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THE CHICAGO
JEWISH NEWS
March 27-April 2, 2015/7 Nisan 5775
www.chicagojewishnews.com
One Dollar
JEW HATRED
ON CAMPUS
Why Chicago’s Loyola University was named one of the campuses
with the worst anti-Semitic activity in the United States
Jews who found refuge
in Warsaw Zoo
Looking closely at
Europe’s monuments
French Jews debate
whether to stay or go
Happy Passover
2
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
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3
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
When Jews found refuge in underground warren at Warsaw Zoo
By Cnaan Liphshiz
JTA
WARSAW – In a carriage
bound for the Warsaw Zoo,
Moshe Tirosh could sense his
parents’ fear and the strong odor
of alcohol wafting from the direction of the driver and his
horse.
The trepidation that rainy
night in 1940 was from the Nazi
soldiers guarding the Kierbedzia
Bridge separating the family’s
home from the zoo where they
hoped to find shelter. As for the
smell, it was the result of a successful ruse designed by Tirosh’s
father to get them there safely.
His father, a carpenter, had
instructed the driver to douse
himself with vodka so the Nazi
guards on the bridge, aware of
German stereotypes about Polish
drinking habits, would wave
them through without inspection.
“The risk was enormous, but
my parents knew that our only
chance of survival was getting to
that zoo,” recalled Tirosh, 78.
Tirosh is one of 300 Jews
whose lives were saved thanks to
the little-known heroism of the
menagerie’s director, Jan Zabinski, and his wife, Antonina. A
lieutenant in the Polish resistance, Zabinski sheltered the Jews
in underground pathways con-
necting the animal cages. He
also used the zoo to store arms for
the resistance.
A meticulous scientist
whose curt style could sometimes
come across as uncourteous,
Zabinski also cut an intimidating
figure.
“When Zabinski gave an
order, people did what he said,”
said Jan-Maciej Rembiszewski,
the zoo’s director from 1982 to
2006, who began volunteering
there after the war. “I’m sure
even the Nazis respected his authoritarian style, which allowed
him to run the place as his own
fiefdom.”
Next month Tirosh, who
now lives in Israel, will return to
the zoo for the opening of a museum celebrating the Zabinskis’
heroism. In an interview at his
home in Karmiel, Tirosh, a retired career officer in the Israel
Defense Forces, recalls having a
much different reaction to Antonina, a cheerful teacher who
enjoyed painting and playing the
piano.
“I was only 3 1/2 years old,
but I was already a suspicious war
child out of the ghetto trained in
keeping quiet for hours,” recalled
Tirosh, whose parents told him
to pray loudly to Jesus if he was
ever seen alone by strangers lest
he be taken for a Jew. “But when
I saw Antonina, I told my
mother, ‘I think we’ll be alright
here.’”
Tirosh spent three weeks at
the zoo, where he lived in a windowless underground room with
his younger sister receiving food
from the Zabinskis and their son,
Ryszard. For safety reasons,
Tirosh’s parents stayed in a different chamber in the underground maze.
By the time Tirosh reached
the zoo, many of the animals had
been killed – some in hunting
parties that Nazi officers held
there – or shipped off to German
zoos. Determined to keep the zoo
running because of its value for
the resistance, Zabinski turned it
into a pig farm, according to
“The Zookeeper’s Wife,” a 2007
book about the Zabinskis. Sometimes Zabinski would smuggle pig
meat into the Jewish ghetto,
where the prohibition on its consumption had been largely abandoned because of a Nazi
starvation policy that had Jews
living on a diet of 187 calories a
day.
At the zoo, Antonina communicated with her Jewish guests
through a musical code, Tirosh
recalls.
“She played for us one piano
tune and told us to sit tight and
be very quiet if we heard that
music, and then another tune to
indicate the danger was over,” he
said.
One day, Antonina gave
Jan Zabinski, the director of the Warsaw Zoo, helped shelter hundreds
of Jews during the Holocaust. (JTA)
Tirosh and his sister red hair dye
to hide their natural black hair
and make them look less Jewish.
When the children emerged
from the bathroom, Antonina’s
son said they looked like squirrels, which became their code
name. Tirosh says his confinement at the zoo was one of the
few periods during the war when
he remembers no pain or suffering.
After leaving the zoo, Tirosh
and his sister went to live with
Christian foster families, where
he suffered abuse and disease and
nearly died. After the war, Tirosh
was reunited with his family. His
father died of a heart attack in
1948 and the rest of the family
immigrated to Israel in 1957.
Antonina died in 1971 and her
husband in 1974. The Yad
Vashem Holocaust museum in
Jerusalem recognized both Zabinskis as Righteous Among the Nations in 1965.
The new museum, in which
visitors can tour the Zabinskis’
old villa at the zoo and the renovated maze of tunnels, also includes the piano on which
Antonina warned her charges of
approaching Nazis.
YOUR LEGACY matters.
Y
ou have poured your heart and soul into this Jewish community
and made a difference. Whether your greatest passion is your
congregation, an organization or a day school, that commitment
stands as a testament to your values.
Now is the time to take the next step in making it an enduring
part of your Jewish legacy.
As you plan for the future, think about what your Jewish legacy
means to you. And please consider the institution closest to your heart
in your will or estate plan.
To learn more about how to create your Jewish legacy, please contact
Naomi Shapiro at 312.357.4853 or [email protected].
4
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Contents
Jewish News
■ A Los Angeles gallery is auctioning a painting by Adolf Hitler,
with an initial asking price of $30,000. Hitler’s floral still life,
painted in 1912 before he entered politics, will be auctioned. As a
teenager and young man, Hitler unsuccessfully pursued an art career and was twice rejected from the Vienna Academy of Art. Some
of Hitler’s only artistic successes came at the hands of a Jewish art
dealer, Samuel Morgenstern, who purchased several of the future
Nazi dictator’s paintings, according to the New York Daily News.
During the Holocaust, Morgenstern’s gallery was seized by the
Nazis, and he was deported to the Lodz ghetto, where he died in
1943. The watercolor painting bears Hitler’s signature at the bottom right and has Morgenstern’s stamp on the back.
■ The Israeli singer Yonatan Geffen was physically attacked for public comments he made lamenting Benjamin Netanyahu’s election victory. The following day, the Israeli musician Noa said she was verbally
threatened and abused because of her politics. Geffen was attacked at
his home in a central Israel village after posting on Facebook that Netanyahu’s election victory was the “Nakba” of the Israeli peace movement, Haaretz reported. Nakba, which is Arabic for “catastrophe,” is
the word that Arabs use to describe Israel’s victory in 1948 and their
displacement. An unidentified individual tried to hit the musician,
pelted his house with eggs and called him a “leftist traitor.” According to Ynet, in addition to the Nakba comment, Geffen also said at a
concert prior to the attack that “to everyone who slipped a Likud vote
into the ballot box, don’t cry when your children die in the next dumb
conflict.” Noa, whose full name is Achinoam Nini, posted on Facebook that when she arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after a trip
to Italy that hecklers yelled, “Here’s Achinoam Nini … enemy of Israel. We’ll deal with you like Geffen.” For many years she has been outspoken about her dovish and left-wing views.
■ A former neighbor of Justin Bieber is suing the American
pop star, claiming that the singer’s bodyguard called him a “little
Jew boy.” Jeff Schwartz is seeking damages for emotional distress
in his lawsuit, according to the entertainment website TMZ. According to the suit, Schwartz warned Bieber over Memorial Day
weekend in 2013 to stop speeding around their Calabasas, Calif.,
neighborhood in his sports car because it put lives at risk, TMZ reported. Next, the suit claims, Bieber’s bodyguards came out and
one of them called Schwartz a “little Jew boy” before repeating,
“What are you going to do about it, Jew boy?” The slur allegedly
was used months before Bieber egged Schwartz’s house. The singer
pleaded no contest to a vandalism charge in the incident, was
placed on probation and paid $80,000 to make repairs.
■ A team of archaeologists and researchers discovered what they
believe was a refuge for Nazis in an Argentine forest near the border with Paraguay. It is believed that the Nazis prepared the hideout
in the first half of the 1940s as a place to flee should World War II
not go in their favor, but they did not use the refuge. The director
of the Urban Archaeology Center of the Buenos Aires University,
Daniel Schavelzon, is leading the investigative team that is working
at Misiones National Park in Teyu Cuare, a province in the northeastern cone of Argentina. His team discovered German coins
minted between 1938 and 1941, and porcelain dishes made by the
German Meissen Company between 1890 and 1949. “We found here
an extraordinary type of construction, rare,” Schavelzon told Argentina’s Clarin newspaper. “We have not yet reached a final conclusion, but our first explanation, or idea, is that we have found a
refuge for the Nazi hierarchy. The building is very exceptional, with
objects and characteristics of building that are not from the region.”
Supporting the theory, he said, is the fact that the walls of the hideout were 10 feet thick and it was located in an inaccessible location.
■ Some Jewish Democrats demanded an apology from U.S.
Rep. Steve King of Iowa for saying that American Jews “can be
Democrats first and Jews second.” King, a conservative Republican who is important to his party’s potential presidential candidates in part because of his influence in Iowa, the first caucus
state, was asked about Democrats who had boycotted the speech
to Congress in early March by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. “I don’t understand how Jews in America can
be Democrats first and Jewish second and support Israel along the
line of just following their president,” he said. The National Jewish Democratic Council “condemned” the remarks in a statement.
“For anyone, let alone an elected official, to actively belittle the
hundreds of thousands of American Jews who vote for Democratic candidates is beyond the pale,” the council’s chairman,
Greg Rosenbaum, said. “Rep. King is essentially stating that we
aren’t Jewish enough for him. How dare he. We demand and deserve an apology at once.”
JTA
THE CHICAGO
JEWISH NEWS
Vol. 21 No. 25
Joseph Aaron
Editor/Publisher
6
Torah Portion
Golda Shira
7
Arts and Entertainment
Senior Editor/
Israel Correspondent
Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
Managing Editor
9
Passover Food
13
Death Notices
14
Happy Passover
Joe Kus
Staff Photographer
Roberta Chanin
and Associates
Sara Belkov
Steve Goodman
Advertising Account Executives
Denise Plessas Kus
Production Director
18
Senior Living
21
Community Calendar
22
Cover Story
Kristin Hanson
Accounting Manager/
Webmaster
Jacob Reiss
Subscriptions Manager/
Administrative Assistant
Ann Yellon
of blessed memory
Office Manager
24
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Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Robert Durst’s
Jewish background
By Aron Chilewich
Los Angeles Jewish Journal
YOM HASHOAH 2015
Let Us Remember Those Who
Perished in the Nazi Holocaust
Join us for our Annual Memorial Service to pay tribute to our
Jewish real estate scion
Robert Durst, the subject of a recent HBO documentary miniseries, was arrested by the FBI
with officials saying they have
new evidence linking Durst to
the 2000 killing of his friend
Susan Berman in her Hollywood
home.
Durst is the son of Seymour
Durst, a real estate investor, and
Bernice Herstein. He grew up in
Scarsdale, N.Y., one of four siblings. Durst’s grandfather, Joseph
Durst, immigrated to America as
a penniless Jewish immigrant tailor from Austria-Hungary, then
went on to become a prosperous
real estate manager and developer, starting in 1915 what eventually became the Durst
Organization.
Robert Durst was once considered a possible successor to his
father at the Durst Organization,
a firm that now reportedly owns
billions of dollars worth of property across midtown Manhattan,
Robert Durst’s relationship with
his family began to deteriorate in
the early 1990s, after his brother
Douglas was chosen to lead the
organization following their father’s retirement.
In the final episode of “The
Jinx,” the HBO documentary directed by Andrew Jarecki, Durst
appears to walk into a bathroom
during an interview and confess
to the crime while talking to
himself, apparently unaware that
the microphone he was wearing
was still recording.
“What the hell did I do,”
Durst whispered. “Killed them
all, of course.”
Jarecki acknowledged in interviews with various media outlets that he had been in
communication with law enforcement for two years while
working on “The Jinx,” though
he denied having any knowledge
or role in the timing of the arrest,
which took place just hours before the final episode of the
miniseries aired on television.
Durst has been a suspect or
person of interest in three separate deaths, beginning with his
former wife, Kathleen “Kathie”
McCormack Durst, in 1982.
Though police questioned
Robert Durst during their investigation of Kathie Durst’s disappearance, he was never charged.
Though Kathie Durst’s body was
never found, she was declared
dead in 2001.
In 2000, soon after New
York State Police reopened the
case into Kathie Durst’s disappearance, Robert Durst’s long-
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time friend Susan Berman was
found shot execution-style in her
home.
New York prosecutor Jeanine Pirro said Berman had been
on a list of witnesses she wished
to interview as part of her renewed investigation of Kathie
Durst’s disappearance, fueling
public suspicion that knowledge
of Kathie’s death may have led to
her own murder. Police again
questioned Robert Durst but did
not press charges.
Berman and Durst first met
in the 1960s while they were
both students at UCLA. An author and journalist, Berman was
the daughter of Las Vegas organized crime figure David “Davie
the Jew” Berman, who died during surgery in 1957, when Susan
was still a child. Susan Berman
eventually wrote a memoir, “Easy
Street,” recounting her life as the
daughter of mob royalty in Minneapolis and Las Vegas.
Less than a year after
Berman’s death, Durst was arrested in Galveston, Texas after
his elderly neighbor, Morris
Black, was found dismembered
and floating in the Galveston
Bay. Durst had moved to Texas to
avoid media attention as result of
the Berman death, his lawyers
said at the time.
Durst claimed self-defense to
a charge of murder, though he
admitted during the trial to dismembering and dumping Black’s
body. A jury ultimately acquitted
Durst of murder, but he received
a five-year sentence after pleading guilty to jumping bond and
tampering with evidence.
Over the years, Durst has
had various other run-ins with
the law.
Robert Durst sued the Durst
family trusts and its trustees,
though the case was settled in
2006 when the he agreed to give
up his interest in the family fortune in exchange for a $65 million payout. He has long been
estranged from his family, various
members of which have, at different times, filed restraining orders against him.
Honorable Roey Gilad
Honorable George Van Dusen
Consul General of Israel to the Midwest
Mayor of Skokie
OUR COLLECTIVE DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
A Candle Lighting Memorial Service for our Six Million Kedoshim
Sheerit Hapleitah of Metropolitan Chicago
Charles Lipshitz, President
David Levine, Chairman
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Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Torah Portion
CANDLELIGHTING TIMES
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A burnt offering, Korban
Olah, is a form of sacrifice first
described in the book of Genesis
with the sacrifices made by Noah
after coming out of the Ark. This
sacrifice, the Olah, was a twicedaily animal sacrifice offered on
the Mizbeach of the Mishkan
(Tabernacle) and eventually in
our Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
It was completely consumed
by fire. The skin of the animal,
however, was not burnt but given
to the Kohanim (priests). These
skins are listed as one of the 24
priestly gifts in the Tosefta Hallah.
This week’s Torah portion,
Tzav, continues the theme of the
beginning of the book of Leviticus and continues to talk about a
number of various sacrifices, including the Korban Olah.
The command is given in
the Torah that Aaron, the
brother of Moses who was appointed by G-d as the Kohen
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Rabbi Doug Zelden
Gadol (High Priest) and his sons
take on the tremendous responsibility of the Service of the
Mishkan – the Tabernacle or
“Portable Temple of the Desert.”
The first task that Aaron and his
children are instructed to perform is the mitzvah of Terumat
HaDeshen – the removal of the
ashes that were consumed by the
previous night’s fire on top of the
altar.
The “Chovot Halevovot,” a
classic book on ethics in Judaism, says that the rationale behind this is that the Torah is
particularly careful that people
not let things go to their heads,
lest they become ba’ale ga’avah
and haughty. It would be only
natural for Aaron, the High
Priest, to think, in his prestigious
position, that he is someone
mighty and special. He is one of
the select few who merits performing the Temple Service!
Nevertheless, G-d instructs him
in the Torah that the first thing
he must do, every morning, is
take out the ashes! The function
of this job, according to the
“Chovot Halevovot” is to lower
the self image of the Kohanim
(priests), and remove haughtiness from their hearts.
It occurred to me that the
last thing I do before going to the
synagogue every Friday evening,
is to take out the garbage. It
struck me this, too, is very symbolic. We who celebrate Shabbat
all try to remove the garbage of
the work week from our lives and
elevate ourselves spiritually as we
enter Shabbat. But even at moments of great spiritual elevation,
We who celebrate
Shabbat all try to
remove the garbage
of the work week
from our lives and
elevate ourselves
spiritually as we
enter Shabbat.
even if it is Erev Yom Kippur, we
have to remember that we always
have to take out the garbage. If
we remember this concept, we
will not let other thoughts go to
our heads which could mislead us
to believe that we are better than
we really are.
Another sacrifice mentioned in Tzav is the Korban
Todah, known as the Thanksgiving Offering. A midrash (Jewish
Legend) tells us that in the future
third Temple of the messianic era
all the sacrifices will be nullified
except the Thanksgiving Offering, for there is always need to
give thanks. “Todah” (thanks)
comes from the word “Hoda’ah,”
meaning giving thanks. However, the word “Hoda’ah” also
means to admit.
It is no coincidence that the
word for thanking and the word
for admitting are one and the
same. In order for a person to
give thanks, he has to be able to
admit that he or she needed assistance. The first step in being
grateful to someone for doing
something for you is the admission that you needed help and
that you are not all powerful.
Therefore the Hebrew word for
thanks, and for admission, are
the same.
In our daily prayers, in the
Amida, we have the Blessing of
Modim, called the Blessing of
“Hoda’a.” In this prayer we first
admit we need G-d’s help and
then we thank him for it.
There is a beautiful explanation about when the chazan
(cantor) repeats the Amida aloud
and says the Modim prayer and
the congregation recites softly a
prayer known as “The Rabbis’Modim.” Why is that? It is because the cantor can recite aloud
all the blessings in the Amida
(The Shmoneh Esrei) and be our
agent for such prayers as “Forgive
us,” “Heal Us,” “Bless Us with a
Good Year” and so forth. With
all our pleas, the cantor or Baal
Tfillah can be our public messenger and say the blessing for us, as
we answer Amen.
However, there is one thing
that no else one can say for us.
We must say it for ourselves. That
one thing is “Thank You.” Hoda’ah has to come from ourselves.
No one can be our agent to say
Thank You. That is the reason
for the “Rabbis’ Modim.” May we
all count our blessings and be
thankful, and may the Passover
season we are entering bring
abundant blessings from G-d to
all of us.
Rabbi Doug Zelden is the rabbi
of Congregation Or Menorah (Orthodox) in Chicago and chaplain for
Home Bound Hospice.
7
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
In the beginning …
Two playwrights
take a look
at the Bible
By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
Managing Editor
Who wrote the Bible?
Where do the stories and characters in the Torah come from?
And why do we need them? Why
do we need religion at all?
If you’ve ever asked these
questions or wondered about
them, you have something in
common with Lisa Peterson and
Denis O’Hare, authors of “The
Good Book,” having its world
premiere at Court Theatre on
Chicago’s South Side, where it
will run through April 19.
Peterson, a director and
writer who also directs the current production, and O’Hare, an
actor and writer who studied poetry and theater at Northwestern
University, are the authors of
“An Iliad,” the esteemed modern
take on the Trojan war. It’s been
performed all over the country
and sold out two Chicago runs,
breaking records for ticket sales
at the Court Theatre in 2013.
They had no plans to write
another play together but, Peterson recounted during a recent
phone interview, Court Artistic
Director Charles Newell “sort of
provoked us to think about if we
were to write another play what
would it be.”
Neither
Peterson
nor
O’Hare consider themselves par-
ticularly religious, but Peterson
says she is a “history nerd” with a
particular interest in the foundational literature of various civilizations and religions.
O’Hare has long been interested in the Bible and particularly in how “the Bible has been
used against anybody who doesn’t conform to the particular sect
of the moment,” he said in a recent phone interview, noting
that that includes gay people.
While that isn’t a theme of the
play, it was “a buried theme,”
O’Hare says. “It was more what
motivated our writing rather
than a dominant theme of the
play.”
A “guiding impulse,” he
says, was “why do we need religion? Why do we need G-d?
What makes us look for answers,
why do we search for meaning,
and where?”
“We decided what we really
wanted to do was talk about how
the Bible came to be rather than
adapt Bible stories,” Peterson
says. Writing the play “involved
a long process of educating ourselves,” she says, including study
at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
Within that questioning historical framework, the play put
forth three intertwined stories,
jumping from the ancient pre-literate world through history to
modern suburbia. Two characters
serve as narrators and guides,
“like dual Alices in Wonderland,” Peterson says: 15-year-old
Connor, growing up Catholic in
1975 and struggling with his
SEE BOOK
ON
The
Herd
RORY KI N N EAR
DIRECTED BY FRAN K GALATI
BY
Featuring ensemble members Francis Guinan,
John Mahoney, Molly Regan and Lois Smith
with Cliff Chamberlain and Audrey Francis
Three generations, two surprise guests and
one unexpected evening.
PAG E 8
2-FOR-1 TICKETS
to Preview Performances April 2-10
Excluding Saturday nights Use Code: FAMILY
Tickets start at just $20.
steppenwolf.org | 312-335-1650
Corporate Presenting Sponsor
A scene from “The Good Book.”
Corporate Production Sponsor
Official 2014/15 Season
Lighting Sponsor
8
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Book
CONTINUED
www.chicagojewishnews.com
The Jewish News place in cyberspace
F RO M PAG E
7
identity and his desire to become
a priest, and Miriam, a modernday Hebrew and biblical scholar
who wrestles with her own crisis
of faith.
The third storyline basically
covers the development of the
Bible, from a pre-literate
Mesopotamian society to the
Babylonian exile to the life and
death of Jesus to an exploration
of “how the Old Testament and
the New Testament together become the Bible of the American
Christian church,” Peterson says.
Neither O’Hare nor Peterson is Jewish, and the play was
written with all kinds of audiences in mind, but the authors
say there is plenty in it that will
specifically interest Jewish viewers.
“It would be interesting for
anyone who knows and is interested in the Torah to follow the
H. L. MILLER CANTORIAL SCHOOL AND COLLEGE OF JEWISH MUSIC
OF THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
and the
track telling the story of the Jewish people. The second act shows
how the Hebrew Bible was
adopted and subsumed into the
Christian Bible,” Peterson says.
“The play is fairly rigorous in
terms of accuracy, of how the
Bible came into being,” O’Hare
says. “The first half is focused on
the Tanach, from oral stories all
the way through Israel under
David, under Judah, the Roman
and Greek (eras). We tried to
chart that process.
“It was driven by a kind of
outsider’s curiosity, even wariness. We spent a lot of time
thinking about faith, the issues
that are in the play,” Peterson,
who describes herself as “either
an atheist or an agnostic depending on the day,” says.
For herself, “one of the main
takeaways has been to be sort of
dazzled, confused by the complicated content of the Bible, the
hidden gems and their meanings.” She hopes audience members will see it the same way.
The development of “The
Good Book” was long and often
frustrating, O’Hare, who has
known Peterson since they met
in the late ’80s as part of the
Chicago theater scene, says.
“We sat backstage during re-
hearsals for ‘An Iliad’ in New
York in 2012 and talked about
how to proceed,” he says. “There
was a lot of brainstorming, a lot
of bad ideas, blind alleys. We’ve
probably written 300 to 400
pages of scenes we deleted. Some
scenes were written seven, eight,
nine times. We groped our way
toward the structure.”
Not a theme of the play, but
very much in their minds as they
wrote it, was the sense that both
playwrights are bothered by what
Peterson calls “the blending of
religion and law in this country.
I’m troubled by that,” she says.
“There is a danger in turning to
the Christian Bible to legislate in
this country.”
Yet the play is not designed
to preach, but to make people
think, the authors say.
“It’s the idea that these texts
don’t belong to anyone,” O’Hare
says. “Nobody has the right to
claim ownership or say who can
read or interpret them.”
“The Good Book” continues
through April 19 at the Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago.
For tickets, $45-$65, call (773)
753-4472 or visit www.CourtTheatre.org.
CANTORS ASSEMBLY
present
Voice of a People:
Then, Now, Always
The Chicago Jewish
Play Reading Festival
2015
A John Leopold and Martha Dellheim Concert
honoring
HARVEY L. MILLER
Honorary Trustee, JTS Board of Trustees
Namesake of the H. L. Miller Cantorial School
at the
68th Annual Cantor’s Assembly Convention
MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015, 8:00 P.M.
Westin O’Hare
6100 N River Road, Rosemont
INTRODUCING H. L. MILLER CANTORIAL SCHOOL STUDENTS
Close to Home by Jonathan Gillis
March 29, 2015 7:00 PM
B’nai Yehuda Beth Sholom,
1424 W. 183rd St., Homewood
This powerful drama focuses on the personal struggle of
an Israeli soldier.
Paris Time by Steven Peterson
April 12, 2015 7:00 PM
Congregation Solel, 1301 Clavey Rd., Highland Park
An interfaith couple encounters anti-semitism in the
workplace.
SARAH LEVINE
Hazzan Nancy Abramson
Hazzan Gerald Cohen
Hazzan Jen Cohen
Hazzan Sidney Ezer
RACHEL BROOK
ISAAC YAGER
CAN TO R S F EATU R E D
Hazzan Magda Fishman
Hazzan Randy Herman
Hazzan Mitch Kowitz
Hazzan Alisa Pomerantz-Boro
The program is free and open to the community.
RSVP at www.jtsa.edu/DellheimChicago.
For more information, please contact Nadine Sasson Cohen
at (312) 606-9086 or [email protected].
JOSH KOWITZ
Hazzan Henry Rosenblum
Hazzan Jonathan Schultz
Hazzan Elizabeth Shammash
Hazzan Steven Stoehr
Oh, God! by Anat Gov
April 26, 2015 7:00 PM
Congregation Beth Shalom, 772 W. 5th Ave., Naperville
A comedy which asks who is the Deity and what is our
relationship to him.
9
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Passover Food
For Pesach or whenever
By Eileen Goltz
Food Editor
We all have recipes that
work great for Pesach but aren’t
actually recipes that you typically
think of to use for Pesach. Some I
even have stashed away in a file
labeled “Possible Pesach Columns” and have yet to find a way
to share them because they don’t
seem to fit into any column I’m
writing this year. They’re all really
delicious and since I can’t find a
“topic” to combine them I’m
labeling this column “extra”
Pesach recipes that can be used
year around.
potato masher squish the mixture
together. You can do this in a
food processer but make sure you
don’t process too much. Season
with additional salt and pepper
to taste. Using your hands make
small patties (2 to 3 tablespoons
each).
In a skillet heat 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil. Place 5 to 6 patties
in the pan (flatten them slightly
with the back of a spoon) and
cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side,
until golden. Drain on paper towels and repeat until you’ve cooked
all the patties. You can make
these a day or two ahead of time
and reheat in a 350° oven. I serve
it with a lemon sauce (recipe
below) and if you feel decadent
you can serve it with a fried egg
on top of the patties with the
sauce on top. Serves 4-6.
Lemon Sauce (Dairy)
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt to taste
In a bowl combine all the
ingredients. Whisk to combine
and serve.
Modified, submitted by Riki
Goldstone, Chicago
3 cups chopped broccoli pieces
(fresh or frozen, defrosted)
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup matzah meal
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper to taste
Olive or vegetable oil for frying
If using fresh broccoli steam
or microwave until tender but
not mushy. Drain the broccoli,
then set it aside to cool slightly. If
using frozen, defrost and pat dry.
In a large bowl combine the
beaten egg with matzah meal,
cheese, garlic, salt and pepper.
Add the broccoli and mix to
combine. Using your hands or a
Clean sweet potatoes, leaving skin on. Place in a large pot
and cover with water. Boil potatoes for about 20 minutes until
tender. Preheat oven to 450°.
ON
PAG E 1 0
FRESH PRODUCE,
DELI, MEATS and
EUROPEAN IMPORTS
1 head cauliflower
1 red pepper, chopped
1 carrot, diced
3 green onions, sliced thin
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
Broccoli Parmesan Cakes With
Lemon Sauce (Dairy)
3 medium sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 avocados
Juice of ½ a lime or lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1⁄2 red bell pepper, minced
1⁄4 cup chopped parsley
3 slices turkey pastrami, chopped
(optional)
Remove potatoes from water,
slice into thick rounds (about ½
inch) and place on a greased baking sheet. Using a fork, gently
smash the tops of the potatoes.
Drizzle the potato rounds with
olive oil and season with salt and
pepper. Cook potatoes for 20-22
minutes until the edges are crispy
and starting to turn golden
brown.
While potatoes are roasting,
combine the avocados, lime or
lemon juice, garlic and red pepper and mash until combined.
Remove the potato slices from
the oven and place them on a
platter. Spoon scoops of avocado
SEE FOOD
Chopped Cauliflower Salad
(Parve)
In a food processor, process
the cauliflower until it turns into
small pieces. Place it in a large
bowl and add the red pepper, carrot and green onions. Mix to
combine. Add the olive oil, vinegar and sugar. Mix to combine.
Add the oregano, basil and paprika. Mix to combine. Season
with salt and pepper. Cover and
refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. This can be made in
the morning and served in the afternoon.
For a slaw you can mix in
1/2 head of shredded cabbage
and double the oil, vinegar and
sugar. Serves 4-6.
Sweet Potatoes and
Guacamole (Parve or Meat)
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Phone: (847) 933-0900
Fax: (847) 933-9147
10
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Passover Food
1 red bell pepper, diced small
2 eggs
1 green onion, sliced
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons oil
Food
CONTINUED
F RO M PAG E
9
mixture on top of the warm potato slices and top with the
chopped pastrami. Serve warm.
Serves 4-6.
Modified from a recipe on
Healthyaperture.com
Tuna Zucchini Fritters (Fish)
2 grated zucchini, drained very
well
1 can white tuna in water,
drained very well
In a bowl combine the
grated zucchini, tuna, green
onion, red pepper, dill and eggs
and mix to combine. Season
with salt and pepper. Heat the oil
in a skillet and by heaping
spoonful spoon the mixture into
the hot oil. You can make them
smaller or larger depending on
whether it’s a side dish or a main
course. Cook 2 or 3 minutes on
each side until golden. Makes 4
Happy Passover
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Festive Chopped Liver Plate
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Entrée Selections • Choosse from
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Wine (one glass per adult) and Soda included
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Two seatings both days: 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
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Your Home or Ours...
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with Max and Benny’s
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Catering Menu Orders Placed
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Friday, April 3rd and Saturday, April 4th
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Online Menu: www.MaxandBennys.com
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side servings or 2 main course.
Moroccan Vegetable Salad
(Parve)
A friend served this salad at a
brunch last week and it was amazing and would be perfect for Pesach
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
2 cold, boiled potatoes, sliced
1 each red, yellow and green bell
peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2/3 cup pitted black olives
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 red onion, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
leaves (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh
cilantro or parsley leaves
Salt (optional)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Arrange the cucumber, potato, pepper slices and pitted
olives on a serving plate or in a
dish. Sprinkle the salt and sugar
over the top if you’re using them.
Sprinkle the garlic, onions, olive
oil, vinegar and lemon juice over
the top of the salad. Chill for at
least 1 hour. Before serving,
sprinkle with the chopped mint
leaves and cilantro leaves over
the top. You can also just put
everything in a bowl and toss to
combine. Serves 4 to 6.
Modified from “Mayim’s
Vegan Table: More than 100
Great-Tasting and Healthy Recipes
from My Family to Yours” by
Mayim Bialik.
Breakfast muffins and brisket pie
Scrambled Egg Potato Muffins
Ingredients:
2 medium-large Yukon gold
potatoes
3 large eggs
1 ½ tablespoons milk
½ cup chopped bell pepper (or
other veggie)
¼ cup cheese (cheddar, goat, or
feta recommended)
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
Place whole potatoes in the oven
and roast until almost totally
cooked, but not quite edible –
around 25 minutes.
2. Cut potatoes open and
allow to cool. Peel off skin (it
should come off pretty easily).
This step can also be done the
night before to save time.
3. Grate potatoes and season
well with salt and pepper.
4. Increase oven temperature to 425 °.
5. Whisk together eggs, milk,
cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl.
6. Grease a standard-size
muffin tin. Push shredded potatoes into the bottom and sides of
each cup.
7. Pour about 2 teaspoons of
egg mix into each cup and top
with diced red pepper. Don’t
allow them to sit too long – pop
them quickly into the oven.
8. Bake 12-14 minutes until
the eggs are golden and baked,
and the sides of the potatoes are
starting to brown.
9. Using a small spatula or
butter knife, loosen sides of eggpotato muffins and remove.
Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.
Shredded Brisket Cumberland
Pie for Passover
Ingredients:
For the brisket filling:
3 pounds brisket, second cut
preferred
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and
cut in half, any green center removed
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
4 large leeks, washed well and
cut into 1-inch chunks, white
part only (see Kitchen Tips)
2 cups sweet, full-bodied red
wine
cup mushroom broth
1 cup low-sodium beef stock
4 large carrots (about 1 pound),
peeled and cut into 1-inch
chunks
6 medium parsnips, (about 1
pound), peeled and cut into 1inch chunks
6 small turnips (about 1 pound),
peeled and cut into 1-inch
chunks
4 dried bay leaves
For the topping:
3 pounds russet potatoes (about
6 medium), peeled and cubed
(about 9 cups total)
4 tablespoons dairy-free, nonhydrogenated margarine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive
oil
1 cup almond milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¼ cup matzah meal
1 tablespoon ground sweet paprika
Directions:
Make the brisket: Preheat
the oven to 285º. Gently sprinkle the brisket with salt and paprika on both sides and rub well
to coat.
Heat a large, heavy ovenproof saucepan or Dutch oven
over high heat, pour in the oils,
and heat until they shimmer.
Carefully place the brisket
into the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a
rimmed sheet pan and set aside.
Reserve the saucepan.
Add the tomato paste to the
pan and stir well to toast for 45
seconds to 1 minute. Add the
leeks, stir to coat, and cook for 2
minutes, or until the leeks just
begin to soften. Add the wine
and mushroom broth and stir
well. Bring to a boil and reduce
the heat to a simmer. Add the
stock and stir well. Carefully return the brisket to the pot and
add the carrots, parsnips, turnips
and bay leaves. Cover the pot
and place in the oven.
Cook for 3 hours. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 3 days.
When you are ready to continue with the recipe, make the
mashed potatoes: Fill a large pot
with cold water and salt well. Add
the potatoes and bring to a boil
over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 30
minutes. Drain the potatoes and
push them through a ricer into a
large bowl. Add the margarine
and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil and mash until melted.
Add almond milk and mix well.
Season with 1 teaspoon salt.
While the potatoes are cooking, skim the layer of fat and accumulated scum from the surface of
the brisket pot and discard.
Remove the meat from the
pot, shred and then chop it before
covering with foil. Set aside. Transfer the carrots, parsnips and turnips
to a work surface, reserving the pot.
Cut the vegetables into ½-inch
pieces.
Set the pot over medium heat
and cook the sauce until it is reduced in volume by half, about 10
minutes. Strain the sauce through
a fine-mesh strainer and return to
the pot. Return the brisket and
vegetables to the pot and stir well.
Cover and reduce the heat to a
simmer.
Spray a 2½- to 3-quart round
oven-proof casserole/serving dish
with nonstick vegetable oil spray.
Preheat the oven to 400º.
Place the brisket and vegetable
mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Cover with the mashed
potatoes. Bake until heated
through and the mashed potatoes
just begin to turn golden, about 30
to 35 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a small
skillet set over high heat until it
shimmers. Add the matzah meal,
paprika and the remaining salt; stir
well and cook until the mixture
turns a light brown. Sprinkle the
seasoned crumbs liberally over the
casserole and return it to the oven.
Bake for an additional 5 to 6 minutes, until the matzah meal and
potatoes are deep golden brown
on top. Serve immediately.
11
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
From Notre Dame to Prague, Europe’s anti-Semitism is literally carved in stone
By Toni L. Kamins
JTA
Notre Dame Cathedral in
the heart of Paris is among the
most visited sites on the planet
and a splendid example of
Gothic architecture.
Each year, millions flock to
admire and photograph its flying
buttresses and statuary, yet few
take any real notice of two
prominent female statues on either side of the main entrance.
The one on the left is dressed in
fine clothing and bathed in light,
while the one on the right is disheveled, with a large snake
draped over her eyes like a blindfold.
The statues, known as Ecclesia and Sinagoga, respectively,
and generally found in juxtaposition, are a common motif in medieval art and represent the
Christian theological concept
known as supercessionism,
whereby the Church is triumphant and the Synagogue defeated. Sinagoga is depicted here
with head bowed, broken staff,
the tablets of the law slipping
from her hand and a fallen crown
at her feet. Ecclesia stands upright with crowned head and carries a chalice and a staff adorned
with the cross.
While the issue of what constitutes free speech and what
crosses into incitement to violence was brought to the fore by
the deadly January attack on the
satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, images mocking Jews
and Judaism and encouraging
anti-Semitic violence have been
displayed throughout Europe
since the early Middle Ages. In a
time when literacy was uncommon, these images were the political cartoons and posters of the
age, and the ridicule and carnage
they promoted was both routine
and government sanctioned.
What’s more, most remain visible if you know where to look.
Below are some of the most common ones.
Judensau
Wittenberg, Germany is famous as the place where Martin
Luther nailed his 95 theses to the
door of the Wittenberg castle’s
church, and where the Protestant Reformation began, but the
facade of its otherwise grand
Stadtkirche, the church where
Luther preached, features another medieval motif known as
the Judensau (Jew’s sow). This
particular Judensau (1305) shows
Jews suckling at the sow’s teat
while another feeds at the animal’s anus. Above it appears an
inscription in Latin letters, “Rabini Shem hamphoras.”The
phrase is gibberish, but refers to
the Hebrew words “Shem
HaMephorash,” a term for one of
the hidden names of God.
Blood libel
The blood libel in Europe, a
false allegation that Jews murder
Christian children so they can
use their blood to make matzah,
probably originated in England
with the murder of William of
Norwich in 1144, followed by accusations in Gloucester (1168),
Bury St. Edmonds (1181), Bristol (1183) and Lincoln (1255). It
rapidly spread like a cancer to
the continent.
Spain’s Toledo Cathedral
has a fresco depicting the alleged
ritual murder of Christopher of
La Guardia near one of its exits
– on one side a malevolent man
is dragging away a child, while on
the other the child is being crucified. At the 16th-century
Palazzo Salvadori in Trento
(Trent), Italy, which was built on
the foundation of a synagogue,
two plaques illustrating the supposed martyrdom of Simonino di
Trento (Simon of Trent) at the
hands of Jews in 1475 were affixed to the front portal in the
18th century.
Some of the supposed victims of ritual murder – William
of Norwich, Little Saint Hugh of
Lincoln, St. Christopher of La
Guardia and Simon of Trent –
were canonized, but the Church’s
1965 Second Vatican Council
removed them from the canon,
forbade worship of them, and absolved Jews of any guilt in such
murders. Sadly, some Catholics
still believe the libel and continue to celebrate the saints’
days.
There are thousands of Ecclesia/Sinagoga, Judensau and illustrations of blood libel on
churches, in paintings, stained
glass windows, wood carvings
and in medieval manuscripts all
over Europe. Meanwhile, the
blood libel continues to have
currency in places such as Belarus, the Arab world and, of
course, on the Internet.
Jesus of Prague
In Prague, the 15th-century
Charles Bridge across the Vltava
River connects Old Town to
Prague Castle. Some 30 statues
line its pedestrian-only walkway,
but only one is likely to make
Jews cringe – Jesus on the cross
surrounded by the Hebrew words
“kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, Adonai
Tzva’ot” (holy, holy, holy is the
Lord of hosts) from the Jewish
prayer known as the Kedushah.
The statue and inscription,
whose origins are disputed, essentially appropriate Jewish
liturgy to imply that Jews regard
Jesus as God.
Elias Backoffen, a Jewish
community leader, was forced to
pay for the gold-plated letters as
a punishment in 1696 either for
an actual or trumped-up blasphemy that may have been at the
hands of a rival Jewish businessman. Explanatory plaques in
English, Czech and Hebrew were
added in 2009 after the city’s
mayor was petitioned by a group
of North American rabbis.
Take a good look at the
aleph in the word Tzva’ot – it’s
backward. A secret signal to
other Jews? No. The letter was
removed by the Nazis during
their occupation of Prague, and
when the Czechs restored the
letters after the war they made a
mistake. And the vav in Adonai?
It seems to have gone missing.
We brought Israel’s surgeon general to Chicago,
to bring Israel closer to you.
From left, AFMDA Midwest Regional Director Cari Margulis Immerman, Former Israel Defense Forces Surgeon General
Brig. Gen. Professor Yitshak Kreiss, hosts Naomi and Jerry Senser, AFMDA Upper Midwest/Chicago Director Cindy IglitzenSocianu, AFMDA National Board Member Paula Blaine Cohen, and AFMDA Chief Executive Officer Arnold Gerson.
American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA) hosted Former Israel Defense Forces Surgeon General
Brig. Gen. Professor Yitshak Kreiss to share the story of the strategic lifesaving partnership between the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical response
agency and auxiliary medical corps to the IDF.
MDA is not government funded, and generous support is needed to ensure they are fully
prepared and ready to respond to those in need. To find out more about upcoming events and
how you can help save lives in Israel, please contact Cindy Iglitzen-Socianu.
AFMDA Upper Midwest/Greater Chicagoland
Cindy Iglitzen-Socianu, Director
3175 Commercial Avenue, Suite 101, Northbrook, IL 60062
Toll-Free: 888.674.4871 • [email protected]
www.afmda.org
✡ URGENT REQUEST ✡
YOUR HELP NEEDED
✡
FOR
✡
TERROR VICTIMS SUPPORT
✡ CENTER ✡
ORPHANAGE • FOOD DISTRIBUTION,
ETC.
EMAIL REQUEST FOR NEWSLETTER:
[email protected]
ONLINE DONATIONS:
www.terror-victims.org.il
tax deductible #20-0082699
SEND DONATIONS TO:
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12
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Aliyah debate exposes French Jewry’s internal fault lines
By Cnaan Liphshiz
JTA
PARIS – A burst of applause
greeted Holocaust survivor Marek
Halter and his close friend, Imam
Hassen Chalghoumi, as they entered the Synagogue de la Victoire together.
Halter, a celebrated author
and friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, is known for
his outreach to moderate Muslims,
and his appearance with Chalghoumi at the packed synagogue
was seen as a hopeful sign after
the murder of four Jews at a kosher
supermarket near the capital.
As the rising tide of anti-Semitic violence in France has led
to record levels of immigration to
Israel, Halter has emerged as a
leading voice urging French Jews
not to flee. In January, he pub-
lished a 63-page manifesto, titled
“Reconcile Amongst Yourselves,” that urged French Muslims and Jews to work together to
make France a more tolerant
place for minorities.
French Jews should “stay
and fight for their place in society instead of packing their bags
and leaving in the face of adversity,” Halter said.
Halter is among the most
prominent French Jews to urge
his coreligionists to stick it out in
France, but his campaign is exposing tensions between integration-minded progressives – many
of them Ashkenazi, like himself
– and a more insular Sephardic
majority that favors aliyah.
Sephardic Jews are believed
to constitute a disproportionate
number of French immigrants to
Israel – 80-90 percent, according
to Sergio DellaPergola, a sociolo-
gist at Hebrew University and
one of the world’s foremost experts on Jewish demography.
Overall, Sephardim represent
about two-thirds of French Jewry.
The overrepresentation of
Sephardim, according to DellaPergola, owes to “traumas that
many North African Sephardim
who settled in France after the
1950s brought with them, from
living in Muslim societies where
many enjoyed a peaceful coexistence, but where many others
were beaten and discriminated
against.”
Violent anti-Semitism “brings
back very unpleasant memories for
Sephardic Jews, who already have
a higher propensity to make aliyah
also out of religious sentiment as
they come from more traditionalist societies,” DellaPergola said.
Last year, 7,231 French Jews
moved to Israel, a record-setting
Marek Halter, second from right, and Hassen Chalghoumi, in white cap,
at a mass rally in Paris following the shootings at the Charlie Hebdo
magazine and the Hyper Cacher supermarket. (JTA)
figure nearly three times the number who came in 2012 and which
made France the world’s largest
source of new Israeli immigrants.
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After the supermarket killings and
the murder of a volunteer security
guard outside a synagogue in Denmark, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that
Israel was preparing for massive
immigration and urged European
Jews to consider the Jewish state
their home. Some officials at the
Jewish Agency, the semi-official
body that coordinates global
aliyah, expect as many as 15,000
Jews to arrive from France this
year.
Following the attack at the
Hyper Cacher market, Halter’s
call for French Jews to stick to
their proverbial guns was joined
by other members of the French
Jewish elite, including the
philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy
and French Chief Rabbi Haim
Korsia, who during the same
meeting at Synagogue de la Victoire said, “Aliyah should never
be the result of fear, only of an
internal calling.”
But Siona, a group representing Sephardic French Jews,
responded forcefully to a reproachful Halter Op-Ed published in Le Monde last year
urging Jews not to abandon their
country to jihadists and the farright National Front party.
“Instead of advising French
Jews on a reality he does not
know, Marek Halter should devote himself to the international
salons he attends and the world
greats he meets,” Siona’s president, Roger Pinto, said in a statement that seemed to underline
widely held perceptions of a disconnect between the French
Jewish elite and its rank and file.
The discourse reflects a
“growing split in the different attitudes to aliyah – not so much
between Sephardim and Ashkenazim, but between a traditionalist majority where Sephardim
constitute a strong element, and
a secularist elite that has some
prominent Ashkenazim, but also
Sephar-dim,” said Karin Amit,
an expert on French Jewry at the
Ruppin Academic Center in Israel.
13
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Death Notices
Bernard K. Block, age 88,
died March 20. Survived by
his wife Mary Lou, brother
Roger (the late Beth); many
nieces, nephews, cousins,
and friends. Contributions
may be made to Council for
Jewish Elderly, or, to the
Alzheimer’s Foundation. Arrangements by Lakeshore
Jewish Funerals, (773) 6258621.
Ruth Hapner, nee Berlant,
age 91. Beloved wife of the
late Benjamin. Cherished
mother of Dede Hapner and
Neil Hapner. Dear sister of
Norman Berlant and Phyllis
(the late Leon) Cohen. Fond
aunt of many nieces and
nephews. Contributions in
Ruth’s name to The American
Lung Association, 55 W. Upper Wacker Dr., #800, Chicago, IL 60601 would be appreciated. Arrangements by
Mitzvah Memorial Funerals.
Norman L. Harris, 82, beloved
husband of Rowan nee Galesburg for 57 years. Devoted father of David (Laura) Harris,
Julie (Larry) Einhorn, and Jill
Harris. Loving Papa of Mat-
thew, Lindsay and Aaron.
Dear brother of the late Mildred Sherman. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in
Norman’s name to UCP/ Seguin Services of Greater
Chicago, 3100 S. Central Avenue, Cicero, IL 60804, would
be appreciated. Arrangements by Mitzvah Memorial
Funerals.
David Honigberg, age 92,
Beloved husband for 70 years
of Mildred “Millie” Honigberg, nee Krugel. Cherished
father of Michele (Jim) Pockross and Sue Ellen Carter
(Keith Abney).
Devoted
grandfather of Sam-antha
Carter (Chris Moore) and
Jonathan Carter (Jamie
Downing). Loving brother of
the late Evelyn (Charles) Arbetman. Dear brother-in-law
of Jordan and Harriet Krugel.
Fond uncle of Carla and
Richard Kruk, Gary, Erica,
Mitchell and Mary Krugel and
Jeffrey (Sara) Arbetman and
great-nieces and nephews
David, Daniel, Cheryl, Jacob,
Scott, Brittany and Samuel
and great-great niece Rina.
Arrangements by Mitzvah
Memorial Funerals.
William E. Levine, beloved
husband of Marcia Levine,
nee Bell. Loving father of
Mark (Linda Coplan ) Levine,
Diane (Jeff) Lehman and the
late Laurie (Barry) Ruby.
Cherished grandfather of
Ross Ruby, Craig and Jared
Levine and Alex and Austin
Lehman. Devoted brother of
David (Marilyn) Levine and
the late Dorothy (Don) Victorson. Loved uncle, cousin
and friend to many. In lieu
of flowers, remembrances to
American Diabetes Association, would be appreciated.
Arrangements by Mitzvah
Memorial Funerals.
Mildred “Milly” Mandel, nee
Gardner, age 92, of Scottsdale Arizona, formerly of
Chicago. Beloved wife of the
late Jerry. Cherished mother
of Susan (Alan) Ross and
Linda (Dr. Fred) Cucher. Devoted grandmother of Rustin
(Nicole) Ross, Kimberly Ross,
Melissa (David) Kessler and
Daniel (Arielle) Cucher and
great-grandchildren Jordan,
Jeremy, Tali, Yonatan, Zohar,
Azriel, Akiva and Simcha.
Dear sister of the late Carrie
(Sy) Cole and Guy (Elaine)
Gardner. Fond aunt of many
nieces and nephews. In lieu
of flowers contributions in
Mildred’s name to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) would be appreciated. Arrangements by
Mitzvah Memorial Funerals.
Esther Judith Sklar, nee Zaretsky, age 99. Beloved wife of
the late Barnett. Cherished
mother of Dr. Jeffrey Sklar (Vivian Nash) and the late Richard Sklar. Devoted grandmother of Aaron and Shana
Sklar. Dear sister of the late
Melvin Zaret (survived by Eva)
and the late Annette Laskey.
Caring aunt of David and
Steven Zaret and of Julian and
the late Alan Laskey. Contributions in Esther’s name to
the Foundation Fighting
Blindness would be appreciated. Arrangements by Mitzvah Memorial Funerals.
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14
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
✡ HAPPY PASSOVER ✡
Crunching the childhood
lessons of Passover
Innovation
and Jewish Inspiration
Where Scientific
Come Together
Advancing public health and
fighting child
obesity in the Galilee
are part of the fundamental mission of Prof. Mary Rudolf, head
of Public Health at the Bar-Ilan University Medical School in
Safed. A world-renowned expert in ways to combat child-obesity,
Prof. Rudolf is cultivating a new generation of caring physicians
who will serve economically disadvantaged and underserved
patients for decades to come.
Galilee residents are benefitting from her community outreach
activities, which include educating parents about proper nutrition
for their children. She says, “It’s Zionism in the oldest use of the term.
It’s going to build up an underprivileged part of the country not well
served by health services…Just like Ben-Gurion talked about the desert
blooming, this will make the Galil bloom.”
What did I really learn at
the seder table? That is, besides
discovering that the white horseradish was way hotter than the
red and that my very worldly uncles couldn’t read a word of Hebrew.
It’s a question worth considering as we invite new generations of participants to sit down
at our seder tables.
Today we have a whole Haggadah of apps, texts and websites
that help us drain every last drop
of meaning out of our yearly dinners remembering the going-out
from Egypt. But in the midst of
all this learning, have we somehow taken for granted the childhood lessons simmered into our
meal built with a set order?
At my family seders, I recall
that little Hebrew was read from
the
red-and-yellow-covered
Goldberg Passover Haggadah we
used. Yet I also remember them as
a welcome break, a time that set
me free for a few hours from my
childhood pattern of Koufax,
Gumby and all things rockets.
My sister, Wendy, a school
district administrator specializing
in literacy and language who is
five years older, remembers being
uncomfortable due to the behavior of the adults: One relative refused to read anything and others
participated with a mocking
tone, upsetting my mother. But
even in that environment, she
says that besides learning to endure, she was allowed the space
to sit and find her own meaning
in the proceedings.
I remember having lots of
questions, none of them Exodusrelated: Where did these dishes
comes from? We didn’t use them
any other time of the year. Why
was there plastic all over the
floor, to protect the carpet from
wine spills? And why did my big
sister get to sit up near the head
of the table? Was it because she
had started Hebrew school and
was the only one at the table
who could read the Hebrew?
The answers were there for
CONTINUED
O N N E X T PAG E
Happy Passover % % % %
Best wishes for a
BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY:
By Edmon J. Rodman
JTA
Louis I. Lang
State Representative,
16th District
4121 Main Street
Skokie, IL 60076
847-673-1131 phone
847-982-0393 fax
[email protected]
www.reploulang.com
To learn more about Prof. Rudolf ’s community healthcare work,
go to www.afbiu.org or contact Ari Steinberg
at 847-423-2270 or at [email protected]
Jewish and Zionist values are central to Bar-Ilan’s initiatives in the
sciences, law, nanotechnology, engineering, business, the humanities
and its Medical School in Safed.
Happy r
Passove dj
jnau raf
15
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
✡ HAPPY PASSOVER ✡
CONTINUED
F RO M P R E V I O U S PAG E
even a simple son to see: The
seder was a special time, something you prepared for as indicated by the table settings and
plastic. And as for my sister’s
raised status, a little bit of knowledge gets you a better seat.
For many of us, our first serious encounter with the seder
comes when an adult tells you
that as the youngest, it’s your
turn to chant the Four Questions. “Why the youngest?” was
my fifth question. “Why not
someone older and more experienced, like my sister?”
Though my first-grade Hebrew school teacher and synagogue cantor prepped us in
leading the Four Questions, little
did they know that this lesson
would teach us so much more. Or
maybe they did. Even though I
didn’t understand completely
what I was doing, I did get the
impression that this was serious
stuff, meant to be studied and not
messed up, especially in front of
my family. I also learned that I
could repeat it in front of a group
of people, and remember feeling
how good it felt to finally get it
out, down to the last “Mesubin”
(reclining). My recitation also
made me a participant: That was
now my page in the Haggadah.
I also realized that I could
learn stuff after school and my
head would not explode.
And the answers? They were
in a book, and the seder made it
seem perfectly normal to read
one before and after dinner.
I also learned from listening
to the adults who did enjoy the
seder that it was important to
read the words with feeling –
“the mighty hand” was awesome,
the plagues solemn and sorrowful.
My wife, Brenda, who had
difficulty reading when she was a
child, remembers at her family
seders trying to anticipate which
paragraph she would be asked to
read, so that she could prepare
and not have to be “helped.”
Yes, I know it’s a Jewish
value not to embarrass someone,
but we do, and however much
the corrections might momentarily sting, they do teach another lesson: If someone corrects
you, you won’t die.
At the seder, a child also
learns how to defeat boredom, an
important life lesson, as anyone
who watches cable TV can tell
you. I remember my mother saying that “people who say they are
bored are boring.” Not wanting
to fit into that category, I entertained myself during what
seemed like forever by following
the Haggadah’s instructions. I
leaned and dipped and pointed
and crunched hard, and when
that failed, I checked out the
plague drawings and thought
about the weird matzah sandwiches I would be finding in my
lunch bag all that week.
Most of all, I think, a child
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tasted like. The halfway point
was marked by my mother’s
brisket, from which I gained a
taste for Jewish food.
And the end? That was
when my mother and uncles argued, the lesson being that sweet
reason doesn’t always prevail.
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learns at the seder that there is
order in their universe. In a body
that changes weekly, occupied by
interests that come and go in a
flash, order is kind of a relief.
As I recall, the order of our
seder was quite simple: It began
with my sister singing the Kiddush and me learning what wine
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16
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
✡ HAPPY PASSOVER ✡
Marking the passage from slavery to freedom
By Dasee Berkowitz
JTA
Transitions are never easy.
You decide to leave one
place that is known to you for
some unfamiliar territory. You
don’t feel quite like yourself (and
probably won’t for a while). You
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try to act like everything is fine
even though you know that your
whole life has just been upended.
It will take time until things
begin to fall into place – when
you start to integrate the “old”
you into your new identity, when
you can trust that your life will
make sense as you take this step
into the unknown.
And while we all might experience one or two of
these major transitions in our
lifetime (marriage, divorce, becoming a parent or moving
cities), the transition for the ancient Israelites, from slavery in
Egypt to freedom, was one of epic
proportions.
After suffering under the oppressive yoke of bondage, the
promise of redemption was palpable. With G-d’s guiding hand
and Moses in place to lead the
way, the Israelites had their
matzah in hand and were ready
to go. Their transition to a new
life – from being slaves
of Pharaoh in Egypt to servants
of G-d – was set in motion.
While the steps along the way
may have been unsure and filled
with trepidation (there’s nothing
like the sound of Pharaoh’s army
behind you and a sea that isn’t
splitting before you to make you
wonder if you made the right decision), the Red Sea split, and
faith that everything would be
OK won out.
While the biblical narrative
that recounts the Exodus from
Egypt has power in the linear nature of its telling, the way that
the rabbis ritualized that transition in the Passover Haggadah is
anything but linear. They trans-
formed the raw material of the
Exodus story into an associative,
sometimes disjointed pedagogical
tool.
And in this disjointed
medium of the Haggadah is the
message. Transitions are not a
straightforward endeavor. They
are a process that can be meandering, confusing and rife with
double meanings and complexities. What are the ways that our
experience of Passover can shed
light onto how we experience
transitions in our own lives?
Embrace complexity. Eat
matzah.
The most ubiquitous symbol
of Passover, matzah, is in itself a
conundrum. It is the bread of affliction, which reminds us of the
hard bread the Israelites ate in
servitude in Egypt. But it is also
the food that the Israelites baked
on the eve of their departure. It’s
the same substance (just flour
and water), but the meaning of
the bread changes based on how
we relate to it. When we were
passive recipients of the bread it
represented our affliction and reminded us of our identity as
slaves, but when created with our
own hands it represents the moment of our freedom.
It might have been simpler
to have two different kinds of
bread – a flat bread to represent
slavery and a fluffier one to represent freedom. But instead, on
seder night we are obligated to
eat matzah and imbibe the two
identities at the same time.
We hold the complexity –
even as we celebrate freedom, we
remember our harsh past. More
CONTINUED
O N N E X T PAG E
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Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
✡ HAPPY PASSOVER ✡
In eastern Ukraine, a unique matzah factory puts food on Jewish tables
By Cnaan Liphshiz
JTA
DNEPROPETROVSK,
Ukraine – With one eye on a
digital
countdown
timer,
Binyamin Vestrikov jumps up
and down while slamming a
heavy rolling pin into a piece of
dough.
Aware of his comical appearance to the journalist watching,
he
exaggerates
his
movements to draw laughs from
a dozen colleagues at the kneading station of Tiferet Hamatzot –
a factory believed to be Europe’s
only permanently open bakery
for handmade matzah, or shmurah matzah.
CONTINUED
F RO M P R E V I O U S PAG E
than that, our past serves as a
moral compass and guides us not
to oppress the stranger because
we remembered what oppression
felt like.
When we go through a transition in our lives, we recognize
that we don’t negate the past to
embrace a new future. Our past
experiences ground and guide us
as we take steps toward a new
identity.
Ask the right questions.
The Rabbis put questions
and questionings at the center of
the Haggadah’s telling. The nature of asking questions on
Passover is in itself an act of freedom.
The most powerless – the
children – traditionally ask the
Four Questions. Then four children ask questions based on their
own characters: the questions
that everyone is thinking but nobody dare articulate.
Only free people can ask,
wonder and challenge. Being
able to ask good questions connects us to the bigger picture and
opens doors to life’s possibilities.
Transitions are overwhelming. And when you are going
through one, sometimes all you
want are the right answers (I’m
not sure how many Israelites
asked questions when they were
leaving Egypt on that 14th of
Nissan).
But the Haggadah teaches
us to ask questions, even when it
might feel frightening to do so.
Our questions might range from
the wise and rebellious to the
simple, and sometimes we might
find ourselves unable to ask. The
questions that start with “why
did I do this?” may lead to
broader ones like “I wonder what
awaits me on the other side?”
Keep asking.
Offer praise and thanks.
In the middle of the Hag-
But Vestrikov’s urgency is
not just for entertainment.
Rather it is designed to meet
the production standards that
have allowed this unique bakery
in eastern Ukraine to provide the
Jewish world with a specialty
product at affordable prices. The
factory here also offers job security to about 50 Jews living in a
war-ravaged region with a weakened economy and high unemployment.
Each time Vestrikov and his
coworkers receive a new chunk
of dough, the timers over their
work stations give them only
minutes to turn it into a 2-pound
package of fully baked matzah – a
constraint meant to satisfy even
the strictest religious requirements for the unleavened crackgadah, soon after Dayenu and
right before we wash our hands
to eat the matzah, there is a
shortened Hallel (songs of
praise). It is smack in the middle
of the Haggadah. “Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the
Lord’s name. May the Lord’s
name be blessed now and
forevermore.” We move away
from the heady conversations
about why we eat the pascal
lamb, matzah and maror, and the
meta-values that the Haggadah
conveys with the line “In every
generation one is obligated to see
oneself as if on had gone out of
Egypt.” Instead we sing, dance
and offer gratitude that we have
made it this far.
This short Hallel stuck in
the middle of the Haggadah reminds us how important it is to
recognize milestones along the
journey. When our tendency is to
see how much farther we need to
go, the Haggadah reminds us to
recognize how far we have come,
and to give thanks.
Every day our lives are filled
with transitions in small and big
ways, from home to work and
then back home again. Crises
(big and small) happen at these
threshold points (kids have
breakdowns, adults feel anxiety).
These feelings are real because
they reflect that we are heading
into unknown territory. In our
daily lives we ritualize these moments – the goodbye kiss, the
welcome home hug. And for our
bigger transitions – changing careers, moving houses, leaving a
marriage or deciding to have a
child – the rituals become larger
and more complex.
As we approach each of
these transitions, let us move
from the narrow places, our personal Egypts, to a place of openness and expansiveness of the
desert. This Passover season
beckons you.
ers that Jews consume on
Passover to commemorate their
ancestors’ hurried flight out of
Egypt.
“The faster the process, the
more certain we are that no extra
water came into contact with the
dough and that it did not have
any chance of leavening,” says
Rabbi Shmuel Liberman, one of
two kashrut supervisors who ensure that the factory’s monthly
production of approximately
eight tons complies with kosher
standards for shmurah matzah.
The time limitation means the
entire production line has only
18 minutes to transform flour
and water into fully baked and
packaged matzah.
Still, the workers are not
complaining. They are happy to
have a steady, dollar-adjusted income in a country whose currency is now worth a third of its
February 2014 value – the result
of a civil war between government troops and pro-Russian separatists that has paralyzed
Ukraine’s industrial heart and
flooded the job market with hundreds of thousands of refugees
from the battle zones.
“It’s hard work, sure, but I
am very happy to be doing it,”
Vestrikov says. “I don’t need to
worry about how to feed my family. There is very little hiring
going on, and every job has
dozens of takers because all the
refugees from the east are here.”
Kashrut supervisor Rabbi Shmuel Liberman at the Tiferet Hamatzot
factory in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. (JTA)
Rolling up a sleeve over a throbbing bicep, he adds, “Besides, this
way I don’t need to go to the
gym.”
Despite working under pressure in a hectic and overheated
environment – the ovens at
Tiferet Hamatzot remain heated
for days, preventing the building
from ever cooling off even at the
height of the harsh Ukrainian
winter – the factory’s workers
form a tight community whose
social currency is made up of
jokes and lively banter, mostly on
cigarette breaks.
Workers like Vestrikov say
they receive good wages, but pro-
duction costs and taxes in
Ukraine are so low that the factory can still afford to charge customers significantly less than its
competitors in the West, said
Stella Umanskaya, a member of
the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community and the factory’s administrational manager.
A 2-pound box of Tiferet
Hamatzot costs approximately
$10 locally and $15 abroad compared to more than double that
price for shmurah matzah produced in bakeries in Western Europe, or those operating in Israel
and the United States.
18
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Senior Living
Your Therapy Program Deserves Individual Attention
At Streit’s 90-year-old Lower
East Side factory, ‘the men’ turn
out their last matzah batch
By Gabe Friedman
JTA
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NEW YORK – Seated in his
Lower East Side office, in front of
a large portrait of company patriarch Aron Streit, Alan Adler
avoids becoming too nostalgic.
“It’s like I tell my family
members: none of you own a car
from 1935, why do you think a
matzah factory from 1935 is what
we should be using today?” says
Adler, one of Streit’s Matzos 11
co-owners.
This is the line of thought
behind the imminent closing of
the Streit’s matzah factory, a
longtime Jewish fixture in a city
neighborhood that once was
home to one of the highest concentration of Jews in the country.
Streit’s, the last familyowned matzah company in the
United States, announced in December that it would be permanently closing its 90-year-old
factory after this Passover season
because of longstanding mechanical problems and subsequent
economic concerns. Sometime
in April, the company will shift
its matzah production either to
its other factory across the river
in northern New Jersey, where
several other products such as
macaroons and wafers are made,
or to another non-Manhattan location.
The greatly gentrified Lower
East Side has seen its real estate
values skyrocket in recent
decades. Although Streit’s has
not yet identified a buyer for its
landmark building on Rivington
Street, the property was estimated to be worth $25 million in
2008, when the company first
considered shuttering the factory.
“We should’ve been out of
here five or 10 years ago,”
says Adler, 63, who oversees the
company’s day-to-day operations
along with two cousins. “But we
feel committed to the men [who
work here] and we feel committed to the neighborhood, so we
tried to keep this place afloat as
long as we could. We probably
could’ve stayed here even longer
if I could’ve found somebody to
work on the ovens.”
The ovens, identified only
by “Springfield, Mass” on their
side, date back to the 1930s.
They are 75 feet long and are
continuously fed a thin sheet of
dough that emerges from the
convection heat in perfect crisp
form. Streit’s does not disclose its
official production numbers, but
Adler says the factory churns out
millions of pounds of matzah
each year.
However, Adler also estimates that the ovens are now
about 25 percent slower than
they used to be and he cannot
find a mechanic willing to fix
them. The slower pace decreases
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19
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Senior Living
CONTINUED
F RO M P R E V I O U S PAG E
matzah output and affects the
product’s flavor.
But the ovens aren’t the
only outdated element of the factory. Except for a few electrical
parts added to the machinery
over the years, nearly all of the
other equipment is more than 70
years old. As a result, employees’
tasks have barely changed in
over half a century – from mixing the flour in small batches (in
under 18 minutes to satisfy
kosher requirements) to separating the matzah sheets into pieces
that then travel up to higher
floors on a conveyor belt.
“Nothing
changes
at
Streit’s,” says Rabbi Mayer Kirshner, who oversees the factory’s
kosher certification.
However, plenty has changed
in the matzah business since
Adler’s childhood in the 1950s
and ‘60s, when he liked to spend
time picking fresh matzah out of
the ovens. Back in the “heyday,”
as Adler calls it, of the 1930s
through the 1960s, there were four
matzah factories in the New York
metropolitan area: Horowitz-Margareten and Goodman’s in
Queens, Manischewitz in New
Jersey and Streit’s in Manhattan.
Horowitz-Margareten and Goodman’s were sold to Manischewitz,
which was bought by the private
equity firm Kohlberg and Com-
pany in 1990. (Today it is owned
by Bain Capital, Mitt Romney’s
former investment firm.)
The Streit’s factory also used
to boast a vibrant storefront with
lines that spilled outside and
around the corner. Today there is
still a retail counter, but often it
is left unmanned.
“Families have moved on,
the Lower East Side has changed,
so now we’ve sort of transitioned
from a local bakery where people
would stop by and pick up their
matzah hot out of the oven in
1925 to now where 99.9 percent
of our sales are wholesale to distributors who resell,” Adler says.
While his cousins helped at
the retail counter, Adler, who
joined the company 18 years ago
after a law career, says he was always more comfortable working
behind the scenes. In the factory’s freight elevator he has
clearly ridden in innumerable
times, he cracks a rare joke.
“You couldn’t build an elevator like this today,” he says.
“It’s passed every safety law from
1925 and not one since.”
Adler says the 30 factory
employees were shocked by the
news in December but are taking
it “surprisingly well.” The company has told them that there are
many jobs available at the New
Jersey facility, but only three employees have taken the company
up on the offer.
Many of “the men,” as Adler
calls the employees, live in
Queens and take public transportation to work, meaning that
a potential commute to New Jersey would be difficult. Streit’s is
working with the New York Department of Labor to help them
find new jobs.
Anthony Zapata, who has
worked at Streit’s for 33 years,
and who Adler says does everything from packing matzah to
putting out fires (“literally, not
figuratively”), said that he is very
depressed about the factory’s
closing. He says the increased
transportation costs of traveling
to New Jersey would be too much
for him.
“I’m going to miss this place,
and I’m going to miss everyone
in it,” Zapata says. “I’ve never
had a modern job to know what’s
old, and what’s different between
modern and old.”
Zapata, 53, says that all the
employees are friends and have
barbecues together around the
city in the warmer months.
“We’ll remain tight,” he
says.
Adler does not betray many
emotions on the matter, but he
offers a bittersweet anecdote on
the neighborhood’s evolution.
Shortly before the company first
thought of selling the property in
2008, a man living in one of the
condos adjacent to the factory
complained to Adler about the
noise and flour dust coming out
of the building. Adler responded
to his requests by blocking in and
sealing several factory walls, and
when he saw the man months
later, he told him what he
thought would be “good news”
about the factory’s potential closing.
“He said, ‘Oh, G-d, I don’t
want condos – there won’t be
enough parking on this street!’”
Adler recalls. “All of a sudden he
liked my noise and my flour dust.
“I don’t know what they’ll do
with this building now,” he adds,
“but people don’t like change.”
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Mixing water with flour to make matzah dough at the Streit's factory
on Manhattan's Lower East Side, date unknown. (JTA)
SC License 52068, 52084, 52076,
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20
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Senior Living
The benefits of volunteering after retirement
On a regular basis, Hedy
Ciocci, B.S.N., Administrator of
the Selfhelp Home will answer some
of the many questions we have
around aging. Hedy specializes in
dementia care, and has extensive
experience working with families
and elderly patients.
Recently, Hedy interviewed
Wallie Dayal, who is a volunteer at
the Selfhelp Home. She began volunteering for the organization in
summer of 2014 and spoke to Hedy
about the benefits of volunteering,
especially for those who are looking
for fulfillment during their retirement years.
Q. Could you please give
me a little background about
yourself?
A. As a young girl, I grew
up in a very religious Protestant
environment in southern Germany. When I was 17 years old,
I came to the United States as an
au pair for a Jewish family. This
family helped me get a high
school diploma and I was then
able to put myself through school
here and I chose to stay in the
U.S. Eventually, I got an MBA,
and got married. I spent most of
my career working for a big bank
in Chicago, but since the late
1990s, I have been a freelance
translator from German to English.
Q. What are some of the
reasons you chose to begin volunteering? Why do you think
others choose to volunteer their
time?
A. I was looking for fulfilling ways to give back and The
Selfhelp Home welcomed me. It
is in my neighborhood, and I
enjoy the 15 minute walk
through the park to get there.
Being able to visit when I have
time between projects is very
helpful, especially since I am
often working on deadline. This
is a key element that makes vol-
Ask Hedy
unteering at this organization
work out so well for me, and I am
grateful for this flexibility. For
some people, volunteering is a
way to structure and fill time during their retirement years. Many
others would gladly volunteer
but they don’t know how to get
started, or they think they do not
have the technical or interpersonal skills that may be required.
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Q. What are some of your
volunteer responsibilities at the
home?
A. I am not aware of any
specific responsibilities that have
been assigned to me other than
being a responsible person while
signed in and visiting with residents. But each time I visit, various things that I could or should
do pop up and so far, I have been
able to meet each challenge.
One resident is legally blind and
has few visitors. She craves fruits
and dark bread, so I share some
of mine with her. This delights
her and makes me happy. Visiting her is a regular stop for me,
and she is always ‘home’. Sometimes, I read stories I have written to her and she gives me
feedback and urges me to get
them
published.
Another
woman’s memory is not what it
used to be, but she and I very
quickly formed an emotional attachment. I discovered that she
likes poetry, and she can still recite a few stanzas. Her eyes light
up and she is enthralled when I
read with dramatic inflection.
Both of us look forward to the
“Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe because of its drama, excitement
and the opportunity to take
parts, thanks to the refrain. We
also try and recall “Daffodils” by
William Wordsworth together,
but so far, both of us still need to
cheat a little and look at the text.
It is nice to have a person’s rapt
attention and see their enjoyment, even if it is only for a few
fleeting moments.
Q. How has your volunteering experience changed
your life?
A. I have made many
friends where I volunteer! The
residents I visit have become my
extended family, especially since
I have no family in this country.
It is gratifying to hear a centenarian tell me that I can’t come
often enough because I am like a
ray of sunshine. It makes me
happy to see her light up and become lively, especially when she
was down and out upon my arrival. The residents like to have
visitors and enjoy being engaged
and hear a little bit about my life,
or look at the pictures on my
phone. Residents have told me
that a visit for no other reason
than to spend a few precious
quality moments with them is a
validating experience for them. I
have also learned that each person responds in a different way
and I love the challenge of tuning into each personality and trying to add something to each life.
From a selfish perspective, being
around older people is also teaching me what it might be like
should I reach that station in life
at some point.
Q. What do you look for
in a volunteer? Are there any
specific characteristics or personality traits?
A. Some people talk about
it, but they never actually do it,
or they do it because of a monetary or some other kind of reward. For me, the rewards of
volunteering are psychological
rewards, and I am well aware that
whatever we do, we do for ourselves. A lot of people who have
spouses or family commitments
aren’t able to volunteer because
they don’t have the time. I think
the self-starter type of person
would be a good volunteer, because in my experience, volunteering is not unlike being
entrepreneurial.
Q. Do you have any particular special memories you
might want to share about your
volunteer experience or something in particular that has
touched you in some way?
A. One resident kept forgetting my name during the first
weeks I visited her and she felt
bad about it. But that never
stopped us from having a good
time together. She told me about
a little game she played with her
two sisters in which each sister
asked the other for her name and
each came up with a variation of
the same name. So, one time
when she could not remember
my name I played that little
game with her before saying my
name. A few minutes later as I
was already walking out the door,
she came running after me and
said, “I know who you are…you
are my sunshine, my only sunshine! …Too bad I can’t sing.” It
was deeply touched and will
never forget that precious moment. I admire this woman because she does not appear to be
devastated about losing her
memory. She will say, “My memory is not so good”, and let it go.
Q. Why do you enjoy volunteering – what do you get out
of the experience?
A. It boils down to the psychological rewards I get from volunteering. The smiles on
residents’ faces. It is often hard to
say good bye, for them and for
me. I am also able to take advantage of an unexpected benefit…their wise and thoughtful
advice. Some residents are extremely sharp mentally and have
seen and experienced so much in
their lives, and are glad to give
me guidance when I need it.
This has led to some great discussions.
21
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
Community Calendar
Saturday
March 28
Beit Yichud hosts Shir Share
Shabbat: A Pilgrimage of
Consciousness. 10 a.m.,
6932 N. Glenwood Ave.,
Chicago. info@beityichud.
org.
Debbie Sue Goodman and
friends present an Evening
of Comedy and Spoken
Word. 7:30-9 p.m., Let
Them Eat Chocolate, 5306
N. Damen, Chicago. (773)
334-2626.
of an Israeli soldier, followed by discussion and refreshments. 7 p.m., B’nai
Yehuda Beth Sholom, 1424
W. 183rd St., Homewood.
$10. continuumtheater.org
or (800) 838-3006 Ext. 1.
Monday
March 30
Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois
holds Model Matzo Bakery.
4:30-6:30 p.m. Jewel, 2485
Howard, Evanston. (773)
262-2770.
Tuesday
Sunday
March 31
March 29
Illinois Holocaust Museum
and Education Center
shows film “Defiance” followed by discussion with
Laurie Hasten, whose
grandmother was saved by
Bielski brothers. 12:30-3:30
p.m., 9603 Woods Drive,
Skokie. $15, $10 museum
members. Reservations required, ilholocaustmuseum.org/events.
Jewish Genealogical Society
of Illinois presents Ava
Cohen speaking on “Cluedin: The Stories are in the
Details.” 2 p.m., Temple
Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road,
Northbrook. (Meeting facility opens at 12:30 p.m. for
research and questions.)
jgsi.org or (312) 666-0100.
JCC Chicago presents “Bring
Passover to Life!” with nutfree charoset bar, music,
crafts, relay races and a
swim in the “Nile River.” 24 p.m., Bernard Weinger
JCC, 300 Revere Drive,
Northbrook. $25 family.
[email protected] or (847)
763-3603.
Continuum Theater presents staged reading of
Jonathan Gillis’ “Close to
Home,” personal struggle
Advocate Lutheran General
Hospital and Children’s Hospital host Model Passover
Seder and Kosher Pantry
Dedication providing shelf
stable, kosher foods for family members, volunteers,
physicians and patients. 11
a.m. Sasser Conference
Room, 1775 Dempster, Park
Ridge. RSVP janet.guardino@
advocatehealth.com or (847)
723-6395.
Wednesday
April 1
Beit Yichud presents
“Counting the Omer: Meditation Workshop.” 7:309:30 p.m., 6932 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. $5
suggested donation. info@
beityichud.org.
Friday
April 3
Chabad of
Bucktown/Wicker Park
hosts Community Passover
Seder. 6:45 p.m., The Living
Room, 1630 N. Milwaukee
Ave., Chicago. $45. Reservations required, chicago
seder.com or [email protected].
SPOTLIGHT
The Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) Young Leadership will present Revolving Tables on Thursday, April 16, from 5:30 to 9 pm at the
Ivy Room, 12 East Ohio Street, Chicago. Young professionals will
gather to raise awareness and funds for ICRF, as well as participate
in an evening of professional growth and social exchange. Throughout
the evening and the three-course meal, participants will have the
opportunity to switch tables, meet other young professionals and
engage with prominent CEOs and executives from the business, financial, real estate, law and medical fields. For more Information,
contact Jennifer Flink at (847) 914-9120.
Saturday
April 4
Temple Beth Israel presents
annual “Share-A-Seder.”
Bring hard-boiled, peeled
eggs and kosher for
Passover matzah, wine
and/or grape juice for your
family. 6-9 p.m., 3601 W.
Dempster, Skokie. $32
adults, $10 ages 2-12. Reservations, tbiskokie.org or
(847) 675-0951.
Temple Judea Mizpah hosts
Congregational Community
Seder. 6-9 p.m. 8610 Niles
Center Road, Skokie. $40
members, $44 non-members, $20 ages 8-12. Reservations required, templejm@
aol.com or (847) 676-1566.
Beth Hillel Congregation
Bnai Emunah holds CommUNITY Second Night
Passover Seder led by
Rabbi Anne Tucker and
Cantor Pavel Roytman. 7:30
p.m., 3220 Big Tree Lane,
Wilmette. $55 adults, $45
children, (free for ages 12
and under.) Reservations required, (847) 256-1213.
Friday
April 10
Congregation Beth Judea
hosts Passover Shabbat dinner and service. 6 p.m.,
Route 83 and Hilltop Road,
Long Grove. $28 adult, $15
ages 6-12, $6 age 5 and
under. For non-members
add $3 to price. RSVP required, bethjudea.org or
(847) 634-0777.
SPOTLIGHT
Chicago Sinai Congregation hosts J
Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami and
Chicago Sinai’s Senior Rabbi Seth M.
Limmer in conversation about Israel’s
future. 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 13, 15
W. Delaware Place, Chicago. For more
information call (312) 298-9435.
Northbrook. Appointments,
swelisco@edarch. com or
(847) 498-4100.
Temple Beth Israel holds
Blood Drive. Must be over
17 or 16 with parental consent. 8 a.m.-noon, 3601 W.
Dempster, Skokie. Reservations, tbiskokie.org or (847)
675-0951.
Reform Cantors of Chicago
present “Singing for
S’mores” fund-raiser for
OSRUI and URJ Camp scholarships, with raffle for 2week sessions at OSRUI.
4:15 p.m., Beth Emet Synagogue, 1224 Dempster,
Evanston. $18 adults, $10
ages 7-17. Raffle tickets
$10. singingforsmores2015.
eventbrite.com.
Continuum Theater presents
staged reading of “Paris
Time,” Steven Peterson’s
story of interfaith couple
faced with anti-Semitism in
the workplace, followed by
discussion and refreshments.
7 p.m., Congregation Solel,
1301 Clavey Road, Highland
Park. $10. continuumtheater.org or (800) 838-3006
Ext. 1.
Monday
Saturday
April 11
Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood presents Trivia Night
competition and dinner for
adults. 6-10 p.m., 3601
Dempster, Skokie. $20.
(Baby-sitting available, $10
includes movie, pizza and
snack for ages 12 and
under.) Reservations required, tbiskokie.org or
(847) 675-0951.
Sunday
April 12
Congregation Beth Shalom
hosts Lifesource Community Blood Drive for ages 17
and older; must weigh 110
pounds or more. 8 a.m.-1
p.m., 3433 Walters Ave.,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
Tuesday
April 14
Congregation B’nai Tikvah
hosts conference on antiSemitism and anti-Israel
sentiment on college campuses. 7:15 p.m., 1558
Wilmot Road, Deerfield.
[email protected].
Thursday
April 16
Israel Cancer Research Fund
Young Leadership presents
Revolving Tables, mentoring and networking event
for young professionals.
5:30-9 p.m., Ivy Room, 12 E.
Ohio, Chicago. $118.
[email protected] or
(847) 914-9120.
Spertus Institute for Jewish
Learning and Leadership
hosts author Martin Goldsmith discussing his book,
“Alex’s Wake.” 7 p.m. ,610
S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.
$18; $10 Spertus members;
$8 students and Spertus
alumni. spertus.edu or (312)
322-1773.
Saturday
April 18
April 13
Congregation Beth Judea
Sisterhood presents author
Cyndee Schaeffer discussing
her book “Mollie’s War.” 8
p.m., Route 83 and Hilltop
Road, Long Grove. RSVP,
(847) 634-0777.
West Suburban Temple Har
Zion presents Anne Hills
and Michael Smith in concert, “Stars in the Sky.” 9
p.m., 1040 N. Harlem, River
Forest. $25. wsthz.org or
(708) 296-5465.
SPOTLIGHT
Jewish Theological Seminary’s Wagner
Institute presents “The Land of Israel:
Land of Longing, Land of Promise,” an
opportunity to study with JTS faculty
and fellows. 1 p.m. Sunday, April 19
through 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 20. $72, includes all materials and
program meals; $50 Sunday only; $36 Monday only; $18 CJHS and
JTS alumni under age 30. Chicagoland Jewish High School, 1095
Lake Cook Road, Deerfield. Registration and information on sessions
and accommodations, www.jtsa.edu/wagner2015 or (312) 606-9086.
22
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
JEW
HATRED
ON
CAMPUS
Why Chicago's Loyola University was named
one of the campuses with the worst
anti-Semitic activity in the United States
By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
Managing Editor
Is Chicago’s Loyola University one of the 10 most anti-Semitic campuses in the United
States?
The David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Los Angeles-based
think tank, thinks so, naming
Loyola fourth among “campuses
with the worst anti-Semitic activity in the United States.”
The university and both
professional and student leaders
of its Hillel organization deny
the charge, citing such traditions
as the university’s close relationship with Hillel, an annual Jewish Awareness Week, interfaith
programs and events throughout
the year and accommodations
the school makes for Jewish students to celebrate holidays at the
Jesuit university.
This year, they note, the
university, which would normally
be closed on Good Friday, a
Catholic holiday, will open one
building on that day for a seder.
Friday, April 3 is also the first
night of Passover.
Yet there are troubling indications that the picture may not
be as rosy as the university and
Hillel paint it, including some
students feeling physically intimidated by pro-Palestinian
groups on campus, students being
told by Hillel personnel not to
speak to outsiders, including reporters, and a change in the Hillel leadership that some say has
profoundly affected the climate
on campus for Jewish students in
the last two years.
There are an estimated 200
Jewish students at Loyola out of a
population of some 15,900 undergraduate and graduate students on two Chicago campuses.
he David Horowitz Freedom
Center’s “top 10” list was
launched as part of a campaign, “Jew Hatred on Campus,”
that, in the words of literature
from the think tank, “aims to educate the public about the antiSemitic acts occurring throughout
the nation’s colleges and universities and calls on university administrators to withdraw campus
privileges from the hate groups responsible.”
Horowitz, a respected but
controversial figure who has documented his journey from an ad-
T
herent of the New Left to a conservative stance in a number of
books and articles, said in a recent telephone interview that his
efforts are currently focusing on
universities that have played
host to activities such as Israeli
Apartheid Week, staging mock
Israeli “checkpoints” on campus,
hosting speakers that call for the
destruction of the Jewish state
and verbal or physical harassment against Jewish or pro-Israel
students.
In particular, he said, he is
focusing his efforts on the national group Students for Justice
in Palestine, which is active on
campuses across the country.
That organization’s “only
goal is the destruction of the Jewish state, and that is genocide,”
he said. “SJP has every right to be
a hate group but the university
has a responsibility not to fund it,
to provide it with offices and so
forth. The university should not
be funding hate.”
“Loyola University has an
active SJP led by students who
are part of the SJP national leadership. The university is fairly apathetic, allowing an extremist
fringe to dominate too much of
the discourse, and the administration has only lightly punished
SJP for blatantly violating university rules,” Horowitz wrote on
the website www.JewHatredOnCampus.org that explains
why he picked the “top 10” campuses.
With Loyola, he also cited
several anti-Israel panel discussions, a “Palestine Awareness
Week” in which “inflammatory/hateful social media messages were posted,” and a BDS
(Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) resolution originally introduced to student government in
March 2014.
The resolution narrowly
passed the student government
organization but was vetoed by
the student government president. The university also issued a
statement that it would not
adopt the divestment proposal if
passed.
Just this week, students
again passed a resolution urging
divestment from some corporations doing business with Israel,
including the corporations
Raytheon, Caterpillar, United
Technologies and Valero Energy,
stating the companies’ business
dealings with Israel conflict with
the university’s Jesuit values.
Horowitz also cited a muchpublicized September, 2014 incident in which SJP members
allegedly harassed Jewish students at a table promoting
Birthright Israel. By some accounts, the confrontation turned
physical as SJP students tried to
block the Jewish students from
setting up the Birthright table.
SJP was charged with several
school policy violations and was
eventually sanctioned with probation through the end of the
school year, and leaders were required to attend intergroup dialogue training.
Loyola administrators also
found that Hillel had violated a
“solicitation policy” by setting up
a promotional table for a nonLoyola organization without the
proper approvals.
In the conversation with
Chicago Jewish News, Horowitz
said SJP has connections to
Hamas, a terrorist organization,
and “they have posters of Israeli
airplanes shooting six-year-olds.
They stimulate hatred of Israel
and it would not be tolerated or
funded if it were directed at any
other group.”
He said Jewish students at
Loyola and members of the larger
Jewish community should “put
pressure on the president of Loyola to withdraw campus privileges from SJP. I bang my head
against the wall – Hillel, the
Anti-Defamation League, the
federations only emphasize the
positive,” he said. “It’s not that
they don’t understand, they only
want to say good things.”
His goal in releasing the list
and launching the “Jew Hatred
on Campus” campaign “is to
change the conversation on campus,” he said. “I want the conversation not to be about these
ridiculous lies about Israel but
about the truth of SJP and who
they support. They support terrorists who are anti-American
and are at war with Israel and the
United States.”
A statement released by the
Loyola administration said, in
part, “We are aware of the commentary (from Horowitz) and we
completely disagree with it. Loyola University Chicago is a diverse community that promotes
mutual respect, knowledge, and
learning, and we value and encourage a broad understanding of
faith as part of a transformative
education. We believe our diversity of thought is one of our
David Horowitz
greatest strengths and we support
religious and cultural pluralism.
The commentary fails to review
or cite the myriad activities, programs, and events Loyola has in
place to support and celebrate
various religious groups.”
It cited “a very active and
engaged Hillel student organization,” the university’s provision
of “dedicated space,” including a
kosher kitchen, “an array of interfaith programs and activities
throughout the year,” and an annual Jewish Awareness Week in
March, which last year included
a panel discussion with three rabbis, a Jewish comedy show and
more.
“Loyola welcomes all faith
traditions and fosters dialogue
among and between different
faiths. Universities are places of
passionate, vigorous debate and
we recognize that students, faculty, and staff have different
backgrounds, perspectives, and
beliefs about important issues
and society’s greatest concerns.
At Loyola, our students demand
conversation as a way to problem
solve and work toward social justice. Understanding that, we foster an atmosphere in which these
discussions can occur while respecting our deep tradition of intellectual questioning and rigor
and our core value of caring for
all people,” the statement con-
cluded.
Rabbi Seth Winberg is the
director of Metro Chicago Hillel,
an organization connected with
the Jewish United Fund/Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Chicago, that serves Jewish students on every local campus except for the University of
Chicago and Northwestern University, which have their own
Hillels. Two years ago, when
Patti Ray, Loyola’s popular Hillel
director for 25 years, left the post,
Metro Chicago took over Loyola’s Hillel. (Circumstances
under which Ray left are unclear,
and she did not return repeated
calls from Chicago Jewish
News.)
The Loyola Hillel has an oncampus staffer, Jessica Ost. She is
an employee of Metro Chicago
Hillel and referred calls from
Chicago Jewish News to Winberg.
In a recent telephone conversation, Winberg said he found
Horowitz’s characterizations of
Loyola “not what my experience
has been. Most of the Hillel directors whose campuses were
mentioned on that list found it
unhelpful and inappropriate
without (Horowitz) knowing
what is going on on campus.”
He said he doesn’t feel Loyola should have been singled out.
“There are anti-Semites in
23
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
America, and some of them go to
college,” he said. “There are people on college campuses who discriminate against Jewish students, and colleges should take
that as seriously as they take
racism and homophobia.” That
may not be the case on all campuses but, he said, “I don’t think
Loyola is mishandling this.”
Finding Horowitz’s list inappropriate and misguided “doesn’t
mean I’m not concerned,” Winberg said. “There are some disturbing things being said, and
repeated divestment campaigns
contribute to a difficult environment for Jewish students” at Loyola and elsewhere.
“That list characterized the
(Loyola) administration as apathetic, and that has not been my
experience in the nine months”
he has been on the job, he said.
“Loyola University is one of the
only schools in the country that
put Students for Justice in Palestine on probation. They did the
right thing. I don’t know how
you can call that apathetic.”
The Loyola administration
“is extremely supportive of the
Jewish students,” he said. “They
provide Hillel with its space,
with office space for the staff. My
assessment as an institution is
that Loyola wants Jewish life to
be vibrant.
“That’s not to say there
aren’t things happening that are
troublesome,” he said. “How is
the university responding to
them? It stands out as a university that takes allegations against
Jewish students very seriously.
They should be seen as a model
for that. There are other universities that can learn from Loyola.”
If individual students encounter situations in which they
feel uncomfortable, he said,
“there are ways to deal with
those things – Hillel, the campus
police. We work closely with students and with the university to
build relationships and be a resource to both.” That, he said, is
a more productive approach than
“declaring individual campuses
to be bad.”
Adam Mogilevsky, a current
student and the vice president of
the Hillel Executive Board,
agrees.
“I have not personally experienced anti-Semitism,” he said
in a recent phone conversation.
(Mogilevsky was the only
member of the Hillel student
board who answered Chicago
Jewish News’ request for comments. When a freshman student
replied to Chicago Jewish News,
she later said she had been told
by Hillel officials not to speak to
a reporter from the paper.
Mogilevsky said this is because
she is a freshman and “I don’t
want her being a target. We don’t
know how the divestment resolution has affected us, and we
want to keep freshmen out of it
for their safety,” he said.)
“Putting Loyola on a “top
10” list “is just a ploy that puts us
Members of Students for Justice in Palestine Loyola at a rally on campus.
in a pretty bad situation,”
Mogilevsky said. “David Horowitz is known to be radical. I
don’t see the validity of it. (Loyola) has been nothing but good
to us.”
He said he feels the
Horowitz Center “dropped the
ball” by not putting Chicago’s
DePaul University on its list.
“DePaul is the worst” in terms of
anti-Semitism, Mogilevsky said.
He said when DePaul introduced a divestment resolution
some students from the Loyola
Hillel went to the campus to support pro-Israel students.
“A student was spat on, and
nothing was done about it. We
don’t have that situation going
on at Loyola,” he said. “The administration at Loyola backs Jewish students, pro-Israel students
110 percent. They are trying to
be fair to all student voices. They
are doing the best they can.”
“Everything
is
going
smoothly on our part,” he said.
“Students are worried, of course.
We are a very under-represented
community, about one percent of
the student body. But I don’t believe the school is anti-Semitic
in terms of the administration.”
espite Mogilevsky’s optimistic picture, there are indications that Jewish life at
Loyola has changed in the two
years since Patti Ray left the Hillel.
Nissim Behar, who graduated in spring 2012, served as
Hillel’s Israel chair and wrote in
an email to Chicago Jewish News
that he never felt Loyola was an
anti-Semitic campus.
“The political science professors are almost exclusively
neutral or sometimes even
openly pro-Israel, I wore a kippah
all the time and was never met
with anything other than genuine interest and curiosity. At
the time, Hillel was next to
MSA (Muslim Students Association) and we shared a kitchen.
We were always on good terms
with them,” he wrote.
He added that while he was
Israeli chair, he persuaded the
political science department to
co-sponsor a talk on campus by
D
the Israeli consul general. “There
were about 50 poli sci students
there, and they didn’t even ask
about Palestinians, they just
wanted to know about the Arab
spring, Egypt, etc.,” he wrote.
“I still know people who attend, and I heard about the harassment at the Birthright event,
but from what I understand, the
administration was very upset
and that event was an anomaly,”
Behar wrote, concluding that “a
university that had its own political science department co-sponsor an event with an Israeli
government official, who’s (sic)
president went on a trip to Israel
(organized by Ray for Loyola
President Michael Garanzini)
who’s student government already vetoed divestment once,
and who’s student population is
apathetic towards Israel at best,
can hardly be called anti-Semitic, even if there is an active
SJP on campus that has acted inappropriately.”
A third-year student, who
did not want to be identified,
emailed Chicago Jewish News
that although “for the most part
things have been good at Loyola,” “things changed after two
major events.”
One was Ray’s departure.
The other was the increase of
SJP activities on campus.
“They claim they are only
anti-Israel and not anti-Semitic
but that is wrong. Last year they
brought up a divestment campaign to the student senate.
After myself and another girl
spoke in front of the senate, we
had to be walked to our
cars/houses by campus security
because of the threats we got.
The Senate President once he
vetoed the bill, got death threats,
people came to his house with a
blowhorn and woke him up in
the middle of the night, people
threw rocks at his apartment
window. It was scary. People were
scared in Hillel and in Senate,”
she wrote in the email (the Senate president could not be
reached for comment).
Referring to last year’s
brouhaha between SJP and
Birthright students over the
Birthright table, she wrote, “We
had a member of Hillel stop
wearing his Kippah to school because he was scared. Another girl
stopped coming to Hillel for several weeks, citing that she was
too scared to come. Another
girl’s parents almost removed her
from Loyola and only agreed to
stay after Hillel promised to station campus security closer to the
Hillel room … Ever since that
happened, we have campus security at every event, and tell them
to come right before an event
starts.”
In response to students who
posted on a Facebook group, the
student, who did not want to be
identified, wrote that things have
changed in the past few years and
today “I believe there’s serious
anti-Semitism” on the campus.
The student, who is one of a
handful of Orthodox students at
Loyola, also mentioned several
incidents in which exams in the
science department conflicted
with Orthodox Jewish students’
religious observance.
In one science class, she
wrote, every major exam was
scheduled on a Saturday or a
Jewish holiday. In order for her to
take the exam on a different day,
she wrote, “the teacher required
that I bring him a letter from a
rabbi, one letter from the university undergraduate department
dean, and from the Hillel affirming that my story is true. Once I
finally got permission, I was able
to take the exams early. The first
time he put me in his office, with
the phone ringing, his assistant
walking in and talking to him,
and him typing, faxing etc. All of
this occurred when I was sitting
at a table across from him. I
couldn’t focus at all. When I
complained to him that I couldn’t focus because all of the noise,
he told me I was lucky that he let
me take the test at all.”
She also related how a
teacher asked her to remove her
head covering (which as a married woman she wears in accordance with Orthodox law) while
“a girl with a hijab was sitting
three seats away from me” and
the teacher said nothing to her.
The student said she complained
to the department head about
the request, but he did nothing
about it. Later, she wrote, the
same teacher assigned homework
that was due on Shabbat despite
the student having explained to
him that she could not turn it in
then for religious reasons.
The student also noted
problems with being asked to
wear jeans instead of a skirt to a
lab class for safety reasons and
being asked, in a different class,
to remove her head covering.
“Five girls in the class had
hijabs on, and when I mentioned
that to her, she said that they are
‘actually religious.’ When I explained to her that Orthodox
Jewish married women cover
their hair when married, she told
me she has never heard of that
before. She gave up and let me
wear scarves after that point,”
she wrote.
“These have happened over
two years,” she wrote. “So more
or less every semester I have
some kind of an issue with teachers at Loyola. Many have been
helpful and understanding. I‘ve
taken six labs and only one gave
me issues. Unfortunately the
schedule at Loyola isn’t flexible
enough for Jewish students to
completely avoid all holiday
classes and Sabbath exams. It
simply is not possible. You end up
compromising on your Judaism
or on your grades. I can’t say that
all of these people are outwardly
racist or anti-Semitic, some are
just uneducated about Judaism
and don’t bother asking me to
explain my religion.”
onnie Nasatir, regional director of the Anti-Defamation
League, works on college
campuses with such ADL programs as Words to Action, designed to help Jewish students
address anti-Semitism and antiIsrael bias on campus. He has
worked with students at Loyola
and told Chicago Jewish News
that he believes the characterization of the campus as anti-Semitic is unfair.
“I think the majority of Jews
at Loyola are feeling comforted
that the administration has spoken loudly. They put SJP on pro-
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23
bation. To characterize it (as one
of the most anti-Semitic schools
in the country) sends an inappropriate message. To put together a list like this just adds to
the hysteria,” he said.
Working with college students is going to be a big part of
his job next year, Nasatir said,
because “the more we scream and
yell from the mountaintops, we
also have to start doing programs,
make sure kids have the information they need. It’s a tough environment right now and we need
to be as active as possible in campus space.”
The “other side,” he said, “is
very coordinated. They’ve got a
good message going on. A lot of
students were telling us we
couldn’t even come close in our
messaging.” That situation, he
believes, can be remedied by programs like Words to Action and
by characterizing anti-Israel actions as human rights abuses.
He works closely on this task
with Winberg, the Metro Hillel
director, and other Hillel personnel, trying to discover “who is
coming on campus, what their
message is going to be, is it seeping into anti-Semitism or legitimate criticism of Israel?”
He said he is concerned but
not worried about anti-Semitism
at Loyola specifically. “I think
this community is resourceful
enough, smart enough to figure
out a way to make it better,” he
said.
lissa and Ofer Barpal, a
Washington, D.C. Jewish
couple whose daughter is a
junior at Loyola, don’t think anything is getting better. They recently sent a letter to the school
administration protesting a talk
given at Loyola in February by
Nesreen Hasan, a member of the
defense team representing Rasmeah Odeh, who was convicted
in Israel in 1970 of a 1969 supermarket bombing that killed two
Israeli students.
Odeh was convicted in 2014
in Detroit of falsely procuring
naturalization by concealing her
conviction in Israel on U.S. immigration and naturalization applications.
Hasan’s talk at Loyola, the
Barpals told Chicago Jewish
News, was paid for out of university Student Activity funds to
the tune of $6,000. Hasan was
E
CJN Classified
HELP WANTED
Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
Skokie, IL
www.ilholocaustmuseum.org
VICE PRESIDENT OF EDUCATION & EXHIBITIONS
The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the
Holocaust by honoring the memories of those who were lost and by teaching universal lessons
that combat hatred, prejudice and indifference. The Museum fulfills its mission through the
exhibition, preservation and interpretation of its collections and through education programs
and initiatives that foster the promotion of human rights and the elimination of genocide.
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Vice President of Education & Exhibitions will be
a member of the senior management team. The Vice President is responsible for guiding and
overseeing the overall exhibition and educational programs as well as public outreach activities.
This person will be responsible for developing an integrated program strategy for IHMEC that
links existing programs to achieve mission objectives in ways that are effective, efficient and use
contemporary technology resources. The Vice President of Education & Exhibits is responsible
for a team of eight and directly manages the Chief Curator of Collections & Exhibitions and
Director of Education.
Qualified candidates will have a minimum of 10 or more years of verifiable management and
administrative experience in museums, historic sites or other appropriate setting preferably in
the area of education or exhibits. Leadership skills in the development of a strategic plan for
programming are required. The candidate must have prior experience developing innovative
and creative programs that are presented in attractive and comprehensible ways to different
public audiences.
The successful candidate will have demonstrated management experience and the ability to
work with and lead a staff in the development and implementation of education, exhibitions
and outreach programs. Furthermore, organization of multiple programs requiring efficient
and careful project management will be required. The ideal candidate will have grant writing
experience and knowledge of other funding strategies. This person will have solid experience
developing budgets, spreadsheets and cost control measures. The successful candidate will
embody the vision, mission and values of IHMEC. Knowledge and study of the Holocaust is
desired. A minimum of a B.S. or B.A. in education, public history, museum studies or related
field of study is required. Graduate study is preferred.
Applications and nominations are being received by
Noetic Search (www.noeticexsearch.com)
via electronic mail at [email protected].
If interested, please submit a current resume and cover letter to the above email address.
invited by the Middle Eastern
Student Association; her talk
was titled “A Woman’s Intifada:
the Story of Rasmea Odeh,” according to the Student Fix, a
Loyola student news website.
Elissa Barpal told Chicago
Jewish News that the talk and its
sanctioning by the administration fits into a trend in which
Loyola has become progressively
more anti-Semitic.
The Barpals daughter, Noga,
now studying in Rome for a semester, attended Jewish day
schools and went to Loyola with
a very pro-Israel orientation,
Barpal said. Ofer Barpal is Israeli,
and the family identifies as Conservative Jews.
At first, Elissa Barpal said,
she and her husband were
pleased about their daughter’s decision to attend Loyola because
“we want her to be exposed to all
sides of life, not to hide in a bubble at a school with a large Jewish population.” She said the
family did receive some “pushback” from one of the Loyola
deans “who thought this was
bizarre that a Jewish family
would send (their daughter) to a
Jesuit school,” but they were
cheered by Loyola’s mission
statement and the fact that the
university had an active Hillel.
Since then, she said, the
university “has gotten progressively anti-Semitic. At first (her
daughter) just met people who
had never met anyone Jewish
and were ignorant in terms of our
religion. She became very involved with Hillel, but she felt
everything at Loyola was so onesided with Students for Justice in
Palestine being so outspoken.”
She and her husband felt
that often anti-Semitism was
simply the result of ignorance,
she said, but “in this case it’s way
past that. It is astounding. (The
administration) is very blatant
about support for the Palestinian
group. When you pay for a
speaker, $6,000 out of School
Activity Funds, that can’t be interpreted in any other way,” she
said.
Her daughter was close to
former Hillel director Patti Ray,
she said, and “when Patti Ray
was there, things were better.
Patti leaving her post was mysterious and unexplained by anybody. She was pushed out for
some reason, I don’t know why.
Things were much better when
she was there. She had a much
better handle on it than what we
seem to have now.”
The university’s and Metro
Hillel’s explanation for Ray’s departure was that she retired.
As for Hasan’s lecture, “If
nothing else this woman (Odeh)
has been indicted by a U.S.
court. That is enough right to
have not allowed this person to
speak,” Barpal said. “It is not acceptable to me that they’ve done
this, what would clearly never be
tolerated on the other side,” she
said.
IN F
CUS
Congregation Beth Judea recently welcomed back 20 students
who traveled to Israel as part of the Center for Jewish Education
(CFJE) Ta’am Yisrael program. The program provides 8th
graders the opportunity to experience a “taste” of Israel.
Friends of the IDF (FIDF) Chicago Chapter hosted 2012 Paralympic gold medalist and Second Lebanon War veteran Noam
Gershony. Six years before capturing the Olympic gold medal in
wheelchair tennis, Gershony was serving as an Israel Defense
Forces Apache helicopter pilot in the Second Lebanon War. He
was severely injured in an operation that took down two Israeli
helicopters. Pictured at the event are FIDF Central Region President Tom Kane, left, and Noam Gershony.
Chicagoans Samantha Bakal, Natanya Granof, Simon Margulies, Liora London, Maya Rabinowitz, and Evan Weiss were
among 73 teens from across North America on the NFTY-EIE
(Eisendrath International Experience) High School in Israel program, a semester long program for high school students in grades
10-12.
25
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
By Joseph Aaron
CONTINUED
F RO M PAG E
Get PesachSameach
Home Care
Chag
26
this close to destroying Israel and so they must oppose President
Obama’s efforts to negotiate a deal with Iran. Here’s the thing though.
The senators were also supposed to meet with the head of Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad. But Bibi removed the meeting from
their itinerary.
Why? Because the head of the Mossad intended to warn the lawmakers that an Iran sanctions bill, which Obama opposed and Bibi was
pushing, would scuttle the negotiations with Tehran.
Thankfully, Corker found out and insisted the Mossad briefing go
ahead as planned. What the senators were told by Mossad chief Tamir
Pardo was that a deal with Iran was a good idea and that the sanctions
bill was not, would be “throwing a grenade into the process.”
So not only does the current head of the Mossad believe it is a
good thing for the U.S. to make a deal with Iran, but, as they publicly
said just days before the election, so do the previous two directors of
the Mossad. Indeed, just before the election, almost 200 former top Israeli military officers issued a statement saying Bibi was wrong about
Iran and that Iran is not, as Bibi keeps saying, less than a year away from
having a nuke.
Bibi tried to stop senators from hearing from the head of Mossad
because all Bibi wants everyone to hear is that Iran is about to wipe
Israel off the face of the map. Scaring Jews is good politics for Bibi.
Scaring Jews is what Bibi does about everything. Four Jews are killed
in Paris and two in Copenhagen? It’s another Holocaust Bibi tells us
and all European Jews must leave now. And now Israel and the Jewish world have him for four more years.
And not only him but the whole collection of delusional antidemocracy, anti-peace wackobirds who he surrounds himself with,
starting with Sheldon Adelson, the casino billionaire who is one of
Bibi’s closest advisors. Indeed, just two days after Bibi won the election, Sheldon flew in from Las Vegas to have dinner with Bibi. And
so we now have four more years of the American Jew who more than
any other has the ear of the prime minister of Israel being Sheldon
Adelson, an imbecilic casino mogul and the man who, when someone pointed out to him if there was no two state solution Israel would
in not too long cease to be a democracy, said, “so it won’t be a democracy. So what?”
And besides Sheldon, we will have a Cabinet that includes
Aryeh Deri, who spent a couple of years in jail for fraud; Naftali Bennett, who says the two state solution is dead and Israel should annex
the West Bank; and Avigdor Lieberman, who wants Arabs to have to
swear a loyalty oath, ala Joe McCarthy and who has called for Israel
to behead some Arabs. And it means four more years of First Lady
Sara, who steals bottle deposit money, and who called the former
mayor of the besieged town of Sderot and berated him with all kinds
of names because he wasn’t backing Bibi. And yes we have the tape
of her abusive tirade. Some lady. And oh, Israel’s attorney general said
he plans to open an investigation into Sara’s abuse of public funds now
that the election is over. Something else to look forward to under the
unending reign of King Bibi the Terrible.
What’s so sadly ironic about all this is that Bibi talked about a
tremendous worldwide effort against him, which was not at all the case,
but thanks to his words and actions might well turn out to be the case.
President Obama has made it clear that Bibi’s outrageous statement that a Palestinian state will not be established on his watch
changes everything for the United States. Now, naturally, many
American Jews will attack Obama, blame Obama, call Obama an Israel hater. They will ignore that Bibi insulted Obama by going behind
his back to make a speech to Congress urging them to do something
Obama specifically asked them not to do. They will ignore that Bibi
reversed what he had pledged for the last six years, and what has been
the basis of understanding between the United States and Israel for
more than 20 years. No, it’s Barack’s fault, not Bibi’s.
So yes, Bibi was victorious in the election, but in the process he
lost the trust of the American president who he has been lying to for
six years. Lost the bi-partisan support for Israel that has always been
the hallmark of American foreign policy, turning Israel into a Republican wedge issue. Lost the respect of European governments who
he not only accused of abetting his opponents, but who suspected he
didn’t mean what he said about making peace and now have proof positive. And perhaps most tragic of all, lost the support of a big chunk
of American Jews, especially of young American Jews who want an
Israel they can be inspired by, be proud of, which stands for real Jewish values, but which, under Bibi, is led by someone so desperate for
votes that he acted like a Jewish version of the fear mongering Dick
Cheney, scaring voters, abandoning the only path to peace, disenfranchising 20 percent of the Israeli population, the Arab part, which
Israel has always proudly claimed is fairly treated and fully represented
in its democracy. Worst of all, he convinced too many Israelis that the
world is out to get them, that nothing has changed for the Jews, that
all is bleak and without hope.
Yes, Bibi won the election. And the entire Jewish people lost.
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DELECIA ESFORMES
26
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
By
Joseph
Aaron
Bibi wins, Jews lose
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So was he lying then or is he lying now?
For the last six years, Prime Minister Bibi has been saying he believes in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He
made a big speech proclaiming that in 2009 and has made innumerable statements, including right to the face of the president of the
United States, confirming that.
But just days before Israel’s recent election, he said precisely the
opposite. Indeed, he said, loudly and clearly, there would not be a
Palestinian state established during his watch as prime minister.
Never. Period.
So either he had been repeatedly lying over the past six years, or
he was lying before the election. Either way, he is a liar. And as if to
prove that point, just days after saying there would not be a Palestinian state established under his watch, he said well no, that’s not what
he said, that he actually is for a Palestinian state just that now is not
the right time.
But that is not what he had said just days before. So he lied about
what he said just days before, having either lied days before or for the
six years before.
Truth is I’m glad he said what he said about there not being a Palestinian state under his watch because it meant, for the first time, he was
actually telling the truth. For it was crystal clear by his actions over the
past six years that he has never had any intention at arriving at a two
state solution, which is why he continually sabotaged every effort to
make that happen, invested no effort in trying to make that happen.
So he finally admitted what his actions had clearly shown us.
Problem is he didn’t tell us the truth to tell us the truth but because he thought he was going to lose the election, and so he had to
pull out all the stops to get as many right-wing Israelis as possible to
vote for him, and not for the even more right-wing parties that were
siphoning votes away from his Likud party. He had to show voters he
was just as crazy and delusional as those smaller parties are, so voters
might as well stick with the devil they knew.
He also had to show them he was just as hateful as those smaller
parties, and so Bibi, on election day, put out a video on YouTube warning right-wing Israelis that Israeli Arabs were “coming out in droves”
to vote, and so they better rush out and vote for Bibi, which they did.
Tons of right-wingers came out in the couple hours before the polls
closed, thanks to Bibi’s racist tactic.
You know, Israel has always made a big deal out of the fact that
it is the only democracy in the Middle East and that its Arab citizens,
who are full-fledged citizens, have the same rights as its Jewish citizens.
And yet here you had Arab citizens exercising their democratic right
to vote and Bibi using that fact as a way to scare right-wing Israelis into
voting for him. Days after the election, Bibi said he didn’t mean to say
what he said. Another lie.
There is no question that Bibi is a political genius. His saying
there will never be a Palestinian state as long as he is prime minister,
and his warning about the droves of Arabs voting, won him an election it appeared that he was going to lose.
Proving that fear works, and works especially with Jews. Bibi has
made scaring Israeli Jews into an art form. One of his campaign ads
showed a truck full of Isis fighters heading for Jerusalem, the voiceover
saying that is what will happen if Israelis vote for parties of the left.
Instead of inspiring voters, Bibi terrified them. Instead of painting
a picture of a brighter future, he presented images of a horrifying present.
He actually accused European governments, and the State Department,
of conspiring against him, pouring millions of dollars into Israel to defeat him, talked about a “tremendous effort, worldwide, to topple” him.
A worldwide conspiracy against the Jews. Fueling more Jewish
fear. On top of the fear he has been peddling for 25 years now about
Iran and its nukes posing an “existential threat” to Israel.
What makes me so sad about the Israeli election is that it means
not only will the Jewish state continue to be led by someone who lies
and says anything to win, but by someone who does so much to cement fear in the hearts and souls of Israelis, when optimism and
hope have never been more called for.
Let me give you a telling example of the depths to which Bibi will
sink to convince everyone of his vision of a world in which everybody
is out to get the Jews. In January, a group of U.S. senators, led by Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker, visited Israel.
They, of course, met with Bibi who, of course, told them Iran was
SEE BY JOSEPH
AARON
ON
PAG E 2 5
27
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
ADVERTISEMENT
Window
Dressing
A Letter Rabbinic
to the World
from
Jerusalem
Honor your father and mother so that it may be well with you,
and that you may live long on the earth. – Ephesians 6:2
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they
can and should do for themselves. – Rev. William J. H. Boetcker
The presence of members of our community marching together
with their congregation [Bright Star Church, Chicago, Illinois]
will mean a great deal to our friends in Bronzeville. ... It will be
appreciated."
– a Conservative Lakeview (Chicago) rabbi
The year 2014 was another bloody year in the streets of America. Two black
men made news, one by being shot, the other by being strangled—both while
resisting arrest...and communities went up in flames.
Michael Brown, a black teenager, robbed a convenience store in Ferguson,
Missouri. Confronted by a policeman, he resisted arrest, rushed at the
policeman and reached for his gun. (Not a good idea.) Brown was shot and
subsequently died. No charges were brought against the policeman after a grand
jury determined that the policeman had acted in self-defense. Eric Garner, a
black father, was tackled by five policemen after resisting arrest, wrestled to the
ground, and while being subdued, was choked and subsequently died. A grand
jury determined that the police were not responsible for his death. In America,
resisting arrest and going for a policeman's gun can be hazardous to your health.
Although the race hustlers were at their megaphones, the root cause of both
deaths was a lack of respect for the law. It had nothing to do with race. Two sad
events in today's America, but the stage was set well before.
While in Israel last July, my favorite television station, Al Jazeera, was
reporting various death tolls in the Middle East. In Iraq that week, 32 were
killed by a suicide bomber in a mosque. In Afghanistan, 46 were killed in a
marketplace bombing. In Somalia... and in Yemen ...and so on. But at the end
of the commentary, the reporter calmly stated, "And in Chicago this weekend
there were 36 shootings and 13 killed!" Chicago's well-earned nickname
"Chiraq" is a painful reminder of a reality few of us encounter in Chicago on a
daily basis. But what does this have to do with Jews?
John Fountain, a black opinion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, posed
the question, "Why won't we stop killing each other?" (December 21, 2014),
referring to the hundreds of black-on-black murders committed in Chicago each
year. If black lives matter, why not in black communities?
When I was a freshman at the University of Illinois, Psychology 101 was a
required course. Discussed at length was the concept of a conditioned response
– a learned, reflexive response which comes about from a repeated
experience. In human terms, if a person is walking down the street and sees a
group of young black kids on the street corner, the conditioned response is
apprehension. If a person is walking down the street and sees a group of young
Asian kids on the corner, you barely notice them. Right or wrong, that is the sad
reality. Some might call it "communal expectation."
Attorney General Eric Holder says Americans must have the courage to have
a conversation about race in America, and I agree. But every time I hear those
words, I think of Jack Nicholson playing a Marine officer during a military trial
in the movie, "A Few Good Men." In the role of Colonel Jessup, a tough
commander on a Marine base, he is being questioned about a murder on the
base. When the prosecuting attorney demands, "I want the truth!" Jessup
screams back, "You can't handle the truth!" Can you, Mr. Holder?
John Fountain asks, "Do black lives matter? To whom?" he keeps
wondering. "To us African Americans? Then someone please tell me why
won't we stop killing each other? Or why too many of us simply don't
respect black life. Why the music to which we bob and twerk denigrates black
life...punctuated by music videos with shirtless thugs pointing guns or squeezing
trigger fingers. ... We help perpetuate thug life. ... From 1980 through 2008,
according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice, nine out of every 10 black victims
were killed by blacks. ... I have more to fear from certain black males than
certain white cops. ..." (Chicago Sun-Times, 12/21/14). Well, Mr. Holder –
Let's have that honest conversation! Can you handle the truth?
Perhaps No. 5 on our hit parade called the Ten Commandments tells us
something since today almost 75 percent of all black babies are born out of that
anachronism called marriage. In Michael Brown's case, Lesley McSpadden was
his mother. She never married his dad. Louis Head was Lesley's live-in
boyfriend. He was not Michael's stepdad. Michael did not live with them; he
lived with his grandmother, Pearlie Gordon. She raised him. If anything is to
be mourned, it is the fact that Michael Brown never had a chance to live
with two real parents who loved and raised him in their home. Maybe G-d
knew something about the people He endowed in His image with free will when
He dictated No. 5 to be etched in stone: Honor thy father and mother...
Jewish liberals are always at the forefront of the pro-choice-to-abort
movement. As a conservative, I have always been pro-choice because I believe
in personal responsibility, hoping that people will make the right choices with
their G-d-given freedom. But listening to National Public Radio one afternoon,
I heard a staggering statistic and then went on the Internet site Abortion and the
Black Community to verify it. "On average, 1,276 black babies are aborted
every day in the United States." That's over 465,000 per year. Blacks make
up 12.6 percent of the U.S. population, but the Center for Disease Control puts
the percentage of black abortions at over 36 percent of all abortions. Do black
lives matter?
Almost 80 percent of all Planned Parenthood abortion clinics
"are located in communities with minority populations." (Ibid.) They obviously
know their customers.
But what does this have to do with Jews? Jews today are America's oldest
minority group. Statistics claim the average age of American Jews is 47; that
Jewish families are getting much older and having fewer babies. Is abortion a
Jewish issue because Jews are having too many babies?
Back in 1988, a Chicagoan by the name of Steve Cokely was working in the
administration of then-mayor Gene Sawyer. Cokely had given a weekend series
of lectures accusing Jewish doctors of injecting black babies with AIDS.
Sawyer was flummoxed, as was the city's Jewish corporation counsel, Judson
Minor. Although Cokely was eventually fired, the American Jewish Committee
(of which I was a member in good standing at the time) decided to have a gettogether with a group of black business leaders. I don't remember who was silly
enough to ask me to participate, but I agreed. It didn't start off well, with the
black leaders accusing the Jewish community of betraying and exploiting the
black community. As tensions grew and the black voices became increasingly
strident, I asked to say a few things:
Rather than bashing Jews, you should be emulating Jews, for we have three
things that aren't on your communal radar. First and foremost, we value
education more than a pair of Nike sneakers. Jewish parents will work two or
three jobs to earn enough money to ensure their children of the best education
their money can buy. It is a matter of parental pride and self-respect.
Second, we cherish a thing called "family" – which doesn't mean an unwed,
single mother or grandmother trying to raise three or four kids who don't have
a clue who their father is. If there is no father, you don't have a family—you
have insecurity, instability, and a chronically poor self-image.
And third, we have a thing called "community" – institutions that help Jews
in need. That sense of community functions as the greater family, so that no Jew
falls through the cracks. A Jew knows he can reach out for help because Asur
lifnot gav l'Yisrael...a Jew is forbidden to turn his back on a fellow Jew! Our
institution is called the Jewish Federation. There are plenty of black athletes
who can give up a Bentley or downsize their mansions to help your community,
but most don't! And by the way, where's the Oprah Winfrey or the Michael
Jordan wing at Northwestern Memorial Hospital? (Chicago's latest billionaires).
But you surely know the Feinberg Pavilion, the Galter Pavilion and the Lurie
Children's Hospital. And finally, Until you face reality and stop scapegoating
Jews for your community's self-created problems, your future generations will
be nothing but a bunch of beggars, and if that's what you want for your
grandchildren, keep looking for excuses. If you really care, only you and your
community can solve your communal problems. And I left. Nothing came of
the meeting – and that was 27 years ago.
The rabbi's statement about our "friends" in Bronzeville appreciating the
Jewish community marching together with their church was in earnest, but then
what? The rabbi quoted Psalm 121:1, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from
where will my help come?" You know, if I'm in trouble and I lift up my eyes, I
would hope my help would come in the form of someone in blue with a badge
and a gun. Yet the rabbi continues, "In order to effect change, we are going to
have to take a long hard look at how our institutions function in this country."
What does "we" mean?
What is this babble?
What about personal
responsibility? Is this rabbi blaming the police for the tragedy of the black
community? "While the horrific events of Ferguson and Staten Island should
challenge all Americans to give consideration to the direction of this country, it
is especially painful for the black community. People are feeling devalued, and
parents fear for the lives of their children." Aside from the obvious racism, how
about the fear felt by the children of all police officers!
After the platitudes, finally comes the punchline: "The signs that many are
carrying in protests around the country say a great deal: Black Lives Matter."
Really? To whom – if nine out of ten blacks are murdered by blacks? Does
this convoluted thinking mean that white lives don't matter? I thought all lives
matter...that each life is a world. It's nothing more than liberal racist babble.
Enough excuses! All men and women are created sorta equal, but life isn't an
even playing field. Maybe we'd all like to be the children of Bill and Melinda
Gates or be seven feet tall and able to dunk a basketball for the big bucks.
And to those pretentiously inclined seekers of that Heschel moment: Don't
waste your time with images for posterity. Instead of a $90,000 playground
rendered useless by Chicago's winters, how about contributing to a learning
center of books and computers? Yet as one of the Lakeview rabbis recounted,
"Like Jacob [???], it begins by looking within and considering not only where
we are today, but where we want to go as a nation. We deserve better and
certainly our children deserve better. ... The presence of members of our
community marching together...will mean a great deal to our friends in
Bronzeville." This is nothing more than rabbinic window dressing. If you
really care about all children's future, think education, family, and
communal responsibility leading to communal self-respect.
Yet most reflective of the beggarly Jewish passion for acknowledgment,
Susannah Heschel recently whined about her dad being photoshopped out of the
movie "Selma." She can't accept that the movie was not a history for her
father—it was about black civil rights – by and for American blacks. Poor Ms.
Heschel told anyone who would listen how "shocked and upset" she was.
Where was her dad in the 1940s after he was lucky enough to make aliyah to
America? Where was he as an activist for the rescue of European Jews? Where
is an iconic picture of him at the gates of the White House while Jews were
being gassed and incinerated? I haven't been able to find any.
Shabbat Shalom, 03/27/15
Jack "Yehoshua" Berger
28
Chicago Jewish News - March 27-April 2, 2015
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