Transcript
Page 1: JTNews | December 10, 2010

professionalwashington.comconnecting our local Jewish community

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december 10, 2010 • 3 tevet • volume 86, no. 26 • $26 10 30

our celebrations little town of budrus 5 women to watch

Joel Magalnick

KING-5 reporter Joe Fryer, bottom right, shoots video as students in Red Square on the University of Washington campus attempt a record: Most dreidels spun at one time. While organizers at Hillel UW didn’t quite beat the record 618, they gave out more than 250 dreidels and nearly as many freshly fried latkes.

Celebrations

Page 15

t h e v o i c e o f j e w i s h w a s h i n g t o n

Noah Milstein enrolled at The Evergreen State Col-lege to learn about Paleolithic culture and technology. He sought out Evergreen because its flexible academic struc-ture would allow him to create his own program of study.

What he got instead was an education in political activism and campus politics.

Milstein founded a pro-Israel group at Evergreen in 2008. He left the college feeling like a campus villain in

2009. At a school famous for its left-wing values, Milstein felt unable to func-tion on campus due to the ever-present specter of his vocal Zionism.

“I became the token campus Zion-ist Nazi,” Milstein said. “It really was damaging psychologically. I felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. I became com-pletely paranoid.”

Milstein, who subsequently enrolled

at Haifa University, was not alone in leaving Evergreen before graduation. Five fellow members of the short-lived club Students Interested in Israel Advocacy and Peace (SIIAShalom) followed suit. Milstein’s experience, and others like it, are symbolic of what some key members of the state’s Jewish community see as a broader issue: A poi-sonous discourse over Israel that makes life at Evergreen uncomfortable for Jewish students, especially those with Zionist views.

In this article and in our next issue we’ll explore the nature of that discourse. We’ll ask whether Evergreen is a hard place to be a Jew or a Zionist, or whether debate about

Evergreen: The hard conversations not taking placeEric Nusbaum assistant editor, JTnews

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NEW YORK (JTA) — What’s old is new, and unfortunately this holiday season, wrapped in a bow, is a boycott of things Israeli and Jewish. The relics of past boycotts — from Nuremberg to Damas-cus — are back.

Uninterested in reconciliation, the extremist and myopic fervor that under-girds the campaign to boycott Israel should be a wake-up call for those who have hit the snooze button too many times.

Issuing the latest appeal for boycotts is the North American affiliate of the Sabeel Center, a group that wraps its disdain for the Jewish State in a cloak of Christian concern. Sabeel’s leader has said that Israel operates a “crucifixion machine” and that “security is a pagan god that Israel wor-ships.” It wields the word “apartheid” like a cudgel.

The center’s holiday boycott call targets more than a dozen companies because they operate in Israel or their owners are guilty of the sin of being Israeli, Jewish or affiliated with either. They manufacture goods in Israel, in the West Bank and in America. Their products include cosmet-ics, clothing, cell phones and prepared foods. Most cannot be tied in any rational way to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That gets to the heart of it. The so-called BDS movement (boycotts, divestment and sanctions) isn’t here to help Palestinians; it’s a pernicious call to harm Israel and world Jewry. Its proponents seek to bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into every sphere of American life. Boycott support-ers don’t seem to care who gets caught in their snare, including tens of thousands

of American workers employed by these companies. In so many ways it is a boycott of American values.

Estee Lauder’s sin is being owned by the volunteer leader of the Jewish National Fund. Sara Lee and L’Oreal are guilty of having been praised by Israeli Prime Min-ister Benjamin Netanyahu. Another com-pany is guilty of being owned by a friend of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Also in Sabeel’s crosshairs is a California-based business building a green transportation infrastructure — electric car charging sta-tions in Denmark, Australia, Hawaii — and Israel. Its owner was named to Time maga-zine’s list of environmental heroes. But he is

Israeli, so his company makes the list.What can we do? Here are some sug-

gestions:Build bridges. Most Americans under-

stand that such campaigns will not change governmental or corporate policies. So reach out to them — in their churches, civic groups, where you work and in your neighborhood. The people calling for boy-cotts, divestment and sanctions are at the margins of public debate. Their goal is to poison the well at home. Don’t let them.

Make the case. Israel is the national homeland of the Jewish people. It seeks to live in peace and security. BDS is a tactic aimed to delegitimize Israel. None of the

groups backing BDS support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

Promote peace. Call on churches and others being roped into the BDS drama to seek something better. Israelis and Pales-tinians deserve peace: Two peoples, two states, living side by side. Their peace will come when the parties are confident.

Foster reconciliation. Many orga-nizations are working tirelessly to bring together Israelis and Palestinians, and Jews, Christians and Muslims. They deserve our support. Balanced travel mis-sions demonstrate the complexity of the conflict and the need for peacemakers, not bomb throwers, rhetorical or otherwise.

Stay civil. Avoid shouting and name calling. As tempting as it may be to call for a boycott of companies owned by Sabeel’s supporters, we need to reject ineffective and partisan virtual warfare. We are not the parties to the conflict. A zero-sum, scorched earth approach that thrives on division helps no one.

Buycott instead of boycott. A few mud masks and an extra container of hummus can’t hurt.

Get involved. Thankfully, the alarm has gone off and friends of Israeli-Palestinian peace are pushing back. The Israel Action Network, a partnership of the Jewish Fed-erations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, will mobilize Jewish federations, agencies and JCRCs across North America to respond effec-tively to the assault on Israel’s legitimacy. Get up. Get trained. And go to work.

Ethan Felson is the vice president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

Take a stand against boycotts this holiday seasonEthaN FElsoN JTa World news Service

courTeSy aJcSeaTTle

From left to right, adam Goldblatt, Marjorie Kaiz Offer, Racquel Holcman and Barbara Shulman went to the albertson’s on Mercer Island on Nov. 30 to participate in a “buycott,” in which they specifically bought products made in Israel to support the country. That albertson’s store has an expanded kosher section that includes a wide array of Israeli foods.

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letters to the editorthe rabbi’s turn

“I didn’t ask younger composers who I might like, and think are tremendous, and think that they have great careers for the future, just because we don’t have that relationship.” — Seattle Symphony music director Gerard Schwarz, on his commissions for his final season. See page 9.

Write a letter to the editor: We would love to hear from you! our guide to writing a letter to the editor can be found at www.jtnews.net/index.php?/letters_guidelines.html,

but please limit your letters to approximately 350 words. the deadline for the next issue is december 14. Future deadlines may be found online.

The character Larry David plays on TV is one of the most annoying, infuriating people any one of us could ever meet. He is self-centered to the point of absurdity and his need to be right about everything jeopar-dizes his closest relationships. In the seventh season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry tries to reconcile with his estranged wife, Cheryl. In the season’s last episode, Cheryl’s resistance is finally break-ing down. But, in the meantime, Larry has been accused by a friend of putting a glass of water on a wooden table and staining the wood. He is convinced he is innocent and passionately searches for the real criminal.

In the last scene of the season, Cheryl looks at Larry lovingly, and tells him she thinks they really belong together. They are about to embrace.

But Cheryl has a drink in her hand. She puts it down on the wooden

table so she can give Larry a hug. At that moment, Larry’s eyes open wide and a look of horror crosses his face. He looks at Cheryl accusingly and says, “Do you respect wood?”

The moment of tenderness passes, and the season ends.

In the book of Devarim, we read the famous line: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof!” — justice, justice, you shall pursue. To be a rodef tzedek is to be emotionally churned up about what’s wrong in the world. Yet the rabbis went out of their way to under-mine this text. Why “tzedek tzedek,” asked the rabbis? Wouldn’t one tzedek have been enough? They answered: “Echad din, v’echad p’shara.” One tzedek is to teach us we should pursue what’s right. And, the other tzedek teaches us to compromise.

Why did the rabbis do this? After all, compromise is about letting go of some of our desire for justice. But the rabbis understood that our unchecked passion for justice has the potential to do tremen-dous damage to our relationships.

In Benjamin Balint’s new book, Run-ning Commentary, he says that Commen-tary Magazine has lost some of its vibrance because it has settled into an ideological position that is too comfortable and pre-dictable. There was a time, says Balint, that you could see warriors of the right and the left slugging it out in the pages of Commentary. Nowadays, you pretty much know what you’re going to get when you read Commentary, and that is a loss to the Jewish community.

I would add to Balint’s observation that this dynamic is true of the Jewish commu-nity as a whole: There is a loss of tolerance for diversity in our own community. We

are increasingly quick to pre-judge people based on what we think they believe, and we are more prone than ever before to demand that our loyal friends march with us lockstep on a checklist of issues which we determine are the right way and the only way.

We say we love diversity. But do we really deserve that reputation? Can we really dis-

agree with each other on issues close to our heart without name calling? If that’s the case, no Jew should be called an enemy of Israel or a self-hating Jew because they support J Street. And no Jew should be ostracized or looked down upon because he or she belongs to the Republican Party.

The recent debate over whether a mosque should be built in New York near Ground Zero is a good example. Wherever we come down on this issue, I think we can all acknowledge that this issue is complex. You are not an idiot or anti-American if you believe the primary value that needs to be upheld here is that of religious freedom. And, you are not a bigot and a racist if you believe that a mosque should not be built in this particular place at this particular time.

The politics of contempt has become all too pervasive across the spectrum, on the left and on the right. The derisive label-ing of the other and the crude lumping together of people we’ve decided are our opponents has stifled real conversation and has put a damper on the truly open exchange of ideas. I’ve heard more than one story of friends and family members who have stopped talking to each other over political differences.

Diversity begins at home, in our own community, in our own congregation, in our own relationships. Benjy Balint’s pre-scription for Commentary is a great model for community, too. We are far more interesting, dynamic, and ethically sensi-tive when we have not settled into a pre-dictable way of thinking or acting.

So, I want to encourage all of us to try this technique. Whenever we’re in danger of feeling a little too self-righteous, let’s get in touch with our inner Larry David. The next time an argument threatens to get heated and personal, let’s turn to our part-ner, our friend, or our neighbor and ask them: “Do you respect wood?”

For the sake of shalom bayit, the time has come for all of us to curb our enthusi-asm — to step back from our own passion just enough to respect our friend’s point of view. We don’t have to relinquish our deepest convictions. Just a little bit will go a long way to preserving the relationships that are so important to us.

Curbing our enthusiasmrabbi Jay rosENbaum Herzl-ner Tamid conservative congregation

Words oF Wisdom?“Jewelry is something which can make even an ugly one beautiful.”Seriously? I must be missing something here. Is this the best you can cull from the

wisdom of the Ladinos (Ladino Lesson, Nov. 19)?I am appalled that something so trite and offensive would appear in our community news-

paper. What exactly is the point of this Ladino lesson? Should we look for someone ugly to buy jewelry for? And exactly who is it that is playing God and deciding who is ugly and who is not? How about something to inspire? To uplift? To make us think? This was none of that.

sheryl Kipnisseattle

The Jewish communal world has a problem. Well, several, but today let’s focus on one: The continuing gender gap in North American Jewish organizations.

A recently released study, titled “Jewish Communal Professionals in North Amer-ican: A Profile,” provides an unprece-dented look at more than 2,000 Jewish communal professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Commissioned by The Jewish Communal Service Associa-tion and conducted by the Berman Jewish Policy Archive at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School, the study pro-vides the first in-depth look, across the organizational divide, at who is working in U.S. Jewish communal institutions, their education, responsibilities, training, com-pensation and more.

The results are disturbing — especially regarding the continuing gender pay and leadership inequalities that exists across the communal landscape.

Women make up around two-thirds of all Jewish communal professionals, yet represent only 12 percent of leadership. They significantly lag behind men in com-pensation, with an overall gap of $28,000! Adjusting for age, years in the field, level of responsibility, hours worked, and degrees earned, women’s salaries still trail men’s by about $20,000.

Why?Is it because many opt to work for

smaller organizations that happen to have smaller budgets? Is it because women are not as strong at the negotiating table? Or men are stronger in marketing them-selves? Or is it, plain and simple, gender discrimination — are women just not pro-vided the same opportunities?

Jerry Silverman, the president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America has said, “I don’t know that we’ve put enough emphasis on grooming

women, building their capabilities, exper-tise, leadership.” That’s probably true, and the federation system certainly has not been setting any examples in this regard. It’s only recently, in San Francisco, that a woman has been selected CEO of a big city federation.

Writing this time last year in The Chron-icle of Philanthropy, Shifra Bronznick and Didi Goldenhar (professionals at Advanc-ing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community) said:

“If women — the majority of the work force — are not being cultivated for chief-executive posts, nonprofit groups are not making the best use of the dollars and professional development that they have already invested in their staffs. The persis-tence of the gender gap also signals a com-placency that is at odds with the values and can-do spirit of these mission-driven organizations.”

And where is the seat of this problem? With the communal leadership.

Communal leadership is, correctly, entrusted with the responsibility of man-aging its respective organizations. Com-munal leadership sets not only the agenda, but more importantly, the tone. And the lagging influence by women in many organizations does the community a dis-service.

Why is all this so important?Besides just plain fairness, all the orga-

nizations — from the smallest start-up to the largest federations — need to harness the very best talent that’s out there. They need to not only attract, but also retain, the cream of the crop to drive their agen-das forward. Seasoned talent is needed to fill the thousands of expected vacancies as baby boomers begin to retire.

The gender disconnect is also a mind-

The gender disconnectDaN browN eJewishPhilanthropy.com

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We are strong believers in Israel and what the nation stands for,”

says Martin Zelman. “My family fled Germany in 1939, leaving everything behind. When we came to the United States, my parents, with five children, started from scratch. This country has been good to us, and Lois and I believe in the power of education. By creating an AFHU Hebrew University Gift Annuity, we are helping Israel’s most capable and deserving students.”

“I’ve spent my life as a leader active in Jewish philanthropy,” says Lois. “It’s the way I was raised. Marty and I want to make a statement for the future. An AFHU Hebrew University Gift Annuity offers a win-win type of philanthropy. We receive a high regular rate of return during our lives, after which our gift supports the well-being of Israel and The Hebrew University.”

Since 1925, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has educated Israel’s brain trust, producing leaders in every field. Establishing an AFHU Hebrew University Gift Annuity

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85 9.5% 81.1%

90 11.3% 83.4%

Rates are calculated based on a single life. Visit http://www.afhu.org/charitable-gift-annuities

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AFHU_JTNews.indd 1 11/30/10 5:08 PM

set. How can it not accurately reflect the community’s make-up? Women play such a powerful role in Jewish life. They dis-proportionately choose employment in Jewish organizations only to find them-selves languishing in junior positions — choked off from the air of advancement. Too many organizations are still run like “old boys clubs.” And, until this mind-set is changed, the problem will continue to fester. First, it is necessary to admit that there is a problem and then to speak about it publicly and often.

This problem does not exist every-where, however. Seattle may be ahead of the curve. Several Jewish organizations, most notably the Stroum Jewish Com-munity Center and three of the six day schools, are led by women. Chief operating or financial officers at Jewish Family Ser-vice and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle are women as well.

“Maybe we’re more progressive,” says Judy Neuman, the Stroum JCC’s CEO, meaning that men are more likely to shoulder some of the household and famil-ial responsibilities that have traditionally fallen into the laps of women, whether they have careers or not.

But Neuman said that given those com-peting demands, many women simply choose not to seek the highest positions of leadership.

“It’s not about capability,” Neuman said. “It’s about opting not to go there.”

The Forward newspaper has been one of the very few voices speaking on this issue; other Jewish media need to join them. The depth of the problem needs to be dealt with and also the failure to really move forward during the past few years.

It is necessary to speak out when panels, or contest winners, are not gender balanced. If this doesn’t happen, there will be little or no incentive to act differently in the future.

Unlike many other challenges the com-munity faces today, this one can be recti-fied with some good planning and fairer advancement and compensation policies. All have a responsibility to do their part in not just breaking the glass ceiling, but helping to level the playing field.

As several Hillel students declared, at the recent New Orleans General Assembly of the Federation system, the Jewish world is still an exciting place to work. Every-one should pitch in and address this most important issue.

Like so much else, events have moved beyond conversation. Results are all that count going forward.

Dan Brown is the founder of eJewishPhilanthropy.com. A version of this article originally appeared in the Jerusalem Report.

GeNdeR W PaGe 3

FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2011JERUSALEM MARATHON

Come run through the center of history in modern day Jerusalem. The newest international marathon traverses the Old City on a scenic course over the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus, by Zion and Jaffa Gates, the Knesset and Israel Museum. Special packages available for U.S. runners, including airfare, hotel, tours, and race registration.For more information, please call 1-800-441-8908 or go to www.israeliconsulate.org.

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friday, december 10, 2010 . www.JTnews.neT . JTnews inside

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inside this issue

ladino lessonby isaac azosE

Se alevantaron los pipinos para aharvar a los bahchevanes.

The cucumbers rose (in rebellion) to strike the farmers.

Used in situations when a youngster, or someone without experience, thinks he knows more than an elder with much more experience.

looKing For a FeW good teensThe Stroum Jewish Community Center is looking for a few good teens. The SJCC will

send Team Seattle, teens ages 14-17 as of July 31, 2011, to the 2011 JCC Maccabi Experience in Israel. Twelve teen athletes and two teen artists will leave from New York on July 24, and return to Seattle August 5. During their stay, Team Seattle will participate in the JCC Mac-cabi Games, ArtsFest, and embark on a cultural experience exploring Israel.

Apply and receive more information at www.sjcc.org or by contacting recreation man-ager Jessica Wilkinson at 206-388-0826. Priority registration deadline is Fri., Dec. 17.

From December 9, 1994, page 1.Henry Friedman looks up at the

mezuzah hanging in the doorway of the newly opened Washington State Holo-caust Education Resource Center.

five women to watch 30JTNews profiles five women from our region that are doing a wide array of amazing, important things within our community. We’re excited about them — we hope you are, too!

hanukkah parties galore! 6Is it us, or did it feel like you couldn’t turn around without tripping over some sort of Hanukkah celebration? We got photos from as many as we could find so we could show you what you hopefully didn’t miss!

The maestro’s parting season 9Longtime Seattle Symphony music director Gerard Schwarz sat down with JTNews reporter Gigi Yellen-Kohn to talk about his history with the symphony, his inspiration for his final season, and the Jewish themes woven throughout.

breaking down a barrier 10The Israeli documentary Budrus, which opens in Seattle next week, is the story of a man in a Palestinian village that brings together his fellow villages and several Israelis to keep the security barrier off of his town’s land, and the nonviolent movement that emerged from that experience.

a coming together of high schools 23In Bellevue, the two Reform synagogues, Temple De Hirsch Sinai and Temple B’nai Torah, have long had a crossover of teens doing youth group programs. This fall, the two congregations decided to make the relationship a little more formal by merging their high schools.

The fire’s out, so now what? 24The most disastrous fire in Israel’s history is out, but the political fallout is even greater than the ash fallout. Now the north’s citizens must pick up the pieces and attempt to rebuild what they’ve lost while the politicians figure out what went wrong.

wikileaks not so bad for Israel 27The big hubbub around the hundreds of thousands of pages of documents released by the WikiLeaks Web site (the sexual exploits of its founder notwithstanding) has gone relatively easy on Israel — with the exception of some bumbling diplomacy.

morEa view from the u: now about that turkey… 8The arts 11m.o.T.: walking in historic Israeli event 12crossword 12community calendar 13lifecycles 37The Shouk classifieds 36

correction:The time listed for The Big Spin in the Nov. 26 issue was incorrect. The event is happening from 2–5 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 12, at the Museum of History and Industry.JTNews regrets the error.

look fordec. 24What’s a Jew to do?

Jan. 14new Year’s resolutions

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6 hanukkah celebraTions JTnews . www.JTnews.neT . friday, december 10, 2010

www.JewishInSeattle.org/DonateNow

Keep the light of hope burning for thousands of Jewish people.Even though Hanukkah is over,

your single act of generosity makes a real difference.

Give now, before year-end. Your Jewish community needs you.

kaTHerine lloyD/SJcc

Families lined up to light the 100 menorahs at the end of the “Coming Home for Hanukkah” celebration at the Stroum JCC.

raBBi SHoloM eliSHeviTz

Boys from the eastside Torah Center’s Hebrew school reenact the story of the Maccabees for a group of about 200 at a first-night Hanukkah celebration at Crossroads shopping center in Bellevue. Participants lit a six-foot menorah built out of Starbucks cups.

Joel Magalnick

Rabbi Jim and Julie Mirel sing “Maoz Tzur” following the candle lighting at the benefit dinner for MaZON: a Jewish Response to Hunger, held on dec. 5 at Temple de Hirsch Sinai in Seattle.

Community Celebrations

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Eric Miller is the Public Affairs Specialist for QFC. He can be reached at [email protected] or 425-990-6182.

QFC has everything you need to “Take Winter By Storm”By Eric Miller, QFC Public Affairs Specialist

2008’s treacherous winter saw storm after storm drop huge amounts of snow and ice on us that made getting from point A to B nearly impossible. Based on what we experienced right before Thanksgiving, it could shape up to be another very active winter for the Pacific Northwest. We owe it to our families and to ourselves to be prepared so that a weather emergency doesn’t become a catastrophe, and QFC has what you need to be ready.

Together with Take Winter by Storm and available at our checkstands, QFC is providing a checklist of emergency preparedness kit items for your home, work, school and vehicle. And they are all available at your neighborhood QFC:n Water—store at least one gallon of water per

person, per dayn Non-perishable food —for each family member

for up to 3 daysn Flashlight and extra batteries (AA, AAA, C, D,

9-Volt)n First aid-kitn Antiseptic towelettesn Personal hygiene supplies (toothbrush,

toothpaste, soap)

n Children/Baby Suppliesn Duct tapen De-Icern Firewoodn Hand warmersn Ice scrapern Safe-T Saltn Emergency candles

Other items to have close by in the event of severe weather:n Radio – NOAA Weather Radio is

preferred n Medications and other special needs

itemsn ID and other important documents

(birth certificate, insurance policies)

n Waterproof Matchesn Cashn Blanketsn Whistlen Pen and papern Walking canen Entertainment items – books, cards, music

It’s also a great idea to keep your vehicle’s fuel tank at least half

full at all times. If the roads are covered with ice and snow, you won’t run out of gas during a long drive home. Should you become stranded for any length of time, having

a blanket and a warm change of clothes in the car is very important.

Pre-planning is the key to making sure that you and your family will have

everything that is needed in the event of an emergency.

For additional information and other ways to stay safe this winter, please visit www.takewinterbystorm.org. With QFC and Take Winter by Storm, you WILL BE prepared.

Joel Magalnick

Miriam gets a little help making her hanukkiah out of clay. When it was dry and ready, she was able to watch the candles lit inside it.

Joel Magalnick

The Seattle Kollel had a booth with decorate-your-own doughnuts, and Ben did just that. Then he ate it.

Joel Magalnick

about 50 people showed up at the Pan Pacific Hotel on a rainy Tuesday evening to participate in the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s “Hanukkah Flash Mob.” The group walked from the Cascade neighborhood to Westlake Park in downtown Seattle, handing out glow stick “candles” and wishing people a happy holiday.

courTeSy JDS

Second graders Rifa, left, Celia, center, and Kaylee perform a skit at the Jewish day School’s all-school Hanukkah assembly on dec. 5.

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Back in the old days — when the Diaspora was known as Golus — Jews knew how to party. What would it take to get a Jewish celebra-tion going? Why, little more than an impending pogrom thwarted by the intervention of a wealthy local Jew who had the ear (and the purse strings) of the local prince or bishop!

Every year, at the anni-versary of the “nullification of the evil decree,” the local Jews would throw a Purim katan, a mini-Purim. Some com-munities even had “megillah readings” narrating the details of the planned atroc-ity and the heroic back-scene machina-tions that foiled the current “Haman, yimach shmo!”

The contemporary celebration of Israel Independence Day, Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, is the most recent reflex of this custom. Now, of course, instead of a Jewish queen, it is Zionism that comes to the rescue of the Jewish people “from another place” (namely, modern secular nationalism), saying “yes” to Jewish survival and “no” to past and future Holocausts.

I suspect that even the ardent Zion-ists among us (and would “ardent Zion-ists” still be “among us?”) may agree that Yom Ha-Atzma’ut is really best under-

stood as an Israeli celebration by Israelis and should remain that way.

So I ask — in the spirit of Purim katan — shouldn’t American Jews find a way of celebrating America as a unique redemptive moment in the pageant of contempo-rary Jewish well-being? Isn’t it time to acknowledge in a formal way — on the commu-

nal calendar! — the blessings that this country has bestowed

upon the Jewish people?If you’re with me this far, the next

question is: “Where on the calendar can we look?” The Fourth of July? I don’t think so. It’s already drenched in Americana, for one thing; for another, it has no Jewish resonance other than the depressing fact that it sometimes falls on the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz. Not good.

As it happens, the American holiday calendar already contains a perfect oppor-tunity to infuse Jewish meaning into the American national saga: None other than the recently passed Thanksgiving! What could be more Jewish than a harvest hol-iday that celebrates the providence of God in leading His chosen people to the promised land and thanking Him for the bounty He provides?

There’s only one problem, of course: The Thursday thing. You eat your turkey dinner on Thursday night and what hap-pens to Shabbos dinner on Friday night? Turkey leftovers? How does one give kavod to Thanksgiving without slighting Shabbos?

Well, over the years, my family has evolved the perfect solution to the “Thanks-giving conundrum.” In our house we cele-brate the Shabbos after Thanksgiving with the turkey dinner appropriate to Thanks-giving Day. We call it Shabbos Hodu (“The Shabbos of Thanksgiving”). This way, we do justice to the American dimension of being grateful for the blessing of Ameri-can freedom while continuing to honor the Sabbath as a day to revel in the free-dom of release from labor and, as we say in the kiddush, “a memorial of the libera-tion from Egypt.”

I’ll admit that the name, Shabbos Hodu, conceals a sly pun. In Hebrew, you see, the third-person plural imperative “give thanks” (hodu) is identical to the word for “turkey.” You know the Hallel Psalm hodu lashem ki tov (“Give thanks to God, for He is good,” Psalm 118:1)? Well, with only a twist of the translator’s art it could just as well be rendered “Have turkey for God’s sake, it’s so good!”

If you doubt the linguistic legitimacy of Shabbos Hodu, I would note that it

has a pedigree that goes back to the story of Purim. The megillah informs us in its first lines that King Ahasueros’s Persian empire extended from mi Hodu ad Kush” — from India to Ethiopia.”

Hodu, of course is the ancient (and modern) Hebrew name for India. Okay, so if hodu also means “India” what does that have to do with a new world bird like the turkey?

Chalk it up to the Zionist conspiracy! When the pioneers found it necessary to create Hebrew words for foods that never existed in the Bible or Mishna, and consid-ered what to call this tasty new world bird, they naturally leaned on the precedent of familiar languages like Arabic, Polish, and Russian.

As it happened, the Arabs called the turkey “the Indian rooster” (diiq Hindi), while in Russian and Polish it was known as “the Indian bird” (Indjushka, Inyczka). After all, it was native to “India” — as in West Indies, that is!

Why, even in Turkey, the bird is called “Hindi!”

And that, my friends, is how the Hebrew turkey became hodu. So, you may ask, how did this new world bird, in its own habitat, acquire a Turkish rather than a Hindu genealogy?

Let me appeal to the authority of NPR science blogger Robert Krulwich (“Why a Turkey is Called a Turkey”):

Long before Christopher Colum-bus went to America, Europeans already had a wild fowl they liked to eat. It came from Guinea, in Western Africa. It was a guinea fowl, imported to Europe by, yes, Turkish merchants. It was eaten in London. So it got the nickname Turkey coq, because it came from Constantinople. When British settlers got off the Mayflower in Massa-chusetts Bay Colony and saw their first American woodland fowl, even though it is larger than the African Guinea fowl, they decided to call it by the name they already used for the African bird. Wild forest birds like that were called “turkeys” at home.

There you have it all in a neat package, from Hodu to hodu, from Thanksgiving to Shabbos Hodu, from the old world to the new, from enslavement to freedom. So remember, when next November comes around — for God’s sake, have a turkey for Shabbos Hodu!

Martin S. Jaffee currently holds the Samuel & Althea Stroum Chair in Jewish Studies at the University of Washington. His award-winning columns for JTNews have recently been published in book form as The End of Jewish Radar: Snapshots of a Post-Ethnic American Judaism by iUniverse press.

Shabbos Hodu: For God’s sake, have a turkey!martiN JaFFEE JTnews columnist

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Editor’s Note: This is the first in a multi-part series that will run throughout the next several months on thoughts from Seattle Symphony music director Gerard Schwarz during his final season.

“When you do what you do for the right reasons, it usually works. Not always. But usually.”

Seattle Symphony music director Gerard Schwarz is assessing his legacy here, in the midst of his farewell season, a most remarkable time in his remarkable professional life. In the dining room of his comfortable Queen Anne home, with sweeping views of Elliott Bay at his back, the maestro settled in for a wide-ranging visit with JTNews.

Many people get nostalgic at this time of year, musing about time passing, and about what has been done and what not. But as this city celebrates what he’s done during 26 years at the Symphony, Maestro Schwarz speaks with more enthusiasm than nostalgia.

What he’s done for “the right reasons,” he says, has lifted Seattle Symphony, and its city, to new levels of prominence: More than 125 recordings, 12 Grammy nomi-nations, two Emmys, and Benaroya Hall itself. The magnificent concert hall that came into existence during his tenure — and in great part thanks to his personal campaign — not only transformed down-town Seattle with its Chihuly-spangled beauty, but earned international praise for its splendid acoustics. And Schwarz him-self has earned a slew of personal kudos, including ASCAP honors for exemplify-ing “the ideal American conductor,” Musi-cal America’s Conductor of the Year, and Seattle’s 2009 First Citizen Award.

Maestro Schwarz’s Farewell Season, launched on Seattle Symphony’s open-ing night in September, continues through June 2011. When it’s over, he’ll become the orchestra’s Conductor Laureate, taking the podium every now and then as a visitor, while he moves his career in new direc-tions. He and his family plan to keep Seat-tle as their home base.

While the orchestra’s new artistic and administrative personnel prepare for next season—the new music director, Ludovic Morlot, takes over next summer, and the new executive director, Simon Woods, in May — Maestro Schwarz, this season, con-tinues premiering new music and releasing new recordings.

The 18 world premieres spread out across this season’s concerts reflect Schwarz’s commitment to American music. He per-sonally selected the 18 composers who received commissions from philanthropists Agnes Gund and Charles Simonyi.

“These commissions came up because I identified my closest associates who are composers, my closest friends of long standing,” Schwarz emphasizes. “I only thought about one thing, and that’s the

Gerard Schwarz’s farewell season: The maestro celebrates friendship as the source of new music GiGi yEllEN-KohN JTnews correspondent

music that they write, and the fact that we had a relationship. So I didn’t ask younger composers who I might like, and think are tremendous, and think that they have great careers for the future, just because we don’t have that relationship.”

Sharing the programs with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in concerts on and around New Year’s Eve will be the world premiere of “Prelude to Black Swan,” an interpretation of Brahms by Bright Sheng, one of several former Seattle Sym-phony composers-in-residence to receive a Gund/Simonyi commission.

The oldest of the commissioned com-posers is Gunther Schuller.

“He and I started working together when I was a trumpet player 43 years ago,” Schwarz recalls. “We were very close. It was a wonderful period. I haven’t done much with Gunther in recent years, so it also gave me the opportunity to reconnect.”

Schuller has written “a huge work, big orchestra, very fun, wild, eccentric in a way, also very short. I think it will be perfect.”

That commission, “Bagatelle: With Swing,” will be performed Jan. 6 and 8.

Schwarz’s nostalgia muscle warms up and stretches back: “Ellen Zwillich (Feb-ruary 3, 5, 6) was a friend when we were both at Juilliard together. She wrote for

the trumpet a lot. She might even have played the trumpet, I don’t know. She was the [associate] producer of my famous Haydn/Hummel Trumpet Concertos.”

Schwarz has brought commissions to other old friends: Bernard Rands (Decem-ber 7), Augusta Read Thomas (opening night, September 2010), Aaron Kernis (October), Portland-based David Schiff (March 31, 2011). Current composer-in-residence Samuel Jones premiered a piece in October; former composers-in-resi-dence include David Stock (November) and Richard Danielpour (April 2-3, 2011). Some of Robert Beaser’s music (February 17-19) is included on Schwarz’s record-ings for the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music. The season will conclude with new works by Paul Schoenfield (June 2, 4, 5) and Philip Glass (June 16 and 18).

Another project in honor of the Fare-well Season: Two new recordings.

Schwarz and Seattle Symphony have just released a three-disc set of all four Brahms Symphonies.

“Seattle Symphony and I have per-formed the Brahms symphonies more than one hundred times together,” the conductor notes. The orchestra will per-form the Brahms 4th Symphony in con-cert this season, too, on one of its new

Rush Hour concerts, February 4. And just in time for their tradi-

tional New Year’s Eve performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Schwarz and the orchestra have this month released a new recording of the Beethoven 9th, famous for its “Ode to Joy” finale. Both Beethoven and Brahms recordings are being distributed by Seattle Symphony, available on amazon.com, cdbaby, and at the Symphony’s Symphonica store in the Boeing Gallery at Benaroya Hall.

Gerard Schwarz embraces his Jewish identity, making it an active part of his artistic life. More about that and about the TV show he’s working on, in the next parts of this conversation. But for now, a bit more of Schwarz’s self-assessment: “What I’ve done all my life, whether it’s been my personal life or my musical life, I’ve always tried to do everything for the right reasons. Always. And sometimes it’s popular, and sometimes it’s not so pop-ular. Y’know, you make decisions in an orchestra, as a leader, sometimes you do things and someone doesn’t like you for it. But that’s the way it goes.”

Visit www.seattlesymphony.org for ticket and schedule information on upcoming Farewell Season concerts.

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Happy New Year

The end of the Israeli-Palestinian con-flict will happen as a result of the everyday efforts of ordinary people, not the procla-mations of politicians, filmmakers Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha are convinced.

Encounter Point, their powerhouse 2006 documentary, focused on Jews and Arabs who’d lost loved ones to violence yet were committed to forgiveness and peace. The duo’s new film, Budrus, spot-lights a Palestinian man who forged alli-ances between local Fatah and Hamas followers to organize an ongoing protest — joined by dozens of Israelis — to stop the construction of the separation barrier on the titular village’s land.

“The film came about very much in response to a curiosity and a desire expressed in the Jewish community in the West, in America, in Israel, where people were asking where is the Palestinian nonviolence move-ment,” Avni explained in an interview after Budrus screened in the San Francisco Inter-national Film Festival in May.

“Often the phrase that followed the question was something along the lines of, ‘If only Palestinians adopted nonviolence, there would be peace,’” Avni related. “The film explores what it looks like when a Pal-

estinian nonviolence movement emerges. And what is the Israeli response. If there are difficult moments in the film, we hope that that raises a discussion about what we in the international community can do to support truly nonviolent methods to resolve the conflict.”

Bacha and Avni collected and orga-nized verité footage shot by numerous professionals and amateurs in Budrus from the beginning of the separation bar-rier in 2003 through last year. Interest-ingly, and intentionally, they leave the film’s ending date vague for viewers.

“Budrus is happening today in other villages,” Avni says, “so we didn’t want people to think that the events chronicled in the film were of another era and aren’t relevant today.”

Avni, who was born in Canada and also holds Israeli and (more recently) Amer-ican citizenship, and Bacha (who is not Jewish) see themselves as more than film-makers. They founded the Washington, D.C. and Jerusalem-based organization Just Vision not just to funnel financial support for their documentaries, but to provide organized outreach and ongoing influence in support of those working for nonviolent resolution of the conflict.

“Media plays a critical role in expos-ing or obscuring the contribution that civil society has made and can make on this issue,” Avni declares. “There has been a disproportionate coverage of militancy and militarism compared to communities and individuals trying to problem-solve.”

‘Budrus’ producer touts Palestinian nonviolencemichaEl Fox Special to JTnews

If you go:

Budrus opens Fri., dec. 17 at the landmark Varsity theatre, 4329 university Way ne, seattle. check listings for showtimes.

aiSHa MerSHani

The Israeli army in Budrus.

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Page 11: JTNews | December 10, 2010

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In a sound-bite world, newscasts will always make room for shooting and shout-ing. But they can’t compress long-term process into a 60-second segment.

“It’s much harder to tell stories about slow, bottom-up change,” Avni says. “I think documentary film is uniquely positioned to tell those kinds of stories. They complement other forms of media coverage, and that’s where our contribution lies.”

Budrus screened at the Dubai, Berlin and Tribeca film festivals, and received Oscar qualifying runs in Los Angeles and New York this summer. The documentary opens December 17 at the Landmark Var-sity Theater in Seattle’s University District.

As a liberal Jew, Avni is acutely aware of and sensitive to the attitudes of a segment of the American Jewish community vis a vis the Palestinians.

“I don’t think the subject in our film questions Israeli concerns about secu-rity,” she says. “So audiences get to see that it’s not a zero-sum equation. [The Pales-tinians] are not calling for anyone to be endangered in any way and they are very clear about that. But they aren’t going to sit quietly when they are losing land and their communities are in danger.”

In conclusion, Avni offers a kind of challenge to her fellow Jews.

“What I’d like to see in the Jewish com-munity is a deeper discussion about what constitutes nonviolence,” she says.” We all have a lot of learning to do to understand it beyond the iconic images and clichés. I think Gandhi would be a good starting point.”

BUdRUS W PaGe 10

december 10, 7:30 p.m.eli rosenblattlive musicSeattle’s perennial Afro-Cuban/Klezmer performer takes his act north on I-5. His warm, genre-blending songs will surely warm up the chill of a post-Hanukkah winter evening. At Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park. 17171 Bothell Way NE.

december 11, 5 p.m.robin goldstein and Friendsreading and discussionRobin Goldstein is the founder and editor of the Fearless Critic Seattle Restaurant Guide. He will be joined by some of his fellow food critics, including Alexis Herschkowitsch, Car-issa Bluestone, and Jay Friedman. Plus, there will be wine. At Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., Seattle.

december 12, 4 p.m.sJcc Jewish touch lecture series: adam stern

The Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director Adam Stern discusses Aaron Copland, one of America’s greatest composers. At the Stroum Jewish Community Center, 3801 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island.

december 24, 5:45 p.m.moo shoo, matzoh balls, and a couple of Wise guysdinner and entertainmentThis Christmas Eve, enjoy a little of everything with this new Jewish holiday tradition: A festive evening of Chinese food and a movie, plus Yiddish’eh music, Jewish comedy, and dancing. At The Little Red Bistro, 400 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle. Tickets $20 at BrownPaperTickets.com or $30 at the door.

december 19, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.elves and the shoemakerWillow branch Puppet theater troupeMalya Muth performs “Elves and the Shoemaker” as adapted by DoloresRose Duanehauer, who also hand-created all the marionettes, the prop, and the set. The show features nine characters, plus narration – and lots of singing and dancing. At Seattle Waldorf School, Huckleberry Hall. 1600 John St., Seattle. $8 children/seniors, $9 general admission.

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12 m.o.T.: member of The Tribe JTnews . www.JTnews.neT . friday, december 10, 2010

1 When Lauren Mayo left Seattle for the Young Judaea Year Course in

Israel, the Ballard High School grad probably didn’t realize that she’d get to participate in an historic event.

On Oct. 28, Lauren joined the first Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure ever to be held in that country. The race (most participants walked) around the walls of Jerusalem was the inaugu-ral event of the Israel Breast Cancer Ini-tiative Collaborative, a new partnership between Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization, and the Komen foundation, which raises cancer awareness and money for cancer research. More than 6,000 men and women of all religions, many of them cancer patients or survivors, wearing pink, carried pink balloons and walked together, demonstrating their commitment to find-ing a cure for the disease.

Lauren e-mailed me that Young Judae-ans participated in the walk as an orga-nized group activity and said it was a fun event. (Young Judaea is the youth program of Hadassah.) At the end there were speak-ers and music.

“Survivors and organizers, a male victim of breast cancer even spoke,” Lauren wrote.

Bellingham resident Katie Edelstein walked, too. The Hadassah national board member says she planned to be there the moment the organization announced the event. The event began for her the evening before with a reception at the U.S. Ambas-sador’s residence. She met Nancy Brinker, Susan G.

Komen for the Cure founder and sister of the late Susan Komen, as well as Senator Joe and Hadassah Lieberman. That night, the walls of Jerusalem were lit pink in sup-port of the race.

The day of the walk, Katie wrote, she was thrilled to see “Jewish, non-Jewish and Arab women (and men) coming together and walking side by side in the streets of Jerusalem for a common cause.” It cre-ated “an extraordinary image that proved people can work together under the right circumstances.”

Katie said she has been inspired and infused with “greater determination to do what I can to fight the fight against breast cancer.”

A slide show of the day’s events is at www.hadassah.org.

Seattle Chapter Hadassah will be hold-ing a cancer-awareness event called Breast Cancer Exposed this coming spring. Watch for details in early 2011.

2 Robin Rogel-Goldstein of Bellevue will be installed as a vice president of Women’s League for Conserva-

tive Judaism at its 2010 biennial conven-tion on Dec. 12 in Baltimore. Women’s League is the largest synagogue women’s organization in the world and almost 1,000 women are expected to attend the event.

Robin grew up in Congregation Herzl-

Washington residents walked in historic Israel event DiaNa brEmENt JTnews columnist

tribe

courTeSy lauren Mayo

Lauren Mayo, left, with one of her Young Judaea Year Course buddies, after the Susan Komen Race for the Cure in Israel last month.

PaGe 29 X

Answers on page 38

The Jerusalem Post Crossword PuzzleBy David Benkof

Across1. Yemenite Jewish singer Ofra5. Erie or Panama10. Ben Gurion carousel item13. “Cheers” actress Pearlman14. Excuse15. First name in Holocaust novelists16. “Bruno” actor ___ Cohen18. Tiny particles19. Skirt’s edge20. 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

Issue cover model Bar22. ACLU President, 1991-200826. ___ HaTzofim (Mount Scopus)27. Doofus28. First day of the wk. in Israel29. Arm of Israel30. Israeli, for example32. The Alter ___36. Make-up artist?38. The Jerusalem Leonardo Plaza, e.g.40. “___ on Entebbe” (1977 film)41. Essayist Ginsberg, AKA Ahad

Ha’am43. “Give me your ___, your poor...”45. Acid46. Slammer48. Above49. Hanukkah present, often50. Vermont governor, 1985-199155. I n formation56. Anne Meara, to Ben Stiller57. Much58. Longtime TV talk show hostess64. Hawaiian garlands65. One kind of change66. Wrinkle remover67. Eliminate68. Short-story writer Keret69. Addition column

Down1. Mins. and mins.2. I’ve got it!3. Eleventh minor prophet4. Expressed amazement5. One way to get around Tel Aviv6. Fla. neighbor7. Jerusalem mayor Barkat8. End early9. One-___ (Henny Youngman

specialties)10. St. Louis sportsmen11. It’s walked down on the way to

the chuppah12. Be admitted, as to Hebrew

University15. He played “Lou Grant”17. Standing devotional21. Seder number (questions, cups,

sons)22. Eichmann and Himmler23. Snack24. Former N.Y. Gov. Spitzer25. WABC, e.g.26. Waikiki wiggle31. Chutzpah33. Location of the Ner Israel yeshiva34. Unusual kosher meat35. Mini-whirlpool37. Practices39. Onion relative42. Lean (on)44. Mike Portnoy’s instrument for

Dream Theater47. Space ___ (Seattle site)50. ___ Adumim (Jerusalem suburb)51. Pennsylvania politician Specter52. Kind of smartphone53. “The Complete ___’s Guide to

Jewish History and Culture”54. Like very few games59. Egg ___60. Hard-rock center61. The other woman62. Actor Silver (“Enemies: A Love

Story”)63. Nav. rank

Page 13: JTNews | December 10, 2010

friday, december 10, 2010 . www.JTnews.neT . JTnews communiTy calendar 13

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oNGoiNG EvENtsEvent names, locations, and times are provided here for ongoing weekly events. Please visit calendar.jtnews.net for descriptions and contact information.

FriDays12:30–3:30 p.m. – Bridge groupStroum Jewish Community Center 12:30–3:30 p.m. – Drop-in Mah JonggStroum JCC 9:30–10:30 a.m. – SJcc Tot ShabbatStroum JCC 11 a.m.–12 p.m. – Tots Welcoming ShabbatTemple B’nai Torah

saturDays9–10:15.am. – learner’s Minyan with ron ScheenweissCongregation Beth Shalom (2nd Saturday of month)10 a.m. – Morning youth ProgramCongregation Ezra Bessaroth10:30 a.m. – adult Torah StudyTemple B’nai Torah5 p.m. – The ramchal’s Derech Hashem, Portal from the ari to ModernityCongregation Beth Ha’Ari Beit Midrash6:30 p.m. – avot ubanimSeattle Kollel

9:45 a.m. – BcMH youth ServicesBikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath

suNDays10:15 a.m. – Sunday Torah StudyCongregation Beth Shalom7:30–10:30 p.m. – He’ari israeli DancingDanceland Ballroom8:30 p.m. – Talmud, yeshiva-StyleEastside Torah Center

moNDays10 a.m.–2 p.m. – Jcc Seniors groupStroum JCC12:30 p.m. – caffeine for the SoulChabad of the Central Cascades7 p.m. – cSa Monday night classesCongregation Shevet Achim (at Northwest Yeshiva High School)7 p.m. – ein yaakov in english Congregation Shaarei Tefilah10 a.m. – Jewish Mommy and MeWest Seattle Torah Learning Center (at Hiawatha Community Center)8:30 p.m. – Talmud in HebrewEastside Torah Center8 p.m. – Women’s israeli Dance classLakewood/Seward Park Community Club

11 a.m.–12 p.m. – Women-only Torah Study classChabad of the Central Cascades

tuEsDays11 a.m.–12 p.m. – Mommy and Me ProgramChabad of the Central Cascades. Call for location.12 p.m. – Torah for WomenEastside Torah Center (at Starbucks Bellevue Galleria)7 p.m. – alcoholics anonymous MeetingsJewish Family Service8:15 p.m. – Psalms with Beth HuppinCongregation Beth Shalom7 p.m. – Teen centerStroum JCC7–8 p.m. – Hebrew i (alef Bet)Congregation Beth Shalom.7:30 p.m. – Weekly round Table kabbalah classEastside Torah Center (call for location)8:15–9:30 p.m. – living Judaism-The Basics with Mary PotterCongregation Beth Shalom

wEDNEsDays11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Talmud BerachotTullys Westlake Center1:30 p.m. – Book club at the Stroum JccStroum JCC

7 p.m. – Beginning israeli Dancing for adults with rhona FeldmanCongregation Beth Shalom7–8 p.m. – Beginning Modern HebrewCongregation Beth Shalom7–8:30 p.m. – Modern Hebrew literatureCongregation Beth Shalom (1st Wednesday)7–9 p.m. – Teen lounge for Middle SchoolersNCSY (at Congregation BCMH)7:30 p.m. – Parshas HashavuahEastside Torah Center8:15–9:15 p.m. – resurrection, the afterlife & reincarnationCongregation Beth Shalom

thursDays10 –2 p.m. – Jcc Seniors groupStroum JCC6:50 p.m. – introduction to HebrewHerzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation7 p.m. – Junior Teen centerNCSY (at the Stroum JCC)8–10 p.m. – Teen lounge for High SchoolersCongregation BCMH 8–9:30 p.m. – Beth Shalom Beit MidrashCongregation Beth Shalom (2nd Thursday of month)

Have you visited the new online Jewish community calendar? Find it at calendar.jtnews.net!

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open december 24 reservations available for groups

of 5 or more.

Join the Seattle BBYo 180@$180 Campaign

Seattle Friends & Alumni Network needs you to join us in securing the resources necessary to help BBYO flourish in our community. This Year Seattle FAN is recruiting 180 community members to meet the funding needs of our regions.

pleaSe Join our 180@$180 Campaign todaY!(https://fan.bbyo.org/support/donate/seattle)

For more information, or to get involved in Seattle FAN, please e-mail [email protected] or call 206.388.0837donations of $180 and above made by 12/31/10 will be generously matched

100% by the Spitzer Foundation up to $5000.

The original from queen anne

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candle lighting Times12/10/10 .......................... 4:00 p.m.12/17/10 .......................... 4:01 p.m.12/24/10 ......................... 4:04 p.m.12/31/10 .......................... 4:09 p.m.

suNDay 12 DEcEmbEr 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. –choices, changes and challenges: Parenting a Tween or Teen

Marjorie Schnyder at [email protected]

or 206-861-3146 or www.jfsseattle.org/uploads/pdf/ParentingTeens.pdfAs children grow they go through many changes. Parents must adapt to new roles, learn new parenting approaches, and adjust to a changing relationship. Gain insight and tools on three topics of significant interest. Led by professionals from JFS. $10 per session. At Jewish Family Service, 1601 16th Ave., Seattle.2–5 p.m. – The Big Spin!

Laura Glass at [email protected] or

206-579-5372 or thebigspin.orgGet ready for The 2nd Annual Big Spin! The blow-out

Hanukkah event featuring music, fantastic crafts and delicious food. Join organizers to help raise money for Seattle Children’s Hospital. At MOHAI, 2700 24th Ave. E, Seattle.5–9 p.m. – lamplighter annual Dinner & auction

Tammy Nguyen at

[email protected] or 206-523-9766 or www.mmscdayschool.orgMenachem Mendel Seattle Cheder’s annual fundraising dinner and auction. $90. At the social hall at Ezra Bessaroth, 5217 S Brandon St., Seattle.7–9 p.m. – rosh chodesh group

Carol Benedick at carolbenedick@

bethshalomseattle.org or 206-524-0075 or www.bethshalomseattle.orgCynthia Gayle will guide the group in a bibliodrama on the first heroines of Exodus, the midwives Shifrah and Puah. At Congregation Beth Shalom, 6800 35th Ave. NE, Seattle.

tuEsDay 14 DEcEmbEr 10–11:30 a.m. – Jews in china

Ellen Hendin at [email protected]

or 206-861-3183 or www.jfsseattle.org/uploads/pdf/EO_Dec10_V1.pdfJews have lived in China for more than 1,000 years. Learn about the fascinating stories of the Jews of China in an illustrated talk by Rabbi Anson Laytner, president of the Sino-Judaic Institute. Please RSVP. Free. At Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 3850 156th Ave. SE, Bellevue.

wEDNEsDay 15 DEcEmbEr 7:30 p.m. – Heroines of the Bible — Her Story, My Story

Devorah Kornfeld at

[email protected] by the Jewish Learning Institute’s Rosh Chodesh Society, discuss six celebrated personalities in Jewish history in this monthly series. Connect with these women and enter their stories. For December: Sarah, the mother of intention, our matriarch’s mission. Presented by Devorah Kornfeld. For women only. Cost includes materials. $75 for series. At the Community Center at Mercer View, 8236 SE 24th St., Mercer Island.

Wednesday, december 22, 1:30 p.m.uncle moishyFamily concertPremier entertainer-educator Uncle Moishy brings his act to Seattle. There will be singing, dancing, and Jewish learning at a show fit for all ages. Tickets $18/$10 kids, avail-able at Island Crust Pizza, the Bikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath office, and at the door. At Torah Day School, 3528 S Ferdinand St., Seattle.

THe aRTS W PaGe 11

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Winter celebrationsAlana Antique & Estate Jewelry ..............................................16Ben Bridge Jewelers ................................................................16Bellevue Club and Hotel Bellevue ..........................................22Big Picture ..............................................................................20Embassy Suites Bellevue .........................................................18Emmanuel’s Fine Rug & Upholstery Specialists ......................25Kaspars Events & Catering .....................................................19The Landing & Northcut Conference Room .........................20Madison Park Cafe .................................................................19Nosh Away Catering ..............................................................19Organic Table ........................................................................18Shawn’s Kugel ........................................................................19Talaris Conference Center .....................................................19Tulalip Resort Casino .............................................................22United Insurance Brokers, Inc ................................................25Well Done Events ..................................................................18What the Chelm ....................................................................16Woodland Park Zoo ..............................................................22

Photo courtesy of Kaspars

Focus on bellevueAcura of Bellevue ....................................................................25Aljoya .....................................................................................26 The Bellettini ..........................................................................17Bellevue Club and Hotel Bellevue ..........................................22BMW Bellevue ........................................................................29Crossroads ..............................................................................28Druxman, Esther/Realty Executives .......................................27Embassy Suites Bellevue .........................................................18Evergreen Speech & Hearing .................................................27Frimer, Mary/John L. Scott ....................................................32Greenbaum Home Furnishings ..............................................27Minor & James Medical ..........................................................21Oh! Chocolate .......................................................................18Overlake Hospital ..................................................................25S. M. Piha Company ..............................................................29Sky High Sports .....................................................................20Temple B’nai Torah ................................................................23Temple De Hirsch Sinai .........................................................28Thai Ginger ............................................................................27Uwajimaya .............................................................................29

Photo by David Johanson Vasquez/Big Picture Photography

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2

Alana Antique & Estate Jewelry

Everything in Alana’s is a treasure — something exquisitely beautiful that can’t be found anywhere else.

“People come to Alana’s to find something different,” says owner Alana Fornoni. “They don’t want something someone picked out of a catalogue or something all their friends have. They also would like to know the story behind the piece.”

Alana is happy to share that story, if she knows it. But she has observed that most people inherit a piece of jewelry with no idea who owned it originally or what it’s worth. With her expert eye and years of experience, Alana recognizes quality when she sees it and can usually tell the owner when their jewelry was made and its market value. For more information about Alana: Antique & Estate Jewelry, visit www.alanajewelry.com. The Web site has extensive photographs of inventory and pricing.

The Bellevue Club and Hotel Bellevue

The Bellevue Club and Hotel Bellevue is a four-star, four-diamond, internationally recognized boutique property that provides a private retreat in luxurious accommodations. Located in Bellevue, they are one of the Eastside’s premier, most-sought-after locations to celebrate a special event.

Their versatile and beautifully appointed Olympic Ballroom is the perfect setting for your special occasion. Their newly designed ballroom has rich textural mixes of warm woods, resin walls and a glass focal point.

Suspenseful, color changing accent walls and cove lighting match your décor. Your guests will find the intimate scale and elegant atmosphere to be truly exceptional. Whether you prefer a sit-down dinner, an elaborate buffet or hors d’oeuvres reception, their culinary team will assist you in creating the perfect menu with classic elegance to suit your style. They will help you to create a spectacular event with their attentive and professionally trained culinary and service staff. Private, professional and prestigious, they are the Eastside’s only social address. Contact [email protected] or 425-688-3380.

Ben Bridge

Nears A Century of ServiceIn 1912 a personal jeweler opened a family-

run store in downtown Seattle. Nearly 100 years later, Ben Bridge is still a family-run business, but one that has grown to more than 70 stores.

Today, Ben’s grandsons Ed and Jon Bridge manage the company. They attribute Ben Bridge’s longevity and success to the company’s commitment to quality and customer service.

“We want our customers to feel confident with every selection,” explains Ed Bridge, “that’s why Ben Bridge has more Registered Jewelers and Certified Gemologists than any other jeweler in the country.”

Though nearing its centennial, Ben Bridge is still growing. This includes opening a second store at Seattle’s University Village — one dedicated to the wildly popular jewelry line Pandora, and relocating a very successful Ben Bridge Jeweler in Alaska’s retail district in downtown Anchorage.

As they look to the next 100 years, the Bridge family knows one thing will never change: Ben Bridge is dedicated to being your personal jeweler.

Big Picture

Big Picture is now available for all-ages parties! So now you can reserve Big Picture to celebrate your birthday, graduation, sweet 16, Bar/Bat Mitzvah or family reunion. Feature your special star on the big screen and enjoy a private DVD movie party.

Big Picture is affordable and uniquely entertaining.To book your memorable event, contact at 425-556-0566 or [email protected]. They have

two locations: Redmond Town Center and in Belltown.

Jewish Band MusicKlezmer, Israeli, Yiddish,

Ladino and moreFor all occasions

Info and Bookings: 360-676-1621www.whatthechelm.com

Wha

t the Chelm

Vintage Wedding Sets • 1 year interest-free financing available

Northgate Mall 206-362-6227 Visit us online: www.alanajewelry.com

We Buy

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Obviously frowny-face is stressed out from all the holiday preparations. And smiley-face?

He’s sipping cocoa while relaxing in front of a warm fire. Be a smiley-face, move

into The Bellettini Retirement Community before the holidays. All of your needs

will be taken care of so you can just have fun. See, we’ve got you smiling already!

Call (425) 450-0800 now to schedule your complimentary guided tour and lunch.

Guess whomoved in

this winter?

1115 - 108th Avenue NE | Bellevue | (425) 450-0800 | www.thebellettini.com

Embassy Suites Bellevue

Whether it’s a holiday celebration, wedding, birthday, anniversary, Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, Embassy Suites Bellevue can help make it a special event. A beautiful six-story garden atrium with lush tropical plants, river and cascading waterfall, elegantly appointed ballrooms, great food, two-room suites for your overnight guests, and a professional staff, will make the planning process easy. Their in-house chef is happy to accommodate custom menu requests or you can choose one of their pre-planned menu options. Their catering managers can also assist you with choosing your DJ, florist and photographer. With a great location, just off I-90, they offer plenty of free parking.

Book an event with at least 30 guests and get a free night’s stay in a standard suite. Not good with other offers.For more information call Brittany at 425-698-6689 or visit

www.seattlebellevue.embassysuites.com.

Emmanuel’s Fine Rug & Upholstery Specialists

They’ve been cleaning rugs, carpets, furniture and fine Orientals for more than 100 years. You can count on them! Highest-quality carpet cleaning, custom in-plant rug washing, rug repair and blind and upholstery cleaning. They specialize in Oriental care, repair and mending and restoration. Emmanuel’s is the place to go for consigned new and antique Orientals, rug sales and appraisals, as well as on-site carpet cleaning and maintenance. Fifteen percent off all in-home services. Gift certificates available. For more information call 206-322-2200, fax 206-325-3841 or visit www.emmanuelsrug.com.

Kaspars

You will remember your special day for the rest of your life, so choosing the right partners to help you is an important decision. The team at Kaspars Special Events and Catering, with more than 20 years of experience and a reputation for excellence, will support you through the entire planning process, including venue selection, menu creation, ceremony, and reception planning, ensuring you are stress-free.

Family owned and operated, Kaspars’ passion is to provide creative, fresh cuisine and superior service at a reasonable price. They cater to groups of all sizes, both within Kaspars as well as at off-site locations including private homes. Whether you are entertaining a few or a few hundred guests, the elements for success are the same: Superb fare, impeccable service, the proper ambience, and the right caterer! Kaspars Special Events and Catering has it all. Call 206-298-0123, fax 206-298-0146 or visit www.kaspars.com.

The Landing and Northcut Conference Room

Give your casual graduation party an extra touch of elegance, welcome your teen into adulthood with sophistication, or make your wedding sparkle. The Landing also transforms into the perfect setting for your theatre performance, wedding reception, prom, live band, or dance workshop. The patio with open terrace setting extends the pleasant ambience of any special event.

The Northcut Conference Room meeting facility is an extraordinary setting for your off-site meetings, conferences, executive retreats, and ideas for all-staff retreats. For more information, please contact 206-786-0627 or [email protected].

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Let The Organic Table cater your next event with delicious food made from seasonal, local and organic ingredients.

www.organictablecatering.com n 206.551.4084

B’nai Mitzvah, company parties, reunions, weddings, a cozy dinner for 50...

www.we l ldoneven t s . comWhat will make your event memorable, beautiful, and easy on you?

Nosh Away Catering

Nosh Away Inc. is a full-service kosher catering company servicing the greater Seattle community. Size and type of event have no limitations. Whether it is dinner for two, or a gala event for 2,000, Nosh Away will bring to bear amazing concern for the event by paying meticulous attention to all of the details that ensure success. Nosh Away has teamed up with many venues in the Seattle area to provide customers and guests with a wonderful dining experience, providing excellent quality and professional service. Under kosher supervision of the Va’ad of Greater Seattle, their 3,000-square-foot, fully equipped commissary and bakery operates daily to provide for all of Nosh Away’s catering needs. Visit www.noshaway.com.

Shawn’s Kugel

Shawn’s Kugel is the premier Jewish band in the Pacific Northwest. Voted Best Jewish Band by JTNews readers in 2007, they have performed for enthusiastic clients for more than 11 years. They specialize in getting guests to participate in folk dancing and horas at weddings, B’nai Mitzvah and other lifecycle events. Shawn’s Kugel has released four CDs, with the latest being Odyssey.

Check out Shawn’s Kugel on MySpace, CD Baby, or iTunes to hear some songs and learn more about this Northwest treasure. Contact 206-523-9298 or [email protected] or visit pweb.jps.net/~shawnsax.

Madison Park Café

Simmering in Seattle for more than 30 years.

The Madison Park Café provides full-service catering for all your Jewish lifecycle events including B’nai Mitzvah, weddings, and other simchot. The café offers French bistro food and professional service as well as wine, liquor, beer and rentals. Contact Karen Binder at 206-324-2626 or [email protected].

The Organic Table

Let The Organic Table cater your next event with delicious food made from seasonal, local and organic ingredients.

Their menus feature a seasonal selection of local, organic fare from farmers, ranchers, bakers, fishermen, and cheesemakers who they have grown to know personally in conjunction with their sister restaurants, the three Seattle-area Portage Bay Cafés. Host your evening event in one of their cafés, or let the Organic Table come to you. From full-service weddings and B’nai Mitzvah to simple breakfast buffets, their team will create a memorable event that will garner raves from your guests. Visit www.organictablecatering.com or call 206-551-4084.

Flexible banquet and meeting space, accommodating events with up to 500 guests

Extensive catering menu selections with special requests available

Six story atrium featuring lush tropical plants and waterfall

240 spacious two-room suites

Complimentary full cooked-to-order breakfast and evening reception daily

Complimentary parking

Premier location to Eastside synagogues and easy I-90 access

Book an event and bring in this ad to receive 10 dozen complimentary hors d’oeuvres (min. 50 dinners, not good with other offers)

Embassy Suites Bellevue, 3225 158th Avenue SE, Bellevue, WA 98008

Suite Simcha

Contact our professional Catering Department at 425.698.6689 for more information or to book your next event.

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Minutes from the city.

talariscc.com 206.268.7000 [email protected]

Talaris Conference Center is the ideal event and meeting destination on 18-acres near the University

of Washington for groups up to 150 guests.

Miles from distraction.

Mention “JT News” when you book and receive 5% off your master bill!* Call for details.

*Event must be booked by December 31, 2010 and take place by March 31, 2011.

Talaris Conference Center

Talaris Conference Center, a retreat, event and meeting destination that combines a distinctively Northwest environment with metropolitan technology and amenities, is located on 18 acres in a natural park-like setting near the University of Washington in Seattle. It is within walking distance of neighborhood restaurants, cafes and jogging trails.

With 31 guestrooms, three large conference rooms, two intimate meeting spaces, multiple breakout areas and, for events, the Pacific dining room, this wooded oasis is an ideal destination for intimate training workshops, meetings, retreats and other events for up to 150 people. And if business or personal travel brings you to the University District, they are the perfect alternative to a traditional hotel. Contact 206-268-7000 or visit www.talariscc.com for more information.

Tulalip Resort Casino

With more than 30,000 square feet of flexible special event and reception space, two ballrooms and an expertly trained catering staff, Tulalip Resort Casino is the perfect location to host a holiday celebration. The AAA Four Diamond Tulalip Resort Casino accommodates events of every size, from small gatherings to large functions with up to 1,500 attendees. Every need is addressed by a capable and conscientious staff, whether the requirements involve state-of-the-art technological equipment, customized catering or providing the ideal venue for social gatherings.

For more information about planning a special event at Tulalip Resort Casino, please contact James Hillman at 360-716-6830 or [email protected].

United Insurance Brokers, Inc.

Your insurance source since 1968 Commercial, Employee Benefits, Group Long Term Care and Personal Insurance. Contact Linda Kosin or Trisha Cacabelos at [email protected].

Located at 50-116th Ave. SE, #201, Bellevue.

full service cateringfor all your Jewish Life Passages

Weddings • Rehearsal Dinners Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • Special Occasions

approved caterer of uW Hillel

call Karen Binder(206) 324-2626

Simmering in Seattle for 31 years

Shawn’s KugelThe Northwest’s Premier Music EnsembleWeddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Special EventsContact: Shawn Weaver

206-523-9298email: [email protected]://pweb.jps.net/~shawnsax

Voted Best Jewish Band by JTNews readers in 2007

a seattle tradition for over 20 years

19 West Harrison Seattle, WA 98119 206.298.0123 [email protected]

Kaspars will ensure your celebration is spectacular!Chef Kaspar offers exceptional Northwest cuisine along with a superior staff versed in weddings, rehearsal dinners, showers and b'nai mitzvahs.

Kaspars dining rooms can accommodate up to 300 guests or can offer full service off-premise catering at your home or other special location.

Visit www.kaspars.com

for menus and upcoming events:

Christmas eve buffetCooking classes

Chef’s table

“Seattle’s Finest Kosher Catering”419 Rainier Ave. N., Renton WA 98057

206-772-5757

Glatt Kosher supervised by the Va’ad of Seattle Meat, Parve, Dairy or Cholov Yisroale available

Ask about our new venues!JeWiSh WeDDiNGS OuR SPeCiAltY

Kosher banquet space available at venues such as: Benaroya hall, Seattle Marriott, the Westin, the Sheraton, hillel, Bell harbor, Redmond Marriott & more!

B’nai Mitzvot n Delicious boxed meals n Office luncheons and party trays Shabbos and holiday take out n Private home events

Free planning and consulting for every budgetwww.noshaway.com

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Come Bounce Off Our WallsBook online for hourly jumps

or call to plan a party!

425.990.JUMP (5867)[email protected]

1445 120th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98005

Wear tennis/gym shoes & comfortable clothing. A parent signed waiver is required for all patrons under 18 years old.

Dodgeball • AIRobics • The Foam Pit • Parties • Group Events

www.JumpSkyHigh.com

Well Done Events

Well Done Events are precious! They know that your anniversary, wedding, and B’nai Mitzvah events create memories that can’t be “done better the next time.” No, these celebrations are the once-in-a-lifetime memory makers of your family story. Well Done Events is proud to make them memorable, beautiful, and easy on you.

What makes an event Well Done? Communication skills, resourcefulness, and high energy.

Artistry, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail. A sense of timing, grace under pressure, and relentlessly high standards. They believe that a Well Done Event is a reflection of them, the founders and planners, so they give every event their best.

Well Done Events provides complete event planning services in the Seattle area. They can plan it all or they can help with just

a few items on your to-do list. On the day of your event, relax and enjoy your own party!Visit www.welldonevents.com.

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The most sought after event space on the Eastside just got a whole new look.

Yo u ’ v e re a c h e d y o u r d e s t i n a t i o n .

Weddings · Events · Luxury Hotel · Full-Service Spa · World Class Athletics

425.688.3382 [email protected] www.bellevueclub.com 11200 SE Sixth Street Bellevue, WA 98004

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS at Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo offers facilities for:

Create Your Own Winter Wonderland

For event planning... call 206.548.2500 or email [email protected]

Photos by Ryan Hawk

What the Chelm!

What the Chelm has enlivened simchot since 1993 and entertained at countless B’nai Mitzvah and weddings around the area. Public performances have included Northwest Folklife, Klezfest, the Juan de Fuca Festival and moving the Boise synagogue to its new home, as well as annual gigs for the Bellingham Parks and the Whatcom Museum.

What the Chelm has just released its third CD, Til Chelm Freezes Over. The band plays klezmer, Israeli, Yiddish, Ladino and other types of music. Contact Dan Raas at 360-676-1621 or visit www.whatthechelm.com.

Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo, one of Seattle’s most cherished community resources, is the perfect location for your next event! Set on 92 acres with more than 300 species of animals, the zoo offers 17 unique venues to host your Bar/Bat Mitzvah, holiday party, picnic, meeting, wedding, family

reunion or birthday party. Funds generated by your event help support the zoo’s quality animal care, education programs and field conservation projects to help preserve wildlife species and habitats in the Northwest and around the world. For more information e-mail [email protected], or call 206-548-2590, or visit www.zoo.org.

Wha

t the Chelm

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15727 NE 4th Bellevue, WA 98008 (425) 603-9677 www.TempleBnaiTorah.org

15727 NE 4th Bellevue, WA 98008 (425) 603-9677www.TempleBnaiTorah.org

Photos by Gail Frank

Wherever you are on your Jewish journey we welcome you! Join us for any of the following programs:

Shabbat worship & study each week Tot Shabbat weekly Chavurot Sisterhood Brotherhood B’nai Torah Youth (BTY) Mitzvah Corps Social Action Judaic Studies & Hebrew from pre-school through high school Temple Choir

Adult Learning Life Cycle Events Holiday Celebrations 20/30’s Activities

Kabbalat Shabbat Services every Friday night at 8 :00 pm First & Third Friday Night Family Service at 6:00 pm

Third Friday Night Community Shabbat Dinner at 6:30 pm Every Saturday Morning Shabbat Service at 10:30 am

Every Saturday Morning Torah Study at 9:00 am

Rabbi James L. Mirel · Cantor David Serkin-Poole · Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg

Temple De Hirsch Sinai’s senior rabbi, Daniel Weiner, knows what just about every Jewish professional knows — that to keep Jewish teens interested in even the best extracurricular Jewish studies pro-gram, you’ve got to build in some major socializing time.

Temple B’nai Torah’s assistant rabbi, Yohanna Kinberg, picked up on a sim-ilar idea for the future of their Hebrew high school after noticing how many teens from TDHS and other Reform congrega-tions in the Seattle area were showing up at its Tuesday night school, just to hang out with their friends there.

It was a natural extension of the obvi-ous for both of them, so in October of this year, they combined the two high schools for a trial run at TDHS’s Bellevue campus. They move to B’nai Torah in February. It makes Jewish education more fun, and all agree that that’s a good thing.

So far, both congregations say the kids really want to come and that parents are happy that their children want to be there. It’s a win-win-win for everyone.

“From a social science point of view, the 9th through 12th grade is a critical time where young people not only affirm their identity as human beings, but particularly as Jews,” Weiner told JTNews. “One of the most compelling aspects of any kind of high school program is the social component.”

“They clearly all know each other and want to be together,” echoed Kinberg. “Some kids are there exclusively for social connections and some kids are there because they want to continue their Judaic studies learning. But part of the challenge of having a high school program like our program is the balance between social and academic.”

Outside of the religious school envi-ronment, Reform Jewish teens across the country who belong to the National Fed-eration of Temple Youth meet hundreds of other Jewish teens at events throughout the year. Local teens can also meet their peers in other congregations through the NFTY-affiliated youth groups at Reform synagogues in the area. The individual groups often collaborate on program-ming, and combine their efforts to connect as many teens as often as possible.

“If we can reaffirm that cohort on a weekly basis as well as during the summer and during monthly youth group events, that’s all to the better,” Weiner said.

About 130 Jewish teens from both con-gregations attend the weekly one-hour and 45-minute evening sessions, taught by a total of six clergy members and five local instructors from the Jewish community.

Each grade has a core curriculum from which students learn for half the evening, then choose from a wide range of electives for the remainder.

The 9th grade students’ core class is “Life Cycle and Year Cycle for Big Kids,”

an adult perspective on education for post-B’nai Mitzvah kids, based on the Union for Reform Judaism’s Sacred Choices curricu-lum. Sacred Choices includes life cycles, human sexuality, and dealing with rela-tionships from a Jewish perspective.

Tenth graders study “Judaism and Social Justice” for the first part of the year, which culminates in a jam-packed week-end in Washington, D.C. with Jewish youth from across the country, to study the Jewish perspective on critical policy issues. The URJ Religious Action Center’s L’taken weekend program includes a full day of lobbying, where students spend the day on the Hill, talking to representatives about those issues. The rest of the year is spent preparing for Confirmation.

Students in the 11th grade take “Com-parative Judaism and Comparative Reli-gions” for their core course, and seniors participate in the URJ’s “Packing for Col-lege: Where does Judaism Fit?” curriculum.

“We ask them, ‘What are you looking for in your Jewish life when you leave your parents’ home?’” said Kinberg, “and we give them the skills to find those sources, like a Jewish fraternity or a campus Hillel location.

“The other really important compo-nent,” added Kinberg,” is how to talk

about Judaism and your background in a larger environment, and also how to talk about Israel, anti-Semitism, stereotypes, and about navigating relation-ships.”

Electives include “What’s Jewish About ‘Glee’?” as well as leadership and songleading classes, and a course on Israel. The students have opportuni-ties for travel as well.

“The wonderful culmi-nating aspect of our 12th-grade program, which we’ve been doing for about 10 years, is our 12th grade trip to Europe for two weeks to Jewish and non-Jewish sites,” said Weiner. “So far, we’ve taken the students to Italy, Prague, Budapest, and Venice.” Though in the past it has been a Temple De Hirsch Sinai trip, B’nai Torah kids have always been eligible to join the group.

Kinberg believes so much in the value of the combined program she thinks it’s a mistake to pass it up.

“I really believe that kids who do not

go to our program leave this area and the Reform congregations at a disadvantage because there are so many positive and mind-expanding experiences through this program,” she said. “We really want to make the Jewish lives of our students bigger.”

Reform Hebrew high schools merge to keep their teens in the foldJaNis siEGEl JTnews correspondent

kaTe BigaM/rac

Students from Temple B’nai Torah who traveled to Washington, d.C. to participate in the Reform movement’s Religious action Committee’s L’Taken program in 2008, in front of the Supreme Court building.

Page 24: JTNews | December 10, 2010

24 world news JTnews . www.JTnews.neT . friday, december 10, 2010

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JERUSALEM (JTA) — In the after-math of the deadliest fire in Israel’s his-tory, Israelis this week set to the task of burying the dead, cleaning up and figur-ing out what exactly went wrong — and who is to blame.

Even before the blaze in the Carmel Mountains near Haifa came under con-trol Sunday afternoon, Israelis were asking why the country wasn’t better prepared for a wildfire of this magnitude. In all, 42 people were killed, about 250 homes were destroyed or severely damaged, 17,000 people were forced to evacuate, more than 12,000 acres were burned, and an esti-mated 5 million trees were lost.

“The Carmel disaster highlights the outrageous gaps in Israel’s strategic and day-to-day readiness,” the editorialists at Ha’aretz wrote Dec. 5 while echoing a call for a state commission of inquiry to exam-ine who bears responsibility for the fail-ures of the Israeli fire service.

“What’s better to spend the State of Israel’s money on, firefighting aircraft or an F-15 fighter jet?” wrote Eitan Haber, a former Rabin administration official and now a columnist for Ynet News.

The damage to the area of the Carmel Forest in northern Israel was estimated at

about $75 million, including damage to towns and kibbutzim, destroyed forests, and damaged roads. Yemin Orde, an aliyah youth village founded in 1953 that has served as a home and school to thousands of immigrant youths, most recently Ethio-pians and Russians, was severely burned. In the artists’ village of Ein Hod, 10 houses and an art gallery were destroyed.

On Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet approved a $16.5 million aid package to assist damaged communities, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that each person whose home suffered severe fire damage be given an immediate aid disbursement of about $700.

Calls came from many quarters for the resignation of Interior Minister Eli Yishai, whose ministry is responsible for the state’s firefighting forces. Yishai also is accused of refusing fire truck dona-tions from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

Yishai said his ministry was not funded well enough to purchase needed equip-ment — in 2001, he noted, Ariel Sharon’s government voted to eliminate air support for firefighting — and told Israel Radio that he was a target because of his Sep-hardic heritage.

Israel has 16 firefighters per 100,000 residents. By contrast, the United States, Japan and Greece have five to seven times that number per capita, The Associated Press reported. In total, Israel has 1,400 firefighters.

A 14-year-old resident of the Druze vil-lage of Ussfiya was arrested Monday after admitting to starting the fire. The teen

reportedly said he was smoking a nargila water pipe and threw a live coal into an open area before returning to school.

The arrest was announced hours after two teenage brothers from the same village arrested over the weekend on suspicion of negligence in starting the fire were released from detention by a Haifa court. The teens had been accused of lighting a bonfire near

after Israel’s deadly fire, mourning, vows to rebuild and finger pointingmarcy ostEr JTa World news Service

courTeSy zaka

Members of the ZaKa religious disaster recovery service rappel down a ravine to search for remains of the 40 prison cadets killed in the massive forest fire in northern Israel.

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Page 25: JTNews | December 10, 2010

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their home that sparked the blaze.High winds and dry conditions

prompted by Israel’s parched winter thus far provided fuel for the blaze, which began tearing through northern Israel on Dec. 2. Northern Israel is covered by fields and trees, some natural forests and others planted over the last several decades — many of them by pioneers during the British Mandate period. Others were planted with donations from Diaspora Jews through the Jewish National Fund.

With its green hills, the country’s north has a Mediterranean flavor distinct from its more Middle Eastern south, which is covered by desert. After the fire, the Israeli government said it would invest the resources to make the north green again.

The fire’s rapid spread revealed a stra-tegic weakness that could be exploited by its enemies, Israeli commentators wrote.

Meanwhile, numerous figures in the Arab world cited the fire as punishment from God for Israel’s treatment of the Pal-

estinians and its occupation of Arab lands. The Palestinian prime minister in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, said the fire was a “strike from Allah.”

The spiritual leader of the Israeli Orthodox Shas Party, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, also said the fire was divine punishment, attributing the blaze to the sin of lack of observance of the Sabbath.

For its part, the Israeli government issued a rare call for international assistance. Among the countries that responded were

Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Russia, France, Switzerland, Brit-ain, Spain and the United States. The Pales-tinian Authority also sent 21 firefighters and four fire trucks to help battle the blaze.

Thirty-five firefighting airplanes came to Israel. New York sent a 747 loaded with Fire Troll 931, a fire retardant chemical, in a shipment organized by the Fire Depart-ment of New York City and the office of

PaGe 29 X

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WASHINGTON (JTA) — A careful reading of the WikiLeaks trove of State Department cables — which is laying bare some 250,000 secret dispatches detailing private conversations, assessments and dealmaking of U.S. diplomats — reveals a notable if perhaps surprising pattern: How often they get things wrong.

Again and again the cables show dip-lomats, lawmakers and heads of state pre-dicting outcomes that never come to pass.

A year ago, top Israeli defense offi-cials in a meeting with their U.S. counter-parts set 2010 as the absolute deadline to squeeze Iran on its nuclear program. Now Israeli officials say the date is 2012.

In a 2005 assessment, the same Israeli cadre told U.S. interlocutors that the point

of no return would be Iran’s ability to enrich uranium without assistance. Iran has had that capacity for years.

In January 2008, Egypt’s intelligence chief said Hamas was isolated and would not stand in the way of a peace agree-ment. Hamas’ continuing control of Gaza, even following the war that broke out 11 months after the Egyptian assessment, still undercuts Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

In 2007, U.S. diplomats called Tzipi Livni an up-and-comer. Though now the leader of the Israeli opposition as head of the Kadima Party, Livni twice failed in bids to become Israel’s prime minister.

The same State Department cable said the Israeli military and government don’t get along — “never the twain shall meet!”

But they do get along, mostly, and meet often; the lack of cooperation in 2007 was the result of the short-lived term of Amir Peretz as Israeli defense minister.

The disparities between predictions and reality reflect the on-the-fly nature of the discussions detailed in the newly revealed cables.

Ed Abington, a former U.S. consul in Jerusalem who has consulted for the Pal-estinian Authority, said the authors of such cables work under pressure to come up with “added value” in analysis and fill in the vacuum with chatter that might not have any basis in reality.

“You’re looking for what you can add that makes it relevant to policymakers in Washington and elsewhere — analysis,

insight,” Abington told JTA. “A lot of the reporting, in hindsight, is irrelevant.”

David Makovsky, a senior analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said facts on the ground also change rapidly — a factor that helps explain how dire Israeli predictions about Iran’s imminent weapons program have dissipated, at least for now.

Part of that may be attributable to efforts by the West to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. Makovsky cited the recent success of the Stuxnet computer worm, which apparently disrupted Ira-nian centrifuges necessary to enrich ura-nium to bomb-making capacity.

WikiLeaks reveals secrets, backroom dealmaking — and cluelessnessroN KampEas Jta worlD NEws sErvicE

PaGe 28 X

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Much of the material in the leaked cables offers frank U.S. assessments of everything from the temperament of for-eign leaders to the shipment of arms between foes of the United States.

In late 2009, U.S. officials told their Rus-sian counterparts that they believed North Korea had shipped missiles to Iran capable of hitting capitals in Western Europe. The Russians were skeptical, but agreed that there was evidence of increased coopera-tion between the two rogue nations and it posed new dangers.

The cables also track increasing con-cern among the United States, Israel and Western nations that Turkish Prime Min-ister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is leading Turkey along a path to Islamism — and beyond the point of no return of accom-modation with the West.

In Cairo, U.S. diplomats told Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that in meet-ings with Egyptian leaders, she should defer to Egyptian self-regard as the indispensable Arab state while acknowledging that the perception is long past its due date.

Tracking the cables that straddle the Bush and Obama administrations also

demonstrates that on some matters poli-cies have changed little, if at all.

Stuart Levey, the treasury undersec-retary charged with enforcing Iran sanc-tions, reassured Israeli Mossad chief Meir Dagan in December 2008 that President Obama was as determined as George W. Bush to isolate Iran through sanctions. Within a few weeks, Obama would con-firm the point by reappointing Levey to the job, ensuring consistency.

The leaks also show Iranian and Syrian duplicity. A 2008 memo, apparently from an Iranian source, details how Iran used the cover of the Iranian Red Crescent to smug-gle officers into Lebanon in 2006 to assist in Hezbollah’s war against Israel. Syria appar-ently provided sophisticated weapons to Hezbollah within weeks of pledging to U.S. officials that it would not do so.

Some of those named in the leaks wor-ried that their publication could inhibit frank dialogue.

U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) was outraged that her private exchange with Netanyahu on Iran and Palestinian issues in a 2009 meeting became public knowledge.

“If Congress has no ability to have candid conversations with foreign leaders, we won’t have some of the critical infor-

mation we need to make the judgments we need to make about countries like Iran,” she told The Daily Beast.

In condemning the leaks, Clinton said Monday that they represent policymaking only in its most nascent stages. Once the heavy hitters become involved, the policy is changed. So the content of the leaked cables is not of vital importance, she tried to argue.

“I want to make clear that our offi-cial foreign policy is not set through these messages but here in Washington,” Clin-ton said. “Our policy is a matter of public record, as reflected in our statements and our actions around the world.”

But the cables reveal policy discus-sions in blunter terms, and show the inner workings of intergovernmental relation-ships that the parties would rather have kept private.

Saudi Arabia, for example, is shown in the cables to be beating the war drum for a U.S. attack against Iran — a stance quite different from its public posture.

In a 2008 meeting, the Saudi ambassador to United States reminds U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, about the multiple times Saudi King Abdullah called on the United

States to “cut off the head of the snake” — attack Iran to stop its nuclear program.

But the message is not consistent. Other cables describe meetings in the Persian Gulf with Arab officials, includ-ing Saudis, who counsel against a strike, saying that the backlash would be incal-culable.

The cables least prone to such disparity may be those that describe meetings with Israeli officials. Successive Israeli prime ministers and defense ministers all say the same things — and in the same ways that they do in briefings with reporters.

Meeting with Israeli reporters after WikiLeaks began publishing the cables, Netanyahu said the Israeli government takes pains to make sure the most sensi-tive discussions between the two countries are kept private.

“It influences our work, what we do in meetings, who we bring into meetings, what we say in them, and when we narrow the meeting to two people,” he was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post.

The most important exchanges between the U.S. and Israeli governments are not detailed in the cables because top U.S. and Israeli political leaders speak directly to each other.

WIKILeaKS W PaGe 27

Page 29: JTNews | December 10, 2010

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ENTNer Tamid on Mercer Island and was president of the synagogue’s sisterhood before beginning her volunteer career with Women’s League. An active member and former president of the regional branch, she has been a member of the board of directors since 1996 and chair of Z’havah, for younger women, since 2006. Robin has been a Girl Scout troop leader and served on the lay committee for the Jewish Feder-ation of Greater Seattle’s J Team teen phi-lanthropy group. She’s a Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor and private jeweler, too.

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3 As a tribute to his father, who died of a heart attack in 1986, Seattle resident Jonathan Kaler has cre-

ated a public service announcement and Facebook page to build awareness of heart attack symptoms and hopefully prevent other deaths.

Jonathan’s writes that his dad Irving died “after seeking help too late,” for his symptoms.

The short PSA can be viewed on YouTube and shows a medical anima-tion of blood coursing through an aorta accompanied by a narration of a “fast-paced mix of actual survivor testimony.” It can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjo2P2hSxCg.

Facebook members can go log on to that site and type “Heart Attack Stories”

into the search bar to get to Irving Kaler’s tribute page. You’re invited to contrib-ute stories, photos, links and other media, “specifically on heart-attack survival or loss” to the site, in particular to spread the message that time is of the essence when experiencing heart attack symptoms.

“When heart attack strikes, time is life,” writes Jonathan.

Heart attacks can be fast and painful, but they can also be gradual and merely uncomfortable, particularly in women. Please take the time to review heart attack symptoms at the Heart Association Web page, or any number of other sites.

If you think you are having a heart attack, call 9-1-1.

M.O.T. W PaGe 12

the city’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg.Israel also rented the American Ever-

green Boeing 747 Super Tanker, one of the most advanced firefighting planes in the world, loaded with 80,000 liters of water and fire retardant. It arrived early Sunday morning and had an immediate effect on helping douse the flames.

The deadliest incident came in the fire’s early hours when a bus carrying about three dozen cadets from the Israeli prisons service on their way to evacuate a prison threatened by the blaze became trapped between burning trees. Nearly all those aboard perished, and the bus was left a scorched shell.

Two firefighters who rushed to rescue the guards and a 16-year-old volunteer, Elad Riven, also were killed. All of the bodies were identified, some using DNA technology, by Saturday night, and funer-als began being held while the blaze was still raging.

“No one sent you, no one called for you, no one but your wonderful and brave conscience,” Israeli President Shimon Peres said during a eulogy at the funeral for Riven on Dec. 5. The “disaster taught us that all of us — Jews, Arabs, Druze and other peoples — share the same fate.”

A day after the blaze was brought under control, the fire’s death toll rose by one with the death of Haifa Police Chief Ahuva Tomer, who was burned over most of her body while trying to assist the prison guard cadets.

Jewish communities in Denver and Winnipeg, Canada, also mourned the death of one of the bus passengers, Rabbi Uriel Malka, 32, who was working as a chaplain in the Israeli Prisons Service.

Malka, a father of five, worked as a Jewish Agency emissary for two years in Denver and then served as principal of the Ohr Hatorah Day School in Winnipeg. Malka had narrowly escaped death during combat in the Second Lebanon War.

ISRaeL FIRe W PaGe 25

Page 30: JTNews | December 10, 2010

30 5 women To waTch JTnews . www.JTnews.neT . friday, december 10, 2010

The Kavana Cooperative congratulates

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5 Women to Watch

For more information about The Kavana Cooperative, please see www.kavana.org.

5Women to Watch

Wendy GoffeThe great equalizer

Diana Brement JTNews Correspondent

Name: Wendy GoffeCity: SeattleAge: 46Occupation: AttorneyWhat’s on her mind these days: “The possibility of gay marriage.”

You can often find attorney Wendy Goffe jetting around the country, speaking about her work with unmarried couples.

Goffe hasn’t had any trouble keeping her career in an upward trajectory. As an estate attorney with the firm Graham & Dunn, she works with high-net-worth indi-viduals and is an expert in charitable giving and family business succession plans.

A 1992 graduate of the University of Washington law school (where she was also an undergrad), she was designated a “rising star” by Washington Law & Politics in 2001, and a “super lawyer” in the years since. The publication Best Lawyers singled her out as one of the best lawyers in the country in 2009.

“She has a real passion for the law” and is a “great speaker” says Seattle attorney David Stiefel. “She is a true professional. She is a pleasure to work with [and]…loves dealing with clients and complicated issues.”

Along the way, Goffe has developed an interesting sub-specialty. She’s become an expert in legal issues faced by same-sex couples and unmarried couples trying to craft documents that give them the same rights automatically accorded to married people “to the extent possible,” she says. “And if not possible, I’ve been working on legislation.”

Goffe gives talks around the country about the legal implications of changing laws on same-gender partnerships. In Washington she helped draft the Domestic Partnership Bill, and its two rewrites. The state legislature passed the first law in 2007, and the “every-thing but marriage” bill in 2009. An initiative to repeal the law failed later in the year.

“Over time I’ve gotten to know and been fortunate to work with non-traditional

STuarT iSeTT

Wendy Goffe and her family cook at home.

family structures and seen firsthand the challenges that people face caused by legis-lation and societal attitudes, and the barriers they face having to take care of them-selves and predictably raise a family,” Wendy says.

Wendy says the “challenges…[and] unfortunate situations,” she’s seen have driven her to make a difference.

The dot-com boom and Goffe’s early career made a fortunate collision. A lot of people in the Seattle area were getting jobs at Microsoft and “getting to the point where they needed more advance planning. I was at the point in my career when I could do it…I got involved with a lot of unmarried and same-gender couples.”

Wendy often travels to small towns and even fundamentalist churches to speak on the subject.

“I just came back from giving a talk in South Dakota on gay marriage” where folks feel they are “in a fishbowl, looking out, wondering what is happening out there [in the world],” she says. (It was also the start of hunting season and Goffe says she was among a small minority of people in the airport not carrying a rifle.)

She can make these speeches “because I’m married and I’m Jewish, and there are a lot of places…that want to know about this, but not from a zealot,” she says. “I’m pretty safe.” She did once receive “hate mail” from Jerry Falwell, Jr., which she jokes was the “highlight of my career.” Falwell included a DVD about a Jewish man who became a Christian.

Growing up at Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Goffe, her husband, Scott Schrum, and their daughter Maya are currently unaffiliated. In recent years she has felt “the most Jewish” while in Houston where Scott has had a number of treatments for pancreatic cancer and the local Jewish Family Services reaches out to patients and families. For now, Goffe says, “Gilda’s Club is our congregation.”

Goffe finds fun in her work, a lot of which she does on her own, “and it’s kind of meditative.” She loves the travel, and “I always make time to go to a museum if there is one.” Even in Sioux Falls she discovered the Museum of Visual Materials in a com-pletely “green” building, featuring the founder’s collection of 80,000 buttons.

JTNews searched far and wide to find five Jewish women making a difference in

our community. We received far more nominations than we could possibly fit into

the final five, but that only shows five isn’t enough! But we’ll do it again in the spring,

so if you know of a local woman making a difference, tell us about her!

Page 31: JTNews | December 10, 2010

friday, december 10, 2010 . www.JTnews.neT . JTnews 5 women To waTch 31

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The volunteers and staff of The Friendship Circle

would like to extend Mazel Tov to

Esther Bogomilskyon being named one of

5 Women to Watch.

Her hard work and leadership is an inspiration.

Esther BogomilskyMaking a safe and welcome space for kids who need it most

Diana Brement JTNews Correspondent

Name: Esther BogomilskyCity: SeattleAge: 34Occupation: Director of Friendship Circle — “that’s one of them”What’s on her mind these days: “Making sure I can run everything efficiently.”

Nominated for her role as director of the Friendship Circle, Esther Bogomilsky describes herself in three ways: “I give classes for women, I hold women’s events, and I’m a mom.”

A student and Friendship Circle supporter, Fibi Duke, observes that for Esther, “nothing is too much trouble,” she says. “As a leader, teacher, mother, and friend, she is always willing to get involved and make things happen.”

The Seattle native didn’t start the organization, which she calls “revolutionary,” but brought it to the Seattle area and runs it with her husband, Rabbi Elazar Bogom-ilsky, who serves as executive director. “Colleagues of mine started the Friendship Circle in Michigan,” Esther says, and she felt it exemplified “the foundation of Judaism: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Friendship Circle gives special needs kids something most lack: A friend and a social life. Carefully trained teen volunteers are matched with a participant, spend two hours a week in that child’s home, and participate in group activities two Sun-days a month, usually at the Mercer View Community Center on Mercer Island.

Families come from the whole Seattle area, Esther says, from both Jewish and non-

Jewish homes. Even though Friendship Circle is affiliated with Chabad-Lubavitch, it is a separate charitable organization and “very few families that are involved are Ortho-dox,” she notes.

Esther regrets that “I can’t afford to service everyone and everybody…but my plan is, in the future, that any family in King County that needs our help would be able to get it.”

None of the Jewish schools in the area have programs to serve special needs stu-dents, so Friendship Circle fills a gap with Jewish-themed programs, prayers, songs and holiday fun, “almost like a Jewish school.”

Careful screening and matching of volunteers and clients is a big part of Esther’s job. Volunteers stay with their special friend for the duration of high school and homes must be safe for them. The teens come from a variety of public and private schools in the area and now number almost 100, up from nine kids just seven years ago.

The Bogomilskys also rely on volunteer coordinators and a slew of “behavioral, music, art, movement therapists and [a] Kung Fu Master” for their Sunday programs.

“The amazing drive behind the Friendship Circle,” Esther wrote in an e-mail, “is not only helping these families and their children …, [but] creating a generation of future leaders that learn the most important act of kindness there is today: ‘How to give of oneself to others.’”

Even before she took on Friendship Circle, Esther had started the Women’s Learn-ing Circle.

“I’ve always been inspired to teach other women Judaism,” she says.An upcoming Rosh Chodesh (new moon) series called Lunachicks, focuses on

female prophets, and Bogomilsky also organizes a “pretty cool” Shabbat retreat for women every other year.

With the Friendship Circle, the women’s programming, and being a mother her-self, “she’s able to juggle it,” says Esther’s own mother, Devorah Kornfeld, a community leader and teacher in her own right. “She’s really an inspiration to me with everything she’s done so successfully and with all the hard work.”

Esther’s passion is “to inspire people towards Judaism,” she says, as well as to speak out about “how women are perceived in Judaism contrary to popular myth.”

Meanwhile, she dreams of a time when Friendship Circle has its own space, includ-ing a therapy center where clients could come any time. “I would call us a ‘homeless organization,’” Esther says. “It’s one of the hardest organizations to run because of this.”

Information on both circles can be found at www.seattlejewishwomen.org or www.friendshipcirclewa.org.

Joel Magalnick

esther Bogomilsky, right, holds the big check for $1,500 given to The Friendship Circle by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s J Team teen philanthropy group. The teens were impressed with esther’s engagement with their peers and the special needs kids they work with.

Page 32: JTNews | December 10, 2010

32 5 women To waTch JTnews . www.JTnews.neT . friday, december 10, 2010

Wishing you a warm and happy holiday season!

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Sarina Behar NatkinOvercoming the universal struggle

Joel Magalnick Editor, JTNews

Name: Sarina Behar NatkinCity: SeattleAge: 37Occupation: Parent educator and consultantWhat’s on her mind these days: “Parenting support. This is my passion.”

“Every parent deals with it.”“It” is the toddler who won’t stop crying when she doesn’t get what she wants. It’s

the 3-year-old and his dad, both of whom are too stubborn to have a civil interaction. It’s the kindergartener acting up in class, to the detriment of his fellow students.

“Every parent has fallouts with their children at one time or another,” says social worker and parent educator Sarina Behar Natkin. “You’re elevated and angry and frustrated, and so is your child, and you have nowhere to go.”

Sarina offers that support in private practice, on a local listserve for discussion among parents, and in classes. She believes it’s high time the support network that once existed among large, extended families needs to be reasserted and reinvented for today’s harried, digitally connected parent.

“We’re expected to do more and more with less time. In most families, both par-ents need to work now, and it just doesn’t leave a lot of time to read all the parenting books,” she says. “They don’t have the support and they can’t take the time off.”

Sarina has been trained as an educator through the local Gottman Institute as well as in a movement based upon the book series Positive Discipline by noted family and marriage counselor Dr. Jane Nelsen.

“I really believe [Positive Discipline is] an ongoing role model for having healthy respectful relationships among families and being self-reliant emotionally healthy children,” Sarina says.

Though she has been a social worker for nearly 15 years, Sarina was originally doing crisis work in domestic violence situations. When her first daughter was born five and a half years ago, and she began to see parents struggling with many of the same issues, she turned her attention to helping them. She has since substituted as a parent educator in the Seattle Central Community College co-op preschool system, taught “Bringing Baby Home” courses for Jewish Family Service, and was doing infor-mal consulting for friends and their families. Earlier this year, Sarina bought a busi-ness license, set up a Web site, and parlayed that informal consulting into a private practice, in which she offers family coaching and workshops.

Around the same time, Sarina and another “Bringing Baby Home” instructor, Melissa Benaroya, independently came up with the idea of creating what Benaroya said has been lacking beyond Seattle’s rich offering of support for parents of newborns.

“We both kind of felt like we needed to create a place for all parents, no matter what your parenting style is,” she says. “A place you could go with any normal issue.”

The two had met in several different venues, and they found a connection with

each other.“We have very similar backgrounds and upbringings, and so we’ve met one another

probably once a quarter just to check in,” Benaroya says.So in addition to their private practices, she and Sarina have entered the nascent

stages of creating a nonprofit that will offer parenting education and support for working with children ages newborn to 10 — in essence, being the resource for normal problems that tells parents it’s okay to have these problems.

“Certainly you don’t go to a child psychologist because you’re having bedtime struggles. Where do you go?” Sarina says. Their new program is “a preventative model. It’s giving the people tools ahead of time before they hit the crisis.”

Sarina now has two children, and she and her husband Michael are active in the Kavana Cooperative. Later this month, she’ll be offering a talk to Kavana preschool parents about social and emotional development.

“I think it’s really nice when there’s a volunteer role that bridges between the pro-fessional and personal,” says Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, Kavana’s executive director.

Nussbaum calls Sarina “a wonderful social connector,” and said that when she sees new faces at events, they often will have learned about the organization through that connection.

As for her career, Sarina says she is happier now than she has ever been — and loves helping parents learn about overcoming the inevitable challenges they run into.

“We all need support. It’s not about failing,” she says. “We need to say it’s okay to take the time to learn. It’s not a failure, it’s just an opportunity to take the time to grow.”

Information about Sarina Behar Natkin’s consulting practice can be found at www.sarinanatkin.com.

liSi MeziSTrano WolF

Sarina Behar Natkin with her husband Michael and two daughters.

Page 33: JTNews | December 10, 2010

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Jessica HoffmanInstilling Judaism in Seattle’s teens

Joel Magalnick Editor, JTNews

Name: Jessica HoffmanAge: 29City: SeattleOccupation: NCSY Seattle co-director, founder of the Seattle Gemach, board member of Torah Day School

Jessica Hoffman has spent more than half her life in NCSY. The Seattle native started in the Orthodox movement’s youth group, the National Conference of Synagogue Youth, when she was 14. Now, at 29, she’s dedicated her life to the organization and to instilling Judaism into the region’s Jewish teen population. And then some.

“The best opportunities are the ones that fall in your lap,” Jessica says. “I’d just moved home. I was 8 months pregnant with my first child.”

And she just so happened upon an NCSY event, some kids selling brownies as a fundraiser.

“‘Do you guys have a director, an advisor?’” she asked them. “They said, ‘Nope, we have nobody this year. The best we can do is sell brownies.’”

So she volunteered. And then became a paid staffer. And then her husband Ari joined up. Six years later, Seattle NCSY is no longer just a social club. Almost imme-diately the Hoffmans began injecting more of an educational focus into the pro-gramming, and doing more of what had attracted Jessica to NCSY when she was a teenager.

“I was more excited to go on a Shabbaton or a Saturday movie night than hang out with my friends in another scenario,” she says. “It wasn’t just a movie night, but a movie night with other great stuff.”

Now she does much of the same thing, and builds one-on-one relationships with all of the teens at the same time. It’s the end result that makes her do what she does: “When you see a teenager that’s 20 now, and they’re living a Jewish life, and when they were 14 they were considering Buddhism, that’s inspirational to me.”

Jessica was recently nominated for NCSY’s Ben Zakkai Honor Society, and will travel to New York next month to receive her honors. A major facet of the society is fundraising for NCSY summer programs, much of which will go toward Seattle NCSY members.

“This year we’re trying to focus on taking kids from the level of just simply attending programs locally to getting them off to summer programs,” she says. “To actually spend the entire summer with Jewish teens in Israel or Europe or the East Coast…they’re taking themselves to a new level of involvement in the Jewish community.”

Jessica and Ari are officially NCSY’s co-directors, but intertwined are the Jewish Student Union, a club on high school campuses around the region that she compares to a younger Hillel; and Torah High, which just merged with the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s Hebrew High to create a larger, more diverse supplementary education.

Then there’s Shabbat. Once the sun goes down, their home in the Seward Park neighborhood has become a magnet.

“Immediately after dinner, the teen-agers start flowing in,” Jessica says. “The kids know if the door’s unlocked, come on in.”

The teens hang out, sing, play with the Hoffmans’ kids, and stay in a place where their parents know where they are, often past the stroke of midnight.

ari HoFFMan

Jessica Hoffman serves food at a recent Hanukkah party.

PaGe 35 X

PaGe 35 X

kiM golDov

despite interning, volunteering, work and of course dancing, Nancy Goldov still needs to hit the books as she works for her Psy. d. degree.

Nancy GoldovBetter living through dance

Lillian Cohen-Moore JTNews Intern

Name: Nancy GoldovCity: SeattleAge: 54Occupation: Clinical psychology doctoral candidate.What’s on her mind these days: “Con-verting my knowledge to meaningful work, where I can make a difference in the community: So, creating a job!”

Nancy Goldov began dancing in childhood, starting with ballet, modern and tap dance. Exploring folk dance in high school and the piano along the way, Nancy took her love of dance and music into college with her as a dance major at Cornish College.

But she long had a desire to bring people joy — through the use of movement.Now working on doctoral studies in clinical psychology, Nancy Goldov leads a busy

life. She volunteers at Cancer Lifeline, where she is a clinical psychology intern, and is a licensed mental health counselor as well. Also, she’s a board-certified dance-move-ment therapist.

Dance-movement therapists, Nancy says, “focus on movement behavior as it emerges in the therapeutic relationship.” In dance-movement therapy, behavior and emotions that may have only been expressed verbally in another therapeutic setting is seen in the movement of patients.

Upon discovering a program in psychology and dance at Evergreen State College while she was attending Cornish as a major, she fell in love with the idea of combining both disciplines. Her program would provide a jumping point from an undergraduate love of psychology to a need to combine dance and psychology.

“I was immersed in the study of body movement as a core component of dance, as it provided a means of expression,” she says.

Nancy moved to New York while she studied for her graduate degree, working in dance-movement therapy as she explored the body and mind as they coped with ill-ness and disability. After four years, Nancy returned home, once again pursuing her artistic interests. She joined the Radost Folk Ensemble, a dance troupe devoted to the ethnic dance traditions of Eastern Europe, and steeped herself in Jewish music by per-forming in the Freylakh Klezmer band.

With a life spent dancing, even studying as far away as Eastern Europe, Nancy still wanted to use her talents to help others, however. A life performing, as a dancer and artist, still couldn’t match the fulfillment she had experienced in New York while

Page 34: JTNews | December 10, 2010

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Congregation Beth Shalom Cemetery206-524-0075☎☎[email protected]☎✉

This beautiful new cemetery is available to the Jewish community and is located just north of Seattle.

Hills of Eternity CemeteryOwned and operated by Temple De Hirsch Sinai

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Care Givers

HomeCare Associates A program of Jewish Family Service

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Page 35: JTNews | December 10, 2010

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practicing dance-movement therapy. So Nancy began to work in elder care, opening a new chapter in her life when she

began to work at the Kline Galland Home in 1998, where she helped to provide a foun-dation for what would evolve into a creative arts program at Kline Galland.

Feeling a drive to expand her own opportunities, both in employment and knowl-edge, Nancy most recently enrolled in a doctoral program at Argosy University in Seattle. Uniting dance-movement therapy and clinical psychology in health psychol-ogy, Nancy began rigorous training and conducting studies in her field. Focusing her dissertation on body image and women with breast cancer, Nancy uses dance move-ment therapy to help patients one on one through the difficult and often fraught experience of dealing with cancer.

Her work at Cancer Lifeline includes much of the same compassionate psychology practice, in particular while working with people during their time receiving trans-fusions.

Jill Cohen met Nancy during their days in the Radost Folk Ensemble 18 years ago. Immediately gravitating toward each other, the two have been friends since — and Nancy helped Cohen when she had her own battle with breast cancer.

“I have always admired Nancy’s ability to be flexible and adapt to changing circum-stances,” Jill says. “Her decision to pursue a [Psy. D.] later in her career reflects both her com-mitment to the helping professions and an enhancement of her work in dance therapy.”

For more information about Nancy Goldov’s practice, contact 206-979-9743 or [email protected].

“They just have a good time, it’s a safe environment,” Jessica says.But the teens are just one part of the lifecycle in which Jessica is involved. She is

also in her first year on the board of the Torah Day School of Seattle. “What we’re working on is boosting the image of Torah Day School and cementing

ourselves financially and really becoming a part of the community at large,” she says.She also started and maintains the Seattle Gemach, in which she stores and loans

out modest wedding gowns — primarily to Orthodox brides and bridesmaids, but really to anyone who needs it — for women who can’t afford their dream dress.

“Every day it grows,” Jessica says. “I get e-mails weekly from people to drop stuff off.”

She’s the only Seattle resource listed on a Web site, donatemydress.org, that takes donations for wedding and prom dresses, so much of what she receives is not neces-sarily from the Jewish community.

Julie Greene, activities director at Congregation Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath, said of Jessica in an e-mail: “Jessica is the essence of what every Jewish mother dreams of when it comes to finding a true gem to have her daughter admire and emulate.”

With her fingers dipped in so many pots — plus three small children, the young-est of which is just 3 months old — you may think Jessica is wearing herself out. But growing up, her mother would always juggle at least five or six different volunteer projects.

“To me, doing three things doesn’t feel like a lot,” Jessica says. “To me it feels like I’m doing a minimal amount.”

For more information on NCSY or donating a dress, contact 206-295-3726 or [email protected].

HOFFMaN W PaGe 33 GOLdOv W PaGe 33

Page 36: JTNews | December 10, 2010

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Page 37: JTNews | December 10, 2010

friday, december 10, 2010 . www.JTnews.neT . JTnews lifecycles 37

When you let JFS “Tribute Cards” do the talking, you send your best wishes and say you care about funding vital JFS programs here at home. Call Irene at (206) 861-3150 or, on the web, click on “Donations” at www.jfsseattle.org. Use Visa or MasterCard. It’s the most gratifying 2-for-1 in town.

2-for-1 “Get Well Soon” Cards

Enjoy the view at The Summit

n The one and only Jewish retirement community in Washington Staten Financial simplicity of rental-only; no down-payments, no “buy-in’s”n Concierge services and 24 hour building securityn On-site highly trained, multi-professional staffn Unparalleled location near shopping, health care and other essentialsn Priority access to nationally renowned rehabilitation, Hospice and

long term care at the Caroline Kline Galland Homen Delicious gourmet Kosher cuisinen Culture at your doorstep: minutes to all venuesn Desirable variety of daily in-house enrichment programsn Attention to every detail of your home environmentn An inclusive, welcoming community n Choices for floor plans and personalized services

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Gilbert (Gil) Stern May 11, 1932–November 1, 2010Gil is survived by his wife, Velva, and his children,

Meryll Dawson (Don), Bruce Stern (Maureen) and five grandchildren. His son, Howard, preceded him in death. Gil was legendary in the shoe business. He was loved and will be missed by all who knew him. Gil was friends with so many, and he loved his home in Palm Desert where he enjoyed spending the winter. Besides his loving family, he loved his dogs, Goldie and Louie! Funeral services were held at Arthur A. Wright Chapel.

Paula Jean Sussman RoseOur courageous and beautiful Paula left us on December 1. She has been an inspiration to

us all.Paula’s smile and warmth is legendary. She would light up any room, her personality made

her friends with everyone she met. Paula’s friends were numerous, many dating from elementary and high school, and the University of Washington.

The most important thing in her life was her family. She was wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and sister. She adored her children and grandchildren.

Paula was born in Tacoma in 1940 and was raised in Lakewood by her father Leslie Sussman and mother Sophie Sussman, who was by her side when she passed, along with her brother Alan and other family members.

Paula was a community leader and a patron of the arts. She was a board member of Pacific Northwest Ballet and a founding board member of Northwest Parkinson Foundation. She served on the boards of United Way, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, and Jewish Family Service. She was a counselor at Planned Parenthood.

Paula was recognized as a woman of understated taste, style, and elegance. She loved her homes on Mercer Island, and in Rancho Mirage, where she loved to play tennis.

Her summers were spent boating on Second Mates with her husband, children, grandchil-dren, and friends. Her zest for living was wonderful. She was a gift to all of us.

Paula is survived by her husband Ronald Leibsohn, mother Sophie Sussman, brother Alan Sussman (Annie), daughters Alisa Rose and Megan Stolber (David), son Michael Rose, grandchildren Jesse, Samantha, Ari, Olivia and Evan. Her step-children are Matthew Leibsohn (Jackie), Brian Leibsohn (Heather), David Leibsohn, and step-grandchildren Joshua, Alec, Jacob, and Noah.

A memorial service was held Friday, Dec. 3 at Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation on Mercer Island with burial at Home of Peace Cemetery in Tacoma.

Contributions in her memory may be made to any of the following organizations: Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Northwest Parkinson Foundation, or Pancreatic Cancer Alliance.

The family wishes to express our appreciation to the doctors and nurses at Virginia Mason Medical Center and the Booth Gardner Parkinson Clinic. Your care and compassion was extraordinary.

Paula, we will cherish your memory forever.

life

WeddingCarla Wollach and Jared Sanderson

Carla and Jared were married on August 26, 2010. The ceremony was officiated by Rabbi Chalom of San Diego Chabad at the Dana Hotel in San Diego.

Carla is the daughter Jeff and Yael Wollach of Victoria, B.C. She is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal and is currently a law student.

Jared is the son of Phil and Estelle Sanderson of Vancouver, B.C. His grandparents are Mary Piha Cohen of Seattle, the late Isaac Piha and the late Leon “Cookie” Cohen. He is also a graduate of McGill University and works as an employment consultant.

The couple lives in San Diego.

Bar MitzvahElliott Jacob Moss

Elliott celebrated his Bar Mitzvah on November 13, 2010 at Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation on Mercer Island.

Elliott is the son of Brian and Brandy Moss of Bellevue. His brother is Ryan Moss. His grandparents are Leon and Phyllis Moss of Spokane, and the late Jacob and Ruth Schwartz.

Elliott is a 7th grader at Vista Academy. He enjoys many sports, including soccer and basketball, but mostly loves baseball. He has played Little League for the past six years. He has also attended Camp Solomon Schechter for the past five years. For his mitzvah project, Elliott has been and will continue to fundraise and volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska, Montana, Northern Idaho and Washington.

Bar MitzvahRyan Kubasta

Ryan will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on December 18, 2010 at Congregation Kol Ami in Woodinville.

Ryan is the son of Stacy Schill and Ron Kubasta. His grandparents are Stan and Fran Schill of Mercer Island, JoEllen Schill of Bellevue, and the late Marlene (Marlie) Kubasta.

Ryan is an 8th grader at Kenmore Jr. High. He is a Boy Scout, Rank First Class, and a madrich at religious school. His interests include oceanography, swimming, animals, camping, hiking, computers, and reading. For his mitzvah projects, Ryan volunteered at the Jewish Family Service Food Sort and on various Boy Scout projects.

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38 communiTy news JTnews . www.JTnews.neT . friday, december 10, 2010

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How do i submit a lifecycle announcement? Send lifecycle notices to: JTNews/Lifecycles, 2041 Third Ave., Seattle, WA 98121E-mail to: [email protected] Phone 206-441-4553 for assistance. Submissions for the December 24, 2010 issue are due by December 14Download forms or submit online at www.jtnews.net/index.php?/lifecyclePlease submit images in jpg format, 400 KB or larger. Thank you!

BirthNoah Hayden Fenton

Former Seattleites Garrett and Jessica Fenton welcomed Noah to the world on October 13, 2010.

Noah is the little brother of Joseph and grandson of Jani Goldberg of Portland, Ore. and Palm Springs, Calif., and Esther and Norman Freedman of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. His great-grandparents are Anita Goldberg of Portland, and Murray Borenstein of Ft. Lauderdale.

Noah was named in honor of his maternal great-grandmother Natalie and his paternal great-grandfather Howard.

LIFeCYCLeS W PaGe 37

Israel is, like one professor said, “a tempest in a tea pot.” And we’ll consider the differ-ent ways Jewish and pro-Israel commu-nity leaders on and off campus are seeking to change the status quo at Evergreen.

To the extent that the Evergreen stu-dents body is engaged in Middle East pol-itics, it is strongly and vocally critical of Israel. In June, students passed two non-binding resolutions, one calling for the college to divest “from companies that profit from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.” The other would ban the use of Caterpillar construction equipment from campus. Evergreen is also the alma mater of Rachel Corrie, the International Soli-darity Movement activist who was killed by an Israeli tractor in Gaza in 2003.

“From everything I’ve heard, it’s not a place where it’s comfortable to have a pro-Israel opinion or even to be openly Jewish,” said Akiva Tor, Israel’s consul general to the Pacific Northwest. “I think the situation is totally outrageous.”

But not everyone even accepts that a situation exists. Emily Weisberg, a Jewish student actively involved in Evergreen’s branch of the boycott, divestment, sanc-tions movement, TESC Divest, says she personally knows more campus Jewish students supportive of BDS than there are members of the campus Hillel as a whole.

“I’m a Jew on campus and I have never felt unsafe,” said Weisberg. “I am very vocal about being Jewish. I wear a Star of David around my neck. I have never felt unsafe at all about being Jewish. “

Steve Niva, a professor of International Politics and Middle East Studies, believes that nothing more is going on at Ever-green than a rigorous, if sometimes tense and occasionally uncivil, debate. He sus-pects that the discomfort felt by pro-Israel students is the result of having only been exposed to one mindset and one way of framing the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“My take on it is that the self-described pro-Israel side has really exaggerated their feelings of being marginalized because they’ve never really been in an environ-

ment where such strong criticism of Israel has been aired,” Niva said.

Niva, however, is among the faculty members accused of doing the margin-alizing — and according to Rob Jacobs, regional director of StandWithUs North-west, delegitimizing Israel. The dissonance between the perspectives is self-evident: A stance that seems to Weisberg and Niva to be not just critical but moral appears to Jacobs as a worrisome effort to delegiti-mize Israel with the added consequence of offending Zionist students.

“I would say Niva puts [Israel] out in the center as if it’s the world’s worst bad guy,” Jacobs said.

The office of Evergreen president Les Purce does not see a problem with the nature of Israel-Palestine dialogue on campus, and rejects the notion that Ever-green is a single-issue campus. The school has also made clear that it will not act on the divestment resolutions.

“We’re a college,” said Jason Wittstein, a spokesperson for the president’s office. “A wide variety of opinions are going to be

expressed in the classroom. The fact is we have a long tradition of respecting differ-ences. We respect open debate and intel-lectual freedom.”

Sheryl Shulman, a professor of Com-puter Science and advisor to the campus Hillel, does not believe Evergreen to be an anti-Semitic place. But she does believe that the dialogue about Israel could stand a great deal of improvement — in the classroom, between students, and even between faculty members.

Shulman entered Evergreen’s Israel-Palestine debate via TescTalk, an intra-campus listserv, in the months after Rachel Corrie’s death. Shulman describes herself as pro-Israel and pro-Palestine – in favor of a two state solution. She felt obli-gated to join the fray when fellow profes-sors began posting what she believed were extremely polarizing statements critical of Israel.

The resulting dialogue remained extreme — only with Shulman in the

eveRGReeN W PaGe 1

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friday, december 10, 2010 . www.JTnews.neT . JTnews world news 39

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Here are some recent stories out of Israel that you may have missed.

Draft-dodging women caught on Facebook

Memo to Israeli women: If you claim to be religious to avoid army service, don’t update your Facebook status on Shab-bat. And don’t post photos of yourself in immodest clothing.

The Israel Defense Forces is using the social networking site to help catch draft-dodging women — and reportedly has nabbed 1,000.

Military investigators looking for women who lied about being religious to evade mandatory army service have found young ladies posting photos of them-selves in immodest clothing, dining in non-kosher restaurants and responding

to invitations to parties taking place on Friday night.

Some 42 percent of Jewish women in Israel do not serve in the army — 35 per-cent of them signed a declaration that they are religiously observant. The army has 60 days to challenge the declaration, accord-ing to The Jerusalem Post.

Sexy entertainerOne of the sexiest men alive, at least for

the year 2010, lives in Israel.Israeli paranormalist Lior Suchard was

named to People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive list for 2010 representing his age group, 28, on the Sexy at Every Age list of 100 men.

“I still can’t believe that I’m on the list; I’m in shock,” Suchard, who is currently performing his Uri Geller-esque act in Las Vegas, told Ynet. “I got all sorts of text

messages from people telling me that I’m in the magazine, so I immediately ran to the store to buy it.

“On the one hand I’m a little embar-rassed, but on the other hand this is very exciting. It was never my goal to be on it, but it is definitely cool to be included in the dis-tinguished list.”

‘Sex and the City,’ Israeli styleCasting has begun for an Israeli ver-

sion of the hit HBO series “Sex and The City,” Ynet reported. The series will follow the lives and loves of three 30-something gal pals. The four American women lived in New York; the three Israelis will reside in Tel Aviv.

Ynet reported that young Israeli actress Neta Plotnik has been tapped to play the Carrie Bradshaw character made famous by Sarah Jessica Parker, a Jewish actress.

Israel under the radar: Sexy paranormalistsmarcy ostEr JTa World news Service

Congratulations to Rhonda Rubin, Morton Shecter, Debra Rettman, and Ariel Weber. You are our 2010 Hanukkah Kosher winners.

Each winner will receive a $50 gift card from one of our contest sponsors to purchase Kosher treats.

Congratulations to Jeri Bernstein, Michelle Yoshi Medrano, Rebekka Fox, and Melanie Wittmier-Steffler. Each of you will receive a

pair of tickets to attend a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at Benaroya Hall. The world premiere of this concert is part of the Gund/Simonyi Farewell Commissions, 18 new works which honor Maestro Schwarz’s Farewell Season as Music Director of Seattle Symphony.

Congratulations to Ellen Cote and June Jacobs. Each wins a gorgeous mezuzah carved by Seattle artist Al Benoliel.

Want to win one? To enter January’s random drawing for a mezuzah, log on to www.jtnews.net and join our mailing list. It’s as simple as that. Joining our mailing list means you receive e-newsletters from JTNews and jew-ish.com. Join today! JTNews will not share or sell your personal information.

middle of it. Exhausted and made to feel uncomfortable after refusing a live debate on Israel-Palestine issues because the Middle East is not her area of expertise, Shulman took a two-year leave of absence from Evergreen and went to teach at St. Martin’s College in Tacoma.

Although Shulman has since returned to Evergreen, her story is reminiscent of Milstein’s. The polarized and fiery nature of the Israel-Palestine issue on campus drove her to seek refuge elsewhere. But Israel-Palestine is not the only issue, Shul-man believes.

“I think Evergreen is a difficult place to be Jewish for a variety of reasons,” Shul-man said. “But I think part of it is that there’s not a large enough Jewish commu-nity and if you have that pro-Israel view, it’s hard to find a comfortable place to share an opinion.”

eveRGReeN W PaGe 38

Page 40: JTNews | December 10, 2010

40 world news JTnews . www.JTnews.neT . friday, december 10, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) — After the Reform movement broadcast online its first session devoted to reassessing itself, in mid-November, the comments poured in.

One viewer suggested that the move-ment create a network of schools, camps, shuls and seminaries focused on tikkun olam, the Jewish injunction to repair the world. Another said the movement should train five times as many rabbis and cantors to provide more entryways into Judaism through music, social action and prayer.

Another wrote to express concern about the lack of civility in Jewish dis-course, particularly concerning Israel. One asked how Jews could use media and technology to create community.

It is exactly the sort of grass-roots input that members of the reassessment team, called the Reform Think Tank, want as they take a hard look at where American Jewry’s largest religious denomination is today and where it ought to go in the future.

“Five years from now, congregations won’t look like they do today,” said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the longtime president of the Union for Reform Judaism, told JTA in an interview.

Yoffie, who plans to retire in mid-2012, is one of the major players in the move-

ment’s reassessment project.The project is online and offline, top

down and bottom up. Each of the three major Reform institutions — the syna-gogue movement, rabbinical association and seminary — nominated 10 members to lead the 18-month discussion, which will be punctuated by four live streaming forums devoted to specific topics. Each is being archived online at urj.org/thinktank.

The first, held Nov. 21 in Los Angeles, dealt with the impact of social media on religious life. About 300 individual viewers watched in addition to about 50 watching parties at Reform congregations. They could follow a blog and Twitter feed along with the broadcast, and sent in comments and questions to help direct the conversation.

“We’ve never done anything like this before,” Yoffie said.

“It’s kind of scary,” said Steven Wind-mueller, a professor at the School of Jewish Communal Service at Hebrew Union Col-lege-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles and one of the co-organizers of the project. “Everything’s on the table. If we reinvent this whole thing, what will it look like? We’re not moving from one place to another in linear fashion — we’re experimenting.”

Demographic changes, financial chal-lenges, new family structures and the chang-ing nature of social media and how people connect to each other are just some of the pressures forcing change upon a movement founded 200 years ago in Germany but that developed its institutions in North America following World War II, Yoffie said.

Back then, the world and American Jewry had different needs and interests, he said.

“We are primarily a suburban, family-oriented movement,” Yoffie told JTA.

That’s one thing that must change if Reform Judaism is to appeal to the next generation, according to Yoffie.

“We need more synagogues in the major metropolitan centers,” he said.

The recent economic downturn already has forced changes, including the disman-tling of much of the Union for Reform Judaism itself, where consultants have replaced many staff departments. That was in the works already, Reform lead-ers insist; the recession just advanced the move quicker and gives a greater urgency to the reassessment project.

Those who want to participate in the project can send in their comments any-time over the next year and a half. Pulpit

rabbis involved with the project will take the conversation to their congregations and “take the pulse of the community” before the next forum, Windmueller said. The team also will consult with youth groups, synagogue presidents and other Reform activists.

“Most of the questions we received were in line with the questions we ourselves have,” Tasch said after the first forum. “The nature of community in a world where everything is online; the tension between face-to-face communication and technol-ogy; the nature of membership; what does it mean to belong in a world where every-thing is out there and available?”

Yoffie believes that synagogues will continue to be the foundation of Jewish life in North America but must evolve rad-ically to adjust to how people communi-cate and relate via technology.

“Social media can be contentious,” he told JTA, “and congregations are not con-tentious places. It’s where you go for com-fort and support. So how do we deal with the contention of modern media while preserving the congregation as a place of menschlikeit and mutual respect?

“The truth is, we have to take risks if we’re not going to be irrelevant.”

Going to the grass roots: Reform looking at ways to reinvent the movementsuE FishKoFF JTa World news Service

2011

Taptaptap. Experience Zubin Mehta & the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra!

Here’s a little ttreat for the New Year! Even if you’re only midway through your current subscription to JTNews, there’s never been a better time to renew.

Subscribe or renew online for a year or more before January 1, 2011 for a chance to win a pair of tickets to experience Zubin Mehta and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra performing live at Benaroya Hall on Saturday, February 26.

To be eligible to win, simply log on to www.jtnews.net, click on the red subscribe button located at the top of the page and follow a few simple steps.

Online Exclusive! We can not accept renewals by phone or mail for this offer. Please log on to www.jtnews.net to renew. Be sure to meet the December 31, 2010 deadline, and include a current e-mail address where we can send your biweekly e-newsletter. Two winners will be announced in the January 14 JTNews e-newsletter. Good luck!


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