Jewish Standard, December 2, 2016

FOXMAN SPEAKS ON ELECTIONS BROKEN TABOOS AND HOPE page 6
THREE CONSERVATIVE RABBIS, TWO OPINONS page 8, 12

A VIOLA THAT ESCAPED NAZI GERMANY TO PLAY IN TEANECK page 16
A CENTURY OF YIDDISH SHORT STORIES page 41
DECEMBER 2, 2016
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2 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 2, 2016
Page 3
Egyptian movie star
reveals he is Jewish
The Thinker, 1800 BCE

A team of archaeologists and Israeli
high school students unearthed a
unique 3,800-year-old Bronze Age
figurine, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced. The eight-inch-tall
figurine, who sits on a jug looking
googly-eyed and pensive, was dug up
on the last day of excavations at a site in the central Israeli town of Yehud.
It seems that first the
jug, which is typical of the
period, was prepared, and
afterwards the unique sculpture was added, the likes of
which have never before
been discovered in previous research, Gilad Itach,
the authoritys excavation
director, said. The level of
precision and attention to
detail in creating this almost
4,000-year-old sculpture is extremely

impressive.
The neck of the jug served as a
base for forming the upper portion of
the figure, after which the arms, legs,
and a face were added to the sculpture, he continued.
The figurine was discovered along with a number
of other items, including
daggers, an ax head, and
arrows, which archaeologists
believe were buried as part
of funeral offers for a respected
member of the ancient community.
The Israeli students who
joined in the dig were part
of a new high school matriculation program to help
train future archaeologists.
ISRAEL21C.ORG
If an actor talked about

his Jewishness in an interview in the United States,
he wouldnt make headlines.
But in Egypt where levels
of anti-Semitism are high
and Jews often are ridiculed
on TV shows and in other
aspects of popular culture
that kind of revelation is a big
deal.
Karim Kassem, 30, who has appeared
in prominent roles in Egyptian movies and TV series, told an Egyptian talk
show host last week that his mother
was Jewish.
Kassem, revealed that he discovered
his Jewish roots as a boy, when he complained about Jews to his sister. After
he said that Jews have big noses and
are stingy, his sister stopped him, according to The Times of Israel.
Karim! You dont know? Your mom is
Jewish! Kassem told host Mona Elshazly, the Times of Israel reported.
According to Arab media reports,
Kassem had a multifaceted religious
identity. He celebrated Jewish, Muslim,
and Christian holidays as a child. His
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GABE FRIEDMAN/JTA WIRE SERVICE
The case of the Garden

State Plaza strip search
An Israeli man who spent his honeymoon at the
Garden State Mall in Paramus was strip searched there
and claims that as they undressed him the officers
ridiculed him, saying that his private parts are small.
The man filed a lawsuit in Bergen County Superior
Court last week.
According to the lawsuit, the 38-year-old man,
identified only by his initials, was stopped after leaving the Apple store in the Garden State Plaza mall
last November. His wife was shopping somewhere
else, according to the lawsuit, the New York Post
reported.
Mall security guards accused the man of shoplifting, and they called the police. After the cops found
nothing in his bags, they forced him to remove his
pants in public and searched his underwear while
making fun of him, according to the lawsuit.
The mans attorney told the New York Post that he
believes he was stopped because of his heavy accent. She also said that he still has nightmares and
panic attacks over the incident. He is suing the mall,
JTA WIRE SERVICE
the Apple store, and the police.
CONTENTS
Candlelighting: Friday, December 2, 4:10 p.m.

Shabbat ends: Saturday, December 3, 5:13 p.m.
dads father was Muslim, his dads mother was

Christian, and his mother
was Jewish. One report,
paraphrasing the original
interview in Arabic, said
that Kassems mother was
the one who taught him
about the Quran.
Kassem was careful
to insist that his Jewish
ancestors were not Zionists. His Jewish
grandfather chose not to immigrate to
Israel in its early days, when many of his
peers made the move, because he saw
Zionism as a racist movement.
Although only a handful of Jews
remain in Cairo nearly 80,000 lived
in Egypt before Israel was founded in
1948 Egyptian attitudes toward Jews
may be changing. President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has shown that he wants to
work with Israel on security issues in
the region. And the Egyptian TV show
Jewish Quarter, which focuses on the
Jewish neighborhood of Cairo in 1948,
was a breakout hit last year during Ramadan.
NOSHES ...............................................................4
BRIEFLY LOCAL .............................................. 18
OPINION ........................................................... 26
COVER STORY ................................................ 32
KEEPING KOSHER................... ................... 36
DEAR RABBI ZAHAVY. ................................ 38
DVAR TORAH........................................... 39
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ................................40
ARTS & CULTURE ...........................................41
CALENDAR ...................................................... 42
OBITUARIES ....................................................44
CLASSIFIEDS ..................................................46
REAL ESTATE..................................................48
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JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 2, 2016 3
Noshes
When I turned 13, she threw me a

bar mitzvah, but nobody came because
nobody knew what the hell that was.
Daily Show host Trevor Noah, who is biracial and grew up in South Africa, on
his mother, who converted to Judaism.
OSCAR BUZZ:
Lonergans latest
looks seaworthy
Manchester by the
Sea opened in a
few cities on November
25, but it will not open in
most places until
December 2 or later. It
already has gotten
good-to-great reviews
from major critics, and
Oscar-talk is in the air for
the lead actors and
KENNETH LONERGAN,
55, the films director
and screenwriter. The
film tells the story of the
working-class Chandler
family. Joe and his
17-year-old son, Patrick
(Lucas Hedges), live just
north of Boston. Joe
suddenly dies, and his
will names his younger
brother, Lee (Casey
Affleck), as Patricks
legal guardian. The
modest money and
housing that comes with
the guardianship
persuade Lee to give up
his dead-end janitor job
and come back to
Manchester by the Sea,
even though it also
forces him to deal with a
tragic past involving his
ex-wife (Michelle
Williams), who lives
in Manchester.
Lonergan, whose
mother was Jewish, has
plowed this ground before. Most of his works
begin with an unexpected event that forces a
confrontation between
close friends or family
members. The confrontation always features
dialogue that is smart,
sharp, and surprisingly

funny. Lonergans first
Broadway success, This
is Our Youth (1996),
was about three young
adult Jewish friends
who face a real crisis
involving embezzled
money, a possible mob
hit on one of them, and
the need to raise cash
quickly by selling drugs.
Still, theres humor and
sexual tension in the play.
(Youth has been a hit
in two Broadway revivals
since 1996).
Likewise, his film
You Can Count on Me
(2000) was a critical hit
about a half Jewish
brother (Mark Ruffalo)
and sister (Laura Linney)
who work to sort out
their relationship after
the attempted suicide of
the brothers girlfriend.
NBC is presenting,
live, the Broadway
musical version of
Hairspray on Wednesday, December 7 at 8
p.m. HARVEY FIERSTEIN, 64, reprises his
co-starring Broadway
role as Edna Turnblad.
BILLY EICHNER, 38, has
a smallish role as a TV
reporter. RICKI LAKE, 48,
and MARISSA JARET
WINOKUR, 45, will
appear in cameos. They
played star character
Tracey Turnblad, Ednas
daughter, in, respectively,
the original Hairspray
film and the original
Broadway musical.
Hairsprays music was
Kenneth Lonergan
Harvey Fierstein
Billy Eichner
Marc Shaiman
Emmanuelle Chriqui
Rashida Jones
composed by MARC
SHAIMAN, 57.
The same day, Hulu
begins streaming
the entire 10-episode
first season of Shut
Eye. It centers on a
failed magician who
holds himself out as a
psychic. EMMANUELLE
CHRIQUI, 37 (Entourage) co-stars as a
gifted hypnotist. Also on
the 7th, at 10 p.m.,
MARLEE MATLIN, 51, will
guest star in an episode
of CBS medical drama
Code Black. Shell play
a deaf patient who
arrives at the hospital

with her translator after
their car rolls over into a
river. Matlins film credits
include Children of a
Lesser God, for which
she won the best
actress Oscar.
I vaguely recalled
that actress
RASHIDA JONES, 40,
was childhood friends
with Michael Jackson
even before she talked
recently about a particularly bizarre Jacksonrelated incident on the
Vice Channel talk show
Deus & Mauro. Rashida
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met Jackson through her

father, Quincy Jones, the
famous producer who
worked with many
musicians, including
Jackson. (Jones mother
is actress PEGGY
LIPTON, 70. Rashida
firmly identifies as
Jewish.)
Back in 2011, Jones
told Playboy about her
relationship with Jackson: He was definitely
a little bit of an alien, for
sure, and when I was
young, it felt as if he was
my age, not 18 years older, but with just a little bit
more pep. Later, wed go

out on the town together. He always wore those
surgical masks. Once, my
sister, Michael, Emmanuel Lewis [the kid star of
Webster], and I got in
a car with Super Soakers and went by a movie
theater and supersoaked
the hell out of people
waiting in line. They had
no idea theyd just been
supersoaked by the King
of Pop.
Soaking others is fairly
harmless. But sometimes
Jacksons weirdnesses
could have more bite.
Remember Bubbles,
the chimp that Jackson dressed up in kids
clothes and was long given free run of Neverland,
Jacksons estate?
Jones told Vice
that she was trying to
get Bubbles to behave
by tapping him on the
head, as she seen Jackson do when Bubbles
misbehaved. Bubbles,
she said, looked her
straight in the eye and
bit down on her hand,
right in the gap between
her thumb and index
finger, and soon blood
gushed everywhere.
Jones showed that she
still bears a bite scar, and
she added that Bubbles
had no regrets about
the bite: He was like,
Im the man. (By the
way, Bubbles, now 43,
lives in a nice Florida facility for great apes).
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Local
Its not about us. But on the other hand
Abe Foxman talks about the election, anti-Semitism, fear, and optimism
JOANNE PALMER
eally, its not about us.

Abraham Foxman of Bergen
County, the recently retired
longtime head of the AntiDefamation League, has been in the news
recently, as has the ADL.
The ADL has come out strongly against the
alt-right, the internet-based white nationalist
worldview that is steeped in anti-Semitism
and vitriol. Its also urged President-elect
Donald. J. Trump to be cautious with the
power he gives to Stephen Bannon, the former editor of Breitbart, a right-wing website
that has given much space and apparent
approval to the alt-right.
Mr. Foxman has been caught up in the battle. In a case of convoluted internal Jewishworld politics gone national, the Zionist Organization of America invited Mr. Bannon to its
dinner, Mr. Bannon accepted the invitation
although he did not show up, and the ZOAs
executive director, Morton Klein, directed
some personal insults at Mr. Foxman, who
first was going to the dinner and then did not.
Because Mr. Foxmans name has been
bandied about recently, and because his long
experience seeing hatred and fighting bigotry, first as a World War II hidden child, then
as a Jewish child adjusting to the New World
and a new life, and then as the ADLs executive director, we thought it might be interesting to check in with him and get his take on
the presidential election and its aftermath.
The most salient thing about the election
the good news and the bad news, as Mr.
Foxman put it is that the election was not
about us. It was not about Jews, and it was not
about Israel.
And the second most salient thing about
the election is that everything he can say
about it is so very on-the-one-hand-but-thenon-the-other-hand that soon a listener will
run out of even metaphoric hands.
Back to the election and the Jews. Whatever else the election is, it is a revolution of
sorts social, economic, political, whatever
else, Mr. Foxman said. It is a revolution, and
we Jews dont do well with revolutions. But
this revolution happened.
And it was not about us. Israel and the
Iran deal were tangential issues, and some of
us, on all sides, tried to make it about us, but
they didnt succeed.
The bad news is that it is a social revolution. The campaign became so angry, and it
released all kinds of negative, even evil attitudes. Trump is not a racist. He is not a bit
anti-Semitic. I know him, I know people who
know him, and his family swears it. There is
nothing in his record that shows him to be
anti-Semitic. Even if you look back to the
Abraham Foxman
housing and civil rights case half of America was doing that. (In the early 1970s, the
Justice Department sued Donald Trump and
his father, Fred, for housing discrimination,
charging that they would not rent to AfricanAmericans. Eventually, the Trumps settled.)
Trump did not create the bigotry that
exploded during his campaign, Mr. Foxman
said. It was always there. But he was not
above using the bigotry and anger that was
out there. And thats where Bannon came in.
The bigotry was always there, but it was
in the sewers, and the sewer covers were on.

What this campaign did, with Bannons aid,
was to break all the taboos.
And Trump gave it a hechsher.
We shouldnt take our safety here for
granted, Mr. Foxman said. America has
been different from every other country
when it comes to the security of Jews because
throughout the years we have developed
a social contract that says that you can be a
bigot in your heart and in your home, but if
you act on that bigotry outside your heart
and home, there will be consequences. That
is what protects us.
Remember that political correctness is
not a crime or a sin. It creates a sense of civility. What this campaign did was remove all
the taboos. Trump said things that until now
people couldnt say, and that will affect us.
That is a Jewish concern.
But, he continued, I dont think that we
should have made Bannon a Jewish concern.
This is an American concern. And if Bannons
influence is bad, it is not only about Jews, but
about all minorities. I find it a little bizarre
that we became spear-carriers in the attacks
against him. We need to be careful.
Then there is the question of Israel. Both
Bannon and Breitbart have been strongly
pro-Israel, even when indulging in the crudest anti-Semitism. Still, the fact that Bannon is pro-Israel does not cure all evils, Mr.
Foxman said. That does not mean that we

should waver in our support for Israel, he
hastened to add, just that we should think
through what support for Israel means, and
what it does not mean.
Nixon was pro-Israel, and he was an antiSemite, Mr. Foxman said. Truman was proIsrael, and he was an anti-Semite. I am not
saying that Bannon is an anti-Semite. The
ADL, in fact, says that he is not. But now there
is a certain legitimacy given to anti-Semitism.
I am an optimist, and I speak from my
own personal vantage point, he continued.
I think that we are now seeing a different
Donald Trump from the one we saw during the campaign. He is walking back a lot
of stuff. There is a Yiddish proverb about
respecting and suspecting, he said, and I
think that at this stage of the game, we should
respect him and suspect him, rather than suspecting and respecting. I think that there is
a tendency among many in our community,
because they were disappointed in the election results, to suspect first.
There are Jewish issues involved in this
election, Mr. Foxman said. They are civility,
respect, and the fact that we do not tolerate
racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism. That is
why we need to impress on Trump that he
has a responsibility to fix it.
His campaign took the sewer cover off,
and it has to be put back on.
Donald Trump conducted his presidential campaign under a new set of political standards.
JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
Local
Stephen Bannon, the former editor of Breitbart, a right-wing website, failed to

show up for a Zionist Organization of America dinner.
He already has done some things toward
that end. On 60 Minutes, he said, stop it.
In the meeting with the New York Times,
he said, I condemn it. I reject it. But he has
to stand up and say, This is not what I am
about. This is not the America I value. I think
it is necessary.
Another strong Jewish value is the electoral
system itself. The Jewish community has
always been in support of the electoral system because it protects the minority against
the tyranny of the majority, he said. And
sometimes the results dont make us happy.
We have short memories. I remember
when Nixon was elected. The fear. The outcry. The shock. The surprise. I remember
when Bush 2 was elected. And some of us
remember Carters election.
The question is how secure American

democracy is. We now have new ingredients
the internet, the 24-hour news cycle, and
social media. They have destroyed privacy
and are in the process of destroying civility.
But I am old enough to remember the NixonKennedy debates. They were televised, and
many observers think that Kennedys good
looks and Nixons five oclock shadow and
gimlet-eyed pallor threw the election. People then said that elections would never be
the same.
These are new phenomena, and we have
to understand them and deal with them, but
I dont think this election is a calamity. But it
is a revolution.
Now, Mr. Foxman said, Donald Trump is
going to have to produce. We live in a bubble, he said. In our bubble, things like conflict of interest and nepotism are very important, and his use of language was so offensive
and outrageous to us. But we woke up to realize that in America at large, people had other
issues and anxieties. They dont care about
conflicts of interest. Whats at stake are their
jobs, their homes, their futures. But Trump
is going to have to produce. There are many
angry people. He made promises, and he will
have to fulfill some of them.
Another issue that is troubling Mr. Foxman is the venom of the personal attacks. It
spilled over into the Jewish community and

it became harsh and ugly, he said. I think
that now is the time for the politics or personal attacks to be over. What has happened
is that now, if I disagree with you, I need to
destroy you.
My successor at the ADL, Jonathan
Greenblatt, whether you agree or disagree
with his position, is being attacked personally, Mr. Foxman said. I think that there
will be a time when the unity of the Jewish
community will be necessary. If we continue
to engage in this destruction, when the time
comes that we need to stand together as
Jewish history shows is likely to happen we
will have a calamity.
These personal attacks are dangerous and
counterproductive. We need to stop it now.
We need to respect different views, and leave
the politics of destruction.
If Trump is successful, it will be good, Mr.
Foxman, the optimist, continued, and then,
he said, pessimistically, If he is not successful, who will be blamed? We will be blamed.
I am an optimist because I dont have
the luxury of being pessimistic. So he
got elected. We will expect the best and
fight the worse. Even in good times there
are moments of bad times. We have to be
strong. We have to not be at each others
throats. We have to be united.
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Local
Helping the center hold

Rabbi David Fines new book argues for the Conservative movement
eing in the center is hard.

Logically, it shouldnt be; its a
protected place, sheltered from
the outside forces that can batter outliers. But its easy to get complacent,
to get lazy, or alternatively to overthink, to
self-doubt, to use the lack of real threats to
create made-up ones.
Its hard because you can get soft.
William Butler Yeats knew that. The center cannot hold, he wrote. Why? The best
lack all conviction, while the worst are full
of passionate intensity.
On the other hand, I feel that the problem we face in the religious world and I
think its fair to say that we have a similar
problem in the political world is that the
passionate voices are from the extreme,
Rabbi Dr. David J. Fine said. Rabbi Fine
heads Temple Israel and JCC in Ridgewood;
his Ph.D., from the graduate center at
CUNY, is in modern European history, and
his ordination is from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
As a long-time centrist, both in politics
and in religion, he is passionately consumed
with the idea of the importance of the center, a place not of stasis but of balance.
His new book, Passionate Centrism: One
Rabbis Judaism, explores what it means to
stand where the old and the new, the pull
toward tradition and the equal pull toward
exploration, all come together.
Rabbi Fine finds that center in Conservative Judaism, at least in Conservative Judaism at its best. The movements intellectual
direction comes from what was called positive historical Judaism, an outlook championed by Solomon Schechter, who was
the president of the Jewish Theological
Seminary long before he became a school
namesake. Schechter believed in the importance of halacha Jewish law but he also
believed that change came through evolution, which he called catholic Israel. (The
c in the phrase is neither incorrect not
accidental; Schechter used catholic, in a
correct although secondary definition, to
mean broad, open, and diverse.)
My book is a passionate defense of what
to the Torah as Kohen, Levi,

and Israel. I value duchening.
(Duchening is when kohanim
give the congregation the biblical priestly blessing, raising their
hands and separating their fingers as they do so. Many liberal
synagogues have dispensed with
the practice, and many no longer divide Jews by caste.)
On the other hand, I believe
in the legitimacy of the decision to allow driving to shul on
Shabbat, and I support egalitarianism. And I believe that I
have published the first written
defense of the widespread custom among the majority of Conservative Jews of eating hot dairy
and fish out. I make a strong
Rabbi Dr. David J. Fine defends a centrist view
argument for that practice in
of politics and religion.
the book.
The argument, he said,
involves the presumptions that go into the
many people have told me over the course
decision, presumptions that have tended
of my student and professional career
to be stringent but need not and probably
doesnt work, he said. They say that no
should not be. In this case, the presumpone will be inspired by history, that a dry
tion is that the food was not compromised
academic understanding of the historical
when it was cooked. That is a leap of faith
evolution of Judaism is not going to inspire
but no more of a leap than the presumption
spirituality.
that exists already.
This is what I am taking issue with. This
And the more general argument I make
book is my best attempt to explain why the
is that it is wrong to call people who eat in
Judaism that I see as rooted in 19th century
non-kosher restaurants and make a point
historical positivism and then developed by
of not eating meat or shellfish apostates,
Solomon Schechter speaks to me, and why
and to call them apostates in public. That
it is inspiring.
is wrong.
In rabbinical school, my two heroes
They are following a tradition that has
were Yitzhak Rabin and Bill Clinton, Rabbi
evolved over time.
Fine said. They were in charge of Israel
Overall, he said, in the arguments he
and the United States at the time Rabin
makes, both in and outside the book,
was prime minister and Clinton was president and they were centrists. They both
sometimes I am stringent, sometimes I am
were vilified by both sides.
lenient. Automatic stringency is not better
Of course, one was assassinated and one
than automatic leniency. Nor is it worse. It
was impeached. Being in the center is not
just cannot be automatic.
easy but if you dont have a strong center,
Rabbi Fine explained how his thinking
the whole enterprise falls apart.
grows logically from the Conservative movement, which itself was a historical evoluIm conservative on some issues, and liberal on others, Rabbi Fine said. I am very
tion. Positive historical Judaism came out
conservative liturgically note the small c
of the context of late 19th century romanticism, Rabbi Fine said. It was a romantic
here. Thats why I really value references
reaction to rational reform. In other words,
to the Temple sacrifices, we will call people
JOHANNA RESNICK ROSEN/JO ROSEN PHOTOGRAPHY
JOANNE PALMER
Dark clouds following you around?

Its time to let in the sun.
Mental health professionals are available for individual,

couples and family counseling.
Specialized treatment available for children and adolescents.
For more information please call JFS at 201-837-9090 or email info@jfsbergen.org
the Reform movement, in its commitment

to logic and its disdain for the emotional
a commitment from which it has retreated
more recently left the spirituality and the
commitment to tradition out. The Conservative movement has attempted to combine
the commitment to tradition with logic, and
particularly with scholarly, close readings of
Jewish foundational texts.
Its a hard balance, but Rabbi Fine is trying to keep from teetering on that tightrope.
Next month, Rabbi Fine is going to
teach from his book; one of the sessions
will be a dialogue with one of his local colleagues, Rev. Canon John G. Hartnett, rector of St. Elizabeths Episcopal Church in
Ridgewood.
The Conservative movement is the
Episcopal church of the Jewish world,
Rabbi Fine said. They think Protestant
and act Catholic; we think Reform and act
Orthodox. (To elaborate, the Episcopalian
church part of the Anglican communion
broke away from the Roman Catholic
church in the sixteenth century. Although
certainly it has structure, it gave up on the
churchs hierarchy. It has no pope. On the
other hand, its services feel more lushly,
sensually Catholic than they do austerely
Protestant.)
Think about the use of Hebrew, and of
the Latin mass. Even if you didnt understand Latin, you could feel the power and
the authenticity of the language. The same
is true of Hebrew.
Moreover, he added, the same issues
affect us and the mainline churches. Its
about change, and how fidelity to tradition
responds to changes in society.
Bill Clinton found a way to talk about
a moderate platform like an evangelical,
Rabbi Fine said. Not only do mainstream
churches have to find that voice and that
balance not only do they have to find a
voice that brings the passion of the fringes
back to the center but so do Conservative
Jews. We have not been able to communicate to our people the sense of excitement
about who we are and what we stand for.
But for Rabbi Fine, that sense of excitement is real. His book is an attempt to
communicate it.
upcoming at
Kaplen
JCC on the Palisades
Fall Boutique
Dont miss this annual shopping extravaganza featuring
womens fashions, sunglasses, childrens clothing and
accessories, decorative home furnishings and much
more! Its the perfect place and time to pick up holiday
gifts for family, friends and you! All proceeds to benefit
the Leonard and Syril Rubin Nursery School.
For more information, contact Michal Kleiman at
201.408.1412.
Sun, Dec 4, 10 am-5 pm & Mon, Dec 5, 9 am-5 pm
fall
Family Chanukah Concert with

The Pop Ups!
Get an early start to this Chanukah season with The Pop

Ups! Bring your whole family for a fun-filled morning,
complete with Chanukah songs, a puppet show, and
a build-your-own puppet workshop. These Grammy
nominated entertainers bring their imaginative performance
to life in an interactive show that you dont want to miss!
Sun, Dec 18, 10 am-12 pm, $8/$10
Boutique
the Kaplen Jcc on the palisades
big night out presents
Join us for a not-to-be-missed party in support of annual

scholarship assistance at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades.
The celebratory event will include cocktails and an exquisite
dinner reception.
Honoring Dianne Nashel, Tara Jagid and Assemblywoman
Valerie Vainieri Huttle.
Thur, Dec 8, 7 pm
The Palisadium, Cliffside Park, NJ
For tickets visit us at jccotp.org/bignightout
For more event info contact Michal Kleiman at 201.408.1412
or mkleiman@jccotp.org
thursday, december 8, 2016
Kids
film
Top Films You May Have Missed:

Footnote (Hearat Shulayim)
Join us for a film/discussion with Andrew Lazarus,
Parsons Film Studies expert, who will introduce
the film with pointers followed by an optional
discussion. Two rival Talmud scholars, a father
and son, struggle with different opinions about
life. One of the smartest and most merciless
comedies in a long time, Roger Ebert. Best
screenplay - Cannes 2012. Coffee and light
snacks included.
Mon, Dec 19, 7:30 pm, $7/$10
Upcoming: Jan 23-400 Blows
Kaplen
Open Houses
music
SHIRAH Winter Concert
the leonard & syril rubin nursery school
music of chanuKah and more!
Come see what were all about! Your little one can learn,
laugh, share and grow at the JCC with our innovative
and child-centered programming that allows children to
explore and understand new concepts in a fun, dynamic
way. Options for toddlers through Kindergarten.
Enjoy highlights from the Jewish choral tradition with

music in Hebrew, English and more! Supported by
founders Bernie zl and Ruth zl Weinflash and their
SHIRAH Fund in Tribute to Matthew Lazar, the Ethel
and Irving Plutzer Fund for the SHIRAH Choir, and
the Rhoda Toonkel Fund for the SHIRAH Choir.
For more info, contact Elissa at 201.408.1436 or

eyurowitz@jccotp.org.
Dec 9 & Jan 13, 9:30 am
Sun, Dec 11, 2 pm, $16/$20

Call 201-408-1465 for tickets.
to register or for more info, visit
jccotp.org or call 201.569.7900.
JCC on the Palisades taub campus | 411 e clinton ave, tenafly, nJ 07670 | 201.569.7900 | jccotp.org
Local
Inspire a woman, inspire a family

Local mothers go to Israel to learn about the country and themselves
ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN
Twenty-eight Jewish mothers from Bergen County flew back from Israel the day
before Thanksgiving with an extra reason
to be grateful: nine days of bonding, learning, discovering, and exploring in Israel
through Momentum, a subsidized group
tour sponsored by the Jewish Womens
Renaissance Project, an international nonprofit organization.
Momentum takes women from the
mystical Galilee city of Safed (Tsfat) to
the ancient desert mountaintop fortress
Masada, and features lectures by experts
on everything from Jewish parenting to
contemporary Israeli society.
Started in 2008 by author and educator Lori Palatnik with seven other Jewish women of different affiliations, JWRP
has led some 10,000 participants to
Israel through 142 partner organizations
including JInspire Bergen in 26 countries. A Momentum tour for Jewish fathers,
begun in 2013, has had 625 participants
so far.
We and JWRP share the vision of
empowering Jewish women worldwide
as leaders of the next generation, with
the ability and drive to raise children who
are proud of their identity and strongly
connected to Israel, said Dvir Kahana,
director-general of the Israeli Ministry of
diaspora Affairs, with which JWRP has
partnered since 2014.
Our philosophy from the beginning has
always been: inspire a woman, you inspire
a family, Ms. Palatnik said. Inspire
enough families, you can change a community. Inspire enough communities, and
you can change the world.
One of the few requirements for participation is that each traveler must have at
least one child under the age of 18.
Id never been to Israel and always felt
I missed out, said Alyson Cohn of Wyckoff, whose 24-year-old son went on a free
10-day Birthright trip several years ago.
He came back and said it was transformative and Ive really been aching to go.
Sitting in the lobby of Jerusalems King
Solomon Hotel with several other participants toward the end of the trip, Ms. Cohn,
who also has a 15-year-old son, explained
that she was raised without any Jewish
education or affiliation, started taking
adult-ed courses when her older son was
preparing for his bar mitzvah, and today is
an active worshiper and president of Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff.
She said she found it refreshing to discover the similarities among women from
different streams of Judaism. She asked
a million and one questions of the four
volunteer leaders from JInspire Bergen, all
The Bergen County delegation as they explore Israel with the Jewish Womens Renaissance Project.
of whom are Orthodox, though that is not

a requirement.
Spiritually, I came on this trip with
no expectations, Ms. Cohn said. I was
open to experience whatever was thrown
at me. I was really shocked at how deeply
it moved me and how connected I felt
to places.
The night her group arrived in Jerusalem, she and several others went to the
Western Wall, a prayer site comprised of a
section of one of the retaining walls of the
Second Temple destroyed in 70 CE.
I was overwhelmed, Ms. Cohn said. I
did not expect to react the way I did. I just
felt a connection to the past, to my children, to Judaism. My mom passed away
three years ago, and I actually felt her presence there.
Dr. Michele Gliksman of Wayne, a gynecologist in Bergen County, said many of
her patients have gone on the Momentum
trip and urged her to apply. Between her
practice and her family commitments
she has four children, who are 24, 22, 19,
and 12 years old she found it difficult to
arrange the time off.
However, she said, Im looking for
a spiritual community, a place where I
belong, and thats why I came. She said
that goal was accomplished. I spent a

summer here when I was 15, and I have
been to Israel several times since, but
this was the first time I felt at home.
She thinks this is in large part due to
the group.
I was concerned about being on a trip
with only other women but its been wonderful, Dr. Gliksman said. Everyone has
similar goals, even though they have very
different lives.
Robin Baer of Fair Lawn said that her
Momentum tour in October 2013 inspired
her to become more involved with other
alumnae, through Teaneck-based JInspire
classes and challah bakes. She was a guide
on this trip.
The trip is just the beginning, she said.
I became more connected with my Judaism. I started lighting Shabbat candles
more regularly, expanding our Friday
night dinner and trying to observe the
holidays a little more deeply. My husband,
Michael, has gone on the mens trip. Their
children are 19 and 17.
The lectures during the tour help us
to know who we are and to recognize our
potential, Ms. Baer said. They speak to
all of us, no matter our social status or
economic background, and teach us to
AVIRAM VALDMAN
be better women, better people, better

spouses and significant others, and then
we in turn bring that to our children and
become better mothers and members of
the community. It starts with us.
Phyllis Krug of Teaneck, one of the leaders of the Bergen contingent, said the main
goal is to create a sisterhood, a supportive community, for these women. Primarily it starts with friendship and exploring
Jewish identity. This has emerged in many
different directions, from taking classes
to going on vacations together to helping
one another find jobs and give advice on
child-rearing.
Ms. Krug said shes convinced that you
couldnt accomplish this anywhere else
but Israel, because the soul of the nation
is here and the soul of the mothers is here.
You come here and its literally a baring of
the soul, and when that happens youre
willing to approach topics you would not
have done in Teaneck, New Jersey. You
needed to come here and be guided here.
I really believe this is a priority of Jewish survival, she said.
This year, the Momentum trip had funding from the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. Jody Heimler of Oakland,
the federations managing director for
Local
financial resource development, accompanied the local participants.
Ms. Heimler said that when some of
the leaders approached her about partnering on Momentum, she asked them
to describe their measure of success for
the trip.
Were they trying to turn all these
women Orthodox? she asked them.
They explained that its not about that
at all. They just want them to connect
more Jewishly, in whatever baby steps
that entails for each individual.
We both have the same goals: to build
a strong and vibrant Jewish community.
The leadership wants these women to
come home and get more involved in
their Jewish communities. And federation can be a resource to them.
The November trip also included
women from other areas of New Jersey, as well as from New York, Indiana,
Minnesota, Texas, Washington State,
and the Canadian provinces of Alberta
and Ontario.
The Bergen bus stopped first in Nahariya, the JFNNJs Partnership Together
city, to visit social-action programs
funded by JFNNJ and to share a meal
with women living in that city.
Another stop was the Lone Soldier
Center, a beneficiary of JFNNJ. Dr. Gliksman said that this was one of her most
memorable moments, because she
had not know anything about the phenomenon of so many Jews and gentiles
from various countries leaving everything behind to volunteer in the Israel
Defense Forces.
I wanted to adopt them all, she said
half-jokingly. In the past she hosted
Israeli teens through the Open Hearts
Open Homes summer program sponsored by the Bergen County YJCC, and
she arranged to meet up with two of
them during the trip.
Another physician, Dr. Sue Flanzman
of Ridgewood, said that she cant look at
a soldier here without crying, and treasured the opportunity to get acquainted
with the small group of Israeli mothers who traveled with the group for the
entire eight days.
I love the Israeli womens attitude,
Dr. Flanzman said. They laugh and
smile, dance and sing, yet I know they
have pain in their lives because their
children were in the army. Its a wonderful message for us all.
Rosa Rojas of Ridgewood agreed.
Everyone projects happiness and love
for life and their country, she said.
Ms. Rojas, the mother of children
ranging from 23 and 16, is in the process of converting through an Orthodox rabbi in Fair Lawn. She took the
Hebrew name Ruth during the Momentum journey.
I heard about this trip from previous participants and wanted to go for
purely spiritual reasons: my love for
Judaism and what I had read in the
Bible, she said. When I got here, it was

way beyond my expectations because
not only have I learned about the land
and its biblical ties but also about the
state of Israel, how it is run, how it is so
nicely organized.
It reaffirms my love for the country
and the Bible.
One of her most moving experiences
was an explanatory visit to the Tsfat
Mikveh & Education Center, where volunteers from Women of the Waters
explained the concept of family purity
and demonstrated immersion in the
ritual bath. Observant Jewish women
immerse once a month, some Jewish
men immerse before the Sabbath or
holidays, and converts of both genders
immerse at the conclusion of their conversion process.
To see somebody dunking in a mikvah, I started crying, because I want to
be that person and I know I will be that
person, Ms. Rojas said.
The Women of the Waters energy
and spirituality was unbelievable, and
our women were very curious, said
Ms. Baer, who is an attorney. They
explained the rituals beautifully, and
cleared up misconceptions. We even
met a woman who went on this trip
four years ago and ended up moving to
Tsfat with her husband. She works at
the mikvah.
The itinerary afforded many opportunities for fun as well, from dressing
up in biblical-era garb and riding camels at Genesis Land to shopping in some
ultra-chic Tel Aviv neighborhoods. The
women volunteered at places such as
Shalva-The Association for Mentally and
Physically Challenged Children in Israel,
toured the Knesset, and interacted with
soldiers at an army base.
Along the way, they bonded with one
another and with their volunteer leaders, who also included Julie Farkas of
Bergenfield and Debbie Rosalimsky and
Dena Levie of Teaneck.
Everyone here comes from different
places and ends up in different places,
Ms. Levie said. Everyone takes away
something different; whatever speaks to
her. I came to inspire these women but
ended up being inspired by them. These
women are my new best friends.
The other local participants were
Pam Abramowitz, Samantha Fruhling,
and Karen Simon of Norwood; Rachelle
Camhi Danto, Ann Golick, Hilary Hess,
Cindy Rivkin, and Pam RubensteinKuriloff of Fair Lawn; Helen Grant of
West Nyack, N.Y.; Lillian Kate Kalmykov
of Paramus; Batia Lampert of Teaneck;
Dvorah Malek of Hackensack; Andrea
Maline of Tenafly; Alicia Messer of
Demarest; Joy Sapin of River Edge; Susan
Steinberg of Mahwah, and Tamara Ween
of Closter.
Coming to Israel changes your life,
Ms. Cohn said. You cant help but be
changed.
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Local
In or out doesnt work any more

Two Conservative rabbis ponder intermarriage
as something other than a binary problem
JOANNE PALMER
lack or white.
Yes or no.
In or out.
Right or wrong.
Thats binary thinking. Its comfortable,
its often convenient, it sometimes works.
But it doesnt work as well as it used to.
Its the way the Jewish world traditionally has approached intermarriage. Its
bad. If you do it, youre out.
The problem or, that is, one problem
is that we no longer have the luxury of
that approach. Demographics tell us as
much. According to the 2013 Pew study,
as many as 70 percent of liberal Jews have
intermarried since 2000.
What to do? How to retain Jewish values
and for that matter to retain Jews but
be open to the outside world?
Rabbis Adina Lewittes of Closter and
her friend Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie do
not pretend to have the answers, but they
say, in a joint op-ed distributed by JTA, that
they can no longer pretend that there is no
problem.
Both are innovators Rabbi Lewittes
has created Shaar Communities here in
northern New Jersey, and Rabbi Lau-Lavie
has founded both Lab/Shuls, which is in
Manhattan, and Storahtelling.
Both grew up in Orthodox homes,
with relatives prominent in the Orthodox world, and both chose to be ordained
by the Conservative movement, and to
join the movements Rabbinical Assembly, although both head nondenominational perhaps postdenominational
communities.
We have a commitment to addressing
the reality of the Jewish world today in a
way that is both respectful of Jewish tradition and inclusive of Jewish community,
Rabbi Lewittes said. We both feel strongly
that the Conservative movement has the
resources, the capacity, the intellectual
prowess, and the halachic sensitivity and
should have the ideological courage to
address the issue.
Rabbi Lewittes decided, with great
sadness, to leave the Conservative movements Rabbinical Assembly, which forbids
rabbis from performing intermarriages,
and in fact can expel them even for showing up as a guest at such a wedding.
Coming from a background deeply
steeped in traditional observance and
learning, I had to make a journey that
required negotiating otherness, she
said. First, being a woman in the Orthodox world, I had a real sense of calling to
engage much more deeply in Jewish practice and ritual, and with the opportunity
Rabbi Adina Lewittes
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie
for Jewish leadership.

I had to leave home in order to come
home to myself.
When she first encountered the Conservative movement, I was just so overwhelmed by the discovery of a community that could bring together intellectual
openness, curiosity, and courage, with a
deep and abiding and dynamic ritual and
spiritual expression, she said. And thats
the part of the Conservative movement
that I still love, and that I believe has the
capacity to address the issue with love and
authenticity.
Another characteristic that rabbis
Lewittes and Lau-Lavie share is that both
are gay. My second experience of othering was coming out as a gay woman before
the Conservative movement had evolved a
framework for enfranchising LGBT Jews in
the halachic framework, she said. That
was very painful. Those experiences sensitize you to the experiences of those who
feel other in our community.
Of course, she added, that doesnt flatten the distinction between us, between
LGBT Jews and intermarried ones. But
both bring up serious questions about
the evolving sense of Jewish identity and
belonging in the Jewish community. And
it certainly does motivate you to listen
deeply to people who feel marginalized,
and to listen to what it is they are seeking. To be responsive to the realities of the
Jewish world today, and then to think and
explore what resources we have.
We have to be able to open our community as widely as we can without losing
our sense of integrity and authenticity.
Rabbi Lewittes now does perform intermarriages, but carefully; she agrees to do
them according to the rules she has established. I will work with couples who are
intermarrying who are committing to living their lives in the Jewish world.
She decides to perform a wedding only
after serious discussion with the couple.
Even then, I dont do what you would
recognize as a traditional Jewish wedding,
she said. I will perform a ceremony that
includes Jewish teaching, some Jewish
music, a chuppah, and other elements that
are customary, as opposed to halachic, in
order to convey to the couple the embrace
of the Jewish community. I explicitly state,
in my talk to them, that we want and
expect their ongoing presence in our community our synagogues, our JCCs, our
camps, our institutions and that we want
their friendship and fellowship as we continue to work for the future of the Jewish
people and for the State of Israel. I am very
explicit about that.
On the other hand, I do not do kiddushin or the sheva brachot. Those are halachic requirements. She also does not ever
co-officiate at a wedding; that would break
her most basic requirement, that the couple commit to living a Jewish life, creating
a Jewish home, and raising a Jewish family.
The vast majority of intermarrying couples come to me because they see themselves as committing themselves to the
Jewish community, Rabbi Lewittes said.
The question of conversion is a tender
one. It is always a goal, but not always a
realistic one, for reasons ranging from the
family of origin to someone being not a
person of faith, but having a deep appreciation of culture and ethnicity. What we
currently offer is a door into Jewish identity that is spiritual and theological. What
is lacking are alternative ways of welcoming someone into the Jewish community.
One potential model for this is revisiting a biblical and talmudic category that
ascribed membership in the Jewish community to people living among us. Thats
a ger toshav a resident alien.
We are trying to emphasize that we no
longer live in a society thats binary, she
said. It is a marketplace of ideas and identities, in which people curate their own
sense of self that is often a composite of
many different things, a self that often is
evolving.
It is about being thoughtful and mindful. About living in the 21st century. There
is a vastness to the array of choices we
have. It used to be heretical to choose
anything other than the condition to
which you were born, she said; in fact, the
Greek root of the word heresy means
to choose. Today, though, we live in a
world with the imperative to choose.
The balance between longing for a Jewish life, surrounded by Jews, and the need
to be clear-eyed about the world is a hard
but necessary one, she said; of course, it
would be much easier if such balance were
not demanded.
But the reality of intermarriage is that
it is something every Jewish family, including my own, may encounter, she said. I
would be nave not to know that. And I
know full well that trying to make the Jewish community as welcoming and diverse
as possible can have deep ramifications for
my family too.
But Jewish tradition and particularly
talmudic tradition is based on the ability to hold multiple truths and even multiple practices within a singular embrace
of community. That is our tradition the
preservation of opinions that were not
taken up. Our Jewish world is so much
more diverse now that it ever was before
in history.
Unlike Rabbi Lewittes, Rabbi Lau-Lavie
does not officiate at intermarriages. He
does not officiate at any marriages at all.
After a long discussion with his board,
he has decided to take the next year to 18
months to wrestle with the issue; at the
end of that time he either will decide to
stay in the Rabbinic Assembly, working
from the inside, or to leave it entirely.
I think that there is a moment now that
is relevant both to the Conservative movement and to the rest of Jewry, Rabbi LauLavie said. The paradigm shift is real, and
people across the spectrum the liberal
spectrum, that is understand that we
need to move on in some way, that we
need a shift.
My own personal narrative is that I
chose purposefully to focus on the Conservative movement. That was the place I
wanted to be trained, both for my current
and my future work, both in the States and
Local
possibly eventually elsewhere. I went to JTS for the
learning, and for the political and ideological sense
that this is where I feel closest.
At the same time, this issue intermarriage
needs to come to a head. I am taking this time to
research and come up with a solution that will absolutely satisfy me and some of my colleagues, and that
will enable me to lead my community with integrity.
I know that there are many people, both in the
Conservative movement and outside it, who contacted
me recently. This need is shared by many people who
are looking for a wise, sensitive, and respectful synthesis and compromise.
We need ways to be able to be welcoming and provide access to the families that are being formed now,
he continued. Now more than ever, that has to be reconciled with the historical halachic reality.
We need to have continuity and at the same time
discontinuity, he said.
Whats that?
In every generation, we revamp and rekindle
some of what we have inherited, so we can continue
it, he said. You can see the LBGT teshuva that
was the 2009 decision of the RAs Commission on
Jewish Law and Standards to allow LGBT rabbinical
students to be ordained, and to allow rabbis to perform same-sex weddings as a discontinuity, but
it also allowed continuity. Its the same as womens
role in the minyan, and in leadership in general. Its
that discontinuity that allowed continuity.
In this case, we are focusing on finding a win/win
solution, a nonbinary solution, to invite those who
are of other faiths or of no faith to become part of the
Jewish community in a beautiful and dignified way,
as long as they make the Jewish community and the
Jewish home their priority. That does not necessarily
mean conversion, because conversion is by definition binary.
He also is studying the concept of the ger toshav.
It is not exactly clear what the extent of its use was,
but with some alterations it could be a very powerful
possibility for reimagination, he said. We could use
it as a model. Still, there are many questions that I
dont have an answer for yet, he added.
In the biblical and talmudic periods, where the
concept was created and then evolved, There was
a historical structure that enabled people to understand fluidity and various forms of identity and
belonging that were not rigid, he said.
And there also is a backlash, as the presidential
election has made clear. The reality is that not
everyone is going to fit into a box, Rabbi Lau-Lavie
said. What is happening now is that we are seeing a nostalgic return to what has been defined as
a neo-tribal tendency, a yearning for the good old
days of binary in and out, us versus them, good
guys versus bad guys. And in reaction, some of us
recoil from that.
It is interesting that the Jewish grandchildren in
the White House will be the product of an old-school
binary conversion. It could have been the other
model. (Hes talking about the children of Jared
Kushner, who was born Jewish, and Ivanka Trump,
who converted, and the children of Chelsea Clinton,
who is not Jewish, and Mark Mezvinsky, who is.) It
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The issue of identity is what is going on now. People are attracted to what we have to offer. Seekers
are interested in the notion of Jewish wisdom, and
people are looking for ways to share their lives with
Jews, who very often themselves dont have enough
knowledge of what we have to offer, he said.
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Local
OPENING
D
N
A
GR
Composing a life
Meet music man Murray Weinstock
LOIS GOLDRICH
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s a young man, growing up

in Paterson, Murray Weinstock loved walking around
the streets of his hometown.
Now living in Manhattan, the pianist/songwriter/arranger still finds reasons to visit
his old neighborhood, whether to visit
friends, sing with an oldies band, or enjoy
the beauty of the towns Great Falls.
A 1965 graduate of East Side High School,
Weinstock later attended the Mannes
School of Music in Manhattan. By 1966
he had his own apartment. I was just
happy to get into New York, he said. But
I remember especially during the first
few months thinking, How do you meet
people here?
Mannes turned out to be good choice.
I met a couple of musicians and started a
band, Mr. Weinstock said, describing the
genesis of the Fifth Avenue Band. He also
made important connections, ultimately
leading him to Bob Cavallo, the manager
of singer/songwriter John Sebastian, a
founder of the Lovin Spoonful.
Mr. Cavallo helped us get a place to
rehearse, Mr. Weinstock said. After many
months of rehearsing and changing our
lineup, we got signed to Warner Brothers
to make a record that got released everywhere in the country.
The record was released in 1969. Among
the bands fans was Burton Cummings, a
Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter
who was the lead singer and keyboardist
for the Guess Who. Today he still touts the
musical success of the Fifth Avenue album,
Mr. Weinstock said.
In 1988, The Fifth Avenue Band recorded
a reunion record called Really, which
included Heaven Made Love, one of the
songs Mr. Weinstock co-wrote for the Off
Broadway hit Tony & Tinas Wedding.
When the song was released in Japan, it
became a hit on Japans J-Wave station. I
asked if they could understand the words,
the songwriter said. They couldnt. Still,
they could understand the emotions.
Mr. Weinstock said hes always been
interested in good time music, especially the intersection of soul and jazz.
Im very much into vocal harmonies,
he said, pointing out that his classical
musical training has been very helpful
in this regard. You can tell which performers have been classically trained, he
said. With certain rock and roll performers, you can hear their classical roots in
harmonies.
Mr. Weinstock met his wife, classical
pianist Elena Belli, in 1994, and the couple
married in 2000. We had the best music
at our wedding, he said. Not only did
one of Elenas friends play classical pieces
Murray Weinstock, composer and

dog lover, with one of his friends.
for them, but the guests included singer

Phoebe Snow.
Mr. Weinstock likes to say that he enjoys
the music of the 50s both the 1550s and
the 1950s. He has been interested in choral
music since childhood and performed with
the New Jersey All-State Chorus during high
school. Over the years, he has participated
in other classical choruses as well.
A chance meeting with Matthew Lazar
who is, among other things, the founder
of the Zamir Choral Foundation, the director of the Zamir Chorale, and the creator
of Shirah: The Community Chorus of the
Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly
led to Mr. Weinstocks joining the choir at
New Yorks Park East Synagogue, where he
sang for several years. We were backing
up the world-acclaimed cantor Yitzchak
Meir Helfgot, he said. It was a spectacular
experience. It was astounding both to hear
him and to be so close to him.
The musicians love for 1950s music is
equally strong, and he now plays with two
oldies groups.
Mr. Weinstock also spent time touring
and recording with Manhattan Transfer,
Esther Phillips, Richie Havens, and the Planotones, a group he co-produced. While
out touring with the Transfer, he got a call
from John Sebastian. I was out in California with them, and I invited John Sebastian
to the show, he said. I told him I had nothing to do during the day, and we should do
a session. He called later and said, Ive got
this theme song Ive got to do. You can help
me.
Chances are, many of our readers still
remember that song Welcome Back Kotter and some even may remember some
of the lyrics. Mr. Weinstock played piano,
helped arrange it, and sang the bass and
some of the backup parts. I sing the first
and last parts, he said, adding that he still
smiles every time he hears it.
According to Mr. Weinstock, he is particularly good at writing and arranging
Local
In the mid 1980s, Murray Weinstock works on a commercial with cabaret legend
Bobby Short.
both instrumental and vocal music. Among

the groups he works with now is Memories
Music, a Paterson-based band that performs
music from the 1950s through the 1970s and
Motown. Its just starting to catch on, he
said, adding that he met band member Jim
Durkin, a Paterson police officer, through
the Planotones.
In the 1980s, Mr. Weinstock built up a
company to produce commercials. His first

one was for Kix breakfast cereal. He later
composed the CBS network theme. That
put me on the map, he said. We used
Richie Havens. He had never done a commercial but we got him to sing that. The
demo of Richie, with me on piano, has all
the energy of the commercial.
The first client at his recording studio,
opened in 1986, was musician Paul Shaffer

of Late Night with David Letterman, who
was working on a solo album with songwriters Don Covay (Chain of Fools) and Steve
Cropper (Dock of the Bay). People brought
in to sing guest spots on Mr. Shaffers album
included Wilson Pickett, Mavis Staples, Ben
E. King, Bobby Womack, and Darlene Love.
As if that wasnt exciting enough, Mr. Shaffer
complimented Mr. Weinstock on his ability
to work with singers. At the time, Mr. Shaffer was working on a movie called The
Lemon Sisters, starring Diane Keaton, Carol
Kane, and Kathryn Grody (the former wife of
Mandy Patinkin). As it happened, Ms. Grody
needed some coaching. Also, Mr. Weinstock
was told, If the director likes you, she will
put you in a scene. She did. He appears on
camera playing piano and singing harmony
to Carol Kanes stellar performance of the
classic Rawhide.
Mr. Weinstocks career took an unexpected, turn in the 1990s. Sometime in the
1980s I got a dachshund and went to dachshund parties, he said. One guy who was a
big aficionado started a dachshund parade in
Washington Square Park. He said, Murray.
We have a big problem. Theres no theme
song. You write one. So I wrote a song for
the dachshund parade. Its still sung today.
I made a recording of it, and WQXRs Jeff
Spurgeon is one of the background singers.

Dachshund lovers gather in the park twice
a year, in April and October. The first time
we did it, Melissa Block of All Things Considered interviewed us. At a certain point, I got
involved in writing a whole album of songs
about dogs. Songs on the album, Tails of
the City, include such ditties as Popcorn
Paws, Big Dogs Need More Food, and
Dixie Dogs. (Mr. Weinstock said he wrote
the last one with musician Dr. John in mind.)
He now is working on a second album. Ive
got songs rolling around in my head, he said,
including Bow Wow Polka and a cat song,
Jazz Cat.
Reflecting on his career, Mr. Weinstock said
he would be remiss not to pay tribute to his
first music teacher at Camp Veritans who
then became music director at Eastside High
School Irving Weinberg, who still lives
in New Jersey and who encouraged me tremendously as a budding musician. Now an
accomplished musician, Mr. Weinberg would
tell those starting out in the music business to
do the musical homework and really work
at learning. Some people do it on the fly, do
what they like, but it really helps to learn the
skills of harmony and rhythm.
Go further if you love it enough either
on a professional level or just for yourself.
Theres nothing like music.
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Local
The Hillsboro Comprehensive High School Choir of Nashville performs Zol

Shoyn Kumen de Ge-uleh Salvation will Come by Holocaust poet
Schmerke Kaczerginski, with Dr. Tamara Freeman accompanying on her
Holocaust-era viola.
Teaching songs
of the Holocaust
Dr. Tamara Freeman to perform in Teaneck
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auba Botzel didnt survive the

Holocaust. She died in Theresienstadt. But her viola made
it out of Germany.
Next Saturday night, you can hear Dr.
Tamara Reps Freeman play that viola in
Teaneck, as part of a fundraiser for the
Holocaust memorial planned for the
town green.
The first time Dr. Freeman played Ms.
Botzels viola at Cafe Europa, at least
two dozen Holocaust survivors lined up
to give her their phone numbers so they
could tell her their stories.
That was about 20 years ago. Dr. Freeman, who lives in Saddle River, was then
a music educator in the Ridgewood public schools. She had been playing viola at
Cafe Europa the Jewish Family Service
of North Jerseys program for Holocaust
survivors for some time. And she had
tried to start conversations with the survivors for whom she played, but with
little success.
But that changed when she was able
to tell her audience at Cafe Europe about
her viola, and about Tauba Botzel. Ms.
Botzel was born in Hungary in 1865.
She moved to Berlin, where she had the
viola built to her specifications in 1935.
Its small size fitted her small hands and
those of Dr. Freeman. Ms. Botzel died in
1942, 77 years old, in Theresienstadt.
But immediately after Ms. Botzel was
taken away by the Nazis, a righteous
gentile neighbor snuck into her apartment and took the viola and discreetly
shipped it to her sister, who was living in
New Jersey, Dr. Freeman said.
The sister, Senta Botzel, saved the

viola for a long time, Dr. Freeman said,
but after learning of her sisters death,
she realized the viola needed to be
played. It couldnt just sit in her closet
for sentimental value.
(String instruments are like people,
Dr. Freeman explained. They need
fresh air, they need exercise, they need
to be loved. The more a string instrument is played, the better the tone gets
over the decades.)
So Senta Botzel sold the viola to a professional musician. It was sold a couple
more times. And then, when Dr. Freeman went to a bow-makers shop in
Maywood to get her bows re-haired, she
decided to trade in her viola and buy a
better one. The luthier recommended
Ms. Botzels viola.
Dr. Freeman started playing piano
when she was 4 and learned the violin at
9. In college, the Crane School of Music
at SUNY Potsdam, she studied music
education and learned to play every
band and orchestra instrument.
She started teaching music in the
Ridgewood schools in 1982. She taught
there for 30 years, until, after getting
more and more requests to teach and
perform Holocaust music across the
United States, I realized that God had
given me a calling to do something
more with my music education training, and that was to impart the lessons
and legacies of Holocaust music to adults
and children.
Dr. Freeman entered the field of Holocaust education thanks to the State of
New Jersey, which in 1994 mandated that
Holocaust and genocide studies become
Local
part of the curriculum.
The mandate said that all grades
needed to include Holocaust and genocide
studies, Ms. Freeman said. At the time, I
couldnt imagine music was even possible
for the Jewish people in the Holocaust, but
I decided to start some research.
She discovered that Holocaust music
was a field. There was the music of partisans, the music composed in concentration camps, the songs sung by the
inmates. There were works that were
published during the war, and after. She
began collecting books of such music,
and then began arranging some of the
music for her students in the Ridgewood schools.
The children loved learning the history
and playing the music, she said.
In 2000, she started working for her
doctorate in music education. Rutgers
agreed to my vision of creating a dissertation that would include a Holocaust music
education curriculum guide, she said.
New Jerseys general Holocaust curriculum has been exquisitely crafted but there
was very little about music in it.
So what does Holocaust music education in kindergarten sound like?
The kindergarten level takes some of
the lullabies and childrens songs of the
Holocaust. Ill either teach the children

the Yiddish lyrics children are so quick
at picking up languages or very often I
will create lyrics that adhere to the general Holocaust curriculum, which at that
grade level is about friendship and peace
and treating people with respect, and
being good citizens in your community
and being fair.
In Holocaust education, the younger
grades focus on character education. Its
not really until middle school and high
school that the historical underpinnings
come into the curriculum.
Its okay to tell little children that music
helps people with their lives in happy
times and in difficult times. In peace and
in war, people need music, she added.
Now, Dr. Freeman trains teachers
and teaches students across the county.
In February she will be an artist- and
scholar-in-residence at Adelphi University on Long Island; last month she went
to Tennessee, where three schools had
used her lesson plans and music to teach
the Holocaust.
There were three choirs, she said.
One was the Saint Edwards Catholic
middle school choir. The Catholic children stood on the bimah of The Temple
in Nashville, a Reform synagogue. They
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sang two Holocaust songs. The Hillsboro

High School sang a Holocaust song. Those
children were all African-American teenagers. The third school was the Blair School
of Music Choir from Vanderbilt University.
They all sang in Yiddish. These children were just fantastic. We rehearsed
using Facetime.
Her Teaneck presentation is called
Inspiring Songs From the Holocaust Ghettos and Lagern.
I will be telling the stories of the composers, Dr. Freeman said. Why they
composed the music. What was the purpose of all the compositions. How did it
help the people cope with what was gong
Who: Dr. Tamara Reps Freeman
What: Musical performance, playing and expounding on the songs of
the Shoah
Why: Inaugural capital campaign event
for the creation of the Northern New
Jersey Holocaust memorial and education center in Teaneck
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, December 10
Where: Congregation Keter Torah, 600
Roemer Ave., Teaneck
How much: No charge, but donations
are invited
on? How did it give them feelings of hope

and spiritual resistance?
The composers and lyricists in both
settings were children as well as adults.
There are some really beautiful examples of children and adults collaborating
on creating some of the most poignant
and emblematic music to come from the
Shoah, she said.
The purpose of my presentation is to
bring the music alive, to honor the lessons and legacies of the composers, to
help people understand that music was
not just a historic reflection of what was
happening politically or personally to the
Jewish people, but was actually a form of
spiritual resistance.
While the Germans took away peoples
heritage and citizenship and families and
belongings and careers, the one thing they
could not take away from the Jewish people was their sense of imagination and creativity. That inner spark of artistic expression in the Jewish people can never ever be
squelched. That inner spark of creativity
gives the Jewish people the will to live and
fight back, she said.
A lot of the most famous songs are partisan songs that were purposely created
to inspire not just spiritual resistance but
physical resistance.
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Briefly Local
FIDF raises nearly $1 million in support of Israel soldiers

More than 450 community members
attended the November 21 Friends of the
Israel Defense Forces New Jersey chapters
annual tribute dinner, which raised nearly
$1 million to support well-being and educational programs for soldiers in Israel.
The gala at the Sheraton Parsippany
Hotel included a special salute to New
Jersey natives serving as Lone Soldiers
people who go to Israel to serve in the
IDF but do not have any family in the
country.
The evening featured a keynote speech
by journalist and foe of Islamic extremism
Brigitte Gabriel. I was born and raised in
what used to be the Paris of the Middle
East, but as the Muslim population grew,
the balance of power changed, she said.
Radical Islamists bombed my home
and buried me under the rubble as they
shouted, Allahu Akbar! As I lay in the hospital, I asked my father why they did this
to us, and he told me it was because we
were Christians. In our heads, Israel was
the enemy, but, under fire, we learned
who our real friends were.
Not only does the Israel Defense Forces
serve and protect its people, but the IDF
also remains the most moral army in the
world a shining light in the darkest corner of the world even as it fights on the
front lines against the vicious scourge of
terrorism.
Also attending and participating were
IDF soldiers, including active duty and former Lone Soldiers Sgt. Ari of West Orange;
Sgt. Toren of Livingston; Cpl. Keren of
Englewood; Cpl. Eliana of Teaneck; and
former Sgt. Gideon Drucker, a Woodcliff
Lake native who served as a Lone Soldier
in the IDFs Paratroopers Brigade.
FIDFs New Jersey chapter often
referred to as the Lone Soldier chapter
was co-founded by FIDF national board
member Sammy Bar-Or, who moved to
Israel from Iran when he was 13, and was
FIDF NJ Planning Committee member Adam Schlesinger of West Orange, left, with his son, IDF Lone Soldier Sgt. Ari, his
wife, Judy, also an FIDF NJ Planning Committee member, and their daughter, Rachel; FIDF supporter Joseph Isaacs of
Teaneck, and his daughter, IDF Lone Soldier Cpl. Eliana.
FIDF supporter Rona
Anhalt, left; IDF Lone
Soldier Sgt. Ari of West
Orange; Saul Scherl of
Englewood; FIDF Impact!
Scholarship recipient Sgt.
Rotem Rokach; Jodi Scherl;
FIDF Impact! Scholarship
recipient Israel Border
Police Sgt. Rada Matatov;
FIDF National Director/
CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir
Klifi-Amir; IDF Lone Soldier
Sgt. Toren of Livingston;
and Rachel, Jenny, Zev, and
Sam Scherl of Englewood.
PHOTOS COURTESY FIDF
a Lone Soldier in the IDFs Paratroopers

Brigade.
Other guests included FIDF National
Chairman Arthur Stark; FIDF national
board member Melinda Lowell Paltrow;
Jodi and Saul Scherl of Englewood, who
chair the newly formed FIDF New Jersey
chapter board; past FIDF national board
member Josef Chick Paradis, who is

a veteran of the IDF; Lance Drucker of
Woodcliff Lake, who was the dinners master of ceremonies; FIDF national director
and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir;
FIDF tri-state executive director Galit
Brichta; and FIDF New Jersey director
Howard Gases.
Each year our annual dinner grows,

proving the tremendous impact these
events have on connecting our supporters
with the brave soldiers who benefit from
FIDF programs, Mr. Gases said. We were
honored to host Ms. Gabriel, whose story
and unwavering support for Israels soldiers is truly inspiring.
Shul volunteer
is honored
by Park Ridge
Jacqueline Bollens received a Park Ridge
Community Service award recently for her
volunteerism at Temple Beth Sholom of
Pascack Valley. Ms. Bollens has been fighting a 17-year battle with multiple sclerosis,
which affects her ability to perform even
the simplest tasks, such as folding paper
and stuffing envelopes. She was honored
for tasks like these and more, which she
does for the shul.
Park Ridge Mayor Terry Maguire
presents a community service
award to Jacqueline Bollens.
PHOTO PROVIDED
Rabbi/Cantor Meeka
Simerly, center, with
Rabbi Emeritus Israel
Dresner and Cantor
Emeritus Charles
Romalis.
COURTESY TBT
New rabbi installed in Wayne

On November 4, the congregation of Temple Beth Tikvah in Wayne celebrated a milestone for its 60th year with the installation of Rabbi/Cantor Meeka Simerly. Rabbi Debbie
Israel of Congregation Emeth in Morgan Hill, California, was the speaker. A congregational Shabbat dinner preceded services.
e
-
Briefly Local
Rabbi to be installed
in Woodcliff Lake
The board of trustees of Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley in
Woodcliff Lake will formally install new rabbi Loren N. Monosov
on Sunday, December 4, at 2 p.m.
The shul is at 87 Overlook Drive. For information, call (201)
391-0801 or go to www.tepv.org.
Rabbi Loren Monosov
Silverstein is NCJW honoree

Pictured at the NJ State Reception at the JFNA GA 2016 at the Washington
Hilton are Dr. Leonard Cole, Jamie Janoff, Jayne Petak, Donna Kissler, Roberta Abrams, Joan Krieger, Julie Lipsett-Singer, and Jeremy Fingerman. Lisa
Harris Glass and Joanne Palmer are in the front.
COURTESY JFNNJ
Local federation group attends GA

Members of Jewish Federation of Northern New Jerseys delegation to the Jewish
Federations of North Americas General
Assembly were honored to receive a private audience with Natan Sharansky. He
discussed the current political and socioeconomic realities facing global Jewry
with the group. The federation is one of
the Jewish Agencys largest funders.
such as assisting clients in the

Ava Silverstein of Woodcliff
locker room, or assisting clients
Lake was named October Volunteer of the Month by the
in the water.
The program was founded
Bergen County section of the
four decades ago by Ruth
National Council of Jewish
Cowan, a licensed physical
Women in recognition of her
therapist and NCJW BCS past
work during the last six years
president. Ms. Silverstein
as the physical therapist at
first met Ms. Cowan when
the weekly multiple sclerosis
she volunteered at NCJWs
Swim-In program.
Swim-In is the only waterAva Silverstein
After Breast Cancer Surgery
therapy program in the United
Program. Ms. Silverstein was
States that is run and supported financially
president of NCJW Mid-Bergen Section for
by volunteers, at no charge to participants.
two years and co-president for another
Held at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in
year. She has been involved with the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey and
Tenafly, it is run by NCJW BCS in collaboration with the National MS Society NJ Metro
the Melanoma Research Foundation; her
chapter. Each volunteer is assigned a role,
husband is its president.
Keter Torah event will launch

Holocaust memorial capital campaign
The Northern New Jerwhich is being planned
sey Holocaust Memorial
in cooperation with the
and Education Committee
Teaneck Library.
hosts its inaugural capital
The December 10
campaign meeting and desprogram will include
sert reception on Saturday,
introductory remarks
December 10, at 8 p.m., at
by Mayor Mohammed
Congregation Keter Torah
Hameeduddin, followed by a presentain Teaneck.
tion from Alan HantThe group has worked to
m a n , a n a rc h i te c t
perpetuate the memory of
and designer of the
the Holocaust. It presented
Tamara Freeman
Holocaust memorial.
plans in March for a Holocaust memorial to be built
Dr. Tamara Freeman,
on the Teaneck Municipal Green and was
scholar and musicologist, will perform
granted final approval by the Teaneck
on her 1935 Joseph Bausch viola, which
Township Council. The project is unique
was rescued from the Holocaust.
in that there is no other Holocaust
Funds raised will benefit the construction of the memorial. For information,
memorial in the county that will feature
email Steve@foxmarketing.com.
both a place to memorialize victims and
offer a multilevel educational program,
Jewish World
An Israeli firefighter treks through a forest burned by a massive blaze in Haifa.
Gili Yaari /Flash90
With the wildfires finally tamed,

Israel seeks clues, begins aid
Andrew Tobin
JERUSALEM As the wildfires that raged
across this country for nearly a week were
subdued by Sunday, Israelis surveyed the
devastation in search of answers.
The fires, which continued to flare on
Sunday evening, consumed as many as
32,000 acres of forest and brush across the
country. That is an area more than twice
the size of Manhattan. Tens of thousands
of people fled their homes, and hundreds
of buildings were burned to the ground.
Many dozens of people were injured.
Incredibly, no one died.
According to security officials, an unseasonable dry stretch and high winds ignited
the fires, which then inspired alleged Arab
arsonists to join in. Arab politicians protested against what they said was incitement against their community.
Controlling the flames required a monumental Israeli operation, as well as and
some outside assistance. About 2,000
20 Jewish Standard DECEMBER 2, 2016
Israeli firefighters fought the blazes starting on Tuesday, many of them working
24-hour shifts. They received assistance
from a dozen countries around the world
and the region. The Palestinian Authority sent 41 firefighters and eight trucks
to help.
Maya Ben Zvi was one of many Israelis grappling with loss. Her popular family-run restaurant in the Jerusalem hills
burned down last Friday during a wedding
party. On Saturday, she told Israels Channel 2 she would rebuild, but that it would
take time.
It is denial, I feel like I dont know what
I feel, Ben Zvi said. There are moments
I weep and there are moments I block
it. I cannot contain the force of 21 years
invested in this place.
Dont pressure me. Give me my time. I
want to thank everyone for their support
and love.
Israeli ministers pledged to help people
like Ben Zvi rebuild. At a special cabinet
meeting on Sunday in Haifa, a northern

city hardest hit by the fires, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had
ordered ministers to clear bureaucratic
hurdles for those affected by the fire. The
previous evening, Finance Minister Moshe
Kahlon had approved immediate $650
payments to anyone whose homes had
been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable
by the fires.
Meanwhile, Israeli security forces targeted alleged arsonists, who they said began
setting fires on November 23, according to
Israels Channel 10. At least 35 people most
of them Palestinians but at least 10 reportedly Arab Israelis have been arrested since
November 24 on suspicion of setting fires or
inciting others to do so.
Some were released, including a Bedouin-Israeli man who was locked up last
week for a Facebook post that encouraged
arson sarcastically, complete with the
hashtag Sarcasm, not serious. Two Arab
Israelis confessed in jail, police reportedly
told the Sunday cabinet meeting.

Even as security officials warned against
jumping to conclusions about the causes
of the fires, Netanyahu and other Israeli
politicians said they would respond to
them as acts of terrorism.
Netanyahu declared last Friday that
there was no doubt that arson was
involved, and he blamed terrorists. At the
cabinet meeting, he pledged to act forcefully against arsonists and called such
actions worse than other terror attacks.
The severity of these cases is not equal
in severity to other terror attacks because
it is so powerful and it draws on the forces
of nature to sow death and destruction,
the prime minister said at the meeting.
On Saturday night, on visits to communities damaged by fires, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called for the destruction
of arsonists homes. Israel controversially
uses the method as a deterrent against Palestinian terrorists.
In separate visits to Halamish, a West
Jewish World
Bank settlement north of Jerusalem that was evacuated because
of a fire that damaged or destroyed dozens of homes, Defense
Minister Avigdor Liberman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett said that Israel should respond by expanding settlements.
Liberman said there was proof that arsonists started 17 of the
110 documented fires.
When the extent of the fires was just becoming clear on November 23, Bennett had tweeted that only someone who this land does
not belong to could have started the fires. Meanwhile, the Arabic
hashtag Israel is burning was trending on Twitter, with tens of
thousands using it to celebrate the ongoing destruction in Israel.
Arab politicians decried incitement against their community
by Israeli Jewish politicians and pointed out that some of the fires
were started near Arab communities.
Ayman Odeh, the head of the Arab Joint List political party,
reacted November 24 to Bennetts tweet, saying, To my regret,
someone decided to exploit this dreadful situation to incite and
to lash out at an entire community.
Hours later, Odeh called on any arsonists to stop, saying they
were the enemies of us all.
Some Orthodox Jewish rabbis saw the fires as a divine retribution. Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, a leader in Israels settlement movement, said that the fires were Gods punishment for the governments plans to uproot West Bank settlements, including Amona,
which the High Court declared to be illegally built on private Palestinian land.
Strong winds usually carry rain, but now all is dry and flammable, Levanon wrote in a pamphlet. It is Gods hand that does
it. Until the disgrace of the threat of eviction is lifted from Amona,
JTA Wire Service
Ofra, and elsewhere, no rain will fall.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confers with fire officials in Zichron Yaakov.
Emil Salman/Pool
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Jewish World
Choice of DeVos pleases Orthodox

but worries church-state separationists
Ron Kampeas
WASHINGTON Add sweeping school
reforms and with them, funding for
private schools that Orthodox groups
embrace and secular Jewish groups fear
to the campaign promises that Donald
Trump plans to fulfill.
Last week, just before Thanksgiving,
the president-elect named Betsy DeVos, a
billionaire education reform activist and
champion of charter schools and public
funding for private schooling, as his education secretary.
As leader of the American Federation
for Children, a group that promotes charter schools, DeVos promotes exactly the
model advanced by Trumps son, Donald Trump Jr., at the Republican convention in July. The elder Trump has said
he would earmark $20 billion in federal
money to charter more independent
schools or for vouchers for poorer families to pay for private schools. By picking
DeVos, whose advocacy and funding for
lobbying has led to sweeping changes in
her home state of Michigan and elsewhere

in how schools are funded, he seems to be
moving in that direction.
Under her leadership, we will reform
the U.S. education system and break the
bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver worldclass education and school choice to all
families, Trump said on November 23 in
announcing the DeVos nomination.
School choice is music to the ears
of Orthodox Jewish groups, sometimes
joined by other proponents of Jewish day
schooling, who have argued for decades
that constitutional church/state separation should not cut off day schools from
public funds. Jewish day school tuition
can cost $14,000 a year, and at least twice
that for Jewish high schools, especially in
the New York area.
Agudath Israel of America, welcoming
the announcement, said it has worked
with DeVos for years to give parents educational options for their children.
Opponents of the broader choice
DeVos favors have illustrated flaws in the
Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump, and Vice President-elect Mike

Pence outside the clubhouse at Trump International Golf Club in Bedminster
Township.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Michigan model to make the case for

the public school system and its regulatory oversight. Michigans national
ranking has dropped commensurate
with the expansion of charter schools,
as a result, in part, of her advocacy,
critics point out.
Nathan Diament, the Washington
director of the Orthodox Union, called
the DeVos nomination encouraging.
He said that parental oversight would
act as a corrective once parents have a
broader range of school choice.
The regulators of the schools should
be the parents, the parents who care for
their children, Diament said. Theyll
see if the school is making a good education, and if its not, they will move their
child to another school.
Jewish groups that advocate for
stronger church/state separation,
including the Anti-Defamation League
and the Reform movement, were
silent on the DeVos pick, declining
requests for comment. Thats not in
itself unusual, as Jewish nonprofits
generally observe the if you have
nothing nice to say, say nothing at all
rule when it comes to presidential personnel choices.
General church/state separationists
were less circumspect.
Americans United for Separation of
Church and State called the DeVos nomination an insult to public education.
Michigans
national ranking
has dropped
commensurate
with the
expansion of
charter schools
and vouchers,
as a result,
in part, of her
advocacy, critics
point out.
Private school vouchers violate
the fundamental principle of religious
freedom because they fund religious
education with taxpayer dollars, it
said in a statement.
Randi Weingarten, the president of
the American Federation of Teachers
and heir to a long tradition of Jewish
advocacy in and for public education,
said the DeVos appointment is about
the decimation of a public school system for children.
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Jewish World
vouchers are celebrating this choice,
Weingarten said in an interview.
She said that the inequities that Orthodox Jews say are embedded in restrictions on public funding for religious
education high taxes for services they
dont or cant use are better addressed
through government paying for nonsectarian activities and needs.
We found ways to spend public
dollars for remedial education, for
transportation, for special needs for
Orthodox Jewish day schools, Weingarten said. We found ways to ensure
that people who had reason to want
religious education and yet at the same
time ... were entitled to public dollars,
to get them.
In recent years there has been a softening of opposition among non-Orthodox groups to government-funding
ideas for religious schools, as the cost
of day schooling has soared and its benefits in building Jewish identity are seen
as incalculable. Jewish federations have
been active in efforts to obtain state
money for things like technoloy and
textbooks, while some Jewish groups
are supporting state programs that provide tax credits for donations to private
schools.
Nevertheless, in May, the Jewish
Council for Public Affairs, representing a network of local Jewish community relations councils and national
agencies, reiterated in a policy compendium that it opposes policies that
divert resources from public schools,
such as voucher programs that provide public dollars to non-public
schools, whether secular or sectarian;
we strongly support private funding
for Jewish day school education. The
Orthodox Union dissented.
Fears of sweeping changes may be
overstated. Democrats, while in the
minority in the Senate, still are able to
filibuster laws, and much of the education system is run at the state and local
level.
Diament said he saw the DeVos
choice as setting a tone encouraging
broader school choice through advocacy and federal funding incentives.
Even without legislation, first of all,
from the bully pulpit, she can be an
advocate to the states and local government agencies to do more in terms of
school choice, he said.
Marc Stern, general counsel for the
American Jewish Committee, said the
changes that DeVos hoped to achieve
would face a number of practical

hurdles. The expansion of the use
of vouchers for private schools, for
instance, would invite greater government scrutiny, he said.
That could meet resistance among
the charedi Orthodox, whose schools
emphasize religious studies over secular studies. Last year, the New York City
Department of Education launched an
investigation of three dozen yeshivas
suspected of failing to meet standards
in secular subjects such as English,
math and science.
It may have some implications
for the chasidic community, where
accountability has been a hot-button
issue in recent years, Stern said.
Church/state separationists also are
likely to seek to enforce anti-discrimination laws on schools benefiting from
vouchers, Stern said, and this would
lead to battles over whether schools
must hire staff or admit students whose
families deviate from conservative
moral codes.
What if you have to admit children
of gay marriages? he asked.
Stern said a Trump administration could learn, as it facilitates pub-
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Jewish World
Why Jews in France might give

right-wing populist Francois Fillon a chance
CNAAN LIPHSHIZ
f the French right-wing politician

Francois Fillon is elected president next year, it wont be because
of his skills at promoting interfaith dialogue.
The secularist candidate widely favored
to win the election in May managed to
enrage many Jews, Muslims, and even
Catholics with a single explosive statement
he made last week during a radio interview, shortly after winning the Republican
Party primaries in France.
The French have to fight against Muslim sectarianism, Fillon told Europe1 on
November 23, like we fought against a
form of Catholic sectarianism or like we
fought the desire of Jews to live in a community that does not respect the laws of
the French Republic.
His remark unleashed a furious reaction
by Muslim community activists like Yasser
Louati, a former spokesman of the Collective Against Islamophobia in France, who
called Fillon a xenophobe. And it certainly
offended some members of the Jewish
community, where congregants regularly
recite a special prayer in their synagogues
for the republics well-being and success.
UEJF, the left-leaning Jewish student
group, criticized Fillon. But mainstream
representatives of French Jewry remained
unusually silent on the statement, giving
observers the impression that the politician is getting a free pass on expressing
anti-Jewish bias because many Jews support his anti-Muslim stance and view him
as the best hope in preventing the far-right
National Front party under Marine Le Pen
from reaching power.
I was amazed by the silence of community representatives, who are usually
never shy in condemning any shred of
anti-Jewish bias on what is clearly a very
problematic statement by Fillon, said
Michel Zerbib, news director at Radio J,
the French Jewish station.
Bruno Benjamin, president of the Marseilles branch of the CRIF umbrella group
of French Jewish communities, called
Fillons statement clumsy but not
unusual during campaigns. He added:
Im not about to polemicize what Fillon
said. His forgiving attitude was unusual
for his organization, which usually is
quick to denounce any expression of bias
against Jews.
Fillons statement, however, did alarm
some French Jews. Following his landslide
victory in the primaries, with 65 percent
of the vote, Fillon is poised to become
Frances next president. In May he will
be running against a yet-undeclared candidate from the ruling party of President
Francois Hollande, an uncharismatic
candidate with dismal approval ratings,

amid discontent over Islamism and economic stagnation.
Fillon, with his charged statements on
Islam he has said that French Muslims
who engage in Islamic totalitarianism
cannot be considered truly French also
will be running against Le Pen, who is projected to win 25 percent of the vote.
But his firm stance is likely to be very
bad news for her, said Zerbib, joining
other commentators who expect that
Fillon will steal many of Le Pens wouldbe voters.
The remark on Jewish sectarianism a
reference, apparently, to the Napoleonicera bargain in which Jews accepted emancipation in exchange for declaring themselves first and foremost French citizens
is not the first time that Fillon, a hardliner who was prime minister under President Nicolas Sarkozy from 2007 to 2012,
has taken aim at Jewish customs. In 2012,
Jewish and Muslim groups condemned
him for telling Europe1 that minorities
need to abandon ancestral traditions
and ritual slaughter to adapt in the modern world and science.
Fillons spokesman said this week that
his boss was misunderstood and had
wished to express his opposition to all
forms of religious fundamentalism, especially by Muslims.
The Jews of France are French like the
Christians of France are French and the
Muslims of France are French, except for
those who partake in Islamic sectarianism,
in Islamic totalitarianism, which needs to
be fought against, said the spokesman,
Jerome Chartier.
Benjamin said he found the clarification
satisfactory. Zerbib disagreed, saying I
think Fillon needs to clarify what he meant
by his statement and his positions on religious freedoms in general.
Fillons apparent suspicion or disdain
for religious customs fits into the French
concept of lacit, a strict form of secularism. In recent decades it has gained traction among French politicians and thought
leaders, who regard it as a tool to check
what they regard as the spread of Islam
and its effects on French society. In summer, lacit advocates, including some
leaders of French Jewry, cited the concept
in defending a controversial ban on wearing full-body swimsuits, or burkinis, at
some beaches.
Going with it [a burkini] is not innocent, its sending a message, Moshe Sebbag, the chief rabbi of Paris Grand Synagogue, said in August. Conceding that
Jewish Orthodox women wear similar garb
while bathing, he said the Muslim burkini
is not about womens liberty to dress
modestly, but a statement as to who will
Francois Fillon, in a 2008 photo, is the front-runner to become French president

in next years elections.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
rule here tomorrow.

Amid pressure, Sebbag later retracted
his words. But it was nonetheless a demonstration of a willingness by a growing number of French Jews and non-Jews to accept
theoretical limitations on their own freedoms in the hope of addressing the Muslim radicalization that is behind hundreds
of anti-Semitic attacks annually, including
several deadly assaults since 2012.
Hundreds have died in France and Belgium in jihadist attacks, including in the
Bataclan concert hall in November 2015
and more recently in Nice, where 84 people were murdered in July.
This sense of threat may also be
behind the weak reaction to what Fillon said. It may be that Jewish groups
are willing to look the other way because
they dont want to be seen as partisan,
or because he comes across to some as
an ally, Zerbib said.
Reflecting the alarm of many French
Jews, Benjamin, who recently called for
Marseilles Jews to conceal their kippahs
for security reasons, said that Islamization is an existential threat on France.
While stopping short of endorsing Fillon,
Benjamin said it seems he is committed
to offering solutions to a problem that
will perhaps become insolvable by the
2021 election.
Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel
Valls are widely credited by French Jews
for extraordinary efforts to protect them
from this threat, Zerbib said, including by
posting 12,000 soldiers at Jewish areas following the murder of four people at a Paris
kosher supermarket last year.
But Hollande is an unpopular leader
also among Jews, Zerbib noted, adding

that on the other hand, Valls may command considerable support by Jews if he
becomes the Socialist candidate.
Faced with this feeling of threat, a growing number of French Jews have been
tempted to support the National Front,
a party shunned by the Jewish establishment because of the anti-Semitism of some
of its founders. The party, which once had
nearly no Jewish supporters, now attracts
12 percent of the Jewish vote, polls from
2014 suggest, and the current level of
support among Jews may be higher, Zerbib said.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the National Fronts
founder and honorary president and
Marine Le Pens father finally was booted
from the party this year for minimizing the
Holocaust. A French court determined
earlier this month that he may keep the
title of honorary president.
In addition to kicking out her father and
several other members who made antiSemitic statements, Le Pen has courted
French Jews by expressing support for
Israel and promising Jews her party will be
their shield against Muslim radicalism.
But last month, Le Pen reiterated her
support for a ban on wearing religious
garb, including by Jews, to curb what she
calls the spread of Islam.
Jews can understand that if we ask for
this sacrifice from them, she told BFMTV.
French Jews largely rejected Le Pens
request, yet Zerbib said they appear to be
more willing to give Fillon concessions
that would not have been on offer to most
politicians under normal circumstances.

JTA WIRE SERVICE
Jewish World
Bill proposes ban on non-Orthodox worship at Western Wall
JERUSALEM The Sephardi Orthodox Shas party has
proposed a bill that would prevent any kind of nonOrthodox public prayer at the Western Wall.
Under the draft bill, a fine of some $2,500 or a sixmonth prison sentence would be levied on participants
in egalitarian prayer services or on women who use a
tallit or tefillin.
The bill would place the site under the jurisdiction
of the chief rabbinate and would be governed under
the religious practice approved by the chief rabbinate
and the countrys rabbinic courts, which in practice
is Orthodox.
Passage of the bill would torpedo the agreement
made in January for an egalitarian prayer section at the
Western Wall negotiated by the Reform and Conservative movements, the Women of the Wall, the Jewish
Agency, and the Israeli government.
The Shas bill, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to oppose, reportedly has little chance
of becoming law.
It would prohibit any ceremony that is not held
according to local custom, that offends the feelings of
the worshipers in the holy place. The measure also
would bar an act that could disturb the worshipers
with their prayer; mixed prayers of men and women in
any area of the Western Wall plaza. That would include
a ceremony in the womens section that includes taking out the Torah scroll and reading from it, blowing
on shofars, and wearing prayer shawls or phylacteries.

In a statement, Shas said the bill has received the
support of many factions and many Knesset members
already have signed it, but did not name any party
or lawmaker.
The law will create essential order in the holiest
place of the Jewish people and will regulate its status
according to Jewish religious law, the statement said.
It added: We have no doubt that this bill faithfully
reflects the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public and will return the Walls proper status, dignity
and sanctity.
The proposed bill comes days after a Reform synagogue in the central Israel city of Raanana was vandalized with hate messages, some referring to egalitarian
prayer at the Western Wall.
In a post on Facebook, Rabbi Gilad Kariv, executive
director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, pointed out that the Shas party did not
condemn the attack on the Kehilat Raanan synagogue
nor the death threat against the rabbi.
Our business is with the Prime Minister, who for
four years led the negotiations, Kariv wrote. Just two
weeks ago he committed before the Jewish leadership in
North America to implement the layout of the Western
Wall. Hes the one standing for the test. Not Aryeh Deri,
the head of the Shas party.
Under the agreement announced in January and
e designer
approved by the Cabinet in a 15-5 vote, the egalitarian section of the wall near Robinsons Arch would be expanded and
placed under the authority of a pluralist committee. The plan
called for solidifying charedi Orthodox control over the sites
traditional Orthodox section.
Earlier this month, leaders of the Reform and Conservative movements in the United States and Israel brought at
least 12 Torah scrolls into the womens section of the Western
Wall plaza for a prayer service. The scrolls were carried into
the womens section for use during the Women of the Walls
monthly prayer service at the wall as part of a protest march
against restrictions on egalitarian worship at the site and calling for the implementation of the deal.

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Editorial
Thinking
about change
ometimes it seems like change is happening

so quickly that theres nothing stable left to
hold onto.
The most obvious example is the presidential
election. No matter what you feel about the ascension
to the presidency of Donald J. Trump (and yes, most of
us have very strong feelings about it, on one side or the
other), it is necessary to acknowledge that it is a massive
change. His victory was unexpected. The change in style
from the elegant, restrained President Barack Obama,
who glides like Fred Astaire, whose dispassionate, cool,
even sometimes apparently cold manners enraged some
people while gladdening others, and who does not tweet
injudiciously, to the loud, proudly vulgar Trump, who
unabashedly loves gilt and gelt, unleashes tweetstorms,
makes clear, in ways that his admirers adore, who and
what he hates, and in almost all things is Obamas polar
opposite. And, it is necessary to add, who won, at least in
the Electoral College, the place where it counts.
So what do we do now? Weve just gotten through
Thanksgiving, where some of us had to deal with relatives
whose opinions ran counter to ours, and where we had to
be careful that our turkey did not come with a helping of
bile. We are heading to the inauguration, in January, when
the feelings we perhaps have managed to squash are guaranteed to emerge stronger and angrier than ever.
But, as Abe Foxman reminds us, were all in this
together, not only as Americans but also as Jews.
As he points out, this truly is not about us. Yes, truly
shocking tides of anti-Semitism have been unleashed, and
they must go back to the sewers from which they emerged.
And truly shocking tides of anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican,
anti-Muslim hatred has surfaced as well. Its not about
Jews we are not the center of everybodys world, and
we shouldnt be.
Obviously, as Americans and as Jews, we have to be
aware of the real dangers that surround us. September 11
was not a fever dream. It was a nightmare, but it was real.
We did not wake up from it. It happened. So we have to
be vigilant. But we cannot allow vigilance to turn us sour.
We are Americans, after all. We just celebrated Thanksgiving. Were Jewish Americans. We look forward to Chanukah. As the exhibit at the New-York Historical Society
that we write about in this weeks cover story shows, we
have been part of this glorious enterprise since the beginning. We will continue to be. Those of us who think we
have to fight will figure out how to fight, and those of us
who think that we are where we should be and are going
where we should be going will be able to relax. But we are
JP
all one people.
Jewish
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Beth Janoff Chananie
About Our Children Editor
Heidi Mae Bratt
thejewishstandard.com
KEEPING THE FAITH
The enemy is dead. Lets dance.

What about the humanity?
he Los Angeles Times headline on NovemSuch sentiments are understandable, but there is a
ber 26 said it all: In Miamis Little Havana, problem nonetheless, because the Torah and the rest
Cubans whoop, dance and reflect as they cel- of the Tanach, the Bible, argue otherwise.
ebrate Castros death.
A prime text is Exodus 23:4-5. When you encounter
The story confirmed this, often in graphic terms. your enemys ox or she-donkey wandering, you must
For example, the LA Times reported, One man
take it back to him. When you see the she-donkey of
held up a white banner proclaiming: Rejoice world. your enemy lying under its burden, and would refrain
Satans envoy, Fidel Castro, is dead. Another wielded
from raising it, you must nevertheless raise it with him.
a wooden stake topped with a bloody replica of CasIn other words, if someone hates us, it is okay to hate
tros head.
him back. That hatred, however, must not overtake our
Were all celebrating, said one reveler to the Asso- humanity. We cannot be so consumed by hatred that we
ciated Press. This is like a carnival.
turn away from doing what God expects of us.
What prompted such unbridled celebration of someWe see this in a comment made by Job as he defended
ones death is the identity of the somehimself against accusations of performing
one in this case, the dictator Fidel Cassome manner of criminal offense that
tro, who himself caused the death of so
would have denied God above. Said Job
many innocents, and who ruled Cuba
in 31:28-30, Did I rejoice over my enemys
with so heavy a hand that at least a milmisfortune? Did I thrill because evil befell
lion Cubans fled their homeland over the
him? I never let my mouth sin by wishing
last half-century.
his death in a curse.
Proverbs, Sefer Mishlei, expands on
The enemy is dead. Lets dance.
The sentiment is one we Jews often
this theme.
have felt. In the mid-20th century, for
If your enemy falls, do not rejoice,
example, there was a joke of sorts mak- Rabbi
says Proverbs 24:17-18. If he trips, let
Shammai
ing the rounds, although the name of
your heart not exult, lest the Lord see it
Engelmayer
the enemy changed as the years went
and be displeased, and avert His wrath
by. Thus
from him to you.
How do you know that [Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin,
Shmuel Ha-katan, in Pirkei Avot 4:20, quotes these
Gamal Abdel Nasser] will die on a Jewish holiday? verses directly in describing what he believes is proper
Because any day [Hitler, Stalin, Nasser] dies will be a
behavior.
Jewish holiday.
The biblical scholar Professor Michael V. Fox, in his
It is hard to argue that cheering the deaths of people
commentary to these verses, notes that Saadia Gaon, the
who can be referred to only as monsters is wrong, and
10th century head of the Sura Academy, distinguishe[d]
for time immemorial, it seems, sages, philosophers, two kinds of rejoicing: Do not rejoice prohibits expressing joy in words. Dont let your heart exult forbids even
commentators, exegetes, and essayists have wrestled
exultation that is silent, In your soul.
with the subject.
Proverbs, Fox explained, is concerned with the
Even Jewish liturgy reflects this at times. Each morning, for example, we recite the Song of the Sea (Exodus
quality of mans deepest and hidden thoughts and feelchapter 15), which opens with, I will sing to the Lord, ings, for they are the substance of character and determine deeds, as well.
for He has triumphed gloriously; horse and driver He
This concern is made even more obvious in Proverbs
has hurled into the sea.
25:21-22: If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;
We follow that with a prayer immediately before the
If he is thirsty, give him water to drink. You will be heapmorning Amidah that says: From Egypt You redeemed
ing live coals on his head [because you will be dismissing
us, Lord our God. All their firstborn You killed, but
his enmity as irrelevant to your humanity], and the Lord
Your firstborn of Israel You saved. You drowned the
will reward you for doing so.
arrogant, and Your beloved ones You brought across.
He who rejoices over anothers misfortune, Proverbs
Shammai Engelmayer is the rabbi of Congregation Beth
17:5 warns, will not go unpunished.
Israel of the Palisades in Cliffside Park.
Of course, Proverbs says this as well (11:10), When the
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Opinion
A view from the pew

Awash in the political tsunamis aftermath
righteous prosper, the city exults; when the wicked

perish, there are shouts of joy.
Is this a warrant to rejoice when the wicked perish? A midrash found in the Babylonian Talmud tractate Sanhedrin 39b seeks to resolve the issue. It says:
Does the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoice with the
fall of the wicked? Is it not written [in 2 Chronicles
20:21 regarding a victory over the Ammonites, that
King Yehoshaphat stationed singers to the Lord extolling the One majestic in holiness] as they went forth
ahead of the vanguard, saying, Praise the Lord, for
His steadfast love is eternal. [There is something
missing here, so] Rabbi Yonatan asked: Why was it
Were not celebrating

the death of a person.
That would be
morbid. Were
celebrating the
beginning of the end
of a dictatorship,
of a genocide.
VIRGINIA PEREZ NUNEZ
is good omitted from this [prayer of ] thanksgiving,

[as it is stated in the original text in Psalms 106:1]?
Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice
with the fall of the wicked. As Rabbi Shmuel ben Nachman said in Rabbi Yochanans name: At that time
[when the Egyptians pursued Israel into the Sea], the
ministering angels wanted to sing a song before the
Holy One, [but He] said to them: My handiwork
[the Egyptians] is drowning in the sea; yet you sing
before Me? Explained Rabbi Yose ben Chanina: He
does not rejoice, but He causes others to rejoice, not
because the Egyptians were dying, but because they,
the Israelites, were now truly free.
A weekend reveler in Miamis Little Havana, Virginia
Perez Nunez, echoed this sentiment when she told a
reporter, Were not celebrating the death of a person.
That would be morbid. Were celebrating the beginning of the end of a dictatorship, of a genocide.
So may it be His will.
The opinions expressed in this section are those of

the authors, not necessarily those
of the newspapers editors, publishers, or other
staffers. We welcome letters to the editor.
Send them to jstandardletters@gmail.com.
he Torah reading
this week, Toldot,
marks two generations of the transition of Biblical leadership,
from Abraham to Isaac and
then from Isaac to Jacob.
While there are many differences in the process of
Rabbi Neal I.
the choosing of Isaac over his
Borovitz
older sibling Ishmael, and the
choosing of Jacob over Esau,
they do share both an antagonism to the prevailing political order of primogeniture, and the choice of one set of
characteristics of leadership over others.
From our perspective 20-20 hindsight we can
see these choices in a much clearer light than we can
see the leadership changes that we, the people of the
United States, have made in our recent presidential
election. Yet I believe that there are some similarities,
and therefore some lessons to be learned, from our
biblical narrative that are applicable to the anxiety and
concern that many of us, including me, share during
this transition period.
Similar to the rejection of primogeniture found throughout the Genesis narratives, America certainly voted for a
change in our political leadership tradition last month.
Donald Trump is the first United States president who has
not held a leadership position in either our political or
our military structure. Abraham, who was both a great
nomadic chief and a radical theologian and moral philosopher, had to choose between his warrior son Ishmael
and his more compassionate son Isaac. He chose Isaac. In
turn, Isaac, who seems to be in awe of his older son, Esau,
who was more similar in temperament to his brother Ishmael, is ultimately drawn or perhaps pushed by his wife,
Rebecca to choose the more politically experienced and
compassionate son, Jacob.
Did America make an opposite though not perfectly
analogous choice this month?
In shock at the results of the previous nights election
results, I posted the following comment on my Facebook page on November 9. I retold an old folktale I had
heard years ago, about a town in the Netherlands that
was about to be washed away by a giant storm. In that
story, the communitys Christian clergy gathered their
flocks together for prayer and confession, awaiting the
ultimate devastation. The towns rabbi told the Jews in
his community that they had a precious few minutes left
to learn how to live under water. I then said that I felt as
if America had experienced a political tsunami, and that
we now were challenged to learn to live under a new
political reality in America.
To the unstated questions to which my reaction to the
election lead, I must answer: Yes, I voted for Hillary Clinton. Yes, I am concerned about the future of America
under the leadership of President-elect Trump. Yes, I
continue to pledge allegiance to America, and accept
that Mr. Trump is the duly elected president and that
I have the responsibility to respect his authority. Yes, I
reserve to myself and to all Americans the right to speak
out and lobby against any policies of a Trump administration with which I may disagree.
There are a long list of policy issues that concern
me as we await the inauguration of President-elect
Trump. On the domestic front, they range from access
to affordable healthcare, including the right of women
to choose what happens to their bodies, to the rights of

foreign-born residents. I am extremely anxious about
the increase in hate speech that we have witnessed
against racial ethnic and religious minorities, including
against Jews, by supporters of Mr. Trump. I sincerely
hope that our new president, will, in the spirit of his
post-election statements, speak out and take action
against the promoters as well as the perpetrators of
hate speech and hate-inspired acts of violence. As the
prayer that the 9th-century Jewish leader Sadya Gaon
included in his siddur, and that has become a staple
of Jewish worship for more than a millennium: Let
us all guard our tongues from evil and our lips from
speaking guile.
One of the positive unintended consequences of Mr.
Trumps election has been some new outreach efforts on
the national level between the American Muslim com-
Yes, I voted for Hillary

Clinton. Yes, I am
concerned about the
future of America
under the leadership
of President-elect
Trump. Yes, I continue
to pledge allegiance
to America.
munity and the American Jewish community. In my role
as one of the vice chairs of the Jewish Council for Public
Affairs, I already have been involved in preliminary discussions on how our communities can work better together,
both locally and nationally, on behalf of interfaith understanding and cooperation. Along with many other groups
within the American Jewish community, the JCPA is continuing our partnerships with the African American community in the field of criminal justice reform.
The changes in biblical leadership described in our
Genesis narratives created ideological continuity and
generational change. Our 2016 American election
was just the opposite. Whether our election perhaps
is more analogous to the splintering in ancient Israel
that led to two Jewish kingdoms after the death of King
Solomon only time will tell. Let us pray that this will
not be the case.
Let us also remember that the rabbis of the Talmud
attribute the fall of both the first and the second Jewish
commonwealths to sinat chinam, the hatred of Jews for
each other, rather than the power of either the Babylonian or the Roman destroyers. May we the people of the
United States take this lesson to heart, along with the
admonition of Rabbi Akiba. He tells us that the greatest
teaching of Torah is the imperative of Leviticus 19:18:
Love your neighbor as yourself !
Neal Borovitz, rabbi emeritus of Temple Avodat Shalom
in River Edge, is a past chair of the Jewish Community
Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Northern
New Jersey.
Opinion
Keith Ellison and the DNC chair

a troubling pick for Israels friendliest political party
have been involved in federal elections for about 50 years.

I recall as a student advocating
first for Humphrey and then McGovern when they ran against Nixon. Still vivid
to me is when I got the news that Nixon
won on the radio of my old Dodge Dart, I
gripped the steering wheel in disbelief.
I worked on the election of Bill Clinton
and the candidacy of the Gore/Lieberman
ticket. I remember speaking at length with a
then long-shot candidate for Senate, Barack
Obama, in a bar across the street from the
AIPAC convention about 11 years ago, and
how he was pledged to the safety and security of Israel. In later years, I expanded my
advocacy to become bipartisan.
One consistent thing I have found in all
these years, among the hundreds of congressional members and the leaders of the
Democratic Party I have worked with, is
their commitment to U.S.-Israel relations.
This partnership between the pro-Israel
American community and the Democratic
party has been steadfast and beneficial to
our nation and to our ally Israel, and consistent with the sentiments of the vast majority
of Americans.
The Democratic Partys historic support
for Israel has been rewarded by receiving
the Jewish voting plurality and immense
financial support to Democratic candidates
for office. It is well known that the pro-Israel
voters make their donations both in greater
amounts and more consistently than most
other groups; this goes for both the Jewish
and Christian Zionist voters and donors. America

loves Israel and Israel loves
America.
There is a natural connection between America, the
greatest force for good in
the history of mankind, and
Israel, miraculously brought
Dr. Ben
back after 2,000 years as a
Chouake
light in the most troubled part
of the world. The Democratic
Party and its leadership have made this a
pillar of their platform since Truman recognized Israel in 1948, minutes after Israel
declared its independence.
This legacy of the Democratic Party
is at risk with the candidate for the 2017
chairperson for the Democratic National Committee,

Congressman Keith Ellison.
Given his troubling voting
record on Israel and disturbing past affiliations, the pick of
Representative Ellison for this
top position could spell disaster to the Democratic Party
and the bipartisan nature of
the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Ellison has served in Congress since 2007, but his controversial actions
preceded his term in office. During the 1990s,
he served as a local spokesman in Minnesota for Louis Farrakhans Nation of Islam
movement. Ellison had publicly claimed in
1995 that Farrakhan is not an anti-Semite.
Will the heat in Israel leave American Jews cold?
resently I am writing from Israel

as a participant observer of the
Israeli scene. For family reasons a
great deal of my time is spent in
the United States, but I pay taxes to the Jewish state, vote there when there is an election, and hold an Israeli passport and identity card.
This does not make me more dedicated to
Israel than many American Jews who have
chosen not to take the step of becoming
Israeli citizens. But it makes what happens
here intensely personal to me. Most of the
time I am proud and amazed by this country and its people. At other times I am profoundly saddened by what it has to endure.
And at yet other times I am shocked by events
that take place on its soil.
My wife and I are in Tel Aviv, near the
rebuilt North Port. The fine shops and restaurants (some kosher, some not) are monuments to the success of many people in this
incredible start-up nation. Believe it or not,
Israel has no water problem any more. Desalinization has solved it, and the recycling of
treated waste water keeps lawns green and
vegetables growing. Medical technology here
literally has helped the blind to see and the
lame to walk. And it is virtually impossible to
describe what goes on here in terms of cyber
technology but just think Waze. That is
what makes me proud and amazed.
The recent blazes all over the country,
however, have left me and all Israelis profoundly saddened. The sadness is not just for
the destruction of the forests that were the
product of painstaking efforts at making what
had been barren land into hills and valleys of
green. Nor is it just for the neighbors and
friends houses that have been destroyed.
The thing that is most disheartening is that
these fires are not the result of natural causes.
They have been set by people who just do

not want there to be a safe haven for Jews in
what they consider to be their neighborhood.
There is no doubt that our relationship with
the majority of our cousins (i.e., the Palestinian Arabs) is far from ideal, but the majority of Jews in this neck of the woods do not
burn their cousins property.
But a minority does. Can any decent Jew
not be deeply ashamed that three of our own
burned an Arab woman, her husband, and
their infant to death in the West Bank Arab
village of Duma in 2015? The fact that we try
to punish our terrorists and the Palestinians
honor them as martyrs does not take away
a scintilla from the incredible hillul Hashem,
the desecration of Gods holy name, that this
caused, especially when the perpetrators
turned out to be religious.
Unfortunately, in Israel religious doesnt
just mean a dedicated and devout practitioner of any kind of Judaism. Rather, it means
to be observant in Orthodox fashion. Even
traditional Jews, who now make up the
most significant percentage of Israeli Jews,
who go to a Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat service and return home for Kiddush and
Shabbat dinner but then turn on the television to watch soccer after Birkat Hamazon
(Grace After Meals), define themselves as
sinners. To them, the observant Orthodox,
usually those who observe in ultra-Orthodox
fashion, are the real deal.
True secularists, who now make up a
scant 9 percent of the Israeli Jewish population, speak of the Orthodox synagogue as the
authentic one they dont attend. Despite the
fact that Progressive Judaism (Israeli Reform)
and Masorti Judaism (Israeli Conservative)
have, after many years of being American
imports, made some significant inroads
into the society of native Israelis, Orthodox
Judaism remains the one and

representative who had to sign
only official Judaism of the
off on the agreement refused
country. That means that
to do so. (Shas is the Sephardic
Orthodox institutions autoultra-Orthodox party. ) He and
matically and publicly receive
the other Orthodox parliament
government funding for their
members who were parties to
institutions. This is also true
this plan backed out of it, and
for Reform and Conservative
the promised space has not
institutions as long as they
been made available for use by
Rabbi Dr.
are willing to describe themour Israeli and diaspora Reform
Michael
selves as community centers,
and Conservative brothers and
Chernick
nurseries, or anything other
sisters. In essence, they have
than a Jewish place of worship.
been barred from the center of
As an Orthodox Jew I guess
the Jewish religious and historical universe.
I should be happy. After all, its my kind of
But it is far more important to hang onto
Judaism that rules the religious roost in Israel.
your coalition partners, many of them nonBut the behavior of many Orthodox leaders
Zionist Orthodox, than to risk ceding power
here is shocking, dismaying, disheartening, and embarrassing to me. The unethical
and honoring your statement to AIPAC
breaking of promises by Orthodox cabinet
members.
and Knesset members, and the two-faced
This does not happen in a vacuum. There
permission of the prime minister that allows
is a constant stream of demonization of nonit, is a desecration of Gods sacred name.
Orthodox forms of Judaism. Week after week
For me, it is an incredible act of chutzpah
during this Knessets term, this Orthodox
for the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,
minister or that Orthodox member of Knesset declares Reform and Conservative Jews
to come to the AIPAC annual convention
to be non-Jews, or demeans their religious
and tell Reform and Conservative Jews in the
worldview in astoundingly vitriolic terms.
audience how much he respects and cares for
The government-appointed and governmentthem, only to return home and let a government agreement to erect a worship area for
paid chief rabbis of the State of Israel also do
Reform and Conservative Jewish worship at
this with regularity. The prime minister says
Judaisms holiest site, the Kotel the Western
he deplores these kinds of statements every
Wall come to naught.
time one comes into public view, but he
The prime minister enjoys being prime
doesnt fire the minister, member of Knesset,
minister, even if he has to sell his soul to
or chief rabbi who made them.
some Orthodox members of the coalition
He talks the talk, but he does not walk the
he heads. They shared in the agreement to
walk.
create a worship space along the expanse of
Which brings me to this weeks fire, but
the Kotel for non-Orthodox Jews, or for the
not the one that burned the forests of Israel.
Orthodox Women of the Wall. Unfortunately
A Reform synagogue in Ranaana, a community north of Tel Aviv, was desecrated.
but not unexpectedly, when the date for the
Graffiti showing a knife, with a quote from
implementation of this plan arrived, the Shas
Opinion
Although Ellison acknowledged to the local
Jewish community during his run for Congress in 2006 that he had been involved
with Minister Farrakhans Nation of Islam, he
minimized his past role as an affiliate of the
religious organization, which was rife with
overt anti-Semitism and hateful bigotry.
During his successful 2006 congressional
campaign, Ellison received roughly $50,000
in campaign contributions that were given
or raised by officials of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which
was spun off of the group Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) that was found to
have ties to Hamas.
In 2009, although the majority of Congress including Democrats rejected
the heavily biased Goldstone report, Ellison harshly criticized the House of Representatives decision to reject it, arguing
that the report only presents facts and
raises recommendations for the future.
Even the author of the report had serious
Maimonides Mishneh Torah (Code of Jewish

Law) saying that heretics (read Reform and
Conservative Jews) deserve capital punishment, was daubed on the synagogue. As if
this wasnt bad enough, leaders of the Reform
community were designated by name as people who should be killed. Perhaps, like the
sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, the perpetrators thought they were serving God. But
their hostility and fanaticism are a strange
fire that is liable to turn back on them. Heretic hunting season is always open, and you
never know who the prey will be.
Perhaps some Orthodox Jews are not
moved by this, but the ones I associate with
are horrified. Some have issued statements
of dismay, others have written to leaders of
the Reform movement here and in America
to make clear that this act does not represent them or their understanding of God or
halacha.
That is all to the good, but consider the
impact these acts have on American Jewry.
American Jewish leaders bemoan the distancing of American Jews, especially young
American Jews, from Israel. This is only partially due to the erosion of the significance of
ethnicity that has been a major game-changer
in American Jewish life and Jewish survival in
the United States. Even affiliated and committed Jews whose allegiance is to Reform
or Conservative Judaism are getting sick and
tired of being viewed as second-class Jews, or
as outside the camp altogether. Their patient
support of Israel increasingly is eroding, and
as the untrammeled badmouthing of them
and their form of Judaism continues, the
more the idea of spirituality, unconnected to
a sense of peoplehood or rooted in any specific place, begins to dominate their sense of
what it means to be a religious Jew.
The heat emanating from Israel is leaving a
lot of American Jews, especially the ones who
care, cold.
This is dangerous for Israel and dangerous
regrets about it in hindsight.

Keith Ellison came to northern New Jersey mosques in 2012 to campaign for Representive Bill Pascrell in the Democratic
primary. Pascrell was running in the states
reconfigured 9th District against fellow
incumbent Democrat Steve Rothman, the
lone Jewish member of his party in the
House of Representatives. This was unusual
not just because Ellison was getting involved
in a primary between two incumbent opponents from his own party, but also because
Ellisons own Minnesota district was so far
away. Members of Congress who are not in
leadership positions tend to help campaign
for their colleagues in nearby states and districts, not halfway across the country.
Ellison was the congressman who initiated the 2010 Gaza 54 letter, asking the
administration to pressure Israel to ease the
blockade of Gaza. He has gone on Twitter
and publicly compared the treatment of Palestinians under Israel to apartheid.
In the summer of 2014, during Israels

conflict with Gaza, Representative Ellison
was one of only eight members in the House
to vote against a bill to provide emergency
funding to Israel for the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system. This was a critical time
to bolster Israels defense as it was being
bombarded by a constant barrage of rocket
fire from Hamas.
This year, Congressman Ellison was
appointed to the Democratic platform
drafting committee by Senator Bernie Sanders. As a member of this committee, he
expressed favor for removing language condemning Iran in the Democratic Platform
and adding language recognizing Israeli
occupation of Palestinian land.
The person who heads the DNC will be
responsible for the partys platform stance
on issues such as Americas response to the
Iranian nuclear weapons program and our
relationship with Israel and its neighbors. It
can be fairly stated that Keith Ellison has one
of the worst records on U.S.-Israel relations

in Congress. The clear disdain for Israel and
its close relationship with America that Representative Ellison has demonstrated is at
odds with the party and the nation.
The Democrats traditionally have been
pro-Israel, as has their leadership. Keith
Ellison is at the fringe of his party and the
nation in his views. His nomination to chair
the DNC is a poor choice for the Party and
our country.
The candidacy of Representative Keith
Ellison should be strongly and duly scrutinized by the Democratic leadership as they
cast their votes for DNC chair in March.
Dr. Ben Chouake of Englewood is the
national president of Norpac, the largest
pro-Israel political action committee in the
United States. He runs a medical practice
in Cliffside Park and is a board member of
several Jewish organizations on the local and
national level.
A firefighter views a wall of smoke from a raging blaze outside Jerusalem on November 25.
for diaspora Jewry.

It is dangerous for Israel because if the
most dedicated diaspora Jews of all stripes
are offended by the ongoing vituperations of
some Israeli Orthodox leaders and the bad
behavior of those who feel that these leaders give them a license to violently attack
their fellows Jews, their support of the state
will decrease. That has real security implications. And if Israelis care about anything,
they care about security. Until Israelis see the
connection between security and respectful
disagreement about what constitutes a serious and committed Jewish life, we imperil the
Third Commonwealth of the Jewish People,
which still depends on American arms and
the American Jewish Israel advocacy that
acquires them.
It is also dangerous for American Jews,
who should be very concerned about a vulnerable Israel. This is not about altruistic loyalty of one Jew to the rest of the tribe. This
is about self-concern. As much as the American piece of me and that of most of my fellow
YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90
American Jewish brothers and sisters wants

to believe that it cant happen here, Jewish
diaspora history says otherwise.
If we merit it, we will ascend to live in the
amazing State of Israel of our own free will, as
a means to fulfill our best and most hopeful
Jewish dreams. But we may not merit going
to live in Israel as a matter of choice. After
all, Israel does not exist only for its deep and
moving Hebrew literature, music, and art, or
its incredible technological inventiveness, or
SEE HEAT PAGE 30
Letters
Never Sanders!
While I disagree with a number of the positions of Donald

Trump, the election of Bernie Sanders would have been a
disaster for those concerned about the security of the State
of Israel (Could Bernie Sanders have beaten Donald Trump?
November 11). Certainly Hillary Clinton was my preferred
Democratic candidate. As a declared socialist, Bernie Sanders has many times sided with the Palestinian Authority in
every aspect. While his followers discussed mainly domestic
policy, it was understood that they not only wanted Israel to
make major concessions but also to cease to exist.
While Bernie Sanders has Jewish origins, he belonged to a
clique that was virulently against Israel and had tried to write
words expressing this view into the Democratic platform. Having said this, I think that Sanders as the Democratic candidate
would have defeated Donald Trump by swinging the states
where the Republican margin was small into the Democratic
party. For Israels security, I am glad that this did not happen.
Nelson Marans, Manhattan
Gibsons still no good
Jews for the most part are amongst the most educated and
charitable people in the world. But when it comes to standing up for ourselves, we too often are quiet lest we antagonize
another individual or group.
Thats the case with actor Mel Gibson.
Every Jew should make it a point to boycott his current
film, Hacksaw Ridge, and any other project in which he is
involved as an actor, producer, or investor. Gibson is not only
a virulent anti-Semite, he is a nasty one, and there is no reason
why any Jew would contribute to his bank account.
As noted in this newspaper recently, when he found out
that actress Wynona Ryder was of Jewish parentage, he called
her an oven dodger (Noshes, November 11).
How sick can you get? Every time Gibson seems to mellow, his Nazi attitude comes to the fore. But why should we
be surprised? He was brought up by a mother and father who
believe Jews should be eliminated from the face of the earth.
His father, Hutton Gibson, is a Holocaust denier. When the
younger Gibson was asked by a reporter if he believed his
father about the Holocaust being a hoax, the actor responded:
My father would never lie to me.
His mother contended that there never were six million
Jews in Europe, so how could that many have possibly been
murdered in the so-called Holocaust?
When he was pulled over in California while driving DUI,
Gibson asked the cop if he was a Jew. It just so happened that
the police officer was. This was the first time that Gibsons Jewhatred became public knowledge. But it was only the first in a
string of such incidents.
Heat
FROM PAGE 29
its ability at its best to move the Jewish spirit.

As the Yiddish phrase goes, di untershte
shureh the bottom line is that Israel is the
place where Jews who are harassed simply
for being Jews can find a place to call home.
And none of us knows what the future will
bring, and whether we will need Israel as our
place of refuge.
How, therefore, do we curb the religious
incitement that is undermining the sense that
we are one people with a shared destiny, and
that is threatening Israel in ways that mostly
are going unnoticed?
The Talmuds view of history sees factional
hatred as the cause for the destruction of the
No fair-minded person, especially a Jew, should attend any

of his projects. Yes, theater and movies are an art form, and
as such are given considerable leeway. But the lines blur when
Serranos Piss Christ (a crucifix immersed in a jar of urine) and
Ofilis Dung Madonna (a painting of the Madonna covered in
elephant dung) are passed as art. Art can offend, and often it
does. But there should be some redeeming value to it. These
did not have any.
Mel Gibsons thoughts and ideas have no redeeming value.
Gibson appears to be as anti-Semitic when he is sober as he is
when he is drunk. Theres no reason any Jew should be contributing to his bar bill.
Bob Nesoff, New Milford
Remembering Benzion Shenker
I am most saddened to note the death of Benzion Shenker. He

epitomized true Jewish soul music he touched the souls of
all who heard him through his numerous recordings or who
had the pleasure of hearing him in person. He was modest,
gentle, and unassuming. He evoked joy and brought joy to
his listeners.
When I started my hobby of presenting Jewish soul music in
1977, Benzion was part of what I referred to as The Big Four
Shenker, Carlebach, MBD, and Fried. Aside from my love of
chazzanut, the four touched my soul, each in his unique way.
For those who have listened to my programs for almost 40
years, they certainly can testify to the admiration I felt toward
Benzion, and the pride I had in being his friend.
In 1994, 22 years ago, I had the honor of doing a two-hour
interview with Benzion. That program now is available on my
website: www.charliebernhaut.com. Simply log on, go to the
archive, and check out Show #370, from November 28, 2016.
The third hour presents interviews from this past weekend
with Chaim Boruch Shenker, Benzions brother, and Velvel
Pasternak, noted expert of Jewish music. Also included is
the complete recording of Benzions first album from 1956,
Modzitzer Malave Malka. To hear my second two-hour interview with Benzion, from five years ago, scroll down on the
archive to Show #125, from November 7, 2011.
We are all blessed to having been touched by this extraordinary talent. Benzion will be sorely missed. No doubt that his
music will be appreciated for generations.
Charlie Bernhaut
Manhattan
Pessimism on miracles
It is difficult, in this world of despair, disaster, and downheartedness to believe in miracles, to believe in the intervention of a God in mysterious ways. We are meant to be
Second Jewish Commonwealth and the Temple that symbolized it. It is simply too dangerous, even deadly, for world Jewry, in the
land of Israel and beyond, to allow factional
hatred to accomplish this a second time.
In the face of palpable factional discord
that threatens to sunder the ties between the
various sectors of Israeli Jewry and between
Israeli Jewry and the Jews of the diaspora,
it seems to me that Israel advocacy organizations have advocated too little in this
area. Israel advocacy should not be based
on unquestioning support of Israeli government policies, good or bad, that are more
often the result of coalition horse-trading
than realpolitik. Rather, it should be based
on a deep understanding of the interconnection between Israel and diaspora Jewry, and
brought from darkness to light through this holiday of Chanukah with the lighting of candles. Anything miraculous,
in truth, must come from us; our hearts, our souls, with
reasoning and intellect. The nations and their people are
in constant despair over money or lack thereof. Enormous
greed of some and enormous losses of others. The world has
still not gotten past 9/11 and the destruction of a monstrous
structure and the loss of thousands of lives so brutally and
unexpectedly. The shooting at Columbine, and at so many
other institutions, showed us a world where even children
are sick enough to commit senseless mass murders.
Then there is the abuse of children bullying, pedophilia.
The aftermath of Katrina, Sandy, and the rebuilding of entire
cities and the relocation of countless individuals were disasters that truly needed a miracle to fix. None of these terrible
events brought forth miracles. They only illustrated a world
in need of manmade solutions. Israel is in danger from annihilation constantly. New now, fires. Arson. Whatever it does,
it leaves Israel at risk of distortion of fact or reprimand. All
we want is the existence of land which has always been that
of the Jews.
We must be the miracles, in our caring for others, in our
sharing of wealth, be it food or medicine or homes or love,
in our willingness to reach out and give. God is not going to
create any miracles to save our children in Israel from terror
attacks. It is we who need to think about why there is this constant warfare and how to stop it. It is Jews worldwide who
have to stand up and not cower in the face of such cruelty.
Useless wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, uprisings in all the Arab
nations, arson in Israel, nuclear threats on top of us. Lives lost,
every single day, for no reason. There are chemical weapons
waiting to be set off. There is unlimited unquenched hatred
for women; sheer brutality against women. A president-elect
who is also a misogynist. No miracles to come
The list goes on and on. It seems that we live in a world of
devastation and brutality. It is not a new world, either; we are
but 70 years past the Shoah, the Holocaust. Miracles? It is difficult to see what miracles can change. It is our belief in hope,
in light over darkness, in mans ability to live with much less
and be happier with less. The miracles will only come from
within individuals, one by one, day by day.
We can light the candles on our menorahs and sing songs
of freedom and the past. Our future is dark, despite what we
do, for man has been reduced to a creation of greed and need
and disregard for the world at large, and individuals who may
be their neighbors. It has been reduced to a world of weaponhappy men, bent on destruction, who create wars and terror
attacks on the unarmed. We have been reduced to animals.
There will be no miracles. There can be no miracles.
Sandra Steuer Cohen, Teaneck
how the dynamic between them can provide

more light and less heat, and prevent destructive blazes that leave only cold ashes in their
wake. Israel advocacy should be done with
members of the Senate, but also with the
leaders of government in the State of Israel.
Unseemly rhetoric about fellow Jews needs to
be sanctioned when it comes from political
leaders, and the sanctions have to have teeth.
Therefore, for all our sakes, I would beg
the various PACs whose work is so important
to Israels safety to point out in a vigorous way
to Israeli leadership the nexus between intracommunal religious respect and Israels security. I firmly believe that failure to do so will
not help these advocacy groups hold onto
their non-Orthodox supporters, whose sense
of alienation from Israel is growing.
The loss of those Jews good will inevitably

will impact negatively on these PACs ability
to achieve their goal of keeping Israel sufficiently at peace to allow it to continue to be
the vibrant and creative place it is. And Israeli
movers and shakers must come to realize this.
Now more than ever we need fire fighters.
Who will man the engines?
Professor Michael Chernick of Teaneck
holds the Deutsch Family Chair in Jewish
Jurisprudence and Social Justice at the Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
in New York; his area of expertise is the
Talmud. He received his doctorate from the
Bernard Revel Graduate School and rabbinic
ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
Theological Seminary.
Opinion
Turkeys Erdoan: the insult and the fury
urkish President
Recep Tayyip
Erdoan was at his
repellent best when
Israeli television journalist
Ilana Dayan interviewed him
this week.
Although the interview was
pegged to the restoration of
Ben Cohen
Turkish-Israeli bilateral ties this
past summer, Erdoan used the
occasion to spit out his usual
invective against Israel and Jews more generally. Many of
Erdoans favorite topics the supposed symbiosis between
Nazi Germany and the Jewish state, Israels insulting intransigence in the face of his personal attempts to negotiate a
solution to the Palestinian question, Israels alleged desire
to change the religious status of Jerusalems Temple Mount
(known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif ) arose in the conversation, and he addressed them in the fanatical, embittered tone that has come to symbolize his ascendance as a
Turkish dictator.
Like the former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Erdoan has developed a reputation for offensive
quotes that at the same time shore up his aloofness from and
contempt for the morals and values of the West. And as with
Ahmadinejad, the Nazi Holocaust and its six million Jewish
victims provide an ideal tool in this regard.
In the summer of 2014, when Israel went to war in Gaza
to bring an end to the barrages of missiles and rockets that
Hamas terrorists fired over the border, Erdoan declared
that the actions of the Israel Defense Forces constituted barbarism that surpasses Hitler. Ponder that for a moment: the
president of a European Union candidate country and NATO
member state sounding off like some anonymous lunatic on
Twitter by leveling the ugliest insult imaginable against the
state of Israel and the Jewish people.
That wasnt the first time that Erdoan gave voice to his
deep-seated anti-Semitism. In 2009, appearing on a panel in
Davos with the late Israeli President Shimon Peres, Erdoan
stormed off the stage, screaming insults as he exited the
room. When it comes to killing, you know well how to
kill, he told Peres. Even more bizarrely, Erdoan cited
Gilad Atzmon, a leading U.K.-based anti-Semite, saying that
Israeli barbarism is far beyond even ordinary cruelty.
The Ilana Dayan interview, perhaps, was regarded as
an opportunity for Erdoan to make amends to both
Israel and the Jewish people. But when asked about
his notorious 2014 statement, Erdoan simply reasserted the moral equivalency between Nazi Germany
and Israel. I dont approve of what Hitler did, and neither do I approve of what Israel has done, he growled.
When its a question of so many people dying, its inappropriate to ask who was the more barbarous.
Yet again, this profoundly anti-Semitic insult, which
places the Jewish state in the same soiled universe as the
Nazis, has been spread around the public domain by one
of the worlds most well-known heads of state. As tempting
as it is to conclude that while political rhetoric is one thing,
political action is another an impression increasingly conveyed in the aftermath of the U.S. presidential election in
Erdoans case, such a distinction really isnt possible.
Thats because Erdoan really is a dictator. In the months
that have passed since Turkeys failed and rather murky
coup attempt against Erdoan in July, more than 40,000
people have been arrested or detained, including many journalists and opposition politicians. The civil service and the
higher education sector have been purged, and hundreds of
independent NGOs, such as the Association of Lawyers for
Turkeys president, Recep Tayyip Erdog

an, addresses the United Nations General Assembly in
September 2009.
UN PHOTO/MARCO CASTRO
In the months that have

passed since Turkeys
failed and rather murky
coup attempt against
Erdog
an in July, more
than 40,000 people
have been arrested or
detained.
Freedom, have been temporarily shut down. The strategy
here was captured well by Thor Halvorssen, the president of
the Human Rights Foundation.
Erdoan has transformed Turkey from a democratic
country to an authoritarian regime, Halvorssen said.
He has done this by abusing the state of emergency
powers he claimed after an attempted coup that, by the
hour, looks more like a very convenient justification for
the total dictatorial takeover of Turkey by his nationalist
political party.
Sure enough, Erdoan now has laid out his plan to execute those ambitions. The president now is preparing a bill
for a referendum on Turkeys constitution. A yes vote in
that referendum would mean the abolition of the prime
ministers office and the transformation of Erdoan into an
executive president, empowered to stay in office until 2029.
The internal crackdown in Turkey is mirrored in
Erdoans aggressive strategy for Turkeys near
abroad. As Burak Bekdil of the Gatestone Institute
think tank recently pointed out, Erdoan is complaining aloud that Turkey lost the borders of the Ottoman
Empire under duress in the years following World War I
during which the Ottoman rulers systematically exterminated more than 1.5 million Armenians. Turkeys
imposed borders, Erdoan says, are the greatest injustice ... done to the country and the nation.
At the same time, Turkey is pushing deeper into Syrian
territory, using the offensive against Islamic State as a cover
to defeat the Syrian Kurds, who have proved themselves to
be the most reliable and courageous allies in the fight against
Islamic State barbarism. Now the United States and its allies
are holding off support for Turkeys push on the town of AlBab, uncertain about exactly what Erdoans intentions are.
That is why clarifying Americas policy on Turkey is such
an urgent task for the incoming American administration.
Erdoan has praised President-elect Donald Trump, projecting ever so slightly when he told Ilana Dayan, A country
without a strong leader will go down. But that embrace has
the potential to be poisonous. We can only hope that Trump
understands that a Turkish dictatorship closely aligned with
Russia Erdoan has been talking about spurning Turkeys
EU membership bid in favor of the Moscow-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organization is neither in Americas interest nor in the interest of regional U.S. allies, among them
Israel and the Kurds.
That needs to start from the realization, as Ilana Dayan
amply demonstrated during her interview, that Erdoan is
JNS.ORG
not going to change.
Ben Cohen, senior editor of TheTower.org and the Tower
magazine, writes a weekly column on Jewish affairs and
Middle Eastern politics. His work has been published in
Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz, the Wall Street
Journal, and many other publications.
Cover Story
Jews in America
The New-York Historical
Society looks at the first
Jewish Americans
A map of Suriname from 1718 matter-of-factly includes synagogues among other local landmarks.
This siddur was printed in New York in 1776 and used in

Shearith Israel there.
JOANNE PALMER
ou know that feeling that there are
Jews just about everywhere? Not
many in any one place, necessarily,
but at least a few of them just about
always. Well, its true.
Among those places was the Caribbean, in the seventeenth century, as
well as in North America just a bit
later, as The First Jewish Americans: Freedom and Culture in the New World, an exhibit at the New-York Historical Society in Manhattan, shows. That is, of course, well
before the birth of the American Republic.
Of course, Jews were there in the Caribbean, in Mexico, in New York and Philadelphia and Charleston and
Newport because Jews always were running; these communities were established by European exiles, driven out
of their homes by bigotry in general, and by the Spanish
Inquisition in horrifying particular.
Its not surprising, as one of the exhibits curators, Debra
Schmidt Bach, points out, that the names of the congregations those immigrant Jews established had emotional,
forward-thinking names the Hope, the Remnant, or the
Salvation of Israel, to name just a few. (Thats Mickve Israel
in Savannah, established in 1735; Shearith Israel The
Spanish Portuguese Synagogue in Manhattan, established
in 1654, and Jeshuat Israel, better known as the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, R.I., established in the 1670s.)
Jews also seem always to be involved in social issues,
and sometimes theyre on the wrong side. That was true
about slavery; as the exhibit shows, the Jewish community
Jacob Franks and Abigail Levy Franks of New York; husband and wife were painted by Gerardus Duyckinck.
was not entirely free from the taint of this countrys original sin. They were genuine Americans, then as now.
The exhibit opens with a visually not particularly compelling but historically heart-stopping document, the
memoir by Luis de Carvajal the Younger. De Carvajal
At left, clockwise from top left, a page from the 1595 memoir of Luis de Carvajal the Younger, who was
burned at the Inquisition stake, and rimonim, finished in 1776, from Shearith Israel in Manhattan. Both are
superimposed on Camille Pissarros 1856 work, Two Women Chatting by the Sea. The painter was born to
Jewish parents in St. Thomas.
was a converso, a Jew who had to become Catholic, a

Spaniard who became a Mexican, all to escape the reach
of the Inquisition. De Carvajal the Elder, his uncle, was
a governor of territory in Mexico; the younger, after torture, named names to the Inquisition but was burned at
the stake anyway. He was 30 when he was brutally murdered, in 1596.
The memoir had vanished, mysteriously, from the Mexican governments archives, and reappeared, again mysteriously, for sale, many years later. It was bought by the
Cover Story
This 1831 portrait is of pioneering philanthropist Rebecca Gratz, the model for Rebecca in Ivanhoe.
A map of Charleston includes its synagogue, Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim.
This locket includes a photo of the New Orleansborn composer and pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk.
American Jewish collector Leonard Milberg, who returned

it to the Mexican government. Mexico loaned the NewYork Historical Society this object, but much of the display
comes from the collections of Mr. Milberg and his family.
Meanwhile, there this book is, a physical remnant of a
terrible time. Somehow it has survived.
And artifacts from the Caribbean show how well Jews
were integrated into society there. A map of Suriname
from 1718 shows local landmarks, including synagogues.
There is an 18th-century document that includes a religious
service for circumcising slaves, although, Dr. Bach said, no
one is exactly sure what that meant for the slaves who were
so marked. Did they become Jews? Or did they remain the
property of Jews? And speaking of circumcision, there also
is a list of mohalim in Europe and the Caribbean.
The exhibit also includes two paintings by Camille Pissarro, who was born to Jewish parents on St. Thomas in
1830.
Next, the exhibit moves to the heart of the New World,
the settlements that perched at the Atlantic shore. Jews
Above left, this early Reform siddur is from Charleston; its first printing was in 1825. At right, Isaac Cardozos
talk on the Southern Reform movements third anniversary, in 1827.
came to New York early; its governor, Peter Stuyvesant,

notoriously did not want them, and kept them waiting as
he importuned his employers, the Dutch West India Company, to reject them. But the company cared far more for
business, and for the Jews well-know ability to conduct it
well, then for their peg-legged governors intolerance, so
they were allowed to stay.
Those Jews established Shearith Israel way downtown in
Manhattan, where everyone lived, very early; it still thrives

today, uptown, on Central Park West, and it has spun off
Ashkenazi communities that also continue to flourish.
The exhibit includes many artifacts from Shearith
Israel, including silver-and-brass rimmonim a pair of
belled crowns that go on top of the wooden poles that
hold a Torah scroll. Theyre beautiful, intricately made
objects, created by silversmith Myer Myers, who belonged
Cover Story
to Shearith Israel. It also includes a Torah
scroll defaced and burned by British soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
There also are six paintings of members
and branches of the communitys most
prominent families, the Franks. Painted
by Gerardus Duyckinck and dating from
the 1690s into the middle of the 18th century, the paintings show the family as aristocrats; Jacob Franks, the paterfamilias,
one of the founders of Shearith Israel,
looks full-on Whig. (Yes, hes wearing one.
A very full one.)
The exhibit includes a prayer book from
1776 Prayers for Shabbath, Rosh-Hashanah, and Kippur, according to the Order of
the Spanish and Portuguese Jews and
an English and Hebrew grammar book
from 1771.
And there also is the upsetting, straightforward account book documenting Martin
Lopezs purchase of property five slaves.
Elsewhere, another New York Jew, Jacob
Levy Jr., is said to have freed four of his.
The Jewish community, like the rest
of New York, was divided in its loyalties
as the revolutionary war grew unavoidably closer. Some supported the new
Americans Haym Salomon, a Polishborn Sephardic Jew who moved to New
York, provided the revolution with vitally
important funding. But others stayed loyal
to Britain. The New-York Historical Society displays a faded document, signed by
Abraham Gomez, Moses Gomez Jr., Uriah
Hendricks, and other Jews, as well as
non-Jews, pledging their loyalty to British
Admiral Richard Howe and his brother,
General William Howe.
Philadelphia also attracted many Jews;
some went there before the revolution
but others fled there during or even after.
It provided them with a haven from the
more British-leaning New York community. The exhibit includes the Resolution
of Non-Importation made by Citizens of
Philadelphia in 1776, signed by some of
the citys Jews. It also includes paintings
of the Gratz family; the merchant Barnard
Gratz signed the resolution and provided
supplies to American fighters. There is
also a lovely portrait of his niece, Rebecca
Gratz. In real life, she set up the Female
Hebrew Benevolent Society; in fiction, she
was Sir Walter Scotts model for Rebecca,
Ivanhoes true love, the Jewish girl he does
not marry. (Rowena was the sappy heroine who gets him in the end.) Like Scotts
Rebecca, Rebecca Gratz never married.
Charleston had more Jews than any
other American city in the 19th century.
The Reform movement in the United States
began there, when the leaders of Congregation K.K. Beth Elohim refused a request
to include English in services. The disgruntled congregants left and established their
own organization, the Reformed Society of
Israelites for Promoting True Principles of
Judaism According to Its Purity and Spirit.
The exhibit includes a painting of the elegant Orthodox shul, along with a copy of
the Reformed Societys prayer book.
The exhibit does not look at the Civil
War; thats one period of American Jewish history thats been well covered elsewhere, Dr. Bach said. But it does include
information about other American Jews,
including figures as diverse as the War of
1812 hero Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy
and the New Orleans-born composer and
pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk, whose
father was Jewish. There is also some
information about Lorenzo Da Ponte,
who was born in Italy but moved to New
York, where he spent the rest of his life.
Who knew that Mozarts librettist was Jewish? But actually he wasnt, so its okay not
to have known. Da Ponte was born a Jew
but converted to Roman Catholicism and
ended his days as a priest.
The exhibit goes on to discuss Jews
as artists, scientists, doctors, lawyers;
finding themselves in a society that on
the whole accepted them, and certainly
accepted them more openly and thoroughly than any other place at any other
time, they breathed deeply, thought
freely, acted authentically, evolved naturally, and flourished.
The exhibit ends with a quick look at the
places that were home to large numbers
of Jews by the end of the 19th century
Cincinnati, San Francisco, Los Angeles.
Jews, in other words, moved west along
with everyone else. And thats pretty much
the message of this exhibit. In the United
States, Jews were able to retain their Jewishness, allow it to change in response to
changed conditions, and still be part of the
larger world.
Thats always been part of the promise
of America. Let us hope it always will be.
A view of the interior of Charlestons Orthodox shul painted by Solomon Carualho in 1836.
What: The New-York Historical Society presents The First Jewish Americans:
Freedom and Culture in the New World.
Where: 170 Central Park West, at the corner of 77th Street, in Manhattan
When: Now through February 26
What else: On Monday, January 23, at 3 p.m., co-curator Debra Schmidt Bach will
lead a gallery tour.
On Monday, January 30, at 6:30 p.m., the New-York Historical Societys president
and CEO, Louise Mirrer, will moderate a discussion between Dale Rosengarten,
founding curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection and director of the Center for
Southern Jewish Culture at the College of Charleston, and Rabbi Meir Y. Soloveichik of
Congregation Shearith Israel the Spanish Portuguese Synagogue.
On Wednesday, February 15, at 6:30 p.m., the emeritus director of the ADL, Abraham
Foxman, and writer Thane Rosenbaum will discuss Jewish-American history.
For more information: Go to www.nyhistory.org or call (212) 873-3400.
A page from the English Hebrew primer for Charleston congregants.

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As the weather turns colder, New Jerseyites are eating ... fruit-filled ice pops?
This phenomenon is currently taking
place at Cedar Market, a growing supermarket in the heart of Teaneck, as customers flock from all over North Jersey
in hopes of scooping up the wildly popular ices known as UrbanPops.
We recently purchased a new and
bigger display to house these delicious desserts, said Cedar Markets
Danny Fried. Because of that, we can
now offer an even wider variety of
UrbanPops.
While some flavors are super popular with customers, the selection
is constantly changing, giving fans

added variety each time they open that
freezer door at Cedar Market, UrbanPops exclusive North Jersey retailer.
As for why folks are gobbling down
ices in December, you may just have to
try one yourself. Youre welcome.
Cedar Market,
646 Cedar Lane, Teaneck, NJ
(201) 855-8500 or thecedarmarket.com
Teaneck restaurant
adds burger choices
Salsa Metsuyan a glatt kosher restaurant under RCBC rabbinical supervision in Teaneck, continues to add to
its extensive menu. A line of buildyour-own burgers on brioche buns is
its newest offering.
The restaurant also serves burritos,
taco bowls, Mexacali seared chicken,
miso barbecue chicken, and vegetarian options. A great selection of appetizers includes homemade guacamole,
kimchi hot dogs, and nachos supreme.
Wash it all down with homemade lemonade, varieties of green and Mexican
tea, or even Mexican Coke. Finish
the meal off with another new menu
option, a churro.
Theres also an extensive catering
menu.
Save this recipe

for potato latkes!
BETH JANOFF CHANANIE
Delivery is available within an 8-mile

radius from Teaneck to towns including
Englewood, Tenafly, and Paramus.
Salsa Metsuyan
192 W. Englewood Ave., Teaneck, NJ
(201) 837-8888 or www.metsuyan.com
potatoes. Scrub and clean them well, but

dont peel them. They come out crispier. I
also still prefer to hand grate the potatoes
on the long side but others use a food processor to speed up the process.
POTATO PANCAKES
4 large potatoes
1 onion, chopped well
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon each, baking soda, salt, and
pepper
Vegetable (or canola) oil for frying
Everyone will be searching for that perfect,

easy latke recipe in just three short weeks
yes, thats all the time remaining until Chanukah, which begins on Saturday, December 24 the 25th of Kislev at sundown.
This is just that recipe. Its easy and delicious and can easily be doubled or tripled.
If you want to make them in advance, I suggest cooking them thoroughly. Store them
in a container; they should be upright, not
flat. A few other hints use Yukon Gold
Grate the potatoes and set aside. After

about 10 minutes, drain the water from
the potatoes but keep the starch that
has formed on the bottom. Mix that
starch back into the potatoes. Add rest
of the ingredients. Drop the mix by
tablespoons into hot oil in frying pan.
Let the first side cook well and then
turn and cook on the other side.
Drain well on sheets of paper towels.
Season to taste.
Keeping Kosher
Manischewitz unveils new family Chanukah kits
With the holiday spirit of family and togetherness in mind,
Manischewitz has introduced three interactive do-it-yourself Chanukah dessert-making kits. One lets you make
donuts, one helps you create a Chanukah House, and one
includes Chanukah cookies with decorating icing.
As part of the celebration of the eight days of Chanukah, and the oil that allowed the menorah in the Temple
to burn for eight days, we eat foods fried in oil.
While many people are aware of the tradition of eating potato pancakes or latkes, another popular tradition
also includes celebrating the holiday with sufganiot or
donuts, says Sara Stromer, assistant brand manager for
Manischewitz. Holidays are a time for family and creating traditions that are passed down through the generations. Our Chanukah products were created so todays
busy families can continue to share holiday memories,
and while weve eliminated some time-consuming steps
from the process, we made sure to leave in all the fun!
As always, Manischewitz Chanukah products are prepared using the highest quality ingredients and in strict
adherence to kosher food laws.
and white Chanukah-themed sprinkles, and a packet of

powdered sugar. Bakers follow the step-by-step instructions on the back of the box to create the sweet, nut-free,
pareve treats.
Chanukah House decorating kit

Cookie houses are a seasonal classic, and the Manischewitz Chanukah House Vanilla Cookie Decorating Kit
is sure to become a family tradition in many households. The delicious hands-on project combines crafting and snacking in a single activity and brings kids and
grown-ups together as they build memories. The kit
includes vanilla cookies for creating the walls and roof
(saving the most time-consuming step), four icing colors (white, dark blue, light blue, and yellow), sprinkles,
edible mini-beads, menorah and mezuzah sugar decorations, and sanding sugar, plus a Kwik Build edible
set-up board. Box instructions are printed to illustrate
how easy it is. All ingredients are lactose-free, nut-free,
and pareve.
Donut mix kit
Chanukah cookies
with decorating icing
Continuing the tradition of eating sufganiot during the

holiday, Manischewitz Chanukah Donut Mix allows
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Dear Rabbi Zahavy
Your talmudic advice column

Dear Rabbi Zahavy,
My friends son got married recently to
another man. I never knew that her son
was gay. I was surprised when I heard
about this from a mutual friend. When I
met my friend shortly after learning about
the wedding, I congratulated her, and
then, after a bit of hesitation, I wished her
a mazal tov.
A bit later I wondered if I did the right
thing. What do you think?
Circumspect Congratulator
in Old Tappan
Dear Congratulator,
Yes, you acted properly in extending your
best wishes. I dont think you are asking
me if you were right to hesitate at first. If
that would be your question, my answer
would be that today by American values,
there is no basis for hesitation. Gay marriage is sanctioned and legal and it is celebrated by the couple with their family
and friends.
That said, on the other hand, in many
Orthodox Jewish circles gay relations of
any sort are not acceptable. If that is the
source of your hesitation, I understand it,
though I do not applaud it.
Based on the less-than-enthusiastic
acceptance of gay marriage in traditional
Jewish life, Im guessing you wonder if a
traditional Jewish formula of congratulations was in order. Lets be clear. Mazal
tov means good luck, or more specifically,
good sign since the word mazal originally denoted an astrological sign.
Some rabbis in antiquity spoke against
the belief that luck or astrology had any
relevance to believing Jews. Israel has
no sign, is one talmudic axiom. This is
based on the notion that all individual
and national fortune comes from God,
not from the alignments of the stars and
constellations. In this strict way of thinking, astrology, or mazal, verges on idolatry.
Wishing someone mazal tov would not be
proper in that case.
Yet we know from archaeology that

astrology was countenanced in early rabbinic times. The great mosaic floor discovered in 1929 in the ancient synagogue at
Bet Alpha in northern Israel, in the Jezreel
Valley, near Bet Shean, depicts a zodiac
wheel at its center, with vibrant illustrations of each sign, each mazal. Such depictions are found in many other synagogue
structures of the early sixth century C.E.
in Israel.
This shows us that astrological symbols and their accompanying beliefs were
accepted at the places of Jewish worship
in the classical rabbinic era. True, some
scholars downplay the illustrations by saying they were merely calendrical or decorative, and Jews did not embrace astrology.
But such dismissals seem unconvincing to
most historians of Judaism.
In all, I understand your question about
the appropriate use of mazal tov. And I
guess those qualms were more rooted in
your reticence about showing enthusiasm for gay marriage than in your caution
about whether a Jew should accept astrology or luck as a factor in life.
I conclude that you did quite right
to wish a mazal tov to the young mans
mother upon this event, with one small
additional caveat. It seems to me that it is a
very Jewish thing to assume that a mother
gets congratulated on her sons wedding.
In other cultural settings, the proper
expression of good will might very well be
to direct the congratulations to the principal recipients, Please wish your son and
his partner mazal tov on their wedding.
Just keep that thought in mind for the next
time around.
Dear Rabbi Zahavy,
I was awarded a prestigious prize for my
lifetime accomplishments in my field. At
first I thought Id ignore the whole thing.
You see, I value my time and my privacy.
Then I agreed to accept the award. Then
I decided that Im not going to the award
The Dear Rabbi Zahavy column offers mindful advice based on Talmudic
wisdom. It aspires to be equally open and meaningful to all the varieties and
denominations of Judaism. You can find it here on the first Friday of the
month. Please mail your questions to the Jewish Standard or email them to
zahavy@gmail.com
Sign up
for the Jewish Standard
daily newsletter!
despondency, to the timeless wisdom in the book

of Kohelet.
I open the text at random and begin to read a
few verses. Immediately I
feel reassured that there is
Dear Hesitant,
nothing new under the sun.
Yes, by the standards of polite
Life has always been a hopeRabbi Tzvee
less striving after wind, an
society you are erring. When
Zahavy
endless battle with vanity
an honor is offered to you or
and emptiness.
bestowed upon you, it is gracious and proper for you to
My favorite verse in Tanach, Kohelet 1:15, tells us: That which is
accept it, unless truly extenuating circumstances prevent you from doing so.
crooked cannot be made straight, and that
That applies in all instances of public
which is wanting cannot be numbered. I
honors, great and small. If you go to synfind it useful to me that this basic realism
agogue and are offered an aliyah to the
pre-empts my temptation to seek after
Torah, you should accept that, even if you
unfounded progressive idealism.
do not seek or covet that token appreciaNow please understand that my consultion of you within your small community.
tation with this biblical wisdom does not
In the case of a prominent Jew, which it
leave me feeling nihilistic. Quite the opposite. I feel like I am in the company of King
seems that you are, it is a Kiddush Hashem,
Solomon and with many generations of
a glorification of God, to represent your
frustrated seekers who somehow came to
people in the larger world community and
terms with the bleak realities of their cirto graciously receive the recognition.
cumstances and soldiered on to the next
Having dealt with many high achievers
day, the next battle, the next setback, in
in a variety of academic fields, I understand that along with the essential powthe struggle for what they deem to be the
erful gifts of their creativity, there often
good of humankind.
come prominent strong attributes of quirkNow, you need to accept that in the
iness and eccentricity.
world we live in there are good people
I get it. To make radically new knowland evil people. Perhaps the ratio is not
edge or to create original art, a person
what we want it to be. Wed like more good
needs to be convinced that the shackles
people and fewer evil ones. Wed like the
that bind society do not apply so much to
good people to run the show. Often that is
him or to her.
not the case.
Can you, such a person, suspend that
You have to labor hard every day to go
core belief for long enough to accept courout and make it so. And to do that, you
teously the accolades that you so rightly
have to learn to identify and ignore the
earned? I hope that you can. Yes, I believe
vanity. That is what Kohelet tells us.
it would be a mistake for you not to do
In our day and age vanity is expressed in
that. And finally, I extend to you a mazal
the constant swirling distractions of awful
tov for receiving the award.
political rhetoric. Acknowledge that now,
and get back to work.
Dear Rabbi Zahavy,
Tzvee Zahavy received his Ph.D. from
I am despondent over the outcome of the
Brown University and his rabbinic
recent presidential election. What solace can I find in the Jewish tradition for
ordination from Yeshiva University. He is
such malaise?
the author of many books about Judaism,
Melancholy in Manalapan
including The Book of Jewish Prayers in
English, Gods Favorite Prayers and
Dear Melancholy,
Talmudic Advice from Dear Rabbi
Often, I turn to the most comforting place
which includes his past columns from the
in Tanach for consolation when I face
Jewish Standard and other essays.
ceremony event to pick it up.

Now, I know that not many
Jews have received this recognition. By not attending, will I
be making a mistake?
Hesitant in Hibbing
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J E R S E Y
R O C K L A N D
Dvar Torah
Toldot: Painting with more than one color
ould we imagine life with only

one color? How about with
only three colors? Black, white,
and perhaps a few shades of
gray? Television began that way but today
we have thousands of colors on all the
screens we utilize personal computing,
iPads, and high definition televisions
which allow us to see the world in vivid
Technicolor, countless shades and tints
of every hue.
Even with such advances in colors, we
still too often seem to paint people in
monochrome. This has traditionally been
the case when it comes to Jacob and Esau,
the twin sons born to Rebecca and Isaac
that we are introduced to in this weeks
parsha of Toldot.
In what was and will continue to be a
theme in the Torah when two children
are born, the second child seems to be
favored. Esau and Jacob are born just minutes apart. Jacob exits the birth canal while
clasping the heel of his big brother, thereby
earning his name. (Yaakov means heel
or in modern Hebrew a form of in ones
footsteps). Whenever one child is played
against another in the Bible, we seem to
tilt the scales in favor of one, seeing them
other soft and smooth. One

in one color: white, the good
is a lover and the other
and positive color. The second child is black with fewer
the fighter. Rebecca favors
redeeming qualities. Cain
Jacob while Isaac has an
and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac,
affinity towards Esau. We
Menashe and Ephraim are
will learn that Jacob takes
just a few examples that fit
advantage of Esaus vulnerability. Jacob further colneatly into this model.
ludes with his mother to
I do not want to focus on
Rabbi David
trick his aging father at the
this page as to why they are
Seth Kirshner
time of the birthright blessfavored. Although I once read
Temple Emanu-El,
ing. Still, with all of this
an article that suggested that
Closter,
behavior, Jacob is the child
parents with multiple chilConservative
dren actually choose favorto whom deference is given
ites. Do you? Most people I
in our traditions. We continue to follow his journey. He wrestles
know would never admit that they have
with God. He is the inheritor of the cova favored child. Well, at least not publicly.
enant made with his grandfather, AbraBut in private would they?
ham, which we are reminded of daily as
I have two kids. I do not have a favorite but I do realize that they have differwe invoke his name in the recitation of
ent characteristics, traits, and beliefs that
our prayers. But where is Esau? He cannot be found in our liturgy, we do not
make them special and unique. Based on
track his journeys in the Bible unless it
my day, what is happening in my life and
intersects with Jacob. Esau seems to draw
my needs, I find that I can gravitate to
a bad rap, and I would add unnecessarily.
one over another. But rarely is it the same
The Midrash teaches us that Esau was
child, as they both bring color to my life
an exemplary son that regularly doted
and the world.
In our tradition, Esau and Jacob are
on his father. Isaac had a sight deficiency.
opposites. One burly and rough, the
He could not see well, as evidenced in the
episode of trickery. Still, the rabbis tell us

that Esau would hunt for all of his fathers
favorite foods. One Midrash even suggests
that when Esau came back parched and
starving and Isaac leveraged his hunger
into the undeserved birthright, Esau was
out in the fields preparing a feast for his
ailing father.
Other children in the Bible seem to suffer a bad rap too while their siblings are
heralded as saviors and leaders. Perhaps
it is because we are used to seeing biblical
characters in black and white good and
bad. Sometimes that lens through which
we see the Bible can extend to modernity. This candidate is either good or
bad. This CEO, friend, rabbi is either on
one side of the ledger or the other. That
is dangerous.
When it comes to human estimations
and appraisals, we cannot afford to be
linear. We need to see everyone in Technicolor. If we do not, we put blinders on
that only allow us to see one way, one
color. Not seeing the qualities that every
biblical character, person, candidate, and
rabbi has to offer does a disservice to the
ability God gave us since creation to see
the world in many vivid colors.
BRIEFS
Israeli Air Force

launches two strikes
in Syria against
the Islamic State
Michael Oren calls

on Israelis to think
twice about buying
French products
Israel approves
acquisition of 17
additional F-35
fighter aircraft
The Israeli Air Force struck Islamic State

forces in Syria, Israels second strike
against the jihadist terror group in just
more than a day.
The IAF had killed four Islamic State
terrorists Sunday in Syria in response to
mortar and artillery fire on Israeli troops
patrolling along the Israel-Syria border.
According to the Israel Defense
Forces, the strike targeted an Islamic
State post in the southern Syrian Golan
Heights. The post is believed to be an
abandoned United Nations military
installation that had been used by the
terror group to gain a foothold near the
Israeli border. The IAF dropped 10 oneton bombs on the site, completely leveling the facility and destroying weapons
stored there.
There have been several attempts to
attack Israels forces along the border,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. We will not allow any drizzle
[of assaults], and if necessary, we will
JNS.ORG
attack the enemy.
Member of Knesset Michael Oren (Kulanu)

encouraged Israelis to think twice about buying French-made products, in response to a
decision by Frances government to label Israeli
products originating from beyond the 1967
lines differently.
France is labeling Israeli products from Judea,
Samaria, and the Golan. Israelis should think
twice before buying French products, Oren
wrote on Twitter.
The statement by Oren, Israels former ambassador to the United States and now the deputy
minister for diplomacy in the prime ministers
office, came days after the French government
directed businesses to not use Made in Israel
labels for products from Israeli companies in the
West Bank and the Golan Heights.
Responding to Oren, French Ambassador to
Israel Halene Le Gal wrote on Twitter, So you
are calling for boycotting French products when
in France boycotting Israel is punished by law?
Frances decision comes about a year after the
European Union issued a non-binding resolution
recommending that its member states use labels
distinguishing between Israeli products from
JNS.ORG
within and beyond the 1967 lines.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will buy 17
additional F-35 fighter jets from the
United States.
Israels diplomatic-security cabinet
unanimously approved the acquisition,
saying American defense aid funds
would be used to finance the deal.
Once the deal is completed, Israels
F-35 squadron will include 50 stealth
jets. The Israeli cabinet also decided
Sunday that one of the jets acquired as
part of the latest deal will be used as
a test aircraft, on which the Israeli Air
Force can install and test new operating and weapon systems.
Israeli ministers are believed already
to be considering a third purchase, this
time for 25 F-35 jets. This acquisition
may also include the F-35B STOVL, an
advanced stealth takeoff and vertical
JNS.ORG
landing variant aircraft.
Moscow Jewish
museum wins U.N.
tolerance award
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization honored
the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center
in Moscow with an award for its efforts in
spreading tolerance and understanding.
The award comes just more than a month
after the same U.N. body passed two resolutions ignoring Jewish ties to holy sites
in Jerusalem.
The museum received the award, which
comes with a $100,000 prize, at a ceremony in Paris. Russian Chief Rabbi Berel
Lazar said that spreading tolerance is an
absolutely necessary thing for Russia,
adding that the Jewish community in Russia is involved in this as much as they can
be, specifically after the opening of the
Jewish Museum and the Tolerance Center
in Moscow in 2012, Russias Interfax News
Agency reported.
The $50 million Moscow museum,
which was partially funded by the Russian government, opened in 2012 to much
fanfare. The museum details the history
of the Jewish people, including portions
dedicated to the Holocaust as well as the
JNS.ORG
Russian roots of Zionism.
Briefs
Crossword
AD MEAH VESRIM BY YONI GLATT
Abbas unanimously re-elected

as leader of Fatah political party
The Palestinian Fatah political party unanimously re-elected Mahmoud Abbas as the
head of the party at the opening of its first
leadership congress in more than seven
years.
The re-election of the 81-year-old
Abbas, who also serves as president of
the Palestinian Authority, comes despite
his growing unpopularity and internal
dissent within Palestinian society. Abbas
increasingly has been challenged by a
younger generation of Palestinian leaders,
KOSHERCROSSWORDS@GMAIL.COM
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MANAGEABLE
including exiled rival Mohammad Dahlan, who now lives in the United Arab
Emirates.
Later this week, members of Fatahs
parliament and central committee will
hold elections to determine the future of
the party, which largely dominates Palestinian society in the West Bank.
The system from the 1960s no longer
works in 2016, Jibril Rajoub, a former Palestinian intelligence chief and Fatah central committee member, told AFP. JNS.ORG
Lost Indian Jews tour Auschwitz

and feel more connected to Israel
Members of Indias so-called lost tribe of
Jews last week visited the site of the formar Nazi death camp Auschwitz for the
first time.
Five members of the Bnei Menashe who
claim to descend from Jews banished from
ancient Israel to India in the eighth century
BC were in Poland as part of a larger visiting group of Israeli students from Abir Yaakov Yeshiva High School in Nahariya.
Visiting Auschwitz actually gives me
a stronger feeling of love toward Israel.
The Holocaust makes Israel even more
important to the Jewish people, said

Yaniv Hoinge, one of the Bnei Menashe
members on the trip.
Hoinge and his parents moved from
India to Israel in 2012. The familys aliyah
was facilitated by Shavei Israel, a nonprofit
that calls itself the only Jewish organization today that is actively reaching out to
lost Jews in an effort to facilitate their
return to Israel. The Bnei Menashe are
said to be descendants of Manasseh, one
of the 10 lost tribes of the ancient Kingdom of Israel.
JNS.ORG
Youre Invited
The Jewish Home Family, the Michael J. Fox Foundation,
and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center will host
Is Parkinsons a
Jewish Genetic Disease?
with
Lana Chahine, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Pennsylvania Hospital
University of Pennsylvania
This event is open to physicians, medical professionals, elder-care

professionals and members of the community.
December 12, 2016

7 p.m. Light dessert fare
7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Presentation and Panel Q&A
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, 350 Engle Street, Englewood, New Jersey
RSVP required:
201-784-1414, Ext. 5538
Across
1. Co-star Shearer in Three Loves
6. Its a pomegranate
11. Tebow signed by Wilpon
14. Jimmy created by Shuster and Siegel
15. Get up (to say shacharit)
16. Johannesburg is its largest community: Abbr.
17. 63-Across had them in 1929 and 1999
19. It might be filled before Shabbat
20. Agnon also known as S.Y.
21. Fifth son of Gad (Gen. 46:16)
22. Susie of Curb Your Enthusiasm
24. Irish singer who became a star
under Geffen records
26. Org. that might support owning
an uzi
28. Rose or Rotenberg
29. Hollywood era when 63-Across rose
to stardom
32. David took one from Goliath
33. It makes chai into a name
34. Adam and Abraham, e.g.
35. JCCs often have them
37. Alternatives to a 6-Down
38. Slivovitz rocks
39. Chit that might be forgiven during
the jubilee year
40. Short albums from 27-Down
43. Paul with the #1 hit Lonely Boys
44. One whos meshugeh
45. Twenty-one years after the Temple
was destroyed, to the Romans
46. Great commentator
49. Iconic title role for 63-Across
52. Chip you wouldnt make a bracha on?
53. Ken, to Bono
54. Literary Jane once played by
Charlotte Gainsbourg
55. Shelley or Len
57. Stern dorm VIPs
59. Actress Jessica who discovered shes
related to Alan Dershowitz
62. Piece on (Ariel Sharon)
63. Legend turning 100-years-old on
December 9
66. It makes the words in a Torah
67. Performed, like Catherine Zeta Jones
68. Billy and Grey
69. Take to Beth Din
70. Shemitah year planting no-no
71. ...___ this corner... (intro for
Max Baer)
Down
1. Theyve formed at the Western Wall
2. Kind of korban
3. Lod locals
4. Prompt (to count the omer)
5. I
6. Old phone that isnt very zaftig
7. Berlin of note
8. Farrow whos no fan of Allen (anymore)
9. Milo in Lumets The Verdict
10. Hero in the Mamet penned
The Untouchables
11. 2015 film that portrays 63-Across as a
real-life hero
12. Elal alternative
13. Served (in a Merkava)
18. Where its easy to find kosher food in
New Jersey
23. Excessive tools for cutting challah
25. Like Ofra Hazas Jewish heritage
27. Singer/pianist Spektor
29. Famous Gadot
30. Text abbr. referencing the Almighty
31. Have ___ fast (words before
Yom Kippur)
32. Schmutzy
36. ___ Vane (Simon hit)
40. Did very well in (Talmud class)
41. 1994 Jeremy Piven film
42. Dina to Levi, for short
43. (bevakasha)
46. Talmudic debaters
47. Special prayer said on most fast days
48. My ___ of Luck, memoir by
63-Across
50. Livened, with up (had an Aroma
espresso, perhaps)
51. Catherine of ___ (queen who was
seven in 1492)
53. He seemed like such ___ boy
56. Alternative IDs for Drake and
Puff Daddy
58. Puts 600 and 13 together?
60. Indonesian island that doesnt recognize Judaism
61. Part of 26-Across: Abbr.
64. Israels (Hwy.) 6, for one
65. Org. also called The Federati
The solution to last weeks puzzle

is on page 47.
Arts & Culture

Have I Got A
Story For You
More than 100 years of Yiddish
short stories, in English, from the Forward
CURT LEVIANT
From top left,

Sholem Aleichem,
Abraham Cahan,
Sholem Asch, Isaac
Bashevis Singer,
Boris Sandler, and
Ezra Glinter.
t must have been a prodigious effort by

editor Ezra Glinter, who looked through
countless Yiddish Forward microfilms,
going back more than 100 years, and
came up with this superb collection of
short fiction, Have I Got a Story for You:
More Than a Century of Fiction From
the Forward.
Unlike contemporary American newspapers, Yiddish papers, both here and in Europe, published fiction. Readers looked forward to the weekend editions, where they could find stories by their old
favorite authors and newly emerging writers as well.
This variegated collection, which begins with 1907
and ends in 2015, includes contributions by 20 talented translators, including Glinter. Among them
are many of the famous names in 20th century Yiddish belles lettres Sholem Asch, David Bergelson,
Avraham Reyzen, Israel Joshua Singer, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Chaim Grade. But even the lesser
known names were familiar for decades to the loyal
Forward audience.
Before us is a beautifully produced book, from
the stunning, colorful cover, to the fine introductions by Ezra Glinter and novelist Dara Horn, and
of course the lively fiction. The anthology begins
with a story by Rokhl Brokhes, Goldes Lament,
published in 1907, about a woman who is tormented
with jealousy because her husband has sailed to
America with another woman posing as his wife. It
concludes with a 2015 story, Studies in Solfege, by
the recently retired Yiddish Forward editor, Boris
Curt Leviant is the author of two recent novels, King
of Yiddish and Kafkas Son.
Sandler, about about which Ill tell you later.

Even the clever title, Have I Got a Story for You,
resonates with Yiddish braggadoccio.
First we read stories about the immigrant experience, including one by Abe Cahan himself, the guiding spirit of the Forward (known in Yiddish as the Forverts) from 1903 to 1946, and humorous sketches by
B. Kovner who wrote for the paper for the nearly 70
years of his 100-year life he lived from 1874 to 1974.
Some of the books most powerful pages, whose
sheer force of imaginative and vivid prose overwhelms the reader, were written in Russia under
wartime circumstances. Here we see gripping stories by Sholem Asch, David Bergelson, and I.J.
Singer. Obviously, tales with such stress and suspense make New-York based fiction about collecting
rent or a lovelorn seamstress pale by comparison.
It is also noteworthy that whereas stories by Yiddish masters like I.L. Peretz, Sholom Aleichem, and
Avraham Reyzen invariably pertained to Jewish life,
in this collection you will find almost no Jewish holidays, no shuls, no problems with Jewish practices.
With one exception, there are no stories that are set
in a synagogue, about kids studying in or playing
hookey from a talmud Torah, no bar mitzvahs, no
weddings. These subjects are not dealt with even in
a negative way. They seem to be totally erased from
the Forward.
Perhaps this is so because when these Jews were
in their East European shtetls or cities, the holidays, the daily rhythm of Jewish life, was a central
part of their existence. But in the United States,
with many of the early immigrants not committed
to Jewish observance, the secularly minded Yiddish writers now in the United States, writing for
a socialist-leaning paper like the Forward, did not
SEE YIDDISH STORIES PAGE 44
Calendar
Facebook to preview
some available items.
1666 Windsor Road.
(201) 833-1322 or www.
emeth.org.
Monday
DECEMBER 5
Holiday boutique: The

Sisterhood of the Fair
Lawn Jewish Center/CBI
hosts its annual holiday
boutique, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Vendors offer handmade
Israeli jewelry, Kabyco,
Amy Karanek Designs,
handmade knits and
crafts, Pampered Chef,
Tupperware, Perfect
Posh skin care, Judaica,
and more. 10-10 Norma
Ave. (201) 796-5040.
Book discussion: The

Fair Lawn Jewish Center/
Congregation Bnai Israel
continues its Book and
Lunch program as Rabbi
Ronald Roth discusses
Seth Siegels Let There
Be Water, noon. 10-10
Norma Ave. Reservations,
(201) 796-5040 or www.
fljc.com.
Tuesday
DECEMBER 6
Book club in Paramus:
The Maccabeats will perform an eclectic array of Jewish,

American, and Israeli songs at the Bergen Performing Arts
Center in Englewood on Wednesday, December 14, at 7:30
p.m. The group formed in 2007 as Yeshiva Universitys
student vocal ensemble and since then has played sold-out shows to
thousands of people across five continents and in more than 30 states
and provinces. For tickets, go to www.ticketmaster.com or call the box
office, (201) 227-1030.
DEC.
14
Friday
DECEMBER 2
Cantor
Greenwald-Gonella
Shabbat in Wyckoff:
Temple Beth Rishon
offers services and a
concert led by Cantor
Summer GreenwaldGonella, a fifth year
student at the Jewish
Theological Seminary,
and joined by Rabbis
Ken Emert and Lois
Ruderman, Cantor
Ilan Mamber, the Kol
Rishon Adult Choir,
Zemer Rishon Teen
Choir, pianist Itay Goren
and percussionist
Jimmy Cohen,
7:30 p.m. 585 Russell
Ave. Refreshments.
(201) 891-4466 or
bethrishon.org.
the shuls award-winning

cantor/recording artist/
composer Paul Zim,
and stand-up comedian
Dave Goldstein, 7 p.m.
1449 Anderson Ave.
(201) 947-1735 or
geshershalom.org/show.
Shabbat in Woodcliff
Lake: Temple Emanuel
of the Pascack Valleys
cantor emeritus, Mark
Biddelman, hosts
Shabbat Yachad, Hebrew
prayers set to easy-tosing melodies, 8 p.m. He
will be accompanied by
bassist Dave Richards
and percussionist Larry
Eagle. Free copy of CD
at the shul. 87 Overlook
Drive. (201) 391-0801 or
www.tepv.org.
Tom DeLuca
Saturday
DECEMBER 3
Shabbat in Emerson:
Dave Goldstein
Congregation Bnai Israel

continues its Torah
Town Hall with Rabbi
Debra Orenstein this
week about Christmas
and Chanukah,
10 a.m. 53 Palisade Ave.
(201) 265-2272 or www.
bisrael.com.
Movie/Broadway
highlights: The Fair
Lawn Jewish Center/CBI
holds From Stage to
Screen a performance
with highlights of movie
and Broadway music,
8 p.m. Cast includes
Nancy Bach, Luisa
Fuentes, Lou Steele,
Evie Turner-Salerno, and
guests. 10-10 Norma Ave.
StageToScreen@FLJC.
com or (201) 796-5040.
Sunday
DECEMBER 4
Bazaar in Teaneck:
Cantor Paul Zim

Comedy and more in
Fort Lee: The JCC of
Fort Lee/Congregation
Gesher Shalom holds its
annual cantors concert
starring master comedy
hypnotist Tom DeLuca,
Temple Emeth holds

its annual bazaar,
with a food court,
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Early
birds welcome at 9 with
a $10 donation; free after
that. Shoe-tique with
shoes and accessories,
clothing by the bag
booth, tricky tray are
new this year. Check
Dina Stein facilitates

a discussion on Maria
Toorpakais book,
A Different Kind of
Daughter, at the JCC of
Paramus/Congregation
Beth Tikvah, 10:30 a.m.
Refreshments. 304
East Midland Ave.
(201) 262-7691.
Celebrate Chanukah:
The Wayne Y has a
community Chanukah
celebration sponsored
by the Jewish Federation
of Northern New Jersey
with community partners
including Temple Beth
Tikvah, Congregation
Shomrei Torah, and
Chabad of Passaic
County, 1-3:30 p.m.
Activities include a
bouncy house, arts &
crafts, carnival games,
photo booth, Chanukah
magic show latkes, jelly
donuts, and popcorn.
1 Pike Drive. Judy,
(973) 595-0100.
Tricky tray in Fair

Lawn: The sisterhood
of Temple Beth Sholom
holds its annual tricky
tray with gifts, gift
certificates, baskets,
and memorabilia. Doors
open at 1 p.m.; calling
starts at 2. Refreshments.
40-25 Fair Lawn Ave.
(201) 797-9321.
Mindful Music: The Glen

Rock Jewish Center
offers a program on
music at 10 a.m. and
8 p.m., examining
modern American
songs and Jewish texts.
682 Harristown Road.
(201) 652-6624.
Games in Closter:
Temple Beth El of
Northern Valley in
Closter asks Are You
Game? a fundraiser
for members and
non-members. Games
include mah jongg,
canasta, and Scrabble,
7 p.m. Raffles and prizes.
Bring games. Proceeds
benefit sisterhood. 221
Schraalenburgh Road.
(201) 768-5112 or www.
tbenv.org.
Thursday
DECEMBER 8
Menorah ceremony
in Jersey City:
Congregation Bnai
Jacob joins in a historic
holiday tree lighting and
menorah dedication
ceremony at the Newark
Avenue pedestrian mall
in downtown Jersey City,
5-8 p.m. bnaijacobjc.com
Friday
DECEMBER 9
Nursery school open
house in Tenafly:
The Leonard and Syril
Rubin Nursery School
at the Kaplen JCC on
the Palisades has an
open house, 9:30 a.m.
Another is planned for
January 13. 411 E. Clinton
Ave. (201) 408-1436 or
eyurowitz@jccotp.org.
Calendar
DECEMBER 11
Holiday boutique in
Tenafly: The Early
Childhood Parent
Association at Temple
Sinai of Bergen County
holds a boutique,
9:30 a.m.2:30 p.m.
Items include jewelry,
accessories, womens
and childrens apparel,
books, skincare, and gifts.
Proceeds benefit the
Early Childhood Center. 1
Engle St. (201) 568-6867.
Family Chanukah
program in New
Milford: Solomon
Schechter Day School
of Bergen County
continues Sundays at
Schechter, a communitywide interactive family
series, with Dreamcoat
Experience, 10 a.m.
The troupe engages
children through song,
movement, storytelling,
circus games, dance,
puppetry, and yoga.
Booktique, with live
storytelling, Legobuilding, face-painting,
and refreshments, will
follow. 275 McKinley
Ave. (201) 262-9898, or
www.ssdsbergen.org/
schechter-rocks.
Poetry reading in
Teaneck: Awardwinning poet Yehoshua
November talks about
his new book of poems,
Two Worlds Exist,
with Sandee Brawarsky
at Congregation
Beth Sholom, 11 a.m.
Refreshments. 354
Maitland Ave.
(201) 833-2620.
Chanukah in Jersey
City: Congregation Bnai
Jacob hosts LatkeFest
2016, 1-3 p.m. Its all
about cooking and eating
latkes. 176 West Side Ave.
bnaijacobjc.com.
Film in Paramus:
The JCC of Paramus/
Congregation Beth
Tikvah shows The
Butler, with Forest
Whitaker and Oprah
Winfrey, 3 p.m. Optional
deli dinner after the
movie. East 304 Midland
Ave. Dinner reservations,
(201) 262-7691.
club of the Fair Lawn

Jewish Center/CBIs
sisterhood meets to
discuss War Brides
by Helen Bryan, 10 a.m.
Breakfast. 10-10 Norma
Ave. (201) 796-5040.
Sunday
DECEMBER 4
Seniors meet in West
Nyack: Singles 65+
meets for a social
get-together with
refreshments, at the JCC
Rockland, 11 a.m. All are
welcome, particularly if
you are from Hudson,
Passaic, Bergen, or
Rockland counties. 450
West Nyack Road. Gene,
(845) 356-5525.
Thursday
The Bergen County High School of Jewish

Studies will hold its Charmed by Charity Soiree on Wednesday, December 7,
at the Alex and Ani store in Ridgewood.
The store will donate 15 percent of the
proceeds to BCHSJS. The store is at 134

E. Ridgewood Ave. Refreshments will be
served. For information, email Galeet
Lipke at studentactivities@ BCHSJS.org.
For store information, call (201) 857-0911.
Tenafly nursery school open houses
Widows and widowers

meet in Glen Rock:
Open houses at the Leonard and Syril Rubin Nursery

School at the Kaplen JCC on
the Palisades are planned for
Fridays, December 9 and January 13 at 9:30 a.m.
The school features a
warm, child-centered environment rooted in Jewish
tradition, where children can
become confident, responsible, and successful learners.
Prospective families can meet
the director, learn about the
school and its curriculum, ask
questions, tour the facilities,
and spend time in the classrooms at the open houses.
The school provides innovative programming that
allows children to explore and
understand new concepts in a
fun, dynamic way. The goal is to enrich
each childs world through exposure to
language arts, science, reading and math
readiness, music, art, Judaic programming, physical education, and swimming. Nurturing social interaction is an
integral part of all programs.
The curriculum includes cognitive
learning and enrichment; fine and gross
motor skills; reading readiness skills;
sensory experiences; Judaic programming; art, music, dramatic play and
cooking; gym and swimming; and preparation for kindergarten. It is a state
Breaking down
stereotypes: Allison
Josephs, founder/
director of Jew in the
City, which works to
break down stereotypes
Chanukah concert to benefit Sharsheret
Cantor Ellen Tilem and Becca beccs

Gastfriend
Announce your events

We welcome announcements of upcoming events. Announcements are free. Accompanying photos
must be high resolution, jpg les. Send announcements 2 to 3 weeks in advance. Not every release will
be published. Include a daytime telephone number and send to:
pr@jewishmediagroup.com 201-837-8818 x 110
Charmed fundraiser for BCHSJS
DECEMBER 15
Allison Josephs
Cantor Ellen Tilem will sing Hebrew, Yiddish, and cantorial music, and the jazz
and soul singer Becca Gastfriend, known
as beccs, will join her at a Sharsheret benefit concert at Temple Emeth in Teaneck.
The event is Saturday, December 10, at
8 p.m. Sharsheret, Hebrew for chain, is
a national not-for-profit organization that
supports young women and families of all
Jewish backgrounds who are facing breast
cancer. The shul is at 1666 Windsor Road.
For information, call (201) 833-1322.
Several local groups are selling 2017

mah jongg cards. Regular size cards
are $8; large size cards are $9. To order
from the JCC Paramus/Congregation Beth Tikvah, call (201) 262-7691.
To order from Teaneck-Hackensack
Hadassah, call Minette at (201) 837-8157.
Singles
Movin On, a monthly

luncheon group for
widows and widowers,
meets at the Glen Rock
Jewish Center, 12:30 p.m.
682 Harristown Road.
$5 for lunch. Upcoming
date, January 15.
(201) 652-6624 or email
Binny, arbgr@aol.com.
Book review: The book
Mah jongg cards
about religious Jews,

talks about Project
Makom at Congregation
Beth Aaron in
Teaneck, 8:15 p.m. 950
Queen Anne Road.
(201) 836-6210.
COURTESY JCCOTP
Sunday
licensed, accredited program for those

12-months to 5-years-old. There are half,
three-quarter and full-day sessions with
extended day options for three or five
days a week according to age.
JCC membership is required to enroll
in the school. Limited scholarships are
available. The JCC makes every effort
to ensure that children are not denied
enrollment due to the inability of the
family to pay the full fee.
For information visit www.jccotp.org/
nursery-school or call Elissa Yurowitz at
(201) 408-1436 or eyurowitz@jccotp.org.
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Arts & Culture

Yiddish stories
FROM PAGE 41
have Yiddishkeit at the forefront of their

creative imagination.
Noteworthy too is that not one of the
writers included in Have I Got a Story
for You was born in the United States.
You can understand that early in the
20th century, Yiddish writers would be
European-born. But as the decades progressed toward the mid-20th century, you
would have expected at least one American-born Yiddish writer to emerge. But
none did. Also, if you look at the birth
years of the contributing writers, you see
that only one was born in the 1920s. None
were born in the 1930s or 1940s. The two
writers who were born in 1950/51 were
Russians. This means that most of the
writers who contributed to the Forward
or at least those selected for this anthology were born before 1910.
In the now classic 1953 anthology
Treasury of Yiddish Stories, edited
by Irving Howe and Eliezer Greenberg,
Chaim Grades story, My Quarrel with
Hirsch Rasseyner, is the last selection.
Born in 1910, 43 when the story was
published, he was the books youngest
author. And so it is curious to see that
in this anthology, published in 2016
53 years later that Chaim Grade still is
among the youngest authors. There are
only three younger than he Yente Mash
(1922), Mikhoel Felsenbaum (1951), and
Boris Sandler (1950). Certainly the decimation of Jewry during the Holocaust
and the repressive Stalinist regime in
Russia had something to do with this gap.
(I should add, if only parenthetically,
that in the magazine Afn Shvel, published by the League for Yiddish, you
can read American-born Yiddish writers
in their twenties and thirties, publishing
both fiction and non-fiction.)
Obituaries
But there is one delightful linking of
generations. Lyala Kaufman (1887-1964)
has six short sketches in the book. During more than 30 years with the Forward,
she wrote thousands of stories. She was
the daughter of Sholom Aleichem and
the mother of novelist Bel Kaufman, who
died last year at 104, the last person on
earth who knew Sholom Aleichem.
The only exception to the absence of
Jewish institutions is in the masterful
novella by Chaim Grade, Grandfathers
and Grandchildren. Set in an old Vilna
shul between the two World Wars, it
tells of a group of old men whose children have assimilated. Their lives perk
up when little boys come into the shul in
the winter to warm up, and the old men
start giving them private lessons. During
summer the boys disappear, but the old
mens lives take on new meaning again
when two yeshiva bokhers come into the
shul to look for old texts and take on the
oldsters as their students.
The last two stories in the anthology
are by Russian Yiddish writers. Mikhoel
Felsenbaum, who lives in Israel now,
writes about a married Israeli Yiddish
writer who goes to the Basel book fair,
where he meets a beautiful woman and
falls in love with her. In the last tale of
the book, Boris Sandler focuses on a
teenage boy who describes taking singing lessons from a girl just a year or so
older than he. In addition to singing she
introduces him to the Indian love guidebook, the Kama Sutra.
I have resisted quoting delectable lines
from this anthology till now but now I
cant resist.
The narrators teacher asks him if he
knows what the Kama Sutra is. Since he
doesnt know, he says the first thing that
comes into his head: Of course. Its a
type of Japanese wrestling.
Jennifer Abramson,
31, of Hackensack died
November 26.
A West Orange High
School and Rutgers
University graduate,
she worked at a public
relations firm and was an
actress for commercials
and corporate videos.
She created an Instagram

called Goal2Soul to send
unlimited love to others
with inspirational words
and photos.
Her mother, Annie,
survives her.
Donations can be sent
to RSDS.org/donate,
a charity for those
suffering with Complex
Regional Pain Syndrome.
Norway stops funding BDS group

after watchdogs provide the facts
group, and it is unclear how this funding was used, NGO Monitor said.
After Norway joined IHL Secretariat,
NGO Monitor sent documentation to
stakeholders in Norway, outlining our
detailed research into the IHL Secretariats funding to numerous political
NGOs, the watchdog group said Monday
in an email to supporters.
NGO Monitor fully briefed the Israeli
mission in Norway and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the group said.
Following this, Israeli officials raised
NGO Monitors concerns with Norwegian counterparts. This, coupled with
the negative media attention, led many
Norwegian officials to acknowledge the
depth of Israels concerns about this
problematic funding scheme, ultimately
leading [the Norwegian government] to
JNS.ORG
leave the IHL Secretariat.
Arrangements were
by Robert Schoems
Menorah Chapel,
Paramus.
Martin Block
Martin L. Block, 84,

of Cliffside Park died
November 25.
Born in Brooklyn,
he is survived by his
wife, Sandra, ne
The Ocers, Board, and Sta of
Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey

mourn the passing of
Shirley Gralla
Jewish community leader and philanthropist with immeasurable
and lasting impact from Birthright to social services in northern
New Jersey and beyond.
We extend our deepest condolences to Shirleys children,
Dennis (Susan), Karen (Todd) and Edward (Randye),
her grandchildren and the entire family.
May they be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem
and may her memory be for a blessing.
Jewish Federation
OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
Jayne Petak
BRIEF
NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based

research institute and watchdog group,
said that its efforts have led Norway to
abandon its financial commitment to an
international funding mechanism that
supports anti-Israel non-governmental
organizations.
Norway no longer appears as a donor
on the website of the Human Rights and
International Humanitarian Law Secretariat, whose members now include Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and
Denmark. According to a fact sheet published by NGO Monitor before Norways
pullout, IHL Secretariats $17.6 million
three-year budget for 2014-2016 devoted
a total of $5.78 million to 13 organizations supporting the anti-Israel Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Norway joined IHL Secretariat in 2016
and contributed about $300,000 to the
Jennifer
Abramson
President
Jason M. Shames
Chief Executive Ocer
50 Eisenhower Drive, Paramus, NJ 07652 | 201.820.3900 | www.jfnnj.org
A Traditional Jewish Experience

Pre-Planning Specialists Graveside and Chapel Services
Barry Wien - NJ Lic. No. 2885

Frank Patti, Jr. - NJ Lic. No. 4169
Arthur Musicant - NJ Lic. No. 2544
Frank Patti, Sr. Director - NJ Lic. No. 2693
327 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
201-947-3336 888-700-EDEN
www.edenmemorial.com
Obituaries
Kauder, children, Karen, Steven,
and Kenneth; a sister, Norma
Ackerman, and two grandchildren.
Arrangements were by Eden
Memorial Chapels, Fort Lee.
Lillian Geiger
Lillian Lillie Geiger, 94, of

Wayne, formerly of Fair Lawn, died
November 23.
She and her husband were
original founders of Temple Beth
Sholom in Fair Lawn where they
were long-time members.
Predeceased by her husband,
Ralph, she is survived by children,
Arlene of New York City, Bobbi
(the late Dr. Wayne Katon)
and Ed (Nina), all of Seattle,
four grandchildren, and four
great-grandchildren.
Donations can be made
to Temple Beth Sholom.
Arrangements were by Louis
Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.
Henry Gitterman
Henry Gitterman, 93, of Emerson,

formerly of Teaneck, died
November 29.
Born in Germany, he was an
World War II Army veteran,
attended Cooper Union College,
and did graduate studies at NYU.
Before retiring, he was an engineer
for Burns and Roe, Inc, Oradell.
Predeceased by his wife,
Eva, ne Newmark, in 1995 and
a daughter, Amy, in 2003, he
is survived by children, Jane
Muhlstock (Anthony Andriola)
and Matthew (Nancy), son-in-law,
Brian, and six grandchildren.
Contributions can be sent to
Life Source Hospice, Paramus,
Arrangements are by Gutterman &
Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors,
Hackensack.
Anne Grover
Anne Grover, 98, of Pompton

Plains, formerly of Fair Lawn, died
November 28.
She was a former member of the
Fair Lawn Jewish Center and its
sisterhood.
Predeceased by her husband,
Herbert, she is survived by
children, Joel (Nellie), Donald, and
Jonathan (Tova); six grandchildren,
and one great-grandchild.
Arrangements were by Louis
Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.
Betty Robinson
Betty Robinson, 90, of Fair Lawn,

died November 29. Arrangements
were by Louis Suburban Chapel,
Fair Lawn.
The sTaff of
The Jewish sTandard
exTends condolences
To The family of
rachel Kaplan
our friend and
former neighbor.
may her memory

be a blessing.
Obituaries are prepared with

information provided by funeral homes.
Correcting errors is the responsibility
of the funeral home.
Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel, Inc

Jewish Funeral Directors
Family Owned & managed

Generations of Lasting Service to the Jewish Community
Serving NJ, NY, FL &
Throughout USA
Prepaid & Preneed Planning
Graveside Services
Our Facilities Will Accommodate

Your Familys Needs
Handicap Accessibility From Large
Parking Area
Gary Schoem Manager - NJ Lic. 3811

Conveniently Located
W-150 Route 4 East Paramus, NJ 07652
201.843.9090
1.800.426.5869
Established 1902
Headstones, Duplicate Markers and Cemetery Lettering
With Personalized and Top Quality Service
Please call 1-800-675-5624
www.kochmonument.com
76 Johnson Ave., Hackensack, NJ 07601
The Five Wishes booklet,

a simple Living Will guide
on how to document
desired care for medical
needs, including emotional
and spiritual needs as well.
To obtain your
complimentary Five Wishes booklet
or to learn more about preplanning
options, call or visit us.
GUTTERMAN AND MUSICANT

JEWISH FUNERAL DIRECTORS
800-522-0588
WIEN & WIEN, INC.

MEMORIAL CHAPELS
800-322-0533
402 PARK STREET, HACKENSACK, NJ 07601

ALAN L. MUSICANT, Mgr., N.J. Lic. No. 2890
MARTIN D. KASDAN, N.J. Lic. No. 4482
IRVING KLEINBERG, N.J. Lic. No. 2517
Advance Planning Conferences Conveniently Arranged
at Our Funeral Home or in Your Own Home
GuttermanMusicantWien.com
Classified
Co-ops For Sale
Florida Condo For Rent
3 HORIZON ROAD, PH4,

Ft. Lee, N.J.
Spec. VWS, fully renovated,
appx. 3500 sf Penthouse
+900 sf terrace overlk Hudson
River, 3-4 Bdrms, sunken L/R
w/13 ceiling hgt., 4 units on flr.
Beyond beautiful!
Grt price reduction
$749,000
Contact: DORIS COHEN
PROMINENT PROPERTIES
201-218-0731
1 HORIZON ROAD, PH1
Ft. Lee, N. J.
Best Hudson River VWS,
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Renovated, Appx. 3,500 SF
Penthouse w/900 SF Terrace,
3 Bdrms +Den, Sunken L/R
w/13 ceiling hght.
A MUST SEE $745,000
Contact: DORIS COHEN
PROMINENT PROPERTIES
201-218-0731
. Magnificent Vacation Condo

Del Ray Beach 55+ Community
Beautifully furnished 1 Bedroom
Utilities Included
Meal Plan Available
Daily Activities Programs
Monthlyor Seasonal Rentals
215-740-1165
Cemetery Plots For Sale

CEDAR PARK-BETH EL
Cemetery
8 Gravesites
$14,000 by Cemetery Assoc.
I will sell for $11,200.
4 gravesites for $6,000
Negotiable
678-371-9930
(201) 837-8818
Help Wanted
Help Wanted
. Seeking Experienced
Mashgiach
Fresko, Hackensack, N.J.
5 days/week 5:45 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Salary is competitive
Email:
info@freskofresh.com
MAINTENANCE/
MECHANIC WORKER
Dairy Factory
Paterson, N.J.
Full time Job
Must have experience
Email resume to:
rivka@kosherdairy.net
Quality Control for a

Manufacturing Plant
Must have a Bachelors in
Health Science.
Paterson, N.J.
Must have a car
email resume to:
Rivka@kosherdairy.net
. Bookkeeper: Inventory
Control & Account Keeping
Newark, N.J.
Must have a car
Must have at least 4 yrs of
experience in bookkeeping and
account keeping
email resume to:
Situations Wanted
KING Solomon Memorial
Park, Clifton, N.J. 1 plot, 3
graves, sub section Keddron, blk 19, plot 31, graves
1, 3, 4. Asking $950.00 ea,
plus cemetery fees. Original
cost $2,000. each
Call 917-495-7043
CDL Sales Driver:

Route available in an established Food & Dairy business
*Great Pay
*Delivers to assigned route,
increase sales in current stores
*Must have CDL Class B
license
*Positive, friendly attitude
*Experience is a must
Email resume to:
AIDE available to do elder care.

Warm, loving, caring, experienced,
reliable, excellent references. Livein or out. 201-668-7946
CARING, reliable lady with 20
years experience/excellent references/drives, experience in kosher
home. 24 hr live-in. Also available
nights only at $10/hr. Call 201-7413042
CERTIFIED Home Health Aide
seeks 5 to 7 days position. Live-in
or out. Experienced. Good references. 973-763-1438
Situations Wanted
Situations Wanted
DAUGHTER
FOR A DAY, LLC
CHHA Certified Nurses Aide/Long

time care - 15 years experience
caring for the elderly with Alzheimers/dementia. Knowledge of
kosher food preparation, will shop,
clean, administer medication and
drive client to MD appointments.
References upon request. 201310-3149
LICENSED & INSURED
FOR YOUR
PROTECTION
Handpicked
Certified Home
Health Aides
Hourly - Daily - Live In
NURSE SUPERVISED
Creative
companionship
interactive,
intelligent
conversation &
social outings
Downsize
Coordinator
Assist w/shopping,
errands, Drs, etc.
Organize/process
paperwork,
bal. checkbook,
bookkeeping
Resolve medical
insurance claims
Free Consultation
Help Wanted
NOW HIRING FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DEPT
Social Worker, Psychiatrist, Intervention Specialist
and Play Therapist.
The successful candidate will provide key Behavioral Health
Services by conducting assessments & diagnosis of children,
adolescents and adults.
Great benefit package offered.
Full and Part Time positions available.
Submit resume to:
recruitment@echcki.org
or call 845-774-1654
RITA FINE
Help Wanted
201-214-1777
Cantor Barbara Lieberstein is seeking local,

qualified Hebrew Tutors
for private and small groups, in-home lessons
to expanding Rockland and Bergen student base.
Please call or email for interview
201-788-6653
cantorbarbra@aol.com
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Antiques
Antiques Wanted
WE BUY
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CycleBar celebrates opening
of new facility in Fort Lee
FEATURED
PROPERTIES
TEANECK
PREMIER
PROPERTIES
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CycleBar, which offers a high-energy

indoor cycling workout in a concert-like
atmosphere, opened its newest location
in Fort Lees Hudson Heights.
Theres a certain dimension of
enthusiasm and excitement, Fort Lee
Mayor Mark Sokolich said. This team
has it its contagious. This business is
guaranteed to do well just by virtue of
their energy.
We are thrilled to be opening the studio in Fort Lee. CycleBar will be fueling
communal experiences by providing a
hub for the ever-growing community,
said co-owner Marisa Kochnover.
Commenting on CycleGiving, CycleBars philanthropic movement that
invites local organizations and charities
to help raise money one ride at a time
and occurs up to four times every month,
co-owner Abbey Braverman said, CycleGiving demonstrates CycleBars enthusiasm for giving back, creating awareness,
bringing strength and spreading hope.
Bergen County is such an active, vibrant
area and CycleBar fits into our communitys health and fitness lifestyle, while
making the experience fun for both new
and experienced riders.
CycleBar unites riders of all ages and
fitness levels by creating a multisensory
journey. Led by engaging, high-energy
instructors and fueled by music playlists in the state-of-the-art CycleTheatre,
CycleBar delivers far beyond a great cardio fitness workout. Its studios and staff
are dedicated to creating a fun, dynamic
and effective indoor cycling experience.
For more information, visit www.fortlee.
cyclebar.com.
Teva to market Syqe Medical

cannabis inhaler in Israel
Pocket-sized device
is the worlds first to meet
pharmaceutical standards
D
L
O
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ISRAEL21C STAFF
6
693 Downing Street, Teaneck $1,700,000 7 Bedrooms 5.5 Bathrooms
7 Bedroom 5 full bath executive home on 4 levels. 9 ft ceilings on first floor, stunning Formal Dining Room with tray
ceiling, kitchen cabinets and counters can still be customized, grand Family Room. 5 Bedrooms and full laundry
room on second level, 2 bedrooms and full bath on 4th level. Fully finished high level basement, 2 car garage.
Contact V&N Realty at 201.692.3700 for more information.
197 Griggs Avenue, Teaneck $420,000 3 Bedrooms 1.5 Bathrooms
3 bedroom Tudor with lots of potential on lovely tree lined street. Close to worship, transportation and more.
Contact Helene Stein at 201.615.5265 for more information.
265 Briarcliffe Road, Teaneck $969,000 6 Bedrooms 4.5 Bathrooms
Upscale, renovated, 6 bedroom Center Hall Colonial in popular location. Living Room with Fireplace, true
Banquet sized Formal Dining Room, generous double appliance Kitchen with granite counters and breakfast
area overlooking 144 ft deep property. Ensuite guest bedroom with bath on 1st level.
Contact Roza Chideckel at 201.410.9398 for more information.
750 Winthrop Road, Teaneck $999,000 5 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms
Beautifully renovated, extremely spacious split level on premiere Teaneck street. Large entry hall, formal living
room and dining room, enormous double appliance granite kitchen. Adjacent family room with sliding glass doors
leading to trex deck. Three large bedrooms on second floor with two full updated baths and generous landing.
Gorgeous master bedroom suite with luxurious bathroom. Uppermost floor has finished attic bedroom and office.
Contact Debra Botwinick at 201.851.1035 for more information.
878 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck $350,000 4 Bedrooms 1.5 Bathrooms
Classic 4 bedroom Brick Center Hall Colonial on 140 deep property. Elegant Living Room with brick fireplace,
formal Dining Room, Den. 4 Full Bedrooms on 2nd level. Upgraded furnace, garage doors, hot water heater.
Hardwood floors throughout.
Contact Ruby Kaplan at 917.576.4177 for more information.
270 Ogden Avenue, Teaneck $350,000 3 Bedrooms 2.5 Bathrooms
Large foyer with convenient entry to garage, ground level family room with sliding glass doors to park like
60x120 property! Ground level also has 1/2 bath & laundry. Main level features large living room, formal
dining room & updated eat in kitchen. Upstairs master bedroom with new master bathroom, 2 more sizable
bedrooms and 2nd new full bath! Full basement with rec room & office/bedroom.
Contact Ruby Kaplan at 917.576.4177 for more information.
vera-nechama.com 201.692.3700
Israeli multinational corporation Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Israeli startup

Syqe Medical have signed a distribution and
cooperation agreement to market medical
cannabis for pain management with Syqes
revolutionary selective-dose pharmaceutical-grade medicinal plants inhaler in Israel.
Inhalation is considered the most efficient way of administering medical marijuana for pain relief. Syqe developed
the worlds first inhaler enabling precise
delivery of botanicals at the level of safety
and precision of conventional drugs,
modifying only the physical structure
of the plant while preserving its medicinal characteristics.
Teva, the worlds largest generic medicines producer, will have exclusive marketing and distribution rights in Israel. The
pocket-sized product will be available for
home use next year to individuals approved
by the Israeli Health Ministry. Nurses will
provide training for both patients and medical professionals.
Haifas Rambam Health Care Campus
has been testing the Syqe inhaler over the
past year with the approval of the Health
Ministry, reportedly making it the first hospital in the world to prescribe cannabis as
a standard medical treatment.
Teva Israel is entering the field of medical cannabis out of a deep commitment
to patients coping with pain, which is one
of the companys core therapeutic areas,
said Teva Israel CEO Avinoam Sapir, who
also is Tevas director of Innovation in
Syqe Medicals inhaler enables the

patient to inhale metered doses of
vaporized cannabis granules.
Emerging Markets.
State-of-the-art technology and groundbreaking medical devices such as those
developed by Syqe Medical, and which
generate tremendous therapeutic value for
patients and medical staff alike integrate
perfectly into the strategy of Teva Israel.
Philip Morris International is among the
investors in Syqe Medical, which is based
in Tel Aviv and chaired by former Health
Ministry Director General Dr. Eytan Hyam.
Founder Perry Davidson formerly cofounded the largest medical cannabis production company in Israel.
This is an unprecedented development
for patients who need medical cannabis,
said Hyam. Thanks to the Syqe inhaler,
we are effectively moving from cannabis
use to cannabis treatment. For doctors,
the inhaler solves the problem of prescribing plants for smoking, and offers a solution for patients in that, for the first time,
they will be able to receive a precise dose
of medical cannabis.
The inhaler is manufactured in Israel and
was developed using special 3D printers
made by Stratasys.

Rare Judaica collectibles going up for auction
J. Greenstein and Co. will auction Judaica
from Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrachi
traditions on Monday, December 12.
More than 350 items will be auctioned
at the companys main auction house in
Cedarhurst, N.Y. Items range from 18th
century Yemenite manuscripts to a collection of 10 prints made and signed by
the artist Jacob Steinhardt. The collection also includes a Persian Torah with
its original casing, and a Sabbath headdress from Poland. The auction plans
to encompass over 500 years of Jewish
history, with authentic examples from
each century.
The auction will include art from two
different collections, that of Dr. Bernard
and Ruth Shnur and that of Dr. Elliot
Zaleznik. The Shnur family made their
home in Trenton and Princeton. They
were avid and knowledgeable collectors of
Silver Chanukah lamp by Henryk

Winograd. New York, circa 1990.
Decorated with a scene from the
Maccabees. 14.5 inches by 12.5 inches.
Starting bid: $4,000.
Jewish ritual objects over many decades.
Sharing their deep commitment to the

field of Judaica, they maintained a wide
network of others who shared their interest, including fellow collectors as well as
professionals in the field. They were especially active in the Friedman Society of the
Jewish Museum of New York
Dr. Zaleznik started collecting Judaica
in 1968. His interest was spurred by his
friend Rabbi Bernie Kimmel who traveled
the world and collected Judaica. His interest was both in antique Judaica, where the
history of these pieces intrigued him, as
well as the modern, where he was a wellknown patron of the modern Jewish artists
of his time.
J. Greenstein and Company is a boutique auction house that only sells antique
Jewish ritual objects as well as Jewish
themed art.
The auction house is famous for
Brightview Paramus
welcomes first residents
Brightview Paramus, a senior living community, welcomed its first residents last month.
This is special for many people, said Executive Director Stephen Nichols. Residents, families,
and associates have been looking forward to this for
some time.
Featuring a total of 176 apartment homes, Brightview Paramus includes independent living, assisted
living, and a specially designed program and environment for people with dementia and other forms
of memory impairment, known as Wellspring Village.
Residents living in Wellspring Village lead full,
engaged, and meaningful lives, Nichols said. Creating joy for seniors and their families is a Brightview hallmark.
The service-rich community offers an engaging
social environment with housekeeping, dining, transportation, and maintenance provided by an energetic
and caring staff. Amenity spaces at the community
include a caf and bar, beauty/ barber salon, movie
theater, fitness center, and several other community
spaces designed to provide a vibrant lifestyle.
Brightview Paramus also includes a bistro-style restaurant venue with an open kitchen concept featuring
a brick oven as well as a chicken rotisserie oven.
Located at 396 Forest Ave., Brightview Paramus is
Brightviews seventh community in New Jersey and its
fourth in the Metropolitan New York City area.
Brightview continues to innovate with each community, Nichols said. They just get better and better.
To see Brightview Paramus, call Gina or Cindy at
(201) 957-1955.
Brightview Senior Living and its parent company,
The Shelter Group, successfully create and manage
innovative, award-winning senior living communities
in the mid-Atlantic to New England region. For more
information on Brightview Senior Living, please visit
www.brightviewseniorliving.com
Spice box by Shuki

Freiman. Israel, circa
1990. In the style of
the Lemberg spice
boxes featured in the
Israel Museum. Decorated with finely woven
filigree with gilded
accents. 23 inches tall.
Starting bid: $5,000.
auctioning Sammy Davis Jr.s personal

menorah, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebachs
piano, and Alan Dershowitzs Judaica collection. In addition, during the Madoff
scandal, the auction house sold Rabbi
Alexander Schindlers Judaica pro-bono
for his widow.
More information can be viewed at
www.JGreenstein.com.
TM
BY APPOINTMENT
t TEANECK t
CRESSKILL
STUNNING
$2,495,000
Energy efficient green home on a park-like acre atop a private cul-de-sac,

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3 baths, 2 powder rooms, lovely patio & waterfall.
ALPINE/CLOSTER
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894-1234
768-6868
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Orna Jackson, Sales Associate 201-376-1389
666-0777
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894-1234 871-0800
FORT LEE THE COLONY
1 BR 2 Baths. Renovated. Sunset view. $149,900

1 BR 1.5 Bath. Updated. Full river view. $189,900
1 BR 1.5 Baths. K line. Renovated with full river view.
$235,000
2 BR 2.5 Baths. Total renovation with laundry. Redesigned.
Full river view. $325,000
Corner 3 BR 3.5 Baths. Total renovation with laundry.
Spectacular in size and layout. East and West views.
Must see! $648,000
Serving Bergen County since 1985.
Allan Dorfman
Broker/Associate
201-461-6764 Eve
201-970-4118 Cell
201-585-8080 Office
Realtorallan@yahoo.com
Mint Condition Brick & Stone Split-Lev. C Club Area. 3 BRs,

3 Updated Baths (incl Master Bath).Granite Kit, Fin Bsmt. H/W Flrs,
C/A/C, Fenced Yard. $510s
100' X 100' Prop. Updated In & Out. CH Col. Polished Oak Flrs.
Liv Rm, Den, Din Rm open to New Granite Countered Eat in Kit.
3 Generous BRs, 2.5 Bths. Fin Bsmt. C/A/C. 2 Car Gar. Room to
Expand. $490s
C Club Area. Beaut 4 BR Tri-Level. Spacious & Open LR + Form
DR, Skylit Isle Kit open to Fam Rm/Sldrs to Patio. C/A/C, Gar. $440s
Updated Col. 62' x 115' Park-like Prop/Across from Argonne Park.
Quiet Street. Mod Eat In Granite Kit, 3 BRs, 1.5 Updated Bths. H/W
Flrs. 2 Car Gar. C/A/C. $280s
Lovely Street. Pretty Colonial. 150' Deep Yard w/ Rm to Expand.
Lg LR/Corner Fplc, Lg Den, Form Din Rm, Updated Kit, 3 BRs +
Study, Mod Bths, Det Gar. Close to Cedar Ln. $370s
Room for All! 6 BR, 3.5 Bth Exp Ranch. Lg LR/Fplc/Skylite, Form
DR, Skylited Fam Rm, Fin Bsmt/Bar. 2 Car Gar, C/A/C. 75' x 132'
Prop. Whittier Area. $630s
ALL CLOSE TO NY BUS / HOUSES OF WORSHIP /

HIGHWAYS / SHOPPING / SCHOOLS & NY BUS
For Our Full Inventory & Directions
Visit our Website
www.RussoRealEstate.com
(201) 837-8800
SELLING YOUR HOME?
From left, Warren Geller, CEO and president of Englewood Hospital and
Medical Center; Jay Nadel, chairman of the Englewood Hospital and Medical
Center Foundation; Ronald Lefcourt, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
benefactor and local businessman, and Thomas C. Senter, chairman of the
Englewood Healthcare System and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
Call Susan Laskin Today

To Make Your Next Move A Successful One!
BergenCountyRealEstateSource.com
Cell: 201-615-5353
2016 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.
Year Round Vacation Investment

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New cancer treatment center

at Englewood Hospital is
named for benefactor Lefcourt
Leadership gift brings
$50 million capital
campaign closer to goal
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center unveiled the name of its new cancer center, The Lefcourt Family Cancer
Treatment and Wellness Center, at a
ceremony and celebration last month,
recognizing local businessman and philanthropist Ronald Lefcourt for his support in bringing high-quality, humanistic
cancer care to the region.
Mr. Lefcourt, president of Alliance
Shippers Inc., headquartered in Englewood Cliffs and one of North Americas
premier, privately owned global logistics
and transportation companies, made a
lead gift to the medical centers capital
campaign, Transforming the Future: Our
Campaign for Englewood Hospital and
Medical Center.
My family considers Englewood Hospital and Medical Center a trusted and
valued pillar of our community, says Mr.
Lefcourt. When communities have access
to good quality care, everyone wins. I am
proud to support the medical center in recognition of the outstanding care provided
to me and my family over the years.
The gift brings the total amount raised
in the campaign to $42 million, within
reach of its $50 million goal.
We see ourselves as a partner in our
patients healthcare. Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Lefcourt, our patients and
our community will benefit from a stronger clinical team, new services and programs, enhanced diagnostics and treatment, all centered on the humanistic
care our patients expect, said Warren
Geller, president and CEO of Englewood
Hospital and Medical Center.
Established with support from Transforming the Future, The Lefcourt Family
Cancer and Treatment Center represents
a new standard for cancer care, where
patients are treated as guests with amenities to ensure a comfortable and convenient experience. The 185,000 square
feet facility houses all cancer services and
specialists in one location, minimizing
patient anxiety and making for a smooth,
seamless transition from one area to
another. The cancer center offers a multidisciplinary care approach, bridging
nationally recognized specialists, empathetic clinical staff, advanced technology,
and comprehensive services together to
create tailored plans for the diagnosis,
treatment, and prevention of cancer.
Patient diagnostic and treatment services include advanced breast imaging
using 3D mammography, laser-focused
detection of cancer using a 3T MRI
machine, robotic and minimally invasive
surgical techniques, TrueBeam radiotherapy system for a more precise treatment
and quicker recovery, precision medicine
and infusion therapy to target cancer on
a molecular level, cancer risk assessment,
access to clinical trials and research, integrative medicine to reduce symptoms
and enhance quality of life, and support
groups and other services. Carefully considered design elements from soft lighting
to spa-infused features to comfortable furniture and private infusion rooms make
for a relaxing space for patients to receive
treatment, and where family and friends
are encouraged to participate in ways that
help their loved ones
q heal.
The cancer center has been designated
as a Comprehensive Community Cancer
Program by the Commission on Cancer of
the American College of Surgeons.
The Art of Real Estate

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MIRON PROPERTIES
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FARM TO TABLE

Jewish Standard, December 2, 2016

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