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JEWISH NEWS
THE CHICAGO
April 24-30, 2015/5 Iyar 5775
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and the couple’s
74th wedding
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Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
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Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Recycling toilet water and 4 other Israeli answers to California’s drought
By Ben Sales
JTA
TEL AVIV – For help facing
its worst drought in centuries,
California should look to a country that beat its own chronic
water shortage: Israel.
Until a few years ago, Israel’s
wells seemed like they were always running dry. TV commercials urged Israelis to conserve
water. Newspapers tracked
the rise and fall of Lake Kinneret,
Israel’s biggest freshwater source.
Religious Israelis gathered to
pray for rainfall at the Western
Wall during prolonged dry spells.
However, the once perpetual Israeli water shortage appears
to be mostly over. California’s
water supply, meanwhile, is at
record lows, prompting restrictions on household use and leading farmers to deplete the state’s
groundwater reserves. From
water recycling to taking the salt
out of the plentiful seawater,
here are five ways that Californians can benefit from Israel’s
know-how.
1. Israeli cities recycle threequarters of their water.
Israeli farms don’t just use
less water than their American
counterparts, much of their water
is reused. Three-quarters of the
water that runs through sinks,
showers, washing machines and
even toilets in Israeli cities is recycled, treated and sent to crops
across the country through specially marked purple tubes. According to the Pacific Institute,
which conducts environmental
research, California recycles only
13 percent of its municipal
wastewater.
Israel also encourages recycling by giving reused water to
farmers tax-free.
“If you take water from the
city you don’t pay a tax, but if
you have a well and you take that
water you pay a lot of money for
every cubic meter,” said Giora
Shaham, a former long-term
planner at Israel’s Water Authority. “If you’re a farmer in Rehovot
and you have water that doesn’t
cost money, you’ll take that
water.”
2. Israel gets much of its
water from the Mediterranean
Sea.
Israelis now have a much
bigger water source than Lake
Kinneret: the Mediterranean
Sea. Four plants on Israel’s coast
draw water from the sea, take out
the salt, purify the water and
send it to the country’s pipes – a
process called desalination.
The biggest of the four
plants, opened in 2013, can provide nearly 7 million gallons of
potable water to Israelis every
hour. When a fifth opens as soon
as this year near the Israeli port
city of Ashdod, 75 percent of Israel’s municipal and industrial
water will be desalinated, making
Israelis far less reliant on the
country’s fickle rainfall.
Desalination costs money,
uses energy and concerns environmental activists who want to
protect California’s coast and the
Pacific Ocean. One cubic meter
of desalinated water takes just
under 4 kilowatt-hours to produce. That’s the equivalent of
burning 40 100-watt light bulbs
for one hour to produce the
equivalent of five bathtubs full of
water.
But despite the costs, San
Diego County is investing in desalination. IDE Technologies,
which operates three of Israel’s
four plants, is building another
near San Diego, slated to open as
soon as November. Once operational, it will provide the San
Diego Water Authority, which
serves the San Diego area, with
50 million gallons of water per
day.
“It’s a carbon footprint, but
the technology is advanced
enough that the cost of the
process is lower than it used to
be,” said Fredi Lokiec, IDE’s former executive vice president of
special projects. “The environmental damage done because of
a lack of ability to provide water
to residents and agriculture be-
A faucet and toilets are seen in a classroom in the ecological village in
Nitzana, Israel. Students there learn about desalination and on how to
save water. (JTA)
cause of the drought, because of
overdrawing of groundwater, also
has a price.”
3. Israelis irrigate through
pinpricks in hoses, not by flooding.
No innovation has been
more important for Israel’s desert
farms than drip irrigation. Most
of the world’s farmers water their
crops by flooding their fields with
sprinklers or hoses, often wasting
water as they go. With drip irrigation, a process pioneered in Israel 50 years ago, water seeps
directly into the ground through
tiny pinpricks in hoses, avoiding
water loss through evaporation.
Four-fifths of all water used in
California goes to agriculture,
and California’s farmers have
been draining the state’s groundwater as rain has stopped falling.
But as of 2010, less than 40 percent of California’s farms used
drip irrigation.
Netafim, a leading Israeli
drip-irrigation company, says the
practice cuts water use by up to
half. Netafim spokeswoman Helene Gordon said that 90 percent
of Israeli farms use drip irrigation.
“It can’t be that there’s such a
huge water shortage, and they’re
talking about a shortage of drinking water, and on the other hand
S E E W AT E R
ON
Jewish United Fund’s
SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2015
Ravinia Festival
featuring the Walk with Israel
Co-Chairs: Jennifer & Joshua Herz
200 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park
TOV Managers: Eve & Richard Biller
Rain or Shine! Performances will take place under the Ravinia Festival pavilion,
with seating on a first-come, first-served basis. The lawn will also be open for seating.
10:30 a.m. Registration
t Activities for children of all ages
and special youth/teen programming
11:00 a.m. Rick Recht Concert
for Young Families*
t Free parking at Ravinia Festival
11:30 a.m. Jamman Drum Circle
12:00 p.m. The Maccabeats in Concert
1:15 p.m. Three-Mile Walk with Israel
& One-Mile Family Walk
t Shuttle buses accessible from the
Metra Union Pacific North Line stop
in the village of Ravinia
t Visit juf.org/ISD for more details.
2:30 p.m. Jamman Drum Circle
Kosher food will be available for purchase.
3:00 p.m. Hadag Nahash in Concert
Note: Dogs, roller blades, bicycles
and skateboards are not permitted
at Ravinia Festival.
* Best for families with children ages 5 and under
Participate/Volunteer: juf.org/ISD
Your gift on Israel’s 67th
birthday supports JUF’s
Israel Children’s Zone®, an
innovative program providing
critical services to Israel’s
most vulnerable children.
Raise $100 or more toward Israel
Solidarity Day and receive a $100
JUF Israel Experience Voucher
or JUF Mission Voucher!
(Limited to one voucher per person
per year.)
Call: 312-444-2905
Email: [email protected]
PAG E 7
4
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Contents
Vol. 21 No. 29
THE CHICAGO
JEWISH NEWS
Joseph Aaron
Editor/Publisher
6
Golda Shira
Senior Editor/
Israel Correspondent
Torah Portion
Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
Managing Editor
Joe Kus
7
Staff Photographer
Arts and
Entertainment
Roberta Chanin
and Associates
Sara Belkov
Steve Goodman
Advertising Account Executives
Denise Plessas Kus
8
Production Director
Kristin Hanson
Community
Calendar
Delicious Meals...
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and Kosher!
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Entrees like Honey Teriyaki Grilled Salmon, Veal Roast and
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We also cater to special dietary needs for heart-healthy, sugar-free,
low-salt, low-fat meals.
We invite you to experience gracious dining in our
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a vibrant, care-free environment.
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Subscriptions Manager/
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10, 19, 20
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Senior Living
14
Autism
Awareness Month
15
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Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
2016
Who are the Republican candidates’ Jewish donors?
By Ron Kampeas
JTA
Election Day is 19 months
away, but the campaign already
has begun. Aside from Democrat
Hillary Clinton, three Republican candidates with reasonable
chances at the nomination have
declared and several others are
on the cusp.
The Republican Party says
it’s been making inroads with
Jewish voters, who traditionally
have favored Democrats by 2-to1 margins.
Here’s a rundown of the
views of three declared Republican candidates – and two likely
candidates – on issues of Jewish
interest, and their connections to
the community.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
His Jews: A principal
backer is Norman Braman, a car
dealership magnate who moved
to Florida in 1994 after selling his
stake in the NFL’s Philadelphia
Eagles. A past president of the
Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Braman has been close with
Rubio since his meteoric rise
through the Florida Legislature.
Braman accompanied Rubio to
Israel in 2010, just after his election to the U.S. Senate. Rubio’s
ties to the broader Jewish community also extend back to his
career in the Florida state legislature, and communal professionals credit him with being
accessible.
His views: Rubio has blasted
President Barack Obama on Israel,
saying in his campaign launch
that the administration bears “hostility” toward Israel.
When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded
recognition of Israel as part of a
final Iran nuclear deal, Rubio was
quick to propose the demand as
an amendment to a bill requiring
congressional review of any Iran
deal.
The drama that followed
Rubio’s proposal, which the
Obama administration declared
a poison pill, is illustrative of
Rubio’s tendency to move be-
Scott Walker
tween extreme to moderate positions. He withdrew the amendment on the day the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee
considered the broader bill,
which ultimately passed unanimously.
Similar back-and-forth characterizes his immigration record.
Rubio helped shepherd comprehensive immigration reform
through the Senate in 2013, but
after it failed in the U.S. House
of Representatives, Rubio retreated to more hawkish positions
popular
with
the
Republican base, including
tougher border security. He says
the reform bill he once embraced
was the right way to go at the
time, but now say political realities dictate a piecemeal approach.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas
His Jews: Last year, Cruz
tapped Nicolas Muzin, a soft-spoken Orthodox Jew from South
Carolina, as an adviser. Muzin
is credited with helping catapult
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the first
black senator elected from the
South since the 19th century, to
a national career. Muzin has introduced Cruz to Orthodox Jewish funders, including telecommunications and energy magnate
Howard Jonas, and staged
events for him in fancy kosher
eateries like Abigael’s on Broadway.
His views: Cruz talks a hard
line on Israel, aligning himself
with some of the Obama administration’s harshest critics. After
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach advertised an upcoming panel discussion on Obama’s Iran policy in
March with an ad that seemed to
link National Security Adviser
Susan Rice to the genocide in
Rwanda, one of the featured
speakers, Rep. Brad Sherman, DCalif., dropped out, saying
Boteach had crossed a line. Cruz,
also a featured speaker, stayed in.
Cruz likes to ask the administration tough questions on Israel. He accused the Obama
administration of playing politics
with the Federal Aviation Authority during last year’s Gaza
War, when the FAA stopped
Ted Cruz
Jeb Bush
Marco Rubio
Rand Paul
flights to Tel Aviv for a day or so
because rockets had struck near
the airport. Cruz said no such
order was in place for Ukraine,
although a missile had downed a
plane there (in fact, there was
such an order).
deems hostile to U.S. interests
first on the list.
Paul counts Israel as a close
U.S. ally, and the sole focus of
the Israel page on his campaign
website is his bill to cut assistance to the Palestinian Authority precisely because of its parlous
relations with Israel. (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, notably, does not support
the bill.)
Paul is a relative moderate
in his party on immigration, favoring legal status short of citizenship for undocumented
immigrants.
“People who seek the American dream are not bad people,”
he said a year ago.
of fundraisers who were loyal to
the presidencies of his brother
George W. and his father, George
H.W. Among the former are Mel
Sembler, a shopping mall magnate in Florida who backed Bush
during his gubernatorial runs. In
New York, equity billionaire
Henry Kravis hosted a lucrative
evening for Bush.
Bush also has Jewish George
W. Bush Cabinet members on his
foreign policy team, including
Michael Chertoff, the former
Homeland Security secretary,
and Michael Mukasey, the ex-attorney general who has been notable in his post-Bush career for
his strident criticism of what he
depicts as the spread of radical
Islam. More controversially,
Bush takes advice from his father’s secretary of state, James
Baker, who angered conservatives last month when he delivered a speech critical of
Netanyahu at J Street’s annual
conference. Bush has distanced
himself from the speech, although not enough to please
Adelson, who reportedly was “incensed” by Baker’s speech.
Bush’s rivalry with his onetime protege Rubio and his closeness to Baker have put him in an
odd position: He has the enthusiastic backing of some prominent Jewish GOP backers, like
Sembler and Kravis, while others, like Adelson and Rubio’s
backer Braman are lining up to
keep him from winning the GOP
nod.
His views: Bush has been
critical of how Obama has handled nuclear talks with Iran,
blaming him for allowing differences with Israel over the talks to
spill out into the open. He has
visited Israel five times.
On immigration, Bush, who
speaks fluent Spanish and whose
wife, Columba, was born in Mexico, has been perhaps the most
outspoken about embracing immigration reform and a path to
citizenship for undocumented
immigrants. He has made a point
of forcefully making the case
even in front of those groups
most likely to oppose such reforms.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
His Jews: Paul has cultivated Richard Roberts, an Orthodox Jew and major New
Jersey philanthropist. In 2013,
Roberts helped fund a tour of Israel for Paul and evangelical
Christians. A year ago he led
Paul on a tour of Lakewood, New
Jersey’s sprawling Orthodox
yeshiva, Beth Medrash Govoha,
which Roberts supports. Roberts
has suggested, however, that he
favors Wisconsin Gov. Scott
Walker, who has yet to formally
declare his candidacy.
Paul also shares with Netanyahu a digital consultant,
Harris Media in Austin, Texas.
Vincent Harris, the firm’s CEO,
led digital strategy in Netanyahu’s recent reelection campaign and is now chief digital
strategist to Paul’s campaign.
His views: Paul’s father is
the former Rep. Ron Paul, a
Texas Republican who ran several times for president on a libertarian platform that included
cutting off aid to Israel. The elder
Paul also was notorious for his
broadsides against the pro-Israel
community, and newsletters published under his name veered
into anti-Semitism, although he
has denied authoring the content.
When Rand Paul ran for
Senate in 2010, he would not return calls from Kentucky Jewish
leaders asking for a meeting. At
first, Paul seemed to mirror his
father’s positions, telling CNN in
an interview that he would include Israel in his pledge to cut
off all foreign assistance.
Since then, Paul has been
more open to Jewish outreach
and has visited Israel. Republican
Jews like to say his views on the
country have “evolved”; he still
counsels cuts in foreign assistance, but adds that these should
be prioritized, with countries he
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
His Jews: Walker has yet to
declare, but if and when he does,
the New Jerseyan Roberts would
appear to be in his camp. Walker
has also been backed in his gubernatorial runs by Sheldon
Adelson, the casino magnate and
Republican Jewish kingmaker. A
Hanukkah greeting last year to a
Jewish constituent was infamously signed “Molotov” – he
meant “Mazel tov.”
His views: Walker has
earned his conservative chops
principally on the basis of his
record as a governor facing down
unions in a liberal state. He now
wants to burnish his foreign policy credentials and traveled to
London in February, but got demerits for dodging foreign policy
questions. He says he wants to
travel to Israel soon. His criticisms of how Obama has handled
the Israel relationship and the
Iran nuclear talks have been
pointed in their language but
vague in particulars.
On immigration, Walker has
backed reforms that include a
path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but more recently his focus has been on
seeking to dismantle Obama’s executive orders that would provide such a path.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
His Jews: Bush has been
able to tap into a broad network
6
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
4
Torah Portion
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I remember I was teaching a
deaf boy for bar mitzvah, and he
said to me, “Even though I can’t
hear, I can see very clearly, and I
see in the Torah that it was on
the fourth day that G-d created
the sun, moon and stars. So why
does G-d say in the Torah, on the
first day, ‘Let there be light?’”
I explained to my young
friend that the Zohar teaches
that this was a special light called
the Or Ganuz that G-d created
to be hidden away for the righteous. This light teaches awareness of wholeness, that we are all
one with G-d. With awareness of
this light, we also recognize that
we should seek to maintain G-d’s
Masculine and Feminine form
within us. When we do, there is
wholeness, unity and there is
health. This light was present
even before the physical world
came into being, before the light
of the first day became visible.
This light makes all else possible,
including not only our potential
to become healthy, but also our
potential to become truly righteous and good people.
In this week’s Torah portion,
Tazria, it states, “When a man
shall have on the skin of his flesh
a rising or a scab or a bright spot,
and it becomes in the skin of his
flesh the plague of leprosy, then
he shall be brought to Aaron the
priest.” (Leviticus 13:2)
Sefer Noam Elimelech explains this verse by writing, “The
gemara teaches in Rabbi Meir’s
Torah, it was found written ‘garments of light’ (or with an alef).
(Genesis Rabba 20:12) In truth,
when G-d created Adam, his
Rabbi Douglas Goldhamer
whole body was one great light
lacking any yetzer hara.”
In truth, Adam originally
was not made of flesh and blood.
He was like an angelic being,
sent down into the Garden of
Eden to perform G-d’s will. The
presence of G-d was completely
within him. Adam and G-d were
One, with no separation. This
led to an Adam that was free
from all illness.
When you manifest the
presence of the Masculine and
the Feminine Nature of G-d
within you, you eliminate illness
crouching at your door. Furthermore, Adam and Eve existed beyond our imagination. Not only
could they see “from one end of
the Universe to the other,” but
the molecular structure of their
bodies was completely different
from our molecular structure
today. Indeed, their bodies were
not physical, but their bodies
were pure light. And because
they were pure light, they were
completely connected to the
source of light, Hashem and
could travel to different dimensions.
In his great commentary to
the Torah, Rabbi Moishe Alshikh (1521-1600) teaches that
Adam and Eve were initially
clothed in garments of light, the
chaluka d’rabanan (rabbinic
mantle) of the Garden of Eden.
Their bodies were energy bodies,
thought forms, subtle and light.
Only after they embraced the duality of the Tree of the Knowl-
The more we realize our connection to G-d, the more the
light will radiate and we will
sense our skin to be a garment
of light.
edge of Good and Evil did they
become physical skin, flesh and
bone.
Initially, Adam and Eve and
Hashem and all the animals were
one. And when they were one,
physical and spiritual health prevailed. They manifested the
Feminine and Masculine Nature
of G-d within them, balanced in
such a way that their focus was
not of separate ego, but it was a
focus of being part of the whole.
The lesson in this week’s
Torah portion is not how to clear
oneself of the ever-annoying
acne, nor is it about any other
skin disease. I believe it is about
the ways in which our attachment to ego obscures the divine
light within us that G-d created
on the first day. The more we realize our connection to G-d, the
more the light will radiate and
we will sense our skin to be a garment of light.
We must walk the earth
shining with the light of G-d
within us. This brings us closer to
the original Adam as G-d had intended all of us to be. When the
light of G-d shines within us, balanced equally between Feminine
and Masculine, we, like the original Adam and Eve, not only
commit our love for G-d, but we
also abandon our commitment to
separate Self.
When I make an effort to
live with the complete Presence
of G-d within me, by doing meditations on joining the Shechina
with her Male Consort, I recognize I do not exist separately
from anything or anyone else.
And the more I do these meditations (many of which are taught
in my new book, “Healing with
G-d’s Love: Kabbalah’s Hidden
Secrets”) the more I bring back
the original or ganuz hidden light
of G-d. And, with joy, I allow
this light to permeate me as it did
the original Adam.
Parsha Tazria is about becoming one with G-d again and
not holding on to a sense of separate self. This text asks us to let
go of our separateness and ego
concerns that drive so much of
our lives. Acne and skin disease
is a metaphor for being separate
from G-d. Our text teaches that
we need to replace our separate
self with a self completely filled
with the light and presence of Gd. And if we practice this daily
and regularly, who knows – we
also can become like the light
beings of the original Adam and
Eve.
Rabbi Douglas Goldhamer is
senior rabbi of Congregation Bene
Shalom, Skokie, and president of
Hebrew Seminary, Skokie.
7
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Met museum’s new president likens role to managing Yanks
By Hillel Kuttler
JTA
Visiting the Memorial de
Caen museum in Normandy,
France, in 1996, Daniel Weiss
was captivated by eight photographs showing the public hanging of three partisans in Minsk,
Belarus, on Oct. 26, 1941.
The two male victims’ identities were known, but the female
was anonymous, and Weiss set
out to learn who she was. By the
following year, Weiss had co-authored an article in the journal
Holocaust and Genocide Studies
revealing that the 17-year-old’s
identity – Masha Bruskina – was
long known but suppressed because she was Jewish. In 2009, a
new plaque was placed at the execution site with Bruskina’s
name.
His research was off the
beaten track, given that Weiss
was then a professor of art history
at Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore. Weiss explained that
Water
CONTINUED
F RO M PAG E
3
they pour huge amounts of water
into the ocean that could be used
for agriculture,” said Avraham Israeli, president of the Israel
Water Association, which advises Israeli water companies on
technology development.
4. Israel’s government
owns all of the country’s water.
Israel treats water as a scarce
national resource. The government controls the country’s entire water supply, charging
citizens, factories and farmers for
water use. Residents pay about
one cent per gallon, while farmers pay about a quarter of that.
In California, though, many
farms drill from private wells on
their property, drawing groundwater as rain has thinned. Some
have even begun selling water to
the state. State regulations to
limit groundwater use, signed last
year, won’t be formulated until
2020.
“Technology is not good
enough,” said Eilon Adar, director of Ben-Gurion University’s
Zuckerberg Institute for Water
Research. “You have to change
some of the regulation. You have
to impose more limitations on
water. California’s local consumers have to give up some of
their rights.”
Adar and Israeli, however,
both noted that adopting Israelistyle regulations in California
Daniel Weiss
he was motivated to ascertain
the truth, just as when conducting research in his own field of
expertise.
“I have wide-ranging interests,” said Weiss, now the president of Haverford College. “And
when I saw that photograph, I
was just drawn to it.”
The scope of Weiss’ career
would be near impossible, as
some of California’s water rights
holdings are more than a century
old.
But government ownership
doesn’t solve problems for all of
the region’s residents. The Israeli
human rights NGO Btselem says
the West Bank suffers from a
water shortage due to unequal allocation of the state’s water. According to Btselem, Israelis
receive more than twice the
amount of water per capita as
Palestinians in the West Bank.
5. Water conservation is
drilled into Israeli culture.
When an ad appeared on Israeli TV in 2008 showing a
woman whose body crumbled to
dust because of that year’s water
shortage, a parody Facebook
group suggested skin lotion. But
the ad was just the latest iteration of an Israeli ethos to save
water wherever possible.
Kids are taught to turn off
faucets and limit shower time. Israelis celebrate rain – at least at
first – rather than lamenting it.
Lake Kinneret’s daily surface
level shows up alongside weather
reports in the paper.
In 2008, at the height of a
decade-long drought, Avraham
Israeli, the Israel Water Association president, dried out his lawn
and replaced it with a porch to
save water.
Israelis’ close attention to
rainfall and drought comes from
an education and culture that
teaches them the importance of
every drop in an arid region.
will expand significantly this
summer when he leaves Haverford to become president of one
of the country’s great cultural institutions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. As
president, Weiss will be responsible for running much of the
day-to-day operations of the
third most-visited museum in the
world.
In 2013, the Met had $661
million in revenue, 2,547 employees and $3.3 billion in net
assets. Besides its flagship building on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the museum includes the
Cloisters Museum of medieval
art uptown and next year will
add a third site in midtown.
“It’s something like being the
manager of the Yankees,” Weiss
said of his new gig.
Those who know Weiss, 57,
say he brings to the position a
rare combination of art expertise,
academic standing, business experience and leadership skills.
Raised in the New York City
borough of Queens, Weiss possessed a commanding presence
that was evident by age 5 or 6,
when he organized the neighborhood boys in an army-like outfit
and marched them in formation
down the street, according to his
mother.
Queens was also where
Weiss saw his first masterpiece,
Michelangelo’s sculpture “The
Deposition,” at the 1964 World’s
Fair. A moving sidewalk took
spectators past the dramatically
lit work – “an interesting combination of the celebration of Renaissance art and a tribute to
modernity,” Weiss says.
Weiss went on to study art
history at Johns Hopkins and
earn his MBA at Yale. In 2005,
he became the president of
Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and, eight years later, took
the same post at Haverford. He
will depart after completing two
school terms at the campus near
Philadelphia.
On an afternoon in March,
Haverford students entered the
cafeteria for an event billed as
“Donuts With Dan.” With a fire
roaring nearby, the students encircled Weiss, their friendly banter with the ultimate authority
on campus suggesting a sweet
comfort.
“He’s very easygoing,” said
Claire Dinh, a student council
co-president who meets with
Weiss weekly. “But if there’s
something that needs to get addressed, he [does it] right away.”
For Weiss, a specialist in medieval art, the Met job brings his
professional and geographic arcs
full-circle. As a professor of art
history, he brought his undergraduate students to the Met on
field trips.
“It is one of the great cul-
tural institutions in the world,”
said Weiss, who calls himself culturally Jewish. “The opportunity
to become part of an organization that has that kind of reach
and that kind of capacity and
that kind of talent – it’s a great
place to be.”
The demands of running the
institution may slow his latest intellectual endeavor: a biography
of Michael O’Donnell, an American helicopter pilot shot down
over Laos in 1970.
As with Bruskina, Weiss is
delving into the life of a young
person killed in wartime and deserving of acclaim. In his wallet,
Weiss carries a poem composed
by O’Donnell, and he reads it
aloud for a visitor.
Weiss began exploring
O’Donnell’s life after reading the
untitled poem in a book. He located the friend to whom
O’Donnell had sent his poem,
then the soldier’s sister, and compiled every imaginable scrap of
paper on the man.
The O’Donnell files are “an
incredible, historical trove of
documents that tell the story
that the family has entrusted to
me, and so I feel bound to do
that – like for Masha – because it
speaks to me,” Weiss said. “I
guess I’m drawn to stories about
courageous people who have sacrificed and whose stories aren’t
otherwise told.”
Can you live a life without regrets?
STARRING
FREDERICA
VON
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Composed by RICKY IAN GORDON
Libretto by LEONARD FOGLIA
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8
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Community Calendar
Saturday
April 25
Anshe Emet Synagogue
presents “Israeli Soldiers’
Stories” at Kiddush following services. 12:30 p.m.,
3751 N. Broadway, Chicago.
(773) 281-1423.
Beth Hillel Congregation
Bnai Emunah presents
Rabbi Naomi Levy giving
the d‘var Torah, “A Little
Push Can Cause The Seas to
Part: What Push Do You
Need?” during services and
speaking after Kiddush on
“Nashuva Means We Will
Return.” Services begin at
9:30 a.m., 3220 Big Tree
Lane, Wilmette. (847) 2561213.
Northbrook Community
Synagogue presents “Israeli
Soldiers’ Stories.” 8:45
p.m., 2548 Jasper Court,
Northbrook. (847) 5099204.
Sunday
April 26
Tikvah Company of Artists,
an ensemble of dancers,
musicians and actors, perform “Seven,” a multi-artistic concert inspired by the
seven words appreciate, endure, wait, grieve, trust, decide, proceed at 2 p.m. at
the DePaul Art Museum,
935 W. Fullerton Ave.,
Chicago. Lin Batsheva Kahn
will perform her piece inspired by a female Holocaust survivor.
Chicago hosts Character
Breakfast with Mr. and Mrs.
Mouse featuring photo
ops, crafts, dance party and
games. 9:30-11 a.m., Mayer
Kaplan JCC, 5050 Church,
Skokie. $7. Registration:
gojcc.org/breakfast or (847)
763-3603.
Ezra-Habonim, the Niles
Township Jewish Congregation holds JUF brunch featuring Gil Tamary,
Washington Bureau chief
of Israel Channel 10 News.
10 a.m., 4500 W. Dempster,
Skokie. $10. Reservations,
Lisa [email protected] or (312)
444-2838
New Hope Church of Oak
Lawn presents “Israeli Soldiers’ Stories.” 10:45 a.m.,
5100 W. 115th St., Oak
Lawn. (224) 392-3264.
Temple Beth Israel hosts educational event about research study, “Is Parkinson’s
a Jewish Genetic Disease?”
No-cost genetic screening
provided to qualified participants. 11 a.m.-noon,
3601 W. Dempster, Skokie.
tbiskokie.org or (847) 6750951.
Illinois Holocaust Museum
and Education Center
shows film documentary,
“Watchers of the Sky.”
12:30-3:30 p.m., 9603
Woods Drive, Skokie. $10
members, $15 non-members. Reservations, (847)
967-4835.
Jewish Genealogical Society
of Illinois holds meeting
featuring Ken Bravo speaking on “Finding Frieda: My
Mother’s First Cousin, a
Holocaust Survivor.” 2 p.m.,
Temple Beth-El, 3610
Dundee Road, Northbrook.
(Facilities open at 12:30
p.m. for members who
want to use or borrow genealogy library materials,
SPOTLIGHT
Rabbi Donniel Hartman, who heads the
Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel, will
offer his perspective on the Jewish
scene to the Aitz Hayim Center for Jewish Living on May 1 and May 2 at the
Tross Family Education Center at North
Shore Congregation Israel, 1185 Sheridan Road, Glencoe. Hartman teaches Rabbi Donniel Hartman
pluralistic Judaism to rabbis of all denominations, to scholars of all religions and to religious and secular
Israelis and diaspora Jews. The May 1 event begins with Kabbalat Shabbat services and dinner. Study begins at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $20 per
person. The May 2 event begins with Shabbat services at 10 a.m. followed by lunch and continued study with Rabbi Hartman. For more information, visit www.aitzhayim.org or call (847) 835-3232.
get help with genealogy
websites or ask questions.)
jgsi.org/ or (312) 666-0100.
Beth Hillel Congregation
Bnai Emunah presents annual Cantors Concert featuring musical group
Six13Acapella. 4 p.m., 3220
Big Tree Lane, Wilmette.
$30 members, $36 nonmembers, $18 ages 13-18.
(847) 256-1213.
Anti-Defamation League
presents “Words to Action:
Empowering Jewish Students to Address Bias on
Campus” for high school
seniors. 5-7:30 p.m., Pizzeria Serio, 1708 W. Belmont,
Chicago. RSVP, jdrew@
adl.org or (312) 533-3925.
Ezra-Habonim, the Niles
Township Jewish Congregation and Temple Beth Israel
host “An Israeli Soldiers’
Tour: Real Soldiers, Real
Lives, Real People.” 6:30
p.m., 4500 W. Dempster,
Skokie. (847) 675-4141.
Continuum Theater presents staged reading of Anat
Gov’s comedy “Oh, God!”
followed by discussion and
refreshments. 7 p.m., Congregation Beth Shalom, 772
W. Fifth Ave., Naperville.
$10. continuumtheater.org
or (800) 838-3006 Ext. 1.
Monday
April 27
Jewish United Fund presents “Chicago Celebrates Israel @67” featuring Israeli
folk band Baladino singing
Sephardic and Ladino
melodies. 12:30 p.m., Daley
Plaza, 50 W. Washington
Street, Chicago.
[email protected].
Tuesday
April 28
Keturah Hadassah holds
general meeting featuring
Ina Pinkney, “The Breakfast
Queen.” 12:30 p.m., Meyer
Kaplan JCC, 5050 Church,
Skokie. $3. (847) 675-5873.
JCC PresenTense Chicago
hosts Shark Tank where Fellows give their pitch to
local entrepreneurs for
chance to win $2500 grant.
Evening includes drinks and
appetizers and is open to
the community. 6:15-9 p.m.,
SPOTLIGHT
Anshe Emet Synagogue presents the
13th annual Dr. Arnold H. Kaplan Concert, “Alberto Mizrahi and Friends, A
Global Mélange of Music” with visiting
cantors from the Cantors Assembly
and including Chazan Alberto
Mizrahi’s installation as the new president of the Cantors Assembly. 7:30
p.m. Wednesday, May 6, 3751 N.
Chazan Alberto Mizrahi
Broadway, Chicago. $20. May be purchased online at AnsheEmet.org/Kaplan. (773) 868-5123.
Mayne Stage, 1328 W.
Morse Ave., Chicago. $10.
http://bit.ly/sharktanktix or
(847) 763-3621.
Wednesday
April 29
“In One Split Second” featuring remarks by Ruth
Lichtenstein, director, Project Witness. 8150 McCormick Blvd., Skokie. $10
door. (847) 674-0800.
Saturday
May 2
JCFS and Project Esther, The
Chicago Jewish Adoptions
Network present “Modern
Family-Adoption, Identity
and the Jewish Community.” 7-8:30 p.m., Temple
Beth Israel, 3601 Dempster,
Skokie. MarshaRaynes@
jcfs.org or (847) 745-5408.
Temple Jeremiah presents
Dr. Joel M. Hoffman speaking on “Ancient Answers to
Good and Evil That Were
Cut From the Bible.” 8 p.m.,
937 Happ Road, Northfield.
(847) 441-5760.
Thursday
Sunday
April 30
May 3
Jewish B2B Networking
holds Small Business Speed
Networking Event with appetizers, customized schedule. 6 p.m., Wi-Fi Building,
8170 McCormick Blvd.,
Skokie. $30. Registration required, speednetworkinginskokie or (888) 582-2970.
StandWithUs Chicago holds
workshop on The ABC’s of
the BDS Movement for
high school and college age
students, parents and community members. 11:30
a.m.-1 p.m., Temple Beth-El,
3610 W. Dundee, Northbrook. Registration,
events.benchmarkemail.co
m/event/abcbds or (847)
205-9982 Ext. 211.
Illinois Holocaust Museum
and Education Center presents staged reading of “The
Last Cyclist” by Genesis
Theatrical Productions.
6:30-8 p.m., 9603 Woods
Drive, Skokie. $10 members, $15 non-members.
Reservations, (847) 9674835.
Hillel International and Hillel at University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign present
“Jewish Life on Campus
Today…What is Really
Going On?” 7 p.m., Congregation Beth Shalom, 3433
Walters, Northbrook. Registration, illinihillel.org/ hillel-at-congregation-beth-sh
alom-april-30.html.
The Walder Education Pavilion of Torah Umesorah
shows film documentary
commemorating destruction of Hungarian Jewry,
Chicago YIVO Society presents Harriet Murav, professor of Slavic Languages and
Literature, speaking on
“The Holocaust and the Inquisition: David Bergelson,
Solomon Mikhoels and
Prince Reuveni.” 1 p.m.,
Jewish Reconstructionist
Congregation, 303 Dodge
Ave., Evanston. (312) 4089410.
Chicago Jewish Historical
Society presents Patti Ray
and Rabbi Paul Saiger
speaking on “If Not Now
When?” The Birth and
Growth of Hillel on Campus. 2 p.m., Anshe Emet
Synagogue, 3751 N. Broadway. $10, free for CJHS and
congregation members.
(312) 663-5634.
9
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Letters
No comparison
I am an avid reader of your
fine Chicago Jewish News, and
agree with Joseph Aaron’s incisive assessment of Bibi. But on
the issue of Jonathon Pollard,
Aaron is a bissle meshuggy.
Pollard, spying for an ally of
the U.S., resulted in zero deaths
of undercover agents working for
us. The spies working for Russia,
an enemy of the U.S., caused the
deaths of dozens of undercover
agents we had in Russia. And
Aaron opines that Pollard’s treasonous acts are equivalent to
their treasonous acts! A quarter
century behind bars is more than
sufficient
punishment
for
Jonathon.
Robert B. Rosen, Esq.
Chicago
Wrong on Pollard
Joseph Aaron continues
to misinform his readers about
Jonathan Pollard. In numerous
columns, he repeats some variation of the line “Jonathan Pollard committed treason,” or
“Jonathan Pollard committed
treason against the United
States.” He of course did no such
thing. He was guilty of passing
classified information to an ally
(Israel), a serious offense, but one
that carries an average sentence
of about two-four years. Whether
Aaron means to or not, he insults
Israel when he uses the word
“treason,” because Israel is an ally
of the U.S. The term “treason”
has a specific meaning, not whatever Aaron decides to make his
column sound more powerful.
I have seen Aaron speak at
a synagogue and I assume he is a
reasonably smart man. So I don’t
know whether he continues to
mislead his readers by genuine
error or do so deliberately. Alan
Dershowitz has written eloquently about the Pollard case.
Pollard has been a victim of gross
injustice, made an example of by
Caspar Weinberger and U.S. officials because of Pollard’s identity as a Jew. He has served far
longer than anyone else who
committed a comparable offense,
and continues to be denied parole. Is Aaron’s position that he
refuses to stand up to prejudice
against Jews if he personally dislikes the person or because they
make him uncomfortable?
Finally, Aaron recently
wrote that “Pollard’s actions call
into question the loyalty of
American Jews.” Try replacing
the words “American Jews” with
any other group and see how that
Dr. Avivah
Zornberg
statement sounds. That sentence
Aaron wrote is a fundamentally
illiberal one, at odds with the
principle that individuals must
be judged according to their own
actions. It would be a racist or
prejudiced line if written by a different author about a different
group, and Aaron wouldn’t hesitate to criticize it.
I am proud that there are
members of the American Jewish
establishment working on behalf
of Pollard, even if I think that it
is a futile effort at this point. Pollard’s treatment is one of the
clearest examples of prejudiced
treatment of a Jew, and letting it
stand, or even worse, defending
his treatment, does a disservice
to the Jewish community.
“From Another Shore: Moses and Korach”
Monday, May 11th, 2015 • 7:30 pm
Temple Beth Israel • 3601 Dempster, Skokie, IL
cosponsored by
Temple Beth Israel, Kol Sasson Congregation and Davar Skokie
Learn with Dr. Zornberg in person and come to Orot
to study her newest book in depth:
What Do We Find When We Go to the Wilderness?
An exploration of Avivah Zornberg’s new volume
on the Book of Numbers, “Bewilderments”
with Rebecca Minkus-Lieberman
Name withheld by request
Friday mornings 10:30 am - 12:00
Mallinckrodt Community Center • 1041A Ridge Rd, Wilmette, IL
Write to us
We’d like to hear what
you think about any of our
articles or about any Jewish issue. E-mail us at
[email protected] or
write us at: Letters,
Chicago Jewish News,
5301
W.
Dempster,
Skokie, Ill. 60077.
April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 29, and June 5
Avivah Zornberg’s “Bewilderments” employs her extraordinary approach
to Torah study that interweaves traditional biblical commentaries, Hasidic
teachings, midrash, psychology, philosophy, and her own penetrating
insights into the narrative of Numbers. In this class, we will read through
the book together and explore the fascinating questions and themes that
she introduces and use them as access points into deeper examination
of the biblical text and of ourselves.
Register: www.orotcenter.org
[email protected]
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].
10
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Senior Living
Remembering her mother’s Holocaust agony, daughter rekindles a search
By Hillel Kuttler
JTA
The pain of losing close relatives in the Holocaust is so
acute that it has afflicted multiple generations of Audrey
Greenberg’s clan.
Greenberg, of Los Angeles, has a
suitcase filled with photographs
showing her late mother, Ruth,
as a girl. The pictures also include other family members of
Ruth’s parents, Yerachmiel and
Sarah Leibenbaum.
Starting in 1922, one or two
at a time, five of Ruth’s sisters
and their parents departed their
ancestral home of Skidel,
Poland, and settled in Chicago.
Ruth, the youngest of nine – two
brothers died in infancy – was
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Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Both Sides
The Iranian deal panic gap
By Rob Eshman
Los Angeles Jewish Journal
Recently Foreign Policy
magazine released a poll of 921
scholars of international relations at colleges and universities
across the United States. By a 7to-1 margin, the scholars agreed
that the proposed deal with Iran
will “have a positive impact on
regional stability.”
Around the same time, the
Huffington Post’s Charlotte Alfred interviewed Israel’s four
leading Iran analysts on their
opinion of the proposed framework for a deal negotiated between Iran and the P5 +1
countries. These are Farsi-speaking scholars with deep expertise
in the intricacies of Iranian-Israeli relations, and, as Israelis, are
hyper-aware of the risks a nuclear
Iran poses. Their consensus: The
deal, though not without risks, is
a positive development.
Their responses are best
summed up in this quote from
the Iranian-born Meir Javedanfar of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, who is the
editor of the Iran-Israel Observer.
“It’s not a perfect draft,” Javedanfar said, “but it’s a good start.”
President Obama
This is a (simplified) way of
explaining how three of the leading experts – if not the leading
experts – on Iranian nuclear negotiations view the deal thus far.
Gary Samore, who was President
Barack Obama’s original negotiator with Iran; David Albright of
the Institute for Science and International Security; and Olli
Heinonen, a former deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency,
all see the framework as a possible way forward, though far from
perfect. Albright and Samore
are a bit more sanguine
than Heinonen, but none is talking in the do-or-die tones of the
SEE DEAL
ON
PAG E 1 3
Obama is selling us a lemon
By David Suissa
Los Angeles Jewish Journal
It’s easy to be lulled or seduced by President Barack
Obama’s confident demeanor.
He always appears so reasonable.
Obama will need all of his persuasive powers to sell us on his
“framework” agreement with
Iran because the agreement is a
lemon – a dangerous lemon.
At its best, it is a deal that
empowers the world’s biggest
sponsor of terrorism in the hope
that it will eventually become
more responsible. Beyond that,
the president made a serious
strategic concession when negotiating a nuclear deal with the
Iranian regime.
“What began as negotiations to prevent an Iranian capability to develop a nuclear
arsenal are ending with an agreement that concedes this very capability,” Henry Kissinger and
George Shultz wrote in the Wall
Street Journal.
What makes this meta concession especially dangerous is
that, under Obama’s watch, Iran
has already reached the 1-yard
line of nuclear breakout – two to
three months. Now, we’re nego-
tiating to push them back a few
more yards (to 12 months) in the
hope that they’ll stay there for 10
years because of tight inspections.
It’s bad enough that the Iranians are world-class cheaters who
can run circles around United Nations inspectors. What’s really
scary is that under this deal,
they won’t even have to.
“Iran does not have to
cheat,” Marc Thiessen wrote in
the Washington Post. “That’s because most provisions of the deal
expire in 10 years, and the deal
does not require Iran to dismantle or destroy any of its nuclear
facilities, allow snap inspections,
stop enrichment, stop research
and development on advanced
centrifuges or stop the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles.”
In other words, Obama’s deal
will leave a cheating, evil and
predatory regime with two wonderful options: Either cheat and
build your nuclear bomb, or don’t
cheat and wait 10 years to build
it. In the meantime, you get a
kosher stamp from America.
Obama’s standard argument
is that his deal may not be ideal,
but it’s a lot better than doing
nothing or “going to war.” Indeed, Obama has expressed such
public disdain for military action
that he has lost most of his leverage. Maybe he was afraid the Iranians would call his military bluff.
But as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak wrote in Time
magazine, a surgical strike on key
nuclear facilities in Iran “would
be closer to the raid that killed
Osama bin Laden than to the invasion of Iraq.”
The point is, only a credible military threat could have
given Obama the leverage to negotiate a good deal. Without it,
he ended up making one concession after another and calling it
“the best deal we can get.”
Instead of showing eagerness
to disarm an evil regime, Obama
has shown eagerness to make a
deal. The wily Iranians smelled
this eagerness and pounced. This
is a classic case of the tourist in a
Middle Eastern bazaar who keeps
telling a rug merchant that
he absolutely loves this rug.
Should he be surprised if the
price keeps going up?
What’s worse, since announcing his tentative deal,
Obama has shown even more eagerness to make it happen, with
his administration going on a
full-scale offensive to sell it.
SEE LEMON
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PAG E 1 3
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Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Deal
CONTINUED
F RO M PAG E
11
pundits.
Heinonen raised an especially astute point: Considering
the degree of complexity in the
deal’s technical details, why not
push back the agreement deadline of June 30 by a few weeks or
so? It won’t surprise me if
Obama does just that.
My favorite expert quote?
This one, from nonproliferation
scholar Jeffrey Lewis: “OK, I
admit it,” Lewis wrote in Foreign
Policy. “I thought this framework
was going to suck. Actually, it’s
not bad.”
In much the same vein as
these experts, even the definitive
critique of the agreement, written by former U.S. Secretaries of
State Henry Kissinger and
George Shultz for the Wall
Street Journal, did not call on
the president to scrap the
progress made thus far.
When you drill down beyond their critique to their actual, “So, now what?” it comes
down to this:
“The follow-on negotiations
must carefully address a number
of key issues,” they wrote, “The
ability to resolve these and similar issues should determine the
decision over whether or when
the U.S. might still walk away
from the negotiations.”
This is all very different from
what we are hearing from much of
Congress, and many commentators. Politicians like Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton and
House Speaker John Boehner are
speaking in apocalyptic tones, saying the deal must be scrapped in
its entirety. Mainstream Jewish
leaders are backing Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s effort to insert a “poison pill”
amendment into a bipartisan bill
calling for congressional oversight
of the deal that will require Iran to
recognize Israel. And even the
center-left columnist Ari Shavit
opposes the framework in apoplectic terms.
“What should I do when
Washington might once again
make another terrible historic
mistake?” Shavit wrote in
Politico.
So, on the one hand, you
have all these experts lined up
saying, “Proceed, but with caution,” while, on the other hand,
you have a loud chorus of politicians, pundits and activists saying, “Kill it, or we all die.” And
I’ve been wondering: Why?
I’m not sure how to explain
the panic gap between people
who are truly expert in the field
of Iran, nukes and international
relations, and the “anti” crowd.
But I think it’s likely that there
are two debates going on simultaneously. One is on how best to
keep Iran nuke free for the
longest possible time. The other
is about President Obama:
whether he knows what he’s
doing, whether he “has Israel’s
back,” whether he can be
trusted.
The former debate is strategic and technical, with no perfect answers. The latter debate,
about Obama, is mostly political
and often visceral. One debate
focuses on the elements of the
deal. The other debate inevitably
focuses on the character of the
man making the deal.
You can see the contrails of
the latter debate wafting through
many criticisms of the deal.
These pundits and politicians
quickly leave behind a discussion
of the deal and turn their attention to the president. They try to
frame the deal as part of a larger
pattern of what they see as his
weaknesses, or as part of some
imagined “pivot to Iran,” or – and
this is really common – as a desperate attempt to secure his
legacy because rescuing the economy from a depression, passing a
landmark law for universal health
care, ending a worthless decadeslong Cuba policy and bringing
Iran to the negotiating table
through crippling sanctions only
makes a guy so-so.
I believe Obama’s motives
are much more straightforward: I
think he wants to keep Iran from
developing nuclear weapons.
The deal needs work, no question. Congress should play a constructive role in making it
better. So should Israel. But listen, if you will, to the experts:
This path, not without pitfalls, is
the smartest one to follow.
Lemon
CONTINUED
F RO M PAG E
The future is
in your hands.
11
Is it any wonder that the Iranians have been in full chutzpah
mode, challenging the American
interpretation of the agreement
and threatening to walk away if
their demands are not met?
The Iranian interests are
clear: money, power and legitimacy. Because nothing in
Obama’s deal addresses Iran’s
sponsorship of terrorism, Iran
will be able to take billions in
sanctions relief and continue to
wreak havoc across the Middle
East in places like Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon and Yemen.
“If the Iranians are this aggressive under ‘crippling’ economic sanctions, imagine how
they will behave when they are
flush with cash,” Thiessen wrote.
It’s extraordinary how Iran
has turned the tables on America – how an evil regime has
toyed with the most powerful
country in the world.
Even prominent moderates
like author Ari Shavit are worried. “When we add all the fateful questions about the Lausanne
agreement,” Shavit wrote in
Haaretz. “we get a strong feeling
that something very dire is happening right before our eyes.”
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with a degree in biology and will be
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Prime Minister Netanyahu
All of this must be disheartening to Obama supporters who
are hoping that, somehow, the
president will be able to
strengthen the agreement during
final negotiations. They shouldn’t get their hopes up too high.
Unless Obama can tone
down his desperation to make a
deal and regain the leverage of
his great nation, the lemon on
the table will likely become even
more bitter.
Not even a cool and confident president will be able to
hide that.
www.yu.edu | 212.960.5277 | [email protected]
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14
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH
Autism self-advocate recognized for work on inclusion of people with disabilities
By Julie Wiener
JTA
When Ari Ne’eman was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at age 12, his life changed.
Keshet observes...
Autism Awareness
Month
“My brother Adam has autism.
His kind and joyful nature
inspires me every day. He
doesn’t judge, but rather loves
everyone exactly the way they
are. He has strengthened me
more than he will ever know and
I pledge to never stop promoting
acceptance.”
Adam’s sister, Jessie
keshet.org
Keshet is a partner in serving
g our our
our
community, supported by the Jewish United
Fund/Jewish Federation
Administrators at the Conservative Jewish day school that
Ne’eman had attended for years
said they were not comfortable
serving an autistic student, so he
ended up transferring to a “segregated special-ed school.”
Later, instead of attending
the local neighborhood high
school that was a five-minute
walk from his house in East
Brunswick, N.J., he traveled an
hour and a half to a special-ed
school that had “drastically lower
academic standards” and a vocational prep program that seemed
more focused on saving money
than on providing meaningful
career help.
“That to my mind informed
my sense that if people with disabilities, including autistic people,
were going to have opportunities
in society, we needed to become
politically active,” he said.
So become politically active
he did, co-founding the Autism
Self-Advocacy Network, or
ASAN, in 2006, soon after graduating high school. By 22 he’d been
nominated by President Barack
Obama to the National Council
on Disability, a federal agency that
advises Congress and the president
on disability policy.
Ne’eman, now 27, just received the second annual Morton E. Ruderman Award in
Inclusion, a $100,000 Ruderman
Family Foundation prize that recognizes “an individual who has
made an extraordinary contribution to the inclusion of people
with disabilities in the Jewish
world and the greater public.”
“The award is recognizing
his accomplishments, what he’s
been able to do in terms of furthering inclusion, but it’s also
recognizing his potential to have
an impact throughout his career,” Jay Ruderman, the foundation’s president, said.
“Society often looks at people with disabilities as people
who are inferior who need to be
either cured or help, and help
often means segregation: separate
schools, work forces or housing,”
he added. “Ari is perhaps one of
the leading voices in our country
telling the disabilities and general communities that people
with disabilities have rights they
deserve to receive.”
“Like many Jews with disabilities, I haven’t always felt
welcome or included in the Jewish community,” Ne’eman said.
“I look forward to the day when I
feel as welcome as a disabled person in the Jewish community as I
feel as a Jew in the disability
rights movement.”
While the majority of his activism has been on inclusion in
general, not specifically within
Jewish institutions, Ne’eman said
there are several issues in the Jewish community of concern to him.
He would like to see fewer Jewish
institutions use the religious ex-
Ari Ne’eman
emption from the Americans
with Disabilities Act to avoid
complying with the law’s provisions, and have Jewish social service providers focus on inclusion
rather than maintaining or supporting separate facilities and programs for those with disabilities.
Ne’eman, who is engaged to
a rabbinical student at the Conservative movement’s Jewish
Theological Seminary, said Jewish life – he attends several congregations in Washington – has
always been important to him.
Asked if his fiancee is also autistic and/or involved in disability
rights, Ne’eman said he prefers
not to share information about
her in the media.
“We each have our own
work, and neither of us wants to
be seen as just the partner of the
other,” he explained.
As the president of the
Washington-based ASAN, run
by and for autistic people, Ne’eman has spoken out on an array
of disability issues and enjoyed
some key policy victories. A
major legislative focus right now
is changing a loophole in the federal minimum wage law that allows employers to pay disabled
workers less than the minimum
wage. His group also provides advocacy and leadership training
for autistic people throughout
the United States.
“A very big part of the reason ASAN was founded was the
sense that many more-established advocacy organizations did
not adequately represent our interests,” he explained. “We felt
we should have been at the center of the discussion.”
Ne’eman, whose disability is
not detectable in a phone interview, said, “Many of us learn various skills to ‘pass’ in day-to-day
life, but it can be exhausting,
time consuming and take a lot of
energy. A very big part of our
work is to attempt to build social
acceptance so passing is less necessary.”
“In many ways it’s similar to
the dynamic in the Jewish community – the tension between efforts to fit in and a desire for
community and acceptance on
our own terms.”
15
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
THEMaven
Chicago Jewish News
JEWS IN THE NEWS…
■ Commercial real estate broker Goldie Wolfe Miller and
public relations executive Al
Golin, will receive honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters degrees at Roosevelt University’s
Spring 2015 Commencement.
Wolfe Miller will deliver the
Commencement address. After
starting out in advertising, Wolfe
Miller, a 1967 Roosevelt graduate, class president and valedictorian, used her negotiating skills
to become a successful real estate
broker. In 1988, the Chicago
Sun-Times named her Broker of
the Year. During her illustrious
40-year career, she completed
approximately $3 billion in
transactions, making her one of
the country’s most successful female real estate brokers and one
of the industry’s most soughtafter professionals.
Golin, founder of the Golin
public relations and communications firm, gained McDonald’s as
a client after he made a cold call
to former CEO Ray Kroc during
the restaurant’s early years. He
and his firm have maintained a
strong relationship with McDonald’s ever since.
■ Hanna Kaufman, a thirdyear Honors Scholar at IIT
Chicago-Kent College of Law,
addressed the White House
Forum on Increasing Access to
Justice. The forum was attended
by senior officials of the Obama
administration, federal agency
representatives, members of the
federal and state judiciary, policymakers and lawmakers. Kaufman was the only law student
invited to address the forum.
In her presentation, “Law
Students + Technology = Closing the Justice Gap,” Kaufman
discussed ways in which law students are moving beyond traditional curriculum paradigms,
learning “lawyering skills of the
future,” and how those skills can
help the next generation of
lawyers and legal organizations
provide access to justice for underserved groups and individuals.
■ Chicagoland Jewish High
School’s Model United Nations
team came in first place at the
International Model UN Conference in New York. 3,800
high school students were in attendance from 230 different
high schools representing 20
different countries. In addition
to the team award, three CJHS
students won individual awards
and nine students were given
the honor of speaking at the
closing Plenary Session held in
the General Assembly of the
UN.
IN F
CUS
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, right, at the Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol with Holocaust
survivor Margit Meissner.
During the Day of Remembrance ceremony at the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum, Chicago teacher and longtime
Holocaust educator Joyce Witt, front row left, was surprised by
her family with her name unveiled on the Museum’s Donor Wall.
Her nephew, Eddie Leshin, also of Chicago, donated $50,000 to
have his aunt’s name inscribed on the wall as a 70th birthday gift
for her in recognition of her commitment to Holocaust education. Witt was a world history teacher at Highland Park High
School for 30 years and has taught Jewish studies for more than
30 years at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El.
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16
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Death Notices
Arthur D. Hershkowitz, age
89, passed away peacefully,
surrounded by his loving
family. A highly decorated
veteran of WWII, Arthur
served in the Army Air Corps,
flying 30 missions over Japan
in a B-29 and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Beloved husband for 62 years
to Florrie, nee Gootrad.
Cherished father of Larry (Susan) Herst, Barbara (Richard)
Helfand and Joanne (Harry)
Gold. Devoted grandfather
of Carly, Liza, Betsy, Ben,
Alex, Charles, Rachel and
Freddy. Dear brother of the
late Chick (survived by Marian) Hershkowitz. Arrangements by Mitzvah Memorial
Funerals.
Bernard Pinkus, age 89.
Beloved husband of the late
Gloria, nee Weintraub.
Cherished father of Jerry,
Larry (friend Marney Keiper)
and Geoffrey (Katherine)
Pinkus. Devoted grandfather of Alexandra, Danielle,
Harrison, Jacob and Lucas.
Dear brother of the late
George (Shirley) Pinkus and
Jeanette (Harry) Sohn. Fond
uncle and great-uncle of
many nieces and nephews.
Arrangements by Mitzvah
Memorial Funerals.
Lorraine Shield, nee Fishman
beloved wife of Herbert
Shield. Loving Mother of
Robin Shield and Terry
Shield. In lieu of flowers re-
membrances to The Jewish
United Fund or your preferred charity would be appreciated. Arrangements by
Mitzvah Memorial Funerals.
Harold Starkman, loving companion of 15 years to Dolores
Pick. Father of Stephen Starkman and Donna Hartman.
Grandfather of Andrew Starkman and Zachary Hartman.
Brother of Ann Kaplan and
Beatrice Segal. In lieu of flow-
ers remembrances to Make A
Wish foundation would be appreciated. Ar-rangements by
Mitzvah Memorial Funerals.
Irving Simon Ungar, born December 17, 1913, in Chicago,
passed away April 16, in
Chicago at the age of 101.
His wife, Carlyn Strauss Ungar, passed away July 6, 2014
after 76 years of marriage.
He is a past president of Temple Sholom of Chicago. Lov-
ing father of Carol Ungar of
Denver, CO and Edward (Judith) Ungar of New Port
Richey, FL. Proud grandfather
of Lawr-ence (Kristin) Ungar
of Austin, TX and Stephen
(Denise) Ungar of San Diego,
CA, great grandfather of Lina
and Jessica Ungar of Austin,
TX and Alexis and Kyle Ungar
of San Diego, CA and great
great grandfather of Ava Ungar-Long of Austin, TX. In
lieu of flowers, memorials
may be sent to Temple
Sholom of Chicago. Arrangements by Lakeshore Jewish
Funerals (773) 625-8621.
Elio Toaff, chief rabbi of Rome for 51 years
ROME (JTA) – Elio Toaff,
the chief rabbi of Rome for 51
years, has died, two weeks before
his 100th birthday. Toaff served
as chief rabbi from 1951 to 2002
and is considered an important
figure in the history of Italy and
European Jewry.
He welcomed Pope John
Paul II on his historic April 1986
visit to the Great Synagogue, the
first known visit by a pope to a
synagogue in some 2,000 years.
During World War II, already a rabbi, Toaff fought Nazi
Elio Toaff
fascism with the Italian partisans
and witnessed the crimes committed by the Nazis in the
Sant’Anna di Stazzema massacre.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said of Toaff’s death,
“We have lost a giant.”
Renzo Gattegna, president
of the Union of Italian Jewish
Communities, said Toaff “was a
leader and a point of reference.
We will never forget him.”
Toaff was buried in the Jewish cemetery in his hometown of
Leghorn.
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17
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
TALK ABOUT MAZEL TOVS
Chicago's Emanuel Congregation celebrates
Rabbi Herman Schaalman's 99th birthday
and 74th anniversary as a rabbi,
his wife Lotte's 100th birthday, and
the couple's 74th wedding anniversary
By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood
Managing Editor
Rabbi Herman Schaalman
has been a leader in Reform Judaism in America and internationally for more than 50 years,
as well as a beloved congregational leader in Chicago, has
walls upon walls of awards and
testimonials.
But perhaps his longtime
friend and protégé, Rabbi
Michael Zedek, sums up Schaalman’s character in the most succinct way.
“He’s simply a mensch,”
Zedek says.
An enduring mensch. At
the end of May, Emanuel Congregation will hold a celebration
marking Schaalman’s 99th birthday, his wife Lotte’s 100th, as
well as Schaalman’s 74th year as
a rabbi and the couple’s 74th
wedding anniversary.
T
he details of Schaalman’s
extraordinary life are well
known to his many Chicago-area
devotees. Born in Germany, he
was one of just five young rabbinical students to receive an opportunity to come to the United
States in 1935 to study at the Reform movement’s seminary in
Cincinnati – and not so incidentally escape the Holocaust.
This distinguished “Gang of
Five,” each chosen by Rabbi Leo
Baeck, included, besides Schaalman, Gunther Plaut, Woli Kaelter, Alfred Wolf and Leo
Lichtenberg. Each went on to a
distinguished career in the
American rabbinate. Schaalman
is the only one still alive.
Escaping the Holocaust in
this way profoundly influenced
Schaalman’s thinking, he has
said.
Richard Damashek, the author of an exhaustive book on
Schaalman, “A Brand Plucked
From the Fire: The Life of Rabbi
Herman E. Schaalman” (KTAV
Publishing House), related in a
2014 interview with Chicago
Jewish News that he attended a
seminar on interfaith relations in
which Schaalman participated.
At the end, an audience member
asked the rabbi where G-d was
during the Holocaust.
“He shot back, ‘G-d was in
the camps with His people,’”
Damashek recalls. “That just
went straight to my psyche. It
was the most profound answer.”
Schaalman came to see G-d
not as an omnipotent, omnipresent deity hovering above
mankind, but as a creature capable of suffering, just like us.
After he came to America,
Schaalman was ordained and
married Lotte the next day (rabbinical students at the Reform
movement seminary were not allowed to be married). After a
stint at a synagogue in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, he moved to
Chicago, along with Lotte and
their two children, and served as
Emanuel Congregation’s senior
rabbi for more than 32 years, remaining active as rabbi emeritus
for 27 more.
Even before his retirement
in 1986, the tributes and accolades, testimonials and awards
began pouring in, from the Order
of First Class Merit from the
president of Germany to board
positions with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago,
the American Jewish Committee, Chicago Board of Rabbis,
American Friends of Hebrew
University.
He participated as an educator in the venerable Jewish
Chautauqua Society, taught at
Barat College, DePaul University and North Park Seminary
and became an adjunct professor
at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, a position he held
well into his 90s. He was a close
friend of both Cardinal Joseph
Bernardin and the recently deceased Cardinal Francis George.
He is a former president of
the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and served in leadership
roles in a number of interfaith organizations, becoming known for
his work in promoting interreligious understanding. He received
both the Award of Laureate in
Ecumenical and Inter-religious
Affairs, conferred on him by Cardinal Bernardin, and the Julius
Rosenwald Memorial Award, the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago’s most prestigious
Rabbi Herman and Lotte Schaalman
honor. Dozens more followed.
But those are only plaques
and pieces of paper, however impressive. Those who know
Schaalman say the man behind
them is the one who should be
remembered and celebrated.
Damashek, the author of last
year’s Schaalman biography, said
he wrote the book partly because
he didn’t feel Schaalman’s contributions to American Jewry
had ever been fully acknowledged.
As a rabbinic leader and
president of the Reform Rabbis
Association, he had a profound
influence on issues of interfaith
marriages and patrilineal descent, among other issues,
Damashek says.
“He became a major leader
in Reform Judaism once he
started taking positions in the
Central Conference of American
Rabbis,” the Reform movement’s
rabbinical arm, Damashek says.
“He chaired a committee on
mixed marriages, and out of that
came a much more liberal policy
of Reform Judaism. Nine years
later, the subject of children of
mixed marriages came up, and
(Schaalman) ended up on the
committee on patrilineal descent.”
That committee ruled that a
child who has a single Jewish parent, mother or father, and who
was brought up in a Jewish home
should be considered Jewish.
“That was radical, and it
put (Reform Judaism) outside the
pale of traditional Judaism,”
Damashek says. “It totally
changed everything and opened
up Reform congregations to a
much wider acceptance of people
of different faiths. It has been a
major saving grace for Reform Judaism and for Judaism in general.”
Schaalman also pioneered
the notion of a G-d who is not
omnipotent or omnipresent and
who suffers along with His people.
The title of the book came
from a phrase Schaalman used
during his acceptance speech as
CCAR president, in which he
spoke about “rescuing this brand
from the conflagration,” referring
to his own survival of the Holocaust.
Damashek also notes that
when he brought up the idea of
writing a book about Schaalman,
“he looked at me like, oh, you’ve
got to be kidding. Why would
anyone be interested in a biography about me? That was astonishing.”
T
hat personal modesty and
habit of focusing on the
other person is typical of Schaalman, those who know him well
18
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
say.
“He’s a fond and exceptional
and caring person,” Zedek says.
“Combine that with a remarkably sharp intellect, one that
generally defies the stereotypes
we associate with age – that the
older person is always looking
backwards – and he is the quintessential iconoclast.”
Schaalman “is invariably
pushing the boundaries, trying to
find new ways of dealing with
tradition and modernity,” Zedek
says, noting that “few and far between are the people who are
willing to take the risks of doing
that. He is still exploring areas
that are rarely if ever engaged,
mainly because people are fearful
of the territory.”
One example he cites is
Schaalman’s lifelong concern for
observing the boundaries among
religion, observance, G-d and
tradition.
“As far as I know, he’s been
doing this as long as I’ve been
aware of him; that’s been a consistent thread,” he says.
Zedek, Emanuel’s senior
rabbi since 2005, says Schaalman
has not only had a tremendous
influence on the wider Jewish
world, but on him.
“That’s why I’m here,” he
says. “I knew nothing about
Emanuel before I accepted the
position. It was because of my desire to be in proximity to him.”
Schaalman’s unique influence, he says, involves a combination of boundary-breaking
with simple human decency and
love.
“There are people who
enjoy breaking other people’s
confidences and truth. He is engaging in this introspective and
creative thought process combined with an exquisite decency,” Zedek says.
“You have to put on armor
when you push boundaries, but
it’s very hard to push back
against someone who is such a
good, kind, open human being.
There is not a jealous guarding –
like, I came up with this theory,
back off buddy. You can see his
youthful vigor – metaphorically
of course. The way he will tilt his
head – you know he is pondering
in the deepest way.”
Schaalman’s influence on
the Jewish world has been immeasurable, Zedek says.
“In my mind there are people to whom he is their
metaphorical lifeline to the Jewish people,” he says. “He is a
bridge among communities with
some of his awesome pioneering
work. And to do so with a rich
integrity – not persuading people
they are wrong but that he is interested in learning from you. He
has had an amazing impact on
rabbis and American Jewish life
in the non-Orthodox Jewish
world.”
Zedek doesn’t want people
to forget that Schaalman’s work
hasn’t been all theoretical. “He
touched the larger community,
but in addition to his work across
The Schaalmans with Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.
religious
communities,
he
worked in communities to create
social justice,” he says, noting
that Schaalman was one of the
creators of Care for Real, a community service non-profit that
helps people in need in Chicago’s
Edgewater neighborhood.
As for Lotte Schaalman, “it’s
an understatement to say they
have an amazing relationship,”
Zedek says. “They have been remarkable partners, especially in
the way they constantly point to
the other as the reason for things
going well for both of them.”
The “easy cliché,” he says,
“is that she was the Platonic
ideal of what we mean by the
term rebbetzin. That notion has
fallen out of favor, but she never
fell into or out of it, she just embraced it. She clearly played a
supportive role but she also
played her own role in the congregation.”
Just a few years ago, Zedek
says, Lotte Schaalman regularly
called temple members to recruit
them for honors at services.
“It’s impossible to summarize
it,” Zedek says. “We’re all exceedingly blessed. They are both
treasures for those of us who have
the chance to be with them, to
be touched by them.”
Jerry Kaye, director of OlinSang-Ruby Union Institute, the
Reform movement’s summer
camp, has known Schaalman for
years. Schaalman was the first director of the camp, in 1952, and
the chair of the committee that
hired Kaye, he related in a recent
phone conversation.
“But more important than
any of that, he really devoted
himself to the programs and the
focus of what camp is and what
it does,” Kaye says. “He was one
of those people who was dependably teaching every summer, and
the kids loved him.”
He recalls that Schaalman
taught in a work-study program,
Avodah Corps, for teens entering
their senior year in high school.
“He met with them every
day for two weeks and in the
course of those meetings he developed a real relationship with
those kids,” Kaye says. “He had a
wide variety of involvements and
interests in the Jewish community in Chicago, the country and
the world, and he was able to really lend a different viewpoint of
Jewish commitment and engagement to those kids and to all of
his students.”
Schaalman’s vision, he says,
was different from many others
in the Jewish world.
“The major difference has
always been that he saw his mission in life as teaching Torah in
the broadest sense, whether to
Jews or non-Jews,” he says. “He
was involved in the Catholic
Theological Union for decades.
He was connected to the
(Catholic) archdiocese.”
Although Schaalman made
his living as a congregational
rabbi, “he never asked anyone to
pay for lectures, speeches, classes.
He thought, and still thinks, he
shouldn’t be paid for doing what
he was supposed to do as a rabbi,”
Kaye says. “He never had a contract with the synagogue, which
is different from dozens and
dozens of rabbis today. He said, if
they don’t want me, giving a
contract won’t stop them, and if
I want to leave, a contract won’t
keep me. Nobody ever wanted
him gone.”
On a more personal note,
Kaye says, “as a person, he devoted himself to his relationships. If he was going to be your
friend, he was going to be your
friend. He was devoted to and
continues to be devoted to Lotte
through thick and thin. She has
gone through a lot of complicated moments in terms of illness
and he was always there for her –
always – and she for him. He was
devoted to his congregation.”
Schaalman, he says, was
“not only a teaching rabbi, a pastor, he served his congregants in
all the parts of their lives.”
A
t his home, Schaalman answers the phone himself,
sounding remarkably youthful,
and in a brief conversation, expresses both his sorrow at the loss
of his friend, Cardinal Francis
George, and his “bewilderment”
at his and his wife’s longevity.
“I don’t understand how it’s
happening,” he says. “I’ve lived
almost a century. Why should
this happen to the two of us, to
us?”
To sum up his impressions of
the modern world would take
much longer than a single phone
call, he says. “But on the whole I
find some things very admirable
and some highly objectionable.
On the whole I’m a very happy
person and I look at the world as
something that needs to be improved and that could be improved,” he says. “I’ve felt that
way just about my whole life and
it has intensified as I got older.”
His wife, he reports, is doing
“remarkably well. She takes care
of herself. She is altogether a
very self-sufficient person.”
If he has any wisdom to pass
on to younger generations, he
says, it is this: “I am basically optimistic about the world and especially about what Jews need to
do in it. I think we Jews have a
very special assignment in this
world, it’s very clear to me. It’s
necessary for Jews to be Jews and
be doing what being Jewish
means to me in terms of justice,
peace and human sensitivities.”
Wished the traditional Jewish blessing of “to 120,” he
chuckles. “Not for me,” he says.
“That’s too much.”
In truth, it may not be
nearly enough.
The Schaalman Centenary
Celebration marking Rabbi Herman and Lotte Schaalman’s 99th
and 100th birthdays takes place
from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, May 31 at
Emanuel Congregation, 5959 N.
Sheridan Road, Chicago. Moderator will be political columnist Carol
Marin. Guest speaker is Ambassador David Saperstein, ambassador
of International Religious Freedom
in the State Dept. Visit
www.emanuelcongregation.org or
call (773) 561-5173 for information.
Emanuel Congregation will
also establish the Rabbi Herman
and Lotte Schaalman Fund. Proceeds from the event will support educational and leadership initiatives.
19
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Senior Living
Survivor
CONTINUED
F RO M PAG E
10
the last to leave, in 1932 at age
15. In America, the parents
changed the family’s surname to
Bloom.
One photograph in particular haunts Greenberg – the image
of eight relatives left behind. Her
aunt Bluma Achun, Bluma’s husband, Yitzhak, and their six children are posing in front of their
stone house in Skidel. The
youngest child, a girl about 3, sits
on a chair holding a framed portrait of Ruth, who had mailed
the image after moving to
Chicago. Everyone is dressed formally. A dog lounges in the foreground.
It is a fine scene – and a
heartbreaking one because they
are all presumed killed in the
Holocaust. Greenberg remembers Ruth receiving a letter from
the American Red Cross stating
that Yitzhak met his end in
Auschwitz. Greenberg knows
neither the others’ fate nor the
children’s names.
However, a Yad Vashem
page of testimony that Ruth
filled out reveals the children’s
identities: Chana, 14; LibeRochel, 12; Elke, 10; Moshe, 8;
Avromel, 6; and Yocheved, 4.
Ruth completed the form on
Oct. 27, 1974, at the Los Angeles office of the Council of Postwar Jewish Organizations, which
presumably acted on Yad
Vashem’s behalf. Ruth wrote that
her relatives were killed in the
Holocaust, but didn’t know
where or when; it’s also unclear
as of what date the children’s
ages were calculated.
Greenberg remembers Ruth
telling her that the littlest girl
had fled and was sheltered by a
Christian family. Another time,
Ruth related that the girl was
thrown into the air by a Nazi soldier and shot in front of Yitzhak
and Bluma.
Why the clashing versions
of Yocheved’s fate? Who provided the information? Greenberg has no idea.
“My mother didn’t tuck me
in bed with little fairy tales. She
tucked me in with these stories,”
said Greenberg, 69.
Her mother also wouldn’t let
her and her elder brother,
Arnold, out of sight, Greenberg
said. Greenberg internalized the
message and would hide invitations she received to friends’
birthday parties. Yet when Ruth
and her husband, Benjamin,
were readying to go out one
evening, and Greenberg begged
them to stay, Ruth dramatically
shed her coat and announced angrily that they would remain
home.
“I felt terrible, that I was to
blame. I felt a lot of guilt,”
Greenberg said.
Many years ago, when a
school administrator picked up
on signs that Greenberg’s only
child, Joshua, was exhibiting separation anxiety, Greenberg decided to confront the damage.
She entered therapy and would
attend four sessions weekly for
many years.
“He got healthier and I got
healthier,” she said.
The source of the anxiety,
Greenberg figures, was her
mother’s trauma. Greenberg recalls Ruth as a depressed, “very
difficult woman,” but extends
ample empathy, too.
“My mother was heartbroken until the day she died about
Bluma and Bluma’s family,”
Greenberg said. “She cried every
day.”
The roots of the tortured
chain, she believes, went back
even further to Ruth’s feeling
abandoned as a 5-year-old, when
Yerachmiel left for America, and
by age 9, when Sarah and the sisters departed, too.
Then came the Holocaust
murders.
“What happened to Bluma,
and how my mother reacted and
then me, and then my son had
separation anxiety because of
me,” she said.
“I think I’m more affected by
the Holocaust because of Bluma.
I get upset. I get angry quickly.”
Myra Giberovitch, a Montrealbased expert on the trauma suffered by Holocaust survivors,
figures that Ruth was struck by
the pain of an “ambiguous loss”
in which the circumstances of
someone’s presumed death aren’t
known.
“She wasn’t there, but she
experienced the emotional impact in the worst way,”
Giberovitch said, going on to
credit Greenberg for “going
through the process of filling in
the details” of the loss by seeking
the facts. That, she said, “can be
a very positive and resilient way
of coping with this tragic history.”
Zvi Bernhardt, the director
of Yad Vashem’s reference and
information department, said
that certain information is
known definitively from records
at the Israeli institution: Yitzhak
was killed in Auschwitz on Jan.
1, 1943; he arrived there from
the Skidel ghetto; he was born
on July 15, 1893; and his father’s
name was Mordechai.
Bernhardt posited that the
rest of the clan died in the ghetto
or was killed upon reaching
Auschwitz. In both scenarios, he
said, the information almost certainly was not recorded. The no-
tion that the Nazis recorded
every death in concentration
camps like Auschwitz, he said, is
wrong; those killed in the hours
after arrival went unnoted.
Why the Achuns remained
behind in Poland when everyone
else had departed, Greenberg
doesn’t know. She remembers
hearing that Yitzhak had
shrugged off concerns about the
dangers.
Greenberg wants to determine what happened to her relatives. Maybe someone in the
picture survived the Holocaust.
“I want to fulfill my mother’s
search,” she said. “It’s important
to me because it was important
to her. There was all that separation. When someone disappears,
there’s no closure.”
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This undated photograph of the Achun family shows Yocheved holding
a photograph of her Aunt Ruth, who was tormented by the presumed
Holocaust deaths of these relatives. (JTA)
SC License 52068, 52084, 52076,
AL License 5104242 © 2015 Belmont Village, L.P.
20
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
Senior Living
Laughter is comedian’s fountain of youth
By Kylie Jane Wakefield
Los Angeles Jewish Journal
Legendary comedian Marty
Allen, who just turned 93, has a
simple secret to longevity.
“I try to have an upbeat attitude all the time,” he said. “I
enjoy entertaining, and I enjoy
life.”
To celebrate his birthday, he
performed at the Downtown
Grand Las Vegas hotel and
casino with his wife, comedy
partner and singer Karon Kate
Blackwell. Onstage, the two
talked about Allen’s autobiography, “Hello Dere!” which came
out last year and features stories
about his interactions with former first lady Betty Ford, Elvis
Presley and The Beatles.
Allen is known for his trademark black hair – which sticks up
from his head as if it’s controlled
by static electricity – and his
Marty Allen
catchphrase, “Hello dere!” The
latter became popular when he
was part of the comedy duo
Allen & Rossi with Steve Rossi
in the 1950s and ’60s. The two
toured the country together,
opened for Nat King Cole and
performed on “The Ed Sullivan
Show” 44 times. The most memorable appearance occurred in
February 1964, when they fol-
lowed The Beatles’ debut American set.
“Sullivan put us on with
The Beatles, and that was one of
the greatest things that ever happened in our lives as far as show
business is concerned,” Allen
said.
The comedian, a Pennsylvania native who was born as Morton David Alpern, currently lives
in Las Vegas but got his start in
Los Angeles. Upon returning
from World War II, he enrolled
at USC as a journalism major.
When he started to get work
doing comedy in local clubs, he
dropped out of school to pursue
show business. He eventually
met Rossi, and the partnership
lasted 15 years.
During Allen’s time in Los
Angeles, he became a regular on
“The Hollywood Squares” (a
celebrity tic-tac-toe game show)
and made numerous guest appearances on shows such as
“Password,” “The Big Valley” and
“Circus of the Stars.”
“Acting was quite a thrill for
me,” Allen said. “I played a lot of
different parts and characterizations. My favorite show that I enjoyed being on was ‘The
Hollywood Squares.’ I was with
so many talents, like Paul Lynde
and Charley Weaver [the alter
ego for Cliff Arquette]. The fact
that you could ad lib on the show
and do your own jokes made it
wonderful to be on.”
At the same time that
Allen’s television and movie career took off, he met Blackwell,
to whom he’s been married for 30
years.
Although Allen does get the
chance to perform a few shows
per year, he said he spends the
rest of his time watching movies
with his wife, reading and going
out with friends. “I’m looking
forward to 100.”
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Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
By Joseph Aaron
CONTINUED
F RO M PAG E
22
with me and then with the Chicago Jewish News White House correspondent who was with me. He was a real mensch when he had no
reason to be. I think his foreign policy views are insane but his menschlichkeit is what we need more of in politics.
Mike Huckabee: So one night I was in a hotel in Jerusalem and I
walked by the spa and who do I see but Mike Huckabee. He was wearing a robe that was frankly a bit too loosely tied and so I saw more of
Mike Huckabee than I cared to. He had just had a massage and was
heading for the shvitz. For a guy who makes himself out to be a simple
bubba from Arkansas, a former preacher who wraps himself in guns,
grits and gravy, there was something jarring about him in a luxury hotel luxuriating. A big phony was the impression I walked away with.
Donald Trump: I can’t get enough of this guy. I love to watch him
give a speech and observe his total megalomania, his total lack of selfawareness, his constantly saying everything he does is the biggest and
the best and the greatest, how he is the most brilliant businessman who
ever walked the face of the earth and how he would teach the Chinese a lesson, how he would make the greatest deals. To see someone
so devoid of any shred of humility or perspective is fascinating. I am
especially fascinated to find out, after he has basically said that this
time he’s serious, he’s running, how he, at the last minute, will back
out. It’s going to be a doozy, of that I am sure.
Jeb Bush: I like him a lot. I think he is the only sane person, the
only humane person, the only thoughtful person in the entire large
herd of Republicans running. He’s too conservative for my blood, but
you can see he is knowledgeable, has carefully considered the issues.
And while I deeply hate all that his brother W. did to this country, the
lies and waste of lives in Iraq, the insane tax cuts and economic decisions that took a balanced budget and a $5 trillion surplus left to him
by Bill Clinton and brought us economic collapse, I have great respect
for his dad, George H. W. I very much admire how the elder Bush handled the end of the Cold War, how he handled Saddam in Kuwait,
how he had the guts to do what was right economically even though
it cost him politically.
I had the honor of meeting with the first President Bush in the
Roosevelt Room of the White House and found him to be a man of
wisdom, grace and good sense. I believe his boy Jeb, unlike his boy W.,
shares those qualities and would make an excellent president.
Which brings us to Hillary. Yes, Hillary is my favorite. I wanted
her to win in 2008 and really want her to win in 2016. I think she is
far and away the most qualified of anyone running, the most sensible,
the one who most cares about people, the one who saw up close the
presidency of Bill Clinton, a superb president who gave us peace and
prosperity, who worked to make the lives of all people better, not just
the one percent, which is all the Republicans care about, despite all
their fake all of a sudden caring about the middle class.
Hillary would work hard to do all she could to improve the quality of life for all Americans and would run a smart foreign policy. And
yes, it’s time we had a woman as president. I think a woman would do
things very much differently than the 44 men who have come before,
and in very healthy ways. Hillary would also continue all the good
things Obama has done, would appoint compassionate people to the
Supreme Court, as Obama has done, and yes, would be a very good
friend of Israel, as Bill was.
Please do me a favor. Look at Hillary’s entire record on Israel, on
how supportive she has always been of Israel, how the large Jewish
community of New York loved her when she was their senator. And
please don’t be a wackobird like too many Jews are, ignoring all that
Hillary has done and said in support of Israel and point only to the fact
that 20 years ago, she hugged Suha Arafat.
Use some sechel, my fellow Jews. Hillary was first lady at the time,
was accompanying the president on an official visit to the Palestinian Authority and so yes, when Arafat’s wife went to hug her, Hillary
hugged back rather than spark an international incident over a triviality. Hillary is a great friend of Israel and the Jewish people and anyone who disqualifies her solely based on her hugging Suha, should be
sent to a mental hospital.
Also show some sechel when every single Republican candidate
pledges, absolutely promises to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to
Jerusalem. They will all say it, but none will actually do it if elected.
Every candidate for the last 30 years has promised to do it and not one
has. So ignore the pandering cheap applause line when evaluating candidates.
One more sechel warning. Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, king
of the Jews, has taken it upon himself to decide which Republican
should be president, based on how much they kiss his ignorant tushie.
Whoever Sheldon tells you to vote for is exactly who you should not
vote for.
The next 18 months should be interesting. And with G-d’s help,
at the end of it all, Jews will have much cause to celebrate the election of Hillary Clinton, our first female president.
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22
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
WHY WE REMAIN JEWS: THE PATH TO FAITH
by Vladimir Tsesis, M.D.
The book about beauty of the Jewish religion and an answer to the question of
why we remain Jews. A remarkable perspective by the author who grew up in
an atheistic family in Soviet Russia and who traversed a path from religious
ignorance to belief in God as the only possible solution for human existence. The
book intersects personal story, popular theology, science and ethics.
[A] very highly recommended for students of Judaism, members of
the Jewish community, as well as both community and academic library Judaic Studies collections. The unifying theme is the beauty of
the Jewish religion and …why adherence to Judaism is so tenacious…
– Midwest Book Review
Why We Remain Jews: The Path To Faith is a valuable and wise
reflection of Jewish history Jewish survival.
– Rabbi David J. Wolpe, author, public speaker.
“A welcome and warm-hearted book that provides both inspiration
and amusement”
Paperback, Kindle, Hardcopy
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And so it begins
Well, presidential politics is very much in the air what with
Hillary and Mario officially jumping in, following Rand and Ted, with
a whole bunch more to come.
And so I thought I’d share a few thoughts about those wishing to
be the next president of the United States. And you thought I was going to talk about Bibi and Iran again didn’t you?
First, a full disclosure. I always thought I was going to be the first
Jewish president. From a very early age, that was my goal. Which is
not as insane as it seems because most of our presidents began thinking of it very early, as in the famous photo of a teenage Bill Clinton
shaking JFK’s hand in the Rose Garden.
I was president of the student council at my yeshiva high school,
president of my senior class, was nicknamed “Mr. President” in my
high school yearbook. I would watch every minute of gavel to gavel
coverage of the political conventions when I was a kid. I memorized
the presidential oath of office when I was five, so I would be ready
when the time came for me to take it.
The point being that I take presidential campaigns very seriously
and very personally. Since I have (mostly) given up the dream of being president, here’s my quick take on those running in 2016. By the
way, if I do decide to throw my yarmulke in the ring, I’ll let you know.
Chris Christie: no clearer example that in politics, timing is
everything. You have your moment and you either take it or you blow
it. As the French say, history is like a galloping horse, if you don’t jump
on as it passes, it is gone forever.
I truly believe that Christie’s time was 2012. I truly believe that
if he ran then, he would have beaten President Obama. Just as
Obama’s time was 2008, and if he had not run then, he would never
have been elected, so 2012 was Christie’s time. He was a fresh face,
authentic, not like any other politician, emotional where Obama is
not, bombastic where Obama is not, and I think he would have captivated a grumpy electorate in 2012. But 2012 is gone forever and so
are Christie’s chances.
Mario Rubio: I kind of feel the same about Rubio. I think if Romney had picked Rubio as his running mate in 2012, they would have
won. Rubio would have brought charisma to a ticket badly in need of
it, would have brought history and the Hispanic vote as the first
Latino, would have brought Florida.
It showed so clearly how flawed a candidate Romney was by his
picking a younger version of himself, the colorless Paul Ryan, rather
than the exciting Rubio. I find Rubio an attractive candidate but don’t
like that he completely changed his views on immigration reform to
please the lunatic Republican right and I don’t like that he is showing no deference to his mentor Jeb Bush. I know politics is a mean and
nasty game and there is no room for sentimentality, but I think it says
something not good that Rubio isn’t stepping aside for the guy who
made his career.
Ted Cruz: I hate this guy. His destructive arrogance, his contempt
for everything and everyone, his obsession to serve only himself, his fake
religious piety, symbolizes the very worse in politics. His hatred for Obamacare, which has done so much good for so many, his grandstanding,
his notion that only he knows best and he’d rather shut down the government than work with or compromise with others who see things differently, are exactly what has made Washington such a dysfunctional,
ugly place. It sickens me beyond words that he seems to have quite a bit
of support in the Jewish community, that he was invited to speak at one
of those Passover programs designed for the superrich.
Scott Walker: the guy makes one good speech in Iowa and suddenly he’s one of the frontrunners. Tells you all you need to know
about how messed up is the Republican Party. He is a guy who has
made it his political life’s work to bust unions, make life tougher for
the working person. He knows nothing about foreign policy, has
shown a total lack of guts, flip flopping his positions on every issue that
might displease the lunatic right.
Rand Paul: He is intriguing, unlike any of the other Republicans.
He’s kind of kooky, has a short fuse and is way too isolationist, pledging, until he flip flopped, to end foreign aid, which would not be good
for Israel, but would also not be good for the United States. I hope he
doesn’t get the nomination, but I do find him interesting.
Lindsey Graham: So one day I was in Washington walking down
the street and who do I happen to see but Lindsey Graham. I shyly
walked over to him to say hello and he was just the nicest person. He
was friendly, chatted a while, and even offered to take a photo first
SEE BY JOSEPH
AARON
ON
PAG E 2 1
23
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
ADVERTISEMENT
Betting
on Goliath
A Letter to the
World
from Jerusalem
For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I
will not be still. ... Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, have I
assigned watchmen; all the day and all the night, they will
never be silent. – Isaiah 62:1-6
Time is our one-time gift. We must use it wisely. It was Jeremiah who long
ago proclaimed, "Thus said the Lord: He who appoints the sun to shine by
day and the moon and the stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so
that its waves roar—the Lord Almighty is His name: "Only if these decrees
vanish from My sight," declares the Lord, "will the descendants of Israel
ever cease to be a nation before Me." (Jer. 31:35-36)
"I met a traveler from an antique land who said: Two vast and trunkless legs
of stone stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, half sunk, a shatter'd visage
lies. ... And on the pedestal these words appear: 'My name is Ozymandias, king
of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside
remains...boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away."
Ozymandias is another name for the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II. Percy
Bysshe Shelley's poem was inspired by the arrival of a statue of Ramses
acquired by the British Museum in 1816 after its removal from Thebes by the
Italian adventurer Giovanni Belzoni. Ramses is gone. Jews are back in our
covenantal homeland, and the sound of joy can again be heard in Jerusalem.
In the Cairo Museum stands a giant slab of black granite known as the
Merneptah stele. Originally installed by Pharaoh Amenhotep III in his temple in
western Thebes, it was removed by a later ruler of Egypt, Merneptah, who
reigned in the 13th century B.C.E. Inscribed with hieroglyphics, it contains a
record of Merneptah's military victories. Its interest might have been confined
to students of ancient civilizations, were it not for one fact: the stele contains
the first reference outside the Bible to the people of Israel. The inscription lists
the various powers crushed by Merneptah and his army. It concludes: All lands
together, they are pacified; Everyone who was restless, he has been bound by
the King of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Among the "restless" was a small people otherwise not mentioned in early
Egyptian texts – a people whom Merneptah or his chroniclers believed to be a
mere footnote to history. They had not simply been defeated. He believed they
had been obliterated. The stele reads: Israel is laid waste, his seed is [no more].
The first reference to Israel outside the Bible is an obituary notice.
Ironically, so is the second. This is contained in a basalt slab dating from the
9th century B.C.E. which today stands in the Louvre in Paris. Known as the
Mesha stele, it records the triumphs of Mesha, king of Moab. The king thanks
his deity Chemosh for handing victory to the Moabites in their wars. "As for
Omri, King of Israel, he humbled Moab for many years, for Chemosh was angry
with his land. ... But I have triumphed over him and over his house, while
Israel has perished forever."
It was Mark Twain who famously wrote, "The report of my death has been
greatly exaggerated." The mighty empires have come and are now gone, and
our Jewish brothers and sisters are back in our ancient homeland.
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar declared in a recent interview on AlManar TV, "In this region we have faced Roman occupation, Persian
occupation, Crusader occupation, British occupation – they are all gone. The
Israeli enemy does not belong to the region. It does not belong to the region's
history." And so the Arab delusions and lies continue, perpetuated by the next
generation of Arabs whose history begins with the lies and hatreds of their last
generation. It's their tradition. Each generation has been the victim of its own
delusional propaganda, preferring fantasy over truth.
Anyone with the least bit of knowledge of Middle East or Near East history
knows that there was no country called Palestine during the Roman occupation.
Mohammed was still 700 years into the future. The land was known as Judea
and its people were known as Jews. Tacitus, Cassius Dio and Josephus, Roman
historians during the two major revolts of the Jews in 66-73 C.E. and 133-135
C.E., make no mention of a land called Palestine or its imaginary people called
Palestinians. In Tacitus' words, "Titus was appointed by his father to
complete the subjugation of Judea."
After the first revolt, Rome minted thousands of commemorative "Judea
Capta" coins – not Palestina Capta – to celebrate the capture of Judea, and
today there is an arch in the Forum in Rome called the Arch of Titus depicting
the Roman army carrying away the giant menorah from the Second Temple –
and menorahs aren't known to be an artifact of Arab inspiration. The historian
Cassius Dio recorded that some 60 years later, when Hadrian decided to totally
destroy the Land, "580,000 men were slain and nearly the whole of Judea was
made desolate." Determined to destroy Jewish identity, Hadrian renamed the
land "Syria Palestina" after the Philistines—not Muslim Arabs. Even after the
Romans and the Persians, after the Crusaders and the Arab throngs, Jews never
left the land. Throughout history, under almost impossible conditions, the Land
of Israel and our people were always intertwined.
It was our patriarch Jacob who, knowing of our people's wandering in many
lands, connected his worship of Hashem to his return to his father's house (Gen.
28:21). And who else could the land be named for in 1948 – "Your name shall
not always be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name...for you have
struggled with the Divine. ... The land that I gave to Abraham and to Isaac, I
will give to you and to your offspring." (Gen. 35:10-12). We, Jacob's offspring,
have struggled, but never did we forget the Land.
In the introduction to Ma'amar Mordechai, the son of the author wrote that
once his father was in Lublin for Parasha Bechukotai and heard from the holy
Rabbi of Lublin that the Maggid of Kozienice turned the Admonishment of
Bechukotai into blessings, so he set off to arrive in Kozienice by that Sabbath.
During the Torah service he stood directly in front of the Maggid as he read
from the Torah. When he reached the Admonishment he raised his voice, louder
and louder. And when he came to the verse, "I will lay your cities in ruin and
make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not savor your pleasing odors"
(Lev. 26:31), he exclaimed these words: "Our Father in Heaven, grant that
we have the merit to reach this hour."
The Maggid of Kozienice did not explain his words, but the blessing
embedded in this verse was in the spirit of remarks made by the Admor of
Sedov: "Your land shall become desolate and your cities a ruin (Lev.
26:33), so that the other nations shall not come and settle in your land and
prevent you from returning; rather, the land will remain a desolation,
waiting for you to return from your wanderings." Indeed, we have
witnessed for 2000 years the Land of Israel passed from one nation to the next,
and from one ruler to another; yet not one of them settled the Land, making it
their own. The Land waited patiently...as Rachel wept.
And it was Nachmanides (1194-1270 C.E.), after arriving in the Land, who
described its devastation such that "your enemies will be appalled by it, and it
shall be that our land will not accept our enemies. Ever since we left the land, it
would not accept any other nation or tongue." For the Land was a covenantal
blessing with our Jewish people exclusively. The Land waited for our people's
return to redeem its eternal covenantal pledge.
For Jews in the late 1800s, armed with the words of Theodor Herzl, "If you
will it, it is no dream," the time had come to return. The dream of a land of milk
and honey had captured the imagination of Jews as Russia and Europe were
becoming less accommodating. The Torah reminded our people, "The survivors
[of the punishments] among you – I will bring weakness into their hearts in the
lands of their foes; the sound of a rustling leaf will pursue them, they will flee as
one flees the sword, and they will fall, but without a pursuer." (Lev. 26:36) Yet
there follows a passage of remembrance and love: "But when the time finally
comes that their stubborn spirit is humbled, I will forgive their sin. I will
remember my covenant with Jacob, as well as my covenant with Isaac and
my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the Land. ... Thus, even
when they are in their enemy's land, I will not reject them or spurn them,
bringing them to an end and breaking My covenant with them, because I
am the Lord their G-d." (Lev. 26:41-44)
Our people have been tested over the last 2000 years. Jacob/Israel had long
ago seen into our people's future, that future generations would be wandering in
many lands. And it was Jacob who reminded G-d of His promise to return His
people to the Land. As it is written, "I will remember My covenant and
remember the Land." As historian John Gunther observed in 1938, "Zionism
could not be installed anywhere else. How can they sing the Lord's Prayer in a
strange land? The concrete achievements of Zionism have been considerable.
... To many it was enthralling. I have watched the immigrants come in at
Jaffa...from the ghettos of Lemburg and Czernovitz and Prague. No, they were
not handsome, vigorous young men. No, they were not lit by any apparent
inward fire. Instead they were wretchedly dressed and miserably poor, huddled
in compartments where brisk British officers shuffled and distributed them; they
looked like refugees from the slums. But a few years later I saw these same
people tilling the soil, carving livelihoods out of the dusty rock of the Jordan
hills – upright, alert, self-sufficient, with pride in their work and pride in
themselves. The transformation was all but unbelievable. They had begun to
transform the Land, but the reality was that the Land had begun to
transform them." (John Gunther, Inside Asia)
How can we sing the Lord's Prayer in a strange land? Long ago, Joshua
crossed the Jordan River.
Jews have paid for it with their courage,
determination and blood. The question for us today is: Are we willing to stand
up for our covenantal inheritance of our homeland, or are we willing to give in
to liars and thieves? Logic and the laws of nature have always seemed to be
against our people; and yet the story is told of an archeologist who was digging
in the Negev and came upon a casket containing a petrified body. After
examining it, he called the curator of a prestigious natural history museum and
announced that he had just discovered the 3000-year-old body of a man who
died of a heart attack. The curator replied, "Bring him in and we'll check him
out." A week later, the amazed curator called the archeologist, "You were right
about the corpse's age and cause of death. But how did you know?" So the
archeologist explained, "When I found the body, there was a piece of paper in
his hand that read, 'Ten thousand shekels on Goliath.' "
In 1948, the world sat silent, believing the odds were against Israel. And in
1967, as Nasser threatened Israel with annihilation, leaving little doubt in the
eyes of the world that this was the end of Israel, the world again sat silent. Our
wanderings have taken our people all over the planet on an often difficult and
bloody journey, yet the dream of returning to our Land has always remained in
the soul of a Jew. It was through our eternal covenant of love that our G-d – in
the eyes of all the nations of the world – brought our people back to our Land in
1948. And in 1967 the world witnessed a miracle in six days as He gave back
to our people the Land of our Torah—Judea/Samaria. The nations of the
world have not and will not forgive the miracle. The liars and thieves can
win only if we let them. Hazak achshav – Courage now! If not now...when?
Shabbat Shalom, 04/24/15
Jack "Yehoshua" Berger*
*For previous articles, see The Times of Israel.com
24
Chicago Jewish News - April 24-30, 2015
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