DISCUSSING '18 HOLIDAYS' IN WOODCLIFF LAKE page 6

THE MACCABEATS ARE COMING TO TOWN page 8

MUSLIMS, MODERATE AND MILITANT page 16
'THE BAND'S VISIT' DELIGHTS page 48
A NEARLY-PERFECT 'MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL' page 49

DECEMBER 1, 2017
VOL. LXXXVII NO. 11 $1.00 86 2017
7

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2 Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017


Wrestling with a fake chasid
l A Jewish pro-
fessional wrestler
called out a non-
Jewish colleague
who dresses as a
chasidic Jew for his
matches, saying it
is the equivalent
of black face.
David Starr,
whose given name
is Max Barsky,
complained in a
Facebook post
about fellow wres-
tler Mathias Glass,
who bills himself
The Most Jewish Man Alive.
Glass wears a shtreiml and a black
suit; the fringes of his tzitzit hang out.
Payos dangle in front of his ears. He
often breaks into chasidic dancing.
I want everyone to know that
Mathias Glass is not Jewish, Starr
wrote. The stereotype driven char-
acter he portrays is offensive and dis-
tasteful. It is the equivalent of black
face. Imagine me painting my face
black and acting as a black character
that was completely stereotypically
driven. How would you react? How
would the public react?
Starr, 26, said he had messaged
Glass previously about his gimmick,
and knows that other Jews in wres-
tling have urged him to stop.
Prior to finding out that he wasnt
Jewish, I thought the schtick was
For convenient home delivery,
call 201-837-8818 or bit.ly/jsubscribe
Candlelighting: Friday, December 1, 4:11 p.m.
Shabbat ends: Saturday, December 2, 5:13 p.m.
entertaining, Starr
also wrote. I dont
necessarily like
stereotype driven
gimmicks in general,
but this was clearly a
self-deprecating (at
least I thought it self-
deprecating) comedic
style. I am not a no
fun sensitive snow-
flake type. I can make
fun of myself and my
people, but some-
one from outside the
community has no
right.
Reaction to Starrs post was mixed,
with some agreeing that it is offensive
and others calling on the wrestler to
lighten up. Others pointed out that
wrestling has always been about ex-
aggerated and offensive stereotypes.
The response from Glass came on
Twitter.
Wrestling is real and Im Jewish.
Oy, he tweeted.
He also retweeted many messages
of support from both fans and com-
petitors.
I find myself pulling back on some
of the stereotypical stuff but to the
chagrin of many many Jewish fans,
friends, and fellow wrestlers. Im con-
stantly evolving, constantly learning,
and always willing to listen to con-
structive criticism, he tweeted.
JTA Wire Service
Page 3
The $167,000 kippah
l You can walk humbly before the Lord. Daniels luxury product line ranges from
Or you can wear a luxury kippah. crystal-encrusted soccer boots to effer-
If you want to go the second route, vescent caps. Among the famous figures
youre in luck. sporting Daniels products are soccer play-
A kippah encrusted with more than ers Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo,
3,500 sparkling Swarovski crystals is fashion model Jourdan Dunn, and musi-
about to go on the market, just in time for cians Jermaine Jackson, Leona Lewis, and
Chanukah, which begins in a week and a Sean Paul.
half on December 13. It took Daniel 14 days to conceive and
The singular skullcap is the brainchild of create the kippah. Each of its crystals has
Nigerian artist Toks Daniel, who has set an to be placed with delicacy and precision.
asking price of $167,000. But if you dont He collaborated with jeweler and de-
want the diamonds, you can snag it for signer Robert Goodman for the pice de
only $9,300. rsistance a two-carat D-color flawless
The kippah is Daniels first piece of Ju- solitaire-cut diamond supplied by Good-
daica. It was inspired by his attraction to man and set atop a star of David at the
Judaism. kippahs center.
Whilst I was a youngster in Nigeria, Daniel said he intends to donate $1,330 to
Jews had a rather exotic image, he said Chabad Lubavitch of Nigeria from the sale.
in a press release. The more I have since A leather kippah adorned with a star of
been exposed to Jews and Judaism, David crafted from 873 diamonds totaling
the more I have become enamored with 2.75 carats and set in 14 karat white gold
its rituals, principles and aesthetics. My sells on the contemporary Judaica website
yarmulke design is a manifestation of my Modern Tribe for $36,000.
enchantment with the religion. Times of Israel
After an open-and-shut case,
security officer quits Israeli consulate
l The chief security officer at one of heavy security doors were locked and
Israels embassies in Asia has resigned she was trapped inside.
after locking the consul in the build- The consul contacted the Foreign
ing amid an ongoing feud between the Ministry in Jerusalem where the news
two over when to exit the premises at reached the attention of director-
the end of the work day. general Yuval Rotem. Rotem told the
The incident happened a month security director of the Asian region to
ago, the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahro- help free the consul, and the ministry
noth reported, without identifying the started to hunt for the security officer.
embassy or the names of the people But there were problems with com-
involved. munications, and it took 90 minutes to
A dispute between the officer and reach the guard, who was ordered to
the consul had been brewing for some go back to the embassy and unlock its
time over the daily procedure for doors.
winding down operations at the em- When he got to the embassy, the
bassy. Each day, the officer would tour security officer assured the consul that
the offices at 5 p.m., when the staff he had been planning on coming back
would leave, and then he would lock to liberate her.
up the building. Ministry sources said that the securi-
While all of the other staff followed ty guard was considered an exemplary
his instructions, the consul occasion- worker; among other exploits, he had
ally would stay later. helped rescue stranded Israeli hikers.
This time, however, the security guard Although the ministry sources told
locked the front door although the con- Yedioth that the consul also had be-
sul still was inside, and then he went haved inappropriately, the ministry
home. decided that the situation was the se-
At 5:12 p.m. local time the consul curity guards fault. In reaction, the guard
signed out and tried to leave the build- resigned and asked to go back to Israel.
ing. And then she discovered that the Stuart Winer/Times of Israel
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crossword puzzle 45
dear rabbi zahavy46
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The Jewish Standard assumes no responsibility to return unso-
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real estate 57
Jewish
Jewish
Standard
Standard
december 1, 2017 3
march 3,
Noshes Just to clarifyshe is not Jewish.
Publicist Chantal Artur, quoted in the fourth paragraph of an article in the
Forward, Is Meghan Markle Going To Be Prince Harrys Jewish Princess?
The article proceeded to list 4 kind of, sort of Jewish things about the
future British princess.

STREAM OF PLENTY:

Mrs. Maisel leads

the new offerings
The first season of (1925-1966) is a minor Jewish women dont
The Marvelous character in the pilot and star in Hollywood movies
Mrs. Maisel begins I expect well see him they only play the
streaming on November again. nasty best friend
29. The pilot episode, It seems to me that the WOODY ALLEN only has
presented last year, and Midge character is an in- actresses who couldnt
free to watch online, got teresting hybrid of three be less Jewish in his
rave reviews. It was famous female come- movieslike SCARLETT
created by AMY dians: Phyllis Diller, the JOHANSSON.
SHERMAN-PALLADINO, late JOAN RIVERS, and The Reporter, at
51 (Gilmore Girls). The SARAH SILVERMAN, 45. a friends insistence,
publicity release summa- Like Diller, she is a house- inserted a note that Jo-
rizes the series arc: Its wife and mother who hansson in fact is Jewish.
1958 Manhattan and became a comedian. Her Amy Sherman-Palladino Michael Zegen Alex Borstein Point is Silverman is
Miriam Midge Maisel comedic style, however, describing the world as it
(Rachel Brosnahan, is much more like Rivers was in 1960. She doesnt
House of Cards) has and Silverman more know Johansson is Jew-
everything shes ever acerbic. Maisel is, like Sil- ish. She doesnt know,
wanted the perfect verman, attractive, even I think, which recent/
husband, two kids, and sexy. This means her current actresses are
an elegant New York humor is never about her Jewish. But she still pon-
apartment perfect for plain looks as it always tificates. Maybe some-
hosting Yom Kippur was with Diller and often day shell read a list like
dinner. But her perfect was with Rivers. this and stop. From 1974
life takes an unexpected The Carol Burnett forward, here are the
turn and Midge discovers 50th anniversary Jewish lead actress Os-
a previously unknown special will air on CBS on car nominees: BARBRA
talent [stand-up com- Sunday, December 3, at STREISAND, JILL CLAY-
edy] one that changes 8 p.m. No doubt many of Sarah Silverman Maya Rudolph Aya Cash BURGH, BETTE MIDLER
her life forever. She the clips will feature the (2X), GOLDIE HAWN,
charts a course that late HARVEY KORMAN, Sherri, who is very his daughter, actress in 2016). DEBRA WINGER (2X),
takes her from her a series co-star. Celebrity pregnant with her first Katie Cassidy, but he was Sarah Silverman is and NATALIE PORT-
comfortable life on River- guests on the special child when we first see close to his son, BEAU a funny comedian. MAN (2X); Supporting
side Drive, through the include MAYA RUDOLPH, her. Her husband is CASSIDY, 26 (Katies half But like many of us, Oscar nominees, from
basket houses and 45. involved in a home-brew- brother). A singer like his sometimes she hears 1974 on: MADELINE
nightclubs of Greenwich On December 1, ing beer business with father, Beau is the son of something or gets an KAHN, SYLVIA MILES,
Village, as she storms the Netflix will stream his best friend, played by songwriter SUE SHIFRIN idea in her head, and LEE GRANT, PIPER
world of standup a the second eight-epi- DAVE FRANCO, 32. CASSIDY, 67, Davids doesnt bother to check LAURIE (2X), AMY IR-
course that will ultimate- sode season of its MARC MARON, 54, also third wife. In 2001, a Las whether what she is VING, WINONA RYDER,
ly lead her to a spot on original series Easy. The returns this season. He Vegas synagogue saying is true. Unlike MARE WINNINGHAM,
Johnny Carsons couch. episodes are set in starred in one first-sea- newsletter noted that most of us, she is a LAUREN BACALL,
MICHAEL ZEGEN, 38, Chicago and minor son episode, playing a David and Sue had celebrity, so she has a BARBARA HERSHEY,
plays Joel, Midges hus- characters in one graphic artist. joined the congregation. really big media soapbox KATE HUDSON, SOPHIE
band. ALEX BORSTEIN, episode are sometimes David Cassidy, However, they moved to to spout nonsense. I was OKONEDO, NATALIE
46, plays Suzie, a com- major ones in others. who died last Florida the next year referred to an appalling PORTMAN, RACHEL
edy club employee who AYA CASH, 35, co- week at 67, had two and, as I write this, I dont part of a recent Holly- WEISZ, MAGGIE
becomes a close pal of starred in two episodes children. Earlier this year, know if they joined a wood Reporter interview GYLLENHAAL, JUNE
Midges. The famous co- last season and returns he told People that he Florida synagogue. with Silverman. She went SQUIBB, and JENNIFER
median LENNY BRUCE this season. She plays was not in contact with (David and Sue divorced on and on like this: JASON LEIGH. N.B.

California-based Nate Bloom can be reached at

Want to read more noshes? Visit facebook.com/jewishstandard Middleoftheroad1@aol.com

4 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017

JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 5
Local
A personal view of the holidays
Panel will share thoughts and insights into the Jewish calendar
LOIS GOLDRICH
L
ast year, four Jewish profession-
als came together at Temple
Emanuel of the Pascack Valley
in Woodcliff Lake to offer per-
sonal reflections on their relation to the
Torah and how its teachings have con-
nected to their lives.
With the book Chapters of the Heart:
Jewish Women Sharing the Torah of Our
Lives as their jumping-off point, the pan-
elists discussed how we personally con-
nected Torah to a piece of our lives, said
Rabbi Loren Monosov, the religious leader
of the Woodcliff Lake congregation, who
was on the panel.
Rabbi Monosov will participate in this
years program as well. She will join Rabbi
Shelley Kniaz, the synagogues director of
congregational education, and longtime
Jewish educator Miriam Gray, who was
associated with the shul for a long time and
now is an adult education teacher at Tem-
ple Sinai in Tenafly. The three women will
talk about their favorite Jewish holidays.
Centering on My Jewish Year, 18 Holi-
days, One Wondering Jew by Abigail
Pogrebin, the December 7 program will
echo Ms. Pogrebins approach, combining
cultural and theological explanations of
the Jewish holidays with autobiographical
material. Rabbi Kniaz gave a shout-out to
congregant Alayne Pick, chair of the shuls
Keruv Committee for Community Engage-
ment and a co-chair of the continuing edu-
cation committee, for suggesting both this
book and last years selection.
Rabbi Monosov described the upcom-
ing program as a night to come together
as a community and learn. Each pre-
senter will talk about a particular holiday
and how it is meaningful to her. Hope-
fully, by the end of the evening, people
should learn more about the holidays we
discuss and find a holiday that resonates
with them. It does not have to be a holi-
day we presented on. Rather, they might
come to appreciate a holiday or a mem-
ory in a new light or add a new tradition
to their holiday celebration.
While all the presenters are women,
Rabbi Monosov said that was a mere coin-
cidence and that the discussion would
have been as meaningful or fruitful if the
panel included males. Indeed, she hopes
that men will attend the program. How-
ever, Rabbi Monosov added, it is signifi-
cant that all the presenters are Jewish
professionals who balance our own per-
sonal celebration with our professional
lives. That balance impacts our holidays in
a profound way, sometimes making them
6 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
From left, Rabbi Shelley Kniaz, Miriam Gray, and Rabbi Loren Monosov
more meaningful and sometimes making
them much more challenging with the
competing needs at the same time.
Describing the upcoming program, Ms.
Gray, who lives in Westwood, said it will
be a way of personalizing the holiday
giving it an individual feel, as opposed
to an academic one. Ms. Pogrebins book
demonstrates that the holidays are only
meaningful if you participate, she said.
During the years when Ms. Pogrebin did
not observe the holidays, she had a
childlike view of them and distant feel-
ings. But later, when she began to fol-
low the Jewish calendar actively, she
really got to understand what our Sages
intended, and why they made the rules
surrounding the holidays.
Ms. Gray believes that men and women
approach the holidays very differently.
With certain exceptions, she said, it
is more common for women to take a
hands-on approach. Its part of the fab-
ric of our lives as Jewish women, very
much a part of us. For the most part, she
said, men arent doing the shopping, or
planning the meals. A mans presentation
would be just as personal, but with a dif-
ferent viewpoint.
Ms. Gray chose Yom Kippur for her dis-
cussion; her favorite time of the year is
Sukkot, but Rabbi Kniaz already had dibs
on it. Yom Kippur, Ms. Gray said, is one
day a year of no responsibility, except to
sit in shul, and I love that. You dont have
to be concerned with anything, and that
allows a deeper exploration of the days
spiritual aspects. Its a very cerebral day
no laundry or meals, she said. I find
it peaceful. I dont even come home dur-
ing the break, although I may take a walk.
Theres something about Yom Kippur
the spirituality, the awe.
Her hope, she said, is that after she
shares her personal feelings with the
audience, some will make a choice to try
to observe it. You can better understand
the chaggim by doing them. If you dont
take that step and make that effort, then
youre robbing yourself of a potentially
enriching experience.
She recalled that one year, knee-deep in
Pesach preparations, she began to under-
stand the mindset of the sages who cre-
ated the laws regarding that holiday, what
was in their minds when they were doing
it. Sweeping out the house, I began to
understand that I was getting ready for
something new, exciting, and different.
Rabbi Kniaz, who lives in Teaneck,
described the upcoming program, as well
as last years event, as opportunities to
express very personal connections. She
noted that the presenters not only will
choose a holiday to discuss but will con-
nect to both observance of the holiday and
the values embedded in it. She feels that
since the three presenters are of different
ages and have very different personalities,
we play off each other really nicely.
Addressing the issue of differences
between mens and womens perceptions
of the holidays, Rabbi Kniaz said there
are definitely differences but she doesnt
know whether to attribute them to experi-
ence or to biology. Most of the Jewish holi-
days have a strong home element. Not
to stereotype, but that fact that there is
a strong home element does plug it into
something that women by nature, or by
circumstance, are very much involved in,
she said.
She will be discussing Sukkot, basing her
observations and anecdotes on the theme
of hachnasat orchim, hospitality. It really
revolves around that eating in the suk-
kah, hosting people, she said. Im going
to say why thats important to me and
tell stories about Sukkot and hosting in
general.
Rabbi Kniaz said that as an educator, she
is particularly concerned about putting
guests together. I like it to be intergenera-
tional, to have some variety, so there will
be interesting conversations. Joking that
her quest for an interesting combination
of people might be described as Downton
Abbey with paper plates, she added that
she also considers the plight of people
who need a place. Calling that a chesed
orientation, she said she had created a
program at Town and Village Synagogue
in Manhattan where designated fami-
lies would be responsible for setting extra
plates at their Shabbat table and inviting
people they did not know.
That, she said, was based on a practice
she pursued in her own home, through
which she came to meet some really
interesting people. Her son, Matan, grew
up with that, she said, asking Whos com-
ing? every Friday night.
She and her husband, Rabbi Eliezer Dia-
mond, also took a particular interest in
the Eastern European graduate students
who work at Camp Ramah in the Berk-
shires during the summer and sometimes
needed a place to stay before and after
camp, or to store their luggage.
We became that way station, she said.
We met amazing people. On one memo-
rable night, we had 14 people sleeping in
the house. All the bedrooms and the base-
ment were full. One person said, Every-
one needs a Shabbat.
Rabbi Kniazs hope for the upcoming pro-
gram is that people will become interested
in observing the holidays they hear about,
or in more aspects of them and making for-
ays into these values. She acknowledged,
however, that, If youre not immersed in an
observant community, it feels alien to invite
people you dont know.
The panel is not academic or instruc-
tional per se, she said. There will be
a lot of anecdotes and personal feel-
ings. Its very accessible and will make
people think, This is something I could
consider.
Who: Rabbi Loren Monosov, Rabbi
Shelley Kniaz, and educator Miriam
Gray
What: Will discuss Abigail Pogrebins
My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One
Wondering Jew
When: On Thursday, December 7, at
7:45 p.m.
Where: At Temple Emanuel of the
Pascack Valley, 87 Overlook Drive in
Woodcliff Lake
Why: For the 5778 Rabbi/Scholar
Symposium, Hearing Womens
Voices
For more information: Call (201) 391-
0801 or go to www.tepv.org.
 r o d u c i n g
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JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 7

Local

So much for my son the doctor

Maccabeats (some of them physicians) to sing in Englewood on Sunday

J
CURT SCHLEIER

ulian Horwitz and Nachum Joel

are pitch perfect, even when being
interviewed.
The two, members of the a cap-
pella group called the Maccabeats, are
on a conference call to promote their
appearance at the bergenPAC in Engle-
wood on December 6. [See box.}
Mr. Horwitz, the groups musical direc-
tor and co-founder, explains that the
Maccabeats roots were planted at the
Yeshiva of Flatbush in Brooklyn. He and
his buddy Michael Greenberg were mem-
bers of the schools choir there.
The pair started the Maccabeats as
freshman at Yeshiva University, Mr. Hor-
witz said, as a continuation of that high
school experience. It began as a school-
funded club in 2007, but as the Macca-
beats moved on to Facebook, YouTube,
and greater visibility, we wanted a little
more autonomy, he said. We actually
took it independent, though the group
maintained a loose relationship with the Members of the Maccabeats head down a Manhattan street in perfect harmony.
school and received arts funding from a
university discretionary fund. voice, he said. I hated being put in the architect. very little anti-Semitism, except from
The Maccabeats first big hit came in spotlight. After first performing publicly Uri Westrich, who filmed and edited journalists. I did an interview for a
2010 with Candlelight, a Chanukah- as a member of his summer camp color Candlelight and still directs Maccabe- newspaper in Northern Oklahoma and
themed takeoff on a Taio Cruz hit, Dyna- war chorus he joined a theater troupe ats YouTube videos, was in his first year the reporter asked if I was obnoxious,
mite. It took off like you should excuse at Yeshiva and performed in the groups of medical school in 2010. The emphasis because all the Jews he knew were
the expression dynamite. It generated production of Newsies. Then he joined there on was. That experience con- obnoxious.
literally millions of YouTube hits. The the Maccabeats, whom he had seen per- vinced him that his true passion was in You cant be a public Jewish pres-
group exploded from there, performing form around campus. the visual arts, Mr. Horwitz said. His ence online without exposing yourself
a mix of traditional songs as well as Jew- Mr. Horwitz majored in math, but when parents have never forgiven us. to anti-Semitic trolls. But I dont like to
ish-themed parodies, many of which are Candlelight exploded he switched his Mr. Horwitz says hes experienced focus on that.
available on line. major to Maccabeats. He graduated
There are about 20 men in the Macca- eventually, he said. In our concerts I Who: The Maccabeats
beats pool they perform in groups of like to joke that I always wanted to be a What: In concert
seven and they are all modern Ortho- doctor, but my mother strongly insisted
When: Wednesday, December 6, at 7:30 p.m.
dox, though Mr. Horwitz concedes that I become a Jewish a cappella singer. But
we dont know what anybody does she still mentions my taking the L-SATs Where: At the bergenPAC, 30 North Van Brunt St., Englewood
behind closed doors. some day. How much: Tickets range from $19 to $49.
They select their repertoire as a group Mr. Joel works for an insurance bro- For information and reservations: Go to or call the box office at (201) 227-1030.
and once we as a committee decide ker. Every Maccabeat has two jobs his
AND
what we want to do, Julian executes it, real-world position and his responsibili-
When: Sunday, December 10, at 2 p.m.
Mr. Joel explained. ties to the group, which includes practice
Yes, Im the executioner, Mr. Horwitz once or twice a week and recording, as Where: At Rosen Performing Arts Center, YMCA., Wayne
added, to clear up any confusion. well as the 40 or 50 annual appearances. How much: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
Mr. Joel joined the group in 2010, his The Maccabeats are doctors, lawyers, a For information and reservations: Call the box office at (973) 595-0100.
senior year. I was always shy about my medical student, a psychologist, and an

You can make a difference in someones life.

Do you have an hour a week to do a mitzvah?
Consider becoming a JFCS Volunteer.
Many opportunities are available. All are welcome.
201-837-9090 www.jfcsnnj.org
8 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
Untitled-1 1 11/22/17
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 4:19 PM9
1, 2017
Local
Providing a safety net in an increasingly trying time
Jewish Family and Childrens Services offers holistic help as needs grow
JOANNE PALMER
T
hese are troubled, troubling times
that we live in.
There is economic uncertainty,
encouraged by some politicians and
exacerbated by the growing sense that human
beings are being replaced by machines.
There is social uncertainty, as our under-
standing of acceptable behavior is challenged,
often years later, by victims who feel scarred by
it; at the same time, both crude, vulgar lack of
empathy toward anyone who is different and
a feeling that we owe people who are differ-
ent understanding, respect, and dignity battle
in our public forums, and even inside our own
hearts and minds.
There is status uncertainty; immigrants who
have come here illegally and lived safely, even
comfortably, for years no longer feel as comfort-
able or even as safe. There is political uncertainty,
as surprising wins and losses make solid-seem-
ing institutions shudder, just a little bit. There is
health-care uncertainty, as politicians fight about
who should pay what for it. Even Medicare and
Medicaid are under sporadic attack.
Thats just a short list of some of the most
obvious uncertainties. Many more loom.
For social service agencies, this is both a huge Sandra Leshaw, the program director of Re-Launch Career Services,
opportunity and a huge challenge. As the need works with a client.
for the services agencies provide rises, the fund-
ing necessary to provide them diminishes, a seemingly
intractable dance of cause and effect.
Locally, a year after the merger that brought it into exis-
tence, the Jewish Family & Childrens Services of North-
ern New Jersey is facing the results of that uncertainty.
As it begins its second year with a gala dinner on Sunday
night, JFCS looks to the community that it helps for help.
[See box.]
The agency created with help from the organization
that provides a large chunk of its funding, the Jewish Fed-
eration of Northern New Jersey is the result of the mar-
riage of the Jewish Family Service of North Jersey in Fair
Lawn and Wayne and the Jewish Family Service of Bergen
and North Hudson in Teaneck.
Susan Greenbaum, left, and Ron Rosensweig, who was vice president of the Jewish Family Service of North Jersey, look on as
presidents of the two merging organizations, Shira Feuerstein and Allyn Michaelson, sign the agreement to join the agencies.
10 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
matter, a whole family and therefore can see
how those needs intersect, or even how they
cause yet more friction as they hit up against
each other.
To be specific, if we see a senior in the com-
munity who has both hunger issues and some
physical issues that we need to address with
home care, that senior also can get therapy. Or
if we see a kid who is depressed and anxious,
we can see that entire family, and the family also
can get concrete services, like access to the food
pantry. The family also can get help in gaining
access to the tangled, non-user-friendly web of
available government services.
It is perhaps like a family doctor surrounded
by specialists; the specialists are vitally impor-
tant, but it is the family doctor who can see how
the entire patient functions; to the family doc-
tor, the patient is a person, not a collection of
organs. Thats true for the JFCS as well.
JFCS gets money from the state and local
government as well as from the federation and
from donors; it draws its clients from both the
broader community and the Jewish community.
We are there for the entire community; we are
the safety net for the Jewish community, Ms.
Greenbaum said.
Thats what sets us apart. Thats the beauty of
organized Jewish society. We can do this better
than anyone else because were supported by the
community, and we can deliver these services in
It faces extra challenges and rewards with its unusual a way that is much more comfortable and palatable.
model. Everyone has someone a mother, a brother, a father-
Unlike most agencies, which focus on one area of need in-law, a cousin, a neighbor who has needed help. We
and work only on that, We provide multiple services, are there to answer that call for help. Even if we cant do it
Susan Greenbaum said. Ms. Greenbaum, a social worker, all, were always there. We will not drop anyone.
is the agencys chief executive officer. That means that JFCSs offerings range widely. It provides Kosher Meals
we do both psychotherapy and senior services, that we on Wheels; the number of meals it provides is increasing.
have a food pantry, that we provide both vocational sup- It supports Holocaust survivors; the Conference on Jewish
port and support groups. Material Claims Against Germany gave the agency more
Its not that those other groups programs for older than $1.5 million, and the federation has filled in the gaps
people, assisted living programs, food banks, employment that even that large but surprisingly easy-to-spend amount
services arent extremely important. They are. Its not has left in elderly survivors lives.
as if they dont meet important needs. They do. But JFCS It runs a food pantry whose clients include many Jews.
is a holistic agency that sees a whole person for that I recently learned that a man were working with gets $13
a month in food stamps, Ms. Greenbaum
said. That supplements a meager disability
check. This is a Jewish man, and he could
be my cousin. He could be your cousin.
We also see a trend of single moth-
ers who have children with serious dis-
abilities. Those women struggle might-
ily, both with the high costs of the daily
items that everyone needs even soap
and shampoo add up and with the
physical and physiological toll caring for
their children takes on them. They need
help feeding their children. Many organi-
zations synagogues, schools, and also
stores and community-based nonprofits
are joining to help. We all communi-
cate and work together to deal with this
painful reality of hunger in 2017, Ms.
Greenbaum said.
SEE SAFETY NET PAGE 12
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JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 11

Local
Safety net
FROM PAGE 10
Heres a stark and terrifying fact. JFCS
is dealing with a serious increase in anxi-
ety and depression in pre-teens, Jessica
Fleischer, the agencys chief operations
officer, who is also a social worker, said.
Our therapists are managing the cases
of four attempted suicides in the past two
weeks. All those children, she said, were
between the ages of 10 and 12.
Our children are suffering, Ms. Green-
baum said.
Fifty-five percent of our child clients in
our current caseload are 12 or younger,
Ellen Finkelstein, the agencys marketing
director, said. We now have 134 children
currently in active cases.
Why? There are a variety of reasons
anxiety, depression, family conflict, and
performance issues, Ms. Fleischer added.
Neither Ms. Greenbaum nor Ms.
Fleischer nor Ms. Finkelstein, who also
is deeply involved in its day-to-day opera-
tions, can say exactly why the statistics
show such a stunning rise in the rate of
children who clearly are at risk. They are
not researchers, they say. Everything they
know is anecdotal. But they hear a lot of
anecdotes.
To begin with, We have noticed that
there is a spike in the number of referrals
almost every October, Ms. Fleischer said.
Thats probably because now theyve set-
tled into the school year, and are feeling
anxiety and stress. And its even worse
this year.
I think that school plays a part in it, and
home plays a part in it, she continued. In
some cases there is a component of bul-
lying. In some there is a long history of
frequent and severe abuse. In some cases
its related to nationality and religion and
immigration status.
In some cases, certainly over the last
six months or so, we have situations
where children fear that their parents will
Children and adults line up for the start of the 2016 Wheels for Meals Ride to Fight Hunger.
12 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
In 2016, volunteers came to serve Thanksgiving dinner at Cafe Europa.
be deported.
It is important to realize that abuse is
not confined to the non-Jewish world, Ms.
Fleisher said. We like to think that these
problems are not in our community,
but thats not true. We see abuse cases
referred to us from the day schools, from
rabbis, from other community organiza-
tions, whether its spousal abuse or chil-
dren abuse. And we see more of it, and
other mental health issues are increasing
as well.
Many of the families that most need
help also are hungry. They come to the
food pantry. Food is probably the hard-
est thing to ask for, Ms. Fleischer said.
Its humiliating. And when they get to professional.
food banks, people often are asked ques-
tions that they find too risky to answer,
particularly questions about their immi-
gration status. We look at each family
holistically, Ms. Fleischer said. We dont
ask them fewer questions than other food
banks do, but we dont try to force them
to answer them. They cant. The people
Therapist Miriam Sloan talks to a client.
standing in front of them are hungry.
As part of their holistic approach, JFCS
social workers go to school meetings.
It is really atypical for a mental health
facility to allow or enable their teams to
meet offsite like that, but we understand
that school is such an important part of
a childs environment, Ms. Fleischer
said. Its unusual to do that because its
so expensive, she added. But we allow it
when were in deep with a kid, because it
is so important to them.
The results of those visits are compel-
ling. The social workers have a unique per-
spective, and they can advocate for their
clients in a different way, professional to
And this also speaks to the severity of
the cases we are seeing now. Probably five
or even three years ago it wasnt as neces-
sary to do that as it is now.
All of these programs are expensive,
though, and as generous as the federation
is with JFCS, still the agency needs more.
It relies on private donors.
Israeli tzofim scouts from the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades in
Tenafly work at JFCSs food pantry.
The need for mental health services is
particularly acute, Ms. Fleisher said. Peo-
ple like to donate for food or emergency
services, but donating to mental health
services isnt popular. Its not at all tan-
gible. But the needs of the community in
terms of mental health far outweigh every-
thing else we do.
Who: The Jewish Family and Childrens
Services of Northern New Jersey
What: Holds its gala dinner
When: On Sunday, December 3, at
5:30 p.m.
Where: At the Edgewood Country
Club, 449 Rivervale Road in Rivervale
Why: To raise funds to help JFCS
continue to provide holistic services to
entire families and to be the safety net
for the local Jewish community.
For more information: Go to www.
jfcsnnj.org. You can register online until
Sunday morning, and walk-ins are wel-
comed.
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 May all our dreams and prayers come true

Sunday Evening
February 25, 2018
ANNUAL
BENEFIT DINNER
Marriott Glenpointe Hotel, Teaneck, NJ
Honoring

EXCELLENCE IN
SPECIAL EDUCATION


Ruthie & Chazan Shim Amy & Dr. Joshua Dr. Perla & Dr. Gerardo INDIVIDUALIZATION
Craimer Fogelman Yablonovich
INCLUSION BY DESIGN
TRANSFORMING LIVES

Special tribute in
memory of our beloved
Associate Director

Yaakov Guttman Shimmy Stein


SINAI alumnus & star of this Shomer She'erit Yisrael
year's feature documentary

Jacob Weinstein, A"H

Lawrence R. Inserra, Jr., CEO
and Inserra Family
Inserra Supermarkets, Inc.
Community Partnership Award
It is only through
your compassion and generosity
that our vital work can continue.
PLEASE REMEMBER US IN YOUR
YEAR-END CHARITABLE GIVING
We accept gifts of
appreciated securities

www.sinaidinner.org 201-833-1134 x105

14 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
SHATTERING STEREOTYPES ABOUT CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

OVERCOMING
DISABILITIES AND
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HE ROSE TO CREATE
HIS OWN DESTINY

SINAI SCHOOLS PRESENTS

PREMIERING 2.25.18 AT THE SINAI DINNER

JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 15
Local
When theological change is deadly
Charles Selengut discusses Muslim militants and modernists
LARRY YUDELSON
The question of religious violence hasnt
become any less resonant since last we
spoke to Charles Selengut.
Dr. Selengut, who lives in Teaneck and
is a member of an Orthodox congrega-
tion there, is a professor of sociology at
the County College of Morris. Our talk, a
few months ago, was about a new edition
of his book, Sacred Fury: Understanding
Religious Violence. This time the occa-
sion is a talk scheduled for Sunday eve-
ning in Teaneck on a not-unrelated topic,
The Many Faces of Islam: How Modern-
ists, Traditionalists and Militants Face the
Islamic Future.
Who: Dr. Charles Selengut
What: The Many Faces of Islam: How
Modernists, Traditionalists and Militants
Face the Islamic Future
When: Sunday, December 3, 8 p.m.
Where: Congregation Rinat Yisrael,
389 W Englewood Ave., Teaneck
How much: No charge
Remembering Kristallnacht in Fair Lawn
Two Auschwitz survivors, only 10 tattoo digits apart, tell their stories
BANJI GANCHROW
Holocaust survivors are a unique breed.
They are stronger than the rest of us. They
have seen things that no one ever should
have to see. Despite that, many of them have
overcome those memories to create families
and legacies that give special meaning to the
words hope and survival. It is hard to listen
to a survivors story and not say to yourself,
There is no way I could have done that.
There is no way I could have survived.
Organizations like the Spielberg Founda-
tion have given us the gift of recorded stories
of survival. We are able to go to the Holocaust
Museum in Washington, among other insti-
tutions that are dedicated to preserving the
memories of the six million who perished,
and sit and listen for hours and hours to sur-
vivors tell their stories. Those stories are told
by survivors who still had voices, and grace-
fully and graciously shared them for those
who never were able to tell their own stories.
But there is nothing more special than to
hear these stories in person. To look into the
eyes of the heroes who survived and then
thrived. Walter Spier and Werner Reich are
two of these amazing people. But their story
is even more incredible. Just a few months
ago, they found each other because the
16 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
The cloud hanging over our conversation
on Sunday was the terrorist attack in the
Sinai desert two days before, when 40 gun-
men attacked a Sufi mosque during Friday
services. With guns, bombs, and rocket-pro-
pelled grenades, they killed more than 300
people. The murderers are believed to be
affiliated with the Islamic States Sinai branch,
which earlier this year promised to eradicate
Sufi practices and practitioners.
Muslims killing Muslims highlights the mul-
tifaceted nature of Islam.
In many ways this violence is an inter-
nal struggle within Islam, Dr. Selengut
said. The Sufis are heretics to many ortho-
dox Sunnis, particularly to the fundamen-
talists. Theyre a little like the chasidim of
the Muslim world. They worship saints. The
mainline Sunni say this is a diminution of
the unity and oneness and monotheism of
Allah. The Sufis beliefs, their dancing, their
more mystical theological oneness, makes
them be seen as not being true Muslims who
believe in monotheism. Theyre under sus-
picion by orthodox Sunnis.
Not that most traditionalists would join
with the militants, Dr. Selengut said. And not
Walter Spier, left, and Werner Reich show the numbers the Nazis tattooed on
their arms at Auschwitz. They are only 10 digits apart.
numbers that had been tattooed on their
arms in Auschwitz were just 10 digits apart.
The two men share much. Both were born
in October 1927, Mr. Reich on October 1, and
Mr. Spier on the 17th. Both were born in Ger-
many. Mr. Spiers number is A1828 and Mr.
Reichs is A1838. They were separated by 10
other people and they met for the first time
just a few months ago.
Charles Selengut
that this internal conflict is unique to Islam.
The parallels to Judaism are frightening, he
said. Look at whats going on in Jerusalem.
Dr. Selengut was referring to the protests
in Jerusalem that Sunday afternoon, protests
that closed streets for hours. The protests
were called by one faction of Israels charedi
The two men came together at Congrega-
tion Ahavat Achim in Fair Lawn, where Mr.
Spiers son and daughter-in-law, Arnie and
Randi, are members. The synagogue hosted
a Kristallnacht program in cooperation with
Congregation Beth Tefilah of Paramus, and
that night the two survivors told their stories.
Arnie Spier introduced the program
by saying that the recent bigotry should
ultra-Orthodox community in response to
yeshiva students being imprisoned for failing
to register for the draft.
The other group, the Bnei Brak group,
called the protesters evil-doers, Dr. Selen-
gut said.
Two groups of ultra-Orthodox Jews, each
convinced the other is doing the devils work
and that they are the only community follow-
ing the Torah and Gods will. All religions
interpret their texts in different ways, Dr.
Selengut said. And some ways lead to vio-
lence. All religions have this penchant for vio-
lence in the extremes. Yigal Amir, who assas-
sinated Yitzhak Rabin, was an Orthodox Jew.
He said that Islam does have some violent
tendencies that Judaism and Christianity do
not share. In Islam, the call to Muslims is that
the entire world should be under the aegis of
Islam. All governments, all states have to be
under the auspices of Islam. This is given in
the Koran. A fundamentalist could use these
texts to encourage violence.
Mohammed himself was a religious leader
and a general engaged in war, he continued.
When Islam felt itself weak and unable to
conduct war, it became quiescent. This goal
serve as a reminder and a commitment
that never again is not just two words.
Rabbi J.Z. Spier Arnies nephew, Walters
grandson is a freshman dean and rebbe
at the Frisch School in Paramus. When
asked what it has been like to have Wal-
ter as a grandfather, he smiled and said,
The more we talk, the more we realize
what a privilege it is to have a man like that
in our lives. He continues to teach me to
be proud to be Jewish, to be proud to be a
part of our family.
Those werent the only lessons Mr. Spier
taught. Seven years ago, Rabbi Spier and his
grandfather went to Walter Spiers home-
town in Germany, Words cannot describe
those lessons and those stories, Rabbi Spier
said. A couple of years ago, they found the
American soldier who rescued Walter when
the camp was liberated, and they were over-
whelmed with the realization that without
this GI, our family would not exist.
Rabbi Eli Shestak of Congregation Aha-
vat Achim pointed out a common theme
among Holocaust survivors. They built a
future for themselves and for their fami-
lies, he said. They constantly looked to
the future and moved forward. And it isnt
until they see the birth of their grandchil-
dren, and realize how far forward they
 More than
Local 411,000 likes. Sandi M. Malkin, LL C
of Islam dominating the world was repressed or
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Facebook.
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the old texts and beliefs. They said we cant wait anymore,
we have to do it right now.
Historically in Islam there was a fear of civil war. For a totally new look using
They always fought to keep it down. The idea of jihad your furniture or starting anew.
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This started in the 1940s and 50s, Dr. Selengut said. It
was spearheaded by Egyptian theologian Sayyid Qutb, a OUR 60th YEAR
leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was
arrested and executed for plotting the assassination of
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Since then people went further, he said. They said
any individual at any time can act in a jihadist fashion.
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SEE THEOLOGICAL CHANGE PAGE 47

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in World War I and he was a respected man, he said.
They wanted to give him notice.
Mr. Reich said that he was in Auschwitz the first time
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Local
Exploring the brave new world
of the delights at Kosherfest
BANJI GANCHROW
The relationship between Jews and food goes back centu-
ries, at the very least, but recently there have been some
dramatic changes.
With the progress that has been made in the world of
kosher certification, the products that have been introduced
to us quite honestly, are astounding. Whoever thought that
an observant Jew would know what shrimp tastes like? Or
a cheeseburger? Or authentic deep-dish pizza? For years,
kosher-observing boys and girls would feel their mouths
water at the thought of eating a Snickers bar or a Drakes
Yodel. Then they couldnt. Now they can. Truly amazing.
And the ingredients, for the most part, are still the
same. What changed is that the companies that make
these goodies decided to pay for kosher supervision, so
they could open their delicious products to a whole new
group of people.
But for those in the kosher culinary world, a world
where the food on Passover now tastes better than the
food you eat during the year, a world where you never
have to feel that you are missing out on something because
Steven and Andrew Leibowitz, the father-and-son so many things are kosher, Kosherfest, which is held at the
team behind Guss Pickles, attend Kosherfest at the Meadowlands Exposition Center ever year, is the end all
Meadowlands Exposition Center. and be all convention. Its where members of the kosher
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food industry gather, ready to sample all that is kosher and
delicious as well as some things that are not-so-delicious
and pass on the new goods to the rest of us.
It is hard to describe Kosherfest adequately. Even when
you include pictures, you cannot do it justice. It also is a
challenge to detail all the products that are represented,
so here is a sample of some of the new foods that have
been unleashed on the world of kosher consumers, as well
as some products that have been with us for generations
and never disappoint our discerning palates.
Stephen and Andrew Leibowitz are the father-and-son
team who now run Guss Pickles. (Yes, thats their apos-
trophe.) They love to tell the story of Max Leibowitz, who
arrived from Russia in 1897, speaking no English. Using
a generations-old recipe, Max began selling his pickles
right out of the barrel on the Lower East Side. Guss stand
became the most sought-out destination among pickle
connoisseurs. And now Stephen and Andrew, his grand-
son and great-grandson, continue this tradition. Guss
Pickles can be found in stores all across the country.
If you are thirsty after eating a pickle, try some Oxi-
gen water, The Worlds Premier Oxygen Supplement in
Bottled Water. According to Oxigens sales director, Max
Lewis, this oxygen-enriched water is a wonderful antidote
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 Local

(And yes, water is kosher, but the supervision

cant hurt)
If you have always wanted to send a gift basket
that contained only kosher items, or even a basket
that you could help design yourself, then Capalbos
Gift Baskets are for you. Sales associate Miriam Mitt-
man said, The company is over 100 years old, and
for the past 10 years we have had a line of products
that are completely kosher under the OK. (OK is a
Chabad-linked hecksher.) Holiday season is busy for
Capalbos, because now various work places know
they can send their customers who keep kosher a
basket that they actually can enjoy, with food they
actually can eat. We are very sensitive to the needs Puds are the pudding line developed by a company in the
of our kosher clientele, she said. United Kingdom.
Are you in the mood for something sweet, non-
dairy, gluten-free, and delicious? Welcome to the world of selling it at Julios Fruit Boutique in Teaneck. Now that it is
Pudology. This company was founded in the United King- under the Orthodox Union certification, Ms. Turner wants
dom by Lucy Wager, who has worked for years to develop Granolachik to be everywhere. And with her delicious gra- Visitors to Kosherfest sample the variety of cakes.
a line of puddings to please everyones palate. I came to nola, which comes in various flavors, and her determina-
Kosherfest to find distributors for Pudology, she said. It tion to succeed, she will be. was fantastic. Enlightened also displayed its new roasted
is time for America to start enjoying these delicious and Michael Shoretz is the founder of Enlightened, an ice broad-bean crisps. You can add it to yogurts and salads.
healthier desserts. Pudding flavors range from Smooth cream that is good for you. It is protein-packed and has Healthy, crunchy and delicious!
Chocolate Orange Puds to Simply Sumptuous Million- fewer calories than most ice creams. This was Mr. Sho- As you walk the aisles you can sample everything from
aires Puds. retzs first year at Kosherfest. We are excited to introduce Jacks sausages to Streits matzah, and if you are thirsty,
Looking for something healthy, crunchy, and a little the Enlightened brand to the market, and we believe that youre in luck. Almost every kosher wine from Israel and
closer to home? Englewood resident Aimee Turner has this consumer will appreciate the combination of deli- beyond is represented. But just remember whether you
been developing her granola for years. First I just started cious flavor and nutritional value we bring, Mr. Shoretz drove yourself to Kosherfest, because then you might have
making it for my friends, she said. And then my friends said. Kosherfest was a perfect opportunity to share our to think twice about sampling all those wines.
said I should make it for everyone. She even started story with the market and the reception to our products Lchaim!

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Briefly Local

Rebbetzins hone leadership skills

during Teaneck YU conference
Earlier this month, nearly 200 reb-
betzins from across the United States
and Canada gathered for the Rebbetzin
Esther Rosenblatt Yarchei Kallah for Reb-
betzins. The meeting was organized by
Yeshiva Universitys Center for the Jew-
ish Future and held at Congregation
Keter Torah in Teaneck.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, David Mitzner
Dean of CJF, said, This program provides
an opportunity to network with others
in a safe and supportive environment,
develop lasting relationships, acquire new
resources and skills, and enjoy the intel-
lectual stimulation of Torah study with
leading Jewish scholars while being men-
JNF will honor these local members on December 11. PHOTO PROVIDED tored by more experienced rebbetzins. It
acknowledges the great contribution and
Area JNF reception will laud influence of rebbetzins in the growth and
success of the rabbinic couple in develop-
founding committee and others ing their community.
Rebbetzin Meira Davis COURTESY YU

The Jewish National Fund will hold
its 50th annual Teaneck reception on
Monday, December 11, at Congregation
Beth Sholom.
The founding committee Helen and
Robert Levine, Janice and Gerald Rosen,
and Charles Shain will be honored.
Circle of Excellence awardees will be
Karen Shawn and Keith Breiman, Ellen
and Richard Gertler, Janice and Nor-
man Levin, and Marcia Eagle and Mel-
vin Reichman.
The guest speaker will be Chanan
K u p i e t z k y, J N F - A m m u n i t i o n
Hill liaison.
For information, go to jnf.org/
teaneck50, call (973) 593-0095, ext. 823,
or email jInglis@jnf.org.
PHOTOS COURTESY YU
The focus of this years meeting was
Olam Chesed Yibaneh: Chesed In Our
Homes, In Our Communities, and In Our
World. Topics included the philosophi-
cal (the pursuit of peace in halacha), the
day-to-day (the discipline of children, a
professional wardrobe), the therapeu-
tic (identifying clinical issues in congre-
gants), and the financial (fiscal fitness for
young couples).
Speakers included Rabbi Dr. Ari Ber-
man, the president of YU; Dr. Dani-
elle Wozniak, the Dorothy and David
Schachne dean at YUs Wurzweiler
School of Social Work; Daniel Pollack, a
professor at Wurzweiler and an expert in
of organizations that work on issues
including domestic violence, family
planning, physical fitness, pensions and
retirement, making aliyah, and pasto-
ral counseling.
Meira Davis, coordinator of the Per-
sonal and Professional Enhancement
Program for Rebbetzins at CJF, who
coordinated the kallah, said, The reb-
betzins look forward to this as a high-
light of their year, where they can come
together for two days of networking,
camaraderie, learning, personal growth,
delicious food, and pampering in a set-
ting with true peers. They return home

child safety issues, and Keshet Starr, the rejuvenated, inspired, and with a dose
managing director of the Organization of chizzuk to propel them forward to
for the Resolution of Agunot. achieve increased personal and commu-
Attendees met with representatives nal growth.

Rabbi Meir David P. Samson Bret Stephens

Goldwicht
YU Chanukah dinner selects
three recipients for award
New York Times Pulitzer Prize-winning
columnist Bret Stephens will be the key-
note speaker and receive an honorary
degree at Yeshiva Universitys 93rd annual
Two local oral surgeons chosen
for honors from Bris Avrohom
Bris Avrohom in Hillside,
will hold its 38th annual din-
best of that tradition. Bret Stephens is ner and 32nd gala wedding
renowned for his penetrating insight into on December 3. Drs. Jerald
the world of public affairs; David Samson is Friedman and Zev Schulhof,
a celebrated leader in the dynamic interna- who both live in Teaneck
COURTESY BRIS AVROHOM

Chanukah dinner on Sunday, December 3.
The black-tie gala will be held at the New
York Hilton Midtown Hotel in Manhattan,
beginning at 5 p.m.
Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, presiding over his
first Chanukah dinner as YU president, also
will confer an honorary degree on the chair
of the board of overseers of the Benjamin
N. Cardozo School of Law, David P. Samson.
YU Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Meir Goldwicht will
receive the presidential medallion.
The Yeshiva University community
serves as the Judaic voice in the global
conversation, Dr. Berman said. Our hon-
orees this year each exemplify the very
tional marketplace; and Rabbi Meir Gold-
wicht is an iconic steward of a 3,000-year-
old heritage of Jewish learning.
The annual dinner draws hundreds of
the countrys leading Jewish philanthro-
pists and community leaders. Past speak-
ers and honorees have included former
President George W. Bush, New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Sec-
retary of State and then-Senator Hillary
Clinton, New Yorks Senator Kirsten Gilli-
brand, Vice President Al Gore, New York
Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Arizona
Senator John McCain. Go to www.yu.edu/ nity and Bris Avrohom.
hanukkah for more information.
and are principals at the
North Jersey Oral & Maxilo-
facial Surgery in Teaneck are
among the honorees.
B oth men have been
involved in some of Bris
Avrohoms religious activi-
ties. One of those activities is Drs. Jerald Friedman and Zev Schulhof
performing adult brissim on
Jews from the former Soviet Union, who did not have the chance to have a brit milah
when they were newborns. Both men are sandeks.
This years journal is dedicated to the memory of the Wilf family by Edward and
Cecile Mosberg, longtime friends of the Wilfs and supporters of the Jewish commu-
For information, call (908) 289-0770 or go to www.brisavrohom.org.

20 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017

 upcoming at Kaplen JCC on the Palisades
Family Fun, December 25!
Join award-winning author Karen Rostoker-Gruber and
her puppet Maria for a playful reading of Maddie the
Mitzvah Clowna book about a girl, who despite her
shyness, decides to become a Mitzvah Clown to make
her grandmother and her friends smile. Enjoy meeting
a real life Mitzvah Clown, making balloon animals,
juggling, singing and dancing! Book available for
purchase and signing.
Mon, Dec 25, 11 am-12 pm, $10/$12 per person
(children under 2 years, free)

Winter Break Vacation Camps

When school is out let the JCC fill your childs day
with fun!
ages 2-4: Build fundamental skills across a variety
of sports.
grades K-5 : Trips to the Ice House, Space Odyssey,
the movies, Tenafly Police and Fire Departments
followed by sports, art, and swimming fun at the J.
Extended care available till 6 pm Tue-Thur.
(Trip locations subject to change)
Tue-Fri, Dec 26-29, 9 am4 pm,
$85 per day by Dec 15, $100 after

thurnauer chamber music series presents

A Concert Celebrating LOVE!

Composers and writers across time and geography
uniquely express the magnitude of Love. Works by
Clara Schumann, Fritz Kreisler, Elvis Presley, and
others featuring Leonard Bernsteins Serenade.
Sharon Roffman, violin and Jon Klibonoff, piano.
Series made possible by a generous contribution
from Eva Holzer and the Konikow Chamber
Music Fund.
For tickets, visit jccotp.org/concerts-and-events
Sat, Dec 9, 7 pm, $16/$20
Part of the JCC Patron of the Arts Program.
Find out more at jccotp.org/patron-of-the-arts

family community kids

Chanukah Science Circus! Member Registration Opens Saturday Night at the J

Celebrate the holiday of miracles with over a
dozen mind-blowing experiments brought
to us by scientists from Liberty Science Center.
COURTESY BRIS AVROHOM
December 11 childrens cooKie swap
classes begin on January 28 Calling all winter bakersjoin our Cookie Swap event!
Children will break into teams and complete a different
We have a great season lined up including

Well explore the positives and negatives of cookie recipe that well supply. At the end, all the teams
classes in art, science, cooking, sports, dance,
static electricity, the sub-zero temperatures of will swap cookies so each child can take home a
drama, music and more. Try our classfinder tool
liquid nitrogen, the states of matter and the container filled with a delicious mix, plus all the recipes
at jccotp.org/classfinder to get personalized
immense pressure of air. to bake everything again at home! Dinner included.
recommendations based on your childs
Sun, Dec 17, 11 am-12 pm, $10/$12 per person interest, age and availability. Grades 2-6, Sat, Dec 9, 7:30-9:30 pm, $45/$50
(children under 2 years, free)
Visit jccotp.org for a full list of programs.
to register or for more info
SIGN UP TODAY!
Registration for the public opens Dec 18.
visit jccotp.org
stay in the Know! liKe us on
h
facebook.com/KaplenJCCOTP
d
-
Kaplen JCC on the Palisades taub campus | 411 e clinton ave, tenafly, nJ 07670 | 201.569.7900 | jccotp.org
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 21
Briefly Local

NJFIDF tribute dinner to hear

Fauda co-creator Avi Issacharoff
More than 450 members of the New Jer-
sey Jewish community are expected at the
New Jersey chapters annual tribute din-
ner for the Friends of the Israel Defense
Forces. The dinner, set for December 10
at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe,
supports soldiers in the Israel Defense
Forces, including New Jersey natives who
have become lone soldiers, people who
immigrate to Israel to serve in the IDF,
despite having no immediate family in
the country.
The evening, which has become one
of the local Jewish communitys biggest
Shabbat dinner hosts Michael Chananie, left, and his wife, Alyson, second from events, will feature a speech by Avi Issa-
right, stand with some of the other young professionals with JNFuture North/ charoff, an acclaimed journalist and the
Central NJ. Local attendees not pictured included Mike Smith of Paramus, co-creator of Fauda, a hit Israeli Netflix
Anna Richlin of Jersey City, and Josh Goodkin of Hoboken. series. Fauda focuses on the story of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict from opposing
JNFuture Young Professionals plan perspectives. Viewers follow the story of Fauda co-creator and star Lior Raz
a commander in an undercover IDF unit
December 9 Hoboken celebration trying to find Hamas terrorist Abu-Ahmed,
at a March meeting at the home of
FIDF New Jersey co-chairs Jodi and
JNFuture North/Central NJ Young Saturday, December 9, from 8 to 11 p.m. who has murdered 143 Israelis. Saul Scherl. NIR ARIELI

Professionals group held its Shabbat
kickoff dinner on November 17. More
than 30 young Jewish professionals
gathered in Fanwood for kabbalat
Shabbat, dinner, and conversation at the
Chananies apartment.
The group will meet again for Light
Up the Night Chanukah, a party for
JNFuture Young Professionals, on
The party will feature a DJ, open bar, and
refreshments; its at Birch Bar, 93 River
St., in Hoboken. The party is open to
young professionals in their 20s and 30s
who share a commitment and passion
for Israel. For information, call Anna
Richlin at (973) 593-0095, ext. 826, or
email her at arichlin@jnf.org.
Lior Raz, whose experiences as an under-
cover counterterrorism operative in the IDF
inspired the hit show, which he co-created
with Issacharoff and in which he stars, said,
Fauda is a window for people abroad to
see the conflict in Israel. Netflix has said it community a chance to meet and person-
believes Fauda will rival the
success of the hit Showtime
series Homeland.
The dinner, chaired by
FIDF New Jersey region
to Israel from Iran when he was 13 and
was a lone soldier in the IDFs Paratroop-
ers Brigade.
This evening will give the New Jersey
ally thank the brave soldiers
who risk everything to defend
Israel and Jews worldwide,
Howard Gases, New Jerseys
FIDF director, said. Theyll

COURTESY AVI ISSACHAROFF

Sue Kolpen, left, with Joan Gottlieb, Barbara Goldstein, Diana Kreftig, Bar-
bara Reiss, Joan Pressburger, Senator Loretta Weinberg, Madeline Gately,
Lori Bellet, Sue Weisberg, and Sari Gross.
Women of Chai meet state senator
More than 50 women recently gathered
at Temple Beth Tikvah in Wayne for a
meeting of its Women of Chai group. New
Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta
Weinberg spoke to them about property
Keep us informed
PHOTO COURTESY DIANA KREFTIG
taxes, her role in exposing Bridgegate,
how to get involved in local government,
New Jersey education issues, including
school vouchers, and the recent election
and the new administration.
board members Annette
Stern and Ellen Sokoloff,
also will feature Sgt. Ziv. She
is combat paramedic who
treats victims of the ongo-
ing Syrian civil war. Former
IDF lone soldiers from New
Jersey will be there as well, Avi Issacharoff
including Jesse Talmud of
East Brunswick, whose parents, Shelley
and Steve Talmud, are FIDF NJ committee
members, and Sgt. Avioz, whose mother,
Ronit, who is from Teaneck, also is an
FIDF NJ committee member.
FIDFs New Jersey chapter often
referred to as the Lone Soldier chapter
was co-founded by Sammy Bar-Or, an
FIDF national board member, who moved
Congressman
Brad Schneider
is Norpac guest
Phil and Rochelle Goldschmiedt
hosted a Norpac meeting for Con-
hear from one of the worlds
leading Mideast analysts, and
from soldiers who directly
benefit from FIDFs incred-
ible well-being programs.
Distinguished guests
will include U.S. Maj. Gen.
Michael Edelstein, Israeli
Defense and Armed Forces
Attach; Arthur Stark, FIDF national chair-
man; and Maj. Gen. (res.) Meir Klifi-Amir,
FIDF national director and CEO.
The evening begins with a 5 p.m. cock-
tail reception, followed by dinner; the pro-
gram begins at 6:30. Funds raised support
FIDF well-being and educational programs
for IDF soldiers. For information go to fidf.
org/njgala.
COURTESY NORPAC

gressman Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) at

We welcome photos of community events. Photos must be high resolution jpg files. Please include a detailed
caption and a daytime telephone. Mailed photos will only be returned with a self-addressed stamped their Teaneck home. Mr. Schneider,
envelope. Not every photo will be published. a two-term member of Congress,
PR@jewishmediagroup.com sits on the House Foreign Affairs
NJ Jewish Media Group
1086 Teaneck Rd., Teaneck, NJ 07666 Committee, where he has taken
(201) 837-8818 x 110
leadership positions on several bills Rochelle Goldschmiedt and her husband,
to bolster U.S.-Israel ties. Phil, flank Congressman Brad Schneider.

22 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017

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kapleN JCC on the Palisades taub campus | 411 e cliNtoN ave, teNafly, NJ 07670

JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 23

Cover Story
WALL IN THE FAMILY
The shuls they dont and do! go to
Two Israeli Reform rabbis will speak in local synagogues this weekend
Joanne PaLMer to vote on ideology, and to make deals and only state that has to think about its syna- Orthodox Judaism.

A
s we know, Israel is a democ-
racy, the only one in the Middle
East, and it is also the worlds
only Jewish state.
It is democratic in the extreme, with a
parliamentary at-large government that
is not at all tied to any place or therefore
any local issue, and even freer than most
arrangements and unlikely compromises
and adamant stands. Like all democracies
it is subject to corruption and the influ-
ence of money, wielded weapon-like for
both venal and theoretical reasons.
As the worlds only Jewish state, it
operates on the Jewish calendar, with a
Jewish vocabulary, informed by Jewish
assumptions, tastes, and history. It is the
gogue/state relationship, but it doesnt
seem to have modeled that relationship
on the church/state ones common in the
Western democracies where such formal
relationships exist, going instead for far
more binding ties.
From that relationship, Israel also is able
to define Judaism and Jewishness.
To the Israeli government, Judaism is
That is not to say that the official Israeli
stance is that you must be Orthodox to be
Jewish. Its not. To be Jewish, you must
be born to a Jewish mother, as halacha
demands, and as Orthodox and Conserva-
tive Jews around the world agree, or you
must be converted according to halacha by
an Orthodox rabbi on a government list.
Conversion is a highly controversial issue

American and Israeli Reform Jews carry Torah scrolls to the

Kotel to celebrate the ordination of the 100th rabbi from
Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. Rabbi Noa Sattath,
center, is flanked by Anat Hoffman and Rabbi Rick Jacobs.

24 Jewish standard deCeMBer 1, 2017


in the Jewish world, both inside and
outside Israel.
The question of how Judaism is
defined in Israel has been controver-
sial in the non-Orthodox Jewish world
outside Israel for some time.
This week, two local synagogues
are hosting two Israeli-born Reform
rabbis, Gilad Kariv and Noa Sattath,
who will talk about how their move-
ment, and progressive Judaism more
generally, is faring in Israel, how Israe-
lis are learning more about progressive
Judaism and increasingly being drawn
to it, and what the violence at the Kotel
means, to them and to us.
Another local synagogue, Temple
Emanu-El of Closter, is hosting an Ameri-
can Jewish Committee leader, Dr. Steven
Bayme, who is Orthodox and will talk
about Israel, the Kotel, and American
Jews. That story is on page 28.
(See box on page 31 for information
about when and where Rabbis Kariv and
Sattath and Dr. Bayme will speak.)
Rabbi Gilad Kariv is the executive direc-
tor of the Israel Movement for Reform and
Progressive Judaism.
I think its quite clear that it is almost
impossible to start a conversation about
the place of the non-Orthodox move-
ment and communities in Israel, and the
relationship between the state of Israel
and the diaspora communities, without
addressing the current crises around
the issue of the Kotel agreement and the
conversion legislation and all the related
issues, he said.
In brief, the Kotel agreement between
Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-
yahu, other Israeli government officials,
e and representatives of liberal Judaism
both inside and outside Israel said that
the government would construct a sepa-
rate prayer section near the Western Wall
Cover Story
At left, Kotel police try to stop Rabbi GIlad Kariv from
carrying the Torah scroll into the plaza at the Western Wall;
below, he holds up a Torah. Rabbi Rick Jacobs stands behind
him. At bottom, Rabbi Kariv speaks at an anti-racism rally.
where those Jews could hold mixed-gen-
der services, as is their tradition. After
delaying the agreements implementa-
tion, Netanyahu froze and then abrogated
it, despite the Israeli High Courts demand
that he go ahead with it. Needless to say,
there were politics involved. The conver-
sion issue revolves around whose conver-
sions will be recognized in Israel.
There often has been at least the threat
of violence when Women of the Wall, an
all-female group that prays at the womens
section of the Kotel and includes many
Orthodox members, try to bring a Torah
scroll to celebrate holidays and the begin-
ning of the new month by reading from it.
They often are stopped by the police, at
the direction of the Kotels chief rabbi, and
often women hurl insults at them from the
womens side, and men hurl insults and
the occasional chair or bag of excrement mild scuffle, and they were turned back. the Israeli government is taking some seri-
over the mechitzah from their side. Many of those Jews were North Ameri- ous steps in the wrong direction.
This month, a mixed-gender group of cans; many of them were Israelis. But as he sees it, all the news is not bad
Reform and Conservative Jews, includ- I believe that there is a real crisis, and news. Not at all.
ing rabbis Kariv and Sattath, tried to take that the Israeli government is not taking There is a great deal of growth in non-
a Torah scroll into the plaza, which does the necessary steps to protect and culti- Orthodox communities in Israel, Rabbi
not give direct access to the Kotel itself and vate the relationship with diaspora Jews in Kariv said. And big parts of the Israeli
is neither a mens nor a womens section. general and North American Jews in par- public support a more pluralistic, open-
The police confronted them, there was a ticular, Rabbi Kariv said. Unfortunately, minded, and inclusive approach to religion.
Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017 25
Cover Story
After seven decades, more and more
native Israelis are discovering the need
for a communal spiritual expression of
Judaism.
Hes a living example of that search,
and of discovery. I was born to a strictly
secular family in Tel Aviv, Rabbi Kariv
said. Hes 44 years old and a fourth-gener-
ation Israeli; his great grandparents went
to Israel as part of the second and third
waves of aliyah. They didnt go to a kib-
butz, as mythology might demand, but
to Tel Aviv. They were of course devoted
Zionists, strict Zionists, and secular Jews.
Our Jewish menu as a family was basically
a cultural menu, and it didnt include any
religious expression.
My family was not anti-religion, but
religion and religious practices were not
part of our menu. As a child, I was never
brought to synagogue, not by my parents,
not on any holidays, not on any other occa-
sion. We had synagogue-less Judaism.
But somehow young Gilad wanted
more. When I was about 11 and 12, I was
attracted to synagogue experiences, he
said. And I became more and more inter-
ested in Jewish studies. Its hard to say why
it happened, but that is the fact.
And I was a young Israeli, and the only
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option I knew was the local Orthodox syn-
agogue, so I started going to the modern
Orthodox synagogue in my neighborhood.
But after a few years, it was clear to me, as
a progressive Israeli, that is was not what I
was looking for.
The gender separation was a big part
of it. I come from a very progressive fam-
ily, and gender segregation was not the
right Jewish choice for me. And also the
synagogues political alliances with the
Israeli right werent for me. And so I didnt
become an Orthodox Jew.
During that time, Gilad went to Mem-
phis, Tennessee, as a delegate for the
Israeli Scout movement, he said. I was
there for three months, and I had a lovely
time. This was the first time I had ever
entered Conservative and Reform syna-
gogues, and it was an eye-opening experi-
ence for me.
When I came back to Israel, it was clear
to me that I wanted to find something simi-
lar, and thats how my life led me to a pro-
gressive Reform synagogue in Tel Aviv.
Ever since then, since my senior year in
high school, my synagogue has been Bet
Daniel, a Reform synagogue in Tel Aviv.
Until today it is my home synagogue.
He got smicha from the Hebrew Union
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College in Jerusalem.
Why havent more Israelis followed the
path that led him to the Reform move-
ment? He thinks that more are starting
to. I think the reality is slowly changing,
The Israeli
government
invests at least $1
billion U.S. a year
in the Orthodox
establishment.
he said. More and more native Israeli
families have been changing their Jewish
default, and identifying a progressive syna-
gogue as their synagogue.
We have surveys that show that in
recent years, more than 10 percent of
all Jews in Israel identify themselves as
Reform and Conservative Jews. Those are
big numbers, especially when you keep in
mind the existence of a very strong Ortho-
dox monopoly.
Thats where the tight relationship
between shul and state in Israel comes in.
In each and every Israeli neighborhood,
even the most secular ones, you can find
an Orthodox shul, he said. Still today,
there are large cities with no Reform or
Conservative shuls, and here we need to
understand that this is a generational revo-
lution. There are no shortcuts. In order to
change the way Israelis understand their
Jewish lives, we need to work very hard to
create a new reality on the ground.
Thats at least in part because the Ortho-
dox shuls are government-funded. Many
Orthodox rabbis get their paychecks from
the government, Rabbi Kariv said. The
Israeli government invests at least $1 billion
U.S. a year in the Orthodox establishment.
Some of this investment is justified,
he continued. There are many Ortho-
dox Jews in Israel, and I am not suggesting
that we discriminate against them. But it
is quite clear that the Israeli government
is supporting Orthodox Judaism and that
we have a claim for equal funding for the
non-Orthodox movements.
The state of Israel declares itself
to be the state of the Jewish people.
Whether they like it or not, for the last
250 years, there have been progressive
%APY*
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denominations in Judaism. This is not
secret. The Israeli Supreme Court and
the Israeli government recognize that. It
is not that the government is saying that
there are no Reform Jews, but for politi-
cal and cultural reasons we are being
ignored.
People in the diaspora communities
need to understand that Israel is a strong
and vibrant democracy, and I enjoy
being a citizen of this democratic state,
but when it comes to issues of diversity,
Israel is not meeting all the standards of
a democracy.
We have to be brave enough to say
that, and smart enough to change it.
There is an old saying that the shul
that Israelis dont go to is Orthodox.
Thats not true any more, Rabbi Kariv
said, and there are two strong pieces of
evidence to show it.
If that were the case, if it were true,
then its the best evidence that the
Orthodox monopoly is failing, he said.
Theyve been saying that for 70 years.
But if you enjoy a monopoly, with gov-
ernment funding, and you admit that
most Israelis dont go to synagogue,
then that is not the failing of the Reform
movement. It is the failure of the Ortho-
dox. Give me half of the funding you are
getting, and in 10 years many more Israe-
lis would go to synagogue.
The second reason is that all recent
studies show that this is a false claim,
he continued. All studies, including
those done by serious Israeli think tanks
like the JPPI the Jewish People Policy
Institute and the IDI the Israel ground a more pluralistic reality in Israel,
Democracy Institute show that the
majority of secular Israelis would prefer
a synagogue without gender discrimina-
tion. So the claim that secular Israelis
prefer an Orthodox synagogue might
have been true in the 1950s and 60s, but
its clear that by now most secular and
even many traditional Jews in Israel pre-
fer to sit with their entire families when
they come to celebrate Shabbat or holi-
days in the synagogue.
The Reform and Conservative move-
ments are working together, Rabbi Kariv
said. We work very closely when it
comes to the public arena in Israel and
our desire to provide diversity and plu-
ralism. We know that some of us want
more traditional forms of egalitarian
services and some want more progres-
sive forms, and there is enough room in
Israel for Conservative and progressive
congregations.
We are very attuned to the needs
of other movements, he added. We
are not competing with each other. We
are trying to work together to create an
inspiring Jewish menu for hundreds of
thousands of Jewish families.
He talked about the confrontation at
the Kotel.
The group was there to celebrate the
100th ordination from HUC in Jerusalem.
The new rabbis and cantors, as well as
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the Jewish people.
Although he thinks that Netanyahu is
a weak leader who did what he did
out of weakness, and the story of the
Kotel is not the story of realistic political
behavior but of failing political behav-
ior, he has hope.
I see hope in the fact that more and
more Israelis are not willing any more to
embrace this dichotomy of strict secu-
larism and Orthodoxy, he said. Slowly
but very clearly we are creating on the
and slowly it will carry political fruits.
I hope that slowly more and more
Jewish generations and organizations
will identify the potential, the opportu-
nity, the need to do these things, and
that we will build a pluralistic alliance
that includes modern Orthodox, Con-
servative, and progressive Jews.
And I believe that it will happen.
Paul Jacobson is the rabbi of Temple
Avodat Shalom in River Edge. It was his
idea to invite Rabbi Kariv to speak there,
and to invite the leaders and members of
the other local Reform synagogues.
The invitation grew out of his realiza-
tion that many members of his commu-
nity dont have a particularly strong con-
nection with Israel, and that many want
to know more, and through that knowl-
edge to feel more.
I met Gilad during the summer of
2015, when I was studying in the Hart-
man program, Rabbi Jacobson said.
We organized an egalitarian prayer
service. And I heard him speak the year
before, when I was on an Arza mission. Sign up for the Jewish Standard daily newsletter!
Arza is the Association of Reform Zion-
ists of America. He spoke passionately, Visit www.thejewishstandard.com
and even back then I knew that he was
somebody it would be wonderful to
and click on SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY
bring here and have him share his per-
JewishStandard
N e w J e r s e y R O C K L A N D
spective with the community.
See wall page 30
Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017 27
Cover Story

A fractured people trajectories are going in such different directions, we

are looking at real chasm.

Dr. Steven Bayme battles to repair Israel-diaspora ties In 2014, Dr. Bayme organized the Jewish Religious
Equality Coalition to challenge the Israeli chief rabbin-
ates monopoly on personal status in Israel.
Larry Yudelson This new coalition is a wall-to-wall coali-

F
or Dr. Steven Bayme, the video of leaders of
American Reform Judaism being roughed
up at the Kotel was a stark symbol of how
wide the divergence between American
Jews and Israeli Jews has become.
Dr. Bayme, who identifies as modern Orthodox
and lives in Riverdale, N.Y., is an official at the Ameri-
can Jewish Committee, where he is national direc-
tor for Contemporary Jewish Life and director of its
Koppelman Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Rela-
tions. He believes American Jewish-Israeli relations
are vitally important for both Jewish communities.
And he believes that they took a definitive turn for
the worse five months ago, on June 25, a date that he
believes will go down in history because two things
converged: the freeze of the Kotel agreement, in
which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had
promised American Jews to respect their role as having a
role to play in organizing the space holy to world Jewry,
and advancing a bill that would cement the Orthodox
monopoly on conversion.
Whether or not these two issues get resolved, it points
Dr. Steven Bayme sees a chasm developing in American Jewish-
Israeli relations.
to a long-term fissure between a Jewish state that will
become increasingly religious in the Orthodox sense of the
word, increasingly particularistic in the survivalist sense
of the word, and an American Jewish community that is
largely liberal and universalistic, he said. As long as their state, it will reach its own policy conclusions, but at
tion that has significant Orthodox partici-
pation, he said. It shows how deeply con-
cerned American Jews are. Theyre really
concerned whether the degree of passion
and attachment that has been so critical to
Israeli-American Jewish relations in the past
will continue to the next generation.
So far, clearly it has not been so successful.
The coalition has done its job in the
sense of raising its voice, Dr. Bayme said.
I cannot guarantee victory. All we can say
is that youre guaranteed failure if you dont
raise your voice. Were trying to bridge the
divide, trying to exercise some moderation
within the debates. Its very much of an
uphill struggle.
So if Netanyahu and the Israeli govern-
ment want to bridge the divide, what should
they do?
At the absolute minimum, Israeli public policy
needs to be weighed as to its impact on the American
Jewish ethos, Dr. Bayme said. Israel is a sovereign

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 Cover Story

minimum it should take into account what impact a
policy will have on the American Jewish community.
Secondly, we know remarkably little about one
another. In America, the dominant narrative we teach
about Jewish history is the Holocaust. We dont do as
good a job teaching about the birth and rejuvenation
of the sovereign Jewish state. The teaching of Israel
needs to be part of the core Jewish curriculum.
By the same token, the Israeli education system
needs to let students know much more about us. What
is their image of Reform Judaism? Do they understand
it as a very dynamic and diverse movement? Theres
lots of room for educational exchanges.
Thirdly, Israeli society will have to undergo its own
evolution. If you choose not to accept Reform conver-
sions, thats your business. You as an individual have
the right to reject them. The issue is the Jewish state,
acting on behalf of the Jewish people, should not be
invalidating individual conversions.
The ongoing confrontation reflects demographics,
Israels modern Orthodox community, rather than the
charedim. We have tried dialoguing with them, he said
of the charedim. Its been relatively fruitless. The real
swing vote is the national religious community. Some
exciting things are happening in terms of Israeli modern
Orthodoxy, such as new conversion courts that are inde-
pendent of the Orthodox chief rabbinate.
Granted the divide between Israel and American Jewry
is real, but why is it important?
For one thing, it threatens political advocacy for Israel,
Dr. Bayme said. The U.S.-Israel relationship presup-
poses an American Jewish community that actively and
assertively wants America to be standing behind Israel.
A weaker Israel-diaspora connection will lead to a weaker
Israel-U.S. relationship and a weaker Israel.
For another, it divides the world Jewish community and
even the American Jewish community. The pro-Israel con-
sensus that developed after 1948 is falling apart, he said.
But what bothers him the most, he said, as someone
committed to the Jewish people, for whom the State of
Israel is a central component, is what kind of Jewish state
are we talking about? Are we talking about a Jewish demo-
cratic state, or a state where all sorts of personal inconve-
niences will be administered by charedim? Theres cur-
rently a coalition crisis over train tracks being repaired on
Shabbat. A Jewish state that imposes so many restrictions
on what people do is something a lot of us will have a hard
time relating to.

GRAND OPENING
!
politics, and issues, Dr. Bayme said.
Demographically, the charedi parties show every
indication they are only growing in influence. If you
have families who are larger, you will be more signifi-
cant. I think 25 percent of Israeli first graders this year
are charedi.
OF OUR NEW SHOWROOM
Secondly, every Israeli government is worried not
just about who is in the coalition today, but what the
next coalition will look like.
Those Israelis looking to minimize charedi influence
and liberalize that community were hopeful follow-
ing the elections for the 19th Knesset in 2013, when a
coalition was formed including Yair Lapids Yesh Atid
party rather than the charedi parties. In keeping with
Yesh Atids platform, the government passed laws that
chipped away at ultra-Orthodox power, and even would
have drafted members of that community. Before the
end of 2014, however, Netanyahu called early elections,
and again aligned his government with the charedim.
The politics along with the demographics are struc-
tural things, he said. Thirdly, the divide between
Israeli and American Jewry is also a divide over issues.
An area where we at the AJC supported the Netanyahu
government was with respect to the Iranian nuclear
bomb. American Jews largely favored the Joint Com-
prehensive Plan of Action, more often known as the
Iran deal. American Jews have to ask themselves what
is the toll that assimilation is taking on American Jew-
ish identity, and therefore on its relationship to Israel.
Distance from matters Jewish also means distancing
from Israel as well.
The divide is growing greater on both sides of the
spectrum.
W
sand & r e
The picture should not be overly negative. Rela-
tions at the top are quite tight. American Jews in lead- e
ership posts are more invested in Israel than ever your exi nish
s
before. Israelis in leadership posts are spending more hardwooting
time here.
Israel looms very high on the American Jew- DIRECT LINE oors!
d

CARPET
ish radar screen. Birthright Israel was an extremely
important initiative. It legitimated Israel in the Ameri-
can Jewish consciousness. The question is, what kind
of Israel is looming large? Is it an Israel we can identify
with, or a state that American Jews will instinctively New
recoil from? Thats where American Jewish voices Location! VINYL | CARPET | HARDWOOD
needed to be heard.
When the chief rabbi of Jerusalem says Reform
Judaism is worse than Holocaust denial besides the
perverseness of it! think of what impact that has on
a critical mass of Reform Jews.
Dr. Bayme said that his coalition has been targeting

Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017 29

Cover Story
Wall
from page 27
A lot of people in Israel are trying to find a Judaism that
is in conjunction with their secular identity, he continued.
They realize that their religious identity doesnt have to
be defined by a strict interpretation that often is not in line
with contemporary norms. But rather than saying I either
am or am not religious, there is a middle ground between
those polarities, and they are finding spiritual, emotional,
and communal connections in very different and profound
ways, and in ways that grow out of Israeli culture.
They dont have to be limited by what the American
version of Reform Judaism looks like. It can be a Judaism
founded in Hebrew language and Jewish tradition, and also
open to different possibilities and interpretations.
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30 Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017
Rabbi Noa Sattath, 40, is the director of the Israel Religious
Action Center. Thats a division of the Israel Movement for
Reform and Progressive Judaism, so Rabbi Kariv is her boss.
Like him, she is confident that public opinion in Israel,
as reflected both in surveys and in her own experience, is
swinging toward pluralism.
Like him, she grew up in a secular family. Our Shabbat tra-
dition was that my father would go to a non-kosher butcher
and get us bacon, she said. That was Shabbat in our family.
My path to the rabbinate was through social justice.
I was the head of the Jerusalem Open House, the LGBT
center in Jerusalem. I think that Jerusalem probably is the
most religious city in the world that has a gay center in it.
Rabbi Sattaths first career was in high tech, which she
studied at the Hebrew University; like many other Israelis
E R
in that booming field, she got into it through the intel-
ligence unit where she was stationed during her IDF
service. She was a software developer, working on
projects that allowed big corporations many separate
data systems to communicate with each other.
I love engineering, she said. I love the fact that
when you have problems, you have solutions, she
said. I miss that in my work today.
But she was drawn away from engineering by social
justice work, a field she entered by working with gifted
Israeli and Palestinian high-school students. She real-
ized that Israeli students, as intellectually confident as
they were, still were intimidated by their equally smart
but more self-confident Palestinian peers.
I tried to figure it out, and I saw that the Palestin-
ians came with a strong narrative and sense of self,
and the Israeli students, who were brilliant, couldnt
articulate anything about their Jewish identity that
didnt have to do with the Holocaust, she said. And I
really got to see, in front of my eyes, how people build
big walls, and then it is a jail.
That led me to understand that the void we have
in Israel in terms of Jewish identity in the progressive
camp has a profound impact not only on questions
like what do we do on Shabbat or who do we celebrate
weddings with which are very important questions
but also how we see ourselves and others on funda-
mental issues of justice.
And thats what led me to rabbinical school.
She graduated from HUC in Jerusalem.
The overarching mission of the Reform movement
is Israel is to make Judaism accessible to Jews in Israel,
Rabbi Sattath said. In New Jersey, that sounds like
an easy task. Everyone speaks Hebrew, the majority
are Jewish, the calendar is a Jewish calendar. But its
extremely difficult, because of the reality of the lack of
separation of religion and politics, and that means that
for the average secular Jew, Judaism is associated with
misogyny, racism, and most closely with corruption.
There are surveys where Israelis rate different insti-
tutions and how corrupt they think they are, she said.
The rabbinic system always comes in first, as most
corrupt, more corrupt than the police and the banking
system and the government.
But we are trying to offer bridges, so people can
connect with their Judaism.
Why do people who have grown up to be secular
feel any pull to religion? Some people just want to
give up and forget the whole thing, but I think that reli-
gion is a major force in peoples lives, she said. They
think I think that faith and God and Judaism have
something to offer. They had something to offer pre-
vious generations, and they have something to offer
to Israelis today. They add meaning and substance to
peoples lives. The corrupt monopoly is standing in its
way, but the essence, the vitality, the joy of Judaism is
still there for Israelis to access.
Like Rabbi Kariv, Rabbi Sattath believes that much
of the problem comes from government funding.
Like him, she cites the statistic that the Israeli govern-
ment pays four billion shekels thats over a billion
U.S. dollars on religious services, and that does not
include the educational system. And they pay about
20 million shekels to the Reform and Conservative
movements. Thats the huge gap.
If we had 10 percent of that, we would grow hugely.
And what we are trying to do is level the playing field.
What about the Kotel?
It has three layers of significance, Rabbi Sattath
said. Starting with the most concrete, there should
be a basic religious freedom allocated to every Jew
who comes to the Western Wall. That is a basic tenet
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of democracy, and we have to protect it.
She is describing what should be, not what is, she
said. Visit
Second, the Kotel is the most visited site in Israel. www.thejewishstandard.com
Every year, nine million people go there. So what hap-
pens there has impact. and click on
Third, Israelis never get the right to chose what
they want. Once we realize our vision, it will be the
first place where people will enter and there will
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be two choices, the Orthodox plaza or the egalitar-

JewishStandard
N E W J E R S E Y R O C K L A N D

ian one, which will have everything that liberal Jews

want. It will be Robinsons Arch, she added thats Electrical, Plumbing and All Home Repairs
the section, not next to the Kotel but close to it, and
not now reached through the main plaze where
egalitarian prayer has been allowed but it will be
enlarged and made much better.
The idea of having a choice is essential, she said.

University:
At the Kotel, now it is an intense spiritual challenge
to say that we are not going to be deterred by violence.
We will not escalate to violence. We will just continue
to demand what is ours, and to persist in doing that.
Rabbi Sattath will speak at Congregation Beth Sho-
Making an Impact
lom in Teaneck, in a program co-sponsored by the
New Israel Fund and the shul, through both its adult
education and its Ayin lZion committees.
Rabbi Arye Meir organized the talk. I thought it is
important to bring this message to Bergen County, he
said. Which message? The focus on fighting racism
and strengthening Zionism and democracy in Israel,
he said.
I think that there are a lot of people in Reform and
Conservative circles who feel that these issues, at least
in this area, are not presented publicly. What we get is
the predigested idea of Israel as a wonderful democ-
racy and we know that it is but it is definitely
under attack.
Rabbi Meir is Conservative, ordained at the Jew-
ish Theological Seminary, but he thinks that on the
issues of religious freedom and pluralism in Israel, the
differences between Reform and Conservative dont
matter. Obviously we have our differences here, but
I think that we need to work together more, in Israel
and locally.

Who: Dr. Steven Bayme

What: Will be scholar-in-residence
Where: At Temple Emanu-El, 180 Piermont Road,
Closter
When: At Shabbat services that start on Saturday,
December 2, at 9 a.m.
For more information: Go to templeemanu-el.com
Who: Rabbi Gilad Kariv
What: Will speak
Where: At Temple Avodat Shalom, 385 Howland Meet Prof. Gal Kaminka, head of the Robotics and Artificial
Ave., River Edge Intelligence Lab at Bar-Ilan University. Gal and his team have been
When: On Sunday, December 3, at 7 p.m. developing award-winning technology that is protecting Israeli citi-
Co-sponsored by: Barnert Temple, Franklin Lakes; zens and keeping IDF soldiers from harms way. His
Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, Mahwah; Temple Avo- research has resulted in fully automated military vehicles that are
dat Shalom, River Edge; Temple Beth El of the
Northern Valley, Closter; Temple Beth Or, Town-
patroling the border and tunnels of the Gaza Strip.
ship of Washington; Temple Emeth, Teaneck; and
Temple Sinai of Bergen County, Tenafly. Soon to come with your generous support: programable robots
For more information: Go to avodatshalom.net standing guard on dangerous land in place of human soldiers.
Who: Rabbi Noa Sattath
Tel: 212-906-3900
What: Will speak
160 East 56th Street
Where: At Congregation Beth Sholom, 354 Maitland New York, NY 10022
Ave., Teaneck robert.katz@afbiu.org
When: On Tuesday, December 5, at 7:30 p.m. afbiu.org
For more information: Go to www.cbsteaneck.org

Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017 31

Jewish World
New Jewish security chief surveys
the changing landscape of hate threats
RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON The U.S. Jewish
community is more secure than it was
a decade ago, but it must brace for
new challenges, according to the offi-
cials who oversee communal security.
These include lone wolves weap-
onizing easy-to-access items like cars;
increasingly disruptive protests on
campuses; the persistence of attack-
ers inspired by radical Islamism; and
the boldness of the extreme right
wing in the wake of the electoral suc-
cesses of its perceived allies.
Next week, a new person will be in
charge of running the network that
oversees the communitys security
needs.
Michael Masters takes over as head
of the Secure Community Network,
which is affiliated with the Jewish
Federations of North America and
the Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations. Michael Masters rose through police ranks in
Events such as those in Charlot- Chicago and elsewhere in Cook County, Ill.
tesville with people carrying tiki
torches and shouting Jews will not replace present new challenges with respect to
us, conjuring images reminiscent of both
Nazi torchlight parades and Ku Klux Klan
ceremonies to the use of social media to
spread anti-Semitic theories and harass
Jewish individuals and organizations, do
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Paul Goldenberg ran the Secure Community
Network for more than a decade.
into a crowd of counter-protesters, kill- an attack.
the security of the Jewish community, ing one and injuring at least 20.
Masters said. The ideology that is behind many of
The August 12 march by far-right groups the events and actions we see whether
in the Virginia city turned deadly when an a rally in a town square, a speech at a
alleged white supremacist rammed his car university hall or through a podcast
can not only inspire an individual or
group of people to action, but as we saw
with the tragic events in Charlottesville, best practices Goldenberg encouraged
can provide an actual opportunity to
act, Masters said.
His reflections on challenges to the
Jewish communitys security and
those by others come at a moment of
transition, when Masters takes over at
SCN for the retiring Paul Goldenberg. In
2004, Goldenberg set up the SCN as a
national security consultancy for Jewish
communities.
Masters, who has been on the SCN
board, credits Goldenberg with design-
ing an information network that links
Jewish communities to local and federal
law enforcement and keeps them alert to
pending threats.
Both men rose through the ranks of
Diane Jonas, DMD police Goldenberg in New Jersey and
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Daniel Feit, DMD Cook County, Illinois and said in sepa- 9/11 Commission. But it is more vul-
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That cooperation has been
key to the successful transition
from a community that until 15
years ago tended to plan secu-
rity after the fact, said Abra-
ham Foxman of Bergenfield,
the former national director of
the Anti-Defamation League.
I remember the days when
the FBI used to come in after
a threat or an attack and say
where are the synagogues,
where are the institutions?
rec alled Foxman, whose
organization was the princi-
COURTESY OF PAUL GOLDENBERG
pal clearinghouse for Jewish
security issues before SCN was
created, and still trains law
enforcement in identifying
threats. Theres a lot more
law enforcement involvement
now.
SCN has encouraged com-
munities to share blueprints
of their facilities with local
law enforcement for quicker,
more efficient action in case of
Goldenberg spent 13 years on the
move, consulting with communities in
the United States and Europe that had
been threatened or attacked. (This is a
job for people who like to fly, Masters
said.) In addition to establishing rela-
tions with law enforcement, some of the
included hardening sites with barriers
and other equipment, training staff to
be alert to threats, hiring security guards
who had adequate experience and who
are sensitive to the Jewish community,
and setting up volunteer teams to help
secure institutions.
John Farmer, a former New Jersey
attorney general who leads a Rutgers
University team that focuses on police-
community relations in crisis areas, said
Jewish communities are more secure
than they were a decade ago, but faced
more unpredictable threats.
The community is much better
prepared than a decade ago for well-
coordinated and planned attacks that
are easier to detect in advance, said
Farmer, who was senior counsel to the
inspired by ideology he encounters
online, so the attacks can be much
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 Jewish World

more random and harder to detect.
Masters charted the evolution of the
deadly car-ramming attack as an example
of an emergent and unpredictable threat.
Several years ago we started seeing in
some of the literature from the so-called
Islamic State and al-Qaida, written in
English, instructing would-be attackers
in how to use readily accessible items,
in knife attacks, vehicle attacks, he said.
We saw those first done in Israel and Tel
Aviv, and then we saw that in Nice and
Germany, and then more complex ver-
sions of those attacks in London, and
then weve seen them unfortunately in
the United States, in New York City, just
in the last few weeks.
Masters identified another threat: dis-
ruptions on campus by pro-Palestinian
groups that were inhibiting pro-Israel
activities. He cited a 2016 example at the
University of California, Irvine, where
protesters kept pro-Israel students from
leaving the screening of a movie. SCN has
launched a security initiative for Jews on
campus in cooperation with the Jewish
Federations of North America, Hillel Inter-
national, Chabad, and AEPi, the Jewish fra-
ternity, Masters said.
Farmer said the threats were coming
from the left and the right.
You have the emergence of Islamist
extremism and a resurgent threat from
right-wing extremist groups with a racist
nationalism, he said, noting the electoral
successes by the far right in Europe as a
contributing factor.
Theres a greater
chutzpah in the
atmosphere from
the president
on down.Taboos
have been broken.
Foxman said the re-emergence of the
threat from the far right was serious but
not critical, arguing that the spike in anti-
Semitic incidents over the past year as
chronicled by the ADL was substantive but
not indicative of a crisis.
Earlier this month, the ADL recorded a
67 percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents
in the first nine months of this year, fac-
toring in a string of bomb threats largely
attributed to a Jewish man in Israel. With-
out those bomb threats, the spike was 46
percent. Separately, an FBI report released
this month showed a 16 percent increase
in the number of anti-Semitic hate crime
offenses, to 834 in 2016 from 695 the pre-
vious year.
Foxman said the right-wing extrem-
ists were emboldened by public figures,
including President Donald Trump, who
stripped away old taboos in implicitly and
sometimes explicitly targeting minorities
for attack, as well as by the reach that
individuals now have with the advent of
social media.
He described a vicious circle.
Theres a greater chutzpah in the atmo-
sphere from the president on down, Fox-
man said. Taboos have been broken,
including taboos against the Jewish com-
munity. The media pay more attention
today to acts of anti-Semitism, and the
internet raises interest, and that contrib-
utes to the chutzpah.
Trump, he said, had a positive role to
play if he so chose.
He has a bully pulpit, Foxman said.
The challenge is to let them understand
its not moral, its not Christian.
Charlottesville was less surprising for
the numbers of extremists present about
500 then it was for their boldness, he
said. They had a sense they could flaunt
their anti-Semitism, the former ADL chief
said.
The key, Foxman said, was not to give
anti-Semites a win by overreacting.
Goldenberg agreed, saying that he saw
his legacy as keeping American Jewish
communities from going into the lock-and-
key mode of some European communities.
American Jews still frequent Jewish institu-
tions without fear, he said.
If those who undertake attacks on our
community believe that they will not be
able to create mass chaos and fear, and a
subsequent unraveling of our values and
worldviews as a community, it removes a
major cause for their activity, he said.
Goldenberg will continue to consult
with SCN and stay on as a member of the
Department of Homeland Security Advi-
sory Council, an appointment he was
given in part because of his leadership
position in the Jewish community. He is
also a member of Farmers Rutgers team.
Masters, unlike Goldenberg, who was
a New Jersey-based contractor, will be
directly employed by the JFNA and work
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Editorial
Working together KEEPING THE FAITH

Dont use the Torah

I to excuse abusing women
ve often written about how issues of the Jewish
Standard often seem to have themes, ideas that

apparently surface not because we chose to write
about them but because theyre current. Other peo-
ple are thinking about them.
For the last few weeks, those ideas have been about the
clash between the Orthodox establishment and other Jew-
ish streams in Israel, and oddly or perhaps logically
about the way streams here in this country, as well as the
liberal streams in Israel are trying to work together more.
The subject was unavoidable at the General Assembly
of the Jewish Federations of North America, held in a con-
ference hall that could have been anywhere that was sur-
rounded by palm trees that absolutely couldnt have been
here. There, Israels president, Reuven Rivlin, apologized
for the mess of the withdrawn Kotel agreement. He was
stuck in an untenable position, the result of Israels prime
minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, having backed himself
into an inescapable hard-edged corner when he first made
a deal with diaspora Jews, whose money and support he
needs (and who, to be clear, plan to continue to provide
money and support), and then made another deal with
the charedim whose votes and support he needs if he is to
continue in power.
How wonderful it would be if we lived in a world, both
here and there, where politicians would do what was right!
Who would sacrifice their careers, if necessary, because
that sacrifice would be the right thing to do! But I digress.
Many of our stories this week are about the perils of fun-
damentalism mainly in the non-Jewish world, but the
clear lesson is that we are not immune from those perils
and on the other side, the danger that liberal Jews will
lose their connection to Israel.
As we see, the questions of the relationship between
religion and government, Israeli Jews and American Jews,
Israel and America, are tense and becoming tenser. It
often seems to many American Jews that Israel wants their
money, but it doesnt want much more. It often seems
that Israelis deride liberal Jews as inauthentic, and liberal
Judaism as an American parody of real religion that could
never find a home in Israel.
But now, we are hearing from Israeli liberal Jews who
say that their version of Judaism is home-grown, who
respect the Jews to their right without wanting to join
them, but who reject the idea that religion is binary. Either
you are religious dati or you are secular chiloni. No,
they say. There is a spectrum.
We have learned that black and white can work well for
moody, atmospheric photographs, but in the rest of life,
thats not so true.
We are heartened by the Jews who disagree about some
things but work together on others. We encourage more
of us to try it. JP
N
ot a week goes by these days, it seems, with- subsequently legislates against everything Jacob does.
out some new major male political or enter- The Torah prohibits a man from marrying two sisters
tainment figure being added to the list of while one still lives (Leviticus 18:18). It prohibits a man
serial abusers of women. from denying the chronological firstborn his rights if he
That men abuse women is nothing new. What is new is the son of the hated wife (Deuteronomy 21:15-17).
is that women are beginning to speak openly and pub- And through the laws of impurity, it seeks to keep men
licly about it. from even touching women (the law of negiah, which
All too often, the Bible is cited as a contributing derives from Leviticus 18:19) without checking with
factor for this abuse, because it supposedly put men in them first.
charge, and made women subservient to them. After As for abusing women sexually, as Jacob would appear
all, God created a man first; woman was just an after- to be doing by repeatedly having relations with a woman
thought, and she was designed from a rib to be mans he hates, the Torah gives women all the conjugal rights
helper. When woman caused man to sin in the Garden in a relationship (see Exodus 21), while relieving them
of Eden, God went so far as to command of the obligation to bear children, which
that men forever will rule over their means they are free to decide for them-
women. selves when to say yes.
More about this nonsense further on. Let us be clear about this: The Torah,
There also is the behavior of the patri- from beginning to end, views men and
archs to consider, most particularly Jacobs. women as equals to each other. It does not
In Genesis 29, part of last weeks Torah por- say God created a man first, or that woman
tion, Vayetzei, he meets Rachel for the first was just an afterthought. It does not say a
time. After trying to impress her with his woman was created from a mans rib, and
power by performing a seemingly superhu- it also does not say she was designed to be
man feat, he grabs hold of her and kisses Shammai his helper.
her. Rachel has no idea who he is (he Engelmayer Says Genesis 1, And God created ha-
does not even bother to introduce himself adam [the adam] in His image, in the
before the kiss), but like so many women image of God He created him; male and
before and after her, she stays silent. female He created them. God blessed them, and God
Later, Jacob pays a heavy bride price for Rachel said to them, Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and
seven years of shepherding, years the Torah tells us flew master it. (See Genesis 1:27-28.)
by because he loved her so much. Yet when he informs The text says the adam, not Adam, and that this
Laban, his uncle/prospective father-in-law, that the time adam is both male and female. The adam, then,
has come for the wedding, his concern is purely carnal. means the human, not the man, and adam is not
When Laban tricks him into marrying Leah, Jacob nev- a personal name. The text then tells us that both male
ertheless accepts Labans offer to spend a week cohab- and female are equally commanded to fill the earth and
iting with Leah (even though he supposedly hates her), master it. There is no first man here, and no hint of
before also marrying Rachel and spending the next week male superiority.
with her. And despite his negative feelings toward Leah, That the adam in Chapter 1 is said to be both male
Jacob has no problem getting her pregnant seven times. and female is even more significant than it would
Next Shabbat, in Parashat Vayeshev, Jacob adds to this seem at first. In Chapter 2, we are told, It is not good
disgraceful behavior by designating Joseph, Rachels for the adam to be alone; I will make for him an ezer
late-to-arrive firstborn, as the familys official firstborn kenegdo. In other words, there was only one the
(which is the point of the coat of many colors). This adam created in Chapter 1, and it was both male and
leads to an enmity that plays out all the way through the female at the same time (which is why the text refers
Exodus period. to it as a them; the use of him in the text is of no
To say that the Torah sanctions Jacobs behavior is significance, because Hebrew has no neutral pronoun).
absurd. The Torah makes it clear that Jacobs behavior The phrase ezer kenegdo is usually translated as a
toward the women in his life is unacceptable. In fact, it helper opposite him, which sounds subservient, but
Shammai Engelmayer is rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel of the Palisades in Cliffside Park.

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34 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017


that ignores the import of the word ezer (helper).
The only other ezer in the Torah is God, as in the
name Eliezer, which means God is my help. (See
Exodus 18:4; for other references, see Genesis 49:25,
and Deuteronomy 33:7 and 26.) An ezer kenegdo
in this context thus means a full and equal part-
ner. Thus, verse 2:24 says, Hence a man leaves his
father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they
become one flesh. They are two halves of a whole.
As for that rib, the word in the original Hebrew is
a cognate of the word tzela. This word in its various
forms appears more than 50 times in the Tanach, and
in not a single instance can it be translated as rib. The
word means a full side of something, as in the side of
the Ark (e.g., Exodus 25:12, 14), or the side of the des-
ert tabernacle (e.g., Exodus 26:20). God took a full
side from the adam, the female side, and created
an ishah out of it (ishah means woman). Only after
the appearance of an ishah in the text do we see
the appearance of an ish, meaning man. If anything,
then, it could be argued that woman (ishah) was cre-
ated before man (ish), and not the other way around.
Throughout the
Torah, in fact, Gods
law seeks to level the
field between men
and women.
As for commanding that men are forever to
rule over their women, there is no such com-
mandment in the Torah. God does say that to Eve,
but He is only telling her how men will act toward
women. Throughout the Torah, in fact, Gods law
seeks to level the field between men and women.
Aside from examples already cited here, com-
pare Exodus 20:12, Honor your father and your
mother, to Leviticus 19:3, You shall each revere
his mother and his father. Father and mother are
deliberately reversed to make the point that both
are equal.
Touching women without their consent (with
the possible exception of a handshake) never was
okay. Kissing women without their consent never
was okay. Going beyond just a kiss never was okay
(and, for the record, the Torah equates rape with
murder). Using pseudo-endearing terms such as
sweetie and honey to women other than their the next year, he observed both these eight days on which
partners never was okay.
And justifying such behavior by citing the Torah
never was okay, and no amount of dancing on the
head of a pin will change that.
The opinions expressed in this section are those of
the authors, not necessarily those
of the newspapers editors, publishers, or other
staffers. We welcome letters to the editor.
Send them to jstandardletters@gmail.com.
Opinion
Encountering truth,
complexity, and memory
Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory,
there would be no civilization, no society, no future.
 Elie Wiesel
W
ere in the time now between Thanksgiv-
ing and Chanukah, a time when Ameri-
can Jews sense two histories behind us,
an American and a Jewish one. As the
New York Times editorial page wrote on Thanksgiving,
theres no holiday in America that invites more people
to the table, figuratively and literally, than Thanksgiving.
The paper says [a] child of Orthodox Jewish immigrants
could feel his apartness on other festivals celebrated by
the larger society. Christmas, Easter, Halloween . . . are
inevitable reminders for some Americans that they are
different. Not so Thanksgiving, which Lincoln carved
out in 1863.
If Thanksgiving induces a sense of belong-
ing in the same measure as it doles out post-
turkey-and-stuffing food-coma satiety, we
also know for some it does just the opposite:
many Native Americans dont celebrate the
holiday, and that too is part of the American
story, what we must contemplate as we cut
into the apple pie. Confronting painful truths
doesnt mean we love our country less, but
that we understand that living here and now
is a complex thing. Tikvah
Complexity too accompanies the Festival Wiener
of Lights. We are taught as children about the
mighty Maccabees and their dauntless fight
for right for the right to practice their religion freely
and in their homeland, in the Temple they built and then
rededicate to God. The story has all the hallmarks of a
compelling David-and-Goliath story: courageous, under-
resourced warriors going up against the Man.
But then we grow up and confront the Talmud, Avoda
Zara 8a, which describes the winter celebration of Adam,
the first man, who, noticing the days growing shorter,
becomes panicked, thinking that perhaps his sin has thrown
the world into disorder, and the shortening days mean that
the planet will plunge back into darkness and chaos.
Avoda Zara continues:
Once [Adam] saw that the season of Tevet, i.e., the win-
ter solstice, had arrived, and saw that the day was progres-
sively lengthening after the solstice, he said: Clearly, the days
become shorter and then longer, and this is the order of the
world. He went and observed a festival for eight days. Upon
and experienced a different tale than did someone else
he had fasted on the previous year, and these eight days of
his celebration, as days of festivities. . . .
What to make of this Festival of Lights?
In his book Shuva: The Future of the Jewish Past,
Yehuda Kurtzer quotes a mishna in Hagiga:
One may not expound the [laws of ] forbidden naked-
ness in [a group of ] three, nor the account of the Creation
in two, nor the Chariot alone; unless he was wise and
understanding of his own.
Anyone who looks at four things is deserving to not
have come into the world what is above, what is below,
what is before, and what is after. And anyone who does
not take compassion on the honor of the maker is
deserving not to have come into the world.
Kurtzer explains that the mishna is regulating the study
of texts that the rabbis consider to be problematic and sug-
gestive, first doing so by limiting the number of people
who discuss them, so that the small groups in which they
learn the texts give them a community in which to process
them without feeling alienated and divorced from tradi-
tion once theyve done so.
The second part of the mishna seems to suggest that
one should not foray too deeply into the realm of of
what, exactly, Kurtzer asks. [A]re we talking about where
we come from and where we are going, root causes and
destinies, heaven and hell, what preceded God chrono-
logically or spatially, what the heavenly realms look like .
. . . These deep theological questions might toss us into
the despair that Adam, our first partaker of stolen knowl-
edge, felt. These are questions from which it is not easy to
emerge unscathed, and the rabbis know this.
Its Kurtzers analysis of the last part of the mishna I
find particularly illuminating, and comforting: We are
told what to do when we confront truth and the divine.
Kurtzer writes, We are not told to grovel, to be fearful, to
shield our eyes, to avoid the encounter . . .
but rather to be compassionate and respect-
ful. . . . In other words, our explorations and
our knowledge lead us to stand face to face
with truth and the divine. And we are judged
not on the basis of that accomplishment but
on how we act as a result of that encounter.
Kurtzer points out that the rabbis lauded
Rabbi Akiva, the one rabbi who remained
unharmed from his encounter with truth
and the divine, not for his journey to the
heart of knowledge, but for his decision to
behave with compassionate awe when he
did so. Awe is a stance, a voluntary deci-
sion to act with compassion upon seeing exposed that
which we cherish and value. This is why awe of the heav-
enly realms yirat shamayim is the one behavior that
heaven cannot command. . . .
Becoming an adult necessitates encountering truth. We
all at some point eat of the Tree of Knowledge, and what
we see cannot be unseen. As post-Enlightenment people,
were especially conditioned to search for answers in a
rational, logical, and unflinching manner. And yet there is
a kind of loss, a loss that can toss us into a sea of existential
angst, when we confront truth too forcibly. It can unmoor
us, leaving us confused about who we are, what we stand
for, and what the future means.
As Americans, were all probably feeling a bit unmoored
these days, as we rethink the past and wonder what to
make of historical figures we learned about as children.
Is it possible we were taught wrongly, that we heard, told,
in the same country? What happens if we discover that a
national myth has been mythic not in the sense of grand
and great, but in the sense of wrong, false, cruel, and ugly?
Kurtzers exhortation to be compassionate with the
truth is useful here, and another story illustrates that
point as well. After the flood, in Genesis 9:18-27, Noah and
his sons emerge from the ark, at which point Noah, a
tiller of the soil, immediately plants a vineyard, makes
wine, and gets drunk. In his drunken state, he becomes
naked, and his son Canaan enters his fathers tent and
goes outside to tell his brothers what hes seen. Shem and
Japheth grab a cloak, turn around so they do not see their
father, and cover him up.
For my sons bar mitzvah, on Parashat Noach, my hus-
band traced the connections among knowledge, grapes/
wine, and drunkenness. Like wine, knowledge can lead
to an enlightened state and also make you drunk on the
SEE TRUTH PAGE 37
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 35
Opinion

We cannot become numb to terrorism

I
am guilty too.
Just a few weeks ago,
America was shocked
by the worst terror
attack to hit New York since
that tragic day on September
11, 2001.
As was widely reported, a
lone individual by the name
of Sayfullo Saipov murdered Michael
eight people and injured Cohen
almost a dozen more in the
name of Isis as he drove a
rented truck down a bicycle path off of the West Side
Highway in downtown Manhattan.

KENA BETANCUR/GETTY IMAGES

As authorities came to realize the severity of what had
just occurred, law enforcement suddenly and obviously
blocked off all traffic, with sudden precision, at Cham-
bers Street. My car was one of the first affected, and I
waited anxiously to be allowed to move. I already was a
few minutes late, heading from my office to a meeting
with a northern New Jersey Jewish organization to dis-
cuss methods of collaborating on combating just such
hate in our local communities. For the moment, it didnt Emergency personnel respond to the terror attack in downtown Manhattan on October 31, 2017.
even occur to me how lucky I was that it took 10 minutes
to retrieve my car from the Battery Municipal Parking importantly, after hearing the changing stories from the be somewhat late for the scheduled meeting.
Garage, because of its malfunctioning exit gate. I didnt radio as new reports kept coming in, in retrospect I real- Just a few days ago, I read an editorial piece written
think right away about what could have happened had I ize that I still concentrated far too much on having my by one of my mentors, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the
gotten out of the garage those few minutes earlier. More assistant report to the appropriate people that I would associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, about

So many lessons in so little time: Four days in Israel

M
y wife and I have
j u s t re t u r n e d
from a short,
revealing, and
meaningful trip to Israel.
We traveled for four days
with one purpose to visit our
18-year-old son, who is spend-
ing his gap year between high
school and college studying Jeremy J.
at Yeshivat Ashreinu in Beit Fingerman
Shemesh.
There was no time to visit
with family and friends; no time for touring or in my case,
for business meetings. We just had to check in with our
son before too much time had elapsed. It turns out that we
were among many others from Bergen County and across
North America who were doing the same thing.
While Zalman has been away less than three months, we
witnessed firsthand the tremendous growth already gener-
ated by time away from home. We were inspired by the edu-
cational approach prioritized by his program. And we were
amazed by his already deep connection to todays incred-
ibly modern state of Israel.
As parents, we could not be more pleased. As a profes-
sional, I see many lessons that have applications in our Jew-
ish communal enterprise.
In three short months, our son has developed a con- Zalman Fingerman, left, and his father, Jeremy, flank Rabbi Gotch Yudin at Yeshivat Ashreinu in Beit Shemesh.
fidence and passion for life in Israel and the language of
the Jewish people that will be with him for a lifetime. We favorite stores in Machane Yehuda. He maneuvered through them well throughout this year and beyond. They are
now have a budding tour guide in the family. As we walked public transportation with expertise and ease. developing independence and grit in this first year away
the streets of Jerusalem, our son led us through his newly We saw in our son, and in his friends to whom he intro- from home, with a new support system they have built
discovered shortcuts and recommended restaurants and duced us, a camaraderie and connection that will serve themselves. Together, they have developed creative ways

36 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017


the dangers of our collective desensitization to mass
murder and terror attacks. His piece was written as
an immediate response to the machine-gunning of
hundreds of Muslims at prayer at an Egyptian mosque
last Friday, and it said that although we all naturally
condemn such incidents, they have become so fre-
quent that they no longer provoke the necessary moral
outrage.
Rabbi Coopers piece detailed our need to real-
ize that our lack of a more significant international
response is a clear signal of the victory enjoyed by the
terrorists and extremists who force such madness into
our lives. We must sit back for a moment and regis-
ter that these acts are all being justified in the name
of religion, and that they simply cannot be tolerated
KENA BETANCUR/GETTY IMAGES
regardless of whether the victims are Muslims, Chris-
tians, or Jews. Regardless who the victims of specific
attack might be, we all are targets in the minds of those
creatures, and we should act together to combat them
and the very misguided hate that both motivates them
and continues to allow them to recruit more adherents
on a daily basis.
As I am sure we all do, I distinctly recall exactly
where I was and exactly what I was doing when the
planes hit the World Trade Center on that infamous
day just over 16 years ago. It was primary day in New
York, and I had spent the better part of a year work-
ing as a candidates political director. On that day, I
was based in Brooklyn County headquarters on Rogers
to dry their clothes, a work-around for the dryers in Israel
that dont seem to work as well as they do at home. They
pool resources to buy needed items in bulk. As they walk
through the streets of bustling and vast Jerusalem, the
many friendly faces offer guidance and suggestions for
upcoming happenings, events, or opportunities for engag-
ing in unique Israeli experiences.
How has all of this happened?
We met with Ashreinus rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Gotch Yudin,
the widely respected former director of Camp Morasha in
the Poconos and former assistant principal and director of
admissions at the Frisch High School in Paramus. Ashreinu
is an innovative yeshiva designed to challenge and excite
young men who want to combine the study of Torah with
a full program of communal, social, and physical devel-
opment. Rav Yudin shared the educational philosophy at
the heart of this successful gap year program, which he
designed based on his years working in both formal and
informal education. He believes Jewish learning should be
combined and balanced between academic and experi-
ential approaches. He energetically described the connec-
tion between learning halacha ( Jewish law) or studying the
Torah portions and visiting those exact locations in the land
of Israel. According to this philosophy, community intern-
ships and chesed (acts of kindness) volunteer projects build
and develop empathy, responsibility, and character.
What can we learn?
First, it is no coincidence that many of Ashreinus fac-
ulty members grew up in Jewish camps and now spend
their summers working at different Jewish summer camps.
Immersive experiential education works. So often, we hear
schools talk about trying to be more like camp. Creating
and building community means fostering camaraderie and
Avenue in Crown Heights, watching with colleagues on
a small black-and-white television set, using a hanger
for an antenna, gasping at the horror confronting us,
as so many of us raced to contact our loved ones and
tried to figure out how we could somehow help. We
watched in terror as the wind blew fragments of office
documents outside our office, and we felt our emo-
tions go from shock to disbelief to anger as we swore
that somehow this would not go unanswered.
As I think about Rabbi Coopers column, it bothers
me deeply that I did not feel the emotions that I felt
on that awful day 16 years ago nearly as severely as
when I was racing to that meeting on the West Side
Highway, even though families once again were being
senselessly ripped apart right, in our own backyard.
As I now have the great fortune to work for the Simon
Wiesenthal Center, which is on the front lines fight-
ing against hate and terrorism, I recognize that I was
guilty too on that day, a few weeks ago, because I had
become just a bit less sensitized to such horrors.
In combating such hate, it is this realization that I
hope will serve as an awakening to all of us, and it will
lead me to redouble my efforts to make sure that it
does not happen again.
Michael Cohen of Englewood is the eastern regional
director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. He represents
his citys Second Ward on Englewoods City Council,
and he belongs to Congregation Ahavath Torah there.
inspiring educators and students alike. As a community, we
must continue to provide Jewish youth with experiences
filled with smiles and joy, intentional in design, while offer-
ing roles for peers to lead.
Second, these gap-year programs are strengthening
a deep connection to the thriving, contemporary, and
advanced State of Israel. Maybe the young students cant
appreciate the amount of construction everywhere we
turned, but for us, the cranes and excavators offer a sense
of optimism about Israels economy and future. We were
overwhelmed yet again by the contemporary flavor com-
binations offered by the many innovative restaurants dot-
ting the traditional stone landscape. Israel also leads in the
advanced and adaptive use of technology, and that can be
seen and felt all over, even in the ancient city.
Third, we must not shy away from Israel. While the
issues in the region are challenging and real, diaspora
Jews must play a role that starts by showing up. These
gap-year students have the opportunity to experience
Israel up close and personal, and to develop a lifelong
love and commitment to all aspects of Torat Yisrael, am
Yisrael, and eretz Yisrael the Torah, the people, and
the land of Israel. We all must continue to travel and
experience Israel.
This short trip has made an intense impact on us as
parents, and on me, as a Jewish communal professional
consumed with building and securing a more vibrant,
joy-filled Jewish future.
Jeremy J. Fingerman is the CEO of the Foundation for Jewish
Camp. He lives in Englewood with his family; he is vice
president of Congregation Ahavath Torah there. Write to him
at Jeremy@jewishcamp.org.
Opinion
Truth
FROM PAGE 35
power of what you think you know. Noahs enlightened
state leads to a lack of consciousness, so that he doesnt
see what his children see, his own nakedness a truth
he has exposed? Sin? Both? And it is the children who
turn their backs so they do not see their father. Theyve
adopted what Kurtzer might say is the compassion we
should have for our fathers, for our past, and for what
came before.
I dont mean to suggest that we shouldnt acknowledge
or see the sins of our past, but rather that we need to be
careful with what we do with our knowledge.
In America today, we sorely need our myths, and
Thanksgiving is one of the more salient ones; the notion
that this is a country where all men and women are cre-
ated equal is still crucial to the future of our democracy,
even if we know and work to undo the ugliness that lies
behind our national epic. As Lin-Manuel Miranda raps in
Hamilton, America is a great, unfinished symphony.
The story of Adam and the first Festival of Lights also
plays with the idea of the worlds being in an unfinished
state. The story shows us we gain knowledge at a price,
sometimes as a result of our own sins, but we dont shy
away from what weve done. We light candles, mirroring
God in His creation of light and showing Him that despite
our imperfections, we approach the world wanting to light
it up, not plunge it into further darkness.
History doesnt necessarily ask anything of us Kurtzer
points out that its more of an academic subject but
memory, which Judaism values greatly, does. The film
Woman in Gold, which my family and I watched over
Thanksgiving weekend, is about the return of Gustav
Klimts painting of the Jewess Adele Bloch-Bauer to her
niece Maria Altmann, who fled Nazi-occupied Austria. A
fellow Jew of Austrian descent Randy Schoenberg, the
grandson of composer Arnold Schoenberg is the law-
yer she hires to fight for the painting of her aunt, and he
argues to the Austrians: The past is asking something of
the present. Justice.
At the Idea School open house, the sessions we pre-
pared for students and parents who attended were cen-
tered around a question what is memory? Jews are
supposed to remember six things on a daily basis the
Exodus, the Revelation at Sinai, Amalek, the Golden Calf,
Miriam and her words against Moses, and the Sabbath.
(We can analyze why these six events another time, and
since this is Judaism, dont be shocked to discover that
theres another opinion that says we should remember ten
incidents.) As the education committee prepared for the
session on these Six Remembrances, we discussed what it
was that Judaism was asking us to do. None of us thought
that we were simply being asked to remember, but, as
Schoenberg asserts, that the past is reaching out and ask-
ing something of us. Kurtzer writes: History liberates.
Memory obligates.
As Americans, we love to celebrate our liberty, and I
think we sense that history demands something of us,
asks that we honor and continue to build on the ideals on
which this country was founded.
As Jews, we know were obligated to do more than cele-
brate events. The act of lighting candles is more than just a
cute commemoration of a feel-good holiday. Its the fulfill-
ment of a deep commandment: Where there is darkness,
we are Adam looking out from it, saying hineini, we are
here. With compassion, with our fear of God, we are here.
Tikvah Wiener is head of school of the Idea School, a coed
Orthodox high school opening in Bergen County September
2018. Learn more at www.theideaschool.org.
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 37
Opinion

Rutgers appalling tolerance of anti-Semitism

R
utgers University The universitys abysmal reaction to these and other pornography, and sex trafficking, among other things.
has one of the larg- problems led the Zionist Organization of America to file a Some of Chikindas posts demeaned gays and women.
est Jewish under- student-backed legal action against Rutgers in 2011, under At the town hall meeting, President Barchi actually justi-
g rad u ate p o p u - Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, alleging that Jewish students fied Chikindas hateful posts, reportedly saying, You may
lations in the United States. were being subjected to a hostile anti-Semitic environ- not like what the guy says, but you have to like the fact
It has a beautiful new Hillel ment that the administration was failing to address. The that he can say it. No, we dont. Chikindas statements
building and one of the finest case is still pending before the U.S. Department of Educa- are indefensible, and its disgraceful that Barchi did not
Hillel directors in the country. tions Office for Civil Rights. simply condemn them.
But Rutgers has had a seri- In the meantime, the ugliness has continued. Brandeis Rutgers supposedly is investigating whether Chikindas
ous anti-Semitism problem for Susan B. University released a report last year, identifying Rutgers actions violate Rutgers policy against harassment, but the
years, and the administration Tuchman as one of the campuses in the United States where anti- investigation has been ongoing for weeks. Why is it taking
is ignoring it. Semitism is particularly severe. so long? Its clear that Chikindas has created a hostile envi-
In 2011, a Jewish student With this troubling backdrop, Rutgers response to ronment for Jewish students. Who among them possibly
who spoke up in support of recent revelations about three professors who are them- could feel safe and accepted in a class with a professor
Israel was physically threat- selves promoting hatred of Jews and Israel is truly shock- whos expressed such hatred for Jews?
ened by other students on ing, irresponsible, and unacceptable. Instead of terminat- At the town hall meeting, Barchi also defended and
Facebook . The outreach ing the professors, or at least publicly condemning them, praised Professor Jasbir Puar. The Algemeiner newspa-
coordinator for the univer- Rutgers President Robert Barchi defended them in a town per reported that in her new book, The Right to Maim,
sitys Middle East Studies hall meeting last week. Puar outrageously contends that the Israeli military shoots
Center also threatened this One of the professors is Michael Chikindas, who has Palestinian Arabs to harm rather than kill them, in order
Jewish student and referred published and shared dozens of disgusting anti-Semitic to keep them perpetually debilitated and to control
to him on Facebook as that Alan D. Jay posts on social media. He called Judaism the most rac- them. When she spoke at Vassar last year, Puar promoted
racist Zionist pig. A campus ist religion in the world. He referred to international fat the vicious lie that Israel had mined for organs for scien-
program compared Israelis to Jewish pockets and described orthodox Judaism and tific research from dead Palestinian Arabs. Disgracefully,
Nazis; when many outraged Jews and Israel supporters Zionism as the best of two forms of racism. He shared Barchi called Puar a well-respected scholar, even though
tried to attend, the sponsors tried to keep them out an anti-Semitic caricature of a hook-nosed man wearing a theres nothing scholarly about the demonizing lies she is
by charging them a fee, while letting everyone else in kippah, suggesting that Jews control the Federal Reserve promoting about Israel.
for free. and Wall Street, Hollywood, the cancer industry, Barchi also defended Mazen Adi, who teaches

NY Times article shows how not to write about neo-Nazis

D
id the New York normalize anything but to describe the degree to which
Times just normal- hate and extremism have become far more normal in
ize an American American life than many of us want to think.
neo-Nazi? And that is how I read the piece the first time. To
Thats the charge being me it was an attempt to understand the tiki-torch-car-
flung at the Newspaper of rying thugs who marched in Charlottesville and a use-
Record over its profile of ful reminder that not every racist or Nazi sympathizer
Tony Hovater, 29, a polite, shaves his head, wears jackboots, or waves the Confed-
low key Ohio man. Hes is erate battle flag.
a committed foot soldier Andrew Fausset, the writer, insists as much in the article itself.
who helped start one of the Silow-Carroll Heres what journalists call the nut graf or English
white nationalist groups that teachers might call the thesis statement:
marched in Charlottesville, He is the Nazi sympathizer next door, polite and low-
Virginia, in August. The article, which ran last Saturday, key at a time the old boundaries of accepted political
November 25, titled In Americas Heartland, the Nazi activity can seem alarmingly in flux. Most Americans Hitler guy  JTA/LIOR ZALTZMAN

Sympathizer Next Door, shows Hovater cooking pasta
for his sympathetic wife and pushing a shopping cart
through his local grocery, and asserts that his Midwest-
ern manners would please anyones mother.
A lot of readers were outraged, saying the article,
written by Richard Fausset, humanized a racist who
deserves only scorn and made a man who believes
the races should be separated seem likable. The Wash-
ington Posts Karen Attiah complained that the Times
thought it was okay to give prominent space to Nazi
ideology.
The criticism moved Marc Lacey, the newspapers
national editor, to write an editors note.
We regret the degree to which the piece offended so
many readers, he wrote.
But Lacey also defended the intention of the piece.
The point of the story, he wrote, was not to
would be disgusted and baffled by his casually approv-
ing remarks about Hitler, disdain for democracy and
belief that the races are better off separate. But his tat-
toos are innocuous pop-culture references: a slice of
cherry pie adorns one arm, a homage to the TV show
Twin Peaks. He says he prefers to spread the gospel of
white nationalism with satire. He is a big Seinfeld fan.
I applaud Faussets attempt to understand how nox-
ious beliefs have infiltrated suburbia, and how the poli-
tics of white resentment have breathed new life into the
repugnant philosophies of Nazism and institutionalized
racism. I get the irony when Fausset describes Hov-
aters Midwestern manners, and I think he provides
an important service when he warns how the alt-right
movement is hoping to make white supremacism and
anti-Semitism less than shocking for the normies, or
normal people.
Thats a lesson that needs to be heard, especially
in the White House, where the president once spoke
about the very fine people on the side of those nicely
dressed young men seeking the separation of the races.
But how you read the article will depend on your
interpretation of the word But that begins the third
sentence in the excerpt above. I initially read it as dont
be fooled by his homey tattoos and Seinfeld references
this guy is a thug. But I now see how many read it as
he may sound repugnant, but he is actually a nice guy
with some upsetting ideas.
Some of the blame for that interpretation falls on
Fausset. Too often he relays one of Hovators uglier
ideas without explaining why they are vile, as when
Hovator is shown defending his assertion that Jews run
the worlds of finance and the media, and appear to be

38 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017


international criminal law at Rutgers. This is
indeed ironic. Before joining the faculty, Adi
was Syrias delegate and legal adviser at the
United Nations, where he spoke for a murder-
ous regime that has inflicted chemical attacks
and other atrocities on hundreds of thousands of
innocent civilians. Like Puar, Adi promoted the
vicious lie that Israelis were trafficking childrens
organs. Yet Barchi brushed off these concerns,
and failed to express the shame and embarrass-
ment he should feel about Rutgers irresponsible
decision to hire Adi in the first place.
Interestingly, Barchi saved his criticism for
the Algemeiner, which has done a superb job
in exposing the hateful records of these three
professors. Plainly trying to diminish the Alge-
meiner, Barchi falsely described it as a blog
out of New York based on an extinct Yiddish
newspaper.
Heres what Barchi should have done instead.
He should have exercised his own First Amend-
ment rights by forcefully and unequivocally
condemning the three professors for their Jew-
hatred and vicious Israel-bashing, and making
it crystal clear that anti-Semitism from faculty
or anyone else at Rutgers will not be tolerated.
He should have affirmed that Jewish students
have a legal right to a learning environment that
working more in line with their own interests
than everybody elses.
Fausset doesnt comment on these asser-
tions presumably because the reporter feels
that readers will need no reminder how awful
they are. But maybe that presumption no lon-
ger holds. Maybe we need a sentence or outside
source saying something like this: Those kinds
of conspiracy theories are at the heart of West-
ern anti-Semitism, and formed the basis for the
ideology, revered by Hovater, that justified the
systematic slaughter of six million people.
Its not clear if Fausset directly challenged
Hovater with the history of anti-Semitism or
genocide or Jim Crow. But he does say that
he asked why Hovater moved so far right.
The term far right in this context unfortu-
nately puts genocide and racism on a contin-
uum with other right-wing ideas, as if they are
just slightly more extreme than lower taxes
and fewer regulations. Thats where readers
rightly sense the normalization of the fas-
cist fringe.
Again, Fausset repeatedly shows Hovater at
his worst, whether he is paraphrasing a Nazi
slogan or sharing a social media post that imag-
ines the Aryan paradise Germany would have
become had it won the war. But the articles
best intentions come crashing down with this:
Hovater declared the widely accepted esti-
mate that six million Jews died in the Holocaust
overblown. He said that while the Nazi leader
Opinion
is physically and psychologically safe and that
he will vigilantly protect that legal right, which
means that the professors will be terminated.
Finally, Barchi should have committed to inves-
tigating how these three were deemed qualified
and worthy to teach at Rutgers, and promised
that careful and thorough vetting procedures
would be implemented in the future.
Rutgers is supported by our taxpayer dollars.
One of us pays tuition as the parent of a Rutgers
student. Its outrageous and unacceptable that
one penny of our money should be going to pay
the salaries of any professor who promotes hatred
of Jews and Israel with lies. Jewish history shows
how verbal violence can escalate to physical vio-
lence; we should not wait to see any Jewish stu-
dent at Rutgers be physically assaulted, as they
have been on other campuses. Contact President
Barchi and let him know that you expect these
professors to be fired. Let him know that we will
continue to complain about our state university
hiring and tolerating anti-Semites.
Susan B. Tuchman of Tenafly is the director of
the Zionist Organization of Americas Center for
Law and Justice, and Alan D. Jay of Paramus is
the executive director of the ZOAs Northern New
Jersey chapter.
Heinrich Himmler wanted to exterminate
groups like Slavs and homosexuals, Hitler was the Jewish people were always the
a lot more kind of chill on those subjects.
Widely accepted estimate? How about
the the historians consensus or the over- of the population. Anti-Semitism
whelming evidence?
And if Hovater is going to assert something
as preposterous as the notion that Hitler was
chill about genocide and ethnic cleansing,
Fausset immediately should have quoted an
actual historian saying how central to his poli-
cies were the elimination of Jews and other
undesirables.
Ive often argued that the strength and weak-
ness of the Times is that it often acts as if it
is having an insider conversation with the
kinds of readers who form its core, or ideal-
ized, audience: liberals, the affluent, the highly
educated, and, yes, Jews. It leads to highly criti-
cal Israel coverage, for example, because this is
the way family talks with one another.
In this case, it led editors to assume that
readers would read a portrait of a neo-Nazi
normie as a cautionary tale about the main-
streaming of hate. But it forgot about a wider
audience that still needs a reminder that some
ideas are not merely ugly but vile, abhorrent,
and fundamentally un-American.
 JTA WIRE SERVICE
Andrew Silow-Carroll of Teaneck is JTAs editor
in chief.
Mighty Atom memories
I read The Mighty Atom by Curt
Schleier in the November 24 issue
with great interest.
When I was a boy of 9, 10, or
11 years of age during World War
II, my family lived in Patersons
Fourth Ward. Due to the war we
did not have a car, so we walked
most of the time, especially to
downtown Paterson to shop. On
one particular occasion, walking
to the fruit and vegetable markets
on Washington Street we passed a
crowd in a small lot on the corner
of Washington and Fair streets. As
we got closer my father said, Its
the Mighty Atom. (I had always
thought it was Adam.) I asked my
father who was the Might Atom,
Humanitarianism and anti-Semitism
I was always aware that the Jewish
religion was noted for its humani-
tarian strength, which has become
a part of Israel, our nation. Rather
than seeing this as a strength by
the world, going back in history,
the Jews were always hated for one
reason or another, for an imagi-
nary flaw or something else ficti-
tious. In time, there have been all
too many strikes at the Jewish peo-
ple, both biblically and universally.
The Nazis hated the Jews with a
desperation previously unknown,
needing to annihilate all of us from
the face of the earth as quickly as
possible. Our dead came to a mere
six million human lives, which to
their minds was not enough. Yet
most successful, the most literate,
and the most the most humane
has emerged again and again,
sometimes virulently, sometimes
sneakily. We have had more than
our share of terrorism in Israel,
which is just more hatred on a
larger scale, and it grows more and
more rather than disappearing
with each renewed return attack.
Is it about land allegedly taken or
about who we are as a people?
The State of Israel has been at
the front lines to help an enor-
mous number of nations world-
wide in times of crisis. In Haiti,
Puerto Rico, in Turkey, in the
U.S. and on and on. Recently,
on the border of Iran and Iraq,
where earthquakes were caus-
ing much loss of life and shel-
ter, Israel offered aid, which was
rejected. In Syria, an old enemy
of Israel, many injured have been
transferred to Israel, particularly
children, to get life-giving medical
assistance in our hospitals. Years
ago, boat people were absorbed
into Israel who had no link at all
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 39
Letters
and he said, Hes the Jewish
strongman.
Being shorter than the adults
standing there, I was able to work
my way to the front of the group
and watch the Mighty Atom per-
form his feats of strength. I was
impressed as I saw him bend steel
bars and horseshoes. There were
other things that he did that escape
my memory and I do remember
him hawking his cure-all elixirs. I
saw him a few times during those
years. (Coincidentally, my pater-
nal grandfather also came from
Suwalki, circa 1883, as did The
Might Atom.)
Martin S. Rittenberg
Wayne
with Judaism, and later, refugees
from Africa made their way into
Israeli cities.
Not all Holocaust survivors,
nor later, all Russians who were
absorbed into Israel were Jews;
not all Ethiopians who claimed to
be of a tribe of Jews were so, but
Israel in its inimitable way, and
for its size, has absorbed a huge
number of non-Jews and refugees
who needed homes. In medicine
and technology, Israel has put
itself on the frontline of develop-
ment of new and better techno-
logical devices and in the field of
medicine, revolutionary drugs and
treatments have been created.
Going back to my initial state-
ment about humanitarianism,
Israel really is a light unto nations.
Unfortunately, the Jew is still hated
and reviled through groundless
anti-Semitism, some of it emerging
from those nations we have actu-
ally helped, and the nature of the
beast is the pure and simple dislike
of the Jewish people who seem to
emerge from the ashes again and
again. What is most disturbing of
all are the anti-Zionists, who are
often times our fellow Jews, seek-
ing to diminish their connection
with anything Jewish, let alone a
nation of people risen from the
Holocaust.
It is a unique factor to take into
account in looking at Israel. Not
just is it a superpower in its mili-
tary strength, but it is extremely
developed for a new nation in so
very many sectors of life. I see
the humanitarianism of the Jew-
ish state, superior to all else, in
some very vital and non-nego-
tiable way. It is a superiority that
other relatively new countries do
not seem to have.
Sandra Steuer Cohen
Teaneck
Opinion

Frances Socialist Party demonstrates

a decisive way to respond to anti-Semitism

I
t has been a long time
since Ive heard any-
one say anything posi-
tive about the French
Socialist Party, once the giant
of that countrys postwar pol-
itics, but trounced into fifth
place in this years presiden-
tial election, with just 6 per-
cent of the vote going to its Ben Cohen
candidate.
But nonetheless Im going to
throw caution to the wind, and offer my modest congrat-
ulations to the PS for its November 21 decision to expel
Grard Filoche, the party grandee who is at the center
of a row over a dismally transparent anti-Semitic tweet
from his account, for violating its core values.
Filoche, who began his career as a Trotskyist, is
or wasa leader of the left wing of the PS, and like
most European far-left politicians, he never endeared
himself to the local Jewish community. During the war
in Gaza in August 2014, at a time when one of many
pro-Palestinian demonstrations evolved into a riot
outside a Paris synagogue, Filoche was issuing wring-
ing denunciations of Israels very legitimacy, declaring
that the Jewish state was founded upon terrorism and
colonization.
As several academic surveys during the last decade
or so have demonstrated, people who hold these sorts
of views about Israel are likely to be anti-Semitic, and Grard Filoche, who was ousted as the left-wing leader of the French Socialist Party for anti-Semitic
Filoche is no exception. On November 17, he described statements. HEGOR VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

French President Emmanuel Macron on Twitter as a

sale type (dirty guy.) Accompanying that remark
was a photomontage that showed Macron wearing
a Nazi armband, with the swastika exchanged for a
dollar sign. Immediately behind Macron, towering
over him from the shadows, were images of three of
Frances most influential Jews economist Jacques
Attali, investor Patrick Drahi, and banker Jacob Roths-
child who were themselves flanked by the American
and Israeli flags. Not very subtle, then.
As it turned out, that image had been grabbed from
the website of Alain Soral, a far-right white French
activist who is closely associated with Dieudonne
Mbala Mbala, a French-Cameroonian propagandist
who imagines himself a comedian. Filoche eventually
deleted the tweet, blaming the error on a junior PS
official who noticed only the references to Macron
and money, and thereby presenting himself as the vic-
tim of a political witch hunt that exploited an honest
mistake in order to launch itself on the world.
Pushing a junior PS staffer under the bus was not
Filoches only response to the controversy. Until he
Filoche was issuing
wringing denunciations
of Israels very legitimacy,
declaring that the Jewish
was virtually hoarse he repeated the line that as a
founder of anti-racist group SOS Racisme, he couldnt
possibly be an anti-Semite, and that in any case, the
only source of anti-Semitism is capitalism, which after
all elected Hitler. At no point did he condemn the
Barely ve days after
content of the tweet, nor reflect on why he or his team, Filoche issued his tweet,
as committed socialists, would be instantly attracted
to anti-Semitic memes that brought to mind as the
the partys national
French Jewish organization CRIF observed the Vichy bureauof which he
regime in Nazi-occupied France.
To its credit, the PS did not agree to any of this. Barely
had been a member
five days after Filoche issued his tweet, the partys voted unanimously to
national bureauof which he had been a membervoted
unanimously to expel him. One of Filoches former col-
expel him.
leagues, who had defended him in previous controversies,
said that this time, the matter at hand was no longer politi- similar political calculations underlie those deeds.
cal, but ethical and on ethics, he said, there can be no Some will argue, as they always do, that Filoche has
compromise. the right to free speech. But when someone is an elected
Even as I applaud the PS, I honestly wonder whether official, or an official of a political party or labor union
the party is out of step with the times. During the last or similar entity, that persons first responsibility is to the
three years especially, racist and anti-Semitic imagery electors, the taxpayers, and the entire community he or
has become a staple feature on the extremes of left and she serves. Free speech considerations, frankly, hardly
right, more often than not amplified by those who enable rank as a priority for someone who has made a career in
extremists while claiming not to share their views. Per- democratic politics.
haps the PSs British sister party, Labour, has grasped That is why the punishment for such offenders is often
something the PS has not? What kind of calculation lies harsher than it is for private citizens, and why it is there-
behind Labours refusal to kick out Filoches equivalent,
the former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, for his
fore right that the PS has booted Filoche from its ranks.
Different parties and leaders in other countries dealing
comment that Hitler was a supporter of Zionism? Would with instances of anti-Semitism should feel free to copy
clamping down on the Israel-inflected anti-Semitism that
advocates firmly believe belongs in a progressive move-
its example. JNS.ORG

state was founded ment alienate the activist base?
upon terrorism and You could easily ask President Donald Trump and those
among his supporters who have shared anti-Semitic images,
colonization. and flirted with anti-Semitic and racist language, whether
Ben Cohen writes a weekly column on Jewish affairs and
Middle Eastern politics. His work has been published in
Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz, the Wall Street
Journal, and many other publications.

40 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017


Rabbi Neil Gillman, premier theologian
of Conservative Judaism, dead at 84
Rabbi Dr. Neil Gillman, professor emeri-
tus of Jewish philosophy at the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America and
one of the premier theologians in the
Conservative movement, died on Novem-
ber 24. He was 84 and lived in Manhattan.
The author of many books, including
in 1991, Sacred Fragments: Recovering
Theology for the Modern Jew, Gillman
was associated with JTS, the Conservative
movements main seminary and intel-
lectual center, for more than 50 years,
first as a student and then as an admin-
istrator and faculty member. His work
emphasized the intersection of Jewish
theology, Conservative Judaism and Jew-
ish education.
Gillmans innovative thinking about
how to construe Jewish faith and how to
justify it, his use of anthropology as well
as philosophy in approaching questions
of God and life after death, and his ability
to combine complete intellectual open-
ness and honesty with a commitment to
Jewish tradition mark his work as truly
Brandeis to bestow a high honor
on history scholar Jonathan Sarna
WALTHAM, MASS. Brandeis Univer-
sity will recognize Jonathan Sarna, an
eminent scholar of American Jewish his-
tory, as university professor. Thats the
highest honor a faculty member can
attain, and it is an award given to only a
handful of others.
To mark the occasion, Dr. Sarna, the
Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun professor
of American Jewish history and an award-
winning author of more than 30 books,
will deliver a lecture on Tuesday titled
Jews and American Politics: Historical
Ideals and Contemporary Realities.
Hundreds of faculty, students, alumni,
university officials, and family and
friends are expected to fill the historic
Spingold Theater on the Boston-area
campus to hear Sarna, who began teach-
ing at Brandeis in 1990. His talk will
reveal a newly discovered 1864 docu-
ment, according to an announcement by
the university.
The title of university professor, which
is awarded to faculty members whose
work cuts across traditional disciplines
and who have achieved exceptional
scholarly distinction, was conferred by
the schools trustees last spring, when
Dr. Sarna was away from campus doing
research in Israel.
In addition to his role as professor,
Rabbi Neil Gillman
important, indeed, a real gift to Jews and
non-Jews alike, Elliot Dorff, the Sol &
Anne Dorff Distinguished Service Profes-
sor in Philosophy at the American Jewish
Dr. Sarna chairs the colleges Hornstein
Jewish Professional Leadership program
and is the chief historian of the National
Museum of American Jewish History in
Philadelphia, among many other affilia-
tions. He is on the board of JTAs parent
company, 70 Faces Media.
Jonathan is one of those rare individu-
als who excels on a professional scholarly
basis and in his service to the university,
Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz said.
Dr. Liebowitz described Dr. Sarna as
a selfless contributor to the college, as
a member of many committees; as chair
of the Near Eastern Studies department,
a position he held three times; and as a
generous and dedicated mentor to his
undergraduate and doctoral students.
He has done it all, Dr. Liebowitz said.
In an email, Dr. Sarna wrote that I
am honored and humbled by my new
title. Noting that only a few professors
in Brandeis history have been named
university professor, he added, While I
do not consider myself their equal, I am
proud to stand in their company.
Dr. Sarna, 62, a Philadelphia native
who grew up in New York City and the
Boston area, holds a bachelors and mas-
ters degree from Brandeis, a Jewish-
sponsored nonsectarian research uni-
versity. He earned his doctorate in 1979
University, said in introducing a collec-
tion of essays released in Rabbi Gillmans
honor in 2013.
A native of Quebec City, Gillman gradu-
ated from McGill University in 1954, was
ordained at JTS in 1960, and received his
Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia Uni-
versity in 1975, according to JTS.
He wrote a regular Sabbath Week
column for New Yorks Jewish Week and
he was a member of the advisory com-
mittee of Shma, an influential newslet-
ter on new trends in Jewish thought and
practice.
He served on the Commission on the
Philosophy of Conservative Judaism,
which produced Emet VeEmunah, which
was released in 1988 and is considered to
be the first common statement of prin-
ciples in the Conservative movements
then 143-year history.
Conservative Judaism magazine dedi-
cated its fall/winter 20082009 issue to
him in honor of his retirement.
In addition to Sacred Fragments,
Dr. Jonathan Sarna URIEL HEILMAN
from Yale and has taught at the Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Reli-
gion in Cincinnati, as well as at Harvard,
Yale, the University of Cincinnati, and the
Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Among Dr. Sarnas most highly
acclaimed and widely known books are
American Judaism, which won the
2004 Jewish Book Councils Book of the
Year; When General Grant Expelled the
Jews, written in 2012; and Lincoln and
the Jews: A History, co-authored with
Jewish World
which won the 1991 National Jewish Book
Award in Jewish Thought, he was the
author of Conservative Judaism: A New
Century; The Jewish Approach to God:
A Brief Introduction for Christians; and
Traces of God: Seeing God in Torah, His-
tory, and Everyday Life.
In his 2004 book The Way Into:
Encountering God In Judaism, Rabbi
Gillman described Judaisms notion of a
personal God.
The personal God lives in a dynamic,
everchanging relationship with people;
the impersonal god knows nothing of
relationships, he wrote. This metaphor
of a personal God is concretized in the
many more specific biblical metaphors
for God: God is a shepherd, a parent,
a teacher, a lover, a sovereign, a judge,
a spouse. These are all relational quali-
ties: a shepherd needs sheep, a sovereign
needs subjects, a lover needs a beloved.
They all capture the sense that God is
personally and intensely involved in rela-
tionships with people. JTA WIRE SERVICE
Benjamin Shapell in 2015.
Dr. Sarna has persevered in his career
and scholarship, overcoming two health
setbacks.
Widely respected as a scholar, Dr.
Sarna also is well known beyond aca-
demic circles as an engaging and witty
speaker who has often crisscrossed the
country to give talks in synagogues, Jew-
ish community centers, and museums.
He frequently is quoted as an expert in
worldwide media, and has appeared in
documentary films and in the public tele-
vision series The Jewish Americans.
All of my roles have been about teach-
ing teaching students, teaching Amer-
ican Jews, teaching Israelis, teaching
journalists, or teaching Americans gen-
erally about American Jews and their his-
tory, Dr. Sarna wrote in his email. That
is what I set out to do back in the 1970s
when I decided to become an American
Jewish historian, and today, some 40
years later, I am happy to be doing that
same thing.
Dr. Sarnas wife, Rabbi Ruth Langer, is
a professor of theology and Jewish stud-
ies at Boston College, where she is asso-
ciate director of the Center for Christian-
Jewish Learning. They have two grown
children, Aaron and Leah.
 JTA WIRE SERVICE
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 41
Keeping Kosher
Helping the less fortunate
Volunteers from Valley Chabads CTeen
met at Wegmans in Montvale to learn
about kosher products, play a scaven-
ger hunt game, and collect food to be
donated to the Helping Hands Food Pan-
try in Hillsdale for its Thanksgiving food
drive.
Rabbi Yosef Orenstein, director of Val-
ley Chabad Teen Leadership Initiative,
Kayco Brands takes top honors
with entries at Kosherfest
Kayco (www.kayco.com), Americas
leading purveyor of kosher food, fea-
tured clean snacks and on-trend items
in its showcase of award-winning and
premium products at Kosherfest last
month in Secaucus. Kosherfests new
products competition is recognized as
one of the industrys most coveted hon-
ors, awarded to companies for quality,
taste, and innovation.
In the new products competition,
Kayco took two prizes, including top
prize best in show for its new frozen
pizza entry, Ginos East of Chicago Deep
Dish Pizza.
Kaycos Tuscanini Parchment Crack-
ers were named best in the category of
savory snacks, chips and crackers.
In addition, the Bayonne company
introduced an array of new treats for
Passover and year-round as well as a
variety of favorites. Newcomers include
healthy snack options like Sea Castle Sea-
weed Snacks and Heaven & Earth Veggie
42 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
Making challah in and around the area
VALLEY CHABAD
explained the importance of keeping
kosher as well the mitzvah of helping
others. Wegmans partnered with CTeen More than 200 women recently attended an evening of camaraderie, inspiration,
and generously donated gift cards for the and challah-making by participating in the first Mega Challah Bake in Franklin
teens to buy items for the pantry. Lakes. A 20-member committee planned the program sponsored by Chabad of
CTeen is comprised of local Jewish Northwest Bergen County.
high schoolers looking to do good for
the community in a variety of fun and
creative ways.
Teens at the Glen Rock Jewish Center made challahs last month as part of
Chips in beet, taro, cassava, and vegeta- the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jerseys Mitzvah Day activities. They
ble medley varieties, both available in braided, chose the fillings and toppings, and baked them. They took some
convenient single-servings. challot home and donated the rest to the Center for Food Action.
Absolutely Gluten Free Raw Coconut
Chews offer two chocolaty varieties in
individually wrapped bites for ultimate
freshness. In the vegetable category,
Beetology taps into the newest super-
food trend with fully cooked, ready-to-
serve vacuum-packed beets.
Kayco also is launching its new Heaven
& Earth brand, focused on offering new
and exciting, time-saving healthy options
including all-natural white asparagus
spears, fully cooked and ready to eat,
and kosher for Passover too, and riced
cauliflower, one of the top-trending
items in the low-carb gluten-free move-
ment. It comes frozen in 14-ounce pack-
ages for a convenient, quick-cooking,
healthier alternative to rice.
For Passover, look for Panko Style
Matzo Meal from Yehuda and three vari- Students at Shomrei Torah religious school in Wayne baked challah during a
eties of gluten-free panko from Haddar. special program last month.
 Keeping Kosher

Cedar Market offers

Chanukah choices
In time for Chanukah, the bakery at Cedar Market in
Teaneck offers Donut Deliciousness. Donuts come in
jelly, sprinkles, caramel, custard, caramel cheese, cheese,
and chocolate varieties. Also watch for a big upcoming
Chanukah contest at Cedar Market.
In the freezer section near the registers, check out the
new Nutrition by Tanya offerings. New grocery items
include Paskesz natural white marshmallows and Darrell
Lea sugar free licorice in original and strawberry flavors.
In the dairy section, look for Normans Crme yogurt and
Farm Fresh round Syrian cheese, original or marinated.
The store has expanded its Cut Veg & Fruit line, adding
more variety to its selection. In the sushi department, all From left, Rabbi Robert Mark, Jewish Family and Childrens Services of Northern New Jersey, Teaneck;
day, every day, if you buy two rolls you get one free. Michele Wellikoff, Jewish Family Service & Childrens Center of Clifton-Passaic; Robert Mandelbaum and
Be sure to sign up for Cedar Markets emails and watch Bryan Fox, YM-YWHA of Union County; David Most, vice president of marketing for Manischewitz; Elie
for details. Monitor its Facebook and Instagram pages for Bodner, Jewish Family Service of Central NJ; and from the FoodBank, Julienne Cherry, director of agency
flash deals, giveaways, contests, and more. You can always relations; Carlea Milton-Sturdivant, agency relations manager, and Debby Scheinholtz, director of corpo-
find some of their amazing deals on the back page of the rate relations.
Jewish Standard.
Cedar Market delivers your orders. Let its friendly Manischewitz donates to Community FoodBank
staff bag it and deliver it for you. For information, email
orders@thecedarmarket.com. The Manischewitz Company recently donated approximately 5,000 pounds of kosher food, the equivalent of 4,167
Cedar Market is at 646 Cedar Lane in Teaneck. For meals, to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Representatives from many Jewish agencies were on hand to
more information, call (201) 855-8500 or go to www. receive the donation.
thecedarmarket.com.

Spreading JFCS TAKING ORDERS FOR CHANUKAH

Thanksgiving cheer
Last weeks Jewish Family & Childrens Services of Northern New Foster Village DINE
IN OR
Jerseys Kosher Meals on Wheels deliveries included handmade
Kosher Delicatessen
TAKE
OUT
crafts created by children from Temple Beth Rishon in Wyckoff.
KMOW volunteer Meg Barry is shown here with her delivery bag APPETIZERS SALADS
and a foam frame decorated with a happy Thanksgiving message. SOUPS ENTREES
COURTESY JFCSNNJ

Linda Poleyeff and Paula Rozner, the agencys synagogue social SIDE DISHES DESSERTS
workers, helped coordinate the program. Great Food, Great Service, Reasonable Prices
469 S. Washington Ave. Bergenfield, N.J.
201-384-7100

ShopRite dietitian serves up healthy latkes

Christina Kamilaris, the in-house dietitian at ShopRite of Paramus, sent us this yummy, easy, and healthy
recipe for Chanukah. She reminds us that eating healthy and making sensible substitutions are important
and easy to do. Look in the ShopRite kosher department for some of her other recipes. The store is at Kosher Market
224 Route 4 East and Forest Avenue. For information, call (201) 638-8514.
Meats Chicken Deli Appetizing
Crispy baked potato latkes Prepared Foods Groceries Frozen Foods Catering
INGREDIENTS: 67 A. East Ridgewood Ave. Paramus, NJ 07652
6 potatoes, peeled and grated 201-262-0030
(2 sweet potatoes, 4 white potatoes) www.harolds.com
MON-WED 8-6; THURS 8-7; FRI 8-4; SUN 8-3; CLOSED SATURDAY
3 eggs UNDER RABBINICAL SUPERVISION
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup spinach
1 small sweet onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, grated Serving The Kosher Way Since 1976
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and grate Place in oven for about 10-15 minutes or until
potatoes. Add to bowl. Add in eggs, whole wheat crispy (flip halfway through).
flour, spinach, onion, garlic, and salt and pepper. MAKES ABOUT 30, 3-INCH PATTIES.
Mix well. Form into patties, squeezing out and Nutrition tip: serve with Greek yogurt instead of DELI RESTAURANT CATERING
discarding any excess liquid. Flatten each por- sour cream for fewer unhealthy fats and more
1
Annual
tion into 1 1/2 inch think round patty. Place onto protein. For pareve, serve with unsweetened Readers
Choice
# New Jersey
parchment paper. With a brush, lightly spread oil apple sauce. Avi & Haim Poll 894 Prospect Street
onto patties. Proprietors Glen Rock, NJ
Under Rabbinical Supervision Tel: 201-445-1186
www.koshernosh.com Fax: 201-670-5674

JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 43

The tradition continues!
Jewsh Lfe
$2.95

JEWISH STANDARD GUIDE TO

2007

Jewsh Lfe
$2.95

JEWISH STANDARD GUIDE TO

2008
A YEAR-ROUND RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITY
2013-2014 2015-2016 2017

The Guide to
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is coming.
Very soon!
 The Frazzled Housewife
Getting old cruise edition
A
nd here we are, with another
column dedicated to you
know you are getting old
when We will call this one
the cruise edition.
I love cruises. Husband #1 and I have
gone on, thank God, several cruises.
The first one was many, many years
ago. The last one was probably five or
six years ago. Due to fam-
ily situations and my gen-
eral insanity, husband #1
decided it was time for us
to go on another cruise. He
knew that I wouldnt agree
to it because I didnt want
to leave my family, so he
kindve snuck it up on me
and got me to agree to it
with not much time before Banji
we were to leave. (Though I Ganchrow
didnt think we would actu-
ally go until the ship was in
the middle of the ocean. And I have got
to say that there is a lot to be said for not the little buggers. There were noisy kids
having any communication with the out-
side world.)
In any event, getting older becomes
evident on a cruise ship. All the chairs
seem to hurt our backs. There was one
chair that I couldnt sit on at all because
it was too high, so we had to leave the
show. We are shifting around, and when
we finally get up, we creak and groan
and we straighten ourselves out and
then it takes a couple of steps before we
feel like ourselves again. Oy vey.
In past cruises, I would only take the
stairs. Up and down. Up and down. Like
it was absolutely nothing. I still took the
stairs this time, but I had to keep remem-
bering, up with the good knee, down
with the bad in order to avoid, well, my
knee starting up. Slightly out of breath
when I reached my destination, but that
leveled off so I think I can still hold off on interested? Well, you know you are get-
the cardiologist appointment.
And then there are the daily programs
they leave in your room every night. I
can no longer read them with my glasses
on. Husband #1 said I couldnt see the
small print because the room was dark
which is another sign you are getting
old the room wasnt really so dark. I
just need new glasses. Argggg. In cruises
past, we would stay up late. (OK, not that
late, but well past midnight.) This time, it
has been a challenge. We would stay up
to watch the movie they were showing
Husband #1 took me on the cruise
to get away from that for a
little while. But I am still me.
Just a larger, crabbier version.
at 11:30.but we would only make it
for half an hour of said movie. This was
for two reasons we were both tired,
and what kindve silly movie is this? We
are two old cranky people who has
patience for these superhero movies?
(Unless Gal Gadot was playing Wonder
Woman. I have patience for her because
she is so amazingly awesome.) We wad-
dled back to the room
and fought for who got to
use the bathroom first
because, you guessed it,
that is another sign of get-
ting older.
And then there are all
of the little annoying kids.
Oh gosh, I am turning into
my father. When did I ever
think kids are annoying?
Stop kicking my chair!!!! I
no longer turn around and
say, My, arent you ador-
able! I turn around and shoot daggers at
in the room next door. Poor kids got an
earful from the cantankerous old lady in
the room next door. (That was me.) But
who was I kind to? All of the elderly peo-
ple in the scooters and using their rol-
lators and walkers. And I kept thinking
about what their stories are and if they
have kids who visit them and take care
of them.
Husband #1 took me on the cruise
to get away from that for a little while.
But I am still me. Just a larger, crabbier
version.
And speaking of larger, while we were
docked in Florida, Weight Watchers sent
me an email asking if I was finally ready
to come back. How did they know?
Genius marketing idea. So I joined, from
the ship, for three months. Why I am
sharing this with you when very few are
ting old when you are trying to figure out
the last time you joined Weight Watchers
and you look at your husband and say,
It was 20 years ago. 20 years ago???
Yup, life marches on. Hope you all march
on in good health with it.
Banji Ganchrow of Teaneck did not post
any pictures from her cruise on social
media. This is because she didnt believe
she went on it, until is was actually over
and everyone back home was, thank God,
just as she left them.
KOSHERCROSSWORDS@GMAIL.COM
Across
1. Forceful one?
5. Bridge of Spies supporting actor
9. Fire stacks
14. Writing on the wall, for one
15. Wicked adviser to King Saul
16. Depart
17. Not like Sarah or Esther
18. Top
19. Arm bones
20. Moses carried one?
23. George of The Goldbergs
26. Silly me! syllables
27. One that could join a minyan?
32. Is unwell
33. Primary number
34. A Nightmare ___ Street
37. Chem. or biol.
38. One lighting Shabbat candles?
41. He rode the Nebuchadnezzer in The
Matrix
42. ___ Mall (Jerusalem locale)
44. Paulo preceder, in Brazil
45. 100-meter, e.g.
46. One joining the IDF?
50. Lee who has made many a movie
cameo
51. NBC Newsman Roger
52. One building a bima?
58. Euphoric way to walk
59. Carrier of those getting high when
davening?
60. Big no-no in Judaism
64. Singing show, with The
65. Capital of Latvia
66. Common Friday night course
67. Finished
68. Capone capturer
69. Guarding ___ (Shirley MacLaine
movie)
The solution to last weeks puzzle is
on page 55.
Crossword
BUGGING OUT BY YONI GLATT
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MANAGEABLE
Down
1. I love follower
2. Holy cow! in text talk
3. ___ Boca Vista (Seinfeld locale)
4. As I was saying...
5. Dar on Homeland
6. Ending for wed, dead or head
7. Lovato who claims to have Jewish
ancestry
8. To do list
9. Cuddly teddy, for one
10. Russias president in the 90s
11. Hindu princess
12. Emergency removal, for short
13. ___ ye the Lord...: Isaiah
21. Aladdin prince
22. One 25-Down
23. Involuntary twitch
24. Writer Jong
25. Some Israeli arms
28. ___ aint gonna work on Maggies
farm... (Bob Dylan)
29. They played Paradise City in Tel Aviv
on July 15, 2017, for short
30. Reagan attorney general
31. Group of 100 in Washington
35. Director Linka Glatter
36. One who makes the cut?
38. Stumbled
39. Like the walk from the Kotel to Yad
Vashem
40. Kind of throw
43. Home for the ill
45. Job for Doc Holliday or Tim Whatley
47. Son of Jacob who had only one son
48. Low person on the office totem pole
49. Many, many years
52. Inlet
53. Soon, to a bard
54. Camp night activity that can get you
docked from a camp night activity
55. Nobelist Wiesel
56. Schmattas
57. Woe is me!
61. Kosher animal not often on a menu
62. Some package symbols
63. Records that may be broken?
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 45
Dear Rabbi Zahavy
Your talmudic advice column
Dear Rabbi Zahavy,
I have been subjected to sexual harassment
by a person of authority. I cannot avoid
this person. He is persistent and aggressive
towards me. He has made it clear that he
wants to have sex with me. I am not interested
in his proposition. I find his unrelenting
advances intimidating and awful.
Is there some advice that you can offer to me
from the Jewish perspective that will help me
deal with this terrible situation?
Harassed in Hackensack
Dear Harassed,
Ill try to offer some guidance, but as you can
tell from the daily barrage of recent news sto-
ries, this sort of problem is serious in our soci- story is that pushing back against power
ety at large, it is widespread in our world, and
it is terribly hard to resolve.
First, Ill remind you that this problem
is not new.
Second, Ill assure you that this prob-
lem is nearly intractable. The Talmud has
a saying that there is no such entity as a
guardian who can be appointed to protect
us from wanton sexual aggressions.
Third, Ill nevertheless suggest some steps
that you may take to help you avoid harass-
ment, and protect your personal integrity.
We know that sexual harassment is not
new because it is described in dramatic
details in our ancient Torah in the book of
Genesis, and in our sacred writings in the
book of Esther.
The Hebrew slave Joseph, son of our
patriarch Jacob, we are told in parashah
Vayeshev, was subjected to harassment by
the wife of his owner, Potiphar. Sure, you
may rightfully object that ancient narra-
tives are irrelevant, and ironic where they
portray a man as the victim of harassment.
That is not the usual case that we know
of in most cultural and individual settings.
Look at how this story unfolds. The wife of
the powerful vizier of Egypt took a sexual lik-
ing to her slave Joseph. She asked him for sex.
He refused. She repeated and demanded. He
fled. According to the midrash, she framed
him, telling Potiphar that Joseph performed
special sexual acts with her.
Potiphar believed his wife and had Joseph
sent to prison. The obvious lesson of that
story is that pushing back against power did
not yield a good immediate result. Yet as that
story and the subsequent narratives unfold in
Genesis and Exodus, in prison Joseph inter-
prets the dreams of Pharaohs baker and wine
steward, then interprets Pharaohs dream
and then becomes vizier of Egypt. Josephs
sexual harassment at the outset of the story
led to the salvation of the tribes of Israel from service law says: An employee shall not
The Dear Rabbi Zahavy column offers mindful advice based on talmudic
reasoning and wisdom. It aspires to be equally open and meaningful to all the
varieties and denominations of Judaism. You can find it here on the first Friday of
the month. Please mail your questions to the Jewish Standard or email them to
zahavy@gmail.com.
46 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
the starvation of famine. Wow. act sexually towards another
In our second example, at employee, if the act harms or
the beginning of the book of harasses the employee or his
Esther, we are regaled with a dignity, or if the act was not
saucy story of how the Per- committed with his consent,
sian queen Vashti was subject explicitly or implicitly (Sec-
to harassment by the king. tion 43.422). Another civil ser-
She was ordered to appear vice law specifies which acts
at his feast the insinuation are forbidden: an act of a sex-
was that she was to appear Rabbi Tzvee ual nature including speech
naked for the delight of the Zahavy or an allusion (Section 43.421).
guests and perhaps to pro- In 1998, the Knesset adopted
vide them other sexual favors as well. She a formidable sexual harassment law. It pro-
refused to be humiliated in this way, and hibits sexual harassment to protect peoples
was removed as queen. She might have dignity, liberty, and privacy.
been executed. The obvious lesson of that In Section 3, this law provides a list of
acts that may be considered in certain cir-
did not yield a good direct result. cumstances to be sexual harassment. They
Yet as that story unfolds, we are told include indecent acts; repeated suggestions
that this episode opened the door for the of a sexual nature addressed to a person who
selection of Esther as the new queen. And has made it clear to the harasser that she is
that eventually resulted, after intrigues not interested in his proposals; repeated ref-
and meanderings of narrative epic propor- erences that focus on a persons sexuality, if
tions, in Esther saving the Jewish people the person concerned has made it clear to a
from death and destruction at the hands of harasser that he or she is not interested in his
the evil enemy Haman. references; and degrading treatment in rela-
And do not forget that the king decides tion to the persons sex or sexuality, including
to hang Haman only when he catches sexual orientation.
him in bed with the queen. Esther knew If there is a relationship of authority
that Haman was begging for his life. But between the harasser and the harassee
the king saw him as a sexual harasser and perhaps between an adult and a minor or
predator and sent him to the gallows. a disabled person, or between a therapist
Yes, these are some ancient Bible stories. and a patient, or between an employer
Okay, sexual harassment is not a new prob- and an employee, those acts will be con-
lem. How does that help you today? sidered sexual harassment, even if the
Lets come down from our sacred texts to harassee has not shown the harasser that
our profane earth, to the troubling events he or she is not interested in such propos-
that have come out in the news of late, and to als or references.
the terrible situation that you face in your life. In the United States, workplaces and
Let me be clear and absolute. I can assure schools specifically are domains that are in
you that the misconduct to which you are general terms protected under federal laws.
subjected is not part of Gods ultimate large Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a fed-
plan for the salvation of the Jewish people. eral law that prohibits employers from dis-
Sexual harassment, plain and simple, are criminating against employees based on sex,
acts of evil perpetrated by offenders against race, color, national origin, and religion.
innocent victims. Sadly, I must tell you that though the
Unfortunately, I also can predict that retal- laws exist, as anyone who has had cause
iation against the resistant victim, like that can attest to you that prosecuting their
described in the ancient texts, also occurs in offenders is difficult, time consuming,
the modern cases that we face. expensive, and often not effective.
And further, the problem is that in mod- And so now what should you do to
ern times, even though there are some few avoid sexual harassment to begin with?
laws that define harassment acts actionable, Vice President Mike Pence has come up
even criminal, society makes it hard to pur- with a strategy for himself that resembles
sue claims and mainly ignores the bad actions the ultra-Orthodox practice of avoiding
that go on in this area at least until they yihud. In stringently observant circles,
become celebrity news stories. a man or a woman must avoid situations
In Israel the legal situation in this matter of yihud being alone in a closed private
is somewhat enlightened. There are specific room with a member of the opposite sex.
disciplinary provisions. For example a civil When conservatives bragged about Pences
Puritan-like purity during last years presi-
dential campaign, they said that he never
dines alone with a woman who is not his
wife, nor does he attend functions without
his wife if alcohol is being served.
Of course, segregation of the sexes in
schools and synagogues is a matter of
public Orthodox policy, and it has been
a core feature of Orthodox life for centu-
ries, even millennia
In preparing to teach a course next
term called The Halakhah of Sexual
Harassment, I learned how quickly
traditional Orthodox society is moving
to bolster segregation of the sexes, and
expand on the prohibition of yihud.
Based on the lessons of Rabbi Yaakov
Ephraim Forsheimer, the rabbi and dayan
of the Beis Midrash Govoha in Lakewood,
Rabbi Yitzhak Levi Rublov recently published
a 13-chapter Hebrew book on a website in
Israel called, A Locked Garden Concern-
ing the Laws of Yihud. He saw the need to
publish this book because of the decline of
the generations in sexual morality. In his
introduction, he remarks in amazement that
the Shulkhan Arukh, the code of Jewish law
from 1565, devotes only a single section to the
laws of yihud (Even HaEzer 22). Rabbi Yitzhak
Levi says that for nearly each one of Rabbi
Yosef Caros 20 short paragraphs on yihud,
he was compelled to write a whole chapter to
expand upon and explain the halacha.
It seems from this development that the
rabbis, at least those on the right, have given
up on expecting adults to behave properly, at
least when they are alone in mixed company.
Sure, many will say, shouldnt men and
women grow up, and learn to restrain their
urges, to try to understand the nuances of
relationships between the sexes, and to know
better when sexuality is a permitted part of
that mix and when it is not?
And yet consider so many prominent
examples that have been publicized in the
past few weeks alone. They are stories about
educated and respected men who failed to
grasp what is wrong with their repeated overt
acts of sexual harassment.
I heard Dr. Ruth Westheimer speak recently
at the Academy for Jewish Religion. She
refused to talk about the epidemic of harass-
ment. But she did offer this observation: If
two people get into bed naked together, then
consent for sexual activity is a given.
Sorry, Dr. Ruth. Though I did not object
when you said that in your question-and-
answer session, I dont see that as a given.
Even under those circumstances, no
means no.
Today, colleges are particularly confus-
ing places for defining the levels of sexual
consent. Administrators at many campuses
know this and are working hard to educate
and develop policies to make the atmosphere
safer and better. Gone are the days when Yale
fraternity brothers can cheer gleefully on a
Friday night of partying, No means Yes. Yes
means anal. Those rowdies are gone from
the campus, or at least their fraternity was
suspended in 2014. And good riddance.
And finally, yes, some permutation of
the Jewish laws prohibiting yihud might not
be a bad idea for some circumstances. For
instance, in your situation, you may consider
SEE DEAR RABBI PAGE 47

Vayishlach: Can we become Israel?
T
he French Revolution was
inspired by our own revolution
with Britain; by the time that
both revolutions had ended,
the similarity between them ended as
well. Once in power, the French revolu-
tionaries turned their instruments of war
against their own people in the Reign of
Terror and the creation of an emperor,
whereas the United States government
was able to cobble together our Constitu-
tion and a working republic. It is not easy
for leaders to shift from a revolutionary
mindset to that of a politician, from a
divider to a unifier.
This weeks Torah portion describes a
similar struggle for our patriarch, Jacob.
We learn early in the Torah that God cre-
ates by separating: first dark from light,
upper waters from lower waters, oceans
from dry land, and woman from man. In
their own way, revolutionaries often cre-
ate new countries by splitting a territory
or separating from a former government.
In our story, Jacob has parted from Esau
20 years ago after having separated Esau
from his blessing and birthright. Jacob
also separated from Laban after trick-
ing Laban to fairly pay Jacob for twenty
years of work. Laban pursued Jacob, pre-
sumably to attack him. After tense nego-
tiations, they separated again, this time
Theological Change
FROM PAGE 17
Al Qaeda under Bin Laden were vio-
lent and terrorists, but tended not to
want to attack others Muslims, Dr. Selen-
gut said. Not generally. Their goal was to
encourage the Muslim masses to accept
the more fundamentalist Wahabi reading
of the texts, and then institutionalize the
caliphate.
The new group, the Islamic State, said
they dont need to wait for the masses
to become more observant. We need to
bring back the original Islam right now.
So they kill and maim other Muslims they
see as heretic as well.
The present killing also has political
ends. As the Islamic State is collapsing in
Iraq, theyre retreating, and these terror-
ist attacks will probably increase. This is
now their arena for religious violence and
action, having pretty much lost their ter-
ritory in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yet if even the most traditionalist
religious interpretations are subject to
change, what does that bode for Judaism?
One of the differences is that in Juda-
ism, if you dont do the right thing, they
wont give you an aliyah. But they wont
Dvar Torah
setting a pile of rocks to dis- that if Esaus men attack, the
tinguish between Labans other camp might escape.
territory and Jacobs. Sepa- It is often difficult for revo-
ration and division created lutionaries like Jacob to shift
wealth for Jacob. He was from opposition and sepa-
born without blessing or ration to reconciliation and
birthright, but he returns unification. Many, like the
to the Land of Canaan with French Revolutions Robe-
bounty and enemies. As spierre, never successfully
Jacob left that border cre- Rabbi Barry transition. (It is an interest-
ated between himself and Diamond ing accident of history that
Laban, he entered unfamil- Beth Haverim Shir Robespierre, who separated
Shalom, Mahwah,
iar territory. Rather than Reform
the heads of noblemen from
distancing himself from his their necks, was a member
problems or enemies, he of the Jacobin party.) Jacobs
was being directed by God shift, although never fully
to move toward them. Jacobs well-honed complete, was dramatic and painful, nev-
skills of chicanery were not going to help ertheless. Only when Jacob was separated
him as he approached an enemy he had from his family and possessions could he
created. realize the consequences of achieving his
As the Torah portion opens, Jacob is goals by destroying his relationships. He is
back to his old strategy of separation. As left utterly alone.
he nears his meeting with Esau, Jacob Soon an unnamed man enters Jacobs
sends servants ahead with herds of goats, empty camp. We say that they wres-
sheep, camels and cows as gifts, which tled, but according to Rashi, the word
he separates into three groups. This way connotes intertwining, like wrapping the
Jacob can send several presents to Esau strings of a tzitzit. After spending his life
in wave after mollifying wave. His ploy separating, dividing, and fleeing, Jacob
seems futile as he receives reports that was struggling with the idea of coming
Esau is approaching with 400 men. Once together to solve conflicts. After a night
again, Jacob resorts to separation, dividing of this so-called fighting, the text says
his own camp into two smaller camps so that Jacob could not prevail against
Dear Rabbi
FROM PAGE 46
avoiding meeting one-on-one with the per-
son who is harassing you, if that is feasible.
Although difficult to enact, advice to avoid
yihud may help students grappling with
those issues on campus, employees in the
workplace, or other people elsewhere.
Some form of yihud policy or practice may
deny harassers the opportunity to harm
their victims, and help our permissive cul-
Relatives of the victims of the bomb ture rein in rampant sexual harassment.
assault on the North Sinai Rawda The bottom line is that despite millen-
mosque waiting outside the Suez Canal nia of civilization, human nature has not
University hospital in the eastern port changed. Sexual harassment persists. Yet
city of Ismailia, Egypt, on November 25. there is a marked difference between our
 MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/GETTY IMAGES world and the ancient one. Today we have
the power of the media, and the unprec-
kill you. Nothing in Judaism even mimics edented ubiquitous technology to record
that kind of violence. Its not the same. and report every human action, good and
But look whats happening at the Kotel bad. We have the power to bring immoral
right now. What do the Reform want to do? acts instantly before a crowd of good ethi-
They want to read from the Torah with men cal people.
and women. Theyre not burning down the And we hope and pray that when they
Kotel, theyre not making a fire on Shabbos. learn about it, the good people will step for-
But theyre greeted with violence. Its not ward and exert pressure, by persistent social
violence in the sense of Islamic violence, but action and by campaigning for greater and
you see the future of the very Orthodox. It more accessible legislation, to protect the
has come to that at the Kotel. victims and to punish the bad guys.
him, Yechal lo. But, without changing
any of the letters, we can imagine that
the word should read Yechalelo, meaning
include, rather than prevail. Jacob
was great at dividing and using trickery
to grow his wealth, but he was never
great at including people by convincing
others to follow his lead. Nonetheless, we
do see why his name deserves to change
from Jacob heel grabber to Israel
God wrestler. While his usual conniv-
ances were unsuccessful, Jacob was able
to see this man face to face, panim el
panim. At some point during their fight,
most probably when Jacob was struck by
the man, he shifts from viewing this man
exclusively as a tool for his own goals, to
viewing him as a human being in and of
himself. At that moment, he could see
divine ideals reflected in his face and his
name was changed to Israel.
Despite the name change, Jacob never
fully becomes Israel. At times he con-
tinues to divide, but at other times, he
becomes Israel and overcomes the bar-
riers that divide. We, too, have a bit of
Jacob inside ourselves, sometimes divid-
ing people in order to achieve something
important. But we should always aspire
to our collective name of Israel, seeing
the divine in one another and bringing
people together in peace.
To conclude, let me phrase this point
in the style of medieval rabbinic law. In
twelfth century Egypt, Maimonides said
(Mishnah Torah, Laws of Sanhedrin and
the Penalties in their Jurisdiction, 24:5),
At any time, and in any place, a Jewish
court has the license to give a person
lashes if he has a reputation for immo-
rality and people gossip about him, say-
ing that he acts licentiously. This applies
provided the rumor is heard continuously
and he does not have any known ene-
mies who would spread this unfavorable
report. Similarly, a person with such an
unsavory reputation may be humiliated,
and scorn may be heaped on his mother
in his presence.
Hmmm. Still something to think about,
800 years later.
Tzvee Zahavy received his Ph.D. from Brown
University and his rabbinic ordination from
Yeshiva University. He teaches advanced
Talmud, halacha, and Jewish law codes at
the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York,
where he also serves as the coordinator of the
rabbinics curriculum. He is a prolific author
and has published numerous articles and
books about Judaism and Jewish texts. Check
out www.tzvee.com for more details.
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 47
Arts & Culture
Members of the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrive at the wrong address in the Negev.
The Bands Visit
delights an Israeli town
and will move a Broadway audience
MIRIAM RINN
A
s soon as the curtain rises to
reveal a line of men dressed in
pale-blue uniforms and carry-
ing instrument cases in what
appears to be an Israeli bus station, you
know you are in good hands.
The men seem just a bit wary, a little
discomfited to be where they are. Their
uniforms look fairytale resplendent com-
pared to the grubby green of the Israeli
soldiers, and their manners charmingly
old-fashioned next to the standard Israeli
48 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
gruffness. But its when one of the men
confuses Petah Tikvah, where they have
been invited to perform at the opening
of an Arab cultural center, with Bet Hatik-
vah, a godforsaken speck of a town in the
periphery, that The Bands Visit really
takes off.
The rest of the 90-minute show is a
sweet and sad examination of the sorrows
and regrets as well as the promise and pos-
sibility in every life, and it is punctuated
with wonderful songs and pitch-perfect
performances.
Adapted by Itamar Moses from the 2007
Israeli film of the same name, the show
sticks pretty close to the original plot.
When the Alexandria Ceremonial Police
Orchestra get on the wrong bus and ends
up in the middle of the Negev, the musi-
cians try to explain that they are scheduled
to perform at the new Arab cultural center.
There is no Arab cultural center, the cafe
owner Dina explains. There is no culture
here at all. Since there are no more buses
out of town, Dina invites the men to spend
the day and night with her and some other
townspeople. They can leave in the morn-
ing for Petach Tikvah.
Rather than feeling suspicious and
frightened at the arrival of a group of
unknown Arabs, the townspeople of Bet
Hatikvah seem delighted that something
different has finally happened. There actu-
ally are new people to talk with.
The orchestras leader, Tawfik, reluc-
tantly agrees, and he and the flirtatious
trumpeter, Haled, go with Dina. The
clarinetist, Simon, who has written a few
bars of an unfinished concerto, joins an
unhappy young couple, Itzik and Iris, who
live with her father, Avrum, and their baby.
Itzik has been out of work for some time,

and as soulfully played by John Cari-
ani, he feels both stuck and at loose
ends, while his wife is resentful and
frustrated that she has to take care of
two children.
In a fantastic performance, Katrina
Lenk embodies Dina, a lonely, dis-
appointed woman who still has the
capacity to yearn for something
more. In the best number in the
show, Omar Sharif, she recalls how,
when she was young, she and her
mother listened to the famous singer
Umm Kulthum on Egyptian radio
and watched Omar Sharif in Egyp-
tian movies, thrilling to the romance
and mystery. A jasmine wind from
the west and the south/ honey in my
ear, spice in my mouth, Lenk sings.
Lenk was terrific in Indecent, the
recent show about a scandalous Yid-
dish play, and she is even better here.
Exuding sensuality and a time-rough-
ened sensitivity, she partners per-
fectly with Tony Shalhoub as Tawfik.
He is as reserved and repressed as she
is needy of affection and stimulation.
Scott Pasks ingenious set design
symbolizes the plays themes of
attempted and missed connections.
As the rotating stage moves, the actors
step on and off, moving forward and
backward. The shabby tables outside
of Dinas, the modest dining room at
Itziks, all capture the essence of Bet
Hatikvah, a town that the government
plopped in the middle of nowhere. In
its simplicity, the set avoids swamping
the delicate story, and thats some-
thing to be grateful for.
Dina describes her hometown,
Stick a pin in a map of the desert./
Build a road in the middle of the des-
ert./Pour cement on the spot in the
desert. The lyricist/composer of
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The when Joel bombs in front of friends. He
Full Monty, David Yazbek has writ-
ten lyrics that are consistently clever
and often very moving, and his music
beautifully combines Middle Eastern
rhythms with classic musical-theater
ballads. The songs definitely move the
action or reveal character, as musical
theater songs need to do. Director
David Cromer keeps the whole show
moving forward seamlessly. Its an
exceptionally successful collabora-
tion that makes for a wonderful show.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Almost the best new series on television this season makes its debut
CURT SCHLEIER
T
he way the Amazon
Pr ime st re aming
service works, the
network airs a num-
ber of pilots in the spring and
lets subscribers vote for those
theyd like to see picked up to
series in the fall. The response
to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
earlier this year was so over-
whelmingly positive the stu-
dio committed to two seasons
worth of programs, the first
time it ever did that.
Understandably so.
That pilot episode (which Rachel Brosnahan as Midge Maisel
officially debuted last Wednes-
day, November 29) was to my mind near
perfect. Unfortunately, the following epi-
sodes the network made the first four
of eight available to critics included a
number of irritating distractions that took
substantial gild off the lily. More on them,
later. Meanwhile:
Miriam (Midge) Maisel (Rachel Brosna-
han) is smart, funny and, most important,
very, very naive. In short: shes the perfect way (spoiler alert) to success.
late-1950s wife/mom/cook/servant. She
lives in a classic six on Riverside Drive,
and lets her husband Joel (Michael Zagen)
make all the decisions.
They have a seemingly loving relation-
ship, and together hit the Jewish procre-
ation jackpot, a son and daughter (in that
order). But what Joel really wants is to be
a comic.
His always supportive wife happily
picks him up at work, carrying a brisket
shes prepared to bribe the Greenwich
Village club owner for a better time slot.
She also takes notes on what works and
what doesnt.
Not that he really needs them. Hes a
smash. His routine about a phone call
between Abe Lincoln and his press agent
is a smash. Unfortunately, it got big-
ger laughs, as Midge learns, when Bob
Newhart, who wrote the routine, does it
on the Ed Sullivan show.
Her discovery is the first crack in their
relationship. The schism opens further
far greater than the sum of their parts. It is
comes home that night, reveals hes been
having an affair with his secretary and
announces that hes leaving.
Midge, a bottle of Manischewitz in
hand, returns to the club and in a hilari-
ous drunken rant about marriage, fidelity,
and good breasts, brings down the house,
gets herself arrested, and placed in the
same squad car as Lenny Bruce. Her riot-
ous stream-of-conscious act impresses
Susie Myerson (an as-always brilliant Alex
Borstein), the assistant club manager, who
takes Midge under her wing. She convinces
Midge that she has the makings of a top-
rank comic.
Over the next few episodes, Susie, now
her manager, schools Midge in the world of
comedy, taking her to dives and top shelf
night clubs, explaining nuances of timing
and delivery. The rest of the series mostly
follows Midge and Susie as they claw their
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has a lot
going for it, starting with its relatively
faithful attention to detail: old buses and
Checker cabs and tiny TVs. It isnt perfectly
recreated, but its close enough, and the
producers can rest safe in the knowledge
that most of the people who will watch it
are either too young to remember that era
or so old that they likely already forgot it.
(And before you say speak for yourself, rest
assured I am. Now where was I? Oh yes, I
remember.)
But more than the physical accouter-
ments of the time, the show is relatively
realistic about the way society worked
then. Divorce was shameful, so a woman
might be told, as Midge was, You cannot
survive without a husband. Find him and
make him come home.
Brosnahans and Borsteins perfor-
mances are brilliant. Midge is demure,
genteel, privileged. Susie is profane, wears
mens clothing, and is often mistaken for
a man. A yin and yang that together are
impossible not to get vested in their jour-
ney toward Johnny Carson.
It is a journey eased by crisp dialogue.
The show was created and largely writ-
ten by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the force
behind Gilmore Girls and Bunheads,
so it has the snappiest, most thoughtful,
and often funniest dialogue this side of
Aaron Sorkin.
It is so tightly woven, so dependent upon
the actors pitch-perfect time, it is difficult
to reproduce in print, but I have no shame.
Arts & Culture
Here are sections of the sup-
posedly devastating scene
where Midge learns Joel is
leaving:
Joel: I have to go. I have to
leave. I have to leave you.
Midge: Thats my suitcase.
Joel: It is?
Midge: Youre gonna leave
me with my suitcase? Joel,
tomorrow is Yom Kippur.
Joel: Im not happy.
Midge: Nobodys happy.
Its Yom Kippur.
Or later when Joel
kvetches about a rabbinical
sermon: The rabbi got more
laughs in five minutes than I
did in five months.
Midge: Youre jealous of the rabbi? He
was in Buchenwald. Throw him a bone.
It wasnt all jokes. At one point Susie
admits: I dont mind being alone. I just
dont want to be insignificant.
So, whats not to like? I think it important
that when youre reading a book or watch-
ing a film, you have to stay in the moment.
Here there were too many distractions. So
instead of paying full attention to the film, I
wondered how Abe Weissman (Tony Shal-
houb), Midges dad, could afford to live
three floors above his daughter in a Riv-
erside Drive building with a doorman and
elevator operator and also have a maid on
a math professors salary.
I wondered why the Ed Sullivan Show
was on when it wasnt Sunday.
I wondered why Midge bought lamb
chops for the Orthodox rabbi to eat at the
break-fast from a non-kosher butcher.
More to the point, I was generally
unhappy with the way the Jews were
portrayed, as hypocrites who pay extra
for the best seats in the synagogue but
dont bother to attend High Holy Day ser-
vices, going to work instead. And host-
ing a break-fast when they dont fast.
The older women were scatterbrained,
and Joels father, Moishe, was a particu-
larly obnoxious loudmouth who owned
the apartment Midge and Joel lived in
and took it back when they separated,
throwing his own grandchildren onto
the street. According to Wikipedia, Amy
describes herself as raised Jewish. Sort
of. Amy, did you have to name the SOB
Moishe? Dont we get enough of that
from Larry David?
The truth is that despite everything neg-
ative Ive written (and there was more) I
put aside assignments to binge watch the
series and cant wait for the last four epi-
sodes of the season to become available.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes this-
close to being the best new series of the
2017-18 season.
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 49
Calendar of wine or beer, soft
Saturday drinks, and dessert
buffet. 950 Preakness
DECEMBER 2 Ave. (973) 595-6565 or
templebethtikvahnj.org.

Sunday
DECEMBER 3
Walk in Wayne: Temple
Beth Tikvahs monthly
dog-friendly walk
through Laurelwood Book discussion in
Arboretum in Pines Teaneck: The Jewish
Lake is at 9:30 a.m., Center of Teaneck hosts
Dr. Steven Bayme the Leaves of Faith
weather permitting.
Book Club discussing

COURTESY NORMA WELLINGTON

Shabbat in Closter: Dr. Walk on unpaved, well-
maintained trails with stories from S.Y. Agnons
Steven Bayme is scholar- A City in Its Fullness,
in-residence at Temple several modest hills.
8 p.m. 70 Sterling Place.
COURTESY BERGENPAC

Emanu-El during services Children welcome. Sturdy

shoes and baggies for (201) 833-0515.
that begin at 9 a.m. Dr.
Bayme is director of the dogs required. Meet at
Contemporary Jewish the Sensory Garden,
Life Department of between the two parking
the American Jewish lots. 725 Pines Lake Drive
Committee and of the West, Wayne. Email
Koppelman Institute on Mitchell.borger@gmail.
American Jewish-Israeli com with questions.
DEC. bergenPACs Chamber Chorus will Relations. 180 Piermont www.templebethtikvahnj.
org.
Road. (201) 750-9997 or

10
perform two songs with Broadway templeemanu-el.com.
star Kristin Chenoweth at her School open house in
Hartsdale: Schechter Professor Charles
Sunday, December 10, show. Its part Westchester holds an Selengut
of the Benzel-Busch Concert Series at bergenPAC in open house for its middle
school, grades six to
Englewood. The chorus also will entertain guests with eight, 9:30 a.m.-noon.
Discussing Islam in
Teaneck: The adult
a 20-minute mix of tunes in the theater lobby between Brunch served. 555 West education committee
6 and 7 p.m., during the evenings VIP reception and Hartsdale Ave., Hartsdale, of Congregation Rinat
NY. (914) 948-8333.
Norma Wellingtons fine jewelry holiday show. The www.THINK.
Yisrael in Teaneck
presents Professor
concert starts at 8. Ms. Wellington, an acclaimed SchechterWestchester. Charles Selengut
jewelry designer, is supporting the scholarship fund org, or www. discussing The
Shera Dubitsky schechterwestchester.
at the Performing Arts School at bergenPAC with a JEREMY MEYERS STUDIO org.
Many Faces of Islam:
How Modernists,
generous portion of the days sales. Shell host a special Traditionalists, and
Shabbat in Teaneck: Food drive in Cliffside
reception with models wearing her one-of-a-kind Shera Dubitsky is Park: Congregation Beth
Militants Face the Islamic
pieces from noon to 6 p.m. She also will be on hand scholar-in-residence Israel of the Palisades
Future, 8 p.m. 389
West Englewood Ave.
to sell the collection before and after Chenoweths at Congregation Keter collects non-perishable (201) 837-2795.
Torah for Sharsherets food and new toiletry
8 p.m. performance. Each purchaser is entered in Pink Shabbat inspired items, 10 a.m.-noon.
a raffle for a free Wellington design. 30 North Van by Rochelle Shoretz, 207 Edgewater Road, Monday
Brunt St. (201) 227-1030 or www.bergenpac.org or zl . She will discuss
Empathy: Standing in
between Anderson DECEMBER 4
and Palisade avenues.
www.ticketmaster.com. Someone Elses Shoes (201) 945-7310 or shul@
during services at 9 a.m. cbiotp.org.
A special pink kiddush
of four lectures exploring Staple and featuring follows; attendees are Gift boutique in Glen
Friday many aspects of the
Bible, beginning tonight
the Shabbat Unplugged
Band, members of
encouraged to dress Rock: The Glen Rock
in pink. 600 Roemer Jewish Center hosts a
DECEMBER 1 with dinner and services, the congregation, Ave. (201) 907-0180 or holiday gift boutique,
6 p.m. 1449 Anderson and clarinetist Ben ketertorah.org. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., with
Shabbat in Fort Lee: Ave. Dinner reservations, Baron, 7:30 p.m. 221 clothing, jewelry, books,
The CSI Scholar Fund (201) 947-1735. Schraalenburgh Road. Casino night in Wayne: Judaica, and accessories.
of the JCC of Fort Lee/ Movie in Closter: Temple
(201) 768-5112. Temple Beth Tikvah 682 Harristown Road. Beth El of Northern
Congregation Gesher Shabbat in Closter: hosts a casino night (201) 652-6624 or
Shalom presents Dr. Marc Valley screens Sugihara,
Temple Beth El holds fundraiser at the shul, office@grjc.org.
Brettler as scholar-in- 10:15 a.m. The historical
services led by Rabbi 7-11 p.m. Admission
residence for Weekend documentary tells the
David S. Widzer and includes catering by
with the Bible, a series WWII story of Chiune
student cantor Julie the Brownstone, glass Sugihara and the Jewish

50 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017

 Calendar
refugees he helped Shalom presents Dr. Eric ambassador of Israel, and Recommended for
TV and comic books
save. Refreshments. 221
Schraalenburgh Road.
Goldman of Ergo Media
continuing a new series,
former American-Israel
MVP basketball player,
Sunday for kids: Dr. Shalom
children from 3 to
10. 36 Battery Place.
(201) 768-5112. The American Jewish follows. 240 Broad Ave. DECEMBER 10 Fisch discusses Big (646) 437-4202 or www.
Experience through (201) 568-1315 or office@ Bird, Batman, and Bnai mjhnyc.org/events/
Book discussion in Cinema. Refreshments ahavathtorah.org. Bazaar in Teaneck: Torah: Using TV and latkapalooza/.
Fair Lawn: The Fair at 12:30 p.m.; lecture, Temple Emeth holds Comic Books to Educate
Lawn Jewish Center/ its annual bazaar, and Inspire Children at
Guaranteeing Freedom:
Thursday with a food court, Congregation Beth Aaron
Congregation Bnai
Israels Book of the Lunch
A Generation That
Had to Contend With DECEMBER 7 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Early in Teaneck, 7:30 p.m.
950 Queen Anne Road.
Singles
program hosts Margot Bigotry Was Looking birds welcome at 9 with
Krebs discussing Amos
Ozs Judas, noon. Lunch
for its Rightful Place Hadassah meets in a $10 donation; free after
that. Tricky tray auction,
(201) 836-6210 or www.
bethaaron.org. Sunday
in American Society, Park Ridge: Pascack
served. 10-10 Norma Ave. at 1. Series concludes Valley/Northern Valley hot dog cart, and bake DECEMBER 3
(201) 796-5040. December 12. 1449 Hadassah meets at sale. A new Facebook
Anderson Ave., Fort Lee.
(201) 947 1735.
Temple Beth Sholom,
1:30 p.m. The Mental
page lets you preview
some of the available In New York Senior singles meet in
West Nyack: Singles
Health Players will items. 1666 Windsor 65+ meets for a social
Jews in the Labor present an interactive Road. (201) 833-1322 or Thursday get-together with
Movement: Keith Danish www.emeth.org. refreshments, at the
program. Refreshments. DECEMBER 7 JCC Rockland, 11 a.m.
presents Jews and the 32 Park Ave.
U.S. Labor Movement School open house Tony Braccia will sing
(201) 880-4614. Book salon and text
at the Englewood Public in Livingston: Joseph Sinatra songs. 450 West
Kushner Hebrew study: The Drisha Book Nyack Road. Gene Arkin,
Library, 7 p.m. Danish is
Academy holds an open Salon meets to discuss (845) 356-5525.
a board member of the
house, 10 a.m. 110 South Nicole Krauss fourth
New York Labor History
Orange Ave. Allison novel, Forest Dark, with
Film in Tenafly: The
Association. 31 Engle St.
(201) 568-2215 or www. Lyons, (862) 437-8050, Dr. Shai Secunda at the Sunday
alyons@jkha.org, Drisha Institute, 7 p.m. 37 DECEMBER 10
Kaplen JCC on the englewoodlibrary.org.
or www.jkha.org/ West 65th St., fifth floor.
Palisades screens Like
Fighting racism: Rabbi JKHAopenhouse. (212) 595-0307 or drisha.
Father Like Son as part Chanukah in Clifton:
Noa Sattath, director org/ product/forestdark/.
of the new monthly The North Jersey
of the Israel Religious Ancient Israel in Jewish Singles at the
JCC Film Forum,
7:30 p.m. Film critic, Action Center, will
discuss Challenging Rabbi Levi Welton
Ridgewood: Dr. Ira Spar,
professor of history
Sunday CJC Meetup group,
radio/TV personality, 50s-60s, at the Clifton
Conversations: and ancient studies DECEMBER 10 Jewish Center, meets for
and writer-producer- Parenting lecture in
Fighting Racism and at Ramapo College, lunch and a tricky tray,
director Mike Sargent Tenafly: Lubavitch
leads the discussion. Strengthening Zionism discusses Biblical Chanukah in NYC: 12:15 p.m. Participants
and Democracy in on the Palisades Archaeology and the The Museum of Jewish
(201) 408-1456. can bring a gender-
Israel, moderated by honors the new year of Bible at Temple Israel Heritage A Living neutral, wrapped gift
Rabbi Aryeh Meir, at chasidism with a lecture, & Jewish Community Memorial to the
Tuesday Congregation Beth Revolutionizing the Way Center, 10:30 a.m. The Holocaust joins with
($10 value) to participate
in the grab bag
We Parent Ourselves lecture concludes the National Yiddish
DECEMBER 5 Sholom in Teaneck,
and Our Children led
game. 18 Delaware St.
7:30 p.m. 354 Maitland his three-part series, Theatre Folksbiene (973) 772-3131 or www.
Ave. (201) 833-2620 or by Rabbi Levi Welton, Revealing the Past: and Workmens Circle
Holiday boutique in meetup.com (use group
www.cbsteaneck.org. 7:30 p.m. Adults only. Archaeology & the for Latkapalooza!
Tenafly: Temple Sinai name).
Dinner served. 11 Harold Bible. 475 Grove St. The family-oriented
Early Childhood Parent St. (201) 871-1152 or (201) 444-9320 or www. event at the museum
Association holds a www.chabadlubavitch. synagogue.org includes food, music,
boutique, 6:309:30 p.m. org/19Kislev. and hands-on activities.
Items include jewelry,
home dcor, womens
and childrens apparel, Friday
accessories, skin care, DECEMBER 8
and gifts. Proceeds
benefit the Early Chanukah in Cliffside
Childhood Center. 1 Engle Park: Rabbi Shammai
Street. (201) 568-6867. Englemayer of
Congregation Beth Israel
Rabbi Larry Rothwachs of the Palisades lights
the menorah at Borough
Jewish parenting: Hall, 5 p.m.; at Edgewater
Rabbi Larry Rothwachs Memorial Park on River
continues a series, Road and Route 5 at
Perspectives on Jewish 5:30; and at Sunrise
Parenting in an Ever Assisted Living facility
Changing World, with a in Edgewater, 315 River
discussion, The Halachic Road at 6. (201) 945-7310
Parameters of Chinuch: or shul@cbiotp.org.
Rabbi Chaim Poupko Through Ages and
Stages, at Congregation
Lunch, learn in Beth Aaron in Teaneck, Saturday
Englewood: 8:30 p.m. The series DECEMBER 9
COURTESY BCHSJS

Congregation Ahavath continues December 19

Torah offers a pre- and 26, January 2 and 9. Chanukah at Home
Chanukah lunch and 950 Queen Anne Road. Depot: Chabad of
learn, The Mystery (201) 836-6210 or www. Paramus and Friendship
and Mystique of Maoz bethaaron.org. Circle partner with Home
Tzur, by Rabbi Chaim Depot in Paramus for
Poupko, the shuls senior
Wednesday a Chanukah menorah
rabbi, noon. The Shirah
Community Chorus, led DECEMBER 6 workshop, 6:30 p.m.
Build a wooden menorah,
BCHSJS students prepare for Israel
by conductor Marsha get a workers apron, Students at the Bergen County High will meet the Israelis who had been at
Bryan Edelman, will Film in Englewood: and Chanukah treats.
perform. 240 Broad Congregation Ahavath School of Jewish Studies learned about their school, and will be hosted in their
Recommended for
Ave. Lunch reservations, Torahs Israels those 5 and older. The Israel in their Young Leadership Fol- parents homes.
(201) 568-1315 or office@ engagment and adult Home Depot, 520 Route low the Leader class last year. They wel- This photo shows a group of BCHSJS
ahavathtorah.org. ed committees, with 17 North, Paramus. comed an Israeli cohort in March and leadership students getting to know Dr.
State of Israel Bonds, Reservations, Zeesy@
Lens on America: The screen On the Map, spent time with them in Bergen County Mark Silk, left, the BCHSJS teacher who
BCFriendship.com.
CSI Scholar Fund of 7:30 p.m. A Q&A with and New York City. When the BCHSJS will be their Israel trip chaperone in
the JCC of Fort Lee/ Tal Brody, goodwill students go to Israel in December, they December.
Congregation Gesher
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 51
Jewish World

Jareds first year: A report card

Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON Jared Kushner stands up to

bullies. He makes new friends. His academic
progress well, the first year is more about
socialization than acing tests, right?
President Donald Trump, in the first fraught
months of his administration, heralded the
promise of his Jewish daughter, Ivanka, and her
husband, Kushner, like a proud papa dropping
the kids off at a tough new school.
Hes a good boy, he told the Wall Street
Journal about his 36-year-old son-in-law in July.
Kushner certainly took to the new play-
ground with the gusto of the kid with the best
clothes, best lunchbox, and sharpest pencils.
He was going to make peace in the Middle East.
He was going to tackle the opioid crisis. He was
going to innovate. Heck, he was going to head
the Office of American Innovation.
What Kushner has innovated, its not clear
yet. His star has diminished. Over the week-
end, the New York Times and the Washington
Post each published deeply reported pieces
with essentially the same headline: Jared was
(ouch) shrinking.
Trump seemed to suggest as much in a state-

ment to the Times ostensibly in support of his
son-in-law.
Jared is working very hard on peace between Israel and
the Palestinians, and the last thing I would ever do is get in
the way of that possibility, he said. No mention of the opi-
oid crisis, relations with China, the innovation office all
items that originally were on Kushners to-do list.
Now reports suggest that Trump wants the kids out,
partly because Kushner seems to be overwhelmed. The
speculation even led Trumps chief of staff, John Kelly, to
tell the Times last week, on the record, There was hon-
estly never a time when I contemplated getting rid of Jared
and Ivanka.
Getting rid of? Eek. Time to check out that Montessori
down the street less demanding, but the ladies who run
it seem so much kinder.
Meantime, lets review Jareds report card.
Character development
Jared started out with great confidence. What the f do
you care? he reportedly told then-chief of staff Reince
Priebus in January when Priebus asked what the office of
innovation was innovating exactly.
Everything runs through me, he told business execu-
tives during the transition.
Jared shies from public speaking, however. He spoke
publicly just once in June, launching technology week; his
tone was flat and he barely cracked a smile.
He showed real character when Steve Bannon, Trumps
other senior adviser, started bullying him, calling him a
cuck a bad word meaning faux conservative and a
globalist, which in some corners of the alt-right can be a
not-very-nice code word for Jews. Proof of moxie? Bannon
was gone by August and Kushners still around. For now.
Grade: B-minus. Jared can hold his own. He needs to
speak out more.
Truthfulness
That conversation with the Wall Street Journal in June,
when Trump called his son-in-law a good boy? The
president was thanking the papers editor for running an
editorial praising Kushner for his cooperation with con-
gressional committees investigating Trump campaign ties
with Russia. The 11 pages he submitted were, the Journal
said, a template for radical transparency. the weekend.
Within weeks, the New York Times was reporting that
Kushner had updated his federal disclosure form listing
foreign contacts during the campaign three times, adding
over 100 names. Mistakes, Jareds team said.
Meanwhile, at around the same time, the Washington
Post reported that Kushner had revised his financial dis-
closure form, adding dozens of financial holdings.
Grade: D-plus. Perhaps Jared is trying hard to be hon-
est. But he keeps making mistakes.
Creative thinking
About that office of innovation: Politico reported that it is
assisting the Department of Veterans Affairs in restructur-
ing its notoriously logy data system to align with the Pen-
tagons much smoother system. Thats great news for vet-
erans who have been lost in navigating the departments
medical care.
Kelly, pressed by the Times to name another win for the
office, noted that it had sent some folks to Puerto Rico to
help assess damage in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Its not entirely Kushners fault. He was using panels of
corporate leaders assembled by his father-in-law as sound-
ing boards to test his ideas, but those panels disbanded
after said father-in-law failed to robustly condemn white
supremacists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, on
August 12.
Grade: B. For effort.
History
Kushner is supposedly supervising Jason Greenblatt of
Teaneck, Trumps top negotiator, in a bid to restart Israeli-
Palestinian peace talks. Hows it going?
Greenblatt has earned tremendous goodwill on all
sides but its not clear who exactly is in charge. The
State Department announced earlier this month that it
JTA
was ready to shut down the Palestine Liberation Orga-
nization office here, a move that likely would have scut-
tled any effort to restart the talks. It backtracked over
Trump administration officials say well know more
about whats planned come 2018. Kushner has been to
Israel and the Palestinian areas three times since assum-
ing his job, and scored a precedent-setting coup when
he included stops there on Trumps first overseas tour
as president.
On the other hand, Kushner seemed less than enthusi-
astic when he spoke with congressional interns about the
prospects for Middle East peace in August.
So what do we offer thats unique? I dont know, Kush-
ner said in his seven-minute answer to an interns question
in a recording obtained by Wired magazine. And were
trying to work with the parties very quietly to see if theres
a solution. And there may be no solution, but its one of
the problem sets that the president asked us to focus on.
Grade: Incomplete.
Making friends
Kushner is close to Mohammed bin Sultan, the Saudi Ara-
bian crown prince. So close, the Washington Post reported
earlier this month, that they chatted until 4 a.m. for sev-
eral nights when Kushner visited the region recently,
ostensibly to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace, trading
ideas on strategy. Middle Eastern leaders see him as a
prince in his own right, influential with his father-in-law.
Shortly thereafter, Mohammed threw Lebanon into
turmoil by orchestrating the resignation of its prime
minister. (Saad Hariri later reconsidered.) There were
noises about a destabilizing Iran-Saudi war using Leba-
non as a proxy battleground.
Did Kushner know about Mohammeds plans? In the
Middle East, whether he knew is less important than the
perception that he knew. And that perception has stuck.
Grade: B. Jared makes friends handily! Maybe too hand-
ily. JTA Wire Service

52 Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017

 Obituaries
Irving Blumenthal and Susan Angele (Alan); and three Robert Levine
Irving Blumenthal, 93, of River Vale, grandchildren. Robert Levine, 102, of Fort Lee, died Dr. Samuel I. Katz
formerly of Hackensack and Tenafly, The funeral is Sunday, December 3, November 18. KATZ Dr. Samuel I., 92, of Teaneck, NJ and
died November 28. 1:30 p.m., at Gutterman and Musicant Born in New York, he worked in air
West Palm Beach, FL, passed away on November
He was a U.S Army WWII Funeral Home, Hackensack. craft supply manufacturing.
25, 2017. Born in Monticello, NY, to the late Rabbi
infantryman, earning Purple Heart, He is survived by his wife, Joan, ne
Mayer and Rachel Katz. Served in U.S. Army
and owned NY/NJ Freightways. Jacqueline Dunn Wasserman, and a daughter, Fran.
Predeceased by his brother, Jacqueline Dunn, ne Speert, 87, Arrangements were by Eden during WWII, awarded Purple Heart and Bronze
Sidney (Gail), he is survived by his died November 27. Memorial Chapel, Fort Lee. Star, member of Jewish War Veterans. Graduated
wife of 64 years, Bernice, children, Predeceased by a son, Kenneth from Columbia University, practiced Optometry in
Steven (Karen), Shelley ( Jan), and Arkin, and a brother, Robert Speert, Manhattan and Teaneck. Lifetime trustee of Jewish
Hillary Komrower (Stuart), and three she is survived by her husband, Center of Teaneck. Predeceased by beloved wife,
grandchildren. Gerald, daughter, Lisa Arkin Marilyn (ne Gerson), sisters Anna, Paula, Esther,
Arrangements were by Eden ( John), stepchildren, Brenda Kolata Regina, and brother Jack. Survived by loving sister
Memorial Chapel, Fort Lee. (Mitchell), and Marc Dunn (Liz), and Frieda, children Susan Rosenbaum, J.D. (Adrian
two grandchildren. Obituaries are prepared
Iosifescu) and Dr. Lawrence (Dr. Terri) Katz,
Dr. Rita Sheila Brown Arrangements were by with information provided grandchildren Lauren (Ronnie) Simhon, Dr. Elyse
Dr. Rita Sheila Brown, ne Kraus, 89, Gutterman and Musicant Jewish (Dr. Jeffrey) Lavine, Dr. Matthew Katz (Alexandra
of Palm City, Fla., formerly of Long Funeral Directors, Hackensack. by funeral homes.
Huttle) and Madelyn Katz, greatgrandchildren
Island, died November 26. Contributions can be sent to Gods Correcting errors
Maya, Judah, Caleb Simhon and Cooper Lavine,
A Brooklyn College graduate, she Love We Deliver.
is the responsibility nieces, and nephews.
earned a masters from C.W. Post
College and a Ph.D. from Hofstra Herbert Feldman of the funeral home.
University. Herbert Feldman, 90, of Fair Lawn,
Predeceased by her husband of died November 24. Arrangements
66 years, Ed, six weeks ago, she is were by Louis Suburban Chapel,
Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel, Inc
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Uber banned from operating in Israel
The Tel Aviv District Court ruled that Uber must end its ride-
share services in Israel as of November 29, following an appeal
brought by the apps competitor, Gett, as well as the Israel
Taxi Drivers Association.
Uber, which operates in more than 160 cities worldwide
and allows private drivers to freelance as taxi operators,
has faced blowback from Israeli regulators since it originally
launched a trial of its service in Tel Aviv in 2016.
Amazon set to shake up Israeli retail market
with new shipping center near Modiin
The online retail giant Amazon is preparing to set up a
shipping center in Israel, in its latest move that could
potentially shake up commerce in the Jewish state.
The company is currently negotiating leases on large
warehouses in central Israel, while conducting market
research on the shopping habits of Israelis, Calcalist
reported.
According to reports, Amazon is seeking a minimum
of 270,000 square feet in warehouse space and is likely
to set up operations near Modiin.
Once warehouse space has been negotiated, Amazon
will purportedly release a version of its website that
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54 Jewish Standard DECEMBER 1, 2017

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Jewish World
What Amazons big splash in Israel means for the start-up nation
ADAM ABRAMS
When the online retail giant Amazon recently entered
Israels high-tech ecosystem, it was far from business as
usual in the start-up nation.
As the conglomerate began attracting top Israeli pro-
grammers with aggressive hiring tactics and unusually
high salary offerings, industry experts initiated calls for
the Jewish state to expand its pool of highly skilled tech-
nology talent which is becoming an increasingly scarce
resource despite the countrys well-known penchant for
innovation.
With the opening of Amazons new research and devel-
opment center in Tel Aviv in October, the company joined
more than 300 other foreign firms including Facebook,
Microsoft, Intel, Google, IBM, and Apple that have set
up shop in Israel.
After inking deals in July valued at NIS 37 million ($10.5
million) per year to lease upscale office space in Tel Aviv,
Amazon embarked on a massive local hiring spree.
In doing so, the company placed unprecedented pres-
sure on Israels domestic technology firms to retain their
most talented programmers and engineers, highlighting
the challenge of sustaining the highly skilled workforce
that is the lifeblood of Israeli innovation.
The real question is not which multinational company
is hiring and how many engineers theyre hiring. This
happens wherever there is a large concentration of highly
skilled talent, and Israels tech talent continues to be out-
standing, said Guy Hilton, general manager of Start-Up
Festival shows Israels culinary DNA
nourishes its innovation and multiculturalism
ELIANA RUDEE
What can unite Jerusalem, a holy city for the three Abraha-
mic faiths, and often the site of high-profile religious and
political conflicts?
Food might be a good start.
Bitemojo, a provider of smartphone-guided food tours,
offered a journey dubbed Between East and West dur-
ing the Open Restaurants urban culinary festival in Jeru-
salem last month.
We believe that food creates bridges between reli-
gious faiths, people and cultures, which is why it was
very important for us to emphasize a specific tour that
starts in the east side of the city, allowing you to taste
three traditional dishes like hummus and pita, but then
go by foot to the western side and have more western
dishes, Israeli entrepreneur Michael Weiss, Bitemojos
co-founder, said.
Open Restaurants returned to Jerusalem for a second
year from November 14 to 18, highlighting Israels culinary
innovations and cultural diversity. Jerusalems top chefs
opened their kitchens to the public for special workshops
and dinners, while natives and tourists alike explored,
saw, heard, and most importantly tasted the stories
behind the Israeli capitals food scene.
The festival kicked off with a food and cocktail event for
journalists and bloggers from around the world, hosted at
Jerusalems new boutique hotel, Villa Brown, followed by
a walking tour of the citys top restaurants.
Leon Avigad, founder of Brown Hotels, lauded Open
Restaurants for embodying Jerusalem as an innovative and
56 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017
Nation Central, an initiative that works to connect busi-
ness, NGO and government leaders throughout the world
with the people and technologies of Israel that can help
them solve their most pressing challenges.
More important is whether or not the local talent pool
is being replenished in sufficient numbers and with suf-
ficient expertise.
In its bid to acquire the best and brightest, Amazon has
reportedly offered prospective Israeli hires salaries as high
as NIS 100,000 ($28,180) per month, and is typically offer-
ing salaries of around NIS 60,000 ($16,900) per month
with additional bonuses.
These offerings are far above Israels average wage, even
in the Jewish states booming high-tech field.
Top programmers in Israel can already earn about NIS
40,000 ($11,370) per month, which is more than four
times the average Israeli salary, while the average Israeli
high-tech employee earns around NIS 21,000 ($5,940)
monthly, according to the countrys Central Bureau of
Statistics.
The pressure created by Amazons activity underscores
a challenge identified in the recently released annual
report of the Israel Innovation Authority. The report notes
that while Israel leads the world in R&D and venture capi-
tal investments as a percentage of gross domestic product,
the country is in danger of losing its status as one of the
worlds top high-tech innovators if the shortage of skilled
employees in the field is not addressed.
But Hilton said he sees good progress on this front.
All the stakeholders are moving in the right direction, but
Appetizers at the Open Restaurants urban culinary
festival in Jerusalem. TOMER FOLTYN
fun city. At the event, guests were invited to have their self-
ies (or any other design of their choice) printed on a cof-
fee drink by Ripples, an Israeli coffee branding technology
company. Ripples uses 3-D printing technology to produce
images that are uploaded by mobile software in real time,
on froth, with coffee extract as the ink.
Using coffee as a canvas, Ripples allows retail and hos-
pitality companies to engage more intimately with their
loyal customers, enhance the experiences of coffee lovers,
and bring smiles to peoples faces, Eyal Eliav, co-founder
of Ripples, said.
Merav Oren, founder and CEO of Open Restaurants,
curated this event to tell the story of Israel as the start-up
nation with food as the lens.
Typing on a dual English/Hebrew keyboard
 FLASH90
more needs to be done to include sectors of the popu-
lation not present in the tech industry in any significant
numbers: the charedim, Israeli Arabs, people in periph-
eral towns and women in general, he said.
The Innovation Authority reached the same conclusion
in its report, and outlined a plan to boost Israels current
total of 270,000 high-tech employees to more than half a
million, by further integrating underrepresented sectors
of Israeli society into the field. The report also outlined
methods for assisting local start-ups with growing into
larger companies.
Getting this right will benefit the multinationals and
Israeli start-ups alike, Hilton said. JNS.ORG
I think Israel, the start-up nation, has something in
our DNA that makes us entrepreneurs. Because of Isra-
els size and lack of natural resources, we have to invent
ourselves all the time, and thats how Open Restaurants
started, she said.
Bitemojos Weiss believes the world is changing, and
that food is a central part of that change. A start-up
nation and culinary nation are one in the same if you
look at it from the focal point of food. More people travel
through food, and that makes entrepreneurs ask them-
selves how they can influence this cycle by supporting it
with technology and combining it with business models
that can also be profitable, he said.
Bitemojos application takes the user on a journey
through a communitys history, identifying key points
of interest en route to iconic local cuisine.
What we are trying to do inside a destination is find
the culinary DNA that compounds each place and cre-
ate for the traveler, whether international or domestic,
an experience of exploring and learning through food,
Weiss said.
Israels culinary DNA is a mix of contrasting voices and
forces that create a balanced, multicultural food scene,
he added. You can find in every city in Israel east and
west, Jewish food and Arab food, high-end food and street
food, old and new. Its always under a constant change,
and thats part of the beauty of the nation in general.
Festival organizer Oren said, The culinary scene unites
people. We have people here from all over the world and
we have chefs that are Jews, Arabs, Christians, other reli-
gions, and I think its amazing. JNS.ORG
 Real Estate & Business

Salon cut-a-thon aids TM

hurricane victims
Beau Monde Spa and Salon presents a cut-a-thon to
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Beau Monde Spa and Salon is located at 282 Grand
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Wishing you a very Happy Chanukah!
oughly updated models. There is a series of new fea-
tures and functions including an extended suite of
Thanks to all my clients and friends for a great 2017!
Intelligent Drive features illustrating the brands com- Wendy Wineburgh Dessanti
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FORT LEE THE COLONY Fam Rm+Bkfst Rm/Deck overlooking Priv Park, Ofc. 2 Full Bths.
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To test drive one of the latest models of the 2018
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Russo Real Estate Presents Annekee Master). Semi-fin Bsmnt. Gar. $434,900
Brahver-Keely, Broker-Associate 24 hour concierge Valet parking Movie theater Move In Ready! 3 BR Col. Enc Prch, LR open to DR open to Grnt
Annekee Brahver-Keely, Broker-Associate, has State of the art health club with indoor and outdoor pools Cntrd Eat in Kit/Cooking Isle/SS Appl, Mod Powder Rm. 2 Car Gar,
been a Realtor since 1987 successfully selling in Close to everything And more Patio, 16' x 20' Deck for Entertain + More! $349,900
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Annekee Brahver-Keely, Broker-Associate Allan Dorfman
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Ofc: (201) 837-8800, x 13 Cell: (201) 314-2125
Email: annekee13@gmail.com www.RussoRealEstate.com 201-461-6764 Eve www.thejewishstandard.com
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JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 57

RealEstate&Business

SELLING YOUR HOME? These wines pair perfectly

with latke and donuts
GABRIEL GELLER

W
ow! Chanukah is almost
here again. It really feels
like I just wrote last years
article. Lhavdil however,
just like learning the Shas for the second,
third, or fourth time, or repeating the same
parsha every year, there are new chidu-
shim, new innovations, every year. Each
new vintage is different from the next.
Speaking of vintages, 2015 was an excep-
tional vintage in Bordeaux. There have
been some other great vintages over the
past 20 years, specifically in 2000, 2005,
2009, 2010, as well as 2014. There were it showcases medium-sized bubbles as well
however very few kosher Bordeaux wines as delightful aromas and flavors of green
from those vintages. With 2015, we are apples, toasted bread and sour cream.
blessed to have an impressive and extensive Cant beat that. A tart, flavorful white blend
selection of wines and at all price points. from Israel such as the Tabor Adama II
Call Susan Laskin Today
While red Bordeaux wines are not nec- Zohar would be an excellent alternative
To Make Your Next Move A Successful One!
essarily the ideal wines to pair with the for those who do not appreciate bubbles
BergenCountyRealEstateSource.com Cell: 201-615-5353 traditional dishes of Chanukah, namely in their wine. The blend includes unusual
2017 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. latkes and donuts, the new releases can varietals such as French Colombard, Rous-
An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.
make great gifts for wine lovers. Those who sanne, and Viognier and is fascinating by its
would like to indulge and enjoy now should potpourri of floral and exotic aromas.
NVE-3462 Fall Mortgage Rate Change Ad 5x6.5_NVE-3462 Fall Mortgage Rate Changes Ad 5x6.5 10/23/17 consider 1:47 PM Chteau
Page 1 Le Crock. Available now With donuts, and especially those filled
in a mevushal version which makes it more with jelly or chocolate, I would suggest only
accessible to youth and a wine worthy of suggest a sweet wine. For example, an orig-
any self-respecting fine dining kosher res- inal wine like the Zion Mihamartef. While

Our mortgages are ripe for the picking. taurant. It features notes of crushed black-
berries, tobacco, and menthol with a rich,
velvety texture as well as caressing tannins
with enough of a bite to cut through a juicy
rib eye steak.
One cannot recommend wines for Cha-
nukah without having in mind the tradi-
tional deep-fried fare such as latke and
7-YEAR 15-YEAR 25-YEAR donuts. It may sound challenging to pair
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wine with latke but it actually is pretty easy.
it is not inexpensive by any means, it is
worth experiencing, especially since it can
be recorked and sipped over many months
like a liquor. The Mihamartef is a sweet des-
sert wine which was aged for 35 years (!) in
oak barrels in the cellars of the winery, in
Israel. It has a thick, almost syrupy texture
with notes of caramelized walnuts, dried
figs, cinnamon, and candied orange peels.
According to a few experts, it has some

2.800 %
Rate 3.250 %
Rate 3.875 %
Rate
A dry, crisp white wine or a sparkling wine
will work wonders with almost anything
similar characteristics with some very old
sweet German Riesling which do not exist

2.891 %
APR* 3.300 %
APR* 3.920 %
APR*
deep-fried. Latke are no exception. Koe-
nig, the famous producer from the Alsace
in a kosher version.
It is always a great deal of fun to pair wine
region of France has just released its deli- with food and perhaps even more so with
cious and affordable Crmant dAlsace Brut. our customary Chanukah treats!
Produced with the mthode Champenoise, Chag Chanukah Sameyach! Lchaim!
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Bergenfield I Closter I Cresskill I Englewood I Hillsdale I Leonia I New Milford I Teaneck I Tenafly
We do not transport solid or hazardous waste
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58 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017

Shalom Yeladim Teaneck
IS MOVING TO 780 PALISADE AVENUE
YEAR ROUND PROGRAMS Infant Room
Toddlers Class
Twos Class
Threes Class
For infants through 6-year-olds Pre-K
Kindergarten
Experienced Morot Enrichment
Hebrew Immersion
Loving and nurturing environment Art Education
Music and Movement
We are so excited to share the news that Shalom Yeladims Creative Dance
Science
new home will be located at 780 Palisade Avenue in Teaneck, NJ. Nature Center
Piano Lessons
After looking at many properties, this state-of-the-art facility was Holiday Workshops
chosen because of its amazing location and its endless amenities; Shabbat Parties
Cooking and Baking
specially designed to suit the needs of all early-childhood students. Yoga and Zumba
Literacy
Our Summer and Fall registration packet will be available next week.
Stay tuned for more details of our affordable tuition and enhanced
calendar with new extended-hours options,
pictures of the facility and tour availability.

For more info or to register:

shalomyeladim@optonline.net
201.837.0837

Beth Sklar, Director Marina Blyumin, Owner

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF
EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION!
JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017 59
 MARKETS
CEDAR MARKETS
CHAN UKAH
CEDAR

CONTEST

DAY PRIZE VALUE WINNER

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60 JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 1, 2017