOMINICAN TEENS TOGETHER page 44
TIS THE SEASON FOR DECEMBER DIVERSIONS page 46-48
J e w i s h S t a n d a r d
1 0 8 6 T e a n e c k R o a d
T e a n e c k , N J 0 7 6 6 6
C H A N G E S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D
Happy
together
page 20
Three long-married
local couples
tell their stories
IN THIS ISSUE
OurChildren
About
Useful Information for
the Next Generation
of Jewish Families
Getting Your Children to Listen
Nutritious and Delicious Bean Dishes
Supplement to The Jewish Standard and Rockland Jewish Standard January 2014
After-School Delight
2 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 20, 2013
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Page 3
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 20, 2013 3
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NOSHES ...................................................5
OPINION ................................................ 16
COVER STORY .................................... 20
HEALTHY LIVING &
ADULT LIFESTYLES .......................... 35
TORAH COMMENTARY ................... 42
CROSSWORD PUZZLE .................... 43
ARTS AND CULTURE........................44
CALENDAR .......................................... 45
OBITUARIES ........................................ 49
GALLERY .............................................. 49
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CONTENTS
LETTERS
Each child, having diligently practiced, reads a
passuk directly from a Torah scroll.
RUTH ROTH, DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS/PR, BEN PORAT YOSEF, PARAMUS
F.Y.I.
The Speaker in the
supermarket
Former Speaker
of the House Newt
Gingrich came to Te-
aneck Tuesday. With his
wife, Callista, he signed
books at the Cedar Mar-
ket kosher grocery.
Both Gingriches
recently published new
books: His, Breakout:
Pioneers of the Future,
Prison Guards of the
Past, and the Epic
Battle That Will Decide
Americas Fate; hers,
Yankee Doodle Dandy,
the third installment
in her children series
about the time-travelling
adventures of Ellis the
Elephant.
The Teaneck signing
was one of two New
York-area book events
for which he had flown
up from Virginia.
A small group from the Teaneck
Jewish community and beyond braved
the freezing rain to meet and chat
with the 2012 Republican presidential
contender.
One woman, a Gingrich fan, said
she came after having heard the event
promoted on the Sean Hannity radio
show.
The former Georgia congressman
took a couple of minutes to talk current
events with the Jewish Standard.
Regarding Iran: The Iranian
dictatorship is the mortal enemy of the
United States and Israel. The only long-
term solution frankly is to replace the
government.
Regarding the Middle East in general:
Its been 12 years since 9/11. We have
not won. We didnt win in Iraq. Were
not going to win in Afghanistan. Syria is
a disaster. Egypt is a disaster. Libya is a
disaster. This is a very serious problem
and we have no national debate about
how profoundly wrong our policy is.
I think people like Kerry have no idea
how big the problem is.
And what about the future, the topic
of his new book?
We have to be prepared to do
everything we can to relaunch our
economy and regain our momentum,
because we cant assume the Middle
East is going to be a peaceful, pleasant
region. We have to assume were
faced with 30 to maybe a 100 years of
difficulties and think through whats the
strategy if thats the reality. Thats just a
fact, he said. LARRY YUDELSON
Candlelighting: Friday, December 13, 4:12 p.m.
Shabbat ends: Saturday, December 14, 5:17 p.m.
The Jewish Standard, the Internet,
and a harmonica convergence
You read it where?
Last week, the
Jewish Standards
cover story was
about Harry Feinberg,
whose extraordinary
life took him from
the vaudeville stage,
where he was a
Harmonica Rascal,
to a tank, where
he fought in every
single one of General
Pattons campaigns.
That issue came out
on Friday.
That day that very day! I got an
email from Marilyn Glenn, who lives
in on a farm in DeWitt County, Illinois,
with her husband, Frank.
Today I came across your
interesting story on Harry Feinberg,
she wrote. I was doing some
searching for our dear friend, Harold
Hal Lichtenstein/Leighton, whom Mr.
Feinberg also knew
and who is mentioned
in this story as
instrumental in the
career of Mr. Feinberg.
We were friends
with Mr. Lichtenstein
or Leighton as we
knew him for over
30 years, having
purchased his home
in central Illinois she
continued. Hal was a
fun loving, intelligent
and wonderful person
to be around and call our friend.
I was very glad to be able to put the
Glenns in touch with the Feinbergs.
So the magic of Google, and the
magic of the Internet, was able to
connect and continue stories begun
70 years ago.
Whatever else the world may be, it
truly is amazing.
JOANNE PALMER
COVER PHOTO BY JERRY SZUBIN
Let your iPad say iPrayed
Looking for a perfect
gift?
Want it to reflect
your spirituality,
connection to prayer,
and essential hipness?
What about the new,
customizable Mishkan
Tfilah iPad case?
About a year ago,
the Reform movement
released an app
for its prayerbook,
Mishkan Tfilah. Now,
according to a press
release from the
movements Central Conference
of American Rabbis, Just as we
wrap ourselves in a tallit or wear
a kippah to prepare ourselves for
the sacred work of prayer, so too
can we help transition
our iPad from its busy
secular life to one
which serves a holy
purpose.
From the sublime,
the press release
transitions to the
mundane.
This is a water-
resistant cover it
continues, adding,
The vinyl wrap is the
same type of vinyl
used on race cars
The inside panel can
be customized.
If you want to give a gift that is
surprising you need look no
further.
JOANNE PALMER
And the chosen are
Three lucky readers took the prizes in the Jewish Standard Chanukah Giveaway.
Ira Shain of River Vale walked away with the wine tote, the Spode Menorah
went to Goldie Storman of Harrington Park, and the X-ray cutting board went to
someone from Bergenfield who only gave his or her name as Sendelberg.
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Celebrating history warts and all
Ridgewood museum explores communitys transition from restrictive to inclusive
LOIS GOLDRICH
H
ow do you celebrate a state
anniversary?
At Ridgewoods School-
house Museum, the answer
lies in a special exhibit, A Communitys
Journey, showcasing the areas evolution
over the last 300 years.
According to Roberta Sonenfeld co-
curator of the exhibit with Sheila Brogan
and Vicky Herbert the New Jersey His-
torical Commission suggested to state
museums that they mark New Jerseys
350th anniversary with displays focusing
on one of three themes: liberty, innova-
tion, or diversity.
We started to brainstorm and decided
to tackle all three themes, said Ms.
Sonenfeld, who has been a member of
the museums board for two years.
We tell the story of a community in
transition, Ms. Sonenfeld said, adding
that the community was not always wel-
coming to diversity.
To illustrate that theme, the curators
decided to highlight four groups: Jews,
African Americans, Koreans,
and the Irish community.
Charged with coordinat-
ing the Jewish piece of the
diversity section, Ms. Sonen-
feld reached out to three area
rabbis: David Fine of Temple
Israel and Jewish Community
Center in Ridgewood, Elyse
Frishman of Barnert Temple
in Franklin Lakes, and Neil
Tow of the Glen Rock Jewish
Center.
The exhibit has not shied
away from difficult issues,
including, for example, a
restrictive deed, dated 1919,
specifying that a particular
plot of land could never be
sold to Mongols, Negroes, or
Semites. The deed, Ms. Sonen-
feld said, was for a transaction between
a woman in Ridgewood and a developer
who bought land on the west side of the
town.
The museum also has a copy of the
Ridgewood realty code, in effect through
the 1940s, affirming that realtors would
only sell to people who are like the peo-
ple already there, meaning, in general,
white Christians.
A Ku Klux Klan outfit, dating from the
1920s, when the Klan was active in the
area, also is on display.
The Klan met in Ridgewood, Ms.
Sonenfeld said. They were particularly
vocal against Eastern European Jewish
immigrants coming here in large num-
bers, considering them a threat to Amer-
ican culture.
Still, she said, the community clearly
has evolved over the years.
The exhibit is not just a negative
thing from the point of view of history,
but even more, its a celebration of our
current diversity, she said. We have a
bit to go, but weve become much more
progressive across the board.
She noted that a member of Barnert
Temple, who lived in Ridgewood as a boy
and owns property in the towns business
district, loaned the museum a copy of the
original letter rescinding the Ridgewood
realty code in 1945.
He told us a story about it, she said.
A family came from Manhattan and
bought a house in 1945. The husband
was Jewish. When the realtor found out,
he rescinded the sale. The family went to
[the congregants] dad. He found attor-
neys from Manhattan who said the real-
tors had to sell the couple the house.
They took it to the state, which found in
favor of the couple and said the code had
to be rescinded or they would revoke the
license of every realtor in Ridgewood.
Ms. Sonenfeld said that
the exhibit, which she called
a journey in so many ways,
was a big undertaking.
Tradi t i onal l y, we ve
used our own collection,
which includes a lot of mate-
rial from the Dutch and
the Lenape Indians, she
said. For this exhibit, how-
ever, she got in touch with
the local rabbis, and we
had meetings just to think
through what we would do, what we
would show, and how we would display
it. They turned me on to people in their
congregations, who gave suggestions
and provided items for the exhibit.
Among those people interviewed for
the exhibit were Cipora O. Schwartz,
author of An American Jewish Odyssey:
American Religious Freedoms and the
Nathan Barnert Memorial Temple, and
Evelyn Auerbach, longtime Glen Rock
resident and member of Ridgewoods
Temple Israel.
Ms. Auerbach, who has lived in the area
for some 59 years, said she realized many
These artifacts show Jewish life in Ridgewood; the oil-burning chanukiyah
is from the 1890s. COURTESY RIDGEWOOD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Left, a display shows modern Jewish life in Ridgewood. Right, a real estate ad for restricted property.
Local
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years ago that non-Jewish residents
knew little about the Jewish commu-
nity. When she attended an interfaith
meeting on brotherhood at the request
of her rabbi in the 1950s, I said that the
idea of brotherhood was very important
to the Jewish people, she recalled. A
woman at the meeting looked at me like
I was from outer space.
Ms. Auerbach said that while Jews
long have set up businesses in Ridge-
wood, they were not allowed to live
on the right side of town.
It was a gentlemans agreement that
you would not rent or sell to Jews. Jew-
ish people who bought businesses lived
upstairs over their stores on the main
drag or lived behind their businesses.
They couldnt buy houses in certain
areas.
While things have certainly changed,
she said, old prejudices die hard,
especially with some of the towns
older families.
Still, she said, I think you can call it
inclusive now. There are a lot of Asians,
lots of Jews, and blacks living in the
nice sections. She pointed out, how-
ever, that while her synagogue, Temple
Israel, is based in Ridgewood, its mem-
bers come from nine towns.
Ms. Sonenfeld said that after consul-
tation with the three synagogue com-
munities, the curators decided to focus
on artifacts used in homes, especially
for the holidays.
We got a lot of stuff from various
parts of the community, she said,
noting such items as a shofar, Hagga-
dah, oil menorah, yad, Havdalah set,
Purim grogger, tzedakah box, and a
beautiful piece from Belarus. We have
two vitrines glass cases divided
between older silver items and more
modern pieces.
The Schoolhouse Museum is run by
a private organization, the Ridgewood
Historical Society; its building, erected
in 1872, was a one-room schoolhouse
until 1905, and opened as a museum
in 1955. It is funded by donations, Ms.
Sonenfeld said.
When we have a special exhibit, we
get sponsors. This pulled in more spon-
sors than any other exhibit. With our
outreach to the community, it became
a kind of community exhibit.
She also is excited about other parts
of the exhibit, especially the innovation
section, which centers on the arts.
Its really cool, she said. We bor-
rowed stuff from the Ridgewood Gilbert
and Sullivan Society, including a wed-
ding outfit from the Mikado. Also
on display are items owned by noted
Ridgewood magician Harry Rouclere,
who died in 1942.
The reaction from the community
has been great, she said, adding that
while the museum is open Thursdays
and Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and
Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m., she would
be happy to offer group tours at other
times as well.
For more information, email tours@
ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org or call
(201) 447-3242.
In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was active in Ridgewood.
I think you
can call it
inclusive now.
There are a
lot of Asians,
lots of Jews,
and blacks
living in the
nice sections.
EVELYN AUERBACH
Local
JS-8*
Stronger Than the Storm
Cresskill man heads successful effort to save shore economy
JOANNE PALMER
Just about 14 months ago, Hurricane Sandy
demolished large swaths of the East Coast.
One of its most furiously besieged targets
was the Jersey Shore.
As symbolic and over-the-top and almost
mythic as the Jersey Shore is to the rest of
the country and even to the northern
part of its own state it also is a real place,
home to real people, and the engine driv-
ing what had been a flourishing state and
local economy. The storm shattered real
glass, real boardwalks, and real dreams.
Over the last year, there has been a huge
push to restore confidence in the shore
so that visitors will feel comfortable com-
ing back to it. That effort, called Stron-
ger Than the Storm, was spearheaded by
Michael Kempner of Cresskill, the founder,
chairman, and president of the public rela-
tions firm MMW.
The results have come in. Theyre good;
the name of the program is accurate. Pub-
lic perception has shifted so that tourists,
their energy, and their money came back.
The Jersey Shore, in fact, is stronger than
the storm.
So how did Michael Kempner gain the
expertise to lead such a program?
He earned it.
And the emotional connection to that
particular work, the deep connection to
New Jersey that underlies it?
He earned that too.
Mr. Kempner, who is 55, grew up in
Morton Grove, Ill., spent his freshman
year of high school there, and then moved
to River Vale before his sophomore year.
His father, a toy company executive (how
many of us, when we were children, would
have loved to be able to say that about our
fathers?), had been transferred.
His family was political, liberal, and
vocal dinner table discussions were
heated debates on current affairs I sort
of knew from the time I was 5 or 6 years
old and really by the time I was 14 that
I wanted to be in politics, he said. He
went to American University in Washing-
ton, D.C., to get into politics. His major,
of course, was political science. He spent
about a decade working for politicians,
and then I decided it was time to make
some money and not work all day, he
said. I wanted a wife, and I wanted a life.
I had a tremendous amount of strategic
experience from politics, so I was able to
turn it into public affairs.
Thats how Mr. Kempner began his
career in public relations.
Most of his work was for politicians.
His first job in politics in Washington
was working for then Governor Brendan
Byrnes Washington office, so when he
began in public relations, all of a sudden
my career became very Jersey-centric, he
said. I came back to New Jersey to help
Robert Torricelli run his first campaign for
Congress, as his finance director.
Torricelli was running against a popu-
lar Republican incumbent who had a good
voting record on Israel, Mr. Kempner
continued. It was in the 9th congressio-
nal district, and the Jewish vote was very
important. We worked really hard to let
them understand that Torricelli would
be more than a vote for Israel. Hed be an
activist for Israel.
The first significant Jewish leaders to
support him were Morton and Marian
Steinberg, the founders of UJA in Bergen
County. Their support brought a signifi-
cant portion of the Jewish community to
support him too.
They also sent their daughter to volun-
teer in his office, Mr. Kempner continued.
That daughter, Jacqueline, and Michael
Kempner met through the campaign. They
have been married for 26 years.
Mr. Kempner founded MMW in Jersey
City 27 years ago, and two years later he
moved it north, first to Fort Lee, then
River Edge, and now to Rutherford. The
company is one of the largest public rela-
tions firms in the country and among the
30 largest in the world, with an impressive
client list and a wall full of awards.
The way I run my business the thing
I tell my children is that the single most
important thing you can do is have a deep
empathy with others, he said. Its a really
important corporate philosophy.
If its the right thing to do, do it. If its
not, dont.
That philosophy keeps MWW from
accepting any job that is against my
personal ethics, he said. I have to look
myself in the mirror.
I am offered huge amounts of money,
but we dont take any gun or gun-related
business, or anything tobacco or tobacco-
related. We would not take anything that
preaches intolerance or hate, and we dont
take things that we are offered often from
questionable foreign governments.
Mr. Kempner is a member of Temple
Emanu-El of Closter, and although he is
not particularly observant, he feels deeply
Jewish, he said. I dont think that you
can be a Jew without having a worldview.
Religion has a lot to do with my progres-
sive politics. You cant be a Jew of my gen-
eration without having your worldview
colored by having been born 10 years after
World War II and growing up during the
time of Vietnam and Watergate.
All of this his political, New Jersey, and
Jewish worldviews combined to make his
work on the Jersey Shore recovery a natu-
ral step. In fact, if there is to be a legacy of
mine in business and public relations, this
campaign will be it.
The impact of the storm was felt on the
New Jersey shoreline, and the perception
of would-be vacationers ahead of the all-
important summer travel season showed
a widely held belief that the New Jersey
shore was closed, he said. The New Jer-
sey Economic Development Authority
applied for a federal grant and hired MWW
to create an aggressive communications
campaign. Our goal was to flood commu-
nications channels with images and stories
of the Jersey Shores recovery.
Our goal was to change the image from
the roller coaster in the ocean to the open
boardwalk and thriving communities. So
we created the iconic Stronger Than the
Storm, which has become part of the ver-
nacular. And we created a highly success-
ful campaign around the phrase that cap-
tured a feeling.
It is a metaphor for the people of New
Jersey.
At the end of the summer, there was
some controversy over the campaign, Mr.
Kempner acknowledged, but it is unfair,
he claims. Opponents of Governor Chris
Christie alleged that the campaign gave
the governor free publicity as he rolled
toward what was widely forecast and
turned out to be a huge win in his sec-
ond gubernatorial race. They also claim
that MWW charged twice as much as other
competitors for the Jersey Shore recovery
campaign and won the job for political
reasons.
The idea that a Republican governor
would give a contract to me for political
reasons is just absurd, Mr. Kempner, an
outspoken liberal Democrat, said. Its
absurd on its face.
I never met these people before I won
this business. Its outrageously wrong.
Also, he added, his was the lowest, not the
highest, bid.
His connection to the Jersey Shore is not
political but emotional, he said. In high
school, I spent a lot of time at the shore,
and then I did again this summer.
I have eaten many of those incredibly
good sausage and pepper sandwiches on
the boardwalk. Unfortunately, at my age I
cant do that anymore, but there is no kind
of food I long for more than those sausage
and pepper sandwiches.
Michael Kempner works closely with the Democratic party. Here, his family
meets with President Obama. From left, his son, Zachary; a daughter, Melissa;
the president; Michael Kempners wife, Jacqueline; Mr. Kempner, and another
daughter, Olivia. BEATRICE MORITZ
Michael Kempner and Hillary Clinton
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Learning and caring
Gap year program gives local girls a real way to give back
JOANNE PALMER
Ifa12-year-oldcomesfromadysfunctional
family,shemightneverhavegottenthelove
thatmostofusthinkofasourbirthright.
If she is Israeli, she or her brother
mightfindherselfinagrouphome,aplace
thatoffersmoresecurity,solidity,andsanity
thanherhomeeverdid.Butshemightstill
yearnforthelovethatcomesfromparents
andsiblings.
AndifayoungAmericanJewishwoman,
abouttograduatefromhighschool,islook-
ingtospendthenextyearinIsraelbutisas
interestedinexperientialastext-basededu-
cation,shemightbeinterestedinworking
withthat12-year-oldorherbrother.
Rabbi Yosef Goldin, who now lives in
NetanyabutgrewupinEnglewoodwhere
hisfather,RabbiShmuelGoldin,leadsCon-
gregation Ahavat Torah working with
Ari Korman, also originally from Engle-
wood,createdandopenedtheMidreshet
Torat Chessed to give young women that
opportunity.
TheseminaryprogramispartofEmunah
ofAmericasBetElazrakiChildrensHome,
where about 200 children from families
wheretheyhadbeenignoredormistreated
spendtheirchildhoods.Theyrangeinage
fromfirstgradethroughhighschool,and
their backgrounds cover the spectrum of
Jewishobservance.Becausethehomeput
theminschoolsthatmatchboththeirback-
groundsandtheirinterests,the200children
goto27schools.
ThechildrenatBetElazrakiareencour-
aged to maintain relationships with their
parentsifpossible,andtheyaresurrounded
byabrigadeofpsychologists,socialworkers,
artandmusictherapists,andothercaring
adults.Theyalsoarelookedafterbyyoung
Israeliwomenwhoaresherutleumi,per-
formingtheirnationalservice,inplaceofser-
viceintheIsraelDefenseForces.Still,they
misstheextrawarmththatcomesfromfam-
ily,unmediatedbyprofessionalconcerns.
Duringthesummer,someofthoseneeds
are met by high-school girls from abroad
whostayforafewweeksatatime.Manyof
thosegirlscomefromnorthernNewJersey,
andreturnhomeinspired.
Now,insteadoftearingthemselvesaway
afterthosefewweeks,theycanstayforan
academicyear.TorahChessedisbasedon
thehome;thegirlsliveahouseortwoaway,
and theyre part of everything that goes
oninthehome,RabbiGoldinsaid.They
studyTorahtheclassicseminaryexperi-
encehaveShabbatonim,goontrips,but
theaddedbonustheygetisbeingpartofthe
childrenshome,andabletogivetothemon
adailybasis.
Whatmotivatesourstudentsisadesireto
beagiver,hecontinued.Tobeabletobal-
ancepersonalgrowthandself-development,
growingasapersonandasaJew,andinte-
grateitwithgivingtoanotherperson.
Whentheyareatthehome,theseminary
girlstakecareofthechildrenwholivethere
asiftheywerefamilymembers.Theyarenot
quiteparentstheyarenotoldenoughand
notquitebigsisterstheyaretooempow-
ered,andtoofreeoftheemotionalentangle-
mentsandjealousiesthatcomefromgrow-
inguptogetherbuttheyprovideadaily,
loving,workadaypresencethatoffersbed-
rocksolidityinoftenrockylives.
RabbiGoldin,whomadealiyahwithhis
wife,ShifaCooperGoldin,anurse,6years
ago,hasknownforsometimethathewanted
tobeaneducator,buthehadnofirmvision
ofwhomhewouldteach.Ididntknowif
itwouldbeAmericansorIsraelis,adultsor
children, boys or girls, he said. I never
thoughtIwouldbeanadministrator.And
IneverthoughtthatIwouldstartmyown
school,insteadofstartingatthebottomand
workingmywayup.
Itisveryexcitingtocreatesomethingthat
willmakeadifference.
RabbiGoldinfinishedhisowneducation
inIsraelheearnedhissmichathere,and
then spent another three years studying
inakollel.Twoyearsago,whenhisfather,
ShmuelGoldin,wassittingshivainIsraelfor
hismother,YosefGoldinmetBetElazrakis
director,YehudaCohen.Mr.Cohenstarted
totalkabouthisvisionofcreatingawayto
getgirlstospendayearstudyingandwork-
ingwiththekids,RabbiGoldinsaid.And
thatwasit.
Iwasinspired,hesaid.Ithoughtitwas
awonderfulidea,andItookitfromthere.
Theseminaryhasmanyrootsinnorthern
NewJersey.Someoftherootsconnectthe
peoplewhocreatedandrunitwiththisarea;
notonlydotheGoldinscomefromhere,but
sodoestheprogramsdirector,ShiraRubin
Melamed,whogrewupinTeaneck.Manyof
thestudentswhospendtheirsummeratBet
Elazrakiarelocal,andsoaretwoofthestu-
dentsintheseminarysinauguralclass.
EliannaStraussofTeaneck,17,isoneof
them. I was interested in this program
becauseIdidntwanttositandlearnfor12
hoursaday,shesaid.Iwantedtogetsome-
thingmoreoutofmyyear.
I also wanted to really integrate into
Israelsociety.Anditsworking.Iamgetting
anexperienceherethatnootherseminary
offers.
Amongotherthings,ithastaughtme
firsthandhowluckyIamtocomefromthe
familythatIcomefrom,andhownotto
takethingsforgranted.Imnotherefor
selfishreasonsIcametogivebacktomy
homelandbutIamgettingsomuchmore
fromitthanIeverimagined.
Shehaslearnedagreatdealaboutfam-
ily. Before Rosh Hashanah, one of my
girlscamehomefromschoolwithaninvi-
tation to a parents event, she said. I
wentwithher.
Attheendoftheevent,therabbiincharge
askedalltheparentstostandup,puttheir
handsontheirchildrenshead,andgivethem
abracha.Somygirllookedatme,andwith-
outeventhinkingIputmyhandonherhead.
Therelationshipwehaveispowerful.
Ithasalsotaughtheragooddealabout
trust.Foralotofthesechildren,trustisa
hugeissue,shesaid.Theyhavebeenaban-
donedbefore,sowhyshouldtheyletyouin?
Oftentheydo,andsoIamgettingsomuch
outofthisthatIcouldntgetoutofanyother
seminary.
Elianna plans to go to college once she
leavesBetElazraki,althoughIdontknow
howIamgoingtoleave,shesaid.Herattach-
menttothechildrenwithwhomsheworksis
thatstrong.ButIwillcontinuetobeintheir
lives,Godwilling,sheconcluded.
DaliaKohlhagen,18,alsofromEnglewood,
workedatBetElazrakiduringthesummer
of2012,whenshewasastudentatRamaz.
Shefellsodeeplyinlovewiththechildren,
therelationships,andtheworkthatonceshe
heardthatMidrashaTorahChessedwasin
formation,Iwaslike,Youopenthemidra-
sha, I am there! They did, and she was.
Now,sheworkswiththesamechildrenshe
firstmetandlovedthatsummer.
Sherecalledaformativesummerexperi-
ence.Ihad1213-year-olds,shesaid.Alot
ofthemaredifficult.Theykindofkeepto
themselves.Theykindofdontwanttohave
anythingtodowiththeAmericanswhocome
over.Theprogramwasfourweekslong,and
gettingintothethirdweek,Iwasthinking
thattheyarenotreallyinterested.Theydont
reallywanttoformarelationship,atleastnot
withme.
Andthen,onthethirdShabbos,onFri-
daynight,Iwenttoputthemtobed.They
gointotheirbeds,andoneofthegirls,who
hadntspokentomeforthewholesummer,
whowasknowntobedifficultandnevergot
closetoanyone,askedmetositonherbed.
She told me she was nervous for high
school.Shewasgoingtoanewschool,and
shedidntknowifshecouldmakefriends.
Shewasveryscared.Sheaskedmeforadvice.
Itriedtoholdontomytears.
ItwasthemostamazingmomentIhad
everhad.Thisgirl,whowouldneveropen
uptome,askedmeformyopinion.
Still, Dalia is realistic. Since I came
back,shestilldoesntwanttotalktome,
shesaid.ButIrememberthatoneFriday
night,whensheopeneduptome.
DaliaandEliannaarethekindofstudent
RabbiGoldinwants.Wearethetypeof
program that attracts a unique girl, he
said.Agirlwhoappreciatesthepowerof
giving;whodoesntwanttospendayear
justonherself,butalsowantstogiveof
herself.
A girl who wants to take who she is,
andwhosheisbecoming,andgivethatto
anotherperson.
To learn more
Ms. Melamed, the programs assistant
director, will be in the area this
week; she plans to spend Shabbat in
Teaneck and interview prospective
students on Monday, December 23.
Rabbi Goldin is planning a trip that
will bring him to Bergen County in
January. For more information or
to schedule an interview, email Ms.
Melamed at shiramelamed@gmail.
com, Rabbi Goldin at yossigoldin@
gmail.com, or the office at
midreshettoratchessed@gmail.com.
The programs website is
toratchessed.com.
Elianna Strauss of Teaneck with some of the girls at Bet Elazraki.
MIDRESHET TORAT CHESSED
JS-11
Local
JS-12*
FIRST PERSON
Walking with Mandela
Former cub reporter remembers her meeting with the South African giant
HEIDI MAE BRATT
I
walked with Nelson Mandela.
The late, great South African
leader made an historic visit to
Detroit in June 1990, just a few
weeks after I started a summer reporting
internship at the Detroit News. Mande-
las visit to Detroit, a mere three months
after his release from 27 years of impris-
onment, was part of an eight-city fund-
raising tour for the African National Con-
gress, the South African political party
with which Mandela was affiliated.
For the 18 hours that Mandela was
in Detroit, from June 28 to June 29, he
charmed Motor City which he referred
to as Motortown galvanized the com-
munity, and, in this city of racial strife,
brought black and white together, at least
for this happening.
The newspapers, the television sta-
tions, and other media outlets brought
out their big guns for this big story,
assembling teams of coverage for every
stop of Mandelas less-than-day-long
swing through Detroit.
From Mandelas arrival at Detroit Met-
ropolitan Airport, where he was greeted
by the mayor, the governor, union leaders,
and the civil rights heroine Rosa Parks, to
his stop at the Ford Motor Dearborn assem-
bly plant, where he inspired auto workers,
to the rousing nighttime rally attended by
50,000 people at Tiger Stadium, for which
they paid from $10 to $10,000, the city was
crackling with Mandela mania.
Later than night, after the rally, Mandela
and his wife, Winnie, returned to their hotel,
the Westin Hotel in Detroits downtown
Renaissance Center. They reportedly were
staying in a $1,200 suite on the 69th floor.
My assignment? The newbie, the sum-
mer intern from New York, me, I was
assigned to head over to the Westin at 10
p.m. and stay there the whole night on a
death watch. This less-than-delicate term,
as used in the old-time newsrooms, simply
meant that you had to be on hand in case
anything major happened. I was just a body.
The Detroit News and our rival news-
paper, the Detroit Free Press, had a joint
operating agreement, a business arrange-
ment, which meant that the weekend
paper was shared: the Free Press took
over the news section on Saturday and
the News did the same on Sunday. So it
was okay for me to be there. Because if
anything happened, it was not the News
news to report.
Needless to say, I was very anxious
about the assignment. I went to the Wes-
tin, just a few blocks away from our news-
room on W. Lafayette Boulevard, and
parked myself in the lobby. Waiting.
The city editor told
me there was a room
at the Westin for me,
and I may have gone
upstairs just to see what
it looked like.
I sat downstairs, note-
book in hand, just mak-
ing sure that I didnt
miss anything. Hours
went by. More hours
went by. I was getting
sleepy, but I was ner-
vous even to go to the bathroom for fear
of missing Mandela, who we knew took a
morning constitutional, a brisk walk for
exercise every morning.
The staff in the hotel lobby was amused
by me.
Local teen wins third place in Siemens contest
ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN
Teanecks Joshua Meier is still completing his
college applications, so he does not know yet
where his $40,000 Siemens scholarship will
be deposited next fall.
The Bergen County Academies senior
earned this prize for taking third place for
individual projects in the 15th annual Sie-
mens Competition in Math, Science & Tech-
nology in Washington, D.C., on December 10.
His research on pluripotent stem cells was
one of six individual entries and six group
entries chosen from around the country
for the finals of the top-tier contest, which
is administered by the College Board and
hosted at George Washington University.
When I started to meet the other finalists
and saw how genius everyone was, I thought,
How am I even here? I felt so honored just to
be among them, Josh said.
Though he did stand out from the others
because of the discreet black kippah on his
head, the judges clearly considered Josh to
be no less genius than his peers.
He reports that the Siemens staff was
once again so accommodating of his Sab-
bath and kashrut observance, as they were
at the regionals held in November at MIT. He
and his parents, Ronny and Elizabeth, were
housed on a low floor of the iconic Mayflower
Hotel because they do not use electricity on
Shabbat. Kosher meals were supplied to the
family.
Contestants arrived on Friday and for-
mally met one another at a Saturday morn-
ing breakfast at the National Geographic
Museum. Josh declined the microphone for
his greetings and gratefully accepted the
option to put off filming his introduction until
after sundown.
Josh said he saw this situation as an oppor-
tunity to explain Jewish practices.
The other kids asked me questions about
the kosher food, and it was a good experi-
ence for them to see the culture and for me
to explain it to them, he said. They were
curious that we were essentially eating the
same things but my meals were wrapped and
sealed with a label. I explained that [kosher
food] has to be watched and checked at all
stages. Everyone responded well to the idea
that just like in science, we cant just take
things on trust and have to make sure every-
thing is certified.
After breakfast, the other contestants
were bused to an activity several miles
away, and the Meier family attended
From left, lead judge Prof. Rachelle Heller of George Washington University;
Siemens Corporations president and CEO, Eric Spiegel; Siemens Foundations
president, Jennifer Harper-Taylor; Joshua Meier; the College Boards director of
national recognition and scholarship programs, Diane Tsukamaki; GWs provost,
Steven Lerman, and Siemens Foundations CEO, David Etzwiler.
THE SIEMENS FOUNDATION
Heidi Mae Bratt recalls
Mandela mania in Detroit.
All these
opportunities
have been so
amazing, and I
thank everyone
who has brought
me to this.
JOSHUA MEIER
Local
JS-13
1650 PALISADE AVENUE, TEANECK, NJ 07666 201.833.4307 MAAYANOT.ORG
Maayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls invites you to join us for our
Annual Day of Study
in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Wednesday, December 25, 2013 I 22 Tevet 5774
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel
E. Billi Ivry University Professor of Jewish History, Literature and Law, Yeshiva University
The Surprising Intellectualism of Medieval Ashkenazic
Jewry and its Religious and Societal Roots
With additional lectures by members of our distinguished faculty, including:
Mrs. Tamar Appel Existential Refections in the Poetry of Natan Zach
Rabbi Donny Besser Is Our Torat Chaim a Living Document?
Applying Constitutional Legal Theory to Jewish Law
Mrs. Enid Goldberg Was Shakespeare Anti-Semitic? (And, If So, Why Do We Read Him?)
Mrs. Leah Herzog Hanokh La-Naar Al Pi Darko: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Jewish Education
Mrs. Mel Kapustin Understanding Modern Anti-Semitism and its Ability to Turn Friend into Foe
Ms. Samantha Kur Messianic Mothers: A Literary Analysis of the Book of Ruth
Mrs. Ariella Rosenbaum Leptons, Taus and Bosons, Oh My! Particle Physics for Everyone
Mrs. Gila Stein Amazing Experiments Your Science Teacher Forgot to Show You...
And the Science Behind Them
TO SPONSOR
THIS PROGRAM
PLEASE CONTACT
Pam Ennis at
ennisp@maayanot.org
This event is generously sponsored by:
Bruce and Michelle Ritholtz in the merit of a refuah shelaima for Rachel Golda bat Sara Leah and for
Baruch Leib HaKohen ben Doba Chaya
The Brodsky Family in memory of Bernice Kramer (Zelda Baila Gittel Chaya bat Avrohom), AH,
grandmother of Molly Brodsky, Maayanot Class of 2013.
Lori and Elliot Linzer in honor of the recent milestone birthday of Jean Rafalowicz,
great grandmother of Mairav and Neti Linzer.
Shabbat services at a nearby Chabad House.
Its nice that Shabbat ended early, because by the time
they got back I could be involved in the nighttime social
activity, he said.
At the Sunday night poster presentation, two judges
asked Josh if he was the student who worked on his proj-
ect at Harvard. Indeed he was; he had refined his results
last summer in the lab of geneticist David Sinclair at Har-
vard Medical School.
Among the judges were experts in each contestants
area of study. The one chosen for Josh, Prof. Sharon
Gerecht of Johns Hopkins University, earned her doctor-
ate at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
In the regionals at MIT, most of the questions were
from one or two judges, Josh said. Here, there was a
fast-paced question-and-answer about how I got my data.
It was really intense, and the judges really did their
homework.
The tax-free $40,000 scholarship will go to whichever
school is lucky enough to top the Teaneck teens long
list of potential schools. He has an equally long list of past
accomplishments and prestigious prizes.
All these opportunities have been so amazing, and I
thank everyone who has brought me to this everyone
who shaped me into who I am today, even all the kids
at competitions who inspire and continue to propel me,
Josh said. Were all talking about going to college together
and starting companies together one day.
The $100,000 grand prize scholarship in the indi-
vidual category went to California high school senior
Eric Chen. Arman Bilge of Massachusetts won the
$50,000 second prize.
A video of Joshua Meiers presentation can be seen
at http://www.greentaildigital.com/siemens/2013/
meier2/f.htm.
Then shortly after dawn, at a little after 6 a.m.,
the elevator doors flung open, and a tall, impos-
ing man, wearing a Detroit Pistons cap and a bright
blue jacket, a gift given to him by basketball stars
Isiah Thomas and John Salley the night before,
emerged and started his brisk, nearly 50 minute
morning walk.
The phalanx of media aroused by his rapid move-
ment followed him en masse, with me very close to
the South African leader. He walked like someone
who spent a lot of time walking, striding at mili-
tary pace, with his hands curled a bit and swinging
slightly at his side.
He greeted passersby, waving and walking along
the edge of the Detroit River. He was also wearing
black sweatpants and loafers. It was hard for me to
keep pace as he strode west along the riverfront.
At one point, his security agent asked the report-
ers to identify the spot. It was Hart Plaza. The high-
light of the walk was when a parking lot attendant
who worked behind the Renaissance Center called
out to Mandela for an autograph. The man, Bobby
Carter, got it. To Bobby Carter, with compliments
and best wishes, Nelson Mandela, Mandela wrote.
Mandela then picked up the pace and continued
on his way back to the hotel.
The next day, on Saturday, the Detroit Free Press pub-
lished a front-page story about Mandela and a picture of
that walk. There I was, standing to his right.
On that walk, Mandela logged nearly two miles.
My story goes even longer.
Heidi Mae Bratt is the editor of the Jewish Media
Groups About Our Children.
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Local
JS-14
Gordon is Grinspoon winner
Sarah Gordon, a teacher and the director of
student affairs at the Maayanot Yeshiva High
School for Girls in Teaneck, was awarded this
years Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excel-
lence in Jewish Education. Since the award
first was granted in 2000, the Jewish Federa-
tion of Northern New Jersey has nominated
an excellent Jewish educator from a local
school for the award. Gordon, shown here
with the federations CEO, Jason Shames,
and its president, Dr. Zvi Marans, received
her award at Federations December board
of trustees meeting.
OU executive VP speaking
at Jerusalem conference
The Orthodox Unions executive vice president emeritus, Rabbi
Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, will be a featured speaker at a conference,
The Rediscovery of Tekhelet: A Century of Research, in Jerusa-
lem on December 30. The conference, which commemorates the
100th anniversary of Rav Isaac HaLevi Herzogs dissertation on
the biblical commandment about blue dye in tzitzit, will be at the Menachem Begin
Heritage Center.
Rabbi Weinrebs presentation will be Do not go astray after your eyes or heart:
Tekhelet and lifes temptations. The conference is free; space is limited. For informa-
tion, email conference@tekhelet.com.
Touro graduate school hosts author
Author and historian Monty Noam Penkower recently dis-
cussed his new book, The Swastikas Darkening Shadow,
at the Touro College Graduate School of Jewish Studies. The
book addresses the lives and responses of European Jews in
the years between Adolph Hitlers rise to power and the start
of World War II.
Professor Penkower is a professor emeritus of Jewish history
at the Machon Lander Graduate School of Jewish Studies in
Jerusalem and a former professor of history at Touro. His other
books include The Jews Were Expendable: Free World Diplo-
macy and the Holocaust, The Emergence of Zionist Thought,
The Holocaust and Israel Reborn: From Catastrophe to Sover-
eignty and Twentieth Century Jews: Forging Identity in the
Land of Promise and in the Promised Land.
COURTESY JFNNJ
LEEOR WIESELBERG
GBDS sings at Neiman Marcus
The Gerrard Berman Day School Choir
sang at Neiman Marcus at the Westfield
Garden State Plaza on December 12. The
repertoire included a Hebrew version of
Cups Song/When Im Gone by Anna
Kendricks performed by Ezra Shafron
and Logan Zur, Lean on Me by Bill
Withers, and Roar by Katy Perry.
MOROCCO
pop. 32.3M
ALGERIA
pop: 37.4M
TUNISIA
pop. 10.7M
LIBYA
pop. 5.6M
EGYPT
pop. 83.7M
ISRAEL
pop. 7.9M
WEST BANK
(Judea & Samaria)
pop. 2.1M
GAZA STRIP
pop. 1.7M
JORDAN
pop. 6.5M
SYRIA
pop. 22.5M
IRAQ
pop. 31.1M
KUWAIT
pop. 2.6M
SAUDI ARABIA
pop. 26.5M
YEMEN
pop. 24.8M
IRAN
pop. 78.9M
OMAN
pop. 3.1M
UNITED ARAB
EMIRATES
pop. 5.3M
QATAR
pop. 1.9M
BAHRAIN
pop. 1.2M
LEBANON
pop. 4.1M
who is David?
who is
Goliath?
jns.org/subscribe-to-our-newsletter
jns.org
Theres no lack of media coverage on
Israel, the Middle Easts sole democracy
with civil rights and a free press. What is
lacking is objective coverage. This tiny
Jewish nation, the size of New Jersey,
with less than eight million people, a
quarter of them non-Jewish, generally
receives inaccurate, harsh, even hostile
coverage from the worlds press.
The Jewish News Service (JNS.org)
was created to correct that. Our weekly
reporting, including exclusive distribution
rights for Israel Hayom, Israels most
popular daily, now appears in 31 Jewish
weeklies. We invite you to join us in
getting the truth out about Israel. Go to
jns.org/subscribe-to-our-newsletter today.
Monty Noam Penkower
COURTESY TOURO
JS-15
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Rebecca Kaplan Boroson
Unplugging
the arteries
Blessed are you, God, who created the human
body in wisdom, creating openings, arteries,
glands, and organs, marvelous in structure,
intricate in design. Should but one of them fail to
function by being blocked or opened, it would be
impossible to exist.
T
hats from a bracha that
observant Jews say in the
morning, part of the series
of brachot that rouses
them from bed and prepares them
to face the morning.
It is similar to the fervent wish
that many of them the commut-
ers among us say as they approach
the bridges and tunnels that connect
northern New Jersey to New York
Citys five boroughs. It is not at all
far-fetched to say that if Manhattan
is the pumping heart that powers
this region, northern New Jersey is
its lungs, or perhaps its brains, and
certainly that the roads, bridges,
and tunnels that funnel commuters
from here to there are its aorta and
vascular system.
The people, of course, are its
lifeblood.
Thats why the recent stories
about the likelihood that lanes were
shut down, congealing the city of
Fort Lee into an ossified lump, snarl-
ing traffic for hours, enraging driv-
ers, endangering everyone by keep-
ing emergency responders away
from emergencies, and wreaking
general havoc, was part of a politi-
cal vendetta.
We do not know if the orders to
shut down the bridge came from
Gov. Chris Christie, then already
assured of a sweeping re-election
victory but going after a nearly
unanimous one, complete with
endorsements from Democrats.
There is no reason to think that the
instructions to close the local lanes
on the pretext of an apparently non-
existent traffic study were his.
On the other hand, the recent
death of Peter OToole reminds us of
the instructions he gave his hench-
men as Henry II in Becket. Will
no one rid me of this meddlesome
priest, the blue-eyed king asked,
more-or-less-unwittingly sentenc-
ing the equally glamorous Richard-
Burton-as-Thomas-Becket to death.
We do not know who caused the
bridge to be closed, but we do know
that it was closed, and that it was
not the politicians but the people
who suffered from it.
We hope that from now on, those
politicians will keep the wisdom of
the bracha in mind, and be sure to
keep the metaphoric lifeblood flow-
ing through those passages. -JP
Israeli snow
culture
(extreme)
case in point
B
y now you have seen and heard about the
most severe snowstorm in Israels history.
For the record, here is how snow usu-
ally plays out in Jerusalem, the countrys
most populous area, in snowy weather: Three or
four days before snow is expected, every conversa-
tion in the nations capital includes mention of the
possibility of snow. At the tiniest crystallization of
moisture from the sky, thousands of Jerusalemites
shout snow, snow. Whereupon the entire city emp-
ties: schools and businesses shut down and every-
one makes a mad dash for safety whatever the
expected accumulation.
Once home, here is how Jerusalemites tradition-
ally deal with snow: They do nothing but try to
enjoy it for as long as it
lasts. Because typically it
doesnt last (it might not
even stick), and within a
day its gone. Snowstorm
2013 was thus unusual
both for its accumulation
it snowed three days in
a row and its longevity
unusually low tempera-
tures limited meltdown
until the middle of the fol-
lowing week. So I dont
think that the authorities
can be faulted for not planning for a storm of this
nature, though calls for investigations as to the
failures of the various ministries abounded. (My
neighbor remarked: Yes, the electric company said
they were prepared, just like Golda Meir said she was
prepared before the Yom Kippur War.)
What bedeviled the electric company in part was
the fact that November had been unusually warm.
Trees that would have been leafless come Decem-
ber were carrying extra weight, and many collapsed
under the snow sometimes on power lines. Power
went out in Givat Zeev, where I live, beginning at
Teddy Weinberger is an Israeli-American writer who
made aliyah with his family in 1997.
JS-16*
Thank you, Marcia Garfinkle
The Rockies may crumble
Gibraltar may tumble
Theyre only made of clay
But our love is here to stay.
IRA GERSHWIN
Well, not quite. Not really. But sort of.
For almost 30 years, we at the
Jewish Standard have been graced
with the wonderful presence of
Marcia Garfinkle, our associate pub-
lisher. She came to the paper as a
young widow with four children to
support, and stayed through great-
grandmotherhood, through all the
changes that time and technology
have given us, helping the rest of us
keep our balance.
Marcia has now retired, although
our howls of loss have led to tell us
that she will continue to be around,
albeit unofficially. She tells us,
entirely correctly, that she has many
things she wants to do, and wants
to make sure that she has time and
energy to do them. We acknowledge
that truth, but still we dont want
her to go.
Marcia is an extraordinary per-
son. She is warm and wise, sensi-
tive and intuitive, loving and tough,
and very very smart. She is a link
to the generation before her, the
immigrants who came to this coun-
try well before World War II, settled
in the Lower East Side or Newark
or Paterson, and later moved to
Brooklyn or Bronx or Bergen. She
remembers Yiddish spoken as a vital
language. She remembers radio.
She is not sentimental, though;
she understands change viscer-
ally and she is open to it. She is not
scared by new things, and she helps
us overcome our fear.
Marcia also is sane, in a way
that few people are. She sees the
world clearly and reacts to it with
restraint, logic, and love.
She is a huge asset to this newspa-
per, to this community, and to this
world.
We are all better, as professionals
and as people, as Jews and as Ameri-
cans, because we have learned from
Marcia. -JP
Teddy
Weinberger
Israeli snow
culture
(extreme)
case in point
B
y now you have seen and heard about the
most severe snowstorm in Israels history.
For the record, here is how snow usu-
ally plays out in Jerusalem, the countrys
most populous area, in snowy weather: Three or
four days before snow is expected, every conversa-
tion in the nations capital includes mention of the
possibility of snow. At the tiniest crystallization of
moisture from the sky, thousands of Jerusalemites
shout snow, snow. Whereupon the entire city emp-
ties: schools and businesses shut down and every-
one makes a mad dash for safety whatever the
expected accumulation.
Once home, here is how Jerusalemites tradition-
ally deal with snow: They do nothing but try to
enjoy it for as long as it
lasts. Because typically it
doesnt last (it might not
even stick), and within a
day its gone. Snowstorm
2013 was thus unusual
both for its accumulation
it snowed three days in
a row and its longevity
unusually low tempera-
tures limited meltdown
until the middle of the fol-
lowing week. So I dont
think that the authorities
can be faulted for not planning for a storm of this
nature, though calls for investigations as to the
failures of the various ministries abounded. (My
neighbor remarked: Yes, the electric company said
they were prepared, just like Golda Meir said she was
prepared before the Yom Kippur War.)
What bedeviled the electric company in part was
the fact that November had been unusually warm.
Trees that would have been leafless come Decem-
ber were carrying extra weight, and many collapsed
under the snow sometimes on power lines. Power
went out in Givat Zeev, where I live, beginning at
Op-Ed
night on Thursday, December 12 (either fully, or par-
tially, as in my case), and power was out totally on
Friday for all of Givat Zeev. (Some of it came back
early Saturday morning; it was not fully restored
until Sunday night).
On Friday afternoon, my wife, Sarah, heard one of
the men on my block ask another: Did you tell the
Ashkenazi? It turns out that the Ashkenazi (yours
truly) had indeed been told (by my neighbor Yossi
the bus driver) that because of the continued snow-
fall and power outage, Haviv was hosting services
at his house, a few doors from mine. It was a lovely,
traditional Sephardic service, with plenty of singing,
all the more admirable considering that some of the
men present had not eaten all day. (Friday had been
the Tenth of Tevet, a fast day.) Astonishingly, Havivs
living room was warm: he had an old-fashioned gas
heater that was running smoothly.
Shabbat dinner on Friday was by candlelight. The
food was warm thanks to my gas range, with an old-
fashioned blech of aluminum foil on top. My beau-
tiful challah, though, lay forlornly unbaked on the
kitchen counter.
The next day was a bar mitzvah day in our syna-
gogue. Because the mother is one of eight and the
father is one of seven, the family had lined up rooms
and beds for about 80 guests. But not one grandpar-
ent or uncle or aunt could make it through to Givat
Zeev that Shabbat. Our community came through,
however, and we celebrated with gusto with the
family.
Even though power returned on Sunday evening,
Givat Zeev was still fairly cut off from Jerusalem
through Monday. That morning, as I tried to drive
into Jerusalem for work, I soon was confronted by
bumper-to-bumper traffic. I realized that the road
ahead, with its steep incline, had been closed, but I
couldnt figure out why the cars were hardly moving.
How long does it take to turn around and drive back
the other way?
When I got to the head of the line I discovered the
problem: Many of the Israelis had to be persuaded to
turn around. Heres the scene: The road is blocked,
the policeman is motioning for you to turn around,
but you try to convince him that youre special.
But you know what? Im still crazy enough about
this country to think that the driver is probably right.
JS-17*
A man walks along the light-rail tracks on Jaffa
Road on December 13 after a major snowstorm
hit Jerusalem. MEITAL COHEN/FLASH 90
Whos muzzling whom?
Einat Wilf scandal shows who is really shut up in Israeli debate
In the litany of complaints offered up by Jewish opponents
of the State of Israel, two themes are most commonly
heard.
Firstly, they like to claim that their critiques of the Jew-
ish state are muzzled by Jewish establishment leaders
and organizations. (Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zion-
ist group based in the Bay Area with an amusingly kum-
baya name, even has a blog dedicated to exposing such
intrigues, called Muzzlewatch.)
Secondly, they are fond of pointing out that political
debate among progressives in Israel is freer and more
open than in the stodgy, cautious circles of American
Jewry.
Ive always regarded these claims as suspect, and even
more so last week, in the light of a development in Israel
that is little short of scandalous. Einat Wilf, a former Labor
Party Knesset member who supports a two-state solution
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, had been due to speak
at the annual conference of the left-wing Peace Now orga-
nization. Ms. Wilf was scheduled to address a panel exam-
ining whether international pressure on Israel is needed
to advance the peace process (her view on this is, rightly,
no). Then, last week, she announced via Facebook that
shed been disinvited.
According to Ms. Wilf, Peace
Nows Yariv Oppenheimer told
her that the invitation was
rescinded due to the fact I am
a member of the International
Advisory Council of NGO Moni-
tor (along with such other
human rights offenders as
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie
Wiesel and Alan Dershowitz).
Ms. Wilf then observed
acidly, If the Israeli Left has no
place for those who support a
two-state solution and who also
wage battle against those who seek to delegitimize Israel,
it will not return to lead the country.
To my eyes, this is as clear a case of muzzling as any. (I
wont describe it as censorship, as a left-winger might
be prone to doing, because censorship is an act carried
out by governments, not private organizations.) But that
failed to move either Peace Now or its American Jewish
echo chamber, which remain fixated on the alleged evils
of the organization with which Ms. Wilf is affiliated, NGO
Monitor.
Heres J.J. Goldberg, in a particularly dreary column for
the Forward newspaper. I know. It sounds awful, Mr.
Goldberg wrote of the decision to revoke Ms. Wilfs invita-
tion. That is, unless you realize that the organization in
question, NGO Monitor, devotes much of its energy and
resources to attacking and seeking to defund many of the
very organizations that will make up the Friday confer-
ence, including Peace Now itself.
Not to be outdone, Amiram Goldblum, an Israeli mem-
ber of the International Council of the leftist New Israel
Fund, went ballistic in comments on a news piece in the
Hebrew edition of the Haaretz newspaper. Arguing that
Ms. Wilf had attempted to shut off [Yitzhak] Rabin
a reference to her rather ill-judged proposal to end the
annual rally commemorating Israels assassinated prime
minister Mr. Goldblum then complained that NGO
Monitor has never invited left-wing Israelis to speak at its
events, ending with a pledge that targeting Ms. Wilf is
my duty, and forever unless she repents publicly. Some
readers might recall that the kind of public self-flagellation
Mr. Goldblum advocates was a feature of repressive states
like Maos China. It certainly has no place in advanced
democracies.
What is it about NGO Monitor that has led to Ms. Wilf
being muzzled so crudely? To begin with, we need to clar-
ify certain facts. For example, contrary to J.J. Goldbergs
baseless assertion, NGO Monitor doesnt even regard
Peace Now as a part of its remit, let alone seek to defund
it. Indeed, as NGO Monitors president, Professor Gerald
Steinberg, told me, the group rejects legislation to restrict
foreign funding of radical Israeli NGOs, in part because
doing so would result in invidious comparisons between
Israel and Russia or Egypt, which block NGO activities.
What NGO Monitor does do is report on how certain for-
eign governments and private foundations funnel millions
of dollars to organizations that are, in the Israeli political
context, pretty marginal. And what irks NGO Monitors
critics is its exposure of the simple fact that a cluster of
NGOs, some of whom endorse boycotts of Israel, are sus-
tained not by donations from fellow Israelis, but by out-
siders with a clear anti-Israel and sometimes even anti-
Zionist agenda.
Hence, these same critics do what they accuse their
adversaries of doing: they enforce a party line, they shut
down debate, they encourage a with us or against us
siege mentality, and then they claim the status of free
speech martyrs.
Thats why, if Peace Now wants to recover any dignity
from this episode, it should reinstate its invitation to Einat
Wilf and let her say her piece. JNS.ORG
Ben Cohen, JNS.orgs Shillman Analyst, writes about Jewish
affairs and Middle Eastern politics. His work has been
published in Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz,
Jewish Ideas Daily, and many other publications.
Ben
Cohen
Einat Wilf, then a Knesset member for the Labor
Party, addresses the Knesset in October.
MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90
Hence, these same
critics do what they
accuse their
adversaries of doing
Op-Ed
JS-18*
Subsidizing Jewish preschool works
CHICAGO In response to
the recent pledge by Michael
Siegal, chairman of the Jewish
Federations of North America,
to raise $1 billion to support
tuition-free Jewish preschool,
some have dismissed the idea
as just another pie-in-the-sky
fix to the continuity problem.
I disagree.
First, attending preschools
(as well as day camps and over-
night camps) are all norma-
tive experiences for American children, no
matter their religion. Sending their children
to preschool is what American parents do.
Thats why nearly 100 percent of Jewish chil-
dren attend preschool.
Of those children, about 30 percent attend
Jewish preschool. Were Jewish preschool free
or significantly subsidized, it seems reason-
able to expect that the percentage of Jewish
children sent there would rise as high as 70
percent or perhaps even more, depending
on the level of the subsidy.
Especially in light of the findings from the
recent Pew Research Center survey of U.S.
Jews, it seems imperative that we recognize
the fact that American Jewish behaviors
reflect normative American behaviors. There-
fore, our challenge is not so much to change
Jewish behavior a herculean if not impos-
sible task but to leverage that behavior by
introducing significant Jewish content into
normative practices, like going to preschool.
Second, given the consensus about
the importance of preschool to starting
youngsters and their families
on their Jewish journeys, lets
be clear about what is and is
not viable to propose. Advo-
cates like me, who wish to sub-
sidize Jewish preschool, are
not proposing free tuition for
every Jewish child for years.
That would be unaffordable
and unsustainable.
Rather, we propose provid-
ing a substantial gift voucher
to families to help offset the
cost of participation. That is something that
my federation colleagues in Chicago, Palm
Beach County, Fla., and western Massachu-
setts have been doing for a number of years
through the Right Start program.
The Right Start voucher a maximum of
$2,000 with no means test is applied toward
the tuition for a familys first child. It can go to
any participating preschool. The amount of
subsidy depends on how many days a week
the child attends; $2,000 for five days a week;
proportionately less for fewer days.
In Chicago, Right Start helped increase the
percentage of Jewish children attending Jew-
ish preschools from 30 to 40 percent in just a
few years. Imagine if the full cost for the first
child in the family were paid. No doubt the
number enrolled would rise dramatically.
How can we make that happen throughout
the United States?
One strategy would be to establish a large
national fund to match local community con-
tributions. If the full cost of five-day enroll-
ment were, say, $7,000, the national fund
would match the local communitys $3,500
gift to the parent. By requiring the local com-
munity to pay half the cost, we would ensure
long-term financial sustainability.
Third, some have expressed concern about
program quality. In that regard, I advise cau-
tion. While the national federation system
should have the capacity to offer a model and
mechanism for subsidizing tuition for Jewish
preschool, it should not attempt to meddle
in local program curriculum, teaching stan-
dards, or other operational areas. To do so
would be a recipe for disaster for reasons
beyond the scope of this op ed.
In Chicago, the Jewish preschool market-
place has responded admirably to parental
needs and concerns about quality. The best
evidence showing that fact is that parents are
returning the subsidized child to Jewish pre-
school after the first year, when the subsidy
no longer applies. Further, 89 percent of par-
ents report an excellent overall experience
with their preschool choice.
Were Jewish preschool enrollments to
double or triple in the next decade, the
competition among Jewish preschool pro-
viders should result in enhanced quality. In
addition, unlike other Jewish activities that
expand with expanding deficits, Jewish pre-
schools generally operate without deficits
and often show profit.
Moreover, if our goal is to engage families
in Jewish life, subsidized preschool is a smart
investment.
In Chicago, 85 percent of parents said that
having a child attend a Jewish early child-
hood education program increased their
connection to the Jewish community, their
motivation to enhance their Jewish practice,
and their involvement with Jewish organiza-
tions. Two-thirds said sending their children
to Jewish preschool has influenced their deci-
sion to celebrate Shabbat more often, or in a
different way. After preschool, 87 percent of
parents said they plan to send their children
to Hebrew school or Jewish day school, and
43 percent said they would send their kids to
Jewish camp.
By floating the concept of universal Jewish
preschool, Siegal and Jerry Silverman, the
CEO of Jewish Federations of North Amer-
ica, reinforced an important concept in the
national imagination the understanding
that early Jewish engagement leads to more
Jewish engagement.
Ill end where I began. Preschool is a nor-
mal activity in the United States. Bringing
Jewish preschool costs below market costs of
other preschools or making it just free for the
first child in a family will spike enrollment.
Also note that though 3- and 4-year olds are
very precious, Jewish preschool is often more
about influencing the young Jewish parents.
It is they who make other Jewish choices for
themselves and their children.
Lets help parents make the right choice
and give their children a Right Start by subsi-
dizing or making free Jewish preschool avail-
able right now. Doing so is not pie in the sky.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Steven B. Nasatir is president of the
Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Chicago.
Steven
Nasatir
Jerusalem can help finance U.S. day school education
JERUSALEM Every decade
or so, yet another demographic
survey reveals the obvious: The
American-Jewish community is
in flux, with affiliation falling.
Each time, the community
circles back to what we know
works: high-quality Jewish
education, along with Jewish
camps and Israel programs.
Taken together, these are effec-
tive identity builders, espe-
cially if repeated over many years.
I am a product of the Solomon Schechter
day school system, and my children attended
the independent Jewish community day
school when we lived in Newton, Mass. My
Jewish education, bolstered by Young Judaea
and other camps and Israel programs,
sparked several decades of serving the Jew-
ish people in the nonprofit realm.
This meant I was doubly taxed: first, the
expensive day school bills, and second, a
lower salary than friends and family mem-
bers because I worked for Jewish nonprofits.
The Jewish community needs new ideas to
ease the financial burden on families. I was
a scholarship kid growing up
and am grateful for the assis-
tance I received from the com-
munity and Hadassah. We also
have seen that new programs
that require seemingly out-of-
reach financial resources can
work. Example No. 1: Birth-
right Israel.
Part of Birthrights success is
attributable to the Israeli gov-
ernments decision to allocate
significant funds to enhance Jewish identity
of youth outside Israel. This serves as posi-
tive testimony of what can be done when we
see Israel as a full partner in preserving and
enhancing Jewish identity worldwide.
Now Israel, and the strength of its econ-
omy, also can play a critical role in making
day schools affordable in new ways.
Israel has an excellent credit rating A+,
according to Standard & Poors. The Bank
of Israel could make long-term, low-interest
loans available to Jewish families, perhaps
working with an Israeli bank that has a U.S.
affiliate. Or at the very least, it could provide
a loan guarantee for day school parents.
While our children were at Jewish commu-
nity day school, my wife, Susan, and I took
out a $23,000 loan one year to help cover
tuition through Prepgate, a commercial ser-
vice for private-school families. It carried a
relatively high interest rate of LIBOR plus 5 to
10 percent. If the loan were generated by the
Bank of Israel and passed along to us at cost,
it would be far more affordable.
Heres how Israels financial role would
work: While a child is enrolled in Jewish day
school, part of the repayments would be cov-
ered for parents half by the local Jewish fed-
eration and half by the State of Israel.
Payments would be frozen whenever the
recipient visited Israel, whether on sum-
mer programs, junior year abroad, MASA or
some other long-term program. If the recipi-
ent immigrates to Israel by a certain age and
stays for at least three years, then all or part
of the loan would be forgiven.
According to Nefesh BNefesh, each North
American immigrant adds significant finan-
cial benefit to the Israeli economy, so this
works from a macro-economic perspective.
If the recipient becomes a full-time Jewish
communal professional, then there should
be some loan forgiveness as well.
Another idea would be to help offset
tuition costs by focusing on Jewish commu-
nal endowments.
More money is being generated now by
Jewish foundations and endowments than
by annual federation campaigns a sign that
our community needs to create new strate-
gies to finance major initiatives in Jewish life.
The truth about Jewish endowments is that
they are managed very conservatively by out-
side professional money managers and not
performing as well as they could.
Even a modest 2 percent increase in
annual returns, from the federation endow-
ments of more than $14 billion, would pro-
duce about $300 million annually that could
Yosef I.
Abramowitz
Yosef I. Abramowitz, the winner of a
Covenant award for excellence in Jewish
education, lives in Jerusalem and works
with two Israeli solar companies. This is
part of a series of essays on Jewish day
schools being published by the Sustainable
Stories project of PEJE, the Partnership for
Excellence in Jewish Education.
SEE DAY SCHOOL PAGE 29
Letters
JS-19
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Learning to sing Torah
We read with interest the article about the JOFA
conference (The unorthodox Orthodoxy of JOFA,
December 6).
The article included a photo of a Ben Porat Yosef stu-
dent reading from the Torah, but as it did not describe the
special event at which the photo was taken, we would like
to take this opportunity to fill in the details of an impor-
tant chumash program of which we are extremely proud.
At BPY our students begin the study of chumash in first
grade, since they are already able to manage and under-
stand learning in Hebrew. A highlight for the students, is
that they study the text concurrent with learning to sing
it with the taamei hamikra (cantillation). We believe
this is an invaluable skill for the children to attain because
it not only gives them a strong personal connection with
and appreciation for the ancient tradition of Torah read-
ing, but also provides them with a deeper understanding
of the text through learning its phrasing, and an enhanced
learning experience vital goals of an effective yeshiva
education. We further broaden the students understand-
ing of the traditions and customs of klal Yisrael by hav-
ing them learn both the Sephardic taamim, in first grade,
and the Ashkenazic taamim, in fifth grade. Each year, as
new first-graders are introduced to the study of chumash,
we see their delight in learning the song. They become
motivated to learn passuk after passuk and look forward
to their chumash classes. This approach, learning through
experience and joy, is a reflection of BPYs unique peda-
gogy, and is evident in both general and Judaic studies.
In the second grade, the students participate in their
mesibat chumash, when each student receives his or
her own chumash. At this time, as part of the event, each
child, having diligently practiced, reads a passuk directly
from a Torah scroll. It is a moment of great pride for both
the children and the audience of parents and special visi-
tors. It is a deeply meaningful experience and a lifelong
memory for each child.
The pictures shows a sixth-grader reading her passuk
at the special mesibat chumash program in which she
participated four years ago, when she was a second grade.
She is flanked on the right of the photo by Rav Shachar
Shalom, her chumash rebbe, and a shalich (teach-
ing emissary from Israel), and on the left by Rav Tomer
Ronen, Rosh HaYeshiva of Ben Porat Yosef.
Ruth Roth
Director of Admissions/PR
Ben Porat Yosef
Paramus
Messianic Jews are Jews
Letter-writers Alan Levin and Deb Herman insist that so-
called Messianic Jews Jews who profess a belief in
Jesus are not Jews (Letters, December 13). It seems to
me that theyre thinking that those who profess to believe
in Jesus now adhere to another religion, and not Judaism.
I believe there is a talmudic principle that says, in effect,
that a Jew, no matter how much he or she sins, remains
a Jew.
I would urge them to consult with competent Ortho-
dox rabbis, who are authorities on Jewish religious law
(halachah), about that question. If one studies the Bible,
the Tanach, one can see that in ancient times, many Jews
fell into the worship of the idol Baal, and also the Golden
Calf. Did they therefore cease to be Jews?
If you look at the Torah, you can see that according
to the Torah the Jews are a nation, as opposed to a mere
body of religious believers, like the Catholics, the Luther-
ans, and the Baptists, as many present-day Americans, as
well as Reform Jews, seem to think.
Harry Eisenberg
Glen Rock
Israeli academics easy targets
Could there be a clearer manifestation of anti-Semitism? Accord-
ing to an article in the New York Times, organized academics
in the United States have voted to disallow Israeli academics to
attend their conferences and professional group meetings.
Curtis Marez, president of ethnic studies at the University of
California, San Diego, agreed that many nations have worse civil
rights records than Israel, but that Israels scholars must be boy-
cotted to show academic disapproval of oppression. One has
to begin somewhere, he said. Lets disregard China whose bru-
tal grip over Tibet has caused over a hundred monks to immo-
late themselves in public protest. Too big, no Jews. Forget Syria
(and its military and chemical suppliers, Iran and Russia), whose
regime uses sarin gas to torture and kill the children of those
who oppose the government. Too complicated, no Jews. How
about Russia whose army leveled Grozny and the surrounding
towns rather than allow Chechnya to be free? Too provocative.
Israel deserves to be the first to be chastised. Its a small coun-
try, plenty of Jews, and one can be at once anti-Semitic and inno-
cent of anti-Semitism. Besides, Israels own academics often
excoriate Israels excesses. Its okay. Its a popular thing to do.
Full of umbrage,
Harold Chapler
Englewood Cliffs
JS-20
Still crazy for each other
after all these years
The secrets of three long-lasting marriages
LARRY YUDELSON
W
hat makes a marriage work?
The question has differ-
ent stages.
What sparks the romance
that leads to the marriage?
What brings a couple together?
And then what keeps a couple together
for the decades that follow?
Fifty years ago, Judith and Stephen
Camen never would have become a cou-
ple if Stephen minded having to make the
two-hour trek by subway from Queens to
the Bronx.
A week before mutual friends arranged
for the two 17-year-olds to meet, they had
introduced Judith Geller to another fellow.
She had fun on that date, but the boy said
the distance was too far.
Stephen, though, decided that Judith
was worth the ride.
Interboro transit wasnt the only obsta-
cle they faced. There also was the fact that
his family didnt appreciate that her family
didnt have money.
My husbands parents did not want
him to marry me, Judith recalled. Our
wedding was a disaster. We paid for the
wedding ourselves. It was challenging.
Eventually her mother-in-law came
around.
The young couple lived in the Bronx.
After three years, their daughter, Natalie,
was born, and the family moved to Coop
City. Ten years later, they moved to Fair
Lawn.
Perhaps the biggest challenge to their
marriage came seven years later. The cou-
ple started a business together, and shortly
thereafter, with Natalie getting ready to
head off to college, Judith discovered that
she was pregnant.
Brian ended up being the best gift we
ever received, she said. Today hes
28 years old and married two and a half
years, she said.
As for running a business with a spouse,
Its a challenge. It can make you or break
you. We know many couples who are
divorced because they couldnt work
together.
We have different roles in the business
so we dont bump heads. Its a collective
effort, she said.
The years have changed them, she said,
Cover Story
Stephen and Judith Camen married in 1965, above.
At right, they pose at their sons wedding with their
son, their daughter-in-law, and their daughter.
Cover Story
JS-21
and in a good way.
Ive become more outgoing, she said. My hus-
band came out of his shell. He was very quiet and
withdrawn; hes an extrovert right now. We do a lot
more charity work. We work a lot harder than we ever
had.
And as for how to have a happy marriage?
Its no secret, she said. We have fun. Make it fun
every day. Make each other laugh.
For the Camens, its also about making other peo-
ple laugh. They are volunteer clowns for the Macys
Thanksgiving Parade.
It is so much fun putting smiles on the spectators
faces, she said.
My husband always says that working on the mar-
riage is another job. Hes absolutely right. You must
put an effort to keep the lines of communication open
at all times. Make sure those doors are open, that you
dont close down, because its very easy to happen.
You have to be open and honest, she said.
The Camens immediate family members, however,
were not successful with their marriages. Between
the two of them, they have six siblings. Every one of
them, brother and sister, was divorced, Judith said.
We were the only one that made it.
I think people give up too quickly. I really do. Even
today, I think the young people, they have an argu-
ment, and the marriage is over. They dont even give
it a try, she said.
Judith thinks her marriage is different from her par-
ents and her in-laws.
I think were much more understanding, she said.
They did not treat each other with respect. Their
wives were very demanding. It wasnt a give-and-take.
F
red and Marcia Schulman
of Teaneck have been
married for 27 years. A few
years ago, in our Bashert col-
umn, this paper reported on their saga
of missed connections, of a would-
have-happened blind date if only the
call had been made, of a re-encounter
seven years later where no immedi-
ate spark was struck ... except for the
seeds of friendship, which began to
grow into something more.
Really appreciating everything the
other person does is very important,
Marcia said. Also important: Making
sure you ind time to laugh together,
that you are considerate of the other
persons needs. If you get angry, its
very important to always take a time
out and not say anything youll regret
because thats something the other
person will always remember.
I cant say there are a lot of things Ive said over 28
years Ive regretted, she said. And I dont remember
him saying anything very hurtful to me.
Not that we dont have our disagreements or ights,
Fred added.
Heres his secret: I think I always appreciated her
basic goodness, and as time went on I realized that shes
a better person than I am. I always appreciated her,
never taking anything for granted, he said.
The question is how do you deal with things, Marcia
said. Do you ight with anger when you disagree? I think
you have to realize that you can disagree but you dont
want to hurt the other person.
When you go through life, just appreciate the persons
good characteristics. Take the time to think back and ask,
What would I be like without her, Fred said.
He improved my life a hundred percent, Marcia
said. I just think its important not to take anything for
granted.
Anybody who is living in a house has built something
together. Theyve earned money together, theyre shar-
ing their belongings thats not to be taken for granted.
Some of these lessons they learned when they had
their irst frightening quarrel on the plane back from
their honeymoon. They had been married for just one
month.
At issue: Where would they spend Rosh Hashanah?
Someone advised them to see a marriage counselor.
They did, for ten sessions.
We have fun. Make it
fun every day. Make
each other laugh.
JUDITH CAMEN
SEE SCHULMAN PAGE 22
Fred Schulman and Marcia
Jacobs married in 1986, top.
They have enjoyed skiing,
center, and their three
children, bottom.
Part of Judith and Stephens fun is clowning
at the Macys Thanksgiving Parade. Daughter
Natalie, left, joins them.
Cover Story
JS-22
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He was very helpful to us, Marcia said. He showed
us how to see the other persons perspective. The other
person might be very different from you, and have very
different needs, but you can understand and have com-
passion for the fact the other person has a need different
from yours.
If each person can fulill the other persons needs, it
will work out.
What makes her happy ultimately makes me happy,
Fred said. You have to come to the realization that
whats good for the other person is ultimately good for
me, even if at the moment its hard.
If one person wins, then the other person loses and
everybody loses, Marcia said. You need everybody to
feel good about the outcome of a situation.
Their parents helped the couple work out conflicts.
He would talk to his mother and his mother would
say shes right, Marcia reported. And my mother would
say hes right.
One technique for avoiding conflict: Dividing up
responsibilities so we dont have to have a negotiation
about everything, Marcia said.
He was in charge of the religious things. Whenever
the kids would ask a religious question growing up, I
would say ask your father. Because Fred worked for
CitiBank, it proved very complicated to consolidate
their bank accounts. It turned out that having separate
money also helped avoid conflicts, she said.
We think very carefully how we spend money, Fred
said. Were fairly conservative in that.
Money had been a source of conflict in his parents
E
d Ruzinsky has been married to the former
Enid Schnitzer for 58 years. They live in Sad-
dle River.
I consider ourselves as dinosaurs, he said.
You dont hear of people married for that length of
time, he said.
They met as 17-year-olds, camp counselors at an
overnight camp on Long Island. Eds older brother had
worked with Enid at a day camp the summer before and
asked her to look in on Ed, who was in charge of the ive
year olds.
The rest is history.
Dating at summer camp, he said, is like living
together, because its a childrens camp and the kids
went to bed early.
When camp ended that summer, her parents were
going on vacation and they invited me to go with them.
We went up to Niagara Falls and into Canada. We started
dating at that point. It became pretty obvious that it was
enduring, he said.
They were married two days after Enids last inal
exam four years later. She skipped graduation for the
honeymoon.
The transition to married life wasnt hard.
We were young enough and innocent enough so that
it didnt get in the way. We were in love, he said.
We literally grew up together. We did everything
together.
Today it appears the kids live together, have families
together, then they decide theyre going to get married.
Its a little different from our day, he said.
And dificulties along the way?
I dont believe any marriage is a perfect mar-
riage, he said. You get into situations where they
may be a little more dificult than otherwise. Weve
been able to endure those without dificulties. Weve
Schulman
FROM PAGE 21
If each person can
fulll the other
persons needs,
it will work out.
MARCIA SHULMAN
Ed and Enid Ruzinsky,
then (1955) and now.
JS-23
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dating at that point. It became pretty obvious that it was
enduring, he said.
They were married two days after Enids last inal
exam four years later. She skipped graduation for the
honeymoon.
The transition to married life wasnt hard.
We were young enough and innocent enough so that
it didnt get in the way. We were in love, he said.
We literally grew up together. We did everything
together.
Today it appears the kids live together, have families
together, then they decide theyre going to get married.
Its a little different from our day, he said.
And dificulties along the way?
I dont believe any marriage is a perfect mar-
riage, he said. You get into situations where they
may be a little more dificult than otherwise. Weve
been able to endure those without dificulties. Weve
always managed, whatever the issues might have
been, to work through them, without any third-party
interventions.
I would be in contact with her every day without
exception, wherever I was, whether I was in the country
or out of the country. Weve always been very vocal and
verbal. Weve always celebrated anniversaries together
I always managed to be home for that.
They have a son, 55, and a daughter, 52. Both have
two children.
He doesnt expect his grandchildren to follow in his
footsteps and marry at age 21.
That doesnt seem to be the reality in todays world,
he said. My son was married when he was 31. When
his son was born, he was 36. I said, When I was 36, you
were 12. That kind of cleared his sinuses a bit.
Did he have any marriage advice when his children
got married?
I said to my son at the time, If we dont have grand-
children, what did we need you for?
marriage, he added.
My parents were very dependent on each other, and
Im sure they loved each other, but I do remember grow-
ing up there was a lot of tension in the house. Most of it
had to do with money and things like that. Ive tried to
steer my life away from that.
In old age, my father got sick and my mother was the
caregiver. When my mother suffered a fatal stroke, my
father was lost. He survived only another year or two,
he said.
Marcias memories of growing up are more pleasant.
Music was very important in my house, she said. I
have memories of my parents singing together, singing
with some of their friends. Those aspects of harmony
not just in terms of music, in terms of life is something
I learned from them.
The Schulmans have three children. Two daughters
are in college; their oldest child, a son, married this
summer. Unlike his parents, he didnt wait, but got mar-
ried right out of college. Not for him his parents lengthy
sojourn as singles on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Once they were two 17-year-old camp counselors in love. Now they are head of a clan.
Cover Story
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Getting Your Children to Listen
Nutritious and Delicious Bean Dishes
Supplement to The Jewish Standard and Rockland Jewish Standard January 2014
After-School Delight
AOC-2
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January 2014
Winners
of the December Contests!
Winner of a hairband and pendant from Carlyz Craze, Teaneck
Lisa Shafer, Englewood
Winner of Batter Up Kids Cookbook
Mindy Geliebter, Teaneck
Thanks to all who entered, and congratulations to our winners!
Five Ways to Get Your Children to Listen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Learn neutral communications skills to get point across
Healthy Recipes for 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Bean dishes are delicious and nutritious
Finding the Right After-School Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
How to match the activity with your childs personality
Local After-School Options Abound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
From dance to art to chilling at the golf course
Getting Fit and Having Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lots of local ways to keep in shape this winter
Special Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
At-home nursing when your child needs it
Art show displays work of special needs artists
Listings of Schools and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Local education options and enrichment opportunities
Mazel Tov! Simchas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Celebrating our childrens bar and bat mitzvahs
Gallery of Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Pictures of Chanukah celebrations and more
Top Choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Hot highlights for the month of January
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Great and glorious things to do this month
Questions about xxxxx
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OurChildren
About
AOC-4
4
musings from the editor
Dont Miss About Our Children in February
Published on January 24, 2014
Natalie Jay
Advertising Director
Peggy Elias
George Kroll
Karen Nathanson
Janice Rosen
Brenda Sutcliffe
Account Executives
About Our Children is published 11 times a year by the New Jersey/Rockland Jewish Media Group,
1086 Teaneck Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666; telephone: 201-837-8818; fax: 201-833-4959;
e-mail: AboutOC@aol.com
OurChildren
About
Rachel Harkham
Adina Soclof
Denise Morrison Yearian
Contributing Writers
MissionStatement
About Our Children is designed to help Jewish families in our area live healthy, positive lives that make the most of
the resources available to them. By providing useful, current, accurate information, the publication aims to guide par-
ents to essential information on faith, education, the arts, events, and child-raising in short, everything that todays
Jewish family, babies to grandparents, needs to live life to the fullest in northern New Jersey and Rockland County.
James L. Janoff
Publisher
Marcia Garnkle
Associate Publisher
Heidi Mae Bratt
Editor
Deborah Herman
Art Director
AdvisoryBoard
Dr. Annette Berger, Psy.D.
Psychologist, Teaneck
Michelle Brauntuch, MS,CCLS
Child Life Specialist, Englewood Hospital, Englewood
Hope Eliasof
Marriage and Family Therapist, Midland Park
Howard Prager, DC, DACBSP
Holistic Chiropractor, Oakland
Jane Calem Rosen
Marketing and Communications Specialist
Barry Weissman, MD
Pediatrician, Hackensack and Wyckoff
Cheryl Wylen
Director of Adult Programs and Cultural Arts
YM-YWHA of North Jersey, Wayne
OurChildren
About
M
y son, the doctor. My son, the
lawyer. My son, the rabbi. My
son, the clown?
Yes, my son, Yehuda, is a clown.
Not the three-ring type. Hes a
mitzvah clown.
Yehuda is among the newly mint-
ed corps of mitzvah clowns, cour-
tesy of Bergenfeld-based Areyvut,
a non-proft organization that trains
volunteers and runs various chesed
programs, including the Mitzvah
Clown program. Mitzvah clowns, like
care clowns, visit the infrm, the el-
derly, and youngsters with special
needs in order to bring good cheer.
Building on the Torah mandate
to care for your fellow, Yehuda and
several other volunteers met early
on a recent Sunday morning to learn
what it takes to become a mitzvah
clown. They got the basics on the ap-
propriate way to make a visit, chose
their colorful clown costumes, re-
plete with red sponge noses and
sparkly purple wigs, and learned
how to make up their faces in a rain-
bow of greasepaint.
One nice surprise. Among the
volunteers at the training session
was Yehudas kindergarten teacher,
Jamie Bunin. It was lovely to see this
teacher, a young woman who taught
him when he was 5 years old, and
Yehuda, who is now a senior and the
president of student government at
his middle school, side by side shar-
ing in this act of chesed together.
Among the very important
skills they learned was making bal-
loon animals. Much of the training
was spent pumping and twisting
and turning. Suddenly, a thin piece
of colored latex transformed into a
dog, an elephant, a fower or a heart.
After their three-hour training,
the volunteers went on a site visit at
the nursing home, the Jewish Home
Lifecare on the Upper West Side.
From foor to foor, they went chat-
ting with the residents and twisting
balloons into fun shapes.
On one of the foors, Yehuda ap-
proached a man who sat in a wheel-
chair. He offered him his green bal-
loon dog. The man took it. Then
Yehuda offered to make a leash. The
man accepted. Filling a balloon with
air and fastening it onto the neck of
the green puppy, Yehuda returned
the air-pumped pet to the new owner.
The man broke into a smile, and
took the leash. Using it much like
a fshing pole, he playfully feigned
bopping a nursing home worker
with his new toy.
The scene was delightful.
That was one of the many stops
they made.
It was really fun, said Yehuda.
I really liked dressing up and bring-
ing a smile to people.
And the effort was very
appreciated.
That was a great show you put
on there, an employee at the Jew-
ish Home Lifecare told Yehuda as he
left the building.
These people need company.
So many of them dont have any-
body, and you guys came in and re-
ally lit them up. Thank you.
Then he added: Youll come
back soon, I hope?
So, my son, the clown?
Yes, indeed.
Cheers,
5
AOC-5
Five Simple Ways
to Get Your Children to Listen
A DI NA S OC L OF
T
here are so many things that we
need our children to do in order
for our house and our schedule to
run smoothly. We have a vision of what
must get done, how it should be done
and when it should all happen.
But children have a totally differ-
ent take on how their day should fow.
Its as if they live in an alternate reality.
Who needs to brush your teeth? Whats
wrong with staying in pajamas all day?
Here are fve simple ways to help
you stop struggling with your children
and get them to listen to you:
1. Understand why children have a
hard time listening to you
Besides the fact that parents and chil-
dren have different goals and aspirations
for their day (productivity vs. free play
all day long), they have a hard time lis-
tening and following directions because,
like all human beings, children possess a
strong need for independence.
Being independent makes us feel
that we have some control over our de-
cisions and our fate. We are empowered
by knowing that we can think for our-
selves, take care of ourselves, and rely
on ourselves to survive in this world.
Children are often torn between want-
ing their parents to take care of them
and needing to feel independent. They
are confused. When their parents ask
them to do something and they need to
comply, they are also battling their inner
voice that might be telling them: You
dont need to listen to anyone. You are
your own boss, you can do your own
thing!
Once we understand why it is so
hard for them to listen, we can approach
our interactions with compassion, tact
and understanding.
We hopefully will be less angry when
they dont listen. We can then focus our
energies on in a more positive direction.
2. Create a home routine
and schedule
The next step is setting you and your
child up for success. The easiest way to
do that is to make sure that your home
environment is conducive to coopera-
tion. Routines and child-friendly condi-
tions can go a long way in helping your
child listen.
The real key to preparing a routine
is to involve your child and include his
input. This feeds into his need to be in-
dependent and make his own decisions.
Then you can plan a schedule that works
for everyone.
What would be the best time for you
to do your homework?
Our doctor appointment is at 2 p.m.
When do you want to stop playing with
your toys and get ready to go?
The same goes for a child-friendly
home environment. Find out why your
child is not hanging up his coat and what
would be the best place to put some
hooks (at his eye level) so that it is easy
for him to comply. Shoes can be put in
the same place everyday. Ditto for their
clothing. Help them organize it in a way
that makes it accessible to them, so that
they are not always searching for their
pants or shirt.
3. Use neutral language
It can be frustrating to get our children
to cooperate. We often resort to accusa-
tions and blaming to get our kids to lis-
ten. This often sets a negative tone, and
usually brings on defensive behavior
that leads to power struggles:
Why do you always leave your shoes
in the middle of the hall? Why do you al-
ways make a big deal about everything?
Just pick out a shirt already!
Instead use language that is neutral
and non-confrontational:
Shoes belong in the closet. Lets
both take a few minutes to calm down
before we fnish this conversation. Time
is short. A shirt needs to be decided on
now.
Using neutral, non-confrontational
language helps parents feel in control
and keep children feeling encouraged
and aids them in listening.
4. Give Choices
Giving choices helps give your child
the autonomy they crave within a safe
framework.
There are more benefts to giving
children choices. It teaches kids how
to make decisions. It also builds their
self-esteem as they learn to develop
problem-solving skills. This makes them
feel more powerful and in control of
their lives. They become better listen-
ers and more cooperative. Not only that,
choices allow parents to maintain their
position of authority. Children need to
comply with their parents requests, but
they get to choose the method. It is a
win/win situation.
For example:
Do you want to drink milk in your
blue or red cup?
Do you want to eat dinner now or in
fve minutes?
Do you want to clean up your dolls
or your blocks frst?
Do you want to hop or jump into
your car seat?
And with older kids:
I need help with dinner. Do you want
to make the salad or set the table?
The bus comes in a half hour. Do you
want me to come in and wake you up
again or would you like to set your alarm
for a few more minutes? When are you
planning on doing your
homework, before or
after dinner?
5. Help children
problem solve their
way to listening
One of the best ways to help them
listen is to involve them in discus-
sions on how to solve the problems of
family life.
Anytime there is a problem at
home we can say, Lets take a minute to
fgure out a solution. We can then ask
some questions to promote problem-
solving skills.
What can we do to make sure that
everyone is chipping in to help clear off
the table? I bought a box of cookies,
what can we do to make sure that they
are shared evenly in the house? When
Sara and Eli both have friends over
there are problems over who gets to
play in the basement. Does anyone have
any ideas on how we can work this out?
Teaching your children to think
about solutions will give you a
partner who will be more likely to listen
as you solve lifes little and big problems
together.
Helping children to listen and coop-
erate is a big job. Understanding your
childs need for independence, setting
up routines, using neutral language, giv-
ing choices and focusing on solutions,
can make it that much easier.
Adina Soclof is the director of Parent
Outreach for A+ Solutions. She facilitates
parenting workshops based on the books by
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. She also
runs ParentingSimply.com. www.parenting-
simply.com.
Tuesdays Child
177 West Englewood Ave (Teaneck) 201-357-8363
2771 Nostrand Ave (Brooklyn) 718-252-8874
Teaneck Hours: M, W, T 11-6 Tu 11-7 F 11-2
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AOC-6
6
How Have You Bean?
Meals for a Healthy 2014
OurChildren
About
Rachel Harkham is a cookbook author, recipe developer and chocolatier. She lives in
Rockland County with her husband and three children. Visit her on www.reciperachel.com.
RAC HE L HA R K HA M
S
erving dishes brimming with beans
is a New Years tradition the world
over. For example, in Japan, it
comes in the form of a sweet black bean
dish called kuro-mame. In the Southern
states, black-eyed peas are served up
in a recipe called Hoppin John. In Italy,
it is customary to eat Cotechino con
Leticchie Sausage and Lentils. Beans
and other legumes are said to resemble
coins and therefore consuming them for
the New Year is believed to be just the
thing to start things off in a prosperous
and rewarding manner.
Of course there is also the notion
that beans are super healthful things to
eat. Beans are high in fber, antioxidants,
B vitamins, iron, protein, magnesium,
and zinc. New Years dishes full of beans
might just be the salubrious antidote to
Decembers deep-fried, high fat, sugary-
sweet Chanukah indulgences. In addi-
tion, beans are also inexpensive, vegan
(pareve), relatively low in calories, and
available in myriad of varieties.
Virtually all world cuisines feature
bean dishes. With this basic recipe you
can make a hearty and healthful bean
dish to suit your tastes. Begin with a
chopped onion. Saut it with aromat-
ics like minced garlic, diced chili pep-
pers, grated ginger or sliced sun-dried
tomatoes. Add some spices (garam ma-
sala, cumin, chili powder). Pour in some
kind of juicy tomato product (diced to-
matoes, tomato sauce, salsa) and then
mix in your bean of choice. Finish it off
with fragrant chopped herbs (cilantro,
parsley, basil), and bingo! Youve got
a flling, favorful, nutritious meal that is
quick and easy to put together. By serv-
ing beans you will not only be beginning
the year healthfully and prosperously,
but also intelligently.
Indian Spiced Chick Peas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh peeled ginger,
grated (1 teaspoon)
1 small Serrano chili pepper, diced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
teaspoon of salt (or more
to taste)
1 32-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 x 14.5-ounce cans of chick peas,
drained (or 3 cups)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
cup chopped parsley
In a large frying pan over medium-
high heat, heat oil. Add chopped
onion, garlic, ginger, and chili pep-
per, and saut for 3-4 minutes
or until onion is translucent and garlic is
golden brown.
Mix in garam masala, cumin, curry powder,
and salt ensuring the vegetables are evenly
coated.
Pour in diced tomatoes and let simmer for
4 to 5 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and fresh
lemon juice. Allow to simmer for approxi-
mately 15 minutes or until most of liquid
evaporates. Sprinkle with chopped parsley
before serving on a bed of rice.
Makes 6 servings.
Mexican-Style Pinto Beans
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 red, green, or yellow pepper,
seeded and diced
1 4-ounce can diced green chilis
or 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 teaspoons cumin
-1 teaspoons chili powder
teaspoon salt
2 cups salsa
2 x 14.5-ounce can pinto beans,
drained (or 3 cups)
cup chopped cilantro and/or
cup sliced black olives
In a large frying pan, heat oil over
medium-high heat. Add chopped
onion, chopped red, green, or yel-
low pepper, and diced green chilis.
Saut for 3 to 4 minutes or until
onion is translucent.
Mix in cumin, chili powder, and salt ensuring
vegetables are evenly coated.
Pour in salsa and let simmer for 4 to 5 min-
utes. Stir in pinto beans. Allow to simmer
for approximately 15 minutes or until most
of liquid evaporates. Sprinkle with chopped
cilantro and/or sliced black olives.
Serving suggestions: Serve over rice or in a
tortilla.
Makes 6 servings
Cannellini Beans Italiano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped (1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
teaspoon salt
1 32 ounce can crushed tomatoes,
or 3 cups
2 x 14.5 ounce cans cannellini
beans, drained (or 3 cups)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or
red wine vinegar
teaspoon red pepper akes
cup chopped fresh basil or cup
fresh oregano
In a large frying pan, heat olive
oil over medium-high heat. Add
chopped red onion, garlic, sun-dried
tomatoes, and salt. Saut for 3 to 4
minutes or until onion is translucent.
Pour in crushed tomatoes and let simmer
for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in cannellini beans
and balsamic vinegar. Allow to simmer for
approximately 15 minutes or until most of
liquid evaporates.
Sprinkle in red pepper akes and fresh basil
or oregano
Serving suggestions: Serve over pasta or on
toasted slices of crusty bread
Makes 6 servings
AOC-7
7
OurChildren
About
How to Match the After-School Program with Your Child
DE NI S E MOR R I S ON Y E A R I A N
P
arents who want to help their children develop
physically, mentally and emotionally know
that athletic activities can develop kids bodies,
stretch their minds and build their self-esteem. But
with so many options to choose from, how can parents
decide which activity their child will enjoy most?
Consider his Interest
First watch him play. Observe his interests. What
things does he like to do? Is there a particular activ-
ity he is naturally drawn to? Also take note of his
strengths and weaknesses. What is he good at, jumping,
running, climbing? Does he have good balance? Does
he enjoy working with other children or prefer being
independent? Are there any areas of weakness that
would improve with instruction? Next ask your child
what he would like to try. Point out the things you have
observed, then work together to decide what he might
enjoy participating in.
Find a Program
Once you have decided on an activity, fnd a program
that meets your childs needs. Start by calling family
and friends whose children are already involved in a
particular activity. Ask questions such as Is your child
happy in the program? What do (and dont) you like
about it? What are the time commitments? How of-
ten are lessons or practices? How do the instructors
interact with the children? Is there any one-on-one
training? Is competitiveness stressed? What are the
costs? Are uniforms or equipment required? What
comments have you heard from other parents whose
children are in the program?
Try to get information from more than one source.
This will broaden your options and help narrow your
search down to a few programs. Finally call the organi-
zations you are interested in to get concrete information.
Class Size
In gathering information, ask about class size and what
specifc classes there are to choose from. Some experts
believe there should be no more than twelve children
per teacher. Others think the ratio depends on the age,
skill level and activity the child is participating in. For
example, in most martial arts programs, classes are
broken down by age and belt level. This is to accommo-
date the various developmental stages. Children who
are older and more advanced can be taught in larger
groups, but beginners and early elementary-school
children need more attention.
It is best to have trained professionals for instruct-
ing children. Even more important, though, is that the
instructor understands the psychology and physiol-
ogy of young children. He should be creating a safe
and positive learning environment--emotionally as well
as physically. A good instructor is one who can teach
the principles to his students so they understand them
clearly. He must also have a good rapport with children.
Instructors should be able to work well with each stu-
dent, and in addition, be able to maintain control be-
tween students so they work together with an attitude
of cooperation versus one of adversarial competition.
Lesson Length and Time
Another factor to consider when choosing a program is
frequency and duration of lessons. Age is again the pri-
mary factor. A good rules of thumb is the younger the
child, the shorter the lesson. Even then, let your child
take the lead. If it looks like hes operating on overload,
lighten up on his schedule and provide plenty of down
time.
Curriculum and Philosophy
When inquiring about curriculum, fnd out how it is
structured. Look for schools that use alternative ways
to present the same material. This keeps it fun and ca-
ters to the various learning styles of children. Because
competition is part of every activity, address this issue
before signing your child up for classes. Some pro-
grams are more competitive than others. The focus of
any program should be on doing ones best, not on out-
doing another. It is important for your kids to have fun
and enjoy the activity.
Finally when inquiring about a school, be sure to
asking the following: Are there specifc standards and
programs for each age group? Is there a way for your
child to excel and advance? How do they measure the
level of profciency for each child? If a child has a fear,
how is it addressed? In addition, check on costs and
uniforms or other equipment that may be required.
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you
decide if this is the right place for your child.
Visiting and Introductory Classes
Once you have narrowed your search, stop by for a vis-
it. Sit in on the program and observe a class in session.
How does the instructor interact with the students? Is
he encouraging them in what they are doing? Is he pa-
tient, respecting any given fears? Is he consistent? Does
he use positive reinforcement? Are the students listen-
ing and attentive? Do they seem happy? Is the program
geared for the skill and developmental level and age of
the student?
Visiting the facility is a good start, but the most ef-
Match continued on page 8
B
E
E
n
o
r
m
o
u
s
P
L
A
Y
P
A
R
K
LEVEL 1
NEXT TO
BEST BUY
Extended Holiday Hours 2013
BOOK YOUR BIRTHDAY
OR SCHOOL GROUP
PARTY NOW!
845-535-9277 ext: 1
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NOW OPEN IN THE PALISADES
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Billy Beez is a gigantic 26,000
square foot indoor playground filled
with colorful murals, whimsical
characters and giant play structures
built around a maze of wildly
twisting slides. Billy Beez provides a
unique learning environment for
children that is free of video games
and mechanical amusement rides and
promotes physical health and
exercise. There are dozens of
activities in Billy's Rainforest that
will encourage children's physical,
mental and social development
through play. Children can climb,
jump, crawl, and slide in a fun and
safe environment. Their interactions
with fellow children will teach them
to play fairly and even encourage
them to make new friends along the
way!

BOOK YOUR BIRTHDAY

PARTY NOW!
845-535-9277 EXT: 1
Kosher Catering Now
Available for Parties!

AOC-8
8
Love of the Arts, Sports and Activity
Mark Local Players
HE I DI MA E B RAT T
O
ne of the things that distinguish
Cresskill Performing Arts is the
caliber of its teachers. Broadway
veterans, artists from Cirque du Soleil
and other arts professionals who live
and breathe their craft, come to teach
youngsters in their studios in New Jer-
sey, says Betsy Daly, the director and
owner of Cresskill Performing Arts.
While the bar on teaching talent is
high and the instructors have made it in
the competitive world of the performing
arts, Cresskill Performing Arts prides it-
self on creating a supportive and esteem-
building atmosphere for its students as
they progress in the performing arts.
Come this January, says Daly, the
school will introduce a boys-only street
jazz class that will combine techniques
of jazz and hip-hop for boys 8 to 13
years old. The very inclusive nature of
the dance class, Daly says, is not only a
good time for the youngsters, but a way
to gain more physical agility and coordi-
nation for other sports.
Early January will also be audition
time for its musical workshop. Other
news, says Daly, include additional
spots for those interested in fencing.
At Miss Pattis School of Dance in
Midland Park, classical ballet instruc-
tion share the stage with jazz, tap, lyrical,
hip hop and character, for youngsters
2 years through their teenage years.
Miss Pattis has been turning and
pirouetting for nearly 20 years, having
been established in 1994.
For art lessons, Rina Goldhagen
through her Art of Excellence Studio in
Fair Lawn, has been teaching children
and adults alike. Goldhagen is a profes-
sional artist and trained educator with
more than 20 years of experience and a
versatile style that she represents in a
variety of mediums including water col-
or, acrylic, oil paint, pastel and charcoal.
For an afterschool chill, not class-
es, not structured, try Monster Mini
Golf, with locations including Paramus
and Fairfeld. The open play time af-
ter school in a glow-in-the-dark spooky
themed course lets youngsters relax af-
ter school and just play. The all-monster
theme is accompanied by 80s music and
zombies, skeletons and lots of fun boo.
Heidi Mae Bratt is the editor of About Our
Children.
OurChildren
About
How to Match the After-School Program with Your Child
uniforms or other equipment that may be required.
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you
decide if this is the right place for your child.
Visiting and Introductory Classes
Once you have narrowed your search, stop by for a vis-
it. Sit in on the program and observe a class in session.
How does the instructor interact with the students? Is
he encouraging them in what they are doing? Is he pa-
tient, respecting any given fears? Is he consistent? Does
he use positive reinforcement? Are the students listen-
ing and attentive? Do they seem happy? Is the program
geared for the skill and developmental level and age of
the student?
Visiting the facility is a good start, but the most ef-
Competition
Competition is about placing, but it needs
to have its place. When undue emphasis
is placed on competition, winning and
excelling, the pressure may become too
great. As a result, the child may become
reluctant to attend lessons or may want
to stop going altogether. By keeping some
important thoughts in mind, parents can
help to ensure their childs experience is a
positive one.
Analyze your own feeling about your
childs participating in the program. If it
is a sports program, be sure you dont
emphasize winning over sportsmanship,
physical development, skill and fun.
Attend and observe your childs pro-
grams. Be sure the instructors are being
fair and promoting fun, participation and
cooperation.
Dont have too high of expectations of
your child. Keep in mind his developmen-
tal level and age.
Teach your child to compete against his
own best performance, not against others.
Compliment your child publicly; criticize
privately. Give fair and accurate feed-
back. If during a competition your child
performs poorly, be honest but give your
feedback in a positive way. Rather than
say, You did terrible today! say, You can
do better next time! Be sure to let your
child air his feelings too.
Denise Morrison Yearian
Match continued on page 8
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FUNDRAISER & GROUP RATES
DISCOVER THE HOLY LAND
DURING WINTER BREAK
fective way to fnd a program that suits
your child is to let him try it out. Many
programs offer introductory classes
with no commitment. This allows the
child to become familiar with the pro-
gram. It further serves as a screening
process to see if the instructor is run-
ning the program at the childs level.
Overall, the very best program is
one that provides a safe, stimulating en-
vironment while keeping the students
age and developmental level in mind.
In essence, it aids in a childs physical,
mental and emotional development.
That being the case, there is no question
that sports are good for children. The
question is, which one is best for your
child?
Denise Morrison Yearian is the former editor
of two parenting magazines and the mother
of three children.
Match continued
9
AOC-9
Staying Fit and Healthy and Having Fun
A
round this time of year theres lots of talk about
getting into shape. Resolutions for ftness are
voiced.
There are plenty of healthy, ftness options that can
make a January or anytime commitment to fun, ftness
and health for your youngster a reality.
What better way to work off the steam without
even realizing that youre working out than by bounc-
ing? Whether its with infatables with trampolines,
there are several options in our area.
Bounce U of Paramus can make a party, a fun, ft-
ness experience. But you dont only have to come
and jump around for a party. Sure there are two giant
bounce stations and 10 infatables, but the facility also
offers plenty of open bounce time as well as preschool
play dates for the little ones to get some exercise and
work gross motor skills.
Everything here is basically aerobic and heart
healthy, says Jon Horwich, owner of Bounce U of Para-
mus. Its all climbing, jumping, bouncing. Theres an
obstacle course, giant slides, climbing. Theres plenty
here to give a good workout.
While birthday parties are the mainstay of Bounce
U, Horwich says that there is open bounce time dur-
ing the week days when youngsters can come in and
work off the school day. There are also times during the
week at 10 a.m. for younger bouncers. On Wednesdays,
from 6 to 8 p.m., families aldo can come in to bounce
together.
Theres more jumping at Bounce! Trampoline
Sports in Cottage Way, New York. Bounce! has expand-
ed its facility, adding nearly 4,000 square feet. The new
space, which actually sits in the center of the existing
location but had been occupied by a previous tenant,
houses a multiple lane slam dunk basketball trampo-
line area as well as a new larger foam dual pit with en-
hanced safety innovations. This transition will make
room for the newest Bounce! innovation an indoor
trampoline bungee jump.
The trampoline bungee jump offers an opportunity
for children and teens to practice fips and jumps with
complete confdence and it is the same type of motor-
ized unit that is used by circuses around the country
for training their acrobats.
In addition to the new space, Bounce! now offers
Jump n Glow nights where everything inside of Bounce
turns to glow in the dark and creates a whole new fun
atmosphere with rockin music and glow in the dark
balls and hula hoops.
Ongoing will be the special Toddler Time at Bounce,
which runs twice a week from 10 a.m. until noon for
ages 2 through 6 on Mondays and Thursdays. The spe-
cial time devoted to little ones was created explicitly
so parents and caretakers could jump and play without
worrying about bigger kids or too much noise.
Soccer Coliseum in Teaneck remains one of the
best local places where soccer afcionados do not have
to hang up their soccer shoes come winter. Since 1997,
The Soccer Coliseum has revolutionized indoor sports
in the New Jersey metro area with its over 35.000 sq. ft
of indoor space, high ceilings to keep ball in play and
it no walls, no boards and arena-style seating for more
than 1,500 fans.
Winter also means ice skating and the Ice Vault
Arena in Wayne where public skating and lessons and
hockey and parties all glide together in a perfect mix to
keep things fun and ft for all participants.
Fritz Dietl Ice Rink in Westwood, which was estab-
lished in 1958 by the renowned Austrian fgure skating
star and coach, Fritz Dietl, offers year-round skating
for all ages and ablilities. It is both the birthplace and
home of the North Jersey Figure Skating Club.
Heidi Mae Bratt is the editor of About Our Children.
OurChildren
About
At-Home Nursing Care for Critically Ill Children
T
heres nothing more frightening to a parent than a
child who is seriously ill.
That was the situation faced by one Teaneck
family. Their daughter was born with a heart defect
and needed cardiac surgery. The infant couldnt leave
the hospitals neonatal intensive care unit, and she
couldnt have the necessary surgery until she was a
little bigger. At about 2 months, the girl had the sur-
gery, successfully, and was to go home with a feeding
tube. The parents did not know what to do. They didnt
know how to handle their new daughter, who would be
joining a toddler sibling at home.
Marina Stengart, owner and director of nursing at
Star Pediatric Homecare Agency, knew what to do.
She knew this family needed consistent and profes-
sional nursing care for their delicate daughter. Within
nearly 24 hours after leaving the hospital, Stengart se-
cured the necessary insurance approvals and had an
overnight nurse in the familys Teaneck home. That
night nurse was there, making sure that their daughter
was feeding properly, checking on her breath, ensuring
that her lungs were clear, and giving the parents a tre-
mendous sense of relief.
I had no idea that we could get such help, says
the mother, who asked that the family not be identifed.
If we had to pay out of pocket for this kind of nursing
care, we couldnt afford it. The help has been so great
for our family.
Stengart, who worked for many years as a pediatric
nurse and as a pediatric intensive care nurse, says her
agency, with offces in Teaneck, Lakewood and Mount
Laurel, is entirely nurse-run from the RNs and LPNs
who go into the homes, to the directors and managers
in the business end.
Most agencies dont specialize in pediatrics, but
this is only thing we do, says Stengart. Children are
very different than adult patients from their basic phys-
iology to their psycho-emotional makeup.
If not for the nurses who are placed in the homes
for extended shifts, including 24-hour nurses, Stengart
says, these children would not be able to stay at home.
They would have to be at a long-term facility. I dont
think people realize how many children are at home on
ventilators or feeding tubes or with other conditions
that require constant monitoring.
Stengart says that many families, such as the
Teaneck family, may not realize that they may be able
qualify for intensive at-home nursing care, and that
case managers in her agency work very hard to secure
fnancing for the families through Medicaid, private in-
surance or other resources.
If the child is sick enough, we will navigate them to
getting the services they need, says Stengart. Parents
should try.
Heidi Mae Bratt is the editor of About Our Children.
Providing
Pediatric Nursing
Throughout
New Jersey
310 Cedar Lane Teaneck, NJ
www.starhca.com
201-836-0500
AOC-10
10
SPECIAL NEEDS
Special Needs Artists on Display at Kaplen JCC
Through the end of December, art by special needs art-
ists will be on display at Waltuch Gallery of The Kaplen
JCC on the Palisades. This years show includes framed
artwork, as well as ceramic and sculptural pieces that
showcase the creative talents of local special artists.
The works were created by school-aged children and
teens, community residents, and JCC Special Services
Program participants.
Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.
to 10 p.m.; Friday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed
Saturday and Jewish holidays. Admission is free and
open to the community. Kaplen JCC on the Palisades,
411 E. Clinton Ave, Tenafy, 201-569-7900.
Coming Jan. 24th
CAMP
ISSUE
To advertise, call
201-837-8818
205 West Englewood Ave
Teaneck, NJ
201-357-0417
www.thetherapygym.com
Sports Skills
Mommy & Me
Music & Movement
Yoga for Kids
Personal Training
for Kids
Open enrollment
now for
Winter session
of classes
11
ABOUT OUR CHI LDRE N SEPTEMBER 2013
AOC-11
Nursery Schools
All About Me, Inc.
5 Legion Drive
Cresskill, New Jersey 07626
201-569-9112
19 Emerson Plaza East
Emerson, New Jersey 07630
225 Edgewater Road
Cliffside Park, New Jersey 07010
555 Palisade Ave.
Cliffside Park, New Jersey 07010
Ages: 6 weeks to 6 years
Summer Camp: 4 to 9 years
All About Me Early Learning Centers have
four convenient locations. We are located
in Emerson, Cresskill and two locations
in Cliffside Park. We accept children from
6 weeks to 6 years. The operating hours
are 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Please see our ad on page 13.
Shalom Yeladim
Multiple locations in Teaneck, Tenay &
New York City
Teaneck 201-837-0837
Tenay 201-894-8300
New York City 212-960-8212
Ages: Infants to 5-years-old
A warm, safe and stimulating environ-
ment for children where our experienced
staff helps each child reach his or her
full potential. Our curriculum is based
around the Jewish calendar, incorporat-
ing themes from weekly Parsha and up-
coming holidays. Our Morot concentrate
on both Hebrew and English language
skills. Half Day, Full Day, Extended Day of-
fered. Please see our ad on page 12.
perfomring arts
Cresskill Performing Arts Inc.
300 Knickerbocker Road, Suite 1100
Cresskill, New Jersey 07626
201-390-7513
201-266-8830
studio-info@cresskillperformingarts.com
www.cresskillperformingarts.com
Ages: 2 to adult
Cresskill Performing Arts features small
classes, teachers from Broadway, in
Cirque shows, MTV, and more. Classes
include ballet/pointe, all kinds of jazz (lyr-
ical, contemporary, theater, funk, street),
tap, hip-hop, acting/improv, voice, triple
threat, choreography, arts & crafts class-
es, fencing lessons, creative legos and
more. Cresskill Performing Arts compa-
nies: Dance Ensemble, Junior Company,
and CPA Kids Company. Performance
opportunities include a work-in-progress
show in December, Spring Recital in
June, and charity shows throughout the
year. Workshop productions of musicals.
Open Fencing hours for our fencing stu-
dents. Great birthday parties: dance, act-
ing, yoga, fencing or arts & crafts themed.
The emphasis is on individual growth in a
non-competitive, inclusive environment.
Please see our ad on page 15.
The Performing Arts School
at bergenPAC
1 Depot Square
Englewood, New Jersey 07631
201-816-8160 x 35
www.bergenpac.org/education
Ages: 3 months to adult
The Education Program at bergenPAC
features a series of classes, school resi-
dences, workshops, live performances,
student productions and ensemble
groups in the Performing Arts for stu-
dents 3 months to 21 years old. Please
see our ad on page 11.
Arts
Rina Goldhagen Art Lessons
7-01 Manor Ave.
Fair Lawn, New Jersey 07410
201-248-4779
Artofexcellencestudio@gmail.com
Ages: 7 to adult
Art of Excellence Studio. Lessons in Fine
Art. Drawing and Watercolor Private Art
Lessons Structured lessons, relaxed at-
mosphere, fabulous results. Art Portfolio
Preparation Available. Experienced Art-
ist/Trained Educator. Please see our ad
on page 15.
special needs
Berger Learning Group, LLC
18A Johnson Ave.
Hackensack, New Jersey 07601
201-742-5298
www.bergerlearning.com
Ages: 18 months to 16 years
BLG provides a range of Applied Behav-
ior Analysis (ABA) services for children
with special needs. Our ABA programs
address cognitive, social-emotional, play,
and self-help skills, as well as language/
communication and behavioral chal-
lenges through a positive behavioral ap-
proach. Please see our ad on page 10.
The Therapy Gym
205 W. Englewood Ave.
Teaneck, New Jersey 07666
201-357-0417
TheTherapyGym.com
Ages: 0-21
At The Therapy Gym, our focus is child
rehabilitation, skill development and

LEARN
who they are
EXPLORE
what they can become
SHARE
their gifts with others

At Rockland Jewish Academy, students
Because it matters for life
Rockland Jewish Academy

450 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, NY 10994
Contact Judy Klein at
kleinj@rocklandjewishacademy.org
or 845-627-0010 x104

Pre-K3
through
Grade 5
AOC-12
12
the wellness of children. We are a com-
prehensive therapy provider of Physi-
cal, Occupational, and Speech-Language
Therapy. We offer many classes for kids
including Yoga, Mommy and Me, and
Pre-Sports Skills classes. In addition, The
Therapy Gym promotes health and well-
ness with our nutrition/personal train-
ing program for kids ages 6-15 years old.
Please see our ad on page 10.
schools
The Abraham Joshua Heschel School
Early Childhood/Lower School
30 West End Avenue,
New York, New York, 10023
212-784-1234
Middle School
30 West End Avenue,
New York, New York, 10023
212-595-7817
High School
20 West End Ave.,
New York, New York 10023
212-246-7717
www.heschel.org
Ages: Nursery through high school
The Heschel School is committed to and
known for academic excellence and for its
respect and concern for the whole child.
The Heschel High School is housed in a
state-of-the-art wireless facility designed
to support its rigorous college prepara-
tory academics, including world-class
Judaic Studies and extensive fne arts of-
ferings. Please see our ad on page 12.
The Elisabeth Morrow School
435 Lydecker St.
Englewood, New Jersey 07631
201-568-5566, ext. 7212
admissions@elisabethmorrow.org
www.elisabethmorrow.org
The students at the Elisabeth Morrow
School develop a passion for learning as
they engage frst-hand with educational
opportunities designed to motivate and
challenge them. The experienced and
dedicated faculty members foster aca-
demic excellence and intellectual curios-
ity. The program includes a comprehen-
sive academic curriculum, broad and rich
experiences in the fne and performing
arts, and a physical education program
that culminates in interscholastic team
sports in grades 6-8. The Elisabeth Mor-
row School is unrelenting in its focus on
the social development of its students,
with consistent emphasis on the devel-
opment of each individuals character. At
the heart of the school lie the Four Cs:
courtesy, cooperation, consideration,
and compassion. Please see our ad on
page 20.
450 West Nyack Road
West Nyack, New York 10994
845-627-0010/ Judy Klein x104
www.rocklandjewishacademy.org
Ages: 3 through Grade 5
Rockland Jewish Academy is an inde-
pendent community Jewish day school,
providing Rockland, Orange and Bergen
County children from early childhood
(ages 3 and 4) through 5th grade a supe-
rior education, focused on 21st century
skills and steeped in Jewish tradition.
RJA offers children an innovative and
enriched curriculum, instilling morals
and values and promoting a strong Jew-
ish identity, in a safe and nurturing set-
ting. General and Judaic studies are in-
terwoven, enabling students to develop
high-level critical thinking, analytical and
literary interpretive skills. Intellectual,
emotional and spiritual development is
fostered organically through our inte-
grated curriculum. Conveniently located
at the Rockland Jewish Community West
Nyack Campus with brand-new, state-
of-the-art classrooms and technology,
and providing individualized instruction
with a desirable student-to-teacher ratio,
RJA children grow within a stimulating
learning environment that celebrates
each of their talents and gifts. Exten-
sive after-school and extended morning
and afternoon programs (7:30 a.m. to 6
p.m.) are available. For more informa-
tion or a private tour, please contact
OPENING Minds, BRIDGING Differences, LIVING Jewish Values
THE ABRAHAM JOSHUA
HESCHEL SCHOOL
30 West End Avenue
New York, NY
Nursery-12th Grade
Roanna Shorofsky
Head of School
Marsha Feris
Director of Admissions
marsha@heschel.org
212 595 7087

LEARN
who they are
EXPLORE
what they can become
SHARE
their gifts with others

At Rockland Jewish Academy, students
Because it matters for life

450 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, NY 10994
Contact Judy Klein at
kleinj@rocklandjewishacademy.org
or 845-627-0010 x104

Pre-K3
through
Grade 5
NURSERY SCHOOL
For more info
or to register:
shalomyeladim.com
4CONVENIENT LOCATIONS:
TEANECK LOCATIONS:
815 Prince Street
1650 Palisade Avenue
Teaneck, NJ 07666
shalomyeladim@optonline.net
TENAFLY:
91 West Clinton Avenue
Tenay, NJ 07670
shalom.yeladim@hotmail.com

NEWYORK CITY:
13 Bennett Avenue 5
New York, NY 100 40
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION!
Ad Design: Julie Farkas Graphic Design Julie@JulieFarkas.com
For infants
through
6-year-olds
Register today!
SHALOMYELADIMis theperfect balance
of Jewish education, hebrewlanguage, secular
education and creative development.
Lea Frank (parent)
For The Most Important Years In Your Childs Life
The Only Choice
is Shalom Yeladim
201-837-0837
201-894-8300
212-960-8212
AT SHALOM YELADIM YOUR CHILD
WILL LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD
Well-rounded curriculum
encourages each to student
to reach their potential
Warm and experienced staf
Convenient locations
Year-round programming
Infant Room
Toddlers Class
Twos Class
Threes Class
Pre-K Class
Enrichment Programs
Hebrew Immersion
Art Education
Music and Movement
Creative Dance
Science
Swim Instruction
Nature Center
Piano Lessons
Holiday Workshops
Shabbat Parties
Cooking and Baking
Literacy
Handwriting without Tears
SIGN UP NOW FOR 2014/2015
SCHOOL YEAR AND SUMMER CAMP
OurChildren
About
13
AOC-13
courtesy, cooperation, consideration,
and compassion. Please see our ad on
page 20.
450 West Nyack Road
West Nyack, New York 10994
845-627-0010/ Judy Klein x104
www.rocklandjewishacademy.org
Ages: 3 through Grade 5
Rockland Jewish Academy is an inde-
pendent community Jewish day school,
providing Rockland, Orange and Bergen
County children from early childhood
(ages 3 and 4) through 5th grade a supe-
rior education, focused on 21st century
skills and steeped in Jewish tradition.
RJA offers children an innovative and
enriched curriculum, instilling morals
and values and promoting a strong Jew-
ish identity, in a safe and nurturing set-
ting. General and Judaic studies are in-
terwoven, enabling students to develop
high-level critical thinking, analytical and
literary interpretive skills. Intellectual,
emotional and spiritual development is
fostered organically through our inte-
grated curriculum. Conveniently located
at the Rockland Jewish Community West
Nyack Campus with brand-new, state-
of-the-art classrooms and technology,
and providing individualized instruction
with a desirable student-to-teacher ratio,
RJA children grow within a stimulating
learning environment that celebrates
each of their talents and gifts. Exten-
sive after-school and extended morning
and afternoon programs (7:30 a.m. to 6
p.m.) are available. For more informa-
tion or a private tour, please contact
Judy Klein, Director of Admissions,
at 845-627-0010 x104 or kleinj@
rocklandjewishacademy.org. Please
sports
Bounce! Trampoline Sports
612 Corporate Way
Valley Cottage, New York
845-268-4000
www.bounceonit.com
Ages: 270
Fun physical activity for every age.
Open jumping, trampoline dodge
ball, slam dunk basketball, trampo-
line aerobics, acrobat class, Bounce
Jr. for ages 2-6, practice board rent-
als for skateboarders, party rooms,
snack bar, free wi-f, corporate out-
ings, fundraisers. Please see our ad
on page 14.
Bounce U of Paramus
The ultimate Party and Play
Experience
70 Eisenhower Drive
Paramus, New Jersey 07470
201-843-5880
www.BounceU.com/Paramus
Ages: Preschool to Adult
Voted #1 Best Place to have a Kids
Party 2012
Bounce U is a party place for fami-
lies and friends to share memories
that will last a lifetime. All parties
and events completely PRIVATE for
you and your guests. 2 Giant bounce
stadiums. 10 incredible infatables.
Plus the new Lightspace game wall!
Cosmic Bounce-Glow parties. Check
out our open bounce and preschool
play-date schedule online. Kosher
available. Please see our ad on page
3.
The Coliseum at Teaneck Armory
Teaneck & Liberty Roads
Teaneck, New Jersey 07666
201-445-1900
www.soccercoliseum.com
Ages: 3 to16
Celebrating our 17th year provid-
ing the sports programs that build
confdence and skill. North Jerseys
#1 indoor sports facility. Soccer,
Kinder-sports program, speed and
quickness training. Super-safe, new
grass-like surface, arena-style seat-
ing for parents. Plenty of free park-
ing. Please see our ad on page 3.
Fritz Dietl Ice Rink
639 Broadway
Westwood, NJ 07675
www.fritzdietlicerink.com
Ages: All
Established in 1958 by Austrian
born Fritz Dietl, a renowned fgure
skating star and coach, the ice rink
offers a cozy and comfortable skat-
ing environment. It is the birthplace
and home of the New Jersey Figure
Skating Club. Please see our ad on
page 13.
Ice Vault Skating Arena
10 Nevins Drive
Wayne, New Jersey
973-628-1500
www.icevault.com
Ages: All
The Ice Vault has various activities
for kids of all ages. Public sessions,
hockey clinics, hockey teams, fgure
skating, free-style, Learn to Skate
programs. Birthday parties are also
available. Please see our ad on page
14 .
Monster Mini Golf
49 East Midland Ave.
Paramus, New Jersey 07652
201-261-0032
194 US 46 East
Faireld, New Jersey 07004
973-244-0026
www.MonsterMiniGolf.com
Ages: All
Monster Mini Golf is an exciting in-
door monster themed glow in the
dark 18-hole miniature golf course
that offers a host of fun activities at
every turn. You feel the excitement
and adventure of playing mini golf
among a scary but cool monster
dcor with custom and animated
props at every turn. All locations are
unique and custom designed. Mon-
ster Mini Golf is fun for the all ages.
Our courses are challenging enough
for adults to navigate, yet very play-
able for children. Throughout your
stay, our in-house crazy DJ will en-
tertain you. In addition to mini golf,
each Monster Mini Golf location has
its own state of the art arcade game
area, private event rooms. Please
Superdome Sports
134 Hopper Ave.
Waldwick, New Jersey 07463
201-444-7660
www.superdomesports.com
Ages: 3 and up (through adults)
With four massive playing felds in-
doors, theres something for every-
one, age 3 and up. Soccer, Lacrosse,
Baseball and more. Young athletes
learn key sports skills. Awesome
birthday parties, summer camp and
school programs. Hosting Bar/Bat
Mitzvahs and other special occa-
sions. Please see our ad on page 3.
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NOW CELEBRATING 24 YEARS!
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(201) 945-0266
5 Legion Dr, Cresskill
(201) 569-9112
225 Edgewater Rd, Cliffside Park
(201) 945-0234
19 Emerson Plaza East, Emerson
(201) 634-8622
FREE REGISTRATION $75 value. Exp. 1/31/14
Get Jewish wisdom on parenting at
Because your most rewarding
job is also the hardest.
Special Education Consultant,
Advocate, & Tutor
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prizeteacher@gmail.com 845-267-6720

`

Available
for
Parties,
Groups
&
Private
Lessons
639 Broadway, Westwood
Call for times 201-666-9883
Rink Desk 201-664-9812
www.FritzDietlRink.com
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Bnai mitzvah
Alyssa
ABRAMS
Alyssa Abrams, daughter of
Barbara and Louis Abrams
of Haworth, celebrated
becoming a bat mitzvah on
November 23 at Temple
Beth El of Northern Valley in
Closter.
Alexis
ARNOLD
Alexis Arnold, daughter of
Ann and Jonathan Arnold
of Norwood, celebrated
becoming a bat mitzvah
on December 7 at Temple
Beth El of Northern Valley in
Closter.
Rachel
BRUNN
Rachel Brunn, daughter
of Shari and Kevin Brunn
of Hillsdale and sister of
Samantha, celebrated
Beth Sholom in Park Ridge.
Sarah
BUTENSKY
Sarah Butensky, daugh-
ter of Debra Butensky of
Ridgewood, celebrated
Israel and Jewish Community
Center in Ridgewood.
Nicole
EPSTEIN
Scott
EPSTEIN
Nicole and Scott Epstein, twin
children of Dr. Robin Shore
and David Epstein, celebrated
becoming bnai mitzvah at
the Chabad Center of Passaic
County in Wayne on October
12. In August, they celebrat-
ed their bnai mitzvah during
a family trip to Israel.
Simchas
AOC-14
14
OurChildren
About
845-268-4000
612 Corporate Way, Valley Cottage, off Route 303!
info@BounceOnIt.com www.BounceOnIt.com
Twitter: @BounceSport Like us on Facebook!
WEVE EXPANDED!
COME DOWN AND CHECK IT OUT!
T R A MP OL I N E S P ORT S
As seen on the
Today Show
!
Open Jump for All Ages!
Trampoline Dodgeball
Slam Dunk Basketball
Birthday Parties & Group Events
Bounce! Jr. Zone for 6 and under
Open Friday and Saturday nights
READERS
CHOICE
2013
TOP 3
KIDS FUN PLACE
Multiple Lane Slam Dunk Basketball! Trampoline Bungee Jump!

Birth and Bar/Bat Mitzvah announcements
will now appear monthly in About Our Children.
Announcements are free, but there is a $10
charge for photographs, which must be accom-
panied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope if
the photograph is to be returned. Please include
a daytime telephone number and send to:
NJ/Rockland Jewish Media Group
1086 Teaneck Rd.
Teaneck, NJ 07666
prjewishmediagroup.com
AOC-15
15
OurChildren
About
Jordana
FELIXBROD
Jordana Felixbrod, daugh-
ter of Mindy and Howard
Felixbrod of Wyckoff, and
sister of Jared and Goldie,
celebrated becoming a bat
mitzvah on December 7
at Temple Beth Rishon in
Wyckoff.
Zachary
GLICK
Zachary Harrison Glick,
son of Lily and Rob Glick of
Closter and brother of Eden,
celebrated becoming a bar
mitzvah on November 16 at
Temple Beth El of Northern
Valley in Closter.
Bennett
GOLDSTEIN
Bennett Goldstein, son of
Erika and Richard Goldstein
of Woodcliff Lake and broth-
er of Aydan and Harrison,
celebrated becoming a
bar mitzvah on November
30 at Temple Beth Or in
Washington Township.
Evan
GOLER
Evan Todd Goler, son of
Bonnie and Dr. Scott Goler
of Ridgewood and brother
of Alexandra, celebrated
becoming a bar mitzvah on
December 14 at Temple
Beth Or in Washington
Township.
Miri
GOODMAN
Rivke
GOODMAN
Miri Chana Goodman and
Rivke Noama Goodman,
twin children of Hope and
David Goodman of Paramus,
and sisters of Laili, 10, and
Sari, 7, celebrated becoming
bnot mitzvah on December
1. Their grandparents
are Elaine and Seymour
Schlossberg of Wayne
and Roslyn and Lawrence
Goodman of Franklin Lakes.
As a mitzvah project, along
with their father, they partici-
pated in Jewish Federation
of Northern New Jerseys
Klene Up Krewe 13 in New
Orleans and Klene Up Krewe
@ Home III. The girls attend
Solomon Schechter Day
School of Bergen County.
The family belongs to the
Jewish Community Center of
Paramus/Congregation Beth
Tikvah.
Jade
GREENBERG
Jade Greenberg, daugh-
ter of Elicia and Jonathan
Greenberg of Woodcliff
Lake, celebrated becoming
a bat mitzvah on December
14 at Temple Beth Or in
Washington Township.
Elizabeth
HEXTER
Elizabeth Hexter, daughter of
Jenifer and David Hexter of
Oakland and sister of Gabriel,
8, celebrated becoming a bat
Barnert Temple in Franklin
Lakes.
Matthew
HIRSH
Matthew Hirsh, son of Gary
and the late Karen Hirsch
of Wayne, and brother of
Doug and Nicole, celebrated
October 5 at the Chabad
Center of Passaic County.
Alexa
LIFSON
Alexa Lifson, daughter of
Heather and Adam Lifson of
Fair Lawn and sister of Jessie,
the Fair Lawn Jewish Center/
Congregation Bnai Israel.
Mia
LOWY
Mia Lowy, daughter of Erica
and Brett Lowy of Ridgewood
and sister of Mark, 22, and
Meredith, 17, celebrated
becoming a bat mitzvah
on November 30 2013 at
Lakes.
Ali
LUCHS
Ali Luchs, daughter of
Julie and Scott Luchs of
Upper Saddle River and
sister of Hannah, celebrated
Township.
Emma
LUSTIGMAN
Emma Lustigman, daughter
of Jill and Andrew Lustigman
of Woodcliff Lake and sis-
ter of Matthew, celebrated
Emanuel of the Pascack
Valley in Woodcliff Lake.
Melanie
MEISNER
Melanie Meisner, daugh-
ter of Michelle and Eric
Meisner of Montvale and
sister of Danielle, celebrated
December 7 at Temple Beth
Or in Washington Township.
Steele David
MILLER
Steele David Miller, son of
Loren Miller of Brooklyn, N.Y.,
and Forest Hylton of Boston,
Mass., celebrated becoming
a bar mitzvah on December
7 at Temple Beth Eloheim
in Park Slope, Brooklyn. His
grandparents are Carole
Miller of Edgewater, Robert
Miller of New York City, and
Peggy Celano of Portsmith,
N.H. As a mitzvah proj-
ect, Steele and his mother
cooked and served a series
of dinners to men living in a
homeless shelter in Brooklyn.
Courtney
OBER
Courtney Ober, daughter
of Marci and Henry Ober
of Ridgewood and sister of
Jordan, 15, becoming a bat
Lakes.
Talia
ROSEN
Talia Rosen, daughter of
Laura and Lawrence Rosen
of Ridgewood and sister
of Matthew, celebrated
Township.
Mitchell
SARON
Mitchell Saron, son of and
Beatrice and Michael Saron
of Ridgewood and brother
of Veronica, celebrated
December 14 at Temple
Beth Rishon in Wyckoff.
Justin
SCHNEIDER
Justin Schneider, son of
Bonnie and Steven Schneider
of Ridgewood and brother of
Joshua and Jeremy, celebrat-
ed becoming a bar mitzvah
on November 23 at Temple
Township.
Sarah
SOMMER
Sarah Sommer, daughter
of Benjamin Sommer and
Jennifer Dugdale of Teaneck
and sister of Avi and Eliana,
Congregation Beth Sholom in
Teaneck.
Benjamin
STOBBE
Benjamin Stobbe, son of
Laura and Jan Stobbe of
Ridgewood and brother of
Norma and Isaac, celebrated
Emanuel of the Pascack
Valley in Woodcliff Lake.
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300 Knickerbocker Rd Cresskill
Once Upon a Time Creative Legos
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studio-info@cresskillperformingarts.com
www.cresskillperformingarts.com
201-390-7513 201-266-8830
New in January:
Boys' Street Jazz/
Hip-Hop Class
Musical Theater Workshop
(new class added)
Additional days for fencing
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READERS
CHOICE
2013
TOP 3
DANCE SCHOOLS
Whole
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TRAINED AT & CERTIFIED BY HADASSAH HOSPITAL, JERUSALEM
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ART
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Unlock your Creativity with Classes in
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www.artofexcellencestudio.com
AOC-16
16
1. Valley Chabad Hebrew School sponsored
a Chanukah Gift Wrap & Bagel Breakfast at
which each student brought their own gift to
wrap for a child in need. Between the flurry
of wrapping paper, scissors, tape and stickers,
there were smiling faces of the students and
parent volunteers who were happy to light up
anothers Chanukah.
2. Kindergarten students at Yeshivat Noam
were busy making menorahs.
3. Nursery students from Lubavitch on the
Palisades Preschool dressed up as firefighters
in preparation for a Chanukah fire safety
presentation by the Tenafly Fire Department.
4. Over 250 people, including Craig Botwinik
and his daughter, Elisheva, pictured, attended
Chabad of Fort Lees Chanukah Extravaganza.
Rabbi Meir Konikov, director of Chabad of
Fort Lee, lit the menorah. There was also a
magician, songs, dance, and a photo booth.
5. Ben Porat Yosef early childhood students
enjoyed a Chanukah candle lighting ceremony
with songs and dancing, led by Rav Tomer
Ronen, rosh hayeshiva (head of school).
6. Chanukah in Fort Lee with Rabbi Meir
Konikov, director of Chabad of Fort Lee, who
lit the menorah. There was also a magician,
songs, dance and a photo booth.
7. In honor of Chanukah, the Chicks class at
Gan Yaldenu in Teaneck built a model of the
Beit Hamikdash.
8. Fifth graders at the religious school at
Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley
show their Lego menorahs. The activity was
organized and run by parent Jordana Engler.
Teachers Yitz Greenbaum and Amy Wolk are
pictured with the students.
1 2 3
4
5
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OurChildren
About
17
OurChildren
About
TopChoices
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4
Pattern Palooza Family
Day at The Jewish Museum
Enjoy a day celebrating wearable art and
the power of pattern inspired by the fashion
collective threeASFOUR. Create your own
sculptural work of art to wear, hear a world
music mix from musician Oran Etkin, print
patterns, strike a pose on a runway, explore
the galleries, and so much more patterned
fun. From noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan.
26. Workshop is free with admission to the
museum. The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth
Ave., Manhattan, 212-423-3200, www.
thejewishmuseum.org.
New Years Day Carnival
Extravaganza
Areyvut, the Bergeneld-based
nonprot chesed organization, is
holding a New Years Day Carnival
Extravaganza from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
at the Garden State Exhibit Center in
Somerset. Mechanical and inatable
rides, games, food and entertainment
will be available. The Gizmo Guys,
comedy jugglers will be on hand,
as will the Chicago Boyz Acrobatic
Team. The Garden State Exhibit
Center, 50 Atrium Drive, Somerset.
Tickets $18 in advance, $20 at
the door. For information, info
areyvut.org, 201-244-6702, www.
newyearsdaycarnival.com.
Makeover Madness
at Neiman Marcus
Mothers and others are
invited to make pretty for
a good cause: supporting
the Gerrard Berman Day
School at a makeover fun-
draising event at Neiman
Marcus at the Garden
State Plaza from 10 a.m.
to noon on Friday, Jan. 17.
Its a good way to start the
New Year, to relax and to
help support the Oakland-
based day school, says Amy
Silna Shafron, director of
Institutional Advancement at
Gerrard Berman Day School.
The event, which includes brunch,
is $60 per person, $36 for alumni.
Neiman Marcus, Garden State Plaza,
Paramus. For information, 201-337-
1111 ext. 206, www.ssnj.org.
COMP I L E D BY HE I DI MA E B RAT T
Bouncey Bouncey Fun
for the New Year
Planning a party, a eld trip or just
want to come in and jump for joy?
At BounceU of Paramus, theres
always something that will get you
moving. The inatable structures,
climate-controlled environment and
atmosphere of play are perfect for a
fun time with the children. In addi-
tion to open bounce time, there are
weekly preschool play dates, family
night bounce time, and a monthly
cosmic tween bounce replete with
glow-in-the-dark accessories and
a DJ spinning cool tunes. BounceU,
70 Eisenhower Drive, Paramus,
AOC-17
To Our Readers: This calendar is a day-by-day schedule of events. Although all information is as timely as we can make it, its a good idea to call to
verify details before you go.
To Add Your Event to Our Calendar
Send it to:
Calendar Editor
About Our Children
New Jersey/Rockland Jewish Media Group
1086 Teaneck Road
Teaneck, NJ 07666
or email it to: AboutOCaol.com
or fax it to: 201-833-4959
Deadline for February issue (published January 24):
Tuesday, January 14
Satuday, December 21
Big Sale on Childrens Clothes: Motzei
Shabbos Sale, 50 percent off. Tuesdays Child,
177 W. Englewood Ave., 201-357-8363, www.
tuesdayschild.com.
Sunday, December 22
Family Art Project: Make glittery gift candles
using colorful clay-like wax that can be mixed
and molded. Workshop is free with admission.
Wave Hill House, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wave Hill, 675
W. 252 St., Bronx, 718-549-3200, www.wavehill.
org.
Wednesday,December 25
Bubble Mania at the JCC: Casey Carle, bubble
artist will marvel with a spectacular soapy show
for families. 11 a.m. The show will be followed
by lunch at 11:45. Kaplen JCC on the Palisades,
411 E. Clinton Ave., Tenay. 201-569-7900.
www.jccotp.org.
The Macaroons at the Jewish Museum: The
rollicking musicians will perform two concerts
for families at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets $20
per adult; $15 per child. For children 5 and older.
The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., Manhattan,
212-423-3200, www.thejewishmuseum.org.
Friday,December 27
Doll and Me: Bring your American Girl Doll,
Webkinz or another favorite doll as your guest
to afternoon tea. Create matching jewelry
for both you and your doll. 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Just Bead Yourself, 113 Central Ave., Westeld.
908-232-3411, www.just-bead-yourself.com.
Holiday Fun Day in Newark: Enjoy extra activi-
ties and performances from 1 to 4 p.m. includ-
ing art and science hands-on workshop and
seasonal planetarium show. Newark Museum,
49 Washington Street, Newark, 973-596-6550,
www.newarkmuseum.org.
Saturday,December 28
Annual Supper Quiz at Yavneh Academy: A
great night out for the folks. Team trivia contest,
dinner and rafes. 8 p.m. $30 per person. Sign
up at www.yavnehacademy.org, Event takes
place at Bnai Yeshurun, 641 W. Englewood Ave.,
Teaneck.
Vaccine Debate: Dont Touch My Kids: the
Vaccine Debate Revisted will be discussed at
the tish (table) of Rabbi Lawrence Zierler at the
Jewish Center of Teaneck, 70 Sterling Place, at
noon following Shabbat services. 201-833-0515,
www.jcot.org.
Sunday, December 29
Family Art Project: Use Wave Hill-inspired
images to create a hanging calendar for 2014.
Workshop is free with admission. Wave Hill
House, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wave Hill, 675 W. 252
St., Bronx, 718-549-3200, www.wavehill.org.
Wednesday,January 1
New Years Carnival: Carnival featuring food,
fun and entertainment to benet Areyvut, the
Bergeneld-based nonprot chesed organiza-
DaybyDay
AOC-18
OurChildren
About
See Bubble Mania at the JCC, December 25
J A N U A R Y
The Good Life With Kids
18
tion. The Garden State Exhibit Center, 50 Atrium
Drive, Somerset. Tickets $18 in advance; $20
at the door. info@areyvut.org, 201-244-6702,
www.newyearsdaycarnival.com.
Shlock Rock: Come listen to this rockin group
from 2 to 4 p.m. Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor
Road, Teaneck. $15 in advance; $20 at door.
201-833-1322.
Friday,January 3
Playgroup for Little Ones: Temple Emanuel
playgroup for newborns to 12 months old. Temple
Emanuel of the Pascack Valley, 87 Overlook
Drive, Woodcliff Lake, 201-391-8329, lisa@tepv.
org.
BubbleMania at Liberty Science: Watch bubble
master Casey Carle create jaw-dropping art with
his soapy spectacle. The 1 p.m. show is additional
$5 with admission. Liberty Science Center, Liberty
State Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City,
201-200-1000, www.lsc.org.
Saturday,January 4
Art Attack!: An evening of creativity for chil-
dren in rst through fourth grades at the Bergen
County YJCC from 6 to 9 p.m. Art with recy-
clables, art games and more. Fee is $25; $30
for non-members. YJCC, 605 Pascack Road,
Township of Washington. 201-666-6610, wfox@
yjcc.org.
Sunday, January 5
Shabbat Unplugged: Temple Emanuel of the
Pascack Valley presents The Jewish Experience
with Rabbi Shull and Friends (A Holiday Workshop
for Parents and Grandparents) Shabbat
Unplugged, A Day to Reconnect! 10:15 to
11:15 a.m. Open to all for free. 87 Overlook Drive
in Woodcliff Lake, 201-391-0801 or events@tepv.
org.
Monday,January 6
Kindergarten Open House: For parents of
children entering kindergarten in September
2014. 10 a.m. Temple Emanuel of the Pascack
Valley, 87 Overlook Drive, Woodcliff Lake,
201-391-8329, amy@tepv.org.
Wednesday,January 8
Stress Reduction: The Valley Hospitals Integrative
Healing Services hosts a free orientation on
mindfulness based on stress reduction from 6 to
8 p.m. at the Luckow Pavilion, One Valley Health
Plaza, Paramus.
James Carville and Mary Matalin: He worked for
President Bill Clinton. She worked for President
George Bush. The provocative political couple
tell all. 8 p.m. Tickets from $29. 92
nd
St. Y,
Kaufmann Concert Hall, 1395 Lexington Ave.,
Manhattan, 212-415-5500, www.92y.org.
Friday,January 10
Playgroup for Little Ones: Temple Emanuel
playgroup for newborns to 12 months old. Free.
Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley, 87
Overlook Drive, Woodcliff Lake, 201-391-8329,
lisa@tepv.org.
Shabbat Tikvah: Temple Emanuel of the Pascack
Valley will present Shabbat Tikvah a service of
inspiration and renewal at 8 p.m. During the oneg
that follows there will be an optional discussion
on mending relationships. 87 Overlook Drive,
Woodcliff Lake, 201-391-0801, www.tepv.org.
Saturday,January 11
Winter Saturday at Temple Israel: Shmuel Katz,
Moran Katz and Anna Polonsky play works of
Mozart and Bruch following Havdala at 7:45 p.m.
Temple Israel and JCC, 475 Grove St., Ridgewood.
201-444-9320, ofce@synagogue.org.
Sunday, January 12
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good,
Very Bad Day: A big oy vay! Target Storybook
series with Theaterworks USA presents the play
at 2 p.m. Tickets, $7. Brooklyn Center for the
Performing Arts at Brooklyn College, 2900
Bedford Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., 718-951-4500,
brooklyncenteronline.org.
Winter Family Day: Music by Naomi Less, crafts
and tours and more for families with children
ages 3 to 10. The fun starts 1 p.m. at the Museum
of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the
Holocaust, Museum of Jewish Heritage A
Living Memorial, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36
Battery Place, Manhattan. 646-437-4202,
www.mjhnyc.org.
Monday,January 13
Science Spectacular: Ancient Animals: Dinosaurs
and their cousins, as part of the Sunday Science
series. Discover exciting facts and make a fos-
sil. 92 Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., Manhattan,
212-415-5500, www.92y.org.
Wednesday,January 15
Elisabeth Morrow Open House: Come see what
the school is about 9 to 11 a.m. Presentation
followed by a campus tour. Elisabeth Morrow,
480 Next Day Hill Road, Englewood. To register,
201-568-5566 x7212, admissions@elisabeth-
morrow.org.
Tu Bshevat in Franklin Lakes: Join a special
Seder at 7 p.m. to celebrate Tu Bshevat (the fes-
tival of trees). The shul seder includes delicious
fruits, nuts and treats, and joyful music. Barnert
Temple, 747 Route 208 South, Franklin Lakes.
201-848-1800, www.barnerttemple.org.
Thursday,January 16
Kelli Rabke Agresta: Bergen Countys own Kelli
Rabke Agresta performs No Place Like Home
to benet bergenPACs Performing Arts School.
8 p.m., Also on Friday,January 17. bergenPAC, 30
North Van Brunt St., Englewood, 201-227-1030,
www.bergenpac.org.
See The Macaroons at the Jewish Museum,
December 25.
19
OurChildren
About
PARTY
AOC-19
Beth Am Temple Early Childhood Program:
Beth Am Temple, a reform congregation in
Pearl River, New York, has introduced Yaldeynu,
a free early childhood program for children 4
and younger, with art, music, stories, movement
and snack. Sessions meet from 10 to 11 a.m.,
with dates including Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 16,
April 6 and May 4. An adult must accompany
children. Members and non-members welcome.
For more information www.BethAmTemple.org.
Temple Beth Am, 60 E. Madison Ave., Pearl River.
845-735-5858.
Winter Break Camp at the Y:
The Wayne Y is offering a camp for children 5
to 12 years old with swimming, sports, arts and
crafts, cooking and more. Camp dates are Dec.
23, 24 (until 3 p.m.), Dec. 26, Dec. 27, Dec. 30,
and Dec. 31 (until 3 p.m.). Camp hours from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free before and after
care. $55 per day for members; $70 for non-
members. To register, 973-595-0100, email jmy-
ers@metroymcas.org. The Y is located at 1 Pike
Drive in Wayne.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 3D:
The second in a trilogy of lms adapting The
Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug plays at the IMAX Palisades
Theatre at the Palisades Center. The Desolation of
Smaug continues the adventure of Bilbo Baggins
(Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard
Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and thirteen Dwarves,
led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on
an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom
of Erebor. The lm is rated PG-13. The IMAX
Theatre at Palisades Center is located on the top
oor in the Palisades Center Mall in West Nyack.
845-353-5555, www.imax.com/palisades.
Pilates for PeeWees:
The Valley Hospitals Center for Family Education
is offering PeeWee Pilates, for post-partum moth-
ers. Pilates is the best way to regain core strength,
pelvis oor control, and get rid of your post-preg-
nancy tummy. The program will be held January
3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 from 10:30 11:30 a.m. at
Destination Maternitys Learning Studio, 35 Plaza
on Westbound Route 4, Paramus, 201-291-6151,
www.ValleyHealth.com/FamilyEducation.
Weekend Childbirth Preparation Course:
The Valley Hospital offers classes to prepare the
expectant mother and her coach for birth. Topics
include comfort tips, labor and birth, breathing
and relaxation techniques, medications, anes-
thesia, vaginal and cesarean birth, and infant
care and feeding. Classes will be held Saturday,
January 4 and 11 and Saturday, January 18 and
25 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Dorothy B.
Kraft Center, 15 Essex Road, Paramus. $200 per
couple. 201-291-6151, www.ValleyHealth.com/
FamilyEducation.
Friday,January 17
Beauty for a Cause: Gerrard Berman Day
School hosts its annual beauty event fundraiser
at Neiman Marcus at the Garden State Plaza in
Paramus from 10 a.m. to noon. Come get pretty
and help raise money for the school $60; $36
alumni. 201-337-1111 ext. 206.
Tu BShevat Dinner at the 92 Street Y:
Celebrate the birthday of the trees while welcom-
ing Shabbat with our engaging, earthy and deli-
cious dinner experience. $30 adults, $10 child.
92 Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave., Manhattan.
212-415-5500, www.92y.org.
Monday,January 20
Munchkin Monday: Celebrate winter with
Munchkin Monday with arts and crafts, music
and games. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the JCPenney
court at the Palisades Center. Registration
required. Palisades Center, 1000 Palisades
Center Drive, West Nyack, N.Y., 845-348-1000,
www.palisadescenter.com.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Newark:
Celebrate a great American leader with a
fun-lled day of activities for the entire family.
From noon to 3:30 p.m. Newark Museum, 49
Washington Street, Newark, 973-596-6550,
www.newarkmuseum.org.
Tuesday,January 21
Super Nanny Safety Training: Emergency care
training for childcare providers, including calling
emergency services, treatment of injuries, CPR
for infant and child and Heimlich maneuver. 6 to
10 p.m. $85. 92 Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave.,
Manhattan. 212-415-5500, www.92y.org.
Wednesday,January 22
The Healthy Weigh: Talk to Janet Brancato, dieti-
tian about the best way to lose weight in the New
Year. Offered by Valley Hospital Community Health
Department. 7 p.m. at the Ridgewood Library,
125 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood. Registration,
800-825-5391, www.valleyhealth.com.
Joan and Melissa: The famous funny mother-
daughter duo, Joan and Melissa Rivers, riff on
surviving in the spotlight at 8 p.m. at the 92
nd

St. Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall. Tickets from $46.
212-415-5500, www.92y.org.
Saturday,January 25
Tot Shabbat in Franklin Lakes: Pre-readers
are invited for a service at 9:30 a.m. where
they will engage in activity, musical prayer, Torah
and a story. Stay for refreshments. Barnert
Temple, 747 Route 208 South, Franklin Lakes,
201-848-1800, ncohen1847@barnerttemple.org,
www.barnerttemple.org.
Tween Scene at the YJCC: Tweens in grades 5
through 7 are invited to use the pool and gym,
play games in the lounge, snack in the caf or
dance to a DJ. The program is open to members
and the community. $20 per evening. YJCC,
605 Pascack Road, Township of Washington.
201-666-6610, wfox@yjcc.org.
Tuesday,January 28
Navigating Diagnosis and Treatment: The Child
Mind Institute at 92Y presents experts discussing
how to diagnose and treat children with psychi-
atric and learning disorders. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $35.
212-415-5500, www.92y.org.
See The Macaroons at the Jewish Museum,
December 25.
See Kelli Rabke Agresta, January 16.
FYI
Winter Camp for the Special Needs
The Friendship Circle of Passaic County
will be having a fun-flled winter camp
at the Yeshiva Bet Hillel of Passaic, 270
Passaic Ave. in Passaic for children with
special needs. The youngsters will enjoy
an exciting array of activities, including
art, music, shows, and many hands-on,
sensory activities. This camp is staffed
with the help of volunteers who will de-
vote their time to provide companion-
ship and a good time to children with
special needs. The camp will run on
Thursday, Dec. 26 and Monday, Dec. 30
from noon to 3:30 p.m. Fee is $10 a day.
The children, their families and the
teenage volunteers all beneft in their
own special and deeply memorable
way from the Friendship Circles Winter
Camp experience. For more informa-
tion about the Friendship Circle Winter
Camp call 973-694-6274, 718-483-5682 or
www.fcpassaiccounty.com.
973-661-9368
Baby & Me Yoga:
Baby & Me Yoga is designed for mothers and
their babies, ages 6 weeks - 1-year-old. The
program, held on Monday, January 6, 13, 20 and
27 or Wednesday, January 8, 15, 22 and 29
from noon to 1 p.m., will deal with postpartum
conditions like back strain, weak abdominal wall
and pelvic oor, tight shoulders, sleeplessness.
Held at the Destination Maternitys Learning
Studio, 35 Plaza on Westbound Route 4,
Paramus. 201-291-6151, www.ValleyHealth.com/
FamilyEducation.
Postnatal Pilates:
Postnatal Pilates is designed for mothers six
weeks to several years after childbirth. Exercises
are modied to meet tness levels. Non-mobile
babies are welcome. The program will be held
on Tuesday, January 7, 14, 21 and 28 from 1
to 2 p.m. Held at the Destination Maternitys
Learning Studio, 35 Plaza on Westbound Route 4,
Paramus. 201-291-6151, www.ValleyHealth.com/
FamilyEducation.
Prenatal Yoga:
Prenatal Yoga is designed to help a woman
tap into her inner wisdom to guide her through
pregnancy, birth and motherhood. The program
will be held on Tuesday, January 7, 14, 21 and
28 from 10:30 11:30 a.m., or 7:30 8:30
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from 6 7 p.m.; or Saturday, January 4, 11, 18
and 25 from 10:30 11:30 a.m. Held at the
Destination Maternitys Learning Studio, 35 Plaza
on Westbound Route 4, Paramus. 201-291-6151,
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Science, Science and More Science:
Hang out with a penguin, make snow indoors,
taste ice cream made with liquid nitrogen, and
join us for special shows like Bubblemania. See
the classic holiday lm The Polar Express in the
nations largest IMAX Dome theater, or catch
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ence at Liberty Science Center from Dec. 21 to
January 1. Liberty Science Center, Liberty State
Park, 222 Jersey City Boulevard, Jersey City
201-200-1000, www.lsc.org.
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201-848-1027, schoolofce@barnerttemple.org.
Winter Camp at Chabad:
Chabad of Passaic County is offering camp
during winter break on Thursday, Dec. 26 and
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Jewish World
JS-24*
Reform Judaism
tries for reboot
URIEL HEILMAN
SAN DIEGO What do you get when
you bring together 5,000 of the Reform
movements faithful for a mid-December
conference in sunny San Diego?
You get four days of singing, learning,
schmoozing, and worrying, at a gather-
ing that seemed equal parts pep rally
and intervention session.
For pep, there were the spirited prayer
services, the morning-till-night stream of
musical performances, and Rabbi Rick
Jacobs, the president of the Union for
Reform Judaism, or URJ, who compared
the challenges facing the movement to
giant waves, crying Surfs up!
Big waves require more skill and
courage to ride, but if ridden artfully
they enable us to go faster and further
than ever before, Rabbi Jacobs said, a
giant screen projecting a swell behind
him.
For the intervention, there was ses-
sion after session devoted to the chal-
lenges facing the movement, especially
the question of how to engage young
adult Jews who, by and large, are steer-
ing clear of Reform synagogues.
I think the Reform movement needs
to remember that no matter how much
we double down on great program-
ming, it might not increase the likeli-
hood that those young people are going
to walk in, Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson,
a Reform rabbi who is president of the
Wexner Foundation, said in a confer-
ence session focused on the recent Pew
Research Center survey of U.S. Jewry. I
think thats really hard for this gath-
ering to keep in mind, because we
are the people who love what we do,
and we just think if we do more of it
and do it better and do it more often
and do it faster that theyre going to
come.
Though Reform i s the largest
denomination in American Jewish
life, there was palpable concern at
the conference that the movement is
headed for a diminished future. The
fastest-growing group of American
Jews is Jews of no religion, and the
denomination doing best at holding its
own is Orthodoxy, according to the Pew
survey.
Reform membership is dwindling,
synagogues are struggling to secure
their bottom lines, and as Rabbi Jacobs
noted at the last biennial, 80 percent of
Reform Jews are out the door by the
end of high school. Many never return.
Fewer than half of Reform parents have
enrolled their children in some kind of
Jewish youth, camp, or educational
program, the Pew survey showed.
Women hold hands around the Torah during the Shabbat morning service
at the Union for Reform Judaisms biennial conference in San Diego on
December 14. COURTESY URJ
A gathering
that seemed
equal parts
pep rally and
intervention
session.
Alan Berger Director and Host
Robyn Hartman Program Manager
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Jacobs has promised to reboot the movement, and
he is focusing his efforts on young people.
In his December 12 biennial speech, Jacobs pushed
for Reform communities to practice audacious hospi-
tality by being as welcoming as possible to intermar-
ried families and unengaged Jews; announced that URJ
had just sold half of its office space in Manhattan and
was investing $1 million from the proceeds to reshape its
youth engagement strategies; and detailed the ways the
union was making youth engagement a priority, includ-
ing expanding Reform summer camps and NFTY, the
National Federation of Temple Youth.
Trends are a wake-up call, not our destiny, Rabbi
Jacobs said, noting that a shrinking Reform movement
helped reverse its decline in the 1930s by repositioning
itself to be more open to traditional Jewish practice and
Zionism.
We adjusted our concept of who we are and what
was needed to strengthen Jewish life, he said. We must
be as open to reinventing ourselves today as in the past.
At session after session, the talk was about how to
reinvent synagogues, the central pillar of Reform Jew-
ish life.
My 20-year-old son wouldnt be caught dead doing
anything our synagogue does, one audience member
announced in a session on North Americas top models
of engaging Jews in their 20s and 30s.
But the variegated dynamism on display at the bien-
nial also belied the demographic challenges of a reli-
gious movement whose median age is 54 and only 17
percent of whose members, according to Pew, say they
attend synagogue services at least once a month.
The five morning services offered at the biennial
ranged from Yoga Shalom: A Shacharit Embodiment
of Prayer to a visual service with no prayerbook to an
Israeli-led service integrating prayer with pop music and
poetry. Plenty of kippot were in evidence, sported by
both men and women.
A group meeting for Psukei Dzimra before the main Shabbat service at the Reform biennial.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, taking questions from rabbis at a ses-
sion for clergy at the Reform biennial in San Diego on December 13.
SEE REFORM PAGE 26
Jewish World
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The New Year will continue to bring new
opportunities to impact the Jewish community
here, in Israel, and around the world.
The old year may bring tax advantages
if your envelope is postmarked by December 31.
*

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or make a new one.
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call 201.820.3937
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The virtual smorgasbord of confer-
ence sessions offered up to 33 concur-
rent options at some points. Partici-
pants could hop from The Synagogue
as a Center of Health and Wellness to
Meaningful Routes to Involvement with
Israel to Clergy Retirement: Preparing
for Congregational Transition.
On Saturday morning, Rabbi Jacobs
teamed with Cantor Angela Buchdahl
of New Yorks Central Synagogue to lead
a Shabbat service filled with singing,
dancing, interludes of reflective prose,
and Storahtelling, showcasing how far
the movement has moved away from
the Germanic high church style that had
been so popular in the mid-20th century.
When they reached the Shema, Rabbi
Jacobs clutched the purple tallit he had
made from fabric he bought in Darfur.
As he grasped each tzitzit fringe, he
talked about how it symbolized people
from the four corners of the earth
from Rio de Janeiro to Gedera, Israel, to
the people suffering in Syria, and to the
families of Newtown, Conn.
As Cantor Buchdahl strummed her
guitar and masses of congregants broke
into dance, Rabbi Jacobs swayed and
bobbed his head to the music.
Biennial organizers also invited sev-
eral Jewish leaders from outside the
movement to share their ideas for revi-
talization. Those guests included Rabbi
Sharon Brous, a Conservative rabbi
who founded and heads the popular
nondenominational Ikar community in
Los Angeles; Ron Wolfson, a professor
of education at American Jewish Uni-
versity; and Rabbi Donniel Hartman,
an Orthodox rabbi who leads the Sha-
lom Hartman Institute and accepted an
award from the URJ honoring his late
father, David Hartman, also an Ortho-
dox rabbi.
Absent from the conference was any
representative from the other major
force in Jewish life focused on outreach,
the Chabad-Lubavitch movement,
though Chabad was the subject of some
curiosity, envy, and anxiety at the bien-
nial. Many spoke of their struggles com-
peting with Chabad for adherents, ask-
ing how their cash-strapped synagogues
can compete with Chabads free or
lower-cost offerings.
At one session on engaging Israelis in
America, Rabbi Meir Azari, executive
director of the Daniel Centers for Pro-
gressive Judaism in Israel, warned, If
you dont adopt Israelis, Chabad will be
very happy to adopt them.
At a clergy luncheon, rabbis peppered
Rabbi Jacobs with questions about his
recent experience at the Chabad con-
ference of emissaries, or shluchim, and
his meeting with Chabad leader Rabbi
Yehuda Krinsky. Rabbi Jacobs also talked
about Chabad in his keynote address.
I believe with the very fiber of my
being that young Jews are hungry, but
not for a Judaism frozen in a distant
time, no matter how loving and warm
the purveyors including Chabad, in
particular might be, he said.
While trying to reshape the move-
ment, the URJ also is trying to transform
its own organization. The chairman of
URJs board, Steve Sacks, acknowledged
that the financing system needs signifi-
cant overhaul.
Aside from downsizing its headquar-
ters, Mr. Sacks promised a review of URJ
policies on synagogue dues, a simpler,
fairer and more predictable dues pay-
ment system, and a reduction in syna-
gogue dues as a percentage of congrega-
tional budgets.
The goal, he said, is to increase rev-
enue to the movement through out-
side funding, including several new
partnerships.
The Ruderman Family Foundation,
which focuses on disabled people, is
committing $600,000 over the next
three years to help make Reform syna-
gogues more disabled-friendly. And the
Harold Grinspoon Foundation is offer-
ing URJ congregations up to $900,000 in
support over the next five years to help
bring PJ Library a Grinspoon program
that delivers free Jewish-themed books
every month to more than 126,000 fam-
ilies to small communities that dont
have it.
The URJ already has funding from
the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Mar-
cus Foundation, and the Crown Family
Philanthropies.
The union also is strengthening its
relationship with the Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion,
the movements rabbinical school and
academic center, in part by moving
most of the URJ youth-programming
professionals to the HUC campus in
Manhattan.
The biggest challenges of Jewish life
cannot be tackled separately but must be
faced together, Rabbi Jacobs said.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the
Union for Reform Judaism, advocated
audacious hospitality in his keynote
address at the Reform biennial in San
Diego on December 12.
Reform
FROM PAGE 25
JS-27
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topics include Are We Really Living in a Post-
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4 Thursdays, Jan 30, Feb 13, 27, Mar 13,
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Social Games at the J
Play Poker with a master. Challenge
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Come with friends or meet new ones at
our social games, including Bridge,
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Classes begin January 7. For more info,
call Judy at 201.408.1457.
DROP IN: FREE/$7 payable at each session
or buy an 8 session punch card for $40
Bubble Mania
Ordinary becomes extraordinary in the hands of
a bubble artist! This humorous soapy spectacular
guarantees to amaze and amuse the entire
family, AGES 5-95, with giant oating spheres,
and amazing cube and spaceship bubbles. For
more info, call Michal at 201.408.1467.
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$45/$55 family (includes 2 adults & 2 children),
$15/$19 individuals
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Support Project NOTE!, a greeting card business operated
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lobby every Tuesday and Thursday. Proceeds go directly
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Pottery, Wheel Throwing
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Learn or reacquaint yourself with the basic techniques
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4 Thursdays, Jan 9 30, 7-9:30 pm, $90/$110*
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Dont miss out on the great winter we have lined
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ITS
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REGISTRATION FOR THE WINTER/
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Jewish World
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Bergen Community College maintains an open admissions policy for college-age adults. Bergen Community College is an equal opportunity institution.
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H A C K E N S A C K | M E A D O W L A N D S | P A R A M U S
Superman Sam
succumbs to cancer
Rabbis vow head-shaving
in tribute to 8-year-old
JULIE WIENER
In March, dozens of rabbis will shave
their heads at the Reform movements
Central Conference of American Rabbis
conference in Chicago. But the 8-year-
old boy whose struggle with cancer
inspired the rabbis campaign will not
be there to witness their act of solidarity.
Samuel Asher Sommer, the son of Rab-
bis Phyllis and Michael Sommer, died on
Saturday in his Chicago-area home after
an 18-month battle against refractory
acute myeloid leukemia.
His funeral was held Monday after-
noon at Am Shalom, where Phyllis Som-
mer is an associate rabbi.
Phyllis Sommer had created Super-
man Sam, a blog that documented
her sons struggle. Along with a fellow
Reform rabbi, she came up with the idea
for the 36 Rabbis Shave For The Brave
in order to raise money for pediatric can-
cer research and show solidarity with
Sam, who lost his hair to chemotherapy.
In the days since Samuels death, rab-
bis have continued to join the campaign.
As of Monday, 51 rabbis, most affili-
ated with the Reform movement, have
pledged to lose their locks. Another 11
have volunteered to help in other ways.
According to the 36 Rabbis Shave
For The Brave Web page, the campaign
has raised $122,808 as of Monday after-
noon for the St. Baldricks Foundation, a
13-year-old nonprofit that raises money
for pediatric cancer research.
Rabbi Charles Briskin, one of the rab-
bis who has pledged to shave his head
and raised $4,339, said he signed on
because he is friends with the Sommers
and felt propelled by the cause.
Following Sammys death, theres
just greater resolve to get more people
on board to prevent more [families] from
having to endure this, he said. Our goal
is to keep the momentum going as we
make our way to Chicago.
The idea for 36 Rabbis Shave for the
Brave came in late October, according
to Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr, who is
coordinating the campaign with another
rabbi.
Phyllis was talking about St. Bal-
dricks and said maybe it was time for
her to shave her head, she said. I said,
Thats a wonderful idea, and we could
probably get some of our colleagues to
do it.
The two set a goal of $180,000 and 36
rabbis. Then we said, we should all do
it together at the CCAR conference since
its in Chicago, and Sammy can come,
too, Rabbi Schorr said.
The head-shaving is to show solidar-
ity with children undergoing chemo-
therapy and to raise awareness, Rabbi
Schorr added. Its important for us to
educate people about the lack of fund-
ing for pediatric cancer research, and
we believe that as rabbis we have power
we can leverage when we see a need in
society.
According to the St. Baldricks Foun-
dation website, just 4 percent of money
earmarked for cancer research in the
United States focuses on pediatric
cancers.
As a result, the foundation said, phy-
sicians must struggle to apply proto-
cols that have been developed for adult
patients to children.
Treatment that works for adults can
be toxic for children because they are so
much smaller.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Eight-year-old
Samuel Asher
Sommer, shown
here with his
family, died
Saturday after
an 18-month
battle against
refractory
acute myeloid
leukemia.
COURTESY OF THE
SOMMER FAMILY
Op-Ed/Jewish World
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be earmarked for Jewish education
especially if the 2 percent were
generated from safe Israel-based
investments.
Heres one example: Solar fields in Israel
are financed 80 percent by Israels very
conservative commercial banks and 20
percent from equity investors, who enjoy
a roughly 9 percent annual average return
for 20 years, linked to inflation and backed
by the Israeli government. That is more
than double the return on an Israel Bond.
Imagine a federation endowment invest-
ing money in Israeli infrastructure projects
in, say, their Partnership 2000 communi-
ties in Israel and using the boost in profits
to lower the cost of Jewish education back
home. These truly would be worthwhile
investments because they promote social
and environmental benefits in Israel while
generating enough funds to support Jewish
education in North America.
The State of Israel is also creating a sover-
eign wealth fund to invest wisely the huge
windfalls it expects from its recently discov-
ered natural gas deposits an estimated
$125 billion over the next two decades.
While Israeli education, defense, renew-
ables, and society certainly should be the
major recipients of the profits here, asking
Israel to set aside 10 percent of the funds,
or $12.5 billion, to finance affordable Jew-
ish education around the world would radi-
cally transform lives and strengthen Israel
by strengthening Jewish peoplehood.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Day school
FROM PAGE 18
BRIEFS
Knesset passes new medical marijuana law
The Knesset on Sunday approved an
updated version of Israels cannabis law,
which will centralize marijuana collec-
tion and raise the number of doctors
allowed to prescribe cannabis treatment
to 31, Israel Hayom reported.
The marijuana now will be collected
by medical supply company Sarel, and
will be packaged and distributed to
approved pharmacies.
Marijuana growers and some patients
protested centralizing distribution.
Creating a monopoly without a ten-
der in this field is a fundamental breach
of proper governance, said Eli Zohar,
an attorney representing the cannabis
growers.
JNS.ORG
Poll: 70 percent of Israelis support
equal rights for LGBT community
A new poll finds that 70 percent of Israe-
lis support equal rights for the LGBT
community.
According to the poll conducted
for Haaretz by the Dialog Institute,
89 percent of secular Israelis support
full equality, as did 72 percent of tradi-
tional respondents and 46 percent who
defined themselves as religious or Arab.
The survey also reported that 59 per-
cent of respondents support civil union
legislation that provides a solution for
gay couples. While gay marriage, like
other forms of civil marriage, are not
allowed to be performed in Israel,
Israel does recognize same-sex unions
from abroad.
JNS.ORG
Haifa University spurns Nobel winner
over his two-state political stance
The University of Haifas Executive Com-
mittee said it decided not to grant an
honorary doctorate to Professor Robert
Aumann, winner of the Nobel Memorial
Prize in economics in 2005, because his
political beliefs are not in line with the
universitys values.
The university was concerned about
several Zionist positions espoused by
Aumann, including a remark that the
most sensible solution to the Israeli-
Arab conflict is a Jewish state and an
Arab state, where the Jewish state is
settled by Jews and the Arab state is
settled by Arabs, as well as a state-
ment that Jerusalem needs to remain
Jewish, Israel National News reported.
Judging someone based on his politi-
cal positions is extreme and extraordi-
nary and should not be done in an aca-
demic institution, Member of Knesset
Shimon Ohayon (Likud Beiteinu) said
regarding the universitys decision.
The University of Haifa said in a state-
ment, The process of choosing candi-
dates to receive the honorary doctorate
is a several-phased process. Only at its
end are the recipients announced and
reasons offered. The process is not over
yet. Deliberations are internal and not
meant for publication.
JNS.ORG
Jewish World
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Odd reversals on Jewish
priorities in Congress
RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON For Jewish and pro-
Israel groups, the congressional year is
ending with an odd reversal: the pros-
pect, however fragile, of bipartisan
comity on budget issues, coupled with
a rare partisan disagreement on Middle
Eastern policy.
The groups that deal with social wel-
fare and justice issues are heartened,
albeit warily, by the end-of-year budget
forged by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chair-
man of the House Budget Committee,
and Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), his
Senate counterpart.
Meanwhile, pronounced differences
are emerging in the bipartisan coalition
that over the last decade has shaped the
tough sanctions that helped compel Iran
to join talks aimed at ensuring it does not
obtain a nuclear weapon.
Democrats are heeding White House
pleas to lay low while the talks get under
way, while Republicans are eager to
advance legislation that would influence
any final deal.
The differences were at the heart of a
breakdown last week in talks between
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the Republican
majority leader in the House, and Rep.
Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the minority whip,
to craft a nonbinding resolution that
would have recommended additional
Iran sanctions.
Congressional insiders said that Mr.
Hoyer was under pressure from the
White House and Democrats not to
undercut sensitive talks. Additionally,
Mr. Cantors language appeared to over-
reach, especially in calling for an end to
Irans uranium enrichment capability as
part of a final deal an expectation that
Obama administration officials have said
is unrealistic.
The disagreement heralds a shift in
how Democrats treat pro-Israel issues,
according to officials of Jewish groups
that have advocated a softer line in deal-
ing with Iran.
Mr. Hoyer obviously made a decision
as a leader in his caucus that a substan-
tial number in his caucus werent going
to support a hawkish statement that
undermines the prospects for a diplo-
matic solution to the Iranian nuclear
program, said Dylan Williams, the leg-
islative director for J Street.
Lara Friedman, Americans for Peace
Nows legislative director, cited other
examples of lawmakers resisting cen-
trist and right-wing pro-Israel initiatives.
They include a bill advocating visa waiv-
ers for Israelis that would permit Israel to
keep in place policies that discriminate
against Arab-American visitors and the
confirmation earlier this year of Chuck
Hagel as defense secretary over the
objections of several pro-Israel groups.
It proved that no outside group can
push through its agenda, Ms. Friedman
said.
Officials from centrist pro-Israel
groups said there is still robust bipartisan
support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.
They noted the overwhelming passage in
the House this month of bills that would
advance Israels qualitative military edge
and energy cooperation with the United
States, as well as agreement in the House
and Senate to triple the administrations
request for funding of missile defense
cooperation to nearly $300 million.
A Republican congressional staffer
predicted that the Senate would con-
sider the sanctions in 2014 even though
Senate Democrats have resisted because
of the renewed talks with Iran.
As you get closer to November 2014
and midterm elections its going
to be harder to keep folks from getting
tough, said the staffer, who declined to
be identified because he wasnt autho-
rized to talk to the media.
On the domestic front, the two-year
budget agreement that passed the
House last week and the Senate earlier
this week is being seen as a positive step
after months of bickering between the
two parties, including a 16-day govern-
ment shutdown. But any optimism is
restrained.
Looking back at the year, to sum it
up, its been a really bad year that just
avoided getting a lot worse, said Rachel
Goldberg, director of aging policy at
Bnai Brith International, which oper-
ates 42 homes for the elderly across the
United States.
Representatives of Jewish groups that
deal with the social safety net caution
that budgets only set broad-stroke pri-
orities; Congress quickly could return to
deadlock when it gets to the nitty-gritty
of congressional spending in appropria-
tions bills.
As one example, Jared Feldman, Wash-
ington director for the Jewish Council for
Public Affairs, cited Head Start, the fed-
erally funded preschool program aimed
at children from low-income families.
The proposed budget mandates a
restoration of half the cuts that came
about as a result of sequestration the
automatic spending cuts that kicked in
last March when Congress missed the
deadline to agree on a budget. Demo-
crats favor including Head Start among
programs that would receive restored
money; Republicans want to restore
defense spending.
Are we able to restore Head Start?
Thats going to be a big question, Mr.
Feldman said.
Jewish World
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An additional strain on Jewish service provid-
ers will come when 1.3 million Americans lose their
unemployment insurance at the end of this year and
another 2 million or so lose it during 2014, said Wil-
liam Daroff, the Washington director for the Jewish
Federations of North America. Republicans refused
to include an insurance extension in the budget deal.
Millions of individuals will be left out in the cold, in
despair, Mr. Daroff said.
One bright spot is that the prospect of an end to the
tussling over spending clears the congressional agenda
for other domestic items. Immigration is chief among
these for many Jewish groups.
Abby Levine, director of the Jewish Social Justice
Roundtable, a coalition of 26 Jewish domestic pol-
icy groups that advocates for paths to citizenship
for undocumented immigrants, said the prospect of
immigration reform was bolstered this year by the pas-
sage of a comprehensive reform act in the Senate with
strong bipartisan backing.
House leaders have not said whether they will
advance the legislation; Mr. Cantor has said he favors
bringing immigration legislation to the floor.
Another bright spot for liberal Jewish groups is a mat-
ter of partisan rancor: the rolling back by the Demo-
cratic-led Senate of the filibuster rule, which required
a 60-vote supermajority in the 100-member Senate to
advance nominations to the judiciary or to the executive
branch. Now such nominations require only a simple
majority. Republican senators are livid at the change.
Sammie Moshenberg, director of the Washington
office of the National Council of Jewish Women, said
the appointments advancing through the Senate will
bring about better governance and a less-burdened
judiciary. She cited as an example the Senate confir-
mation last week of Chai Feldblum a leading gay
activist who is the daughter of a rabbi to the Equal
Opportunity Employment Commission three years
after President Obama named her to the post.
Gun control, an issue backed by many Jewish
groups, seemed ripe for advancement a year ago,
after a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults at
an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. But within
months, fierce pushback by gun rights groups, led
by the National Rifle Association, diluted what had
appeared to be bipartisan backing for more extensive
background checks for gun buyers.
That was a major disappointment, said Rabbi Julie
Schonfeld, who directs the Conservative movements
Rabbinical Assembly. JTA WIRE SERVICE
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chairman of the House
Budget Committee, and his Senate counterpart,
Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), on their way
to a press conference to announce a bipartisan
budget deal. T.J. KIRKPATRICK/GETTY IMAGES
Jewish World
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BRIEFS
Digital Israel seeks
to streamline
government services
The Israeli government on Sunday
approved the Digital Israel proj-
ect, presented by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, which aims to
offer the public a wide array of digi-
tal services based on a future optical
iber grid.
The infrastructure supporting
the project is scheduled to be com-
pleted within two years and should
allow for Internet speeds of up to
1,000 megabits per second.
This is an important social step
that will help reduce social and geo-
graphical gaps, Netanyahu said.
The project seeks to streamline
a wide array of Israeli government
services and to improve public
access to the countrys education,
health, and welfare systems.
JNS.ORG
Reform movement,
Ruderman Family
Foundation launch
synagogue inclusion
for the disabled
The Union for Reform Judaisms
Religious Action Center for Reform
Judaism and the Ruderman Fam-
ily Foundation announced a new
initiative to foster the inclusion in
synagogue life of people with dis-
abilities. The announcement came
at the Reform movements biennial
convention in San Diego.
The Ruderman Synagogue Inclu-
sion Initiative invites the nearly
900 synagogues afiliated with the
Reform movement to participate
in an Active Learning Network,
in which they will explore topics
such as eliminating misconceptions
about physical and emotional dis-
abilities, creating congregational
inclusion committees, and forging
partnerships with other congrega-
tions and organizations.
This new partnership with the
Ruderman Family Foundation will
allow us to create a network of syn-
agogues that will model best prac-
tices not only for our movement,
but for the broader Jewish commu-
nity, URJs President Rabbi Rick
Jacobs said. JNS.ORG
BDS activists
infuriated by Abbas
rejection
of boycotts of Israel
A statement by Palestinian Author-
ity President Mahmoud Abbas
rejecting a boycott of Israel has
infuriated Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions leaders.
No, we do not support the boy-
cott of Israel, Abbas said December
9, South Africas The Star reported.
But we ask everyone to boycott
the products of the settlements.
Because the settlements are in
our territories. It is illegal, Abbas
added.
The comments by Abbas conflict
with the Palestinian national con-
sensus that has strongly supported
BDS against Israel since 2005, BDS
movement co-founder Omar Bargh-
outi told Electronic Intifada.
There is no Palestinian political
party, trade union, NGO network
or mass organization that does not
strongly support BDS, Barghouti
said.
JNS.ORG
EU to offer massive
aid package
to Israel,
Palestinians if
peace deal reached
The European Union is set to vote
on a massive aid package to Israel
and Palestinians as an incentive for
both sides to reach a inal-status
peace deal.
The package spearheaded by the
foreign ministers of Germany, the
United Kingdom, France, Spain, and
Italyis reportedly worth billions of
euros and would include incentives
such as increased access to the EU
market, closer cultural and scien-
tiic ties, facilitation of trade and
investment, promotion of business-
to-business relations, enhanced
political dialogue, and security
cooperation, Haaretz reported.
But according to Maariv, the EUs
resolution on the package also
called Jewish construction in the
west bank and eastern Jerusalem an
obstacle to peace and expressed
deep concern with regard to
incitement, violent incidents in the
occupied territories, house demoli-
tions and the deteriorating humani-
tarian situation in Gaza.
JNS.ORG
Snowstorm costs
Israel an estimated
$86 million
The Israeli Finance Ministrys pre-
liminary estimates place the dam-
age caused by the recent snowstorm
in Israel, said to be the worst in 150
years, at 300 million shekels, or $86
million, Israel Hayom reported.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid cre-
ated a joint situation room with the
directors of the inance, interior,
social affairs and social services,
education, and health ministries,
as well as local authorities, to deal
with immediate inancial needs cre-
ated by the storm.
Additionally, Israeli farmers
warned that the storm would raise
fresh fruit and vegetable prices
signiicantly.
JNS.ORG
Tzipi Livni blocks
bill that curbs tax
benefits to anti-
Israel NGOS
Israels Justice Minister Tzipi Livni
blocked a bill that would rescind
government tax breaks for Israeli
non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) that support a boycott of
Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The bill, proposed by MKs from
HaBayit HaYehudi and Likud-Beit-
einu and initially approved by the
Ministerial Committee for Legisla-
tion, would subject anti-Israel NGOs
to a 45-percent tax rate on foreign
donations.
Israeli Attorney General Yehuda
Weinstein says the bill violates
several Basic Laws of Israel, and
even the Jerusalem-based watch-
dog group NGO Monitor opposed
the legislation, saying it prefers to
expose anti-Israel groups rather
than ine them.
Legislative proposals that go
beyond democratic transparency
and accountability for these NGOs
are ill-advised, not enforceable,
and damage Israels vital national
interests, NGO Monitor said in a
statement.
JNS.ORG
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Jewish World
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BRIEFS
Businessman Jacob Ostreicher back in U.S.
after being held more than two years in Bolivia
WASHINGTON Jacob Ostreicher, a
New York businessman held in Bolivia
since 2011, has returned to the United
States, the U.S. State Department
reportedly confirmed.
An unnamed State Department offi-
cial late Monday confirmed to The
Associated Press that Ostreicher was
in the United States for the first time in
more than two years, but did not pro-
vide any details of his return.
In an article based on unnamed
sources, the Yeshiva World News
had reported that Ostreicher was not
released by the government of Bolivia
but rather escaped from the country.
An unnamed son of Ostreicher told
the New Jersey newspaper The Lake-
wood Scoop that his father, who was
under house arrest for the past year,
was kidnapped in Bolivia and after a
ransom payment he was returned to
the United States.
Family members told the newspa-
per that Ostreicher had been missing
for a week before they learned he had
entered the United States. As of Mon-
day night, the family had not spoken to
Ostreicher, nor did they know where
he was.
Ostreicher, who had a flooring busi-
ness in New York, invested money with
a group involved in a rice-growing ven-
ture in Bolivia and was managing the
business when he was arrested on sus-
picion of money laundering. He also
was accused of doing business with
drug traffickers.
However, in June, Bolivian authori-
ties arrested 15 people including gov-
ernment officials on charges of engi-
neering his arrest in hopes of extracting
cash payment.
Despite those charges, Bolivia did
not release Ostreicher, a charedi Ortho-
dox father of five, and his case drew
the attention of leading lawmakers in
Congress, including Reps. Chris Smith
(R-N.J.) and Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and
Sean Penn, the movie actor and human
rights activist.
I am thrilled by the reports that
Jacob Ostreicher, my constituent, who
has been illegally detained in a Boliv-
ian prison for two years, is finally free,
Nadler said in a statement. He has suf-
fered greatly and his family has worked
tirelessly for his freedom. I am over-
joyed at the idea that they will soon be
together.
Mr. Ostreicher was the victim of
a horrible miscarriage of justice and
endemic corruption within the Boliv-
ian justice system.
Bolivian government officials told
the AP they didnt know whether Ost-
reicher had left the country, but said he
would have had a difficult time leaving.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Damaged Torahs found
in Iraq buried in N.Y.
Damaged Torah scrolls found by U.S. troops in Iraqs intel-
ligence headquarters were buried in a New York cemetery.
The burial took place Sunday at the New Montefiore
Cemetery in West Babylon, Long Island, The Associated
Press reported. More than 100 people attended the cere-
mony in the New York City suburb, among them Lukman
Faily, the Iraqi ambassador to the U.S.
This is a statement by the government and people of
Iraq that we are here to respect the heritage of the Jews,
Faily said during the ceremony, according to the AP.
Burial is the method under Jewish law of disposing of
unusable religious objects and texts.
Thousands of Jewish ritual items were discovered by
U.S. troops in 2003 following the U.S. ouster of Saddam
Hussein in the waterlogged basement of Iraqs intelligence
headquarters.
The items were shipped to the National Archives in
Washington, D.C., for restoration. They are featured at an
exhibit there through Jan. 5.
A number of Jewish groups and U.S. lawmakers have pro-
tested plans to return the items to Iraq, where there are vir-
tually no Jews, and want the items to remain in the custody
of an expatriate Iraqi Jewish community. JTA WIRE SERVICE
Healthy Living & Adult Lifestyles
JS-35*
World malaria experts look to
Israels past for future solutions
Experts believe the
multipronged approach that
wiped out the disease in pre-
state Israel could be applied
to African countries today
T
he mosquito-borne parasites that cause malaria
were wiped out in Israel several years before
the states founding in 1948. So why did leading
malaria experts choose Jerusalem as the place to
meet last week to formulate a new strategy for African
nations?
Because the tactics that proved successful here in
the 1920 and 1930s, coupled with new technologies,
could be exactly what sub-Saharan Africa needs to
address its malaria epidemic, which causes the death
of a child every 30 seconds. Some 250 million people
worldwide are infected by the parasite.
Despite billions invested in malaria vaccine research
and mosquito netting, the problem persists and may
even be getting worse, says public-health and medi-
cine historian Maureen Malowany from the Hebrew
University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health.
Revisiting Malaria conference participants are
soon to release the Jerusalem Declaration on Malaria
Elimination, proposing what Ms. Malowany calls a
phenomenal melding of 21st century technology and
tools in an old toolbox.
A forgotten strategy
Malowany says that back in the 1920s, Mandatory Pal-
estine faced an enormous malaria epidemic. Quinine
could ease symptoms, but nobody knew how to stop
the disease at its source.
In comes Israel J. Kligler, who arrived from the
United States in 1921 with a doctorate in microbiology,
says Ms. Malowany.
Before his death in 1944, Dr. Kligler succeeded in
eradicating malaria through a multipronged approach
that included not only draining marshes, spraying
larva-infested areas and introducing new treatments,
but also improving housing conditions and mounting
a vast community education effort.
The precursor of todays World Health Organization
(WHO) called Dr. Kligler and his colleagues benefac-
tors not only to the Palestinian population but to the
world as a whole. Members of the League of Nations
Malaria Committee were so impressed with Dr. Kliglers
inroads that they proposed taking his model across the
globe.
Yet despite subsequent successes in Brazil and Egypt
with this approach, the campaign lost steam and never
reached sub-Saharan Africa, Ms. Malowany says. By
1969, everybody was withdrawing funding and some areas
had bounce-back malaria. There was a huge rise in epi-
demics. Until 1992, no progress was made.
Finally, in answer to a plea from African scientists, in
1997 WHO announced a Roll Back Malaria campaign.
It relied heavily on bed nets, which reduced child mor-
tality from malaria by 60 percent but once again ignored
the source.
When nets became the darling of the funders, countries
no longer allocated funding for mainstream malaria con-
trol at the larval level, Ms. Malowany says.
It was not until 10 years later that the Bill & Melinda
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Professor Ron Dzikowski is researching the parasite.
COURTESY OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM
The anopheles mosquito carries malaria-causing
parasites. U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
SEE MALARIA PAGE 36
JS-36
Want to know about
Heritage Pointe of Teaneck?
Who better to hear it from than
the people who live here.
Listen to what our residents have to say at
www.heritagepointeofteaneck.com
(Heritage Pointe resident testimonials).
For a tour call Joel Goldin at
201-836-9260
www.heritagepointeofteaneck.com
600 Frank W. Burr Boulevard, Teaneck, New Jersey
When I Leave My
Sons House,
I Tell Him Im Going
Back to Utopia
Heritage Pointe
of Teaneck
Gates Foundation pumped new money
and energy into national malaria elimi-
nation programs in sub-Saharan Africa,
and vaccine research that has not
borne fruit. Meanwhile, there is resis-
tance to new synthetic drugs as seen in
Cambodia.
Ms. Malowany says donor fatigue set
in, and progress has stagnated.
The international Revisiting Malaria:
Moving from Control to Sustainable
Elimination conference convened at
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
from December 8-12 to consider a back
to the future approach.
Representatives from Gabon and Zan-
zibar were there to see what conclusions
they could bring back home, where anti-
malaria efforts have been only partially
successful.
The event was organized by the
Braun School and the Kuvin Center for
the Study of Infectious and Tropical
Diseases at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem. The Jewish National Fund/
Keren Keyemeth LeIsrael was one of the
sponsors.
Ms. Malowany co-chaired the con-
ference with mosquito-borne disease
authority Bart Knols, chair of the
advisory board of the Dutch Malaria
Foundation.
Bart wants to design a program of
malaria elimination on Pemba Island
near Zanzibar by going back to the Kli-
gler method and adding new advances,
such as anti-larval agents and GPS, says
Ms. Malowany. Today we have much
better insecticides and strategies to com-
bat resistance.
Israeli researchers presented their
work in various aspects of malaria
research.
One of the presenters was Professor
Ron Dzikowski from the Kuvin Center,
who won a Gates grant for his teams
work in understanding the genetic
mechanism that enables the deadli-
est malaria-causing parasite to bypass
the immune system and resist drug
therapies.
Others are looking for drugs or vac-
cines, but the parasite is always one step
ahead of us, he says.
Our approach is to understand how
these parasites evade immune attack,
and then we can learn how to disrupt
this ability.
New larva-killing agents are another
critical tool to add to the box.
If we can show that the tools and strat-
egies can bring the incidence of malaria
to zero on Pemba Island, this would be
a success story that can be taken to the
world, says Ms. Malowany.
ISRAEL21C.ORG
Malaria
FROM PAGE 35
Pounds for Purpose participants
to shed weight, help the needy
Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C.,
Club Fit NJ, and Elie Y. Katz will host
the first annual Teaneck Pounds for a
Purpose to help residents get fit while
providing food for the needy. The $25
registration fee will go to Teanecks
Helping Hands Food Pantry.
Participants will receive a Teaneck
Pounds for a Purpose pass that will
record weight loss progress and serve
as a discount card at participating
Teaneck businesses. Weekly specials
will be announced on the official Get
Fit Teaneck website and Facebook
pages at www.getfitteaneck.com and
www.facebook.com/getfitteaneck.
Club Fit NJ is offering participants a
half-price three-month gym member-
ship for $49.99 (a $99 value). Winners
in male and female categories will get
a cash prize as well as other gift cer-
tificates and electronics. The top three
winners in each category will receive
a free one-year membership to Club
Fit NJ.
Participants may register online at
www.getfitteaneck.com and complete
an initial weigh-in at Club Fit NJ by Janu-
ary 8. Participants who register online
must present their receipt at Club Fit NJ
during the initial weigh-in. Registration
can also be made at Club Fit NJ with a
$25 check payable to the Helping Hands
Food Pantry. Participants must either
live or work in Teaneck.
Club Fit NJ is at 408 Cedar Lane in
Teaneck, where the final weigh-in must
be calculated by April 5. The top three
winners in each category will be deter-
mined by the highest total percentage of
weight loss.
There are three levels of corporate
sponsorship for the program: gold $250,
silver $100, or listing for $50.
Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. and
The Teaneck Chamber of Commerce
are Gold corporate sponsors. To partici-
pate as a sponsor contact Danielle Craft
at Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. at
(201) 907-5000.
JS-37*
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE
Henry Gitterman plays tennis four days
every week. Leaving his residence at
Heritage Pointe of Teaneck, he drives a
short distance to a tennis club in either
Leonia or Teaneck and plays either
singles for an hour or doubles for two
hours.
Mr. Gitterman used to play six days
a week, but decided it was time to cut
down. After all, he recently turned 90.
Its good for me, said Mr. Gitterman,
who has been playing tennis since he
was a teenager. I stopped skiing three
years ago, but tennis? I figure I can play
that forever.
Mr. Gitterman, who moved from New
York City to Teaneck with his wife in
the 1950s, moved out of his home of
more than 60 years in September and
into Heritage Pointe of Teaneck, one of
northern New Jerseys premium senior
independent living communities. Living
in a senior residence hasnt hampered
Mr. Gittermans game.
I can still run better than most of my
opponents, he insisted. I dont ask how
old they are, but I suspect they are all at
least 25 years younger than me.
Tennis wasnt Mr. Gittermans first
choice in sports. He grew up the only
child of middle class parents in Nurem-
berg, Germany, and he played soccer in
the streets until it became too danger-
ous for him and the neighborhoods few
other Jewish children.
He was 14 years old when he and his
parents fled Nuremberg on the day Hit-
ler invaded Czechoslovakia.
It was a Friday when the Holland-
America cruise ship we were on reached
shore in Hoboken, he recalled. Had we
taken a German line, I wouldnt be alive.
Many of my family members werent so
lucky. They didnt think Hitler was as
crazy as he was.
The family settled in a German/Jew-
ish neighborhood on the Upper West
Side of Manhattan. He worked some
odd jobs where he didnt have to worry
about speaking English and went to high
school at night at the old George Wash-
ington High School. He learned to play
tennis at one of the local courts in the
neighborhood. He volunteered for the
Army at 17, but was rejected due to his
age. The army, however, came calling
just after he turned 18.
After serving in the Pacific during
World War II and participating in inva-
sions including that of Japanese-occu-
pied Lucerne in the Philippines, which
several years earlier had been near the
site of the Bataan Death March, Mr. Git-
terman returned to New York City. He
started attending the synagogue his par-
ents had helped found on 182nd Street
just after their arrival in the United
States. It was here that he become
reacquainted with a young woman,
about five years his junior. Henry and
Eva were married in 1949, after he
received a bachelors degree in engineer-
ing from Cooper Union. After complet-
ing his masters degree a few years later
in chemical engineering from New York
University, the Gittermans moved to
Teaneck, where they raised their three
children.
Eva worked as a seamstress and Henry
as a chemical engineer, working on
research in the construction of power
plants. Eva passed away about 25 years
ago and Henry retired at the age of 71.
Since his retirement, Mr. Gitterman
has spent a good deal of his time play-
ing the game he learned to love. These
days, he plays against friends indoors
when the weather is cold, but preferably
plays outdoors on a clay court when the
weather is agreeable. Hell play tennis
on just about any surface, including the
stone court he played on the other day.
For now, Mr. Gitterman is enjoying his
time at Heritage Pointe of Teaneck. I
like it here, he said of the senior living
community. I have met a few of the resi-
dents, but as far as playing tennis with
them, I think my 90 is comparative to
their 70.
He shakes his head side-to-side with a
slight grin on his face when asked if he
thinks he will be asking any of his fellow
residents to join him on the court any-
time soon.
When he leaves with his tennis rac-
quet, the people in the lobby shake their
head in wonderment, said Joel Goldin,
the communitys sales and marketing
director. Hes great for the morale of
everyone who lives here.
So whats his advice to staying active
at 90? Watch your weight and diet, he
said. My breakfast only consists of fruit.
Henry Gitterman
My wife switched me years ago from red
meat to fish. I always had great endurance.
I could run forever, even as a child, but its
the eyesight. My father and I had excellent
eyes. I could see a bird in a tree blink.
As for competing in tennis tournaments,
Mr. Gitterman has had no choice but to
give them up. After all, he said, there
arent enough people in my age group any
more for me to play against.
At 90, Teaneck resident is still playing tennis
JS-38
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The Gym raises
funds for breast
cancer research
The Gym, a fitness center with locations in
Englewood and Montvale, honored Breast Can-
cer Awareness Month in October with events
that raised $4,326 for the Triple Negative Breast
Cancer Foundation, a local charity that funds
research benefitting patients with TNBC. Triple
negative tumors can be particularly aggressive,
and are more likely to recur than other subtypes
of breast cancer.
Events at The Gym of Englewood included a
special three instructor dance class, spin class
and a trainer push-up contest
TNBCF strives to be a credible source for
triple negative breast cancer information,
a catalyst for science and patient advocacy
groups, and a caring community with meaning-
ful services for triple negative patients and their
families. For more information about TNBCF,
visit www.tnbcfoundation.org.
Englewood Hospital offers
free yoga for triple negative
breast cancer patients
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center will offer free,
10-week yoga courses to patients with triple-negative breast
cancer, beginning January 15. Classes will run Wednesdays,
6-7 p.m., in Conference Rooms A and B. The course will be
led by a certified yoga alliance teacher with advanced train-
ing for instructing students with cancer.
The program is open to all triple-negative patients,
regardless of where the patient is receiving medical treat-
ment. Medical clearance from a physician and registration
is required. Mats, blankets, blocks, straps, and bolsters will
be provided.
We hope patients will enjoy the benefits of therapeu-
tic yoga, breath work and meditation as a way to relieve
stress and achieve a better overall sense of well-being, said
Dr. Minaxi Jhawer, hematologist-oncologist at Englewood
Hospital.
For more information or to register, call (866) 980-3462 or
visit www.englewoodhospital.com and click on the Class &
Event Registration tab.
Mapi Pharma patents new MS
and pain-relief drugs
Only three years after going into business in Ness Ziona,
Israel, Mapi Pharma has won U.S. patents for two prom-
ising drugs in its pipeline a slow-release form of glat-
iramer acetate for treating multiple sclerosis (MS) symp-
toms just once a month; and a new pill, Tapentadol, for
relief of moderate-to-severe acute pain.
We believe in two to three years they could be in
the final stage of development, and about three years
to market, says Mapi Pharma president and CEO Ehud
Marom.
Informed by his background at Teva Pharmaceuti-
cals, where he headed global operations for innova-
tive drugs including Copaxone; at Peptor, where he
led development of diabetes drug DiaPep; and at
Gamida Cell, Makhteshim-Agan and Pharma Two B,
Mr. Marom came to Mapi knowing exactly what he
wanted to focus on.
We started mainly at eye level with technologies to
improve patients quality of life, he says.
For MS, we chose to do something to improve the
life of the patient by developing a technology that can
be injected once a month instead of daily.
MS and schizophrenia drugs
Mapis glatiramer acetate product uses the same active
therapeutic agent as the currently used drug, just in a
novel form.
The idea is to let the active material release slowly
and not as it is done today, immediately by coating
the active material with polymers. This provides a bet-
ter quality of life, its safer and more convenient, and
improves compliance and efficacy, says Mr. Marom.
The FDA is supporting this way of delivering drugs for
people with chronic diseases.
MS is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks
the central nervous system. Unpredictable symptoms
include numbness in the limbs, paralysis and loss of
vision. The global market for MS pharmaceuticals is
estimated to be approximately $10 billion.
Clinical trials for efficacy are set to start in January in
Israel, and then in European and U.S. centers. There
is a high chance that the efficacy will be the same
because we changed the formulation, not the active
molecules, he points out.
Clinical trials will also soon begin for a slow-release
schizophrenia drug in Mapis pipeline.
We are looking for collaborators mainly for our
long-acting depot injections, says Mr. Marom. It takes
about $30 million to bring such a new pharmaceutical
to the market, as it requires clinical trials.
A whole new pain killer
Tapentodol pain reliever, which Mapi developed, has a
patented API (active pharmaceutical ingredient). Pend-
ing results of clinical trials, Mr. Marom predicts that this,
too, could be on drugstore shelves in three years.
Tapentadol is intended for the relief of moderate-
to-severe acute (not chronic) pain. This segment of
pain relievers has continuously grown during the last
decade as a result of improved delivery technologies,
increased physician recognition of the need for effec-
tive pain treatment, and the demand for pain medica-
tion by the growing population of senior citizens.
This is another lucrative market, currently esti-
mated at about $10 billion, and is expected to continue
expanding for the foreseeable future.
Mr. Marom says that Mapi is working on another
pain-relief product as well as a cancer drug and several
technologies for slow release.
Employing about 30 people, Mapi has R&D facilities
in Israel, China, and Germany and is building an API
manufacturing site in Neot Hovav, Israels designated
chemical park.
The company has filed for 20 patent applications
for APIs and formulations in less than three years of
operation. ISRAEL21C.ORG
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where our residents maintain the level of independence
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(Resident, Lillian Grunfeld with her daughter,
Dir. of Community Relations, Debbie Corwin)

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Be a part
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A beautiful time
in any season
RICHARD PORTUGAL
Fall is a beautiful time of year. It is the
time when nature thrills and astounds.
Falls smells and colors glide through the
air to keep vital our senses excited still
by summers realm. Fall can astound
odors of a dormant chimney newly lit to
warm a mornings chill; colorful foliage
demanding recognition; fallen leaves,
bright to the eye, crackling underfoot.
Fall is a season of change; it is a season
of guidance and remembrance, of excite-
ment and anticipation.
Winter, that demanding period of
snow and ice, of frosty cold and still air,
is approaching, in fact it begins tomor-
row, December 21. Fall is a softer period
between the green of summers growth
and the white of winters dormancy.
Animals grow thicker fur, store food,
and prepare their dens. Trees shake
their branches till bare and sprinkle
the ground with the leaves of summer.
Flowers bid farewell, a mere remem-
brance awaiting springs rebirth.
Fall is the season we fondly recall
summers last warm breeze and pre-
pare for winters chilling welcome. It
is a time when we acknowledge that
change is inevitable, good and cathar-
tic. It is intense, therapeutic and cleans-
ing. Smells, colors, and textures trans-
form; the light is less intense and the
clouds thicker; time itself appears to
slow, the tick of the clock seemingly
more rhythmic in its cadence. It is a
beautiful time of year!
The cadence of seasonal change
affects a range of participants. A per-
sons worth and the human aging pro-
cess are also embedded in the rhythms
of the earth. We age along with the
seasons and find ample cause to iden-
tify and compare. Yet a persons age,
especially for seniors, is a time when,
like fall, our leaves are falling and the
bright greens of summer change into
the golden hues of fall. Winter is but
a short span away. But it is all in our
perspective!
When we hear of a person dying in
their late fifties or early sixties, our
initial reaction is that they were so
young; so many years abandoned and
cut short; so much left to be done and
now no time to perform. And yet when
we celebrate our sixtieth birthday, we
feel old, the bulk of our lives behind,
the age of slow decay ahead. It does
seem to be all in the perception. Do we
focus on the past greens of summer or
the challenges and excitement of fall
and winter? Do we leave our middle
years behind and focus on the years
ahead? Or do we seek safe harbor in the
remembrance of summer and fear falls
shaking of the leaves?
I am involved with many seniors and
am amazed at their determination to
justify their present and not crawl as
if at lifes end. Whether in their sixties,
seventies, eighties or nineties, they
are productive in both mind and body.
Whether graced with good health or
affected with medical issues, they live
each day; they perceive the importance
of the present. They know not their
appointment with their last breath and
accept each season as the natural effect
of being alive. They strive to remain
strong performing exercise, eating
correctly and stressing their minds to
grow. To them, the natural change in
seasons does not indicate an approach-
ing end; it is a challenge to live well in
the present and excel!
Like the seasons, we all age. But it is
not that we age, rather it is how we age.
We are a sophisticated species, com-
fortable with our rhythms with nature
and preordained to change with the
earths rotations and return to the cos-
mos from which we were born. So the
time given to us is precious and is not
defined by your youth or your age, but
by your lifes span and how you affect
each day. No doubt it is easier to expend
energies in the summer of our youth.
Changes do take their toll in body,
mind, concentration and strength. Yet,
the fall and winter of our lives offer tre-
mendous opportunities and are not to
be wasted, but to be lived with grace
and energy. We are now seasoned,
experienced and hopefully wise. To
navigate our fallen leaves and hardened
bark, those seniors determined to jus-
tify their time do not go lightly into the
night. They exercise their bodies and
minds; they perform aerobically and
anaerobically; they practice cognitive
fitness; they live their lives with pur-
pose and vitality.
The passage of time is a path we all
must take. Whether burdened with
medical issues or blessed with good
health, the date with our last breath is
preordained. It is how we weather the
change of seasons that will ultimately
define the seasons of our lives.
Richard Portugal is the founder and
owner of Fitness Senior Style, which
exercises seniors for balance, strength,
and cognitive fitness in their own
homes. He has been certified as a senior
trainer by the American Senior Fitness
Association. For further information,
call (201) 937-4722.
Mapi Pharma patents new MS
and pain-relief drugs
vision. The global market for MS pharmaceuticals is
estimated to be approximately $10 billion.
Clinical trials for efficacy are set to start in January in
Israel, and then in European and U.S. centers. There
is a high chance that the efficacy will be the same
because we changed the formulation, not the active
molecules, he points out.
Clinical trials will also soon begin for a slow-release
schizophrenia drug in Mapis pipeline.
We are looking for collaborators mainly for our
long-acting depot injections, says Mr. Marom. It takes
about $30 million to bring such a new pharmaceutical
to the market, as it requires clinical trials.
A whole new pain killer
Tapentodol pain reliever, which Mapi developed, has a
patented API (active pharmaceutical ingredient). Pend-
ing results of clinical trials, Mr. Marom predicts that this,
too, could be on drugstore shelves in three years.
Tapentadol is intended for the relief of moderate-
to-severe acute (not chronic) pain. This segment of
pain relievers has continuously grown during the last
decade as a result of improved delivery technologies,
increased physician recognition of the need for effec-
tive pain treatment, and the demand for pain medica-
tion by the growing population of senior citizens.
This is another lucrative market, currently esti-
mated at about $10 billion, and is expected to continue
expanding for the foreseeable future.
Mr. Marom says that Mapi is working on another
pain-relief product as well as a cancer drug and several
technologies for slow release.
Employing about 30 people, Mapi has R&D facilities
in Israel, China, and Germany and is building an API
manufacturing site in Neot Hovav, Israels designated
chemical park.
The company has filed for 20 patent applications
for APIs and formulations in less than three years of
operation. ISRAEL21C.ORG
For cooking ideas
visit the
Cooking with Beth
blog at
www.jstandard.com
Healthy Living
JS-40
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Keep up with Cranes Mill!
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459 Passaic Avenue
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973-276-3001
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www.jstandard.com
An ICU with a
playground
in the middle
Seven tots and their parents or caregivers are doing
the hokey-pokey (in Hebrew, of course) at a Jerusa-
lem playgroup. Its just like any other Mommy & Me
gathering except that all the little ones are attached
to portable ventilators and have never been outside a
hospital setting. They, and their parents, are in train-
ing for life at home.
Instead of waiting in their hospital beds for thera-
pists to visit, respiratory rehabilitation patients under
three years old at ALYN Hospital the Middle Easts
only comprehensive pediatric rehab center gather
with caregivers in the middle of the ward every day
from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A couple of years ago we started realizing that a
lot of these children have never been home, so their
social development is lacking. And you cant teach
that to a child one on one. So we shifted to a model of
doing all therapies in a deformalized group setting,
says department head Dr. Eliezer Beeri.
Because babies develop best when allowed to inter-
act with parents sitting on the floor, ALYN remodeled
the respiratory department about 18 months ago to
provide enough floor space for the kids, therapists,
parents and breathing apparatus. Allowing medi-
cally fragile children out of bed for hours every day is
unprecedented.
Weve now become a kind of ICU with a playground
in the middle, Dr. Beeri says. Its a model Im not
aware of anywhere else in the world. The therapists
are there to guide the parents in what each child needs
to work on, and nurses are monitoring every child, but
in an informal setting that weve found is much more
effective.
They can do what other children do
The children in this 19-bed ward have been transferred
from ICU departments in Israel and elsewhere. There
are Jewish and Arab patients and even some from
outside Israel victims of accidents, violence, illness
or genetic disease. The older kids attend the in-hos-
pital school that serves 90 inpatient and outpatient
children.
The youngest patients, often ventilated since birth
due to paralysis or low muscle tone, spend months in
the ward until they can breathe on their own or until
their home and school environment is ready to accom-
modate their ongoing ventilation needs.
Parents think that until the child comes off the
ventilator he has to be in the hospital, says Dr. Beeri.
In actual fact, the childs brain development is much
more important than their lung development. I can
replace their lungs with a ventilator. I cant replace
their neurological development because that happens
as a response to interaction and stimulation. A child
in the hospital gets very little of that, especially in the
ICU.
Along with occupational, physical and communi-
cation therapies, the kids need social rehabilitation
to learn their place in society, Dr. Beeri believes.
The family, school and greater community also need
rehab to properly welcome the child. If they
havent got all of that, what is the value of getting them
off the ventilator?
JS-41*
Wishing you a
Happy Passover

The Chateau
At Rochelle Park

96 Parkway
Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
201 226-9600

Sub Acute Rehabilitative Care Center for Hospital After Care

After care is so important to a patients recovery once a patient is released from the
hospital the real challenges often begin the challenges they now have to face as they
try and regain their strength and independence.

Here at The Chateau we combine the very same sophisticated technologies and
techniques used by leading hospitals with hands onskilled rehabilitative/nursing care.
Sub Acute care ensures that patients return home with the highest degree of function
possible.

Our Care Service
Ventilator Care/Vent-Dialysis
IV Therapy
Tracheotomy Care
Physical, Speech and Occupational Therapy
Physician Supervised Wound Care
On-Site Internal Medicine Physicians
24 Hour Nursing Care

For more information, or to schedule a tour of The Chateau at Rochelle Park,
please call our Admissions Department at 201 336-9317

Wishing you a
Happy Passover

The Chateau
At Rochelle Park

96 Parkway
Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
201 226-9600


After care is so important to a patients recovery once a patient is released from the
hospital the real challenges often begin the challenges they now have to face as they
try and regain their strength and independence.

Here at The Chateau we combine the very same sophisticated technologies and
techniques used by leading hospitals with hands onskilled rehabilitative/nursing care.
Sub Acute care ensures that patients return home with the highest degree of function
possible.

Our Care Service
Ventilator Care/Vent-Dialysis
IV Therapy
Tracheotomy Care
Physical, Speech and Occupational Therapy
Physician Supervised Wound Care
On-Site Internal Medicine Physicians
24 Hour Nursing Care

For more information, or to schedule a tour of The Chateau at Rochelle Park,
please call our Admissions Department at 201 336-9317

Alaris Health at The Chateau
At Rochelle Park
96 Parkway Rochelle Park, NJ 201-226-9600
For more information, or to schedule a tour of Alaris Health at Te Chateau at
Rochelle Park, please call our Admissions Department at 201 336-9317
Dr. Beeri recently lectured at Peking
University Hospital in China, which has
the largest pediatric department in Beijing.
I showed them how we put ventilated
children in the swimming pool. Hydrother-
apy will not make a paralyzed child better,
but this is an experience they wouldnt get
otherwise. Its a message that they can do
what other children do.
The Chinese doctors had never even
conceived of putting a child long term on
ventilation, let alone in a pool.
Even in Western countries like Aus-
tralia and the UK, chronically ill children
are often not given ventilation when their
muscles degenerate, Dr. Beeri explains.
The culture is to let nature take its course.
We are much more aggressive here. I think
its an issue of Jewish culture; you shout
and object rather than accept your lot.
Redefining healthy
ALYN is not only pioneering a social
approach to therapy but is reframing the
overall picture of good health.
A hundred years ago, the definition of
health was lack of disease, says Dr. Beeri.
Later, the World Health Organization
defined health as a state of physical, emo-
tional and social well-being. Today, a new
definition of health is emerging: it is the
ability to self-manage and adapt to changes
around you.
Anybody successfully managing with the
aid of technology whether its an iPad or
a wheelchair or a ventilator therefore can
be considered healthy.
Weve gone beyond the idea that if
youre dependent on technology youre
not healthy. We all use technology, Dr.
Beeri points out. If a patient has to be on
a ventilator, my job as a doctor is to help
them learn how to self-manage and adapt.
And we have to teach the parents, and give
them the right tools and equipment.
In the course of the group sessions, par-
ents, grandparents and caregivers learn
how to use the portable ventilation and
monitoring equipment.
The biggest hurdle to dis-
charge a child like this is the
parents psychological bar-
rier, he says. When a child is
in an ICU, the parent cannot function as a
parent. Often, we encounter parents who
have never dressed or bathed their child,
never mind give them medications and
monitor them. We have to return to them
the responsibility of being a parent. They
can, and need, to do it.
Once a year, the respiratory rehab staff
takes the entire unit to the Jerusalem Zoo,
mainly to show mothers and fathers that
they can enjoy their child outside the
hospital setting, says Dr. Beeri.
Head nurse Inga Pachima says that one
of the moms happily hokey-pokeying with
her baby was at first resistant to participat-
ing in the group.
She was fearful of her child coming
into contact with other children; she was
afraid of infections. So she preferred to
stay in the room, says Ms. Pachima. This
morning, she said she wanted to take him
to group therapy and its lovely. Here they
see other kids and other parents, and its
really much better. For the parents, going
through this with other people helps them
understand they are not alone.
Left, Dr. Eliezer Beeri with young patients and their mothers. Above,
the socialization aspect is just as important for the parents.
W
hen Moshe
leaves the pal-
ace of Pha-
raoh and sees
the Egyptian taskmaster beat-
ing a Jew to death, he kills the
Egyptian and buries him in the
sand. The following day Moshe
sees two Jews fighting with one
another. When he attempts
to break up the fight they ask
him, are you going to kill us as
you killed the Egyptian? The
Torah then tells us what Moshe
was feeling: Moshe was afraid
and said Indeed, the matter
has become known. Normally,
the Torah tells us a persons actions, not his
feelings. What difference does it make that
Moshe was afraid? Why is that important in
the context of the story? Why is his utterance
of Indeed the matter has become known
relevant as well?
There are many aspects of the lives of
biblical figures that are not spoken about in
the Torah. So why include this here in our
parsha?
The answer lies in a story told about the
Tzemach Tzedek, the third Lubavitcher
rebbe. When someone came to him asking
for a blessing for an urgent matter, the rebbe
responded: Think positive and it will be
positive.
The rebbe wasnt simply giving him some
psychological advice about thinking good
thoughts. He was relating a powerful and
profound spiritual truth. The power to think
originates from our souls. Our souls are con-
nected on high so what we think and speak
has a very real and purposeful effect on
the loftier spiritual realms. In other words,
our positive thoughts have the potential to
change reality, indeed to cre-
ate a new reality, to obliter-
ate negative decrees, and to
bring about real salvation.
Does it always mean that
it works in a way that we
understand? Does it mean
we dont have to have our
deeds match our thoughts?
Of course not. However, the
potential is there and its real.
This is in fact what the
Torah is teaching us in this
episode with Moshe Rab-
bainu. The reason why the
Torah tells us his inner feel-
ings is because there is an
important lesson for us. Whats the next
verse? Pharoh heard of this incident and he
attempted to kill Moshe... The juxtaposition
of the negative response to Moshes nega-
tive thoughts are not coincidence. What the
Torah is teaching us is, perhaps, had Moshe
never thought negatively, had he remained
positive that his actions were pure, correct,
and proper, and therefore nothing bad would
result from them, maybe, just maybe, the
entire event would have gone unnoticed by
Pharaoh.
Recent developments in cognitive psy-
chology back up this idea of the power of a
positive outlook. Dr. Martin Seligman is one
of the founders of the field of cognitive psy-
chology, which states that it is our thoughts
and our cognition that are responsible for our
feelings.
In his book, Learned Optimism, Dr. Selig-
man describes a remarkable experimental
observation about the power of optimism.
Recognizing that out of all professional disci-
plines, the field of sales requires an extraor-
dinary degree of willingness to overcome
Dvar Torah
JS-42*
1245 Teaneck Rd.
Teaneck
837-8700
Tallesim Cleaned speCial shabbos Rush seRviCe
We want your business and we go the extra
mile to make you a regular customer
WE OFFER REPAIRS
AND ALTERATIONS
Shmot: The liberation of positive thinking
Rabbi
Ephraim
Simon
Friends of
Lubavitch of
Bergen County,
Teaneck, Chabad
rejection, Dr. Seligman met with the execu-
tives of Metropolitan Life, one of the leading
insurance companies in America.
At the time, Metropolitan Life adminis-
tered a standardized test to anyone who
applied for sales jobs. The test focused on
intelligence and inherent aptitude for sales-
manship, and rejected those applicants with
low scores.
Dr. Seligman suggested, however, that a
second series of tests be administered, one
geared toward peoples attitudes about rejec-
tion; this test was not about intellectual abil-
ity, but rather whether one approached rejec-
tion as permanent, or temporary and limited.
He further proposed that a team of sales-
men who failed the original intelligence tests
but registered as being optimistic in nature be
formed in parallel with the group hired based
on the conventional method.
The results were striking.
The optimists who had initially been
rejected outsold the pessimists in the regular
force by 21 percent during the first year. And
in the second year by 57 percent!
You see, not only were the optimists better
salesmen, their performance kept improv-
ing over the wiser pessimists. The reason,
Dr. Seligman explains, is that while intelli-
gence should initially be at least as important
as persistence and optimism, over time, as
the mountain of nos accumulated, persis-
tence becomes the decisive factor. Optimism
works. In lifes journey, the mountains of nos
accumulate, so it becomes increasingly vital
to think positively.
And everyone can. Dr. Seligmans crucial
finding was that optimism and pessimism
were not genetically determined. Its up to
each of us how to view reality. And indeed,
today cognitive therapy is one of the most
successful of therapeutic methods.
What makes this approach refreshing is
that since the time of Freud, psychother-
apy has focused on the negative aspects
of the human psyche, on the power of
the irrational feelings and subconscious
demons that drive us. Cognitive therapy
is refreshing because it restores power to
the individual. It says you are in control
of your action. No circumstance outside
of us, no drive within us can deprive us
of our sovereign power to determine how
to think. Lets put it another way. What
determines the direction of a ship at sea?
Is it the direction of the wind, or the set of
the sails?
The sails determine the direction. No
matter what direction the wind is blowing,
you can sail in the direction you wish. The
wind carries one ship east and another
west according to the way that the sails
are set.
The sea is your life and you are the cap-
tain. The sails are your thoughts. Your
thoughts, positive or negative, really do
change the direction of your life. You are
the captain of your own destiny.
Good thoughts affect our reality much
more then we realize. You may not believe
this is true, and even if you do, its easy
to forget, especially when life throws its
worst curve balls. Its hard to stay posi-
tive when the world appears to be coming
apart at the seams. But this is when opti-
mism is most vital.
So when we face obstacles in life, par-
ticularly obstacles that prevent us from
fulfilling our purpose here in creation, its
incumbent upon us to do whatever we can
to remove them and simultaneously think
positive that indeed, God will help, and
they will be removed. Think positive and
it will be positive!
BRIEFS
IDF soldier killed by Lebanese sniper fire
Israel Defense Forces Master Sgt. Shlomi
Cohen, 31, was killed by Lebanese sniper
fire while he was on patrol near the
Israel-Lebanon border on Sunday night.
The Voice of Lebanon radio station
reported that the shooter, a member of
the Lebanese army identified as Hassan
Ibrahim, fled his post after the incident
but returned to his base Monday morn-
ing. It was unclear why the shooter, who
apparently acted alone, had opened fire.
We will demand that the Lebanese
army first of all provide an explanation
of exactly what happened there, and
whether this is really a rogue soldier,
what they did with him, and what the
Lebanese army plans to do to prevent
incidents of this type, Israeli Defense
Minister Moshe Yaalon said.
JNS.ORG
Hamas blames Israel for flooding
despite receiving aid from Jewish state
Israel opened the Kerem Shalom border
crossing to the Gaza Strip Friday to trans-
fer emergency aid to residents suffering
from wide flooding and no heating.
The Jewish state sent gas for heating
and water pumps to deal with the flood-
ing in Gaza. Coordinator of Government
Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen.
Eitan Dangot stressed that Israel would
do everything necessary to help the Gaza
and west bank populations, Israel Hayom
reported.
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Hani-
yeh blamed Israel for the flooding. The
Knessets restriction on bringing building
materials prevents us from fixing infra-
structure and that is why we have floods,
he said. JNS.ORG
JS-43
Crossword BY DAVID BENKOF
Across
1. Treble or bass
5. Place for a bagel and a schmear
9. ___ Diego (home of former mayor
Bob Filner)
12. Tush
13. German-Jewish hockey player
Kaufmann
14. Kind of surgery
16. Gentlemans ___ (1947 film about
Antisemitism)
18. The ___ They Are A-Changin:
Dylan
19. Dance with sharp turns
20. Masada features where pigeons
were housed
22. Driving ___ Daisy (1989)
24. Stripes director Reitman
25. Power Rangers producer Haim
28. Truly God is good to Israel, to ___
who have a clean heart. (Ps. 73:1)
31. Creatures in a 1982 Spielberg classic
34. He said The Palestinians never miss
a opportunity to miss an opportu-
nity.
35. Uzi or Galil
36. Jewish Agency org.
37. Songwriting duo Kander and ___
38. ___ Green (London area with many
Jews)
39. A-U linkup
40. Charles E. Smith Jewish ___ School
41. Some E-mailers
42. Crown Heights ___ (1991 event)
43. Chic monogram
44. Capital of Tibet
45. Pottery furnaces
46. Hebrew Union Colleges first campus
location
48. Saxophonist Getz
50. Skedaddle!
54. Bearlike
58. Inventor Berliner
59. Decorate a tallit bag, perhaps
61. ___ Adumim (suburb of Jerusalem)
62. Edible root
63. ___ East Report (AIPACs in-house
publication)
64. Advice columnist ___ Landers
65. Miriam was leprous, as white as
___ (Num. 12:10)
66. Ladies, to Lil Abner
Down
1. Zodiac animal
2. Block letters?
3. Benjamin Disraeli, e.g.
4. Driving Miss Daisy co-star
5. Submissions to music execs
6. Abels mother
7. Arrive at Ben-Gurion
8. For You have cast me ___ the
deep... (Jonah 2:3)
9. Waiting for God philosopher
10. Work without ___
11. ___ Ziona (Israeli city)
14. Kagan replaced him on the Supreme
Court
15. Font selection
17. Fashion model Heatherton
21. Parts of baseball caps
23. ___ Adler Conservatory of Acting
25. Like rye, usually
26. Hes also known as Abu Mazen
27. One kind of Talmud
29. Its hell
30. The Golem and The Dybbuk
32. Ayin L___ Tzofiah (Hatikvah lyric)
33. ___-Yiddish (Onetime Lowlands lan-
guage)
35. Hurray!
38. Region of Acre and Tiberias
42. Mayim Achronim (Finger ___ after
a meal
45. Rabbi Joseph ___ (Shulchan Arukh
author)
47. Jewish Sports ___ of Fame
49. Presumed Innocent author Scott
50. Jewish legalist from Cracow
51. Rosh Hashana pilgrimage site in
Ukraine
52. They were once the main way to
catch fish in the Kinneret
53. Role for Zimbalist Jr.
55. Something very valued in the Start-
up Nation
56. Jewball author Pollack
57. Calls Hadera Gadera
60. Harpo to Groucho
The solution for last weeks
crossword is on page 51.
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Arts & Culture
JS-44*
Sosua
Jewish and
Dominican
teens explore a
shared heritage
MIRIAM RINN
I
nwood and Washington Heights, in
northern Manhattan, boast the typi-
cal New York City cocktail of ethnic
and religious groups, only more so.
More than half of the residents were
born outside of the United States, the
highest rate in Manhattan. There are
Russian-speaking Jews, German-speak-
ing Jews who have lived there since the
1940s, some Greeks, recent Irish immi-
grants as well as those who arrived ages
ago, and many Spanish speakers from
all over the Caribbean. Of the different
Latino groups, people from the Domini-
can Republic, or DR, predominate, mak-
ing up 70 percent of the Spanish-speaking
population.
Most days, the Jewish and Domini-
can residents of Inwood have little
contact with each other. They move in
different social circles, their kids go to
different schools, they work in differ-
ent fields. Only one place brings them
together the YM-YWHA of Washington
Heights-Inwood.
Sosua: Make a Better World, the
documentary film to be shown on PBS
on December 28 at 2 p.m., focuses on a
special project that attempted to bridge
the divide between two of those groups.
This musical theater project, created by
renowned composer and director Liz
Swados, brought together 20 teenagers
10 Jews and 10 Dominicans to give dra-
matic life to a little-known historical event
that involved both groups. The power of
art brings [together] people from all back-
grounds, said Victoria Neznansky, the Ys
chief program officer, who first conceived
of the show. This project brought these
kids together.
Award-winning filmmakers Peter Miller
and Renee Silverman shot their hour-long
making-of documentary as Ms. Swados
and her team auditioned, coached, and
directed the 20 teens into first learn-
ing about the history of the Dominican
city called Sosua, the Holocaust, and the
brutality of Dominican strongman Rafael
Trujillo, and then turning that knowledge
into a musical. We also learn more about
several of the teens: John, 17, spends his
week at a private school in Princeton on a
full scholarship; Jordan is a shy, awkward
young man who finds a new sense of self
at the Y; and Nomi, 12, is a firecracker
who looks even younger than she is. The
film documents how Ms. Swados alter-
nately inspires and bullies the teens into
doing more than they ever imagined they
could. She is a compelling force in the
film, willing the teenagers to grow and
create, and when she is called away to
other projects, the viewer feels the dis-
may of everyone concerned.
First, the kids learn about a little-
known incident involving Jews who found
shelter in the DR just before the outbreak
of World War II. Trujillo was one of the
very few national leaders willing to give
desperate European Jews a haven, invit-
ing 100,000 to come to the Dominican
Republic. Between 1940 and 1945, about
650 Jews arrived, with the support of the
Joint Distribution Committee, and were
sent to live in a place called Sosua, on the
countrys northern coast.
Hardly an altruist, Trujillo had his
own sinister reasons for his offer. He
wanted to whiten the population
of the DR, which shares the island of
Hispaniola with Haiti. In fact, he had
ordered the massacre of 20,000 Hai-
tians who lived near the border in 1937.
Conflict between Haiti and the Domini-
can Republic continues to this day, with
the DR recently passing a law that would
strip citizenship rights from people of
Haitian ancestry who have spent most of
their lives in the DR.
Amazingly, the mostly Austrian and
German Jews adapted to an agricultural
life and established a successful farming
cooperative on the abandoned banana
plantation, and the film uses archival pho-
tographs to show us their life there. Many
of the young men married Dominican
women, as Trujillo had hoped, but after
the war ended most of the Jews moved
to New York or Miami. Some families
remained, however, and there are still a
synagogue and a Jewish museum in Sosua.
Ms. Neznansky and Ms. Swados sent
flyers to local public and private schools
to solicit equal numbers of Dominican
and Jewish teens. As part of her goal,
teaching the values of respect and com-
promise, Ms. Swados insisted that the
teens be treated as professionals and be
paid for their work. While the fee was not
a large honorarium, the gesture seems to
have had the intended effect. The teens
researched and wrote their monologues
and three songs. Jordan Hoepelman, the
shy boy in the cast, discovered that his
father was the child of German Jews.
According to YM-YWHA of Washing-
ton Heights-Inwoods executive director,
Marty Englisher, the program has had a
great impact on its teen-age participants.
Three have gone on to the Tisch School of
the Arts at NYU, and all have experienced
the thrill of performance. They have
performed at the Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture in Harlem, as
part of the Latino International Theater
Festival of New York, and at the United
Nations. Sosua: Make a Better World
premiered at the 2012 Jerusalem Jewish
Film Festival and has screened at many
film festivals and institutions since then.
It recently was acquired for the perma-
nent collection of Yad Vashem, the Holo-
caust Museum in Jerusalem.
Jewish and Dominican teenagers work together on a theater production at the YM-YWHA of Washington Heights-Inwood.
Filmmakers Peter Miller and Renee
Silverman. WILLOW POND FILMS
European Jews
as they arrived
in the Domincan
Republic.
Calendar
JS-45*
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 20, 2013 45 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 20, 2013 45
Friday
DECEMBER 20
Tot Shabbat in Closter:
Temple Beth El holds its
monthly tot Shabbat,
led by Rabbi David S.
Widzer, with Cantor Rica
Timman, with songs,
stories, and crafts,
5:15 p.m. Family Shabbat
dinner at 5:45 followed
by services at 6:45. 221
Schraalenburgh Road.
(201) 768-5112 or www.
tbenv.org.
Saturday
DECEMBER 21
Zvi Weissler
Learning in Teaneck:
The Jewish Learning
Experience concludes
its popular winter
educational prayer
service, led by Zvi
Weissler, at Congregation
Beth Aaron. 9:45 a.m.
This will be the last
service led by Weissler
in Teaneck, as he will
be making aliyah soon.
Service will resume in the
spring with a new leader.
950 Queen Anne Road.
Rabbi David Pietruszka,
(201) 966-4498, www.
jle.org.
Shabbat in Fort Lee:
Congregation Gesher
Shalom/JCC of Fort Lee
offers tot Shabbat led
by Roberta Seltzer, with
songs, props, stories,
and a giant siddur, 11 a.m.
1449 Anderson Ave. (201)
947-1735.
Sunday
DECEMBER 22
JWV meets for
celebration: The
Jewish War Veterans
of Fair Lawn hosts a
complimentary holiday
luncheon for members,
guests, and prospective
members at the Crows
Nest Restaurant, 1-3 p.m.
309 Vincent Ave. (Route
17 South), Hackensack.
Reservations,
Commander Mel Kaplan,
(201) 796-3795.
Concert in Hackensack:
Serio Divertimenti,
a chamber music
ensemble, performs
a mixture of classical,
contemporary, and pop
music at Temple Beth El,
2 p.m. 280 Summit Ave.
(201) 342-2045.
Monday
DECEMBER 23
Blood drive in Teaneck:
Torah Academy of
Bergen County holds a
blood drive with New
Jersey Blood Services,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. All donors
will receive a red Super
Community Blood Drive
wristband and have the
opportunity to win two
tickets to Super Bowl
XLVIII. 1600 Queen Anne
Road. (800) 933-BLOOD
or www.nybloodcenter.
org.
Music lecture in Tenafly:
Dumont historian Dick
Burnon gives a music/
CD/ video/lecture,
The Life and Times of
Music Legend Whitney
Houston, at a meeting
of the Senior Activity
Center at the Kaplen
JCC on the Palisades,
11:15 a.m. 411 East Clinton
Ave. (201) 569-7900, ext.
235 or www.jccotp.org.
Tuesday
DECEMBER 24
Science for kids in
Oakland: The Gerrard
Berman Day School,
Solomon Schechter
of North Jersey hosts
Science Exploration for
4- to 8-year-olds, with
slime, volcanoes, play-
doh, snow and Jewish
star gelatin treats, 9:30-11
a.m. 45 Spruce St. (201)
337-1111 or gbds@ssnj.org.
Film in Fort Lee: Young
Israel of Fort Lee screens
the film The Yankles
after a Chinese buffet
dinner, 7 p.m. 1610 Parker
Ave. (201) 592-1518,
YIFLdinnermovie@gmail.
com, or yiftlee.org
Thursday
DECEMBER 26
Blood drive in Teaneck:
Congregation Rinat
Yisrael holds a blood
drive with New Jersey
Blood Services, 2-8 p.m.
All donors will receive a
red Super Community
Blood Drive wristband
and have the opportunity
to win two tickets to
Super Bowl XLVIII. 389
W. Englewood Ave.
(800) 933-BLOOD or
www.nybloodcenter.org.
Friday
DECEMBER 27
Marvin Hamlisch: The
new American Masters
documentary Marvin
Hamlisch: What He Did
For Love premieres
nationally on PBS,
9-10:30 p.m. Check local
listings. It will be available
on DVD on January 14 via
PBS Distribution.
Singles
Sunday
DECEMBER 22
Brunch/discussion:
North Jersey Jewish
Singles (40s-60s) at the
Clifton Jewish Center
offers a bagels and
conversation brunch,
noon. $15. Karen, (973)
772-3131 or join North
Jersey Jewish Singles 45-
60s at www.meetup.com.
Tuesday
DECEMBER 24
MatzoBall in Roselle:
The Society of Young
Jewish Professionals
and JDate host the 27th
annual MatzoBall, called
the nations first and
largest Jewish singles
event, at Mr. East, 9 p.m.
DJ entertainment, and
high-energy networking
and matchmaking for
singles, 21-49. Other
events simultaneously
in Boston, Delray
Beach, Denver, Fort
Lauderdale, Los Angeles,
Miami, Montreal, New
York, Philadelphia, and
Washington D.C. 2401
Wood Ave. $30 online at
www.matzoball.org, or
(561) 300-4222.
Wednesday
DECEMBER 25
Singles meet in
Caldwell: New Jersey
Jewish Singles 45+
meets at Clearview
Caldwell Cinema 4, 3 p.m.
317 Bloomfield Ave. (973)
226-3600 or singles@
agudath.org.
Family concert in NYC
The Jewi sh Museum has
rescheduled from last week a
concert with Gustafer Yellow-
gold, featuring award-winning
illustrator/songwriter Morgan
Taylor, to Sunday, at 2 p.m.
Adults are asked to accompany
their children. Call (212) 423-
3337 or TheJewishMuseum.org/
familyconcerts.
OU Job Board
co-sponsors programs
The OU Job Board has announced an alliance with
Borough of Manhattan Community College to offer
certificate classes, as well as undergraduate classes,
to OU Job Board constituents and the greater com-
munity who are interested in receiving training or
moving in different career directions.
For information on the OU Job Board certificate
classes, including Notary, Electronic Healthcare
Records, QuickBooks, Power Up Games, and
Project Management, call (212) 563-4000 or visit
www.ou.org.
116 MainStreet, Fort Lee
201.947.2500
www.inapoli.com
S
am
m
ys
North Jerseys Premier Italian
Steak, Seafood & Pasta Eatery
JoinUseverytuesday
andthursdayforthe
lobsterspecial, anystyle
Anddontforgetevery
MondayandWednesday
areDelmonicoSteakNights
ComebyMon. throughSat.,
4:00-6:00pmforourawesome
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withdrink
You asked for it for the last 20 years and
nowits here! Chef Sams Basil Vinaigrette
House Dressing is nowbottled to go.
Bring this Ad in
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canali/singer
carrol/BB
This ad is copyrighted by North
Jersey Media Group and may not
be reproduced in any form, or
replicated in a similar version,
without approval from North
Jersey Media Group.
3
4
9
3
2
1
2
-
0
1
N
J
M
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116 MainStreet, Fort Lee
201.947.2500
www.inapoli.com
S
am
m
ys
North Jerseys Premier Italian
Steak, Seafood & Pasta Eatery
JoinUseverytuesday
andthursdayforthe
lobsterspecial, anystyle
Anddontforgetevery
MondayandWednesday
areDelmonicoSteakNights
ComebyMon. throughSat.,
4:00-6:00pmforourawesome
earlybird, completemeal
withdrink
You asked for it for the last 20 years and
nowits here! Chef Sams Basil Vinaigrette
House Dressing is nowbottled to go.
Bring this Ad in
to receive a
Free Bottle
min. $40 purchase
Expires 6/30/13
only
$19.95
only
$19.95
also
$19.95
3493212-01
napoli
5/17/13
subite
canali/singer
carrol/BB
This ad is copyrighted by North
Jersey Media Group and may not
be reproduced in any form, or
replicated in a similar version,
without approval from North
Jersey Media Group.
3
4
9
3
2
1
2
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0
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Tuesday and Thursday
Our famous seafood special
Call for details
ONLY
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Monday and Wednesday
are Delmonico Steak Nights
Come by Mon. through Sat.,
4:00-6:00pm for our awesome
early bird, complete meal
with drink
Bring this Ad
in to receive a
Free Bottle
min. $40
purchase
Expires 1/20/14
Taking reservations for
New Years Eve. Come have fun!
Joshua Nelson,
the Prince of
Kosher Gospel
Music, performs on
Wednesday, December 25, at the
Museum of Jewish Heritage A
Living Memorial to the Holocaust,
at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Nelson and his
Kosher Gospel Choir will perform
his signature fusion of Hebrew
tunes, done gospel style, and
sign CDs in the lobby after the
concerts. 36 Battery Place. (646)
437-4202 or www.mjhnyc.org.
DZB PRODUCTIONS LLC
DEC.
25
December Diversions
JS-46*
What to do on December 25
HEIDI MAE BRATT
Can you come up with 25 Jewish or even not so Jewish things to do on
December 25? Its a Very Big Holiday, and while it seems as if everything is
closed, there are plenty of things to do in the area. Heres a head start.
1. Eat Chinese Food
Why, pray tell, have egg rolls and General Tsos
Chicken become the culinary de rigueur for
the day? One historical but most likely apocry-
phal reason is that decades ago, when every-
thing else was shuttered, Chinese restaurants
were open on Christmas Day. These days,
Teanecks own Chopstix is busy preparing
for the surge. The kosher Chinese restaurant
already has been taking orders two weeks
before Christmas, said Elie Y. Katz, co-owner
of Chopstix. Yeah, its really gotten busy in
the last couple of years, Mr. Katz said. Its be-
come a holiday within a holiday. Were ready.
Chopstix, 172 W. Englewood Ave., Teaneck
(201) 833-0200.
2. See a Movie
Catch a film at the newly refurbished and
renamed Teaneck Cinemas on Cedar Lane,
which announced, via Facebook, a Friday,
December 20 opening, with features includ-
ing Anchorman 2, Frozen, and Saving Mr.
Banks Looking For a December 25 release?
Check local listings for 47 Ronin with Keanu
Reeves, The Wolf of Wall Street by Martin
Scorsese and with Leonard DiCaprio, Grudge
Match with Robert DeNiro and Sylvester
Stallone, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
with Ben Stiller, August: Osage County with
Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, Labor Day
with Kate Winslet, the documentary Justin
Biebers Believe, and Walking With Dino-
saurs 3D. Or, if you dont want to venture out,
just chill at home with your choice of Netflix.
Teaneck Cinemas, 503 Cedar Lane, Teaneck.
3. Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble
Hes the sudsy spectacular bubble artist
Casey Carle, who can do with a little bit of
Palmolive, or whatever he uses, what very few
people can. Some of the bubble sculptures
he makes are so big that hes captured audi-
ence members from within. The Bubble Mania
show is a delight for anyone between 5 and
95. The show runs from 11 to 11:45 a.m., fol-
lowed by lunch until 12:30 p.m. Kaplen JCC on
the Palisades, 411 E. Clinton Ave, Tenafly. Cost
is $45 for JCC member families; $55 non-
member families, including up to two adults
and two children. $15/$19 for individuals.
(201) 408-1467, or email: mkleiman@jccopt.
org .
4. Family Day at the Bergen YJCC
Cant get to Israel by plane? Heck, take the
car. Head over to the YJCC in Washington
Township for a community to visit Eretz
Yisrael from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free fam-
ily day activities include a PJ Library-spon-
sored presentation by Mainstages, in which
an Israel-themed book will be brought to
life at 10 a.m. Visitors should bring a can a
food to be donated to a local food pantry.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., children older than
3 can climb Masada. From 9:30 a.m. to 2
p.m., they can create sand art or rainbow
loom. There are also group fitness classes
for teens and adults and Israeli dancing.
Float in the Kinneret the pools. There
will be an opportunity to write a prayer for
the Kotel and participate in a Maccabi-
style track run. Israeli-style snacks will be
available for purchase. At 11 a.m., an Israeli
documentary, Life in Stills will be shown.
YJCC, 605 Pascack Road, Washington
Township. (201) 666-6610.
5. Single Mingle
New Jersey Jewish Singles 45+ meets at
Clearview Caldwell Cinema 4, at 3 p.m. 317
Bloomfield Ave. 973-226-3600 or singles@
agudath.org. Get a head start and meet
and greet with other singles on December
24 at the highly anticipated MatzoBall, one
of the biggest matchmaking single events
for 21 to 49 year olds. Sponsored by the
Society of Young Jewish Professionals and
JDate, the New Jersey MatzoBall is at Mis-
ter East, 2401 Wood Ave., Roselle. (908)
241-8395. For information, www.matzoball.
org.
6. Art Attack
Dena Levie, a paper-cutting artist from Te-
aneck, will be featured at the Jewish Chil-
drens Museum in Brooklyn as part of Art-
ists in Action. The Crown Heights museum
is hosting a 10-day art event for youngsters
from December 22 to January 1, where
children can experiment with the ancient
Japanese marbling art Suminagashi and
learn stained glass techniques. On De-
cember 25, the museum offers extended
hours. The Jewish Childrens Museum, 792
Eastern Parkway. (718) 467-0600, www.
jcm.museum.
7. Gospel Great
Head into downtown Man-
hattan to listen to the Prince
of Kosher Gospel Music,
aka Joshua Nelson, who will
perform at the Museum of
Jewish Heritage A Living
Memorial to the Holocaust,
at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Nelson
and his Kosher Gospel Choir
will perform his signature fu-
sion of Hebrew tunes, done
gospel style, and sign CDs in
the lobby after the concerts.
36 Battery Place. (646) 437-
4202, www.mjhnyc.org.
8. Family Concert
at the Jewish Museum
The Macaroons will perform
two family concerts at the
Jewish Museum at 11:30 a.m.
and 2 p.m. Families can enjoy
a guitar-based sound that
recalls everything from the
Kinks to Queen to the Shins.
Songs include Hurry Up,
Light the Candle, Mezu-
zah, and Billy the Bagel.
The museum is open for all
its exhibitions, including Cha-
gall: Love, War & Exile and
Art Spiegelmans retrospec-
tive, Co-Mix, The Jewish Mu-
seum, 1109 Fifth Ave., Man-
hattan. (212) 423-3200, www.
thejewishmuseum.org.
9. Music by the
Maccabeats
That once Yeshiva University
group of a capella heart-
throbs, the Maccabeats, will
take the stage at BBKing
Blues Club & Grill for a spe-
cial performance. Showtime
at 7:30 p.m. with doors open-
ing at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35
in advance; $40 day of the
show. BBKing Blues Club &
Grill 237 West 42 St., Manhat-
tan. (212) 997-4144, www.
bbkingblues.com.
10. Jewmongous Concert
Ex-Rockapella star Sean Altmans com-
edy song concert has been called sharply
witty and relentlessly clever. Altman,
who writes acoustic rock songs about
his Jewish awakening, has been dubbed
part of the new breed of Jewish hip-
ster comedians, a list that includes Jon
Stewart and Sarah Silverman. His classic
Passover ditty, They Tried to Kill Us (We
Survived, Lets Eat) has been featured
on NPRs Fresh Air. Mr. Altman plays at 8
p.m. at The Cutting Room, 44 E. 32 St.,
Manhattan. (212) 691-1900, www.thecut-
tingroomnyc.com.
11. Cook Jewish
You can get into the kitchen and scram-
ble up some eggs or make chicken soup,
or you can get your children involved in
a soup and serve experience. Check out
Kids Cooking Made Easy by Leah Scha-
pira and Victoria Dwek (Mesorah Publi-
cations) for all kinds of delicious dishes,
from panini wraps to hot dog garlic knots
to homemade button candy. You wont
be bored or hungry.
12. Work, Work, Work
For most, its a day off. But for many
workers, like those in the 24/7 services,
its another workday. You can fill in for
a colleague who needs the day off to
spend with his or her family. Or you can
enjoy the workaday with a backdrop that
is a little more low-key.
13. Learn, Learn, Learn
Pick up a Jewish book, or any book for
that matter, and spend some time ex-
panding your mind. Try a digital fast, at
least for a few hours, and do some old-
fashioned learning. Check out the local
synagogues for any learning programs
or classes that may be hold that day.
14. Do Good
Chesed is the name of the Christmas
Day game. Why not see if there is a soup
kitchen or nursing home in your area that
you can visit to brighten the day of those
who are less fortunate? What a gift it is
to be able to bring cheer to others.
Macaroon Maccabeats Dena Levie Casey Carle
December Diversions
JS-47*
Jewish writers of Christmas songs
Old ones, new ones, and back stories
NATE BLOOM
No wonder I didnt recognize it. It must
be the only Christmas song not written by
a Jewish songwriter.
So said Wolowitz, a lead Jewish charac-
ter on TVs Big Bang Theory, after hear-
ing his buddy sing Good King Wenceslas,
a traditional carol.
Popular culture outlets are finally
catching up with the fact that about half
of the most popular modern Christmas
or holiday songs were written by Jew-
ish songwriters. This still comes as a sur-
prise to some but it really isnt a shocker
when you realize that the lions share of
enduring Christmas hits were composed
between about 1920 to 1965. That is the
songwriting era that produced what is
now called the Great American Songbook.
About 75 percent of all Songbook hits, now
referred to as standards, were written by
Jewish songwriters.
But enough detailed history I know
you want names and songs and some good
background stories. Ill sprinkle just a bit
more history as I share names and stories.
Facts and Stories:
The Old Standby Hits
Every December, the American Society
of Composers and Publishers ASCAP
issues a list of the top 10 holiday or Christ-
mas songs based on amount of radio
airplay that year. (Up until 2011, the list
included 25 songs.)
The list changes only a little
from year to year, so the spe-
cial 2009 list, which con-
tained the top 25 most played
holiday songs of the decade,
2000-09, is a very good bench-
mark of the perennial recent
favorites.
Twelve of the 25 songs on
the 2009 list were written or
co-written by Jewish song-
writers, and all were written
between 1934 and 1963. The
name of the Jewish writer/
co-writer is preceded by a
number indicating the songs
ASCAP ranking:
1) Winter Wonderland, music
by Felix Bernard
2) The Chri stmas Song
(Chestnuts Roasting..), words &
music by Mel Torme and Rob-
ert Wells
3) Sleigh Ride, words by
Mitchell Parrish
6) White Christmas, words & music by
Irving Berlin
7) Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow,
music by Julie Styne, words by Sammy Cahn
9) Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer,
words and music by Johnny Marks
11) Its the Most Wonderful Time of
the Year, words by Eddie Pola, music by
George Wyle
12) Ill Be Home for Christmas, music by
Walter Kent, words by Buck Ram
13) Rockin Around the Christmas Tree,
words and music by Johnny Marks
14) Silver Bells, words and music by Jay
Livingstone and Ray Evans
17) A Holly Jolly Christmas, words and
music by Johnny Marks
22) [Theres No Place Like] Home for the
Holidays, words by Al Stillman, music by
Bob Allen
Stories
Johnny Marks is the Jewish king of this list
he wrote three big Christmas hits, but
no other real hits in another genre. He was
born into a pretty affluent suburban New
Above, Johnny Marks;
at left, Irving Berlin.
Robert May was inspired by his four-year-old
daughter.
Rudolph has been a hit since 1949.
SEE JEWISH WRITERS PAGE 48
December Diversions
December Diversions
JS-48*
York Jewish family that long had been sec-
ular. He was an honors grad of prestigious
Colgate University and he might have been
expected to follow his father into engineer-
ing, but he was drawn to songwriting at an
early age. For many young people who
reached adulthood between the two world
wars, songwriting had an allure that made
it similar to wanting to be in a rock band
in the 1960s.
Marks struggled until Gene Autrys wife
persuaded the singing cowboy to record
Rudolph in 1949. It became a mon-
ster hit and remains so. Marks was smart
enough to retain all rights to the song.
The song was inspired by a 1939 poem
of the same name that was written by Rob-
ert May, then working as a low-paid copy-
writer for the Montgomery Ward Depart-
ment Store company. Early in 1939, Mays
boss told him to write a cheery Christmas
story for kids that the stores could give
away in the form of a free booklet to shop-
pers. May, whose sister married Marks
in 1947, also was born into a secular and
affluent suburban New York family. But
his family lost all its wealth in the Great
Depression, not long after May graduated
from Dartmouth.
Mays Jewish wife was dying of cancer
as he worked on his poem in a small Chi-
cago apartment. He picked a deer as his
hero because his 4-year-old daughter loved
deer. He ran couplets by his child and his
in-laws. His wife died not long before he
completed the poem, which was a smash
hit with Ward customers.
After the war, Ward gave him the rights
to the poem and it sold well in regular
book form. But it was Johnny Marks song
that made Rudolph a superstar, lead-
ing one sociologist to comment that it
was the 20th century Christmas symbol
most likely to become a lasting addition to
Christmas celebrations.
Sadly, May buried his Jewish origins
and even usually left out the role of his
daughter and in-laws in later interviews
about his poem.
Irving White Christmas Berlin never bur-

ied his origins, but he always was a secu-
lar Jew as an adult, although he had been
born into a religious family. Two anec-
dotes his daughter tells in her biography
of her parents sheds light on
Jews, Christmas songs, and why
American Jews wrote such
songs (aside, of course, from the
money, which always was the
principal motivator).
First, Berlin was taken by the
fact that Christmas in America
was a lovely family holiday his
Christian neighbors celebrations
on the Lower East Side were not
marked by Christmas pogroms,
as in his native Russia.
Second, Berlin loved America
for lifting him out of poverty,
and he celebrated its traditions,
including the gentle American
Christmas. When the Nazi tide
reached its zenith, he and his
wife contemplated where they
could run if America fell, and
thus save their half Jewish
children from death. Know-
ing this, you realize that God
Bless America, his equally
famous tune, was a prayer of protection
for his family and for the America that had
treated him so well.
I recently spoke to the widow of Bob
Allen, the composer of the music for
Home for the Holidays. Allen was born
in a small town near Troy, New York. He
had a full scholarship to a nearby engi-
neering school, but he spent the summer
of 1945 playing with a New York dance
band, and that led him to chuck the
scholarship and pursue a career as a pia-
nist and songwriter. Early in November
of 1954, famous Jewish music producer
Mitch Miller told Allen that Perry Como
wanted a new holiday song for release
that Christmas, and he and his lyricist
partner, Al Stillman, had one day to write
it. Allen went to Rockefeller Center, was
inspired by the skaters, and wrote the
music in one afternoon. Stillman wrote
the lyric that night. Como recorded the
tune the next day and it was pressed and
in stores, selling like hot latkes, within
about 10 days.
What is often forgotten is that song-
writing between circa 1920 and 1965 was
largely an on-demand business. When
songwriters, Jewish or not, were commis-
sioned to write a Christmas song, they
wrote it and now and again the song
turned into a big hit.
Three Especially Cool
Oldie Christmas Songs
Not in the Top 25
1) Santa Baby. This song was written
in 1953 by Jewish songwriters Philip
Springer and Joan Javits (the niece of Sen.
Jacob Javits of New York, an ardent sup-
porter of Israel). It was written for Afri-
can-American singer Eartha Kitt, who
was a very sexy woman; Santa Baby
has often been called the sexiest Christ-
mas song ever. Kitt, too, was an early and
ardent supporter of Israel, and appeared
at Israel Bond rallies. The song was a big
hit in 1953, but fell into relative obscurity
because nobody big followed Kitt in
recording it. (Springer and Javits, unlike
the other songwriters mentioned above,
are still alive)
I t revi ved i n popul ari t y when
Madonna, whose decades-long devo-
tion to Kabbalah and Israel visits quali-
fies her as Jew-ISH, recorded it in 1987.
More attention followed when it was
used in the hit 1989 film Driving Miss
Daisy. Ironically, it played behind a
scene where Miss Daisys Jewish daugh-
ter-in-law annoys the Jewish Miss Daisy
by acting like a Christian and throwing
a bedecked Christmas party.
2) Youre a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. The
music for this Dr. Seuss TV special song
was written by the late Albert Hague,
who was born in Germany to Jewish
parents who considered being Jewish a
handicap and raised him as a Lutheran.
He fled to America in 1937 and a kindly
Christian doctor arranged for him to get
a resident visa. He embraced his Jewish
heritage in America and proudly identi-
fied as a Jew. Trained as a composer, he
acted late in life, playing a music teacher
in the film and TV version of Fame.
3) Christmas (Baby, Please Come
Home). Written in 1963, by the Jewish
songwriting team of Jeff Barry, the late
Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, it
was number 21 in 2012 on the Billboard
chart of hot holiday songs. The original
and best known recording is by African-
American singer Darlene Love, who has
performed it on the David Letterman
show episode closest to Christmas every
year since 1986. In 2010, Rolling Stone
magazine selected this song, as sung
by Love, as the number 1 rock and roll
Christmas song of all time. Rolling Stone
began its description of this song by say-
ing, As Darlene Love told Rolling Stone,
it took three Jews to write the greatest
Christmas song of all time.
Two Cool Recent
Christmas Songs
1) Mistletoe, released in December 2011,
was a colossal hit for the young singer
Justin Bieber. It combines elements of
rock, reggae, and rhythm and blues.
It was written by Adam Messinger and
Nasri Atweh, Canadians who work under
the name The Messengers. A 2011 press
release says: Considering Nasris Chris-
tian/Palestinian roots and Adams Jewish
background, the Messengers are utiliz-
ing their diverse cultures to rewrite the
holiday season in the spirit of fun and
hope for every child. Toys collected by
their drive will be donated to Children
Affected by Aids Foundation. In addition,
all monies raised will go to Elizabeth Gla-
ser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
2) Underneath the Tree, co-writ-
ten by Greg Kurstin, who is Jewish, and
singer Kelly Clarkson, was number one
on several Billboard charts as of the sec-
ond week of December, 2013. It is the first
single released from Clarksons first Christ-
mas album, Wrapped in Red. The single
consciously has a Phil Spector/Baby Please
Come Home/Wall of Sound feel to it.
Kurstin is a top producer, and Clarkson
recently told Jay Leno that she waited to
do a Christmas album until he was avail-
able. She added, Hes Jewish, so he didnt
know any of the songs. We were in the stu-
dio and I was like Rudolph? No. White
Christmas? No. But hes so talented.
I say: Mr. Kurstin, arent you ashamed
to not know the songs of your landsmen?
Question: Is All This Good for the Jews?
Answer: I dont know for sure.
I have heard the theory that Jews, con-
sciously, are subtlety secularizing Christ-
mas through all these non-religious Christ-
mas songs. Maybe it has had that effect a
little but I am convinced that if every
Jewish songwriter of a Christmas hit had
been given a shot of truth serum, not one
of them would say that secularization
was something they ever even thought
about.
I have thought that all these tribe-mem-
ber-written holiday songs, some of which
are pretty good, perhaps have spurred Jew-
ish assimilation. They are the soundtrack
of the Christmas cultural tidal wave every
December. But, you know, even without
the soundtrack the wave would be pretty
overwhelming.
Pretty much I judge it all at face value.
These songs have fed and clothed thou-
sands of Jews who work or worked in
entertainment and their progeny. We his-
torically have prospered in the niches the
rest of the world didnt think that valuable,
and so-called holiday music is part of that
riches from niches Jewish success story.
Plus, I suspect that a rather large and
growing portion of the American Christian
population is at least somewhat aware that
so many of the Christmas songs they love
were written by Jews. A few grumble, but
most are a bit grateful or admiring. And
thats good for the Jews.
Phil Spector
Berlin was
taken by the
fact that
Christmas in
America was
a lovely
family holiday.
Jewish writers
FROM PAGE 47
Obituaries
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Goldie Berkowitz
Goldie Berkowitz, ne Greenberg, 100, of Suf-
fern, N.Y., died on December 16.
Born in Brooklyn, she was predeceased
by her husband, Nedwin, and a son, Rich-
ard, and is survived by a son, Lowell of
Manhattan. Arrangements were by Eden
Memorial Chapels, Inc., Fort Lee.
Blanche Blazer
Blanche Blazer, ne Aronowitz, 88, died on
December 6.
A graduate of Eastside High School in
Paterson, she worked for Claude Bamberger
International Ltd. as an office manager/
accounting specialist. She belonged to
Hadassah for over 50 years.
Predeceased by her husband, Morris, sib-
lings Martin and Louis Aronowitz, and Ida
Callahan (Robert), and a sister-in-law Selma
Aronowitz, she is survived by a brother, Ber-
nard Aronowitz, sisters-in-law Jean and Pearl
Aronowitz, nieces and nephews, and great-
nieces and nephews. Arrangements were by
Louis Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.
Leo Fleischer
Leo Fleischer of Fair Lawn, formerly of New
York, died on December 14.
An Army World War II veteran, he
started the Mercury Lighting Products
Company in 1946, where he remained
until retiring in 1994. He was a member
of the Edgewood Country Club and was
just awarded entry into the Giant season
ticket holder Hall of Fame.
Predeceased by his two brothers Sidney
and Fred, he is survived by his wife of 64
years, Frances; two sons, Scott (Sharon) of
Old Tappan, and Chuck (Karen) of Stillwater,
Okla.; and five grandchildren. Arrangements
were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish
Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
Rose Friedman
Rose Friedman, ne Zelkowitz, 93, of Fair
Lawn, formerly of Passaic and New York,
died on December 17.
Born in Czechoslovakia, she came to
America 90 years ago settling in New York
City. She and her husband owned Parker
Industrial Canvas Company in Clifton. She
was an honors graduate of Bushwick High
School in Brooklyn. She was a member of
the Passaic chapter of ORT, an honorary
member of the Fair Lawn chapter of Hadas-
sah, and a former member of the Fair Lawn
Jewish Center.
Predeceased by her husband, Bennie, a
daughter, Susan, and a son-in-law, Maury
Markoff; she is survived by her children,
Marlene Markoff, and Howard (Linda);
sisters, Frances Cohen and Edna Mehlman
(Tex); three grandchildren; and three great-
grandchildren. Arrangements were by Louis
Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.
David Jacobs
David Jacobs of Fair Lawn, 27, died on
December 9.
His parents, Beth and Edward Jacobs, a
sister, Sarah, and his grandmother, Elaine
Paris, survive him. Arrangements were
by Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel,
Paramus.
Marsha Kopf
Marsha Kopf, 83, of Boca Raton, Fla., for-
merly of Fair Lawn, died on December 15.
Born in Brooklyn, she was predeceased
by her husband, Jonas, and is survived by
her children, Randy and Nancy, and Patricia
Rosen, all of Boca Raton, and Jeffrey (Penny
Ligori) of Hackensack; a sister, Ruth Nadel;
and six grandchildren. Arrangements were
by Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel,
Paramus.
Alma Levine
Alma Levine, ne Mann, 80, of Rockleigh,
formerly of Fair Lawn, died on December 15.
Predeceased by her husbands, Sheldon
(Perry) and Harvey Rowitz; she is survived
by her children, Mark (Carol) of Ithaca, N.Y.,
Michele Cirkus (Bill) of Wayne, and Amy
Goldsmith ( Jeffrey) of Woodcliff Lake; a sis-
ter, Sara Topal (Bert); six grandchildren, one
great-grandchild, and a niece and nephew.
Born in Paterson, she graduated
Fairleigh Dickinson University and
worked with her husband in his Engle-
wood travel agency, King Travel Service.
Arrangements were by Robert Schoems
Menorah Chapel, Paramus.
Lloyd Marks
Lloyd C. Marks, 88, of Ramsey, formerly of
Waldwick, Port Orange, Fla., and Lakehu-
rst, died on December 11.
He grew up in the Bronx, served in
France during World War II, and con-
tinued service in the United States for
several years, afterward attending NYU.
He worked in the freight transportation
business.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years,
Thelma (Terry); children, Susan Alcorn
(Samuel) of Washington, D.C., Robin Weis-
berg (Howard) of Waldwick, and Gregory
of Hawthorne; and four grandsons.
Arrangements were by Robert Schoems
Menorah Chapel, Paramus.
IsadoreToledo
Isadore Toledo, 85, of Little Neck, N.Y., died
on December 16.
Born in New York City, he was a printer
for Master Eagle in New York City. His
wife, Eleanor, ne Karp, children, Shelli Di
Cioccio and Michael Toledo; a sister, Jean
Toledo; and two grandchildren survive
him. Arrangements were by Eden Memo-
rial Chapels, Inc., Fort Lee.
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CRYPTS FOR SALE
BETH ISRAEL Cemetery, Wood-
bridge, N.J. Triple Crypt for three.
Outside garden level 4. $7,500, ne-
gotiable. including transfer fees.
Value over $20K. 917-445-5293
SENIORS
WOMAN
looking to meet
Senior Adults for
Activities,
Travel, etc.
Call Nat
201-768-9490
HELP WANTED
LIVE-OUT NANNY - Tenafy
Loving family looking for warm
& trustworthy full-time Nanny for
sweet/smiiey 3-month-old-boy.
Must have exp. w/infants, prior
employment as a nanny for a
family, own car, & excellent
refs. 60 hours/wk. If interested
call Karen: 917-488-5039
NEEDED:
Substitute Teachers for
General and Judaic Studies in
Early Childhood through grade 8
at
Yavneh Academy
155 N. Farview Avenue
Paramus, New Jersey
To expess interest, please
submit CV to Helen Lichter at
helen.lichter@yavnehacademy.org
SINAI SCHOOL is seeking
motivated and experienced
Special Education Teachers
and Administrators
to join our 2014 - 15 team
at our various sites.
Please email resumes to:
lcohen@sinaischools.org
HELP WANTED
PART TIME
ADVERTISING SALES
For The
Rockland Jewish Standard
Knowledge of Rockland Cty
Previous Media Sales a plus
You are a people person and
a go-getter.
Use of Automobile
Generous Commission and
Car Allowance
email resume to:
natalie@jewishmediagroup.com
fax: 201-833-4959
TUTORING
GENERAL STUDIES TUTOR
Experienced
Available for children
in grades 1 - 6
201-417-3666
SITUATIONS WANTED
A CARING experienced European
woman available now to care for
elderly/sick. Live-in/Out. English
speaking. References. Drivers lics.
Call Lena 908-494-4540
A responsible woman looking to
care for elderly. Live-in or out.
Reliable! Pleasant! Experienced!
References. Own car. Waiting for
your call 347-816-1363
CARING, reliable lady with over 20
years experience willing to work 10
to 12 hours anytime/nightime shift
at $10. hour. Excellent references.
201-741-3042
SITUATIONS WANTED
CHHA with 10 yrs experience,
live-in/out, excellent references,
valid drivers license. Call 973-342-
2160; 973-392-3028,
COMPASSIONATE Caregiver to
care for elderly/sick. Over 20 years
experience with Jewish families.
Live in/out. Excellent references.
Own car. 973-809-9186
HEBREW Day School Teacher.
Fluent in Hebrew, English, Russi-
an. Five years experience teaching
in Israel. Email: E.M.S.Rosen-
berg@gmail.com; cell 201-993-
1807
RICHALEX DIGNITY
Provides Certifed Home Health
Aide Services
Assistance w/bathing
Hsekeeping Companionship
Errands Meal Preparation
Laundry Medication reminder
Compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness & patience.
862-250-6680
SPORTSWRITER adept at cover-
ing all team sports on both national
and local level. Have covered
Mets, Giants and NJ Nets. Can
cover all angles of sports; fnancial,
team or individual. Also interested
in writig about Travel.
Call: David 973-641-6781 or email:
DavidFox1114@aol.com
SITUATIONS WANTED
DAUGHTER
FOR A DAY, LLC
LICENSED & INSURED
FOR YOUR
PROTECTION
Case Management
Handpicked
Certified Home
Health Aides
Creative
companionship
interactive,
intelligent
conversation &
social outings
Lifestyle Transitions
Assist w/shopping,
errands, Drs, etc.
Organize/process
paperwork,
bal. checkbook,
bookkeeping
Resolve medical
insurance claims
Free Consultation
RITA FINE
201-214-1777
www.daughterforaday.com
SITUATIONS WANTED
`CERTIFIED Home Health Aide/
Companion. I take care of elderly
people! Live-out/day/night/any
hours. Experienced! Good referen-
ces! Call for more particulars.
201-313-6956;201-927-9659
CLEANING SERVICE
HOME CLEANING by perfection-
ist, meticulous, caring person. Ex-
cellent references. Bi-Weekly or
Weekly Call 973-461-3082
Estates Bought & Sold
Fine Furniture
Antiques
Accessories
Cash Paid
201-920-8875
T U
NICHOLAS
ANTIQUES
PARTY
PLANNER
To advertise call 201-837-8818
Classified
JS-51
Call us. We are waiting for
your classifed ad!
201-837-8818
Solution to last weeks puzzle. This weeks puzzle is
on page 43.
CLEANING & HAULING
SITUATIONS WANTED
CHHA with 10 yrs experience,
live-in/out, excellent references,
valid drivers license. Call 973-342-
2160; 973-392-3028,
COMPASSIONATE Caregiver to
care for elderly/sick. Over 20 years
experience with Jewish families.
Live in/out. Excellent references.
Own car. 973-809-9186
HEBREW Day School Teacher.
Fluent in Hebrew, English, Russi-
an. Five years experience teaching
in Israel. Email: E.M.S.Rosen-
berg@gmail.com; cell 201-993-
1807
SPORTSWRITER adept at cover-
ing all team sports on both national
and local level. Have covered
Mets, Giants and NJ Nets. Can
cover all angles of sports; fnancial,
team or individual. Also interested
in writig about Travel.
Call: David 973-641-6781 or email:
DavidFox1114@aol.com
Jewish Music with an Edge
Ari Greene 201-837-6158
AGreene@BaRockorchestra.com
www.BaRockOrchestra.com
Free
Estimates
Roof
Repairs
201-487-5050
83 FIRST STREET
HACKENSACK, NJ 07601
ROOFING SIDING GUTTERS LEADERS
HACKENSACK HACKENSACK HACKENSACK HACKENSACK HACKENSACK
R RR RROO OO OO OO OOFING FING FING FING FING
C CC CCO OO OO. .. ..
INC. INC. INC. INC. INC.
ROOFING
SITUATIONS WANTED
`CERTIFIED Home Health Aide/
Companion. I take care of elderly
people! Live-out/day/night/any
hours. Experienced! Good referen-
ces! Call for more particulars.
201-313-6956;201-927-9659
CLEANING SERVICE
HOME CLEANING by perfection-
ist, meticulous, caring person. Ex-
cellent references. Bi-Weekly or
Weekly Call 973-461-3082
CLEANING & HAULING
JIMMY
THE JUNK MAN
Low Cost
Commercial Residental
Rubbish Removal
201-661-4940
DRIVING SERVICE
MICHAELS CAR
SERVICE
LOWEST RATES
Airports
Manhattan/NYC
School Transportation
201-836-8148
FLOORING
American Oak
Hardwood Floors
25 Years of Experience
Installation of All Types of
Carpets, Floors & Borders
Staining & Refinishing
Complete Repair Service
Quality Products
Free Estimates
Fully Insured
Oakland Rutherford
201-651-9494 201-438-7105
FURNITURE FOR SALE
PARSON TABLE
Cherry wood frame
with Glass Top
25H x 56L x 21D
Like New $100.00
Call Karen
201-321-1839
HANDYMAN
Your Neighbor with Tools
Home Improvements & Handyman
Shomer Shabbat Free Estimates
Over 15 Years Experience
Adam 201-675-0816 Jacob
Lic. & Ins. NJ Lic. #13VH05023300
www.yourneighborwithtools.blogspot.com
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
BEST BEST
of the
Home Repair Service
Carpentry
Decks
Locks/Doors
Basements
Bathrooms
Plumbing
Tiles/Grout
Painting
Kitchens
Electrical
Paving/Masonry
Drains/Pumps
Maintenence
Hardwood Floors
NO JOB IS TOO SMALL
24 Hour x 5 1/2 Emergency Services
Shomer Shabbat Free Estimates
1-201-530-1873
BH
General Repairs
PLUMBING
Complete Kitchen &
Bath Remodeling
Boilers Hot Water Heaters Leaks
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Fully Licensed, Bonded and Insured
NO JOB IS TOO SMALL!
201-358-1700 Lic. #12285
APL Plumbing & Heating LLC
RUBBISH REMOVAL
CHICHELO
RUBBISH REMOVED
973-325-2713 973-228-7928
201-704-0013
Appliances
Furniture
WoodMetals
Construction
Debris
Homes Estates
Factories Contractors
P.O. Box 96119 Washington, D.C. 20090 | (800) 813-0557 | mazon.org
We cant put off paying my moms
medical bills and her oxygen, so we
struggle to get enough to eat.
- Rhonda
Every day, hungry people have to make impossible choices, often
knowing that, no matter which option they choose, they will have
to accept negative consequences. It shouldnt be this way.
MAZON is working to end hunger for Rhonda and the millions of
Americans and Israelis who struggle with food insecurity.
Please donate to MAZON today.
2012 MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger/Barbara Grover
Gallery
JS-52*
n 1 Jewish Federation of
Northern New Jersey hosted
a Chanukah party for resi-
dents of the Jewish Home at
Rockleigh with music, food,
and presents. COURTESY JHR
n 2 Through Bris Avrohom, an
estimated 18 million people saw
menorah lightings at 65 public
menorahs, including those at
One Bergen Plaza in Hacken-
sack, pictured, at the George
Washington Bridge, and for
the first time, at the entrance
to the Lincoln Tunnel. From
left are Rabbi Joseph Siev of
Care One in Teaneck; Rabbi
Yudi Kanelsky, Bris Avrohoms
outreach director; community
development director Rabbi/
Cantor Berele Zaltzman; found-
ers Rabbi Mordechai and
Shterney Kanelsky; executive
committee chair Danny Kah-
ane of Englewood, Freeholder
Tracy Zur; County Executive
Kathleen Donovan; Freeholder
Joan Voss, and County Clerk
John Hogan. COURTESY BA
n 3 The Jewish Federation of
Northern New Jersey recently
held a Birthright parlor meeting
at the home of Tina and Mitchell
Lieberman. Participants were
given information about the
Birthright Israel program and
JFNNJs community Birthright
trips, including an upcoming
summer trip. Two Birthright
alumni, Amanda Perlmutter
and Shaina Stiefel, pictured
in front, shared stories about
their experiences. From left,
back row, are Robin Rogers; Dr.
Leonard Cole; Steve Rogers;
federation CEO Jason Shames;
Birthright Israel regional direc-
tor Serena Young, and Mitchell
Lieberman. COURTESY JFNNJ
n 4 Avi Feld, left, mashgiach at
the Jewish Home Assisted Liv-
ing, lit Chanukah candles with
JHAL residents Pearl Ostroff
and Cantor Kurt Silbermann in
the dining room. COURTESY JHAL
n 5 Gil Lainer, consul for pub-
lic diplomacy at the consulate
general for Israel in New York,
was welcomed by Harry Melzer,
Temple Beth Sholom of Fair
Lawns adult education chair. Mr.
Lainer talked about Israels pub-
lic image at TBS. COURTESY TBS
n 6 Bergen County YJCC CEO
Gary Lipman and CFO Paulette
Spiegel help TJ Layne light the
menorah in the YJCC lobby
on the last night of Chanukah.
TJ participates in the YJCCs
S.A.I.L. program for people 21
and over with developmental
disabilities. COURTESY YJCC
n 7 A character breakfast
brought children to the Bergen
County YJCC to meet repre-
sentations of favorite book,
movie, and television characters
and enjoy the decorations il-
lustrating the under the sea
theme. Many children came
in costume, including Alexa,
left, and Allie Cohen, pictured
with their parents, Annie and
Justin Cohen. COURTESY YJCC
1
2 3
4 5 6
7
Real Estate & Business
JS-53*
Real Estate Associates
Ann Murad, ABR, GRI
Sales Associate
NJAR Circle of Excellence Gold Level, 2001, 2003-2006
Silver Level, 1997-2000, 2002,2009,2011,2012
Direct: (201) 664 6181, Cell: (201) 981 7994
E-mai l : anni eget si t sol d@msn. com
123 Broadway, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677
(201) 573 8811 ext. 316
Each Ofce Independenty Owned and Operated
ANNIE GETS IT SOLD
EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY
HOUSING EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
Orna Jackson, Sales Associate 201-376-1389
TENAFLY
894-1234
TM
TEANECK CLASSIC $347,800
Inviting 3 bedroom colonial on tree-lined street in wonderful neighborhood, living
room with fireplace, country kitchen with breakfast area and door to yard, lovely
sun room, hardwood floors, arched doorways, walk-up attic
could be 4th bedroom, detached garage.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS
568-1818
TENAFLY
894-1234
CRESSKILL
871-0800
ALPINE/CLOSTER
768-6868
RIVER VALE
666-0777
For Our Full Inventory & Directions
Visit our Website
www.RussoRealEstate.com
(201) 837-8800
READERS
CHOICE
2013
FIRST PLACE
REAL ESTATE AGENCY
1786 Lilbet Rd. $439K.
All Updated Bi-Lev. Ent Foyer, Lg LR, DR/Sldrs to Deck,
Granite MEIK. 4 BRs, 2.5 Bths. C/A/C. Polished H/W Flrs. 2
Car Att Gar.
TEANECK
BY APPOINTMENT
$1,250/mo. 2nd Flr Condo. 1 BR, 1 Bth, EIK. Laund & Pkg
Onsite.
$1,450/mo. 2nd Flr Apt. 2 Brs, 1 Bth. Spacious & Updated.
Laund in Unit.
$2,985/mo. Elegant Tudor. 1st Flr BR or Den + 3 2nd Flr
BRs, 2.1 Bth. C/A/C. 2 Car Gar.
$3,200/mo. Contemp Col. Country Club Area. 4 BR, 3.5
Bths. Fin Bsmt. Many Updates. C/A/C. Gar.
TEANECK VIC
BY APPOINTMENT
N MILFORD $420s.
Updated 4 BR, 3 Bth Cape w/ Rm to Exp Up & Out. Sep Ent
Fam Rm w/ Sldrs to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Gar.
All Close to NY Bus/Houses of Worship/Highways
TEANECK
OPEN HOUSE 1-3 PM

FOLLOW TEAM V&N ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
www.vera-nechama.com
201-692-3700
SMART * EXPERIENCED * BOLD
SUNDAY DEC 22ND OPEN HOUSES
736 Mildred St, Tnk $939,000 1:30-3:30pm
5 Br, 5 Bath Home set on 89 x 269 park-like property w
separate professional offices. Grand LR/Fplc, Vaulted Ceiling
Fam Rm/Fireplace.
414 Wildrose Ave, Bgfld $509,000 1:00-3:00pm
Premiere Open House! Excellent LR & FDR w newly finished
fls. MEIK w Cathedral Ceiling & Skylight, Master Br Suite/Bth.
60 frontage.
397 Greenwich St, Bgfld $449,000 1:00-3:00pm
Gracious Multi-Lvl Home, LR, FDR & spacious Fam Rm. Large
finished bsmnt w playrm. C/A, hardwd fls, new compressor,
security system.
JUST SOLD!
740 Washburn St, Teaneck
50 Norfolk St, Bergenfield
Elisabeth Morrow
students excel at Math
League competition
For the third time in as many years, students from
the Elisabeth Morrow School in Englewood excelled
in the Math League elementary school contest.
EMS elementary school team consisted of 24
students in third, fourth and fifth grades. Approxi-
mately 125 students from nine schools participated
in the contest, which included a team part, a num-
ber sense round, and some sections where a calcula-
tor could be used.
Elisabeth Morrows third-grade teams came in
first and sixth place. The fourth-grade teams came
in second and fourth- and the fifth-grade teams gar-
nered both first and second place in their respec-
tive grades. Besides team results, individual students
excelled. In third grade Harrison White came in sec-
ond, Yoel Zachariah came in fifth, and Andrew Hyde
came in 10th. In fourth grade six students were in
the top ten: second place went to Henry Choi, fifth
to Ian Maloney, sixth to James Grant, seventh to
Andrew Hyde, ninth to Rohan Buluswar, and 10th
to Thomas Grant.
Elisabeth Morrow made a clean sweep in fifth
grade. Shelby Kim came in first, Peter Staphos sec-
ond, Aidan Kim third, Garo Amerkanian fourth, John
Mauro fifth, and Ronit Malde seventh.
Twenty-one EMS middle school students traveled
to Far Hills Country Day School to participate in the
Englewood schools first ever middle school compe-
tition with the Math League. Five schools with 26
teams and approximately 100 students took part.
The contest included a countdown round pitting
students against one another in 45-second bouts.
Only the top students from all the schools were
invited to participate. Of the 12 students chosen for
the countdown round, Elisabeth Morrow had seven.
Third-graders, from left, top row: Harrison White of
Tenafly, Kurt Onal of Englewood, Shira Mandelzis of
Tenafly, and Aiden Hunter of Englewood. Bottom
row: Yoel Zachariah of Rutherford, Olivia Ma of West
New York, Arman Azmi of Allendale, and Eli Nelson
of Englewood.
Fouth-graders, from left, top row: Purvi Jonnalagad-
da-Englewood Cliffs, Renee Shah of Cliffside Park,
Thomas Grant of Saddle River, Mazyar Azmi of Al-
lendale, and Andrew Hyde of New York City. Bottom
row: James Grant of Saddle River, Ian Maloney of
Hackensack, Rohan Buluswar of Tenafly, and Henry
Choi of Cliffside Park.
Talya Shuminer joins
Friedberg Properties
Marlyn Friedberg, broker-
owner of Friedberg Proper-
ties, has announced that Talya
Shuminer has joined her staff
of real estate representatives.
Ms. Shuminer will be located
in Friedbergs Alpine office at
1018 Closter Dock Road.
Ms. Shuminer learned first-
hand that pitfalls can arise
in the buying and selling of
ones personal residence. She
and her husband were fortu-
nate enough to have a competent agent to assist them
through the process, and she says her goal is to do the
same for her clients and customers.
Ms. Shuminer is fluent in English and Hebrew and is
an avid volunteer in the Closter School PTO. She can
be reached in the office at (201) 768-6868 or on her
cell, (646) 319-3340.
Talya Shuminer
Jeff@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com
Ruth@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com/NJ
Each Miron Properties office is independently owned and operated.
Contact us today for your complimentary consultation!
TENAFLY
150 COLUMBUS DRIVE
TENAFLY
511 KNICKERBOCKER ROAD
TENAFLY
82 OAK AVENUE
TENAFLY
29 FARVIEW ROAD
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ENGLEWOOD
150 GLENWOOD ROAD
ENGLEWOOD
35 KING STREET
ENGLEWOOD
154 MEADOWBROOK ROAD
ENGLEWOOD
377 ELKWOOD TERRACE
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ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS
35 KARENS LANE
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS
48 VAN NOSTRAND AVENUE
CLOSTER
41 MCCAIN COURT
DEMAREST
164 COUNTY ROAD
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TEANECK
240 SCHLEY PLACE
TEANECK
368 WINTHROP ROAD
NEW MILFORD
1134 KORFITSEN ROAD
BERGENFIELD
8 ALICE PLACE
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FORT LEE
WHITEMAN HOUSE, 7-I
FORT LEE
NORTHBRIDGE PARK, 11-G
FORT LEE
800 PALISADE AVENUE, #1605
FORT LEE
100 OLD PALISADE AVENUE, #2507
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Jeffrey Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NY
Ruth Miron-Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NJ
NJ: T: 201.266.8555 M: 201.906.6024
NY: T: 212.888.6250 M: 917.576.0776
Remarkable Service. Exceptional Results.
Real Estate & Business
JS-54*
SELLING YOUR HOME?
Cell: 201-615-5353 BergenCountyRealEstateSource.com
2013 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.
Call Susan Laskin Today
To Make Your Next Move A Successful One!
Miron Properties hires Tenafly resident
Miron Properties has
hired Yael Jacobs, a
10-year Tenafly resident
with eight years of real
estate experience. Jacobs
previously worked at
Col dwel l Banker i n
Tenafly.
Attention to detail
has always been a major
part of what I do, said
Ms. Jacobs. My clients
always say I have a good
eye because I point out the things they
need to make note of when showing them
different properties.
Ms. Jacobs specializes in
the Tenafly, Cresskill, Clo-
ster, Demarest, Englewood
and Englewood Cliffs neigh-
borhoods. She holds a B.A.
degree in film from Hunter
College in New York City
and speaks fluent Hebrew
and English.
Yael is a caring, creative
and resourceful real estate
professional and an exem-
plary advocate for her clients, said firm
owner Dr. Ruth Miron-Schleider.
Yael Jacobs
Fitness training center marks
grand opening in Tenafly
Underground Training, a 2,000-square-
foot training studio at 20 Chestnut St. in
Tenafly, celebrated its grand opening Sun-
day, December 8. The fitness firm offers
personal, semi-private, and small group
training, and offers a semi-supervised
membership program that progresses a
client through six fitness levels. The client
is guided by a certified trainer or by spe-
cially designed videos.
The opening was attended by more
than 200 people, who were challenged to
fitness contests such as pull-ups, push-
ups, and sled pushes. Several attendees
attempted the rope climb, bringing back
childhood memories. The fitness high-
light was a 1,000 meter rowing race
challenging 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist
in womens rowing, Meghan Musnicki,
and a weightlifting competition against
Naor Ziv, sixth ranked in the world for
bodybuilding.
Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin performed
a ribbon-cutting ceremony and Rabbi
Mordechai Shain, head of Chabad on the
Palisades, blessed the facility. Members
of the Tenafly Business Improvement Dis-
trict and the Tenafly Council attended.
Going up!
Escalade makes elevators smarter
Millions of the worlds
lifts need overhauling.
Israeli firm can retrofit
or install new intelligent
systems that raise the
devices to a different level
The most common way to get from
one point to another isnt a car, bus or
bike. Its an elevator. Yet the electric lift
hasnt changed all that much since its
19th century origins.
The Israeli company Escalade is revo-
lutionizing the industry with its Intelli-
gent Connected Elevator Panel (iCEP),
a software-driven platform designed
for smarter and safer programmed ele-
vator operation.
Available for any new or existing
elevator, the iCEP has built-in capabili-
ties for emergency lighting, message
announcement, music, two-way inter-
com, wireless communication and
adaptations for people with visual or
auditory impairments.
Future iterations will support cus-
tomized commands, displays or oper-
ations such as voice and face rec-
ognition, biometric sensors, smoke
detectors and video advertising tar-
geted to the time of day and the par-
ticular passengers (for instance, lunch
specials at the corner deli).
About 20 Israeli buildings already have
beta Escalade systems installed, mostly
in central Israel near the two-year-old
companys Kfar Saba headquarters Tel
Aviv, Ramat Gan, Givatayim, Lod, Petah
Tikva. One of these installations is pro-
grammed with a unique password for
each floor, limiting access to authorized
passengers.
The system can always be upgraded
after the initial installation, says Guy
Gotlieb, vice president of marketing and
business development. Lets say a ten-
ant wants to add a security camera. iCEP
can be expanded to accommodate that
with remote upload of software.
Elevator pitch gets results
Mr. Gotlieb and Escalade founder Sha-
ron Cohen recently presented their ele-
vator pitch to about 500 company reps
at Interlift, the annual European elevator
trade exhibition. Mr. Gotlieb says that a
new business deal looks likely.
We were approached by a large inter-
national player with whom we are now
discussing how to use our technology
inside their implementation, he says.
Escalades U.S. partner, Wurtec, pro-
vides sales and technical support to
more than 100 American elevator com-
panies. Theyre already implanting our
iCEP. Were running a pilot program
in Atlantic City to be installed any day
now, Mr. Gotlieb says.
In a market worth an estimated $70
billion, it is not surprising that Escalade
was among many companies at Interlift
touting their high-tech ideas. However,
says Mr. Gotlieb, solutions such as ours
do not exist. Some elements of it are
being incorporated by other companies,
such as displays and emergency commu-
nication, but our package is unique.
Mr. Cohen, formerly the hardware
team leader at VeriFone and Electro
Scientific Industries, understands the
need for smart lifts better than most. His
father has been in the elevator business
for 40-some years.
He grew up hearing stories around
the dinner table about the problems of
elevators, says Mr. Gotlieb. As a tal-
ented engineer, he thought about how
to bring improvements and added value
to such a conventional and a bit out-
dated industry how the company, the
installer, technicians, property manag-
ers and passengers could all benefit from
innovative solutions for this market.
M2M ready
Escalades core team comes from Veri-
Fone and other Israeli companies that
produce embedded products for indus-
tries such as banking and security.
The most important thing our prod-
uct brings, aside from ease of use, is its
machine-to-machine [M2M] capabili-
ties, says Mr. Gotlieb.
M2M, widely seen as the next wave of
industrial development, describes tech-
nologies that enable wireless and wired
systems to communicate with other
devices.
This is one of the hottest trends in
embedded products, and its a core ele-
ment of our system. If you implement it
even in an old elevator, all of a sudden
youre connected to the cloud, to appli-
cations that better maintain and control
equipment and allow you to react better
to emergency situations.
Mr. Gotlieb says it is estimated that
six or seven million of the worlds eleva-
tors are in need of upgrading or replace-
ment to meet safety and accessibility
standards. When an elevator company
has a tender to retrofit an elevator, they
can use our equipment and pay a similar
price for added value.
Escal ade has t hus f ar rai sed
$800,000 from private investors, and
seeks a few hundred thousand more
to ramp up the execution phase. We
have a tremendous amount of knowl-
edge in how to design and market and
how to produce a very efficient solu-
tion. We are ready for production, says
Mr. Gotlieb.
ISRAEL21C.ORG
JS-55
Jeff@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com
Ruth@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com/NJ
Each Miron Properties office is independently owned and operated.
Contact us today for your complimentary consultation!
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WHITEMAN HOUSE, 7-I
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800 PALISADE AVENUE, #1605
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Jeffrey Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NY
Ruth Miron-Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NJ
NJ: T: 201.266.8555 M: 201.906.6024
NY: T: 212.888.6250 M: 917.576.0776
Remarkable Service. Exceptional Results.
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