Jewish Standard 03-27-15

REMEMBERING BRUNDIBAR page 6
REMEMBERING BERGA page 10

ROCKLAND COUNTY NEWS page 18
REVISITING A CANDY STORE page 42
MARCH 27, 2015
VOL. LXXXIV NO. 27 $1.00
NORTH JERSEY
84
2015
JSTANDARD.COM
SPRINGSTYLE
IN THIS ISSUE
A supplement to the Jewsh Standard Spring 2015
Our
OurChildren
About
Useful Information for the Next Generation of Jewish Families
Survival of the Fittest

Getting in Spring Shape
Camps Galore Passover Food & Fun

Supplement to The Jewish Standard April 2015
A very Jewish life
The Jewish Federation of

Northern New Jerseys
Jason Shames traces his
path to the CEOs office
page 26
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Our patients thank our doctors

every day. Now its our turn.
He is a great person, not just
a great physician, who treats
his patients with empathy.
She is the epitome of what a

well-rounded, caring, and
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Patricia M., Research Department
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His gentle hands and his kind heart are what

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providing the highest level of care for our patients and their families.
Your hospital for life.
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2 JEWISH
STANDARD MARCH
27, 2015
3/20/15 12:23 PM
Page 3
Lavie Tidhar brings together unlikely
mix of Jews, zombies and aliens
BETH KISSILEFF
Forget Iran and antiSemitism. Lavie Tidhar and British fantasy author Rebecca
Levenes newly
released short-story
anthologies, Jews
Versus Aliens and
Jews Versus Zombies (both published
by Jurassic London,
with all profits going
to MOSAC, a British group that assists
victims of child sex
abuse), have Jews
literally taking on a
whole new world of
challenges.
Tidhar, 38, a Israel-born and Londonbased author/editor, is also the World
Fantasy Award-winning author of
Osama (2011); his other books include
The Violent Century (2013) and A
Man Lies Dreaming (2014).
Last week, Tidhar emailed answers to
some questions:
Q: We all know about Isaac Asimov,
but beyond him who are some of the
other major Jewish science-fiction authors?
LT: I think there has always been a
high percentage of Jews writing science fiction, though I couldnt tell
you why that is. This is in somewhat
paradoxical contrast to fiction in Israel,
which for the most part rejected fantasy fiction until recent years.
Saying that, though, we didnt set out
to find only kosher Jewish writers.
What we asked for was just a connection with Judaism, a feel for it. We
didnt want to go into the question of
Who is a Jew! We managed to get a
whole range of people, from all across
the Jewish world. I was especially
pleased that we were able to get several Israeli writers involved, despite the
language barrier.
Q: Is there anything particularly Jewish about the stories in the anthologies?
LT: Several of the writers took the
liturgical approach: Benjamin Rosenbaums Tractate Metim 28a is a case
in point. I think part of the fun of the
anthology, part of the challenge, was
to take something that isnt usually associated with Jewish writing aliens,
zombies and make something new
with it.
Q: Where did you get the idea for
these anthologies?
LT: I cant honestly remember now.
I kept floating it about, and I was talking to Rebecca Levene in the pub one
night, and she totally got it. So she got
in touch with me the next day and said,
you know, you really need to do this. So
I roped her into doing all the hard work!
Without Rebecca I think it would have
just stayed a ridiculous idea.
Q: Tell me a little about your background and how you got into writing
fantasy and sci-fi.
LT: I grew up on a kibbutz in Israel
a good preparation, perhaps, for
writing strange fiction! Ive lived widely
elsewhere, though, including South Africa, Vanuatu and Laos, but I am based
in the U.K.
Ive always been attracted to the
weird in fiction, though my novels in
the past few years have been utilizing
certain genre conventions to interrogate the political realities of the 20th
century. I grew up reading translated
science fiction, though, and it was a
source of great joy for me to become
a part of that field. At its best, science
fiction offers us startling a new way of
looking at the world and isnt that the
purpose of good literature?
Q: How do you identify Jewishly?
LT: I can best answer that with a little
story. I was stopped in the street once
by a young man who wanted me to go
to church with him. I gently explained
I was Jewish. Oh, he said. Do you
practice? No, I said. He looked disappointed, so I explained I didnt need to.
You see, I am already pretty good at
it, I said.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about some of
the stories in the anthologies and what
a reader might expect to find?
LT: Its a real mix: from dark comedy
and satire to some thought-provoking
philosophical reflection. We have literary writers and genre writers, and TV
and games writers, and they all bring a
different angle to their stories. In Jews
Versus Zombies we didnt look particularly for horror stories, which I think
would have been the obvious thing to
do. We wanted the writers to have fun
with the concept, and see how they
can surprise us. So we have beautiful
grotesque stories like Rena Rossners
Rise, literary philosophical examinations like Shimon Adafs Like A Coin
Entrusted in Faith, and a fair amount of
comedy, actually.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Ben & Jerrys

charoset and
10 more
Passover ice
cream ideas
A few weeks after Ben & Jerrys
founders indicated that marijuanainfused ice cream may one day
join its product line, the companys
kosher-for-Passover charoset flavor
has been generating buzz.
In case your memories of last
years seder are blurred by too
many cups of wine, charoset is the
fruit-and-nut puree that symbolizes
the mortar Hebrew slaves used when
making bricks to construct Egyptian
cities. In making its charoset flavor,
which, sadly, is distributed only in
Israel, Ben & Jerrys opted for the
Ashkenazi tradition of apples and
walnuts, rather than the chunky Sephardic style featuring nuts blended
with assorted dried fruits.
Ashkenazi charoset is great, but
why stop at one Passover flavor? If
we could have 10 plagues, why not
10 ice creams? Heres some Passover
flavors wed like to see:
1) Sephardic Charoset: Think rum
raisin, but with lots of spices and
other dried fruits like dates and figs.
2) Manischewitz Madness: Sure, its
not yet legal to put marijuana in the
ice cream, but why not this potent
and intensely sweet wine? We envision it as a sorbet with a kick that
could replace the four cups of wine
and double as a palate cleanser.
3) Chocolate-Covered Matzahs and
Cream: Think cookies and cream, but
crunchier and kosher for Passover.
4) Macaroons and Cream: Ice
cream with chunks of macaroon, and
the possibility of almost infinite subcategories of flavors, mixing different types of macaroon with different
types of ice cream.
5) Pure Macaroon: Forget the

chunks of macaroon and instead just
infuse the almond and coconut that
form macaroons base into the ice
cream itself.
6) Fruit Jellies Jamboree: The iconic gooey fruity candies mixed into
vanilla ice cream or fruit sorbet offers
a nice mix of textures.
7) Rocky Road out of Egypt:
Wouldnt those 40 years in the desert
have been nicer with this confection
of chocolate ice cream mixed with
kosher marshmallows and nuts.
8) Red Sea: You wont want to part
with this red-velvet rich chocolate.
9) Tzimmes: Sweet potato base
with chunks of dried fruit. If you dont
think a tuber can go in ice cream,
remember this: pumpkin pie is an accepted ice-cream flavor and sweet
potato pie tastes a little like pumpkin
pie, so why not?
10) Dayenu: All (or maybe just
some) of the above flavors combined
into one more-than-satisfying flavor.
One quintessentially Passover
flavor we wouldnt dare to suggest
Maror Ice Cream turns out to exist.
Not from Ben & Jerrys, but if you
search the Internet youll find that
horseradish ice cream is an actual flavor produced by boutique ice cream
shops, and recipes are available for
you to make at home.
JULIE WIENER / JTA WIRE SERVICE
Candlelighting: Friday, March 27, 6:58 p.m.

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reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. 2015
CONTENTS
NOSHES ...................................................4
OPINION ................................................ 18
COVER STORY .................................... 26
PASSOVER ....................................39, 48
ROCKLAND .........................................44
GALLERY ..............................................50
TORAH COMMENTARY .................... 51
CROSSWORD PUZZLE .................... 52
ARTS & CULTURE .............................. 53
CALENDAR .......................................... 54
OBITUARIES ........................................ 56
CLASSIFIEDS ...................................... 58
REAL ESTATE......................................60
JEWISH STANDARD MARCH 227, 2015 3
Noshes
When I was 8 my grandfather threw an

apron at me and said come with me.
Its time to make a living.
Deli man Ziggy Gruber tells the Forward how he discovered his calling.
WEIRD LONERS:
New on TV and
old on the Dursts
Weird Loners
premieres on Fox
on Tuesday, March
31. Four 30somethings
who havent had romantic luck end up living
together in a townhouse
in Queens. Caryn
Goldfarb, a high strung
dental hygienist who is
Jewish-by-adoption, is
one of the two female
residents. (Becki Newton,
who plays Goldfarb, isnt
Jewish.) SUSIE ESSMAN,
59 (Curb Your Enthusiasm), who can be quite
funny, plays Caryns
mother.
MIRIAM SHOR, 43, is
one of the co-stars of
a new TV Land series,
Younger, which starts
on March 31 at 10 p.m.
She plays a publishing firm executive who
hires series star Sutton
Foster as her assistant.
Fosters character is 40,
but makes herself over to
appear younger and get
the job. (Shes also a single mom.) Former teen
favorite Hillary Duff plays
Shors other assistant.
Shor has guested on a
lot of hit shows while
starring in a number of
short-lived series.
Yes, accused murderer
ROBERT DURST, 71, and
Jinxed/HBO filmmaker
ANDREW JARECKI,
54, are Jewish. Yes, the
late SUSAN BERMAN,

whom Durst allegedly
killed, was Jewish, too.
Dursts father, SEYMOUR
DURST, reigned as head
of the real estate company that was the principal
source of the familys
wealth until his death
in 1995. He was quite a
character, not hesitant
about expressing his
views he often took
out mini-ads on the front
page of the New York
Times railing at the citys
bureaucracy re: housing
and zoning. He also was
responsible for the famous national debt clock
in Times Square. Seymours father, JOSEPH
DURST (1882-1974), was
born in Galicia, now in
southern Poland. He
worked as a store clerk
and tailor after coming
to America in 1902. By
1912, he was a partner in
a successful dress manufacturing company. He
moved into real estate
big time in the 1920s. He
co-founded a Conservative synagogue in suburban Westchester County
and the Stephen Wise
Free Synagogue in Manhattan and long served
as head of the Hebrew
Free Loan Association.
(Some Jewish geography: Miriam Shors career
was kickstarted by a
Susie Essman
Andrew Jarecki
A scene from The Dovekeepers
Dovekeepers recalls
the siege of Masada
Alison Brie
Etan Cohen
co-starring role in the

hit off-Broadway play
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, in 1998. Inch
was directed by PETER
ASKIN, 70. Hes the son
of Seymour Dursts sister,
the late ALMA DURST
ASKIN.)
Get Hard is a
comedy starring
Will Ferrell as
James, a millionaire
hedge fund manager
who is sentenced to a
long stretch in San
Quentin and has 30 days
to put his affairs in order.
He hires Darnell (Kevin
Hart) the only AfricanAmerican he knows, to
prep him for prison life

(in other words, to get
hard). Darnell hasnt
been to prison and isnt a
criminal so they have
to make educated
guesses about what
James should do.
ALISON BRIE, 34, plays
Darnells slutty fiance.
Many critics branded
the flick racist and homophobic after a recent
preview festival showing.
There is racially tinged
language throughout,
and there is a scene
where James tries to
accost a gay man in a
public toilet and offers
to perform a sex act on
The two-part CBS miniseries, The Dovekeepers is

adapted from the 2011 novel of the same name by ALICE
HOFFMAN, 63. (It airs Sunday, March 31, and April 1, at
9 p.m.)
The central event of the novel/series is the Roman
siege of Masada, the Judean desert fortress, in 70 CE,
at the end of the Jewish revolt. It tells the stories of four
women, each extraordinary in her own way, who each
has come to Masada. The series was filmed in Malta,
and as far as I know, none of the members of the mostly
little-known cast are Jewish. Sam Neill, 67, who plays the
ancient Jewish historian JOSEPHUS, is probably the
N.B.
most recognizable.
him to prepare himself

for life in prison. The
director, ETAN COHEN,
41, defended the movie
in a post-festival press
conference, noting it was
a satire and the racial
humor was a delicate
balance to find It was
hard to modulate how

far to push it. Cohen
was born to an Orthodox
family in Israel and raised
in the States. This is his
directorial debut. He is
best known as the writer
or co-writer of hits like
N.B.
Tropic Thunder.
California-based Nate Bloom can be reached at

Middleoftheroad1@aol.com
Want to read more noshes? Visit facebook.com/jewishstandard
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Local
Initiative brings student nurses
together with Holocaust survivors
Ramapo and JFS team up for
new approach to health care
LOIS GOLDRICH
ursing is changing, according

to Kathy Burke, the assistant
dean in charge of nursing at
Ramapo College of New Jersey
in Mahwah.
Nurses need to be prepared to move into
the community, away from the hospital, she
said. The community is the most important
care-giving site.
To ensure that their nurses receive this
training, Ramapo provides its students with
a variety of clinical experiences which will
redefine the health care of the future, Ms.
Burke said.
A new initiative conceived by Dr. Michael
Riff, director of Ramapo Colleges Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and
Leah Kaufman, director of JFS of North Jersey
brings Burkes students together with Holocaust survivors.
Taking care of the elderly, especially
those with such a unique history, will double the impact of this experience for her
students, Ms. Burke said. Its [important]
for this newer generation of nurses to talk
with individuals who have experienced the
Holocaust.
Ten nursing students, all of them seniors,
already have visited Caf Europa, a project of
Jewish Family Service of North Jersey, to meet
survivors. They are working with social workers to learn more about each one.
Dr. Riff said that his original idea was to
bring survivors together with social work
students and faculty from Ramapo. But after
screening the film Prisoner of Her Past last
fall in his Paradigms of Genocide class, he
decided to broach the idea to Ms. Burke. The
film explores the occurrence of late-onset
PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) in a
seemingly untroubled survivor who raised
two children in Skokie, Illinois.
We quickly set up meetings with Leah
Kaufman and Melanie Lester [at JFS North Jersey] as well as with Joan Richards of the nursing program, Dr. Riff said. The program
basically came about within a half hour.
Dr. Riff called it a happy coincidence that
the schools course in community medicine
involves sending students out into the community. He did an orientation for the participating students on February 6.
Two of the students were in my Holocaust
film class so I knew them, he said. They
were already sensitized.
The orientation was held at the offices
of Jewish Family Service of North Jersey in
Wayne. The nursing students watched Night
6 JEWISH STANDARD MARCH 27, 2015
Nursing students at Ramapo College are participating in a new program that allows them to interact with Holocaust victims.
The plan is for students
to go with social workers
on home visits, including to
Daughters of Miriam, assist
with intake interviews, and
engage with survivors.
Dr. Riff said that loneliness
is a frequent characteristic
of survivors in their 80s and
90s, and they may open up
with a sympathetic young
Dr. Michael Riff and Kathy Burke join forces in this
person. Theyre more likely
program.
to talk with them than with
their own children.
and Fog, the 1955 Holocaust documentary
He hopes that the project eventually will
by Alain Resnais, later joining in a discussion
bring nursing students together with colleagues in Ramapo Colleges history program
on the film.
to train and supervise public high school stuI stressed to students that they would
dents in conducting structured interviews
encounter survivors with diverse experiences, Dr. Riff said. While some will cerwith Holocaust survivors, leading to a video/
tainly have been in concentration and labor
oral history end product. Not only would
camps, others managed to survive in hiding,
both the high school and college students
including as children, or had found refuge
involved in the project learn firsthand about
outside Nazi-occupied territory.
the Holocaust, develop their critical thinking
Sally Whitmore, a survivor of the Lodz
skills, and help transmit survivors experiences to future generations, but they would
ghetto and Auschwitz, spoke to the students
also develop their capacity for compassion
about her experiences of the Holocaust and
and empathy in interacting with the elderly
its aftermath. Ms. Lester and JFSs director,
and people different from themselves.
Leah Kaufman, outlined the special needs of
Anticipating that as they meet survivors the
Holocaust survivors and reviewed with students the assessment tools they will use in
students might hear disturbing stories, Ms.
evaluation interviews with clients.
Burke noted that Ramapo faculty members
will keep a tight rein, debriefing the students and making it clear that full counseling
services are available to them, if necessary.
When they graduate and begin their professional careers, part of the population
they will deal with are Holocaust survivors,
Dr. Riff said. Theyre in our community and
in other parts of New Jersey. And, he said,
nurses are likely to encounter people who
have survived other instances of genocide,
wars, civil turmoil, sexual abuse, and other
manmade disasters.
They often dont present symptoms until
theyre elderly, he said. This is a good group
to learn with.
The Gross Center was established in
1980 and became an integral part of
Ramapo College in 2001. Before that, it
functioned as a separate nonprofit group.
We still rely on private donations to pay
our way, Dr. Riff said, noting that the college
also contributes to the center. In addition to
offering lectures and film screenings, twice
a year it holds teacher workshops that deal
with various aspects of the Holocaust and
genocide to bolster support of the New Jersey mandate on Holocaust education.
The center is hosting a May 13 workshop,
Echoes and Reflections, for middle and
high school teachers, in cooperation with the
Anti-Defamation League and the New Jersey
State Commission on Holocaust Education.
Local
For her part, the JFS director, Ms. Kaufman,
called the program a terrific idea. While she
and Dr. Riff had spoken for years about collaboration particularly about exposing high
school students to first-hand interviews with
survivors this happened quickly. We put it
together in a few weeks.
Ms. Kaufman said students already have
been matched with survivors, and after first
visiting them together with social workers,
now continue to see them on a regular basis.
They seem very enthused, she said, adding that those students who attended Caf
Europa readily engaged with the survivors
and even helped serve the food and clean up.
Some of the students also have participated in the JFS Holocaust Legacy Program,
where the agency goes into Hebrew schools
and works with bnai mitzvah kids, teaching
them how to conduct interviews and sensitizing them to the issues around the Holocaust.
After learning how to conduct themselves,
students are matched with survivors and
later write a narrative of their interview.
They also talk about the impact it had on
them, Ms. Kaufman said.
The new collaboration takes it one
more step, she said. The interdisciplinary approach is terrific, and the nursing students are exposed to a population that many
of them have not had contact with. They
develop a sensitivity and awareness of that
population.
Our social workers are thrilled, she
added. Many of these survivors are pretty
isolated and shut in, especially during the
winter. This really addresses the issue of
isolation. Its a friendly visit, but theyre
also tuned into particular health needs. If
they feel we should know something, they
will report it to us.
Ms. Kaufman is confident that the program will continue and expand, though
she said the groups are now looking for
grant funding. This is just a pilot program, to get our feet wet, she said. Its a
great partnership.
She said she wants the community to know
that the service is available. She pointed out
that on the heels of increased funding from
the Claims Conference, we can now identify
more survivors in need of services who have
not yet contacted us.
Ms. Burke said that while the joint initiative
Sally Whitmore, a Holocaust survivor, and the JFSs outreach coordinator,

Melanie Lester, speak to students.
began with just 10 seniors, she hopes that it
will become a continual program, part of
the seniors leadership experience.
So far, she said, the feedback has been tremendously positive.
The students are learning on multiple
levels, she said. Not only are they learning
some of the realities of aging in place, but

theyre participating in an interdisciplinary
endeavor, going out with social workers and
experiencing a team approach.
Theyre also learning the history of the
individuals they meet, she said. I think its
magic. Its a trilogy of learning.
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Local
You are not numbers. You have a name

Tenafly JCC Holocaust commemoration highlights survivor from Tappan
LOIS GOLDRICH
hen the Kaplen JCC on

the Palisades marks Yom
Hashoah this year, its ceremony will combine words
from the past with the voices of youth. Indeed
in a twist of fate Holocaust survivors could
not have foreseen Jewish children will sing
the same opera performed by children at the
Theresienstadt concentration camp.
In 1942, Holocaust survivor Ela Weissberger, who lives in Tappan, N.Y., performed
the role of the cat in the childrens opera
Brundibar. The show was staged in Terezin, Czechoslovakia, as part of an effort to
convince Red Cross inspectors, visiting delegations, and the world at large that nothing
improper was taking place there.
They took them to a staged area, Ms.
Weissberger said. They were really fooled.
On April 16, Ms. Weissberger the last
surviving member of the original cast will
share her memories as part of the JCCs
annual Yom Hashoah commemoration.
The nearly 85-year-old whose schedule would defeat most people half her age
speaks frequently all over the world. She
soon will set off for Boise, Idaho, having just
returned from addressing the Parliament of
Scotland as well as several universities there.
Before that, she was in Tacoma. She also is
preparing a trip to Paris and Normandy,
where Brundibar will be performed, and
has invitations from Brazil and Argentina.
I cant promise that Ill be there, but Ill
talk about the murder of Jewish children as
long as I can, she said. They were the most
What: Ela Weissberger will speak at
the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades Yom
Hashoah commemoration. The evening
also will include the performance of
selections from Brundibar and a
candle-lighting ceremony.
When: April 16, 7-9 p.m.
Where: At the JCC, 411 East Clinton
Ave., Tenafly
For more information: Call Ruth
Yung at (201) 408-1418 or email her at
ryung@jccotp.org.
beautiful, wonderful children.

People dont understand that theres such
a small group of survivors, especially from
this childrens opera. They want me to talk to
young people. They cant believe how much
I remember.
Recalling her days in the camp, which
began when she was 11, Ms. Weissberger
said that her best teacher was Friedl DickerBrandeis, an artist from the Bauhaus who
managed to save thousands of Terezin childrens paintings, which were discovered after
the war.
She told us, you are not numbers, you
have a name, and she allowed
us to put that on the paintings, Ms. Weissberger said.
She said that she has a
conflict with playwright/
screenwriter Tony Kushner,
who, with illustrator Maurice
In 2010, the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh staged Brundibar.
Sendak, adapted the opera in

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
2006. He did a translation of
the opera, but he finished it
One of the soldiers there [who helped
completely opposite what we
heart. I lost a lot of friends.
free Dachau] was crying. He said Ela, I want
were singing for, she said.
But my dream is coming
Ela Weissberger
to tell you that this is the first time someThe opera is a fairy tale
true. The whole world has
body [lit a candle] for my friends who lost
about a young brother and sisa day to remember the
ter, who, with the help of a cat, a dog, a bird,
their lives.
million and a half Jewish children who were
and the children of the village, defeat an evil
Ms. Weissberger said that she survived
murdered.
organ grinder named Brundibar.
the camp by chance. She had sneaked out
She now has very few items from Terezin.
It ends with a victory song.
to visit her uncle, and missed the last transShe gave most of her things to museums.
port out of the camp. It was destined for
The Nazis did not know that the vicBut she has one possession that she will not
tory song had a double meaning, she said.
Auschwitz.
give away.
In our eyes, Brundibar was Hitler, and we
She said that she always finishes her
I inherited the tallis of Rabbi Richard
wanted a victory over a terrible man.
speaking engagements by talking about
Feder, who was also sent to Terezin, she
We were originally 15,000 children, and
her friends, translating a poem, You and
said. I got it from him. He was a very special person.
only 100 of us survived. It is by a miracle
I, written by a friend at the camp. It concludes with the lines, You and I/Shall never
She noted that Rabbi Feder a fellow surthat I am here to talk about it. I was saved.
vivor has developed a special order that
forget. She is doing her best to make sure
I think I speak in the voices of those who
he follows when he lights the six candles in
that the world also remembers.
didnt make it.
memory of the 6 million lost in the Shoah.
Emma Brondolo, director of the Young
We enjoyed singing a song of defiance. We
I have said in thousands of JCCs what
Peoples Chorus at the JCC Thurnauer
didnt have to wear our Jewish star when we
Rabbi Feder said, Ms. Weissberger recalled.
School of Music, said the children who will
were singing Brundibar. We werent marked.
First for babies and children; second for
perform a portion of the opera at the Yom
We had a little bit of freedom. She still has
mothers and fathers; third for grandparents;
Hashoah ceremony understand the signifithat star, which she regards as lucky.
cance of the piece.
fourth for relatives; fifth for friends; and sixth
But Kushner added a line to the opera,
We have discussed the operas history,
for soldiers from America, Russia, and Engshe said. He makes Brundibar scream Im
land who gave their lives to save some lives in
who the original performers were, and the
coming back.
the camps. She said she explained that order
ways that this opera functioned in the Nazi
Im fighting to get it off there, she said.
at a candle-lighting ceremony in Washingcamp, she said. We had a very long disWe dont want him to come back.
ton, D.C., last year.
cussion about it at the beginning, and even
Ms. Weissberger said her speech is in my
The JFS Food Pantry is available for those struggling financially

and may be in need of non-perishable Passover food items.
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more discussions as we learned different parts of the
opera. Students have made great connections and asked
sometimes difficult questions about how the Jews might
have felt performing this for the Nazis and about the
power of music and self-expression in the face of insurmountable adversity.
Brundibar is a very special opera because it gives
students a connection to a painful part of Jewish history,
and it talks about real life contemporary issues, such as
poverty, bullying, community, and hope, she said.
She added that the idea for the performance came
from Dorothy Roffman, the Thurnauer Schools founder
and director. As it happened, Ms. Roffmans daughter,
Sharon, had created a program in Florida that connected an understanding of the Holocaust and current
issues involved in bullying. As part of the students
learning experience, the schools drama department
worked with Sharon on a production of Brundibar.
When considering how the Thurnauer school could
contribute to this years Yom Hashoah program, Dorothy
immediately thought of Brundibar, Ms. Brandolo said.
Tani Foger of Englewood, the JCCs Yom Hashoah
program chair since 2006, noted that the ceremony
will include the presentation of the Abe Oster Holocaust
Remembrance Award to a teen for composing an original piece of music that commemorates the Holocaust.
The evening also will include a candle-lighting ceremony led by five Holocaust survivors and their families.
The sixth candle will be for all survivors who are there.
Brundibar is a very
special opera because
it gives students
a connection to
a painful part of
Jewish history, and
it talks about real life
contemporary issues.
One benefit of the evening is that the 50 young people singing selections from the opera will come face
to face with a survivor perhaps for their first or only
time, Ms. Foger said. If in the future they come across
a denier, theyll be able to say unequivocally that there
was a Terezin. There are so many benefits beyond what
the kids can understand now.
The chorus will perform the entire opera on June 18 at
the Sandra O. Gold Founders Day Concert.
The Oster award, Ms. Foger said, is presented every
year, and every year it recognizes a different art form
poetry, prose, art, or multimedia. Because this years
ceremony will include an opera, the award is musicbased. The winner will be announced on the day of the
performance.
As the generation of survivors is fading, and as Holocaust deniers are increasing, its a vital experience for
kids in the audience to see any survivors in our midst
and for us to hear their stories and give them respect,
acknowledging that we can hear and see them, Ms.
Foger said.
These children can be a link in the chain. The
same opera performed in a concentration camp is
now being performed in peaceful, loving surroundings by other Jewish children. Its like an affirmation
of what [Ela] went through.
A Family Trusted Brand Since 1939

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Evil, hope onstage in Teaneck

Yavneh students tell the story of Berga slave camp in annual Holocaust play
ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN
len Rock eighth-grader Shmuel

Berman took on the role of murderous SS Sgt. Erwin Metz in
Yavneh Academys recent Holocaust play about the little-known slave-labor
camp at Berga in eastern Germany, where
hundreds of American prisoners of war
were interned along with Holocaust victims.
What was it like to portray a real-life Nazi?
It was hard, Shmuel said. I had to try to
get into the character of someone who was
not a good person and did terrible things to
people.
I was hoping the audience saw that
Erwin Metz considered himself a normal
person, yet he lied during the court scenes,
claiming that he didnt mistreat anyone. We
can learn that evil could happen anywhere;
it doesnt require an evil person.
About 1,000 people came to two performances of the play, performed March 19 at
the Jewish Center of Teaneck.
Every year since 1977, Yavnehs eighthgraders have researched, written, and presented a Holocaust-related play using factual background material.
The American POWS interned at Berga
many of them Jewish were taken there in
cattle cars in the winter of 1945. The men
were forced to work in dangerous slate
quarries building an underground munitions factory. At least 70 GIs died at Berga or
during a forced march near the end of the
war. Bergas fatality rate, nearly 20 percent,
was the highest of any camp where American POWs were held.
The goal of the play is to allow the people
portrayed to live once more, albeit briefly,
so that their memory will not be forgotten, said Rabbi Shmuel Burstein, Yavnehs
Holocaust studies coordinator for the past
14 years. The annual play is very dear to
me because I feel an obligation to keep the
memory of the 6 million murdered Jews,
and in this case the American GIs, alive, and
the play allows us to do that. Its experiential, historical, educational, and I would say
even spiritual.
All 60 eighth-graders appeared on stage,
portraying prisoners or their tormenters. Six of them wrote the script, working
under the guidance of playwright, actress,
and director Dominique Cieri, who has
been involved in producing and directing
the Yavneh play for 20 years. One student,
Abe Spectre-Covitz of Teaneck, took it upon
himself to track down one of the GIs portrayed in the production.
Im still baffled by how he did it, Rabbi
Burstein said.
Abe managed to locate Morton Brooks in
Florida just days before the play, and guided
the war veteran in using Skype to speak to
the audience about his experiences.
Yavnehs graduating class played all the roles in the play about the slave-labor camp at Berga.
Director Dominique Cieri, left, with Joan Daub, the wife of Gerald Daub (the GI
featured in the play) and Keren Farajun, the Yavneh eighth-grader who played
Mr. Daub.
RUTI GALANDAUER
Abe said that initially he went online

and found an ex-POW website that listed
Mr. Brooks phone number and email.
But neither seemed to work, so I thought
about it and realized I could call realtors
in his neighborhood to ask for information
about him.
Realtors werent giving out such information, yet Abe persisted. He made phone
call after phone call and finally connected
with another vet in Florida who knew Mr.
Brooks and promised to have him call Abe.
That was Monday morning, Abe said.
On Tuesday morning we were practicing
at the Jewish Center and I got a call from
a New York number, and it was him. I
brought my phone to Rabbi Burstein and
they talked for about half an hour. The
original idea was to fly him to New Jersey
to see the play, but it was too late. So we
decided to Skype with him instead. But I
didnt hear back from him although I tried
to call him tons of times.
It was only during the Thursday morning performance that Mr. Brooks reached
Abe, just before he was due onstage. They
arranged for Mr. Brooks to speak via Skype
at the conclusion of the evening show. Projected on a screen for the audience to see,
he told us about life in Berga and about
the death march. Almost word for word,
he told the story wed just acted out. It was
really cool; it was amazing that he was a
real person, Abe said.
Sammy Greenberg of Teaneck does not
know if the American GI he portrayed in
the play is still alive. But he learned a lot
from him nevertheless. He worked in
the tunnels and didnt give up. He tried to
stay positive although he got angry a lot,
Sammy said.
Keren Farajun of Fair Lawn played Private Daub, one of the Americans in Berga.
She also helped write the play. Dominique gave us pages from the book and
she had us write dialogue, Keren said. I
COURTESY YAVNEH ACADEMY
learned that those GIs were very young,

19 to 21 years old, and that even going
through the hardest things you can come
out of them and find the good. The survivor we Skyped with said the message we
should take is to stop hate in the world.
The tragic story of Berga has been documented in Roger Cohens Soldiers and
Slaves American POWs Trapped by the
Nazis Final Gamble as well as in Given
Up For Dead: American GIs in the Nazi
Concentration Camp at Berga by Flint
Whitlock; and in the PBS production
Berga: Soldiers of Another War and the
National Geographic film Hitlers G.I.
Death Camp.
The idea of adapting the story for the
Yavneh play was suggested to Rabbi Burstein by Drs. Zalman and Dora Suldan of
Teaneck, parents of eighth-grader Eliana.
Zalman Suldan said that several years ago
he attended a talk by Mr. Whitlock at the
Classic Residence in Teaneck, where one
of the Berga survivors lived until his death
a few months ago.
Dora had read the announcement in
the Jewish Standard and thought Id enjoy
it since I had been doing so much research
into my fathers time while he was stationed in England during World War II,
Zalman Suldan said. He was a navigator
for a B17 and was shot down on his 24th
mission and was a POW himself in Stalag
Luft 3 for a year before being liberated by
General Patton.
One hopes that the lessons of the past
will inform our awareness of the present
and provide lessons for the future, Rabbi
Burstein said. Especially as the Jewish
people and the free world continue to
confront threats to our very existence, it
is important to learn from the lessons of
the Holocaust.
Great wine doesnt need

to cost a bunch.
In 1925, Yankel Hirsh Segal and his family emigrated to Israel and settled in Tel Aviv. Brothers
Elhanan and Yehezkel established Israels first distillery in the German colony Sharona in Tel Aviv.
Their experience and reputation led them, in the 1930s, to be asked by the French rulers to set up
distilleries in Beirut and Damascus. In 1954, the family decided to concentrate on wine production.
The winery moved to Ramla, and was called the Zvi Vineyard. The name was later changed to Segal
Wines. All the winerys bottles bear the Segal wine logo, reproduced in Zvi Hirshs own handwriting.
MEMBER
Making wine differently.
Segal cost a bunch hands .indd 3
3/17/15 4:33 PM
Local
Oy vey, my child is gay

Orthodox parents seek shared connection in upcoming retreat
JOANNE PALMER
shel, a group that works to bridge

the divide that often separates
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Jews from their Orthodox
communities, is holding its third annual
retreat for Orthodox parents of those LGBT
Jews next month.
Although most of its work is done with
Orthodox LGBT Jews who may or may not
be the children of the parents at the retreat
the retreat offers parents community,
immediate understanding, the freedom to
speak that comes with that understanding,
the chance to learn, and the opportunity to
model healthy acceptance.
There are particular issues to being
Orthodox and having a gay child, although
it varies a lot from community to community, Naomi Oppenheim of Teaneck said.
You worry about what the community
is thinking about you. Someone I dont
remember who said, When my kid came
out, I went into the closet.
Ms. Oppenheim, who has four daughters, one of whom is lesbian, has gone to
both of the retreats, and is looking forward
to the third one. It draws about 30 to 40
people, and it happens to be a wonderful
group, she said. Participants motivations
vary, as do their backgrounds and underlying assumptions, she added. Its harder for
parents who grew up frum from birth, as
she did not, she said. It may be that when
their kid came out to them, it was the first
person theyd known or were close to who
came out. So it would be a double shock.
That wasnt true for me. I didnt grow up
observant, I have plenty of gay friends, and
the fact that my daughter was gay wasnt
even surprising. It had been kind of clear
to me before. It wasnt a shock, and it didnt
affect our relationship.
She knows that her response is not the only
one, though, Ms. Oppenheim added. The
natural reaction, particularly in our community, is to be completely surprised, and to
mourn. That comes out a lot in the weekend.
They are mourning the future they
thought they would have.
It is particularly hard to face a childs
gayness if you are Orthodox because you
have committed to halacha to a system
of law, custom, and lifestyle that can on
the one hand be very warm and nurturing
and accepting. On the other hand, there
are norms, things that are expected from
you, and if you are not doing them, you will
feel different and judged, at least by some
people.
Most of the religious objections to homosexuality come from Leviticus 22:18, which
tells us, Do not lie with a man as you do
with a woman. It is an abomination. The
verse is stark; the fact that it does not seem
Orthodox parents of LGBT Jews meet at an Eshel retreat, where they can talk about shared experiences. The third such
gathering will be held next month.
Naomi Oppenheim is looking forward

to the retreat because you feel very
close to all the other people there
very quickly.
right to us does not make it go away. You
cant just say, Look, this law goes against
what we feel ought to be true from an ethical perspective, and therefore we should
disregard the law, Ms. Oppenheim said.
Its not the only biblical injunction that
can make modern life difficult, she continued. For example, a cohen cant marry a
divorced woman. That can be very hurtful to an individual couple who has fallen
in love, but the law is the law. We cant just
toss the law away because it seems antiquated. That is not how Orthodoxy works.
On the other hand, part of the communitys discomfort is that the Orthodox
community lags behind American society,
Ms. Oppenheim said. Twentieth-century
American society was homophobic; until
the 1970s, the DSM thats the American
Psychiatric Associations bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classified homosexuality as a mental
illness.
But I dont know if we have reached a
halachic stalemate permanently, although
it feels like it right now. If you read, for
example, Shmuley Boteach thats Rabbi
Shmuley Boteach of Englewood, a columnist for this newspaper, who identifies himself as Chabad basically he says, I dont
know what the big deal is, why everyone is
so focused on this. There are so many other
mitzvot you can do.
Ms. Oppenheim also cited the Statement of Principles on the Place of Jews with
a Homosexual Orientation in Our Community, drafted by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot of
Congregation Netivot Shalom in Teaneck in
2010 and signed by more than 150 Orthodox rabbis and educators. Basically, it
says that just because someone is gay, that
doesnt mean you should shun that person,
or refuse to give him an aliyah. Everyone
should be treated with respect and dignity
and accepted into the community.
But you cant get around the fact that

there is a halachic prohibition, she said, even
though one of Eshels directors, Rabbi Steven
Greenberg, does argue that there are many
readings of the verse in Leviticus other than
the most commonly accepted one.
She is looking forward to the weekend
because you feel very close to all the other
people there very quickly. It is a wonderful
group of people. And because everyone is
so unguarded, you have people who are
crying, telling their stories for the first time,
whether they have known for 10 years or
just found out last week. It is the first time
theyve told anyone outside their family, the first time that they have really felt
accepted without having to hide this part of
themselves.
Jeannie and Dr. Kenneth Prager of Englewood also will be going to the retreat for the
third time.
I think the retreat is historic, Dr. Prager
said. I dont think that is an exaggeration.
Eshel is an organization that is geared specifically for Orthodox parents of LGBT kids.
Keshet is there for Jews of all denominations, but the problem is particularly acute
in the Orthodox community because it has
shown less tolerance and acceptance of
LGBT people than the other denominations.
Why is that? Because the Orthodox
SEE MY CHILD PAGE 14
Local
My child
FROM PAGE 12
adhere more closely to halacha than the

Conservative or Reform. When you have the
verse in Leviticus, the Orthodox will take it
very literally. They have actually singled out
homosexual behavior as the abomination.
Orthodoxy finds homosexuality particularly
repugnant.
The word abomination is used many
times in the Bible, even in relation to cheating in business but I have never heard a
rabbi say that. As a matter of fact, I have
seen rabbis honor people who have cheated
in business. And there certainly is no prohibition against being nice to gay people.
In fact, he continued, the verse, taken literally, applies only to men, and to one particular act. It is not any more my business
what two men do in their bedroom at night
any more than it is my business what a man
and a woman do in their bedroom about
niddah, he said.
The modern Orthodox world is moving
toward better treatment of LGBT people, he
said, but right-wing Orthodoxy, Agudath
Israel in particular, has taken the obscurantist position that it is a matter of choice or
childhood pathology, and it therefore recommends conversion therapy for every
homosexual, with the ridiculous statement
that God would not create human beings
who are incapable of performing all of his
mitzvot. It is inconvenient to the Agudath
that homosexuality is inborn and genetic,
and this is in contradiction to every professional organization worthy of being called a
professional organization.
There is a huge amount of suffering
by Orthodox kids who feel rejected and
despised by their religion, Dr. Prager said.
There is a serious problem of depression
and suicide.
The Pragers have four children; one of
their two daughters is lesbian; she is also
married and a mother. We go to the Eshel
retreat because we are the grandparents.
Some people refer to us as the pioneers,
Participants in Eshel retreats enjoy lively, candid discussions around shared experiences and assumptions.
Dr. Prager said. He wears that badge with
pride.
The first year at the retreat, there were
so many tears as people shared their stories, Jeannie Prager said. The second
year, it was palpably different. People were
so happy to see each other, and so much
more able to deal with the situation. There
is strength in numbers, and in sharing.
We go to the retreat not because we
need help but because we want to help others, Dr. Prager said. We think that we are
doing a Kiddish HaShem by enabling other
Orthodox families to accept, love, and
incorporate their LGBT children into the
Orthodox community.
It is clear that the vast majority of
Jeannie and Dr. Kenneth Prager of Englewood value the Eshel retreat as a way
to help other parents navigate the challenges they share.
parents are more upset about the potential of their kids leaving Judaism or having
a non-Jewish partner than the kids being
LGBT, Ms. Prager said. Judaism is dear to
the parents, and it hurts them to have the
kids leave. But the kids leave because there
is zero room for them.
Many Orthodox rabbis feel the problem
keenly and would like to help, according to
both Pragers, but most do not know how.
Orthodox rabbis have zero training in dealing with LGBT Orthodox kids in their communities, Dr. Prager said. They are not
taught how. There are a lot of well-intentioned rabbis out there who would like to
be enlightened.
This is a humanitarian issue. Part of the
genius of Judaism is that it has evolved. We
no longer have slavery. We no longer have
polygamy. We dont lash people and we
dont stone them. We found a way around
not charging interest. Now the challenge
is how to accept LGBT people into the
community.
Zahava Stern, Naomi Oppenheims
daughter, who is 26, grew up in Bergenfield and Teaneck; she is now a law student
in Boston. I think the Orthodox world is
changing, she said. I starting coming out
about six years ago. I think that the Orthodox community has learned a lot and been
exposed to a lot in the last five years. She
talked about a 2009 conference at Yeshiva
University, Being Gay In The Orthodox
World: A Conversation with Members of
the YU Community, as a turning point.
There was such a yearning for it, she said.
It drew such a crowd that people stood in
the cold trying to get in. And a deeper discussion has continued. People are coming
out more, hiding less. There has been a tremendous shift.

The Eshel parents retreat, Oy vey,
my child is gay! Exploring the impact on
Orthodox families, is set for April 17 to 19
in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. It offers
support and education, Eshels executive
director, Miryam Kabakov, said. Its on
Shabbat, so people can have this experience in their Jewish lives together. They
cant go to their own shul without being
asked if their child is dating, so it is a healing moment when they can have Shabbat
with people they dont have to hide from.
A lot of the parents are closeted about
their kids, she said. They can share at the
retreat. Not only do they not have to worry
about being judged, they also feel safe.
Everyone knows that everything said there
is confidential, so you dont have to worry
about word getting out.
The retreat includes talks by Rabbi Steven Greenberg, the first out gay Orthodox
rabbi; Caitlin Ryan of the Family Acceptance Program, who is very interested
in communities of faith and is doing a
lot of work researching the effect that
acceptance makes, Ms. Kabakov said,
and Ysoscher Katz, a Talmud genius,
according to Ms. Prager, a one-time Satmar chasid, now dean of Talmud at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, who is very much an
out-of-the-box thinker, Ms. Kabakov said.
Smaller breakout sessions allow parents to
discuss specific issues that are particularly
important to them.
To learn more about the retreat or to
register, go to Eshels website, www.eshelonline.org, and follow the links to the parents retreat.
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Dr. Moshe Sokol, left, dean of Lander College of Men, and Dr. Anne E Shinnar, chemistry department chair, with Torah Academy of Bergen Countys
team at the Lander science olympiad. Dr. Joel Berman, TABCs science
chair, is at center.
Local schools rise to the top

in Lander science olympiad
IDF soldiers share experiences with Solomon Schechter students.
COURTESY SSDS
IDF soldiers visit Solomon Schechter

Lt. Rona Hadari, 23, an Israeli air defense
guides course commander and Israeli
Defense Force lone soldier; 1st Lt.Yaniv
Hartman, 25, an IDF deputy commander
in the Nahal Brigade who served in Operation Protective Edge, and IDF 1st Lt.
Noam Maoz, 22, a combat soldier and
deputy commander in the Bardalas Battalion, met with students at the Solomon
Schechter Day School of Bergen County

on March 12. The IDF soldiers shared
their experiences on and off the battlefield with eighth-graders at the New Milford school, who are preparing for their
upcoming annual Israel Encounter trip.
The two-week program, which includes
a stop in Poland, represents the culmination of their Schechter education.
Torah Academy of Bergen Countys

team placed third overall in the 2015
Jewish Education Project-Lander College
Yeshiva Science Olympiad that Lander
hosted in Queens. The March 8 competition drew 11 teams from New Jersey and
New York.
The Frisch School in Paramus took
first place in the green generation
event, and the Maayanot Yeshiva High
School for Girls placed first in the Write
It Do It activity, in which one team
member is given a built structure from
which she writes a set of instructions on

how to construct it; her teammate then
attempts to recreate the structure from
those instructions.
TABC, which won the Olympiad in
2010, 2011, and 2013, had the highest
number of points across 12 events, scoring in the top three for activities in bridge
building, compound machines, entomology, fossils, and invasive species.
Stem-cell biologist Dr. Jessica Langer of
Teaneck was the guest speaker.
Club Ed celebrates 10 years

Jewish Family Service of Bergen and North
Hudson is celebrating Club Eds 10th year.
JFS offered thanks to the Cliffside Park,
North Bergen, Fairview, and Fort Lee
school districts for their partnership in
helping the afterschool programs succeed
in their communities.
Club Ed is a comprehensive program
designed to complement the school curriculum. Participants take part in structured
recreation, receive help with their homework, and engage in enrichment activities including creative art, cultural enrichment, music, and dance.
Club Ed is offered each school day from
3 to 6 p.m., with supervision provided by
teachers and qualified childcare workers.
For information, call Suad Gacham at (201)
837-9090, ext. 242, email her at SuadG@
jfsbergen.org, or go to www.clubednj.com.
Joseph Lieberman, left, with Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik and Rabbi Lord
Jonathan Sacks
COURTESY YU
Catskill Shabbaton
for BCHSJS
Students at the Bergen County High
School of Jewish Studies held a Shabbaton at the Suri Schwartz Jewish Experience Center in the Catskills. Activities
included study sessions on Judaism,
and discussion of hot topics including
animal experimentation, discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, and race, and medical marijuana.
There was also a special celebration
and ceremony for a student who was
given a Hebrew name.
YU hosts a conversation
on the Haggadahs politics
Tamir Bejar, BCHSJSs student council

president, leads the Havdalah service.

COURTESY BCHSJS
Hundreds gathered at Yeshiva Universitys Wilf campus last week for a prePassover conversation with Rabbi Lord
Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of
the United Hebrew Congregations of the
Commonwealth, and former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman. Rabbi Dr. Meir
Soloveichik, director of YUs Zahava
and Moshael Straus Center for Torah
and Western Thought, moderated the
discussion, on the Haggadas Politics:
From 2,000 Years Ago to Today.
Both Rabbi Sacks and Mr. Lieberman

are YU faculty members Rabbi Sacks
is the Kressel and Ephrat Family University Professor of Jewish Thought and Mr.
Lieberman holds the inaugural Joseph
Lieberman Chair in Public Policy and
Public Service. The talk was hosted by
YUs Center for the Jewish Future and
the Abraham Arbesfeld Kollel Yom Rishon and Mille Arbesfeld Midreshet Yom
Rishon and sponsored by Robyn and
Shukie Grossman and family.
upcoming at
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Conference: Fri, May 1, 8:30 am-2 pm, $15
Yom Hashoah Commemoration

This years commemoration will feature a
presentation by Ela Weissberger, who performed
in the childrens opera Brundibar at the
Theresienstadt concentration camp as a childa
show staged by the Nazis to fool the world into
thinking nothing suspicious was taking place
there. The Thurnauer School of Music Chorus
will sing selections from the opera, followed by
the presentation of the Abe Oster Holocaust
Remembrance Award.
Thur, April 16, 7-9 pm
Free and open to the community
A
I
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The Gift of Music Gala Benefit:
25th anniversary concert
featuring: Vadim Gluzman

World-renowned Israeli violinist, ...acknowledged as
one of todays top violinists.Washington Post
Performing works of Bach, Brahms and more!
honoring: Lilo Thurnauer,
Gift of Music Visionary Award
Proceeds to support the Thurnauer School
of Musics Scholarship Fund.
Established by Drs. Joan and Alan Handler.
For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, contact
Alison Kenny at 201.408.1462 or akenny@jccotp.org
Sun, Mar 29, 7 pm, BergenPAC, Englewood
kids
drama
Welcome to Emek
an israeli language and cultural

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We bring everyday spoken Hebrew into

every childs life in a fun, hands-on way.
We offer a well-established program
designed specifically for non-native
Hebrew speakers, small classes and
individual attention. Contact Aya at
201.408.1427 or visit jccotp.org/emek.
chalav udvash:
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Orientation: Sun, June 28
judaics
Pesach Seminar
with rabbi reuven Kimelman
Bring a Hagaddah and join our Rabbi-in-Residence

in a thoughtful discussion on why the number 4 is
so important in the Haggadah.
Wed, April 1, 8:15-9:30 pm, Free
to register or for more info, visit
jccotp.org or call 201.569.7900.
JCC on the Palisades taub campus | 411 e clinton ave, tenafly, nJ 07670 | 201.569.7900 | jccotp.org
Editorial
Tragedy in Brooklyn
e are all desperately

saddened by the
deaths of seven of
the eight Sassoon
children in the terrible fire in
Midwood last week, and we pray
that their mother and one surviving sister, both grievously injured,
will survive. (See story, page 34.)
It is impossible to imagine what
their father is feeling, and most
likely it is unwise to try. All we can
do is pray that he, too, can find
healing, and that he can remember love as well as horror.
The whole remaining family will
have to be surrounded by their
community if they are to stand
upright, and the community will
need help as well. It is a nightmare horror.
There is a lesson to be learned
from the tragedy, though.
We all have to be very careful with fire and with electricity.
They are equal-opportunity killers. Wires fray, fat sizzles, surfaces overheat. Fire can erupt.
KEEPING THE FAITH
It happens so infrequently that

its easy to forget, to stop paying
attention to the dangers, but none
of us can afford to do that.
Also, please, everyone, get
smoke detectors. Once you have
them, check them every month.
Make sure the batteries work.
Make sure you have enough of
them, place them so they cover
your whole house, and try to get
both kinds, ionization and photoelectric, so you will have warning
of both flaming and smoldering
fires. And pay attention to them.
Yes, they are annoying, yes, they
often go off when youre frying or
toasting or sometimes just looking
at it cross-eyed, but they can save
your life, and your familys.
Come up with an evacuation
plan, and talk to your children
about it. You should know what
you are going to do before the
panic-filled time when you realize that you actually are going to
have to do it.
Take care on Shabbat. Use
warming devices that are safe,

and be sure that you are following the directions that come with
them. Use common sense when
you set out your candlesticks, and
make sure that nothing including your own hair or sleeves get
too near the flames.
For detailed, useful information, go to the National Fire Protections website, www.nfpa.org,
and click on Safety Information.
Yes, all of this is just entirely
basic common sense, but the
stakes are incredibly high.
The images of the seven children when they were alive, staring into the camera, and then of
the seven white-shrouded bodies, their fathers grief, their communitys bitter tears we do not
want ever to see such images
again. There should not be such
pain ever again.
The precautions are basic. Lets
all take them.
And may the memories of all
JP
the children be blessings.
Trouble in Israel
sually there is a honeymoon after an election.

Even if the election was
hotly contested, even
if the losing side is smarting and
bitter, there is at least a show of
hatchet-burying.
Except if it is 2000 and the election is Bush versus Gore, handshakes and warm wishes are in
order.
And usually an election is seen as
an internal event. We might regret
what we see as the clear shortsightedness, if not abject stupidity,
of the citizens of another country,
but we dont usually say so publicly
Jewish
Standard
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James L. Janoff
Associate Publisher Emerita
Marcia Garfinkle
although we might smugly wait

for disaster to unroll there. Certainly our leaders do not criticize
the outcomes of foreign elections
nor do we expect criticism about
our choices from our allies.
As we sit here, we watch a wave
of divisiveness and anger roll out of
the United States toward Israel, and
another come out of Israel toward
the United States, as if they were a
plague, tangible swarms of hostility and aggression that flatten out
everything underneath them as
they roll in.
Certainly there are reasons. President Obama and Prime Minister
Editor
Joanne Palmer
Associate Editor
Larry Yudelson
Guide/Gallery Editor
Beth Janoff Chananie
About Our Children Editor
Heidi Mae Bratt
jstandard.com
Netanyahu seem genuinely to dislike each other, and as much as

politicians are carefully public
personae, they are also actual
people. Neither country trusts the
other any more. There are reasons
for that as well.
But this new condition, this outin-the-open distrust, barely camouflaged with occasional tossed
out not-meant-to-be-believed pabulum words, is not good for either
country. In fact, it is corrosive and
terrible.
We hope that our leaders will
come to their senses and grow up.
JP

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Learning Torah
by caring for a pet
uesday morning was a strange one for me.

For the first time in over 27 years, there was no
four-legged family member to greet me. There was
no one to feed before my first cup of coffee. There
was no one to plop down beside my chair as I davened. Nellie
Bly, the last of my three dogs, had died the morning before.
The emptiness of the house that morning, and the empty
feeling inside me, made me consider how important pets
are in our lives not just from the comfort they can bring,
but also the valuable lessons they teach us about Torah law.
Especially we who live in cities and suburbs, far removed
from the natural world that God said was very good we
take too many things for granted. Before we eat a piece of
bread, for example, we recite a blessing, Who brings forth
the bread from the earth. As
any schoolchild will tell you,
bread comes from the store, in a
package, just like fruits, vegetables, and hot dogs. Milk comes
in cartons, not from cows.
The brachah over bread is
meant to remind us how wrong
that is. There are many steps
involved in turning a wheat seed
Shammai
into a loaf of bread, and many
Engelmayer
people are occupied in each
of these steps. Few of us think
about that when we put bread
on the table.
Few of us think of nature at all.
That in itself is a sin of sorts. Most people believe the sin
of the Tower of Babel was that its builders wanted to reach
the heavens, there to make war on God. Not so. Come, the
Torah quotes the builders as saying, let us build us a city,
and a tower with its top in the sky, else we shall be scattered all over the world (see Genesis, Chapter 11:4), meaning they would be forced to live with nature rather than
away from it.
Earlier, in Chapter 4, Cains punishment for committing
manslaughter was not just being exiled from the land, but
becoming a builder of cities.
Owning a pet helps bring us back down to earth, especially when it comes to engaging in areas of Jewish law we
otherwise hardly notice.
Take feeding animals, for example.
When a person makes a motzi before eating bread, bread
Shammai Engelmayer is rabbi of Temple Israel Community
Center | Congregation Heichal Yisrael in Cliffside Park and
Temple Beth El of North Bergen.
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a
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Opinion
must be eaten before the person may speak. Say anything between blessing and completion, and the blessing must be repeated with two notable exceptions.
The first is a logical one. If, after making the motzi, the
person offers someone else a piece of bread and says,
take a piece and make a brachah, the blessing stands.
As for the other notable exception, the Babylonian
sage, Rav Sheshet said, Even [if the person making the
motzi paused to say] mix [food] for the oxen, he [or
she] need not [repeat] the brachah.
Explained the sage Rav Yehudah in the name of Rav,
A person is prohibited from eating before feeding his
[or her] animals, as it is written [in Deuteronomy 11:15],
I will provide grass in the fields for your animals, and
[only then does it say] and you will eat and be satisfied.
(See the Babylonian Talmud tractate Brachot 40a.)
The use of Deuteronomy 11:15 is significant because
it is part of the second paragraph of the Shema, which
means we are supposed to be reminded of this requirement at least twice a day, when we lie down and when
we rise up.
Maimonides, it seems, rules this way, as well (see
Mishneh Torah, The Laws of Blessings, 1.8), although
there are some who insist that elsewhere (in the Laws
of Slaves) he considers it an option only. His words here,
however, offer no sense of leeway; animals come before
humans when dinner is being served. In fact, the overwhelming majority of halachic decisors consider feeding
animals before ourselves a requirement.
Well they should, because Torah law over and again
shows concern for the needs and even the feelings of
animals.
Too many people glibly refer to dumb animals, but
the Torah does not agree that animals are dumb. That
the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild beasts
(see Genesis 3:1) suggests that all non-human creatures
are capable of thinking.
The Torah also assumes animals have emotions,
including envy, and even a moral sense, as well. (Science, by the way, confirms both the emotions and the
moral sense.) God, after all, commanded the animals
to be vegetarians, just as He did humans (see Genesis
1:30). Because they killed for food, just as we humans
did, they, too, were destroyed in the Great Flood. God
would not command those who cannot understand
His commands, and He would not punish them for not
understanding.
Often, the Torahs concern for animals and birds
shows up in pointed references. Exodus 23:5-6 and Deuteronomy 22:4, for example, require helping animals
that are suffering under a heavy load.
Deuteronomy 25:4 forbids muzzling an ox during
threshing so as not to cause it psychological pain. Psychological pain also is behind two commandments in
Leviticus 22. Verse 26 prohibits removing a firstling from
its mother before she has weaned it. Verse 28 prohibits
killing an animal and its young on the same day. Psychological pain also is seen in Deuteronomy 22:6, which
requires us to chase a mother bird far away before stealing her fledglings or her nesting eggs.
And no less than three times are we enjoined not to
cook a calf in its own mothers milk. The cow will not
know what we are doing, but we surely would.
Finally, in Exodus 23:12, the Torah explains why we
are not allowed to work our animals on Shabbat: in
order that your ox and your ass may rest.
These are important commandments, but strange
ones to people without pets, just like Who brings forth
bread from the earth is strange to those who think
bread comes from someone called Wonder.
Do one thing
different
Small, incremental ways to change
your seder and your life
have a confession.
For most of my life, I didnt floss. I brushed religiously, but I was tired at night and rushed in the morning. Plus, as you can tell, I was good at making excuses.
So, I flossed only before dental appointments, and I squeaked
by on good genes.
Then I read a book by Robert Maurer called One Small
Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. Kaizen means
change for the better in Japanese. It refers to a method of
steady, continuous improvement, developed by W. Edwards
Deming and applied successfully in post-war Japan. The
idea behind kaizen is to bypass the resistance that arises
naturally with change. Instead of attempting significant or
rapid changes, you make mild, gradual ones, and thus render change non-threatening. Not only do these changes tend
to stick, but seemingly trivial
adjustments can yield impressive
results.
After reading about kaizen, I
decided to floss one tooth per
night. It sounds completely ridiculous, but thats only because it
was completely ridiculous. It was
such a trivial commitment and
required so little time or effort,
Rabbi Debra
that there was no reason not to
Orenstein
do it. When I flossed just one
tooth, I felt both victorious and
foolish. It was silly to floss one
tooth. Why not do at least a few? Within a couple of weeks, I
was flossing all my teeth. Its a habit I have kept up for about
14 years.
Well never know if kaizen prevented gum disease, but this
I do know: making one small change is powerful. It always
has ripple effects. It begins a virtuous cycle of motivation.
It gives us hope. As the Yiddish saying goes, If it happened,
its possible. Change can lead to more change and even to
transformation.
Bill OHanlon, who developed solution-oriented therapy,
wrote a book called Do One Thing Different. He suggested
that bulimics put on a favorite pair of shoes before bingeing,
and that couples argue in the bathroom with one partner
lying fully clothed in the bathtub. This is more about interrupting a pattern than about improving anything continuously
or otherwise. But just making a change, it turns out, often
yields improvement.
The Jewish holiday cycle is filled with and sustained by tradition, and it also encourages change. The High Holidays are
all about renewal. Repentance transforms sin into merit. Chanukah takes us literally and metaphorically from darkness to light. Purim celebrates a time that turned for [our
ancestors] from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into
holiday (Esther 9:22).
Within this cycle, Passover is the ultimate holiday of
hitchadshut (renewal). The Mishnah tells us that in every generation, each of us must regard ourselves as if we, personally,
had left Egypt. This is the holiday when God brings us, as well
as our ancestors, from bondage to freedom, from sorrow to
joy, from mourning to festivity, from darkness to great light,
and from servitude to redemption (Pesachim 116b).

The Bible and even the Talmud were canonized, but our
prayer books and Haggadot were never meant to arrive at
a final version. The Haggadah itself says: Everyone who
expounds more on the story of the Exodus, that is surely to
be praised. We add, and more rarely, we edit. The seder text
varies with geography, time, and ideology. Liturgical innovation is traditional.
It makes perfect sense to do something new at your seder
each year in order to make the experience of liberation fresh
and real. Yet new is dicey. Maybe Aunt Becky cant bear to
give up her familiar melody, beloved recipe, or favorite reading. Maybe Uncle Max resists adding a new element because
he worries that it will delay the meal. Most of us want, and see
the benefit of, change as long as it doesnt affect our favorite
customs and comforts.
This year, why not try some kaizen, kosher-for-Passover
changes? Begin with manageable questions. What is the smallest change you could make in your seder that would create a
sense of newness and excitement? If adults always hide the
afikoman and kids always seek it, maybe you could switch
roles this year. Happy mayhem would likely ensue.
What could you do that is new, which would require virtually no preparation? Heres one answer: improv. Solicit three
volunteers to hold a spontaneous conversation among Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam on the eve of the Exodus. Or send three
people outside and ask them to knock on the door and then
enter with a new identity: Elijah, a poor person who wants to
come and eat, or anyone else who has a Passover message.
I have been thinking about small changes this Passover,
because I helped to produce Seder Starters a collection of
activities and readings about modern slavery to use at your
Passover seder (freetheslaves.net/Judaism). The goal is to help
Jews connect our Festival of Freedom with the plight and
hope of millions of people who are enslaved today.
There are dozens of ideas in the free downloads, but make
it easy by choosing just one. Add a padlock to your seder plate.
Eat an extra dose of maror (bitter herbs) because the bitterness of slavery persists. Serve fair trade chocolates for dessert
to enjoy sweetness that is untainted by slavery. Brainstorm
around the table: what are 10 plagues of slavery and what are
10 miracles of freedom? Give half the money you planned to
spend on afikoman presents to Free the Slaves (freetheslaves.
net/Judaism), Breaking the Chain Through Education (btcte.
org), or another worthy organization that combats slavery.
These ideas are so simple that I summarized them in
one sentence each. You dont even have to download the
Seder Starters to implement them. But if you decide to go to
freetheslaves.net/Judaism, you can find beautiful readings
that are longer than one sentence, cards to demonstrate your
slavery footprint, and Modern Slavery Fact Sheets to distribute at your seder.
You also will find ideas about how to do one thing different after Passover in the way you spend, invest, and donate
money. A small change can help to free another human being.
If every American Jew who attends a seder were to donate $18
to Free the Slaves, we could raise enough money to rescue
over 50,000 people and keep them free. $18? Easily doable.
If half the Jews attending seders this year were to donate
$1,800 each (also doable for many), then Free the Slaves could
rescue and provide services to 5,000 slaves, train 1,000 police
officers, safeguard 1,500 villages, and educate 60,000 people
on how to protect themselves against traffickers.
At age 9, Vivienne Harr learned that there were still slaves
in the world, so she set up a lemonade stand to raise money.
Sweet. Doable. Then she did it again the next day and
SEE DO ONE THING PAGE 23
Opinions expressed in the op-ed and letters columns are not necessarily those of the Jewish Standard. The Jewish Standard
reserves the right to edit letters. Be sure to include your town. Email jstandardletters@gmail.com. Handwritten letters will
not be printed.
Opinion
Between wicked and wise

Ritual and narrative at the seder
hose of us who attended yeshiva

elementary school in the 1970s
may remember taking home
a one-page guide to the seder,
printed in purple-blue ink, in the days
before Passover. (School handouts were
cranked out with a distinctive dye by the
rotating drum of a ditto machine.) The
primer was memorably titled Do It Right
On Pesach Night.
A sign of the burgeoning trend toward
stricter, text-based halachic standards,
Do It Right was a chart listing the minimum required amounts of matzah, maror,
wine, and other seder foods. Some of the
measurements were based on a maximalist
many would say erroneous interpretation of the olive- and egg-based volumes
mandated by the Talmud.
Passover is the only holiday during which
the Bible requires symbolic foods, and along
with the food an explanation of its symbolism. The Torah demands context and meaning, in the form of a spoken narrative, to
accompany the ritual meal. The Haggadah
provides a framework for the narrative.
Without the narrative, can you fulfill the
requirement to eat matzah on the first night
of Passover? Technically, the answer is yes.
The Talmud says that even if someone is
coerced into eating matzah, they have fulfilled the mitzvah. But this is a problematic
idea. Rabbi Gamliel, cited in the Mishnah
and Haggadah, takes the seemingly contradictory position that whoever has not
discussed these three things on Passover
has not fulfilled his obligation: The paschal
sacrifice, matzah, and marror. Presumably,
this means that a seder without narrative
content is worthless.
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik reconciles
these positions by distinguishing between
the fulfillment of two separate religious
duties by means of eating matzah. (See
Festival of Freedom, an anthology of his
lectures and essays on Passover.) By merely
ingesting it, he says, you indeed have fulfilled the basic obligation of eating matzah on Passover. However, the Torah also
requires us to re-enact the exodus by means
of symbolic foods and reading the Haggadah. Without the narrative of freedom
spoken and demonstrated at the meal, the
experiential, rather than technical, requirement will remain unfulfilled.
The tension between these obligations,
between outward performance and inner
meaning, is represented, I believe, by the
Haggadahs wise and wicked sons.
The four sons are typologies. Each one
of us is a mixture in proportions that vary over time

and circumstances of the
idealized sons called wise,
wicked, simple, and silent.
Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda
Berlin the Netziv describes
the wicked son as someone
who dismisses unexplained
David S.
religious ritual out of hand.
Zinberg
For this son, meaning is the
sole measure of the religious
act. He cannot bring himself
to join his family on Passover before he
rationalizes every part of the seder. Rather
than an outright rejection of the ritual, his
question, What is this service to you? is
a challenge to his parents and teachers to
provide substance to the trappings of an
annual holiday meal. He really is asking,
What does this service mean to you? What
should it mean to me? Why, year after year,
should I go through these motions?
And if you cannot answer these questions, dont bother saving me a seat.
We might, in fact, admire the wicked
sons idealism. He cannot accept a religion that revolves around technicalities,
measurements, mechanical performance,
and social conformism. His philosophical purism, however, is self-serving and
unsustainable. Failing to find the narrative
in the ritual, he abandons both. Because
his commitment to tradition is contingent
on his own intellectual satisfaction, the
wicked son fails his religious

community and ultimately
himself.
The wise son, in extreme
contrast, appears to be
focused exclusively on the
rules. His only interest is to
learn the testimonies, and
the statutes, and the judgments (Deuteronomy 6:20)
required at the seder.
This son is preoccupied
with the seders technology:
Which brand of matzah was prepared
under the most radical strictures? How
many ounces will satisfy the (implausibly
large) olive of some halachic authorities
and within how many seconds must the
matzah be eaten? While his punctiliousness may derive from genuine religious
devotion, he has neglected the narrative
of freedom, an equally essential obligation
of the seder. He may be wise, but nobody
said he was perfect.
The wise sons overall approach to religion is consistent with his behavior at the
seder. His question, in its original context,
follows a passage about all the mitzvot:
Be sure to keep the commandments of
the Lord your God, and his testimonies,
and his statutes, which he has commanded
you. Do what is right and good in the sight
of the Lord . . . (Deut. 6:17-18).
While his curiosity is stimulated by
first verse his question addresses the
Universities punish bigotry but not anti-Jewish bigotry
few weeks ago, the University of Oklahoma appropriately responded swiftly and
strongly when members of
a fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, sang
anti-black chants that included the n
word and references to lynching.
The university expelled two students
and shut down the entire fraternity chapter, even though not all its members were
involved in the incident. Similarly, colleges and universities are cracking down
on hostile actions against women. For
example, after members of Delta Kappa
Epsilon chanted No means yes on campus, Yale University banned the fraternity for five years.
Yes, these responses were tough, but
they sent an important message not only
to the wrongdoers and the university
community, but also to society at large:
that bigotry against African-Americans
and women is repugnant and intolerable,
and there will be harsh consequences for
those who engage in it.
Why then, when it comes to campus bigotry against Jews, arent university leaders sending the same strong
message?
T h at m e s s a ge i s l o n g ove rd u e .
Anti-Semitism has been a serious problem on college campuses for years, and
those of us who work with students are
alarmed to see the problem growing.
In 2006, the U.S. Commission on Civil
Rights held its first hearing on campus
anti-Semitism. Based on evidence provided by the Zionist Organization of
America and others, the commission
found that college students were not
only facing traditional anti-Semitism
threats, derogatory remarks, vandalism and swastikas they were also being
subjected to anti-Israel and anti-Zionist
propaganda that the commission distinguished from legitimate political discourse. The Commission rightly concluded that [a]nti-Semitic bigotry is no
less morally deplorable when camouflaged as anti-Israelism or anti-Zionism.
A study released last month showed
that of 1,157 Jewish students surveyed at
55 university and four-year college campuses, more than half reported having
been subject to or witnessing anti-Semitism on their campus. Importantly, the
survey was conducted in March-April
2014, before last summers Hamas war
against Israel, which led to a frightening
rise in anti-Semitism around the world.
at Rutgers to this day! Why?

The Civil Rights Commissions findings and the
At UC Berkeley, a Jewish student was holding
recent survey corroborate
a sign that said Israel
the reports we have been
Wants Peace, when she
receiving for years from Jewish college students across
was rammed from behind
the country, some of whom
with a filled shopping cart;
have reported not only
she suffered injuries that
being harassed, intimidated,
required medical attention.
Susan B.
and discriminated against,
Her attacker had a history
Tuchman
but also physically threatof threatening and assaulened and assaulted. At Ruttive behavior, but the unigers University, for example,
versity let him off the hook
a Jewish student was terrorized on Faceand merely put him on probation, which
book by another student who threatened
allowed him to remain on campus and
to beat him with a crowbar. Shockcontinue to terrify his victim. Why?
ingly, a Rutgers employee publicly disRecently, when four members of the
paraged the same Jewish student, callUCLA student government challenged a
ing him that racist Zionist pig!!!!!!!! and
students fitness to serve on the judicial
directing others to go to a special Faceboard simply because she was Jewish
book hate page about him, apparently so
and affiliated with the Jewish community, those student government members
that they could read and post their own
were not sanctioned and they kept their
hateful messages. That employee also
leadership positions. Why?
charged at the Jewish student, trying to
Colleges and universities that receive
provoke a fight. And she started a petition to have him removed as a student
federal funding and almost all do
paper columnist, simply because she did
have the legal obligation under Title VI
not like his pro-Israel views. University
of the Civil Rights Act to provide Jewish students with a non-hostile environofficials did not punish either wrongdoer, and the employee is still working
ment that is conducive to learning. This
Opinion
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The attitudes and behaviors of the wise and

wicked sons establish tensions between outward performance and inner meaning.
testimonies, statutes, and other formal religious acts
the wise son does not ask a single question about
how to perform the right and good, a sweeping and
subjective religious standard. Nachmanides writes
that the right and good is a catchall for proper interpersonal behaviors, since the Torah could not possibly have listed them all. While this standard cannot
be measured or timed, or defined on a chart, it is the
underlying narrative of a truly pious life.
Doing the right and good within the framework of
the commandments, statutes, and judgments is how
to do it right, on Pesach night and beyond.
(This column is dedicated to the memory of Yossi
Huttler, of blessed memory, whose poetry added
beauty and depth to every Jewish holiday.)
Its not manna from heaven, but this

Passover, provide something just as crucial
to the survival of the Israeli people.
David Zinberg lives in Teaneck with his wife and three

boys and works in financial services.
is the same law that protects African-American students from a racist learning environment. Indeed, in
expelling the two students last week, the president
of the University of Oklahoma told them that it was
because of your leadership role in leading a racist
and exclusionary chant which has created a hostile
educational environment for others. This president
appreciated that even a chant could impair students
physical and psychological safety and well-being,
and thus could not be tolerated.
Certainly physical threats, physical assaults, and
discrimination targeting specific Jewish students,
like those at Rutgers, UC Berkeley, and UCLA, would
have the same, if not a greater, harmful impact.
On some campuses, Jewish students have had to
endure other expressions of anti-Semitic bigotry
being shouted at, called baby-killers, Nazis, and
Zionist pigs, and hearing Jews being compared to
Satan. It is time for university officials to step up to
the plate and crack down hard on campus anti-Semitism, in the same way that they are responding to
bigotry against African-Americans, women, Latinos
and gays. When anti-Jewish bigots create a hostile
environment for Jewish students, they must be held
accountable and punished, just like the anti-black
bigots at the University of Oklahoma were.
In a country where terrorism and sporadic rocket barrages are an all-too-frequent occurrence,
your gift to Magen David Adom ensures Israels national paramedic organization has the medical
supplies it needs to save lives. So this year, while you recount the story of the Jews redemption
from slavery, your gift will help modern-day Israelis survive the threats they face today.
Thank you for making a gift today. And we wish you and your family a Pesach kasher vsameach.
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Obama, said to a sympathetic audience of

close to 8,000 people Jerusalem is the
undivided and undisputed capital of the
State of Israel. Hours later, when he was
Mr. Obama and
out of the AIPAC forum and had secured
Mr. Netanyahu, please
the nomination, he practiced his dance
come to your senses
moves by taking steps back and restating
that the status of Jerusalem must be deterenjamin Netanyahu is the winmined by the parties through negotiations.
ner of the most recent election
Another Fred and Ginger move!
in Israel.
The notion that all politicians lie doesnt
The odds are that he will be
pass muster for me. That is not a compelasked to build a coalition and continue his
ling reason for speeding on the highway or
premiership. I wish him well. But many are
deflating footballs before an NFL game. If
still gargling to get the yucky taste out of
it is wrong, then it should not happen. We
their mouth.
are better than that. We deserve more than
Every match-up will have a winner and a
that. That is what it means to be a light unto
loser, whether pitcher versus batter or presthe nations.
idential hopefuls. But if a win is achieved
I spend oodles of time with baby boomthrough sneaky tactics or cheap moves, it
ers, generation Xers, and millennials.
salts the wound of the loser and mitigates
What all of these wide-age-gapped groups
the validity of the winner. That is what hapshare is an unquenchable
pened when the incumbent
thirst for honesty, goodness,
prime minister made some
and morality from its leadpolitical statements on the
ers, elected and appointed.
eve of last weeks election.
They expect police officers
There is a new dance craze
to uphold the law, both in
in the Middle East. It is called
and out of a uniform. They
the Bibi cha-cha; you step
expect political leaders to
forward before the election
craft legislation in Congress
with right-wing statements
and uphold it on Main Street.
and then quickly take two
Rabbi
When descriptions and
steps back after it helps you
David-Seth
deeds dont jive, it erodes
win. Spin your allies round
Kirshner
everyones trust.
and round. Repeat.
I have long wrestled with
There is a reason why Jews
whether the Jews are a people or a religion.
notoriously cannot dance. It is because we
I have come to the conclusion that we are
are not inclined to move forward and backboth. That means our elected officials canwards in quick steps. We are fashioned in
not only govern with political interests.
classrooms and synagogues to champion
They must have a moral compass that
honesty and never to step out of rhythm
guides them in their decision-making. I
only to cater to personal needs and endeavexpect the prime minister of the State of
ors. We are supposed to have passions and
Israel to have a core set of principles that
principles. Decency and morality are the
are the basis of our religion.
core of our cadence.
I cannot care less if Bibi, Buji or Tzipi
Bibis ballet unmoored that foundation.
choose to eat cheeseburgers or go to the
World leaders are mad. As an unwavering
beach on Yom Kippur. That is between
Zionist, I am embarrassed. This behavior
them and God. However, I do expect
unnecessarily feeds a derisive narrative of
elected Israeli officials to be honest, moral,
the conniving Israeli in the marketplace. It
and forthright. That is the foundation we
needlessly transfers our focus from Israeli
all share, regardless of background or
doctors healing wounded Syrian refugees
observance. It is that shared foundation
and mind-blowing technology that enables
that brought us all to tears after the three
the paralyzed to walk again to questioning
boys were kidnapped and murdered. It is
honesty and intentionality. What a shame.
that shared foundation that brought relief
Two countries with shared values and
to our hearts when Gilad Shalit fell into his
much at stake are falling hardest victim.
parents embrace again. It is that shared
President Obama and Prime Minister
foundation that allows our chests to burst
Netanyahu are both hip deep in a pool of
with pride when the IDF is the first to set
urine from their endless pissing match. The
up a field hospital after a natural disaster
stench and volume are proving unbearanywhere across the globe.
able. This episode only worsens the matThat foundation cannot claim to speak
ter, while big issues and opportunities are
for all Jews while trying to stop the existenignored.
tial threat of a nuclear Iran or stand at the
It is time for both these world leaders
Western Wall with an Orthodox rabbi in full
to be as stubborn in their commitment to
uniform for a photo op yet speak autonotheir countries alliance and future as they
mously on the rights of Israeli Arabs and lie
are in who is right and wrong.
to capture extreme votes. It still speaks for
Lest President Obama wag a finger in
all of us. Oh, how I wish it did not.
the face of the prime minister about cheap
statements to garner votes, I would jog his

memory to 2008. I was sitting a mere pitching-wedge away at AIPAC when the then
Democratic presidential hopeful, Senator
David-Seth Kirshner is the senior rabbi of

Temple Emanu-El of Closter and president
of the New York Board of Rabbis.
Letters
It was a German camp
Hunting, hiding, finding remembering (March 20) is an absolutely fascinating

recollection of Mr. Svorays experiences
and accomplishments, which are quite
laudable.
Only one thing needs clarification. It
is the sentence, I found a cache of coins
inside Majdanek, another Polish concentration camp. That should have been written
as another concentration camp in occupied Poland.
If left as it is, some uninformed readers
(and, make no mistake, there are thousands of people quite uninformed about
WWII history) would get the historically
incorrect impression that these horrific
camps were Polish, not German. And it
would be a very bad thing if even one person attributed the design, creation, and
control of those camps to anyone but the
blood-stained Germans.
Dan Zamoyski
Bakewell, Derbyshire, England
Vote for Mercaz
Rabbi Neal Borovitz writes in support of

the World Zionist Congress election (A
view from the pew, March 20). I am in total
agreement with Rabbi Borovitz with one
minor exception. I echo his sentiments that
every American Jew has the right to vote in
this international parliament of the Jews. In
fact, I believe that this is not only a right but
a responsibility as well.
Most Standard readers regularly contribute to Federation. The monies allocated by our federation toward Israel can
be steered by a vote in the WZC toward
policies and programs that American Jews
support. The WZC is held once every five
years. Voting costs $10 a small price to
pay, on top of donations made over a fiveyear period. If you are reading this letter,
please vote. You can do so online, through
the American Zionist Movement, at myvoteourisrael.com
Finally, please note that I have the honor
to have been named to the Mercaz slate of

candidates, representing the Conservative
movement in America. Twenty members
of the Mercaz slate hail from northern New
Jersey. For the list of candidates and the
Mercaz platform, please go to mercazusa.
org to learn more.
Eric Weis, Wayne
Wrong about Obama
I am sorry to say that I supported the presidents election in 2008. I strongly feel that
he is an embarrassment to his office and
perhaps the worst president in our history.
I do not say this merely because I oppose
many of his domestic and foreign policies.
Rather, I perceive that under his leadership he has severely compromised the
status, respect and standing of the USA
around the world. He has betrayed our
allies and reached out to our enemies.
The decline of international American
respect, power and influence has opened
a vacuum which is being filled by savage
terrorist entities. This has greatly increased
the danger to American national security.
He has compromised the relationship
between the executive branch and the
Congress. He has ignored the question of
constitutionality of several of his initiatives.
He has shown little ability to work harmoniously and constructively with his
political opponents, resorting rather to the
hostile childlike petulance of finger pointing. He is against compromise- holding
rigidly to the view that his views (only) are
correct. He fails to perceive the many contradictions in his assertions.
I hope that during his remaining tenure
he will come to an understanding of his
ineffectiveness.
I plan to share my thoughts with my legislative representatives both on the federal,
state and local levels. I will urge my friends
(both to the left and to the right) to do
the same.
Jerrold Terdiman, M.D.,
Woodcliff Lake
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FROM PAGE 19
every day for an entire year. She raised

enough money to free 500 slaves and
that was before she took her lemonade
company public (admittedly, with a bit of
help from her parents).
She wrote a book (age 9!) called
When Life Gives You Lemons, Change
the World. My favorite line (still age 9!)
is: I didnt think of all the reasons why I
couldnt. I thought of all the reasons why
I must.
Take a cue from a self-described
lemon-preneur. Bypass resistance.

Dont think of all the reasons why you
cant. At the seders, as in life, do one thing
different. Fun, meaning, and continuous
improvement are sure to follow.
Rabbi Debra Orenstein, spiritual leader of
Congregation Bnai Israel in Emerson, is
the author of Lifecycles 2: Jewish Women
on Biblical Themes in Contemporary Life.
Download Seder Starters at freetheslaves.
net/Judaism and go to the Holidays page at
RabbiDebra.com for more seder resources
and ideas.
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This event will support Migdal Ohrs life-changing education programs
and other essential services for children-at-risk in Israel.
CORRECTION
In last weeks story, Teaneck school budget highlights towns fissures, the reporter
misidentified the president of the Teaneck Board of Education in the article and the
photo caption. His name in fact is Dr. Ardie Walser.
The American Friends of Migdal Ohr

1560 Broadway, Suite 807, New York, NY 10036 Tel: 212-397-3700 Fax: 212-397-8515
SEE DO ONE THING PAGE 27
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Opinion
Israel, not Netanyahu,

is the ultimate target
here is no world
hours flying time from Tel
leader more
Aviv? The generous answer
hated by wellis that Netanyahu is one
meaning liberof us who has gone woeals in America and Europe
fully astray a leader who
than Israeli Prime Minister
uses democracy in order to
Benjamin Netanyahu.
undermine it. After all, the
Whereas once the bile
Syrian and Iranian regimes
was directed at former U.S.
never claimed that they
Ben Cohen
president George W. Bush
shared American values,
for invading Iraq and
whereas we are assured all
Afghanistan, for identifythe time that Israel does.
ing radical Islam in both its Shiite and
Yet, in the post-Bush era, Netanyahu has
Sunni variations as an existential threat,
bucked the isolationist trend that has
and for backing Israel its now largely
washed through America and Europe by
focused on Netanyahu, an alleged ractalking about existential threats, buildist and war criminal who just haping in eastern Jerusalem, and bombing
pens to have won a resounding vote of
Gaza. The critics say that Israels allies
confidence from the Israeli electorate on
should keep their troops and resources
March 17.
out of the Middle East, lamenting that
Two New York Times editorials speak
Netanyahu wants to drag them into the
to my point rather elegantly. The first,
mud even further.
published on March 13, asked whether
As I said, thats the generous answer,
Turkey could still be considered a reliand its not necessarily the most convincable NATO ally concluding, based on
ing one. Liberals in America and around
the Ankara governments stance toward
the world may think that the Middle
international crises from the Islamic
Easts problems with Israel all come
State insurgency to the Russian invadown to Netanyahu, but thats not how
sion of Ukraine, that it cant. But while
its seen in the region itself.
the substance of the editorial was basiFor us there is no difference between
cally correct, the lack of any ad homithe Zionist regimes political parties.
nem attack on Turkish President Recep
They are all aggressors in nature, said
Tayyip Erdogan was notable. Increasa representative of Irans foreign minisingly authoritarian was the best the
try when asked for a reaction to an elecNew York Times could manage when it
tion in a country that the Islamist regime
came to describing this boorish thug,
wants to see wiped off the map. Hamas,
who rejoices in conspiracy theories,
Irans Palestinian ally, faithfully echoed
baits his countrys declining Jewish popthat line, insisting that all of Israels politulation even as he assures them that they
ical parties are united in their desire to
are safe, and imprisons journalists with
deny the Palestinians their rights.
So, too, did the Palestinian Authority
the devil-may-care attitude only a dicta the same PA that would be, accordtor can enjoy.
Contrast that with the morning-after
New York Times editorial on an Israeli
election that saw Netanyahu defy polling predictions by winning a clear mandate to govern. (Netanyahus Likud party
garnered 30 Knesset seats to the Zionist
Unions 24.) Racist, desperate, craven, and aggressive are just a selection of the adjectives used to describe
Israels prime minister. We are told that
Netanyahu expected to win an easy victory and then ended up fighting for his
political life, when the exact reverse
was true. The paper then bemoaned
Netanyahus demagogy, claiming that
he further incites the rage that has torn
his country apart. To slam an Israeli
leader for incitement when so many of
Israels neighbors turn to the Protocols
of the Elders of Zion when they want
ing to the Obama administration and
insights into Israeli behavior frankly is
the Europeans, a genuine partner for
laughable.
peace if only Netanyahu could get over
Why does Netanyahu attract so much
his stubbornness. For the PA, it is
loathing when some of the worlds worst
all Israelis who are to blame, because
tyrants and murderers live within an
Netanyahu has
bucked the
isolationist
trend that has
washed through
America and
Europe by
talking about
existential
threats.
Opinion
they elected a leader who campaigned
on the basis of racism, settlements, and
apartheid, asserted chief PA negotiator
Saeb Erakat. The same point was made
by senior Palestine Liberation Organization official Yasser Abed Rabbo, who told
the AFP news agency that Israel chose
the path of racism, occupation and settlement building, and did not choose
the path of negotiations and partnership
between us.
Whatever else they may be, these are
honest words far more honest than the
claim of Israels left-wing daily newspapers, Haaretz, that Israelis went to bed
hoping for change, and woke up with King
Bibi again, as if the voters had nothing to
do with Netanyahus triumph.
Had Zionist Union succeeded in forming a center-left government in Israel, I
am certain that what I call the Venezuela
effect would have come into play pretty
quickly. This is a reference to Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro, who persists
in calling the United States an imperialist aggressor despite President Barack
Obamas climb-downs on such pressing matters you and I might call them
existential threats as Syria, Iran, and
Russia. Had Isaac Herzog become prime
say that these ostensible rivals are much

more similar than we appreciate.
While this strategy has signally failed to
pay any tangible dividends for the Palestinians themselves, it has won Palestinian
leaders the lions share of international
sympathy. Their goal now is to try to
weaken Israels leaders, most of all Netanyahu, with a unilateralist campaign that
is grounded on the imperative of putting
Israel on trial for war crimes and crimes
against humanity at the International
Criminal Court.
If we get to that point and its a big if
well be told by the New York Times that
its Netanyahu in the dock. Wrong. It is the
State of Israel that will be on trial. And that
is just a taste of what lies are in store for
the coming months.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters at the Likud

headquarters in Tel Aviv on March 17, after Israeli exit polls were published.

MIRIAM ALSTER/FLASH90
minister, he soon would have found himself being talked about in similar terms,
even if he had been willing to be more
flexible than Netanyahu on the issue
of a Palestinian state. This is because
the Palestinian negotiating strategy has
always been to make demands it already

knows Israel wont grant, in order to then
demonize Israel as a rogue state that was
never committed to peace in the first
place. Bush or Obama, Netanyahu or
Herzog there will always be those who
JNS.ORG
Ben Cohen, senior editor of the Tower,

writes a weekly column for JNS.org. His
writings on Jewish affairs and Middle
Eastern politics have been published in
Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz,
The Wall Street Journal, and many other
publications. He is the author of Some
of My Best Friends: A Journey Through
Twenty-First Century Antisemitism.
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12:08 PM
JEWISH STANDARD MARCH3/23/15
27, 2015
25
Cover Story
Born
to
lead
The head of the

Jewish Federation of
Northern New Jersey
tells his story
and federations
Joanne Palmer
Jerry Szubin
26 Jewish Standard MARCH 27, 2015
earning to cull less-than-perfect goldfish as they

hurtle by you on a slimy assembly line, using
your bare hands, disposing of them in garbage
bags, is not a skill most nice Jewish boys acquire.
Nor is standing in the middle of an ice-cold pond in a
torn wetsuit and hand-selecting the most decorative available koi, at the orders of overseas hoteliers, again with
your bare hands.
Jason Shames of Haworth did both those things, during
a stay on an Israeli kibbutz. Those and similar skills, oddly
enough, were part of a logical progression that took Mr.
Shames from the Bronx to the helm of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, a job he accepted four years
ago this week.
His story which in many ways is the prototypical eastern European mid-twentieth-century Jewish story, from
which absolutely no element of tragedy or adventure or
chance is left out is a logical evolution of who I am,
Mr. Shames, 44, the federations executive vice president
and CEO, said.
Mr. Shames grew up in the northeast Bronx, near Van
Cortlandt Park, the last person to have a bar mitzvah at
the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center, he said. His family had
a rocky trip to Van Cortlandts relatively rolling green hills.
His mother, Helene Shames, was born in a DP camp in
Germany. Her father, Leon Shames, came from Lviv, a city
that bounced between Poland, the Ukraine, and Lithuania, landing at least for now in Ukraine. Her mother,
Hannah, was born in a shtetl near Warsaw and grew up in
the big city. The two took different paths to Siberia, where
they met and married.
Both stories are tragic. My maternal grandmothers
mother died giving birth to her, Mr. Shames said. Her
father was basically chasidic. She had tons of older brothers, she had a stepmother, and she was very close to her
father. The family was poor and not particularly well educated. It was also warm and loving. And war loomed.
Cover Story
My grandmothers best friend said to

her, If we dont get out of here, we will
die. But she couldnt leave her father. Her
friend, Dina, kept hocking her and hocking her. Eventually she said, I am going.
If you dont come with me, you will die.
The two women snuck away together
in the middle of the night. She had just
one picture of her father and her stepmother, Mr. Shames said. She never
said goodbye to her father. All her family died in Auschwitz.
His fathers family, on the other hand,
was far less warm. When I was growing
up, my grandmother would never talk
about Warsaw, only about her family. And
my grandfather would only talk about
Lviv, but never about his family. I know
nothing about them.
He does know, though, that his grandfather, Harry Levine, who was the youngest
of 13 children, had a relative who owned a
barbershop, and he began working in the
shop when he was about 11 years old.
One day, my grandfather came home,
and a neighbor told him that the Germans
had been looking for him, Mr. Shames
said. The neighbor said, I dont like Jews,
but as far as Jews go, youre a good guy. He
gave him a loaf a bread and he ran.
Most of his family died in the camps, but
he had one sister who had moved to Austria, went upscale, and then moved to New
York. That family figures in the story later.
In Siberia, Mr. Shames hitched up with
either the Red Army or the partisans his
grandson isnt sure which, but he knows
that either would have been a pathway to
survival. His grandparents met, and family legend is that he proposed to her by
In 2012, Amy, Jason, Josh, and Sarah Shames are in Florida for Jasons sister
Caryns wedding.
saying that if you marry me, you will never

be hungry again. She accepted. Soon she
was pregnant.
After the war, my grandfather wanted
to go back to Europe to see who he knew
who had survived, Mr. Shames said. My
grandmother just wanted to go to Israel.
He won, so the family of three found a
home in a DP camp in Berlin, where their
second daughter, Helene, was born.
In 1948 the family moved to Jerusalem. They moved into a tiny room, with
no plumbing and no electricity, although
there was gas for a small stove. Life for
everyone was hard then, Mr. Shames said.

That definitely included his grandparents.
They had the two kids in this one room.
They used to pee and poop in a pot by a
tree. They had nothing. His grandfather
was drafted in the IDF.
My grandmother didnt want to leave
Israel, but my grandfather immediately
wanted out, Mr. Shames said. He was
tired of war. All he knew how to do was
work in a barbershop, but he had trouble
owning his own shop.
My grandfather truly believed that the
streets of New York were paved with gold.
In 1955, the family moved to New York,

sponsored by the sister who had moved
there decades earlier.
My grandmother always slept with a
knife, Mr. Shames said. To the day she
died, her distrust of non-Jews never went
away. They both died in their late 80s.
Mr. Shames father, Albert Yale Levine,
came from a family that had moved to the
United States a generation earlier, and so
escaped the war. His fathers father was
born in Boston, the son of a jewelry-store
owner; they were pretty well off until his
father had a heart attack when my grandfather was 10, 11 years old. Then the child
had to help support his family.
Esther and Harry Levine lived in Brooklyn, and Hannah and Leon Shames lived in
the Bronx, before the children were born.
By the time Jason and his sisters, Caryn
and Amanda, were born, though, they all
lived within a few houses of each other in
the Bronx, and the children grew close to
their grandparents in that wordless way
that sometimes thrives when words fail.
My grandfather spoke very little English,
and I spoke no Yiddish, Mr. Shames said.
This story is perhaps a bit confusing
because of the names. Jason Shames grew
up as Jason Levine; as convention dictated, he and his sisters took their fathers
name. But one of the last things that Leon
Shames said to his only grandson was,
When I die, my name is gone.
In 1994, right after his grandfather died,
Jason Levine changed his last name to
Shames. It just felt like the right thing to
do, he said.
His parents sent Jason to public kindergarten, but from first through eighth
Hannah Shames
holds two of her
grandsons, Jeff, left,
and Jason; Leon
Shames holds another
grandson, Abe.
On Purim 1986, Caryn,

Jason, and Amanda
Shames are at the
West Clarkstown
Jewish Center in
New City, N.Y.; Jason
read the whole
megillah that day.
Jewish Standard MARCH 27, 2015 27
Cover Story
grades he went to SAR Academy. (The school, formed by the
merger of three older institutions, was still fairly new then; he
was in its 10th graduating class.)
He went to Ramaz for ninth grade. That summer, when
he was in camp, his parents moved the family to Rockland
County. (It was disorienting, Mr. Shames said. I went to
camp with my cousins. They had been living in Peekskill, and
that summer they moved to Monsey. Very disorienting.) He
finished at Ramapo High School, graduating with a cousin.
High school graduation found Jason Shames very much
a Zionist, with a strong Jewish identity, very little tolerance
for anti-Semitism, and fighting with religious dictum, he said.
That solid identity has matured but not changed, it seems.
After a year at SUNY Stony Brook, way out on Long Island,
Mr. Shames found a program, the National Student Exchange,
that allowed him to pay SUNYs state-school fees while going
to classes as an exchange student in the University of South
Florida. He found that he loved Florida, so he took a semester
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Tampa. I graduated in 1993 with a degree in history. I
wanted a year off before graduate school I had to go
to graduate school because what do you do with a history degree?
(Note, readers, please, that Mr. Shames is here to
teach us, among many other things, that among the
high-level jobs to be obtained with a history degree is
the executive vice presidency of a Jewish federation.)
Because he had always wanted to spend time in Israel,
Mr. Shames went to Israel on a program called Project
Oren, which put him in an ulpan program and gave him
six months to work on Kibbutz Hazarea, about 20 miles
outside Haifa.
The kibbutz had fishponds.
On my first day, they told me that I had to be outside the laundry facility, Mr. Shames said. It was cold
and wet. It was winter. We waited outside, and a huge
pickup truck came and they said to hop into it. It was
me and these two other guys a German and a Belgian,
neither of them Jewish and they took us on a 10-minute drive to the other end of the kibbutz property, to
this fishpond thing.
They made us get into this quasi wetsuit and put us
in a room with a huge vat and a conveyor belt and said,
Okay, you have to pick out the bad goldfish.
Then they open the vat and there is a rush of water
and goldfish.
An existential question what is a bad goldfish? Goldfish are so cheap to produce that if they are not easily
saleable if they are off-color, or spotted, or over- or
undersize they are absolutely disposable. If you have
10,000 of them, and 3,000 of them are good, thats
good, he said.
It was disgusting, Mr. Shames said. My fingers
turned blue. It was from 5 to 8 in the morning, and I was
literally, What am I doing here? I have no job, I have
debt what am I doing?
And at 8 oclock they told us to get back in the pickup
truck and we went to the chadar ochel the dining
room for breakfast. And then I get back, and they say
here, put this wetsuit on it had holes in it now we
have to bring the koi fish in and feed them.
So I have to walk into the middle of a huge pond,
with water up to here he pointed at his chest and
feed the fish.
Koi are ornamental karp that are prized as decorations in fancy fishponds, and Israel was second only
to Japan in their production. A pure Japanese koi fish
from Japan was going for $1,000 a fish, Mr. Shames
said. Israel would have near-similar quality and could
charge $250 a fish. It was a thriving business.
It was messy and smelly and unpleasant, but Mr.
Shames was stubborn and scrappy, and he worked
hard. He would not be defeated by fish, gold or otherwise. Soon, the Israelis came to respect him. He never
became an insider, but he gained some kind of intermediate status. I knew I made it big when they stopped
giving me the wetsuits with the cracks in them, he said.
He remembers the last time he worked in the koi
pond. Some English buyers had come, and although
many kibbutzniks were fluent in English, they wanted
him, a native speaker, to provide an extra layer of comfort. He put on a wetsuit, they put him in the middle of
a swimming pool, they flooded it with water, and they
dumped in the koi. They are literally pointing at the koi
they wanted, and I have to get them with my hands, he
said. I am in there for an hour. And then and my kids
particularly love this part of the story one of the fish
jumps out of the water and knocks me right over.
I go right over into the water, and my head knocks
against the side, and I start to bleed a little bit.
Jason Shames and Nina Kampler are in Israel on

a solidarity mission during Operation Protective
Edge last summer, talking with soldiers injured in
the war.
Then I got swapped out.

How can a fish attack you like that, he was asked.
When you put 50 to 100 big fish in a small pool like
that they jump, he said.
His work day ended at 2 in the afternoon; I would
sleep until 6, and then wed go to the pub, he said. I
dont know how I survived, but, oh man, was I in good
shape.
He learned a great deal about Israel and himself during those nine months. Among them was a renewed
appreciation for his own stability. A lot of people went
to Israel looking for something missing in their lives,
Being Jewish here is

just about as easy
as it is anywhere
on the planet.
he said. Not a lot of us started sane and rational, who
wanted to explore the Zionist dream. He did.
Israel for me was always the eternal Jewish homeland, he said. In fact, when he was in SAR, for two years
in a row he held the flag in the Salute to Israel parade
as it marched up Fifth Avenue, and he cherished that
chance. The Zionist dream. It is not necessarily a place
where I need to live, but a place that I always support.
When he came back from Israel, Mr. Shames went to
graduate school. He wanted a masters degree in public
administration, applied to and was accepted into four
schools, and chose the University of Arizona. There
were two reasons, he said. One, his experience in
Tampa taught him that he loved heat. The school was
in Tucson. No contest there. The other was that Arizona was the only school where the MPA was in a business school, not a social science school. That is another
thread that is woven prominently through Mr. Shamess
life he is working in a job that often goes to a social
Cover Story
worker or other social scientist, but he is approaching
it with the understanding that it is, in fact, a business.
A nonprofit business, a business with a mission not to
make money but to help the community, but a multimillion-dollar business nonetheless. That approach, which
is native to him, was further honed in graduate school.
One of Mr. Shamess internships was in Israel, at the
Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University.
He lived in the dorm in Tel Aviv, and while I worked at
the think tank, I met Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu, the
day after the first time he was elected.
Mr. Shamess work at the Jaffee Center, undertaken
20 years ago, centuries ago in computer time, took five
months; today, it would take maybe five hours. He made
spreadsheets to research all the Arab countries in terms
of military and economic indicators. It was a reference
guide for the centers annual report; it was detailed, specific, hands-on, and very cool, he said.
The University of Arizona does not require dissertations from its graduate students, but it does ask them to
defend a final paper. Mr. Shames researched the Jewish
Agency; my thesis was that its sustainability depends
on two factors marketing and branding and federation support, he said. One of the professors in front of
whom he made his defense was Dr. Rhonda Troutman,
a non-Jewish criminologist from Kentucky. She hands
me a fax that basically said that an organization in New
York at the time, the Council of Jewish Federations, was
in the process of merging, and that they were looking
for young people to work for them.
They had jobs, I was desperate for a job, so he faxed
a resume. I had taught Hebrew school in Tampa, I was
a USY adviser in Tampa and in Tucson but I knew
nothing about federation, he said.
That was about to change.
I was told that there were planning associate jobs
in Miami, Atlanta, and Minnesota. Clearly Minnesota
was out. Mr. Shames likes it hot. And I said go first for
Miami, there is a lot of stability.
I passed the phone interview, got flown down to
Miami, and was offered a job as a planning associate
in the Greater Miami Federation, he said. I started in
August 1997.
Just before he started his new job, he and Amy Tobman, a physical therapist who is originally from Montreal but grew up in Florida, got married. They came
back north the ceremony was at the Rockleigh, here
in Bergen County.
He started working with social service agencies,
including vocational services and residential and other
programs for the elderly and for Russian immigrants.
His portfolio steadily grew as JCCs and overseas work
was added, and soon he became a senior planner. In
2001, he became the planning director in the Jewish
Federation of South Palm Beach County more commonly known as the Boca Raton federation a position
for which he had been considered too young, but which
he pushed to win. I was just shy of 31, and on the management team of a large city federation, he said.
One of the big things I felt is that I should be rewarded
for what I am capable of doing and what I am doing, not
how old I am, he said.
He took what he learned in Miami, and I blossomed
in Boca, he said. My first year in Boca, we raised an
extra million. I went from being the managing director
of planning to the managing director of the campaign.
And then the second year we surpassed $20 million in
our annual campaign for the first time.
Still, after seven years, it was time to move again, this
time to Washington, D.C., where he became the local
federations chief development officer. It was a different world, he said. I was brought in to help organize
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and raise another $25 million for the transformational

campaign, which was to transform the programming
and facilities of the Washington, D.C., community
something I would love to do here, he said parenthetically, but we are nowhere near ready.
As it turned out, neither was Washington. I got hired
in January 2008, and the death blow for the transformational campaign was on December 11, 2008, when
Bernie Madoff was arrested. The Washington federation had not had much of its funds invested with Madoff
but many of its large donors did.
We went from having $4 million gifts to $2 million
gifts overnight, and people were calling their gifts back.
Our role went from trying to build a utopian Jewish community in a nontraditional Jewish community to planning for less revenue and reconfiguring our business.
I went from doing something I really wanted to do to
something I really needed to do, to the nuts and bolts of
running the campaign.
It was very difficult. We went to the emergency
assistance campaign two years in a row, and we had
to ask for more from donors, and that still didnt make
up the gap.
I did that for three years, and then this job the
executive vice presidency of the Jewish Federation of
Northern New Jersey opened up.
Should he try to make the move? Many factors pushed
him toward it. My kids were young my son, Josh, was
in second grade, and my daughter, Sarah, was in pre-K.
That made it an easy time to move.
Having grown up in the area, I already was a New
York Yankee and New York Giants fan. His mother and
his sister and many other family members live here.
There was much tugging at him.
It can be said that he has the right personality for the
area, brash, straightforward, occasionally confrontational. I get a lot of grief for saying whats on my mind,
he said. I dont hold back too much.
On the other hand, northern New Jersey is not warm.
Still, even in our Boca days, Amy and I had discussed
that to get ahead, wed have to move, and there were
only three areas wed consider. One was Washington
theyd already done that and this was another. (South
Happy Passover
Wishing you a holiday
filled with health and joy,
peace and reflection.
A celebration of togetherness.
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3/24/15 3:28 PM
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Jewish standard MarCh 27, 2015 29
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From left, federation leaders Dr. Zvi Marans, Roberta Abrams Paer,
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Florida was the third.)

And then there was the lure of the
community, and of the job itself.
I was already somewhat familiar with
the community, Mr. Shames said. It is
a major suburban community that has a
tremendous Jewish infrastructure. Being
Jewish here is just about as easy as it is
anywhere on the planet.
The quality of life is great. The Jewish quality of life here, both institutional
and individual, is something we often
take for granted. You have to live in other
places to know that. Wherever you live
in the community in the eastern corridor or on 278 or in Wayne it is the easiest, most convenient way to live a Jewish
life as you see fit, whether you are Orthodox or not, whether you need social services or not, whether you are interested
in Jewish camping or synagogue life or
not, its all here.
You can identify here as a Jew in any
way you want to. No matter how you
personally feel about your Jewishness,
if you want to do something, no matter
what, you can do it. Not a lot of places
have that. And I knew before I moved
here that it appealed to me.
The federation appeals to him as well.
This is a lay-driven organization, owned
by the volunteers, Mr. Shames said.
I work for them. I feel like I have the
opportunity to work with leadership to
move the community forward.
He is struck with the quality of the
people he works with; as he describes
them, it is clear that these are not proforma sentences he is spitting out, but
his real truth. Even Amy says to me that
the people who work here are very good
people, he said. The feeling that I get

from your leadership here is different
from the leadership everywhere else,
he quoted his wife as saying. They
genuinely care. They genuinely want to
be part of it. They genuinely check their
egos at the door.
When he is talking about leaders, he
added, he does not mean only people
who donate money, but also volunteers,
who give their time.
He talked about the last three presidents, and the incoming one Alan
Scharfstein, David Goodman, Dr. Zvi
Marans, and Jayne Petak. You are talking about an eight-year seamless transition of leadership, and you probably
wont see that in any other community.
They are consistent, they get along,
This sturdy alarm clock is the

only object that remains from the
Shames familys life in the new
state of Israel.
Cover Story
they are driven by mission and value, not dollar and ego.
If it werent like that, I might not want to be there. Thats
what makes my job so enjoyable, and fun. Its because we
have people like that on our board.
It is because the board is so competent that so much of
my time can be spent not only internally but externally. That
was a major cultural change that this organization was looking for. They were looking for somebody to come in and
spend time meeting with other facets of the community.
Until 2008, federation CEOs tended to operate like COOs,
he said; that no longer works. Nor should it work, he continued. The COO should have the day-to-day responsibility of
running the business; the CEO should develop relationships
with the rest of the community.
There is a good reason for that, and his tone gets more
heated as he describes it. He is tired of the federation

being thought of as a greedy bureaucracy, doing nothing
but asking for more and more. That is both inaccurate and
insulting.
We are in the business of community building, Mr.
Shames said. The way we build community is through
philanthropy.
That is where the rest of the community has to lighten up
on us. The fact that we ask people for money shouldnt be
seen as a negative. Its a positive. While it is not an obligation
to give, it is our obligation to ask.
People should feel that when they give to us, they are
giving to a common cause, to benefit all of us, and to build
the Jewish community. Its not that I am asking people for
money because it is my job to ask for money. I am asking
for money because we are doing something great.

You have the right to say no, but do not get upset
that we ask.
The money isnt for here. It goes out the door. We
are about meeting Jewish needs. And that isnt only
welfare, it also means Jewish identity and community
needs.
Fundraising is a means to an end. It is not an end in
itself. That is what people have to understand.
The federation has been through hard times, Mr.
Shames said. There was the crisis posed by the crash
in 2008, and then Madoff. After years under one CEO,
there was a transitional year with an interim, and then
he was brought in.
Federation had been perceived as your fathers
Oldsmobile, he said. Not user friendly. Not innovative. It had been sort of plodding along. They knew it
wasnt the right way to go, but they didnt know what
the right way was.
Part of it was changing the culture from reactive
to proactive.
The beauty of the federation system is that the
core mission is the same today as it was the day it was
first said the mission of building Jewish community
The fact that we ask

people for money
shouldnt be seen as
a negative. Its a
positive. While it is
not an obligation
to give, it is our
obligation to ask.
and meeting Jews needs. Serving the Jewish people.
But now the strategies and tactics for doing it have to
change. I believe that is what I was brought in to do.
Alan Scharfstein of Woodcliff Lake was the federations president when the selection committee chose
Mr. Shames. We ran an exhaustive process when we
were looking for a new CEO, he said. It was very
important that the CEO have a very focused sense of
running the federation as a business. A business with
a heart but it had to be someone who had the discipline and the experience to treat it as a business.
Thats what our constituencies were demanding.
We saw in Jason someone who is young, dynamic,
and could relate to our younger donors in the next
generation of federation stakeholders while at the
same time able to relate to our historical base of
stakeholders.
We saw someone who is clearly passionate about
what he does, and who is willing to be very direct and
forceful in terms of expressing his views.
Also, we find that great professionals attract great
volunteers, and great volunteers attract great leaders.
When you look at the quality of the leaders we have
today, and at the strength of the bench of the ones
coming up, it is better than I have ever seen it.
David Goodman of Paramus took over the presidency at the same time that Mr. Shames took on his
new role. My kids called him my new BFF best
friend forever because we spent so much time
together.
Now, four years into his tenure, he has been able
k
y
s
s
n
r
.
Cover Story
to create a lot of really good relationships with a lot of
different people in the community. He has been able
to gain their trust and make the changes he wanted to
make, and he has been able to explain it.
It is a generational change. He is younger than me,
and Im not that old. Im 51. Its great.
He is a real leader. He has a vision, and he gets people to understand it, to buy into it, and to act on it.
Dr. Zvi Marans of Teaneck is president of federation
now. Jason and I have traveled together, he said.
He is fun to travel with. He is a good guy. He is not
guarded; hes open. He almost reminds me of a camp
friend. He takes his job very seriously, but he also has
the flexibility to enjoy the unimportant things in life.
He also is doggedly determined. We were in Israel
together last July, and literally there were bombs
bursting in air. We were in Tel Aviv, and a small group
was going to go to Sderot, the city that often is in
the bulls-eye for bombers. I had reservations about
going into the lions den. I was going back and forth
about it. But for Jason it was a nonissue.
It didnt matter to him who else was going. He
had his shorts and his sneakers on and his bags were
packed and he was going. In the end, the trip was
postponed, despite Mr. Shamess wishes and to his
deep frustration. It was a manifestation of his conviction and his passion, Dr. Marans said. He was not just
doing his job. His job and his beliefs coincide.
He is able to dial it up and dial it down, and that is
a very good quality, Dr. Marans continued. He needs
to have a certain stature in his position, and he does.
He functions smoothly, easily, and with authority and
seriousness. He is also able to be flexible when it is
appropriate.
He has strong opinions about most things, both
within and outside federation, but he is not stuck in
those opinions. When he disagrees with people he
respects, he keeps himself open, and ruminates, and
sometimes when I talk to him a few days later he says,
I have been thinking about it, and sometimes he
changes his mind.
He is not at all wishy-washy, but he is open to rational discussion about things he is serious about.
He is authentic, Dr. Marans concluded.
Jayne Petak of River Vale will take over the presidency in June. Jason has been an absolute thrill to
work with, she said.
He is funny and easy to work with, and very clear.
When something is important, he tells us about
it, and helps focus us on it, gives us all the relevant
information.
It is great to have a colleague who understands our
mission. Even when we disagree, I know that my voice
is heard. That everyones voice is heard.
We are not making decisions in a vacuum. I know
as a leader that before we move forward, we have to
know exactly what we are facing. He is great at doing
that research and putting it together. Jason has set us
on a course where we will see results, and that makes
us all work harder. I just love seeing how we are moving forward.
Jason always wants to know what we can learn
from any experience. He walks out of a meeting and
says, How do we bring that home? How do we give
that message or bring that concept to our community? It is wonderful to see.
Jason Shames has finished his first four years in the
community. A student starting high school when he
began would be graduating now. Much has changed in
that time. The next four years will be the equivalent of
college. Dreams lie ahead. The community is looking
forward to sharing them with him.
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Grief spans an ocean

Israel burial for 7 kids killed in blaze
Northern New Jerseys
INDEPENDENT LIVING COMMUNITY

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
Jewish World
Even in a city accustomed to deadly fires,

this one stood out for the sheer scale of
the tragedy.
Seven children, ranging in age from 5 to
16, were killed in the middle of the night
after awakening from their Sabbath slumber to smoke and flames.
It was New Yorks deadliest blaze since
2007, and there were only two survivors:
mother Gayle Sassoon, 45, and daughter Tziporah, 15, who jumped from second-story windows to escape the flames
sparked by a malfunctioning Shabbat hot
plate in their home in the Midwood section
of Brooklyn.
The other children could be heard
screaming from their rooms, but rescuers
could not reach them in time.
The victims father, Gabriel Sassoon,
was away at a religious retreat in Manhattan when the fire struck. He learned about
what happened only when New York Police
Department officers located him at a synagogue on Saturday morning.
News of the tragedy spread quickly
and cast a pall of grief over two communities separated by an ocean but united
in mourning: New York, where the Sassoons had lived for the last couple of years
and where Gayle grew up, and Jerusalem,
where the family had lived before moving
to Brooklyn. The Sassoon victims were
flown to Israel for burial on Monday.
God Almighty took seven roses, Gabriel
Sassoon said in his eulogy at the funeral,
which was held at the Har Hamenuchot
cemetery, not far from the Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof, where his
children spent most of their lives. He took
my children and my future grandchildren,
maybe 70 or 80 of them, their smiles. To
you, my God, I give my all. My soul, my all.
Gayle and Tziporah Sassoon are listed
in critical condition in two separate hospitals in New York, suffering from burns and
smoke inhalation. Tziporah has been asking about her siblings but has not yet been
told the horrible news, Gabriel Sassoon
reportedly said as the shiva began following Mondays funeral.
On Sunday, at a service held for the children in Brooklyn, Sassoon called them a
burnt offering a reference to the seven
unblemished lambs that were brought to
the ancient temple in Jerusalem on the first
of the month. The children died on the first
day of the Jewish month of Nissan.
I lost everything in the fire seven
pure sheep, he said. Those are my seven
children.
The fire shocked Brooklyns Orthodox
community, and hundreds turned out to
escort the bodies on Sunday. The day after
the fire, the New York Fire Department set
up tables in Midwood with literature about
A mourner near the fresh graves

of the seven children from the
Sassoon family during their funeral
in Jerusalem.
YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90
smoke detectors and advice on how to

reduce the risk of fires from Sabbath and
holiday observances.
This was not the first fire in the neighborhood to result from Jewish religious
observances. In 2010, an 8-year-old boy
was killed in his Midwood home on the
Sukkot holiday in a blaze that also resulted
from a malfunctioning hot plate. Over the
years, other observant Jews have died in
fires sparked by burning Sabbath or holiday candles.
Gayle and Gabriel Sassoon met in Israel
around 1998, according to the New York
Times. Both are of Syrian Jewish descent,
but he had a particularly unusual upbringing, growing up in a Syrian Jewish outpost
in Kobe, Japan. As a child he attended a
Canadian international school founded
as a Methodist missionary school in 1913,
according to the Times, and became religiously observant later.
In 2013, the family moved into the Midwood home where Gayle had grown up.
The children attended school at Yeshiva
Ateret Torah in the nearby Sheepshead Bay
section of Brooklyn.
The victims three girls and four boys
were remembered as remarkable children
who helped care for each other. They were
identified as Eliane, 16; David, 12; Rivkah,
11; Yehoshua, 10; Moshe, 8; Sarah, 6; and
Yaakov, 5.
Since the fire, Gabriel Sassoon said he
has been overwhelmed and grateful for the
support he has received from both Jews
and non-Jews.
I wasnt only surprised by the greatness of Israel and Jews, but also by Americans and the New York Police Department, he said, according to the New York
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Daily News.
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Jewish World
Netanyahu facing challenges, criticism from Jewish liberals

RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
facing escalating criticism and pressure from the White
House, he could use some help from Israels erstwhile allies
in the American Jewish community especially those with
sway in liberal and Democratic circles.
But several leading Jewish liberal critics of Netanyahu
are working to rally American Jewish opinion against him
by stepping up their condemnations of the prime minister
and calling on the United States to ratchet up the pressure
on Israel.
The epicenter of this liberal Jewish push is the annual J

Street conference in Washington, where, in a Saturday night
speech to 3,000 attendees, the groups executive director,
Jeremy Ben-Ami, accused Netanyahu of harming the U.S.Israel relationship through partisan gamesmanship and
called on the Obama administration to put forth the parameters for a resolution to the conflict at the U.N. Security
Council.
Ben Amis remarks came days after another harsh Netanyahu critic, Peter Beinart, called for the Obama administration to punish Israel on several fronts including by backing Palestinian bids at the United Nations and denying
Torch Talks Svoray Flyer Final Printer.pdf 1 3/10/2015 9:06:43 AM
Torch TaLKS
CELEBRATE COURAGE. IGNITE COMMUNITY.
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AS PORTRAYED IN HBOS
THE INFILTRATOR
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ABOUT YARON
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Born to Holocaust survivors on

an Israeli kibbutz, Yaron Svoray
became a paratrooper in the IDF, a
detective in the Tel Aviv central police
force, and a spy.
Yaron spent nearly a year undercover,
inside the German Neo Nazi movement,
gathering evidence of their terrorist activities.
His information led to the arrests of the
movements leaders, and his exploits became an
HBO movie, starring Oliver Platt, entitled The
Infiltrator.
Few have the conviction to dedicate their
lives to overwhelming tasks with improbable results. However, Yaron is one of
these few, believing his lifes mission
is to retrieve stolen Nazi treasures.
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J Streets executive director, Jeremy Ben-Ami,

addresses the groups conference in Washington
last Saturday night.
COURTESY OF J STREET
visas to and freezing the assets of Israeli settler leaders. Beinart also urged American Jews to ensure that
Netanyahu and members of his Cabinet are met with
protesters at Jewish events.
While more establishment liberal and centrist Jewish organizations show no signs of writing off the
prime minister or endorsing such aggressive steps,
some have expressed concerns about Netanyahus
11th-hour campaign tactics specifically his vow that
no Palestinian state would be established on his watch
and his urging supporters to counter the droves of
Arabs coming out to vote.
Leaders of the two largest religious streams in American Judaism, the Reform and Conservative movements, both issued statements last week condemning
Netanyahus comments about Arab-Israeli voters.
Because we proudly and unreservedly continue
our unflagging support for the State of Israel, its citizens and its values, we must condemn the prime ministers statement, singling out Arab citizens for exercising their legitimate right to vote, the Conservative
movements Rabbinical Assembly said in a statement
Thursday. It is incumbent upon Jews around the
world to denounce the prime ministers divisive and
undemocratic statement and we do so here.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for
Reform Judaism, called the statement disheartening and a naked appeal to his hard-right bases fears
rather than their hopes.
For his part, Netanyahu moved quickly post-election
to contain the damage from his pre-election remarks,
holding interviews with several U.S. media outlets in
which he insisted that he remains committed to a twostate solution but circumstances do not allow for one
because of Palestinian intransigence and ongoing turmoil across the region.
Netanyahu said his Election Day appeal was meant
not to suppress Arab voters, who he claimed were
being mobilized by a foreign funded get-out-the-vote
operation, but only to inspire his own supporters.
In a sign that Netanyahu was seeking to send the
word out beyond his conservative base, the prime
minister not only did an interview with Fox News,
but talked with two leading liberal media outlets,
MSNBC and NPR.
SEE CHALLENGES PAGE 38
Product of USA
Jewish World
Wishing everyone a Chag Sameach

We invite the
community to
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Advance reservations
required.
Nominal fee.
For reservations call
973-253-5281
Daughters of Miriam Center/The Gallen Institute
a Jewish continuum of care campus at 155 Hazel Street, Clifton, NJ, 07011
DAUGHTERS OF MIRIAM CENTER IS A GLATT KOSHER FACILITY
Daughters of Miriam Center/The Gallen Institute is a
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PURCHASE TICKETS NOW! $38 until March 31st, $45 at the gate.
Discounted parking and season passes available for purchase in advance.
To purchase tickets call: New Jersey NCSY at 201.862.0250

Mordechai at 732.961.1233 or 848.525.2295
Tickets are also available at: Z Berman (Passaic), Tuvia's (Monsey) and Eichler's (Flatbush)
Kosher for Pesach food will be available for purchase.

No outside food will be allowed.
For more information, visit
www.ncsygreatadventure.com
Concert Produced by Sheer Productions
Challenges
FROM PAGE 36
Several mainstream centrist organizations including the American Israel

Public Affairs Committee, the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, and the Anti-Defamation League were quick to embrace
Netanyahus post-election insistence.
AIPAC criticized the Obama administration for having rebuffed the prime
ministers efforts to put relations with
the United States back on track.
Unfortunately, administration
spokespersons rebuffed the prime ministers efforts to improve the understandings between Israel and the U.S., AIPAC
said. In contrast to their comments,
we urge the administration to further
strengthen ties with Americas most reliable and only truly democratic ally in the
Middle East.
Such statements signaled strong support for the prime minister, but they also
underscored the extent to which influential American Jewish groups see support
for a two-state solution as a key strategy
for calming U.S.-Israeli tensions. Israels
support for two states has served as a
central rhetorical point for mainstream
pro-Israel groups that have long argued
that Israel is more willing to sacrifice for
peace than its Arab counterparts.
Yet even as Netanyahu sought to
defuse the controversy over his remarks,
reports suggested that the makeup of

his emerging coalition could keep U.S.Israeli tensions boiling on several fronts.
The first party he invited into the
government was Jewish Home, which
rejects a Palestinian state. Another likely
coalition partner, Avigdor Libermans
Yisrael Beiteinu, recently said that disloyal Arab-Israelis should be beheaded.
The coalition government is also likely to
include charedi Orthodox parties, whose
rejection of non-Orthodox streams has
been a cause of tension with U.S. Jews
for decades.
Netanyahus outgoing government,
in place since January 2013, was the
first in decades to keep charedi parties
in the opposition. Tensions had been
higher between Israel and the U.S. Jewish leadership during Netanyahus previous term, from 2009 to 2013, due to
concerns over treatment of women
by charedi government officials and
the non-recognition of non-Orthodox
movements.
Unless Netanyahu attempts to forge
a national unity government something both he and the opposition Zionist
Union already have counted out he will
need the 14 seats of two charedi parties
to secure a safe majority. If history is any
indication, the charedi parties will vigorously oppose the introduction of civil
marriage and increased recognition of
and funding for the Reform and Conservative streams.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
BRIEF
U.S. boycotts U.N. discussion

on alleged Israeli violations
The United States boycotted a United
Nations Human Rights Council discussion on alleged Israeli violations
in the disputed Palestinian territories, signaling American support for
Israel in the world body despite ongoing tension between President Barack
Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu.
Today the United States, in support
of Israel, made no statement at the
United Nations Human Rights Council
debate on alleged Israeli violations of
human rights in the Palestinian territories, otherwise known as Item 7,
U.S. Ambassador to the UNHRC Keith
Harper said on Monday. Our non-participation in this debate underscores
our position that Item 7 lacks legitimacy, as it did last year when we also
refrained from speaking. The United

States strongly and unequivocally
opposes the very existence of Agenda
Item 7 and any HRC resolutions that
come from it.
The U.S., along with several other
Western countries, have long boycotted the discussion of Item 7, which
mandates that Israel be discussed at
every UNHRC meeting, a distinction
no other country shares. The agenda
item is used as a platform by Arab and
Muslim-majority countries to criticize
the Jewish state.
Americas boycott of the discussion
comes despite recent reports that the
Obama administration is considering
a change in the longstanding U.S. policy of opposing U.N. actions that single
JNS.ORG
out Israel for criticism.
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Not your bubbys

macaroon
Not long ago, keeping kosher meant having to settle.
With few choices and an industry lacking innovation,
consumers were complacent while kosher food manufacturers enjoyed the benefits of a captive market and
little competition.
Times have changed. Last year Tovas All Natural, a
small New Jersey-based bakery, set out to bring quality, gourmet, all natural, kosher baked goods and desserts to the market. Today, Tovas is found in over 50
locations in New York and New Jersey and ships to
kosher customers around the world.
Mark Roth, Tovas founder, brought his nearly 20
years of experience consulting for New Yorks premier restaurants to the kosher market. Tovas offers a
gourmet twist to tried and true kosher desserts like the
coconut macaroon, and the newest in dessert trends,
the French macaron (in five flavors), and the gourmet
marshmallow.
Other items in its kosher for Passover line include
a mocha-almond dacquoise and a chocolate truffle
torte. The Orthodox Union (OU) certifies all of Tovas
products kosher, pareve, and kosher for Passover. In
addition, all of Tovas products are gluten-free, dairy
free, pareve, non-gebrochts, and contain no artificial
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Tovas macaroons feature fresh shaved coconut
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Tovas is offering 10 percent off of all online orders
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Teanecks Shaarei Orah hosts a pre-Pesach wine

tasting and sale on Motzei Shabbat, March 28, from
8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Sample and buy wines from
regions in Israel, France, Spain and Italy, and also
the latest kosher for Pesach Araks and tequilas. Shimon Oppenheim will be the sommelier.
Free local delivery is offered for cases, and 10
percent of the proceeds will be donated to Shaarei
Orah. The shul is at 1425 Essex Road (corner Ogden);
park on the side streets. Call (201) 833-0800 or go to
www.sephardicteaneck.org.
Our first partner in this

venture is the Jewish Standard
of New Jersey.
DAVID HOROVITZ, EDITOR
PHOTO BY PERRY BINDELGLASS
At a recent sold-out gala

marking the three-year
anniversary of the Times of
Israel, editor David Horovitz
announced the introduction
of Times of Israel Local.
PHOTO BY PETER HALMAGYI
The Jewish Standard is

proud to be its first partner
in this venture.
Coming soon.
Read. Follow. Join the conversation.
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Jewish World
Glatt Kosher Caterers
Even back then,

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Interest in Jewish objects on rise

at major Dutch fine arts fair
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MAASTRICHT, NETHERLANDS Collector interest in art objects with Jewish content and themes is on the rise
at the European Fine Art Fair, a major
annual event where nearly 275 galleries
sell everything from ancient sculpture
to Rembrandt paintings to photography
and modern art. The fair, often hailed
as the worlds premier fair for pre-21st
century artworks, held in the southern
tip of the Netherlands, ended on March
22.
Ten years ago there was hardly anything at all, and now there are several
stands and some stands with groupings
in [ Jewish] objects. Clearly that would
not be the case if people wouldnt be
buying them, said Eike Schmidt, the
James Ford Bell curator of Decorative
Arts and Sculpture at the Minneapolis
Institute of Arts.
Schmidt knows of several younger
collectors in the field, which might help
explain the growing interest in Jewish
objects, and he has been surprised to
learn that not only are U.S. and Israeli
collectors in the field, but European
ones are as well. He wonders if rising
anti-Semitism in Europe has been a
factor.
People are confronted with an identity that they otherwise wouldnt think
about, he said. That might play a role.
Schmidt points to one particularly
impressive example of Jewish art at the
fair: what is being billed as a travelling Chanukia created in Amsterdam
around 1710 by the non-Jewish artist
Abraham Effemans. The golden Chanukah lamp, which is about 5 inches tall,
was on sale at the booth of Amsterdambased John Endlich Antiquairs.
Dick Endlich, co-director of the gallery, who also was selling a contemporary Chanukah menorah, a Jewish
spice box from 1710, and a yad, or Torah
pointer, from 1806, said that ceremonial
objects of this sort tend to attract buyers
who relate personally to them. Because
they were all made for religious ceremonies, mostly the Jewish people, or museums, are interested, he said.
Elsewhere at the fair, the Londonbased Stephen Ongpin Fine Art was selling a late 19th-century painting of Jaffa
by artist Gustav Bauernfeind, one of
the first European artists to spend time
in Jerusalem, Damascus, and Jaffa. The
work was owned by a rabbi for 40 years,
said Ongpin, who reported a couple of
inquiries from Israeli collectors about
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This figure, showing a standing

woman dressed in the formal clothes
of the 16th-century Frankfurt Jewish
community, was made in China.
72nd ANNIVERSARY
WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING
COURTESY OF COHEN & COHEN
the painting.
And at the booth of Rome-based
Alberto Di Castro, which has exhibited
at TEFAF for 20 years, Judaica was on
sale for the second year in a row. Last
year, the entire lot sold out, Di Castro
said, noting that the silver seder plates,
Jewish book bindings, and Elijahs cup
on view in his stall ranged in price from
a few thousand Euros to 100,000 Euros.
The most unique Jewish object at
the fair, however, may have been what
Cohen and Cohen, of the U.K., describe
as a rare porcelain figure of a standing
woman dressed in the formal clothes of
the 16th-century Frankfurt Jewish community. The figure was made in China
around the year 1740 and was intended
for export to either the Dutch or English
market.
Frankfurt Jews were required to wear
certain identifiable attire, said Will Motley, a researcher for Cohen and Cohen.
The piece, he added, came with two
accompanying figures: a man and a
Turkish dancer. All three command
high prices the one at TEFAF has a tag
around 200,000 Euros.
Despite the objects value, Chinese
Judaica export pieces tend to pass by
most Judaica collectors, according to
Michael Cohen, the gallerys director.
Its not even on their radar. What I
would love is for the Israel Museum in
Jerusalem to buy the lady figure, he
said. It would start to make people realize that there was a strong Jewish connection with the China trade.
YIZKOR Remembrance Service

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Photo Exhibit 6:00pm ~ Program 6:30pm
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Walking into Economy Candy on

Manhattans Lower East Side, its
hard to know where to look first.
To the foil-clad chocolate rabbits
standing sentinel atop sacks of chocolate eggs? The stacks of kosher-forPassover jelly rings and chocolate
pops across the narrow aisle? The
facing bins spilling over with peanut
butter chews and saltwater taffy?
3493212-01
Make your way to the back of this
napoli
3493212-01
Willy
Wonka-esque store, past more
5/17/13
napoli
of the 2,000 varieties of candy it
subite
5/17/13
sells, and you see that the walls are
canali/singer
subite
lined with dispensers ready to release
canali/singer
carrol/BB
a rainbow of gumballs and jellybeans.
carrol/BB
a time
when venerable Lower
This adAt
is copyrighted
by North
Jersey Media Group and may not
be East
reproducedSide
in any form,
or
companies
like Streits
This
ad
is
copyrighted
by
North
replicated in a similar version,
Jersey Media
Group
and
may not
without
approval
from
North
are
selling
their increasingly
be Matzos
reproduced
in any
form,
or
Jersey
Media Group.
replicated in a similar version,
valuable
land to developers and
without
approval from North
Jersey Media Group.
departing, the decidedly old-school
Economy Candy is holding firm.
Mitchell Cohen, who took over
Economy Candy from his father two
years ago, after leaving his job at a
leading investment bank, spent every
Sunday he wasnt in Hebrew school,
and each school vacation, helping
his parents at the store. Now he gets
a regular stream of calls from people
wanting to buy the building.
Were part of the neighborhood,
said Cohen, 29. Were not going
Economy Candy as it looked decades ago.
COURTESY PHOTO
anywhere.
Cohens grandfather, Morris
Delicatessen, Yonah Schimmel knishes, Kossars bialys,
Moishe Cohen, started the business in 1937 as Economy Shoe, a repair shop with a pushcart in front selling
and the Pickle Guys (who took over the famed Guss
candy and dried fruits. When Moishe, whose family had
pickles) but none are run by their founding families.
emigrated from Greece, returned to the Lower East Side
The dairy restaurant Ratners shut down in 2002 and the
after serving in the army, he and his brother-in-law took
property is now being marketed as a development site.
over the place and renamed it Economy Candy.
The Lower East Side has gone through so many
Moishe Cohens family lived for a time on the third
transformations since my great-grandparents and
floor of the building that houses Economy Candy, back
everybody elses lived there a century ago that our
when it was a tenement. He died in his sleep last month
ancestors would plotz if they saw it, said Julie Cohen
at 97.
(no relation to Mitchell), director and producer of The
Today, Economy Candy fills all three stories; the upper
Sturgeon Queens, a documentary about Russ and
levels are used for storage and packing web orders. The
Daughters. But when Im down there I can still feel the
retail space on the first floor is full of candies of every
spirit of what it used to be.
imaginable variation and is a thriving, if slightly bedragToday there are some 14,000 Jewish households in the
gled, remnant of the old Jewish neighborhood amid the
neighborhood, says Laurie Tobias Cohen, the executive
hipster hotels and pricey boutiques that share Rivington
director of the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy,
Street with bodegas and bars.
which runs tours of the area. Most residents are Chinese,
Back in Moishes day, Lower East Side streets busPuerto Rican, or African-American or people who can
tled with hundreds of thousands of Jewish immigrants.
afford the million-dollar apartments now going up.
There were six or seven other candy stores in the immeStill, Tobias Cohen said, between synagogues, shtiebdiate vicinity, Mitchell Cohen said. Now were one of
els, and new Jewish-owned boutiques and galleries,
the only family-owned Jewish businesses left.
Theres still a lot of Jewish life kicking on the Lower
With the departure of Streits, which baked its
East Side.
last Passover matzah on Rivington Street on March
On a recent wintry afternoon, a constant stream of
1, the only other one left is Russ and Daughters, the
shoppers flowed through Economy Candys aisles.
legendary lox-and-bagels shop run by its founders
Manny Rodriguez, who describes himself as a regular at
great-grandchildren.
the store, had just bought a fistful of Clark bars.
A few other Jewish food purveyors remain Katzs
I come more than I should, he said.
70 Years
Jewish World
since
Liberation

Yom HaShoah Remembrance
Thursday April 16, 2015
7:00
Keynote Speaker:
Survivor and Liberator

Bernhard Storch
Mitchell Cohen at
Economy Candy, one
of the last of the
classic Jewish-owned
food businesses on the
Lower East Side.
Congregation Ahavath Torah

240 Broad Avenue
Englewood New Jersey
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jelly rings are perennially
popular, Cohen said, with
orders coming in from all
over the country. Earlier
that day, someone had
ordered 300 pounds of
orange jelly fruit slices.
Green tea-flavored Kit
Kats, which a number
of customers had come
in requesting after trying them in Japan, were
Cohens biggest challenge: None of his
usual distributors knew how to get them.
He called Asian grocery distributors, to
no avail. Eventually he found one in
Queens who could obtain them and he
placed an order for 300 bags. They were
gone in two weeks.
The current candy crush is for English
Cadbury chocolates, which are newly
unavailable in the United States. The
main ingredient in the American version
is sugar. But the ones made in England
list milk as the first ingredient, and devotees are fanatically loyal to their Flakes
and Maltesers.
Hershey, which owns the American
rights to Cadbury, has brought trademark infringement claims against a
major distributor of the British product,
which stopped importing them. Cohen
stocked up as soon as he heard. And
while he still has some on his shelves, he
knows they wont last long.

Unlike some of his Jewish customers, Cohen isnt overly nostalgic for the
bygone Lower East Side. His grandparents had left the neighborhood when
his father was still young, and he was
raised on Long Island. But Cohen is getting married in May, and he hopes to
have children who one day will take over
Economy Candy, as he always knew he
would. Rivington Street most likely will
be changed again by time that happens.
A lot of the stores whether theyre
old or new, candy shops or jewelry
designers are quirky one-offs where
you can find the owners working behind
the counter, Julie Cohen said. And
there are still a few places that drag their
shmattes out onto the street to sell at a
bargain price. So even though most of
the residents and retailers arent actually Jewish anymore, I guess Id say the
whole place is still actually pretty Jewy.
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Rockland
New Reform Temple of Rockland
set to emerge from two shuls
LARRY YUDELSON/JOANNE PALMER
hange can be frightening, but it often is necessary,

and sometimes it can lead to great opportunity.
The demographics of Rockland County are
changing. That is a clear truth. The Reform synagogues that flourished in the third quarter of the last century are struggling now. But instead of despairing, they are
regrouping.
In January, Temple Beth Torah in Upper Nyack and Temple Beth El in Spring Valley, which are about a 15-minute
car ride apart, agreed to merge. The new Reform Temple of
Rockland will be the fruit of that new union.
Temple Beth Torah was founded 50 years ago, its president, Allen Fetterman of West Nyack, said. Its interesting
that this is happening now.
The synagogues membership peaked at about 400 families; now it has a still respectable 270. But we realized a
few years ago that the trend was going to continue, and we
needed to look at some plans if we were going to continue,
Mr. Fetterman said. About a year ago, Beth El came to that
same realization that they were facing having to close their
doors if they didnt do something.

Temple Beth El, chartered in 1947, has about 300 members, and is the countys biggest Reform synagogue.
One of the things representatives of both shuls did was
talk to each other.
We realized pretty quickly that the synagogues were
pretty similar in many ways, including ritually, in the types
of members both have, said Mr. Fetterman, who also is a
member of the joint consolidation committee. We basically
got along.
We were able to park our egos at the door, and the process evolved.
The new synagogue is waiting for approval from the countys supreme court. Approval could take a few months, Mr.
Fetterman said.
We still have a lot of work to do, he added. Six active
committees are meeting regularly. We already have begun
monthly joint Shabbat evening services. In the near future,
all Friday and Saturday services will be held in one building.
In the not-so-distant future, all Shabbat services will be in
the Upper Nyack building.
Our goal is for the merged entity to find a neutral
Like us
on
Facebook.
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location somewhere such as Nanuet, in the center of

the county. Our assumption at this point is that the
Spring Valley building will sell more quickly, and for
a great amount, so the assumption is that we will put
that building up for sale sooner rather than later.
But that is a decision that can be made only by
the new governing board of the Reform Temple of
Rockland.
Theres a lot of work ahead of us, he repeated.
We have retained a facilitator, who helps nonprofit
organizations merge or consolidate. She will help us
with the process.
It will take some time, but Im very optimistic. We
have moved very quickly, because the two groups
have very few disagreements at any level, even when
you get down to nitty-gritty details.
Mr. Fetterman optimism grows out of the love he
holds for the shul to which he has belonged since
1974, and which he has served on the board, as treasurer, and as president for many years, not all of them
consecutive.
The reason I chose Beth Torah isnt as important as
why I stayed with it, he said. I grew up in the Bronx,
and after my bar mitzvah I washed my hands of the
whole thing. But when we were a young married couple, with one child and one on the way, we felt a need
to join a synagogue. I felt comfortable there.
I stayed because Temple Beth Torah has always
prided itself on being forward-looking, welcoming to
everybody, from all walks of life, all types of people.
Not only was its programming innovative, we made
lifelong friends, people who joined when we did, he
said.
Rockland County had and still has the largest
proportion of Jewish people anywhere in the world
outside Israel, he said. About a third of the countys
population is Jewish.
He hopes that at least some of those families will
come join him at the new Reform Temple of Rockland.
We have a chance to be part of Jewish history in Rockland County, and more importantly, to keep Reform
Judaism alive in the county, Mr. Fetterman said.
Celebrating Jewish
Heroism Month
The Center for Jewish Life at Rockland Community
College concludes its Jewish Heroism Month celebrations with an appearance by comedian Joel Chasnoff
on Tuesday, March 31, from 1230 to 1:30 p.m. at the
Technology Center on the Ellipse.
Chasnoff is the author of The 188th Crybaby Brigade: A Skinny Jewish Kid from Chicago Fights Hezbolla, where describes his life as the only American in
his IDF platoon. The talk is open to the public.
On Tuesday, April 14, the college will observe Holocaust Commemoration Week with testimony from survivor Hana Kleiner Wechsler. The event takes place in
the Student Union, Room 3214.
For more information, call Tzipora Reitman at (845)
574-4512 or email her at zreitman@sunyrockland.edu.
Rockland
94 Demarest Mill Road, Nanuet, NY 10954
Rockland Jewish Family Service plans gala

The Rockland Jewish Family Services
annual gala will be held on Sunday, May
31, at 5:30 p.m. at the Comfort Inn, 425
East Route 59, Nanuet.
Retired judge Alfred J. Weiner, his
wife, Renee, and Maria Dowling are
the evenings honorees. The Mary
Ellen Sherz zl Volunteer of the Year

Award will be presented to Rachelle
Rosenberg.
The dinner also will feature a silent
auction and 50/50 raffle. For information and reservations, call (845) 3542121, ext. 177, or emailJvera@RJFS.org.
94 Demarest Mill Road, Nanuet,

NY
10954
Phone (845)
623-5800
Fax (845) 623-6921
www.Rocklandbakery.com
Phone (845) 623-5800 Fax (845) 623-6921
94 Demarest Mill Road, Nanuet, NY 10954

Phone (845) 623-5800 Fax (845) 623-6921
Happy Passover
Happy Chanukah
Club W to discuss Defending Jacob

Club W, a discussion group for widows
and widowers, will meet on Tuesday,
March 31, at 7 p.m. at the offices of the
Rockland Jewish Family Service, 450
West Nyack Road, West Nyack.
The group will discuss Defending
Jacob, a novel by William Landay. The

$10 group fee will be used to support
bereavement services at Rockland Jewish Family Service. For reservations, call
Carol King at (845) 354-2121, ext.142, or
email her at cking@rjfs.org
Happy Chanukah
Happy Chanukah
Enjoy Your Holiday with Rockland Bakery's Bread, Rolls, Cakes,
and Pastries. Our entire line of baked products are certified Kosher.
Nanuet Hebrew Center turns 75

The Nanuet Hebrew Center will celebrate its 75th anniversary of history and
service to the greater Rockland Jewish
Community with a gala Journal Event and
Brunch Reception on Sunday, April 12,
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Rockleigh
Country Club in Rockleigh, N.J.
The center will honor Linda Russin
as recipient of the Stanley Blumenthal
Community Service Award. To coincide
with the brunch and celebration, a 75th
anniversary ad journal will be prepared
and presented. This electronic journal
also will be displayed and available for
download through NHCs website and

Facebook page.
Cost for the brunch reception is $65.
For more information, to RSVP, or to
place an ad in the journal, email journal@
nanuethc.org, or call (845) 708-9181.
Nanuet Hebrew Center is at 411 South
Little Tor Road, just off exit 10 of the Palisades Parkway in New City. Visit NHC on
the web at www.nanuethc.org and on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/nanuethc. For additional questions, contact
Kari Warren at the center by calling (845)
708-9181 or kari.warren@nanuethc.org.

Kosher Style for Passover Macaroons &
Flourless Cakes
Quality, our main ingredient, is in everything we bake!

Teenagers and sleep deprivation

Teenagers dont get enough sleep, and
the consequences can be harmful, says
Nyack Hospital sleep medicine specialist
Dr. Anita Bhola.
Parents can help their teens understand
the importance of good sleep habits, and
how to carve out time from their busy
schedules to get adequate rest, she says,
noting that more information is available
on the infographic at www.nyackhospital.
org/teensleep.
Teenagers are notorious night owls,
says Dr. Bhola, the mother of two teens.
No matter what time they need to get up
in the morning, they stay up late doing
homework, texting their friends or playing
video games.
Although sleep needs vary among individuals, in general teens ages 11 to 17 need
about 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night in
order to be alert, productive and healthy,
she says.
Teens are more sleep-deprived than any
other age group. Not getting enough sleep
can affect a teenagers ability to pay attention in school or consolidate the information theyve learned into memory. Even
staying up an extra hour a night can affect
their performance on a test or their ability
to function in school.
Teens who dont get enough can
become cranky. Sleep deprivation can also
have more serious effects on behavior and
mental health. I see a lot of teens in my
practice who have been referred to me

because of impulsive behavior, anxiety and
depression, Dr. Bhola says. A lot of those
issues have to do with lack of sleep.
One major factor in teens lack of adequate sleep is early start times at school.
Sleep specialists around the country have
been working with school districts to try to
implement later opening times. Research
has shown starting school a half-hour or
hour later can improve school performance and decrease depression.
The use of electronics close to bedtime plays a large part in teens lack of
sleep. The bright light from TVs, phones
and laptops suppresses the production
of the hormone melatonin in the body.
Levels of melatonin start rising at night
and induce sleep. Bright light sends a signal to the brain to suppress melatonin,
and this causes problems with sleep.
Over-scheduling also plays a role.
Teens have so much homework and extracurricular activities, Dr. Bhola says. She
adds another reason teens stay up late
is their biological clock, which changes
around puberty. Their body wont let
them get to sleep early, and makes them
want to sleep later. But since they have to
get up early during the week, they end up
compensating by sleeping until 11 or noon
on the weekends.
Dr. Bhola suggests parents sit down with
See teenagers page 47
JUDAISM
More than just a bagel
A TASTE OF JUDAISM
Are You Curious?
Three free weekly class sessions on the modern Jewish

take on spirituality, values, and community.
Wednesdays, April 15, 22, and 29 beginning at 7:00 P.M.
All are welcome, Jewish or not!
Questions? Please email at Bethanne.knapp@tbsrockland.org
or call 845.638.0770
To register go to:
www.reformjudaism.org/taste/newcity
Rockland
Valley as part of the Jewish
Film Festival. The director,
Erik Greenberg Anjou, will
speak. Its at 8:45 p.m. at
the AMC Theatre
March 28
Deli Man: A documentary
about Ziggy Gruber,
a third-generation
delicatessen man who
comes from Orangeburg
and whose father owned
a deli in Spring Valley,
premieres in the Hudson
April 1
Healthy skin and the
NCJW: Dr. Heather
Are You Caring

For an Aging Parent
or Loved One?
Celebrating
31 Years
Serving Rockland
Residents
Always a Nur
Hamilton will share

tips for a Healthy
Skin Beautiful You
and discuss the latest
non-invasive, nonsurgical techniques
on Wednesday, April
1, during a program
sponsored by the
Rockland Section of
the National Council
of Jewish Women.
Dr. Hamilton, a board
certified dermatologist,
will speak at 7:30 p.m.
at Temple Beth El, 415
Viola Road. Spring Valley.
Refreshments will be
served and the event
is free and open to the

public.
April 4
Second seder: The
Nanuet Hebrew Center
will conduct its 6th
annual second night of
Passover community
family seder on
Saturday, April 4. There
will be stories, singing
and games for kids,
along with a kosher
for Passover meal. To
enable as many from the
community to participate,
se On-Call 24
A&T
HEALTHCARE
/7
Home Healthcare with Dignity

Specializing in Certified Live-Ins/
Home Health Aides, High-Tech RNs & LPNs
Pediatrics Through Geriatrics Free Pre Nursing Assessment
Hospital, Nursing Home & Assisted Living Sitting

Case Management Available
Familiar With Kosher Supervision
CDPAP, TBI, NHTD, Insurance, Private, Medicaid, Long Term,
Mastercard, Visa & Amex
845-638-4342 845-561-7900 914-244-0544

845-331-7868 212-683-2250 201-541-7100
www.at-healthcare.com
Accredited
JCAHO
Affiliate Agency A & T Certified Home Care
Covering Medicare / Medicaid Patients over 65 or disabled persons
845-708-8182 www.homecarerockland.com
Wishing Everyone
A Happy, Healthy
Zissen Pesach
the center is making the

seder available free to
everyone under 21, with
a cost of $25 for adults.
The gathering will begin
at 8:15 p.m., with the
seder starting at 8:30.
Dinner will include
choice of chicken or
brisket, a vegetarian
option, plus chicken
fingers for the children.
RSVP deadline for the
community seder is
Friday, March 27. For
more information or to
RSVP, contact the NHC
Office at (845) 708-9181
or office@nanuethc.
org. The center is at 411
South Little Tor Road
just off exit 10 of the
Palisades Parkway in
New City. Visit NHC
on the web at www.
nanuethc.org and on
Facebook or contact
Kari Warren at kari.
warren@nanuethc.org
or (845) 708-9181.
April 7
Joachim Prinz: I
The Board of Directors
Mount Moriah Cemetery

685 Fairview Avenue, Fairview, NJ 07022
24 Hour phone 201-943-6163
www.mountmoriahcemeteryofnewjersey.org
Shall Not Be Silent

The Jewish Film
Festival offers the
local premiere of the
multi-award-winning
documentary, the
story of the rabbi who
fought for civil rights.

His daughter, Deborah
Prinz, will speak, as will
the producer, Rachel
Pasternak, and the
director, Dr. Rachel
Fisher. AMC Theater,
West Nyack, 7:30 p.m.
April 8
Run Boy Run: The
Jewish Film Festival
offers an award-winning
look at the Holocaust as
seen through the eyes
of a hidden child. AMC
Theater, West Nyack,
1:30 p.m.
April 20
Tot Shabbat: The
Nanuet Hebrew Center
at 411 South Little
Tor Road, New City,
holds its monthly Tot
Shabbat, led by Rabbi
Paul Kurland and
Cantor Barry Kanarek,
at 5 p.m. The program
is designed for children
18 months to 6 years
old. Adults and siblings
are welcome to join for
song, story and oneg
(juice and challah). 845708-9181.
Best Wishes for a

Joyous and Healthy
Passover
Supervisor
Christopher P. St. Lawrence
Town of Ramapo
Wishing all our friends a

Very Happy Passover
SHOP-RITE of TALLMAN
250 RT 59 TALLMAN, NY
SHOP-RITE OF WEST NYACK
243 EAST ROUTE 59
WEST NYACK, NY
SHOP-RITE OF NEW CITY

66 NO. MAIN ST. NEW CITY, NY
SHOP-RITE OF GARNERVILLE
56 WEST RAMAPO ROAD
GARNERVILLE, NY
SHOP-RITE OF STONY POINT

22 HOLT DRIVE
STONY POINT, NY
Senator CarluCCi
wiSheS you a
Happy & Healthy

Passover
Rockland
Teenagers
from page 45
their teens and have a conversation

about why its important to get enough
sleep, and come up with a strategy the
whole family can live with.
Get homework done by a certain
time. Dont eat a large meal within
To You and
three to four hours of bedtime, and

stay away from caffeine from late
afternoon on. Incorporate daily physical activity, but not close to bedtime.
Be consistent with weekday and weekend sleep/wake schedules. Shut off all
electronics a half-hour before bedtime. Keep bedrooms dark, quiet and
cool during sleep hours.
Your Famil
y
Rabbi Craig Scheff Rabbi Paula Mack Drill

Lloyd Fishman - President
8 Independence Avenue Orangeburg, NY www.theojc.org
Best Wishes for a Very

Healthy and Happy Passover
Wishing the
Jewish community
of Rockland a
Happy Passover
Temple Beth Sholom
Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey
A Thriving Reform Jewish Community

228 New Hempstead Rd. New City, NY
845-638-0770 www.tbsrockland.org
Rabbi Brian Leiken Cantor Anna Zhar
Proudly Serving New Yorks 17th Congressional District

PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED BY LOWEY FOR CONGRESS
Be a part
of our Family
(Resident, Lillian Grunfeld with her daughter,
Dir. of Community Relations, Debbie Corwin)
where our residents maintain the level of independence
We Wish
You
Very the
Happy
they desire
whileareceiving
care theyPassover
need.
Family owned community
Spacious, fully furnished apartments
Daily Lifestyle Activities to enrich mind, body & spirit
RN Director of Wellness Program
Respite Program available
Licensed by NYSDOH
The Promenade at Chestnut Ridge

168 Red Schoolhouse Rd.
Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977
845-620-0606
PromenadeSenior.com
Happy Passover!
from your friends at
Valley National Bank
Conveniently located on the Rockland/Bergen border
Visit our other locations

at PromenadeSenior.com
Come F
eel Our Warmth
800-522-4100 valleynationalbank.com
2015 Valley National Bank. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender. All Rights Reserved. VCS-5908
5908_VNB Passover Ad_5x6.5.indd 1
1:32 PM
Jewish Standard MARCH3/13/15
27, 2015
47
Passover
PESACH COOKING WITH BETH
For the next few weeks, the Jewish Standard will feature a Passover column with
useful ideas, recipes, and tips to help with holiday prep. Also, check the Cooking
With Beth blog at www.jstandard.com for an awesome recipe for Knaidlach
With Chocolate from Nir Elkayam, the award-winning executive chef at the Inbal
Jerusalem Hotel. (See page 49.)
www.haroldskosher.com
Jewish Home at Rockleigh

plans charoset cook-off
Continuing a holiday tradition, the Jewish
Home at Rockleigh has added the Pesach
charoset cook-off during chol hamoed.
The contest, for residents and their families, follows a successful Shavuot cheesecake cook-off and most recently a latke
cook-off.
Family and friends of residents were
welcome to sign on for the competition.
Ingredients and supplies are on-hand,
supplied by JHRs kitchen staff; recipes are

submitted and prepared by family members. In addition, there is a panel of celebrity judges, usually including a few residents as well. Beth Chananie, the Jewish
Standards food editor, will be one of the
judges for the charoset cook-off.
In anticipation, here is one of the recipes that will be made by Tobi Schwartz, a
residents daughter.
Family charoset
Kosher Market
FEATURING FRESH BEEF, VEAL, LAMB, POULTRY
ONE OF THE
CTIONS
LARGEST SELE S &
OOD
OF PASSOVER F
GROCERIES
WERE PROUD TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY
FOR OVER 75 YEARS
WITH SELECTION, QUALITY AND SERVICE
Open Fri. April 3, 8-3

Open during Passover April 6th-9th
2 Granny smith apples

4 Gala apples
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6-8 tablespoons sweet kosher red wine
(Manischewitz Concord Grape or
Blackberry work well)
Dash of nutmeg, clove, and brown sugar
Instructions:
Peel apples and dice into tiny pieces
Stir in remaining ingredients, except for
the brown sugar. Taste and then add

brown sugar to sweeten. If time allows, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
ORDERS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY SUN. MARCH 29
PREPARED FOODS
STRICTLY KOSHER
FOR PASSOVER
ROAST TURKEY, RAW WT. SIZES: 12-15-20 +UP WITH GRAVY ..................... 6.00 LB
ROAST TURKEY BREAST, RAW WT. 6 LB AVG ................................................. 8.25 LB
STUFFED BREAST OF VEAL - BY THE SLICE .................................................. 9.99 LB
BRISKET OF BEEF ............................................................................................. 24.95 LB
ROAST CHICKEN, 2 LB AVERAGE-BY THE CHICKEN .................................... 6.99 LB
STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST W/VEGETABLES - BY THE PIECE .................. 14.00 LB
STUFFED CORNISH HENS ............................................................................... 14.95 EA
SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS, 1 LB., BY CONTAINER ..............................12.00 TRAY
GRILLED SALMON, BY THE PIECE ................................................................. 18.99 LB
CHICKEN MARSALA OR VEAL MARSALA ..................................................... 18.99 LB
OVEN BROWNED POTATOES, 1 LB., BY TRAY .....................................8.99 TRAY
CARROT TZIMMES, 2 LB. - BY CONTAINER ..............................................14.95 TRAY
MATZO PUDDING, - BY TRAY ..................................... SMALL $10.95 LARGE $26.95
MATZO STUFFING, - BY TRAY .................................... SMALL $10.95 LARGE $26.95
POTATO PUDDING, - BY TRAY ................................... SMALL $10.95 LARGE $26.95
BROCCOLI SOUFFLE, BY TRAY ................................. SMALL $10.95 LARGE $26.95
VEGETABLE SOUFFLE, BY TRAY ................................ SMALL $10.95 LARGE $26.95
MATZO PANCAKES 2 PER PACKAGE -BY PACKAGE ................................. 6.00 PKG.
POTATO PANCAKES, 2 PER PACKAGE - BY PACKAGE ............................. 6.00 PKG.
MUSHROOM ONION FARFEL, 1 LB - BY TRAY ..........................................9.99 TRAY
MATZO BALLS, 6 PER TRAY - BY TRAY .......................................................7.50 TRAY
STUFFED CABBAGE - 2 PER TRAY - BY TRAY...........................................10.00 TRAY
CHOPPED LIVER, 1 LB. MINIMUM, BY THE POUND ...................................... 9.99 LB
GEFILTE FISH, BY EVEN NUMBER ONLY .......................................................... 3.29 EA
CHICKEN SOUP .................................................................................................. 7.99 QT
HOMEMADE HORSERADISH_____WHITE_____RED ..................................3.99 12 OZ.
CHAROSES, 1 LB. MINIMUM, BY THE POUND ............................................... 9.99 LB
CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE RELISH, BY THE POUND ....................................... 6.99 LB
SEDER PLATES ................................................................................................. 17.95 EA
CHEF'S SALAD - BY THE POUND ..................................................................... 5.99 LB
The Deli Department will have a full selection of Salads, Cooked Food & Catering
Imported & Domestic Cheeses A Full Selection of Chocolates Passover Ice Cream
Fresh Baked Cakes & Cookies Full line of Frozen Foods
From last years

Big Bread Burn.
MICHAEL LAVES
Chametz burning next Friday

at Jewish Center of Teaneck
The eighth annual Joy and Al Amsel
Big Bread Burn at the Jewish Center
of Teaneck is on Friday, April 3, from
9:30 to 11:40 a.m. For more than three
decades, the Amsels would invite community members to gather in their backyard around a fire pit on erev Pesach to
share in the ritual act of biur chametz, the
ceremonial burning of a token amount of
leaven just before Passover, which begins
that evening.
The Teaneck fire safety trailer and a
fire department engine truck will be on
hand, along with personnel from the fire
department. They also give a fire safety
learning experience for young children

and their families. Streits Matzoh Company will provide kosher for Passover
chocolate lollypops.
The burn is co-sponsored by Yeshiva
Heichal Hatorah, and Congregations Beth
Aaron, Young Israel of Teaneck, Netivot
Shalom, Ohr Saadya, Bnai Yeshurun, and
Rinat Yisrael.
Chametz for burning must be in paper
bags. The latest time to burn chametz is
11:40 a.m. There is ample parking on the
streets surrounding the center; the JCT
parking lot will be closed. (201) 833-0515,
ext. 200.
OUR KITCHEN IS STRICTLY KOSHER FOR PASSOVER UNDER RABBINICAL SUPERVISION
67 A E. Ridgewood Ave.
Opp Lord & Taylor
Paramus, NJ 201-262-0030
Hours: Mon., Tues. & Wed. 8 A.M.-6 P.M.; Thurs. 8 A.M.- 7 P.M.; Fri. 8 A.M.- 4 P.M.; Sun. 8-3; Closed Sat.
WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
Women welcome to Haggadah discussion

In anticipation of Pesach, Chabad of Paramus continues its Torah & Tea study group for
women with a program on insights into the Haggadah. The event, at a private home in
Paramus, is on Sunday, March 29, at 8:15 p.m. For information, email zeesy@bcfriendship.com.
Passover
Crazy
Knaidlach
Moroccan inspired:
The basic recipe is below.

Beneath are different variations. Check if it needs
salt and improve the seasoning with added matzah meal. Both variations
are suitable for any soup,
not just chicken soup.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/4 cup matzah meal
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking
powder
e
h
Nir Elkayim, Inbal executive chef.
Inbal Jerusalem Hotel chef

shares Passover recipes
Bring the chicken broth to

a boil in large mixing bowl
and add the matzah meal,
baking powder, and salt.
Add the hot broth and oil
while mixing until the texture is smooth. Cover with
plastic wrap and let cool.
Chop 1 large white onion

into small cubes and fry
in olive oil until browned;
add 1 crushed garlic clove
and continue to fry on a
low heat; add 1 package
of parsley to the fried
onions and stir into the
regular knaidlach. Check
if it needs salt and improve the seasoning with
added matzah meal.
Everything you
need for a joyous
OU Kosher presented its annual pre-Passover webinar, with kashrut experts educating kosher consumers about the most complex Jewish holiday of the year. For those
who missed the presentation, it is archived at
oukosher.org/passover/webcast/pre-pesach/
pre-pesach-webcast-5775/.
Moderated by Rabbi Eli Eleff, the rabbinic
coordinator and consumer relations administrator, this years panel included Rabbi Moshe
Elefant, chief operations officer of OU Kosher;
Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz, senior rabbinic
coordinator and Passover Directory editor;
Rabbi Gavriel Price, rabbinic coordinator for
ingredient research; and Rabbi Eli Gersten, rabbinic coordinator and halachic recorder.
Questions included the OUs stance on
quinoa, drinking coffee on Passover, eating
smoked and frozen fish on Passover, certification for paper goods, using washed and cut carrots, seltzer, and kashering a time share.
Preparation:
Tunisian inspired:
On Tuesday, Nir Elkayam, the award-winning executive

chef at the Inbal Jerusalem Hotel, held a Passover cooking
program, broadcast live from the Inbals kitchen. People
around the world were able to tune in and ask questions
via a live chat on a link.
Some of the special creations included an original lineup of eccentric knaidlach (matzah ball) soup selections,
including the recipes below. Check online at the Cooking
with Beth blog at www.jstandard.com for another one of
Elkayams recipes. For information, go to www.inbalhotel.
com.
OU Passover webinar
available online
Chop 1 medium white onion and fry in olive oil until

browned; add 1 crushed
garlic clove and continue
frying on a low heat and
then leave to cool. Add 1
spoonful of spicy Moroccan harissa and chopped
coriander to the fried
onions, then stir into the
regular knaidlach.
Add the eggs and mix

well, if it feels sparse, add
matzah meal to thicken.
Boil water in a large pot,
wet hands and form balls
of 3 1/2 inch diameter in
size, then cook in the boiling water for about 5 minutes. Cook 7 to 10 balls at
a time depending on the
size of the pot.
When it comes to bringing you a wide selection of the finest kosher products for Passover;
A&P, Waldbaums and Pathmark are committed to meeting your kosher needs for Passover
and all year long. Weve stocked our stores with all your favorites, including: Great Atlantic
Smoked Salmon, Empire Chicken, Matzos, Macaroons, Streits Potato Latkes and more!
We look forward to serving you during the holidays and all year long.
Chag Sameach!
FREE MATZO! FOR PASSOVER

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*Exclusions apply. See stores Customer Service Center for details.
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and program discounts have been applied to your order. Limit one (1) offer
with this coupon. Limit one (1) coupon per family. No copies accepted.
Assorted Varieties
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Without Coupon Regular Retail Limit 1, no additional purchase required

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and program discounts have been applied to your order. Limit one (1) offer
with this coupon. Limit one (1) coupon per family. No copies accepted.
OFFER VALID THRU 4/9/15
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Retailer: We will reimburse you the face value of this coupon plus 8 holding provided you and the customer
have complied with the terms of this offer. Invoices providing purchases of sufficient stock to comer presented
coupons must be shown on request. Any other application may constitute fraud. Coupon void where prohibited
taxed or restricted. Consumer must pay any sales tax.
Cash value 1/20 Reproduction of
this coupon is expressly prohibited.
Mail to: AronStreit inc.
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Gallery
1
n 1 Green was the dominant color at the Gallen

Adult Day Health Care Center in celebration of St.
Patricks Day. Musician Jack Vartan entertained.
Robert Dane of Closter, and his partner, staff
member Kate Spina are pictured dancing. The
Gallen Adult Day Health Care Center is a program
sponsored by Jewish Home at Home, a member
of the Jewish Home Family. COURTESY GALLEN
n 2 Hebrew school students at Shomrei Torah in Wayne
learned to make and braid challah. COURTESY SHOMREI TORAH
n 3 The sisterhood of Temple Beth El in Closter enjoyed

a night of step-by-step painting and wine at a private
party at Faux Time Design in Closter. COURTESY TBE
n 4 As part of its life-cycle curriculum, Glen Rock Jewish
Center Hebrew school Gimmel students took part in a
mock wedding, with a ketubah signing and kiddush. Debra
Boutom was the bride and Charlie Glazer was the groom.
Teacher Heidi DAmato coordinated. COURTESY GRJC
n 5 Temple Beth Emeth in Teaneck featured Rabbi Dr.

David Ellenson, second from left, Cantor Ellen Tilem, left,
Mimi Sigel, and Rabbi Steven Sirbu at the scholar-inresidence weekend honoring Rabbi Louis J. Sigel. Rabbi
Ellenson spoke about The State of the Modern Jewish
Community and Our Place In It. PHOTO CREDIT: BARBARA BALKIN
n 6 Last month, the Chabad Center of Passaic
County hosted a mega-challah bake for the Wayne
community, including a talk by Chani Gurkov and music
by pianist Nigina Schindelman. COURTESY CHABAD
Dvar Torah
Shabbat Hagadol: Hey, Whats It To You!
am always looking for ways to take

the text of the Haggadah and relate
it directly to my guests at the seder.
I recall the seders of my youth
at my grandparents home in Bushwick,
Brooklyn, long before it was a trendy
neighborhood. There the Haggadah was
read in Hebrew, with little or no explanation or discussion. I want to avoid that
experience.
I suggest a way to read about the four
children to involve your guests. Near the
beginning of the seder, we read the questions that the four children ask, each based
on a verse in the Torah. That passage can
be confusing because the questions of the
wise child and the wicked child are so similar. According to the traditional text of the
Haggadah, the wise child says, What are
the statues, the laws, and the ordinances
which our God has commanded you?
(It is based on Deuteronomy 6:20.) The
wicked childs query is, What does this

ritual mean to you? (It is based on Exodus 13:8.)
Some haggadot, based on a rabbinic
variant of the text, have the wise child end
the question with the word us, to show
that she includes herself in the community,
while the wicked child excludes herself by
saying you. However, Aviva Zornberg,
a modern Israeli scholar, contends that
we should keep the word you, because
The wise sonasks a disturbing question,
in which he opens up a distance between
his father and himself. The father and his
generation were there [at the actual Exodus]; he was not. This distinction between
generations is always true. (Quoted in the
A Night to Remember by Mishael Zion
and Noam Zion, p. 43.)
For all of us at the seder, our formative Jewish experiences vary. How different the memories and the meaning of
being Jewish of a Holocaust

the concept of belonging to a
survivor are from those of a
formal Jewish community
young Jew born in the United
seems antiquated or exclusionary. Yet there are those
States! Growing up Jewish in
in that same generation who
Fair Lawn is not the same as
went on a Birthright trip to
being reared Jewish in Russia, Brooklyn, Nashville,
Israel or spent time at a Jewish
or Los Angeles. Some of
summer camp. Those experiences made a difference in
us recall our fear and conRabbi Ronald
cern as we lived through the
their Jewish identity.
S. Roth
events of the Six Day and
A good question to stimuFair Lawn
late discussion at your seder
Yom Kippur wars. I know
Jewish Center,
table would be to ask each
members of my congregation
Conservative
participant: What were the
who fought in Israels War of
most significant and formative
Independence. To others
Jewish experiences of your life? or What
those events are ancient history and have
does being Jewish mean to you?
no immediate meaning.
We could learn that there are many difTo some, the increase in anti-Semitism in
ferent journeys into the Jewish community
Europe is the critical Jewish issue of the day.
or that some journeys leave others feeling
Perhaps the civil rights movement played a
indifferent or excluded. The seder can be a
role in someone elses Jewish identity. I am
time to explore each of those unique paths.
told that for many in the younger generation
Z a c h o r . G e d e n k . Remember.
at t e n d t h e
Annual Gathering of Remembrance

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Holocaust Remembrance Day
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Crossword
MORE PRECIOUS THAN RUBIES BY HARVEY ESTES

EDITOR: DAVIDBENKOF@GMAIL.COM
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: CHALLENGING
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201-837-8818
Across
1 Yiddish newspaper, with Die
5 Letter that starts korban
9 ___ Chayil (Poem that calls women
more precious than rubies, which is
this puzzles theme)
14 Second person pronoun
15 Artist Stern of South Africa
16 Movie about pianist David Helfgott
17 Like a Hasmonean dynasty coin
18 One of a friendly, loyal people who
will not abandon their neighbors,
according to a Yad Vashem
researcher
19 Rabbi, for example
20 Comic of the Great Schlep campaign
to convince Jewish grandparents to
vote for Obama
23 Container for scrolls
24 Nonkosher swimmer
25 Siddur ___ Ratzon
26 Dara Torres won three for swimming in
the 2000 Sydney Olympics
32 Jud. or Budd.
33 Many 14th century Jews came here
from France
34 Gleanings for Ruth
37 Neviim bk.
39 Device for watching Schindlers List
41 Village People hit sung in Yiddish?
43 Israeli brand of chocolate milk
46 My son, ___ the discipline of your
father (Proverbs 1:8)
49 Night of Joseph Brodsky, who served
as U.S. Poet Laureate
50 Former name of Israels fourth Prime
Minister
53 Bars from Steimatzky?
56 Ball position for Amy Alcott
57 Rock style Andy Greenwald writes
about
58 Marilyn Monroes signature look
64 Cuts (down) the length of davening
65 Jewish social services provider in
London
66 Needs bikkur cholim
68 Son of Seth
69 The Rabbinic Period and others
70 Wife of Jacob
71 D in the Septuagint
72 Andrew well-known on 5th Avenue
73 Singer Fisher
Down
1 Yom Kippur, e.g.
2 Ben Gurion guesses
3 Character in Pasternaks Doctor
Zhivago
4 14th-century Talmudist
5 It takes guts to cook them
6 Output from Solomons copper mines
7 Casspi of Kings
8 Like many a tale from the Dubno
Maggid
9 Golden Girl Getty
10 Hava Nagila, for one
11 Declaration at Sheldon Adelsons
Venetian
12 Chinese leader with Zionist views
13 Some 41-across members
21 Pro-Israel group in the U.S.
22 Meat that is kosher but controversial
26 Groucho to Harpo
27 Laymen at a Civil War re-enactment?
28 Female immigrant to Israel
29 Part of Sumner Redstones media
conglomerate
30 Book chanted on Tisha BAv
31 Name suffix
35 True to the Yiddish language?
36 Cubs GM Epstein
38 Better to be a living ___ than a dead
lion! (Ecc. 9:4)
40 Shlofn stage
42 Landers of letters
44 Avoidance of female singing
45 Lena who played an Auschwitz
survivor in The Reader
47 Like Samson among the Philistines
48 Arrival in Infected Mushrooms inbox
51 Larry Cohens twos
52 World Jewish Congress President
Lauder
53 Raised, as an ante to Barry Shulman
54 Vehicle at Ovda International Airport
55 Comedienne Leifer
59 Schechter ordeal
60 New name for Naomi
61 Bnai ___ (city mentioned in the
Haggadah)
62 Anouk Aimees God
63 Religious municipality of Israel
67 Shortened female name related to
shalom
The solution to last weeks puzzle is on page 59.
Arts & Culture

MIRIAM RINN
Seltzer Nights
fizzes and fizzles
C David Mandelbaum told

the friendly and enthusiastic
audience at the Castillo Theatre last Saturday night that
a tzubrokhenem Yiddish is besser fun an
eleganten English, which means a broken
Yiddish is better than an elegant English. If
so, there was plenty of tzubrokhenem Yiddish on stage to prove his point.
The artistic director of the New Yiddish
Rep, Mandelbaum also is a co-creator,
along with Shane Baker, Beck Lee, and
Frank London, of the Reps new project,
Seltzer Nights, now playing at the Castillo
on Manhattans far West Side one Saturday
night per month for the next three months.
Described as an immersive musical,
Seltzer Nights is in the development
stage, with the novelty that the development is happening in public. On April 18,
The show is a
mishmash of
sexual innuendo,
jokes, songs,
a magic act,
and assorted
foolishness.
Daniella Rabbani and Shane Baker cavort in Seltzer Nights.
May 9, and June 13, theatergoers can see

the company build a musical based on Yiddish vaudeville and help it along with their
suggestions.
The Yiddish Rep has produced some
excellent shows, including the outstanding Yiddish version of Becketts Waiting
for Godot and the highly entertaining
Big Bupkis: a Complete Gentiles Guide
to Yiddish Vaudeville, so there is reason
to believe that the final Seltzer Nights
will be successful. Judging by Saturdays
performance, though, there is a way to go.
In addition to an unevenly talented cast,
there seemed to be a lot of general confusion. Of course, it was just the companys
first try, and the seasoned performers,
such as Steve Sterner and Daniella Rabbani, already were hitting their marks.
The show is a mishmash of sexual

innuendo, jokes, songs, a magic act, and
assorted foolishness. The audience is
encouraged to express its reaction to the
material, and some ringers have been
placed strategically to rev up the crowd.
The first number with Marian Rich and
John Rankin involved teaching the audience a dirty ditty, and people cheerfully
went along. Familiar Yiddish songs such
as Ikh Hob Dikh Tzu Fil Lieb and Yiddishe Mame, sung by Amy Coleman and
Ilan Kwittken respectively, were less effective. The first showstopper was Daniella
Rabbanis Fokhn, a hilariously smutty
version of a burlesque fan dance. Another
standout number was the tongue-in-cheek
translation of Papirosen, the incredibly maudlin song about a homeless child
selling cigarettes in the street. Think Yiddish Little Match Girl. This number was
part of The Essence: A Yiddish Theatre
Dim Sum, a Fringe Festival presentation
that was developed by the New Yiddish
Rep in 2007, starring Allen Lewis Rickman,
Yelena Shmulenson, and Steve Sterner.
Obviously, this is not a show for children,
unless you want to do a lot of explaining.
But despite the somewhat off-color jokes,
Seltzer Nights maintains a sunny innocence. Yiddish vaudeville attracted a wide
range of people, including families, so it
couldnt be too salacious, after all. And
there is something determinedly upbeat
and cheerful about the performers, even
when they have forgotten the words and
are singing off-key.
Like the Folksbiene National Yiddish
BERNARD MC WILLIAMS
Theater, the New Yiddish Rep recognizes

that few Americans speak Yiddish these
days aside from the ultra-Orthodox who
dont go to the theater so they are careful to translate the songs and skits. Rather
than supertitles (the Folksbienes preferred method), the performers in Seltzer
Nights switched smoothly between languages so there was no danger of missing
anything. Thats easier to do in a cabaretstyle show than in a full-length play, and it
seemed to work well.
If youve ever wanted to write a show
or wondered how a shows creators could
have thought it actually worked, heres
your chance to get it right. For more information, go to www.newyiddishrep.org.
Calendar
discuss the Passover
seder, past and present.
180 Piermont Road.
(201) 750-9997 or www.
templeemanu-el.com.
Passover lunch follows.

(201) 891-4466 or
bethrishon.org.
Wednesday
Shabbat in Wyckoff:
Temple Beth Rishons
adult choir, Kol Rishon,
welcomes Passover
with a musical PrePassover service, 8 p.m.
Accompaniment by
Cantors Ilan Mamber
and Summer GreenwaldGonella, Itay Goren, and
Jimmy Cohen. Oneg
Shabbat. 585 Russell Ave.
(201) 891-4466 or www.
bethrishon.org.
Saturday
MARCH 28
Shabbat in Ridgewood:
World-famous Israeli
violinist Vadim
Gluzman performs
for the Thurnauer
School of Music at the Kaplen
JCC on the Palisades 25th
annual Gift of Music Concert on
Sunday, March 29, at 7 p.m., at the
Bergen Performing Arts Center
in Englewood. Lilo Thurnauer will
receive the Gift of Music Visionary
award for her devotion to the
Tenafly school and its students.
For more information, go to
jccotp.org/GoM or call (201) 4081465.
MARCH
29
Friday
MARCH 27
Shabbat in Fort Lee:
JCC of Fort Lee/
Congregation Gesher
Shalom offers Celebrate
Shabbat Together, an
Israeli-themed dinner and
musical Shabbat service
with Israeli musicians.
Dinner at 6 p.m., services
at 7. 1449 Anderson Ave.
(201) 947-1735.
the Shirley Passow zl

memorial Shabbaton
weekend. They will
sing during services at
6:30 p.m.; dinner will
follow. On Shabbat
morning the group
will present a youth
workshop at 11 a.m.,
followed by lunch, and a
second performance at
1 p.m. On the premises
of St Pauls, 113 Engle
St. www.KHNJ.org or
(201) 816-1611.
Dr. Joshua Kulp

The Shabbatones
PHOTO PROVIDED
Shabbat in Englewood:
The Shabbatones,
the University of
Pennsylvanias premier
a capella singing group,
are at Congregation
Kol HaNeshamah for
Shabbat in Closter:
Temple Emanu-El
welcomes Dr. Joshua
Kulp, founder of the
Conservative Yeshiva in
Jerusalem, as scholarin-residence, 7 p.m., and
during Shabbat morning
services at 9 a.m. He will
Temple Israel and JCC

offers tot Shabbat led by
Cantor Caitlin Bromberg,
11 a.m. Youngsters, with
their families, join the
service in the sanctuary
for concluding hymns,
followed by kiddush
lunch. 475 Grove St.
(201) 444-9320 or www.
synagogue.org.
Sunday
MARCH 29
Play group in River
Edge: Shalom Baby, from
the Jewish Federation
of Northern New Jersey,
offers play time, music,
story-time, snacks, and
crafts, with a Passover
theme, for new moms/
dads/caregivers with
babies and toddlers,
to connect with each
other and the Jewish
community, at Temple
Avodat Shalom, 9:30 a.m.
Administered by JFNNJs
Synagogue Leadership
Initiative. 385 Howland
Ave. (201) 820-3917
or www.jfnnj.org/
shalombaby.
Jews in Vienna:
Congregation Bnai
Jacob in Jersey City
offers Lox N Learning
featuring The History
of the Jews of Vienna:
From the Middle Ages
to Today A PhotoVideo Journey, 10 a.m.
Donation for breakfast.
(201) 435-7525 or
bnaijacobjc.org.
Model matzah bakery

in Wayne: The Chabad
Center of Passaic County
offers a hands-on
workshop where children
can make traditional
matzah, at the center,
12:45-2:30 p.m. Lunch
served. 194 Ratzer Road.
(973) 694-6274 or
jewishwayne.com.
Yaron Svoray
COURTESY GBDS
Retrieving stolen
Nazi treasures: The
Academies at Gerrard
Berman Day School
Offers Torch Talks with
Yaron Svoray at Temple
Israel in Ridgewood,
4:30 p.m. Svoray, an
expert at researching,
locating, and retrieving
items stolen by Nazis,
was portrayed in HBOs
The Infiltrator. 475
Grove St. (201) 337-1111,
or www.ssnj.org.
Monday
MARCH 30
Matzah Mania for kids
in Oakland: Children
ages 2 to 6 and their
siblings are invited to
a family pre-Passover
party at the Academies
at Gerrard Berman Day
School, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Make afikoman bags,
Passover treats, and
listen to Passover
songs and stories. 45
Spruce St. Registration,
(201) 337-1111 or www.
ssnj.org.
Friday
APRIL 3
Chametz burning: The
Jewish Center of Teaneck
holds its 8th annual Al
and Joy Amsel Memorial
Biur Hametz program,
aka the Big Bread Burn,
in partnership with the
Teaneck Fire Department,
Jewish Community
Council, RCBC, Heichal
Hatorah, Bnai Yeshurun,
Beth Aaron, Netivot
Shalom, Ohr Saadya,
Rinat Yisrael, and
Young Israel of Teaneck,
9:30-11:40 a.m. The
Teaneck Fire Department
will bring a truck and
fire safety trailer. Bring
chometz in paper
bags. 70 Sterling Place.
(201) 833-0515, or www.
jcot.org.
Saturday
APRIL 4
Shabbat in Wyckoff:
Temple Beth Rishon
offers services led by
Rabbi Kenneth Emert
and Cantor Ilan Mamber
with participation
by its mens club,
10 a.m. 585 Russell Ave.
highlight the interfaith

and LGBT communities.
1666 Windsor Road.
(201) 833-1322.
APRIL 8
Singles
Caregiver support in
Rockleigh: A support
Sunday
group for those caring

for the physically frail or
people with Alzheimers
disease meets at the
Gallen Adult Day
Health Care Center at
the Jewish Home at
Rockleigh, 10-11:30 a.m.
Topics include long-term
care options, financial
planning, legal concerns,
and the personal toll
of caregiving. Shelley
Steiner, (201) 784-1414,
ext. 5340.
Book talk in Teaneck:

Temple Emeths
Viewpoints Committee
offers a discussion on
Elana Dykewomons
book, Beyond the Pale,
7:30 p.m. Viewpoints is
a shul committee that
was formed to celebrate
the diversity of the
Jewish community and
includes programs that
MARCH 29
Singles meet in
Caldwell: New Jersey
Jewish Singles 45+
meet for lunch and to
mingle at Congregation
Agudath Israel,
12:45 p.m. Rescheduled
from March 15. $10. 20
Academy Road. Sue,
(973) 226-3600, ext. 145,
or singles@agudath.org.
Sunday
APRIL 12
Senior singles meet in
West Nyack: Singles
65+ meet for a social
bagels and lox brunch
at the JCC Rockland,
11 a.m. 450 West Nyack
Road. $8. Gene Arkin,
(845) 356-5525.
5K Rutgers Hillel
run/walk benefits
Israel advocacy
Registration and sponsorship opportunities are available for the fourth annual FIT (For Israel Team Hillel)
5K run/walk and one mile fun run/walk on Sunday,
April 19. All of the events proceeds benefit the Rutgers
Hillel Center for Israel Engagement.
Since its first began, the event, which is open to people of all ages, has raised $80,000 in support of Israel
engagement, education, and advocacy programs at
Rutgers University Hillel. The FIT 5K is held, rain or
shine, in Buccleuch Park, New Brunswick.
For information, call (732) 545-2407 or email ido@
rutgershillel.org.
Jeff Beck at bergenPAC

Rock n Roll Hall of Fames
Jeff Beck with special guest
Tyler Bryant will play at
the Bergen Performing Arts
Center in Englewood on
Wednesday, April 22, at 8
p.m. Beck is ranked fifth in
Rolling Stones list of the
100 Greatest Guitarists of
All Time. BergenPAC is at
30 North Van Brunt St. in
Jeff Beck
Englewood. For information, call (201) 227-1030 or visit www.bergenpac.org
or www.ticketmaster.com.
Calendar
Mad Men creator will launch
spring series at N.Y. museum
FIDV bike ride in Vermont
This spring, in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition

Designing Home: Jews
and Midcentury Modernism, the Museum
of Jewish Heritage A
Living Memorial to the
Holocaust will host a
roster of public programs and tours.
Matthew Weiner, the
creator of AMCs Mad
Matthew Weiner
COURTESY MJHNYC
Men, will headline the
series with a talk on
Sunday, March 29, at 4 p.m. That is just
guest designers and others on Sundays
before the final seven episodes of the
at noon.
hit series, airs on AMC starting Sunday,
On May 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, the
April 4, at 10 p.m. Weiner, who will look
museum will partner with Parsons, the
back at the trajectory of Jewish characNew School for Design, Cooper Hewitt,
ters during the shows run, will be joined
and the Smithsonian Design Museums
by New York Magazine critic and RogerEHistory of Design and Curatorial Studies
bert.com editor Matt Zoller Seitz at the
masters program to present a free symtalk, which is part of a series of citywide
posium on Jewish culture and modern
events celebrating the show.
design. It will feature leading scholars
The exhibitions curator, Donald
including Alice T. Friedman and Jenna
Albrecht, will discuss the historical
Weisman Joselit.
and cultural context of the exhibit on
The museum is at 36 Battery Place in
April 1 at 7 p.m. The museum will offer
Manhattan. Call (646) 437-4202 or go to
weekly tours during May, featuring
info@mjhync.org for more information.
From July 12 to 15, the Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans will host its second annual
bike ride through the mountains of central
Vermont.
The ride begins at the Three Stallion Inn
in Randolph, Vermont. There will be two
groups, a regular and a challenge, leaving
and then returning daily from the Three
Stallion Inn. Total miles for the three days
will be between 120 and 180. The FIDV
bike ride includes a three-night stay at
the Three Stallion Inn, kosher meals, and
full ride support. Non-riding spouses are
welcome.
The Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans Vermont ride supports Beit Halochem rehabilitation centers in Israel.
Announce
your events
We welcome announcements of upcoming
events. Announcements are free. Accompanying photos must be high resolution, jpg les.
Send announcements 2 to 3 weeks in advance.
Not every release will be published. Include a
daytime telephone number and send to:
NJ Jewish Media Group
pr@jewishmediagroup.com 201-837-8818
Beit Halochem and its parent NGO, the

Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization,
has more than 50,000 members who are
disabled Israeli veterans or victims of terror attacks.
Space for the ride is very limited. For
information, go to fidvbikeride.org or
email fidvbikeride@optonline.net.
Like us
on Facebook.
facebook.com/
jewishstandard
TRADITION. EXPRESSION. REFLECTION.
THiS
iS
Yiddish concert to play Carnegie Hall
DISCUSSION
An Afternoon with
Matthew Weiner, Creator of
AMCs Mad Men
SUN | MAR 29 | 4 P.M.
Itzhak Perlman
LISA MARIE MAZZUCCO
will continue its 100th anniversary celebration with KulturfestNYC, the first
International Festival of Jewish Performing Arts, in New York City from June 14
to 22, with performances featuring artists all over the world in theater, music,
dance, food, lectures, family programs,
and cabaret, as well as films, a street and
food festival, and symposia.
For gala tickets call CarnegieCharge at
(212) 247-7800 or go to www.carnegiehall.org.
NOw ON STAgE
Financier and philanthropist Sanford

Weill and Broadway impresario Jordan
Roth will be honored at the National
Yiddish Theatre Folksbienes Centennial
gala concert at Carnegie Hall, starring
world-renowned maestro and violinist
Itzhak Perlman, on March 31. The gala is
sponsored by Capital One Bank. NYTF is
the longest consecutively producing Jewish arts company in the world.
The gala will feature Perlman performing from his acclaimed In the Fiddlers
House album. The gala, held in collaboration with UJA-Federation of New York,
also will include internationally prominent klezmer musicians, conducted by
music director Hankus Metsky. They
include vocalist Michael Alpert, accordionist Alan Bern, clarinetist Kurt Bjorling,
vocalist Judy Bressler, string bass player
and cellist Stu Brotman, trumpeter Frank
London, vocalist and accordionist Lorin
Sklamberg, clarinetist Andy Statman,
and the Klezmer Conservatory Band.
Golden Land Concerts & Connections
president Moishe Rosenfeld and NYTF
executive producer Christopher Massimine will manage the event under the
oversight of executive director Bryna
Wasserman and artistic director Zalmen
Mlotek.
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
jewish culture
Downtown
$25, $20 members
CURATOR TALK
Designing Home:
Jews and Midcentury
Modernism
WED | APR 1 | 7 P.M.
$5, free for members
YOM HASHOAH
Holocaust Remembrance Day
THU | APR 16
Museum admission is free all day.
Donations welcome.
DISCUSSION
Profits and Persecution:
German Big Business
and the Holocaust
WED | APR 29 | 7 P.M.
$15, free for members
LoWER MANHATTAN | 646.437.4202 | oPEN SUNfRi
MoRE PRogRAM & ExHibiTioN iNfo @ WWW.MjHNyc.oRg
Public programs are made possible through a generous gift
from Mrs. Lily Safra.
Obituaries
Ruth Cohen
Ruth Denson Cohen of Hackensack and Florida died on

March 23.
A former teacher, she was among the founding Denson
family members of the Hackensack Hebrew Institute of
State Street, now Temple Beth El of Hackensack.
Predeceased by her husband, Lester, a son, Robert,
and brothers Alan Denson and Dr. Lawrence Joshua
Denson, she is survived by her children, Linda Kitchin
(Harvey), Thomas (Sandra), Elizabeth, and John (Vicki); a
brother, Harold Denson; and 10 grandchildren.
Shiva will be at the Cohen residence in Hackensack
through Sunday. Donations can be sent to Temple Beth
El of Hackensack.
Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant
Jewish Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
Harold Effron
Harold Effron of Woodcliff Lake and Naples, Fla., died on

March 11.
He was a trustee and treasurer of Pascack Valley Hospital
for more than 40 years; the first honorary member of the Park
Ridge Fire Department for 55 years; and an honorary member of the Park Ridge Police Reserves and the Woodcliff Lake
Fire Department. He was a member of the board of Liberty
National Bank, the regional board of Valley National Bank, and
served on the Bergen Community College Nursing Advisory
board. He was also a member of the Park Ridge Elks and the
Fulton Friendship Lodge 102. He owned Park Ridge Clothing,
Brand Bar and Beverages, and was a real estate agent, builder,
and appraiser.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Natalie, ne Heller,
children, Denise Hayes (Bill), Robin Malley, and Melissa Keenan
(Michael); five grandchildren; and an assistant, Faye Wilson.
Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish
Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
LoweLL Harwood
Lowell Harwood, 85, of Short Hills,

passed away on March 18, 2015.
Born in Newark and raised in Jersey
City, Harwood returned to Hudson
County after graduating from Kent State
University and serving in the United
States Army during the Korean War to
work in the family parking business that
began in 1920.
Harwood built and grew the business, breaking
into the competitive New York market with a
shrewd business model of choosing the right
locations and charging reasonable prices. The
company went public in 1969, with Harwood
becoming chair of Square Industries, Inc.,
headquartered at 921 Bergen Avenue in Jersey
City where Harwood was raised.
By the time the company was sold in 1997,
the family operation had grown to a $100
million business with 135 locations across the
United States. During Harwoods leadership of
Square Industries, the company managed
parking at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake
Placid, N.Y., one of Harwoods proudest achievements. After selling the company, Harwood
continued running Harwood Properties LLC, a
private parking and property management
company that continues to be managed by the
Harwood family in Jersey City.
Harwood was a pillar of the Jersey City business
community, serving on the board of the Jersey
City Chamber of Commerce, and served as the
Chambers president in 1958. In 1997, the
Harwood Family purchased the site of the former
State Theater and created the first, new residential development in Journal Square in more than
50 years, helping to transform the area into the
pride of Jersey City. Harwood was also involved in
numerous parking business associations, serving
on the Board of Directors for the National Parking
Association, the Metropolitan Parking Association
and the New York Parking Association.
A philanthropist in Jersey City and

throughout his home state, Harwood was
a dedicated supporter of Christ Hospital
serving on the Board of Trustees, the
Executive Board and the Christ Hospital
Foundation Board for 40 years. While
serving on the Foundation Board, Harwood donated funds to establish the
Harwood Heart Center, a state-of-the-art coronary-care unit, which continues to bear Lowells
name.
Harwoods philanthropy included more than
10 years of service as a Kean University Trustee
and Trustee Emeritus. As Trustee, Harwood
implemented numerous campus improvement
projects and donated a beautiful stained-glass
window that remains the centerpiece of the
Kean Hall Conference Center. Harwood also
founded the Kean University Gala Event in 1997,
which raised more than $1.4 million over seven
years for the schools scholarship fund, a cause
for which Lowell was very passionate. In recognition of his dedicated service to Kean, he was
named the Universitys Man of the Year at the
Universitys sixth annual gala in 2003. The
Harwood Arena at Kean University is named after
Harwood in honor of his leadership and generosity for the University.
The Harwoods were members of Temple Beth
El in Jersey City for more than 50 years, and
Lowell Harwood was a member of the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Lowell Harwood is survived by his loving wife,
Toby; his brother, Sanford; his children, Leslie
and Craig; his grandchildren, Jonathan, David and
Laura Ehrlich; and his nephews Brett and Scott
Harwood.
The funeral service was held on Friday, March
20, 2015 at at Bernheim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston. In lieu of
flowers, the family asks that donations be made
to Kean University or the charity of your choice.
PAID NOTICE
Joseph Halpern
Joseph Solomon Halpern of River Vale, formerly of Paramus, died on March 4.

Born in Weehawken, he was a U.S. Army World War II
veteran and worked in construction.
Predeceased by his wife, Selma, he is survived by a
son, Lewis, a daughter, Judith Jakubowitz; sisters, Mildred Reicher and Roslyn Feinstein; four grandchildren;
and eight great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
Thomas Holman
Thomas Seth Holman died on March 16.

Born in Manhattan, he graduated from Macalester
College, earned a masters from the University of Chicago, and studied at Oxford University and the University of Vienna.
He was chief curator at the Norton Museum of Art and
curator of collections at the Minnesota Museum of American Art and the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art.
He is survived by his mother, Adele, ne Wolff, of
Teaneck, a brother, Bert (Randy Sue Foster) of Massachusetts, and two nieces.
Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
Dr. Harold Jacobus
Dr. Harold W. Jacobus, 89, of West Palm Beach, Fla.,

formerly of Fair Lawn, died on March 23.
Before retiring, he was the proprietor of Jacobus
Shoes in Ridgewood.
Predeceased by a sister, Joan, he is survived by his wife,
Edith, children, Joan, Jeffrey (Carrie), and Marc (Brenda);
seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Jul i us E. ( Jul E s ) K r um a n
Julius E. (Jules) Kruman, of
Teaneck, died on Friday, March
20, 2015. He was formerly a life
time resident of Pittsburgh, and
most recently from Point Breeze.
Beloved husband of 60+ years
(married in 1954) Harriet N.
Kruman. Loving father of Nathan
(Charlotte) Kruman. Loving Zeidi of Esther, Gavriel,
Naftali, and Eliora Kruman. Brother of Shirley and
Dr. Bernard Fisher and the late Jack and Estelle
Kruman. Brother-in-law of the late Sylvia (Edward)
Wittlin, Pearl (Harry) Salz, and Irwin Willie
(Frances) Newman. Also survived by many
devoted nieces and nephews and many cherished
friends. He was the son of the late Bertha and Neff
Kruman. Jules was president of Kruman
Equipment Co., followed by his second career of
22 years in commercial real estate for Coldwell
Banker. Jules served in the South Pacific during
WWII, attaining the rank of Captain. He has been
an Honorary President of Congregation Beth
Shalom. Services were at Ralph Schugar Chapel,
Inc. Contributions may be made to Congregation
Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon Street, Pittsburgh, PA
15217 or Hebrew Free Loan Association 4307
Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, or a charity
of the donors choice. www.schugar.com.
PAID NOTICE
Obituaries
Donations can be sent to Good Samaritan Hospice,
West Palm Beach, Fla. Arrangements were by Louis Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.
Irwin Kadin
Contributions can be sent to the rabbis discretionary

fund at Temple Emanu-El of Closter or Temple Beth Israel
of Port Washington, N.Y. Arrangements were by Gutterman
and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
Irwin J. Kadin, 90, of Paramus, formerly of Westwood,

died on March 24.
Born in New York City, he was a retired civil engineer,
and a World War II and Korean War veteran.
He is survived by his wife, Elaine, ne Levy, children,
Andrew of Texas, and Lori Benson of Colorado and five
grandchildren.
Arrangements were by Eden Memorial Chapels,
Fort Lee.
Arlene Rubinson
Stuart Meltzer
Marv Schneider
Stuart C. Meltzer, 64, of New City, N.Y., died on March 21.

Born in New York City, he worked for the NYC Department of Transportation and was a member of Sephardic
Brotherhood of America in Forest Hills, N.Y.
He is survived by his wife, Lynda, ne Perahia, children, Jason of Pomona, N.Y., and Pamela of Stony Point,
N.Y.; brothers, David of Bergenfield, and Marc of White
Plains, N.Y.; and three grandchildren.
Arrangements were by Eden Memorial Chapels,
Fort Lee.
Arlene Rubinson, 79, of Teaneck, formerly of Fair Lawn,

died on March 23.
Predeceased by her husbands, Jack Rubinson and
Murray Schron, she is survived by her children, Rhonda
of New York City and Robert (Randi Schwartz) of Baltimore, and two grandchildren.
Donations can be sent to Doctors Without Borders.
Arrangements were by Louis Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.
Marilyn R. Milstein-Lackow, 83, of Elmwood Park, died

on March 24. Arrangements were by Louis Suburban
Chapel, Fair Lawn.
Marv Schneider, 84, an Associated Press sports correspondent for 43 years, who broke the news of Joe DiMaggios death in 1999, died on March 20.
Born in Yonkers, N.Y., he was a New York University
graduate and worked for the Yonkers Herald Statesman
before joining the AP.
He is survived by his wife, Anna Burris of Fort Lee,
sons Martin and Steven, both of New York City, and
Gregg of Hackettstown; stepchildren, Dr. Allen Burris
(Sheila) of Virginia, and Wendy DeLisi (Larry) of Pennsylvania; a sister, Elaine Gottlieb (Marvin) of Florida; two
grandchildren; and two nieces.
Contributions can be sent to National Council of Jewish Women, Bergenfield. Arrangements were by Robert
Schoems Menorah Chapel, Paramus.
Sheila Rabinovich
Mark Simowitz
Marilyn Milstein-Lackow
Sheila Rabinovich, ne Turman, 89, of Boynton Beach,

Fla., and Manhasset, N.Y., died on March 19.
A homemaker, she was predeceased by her husband, Solomon, and a son, Alan, and is survived by her
children, Barry (Shelley), and Debra (Darryl), and five
grandchildren.
201-791-0015
800-525-3834
LOUIS SUBURBAN CHAPEL, INC.

Exclusive Jewish Funeral Chapel
Sensitive to Needs of the Jewish Community for Over 50 Years

Serving NJ, NY, FL & Israel
Graveside services at all NJ & NY cemeteries
Prepaid funerals and all medicaid funeral benefits honored
Always within a familys financial means
13-01 Broadway (Route 4 West) Fair Lawn, NJ

Richard Louis - Manager
George Louis - Founder
NJ Lic. No. 3088
1924-1996
Obituaries are
prepared with
information provided
by funeral homes.
Correcting errors is
the responsibility of
the funeral home.
Mark A. Simowitz, 57, of Fair Lawn died on March 21.

He was an Ohio University graduate.
Predeceased by his father, Sol, he is survived by his
mother, Marian, a brother, Barry, and a nephew, Adam.
Donations can be sent to a favorite charity. Arrangements were by Louis Suburban Chapel, Fair Lawn.
Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel, Inc
Ruth Urfire
Ruth A. Urfire died on March 19.

Born in Guatemala, she was a CPA for over 40 years.
Previously, she was an algebra, geometry, and trigonometry
teacher. She was a member of the Ridgefield Park Lions Club
and was a Girl Scout leader.
Predeceased by a brother, Mario Francisco Najera, she
is survived by her children, Eric (Esperanza), and Dawn
(Vincent); siblings, Francisco Valente Najera (Elena), Lilia
Mazariegos, Rosario Diab, Maria Del Carmen Gutierrez, and
Gloria Diez; and five grandchildren.
Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish
Funeral Directors, Hackensack.
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WIEN & WIEN, INC.

MEMORIAL CHAPELS
800-322-0533
402 PARK STREET, HACKENSACK, NJ 07601

ALAN L. MUSICANT, Mgr., N.J. LIC. NO. 2890
MARTIN D. KASDAN, N.J. LIC. NO. 4482
IRVING KLEINBERG, N.J. LIC. NO. 2517
Advance Planning Conferences Conveniently Arranged
at Our Funeral Home or in Your Own Home
GuttermanMusicantWien.com
201-947-3336 888-700-EDEN
www.edenmemorial.com
Classified
(201) 837-8818
Want To Rent
Help Wanted
Situations Wanted
Situations Wanted
SINGLE Professional woman looking for an apartment/room to share

in Fair Lawn/Teaneck area. Call
908-447-0989
MITZVAH Market seeks an assertive individual to sell advertising

media to party vendors. Work from
home. Unlimited commission. Resume: jobs@mitzvahmarket.com
ELDER Care 25 years caring for

elders. Day or Night! Experienced!
References. Reliable. Own car.
Call 551-265-7720
DAUGHTER
FOR A DAY, LLC
YBH OF PASSAIC is seeking

to hire a 6th grade Morah for
September 2015.
If interested send resume,
certifications and references to:
973-777-9477
or emial to:
gpersin@ybhpassaic.org
EXPERIENCED
BABYSITTER
for Teaneck area.
Cemetery Plots For Sale

CEDAR PARK-BETH EL
Four plots for $7000.00
Buyer to pay
all fees required
Details:
Carl Rod at 603-991-3304
ab1ig@yahoo.com
FOUR cemetery plots for sale.
They are all together. Cedar Park,
Paramus, NJ. 770-827-3318 or
email irismorrison@gmail.com
Help Wanted
.
Yeshiva in North Jersey
is seeking the following
Part Time positions:
Middle School Language Arts
* Middle School Science
Elementary School General
Studies
Must have experience teaching.
B.A. preferred.
Email: cover letter, resume,
certifications & references to:
yeshivaconfide@gmail.com
Please call Jenna

201-660-2085
Situations Wanted
27 YEARS EXPERIENCE as a
Nurses Aide. Excellent references.
Live out/in. I have a valid drivers
license. 201-870-8372; 516-4519997
CHHA seeks position to take care
of sick/elderly. Live-in/out. 24 hr
care. Specialize in Parkinsons,
Alzheimer. Patient big & tall okay.
References available. Call 201749-7292
COMPANION: Experienced, kind,
trustworthy person seeking part
time work. Weekends OK. Meal
preparation, laundry, housekeeping. Will drive for doctors appointments; occasional sleepovers. 973519-4911
EXPERIENCED CHHA looking to

care for elderly. Full-time. Reliable.
Speaks English. 862-600-1122
HOUSE, Office, Apartment Cleaning. Experienced! References!
Reasonable rates! Call Lucia 201966-8107
LOOKING to care for elderly including Alzheimer patients. Hours
7 a.m.-4 p.m. Have 5 years experience. Worked in Intensive Care.
Knowledge of Kashruth. 862-2629891
NEED help entertaining or serving
for holidays? I can set up, serve
and clean up for any event that you
might have!!! Interested? call Liana
201-314-0358
NURSING Attendant/Companion
seeking position to live-in or out.
Mondays - Fridays or Weekends.
Have years of experience. Call
201-203-5406
Mohels
MOHEL
Rabbi Gerald Chirnomas
TRAINED AT & CERTIFIED BY HADASSAH HOSPITAL, JERUSALEM
CERTIFIED BY THE CHIEF RABBINATE OF JERUSALEM
973-334-6044
www.rabbichirnomas.com
Get results!
Advertise on
this page.
201-837-8818
LICENSED & INSURED
FOR YOUR
PROTECTION
Handpicked
Certified Home
Health Aides
Creative
companionship
interactive,
intelligent
conversation &
social outings
Downsize
Coordinator
Assist w/shopping,
errands, Drs, etc.
Organize/process
paperwork,
bal. checkbook,
bookkeeping
Resolve medical
insurance claims
Free Consultation
RITA FINE
201-214-1777
www.daughterforaday.com
Established 2001
Cleaning Service
TOO BUSY? Ill clean for you!
Homes,
apartments,
offices.
Please call Cimia 201-923-6467
Antiques
We pay cash for

Antique Furniture
Used Furniture
Oil Paintings
Bronzes Silver
Porcelain China
Modern Art
Top Dollar For Any Kind of Jewelry &

Chinese Porcelain & Ivory
ANS A
Over 25 years courteous service to tri-state area
We come to you Free Appraisals
Call Us!
Shommer
Shabbas
201-861-7770 201-951-6224
www.ansantiques.com
Antiques Wanted
WE BUY
Oil Paintings
Silver
Bronzes
Porcelain
Oriental Rugs
Furniture
Marble Sculpture
Jewelry
Tiffany Items
Chandeliers
Chinese Art
Bric-A-Brac
Tyler Antiques
Home Health Services
BERGEN HOME CARE &

NURSING, INC.
For all
your Home Care
and Nursing Needs
We have the best
RNs and HHAs
Free Consultation
Competitive rates
CHHA Classes
201-342-3402
ROYAL HEARTS HEALTHCARE

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Rate: $16.00 to $18.00 per hour
Live-in $150/day
Best Care with Compassion,
Kindness, Humility, Gentleness
and Patience.
862-250-6680
care@rhhealthcare.com
Cleaning & Hauling
RICKS SAME DAY SERVICE

CLEANOUT, INC.
RUBBISH REMOVAL
We clean up:
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Residential Dumpster Specials
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201-342-9333
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SENIOR CITIZENS 10% OFF

Driving Service
MICHAELS CAR
SERVICE
LOWEST RATES
Airports Cruise Terminals

Manhattan/NYC
School Transportation
201-836-8148
Carpet Cleaning
JOHNS CARPET &
UPHOLSTERY CLEANING
25 years experience
Owner Operated
Special!! 2 rooms $65.00
Double Method Cleaning
201-487-1176
www.shampoosteam.com
Cleaning & Hauling
JIMMY
THE JUNK MAN
Low Cost
Commercial
Residental
Rubbish Removal
201-661-4940
Handyman
Your Neighbor with Tools

Home Improvements & Handyman
Shomer Shabbat Free Estimates
Over 15 Years Experience
Adam 201-675-0816 Jacob

Lic. & Ins. NJ Lic. #13VH05023300
www.yourneighborwithtoolshandyman.com
Painting/Wallpapering
Give Your House

A New Look
For The New Season
Painting Interior Exterior Wallcovering
Staining Power Washing Tiling
Install, Sand & Refinish Wood Floors
Residential Commercial
Call for FREE estimate
NEW IMAGE PAINTING

Clovis
201-290-9572
Fernando
862-588-8844
Antiques
NICHOL AS
ANTIQUES
Estates Bought & Sold
Fine Furniture
Antiques
T
U
Accessories
Cash Paid
201-920-8875
Get results!
Advertise on
this page.
201-837-8818
Sterling Associates Auctions

SEEKING CONSIGNMENT AND OUT RIGHT PURCHASES
Sculpture Paintings Porcelain Silver
Jewelry Furniture Etc.
Established by Bubbe in 1940!
TOP CASH PRICES PAID
tylerantiquesny@aol.com
201-768-1140 www.antiquenj.com
sterlingauction@optonline.net
70 Herbert Avenue, Closter, N.J. 07642
201-894-4770
Shomer Shabbos
FREE APPRAISALS TUESDAYS FROM 12-2

IN OUR GALLERY. CALL FOR APPOINTMENT.
Classified
hoMe iMPRoveMents
PluMBing
BESTof the BEST
APL Plumbing & Heating LLC
Painting
Carpentry
Kitchens
Decks
Electrical
Locks/Doors
Paving/Masonry
Basements
Drains/Pumps
Bathrooms
Plumbing
Maintenence
Tiles/Grout
Hardwood Floors
General Repairs
Boilers Hot Water Heaters Leaks
BH
Complete Kitchen &

Bath Remodeling
Home Repair Service
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Fully Licensed, Bonded and Insured
NO JOB IS TOO SMALL!
201-358-1700 Lic. #12285
Solution to last weeks puzzle. This weeks puzzle is

on page 52.
PARTY
PLANNER
Get results!
Advertise on
this page.
201-837-8818
NO JOB IS TOO SMALL

24 Hour x 5 1/2 Emergency Services
Shomer Shabbat
Free Estimates
1-201-530-1873
CAR seRviCe
Jewish Music with an Edge
A PLUS
Limo & Car Service
Ari Greene 201-837-6158

AGreene@BaRockorchestra.com
www.BaRockOrchestra.com
The most reliable and efficient service

at all times for your transporation needs.
Our professional and courteous team works together for you.
Serving the Tri-State Area, New York and Bergen County
EWR $39 LGA $42 JFK $59

Tolls, parking, wlt, stops & tps are not included Extra $7 Airport Pickup
Prices subject to change without prior notice. Price varies by locations.
Fuel surcharge may add up to 10% Additional charge may be applied to credit card payment
201-641-5500 888-990-TAXI (8294)
Visit us online at: www.apluslimo1.com E-mail: apluslimo@earthlink.net
RooFing
ROOFING SIDING
Free
Estimates
HACKENSACK
ROO
FING
OOFING
CO.
201-487-5050
INC.
GUTTERS LEADERS
Roof
Repairs
83 FIRST STREET
HACKENSACK, NJ 07601
Pets FoR AdoPtion
S.T.A.R.T. II
MAZON IS ending hunger making a difference tikkun olam

keeping kids healthy nutrition for seniors sustenance
tzedakah fostering responsibility raising awareness soup
kitchens food banks food pantries social justice selfempowerment partnering for change advocating for people in
need building a robust emergency food network encouraging
public policy reform a legacy of giving promoting health and
well-being tribute cards fulfilling a jewish tradition making
an impact optimism nourishment pursuing justice working
to end food insecurity meeting basic human needs nutrition
and health education initiatives a strong safety net providing
assistance and support concern for others a voice for people
who are hungry enhancing quality of life jewish values in action
THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY
WORKING TOGETHER TO END HUNGER
Save The Animals Rescue Team

SAVE THE DATE
TRICKY TRAY AUCTION
Thursday, April 30 7-11 pm
Doors open at 5:00 pm $55 Donation

Includes dinner, one small sheet of tickets
Vivien (201) 417-3363
100% of proceeds benefits homeless animals
Fiesta, Wood Ridge, NJ
www.start2pets.com
Public Service Announcement
Call us.
We are waiting
for your
classied ad!
201-837-8818
Tel 310.442.0020 | 800.813.0557 | mazon.org

10495 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 100, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Real Estate & Business

Village Apartments of the Jewish
Federation in South Orange
to hold open house April 23
Village Apartments of the Jewish Federation, a senior living community in
the heart of South Orange, will hold
an open house on Thursday, April
23, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. The event
is free for seniors and their families
who want to find out more about
the various housing options and
programs available at the senior living community. Attendees will tour
the residence, enjoy complimentary hors doeuvres, and be entered
in a raffle for a free digital camera.
To reserve a place, please RSVP site
manager Cheryl Kasye at (973) 7630999 by April 20.
Village Apartments is located at 110
Vose Ave., within walking distance
from the many dining, shopping,
and entertainment destinations of
downtown South Orange and a short
drive to many area attractions. The
residence offers a range of housing
options, services, and amenities
for independent seniors, including

social, cultural, and enrichment programs throughout the year. It is one
of four senior living communities in
Essex and Morris counties that are
owned and managed by the Jewish
Community Housing Corporation of
Metropolitan New Jersey . For information about Village Apartments, go
to www.jchcorp.org.
Founded in 1983, the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of
Metropolitan New Jersey owns and
manages more than 470 apartments
in four buildings for older adults in
Morris and Essex counties. The nonprofit organization offers seniors a
range of options in terms of services,
amenities, location, and cost, all
within a traditional Jewish environment. The JCHC provides housing,
programs, and services for the independent elderly as well as to those
who need assisted living.
The Lander College for Men Beis Medrash LTalmud dedicated its beis medrash in
honor of the fifth yahrzeit of Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander, the founder and first president of Touro College. From left, Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, executive vice president of
Touro College; Rabbi Doniel Lander, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim and the
Beis Medrash LTalmud; Zvi Ryzman, president and CEO of American International
Industries and a member of the Touro College Board of Trustees; Dr. Alan Kadish,
president and CEO of Touro College; Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Rosh HaYeshiva of the
Beis Medrash LTalmud; Dr. Moshe Sokol, dean of LCM; Dr. Stanley L. Boylan, Touros
vice president of undergraduate education and dean of faculties; and LCM menahel
and Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yehuda Shmulewitz.
Palisades Medical Center CEO leads March of Dimes

in effort to improve health of Hudson County babies
ore than 12,000 New Jersey babies

will be born prematurely this year,
and Bruce J. Markowitz, president
and CEO of Palisades Medical Center,
is working with the March of Dimes to change this.
Mr. Markowitz has taken on the role of Hudson
County March for Babies chair to raise awareness
and increase funding to provide for babies who are
March for Babies, the

March of Dimes
largest fundraiser,
will be held on April
26 at Liberty State
Park in Jersey City.
born prematurely or with birth defects. March for
Babies, the March of Dimes largest fundraiser, will
be held on April 26 at Liberty State Park in Jersey
City.
March for Babies helps fund lifesaving research
and educational programs aimed at helping women
give birth to stronger, healthy babies. I am honored to serve in the important role as the chairman
of the Hudson County March for Babies, Mr. Markowitz said. I believe we can all rally behind the
March of Dimes and its mission.
Hudson County residents can sign up today at
Direct lender
2 to 3 day approval
Closings within 30 days
Northern NJ Appraisers
FHA loans w/55% debt ratio
Credit scores as low as 580
TEANECK
OPEN HOUSES SUNDAY, MARCH 29
TM
TENAFLY
Let Us Finance Your

House Purchase
Network, and it features a 202-bed hospital and the Harborage, a 247-bed nursing home and rehabilitation center. Palisades Medical Center was recently ranked as New
Jerseys fourth hospital of its size by Inside Business magazine and Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. The New Jersey
Hospital Association has honored Palisades Medical Center with its prestigious Community Outreach Award for
its year-round commitment to educate residents, improve
access to care, and reduce health disparities.
Palisades Medical Center is the largest employer in its
service area, with more than 1,300 employees, and it has
an annual operating budget of approximately $150 million.
It has been recognized as one of Modern Healthcares Best
Places to Work in Healthcare. For more information, call
(201) 854-5000 or go to www.palisadesmedical.org.
www.marchforbabies.org and start a team with coworkers, family or friends. Last year, more than 650
people attended the event, which raised more than
$150,000.
Were so excited to have Mr. Markowitz on board
to help us at a local level, said Addy Bonet, state
director for the New Jersey March of Dimes chapter.
His passion for the cause will be a huge driving factor in the success of our event. We are grateful for his
commitment.
For more than 75 years, mothers and babies have
benefited from March of Dimes research, education,
vaccines, and breakthroughs. Find out how you can
help raise funds to prevent premature birth and birth
defects by walking in March for Babies at marchforbabies.org.
Palisades Medical Center is in North Bergen and
serves a population of 400,000 people in Hudson and
southern Bergen counties. The nonprofit medical center is affiliated with the Hackensack University Health
PICTURESQUE
$988,800
Lovely 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath ranch nestled on .54 secluded acres in prime East Hill
setting, living room w/fireplace, sunroom w/skylights opens to deck & gorgeous yard,
kitchen w/breakfast area, upper level addition w/family room, full
basement offers endless possibilities.
ALPINE/CLOSTER
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894-1234
768-6868
CRESSKILL
Orna Jackson, Sales Associate 201-376-1389
666-0777
568-1818
894-1234 871-0800
FRIEDBERG
TM
OFFERING NJ REAL ESTATE

SALESPERSON LICENSING
MLO #58058
ladclassic@aol.com
Daniel M. Shlufman
Managing Director
MLO #6706
dshlufman@classicllc.com
Classic Mortgage, LLC

Serving NY, NJ & CT
25 E. Spring Valley Ave., Ste 100, Maywood, NJ
201-368-3140
www.classicmortgagellc.com
MLS
#31149
Convenient location
1018 Closter Dock Road, Alpine, NJ
For additional information contact:
Robin Malley 201-497-8990
E-mail:
FriedbergRealEstateSchool@gmail.com
Priced at only $349
$639,900
2-4 PM
Stately Brick Col. 4 BR, 3.5 Bath. Tastefully remodeled/4 true

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heat, 2 Car Gar. W Englwd Area.
1212 Emerson Ave.
$389,000
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Bsmt. Gar.
NEW MILFORD
OPEN HOUSE
982 Pleasant Dr.
Day and Evening Classes

Call for Starting Dates
Larry DeNike
President
340 W Englewood Ave.
$799,000
1-4 PM
Superb Quality.7 Year Young. CH Colonial. 2-Story Ent, LR,

Banq FDR, Vault Ceil Fam Rm/Fplc/Skylites, Granite Floored
& Countered Isle Kit, Priv Den. 4 Generous BRs, 3 Baths.
Huge High Ceil Bsmt. C/A/C, 2 Car Gar, Sprinklers.
BY APPOINTMENT
New Milford. Just Listed. Quiet Cul-De-Sac. Spacious S/L.

4 Brms, 2.5 Updated Baths. Lg LR, FDR, Eat in Kit, Fam Rm.
2 Car Att Gar. C/A/C. Approx 11,141 sq ft lot. $490s
ALL CLOSE TO NY BUS / HOUSES OF WORSHIP /

HIGHWAYS / SHOPPING / SCHOOLS & NY BUS
For Our Full Inventory & Directions
Visit our Website
www.RussoRealEstate.com
2014
READERS
CHOICE
FIRST PLACE
REAL ESTATE AGENCY
(201) 837-8800
SELLING YOUR HOME?
Call Susan Laskin Today

To Make Your Next Move A Successful One!
BergenCountyRealEstateSource.com
Cell: 201-615-5353
2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.
FOR SALE BEAUTIFUL COLONIAL IN ENGLEWOOD
6 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths Exquisite Colonial.

Custom Details, Spacious Flow, High Ceiling,
Beautiful hardwood floors. Rebuilt/Expanded
1999 as Energy Efficient Home, 7-Zone Heat,
2-Zone A/C. Park Like Property, Security,
Sprinkler, Sound Systems, 2-Car Attached Garage. Great Location!
Ayelet Hurvitz
Exceptional Service, Exceptional Results
Recipient of the NJAR Circle of Excellence
Sales Award 2012-2014
Direct: 201-294-1844
Alpine/Closter Office: 201-767-0550 x 235

ahurvitz12@yahoo.com
www.ayelethurvitz.com
Like us
on Facebook.
Free medical screening

for uninsured in Englewood
Beginning in April, the Bergen Volunteer
Medical Initiative will screen area residents
at the Englewood Health Department, 73
S. Van Brunt St. Prospective patients will
be seen by appointment only on April
7 and 21, May 5 and 19, and June 2 and 16.
After screening, eligible patients will be
scheduled to see a physician at the health
care center in Hackensack.
Health Care will be provided by volunteer medical professionals and is available for Bergen County residents who are
working but do not have health insurance.
Eligible adults must live in Bergen County,
earn between $12,000 and $36,000 per
year ($24,000 $72,000 for a family of
four) and be uninsured. A financial and
medical eligibility interview will be conducted before an applicants acceptance as
a patient.
To make an appointment, call (201) 3422478. For more information about BVMI, go
to bvmi.org.
This outreach effort is a partnership of

BVMI, the Englewood Board of Health,
and the Community Chest of Englewood,
with funding from Englewood Hospital and
Medical Center.
The Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative provides free primary and preventive
health care to low-income working adults
in Bergen County without insurance or
the means to pay for care. BVMI is guided
by the Culture of Caring and believes
that how people are treated is as important as the care they receive. Last year 65
volunteer physicians, nurse practitioners,
nurses, social workers, dietitians, and others treated 1,000 patients in over 6,000
medical visits.
BVMI is completely dependent on contributed income from individuals, businesses, community groups, and foundations. BVMI Healthcare Center, a
state-licensed ambulatory care facility, is at
241 Moore St. Hackensack.
BRIEFS
Jewish sites in U.K., Hungary attacked

A group of assailants entered a synagogue
in London on Sunday and attacked worshippers and property, with reports indicating that some attackers shouted, Kill
the Jews.
Those inside Ahavas Torah synagogue
had to defend themselves with chairs
against the mob, which physically assaulted
at least one person and smashed windows.
British police later arrested six people in
connection with the attack.
Despite the attackers reported shouting of Kill the Jews, Jewish officials said
after the attack that the incident was not
motived by anti-Semitism and was instead
an anti-social attack, reported the
Times of Israel. The Jewish neighborhood

patrol group Shomrim said in a statement,
The incident is not believed to be a targeted or planned attack, although some
anti-Semitic remarks may have been made
by some of the group.
Meanwhile, in Hungary, about 20 Jewish graves were vandalized in the northeastern city of Gyonyos. The graves
were so damaged that some of the
human remains were found scattered
about in a manner described as unprecedented by the leader of the local Jewish community, Peter Weisz, according
to the Associated Press.
JNS.ORG
Secret Nazi lair reportedly found in Argentina

A team of archaeologists from the University of Buenos Aires believe they have
found a secret Nazi hideout in the Teyu
Cuare provincial park, in the Misiones
region of northern Argentina, the Telegraph reported.
The hidden lair consists of several nearly
inaccessible stone structures, in which the
archaeologists found German coins from
the late 1930s, fragments of Made in Germany porcelain, and Nazi symbols on the
walls, according to the report.
The archaeological teams leader, Daniel
Schavelzon, said there seems to be no other
explanation for the unusual structures than
a planned refuge for German leaders in the

event of a defeat, part of a larger project
to create Nazi safe havens in far corners
around the world.
This site also has the bonus of allowing
the inhabitants to be in Paraguay in less
than 10 minutes. Its a protected, defendable site where they could live quietly,
Schavelzon said.
After World War II, Argentina welcomed
Nazi leaders, including Adolf Eichmann
(who was later trapped by Israeli agents
before being put on trial and executed in
Israel), rendering this particular Nazi lair
JNS.ORG
unnecessary.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS.

Norm Mulkowsky of Wanaque,
winner of a two-night stay at the Marriott Glenpointe, Teaneck.
Glenn Shorr of Woodcliff Lake,
winner of two tickets to see Jackie Mason at bergenPAC
The Art of Real Estate

NJ:
NY:
Jeffrey Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NY
ORADELL
201.266.8555
T: 212.888.6250
T:
PARAMUS
SO
LD
CLOSTER
SO
LD
240 SPRING VALLEY ROAD
411 VALLEY VIEW ROAD
ENGLEWOOD
ENGLEWOOD
SO
201.906.6024
M: 917.576.0776
LD
ENGLEWOOD
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350 ELKWOOD TERRACE
400 JONES ROAD
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120 DEVRIESE COURT
BERGENFIELD
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8 ALICE PLACE
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TEANECK
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FORT LEE
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BUCKINGHAM TOWER, #1605
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193 VANDELINDA AVENUE
MEDITERRANEAN TOWERS WEST, #4-N
TENAFLY
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215 E. LINDEN AVENUE
11 WHITEWOOD ROAD
SO
LD
511 KNICKERBOCKER ROAD
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169 BAKER AVENUE
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SO
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LD
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41 MCCAIN COURT
185 EAST PALISADE AVENUE, #D5B
SO
DEMAREST
SO
LD
LD
Ruth Miron-Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NJ
M:
SO
LD
THE PALISADES, #2507
Contact us today for your complimentary consultation!
www.MironProperties.com
Each Miron Properties office is independently owned and operated.
STORE HOURS
646 Cedar Lane Teaneck, NJ 07666
SUN - TUE: 7AM - 9PM

WED: 7AM - 10PM
THURS: 7AM - 11PM
FRI: 7AM - 2 HOURS
BEFORE SUNDOWN
Tel: 201-855-8500 Fax: 201-801-0225
Sign Up For Your

Loyalty
Card
In Store
Sale Effective
3/29/15 -4/3/15
15
69
ea.
MEAT DEPARTMENT
Whole
Chickens
Farm Fresh
69
Fresh
Scallions
lb..
5/$
Bunches
Lb
Fresh
White Meat
Turkey Roast
Veal
Spare Ribs
$ 49
Lb
Fresh Extra Lean
Lb
2/$
2/$
Assorted
Decaf
7 OZ
Save On!
99
18 OZ
Assorted
Save On!
99
$ 99
DAIRY KOSHER FOR PASSOVER
Breakstone s
Sour Cream
2/$
2/$
Assorted
Family Pack
11.5 OZ
Schtark
Shredded
Cheese
$ 99
2 LB
16 OZ
Mehadrin
Cheese
Snack
1499
6 PK
7 OZ
8.57 OZ
Save On!
Assorted
Dannon or
La Yogurt
10/$
6 OZ
Save On!
Haolam
String
Cheese
$ 99
18 OZ
Assorted Sliced
Fresh &
Healthy
Cheese
$ 79
5 OZ
Assorted
Tnuva
Chocolate
Pudding
$ 49
4 PK
16 OZ
8 OZ
Liebers
Olive
Oil
5/$
Save On!
Save On!
Golden Flow
Orange
Assorted
Juice
Irenes
$
$ 99 Potato
64 OZ Pancakes
399
Save On!
Philadelphia
Cream Cheese
2/$
8 OZ
8 OZ
MealMart
Chopped
Beef Liver
$ 99
12 OZ
$ 99
16 OZ
Cherry Flavor
Mehadrin
Italian $
Ices
Cranberry
Sauce
99
6 PK
Save On!
Olive Oil
Spray
6 OZ
15 Pack White
EA
We Have KFP Herring

To Place An Order Email
Info@Ossiesfish.Com
BAKERY
WE HAVE MANY
KOSHER FOR
PASSOVER
CAKES AND COOKIES
IN
STORE
Sweet Potato
or Fusion Gluten Free
Fries
Noam Gourmet
PROVISIONS
Assorted
2/$ Pizza
$
99
Squares
19 OZ
Joburg
4 PK
2 LB
24 OZ
15 PACK
Gefen
1099
$ 49
Bounty
Paper
Towels
1499
3/$
Broccoli
Florets or
Cauliflower
2/$
26 Hours
Lox
Tray
5 $499
Manischewitz
3/$
Ner Zion
Yarhzeit Candle
Tin
Of Tov
Chicken
Nuggets
Ossies
16 OZ
Assorted
LB
Save On!
2/$
Eden
Save On!
Kineret
Coffee
Whitener
5 $1499
Glicks
8 OZ
Liebers or Gefen
Apple
Juice
FROZEN - KOSHER FOR PASSOVER
Crusted
Tuna
2/$
4 PK
Save On!
34 OZ
PLASTIC
Aluminum
Pans
2/$
50 CT
99
9x13
Save On!
Gefen Baking
Powder Herb
2/$
32 OZ
LB
Save On!
California Gourmet
Chocolate
Chips
499
All Fresh Fish

Kosher For Passover
4 $1399
50 CT
Save On!
Extra Light or Extra Virgin
Glicks
Candle
Holders
2.8 OZ
16 OZ
Assorted
2/$
99
2/$
Save On!
Osem Instant
Vanilla
Pudding
Shufra
Baking
Cocoa
12PK/
1 LTR
3.5 OZ.
2/$
Hollywood
Safflower
Oil
Streits
Charoset
Elite
Instant
Coffee
Haddar
Glaze
Temptee
Cream
Cheese
Save On!
$ 99
8.5 OZ
Save On!
Liebers
Almond
Butter
25 OZ
FISH
Fillet
2/$
Manischewitz
Matzo
Meal
2/$
Mayim
Chaim
Seltzer
$ 99
$ 99
ea.
Gefen Scottish
Sweet n Low Salmon
Save On!
Gefen Pasta
Sauce
Plain Only
Liebers
Mustard
Liebers
Bestcafe
Coffee
Save On!
8 OZ./8 PK
24 OZ
99
Assorted
2/$
2/$
24 OZ.
Crystal Geyser
Water
2/$
1195
Lb
Save On!
Galil
Roasted
Chestnuts
2/$
8 Pack
Gefen
Potato
Starch
Beit Hashita
Pickles
14 OZ
7 OZ.BAG
Save On!
ea.
Roll
$ 99
Save On!
Save On!
25
5
Ocean
$
Lb
Beef
Stew
Lb
ea.
Spicy Kani
Roll
American Black Angus Beef
$ 99
Mishpacha
Ketchup
2/$
14.1 OZ
7-9 Ct
11
Save On!
Paskesz
Mini
Mandel
Whole or Cut
Hearts
of Palm
475
$ 99
Lb
Lb
Vegetable
Roll
California
Steak
Miami
Strip Steak
$ 29
Gefen or Haddar
Save On!
Manischewitz
Chicken
Broth
FISH
SUSHI
`
49
GROCERY KOSHER FOR PASSOVER
Largest Passover Selection at the Best Prices!
Ground
Shoulder Steak
Family
Pack
$ 99
Lb
22.6 OZ
Your
Passover
Destination
Medallion
Roast
Chicken
Cutlets
$ 99
Fresh
32 OZ

201-855-8500 Fax: 201-801-0225
www.thecedarmarket.com
info@thecedarmarket.com
Shop & $ave
Fresh
Family
Pack
$ 29
bag
MARKET
OUR MEAT DEPARTMENT IS NOW KOSHER FOR PASSOVER
Fresh
Two
in a
Pack
lb
$ 99
Black Beauty
Eggplants
5/$
lb.
39
YOUR CHOICE !!
Snow White
Cello
Mushrooms
99
ea.
YOUR CHOICE !!
Red
Macintosh
Apples
Idaho
Potatoes
US #1
69
ORGANIC ORGANIC ORGANIC
50 lb Bag
Passover SPECIAL
Sunday 3/29 ONLY
ea.
Navel
Oranges
Loyalty
Program
ORGANIC ORGANIC ORGANIC
$ 99
ea.
Beets or
Carrots
Pascal Celery or
3 lb bag
Yellow Onions
Horseradish
$ 89
Loose
Farm Fresh
Farm Fresh
Golden
Pineapple
Loyalty
Program
Organic
at:
Visit Our Website om
et.c
www.thecedarmark

201-855-8500 Fax: 201-801-0225
www.thecedarmarket.com
info@thecedarmarket.com
MARKET
TERMS & CONDITIONS: This card is the property of Cedar Market, Inc. and is intended for exclusive
use of the recipient and their household members. Card is not transferable. We reserve the right to
change or rescind the terms and conditions of the Cedar Market loyalty program at any time, and
without notice. By using this card, the cardholder signifies his/her agreement to the terms &
conditions for use. Not to be combined with any other Discount/Store Coupon/Offer. *Loyalty Card
must be presented at time of purchase along
with ID for verification. Purchase cannot be
reversed once sale is completed.
CEDAR MARKET
CEDAR MARKET
PRODUCE
Sugar Sweet
Passover SPECIAL
Sunday 3/29 ONLY
Fine Foods
Great Savings
NEW!
Save On!
Cedar
Gefilte
Fish
Save On!
$ 99
20 OZ
Gourmet
Sausages
Galil
Artichoke Ultra Thin
Bottoms
Hod Golan
$ 99
14 OZ
Turkey
Slices
6
$ 99
3
$ 99
We reserve the right to limit sales to 1 per family. Prices effective this store only. Not responsible for typographical errors. Some pictures are for design purposes only and do not necessarily represent items on sale. While Supply Lasts. No rain checks.
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REMEMBERING BRUNDIBAR page 6

REMEMBERING BERGA page 10

A supplement to the Jewsh Standard Spring 2015

Useful Information for the Next Generation of Jewish Families

Survival of the Fittest

Camps Galore Passover Food & Fun

A very Jewish life

The Jewish Federation of

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Our patients thank our doctors

She is the epitome of what a

Patricia M., Research Department

Diana R., Information Technology

His gentle hands and his kind heart are what

This doctor really cared about my

He is the essence of a great physician.

Your hospital for life.

And congratulations to Mark Sapienza, MD, a gastroenterologist at

Ben & Jerrys

5) Pure Macaroon: Forget the

Candlelighting: Friday, March 27, 6:58 p.m.

For convenient home delivery,

PUBLISHERS STATEMENT: (USPS 275-700 ISN 0021-6747) is published

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When I was 8 my grandfather threw an

late SUSAN BERMAN,

co-starring role in the

prep him for prison life

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hard to modulate how

California-based Nate Bloom can be reached at

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2015 Kings Food Markets

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ursing is changing, according

Sally Whitmore, a Holocaust survivor, and the JFSs outreach coordinator,

some of the realities of aging in place, but

Take advantage of this reduced fare on nonstop flights from

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You are not numbers. You have a name

hen the Kaplen JCC on

beautiful, wonderful children.

The JFS Food Pantry is available for those struggling financially

A Family Trusted Brand Since 1939

Evil, hope onstage in Teaneck

len Rock eighth-grader Shmuel

Abe said that initially he went online

COURTESY YAVNEH ACADEMY

learned that those GIs were very young,

Great wine doesnt need

Making wine differently.

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Segal cost a bunch hands .indd 3

Oy vey, my child is gay

shel, a group that works to bridge

Naomi Oppenheim is looking forward

But you cant get around the fact that

adhere more closely to halacha than the

out more, hiding less. There has been a tremendous shift.

Chag kasher vsameach

Glatt kosher cuisine in our elegant dining

IDF soldiers share experiences with Solomon Schechter students.