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| January 16 - January 29, 2004 | ||||
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Local
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Local StoriesCleanup,
Buyer Needed for Salem Harbor Station GARY
BAND SALEM — There’s progress down at the plant. After years of controversy surrounding ownership, cleanup mechanisms and reliable energy transmission, the decision over what to do with the Sale Harbor Station is expected by the spring. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) purchased the plant four years ago. In July 2003, its operator, US Gen New England, citing the high cost of cleanup required by the state, declared bankruptcy and asked permission of the state to shut the plant down. But under an agreement with the state environmental officials, the Salem plant now has until 2006 to install new pollution control technology that is expected to cut emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, key sources of soot and smog. The cost, estimated at $125 million — for a system that sprays a solution into the stacks to remove impurities — would be financed by an initial loan from the state and repaid by ratepayers over a number of years. The other option is an upgrade of the transmission line that would tap into another power source and effectively eliminate the need for the Salem plant. But the cost for that would be approximately $300 million, would takes years to complete and cause economic hardship to the city, the plant owners and employees. In a Jan. 5 address to the Salem City Council, Mayor Stanley Usovicz said, “There is still uncertainty over the fate of the plant; both because it needs capital to make these upgrades, and because from the Governor on down, the Commonwealth has made it clear it intends to do all it can to shut that plant down. I won’t let that happen.” In a telephone interview, the mayor confirmed this statement adding, “I know many people would prefer it gone, but it’s been there for 50 years and I expect it to be there for decades more. I understand the bankruptcy issue, but whoever buys the plant is not buying it to close it down. You can’t eliminate jobs, diminish the city’s tax base and expect it all to be good.” On the 65-acre site since 1950, the Salem Station employs 175 people — 119 electrical workers who are members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 326 — and 56 managers. The plant is also the city’s largest tax payer, contributing over $5 million in 2003. And while that is down from higher figures paid in years past, in its five decades in Salem, the power station has provided the city with over $300 million in revenue and kept the lights on for thousands of North Shore homes and businesses. Because the plant was grandfathered under the Clean Air Act of 1970, emission standards are more lenient than those regulating newer plants. This allows more pollutants to be released in the air — pollutants that have been linked to elevated cancer rates in residents living nearby. James “Red” Simpson of Beverly is the president of IBEW, Local 326, and has worked at the plant for 22 years. “If the emissions controls are put in, the plant will be viable into the long-range future, as a source of clean reliable energy,” he said. “I don’t only represent 119 union members, but 119 environmentalists. There isn’t a guy in there that doesn’t want clean energy.” As for the future ownership of the pant and what it means to the workers, Simpson said, “We would welcome a buyer that brings stability to the plant. Our contract comes up for renegotiation next November, and we’d like to have a buyer to negotiate with.” David O’Conner, State Commissioner of Energy Resources in Boston, said he expects a financing plan for cleanup of the plant to be in place “in the early part of 2004” that would allow the plant’s operator, US Gen New England, to install pollution control devices that would significantly reduce emissions. “It’s in the hands of US Gen and the Internal Standards Organization (ISO) New England. They are working on a financing plan that would allow to pay for the clean up. That financing plan needs to go before the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) for approval. Approval would mean that the funds would be collected from ratepayers.” O’Connor said that while the cleanup option is “very real and alive,” and some measures have already been taken to reduce emissions, he wants to be sure that it is the most cost effective and necessary measure to ensure clean, reliable energy delivery. “It’s a lot of money. And while we’re absolutely committed to the Governor’s mandate to clean up the plant, other options may be available.” The alternative to making the required investment is to pipe into another power source that would eliminate the need for the plant to keep the lights on. However, he said, “that scenario would take several years to play out, and noone can say with any certainty today that when those investments are complete that the North Shore could do without the plant. If we were to spend all this money on the cleanup, I hope the plant would run for a few more years and pay the state back,” he said. In the event of a future closure of the plant, one measure that would help alleviate the burden of lost jobs and city revenue is the Allen Bill, House Resolution 1335. Submitted by Representative Thomas Allen (D- Maine) in 1999, the bill provides revenue for cities whose power plants close and compensation for lost wages. One of the bill’s 22 sponsors is Congressman John Tierney (D-Mass). “When Tom Allen originally filed the bill, there was no provision for communities,” Tierney said in a phone interview. “I told him I wouldn’t consider it without that, and it was amended. If anything happens to the plant, these workers shouldn’t be out on the street. But if that power source is needed, we need to clean up that plant.” As for whether the bill will pass this 108th Congress, Tierney said, “I don’t think that this majority has any intention of moving any environmental bill through.” Certain real estate assessors have said that in the event of the plant’s closure, it would impossible to replicate the tax income from the property through redevelopment. One estimate suggests that if the 65-acre site was developed for real estate, it would be worth $40 million, bringing in approximately $500,000 in annual property taxes a year — $4.525 million less than what the power plant currently pays. Others disagree. Brian Watson of Swampscott is an architect in Salem. “The revenue the city would see depends a great deal on what is developed on the site. It is way premature to put a number on it. What people need to know is the variety of what’s possible there. You can certainly beat half a million dollars in property taxes.” The North Shore environmental group HealthLink was formed to advocate for cleaner energy delivery by the plant. Jane Bright of Marblehead is a volunteer and member of the HealthLink board. “HealthLink is very concerned about transition. At this point we don’t know what the future state of the plant will be. But as long as it runs, it needs to be cleaned up.” Cindy
Luppi of Boston is a member of Clean Water Action, a national citizens
action group formed around the Clean Water Act. Cohen
Hillel Lowers Tuition for New Kids MARK
ARNOLD In an attempt to reverse a decline in enrolment, Cohen Hillel Academy in Marblehead — the area’s only Jewish Day school — is offering a more than 30 percent discount to new students beginning next September. The deal is part of a four-year subsidy the school is offering to entice parents to exercise a day school alternative to public or other private school education. “If you look at our families now, it’s not a bell curve but a barbell,” says Head of School Robert E. Tornberg, who conceived the new marketing strategy. “We have kids on the high end of the income scale and kids on the low end, but very few in the middle. We want to get more middle-class kids” to come to Cohen Hillel. Under the new policy, announced in a letter to parents January 6, new students — including siblings of students and returning former students — will all be eligible for a four-year reduction from the full tuition rate, which stands at $11,980 this year and is expected to rise in the fall. Tornberg and the Board of Directors hope to swell enrolment by up to 40 students from this year’s level of 245. The offer, called the Extra Credit Plan, provides the following reductions in tuitions: •
Year One: $4,500 Beginning in the fifth year, the students would pay full tuition. The reduction is aimed at raising an extra $150,000 to overcome the school’s deficit and help put it in the black. The plan is available to any family with kids not in the school now and provides an alternative to the academy’s “Flexible Tuition Plan,” which provides scholarships for those who qualify based on income criteria. About 40 per cent of the student body is receiving tuition assistance this year. “Some new families may be better off applying for scolarships,” says Admission Director Amy Farber. “But we think alot of others will find this plan more attractive. They won’t be able to do both.” Officials scheduled a parents meeting for the evening of January 15 to explain the program’s details and answer questions. They are concerned that some Cohen Hillel families who won’t benefit from the discounts may be critical of the plan. But they believe the program will benefit existing students as well, though not monetarily. “With fuller classes,’ says Tornberg, “we are a stronger school.” The new strategy is a gamble, but Cohen Hillel’s bottom line will be protected in any case. Four couples will guarantee the investment the school will make to staff up in anticipation of the added students. The four are Arthur and Eunice Epstein, Stephen and Lois Goldberg, and Howard and Sharon Rich, all of Marblehead, and Stan and Emy Black of Swampscott. Like most day schools in North America, Cohen Hillel is struggling to make ends meet and fill its classrooms. A recent study by the AVI CHAI Foundation in New York City reported there are almost 200,000 students enrolled in Jewish Day Schools in the United States. More than 80 per cent of their schools reported that the economic downturn of recent years has adversely affected them. But other adverse factors are at work as well. Geography and demography are complicating life for many day schools, according to Daniel Margolis, executive director of Boston’s Board of Jewish Education, which covers the 14 days schools in the Greater Boston area. In geographic areas with growing Jewish populations, enrolment is up; where no construction is going on, it is often static or down, notes Margolis. At Cohen Hillel, Tornberg suspects that this area’s demographics may be working against increased enrollment. But he can’t be sure. Explains Tornberg: “Four years ago the six Jewish preschools that fed us had 430 youngsters enrolled; this year there are five Jewish preschools with a combined enrolment of 330. In the absence of a demographic study, we don’t know if the kid population is down or if more kids are going to non-Jewish pre-schools. All we know is that our feeders aren’t feeding the way they used to.” As a result, Cohen Hillel faces the prospect of having one kindergarten class next year, as opposed to the usual two. And instead of the usual flow of 12-17 siblings of Cohen Hillel students entering school for the first time, “we can only count six,” says Tornberg. He speculates “Are families smaller now or are families with more than one child figuring that Jewish Day School is too expensive? We don’t know the answer.” Though financial strains are not the only reason for the decline in enrolment at Cohen Hillel — the high point was 274 students in the 2000-2001 — they are the problem most susceptible to solution, school officials say. A day school education is expensive, and tuition isn’t the only reason. At Cohen Hillel, besides tuition, families — both new and old — also incur these charges: $700 a year in fees (for supplies, field trips and the like); $1,000 a year for three years for a capital improvement fund, and a requirement that every family raise or contribute a minimum of $800 a year in a program called SHARE (Support Hillel Academy Revenue Enhancement). For those weighing the kind of education Cohen Hillel provides against other alternatives, officials are hoping the discounts will tip the scales in their favor. Says Tornberg: “Our graduates excel in high school and in college. General studies, Jewish studies and character development — we do a great job in all three areas. We just want more kids to have the opportunities we can give them.” First
Trip Since 2000 AMY
SESSLER POWELL When
the plane carrying the eight North Shore teens touched down in Israel,
the teens aboard said the landing was spiritually moving. Kate Rafey of Swampscott said, “It was almost like it wasn’t a real place until we got there. Then, it was so tangible. This is where everything happened.” The December Israel trip was the first time since the summer of 2000 that the Jewish Federation of the North Shore sponsored a teen trip to Israel. Previous to 2000, the Federation had been sending groups of teens on subsidized trips to Israel since 1972 in a version of what is now called the Y2I (Youth to Israel) trip. This
group of eight were all alumni of the 2003 Y2I European Adventure, a fully
subsidized trip to Eastern Europe that included a full mifgash (encounter)
with Israeli teens. On this December trip, the eight North Shore teens
met with the Israelis from the summer trip. Many of the teens expressed their awe when seeing the places where Biblical history was made. Charlee Bianchini of Gloucester, said, “I was looking at the mountains over the Dead Sea, looking at where Moses stood and it was amazing to see the places that are in the Bible.” Aaron Shwom said the presence of history was made so clear to him during an archeological dig. “Just a few inches underground, we found 3,000-year-old pottery, right under our fingertips. You can feel your roots in your hands.” Lisa Janiak, director of Israel programs for the Jewish Federation of the North Shore, said it was wonderful to see the teens from the North Shore back with the Israeli teens. “Almost every single one of them came at least once and many had to travel a distance. One put together a whole barbecue at his house and another night we had a bonfire on the beach.” “I’ve been to Israel so many times and though I love it, it is not as magical as the first time,” said Janiak. “But to take these teens and show them Israel for the first time and see how they were affected made it magical for me again. Now, so many are talking about going back to study. I can see that the mifgash we started last summer is alive and well.” Merritt Mulman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore, said he hopes these teens can spread the word of Israel’s wonder among their peers. “What better way to help keep our children Jewish than to send them to Israel? I am so proud of our community. We are one of the first nationally to reinstate a youth mission to Israel after the hiatus brought on by the current intifadah. No words can explain the excitement and joy of being in Israel.” After returning from Israel, Janiak attended the North American Alliance for Jewish Youth conference where the news on future Israel trips was upbeat. Enrollment in national programs like Young Judea, Alexander Muss High School in Jerusalem and Birthright is up, according to officials at the conference. On the North Shore, Janiak is seeing a similar trend. Applications to the 2004 Y2I program, which included a choice of Israel with a community trip, Eastern Europe with a community trip or Israel with another approved trip reflect the national trend. So far, there are 25 Y2I applications for Israel trips reflecting an increase over the four in 2003. Teens from the North Shore can receive a Y2I subsidy of $4650 for an approved Israel trip. Janiak is hoping that the teens from this trip will spread the word to teens that are considering an Israel trip. “There is no reason to be afraid to go there,” said Rafey. “I felt pretty safe.” Eath teen on the December trip received a $1000 young adult subsidy. The Israel subsidies are made possible by a partnership between the Jewish Federation of the North Shore and the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundations. For more information on Israel subsidies or the Y2I program, contact Lisa Janiak, 978-745-4222, email ljaniak@ jfns.org, or visit www.jewishnorthshore.org.
Rabbis Rosansky, Loevinger, to Leave Pulpits MARK
ARNOLD Two
Conservative rabbis, members of our community since 2001, will not be
returning to their local congregations next fall. Rabbi Neal Loevinger, spiritual leader of Temple Israel in Swampscott, has elected not to seek a second contract. A graduate of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism, Los Angeles, he has been known as an innovator who stresses the need for congregations to be nurturing, inviting, spiritually- grounded communities. Rosansky’s leaving is the result of differences with the Temple’s officers and board of directors, according to an announcement to temple members. Loevinger is stepping aside voluntarily in view of the merger talks taking place between Temple Israel and its neighboring congregation, Temple Beth El. “I believe,” he told the Journal, “removing myself from the equation allows the process to move along with fewer complicating factors.” Temple Beth El’s rabbi, Edgar Weinsberg, has been that congregation’s spiritual leader for almost 20 years. Rabbi Rosansky is looking for another congregation to head, and is also pursuing a dream of running spiritual retreats for parents and children, either in the United States or in Israel. “I have a facility for turning people on to Judaism — spiritually, intellectually and religiously,” she said. Rabbi Loevinger said his plans are uncertain.
International News Moving Toward a One-State Solution? LESLIE SUSSER JERUSALEM (JTA) — When the Palestinian Authority prime minister warned recently that Palestinians might abandon their goal of an independent state and instead seek a single state of Arabs and Jews, Ahmed Qurei was playing one of his trump cards in the conflict with Israel. The idea is ultimately to delegitimize Israel’s presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through an international campaign for a single state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, in which Arabs soon would be a majority. If successful, the strategy would mean the end of Israel as a Jewish state. Abandoned years ago by a PLO that ostensibly had recognized Israel’s right to exist, the one-state idea has made a comeback in recent months among left-wing intellectuals and among Palestinians who either fear Israeli plans to withdraw unilaterally from areas the Palestinians claim or who feel they are close to realizing cherished dreams of dismantling the Jewish state. The plan is not without its problems. The United States remains fully committed to President Bush’s vision of separate Israeli and Palestinian states living next to each other in peace, as does the European Union. Moreover, the Israeli government’s declared intention to withdraw unilaterally from most of the West Bank and Gaza is designed partly to preempt international pressure for a binational state. Once Israelis and Palestinians are clearly separated, the theory goes, the single-state solution will lose much of its appeal. Qurei’s binational threat came in an early January interview with Reuters and was in response to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan, if the peace process remains moribund, to withdraw unilaterally from much of the West Bank behind Israel’s security fence. If that means annexing land the Palestinians claim, Qurei declared that the Palestinians would have no choice but to press for a binational state because, he said, they would be left without enough land to establish a viable state of their own. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell quickly rejected Qurei’s position as contrary to the road map peace plan. Probably influenced by Powell’s stance, Palestinian officials meeting two days later took a different tack: They proposed preempting Sharon’s plan by declaring a Palestinian state in all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a unilateral countermove that would at least be consistent with America’s two-state vision. Clearly, the Palestinians have been badly rattled by the fence’s efficacy in preventing terrorist attacks and by Israel’s unilateral separation formula. Now they’re trying to create levers of pressure to disrupt the planned Israeli moves. The Palestinian-led appeal on the fence to the International Court of Justice in The Hague is one such gambit; Qurei’s binational statement and the unilateral declaration of statehood threat are two more. Though the Palestinians for now still officially favor a two-state solution, P.A. policy easily could switch to a binational state if conditions on the ground or the international stage change. But how effective would such policy be? Much will depend on Israel’s security fence. Its very presence creates, de facto, a two-state situation. But if the fence is delegitimized and perceived by the international community to be dispossessing Palestinians, calls for a binational state to replace what is seen as an unjust reality could gain momentum. For many Palestinian intellectuals, the binational threat is the ultimate weapon against Israel. It revives the old PLO demand for a secular-democratic state in all of the land between the Jordan and Mediterranean, including Israel. The demand expresses a goal that would mean the elimination of Israel. Even if that proves unrealistic, it still could be useful as a means of pressuring Israel: The specter of a binational state, the thinking goes, could be used to wring concessions from Israel in negotiations for a two-state model. Besides the Palestinians, pressure for a binational state could come from Israeli Arabs and left-wing intellectuals in Europe and the United States. Azmi Beshara, an Arab member of Israel’s Knesset and a leading Israeli Arab intellectual, has been touting the binational idea for years. Over the past few months, binationalism also has been gaining ground in Western intellectual circles. In The New York Review of Books last October, New York University professor Tony Judt caused a stir when he described Israel as “an anachronism” that ought to be replaced by a binational state with a Palestinian majority. Support for a binational state among Jewish Israelis is confined to a left-wing fringe. When maverick left-winger Haim Hanegbi tried to circulate a paper in support of the idea among members of the radical Gush Shalom group last summer, he encountered wall-to-wall opposition and decided to leave the group. Another maverick, Meron Benvenisti, vaguely proposes Jewish and Palestinian cantons but is not sure how this would work and says he still dreams of a sovereign Jewish state. For most Israelis, the binational state is the ultimate nightmare because it spells the end of the Zionist dream of a homeland for the Jewish people. While Palestinians and some left-wing intellectuals may see this as the optimal outcome, many Israelis fear it could happen simply by default. Haifa University geographer Arnon Sofer, one of the most active campaigners for separation between Israelis and Palestinians, warns that if Israeli leaders fail to act in time, they could wind up with a binational situation of their own making. Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report. Hamas Returns to Terror in Gaza DAN BARON TEL AVIV (JTA) — In dying, Reem al-Reyashi dealt a double blow: to Israelis who hoped Hamas had decided to show restraint and to fellow Palestinians quietly earning a living in one of the few places where Israeli-Palestinian cooperation still thrives. Reyashi, a 22-year-old mother of two and the first female suicide terrorist to be used by the leading Palestinian Islamist group, struck Wednesday at the Erez crossing into Israel, inside a terminal where Gazan laborers bound for work at a nearby joint industrial park undergo security checks. Having set off metal detectors, Reyashi told Israeli guards she had a steel splint in her leg. As they gathered around, she warned other Palestinians in the building to flee and hit the detonator on her hidden bomb. Three soldiers and an Israeli civilian died with her; 12 people were injured. Three of the four casualties were identified: Staff Sgt. Vladimir Trostinsky, 22, of Rehovot; Staff Sgt. Tzur Or, 20, of Rishon le-Zion, and Cpl. Andrei Kegles, of Nahariya. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei declined to condemn the attack, saying that continued Israeli attacks and restrictions on the Palestinians are leading “to more escalation on both sides.” The Erez attack was claimed jointly by Hamas and the Al-Aksa Brigade, the terrorist wing of P.A. President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement. Twelve hours earlier, Al-Aksa Brigade gunmen killed Ro’i Arbel, a 30-year-old father of five, in a roadside ambush in the West Bank. With the internationally backed “road map” peace plan largely eclipsed by controversy over Israel’s West Bank security barrier, Jerusalem buzzed with speculation that self-destructive Palestinian violence may peak once more. “This was another murderous expedition by Palestinian terrorists, which hits them in their very own bread basket,” said David Baker, of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s office, referring to some 3,000 Palestinians who work at the various factories in the Erez industrial park. The park was shuttered after the attack. Hamas had seemed dormant for months, leading some analysts to speculate that it had made a strategic decision to halt attacks — at least in Israel proper. That theory sat well with calls from some in the Palestinian Authority for a new, passive policy whereby they would focus less on fighting for an independent state and instead would threaten to seek Israeli citizenship, eventually turning the Jewish state into an Arab one through sheer demographic force. But on Wednesday, Hamas made it clear that terrorist attacks had been limited only because of Israeli security precautions, including the fence, analysts said. So successful are Israeli security personnel these days at spotting suicide bombers that the Islamists have been forced to reverse their ideological opposition to allowing women to become “martyrs,” they said. “For the first time,” Hamas ``used a female fighter and not a male fighter, and that was a new development in resistance against the enemy,” Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin told Reuters. “Resistance will escalate against this enemy.” Features People in the News
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Trip to Israel
When I signed up for the Y2I 2003 Israel trip, I had no expectations as to what I would see or experience. I wanted to approach everything with an open mind. I suppose I signed up mostly because I wanted to learn something, and because I knew that the people that would be going with me would make excellent company. From my first step onto the concrete tarmac of David Ben Gurion Airport at four in the morning, I was in a state of emotional and intellectual stimulation. The realization that I was in the midst of a 55-year-old state on the land of thousands of years of ancient civilizations crept into my mind. We were met by our tour guide, our guard, our bus driver, and by two smiling Israeli girls from the summer trip to Eastern Europe who had hitchhiked to the airport to greet us. I forced myself to stay awake for the ride into Jerusalem. I knew that the landscape was different from anything I had seen before, but what I saw from the steamy windows of the bus as the others slept was surprising. Rolling, barren hills flanked the highway. Past the hills stretched wide flatlands punctuated by clusters of lights from villages. As the sun moved closer to the horizon, mountains appeared to grow in the distance. In Jerusalem we visited all of the typical and necessary Jewish sites such as the Western Wall, Yad Vashem, and the graves of Yitzhak Rabin, Theodore Herzl, and other prominent figures. One of the main differences between this trip and the Eastern Europe trip is the focus on socio-political and cultural aspects of Israeli life. In addition to the sites listed above, we got a tour of the Israeli parliament (the Knesset), with commentary from a former speechwriter for past Israeli ministers. We heard a lecture by Paul Liptz of Tel Aviv University on the condition of Israel in terms of immigration and economics, and we visited places usually frequented only by Israelis, ostensibly to get a taste of Israeli culture in its purest form. Throughout
the country, we visited a fair share of historical sites. The fascinating
thing is that much of Israel’s history isn’t quite history in
the conventional sense; it’s still alive. For example we took a jeep
tour of the Golan Heights with explanations from our driver on the importance
of the Heights in the Six Day War of 1967. I could look out the open window
of our bumping Range Rover and see a ridge. I must mention again that this trip was not a non-stop history lesson, though it could have been. I think that everyone on the trip will agree that the most enjoyable day was by far the excursion into southern Israel. The day was comprised of a visit to Masada, a swim in the Dead Sea, and a Bedouin-style dinner following a brief camel ride. There is a breathtaking view from the top of Masada in all directions into the desert that every person should see at least once in a lifetime. In addition to that, it is interesting to consider that we walked on the same ground as some of the most steadfast Jews of all time. The Dead Sea may sound like just salty water, but I found it to be a mind-blowing experience. The beach we chose to swim at was nearly empty, save for some Russian Israelis vacationing. The ground under the water was made up completely of mineral rich mud. We covered ourselves in this mud, and proceeded to float, yes, float, in water 30 times saltier than the Mediterranean Sea. Swimming will never be the same for me. Later in the day we learned that camels do not make for a very comfortable ride. However, the owner of the camels, an Australian Jew, fed us well and did an excellent job pretending to be Abraham as he explained the historical importance of the area we were in, known in English as Genesis Land. The day concluded with a beautiful, pink, red, and orange desert sunset that none of us will forget. For Shabbat and the weekend, everyone dispersed to their host families. I stayed with a modern Orthodox family, and attended Shul on Friday night and Saturday morning. I worried about how awkward this experience would be, but it turned out to be rather fun. Never underestimate the power of 100 joyous, praying, singing Jews in a small room. There are too many moments to retell in this short space. I will conclude by saying that this trip has left me with something to say in an argument about the Middle East, it has left me with sweet memories, and it has given so much more meaning to the small plastic Israeli flag hanging above my desk. I hope more people will embark on a journey similar to mine and take back with them the same things that I now cherish. Daniel Postilnik lives in Marblehead. Survey of Russian Readers Brings Large Response Jewish
Journal (The following report is based on a tabulation of the results of our recent Russian reader survey by Journal intern Gadi Niram and analyses by Niram and by former Board of Overseers President Rick Borten. It was written by Editor/Publisher Mark Arnold and Rick Borten). Background Last fall, the Journal ran a survey on its Russian page asking readers to respond to a set of questions that would help the staff better understand the needs of the Russian community, and the role of the Jewish Journal in meeting them. The survey— published in Russian in the issue of October 10 and in Russian and English in the issue of November 7 — sought to determine the extent to which today’s Russian Chronicle is meeting the needs of this community, many of whose members are now thoroughly integrated into American life. The Russian Chronicle began in June 1992 with a $5,000 one-year subsidy from Jewish Family Service of the North Shore to help orient the thousands of recent immigrants from the Former Soviet Union to our community. It has continued ever since at our expense. The survey, consisting of 18 questions, is the first attempt to assess satisfaction levels and interests of this community, which consists of 1,505 households in the 26 communities north of Boston served by the Journal. We asked each household to return no more than one survey. Survey Highlights We received 160 responses for a response rate of 11 per cent, extraordinarily high by market-research standards. The vast majority – 83 per cent — live in Lynn. Almost 75% of those responding said they have lived in America for more than 6 years . We asked Russian readers “How well do you read English?” and were surprised that less than 30% of those who responded said they understand English “Very Well” or “Reasonably Well.” This leads us to believe that a high percentage of Russian Chronicle readers may be older people who have difficulty adjusting to a new language later in life. It may also suggest that Chronicle readers are less proficient in English than the Russian-Americans generally. It will be valuable for our advertisers to know that more than half the respondents said two or more people read their copy of The Journal. More than half also keep their copy of The Journal for at least 4 days. On the subject of advertising, respondents voiced a strong preference to see more health advertising. We asked Russian readers “How important a source of Jewish community news” the Jewish Journal’s Russian Chronicle is to them. Respondents were evenly split in their answers: •
35 percent said The Journal was their only source of Jewish community
news; Television is an important communication medium for our Russian readers. Over two-thirds of survey respondents purchase Russian language TV channels via cable or satellite television. In an attempt to target our service to readers’ needs, we asked readers what kind of news or features they would like to see more and less of in the Russian Chronicle. Respondents indicated they want more news about the Jewish community, Israel and social services. They also want to learn more about Jewish religious practices and about culture and entertainment. The Journal survey asked Russian readers “How well does the Russian Chronicle meet your needs for news and information about the Jewish community and the Jewish world?” Sixty-four percent responded that this feature meets their needs “fairly well” and 32% responded “very well”. The Journal asked Russian readers whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “The Russian community no longer needs the Russian Chronicle.” The vast majority disagreed with this idea. Almost 83 percent of the Russian respondents said they believe The Russian Chronicle is important enough to help pay for; 58 percent said they had contributed money to The Journal in the past year. Conclusions
and Next Steps 1. Respondents sent a strong message that the Russian Chronicle is still needed – at least by the 73 percent who reported that they speak English “with difficulty” (59%) or “not at all” (14%). 2. Respondents want more news about the Jewish community, Israel, social services, Jewish practices and culture. Given the high percentage who get secular news from Russian TV channels and other sources of information, perhaps the Journal should refocus its efforts on our local community, Israel, social services, and Jewish practices and culture. 3. The low number of responses from Russians who now speak English very well (only 8%) suggests that the Russian Chronicle is probably not widely read among the many Russian Jews – especially younger people — who work, go to school and actively participate in the English-speaking community – but we don’t know this for a fact. 4. The survey responses raise a number of questions about ways to serve the Russian-American community in the future, including: •
Is a Russian language page needed and valued by the Russians who have
mastered English and read it well? We encourage all Journal readers – Russian and English-speaking – to share their views on how we can better serve this community. Editor’s Note: See also Editorial Kosher Butchers: ‘Our Beef’s Safe From Mad Cow Disease’ JOE BERKOFSKY NEW YORK (JTA) — New signs spice up the meat section of the Hungarian Kosher Grocery in Skokie, IL, one of the nation’s largest kosher food supermarkets. They
reassure customers that, in light of the recent scare and media hoopla
over mad cow disease, kosher beef is safer than non-kosher meat. Kirsche posted the placards in response to customer inquiries about meat safety following reports of mad cow disease in the United States a week ago. Kosher food wholesalers and retailers, as well as top kosher-certification agencies, agree with Kirsche’s assessment that kosher beef is much less likely to be infected with mad cow than non-kosher cuts. Kosher food industry sources say that a combination of safeguards — ranging from traditional kosher slaughtering practices to beef-purchasing policies — make kosher beef safer. Some predict that the mad cow scare could create greater demand for kosher beef from Jews and non-Jews alike. Menachem Lubinsky, president of Integrated Marketing Communications, which produces the annual Kosherfest trade show, says he expects that the mad cow scare will boost sales of kosher beef the way several outbreaks of salmonella in the past few years sent kosher poultry profits soaring. Still, industry sources caution that kosher meat isn’t immune to contamination with mad cow disease. “I don’t want to overstate the case. Some of the procedures related to kosher mitigate against MCD, but there are no guarantees,” says Rabbi Menachem Genack, rabbinic administrator of the Orthodox Union’s kashrut division. His comment came after the union, the world’s largest kosher-certification agency, and Star-K, another major international kosher-certification agency, issued statements seeking to reassure consumers about mad cow. Those reassurances came after a Holstein cow imported along with dozens of other cows from Canada tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, a fatal brain-wasting disease similar to the human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD. Most reports of humans contracting CJD from eating diseased beef occurred in the 1990s in the United Kingdom. So far, 139 cases have surfaced worldwide. Like the United States, not all countries have strict testing regimens in place. In June 2002, a cow in Israel’s Golan Heights was found to be infected with mad cow, but Israeli health officials said the animal was isolated and no infected meat reached consumers. In the last week in December, the first instance of mad cow in the United States was reported in Washington state. Health officials believe the animal got sick from infected Canadian feed before arriving in the United States. But U.S. officials say tough new measures against mad cow protect the domestic feed supply and that the U.S. beef supply remains safe. Still, ground meat from the infected cow has been recalled from supermarkets in eight Western states and Guam. Kosher food experts maintain that there is every reason to believe people should have no beef about eating kosher meat. While some of the dozen kosher slaughterhouses in the country buy their cattle at the same auctions that supply non-kosher producers, a shochet, or ritual slaughterer, would never accept a visibly sick cow such as the infected bull found in Washington, industry insiders say. “An animal that is a ‘downer’ — that cannot walk to the slaughtering place on its own — would not be used,” says Rabbi Avrom Pollack, president of the Baltimore-based Star-K. If the animal were sick, it could not be considered kosher. Among other anti-mad cow measures announced Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared a new ban on the use of such “downer” cows in meatpacking plants. Kosher slaughterhouses also typically use younger cows — between 18-24 months old — while the diseased cow in Washington is believed to be six and a half years old. Kosher slaughter also prohibits shooting or stunning cows in the head, “which may cause brain matter, where the disease resides, to be scattered to other parts of the body,” the O.U.’s Genack says. Kosher slaughter mandates that the animal’s throat be slit, and potentially contaminated blood is drained away from the carcass, he says Living With an Aging Brain: Advice from Israel DOV
BURT LEVY If you’re like most people over 50 years old, or in fact like me, the aging brain is not your favorite conversation topic. So, enjoy my favorite brain story before I tell you of a very good new book on the subject. Harry and Morris, both over 70, have been friends for 40 years. After not seeing each other for a while, they got together at Morris’s home. Morris is telling Harry of a seminar he attended the previous weekend. “What a great time I had. Glad I went with the wife. It was a seminar on memory improvement. We had lectures, films, visualizations and role-playing. Just a lot of good, old-fashioned fun.” “Sounds good to me. Tell me, where was it held?” asks Harry. Morris looked blank. “Now where was that place?” he mutters, his eyes and nose squished together in total concentration. “Wait a minute. Tell me, Harry, what’s that popular flower, usually red with all those thorns on the stem?” “Oh, you mean rose, replies Harry. “Yup, that’s it,” Morris says and shouts into the other room: “Rose, Rose. Remind me, where did we attend that seminar last weekend?” I think most people get a kick out of that story because it just flits around a subject they are uncomfortable talking about. Oh, yes, a joke here and there. A little probing to see how their friends are doing in the memory department, but to talk seriously about dementia, especially the possibility of their own, is something that few seniors care to do. So, across my desk comes a helpful new book: Living with an Aging Brain: A Self-Help Guide for your Senior Years by Robert Werman, MD. He writes the book as if it is your doctor’s visit, except that here he is prepared to take all the time necessary to answer all your questions and even listen to your issues. Dr. Werman is a highly respected physician-neurologist living in Jerusalem. He trained in neurology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, then two years in the U.S. Navy as neurologist and psychiatrist, followed by a post-doc and appointment as assistant professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical School. After a year of research in Cambridge, England, he was appointed Research Professor of Psychiatry at Indiana University. He moved to Israel as professor of neurophysiology at Hebrew University in 1967 and had a distinguished career before retirement. I tell you all this because lots of self-help books are written primarily to help the writer buy a new big house or enlarge his/her savings account. Not the case here. He wrote it, I think, to respond to that old Jewish self-nagging that says: “Do something helpful for people,” along with the need to keep his own aging brain well-exercised. I met him in Jerusalem and can tell you he is a renaissance man of great intellect, authority and humor. I
approached the book with three questions that have bugged me for a number
of years, although I never found time to get answers. He answered these
and at least 40 more. Answer:
The brain is composed of billions of nerve cells (technical name: neurons)
that send and receive communication from other nerve cells. When we are
young, the neurons are firing on many paths in order to deliver the messages.
(That’s why when I was 25 years old, I could soak my brain with caffeine,
stay up all night, even have a cold, and still do well on a university
exam the next day.) As Dr. Werman puts it, “Understanding that the bad moments will pass is a powerful incentive to patience. If we wait, we will once again be in control of our mental processing, make adjustments in life style in order [to] take advantage of the good times and learn to be patient with the bad moments.” Second question, what are my chances of getting dementia or even the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease? Answer: Dr. Werman writes: “Mental deterioration does not express itself at nearly the same rate as other physical declines do, because we have built-in mental reserves, brain mechanisms that help us compensate for loss. Senility is far less common than most of us think. At any age group, whether 60 – 70, 70 – 80, 80 – 90, or even those over 95, the senile are far from the majority. [And] it is probable that in the future, drugs will become available to slow the processes that lead to aging of the brain.” Thanks Doc, good news. Third, what can I do to minimize risks? After all, I walk and exercise five times a week, floss my teeth, put fake tears in my eyes, exercise my sphincters every day. Why not something for my aging brain? Answer: Dr. Werman says, “Find one other aging person with whom you can trade war stories — tales of forgotten names and appointments, once-familiar routes that now appear strange — someone who will listen to you talk about your work and your play, to whom you will in turn listen as they describe what is troubling them. Talking about your successes, as insignificant they may seem, is good for the soul, and talking about your failures is powerful medicine.” He also suggests all kinds of ways to exercise your brain by having an active mind, the old and very true admonition for every part of your body: use it or lose it. He discusses the relationship between exercised bodies and functioning brains, the consequences of depression, how food, alcohol, medicine and drugs influence the brain. All of this written with humor, good will and most important a sense of having been there. Finally, Dr. Werman emphasizes flexibility exercises, consciously using your left hand (makes good sense but new to me) and about the importance of doing things involving planning. He tells many stories about people, famous and unknown, to illustrate his points. My favorite is that of Itzhak Perlman, world famous violinist, stricken with polio as a child, who, in 1995 was the soloist at Lincoln Center in New York City. Perlman, with braces and crutches, walked across to his place on the stage. “Then Perlman placed his Stradivarius violin under his chin, nodded to the conductor and proceeded to play. Just as Perlman finished the first few bars of the concerto, a violin string broke. Everyone could hear it snap. Would Perlman go off the stage to replace the broken string? Would he use another instrument? [Perlman] waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled to the conductor to begin again. The orchestra started to play, and Perlman resumed the concerto from where he had left off, playing with a passion, power and purity that most had never heard before. “It is impossible, we all know, to play a violin concerto with just three strings. But that night Perlman refused to know that. [When he finished] the people rose and cheered — an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. ‘Bravo,’ they shouted. Perlman smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow, and raised his bow to quiet them. He spoke, not boastfully, but in a pensive, reverent tone: ‘You know, sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.’” Dr. Werman’s response to that story, mine as well, and I hope yours too, is, “What a powerful statement. [It] could serve as a definition of life — not just for artists but for all of us, particularly those of us who find we are faced with the loss of abilities that accompanies aging.” Living with an Aging Brain: A Self-Help Guide for your Senior Years, by Robert Werman, M.D., published by the Freund Publishing House LTD (London and Tel Aviv). Order from Freund Publishing, P.O. Box 35010, Tel Aviv, 61350, Israel. US$25.00, includes airmail shipping, or www.freundpublishing.com. Celebrations & Simchas Local Party Mavens Talk About Trends for 2004 SUSAN
JACOBS SALEM — The date is set for your upcoming simcha, and it’s time to start searching for a caterer, a florist and photographer. What is in vogue today when it comes to throwing a wedding or Bar Mitzvah? The Journal recently spoke with several local party planners, caterers and design professionals about the trends for 2004. Here is what we learned: Event Designer
Donna Kagan Many brides today are taking their weddings to exotic places. Instead of staying in their hometown and having the affair at a local temple or hotel, they are choosing to get married abroad or on a romantic island. I find that couples today are more actively involved in their functions. This may be because brides today are a little older, and oftentimes they are paying for the event themselves. They have definite ideas about what they want on their special day. They are searching for something unique. Many create their own vows. There is less interest in old-fashioned wedding traditions such as garter throwing or bouquet-tossing. Many weddings and Bar or Bat Mitzvahs are themed. I recently did a wedding with a Copacabana night club theme where we achieved great effects with specialty lighting, night-club style tables and palm trees. We also did a Fenway Park theme complete with a Green Monster, scoreboard, hot dogs and cotton candy machines. Other popular themes include Casinos, Islands, Heaven & Sky and Candyland. To fully realize the themes, it is often necessary to transform the physical space. Temples, especially many of the older ones, are not particularly geared for party functions. To overcome the challenges, we camouflage walls with fabric, fill in “dead spaces” with trees and plants, and use spotlights and specialty lighting to create ambiance. In general, events today seem less formal and more fun. People want to include more gimmicks such as mimes, jugglers or someone who takes informal snapshots and gives them away to guests. The food is also less formal and traditional. We are seeing more ethnic dishes and more dynamic presentations of the food. Kosher catering is becoming more gourmet. It’s no longer a stuffed breast of chicken with a potato and a vegetable. As far as desserts are concerned, we are seeing more variation. To cover all palates, many caterers are putting several small desserts (some fruit, some chocolate) on one plate. Event Designer
The biggest trend I have noticed (and one that I totally encourage) is the trend toward tzedakah and social consciousness. Clients can elect to have mitzvah baskets decorate the bima and serve as centerpieces at the kiddush for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. The value of the food in these attractive baskets is donated to Jewish Family Service to help families in need. They are a wonderful way to show your children that as you are receiving, you are also giving. Couples are also incorporating the concept of tzedakah at their weddings. They can make a charitable donation in honor of each guest, and create seating cards attesting to the gift. You can plant trees in Israel through the Jewish National Fund, you can help children with cancer through the Jimmy Fund, or you can help battered and abused women through Jane Doe, Inc. The possibilities are endless. Speaking of gifts, people are always interested in novel gifts to give guests after an event. Some popular choices include a nicely-wrapped box of cookies or chocolate truffles in a chocolate box. I recently did a wedding where at the conclusion, we had a Krispy Creme vendor handing out boxes of fresh donuts with personalized labels for the guests to enjoy at breakfast the following morning. Since many people have guests from out-of-town attending their celebrations, we are creating welcome baskets for hotel rooms filled with information about the city, local candy and snacks, and a personal welcome note. Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are very theme-related. We recently did one at the aquarium in Boston, and the seating card was a chocolate fish. In general, DJs are more popular than bands at these events, and during the cocktail hour, parents want the kids to have their own separate space with their own activities. Instead of “sit down” meals, we are seeing more food stations. Years ago, grooms were not very involved and most decisions were made by the bride and her mother. Today, couples share planning the experience, especially as far as the music and food is concerned. We are seeing more older couples. Many brides are 30 years old and since their friends are already attached, they do not toss their garters or bouquets. Many brides sentimentally present their bouquets to their mother or grandmother instead. Caterer
Bruce Silverlieb We have been doing parties for 20 years, and we are still orchestrating beautiful and elaborate weddings. One change is that we’re seeing fewer “sit down” courses, and more passing of hors d’oeuvres. This allows people to circulate and socialize while they enjoy easy-to-eat yet elegant appetizers. We are having more fun with desserts and after-desserts. Make-your-own ice cream sundae bars with every topping imaginable are always popular with kids. We just did a Bar Mitzvah where we did a spectacular root beer float station. For adults, we can do smoking sorbets, which are flavorful sorbets shaped like fresh fruits served from a tray with dry ice. We also have an impressive molten chocolate fountain where guests can dip an array of fresh fruits and biscotti to create their own tasty desserts. Interesting drink options are all the rage. Many clients are choosing to have specialty martini bars with five or six varieties of martinis including green apple, raspberry and chocolate. You can make a really dramatic statement by having an ice sculpture to slide the martinis through. The bartender mixes the drink, pours it down the icy “luge”, and the recipient “catches” it in a martini glass. It’s very festive and fun. Another popular drink option in the warmer weather is a frappacino bar. We unveil it after dessert is served to refresh couples who have been dancing. We whip up frosty frappacinos and serve them in tall crystal glasses with long silver spoons. When the weather is cold, we like to conclude a party by serving warm homemade cookies in traditional flavors such as oatmeal or chocolate chip, as well as more upscale varieties such as macadamia nut and cranberry/ orange. Another popular touch is to have several giant chocolate-dipped strawberry trees for guests to sample as they are departing. Caterer
Rhonda Elkins Kosher catering has come a long way. We are a full-service glatt meat and dairy kosher caterer whose food is on par with Boston’s finest restaurants. A big trend we are seeing is more variety of mini entrees, versus an abundance of one entree.This allows people to taste a variety of different things. Our servers might pass around long, silver sampler plates with salmon, chicken, lamb chops and/or sea bass. Guests could choose one item, or have a taste of everything. As far as appetizers are concerned, we are exploring different shapes and serving them on interesting plates (which we bring, since we are strictly kosher). We are doing a lot of stations with themes. Asian themes are always popular, and we recently did an Israeli marketplace. We are doing a Bar Mitzvah in Sharon where the theme will be a raceway. We are creating a black and white checked buffet and they may transform the dance floor into a speedway. We have done several garden themed Bat Mitvahs where we use a lot of flowers and the place cards are in planters. We
just opened a state-of-the-art dairy kitchen in November. This allows
us to create true dairy desserts, and lets us prepare real cream cheese
toppings to be used on bagels for kiddushes and luncheons. Many of my female clients who are getting married are a little older. Oftentimes they are sophisticated professionals who are looking for a more interesting look in floral design for their weddings. The trend is toward bold colors and textures. Raspberry, violet and celadon green are popular choices. I work a lot with hydrangeas, sweet pea, and lilac. The other choice is to go monochromatic with different textures, shapes and sizes in either pink, red or dark colors. I recently did an affair where I used a lot of chocolate cosmos, which were very striking. Brides today still carry hand-held bouquets, but they are much smaller and have no stick. They tend to like some roses, blended in with cala lilies or orchids. We tie that in to what the attendants are carrying, and repeat the theme on the tables. As far as centerpieces are concerned, clients want them to be low so guests can see over them. I’m using a lot of heavy cut glass cubes. I’ve also added sliced fruit, such as oranges, lemons or limes, to the clear containers, which makes for an interesting look. Most Bar and Bat Mitzvahs have a theme; oftentimes it’s sports. I recently did a Bar Mitzvah for twin boys at Temple Emanu-el in Marblehead where the theme was Maine camp. I made some creative centerpieces using Coleman lanterns, moss, ferns, pine cones and mushrooms. I decorated the head table with birch bark and other natural artifacts. Floral
Designer Nancy Mantilla People today know a lot about flowers, and they have their own thoughts about what they want. I find that most brides are looking for elegant yet unusual floral arrangements for their weddings. They want their flowers to be elaborate, but not flashy. I work a lot with monochromatic color schemes where we use different shapes and shades in a particular color tone. The most common color choices are pink, lavender, white and green. On tables, people like compact arrangements. Sometimes I do groups of three different arrangements on a table. I’ll choose assorted vases in different shapes and fill them with different flowers in the same color tone. I like to use thick, clear vases, but I also use silver. Sometimes
I’ll add pearls to lend a subtle touch. I love to incorporate candles and candelabras into wedding centerpieces. Feathers are also really in style. I add small chicken feathers, which have been dyed light pink, white and shades of green, to my arrangements. Brides today are carrying smaller bouquets, often with jewels and stones mixed into them. Many customers want fresh flowers on the wedding cake and around the cloth napkins. To decorate the room, they prefer palms, fragrant jasmine plants and fruit trees. Balloon
Artist Peggy Alperin We find that balloons are more popular than flowers for Bar /Bat Mitzvahs. We do floral arrangements for the bimas, but more customers are opting for plants, which can be taken home or donated after the event. We encourage families to donate the pieces after the event as a mitzvah project. Latex balloons can no longer go to hospitals because some children are allergic to them, however we work with several local nursing homes that use the pieces to brighten up the main areas for the elderly, who don’t often get a lot brightness in their lives. We love to be creative. When someone comes in with a new idea, they get the best out of us. We recently did an Israeli-themed Bar Mitzvah at Temple Beth Shalom in Peabody. We created a backdrop of the Western Wall and decorated the room with palm trees and a four foot-tall stuffed camel. We also did a nautical-themed Bar Mitzvah at Temple Emmanuel in Marblehead for a boy who was into sailing. We created an “Old Man and the Sea” balloon sculpture for that event. The tropical theme is popular. And sports is always in, for girls as well as boys. For Red Sox fans, we have props like Fenway’s Green Monster complete with a flashing Citgo sign. “Greeters” are big. These are lifesize cut outs of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child made out of foam board. People use them as a sign-in board, or place them at the entrance of dining room. Sometimes we’ll do two poses of the same child with an arch of balloons between them. We also make festive family tree greeters that have photographs of relatives dangling from it. For centerpieces, we have designed cut out pictures of relatives that people can keep afterwards. A lot of people are using their centerpieces as a mitzvah project. We did one party where the centerpieces were made out of sports equipment which was later donated to a youth group. We did another where the centerpieces were usable colanders filled with healthy junk food that was donated to the Newton Food Pantry. I have done three Bar Mitzvahs of my own and know that people always remember what the room looked like. When you look back at the pictures of your simcha, you have wonderful memories.
Arts & Entertainment‘Three Swingin’ Tenors’ to Highlight Emanu-El CabaretMARK
ARNOLD
The event is the latest in a series that raised money for the temple by bringing some of the finest jazz groups to the area in a forum known for its crowd-pleasing musicianship. This one should be no exception. The group, brought together by Alessi, will bring their unique musical interpretations to the Great American Songbook. All three are veteran vocal performers, on their own and with jazz bands. Curiously, they all started out playing drums. Jim Porcella, who grew up in Medford and studied at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, has recorded seven critically acclaimed CDs and performed in jazz and cabaret settings in the Northeast, London, San Francisco, the Virgin Islands and Vancouver. He has been featured vocalist at Boston’s Ritz Carlton and the legendary Bay Tower Room. He leads a swing band, Bombay Jim and the Swinging Sapphires, and is lead vocalist in PrimaVera!, a tribute show to the music of Louis Prima and | ||||