| The Jewish Journal Archive | ||||||||||||||||
| October 8 - October 21, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
|
Local
Stories |
||||||||||||||||
Local StoriesCreating
New Jewish Leaders Mark
Arnold The Jewish Federation of the North Shore, long the Jewish community’s chief fund-raising arm, is branching out in an effort to strengthen Jewish identity and involvement, and get institutions working together more effectively. In addition to its annual fund-raising campaign — aimed at raising $2.6 million by December 31, a $300,000 increase from last year — the Fed is seeking to become the catalyst for change in the 22 communities it serves north of Boston. At its annual meeting September 27, Fed Executive Director Merritt Mulman outlined four initiatives for the next 12 months that would extend its capabilities far beyond fund-raising. The four: •
Leadership Development. This initiative will seek to cultivate a new generation
of Jewish leaders for synagogues and community institutions like the two
Jewish community centers (Marblehead and Peabody), Jewish Family Service,
and other groups. These
four initiatives are in addition to a new three-year plan for the Community
Campaign that puts in place a platform for continued growth in contributions.
In the past, the annual campaign has focused largely on individuals. The
new platform adds other targets, including corporations, “natural
affinity groups” such as attorneys, and outreach to new communities.
The annual campaign, culminating in a Super Sunday phonathon November
7, is headed this year by Stan Black, Dottie Tatleman, and Peter Lappin.
In her inaugural address as Fed president a year ago, Ponn began positioning the Fed as the catalyst for community integration by creating a group subsequently named the Leadership Council. Drawing together rabbis and presidents of all the synagogues, and presidents and staff directors of all the agencies that receive funds from Federation (including the Jewish Journal), the council meets quarterly to discuss ways of collaborating on community-wide issues affecting the quality of Jewish life — and Jewish lives — on the North Shore. The new initiatives derive from those and other discussions. Take leadership development. Community leaders complain that people in their forties and fifties have, by and large, been unwilling to assume leadership positions in local Jewish organizations. To make sure another generation does not get skipped over, the Federation several years ago introduced the STAR program, which seeks to groom potential leaders in their 20s and 30s for larger roles in the Jewish community. Building on that experience, Mulman seeks now to assign a group of people to research models of how to develop future leaders and prepare a plan for the North Shore. “Our standard must be nothing less than excellence,” he said. An initiative for community planning is equally ambitious. Community planning — or strategic planning, as it is often called — typically begins with a survey in which every Jewish household is contacted about their experience with, and need for, Jewish services. The findings should be used to alter community offerings to bring them more in line with changing needs. Such surveys in other communities have cost upwards of $100,000 and taken a year or more to implement. While no decision has been made on how to assess local needs, some local leaders have argued in the past that money can be better spent on changes already known to be needed. An
eight-person Strategic Planning Committee, headed by Swampscott attorney
Jerome Somers, will take a comprehensive view of the community, says Mulman,
“in which everything, including a need for and the usefulness of
a Federation, is on the table.” Day camp is one such area. In the last two years, both Camp Menorah — formerly run by Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies and now owned by a grass-roots local group — and Chabad Lubavitch of Swampscott have introduced a summer camp that competes with long-established Camp Simchah, run by the Jewish Community Center of the North Shore. Initial fears that the new camps would lead to destructive competition and all would suffer have not, thus far, materialized, but Fed leaders believe that potential synergies could make camp offerings better meet the needs of the community. “The
three camps have vastly different physical resources but similar spiritual
resources,” said Mulman. “We want to find out what are the best
practices in Jewish camping. The three agencies involved can lead the
way in showing how a community transforms itself” from everyone working
for its own objectives to “working together in the true spirit of
K’lal Yisrael” (welfare of the Jewish people). Now subsidies from a group of community donors will be available to send adults and families to Israel in 2005 as well. With an $1,100 subsidy, the price of the May mission will be $1,499. The price of the the family mission is still undetermined. That trip will be headed by two young couples: Sheryl and Eric Levy and Marc and Diana Cooper. (For further information on either mission, contact Liz Donnenfeld, mission coordinator, at the Federation, 781-599-3134, or missions@jfns.org). Malden
Synagogue Celebrates 100 Years Gary
Band MALDEN — Congregation Beth Israel, located on Dexter Street in this city’s West End, is not something you see everyday. The nearly 20,000 square foot Orthodox shul — designed to look like the tabernacle, or the portable sanctuary in which the ancient Jews carried the Ark of the Covenant through the desert — was built on its current location in 1966. But the congregation, founded on the other side of town in 1904, will celebrate 100 years of existence with a dinner on October 17 honoring longtime supporters, along with related centennial events throughout the year. This diverse city of 55,000 people —7,500 of whom in the Malden area are Jewish according to the 2000 census — is also home to three other Jewish houses of worship; but Beth Israel stands apart. Set across the road from a large stone church and an elementary school, the shul’s wooded street and surrounding neighborhood is home to large Victorians and smiling children. It is also home to an eruv, which allows Orthodox shomer shabbat families the freedom to carry items or push their children in strollers on the sabbath. While Orthodox leaders in Lynn have long wanted one built, and areas in Brookline have had one for some time, an eruv is important for those who wish to lead an observant life. Beth Israel currently has over 100 families, or some 250 members total. Five new families have joined in the past three years and more are interested in becoming part of the synagogue community, synagogue leaders say. While some of the shul’s older members recall its heyday in the 50s and 60s, given the price of homes in observant communities in Brookline and Sharon, the current leadership thinks the time is right for a community resurgence. “People have a lot of pride in the synagogue for what it was and want to see it come back,” says Rabbi Yitzchak Zev Rabinowitz, who has led the shul for the past seven years. Originally from Elizabeth, New Jersey, the rabbi came to Beth Israel from Kollel Seminary in Brookline. Asked how an Orthodox synagogue can survive in an age where many seem to be moving away from religious observance, the rabbi says it is due to the work of the members. “There is a strong desire that the community continue,” he says. Sarah Buchalter, whose father was once the community’s mashgiach, has lived in Malden and belonged to Beth Israel for all of her 87 years. She was president of the Sisterhood for 25 years and her family was always Orthodox. Isabelle Krivelow is originally from Dorchester. She came to Malden when she got married in the 40s, and has been a member ever since. Andy Shulman, 38, is the shul’s program director. Married with two young girls and originally from Los Angeles and then Brookline, Shulman brings energy and enthusiasm to a traditional institution. “For all the synagogues and Jewish people in Brookline, we never felt quite as at home as we do in Malden,” he says. And though Shulman came to the Orthodox tradition only 8 years ago through Aish HaTorah, he said that upon coming to Beth Israel, he realized that he had found his place. Although men and women are separated in the sanctuary by a mechitzah, its other amenities — including a combination library and chapel, downstairs sleeping accommodations for a large family, a reading room, shower, workout room and a gemach, or storage area where children’s items can be borrowed depending on need — combine to create something of a synagogue community center. And in fact that’s what the synagogue was when it was first housed in its former home on the east side, and for a decade or so after it was built on Dexter Street. Though now filled in, Beth Israel once even had a swimming pool and a sauna. There is also a plan to hopefully build a mikvah. Between the daily minyan services, the eruv and eventual mikvah in a nice affordable community, close to Boston, near the subway, and transportation provided to day schools, Beth Israel seems ready for a resurgence. “If we give people some basic communal needs, all we need are the first pioneers to break out and join our community,” Rabbi Rabinowitz says. Shulman says that Beth Israel has been doing a lot more outreach programs to college students, and some from MIT and Harvard have come to study with the rabbi. “We see in Jewish society the desire to find out more about what’s in the Torah,” Shulman says. Echoing John Kerry’s early campaign message, Shulman believes there’s something to be said for “real deal” Judaism. While Beth Israel is appealing to the already observant, Shulman, who did not grow up Orthodox, says once people come in for a service and shabbat meal, they may change their minds about this type of practice. “It’s like Israel,” says Cheryl Zitaner Lamport, who was the first to have a bat mitzvah at the new shul in 1966. “You can’t describe it until you experience it for yourself,” she says. “The sense of community is the best thing.” For more information about Congregation Beth Israel, call the shul at 781-322-5686, or visit its website at www.BethIsrael Malden.com. Film/Entertainment Journalist Friedfeld Kicks Off Jewish Book Month Susan
Jacobs Film and entertainment journalist Eddy Friedfeld will kick off Jewish Book Month on Sun., Oct. 24 at a brunch to be held at Grosvenor Park. Friedfeld, 42, is co-author with comedy legend Sid Caesar, of Caesar’s Hours; My Life in Comedy with Love and Laughter. The comprehensive autobiography details the life of Sid Caesar, whom some might argue is the most influential comic of our generation. Mr. Friedfeld will talk about the history of Jews and comedy in America. During the program, Friedfeld will read from his book and screen old film clips of Sid Caesar doing sketches from his live weekly television shows, Your Show of Shows and Caesar’s Hour. Brunch will be served. Friedfeld was first introduced to Sid Caesar’s comedy via his late grandmother Rose, who was a big fan. Wanting to do something special in her memory on the 10th anniversary of her death, he arranged to interview the famous comedian. They hit it off, and Friedfeld was chosen to help the legendary comic, now 81, pen a book that not only detailed Caesar’s personal life, but would also help serve as a history of the “Golden Age of Television.” Friedfeld, who lives in Manhattan, had a background in writing from his undergraduate days at Columbia College, where he majored in political science and English and wrote for The Columbia Daily Spectator, the daily newspaper of Columbia University. He was also comfortable doing meticulous research, graduating from NYU’s Law School in 1986. Combining his admiration for Caesar’s work with his passion for history and his close attention to detail, Friedfeld helped bring the book to fruition in 2003. Today, the self-admitted workaholic is chief restructuring officer and general counsel of Tender Loving Care, a national home healthcare company on Long Island, as well as a syndicated film critic and entertainment writer who has published in The New York Times and The New York Post. He is currently working on a second book, tentatively titled, Living Off the Laughter. For this book, he has interviewed more than 100 Jewish celebrities including Alan King, Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, Barry Levinson, Carl Reiner and Jack Black. He is writing it as an oral history about Jews and comedy in America. He will include the quotes and stories of those he has interviewed, along with archival sources. He expects the book to be published within the next two years. Friedfeld believes Jewish people are well-represented in comedy because the art form is ultimately rooted in suffering and conflict, and we have certainly had our share of suffering. “Comedy is a defense mechanism and a way of processing and dealing with adversity. The Talmud says, ‘If you’re happy; sing. If you’re sad; laugh.’ We’re an intellectual people — comedy is a logical byproduct,” he says. Friedfeld, who descends from a family of Holocaust survivors, attended Jewish day school and is fluent in Hebrew and Yiddish. He writes a lot of syndicated pieces on Jewish themes. “Someone once said is that all you need to be a comedian is a bad childhood and a sports jacket. I don’t know if that’s true, but if you had a perfect life, you’re not going to be funny. It’s the oyster and the pearl syndrome. You need something irritating in order to create a gem,” notes Friedfeld. Eddy Friedfeld will speak at 10 a.m. at Grosvenor Park, located in Vinnin Square, 7 Loring Hills Ave., Salem. Brunch is included. The cost is $12 p/person. Tickets can be purchased by mail, phone or in person at the JCC, 4 Community Rd., Marblehead. For further information, call 781-631-8330 x114. The
Way I See It Mark
Arnold
All nonprofits that depend on volunteers and voluntary contributions know the problem: There are fewer volunteers and fewer willing large donors. So nonprofits such as this newspaper, Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Rehabilitation Center, the Holocaust Center, the North Shore Jewish Historical Society, the Jewish Community Centers, and the Jewish Federation of the North Shore — to name just a few — continue to hear complaints like these: “I’m too busy to get involved....” “Everyone comes to us for money....” “We can’t keep giving....” And the clincher: “It’s time for the younger generation to step up to the plate.” But who is that younger generation? And what does it take to motivate them to become involved in Jewish institutions — as volunteers, board members, and contributors? In
hopes of finding answers, 23 representatives of local Jewish organizations
(all the above plus Hadassah, ADL and some others) turned out to hear
a consultant who specializes in advising organizations on how to market
to, and involve, four generations. An engaging young man with a ready sense of humor, quick to poke fun at himself, Stillman lost no time in explaining what most nonprofits — including, by implication, our community’s — do wrong: “Nonprofits have a one-size-fits-all approach.” Bingo. The trouble with that approach, he said, is that each generation has distinct traits and tastes, stemming from the influences that marked their formative years (see accompanying chart). By treating them all the same, we miss the target most of the time. What works with Traditionalists, formed by the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War — people who are loyal, fiscally conservative, and who have faith in institutions, doesn’t work for Baby Boomers, Stillman said. The latter, brought up in suburbia, remembering the Vietnam War, Watergate, protest movements, and “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll,” are competitive, questioners of authority, idealistic, and eager to put their own stamp on things. Similarly, Generation Xers, today’s young parents, grew up with Sesame Street, MTV, personal computers, broken families, surrounded by drugs of one kind or another. They are distrustful of institutions, adaptive, comfortable with change, and entrepreneurial. Finally, we have the Millennials, who remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, are accustomed to disasters (Oklahoma City, Columbine, and World Trade Center bombings), and who live on the Internet. Though the oldest of this group are barely in their twenties, they are environmentally conscious, globally concerned, and media savvy. The key to unlocking the hearts of each of these groups lies in their life experiences. Traditionalists: Though most are retired or nearing retirement, they want to remain active. Appealing to them means finding ways to help them pass on a legacy (“Helping to Keep Our Children Jewish” and similar taglines work especially well with this group), tap into their experience through mentoring programs, and “guilting them,” said Stillman. They need the institutions they built to survive. Baby Boomers, by their nature competitive because there are so many of them, want to join a winning organization and make an impact. They don’t want to hear that your organization is failing and needs their help to turn things around. Recognize that they are busy people with multiple priorities, and make it easy for them to get involved. Gen Xers are notable because there are so few of them, little more than half as many as the Boomers. Respect their skepticism of institutions. They are much less work-oriented than their parents: 80 percent of men say time with family is more important than challenging work or a big salary. Connect them with a specific cause and let them organize it. “You can help one family work its way out of poverty” is one approach that often works with this group, says Stillman. Millennials want to get involved and build better communities. Because of the shattering life experiences they’ve lived through, they rate personal safety as their number one workplace issue. Give them not just experiences, but tools to make a difference — tools they can also use in their daily lives. How nonprofits can apply the knowledge of these differences to their tasks at hand is a challenge that each will answer differently. I know at the Journal we will be spending lots of time rethinking our approaches to news, features, involvement, and fundraising. If you, our readers, have some suggestions for how we can apply these lessons to better serve you, let us know. Contact Mark Arnold, publisher, 978-745-4111 x160, or publisher@jewishjournal.org. Thanks. JFS Food Pantry Moves to Bigger Space Susan
Jacobs SWAMPSCOTT — On Sun., Oct. 3, families from all over the North Shore came to help sort and shelve groceries for the Jewish Family Service Food Pantry, which has moved to a larger space at Temple Israel in Swampscott. It was previously located at Temple Shalom in Salem. “We’d like to thank Temple Israel for giving us our spacious new home, and we are grateful to Temple Shalom in Salem, who More than a dozen volunteers scurried about, busily organizing dry goods on metal shelves in the converted classroom. The JFS delivers free bags of groceries to North Shore Jewish families. Those in need are urged to contact the organization at 978-741-7878 x28. The Food Pantry is always in need of volunteers. People are invited to come to Temple Israel the first Sunday of each month at 9 a.m. to help. The Pantry also gratefully accepts food and monetary donations. The Pantry prefers kosher vegetarian or dairy items, but it swaps goods with another food pantry, so no donation goes to waste. The Pantry is unable to accept cooked food, but it willingly takes fresh perishables such as apples, oranges and milk. Call Alyse Barbash at 978-741-7878 x28 to arrange for free pickup of donations.
United States Supreme Court Could Tackle Religious Issues Matthew
E. Berger WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court may tackle questions regarding the legal rights of religious prisoners this session, as well as whether the public display of the Ten Commandments violates the separation of church and state. In what may be the last year of the current makeup of the court, legal experts at several American Jewish organizations are expecting the court to again debate the balance between allowing free expression of religion and preventing governmental establishment of religion. The court did not officially set a hearing for many of the cases being watched. But cases can be added to the docket at any time. The fact that lower courts have had contradictory rulings on religious issues increases the chances that they will be heard by the high court. “The circuits are all over the place,” said Jeffrey Sinensky, general counsel for the American Jewish Committee. “When you have a break in the case, it’s more likely the court will take it.” The most-watched case in the Jewish community challenges the constitutionality of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. The bill, passed in 2000, requires a compelling governmental interest to prevent religious groups from using land or to prevent free practice of religion by the imprisoned. It is a more closely tailored version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which the Supreme Court struck down in 1997, claiming Congress did not have the authority to enact such a law infringing on states’ rights. Jewish groups were instrumental in lobbying for Congress to pass both acts. The Religious Land Use law “is a shield against religious discrimination,” said Michael Lieberman, general counsel for the Anti-Defamation League. “It will be important for the court to uphold it.” The
case before the court centers around Ira Madison, a Virginia prison inmate
who was denied the right to be served kosher food. Jewish groups counter, however, that religious practices should be tolerated unless there is an express, compelling governmental interest in denying them. Also being watched this year are four cases regarding the public display of religious symbols, including the Ten Commandments, any of which could be taken to the high court. “There’s not much new in the way of law to be made in these cases,” said Marc Stern, counsel for the American Jewish Congress. “These are symbolic cases.” The court has a strong record against stand-alone images of religion in the public square, such as the Ten Commandments or nativity scenes. On its first Monday, the court refused the best-known Ten Commandments case, which was brought by Roy Moore, the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, who was ousted last year because he would not remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from his courthouse. However, his case focuses on the legality of his removal from the bench. Other cases the court could decide to hear focus on the express display of the Ten Commandments. It is unclear whether the court will take the Moore case, or other cases, because the justices are divided on the issue. While Jewish groups have closely watched the Ten Commandments cases, concerned about the display of religious items and the separation of church and state, they have not focused much energy on the issue. Like the question of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, some Jewish legal authorities have determined the erection of Judeo-Christian symbols is not a grave offense. Orthodox groups would likely oppose striking down displays of the Ten Commandments if it meant public displays of menorahs and other Jewish symbols would also be forbidden, say officials at Orthodox groups. Jewish groups are also watching to see if the court takes any additional cases on the restitution of money and property of Holocaust survivors. The court ruled in June that foreign governments can be sued in U.S. courts over looted art, stolen property and war crimes from the Holocaust era. Some analysts are hoping the court this season will hear cases on the constitutionality of some of President Bush’s faith-based initiatives, but others believe it may take more time for the challenges to reach the high court. Specifically, some Jewish groups believe the programs challenge the separation of church and state because of the potential for proselytizing at government-funded religious social service programs, and because these programs could discriminate against the hiring of people of other faiths. Much of the court’s work this year will be mired in the politics of the day, and the fact that the court is expected to see a change in justices by the end of the term. The
nine members of the court have served together for 10 years, a stretch
not seen since the 1820s, and several aging justices have reportedly been
mulling retirement. Many court analysts were surprised when no justice
retired at the end of the 2003 session. “This court has been less than receptive to challenges we’ve brought, Sinensky said. “We’re looking for justices that would look with a closer eye toward bolstering the concerns we have on how the establishment clause has been interpreted.’’ Lieberman added that because of the political split within the current court, many of the arguments Jewish groups and other civil rights organizations have made were based on swaying one or two moderate court members, rather than the whole panel.
Voter Registration Surges Among Americans in Israel Ron
Kampeas and Dina Kraft JERUSALEM — For Republicans and Democrats vying for Jewish votes, it’s become a well-worn cliche: a handful of votes in Florida could swing this year’s presidential election. What’s not so well known is that those Florida votes might not even be in Florida. Six thousand ex-Floridians living in Israel and the territories are eligible to vote in U.S. elections in November — over 10 times the number that decided the 2000 election for George W. Bush. “One selling point I have for people is that I remind them that 537 votes made the difference in Florida,” said Mark Zober, who as the Israel head of Democrats Abroad has been canvassing the country to register votes. “It’s sort of a shotgun approach; you go to an event and hope there are Florida people,” said Zober, in his mid-50s, who made aliyah in 1972 from Whittier, Calif. And not just Florida people. Zober’s Republican counterpart, Kory Bardash, said his organization was focusing on all swing state expatriates. “We have made heavy efforts in trying to identify Americans from Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan,” said Bardash, 39, who made aliyah from New York City nine years ago. Expatriates vote according to their last U.S. address. Such calculations are at the center of what officials from both parties are saying is the most intensive effort ever to get out the American and Palestinian voters in Israel and the territories. Howie Kahn, the nonpartisan program director for the Jerusalem branch of the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, organized a registration evening in early September and said it was the largest turnout ever. “This is amazing,” he said, watching Israelis from Jerusalem and surrounding suburbs and settlements crowd into AACI headquarters in Jerusalem’s genteel Talbieh neighborhood. “The feeling is that every vote counts.” Not just in Israel. Both parties say they are recording unprecedented interest from Americans overseas, to the extent that a flood of requests has overwhelmed electoral officials in some states, they say. Americans who have voted abroad in previous elections are automatically processed, but each request from a first-time overseas voter means state officials have to run thorough checks on the application. This year’s overwhelming first-time voter interest means that many states are not meeting deadlines for mailing out the ballots. That means that voters abroad might not meet state voting deadlines, which vary between Nov. 2 and 10. “I’m really worried about it,” said Joan Hills of Republicans Abroad. Her organization is encouraging members to use an alternative method, faxing a request to the Pentagon for a write-in ballot. The service is open to all Americans, not just the military, and the deadline is Oct. 3. Americans in Israel account for about 150,000 of the estimated 4 to 7 million Americans abroad. They are said to be the fifth largest expatriate community in the world — after Canada, Britain, Germany and Mexico; their counterparts in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and eastern Jerusalem number about 40,000. But both populations are believed — like their brethren living in the United States — to vote in higher percentages than other Americans. Bardash, the Republican, said he alone had registered 9,000 voters by mid-September, and anticipated overall turnout to be double that of 2000, when 14,000 Americans voted in Israel. Once registration is completed — the deadline for most states is Oct. 2 — voters abroad await their absentee ballots, which then must be sent back to the States. One reason for his registration drive’s success, he suggested, was that the unprecedented closeness between the Bush and Sharon administrations has brought more Americans in Israel around to the Republican point of view. “What you hear on the street is a significant appreciation for Bush administration policies and a large amount of Democrats who are registered Democrats are going to be voting for President Bush in this election,” he said. “I feel there is an enthusiasm to vote overall, and a particular enthusiasm to vote for the president.” In the 2000 election, Bush got 35 percent of the American Jewish vote in Israel, considerably higher than the 19 percent he scored among American Jews in general. But polls surveying the preferences of the overall Israeli population have shown a marked shift in support in favor of Bush — depending on the poll, numbers show 48-49 percent support Bush, while 28-29 percent support Kerry. If that redounds onto American Jews in Israel, Bardash could be right. Adelaide Kahn, an octogenarian in Jerusalem who has children living on a West Bank settlement, said she feels now she made a mistake voting for Al Gore in 2000. “I want this man Bush to make it,” said Kahn, who moved from Connecticut to Israel in 1976. The reverse flip will likely take place among Palestinians here, most of whom voted for Bush in 2000, believing he would slow what they perceived as President Clinton’s pro-Israel peace drive. Palestinian-Americans are likely to follow U.S.-based friends and relatives who have turned away from Bush because of his post-Sept. 11, 2001, policies on security, Iraq and Israel. Polls show most Arab Americans voting for Kerry this time around. Two subsectors among American immigrants in Israel are especially fertile for Republican culling: settlers and the Orthodox, who appreciate Bush’s hawkish tilt and his conservative values. Mordechai Adler, a fervently Orthodox computer specialist in Petach Tikva, said his community was ideal for recruitment. He said that he decided to register Americans in his community when he realized how easy it was to do and how concentrated his community is. Knowing how involved his Haredi community is in the Israeli elections, he thought they would be interested in participating in the American elections. Adler, who emigrated from Chicago 15 years ago, said he was not pushing a partisan agenda — he is happy to register both Democrats and Republicans — but the reactions he gets reflect Republican talking points. “The war on terrorism, the security issue, Israel is at the forefront on the war on terrorism; that is going to be the major issue, that is what I’m hearing from everyone,” said Adler, who added that he was so busy registering voters last week that he barely had time to prepare for Yom Kippur
The
Manners Maven
Sitting in temple during the High Holidays, I am always struck by the Jewish concept of asking for forgiveness from those we have harmed. Rabbis teach us that if we truly and sincerely ask for forgiveness three times and the person still refuses to do so, we have fulfilled our obligation. While I have heard and read about the process of asking to be forgiven, there was not much about the actual act of apologizing. To start off the New Year, perhaps an apology refresher would be appropriate. “I’m sorry.” For such a short phrase — merely two words — it is incredible the difficulty people have in saying it. This inability to offer an apology is tied to another disturbing trend. People have a very difficult time accepting responsibility for their actions. Everything, it seems, is really someone else’s fault. The “I am a victim of my circumstances” appeal has been trumpeted across the country. It is time we all accepted at least a small modicum of responsibility for our actions, and we can start by saying “I’m sorry.” As a way of analyzing apologies, let’s start with the apology impostors. Fake
Apologies The Apology Excuse — This apology is characterized by the apologizer stating a reason to justify the situation. These apologies sound something like “I am sorry, but...” In this scenario, the apologizer uses excuses to justify and rationalize a behavior they knew was wrong when they did it. The Confusion Excuse — This apology is characterized by the apologizer attempting to make the apologizee second-guess themselves and the situation. These apologies sound something like “I am sorry, you must have misheard me.” With so many of us overloaded with information, we do start to second-guess ourselves, even when we are fairly sure we heard right the first time. The “Not-I” Excuse — This apology is characterized by the apologizer blaming something (or someone) else for the situation. These apologies do not even attempt to use the words “I’m sorry,” and sound something like “Well, you know, it is not my fault...” This type of apology is commonly heard when dealing with someone who was supposed to provide goods or services. True
Apologies The true apology is characterized by a sincere tone of regret, good eye contact and brevity of words. While it may be difficult to define a true apology, we all seem to know one when we hear one. It is too bad we do not hear them more often. Brother/Sister Duo Dish Up Chicken Soup Susan
Jacobs WOBURN — Thanks to a North Shore brother/sister team of entrepreneurs, people from Maine to Minnesota can now order homemade chicken soup online. The “Jewish penicillin” is shipped frozen in special packaging that keeps it chilled for up to four days without dry ice. GrandmasChickenSoup.com is the brainchild of siblings David Poritzky of Boxford, and Betsy (Poritzky) Maselek of Marblehead. The cooking is handled by David, 34, a chef, caterer and owner of David’s World Famous, a Woburn restaurant located in a corporate office park, that features fresh sandwiches and soups. His older sister, Betsy, 40, controls the sales and marketing. “We have been eating our bubby’s original chicken soup recipe for our whole lives, and have been selling her chicken soup (at David’s restaurant) for years. After doing extensive research, I discovered that the only type of soup you could order online and have delivered is Legal Seafood’s chowder. There is no one shipping homemade chicken soup. David and I have always wanted to do an Internet business together. We already had the product — this seemed like a natural offshoot,” explains Betsy. With the click of a mouse, customers can order a half-gallon container (4-6 servings) of the tasty comfort food, made in traditional fashion with matzo balls and/or elbow noodles, for $29.50 plus shipping, which varies depending upon which state it is sent to. At this point, they are not shipping to Alaska, Hawaii or overseas. The dynamic duo launched their business in June. In the first two weeks, they shipped 27 orders to places such as Boca Raton, FL, and Akron, OH. Since then they have doubled their business every month. During
the summer, when interest in soup is typically low, they received more
than 1,000 hits per day on their well-designed website. As the weather
grows colder and interest in chicken soup thickens, they expect the demand
to increase. They feel confident about their ability to handle the demand. “Our product is a delicious alternative to flowers,” remarks Betsy, who adds that corporate clients such as realtors and car dealerships are sending them to customers to celebrate the purchase of a new home or automobile. The “Original” Grandma’s Gift contains a half-gallon of soup, plus a large soup bowl and spoon, crackers, a cookie, and a fun pen for $39.50 plus shipping. A “Get Well Soon” package contains all of the above, plus A Little Sip of Chicken Soup for the Soul book, a package of gourmet “Get Well” pasta and other assorted treats for $57.50 plus shipping. Other specialty packages are comparably priced. Those who crave a regular dose of Grandma’s cooking can sign up for the “Soup Club” and receive a fresh batch each month. Although the soup is “kosher style,” it is not strictly kosher. That doesn’t seem to bother the customers, many of whom are not even Jewish. “Even people who are not Jewish want homemade Jewish chicken soup,” says Betsy. Betsy,
David (and their middle sister Deena, who is not involved with the business)
grew up in Wakefield. Their mother, Janice, made chicken soup almost every
week for Shabbat dinner. She got the recipe from her mother, who regularly
prepared it when they lived on New York’s Lower East Side. For more information or to order, visit www.Grandmas ChickenSoup.com or phone 1-877-SEND-SOUP.
In
the ‘Big Inning’ Rabbi
Steven J. Rubenstein I recently braved the falling temperatures of a cooling New England fall to visit our local ball park in Lynn, Fraser Field. The North Shore Spirit were facing off against the New Jersey Jackals one last time for the privilege of calling themselves league champions. The Spirit took the first two games in New Jersey, but were unable to win either of their first two home games, though both went into extra innings. On this night, the Spirit came up short. I arrived early at the game with the hope that I would see Frank Charles, #21, and ask him to autograph a couple of cards that are a part of my collection. I first met Frank on a night early in August when it was announced that Jeremy Sugarman’s contract was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds. Frank detected the disappointment in my voice when I said I was interested in Jeremy’s signature because of my primary interest in Jewish ballplayers. His immediate retort was, “What does that make me, chopped liver?” Needless to say, I was taken aback by the comment. Frank then told me that, he, too, was Jewish – in part! He mentioned that quite recently someone mailed him a card from the all-Jewish Fleer set, and that he had no idea that he was a part of such an offering. The highlight of his major league career was four games in the majors with the Houston Astros late in the summer of 2000. This night would be his last one on the diamond as a player. When the game ended, he announced his retirement from baseball after 14 years of playing. I have minor league cards of Frank Charles dating back to the early 1990s when he played with the Everett Giants, the Tulsa Drillers, and the Charlotte Rangers, to name just a few of the 11 minor league teams he played for. The sports page of the Salem News the next morning had a picture of Charles tagging out a New Jersey player sliding home in the second inning. The throw from the outfield was right on target and Frank neatly blocked the plate, forcing the runner to slide past home plate in an attempt to avoid the inevitable tag. It was a glorious play and a wonderful image to carry into retirement. Into
the scrapbook that my daughter created for me it went, along with the
ticket stub and the unsigned cards that I brought with me to the ball
game. In our conversation in August, Frank spoke about his childhood, being in a home where two religions were practiced, and how he sometimes misses not having had a Bar Mitzvah. I think he will miss baseball a lot more, for it is truly his religion. For 14 years, this is where he was divinely inspired to perform at a level of excellence that was the envy of many of his teammates. Like the name on his shirt, Frank was filled with a “Spirit” for the game, along with a dedication to make some special things happen in the sanctuary of the diamond. It is a community he will surely miss, as much as we will miss not seeing him next year when the players return to Fraser Field. In Judaism, wandering and wondering are two important concepts. Moses led the Israelites in the wilderness, wandering from one place to another until they were ready to settle down. Choosing to be a baseball player is resigning yourself to an itinerant life because you never know when you will be packing your bags and moving to another place you will call home. Frank
knew first-hand the difficulties and the challenges this type of life
exhibited. It also creates for those who are acutely aware of their surroundings
how wonderful life can be wherever you find yourself. There is so much
to learn about the people and the places that you visit when you open
your eyes to what surrounds you. This too was a part of the religious
experience of our ancestors before they entered a more sedentary life
in the land promised to them by God. The Jewish holiday of Sukkot, where Jews “live” in temporary booths with roofs exposed to the elements, is a reminder of how fleeting our security can be. It reminds us of what it once was like to be under a chuppah (wedding canopy) of four poles and a flimsy piece of cloth above us as we start out in married life. It teaches us to depend on our partners and our teammates for the basic things in life — working together to build a secure place for ourselves in this world. Being a team forces us to get to know our partners and to be there for one another during the wins and the losses that we experience in life. Being vulnerable is a part of the human experience. Overcoming our fears is just one part of that journey that all of us must make as we take a certain path towards success. Even though most of us would say that a championship banner would look good in our homes, no one really needs a flag to proclaim himself a winner when we have things that are more enduring. What are those things? It is the satisfaction in knowing that you played the game well by giving it your all and earned the respect of those who look up to you. Frank certainly earned his place of distinction with the Spirit and with us. We wish him much success in his new endeavors. Steven Rubenstein is the rabbi of Temple B’nai Abraham in Beverly. He enjoys combining his hobby of collecting baseball cards with the aura of being Jewish in a professional sport. People in the News
World Jewry Cyprus Jewish
Agency to Help Sderot No Let-Up
in Crackdown Libya Eyes
Israel Ties Tehran-Galilee
Axis? Too Little,
Too Late Israel’s
No. 3 Oz Wins
German Prize Parties
Reach Out to Florida Voters French
Jews Get Newspaper Back Judge Loses
in Ten Commandments Case Christians
March for Jews African-Americans
to Meet African-Israelis Giving
Marrow in the Sukkah You’re
Fired — Twice Poll:
Israeli Issues Less a Concern
Arts & EntertainmentThinking the Unthinkable in Grossman’s ‘Executive Actions’ Gary
Band On September 10, 2001, documentary film producer and author Gary Grossman was in New York for a meeting with the History Channel. During their discussion about an upcoming project, Grossman joked that with all the programs the HC had done, pretty soon they would run out of history. Of course the next day everything changed, and history was made by 19 terrorists armed with box cutters and the ability to fly airplanes. On September 12, Grossman, along with Robb Weller — co-owner of their 11-year-old Emmy Award winning production company Weller/Grossman Productions — somehow secured a rental car in Westchester. And during the long road trip back to his home in Los Angeles, Grossman conjured an idea for what would become the novel Executive Actions (ibooks, distributed by Simon and Schuster, August, 2004). His premise derives from a question of sinister complexity: What would happen if the highest levels of the American government were infiltrated by those whose actions could change America’s relationship with, and ultimately destroy, the State of Israel? “I realized the things I was thinking about in fiction may be possible in real life,” said Grossman, who has lived in Los Angeles for the last 20 years. He was in Boston and on the North Shore promoting his book at the end of September. He’s hardly a stranger to this area. A graduate of Emerson College and Boston University, Grossman has written for the New York Times and the Boston Globe, and covered presidential politics for WBZ in Boston. He taught journalism at Emerson, BU and the University of Southern California, and has produced news programs for ABC, CBS and NBC. This is his third book, following Superman: Serial to Cereal and Saturday Morning TV. Despite poor copy-editing, Executive Actions does not disappoint. The story is at once frightening in its conception and, with everything that’s happened from September 11 forward, entirely plausible. Like the pundits who are considering every electoral possibility leading up to the real life 2004 presidential election, Grossman, while saying he doesn’t want to put ideas into people’s heads, raises important questions about the potential for the type of scenario he describes. “Ultimately, we don’t know what we don’t know,” Grossman says. “What is possible? What are some people willing to do to change our relationship with Israel and the balance of power in the Middle East?” The fictional election around which Grossman’s story revolves takes place in an alternative 2008. The first term of a popular Republican president named Morgan Taylor, an ex-Navy fighter pilot, is coming to an end. The Democratic candidates vying for the nomination are Montana Governor Henry Lamden and Vermont Congressman Teddy Lodge, whose roots are in Marblehead. By invoking real-life figures such as Howard Dean, George W. Bush, the late Uday Hussein, Libyan leaders, and laws established following September 11 — Grossman lends to his story an air of authenticity and a sense that it could really happen. In something of a political Da Vinci Code, where time and everything else is stacked against the protagonists, Executive Actions moves back and forth between Hudson, New York, Washington, DC, Marblehead, Boston, Fisher Island, Florida and Tripoli, Libya. Despite his pedigree, good looks and Kennedy-esque appeal, Congressman Lodge is trailing his Democratic challenger Henry Lamden in the polls. That is, until a shocking event occurs during Lodge’s speech in Hudson the day before the New York primary, propelling the 519-page story forward into a web of dangerous liaisons and attempts to connect the dots before Inauguration Day, seven months after the story begins. Following the events in Hudson, President Taylor engages the help of his friend, Secret Service Agent Scott Roarke, to investigate the crime and follow the clues wherever they may lead. His paths cross continually with New York Times reporter Michael O’Connell, who has been following Congressman Lodge in the race for the Democratic nomination. While asking questions at the Boston law firm that represented the Marblehead Lodge family, Roarke joins forces with an attractive Jewish lawyer named Katie Kessler. In between their romantic trysts at Kessler’s Beacon Hill apartment — when Roarke isn’t off tracking the unknown assassin or posing as a journalist in Libya — Kessler provides essential legal counsel that prevents the unthinkable from happening. But Roarke, Kessler, President Taylor, the FBI and CIA directors are all in the dark about how to connect the dots until a history teacher and freelance cameraman named Chuck Wheaton sees something that no one else saw in the video of that fateful June day in Hudson. Grossman keeps both his antagonists and protagonists active. From the assassin who keeps changing his appearance and location to the mysterious puppet-master Ibrahim Haddad in Florida, the feuding brothers and spying assistants in Libya and high-level sleeper spies whose true identities are not revealed until nearly the end, the story keeps you guessing throughout. Although the plot is both compelling and frightening to consider, the language could have benefited from more careful copyediting. But even after the epilogue, the characters and the story go on. Look for the sequel in 2005. Dudu Fisher To Perform at Boston’s Shubert Theatre Dudu Fisher, internationally-acclaimed singer, stage actor, and cantor will perform at Boston’s Shubert Theatre on October 19 at 8 p.m. Boston is the first stop of a seven-city North American tour. At the Shubert, Dudu will sing songs from Jewish-oriented musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl and The Jazz Singer. The songs are all featured on his new CD entitled, Coming to America. Described by Lawrence Van Gelder of The New-York Times as “a talent that resists confinement and is an explosion of religious faith”, Israeli Dudu Fisher has entertained audiences around the world. He earned his reputation through his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, which he performed on Broadway, in Israel, and in London. Over his career, Mr. Fisher has recorded more than 20 albums. He sang the role of Moses in the Hebrew version of Stephen Spielberg’s The Prince of Egypt and has sung with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. He has recorded an album of show tunes with the London Symphony Orchestra. Tickets for the Shubert Theatre show can be purchased by phone at 800-447-7400 or online at www.Telecharge.com. Seats cost $35-$63. More and More; A Drama of Life in One Jewish Family More and More, is a riveting new drama of life in one Jewish family. Written by Jay Harris of Newburyport, this play concerns itself with life across six decades of the Kaplan family, and the struggles that threaten to pull them apart. The production features Mary Shapiro as Ethel, Joel Grossman as Murray, Nancy Politzer as daughter Muriel, Tom Kennison as son Bernie, and Juliet Nelson as the young Ethel. Beginning in the early 1940s, the play opens with a thoughtful and innocent love letter from young Ethel to her beau Murray, who is away in the service.Their letters appear throughout the play, and their message of love and hope offer an ironic counterpoint to the later action of the play, as life and family are torn apart by personal conflicts. The letters used in the play are the actual letters once written by the author’s mother to his father, and it was their discovery that helped inspire him to create this work. More and More premiered September 23 at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport, but will be staged again on October 8, 9 and 10 at the Actors Studio in the Tannery in Newburyport. For tickets and information, phone 978-465-1229.
EditorialBuying ‘Jewish Insurance’ for Our Community Some 12,000 known Jewish households reside in the more than 20 cities and towns that extend from Lynn and Saugus in the south to Newburyport in the north, Boxford in the west to Rockport in the east. Those households, and an estimated 10,000 others with no known Jewish connections, constitute what is loosely called the Jewish community of the North Shore. With a full-range of Jewish institutions and activities, ours is a community that in recent years has made significant progress in creating a sense of community. The Journal is one force creating that sense. So are the area’s two community centers, its almost two dozen synagogues, three day camps, historical society, and the umbrella organization that supports those institutions and the people they serve: The Jewish Federation of the North Shore. The Federation is now engaged in its annual community campaign, which culminates in a phonathon on Super Sunday, November 7. We believe the Fed deserves a generous contribution from every Jewish household — not only because it supports these institutions (including, we need to point out, the Jewish Journal), as well as a variety of essential youth, family, singles, and senior programs, in addition to supporting good work in Israel and elsewhere. But the Fed is now embarking on a series of new initiatives aimed at strengthening Jewish life, and Jewish lives, on the North Shore in ways that are as innovative as they are sensible. As noted in our page 1 story this issue, these include developing the next generation of Jewish leaders, a community demographic and needs study, aligning agencies’ services to eliminate destructive competition, and sponsoring two subsidized missions to Israel for 2005, one for adults, the other for families, including interfaith families. The missions, says Federation Executive Director Merritt Mulman, will be “emotionally intense, bonding experiences for all who go. I guarantee that they (participants) will meet people and end up being best friends with them for the rest of their lives. And they’ll come back reconnecting with the community, Israel, and world Jewry.” Debbie Ponn, Federation president, says contributing to Federation is like buying insurance. We write checks to insure our homes, ours cars, our health. A check to Federation for its activities is, in her words “Jewish insurance.” Or, to put it another way, a gift to this year’s community campaign is an investment in our Jewish future. — Mark R. Arnold Local ColumnistsDual Loyalty and Jewish Americans: A Reader’s Question
A reader said to me that the issue of dual loyalty and American Jews has been on his mind for the last several months. I ask my friends: ‘If a major policy issue came up in which the interests of Israel and the U.S. were in clear conflict, which would you choose to support?’ Most don’t like to face the issue. When pushed, some admit their commitment to Israel; others go the other way. A New York Review of Books article recently cited documentation about the Mossad intentionally feeding false information to the CIA on WMD preceding the Iraq war. That sharpened the dual loyalty problem for me and raised the issue of Jewish identity. First, dear reader, I don’t worry about the question of which side I would choose in a conflict between Israel and the United States because it is the ultimate “iffy” question, one unlikely to come up in a way that forces us to choose. And besides, I have absolutely no power, no say, no standing, to turn my choices into public policy. Were I queried about the U.S. and Mexico, I would answer: I would look at the facts and decide. Since my general position is not “my country right or wrong,” I might even agree with a Mexican position. But, of course, what would it matter? Immigration, trade status, border crossing; my choices truly have no consequence. Why should my stand on Israel be any different? I read, I think, I confer, I decide, and nothing happens. The only difference between Mexico and Israel is that I might be more likely to lobby Congress or attend a demonstration. Nothing wrong with that; opposition politicians, organizations and citizens disagree with government policy every day. Were I a government official, as I have been, I would support the American position. If I could not, I would resign. Even if I were a professor, as I have been, there would be no room in my class for propaganda. On the second issue, I think the book review claiming the Mossad may have intentionally fed false information to the CIA on WMDs is a diversion aimed at inserting another Jewish issue into the war. The CIA is not a passive receiver of information. If journalists are bound by the two-credible source rule, surely the CIA is even more careful. Every government provides information that is nuanced to suit its own purposes. With Iraq and WMD, why this alleged untrue information should be of even passing interest, except maybe to the CIA itself, is hard to fathom. We know the CIA concluded internally that no proof of WMD existed. Still, CIA Director Tenet “slam-dunked” for the existence of WMD. Today, VP Cheney, but not President Bush, continues to argue the existence of WMD. Opponents Kerry and Edwards charge Bush and Cheney with lying. Whatever the Mossad did or did not do is barely a footnote to all of those close-to-home charges and countercharges. When you, dear reader, think about the question of Jewish identity in the present conflict, you do it, no doubt, to think about what drives your opinions and attitudes, a laudable personal self-introspection. A number of columnists and a few politicians today are also interested in Jewish identity with a different slant. They single out names like Paul Wolfowitz and William Kristol, the so-called neo-cons, as the key players in President Bush’s decision to go to war against Iraq. The proposition that this war is a one-dimensional decision by a few Jews is both crazy and simplistic. Those columnists and politicians — I call them slanderers — define the war as Jewish-inspired on behalf of Israel. Never mind that Seymour Hersh and scores of other prominent war critics are also Jewish. The public rising of the Jewish issue is a false, malicious threat to full Jewish-American participation in civic life. Call me a pessimist, but it is only one short step further to blaming “the Jews” for all America’s troubles, reminiscent of Nazi propaganda in Germany.
‘Ain’t Goin’ To Be No Israel If Folks Don’t Have a Planet’
“I
am not political,” I tell my dad. To prove it, I glaze over when
he mentions words like Bush, Kerry, foreign policy, or middle class. “Especially if you care about Israel,” he baits me. “A Jew can’t hide under a rock. We live in the world more than most people. And your precious Israel wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for the United States and a well-run democracy.” My father would like to have sired a debating team. Alas, all he got was me, and I find political rhetoric particularly unseemly. Just to be obnoxious, I spray a little oil on the fire: “I know a lot of people — Jews — who are voting for Bush because he’s committed to Israel.” Ordinarily I am cautious about upsetting him, as I know he is on blood-pressure medicine. But I have unleashed the floodgates. My children come running. I get dirty looks. The Zayda gets an adoring audience, and he shines on the soapbox. “I once shared the stage with Norman Thomas,” he tells the kids. They have, from him, a fine foundation in American liberalism, an appreciation for the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Supreme Court. For a guy who thinks Jews are only guests in a hospitable golus (exile), he exudes a tremendous love and appreciation of America. “It’s never good for the Jews when people are hungry, or hurting, or unemployed,” says the Zayda. “And the mess he’s made in four years — it’s amazing that one guy could do that much damage.” I try to take it all with a grain of salt. But as I sit with my family and watch the first of three debates between the two presidential candidates, I can’t help but think that my dad might be right. Jews who mistake inattention for support, and Christian religious fervor for love, may well be letting Israel down. Lip service to a Jewish homeland is always moving to a Zionist. But how good can it be for Israel when the world is in such turmoil? Judaism posits certain specific values in life. We caution our judges not to “lift up the face of the poor” because we are a civilization so committed to the right | ||||||||||||||||