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

Volume 80, Number 2 • November 20, 2013 • 17 Kislev 5774www.jewishpostopinion.com

Cover art by Shirah Eliashiv (see About the Cover, p.2)

National Edition

discussion came from hearing about thefamous people whom she has known suchas Betty Friedan, first woman vice-presi-dential candidate, Geraldine Ferrara, JoelSiegel of Good Morning America, andsinger Judy Collins.

The take away message from her book is the importance of communication.Examples for the person visiting the sickare: “Tell me what’s helpful and what’snot.”“Tell me when you want to be aloneand when you want company.”“Tell mewhat to bring and when to leave.”And ifthe ill person is able to talk,“May I tell youwhat is helpful and what is not?”“Is italright if I tell you when I want to be aloneand when I want company?”and so forth.

An annual festival here, Spirit & Place,brings together artists, storytellers,authors, and scholars into a communityconversation with a diverse population.Rabbi Arthur Green shared many inspiring and thought-provoking ideas, manynew to me. His latest book is Radical Judaism:Rethinking God andTradition. He is the founding dean of theHebrew College RabbinicalSchool in Newton, Mass., and now servesas its Rector. He has been named toNewsweek and The Daily Beast’s list of Top 50 Influential Rabbis in Americanevery year since 2008.

At Friday evening services, he mentionedthe smelling of spices in the Havdalah

service at the end of the Sabbath. He saidthe reason for this ritual relates to thebelief that each person receives a secondsoul on the Sabbath and when it is overthe aroma aids with the departure of the extra soul. However, he believes the

2 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

Recently, Indianapolis had the pleasureof hosting some well-known Jewish leaders who were in town for annualevents. Most of the different denominationswere represented.

My father and founder of this publication,Gabriel Cohen, z”l, used to write editorialsabout the importance of having Jews inprominent leadership roles visit differentcities to share new developments. Thiswas before the Internet, social media, andSkype, but there is something specialabout meeting and conversing with theseleaders in person.

Heartland InternationalFilm Festival brought in filmmaker RobertaGrossman whose latestmovie Hava Nagila is areal hoot. Entertaining,humorous and poignant,one of the highlights is thefamous singers performing the song suchas Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, HarryBelafonte, and Elvis.

The keynote speaker forthe annual Chanukahdinner of our local dayschool, Hasten HebrewAcademy, was Rabbi Dr.Meir Soloveichik. He is thegreat nephew of RabbiJoseph B. Soloveichik andwill be installed in Congregation ShearithIsrael in New York City on Nov. 24.Founded in 1654, this Spanish andPortuguese synagogue is America’s firstJewish congregation.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin was here for thelocal book fair promotingher book How to be aFriend to a Friend Who’sSick. She is well known as the cofounder of Ms. Magazine with GloriaSteinem, and for workingwith Marlo Thomas on Freeto Be You and Me, the bestselling collectionof nonsexist stories, songs, and skits.

After she was diagnosed with breastcancer in 2009, some of the comments shereceived from friends and relatives werenot supportive. She searched the Internetfor books to help with this situation andfound none. Already an author of ninebooks she decided to create one. Whilewaiting for treatment, she talked to 80others – those getting treated and theirloved ones who had escorted them – andthat is how she got material for her book.

Much discussion took place aboutPogrebin’s Jewish beliefs and practices,her family and career. Light-hearted

Editorial Inside this Issue

(see Cover, page 7)

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

OpinionPost&The Jewish

Jewish News and Opinion since 1935.

Editorial.....................................................2About the Cover ......................................2Rabbi Benzion Cohen

(Chassidic Rabbi).....................................3Rabbi Jon Adland

(Shabbat Shalom).....................................3Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

(Wiener’s Wisdom)..................................4Rabbi Brett Krichiver .............................4Rabbi Eli Mallon

(Jewish Spirituality) ................................5Ted Roberts

(Spoonful of Humor) ...............................6Amy Hirshberg Lederman

(Jewish Educator) ....................................6Melinda Ribner

(Kabbalah of the Month) .........................7Jim Shipley

(Shipley Speaks) ......................................8Howard W. Karsh

(Jewish America) .....................................8Dr. Miriam Zimmerman

(Holocaust Educator) ..............................9Sybil Kaplan

(Seen on the Israel Scene)......................11Rabbi Moshe ben Asher

(Gather the People)................................12Michael Blain

(Veteran’s Day) .....................................14Morton Gold

(As I Heard It).......................................15Rabbi Elliot B. Gertel

(Media Watch).......................................16Julie Bloom

(Book Review)........................................17Rabbi Israel Zoberman

(Book Review)........................................17Sybil Kaplan

(My Kosher Kitchen) .............................18Henya Chaiet

(Yiddish for Everyday) ..........................20Jennie Cohen

(Book Review)........................................20

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Festival of Lights

Shirah Eliashiv, artist ofthis cover art, is an Indyartist glad to be living inIndianapolis, but with achunk of her heart inIsrael, where she lived formost of her adult life andraised a large family.

Shirah enjoys doing small poster art onJewish subjects because it connects her toboth her Jewish faith and to Israel. Thecolorful posters are on a variety of themesfrom ahava (love) to the Books of Ruth andEsther. They are also affordable and easyto mat and frame.

Eliashiv received her BFA from TheHerron School of Art and Design and iscurrently completing an MA in paintingfrom The University of Indianapolis,where she is preparing an exhibition of oilon canvas works related to water and theoceans. Two of her paintings recently

About the Cover

(see Editorial, page 11)

Shirah Eliashiv

M. Soloveichik

R. Grossman

Letty Pogrebin

Rabbi Green

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 3

asked for help. Charlie sent a letter to aLubavitcher friend, who invited Ben Zion

Most of the column below was written bymy dear wife, Malka the ChassidicRebbetzin.

On a recent Wednesday morning, BenZion and I boarded an El Al flight to NewYork. We were accompanied by our 13-year-old grandson, Zeev Shimon. We weregoing to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah ofanother grandson, Shneur Zalman, whorecently moved to Buffalo with his family.

Zeev had decided to use his Bar Mitzvahgift money to fly to New York. He wantedto spend some time by the LubavitcherRebbe in 770 Eastern Parkway, and alsosurprise his dear cousin and celebrate hisBar Mitzvah together.

Every hour that passed increased our joy and anticipation of the big event,and the surprise meeting between the two cousins.

The next morning Ben Zion and Zeevwent to daven in 770. Ben Zion wasdelighted to meet our son AvrahamSender, and his son Shneur, the BarMitzvah boy. The Bar Mitzvah boy wastotally surprised to meet his cousin Zeev.For the next week they were inseparable.

A beautiful part of Chassidic life is thegreat love between friends, between parentsand children, between cousins, evenbetween mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The Torah teaches us that if our mainconcern is our body and its pleasures, wewill never experience real, unconditionallove for each other. We will only lovesomeone if we are getting benefit fromthem. Our bodies are all separate onefrom the other. However, if our main concern is our soul, then we can have realand unconditional love. All of our soulsare one. We all have one Father.

Friday, my daughter-in-law Tehilla, hermother and sister and I formed a cookingteam to prepare the Friday night meal. Wehad many honored guests at the meal, butthe guest of honor was Charlie Roth. In1940 the previous Lubavitcher Rebbeopened a new Yeshiva in 770 EasternParkway. Then there were only 14 students, and Charlie was one of them.Eventually he went to work for my dearfather-in-law, Gabe Cohen, z”l, andbecame the manager of the New Yorkoffice of The Jewish Post & Opinion from1953–1978.

In 1968 my future husband, Ben Zion,was doing yoga and thinking of going to India. My father-in-law wanted his son to stay Jewish. He called Charlie and

BY RABBI BENZION COHEN

Chassidic Rabbi

A Beautiful Bar Mitzvah

(see Benzion, page 4)

ShabbatShalomBY RABBI JON ADLAND

Pirke Avot 5:20 – Any controversywaged in the service of God shall in the endbe of lasting worth, but any that is not shallin the end lead to no permanent result.Which controversy was an example of beingwaged in the service of G-d? Such was the controversy of Hillel and Shammai. And which was not for G-d? Such was thecontroversy of Korach and all his company.

Nov. 15, 2013, VayishlachGenesis 32:4–36:43, 13 Kislev 5774

I don’t usually comment on the perekfrom Pirke Avot that I put with a ShabbatShalom, but, at times, the perek is perfectlysuited to our upcoming weekend of Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi AmyScheinerman. Before I personally metRabbi Scheinerman last spring I had read her blog “Taste of Torah”and followedher insightful postings on Ravkav which is a listserv for Reform rabbis.

Her postings were related to questionsof halachah (Jewish law) that other rabbiswere seeking. Her depth and breathe ofknowledge, as well as her ability to communicate, was endless and exciting.Thus, last spring I sought out the Talmudclass she was going to teach at my rabbinicconvention. I was not disappointed. Sheworked us through a page of Talmud in asmooth and seamless way despite all theinterruptions a class of rabbis could provide.

When I read the above perek, I thoughtabout Rabbi Scheinerman’s visit as some-one who participates in the service of Godin the tradition of Hillel and Shammai –seeking to build and strengthen Jewish life– and not in the tradition of Korach andhis followers who sought to destroy theJewish community.

With much credit to Rabbi EmeritusJohn Spitzer, I inherited a community oflearning at Temple Israel. There are a number of chavurot and study groups that meet regularly to engage in words ofTorah in the broadest use of those words.These groups, in the spirit of Hillel andShammai, discuss and argue aboutJudaism, Jewish thought and Jewish practice, like Hillel and Shammai, l’shemshamayim, for the sake of heaven.

These groups aren’t trying to movemountains, but to gather stones.They aren’t

going to change the course of Jewish life,but they will add to the sense of God’songoing revelation of Torah by giving moreJews the opportunity to be heard and tothink about Judaism and Jewish life.

Judaism isn’t a religion of answers, butan ongoing conversation of questions.Maybe this makes Judaism unique in thearea of world religions, I don’t know, asthe only religion I’ve participated in isJudaism, but it certainly makes Judaismexciting. We ask and ponder and considerand then ask again. The Torah portions roll around year after year and the conversation is never the same. There isalways something new to think about.

Judaism is not monolithic. It isn’torthodox. It is multi-layered and multi-faceted. Every Jew who is serious about his or her Judaism brings their point ofview to the table. We don’t all agree onhow Judaism should unfold, but our disagreements are in the spirit of Hilleland Shammai, and not Korach. I don’tbelieve we are a religion of “should’s” or“have to’s” or the absolutely “right way.”We are variations on a theme. Just listento people talk about their Pesach seder andfind me two that unfold the same way. Justlisten to people talk about their High HolyDay experiences and see if they approachthose days in a similar fashion.

What is most important is for each person to find his or her Jewish voice.Hillel and Shammai disagreed on theapproach to Jewish law and living a Jewishlife, but they were both Jews, connected toGod, tradition, and values. The path tofinding this Jewish voice is through studyand practice. It is through questioning andexamination. And yes, it is by trial anderror until you find what suits your Jewishlife and Jewish soul best.

Rabbi Scheinerman in November andRabbi Joan Friedman in December are twoof the best in the Reform movement aboutarticulating Judaism’s views on halachah.(More to come on Rabbi Friedman’s talk.)Add to their wisdom the discussions inthe chavurot, Stollen moments, and all thelittle study sessions taking place and youfind that Canton and Temple Israel are living Torah in a wonderful, liberal way. Ihope you will consider finding your placein this ongoing conversation as well.

When you light your Shabbat candlesthis week, light one to help guide us onour Jewish journey to finding our bestJewish voice and expression of Jewish life.Light the other and let it remind us thatwe all have a bit of Hillel and Shammaiinside of us. May the conversations aboutJudaism never end.

Rabbi Adland has been a Reform rabbi forover 25 years in Lexington, Ky., Indianapolis,Ind., and currently at Temple Israel in Canton,Ohio. Reach him at j.adland@gmail.com. AAAA

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4 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

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Wiener’sWisdomBY RABBI IRWIN WIENER, D.D.

A simple word:Gratitude

This year we are faced with two holidays, both different, but connectedwith one word: Gratitude. Because theHebrew calendar uses the rotation of theMoon around the Earth and the secularone reacts to the rotation of the Eartharound the Sun, holidays and such do notoccur at the same time. This year a holidayknown as Hanukkah coincides with ourAmerican holiday of Thanksgiving.

The questions asked by many at differentepisodes in the journey of life relate to whatis there to be grateful for and to whom. Inone of the ancient Scriptural discourses,the question is asked a little differently:“When the Angels objected to the creationof man, God replied: ‘And of what use areall the good things I have created unlesspeople are there to enjoy them?’”

Perhaps that is what both holidays represent.They are both spiritual in nature,and both signify the beauty of nature andthe gratefulness to God for this gift. It isnot only the good things that we realize forourselves through the efforts of our labor,but also to understand that God gave usthe ability to discover these treasures.

Thanksgiving enables us to comprehendthe true meaning of life: To be thankful forall the harvests of our days. We areresponsible for one another and there canbe no true jubilation without this moralstandard. We are responsible to others forour actions and consequences of thoseactions. We are responsible to God forthose things that relate to our spiritualwell-being. We are responsible to ourselvesfor purpose and meaning in our lives. ThePilgrims understood this and realized onlythrough these efforts will they all survive.

Hanukkah enables us to understand thatthere are times when we have to dependon ourselves more than on God. Miraclesoccur when we set them in motion withour actions and determination to fulfill ourdestiny. A small band of zealots knew thatif they depended on God alone there wouldbe no salvation. Freedom of religion, forwhich they fought, required a willingnessto step forward and lead the charge,knowing that God would be their shieldand protector as a partner, not as the onlyresponsible part of their redemption.

The Pilgrims also considered thattogether, with the local Indian population,

BY RABBI BRETT KRICHIVER

100 blessings every day

The basic theology of gratitude mightgo something like this: What if you woke up tomorrow with only those thingsyou thanked God for today? Gratitude isabout raising awareness about all that wehave, and therefore of others who are lessfortunate than we are. Judaism has tried toformalize this sentiment:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, Sovereignof the Universe, who has given us life,sustained us, and allowed us to reach thismoment.”These are the traditional wordsof blessing, known as the Shehechiyanu,which Jews have used for centuries toexpress gratitude. The formula works.

In the earliest rabbinic writings, datingback to the first centuries of the CommonEra, we find this quote, “Rabbi Meir said, ‘A person is obligated to offer one hundred blessings every day.’As the Biblesays: ‘What does God ask from you, onlyto fear the Lord your God, to follow God’sways and to love God.’”(Deut. 10:12)

Rabbi Meir goes on to explain that if youchange the word “what”– “mah”in Hebrew,to “meah,” or 100, then the verse reads,“One hundred does God ask from you.”It’sa fancy word trick to prove Meir’s point:that rabbis will stop at nothing to get us tooffer more blessings of thanksgiving.

Jewish tradition is filled with blessings –there are blessings for waking up in themorning, a blessing for seeing a rainbow, ablessing for breaking bread together, evena special prayer of gratitude for our bodies’functions to be recited after using a bathroom. If you’ve ever experienced amedical problem that prevented this basic function, you’ll understand howmeaningful that blessing can be!

Who knows what tomorrow may bring? For today, may we all fill our liveswith 100 blessings.

Rabbi Brett Krichiver is senior rabbi of Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation.Reprinted with permission from TheIndianapolis Star Dec. 8, 2012. AAAA

and with faith in God, their needs, theneeds of warmth, clothing, housing andfood, would find their way into enhancingtheir ability to survive that harshness of anew land. There was no call for bigotry, ortime for petty grievances, only the truemeaning of connection would turn theirmisfortune into a dream of durability.

Our lives are so tenuous, or existenceindeed fragile, and the gift of life so temporary that we should take the time tocelebrate, rejoice, and give thanks.“And ofwhat use are all the good things I havecreated unless people are there to enjoythem.” God tells us to marvel in His creation, to take advantage of the veryessence of life’s wonderment. The very actof creation was and is the gift of a lifetime.Whether it be the first time in recordedhistory, that humankind determined thatfaith deserves to survive, or the fight fordeliverance through respect for all, thesetwo holidays remind us that the gifts we

enjoy were not given to the Angels, but to us.Families will gather on Thanksgiving to

feast on turkey, enjoy stories of yesterday’scelebrations and make wishes for thedreams of tomorrow. We will reflect andfinally realize that the insignificant thingsthat drag us down are not important if we areto survive as a nation, and how fortunatewe are to be Americans. Hanukkah is no

(see Wiener, page 5)

to spend a Shabbos in Chabad. That is howmy husband became a Chassidic Rabbi.Tears came to my eyes as Charlie told usbeautiful stories from the past 75 years. Wesang Chassidic melodies and listened towords of Torah for hours. Nobody wantedto leave the crowded table. We wanted totake full advantage of this opportunity tobe together for this special event.

The next morning found us all adornedin our Shabbos finery to accompany the Bar Mitzvah boy to shul. It is alwaysspecial to daven in 770, and even more soto attend the Bar Mitzvah of our deargrandson. Afterwards we sat the wholeafternoon at the Kiddush. The air was fullof happiness and joy. We did not grow upin a Chassidic home. There was not verymuch happiness and joy in our life. Thismakes us even more thankful that we nowlive a life with happiness and joy and thatour children lead lives of happiness, andour grandchildren are growing up withthis way of life.

We wish all of our readers a happyHanukkah. How do we observe this holiday? By lighting candles. This is ourpurpose in the world. We have to bringlight into the world, the spiritual light of Torah and Mitzvahs. Then we can experience true love, happiness and joy.We can thus literally light up our ownlives, and the lives of those around us. Wecan begin to feel the light of Moshiach, thelight that will soon permeate the entireworld. We want Moshiach now!

Rabbi Cohen lives in K’far Chabad, Israel. He can be reached by email at bzcohen@orange.net.il. AAAA

BENZION(continued from page 3)

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November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 5

(see Mallon, page 19)

aloud to G-d. No learning, no picnic, noenjoyment of nature for its own sake. Itwas a spot that had no other associationfor the Rebbe than as a place to speak toG-d. We, too, might learn from this to setaside a place that has no other associationor use for us than as a place where wemeet with G-d.

Thus, in doing hitbodedut/privateprayer, the Rebbe was simultaneously also“placing G-d’s Name”before himself.

Recently, I had the great opportunity tohear Rabbi Shalom Arush speak. RabbiArush is at this time the pre-eminent Breslavteacher of hitbodedut. He’s spreading itoutside of the Breslav community, into theOrthodox community and beyond: It wasmentioned that he’d even spoken to largeChristian audiences (in South Africa, if Iremember correctly).

Rabbi Arush said that Rebbe Nachmandidn’t invent hitbodedut. This is true. But Ithink that one of the Rebbe’s innovationswas to recommend – perhaps insist – thatit be done regularly, daily, consistently,rather than occasionally or “as needed.”Rabbi Arush continues the Rebbe’s teaching in this regard, emphaticallyencouraging us all to spend one hourevery day talking to G-d, placing everyaspect of our lives in G-d’s Hand. I don’tthink that he’s well-known yet in Reform,Conservative and other extra-OrthodoxJewish communities, but I fully expect that he will be. Eventually, I see all Jewsincorporating hitbodedut into their dailylives, whatever else their observance.

I also think that doing it in a secluded,quiet place – while not unknown in itself – gave the Rebbe’s direction furtheruniqueness, specificity and definition as apractice. G-d is everywhere. One canspeak to G-d anywhere – on subwaytrains, on buses, in cars (not necessarilywhile driving), in markets, etc. But theRebbe urged us to find a quiet, secludedplace where we can talk to G-d withoutdistraction and without self-consciousness.He might also have intended that it be thesame place as often as possible, and thatwe do nothing in that place other thantalk to G-d, but I’m not sure that he wasever explicit about this.

Finally, the Rebbe’s emphasis that ourprivate, personal prayer can – should – bedone in our own conversational language,whatever that might be, is again an innovation. Elsewhere in Judaism, formalprayers are given primary importance.Traditionally, Jews formally pray inHebrew. Following Rebbe Nachman andwithout demeaning formal prayer, RabbiArush affectionately and humorouslyreproached those who pray formal prayersso quickly that the words can’t even beunderstood. He said that in Heaven,they look at each other and ask,“What did

that person just say?” Prayer, he said,should be a vessel for G-d’s expression in our lives and in our world. This is bestaccomplished by praying in our ownwords, in our own language.

Rabbi Arush teaches that we should dohitbodedut for one hour each day. DidRebbe Nachman specify an exact amountof time? I don’t know. Nor, I think,should we be strict “clock watchers.” Ourconversation with G-d shouldn’t be soshort that it’s merely perfunctory. But weshouldn’t count the minutes, either. Ithink we have to look honestly into ourown hearts, as Rebbe Nachman alwaysdid. “Did I pour out my heart to G-d as fully as I can today?”“Did I tell G-deverything that I’m thinking and feeling?”“Did I place all my needs and concerns inG-d’s Hands?”And so on.

In his book, In Forest Fields, Rabbi Arushtalks about the confession and t’shuvah thatshould accompany prayer. While I don’t –can’t – disagree with him generally, I’dsuggest that anyone starting the practiceof hitbodedut begin as simply as possible.

Just talk to G-d.Is G-d inside of you? Outside of you?

Near to you? Far away from you?None of this need matter. That G-d

hears every word you say, knows everythought and feeling in your mind andheart – dayyenu.

Place everything about your life in G-d’sHands. If – as sometimes happens to me –your problems begin to occupy too muchof your attention, or even upset you, whenyou’re talking with G-d, learn to then talkto G-d about G-d. Say what amazes youabout G-d; tell G-d the things that makeyou love G-d. Repeat those, expand onthose, until your mind is calm and happy.Then, bring in your personal concernsgently; without insistence or self-will.

Rabbi Arush said: G-d already loves youmore than even the most loving parentloves their child.

Dwell on that Love and you dwell in G-d.[1] Tehillim/Psalm 16:8[2] The four letters Yud-Key-Vav-Key.

When writing the psalm, King David didn’t necessarily mean that he depictedthe letters per se as Rebbe Nachman

Hitbodedut:Talking to G-d

“As a young child, the Rebbe [RebbeNachman of Breslav] wanted to literallyfulfill the verse “I have set G-d before meconstantly.” [1] He continually tried todepict G-d’s ineffable Name [2] before hiseyes...”[3]

“The main way the Rebbe attained whathe did was simply through prayer andsupplication before G-d. He was very consistent in this. He would beg and pleadin every way possible, asking that G-dhave mercy and make him worthy of truedevotion and closeness.

The thing that helped him most was hisprayers in the language he usually spoke,which was Yiddish. He would find asecluded place and set it aside to expresshis thoughts to G-d....He kept this upconstantly, spending days and years insuch prayer.”[4]

It seems to me that there’s an implicitconnection between Rebbe Nachman’sapplication of the psalm-verse, and hislater practice of private, personal prayer(“hisbodedus/hitbodedut,” rather than theformal “Tefilah”). They’re not two separatedevotional or spiritual practices. Rather,I get the intuitional feeling that by constantly setting G-d’s Name beforehimself, Rebbe Nachman came to somedegree of conviction – even as a child –that G-d is always present to him; he’s always in G-d’s Presence. One mightrealize this “intellectually,” yet without itbeing a heart-felt conviction. RebbeNachman seems to have early felt it in hisheart. From there, it’s inevitable to ask:How do I open to, grow closer to G-d?How do I interact with this Presence fromwhich I’m never – and can never be –absent or separate?

Rebbe Nachman also seems to havebelieved – as we’re all taught to believe –that everything depends on G-d.“Not bypower, or by might, but by My Spirit...”[5]Although he had to make efforts (ratherthan passively expecting results), RebbeNachman constantly, consistently placedthe outcomes in G-d’s Hand. He didn’t dothis by silent assent. He did it by privateprayer – but prayer which he spoke aloudin a secluded place.

By “...set it aside...,” the text also seemsto suggest that once he chose a place, theRebbe did nothing else there but speak

BY RABBI ELI MALLON, M.ED., LMSW

JewishSpirituality

WIENER(continued from page 4)

different. Both may be centuries apart indiscovery, but they both signify that theprice of liberty is vigilance and preparedness.

Rabbi Wiener is spiritual leader of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation nearPhoenix, Ariz. He welcomes comments atravyitz@cox.net. His new book Living withFaith can be purchased at Amazon.com. AAAA

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6 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

Sammy Green had a past, as they said in his new country. His past was the slaughterhouse of Europe – the deathcamps. But that was behind him in a time,in a place, banned to even his imagination.And here in 1947 Philadelphia the deadwere where they belonged – in graveyardsor neat cemeteries. Not in the streets likein the Lodz ghetto or piled up beside thebarracks in the camp. Here there were noexecutioners, only those old predators –disease, old age.

Neither threatened Sammy Green (somuch more American than ShmuelGruzenkywitz). He was well and he had a job that provided all the food he couldeat and an apartment with three rooms; in a large red brick building at 221Franklin Street, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.

The newcomer was surrounded by non-Jewish neighbors. So unlike the ghetto inLodz. But they were friendly folk who aftera few weeks of cautious inspection of theirnew neighbor and his alien appearancewarmed to his loneliness.

It was mid November and they talked ofthe great American holiday, Thanksgiving.“We give thanks,” said Chuck Heffernanfrom next door. “Thanksgiving – youknow, giving thanks.”

“Yes, but for what?”asked Sammy.“For life I guess. The Pilgrims, you

know, started it. They were celebratingtheir harvest and the fact that most ofthem were still alive. They ate turkey and maybe they said prayers. You couldfind out all about it over at the branchlibrary on State Street. Look it up in the Encyclopedia.”

They stood in the hall and talked. Chuck’swife, Jean, joined them and proudlydescribed her traditional holiday menu forthe newcomer. Turkey and trimmings.

I can afford that, thought Sammy. Hemade 50 cents an hour nailing shingles toroofs. With overtime he made over $1500a year. In America the bountiful, anybodycould afford turkey and trimmings as theycalled it, every night of the week.

Thanks Giving. Sammy knew about

A survivor’sThanksgiving (Or America the bountiful)

Spoonful of HumorBY TED ROBERTS

fighting against assimilation into theGreek culture. Rather, the rabbis focusedon the role that faith in God played as thekey to Jewish survival. We are taught that“a great miracle happened there” when asmall crude of oil lasted for eight daysuntil more was found to keep the Temple’sMenorah lit. The eight candles we light onour menorah remind us that we have survived over time because of our faith inGod’s saving grace and power.

The significance of light itself is anotheraspect of the Chanukkah story. At thedarkest and often bleakest time of the calendar year, Jews come together withfamily and friends, to bring light, hope andjoy into their homes. For eight consecutivenights, we add an additional candle,increasing our ability to fight against winter’s darkness.

It is written in Proverbs 20:27 that “thehuman spirit is God’s candle.”Our traditionteaches that each of us has the capacity tobring light and goodness, holiness andcompassion, into the world. Through ourthoughts, actions and relationships, throughour efforts to restore balance, justice anddignity in the world, we can illuminateothers even in the darkest of times.

The shamash is the special candle on themenorah that ignites the other candlesand is traditionally elevated over the other eight. This year when you light theshamash, imagine for a moment that youhave the power to become “God’s candle.”What would it mean to light up the worldaround you with hope and possibilities?Your efforts don’t have to be time consumingor expensive, but consider these eightsmall efforts that can make a world of difference and a difference in our world.

Show respect for others’ ideas, time andvalues, even when you disagree.

Admit when you are wrong.Laugh at yourself, especially when

things get crazy.Avoid harmful speech and gossip.Be authentic in your feelings and relationships.Donate food, clothing, time or money to

organizations in need.Visit a friend who is lonely or sick.Look for a blessing in your life every

single day and be grateful for it!When you blow out the match,

remember that this is not just an ordinaryholiday where we wish one another a ChagSameach (a happy holiday), but the onlytime of year where we hope for a ChagUrim Sameach – a joyous holiday of light!

Amy Hirshberg Lederman is an author,Jewish educator, public speaker, and attorneywho lives in Tucson. Her columns in the AJPhave won awards from the American JewishPress Association, the Arizona NewspapersAssociation and the Arizona Press Club forexcellence in commentary. Visit her websiteat amyhirshberglederman.com. AAAA

Chanukkah is a holiday with manynames. Some call it the Festival of Lights,while others refer to it as the Feast ofRededication, or The Holiday of Miracles. Toadd to the confusion, there is absolutelyno consensus as to its proper spelling.If you don’t believe me, just check out the selection of Hallmarks cards wishingyour family everything from a happyHanukka to Chanukah and even…Khanukkah! And this year, since the second night is also Thanksgiving, we now have Thanksgivingkah!! All of thesedifferences only serve to emphasize thatChanukkah is a holiday with multiplemeanings and significance.

The historical version of Chanukkah,which is recorded in the Book ofMaccabees, chronicles that in 168 B.C.E,the Syrian King Antiochus desecrated theHoly Temple in Jerusalem and issueddecrees prohibiting Jewish worship,circumcision, and Shabbat observance.Mattathias the High Priest, along with hisfive, hardy Maccabean sons and a smallgroup of Jewish insurgents, rose up andfought for three years against the Syrianarmy. On the 25th of Kislev, the Jewsrestored the Holy Temple and rededicatedit to God. We learn from this version thatthrough acts of defiance and resistance, theJewish people can overcome oppressionand live with dignity as Jews.

Another version of the Chanukkah storyfocuses on the internal strife between Jewsas they struggled to expand and definewhat practices were acceptable for Jewsliving within a foreign culture. In the firstfew centuries BCE, Hellenism and itssocial, economic and political influencesencouraged many Jews to compromise andabandon certain Jewish rituals and practices.Some Jews attended the gymnasium, andoften participated in nude sports events,which in some cases required reversals ofcircumcision. The Maccabean fight wasnot just against non-Jewish oppression,but against the highly assimilated Jewswhose conduct threatened the continuedexistence of the Jewish people.

Almost 400 years later, the rabbis of the Talmud gave the story yet a differentspin. Their version doesn’t even mentionthe name Maccabee and the war againstthe Syrians or refer to the tensions of

A time to bring lightinto the world

JewishEducatorBY AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN

(see Roberts, page 7)

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 7

that. As an observant Jew, did he not givethanks before and after every meal? Anddid he not declare his thanks every morning and night for the divinely engineered body that was the temporaryreceptacle of his immortal soul? SammyGreen, the Jew from Lodz, knew how togive thanks. It was his ethnic specialty,you might say.

He would conduct a Thanksgiving ceremony with tallis and kepah; in hisapartment like his American neighbors.That’s the way they did it in America. Hewould recite the Kaddish for the infiniteemptiness of the chair that faced him at the other end of the table. And he,like those survivors of the New Englandwinter of 1690, would celebrate life. Life is for the living. The dead have no need of shoes, they said in the camp. Nortears, thought Sammy.

Thanksgiving Eve Sammy walked to thekosher butcher and came home with aten-pound turkey and two sacks of trimmings. His neighbors greeted him inthe hall. Chuck, next door, invited him infor a beer. One beer turned to two andthen three. Sammy, uncontrollably, talkedabout that which he had never talkedabout before.

The pivotal holiday. The need to grasphis new world by letting loose of the oldwith a proper farewell – as quarrelinglovers say goodbye – that’s what loosenedhis tongue. There in the kitchen, the survivor from Hell here on earth gave hisneighbors a lesson in current Europeanhistory that newsreels, magazines andnewspapers only pictured in grainy,blurred print. Sitting around the table,they listened on the night beforeThanksgiving. Life and death, twowrestlers, flickered in the shadows of theHeffernan’s kitchen.

Sammy Green told of his rescue byPatton’s 2nd Division, then took a deepbreath as though to cleanse himself.“Nowyou know,” he said with a wan smile,“why I’m going to have the bestThanksgiving in the building.”

Sammy’s story traveled through the106-unit apartment building with thespeed of a lottery win. The survivor wasnot alone in his first Thanksgiving. Ahundred American families at 221 W.Franklin in Philadelphia had their firstreal Thanksgiving.

Roberts is a syndicated Jewish columnistwho looks at Jewish life with rare wit andinsight. Check out his Web site: www.wonderwordworks.com. Blogsite: www.scribblerontheroof.typepad.com. His collected worksThe Scribbler on The Roof can be bought atAmazon.com or lulu.com/content/127641. AAAA

appeared in the Herron Alumni Exhibitionat the Harrison Center in Indianapolis.Shirah’s paintings and portraits in variousmedia adorn homes in Indianapolis andIsrael. She is equally at ease with graphite,watercolors, pastels, and acrylics. She can bereached by email at shirarte@gmail.com. AAAA

In the month of Cheshwan precedingKislev, we do the hard inner work of shedding the past, of letting go of what isno longer true. Now in the month ofKislev we embrace all the possibilitiesbefore us. We are empowered to go forwhat we really want. Kislev is a time ofgoing forward, actualizing one’s dreams. Itis also a great time for travel.

We are able to take risks in Kislevbecause it is actually a time of deepeningfaith and trust in God. Kislev is a time of clarity, a time to receive important guidance about one’s life purpose.

The whole month of Kislev is shaped bythe holiday of Chanukkah, the holiday ofmiracles. During Chanukkah, we learnthe most important truth about life. At thedarkest time, there is light and there willbe light. Actually, the light in the darknessshines even more brightly because of thedarkness that surrounds it.

Like the Maccabeans who redeemed theHoly Temple in ancient times, during this month we redeem the Holy Templewithin us. The Holy Temple represents theholies and the most pure dimension withinus. It is the seat of our deepest hopes andvisions of life that are beyond the mind,not bound by the laws of logic and reason.The oil used for the rededication of the Temple was pure and undefiled,reminding us of the possibility of returning to a state of original purity.The miracle of the rededication was that,although there was only enough oil toburn for one day, it lasted for eight days. Itwas not logical, but God is beyond logic.

During this month of Kislev, we tooleave the shackles of the rational mindand become open to greater faith. Whenwe are limited by the mind, we are alwaystied down to what is known and familiar.We seek to understand why and how.Faith, by definition, is beyond the reasoningpowers of the mind. Faith enables us to bepresent, to not dwell in the past or worryabout the future, but to live moment tomoment fully with trust and fearlessness.It is faith, not the mind that opens us to newpossibilities and new dimensions, enablingus to go forward in ways that we could notdo solely on our own.

This month is a time when we go

Kabbalahof the MonthBY MELINDA RIBNER

Embrace all the possibilities Kislev began on November 4

ROBERT(continued from page 6)

COVER(continued from page 2)

beyond what is logical and go for what wereally want. Though the name Kislev isBabylonian in origin, the word “Kis” inHebrew means “pocket” and “lev” means“heart”. This has been said to refer to thecapacity to be a vessel for what your heartdesires. Very often people may want andwant, but they do not know how to receivewhat they want. During this month wehave a greater capacity to actually receivewhat we want, by just a small allowingwithin ourselves. In determining what wereally want, we may still need to sift anddistill our visions to make sure that theyare not contaminated by the ego mind andcome for the purest place within us. Toknow what we really want inside, we haveto listen to what God wants for us.

By a simple allowing and deep listeningon our part, the light of our highest soulconnection with the Divine emerges toshine upon us and guide us during thismonth. When we do this, we experiencemiracles. This is the month of miracles. Withthe light of Chanukkah, we see even theordinary aspects of life as miraculous. Bythe way, Kislev, according to the Talmud,is a time of unexpected money.

The fixing of this month is sleep. So Kislevis a time to allow oneself to sleep a littlelonger than usual. Sleep is not a waste oftime, but it provides an opportunity to livein another dimension. So much healingoccurs during sleep. The healing of sleepalso means that this is a time when weshould wake up from the sleepy dimensionin which we usually live and see clearly.When we sleep, we should sleep, but whenwe are awake, we should not be sleeping.

These are direct excerpts from my book,Kabbalah Month by Month. May we individually and may the Jewish people as awhole be blessed with miracles in Kislev.

Melinda Ribner L.C.S. W. is the author ofThe Secret Legacy of Biblical Women,Everyday Kabbalah, Kabbalah Month by Month, and New Age Judaism.Internationally known for her pioneeringwork in kabbalistic meditation and healing,she is also a spiritual psychotherapist and formore than 30 years has used kabbalistic wisdom as part of treatment. She offers a free newsletter on meditation, healing, kabbalistic energies of the months, holidays,and so forth. www.kabbalahoftheheart.com. AAAA

j i

8 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

BY JIM SHIPLEY

A singular voiceLife at the top can be lonely. If you

became the “Decider”– the one who mustmake the difficult decisions – taking thebest advice of trusted associates, therewould come a time in any really importantdecision when it is on you and you alone.

While Dick Cheney gets a lot of theblame for the horrific miscalculations thatled to over a decade of war and hundredsof thousands of lives, the fact remains, thepresident was in the chair and he had thefinal yesses and no’s.

Same goes for the head of any democraticsociety. If you happen to lead a nation ofjust over seven million people – less thanhalf the population of Florida, it is evenmore cantankerous and difficult. If thatnation happens to be Israel, oy vey.

A close associate of Prime Minister ofIsrael Benyamin Netanyahu told me thatNetanyahu goes to bed every night andwakes up every morning with one thingon his mind: Iran. Remember that Bibi’sdad was a noted historian and professor ofJewish History at Cornell. His seminal workwas on the Spanish Inquisition. Raised inthe household of a solid Revisionist and asformer secretary to Jabotinsky, BenzionNetanyahu schooled his sons on the need for a Jewish homeland and thethreats that would forever hang over itonce it was established.

I met Bibi Netanyahu at his dad’s homein 1980 when I accompanied a U.S.Congressman to Israel on what weeuphemistically called a “fact finding trip”.At the time the younger Netanyahu was in essence a furniture salesman working with a few Kibbutzim in theirmanufacturing efforts.

At the time he told me that his oneambition was to found an anti-terroristfoundation in the name of his brotherYonatan who had been the only one killedin the Entebbe rescue mission. In ourrather short meeting there was no question that he had political ambitionand that he was indeed a chip off the old block.

As a student of history and the head ofa nation threatened on a daily basis byJihadists like Hamas and Hezbollah, thelatter backed by Iran, the former probablyso to some extent, it is his job to be cautious and ever vigilant. Yes, the Israelipublic is restive and tired of war or warnings of war. But, the average Israeli

also knows their history and can still see evidence of the years when bussesblew up, hotel dining rooms were attackedand Pizza Parlors full of teenagers were bombed.

When the new president of Iran came tothe U.S. bearing promises of a new dayand a new attitude towards negotiationwith the Western World, he was greetedwith some skepticism but with the attitude:well, let’s see.

President Obama had a chat with himvia telephone. Meetings followed at alower level. There are meetings in Genevabetween the parties and the U.N. as this isbeing written. There is no doubt that thePersian nation is hurting. Their bankingchannels have all but been shut off. Theiroil continues to flow through clandestinechannels, albeit in much fewer quantitiesthan before the sanctions took hold. Asthe people of Iran are squeezed, it is evenbeginning to be felt by the RevolutionaryGuard, the militant leaders of the Iranianmilitary and staunch defenders of theSupreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The guard controls a huge share of the Iranian economy. Any time you arelooking for a power center, follow themoney. If indeed the sanctions are startingto bite, the Guard might just be feeling it.That would be almost the only reason fora detente of any kind.

All that Iran is doing is playing for time.Israeli intelligence feels that Iran is doubling their efforts to get to the point of no return. U.S. intelligence has guessedwrong before with disastrous results.The question that keeps Netanyahu (andmany others with interest in Israel) up atnight is: What if?

Is this a phony approach to buy anothersix months or a year for their centrifugesor Uranium development to go pastNetanyahu’s point of no return? Is theU.S. really ready to back Israel if theydecide they have to go it alone and attack?

Israel was smart enough to warn theU.S. not to get involved in Syria because it is too hard to separate the bad guys from the good guys. Now, it is a differentstory. The Iranian regime is bad guys.There are no good guys.

Do they really have an interest in livingin harmony with the rest of the world andmaking life better for their citizens? Or isNetanyahu’s study of history and instinctsthat in the end only Jews will take care ofJews correct? No wonder he is kept up atnight. I’m not sleeping too well myself.

Jim Shipley has had careers in broadcasting,distribution, advertising, and telecommuni-cations. He began his working life in radio in Philadelphia. He has written his JP&Ocolumn for more than 20 years and is directorof Trading Wise, an international trade andmarketing company in Orlando, Fla. AAAA

ShipleySpeaks

JewishAmericaBY HOWARD W. KARSH

Can we talk?For the last few months, I have been

“On Leave.” I appreciate the time, andJennie Cohen’s encouragement to beginwriting again. I began writing for thepaper in 1973 when I was a Hillel Directoron the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, and with some “timeoff to look over the Jewish scene,” and Ihave welcomed the opportunity to comeand go, because there are very few non-ideological Jewish newspapers in theworld today, and the Cohen’s NationalJewish Post & Opinion is one of them.

One challenging aspect of writing forthe paper is the lack of opportunity tointer-react. It seems to me that there aremany issues, mine and others, that shouldbring discussion, but even when it is justan “Email”away. For a year and one half Iwas a community columnist for theMilwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and I wasspoiled by the large number who wantedto share, agree, disagree and add to theconversation.

There are no lack of things to talk about,Jewish issues and Jewish challenges.When the paper became a monthly, anyopportunity to talk about US Politics wasover. By the time you read about it, it wasno longer news, and as I read a number of papers every day, I am aware of howdifficult it is to make any sense out of whatis going on. Regardless of your sources toomuch is done outside of our reach.

It is impossible to believe that the current events in Iraq and Iran happenedas described. I have no better insight, butlike most of you, there is simply no way tobreak behind the news to share the news.And what makes it all worse is the highlypartisan coverage of what we do get.CNN and FOX live in two differentworlds. ABC, CBS, NBS nightly news is more of a news show and news’entertainment, 18 minutes of real news crammed into 30 minutes of health,wealth and general nonsense. PBS’News hour is the single best source of“news”left.

But the real issues of being a Jew in the 21st century is open to description,and the fact that there is really no important dialogue between the activeparties, leaves it open to us. Religiously,the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform,and Reconstructionist movements do

(see Karsh, page 14)

weekend. En route to my 50th high schoolreunion in Terre Haute, Ind., my husbandRichard and I stopped at that museum tosee the sapling and the Anne Frank exhibit.

I am grateful that Jennie Cohen, publisherof The Jewish Post & Opinion, arranged aVIP tour of the Anne Frank exhibit for us.Kimberly Harms, Director of Public & MediaRelations of the museum, shared a myriad ofdetails about the exhibit’s history and future.

Anne Frank is one of three childrenwhose stories are showcased in “ThePower of Children: Making a Difference”at the museum.The other two children areAfrican-American Ruby Bridges, one ofthe first young schoolchildren to integrateNew Orleans schools in the 1960’s; andRyan White, an Indiana teenager whocontracted AIDS through treatment for hishemophilia and who had to fight to returnto school and normalcy in the 1980’s. Toread more about The Power of Childrenexhibit at the Museum, browse to www.childrensmuseum.org/power-of-children.

What struck me about all three exhibitswas their educational value for childrenand level of engagement. All three havemultimedia presentations and theatricalperformances by professional actors,which demonstrate something about thelives of these three exceptional children.

We arrived in time to watch a 20-minutemonologue by Christa Grimmer in therole of Miep Gies. In character, in costumeand with props, the actress dramaticallyportrayed the challenges Anne faced livingin the annex and what Miep Gies had todo to keep the families alive. A Q&A withthe actress followed the performance,enabling the audience of children, theirparents and teachers, and interested others,to fill in individual information gaps.

Teachers receive materials in advance to prepare the children for the exhibitsand are given follow up activities to ensureretention of these valuable lessons.Children can write personal commitmentson post-it notes shaped as leaves and affixthem to a “promise tree.” These publicpledges proclaim how they can make abetter world. The promise tree, an echo ofAnne’s horse chestnut tree, embodies herstirring observation,“How wonderful it isthat nobody need wait a single momentbefore beginning to improve the world.”

Examples written by schoolchildrenplaced on the promise tree demonstratehow Anne Frank continues to inspire: “Ipromise to not judge people because ofthe way they look.” “Spread love nothate.”“I promise to be friends with thenew kid in my class.” “To be nice to otherpeople.”“I promise to change the world.”

Thus, one does not have to be an AnneFrank, Ruby Bridges, or Ryan White; anychild (or adult) can make a difference, and

I have often wondered what the worldwould be like today, if so many Jews hadnot been murdered over the centuries. Forexample, what would Anne Frank’s opushave been like, had she been allowed to liveout her life as a productive writer. Wouldshe have won the Nobel Prize in literature?Would she have children? Be fruitful andmultiply! The world sorely needs the likesof Anne Frank and her progeny.

The traumatic events of the Holocaustkept Anne Frank from the potential thatshe could have offered humanity. Hiddenin a forgotten annex in her father’sAmsterdam factory during the Holocaust,Anne Frank and seven other Jews survivedfor over two years. Former secretary forMr. Frank, Miep Gies, along with threeothers, helped sustain these Jews withfood, news, flowers, birthday presents whenpossible, and limitless moral support.

Betrayed by person(s) still unknown, theNazis crashed into the secret annex on Aug.4, 1944 and arrested all of them. Deportedfirst to the Westerbork transit camp in theNetherlands, and then to Auschwitz, Annedied at age 15 of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, nine monthsafter her arrest. Of the eight Jews hiddenin the factory annex, only Anne’s father,Otto Frank, returned from the camps.

Despite her early death, Anne fulfilledher dream of becoming a world-famouswriter. Her Diary of a Young Girl, rich in itsdetail of her emotions and challenges, hasbecome one of the most published booksin the world. Critics regularly position theDiary on their list of top ten must-readbooks. Almost all of the students everenrolled in my Holocaust class (since 1995)at Notre Dame de Namur University inBelmont, Calif., have read Anne’s Diarybefore commencing the course.

Anne’s words are available all over theInternet, including AnneFrankTreeUSA.com, where one can read the passagesinspired by a magnificent horse chestnuttree that grew just outside her window. Asit changed in appearance with the seasons,the tree provided Anne with her only contact with nature during the longmonths of captivity. Anne and her friendPeter gazed at the tree on Feb. 23, 1944.Anne captured the moment with thesewords: “The two of us looked out at theblue sky, the bare chestnut tree glisteningwith dew, the seagulls and other birdsglistening with silver as they swoopedthrough the air, and we were so movedand entranced that we couldn’t speak.”

A few years ago, Dutch gardeners wereable to salvage saplings from the then diseased tree. As a native Hoosier, I amvery proud that The Children’s Museum ofIndianapolis applied for and was grantedone of those saplings. I was determined tosee it sometime during a recent Hoosier

HolocaustEducatorBY MIRIAM ZIMMERMAN

Not by might, not by power, but by spirit alone

Genocidal trauma is so great that itspills over from generation to generation,l’dor v’dor. My physician father, z”l, aGerman-Jewish refugee, asserted that he had PTSD (Post-Traumatic StressDisorder) because of the Holocaust. I havemade the Holocaust both a personal andprofessional focus of my life. My adultchildren complain that, growing up, wediscussed the Holocaust at every familydinner. Is this a bad thing?

It’s about the numbers: “Be fruitful andmultiply!” commands the first mitzvah inthe Torah, in the Book of Genesis.Accordingto Chabad.org, one who intentionallydoes not have children is analogous to amurderer because that person has deniedlife, and thus has minimized the DivinePresence in this world.Yet, at seven billion,the earth has far too many people. We arein danger of overrunning our habitat. Befruitful and multiply – humanity has beenthere, done that.

Except the Jewish people.Without pogroms,blood libels, other persecutions, and thecenturies of the teaching of contempt bythe Roman Catholic Church that created amindset that allowed the Holocaust tohappen, Jews today would number from100 to 120 million instead of only about 13million. A 2005 Haaretz article online citedthese figures from a prominent expert onJewish demography, Prof. Sergio DellaPergola.

Prof. DellaPergola of Hebrew Universitybased his estimate “on the assessment thatat its height, on the eve of the great Jewishrevolt against the Romans, the Jewishpopulation totaled 2 percent of the ancientworld’s population.”Today, that percentagehas dwindled to .2% of the world population.

It seems to me that a direct response totraumatic events is Jewish achievement,especially academic excellence. Becomingsuccessful in academics, business, or theprofessions, is a coping mechanism for apeople so persecuted, because by doing so,Jews are better able to control an otherwisehostile environment. Although we are inthe minority of the world’s population,approximately 22% of Nobel Prize winnersare Jews. Six out of the 13 recently-awarded2013 Nobel Prizes were Jews, including allthree chemistry prize winners.

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 9

(see Zimmerman, page 10)

they do not need to wait one momentbefore doing so. I wish the exhibit, begunin 2007, had been around when my threechildren were young. I would have beenproud to take them to see it during ourmany visits to their Hoosier grandparents.

In planning our family, Richard and I, thenproud parents of a four-year-old daughterand a 12-month-old son, thought we hadfinished bearing children. The Talmudclearly states, “After having a boy and agirl, one has fulfilled the commandment ‘tobe fruitful and multiply’” (Talmud Yevamot61B; ‘Code of Jewish Law’ E.H. 1:5, 8).

Back then, we attended a retreat foryoung leadership sponsored by the JewishCommunity Federation. The scholar-in-residence changed our lives forever. RabbiDov Peretz Elkins, noted author andspeaker, facilitated heartfelt discussionson many aspects of Jewish life. RabbiElkins asked the young couples in attendance, most of whom had small children, what do the Jewish people needto do to ensure Jewish survival?

About 22 years later, at anotherFederation function, Rabbi Elkins was, again,the featured speaker. During the Q&A,I stood up to tell my story. Addressing the now graying rabbi, I explained,“Over 20 years ago, I attended one of yourweekends. You asked us to rank variousitems such as keeping kosher, attendingShabbat services, larger Jewish families,and anti-Semitism in terms of which weremost important for Jewish survival.”

I informed Rabbi Elkins,“As a result ofyour weekend, I got pregnant. The baby,born in 1979, just graduated fromBerkeley, and I never got to thank you. Hername is Leah.”My story brought down thehouse. I subsequently clarified that it wasthe item,“larger Jewish families,”be fruitfuland multiply, that motivated Richard andme to have a third child, to ensure Jewishsurvival after the Holocaust.

I was to discover at Leah’s 2008 wedding, that her two older siblingsteased her throughout her life that shehad been an accident. In my weddingtoast, I retold the Rabbi Elkins story andassured Leah that she was, indeed, a verywanted child. Be fruitful and multiply! Ihave always considered her to be my“bonus child,”my effort to replace a childlost in the Holocaust.

As adults, my children waited forever toget married. But once they decided to tie theknot, boom – we had three weddings in 18months. It was like a family epidemic; nosooner was one wedding over, than wewere in high gear for the next.

As the years slipped by with now happily married children, I realized that

never mind their biological clocks, minewas ticking very loudly. Evidently, my children were unaware that the first mitzvah in the Bible, be fruitful and multiply, applied to them, too.

Finally, my son Josh and his wife Erin transformed Richard and me intograndparents in July 2011. Little Lily hasbrought incredible nachas (Yiddish for“joy,”especially joy from one’s children orgrandchildren) into our lives. Although wedo not get to see her often, we now Skypeand phone her such that she remembers us.

Flash forward to Mother’s Day 2013.Our children and their spouses collaboratedto email the following to close familymembers: “Dear Family, Happy Mothers’Day to all the moms out there who raisedus and those we love. Let’s hope we dojust as well; after all, we learned from the best! You can reach all six of us andeventually our kids via our new emailaddress [address withheld for privacy].ZimKids’ Kids – here we come!” Three pictures accompanied the email (below).

Family planning or lack of family planning?I’ll let my readers decide. In less than sevenweeks, Richard and I will quadruple ourstatus as grandparents, from one grand-daughter to four. Jewish tradition teachesthat “every child is a blessing.” With my

son Joshua leading and with G-d’s help,finally, my children are being fruitful andmultiplying. I could not be happier.

Like all my children, my grandchildrenare arriving early. Little Ziva AnnetteSharp arrived on Oct. 3. At seven pounds,one ounce, she was on time; her Oct. 25due date was late. I was in the throes ofwriting this article when my son’s wifeErin gave birth to Abigail MeganZimmerman on Oct. 27, six days shy of her due date. Rebecca’s doctor, with thehelp of ultrasound-driven computer calculations, has projected a birth weightof nine pounds by Dec. 10. Not going tohappen, I thought. I told Rebecca to expectan earlier delivery; my prediction is thatshe could deliver her daughter by thisyear’s “Thanksgivukkah.”

As I held little Ziva in her first week oflife, the word “happiness” does not do justice to my feelings. The Yiddish word“nachas” is needed to describe the transcendent joy, the hope for the future,and the protectiveness I felt for this vulnerable little being. In my mind, likeher mother Leah, Ziva is a “bonus child,”to help replace those lost in genocide.

As an “open slate,” Ziva’s life is full of promise and possibility. Would sheachieve like her mom? Just last summer,Leah, six months pregnant, defended her Ph.D. dissertation in natural science(theoretical chemistry) at the TechnischeUniversität München (TechnicalUniversity of Munich).

I have always told my children that nomatter what they choose to do with theirlives, I would always love them. A phrasefrom the great psychologist Carl Rogers,“unconditional positive regard,” describessuch love. A friend has described all mychildren as “overachievers.” Has the needto excel because of genocide passed frommy father through me to them? I felt thetension between healthy remembranceand PTSD. Will I be able to protect my grandchildren from generational“Holocaust leakage”? Is such leakage abad thing?

Holding little Ziva reminded me of my visit to the Anne Frank exhibit. I felt gratitude that Ziva was born in a post-Holocaust world that is trying toremember the lessons of the Holocaust,as poignantly depicted in The Children’sMuseum of Indianapolis.

As we left the museum grounds, westopped at the Anne Frank Peace Park togaze on the sapling from the chestnut treethat had inspired Anne to write suchbeautiful passages. Jennie said that it hadgrown since the April 14, 2013 dedicationceremony. One tree, one child – the possibilities are boundless.

For Jews, it’s not about the numbers. A

My daughter Rebecca and her husbandJason (top left) held up a sign, “We’reexpecting a baby,” with her Dec. 10 duedate. Leah and Ian (top right) held up a framed ultrasound picture with the caption, “Our family tree is growing bytwo feet” and an Oct. 25 due date.Nestled in the arms of her mother, Erin,my granddaughter Lily (bottom) held up asign with the caption, “Big sis” followedby an ultrasound picture, and a Nov. 2due date. (see Zimmerman, page 19)

10 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

ZIMMERMAN(continued from page 9)

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 11

Havirian Family Organic Produce.

least 27 different candies, 9 spices, and 28dried fruit, nuts, and snack varieties.

On the opposite side of the bar, is thebooth of Michal Havirian and her husband from Moshav Nocham (near Bet Shemesh, 15 miles from Jerusalem).The booth sells 50–60 different kinds of organic produce, freshly picked foronly a day’s sales. Kale, baby leeks,lettuces, and other vegetables are sold intheir natural state with their leavesattached. Particularly tasty was the rawcorn on the cob and the Napoli pumpkin.

Inside the old building are 10 kiosks.First is a booth where fresh falafel andhummus are sold. Next is Itzhik, whosells 150–200 kosher cheeses and 150 different kinds of wine from 30 wineriesaround Jerusalem plus one from theGolan. Itzhik also operates a cheese andolive stall in the Jerusalem Jewish producemarket, Machaneh Yehudah. A third shopsells pots and pans imported from France.It will soon sell knives and operate aknife-sharpening service.

Nir Elimelech operates a fish shop. Onthe day we visited, he had sea bream,striped bass, red mullet and grouper –delivered twice a day – and importedsalmon from Norway, delivered twice aweek. Oriental condiments to go with thefish are also for sale. Soon fishermanaccessories will be available, and one canorganize a fishing trip with him.

October 15, a butcher shop opened.Another stall sells halva, tchina, and baklava.At the pizza/pasta stand, one can eat orbuy fresh pasta to take home. Gruda’sBakery, made by Leon Gruda, pastry chef,has breads, cakes, tortes, cookies, quiches,

and croissants to eat here or take home,or, as they say in Israel,“take away.”

At Daskalide’s, one can buy one Belgianchocolate out of the 30 varieties offered or boxes from 125 grams (4.4 ounces) toone kilo (2.2 pounds). Chocolate chips,all sizes of gifts items and gift baskets arealso available.

In September 1892, the Jerusalem trainstation opened as the first and last stop ofthe Jerusalem-Jaffa line. It closed in 1998and the station offices, ticket office andhall and its 3000-square-meter concoursesat deserted until “First Station” was renovated and restored this past year.The site opened in May and is a venue forseven eateries, a family bazaar, a designfair for 30 designers, a running shoesstore, an activity center for children, and avisitors store, plus a myriad of activitiesrunning seven days a week.

For those interested in food, a tour ofthe kosher Culinary Bazaar is a must! NirZook, the 37-year-old Israeli-born chef,was our guide. Zook has worked inrestaurants in Israel, France, and the U.S.since the age of 13 and currently ownsthree restaurants in Jaffa – Cordelia,upscale, candlelit, and romantic; its littlesister, Noa, and the Jaffa Bar.

When Avi Murdoch, partner in themanagement team and entrepreneur,created the idea of making the old trainstation a center for culture and food, heapproached Zook with the idea of a culi-nary bazaar in what was once the storageroom for goods being shipped to Tel Aviv.

On the patio is a seating area with clever stools made from used tires withgrass-like seats and a wonderful wagonwith hot corn-on-the-cob cooking. Arestaurant will also soon open oppositethis area. Next to the seating area is a barwith drinks for sale and produce for saleon one side as well as a candy bar with at

Seen on theIsrael SceneBY SYBIL KAPLAN

Visit the CulinaryBazaar at the First Station

Culinary Bazaar patio seating area.Photographs by Barry A. Kaplan/Jerusalem.

EDITORIAL(continued from page 2)

second soul is always with us, but duringthe week, we are too busy to notice and itis reluctant to make itself known.

He said perhaps the greatest giftJudaism can offer the world is theSabbath. In days past when communica-tion was through letters and such, we didnot expect to have our questions answeredright away but with email and socialmedia we have come to expect immediateanswers. Now especially we need one daya week where we turn off our computersand put away our iPhones.

On this Sabbath the Torah portion wasVayeitzei. In it Jacob falls asleep on a rockand dreams of a ladder planted in earthbut reaching to heaven. Angels are goingup and down on it. Many interestinginterpretations of this mystical verse existbut Green gave one I had not heardbefore. He said the rungs of the ladder aremade of glass and therefore one wouldnot want to hesitate too long on one rungotherwise the glass would break.

Rabbi Soloveichik mentioned that thereason Joseph is always read on Hanukkahis because, like the Maccabees who foughtagainst a much bigger majority to keeptheir beliefs, in Egypt Joseph also did nothide who he was to the rest of a muchlarger society that was different from him.

In this issue I wrote a book review forAnatomy of the Tear by frequent columnistChaplain Leon Olenick (see page 20). Andanother book that would make a greatHanukkah gift is You Can’t Live on Hope Alone: But You Can’t Live Without It by Rabbi Jack Segal, rabbi emeritus of CongregationBeth Yeshuran inHouston. His fifthbook is positivestories that can beread all at once oronce in a while.Order it by callinghim at: 281/630-7147 or by email:rabsegal@aol.com.

We wish all ofyou, dear readers, aHappy Thanksgivukkah!

Jennie Cohen, November 20, 2013 AAAA

j i

(see Kaplan/Israel, page 19)

30 Varieties Belgian Daskalide’s Chocolates.

12 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

to do so, even then we have seen that thetypical response is not dysfunctional fearbut “cool anger” that produces strategicand focused initiatives, which was the case with our congregation in NorthernCalifornia when three synagogues weretorched in nearby Sacramento. Our members didn’t become hysterical orimmobilized, imagining that a tide of anti-Semitism would engulf them. On the contrary, they conferred with regionalADL officials to learn what security measures they could take and then actedsmartly to implement several that theyconcluded would be cost-effective.

America Revolutionary in Jewish History?Is it true that in its philosophical

foundations and political practices, theUnited States is structurally hospitable toJews, that “we cannot be pilloried as a statewithin a state that is comprised of stateswithin a state”and “we cannot be excoriatedfor difference in a society in which difference is the substance of sameness”?

These questions raise questions aboutthe fundamentals of American anti-Semitism: What has been the long-termand recent learning history of anti-Semitism in the United States? And whatare the contemporary contingencies forthe expression of that learning in overtindividual and institutional behavior?

Anti-Semitism in the United States hasbeen deep and durable. From colonial timesup to the mid-20th century, Americanswere largely open and unapologetic abouttheir anti-Semitic attitudes and actions,both individually and institutionally.

Growing up in the 1950s in LosAngeles, it was not uncommon in publicplaces to be openly called a “kike”or “dirtyJew” by other youngsters, within the hearing of adults who were invariablyindifferent. It was well known – a fact thatdawned painfully on my sister when shegraduated from high school – Jews werenot employed by the phone company orother public utilities in Los Angeles. Therewas a sign on the entrance to a private golfcourse in nearby Orange County that read,“no dogs, no niggers, no Jews allowed,”which was still posted in the early 1960s.

Certainly there has been a marked changein the acceptability of expressing anti-Semitic attitudes in the public square andin virtually all forms of overt institutionalanti-Semitic behavior. Both law and socialnorms have changed so as to powerfullydiscourage these particular manifestationsof anti-Semitism. But if anti-Semitism itselfis so low as to be vanishing by historicalstandards, we should expect the countryto be largely free of covert anti-Semiticattitudes that are revealed in individualacts of personal anti-Semitism, which in turnshould be declining over the long-term.

The American Jewish world has beenroiled, once again, by the results of anotherdemographic study. This time the Pew“Portrait of Jewish Americans” is telling us things we would prefer not to hear,particularly about the disaffection and distancing of Jews from contemporarymovements and branches of Judaism.There were, of course, similar findings andreactions to the CJF 1990 National JewishPopulation Study (NJPS) and the 2000–2001 National Jewish Population Survey.

One interesting aspect of all three studiesis the unexplored link between outmigrationfrom Jewish religious life and anti-Semitism. Although the 1990 study foundthat from 66 to 83 percent of the differentcategories of respondents identified anti-Semitism as a serious problem, there waslittle or no discussion at the time of theconnection, and the two later studiesmake virtually no mention of it.

In 2003, however, not long after the2001 NJPS, Leon Wieseltier addressed the international conference on anti-Semitism, “Old Demons, New Debates:Anti-Semitism in the West,” sponsored by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Researchat the Center for Jewish History. Mr.Wieseltier’s perspective, one that is notuncommon, raises some nagging questions.

On the one hand, the titling and contentof his remarks, as an essay on www.jewishpress.com – “The Village is Not Burning: A Realist’s Appraisal of Anti-SemitismToday” – seemed to suggest that there isan unchecked epidemic of dysfunctionalfear about anti-Semitism among AmericanJews. On the other hand, Mr. Wieseltierproposed that, although anti-Semitism isresurgent almost everywhere else in theworld, we have an “embarrassment of riches”in the United States. He explicitly rejectedthe Zionist conviction that the United Statesis only a temporary haven for Jews and,instead, suggested that the country representsa “revolution in Jewish history, a nationthat – considering its philosophical foundationsand its political practices – is structurallyhospitable to us.” Certainly, both of theseperspectives are commonplace today.

Wieseltier went on to say that,“We cannotbe pilloried as a state within a state that iscomprised of states within a state.We cannotbe excoriated for difference in a society inwhich difference is the substance of sameness.”

Those remarks, although more than adecade old, raise important contemporaryissues: First, was there or is there a greatdeal of dysfunctional fear about anti-Semitism among American Jews? Second,is it the case that the United States represents a revolution in Jewish historythat, because of its philosophy and politicalsystem, permanently precludes the kind of anti-Semitism that has been endemic to Europe? And of course, is there anysubstantive connection between Americananti-Semitism and outmigration fromJewish religious belief and affiliation?

Fear of Anti-Semitism?In the late 1990s, my wife, Khulda bat

Sarah, and I were enjoying a quiet dinnerat home with middle-aged Jewish friendswho were beginning to show an interestin Judaism and congregational life, one ofwhom eventually became the president ofher Conservative congregation.The subjectof anti-Semitism came up and we describedsome “in-your-face” anti-Semitic hostilitythat we had personally encountered in localpublic places when wearing a yarmulke.

The reaction of these friends to severalof our experiences in this vein was indifference and incredulity.They said thatfrom their point of view, anti-Semitism in the United States was a non-starter at the end of the 20th century. Certainly,to borrow the jewishpress.com imagery,they didn’t have any idea that “the villageis burning.”

In fact, the vast majority of Jews we havemet are not raising the alarm that anti-Semitism is rampant, but on the contrarydefine overt acts of anti-Semitism thatdon’t touch them directly as “ignorance,”a“youthful escapade,”or “an isolated incident.”

One example was a congregation in theNortheast, located in a town that wasleafleted with anti-Semitic flyers targetingJews as a group. The leaders of the localConservative congregation did not take anyaction, although the authors of the flyer,representing the Church of the Creator,had been linked with several violentattacks on Jews and other minorities. Thesynagogue leaders did not feel it was necessary to institute any general securitymeasures, to take specific steps to ensurethe security of religious school students,or to participate in a citywide rally todenounce intolerance. The village certainlywas not burning from their point of view.

While our experience has been that mostAmerican Jews only become concernedabout anti-Semitism when it affects themor their children personally or is very likely

BY RABBI MOSHE BEN ASHER, PH.D.

Jewish religiousdisaffection and American anti-Semitism

Gatherthe People

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 13influence of other ethnic and culturalminorities. They often see themselves inzero-sum relationships with individualJews and organized Jewry, so of course it’snot incidental that other minority groupshave fed much of contemporary Americananti-Semitism.

Lest we forget, there is nothing so dangerously lulling as the power and privileges that accompany our success as a society within a society – whether inSpain, Germany, or the United States.

Understanding American Anti-SemitismPossibly the most important mistake we

can make about American anti-Semitismis to assume that the 21st century varietywill resemble that which has been notablein the past, especially in European history,which ironically has become the model forthe Middle-Eastern varieties.

How are we to account for the gradual riseof personal anti-Semitism in recent decades?The modern version of anti-Semitism inthe United States, which dates roughlyfrom 1960, does not punish Jewish statusper se, but instead targets Jews who visiblyand vocally proclaim themselves uniquelyJewish in the public square. One who onthe job or in civic affairs wears a yarmulkeor argues government or corporate policyfrom an explicitly Jewish point of view, inour experience, will learn quickly thatanti-Semitism is alive and well in theUnited States.

The phenomenon isn’t limited tostereotypical bigots. A report from anti-war organizing against the Iraq war related a number of instances in whichJews were, without apparent justification,excluded or treated with hostility. The progressive author of the report concluded:“When Jews are out and about in a highlyvisible manner as Jews, they confoundexpectations. Jews who are invisible, orwho distance themselves from a Jewishconstituency (“I’m not like those otherJews…”), are accepted without reservation.But Jews demanding to be seen as part of a Jewish community are seen as suspicious, as though they are tainted with the same kind of nationalism thatmakes Israel so problematic.”[iv]

Anti-Semitism and Jewish Religious Outmigration

Many Jews have experienced incentivesto downplay their religious beliefs andpractices as Jews. When they do so, theirpersonal experience of anti-Semitismdeclines, and they are increasingly likely to believe that anti-Semitism in general is declining. But in surveys they consistently report their low-level anxietyabout anti-Semitism, possibly becausethey have no illusions that it has

Yet this has not been the case. The ADL reported a long-term rise over twodecades in “harassments, threats, andassaults” – the personal in-your-face variety of anti-Semitism – in contrast tovandalism and forms of anti-Semitismthat are reflected in institutional policyand practice. Currently, the ADL’s 2013Survey of American Attitudes Toward Jewsin America, a national telephone survey of 1,200 adults, was conducted October12–22, produced some unsettling results:

• Fourteen percent agreed with thestatement,“Jews have too much power inthe U.S. today” (which was unchangedfrom 2011).

• Thirty percent of Americans continueto say that American Jews are “more loyalto Israel” than to their own country,America (which was unchanged from2011 and 1964).

• Nineteen percent of Americans believeJews have too much power in the businessworld (which is nearly unchanged from the20 percent who agreed with this statementin 2011).

• Seventeen percent say that Jews havetoo much control on Wall Street (which isa slight decline from 19 percent answering“true”to that statement in 2011).

• Fifteen percent agreed that Jews are“more willing to use shady practices”(which is unchanged from 2011).

• Twenty-six percent of Americans continue to believe that “Jews wereresponsible for the death of Christ”(whichis down from 31 percent in 2011).

• Eighteen percent say that Jews havetoo much influence over the Americannews media, and 24 percent agreed thatthe movie and television industries arepretty much run by Jews.

• Nearly one-quarter of respondentsagreed,“Jews still talk too much about whathappened to them in the Holocaust.”

Some take comfort in those indicationsof anti-Semitism that are declining, but it must be acknowledged that such self-reporting studies are notoriouslyunreliable, and there are several less congenial explanations for the apparentimprovements, not the least of which is thatit has become increasingly unacceptableto openly admit racial and ethnic bigotry.

Moreover, to imagine that covert anti-Semitic attitudes cannot produce highlydangerous forms of institutional anti-Semitism in the U.S., because of the country’s philosophical foundations andpolitical realities, confuses intellectual orideological history with its institutionalcounterpart. To believe otherwise wouldrequire ignoring the experience of Americansof Japanese ancestry during World War IIand American Muslims since 9/11.

The government has acted in forceagainst minority groups, suspending their

civil liberties and rights and incarceratingthem en masse when it has been politicallyacceptable, because the majority of thepopulation perceives the minority – typicallyencouraged by blatant manipulation ofpublic opinion by mass media – as posinga critical threat to the nation.These situationsrequire a convergence of circumstances inwhich the group in question is perceivedas a threat and it does not possess the economic wherewithal and political influence to protect its interests from government actions.

The now infamous internment ofJapanese-Americans following the attackon Pearl Harbor was paralleled recently ona smaller scale when hundreds of Muslimnon-citizens were swept up after 9/11.Of course, it was not until 1983 when thecourts repudiated the 1944 SupremeCourt decision that upheld the Japanese-American internment. Presumably, by1983 the Japanese-American populationhad achieved an unassailable economicand political position in American society.

Even though it has been decades sincethe Congress and the President of theUnited States declared the Japanese-American detention a “fundamental injustice,” the judge ruled in the June 2006 case of Turkmen v. Ashcroft that thegovernment has the latitude to detainnon-citizens indefinitely on the basis ofrace, religion, or national origin. Althoughnon-citizens brought the suit, the U.S.Justice Department’s argument in the casemight also give pause to citizens: it was that government officials “were confronted with unprecedented lawenforcement and security challenges in thewake of the Sept. 11 attacks”[i] – an argumentthat the court apparently accepted.

Notwithstanding the notion that “wecannot be excoriated for difference in a society in which difference is the substance of sameness,” the experiences of other minorities demonstrate that their treatment by the government is aharbinger for our own if sometime in thefuture we come to be in their political andeconomic shoes, if the current populationnumbers of approximately 1.5 millionMuslims [ii] and 5 million Jews shouldcome to be reversed.

We will be responsible and culpable for the anti-Semitic consequences of current demographic trends if we fail toacknowledge and respond [iii] to theirdestructive potential.The Jewish populationin the United States is in long-term decline,notwithstanding deluded demographicsthat count as Jews those who have no meaningful Jewish identity – whichinevitably must be coupled to a paralleldecline in our overall economic power and political influence vis-à-vis the growing population-driven power and (see Ben Asher, page 15)

14 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

votes needed to get involved in what wasat first known as a “Police Action.”Little didI know then how all this would affect me.

Here in Cleveland several of my friendsserved in Korea, including Joe Klein, theHersh brothers, Ted and Al. Joe Klein andI met in Prague in 1946 when a group ofchildren, recently orphaned Holocaustsurvivors was being assembled for a transport to England. After three and ahalf years in London, we arrived on thesame boat in New York Dec. 15, 1949. TheWar broke out in 1950, we were soondrafted, and many (not all) of us wereshipped off to Korea where Joe Klein andI met up again.

We all served as non-US citizensbecause there was no law providing fornon-citizens serving in the Armed Forcesto become US citizens. This was correctedby Congress while we were still in Koreabut we had to wait till we returned hometo apply for citizenship. Thus I became aUS citizen just after three years instead ofthe customary five years.

All of us came home decorated withKorean Service and United Nations service Medals. But some of the “boys”did even better than that:

The Medal of Honor winnerHolocaust survivor Tibor Rubin, born

in Hungary, came to America in 1948,served in Korea including 30 months in aPrisoner of War camp. He was nominatedfor a Medal of Honor for his bravery inaction. Reportedly his anti-Semitic superior officers prevented him from getting it. This was finally corrected in2005 when President George W. Bush, in a White House ceremony, pinned theMedal of Honor on this brave Holocaustsurvivor and Korean Veteran.

The Major GeneralChild Holocaust survivor Sid Shachnow,

retired after a 40-year military career,much decorated, with the rank of MajorGeneral. Born Schaja Shachnovski inLithuania, he escaped death, surviving thebrutal Kovno ghetto and other camps. Hecame to America in 1950 and soon afterenlisted in the US Army. He served withSpecial Forces (Green Beret) in Vietnamand volunteered for special missions.He quickly rose from a child Holocaustsurvivor to the top as CommandingGeneral of US Army Special Forces. (Seehis autobiography: Hope and Honor by SidShachnow)

On this Veterans Day I saluted my former comrades in arm who proudlyserved their new country.

Michael Blain retired after 33 years withIsrael Bonds in Indianapolis. An occasionalcontributor to Jewish periodicals, he nowresides in Beachwood, Ohio. AAAA

I am a Korean War Veteran. For 50 yearsit was a well-kept secret: no one talkedabout it, I barely ever mentioned it. Then I received a 50th anniver-sary Medal and a nice letter from the Presidentof South Korea offering mehis “deepest gratitude foryour noble contributionto the efforts to safeguardthe republic of Korea....”

For the 60th anniversary of the War, Ireceived a Certificate of Appreciationfrom the US Department of Defense “InRecognition of honorable service duringthe Korean War in Defense of Democracyand Freedom...and selfless sacrifice...”TheCertificate was signed “on behalf of thePeople of America and Korea...” by LeonPanetta, Secretary of Defense.

But the best gift was a Korean WarVeterans hat I received from my JewishWar Veterans Post (#14). I was warnedthat wearing this hat will invite people ofall sorts to stop me and thank me for myservice. And indeed, that is exactly what ishappening every time I wear my KoreanVeteran’s hat. Store clerks, people in thestreet, and in restaurants will go out oftheir way to say “thank you for serving.”Itis almost embarrassing.

What my new friends, the President ofKorea and Leon Panetta don’t know isthat I am also a Holocaust survivor, andthat is the Untold Story: that hundreds,perhaps thousands of Holocaust survivorsserved in the US Armed Forces during the Korean War. None of these newservicemen were US citizens yet, mostspoke very little English, and most of themwere in this country about a year beforebeing drafted. I know, I am one of them,and I personally know many of theseVeterans. Some of them came over on thesame boat as I just six months before theWar broke out. Soon after the War began,I found myself at a United NationsSecurity Council session where the debatewas going on whether the UN shouldinterfere and send troops to the area. Iwatched as the Soviet delegates walkedout angrily thus enabling the US to get the

The Korean War:The untold story Holocaust survivorsserving in the USArmed Forces

BY MICHAEL BLAIN

Veteran’s Day KARSH(continued from page 8)

not exist, and even in the movementsthemselves, there is only a loose communication. Religiously, it is everycongregation for itself. The Federationshave not only lost a sizable amount ofcontributors, but, as well, volunteers andcommunity interest. And the vast amountof Jews today don’t belong to anythingJewish, read anything Jewish, or expressany interest in anything Jewish, other thantheir comfort at being Jewish in a veryopen society.

Those of us who still want to believe inJewish continuity, have an upward battle.But I think we should still talk. We needto understand how at the very same timemany Jews are assimilating, other Jews areelecting to become culturally indifferent to the world around them, as a defenseagainst what they believe is a worldswirling out of control.

I have grown grandsons in Israel whohave heard of France, but are not sure ofwhere it is, and don’t consider it any formof illiteracy. Granddaughters in Israel,because most of them have to enter the workplace have greater functionalknowledge, the same lack of concern. It isnot a crime not to know where Canada is.

When I went to NorthwesternUniversity, people I knew thought of my great University as a “trade school”andthe University of Chicago as the final bastion of literacy. We didn’t think muchof the argument, because we wanted to goon to graduate school and have a betterfinancial life than our parents. My parentsunderstood my ambitions. Most of thetime, I am at a total loss to understand howmy college educated children, in the main,reject what I embraced as unimportant.

Twenty of my grandchildren have limitedlanguage skills beyond “street English.”Theysound literate, can carry on conversations,and almost all the girls can read and writein English, but neither they nor their lessfunctional brothers have any language todiscuss contemporary issues, Jewish orgeneral, nor are they bothered by it.

I am not sure anymore, given the stateof the world, that I am right and they arewrong. Their American cousins, who arereligious, but immersed in the societyaround them are definitely “culturallycooler,”but what will be the fate of my evergrowing number of great-grandchildren.

You see that we have some serious subjects to talk about. Let me hear what you think, and we will share ourconversation in the coming months.

Howard W. Karsh lives and writes inMilwaukee, Wisc., and can be reached at hkarsh@gmail.com. He is a community columnistfor the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. AAAA

Blain. c. 1953

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 15

As I Heard ItBY MORTON GOLD

Cantors used totour like rock stars

“No one sends me flowers anymore…” words to an old pop tune.No one sends me CD’s to review any more either. I was critical of one too many, I suppose. In many ways I am ananachronism. I have composed and stillcompose works for Cantor, Mixed Choirand Organ. How foolish can one get!There are fewer full time cantors thanthere were 40 or more years ago, at least inthis country. Probably this is due as muchto economic reasons as religious reasons.

The nature of the Sabbath service haschanged as well with the service beingdumbed down. Organists are hard to findand besides those serving in the role ascantor rarely stay in any one key for very long. The informal nature of the service does not require a choir, trained or otherwise. The position of cantor hasessentially been eliminated.

Instead of a shaliach tsibor, a representativeof the congregation singing to thealmighty, more often than not one essentially finds a leader of communaltunes, the nature of which has little to dowith the text the tunes are used for. Thetunes are chosen for how easily they arelearned by the congregation, familiaritywith composed tunes 20 or more yearsago, or on the other end of the spectrum,tunes with off beats, lively, and what I have characterized as being theWilliamsburg “Rag” or perhaps a variant of the New Jersey kazatzki. Either wayeach is not intended to be a compliment.

When I was a broth of a lad, (sometimein the middle ages) there were trainedcomposers writing music for use in the

synagogue. For example people like Max Janowski, Max Helfman, SholomSecunda, as well as many excellent cantorssuch as Maurice Gentchoff as one example of many. Cantors made LP’s(before the advent of CD’s) theKoussevitsky Brothers will do as an example, and toured, performing theselections of those recordings. (Somethinglike what rock stars do today.)

At any rate, the idea of a trained composer actually writing music that he orshe expects will be performed at a serviceis not a viable idea any longer. The need isfor simplistic tunes, perhaps with guitaraccompaniment, and the simpler and eventhe more vulgar, the better. No one publishes music any longer. Why bother?If one records it, and some like what theyhear, they will steal it. Yes, that is what Iwrote, steal.The composer will get nothingfor his or her efforts other than the sale of a few CD’s. If one is really lucky, he orshe may get a concert gig to sing what has recorded.

As for composers that are both trained andJewish, who compose extended instrumentalor choral works can be described as“Mission Impossible” that is a foolishenterprise and a waste of time and energy.

In the last century there were such asErnest Bloch and Leonard Bernstein whocomposed such masterful creations as “A Sacred Service” (the former) and“Chichester Psalms” (the latter.) Both ofthese Jewish compositions are usuallyperformed in concert settings by non-Jewish forces. If one looks at the numberof Jewish students performing in the chorus, band or orchestra in State MusicFestivals one can readily understand why the bar and bat mitzvah boys and girlscannot sing and can barely speak clearly.

You don’t need a good ear to play drums orguitar, or press an on/off button. AmateurJewish choirs or instrumental groups arelargely history, thus works that call forthese cannot be performed. There will beneither performers nor audience for these.

Soon I will be giving a retrospectiveconcert of a few of my musical efforts, in atemple at that. On the program will be aFlute Concerto, various solo settings (foreither Soprano or Tenor soloists) andexcerpts from several of my oratorios(minus chorus…one can’t have everything.)I have been fortunate to have good friendscome from great distances to honor me byparticipating without fee. (Anotheranachronism.) Thank you, Wayne Hobbsand Olivia Gawet. What was once commonplace is now an unusual event. Ihope it doesn’t snow!

Dr. Gold is a composer, conductor, and anarts reviewer. He is the recipient of theKavod Award given to him by the CantorsAssembly of North America. AAAA

j i

disappeared permanently – they know it is their own Jewish commitment andpractice that is disappearing – and so theylive with a quiet but gnawing anxiousness.

As the number of Jews who make themselves publicly visible as Jewsdeclines, those who stand out and arecounted as such make increasingly attractive and vulnerable targets for anti-Semitic rhetoric and behavior.

What do we conclude about persistenceand change in American anti-Semitismand its effects? Anti-Semitic attitudes,although often declared to be declining infrequency by self-reporting surveys, haveno more disappeared from the UnitedStates after a half-century of legal andsocial condemnation than they did inEastern Europe after more than a half-century of Soviet homogenizing of ethnicpopulations. Neither has the potential forvirulent forms of institutional bigotry anddiscrimination, including anti-Semitism,disappeared from the American landscape.

What has changed is that, except for theOrthodox, increasing numbers of AmericanJews are abandoning those features oftheir identity that are uniquely and visiblyJewish – that is,“religious,”since so muchof Jewish non-religious culture (e.g., food,humor, etc.) have become American staples– at least when in the public square, whichseemingly corresponds to their recordrates of outmigration, intermarriage, andassimilation. Ironically, whether religiousself-abjuration or the much less frequentjettisoning of ethnic identity, theirresponse has neither diminished their private anxiety about anti-Semitism northe public vulnerability of others whoremain identifiably Jewish in belief andpractice, who continue to be visible targetsfor the rancor of anti-Semites.

[i] “Relatives of Interned Japanese-Americans Side With Muslims, New YorkTimes (April 3, 2007).

[ii] See Barry A Kosmin and EgonMayer, “American Religious IdentificationSurvey 2001,” The Graduate Center of the City University of New York,(http://www.gc.cuny.edu/studies/aris_part_two.htm), which concludes that, “In statistical terms, this means there is a 95percent probability that the adult USMuslim population is in the range of 1.1 to2.2 million,” which of course is not the same as the total Arab-American population, estimated to be 75 percentChristian by the Arab-American Institute.

[iii] The how-to of this imperative ismuch more difficult to describe. In simplest terms it may be fair to say thatuntil significant numbers of Jews activelyally themselves politically and economically

with other organized ethnic and culturalminorities, they will continue to be perceived as competitors for scarceresources and rights rather than compatriots.

[iv] Malka Fenyvesi, “Report to TheShalom Center on the Chicago UFPJConference,”J-list@ShalomCtr.org (7/13/03).

© 2013 Moshe ben Asher & Khulda bat SarahRabbi Moshe ben Asher and, his wife,

Magidah Khulda bat Sarah are the Co-Directorsof Gather the People, a nonprofit organizationthat provides Internet-based resources for congregational community organizing anddevelopment (www.gatherthepeople.org). AAAA

BEN ASHER(continued from page 13)

16 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

year-old Grandpa, Beverly’s father, AlbertSolomon (George Segal), who is pushingAdam to date one Zoe McIntire, a teenagewaitress, and who is planning to bed awidow who has “got 12 grandchildren soyou know she puts out.” This is just thebeginning of references in the series toGrandpa’s lecherous designs on women ofall ages.

In the second episode, also written byGoldberg, mother Beverly comes across as a vindictive psychotic, angry that her father, who dresses like a teenager,has bought outfits for Adam despite herefforts to dress him like a child. By the endof this episode she has bullied a sales girlinto opening a store at closing time andhonoring a coupon that expired a yearbefore. Both of these actions are unethicaland against Jewish Law and the teachingsregarding treatment of workers. But writerGoldberg clearly wants us to sympathizewith Mom for behaving badly when hercherished tradition of shopping with her son is threatened. He tells us, also,about her tradition of making Adam his“favorite shrimp.”

Indeed, the Goldbergs seem to beobsessed with creating traditions buttotally oblivious to Jewish traditions,expressions and values. In the secondepisode Dad, at Mom’s urging, tries toforge some kind of bonding tradition with Erica. He tries to engage her with“having fun,”“hanging,”“talking,”“makingmemories,” etc. Finally he connects withErica, as that narrator tells us,“by mockingone of his other children,” Barry. Butwriter/creator Goldberg bids us not toworry. Dad’s calling his children “morons”is just his way of expressing love. And soare the constant insulting and beratingand degrading of one another by the kids.

Mother Beverly is not above scaring herchildren into hugging her. That is how shegets even with Adam in the third episode,

written by Alex Barnow and Marc Firek,for tricking his grandfather into bringinghim to a horror movie which she has forbidden him to see. Instead of helpingher children to grow, she exploits theirfears and weaknesses, a trait now recognized by Erica, the eldest. Adam is so traumatized by his mother’s antics that he reaches out to his grandfather forsome encouragement, maybe even faith.So Grandpa gives him a watch thatGrandpa Irv gave him just before heshipped off to France, telling him that “aslong as I kept it with me nothing badwould happen.” Have any Jewish ritualobjects been passed down in this family?

The Goldbergs quickly developed as itsformula and mantra the notion that ifthere is some hug or sign of affection atthe end of the day, it doesn’t matter howfamily members treat each other or anyone else during the day or later at night.Is this the “message” of a Jewish familythat will be the legacy of The Goldbergs?

Ironically, unlike The Goldbergs, the program that follows it on ABC Tuesdaynight, Trophy Wife, had several Jewish references in its first episodes. On TrophyWife Kate (Malin Akerman), a beautifulyoung party girl, finds herself married todebonair older Pete (Bradley Whitford),the twice-divorced father of three: ateenage brother and sister by his physicianfirst wife, Diane (Marcia Gay Harden) and a seven-year-old adopted Chineseboy, son of Pete’s New Agey second wifeJackie (Michaela Watkins).

Trophy Wife is a very likable show with apleasant and attractive cast. It has notdeclared any of its characters to be Jews.And not all of its Jewish references arepleasant. In the second episode, written by Emily Halpern and Sarah Haskins, thelittle boy stays up too late and witnesses ascary episode of a crime documentary whichbegins: “Mark Steinman was a brilliantsurgeon. But this surgeon had a secret. Dr.Mark Steinman liked to steal uteruses.”

In the third episode, the cute and cuddlyBert decides to use Hebrew and Yiddish

MediaWatchBY RABBI ELLIOT B. GERTEL

The new TV season: Part 1The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife

While it may be about a Jewish family,or at least a family with some Jews in it,the new ABC series, The Goldbergs,produced by Adam F. Goldberg, had yet,by its fourth episode, to offer a Jewishexpression, value, observance, or tradition.

There are traditions and stabs at creatingtraditions in this Philadelphia family ofthe 1980s, headed by blowhard dad,Murray Goldberg (Jeff Carlin), who hasthe custom upon returning home fromwork in his furniture store of “parking hispants at the front door.”But mostly the showis about personalities.The family matriarchor “overbearing smother,” as she is calledin the pilot episode, Beverly Goldberg(Wendi McLendon-Covey), tries to keepher teenage children, Erica (HayleyOrrantio) and Barry (Troy Gentile), andespecially the youngest Adam (SeanGiambone) very close to the nest. The narrator, Adam-grown-up, describes themas a family that yells and curses, but stilllove each other until this day.

Mother Beverly respects no boundaries.In the opening episode she barges into the shower to wish Barry a happy 16thbirthday, and then informs him at breakfast that he’s too high strung and not mature enough to drive. Could thekids subconsciously hope that she wereout of the picture – say, permanently?When she warns 12-year-old Adam, whois always filming the family with a videocamera,“One day I won’t be here to dressyou,” should we be surprised by the vehemence of his response, “You keep saying that, but when?”

Mom tells Barry, “You are killing yourfather. I hope you’re having a happy birthday.”Indeed, it was mentioned by thenarrator that Dad has already had oneheart attack. One has to wonder why thekids keep provoking him and tormentingeach other. That first episode underscoresBarry’s total lack of consideration for hisfather during a driving lesson; his behavioris nothing short of a danger to himself andto the community. Yet his siblings behavejust as badly, and his mother goes out ofher way to make bad situations worse,including cursing the police (who need tobe called in at least a couple of times) withlanguage most foul. And then there is 80- (see Gertel, page 19)

Cast of The Goldbergs starring (L-R) Back:Jeff Garlin, George Segal, WendiMcLendon-Covey, Front: Sean Giambrone,Hayley Orrantia, and Troy Gentile. ©ABC.

Cast of Trophy Wife starring (L-R) AlbertTsai, Natalie Morales, Gianna Lepera, RyanLee, Malin Akerman, Bradley Whitford,Michaela Watkins, and Marcia GayHarden. ©ABC.

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 17

My Life in Jewish Renewal: A Memoir.By Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shalomi withEdward Hoffman. Rowan & LittlefieldPublishers. 2012. 258 pages $34.95. Coverphoto by Yehudit Goldfarb.

The Jewish Renewal Movement,rather than beinganother denomi-nation of Judaismlike Reform orConservative, isactually a transde-nominational setof practices thatattempts to fusethe richness ofJewish traditionwith contemporaryspiritual innovations. Renewal minyanimcan be found in many synagoguesthroughout the U.S. without rejectingdenominational allegiance and it isZalman Schacter-Shalomi (Reb Zalman,as he’s affectionately known) to whom wegive thanks for this.

This charismatic, deeply beloved founderhas written a compelling collection ofmemories in his latest publication My Life in Jewish Renewal. His memoir is awindow into the life of this wise and altogether human being, a journey in timethat illuminates the experiences and relationships that birthed this movement.

As a participant in Jewish Renewal practice, I was especially curious about theinfluences in Reb Zalman’s life that ledhim from the strict confines, albeit mystical piety of Lubavitch Hasidism to the creation of an inclusive, accessible, andinnovative relationship with Judaism andworship.“I do not believe that anyone hasthe exclusive franchise on the truth,” hesaid in a recent interview. “When it comesto what I call the ‘heart stuff,’all approachesoverlap.”This memoir takes the reader ona journey of spiritual discovery andinsight, which, for Reb Zalman, seems tobegin with his understanding of himself as a learner and seeker.

“Who is wise?”the prophet Michah asks.“He who learns from everyone.”And thiscould not be more true of Reb Zalman.From his earliest recollections as a studentin Vienna, his moving introduction toChabad Hasidism in Antwerp, a chance

A journey of spiritual discovery

BookReviewREVIEWED BY JULIE BLOOM

encounter in Marseille with the eventualworld-famous Lubavitcher RabbiMenachem Mendel Schneerson, to hisfamily’s move to the Borough Park sectionof Brooklyn in 1941, and his subsequentpreparation for and ordination as aLubavitcher rabbi, Schacter-Shalomiabsorbed everything his world offered him.

His openness to all of life’s experiencesled Reb Zalman, in 1955, to a graduateprogram in pastoral counseling at BostonUniversity, where he enrolled in “SpiritualDisciplines and Resources,”a class taughtby Howard Thurman, the esteemedChristian African-American Dean of BU’sMarsh Chapel who later would have astrong influence on Martin Luther King.

“Deep down in my gut I felt anxious aboutentrusting my soul to a Christian. Was heopen enough to allow me to learn spiritualdisciplines and resources to make me abetter Jew? After making an appointmentI appeared at his office and knocked onthe door. I explained that I wanted to takehis course and learn from his methods butI was not sure ‘my anchor chains are longenough’ to relinquish self-control andallow him (as a non-Jew) to guide mespiritually. With a pensive expression helooked right at me and said, ‘Don’t youtrust the Ruach Hakodesh (holy spirit)?’

To hear a non-Jew speak these Hebrewwords so eloquently shattered my composure.”

Thurman’s class introduced Reb Zalmanto a variety of spiritual techniques and inone memorable exercise the class wasinstructed to read Psalm 139 several timesand then listen to a recording of MaxBruch’s orchestral composition of KolNidre in order to “hear the psalm’s mean-ing in the sounds of the music allowing usto experience the divine around us.”

Upon reading the Manual of Disciplineof the Dead Sea Scrolls, Reb Zalman wasimpressed that a Jewish monastic groupexisted before the destruction of the second Temple, and he exposed himself to Catholic monasticism. This led him to a relationship of the soul with ThomasMerton where an exchange of ideas, books,practices, and philosophies would supporthis emphasis on experience over doctrine.

The noted psychologist AbrahamMaslow and esteemed Rabbi AbrahamJoshua Heschel opened Reb Zalman further to the needs and sufferings of thehuman condition as well as the yearningsfor communion with God.

Reb Zalman’s memoir reminds me of an old Theosophical statement “When thestudent is ready, the teacher will appear,”and it is this readiness to openly receivelife’s teachings that has been Zalman’s giftto Jewish Renewal. The message I takefrom My Life in Jewish Renewal has been justthis: to energize, to renew, to come closer

(see Bloom, page 19) (see Zoberman, page 19)

Nourishing the soul

Recipes For A Sacred Life (True Storiesand a Few Miracles). By Rivvy Neshama.Divine Arts. 2013. 239 pages. $16.95.

Author and social activist RivvyNeshama delights us in an inviting conversational style with a feast of spiritualfood, nourishingthe soul just as herchosen Hebrewlast name reflects.She is blessed andburdened by a universal soul andvery essence wideenough to encom-pass the rich anddiverse range ofreligious traditions,as this enchantingspiritual seeker and healer is ever eager to find for herself and for us renewedmeaning and uplifting purpose in ouruneven human journey.

Rivvy’s riveting collection of spiritualrecipes in the form of short stories is gently carved out of the joys and strugglesof life’s experiences, connecting the variedthreads of the human experience into atapestry that is whole, while harmonizingthe many expressions of spiritual yearnings.She chooses to highlight binding commanalities rather than focusing onseparating differences. There is satisfyingfood for every reader’s pallet and no onewill walk away hungry from this uniquebook, rather with worthwhile hunger formore soul food…

We are guaranteed to laugh healthilywith Rivvy’s larger-than-life father,Bernard Feldman, even as he was dyingquite young of emphysema, and we willbe enlightened by inspiring Native andSufi traditions that teach us to revere thesacred dimensions of earth and life.Though Rivvy’s Neshama is too large forjust one particular heritage to dwell in, sheis demonstrably anchored in her ownJewish upbringing with shared deepappreciation for Judaism’s celebrations oflife, turning the secular into the sacred andfinding the miraculous in the mundane.

I beg to differ though with a portion ofthe book’s sub-title which humbly refersto “a Few Miracles”. More than a few

BookReviewREVIEWED BY RABBI ISRAEL ZOBERMAN

18 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

that respect as she has a truly interestingcomment for each recipe as well as thePersian name in some cases.

The essay on Jewish food in Iraniancuisine is particularly enlightening,especially since “Jews have lived in Iran formore 2500 years, making Iran’s Jewishcommunity the oldest outside of Israel.”

I wrote Ms. Shafia and asked her for aspecifically Jewish Persian recipe forHanukkah which she sent me below and I have included two other recipes from the cookbook which she recommends forHanukkah.

Persian Rosette Fritters, or Window Cookies Nan-e Panjerei’i

“Persian ‘window cookies’ are a belovedfood in Iranian homes, and like mostPersian foods, they’re enjoyed by Jews,Muslims, and Christians, alike. These delicate fried morsels are a perfect food for Hanukkah because the holiday commemoratesthe miracle of the menorah, whenfrying is the mostpopular way topay homage tothe olive oil thatkept the flameburning for eight days. They owe their distinct Persian flavor to rosewater,cardamom, and pistachios.

“Like with any fried food, it will takesome adjustment to find the right oil temperature and the right cooking length,so you will most likely lose a few fritters at the beginning while you get the hang of making them, but once you find theright rhythm it gets easy. To make thesefritters, you’ll need a Nordic Ware RosetteCookie set, which can be found online atwww.nordicware.com/….”

(Makes between 40–50 fritters)2 eggs2 tsp. confectioner’s sugar, plus extra

for shaking over the cookies1 cup almond milk1 Tbsp. rosewater2 tsp. ground cardamom1/4 tsp. salt1/2 cup rice flour, sifted1/2 cup corn starchOil for deep frying (light olive oil,peanut, safflower, canola, refinedcoconut, or grapeseed oil)Ground pistachios, for garnishRose petals, for garnish (optional)

Prepare the rosette iron by screwing onyour preferred iron mold. Line a bakingsheet with several layers of paper towelsor lint-free kitchen towels. Beat the eggsin an electric mixer on medium speed for 4–5 minutes, until they’re light and

My KosherKitchenREVIEWED BY SYBIL KAPLAN

Persian recipes for Hanukkah

The New Persian Kitchen. By LouisaShafia. Ten Speed Press. 2013. 208 pages.$24.99 hardcover.

This is not akosher cookbook.However, there hasbeen a lot of publicity with thepublication of thiscookbook, becauseMs. Shafia has anAshkenzi Jewishmother, who is a librarian, and a Muslim,Iranian-born father, who is a physician.She grew up in Philadelphia, is a chef, andauthor of the cookbook, Lucid Food:Cooking for an Eco-conscious Life.

The New Persian Kitchen is a veryappealing cookbook for those who enjoyinternational cookbooks and are cookbookcollectors, like myself. It has an introduction,an essay on Persian cuisine through theages and a guide to Persian ingredients inthe beginning; menus, resources, andmeasurement conversion charts are at theend.Throughout the cookbook, there are 8fascinating essays – defining Persian andIranian; Jewish food in Iranian cuisine;Purim; how to open a pomegranate; Islamat the dinner table; healthy aspects ofPersian food; celebrating Persian holidays;and how to make a tahdig (pan fried crustat bottom of a rice pot).

The 93 recipes emphasize whole grainsand gluten-free flours, use minimal amountsof oil and fat, and call for alternatives towhite sugar. Many of the meat dishes havea vegetarian alternative.

The recipes are distributed throughchapters on: starters and snacks, soups,vegetable and egg entrees, meat and fishentrees, main dish stews and casseroles,rice and grains, sweets, beverages, picklesand preserves which can be used in akosher kitchen; 5 additional recipes can bemade kosher by leaving out the yogurtand in one non-kosher fish dish, fishcould be replaced with a kosher fish.

There are 35 mouth-watering, colorphotographs of food and four photographsof Ms. Shafia – all of which make thecookbook even more appealing. One ofmy favorite things about cookbooks isintroductory remarks to each recipe and Ms. Shafia does not disappoint me in

fluffy. Add 2 teaspoons of the sugar, alongwith the milk, rosewater, cardamom,salt, rice flour, and cornstarch, and beatuntil smooth.

Heat the oil on medium high heat in asaucepan or deep skillet.Test the oil after afew minutes by dropping in a spoonful of batter. If the batter browns within 30seconds to 1 minute, the oil is ready.

Submerge the mold in the hot oil forabout 30 seconds, then dip the mold in thebatter. Make sure that the batter does notcover the top of the mold, only the sides,then submerge the mold back in the hotoil. After about 20 seconds, shake themold so that the dough comes off, ornudge it off with a fork. Flip the fritteronce, so both sides are evenly cooked.When it turns golden, pull it out and drainon the paper towels. Repeat with theremaining batter.

When the fritters are completely cool,place them on a serving tray and shakepowdered sugar over the top. Place apinch of pistachios in the middle, andsprinkle a few over the platter. Garnish the platter with rose petals. The fritters are best enjoyed the day that they aremade. Copyright Louisa Shafia, 2013. Allrights reserved.

Two other recipes for Hanukkah fromThe New Persian Kitchen:

Potato cakes with tamarind sauce(15 cakes)

1 8-ounce package tempeh*3 minced garlic cloves1 finely diced yellow onion1 tsp. ground turmeric2 Tbsp. ground coriander2 cups mashed potatoes,

at room temperature1 cup tightly packed minced cilantrosea salt1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper2 whisked eggsrefined coconut oil or other high-heat oil1/4 cup Thai tamarind concentrate,

strained to remove grit3 Tbsp. organic sugar cane1/4 tsp. ground ginger*tempeh is a soy product from Indonesia

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a bakingsheet with parchment paper. Cut the tempeh into quarters and pulse it a fewtimes in a food processor until it has thetexture of ground meat. In a large bowl,combine the tempeh, garlic, onion,turmeric and coriander. Add the mashedpotatoes, cilantro, 2 tsp. salt, pepper andeggs and mix to form the dough. Forminto 15 patties, 1/4-inch thick, using 1/3cup of dough for each patty.

(see Kaplan/Recipes, page 19)

terms. (Albert Tsai is one of the mostadorable child actors ever.) In the morninghis first words are, “Shalom, everyone.What do we have to nosh on?” Hedescribes his play date friend as “such apain in the tuches.” Before the end of theday, Burt has spouted, “Oy vay, we have to get to work” and “I don’t want to getshmootz on my shirt.”

Trophy wife Kate observes, “I don’tknow who’s been teaching Bert all thatYiddish, but it really needs to continue.”Itis good that Kate likes Yiddish. None ofthe Goldbergs seem to have any use for it.And the question is a good one. Who’steaching Bert Yiddish?

In that episode, written by Daniel Chum,Bert is trying to bring happiness to hismother, who jumps from one job toanother and one fad to another and whoinvades her ex-husband’s home for themost inappropriate reasons. But apparentlyshe understands Yiddish. Is she intendedto be Jewish? She asks Bert,“Do you knowwhat makes me happy?” He responds,“My shayneh punim [my adorable face]?”And his mom says,“Exactly.”No Goldberguses such expressions. It would seem thatthe writers of Trophy Wife have more of aninterest in things Jewish.

Rabbi Gertel has been spiritual leader ofcongregations in New Haven and Chicago.He is the author of two books, What JewsKnow About Salvation and Over the |Top Judaism: Precedents and Trends inthe Depiction of Jewish Beliefs andObservances in Film and Television. He hasbeen media critic for The National JewishPost & Opinion since 1979. AAAA

November 20, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 19

BLOOM(continued from page 17)

j i

to God requires us to be thirsty learners,curious and open to the existence of manytruths, and willing to follow and partnerwith each other and with the Divine.

Julie Bloom is a contributor to The JewishPost & Opinion and a member of the JewishRenewal Minyan at Congregation BethShalom in Bloomington, Ind. AAAA

MALLON(continued from page 5)

did, or contemplated their Kabbalisticsignificance (as the Besht seems to havebeen doing when quoting the same versein the Tzva’at Rivash). Still, these laterpractices show contemplative applicationsof the verse.

[3] Rabbi Nathan of Nemirov; RabbiNachman’s Wisdom; Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan,trans.; Rabbi Zevi Aryeh Rosenfeld, ed.;(seems to have originally been self-published, as my copy lists no publisher or copyright date; later editions might doso); p. 5

[4] ibid., p. 10[5] Zacharyahu/Zechariah 4:6; this verse

also appears in the haftarah for ShabbatMiketz during Hanukkah

Rabbi Mallon has taught people of all agesas a bar/bat mitzvah instructor, Hebrewschool teacher, cantor, pastoral counselorand rabbi, in addition to his work in publiceducation. He resides in New City, NY.View other works by him at: http://rabbielimallon.wordpress.com. AAAA

ZOBERMAN(continued from page 17)

miracles are presented and as the Jewishprayerbook (siddur) wisely attests to, weare daily blessed with multiple miracleswhich we often take for granted. The stories are accompanied by illuminatingquotes from such luminaries as AlbertEinstein and Woody Allen.

j i ZIMMERMAN(continued from page 10)

phrase from my childhood experience inyouth group comes to mind: “Not bymight, not by power, but by spirit alone….”

This Thanksgivukkah, I have so muchfor which to be thankful.

Dr. Zimmerman is professor emerita atNotre Dame de Namur University inBelmont, Calif., where she continues to teachthe Holocaust course. She can be reached atmzimmerman@ndnu.edu. AAAA

j i

j i j i KAPPLAN/ISRAEL(continued from page 11)

Tom runs the coffee shop, Café Barista,where beans are roasted. One can drinkthe house coffee, made from five differentkinds of beans, or take home a bag of coffee. For ice coffee enthusiasts, thebeans are soaked in water for 24 hoursthen separated and the liquid strained.This is poured over crushed ice resultingin a wonderful tasting cold coffee. There is also a machine offering the thick icedcoffee 330 ml (11 ounces) for 15 NIS(about $4.20) or 500 ml (16.9 ounces) for18 NIS (about $5.05).

Snacking in the Culinary Bazaar is a fun experience. Wandering through thebazaar to buy foods for home is definitelyan entertaining and enjoyable time onewants to repeat on a regular basis.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, food writer,lecturer and cookbook author. AAAA

GERTEL(continued from page 16)

Heat a large skillet over medium heatand add oil to the depth of 1/4 inch. Whenthe oil is hot, place several cakes in theskillet without crowding. fry for 4 minutesper side, until golden, and drain on papertowels. Repeat with the remaining patties.Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, in order to cookthe inside.

Whisk the tamarind with the sugar,ginger and 1/4 tsp. salt. Serve the cakeshot or at room temperature and drizzle withthe tamarind sauce. Leftover cakes willkeep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Shaved Celery Root and Pomegranate Salad(serves 6)This crisp, palate-cleansing salad is

dressed with olive oil like the miracle of theoil that lasted for eight days and nights andis tangy and fruity to put on latkes.

3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil1 Tbsp. honeysea salt1 large celery rootseeds of 2 pomegranatesfreshly ground black pepper

In a large salad bowl, whisk together thelime juice, olive oil, honey and 1 tsp. salt.Rinse the celery root and slice off therough outer layer. Using the large holes ona box grater, or the grater attachment of afood processor, grate the celery root and addit to the dressing. Add the pomegranateseeds and toss until they’re well coatedwith the dressing. Season to taste with saltand pepper and serve.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, food and featurewriter, and author of nine kosher cookbooks. AAAA

KAPLAN/RECIPES(continued from page 18)

The incessant Jewish drive for Tikkun Olam’srestoration of life’s broken fragments iscourageously manifested in Rivvy’s ownlife’s commitments and choices, includingteaching in Harlem along with co-foundingand directing Transportation Alternativesin the challenging urban environment ofNew York City.

A graduate of Bryn Mawr College with amajor in philosophy, Rivvy is the author ofNat Turner and the Virginia Slave Revolt, achildren’s book. Married to British writerJohn Wilcockson, they live in Boulder andSag Harbor. This highly recommendedbook is bound to make a difference inone’s life.

Rabbi Israel Zoberman is the spiritualleader of Congregation Beth Chaverim inVirginia Beach, Va. AAAA

20 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT November 20, 2013

1427 W. 86th St. #228Indianapolis, IN 46260

OpinionPost&The Jewish

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

US POSTAGEPAID

INDIANAPOLIS, INPERMIT NO. 1321

Der zummer gait avek un balt vetshane veren kalt. (Summer is over andsoon we will be getting cold weather.)

Ahz ich haub geven ah clayneh ven dervetter is gevoren kalt flegen mir gainyehder mitvauch in shvitz baud. (WhenI was a little girl living in Chicago, as soonas the weather was cold every Wednesdaywe went to the Turkish bath house.)

Mir flegen zach tresen dorten mit meinbaube un mine mutters fear shvester unzayereh maydlach. (We would meet upwith my grandmother and my mother’sfour sister and their little girls.)

Mir flegen zach goot oys varehmen inder hayser shvitz. Dee mahmeh flecktunz vashen fuhn kaup biz dee fiss mitzayfik bletter fuhn ah baym. Klop, klopin playtzeh. Zee fleckt zaugen daus isgoot far dee bluten. (We would get ourbodies nice and warm in the hot steamroom. Mother would wash us from headto toe with soapy oak leaves tied together.Smack, smack she would go on our backs. She would say it’s good for your circulation.)

Nauch daus baud flegen mir zach laygen ahf klayneh betlach in ah sinstereh tzimmer un shlafen far ah halbeh shpundeh. (After the bath wewould all lay down on cots in a dark roomand sleep for about a half hour.)

Nauch der rue flegen mir alleh eppesessen un trinken ah glehzeleh chai. (Afterthe rest we would have something to eatand a glass of hot tea.)

Ich haub daus zayer gehglichen unheint ahz ich bin alt kumt mir daus allehmaul in zinen ahz daus vert kalt. (I lovedthis very much and today when I am old I always think of this when the weathergets cold.)

Henya Chaiet is the Yiddish name forMrs. A. Helen Feinn. Born in 1924 ten daysbefore Passover, her parents had come toAmerica one year prior. They spoke onlyYiddish at home so that is all she spoke untilage five when she started kindergarten. Shethen learned English, but has always lovedYiddish and speaks it whenever possible.Chaiet lived in La Porte and Michigan City,Ind., from 1952 to 1978 and currentlyresides in Walnut Creek, Calif. Email:afeinn87@gmail.com. AAAA

Daus Yiddish vort far heint(The Yiddish word for today.)

BY HENYA CHAIET

Yiddish forEveryday

about being called at 3 a.m. into a Miamineighborhood that was in one of the more violent parts of town. A death has occurred and the family is in need of spiritual support.

He writes,“As I approached the house Isaw many people in the street blockingthe way. They were people of color. I amwhite, and was probably becoming whiterwith fear.”

After introducing himself as the chaplain, he talks to the family to find outmore about the deceased. He then asksthe immediate family to gather around thebody in a circle holding hands. He recitesa beautiful blessing about the deceased,and as is the case in many of these stories,the blessing is included in the story.

After his paperwork is finished and he is about to leave, the eldest son of thedeceased asks him to stay longer.

Olenick writes,“We formed a circle, andheld hands while we sang songs of praise,old fashioned gospel songs for God. Theenergy was sacred. My heart was completelyopened as I became part of the extendedfamily of these people. I feared them a fewhours ago and now we traveled togetherinto a holy spiritual space.”

Our readers already know this book oflife affirming stories is well worth readingover and over again and would make awonderful Hanukkah gift. AAAA

Life affirming storiesAnatomy of a Tear. By Chaplain Leon H.

Olenick, BCC. Soul Geology Books. Nov.22, 2013. 180 pages. $12.95. Available atAmazon.com. (Bulk orders available at adiscount through publisher@soulgeologybooks and at www.geologistsofthesoul.com.)

Many chaplains are caring and compas-sionate, non-judgmental and open-hearted.Some writers are so articulate the readerfeels as if he or sheis present in thestory. Very few areable to do bothwell. To our goodfortune, Chaplain,Rabbi and AuthorLeon Olenick isone of those few.

Anatomy of aTear takes one on a journey to placeswhere temporary characteristics such age,race, religion and gender, have littleimportance. What matters instead are theundying qualities of kindness, empathy,acceptance, and love. Ride with Olenick ashe drives to incredible real-life situationsthat one could not make up, not onlyinvolving end-of-life issues but also aboutnew beginnings.

Olenick’s book is aboutdifferent circumstances towhich his work as chaplain has taken himduring all hours of the day and night. To give an example of new beginnings, one is about a couple in their 90s living in a nursinghome, and they want to get married. Theyask him to perform the ceremony.

One of my favorites titled “Hallelujah”is

Book ReviewREVIEWED BY JENNIE COHEN

Leon Olenick