| The Jewish Journal Archive | ||||||
| October 22 - November 4, 2004 | ||||||
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Local StoriesDay School Gift Excludes North Shore Mark
Arnold MARBLEHEAD — The $45 million donation from a group of anonymous Boston-area families — largest contribution ever for improving Jewish day school education — will help three Boston schools enormously and 11 others to a lesser degree. But no funds will go to the North Shore’s Cohen Hillel Academy (CHA), despite the fact that the two biggest donor families live on the North Shore. “We’re very excited that the Jewish day school movement is being recognized in this big a way,” CHA Head of School Robert E. Tornberg told the Journal. “But it’s disappointing that we were left out. It wouldn’t have been unreasonable for them to have been neighborly about it.” The
‘them’ Tornberg refers to is Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies
(CJP), whose president, Barry Shrage, began soliciting the grants more
than a year ago, including grants for $10 million or more from the two
prominent North Shore businessmen, who, like the other donors, requested
anonymity. Under the terms announced by CJP October 11, the three largest Jewish day schools in the state will each receive $10 million for innovative programming, for a total of $30 million. They are the Maimonides School in Brookline, Orthodox; the Solomon Schechter Day School in Newton, Conservative; and the Rashi School in Newton, Reform. Sources close to the grant said the donors wanted to give to the Orthodox and Conservative schools but were persuaded to include a Reform-affiliated day school in the interests of serving all three major streams of Judaism. Together, the three schools enroll 55 percent of the 2,600 students attending 14 Jewish day schools in the CJP service area. The 11 smaller day schools in that area will be eligible to apply for funds from the remaining $15 million, both for tuition assistance and for innovative programming, according to the CJP announcement, but not for teacher salaries or upgrading of facilities. The money is to be distributed over the next five years. Since the grants are restricted to the CJP service area, five Jewish day schools outside the CJP area (including CHA) will not be eligible for assistance. Jewish community professionals hailed the grant as a historic investment. Jewish educators say they hope other philanthropists will now step up to transform day school education across the country. “We’ve been dreaming about days like this,” said CJP’s Shrage at a news conference in Boston. “The grant truly represents a change in the way the American Jewish community understands education.” Daniel J. Margolis, executive director of the Bureau of Jewish Education in Boston, said that nine new day schools have sprung up in the past 20 years, but because of a slowdown in the rate of growth recently, several now have excess capacity. Deliberations about a substantial gift for day school education had been under way for about five years, Shrage said, but it wasn’t until one family decided to triple its intended pledge that the project suddenly reached record proportions. “The prerequisite is a couple of passionate donors who believe they can change the world,” Shrage said. “We expect that many more donors will begin to see the schools as a positive place to make an investment.” “We must do a much better job than we’re doing today,’’ he added, noting that the vast majority of Jewish parents still do not send their children to Jewish day schools. About 90 percent of Orthodox children go to day schools or yeshivas, but less than 20 percent of Conservative children and 4 percent of Reform children go to day schools, according to the National Jewish Population Survey 2000-01. Locally, many leaders were disappointed that none of the money is slated for improvements at Cohen Hillel, the North Shore’s only day school. “It’s a real disappointment,” said Robert I. Lappin, who noted that both North Shore donors have connections with CHA. “I would have hoped they would look out for our community,” he told the Journal. Merritt Mulman, executive director of the Federation, took a different view. “I think Barry Shrage deserves a pat on the back for putting this together. He’s been promoting Jewish education for years. It’s natural he should want the funds to be used in his area. We have our Y2I (Youth to Israel) program and only Federation-area youths are eligible. That’s the way it is.” Though he admits to being “uncomfortable” about the exclusion of his school (and four other non-CJP day schools outside the Boston area), Cohen Hillel’s Tornberg believes the grant will serve as “a wake-up call to other donors.” “It hurts a little in the short run,” he told the Journal. “But in the long run it will be good for all of us. It shows that the day school movement is being taken seriously.” Information provided by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was used in the preparation of this article by the Journal. Active
Bush and Kerry Supporters Sound Off Gary
Band With under two weeks to go before election day, the race to decide the leader of the free world is playing out in the key battleground states of Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. But while Massachusetts voted overwhelmingly for native son John Kerry during the March primary, and are likely to do the same in the general election, there were many who voted to retain President George Bush for another term. Here on the North Shore, the Journal spoke with several Jewish people who have taken an active role as volunteers and contributors, as well as those who vocally support one candidate over the other. Dr. George Beilin of Hamilton, who until this year voted consistently Democrat, is firmly in the Bush camp. “I can’t understand how anyone, let alone any Jew, could vote for Kerry,” he says. Beilin says he is still liberal on issues like stem cell research, choice, and the environment. But since 9/11, he believes the United States is in a war that the Bush Administration is better equipped to wage. Looking back over the 1990s, Beilin cites clues such as the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the embassy bombings in Kenya, and the USS Cole bombing in Yemen to suggest Al Qaeda represented a real threat against which the Clinton Administration did not act with sufficient force. Beilin
believes the “continuous failings and ineptitude of the United Nations”
left President Bush with no choice but to declare war. Others disagree. Rick Borten of Swampscott, who has worked for the Kerry Campaign doing outreach to voters in New Hampshire, says he feels more strongly about this election than he ever has before. “I find George Bush’s arrogance and certitude about the war in particular just terrible,” Borten says. “I don’t share the belief that our actions in Iraq helps Israel, but rather isolates us and Israel. A British diplomat, speaking at a diplomatic function in Italy, made a statement that he saw Bush as the best recruiter for terrorists imaginable. I believe that’s true.” Borten says he is also troubled with the arrogance of Bush declaring Jesus Day while he was governor of Texas, and a quote in the Houston Post in which he said only Christians will have a place in heaven. “Even in his Christmas message he talked about celebrating the birth of man’s savior. I believe these are his true feelings and are highly divisive.” Furthermore, Borten feels that Bush’s position on stem cell research, abortion and gay marriage, are all “incredibly divisive.” Robert Lappin of Swampscott is supporting President Bush. “My reasons are that I think that the overwhelming problem the world faces today is Islamic terrorism. And I say this not only thinking about Israel and the Jewish people, but our whole Western civilization. I feel that there is no question that President Bush is going to continue to conduct an aggressive and effective war against Islamic terrorism. There is a great question in my mind if Senator Kerry will be at all effective. Many indicate that he will not.” Lappin suggests there’s a good chance that Kerry’s plan to build a larger foreign coalition will be done at the expense of Israel. “Presumably, he’s talking about closer relations with France and Germany, and the only bargaining chip that he has is an agreement to put pressure on Israel in terms of making concessions. That’s what France and Germany and the European Union are doing, and President Bush has been outstanding in avoiding doing this.” Howard Rich of Marblehead believes Bush has been “great for Israel” and he too has doubts about John Kerry. “I think under Kerry we would go back to an even-handed approach, which is not good for Israel. Bush has a good relationship with Ariel Sharon, and is the much better choice if you care about Israel.” Arthur
Epstein of Marblehead says he is still undecided. “I like George
Bush’s position on Israel. Kerry hasn’t stated his that clearly.”
Mark Mulgay of Swampscott is a volunteer for the Kerry Campaign. He has canvassed in New Hampshire, made calls to Florida, and distributed information on the campaign. “I
think John Kerry offers superior qualifications and experience to serve
as president,” Mulgay says. “He has far superior leadership
skills and a more sophisticated understanding of the world and how it
functions. George Bush’s view of the world is simplistic and dualistic.
Everything is black and white, good and evil, and represents an ideology
that will further weaken this country and Israel. She has been to NH to identify Kerry supporters and has made phone calls to those who have been denied a ballot by Florida officials to learn if this was done so illegally by Florida officials. She also travelled to Florida this month to speak with voters about the links between health and environmental degradation. Nadeau will return to the Sunshine State for the last week of the campaign, including election day, during which she will work to get out the vote with members of Clean Water Action in Boca Raton. “Kerry has the best environmental policy,” Nadeau says. “He has a 96 percent rating from the Environmental Protection Agency, and that’s what drew me to him as a candidate for president.” Nadeau also worked for Kerry in 1972 during his unsuccessful run for Congress. Margaret Summer of Swampscott, a small business consultant by profession, is the volunteer chair of the 35-member Swampscott Democratic Town Committee. She recently returned from campaigning for Kerry in rural North Carolina, as well as Ohio, Georgia and Florida before that. “I think the standard of living is going to be driven by what happens on Nov. 2,” Summer contends. “Either we’re a country that grows a middle class and offers a decent standard of living, or we’ll be a country with a tiny number of vastly wealthy people while the majority of people will see a further decline in their quality of life.” Summer says the volunteer response to the Kerry campaign has been extraordinary. “Senior citizens are emailing, high school and college students are working on their first campaign, black and white, poor, middle class, it’s amazing.” Referring to “Kerry Travelers” (those who travel to and canvass in various states) Summer says she worked with 250 Mass residents canvassing in Portland, Maine, 83 people in Ohio, and 30 people sleeping on couches in NH. “Everybody living on their dime and their own hopes and dreams.” On the Ralph Nader factor, Summers finds him “troublesome.” “Nader continues to offer a lot of interesting ideas, but I rather he offered them to the Kerry team now and after the election. I don’t think he understands that this administration represents not a conservative thrust, but a right wing ideology.” Michael Schulze of Peabody, a Navy veteran who has known John Kerry for 23 years, spoke with the Journal from a Winnebago in Wisconsin. Over the last week, along with 11 other veterans from Massachusetts, Schulze has travelled throughout small towns in Wisconsin and Minnesota answering charges and “getting the truth out” about their candidate. “I didn’t like the swift boat liars, so I thought this was the best that I could do.” Schulze, whose regular job is at Stutz Volvo, ran Kerry’s campaign for Lieutenant Governor in the Massachusetts Second District, as well as Kerry’s run for the Senate in 1984. “I just like him. He’s got guts, he’s a straight shooter, and not afraid to take on a real problem. He’s 10 times more protective of the troops than Bush and his chickenhawks are.” Among those travelling with Schulze is Ben Shapiro of Quincy, who served with Kerry in Vietnam After he and Kerry came back, Shapiro worked at the Department of Justice when Kerry was assistant district attorney. Shapiro says they worked together and remained friends. “The moment I met John Kerry, there was an aura about him that suggested leadership, character and integrity. I knew some day this person would be in public life.” Kaplan and Selby: Why They’re Being Honored by ADL Mark
Arnold Ralph Kaplan is a meat and potatoes guy. No fancy airs, no expensive tastes. You can find him five or six days a week in a wood-veneer paneled office at a huge oak desk in a nondescript building just beyond the Store 24 on Main Street in working-class Everett. Over the door is a sign that reads Kappy’s Importing and Distributing Company. This is the headquarters and warehouse for Kappy’s Liquors, the business Ralph and his brother Bernie built over a period of more than 50 years. Slightly stooped over, with a ready smile, Ralph is pushing 80 now, but he still works a 50-55 hour week. This particular day, it’s 9:30 a.m. and he is on the phone more than usual, fielding a slew of congratulatory calls. During the night, Ariana Selby, wife of his grandson Joseph, gave birth to his first great-grandchild, a baby boy they named Jackson Neal Selby. Ralph, Harriett, his wife of 57 years, and seven other family members were on hand for the occasion. Earlier
yesterday, he had minor surgery, worked all afternoon, went with Harriett
to see the musical Swing at the North Shore Music Theater in Beverly,
then “dropped over” to Beverly Hospital on their way home to
await the birth. He got to bed at 2 a.m. In addition to his business, Ralph Kaplan has spent most of the last 40 years actively involved in a host of charities. He figures he has raised close to a billion dollars for Israel Bonds, millions more for Israel’s Ben Gurion University of the Negev. He does fund raising and other volunteer work for the Jewish Federation of the North Shore, for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and the Masonic Lodge of Massachusetts. Anne Selby, eldest of his four daughters — and grandmother of the latest member of the Kaplan clan — is also a leader in volunteer community affairs at Cohen Hillel Academy, the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore, and the North Shore Advisory Committee of the ADL. In
recognition of the pair’s service, Kaplan and Selby will receive
the ADL North Shore Leadership Award at the group’s annual dinner,
Tuesday, Oct. 26, at the Hilton Hotel, Logan Airport. More than 400 people
have registered to attend the affair, which includes a reception at 6
p.m. and dinner at 7. Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly will be
the keynoter. Chairing the event are Mark Jaffe, last year’s honoree;
Neal Goldman, Bob Ogan, and Jim Rudolph. Chair of the Advisory Committee
is Flori Schwartz. “Bernie and I, we worked hard all those years. I did the buying and took care of the business end; he oversaw repairs and construction and did the displays in the stores,” Ralph explains. Bernie died 2 1/2 years ago. Today, the day-to-day business is run by two of Ralph’s sons-in-law: Robert Selby and Brian Moore, but he is still involved in any decision of consequence, family members say. There have long been two sides to Ralph: the business side and what he calls “my philanthropic work.” The philanthropy takes about 20 hours of his time a week. He explains his commitment to it this way: “I grew up in the Nazi era. My proudest moment was when Israel became a state. I decided to do everything I could to make it successful. I saw a need for investment capital to help her grow. I got involved in Ben Gurion University because I saw a need for education in Israel.” He’s currently New England chair for the University’s support effort in the United States. Friends say Ralph has a knack for raising millions of dollars without the high-pressure tactics often associated with charitable fund raising. His strategy is simple: “What you do is you appeal to people’s passions,” he says. “You find something they feel strongly about.” But there’s is apparently something else about Ralph that helps open private purse strings and wallets. “He is just such a nice guy, it’s very hard to say no to Ralph Kaplan,” says his friend Arthur Epstein. “He’s a special guy. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about him.” Anne Selby says the family has always been a close one. ‘We grew up in Swampscott, a very close family, with an extended family through grandparents who visited all the time or lived with us, and neighbors where everyone was in and other of each others’ homes. We watched out for one another. We still live that way,” she says. Kappy always was heavily involved outside the home and that was okay with Harriet, Anne remembers. “She is a traditional wife. What makes him happy makes her happy. It’s how they’ve always been. And he’s been good to her too. So it worked out fine. She’s as generous in her way as he is in his.” “As soon as we were old enough, each of us were assigned a (liquor) store to work in. We still help out during the holidays. Kids come home from college and they go right to the store at Christmas time. It’s expected and they do it. Or if you need a mailing, you ask me and 10 family members may show up to lick envelopes.” Selby is proud when she’s described as a chip off the old block. A BU graduate with a Master’s in psychology and special education, she worked with handicapped children in Medford public schools after she was married. After her first child entered first grade at what was then called Hillel Academy (now Cohen Hillel), she became chair of the PTA. “Seeing the example of my dad, I guess I was looking for something. I decided to put my energy into things affecting my family and children directly.” At CHA, she has been president, chair of the annual fund, and the annual gala. At the JCC, she has been on the executive committee, chaired the Showhouse campaign, and run the personnel committee. At ADL because, among other things she runs training sessions on ways to combat prejudice and tolerance. “We can change the world by educating our children to be accepting and caring, to respect differences and not be prejudiced,” she explains. As for her dad, she describes him as “the most generous, kindest, most honest person I ever met. If there’s a need, he’s there. I don’t think ‘no’ is in his vocabulary. He genuinely wants to be helpful.” Adds his friend Stan Black: “Ralph puts his heart into everything he does, and he does a lot.” For information or tickets to the ADL Leadership Award dinner, contact Tamar Salter at 617-406-6300 or email her at tsalter@adl.org. Friedman,
at Salem State, Lambasts Bush War Effort Mark
Arnold SALEM — The Bush Administration was chastised by a world-renown journalist at Salem State College for “a series of deliberate, reckless, foolish, irresponsible decisions” in Iraq. Those decisions were taken “in the face of advice from our military and intelligence community” and have left the United States “trying to dig out of a hole in the worst way imaginable,” said New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, in a one-hour talk to an audience of 1,800 people at the college’s O’Keefe Auditorium, October 19. A former Times correspondent in Beirut and bureau chief in Jerusalem, Friedman has won three Pulitzer Prizes for his international reporting and commentary. He held the audience in rapt attention as he told them the Iraq war serves the cause of Moslem fundamentalists such as Osama bin Laden because it acts like a cement mixer, churning out anti-Modernist revolutionaries in greater numbers to challenge the civilized world. He called the current conflict the third great totalitarian challenge of the past 100 years and said it is more serious than those of the Communist and Nazi challenges that preceded it because it does not recognize the “boundaries of civilized behavior.” Communists and Nazis, said Friedman, “loved life more than they hated us. But bin Laden and his gang hate us more than they love life.” Therefore, they are ready to turn airplanes, cars, cellphones, tennis shoes or any other articles of our daily life into bombs that sow disruption and cause public panic. “If you can’t trust the person next to you,” he said, “they attack the trust that is the basis of an open society, and there aren’t enough police to keep a society open if trust is lost.” In
an unusually candid and outspoken lecture for a journalist, Friedman defended
his support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq a year and a half ago. He did
so, he said, not because he thought there were weapons of mass destruction
(“I never thought so,” he said) but because he thought we had
a chance of “partnering with people in that part of the world to
change the context of what was going on.” He explained: After 9/11, he said, a courageous president should have told the American people we needed to reduce our dependence on Arab oil. He would have raised taxes on gasoline to encourage conservation. “Gas today would still be $2 a gallon,” he suggested, “but instead of the extra going into the pockets of the mullahs, it would be going into the American economy.” As it is, he said, we have a policy that “leaves no mullah behind.” Asked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said President Bush has turned a blind eye to the excesses of the Sharon government, while wisely downgrading PLO Chair Yassar Arafat, whom he described as a criminal and a destroyer of Arab hopes. The only hope for peace, concluded Friedman, lies in something like the Clinton peace plan, which called for withdrawal of Israel from Gaza and most of the West Bank, a Palestinian state with assurances for Israel’s security, and a Jerusalem partitioned between Israeli and Palestinian sectors. Salem’s Wiccan Melting Pot Attracts Local Jews Susan
Jacobs SALEM — When it comes to witches, Salem has a long and storied history. Modern-day Wiccans (the more politically correct term) flock to this colorful city, which celebrates the psychic and embraces the occult. Jews are among the many individuals attracted to Salem’s Pagan community. Although some may think that Judaism and Paganism are incompatible, The Journal spoke with numerous people who borrow from both traditions and successfully blend their beliefs. Samantha Chesler is a beautiful and mature 18-year-old who works part-time at Salem’s Spellbound Museum, which houses a fascinating collection of supernatural curios. She plans to study Forensic Photography at McIntosh College in Dover, NH, next fall. Raised as a Reform Jew in South Africa, Chesler was preparing for her bat mitzvah but never wound up following through because she moved to America at age 13. She and her mother currently live in Salem where they keep kosher, she says, more for health than religious reasons. Although Chesler identifies herself as a Jew, she says she is also a Pagan. “I practice Judaism, but not as strongly as my Paganism. My ancestry is Jewish, and out of respect, I still fast on Yom Kippur and celebrate the holidays. But I don’t feel spiritually connected to it. I always felt like I was on the outside. With Judaism, I felt a void. Something was missing in my heart that the Pagan religion has fulfilled,” she says. Although Chesler does not belong to a temple, she is also not associated with a coven. “I am a self-practicing witch and prefer doing my rituals in private,” she says. An accomplished herbologist, she says her rituals involve making her own candles and puts healing spells in them. Dorian (who prefers not to use her Jewish-sounding last name) was raised in a Conservative Jewish household in Brooklyn. Now 66 and living in Boston, the mother of three grown children, who does astrology, palm and tarot readings at Goddess’ Treasure Chest in Salem, has expanded her belief system. “Although I consider myself to have a Jewish soul, I have other belief systems. I’m more spiritual rather than religious, and my religion is within myself. I have been studying astrology for 40 years, and astrology moved me away from religion. You could say that I’m a ‘born again astrologer,’ “she says. “I still have a soft spot for Judiasm because you can’t get over your upbringing. But, there are times when I miss Jewish rituals. For example, I miss lighting the candles on Shabbat. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more and more disenchanted by male-dominated religion. Although Wicca is more female-oriented, I don’t consider myself a practicing Wiccan either, because I don’t care for any organized religion. I practice on my own, and it’s a combination of incorporated beliefs. I do a lot of candle rituals which, by the way, includes lighting the menorah as well as yahrtzeit candles. I believe all religious practice comes down to acknowledging something greater than yourself, and striving to bring joy into people’s lives.” Rabbi Judy Epstein, Ph.D. is the Reconstructionist rabbi of Congregation Keshet Yam, Rainbow by the Sea. Epstein is probably the most liberal rabbi on the North Shore. When asked about Pagan Jews, she said, “Judaism is the antithesis of Paganism. Jews believe in one God, while Pagans believe there are many powers. This is a serious conflict. My first reaction is that it would be impossible to be a Jewish Pagan. However, Judaism can be interpreted in many different ways. On the surface, Paganism is not compatible with Judaism, but we can be open-minded to hear how people coalesce the two.” She cautions those who have embraced Paganism to tread carefully about also calling themselves Jews. “Some Wiccans may want to sentimentally hold on to their Judaism, but it is not fair for them to keep the tag of Judaism, as well,” she states. Lauraine Hutchinson is a steadfast Jew. “I really like the traditions of the Jewish faith. It’s been a constant throughout my life,” she says. The 51-year-old psychic lives in Derry, NH, where she is an active member of a Reform synagogue. An expert in tarot, she does readings at Angelica of the Angels, a spiritual gift shop in Salem. “I study kaballah, astrology, numerology and tarot. And every Friday night I light candles, say the prayers, and have wine and bread. I see them as all interconnected. To me, there’s no dichotomy or conflict,” she says. She points out that in the old testament, there are a lot of reference to angels and people who were psychic, and there is a relationship between Judaism and the tarot. “In the Alister Crowley tarot deck I use, the first 22 tarot cards contain letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This is because the tarot was developed by Jews during the time of pharaohs. As slaves, they were not permitted to read, write or teach religion to their children. They used the cards to teach these things to their children. The pharaohs never caught on because they thought the Jews were simply playing a card game,” she explains. Although she considers herself spiritual, Hutchinson, does not practice Pagan rituals. “I don’t ‘poo poo’ it, but it’s just not my belief system,” she says.
Seniors in Need of a Lightweight Torah Appeal to the Public for Help Susan
Jacobs REVERE — With age comes wisdom, and senior citizen discounts at the movie theater. But age also has its drawbacks, as Jewish residents at the Jack Satter House (a housing community for seniors in Revere) are discovering. Only two out of the 200 members of Congregation 420, the Conservative shul located in the senior housing complex on Revere Beach, are physically able to lift the shul’s full-sized 45-lb. torah. They desperately want to purchase a lighter weight scroll; however to do so, they must raise between $15-20,000. Most of the seniors who belong to the self-supporting congregation are on fixed incomes. Thanks to a recent Yom Kippur appeal, they have raised $5,000. They are turning to the public to help them come up with the balance. Norma
Siegel, 79, is president of Congregation 420. “Although many people
can only afford to give us small amounts, we recently received a $500
donation from a generous supporter. I also was quite pleased to receive
a $100 gift from a gentile neighbor who is a friend of our congregation.
We’re confident that in due time, we’ll raise the money we need
to buy a new Torah,” she says. Zamansky promises that should a lightweight Torah be donated to Congregation 420, all monies previously collected for the Torah Fund will be donated to charity. Although the seniors are patient about raising the money, Helene London of West Peabody is eager to jumpstart the campaign. Her late father Louis Clayman founded the congregation 26 years ago, and her elderly mother Deborah still lives at Jack Satter House and regularly attends services at Congregation 420. “My mother is 92, and Asher is no spring chicken. Although the Torah is too heavy for them to carry, they never complain about it. The least we can do is make it easier for them by eliminating this burden,” she says. “We can’t wait several years for them to raise the necessary funds in $1 to $2 increments. We want to find somebody with deep pockets and a kind heart who is looking for a good tax deduction. We’d like to reach our goal by Chanukah,” she adds. “You’re an optimist,” laughs Norma, who adds, “We’ll be happy with whatever we get.” Last Yom Kippur, Arthur Zolot of Marblehead initiated a successful grassroots campaign to purchase an ambulance for Israel. This past Yom Kippur, Sam Katz, one of only two Congregation 420 members physically able to lift the torah, stood on the pulpit and made an appeal. Members and supporters of Congregation 420 in Revere hope his appeal yields similar results. On Yom Kippur, Katz revealed that it was the 60th anniversary since he was wounded in France during the second World War. He always wondered why he survived, when most of the other men in his platoon died. “Now I know why I survived,” said Katz to those gathered. “It was to carry this Torah.” Yet Katz himself acknowledges that he is not available every Shabbat and holiday. “We’re at a disadvantage when Sam doesn’t attend services,” admits Siegel, who adds, “Sam or Bernard Finstein (the only other member strong enough to lift the Torah from the Ark) usually carry it, unless we are fortunate enough to have a young guest.” When no one is available, the seniors must resort to utilizing a 20-inch toy Torah. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to the attention of Norma Siegel, Congregation 420 Torah Fund, Jack Satter House, 420 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere, MA 02151. She can be reached by phone at 781-284-2933
When Witches Blend Torah and Tarot Keren
Engelberg The Thursday before Halloween, Melissa Mears participates in the traditional rituals of her Wiccan coven. She carves pumpkins and she scrys, or performs a sort of magic that uses something tangible, like tarot cards, runes or other tools to delve into someone’s psyche. But Mears does another ritual as well on Halloween, a more private one: she lights a yahrtzeit candle to remember her own beloved dead. The Jew and Wiccan high priestess said she melds Jewish and Wiccan traditions in a manner that she finds meaningful. “I’m Wiccan and I’m Jewish,” she writes on her website, jewitchery.com. And she’s not the only one. There are several hundred thousand Pagans in America, according to Margot Adler, author of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess Worshippers and Other Pagans in America Today. A fraction of this group is Jewish — and why not? Like a growing number of Jews who personalize religion to suit their needs (think Jewish Buddhists), many Pagan Jews see their practice as just another niche in the wide spectrum of being “The Chosen.” But is it possible to follow both the second commandment and a religion based on polytheism? What is lacking in Judaism that causes spirituality seekers to turn away from their own traditions? And: Can Jewish Paganism be good for the Jews? Paganism is a polytheistic, anarchic religion that elevates nature, utilizing magic and ritual to end people’s alienation from nature. In some ways at least, it’s not too far from Judaism, which also fosters an appreciation of nature and of human life, and also focuses on ritual, uses a lunar calendar and celebrates seasonal holidays. Some have even argued that certain Jewish traditions stem from early Pagan practices, though their relationship is steeped in ambiguity and, therefore, controversy. For Adler, Paganism’s appeal lies in ritual. Adler’s own upbringing was in an atheist Jewish household that had “almost no Jewish resonance. “I don’t think there was ever a rejection of Judaism because I didn’t think of myself as having a Jewish resonance,” she said. “The only thing I could really reject was atheist Marxism. But I knew there was some powerful stuff in ritual.” When
she went searching in her 20s, Adler found “most of the Christian
and Jewish ceremonies were, from a ritual ceremony [perspective], really
boring. That Adlerstein uses the masculine pronouns to refer to God exemplifies Mears’ personal conflict with the Judaism in which she was raised. “For me, the writers of Judaism didn’t resonate with me. I felt left out of that because I was a woman,” Mears said. Indeed, for a good number of Jewish Pagans, their spiritual blending can be seen as one of many varied attempts among Jewish women to reconcile a patriarchal Jewish tradition with modern feminist ideology. In her essay, “Challah for the Queen of Heaven,” in the book Yentl’s Revenge: The Next Wave of Jewish Feminism, Ryiah Lilith offers a similar position: “As buzzwords and phrases such as patriarchy, masculine God-language and blood taboo crept into my vocabulary, the lure of Orthodox Judaism diminished. In Conservative services I was distracted by the gendered and often sexist prayers and felt little connection to either Adonai or other congregants and, although the Reform ‘Gates of Prayer’ was explicitly nonsexist, I noticed that the rabbi, cantor, congregational leadership and most of the board were men.” The feminist orientation and emphasis on the goddess led both women to the Craft. But in the end, they chose to incorporate rather than abandon their Jewishness. Lilith writes, “there are a number of Jewish women within the Pagan community who worship the goddess and who want more feminine and feminist liturgy and ritual than Judaism currently allows.” “I have never stopped being a Jew,” Mears writes on her website. “That’s simply who I am. It’s my family, my tribe, my people. I don’t always agree with them ... but they’re still my family, for better or for worse. I incorporate the tools of my family into my practice (the Kiddush cup, the menorah, the braided candle, the candlesticks, the spice box, the hand of God...). I have a fondness for challah.” Jewish goddess worshippers like Mears and Lilith may also invoke the names of goddesses like Asherah, who, according to controversial texts like Raphael Patai’s The Hebrew Goddess, was worshipped by the Israelites before Jewish idol worship ceased completely. They might also summon Shekinah, the female name of God. “If Jewish renewal had been around at the time [I began my approach], I might have felt differently,” Mears said. “But I certainly had nothing to identify with.” In Devin Galaudet’s Cor Lucis tradition, the focus is on ritual and meditation, not on spellcasting. They use a framework of the classic text “The Golden Dawn,” as well as the kabbalistic Tree of Life and the tarot. But he also still celebrates most of the Jewish holidays and holds a particular affinity for more ritualistic holidays like Passover. Growing up in Los Angeles, Galaudet considers his background as culturally Jewish, but secular. But in his 20s, he began studying kabbalah at the Kabbalah Centre, as well as various forms of Paganism and just about every other religion before deciding on his unique combination. The things he thinks are missing from Judaism are ritual and the personal power to connect with God. “Ultimately ... the hierarchy of Jewish temples ... doesn’t seem to work for me,” he said. “Rabbis aren’t necessarily approachable, and frequently they don’t want to answer questions. Ultimately it’s a very Christian sort of power struggle. I don’t need the rabbi’s help to make the connection.” Lillith still sees a place for her approach to Judaism: “If ‘Jewish’ is a sufficiently expansive and flexible marker to describe the overlap or commonality — no matter how slight — between Reconstructionist, Israeli, transgender, Chasidic and Ethiopian Jews, then it can certainly include Goddess-worshipping Jewish witches as well.” In
the Big Inning Rabbi
Steven Rubenstein I was quoted in the morning edition of a national Canadian newspaper on the day of Kol Nidre eve that once again professional Jewish baseball players face a spiritual and religious dilemma. In shuls across America, baseball enthusiasts were asking one another whether or not their favorite players of Jewish origin should take themselves out of the line-up to observe this one significant day in the Jewish calendar. In Boston, the local papers focused on Gabe Kapler and Kevin Youkilis. Kapler decided to play, justifying his decision by proclaiming that on all other days of the year he was not an observant Jew, so why should he behave differently on this day? Youkilis, on the other hand, told the press to respect his desire for privacy, and that the Red Sox organization was in agreement with his preferences for his personal observance of the holiday. Three
thousand miles away, Shawn Green attempted to resolve this dilemma by
playing on Kol Nidre for the sake of his teammates who relied on him to
be in the line-up against the San Francisco Giants, but elected to sit
out Yom Kippur day. Green told reporters before the holidays, “I’m
committed to getting to the postseason and winning. At the same time,
I’m committed to my religion and what I’ve stood for in the
past. I wish there were an easy solution, but there’s not.” Before Koufax made the historic decision not to play on Yom Kippur, October 8, 1965, Hank Greenberg also decided to attend services rather than playing on Yom Kippur, September 18, 1934, even though his Detroit Tigers were in a close battle for first place and he led the league in RBIs. Both players felt it was necessary to observe the holiday because of their high profile within the Jewish community of America. To them it was a source of pride even though they may not have been observant Jews in their private lives. Being a national role model meant something to them. That is not to say that players like Kapler, Youkilis, and even Green do not recognize the same issues in their own world. They all play in cities with large Jewish populations where playing on Yom Kippur is a subject of great debate and concern. Since the 1870s 145 (or more) Jews have played baseball in the major leagues. Although for many decades the High Holidays arrived after the regular season ended, such a decision was irrelevant to many of these players. Now that the season has been extended and post-season play goes into October, the stakes of who plays and when has taken on a higher level of significance. As a rabbi who “believes” in the Red Sox and tries to “keep the faith” from one season to the next that “this is the year,” I would hope that all of the Jewish ballplayers would take seriously the need to be in synagogue with their families on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — as an example not only to Jewish kids, but to all kids — demonstrating that setting aside a day for the soul is an important thing to do despite society’s pressure to do otherwise. I am reminded of the story of the rabbi who called his president on Yom Kippur saying that he was too sick to come to services. Instead, he headed to the golf course where he hit a hole in one on the first tee. His penance, however, was “whom was he going to tell about it!” In a recent gathering at my synagogue, Martin Abramowitz, the man behind the all-Jewish baseball card set told a story about this same dilemma. Ken Holtzman of the Oakland Athletics comes into Baltimore right before the holidays. They were facing off against the Orioles for a Penant flag. He notified his team management that he would be attending services to observe the Jewish holidays. Not knowing anyone in that city, however, he called the local Jewish Federation in an attempt to locate a synagogue that he could attend. After identifying himself to the person on the other end, he was told that he should wait in the lobby first thing in the morning, where a limo would pick him up and deliver him to a local synagogue. Upon arrival, he was brought to the front row of the synagogue where an empty seat was waiting for him. An elderly gentleman was sitting next to the seat. The old man knew of his guest and greeted the baseball player accordingly, identifying himself as the owner of the Baltimore Orioles. And both men prayed to God side by side to answer their prayers on that day. Santa’s
Got a Brand-New Bag Benyamin
Cohen When I was growing up, our family didn’t disperse presents on Chanukah. There may have been the occasional $5 bill handed down from parental units to us kids, but it always came with the following caveat: “This is not in any way, shape, or form, a Chanukah present. We don’t give presents on Chanukah.” And we knew we were different. We knew we were societal pariahs. At school, it seemed my fellow classmates were flaunting their new watches, new clothes, and, I kid you not, one student actually brought his new bicycle to school. But believe it or not, there is some traditional Jewish basis for gift-giving on Chanukah — and, surprisingly, it has nothing to do with its close proximity to Christmas. It has to do with re-educating the Jewish children during a time when the Greeks were trying desperately to make us forget who we were. Maimonides, one of the greatest Jewish minds of the Middle Ages, explains that to educate, it’s important to use incentives and thus an age-old tradition was born. So jump ahead to the present day and we’ve come up with our list of 18 fun, unique, and quirky gifts you can give to your loved one this Chanukah — educational value notwithstanding. The
Jewish iPod Adopt
a dog His
and her bowling alley The
Starbucks card A
“Jesus had a mullet” t-shirt Segway
Human Transporter (HT) i Series Romantic
getaway at Chateau
Elan Three
books no library should be without Flowers
by the month Internet
— anytime, anywhere The
new Rachael Sage CD The
Jewish home menorah The
Makkabees CD The
Seinfeld boxed gift set David’s
Cookies gift basket Tivo
— the greatest thing since sliced bread Erin Bransford contributed to this article. People in the News
Being a Jew These Days Can Be Dangerous to Your Health JOSEPH
YUDIN Joseph
Yudin, a syndicated columnist and licensed tour guide, was born and raised
in Wyckoff, NJ. It’s dangerous being a Jew these days, and in many cases much more dangerous being an Israeli. In the past few years Jewish sites have been bombed on a regular basis, and individual Jews have been violently attacked. Whether in South America, Europe, Asia or Africa, Jews are not safe. We saw the Jewish community center in Buenos Aries bombed not too long ago, the ancient synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia, bombed as well. Synagogues in Turkey and Europe bombed or burned, Jews attacked on the streets of Paris and Moscow, and heads of state such as former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad laying the blame collectively on Jewish shoulders for the world’s ills. You don’t even have to be alive to be a target if you were a Jew. The countless attacks on Jewish cemeteries and graves throughout Europe and New Zealand attest to this fact. Being
an Israeli can be even more dangerous, but not for the traditional concerns.
Here in Israel we have finally turned the tide against terror for two
reasons. First, Ariel Sharon has taken the steps needed to minimize the
everyday threat of terror inside Israel. By building a fence (or most
of it anyway) separating Israeli citizens from Palestinians, most terrorists
are having a hard time infiltrating Israel. Having soldiers on both sides
of the fence allows us to catch many of the terrorists as well. There is no more talk of “the cycle of violence” or “balance” or “peace talks.” President Bush, more than anyone else understands that the only way to stop terror is by fighting terrorists on their own territory. So why can it be more dangerous for the average Israeli than your average Diaspora Jew? The answer is a simple one: Most countries outside Israel have absolutely no idea how to defend against terror on their own territory, let alone fight terror. When Israelis gather in groups outside Israeli territory unarmed, they are simply sitting ducks. The massive attacks on Israeli vacationers in Mombasa, Kenya and Sinai, Egypt have shown all Israelis that wherever they may be in the world, they are not safe. As anti-Semitism spreads around the world under the guise of anti-Zionism, Israelis and Jews will find the world to be a much more dangerous place. Until all freedom-loving people unite in an all-out war against tyranny and terror, those counties that pay lip service to the War on Terror will continue to deteriorate into a lawless mess of blood and guts devoid of foreign investment, tourists and progress. This is exactly what the Islamist terrorists want, a world devoid of Jews, Christians, democracy and progress. Ironically, these days it seems that the safest place for any Jew to be is right here in Israel. That is, until Iran, whose leadership has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction, attains nuclear weapons. In the coming months we will all have to decide what to do about that imminent threat. Most Israelis know what needs to be done about it. I just hope that we will have the support of America when the time comes. World Jewry Settlers
Face Deadline Israel
Wants European Balance Karine-A
crew jailed Poll: Israelis
Back Withdrawal Plan Scowcroft:
Sharon ‘Mesmerizes’ Bush Biden Says
Kerry Has Israel Connection Gore: Iraq
War Endangers Israel Partnership
Aims to Build Polish Jewry Kerry Says
He’ll do Better on Israel GOP Questions
Kerry’s Arab Support French
Official Visits Israel
Arts & Entertainment‘The Rashevski’s Tango’ Addresses Jewish Identity Susan
Jacobs The Rashevski’s Tango is one of only two Boston Jewish Film Festival films to be screened locally at Hollywood Hits in Danvers. The movie, which was released in 2003, explores the complexity of Jewish identity. The film is character-driven and well-acted by a cast unknown to American audiences. The story line involves the death of 81-year-old family matriarch Rosa Rashevski. Her large family gathers in Europe to arrange and attend the funeral. Although she had reserved a plot in the Jewish cemetery, she was not a particularly religious woman. Three generations of her family, spanning a wide spectrum of Jewish beliefs, debate how to proceed. The woman who served as the bond between them all becomes the catalyst as the protagonists examine what makes us Jewish. The
Rashevskis represent a modern mix of Jewish identities; the extended family
contains Holocaust survivors, Reform, Orthodox, and non-observant Jews,
an inter-marriage, and a former Israeli Defense Force soldier who is conflicted
about his love for a Muslim Arab woman. In English, French and Hebrew,
the characters wrestle with what it means to be Jewish today. The title is derived from Rosa’s belief that if you can dance the tango, nothing can happen to you, and that a tango is better than organized religion in times of happiness as well as sadness. Unfortunately, the tired tango metaphor has been exhausted by numerous other directors and would have best been left out of this otherwise thought-provoking work. Nevertheless,
the film raises many interesting philosophical questions: Is circumcision
a necessary component to being Jewish? If one converts, are they “more
Jewish” than someone who is simply born into the faith? Does one
have to be religious in order to embrace Jewish tradition? Garbarski wisely
leaves these questions unanswered, allowing viewers to come up with their
own interpretations. Boston Jewish Film Festival Opens Oct. 26 Susan
Jacobs The 16th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 26 - Nov. 14, will present a wide array of contemporary films from around the world on Jewish themes. The festival will be punctuated by panel discussions, visits by film directors, actors, and subjects, and musical events. The festival features more than 45 independently-produced films, shown in six locations, and reflects the work of artists from 16 countries. This year, unlike last, North Shore audiences will enjoy the convenience of two prominent films being screened locally at Hollywood Hits in Danvers. The Rashevski’s Tango, which explores Jewish identity among three generations of a modern Jewish European family (see review) will be screened at Hollywood Hits on Tues., Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. Hollywood Hits also hosts Yaron Zilberman’s documentary, Watermarks, on Thur., Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. Watermarks tells the tale of seven remarkable Austrian Jewish women swimmers who were members of the legendary Jewish sports club, Hakoah Vienna. The women, who today are all in their 80s and live all over the world, reunite for a group swim in Vienna, their first reunion in 60 years. The majority of the films will be screened at the MFA in Boston or at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. (see schedule on page 17.) For full descriptions of all featured films, visit Boston Jewish Film Festival’s website at www.bjff.org.
EditorialMessage to School Donors: Help Local Jewish Kids Too The gift of $45 million by a group of anonymous donors to Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) is a development of monumental importance to our region’s Jewish education. The gift, announced October 11, is aimed at transforming Jewish day school education in the Boston area to provide Jewish parents with a peerless educational experience for their children. We’re delighted at this development. We’re proud that two of the largest donors are North Shore businessmen known for their philanthropy. (We are honoring their request to remain anonymous.) But we’re disappointed that our own philanthropists have not earmarked some of their money for improving local Jewish education, including Cohen Hillel Academy (CHA). On the contrary, it appears all the money will be spent in the 14 day schools in the Greater Boston area served by CJP. The
lion’s share ($10 million) will go to each of the three largest schools
(see story page 1), and the 11 others may apply for funds from the remaining
$15 million. All of the money is for innovative programming and financial
aid, rather than for construction or renovations. The burgeoning day school movement in the United States is one of the most promising advances in Jewish life of the past 20 years. Of the 14 day schools in the Boston area, six have opened in just the past decade; enrollment has increased 65 percent in that time. Together they educate 2,600 of our youth, a tiny minority of the potential student pool. The record gift is Boston’s answer to the challenge laid down last November by former Wall Street hedge fund manager Michael H. Steinhardt, who called on Jewish donors nationally to help him create a $100 million Fund for Our Jewish Future to elevate “the most important outlets of Jewish identity formation” to bring about a “Jewish renaissance for our young people.” The CJP donors are to be commended for rising to the challenge. For the North Shore donors, here’s a small additional challenge: Use your influence with CJP to allow CHA access to some of that $15 million to strengthen education of our community’s Jewish youth. Cast Your Vote for the Right Candidate November 2 The most important Presidential election in a generation is fast approaching. By completing a ballot or pulling a lever November 2, you will be giving your answer to the question: Which candidate — Bush, Kerry or Nader — can best lead us to a better world for our children and grandchildren? Who can been trusted to make the right choices — on the U.S. role in the world, the war in Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, routes to a healthier environment, education, jobs, the economy, the cost and quality of health care? To those who say they don’t like any of the candidates, we say: Don’t cop out. Don’t assume that those in authority must know what they’re doing, even though it may not be clear to you. As citizens of a democracy, and as Jews, we have an obligation to cast our vote. People
in some countries die for the right to vote. We in the United States have
it. Use it. Listen up. Read up. Make your choice. And vote! — Mark R. Arnold Local ColumnistsAnnouncing in Advance (Drum Roll): The New U.S. President
“Always know the winner of an election well before Election Day.” This was one of the many pieces of sage advice I got while growing up in Revere. | ||||||