OpinionThe Jewish National EditionPost&Presenting a broad spectrum of Jewish News and Opinions since 1935.

Volume 83, Number 3 • March 15, 2017 • 17 Adar 5777www.jewishpostopinion.com • www.ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship/collections/JPO

C

hag Pesach Sameach

C

hag Pesach Sameach

In the room off to the side of the mainroom are six varieties of mint chocolateswith pomegranate wine inside. RimonWinery now offers chocolate workshopswith a minimum of 20 people and registration in advance. Rimon Winery has also opened a concept shop in the Tel Aviv flea market for wine tasting andselling of the wines and cosmetics.

The winery is about one kilometer southof Moshav Kerem Ben Zimra in the DaltonIndustrial Zone.Visitors call: 04-682-2325.

Tishbi – Israel’s sixth largest winey Between Binyamin and Zichron Yaacov,

you have to keep your eyes open wide oryou will miss the entrance road to TishbiWinery. There we met Amir Katz, the former manager of the visitors’ center andcurrent lead guide for myisraelwinetours.

We had brunch during Passover in thekosher for Passover dairy restaurant. Thisrestaurant is open Sun.–Fri. The separatemeat “barbeque garage,” restaurant, openon Fridays, was closed during Passover,but when it is open they have slow cookedbriskets and meats and a separate kitchenand seating area. The breads (when it isnot Passover) are sour dough and thekitchens are currently overseen by MasterChef Gunter Biderman from Austria.

Almost 613 Products

There is a legend that inside everypomegranate are 613 seeds, the number ofmitzvoth (commandments) in the Torah,according to the Talmud, given by G-d tothe Jewish people.

According to Yossi Ben Ivgi, guide atRimon Winery (and not a member of thefounding family), pomegranates took onnew meaning for a farmer and his son inthe late 1990s. Gabi and Avi Nachmias,third generation in a family that foundedMoshav Keren Ben Zimra, read an articleabout the medical qualities of pomegranatesand decided to develop a new variety.

They created a pomegranate orchardlocated on the mountain next to MoshavKerem Ben Zimra. Four years later, theyfound that this variety, larger than normalpomegranates – some weighing one and ahalf kilos each (3.3 pounds) – was high insugar, the same as in grapes.

In 2003, they decided to try to makepomegranate wine and started with adessert wine. After half a year, they tastedit and saw it had a unique flavor. Peoplewere excited and there were positive comments. At this time, they decided toestablish a commercial production line andproduced 2000 bottles of pomegranate wine.

Today they are producing 13 differentkinds of wine – dry, sweet, semi-sweetand semi-dry, as well as rose, port styleand sparkling wine. The wines have won45 medals in competitions and in 2007,the wines were first place product of the

Seen on theIsrael Scene

Rimon and Tishbiwineries, andmyisraelwinetours

Yossi Ben Ivgi, guide at Rimon Winery.

Barrel Room at Rimon Winery.

(see KaplanIS, page 7)

BY SYBIL KAPLANPHOTOS BY BARRY A. KAPLAN

2 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

year at the New Jersey Kosherfest.At the back of the visitors’ center is a

whole natural cosmetics line, all madewith pomegranate oil. Because it was during the intermediate days of Passoverwhen we visited, the machinery was not inoperation, however the process includes amachine which separates the berries fromthe fruit; a special squeezing machinewhich squeezes the berries, fermentationtanks where the wine sits for two to fourmonths and then the barrel room wherethe wine sits from six months to ten years.From there it goes to the bottling machine.Today, Rimon Winery is exporting 70%;30% is for the local market.

Tours of the winery include a video followed by tasting of three types of wine. (see Kaplan/Israel, page 19)

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 3

We saw hysterically funny clips from theirprevious shows and even photos andhome movies from their childhoods.

On occasion Cooper’s 360 news showhas ended with a light and humorous segment titled, “The RidicuList”. One ofthe funniest clips was of one of theseshowing Cooper laughing uncontrollably.The harder he tried to stop, the more highpitched his laughter got, until he had towipe away the tears from his eyes.This clipshould be required equipment for everyhospital room. If they showed only thisclip of Cooper, Dayenu, it would havebeen worth attending.

Except for a few short minutes of thetwo hours, the audience who came fromall over Indiana and beyond was laughing,screaming or shouting out words like “silver fox”, a nickname for AndersonCooper. In those minutes it was so quietone could hear a pin drop. One of themwas when Cooper spoke briefly about losing his father when he was 10 years oldand when he was 21 his brother Cartertook his own life. As terrible as this was,Cooper explained this was the reason hewas able to go to war torn countries tocover their conflicts for the news. Unlikesome people here, those there could fullyunderstand his experience of major losses.

Several of the audience questions at theend were about the women on AndyCohen’s Desperate Housewives TV shows. Iappreciated the integrity of both performerswhen they were asked who are theirfavorite or least favorite housewivesand/or other celebrities. They respondedthat it would not be fair to disclose thatinformation. So in between the laughterand shouting there were a few poignantmoments. If that had been all of the show,Dayenu, it would have been enough.

After the show, I waited in a long linewith my sister Debbie to have our photostaken with the duo (above). As Iapproached Anderson, he looked right inmy eyes as he took my hand to shake it.He asked for my name, and said he likedthe vest I was wearing. Then Andy chimedin “I do too”. Anderson said he also liked

Since I last wrote here, I have attendedtwo very different but inspiring events thatI will share with you, my dear readers. Themost recent, the AC2 Tour with AndersonCooper and Andy Cohen is below and theother, the dedication of “Heart & Soul: AMosaic Project”is on page 20.

You might want to read Amy HirschbergLederman’s column on page 6 before youcontinue reading this editorial, because Iwill be practicing what she is preaching.

In our Feb. 8, 2017 Indiana edition, myeditorial was an interview with Andy Cohenabout their upcoming AC2 Tour. The inter-view took place on Jan. 8, 2017 (see page 5).

For my first question, I asked Andy whypeople should come to the tour wheneveryone can see both of them on TVevery weekday. His answer that Andersonwill be funnier sounded nice to me but inmy mind I imagined Anderson Cooper’spoker face that he wears for most ofAnderson Cooper 360 on CNN, and I couldnot picture how he would be that funny. Iwas so wrong. He can be very serious buthe has impeccable comedic timing.

As Andy said, the AC2 Tour was like beingout for the evening with two close friends,listening to them telling hilarious storiesabout their life experiences. And these twohave both had a plethora of amazing ones!If that was all the show was, Dayenu, itwould have been way more than enough.

What I did not grasp from the interviewwas obvious at the show. At the beginningeach walked out on the stage and satdown on a chair facing the audience.The only other objects on the stage were a table with beverages and their micro-phones. I know both have had years ofexperience interviewing people in a similar format. One would expect this tobe easy for them, but I could not predictthe palpable rapport these two friendshave. It was inspiring how much supportthey gave each other.

Was this so special because I am mostlyfamiliar with stand-up comedy when it isjust one person? I thought back aboutcomedy duos that I have seen on TV and Icould only think of those who had beenpopular before my time: George Burns &Gracie Allen, Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin,Jerry Stiller & Anne Meera. No it wasmore than that. They brought out the bestin each other. The sum of the two equaledmuch more than simply the two addedtogether. If that had been all, Dayenu, itwould have been more than enough.

One really exciting part of the show waswhen a big screen descended in front ofthe pair and one of them would explainwhat the upcoming clips were going to be.

Editorial Inside this Issue

1427 W. 86th St. #228Indianapolis, IN 46260email: jpostopinion@gmail.comphone and fax: (317) 405-8084website: www.jewishpostopinion.compublisher & editor: Jennie Cohengraphic designer: Charlie Bunes

OpinionPost&The Jewish

Jewish News and Opinion since 1935.

Jennie Cohen (center) with Andy Cohen(L) and Anderson Cooper (R).

my grey hair and I replied that he hadinspired me stop coloring it.

How Anderson could make me feel as ifI was the only one in the room for thisbrief encounter is difficult to comprehendconsidering the huge amount of people hemet that night. If this had been the onlypart of the evening, Dayenu, that alonesurely would have been enough.

Jennie Cohen, March 15, 2017 AAAA

Sybil Kaplan: (Seen on the Israel Scene)Israeli wineries .....................................2

Editorial ......................................................3Rabbi Benzion Cohen (Chassidic Rabbi)

Advice from the Rebbe .......................4Rabbi Herbert Horowitz (Maggid)

Passover & Liberation Theology........4The Interview ..............................................5Rabbi Jon Adland (Shabbat Shalom)

Terumah, Exodus 25:1–27:19 ................6Amy Lederman (Jewish Educator)

Celebrate “DAYENU”moments .........6Rabbis Dennis & Sandy Sasso

We stand with immigrants ................7Immigrants commit fewer crimes ....7

Rabbi Gregory Marx (From the Rabbi’s Study)The true meaning of “Chosenness” ....8

Melinda Ribner (Kabbalah of the Month) Nissan: Going forward.........................9

Rabbi Irwin Wiener (Wiener’s Wisdom)We all make a difference....................9

Miriam Zimmerman: (Holocaust Educator) Four daughters ...................................10

Jim Shipley (Shipley Speaks)A matter of perspective ....................12

American Camp Association new CEO...12Morton Gold (As I Heard It)

Pet peeves of current Jewish music ...13Rabbi Elliot B. Gertel: (Media Watch)

Movies without Jewish character....14Ted Roberts: (Spoonful of Humor)

Asher Yotsar...........................................14Jeffrey Sussman

Jewish boxers and anti-Semitism ...15Sybil Kaplan: (My Kosher Kitchen)

Haroset ..................................................16New CFO at AFHU ...............................16Professor Arnold Ages (Book Review)

Reflection on life, loves, health, family,career, sports, and philanthropy .......17

“Heart & Soul”dedication ...................20

(see Horowitz, page 5)

4 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

How do we ask the Rebbe, when weneed advice or a blessing? One way is toopen one of the published volumes of theRebbe’s letters. We write our request, opena volume of the Rebbe’s letters and put theletter that we wrote inside. Then we readwhat is written on the pages that weopened to. Many times we find an answerto our request.

Here is an example. Sixteen years agoour oldest daughter was 19 years old. Iwrote to the Rebbe and asked if it wastime for her to get married, and if so askedfor a blessing that everything should workout well. I opened a volume of the Rebbe’sletters. On one page was a letter written in 1956 to Rabbi Yehuda Leib Slonim ofJerusalem. There was no mention of marriage. I figured that we should wait.However, the next day a matchmakercalled with an idea for a match for ourdaughter. His name was Yehuda, and helived in Jerusalem.

Was this the Rebbe’s answer to ourquestion? We did some investigation. Theyoung man was from a good family thatwe knew, and his teachers recommendedhim. We told the matchmaker that wewere interested. She in turn spoke to theboy’s parents. They investigated ourdaughter, and agreed that they shouldmeet. I sat down with our daughter andtold her about the young man. She wasn’tinterested, but I had a feeling that hewould be the one. I said: “You know what?Just sit and talk with him for half an hourand I’ll give you 50 shekels.” She agreed.In those days she earned 5 shekels an hourbabysitting.

They met, and spoke for two hours. Thenext day the matchmaker called. She hadspoken with Yehuda’s parents. They toldher that their son was impressed with ourdaughter, and would like to meet heragain. I sat down with our daughter andasked her if she was interested in anothermeeting. She smiled and said sure, if I giveher another 50 shekels. I smiled and toldher that I only pay for the first meeting.They met two more times and decided toget married.

I made a small investment. I took tenminutes to write a letter to the Rebbe.But this has turned into one of the bestinvestments that I have ever made. Fromthis letter I have been blessed so far with a fine son-in-law and seven preciousgrandchildren, may they be blessed.

Life is complicated and not always easy.

BY RABBI BENZION COHEN

Chassidic Rabbi

All of us need direction and blessings. Doan experiment. Write to the Rebbe. Forsure you will find guidance and blessings.If you don’t have a volume of the Rebbe’sletters at home, you can find one at yourlocal Chabad House. It is also possible towrite to the Rebbe at www.igrot.com.

We want Moshiach now. When we write to the Rebbe we connect ourselvesto Moshiach, and help him to bringredemption to the world.

Rabbi Cohen can be reached by email atbzioncohen770@gmail.com. This is anexcerpt of his column originally publishedFeb. 9, 2011. Since that writing his oldestdaughter gave him one more grandchild, andalso she is planning the wedding of her oldestdaughter. This will be his first grandchild toget married. AAAA

j i

Advice from the Rebbe

The Civil War was raging between theUnion and the Confederacy in the winterof 1862. The Jews of Paducah, Ky., whonumbered 30 families, were supporters ofthe Union in a border state. Withoutwarning, General Grant’s Order Number11 was issued. The Order stated that allJews in the border states were to be identified and expelled from those stateswith their entire families. They were allpainted with one brush as smugglers.

A Jew named Cesar Kaskel who lived inPaducah had emigrated from Austria andwas naturalized as an American Citizen. Hebelieved strongly in the American doctrineof freedom and liberty for all. Undeterred,he single handedly started a campaign to meet with President Abraham Lincolnin the hope that Order Number 11 wouldbe rescinded. As recorded in JonathanSarna’s masterful book, Lincoln and theJews, this purported dialogue took placebetween Kaskel and Lincoln:

Lincoln: “And so the children of Israelwere driven from the happy Land of Canaan”

Kaskel: “Yes, and that is why we havecome to Father Abraham’s bosom, askingprotection”

Lincoln:“And this protection they shallhave at once”

Lincoln acted immediately and counter-manded Order Number 11. This tookplace on Jan. 4, 1863, three days after theEmancipation Proclamation, which freed all

the slaves in the South.This fight was a victoryover oppression and discrimination.

Pesach (Passover) is known as Z’manCherutainu, the time of liberation. This liberation is analogous to spring, Aviv. Justas nature is liberated from the harshnessand dormancy of winter, so too, theHebrew slaves were liberated.

Spring represents the natural order ofnew life, a reawakening and a turn toboundless energy. Chaucer in TheCanterbury Tales depicts spring; “Aprilshowers fall, flowers blossom, the worldgently plays about tender crops, the suntravels its course, birds break into song,and folk rise up and out the doors”.Passover in contrast to Chaucer’s idyllicdepiction of nature represents a rupture ofnatural order!

The Torah in the Book of Exodus clearlydescribed God’s supernatural disruptionof the natural order to liberate theIsraelites from the oppression of slavery.This is exemplified by Makat Dam (Plagueof Blood) which turned the Nile intoblood, followed by two most destructive ofthe plagues, Choshech (Darkness) theninth plague and Makat B’Chorot (Deathof the first born male Egyptians) the tenthplague. Choshech created total blindnessthat was numbing and resulted in frozenfear among the Egyptians. Makat B’Chorotwas payback for Pharaoh’s evil decree todrown all Israelite male babies. Theseplagues brought about the ultimate liberation of the Israelites.

Passover is a theological phenomenonthat celebrates God’s “wonders and mira-cles”. This is continuously demonstratedby the Ten Plagues, splitting of the Sea ofReeds and the Manna floating down fromheaven each day to sustain the Israelites in the desert. Yet the order of nature is relevant to Passover. Having achieved theirfreedom under spectacular circumstances,the Israelites were likely to lose their senseof perspective. The Passover Haggadahstates: “Hoo V’low Acher” (Him and noother). Human beings have limitations,only God can work miracles.

Passover and its profound meaning ofliberation is marked by the Seder service.Just as nature awakens in the first monthof Nissan, the Israelites were awakened asa free nation. Seven weeks after Passover,the first fruits of spring are ready to beoffered to God on the holiday of Shavuot.At the same time, we the Jewish people areready to receive the Ten Commandmentsand reaffirm our responsibilities to upholdthe laws of God.

How great is the natural order of springand the liberation of our people in thisseason of awakening! Chag KasherV’Shameach a wonderful Passover to all.

Herbert Horowitz is Rabbi Emeritus of

BY RABBI HERBERT HOROWITZ

Passover andLiberation Theology

Maggid

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 5

Shore Parkway Jewish Center, Brooklyn, NY.He can be reached at rabhh18@ gmail.com.

Rabbi Horowitz is available to serve as ascholar-in-residence or to officiate at serviceson Shabbat and holidays. His affiliation isConservative to Modern and OpenOrthodoxy. He can speak on these topics:‘American Jewish Experience: Hopes andChallenges’; ‘Abraham Lincoln and theJewish Connection’; and ‘Israel through myeyes’. On topics of ethics: ‘When is compromise possible?’ and ‘Brandeis andSolovechik: towering figures in the legal andreligious Jewish community’.

For communities in need of a Shabbat leader,he can read Torah, Baal Koreh and Davin, aswell speak on a timely topic related to theTorah portion. He lives on Long Island andprefers to visit congregations within a 200mile radius of NYC. However, if a congrega-tion would want him to come from a greaterdistance, he would fly to them and thoseexpenses would be part of the honorarium. AAAA

HOROWITZ(continued from page 4)

here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU76VwuL79w.) What other Jewish foods arefavorites?

Andy: Lox and bagels, kugel, kasha, matzaball soup, chopped liver, and I love latkes.

Jennie: What do you put on your latkes?Andy: Mashed potatoes. (We both

laugh.) Not really – I like them toppedwith applesauce.

Jennie: What is your favorite Jewish holiday?

Andy: Passover. It’s light and fun, it’sspringtime, the food is tasty, and I like theservice. Growing up our seders were notthat serious.

Jennie: In St. Louis did your familybelong to a congregation?

Andy: We belonged to BSKI (BrithSholom Kneseth Israel), which has sincemerged with another congregation. (Itmerged with Shaare Zedek Synagogue,and is now called Kol Rinah).

Jennie: Was that Reform?Andy:Yeah, yeah, yeah.Jennie: Have you ever been to Israel?Andy: No, but I would love to go.Jennie: Would you want to perform there?Andy: No, just see the country, visit

the sites.Jennie: Who were some of your Jewish

idols growing up?Andy: Joan Rivers. I used to watch her

on the tonight show. It was like a holidayfor me whenever she was sitting in forJohnny Carson. It was a great honor forme to then become friendly with her inlater years when she appeared on my talkshow many times. It was like going fullcircle for me.

Jennie: What were your favorite moviesthis year?

Andy: La La Land, Moonlight, HiddenFigures, and Jackie.

Jennie: What other entertainment do you enjoy?

Andy: I like theater. I’m watching The Crown on Netflix, which I amabsolutely loving.

Jennie: Is there a part of your Jewishupbringing that influences your worktoday?

Andy: Look, I give a “Mazel of the Day,”every day at the end of my show, and I usea lot of Yiddish. If you come to my showyou will see people wearing Mazelsweatshirts that Bravo makes. I use theword “Mazel”to mean something good or positive that happened.

Jennie: How do your parents feel aboutyour successes?

Andy: They are amused but not preoc-cupied.

Jennie: Of all the work that you havedone, what are you most proud of?

Andy: My books and my talk show.Jennie: What can you tell me about your

newest book?

Andy: It’s called, Superficial: MoreAdventures from the Andy Cohen Diaries.It’s a follow up of my first two memoirs,Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Linesof Pop Culture and The Andy CohenDiaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year. Ithas a lot of great stories and is basicallyabout two years of my life.

Jennie: Who were some of your favoritecelebrities to interview on your show?

Andy: So many. Jennifer Lawrence,Oprah, Cher was amazing, and MerylStreep to name a few.

Andy Cohen was easy to talk to,accommodating and witty – such a mensch! Tickets are available at www.oldnationalcentre.com.

Interview took place January 8, 2017 AAAA

The Jewish Post & Opinion recentlychatted via telephone with Andy Cohen(no relation) to find out what to expect athis AC2 tour with Anderson Cooper live inIndianapolis March 10 at the MuratTheatre at Old National Centre. AndyCohen is the mega-popular late night hostof Watch What Happens:Live and executive producer of The RealHousewives franchise, bothon the TV station Bravo.

Jennie Cohen: Whyshould people come to yourshow when they can watchboth you and Anderson onTV every day?

Andy Cohen: It’s a likegoing out to a bar withAnderson and I for a couple of hours, hearingus swapping stories,telling jokes and askingquestions. We interview each other andthen for the last half hour we turn it overto the audience to ask us questions.

People will be surprised at how funny,loose and open Anderson can be compared to watching him on CNN.Come and bring your friends. We also seea ton of couples in the audience. It’s like anight on the town kibitzing with two greatfriends who have funny stories, who talkabout current events and pop culture.

Jennie: Is your show in Indianapolisgoing to be the same as it has been in othercities or has it evolved as you go along?

Andy: It has evolved and grown.Because he and I are involved in so manydifferent activities, it would be hard tokeep it the same. New adventures arealways happening with us, and certainlywith Anderson’s job covering the electionand politics, and all that I see in pop culture. Our shows are up-to-the minutecurrent.

Jennie: How do you prepare for the show?Andy: Anderson and I discuss what

stories to keep and what to take out.For example, yesterday Anderson had a contentious interview with KellyanneConway. If we were doing a show thisweekend, I would quiz him about that.

Jennie: Have you ever been toIndianapolis?

Andy: Never, even though I grew up inSt. Louis, but I’m betting Anderson has.

Jennie: On YouTube I saw your mother,Evelyn Cohen, and you on the show, Live!with Kelly before Thanksgiving. You, KellyRipa and your mother made challah stuffingwith her recipe. It was a riot to watch and itlooked like it would be so tasty. (Watch it

The Interview

A. Cooper

A. Cohen

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6 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

JewishEducatorBY AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN

Passover: A time to celebrate“DAYENU” moments

Passover is a time of year when Jews tellthe core narrative of the Jewish peoplewhich goes like this: We were slaves forover 400 years in Egypt, then God broughtus out of Egypt “with a strong hand and anoutstretched arm” to become a “kingdomof priests and a holy nation.”The Passoverstory is a powerful account of redemptionthrough revelation which reminds usannually of our deep-rooted connection toGod, freedom, community and Torah.

But it’s interesting to note that withinthe first few weeks of freedom, the Jewsbegin to complain bitterly about howrough life is in the desert. Food was scarce,nights were cold, and no one seemedhappy with their new life. Definitely a lotof kvetching for a group who, just weeksbefore, had been building pyramids underthe yoke of Egyptian bondage!

Perhaps a way to understand the kvetchpart of our story is to view it as a reflectionof the tendency to never be fully satisfiedwith our lot. The Exodus story suggeststhat its part of human nature to complainabout what we don’t have rather than tofocus on and be grateful for what we do.

We spend most of our lives in relation-ship with others so it’s natural to compareourselves to those we know, admire, liveor work with. But often, comparing ourselves to others leads to our own dissatisfaction because somehow, othersjust seem happier, richer, more popular orsuccessful. And just like in the movieWhen Harry Met Sally, we think to our-selves: “I’ll have whatever she’s having!”

The issue of being unhappy with whatwe have and always wanting more hasbeen around since the beginning of time.Adam and Eve are a great example: Godtells them they can eat from any tree in the Garden of Eden but the Tree ofKnowledge and bingo, Eve goes straightfor the apple from that tree.

Over 2000 years ago, the rabbis discussedthis problem and gave us this bit of wisdom: “Who is rich? One who is happywith his lot.”

Passover is a great time to renew ourcommitment to become more aware ofwhat we have. The Seder can provide an

(see Lederman, page 7)

Pirke Avot 1:7 – Nittai of Arbel said, distance yourself from a bad neighbor, do notbefriend a wicked person, and do not despairof punishment.

March 3, 2017, TerumahExodus 25:1–27:19, 5 Adar 5777

The Torah portion Terumah shifts fromthe mitzvot on how to live ethical lives incommunity to the first words on describingand building the Mishkan (Tabernacle).The Israelite community, now free fromthe shackles of slavery and currently livingin proximity to Mt. Sinai, are told to bringgifts as their heart moves them to helpconstruct the Mishkan. And so they bringprecious minerals, fine linens and cloth,and precious stones. (Exactly where theslaves got all this stuff is always filled withmuch speculation though we are told thatthey borrowed jewelry from their Egyptianneighbors.)

God now says to the people in Ex. 25:8,“And let them make Me a sanctuary that Imay dwell among them.” God is ready tomake God’s self accessible to the peoplethrough this Mishkan. Once constructed, itwill be a place of sacrifice and offering. Itwill be a place where the community canoffer praises and thanks to God for thebeauty and wonder of their lives andexperiences. It will also be a place whereone can find atonement. But before theprayers can be offered or sacrifices made,it needs to be built and it needs to be builtto very specific specifications in terms ofsize, material, and color. With this portion,God instructs Moses as to God’s expecta-tions of what the Mishkan will look like.

The Western world has been buildingsanctuaries for God to dwell in ever since.Some are magnificent pieces of exquisitearchitecture. Some are humble buildingswith four sides and a roof. The one inExodus that God describes to Moses isactually a temporary tent-like structurethat can be deconstructed, packed up, andmoved to the next location. Regardless ofthe beauty, size, opulence or humblenessof the sanctuary, God will dwell there.God doesn’t discriminate based on whatthe sanctuary looks like. At the same time,God does not only exist in the Mishkan asGod is everywhere. The sanctuaries arereally for you and me to have a designatedholy place for the community to gatherand pray.

All of us know that you can connectwith God anywhere. Whether it is a nature

ShabbatShalomBY RABBI JON ADLAND

hike, a Shabbat morning service at camp, amoment seeing a rainbow, a personalactivity of great satisfaction, God is thereto meet you where you are. We have ourtemple and our sanctuary for communityto gather. There is something powerfulhearing the Shema sung by a congregationof people whether it is 10 or 100. There issomething glorious in reading Torah witha community of Jews. There is somethingawesome seeing the faces of a congrega-tion as they watch the Shabbat candlesbeing lit and the prayer recited and sung.

When God says,“And let them make Mea sanctuary that I may dwell amongthem,” this sanctuary really isn’t for God.God doesn’t need a space as God is in allspaces. The sanctuary is for us to cometogether to say “Shabbat Shalom”or lift ourvoices up in song. Reform Judaism doesn’tstand on the principle of a minyan (a minimum of ten people) being necessaryfor a full worship service. Instead webelieve that those who are present, thosewho have made the effort to gather inprayer, deserve the communal prayers.What is important, I believe, is that wecreate community on Shabbat, holy daysand holidays, as well as simchas and sadmoments. Jews aren’t ascetics. We havenever advocated for solitary lives. In fact,living a Jewish life without other Jews isn’teasy. Over the centuries, Judaism evolvedits ritual and practices to be shared withothers. Whether it is Shabbat, Pesach, theHigh Holy Days, or other holy days,Judaism wants us to be with others andshare the experience. In fact, we can findevidence for this in our verse, “And letthem make Me a sanctuary that I maydwell among them.” It doesn’t say, dwellamong you. It says “them.”God wants usto be together to share the joys of life andbe with others in the pains of life. Humansare not meant to be alone.

There certainly have been moments inmy life when I was by myself and God wasthere with me. Maybe I was fishing or in my shop doing woodworking. Thoseare spiritual experiences and, at times,powerful. At the same time, being atTemple and in the sanctuary with others isincredibly powerful as well, as I get toshare the moment with them.

When you light your Shabbat candles,light one as if it is the Ner Tamid (EternalLight) that hangs in the front of everyJewish sanctuary representing God’s eternalpresence. Light the other candle and let itremind you that this light is the light of theJewish people that has walked with Godfor centuries as one large community.

Rabbi Adland has been a Reform rabbi for more than 30 years with pulpits inLexington, Ky., Indianapolis, Ind., and currently at Temple Israel in Canton, Ohio.He may be reached at j.adland@gmail.com. AAAA

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 7

On Jan. 29, more than 1,000 people cametogether at the Indianapolis InternationalAirport to express opposition to the president’s ill-conceived and prejudicedExecutive Order barring immigration tothe United States from seven Muslim-majority nations. We were privileged tobe among the speakers at that gathering.Following are our remarks, first Dennis’and next, Sandy’s:

Dennis: “I stand with you as an immi-grant to this country.

I stand with you as a descendant of Jewswho, escaping the Inquisition, came to theNew World, found refuge in the Caribbeanislands and arrived in this land before thebirth of the United States.

I stand here bewildered, distressed anddisturbed by the recent Executive Orderwhich would deny asylum to immigrantsfrom Muslim countries and would makethis country unwelcome to many of ourneighbors and others seeking refuge frompersecution, displacement and violence.

It is particularly troubling that theExecutive Order coincided with the daydevoted to Holocaust Memorial Observance,a reminder of a dark time when the worldclosed its hearts and doors to millions ofJewish and other victims of genocidal hatred.

On the very Sabbath of the Executive Order,we read in the synagogue the biblical storyof Israel’s ancient redemption frombondage. At that time a despot declared:“I will not let them go!”In our day, a rulerproclaims,“I will not let them come!”

In the name of sacred memory, in thename of sanity, in the name of justice andcompassion, let America affirm the wordsof the ode to the Statue of Liberty byEmma Lazarus, a young Jewish woman:“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed tome. I lift my lamp besides the Golden door.”

To our Muslim brothers and sisters andto all who call America home, we say: Westand with you; we stand by you; we standamong you; and we stand around you.

Let the light of liberty and hope shineand may each one of us reflect its glow.”

Sandy: “I am the grandchild of immi-grants who came to this country escapingpersecution. My grandfather arrived alone,

as a teenager, with a few coins in his pocket.I never had the good fortune to meet most ofhis family. They were trapped by the terrorof the Holocaust which targeted thembecause they were Jews. There was noescape. To our shame, America closed itsborders to refugees. Six million Jews and fivemillion others were murdered. We cannotafford historical amnesia. We cannot forget our all too recent past. Today wepledge – we will not go back there again.

I represent Women4Change Indiana,an inclusive, nonpartisan, grassrootsorganization motivated by a desire toaddress the escalating rhetoric of hate and the increasing acts of intimidationand violence that demean minorities,immigrants and women.

Let those who believe that this immi-gration ban will make America safe again,recall the words of Benjamin Franklin:“Those who can give up essential libertyto obtain temporary safety deserve neitherliberty nor safety.”To make America safeagain, we must make America good again,the land of liberty and justice for all.

Before there were clocks, the ancientrabbis asked how it was possible to tellwhen morning begins. One suggested,“It is morning when you can look into the face of a stranger and recognize aneighbor and friend.”

Morning will come again to America,when the light of Lady Liberty’s torchshines brightly in its harbor.

Morning will come again to America,when the voices of welcome and compas-sion are louder and stronger than thevoices of fear and hate.

Morning will come again to Americawhen we can see in the face of the other,the face of our neighbor and friend.

Let us make morning again in America.Reprinted with permission from The

Indianapolis Star Feb. 8, 2017. AAAA

Some have suggested that PresidentDonald Trump’s recent speech beforeCongress offered a more conciliatory and collaborative tone than previous pronouncements. But tone does not override content. Particularly egregiouswas Trump’s call to the Department ofHomeland Security to establish VOICE,Victims of Immigration, Crime Engagement,a program that would focus on crimescommitted by illegal immigrants. Duringthe speech, Trump recognized four peoplewhose loved ones had been killed byimmigrants. Certainly, our sympathies goout to all who have lost loved ones. ButTrump’s message was ideologically tainted (see Sassos, page 8)

We stand withimmigrants

BY RABBIS

DENNIS C. AND

SANDY E. SASSO

Immigrants commitfewer crimes thannative-born Americans

LEDERMAN(continued from page 6)

opportunity to reflect on and share ourappreciation for the people and things forwhich we feel grateful.

During the Seder, we sing an upbeatsong called Dayenu which is over 1,000years old. Translated from the Hebrew, itmeans “It would have been enough.”Dayenu is the quintessential JewishGratitude Song. It reminds us, over andover again, that whatever we have, it isenough and each additional blessing is agift, a bonus, from God.

During Dayenu, we sing verses like: “IfGod had brought us out of Egypt, and notpunished the Egyptians, DAYENU! If Hehad fed us manna in the desert but notgiven us Shabbat, DAYENU! If He hadbrought us before Mt. Sinai but not givenus the Torah, DAYENU!”

It’s hard to imagine Jews saying it wouldhave been enough had we not been giventhe Torah – and yet that is what we sing.From this we understand that Dayenudoesn’t literally mean “it would have been enough, as in – no more, you canstop now, game over.” Rather, the wordsremind us that no matter what we mightnot have, we should be grateful for all thatwe do. In Dayenu, we thank God for eachstep of the journey and all that happens inbetween. Dayenu focuses our attention onwhat we have rather than what we lack.

This year at your Seder, consider creatingDayenu moments. You can use a simplestatement about gratitude and let yourfamily and guests fill in the blanks. Forexample: It would have been enough if…my son graduated college, but he…alsogot a job. DAYENU! Or: It would havebeen enough that… I reached my 65thbirthday, but… my parents are also alive.DAYENU!

Another way to celebrate Dayenumoments is to have a discussion with yourfamily so that members and guests canshare what they are grateful for at thispoint in their lives. And even if everyonedoesn’t participate but you begin a newSeder tradition, Dayenu!

Amy Hirshberg Lederman is an author,Jewish educator, public speaker and attorneywho lives in Tucson. Her columns in the AJPhave won awards from the American JewishPress Association, the Arizona NewspapersAssociation and the Arizona Press Club forexcellence in commentary. Visit her website atamyhirshberglederman.com. This column wasoriginally received on Aug. 3, 2016. AAAA

j i by the claim that violent crime in America is the result of an irresponsibleimmigration policy. This initiative is eerily

8 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

j i

reminiscent of 1940s Germany, where“immigrants”(Jews) were singled out andlisted as criminals.

Is it true that immigrants are killing us?As of March 1, the number of homicideswas 2,745. There were 1,878 people murdered by guns and 239 killed due to domestic violence incidents. Most ofthese violent crimes were perpetrated bynative born American citizens. Despiterhetoric to the contrary, closing our borders, building walls and deportingthousands of immigrants will not solveour crime problem.

Advocating on behalf of immigrants,documented or not, has nothing to dowith being “soft,” or a so called “bleeding

SASSOS(continued from page 7)

heart liberal.” It has to do with facts,hard facts. Immigrants to the United Statesare significantly less likely than native-born citizens to commit crimes, andundocumented immigrants, even less so.

No refugee who has come to our country,whether from Syria or any other place inthe Middle East, has been implicated in amajor fatal terrorist attack since theRefugee Act of 1980 set up systematic procedures for accepting refugees into theUnited States. How many foreign bornterrorists who have come to the UnitedStates as refugees have killed anyone onAmerican soil? None. That’s right: Zero.Those are hard facts.

On the other hand, we have witnessedextraordinary violence from domesticextremists. Hate groups continue to flourishand are emboldened. The American radical right, according to the latest countby the Southern Poverty Law Center, grewfrom 784 in 2014 to 892 in 2015 – a 14 percent increase. We need only rememberCharleston, S.C. and the massacre of nineblack church goers by a white supremacistto be cognizant of the imminent dangersthat lurk within our own borders.

Mosques are being threatened, morethan 100 Jewish Community Centersnationwide have received bomb threats,cemeteries are being desecrated andLGBT churches and youth are being targeted. Children from Muslim, Jewish,Hispanic and African American familiesare being harassed in schools. Gun violence continues to kill nearly 13,000Americans per year.

Among those sitting in the audience asTrump addressed Congress, there shouldalso have been victims of hate crimes andfamily members who have lost loved onesto gun violence. Meanwhile, our ownIndiana General Assembly refuses to passa Hate Crimes Law and continues tostrengthen gun ownership laws.

Our government has an obligation tokeep us safe. But unless we acknowledgewhat truly threatens us, we will spendresources frivolously and fail to create theprograms that will protect us. Throughouthistory, alarmist stereotyping has fabricatedfalse fears that have led whole countries todo unspeakable acts. It is the responsibilityof our leadership to help us discern thedifference between irrational and rationalfear, between truth and falsehood.

Fanning the flames of hate makes usless secure, not more so.

Rabbi Dennis Sasso has been senior rabbi at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck inIndianapolis for 40 years. Rabbi SandySasso is rabbi emerita of CongregationBeth-El Zedeck and director of the Religion,Spirituality and the Arts Initiative at ButlerUniversity. Reprinted with permission fromthe March 7, 2017 Indianapolis Star. AAAA

Our Bible makes it clear that our ancestorsconsidered themselves to have been chosenby God to be a holy people. For hundredsof years, Jews who inherited the traditionof Abraham have been puzzled by theconcept of “Chosenness”. If God “chose”the Jews, why then, have the Jews sufferedso much? How can we reconcile the ideaof election, with the reality of anti-Semitism and the tragedy of Jewish history?Although these are difficult questions,they reveal a misunderstanding of thesubtleties of the doctrine of chosenness.

When God chose Abraham, it was anera when all the surrounding peoples considered that they, too, were chosen bytheir particular chief God. The concept ofchosenness includes, as its corollary, thenotion that the people also chose. Ancientpagans chose a god whom he or shewished to follow, even as the god “chose”them. Each person entered into a covenantor a contract with his or her particular god.In the ancient world, there were two typesof covenants. One was a treaty betweenequals. “You do this for me, and I, in return,will do this for you.” The second kind ofcovenant was a Suzerainty treaty, whichwas in essence an agreement betweenunequals, such as sovereign and servant.

In a Suzerainty treaty, the sovereign willprotect his or her subject in return for loyalty, but there was never an under-standing that the two parties were equal.Judaism mirrored the covenant between Godand the Jewish people after the Suzeraintymodel. The covenant stated that Godwould ensure the Jewish people’s survivalso long as we maintained our end of thebargain, which was to uphold the mitzvot.

All religions fancy themselves as uniqueunto God. Divine treaties were common.The difference between the Hebrews andtheir contemporaries was not that the Jewswere chosen, and the other peoples werenot.The difference was in the nature of thecovenant that the Jewish people entered into.

The covenant that bound the Jewishpeople to their God required continuousethical conduct. It necessitated the followingof the ritual mitzvot, which communicatedJewish traditions from generation to thenext. These laws were on a much higherethical level than the laws associated withthe Canaanite gods, Baal or Moloch. In

The true meaningof “Chosenness”

BY RABBI GREGORY MARX

truth, being Chosen meant a heavier burden upon the Jewish people.

Chosenness was never intended to mean“better than”. Only the unlearned Jew hasinterpreted “chosenness”to mean that theJew was chosen because we were better ormore numerous than other peoples.Deuteronomy 7:7 reads, “It is not becauseyou are the most numerous of peoples thatthe Lord has set His heart on you and choseyou – indeed, you are the smallest of peoples.” Quite the contrary, chosennessmeant “different from.”

The Jews, because they were chosen byGod, and chose to follow God’s laws, wereset apart to be as Isaiah demanded, “ALight Unto the Nations.” Chosenness doesnot mean privileged; it means responsible.There is a profound difference betweenthe two.

In the end, the question, “Are the Jewsthe chosen people?”can only be answeredby the Jews of each generation.…forthemselves. We are chosen if we assumethe covenant by maintaining our traditions.We demonstrate our chosenness by ourethical actions. We are chosen to be specialrepresentatives of God, if we are in thevanguard of those who mediate God’squalities to the world about us. We arechosen when we choose to live a Jewishlife, and maintain our traditions.

There is a special obligation involved inthis inherited doctrine of chosenness. If wedo not admit to its validity in the present,then we are betraying generations of Jewswho lived and died to make it true. Can ithave been true for our ancestors, but notfor us? If it is not true for us, then, it couldnot have been true for them, either. Canwe make a lie of four thousand years ofnoble history? I trust not.

Senior Rabbi Marx has been spiritualleader of Congregation Beth Or in MapleGlen, Pa., since 1989. AAAA

From theRabbi’s Study

We will greet the new month of Nissanthe evening of March 27. Each monthbrings new spiritual opportunities andblessings. The month of Nissan is calledthe “Chodesh Ha’Aviv”, the month ofSpring. The scent of spring in the airmakes us aware of the new life emergingin nature and reminds us to pay attentionto the new energies stirring within us aswell. There is a heavenly influx of graceand compassion in this month of Nissanthat enables us to go forward in our lives.

Nissan is the headquarters for new beginnings. This is the month to leave yourpersonal restrictions and limitations andmove to greater freedom. It is a time of miracles and redemption. This was the monthwhen the Jewish people were redeemedfrom Egypt, and it will be the month in thefuture when the final redemption will takeplace. In every Nissan there is the hopeand expectation that something new andwonderful will take place. So let us enjoythe opportunity this month offers us.

General guidelines and suggestions forNissan from Kabbalah Month by Month

The awakening to greater freedom andlove starts with you. Contact your yearningto move forward in life. To go forward inlife, we have to transcend limitingthoughts about who we are and who Godis. It is good and safe to be in the not-knowing, allowing life to unfold ratherthan trying to control life to meet yourexpectations.

Meditation, prayer and doing mitzvot arepowerful tools to move forward to greaterfreedom and love. There is a heavenlyinflux of compassion this month that willlift us out of places of constraint but weneed to call out, make a place for God toenter our hearts and souls, and then listento the quiet still voice inside each of us toguide and direct us.

In preparing for the Holiday of Passover,we begin to remove the chometz from ourphysical house as well as our “innerhouse“ of our heart and soul. Chometz isassociated with pride, negativity, andwhatever does not allow us to be in themoment. Chometz is the part of the ego mindthat makes us feel limited and bound.

As we grow and develop on the spiritualjourney, we seek greater freedom from

Kabbalahof the MonthBY MELINDA RIBNER

Nissan, the monthof going forward

(see Wiener, page 11)

Wiener’sWisdomBY RABBI IRWIN WIENER, D.D.

We all make a difference

How many times have we wished wehad the ability to express ourselves whenwe are the recipients of goodness asdemonstrated by others? Sometimes wejust look in amazement at the many people who cross our paths during ourjourney who have had an impact on ourlives. Perhaps we take these individuals for granted or even come to expect the different episodes that give us fulfillment.

Each morning when we awake to a newday, we can also find new things that willbrighten our day or make the experiencemore exciting in so many ways. But, thenwe forget all too often, to just say a simple“thank you.”We have a tendency to forgetthe one’s who impact our lives – the postalworker, or the law enforcement servants,or the gardener, or even the grocery clerk,and for sure the men and women whoproudly serve our country. If we stop tothink for a moment there are so manygroups and individuals who are part of usin so many ways.

Even Scripture demonstrates how easyit is to forget until time slides by us and weare forgotten as we forget. Sometimespeople’s minds are enslaved, not forthinking differently, but because wechoose to ignore the blessings we receive.We take the benevolence offered by Godand squander it on complacency and thedesire to be part of a greater society ratherthan contribute to it.

Each year, during the month ofDecember, I watch a movie titled, It’s aWonderful Life. And each year I find something different in the message. It is atimeless story of greed and goodnesscombined to emphasize that each conflictswith the other. The miracles experiencedin this film come from the fact that adversity sometimes wakes us up to thereality that goodness comes with effort,and greed rears its ugly head so easily.

No person is alone if she or he has

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 9limited and reactive ego states that keepus enslaved to negative behaviors andlimited concepts of self. We seek to gobeyond ourselves, for we recognize thatthe ego mind that is causing the stress andnegativity cannot offer us the solution orhealing from it. To become free, to becometruly loving, we need to be attached to thatwhich is free, and to that which is loving.That Being is God.

To make this connection, ask yourself “What does God want? What does my soulwant? Being with these questions we canlisten deep inside for guidance. Then webegin to act in ways that are in alignmentwith our inner knowing.You may becomemore aware of the choices between thehigher knowing of the soul and the needsand desires of the ego mind. Make aneffort to choose what your higher self,your soul and God would want you to doand not what your limited ego mind wants.

Just as the Jewish people called out toGod when the slavery they experienced inEgypt became too intense, so we call outto God when we feel the call within ourselves for a new way. Often times, formany of us, it is when we truly feel theheavy toll that limitations and challengeshave placed upon us that we are ready tomove away from what is familiar. Nissan isan auspicious time to call out for a new way.Nissan is the time to go forward, to opento the new. Passover is the headquartersfor this leap.

Going forward in our lives always takesa level of trust and faith. Many times,people are unhappy repeating old patternsin their lives, but they hold on to what isfamiliar because that makes them feelsafe. But in truth, holding on to somethingthat is toxic, that is limiting, does not offerreal security, but only the illusion of security. To open to new possibilities within ourselves takes letting go of limiting ways we have defined ourselves.It takes the willingness to be vulnerable.Being vulnerable before God may be thesafest place to be.

If you had faith and trust in God, whatwould you do? How would you experienceyourself and your life? What changes wouldyou make in your life? How can you heightenyour faith and trust in God? These are questions to contemplate this month.

May we let go of limiting false beliefs aboutourselves, and others during this month ofNissan. May we find greater trust and faiththis month and take meaningful steps togreater freedom in Nissan.

Melinda Ribner L.C.S.W. is also theauthor of Everyday Kabbalah, KabbalahMonth by Month and New Age Judaism,and The Secret Legacy of Biblical Women: Revealing the Divine Feminine.Internationally known for her pioneeringwork in kabbalistic meditation and healing,

she is also a spiritual psychotherapist and for more than 30 years has used kabbalisticwisdom as part of treatment. She offers a freenewsletter on meditation, healing, kabbalisticenergies of the months, holidays, and more.www.kabbalahoftheheart.com. AAAA

j i

10 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

Voice,”as I protested the subordinate roleof women, as relegated to us by Orthodoxmale authorities. After some years, I maileda letter to publisher Gabriel Cohen, z”l,today, it would have been an email, that I was tired of complaining about the roleof women in traditional Judaism. I wantedto write about anything that commandedmy attention. The dear man continued to publish whatever I submitted, eventhough he never did answer my letter.

Only after I started teaching theHolocaust, in 1995, did this column morphinto “Holocaust Educator,” as I foundmyself writing more and more aboutHolocaust pedagogy. The twist to my storyis that I am a “Catholic educator,”teachinga course on the Holocaust in a Catholicinstitution, Notre Dame de NamurUniversity, in Belmont, Calif. As such, Iqualified to attend the three and a halfweek Summer Institute in Israel of theNational Catholic Center for HolocaustEducation (NCCHE).

In the summer of 1998, a generous fellowship from NCCHE, located at SetonHill University in Greensburg, Pa., enabledme to study the Holocaustin Jerusalem. I joined agroup of about 20 otherCatholic educators, underthe leadership of SisterGemma Del Duca.

“What?” my Jewishfriends protested,“you aregoing to Israel to study the Holocaust withCatholics?” It turned out that theNCCHE’s Summer Institute was at YadVashem’s International School forHolocaust Education. Yad Vashem is theIsraeli institution dedicated to Holocaustmemory, research, and education. It pairedthe Seton Hill group with an equal number of Israeli and Jewish Holocausteducators from all over the world. Ourprofessors, mostly from Hebrew University,were tops in their fields of Holocaust history, research, anti-Semitism, genocide,and other Shoah related topics.

As the only Jew in the Catholic group, Iwas privileged to accompany them toChristian holy sites. Since Jewish tourgroups sail past high walls surroundingmonasteries and churches, I had no ideathere were so many Christian sacredplaces in Israel. Our group listened toFather Jim preach a sermon on the Mt. ofBeatitudes. We sailed on a “Jesus boat,”their term, not mine, across the Sea ofGalilee. I remember gagging down a bonySt. Peter’s fish, supposedly indigenous tothat sea. I bought a cross from a Palestinianvendor in Manger Square, across from theChurch of the Nativity in Bethlehem, togive to one of my nun friends.

For me, the pièce de résistance wasretracing some of the last Stations of the

Cross along the Via Delarosa, where Jesusreportedly took his last steps on his way to Calvary, site of the Crucifixion. Our pilgrimage culminated in the Church ofthe Holy Sepulchre.

Religion should not be a spectator sport.But I could only watch as we paused ateach of the last few Stations. SisterGemma opened her well-worn Christianbible, with post-it notes sticking out on allsides, to the text corresponding to eachStation. She read the relevant passage,followed by a song that everyone elseknew. It was a pious group, includingthree seminarians, Father Jim, and SisterLois. Fascinated, I felt the spiritual IQ ofthe group soar.

With us was Pau, a former monk, now amarried archaeology professor at BenGurion University of the Negev. After all,we were a group of academics. Followingthe song, it was Pau’s turn. At each Stationwhere we paused, Pau offered variationsof this disclaimer: “Of course, there is noarchaeological evidence that this is thespot where Jesus fell. This is the traditionalsite where the Station was alleged to havehappened.”At the Sixth Station, he added,“There probably wasn’t a woman namedVeronica who mopped Jesus’ brow withher handkerchief, since ‘Veronica’ is theGreek word for ‘handkerchief’ or ‘veil.’” Asimilar erudite explanation tempered eachstory at all the stops.

Pau’s words, grounded in the science ofarcheology, caused our spirits to plummetdown to the secular stones of Jerusalem.We were on a spiritual seesaw. I fantasizedthat documentarian Michael Moore wouldappear at any moment with his camera, tocapture the irony of the scene.

Inside the Church of the HolySepulchre, a man from our group came upto me, tears streaming down his cheeks.After almost 20 years, I remember only hisfirst name, but I can still see vividly theanguish on his face.“I don’t care what Pausays.That,”Dennis pointed up to the ledgewhere a line of pilgrims slowly filed pastthe traditional site of the cross,“is Calvary.”I wondered how he knew so definitivelyand why he chose me, the perennialJewish outsider, to express the depth of hisemotions. I felt like the awestruck daughter,as I witnessed the collision between scientifictruth and religious truth, as these pilgrimsgrew ever closer to their God.

The experience was life changing for me. I was determined to return toJerusalem some day and study with agroup of Muslims, a goal now on mybucket list. I also developed a deep appreciation for the passion narrative,which has dominated Western thoughtand culture for two millennia.

We Jews do our children no favors byteaching them that Jesus was just one of

HolocaustEducatorBY DR. MIRIAM L. ZIMMERMAN

I slowly awakened, dreaming about theparable of the four sons: wise, wicked,simple, and the son unable to ask.Passover thoughts permeated my sluggishbrain: family, housecleaning, nonstopbeating of eggs, whipping heavy cream;the need to start my lists. Sleepily, I wondered, where were the daughters?

To be inclusive today, liberal JewishHaggadot relate the story of the four children instead of the four sons. My dreammust have channeled fond childhoodmemories of Passover Seders from myhometown of Terre Haute, Ind. But whatmight the story be like, if the four sons hadbeen daughters?

On its own, my brain came up withcharacteristics of four daughters. TheSerene Daughter – she looks, sees it is good;she grows wise with vision. The PlayfulDaughter – she experiments, is open tooptions; she grows up to become an entrepre-neur. The Curious Daughter – she explores,learns from empirical data; she is a scientist.And the Awestruck Daughter – spiritualand pious, she is motivated by the mystery ofCreation to seek closeness with the Divine Will.

Of course, we must include the fifthdaughter, the Jewish girl murdered in theHolocaust, who is not present to ask aquestion. She represents the potential ofevery Jewish woman because she couldhave become anything: a writer, a doctor,a social activist, a mom, a single woman.The addition of the fifth daughter to thetraditional Seder ritual came out of CLAL,The National Jewish Center for Learningand Leadership, founded by the influentialmodern Orthodox rabbi,Yitz Greenberg.

Now, with five granddaughters and onegrandson, I feel an imperative to continueto embrace a form of Judaism that valueswomen equally to men.Traditional Judaismmight value women, but “according totheir natures,”natures as defined by men.I am encouraged by Orthodox Jewish feminist Bluma “Blu” Greenberg’s maxim,“Where there’s a rabbinic will, there is aHalachic (Jewish law) way.”Blu Greenbergis the wife of Rabbi Greenberg; perhapsshe could influence her husband to createa rabbinic will to elevate women to thesame ritual status as men in Judaism.Jewish feminists put an orange on theSeder plate to symbolize this need.

My career at The Jewish Post & Opinionbegan in 1985 with the byline,“A Woman’s

Four daughters

Del Duca

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 11day after proposed hate crimes legislationdied in the Indiana state legislature andafter the Indianapolis Jewish CommunityCenter received a bomb threat, one of 28JCCs and Jewish schools targeted that justday alone across the country.”

In addition to patriotism, I also internal-ized Dad’s dictum that “It can happenhere.”Dad explained that from one day tothe next, people whom he thought werehis friends would cross the street ratherthan have to pass him on the sidewalk.Thus, they avoided talking to him. Is ithappening here?

I began writing this article during a six-hour appointment at a Stanford Universityresearch clinic, each arm hooked up to anIV (intravenous) machine (below). Thecurious daughter, who learns from empiricaldata, becomes a scientist. I am enrolled in astudy whose goal it is to determine whysome people taking statin medicationdevelop diabetes.

I asked Dr. Fahim Abbasi, clinical assis-tant professor of medicine, how this studywas funded. He replied that the NIH(National Institutes of Health) has alreadyinformed all research institutions thattheir annual subsidies would be discontin-ued. Many research clinics are closing as aresult. Why hasn’t this real news made itinto the media?

The Trump machine’s war on scientificresearch is not limited to climate change.His war on truth encompasses all scientificendeavors, including medical research.I have concerns that with a man likeDonald Trump in the White House, it mayhappen here. This Passover, may you findadded meaning in your Seder by creatingyour own version of the four daughters.

Dr. Zimmerman is professor emerita atNotre Dame de Namur University (NDNU)in Belmont, Calif., where she continues toteach the Holocaust course. She can bereached at mzimmerman@ndnu.edu. AAAA

the many false messiahs of his day, as Ihad been taught. Until I witnessed howthese devout people experienced “thePassion of the Christ,” I did not under-stand the power of Jesus for Christians,how Jesus serves as savior for his people,or why he has had an enduring effect onWestern Civilization.

I now understand emotionally as well as intellectually how the Crucifixion servesas the redemptive metaphor for Christiansand is every bit as powerful as Passover is for the Jewish people. Religiously andspiritually, both achieve the same goals for their respective peoples. In Christian tradition, Jesus is called “the PaschalLamb,” strengthening further the connection between the two religious traditions.

The Seder ritual enables each Jew toexperience the Exodus and receive theTorah as if s/he were enslaved in Egypt andpresent on Mt. Sinai. Seder weaves everyJew into the fabric of Jewish people hood.In my opinion, we need to do the same forthe Holocaust. We need to create rituals sothat every Jew feels personally saved fromthe Nazis.

Yearly, in early February, my husbandRichard and I hold hands and light theYahrzeit candle in memory of my dearfather, Werner Leo Loewenstein, z”l, aGerman-Jewish refugee who, in 1937,found freedom from theNazis in the United States.As a medical student at the University of Berlin, hewitnessed the demise ofthe German medical pro-fession as it purged Jewish“scientific” doctors andreplaced them with Naziideologues.

Dad had his own passage from slaveryto freedom. My personal observance ofPassover begins with my father’s Yahrzeit,when I consciously connect his story toPassover.

Dad was extremely patriotic; he taughthis children that this country is the bestthe world has ever produced. He had aflag post installed in our front yard,mounted in cement next to the entrywayof our home. Each morning, weather permitting, he raised the U.S. flag andtook it down each evening. During hisYahrzeit this year, for the first time ever, Ifelt relieved that my father was gone anddid not live to see the day when whitesupremacists dominated the White House.

Further, on March 1, 2017, a JewishTelegraphic Agency (JTA) headline cried,“Gunshot fired through classroom win-dow of Indiana synagogue.” JTA reportedthat a bullet hole was found in a classroomwindow of Adath B’Nai Israel Temple inEvansville, Ind. “The incident occurred a

WIENER(continued from page 9)

Dad as a soldier inWorld War II

friends. And no person is alone if he or she has faith. I believe they go together.Our faith is somehow strengthened whenwe can hold a hand or be together as weshare the difficulties and also buffer thewaves. Each of us represents a microscopicview of the world. If we listen and watchwe can see the whole world in front of us – from dialogue, to accent, to wishesand completion.

We may look differently on the outside,but inwardly we share the same needs anddesires. We all need compassion and caring,acceptance and togetherness. Most impor-tantly, however, is our desire for life. To methe film depicts in a very moving way theneed for continuance and continuity. If wereally think about, our values are no differ-ent than those of the person sitting next tous, or living next door to us, or residingmiles away, or even in distant lands.

Albert Einstein, I believe, summed it up best:

“Strange is our situation here upon earth.Each of us comes for a short visit, not know-ing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine apurpose. From the standpoint of daily life,however, there is one thing we know:

That we are here for the sake ofothers…above all, for those upon whosesmile and well being our own happinessdepends, and also for the countless unknownsouls with whose fate we are connected by abond of sympathy.

Many times a day I realize how much my ownouter and inner life is built upon the laborsof my fellow men, both living and dead, andhow earnestly I must exert myself in order togive in return as much as I have received.”

I could not help but think as I read thesewords how much of an impact we have onthe lives of those with whom we come incontact each and every day. We probablywill never know to what extent we trulyaffect their lives. I do know that each andevery time people gather either for prayeror celebration or sorrow, there is a feelingof contentment and satisfaction in theknowledge that no one need be alone.

The men and women whom we choseto lead us in these difficult times of terror,uncertainty, desecrations, are answering anoble cause – the cause of survival andcontinuity. Even in our small corner of thisgreat universe, it does matter, all livesmatter, our faith matters.

Rabbi Wiener is spiritual leader of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation nearPhoenix, Ariz. He welcomes comments at ravyitz @cox.net. He is the author of two books: Living With Faith, and a modern and contemporary interpretation ofthe Passover Haggadah titled, Why is ThisNight Different? AAAA

ShipleySpeaksBY JIM SHIPLEY

A matter of perspective

In 1950, my family moved to ShakerHeights, a suburb of Cleveland. It was alovely, leafy area with stately homes and astoried history. Once my parents boughttheir home we were shocked to find thatjust shortly before we moved, a law wasstruck down that prevented Jews fromowning homes in that lovely, leafy suburb.They actually had a LAW that preventedJews and African Americans from buying ahome in their town. We’ve come a longway, baby.

Restrictive covenants have practicallydisappeared in the United States. You have the wherewithal? You can buy ahome, build one to standard, live in anapartment – do anything that anyone elsedoes, regardless of the color of your skin,the religion you follow, where you or yourparents were born.

We also have laws covering PublicDomain. Basically, if the city, the state oreven the federal government decides thatthey need a particular piece of land, theymay buy it from the owner at a price basedon an appraisal from a non-partisan groupfamiliar with property values. Usually thisland is needed for a road expansion, a newmunicipal building or any project thatdoes not have a commercial interest.

If the home or business owner is nothappy with the price – they can appealthrough the courts. There have beenexceptions of course. Politicians are politicians, after all. In most of these“exceptional”cases, old storied businessesare torn down to allow newer larger taxpaying businesses to take their place. Thissmells to high heaven. Let the new businesses buy the old ones, pay for tearing them down and building their own.

Which brings us to the new “SettlementLaw” just passed by the government ofIsrael. I have not read the law. I only knowwhat I read in the New York Times, a smallsnippit in our local paper and a lengthyarticle in the Jerusalem Post. From what Ican gather, it allows the government ofIsrael, to confiscate privately owned Palestinianproperty for the building of housing forIsraeli citizens – Jewish Israeli citizens.

Now, the ancient and holy land of Israelis the historical home of the Jewish Peopleand the one place where Jews from allover the world are welcomed without

quotas or restrictions. To repeat: The firstJewish Commonwealth was establishedwhen King David built the city ofJerusalem and King Solomon built theFirst Temple. The Babylonians destroyedthe Temple. We came back and foundedthe second Jewish Commonwealth. As weknow, the Romans put an end to that. TheMuslim Caliphate put an end to theRomans. The wars that followed neveridentified a nation in the area where Israelwas and is located. It was, from the 7thcentury on – Arabia.

In the area that became known asPalestine – a linguistic take off on theancient name for the tribal inhabitants ofthe area known as Philistines; the TurkishSultans ruled until the British aided by yes– Lawrence of Arabia and a unified Arabarmy threw them out and created a BritishMandate in the area.

When the Turks ruled the area, they sold portions of land to Turkish citizens,basically wealthy members of the landedgentry. In the late 19th century the JewishNational Fund began to buy land from theTurkish land owners. So, the Fund andtherefore the Jews had property rights inwhat was to become the Third JewishCommonwealth – Israel.

The trouble started when Jews showedup on the land they had legally purchasedand told the residents, basically tenantfarmers, that they, the Jews, now ownedthe land on which the farmers were living.And they were now going to farm and/ordevelop it themselves. Well, the law is thelaw and the Jews moved in – the Arabsdecided to kill them and take the landback. They did not succeed.

A percentage of the land of Israel is stillowned by the Jewish National Fund. Aportion of the so-called West Bank is privately owned by Arabs. Most of thesefolks are farmers, usually of olive trees.Very few of them are politically active. Evenfewer are inclined to violent acts of terror.

In some cases, specifically in the areas of the Negev adjacent to Jordan, Israeliand Arab farmers cooperate on soil andcrop improvement. On the so-called West Bank, the attitude is different. The“Settlers” there are much more militantand nationalistic. They are overwhelminglyOrthodox and take their mandate notfrom the courts or the Israeli Government– but directly from God.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government just passed a law stating that Israelis mayconfiscate privately owned Arab land. Theland would then probably become “StateLand”. The big questions then become:Will the Arabs be adequately compensatedfor their land? Will private citizens owntheir own homes? From whom will theybuy the home? Who profits? There aremany questions to be answered as the law

moves to the Supreme Court of Israel.Jim Shipley has had careers in broadcasting,

distribution, advertising, and telecommuni-cations. He began his working life in radio in Philadelphia. He has written his JP&Ocolumn for more than 20 years and is directorof Trading Wise, an international trade andmarketing company in Orlando, Fla. Thiscolumn was submitted on Feb 15, 2017. AAAA

12 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

American CampAssociation announcesnew CEO

Tom Rosenberg has been appointedChief Executive Officer of the AmericanCamp Association (ACA). He began inOctober 2016. He was preceded by TomHolland who resigned asACA’s CEO to pursue hisand his wife Catherine’sdream – to own a camp oftheir own. Tom Rosenbergis a worthy successor toTom Holland – a successorperfectly suited to leadACA into the future.

Tom Rosenberg has a distinguished careerin the camp profession and a long resumeof service to ACA. He previous served asthe executive director of Camp Judaea inHendersonville, N.C., where he fulfilled hiscommitments and directed their summerprogram before joining ACA last fall.

Tom has extensive camp leadershipexperience in both for profit and nonprofitcamps. Prior to Camp Judaea, Tom spentmore than two decades with Blue StarCamps in North Carolina, most of thoseyears as a director. Tom is a past nationaltreasurer and board member of ACA aswell as a past board president and treasurerof ACA, Southeastern. He most recentlyserved on ACA’s 2016 National ConferenceProgram Committee in Atlanta. A foundingboard member of the North CarolinaYouth Camp Association,Tom was awardedthe Henderson County Chamber ofCommerce’s inaugural Camp IndustryLeadership Award as well as the AmericanCamp Association’s National Honor Awardand ACA, Southeastern’s DistinguishedService Award.

With an educational focus in business,Tom graduated with distinction from theMarshall School of Business at theUniversity of Southern California with anMBA and from the AB Freeman School ofBusiness at Tulane University with a BS inManagement. He is also a graduate ofACA’s Camp Director Institute.

Tom melds his experience in the camp profession with business expertise,inspirational vision, successful fundraising

Rosenberg

j i (see ACA CEO, page 13)

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 13question the reasons for these changes. Inno particular order....

The Hazzan in many cases no longerwears the traditional garb of a chazzan.(Notice: I have deliberately spelled theword starting with the letter “C” instead of the letter “K” which I consider to be avisual impediment. Anyone of a certainage who has studied and/or performedJewish liturgical music, has sung Baruchand other words correctly. Only an ignorantperson would pronounce the word Ba-rootchand so on. This is an attempt to fix some-thing that is not broken! It makes thingsmore difficult than easier. This is anotherchange akin to Thy STAFF and the ROD.

Okay, the yarmulke (excuse me, theKippah) has replaced the hat, no morelarge bow tie. But no robe either? Oh, I getit. The Khazzan, excuse me, the leader isjust plain folks, just like one of us. AchZoch un az vey. A more generous transla-tion might be “Sez who?” Since anyone,with or better still without any trainingand better yet a decent voice is now theleader, any music written by a composer oranother chazzan is now off limits. In itsplace are “congregational”tunes of dubiousprovenance written primarily by entertainersthat are supposed to sound Israeli but moreoften sound like faux Ukrainian tunes.

One of the main duties of a chazzan usedto be to encourage and/or train choirs.What for? In too many temples they seemto be tolerated and used when the Torah iscarried and folks are shaking hands likepoliticians running for office. Instead ofencouraging and training people to sing,and in parts, the chief job of the chazzan isto train bar/bat mitzvah candidates andalso to teach people to read the Torah. Inbrief, instead of being the traditionalleader of the service, his or her role is nowone of being a teacher. True, someone hasto do it, and the title remains, but theessence, the neshama no longer exists.

The chazzan is no longer the shaliachtzibur the musical representative of thecongregation. He is simply a teacher,honorable though that profession is, butno longer the equal of the rabbi in theservice since anyone can do it.And if anyonecan be a leader, what is so special about it?

The pulpit is no longer the place for thechazzan either. His or her place is now nolonger on the bimah but rather on the floorwith his or her fellow congregants. I recallas a teenager that many an adult wouldwalk from one shul to another on RoshHashanah or Yom Kippur simply to heartheir hazzan. Forgive me, but I really doubtthat anyone would do so just to hear therabbi speak about the birth of Isaac.

And while I am at it....Late Fridayevening services have gone the way of thedodo bird. With basketball, football andother attractions and distractions, whatever

Friday night activities exist are a kind of Judaism 101. This is how one lights candles, etc. This is the tune for theKiddish. It is probably news to many, thatat a Friday evening service, normal or late,the Chazzan sang the Kiddish and the congregation sometimes sang the phrase“Ki vanu vacharta..”

It was only during the 1940s that therewere many Jewish servicemen as visitorsthat it became a CUSTOM for the congre-gation to sing the Kiddish melody byRabbi Israel Goldfarb. Now, that tune isTHE traditional melody for the Kiddish.

Few know or even care to know thesource of the music we sing. A glance atthe newer siddurim will show that theauthorship of EVERY prayer is indicated.What I am asking for is only EQUAL timefor our composers as well. I will not go on for much more. I think the reader hasgotten the gist of my complaints and likePortnoy, I do not have to kvetch muchmore. For your consideration however…

On Shabbat, do we now have upliftingservices that include the reading of theTorah portion, or do we rather have communal get-togethers that feature adiscussion and reading of the Torah,sandwiched between the singing of somecatchy but banal tunes and followed by aKiddish? A sad commentary of these timesis the following: If you want to hear adecent chazzan singing Jewish liturgicalmusic, you may hear him or her in a concert setting. You will not hear eithernew or old Jewish music anywhere else.

There, Heaven help me, I have said mostof what is on my mind. If the reader wantsto do anything to change or amelioratethings that now exist, make your feelingsknown.You know that if one wants to hearsacred Christian music, (masses, etc.) one will have to attend programs given inconcert halls. The more we want to be different from anyone else, the more similar we become.

Dr. Gold is a composer/conductor, retirededucator and recipient of the Kavod Award bythe Cantors Assembly of North America. AAAA

As I Heard ItBY MORTON GOLD

Pet peeves of currentJewish music

I have been reluctant to write a columnfor some time. Why? I will probably getsome folks upset with me and it “wouldnot profit me” at all. I feel like Rip vanWinkle who woke up after 40 years of sleep.I see what I see, hear what I hear, and “amnot amused.”Equally upsetting are thingsgreat and things not so great (to others.)

If one were to look back to the decade ofthe 1970s and contrast things to how theyare now I am irritated by any number ofthings. One realizes that time does notstand still and change is inevitable.However, change for the sake of changeand changes that are not effective aresomething else. One example of the for-mer is the new English translation of the23rd Psalm, which reads “Thy staff andthey rod...” instead of Thy rod and theystaff.” Good grief man (rabbis) WHY?What does this accomplish? Jews andGentiles have recited this psalm and thisphrase for centuries.

I suspect that the powers that be wantedto make this psalm into a Jewish psalmrather than the universal one that it is andOUGHT to remain. And if that was theiraim, I would have preferred HaShem is myshepherd to Ado-ai. In my upbringing, theuse of Ado-ai was reserved strictly forprayer, and if in translation, it was spelledAdoshem. The only change for the better(to me) is the phrase “You set a banquet(instead of a table) before me.

While it is now a custom to include thispsalm in a (Jewish) funeral or memorialservice, this is a custom that has occurredonly recently and like many customs people are led to believe that it is lawwhich it is not. There are many otherpsalms (like #121) that are just and evenmore appropriate.

In the older machzor on the Hebrew sidethe phrase “the hazzan continues” is writ-ten, while on the English side the phrase“the leader continues” appears. In thenewer edition, however, the word hazzanhas been eliminated. Friends, while a hazzan is assuredly a leader, the reverse israrely so. (I am just getting warmed up.)

I want to state in writing that I have aworld of respect for whoever holds asmicha. However, there are any number ofchanges that have occurred that, as a sonof a hazzan make me uneasy and I would

experience, professional agility, organiza-tional skills, and strategic focus – attributes that are essential to achievingsuccess as ACA’s CEO.Tom is a thoughtful,dedicated, and experienced leader who iswilling to take his commitment to camp,youth development, and ACA to a greater level.

Tom, his wife Pam Sugarman, and theirson Daniel live in Atlanta, Ga. Tom will be dividing his time between the ACAadministrative office in Indianapolis andhis home office in Atlanta. AAAA

ACA CEO(continued from page 12)

j i

14 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

welfare of their children. When discoveredby the authorities, the Lovings needCohen and his associate, Phil Hirschkop(Jon Bass), a brilliant civil rights attorney.Even as it becomes clear that Cohen hadvery little experience with constitutionallaw, Hirschkop understands that theLoving case may well “alter the Constitutionof the United States.”

Cohen does understand the importanceof raising the profile of the case, andencourages the Lovings to meet with aLife Magazine reporter, who takes a photograph of them that becomes iconic.Yet Richard decides not to attend the trial,probably out of concern that the State ofVirginia will likely argue, according to hisattorneys, that it is unfair to bring childrenof mixed race into the world and that suchchildren, even if born in wedlock, are “bastards.”He asks his attorneys: “Tell thejudge I love my wife.”

In all fairness to Richard, he, likeMildred, has been through a lot. In tensemoments his African American friendsand in-laws remind him that however“black”he may think he is, he has a “fix”:“All you got to do is divorce her.” In onemoving scene he is ashamed that he is toodrunk to respond to such remarks.

Sadly, Mildred, who had the courage topursue the case and is fully aware of itshistorical import, declines to attend thehistoric trial because Richard will not go,and misses the rare opportunity to witnessnot only the operation of the court but thefruit of her vision and labor. One wonderswhether the attorneys pushed to affordher that opportunity.

Cohen and Hirschkop are energetic anddedicated enough, but come across mostof all as ambitious and as erratic. Nothingis said about their Jewish upbringing, orabout where they get their moral compass,except perhaps from ACLU ideology,which is depicted here as rather vague andundisciplined. Sometimes, in moments ofunmitigated chutzpah, the Jewish-namedlawyers come across as obnoxious.

ArrivalIn Denis Villeneuve’s and Eric Heisserer’s

film, Arrival, based on a short story by TedChiang, 12 space ships land all over theworld, including Nevada. The movie isunrelenting in its New Age notion that thescience fiction genre, above all others,including religious scriptures, knows thehuman heart best and can provide thebest spiritual and rational perspective to adivided world (and universe?). It is notsurprising, therefore, that, at the film’sstart, an Evangelical cult’s mass suicideparallels looting all over the country, notto mention the bad behavior of Russia,China and Pakistan.

MediaWatchBY RABBI ELLIOT B. GERTEL

Movies withoutJewish character

Three recent films are shaped by depictionsof Jewish characters with minimal characteror by the lack of Jewish characters altogether.

LovingJeff Nichols’ sensitive and well-acted

Loving tells the true story of Richard andMildred Loving, an interracial couple whowere literally outlawed from their owntown and State of Virginia after marryingin Washington, D.C. They are arrestedbefore their forced exile to the nation’scapitol, even though the wife is pregnant.As the local sheriff puts it,“It’s God’s law.He made a sparrow a sparrow and a robina robin. He did that for a reason.”ReliableRichard is able to find work anywhere as a bricklayer, though he was probablybetrayed by a co-worker.

The film makes the point well that thisfamily is oppressed by such humiliationeven as the Space Age is dawning and thecivil rights movement is gaining momentum.

Not happy raising three children in anurban environment away from family andcountry living, the lovely and thoughtfulMildred writes to Attorney General RobertKennedy for justice. She receives a callback from an American Civil LibertiesUnion (ACLU) lawyer, Bernard Cohen(Nick Kroll). Mr. Cohen tells Mildred thathe is based in Alexandria, but has an officein D.C., and assures her that the ACLUwill take care of any fees.

Yet the film emphasizes that Cohen andthe ACLU were not forthright withMildred and Richard. They were taking achance with the lives of this young family.Cohen does not have an office in D.C. Theorganization is still fly-by-night enoughfor him to have to pretend that a desk inan office is his. He also urges the couple toreturn to Caroline County,Virginia, wherethey will surely be arrested, and assuresthem that he’ll be there to bail them out,even though he is not sure that the planwill work.

Fortunately, Richard is more level-headed.He wants to be able to live in peace in hishome town and not to make a statementat the expense of his family. Early on hewarns Mildred,“You get what you pay for.”

But as time moves on, the coupledecides that the risk of moving back andliving out of the public eye is better for the (see Gertel, page 15)

My. He was as pale as the pillow hishead rested upon. He spoke little andrefused to focus on either my analysis ofthe Michigan State/Notre Dame game orthe TV on the opposite wall. Another indication of “unwellness” was the tube in his arm and blinking apparatuses borrowed from a 1940s Frankensteinmovie surrounding his bed. To further validate my suspicions, this scene tookplace in a hospital room!

He had endured an operation – there werecomplications involving whatever physiol-ogists call the human trash disposal system.

He had been through this before and Ihad told him of the prayer, Asher Yotsar. Ihad told him of a time when I had beendammed like the Grand Coulee blocks theArizona River and how I had recited theprayer – a traditional one used daily bymore observant Jews than me – to thankour Creator for the deft engineering of thesystem that rids us of liquid waste.(“Blessed are you Hashem who heals allflesh and acts wondrously.”)

Voila! The free flowing brook pushedaside boulders, rubble, debris and foundits way to the sea.

We began our goodbyes, whereupon myfriend, who had marveled at my earlierhealing, turned his head as we stood inthe hospital room doorway.“Ted,”he said.“Say that prayer for me – the one with thefunny name, you know.” He said it againas we lingered in the doorway.

We who have wives that can’t resistindividual goodbye kisses and speeches toeveryone in the room are used to lingeringin goodbye doorways. So, five minutes laterI’m leaning against the wall wondering ifmy warmhearted wife will kiss the nurse,too. My friend, with some effort, turns inthe bed to look directly into my eyes.“Don’t forget the prayer,”he says.

I went home and immediately ranupstairs and pulled out the prayer poster.It is garish, primitive, almost cartoonish,but Isaiah was a lousy dresser andAbraham probably would have flunkedout of yeshiva and Sinai has none of thesnow-covered elegance of Mt. Fujiyama.Appearances are only appearances and inthe reality show of the world that’s veiledto us, they mean nothing.

Two weeks pass. My friend is home andprobably appreciating for the first time

Asher Yotsar

Spoonful of HumorBY TED ROBERTS

(see Roberts, page 18)

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 15

Two academics, linguist Louise Banks(Amy Adams) and physicist Ian Donnelly(Jeremy Renner) are recruited by U.S.government agencies to reach out to thevisiting aliens and to find out how to communicate with them and what theywant of earthlings. These two intrepidsouls, as courageous – even when shakinga little – as they are curious, respondimmediately to the call to guide teams of scientists and, more indirectly, the militaries of the U.S. and its allies, if not ofits adversaries as well.

Our power think tank duo is invited forregular audiences with the alien visitors intheir cavernous and wondrous travel craft.The two intergalactic representatives, whoare soon given the nicknames “Abbott”and “Costello,”communicate from behinda glass screen by making sounds and alsodemonstrating a nifty knack for generatinggraphics. Tall and squid-like, they aredubbed “heptapods” because of theirmany legs.

Louise achieves a special rapport withthe visitors by making herself vulnerable,and is convinced that she can figure outtheir language enough to get them tounderstand ours. She tells the U.S.authorities that knowledge of the aliens’motivations will come faster if they can betaught to speak and read.

The film comes across as a feast for linguists and as an ode to the powers and effects of language on intention andmotivation. But it tests the self-respect of many earth cultures once it gleefullyshowcases that all graphics whichemanate from the space craft can be readthe same way backward and forward. Thevisitors come bearing the gift of perceivingtime in a different, non-linear way. Suchperception figures into Louise’s way ofdealing with the arrival and loss of a child.

Though absorbing enough, andthoughtfully-written and well-actedenough, this film knocks human commu-nication while purporting to enhance it. Inattempting to deal with a “disconnected”earth, it espouses disconnection from classical aspects of world culture, includingbiblical (and secular) worldviews of history,hope, messianic yearning, and communi-cation with words and stories. In manyways, the movie is an assault on time andlanguage as understood by diverse earthlycivilizations. Could the aliens have cometo promote cosmic political correctness?

Yes, there is a Jewish-named character here,too, an Agent Halpern (Michael Stuhlberg),an inside-the-box unimaginative bureaucratwho does his job and tries to do it well, buthas nothing to offer, not even an insightinto what Hebraic civilization has

GERTEL(continued from page 14)

contributed to the world and to humancommunication. Could it be this character’spurpose to render a Jewish presenceinconsequential in any conversation aboutlanguage and communication?

AlliedAny time given to Robert Zemeckis’s

and Steven Knight’s Allied, a film as over-long and pretentious as it is well-mounted,is not only time wasted, but time lost to animmoral concoction. The film stars BradPitt as a Canadian infiltrator behind Nazilines, and Marion Cotillard as a seasonedFrench Resistance fighter. They meetwhile posing as husband and wife inCasablanca, and then marry and have achild in London while that city is beingbombarded by the Germans. The blissfullynewly-wed husband, who is still infiltratingNazi bastions on day flights, is told thathis wife is suspected of being a Nazi agentand that he must test her and then kill her should she prove guilty, and that failure to comply with orders will renderhim subject to charges of treason.

This movie would have us buy into or, at thevery least, sympathize with, irresponsibleand even stupid actions in the name of“love” on the part of Pitt’s character,actions that fatally endanger fellow officersand even his own baby. The premises herecan best be described by a French word,degoutant, a cognate through the Latin ofthe English, “disgusting,” but stronger inits condemnation of both aesthetic andmoral baseness.

This film is also Judenrein, devoid of anyJewish characters or even of any referenceto the systematic genocide against Jewsand the calculated mass murder of others,as if to divert attention from Nazi evil,even as the Blitzkrieg is depicted. TheNazis assassinated by Cotillard’s characterand killed because of her are portrayed asrebellious (and maybe even resistance-friendly) soldiers who go out of their wayto find Lucky Strike cigarettes. If the film hadgone on any longer, it might have suggestedthat the German airmen bombing Londonwere trying to miss civilians!

Early on, Cotillard’s character says that it is not sex but emotion that can destroy animportant espionage mission. Allied exploitsthe emotions of audiences, not to mentionHollywood romance and sex formulae, inorder to generate misplaced and morally-repugnant compassion and sympathy.

Rabbi Gertel has been spiritual leader ofcongregations in New Haven and Chicago.He is the author of two books, What JewsKnow About Salvation and Over the Top Judaism: Precedents and Trends in the Depiction of Jewish Beliefs andObservances in Film and Television. Hehas been media critic for The NationalJewish Post & Opinion since 1979. AAAA(see Sussman, page 18)

Many people have asked me why Ichose to write the book, Max Baer andBarney Ross: Jewish Heroes of Boxing,which was just published by Rowman and Littlefield. It’s a good question. Mostpeople, Jews and non-Jews, have no ideathat from 1910 to 1941, there were 628professional Jewish boxers in the UnitedStates. Many of them, including BarneyRoss, were Orthodox Jews. Ross and morethan a dozen others were world championtitle holders. And Ross was one of thebest, for he was the first boxer to holdthree championship titles at one time.

The origins for my writing the bookstarted when I was12 years old. I wasshort and skinny,and my fatherworried that biggerboys would pickon me. One day,he brought home apair of boxinggloves, a speedbag, a heavy bag,and a jump rope.He taught me the elements of boxing,and I learned that my father had been anamateur boxer in his late teens. He hadgrown up in a German immigrant neighborhood where pervasive anti-Semitism existed. He often got in fist fightswith those who espoused anti-Semitism.

After my father taught me the basics ofboxing, he signed me up for ten boxinglessons at Stillman’s Gym, the mostfamous boxing gym in the United Statesfrom the 1920s to the late 1950s.

We arrived at Stillman’s gym inManhattan, early one afternoon and wentup a flight of stairs. Mr. Stillman was sitting at a desk near the door. He had abig, ugly cigar stuffed into his face thatsmelled like rotten cabbage.

“I’m Nick. Follow me kid,”he said.He led me through one of the filthiest

gyms in existence. It smelled of sweat and lineament. I heard the sibilant soundsof soft soled shoes skipping rope, thethwack, thwack, thwack of gloves hittingbody bags, and quick pop, pop, pop ofgloves gyrating against speed bags. Nicktook me to a locker, where I changed outof my jeans and polo shirt. I put on a pairof shorts, a t-shirt and was then led to a

Jewish boxersand anti-Semitism

BY JEFFREY SUSSMAN

My Sephardic Haroset(2 cups)1 cup chopped dates1/2 cup raisins1 chopped apple1/2 cup finely chopped nuts1 tsp. ginger1/4 cup red wine

Combine all ingredients.

Sephardic Haroset(source unknown)1 cup chopped walnuts1/4 cup chopped almonds1/2 cup raisins1/2 cup chopped dates1/4 cup red wine2 Tbsp. lemon juice1/8 tsp. cinnamonapricot halves

Combine walnuts, almonds, raisins,dates, wine, lemon juice and cinnamon.Form into balls. Spoon onto apricot halves.

Sabra Haroset(from an old undated Jerusalem Post)2 peeled and cored apples6 peeled bananas1 lemon, without juice1 orange, without juice20 pitted dates1 cup peanuts1 cup dry red winematza meal as needed2 tsp. cinnamonsugar to taste

Put fruit and nuts though a grinder (orblender or food processor). Add wine,lemon juice and orange juice. Add enoughmatza meal to soak up the wine to theconsistency you want. Mix in cinnamonand sugar.

Date Haroset (1/3 cup)1/2 cup finely chopped dates1/2 cup chopped almonds1/8 cup red wine1/2 grated apple1/2 tsp. cinnamon1/4 tsp. ginger

Combine dates, almonds, wine, apple,cinnamon and sugar and blend well.

Yemenite Haroset30 chopped dates20 chopped dried figs2 Tbsp. sesame seeds2 tsp. hot ginger powdermatzah meal as desireddry red wine as desired1 chili pepper (optional)

My KosherKitchen

HarosetWhat Passover seder symbol is

common to all communities but is notmentioned in the Biblical passage whichenjoins us to eat the paschal offering,matzah, and bitter herbs? Haroset.

We define haroset loosely as a paste offruit, spices, wine and matzah meal,symbolic of the mortar used by theHebrews when they were slaves in Egypt.The word is of unknown origin but may befrom the word heres, meaning clay,because of its color. The custom of eatingharoset is thought to have come from thetime of the Babylonians who dipped foodin relishes or sauces to add flavor.

Some years ago, I surprised all my sederguests by serving both the Ashkenazicversion and a different Sephardic versionwhich everyone loved and wanted infuture years. The New York Times PassoverCookbook, edited by Linda Amster, wrotethat the Iraqi version is one of the oldest andmost time-consuming recipes, dating backto the Babylonian exile of 579 BCE. Madeinto a jam from dates, grapes, pomegranateand bee honey, it was a sweetener in theancient world and is still used by Iraqi,Burmese, Syrian and Indian Jews.

The Talmud says haroset must be sharpin taste and similar to clay in substanceand color, thus there are variations accord-ing to communities. Most Ashkenazim donot follow the sharp and pungent ideawhereas Sephardim do.

Ashkenazim tend to use apples,chopped almonds, cinnamon, red wineand perhaps matzah meal. Sometimesother nuts are used. Sephardim and thosefrom Middle Eastern countries tend to usefruits that grew in Eretz Yisrael in Biblicaltimes such as grapes, figs, dates, almondsand pomegranates. Israelis often turnharoset into a dessert by adding bananas,dates, orange juice and sugar.

My Mom’s Haroset(6 servings)2 apples, chopped1/3 cup ground nuts1/4 tsp. cinnamon1 Tbsp. honey2 Tbsp. sweet red wine

Place chopped apples in a bowl. Addnuts, cinnamon and honey and mix untilsmooth.

Add wine and mix well.

BY SYBIL KAPLAN

16 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

(see Kaplan/recipes, page 17)

NEW YORK – Jan. 25, 2017 – AmericanFriends of The Hebrew University (AFHU)announced today the appointment ofElissa Fishman as Chief Financial Officer.Ms. Fishman brings toAFHU her extensive experience working withFortune 500 companiesand nonprofits, and withthat an expertise in business planning, finan-cial infrastructure andoperations management.

“AFHU is pleased to welcome Ms.Fishman, who has a strong background infinance and operations for both nonprofitand for-profit organizations,” said BethAsnien McCoy, AFHU National ExecutiveDirector. “AFHU is committed to organi-zational growth on behalf of The HebrewUniversity of Jerusalem, and Ms.Fishman’s expertise will help to propelthese ongoing efforts.”

Ms. Fishman has two decades of experience with Time, Inc. in New York,where she most recently served as Senior Vice President, Finance, of theEntertainment, News and Sports Group.Functioning as CFO of the $1.5 billiondivision, Ms. Fishman led the group’sfinancial strategy, operations, accounting,and reporting. Ms. Fishman advised on newgrowth initiatives and was instrumental in developing and implementing compre-hensive plans to achieve revenue growthand cost savings.

“I am honored to join the AFHU team,working in support of one of the world’sgreat universities,”stated Ms. Fishman.

Ms. Fishman received an MBA from theLeonard N. Stern School of Business atNew York University, and a B.S. degree inEconomics from the Wharton School ofthe University of Pennsylvania.

About American Friends of The Hebrew University

American Friends of The HebrewUniversity (AFHU) is a national, not-for-profit organization based in the UnitedStates. AFHU, working in close partner-ship with The Hebrew University ofJerusalem, provides programs and eventsand conducts fundraising activities in support of The Hebrew University’s internationally recognized community ofleading scholars and scientists. For moreinformation about AFHU, please visithttp://www.afhu.org/. AAAA

New CFO at AmericanFriends of TheHebrew University

Fishman

KAPLAN/RECIPES(continued from page 16)

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 17

Distilled: A Memoir of Family, Seagram,Baseball, and Philanthropy. By CharlesBronfman with Howard Green. HarperCollins. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 2016.348 pgs.

Although the central focus of thisextraordinary book has a distinctlyCanadian flavor (the author singlehand-edly brought the Montreal “Expos” tobecome Canada’s first major league base-ball team), its canvas stretches equallyover the United States, Europe and Israel.For in this memoirCharles Bronfman,scion of thefamous Bronfmandynasty ofMontreal, recapit-ulates, with the aidof the skillfulwriter-broadcasterHoward Green,the saga of theSeagram’s distill-ery empire (thinkof its bestselling “Crown Royal” confec-tion), it’s sad and unanticipated dissolu-tion, the centrality of Israel in theBronfman biography and the reconstruc-tion of Charles Bronfman’s eight-decadelong search for family, financial, emotion-al and marital stability.

In fact, this volume is compartmentalizedinto three different discrete segments.The first pivots on the author’s memoriesgrowing up in the lap of luxury in theupper class neighborhoods (“we neverheard about the Depression when I wasgrowing up in the 1930s”) as the son ofSam Bronfman, founder of the Seagram’sfirm. Life in the Bronfman household waspunctured by sibling rivalries (especiallywith brother Edward), a luxurious livingstandard and the looming presence of one of North America’s most successfulbusiness enterprises, the Seagram brand.

In reconstructing the latter Charleslearned from the family patriarch thatdespite the fame of Crown Royal, that delicate beverage was not the preferreddrink of Sam Bronfman, the man responsible

Reflection on life,loves, health, family,career, sports, andphilanthropy

REVIEWED BYPROFESSOR ARNOLD AGES

for that delectable drink. He confidedonce to his son that his favorite was V.O.– to which the astonished youngsterresponded by asking his dad why he said that. “I drink V.O.,” said Sam, “but I sell Crown Royal.” That sober businessreply stayed with Charles throughout hisassociation with the Seagram escutcheon.

When he was barely out of his teens,Charles starting out in the family businesswithout completing his university studies,which turned out to be a felicitous devel-opment because he realized soon thatwhat he needed was not extensive learningbut a discrete application of sekhel,common sense. Charles learned the ropesfrom the ground up that is to say, in seriatim, the distilling processes, manage-ment, personnel, advertising and dealingwith allies and competitors. In this contexthe had the assistance of elder brotherEdgar, with whom he did not always getalong because the latter, says Charles, wascontinually in revolt against father Sam’smonarchical control.

Sam Bronfman may have exhibitedregal control over his family and his business but his Jewish commitmentexpressed itself in love of Israel and philanthropic impulses towards Jewishand general institutions. Charles Bronfmanobviously inherited that aspect of Sam’sDNA including the need for discretionand measure in allotting the Bronfmanmoney. He relates that he was onceapproached by a fundraiser who reactednegatively when Charles offered what his interlocutor felt was an inadequateamount. He told Charles that other potential donors would be put off by theBronfman donation and thus depress theirdonations. Charles, without hesitation,pocketed his check book and was about tosay goodbye, when the fund-raiserbecame more sensible in his request!

Ironically Charles Bronfman ignored hisown response to that fundraiser when asthe co-founder (with secularist MichaelSteinhardt of New York) of that marvelousBirthright Israel scholarship program(which made it possible for young Jews tovisit Israel without cost to them), he askedbillionaire Sheldon Adelson for $50 millionfor operating costs and endowments.Adelson replied that he would not give adime for endowments. In the balletic conversation which followed, Charleslowered his request to one million dollarsfor ten years. Said Adelson “I don’t play for peanuts” – after which he gaveBirthright Israel ten million immediatelyand the same sum soon thereafter – andhe topped his contribution to $40 milliona short time later!

Charles Bronfman’s attachment toJewish and Israeli philanthropy is a preoc-cupation of the third element in this

Book Review

personal saga but it contains a touchingrevelation about Andy Morrison, hisBritish born second wife whose deepZionist connections through her family,sharpened, shaped and increased Charles’devotions to the Jewish State. Her passionfor the renaissance and reconstruction ofthat entity fired Bronfman’s dedication not only to Birthright Israel but to otherphilanthropic endeavors there. He makesit a point however, to separate himselffrom the right-wing political views ofSheldon Adelson and his own far morecritical strictures about policies of the current government of the country.

In this context perhaps the mostpoignant part of the narrative is thedescription of how, on one dark morningduring the period when they resided inNew York City, his beloved wife Andyinformed Charles that she was taking their dog out for a walk. While he wasshowering, waiting her return, his intercombuzzer sounded and within moments he was informed that his wife had been hit by a car and was being transported to a hospital. Bronfman’s description of hisshock and disbelief were compounded by an initially positive report on his wife’scondition by the medical staff – followedby the news of her death.

That event introduced a disequilibriuminto his life which he was unable to shakeoff for years and this part of his memoir isa kind of therapeutic catharsis in prosewhich has permitted him to re-enter theorbit of his fast-paced life and to appreciateonce again the many blessings of familyand friends.

Arnold Ages is “Distinguished EmeritusProfessor” University of Waterloo (Ontario,Canada) and the “Scholar-in-Residence” at theBeth Tzedec Synagogue (Toronto, Canada). AAAA

Mix fruits, seeds and ginger. Add matzahmeal and wine to make a firm paste.

Turkish Haroset20 dates1 cup raisins1 cup walnuts1/2 cup almondsred wine

Put fruit and dates in blender or foodprocessor to chop. Add wine.

Sybil Kaplan is a foreign correspondent forNorth American Jewish newspapers, a bookreviewer, compiler and editor of nine koshercookbooks, restaurant feature writer for theIsraeli website Janglo.net, feature writer for the website itraveljerusalem.net. She lives inJerusalem. AAAA

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the astonishing miracle we call the humanbody. That long-lasting oil of Chanukah iskid stuff compared to this. It shouldn’twork – too many failure possibilities.Reliability engineers marvel. Regarded asa machine you wouldn’t bet a nickel onten minutes of trouble-free operation. Weobserve the statistical miracle of life andthank the Creator for His gift.

So, we pray in gratitude. We tell Himover and over of our praise and then we ask that He favor us with health andprosperity. Like the cute little kid nextdoor who wandered in our open door last week when the wife was baking.“OhMrs. Roberts, what pretty, pretty drapes.Can I have a cookie?” Not subtle, butremarkably effective on a proud baker.First praise, then the payoff.

But let me not denigrate prayer. It is oneof the languages that the Jew uses – thatall faiths use – to communicate with G-d.Deeds, ritual, ceremony, and prayer allwork together. At one time – in TempleTimes – sacrifice was also one of thedialects of reverence. Things change.Maybe we should add music to the list – orto put it more generally – artistic creation.I’m sure Chagall would agree with me.And so would Gerard Manley Hopkins,the great Christian poet. Who can doubtthat King David’s music and lyrics to theaccompaniment of his lute were theessence of prayer? There are those whocould argue that his artistry, even if thetheme was worldly and maybe even a tri-fle crude, was a form of prayer.

Some of us are better at prayer thanothers. A great story, The Juggler of NotreDame by Anatole France, tells about amedieval juggler who is too ignorant topray; very much like the Chasidic tale ofthe peasant who whistles in shul. (Youdon’t believe G-d reads his meaning? –asks the amazed storyteller.) Or in someversions the peasant simply recites theAleph-Bet (G-d can’t put the letterstogether and deduce words?)

Anyhow, the juggler, sheltered in amonastery during the holiday thatChristians call Christmas, looks around tosee the talented monks devising beauty inall forms to revere the holiday and thefounder of their faith. But he has no skillsfor illustrated bibles, stain glass windows,art or sculpture. And he knows no prayers.What to do, a simple juggler? He gives theonly art G-d gave him. Guess what thatis? It’s a great story with a Chasidic flavor.They got it from us – G-d wants the richesof the heart, says the Chasid, no matter thepoverty of the mind.

The humor of Ted appears in newspapersaround the US, on National Public Radio,

ROBERTS(continued from page 14)

SUSSMAN(continued from page 15)

will get my point.Human beings have always placed great

significance on the heart. The AncientGreeks understood that the heart was essential to life, and considered the heart to bethe seat of intelligence, motion, and sensation.

Aristotle described the heart as a three-chambered organ that was the center of vitality in the body. In the Bible, the heart is never referred to as an organ, but rather as the center of our being. The heart was a measure of our humanity and capacity tolove and care for one another.

And here we are today on Valentine’sDay! Another testimony to the symbolismwe place on the heart! The heart as a symbolis perfectly appropriate as the focus of thisamazing art exchange project between theSt. Vincent Heart Center and the WesternGalilee Hospital on the northern border ofIsrael. It is appropriate not only becausewe’re here today at the Heart Hospital, butbecause, as in ancient times, these works of“heart art” are a demonstration of ourhumanity and capacity to love and care forone another, even though we’re different andlive an ocean apart.

Every single mosaic piece was carefullyput in its place by someone as an act of theheart, whether by a nurse, physician, familymember, patient guest, or someone in thecommunity here in Indianapolis, and also inIsrael and beyond. One mosaic piece by itselfis tiny and insignificant, but thousands of pieces placed together form a beautiful picture, a portrait of love.

Christian minister and writer MaxLucado says “You can change your life bychanging your heart.” It is good news thatour hearts have the capacity to change howwe act and think. In Israel at the WesternGalilee Hospital, Jews, Christians andMuslims all participated in this heart art,drawn together by the project, talking andsharing as they worked, learning about eachother, becoming united in their commonefforts to bring a sense of beauty and hopeinto the Hospital.

In this hospital, we’re in the business ofmending hearts. Sometimes broken hearts aremore than physical. This art therapy exchangeproject recognizes both the importance ofphysical as well as spiritual healing. Ourfour hearts will stand as symbols of differingcommunities working together to heal themost important organ of the body, the heart,and to bring together the differences that

HEART & SOUL(continued from page 20)

18 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

and numerous web sites. Check out his Website: www.wonder wordworks.com. Blogsite:www.scribbleron theroof.typepad.com. Hiscollected works, The Scribbler on The Roof,can be bought on Amazon.com or lulu.com. AAAA

instead of being celebrated, too often divideus. They are symbols of the healing of heartsthat can be done between nations, religions,races and social circumstances.

One of my favorite books is The LittlePrince, a children’s book for grown-upsabout life and human nature. The Princegives us a very wise quote about the power ofthe heart to see truth, justice and love. “It isonly with the heart that one can see rightly.What is essential is invisible to the eye.” AAAA

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heavy bag. Nick had me stuff my fists intoa pair of large boxing gloves then tightlytied them in place. He taught me to jabwith my left, punch straight out with myright, and deliver an effective right cross.In addition, I learned to duck, to feint, toswing a left to the body and a right to thejaw. I learned how to protect my head andto look for openings. Nick had me shadowboxing and skipping rope. He wouldn’t letme get into one of the rings. “You’re tooyoung,”Nick said.“You’ll get killed.”

I began writing about boxing for a website, www.boxing.com. After writingfor the site for several months, I decidedthat I would investigate the role of Jewishboxers in the 1930s, when anti-Semitismwas rife in the United States. I researchedthe life and career of Barney Ross, anOrthodox Jew, who had fought his wayout of poverty, rescuing his siblings fromfoster car, after his father had been murdered by a pair of hold-up men. Rosshad a trilogy of fights with a boxer namedJimmy McLarnin, who was known as aJew Killer, for all the Jewish boxers he haddefeated. Ross and McLarnin had a trilogyof bouts: Ross won the first, lost the second, and won the third. He became ahero to Jews.

In addition to Ross, I decided to writeabout Max Baer because he had foughtand defeated Max Schmeling, Hitler’sfavorite athlete. Baer so severely pummeledSchmeling that the referee had to stop thefight in the 10th round. During the heightof the Great Depression, more than 30,000Jews paid to see that fight. NumerousJewish movie producers were so excited byBaer’s defeat of Schmeling that they invitedhim to Hollywood to star in a movie, ThePrizefighter and the Lady, which wasnamed one of top ten movies of 1935.

My research into the lives and careers ofBaer and Ross ignited my imagination,and I decided to write a book about howimportant Jewish boxers were as symbolsof courage and defiance in age rife withanti-Semitism.

Sussman can be reached at marketingpro@aol.com. AAAA

March 15, 2017 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 19

The WinerySoon after Michael and Malka Chamiletzki

arrived in the town of Shefeya in 1882from Lithuania, Michael had been commissioned by Baron Edmund deRothschild to plant vineyards in ZichronYa’akov. At that time the land was ownedby the Baron, but eventually 75% of theoriginal aliyah families bought the landsand continued growing grapes and sellingto Carmel.

Like his parents before him, Michael andMalka’s son, Yisrael, his wife Mina Tishbi,also spent their entire lives growing andcaring for their vineyards and olive trees,as well as making and selling cheeses anddairy products, made from the milk oftheir own cows.The poet Chaim NachmanBialik had visited them in 1925 and suggested they rename their vineyards Tishbi,an acronym for “resident of Shefaya in Israel.”

Fast forward: In 1985, their son, JonathanTishbi, founded the Tishbi Winery. At first,the winery was named “Baron Wine cellars,” after the Baron de Rothschild;later it was changed to “Tishbi”.

Today, the entire family works at thewinery. Jonathan’s wife, Nili, manages thewinery store and Visitors Center. Theirson, Golan, is the winemaker and VicePresident of the winery. When it wasdecided to set up a distillery at the winery,he travelled to the Cognac area in France,studied the alambique (alembic) distilla-tion process, and Tishbi began producingthe brandy, which is patiently smoked inoak barrels. This brandy has brought thecompany numerous awards both in Israeland abroad, along with the Best Brandytitle at the IWSC (International Wine &Spirit Competition), held in London.

Golan and Jonathan personally overseethe grape-growing process and manage-ment of the vineyard, harvest, and bottlingof approximately one million bottles ayear. They also supervise the two restau-rants. Karen, Golan’s wife, graces thewinery with her functional and decorativeceramic art, and raises their three children,Shai, Nadav and Adi.

Jonathan’s eldest son, Michael, is alawyer and also takes care of vineyardgrowth and cultivation. Jonathan’s daughter,Oshra, travelled extensively abroad andthen decided to open up the global marketto the winery, establishing the café andwine store in Zichron Yaacov and creatinga line of gourmet food products, “FineFoods by Oshra Tishbi,” with wine jams,fig cabernet, mango chutney, and more.They also import Valrhona chocolates forsale in the visitors’ center.

Efrat, Michael’s wife, helps design thelabels for the winery and raises the nextgeneration, Dan and Yoav Tishbi. The visitors’ center has the family cellars of all wines made for the past 25 years on a balcony; below is a tasting room withbars and bar stools. Decorating the room,opposite, is a 1912 distiller.

Amir explains that tasting consists of 6steps that all begin with the letter “s”– See,Swirl the wine in the glass, Smell the wine,Sip, Swish it in your mouth and Swallow.

“And it’s sacred because it’s kosher,” headded. The wines are kosher because onlyobservant Jews are involved in the processing.

Today, 40% of the grapes are from theGalilee and 30% from the Golan. Walkingby the processing area which was not inoperation during Passover week, the firststep is the destemer which separates thestems from the grapes. Then the grapes goto fermentation tanks and from there tothe oak barrel room where 300 barrels hold225 liters each (approximately 59.4 gallons).

Aging can last a few months to 24 months,then the old barrels are discarded or givenother uses or to secondary wineries. Inaddition to dry, semi-dry, dry, and sweetwines, Tishbi produces a dessert wine,brandy, sparkling (champagne), olive oil,and a variety of side uses such as fig andcherry preserves, charoset, honey and sangria.

Tours are available from Sunday toThursday at 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.(book in advance). The tour includes winetasting and costs NIS 15 per person.Tishbi is happy to accommodate largegroups for tours, meals and special events.Phone: office 972-04-638-0434; restaurant972-04-628-8195; Zichron restaurant

04-629-0280. Email: office@tishbi.com.

From Wine in His Blood for FourGenerations to Myisraelwinetours

Thirty-three year old Amir Katz grew upin Boston with an Israeli father and aFrench-Russian mother. His great-grand-father smuggled whiskey from Canadainto New England during prohibition and,after World War II, he opened BrooklineLiquor Mart in Boston. As a youngster, heworked in the warehouse and eventuallyworked his way up to the sales floor. Hisgrandfather went to France and becamean importer of Guigal wines from thenorthern Rhone Valley of France.

Amir made aliyah in 2009 and was achildhood friend of Esther Cohen whofounded myisraelwinetours. In 2011, hebecame her business partner while managing the Tishbi Winery visitors’center. In 2012, he started taking tours forher company, and he began the Israel tour guide course which he just recentlycompleted and passed.

Amir is myisraelwinetours lead guideand operator in Israel and is a trainedsommelier. He has extensive experiencefrom having worked in Chile where hehand-picked grapes in Andean fields andCalifornia where he made wine inSonoma County. He speaks fluentEnglish, Hebrew and Spanish, leadingtours in all three languages.

Esther Cohen, who made aliyah fromBoston in 2008, initially lived in Jerusalem;then she moved to Zichron Yaakov to pursue her love for wine and tourism.She worked at Tishbi Estate Winery for ayear before establishing My Israel WineTours™. Having been an advocate forIsrael on college campuses contributed toher desire to create the company to provide high-quality, personal touch andenjoyable wine tours.

Myisraelwinetours have these themesavailable: Haifa, Christians, micro-brew-eries, Biblical food, Judean hills, Negev,Galilee, Golan Heights, Carmel, Judea andSamaria and kosher.

All full day private tours begin at $390for a couple. Each additional guest reducesthe price/person by $15, up to 7 guests.

Groups Tours are offered during thepeak season and are priced at $140/personor $240/couple. Half-Day Tours are pricedat $120/person with a minimum of 2guests.These tours leave from either Haifa,Nazareth, or Tel Aviv.

Groups of 8+ are handled on a case bycase basis. Tours for soldiers, olim, andstudents also discounted. Contact MyIsrael Wine Tours by telephone: UnitedStates: (720) 538-5447 (Israel Time ZoneHours, EST+7 hrs.); when in Israel: 052-727-5422.

See Kaplan bio page 17. AAAA

KAPLAN/ISRAEL(continued from page 2)

Amir Katz, of myisraelwinetours, demon-strates one of the six tasting steps.

Amir Katz and Jonathan Tishbi.

20 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT March 15, 2017

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(L-R) Artists, and cousins,Yael Buxbaum and Joani Rothenberg with their “Heart & Soul” mosaic.

When Joani Rothenberg of Indianapolisand her Israeli cousin Yael Buxbaum gettogether, great works of art are the result.More than a year ago, they began work onthis brightly-colored four-paneled mosaictitled,“Heart & Soul: A Mosaic Project”.

The project was in collaboration with St.Vincent Indianapolis Hospital, whereRothenberg oversaw work on four heartpanels and her cousin Yael worked on fourfor the Cardiology department at GalileeMedical Center (GMC) in Nahariya, Israel.When the mosaics were completed, eachhospital gifted two of its panels to theother for display.

The cousins have continued in the samevein as one of their previous art projects ofmosaic panels that were dedicated onJune 30, 2015 in the maternity wing ofGMC. See photo and read more about thisat the following link: http://jewishpostopinion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/IN_5-13-15F.pdf

For that and for the current art, Joaniand Yael first drew the colorful art andthen acquired glass pieces to match thecolors in it. They then took the art with the glass and glue to different locations.Joani took hers to places in Indianapolisespecially the St. Vincent Hospital and Yael to the GMC in Nahariya so patients,healthcare professionals and administratorscould work together to glue the glasspieces onto the panels. In both countries,a diverse group of people of different racesand religions, who don’t always get along,worked together to create the art.

From an Aug. 18, 2016 article in TheForward written by Sharon Blassberg Mannwho lives in Nahariya and is Liaison inGalilee Medical Center’s Department ofInternational Affairs, she writes: So far we’vebrought the project to Druze and Arab villages,kibbutzim, Nahariya’s library, a communitycenter for the visually impaired, a home forteenage girls at risk, senior citizen centers, schoolsand Nes Ammim, a European Christian village, to name just some of the places.

These outings broaden my horizons andunderstanding of art as a universal languagethat all can relate to and enjoy. Similar toputting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together,working on the mosaic offers the challenge offinding the right shade and fit for each tile.Many find plugging away on “Heart &Soul” to be therapeutic and meditative.While people glue their glass pieces intoplace, they often share their stories, whichseem to become embedded into the workalong with the smalti (small pieces of glass).

As progress on “Heart & Soul” continues,I’ve come to appreciate it as an instrumentthat fosters sharing and caring and reflectsthe beauty of the colorful palette of peopleand places that contribute to its creation.

Four of the heart panels of this newestart project were dedicated on Feb. 14, 2017at the St.Vincent Heart Center in Carmel,Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis (see photoabove). I had the pleasure of attending thisdedication that was held in their chapel.

For the duration of the short ceremony,I felt as if I had left a place of conflict andturmoil and entered a place of peace andharmony. I had read the morning newspaperbefore I attended and saw the daily barrageof disheartening news.There it was in boldprint making it seem as if only negativeevents are happening in our world. Similarly,CBS Evening News anchor WalterCronkite used to end his broadcast withthe catchphrase “And that’s the way it is.”

Then walking into the chapel for thisdedication ceremony, it was as if I had

stepped into a more welcoming world.This reminded me of when I lived in SanFrancisco and visited Muir Woods in MillValley, Calif., 11 miles north of the GoldenGate Bridge. Driving through all kinds oftraffic, one leaves the hustle and bustle ofa noisy city to enter the park with nothingbut magnificent tall trees all around. Theair is so fresh that one immediately feelsmore relaxed.

That is how I felt not only during thededication but for several hours afterward.Then I realized that the positive event thattook place in that chapel along with all thecollaboration that took place beforehandis every bit as real, if not more so, than thedisparaging news in our newspapers andprobably many more similar events occurbut are not reported.

Below is an excerpt of the speech by thekeynote speaker Nancy Frick, Director ofFoundation Advancement at St. VincentFoundation. After you read it, I think you

Heart & Soul:A Mosaic ProjectBY JENNIE COHEN

(see Heart & Soul, page 18)