Jewish Journal archives January 13, 2006

Haverhill police have arrested two juveniles, ages 12 and 15, in connection with an act of vandalism at Temple Emanu-El during Chanukah.

The pair were arrested on Jan. 5 and charged with intentionally defacing and damaging real property, according to Sgt. John Arahovites of the Haverhill Police Department. According to Arahovites, if convicted, the juveniles could face up to three years incarceration.

Ira Korinow, the rabbi at Emanu-El, discovered that an electrical cord had been severed when he arrived to illuminate the temple’s 9-foot high menorah on the second night of Chanukah, Dec. 26.

Korinow also discovered a red substance had been thrown against the doors and walkway in front of the temple.

“It really looked like a murder had been committed in front of the temple,” Korinow said.

Korinow says there have been other acts of vandalism perpetrated at the temple in recent months, the most costly of which was the filling of the synagogue’s oil tanks with sand and gravel. But he says this latest act crossed a line as it targeted a ritual object and prevented the proper observance of the Chanukah holiday.

“I feel kind of bad that kids this age would have such hatred,” said Korinow. “And whether or not they realize what they did was a hate crime, they certainly need a great deal of education.

It is my hope that they will learn from this experience and hopefully come to an understanding of just how hurtful this type of act was, and hopefully come to a point where they can express some kind of remorse and even serve as a model for their peers,” he added.

On Jan. 3, the Greater Haverhill Civil Rights Com-mission, which Korinow chairs, issued a statement condemning the vandalism as well as two other incidents in which racial slurs were smeared on buildings belonging to the Calvary Baptist Church, the oldest predominantly African American congregation in the Merrimack Valley.

“We consider these cowardly acts to be hateful and we condemn them,” said the statement. “It is clear that these acts of hatred were directed at our Jewish and African American neighbors, but they are an assault on everyone in our community. This time of year reminds us of the importance of love, peace and good will — values which our community embraces wholeheartedly. It is important that we all join in reflecting on these attacks and remembering that our strength lies in the appreciation of the diversity of our community.”

The Commission further decided to turn the Shabbat commemoration of Martin Luther King Day, an annual event, into a communal expression of unity. The event is scheduled for the evening of Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El.

Neither Korinow nor the Haverhill police believe the vandalism had any connection to an organized hate group, nor to recent acts of vandalism at the Chabad House in Swampscott. Three juveniles were recently arraigned in Lynn on charges related to the Chabad vandalism.

Korinow does acknowledge that at least one white supremacist group has been known to operate in the Haverhill area and even dispersed hate literature around the synagogue two years ago during Rosh Hashanah.

The Jewish Federation of the North Shore says it has signed a purchase and sale agreement with Goldberg Properties of Beverly to sell its Salem offices for $1.05 million.

The amount is significantly less than the $1.45 million Federation was asking for its three-story building at 21 Front Street, a fact Federation director Merritt Mulman attributes to a “softening” in the Salem real estate market.

Nevertheless, Mulman said Federation was pleased with the outcome, saying the terms of the offer “totally comply” with the board’s expectations — the price exceeded a floor established by the board, and the deal was concluded without realtor’s fees, financing, or other contingencies.

“We’re thrilled with the deal,” Mulman told the Journal.
Goldberg Properties already owns a property on Front Street housing retail establishments on the ground floor and office space on the upper floors. Bill Goldberg — who confirmed that his company is purchasing the building but would not corroborate the price — says he has similar plans for the Federation building.

The Federation plans to vacate the premises sometime during February and relocate to temporary quarters around the corner at Lafayette Plaza.

Mulman said that the move creates an opportunity for greater cooperation between the Federation and Jewish Family Service, the other tenant at 21 Front Street.

“The infrastructure of the office will be managed as one — computers, phone, Internet, copy machine,” said Mulman. “All these things which have historically been done independently will now be done collectively. We are looking for ways to integrate our services better.”

While Mulman acknowledges that better integration is possible since both organizations will now be housed on one floor, he says movement towards increased cooperation already existed.

“Really it has more to do with the psychology and the commitment to inter-agency collaboration, which has happened only marginally in the past,” said Mulman. “Selling the building is an impetus. It gave us the opportunity to think anew how we work together.”

Mulman hopes that the Federation/JFS partnership, which may extend to the sharing of personnel, will be seen as a cost-saving model for the community to emulate.

“We’re going to work to combine resources as a way of saving some money for the community,” said Mulman. “A dollar saved is a dollar fundraised.”

JERUSALEM — With Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
battling for his life only miles away, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank participated in the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP) conference, organized by the World Jewish Congress together with the Israeli Knesset and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference went ahead largely as planned despite the tangible sense of sorrow and uncertainty surrounding Sharon’s illness.

This was Frank’s twelfth trip to Israel, yet he acknowledged that this time he was met with a society facing unique challenges. In remarks at the opening of the conference, Frank noted that “while the country had been stricken in a very hard way, the Israeli spirit of democracy would continue on.”

Frank predicted that “you will clearly see how the Bush administration can best support Ehud Olmert without intervening into Israeli domestic politics,” referring to Sharon’s likely successor at the helm of the newly-formed Kadima party.

According to conference organizer Bobby Brown of the World Jewish Congress, convening Jewish parliamentarians from around the world was a response to the increased “globalization of Jewish problems.”

Brown says that the three primary issues addressed at the conference were anti-Semitism, how Jewish politicians and community leaders can be proactively involved in building a better world, and increasing inter-faith dialogue — particularly with the Muslim world.

Conference participants were greeted by several Israeli leaders. Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who arrived for his address amidst significant speculation regarding his political future, used the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to the peace process and to forging ahead with the policies enacted by Ariel Sharon.

The increasing threat posed by Iran was touched on throughout the program. Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud party, cautioned that while Israel needed to be focused on ensuring that Iran not acquire nuclear weapons, he urged the international community as a whole “to recognize it’s their problem as well.”

While the conference was largely designed to address issues applicable to the global Jewish community, Frank believes that the situation of American Jewry is unique in relationship to the rest of the world. Frank said that the primary issue of concern for American Jews is not anti-Semitism, but the increased efforts by fundamentalist Christians to exact their influence in American society. Referring to comments made by an evangelical leader that Ariel Sharon’s stroke was God’s retribution for the Gaza disengagement, Frank said that “Pat Robertson’s vision of democracy is the biggest threat to American Jewish society.”

In Israel for the first time since 2002, Frank said that he felt considerably less tension in the society than in his last visit during the height of the Intifada. He remarked that he was most impressed by the newly renovated terminal at Ben-Gurion Airport, which first opened its doors to passengers in November of 2004.

“I think one major thing that Jews in politics can add is to defend Israel and to combat distortions,” said Frank. He added that, on a broader societal level, Jews “have the ability and a responsibility to stand for liberal values on behalf of minorities.”

Baseball cards are not only for kids. Just ask Martin Abramowitz of Newton, who has spent years tracking down the cards of Jewish major-leaguers. Although the 66-year-old vice president of planning and agency relations at Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies enjoys collecting baseball cards, he never dreamed his hobby would eventually manifest itself in a second career.

He shared his story with baseball fans on Jan. 8 in Marblehead at a brotherhood breakfast organized by Temple Sinai’s Ken Finkelstein.

“While sorting through my 97-card collection [of Jewish ballplayers] with my son Jacob in 1999, I was bemoaning the fact that the set would never be complete because 41 known Jewish players were never immortalized in a card,” said Abramowitz. “Jacob casually suggested that I should make my own set. That became a light-bulb moment for me.”

Abramowitz admits that although the Almighty probably doesn’t care whether he had a complete set of baseball cards, he does believe that a little divine intervention helped him achieve his goal. A meeting with Chicago photographer George Brace yielded a filing cabinet full of old images, including many of the Jewish players he sought. And through Jacob’s bunkmate at Camp Ramah, he met the owner of Fleer Trading Cards who agreed to produce the series of Jewish baseball cards at cost.

In 2003, Abramowitz unveiled his deck of 142 cards — one for each Jew who played Major League Baseball from 1871-2003. The series includes well-known athletes such as Sandy Koufax, Hank Greenberg, and Shawn Green, as well as more obscure figures like pitcher Harry Eisenstat, outfielder Herb Gorman, and infielder Sam Fishburn.

When 15,000 of the limited edition boxed sets quickly sold out through the American Jewish Historical Society, Abramowitz knew he had scored a hit.

“I think they are popular due to the nostalgia factor, pride, and the mystery or drama of the American Jewish experience,” he says. “They also make a great bar mitzvah present.”

Last month, Abramowitz released a 55-piece companion set containing cards for the six Jewish players who have joined the big leagues since 2003, as well as six more old-timers that Abramowitz, a relentless researcher, has uncovered. The new set includes four Jewish women who played in the wartime girls’ baseball league of the 1940s, the Israeli national team, and various trivia and theme cards. The set, printed by Upper Deck (Fleer went out of business last year), retails for $36.

At the Temple Sinai breakfast, Abramowitz kept everyone amused with his extensive knowledge of baseball trivia. He pointed out that statistically, Jews have performed admirably in all areas of the game except stealing bases. Cumulatively, they have stolen fewer bases than the infamous Rickey Henderson. Why?
“Perhaps,” quipped Abram-owitz, “because ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’ is one of our commandments.”

The baseball community was so impressed with Abramowitz’s efforts that he was invited to help create a presentation at the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown in late August 2004 in commemoration of 350 years of Jewish life in America. The event included discussions, trivia contests, films, a clinic, book signings and special appearances by several former Jewish players.

He is currently working on a book of oral histories of former Jewish players tentatively titled, “Playing America’s Game.” He hopes to have it published within the next two years. Another pending project is a Jewish version of Latino Legends, which honors Latino sports superstars. Abramowitz’s “Hebraic Heroes” would include Jewish superstars in the fields of baseball, basketball, hockey, football and boxing.

Israeli defense analyst and television correspondent Alon Ben-David addressed an overflow crowd at Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead Sunday, Jan. 8, in the inaugural lecture of the North Shore Jewish Federation’s Voices of Israel series.

Speaking just days after a massive stroke effectively ended the career of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Ben-David spoke sparingly about how Sharon’s departure would impact Israeli politics, confining his remarks to an analysis of the prime minister’s remarkable popularity and the significant threat to Israeli security posed by Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons.

Following the collapse of what Ben-David described as the dominant “paradigms” in Israeli politics — the left’s view that negotiations and concessions would bring peace and the right’s belief that Israel could afford to hold the occupied territories indefinitely — Sharon had built a centrist, security-oriented consensus through a combination of relentless counterterrorist operations and a shift towards unilateralism.

“We have won the war against terror,” Ben-David declared, giving special praise to Sharon’s construction of the West Bank security fence. “The fence is proving to be a crucial element in Israel’s defense.”

While Ben-David hesitated to make predictions regarding the success of Sharon’s party, Kadima, in the upcoming elections, he suggested that given the paucity of alternatives, it was natural that the electorate would rally around Sharon’s successor, Ehud Olmert.

Whoever wins, Ben-David said, will need to think seriously about the growing threat from Iran, which is intent on developing a nuclear weapon.

“We cannot ignore the threat that is building there,” said Ben-David. “Israel doesn’t have many options when it comes to Iran. The next leader of Israel will be forced to take tough decisions on Iran.”

Ben-David said that Israel shouldn’t stand alone in facing down Iran, but he worried that the current U.S. Administration seemed to feel little urgency in confronting the situation, and urged his listeners to raise their voices.
Organizers of the series were pleased with the community’s reaction. “I was thrilled with the turnout at Temple Emanu-El,” said Liz Donnenfeld, the Federation’s director of Missions & Israel Programs who organized the series. “It was great to see over 120 community members come out in support of an educational Israel program.”

Ben-David’s lecture will be followed by three more speakers over the coming months at various synagogues on the North Shore.

The series, a collaboration between the North Shore Rabbinical Association and the Jewish Federation, aims to provide the community with information about Israeli politics, history and other pressing issues of the day.

Forum on Separation of Church and State Set for JAN. 22
Terri Schiavo... Intelligent Design... Roe v. Wade... display of the Ten Commandments in a courthouse....

These are just a few of the hot-button issues of our times that revolve around an understanding of the principle of separation of church and state. Although this principle is embodied in the U.S. Constitution as the lead article in the Bill of Rights, its meaning and its applications remain as contentious as any issue in contemporary America.

On Sunday, Jan.22, 2006, the Independent Christian Church Unitarian Universalist in Gloucester, in partnership with the Cape Ann Forum, will sponsor a Forum on Separation of Church and State, addressing topics like these, and featuring:

• Rev. Calvin Didier, a three-time past president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and a retired Presbyterian minister from St. Paul, Minn.

• Dr. John Jefferson Davis, professor of systematic theology and Christian ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts

• Rabbi Myron S. Geller of Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester, a member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, a deliberative body that addresses inquiries from rabbis worldwide.

The forum is open to the public without charge. Donations to defray forum costs and to support the church’s Restoration Fund and the Cape Ann Forum, will be welcome.

The Independent Christian Church Unitarian Universalist is located at the corner of Middle and Church streets in downtown Gloucester, one block off Main Street. For further information, call (978) 283-1189.

Can Anyone Fill Sharon’s Seat?
With Prime Minister Ailing, March Election Up for Grabs

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Ariel Sharon’s massive brain hemorrhage has thrown Israel’s upcoming election wide open.

What looked like a foregone conclusion — with the prime minister’s Kadima Party headed toward a landslide victory — could now become a close three-way race among Kadima, Labor and Likud.

“We have an entirely different political situation: Three parties are now running toward the finish line, and no one can say who the next prime minister will be,” political analyst Sima Kadmon wrote in Yediot Achronot after Sharon was hospitalized.

Doctors remained guarded about the prognosis for the 77-year-old leader, but the stroke — Sharon’s second within three weeks — seems likely to end the political career of a man who had outgrown his past as a polarizing figure to unite a broad swath of the public behind his plan to separate Israel from the Palestinians and set the country’s final borders.

Sharon was elected prime minister twice by huge margins and appeared poised to win another landslide in March at the head of Kadima, which he formed after leaving the Likud in November.

Though he was extremely overweight, Sharon was known for his energy and drive and — before suffering a mild stroke Dec. 18 — had seemed generally healthy.

Latest polls still give Kadima a huge lead, but it’s not clear how much of that support might be a fleeting sympathy vote or what will happen once the party chooses a new leader who is subjected to negative electoral campaigning by his opponents.

And there’s a deeper question: Will any successor have the political clout to continue Sharon’s policy, which could entail a significant Israeli pullback from the West Bank?

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appears to have the inside track to Kadima’s leadership, as all the party’s top people have come out in support of his candidacy. It was clear to them that a bitter fight over the succession could tear the new party apart.

Faction Chair-man Roni Bar-On, a close supporter of Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, a potential rival for the top spot, called on the party to unite behind Olmert. Livni herself declared that “I will do all I can to help the acting prime minister carry out his job, and I am sure the other ministers will too.”

Haim Ramon, who crossed to Kadima from Labor, might have been expected to back ex-Laborite Shimon Peres as Kadima leader, but he too called on party members “to restrain their egos”’ and give their support to Olmert.
The first polls taken after Sharon’s serious illness show that Kadima under Olmert would win around 40 seats in the Knesset, compared to 18-20 for Labor and 13-16 for Likud — figures similar to those forecast for Kadima under Sharon.

The early polls are significant not so much as an election forecast but because they will help Olmert consolidate his leadership position. A former Jerusalem mayor who has held numerous Cabinet posts, Olmert has been one of Sharon’s closest associates in recent years, often testing the waters by proposing controversial policies that later were seen to have come from the prime minister.

Before taking over as acting prime minister, Olmert was not the most popular figure in Kadima: He trailed Peres, Livni and even Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz as the people’s choice for potential successor to Sharon.

But Olmert’s still-brief term as Israel’s temporary leader already has changed that. He will hope that further incumbency strengthens his image as a national leader among Israeli voters; conversely, his opponents in Labor and Likud will hope that targeting him and focusing on his perceived weaknesses will cut Olmert down to size.

The public saw Sharon as a pragmatic centrist who could take difficult decisions and sell them to moderate right-wingers because of his security credentials. Many Israelis believed Sharon was uniquely positioned to separate Israel from the Palestinians and delineate the Jewish state’s permanent borders.

A legendary and controversial general, as prime minister since early 2001 Sharon was instrumental in defeating the Palestinian intifada. Despite a reputation as a hard-liner, he appeared to have undergone a profound ideological transformation in recent years and pulled Israeli settlements out of the Gaza Strip last summer, giving the Palestinians a testing ground for autonomy and creating a new window of opportunity for the peace process.
Many believed Sharon would initiate a similar withdrawal from most of the West Bank if elected to a third term.
With Sharon no longer the dominant force setting the election agenda, all the leading parties are likely to build competing leadership teams. Instead of Sharon against Labor’s Amir Peretz and Likud’s Benjamin Netanyahu, the election likely will be recast as Olmert and his team against the Peretz and Netanyahu panels.

Olmert’s team probably will include Livni and Peres. On Friday he began political talks with Peres in an apparent effort to agree on the former Labor prime minister’s place in the new Kadima set-up.

In Labor, Peretz may try to bring in former Prime Minister Ehud Barak as his No. 2 to boost his security and foreign policy credentials. He also is desperately trying to persuade Peres to return to Labor.

For his part, Olmert may well try to lure Barak, a close personal friend, to Kadima. How this post-Sharon fallout settles could decide the election.

Trailing in the polls, Netanyahu cannot be ruled out altogether. Another former prime minister, he could pick up support at the expense of rivals who lack Sharon’s political heft.

Netanyahu’s leadership ticket will include Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and he will try to persuade ex-Likudniks who joined Kadima, including Mofaz and Cabinet minister Tzachi Hanegbi, to return to the fold.

Netanyahu also will allow Likud Cabinet ministers, who were to resign Sunday, to remain in government.
The resignation was meant to signal a break with Sharon and his policies; the decision to stay is intended to highlight the stature of Likud’s leadership team.

Despite the wall-to-wall support Olmert seems to enjoy, he still could encounter problems within Kadima. Drawing up the party’s Knesset list could prove a minefield.

Sharon had the authority to do this more or less as he pleased but Olmert will have to tread carefully, and will risk flak from people who feel they have been placed too low on the list.

If the results of the current polls hold up and Kadima wins the election, will Olmert or some other Kadima leader be able to further Sharon’s groundbreaking withdrawal from territory the Palestinians demand? Under Sharon, the idea would have been to reach agreement on this with the Palestinians and — absent an agreement — to get international sanction for new borders Israel would set on its own.

Whether an alternative Israeli leadership will be able to proceed in this vein is perhaps the most important political question in a post-Sharon era. Along with Sharon’s medical condition, it’s this question, more than any other, that is troubling Israel, the region and the international community.

The Israel I love is a Jewish Israel. It is a country that is a living, breathing testament of our faith. Only weeks ago, Israelis celebrated Chanukah, proudly displaying their menorahs in small glass encasements outside their doorways. For eight wonderful days, Chanukah came alive. Israel, at its best, is a personal moment of the experiential joy of being Jewish.

Last week, darkness fell upon this country when Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke. And yet, in this week of turmoil and pain, I discovered another reason to love Israel. In crisis as in joy, Israel responds with faith, with prayer, and with Jewish spirit. Early the next morning, Jews got up early to pray, making a special Misheberach for Sharon in synagogues across the country. In my Talmud class, we started that day with Tehillim, or Psalms, in his honor. In America, I thought, we would have had a moment of silence. Yet here, in this very special country, we know we must do more. Putting aside politics, Jews of every background found words of prayer for their leader. Once again, I found myself in a living, breathing testament to Judaism.

As the news of Sharon’s progress became more promising, the old Yiddish expression Tracht gut, svet zain gut, or, “think positively and it will turn out well,” began to take on a life of its own. The falafel guy on the corner told me he believed Sharon would pull out of it. “He has overcome bigger obstacles,” he observed.

The mood here remains apprehensive, but hopeful. Most Israelis agree that Sharon’s political life is over and that an era of leadership has come to an end. Perhaps the future will bring us leaders who have a vision for the future that springs from hope and from prayer, a democratic Israel that can maintain its authentic Jewish spirit and a living, breathing Judaism. And that’s the Israel that I love.

— Layah Lipsker
Layah Lipsker of Swampscott is currently on a four-month sabbatical in Jerusalem with her family.

Susan Jacobs
Jewish Journal Staff

In “The Syrian Bride,” the latest film from Israeli director Eran Riklis, Mona is preparing to leave her village for an arranged marriage to Tallel, a Syrian sitcom star she has never met. The striking young woman lives with her family in Majdal Shams, a Druze community in the Golan Heights occupied by Israel since 1967.

Mona’s wedding will be bittersweet. She knows that once she crosses the border from Israel to Syria, she will most likely never see her beloved family again. Due to ongoing political strife between the neighboring countries, Syria won’t let her out and Israel won’t let her back in.

The film, which has won numerous awards — including the Grand Prix for Best Film at the 2004 Montreal Film Festival — is not just about Mona’s personal dilemma. It is about the physical, mental and emotional borders we all face, and the will and courage it takes to cross them.

“Most of us are dealing with our boundaries — how much can we stretch them, and what is the price of crossing them,” says Riklis, who co-wrote, directed and produced the film. He believes the story transcends the particularities of the Druze situation, telling a universal tale of lost opportunities.
Riklis, who lives in Tel Aviv, is no stranger to the Druze — an Arabic-speaking Islamic community whose nationality in Israel is considered ‘undefined.’ In 1998, he made a documentary called “Borders” about Israeli border towns. While working on the piece, he befriended a family in Majdal Shams, the largest Druze community in the region, and was, in his words, “drawn to their experiences like a magnet.”

He has made several modestly successful films, including “Zohar” and “Cup Final,” before embarking upon “The Syrian Bride,” his most ambitious project to date. He enlisted Suha Arraf, a Palestinian-Israeli journalist, to help write the screenplay.

As a Palestinian, Araf knew firsthand about the oppression suffered by Middle Eastern women, and she contributed a feminist point of view. Riklis, whose prior films revolved around men, was excited to do a movie that focused on women. He points out that while “The Syrian Bride” takes place in a male universe, women are the central characters driving the movie.

In the film, all the action takes place in a single day, the same day, in fact, that leader Bashar al-Assad ascends to power in Syria. Chaos reigns, as people demonstrate in the streets in support of the new government.

Mona, played by the radiant Clara Khoury, has mixed emotions as she ceremoniously dons her wedding gown in the morning. Tensions mount as extended family members gather for the upcoming nuptials, scheduled for that afternoon.
Mona’s father Hammed (played by Makram Khoury, Clara’s real-life father) hasn’t spoken to his son Hattem (Mona’s brother) in eight years because he defied Druze custom and married a Soviet woman. An angry confrontation appears inevitable as the two tentatively reunite. Meanwhile, Mona’s older sister Amal (wonderfully played by Hiam Abbas, most recently seen in the film “Munich”) is furious with her more traditional husband, who will not permit her to attend college.

Family feuds that come to a head at a wedding is not a new theme. Yet, while many directors resolve conflicts with humor, Riklis remains focused on the emotional drama, which continues to intensify as the day progresses.

After a traditional meal at her father’s house, Mona’s family is ready to depart on their farewell pilgrimage to the border. An Israeli official tries to prevent Hammed, a political radical on parole, from attending. When they arrive, bureaucrats on both sides of the fence hold up the proceedings for hours, while the International Red Cross scurries back and forth, trying to secure the documentation necessary for the wedding to proceed. In a memorable scene, the patient bride sits on a metal folding chair in the blazing sun clutching a wilted bouquet of flowers — trapped in no-man’s-land.

But Mona is not the only character who is entrapped. Modern-minded Amal is stuck in a marriage and culture she wants to break free of, while military officials from both Israel and Syria find themselves suspended in an uncertain political future. Even the portly videographer hired to document the wedding (who provides some refreshing comic relief) cannot go home until the job is complete.

Yet ultimately, Riklis says the film is about love — love for the spirit of freedom, love for the physical and emotional landscapes that surround us, love for women who fight for their place in the world, and a love for people who still dream and hope. Araf is hopeful that her interfaith collaboration with Riklis will inspire a new global approach to film making. Indeed, the cast and crew of “The Syrian Bride” resemble a miniature U.N. Many of the actors are Palestinian-Israelis, and one is actually Druze. Director of Photography Michael Wiesweg, who beautifully captures the sweeping landscapes of the Golan Heights, is from Germany. And French-born Cyril Morin composed and conducted the arresting musical score, which was recorded in Bulgaria. The film is in Arabic, English, Hebrew and some Russian and French, with English subtitles.

“The Syrian Bride” opens Jan. 20 at Landmark’s Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge. For tickets and show times, call 617-499-1996 or visit www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/Boston.

Steven Spielberg’s film “Munich” has all of the gritty details of a documentary. A fictionalized account of the 1972 massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes and its aftermath, the film feeds the perception of historical accuracy by including actual network film clips. But Spielberg also offers a disclaimer at the outset that the film was just “inspired” by actual events. Compounding the confusion, the veracity of the book on which “Munich” is based — “Vengeance” by George Jonas — has been questioned by David Kimche, a former Mossad official.

All of this leaves the filmgoer wondering where history leaves off and Spielberg’s interpretation begins. When you saw “Munich,” did you watch a historical reenactment, a quasi-documentary or a fictional interpretation? Where to separate fact from movie fiction?
The truth is somewhat cloudy since the Israeli government has never officially acknowledged its role in the operation to track down and kill the terrorists responsible for the massacre. The Israelis knew that if the assassinations on foreign soil were officially acknowledged, they would face severe diplomatic repercussions.

Some facts, however, are known. For instance, a 2001 article by T.B. Hunter in the Journal of Counterterrorism & Security International describes how the Mossad activated a Kidon (bayonet) assassination team to carry out the order of Prime Minister Golda Meir to hunt down and kill the Palestinian assassins. Hunter describes Kidon teams as 12-man units, specifically trained for their deadly mission. Since Israeli 12-man assassination teams were known to exist, the question arises as to the validity of the Israeli 5-man team shown in the film.

The film would further have you believe that the only contact between Avner’s team and the Mossad was money deposited in a Swiss bank. In the film, Avner bought his information from a shadowy French organization. Hunter claims that the real Israeli assassination team relied heavily on Israeli intelligence to locate the Palestinian perpetrators. This rings true when you consider that Israeli intelligence, then and now, is considered one of the world’s best.

By the end of the film, Spielberg has Avner conflicted and disillusioned with his mission. In the final scene, an anxious Avner separates himself from Mossad and even from Israel. Gad Shimron, a former Mossad field operative, finds Avner’s rejection highly unlikely. In a recent article, Shimron said, “One of the best parts of the Mossad is that if you have anything on your mind, you can come and speak out. It does not have to develop into a problem.”

But Spielberg runs into even greater trouble when he plays political scientist. He never brings people who played a major role after the massacre into the picture: the Israelis themselves. The Israelis were howling after they learned of the murder of their national heroes, the Israeli Olympic athletes. They screamed for retribution against the Palestinians, and they did this out of fear as well as outrage, an outrage that was echoed by Golda Meir.

Nor does he concern himself with the screams of “Death to Israel” coming from the Palestinians at the Olympic village.This Palestinian outcry was part of their murderous procedure during terror attacks, both before and after 1972.

In 1972, Israel was only 24 years old, much weaker than it is now, and very conscious that the Arab countries surrounding it were still committed to “pushing the Jews into the sea.” Just five years before, Israel had survived the Six Day War, when its very existence was called into question. All of this provided powerful motivation for the Israelis who were sent to exact justice on the Palestinian assassins.

Except for the questionable book by George Jonas, no other account of the Munich tragedy tells of disillusioned Israeli operatives. Spielberg has filled a significant hole in this respect. But with such an emotional event as the Olympic assassinations, dramatic affect must be balanced with historical accuracy.

Some people have gum or mints with them all the time. My grandmother has mandel bread. Whenever I see her, she always, without fail, has a fresh batch. It is one of my favorite things in life. And just when I think it’s gone, she pulls out another stash (a grandmother is always prepared). I think it’s better than gum, and pretty easy to make. Here’s a fun, easy recipe:
6 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
2 teaspoons orange extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
1⁄4 cup Mazola vegetable oil
4 cups (heaping) all-
purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 bag slivered almonds
1 box golden raisins
1⁄2 bag shredded coconut
1 small jar of Maraschino cherries
Heat oven to 350°. Prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs. Add the sugar and assorted extracts. Add oil, flour, baking powder, raisins and almonds.
Roll the dough into logs and place on the prepared cookie sheets (3 logs per sheet). Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until done.
Cut logs into 1 to 1 1⁄2 inch pieces (cut while still hot). Turn logs over and place back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
My family likes raisins, so we use a whole box. Feel free to use however many raisins you like. Freezes very nicely for up to two months.

Eleven-year-old Gillian Cowen, a sixth grader at Lynnfield Middle School, wanted to do something for a child less fortunate.

After much thought, she decided to donate her hair to Locks of Love, an organization that collects human hair to create wigs for children who have lost their own hair due to illness.

Gillian donated 11 inches of hair, exceeding the minimum 10-inch donation. It was cut at Salon Blue, located on 489 Lowell Street in Peabody.

At right, Salon Blue owner Carla Donnatelli and stylist Carolyn Brewster measure Gillian’s tresses to determine the cut line.

Ariel Sharon is that rare figure who could carry the weight of a nation on his mammoth shoulders. His girth was legendary, and yet somehow equal to the monumental hopes that Israelis had pinned on him. His projected victory in upcoming elections, at the head of a party whose platform remains unstated, reflected the belief — or perhaps the hope — that somehow this mythic general had a plan, albeit a secret one, to finally settle Israel’s borders and bring the country the security for which it has so long struggled. Despite his age and his fearsome size, he remained, as a reporter noted in 2001, a vital man. Now that man lies incapacitated in a Jerusalem hospital and the question being asked is not whether he will return to the premiership, as he did after a minor stroke last month, but whether he will return to daily life.

Sharon was an immensely popular politician whose electoral appeal was based on the sheer power of his presence. In his four years in office, he never fully revealed the thinking that lay behind his actions, even as he steered the country through the tumultuous Gaza withdrawal. Nor did he disclose his ultimate intentions with respect to the West Bank settlements or his strategy for negotiating a settlement with the Palestinians, neither of which managed to diminish the sunny prospects of his new centrist party, Kadima. Sharon nevertheless commanded a sizeable following, and it is far from clear whether Ehud Olmert, his likely successor at Kadima’s helm, has the personal magnetism, the security credentials, or the political vision necessary to carry forth Sharon’s bold political program.

But Sharon’s loss goes well beyond mere politics. He was the last of the totemic figures who traces his career back to the founding of the state. Aside from Shimon Peres — who lacks Sharon’s military cachet and, at 82, has left his best political years behind him — no Israeli political figure has comparable Zionist bona fides. As Israeli newspapers have noted in the past week, his passing from the political stage represents the end of an era. And Israeli society, as much as Kadima, is orphaned without him.

Sharon’s legacy now rests in the hands of the party he founded. Kadima’s birth was a heralded event, an historic and radical reshuffling of the political deck that most Israelis now regard as anachronistically divided between left and right, between two parties whose core ideological tenets have been overtaken by events. Sharon demolished the old left-right polarization with simple pragmatism, based on Israel’s unilateral demarcation of a defensible border and the construction of a security barrier impenetrable to suicide bombers.

With remarkable political skill, and the prestige that came with having fought in each of Israel’s wars, Sharon was able to maintain his popularity despite his unlikely transformation from a champion of the settlements to the first Israeli prime minister to dismantle them. It is unlikely that the public will be as forgiving with his successors. The key question is whether they can channel the broad appeal that Sharon inspired into an articulated political program that can capture the Israeli imagination. Initial polls suggest that Kadima will still sweep to victory in March, but given the tumultuousness of recent days, those numbers are probably unreliable. Like the extent of Sharon’s illness, only time will tell how Israelis translate their shock at their leader’s sudden demise into political action.

Last April, following Act I of the Jack Abramoff drama, I wrote, “Abramoff may wear his religion on his sleeve and a yarmulke on his head, but his actions mock those symbols. How he raised and where he spent his foundation’s money makes him huge trouble for the Jewish community...”

Now comes the huge trouble. Act II opened last week with Abramoff leaving the courthouse having agreed to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities by testifying against congressmen, senators, congressional staffers and whoever else shows up in the thousands of Abramoff emails now in the hands of the Justice Department.

Apparently, Abramoff brokered a deal that reduces what might have been a sentence of more than 30 years to one of about 11 years.

So, dear readers, be prepared during the next year to read and see enough of Abramoff in the general press to make you sick. You will hear again and again about the monies funneled to a Jewish Day School in Maryland and to a group of settlers in the West Bank for weapons training, the purchase of Florida gaming ships, and more.

Last week’s picture of Abramoff leaving the courthouse dressed in a black raincoat and a wide-brimmed, black felt hat was said by a number of TV commentators to look like a Mafioso Godfather. Soon enough these news people will connect Abramoff’s garb to the dress of Orthodox Jews and connect that idea to all the menorah lightings and other religious gatherings attended by Abramoff at the White House and Congress. It won’t be pretty.

When this happens, please keep in mind that Abramoff is not my problem, not your problem, not a Jewish problem. He is, as American politicians so often put it, as American as apple pie. In short, when you have, as Will Rogers coined a century ago, “the best Congress that money can buy,” then a buyer like Abramoff, regardless of the clothes he wears or which religion he claims to follow, is a necessary part of the production.

Abramoff was just the latest Winnie the Pooh figure trailing behind him thousand dollar bills covered with fresh honey, while politicians licked it off and deposited the greenbacks either in their campaign coffers or in their spouse’s work account.
The Abramoff Story will be for 2006 as the OJ and Martha stories were for previous years: wall-to-wall coverage, ad nauseam.

Don’t be anxious. Too many of our grandparents suffered low self-esteem and fear of anti-Semitism when the exposure of a Jewish bad guy hit the public press. I remember how my grandmother, a strong woman from Lithuania, was nevertheless shamed by the revelations in the 1950s about Bernard Goldfine, the New England businessman who allegedly bribed President Eisenhower’s chief of staff, Sherman Adams, with gifts of vicuna fur coats.

Today, we Jews are secure enough in our citizenship to ignore more easily whatever comparisons anyone wants to make. We know that Charles Ponzi did not reflect on Italians; Whitey Bulger does not reflect on Irish-Americans; and Abramoff does not reflect on American Jews.

I predict that Abramoff will get more jail time than the now-agreed years. There will be no pardons as in Iran-Contra, and the number of sitting politicians and congressional staff to be charged and convicted will be minimal, fewer than a dozen.

And I predict that not as what ought to be, but as the least the Bush administration will get away with in light of the publicized facts.

All of this is a good lesson to be learned by young and old in our country. Wheeling and dealing, and eventually stealing, is not the road to take. Not only can it lead to jail, but it is also is a corruption of soul and spirit.

Still, we can almost count on another such scandal ten years or so from now, perhaps starring a Chinese-American or Mexican-American or African-American, or maybe just a descended-from-the-Mayflower, white Christian American.
Casting to be announced.

I can beat myself up pretty good: the academic career I squandered, the books I didn’t write. Though I run these days in the Ayshes Chayil League, and squeeze the clock hard when the kids are in school, I still suffer pangs of remorse when I see other academics so much farther ahead of me on the professional track.

That’s my down side. Yes, I know, a little kvetchy and self-centered. But the up side redeems it! I wake up every morning and say a bracha that I am the mother of four Jewish children, that I have had the mazel and the cheek to nudge the demographic meter a little higher for my people. And, forgive me if I kvell: I have produced sisters!

As a feminist, I had little doubt but that my first child would be a girl. When my second turned out to be a boy, I enjoyed the symmetry it created in our family. Frequent miscarriages reminded me that gender was inconsequential, that a healthy baby was all that mattered. But after I gave birth to my third child, and second boy, I had the chutzpah to want another girl. Alex and Yoni, my boys, each had a brother and a sister. Alas, poor Fran might grow up with two brothers, but deprived of one of life’s great relationships: sisterhood.

Was it the temerity to think I could choose? I often wondered if I was being punished for usurping divine will, for not appreciating the pearls I had. For after a few months of attempting to control fate with a new technology in gender pre-selection, I was still not pregnant. And my diagnosis became infertility, Rachel’s curse. I became a regular at the fertility clinic.
Years began to pass without a baby — neither male nor female. Countless days of difficult treatment stretched into years of procedures and disappointments. Though I had three wonderful children at home, my pain at not being able to have the fourth was indescribable. Gender seemed irrelevant now. Academic success — I could hardly remember why it mattered. All I wanted was that healthy baby.

Was it wrong to moon over sisterhood, I wondered. Was I trying to force God’s hand and was that why I had become infertile? On the other hand, wanting girls can’t be a crime — Jewish families have prayed for a “kaddish” (a son) for thousands of years. When my cousin Motel told me during my first pregnancy, “We should come for a bris (to your house) in Philadelphia,” I accepted that traditionally Jews had wanted boys. Had I parted company with my faith by making gender such an issue?

Two months before Frannie’s Bat Mitzvah, I gave birth to her sister, Zoe. Steve and I brought four children to shul that Shabbos. And on his best day, Rothschild never looked better or felt more ecstatic.

At a jeweler in Jerusalem’s Old City last week, Zoe purchased a special necklace for Fran, a silver heart inscribed with a Hebrew quote about sisters. What she didn’t know was that Frannie had seen the same necklace on the store’s website (www.oneofakind.co.il) and had asked me to purchase one for her. Though far apart in age, my girls share two faces (so alike they could be-sisters!) and a relationship so close and intense that Frannie’s husband, Abe, has taken to calling them “the twins.”

I picked up the two gleaming silver hearts in Jerusalem’s Old City last week, feeling buoyant and giddy, like a balloon lusciously filled with helium. I floated from there to the Kotel and said “shehecheyanu” for my wonderful good fortune. And I mused over the lines of a poem I had once written (about Christina Rosetti’s “Goblin Market”): “For there is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather, to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands.”

Parshat Vayechi
Am I Instead of God?

DAVID KLATZKER

David Klatzker is the rabbi of Temple Ner Tamid in Peabody.

As the Book of Genesis nears its end, Jacob dies, freeing Joseph to seek revenge (justice?) against his brothers. The brothers, who once cast him into the pit, shake with fear and guilt.

And they charged Joseph, saying, “Your father left a charge before his death, saying, ‘Thus shall you say to Joseph, We beseech you, forgive, pray, the crime and the offense of your brothers, the evil they caused you. And so now, forgive, pray, the crime of the servants of your father’s God.’” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. And his brothers then came and flung themselves before him and said, “Here we are, your slaves.” And Joseph said, “Fear not, for am I instead of God? While you meant evil toward me, God meant it for good, so as to bring about at this very time keeping many people alive. And so fear not, I will sustain you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts (Genesis 50:16-31, translated by Robert Alter).

The brothers are telling a bold-faced lie. Had he wanted to, Jacob could have ordered Joseph to forgive them while he was still alive. The ancient rabbi Resh Lakish said, “We find that Jacob made no such request, rather the Torah writes these lies to teach us the paths of peace,” (Devarim Rabbah 5:15). Here, both sides know that the story is a fabrication, though perhaps a necessary one.

But Joseph’s response — “Fear not, for am I instead of God?” — could hardly have satisfied the brothers. His words echo his father’s angry reaction to Rachel, when she came to him desperate for children (Genesis 30:2). Even if Joseph is telling his siblings not to worry, he is also signaling that his hurt still lingers. Has he really relinquished all hope of retaliation? Doesn’t his rhetorical question sound a lot like Cain’s, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9).

In his heart, Joseph may or may not have been able to forgive his brothers. And did he ever come to realize how his own youthful boastfulness led to disaster? Nevertheless, as the story concludes, Joseph has come to understand that his point of view is only partial. He sees that he needs to reserve judgment, for the big picture encompasses much more than his own pain and suffering — “God meant it for good.” The brothers bow before him, just as they did in his childhood dreams (Genesis 37). They once sold him as a slave, but are now his “slaves.” They could not keep his dreams (God’s plans) from fulfillment. And so, he pledges to protect them and their children. Ironically, in doing so, he stands in the place of God, offering them a consolation beyond merit.

Because of the sober realism of this narrative, it rings true. Forgiveness is as deep as human relations can go, and thus the Biblical story does not settle for a simple “I forgive you.” The death of the patriarch Jacob made it possible for Joseph and his brothers to reach a level of closeness that they had never experienced before. I have seen this happen in many families, in similar crises. Brothers learn that they can live together despite their faults. But there is always apprehension that there may be a return to the pre-crisis conditions. Can Joseph, his brothers, and their descendants learn to stay in their relationship, with tears and conversation? Can we do the same with our brothers, despite all the obstacles that stand in our way?

Germany’s Radical Steps to Confront Islamism — Who Will Follow Suit?

DANIEL PIPES

Daniel Pipes (www.DanielPipes.org) is director of the Middle East Forum and author of Militant Islam Reaches America (W.W. Norton).

The interior ministers of two German states have recently advanced important measures for containing radical Islam. They bear close attention across the West.

In Baden-Wurtenberg, Heribert Rech (of the ruling Christian Democratic Union party) has overseen the administering of a 30-topic loyalty test for applicants to become naturalized citizens. Following an intensive and sophisticated study by the Baden-Wurtenberg government of Muslim life, it developed a manual for the naturalization authorities explaining that applicants for citizenship must concur with the “free, democratic, constitutional structure” of Germany.

Because survey research finds that 21 percent of Muslims living in Germany believe the German constitution irreconcilable with the Koran, the written yes-no questions of yesteryear are history for Muslim applicants for citizenship. As of January 1, 2006, immigration officers who suspect Islamist leanings are instructed to probe further. Personal interviews will now last an hour or two and will be given to an estimated half of naturalization applicants.

The questions amount to a summary of Western values. What do you think of democracy, political parties, religious freedom? What would you do if you learned about a terrorist operation underway? Views of 9/11 are a “key issue,” says Dieter Biller, director of the alien registration office in Stuttgart: Were Jews responsible for it? Were the 19 hijackers terrorists or freedom fighters? Finally, nearly two-thirds of the questions concern gender issues such as women’s rights, husbands beating wives, “honor killings,” female attire, arranged marriages, polygyny, and homosexuality.

Responding to critics, the interior ministry denies discrimination against Muslims, insisting on the need to find out whether the applicants’ expressed views on the German constitution correspond to their real views. Applicants who pass the test and are granted citizenship could later lose that citizenship if they act inconsistently with their “correct” answers.

Extra requirements of Muslim applicants for citizenship is not unique to Germany; in Ireland, for example, male candidates are made to swear that they will not marry more than one wife.

The second initiative originates in Lower Saxony, where the interior minister, Uwe Schünemann (also a CDU member), has stated he would consider making radical Islamists wear electronic foot tags. Doing so, he says, would allow the authorities “to monitor the approximately 3,000 violence-prone Islamists in Germany, the hate preachers [i.e., Islamist imams], and the fighters trained in foreign terrorist camps.” Electronic tags, he suggested, are practical “for violence-prone Islamists who can’t be expelled to their home countries because of the threat of torture” there.

The electronic tagging of terror suspects is also not unprecedented. In the United Kingdom, the method has been used since March 2005 and, other than a glitch-plagued start, it has been applied to ten suspects with reasonable success. In Australia, counterterrorism measures implemented last month permit tagging for up to a year.

But Schünemann’s proposal goes well beyond these applications, tagging not just potential terrorists but also “hate preachers” who break the law not by personally engaging in violence but by articulating beliefs that encourage others to terrorism. Tagging them breaks new conceptual ground by aggressively going to the ideological source of violence.

It has potentially large implications. If hate preachers are tagged, why not the many other non-violent Islamists who also help create an environment promoting terrorism? Their ranks would include activists, artists, computer gamers, couriers, funders, intellectuals, journalists, lawyers, lobbyists, organizers, researchers, shopkeepers, and teachers. In short, Schünemann’s initiative could lead ultimately to the electronic tagging of all Islamists.

But electronic tags reveal only a person’s geographic location, not his words or actions, which matter more when dealing with imams and other non-violent cadres. With due allowances for personal privacy, their speech could be recorded, their actions videoed, their mail and electronic communications monitored. Such controls could be done discreetly or overtly. If overt, the tagging would serve as a modern scarlet letter, shaming the wearer and alerting potential dupes.

The Schünemann proposal points to the urgent need to develop a working definition of Islamism and Islamists, plus the imperative for the authorities to explain how even non-violent Islamists are the enemy.

Rech and Schünemann have presented two bold tactics for the defense of the West, premised in each case on an understanding that culture and ideas are the real battleground. I salute their creativity and courage. Who will next adapt and adopt these initiatives?

To the Editor:
As a former teacher at both Temple Beth El Religious School and the North Shore Hebrew School, I am outraged at some of the comments made by Desiree Gil and Mark Friedman (Dec. 30, “Shirat Hayam to Create New Education Center”). To say that the board “makes decisions at the lowest common agreed upon point, not the highest common standard” is both untrue and an insult to the officers and board of the NSHS. We constantly strive to support the school, its educational director, teachers, students and families at the highest level. Among our board members are educators and parents of students from four congregations, including Shirat Hayam. We take our responsibilities seriously and are proud of our school’s accomplishments.

Contrary to what Mr. Friedman says, being a Framework school is significant. If it weren’t so, why would Shirat Hayam proudly proclaim that they are currently affiliated with a Framework school and are patterning their new school on one of the Framework’s six models?

The school does not suffer from “lack of ownership.” A consortium of congregations has shared responsibility for running the NSHS as a community school with representation for all congregations involved — not a school which the community is invited to attend with one congregation making all the rules and decisions. The school is “owned” by all those who share in managing the school as a community.

In the end, when it comes to educating the next generation, what is really important isn’t what a select few want. It is about what is best for our children and the Jewish community at large.
Judith S. Sherman
Vice-President,
North Shore Hebrew School

To the Editor:
Flying directly in the face of the Jewish Federation’s premier project, Project Solel, the largest and the wealthiest Conservative congregation in the Federation’s domain has practically assured that the project is doomed to failure (Dec. 30, “Shirat Hayam to Create New Education Center”). If one congregation, because of their stated aims of full ownership and total governance (read: control), can undercut a brilliantly conceived, successful, critically acclaimed North Shore Hebrew School, then how can the Federation bring the community together when Shirat Hayam’s actions have served to rend it asunder?

Project Solel, led by professional consultant Mark Friedman (who coincidentally happens to be president of Shirat Hayam), entails a lot of hard work by many individuals as well as a very large monetary budget. Project Solel should be cancelled at once. If Shirat Hayam’s individual school aims come to fruition, this community will never again function in any form of unity.
The members of Congregation Shirat Hayam have every right to be ashamed of its leaders who place their desires above the needs of the greater Jewish Community. In the end it smacks of the old canard, “It’s all about money.” They can probably get away with it because they can afford it.
Arthur Zolot
Past president and board member, Temple Sinai

To the Editor:
While dynamic change is always important to any institution, there are many things working very well at North Shore Hebrew School today. We would like to thank Education Director Marian Gorman for putting together a top-notch staff of educators who have created a warm educational community for our children. Additionally, under her leadership, the North Shore Hebrew School has received national recognition through Project Etgar, the Framework for Excellence Award and the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. At North Shore Hebrew School, every child knows they are valued and welcome regardless of ability or learning style. Let’s build on what we already have.
Amy and Robert Powell
Swampscott
Julie Newburg, Bruce Cohen
Marblehead

To the Editor:
Steven Spielberg’s film “Munich” seems to present something of a Rorschach test to viewers. Everyone sees a different pattern in it, with some responses overlapping. Ben Harris’ review (Dec. 30) complains that the movie is a morality play in which nothing new is offered. That is true, but then morality plays present well worn truths, in which the “old” truths are intended to appall with renewed realization of what these truths are. “Munich” does this in a well-constructed spy thriller. It offers no new solutions to the Middle East dilemma, but is a dialectic on the subject of violence.

Unfortunately most of the dialectic is among the Israeli assassins, not among the Palestinians, who brush the subject away. When asked by one Palestinian what was accomplished by their abduction of the Israeli athletes, the crude answer is, “We made the whole world notice us.”

This answer is in opposition to the pathos of the one Palestinian who, when asked what he hopes to accomplish, says “Home is everything.” But this is Spielberg’s one bad anachronism. In 1972, the aim of the PLO was to attract the attention of the world and to kill Israelis. “Home” was secondary. Violence was and continues to be used as a recruitment tool by terrorist groups. Jillian Becker, a South African journalist, pointed out twenty-five years ago in her book, “The Rise and Fall of the PLO,” that violence is often used by the PLO and allied groups symbolically for dramatic effect, even when it seems to be counter-productive.

On the other hand, the most eloquent statement about home is made by a character called Papa, an oddly gentle family man who trades in information. He admires Avner’s passion and loyalty, while beyond his own family he himself has none. It is he who sums up the nightmare of Avner’s life: After telling him that the Jews, who have been kicked around throughout history, have every right to a home, says, “but home is expensive.” How expensive is what Avner finds out? He pays with his soul for what the rest of us often take for granted. The morality should appall.
Roberta Kalechofsky
Marblehead

To the Editor:
The photo of the Chabad Lubavitch menorah published on the front page of the Jewish Journal Dec. 30 embarassed me. Maybe I don’t understand something, but in my opinion the menorah looks like a cross, not a menorah.
Alexander Styskin
Lynn

To the Editor:
Maybe your writer, Dov Burt Levy, lives in a different world. His column (Dec. 30, “Beware of the War Against Our Potato Latkes”) made a joke out of something very serious.

Christmas is under attack, and not by the Jews. The schools are forcing students to sing different words to religious songs, God is being taken out of the country, all the nativity scenes are banned, and a lot destroyed, the colors red and green are banned from certain schools. I could go on and on.

Mr. Levy should realize the Nazis started by taking down the crosses. He should write kindly about Catholics because silently waiting in the background are small carpets to kneel on facing Mecca — what fools these mortals be.
Jacquelin Grande
Revere

BERMAN, Bertha (Epstein) — late of Framingham, formerly of Revere and Sudbury. Died Jan. 6. Daughter of the late Phillip and Marion Epstein. Wife of the late Hyman Berman. Mother of Stan and Carone Berman of Framingham, Janet and Paul Pressman of Burke, VA, and the late Phyllis Berman. Grandmother and great-grandmother of Sherri, Ira, Goldie and Jacob Davoudgoleh of Lexington, Julie, Amanda and Harrison DoAmaral of Marlboro, Bob, Lisa, Melanie, and Joshua Berman of Framingham, Mara and Chris Surridge of Fairfax, VA, and Elana and Alex Richman of Lewisburg, PA. (T)
BUTKOVITZ, Dorothy (Parlow) — late of Delray Beach, FL, formerly of Chelsea. Died Dec. 22. Wife of the late Nathan Butkovitz. Mother of Saul and Arleen Barton of Lakeworth, FL, and Paula Barton of Chelsea. Sister of Bertha Levine of Marblehead, and Edith Roller of FL. Grandmother of two. Great-grandmother of two. (G)
BYER, Janice (King) — late of Ipswich. Died Dec. 17. Wife of David Byer. Mother of Elizabeth Byer, Daniel Byer and John Etsell. Sister of Howard and Patricia King. Daughter-in-law of Sylvia Byer. Sister-in-law of Teri and Howard Geltman. (G)
FERMON, Marion (Silverman) — late
of Palm Beach, FL, and Swampscott. Died Dec. 28. Wife of the late David Fermon. Mother of Estelle and Joel R. Whitman of Swampscott, Barbara Fermon of Minneapolis, MN, and Beverly Fermon of Atlanta, GA. Sister of the late Samuel Silverman, Ruth Slate, and Alma Shepette. Grandmother of Andrew and Karen Whitman, David, James, and Christine Whitman, Marnell and Mark Boehmer, Laurie Wahl, Margaret and Paul Spencer, and the late H. Ross Slesinger. Great-grandmother of Griffin and Jordyn Whitman, Jessica and Nicholas Whitman, Holton Ross Boehmer, Ridge Fermon Boehmer and Isaac David Wahl. (S)
FISHMAN, Marian E. (Goldberg) — late of Swampscott, formerly of Brookline. Died Dec. 22. Wife of the late Eli M. Fishman. Mother of Richard and Susan Fishman of Beverly Hills, CA, and Edward and Tracy Fishman of Dallas, TX. Sister of Milton Goldberg of VT, Lillian Birenbaum of MA, and the late Robert Goldberg. Grandmother of Jordan and Rebecca, Bradley, Andria and Ronnie, Allison, Kendall, and the late Meredith. Great-grandmother of Li Ahn, Mei Ahn, Nikolus, and Gehrig. (S)
KRAFT, Elinor (Castaline) — late of Lynn. Died Dec. 27. Wife of Leon Kraft. Mother of Bonnie Kraft. Sister of Paula Olejarz and Bernard Castaline. (G)
LEVOVSKY, David — late of Everett. Died Dec. 16. Husband of Marion (Baggs) Levovsky. Brother of Bertha Kalfin and Phyllis Holzberg, and the late Simon Levovsky, Louis Lyle, and Lena Siegel. (G)
MYEROW, Lillian (Bornstein) — late of Chelsea, formerly of Malden. Died Dec. 18. Wife of the late Edward Myerow. Mother of Melvyn and Judy Myerow, and the late Sumner Myerow. Sister of Julius Bornstein, Charles Bornstein, Rita Feldman, and the late Lillian Barnstein, Minnie Maltzman, and Samuel Bornstein. Grandmother of Jill Blinderman, Nancy Myerow, Dean and Marla Myerow, and Randee Myerow. Great-grandmother of five. (G)
PESA, Michael — late of Malden. Died Dec. 27. Son of John and Clarissa (Kipnis) Pesa of Malden. Brother of Natalie and Stacey Pesa. Grandson of Henry and Rachel Kipnis of Revere, and the late Frank and Margaret Pesa. (G)
ROSEN, Sylvia (Weinerman) — late of Revere, formerly of Everett. Died Dec. 30. Wife of the late Atty. Sydney S. Rosen. Daughter of the late Jacob and Frances (Berman) Weinerman. Sister of Evelyn Sneider of Randolph, formerly of Stoughton, and the late Joseph H. Weinerman, Reva Goldberg, and Philip Weinerman. Aunt and great-aunt. (T)
SCOTT, Basil “Bishkie” (Sanitsky) — late of Foxboro, formerly of Peabody and Chelsea. Died Jan. 7. Husband of Shirley (Greenberg). Father of Karen and Louis Dennis, Lisa Scott, Stacey Scott and David Scott. “Papa” of Jake and Liza Dennis. Uncle of many nieces and nephews. (S)
SHAPIRO, Albert — late of Pembroke Pines, FL, formerly of Chelsea and Newton. Died Dec. 26. Husband of the late Bernice (Zidel). Father of Judith Wald of Merrick NY, and Amee Shapiro of CO. Grandfather of Rachel and Benjamin Wald. (G)
SNYDER, Louis — late of Methuen. Died Dec. 19. Husband of the late Rose (Sodnowsky). Father of Joan and Barry Friedman, and Phyllis and Terry Fineberg. Brother of Faye Rutman. Grandfather of Marc Friedman, Renee Friedman and Judd Fineberg. (G)
ZUBICK, Rhoda (Sperberg) — late of Stoneham, formerly of Lowell. Died Dec. 23. Wife of the late Miles Zubick. Mother of Betty Danis of Stoneham, and Howard Zubick of Acton. Grandmother of five. Great-grandmother of seven. (G)

Memoriam

Harry Graff, age 89, of AZ and MA, died on Dec. 25 after a lengthy illness. Harry’s devoted wife Ruth (London) and daughter Gail were by his side when he passed. The Graffs would have been married 59 years on January 11, 2006.
Born in New York City on January 16, 1916, Harry grew up in Peabody. He attended Peabody High School and was captain of the Peabody High School Golf Team when they won the national high school championship in 1934. The team was feted in New York and taken to a Yankees baseball game where he met Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. Harry was a lifelong Red Sox fan.

Harry served honorably in the Pacific during World War II. In 1948, with his partner Samuel Goldstein, he founded the Boston Banana Company. Harry was well known in the industry, and Boston Banana became a produce market institution.

Harry started playing golf when he was 11 years old. He became one of the greatest amateur golfers on the North Shore. Always known for his “beautiful swing,” Harry was the club champion at Kernwood Country Club in the 1950s. One of his greatest pleasures was his weekly outings with his crew of golf buddies, “The Dawn Patrol,” at the Beverly Golf and Tennis Club.

The Graffs traveled extensively throughout the years. They enjoyed and learned from their excursions to many countries, including Israel, Egypt, China, Tibet, the South Pacific and Europe.

Harry will always be remembered for his devotion to his family, his kindness to all who met him, his gentle sense of humor, impish smile, blue eyes, sharp wit and intellect. “If a friend has to die on any given day, let it be one that is celebrated by all around us with love and peace for mankind,” said close family friend Dan Cherney.

Dan further stated on behalf of the family, “Harry Graff was a sweet and wonderful man and also a hero of mine. He treated me like a son, and he will be missed by me and by all who loved him and surrounded him. I always smile when I think about him and will always be proud to say that I knew him.”

Along with his wife Ruth and daughter Gail, Harry leaves his brother Morris of Revere, sisters Esther Saltzman of Danvers and Marion Bak of CT, and sister-in-law Cynthia Ankeles. He is survived by nieces Joan (Saltzman) Ivry and her family, and Heidi (Ankeles) Reisdorff and her family, his brother-in-law Hyman London and wife Shirley, as well as other devoted family and friends.

Contributions in his memory can be made to Peppi’s House, Tucson Medical Center Hospice, 5301 E. Grant Rd., Tucson, AZ 85712.

Melvin Schwartz, late of Saugus, died on Dec. 28 at the Kindred Hospital in Peabody. He was 77 years old.
Born and raised in Revere, the son of the late William and Ethel (Cohen) Schwartz, Mr. Schwartz was educated in the Revere public schools, graduating from Revere High School in 1946.

He served in the United States Navy from 1946-47, being honorably discharged with the rank of Seaman 2nd Class. Mr. Schwartz was the former owner of Shoppers Meat Land in Cambridge, and later was a meat cutter for the Purity Supreme supermarket chain, retiring in the early 1990s.

He was known to his family as “Mr. Fix-It,” as he could fix anything that was broken. Mr. Schwartz was a member of the Jewish War Veterans Prince Strauss Post and the Hammatt Ocean Masonic Lodge. A resident of Saugus for the past three years, he was previously a resident of Malden and Revere.

Mr. Schwartz is survived by his wife of 56 years, Marion (Stein) Schwartz of Saugus; and his daughter and son-in-law, Susan and William Girard of Lynn. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Kirsten Lesburt and Matthew Girard, and his great-grandchildren, Emily and AJ Lesburt. He was the brother of Lillian Schwartz of Swampscott, Betty Steller of Lynn, and the late Martin Schwartz.

Donations in Mr. Schwartz’s memory can be made to the American Diabetes Association, 330 Congress St. 5th floor, Boston, MA 02110.

Dr. Philip Joseph Emmerman, 60, late of Bethesda, MD, and formerly of Lynn, died Dec. 26. As Associate Director of Technology of the Information Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, he was instrumental in developing advanced technology used in Operation Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. Much of his working life was devoted to researching survival techniques for American soldiers. For more than 30 years, he developed, designed and tested a wide variety of projects including laser-guided weapons, radar signal processing, robotics and telemedicine — winning numerous awards in the process.

After his retirement in 2004, he served as director of research at Elan Tech Inc., a software engineering company. He was also an associate professor at George Washington University.

Dr. Emmerman attended Lynn English High School in Lynn. He graduated from Tufts University in 1967 with a degree in mechanical engineering, received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 1968, and earned a doctorate in thermodynamics from George Washington University in 1980. He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Stanford Alumni Association.

He was the son of Irvin and Frances Emmerman of Lynn. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Christina Burton Emmerman of Bethesda; two children, Alexander Emmerman of Bethesda and Allyson Jeffery of Millstone, NJ; two sisters, Judith Josephs of Lynn and Etta Emmerman; and two grandchildren, Lauren and Douglas.

Susan Jacobs Jewish Journal Staff

Memoriam

Susan Jacobs
Jewish Journal Staff