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JRC May Go Non-Kosher

MARK ARNOLD
Jewish Journal Staff

The Jewish Rehabilitation Center (JRC) in Swampscott may be dropping its long-standing rule that all food served on the premises be kosher. Its Board of Directors, meeting on January 22, authorized the JRC officers to decide the issue, probably within a few days.

“We are contemplating going non-kosher,” a spokesperson told the Journal January 28. “The decision will be made in the next week or so.” He added that one option being explored is to provide non-kosher food to most residents but offer kosher food to those residents who want it.

“It would be tough to do both logistically,” he said, “but we’ll do our best to provide a kosher option if we do make the change.”
The decision, which could save $100,000 a year, is based on a food service survey of long-term residents and their families, which found that remaining a kosher facility is no longer important to most of them. “We’re working to meet the needs of a changing population,” said a JRC official. “To most residents, it (remaining kosher) is not a high priority.”

The JRC serves 180 residents; 160 of them are in long-term care, the rest in short-term rehabilitation. About 75 per cent of the long-term residents are Jewish. When asked to rate the importance of various aspects of food service, “the overwhelming majority said remaining kosher was not important to them, and quite a few said they preferred non-kosher food,” said the official. “People want high quality and more variety in their food — that’s what’s important now.”

He added that the decision will not diminish the JRC’s commitment to Jewish cultural programming. “We’ll provide the same Jewish programs as before,” he said, “and that means brisket and matzah- ball soup, among other things. They just may not be kosher.”
A decision to go non-kosher at the JRC won’t affect the food at Woodbridge House, an assisted-living facility serving 80 residents in Peabody, which is run by the JRC. That will remain kosher in any case, the spokesperson emphasized.

It is expected that a decision to change the food rules at the JRC will be protested by the families of some long-term residents. One family member, who contacted the Journal to discuss the situation, said going non-kosher “will make life difficult” for his loved ones at the JRC because they don’t eat non-kosher food. This person, who declined to allow his name to be used, added that he believes “many of the people who give generous donations to the JRC will not be happy” if the facility changes its food orientation. “They give because it’s one kind of institution, and then it becomes another,” he said.

It costs roughly $5 more to serve a kosher meal than a non-kosher meal in a nursing home, according to an analysis by Coolidge House in Brookline. Until last year, under its Medicaid reimbursement schedule, Massachusetts maintained a “kosher differential,” providing higher subsidies to the eight kosher nursing homes in the state to offset the added cost of keeping kosher. The state legislature ended the subsidy in a cost-cutting effort. Coolidge House led an unsuccessful fight in 2003 to restore the reimbursement differential. When the subsidy ended, the Brookline facility announced it would go non-kosher, but the announcement was roundly criticized and the nursing home has not yet implemented the change.

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Have a Heart
Cardiac Risk Reduction Programs Help Patients Regain Health

SUSAN JACOBS
Jewish Journal Staff

SALEM— Stan Lefky (not his real name) was rushed to Salem Hospital in March of 2002 because he couldn’t breathe and had severe chest pains. The 49-year-old account executive for a Boston-based financial services firm smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and ate a fair share of fast food, which tends to be high in cholesterol and sodium. He had high blood pressure, which he claimed was the result of a stressful divorce and custody battle with his ex-wife. He was about 30 lbs. overweight, and his blood cholesterol level hovered at a dangerously high 296.

Today, Lefky is on the road to recovery. His heart condition has stabilized and he is learning how to live a healthier life, thanks to the Heart & Wellness Center’s Learning to Live program at Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital, which is associated with Salem Hospital. Hundreds of patients like Lefky, who either have heart disease or are at high risk for developing it, are participating in similar programs at other North Shore hospitals.

An estimated 1.5 million Americans suffer heart attacks each year, and heart disease is the leading killer in the United States today. Numerous studies indicate that many of the risk factors for heart disease can be eliminated or controlled via positive lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, improving diet, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and beginning an exercise program. However, breaking old habits and learning new ways of living can be challenging. The comprehensive programs offered at some local hospitals provide education and encouragement to help patients in their quest toward healthier living.

“We don’t take an authoritative stand because we have learned that that isn’t how people modify their behavior,” explains Nancy McCleary, Clinical Director of the Heart & Wellness Center. “They have to change from within themselves. Our program structure enables us to create a precise plan tailored to the individual health needs of each patient. We encourage clients to set their own goals, and we help them reach those goals. We give them confidence in their ability to make positive long-term changes in their health, and help them to become their own best doctors to monitor and maintain their conditions.”

McCleary, an R.N. who worked in cardiac surgery at Mass. General, joined the North Shore Heart & Wellness team in 1990. She and Sandy Skinner, the R.N. who initiated the program in 1988 and today is Program Director, work closely with a committed group of cardiovascular nurse clinicians, cardiologists, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and a consulting psychologist.

Clients are usually referred to the Heart & Wellness program by their physicians, and since the program helps keep people out of the hospital, insurance generally covers the cost. Before beginning, participants are carefully screened. They have complete blood work-ups, undergo an exercise tolerance (stress) test, and have their body fat and body mass measured. The numbers serve as a starting baseline and enable the clinicians to devise personalized programs for each patient.

The patients are divided into groups of 8-15 people, and the groups meet weekly over a period of months. Each 2-1/2 hour session includes one 1/2 hour of individualized assessment, one hour of aerobic exercise (biking, rowing or walking in the fully-equipped gym, followed by light weight training), and one hour of educational classes, which might focus on heart-healthy dietary instruction, weight control strategies, stress management or relaxation/meditation techniques. Patients are also encouraged to take advantage of the many wellness/prevention classes offered, including smoking cessation, danskinetics, yoga and vegetarian cooking. Progress is carefully measured and monitored.

Several years ago, Sandy Skinner and Dr. Andrew Kemper of the Heart & Wellness Center were invited to present outcome data at an American Heart Association meeting. Some of the most impressive statistics regarding patients who had participated in the program for one year were an average 16 percent reduction in cholesterol, an average blood pressure reduction of 12-13 points, and an average weight loss of 10 lbs. The Center just received a grant to collect and study five-year data on patients. The staff is confident that such analysis will underscore the long-term success of the program.

A Holistic Approach
In November, Beverly Hospital unveiled the Lifestyle Management Institute at its Hunt Center in Danvers. This state-of-the-art facility provides coordinated, customized and comprehensive programs for those who have, or are at risk for, chronic health problems such as heart disease, diabetes or osteoporosis. In addition to Dr. Robert Rokowski, chief of cardiology services at Beverly and Addison Gilbert hospitals and the Institute’s Medical Director, the interdisciplinary team of specialists includes nurses, exercise physiologists, dieticians, certified diabetes educators, behavioral health specialists, respiratory therapists, social workers, pharmacists and complementary medicine practitioners.

The Lifestyle Management Institute’s holistic-based program offers complementary, non-pharmacological therapies such as massage, yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and Reiki. The Institute’s founder and director, Patricia “Pattie” Grady, R.N., hopes that the facility will serve as the central axis point for traditional and complementary therapies.

“The Lifestyle Management Institute’s approach is to bring a full range of services to the community, including risk assessment, prevention education, diagnostic testing, coordinated medical treatment and continuous monitoring. We have a highly competent core of compassionate and committed clinicians that offer prevention and disease management services for patients, families and the community at large,” she says.

Patients can receive care and counseling for a wide range of chronic diseases and conditions. In addition to risk assessments for heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis, the Institute also performs risk assessments for depression and skin cancer. “We want to help people understand what risks they may have for a disease state, and we want to provide education to help them pro-actively manage their health,” says Grady.

Beverly Hospital is on the cutting edge of health management technology. A telemedicine program unveiled in July of 2003 allows clinicians to conduct “virtual visits” with elderly patients with heart disease or other chronic illnesses who find it physically challenging to get to the hospital. The 12-month pilot program, which will hopefully be expanded, operates in conjunction with North Shore Elder Services.
The telemedicine system connects to the patient’s telephone and features live audio and video components. It contains a stethoscope and other medical peripherals that may include a blood pressure meter, electrocardiogram, scale, glucose measurement or pulse oximeter. The system allows the hospital to conduct complete, real-time “virtual vists” with patients. Clinicians can gather both objective and subjective information from patients to assess and monitor their particular conditions. If a problem is identified, a nurse can intervene immediately, preventing a worsening condition.

“Thanks to this system, we can not only conduct a complete assessment of our patients while they are at home, but we also have ample opportunity to reinforce education and gauge compliance,” says Grady.

Since opening in November, Grady says that 169 patients have enrolled in the Lifestyle Management Institute’s cardio and/or pulmonary care programs, and estimates that more than 500 from as far away as Saugus, Cape Ann and Topsfield have taken advantage of other services at the Institute. In addition, the Lifestyle Management Institute has sponsored several educational forums in the community. A recent Men’s Health Forum at the Peabody Marriott focussing on cardiac disease drew 122 men who participated in health screenings and received counseling about their risk for developing heart disease.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of disease on the North Shore,” admits Grady. “We see a high incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes is growing at an alarming rate, and we are seeing increasing incidence of asthma.” She notes that many of these conditions can be positively impacted by lifestyle changes that can be learned at the Institute. She stresses, however, that transformation takes time.
“We can see physiological results in cardiac patients in as little as four weeks,” says Grady, “but behavioral changes can take much longer. We ask each patient to sign a written commitment to a plan of care, which they have helped to design.

“We believe in prevention. Too many hospitals take care of diseases, but don’t focus on how to prevent them. Effective disease management using appropriate medical protocols reduces the number of hospital admissions and emergency room visits, shortens length of hospital stays and improves the overall health and quality of life for people with chronic illness,” concludes Grady.

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Linda Scott Out at Community Foundation

MARK ARNOLD
Jewish Journal Staff

In a cost-cutting move, the head of the Jewish Community Foundation of the North Shore is losing her job. Linda Scott, foundation director for the past two years, will leave the Foundation February 20 to make way for a part-time director, still to be chosen.

“In these challenging philanthropic times, we found the need and demand for a full-time director called into question,” said the January 26 announcement from Deborah M. Ponn, Chair of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore, Howard Rich, Foundation chair, and Merritt A. Mulman, Federation executive director. The three said Scott had “served the community with distinction.”

Officials said when the job was created, it was expected that growing revenues would finance the salary of a full-time executive director. In the meantime, the Federation has been paying her salary. Though net assets under management have grown from $3.6 million to more than $5 million during in the past three years, most of that money is in “donor-advised” funds — controlled by the donors — and thus not available, even in part, to pay operational expenses.

“There are not enough assets under management available to support” her position, Mulman told the Journal. The job is being redesigned to be handled by a part-timer, he added. Scott said she hopes to spend the weeks before she leaves “making things as strong as I can” for her successor. Her future plans are uncertain.

Officials said the foundation remains as committed as ever to developing financial resources to support and promote Jewish life on the North Shore, in Israel, and around the world through planned giving and endowments.

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Experts Offer Real Skinny on Diet and Exercise for Youth

GARY BAND

Jewish Journal Staff

As this winter season continues to keep many people indoors and less active than usual, stories about diet and exercise are being reported in myriad media outlets. From ABC News with Peter Jennings to the British Broadcasting Company, all report a trend toward unhealthier lifestyles and the consequences — physical, mental and monetary — thereof.

Unhappy with the quality of coverage and hoping to stem the tide of these lifelong conditions related to poor health choices, in her eleventh book, Underage and Overweight: America’s Childhood Obesity Crisis—What Every Family Needs to Know (Hatherleigh Press, 2004), nutritionist and professor Frances M. Berg, MS, LN outlines the causes and solutions to this widespread epidemic.

“Fifteen percent of American children [ages 6-19] are overweight,” Berg writes. “Three times as many as only 30 years ago — and another 15 percent are at risk for overweight. They are at risk for obesity and its associated health problems ... size prejudice, body hatred and severe nutrient deficiencies.”

Speaking from her office at the University of North Dakota Medical School where she is an adjunct professor, Berg dismisses the multitude of diet programs from Atkins to South Beach.

“I read about one weight loss miracle after another, but these diets are not working.” Instead, she says that “prevention is the best answer,” and that “people should focus on health instead of weight.” She goes on to say that the reporting on these diets “repeats all the half-truths and never questions what happens in the long run.”

Berg, also editor of the Healthy Weight Journal for the last 20 years, says that she hopes her book will “help parents help their kids to develop a healthy lifestyle for the long term.”

She says while one’s weight has a good deal to do with genetics, the rise in adolescent obesity can be traced to four major factors: an increase in screen time (TV, computers, video games) and less physical activity; decreased family meal time; overconsumption of fast food; and the availability of snack foods at schools.

"Vending machines in elementary and high schools are a big thing,” Berg says. “While it’s lucrative for the schools, is this really what we want our schools to be providing? Studies show that kids who eat proper lunches are better off.”

As for decreased activity, Berg advises parents to find ways for kids to be more active. “TVs should be taken out of kids’ rooms and screen time should be limited to two hours,” she says. And while exercise is important, Berg says parents need not go overboard scheduling exercise sessions, but that “physical activity should be worked into the family lifestyle so it seems normal and natural. Kids love to be active, but if you let them sit around they will.”

Berg describes what she calls the “death of family meal time” as “unfortunate,” suggesting that meals taken together as a family, without the television on, is critical to good health and nutrition. She advises parents not to force their kids to eat more than they want, but to get everyone to the table, serve healthy foods and portion sizes, and allow kids to choose what they want to eat.

“If parents set a good example, then children will follow. It’s not about making them eat their brussel sprouts if they want to, but providing healthy foods and empowering them to make good choices.”

Berg says that the more sweets and fast food kids eat, the more they develop a taste for it. There’s nothing wrong with a cheeseburger and candy every once in a while, but when the whole day diet is comprised of that, kids fill up before they get enough nutrition.”
Breakfast, as they say, is the most important meal. “If kids eat protein (eggs, peanut butter, a slice of deli meat, etc.) in the morning that will carry them over to lunch and avoid the temptation to snack; but sugar cereals won’t.”

Berg further advises parents that if a child is overweight, they need to avoid making critical statements. “The best advice we can give people is to consider how to be healthy at the size you are, live actively, eat well and feel good about yourself and others.”

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Jews to Fight Gay Marriage Amendment

MATTHEW E. BERGER

WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Bush has thrown down the gauntlet on the issue of gay marriage, and many Jewish groups are lining up for the fight.

As part of his State of the Union address last week, Bush suggested support for a constitutional amendment codifying marriage as a union only between a man and a woman. The call came after jurists Bush described as “activist judges” ruled that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry.

“On an issue of such great consequence, the people’s voice must be heard,” Bush said. “If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.”
The issue was put on the front burner by a Massachusetts court ruling in November. Under the state constitution, the ruling said, gay couples have the right to wed.

The developments are coupled with election-year politics in which Bush is appealing to his conservative base by proposing a $1 billion initiative to promote heterosexual marriage.

Among the major American organized religions, Judaism is one of the more progressive when it comes to issues of homosexuality.
The Reform movement, which welcomes gay clergy, determined in 2000 that gay unions were “worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish ritual.”

The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism’s Committee on Law and Standards is expected to begin debate this year on issues relating to the status of homosexuals. Though it will not specifically discuss gay marriage or the ordination of gay rabbis, the debate is considered the first step in that process.

The Orthodox and more traditional Jewish denominations see no room for debate on the religious prohibition against homosexuality.
Many Jewish groups have supported the Massachusetts decision. The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston earlier this month urged the state government to pass laws accepting same-sex marriage, in keeping with the court ruling.

Many Jewish groups opposed the Defense of Marriage Act, which President Clinton signed in 1996, and Jewish leaders suggested that they would play a large role in opposing a similar constitutional amendment.

“Our position has been that we support efforts to extend all rights of civil marriage to couples in domestic partnerships,” said Steve Freedman, director of legal affairs for the Anti-Defamation League, using a term often used to describe gay unions.

The National Council of Jewish Women has filed briefs in support of gay marriage in several court cases. The group suggests that civil unions, a legal status that gives domestic partners some legal rights, would not be sufficient.

“Gay and lesbian couples in this country are forming partnerships, having children and creating families and will continue to do so,” the group’s board of directors said in an October 2003 statement. “To deny couples in these committed relationships the same legal benefits accorded spouses in heterosexual marriages is prejudicial, counterproductive and morally offensive.”

David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said he believed several mainline Christian groups would join civil-rights and civil-liberties organizations in fighting an amendment.

Many groups do not know exactly what position they will take because an amendment has yet to be introduced.
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America supports an amendment. Nathan Diament, director of the O.U.’s Institute for Public Affairs, said he agrees with President Bush that litigation is thrusting the issue to the forefront.

“There is a huge issue of immense social implications,” Diament said. “It requires a great deal of debate.”

Diament said he was unsure how much time or effort the Orthodox Union and other Orthodox groups would expend in support of a constitutional amendment.

The issue is likely to stay in the public eye for a while. A constitutional amendment requires the support of three-fourths of the 50 state legislatures, a lengthy process.

Saperstein said the amendment proposal could benefit gay rights. He likened it to the push in the 1970s for an Equal Rights Amendment.
While that amendment never passed, the debate changed the mind-set of many people, Saperstein said.

“I hate to see this amendment go forward,” he said. “But if it does, I think it would be a debate that makes America a better country and improves the situation for gays and lesbians.’’

Sharon Mired in Scandal

DAN BARON

TEL AVIV (JTA) — Ariel Sharon’s two sons, Gilad and Omri, have been an inseparable feature of his political career, serving as counselors and secret emissaries for the Israeli prime minister.

Now those family ties could cost Sharon his job.

After a year of leaks and speculation, the Justice Ministry on January 21 charged David Appel, a property developer and Likud Party stalwart, with bribing Gilad Sharon to help secure a deal to buy a Greek island to develop a tourist resort.

The alleged payoff and its timing — payments in the late 1990s that may have been as much as $3 million — led prosecutors to wonder whether Ariel Sharon, then foreign minister, helped Appel with the island deal to repay the alleged largesse to Sharon’s son, or whether even Sharon himself benefited from the money in his 1999 race for the Likud Party leadership.

Sharon and Appel have denied any wrongdoing in the case.

Justice Minister Yosef “Tommy” Lapid emphasized that the charges filed against Appel do not implicate Sharon or Industry and Trade Minister Ehud Olmert — also named as an alleged bribery target — in any wrongdoing. But Israel’s Channel Two television quoted State Attorney Edna Arbel as saying that Sharon and his son could be charged within two weeks for taking bribes.

In any case, Israel’s political opposition smells blood.

“This is an earthquake,” Labor Party secretary-general Ofir Pines-Paz told reporters. “Sharon should have resigned long ago, and must do so now.”

Labor said it might seek a no-confidence vote in the governing coalition.

But sources in the Prime Minister’s Office said Sharon was going about his duties as usual.

“Arik will never quit,” a Sharon confidant told JTA, using Sharon’s nickname. “They have been seeking his head for decades, and he always came out on top. Those who want him out in his second term will see him go on into a third term.”

Israel’s next elections are scheduled for 2007.

A 75-year-old former war hero, Sharon has enjoyed broad popularity for his handling of the Palestinian intifada, now more than three years old.

But Sharon’s popularity has suffered from allegations of financial corruption connected to his family and party. Recent polls show that most Israelis would want Sharon to step down if misconduct is proven.

The charge, filed in Tel Aviv District Court, is the latest in a series of scandals surrounding the prime minister.

Omri and Gilad Sharon also are suspected of taking an illicit $1.5 million loan from a South African friend to use as collateral against contributions made to their father’s campaign chest in the 1999 Likud Party primaries.

Additionally, while Sharon was infrastructure minister in the 1990s, Appel is accused of seeking his help to get cut-rate development rights to government-controlled lands in central Israel.

Omri and Gilad Sharon have refused to cooperate with investigators, claiming their right to avoid self-incrimination. Twinned with the prime minister’s failure to publicly respond to the charges, some in Israel believe there are too many black sheep behind the high fences of the Sharon family ranch in southern Israel.

Critics of the prime minister, noting that the judicial process can take months or years, expressed concern that the scandal could taint Israel’s position in the international community and hamper its efforts to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians.

“I urge the prime minister to come out and give his version,” Labor leader Shimon Peres told Channel One television. “This is not a legal matter; it is a matter of statesmanship.’’

If Sharon and Olmert are indicted, early elections probably would be called and a succession frenzy likely would ensue in the Likud. Leading candidates to replace Sharon would be Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.

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New Peace Plans for the Mideast?

LESLIEW SUSSER

JERUSALEM (JTA) — With the U.S.-led “road map” plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace stalled, Middle East leaders are looking at alternatives to get a peace process moving again.

In Israel, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants to use a visit to Washington next month to discuss his contingency plan for unilateral Israeli separation from Palestinian-populated territory.
In Saudi Arabia, there are signs of a new plan to make peace between Israel and the entire Arab world based upon territorial concessions and an agreement in which Palestinian refugees would be resettled in a newly created Palestinian state and other Arab countries, not Israel. Turkey has offered to mediate between Israel and Syria, and between Israel and the Palestinians. Egypt still is working on an Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire.

The United States exerted unprecedented pressure on the Palestinian Authority to unite its armed forces.

And outside of the Middle East, members of the “Quartet” — the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations — are trying to resuscitate the moribund road map but are ready to listen to new ideas.

The question remains, however, whether any of these new initiatives actually can work.

Israeli officials are skeptical. Sharon is convinced that the current Palestinian leadership — in which Ahmed Qurei is the Palestinian Authority prime minister but Yasser Arafat, the P.A. president, really pulls the strings — will not be able to take the road map any further.

Sharon argues that the Palestinians will not fight terrorism and therefore fail to create the necessary conditions for peace negotiations.
The Americans agree, but they have problems of their own with Sharon, whom they suspect may be planning to annex large swathes of West Bank territory.

Last week, Sharon sent his bureau chief, Dov Weisglass, to Washington to persuade the Bush administration that he has no such designs. Weisglass told President Bush’s national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, that Israel intended to leave all territorial questions open for negotiations, which could start whenever the Palestinians were ready to stop the violence and start talking.
Indeed, he said, Israel hopes that once it redeploys behind the security fence it is constructing in the West Bank, it will be able to provide the security against terror the Palestinians so far have been reluctant to do.

If successful, then, the fence actually could create the peace and quiet essential for successful negotiations, Weisglass said.
By most counts, the Americans remain skeptical. They’re afraid Sharon’s unilateral moves will further alienate the Palestinians, not help the cause of negotiations.

Sharon will have to work hard next month to convince Bush that his unilateral moves will not compromise the president’s vision of two states for two peoples.

The new Saudi plan, which so far has been reported only in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Siyasa, goes further. According to the report, all Arab states would normalize relations with Israel, including exchanging ambassadors, if Israel withdrew to its 1967 borders. That would mean leaving the West Bank, which was captured from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War; Gaza, which was captured from Egypt, and the Golan Heights, captured from Syria.

Additionally, two million Palestinian refugees would be absorbed in the new Palestinian state and two million more would be absorbed in the Arab states. Israel would not have to take any.

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah reportedly already has presented the plan to the State Department and aims to have it approved at the next Arab League summit, scheduled for March.

Israel would be hard-pressed to reject such an all-encompassing proposal, but it is unlikely that it would sail through the Arab League.
For one thing, the Palestinians are unlikely to waive their rights to have Palestinian refugees resettle in Israel proper. For another, the Arab states have never been eager to absorb Palestinian refugees.

Turkey’s offer of mediation has been welcomed by Syria, and neither Israel nor the Palestinians have rejected it. But though Turkey is particularly well placed to play an honest broker, being both a predominantly Muslim country and a close ally of Israel’s, Turkey does not carry the clout of a major power and could not replace the United States as the main mediating force.

Nevertheless, any successful Turkish diplomatic role would greatly enhance the country’s international prestige.

All the while, the Egyptians have not given up on their efforts to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians, which would include a year-long suspension of attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In exchange, Israel would be asked to suspend its policy of targeted killings and other pre-emptive military measures.

But Palestinian terrorist groups have shown little inclination to agree to a cease-fire — or adhere to one — and in any case a cease-fire would not suffice for the Americans and the British.

They are insisting on a detailed Palestinian security plan as a basis for taking the road map forward. That position was made clear by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in early January and will be reiterated by special U.S. peace envoys John Wolf and David Satterfield, due in the Middle East this week.

Israeli officials describe the envoys’ mission as “maintenance,’’ and say it is not expected to trigger a renewal of peace talks. Indeed, in an American election year, the Israelis do not expect heavy U.S. involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian process.

At this point, Israel is staying cautious on all fronts. It has not taken seriously Syrian overtures to return to the negotiating table — which some Israeli officials have called public-relations ploys — and is not jumping at the chance to use Turkey as a mediator.

The Jewish state still is waiting for the Palestinians to crack down on terrorism, and there has been no official reaction from Jerusalem on the reports of the Saudi plan.

But pundits and opposition leaders are beginning to ask if the government is being unduly cautious, missing chances for a dramatic transformation of its ties with the Arab world in a changing Middle East.

Much of the heightened activity on the peace front clearly is part of the domino effect of the U.S. presence in Iraq.

Regional players are well aware that the U.S. ultimately wants to achieve peace in the Middle East, and autocratic Arab states want to show Washington that they are on the right side of the war on terror to safeguard against becoming future targets of U.S. forces.

The Saudi, Egyptian and Syrian peace moves are intended, at least partly, to impress the United States. On that score, they are similar to Libyan and Iranian offers to scrap their nuclear-weapons programs.

The dilemma Israel faces is not simple: Should they exploit this new Arab willingness to talk peacemaking — and risk giving the Arabs easy diplomatic gains without any tangible peace results? Or, should they put off peacemaking on the assumption that waiting will improve their bargaining position with the Arabs, who will be inclined to offer even more the longer they are ignored by Washington?

For the time being, it seems, Israel will wait and see.

Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report.

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People in the News

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JTA News Briefs

Kerry: Israel Lacks Partner
WASHINGTON (JTA) — John Kerry says that Israel does not have a negotiating partner right now. The Massachusetts senator and front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president said Monday that Hamas predominates on the Palestinian street, depriving Israel of a credible partner. “It’s very difficult for Israel to negotiate because in Israel there is nobody to negotiate with — to actually deliver,” Kerry said. In an article widely circulated in the Jewish community, Ha’aretz misquoted Kerry as saying that it is Israel’s government that “lacks the goods” to negotiate. Kerry also said that as president he would reinforce the Palestinian Authority in order to undermine Hamas.

Journalist Sorry for ‘Jew’ Gaffe
NEW YORK (JTA) — A CNN anchorman apologized to Sen. Joseph Lieberman for asking him to answer a question “as a Jew.” “Senator, as a Jew, do you believe the construction of the security wall in Israel is the right path to peace?” Bill Hemmer asked Lieberman last Friday. The Connecticut Democrat and presidential candidate told Hemmer the question was “inappropriate” and said he would answer the question “as an American who happens to be Jewish.” Hemmer later called Lieberman’s campaign to apologize, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Argentine Jews Staying Put
BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — The number of Argentine Jews who moved to Israel declined sharply last year. The Israeli government released a report showing 1,400 Argentines made aliyah during 2003, a 77 percent decrease from 2002, when 6,300 Argentines moved to Israel. The decline is believed to be due to improving economic conditions in Argentina.

Israel Holds anti-Semitism Day
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel held its first national day against global anti-Semitism. The day, chosen to be held Tuesday to coincide with annual European commemorations of the Holocaust, was marked with a special session of the Knesset and a seminar for Israeli and Diaspora youth at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. Natan Sharansky, minister of Jerusalem and Diaspora affairs, launched the day in a meeting with army officers, where he discussed the resurgence of global anti-Semitism.

Victims of Nazi Experiments Compensated
NEW YORK (JTA) — Starting this week, 1,778 victims of Nazi medical experiments will get one-time compensation payments from Germany. The Claims Conference identified the victims who, under an agreement with the German government, will receive payments of about $5,400 each. Under Nazi rule, German doctors and scientists conducted experiments on Jews including sterilization, amputation of limbs, organ removal, infusion of infectious diseases, immersion in ice water and the infamous experiments on twins. Most experiments tested how much pain, torture or disease human beings could endure before dying, so the vast majority of experiment subjects were killed. “For survivors, it is a day of muted triumph,” said Roman Kent, chairman of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, at the news conference in New York announcing the awards.

Senate Passes Spending Bill
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. Senate agreed to a spending bill that cut close to $150 million from the annual allocation to Israel. The Senate passed the omnibus spending bill Jan. 22 with a 0.59 percent across-the-board cut, as the House did last year. That reduces the $2.6 billion in military and economic aid Israel was to receive this year by $150 million. The spending bill also has more than $10 million in appropriations for Jewish community projects. President Bush is likely to sign the spending package.

Israel Releases Prisoner List
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel published the names of 436 security prisoners due for release under a deal with Hezbollah. The list was published to give Israeli terror victims a chance to appeal against any of the releases before the swap takes place later this week. Israel is slated to receive businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers in return for the prisoners. The Prisons Service Web site on Tuesday listed the names of 400 Palestinians, 23 Lebanese, 12 prisoners from other Arab countries, and a German jailed for coming to Israel on a Hezbollah suicide mission.

U.S. to Syria: Dump Hezbollah
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Syria must end its support for Hezbollah or face punitive sanctions, a State
Department official said. The official emphasized that Syria must show it has cut ties to such groups by mid-year or face sanctions under the Syria Accountability Act. “We’ve been clear with President Assad that we’re seeking a Syrian shift regarding its support for Hezbollah,” the official told JTA. “I would hope that the Syrians would understand that any support for Hezbollah is a destabilizing influence.’’

Sudan Backing Aliyah?
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Sudanese officials reportedly agreed to help Israel bring some 18,000 Falash Mura to Israel. The Sudanese will help bring the Ethiopians, who claim Jewish ancestry and practice a brand of Orthodox Judaism, to Israel via Khartoum. The agreement reportedly came in a meeting between Israeli and Sudanese officials in Khartoum, the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Seyassah reported Friday, according to the Jerusalem Post. Israel does not have diplomatic ties with Sudan, but the alleged rapprochement was the result of a condition set by the United States in return for helping to resolve the Sudanese dispute between north and south, the paper quoted European officials as saying.

Ilan Ramon’s Diary Found
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The diary that Israeli astronaut Col. Ilan Ramon kept on the doomed Space Shuttle Columbia mission surfaced. A Native American tracker discovered fragments of paper from Ramon’s diary in Texas months ago, and NASA officials sent the items to Ramon’s widow, the Jerusalem Post reported. Rona Ramon, in turn, gave the badly damaged documents to Israeli police forensics specialists to decipher. Israel’s Channel Two television will broadcast a documentary about the diary on the first anniversary of the Columbia disaster this Monday.

Jewish Groups Trash Jesus Movie
NEW YORK (JTA) — Two leading Jewish groups gave a thumbs-down to Mel Gibson’s new movie about Jesus’ death. Officials of the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee who saw the film at separate screenings said it echoed centuries-old charges that the Jews were behind the crucifixion. “At every single opportunity, Gibson’s film reinforces the notion that the Jewish authorities and the Jewish mob are the ones ultimately responsible for the crucifixion,” ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said. David Elcott, director of interreligious affairs for the AJCommittee, said the movie offers an “ugly” vision of Jews and “reasserts offensive stereotypes about Jews that Catholic and Protestant leaders have overwhelmingly rejected.”

Date Set for anti-Semitism Parley
NEW YORK (JTA) — A European conference on anti-Semitism has been set for Feb. 19. The European Commission, which temporarily canceled the meeting after Jewish leaders accused it of anti-Semitism, announced Friday that the conference will e held in Brussels on Feb. 19. A European Union spokesman said Friday that European Commission President Romano Prodi and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer will address the conference, to which Jewish, Muslim and other figures will be invited. The seminar was organized in response to a rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe since the Palestinian intifada began.

Cheney: Terrorism Hinders Palestinians
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Vice President Dick Cheney said Palestinians will achieve statehood only after they renounce terrorism. “We support a viable, independent Palestinian state,” Cheney told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Saturday. ”But peace will not be achieved by Palestinian rulers who intimidate opposition, tolerate and profit from corruption and maintain ties to terrorist groups.” Cheney also rejected a proposal by Israeli Labor Party leader Shimon Peres that the United States guarantee future Israel-Palestinian borders. “The prospect of guaranteeing borders strikes me as sort of a traditional concept for a traditional conflict, and we haven’t really had a traditional conflict there,” Cheney said. “The problem, of course, has been in large part generated by terrorism, suicide bombings and so forth.”

Top Attorney Named
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Ariel Sharon was absent from a vote confirming Israel’s new attorney general, who will decide whether to indict Sharon. Menachem Mazouz, who was approved by the Cabinet on Sunday, succeeds Elyakim Rubinstein as attorney general. The changeover comes amid a corruption scandal that threatens the prime minister. A businessman friend of Sharon has been charged with trying to bribe Sharon’s sons when Sharon was foreign minister. State Attorney Edna Arbel said the prime minister himself could be indicted as early as next month, but Mazouz would have a veto option. Sources close to Sharon said he decided to recuse himself from the vote on Mazouz’s appointment to avoid the appearance of any impropriety. Trade and Industry Minister Ehud Olmert, who also is implicated in the case, recused himself from the vote as well.

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On Israel and the Separation of Church and State

SEN. JOHN KERRY

EDITOR’S NOTE: JTA asked the major candidates of both parties to write an essay for Jewish voters, broadly addressing two issues: the prospects for peace in the Middle East, and separation of church and state at home, with an emphasis on school vouchers and faith-based initiatives. Future issues will carry statements by other candidates.

For 55 years, support of the State of Israel has been a central keystone of American foreign policy. We cannot neglect our indispensable role in the search for peace in the most volatile region of the world.

But the Bush Administration’s lurching from episodic involvement to recurrent disengagement has jeopardized the security of Israel, encouraged Palestinian extremists and undermined our own long-term national interests.

Leaders of good will on both sides, private citizens, and public officials are working to advance the peace process.

The recent effort by former officials of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to lay out a possible agreement on final-status issues demonstrates that they understand that it may be easier to break the stalemate and end the violence fostered by extremists if the endgame is the focus, not the steps leading up to it.

In the first days of a Kerry administration, I will appoint a presidential ambassador to the peace process who will report directly to me and the Secretary of State — and who will work day to day to move the process forward and make an early assessment of how to build on areas of agreement and disagreement.

The envoy that I will appoint will have the confidence and ability to speak with all parties. After my trip to the Middle East in early 2002, I publicly suggested that President Clinton would be a superb choice for this position, and I continue to believe that.

I will also work to hold the Saudis accountable for their continued reluctance to aggressively root out terrorism in the Middle East. America cannot afford to be indifferent to a country whose actions often speak louder than its words when it comes to fighting terrorism.

Saudi Arabia’s support for Islamic extremism is well known. And while Saudi officials and spokesmen have said repeatedly that the Saudi government is opposed to every form of terrorism, the Saudi regime openly and enthusiastically supports Hamas. The Saudis cannot pick and choose among terrorist groups, approving some while claiming to oppose others.

One would think that a president who threatens the world by announcing “you’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists’’ would be particularly troubled by the actions of the Saudi regime. But then one would be underestimating the hypocrisy that has become the hallmark of the Bush Administration.

It’s time to put the U.S.-Saudi relationship on a frank and balanced basis.

Forging a stable and lasting peace in the Middle East is vital to American national security, to the security of Israel and other countries in the region, and to the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a viable Palestinian state.

It is also an essential part of winning the war on terror. The United States must actively engage in the peace process — keeping both sides focused on the endgame of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security — and helping them take the necessary steps to build enough confidence and trust in each other to get there.

Israel’s very survival in a hostile and dangerous region has always been predicated on the steadfast, unwavering and full support of the United States. In my administration, America’s commitment to Israel will never waiver.

I will vigorously protect the separation of church and state. Diversity, freedom of choice and freedom of religion are among the defining characteristics of our nation. I believe we can be people of faith while respecting the principles that are enshrined in our Constitution.

Faith-based organizations make great contributions to social-service programs. However, I am wary of any direct funding of religious organizations by the federal government without constitutional safeguards and protections, such as ensuring that government funding is not used for proselytizing.

And I oppose any initiatives that allow federally funded programs to discriminate based on religion when making hiring decisions. I believe the government can find ways to support the efforts of faith-based organizations without running afoul of the Constitution.

I do not support private school vouchers. I understand the frustration that some parents must feel. But I do not believe that providing government funding to private educational programs is the answer.

As president, I will do everything I can to support public schools and promote greater public-school choice. I will never resort to gimmicks that undermine public schools and threaten the separation between church and state.

It is critical to have an administration that honors the line of separation between church and state. Unfortunately, the Bush administration has worked aggressively to trample this line, putting one of our fundamental freedoms at risk. I will restore the separation that we cherish as Americans.

John Kerry represents Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate.

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Rabbi’s Daughters Design Clothing To Kvell Over

SUSAN JACOBS
Jewish Journal Staff

Who knew the “Bubelehs” had such “Chutzpah?” Or that their “Schmatahs” would be so popular that Hollywood stars are snapping them up faster than you can say, “Oy Vey?” The Rabbi’s Daughters admit that response to their clothes emblazoned with Yiddish sayings has been overwhelming.

The Los Angeles trio of sisters emphasize that it’s not just Jews who are gobbling up their 100% cotton tee shirts, tank tops, long-sleeved shirts and panties. Non-Jews are going “Meshuggenah” over “Goy Toy” and “Shmoozer,” and fashion-forward celebrities such as Madonna, Christina Aguilera and Kelly Osbourne have been seen sporting “Shiksa” shirts.

“It’s becoming hip and trendy to wear Yiddish,” remarks the youngest sister, Daniella Zax, who has worked in the fashion industry for 10 years. “When I’m out wearing one of our shirts, people smile at me and stop me on the street. Jews as well as non-Jews find the language fun. ”

Daniella, 32, and older sisters Nina Bush, 37, and Myla Fraser, 34, grew up hearing Yiddish in their home. Their Polish-born “Mamaleh” Hannah King, who speaks several languages fluently, would talk to her parents in Yiddish.

And their father, Jerry Cutler, truly is a rabbi at the Creative Arts Temple in Los Angeles. (hence the name, the Rabbi’s Daughters.)
The three sisters say they’ve always wanted to work together. The dream became a reality in the summer of 2003 when they came up with the idea of a line of Yiddish tops. In a matter of months, they were in business.

Although they don’t sell direct to customers, they are intimately involved with the design, manufacture and wholesale distribution of their merchandise. In addition to the above-mentioned phrases, they also sell shirts that read, “Kish Mir in Tuchis,” “Zaftig,” “Yenta,” “Maven,” and “Kvetch.” Adult shirts are available in black or white, in sizes small to extra large. The children’s shirts (pink “Shayna Punim” or blue “Mini Mensch”) are available in sizes from 3-24 months.

Individuals who want to purchase products can visit the sisters’ website at www.rabbisdaughters.com to learn whether a nearby store stocks the line. Currently, the closest shop to the North Shore is Ceri at 300 Boylston St. in Chestnut Hill. Many of the items can also be ordered online from www.shopintuition.com/Rabbis Daughters (or call toll free 877-310-8442.)

Although retail prices can vary, the tee shirts and tank tops generally sell for $36, the long-sleeved shirts cost $40, the children’s shirts go for $24, and the “Tush” panties (designed for women) are priced at $18.
In the upcoming months, the Rabbi’s Daughters will unveil their spring collection featuring new designs, styles and words. Daniella hints that they will introduce a men’s line that will include a tee shirt with a word specially-designed with their father in mind — “Mensch.”

While some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, others are choosing their favorite Yiddish sayings. And as the Rabbi’s Daughters, father might add, “Wear it in good health.”

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Key Tax Strategy: Not What You Own But How You Own It

MARK SINGER
Special to the Jewish Journal

Mark Singer, CFP is a radio talk show host and President of Safe Harbor Retirement Planning, located on the Lynnway in Lynn. He can be reached toll free at (866) 55-RETIRE. Securities offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, member NASD/SIPC..

Bill Belichick has become known as a coaching genius for taking the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl. He has taken a team that does not have superstars to the very pinnacle of success.

Investors need to approach their financial planning in the same way Bill Belichick approaches winning championships. And if one of the goals is to reduce tax exposure, then investors need to understand how to devise the proper strategy to accomplish these goals.

1099s are an indication of the amount of investment income or dividends received for the previous year. This will be reported to the IRS and taxes will be owed. For many investors, this part of the game plan is not executed properly. You could have a number of superstars in your portfolio, but if they are not in the right place in the lineup you will not get the benefit of their superior performance.

Let’s take a look at a specific example. If you own a bond, or bond portfolio paying a tremendous yield, and you get a 1099 because of it, is this helping or hindering you? If you need the income to help you get by, then you will have to pay taxes on the income. However, if you are not in need of income and you still generate a 1099, then you will pay taxes unnecessarily. If you own the same bond or bond portfolio in a tax deferred account (like an IRA or 401k), then you will not generate a 1099 and not pay taxes on that money.

It is not the investments you own that is important — it is how you own them. Getting back to the Patriots, they had Tom Brady as one of their players, however, he was sitting on the bench. It was not until they actually made the tough decision to use him in the right position, as the starting quarterback instead of the backup, did they accomplish their objective.

In trying to accomplish your game plan of reducing taxes, then you need to position your investments accordingly. Whether your objective is growth, or your objective is income, you can position your assets in such a way to reduce the impact of taxes and potentially save thousands of dollars that would otherwise be earmarked for taxes.

The Patriots have gained success by hiring Bill Belichick, and now have the right architect to plan their future. If your financial planner is properly executing the game plan by holding your assets in the right taxable or tax deferred accounts, then you are on your way to success. If not, it may be time to hire your own Bill Belichik.

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New FDR Book Gets It Wrong About the Holocaust

DR. RAFAEL MEDOFF

A new biography of Franklin Roosevelt is climbing the sales charts and getting rave reviews from the media, despite the fact that it severely distorts FDR’s record on the Holocaust.

Roosevelt’s response to the Nazi genocide has been well-documented by historians. He permitted only a small number of Jewish refugees to enter the United States, often leaving the existing immigration quotas as much as 90% unfilled. He almost never publicly mentioned Nazi atrocities against the Jews. He refused to pressure England to open Palestine to Jews fleeing the Holocaust. His administration rejected pleas to bomb the Auschwitz death camp in 1944, even though U.S. bombers were striking German oil factories less than five miles from the gas chambers.

But Conrad Black’s 1,280-page book, Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom, presents a kinder, gentler view of Roosevelt’s response to the Holocaust. Black’s book is a throwback to the days before researchers had seriously examined Roosevelt’s record on the Holocaust, when biographers of FDR used to routinely claim that he had done all that was possible to help the Jews in Europe.

Consider Black’s description of the events leading to the one meaningful step FDR did take against the Holocaust, the creation of the War Refugee Board. According to Black (p. 927), when Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. and his aides presented FDR (in January 1944) with a report about the Nazi genocide and the State Department’s secret obstruction of rescue opportunities, Roosevelt “agreed with most of what his visitors told him ... [and] the War Refugee Board was set up.” Roosevelt “was determined to act, initially by setting up refugee centers in the United States. He accepted 1,000 Jewish refugees from Italy and placed them in a camp in Oswego, NY, and announced his plan after the fact to the Congress.”
In other words, in Black’s version, as soon as Roosevelt learned the facts, he acted swiftly and courageously to save Jews from the Holocaust. Now here’s what really happened:

In the autumn of 1943, members of the Treasury Secretary’s staff discovered that the State Department had been sabotaging rescue opportunities and blocking the transmission of Holocaust information to the United States.
At the same time, pressure was building up in Congress for action on rescue. The maverick Jewish activists known as the Bergson group had organized a campaign of full-page newspaper ads and public rallies, culminating in the introduction of a Congressional resolution urging the creation of a U.S. government agency to rescue Jews from Hitler.

By January 1944, the resolution had been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was headed for adoption by the full Senate. Treasury staffers led by Josiah DuBois authored a searing 18-page report titled Report to the Secretary on the Acquiescence of This Government in the Murder of the Jews. Morgenthau sought to bring the report to the president, and convince him that “you have either got to move very fast, or the Congress of the United States will do it for you.” Ten months before election day, the last thing FDR wanted was a public scandal over the refugee issue.

He quickly agreed to do what the Congressional resolution requested, by creating the War Refugee Board.

The War Refugee Board was understaffed and underfinanced, but during the final 15 months of the war, it played a key role in numerous rescue initiatives, including facilitating and financing the life-saving work of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg in Budapest. All told, some 200,000 Jews were rescued thanks to the efforts of the War Refugee Board.

Black likewise distorts the record on the issue of America’s failure to bomb the death camps. Historians long ago demonstrated that the president received detailed information on the extent and nature of the Nazi genocide well before the spring of 1944, when the bombing idea was first considered.

Here and there, Black expresses disappointment with FDR’s Jewish policy, but he still manages to sugarcoat it.

And that is the central flaw of Conrad Black’s account of FDR and the Holocaust. Failing to see the forest for the trees, he exaggerates the significance of FDR’s few-and-far-between gestures and fails to fully come to grips with the fact that Roosevelt could have done so much more. In the end, as David S. Wyman wrote in his 1984 best-sellingThe Abandonment of the Jews, “the era’s most prominent symbol of humanitarianism turned away from one of history’s most compelling moral challenges.”

Dr. Rafael Medoff is director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies (www.WymanInstitute.org), a research and education institute focusing on America’s response to the Holocaust. .

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‘Virtual Rabbi’ Offers Help with Everyday Problems

MATTHEW S. ROBINSON

The Ten Commandments of Character: Essential Advice for Living an Honorable, Ethical, Honest Life, by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Bell Tower/Crown Publishing (crownpublishing. com), $25.

From the man who wrote the book on Jewish literacy (literally!) comes this new guide for modern menschlichkeit. Taken from letters Rabbi Telushkin received and responded to in his “Everyday Ethics” column on the popular website Beliefnet.com, this helpful book covers many of the elements involved in having what the rabbi calls “good character.” After defining his terms and offering general advice as to how one might attain such a lofty goal (e.g., being honest and grateful and exercising common sense), Telushkin and his virtual congregants discuss such topics as family, work, money, medical ethics and other everyday dilemmas.

From speaking about other people (is it better to be complimentary or honest?) to dealing with the infirm (should a person be allowed to die if he or she is painfully ill?) to supporting a nation without supporting everything its leaders do (is the war in Iraq “just”?), Telushkin covers a wide array of topics, many quite thoroughly. In some cases, in fact, he replies to comments made about his initial responses, continuing the discussion and leaving it open to even further interpretation. Though the book may be neither comprehensive nor indexed enough to serve as a quick reference for every situation, the Rabbi’s responses and explanations provide readers not only with images of themselves and their own issues, but also with insight and support for the larger trials of daily life..

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Editorial

Are All the Dems the Same on Jewish Issues?

In one of the more remarkable political comebacks of recent years, John Kerry has won a commanding victory in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. Coming on the heels of an equally impressive win in the Iowa caucuses, he heads into the blizzard of primaries between now and the middle of March as a dominating figure with a bullseye on his back — the man the other Democratic candidates must target to face off against George W. Bush in the presidential election nine months from now.

From a Jewish perspective, does it matter which Democrat wins out? In our view, it probably does make a difference, but it’s hard to tell what the differences are at this point. All six Democratic candidates sound the right chords in appealing to Jewish voters.

The fact is, however, that Jewish voters are not one-issue voters. They care, passionately, about Israel’s survival and stability. And they care about anti-Semitism, in the United States and beyond. A recent study by the American Jewish Committee found that 37 per cent of American Jews believe anti-Semitism is a serious problem here, and 60 per cent more think it is “somewhat of a problem.” That’s 97 per cent — about the same percent of American Jews who regard it is as a problem in Europe and in the Muslim world.

But most Jews, like other Americans, are also concerned with economic and social issues: unemployment, poverty, the separation of church and state, protecting the environment and civil liberties, medical care, secure retirement, judicial appointments, and the rights of minorities, including nonwhites and gays. And when you listen to the rhetoric of the Democrats who remain in the race — Kerry, Howard Dean, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Senators John Edwards of North Carolina and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut (the only Jewish candidate), and Rep. Dennis Kucinich — their differences cover a very narrow spectrum on domestic issues, compared to the gulf that separates them all from President Bush.

Kerry’s views on Israel and the separation of church and state (See p. 6) will probably reassure most mainstream Jewish voters. This is a man of substance and intelligence, of leadership ability, and proven courage: He won three Purple Hearts in Vietnam, has served 20 years in the Senate, is thoroughly conversant with most of the issues that face a President. It doesn’t surprise us that when considering electability, voters are moving from Dean, a protest candidate with limited national experience, to Kerry. We can hardly wait for the remaining primaries to see who will be the Democratic standard-bearer in November.

The JRC Weighs Going Non-Kosher

Jewish law and tradition vs. resident preference. That is the choice facing leaders of the Jewish Rehabilitation Center as they seek to decide whether to remain a kosher-only facility. The news that its food service survey found most long-term-care residents don’t want kosher food is a shocker.

In this day of giving customers what they want, it’s difficult not to accede to resident wishes — especially if it reduces costs in the process. But Jewish law and tradition argue for maintaining kashrut. So JRC leaders face a Hobson’s choice: They’ll be damned if they do change, damned if they don’t.

We think JRC officers should take their time in making this decision. Hold some resident and family meetings. Listen to all sides of the debate. Explore all the options. This will be a watershed decision for our community. The process here is as important as the outcome.

— Mark R. Arnold

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Local Columnists

A Veteran Israel Watcher Returns from a Visit There

I’ve been to Israel
And what did I find?
A nation more somber
A people more kind.

This little beginning of a poem kept running through my mind on the plane home from Israel.

The past year has been difficult for Israel. Suicide bombings and drive-by shootings; anti-Semitism and anti-Israel actions around the world; monumental criticism of a security fence designed to keep out terrorist suicide bombers, partially our own fault because of how the exact lines were drawn.

We lost our Israeli hero, Ilan Ramon, in the Columbia shuttle disaster. He was an inspiration, a man who did all the right things regarding his country, countrymen and the world. So sad.

A year-long investigation, newspaper leaks about political corruption reaching up to the sitting prime minister, Ariel Sharon. He and his two sons, one a member of Knesset, have been caught wheeling, dealing and stealing and may soon be indicted.

Demonstrations have been held in front of the Knesset by myriad groups including the disabled, single mothers, Ethiopian immigrants, even mayors of the poorer Israeli towns, as well as veterans’ organizations. As the chief of one important veterans’ group told me at lunch last week: “Dov, my whole life has been devoted to the government and military. I believed in them. Now, they have reneged on promises and forced me and my members to shout and demand in front of the Knesset. My faith is shattered.”

And though the Israeli stock market was up last year, as was the American, almost 11 percent of Israelis are unemployed.
Still, through it all, Israelis, quieter, more somber, are going to work, school and play, and riding the buses. I met friends at cafes and restaurants, and life went on as usual.

In a short two weeks, I had three experiences that led me to conclude that people have become kinder. Not that Israelis have not always been super kind to people, but usually it was more or less restricted to relatives and friends or friends of relatives or relatives of friends. Somebody with a connection. You could get meals, a place to sleep and almost everything else if you asked. Public confrontations between strangers or between citizens and the bureaucracy were, too often, not so nice.

One day I drove to a friend’s house in Ramat Gan. But I couldn’t find the turnoff because of road construction in the past year. I stopped in a toy store and asked to use the phone. I made my call and offered a handful of coins for the woman to take what it cost.

“No, thank you,” she said, “Have a good day.”

She had every right to take at least one shekel, 20 cents.

Two days later I made an emergency visit to my friend’s dentist. He examined my abscessed tooth, took an x-ray, wrote a letter to my American dentist and a prescription for antibiotics, spent 20 minutes with me, and refused my offer to pay him. Extraordinary.

Finally, I was rushing to the airport to leave and somehow misplaced my Israeli passport. My family and I searched my entire apartment, every nook and cranny, to no avail.

“Well, I said, they’ll just have to let me out on my American passport.” My daughter, Elizabeth, was not happy. “You are going to have trouble at the airport. The border inspectors take a dim view