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Homeland Insecurity: Community Grapples with Iraq War

BRETT M. RHYNE
& MARK ARNOLD
Jewish Journal Staff


As U.S.-led troops pushed toward Baghdad and American news media brought Operation Iraqi Freedom into our homes, the North Shore Jewish community struggled with the spiritual, emotional and political effects of the war here and in Israel.

“We have to be patient,” said Leah Jacobson, a mother of three. “It won’t be easy, but the world will be better off for it. No pain, no gain. We need to be doing this for our security. We had to step in. It’s like being a parent; we now have worldwide responsibilities. We need to bring about some change and some order.”

“The U.S. is going to win, hopefully without losing too many lives,” said Alec Kanezsky of Marblehead. “Their forces can’t stand up against ours. But if they use chemical weapons, I don’t know what will happen. We should be okay.

“I hope it doesn’t last too long,” continued Kanezsky, 24, a Northeastern University student who emigrated from Moscow in 1991. “I hope I don’t get drafted. On Israel, they’re definitely prepared for whatever may happen. They can take care of themselves. They’ll be okay.”

“It’s not that I’m for the war, but I think the war became inevitable because we didn’t take diplomatic measures that could have prevented it,” said Marblehead High School senior Rebecca Silverman. “Six months or a year ago, we could have taken diplomatic steps to achieve the same thing without war. But we were so forceful in our views that we alienated people all over the world.

“I’m afraid things will get progressively worse for Israel,” she added. “I’m told people are carrying gas masks now. The war will inflame the pro-Palestinian forces.”

“America is doing the right thing, but should have done it six months ago. Now, most of the U.N. is against it,” said Zinoviy Zlochevsky of Lynn. “The war may make it harder for Israel, because the Islamic world will become more united in opposition to us now. I hope not.”
“I feel very badly for the troops lost and captured,” said Ruth Aronson of Winthrop. “But I feel Bush must have had very good reasons for doing what we’re doing now. It remains to be seen if it ends well. We don’t know all the facts. I fear some unfortunate repercussions for Israel and I’m very concerned.”

Ruth’s husband, Jacob, concurred. “Because of the war, President Bush may not treat Israel so nicely in the peace plan. He may try to appease the Arabs by giving away more than he would like to.”

Local leaders expressed some trepidation for their charges.

“Students’ safety is our first concern,” said Cohen Hillel Academy Head of School Bob Tornberg. “Our security is as good as it can possibly be —we’re constantly reviewing it. We don’t tell people what we’re doing, but we have appraised the parents. This is always a locked building.”

In his nine years at the Marblehead elementary and middle school, Tornberg said, “We’ve certainly not received any threats.”

Although “some kids have raised issues” about the war, Tornberg said school officials “made a decision not to have a school-wide assembly. It’s being discussed in individual classes, since students have close, trusting relationships with their teachers. Teachers are listening hard to what kids are asking. We’re answering as best we can and involving Jewish values as well.”

Overall, he said, there was “not a different tone in the school.”

“The synagogue is open to anyone who would like to pray on behalf of the soldiers engaged in the Middle East, along with our brethren in Israel,” said Rabbi Stephen Rubenstein of Temple B’nai Abraham, Beverly. “We will continue to offer our prayers for peace at all services and not just on Shabbat.

“I am available to any congregant as they struggle with their ambivalences and their turmoils,” Rabbi Rubenstein said. “I am in contact with the local clergy of Beverly and am prepared to represent the Jewish community in any communal interfaith services.”

When asked whether he was concerned with his congregation’s safety, Rabbi Rubenstein said security measures are the responsibility of temple officers and its board.

“We have been focusing on saying prayers for the safety and well being of our men and woman on the front lines,” said Rabbi Yossi Lipsker of Chabad of Swampscott. “This provides people with something they can actually do… and it works better than a tranquilizer.”

Chabad is “creating more educational opportunities for adults and children to foster spiritual and emotional well being, in particular an upcoming Shabbat family retreat in the mountains of Vermont,” said Rabbi Lipsker. “Our Hebrew school, under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Cohen, is preparing to send prayer postcards to the Jewish servicemen in honor of Passover.”

“We haven’t felt there is more anxiety than usual, being that security issues have been front and center, sadly enough, since September 11,” added Rabbi Lipsker. “However, we continue to take all the necessary precautions, even as we know at the end of the day we are all in God’s hands.”

Rabbi Rubenstein said he emails articles to his membership offering “varying points of view to help guide them in their thinking and understanding of the current situation.” He also noted Jewish Journal columnist Dov Burt Levy will lead a discussion at Temple B’nai Abraham on wartime conditions in Israel on Sunday, April 13.

Rabbis Tom Alpert of Temple Tifereth Israel, Malden, Myron Geller of Temple Ahavath Achim, Gloucester, Jonas Goldberg of Temple Sinai, Marblehead, Abraham Kelman of Congregation Ahabat Shalom, Lynn, David Klatzker of Temple Ner Tamid, Peabody, Howard Kosovke of Temple Beth Shalom, Peabody, Neil Loevinger of Temple Israel, Swampscott, David Meyer of Temple Emanu-El, Marblehead,
Ilana Rosansky of Temple Shalom, Salem, and Edgar Weinsberg of Temple Beth El, Swampscott, did not respond to Jewish Journal email queries about how they were addressing the spiritual and security concerns of their congregants.

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MARK ARNOLD
Jewish Journal Staff

CHELSEA — With his baton poised for action, Jack Zimmerman signals the start of the music. In the next instant, a John Phillips Souza march bellows from a boom box, and Jack pierces the air with a downward thrust.

Suddenly, a rhythm section of more than 50 seniors springs into action — with maracas, marimbas, triangles, washboards, and cymbols. All are seated. They move only their heads and their bodies.

The place is Cohen Florence Levine Estates, the assisted living facility in Chelsea, where Jack Zimmerman is an Activities Director and the residents make marching music without marching. “They love it,” says Zimmerman, who spends most of his waking hours thinking of ways to make life more satisfying for residents in the seven-year-old assisted living site, and its two companion sites: the 123-bed Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home and the Florence & Chafetz Home for Specialized Care, which houses Alzheimers patients and others needing special attention. Jack spends about a third of his time in each of the facilities.
“This,” says Jack, “is my calling. I bring help and a smile to people who need them to survive.”

Zimmerman is 70, a former mechanical engineer from Malden, who spent years in manufacturing at Honeywell and General Electric plants before discovering that what he really wanted to do was touch people’s lives. “When I walk out of the door there every day,” he says, “I feel I’ve done a mitzvah. Every man there is my father and every lady is my mother. They have a runny nose or need a drink of water, I help them.”

Jack Zimmerman is not your average senior-citizens activities director. Take the programs. Sure, there are exercise classes, discussion groups, and, of course the ubiquitious bingo games. But in addition, there are field trips he organizes to Rubin’s Kosher Deli in Brookline, to theater in Boston, to the Seacrest Hotel on Cape Cod, and the Stage Neck Inn in York, ME. And there are his puppets — 100 of them, which he uses to console the grieving and draw out the introverted. “I try to get inside their hearts,” explains Jack, “to get them to open up.
Sometimes patting a puppet will do that.”

Jack and his wife Dvorah have been married 41 years. Dvorah works as the secretary at North Shore Hebrew School in Swampscott. The couple has three children and four grandchildren.

He became acquainted with nursing homes when his mother entered one in Malden years ago. “I played harmonica for the residents and developed a nurturing personality toward people who are disabled.” When his mother-in-law entered a nursing home in Lowell, he began serving as a regular voluner there. His three to four-hour shift often grew to 12 hours.

“There were always things people needed,” recalls Jack. “I could feel their pain; it didn’t feel right just to walk out when my time was up.” Today he works, by his own estimate, 60 to 70 hours a week at the three Chelsea facilities. “That counts the time I wake up in the middle of the night and jot things down on a notepad by my bed,” he confesses.

So what does Jack do that’s special? “He finds unique ways to communicate with the residents,” says Betsy Mullen, administrator at the Chelsea home. Jack explains it this way: “I jump, I dance, I clown, I hug, I squeeze. I hold their hands. I also drive the bus. I console the families when someone dies. I do whatever needs to be done to make people’s day brighter.”

The empathy Jack Zimmerman feels may be a result of the tragedies he experienced as a youth. His brother Seymour, was lost at sea while serving on a B-24 in the North Sea during World War II. He was 18 years old. Jack was 10. The next year, his other brother, Arthur, 17, died of a brain tumor. A few years later, his father died.

“I suddenly became the bread winner,” remember Jack, describing his years as an assembly-line worker after school at the old Converse Rubber Company plant on Pearl Street. “My mother cried the rest of her life over the loss of her three men. I guess I overcompensated. I grew up in sadness and ended up bubbly.”

A died-in-the-wool volunteer, Jack was a Shriner’s Hospital volunteer for 20 years. “I went there every single Sunday for 20 years. I never missed a Sunday,” he says.
Jack has help with his activities. There’s another activities co-director: Susan Brudnick, at the assisted living and specialized care facilities. They have three helpers: Marilyn Curran, Shelly Honohan and Nancy Pires. At Chelsea Jewish, he also has two helpers: Josephine Piccardi and Prudence MacDonald. “We’re a team. They have as much empathy as I’ve ever seen anywhere,” he observes. Their attitudes are is a reflection of their values, he says, and also of the leadership of Chelsea Jewish Nursing Home’s long-time executive director, Barry Berman.

“Barry,” says Jack, “is a magnificent human being; a businessman yes but a humanitarian first. If we’re serving chicken, and someone wants steak, does he say: ‘Sorry, we’re having chicken today’? No, he says, ‘Find him a steak.’ Barry’s philosophy is: “‘What would you do for your own family?’ That’s what we will do for our residents.’ Everyone who works here learns that’s our philosophy.”

Not everything at the three facilities in Chelsea is sweetness and light, to be sure. “It’s the saddest thing in my life when someone (in the homes) dies,” says Jack Zimmerman. “We go from being strangers when they first arrive, to being friends, and then family. When they die.....” He swallows hard and doesn’t finish the sentence.

He takes a deep breath and continues: “They’re at God’s airport when I meet them, waiting for the call. I’m lucky enough to be part of the ground crew that serves them. My pharmacist, my doctor, my oldest friend in the world, they’ve all come through. And some day I’ll be one of them there too.” His voice trails off as he contemplates his own mortality.

And then he brightens again and begins talking about a new resident. “‘What do you like to do?’ I ask them. ‘Do you like to eat? Do you like to dance? to hug? to take bus trips? Do you like music? Wanna be in my band. We sure have a lot of fun.’”

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H-W Tolerance Committee Hosts ADL Speaker

GARY BAND
Jewish Journal Staff

HAMILTON — Although the Hamilton selectmen chose not to adopt the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate program last February, the Hamilton-Wenham Tolerance Committee invited Suzanne Glick-Gilfix, chair of the ADL Speaker’s Bureau, for an interactive presentation on March 19.

Held at the Hamilton-Wenham Library, Gilfix’ presentation, “Ethnic Jokes: Pyramid of Hate” explored how gestures such as staring, tauntsand jokes aimed at minority groups can lead to more serious violations. This was the first of ongoing diversity programs in Hamilton and Wenham to be held every couple of months.

“There’s a difference between laughing at and laughing with someone,” said Gilfix, a former assistant attorney general who now consults with businesses, schools and non-profits on diversity training. Three things should be considered whenever making what might be taken as an off-color statement, Gilfix contended. “How to say things, who’s my audience and how am I being perceived.”

Citing a recent personal example when she over heard two men at a gym complaining about how many Jewish holidays there are, Gilfix said she spoke up and asked what they meant by their statement. Whether the object of or witness to a potentially offensive statement, Gilfix said that responding to such remarks is difficult, especially for teenagers. Challenging such statements, she explained, risks either further insult or injury or, if a witness, possibly having the aggressor turn his or her attention on you. “Personally, I think inaction and silence is not the way to go,” she said.

Framing one’s response to an ethnic slur or off-color joke is also important, she said. “Always try to couch it in an ‘I’ statement,” Gilfix advised. “Say, ‘I felt offended’ instead of ‘You offended me by what you just said.’ You really can’t tell people what’s funny or that they have no right to say what they said.”In terms of awareness of and sensitivity to other cultures, Gilfix said, “the education piece is huge.” This lack of knowledge of and exposure to minority groups breeds ignorance and may lead to serious crimes, she explained.
“While working at the attorney general’s office, it never ceased to amaze me how many calls from the police we received about crimes committed against interracial couples or non-traditional displays of friendship. These cases often began well before the actual violent crime with name calling and other forms of harassment.”

Pointing to a 1994 hate crime case involving two Morrocan girls, friends who walked home together every day holding hands, Gilfix said that the escalation of harassment eventually led to violence against them.

“Ever since then, I made it my calling to make people aware of the baby steps and early signs of hatred and how we all have a responsibility to prevent them. Working with [the late ADL Director] Lenny Zakim, so inspired me to believe that we all have the power to change things if we don’t stand idly by. Stand up, get in the game and make your voices heard,” she challenged the audience of 50, including 10 high school students, community members, Selectmen, Hamilton Town Administrator Candice Wheeler, State Senator Bruce Tarr (R-Hamilton), and Gordon College Professor Dr. Marvin Wilson.

Also among the crowd was Hanna Hoy, now a freshman at Hamilton-Wenham High School, who originally came to the Hamilton selectmen and asked them to consider becoming a “No Place for Hate” community last year.

“I’m glad we got a program,” she said. “Everyone signed on. It shows they support it. But I’m a little disappointed we didn’t fight harder for the ADL program.”

Members of the Hamilton-Wenham Tolerance Committee say they are pleased with the “Not in Our Town” program, adopted by some 150 communities in the United States. They researched many programs across the country and felt this was the one most in line with the values of the ADL program and the sentiments of the community.

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Psychological Advice for Dealing with War Anxiety

BRETT M. RHYNE
Jewish Journal Staff

SALEM — Two local mental health professionals offered advice on dealing with anxiety created by the war in Iraq.

“War is an extremely stressful experience for many individuals, directly for those in the armed forces and indirectly for us at home,” said Dr. Martin Krugman, chair of the psychology department at Salem State College. “If we have family members serving, it’s even more stressful, since we’re concerned about the well being of our loved ones.

“It’s important to acknowledge that being frightened and anxious is a normal reaction to war,” added Krugman, who also serves as co-chair of the eastern Mass. chapter of the Disaster Response Network, a joint project of the Red Cross and the Massachusetts Psychological Association. “Don’t be too self-critical. Take it easy on yourself.”

Psychiatrist George Freedman counseled, “Be aware of what’s going on. The more you know, you less you have irrational fears.”
Krugman and Freedman suggested several ways to develop a resiliency to the stresses of war. “Maintain a social support network,” Krugman said. “Dialogue about the war. Stay in contact with family, community and colleagues. Staying connected is a constructive thing to do, whether it’s helping out at your temple or the Red Cross.”

“It’s better to discuss the war rather than living with these thoughts yourself,” said Freedman, who practices in Salem and draws editorial cartoons for this newspaper.

Krugman also advised limiting exposure to news reporting — “Turn off your TV,” he said — and “taking the opportunity to relax and take care of yourself, to treat yourself nicely,” including exercising, eating well, avoiding alcohol, and meditation.

To ease the anxieties of children regarding terrorist strikes, Krugman suggested families create emergency plans as “a positive response to threats.”

“Being prepared leads to a sense of control over the situation,” Freedman said. “It’s good, in advance, to make plans of where to meet in case of emergency or communication breakdown.”

Krugman also suggested creating a “safe place at home” — a “no war zone” or “no war time” — where families focus on daily life and daily routines. “It’s like a security blanket, especially for kids,” he said. Parents should spend more time with their children, give them hugs and reassurances and be optimistic.

“Avoid catastrophizing,” Krugman said. “Everyone needs reassurance that this is an unusual time and the war will come to an end. If you’re anxious, it might be helpful to reflect on previous anxious periods and how you overcame them.”

He suggested that if sleep or appetite loss, nightmares or other more serious symptoms emerge, one should see a mental health professional.

Freedman cautioned that individuals would experience a range of responses. “Everybody has to find their own way,” he said. “One can’t always go by what’s recommended.”

“We are relatively safe here despite the heightened terror alert,” Krugman said. “People in Israel are in much graver danger, because of potential attacks from Iraq. So are the Iraqi people.”

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BRETT M. RHYNE
Jewish Journal Staff

Even as alienated National Public Radio (NPR) listeners delayed their March 27 protest of Boston member station WBUR, Jewish-owned retailer Jordan’s Furniture became the eighth Massachusetts business to withdraw its financial support from the beleaguered broadcaster.
“We just pulled out,” Jordan’s co-owner Barry Teitelman told The Journal minutes after a March 18 meeting with WBUR representatives. “We want fair reporting. They deny that it’s biased against Israel, but we don’t want to support anything that’s unfair.”

Teitelman said Jordan’s had been spending “over $150,000 a year” in underwriting WBUR programming.

“We originally got involved because of a friend of ours who was on the ’BUR Board,” he said. “He’s also pulled out.” Teitelman declined to identify the board member.

With the move, Jordan’s Furniture joins a growing list of local Jewish businesses that have withdrawn their funding from public radio due to its Middle East coverage.

The other underwriters boycotting WBUR are Brandeis University, Cognex Corporation, the law firm of Hutchins, Wheeler & Dittmar, The Metro newspaper, the New England Mobile Book Fair, Samet Corporation and Wordsworth Books.

WBUR spokesperson Mary Stonh told The Journal Jordan’s is the only underwriter to join the boycott since Cognex announced it in October 2001.

Cognex President and CEO Dr. Robert J. Shillman was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Stonh estimated that before Jordan’s withdrawal of support, the loss to WBUR was “upwards of $2 million.” The corporate boycott has now winnowed WBUR’s annual budget of $20 million by more than ten percent.

Stonh said WBUR is taking no concrete steps to appease boycotting underwriters.

On March 24, pro-Israel activists announced the delaying of a planned 35-city protest at NPR member stations slated for March 27.

“It’s not a cancellation, it’s a postponement,” said Boston Israel Action Committee member Paul Sassieni.

“With everyone focused on the war,” Sassieni said, “we felt it was not the right time to be focused on NPR’s coverage of the Middle East.”
According to a written statement from The David Project, one of the organizers, the protest was delayed “due to casualties among American soldiers in Iraq.”
Dr. Charles Jacobs, director of The David Project, was in Toronto and could not be reached for further comment.

Sassieni said organizers postponed the protest for two reasons. “Firstly, to do it at a time when we can get more attention,” he said.

“Secondly,” he said, “everyone expects increased pressure on Israel in the wake of the war. The time will come when the pro-Israel public will have to become more vocal.

“[British Prime Minister] Tony Blair is meeting with [President George W.] Bush this weekend,” he continued. “Blair has already talked about taking ‘a more even-handed approach’ when it comes to Israel. We have to make sure ‘even-handed’ is not the same as one-sided pressure on Israel.”

Sassieni said the protest might be rescheduled “within the next few weeks, soon after Pesach.”

As reported in The Jewish Journal of Jan. 17-30, on Jan. 13, 35 pro-Israel activists protested outside a forum with NPR President and CEO Kevin Klose and WBUR General Manager Jane Christo, held at Temple Israel, Boston. Organizers of that protest included the Boston Israel Action Committee, The David Project and the Sharon-based South Area Action Team.

“Obviously, this protest would have been on a much larger scale, with many more cities participating,” said South Area Action Team member Andrew Warren. “It’s much more proactive — we’re taking the issue to them, to their locales and affiliate stations.”

Boston Israel Action Committee member Diana Muir organized the national protest. She said 100 people would have protested at the WBUR studios on the Boston University campus.

According to Muir, the 12-person Boston Israel Action Committee is comprised of three modern orthodox temples: Congregation Beth El-Atereth Israel and Temple Shaarei Tefillah, both of Newton, and Young Israel of Sharon.

All protests were postponed. Muir expected participation nationally to vary from “a couple of thousand — in Baltimore, they’re busing in the populations of three junior high schools — to a dozen, in cities with very small Jewish communities. Hundreds of synagogues” supported the protest, Muir said. The Philadelphia protest was organized by the Zionist Organization of America; New York’s, by AMCHA — The National Israeli Center for Psychosocial Support of Holocaust Survivors and the Second Generation.

Other member stations slated for protest included those in Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Fairfield, Fresno, Harrisburg, Houston, Indianapolis, Hartford, Long Island, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Haven, Newark, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Rochester, St. Louis, Saint Paul, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

Despite the apparent scope of the popular protest and economic boycott, though, the only NPR member station significantly affected so far appears to be WBUR.

“Boston is the only station that’s lost 10 percent of its budget,” Muir said.

WBUR General Manager Jane Christo refused to speak to The Jewish Journal.
NPR spokesperson Jess Sarmiento agreed with Muir’s assessment. “WBUR is the only one affected by the boycott,” she said. “What you’ve described here has not happened at other public radio stations across the country.”

Since NPR does not receive any of its funding from the general public, economic boycotts do not affect it directly.

“We’re a membership organization,” NPR Ombudsman Jeffrey Dworkin told The Journal. “We produce programming that’s bought by local stations. Member stations provide a real community service: local coverage, cultural issues. A boycott may want to impact what is perceived by some to be NPR’s biased coverage, but it ends up having a profound impact on important community institutions.”

Nor is it clear what impact, if any, the economic boycott and popular protests have had on NPR’s coverage of Israel.

Sarmiento said she was not aware of any member stations that have asked NPR to alter its Middle East coverage. Nor did she think NPR was feeling any pressure from the public or from corporate underwriters to do so.

“In terms of the programming we produce,” she said, “we are dedicated and determined to provide accurate, fair and balanced reporting and encourage the expression of different viewpoints.

“We will not respond to economic blackmail tactics,” she said. “Pressure tactics squelch free press and free speech.”

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DEBORAH WILLWERTH
Special to the Jewish Journal

NEWBURYPORT — Carving out four winter Tuesday afternoons from their busy schedules, 10 teachers, counselors and staff members from Newburyport public schools examine the cultures of their schools and whether they, as educators, are doing enough to address the changing demographics of their students.

In the meetings at Newburyport High, the educators meet for discussions, group activities, journal writing and sharing classroom experiences.

“We are coming together as a group committed to dealing with diversity issues,” said Michael Nesson, a Newburyport High faculty member.
Last year, Nesson, along with staff members Amy Ballin and Karen McMahon, underwent facilitator training for the Anti-Defamation League’s “A World of Difference” program, promoted by Newburyport’s “No Place for Hate” committee. In turn, the three are now training interested educators from all of Newburyport’s public schools.

“It’s a very exciting time,” said Nesson. “We have the interest from the staff and also the full support of the superintendent.”
“The school counselors are offering this training as a way to assist teachers in focusing their attention to issues around discrimination and harassment,” said Newburyport School Superintendent Mary Murray.

On December 15, 2002, three Newburyport teens were charged with defacing an elementary school, a church door, houses, stores, cars and signs with at least one spray-painted swastika and other racist and sexist epithets.

“This incident was not the impetus for the training program,” Murray said, “just one of many issues in the community and school community.”

During a recent workshop, one educator with school accreditation experience noted that current demographic studies reveal Newburyport is 97 percent white and only 3 percent “various ethnic groups.”

“Our kids are culturally deprived,” said the educator.

Nesson added he prepares college-bound students for the “culture shock” they will face away from home. “College is a diverse setting, and our students need to know that there are differences,” he said. “By and large, they do fine and adjust very quickly, finding the experience very beneficial.”

There are signs, though, that the demographics of the school system are changing. Newburyport is involved in DARE, a program for pregnant teens and teen mothers. Between four and 10 DARE students may be enrolled at the high school at any one time, many of whom come from the inner city and bring “different life experiences” to the high school.

In addition, Newburyport High School is a popular choice with students from other school districts. Students from other communities — including Gloucester, Manchester, Methuen and Salisbury — choose to attend Newburyport High for reasons including academics, variety of programs offered and quality of support services.

“These students add an interesting, important dimension to the school,” one educator said. “When they first enroll, they keep together as a group. But as the year progresses and they get involved in classes and/or extracurricular activities, they become more involved with the general pupil group. This is great for all concerned, students and teachers alike.”

Some workshop participants found it interesting that “stereotypes work both ways. Some students who come into the high school have assumptions about the ‘typical’ Newburyport student.”

They emphasized that conflicts are “rarely racial but are more the result of misconceptions, which we address immediately. We’ve noticed fewer problems this year.”

In addition to ethnic differences, they noted the definition of “family” is also changing, because of divorce and other factors. Teachers must be sensitive to their students’ needs.

“What it comes down to is the need to look for ‘teachable moments,’” said Nesson. He noted a recent conversation he had with a student who was curious about his Latino heritage.
“We had a wonderful discussion with his classmates about food, music, and other aspects of his culture,” Nesson said. “The student walked away feeling very positive. And his class learned things they had not realized before. That’s what’re were trying to do — celebrate each person’s unique gifts.”

The ultimate goal of these workshops is to create resource materials for faculty and staff of grades K-12, including books, classroom projects and videos. Parents and students will be asked to give feedback and to contribute their thoughts.

“We want to build a support network for everyone involved in raising and/or educating our young people,” Nesson said. “We shouldn’t feel that we’re working in isolation. We’re committed to producing a safe environment in our schools and, by extension, in our community.”

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A.LARISSA TIERNEY
Jewish Journal Correspondent

PART 2 OF 2

SALEM — While the United States goes to war against the regime of Saddam Hussein, local Christians and Jews continue their own fight for Israel and her people. On Sunday, March 30, Christian Renewal Church in Salem will host Temple Shalom and Iglesia Nazareth in the service, Comfort My People: Keep Hope Alive!

The second such interfaith service in four months, Comfort My People will include Jewish music, dance and drama, as well as speakers Dr. Charles Jacobs and Tal Ben-Shachar, both from the David Project, which seeks to educate Americans about Israel’s plight.

“The conflict in the Middle East is about Jewish existence and self-determination,” says Jacobs. He hopes to challenge Christians in the audience to stand against religious hatred.

While many Christians voice their support of Israel, local congregations like this one are taking a practical stand. Christian Renewal Church hopes to “bless Israel” through its actions, according to congregant Denette Abers.

“The Bible is clear that the Jew is first,” says Abers. “So Christians seeking the heart of God need look no further than this simple, repetitive declaration, ‘to the Jew first.’”

Christian Renewal established a prayer group that prays regularly for the peace of Jerusalem.

Christian Renewal also joined Temple Shalom in the Adopt-A-Family program, which lends support to families in Israel affected by terrorism. Last May, Abers and Pastor Scott Smith organized churches in the area to walk to the Israeli consulate, where they offered a letter signed by many pastors in support of Israel.

Salem’s Wesley United Methodist Church joined Christian Renewal and several other area churches in displaying the banner, “We support the State of Israel in her quest for peace.” United Methodist also joined in the prayer walk last May.

“We [Christians and Jews] really are bonded together in the family of God,” says Rev. Ken Steigler. “We’re brothers and sisters and I wouldn’t abandon them.”

Last July was the third year in a row United Methodist hosted five Arab and five Israeli students through the Rotary-sponsored Friends Forever program.

United Methodist also hopes to collaborate with a local synagogue to adopt a family through the Adopt-A-Family program.
As the current controversy surrounding Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson shows, some Jews question Christian motives behind support of Israel. Others readily accept it.

“Some say all Christians want to do is convert us,” Salem businessman Robert I. Lappin tells The Journal. “That’s a knee-jerk reaction, very misguided. The greatest support of Israel is evangelical Christians, because they believe in our Bible — that every jot and tittle is the Word of God and that the Jewish people are God’s chosen people.”

As noted in The Journal of March 14-27, Lappin is a two-decade patron of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ).
“Christians’ support is without condition,” Lappin says. “Why can’t our rabbis and our people reach out and grasp the hands extended to us in friendship rather than reject them in a foolish manner?”

“Christians serve vicariously as those who are holding up the ramparts for Israel,” says IFCJ founder Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.

“Who do we think we’re kidding that we can do the job ourselves?” says Charles Jacobs of The David Project. He claims two or three million Jewish Zionists exist in America, while tens of thousands of American Christians offer their support.

“When your house is on fire and the fireman comes, you’re grateful,” Jacobs says. “You don’t have to love every drop of water he brings.”
Dr. Marvin Wilson of Gordon College, author of Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, acknowledges a minority of Christians see the Jews as pawns in the end-times scenario, but stresses that most Christian Zionists don’t hold these views.

Wilson’s own support of Israel is based on history, not prophecy. “I would call myself a Christian who supports Israel,” he says. “The right of Jews to return to, to live in and to thrive in the ancestral homeland. But that is not at the expense of demonizing the other guy.”

Many Christian Zionists, Wilson says, see aiding Israel as a way of paying back the debt to people on whose faith they stand.

Others are more skeptical. “Jews would be crazy if they weren’t suspicious of Christian Zionists,” says JoAnn Magnuson, education director for Bridges for Peace, a Christian Zionist organization. “Because of how we’ve treated them through history. There’s a lot through history that the Church needs to own.”

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National News
Will President Bush Push the ‘Road Map’?

MATTHEW E. BERGER
WASHINGTON (JTA) — As the Palestinians move forward with the confirmation of a new prime minister, many are looking to the White House to see when President Bush will unveil the “road map” toward Israeli-Palestinian peace.

They may be waiting a while.

Administration officials and analysts say that Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat’s choice for prime minister, will need to show that he has significant authority before Bush takes the next step.

“He needs to appoint his cabinet, get them approved by the legislative council and then he can say ‘dayenu’ and take the road map,” said Stephen Cohen, national scholar for the Israel Policy Forum.

One State Department official said Abbas will need to show “he has real authority and is truly independent from forces who practice violence and terror.”

And the question remains as to whether the road map presented to the parties will be up for negotiations or will be considered a final draft.

Bush caught many off guard earlier this month when, just days before the war against Iraq began, he announced that the road map would be submitted to the parties after a prime minister with “real authority” was confirmed.

While Jewish leaders were concerned with the timing of the announcement, and the perceived motive of aiding embattled British Prime Minister Tony Blair, they were pleased that the controversial road map would still be open to negotiation, according to Bush.

The Israelis have been concerned that the road map requires Israel to make concessions without a full cessation of violence, and places too much emphasis on the role of the diplomatic “Quartet” — the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia — that drafted the road map.

For that reason, they had requested — and received — several delays of the release of the road map, first until after Israel’s January elections and then until Prime Minster Ariel Sharon had formed a new government.

Even now that Bush has expressed his interest in expediting the road map, many continue to believe it will not be placed at the top of the administration’s agenda.

Officially, the State Department says release of the document will not need to wait for the war’s end.

“He wants to release it soon,” one State Department official said of the president, “once the new Palestinian prime minister is confirmed and it appears we have moved on the path to creating a new dynamic in the Palestinian leadership.”

To that end, the Central Intelligence Agency is creating a mechanism to monitor progress on the conditions of the road map. CIA Director George Tenet created a cease-fire plan in 2001 that was not implemented, and it is believed that the CIA will play a role in the road map. However, it’s unclear how deep that role will be, given the CIA’s expanded portfolio of work in combating terrorism.

But many believe Bush’s won’t present the road map until after significant progress has been made on his main objective in the Middle East, regime change in Iraq.

Edward Abington, a former consul general to Jerusalem who now serves as a political consultant to the Palestinian Authority, says there is much skepticism in the Arab world about Bush’s commitment to the road map.

“They’re not stupid,” Abington said. “They see that the road map announcement was made to help Tony Blair.”

The Palestinians believe that when it is released the road map should be a final text, with discussion focused only on implementation.
“They think the Israeli objective is to so condition the road map that it never goes anywhere,” Abington said.

Some in the State Department agree, if spokesman Richard Boucher’s comments last week are any indication.

“The document will be released as the road map, that is the road map and that will be the road map,” Boucher said last week. “We’ll expect comments, we’ll expect discussion of how to implement it.”

But others have said there will be more time for consultation. That also was suggested to Jewish leaders who met with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice after Bush made his road map speech.

“We’ve always looked upon the road map as a living document and not ironclad,” the State Department official said. “We hope they will not be renegotiating it in its entirety.”

Cohen says the road map text has become “much refried beans.”

“It’s a text that has been around for a long time, digested, chewed up and spit out,” he said. “They are not going to refry it again before it is put on the plate.”

Cohen said it’s not necessary for the sides to agree to all of the plan’s parameters before moving forward with it. Unlike the tight timetables of the Oslo accords — which few people in the Bush administration want to replicate — the vagueness of the road map would mean that the two sides would have to agree before moving from one stage to the next.

The advantage of the road map is that it gets Israelis and Palestinians back on a path of negotiations toward a defined goal, even if every step of the way isn’t clear, Cohen said.

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International News

With Abbas as Palestinian Prime Minister, Will Violence End?

LESLIE SUSSER


JERUSALEM (JTA) — The war in Iraq may not be Israel’s war, as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon likes to say — but the stakes for Israel could hardly be higher.

If the United States wins a convincing victory, it could assure Israel’s place in a more stable Middle East for years to come. If it does not, Israel could find itself the prime target of emboldened Middle Eastern radicals and face far greater threats to its existence than it does today.

An overwhelming American victory and the establishment of a pro-western regime would remove a nonconventional — and possibly nuclear — threat to Israel from a capricious rogue regime. Moreover, a pro-Western regime in Baghdad would finally lay to rest one of Israel’s worst nightmares: a united “Eastern Front” consisting of Iraq, Syria and Jordan, with thousands of tanks ready to bear down on Israel from Jordanian territory.

With Iraq, the most powerful of the three countries, out of the equation, the balance of power would change dramatically. That in turn would make it most unlikely that Jordan could be persuaded to forego its peace treaty with Israel, leaving Syria on its own and the “Eastern Front” notion devoid of operational meaning.

A second major strategic benefit for Israel would be an American presence opposite Iran, perhaps Israel’s most implacable foe. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said recently that the United States had “suddenly” discovered that “Iran is much further along, with a far more robust nuclear weapons development program, than anyone said it had.”

Powell was commenting on the fact that Iran managed to set up a centrifuge plant near the town of Natanz, 200 miles south of Tehran, undetected by Western intelligence agencies. The Iranians deny that they intend to develop nuclear weapons, but the centrifuges could be used to manufacture weapons-grade uranium, enabling Iran to produce several nuclear bombs a year beginning in 2005.

A weakened Iraq, an American presence in the Persian Gulf and a credible American threat to disarm Iran might slow down the Iranian nuclear program.

American success in Iraq also might weaken the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis, which threatens Israel from the north. Last year, the Iranians delivered over 700 rockets to the fundamentalist Shi’ite militia through Syria. Hezbollah now has 1,000 rockets in southern Lebanon, trained on Israeli targets.

The perception of American power and America’s readiness to use it could lead Iran to rethink its ties with Hezbollah. It might also persuade Syria, not wanting to be held accountable for Hezbollah attacks on Israel, to rein in the organization.

Some Israeli analysts, including Sharon’s national security adviser, Ephraim Halevy, say the ripple effect of American success could even lead to an Israel-Lebanon peace treaty, and possibly later to an accommodation with Syria.

In this optimistic scenario, the Syrians pull out of Lebanon, disarm Hezbollah and seek a peace treaty with Israel as part of a vigorous new effort to curry favor with a victorious Washington. But even if things don’t go that far, the threat on Israel’s northern border is likely to diminish.

Last but not least, American victory in Iraq could impact favorably on the Palestinian front. If Saddam is toppled and replaced by a less belligerent and more pragmatic regime — even one that isn’t exactly friendly toward Israel — that could serve as a model for change among the Palestinians.

Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat could be further distanced from power and a new, reformed Palestinian leadership could help promote a peaceful modus vivendi with Israel.

There are two possible negative outcomes. One is that the American campaign in Iraq proves ineffectual and Saddam survives with his regime intact. The second, less drastic possibility is if fierce fighting leaves many American casualties, emboldening Arab radicals to think that it is possible to stand up to Western might — and making the United States far more wary of future engagements in the Middle East.
In either case, the prognosis for Israel would be dire. If Saddam survives, he could go nuclear a few years down the road, and might target Israel in revenge for what he calls the “American-Zionist conspiracy” against him. Even if he doesn’t go nuclear, he could still seek to threaten Israel by other means.

Secondly, resurrection of the “Eastern Front” would become a theoretical option, with a strong Iraq exerting pressure on Jordan to break its ties with Israel and rejoin the rejectionist front.

U.S. failure in Iraq also would encourage Iran to ignore American pressure about its nuclear program and to produce nuclear weapons as soon as possible. Iran already has developed and tested a prototype missile, the Shihab 3, which can reach Israel with either conventional or non-conventional payloads.

The Iran-Syria-Hezbollah triangle also would get a boost from American failure in Iraq. The recently published Argentinian Intelligence Services’ (SIDE) account of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires by Iranian-controlled Hezbollah operatives indicates that the present rulers of Iran will stop at nothing when it comes to Israel.
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Features

World and Local Chess News
Michael Perelshteyn
Special to The Jewish Journal

The super-tournament in Linares, Spain is over. The winner is the World Championship contender, GM Peter Leko of Hungary. He tied for first with GM Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, and won on tie-break. Leko scored 7 points out of 12. GM Viswanathan Anand of India and GM Garry Kasparov of Russia tied for 3-4th places with 6.5 points each.

The big national tournament, Eastern Class Championship, took place March 7-9 in Woburn. There were a total of 7 Grandmasters competing for first place. GM Jan Ehivest of Estonia won first place with 4 points out of 5. Second through fifih was shared among Grandmasters Yudasin and Novikov of NY, Ibragimov of Connecticut, Ivanov of Newton. Jack Stolerman of Marblehead had a great tournament and became a Master with his rating now over 2200. He beat GM lbragimov and drew GM Stripunsky of NY and IM Paschall of Boston. Jack got 3 points out of 5, tying for 6th place in a very tough field.

Gus Gosselin Grade Chess Championships took place in J.F.K. Middle School in Natick, MA on first Sunday of March. In grade 4 division Pavel Muravyev of Swampscott got clear first with 4 wins out of 4. Pavel was unrated going to the event and afier the tournament his performance rating is 1488. In grade 3 division Sam Cowan of Middletown got 3 point out of4 and tied for 3rd place. Thornton Uhi of Marblehead tied for first with 3.5 points of4 in first grade division. His performance rating is 1114. All the winners were awarded with large beautiful trophies donated by Au Bon Pain Cafe.

The second Scholastic Chess Tournament of the 2003-year was held at the Jewish Community Center in Marblehead on March 16. First place in the grade K-3 division went to third grader Jeffrey Sherman of Marblehead with 3.5 points out of 4; second place went to first grader Harry Cohen of Marblehead with 3 points, and third went to first grader Thornton Uhi of Marblehead with 2.5 points. In the grade 4-8 division, first place went to Scott Myerson of Marblehead with 4 points; second took fourth grader Danny Concessi of Wakefield with 3 points; and third went to fourth grader Jason Veytsman of Swampscott with 2 points afier playoff.

The next two JCC of the North Shore chess tournaments will be held on April 6 and May 11 from 1: 00 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more chess news check out the website at http://home.attbi.com/~mpere

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People

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A Brief Guide to Special Needs Camps

STAFF REPORT

Camp Ramah — The camping branch of the Conservative Movement of Judaism, Ramah camps have provided services to special needs populations for over 30 years through the Tikvah Program. Four camps, located in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, California, and Canada have programs that serve populations of Jewish adolescents who have developmental delays, mental retardation, Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome, Down’s Syndrome and other conditions that prevent them from functioning successfully in regular cabins within the various camps. Tikvah campers are placed in special programs that allow them to integrate into camp activities whenever possible, with appropriate supports, and special educational and social skill development. Camp Ramah in the Poconos serves Deaf or Hard of Hearing campers and their families through the Kesher Program. Camp Ramah in the Berkshires provides Briera B’Ramah for campers with ADD/ADHD, with special programming to address their particular needs.

The program is divided into two components. Campers (ages 13-17) live in bunks with two specially-trained counselors and participate in the full camping program. A small group of former campers (ages 18-21) are selected to participate in the Vocational Education (Voc Ed) program. The Voc Ed participants live in a group home environment with two advisors. VocEd members have job placements around the camp five days a week and participate in Jewish studies classes and problem-solving groups. They also learn food preparation skills and do their own laundry. The Voc Ed members participate in some camp activities as well, including boating, swimming, music, dance, arts and crafts, and self defense. All members of the Tikvah Program go on an overnight camping trip and take several trips out of camp during the summer. For more information, contact Tikvah Director Howard Blas via email at Howardblas@hotmail.com, or visit www.campramahne. org.

Camp HASC — Located in the scenic Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, Camp HASC is the award winning summer program of the Hebrew Academy for Special Children. Camp HASC provides over 300 mentally and physically handicapped children and adults with the opportunity to enjoy a seven week sleep-away camp experience, just like many of their siblings and friends. Camp HASC is unique in its synthesis of academic and recreational programming. HASC seeks to maximize the development of each individual’s potential by providing special education, speech, physical, occupational and music therapies as well as computer instruction, adaptive physical education and adaptive aquatics. Hand in hand with their academic program the campers are able to participate in the full range of recreational activities including (but not limited to) sports, swimming, field trips, night activities, roller skating, carnivals, concerts and mainstream social programs with other camps.

As result, these special youngsters and adults gain skills beyond the scope of parental expectations while enjoying normalizing activities in a stress free social environment. There is no doubt that the real secret behind the success of Camp HASC is the tremendous effort of the nearly 200 young men and women who function as counselors in camp. Living with the campers 24 hours a day, with their determination and love, these counselors are able to drive home lessons learned in the classroom as well as on the playground, providing a total nurturing environment in which the campers can thrive. No wonder that many visitors to Camp HASC use the word “magical” in describing what they see! It really is a special place for special people. For more information about Camp HASC or to inquire how your son or daughter can register to be campers, e-mail us at chayam.hasc@verizon.net or call 718-851-6100 to request an application.

The Elliott P. Joslin Camps for Children with Diabetes — Charlton and Plymouth, Massachusetts — For boys ages 7-16, Joslin’s Camping Programs combine diabetes education, support, and treatment with fun, camping, sports and recreation. This combination creates an exceptionally popular living and learning program that alumni, campers and their families describe as a “blast.” Many call it the single most important program they have participated in to help them live more effectively with diabetes. Joslin Diabetes Center owns the Elliott P. Joslin Camp for children with diabetes in Charlton and Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Joslin camps work closely with the Clara Barton Camp for Girls, which is owned by Clara Barton Diabetes Center, Inc. Visit www.joslin.org for more information.

Camp Lee Mar — Located in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, campers are immediately involved in activities from the moment they arrive. They enjoy all the fun and activities of a traditional summer camp. In addition, campers are encouraged to continue growing and learning. Special programs and teaching methods are incorporated into the Camp Lee Mar experience that emphasize academics, speech and language therapy, and vocational preparation. Lee Mar was the first special needs camp in America to inaugurate such a unique play-and-learn program.

This successful program, developed after careful study and practical research, assures each child all the rich benefits of camp and school life. The campers participate in all the activities you would expect to find at any camp: swimming, baseball, football, basketball, drama, hikes, nature study, arts and crafts, dancing, movies, campfires, painting, music, and more. All this is done in a delightful fun-to-learn and play manner by specially trained, caring counselors and teachers. Individual development is continuously monitored and campers receive guidance on proper habits of personal hygiene, appropriate social behavior, team and group cooperation, and the ability to assume simple and varied responsibilities. Call 570-685-7188 or visit www.leemar.com for more information.

Shadybrook Camp and Learning Center — Located in Moodus, Connecticut, Shadybrook is equipped for campers 6-21 who are speech, language, or learning challenged, neurologically or perceptually impaired, have ADHD, or mild to moderate developmental disabilities. Shadybrook campers are interviewed and programs individualized to address each camper’s needs.

Campers are placed in one of three groups: Core — integrates educational and recreational activities to improve academics, speech/language/acquisition, perceptual motor skills and self-esteem; Life Skills — designed for young adults, this program emphasizes self awareness, social interaction skills, and daily living skills needed for independence and provides an introduction to the world of work. Vocational training and paid work experience are part of the program; and, Towards Independent Living — this program is for young adults ready to explore independent living through the world of work. They learn the relationship between responsibility and privilege, interact in the community, and develop vocational skills and appropriate job behavior. Paid work experience is included in this program
Recreational facilities include: basketball courts and athletic field, soccer field, volleyball court, tennis court, overnight campsite, fully equipped playground and physical fitness area, wooded nature, study and hiking area, fishing pond, and a new swimming pool designed for special needs campers. For more information, call 1-800-666-4752.

Camps for Kids with Cancer — The American Cancer Society camps combine the traditional softball, swimming, and s’mores with a medical staff prepared to meet the special needs of campers being treated for cancer. Medical professionals are available 24 hours a day, and staff members make sure that campers take any necessary medications. Our three camp programs are located at YMCA Camp Jewell in Colebrook, Conn.; YMCA Camp Jordan in Ellsworth, Maine; and Camp Aldersgate in North Scituate, Rhode Island. Thanks to many generous supporters, all three of our camping programs are offered free of charge.

Camp Rising Sun, held at YMCA Camp Jewell in Colebrook, Connecticut, during the third week of August (beginning on a Sunday.) Children ages 6 to 17 who have been diagnosed with cancer can attend. First preference is given to children from Connecticut. All campers participate with the approval of their physicians.

Camp Rainbow, held at the Bangor YMCA’s Camp Jordan in Ellsworth, Maine, during the fourth week of June (beginning on a Sunday). Children ages 4 through high school who have been diagnosed with cancer are welcome. A parent or guardian must accompany campers ages 4-6. Attendance is subject to the approval of the medical director. Campers who are on or off treatment are welcome, and priority is given to the residents of Maine.

Camp Hope, held at Camp Aldersgate in North Scituate, Rhode Island, during the third week of August (beginning on a Sunday). Children ages 8 to 17 who have been diagnosed with cancer, and their siblings, are welcome. A winter retreat is also offered during a weekend in January, from Friday through Sunday.

Visit www.cancer.org for more information.

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Arts & Entertainment

‘The Pianist,’ Scores Upset at Oscars
Tom Tugend

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — The Pianist, a searing film of one Jew’s survival in Warsaw during the Nazi occupation, scored a major upset when it won three Oscars this week.

The film, based on a memoir by Wladyslaw Szpilman, garnered Academy Awards for director Roman Polanski, actor Adrien Brody and screenwriter Ronald Harwood.

Nowhere in Africa, which depicts a Jewish family that resettles in Kenya after being forced to flee Nazi Germany, won for best foreign film.

Most American critics had predicted the three winners for The Pianist would be distant also-rans in the Oscar voting.

Their victories illustrated once again the enduring hold of the Holocaust on the imagination and sentiments of the film industry.
Polanski, who escaped from the Krakow Ghetto as a 7-year-old boy, was not present at Sunday evening’s 75th annual Academy Awards. He is officially a fugitive from the United States for having engaged in unlawful sexual relations with a minor.
The statuette was accepted on behalf of the director by presenter Harrison Ford. Polanski had been previously nominated for his films Tess, Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby.

Loud applause greeted the announcement of Polanski’s win.

Brody, in his first major starring role, portrayed pianist Szpilman, one of a handful of Jews to survive the doomed uprisings of the ghetto and city of Warsaw during the five years of Nazi military rule.

An obviously stunned Brody exceeded his allotted acceptance speech time.

“My experiences of making this film made me very aware of the sadness and the dehumanization of people at times of war,” he said.

Dustin Hoffman, who had earlier introduced a brief segment of The Pianist, described the film’s theme as “the triumph of the human spirit and of the transforming power of art.”

The Pianist got off to a slow start by missing out in three lesser categories for which it had been nominated. It also ceded the best picture Oscar to the musical Chicago, whose director, Rob Marshall, had been considered the odds-on favorite to win in his category.

Less of a surprise was the Oscar for Nowhere in Africa as the top foreign film.

Another Holocaust-themed film, Prisoner of Paradise, about a Jewish entertainer who directs a Nazi propaganda film, failed to win in the documentary feature category.

Also outside the winner’s circle, in the documentary short subject category, was The Collector of Bedford Street, the story of a developmentally disabled Jewish man in New York who collected more than $125,000 for medical charities.

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‘Movements of Color’ at the Hooper Mansion
Yulia Zhorov
Jewish Journal Staff

A new exhibit, “The Movements of Color” by artist Olga Gernovski, will be on display at the Marblehead Art Association, 8 Hooper St., Marblehead, April 1 – 30.

Gernovski came to America in 1994 from the Ukraine, where she studied Fine Arts for more then 10 years and worked as a designer in the Dnepropetrovsk Drama Theatre. She also conducted art classes for children at a local Jewish Community Center. Here she continued her studies at the Art Institute of Boston where she developed her individual style while searching for the harmony of color and the motion of lines and tones.

In her paintings she tries to capture movements of color “when the paint follows the brush or pallet knife, creating forms and images in space, ” stated the artist. “I like the feel of dynamics of line; its energy, its capacity to state and elaborate, and its suggestive qualities,” says Gernovski.

As a member of the Marblehead Art Association, Gernovski has taken part in more than 20 exhibitions. She has participated in a number of art festivals in Boston and on the North Shore. She is a winner of numerous awards and honors, including the Best of Show at the Marblehead Art Association exhibition.

Her eighth personal exhibition in five years, this colorful collection of new paintings is the result of many years of her searching for her own style.

A reception to meet the artist will be held on Sunday, April 6, from 2 – 5p.m. at the Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper Street.

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Singles

The Wedding Doctor #2

She Said, He Said, at Bloomie’s Registry

BRETT M. RHYNE
Jewish Journal Staff

Overheard at Save the Date, the Spring 2003 Bridal Registry Event at Bloomingdale’s on March 23:

• About the three limousines, — two classic, one contemporary — parked outside:
She said, “I would never want to go to my wedding in one of those.”
He said, “Cool! Cars!”

• About the brunch buffet — bagels and lox, croissant and muffins, quiche, beef and mushroom tapenade on puff pastry — by Brasserie Jo at the Colonnade Hotel:
She said, “I wouldn’t serve this to the guests at my wedding.”
He said, “I’m just glad they’re feeding us.”

• About the live music — electric piano and guitar — by Four Guys in Tuxedos:
She said, “I wouldn’t want them to play at my wedding.”
He said, “Hey, let’s dance.”

• About speaker Nicole Marquis of International Silver when she said, “As a new bride, you’re here to reinvent yourself.”
She said, “I am?”
When Marquis said, “In 25 years he might not be sterling, but your sterling will be sterling.”
He said, “I won’t?”

• About the bridal gowns and bridesmaids’ dresses of designer Helen Morley, from Yolanda Bridal Boutique:
She said, “Not one dress did I like. I don’t like the brocade tops that are in this year, and everything is strapless. Most women are too busty to wear strapless.”
He said, “The models were wearing dresses?”

• About the wedding cake served by Ursula of Art of the Cake:
She said, “Terrible.”
He said, “Mm, cake.”

Bloomingdale’s holds large bridal registry events and bridal fashion shows twice yearly, as well as smaller events monthly. The Registry, a nationwide service, can be reached at 1-800-888-2WED or at Bloomingdales.Wedding Channel.com.

The Wedding Doctor is in! Write to him at editor@jewishjournal.org.

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Yenta Dearest

Dear Yenta,

How nice it was to see greetings from you in your Purim Edition (Jewish Journal, March 14-27, p. 40). You were a friend of my dear departed bubbeh’s.

Oy Yentele, have I got a Purim anecdote for you! Now, I too am a bubbeh with five beautiful ainiklech. I love them dearly. However, they are all churchgoers.

Nu. Comes Purim and UPS pulls up at my door with a box of treats — not my bubbeh’s schalachmonos of tayglech and rice cakes — but with shamrock cookies.

Well. I was not forgotten and, truth to tell, those spritz cookies were zehr geshmach. To even things up, I went to Newman’s for prune and apricot hamantashen.

That’s how I try to capture the best of both worlds.

—Ida A.

Mamelah,

Yenta is so happy to hear from you she could plotz! I remember when you were just a shayna maydl, like a doll you were, and your mother would bring you to visit your bubbeh and me when we were playing mah jongg. It was all Yenta could do to keep from squeezing those chubby cheeks — I loved those chubby cheeks! And now here you are all grown up, with ainiklech of your own, yet! Thank you so much for your nice story. Yenta is sure she has many readers in the same situation, and it warms my heart to see how easy you handle such a difficult thing. You always were a smart girl! As we say around the Center, “Vi eyner tsu zibn, azoy tsu zibetsik — As one is at seven, so one is at seventy.”

—The Yenta

Need advice on any subject? The Yenta has an answer for everything, whether you want to hear it or not. Write to her. Your mother would want you to: Editor@jewishjournal.org, attn: Yenta

Editorial

The Battle for Baghdad and the Palestinian Conflict

The war that President Bush was determined to prosecute is in full swing. And it’s not proving as easy as the Pentagon had anticipated. Given the level of resistance the “allied coalition” is facing as it seeks to advance on Baghdad, it is now clear that the U.S. military strategy of “shock and awe” has created neither among Iraqis.

Whatever their level of disaffection with Saddam, indications are that most Iraqis do not welcome us as liberators. Infidels, aggressors, imperialists, yes; liberators no. So the war may last more than the one month and $75 billion that the White House included in its projections. And the cost of reconstruction — assuming the U.S. does manage to topple the Iraqi leader and destroy his weapons cache — remains to be calculated.

It’s axiomatic that when war costs go up, so do taxes. Not this time. While the staggering costs mount, the White House insists that it will proceed with enacting a tax cut for the American people. Is this a great country or what?

The fact is that without even the fig leaf of a new U.N. Security Council resolution to legitimize our invasion, the United States is embarked on the biggest international gamble since the Cuban missile crisis. Can a war undertaken in the face of world opinion and opposed by many of our allies decisively shift the balance of power in the Middle East in favor of democracy and freedom? Or will it fan the flames of fundamentalism, uniting the forces opposed to modernization throughout the world in a new coalition against us? The jury, of course, is out.

For Israel, the war poses a special threat. Now that Yasser Arafat has handpicked a successor — the “moderate” Mahmoud Abbas as the new premier, with powers still unclear— the White House feels honor bound to get the peace process back on track. It is entirely possible that the Bush Administration will bend over backwards to appease the Palestinians, if only to combat the wave of anti-Americanism that its own actions have provoked.

This is, in every sense, a living-room war. Thanks to mobile viodephones and satellite communication, we now have newsmen embedded in advancing military units showing us front-line battles in real-time TV. We’re also beginning to see the bodies— American bodies, and the bodybags that will bring them home. That doesn’t help build support for the war.
President Bush enjoys an approval rating above 70 percent. His war policy is explicitly favored by more than 40 per cent of the public; another 20 percent is rallying around the flag because supporting the president is the patriotic thing to do in wartime. Those numbers could change dramatically if things go sour.

Let us hope it is a short war and that we emerge victorious, that Saddam will be gone, his troops defeated, his illegal weapons exposed and destroyed. It’s a tall order, to be sure. This roll of the diplomatic dice is risky, perhaps even reckless. We can only hope it will work.

MARK ARNOLD
Jewish Journal Editor/Publishe

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Local Columnists

‘Never Again!’ Means Just That

DOV BURT LEVY
Jewish Journal North of Boston

It was bound to happen, and it did: On the eve of war, a congressman blames “The Jews” for getting America into war with Iraq.

The Jews: You and me. Ari Fleisher and Barbra Streisand. Tom Friedman, Joseph Lieberman, William Kristol, Kirk Douglas. My six-year old granddaughter Emily, and my friend’s six-month-old grandson Sam.

I will not use this column for the old Shakespeare Merchant of Venice defense: “Don’t I bleed,” declaring that Jews are just like everyone else. We’re are beyond that now. In Chutzpah, Allen Dershowitz explained how the tactic of being defensive or quiet in the face of anti-Jewish challenges was over.

Congressman James Moran (D-VA) should know that by smearing “The Jews” (or any other religious, racial or nationality group), he commits group slander and provocation to attack a whole people.

I just want to tell him and any others that follow this path that they will lose. Not because there is a monolithic, all-powerful, one-dimensional Jewish cabal, but because Jews, acting individually and through organizations we support, will dislodge them. Jews fight back.

Our motivation begins with two short phrases: “Never Again!” and “Could it happen here?” I believe that virtually all American Jews summon up the same images upon hearing those phrases.

“Never again!” is the promise that most American Jews have made to themselves that they will fight to the death to prevent another Holocaust.

“Could it happen here?” raises the specter of a Nazi Germany repeating itself in the United States. It is the Holocaust, widespread anti-Jewish government actions to marginalize Jews, accuse them of disloyalty to the state, strip them of their possessions, imprison and even kill them.

Most of us think an American holocaust unlikely to happen here — but not impossible, given the right (or wrong) economic conditions and hate-mongers to lead the march.

When Congressman Moran told an anti-war forum at a Reston, Virginia, church, “If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this,” and “The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going,” Moran unleashed his own firestorm.
Six northern Virginia rabbis called for Moran’s resignation, saying he “regularly singles out the Jewish community and its historical support for the State of Israel for criticism that echoes the most scandalous rhetoric of the last century.”
Six congressmen (all Jewish) from around the country echoed the criticism and called upon Moran not to run again when his current term ends.

Jewish organizations, Jewish and secular newspaper editorials were, for the most part, equally critical of Moran’s slander.
Be sure that by the next election, serious local opposition will be mounted to defeat this congressman and others who chose the anti-Jewish path.

“Never again!” demands it.

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How Worried Should We Really Be?

ELLEN GOLUB
Jewish Journal North of Boston

My friend Nili had just picked up her gas mask at the mall. “Yeah, it was a long line—this is Israel, after all,” she said, referring to the endless bureaucracy for which our Zionist state is famous. But she was not too concerned that she would need the device. “I live in Jerusalem, where there are a lot of Arabs. So it’s unlikely they’ll bomb right here.”

That doesn’t mean I’ll stop worrying about her, or the rest of Israel.

“Don’t worry about me,” Nili insists. “It’s you I’m really worried about.”

“Are you crazy, Nili?” I live in the good old U.S. of A. Aside from a few crazy Saudis driving planes into buildings, this place is Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

“So you’d like to think,” she says. But having made aliyah last year, Nili is convinced that the rest of the world is a hornet’s nest of anti-Semitism. “Aren’t you the one who gave her children names that they could pass with?”

“You know me too long,” I told her. “But in the 80s (when my kids were born) everyone was frightened of those psychotic Arab hijackers. In fact, Nili, Arab psychosis is what drove you down to the kinyon [mall] to stand in line forever. You’re the one who lives too close to them.”

“Havivi, wake up,” said Nili. “We all live too close to them, you included. England, France, Denmark, Belgium, the States—you all have huge populations of Muslim Arabs. Since the Intifada began, Europe has been awash with anti-Jewish slogans and physical assaults. It hasn’t been this bad since the 1930s.”

“Nilah, I read the New York Times, too,” I retorted. “But let’s not get crazy.”

“Crazy?” she says. “Wasn’t it a U.S. congressman last week who blamed the Jews for causing the war with Iraq? Aren’t Juif and Mazel Tov used as contemputous adjectives in France?”

“My heart is beating a little too fast,” I tell Nili. “Out of respect for our advancing ages, perhaps we should move on to a less charged topic.” She agrees.

“What did your cousin Chani name her baby?” She asks.

I think for a minute. “Yakov Meir Shalom, I think.”

“Hmmm,” muses Nilah.

“You don’t like it?” I ask. I am perplexed.

“‘Jihad’ would’ve been a safer bet.”

“Are you making fun of me?” I ask my old friend.

“Of course not, Havivi,” she says. “I’m making fun of them.”

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Slice of Life
Let Me Tell You About My Affair

PHYLLIS DINERMAN
Jewish Journal North of Boston

I always wanted to have an affair. I wasn’t even fussy with whom…but it was forbidden fruit years ago. Today it’s not even a delicacy.

So I had an affair: I made my sons’ bar mitzvahs. What, you thought I was going to write about something else?

I reserved the date with the temple the night I conceived. Barring earthquakes, tornados, or natural disasters, the date I chose was carved in stone. That’s when it would be — 13 years later.

Once we had the date, we had to chose a caterer. There were just so many “in” caterers at the time, and I interviewed every one to be sure I made the right decision. I shlepped my mother to those interviews. She drove me crazy because nothing I chose was right with her. My husband, I left home because he could have cared less about a menu. Actually the food was the easiest part. I asked the caterer what he would suggest, and went with his choices.

Music was the most difficult task. My son wanted a DJ. I wanted a band, and my husband wanted me to stop arguing with my son and with my mother, not necessarily in that order.

I became the music mayven of the North Shore. I went to every party and listened to every band and DJ that came down the pike. We made our selection and drew up a contract insisting that, barring the band leader’s death, he would show up in person. No ifs, ands, or buts.

What to wear was the next decision in planning my affair. All of a sudden, my son’s bar mitzvah became “My Affair.” I went from store to store; shopped all over New England until I found the perfect dress. It was a known fact that if I didn’t find a magnificent dress, there would be no bar mitzvah. I finally found the dress, and after driving 20 times back and forth for fittings, it was perfect.

Suits for the males is a “piece of cake,” right? Wrong. My son, who lived in jeans, wanted a suit with European styling. He always hated shopping, and now he is standing and modeling suits in front of every available mirror in the clothing store. I thought someone had snatched my real son when I wasn’t looking and left me this prince.

My husband? He didn’t want a suit. Why couldn’t he wear one from the closet? I dragged him to a fine men’s store in Boston, had him try on a suit and all of a sudden, I was watching the prince’s father turn into the king. He was becoming God’s gift to women. He was turning this way and that way, preening in the mirror.

The guest list: This is the worst part. Where do you draw the line? Do you need your husband’s family? Do you need your neighbors? And, now someone else enters the ring: my mother, grandmother of the bar mitzvah boy. Drawing the line at fourth cousins and her friends from the beauty parlor, she insists on inviting relatives I don’t even know. She can never look them in the face if I don’t invite them, she insists. My mother-in-law was easier. She told me to invite whomever I wanted from her family.

Then there are the invitations: I wanted them to be classy and “smart.” I ran from post office to post office to choose stamps that would be color-coordinated with the envelopes and the calligraphy. The stamps had to be “appropriate” for a bar mitzvah. Don’t ask me what makes them appropriate.

I just knew the invitation shouldn’t bear the stamp of two intertwined swans. I handled the invitations with rubber gloves. I kept them in a large clean box, carefully protected with tissue paper. I brought them directly to the post office, eliminating the mail box.

What happened next was a shock to my system. The postman picked up the invitations with ink-stained hands, bound them with the smallest elastic I had ever seen and threw them in a large container with other mail. Color drained from my face, I became light-headed and tears welled up in my eyes. I knew I was walking a fine line between sanity and insanity.
The seating plan: a nightmare. No one wanted to sit with anyone in their own family. This one doesn’t talk to that one. By this time, I didn’t want to talk to anyone. And, where do you sit the clergy? With my mother’s fourth cousins, of course. They at least are relatively intelligent, though void of humor; they eat with utensils and do not utter obscenities.

I have run out of space for this issue to tell you about the day, the bar mitzvah, my affair…Next issue maybe, Part 2.

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Op-Ed

U.S. Activist Dies Sheltering Palestinian Murderers

JONATHAN S. TOBIN
Recently, Israel has come under criticism for incidents in which Arabs were killed, as well as for the death of an American supporter of the Palestinians who died while trying to interfere with Israeli troops in Gaza.

In some of these cases, mistakes may have been made by Israeli troops. Those responsible should be held accountable. While Israel’s military rightly prides itself on its humane practices, such military accidents, including “friendly fire” incidents, are part of the history of all wars. But before Americans rush to condemn Israel, we should remember that Israeli troops are where they are because of a campaign of Arab terror. The terrorists that seek shelter among civilians bear the responsibility for the casualties that occur when Israelis pursue them.

In the case of the 23-year-old American “peace activist” Rachel Corrie from Washington state, it must be pointed out that she was in Gaza specifically to shelter Palestinian murderers from Israeli counterattacks.

For some, peace pilgrims like Corrie are heroes. But the truth about the International Solidarity Movement, which sent her to Gaza, as well as the other “human shields” who went to Iraq, is far less flattering. Their goal is not so much humanitarian as it is political. The “human shields” in Gaza aren’t there to help the Palestinians who have suffered under the dictatorial rule of the Palestinian Authority and its suicidal decision to wage war instead of accept peace with Israel. They are there to oppose Israel’s attempts to defend itself and that is all.

The day after Corrie’s death, the Associated Press released a file photo they had taken of her in February at an anti-Israel rally.

Though she has been portrayed in the media as something close to a saint, the photo shows her tearing up a mock American flag to the cheers of her Palestinian cohorts. The look on her face as she tore the flag is familiar. It is not one of compassion or courage. It is a portrait of crazed hate: hate for Israel and hate for her native America.

The real heroes are the soldiers of the United States and of Israel who are risking their lives to protect us all against evil regimes and terrorists. Not the leftist fools who seek to stop them for doing their jobs.
Jonathan S.Tobin is executive director of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia. He can be reached via e-mail at jtobin@jewishexponent.com.

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War Against Saddam: First Step Against Terror Regimes

MORTON A. KLEIN

The American war against Saddam Hussein represents a significant departure from the traditional U.S. posture of appeasing Arab terrorist regimes. Hopefully it will be just the first step in a new approach to combating terrorism.

In the past, the U.S. consistently refrained from taking serious action against Arab regimes that sponsored terrorists. Instead, it tried to appease those regimes by offering them military and financial assistance, and pressuring Israel to make territorial and other concessions.

After the creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964, the governments of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia provided the PLO with funds, safe haven, training facilities, and weapons. One Israeli anti-terror raid on PLO bases in Lebanon uncovered crates of U.S.-made rifles that had been given to Saudi Arabia, which the Saudis then gave to the PLO.

Yet instead of taking action against these terror sponsors, the Johnson, Nixon, and Ford administrations pursued friendly relations with Cairo, Damascus, Amman, and Riyadh, gradually increasing U.S. aid to those regimes. Even worse, the U.S. began pressuring Israel to give those regimes the strategically-crucial territories that Israel had won in self-defense when Egypt, Jordan, and Syria attacked in 1967.

The policy of appeasing pro-terror regimes continued during the CarterAdministration. The supply of American weapons to Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia increased, and Israel was pressured to make concessions to the Palestinian Arabs.

When Israel struck at PLO terrorists in Lebanon and temporarily took over a narrow strip of border territory that had been used by the PLO, President Carter pressured Israel to retreat — just five years after PLO terrorists, acting on Arafat’s direct orders, murdered two American diplomats in Khartoum.

Reagan administration officials seemed to understand the terror threat more clearly. Yet when it came to Arab regimes that sponsored anti-Israel terror, that familiar blind spot surfaced. Instead of using its leverage to force the Arab regimes to stop sponsoring terror, the administration unveiled the 1982 “Reagan Plan,” which in effect rewarded the Palestinian Arabs for their terrorism, by proposing an Israeli withdrawal to the indefensible pre-1967 borders, and the creation of a Palestinian Arab regime in the vacated territories. Israel’s leaders called the plan “national suicide for Israel.”

During the administrations of George Bush (senior) and Bill Clinton, appeasement reached new lows. Courting pro-terror Arab regimes and pressuring Israel became a central focus of U.S. foreign policy. Bush did go to war against Iraq — but because of its occupation of Kuwait and its oil fields, not because of Iraqi sponsorship of terror.

There was no serious response to the taking of American hostages by Iran, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia, the attack on the S.S. Cole near Yemen, the downing of Pan Am 103, and so many other terrorist attacks. There have been case after case of risk-free massacres of Americans.

The Clinton administration mastered the art of using pro-Israel rhetoric to soothe Israel’s supporters, while carrying out policies that appeased terrorists and undermined Israel. Palestinian Arab violations of the Oslo accords were ignored. Palestinian Arab terrorism galvanized theAdministration to put even more pressure on Israel. Yasser Arafat was showered with $100-million each year and was invited to the White House more often than other foreign leader.

Clinton’s secretaries of state visited Damascus literally dozens of times, desperately and unsuccessfully courting Syria’s pro-terrorist regime. Just down the block from where U.S. officials met with Syrian leaders were the headquarters of at least ten international terrorist groups, to which Clinton turned a blind eye.

The Bush Administration’s record has been equally troubling. Saudi Arabia is treated as an ally despite its deep involvement in promoting Islamic terrorism. Syria is praised despite its sponsorship of international terrorist groups. Media reports indicate Bush is seeking a rapprochement with terrorist Libya.

Terrorism cannot be fought on one front and ignored on another. To defeat terrorism world