OpinionThe Jewish National EditionPost&Presenting a broad spectrum of Jewish News and Opinions since 1935.

Volume 80, Number 7 • August 20, 2014 • 24 Av 5774www.jewishpostopinion.com • www.ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship/collections/JPO

Cover art by Jackie OlenickSee About the Cover, p.2.

“The righteous man shall flourish like

the palm tree.” Psalm 92

Tribute to Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l

the rest of the world? I shudder to thinkabout it.

No man is an island and he learnedfrom charismatic leaders who came beforehim, and he worked together with otherprominent Jewish leaders of his time.Other leaders were also making hugelysignificant contributions in their differentdenominations, but I noticed what aninfluence Reb Zalman had in 1997 whenthe 67th annual General Assembly (GA)was held in Indianapolis.

I lived in the San Francisco Bay Areafrom 1986–1993 where I attended threedifferent Jewish Renewal congregations.When they visited the area, I had seen notonly Reb Zalman and Shlomo Carlebach,but also students of theirs such as RabbiDavid Zeller, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, andRabbi Shefa Gold. On top of that, several“disciples”of Reb Zalman lived and workedin the area. There simply is not enoughroom here to list all those he influencedand all those who influenced him.

Needless to say, after seven years ofexperiencing Jewish Renewal, when Iattended the GA in Indianapolis, I wassurprised to see and hear rabbis from theother Jewish denominations tellingChasidic tales, leading meditations,encouraging small discussion groupsamong the congregants at their services,and promoting singing and dancing atthem. Jewish Renewal had spread to theother denominations.

Since many different stories about RebZalman abound in past issues of this

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newspaper alone, I read about his earlieryears and imperfections, but that does not diminish his huge influence which isnot in the Jewish world alone. May hismemory be a blessing for all of humanity.

Jennie Cohen, August 20, 2014 AAAA

2 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

This issue is dedicated to Reb ZalmanSchachter-Shalomi, founder of JewishRenewal, cofounder of the Havurahmovement, and staunch interfaith activist.As one who barely escaped the Holocaust,he lived to father 11 children and died onJuly 3, six weeks before his 90th birthday.

Several detailed obituaries haveappeared on the Internet and in most of the American Jewish newspapers soinstead of repeating that here, we havephotos and tributes to him on pages 10and 11 by three who were close to him.

We’ve also included one by my father,Gabriel Cohen, z”l, from 1976 and a shortbut sweet tribute originally published in this newspaper in 1967. It’s by HarryGolden, z”l, who passed away severalyears ago but knew Reb Zalman, as hewas affectionately called, long before hereceived that nickname. I found this andothers by searching “Zalman Schachter”atthe following link: www.ulib.iupui.edu/digitalscholarship/collections/JPO.

In the late 1970s, I was at IndianaUniversity living in Bloomington. I had a Jewish friend who always seemed calmeven amidst chaotic circumstances.When I asked him how he was able to stay even-keeled, he told me what helpedhim is meditation. He was practicingTranscendental Meditation (TM) and hadconsidered becoming a teacher. I decidedto try it.

After the initiation, one could attendadvanced lectures. At the time I didn’trealize the teachings were based onHinduism. Besides meditation, I heardabout different beliefs and practices thatwere new to me such as reincarnation.I enjoyed the learning but I felt like anoutsider.

Around that time, Reb Zalman wasdoing a Shabbaton at the local Hillel. Afterhearing him lecture and lead differentprayers and meditations, I found thosebeliefs are not new or foreign to Judaism.Besides, he had set a good example byexploring and learning from other faithtraditions. He often said,“The only way toget it together…is together.”

This was such a relief to me. I appreciatethe TM and the Eastern traditions Ilearned, but studying with Reb Zalmanbrought me back home to the religion ofmy youth and my family going back centuries. Besides holiday celebrations, asa child, I attended Sunday school, Hebrewschool after school three days a week andmorning services every Saturday.

Who knows where I would be today ifnot for Reb Zalman? But more than that,where would the Jewish world be? And

Editorial Inside this IssueEditorial.....................................................2About the Cover ......................................2Rabbi Benzion Cohen

(Chassidic Rabbi).....................................3Henya Chaiet

(Yiddish for Everyday) ............................3Ted Roberts

(Spoonful of Humor) ...............................4Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

(Wiener’s Wisdom)..................................4Melinda Ribner

(Kabbalah of the Month) .........................5Magidah Khulda bat Sarah/Rabbi ben Asher

(Gather the People)..................................6Amy Hirshberg Lederman

(Jewish Educator) ....................................6Rabbi Jon Adland

(Shabbat Shalom).....................................7Arielle Kattler Kupetz

(Wartime Visit to Israel) .........................8Rabbi Israel Zoberman

(Report from Israel) .................................8Sybil Kaplan

(Seen on the Israel Scene)........................9Tributes to Reb Zalman ..................10-11

Leon Olenick, Gabriel Cohen, z”l,Reuven Goldfarb, Charlie Roth,Harry Golden, z”l

Dr. Miriam Zimmerman(Holocaust Educator) ............................12

Jim Shipley(Shipley Speaks) ....................................14

Hadassah’s Young Judea tour .............15Rabbi Israel Zoberman

(Book Review)........................................17Sybil Kaplan

(My Kosher Kitchen) .............................18Sybil Kaplan

(Book Reviews) ......................................18Morton Gold

(As I Heard It).......................................19Theater Review: Crazy for You .............19Eliyahu McLean

(Jerusalem Peacemaker) .........................20

“Tzaddik Katamar Yifrach” By Jackie Olenick

I was invited to create a painting which would be the backdrop for theevents celebrating Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s 90th birthday inAugust. This, now, becamea memorial paintingwhich I’m honored topresent. The colorful dancing date palm treespreads it’s leaves over alandscape filled with pathways and gardens, just as Reb Zalmanopened the paths and nurtured the gardens for so many of us for so manydecades. The leaves reach out of the edgeof the painting and light forms at the baseof the foothills, where Reb Zalman waslaid to rest in Boulder, Colo. Acrylic oncanvas 40”x30”.

Jackie Olenick is a Judaic artist and jewelry designer residing in Boynton Beach,Fla. Her work can be seen on her website:www.jackieolenickart.com. AAAA

About the Cover

1427 W. 86th St. #228Indianapolis, IN 46260email: jpostopinion@gmail.comphone and fax: (317) 405-8084website: www.jewishpostopinion.compublisher & editor: Jennie Cohengraphic designer: Charlie Bunes

OpinionPost&The Jewish

Jewish News and Opinion since 1935.

Jackie Olenick

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 3

could, then he stopped at the schwarma placein Petach Tikva. He asked for a portion to beput into an aluminum tray and explainedthat it was for his son who is in Gaza without food for Shabbos.

The owner said to him “what do you meanfor your son? How many soldiers are in hisgroup?” The father answered “70”.

The schwarma place owner called all of hisworkers. They prepared all the schwarmathey had, brought out all of their meat, friedschnitzels, prepared Moroccan salads andchips and within an hour he and all of hisworkers had emptied the entire restaurantand given it over to the father. The father,who has seen people do acts of kindness in hislife, just stood there crying and thanking him.

Once a day I receive an email titled, “ADaily Dose of Kindness”with stories like thisone.You might want to subscribe yourself.

What can I tell you? We are living inamazing times. We believe that our Rebbeis our long awaited Moshiach (Messiah).We are very close to the finishing line, thecomplete and final redemption, at whichtime there will be no more evil and nomore war. I ask all of you who read this topray to Hashem to protect all of our soldiers and citizens. Work hard to loveone another. Give more charity. Take uponyourself to learn more Torah and do moreMitzvahs. This will certainly hasten ourcomplete and final redemption, andMoshiach will put an end to all evil andthere will be no more wars. We wantMoshiach now.

Rabbi Cohen lives in K’far Chabad, Israel.He can be reached by email at bzcohen@orange.net.il. AAAA

Amazing timesWe are living in amazing times. For the

past month we have been seeing hundredsof miracles every day. Here in Israel ourenemies have fired about one hundredmissiles at us every day, and who knowshow many mortar shells. Miraculouslythese missiles didn’t kill anyone. A fewpeople were killed by the mortar shells.

We live in Kfar Chabad, a village five mileseast of Tel Aviv. Every day we hear air raidsirens, sometimes from here, and sometimesfrom the surrounding villages and cities.Baruch Hashem no rockets fell in KfarChabad, but we did hear many boomsfrom bombs that fell a few miles away.

A friend of mine, a rabbi in the city GanYavne, wrote about a missile that fell in hisneighborhood, half an hour before Shabbos.The missile fell next to a synagogue, andbroke all of the windows. Glass was scattered all over. He shudders to thinkwhat could have happened if the missilehad fallen an hour later, when the Shulwould have been full with 300 people.

The timing of this war was also anamazing miracle. For years the terrorists inGaza have been digging tunnels, each ofthem miles long, into the surrounding villages and kibbutzim in Israel. They were planning to sneak in simultaneously thousands of terrorists to murder and kidnapthe innocent civilians. At the same timethey planned to fire thousands of missilesat all of the cities in Israel. Hashem spoiledtheir evil plans, and this war started beforethey were ready.The army is now destroyingtheir tunnels and missiles.

In addition we have heard about, andseen for ourselves many thousands of actsof kindness and other Mitzvahs that werea result of this war. I go every day to ourlocal Hospital. I ask everyone to pray andwork hard to love one another, in order tobring Divine protection to our soldiers andcitizens who are in danger. They allrespond positively. The story below in italics is just one small example. Everytime I read it, it brings tears to my eyes.

To read more stories like this, go towww.partnersinkindness.org and sign upto receive their free emails. This one isfrom July 30, 2014.

The father of a chayal (soldier) who is nowin Gaza told how his son was informed onFriday that his unit will not be going home forShabbos, which was a problem because theydid not have any provisions for Shabbos.

The father ran to the supermarket to buysome things, as much dips and salads as he

BY RABBI BENZION COHEN

Chassidic Rabbi

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Ah gooten morgen tzu eich tyerehYiddisheh kinder. Onshuldicht mir farderfar vaus ich haub nisht gehret mit eichfar etlehcheh maunahten. Ich haub gevennisht gezundt, uhn in hauspital. (Goodmorning, my dear Yiddish children. Pleaseexcuse me for not writing to you these pastfew months. I was ill and in the hospital.)

Danken Gaut, ich haub gehhaht agooteh refueh, un ich bin yeder taugbesser. (Thank G-d I have made a goodrecovery and get better every day.)

Ich vil eich zaugen vaus haut pahsirt

Dee yungeh yorengayen aveck(The young years go by)

BY HENYA CHAIET

Yiddish faralleh taug

mit mir hient in der free. (I want to tellyou what happened to me this morning.)

Ich cook ahrine in daus shpigel un ichzeh ah alteh froy shtayt mir onkegen, unich der ken ear nisht, frehgich ear “Vairbintz duh?” Un vaus tuhst do in meinshpigel? (I looked into the mirror andthere was an old woman that I didn’t recognize starring back at me. So I askedher,“Who are you and what are you doingin my mirror?”)

Entfert zee mir “Daus bin ich HenyaChaiet, un ich vayn shane dau mit dirfar ninetzick yor.” (She replied, “It’s meHenya Chaiet and I have been living herewith you for ninety years.”)

Mineh tyereh kinder ah zay layfenaveck dee yungeh yoren, un meh vert altun meh ken zich ahlayn nisht derkenenin daus shpigel. (My dear children, this isthe way the “young years” fly by and youlook at yourself in the mirror one day andyou do not recognize yourself.)

Halt tyer yehder taug, un tuht epessgoot far zich ahlayn un far daus veltvaus mir ahleh vaynen in. (Hold dearevery day and do something good foryourself and for the world we all live in.)

Tzen tehg far Pesach haub ich (keinein horeh) gevoren ninetzich yor alt, unich dahnk gaut vaus ich ken nauch zeinmit myneh kinder, un kinds kinder, unmit aleh myneh gooten frynt. (Ten days before Passover on April 7, 2014, Icelebrated my 90th birthday. I thank G-devery day that I can still be with my children, grandchildren and their children,and all my wonderful friends.)

Daus cuhmt mir ah Mazel Tov. Ich bingevoren ahn elter baubeh, tzuh tzvehmaydehlach. Zayereh nehmen zeinenZara uhn Harper. (I have a Mazel Tovcoming as I have become a great-grand-mother to two little girls. Their names areZara and Harper.)

Zaulen zeh baydeh hauben gootgehzundt uhn tzu langen yoren uhnbrayngen nahches uhn frayd tzu zayermahmeh – mein eynekel Hindi – uhn earmahn zayer tahteh Adam. Amen. (I pray that they may have a long life withgood health and much joy. May they be ablessing always to their mother – mygranddaughter Hindi – and her husband,their father Adam. Amen)

Henya Chaiet is the Yiddish name forMrs. A. Helen Feinn. Born in 1924 ten daysbefore Passover, her parents had come toAmerica one year prior. They spoke onlyYiddish at home so that is all she spoke untilage five when she started kindergarten. Shethen learned English, but has always lovedYiddish and speaks it whenever possible.Chaiet lived in La Porte and Michigan City,Ind., from 1952 to 1978 and currentlyresides in Walnut Creek, Calif. Email:afeinn87@gmail.com. AAAA

(Yiddish for Everyday)

4 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

You can always sense those latter summer days when our educationalprisons (as the kids see it) reopen. If theytook away your calendar and droppedyou in the middle of a typical family, you’dknow it was August/September. Kidslook glum – parents are gleeful. For six toeight hours a day they’re freed from their parental managerial duties. Theinstitutions of education pick up theirresponsibility. And so they should – youpay taxes, don’t you?

Of course, there’s a negative side to thiscoin, too. First, there’s homework, whichas all teachers know, I’m sure, is done byparents and has been the wedge in manya divorce. “OK, I’ll do the geography ifyou’ll do the math.”“No, I hate math – I’llwrite the essay on South American Rivers– you do those equations.” And why areteachers so heavy handed with theirassignments? It’s ruining our social life.“No, Ted, we can’t eat out tonight. Gottahelp the kid with his science exhibit.” Ihave a sneaking suspicion that it’s a formof therapy to relieve guilt-ridden teacherswho know that their classroom is often a circus and they’re a ringmaster without a whip.

And another gripe: Since kids rarelywalk to school now, the morning traffic isas tangled as a plate of spaghetti. Parentsand yellow school buses driving the threeblocks from home to school. And wewhine continually about energy deficitsand complain that kids don’t get enoughexercise. Strange.

My old man sneered at any vehicle –bus, auto, even bike – that delivered a kid to the schoolhouse door. Like most ofhis generation, he had a whole collectionof school hardship stories – in fact, it wasthe biggest of his “in those days”repertoire. “In those days” he walkedthree miles, so he said, each way. Andnaturally, it always snowed. “Yessir, threemiles in the snow.” And it snowed allyear round, even in May. (In Memphis,Tenn.?) “Were you ever attacked by a polarbear?” I frequently asked. No, but once his lunch bag froze up and he had to skip lunch.

Today’s school buses, in his eyes, are aconvenient way to make work for drivers –usually the mayor’s relatives – and weakenthe legs of our children. My old man wasa visionary well ahead of his times. And

Back to school

of course there were even more jobs associated with maintenance. Thosebuses had to be parked somewhere atnight – why not rent that swampy,mosquito-infested, suburban meadowowned by the mayor’s brother-in-law?

I think I inherited a stack of his skeptical genes. They pulse in mybloodstream every time I’m behind thatlumbering, yellow, slowpoke picking up a kid two blocks from the school.

How bizarre. How shocking consideringthe fitness neurosis of our society. Wedeny youngsters the very exercise that wecompulsively continue to shove down thethroat of the more mature consumer.Whole government agencies are devotedto the mission of counting, correcting,and reprimanding the lardy kids in ourpopulation. You can hardly pick up a magazine without an article on the benefits of exercise. Yet school buses roam far and wide. So, instead ofcarrying oneself to school on one’s ownflabby legs, our fragile student sits on abus bench and pulls the hair of the littlegirl in front of him.

And again note this anomaly: the conflicting note preached by the cultureas to the health benefits of transportingkids on motorized vehicles – school busesor parent’s car – instead of pumping legs,arms, knees. Is it maybe good for kids, butbad for adults? Now don’t misunder-stand. For young or old, I think a game oftennis or a daily 30-minute walk or bikeride is all to the good and extends yourvertical time on earth.

That’s why kids should walk instead ofride (with, of course, exceptions imposedby distance or physical handicap). Thisanomaly is hard to understand? Sinewsand tendons and muscles are much morevulnerable in adults rather than kids. Akid’s 2-mile walk to school strengthensthe bondage of knee caps and calf muscles. An adult’s feverish pedaling on a $500 machine may cost him his ambulatory status.

I pass an exercise emporium on my way to work. It has a huge glass wall toadvertise its wares. It’s mobbed with peopleliterally working their hindquarters off.You’d think you stepped back into theIndustrial Age. They’re generating enoughpower with their pedaling and pushingto air condition and light the building for a month. And they are paying for theprivilege of regressing to the Middle Ages!

Just a thought. If it’s so healthy for themto sweat buckets, why is it salubrious forour kids to be couch potatoes on theschool bus or back seat of your car? Andshockingly those adult health addicts payfor the privilege. Several decades ago,toiling in farm or factory, they would have

Spoonful of HumorBY TED ROBERTS

(see Roberts, page 5)

Wiener’sWisdomBY RABBI IRWIN WIENER, D.D.

We must unite tocombat inhumanity

There are no suitable words to determine how barbarism is an acceptedform of protest. Societies were developedto enable people to act in a civilized manner so that we would be able to livetogether. While there are those who woulddisturb the balance of needs and wantswith the ability to attain these, acceptedmethods of containment were establishedfor the safety of all.

When we, as a society, determine thatexceptions can and often do occur, the onething that is certain is that we developother methods to sustain the balance.First and foremost there are laws. Thenthere is law enforcement. Next are thecourts. Finally there is judgment. For themost part we retire at night with a securefeeling.

How much more so is this essential in dealing with countries which containdifferent cultures and beliefs? When disputes occur we attempt to reconcilethem through dialog and compromise.When all else fails, we go to war. Such isthe fate of humanity since time began.

However, when nation-states determinethat terror and killing are the only remedies for correction, then we havewholesale murder. We should expect thatsociety would become outraged andundertake the responsibility of controllingthis madness. The one ingredient in allthis that prevents such action is a simpleword called intimidation.

We have a tendency to shy away fromwhat we know to be correct because we do not know what will be next and it is easier to capitulate than stand and fight. All of our being tells us the right way to respond, but fear holds us captive.How sad!

From the dawn of creation we learnedthat there is evil and there is good.Why we have both has been the eternalquestion asked by generations and willprobably remain something that is debated forever. Some will try to simplify,but the truth of the matter is that all experiences are measured. How do wemeasure the good? By witnessing the bad. We measure these things because all of life is determined by measure.

The one thing that is clear is that we do(see Wiener, page 5)

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 5

into your body/soul temple.Many people are afraid of the concept of

judging and judgment. Who wants tojudge or be judged? We fear judgmentbecause we live too often with the chatterof inner negative critic within us. We arefrequently judging ourselves harshly.We feel inadequate, not enough, andunworthy, too much of the time. Thesefeelings dis- empower us. This is not thejudging that God is instructing us in thisTorah portion.

God is telling us so lovingly in this Torah portion to judge ourselves like Godwould judge us. God is love, compassion,abundant mercy. View yourself from theperspective of the Higher Self or Soul,through the eyes of love, acceptance andcompassion. This kind of judging validatesand strengthens us. Love allows us to see,accept ourselves as we are, to feel andrelease what is not true to who we reallyare. With love we can change and becomebetter people.

Take time this month to review your lifeobjectively, as much as possible. Recordand consider major events that took placethis year. Be willing to see yourself as youare and as you showed up during the year.Love and be compassionate with yourself,no matter what you see and what youhave done. Complete the following in ajournal:

I regret.......I feel guilty about.......I recognize that I need to change in the following ways…….

Do not think you can figure out how tochange solely with your intellect. Changeoccurs through feeling. You have to enterinto the heart and feel. Get in touch with your deeper yearnings and feel thefeelings that are there for you. Listen tothe messages being sent to you from deep

within yourself. Breathe, Pray, Let go,Get out of the way, Go beyond yourselfand Be open to receive and Allow God to work through you. You cannot changeon your own.

The most important part of the transformational process of this month is

Every month has its own unique energies and spiritual opportunities. Onthe evening of Aug. 26, we enter into thenew month of Elul. The first letters of theHebrew verse, “Ani ledodi vidodili, (I ammy beloved and my beloved is mine),”from Song of Songs spell out Elul. Thisitself is a powerful mantra to repeatthroughout this month. An intimatecloseness between the Divine and peopletakes place this month.

The letter associated with the month of Elul is the letter Yud. The Yud, thesmallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, issimply a point. The Yud is the essentialpoint. The Yud, a part of all letters,represents the essential life energy. Themonth of Elul is about getting connectedto what is essential, what is the essence.The Yud represents also the self nullification of the ego necessary forcloseness with the Divine. The Yud is the soul. The Yud is the first letter in thetetragrammaton Yud Hay Vav and Hay,God’s name of compassion.

We live in a world of increased information, corruption and distraction.Meditating on the letter Yud this monthsupports the inner turning to the mostessential inner point within us. Throughthe spiritual grace of Elul, it is easy to getin touch with what is pure and constantwithin us.

The month of Elul is the last month ofthe Jewish year. As such, Elul is a time ofspiritual accounting, a time of letting goand forgiving. Elul is a time of affirmationand healing. Elul is a time to be with oneself in the most intimate holy way.Elul is considered the headquarters forTeshuvah. Teshuvah has many facets to it.On the deepest and most mystical level, Teshuvah is the return to who wereally are – our true essence, our innerwholeness, beauty and potential.

The Torah portion of Shoftim (Judges) isread during the week when we inauguratethe month of Elul. “You shall appointjudges and police officers for yourself, foreach of your tribes in all your (city) gatesthat God, your God is giving you.”According to our sages, gates refer to thetwo eyes, two ears, the nose, and themouth of our body. This is an importantawareness needed to protect what enters

Kabbalahof the MonthBY MELINDA RIBNER

Elul – a month ofteshuvah (returning)

WIENER(continued from page 4)

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not need to measure the bad found indestruction because it is bad in itself.

Over the past many years we have been inundated with international horrorstories of murder and mayhem. People aremurdered because of different cultures,tribal feuds, or in the belief that it is commanded by God. The arrogance of it all is that we presume to suggest thatthese differences permit us to dominateanother. Who are we to create an atmosphere of distrust because we do notunderstand someone or try to reconcilethese differences? What are we if we allowour humanity to disappear because wefeel superior and forget the simple rule oflife which is to live together?

Sitting in our chairs reading the newspaper, magazine or watching television, we can see acts of barbarismthat boggle the mind. We feel far removedand therefore cannot relate. That was allchanged on Sept. 11, 2001. Only then did we realize our vulnerability. Only thendid we clamor for revenge and justice.

Now, what we are watching is no longerfantasy, but reality. Children strapped with bombs to destroy this thing calledhumanity because of hatred taught fromthe cradle to the grave. We hear all sorts of excuses. Occupation is the byword ofthe season and the seasons past. Yet,when the dust settles the mayhem is more concentrated, more severe, withdevastating results. It seems that theworld is not satisfied unless it has someone or something to blame for its ailments. Scapegoating has been aroundsince Adam and Eve blamed each other,and in turn, the snake for their misfortuneand ultimate expulsion from the Garden.

The inhumanity of humanity requires astrong response in order to bring civility tolife. Only when the family of man comestogether, determined to forge a bond oftolerance will we see the results we allyearn and dream about. We may never likeeveryone or anyone, but to survive wemust respect everyone’s right to exist.

Rabbi Wiener is spiritual leader of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation nearPhoenix, Ariz. He welcomes comments atravyitz @cox.net. His new book Living withFaith is available on Amazon.com. AAAA

(see Ribner, page 7)

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received a weekly paycheck. Where didwe go wrong?

Why do Jewish-American parents,obsessed with conditioning, feel thatkids with young, healthy legs have a right to iPods, acne medicine, jury trials,credit cards, and sports cars crowned with a ride to and from school? Wouldn’tit be healthier to walk? What’s sauce forthe goose and gander should be sauce forthe gosling.

The humor of Ted, the Scribbler on the Roof,appears in newspapers around the US, onNational Public Radio, and numerous websites. Check out his Web site: www.wonderwordworks.com. Blogsite: www.scribblerontheroof.typepad.com. His collected worksThe Scribbler on The Roof is available atAmazon.com or lulu.com/content/127641. AAAA

ROBERTS(continued from page 4)

(see Bat Sarah, page 14)

6 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

JewishEducatorBY AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN

How is your spiritual portfolio doing?

I grew up in a home where money wastalked about openly and often. Not abouthow much money my dad made but abouthow he invested it so that it would growfor the future.

“Most people make money with theirhands, but if you’re smart, you’ll learn howto make money with you head,” Dadcounseled me over chicken and greenbeans. The net results of his financialcoaching was that, unlike other girls myage, I knew as much about stocks, bondsand price/earning ratios as I did about lipgloss, cheerleading and the Beatles.

I followed Dad’s advice and beganinvesting in the stock market as soon as I received my first paycheck, back whenthe DOW was well under 1,000!

I check my portfolio regularly, rebalancingour investments so that they fit our evolving financial strategies and goals ateach stage of life. I take pride in the factthat I actually enjoy using my “keppie” tomake money, once again proving “fatherknows best!”

I think about how vigilant I am aboutoverseeing my financial portfolio andwonder, as the Jewish new year approaches,if I have given the same kind of attention tomy “spiritual portfolio”throughout my life.

One of the things I love most about the Jewish calendar is that inherent ineach holiday are lessons and challengesthat can inspire and advance personalgrowth. Nowhere is that more apparentthan during the Jewish holidays of RoshHaShanah and Yom Kippur. The HighHolidays beckon us to take a hard look at our life: at our relationships,commitments, goals, successes and failings – to honestly assess how our spiritual portfolio is doing.

At Rosh Hashanah, we ask ourselvesquestions like: What am I doing with mylife? Am I satisfied with my relationships,goals and commitments? Do I giveenough of myself? Where am I in my relationship with God? What do I want to change in the coming year? Can I bebetter person, a more compassionatefriend, a more caring daughter, a moresupportive spouse? This type of hard

(see Lederman, page 7)

Take yourself back in time, way back tothe eighth century before the CommonEra. Your mission, should you accept it, isto become the prophet Isaiah. So put onyour sandals – today you walk the streetsof Jerusalem. . . .

There’s the Temple. You enter and lookaround. Everything seems normal. Youpause to watch the fire on the altar flameup. The place is crowded. It’s always likethat now, for New Moons, Sabbaths andFestivals. So many people – elders,prophets and priests. Everyone is there.Public life seems to carry on with dueregard to the “godly,” at least as it’s represented by the Temple.

Back on the street, you push your waythrough the crowds bringing their animalsfor sacrifice. Yes, everything is in its place.There, at the gates, the princes and judgesare functioning as usual. The King is, nodoubt, on his throne. All’s well withJerusalem. Nothing looks out of place.

And yet . . . look again! Open the eyes of your heart! Let God open your eyes to something that no one else sees. Youyourself can hardly bear to look at it. Agerm of death is gnawing at the heart ofthe people. A whole nation is sick at heart.There beyond them an abyss opens.Unbelievably, they rush toward it. They seenothing. For a cataract dims their eyes.And nothing is as it should be.

In the street, begging orphans swarm toyou. An old man lies in a doorway. Hedoesn’t beg. He’s too far gone for that. Butyou can’t forget the look, as if he expectednothing. Now you pass the landlord arguing in the street with a widow.She cries. He demands payment, now!Everywhere you turn, you see the moneyslide from palm to palm, even into thejudge’s hand.The greed seems to know noend. And all the while poor, deluded Israelkeeps bringing animals to sacrifice as ifthey could appease God with fattened rams.

It’s all so disappointing. You had suchgreat hopes. Didn’t Moses call you a

kingdom of priests leading the way toGod? Each was to offer himself to furtherthe other; each to know the other as hiscomplete equal. A society based on whatis right and good.

But now? Now, a city that was to be allgoodness and rightness has turned intocrookedness. How did this come to be?

You remember. You watched them,generation after generation, wander awayfrom the Torah, which they never reallyunderstood. And now? Now they fear itsinfluence. They fear what it will require ofthem. It’s ironic. They have banished Godinto the Temple. Of course, tributes to Godmust be paid. The godly must be given itsfew crumbs of devotion. But meanwhile, lifeoutside is lived on totally different principlesand moving on quite different paths.

You try to tell them. Some of them laughat you. Some of them hate you for it.But here is the worst, the depths to whichthey have sunk: The city that was to havebeen a beacon to the world, which was to have been the epitome of kindness,has now become . . . like Sodom. Sodom,where no one welcomed the stranger.Where the practice of hospitality was literally forbidden, by law.

You are sickened by it. You must turnyour people around, or they will go intoexile. You call out to them. And you callthem by the name they deserve: “YouLords of Sodom.”

But what will you do? How will youbring them back to Torah and Israel?Where do you begin?

So how will you turn things around foryour people? Where will you begin? Whatwould you do here and now, in our day, tobring people back to your congregationand to the Torah?

Here is one place to begin. Here’s onething that we can do. We can do the exactopposite of what Sodom did. Our rabbishave said that one way to bring people tothe Torah is shulchan aruch. The wordsshulchan aruch mean literally: the settable. That is, one way to bring people tothe Torah is to bring them first to the table.We can follow the example of Avrahamwho we are told, never left the strangerstanding outside – Avraham who thescripture tells us, in the middle of prayer,ran to greet three strangers and invitethem to dinner.

The mitzvah is called hachnasat orchim,hospitality to or gathering of guests. It’sthe mitzvah that our rabbis say madeAvraham into a prophet. It’s one of thosemitzvot you’ll find in the front of yourSiddur (from Shabbat 127a), for which wereceive the fruits of them both in thisworld and in the world to come.

Every congregation can benefit fromhaving a hachnasat orchim chevra, a group

BY MAGIDAH

KHULDA BAT SARAH

AND RABBI MOSHE

BEN ASHER, PH.D.

Hachnasat Orchim –Inviting the stranger into the congregational family

Gather the People

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 7

questioning is called a Heshbon Nefesh,which in Hebrew literally means “anaccounting of the soul.”

In financial matters, it takes knowledge,discipline and personal awareness toproperly manage a portfolio. These are the same qualities needed to create andmaintain a healthy spiritual life.

We need knowledge – what it means tobe Jewish and how we want to engage in Jewish living. To become “Jewishly literate,” we can turn to the ampleresources we have as Jews including ourrabbis, teachers, family members, friends,community and the internet.

We need discipline – to make choicesthat will further our personal and spiritualaspirations and to follow a course that willhelp us fulfill them. We can do this by setting goals for the year, such as studyingHebrew or joining a Jewish book group,or we can do it by embracing new familytraditions, like celebrating Shabbat dinnerwith family and friends.

But knowledge and discipline will not get us what we want unless they are paired with cultivating personalawareness – who we are today and whowe want to become in the months andyears ahead, as people and as Jews.

We are each unique in our efforts to create spiritual lives. As with investing,each person begins with varying degreesof knowledge, confidence and tolerancefor risk and failure. Rosh Hashanah levels the spiritual playing field in that it gives each of us an annual opportunityto engage in important introspection,the type that can help us craft a moremeaningful spiritual life.

Amy Hirshberg Lederman is an author,Jewish educator, public speaker and attorneywho lives in Tucson. Her columns in the AJPhave won awards from the American JewishPress Association, the Arizona NewspapersAssociation and the Arizona Press Club forexcellence in commentary. Visit her websiteat amyhirshberglederman.com. AAAA

ShabbatShalomBY RABBI JON ADLAND

Pirke Avot 2:5: ”Hillel said: “Do not separate yourself from the community; anddo not trust in yourself until the day of yourdeath. Do not judge your fellow until youare in his place. Do not say something thatcannot be understood but will be understoodin the end. Say not: When I have time I willstudy because you may never have the time.”

Aug. 15, 2014, EikevDeuteronomy 7:12-11:25, 19 Av 5774

Though we usually attribute thesewords to the prophet Micah, in Chapter 11of Deuteronomy we find their source,“12And now, O Israel, what does Adonaiyour God demand of you? Only this: torevere Adonai your God, to walk only in God’spaths, to love God, and to serve Adonai yourGod with all your heart and soul, 13keepingthe God’s commandments and laws, which Ienjoin upon you today, for your good.”

Micah’s words – “to do justice, lovemercy, and walk humbly with God” – havebeen a hallmark of Reform Jewishthought.To be honest, Moses’words mighthave challenged Reform Jews as Mosesincluded “keeping the God’s commandmentsand laws.” Micah’s words speak more tothe prophetic spirit of social justice, butstay away from personal Jewish practice.

I had a conversation recently with awoman who said something I’ve heardtime and time again, “My husband and Iwere brought up very Reform.” I believethat what she is saying is that Jewishobservance of the traditions of Jewish lifewas not present in their respective homesand, thus, not part of the Jewish lives theylived. She expressed personal regret fornot having more Jewish knowledge ortaking opportunities to increase thatknowledge. I understand her issues as Icome from a line of “very Reform”Jews onmy mother’s side.

The more common term used to express“very Reform”is classical Reform referringback to the second half of the 19th and thefirst half of the 20th centuries; the firsthundred years and the formative years ofReform Judaism in this country. Manywould say that Reform Judaism threw thebaby (practice) out with the bath water,but that isn’t fair.

As we’ve read in the obituaries ofLauren Bacall, being Jewish carried certainrisks in achieving success in America.Anti-Semitism was everywhere and theless you did to advertise your Judaism,the easier life may have been. Many

Reform Jewish congregations were locatedin towns with small Jewish populationsthroughout the South and Midwest. It was a complicated time and assimilatingoneself into the community was a goal.The less “Jewish” you were the easier itwould be.

But times have changed and we assertourselves as Jews today. We integrate, butfind less need to assimilate. Even inCanton with our small Jewish community,we don’t hide who we are. We teach ourchildren about living lives filled withJudaism and to be proud of it. We invitenon-Jews to our simchas. We take offwork for the major Jewish holy days. Wefly the Israeli flag outside at Beit Ha’am.

We’ve learned that we can be a part ofthe general community without losingsight of who we are in our personal lives.We continue to do justice and love mercy,but we also walk in God’s paths, serveGod with our heart and soul, and embraceGod’s commandments and laws (maybenot all, but certainly many more than inthe past.)

Amidst the deaths of the Jewish LaurenBacall and the honorary Jew RobinWilliams, there was another death thisweek, that of Leonard Fein. Many of youdon’t know his name, but he was a greatwriter and thinker, an unabashed liberal,the founder of Moment Magazine, whichduring his days of editorial control was the best Jewish periodical out there, andcurrently a columnist in The Forward. In1972, Leonard Fein wrote a book titled,Reform is a Verb. He taught us that ReformJudaism isn’t static, but ever changing

from generation to generation.That book’s title and that understanding

of Reform Judaism have been a part of my Reform Judaism. I’ve changed andadapted with the new prayer books, theever-increasing embrace of traditions, theuse of Hebrew prayers and Hebrew musicin the service, and the need to continue to “reform”our ideas and our participationin the social justice issues of our day.

My Reform Judaism isn’t what mymother practiced. Nor was her practicethe same as her parents or grandparents.

j i

LEDERMAN(continued from page 6)

the commitment to nurture and strengthenyour connection to the goodness of lifeand God. This is your greatest protectionfrom negativity and harm. Taking onanother mitzvah, an activity prescribed by Jewish law or an act of lovingkindnessfor another person, or even for yourselfwill make a significant difference. Andmost importantly, take time to meditateand pray each day, even if it is just for afew minutes.

Melinda Ribner L.C.S.W. is the author ofThe Secret Legacy of Biblical Women,Everyday Kabbalah, Kabbalah Month by Month and New Age Judaism.Internationally known for her pioneeringwork in kabbalistic meditation and healing,she is also a spiritual psychotherapist and formore than 30 years has used kabbalistic wisdom as part of treatment. She offers a free newsletter on meditation, healing, kabbalistic energies of the months, holidays,and so forth. www.kabbalahoftheheart.com. AAAA

RIBNER(continued from page 5)

j i

(see Adland, page 9)

8 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014days straight.

But the resilient nature of the countryand its citizens immediately showedthrough, visible in the collective pride for the soldiers who fight so bravely, in the smiles of the faces of Israeli’s in#bombshelterselfies, and in Israeli innovation and technology, specifically the strength of the Iron Dome. The feelingof loss is still there, the overwhelming sadness inflicted by each death, eachIsraeli soldier killed and really the loss oflives on each side of the conflict. Blows tothe soul that are felt personally, thatsometimes cast a dark shadow over theday and cause a heavy heart that isinevitably experienced when living here,with only a few degrees of separation fromsoldiers killed on the battlefront.

But here, life goes on. Throughout it all,I have learned to appreciate. Just like theadvice the old man extended to me as Ipowerwalked to my bus stop, I haveslowed down, I have become aware of thebeauty of life, of all there is to be thankfulfor and enjoy. Gorgeous sunsets still drawcrowds, the cafes are still bustling, and thenightclubs are still packed with swaying,sweaty bodies. The Israeli mentality to liveeach moment to the fullest, to embraceone another and live with vibrancy is alifestyle that I have begun to embody.

This morning I walked by the old man,sitting in the shade of the sidewalk, andextended my daily “boker tov” greetingwith a warm smile. He motioned for me to wait, slowly rose from his chair, andhanded me a Bueno chocolate bar. I’m notsure if I would have accepted a candy barfrom essentially a stranger in the streets amonth ago – I certainly would not haveeven glanced twice at this elderly manback home in America. But this act of generosity, the genuine kindness this man exudes, the care that he hasexpressed for me despite me just being a stranger who passes by for merely 5 seconds every day, caused me to acceptthis small gift, embracing our friendship.

It has been a true adventure to live hereamidst the chaos, but the irrepressiblenature of the Israeli people, the fierceunity that has emerged between friendsand strangers alike, has allowed me to feelsafer and more united with the country Ilove so much than ever before. I returnback to America not just cherishing thetime I spent here and the bonds I’ve made with friends and Israelis, only possible from sharing these extreme circumstances. I leave knowing in myheart that I have an insatiable need toreturn. And I know for a fact that I will.

Ariella Kupetz is from Los Angeles and iscurrently a rising Junior at the University ofMichigan studying English, Psychology andEnvironmental Studies. Submitted 8-7-14.AAAA

WartimeVisit to IsraelBY ARIELLA KATTLER KUPETZ

Slowing downI walk six blocks each morning through

the Florentine neighborhood of Tel Aviv tothe bus stop for the 51. At block numberfive, in the shade off to the right of thesidewalk, I spot the familiar sight of theold man sitting in a folding chair. We don’t know anything about each other,yet a friendship has somehow blossomedbetween us: a 20-year-old American girland an elderly Israeli man. It started fiveweeks ago with simple pleasantries, meeager to use my rusty Hebrew and interactwith real locals.

Our daily “boker tov” (good morning)pleasantries soon turned into a routine,the face of the aged gentleman breakingout into a smile as I walked by. He oftenasked with genuine concern why I wasn’teating breakfast, as if eating a heartyIsraeli style meal was exactly what Ishould be doing on my brisk walk to work.

One humid Tel Aviv morning as Iwalked by, the old man reached under hischair, offering me an unopened bottle oforange juice he had purchased. I ferventlydeclined, but after he insisted in typicalborderline-aggressive Israeli fashion, Irelented, taking a sip but claiming “ani lorotzah et ha kol” (I don’t want all of it),giving him back the rest. A week later heasked me why I was always in a hurry,telling me to slow down, to enjoy. Sincethen, I have.

Somehow, throughout my time here, awar has emerged. Somehow, between thenights out in Tel Aviv with friends, WorldCup viewings on the beach, sunset runsalong the boardwalk, and afternoonsspent in cafes on Rothschild, countlessrockets have sailed through the air abovemy head, causing terror in their wake.Running into bomb shelters has become areality I could have never foreseen.

I experienced first hand the horror ofthe kidnapping, the hope and the supportof the community as we gathered in Rabin Square with the victim’s parents topray for their sons’ return. The shock thatreverberated throughout the country whenless than 24 hours later the devastatingnews of their slaughter that had occurredalmost a week before became known. Thefear and utter disbelief when the firstsirens sounded in Tel Aviv, the surreal act of running to bomb shelters to seekprotection, and the resignation when thesirens and rockets did not stop for fifteen

Israel during warI have just returned from an extraordinary

experience in July, 2014 Israel, the land Ifirst came to in 1949 at the tender age ofthree and a half, already a refugee, frompost-World War II Europe. Yet nothingcould have prepared me for the surrealisticreality of approaching rockets and wailingsirens, a frightful scenario that Israeli citizens of all ages in its south have had tocontend with for 14 long years, with only15 seconds to find protective shelter.

I will long remember being awakenedby the sirens’ piercing sounds of war alertat 3:15 a.m., in Haifa, Israel’s northern city,far away from Gaza or as proven ratherclose. With our hearts pounding, I movedquickly with my mom, at 92 a remarkablyresilient Polish Holocaust survivor, to thebest possible room in her apartment toawait whatever might happen. Luckily therocket was intercepted by an Iron Domeinstallation that the United States hasgratefully financed.

No nation would have done less thanIsrael to fulfill a basic mandate of protectingher citizens and all nations would havedone more early on. Restrained by itslegacy of Jewish and humanitarian values,ever conscious of the double standardapplied to its conduct, Israel has exercisedan admirable measure of caution to savelives. This is even from the midst of a firing hostile territory controlled byHamas, a recognized terrorist organizationwhose covenant unabashedly calls forIsrael’s destruction. Hamas has criminallyused children, women and men as human shields, shot 3500 rockets and alsomortars from schools, hospitals, mosques,homes and U.N. facilities with the cleargoal of indiscriminately killing and maiming Israelis.

When Hamas and the host of otherArab terrorist organizations will care morefor their children than the death of their“enemy’s”children, there will emerge newhope for a long-awaited transformedMiddle East. Only when Israel’s insistenceon the sacredness of human life – all human life – becomes the inheritanceof the entire troubled region will theyearning of modern Israel for Shalom,Salaam, Peace, reemerge as a potent forcefor the sake of all.

Following Israel’s 2005 withdrawal fromGaza at an enormous cost, how could

Report from IsraelBY RABBI ISRAEL ZOBERMAN

(see Zoberman, page 9)

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 9

ZOBERMAN(continued from page 8)

Hamas, tragically and ironically electedinto power by Gaza’s misguided and long-suffering people, squander its donatedmaterial resources away from the declaredpurpose of creating a supportive and necessary infrastructure? Instead theresources went toward establishing a terrorizing war machine with attack tunnels reaching into Israel with a goal of surprising Israel someday with mortaldeath blows. We are duty-bound toremember that Iran supplied Hamas with the smuggled weaponry and thatHamas is but Iran’s proxy, alerted by Iran’sstubborn search for a nuclear capabilitythat will make all the difference. SadlyQatar is not an innocent by-stander,offering Hamas vast financial support.

I was deeply touched by Israel’s courageous people coming together in aheart-warming display of national unity inface of a mighty and unique challenge,while maintaining its enviable democraticimpulse of cherished freedom to express avariety of views that could not take placein Gaza. Israel is weeping for its heroicdefenders as well as the innocent victimson the other side held hostage by an ideology alien to what we in the West willnever willingly give up.

Make no mistake. Israel represents the American democratic heritage withcommon purpose and interest. This isdone in a part of the world disdaining itand in which radical Islam increasinglymakes disastrous inroads as the shamefulslaughter in Syria and Iraq continueswhile self-righteous and callous Europewith its growing anti-Semitism looksaside. All the while these Islamic forces areexpecting the Israelis to be like Jews of thepast who could not defend themselvesand paid such a high price for it. For thesake of all that is sacred and sane, let allAmericans say with one voice in a triumphant message that dare not be misunderstood,“Never Again!”

Rabbi Israel Zoberman is the spiritualleader of Congregation Beth Chaverim inVirginia Beach. AAAA

j i Protective Edge thought this subject wassignificant enough to report about it backto their papers.

Sybil and Barry Kaplan are a journalist/photographer team of foreign correspondentswho live in Jerusalem. Sybil is a food writerand cookbook author who leads weekly walksin English in Machaneh Yehudah marketand is co-president of one of the English-speaking chapters of Hadassah-Israel. TheKaplans are also active members of KehilatMoreshet Avraham. AAAA

Golani brigade (an infantry brigade) currently serving in Gaza.

“The aim was not to integrate intoIsraeli society,” she said.“They are Israeli.They want to live in the present and futureas Israelis. They never suffered from beingArab and they never hid their heritage.”

Ms. Haskia said she didn’t tell them tojoin the IDF. It was taken for granted buteach one made the choice.

Yusuf Jahja says proudly,“I am a MuslimArab citizen of the State of Israel.” A blue-collar worker most of his life from an Arab village up North, Jahja had sixsons and two daughters. His was the firstfamily to send soldiers to the Israeli armyfrom his village.

Three of the sons went to the IDFtogether – two serving in combat unitsand one in border patrol. In 2004, one ofthe sons was killed in an explosion inGaza while in the IDF, and the communityinitially boycotted the funeral. Today, twosons are still serving.

How wonderful it would be if all themajor journalists covering the Operation

Fact: 200 Christian Arab Israelis are serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)Fact: 200 Muslim Arab Israelis are servingin the IDFFact: 1,400 Bedouin are serving in the IDFFact: 4,000 Druze are serving in the IDFFact: 100 Circassians are serving in the IDF

Why do no journalists write aboutthem? Because they find it hard to believethat these 5,900 view that their citizenshiprequires them to have a role fighting fortheir country. How do a minority in aDemocratic country come to the decisionthat loyalty and patriotism require them tovolunteer to defend their country? Andthe country is Israel.

Annet Haskia is an attractive, fashionablydressed blond with long, manicured fingernails. She is an Israeli Muslim Araband very outspoken. She relates thatgrowing up “it was not acceptable for ourkids to join the army. Everyone [whowanted to join the army was] consideredto be a traitor but I didn’t see it as a traitor.I saw it as taking responsibility like everyother citizen.”

Twenty-two years ago, when she wasdivorced, she and her three childrenmoved to a kibbutz and she took her children to enroll them in a Jewish school– the first time the Jewish school had beenapproached to enroll an Arab child. Hewas accepted in three days.

As they grew up, her older son volunteered to go to the IDF infantry; her daughter volunteered to go to an education unit – one of the first ArabIsraeli Muslim women to serve in the IDF; and her youngest son is part of the

Seen on theIsrael Scene

Parents of the minority speak out

BY SYBIL KAPLANPHOTOS BY BARRY A. KAPLAN

Annet Haskia is an Israeli Muslim Arab.

Yusuf Jahja proudly says, “I am a MuslimArab citizen of the State of Israel.”

We have blended the Micah passage andthis week’s Deuteronomy passage into ourcurrent idea of Reform, but what comesnext and how Reform will change is up tothe next generation. It is our responsibilityto guide and encourage them on this journey. I can only hope that my openness to change will be theirs as well.

When you light your Shabbat candlesthis week, light one for the founders and preservers of Reform Judaism who had the courage 200 hundred yearsago to see a new way for Jewish life. Lightthe other candle for our youth to use tolight the way forward into the ReformJewish future.

Rabbi Adland has been a Reform rabbiRabbi Adland has been a Reform rabbi formore than 25 years with pulpits inLexington, Ky., Indianapolis, Ind., and currently at Temple Israel in Canton, Ohio.He may be reached at j.adland@gmail.com. AAAA

ADLAND(continued from page 7)

j i

You’ll have to attend a Reform servicewhere the two rabbis of the congregationand a Hassidic rabbi dance on the pulpitand where a religious school orchestra isthumping out rock music to Jewish songsand where the clapping and stomping arealmost frenzied by the worshippers to getthe picture at the Indianapolis HebrewCongregation (IHC) that is not too dissimilar from what could have been aHoly Roller church service.

If you haven’t guessed, then it wasRabbi Zalman Schachter who when theservice began at the IHC, was alreadybobbing up and down in his seat on thepulpit – it ended up in a scream.…

When Zalman, who we’ve known for wellover 20 years, quoted the passage “Maythe Meditations of My Heart” and madethe point that meditation and the thrust ofthe Eastern religions are 4,000 years oldfor the Jews, he was just getting up steam.

As he read from the Torah, his niggunwas standard but the words were clearlyunderstood by the Reform youngstersbecause they were English, althoughZalman read the Hebrew too. His sermondelivery is perfect. There are long pausesfor emphasis, and all of a sudden there is salient observation and a penetratingone. When he opens his mouth, it’s with akey word or phrase that took the audienceby surprise.

HE SANG, HE DANCED, he got acrossthe message of pure Judaism, a religion ofjoy and a joyous religion. Finally RabbiMurray Saltzman and Zalman were dancing Hassidic steps on the pulpit, witharms around each other’s shoulders andthe other outstretched – you saw in it inFiddler on the Roof.

Tribute to Reb Zalman(Originally published February 27, 1976)

The Editor’s ChairBY GABRIEL COHEN, , Z”L (1908–2007)

10 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

said, three generations. He gently allowedus to birth “being Jewish” with meaningand practice into an everyday, everyminute occurrence. He recognized thepower of woman in Torah and the importance of including them not only inservices as Rabbis, Cantors, lay leaders,and Rabbinic Pastors, but he also paidattention and respected their midrashwhich we now study and incorporate intoour Jewish lives, both personally andwithin our communities. He recognizedthe power of music by bringing ancientniggunim (melodies) into our services, aswell as new contemporary Jewish music towhich we danced and chanted.

Reb Zalman believed that you alsoprayed with your body which he modeledwith enthusiasm. His interpretations andtranslations of our Hebrew, Aramaic andYiddish texts into an understandable version for the advanced and beginnercreated holy space. Reb Zalman modeledhumility – he was never a “puffed up”. Infact, for a while, he wanted to be calledZaide Zalman so that people wouldn’t puthim on a pedestal – he didn’t want to behigher than anyone else. Reb Zalman recognized the importance of learningfrom all religions and cultures. In this wayhe expanded our thought process andrespect for all humanity. He taught that attimes we were able to receive the deepestlesson from nature and animals. He saw“God sparks”in all living things.

I will always remember his beautifultwinkling eyes, his deep belly laughs, hisrich beautiful singing voice and great

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l

BY LEON OLENICK

Memorial

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, lived everymoment of his life to the fullest until heleft this earth on July 3, 2014 just before hereached his 90th birthday. He was myRebbe, my teacher and my friend. When Ithink of him on a personal basis, I amdeeply appreciative of how he changedmy life, the life of my wife Jackie, my children and grandchildren. Reb Zalmanwas the father of the Jewish Renewalmovement, which over the course of manydecades influenced and changed everydenomination of Judaism in the UnitedStates and abroad. He brought Yiddishkiteand Torah into our lives in a way that resonated with our souls and opened our hearts.

Reb Zalman, as he liked to be called,took the teachings of our rabbis from pre-Holocaust Europe and brought themto a level of understanding in our modernworld. His gentle way of uncovering themeaning beneath the surface of teachingsfrom Torah and Kabbalah filled my spiritualtool box enabling me to bring Torah to ameaningful practice of living life in thepresent. Reb Zalman was also my teacherin pastoral care which I’m now blessedenough to bring to my patients and theircaregivers. Reb Zalman was my spiritualguide for more than 35 years.

I think of Reb Zalman as the “spiritualmidwife” of our generation – or better

Reb Zalman praising HaShem at Skye Pelicrow’s conversion, Oct. 1987.

(see Olenick, page 16)

(see Cohen, page 16)

Reb Zalman showing a child the Torah atthe Mt. Madona Retreat, Aug, 1984.

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 11

BY REUVEN GOLDFARB

First meeting in 1974

I first met ZalmanSchachter at a lecture in San Francisco, atthe Jewish Community Center onCalifornia Street, in circa 1974. I was luredto the event by a poster that featured alarge black and white photo of Zalman, abrief description of the title of his talk, thetimes and place (it was for two evenings),and a running border with the words“Rabbi-Guru-Rabbi-Guru” repeated allaround. That alone made the invitationintriguing.

I went bothnights. The firstnight, I thought,was especiallyhigh; the second alittle less so, butstill impressive. Itbecame clear thathe had someinside knowledgeto impart andenough charismaand savvy to give it over in a digestibleform. In other words, he had a handle onthe lingo, which meant that he actuallyunderstood the material and could speakabout it from a personal place using contemporary images and metaphors.

I got a ride home from a woman a fewyears older than I, another shopper in the spiritual supermarket. She started comparing Zalman’s presentation to herexperience at the Zen Center, expressingdoubt about the necessity of all these categories and descriptions compared tothe Buddhist world-view’s unified visionwhen she looked over at me in the passenger seat, took note of my focusedconcentration, and said,“Oh.” I was busyintegrating the information Zalman hadgiven over and was not interested in comparison-shopping.

BY CHARLIE ROTH

Vintage Reb ZalmanSchachter-Shalomi(Originally published July 29, 2009) BY HARRY GOLDEN, Z”L (1902–1981)

Reflections on the Tallis(Originally published May 5, 1967)

I am probably Rab Zalman’s oldestgroupie and Hasid. It started in the 1940sat the Lubavitcher Yeshiva where he wasmentor to me and others. He was only ayear older, but he was wiser and had a wayof demonstrating how to make what wewere learning real for us personally.

The program of study had us there from8 a.m., to 10 p.m., from Sunday throughThursday. We would study Tanya (the classical Hasidic text written by the firstLubavitcher Rebbe) until 8:45, and thenwe would daven. When it came to theAmidah, Reb Zalman found himself a culdu sac, above a flight of stairs leading to alocked door, so that he could remain inprayer for as long as he needed withoutrestraining the group service.

His seeking recluse for davening was notthe only way we received his mentoring.We garnered the message also by the wayhe would respond to a question aboutTorah. His response seemed to always carrya message above the explanation, whichcarried his way of making the subject matter real for himself and the questioner.

Such questions often arose during the15-minute walk from 770 Eastern Pkwy in Crown Heights to the mikvah inBrownsville at 4 a.m. after mishmer (reviewof the weeks learning) on Thursday nights.When the snow was 10 or 15 inches deepwe wrapped newspapers and tied themwith string around the bottom of our legsto keep warm.

We would sing niggunim at the top ofour lungs to Bible passages from the Torahand prayerbook and Reb Zalman wouldregale us with instant translations intoEnglish though hardly with the transcendentbeautiful poetry and rhythm of his [morerecent] translations, but looking back theforeshadowing was already there.

He was ordained by Lubavitch in 1947.After leaving Lubavitch, he served a congregation in New England, becameHillel director in Manitoba. He earned hisMaster of Arts degree in the Psychology ofReligion in 1956 from Boston Universityand a Doctor of Hebrew Letters degreefrom Hebrew Union College in 1968.

He soon became nationally known forformulating davening into a way ofbecoming conscious of what makes usgrow spiritually and how to incline ourdirection in prayer, and mitzvahobservance whereby what happens to us becomes the purpose rather than thedues we pay to be part of the group webelong to.

Given that Lubavitch was founded abouta hundred years ago to add intensiveprayer to yeshiva learning, it may not be an

At one of his last public appearances, inMay 2014, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi,z”l, at the Jewish Renewal CongregationHavurah Shir Hadash in Ashland, Ore., onthe occasion of a Shabbaton retreat. He isseated in between his wife Eve Illsen andRabbi Hanan Sills.

(see Goldfarb, page 15)

(see Roth, page 15)

Reb Zalman reading for group aliyah at Mt Madonna Retreat, Aug. 1984. Photospage 10 and above from Yehudit Goldfarb'sAquarian Minyan Achival photo collection.

Reb Zalman (r) sitting on the bima atCongregation Havurah Shir Hadash. He is having an interfaith panel discussionwith (left to right) Episcopal clergymanReverend Morgan Silbaugh, Dr. IbrahimAbdurrahman Farajajé (ibrahim baba),and Reb Zalman’s wife, Eve Ilsen. Photosby Lea Delson (www.delsonphoto.com).

I witnessed a tallis story in Winnipeg,Canada. I was there for a speech and spentpart of a day with the Orthodox rabbi,a young fellow who had come fromEngland, (my deepest apology to my readers – I do not recall his name).(editor’s note: Rabbi Zalman Schachter,now head of the Dept. of Jewish studies at the University of Manitoba.) He washead of the Boy Scout troop of kids in hiscongregation; and where it says in themanual about teaching the kids how to tieknots, this young rabbi was teaching theBoy Scouts how to tie the knots on thefringes of the tallis. It was interesting to watch the fellow go about it with nonchalant determination. AAAA

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Reb Zalman, (Undatedphoto, JPO archives).

12 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

Limmud for Rebecca and me, Sarah’s first.Located on the verdant, tree-studdedcampus of Sonoma State University, I feltas if I were in another Eden: an Eden forthe Jewish soul.

Limmud afforded me the opportunity to fill in some of my profound Jewishinformation gaps. The older I become, themore I realize how relevant the teachingsof our sages are. I wish to apply the wisdom of our sages to my everyday life.Accordingly, I decided to attend twoTalmud classes taught by Rabbi PeretzWolf-Prusan, senior educator of LehrhausJudaica.

I know embarrassingly little aboutTalmud. Years ago, I had attended oneTalmud class offered by our former synagogue. For one hour in that class, therabbi parsed out every nuance of meaningof one sentence of the Talmud. The connotations of each word as reflected bydifferent Jewish sages over the centuriesand arguments proposed and refuted bymultiple Talmudic scholars, constitutedthe substance of the discussion. After 20minutes, my mind could no longer trackthe various threads. I was done. If I wantto learn about the Talmud, this was not thepath for me.

The words of the titles of Rabbi Peretz’classes at Limmud spoke to my hungryJewish soul: “From Torah to Talmud” onMonday morning preceded “From theRamban to Heschel with Stops inBetween” in the afternoon. The Talmuddumbed down? If you are a Talmudicscholar, yes; but this Rabbi’s classes wereperfect for someone like me. He is anengaging speaker, who makes his material come alive for his audience. Herespected his audience and invited anyquestions. His quote from one source tothe effect that leaders should pursuediplomacy before engaging in war mademe think of the current situation in Gaza.

Accordingly, I raised my hand to ask,“Could we apply this passage to what is going on today in Gaza?” I asked withthe naivety of one who expects teachers to abide by what they say, such as noquestion is a stupid one (only stupidanswers). The good Rabbi dismissed myquestion by alluding to his concern forfriends who, even now, were huddled in abomb shelter in Ashdod.

Did he think my question meant I hadany less concern for my cousins who livein Tel Aviv? His words silenced mine, as I yearned for compatriots who, like me,had participated in “The Year of CivilDiscourse” sponsored by the JewishCommunity Relations Council (JCRC) andJewish Community Federation (JCF).

During that year, lay leaders chosen bytheir rabbis participated in a seminarseries designed to teach facilitation skillsso that communication about difficult topics facing the Jewish community wouldbe productive instead of disruptive andvolatile. I looked around for would-be veterans of this program, but no one cameto my rescue. Surely, we Jews, the Peopleof the Book, can find the words to talkabout the Jewish-Palestinian debacle, andso perhaps, find a means to resolve it.

I had hoped Limmud would afford methe chance to gain insight into the currentwar in Gaza. I am dreading the start of myHolocaust class at Notre Dame de NamurUniversity (NDNU) at the end of thismonth. Although my syllabus and coursewebsite are updated, my guest speakers,including an Auschwitz survivor,confirmed, I anticipate that I need to beprepared to answer student questionsabout this war.

In recent years, I have had to field questions like,“Aren’t the Israelis treatingthe Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews during the Holocaust?” I can nolonger assume a sympathetic attitude

HolocaustEducatorBY MIRIAM L. ZIMMERMAN

Reflections on Gaza

Last fall, our three adult children eachgifted us with a grandchild. I call it,“family planning on steroids;” they are my “triplet granddaughters” Two of thetriplets live right here in the Bay Area.

Often, we see both of them in the sameweek. Recently, I babysat the youngesttriplet, Sarah. Snug in her stroller, I walkedalong the Bay Trail, which circumnavigatesthe San Francisco Bay. We can access it justa block and a half from my daughter’shome. With the temperature in the mid-70’s, I was able, for the first time thatI can remember, to remove my sweaterand enjoy the gentle breeze without feeling cold. Global warming is here,I thought.

As I walked, I felt as if I were in theGarden of Eden – a confluence of perfectweather, beautiful scenery, a happy infant,a contented grandmother. In contrast,my heart went out to all the grandmothersin Israel and Gaza; the former hiding in bomb shelters; the latter, mourning the loss of grandchildren or other family members. The third Gaza War inrecent years has dominated the news inrecent weeks.

In contrast, just a few weeks earlier, mydaughter Rebecca with her daughterSarah accompanied me to the third annualBay Area Limmud, a weekend retreat ofJewish learning. It was the third such

Miriam’s granddaughter Sarah with her mother Rebecca “(Miriam’s daughter) at a BayArea Limmud 2014 lecture on Jewish activism.

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 13among my students toward all thingsJewish. Fortunately, I have 15 weeks toprove that the behavior of the Nazis andthat of the Israelis is both substantivelyand ideologically different.

The current war in Gaza is a gamechanger. The disproportionate dead ofPalestinians to Israelis, I predict, will activate young people’s innate sense offairness and feelings for the perceivedunderdog. Encouraged by my invitation toask hard questions, they will be motivatedto do just that.

It is so easy to find “misinformation”onthe web. What if a student asks me,“Doesn’t the political party of PrimeMinister Netanyahu call for a pan-Israelistate free of non-Jews?” What should bemy response?

In prior years, I preempted the Nazi-Israeli analogy by giving voice toPalestinians. I explained to my students in my introductory presentation, that Ihave been a member of a Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue group since 1998,and am able in some measure, to articulate the Palestinian perspective.

I cite legitimate grievances of thePalestinian people: a crushing occupationwith humiliating checkpoints that inhibitfree access to Palestinian land and peopleand a menacing fence that sometimes cuts off Palestinian neighbor from neighbor; the Israeli blockade of Gaza,begun in 2007, which has wrecked theeconomy and reduced about a third of thepopulation to poverty; Israel’s refusal todismantle the illegal settlements; andIsrael’s aggressive appropriation of Arabland, albeit much by legal means.

By giving voice to “the enemy,” bycounting Palestinians among my friends, Iam able to model one of the lessons of theHolocaust for my students: Thou shall notdehumanize thy enemy, who, after all, is ahuman being, created in the image of G-d,just like me.

That said, I end my introduction with alesson of the Holocaust for Jews: when acountry, leader, or religion states it wantsto drive Jews into the sea or wipe Israel offthe map, Israel takes such a threat seriously.

I show a map of Israel in relation to theArab World, graphically depicting theneed for Israel to maintain a military capable of defending itself.

This map omits Iran, a significant financial backer of Hamas. Although notan Arab state, Iran’s former leader,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was a “hardcore” Holocaust denier; and its current leader, President Hassan Rouhani,is a “softcore”Holocaust denier, accordingto Professor Deborah Lipstadt, a leadingexpert on Holocaust denial. The distinction between the two is the subjectfor a future column. A map depicting

Israel’s enemies without including Iran,over twice the area as Iraq, is incomplete.

The salient point: both Iranian leaderswould drive Israel into the sea.The currentIranian government “released a statementin which it called ‘to remove the canceroustumor – Israel,’”according to Elad Benari,writing for Arutz Sheva, IsraelNationalNews.com.

I ask my students if they know how bigthe state of Israel is. Few know. I ask themto compare Israel to a state and getanswers from “the size of Texas” to“California.”Then, I show a map of Israelin relationship to California. Almost all mystudents are stunned to discover howsmall Israel is. Note that Israel in bothmaps encompasses the West Bank andGaza, neither of which should be included.

Like Iran, Hamas has pledged to erasethe State of Israel. The beleagueredPalestinian people no doubt elected theHamas leadership out of desperation. Butinstead of rebuilding homes, schools andother institutions with international aid,Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organiza-tion by both the U.S. and Israel, investedin rockets and built tunnels into Israel. Asa result, its soldiers could infiltrate, kidnap,and use suicide bombers to kill Israelis.

The result has been a lopsided warresulting in massive Palestinian deathscompared to Israeli deaths with graphicpictures of dead and dying Palestinianchildren dominating the news. Israelmight be winning the battle on theground, but it is certainly losing the war inthe media.

After the bodies are buried and therockets have been silenced, all that willendure are the words. It reminds me of agreat book I have been reading this summer, Simon Schama’s The Story of theJews. Its subtitle,“Finding the Words.”

The brother of one of my Palestinianfriends wrote the following on July 18,2014 [all names withheld for security reasons]: “I am writing this email with a lot

of pain inside me, I don’t know what I shouldsay. I have 3 of my family got killed yesterday in Gaza and 10 of them injured.Besides that, my family become a refugeealong with other family that are neighborwith us. Right now, majority of village people are staying are schools where is a little more secure than other places. Mywhole village right now is occupied by Israeliarmy, no one was able to stay there from mypeople. Things [are] getting worst andworst, all I hope things to get better for justonce... I am sick of all of this...I am tired…”

He wrote an update on July 26, 2014:“Things back home are bad and sad. Just yesterday my 5th cousin, 26 years old, waskilled and she has two young babies. Twodays ago, my 4th cousin, 35years old, waskilled leaving behind him 6 young kids. Myuncle’s house [was] completely destroyedand our house partially damaged. The wholefamily [is] sheltering [in] the UN school.”

What is the appropriate response tosuch words? I have the opportunity to putinto practice what I have long taught myHolocaust students. We cannot dehumanizethe enemy by translating them into numbers; they have names. The blood ofmy “enemy” is as red as mine. They havefamilies: mothers, fathers, children, aunts,uncles, grandfathers, and grandmothers.Their lives might never return to “normal,”unlike mine, which already has.

Last night [August 14, 2014], as wedrove to Alameda to babysit our oldest“triplet,” Ziva, I asked my husband mischievously,“Do you think our daughterwould mind if we took her daughter tohear Sir Paul McCartney perform atCandlestick Park?” I anticipated anevening with my granddaughter, thoughtsof Gaza far frommy mind. Oneof the two sur-viving Beatles,McCartney willappear in thelast event beforeCandlestick,home of the S.F.49ers and S.F.Giants for somany years, istorn down.

As an originalBaby Boomer,someone whocame of age during the soaring 1960’s, Ivividly remember the invasion of this continent by the Beatles, beginning withtheir performance on the Ed SullivanShow. Google instantly reminded me oftheir Feb. 9, 1964, debut date. I was afreshman in college.

I wondered what happened to 60’s values – peace, love, and social justice for

Miriam with hergranddaughter Ziva.

(see Zimmerman, page 14)

ZIMMERMAN(continued from page 13)

Jim Shipley has had careers in broadcasting,distribution, advertising, and telecommuni-cations. He began his working life in radio in Philadelphia. He has written his JP&Ocolumn for more than 20 years and is directorof Trading Wise, an international trade andmarketing company in Orlando, Fla.Submited July 16, 2014. AAAA

14 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

ShipleySpeaksBY JIM SHIPLEY

A time for some perspective

Every two years it seems Hamas getsthe courage and the means to begin anaerial assault on Israel.The usual responsesalways come.The Arab States and Iran callon Israel to stop the “aggression”.

Gaza civilians get killed because Hamasputs their rocket launchers in alleywaysand neighborhoods, trapping the civiliansthere. Every two years....

Hamas is supplied by Iran. Iran hascalled for the destruction of Israel, as has Hamas. The major reason for thebreakdown in the recent peace “negotiations” regardless of what wassaid, boils down to this:

If there ever is such a thing as aPalestinian “State” it would be a horriblething for Israel and for the civilized world.Why? Because of the rise of militant Islamwhich would jump into that vacuum ofpower so well defined in Palestinian politics. Instead of a sole militant extremist Islamic State in Syria facingIsrael on its borders, there would be one inJudea and Samaria. Israel would be surrounded by militant, armed Jihadists,dedicated to the destruction of the JewishState (along with America, of course).

To be a “State” the people need a language (Palestinians do not), you needsome historical basis for the land youinhabit – yes, we have an America becauseEuropean immigrants slaughtered theinhabitants of the land – but that’s another story. The land called “Palestine”was governed by the first JewishCommonwealth and then after theBabylonians and the Persians, by theSecond Jewish Commonwealth. And thatwas the last time an indigenous peoplegoverned that land until 1948.

When the Romans expelled 90% of theJewish population, they ruled until theCaliphate (the original one) drove out theRomans. Then in 1916, the British, backedby Arab tribes threw out

the Muslims and ruled the land as a“Mandate” until the creation of the ThirdJewish Commonwealth in 1948.

But let’s leave facts aside for a moment.The U.S. and a few others keep talkingabout a “two state solution”. But in factthere is no such thing. The phony nationswith arbitrary borders that the British andFrench politicians created in 1919 are

coming apart. The “countries”they createdonly lasted this long because the WesternWorld made sure that strong dictatorsbacked by Western Arms and dollars keptthem in power.

When the “Arab Spring” sprung intobeing, it created an inevitable vacuumbecause, as the U.S. has learned in Iraq, democracy does not come from the top down. Into this vacuum hasjumped the best organized of the mostextreme Jihadists. Educated in the Whabbi Midrashes in Saudi Arabia or its funded counterparts, they believe that they are God’s messengers, carryingthe “True Word.”

The top military brains in Iraq are part ofthis. This is the result of a muddle headeddecision by the genius of one Paul Bremer,who, as GW’s head guy in Iraq after our invasion disbanded the Iraqi army,creating 50,000 well trained enemies ofthe U.S. They are now the declared“Islamic State of Iraq”.

God forbid a Palestinian State! It wouldlast maybe two weeks. Along would cometerrorists, a trained military force and asubjugated Palestinian people. Israelwould be surrounded. Surrounded by alarge, well-financed fighting force withIranian missiles and hundreds if not thousands of potential suicide bombers.

So, the hopes and dreams of a parade ofAmerican presidents who have seen thePalestinian leaders walk away from dealafter deal set to give them what they supposedly wanted have come to an end.The Palestinian “government”, createdreally by the United Nations in a mannerto preclude an opposition party, is a joke.Hamas is split along a military/politicalfault line. But like a wounded buffalo –they are more dangerous than ever. Abbasis after all, an empty suit.

Israel must continue to deal with realities that the Western World wants toignore. Missiles are not randomly rainingdown on Paris or London. If one, just onelittle rocket should hit Key West, what doyou suppose the reaction of the U.S.would be? Like maybe a hundred F-16sflying in formation over Havana firing ourrockets? Or one missile from the quietsilos in Idaho.

No, times have changed. A historicalsaga begun with the end of WWI is entering its final chapter. Israel is madeabundantly aware of this every day. Thosefanatics in Gaza and their counterparts inQatar and Syria care not for the lives oftheir people. They have one goal. Theytruly, truly believe in the resurrection ofthe Caliphate.

Giving them Judea and Samaria wouldbring about a new Holocaust for theJewish people. That is why we mustdeclare once more: NEVER AGAIN!

all. They must have gone out with thepeace symbol, to be replaced by theMercedes symbol.

As we drove back home after anevening babysitting Ziva, I felt the balmywarm air, despite the proximity of theAlameda estuary. Climate change is here, Iam convinced. Unlike previous summers, Ineeded no jacket. It occurred to me thatthe whole planet, carefully calibrated byour Creator, was the Garden of Eden.We have failed the mitzvah, the commandment, to be stewards over theland, as commanded in Genesis.

We have expelled ourselves from theGarden. Our hubris in conquering nature,our inability to act on our words instead ofacting out our rages, leads me to concludethat we are not yet prepared to make theworld ready for the Messiah. There can beno peace without justice; there can be no justice without peace. Israel and Gaza have neither. We Jews can do better, if only we could find the words.

My prayer for the grandmothers of Gazaand of Israel: “May they both find justice andpeace; with G-d’s help, may it be in our time.”

Dr. Zimmerman is professor emerita atNotre Dame de Namur University (NDNU)in Belmont, Calif., where she continues toteach the Holocaust course. She can bereached at mzimmerman@ndnu.edu. AAAA

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that is dedicated to gathering guests,formed to see to it that we never everleave the stranger outside the tent, thatevery newcomer is welcomed and brought to the table, that is, invited to aShabbat dinner, and brought inside thecongregational family.

© 2014 Moshe ben Asher & Khulda bat SarahRabbi Moshe ben Asher and Magidah

Khulda bat Sarah are the Co-Directors ofGather the People, a nonprofit organizationthat provides Internet-based resources forcongregational community organizing anddevelopment (www.gatherthepeople.org). AAAA

BAT SARAH(continued from page 6)

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 15

speak out as an advocate for my home.I am a more realistic, knowledgeableambassador for Israel.

I feel inclined to behonest here. I haverealized that I amincredibly self-cen-tered. Perhaps it’singrained in our“Selfie Culture,” andmaybe it’s just me.But now when Iwatch the news, Iknow that there is so much more to thestory. This leads to me to wonder aboutthe millions of other stories that are happening in the world right now that I am unaware of, and suddenly my problems are so small. I have spent somuch time worrying about my next stepand my own future, when there are somany next steps and futures that I have

not taken the time to learn about.But none of this makes me feel small or

insignificant. More than ever, I intend toharness my skills and become a leader thatspeaks out for Israel. None of us are small.It’s not that at all. All of our perspectivesadd up to be something very big and Ihope to shape someone’s perspectivesomeday. The Young Judaea DiscoveryProgram has certainly shaped mine.

Naomi Farahan is a senior at UniversityHigh School of Indiana in Carmel, Ind. Sheis the recipient of Hadassah’s Young Leadersof Tomorrow Award. This award allowed herto travel with Young Judaea to Greece andIsrael as a part of a summer tour. AAAA

Hadassah’sYoung Judeasummer tour

It’s two in the morning in Carmel,Indiana. I can’t sleep. I’ve been home fromIsrael for more than two weeks now. I was there from July 3–Aug. 1. Writingabout Israel is hard, because deep inside Iknow that I cannot fully capture what thissummer meant to me. I can name myfavorite sights, and I can tell you about thefunniest moments. We can sit for coffeeand I can say, as I have said countlesstimes, that I have been moved andchanged. I can explain that rather thanbecome a different person, I became a better defined version of myself. But I cannot really put these feelings intowords. This is my best attempt.

I have always been proud of myJudaism. My religion has never held meback. But before this trip, I wasn’t quitesure what being Jewish meant to me. Itwas passed on by my parents, and it wassomething I wanted to continue for thesake of my children. But I wasn’t sure why.This summer, I connected to parts ofmyself that I can’t quite name. I guess I callthat religion. This does not mean that Ireturned home observing more mitzvot,but I do feel more Jewish regardless.My friends on the trip felt the same way, as if this spirituality had awoken inus. My Jewish identity no longer existsbecause it’s expected of me, but because I experience it, I breathe it and I feel it ineverything I do.

I was incredibly nervous to meet theother kids on my tour. Looking back, I hadevery reason to be. My life will never bethe same. Every friend that I made isimportant to me for a different reason. Ilearned something new from everyone thatI came across. I feel exceedingly blessed tohave spent five weeks with some of themost incredible people I have ever met.We came into each other’s lives veryquickly, and I hope we never leave. I knowthat I will never forget how they made mefeel. Those things just don’t go away.

For several days after I got home, myeyes were glued to the television screen.Back in the States I feel so removed fromthe situation in Israel. Everyone welcomedme back with open arms, exclaiming,“Youmust have been so scared!”All the while, Ijust want to go back to Israel. I just want togo back home. I now have a much bettergrasp of what Zionism means to me. Nomatter where I am, what I’m doing, Israelis my home. As a part of the Discoveryprogram, I gained the proper tools to

BY NAOMI FARAHAN

ROTH(continued from page 11)

exaggeration to say that Reb Zalman hasout-Lubavitched Lubavitch.

Now the spiritual grandfather of theRenewal and Havurah movements, heremains absent from the biannual AlephKallah to allow his disciples to bask in thelimelight, while in other faiths, the Gurusmaintain leadership till the end.

A while back Reb Zalman was invited by another old-time Lubavitcher, RebMendel Feldman of Baltimore, to a Seudahin Crown Heights that I attended. RebElyeh Chaim Carlebach [the brother ofReb Shlomo Carlebach] turned to me andasked, “Tzu vemen furst du?” meaning“What Rebbe do you follow?” To which I responded “Ich fur tzu Zalmanen,”meaning “Reb Zalman was my Rebbe.”

Several sidecurled Hasidm made theirway from Boro Park to the 2008 Shavuotretreat at Elat Chayym to experience davening with Reb Zalman and told melater that they were more spirituallythrilled than they expected to be.

Charlie Roth was managing editor of TheJewish Post from 1953–1983. AAAA

GOLDFARB(continued from page 11)

In those days I was checking teachersagainst a very high standard – were theyenlightened or not? …When you cameright down to it, there were precious fewof these enlightened characters runningaround. And there were quite a few pretenders. So I appreciated Zalmanmaking it clear that he wasn’t.

He said, “I’m an Upa Guru, not a SatGuru.” That is, he was one who couldteach technique, not one who could be arole model, an exemplar of something to strive for, or a living embodiment ofGod’s light, as others were said to be butoften weren’t. I never thought that Shlomo[Carelbach] was pretending to be somethinghe wasn’t either. I recall him describingthe shifts in his own self-perception:“Sometimes I feel like I’m the Ba’al ShemTov, and other times I’m the biggest shlepper in the world,” or words to thateffect. Eventually, I decided the wholegame was a distraction and led to imposingunrealistic standards on oneself and thediminishment of one’s own self-esteem.

Zalman gave me tools to understand my own consciousness and that of theworld in which I and other people lived.His classifications and distinctions werean essential aide in developing a discrimi-nating intellect and using the academictraining and life experience I had alreadyacquired to make further progress, or, asneeded, to de-condition myself from false assumptions. Shlomo created a unified field of consciousness throughmusic and dancing, stories and deepteachings. Both offered Judaism foradults, especially for the kind of adults wewere at that time in history.

From My Spiritual Autobiography, awork-in-progress by Maggid and RabbinicDeputy Reuven Goldfarb. His poetry, stories, and essays have been published in scores of magazines, newspapers, andanthologies including this one. AAAA

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Jerusalem. Photo by Naomi Farahan.

16 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

sense of humor. Reb Zalman taught aboutthe “four worlds”. It was the first gatewayinto Kabbalah. He taught that we livedsimultaneously in four worlds – the worldof doing, the world of emotions (the heartspace), the world of intellect and the worldof the sacred – being connected to theHoly One. He intuitively knew what weneeded on any of the four worlds we wereliving in at the time. Reb Zalman loved to deploy people to do assignments. Someof the tasks did not make sense until completed and one realized that the deepest life lesson came forth.

He encouraged the practice of meditationthat would create a path for us to lookdeeper into our lives, the lives of our family and friends, and even the lives ofpeople we did not like to create an under-standing and respect for all – to gain agreater perspective and to come closer tothe Holy One. If I was asked to name onlyone Hebrew word that would describeReb Zalman it would be “devekut”which isthe space where we can cleave to the HolyOne in the deepest way.

Reb Zalman understood, lived andtaught a “living G-d”. Reb Zalman, for the first time in the lives of thousands ofJews was able to “G-d talk”. He broke thestereotype that so many Jews had of ajudging G-d sitting high on the throne.Because of that naive imprint, so many ofus didn’t have a concept of a “living G-d”.Reb Zalman was able to see that holyspark in everybody and had an uncannyway of helping whomever he was with to raise up their spark so they could truly become who they were meant to be.He saw in me the spark of a PastoralCounselor, and in my wife, Jackie he saw and nurtured her into becoming aninspired Judaic artist. He saw this 35 yearsago, when it was very far from our lives.

Reb Zalman empowered communities.We know about the many Renewal communities scattered across the worldbut sometimes we don’t know about thesmaller communities such as the one hehelped nurture so many years ago inBloomington Ind., then St. Paul, Minn.And now, during our years in Florida,Reb Zalman always encouraged us to doour best to keep Havurah Simchat HaLevalive, flourishing and happy.

Reb Zalman was fearless, brilliant,creative, musical, mystical, funny, warmand a blessed teacher and friend. One ofthe amazing things about him is that therewere thousands of people who feel thisway about him – from mature spiritualseekers, to the youngest child. Wheneverhe saw one of my stories published in TheJewish Post & Opinion he would call me

OLENICK(continued from page 10)

COHEN(continued from page 10)

j i and tell me how much he enjoyed readingthe story. I already miss those phone callsfrom him which always started with,“Chaim Labe laiben”…

So to Reb Zalman I say, “Baruch ShemK’vod Malchuto l’Olom Va-ed” (Throughtime and space your glory shines.) May your memory and your legacy be ablessing forever.

Leon H. Olenick is a rabbi and board certified chaplain. His book of life affirmingstories is titled, Anatomy of a Tear. AAAA

host congregation, since the institutershad already left for home.

The theme was prayer.Zalman asked any in the audience to

give him reasons why we pray to God andwhat answers could be expected. A fewmade attempts, and out of the processcame two answers as to what response wecould expect from God and a third wassupplied by Zalman. They were that Godcould respond to our requests or he coulddeny it. The third was that the answer tothe request could be delayed for a time.

WHAT ZALMAN WAS LEADING up tobecame apparent. He wanted the youngstersto get a positive attitude towards prayerand a mature understanding. In betweenhis final act and the beginning, he gotacross the idea that when we ask forsomething we must be prepared to readyourselves to act towards whatever thatgoal happened to be. Good psychology, ofcourse, and the theory was that we shouldnot sit on our hands and wait for something to happen but should work atit ourselves if we expected help from above.

The denouement came when Zalmansaid that if anyone would like to make aprivate request of God, he might walk upon the bima, kiss the Torah while utteringhis prayer in silence. At first only one ortwo of the more courageous rose andmade their way down the aisle to thebima. Then a few others followed, and it ended up with practically everyonemaking the trek.

Then Zalman pulled the bombshell. Heasked them to remember their prayer andthen in a year see if it wasn’t answered. Soin a year, he’d be back at Temple Universityand no one could charge him with perpetrating a fraud. But also in a year, agood many if not most or all of the prayerscould in fact have been answered, and atleast those who went through the processmight have overcome one of the biggesthurdles – disappointment in prayer – thechildish belief of most of us that expectsan immediate answer from heaven.

THESE YOUNGSTERS NOW HAVE adeeper understanding of what prayer is all about, and it was achieved not bysomeone drilling anything into the mindsof unwilling listeners, but by a step-by-step learning process which called for theinvolvement of the people themselves.

Zalman as you’ve seen is a supremepsychologist – all the sages were – and his is the one kind of a medicine that cando the job today.

Gabriel Cohen, z”l, was the publisher of theNational Jewish Post & Opinion, and it’sIndiana and Kentucky editions from 1935 to 2007. AAAA

Can I describe adequately the caftandown to his knees that Zalman wore, andthe strimmel on his head, with the whitesocks and sandals that carry one back to the shtetl, not to mention his long butattractive beard and heavy rimmed eyeglasses? Zalman is something of a radicalin Lubavitch circles, and tells you right outthat there are important differencesbetween them.

No doubt those in control at 770 EasternParkway in Brooklyn, the seat of power ofLubavitch, look with askance on him, butfew can get across the message ofHassidism as effectively and convincingly,and do it not by describing, but in the bestmethod of Hassidism – by doing it.

OUR OWN CHARLES ROTH andZalman are very close and since both are Lubavitch and radical thinkers, theyhave much in common. They are extraor-dinarily creative.

The 300 Ohio Valley Temple Youth joinedin the mood as if Zalman were a long lostcousin. Our daughter, Rena, who sometimesaccompanies us to Orthodox services atB’nai Torah, the congregation we’verecently joined, couldn’t have felt more athome as she clapped – oh my poor ears –and sang and enjoyed herself thoroughly.

This was a young people’s service inentirety. They led the prayers and if youneed to have your faith in young peoplerestored, this would have done it. After theservices, at the Oneg Shabbat, the dancingwent on long after we had given up and left.

ZALMAN WAS THE ATTRACTION forthree days. Elvis Presley or whoever it isthat is the idol of the young people todaycould not have excited them half as much.

Zalman is of course the medicine that isneeded. Any congregation that wants itslife renewed and wants some insurance thatit’ll be around when its people grow up,should invite him as scholar in residence....

WHEN WE CAME TO PICK Zalman upto bring him to our house for an hour or sobefore plane departure, he was performingin the last phase of his appearance beforea group of junior high schoolers of the

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 17stood up to a peasant launching forwardwith a knife and disarmed him. Slovo wasthe exception among rather timid fellowJews who shunned from confrontation,representing the activist Zionist approachand speaking on the virtues of army service.

“The Jews are always scared…a pity theywere not drafted when young into themilitary.The military is good for both bodyand mind…the Jews are orderless. Themilitary instructs you to obey orders, tomarch straight and forget about yourself.”(p. 166) In the Jewish minority at school,Irvine-Aharon was subjected to abuseparticularly from bullying Peuter,“your goodZionists will not save you on JudgmentDay. We will undress you like on your dayof birth and beat you up”(p. 135–136).

In troubling dreams Irvine-Aharon loseshis parents. He is told by his father’s highschool friend Alfred to be strong for life asthere is no one to help. Soon enough whathe said turns out to be the tragic case.Father Freddie’s factory was sufferingloses. Upon being fired an anti-Semiticworker blurted out to Freddie, “I will notleave. Every piece of land belongs to theUkrainians, including your factory. Youdon’t belong here.”(p. 246)

In the face of the growing threat of war and increased anti-Semitism, Freddieurged his wife to leave as some hadalready left for America. However, shehesitated, worrying about their property.The son saw in his parent’s inaction aflight from reality. A fellow vacationer,author Carl Kenig, a divorcee from aCatholic woman, muses over his decisionnot to immigrate for the time being,though his parents did, “don’t forget,mam, my mother tongue is German. Thelanguage is my soul as well as musicalinstruments. What will I do in theAmerican foreignness? Here, thank God,all are speaking German”(p. 175).

While Ukrainian farmers and commonfolks harbor long nurtured and passed onanti-Semitic sentiment, we find someoneof the stature of Sergey the monk,Freddie’s friend who studies Hebrew,regarding Hebrew as the key to reachingGod. He does this along with bemoaningthe new Jewish generation’s alienationfrom its traditional Jewish roots, includingthe Hebrew language.

Or take Prince Von-Tudden falling inlove with Jewish Gusta who does notreciprocate. With Judaism, he is attractedto Buber and Rosenzweig’s writings. Hereproaches Gusta for her loss of faith, “aperson without faith is a plant withoutsoil. Judaism still guards the ancient desertlight of faith. Not every person is fortunateto be born a Jew. A pity that you are nothappy in your portion, far from yourancestors who heard at Sinai the voicesand thunders.”(p. 194)

Then there is a self-hating Jewess wholoathes her Jewish connection and wouldlike to get rid of it. To her author Kenigdefends the Jews’ resiliency,“among otherimpressive things, their ability to withstandlife’s troubles. Life repeatedly hits uponthem and they are forced to bend, to prostrate and keep silent. Human evil is attimes worse than nature’s eruptions. Butmiraculously they rise up again, collectwhat’s left and continue the journey. Whatthey fail to accomplish their descendentsaccomplish”(p.16).

When Freddie was a university studenthe fell in love with Maria, whose hand inmarriage he asked from her Ukrainianfather. Upon rejecting Freddie for being aJew, he also chides him for dropping hisbirth faith, “you no longer keep yourancestors laws? Are you better than them?Wiser than them? Do you already haveyour own way? I will tell you somethingyou may not like: A Jew must remain aJew: Thus God created him. A Jew whodoes not want to be a Jew is a demon.”(p. 178) Indeed a complicated response of both rejection and affirmation.

Irvine-Aharon’s mother, Bonia, retainedher parents’ deep faith, though withoutformal practice, whereas her husbandgave it up following high school and college in spite of his parents continuedattachment to their heritage, contendingthat the Jews were “a tribe that atrophied”(p. 83), with his wife’s retort, “the good tidings will not come from the outside”(p. 130). They both fasted on Yom Kippurbut did not attend synagogue services.Maternal grandpa, Meir Yosef, taughtIrvine-Aharon the Siddur albeit with asense of despair given the pervasiveassimilation around him.

With a penetrating brush, the authormethodically and meticulously paints aweakened Jewry from within and without,vulnerable and easy prey on the eve ofcolossal destruction. The book allows usenchanting entry into Appelfeld’s writingexperience.

He reveals that once when he returnedyears later to that resort area of his childhood, his writing began to flow, “discovering a mine from which I carve outshining materials and the child within meteaching me to observe”(p. 28). He regardsthe “heavy journey of writing”(p. 28) to bea trying one of facing up to past trials andtribulations, failures and troubled loves,and particularly the encounter – alongwith his parents – with death. Childhoodis the writing “engine” (p. 29) but is notindependent of later life as an adult. Theauthor attributes his writing skill to bothparents, from mother he inherited herwondrous openness and from father therational focus.

Compelling journey of sacredremembrance

My Father and Mother. By AharonAppelfeld. Kinnert, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir-Publishing House. 2013. Pp. 269. InHebrew.

Prolific Israeli author and Holocaustsurvivor, AharonAppelfeld, contin-ues with prose thathas the power ofpoetry. His endlessand compellingjourney of sacredrecollection andremembrance canbe found in his latest book, AviV’Emi (my fatherand mother). It isabout his family vacationing in 1938 attheir annual summer resort on the banksof the River Prut at the foot of theCarpathian Mountains. Perceptive tenyear old Irvine-Aharon had a premonitionthat it would be their last vacation.Cataclysmic events would take over their tranquil and privileged upper middleclass life.

Foreshadowing signs abound. Already ayear earlier when a raft with cows andcalves aboard passed by on the powerfulflowing Prut, a comment was innocentlyand ironically made by one of the vacationing Jews that the livestock cargowas destined for slaughter. This brings tomind the forthcoming human slaughter ofthe Holocaust, the dimensions of whichcould not be imagined.

After all, Germany was a leading nationof culture and morality,“the great Germanculture will not tolerate that a dictator willovertake her. Barbarism belongs to theEast. Western culture knows restraint….logic dictates, they repeatedly stated, thata people’s culture percolates through eachof its children. German culture is a highone with moral standards.”(p. 68)

A colorful procession of Ukrainian peasants praying for rain soon turns into a mini-pogrom when they came upon theresting Jews. This was explained away byfanatics as a “tolerated storm” (p. 98).Later, courageous Slovo with his vast military background as a medic in WWI

BookReviewREVIEWED BY RABBI ISRAEL ZOBERMAN

(see Zoberman/BR, page 19)

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18 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

6 Tbsp. sugar or sugar substitutecinnamon

Grease baking dish. Preheat oven to350°F. Place peach slices on bottom ofbaking dish. Whisk together non-dairycreamer or whipping cream, eggs, eggyolks, vanilla and sugar. Pour over peaches. Sprinkle on cinnamon. Bake30–40 minutes until knife inserted in thecenter comes out clean. AAAA

My KosherKitchen

My favorite easy-to-makepareve desserts

A couple of years ago, I discoveredclafoutis – the baked French dessert offruit, covered with a batter, baked andserved warm. What I loved most was thatit was good year around, it could be madepareve and it looked elegant. I make minein a blender.

Master Clafouti(6–8 servings)6 apples1 cup non-dairy creamer orpareve whipping cream,

(preferably without sugar)1/3 cup sugar or diabetic sugar substitute4 large eggs1 Tbsp. vanilla1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a bakingdish or deep glass pie plate. Place non-dairy creamer or whipping cream, sugar orsugar substitute, eggs, vanilla and flour ina blender or food processor and blenduntil smooth. Place fruit overlapping inbottom of baking dish. Pour batter on top.Bake 30–40 minutes. Serve warm or atroom temperature. For a variation add 1Tbsp. of brandy to batter and 1/4 cupraisins to fruit.

Variation on Clafouti with Peaches(6 servings)

Depending on the season, this also worksfor peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries,pumpkin, and pears.

6 large sliced peaches2 1/4 cups non-dairy creamer

or whipping cream3 eggs3 egg yolks1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Starstruck. By Yael Levy, CrimsonRoman, $14.99 paperback, 214 pp., June2013.

This is a cute,ditsy novel whichis so well writtenyou can’t put it down althoughthere are foursimultaneous plots.

The heroine is30-year-old AbbyMiller, married toDavid, a medicalresident, with threekids. Abby yearns to be a romance booknovelist but is overwhelmed by constantlyfeeling unappreciated by her husbandcoupled with her mountain of homeresponsibilities and her love of a particularsoap opera.

Plot two revolves around her girlfriend,Sara Oppenheimer, an Orthodox womanwho lives with her grandmother and worksas an assistant district attorney. She has acase regarding the Russian mafia. She isalso being romantically pursued by JeffHammond, a non-Jewish police officer.She takes her dates to a kosher deli whereshe is also friendly with Boris, the kosherbutcher/deli worker with whom she hasno romantic interest but whose boss hassome connection to the Russian mafia case.

Plot three concerns Abby’s girlfriend,Leah, a physical therapist in an abusivemarriage. Plot four is about Michael, theunhappy actor in the soap opera whichAbby loves. She accidentally hits him in acar accident and brings him to her hometo recuperate.

Without divulging how these all blendtogether, one can say this is an engrossingmystery, a romance with some comicaspects and a fun read.

Yael Levy was raised in an Orthodoxhome in Brooklyn. She and her husbandspent three years living in Jerusalem. Theynow live in Atlanta with their children,and she is studying for a Master’s Degree.She has written two other novels whichdeal with Orthodox Jewish women. This istruly a fun, escape novel.

The Marrying ofChani Kaufman. ByEve Harris.Sandstone Press.Fall 2013.

This is a reallysympatheticapproach to twoissues which arethe themes of thisnovel. It begins in2008 in London atthe bedeken (veiling ceremony before wed-ding) of 19-year-old Chani Kaufman andher soon-to-be husband, Baruch. Both arevery nervous at the prospect of being mar-ried after only a few meetings through the shidduch (matchmaking) process.

Chani is from a poor family with eightdaughters, her father a poor rabbi. Baruchis from a well-to-do family. He sees Chaniat a wedding and decides she is thewoman for him – an unheard of show ofindividuality in this ultra-Orthodox world.It is also the world where families marryfamilies and his conniving mother wantsno connection to Chani or her family.

The chapters alternate and flashbackbetween the actual shidduch, preparationsfor the wedding, Chani’s life, the weddingand the wedding night.

Parallel to this and intertwined is therebbetzin. Rivka Zilberman went to Israelat the age of 18 during her gap year in the1980s and met Chaim from South Africawho became her friend and her lover.Their relationship changed (personallyand religiously) as he became more obser-vant, and ultimately led to their marriage.After a family tragedy from which hecould not recover, they left for Londonwhere he became a rabbi and she becamethe rebbetzin.

The connections are their son, who is afriend of Baruch, Chani’s intended. Alsothe rebbetzin instructs Chani in bridedetails before the marriage.

Eve Harris, an English literature teacherin a London ultra-Orthodox girls’ schoolwas 40 years old. She is the daughter of anIsraeli mother and a Holocaust survivorfather. She trained as a teacher, andtaught 10 years in non-Jewish schools andtwo years in Tel Aviv.

While teaching at the Orthodox schoolin London, once they got to know her,many of the teachers were open aboutwhat was going on in their lives, perhaps

Two novels aboutOrthodox women

Book ReviewsREVIEWED BY SYBIL KAPLAN

(see Kaplan/BR, page 19)

BY SYBIL KAPLANPHOTOS BY BARRY A. KAPLAN

August 20, 2014 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 19

KAPLAN/BR(continued from page 18)

precisely because she was an outsider.Shidduchim were an unavoidable topic –both among the young single teachers shesaw praying daily in the staffroom for ahusband, and the older teachers frustratedat their children’s pickiness. Later, whenshe went back to the community toresearch her book, people also confidedwith her about their doubts.

This book has a lot of insights into ultra-Orthodox life in England from the point ofviews of the couple involved as well as thestruggle and conflicts which suddenly facethe rebbetzin. This well-written book isdefinitely one to read. AAAA

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One of the brilliant dance sequences atthe Stratford Canada production of Crazyfor You.

BY HAROLD JACOBSON AND ROSE KLEINER

Although it is known primarily for itsproductions of Shakespeare’s plays (thisyear’s King Lear with Com Feore isaccounted as the most lustrous version indecades), the Stratford Canada repertorytheatre has outdone itself this season witha brilliant,“new”version of George and IraGershwin’s 1930 hit Girl Crazy re-namedCrazy for You.

We were fortunate to attend a recentperformance with 1,800 other dazzledspectators who spontaneously rose in unison at the show’s end to give the cast aprolonged and sustained standing ovation.

This tribute can be explained by themagical and hummable, lilting music ofGeorge Gershwin and lyrics by IraGershwin, the book by Ken Ludwig – anda cast of singers whose robust choral renditions of the Gershwins’ songs werecomplemented by a cadre of dancerswhose precision and acrobatic skillsrecalled the athleticism of RudolphNureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

It is a tribute to the Gershwins that amusical they wrote 81 years ago stillretains an amazing staying power and it isnot surprising that it has been revivednumerous times in recent years in severalAmerican venues, including Broadway but the Stratford Ontario version hascommanded extraordinarily positiveresponses. No wonder!

Few critics have noted, however, thatGeorge Gershwin’s rhythmic music, whichis usually characterized as intrinsicallyAmerican, has cadences and nuanceswhich recall some traditional Jewishmelodies and which in Crazy for You, seemto be an anticipation of the Klezmer genreso widespread in North America today.The plot, moreover, has many elements

Crazy for You displaysballetic skills of Nureyevand Baryshnikov

As I Heard ItBY MORTON GOLD

Engaging music by Fell siblings

Two CD’s with an Indiana connectionrecently came to my attention. Since theperformers are Jewish, and the perform-ances are meritorious, they surely rateinclusion in this paper.

The CD’s are by Arthur Fell andhis younger sister,Eleanor. Eleanor,who passed awaylast summer, wasan extraordinaryharpist. She madeher mark as a professional harpist performing at suchvenues as the Rainbow Room, St. Regisand Waldorf hotels in New York City. The“Harp Column”magazine recognized heras one of the most influential harpists of(the 20th) century. Thanks to this CD,Eleanor Fell, Harpist, one does not have togo to the Waldorf to listen to the artistry ofMs. Fell. She was truly an accomplishedmaster of her instrument. Her playing is assensitive as it is engaging.

She was responsible for the arrangementof every work performed on this CD andcountless other compositions. While thisCD contains what may be described ashigh class arrangements of well knowntunes, some classical, some popular, theperformances are always superb. This CDis but one example of her mastery. It wasreleased by Vanderbilt Music Company,Inc. Box 456; Bloomington, IN 47402.

There are 12 selections performed byMs. Fell. I was equally impressed by thesensitive renditions of popular songs, (No.3, 9, and 12) as I was by performancesfrom the classical world. In particular,her rendition of themes from theRachmaninoff, 2nd Piano Concerto made me wonder if that work might also be performed by a solo harp insteadof the piano! No. 7, “Teri’s Theme” byArthur Fell is a sweet and tender balladand received a loving performance. (Teri isArthur’s wife.)

Anyone wholoves jazz andenjoys listening toengaging rendi-tions of tunesmostly from the1920’s will love

this CD, Shake Your Blues Away with Jazz.Arthur Fell teamed up with trumpeter DavidCross in Africa! They honed their craft withyears of music making in Africa, the USAand France. This CD is the remarkableresult of a single recording session in 2006.These performances are as interestingmusically as they are entertaining.This CDis released by MacJazz Productions Ltd.,P.O. Box 400, Guilford, Surrey GU5 OXQ,www.macjazz.co.uk. Mr. Fell may bereached at: arterifell@aol.com

Dr. Gold is a composer/conductor and along time columnist for the Post & Opinion.He may be reached at: drmortongold@gmail.com.AAAA

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reflecting American Jewish folklore, thedomineering mother, the docile but rebellious son, the love of theatre and thelure of gambling – in Nevada no less.

In the Stratford version, only thecognoscenti would recognize these motifsbecause they are transformed into auniquely America idiom in which, theWest, cowboys, saloons, gun fights, harddrinking – all dominate the stage – butwith an élan that is astonishingly freshand admirable.

Essential to the success of this spectacleare the two major actor-singer-dancerswho maintain the dramatic and musicalequilibrium of the play – Natalie Daradichand Josh Franklin. Their dancing andsinging skills are already the stuff of legends. AAAA

j i ZOBERMAN/BR(continued from page 17)

The perplexing issues raised byAppelfeld – Jewish identity, assimilation,and vulnerability – remain with us today.The presence of a sovereign Jewish stateand a vital American Jewish communitymakes a critical difference.

Rabbi Israel Zoberman is the spiritualleader of Congregation Beth Chaverim inVirginia Beach. AAAA

20 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT August 20, 2014

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INDIANAPOLIS, INPERMIT NO. 1321

At the same time.... at the event of ourpartners in the Galilee, at the MaaleGilboa yeshiva, Michael Kagan shared:“Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, his father, hisson and his disciple together with rabbisand students prayed together, sangtogether, learned together, laughedtogether, cried together, and broke ourfasts together.” When it came time forevening prayers, the Muslims and Jewsprayed together side by side.

Peace tour in NazarethOn July 22, a group of 70 Israelis and

Palestinians journeyed from Jerusalem fora peace tour together in Nazareth. Wethen gathered, 140 Muslims, Christiansand Jews, religious leaders, and families –at the Anwar Il-Salam, Lights of Peace Sufipeace center for the annual AbrahamicReunion Iftar dinner. This was a powerfulevening of prayers side by side andtogether, blessings by religious leaders, ashared listening circle, and visions ofhope. We demonstrated that the childrenof Abraham can come together in harmony and respect, even in a time ofwar in the Holy Land.

Please look at some inspiring pics fromthe Abrahamic Reunion peace tour andRamadan Iftar meal these images showanother side – Jews and Arabs – gettingalong just fine! Jews, Muslims, andChristians are praying side by side forpeace. Participants in this event are asking

JerusalemPeacemakerBY ELIYAHU MCLEAN

Interfaith eventsInterfaith break-fast at Mount Zion

On the evening of July 16, JerusalemPeacemakers and the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development hosted aRamadan-17th of Tammuz interfaithbreak-fast on Mount Zion, one of 32events globally. Joining us were a group ofvisiting American rabbis, Israeli Jews andArabs and East Jerusalem Palestiniansfrom Ras al-Amud, Beit Safafa and AbuTor, and Christian supporters.

In the gardens of the JerusalemInterCultural Center, Rabbi Raz Hartmanspoke about the meaning of the fast of17th of Tammuz: “This was the day Mosesthrew and broke the original two tablets.This fast day is a tikkun (fixing) for thatevent, and for anything that is not Shalem(whole) in this world, according to theGemara. All the more so, when we are at atime of war, now is the time to fast! Mayour fasting (together) bring a tikkun!

Sheikh Jamal from Beit Haninah spokeabout the meaning of Ramadan and fasting for Muslims. When we heard the‘boom’ signaling Muslims that it was timeto eat, they held off eating for 15 minuteslater, to join us (Jews) when our fast timeformally ended.

After a festive meal together, I shared:“Let the world know that there areIsraelis, Palestinians, Jews, and Muslims in Jerusalem and all over the Land that do not buy into the narrative that we areenemies, that we have to hate each other,that we have to be at war with one another.

Haj Ibrahim Abuelhawa closed with aplea: “The new generation needs to carrythe message of how we can live together...We are all one.” Our evening closed withRabbi Itzchak Mamorstein reading RavKook’s poem “for the brotherly Love ofIsaac and Ishmael” with Raed translatingto Arabic and chants of ‘Shalom’ and‘Salaam’.

Mount Zion: Jews and Muslims breakingfast together.

(L-R) Anglican Father (Abuna) Nael AbuRahmoun, Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, andRodef Shalom Eliyahu McLean at theAbrahamic Reunion peace tour ofNazareth and interfaith RamadanIftar/prayer for peace event on the roof ofthe Sufi center of Sheikh GhassanManasra and his family, July 22, 2014.

what and when is the next thing I can join!There is a hunger for many of Abraham’schildren here to just be normal humanbeings together, to not give into the (justified from each side) rage towards theother. To that end we are planning moresuch events in the coming weeks.

Link to more photos:https://www.flickr.com/photos/jerusalem

_peacemakers/sets/72157646121613722/?fb_action_ids=10152299818112986&fb_action_types=flickr_photos%3Aadd&fb_ref=w&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

Eliyahu McLean, director of JerusalemPeacemakers, www.jerusalempeacemakers.org.AAAA